Can't Cook? Try Eurostoves

My roommate Jess tried a cooking class at Eurostoves Culinary Centre in Beverly yesterday, and gave it rave reviews. Eurostoves offers a variety of culinary instruction classes, such as Baking Basics, Healthy Dinners, Knife Skills, Latin Flavors, Cake Decorating, Great Grilling, Couples Cooking Mediterranean Food & Wine, and Girls' Night Out Mexican Fiesta. Yesterday's class, "Soups and Breads," focuses on these two specifically, honing bread baking and soup making skills.

"I had never considered making bread before- it had always intimidated me," Jess told me. "But they taught us how to do it, breaking it down to make it really easy." The class learned focaccia bread (used with good-quality olive oil and a hint of pesto), challah (wonderfully dense and sweet), olive bread (a salty delight), and classic French bread. I tried them when she brought them home afterwards and can attest to their excellence. For soups they made Hungarian mushroom soup, New England fish chowder, and butternut squash bisque - since the squash wasn't in season it lacked the right sweetness so they added cannoli beans to thicken it, she told me. The chef instructor also taught her the proper way to cut an onion, which she'd never learned, and she made a great minestrone with crisp vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper) and cannoli beans, which really hit the spot this cold and rainy weekend.

If you lack confidence in the kitchen or are simply looking for a fun afternoon, take a class at Eurostoves - you'll go home satisfied.