By PATRICIA TALORICO
Staff reporter The News Journal
06/05/2002

Dottie Lund doesn't mind paying for a gourmet style meal - as along as she can get into the kitchen and help cook it.

Lund and her husband, Al, recently attended a class on southwestern French cuisine at Celebrity Kitchens, a new cooking school in the Independence Mall Shopping Center off U.S. 202.

With the help of instructor Kathryn Shockcor and eight other students, the Lunds prepared an elaborate three-course feast that included shrimp and mushroom salad; garlic and herb-roasted leg of lamb with braised white beans; and creamy chocolate cognac truffles. Complementary wines were served with each course.

During the 2 1/2 -hour class, the Brandywine Hundred couple peeled and cleaned shrimp and whisked heavy cream.

"It's a nice date-night out," says Dottie Lund, who prefers to participate in the cooking classes rather than to watch someone else do the work. "You get a better feeling of what it's like to really do it. You're like 'Oh, this is taking a while.' "

Paying for the privilege to sauté and slice your supper is appealing to people who find they'd rather swap a seat in a movie theater for a place in front of a stove.

"It's a nice social evening out, and you don't have to do the dishes," says Cindy Weiner, owner of the 3-month-old Celebrity Kitchens.

Cindy Weiner opened Celebrity Kitchens in Brandywine Hundred in March.

She says the classes can be stress-busters. "People come in and say they had a horrible day at work and then they begin to relax."

Weiner offers classes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prices range from $12.50 to $65.

Riche Griffin, formerly of the Back Porch restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, is the in-house instructor. Guest chefs have included Patrick D'Amico of Wilmington's Eclipse restaurant and Phil Pyle Jr. of Tutti Gusti in Ocean City, Md.

The classes appeal to novice and advanced cooks. Couples and singles are welcomed.

Weiner has found that pairing wines and food can sometimes bring about other pairings. During one class, she seated a man and women, who came in separately, together at one of the five tables that face the stove. Weiner says the pair returned together a week later on their first date.

Perhaps hoping to evoke similar sparks, Barbara Maletsky, a frequent Celebrity Kitchens instructor, hosts an occasional "Under-50 Singles Party" demonstration class.

Lessons become a party

While some say too many cooks can spoil a meal, students have found the demo-classes often turn into a party.

During a Celebrity Kitchens class last Thursday night, Shockcor, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London, introduced students to wines and foods from Bordeaux and other areas of southwest France.

Glasses of sparkling wine were poured as Shockcor began explaining the region and the dishes that would be prepared that evening. Bowls of fresh radishes and walnuts were set out for pre-dinner nibbles.

The students, who didn't know each other before the class began, lined up to wash their hands and divided into teams to work on the three dishes. Tasks were both simple and elaborate. Skills were wide-ranging.

As Shockcor explained how the lamb had to be rubbed with olive oil and salt and pepper, Roni Deely, of Hockessin, stopped stuffing the meat with fresh thyme leaves and garlic slivers.

"Don't we have to finish putting the green stuff, I mean, the herbs, in there first?" she asked.

Her husband, Bill, who rinsed white cannellini beans, says the classes are "a great way to meet people. It's fun watching everyone get involved."

Lis Bracken says the hands-on aspect attracted her and friend Bruce Palmer, who was assigned salad duty. "It was something different. We enjoy cooking. We enjoy dining out. It really appealed to us."

Standing over a steaming pot, Vera and Jim Kunkel sautéed the beans.

"We love doing this sort of thing. It's really fun," says Jim, of Brandywine Hundred. "It's nice to get different cooking techniques. The kitchen is the most important room in our house."

Reach Patricia Talorico at 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

GARLIC AND HERB-ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH BRAISED WHITE BEANS

All recipes from Kathyrn Shockcor's "Tour of Wine Regions of Bordeaux and Southwest France" cooking class at Celebrity Kitchens, Independence Mall, Brandywine Hundred.

5- to 6-pound leg of lamb, boned, rolled and tied (Ask a butcher to do this for you.)

3 large garlic cloves, slivered

Several sprigs fresh thyme

Olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 to 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

28-ounce can plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with liquid

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With the tip of a sharp knife, make X-shaped slits all over the surface of the lamb. Insert a sliver of garlic and some thyme leaves into each slit. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, brush generously with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting, basting with pan drippings occasionally, about 1 hour longer. (Cook 12 to 15 minutes per pound.) Remove from oven, transfer the lamb to a platter and let rest, lightly covered with foil. Reserve pan drippings.

While the lamb is roasting, prepare the beans. In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft, translucent and start to turn golden. Add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato liquid, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir the beans into the tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes more. Just before serving, stir the degreased pan juices from the lamb into the beans. Simmer a minute or two more to blend the flavors. Slice the lamb, and serve alongside the beans. Makes 6 servings.

CHOCOLATE COGNAC TRUFFLES

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted, sweet butter

3 tablespoons sugar

10 ounces best-quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons cognac

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

30 to 36 miniature paper candy cups

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, butter and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally to blend. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Allow mixture to sit for a minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is silky and smooth. Add the cognac, then pour mixture into a metal pie plate and place in the freezer until firm, about 20 minutes. Remove truffle mixture from freezer and, using a 1-inch ice cream/cookie scoop, form mixture into 1-inch balls, placing them on a parchment- or wax paper-lined tray. (If truffles become too soft, refrigerate or freeze for a few moments.) Then roll gently between your palms to smooth the shape. Roll the truffle balls in the chopped walnuts to coat completely. Place in miniature paper candy cups. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 30 to 36 truffles.

MUSHROOM AND SHRIMP SALAD

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound small button mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 plump garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons finely snipped parsley

2 tablespoons finely snipped chives

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 pound cooked, shelled and deveined medium-sized shrimp

Butter lettuce and/or radicchio

1/2 of a sweet red pepper, diced

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice and salt, until the salt dissolves. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, chives and pepper. Add the shrimp, then combine with the mushroom/lemon juice mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Arrange 2 to 3 small leaves of butter lettuce or radicchio on six small plates. Divide the mushroom and shrimp salad between the plates and garnish with the diced red pepper. Makes 6 servings.