Cooking / Foods
Get ready for some good eating!
Dutch Oven Cooking
We have a series of classes that are sure to please. You are going to learn from two special guys, and enjoy eating what you learn to make – what better way to learn!
Our instructors will provide Dutch ovens, fire, Dutch oven tables and/or fire rings. Ingredients and necessary cookware, mixing bowls, and other materials that are required.
Wood-fired Baking & Cooking
This past fall we completed our Wood-fired oven and our baking instructors and cooks are lining up to teach you how to create all sort of fabulous foods and wonderful breads. Additional classes to be added soon. We know these classes will fill quickly, so don’t wait to sign up!
Introduction to Flatbread & Baking in a Wood-fired Oven
Donna LaFrance
We are not sure if our instructor or you will be more excited as we “fire up” our new wood-fired bake oven here at the school. But to kick off her first class, come and have Donna introduce you to one of the oldest forms of bread, flatbread. Flatbread can be found in almost every culture around the world. In this class you will explore a variety of styles, both leavened and unleavened, as you bake your creations in the new wood-fired bake oven. Each student will mix up and bake ‘Carta di Musica,’ a crisp Italian flatbread, pitas, focaccia, and fougasse, a French flatbread. This course provides a wide introduction to the variety of bread styles for the home baker. Class discussions will include how to create a hearth-like baking experience in your home oven too. Students will take home loaves of bread and a new appetite for fresh baked breads.
- Jul 19, 2012 – Thursday – CRN – 70111
- Length of Class – 1 day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location – 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $75
- Material – $15
“Bachelors of Biscuits”
Kenyon Simpson
Learn Dutch oven basics. This is a hands on learn by doing class. We’ll cover how to use and care for a traditional Dutch oven. Turning out warm biscuits and slathering butter and honey on them will be an added bonus. When you take your Bachelor’s degree you usually cover more than one subject. We’ll have a treat or two besides wonderful warm biscuits to sample and some to take home as well. Bake good biscuits and you can marry well. Good biscuits make good relationships even better.
- July 27, 2012, Friday – CRN – 70122
- Length of Class – ½ day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – noon
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $40
- Materials – $25
“Cobbler College”
Kenyon Simpson
Cobbler’s are as American, as… well, as American as apple pie. Only cobblers have a mystique all their own. Make a good cobbler and you can win hearts, love, and admiration. This is a learn by doing class. Cherry, peach, blueberry, what is you passion? Kenyon’s favorite is raspberry. We’ll try them all and with a variety of toppings. You’ll become a hero with your family and friends. Be forewarned, this is an eat dessert first class! For first timers, Dutch oven basics will be covered and the art of the cobbler explored.
- August 6, 2012, Monday – CRN – 70123
- Length of Class – ½ day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – noon
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $40
- Materials – $25
Introduction to Ancient Grains & Baking in a Wood-fired Oven
Wheat is often called “the king” in the bread baking world, but it has not always been that way. Ancient cultures made their breads from highly nutritious grains such as amaranth, teff, barley, rye, and quinoa, as well as the ancient strains of wheat: spelt, and kamut. This course will provide you the opportunity to learn about the history and nutritional value of these grains and pseudo-grains, and bake loaves with the added nutrition and flavor these grains offer. You will also learn how to use soakers and pre-ferments as methods to extract the maximum nutrition and flavor from the grains. Then you will get to bake your loaves in the new wood-fired oven at the school. You will go home with loaves of bread, recipes, and the knowledge to bake these breads in a home oven too.
Although many of these grains are very low in gluten or gluten-free, students in this course will be using some wheat flour to provide structure to their loaves. This is not a class in gluten-free baking.
- August 13, 2012, Monday - CRN – 70112
- Length of Class – 1 day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $75
- Materials – $15
“Doctorate of Dutch Ovens”
It’s time for some serious hands-on learning in this class on Dutch oven cooking. You’ll need your favorite cooking knife, a good apron and an appetite. Bring take home containers. I look at this project as “ Company’s coming”. We’ll get ready for company by making a vegetable dish, at least one main course, dessert, and of course we’ll have to have some appetizers and biscuits to keep our strength up during the day. This is for the serious folks that like to cook and like to eat well. Nothing fancy just good comfort food and slop and dash techniques that will warm the hearts of your friends and family for many meals to come. The class will have some latitude in deciding just what we will be making. Remember, this is an art, not an exact science. And yes, we will make Lumber Camp Beans!
- August 23, 2012, Thursday – CRN – 70124
- Length of Class – 1 day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $75
- Materials – $25
- Note – Students must wear covered toe shoes! You will be working around FIRE. Long pants, good shoes, NO SYNTHETIC MATERIAL IN YOUR CLOTHING, NO FLIP FLOPS OR SANDALS!
Introduction to Sourdough & Baking in a Wood-fired Oven
Donna LaFrance
If you are intrigued by baking then words like Biga, Levain, Poolish, Sponge, Starter sound pretty tasty! You also might know that each refers to a type of pre-ferment used in bread baking. Well, there is lots to learn and enjoy in this Sourdough class. The technique used to create what is commonly referred to as “sourdough bread” includes a wide variety of methods all using a pre-ferment to create breads which offer a great crust and depth of flavor. In a wood-fired oven, we will use some of these to create tasty breads using a variety of flours and seasonings. In addition to experiencing baking in a wood-fired oven, class discussions will include creating a hearth-like setting for the home oven for bread baking.
- August 31, 2012 – Friday – CRN – 70113
- Length of Class – 1 day
- Hours – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $75
- Materials – $25
A Colonial Harvest Feast
Art Thorman
Just imagine a cool crisp autumn day and fragrant food cooking over an open fire. What could be better than that? Eating it of course! Students will choose recipes from early American cookbooks that will be provided. They will prepare the food outdoors and cook it using reflector ovens and an assortment of cast iron ware including Dutch ovens. You will even get to participate in the cleanup, washing dishes in wooden tubs. Students are asked to bring their own old-fashioned cups, silverware, dishes and a container and cooler for doggie bags. A lunch and dinner will be prepared. Students will choose the menu. Ingredients will be available for making a roast chicken or roast beef, stews, soups, homemade bread, fresh steamed vegetables, pies, pastries, and puddings. This class will give you a chance to step back in time and learn how food was prepared, and all the tricks needed to cook a variety of foods and meals over an open fire.
- September 29, 2012 – Saturday - CRN – 10029
- Length of Class – 1 day
- Hours – 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
- Tuition – $75
- Materials – $25