A friend of Julie Trescott, who celebrated her birthday at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School, washes her hands after cutting vegetables.
Anchovy Bruschetta: Bruschetti di Alici
12 salt-packed anchovy fillets
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
16 thin slices Italian peasant bread
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Soak anchovies in water for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and chop.
Using a fork, mash the anchovies, parsley, mint and the garlic in a bowl.
Add the olive oil and pepper, to taste. Keep mixing and mashing until you achieve a creamy consistency. You may need to add more oil.
Spread the anchovy mixture in equal amounts over the bread slices. Place the bruschetta on a large baking sheet. Bake until the bread is just toasted, about 8 to10 minutes.
Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast with Proscuitto
10 Servings
1 cup artichoke hearts
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly ground
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 each cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons basil leaves, minced
6 each chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 slices prosciutto or ham, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kitchen string or skewers
Place first five ingredients (artichoke, cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and basil) in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (**Note- This mixture makes great, fast wine tasting snack if simply spread on sour dough toast or muffins and browned. The French would call it a Croute. We call it -----a Hot Savory.)
Lay each chicken breast between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with mallet to a uniform thickness of 1/8 inch. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Top each pounded chicken breast with prosciutto or ham cut to fit the shape of the breast. Spread prosciutto layer with a layer of artichoke mixture. If layers are thin, they will roll up easily in a jelly-roll fashion. Secure with toothpicks or better yet tie in several places with cotton kitchen string.
Heat the olive oil and unsalted butter until water spits in the saute pan when tested. Add chicken rolls and brown lightly for about 5 minutes. Bake in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and cool enough to handle. Pull out the toothpicks or cut the string. Slice on a slight diagonal into 1/3 inch wide pieces.
Blue Ribbon Coffee
1 Serving
1 teaspoon (light) granulated sugar
5 ounces coffee, (strong Americano)
Heavy cream, for whipping
Ibarra Chocolate, (Mexican sweet chocolate) for garnish
Prepare your Americano by adding hot water to espresso coffee or make very strong coffee. Whip the cream, without any sugar, until it forms stiff peaks. Place the sugar in a heat proof cup or mug. Pour the hot coffee and fill the mug about 2/3 full. Top with whipped cream. With a small knife, scrape the block of chocolate over the whipped cream to sprinkle the granules over the top.
Chickpea and Mint Crostini
Serves 6 to 8
1, 15.5-ounce can chickpeas
2 Scallions
¼ Cup fresh mint
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
¾ Tsp salt
¼ Tsp pepper
½ Cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
16-Ounce bag store-bought crostini
Drain, rinse, and coarsely chop chickpeas. Chop the scallions (white and light green parts) and fresh mint. In a medium bowl, combine them with the chickpeas, extra-virgin olive-oil, salt, pepper, and pomegranate seeds from small pomegranate (optional). Serve with crostini.
Chickpea and Mint Crostini
Serves 6 to 8
1, 15.5-ounce can chickpeas
2 Scallions
¼ Cup fresh mint
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
¾ Tsp salt
¼ Tsp pepper
½ Cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
16-Ounce bag store-bought crostini
Drain, rinse, and coarsely chop chickpeas. Chop the scallions (white and light green parts) and fresh mint. In a medium bowl, combine them with the chickpeas, extra-virgin olive-oil, salt, pepper, and pomegranate seeds from small pomegranate (optional). Serve with crostini.
Fig, Honey and Pine Nut Tart
Makes 6 servings
For crust
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal (not stone-ground)
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick ( ½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For filling
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup mascarpone cheese (8 oz)
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red-currant jelly
1 tablespoon honey
1 ½ lb fresh figs
Special equipment: an 11 ¼ - by 8- by 1-inch rectangular or 10-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with a removable bottom
Make crust:
Pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and rosemary and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just incorporated.
Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition and continuing to test.
Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan with floured fingers.
Smooth dough with a small offset metal spatula or back of a spoon (floured if necessary), then roll a rolling pin over top of pan to trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bake crust in middle of oven until center and edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes (don't worry if bottom of crust cracks), then cool in pan on a rack.
Prepare filling and assemble tart:
Whisk together sour cream, mascarpone, sugar, zest, and salt in a bowl.
Heat jelly and honey in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking, until jelly is melted, about 4 minutes, then cool glaze slightly.
Remove side of tart pan and spread mascarpone cream in shell.
Cut figs lengthwise into ¼ -inch-thick slices and arrange decoratively over cream. Brush figs with honey glaze.
Cooks' notes:
• Crust can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• Mascarpone mixture can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Tart can be assembled 1 hour ahead and kept, loosely covered, at room temperature.
Make crust:
Pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and rosemary and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just incorporated.
Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition and continuing to test.
Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of tart pan with floured fingers.
Smooth dough with a small offset metal spatula or back of a spoon (floured if necessary), then roll a rolling pin over top of pan to trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bake crust in middle of oven until center and edges are golden, 25 to 30 minutes (don't worry if bottom of crust cracks), then cool in pan on a rack.
Prepare filling and assemble tart:
Whisk together sour cream, mascarpone, sugar, zest, and salt in a bowl.
Heat jelly and honey in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking, until jelly is melted, about 4 minutes, then cool glaze slightly.
Remove side of tart pan and spread mascarpone cream in shell.
Cut figs lengthwise into ¼ -inch-thick slices and arrange decoratively over cream. Brush figs with honey glaze.
Gnocchi All Romana-Semolina Gnocchi
4 Servings
1 quart whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
4 ounces Finocchita Tuscan Salami
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 egg
3 egg yolks
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 Recipe Bechamel
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the milk and butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, whisk in the semolina and cook for about 15 minutes until thick, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Cool slightly, add the egg and yolks one at a time, add the salami, rosemary, salt, pepper and parmigiano. Stir and adjust seasoning.
Saffron Optional.
Place bechamel in oven proof dish.
With two spoons shape the gnocchi and place over the bechamel. Sprinkle the gnocchi with some parmigiano. Bake in 375 degree oven almost 15 - 20 minutes then broil until lightly golden. Sprinkle with ground saffron and serve.
3 Japanese eggplant (12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
12 cremini mushrooms
1 bunch (1-pound) asparagus, trimmed
12 green onions, roots cut off
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pesto Sauce
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush the vegetables with oil to coat lightly. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over, about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers; 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms; 4 minutes for the asparagus and green onions. Arrange the vegetables on a platter. The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they've been placed on the hot grill.
While the vegetables are grilling make the pesto sauce. Combine garlic, basil, pine nuts and salt in blender jar. Add the cheese. Blend at low speed until ingredients are chopped fine and form a paste. Gradually blend in oil blending until well mixed. If pesto is too thick add a little more olive oil.
Once all the vegetables are grilled top them with a thin layer of pesto. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Rosemary Potatoes
10 Servings
4 pounds red new potatoes, (1 ½ - 2 inches in diameter), peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
6 to 12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Place rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place potatoes in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet. Drizzle oil over potatoes. Rub the oil over the potatoes and the inside of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes over with a metal spatula. Scrape spatula along bottom of pan to scoop up any crisp bits. Add garlic. Roast 15 more minutes. Sprinkle on the rosemary. Turn potatoes and garlic with spatula so that rosemary mixes in. Roast 10 minutes more. Potatoes should be easy to pierce with the tip of a sharp knife.
Tossed Green Salad with Lemon and Chives
6 Servings
1 head firm butter lettuce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Combine all of the ingredients in a salad bowl and serve.
“They told me, ‘We’re not coming back,” said Johns-Webster, the director of the Blue Ribbon Cooking School.
That was three years ago.
At just 22 years old, she became the school’s director, spending 80 to 100 hours a week catering weddings, hosting cooking events and observing ‘cooklets’ catch their own fish and slice them open in the school’s enormous kitchen.
“When you throw parties for a living, you’re cleaning up for a living,” she said. “You just hit a point where you can’t do it any more.”
Despite the high burnout rate in the industry, Johns-Webster doesn’t regret getting into the family business, which has spanned nearly her entire life.
Although Blue Ribbon is called a school, there are no essays, assignments or grades. Rather, you dive into an assortment of gourmet foods with friends, family or strangers in individual cooking classes. And don’t forget parties with a clear view of Gas Works Park and Lake Union’s waves.
“The kitchen is a great place to put people together because naturally, everybody has it in common,” she said. “In order to eat, you need to have some relationship with food.”
School kitchen spices consist of Indian turmeric, red pepper flakes, Indian mustard, Bay leaves, madras curry, nutmeg, onion powder, lemon pepper, sage, chili powder, ground cumin and more. There are at least 10 whisks to choose from and an endless number of pots and pans to boil, bake, simmer, sauté and fry goodies.
“Landscaping and culinary arts are the only arts that appeal to all five senses,” said Katherine Stewart, a chef at Blue Ribbon who began five years ago as a dishwasher.
In 1978, Virginia Duppenthaler. Johns-Webster’s mother, opened cooking schools in Hong Kong, the Philippines, India and Vancouver, Johns-Webster said. In 1995, the family opened their first cooking school locally in Madison Park with a focus on home entertainment. Eventually, they moved into their current 5,200-square-foot waterfront culinary center by Lake Union.
“We’ve always had this strong farm-table philosophy that family around the dinner table had a concept for school,” Johns-Webster said. “My whole life I grew up sitting at a table every night for dinner.”
Blue Ribbon’s recipes come from life experiences, mom’s cookbook, restaurants and grocery stores. Last year, after a five-week trip to Europe with her husband, Spanish tapas and Spanish-themed parties became part of the menu.
Cooking is about camaraderie and bringing people together in the kitchen and getting involved, said Bryce Bailey, a Blue Ribbon event planner since last October.
Over time, American society has been disconnected from the process of food, Johns-Webster said. Dining tables are covered with newspapers and people eat outside their homes.
Sometimes, though, even she gets home tired, and tells herself, “Top Ramen for me and gourmet food for my clients.”
In 1996, Starbucks became their first corporate team-building client. Corporations realized that employees cooking together could boost morale or show appreciation for their hard work, especially since the economic recession has affected everyone, Johns-Webster said.
Guests who choose the team-building event start the first half-hour with beverages and appetizers, then, the next hour and a half with hands-on cooking from scratch ($105 per guest) or competing iron chef style (additional $10 per guest).
Team-building events quickly grew to over 2,000 corporate clients, including Microsoft, Costco, Avanade, landscaping firms, teachers’ unions and TV channels, all by word of mouth. One accounting firm uses the iron chef event to recruit potential employees.
“There are a lot of different attributes that go into an iron chef event that actually happen in the workplace — meeting a deadline, designing a concept, using your resources and creativity,” Johns-Webster said.
Blue Ribbon chefs come from all over the world. Some have certificates and others were taught at home. They’re hired, though, both as chefs and entertainers who make cooking fun for clients, she said.
“It was looking like play dough, wasn’t it?” Stewart said, giggling with the women while performing her duties as chef at Tuesday night’s event. “It’s supposed to be a white sauce!”
It was Julie Trescott’s 50th birthday party. She generously invited 22 lifelong friends and family members to celebrate. The menu: Rustic Italian. Guests began with Blue Ribbon’s antipasti platter of gourmet cheese, cured meats and a trio of crostini, consisting of chickpea and mint, anchovies and garlic and traditional caprese. They brought their own wine, champagne and beer and started with a toast — to Julie of course.
“We’re going to cook a killer meal and have fun tonight,” one woman said as the guests raised their wine glasses in the air.
Bailey, the event manager of the evening, followed with the logistics: wash your hands, the restrooms are around the corner, warn your chefs of allergies and if you have a dish, put it in the “magic tray” that will disappear.
“It’s a family affair here and we all enjoy working as a family,” Bailey said as he introduced Mike Duppenthaler, co-founder of Blue Ribbon, who recently returned from Italy and cooked for the event.
“We always say at Blue Ribbon, ‘If you don’t cook, you don’t eat,’” said Duppenthaler.
“We’re going to do semolina gnocchi ... rosemary roasted potatoes and some grilled vegetables.”
Duppenthaler split the group into two teams: One would work on the gnocchi and grilled eggplant, red bell peppers and asparagus; and the other, artichoke-stuffed chicken breast with homemade basil pesto and the desert — a fig, honey and pine nut tart with lemon-infused crème fraiche. One woman massaged the rosemary potatoes into olive oil. Some guests sat and chatted while others dove right in, making homemade gnocchi for the first time.
“We’ll have a lot of groups who work in the same office, but don’t even know the person who works two cubicles down,” Johns-Webster said.
However, this group is different — some have known Trescott for as long as 35 years; others, only two years. The youngest guest, Trescott’s daughter, is 25. The oldest is in her 70s.
“I knew her longer than you because I knew her in a former life,” one woman said to Trescott’s daughter.
Some were former neighbors or ex-colleagues, one dated her brother and another, a traveling friend, was part of the “two adventurous Spokanites who went to New York City together,” a title that excited the crowd.
“Oh, you’re the one,” several women said at once.
Sitting around the table, Stewart, Duppenthaler and Bailey served the tossed green salad with lemon and chives as the guests sipped on alcoholic beverages, lavendar lemonade or cranberry ginger iced tea. Then came the main dish and later the desert. In between was a dash to open presents.
“Could I not be the luckiest girl in the world?” Trescott told the crowd. “I’m still a girl.”
Reach reporter Marissa Beach at features@dailyuw.com.
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