Well the news from Cooks Academy is that we're fairly hectic in the run up to Christmas.  Like most people I'm sure.  Again its been a fabulous year here at the Cookery School and goodness knows how many people have been to our lessons throughout the last 12 months.  We've had great feedback from everyone and we promise you that we will continue to innovate and devise new cookery lessons to tickle your tastebuds in 2007. 

So all that remains to do is to thank you for your business and to wish you all a very Happy Christmas.  We hope that new found skills, learnt at Cooks Academy and cleverly reproduced by you, will ensure wonderful delicacies appearing on tables everywhere throughout the festive season.  Bon Appetit!

As you know we're always looking well ahead here at Cooks Academy and we've scheduled some super Italian cookery lessons for February and March.  Join us for an Italian adventure Discover Italy on Friday 9th Feb or the next day for our popular Italian Workshop. On 9th and 10th March we're delighted to welcome celebrity BBC TV Chefs Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi to Cooks Academy for two lessons and on 30th March, our favourite celebrity chef, Ursula Ferrigno returns for another double headliner that day.  Starting on 13th March our new hands on, four week course, Cucina Italiana will set you up for a lifetime of Italian feasts.  So why not do it with a large dollop of style - the Italian way at Cooks Academy?

'The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again.'
George Miller

A gift of cookery lessons at Cooks Academy makes a great Christmas present because not only will you, the beneficiary benefit, but also, hopefully the purchaser too!  To order a gift voucher please phone the office here at 214 5002.  We will process your order and get the voucher out in the post to you straight away.  Our classes in January are ideal as Christmas Gifts.  In particular Cooking for Blokes and Detox Juicing.  Or take a culinary trip around the world with the great range of ethnic classes we run such as Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Sushi, Indian, Moroccan and even Thai-French.

Want to do a serious cookery course but not in the evenings?  Or maybe you'd just like to spend a week in Cooks Academy learning to cook.  Whatever the reason why not take a week out from whatever it is you do and join us here on our Essential Cookery Course.  This is a relaxed course designed for people who would like to upskill quickly.  You'll learn the basics of baking, pastry, breads, meat, fish etc.  Come to grips with classical cooking methods and techniques and gain inspiration and confidence to try out new recipes long after you've left Cooks Academy.

Keep an eye on our Celebrity & Guest Chef programme throughout 2007.  We will be bringing many more well known food personalities to Cooks Academy.  In particular watch out for BBC TV Chefs Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi in March.  Multiple cookbook author and dynamo Ursula Ferrigno will also be visiting on 30th March.  Renowned chocolate expert Bridget Colvin will be jetting in from London to give a Death by Chocolate Workshop shortly before Easter. [Details TBC]. Please let us know if there is someone famous from the food world you'd like to see visiting Cooks Academy.

Guest Chef Ivor O'Connor taught this at our Classic Christmas  Cookery lesson this year.  It makes a tasty and visually stunning starter for Christmas.

Ingredients                                            Serves 6

4 large baking potatoes (roosters / maris pipers)
300g smoked salmon, sliced into julienne
2 tsp chopped shallot
1 tsp chopped capers
6 dessertspoons crème fraiche
1 dessertspoon chopped chives
50mls extra virgin olive oil
30g chives, snipped
Black lumpfish roe (Caviar !!) to garnish
Olive oil for frying
Salt
Pepper

Method
1. Bake the potatoes (skin left on) for 25-30 minutes in a hot oven 200 degrees, ideally the day before you intend to use them.
2. Slice the smoked salmon into julienne and mix with the chopped shallot and capers.
3. Fold the chopped chives into the creme fraiche with a few grinds of black pepper.
4. Grate the potato and lightly press into a small rosti cake shapes.
5. Liquidize the olive oil and chives and strain.
6. Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan and fry the rosti until golden brown.
7. Place on a warm plate and top with the smoked salmon, then the crème fraiche and finally the lumpfish roe / caviar.
8. Drizzle some of the oil around the plate and serve immediately

For the second year running Cooks Academy has won an Award from the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Enterprise Board.  Last year it was the most innovative start up and this year we won the overall prize, The Board Client Award which meant that we went through to the national finals with 20 other business from around the country.  Unfortunately we didn't win a national award but it was great nonetheless to be recognised as a winner in the County.  Thanks to all at Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Enterprise Board.

We've introduced a new type of cookery lesson at Cooks Academy.  This is the Afternoon Demonstration.  These demonstrations are part of our Professional Certificate Course and we have a few seats available for members of the public every afternoon from 2pm to 4pm at a cost of €30.00 per seat.  The schedule changes for these demonstrations so the best thing to do is to ring or email a few days before and we'll tell you what's coming up.  These demos focus on culinary techniques with modules such as how to make jam or make shortcrust pastry or cook a rack of lamb for example.

November Food Trivia Winner - Congratulations to Jean Fogarty one of many who answered correctly that Kale is the dark green vegetable of the brassica family which is normally used with Potato in the traditional Irish dish Colcannon. 

Enter December's Food Trivia Quiz to win a Free Demonstration Class at Cooks Academy by answering the following question:  In Italy, Spaghetti alle Vongole contains what type of shellfish? Enter Competition

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