Geronimo Lopez

NAO, the Culinary Institute of America’s restaurant at the Pearl Brewery, 312 Pearl Parkway, is offering a series of lunches focusing on the flavors of the New World.

Each includes a cooking demonstration led by the restaurant’s executive chef, Geronimo Lopez.

The series begins Jan. 17 and ends Feb. 7. The lunch classes will only be offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will include five courses as well as wine, tax and tip for $100 a person.

The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 17 — An Insider’s Tour of the True Mexican Kitchen

Jan. 23-24 — Argentine Treasures

Jan. 30-31 — Peru: From the Pacific to the Andes

Feb. 6-7 — Brazilian Cuisine: The Cutting Edge.

The lunches begin with a reception at 11:30 a.m., followed by the meal from noon to 1:30 p.m. Only 20 guests will be seated for each special lunch, so prepaid reservations are necessary. Call (210) 554-6484.

Ceviche in its bath of leche de tigre (tiger’s milk) and garnish of starch items, onion, plantain, sweet potato, chiles and more.

During the shooting of the public television show “Simply Ming” earlier this week, chef Elizabeth Johnson, Latin cuisines specialist at the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, demonstrated making this Peruvian-style ceviche. Her host and celebrity chef of the show, Ming Tsai, gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Note that in the technique, steps are taken to keep bitterness out of the mix of flavors. Slicing the limes top to bottom, discarding the pithy, seedy center before squeezing, is one way. And, the chef recommends not using a hand-held lemon squeezer, as the bitter oils stay on the tool.

The recipe calls for discarding the center part of the red onion, or the heart. That is because this part grew first, and is the oldest and most bitter-tasting.

Cocona Ceviche

Ceviche

1/2 pound grouper, bonito
Kombu sheets, as needed, (optional)
4 teaspoons salt
1 Ají limo, thinly sliced with seeds/veins OR Substitute habanero, without seeds, veins)
1/4 cup red onion, heart removed, julienne,  rinsed in ice cold water
Ice bath and kosher salt, for curing fish

Leche de Tigre (Yields 1 cup)

20 Mexican key limes, or Mexican limes
1 pinch Bonita flakes (find in Japanese market, or section of supermarket)
2 Ají limo, thinly sliced with seeds/veins OR substitute habanero, without seeds, veins
1 celery stalk, peeled, thinly sliced
Ginger, peeled, grated to make 1 teaspoon pulp
2 garlic cloves, mashed with chef’s knife
1/4 cup cocona pulp (Amazonian tree tomato) OR substitute with other acidic fruit
1/4 cup red onion, heart removed, julienne, rinsed or soaked in ice cold water

Garnish

1/4 cup plantains, ripe, peeled, 1/2-inch bias slice
1/4 cup sweet potatoes, roasted, peeled, sliced
1 cilantro sprig, roughly chopped

For the garnish: preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the sweet potato, skin on for 35 minutes. Slice the plantains and reserve.

For the leche de tigre:  Cut the limes in half lengthwise, discarding the middle section and squeeze into a bowl. If you choose to use a lime squeezer, wipe the squeezer down with a dry towel after each use to avoid the build up of bitter oils from the limes. Add the remaining ingredients to the lime juice and reserve on ice. Season with salt to taste.

For the ceviche: Square off the fish and remove any bones or discolored pieces of flesh, adding these pieces to your leche de tigre mixture. Cut the fish into ½ inch bias cubes. Transfer the cut fish to a bowl set over an ice bath. Generously salt the fish, approximately 4-5 pinches of kosher salt. Mix the salted fish with a spoon and watch as the proteins in the fish produce a glossy sheen around the fish with the additional of the salt. Add the ají limo and red onion and continue tossing the fish for 1 minute.

Pour the leche de tigre through a strainer over the fish and press the strained ingredients. Transfer the ingredients to a bowl, add the garnish and serve immediately.

Makes 4 portions

From Elizabeth Johnson, chef-instructor, Latin Cuisines Specialist, at Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio

Chef Ming Tsai, prepares for a shoot at a CIA kitchen on Wednesday. The host and star of “Simply Ming” cooked with several San Antonio chefs this week.

Public television chef and restaurateur Ming Tsai, known to many for his show, “Simply Ming,” may live in Boston but this week he seemed to make himself right at home in San Antonio.

Ming was in town for several days to produce the WGBH-TV show for his 11th season, which started last week. He also appeared at a reception as part of the KLRN Chef Series.

Wednesday’s shoot at the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, was one of four that Ming and crew were doing. Also that day, he visited John Besh at the New Orleans chef’s San Antonio location of Lüke.

“John Besh is a great guy, and he really has embraced San Antonio – and San Antonio has embraced him,” Ming observed. “You’re lucky to have him.”

On Thursday, the crew would visit Johnny Hernandez’ La Gloria on the Pearl  campus, followed by a shoot at Los Barrios with chef and owner Diana Barrios Treviño.

Wednesday, the award-winning chef’s guest for the segment was CIA chef and instructor Elizabeth Johnson. (Ming, of course, was a guest in her kitchen.)

Focus, minding the details, issuing a few directions and, of course, admonishments to the small group gathered to watch, were part of the action. But, the crew moved with good-natured precision under the watchful eye of executive producer Laura Donnelly, and Ming Tsai was as relaxed and personable as his on-screen persona.

Ming Tsai mingles with KRLN fans.

The main attraction (besides Ming, of course) was Johnson, a Latin Cuisines Specialist, who would demonstrate the unique way Peruvians make their famous ceviche. But, the show would start off with cocktails — pisco sours (made with the priciest pisco around — Pisco Mosto Verde).

Introducing Johnson, Ming cracked a joke about her name not seeming to sound traditionally Peruvian and issued a mock threat to onlookers about turning off their cellphones.

“If anyone’s cellphone goes off, I’ll look at you in a really mean way. Even if I am drinking Pisco sours,” he said.

The first part of the Peruvian show (after the icy pisco sours were poured) would focus on the two chefs “shopping” for ingredients, which were arrayed in vibrant colors on one side of the work table.

Johnson pointed out the plantain, yucca, fresh hearts of palm, Peruvian purple potatoes, bowls full of limes, red onions, chiles large and small, a variety of Cape gooseberry, dried bonito, nuts and more. Also, there was cocona, a small acidic fruit that gives this dish its name, Cocona Ceviche.

The camera crew took their places, the audience settled down and Donnelly was focused on the small screen in front of her.

“Ready, ready … action,” she said, and the show was on.

The ceviche demonstration began with Johnson introducing the amazing variety of ingredients, many of which we’d call “exotic.”  Johnson picked up a cob of corn – but unlike any corn most of us had ever seen. The kernels were big, knobby and misshapen (at least compared to the corn we know). “It’s all starch, not sugar,” Johnson said.

One of the main differences between ceviche as we know it and the Peruvian dish is how the ultra-fresh, raw fish is treated. Instead of an acid bath of lime juice to cure the fish, salt is used for the same purpose. Lots of salt.

Johnson asked Ming to salt the fish — “until you think it’s over-salted.” After he did so, turning the fish (bonito) around and around in a large ice bath, she told him to add even more.

“You’re not cooking with acid, you’re curing with salt,” said Johnson. This, as both chefs noted, would bring the fresh-fish taste, especially the umami sensation, to the fore.

It’s not that acid isn’t important for this style of ceviche — it is, to the point that Johnson crafted not one, but two levels of acidity for the flavorful “broth” that the ceviche swims in called leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk.

Starch is added in the form of plantain, potato, the big corn kernels. A bit of habanero added heat to the profile, celery its perfume, dried bonito offered a smoky accent and a touch of dried kelp, from an inland lake, layered in another earthy element.

CIA San Antonio chef-instructor Elizabeth Johnson prepares some of the ingredients for Peruvian-style ceviche.

Lime juice was, of course, an important part of the liquid portion of the dish, along with another acidic ingredient, aguaymanto, a type of Cape gooseberry. This liquid is delicious in itself, and is consumed — either with a spoon or drinking from the bowl — after the main ingredients are gone.

When the ceviche was completed, Ming tasted it and declared it the best he’d had.

Ming then took over, and with Johnson’s help, made a breaded, nut-crusted fish on a colorful bed of purple potato hash, with fresh hearts of palm salad and a light vinaigrette. Johnson returned the compliments for his “perfectly moist” fish.

Yes, the audience and cooking assistants all had a taste of everything afterward — and yes, it was simply delicious. We got to sample the exotic nuts, berries and starches, and agreed with Ming that the ceviche made with salt-cured fish was worth every bit of the effort.

The shoot was done in three or four efficient segments and took three to  four hours. In the end, Ming thanked Johnson, gave the audience a friendly wave and said his benediction — “To all of you out there, peace and good eating.”

 Photographs by Bonnie Walker

A recipe for the Peruvian Ceviche will be provided as soon as SavorSA gets it. The shows done in San Antonio will probably air in the first few months of 2013.

Camera focuses on set — a work table in a CIA San Antonio Test kitchen Wednesday, where a segment of “Simply Ming” was happening.

Ming Tsai, one of PBS television’s top chef’s, will be in town filming four episodes of “Simply Ming” next week.

The popular chef will be cooking with some of San Antonio’s own top chefs, in their kitchens, as they collaborate on Ming’s signature “cooking on the fly” style.

San Antonio’s Convention & Visitor’s Bureau pitched this event nearly a year ago, and they’ll all be on hand at the events next week along with KLRN Chef Series, which is hosting a special “Mingle with Ming” event Wednesday at 6 p.m. Tickets still are available.

Casandra Matej, executive director of the CVB, says the bureau approached Ming believing that this Emmy-award-winning chef would be an especially good match for San Antonio.

“We’re so excited to bring ‘Simply Ming’ to San Antonio. Chef Ming Tsai will join several of the city’s talented chefs in their kitchens. The results should be inspiring. His passion of bringing together a mix of cultures and tastes makes him a natural fit for cooking in San Antonio,” Matej said.

The chefs who will be working with Ming, as they film four episodes, are Johnny Hernandez (La Gloria, Casa Hernan), Elizabeth Johnson (CIA), Diana Barrios Trevino (Los Barrios and Hacienda de los Barrios) and John Besh, another celebrity chef (though not a San Antonio resident) who owns Lüke, in downtown San Antonio. Johnson’s segment will be filmed at the CIA. The other chefs will host Ming at their kitchens.

The other cities featured at out-of-studio locations for Season 10 of “Simply Ming,” include the Azores and Chattanooga, Tenn.

According to the CVB, the show averages roughly between 750,000-1 million unduplicated viewers each week, and runs on 93 percent of the PBS stations in the top 50 markets.

The sets will be closed to the public, but, the public can purchase a ticket from KLRN and “Mingle with Ming” at the Pearl Studio in the Full Goods building. The event begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, and your $85 ticket includes an autographed cookbook from Ming.

This reception is part of the KLRN Chef Series. To order tickets, click here.

Photos courtesy PBS/KLRN/Ming Tsai

Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino

Acclaimed Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino will come Culinary Institute of America’s San Antonio campus next week as the first visiting chef in the school’s Latin Cuisines Certificate Program.

He’ll work with the students, but the public will also get a chance to sample his cooking when he prepares two dinners July 6-7 at NAO, the school’s restaurant, which is at the Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson St.

Schiaffino graduated from the CIA’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus in 1997 and is the chef-owner of a group of restaurants in Lima, Peru. He has earned a name for himself as a researcher and innovator for his use of products from the Peruvian Amazon that have never before been used in haute cuisine. He is one of the representatives of “the new culinary revolution” coming out of the Amazon Jungle’s pantry.

While in residence, he will teach the San Antonio students about the cuisines of Peru and showcase many of the diverse ingredients and culinary techniques from the regions of the Amazon.

Those who want to sample Schiaffino’s cuisine at NAO will be able to order a five-course menu available July 6-7 for $56 a person.

The menu will feature the following:

• Tuna Brûlé with Cocona—Lime Juice and Tobiko Wild Caigua with Scallops, Andean Seaweed, and Maca Root
• Fish Ceviche with Tumbo
• Paiche with Masato and Black Tapioca
• Arroz con Pato
• Pork Adobo with Sweet Potato
• Copoazu and Green Melon
• Lucuma and Deep Fried “Truffles”

Reservations can be made at OpenTable.com, or by calling (210) 554-6484.

Croissants, Danish and more: If you love them, now learn how to make them.

Professional chefs eager to improve their skills in the competitive business of baking and pastry will welcome the addition of eight new classes offered by The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio. The classes are presented as part of the professional development program.

Chef Alain Dubernard, at the CIA Bakery Cafe at the Pearl. Photo courtesy CIA

Award-winning master baker, Alain Dubernard, will teach the the classes. He is baking and pastry arts department chair at the CIA San Antonio, and also has served as associate dean for baking and pastry at the CIA’s main campus in Hyde Park, NY.

“From fundamental baking classes to the latest pastry trends, our specialized CIA courses are designed for culinarians, bakers, and pastry chefs alike,” said David P. Kellaway, managing director of the San Antonio campus.

“These in-depth knowledge courses will raise the bar on your career possibilities, and you’ll keep customers returning with luscious desserts, high-end pastries, signature confections, and fresh breads.”

The curriculum offers the following classes in pastry: Custards and Creams; Frozen and Chilled Desserts; Gelato, Sorbet and Ice Cream; Laminated Doughs: Danish, Croissants and Puff Pastry; Modern Plated Desserts and Sweet and Savory Tarts. For the baking field, the college will offer Fundamental Baking Techniques.

CIA Bakery Mango Mousse Cake

These courses are based on the baking and pastry curriculum the college has been teaching at its Hyde Park campus for decades. Core studies include basic baking techniques, advanced pastry methods, chocolate and candy production, and the science of bread baking. Lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on applications round out each program.

Dubernard joined the college’s faculty in 2004, teaching Restaurant & Production Desserts and Individual & Production Pastries to baking and pastry arts majors pursuing bachelor’s and associate degrees at the CIA.

Before coming to the college, he held prestigious positions at high-profile establishments in Mexico City, Paris, and London. He’s a Certified Master Baker (CMB) and Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), and the author of the book “Tortas y Tartas en la Cocina.” Dubernard also manages the day-to-day administration and operations of the CIA Bakery Café at the Pearl Brewery campus.

The entire curriculum of professional development courses at San Antonio can be reviewed here. To learn more about the CIA San Antonio campus, please visit this site.

The CIA today welcomes its first class of 24 students who begin studies toward their associate degrees in culinary arts at the college’s San Antonio campus. Until today, CIA San Antonio students would earn a certificate in culinary arts, then transfer to the college’s Hyde Park, NY campus to complete their degree.

The new associate degree in San Antonio is based on the same unmatched curriculum the college has been teaching at Hyde Park for decades. Designed to prepare students for a successful career in the dynamic food service and hospitality world, a CIA education provides graduates with a command of both classic and contemporary culinary methods and professional practices.

Luke San Antonio chef Steve McHugh a CIA grad.

San Antonio chefs Steve McHugh, Johnny Hernandez, Doug Horn, Michael Sohocki and Andrew Weissman all earned their associate degrees from the CIA.

Students beginning their studies today will earn their degrees in March 2013. Applications are now being accepted for the next class, which begins November 14, 2011. Prospective students are eligible for significant scholarships to enroll in the associate degree program at the CIA San Antonio.

After receiving their associate degrees, students from the San Antonio campus can earn their bachelor’s degrees after 17 more months of study in Hyde Park.

Editor’s note: Shere Henrici, local cooking enthusiast, is passionate about cooking. “It’s the Italian in me — I just love to feed people,” she says. In addition to establishing her San Antonio Supper Club, she is also immersed in the early stages of developing a mobile food truck business. We asked her to be a student for a day at the CIA Thursday and share the experience with us on SavorSA.

By Shere Henrici

Shere Henrici loves to cook, and here begins her student-for-a-day training in the CIA kitchen slicing brioche for a baked custard.

Today was a dream come true experience.  I got to cook in the kitchens of the Culinary Institute of America’s San Antonio campus at the Pearl Complex!

It was Student for a Day, which the school sponsored to promote its new associate degree program starting in August. We joined current students in the school’s 30-week certificate program.

The last time I was in the kitchens there was during a tour I took with my oldest daughter, who at the time thought she might want to attend their Certificate Program. That has since changed.  During that tour I was so excited by the gorgeous professional stoves that, OK, I got weak in the knees: the amazing perfectly stocked pantry, the stainless steel counters. I wanted so much to cook in that kitchen.

At some point I remember starting to giggle and was thrown the “don’t-you-dare-embarrass-me-mother” glare.  So here I was on Thursday, ready to realize my dream.  We were given chef’s coats to wear with CIA logos, huge drag-on-your-shoes aprons and that cute little paper chef’s hat.

We took a tour of their new and much larger facility, were given a lunch of grilled salmon, Israeli couscous and a variety of really nice salads.  So far lunch is my favorite part.

Shere Henrici, left, and others gather to listen to chef Michael Katz begin his lecture in egg cooking.

We were then partnered up with a student who was most likely briefed to not let us chop any of our parts off or light ourselves on fire.  OK, so my apron string perhaps got a little close to the flame on the stove!  I’m not used to a gas stove, so no big deal.

It was a flurry of activity.  The day’s instruction was the basics of proteins.  That means eggs, folks.  I’m thinking “no problem, who doesn’t know how to cook an egg?!”  We were given five “simple” dishes to prepare and then watched as the chef and lecturing instructor, Michael Katz, demonstrated each.  This was important, we needed to follow instructions exactly, no winging it here.

Then we were on our own, working in our teams of course.  The challenge most of the time was not running into the person next to you or the one behind you.  Oh, sort of like a real professional kitchen — imagine that.

We worked for three hours making eggs like crazy.  I had some humbling experiences, like producing the “perfect” over easy egg.  We had to flip it in the pan, no spatula. It must not have any color, too much grease on top and do not even think about having any of the white folded under.  You getting the picture?  Who thought that making breakfast could be so stressful? In all, we learned how to (correctly) boil eggs, make soft and regular scrambled eggs, baked custard and Eggs Benedict (with hollandaise sauce).

It seems I passed, but I’m thinking chef Katz might have cut me some slack.  Just a thought.  It was an awesome day.  Lots of great camaraderie, and as much as I hate to admit it, I learned a lot.

Students had to have their ingredients assembled and ready to go. On the schedule for the day was learning to cook five different egg dishes.

After our cooking demonstrations we had dinner together, as at lunch, family style.  Very nice and casual.  This time we had rice, a perfectly roasted pork loin with a demi-glace sauce, a fresh tossed salad with Italian vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan. For dessert we had the custards we had made for our presentations to the chef Katz.

I had a fantastic day, made new friends and got to cook in a CIA kitchen.  I can cross that one off my list.  I will be looking for other opportunities to come and do this again.

Photographs by Bonnie Walker

HYDE PARK, NY — Sodexo has pledged a gift of $150,000 toward scholarships at The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, the CIA announced today.

CIA students gather at the opening ceremony at the CIA last year. The new Associates Degree program starts Aug. 22.

The scholarships will provide additional educational opportunities for Hispanic students who aspire to be the food-service leaders of tomorrow. Sodexo is also establishing a new paid externship for students at the San Antonio campus.

The newly established Sodexo Scholarship Fund will provide two scholarships a year for the next three years for qualified Hispanic students. One scholarship is for new students who enroll at the CIA San Antonio. The other will help current students demonstrating financial need, who maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

In addition, Sodexo is creating an externship beginning in 2012, for CIA San Antonio students to complete the required field experience to earn their associate degrees.

“Sodexo is proud to be able to assist talented individuals who otherwise might not be able to access the world-class education The Culinary Institute of America provides,” says Lorna Donatone, chief operating officer and education president for Sodexo.

“This is a win-win for the students and Sodexo, because our company will now have a wider and more diverse group of talented CIA graduates from which to recruit our future leaders.”

Sodexo has a long relationship with the CIA, including participating in the college’s quarterly career fairs to hire students for externships and management positions throughout the company. As part of this gift, CIA Career Services will work with Sodexo to create a customized employee recruitment plan.

The CIA in San Antonio begins classes for students who have enrolled in the new associate degree program on Aug. 22. The school is offering informational sessions throughout this month for students who wish to enroll.

The schedule for these sessions and more information on all the ways you can benefit from a culinary education from this distinguished school, can be found by linking here.

Following the Grand Opening of The Culinary Institute of America’s third campus in San Antonio last October, the CIA is soon to begin its premier associate degree program in culinary arts. Classes at the facility at the Pearl Brewery begin on Aug. 22.

CIA students gather at the opening ceremony at the CIA last year. The new associate degree program starts Aug. 22.

The CIA’s associate degree in culinary arts in San Antonio is based on the proven curriculum provided at the college’s main campus in Hyde Park, NY.

Designed to prepare students for a successful career in the dynamic food service and hospitality industry, a CIA education provides its graduates with a command of both classic and contemporary culinary methods and professional practices.

Recognizing the need for culinary leaders, and to specifically aid Texas residents who wish to attend the CIA San Antonio, a special scholarship has been established—the El Sueño Scholarship.

For more information on the program, enrolling, financial aid and all that the CIA offers, you may attend one of a series of informational sessions going on this month.

The schedule for these sessions and more information on all the ways you can benefit from a prestigious culinary education can be found by linking here.

You may also visit the CIA on Facebook by clicking here.