What can be more delightful on a warm summer day than our local striper or bluefish right off the grill accompanied by farmer’s market veggies! Unless, of course, half of the fish got stuck, the other half fell through the grill grate, and those zucchini burnt to a crisp. Cooking over an open flame might be the oldest method known to man, but it does require a lot of finesse to master. What fish types are appropriate for grilling? When should you turn the heat up and when down? How do you avoid sticking? When is the fish done? This class will answer all your fish and vegetable grilling questions. We will use a gas grill, but the same techniques apply if you are grilling on charcoal. Dishes might include bluefish with cilantro lime butter, whole branzino with lemon and herbs, swordfish with cucumber yogurt sauce, mustard glazed trout, and assorted grilled vegetables. Note: the dishes vary based on the season and availability of ingredients. Rainy day policy.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Sat, Jun 1, 2013 10am-1pm Register
Sat, Jun 8, 2013 10am-1pm Waiting List
Sat, Jul 27, 2013 10am-1pm Register

Provence - the land of lavender, honey, and olive oil - is a feast for the senses. In this class, you'll experience joie de vivre of the South of France by exploring the varied cuisines of this region. In our culinary adventure, we'll travel from the sea coast to the mountains, learning about the herbs, produce, and Mediterranean seafood of this region. Our meal will include a Bouillabaisse (Provencal fish soup), Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb, and Ratatouille (vegetable stew). Note: the dishes vary based on the season and availability of ingredients.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Thu, Jun 13, 2013 6pm-9pm Register

If you've been to Paris, the thought of owning your own little bistro must have crept into your mind - the kind of cozy place with black and white tile floors, bright lights, and intoxicating smells wafting from the large copper pots on the stove. Now is your chance to become a bistro cook without leaving town. Join chef Helen Rennie in her kitchen and learn to make French classics like Salmon Pâté, Seared Duck Breast with Black Current Sauce, and Crêpes Suzette. Note: the dishes vary based on the season and availability of ingredients.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Tue, Jun 18, 2013 6pm-9pm Register

Few kitchen tasks are more satisfying than making your own pasta - the joy of kneading the dough, the art of shaping it to your liking, and the pleasure of that perfect bite. Home-made pasta does not require expensive equipment, hard to find ingredients, or years of practice. After this class you'll be a pro at making the dough, rolling it out, shaping it, and cooking it perfectly al dente. You'll learn how to prepare several sauces and how to match them to your pasta. Dishes might include pici (thick hand-shaped spaghetti) with wild mushrooms, leek ravioli with sage butter, and orecchiette (hand-shaped round pasta) with cauliflower and broccoli. Note: the dishes vary based on the season and availability of ingredients. This class is vegetarian.

One 3h session / $80 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Thu, May 30, 2013 6pm-9pm Waiting List
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 10am-1pm Register

Vegetables are a culinary wonder with their variety of textures and flavors, and a gift to us cooks. If they occupy the lowly place of repentance food on your table, it's time to rethink your cooking techniques. In this class, you'll get hands-on practice with blanching, roasting, pan searing, braising, and sauteing vegetables, as well as serving them raw. You'll learn to buy, wash, store, and cook everything from roots to leafy greens. How do you prevent asparagus from turning mushy and stringy? What do you do with Swiss chard, beets, fennel, celery root, and rutabaga? How do you make a good salad? Bring your vegetable questions and come ready to cook and eat. Dishes will vary with the season and availability of ingredients, but are likely to include fennel radish green bean salad, seared asparagus, roasted beets with farro, and Swiss chard bruschetta. This class is vegetarian.

One 3h session / $80 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Thu, Jun 6, 2013 6pm-9pm Waiting List
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 6pm-9pm Register

Do you get excited about a trip to the farmer's market, but dread chopping all those veggies and herbs? If the onions make you break into tears and you can't remember the last time you sharpened your knife, come to this hands-on class and learn to slice, dice, and mince in a casual and supportive environment. We'll go over which knives are used for which cuts, how to buy a good knife in any price range, as well as sharpening and caring for your knives. And what cooking class is complete without a sumptuous dinner? The meal we'll prepare out of all those veggies might include fennel orange salad, potato leek soup, tomato onion tart, and ratatouille. This class is vegetarian.

One 3h session / $80 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 10am-1pm Register

Get your napkins ready -- it's gonna be beefy, it's gonna be juicy, and it's gonna be high-tech. What makes a great burger is not a filling of foie gras or the topping of truffles. What makes a great burger is knowledge of cow parts, skillful meat grinding, and heat manipulation. We'll cover both the thick and thin burgers, and a variety of toppings. You'll learn about sous-vide, and how it can solve all your doneness woes for thick burgers (without any expensive equipment!). Don't have a meat grinder? Don't worry. You can have your butcher do the work. But we'll cover buying, using, and maintaining a meat grinder, so if you want to give it a go, you'll have all the knowledge you need. If you like your burger lean or well done, this is NOT the class for you---this class is about making the yummiest burger possible!

One 3h session / $80 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Thu, Jul 18, 2013 6pm-9pm Register

If crispy, juicy meat turns you on, why not learn the techniques that achieve perfection every time you fire up the grill? Successful meat grilling is not about big flames and big tools; it's about chemistry and thermodynamics. In this class, we'll learn what cuts of meat and poultry to choose for the grill, when to use high heat and when to go low and slow, how to test for doneness, and why marinades work or fail. Dishes might include a grilled rib-eye steak with chimichurri sauce, grilled lamb chops with mint butter, pork chops with mustard vinaigrette, and chicken thighs with pomegranate syrup. Note: the dishes vary based on the season and availability of ingredients. Rainy day policy.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Sat, Jun 15, 2013 10am-1pm Waiting List
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 10am-1pm Register

There is a better way to cook Japanese at home than instant miso soup. Traditional Japanese cooking is seasonal, simple, healthy, and delightful to all the senses. In this class, you'll learn the fundamentals of this cuisine including dashi (basic sea stock), rice, sea vegetables (kombu, wakame, hijiki, and nori), quick pickles, cooked seafood, and sauces. Shopping for these ingredients will be discussed in great detail, so next time you enter a Japanese market you won't feel lost. Dishes will vary with the season and availability of ingredients, but are likely to include miso soup with leeks, glazed fish, a variety of quick pickled vegetables, carrots with hijiki seaweed, king trumpet mushrooms with smoky soy glaze, and molded rice.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Fri, Jul 26, 2013 6pm-9pm Register

How confident are you when you step up to the butcher counter? Do you know what cuts to get for braising vs. roasting vs. grilling vs. pan searing? While everyone can throw a piece of meat on the grill, taking it off can be a little tricky. How do you know when it's cooked to your liking? Do you season before or after cooking? Should you crank the heat up or turn it down? This class will answer all your meat buying and cooking questions. We'll discuss the cuts of beef, lamb, and pork; learn appropriate cooking methods for each cut; practice trimming and trussing steaks and roasts; and eliminate guesswork out of testing meat for doneness. Dishes will vary with the season and availability of ingredients, but are likely to include a beef steak with herb butter, a lamb top roast with garlic cream, beef stew with apricots, and baby-back pork ribs.

One 3h session / $90 per person
Instructor: Helen Rennie
Location: 3 Ingleside Rd, Natick, MA
Sat, May 18, 2013 10am-1pm Waiting List