Cooking with
Gather friends and family and cook with Francesca! Choose any date and contact us to see if it is available. You pick the time. Choose any of the menu options. Or be inspired and propose your own. We’ll get together to work out the details.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
MEDITERRANEAN TABLE
The bright colors and warm, rich vegetables transport us to the hills overlooking the blue bays of the Med. These are recipes that you’ll use all the time for lunches, dinners and entertaining.
Baba Ganoujh and Roasted Peppers
The grill will yield up a buttery soft eggplant and sweet red peppers. The peppers we’ll toss with a little good olive oil and salt. The eggplant will combine with sesame butter and garlic for a savory side dish or dip.
Tagliate di Manzo
Grilled Grass fed and finished Certified Piedmontese beef steak with rosemary oil, rocket and shaved Parmigiano cheese.
Raspberry Sorbet
Fast, light sweet treat and a swell presentation technique.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
“ON A LITTLE STREET IN PARIS”
Inspired by our last visit to Paris when we stayed one block off the market street! Learn to make perfectly- roasted chicken.
Carpaccio
The best beef, thinly sliced and dressed with a lemon and EVOO and arugula.
Parisian Chicken Crapaudine
Marinated and roasted whole chicken, with roasted, basted new potatoes, so good only half of it ever got all the way back to the apartment!
Tarte Tatin
A French classic of caramelized apples and buttery pastry baked upside down and flipped over at presentation! Fun!
Francesca
COOKING WITH
HOME, SWEET SICILIA
A couple of impressive techniques and an evening of great flavors and textures from my father’s homeland.
Eggplant Caponatina
Eggplants are called “the meat of the earth” in Sicily. Here is a classic preparation.
Whole “Catch of The Day” Baked in Salt
We will encase a whole fresh fish in salt and bake it for the moistest, tastiest, good-for-you thing ever! A really fun modern technique.
Caffe Granita
Crystallized rich, sweet espresso, icy cold, with whipped cream and chocolate.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
TURKISH DELIGHT
Fragrant spice blends and fun presentation of food make this menu a sure home run. Great for a special dinner or your next belly-dance party. Learn about the flavors that define Middle Eastern cuisine.
Orange, Onion and Olive Salad
Beautiful, delicious, with variations all around the Mediterranean
Dolmas
Grapevine leaves filled with rice, raisins and pine nuts. Learn to prepare and fold these brightly flavored, savory appetizers or main dish found all over the Middle East, from Lebanon to Egypt.
Simit Kebap
From the humble smoky grill joints of southern Turkey comes something truly unique: grilled, skewered ground meat with bulghur and pistachio.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
THE ART OF FILLED PASTA
What always made Sunday dinner special -- Grandmom’s ravioli filled with her creamy cheese mixture and dressed with a fresh tomato basil sauce. We will make our own dough and then construct 2 classic filled pastas. We’ll get some ideas for additional seasonal fillings and sauces so you can keep it fresh all year long.
Ravioli
Delicate and tasty cheese filled ravioli, and we will play with some alternative fillings like spinach, mushrooms and more.
Tortellini
Our filling for this will be 100% authentic Emilia-Romagna! To be served “in brodo” or “in broth”, these tiny treats are said to have been inspired by the belly button of its creator’s stunningly beautiful wife. Oh, won’t we have some fun with this!
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Francesca
COOKING WITH
BEL PROVENCE
Some useful techniques, like using your chef knife, saute, flavoring, and recipes from the Cuisine of The Sun, southern France.
Ratatouille
A delicious vegetable melange with herbs that can be a starter, main dish, served hot or cold.
Eggs Provence
Learn how to properly hard-boil eggs and fill them with an eminently Provencal mixture of garlic, capers and anchovy.
Lemon Tart
The perfect balance of sweet and tart. Learn to make pate sucree the easy way.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH STYLE
The very definition of casual mountain elegance, this trio is cool, contemporary and simple.
Vegetable Tempura
A selection of vegetables fried in the lightest batter.
Roasted Butterflied Leg of Lamb on the Grill
Grass fed lamb, crusty on the outside and juicy pink inside.
Chocolate Ganache in Hazelnut Crust
A most elegant tart that’s simpler than it looks; but nobody needs to know that!
Francesca
COOKING WITH
TECHNIQUES HAT TRICK
This complete meal builds knife skills, sausage making, and baking. Vegetarians -- we have you covered, too, with meatless meatballs.
Minestrone
good practice for knife skills as you meet veggies of all shapes and colors.
Italian Sausage
Use my grandfather’s recipe for seasoning and a technique for home kitchens.
Roman style cheesecake
Rustic, light and rich, with a hint of lemon.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
SULTRY SORRENTO
On our last stay in the lemon-scented hills above Sorrento, our landlord Luigi shared his wine, his garden’s bounty and his recipes with us. Here are some of our favorites.
Linguini alle Vongole (Linguini with Clam Sauce)
Fresh clams coaxed open in fragrant white wine, garlic and peperoncino, their juice transformed into a silky sauce for regular or GF linguini.
Zucchini a Priora
Sliced, sauteed in oil with garlic and fresh grated pecorino. Topped with gremolata.
Lemon Tiramisu
Rich, creamy lemon tops delicate lemony sponge cookies.!
Francesca
COOKING WITH
CASABLANCA: A MOROCCAN TABLE
Exotic, warm, sweet, spice, --this colorful menu is a mouth-watering treat for the senses.
Orange date salad
So fresh, you’ll want to slap it! Hearts of romaine, bright citrus and sweet dates make a perfect starter for this meal.
Caramelized Spiced Carrots
Serve this side dish at room temperature to fully appreciate the complexity of the tangy carrots and the surprise nip from the Tunisian harissa that Moroccan cooking has embraced.
B'Stila
Work with buttery phyllo dough and fill it with a savory and sweet mixture of chicken and almonds, baked to perfection and presented with the traditional criss-cross design on top.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
ANTIPASTO
In Italy antipasto means “the meal before the meal” and often it IS the meal. We’ll make a spread of hot and cold bites and eat as we go along. We chose a collection of different colors, flavors and textures.
Crostini / Bruschetta
Learn to say it and make it correctly! pronounced “broosh-KETT-ah”) We’ll explore some tasty toppings.
Prosciutto Purses with Grana Padano
a tidy little package of quick-grilled Parma ham and cheese.
Grilled Eggplant Tonnata
a variation of an iconic Piedmonte specialty, with a bonus: homemade mayonnaise!
Mussels with Garlic, Parsley and Lemon
Learn and easy and foolproof technique for steaming and how to use the juices in a tasty way.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
COSTA DEL SOL
Three delicious and iconic dishes from the coast of Andalucia, Spain, that will wake up your tastebuds.
Shrimp Fritters
Small, crisp fried pancakes from Cadiz.
Tortilla Espanola
Served as a tapa everywhere in Spain, this classic is a thick, firm omelet of potatoes and onions.
Gypsy Pot
A pumpkin and bean soup that features “picada”, a flavorful paste of almonds, bread and garlic that might be your new favorite condiment.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
STREET FOOD OF ROME
Walk up to the right window in Rome’s city center and you’ll be handed something delicious wrapped in a napkin or a piece of brown paper, to be enjoyed at the rustic tables just outside.
Roman Pizza
Authentic 00 Flour and Pane Angeli yeast from Naples create a crispy, chewy crust which is topped with imaginative meats, cheeses, and vegetables.
Arancini
Translation: “little oranges”, these crispy fried balls of creamy, cheesy, arborio rice hide a treasure of melted cheese or savory meat inside.
Baccala Fritta
Cod, dipped in a light as air, crispy batter and quick fried.
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Francesca
COOKING WITH
CIAO, BELLA ROMA!
The traditional dishes of the Eternal City are simple, based on fresh, locally available ingredients. They reflect the history of a city which has been continuously inhabited for more than 2500 years.
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana
Just five ingredients yield this lovely pasta, my husband’s favorite. Learn about cured meats, Italian vs Italian American cooking, and some of the saucy arguments around this dish.
Saltimbocca alla Romana
The literal translation of this dish is “jump in your mouth”! That’s how good they are! Traditionally they are made with veal, but we don’t have access to Roman veal. So, we will use free range chicken or Tender Belly pork for ours.
Roman-style Cheesecake
Rustic, light and rich, with a hint of lemon.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
IT’S GREEK TO ME
Greek cuisine embraces simple ingredients in combinations and using techniques that are extraordinary.
Skordalia
A staple of the Greek table. Dip into this creamy mixture with crackers or use it as a sauce for meats and vegetables.
Moussaka
Baked layers of eggplant, ground lamb and bechamel, redolent with warm spices.
* Can be made Vegetarian.
Baklava Orthi
Sweet, delicate, honey-dipped nut-filled phyllo pastry with an elegant presentation.
Francesca
COOKING WITH
THE ART OF PASTA MAKING
In this class, we will make two different pasta doughs from scratch while learning a little history and a little science. Understand differences in wheat and milling and about how texture of pasta works with sauces. We’ll use a mattarello to roll the pasta out by hand. And we’ll celebrate autumn with rich, earthy flavors and warm, comforting mouthfuls!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
with brown butter sage sauce.
Fresh Egg Pasta: Tagliatelle
with wild mushroom sauce.
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Francesca
COOKING WITH
A LEBANESE TABLE
Explore new spices, techniques and flavors in four practical and delicious dishes you’ll make again and again.
Baba Ganoujh
Creamy and delicious eggplant side dish that makes a great dip.
Fatayeer/Meat Pies
Eye-catching, savory pastries perfect for lunch, picnic or appetizer. * Can be vegetarian.
Almond Rice Pudding
Made with rice flour and orange flower water
Francesca
COOKING WITH
THE REAL VEGETARIAN, VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE SERIES
We and our Mediterranean family and friends have been eating vegan and gluten-free our whole lives and never even knew it!
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For V, V and GF cooks and also for people who love, cook for and entertain them, here is a collection of classes starring authentic, fun- to- make, great tasting vegan, gluten-free and dairy- free dishes from around the Mediterranean.
We'll create a menu just for you using traditional dishes from world cuisine. No meat or dairy substitutes or processed ingredients. Let's fix a custom menu just for you and your party.
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Zahlouk
Roasted eggplant, tomatoes and spices make up the "poor man's caviar" of Morocco