Class advice & Fish chowder (Winter meals)

Readers, I need your advice. I'm scheduled to teach two classes on American cooking this fall/winter. What do you think I should focus on? Leave your suggestions below!

I first tried the fish chowder, pictured above, while preparing for a class where I assisted EC. Now that the weather's gone wintry again I'm dying to cook up another batch.

Jasper White's recipe was the basis, though I added chopped carrots and celery for color and extra flavor, and also splashed some white wine over the onions as they fried. For those puzzling out the German labels at the fishmongers, Kabeljau and Nilbarsch worked well for me. And for those looking for a good fish shop, the one in Schönhauser Allee is uncomplicated and reliable.

Comments

[Leslie]

Ooh, where do you get to teach cooking!? I want to do that too! What direction do you want to go - upscale, sophisticated stuff or comfort food? I can probably give you lots of comfort food suggestions. Baked macaroni and cheese is great, and baking-powder biscuits are another simple and delicious American treat that most Germans will not have had before. If you're teaching in November, do some Thanksgiving side dishes and people can use them again at Christmas. You could also make one whole class a baking class: there are so many baked goods that are uniquely American: drop cookies, pumpkin pie, cornbread...

[The Antiques Diva]

I'll certainly be trying that soup recipe! Excellent suggestion!

[Berlin Reified]

Leslie, I'm excited too! It's at the VHS in Mitte. I had to send off my blurb on Friday, and did, in fact, suggest the Thanksgiving link (viewed through the lens of modern Bay Area cooking), along with cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods. I'd love to have your baked macaroni and cheese recipe as that's one basic dish I've yet to crack.

Antiques Diva, don't skip the thyme whatever you do. Guten Appetit!

[Leslie]

Hi Sylee, that's cool that you'll teach at the VHS. I'm a huge VHS fan, I've taken a class almost every semester since I've been here. German, photo, PHP, drawing at the natural history museum. How did you get the job? Have you taught cooking or cooked professionally before?

I use the mac & cheese recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook, which is convenient because all the Gourmet recipies are online, as you probably know. Here's the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Macaroni-and-Cheese-14930

I make a few modifications:
1. Half an hour before starting, I warm up the milk for the sauce with a bay leaf and a chopped onion and let it steep, before straining it into the roux. (This tip from Simon Hopkinson's "Roast Chicken and Other Stories")
2. I don't use Panko, just regular breadcrumbs or whatever stale bread I have, made into crumbs, and I don't use so much - between 1 and 1.5 cups. Otherwise there are just loose crumbs.
3. Cheddar is too hard to find in Germany so I used medium-sharp Gouda.
4. Also, no elbow macaroni here so I've tried straight macaroni and shells. I liked the shells better.

Guten Apetit!