Passion plates

The guests had gathered a little before 6 p.m., decked out in green clothing, festive St. Patrick’s Day hats and shiny beaded necklaces. The delicious smell of Irish stew permeated the air and guests mingled, most with a glass of Guinness or Scottish sparkling punch in hand.

Scott and Roxane Cook’s commercial kitchen in Spokane Valley looked more like a full-scale St. Paddy’s Day celebration last Wednesday night than an Irish cooking class. Sporting a “Kiss me I’m Irish” T-shirt, Scott leads the group in a rousing chorus of “The Drunken Scotsman” before dividing them into teams to prepare Irish stew, soda bread and Irish mint cocktails.

The Spokane Valley couple owns Two Cooks with Love Catering and started offering cooking classes about three and a half years ago. Unlike some presentation-style courses, these cooking classes are hands-on fun.

“It’s way too much fun,” said Cheryl Lystad, who attended the class with her fiancé and some friends. “It’s a fun group of people and a lot of food. You can’t go out to dinner and drinks for this price,” she said. Lystad’s fiancé, Dave Salee, has been coming to Two Cooks classes for the past year. “I’m the old-timer here,” he said, laughing.

Many of the 20 or so participants are regular attendees of the cooking classes, which offer a different theme each month. “We’ve had 24 different themes. A lot of them (participants) have been to all of the classes,” Scott Cook said.

Each cooking class contains an element of mixology where students prepare cocktails that match the theme of the class. The cocktails were the inspiration for the classes, Roxane Cook said. She realized that when people host parties, they want to be able to offer more than just beer or wine. “There’s been a movement for at least a decade for scratch-made cocktails,” Roxane Cook said. At each class, students learn a little bit about bartending and get to mix the drinks.

A Cinco de Mayo class had students sipping Cilantro Coolers and preparing enchiladas; in a September Luau Festival students mixed up Blue Hawaiians and prepared sweet coconut cake and other side dishes to go along with a whole Kalua pig Scott Cook prepared.

At first Scott Cook was a bit apprehensive about combining sharp knives with alcoholic beverages in class, but it’s turned out to be a great deal of fun. The students rotate through stations, preparing four or five dishes at each class. But there’s no pressure, and some participants just relax and unwind. “I don’t want to cook. I just want to drink,” said one woman attending last week’s class.

“It’s a nonintimidating environment,” Roxane Cook said. “We have everyone from skilled restaurant owners down to dishwashers.” Denise Hanson, co-owner of Manito Tap House, has been to 10 or so of the Cooks’ classes. She comes for the food and the camaraderie. “It’s fun to meet different people and learn new things,” Hanson said. She handed out samples of beer from Manito Tap House at last week’s class.

Scott and Roxane Cook try to share a little bit of information about the culture of the cuisine they are teaching. Some classes are inspired by their travels, which include a two-year stay in Germany and a recent trip to Italy. Even though the themes have been repeated, the recipes change each time. “A lot of them know how to cook. They want to learn something new. The challenge is to keep offering new menus and different drinks,” Scott Cook said. The couple traveled to a cocktail seminar in Canada recently to get some new ideas.

But it’s not all about the drinks. “Our twist is we want to teach people how to make things from scratch,” Scott Cook said. In last month’s class, Going Retro, participants made the noodles for macaroni and cheese and prepared lady fingers from scratch for the strawberry trifle dessert. Students are also encouraged to incorporate as many local and organic products as possible.

The cooking and mixology classes are just one aspect of Two Cooks with Love, which started in 1991 when Scott Cook catered his own wedding. “My brother did most of it that day. I did the prep,” Scott said. He has worked in the food industry for 33 years. With the help of their catering staff, the couple have catered every kind of event from a pasta dinner for 360 people served in a field to an intimate nine-course meal on Valentine’s Day for a couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

During some of their events, the Cooks employ the services of a butler they call Bentley Lovermore. Lovermore, whose real name is Bob Bruce, isn’t a trained butler, but dons a turn-of-the-century butler outfit, slips into a convincing British accent and passes hors d’oeuvres, tends bar or serves as a personal attendant to the bride and groom at wedding caterings. Bruce met Scott and Roxane in 2004 when they catered an event at E.J. Roberts Mansion where Bruce was working at the time.

“I’m humorous. I flirt a bit and entertain people while they are eating,” Bruce said. “Sometimes people want that extra bit of fun in their event. It gives it a little more pizazz,” said Bruce who has been practicing impersonations and accents his whole life. Working as a butler is a second job for Bruce, who works full time at the Spokane airport. “It’s not even like working,” Bruce said. “It’s an absolute joy.”

“I told people I’d never go full time,” Scott said. “It was a passion and I loved it, but I didn’t want to lose that.” Scott feared that if he turned his hobby into a full-time occupation it would become drudgery. But it hasn’t turned out that way. “You’re always at a celebration. Even a funeral is a celebration of someone’s life,” Scott said. “There’s lots of laughter and I’m not tired of it yet.”

Scott and Roxane have a cookbook coming out at the end of the month called “Happy Wife, Happy Life,” named after the first series of cooking classes they offered. The book, which will sell for $13.95, contains recipes from past cooking classes, tips on using herbs and spices, a section on appetizers and garnishes and more. Call (509) 891-5980 for more information on how to purchase a copy.

Irish Lamb Stew

Courtesy of Two Cooks with Love Catering, Spokane Valley

1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, diced

4 to 5 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 large onions, chopped, divided

1/2 cup water

4 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons white sugar

3 cups diced carrots

4 potatoes, cubed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup white wine

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned. Leave the fat in the pan and remove the bacon. Dry bacon on paper towels, crumble and set aside.

Put lamb, salt, pepper and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown the lamb in the bacon fat. Work in batches so the meat is not crowded in the pan.

Place lamb into a stock pot, leaving 1/4 cup of fat in skillet. Add the garlic and one chopped onion to the skillet and sauté until onion begins to brown. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add carrots, 2 large chopped onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and white wine to stock pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Guinness Glazed Corned Beef

Courtesy of Two Cooks with Love Catering

4 pounds corned beef brisket

1 cup brown sugar

1 can or bottle Guinness stout beer

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse the beef brisket completely and pat dry. Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of stout beer around and gently over the beef to wet the sugar (be careful not to wash off the brown sugar).

Cover with foil, place in oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 12 servings

Irish Mint Cocktail

Courtesy of Two Cooks with Love Catering

3 ounces Irish Cream liqueur, preferably Bailey’s

1 ounce green crème de menthe liqueur

6 ounces milk or half and half 

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and pour into two rocks glasses.

Yield: 2 servings

Soy-cured Salmon with Cilantro Cream and Pear Slices

Courtesy of Two Cooks with Love. This recipe wasn’t inspired by Ireland or Scotland, but it is a favorite recipe from the cooking classes. “The salmon is cured in soy sauce for 20 hours. It is a great appetizer with a stunning presentation or can even be used as a topping for a salad,” Scott Cook said.

For the soy-cured salmon:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 serrano chili, chopped

One 9-ounce salmon fillet, skinned, trimmed, and halved lengthwise

For the dipping sauce:

3/4 cup crème fraîche (or use equal parts sour cream and heavy cream, mixed until soft peaks form)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sliced fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lime zest, plus more for garnish

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh serrano chili

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sliced pear

Put the soy sauce, cilantro, ginger and chili pepper in a blender and purée until the mixture is blended but still chunky. Place salmon in a shallow bowl and pour the brine mixture over the salmon. Make sure salmon is completely covered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 hours.

Remove the salmon from the brine. Save the brine to spoon over appetizer for final touch. Cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.

Put the crème fraîche, scallions, cilantro, lime zest, and chili in a small mixing bowl and mix well. Stir in the lime juice and salt.

Place the pear onto each serving plate and then a spoonful of the crème fraîche mixture. Decoratively lay the salmon slices on top of the sauce and garnish with the brine and lime zest. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.