Manchester Cooking Masterclass a Mouth-watering Success!

At Kitchen Design Centre, we’re all about making more of your kitchens. And whether your tastes lean towards cosy traditional kitchens or our ultra-chic contemporary kitchens, one thing we can all agree on is that the perfect kitchen should make cooking a pleasure, not a chore!

With that in mind, Kitchen Design Centre invited renowned chef, home economist and food stylist Ann Reynolds to lead our February cooking Masterclass last weekend. Hosted by our partner Neff, the evening gave enthusiastic cooks a chance to see a professional at work – and learn a few nifty tricks!

Our February Neff Masterclass

Ann cooked up a storm, serving visitors gourmet toasties, oat and sour cherry cookies, honey and mustard sausages, cheese scones, white chocolate and apricot tray-bake and a sumptuous raspberry roulade.

She also whipped up a delectable asparagus, mint and parmesan frittata with roasted basil tomatoes, the recipe for which you can find below.

One of this month’s Masterclass attendees, Heather Bakewell from Denton, commented on the event, saying:

“I’ve never attended a cooking masterclass before, but I thought it’d be nice to do something a bit different. With Kitchen Design Centre being in the local area, I thought I’d pop along and get some inspiration and new recipes for 2014.

“The Neff Masterclass was amazing – Ann cooked up a complete feast in less than two hours. Everyone was really friendly, and we got to try the dishes she’d cooked up, which was obviously a massive bonus!”

Fancy attending a Kitchen Design Centre Masterclass?

Our inspiring Masterclasses, hosted by kitchen appliance specialists Neff, are held regularly, so why not pop along to our next event? You’ll not only get the chance to learn some amazing recipes and cooking techniques; you’ll also be able to take a closer look at our range of state-of-the-art Neff kitchen appliances.

Our next Neff Masterclass takes place from 7-9pm on Thursday, 6^th March at our Blackburn showroom. For more information, you can call a member of our team on 01254 246 046 or email blackburn@kitchendesigncentre.com. And, if you need directions, you can click here to view a detailed map.

In the meantime, why not try out one of the delicious recipes we cooked up this month?

Asparagus, Mint and Parmesan Frittata with Roasted Basil Tomatoes

Serves 4 – Prep time 20 minutes – Cooking time 45 minutes

Ingredients

8 tomatoes, halved

1 tsp salt

1 tsp light brown sugar

25g basil, leaves only

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp clear balsamic vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

250g bunch asparagus, trimmed and halved lengthways

8 large eggs

100g parmesan, finely grated

4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Method

1. Place the tomato halves onto an oiled universal tray and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Place into the oven on shelf 1 and turn onto CircoTherm® Intensive 170°C. Cook for 45 minutes. Make the basil dressing by whizzing the basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil with some seasoning in a min chopper. Make the frittata in a 20cm base diameter non-stick oven-proof frying pan. Heat the olive oil and gently sweat the shallots for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the halved asparagus in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool completely in cold running water. Drain and set aside.
3. In a jug, whisk together the eggs and parmesan. Season, then whisk in the herbs. Add the asparagus to the shallots and mix well. Pour in the egg and parmesan mixture. Mix lightly over a gentle heat for a few seconds, and transfer to the oven, placing the pan on shelf 3 above the tomatoes. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before loosening and carefully turning out onto a plate. Turn the frittata onto the other side using a plate so it’s the same way up as it was in the pan. Leave to cool slightly and serve accompanied by the tomatoes drizzled with the basil dressing.

 Cook’s Tip: for a lighter texture, whisk the egg whites separately then add the yolks and cheese.

Fancy being in with a chance to win?

Everyone who attends one of our brilliant Neff cooking Masterclasses and completes a feedback form is automatically entered into a prize draw to win a set of top quality induction pans worth £125!

If you’d like to share your recipes, why not leave a comment below? Or, you can tweet us @modernkitchens!