Beards and Cooking Classes I Don't Love: Mussels Steamed in Beer

For my birthday, my friend bought me a "Cooking With Beer" class at the The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. I was super excited about the class. I thought I would be learning some great culinary techniques and learning some secrets to selecting the right beer to put in whatever savory dish I was making. I could finally stop making desserts for a few months and blog about the savory things I learned in class.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed. First, after registering for the class, we were sent a list of items we had to bring to class - knives, spoons, tongs, dish towels, aprons. I guess they were worried we'd steal these things? I dunno. Schlepping these things across town was annoying. And it was more annoying that I ended up leaving a wooden spoon and my tongs there because they were being used as serving utensils.

Secondly, there really wasn't much instruction. The first part of the class was a tasting of 4 different beers - Sam Adams Summer, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Bass Pale Ale, and Guinness. The instructor claimed that she wanted to pick beers that anyone could find in the store, but I found the selection quite boring. I did enjoy the tasting part, trying to identify the different flavors found in the beer. But there isn't much going on in these beers, a hint of apricot, and some caramel were the only surprises.

In the second part of class, people were paired up, recipes were handed out and each pair selected a recipe to make. All of the recipes were pretty straight forward: Shrimp in Beer Batter, English Pub Mustard, Beer Crab Dip, Mussels Steamed in Beer Chupa de Pescado (a seafood stew), and Shaker Style Chicken Breast.

And that was it - each team ran around the kitchen collecting their ingredients. The head chef, Chef Latona ("Just call me Chef" - really? are we being secretly taped for a Food Network show?) and his two sous chefs provided bits of instruction to each pair as they got stumped - but mostly it was instruction about which kind of pan to use and where to find it in the foreign kitchen.

There were some positives to the experience - we feasted. The beer battered shrimp and the Chupa de Pescado were delicious as were the Mussels that my friend and I made. And we didn't have to do any shopping. Today, in trying to put together ingredients for stuffed peppers, I realized that I don't enjoy shopping for a new recipe. There is always one ingredient that only comes in a package that is 5 times what you need (tomato paste!) and there is always one ingredient that you can't find in the store or that you miss or forget on your shopping list. Sad face.

I should also mention the benefit of bonding with your "partner." We had fun jousting with our knives and gushing about our love of bacon.

Even with those benefits, I'm going to pass on taking another cooking classes, with the exception of classes that focus on a particular technique. In February I took a pasta making class from La Cucina at the Market in the Reading Terminal Market. I learned how to roll out dough for the perfect puffy gnocchi pillow and how to work a pasta machine to make liguini. Definitely worth my time, money, and taste buds. I plan to take a cannoli making class from her some time.

Below is the recipe for the Mussels Steamed in Beer .... it was quite tasty and easy to make. Although this cooking class wasn't a wealth of new information, I did learn something. In this class, I learned that Prince Edward Island (P.E.I) are the best mussels available. They are typically very easy to clean and do not to have beards. The beards on a mussel are the little rubbery bit that attaches the shell to the rock or pole...hmm, that is a beard I will avoid.

Mussels Steamed in Beer
Servings: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
3 Strips bacon, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz. leeks, white part only, julienne
1/2 jalapeno pepper (seeds and pith out, unless you want it really spicy)
12 oz. beer (we used the Bass Ale, but I think most any beer would be great)
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 pounds mussels, debearded and scrubbed (get P.E.I and save some time)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, minced for garnish
French bread, sliced (to mop up the yummy broth)

Instructions
1. In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until golden brown.
2. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high; add the leeks and jalapenos. Saute for 1 minute.
4. Add the beer, crushed tomatoes, sprigs of thyme, bay leaf, and mussels. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until mussels open.
5. Remove mussles from pan and keep warm.
6. Simmer the liquid until reduced by half.
7. Add the butter to the liquid and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mussels to a warmed serving bowl and pour the hot liquid over top. Garnish with minced parsley. Serve with a sliced French bread on the side.