Local chefs share secrets at monthly hands-on cooking classes

Standing before more than 25 students at William Penn High School last Thursday night, Chef Bill Hoffman, sporting a backward baseball cap with the words "Eat More Foie," was eager to start his cooking class.

Hoffman, the enthusiastic, fast-talking executive chef and co-owner of The House of William and Merry, said he seldom steps away from the stove at his popular Hockessin restaurant. Especially on a busy night.

"I never get a chance to get out of my kitchen," he tells students, a collection of adults, many whom are also loyal customers at the 1336 Old Lancaster Pike eatery Hoffman and his wife, Merry Catanuto, have run since 2011.

"Let's start cooking and let's start learning."

The topic tonight is soups and the crowd, huddled like a rugby scrum, is here to watch, and help, Hoffman cook.

After listening to instructions from Hoffman, they'll don aprons, break into groups and then chop and measure ingredients at a variety of stations set up throughout the kitchen.

It's the third hands-on cooking class hosted by The CROP Foundation, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that aids high school students who are studying culinary arts, agriculture and other closely related fields.

The CROP Foundation, founded by executive director Kip Poole, who is also a William Penn High School culinary arts teacher, started the cooking classes at the New Castle high school in November.

The classes, $60 each and starting at 7 p.m., are open to the public. The cost includes appetizers and refreshments (this night coffee, bottled water or hot chocolate); hands-on instruction in a professional teaching kitchen; printed recipes and tasting notes; and all the food students make – to eat there or bring home.

There also are take-home goody bag extras such as homemade bread, pot pies and sometimes vegetables grown at the Historic Penn Farm run by William Penn High School students.

The cooking class size is limited to 25 students. Alcohol cannot be served at classes because state rules do not permit it on public school properties. (CROP Foundation staffers say they are currently looking for another location so the adult students can sip wine during the class, if they wish.)

"This seems to be really successful," said CROP Foundation events chair JulieAnne Cross of the cooking classes. "We're going to roll with it."

Proceeds from the classes go directly to The CROP Foundation's college scholarship funds for local students. So far, they have awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships and grants. The scholarships are given out in May.

"We are here to help them get to the next level," Poole said of the high school students, who attend the monthly, nightly cooking sessions and aid anyone who needs help during the cooking process.

Any high school student who works an event, from any school,  can apply for a CROP Foundation scholarship.

The CROP Foundation was founded in 2014. Students have already gone on to positions at prestigious restaurants.

Poole said he recently fell asleep with tears in his eyes after reading a note from a former student who is now doing an externship at The French Laundry. The critically acclaimed Napa Valley, California, restaurant is owned by celebrated Chef Thomas Keller.

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Gaby Indellini, communications director for The CROP Foundation, said the cooking classes have been extremely popular with the public.

The first volunteer instructor was Bryan Sikora, chef and co-owner of several Wilmington restaurants including La Fia and Cocina Lolo. He taught a sold-out class in November that focused on crostatas and Thanksgiving side dishes. 

In December, Michele Mitchell, executive pastry chef for Wilmington's Hotel du Pont, showed students how to make and decorate a buche de Noel, or yule log. It also was sold out.

Indellini said there will not be a class for February.

The CROP Foundation and the culinary arts high school students, with help from five local chefs, will be getting ready to cater a dinner for VIPs attending the annual Shine A Light On The Queen fundraising party. The March 3 celebration at the Queen Theater in Wilmington will highlight the music from 1968.

Cooking classes, however, will resume in March and will continue through the spring. 

The names of the upcoming chef/instructors for the next classes will be announced soon. For more information, visit thecrop.org or visit The CROP Foundation Facebook page.

For his Jan. 11 class, Hoffman decided to concentrate on one of his favorite dishes – a sweet onion and honeycrisp apple soup.

Hoffman said he was using a recipe he learned when he was a chef at the Hotel du Pont and has adapted it at the House of William and Merry. It included lavish ingredients like foie gras and truffles, although those ingredients are optional for home cooks.

Hoffman's recipe (included below) included substitution suggestions.

"I love soup. It's a fundamental of what our restaurant is all about," he said, adding he often asks new young chefs in his kitchen to make a soup so he can see their cooking abilities. "Soups can be sauces," he said.

Hoffman explains one of the secrets to making a good soup is using fresh bay leaves, which he lightly toasts to release its flavors and aromas. "Be careful, when herbs burn they taste bitter." 

"Get rid of those dry things that have been hanging around too long," he said.

He also saves scraps to make stocks and likes to include the stems of herbs, like thyme and rosemary. (Poole saves the food scraps from the cooking classes to feed the chickens at the school's farm.) 

Hoffman said vinegar is another important ingredient in his kitchen. He says most dishes need just a touch of acid to bring out flavor.

"Vinegar is another of my weapons. I use it like salt. It makes rosemary taste more like rosemary." But he also is a salt connoisseur and has about 15 to 20 varieties in his kitchen.

Hoffman said he always makes his soup a day ahead of time and lets it sit overnight in the refrigerator. By the time he serves it the next day, the flavors have melded happily together.

"If soup sits overnight, everything mellows. It's those little things that make a big difference," Hoffman said.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico

SWEET ONION & HONEYCRISP APPLE SOUP

This winter soup recipe comes from Bill Hoffman, chef/co-owner of The House of William & Merry in Hockessin.

At his Old Lancaster Pike restaurant, Hoffman makes his soup with foie gras, but home cooks can use bacon.

Porcini powder, an expensive seasoning (a 12-ounce jar can cost about $18), adds instant umami flavor. It can be found in spice markets or through websites. Or you can simply finely grind dried porcini mushrooms in a clean coffee grinder.  It's an optional ingredient in this soup.

4 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples (or a combination of both)

3 sweet onions

3 shallots

3 cloves of garlic

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/2 sprig fresh rosemary

1 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped chive

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 fresh bay leaf

1 teaspoon coriander seed

Splash of cognac

4 ounces of foie gras or bacon (optional)

1 teaspoon porcini powder (optional)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon white truffle oil

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 pint chicken stock (water or vegetable stock optional), plus a little extra to adjust consistency during blending process

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

Peel and chop apples and onions, as well as celery, garlic and shallots into 1/4-inch pieces. Then, mince the rosemary, chives and thyme (keep separate). In a small saucepan, lightly toast the dry spices - peppercorns, fennel and coriander seeds - as well as the bay leaf together to release their aromas. Reserve. Sear the foie gras (if using) or cook the bacon in a soup pot over medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides and remove from the pot and reserve. To the hot, rendered fat, add the chopped vegetables and cook until they begin to caramelize. Deglaze the pan with cognac and the apple cider vinegar. Add the minced herbs (reserve the chives for garnish) and the toasted spices. Continue cooking for two or three minutes. Add the stock, cream and half-and-half. Bring to a low simmer. Cook for 25 to 35 minutes to let flavors come together. Halfway through the simmering process, add the porcini powder (if using) along with the salt and truffle oil. Blend to desired consistency, using extra stock if needed. Top with reserved, chopped bacon or foie gras. Makes 4 to 6 servings.