October 18th, 2012
Cooking Demonstration, NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, Ocean View, Delaware…Autumn Sangria, Bacon Wrapped Pennsylvania Seckle Pears, Backyard Herb Goat Cheese, Kennett Square Wild Mushrooms, Matt’s Chow Chow, Jams, Jellies, Butters, Pickles & More, Lancaster Shoo Fly Pie
I have been to a cooking class before; not to a cooking demonstration. I have to thank Amanda, who emailed me to let me know that a few seats were still available for the cooking demonstration at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen in Ocean View, Delaware. Of course I accepted and asked my other partner in crime, Jody, to join me.
NorthEast Seafood Kitchen is located at 29F Atlantic Avenue, (Rt. 26), Ocean View, Delaware. It is a few miles west of Bethany Beach. This restaurant is part of the family of restaurants owned by Matt Haley of SoDel Concepts. Tel. 302-537-1785. The restaurant does not accept reservations. But, on the 3rd week of the month, please call ahead to reserve a spot for the free cooking demonstration, which will be on Wednesday. NorthEast Seafood Kitchen is on Facebook. You can check http://www.northeastseafoodkitchen.com for more info. on their events.
People that have been attending these demos knew exactly when to get to NorthEast. The cooking demos start at 6 p.m. Our fellow students got there much earlier. You could order small bites from their menu and relax with a drink or two.
NorthEast Seafood Kitchen has a great outdoor patio. At this time of the year you can still sit outdoors; there is a patio fireplace and blankets are also available.
I have not been to NorthEast for years and the restaurant looked relaxed and settled.
The cooking demonstration was based on recipes from Pennsylvania.
The table was set, including mirrors for easier viewing.
We decided to order the Autumn Sangria. It had Cabernet Sauvignon, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, apples, cored and sliced, oranges, sliced, and cinnamon sticks. You can either pour contents in a large punch bowl, add ice and 1 liter of ginger ale. Serve chilled. To serve by the glass you would have to fill a glass with ice, 3/4 full of the wine and top with ginger ale.
A couple arrived at our table. New friends!! Janice and Bill. Bill had been a chef and Janice loves to cook just as much. We decided to order a few appetizers.
House Steak Fries, Bleu Cheese Dip, Rosemary Sea Salt. We also ordered the Grilled BBQ Shrimp Skewer, with House Pickles. The fries were good, but the grilled BBQ shrimp were delicious.
Janice and Bill ordered the Crab Claws, with Mustard Mayo, Old Bay and Lemon.
So let’s meet our Chefs. Doug Ruley, on the left, is the Chef at Bluecoast and also the newly appointed Corporate Chef for the SoDel Restaurants and Plate Catering. Ronnie Burkle is the Chef at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen. Believe it or not, this picture was taken at the end of the demonstration; both chefs looked relaxed and very comfortable.
Throughout the demonstrations the chefs explained the use of fresh ingredients in their style of cooking. The demonstration was delivered in a fun way. Doug and Ronnie were, both, clear and very much at ease with all of us.
A Shoo Fly Pie can be baked two ways; dry or wet. Their method was going to be wet. This is a pie containing molasses. It may have gotten its name because molasses are attractive to flies and these in turn had to be “shooed” away. I am not sure if that is true or not. Doug and Ronnie did not mention this. Obviously, it is a bit sweet. Even though the recipe is known in Pennsylvania; it is also known in southern cooking.
Doug and Ronnie told us that their mushrooms come from Kennett Square. And why not? A couple of hours from our Delaware Beaches, Kennett Square is known as the mushroom capital of the world. It is the number one cash crop in Pennsylvania. Their Sauteed Mushrooms had blended olive oil, wild mushrooms, red chili, garlic, fresh thyme and sea salt.
Matt’s Chow Chow was another recipe that is actually pretty easy. It is a relish which is perfect because you can use up end of the season veggies; mix and match them. Carrots, celery, onion, salt, dried chili pepper, sugar, white wine vinegar, chili sauce, bay leafs, and guar gum. Guar gum is a natural food thickener, which is also gluten free. The ingredients are all placed in a pot and brought up to a low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Place in a jar or store in the refrigerator. The relish goes well with sausage, hot dogs, fish, chicken and pretty much everything. They served it on a crostini with kielbasa.
I loved the Bacon Wrapped Pennsylvania Seckle Pears, stuffed with Backyard Herb Goat Cheese. Seckle pears are the smallest of the commercially grown pears. They are so sweet that at times they are called “sugar pears”. They are chubby, round, small neck and short stem.
Doug and Ronnie scooped the inside, stuffed them, placed the bacon around them….they were served very warm and their sweetness with the salty bacon was a great combination.
Available for purchase at $5 each were different jams and relishes.
Thanks to Doug, Ronnie…and Amanda. It was a fun evening full of information and ideas for those upcoming holidays!!
Talk to you later….
Tags: Bethany Beach, Chef Doug Ruley, Chef Ronnie Burkle, Cooking Demonstration at the Delaware Beaches, Cooking Demonstrations at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, Delaware, Delaware Beaches, Dewey Beach, Events, Fenwick Island, Lewes, NortheEast Seafood Kitchen, Ocean View, rehoboth beach, seafood restaurant, SoDel Concepts, Southern Delaware, Sussex County, Things to do at the beach, What to do at the beaches
