Volume 1, Number 2

Dear Culinary Friends,

Spring has been a flurry of publicity and registrations for the Swannanoa School of Culinary Arts. The Asheville Gourmet, a new culinary guide to Western North Carolina, carries a feature article about the SSCA (see www.ashevillegourmet.com/Culinary%20Carousel.htm). In addition, Asheville’s gracious foodwriter, Mackensey Lunsford wrote a delicious overview of the SSCA for Mountain Xpress (see www.mountainx.com/dining/2006/0531ssca.php).

We are currently blessed with 36 registrants, 30 of whom will be present for the entire week, and 6 of whom will attend on selected days. Our cut-off number is 40 per session, so for anyone still interested in joining us, we have a few places left. As we have already more than tripled in size from 2005’s modest beginning, we are excited about the extent to which the word has spread, and looking forward to introducing a winter week as soon as possible.

Since last newsletter, we have added two chefs to our roster to lead us in Career Cooking on Friday, July 14th. Many of you already know Laurey Masterton, our award-winning caterer from Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-Go. She will be joined by Marjorie Porter, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, and personal chef and caterer at The Chef’s Gallery in Stillwater, Minnesota.

We also have the good fortune to announce a generous sponsorship from Earth Fare, which will be providing us with a major part of the ingredients used in our culinary explorations. Earth Fare is currently opening a second store in South Asheville, so make sure you check out their new location (1856 Hendersonville Road) after their Grand Opening on June 21st!

We would also like to thank one of our students, Beate Short, for a personal donation which will help enable us to upgrade our equipment, and thereby welcome more participants.

The Singin’ in the Kitchen recording project, in conjunction with the Swannanoa Gathering, is still simmering as we continue to seek financial support to bring it to life.

For further details concerning our upcoming July 9-15 session, don’t hesitate to visit one of the above links, or our website: www.schoolofculinaryarts.org.

Here’s looking forward to seeing many of you in July...

Bon Appétit!
Susi Gott Séguret, Director

Bonus Summer Recipe

Clafoutis aux Tomates Cerises (Cherry Tomato Custard)

Ingredients:
500 grams (a generous pound) of cherry tomatoes, a mixture of red and yellow if possible
4 garlic cloves
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
100 grams (~1 ½ ounces) freshly-grated parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
a pinch of nutmeg
salt, pepper

Preparation:
Gently sauté the tomatoes and sliced garlic in the olive oil until they begin to soften. Transfer to a round or oval oiled baking dish and preheat the oven to ~350°F. Whip the eggs with the cream, parmesan, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and pour over the tomatoes. Bake ~15 or 20 minutes until just set. Can be served warm, hot, or cold, decorated with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Tips:
If serving cold as an appetizer, bake in a crust for ease of handling.