My First Crème Workshop!

To be honest, I was a little nervous planning my first Crème workshop.  I wanted to use the workshop format to dive a little deeper into technique and really focus on a seasonal topic.  For my first workshop last Saturday, I taught the group the art of preserving and canning.  It was jam-packed with recipes and samples.  You can always be assured that you will never leave my kitchen hungry!

My Crème workshops can accommodate more students so we started off scattered around my kitchen.  I love to keep it casual and tailored to my students' level of comfort.  A few students on Saturday had canned before, but some admitted they were intimidated by the process.  Another hurdle was not having their own garden.  I love to stress to take advantage of local farmer's markets if you don't have your own fruits and veggies.  They taste amazing and make for the best preserved jams, conserves, and jellies.

The first recipe we tasted was a simple Muffuletta made with our pickled veggies.

Next, we moved onto a Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce.  We sampled this recipe on bread but you can incorporate it into your favorite pasta dish, pizza, anything!

After we sampled the pesto (so yummy!), I went over jams, jellies, and conserves.  They each have technical differences in the preparation.  I had a recipe for Sweet Onion Conserve that I had made ahead of time.  I passed out the recipe and spread the conserve on a sheet of puff pastry with goat cheese and bacon.  It was divine!  

Last, but certainly not least, we went over my quick freezer jam recipe.  I picked strawberries for this workshop, but you can easily substitute your favorite fruit.  Every student was able to personalize their jar of jam and take it home.

Thank you for a FABULOUS Saturday afternoon!  Stay tuned for my upcoming September and October workshops :)  Cheers! XOXO Paula