I first met Elana Horwich at the Hip’tique party she catered this past summer and was immediately smitten by her charm. Then I tasted her food, and fell HARD. When she invited me to one of her cooking classes, I knew I was in for a fun time!
We put on our aprons and got to work immediately. Seriously – just experiencing this kitchen is worth the price of admission.
Elana specializes in “delicious, consciously-prepapared meals” with a focus on health – food-allergy-friendly with no refined sugars.
She did a great job of not only demonstrating how to prepare everything – but gave great cooking tips in general, like where to find reasonably-priced/good quality olive oil (this one’s from Trader Joe’s).
I took many notes, like a good student…
…and asked many questions! This was my second time dealing with meat (cooked my first bacon just a few weeks ago).
I watch a lot of cooking shows, but it’s not like I can ask Nigella Lawson what’s going on from my couch. It was really great to have an expert guiding us through everything.
Of course – there was a lot of eating involved! A piece of vegan carrot cake from Rockenwagner…
…and constant nibbling/tasting while the food was being prepared.
On the menu – Tricolore Salad…
…with Parmesan Reggiano…
…Lamb braised in Chianti and Olives…
…Celery Root Puree…
…and Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Chiantishire Blackberries.
My servings:
This class was entitled The Make Ahead Dinner Party but we were done by 2pm. I was stuffed…
…and couldn’t believe how INSANELY EASY everything was to prepare, yet utterly INCREDIBLE. Wish I could post the recipes for you, but unfortunately they’re not mine to share (though Elana’s site has a number of her tried-n-true concoctions). If you’re lucky enough to be in the Los Angeles area, you can experience one of her classes for yourself – FYI she can also customize menus for private parties of 8 or more. Would be a wonderful way to gather for a birthday, shower, or any other celebration.
Thanks Elana!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Very cute play on the name for her business. The art of cooking is such a fun and practical gift to give to yourself or someone you love. There’s nothing like being able to ask the questions that might be hidden “between the lines” of a recipe and having the expert on hand to answer!
This class was such a blast as all Elana Horwich's classes are – and I thoroughly enjoyed reliving it through this blog post by Lynn Chen of The Actor's Diet!
Was so lovely to meet you Nicole!
Lynn, it was such a treat to have you in class. I love being able to see and read how one of my students experiences a class….thank you for giving me that glimpse. What a treat for me to read this. Hope to have you back soon. xo, Elana
Mmmmmm Celery Root Puree…..OMG that looks amazing. Gotta try that! So fun.
I love this spread! you are too cute..