I mentioned in previous posts how much we enjoy the monthly cooking classes at Amici Miei. We would attend these all year, if possible. However, we certainly understand that Roberto and Chef Davide are allowed to take vacations - we don’t mean to chain them to their restaurant! So the last cooking class for the 2013-2014 season was held last week, and we attended with great anticipation.

I had also mentioned in the previous cooking class post that Ernie had taken a grilling class from a local culinary school that conflicted with the Amici Miei cooking class. The primary attraction of that class was supposed to be the opportunity to learn how to grill duck. Unfortunately, the other cooking class had to make a last-minute substitution, so grilled duck came off the schedule. (BTW, Ernie has sworn off other cooking classes now, most especially on Amici Miei cooking class days!) In honor of Ernie’s desire to learn how to grill duck, Chef Davide added - you guessed it - grilled duck onto the menu!

May's Cooking Class menu - Grilled Duck, just for Ernie!

As usual, we cooked starting at the end of the meal and finished cooking somewhere in the middle! Since the mousse had to chill and set, that’s where Chef began, ably assisted by Ernie and one of the regular attendees, Jim. While Jim and Chef prepared the strawberry puree with the gelatin, Ernie whipped heavy cream with powdered sugar. After the strawberry mixture was complete, they folded the whipped cream into the strawberry puree, and then Ernie piped the mousse into the silicone forms. And aw, darn, there was some of the lovely mixture left over, so we all got a taste! The formed pan then went into the refrigerator to chill and set.

Jem helps Ernie fill the piping bag while Chef supervises.

Next was the duck preparation. Chef explained that duck is not the type of meat that can just be put onto a grill, as there is quite a bit of fat that goes along with the skin of the duck. When that fat drips into the grill, the grill will flare, thus burning the duck and making it less than desirable to eat. So the trick is to sear the skin-side of the duck first, rendering off a good deal of the fat! While the duck was being seared (only on the skin-side), Jim and Ernie prepared a marinade for the duck consisting of orange juice, thyme, and red wine. When the skin of the duck was seared, leaving a good amount of fat in the pan, it was put into the marinade. Note that the other side of the duck was still raw, ready for grilling later! Off the duck went to be marinated.

Add more wine! The duck is being seared on the left and will then be marinated (and happy) in its orange-wine bath.

And then came the lobsters. Chef had seven lively lobsters awaiting us - which did cause some distress for a couple of the attendees. So while the faint-of-heart went outside to enjoy the perfect spring weather, Chef showed everyone else how to prepare the lobster. I won’t repeat here - I’ll leave it to the reader to find a YouTube presentation, if you’re interested.

These lobsters are going to be course number two!

After the lobsters were split and declawed, Jim and Ernie sautéed the body halves in some olive oil. This allowed all the wonderful juice to collect in the pan, which would contribute to the flavor of the sauce. The claws were boiled since that shell is thicker, and they needed to be completely done.

While the lobsters were sautéing, Chef shelled fava beans, which look like giant green peas but have a much firmer texture when cooked.

Lobsters done, Chef removed the meat from the tails, while Ernie and Jim took the meat out of the claws. The shells of the lobster bodies and all those wonderful juices were then added to a good amount of pureed tomatoes that was put on to simmer for a while.

The lobster halves simmer in the tomato puree to create the pasta sauce.

While the sauce was simmering, we went on to the sardines. After cleaning the sardines, Ernie and Chef created a breadcrumb mixture that is very typical of flavors in Sicilia - toasted breadcrumbs with olive oil, pine nuts, soaked raisins, parmesan cheese, and lots of other spices. The breadcrumb mixture was then rolled into each sardine as a stuffing; the sardines would be cooked right before serving.

Toasting the breadcrumbs with olive oil and pine nuts.

Rolling the breadcrumb stuffing into the sardines.

And then back to the lobsters and fava beans. Chef sautéed the fava beans with some olive oil and the lobster, just to heat everything. Then he added some of the tomato-lobster sauce that had finished cooking and had been strained (getting rid of all those shells and whatnot). Finally, he tossed in the linguine - yes, literally tossing the entire mixture as only Chef can! (My wrists are just not strong enough, so I’d have a lobster-pasta mess all over my kitchen!) A sprinkle of fresh parsley, dash of crushed red pepper, and voila! Ready to be served.

Then we all sat down for the eating portion of the program. One of the couples who attend regularly, Mike and Jennifer, were celebrating their anniversary that day. Being the wonderful folks that they are, they decided to spoil all of us (in addition to themselves) by bringing in their favorite Champagne, Vve Fourny & Fils Premier Cru Rosé. This is a mixture of 20% Pinor Noir and 80% Chardonney, and the result is a beautiful light-pink-and-gold creation with gorgeous tiny bubbles, lots of the traditional yeasty flavor, but also fresh fruitiness. Just a delightful - and very unexpected - way to start the lunch. We all enjoyed the champagne, to include Chef Davide, Roberto, and Ivan our waiter!

The bonus champagne, courtesy of celebrating couple, Mike and Jennifer.

The first course - stuffed sardines. The breadcrumb mixture of the sweet raisins, lemon zest and the pine nuts went perfectly with the slightly salty sardines. To accompany the dish, Roberto and Chef had chosen a 2012 Lovisolo Gavi, made from Cortese Grapes. The Gavi was beautifully dry with a great citrus-fruit flavor, and that was a perfect match with the mixture of the slightly sweet and salty dish. We were off to a great start!

Next up, the lobster linguine with the fava beans. Visually, the dish is gorgeous, with the bright green fava beans, the red sauce, and the linguine. And the taste was incredible. The tomato sauce had picked up the gorgeous richness of the lobster. The pieces of lobster were fabulously sweet. And the fava beans added just a snap of green - they were al dente with a bit of sweetness to match the lobster. Roberto and Chef paired this dish with a 2011 Kaltern Wadleith Chardonnay from Alto Adige. Italian Chardonnays are not as oaky as American Chardonnays, as Italian ones do not stay in the oak barrels as long. The wine had the buttery richness associated with a Chardonnay, and it was a super pairing with the lobster linguine. Hmm, I was starting to get full now.

Lobster, fava, and linguine with Italian Chardonnay.

Then the secondi - the grilled duck. To complete this dish, Chef had put the duck pieces on the grill on their uncooked sides, since the skin-side was already seared. This kept the fat from dripping down and causing any flare-ups. Meanwhile, he cooked the strained orange-wine marinade down until it was a lovely, rich sauce. The result was incredible - the smoky flavor of the duck from the grilling - with the meat at the perfect temperature to keep the duck moist - and the orange-thyme-wine sauce. This was paired with a Kaltern Pinot Nero Blauburgunder 12. (Note that the name translates to the name of the grape, Pinot Noir: Pinot Nero is Italian, and Blauburgunder is German.) The Pinot Nero was deliciously earthy to go along with the dark fruit of the wine, and it was a perfect match to the sauce and the smoky duck.

About this time, Jim and his wife, Karen, revealed that they had brought a gift for the anniversary couple. To celebrate, they had brought in bottles of Tattinger champagne to share with everyone. So we had the great fun of enjoying the absolutely classic Tattinger (yeasty, lovely tiny bubbles, lots of sparkles) with the strawberry mousse. To complete the mousse, Chef added fresh-cut strawberries, and then drizzled a small amount of the 12-year old balsamic vinegar from Modena over the mousse. Wow - the aged balsamic and the sweet mouse was incredible! And then the final surprise - Roberto and Chef Davide provided a bottle of an after-dinner liquor, Mirto. This is a classic Sardinian disgestif that is perfect for enjoying very slowly after long, filling dinners. The flavor is sweet myrtles (ergo the name), and the drink definitely settles the stomach. We sipped our drinks, nibbled on our mousse, and enjoyed the camaraderie that has sprung up among this group over the years. Lots of teasing back and forth, good natured fun, and supreme enjoyment of learning all these wonderful foods and cooking techniques.

Strawberry mousse - with the aged balsamic - along with the bonus Tattinger provided by Jim and Karen.

A happy “Cin! Cin!” to Mike and Jennifer, and a hearty thank-you to Chef Davide, Roberto, and Ivan, our waiter. We do hope they enjoy their summer vacations - we’ll eagerly anticipate the announcement of the first cooking class in the fall!