Since 1999 we have put together a monthly cooking class – wow! That’s a long time!  Each month we choose a topic or recipe and take you step-by-step (with photos) through the process or recipe so you can do it yourself at home.  We’ve covered many topics and recipes from making homemade gluten-free pasta dough to making Peking duck.  This month as part of our “Best of Issue” we’ve selected our top 10 cooking classes.  We invite you to browse through not only the classes below but also visit our “Cooking Class Archives” for great tips and direction on how to cook better on a gluten-free diet.

#1 Making Spring Flower Cookies

Spring is in the air.  During my frequent visits to Starbucks my daughter always has her sights on the pastry case, specifically the beautifully decorated flower cookies.  Always loving a challenge, I decided to develop a recipe for gf flower cookies that were not only delicious but beautiful enough to be wrapped up and given as a gift.

#2 Making Homemade Pasta

How to make delicious, fresh gluten-free pasta that doesn’t taste any different from fresh, Italian (gluten) semolina pasta.  Learn how to make an assortment of different types of pasta including lasagna, cannelloni, tortellini and ravioli.

#3  My Oh My – It’s Cherry Pie

Sounds impossible, especially considering our crust is gluten-free, but it’s not.  I do want to say that if you do not have patience, then baking a gluten-free pie is probably not the dessert for you.  Pie crust is a little tricky even when it’s not gluten-free, but add the element of wheat-free/gluten-free to the crust and you end up with a more difficult to handle dough – again, not impossible – but more difficult nonetheless.

#4 Beer Can Chicken

No, we didn’t make a mistake, we did mean BEER can chicken.  Thanks to Anheuser Busch’s Red Bridge beer, beer is once again widely available to the gluten and wheat intolerant.

#5 Perfect Grilled Fish

Have you ever had challenges grilling fish – does it stick to the grill or fall through the grate?  Does your fish come out dry or consistently underdone?  In this month’s cooking class we will take you through different grilling techniques for fish as well as provide some great tips on how to get the best results time after time.

#6 Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

This recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is the essence of summer.  The thin cake layers are delightful wedged between layers of strawberry ice cream and whipping cream.  Be sure you set aside enough time to prepare this cake, as you will need to chill between steps.

#7 Risotto: “No Ordinary Rice”

In the words of my 10 year old son, ‘risotto is no ordinary rice’.  Since he was 6 years old, risotto has been one of my son’s favorite dishes.  Just about any variety works for him, as long as the finished result has that wonderful creamy texture characteristic of risotto.

#8 Cooking with Cedar Planks

‘Tis the season for grilling!  There is something so wonderful about the taste and ease of grilling outdoors.  Not only is there usually little cleanup but grilling outdoors keeps the heat out of the kitchen during the summer months.  I’m always looking for new and creative ideas for grilling meats, fish, poultry, vegetables and even fruit.  This month I thought I’d bring to you a grilling technique that you may not be familiar with – cedar planking.  

#9 Cooking with Kids:  Making an Apple Pan Cake

I recently came across this recipe in a children’s magazine.  Looking for ideas for my children, I came across this recipe for Apple Pan Cakes.  After making a few modifications (particularly converting it to a gluten-free recipe and making some other changes to meet my tastes), my children and I made this simple, but delicious pan cake that we thought we’d share with you this month.  This is one of those recipes that your children can help out with and share in the rewards of their work.

#10 Making Cornets

The first time I made these cornets was about a month ago.  My husband had invited his boss over for dinner and I wanted to make something special.  The end result was so spectacular that my husband’s boss did not believe that I made them and was convinced I had purchased them at a bakery!  They are not very difficult to prepare and can be made well in advance.

- Chef Jessica