Elegant Cooking With Whole Grains

Grist & Toll
is pleased to welcome
Joseph Shuldiner, director of the Institute of Domestic Technology,
for a delicious and inspiring class centered on cooking with whole grains.

This hands-on “Cook the Book” class will feature whole grain recipes both sweet and savory from his celebrated cookbook: Pure Vegan: 70 Recipes for Beautiful Meals and Clean Living, using grains and freshly milled flour from Grist & Toll.

We know whole grains are good for us, but prepare to be wowed at how easily they are elevated to “something special” status in Joseph’s skilled hands. Together we will cook and explore the versatility of heritage wheat and grains, shedding new light on how we can incorporate them into our home cooking repertoire. Class tuition includes take home goodies of a signed copy of Joseph’s book and 2 of the featured grains.

FEATURED RECIPES INCLUDE:

NUTTY MUSHROOM FARRO RISOTTO

A rich creamy risotto with a slight textural bite is what we aspire to when making this dish at home. The key is patience, and a glass of wine, which we’ll explore both of. Our whole grain swap-a-roo of the traditional Arborio rice will be Farro, a nutty grain related to ancient wheat. You’ll learn how to master this dish and impress dinner party guests, cheaper than a trip to Italy!

SAVORY TARTS IN A SONORA WHEAT SHELL

These tarts provide that special little touch we need for an al fresco breakfast or lunch: a savory start to the day or the perfect partner to a fresh, seasonal salad. We love its simple decadence. The Sonora wheat tart shell will change your mind about whole grain crusts. Plus, the hazelnut-Sonora wheat shell will go spectacularly with the leek and potato filling.

PARCHMENT FLATBREAD CRACKERS

This ultra-thin cracker is really only masquerading as a bread. Essentially baked pasta dough, these crackers are transformed as they emerge from the oven. Our whole grain version, sprinkled with salt and aromatic, fresh rosemary is a crisp, rustic snack that is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.

PISTACHIO OLIVE OIL ORANGE CAKE

This is not your traditional layer cake. Actually, it’s not a layer cake at all. Packed with a fruit basket’s worth of flavor into one moist single layer. This rich cake is made with fruity olive oil, nutty pistachios and anther appearance from Sonora wheat flour. It’s topped it off with a compote made from a whole orange and lemon, rind and all. Add to that a bit of boozy Grand Marnier, beautiful red pomegranate seeds and you’ve got a party on a cake stand.

About Joseph Shuldiner: he is the founder and director of the Institute of Domestic Technology, a modern home-ec university located in Southern California. The Institute offers year round classes, workshops and festivals on a variety of "lost art" subjects such as jam making, pickling, fermenting, cheese making, home coffee roasting, cocktail bitters and liqueur making, bread making, bacon curing and mustard making - just to name a few.

Shuldiner also established a weekly certified farmers' market in Altadena's bucolic Loma Alta Park. The Altadena Farmers' Market opened in 2012 incubating local startup businesses as well as certifying numerous backyard farmers through the market's (Sub)Urban Farm Project.

Shuldiner is the author of Pure Vegan: 70 Recipes for Beautiful Meals and Clean Living published by Chronicle Books. Lavishly photographed and written with Shuldiner's personal, conversational style, the cookbook contains recipes that "just happen to be vegan", rarely containing meat substitutes, but rather celebrating ingredients from the plant kingdom on their own merits.

*Class size is limited. No refunds will be issued after September 26, 2014.