Written by Priscilla Toomey, Member, Board of Trustees, Bronxville Adult School

Oct. 8, 2014: Cooking classes at the Bronxville Adult School have become so popular that many more were added this year to meet the desires of aspiring cooks of all persuasions. The classes fill up fast, so sign up soon or get your name on a waiting list so a new section can be organized.

You can now learn authentic Thai cooking from scratch at the new Asian Fusion class on October 16, where the secrets of perfect pad Thai, coconut vegetable curry jasmine rice, and Thai iced tea will be revealed.

On October 22, you can learn the art of making Indian bread in Indian Bread Making with Asha Thadani, who also teaches the Asian Fusion class. Using organic whole wheat flour, you will learn the techniques for making healthy Indian breads at home, including plain roti, masala roti, plain naan, garlic naan, and parathas with various stuffings like potato, cheese, and veggies, as well as a lentil side dish to accompany any of the breads.

New classes by Denise Leemputte include Harvest Table on October 28 or 30, where you'll learn how to prepare a fabulous fall meal from mushroom bisque to duck breast with mango to apple crumble. Her Boxing Day Menu class on December 9 or 11 will demonstrate how to prepare the traditional day-after-Christmas meal for family and friends including Guinness beef stew, Stilton, walnut and cranberry salad, and Victorian sponge cake.

Bring a Side on November 3, 4, or 10 with the ever-popular Nancy Contessa will feature recipes to round out your holiday feast, including butternut squash with spinach, raisins, and peanuts, roasted acorn squash with shallots, grapes, and sage, and lots more. Or come to Soup's On on December 1 or 2, featuring jambalaya soup, salmon chowder with dill, and lasagna soup, among others. Perfect Pasta on January 5, 6, or 7 will show you how to prepare four new offerings, including pasta portofino and orecchiette with kale and breadcrumbs. Those are all new classes from Nancy--there are several encore class offerings from Nancy as well.

There will also be Latin-Style Fall Fiesta at Mambo 64 on October 20. Arlen Gargagliano, chef and owner, and her chef de cuisine, Stephanie Landis, will use this interactive cooking class to show you how to create a colorful fall fiesta with recipes you can use anytime, including pumpkin fritters and chorizo apple stuffing.

And be sure to get into the flavor of fall at Oil Lovers Guide to Tapas on November 12, where Wolf Foust of Pure Mountain Olive Oils & Vinegars will demonstrate how to prepare four typical Spanish tapas--bread with tomatoes and serrano ham, Spanish potato omelet with ham and mushrooms, and gazpacho and garlic shrimp--using a variety of oils, balsamic vinegars, and sea salts.

If your mouth isn't watering yet, it will be when you look over the full menu of class offerings on the Bronxville Adult School website at https://www.bronxvilleadultschool.org/ or you can call the office at 914-793-4435 Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and noon for more information.

Pictured here:  Served at Mambo 64, which will be holding a Latin-Style Fall Fiesta class on October 20.

Photo courtesy Katie Krieg, Coordinator, Bronxville Adult School