The Hawthornes Attend Cooking Class At The North Carolina Aquarium.

Monday afternoon, the Hawthornes, Glowria, and Zelda

went to our cooking class at the North Carolina Aquarium.

I always have to stop by and say hello to the otters.

They remember me.

The turtles are always happy to see me. They elongate their necks to greet me.

The alligator was out sunning. Where was I? Oh yes, cooking class. Today's presentation was was given by Chef Wes Stepp of Red Sky Cafe in Duck. I love to watch Chef Wes' performance theater. It's so much fun to watch him work, since he juggles about a dozen things at once, plus he's very engaging and entertaining. We got to have appetizers while Chef Wes started on his presentation.

I believe he said this was an artichoke and Asiago cheese mix on a crostini, topped with a pico de gallo- diced tomato, pepper, and onion. I couldn't taste any artichoke in it, but every now and then I'd get a real salty taste in there, as did the others in our party. Still good though. I actually made this for dinner that night. Or, rather, my version of it. What can I say? Chef Wes inspires.

Wes is a dynamo. He stormed through 4 different dishes at once and had it all served and we were done in about an hour. I think that's a record. This is a positive thing, but it also has a negative impact for a "cooking class." If you're a novice cook, I don't think you'd be able to follow the man. Some people can only focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is not an option for them and I heard several people voice this. Even I missed some of what he was doing and I had the ingredient list in front of me. Let me give you Chef Wes' menu for the afternoon: 1. Jalapeno laced crab cakes with a Creole shrimp cream to finish. 2. Bronzed rockfish with strawberries and balsamic glaze, finished with goat cheese. 3. Oysters 'D' with noodles, spinach, and mushrooms. 4. Shrimp and grits. Wes started off by lightly browning the crab cakes and searing the rockfish. Both were finished off in the oven while he prepared his oyster dish, shrimp and grits, the Creole shrimp cream, and a Balsamic-stung strawberry salsa. Quite the storyteller, Wes recounted the tale of people wondering, "How does a boy from West Virginia know how to cook fish?" His reply, "If you can make 'possum taste good, you can do fish."

Behind Wes in the overhead monitor, he's got his Redneck Risotto going front right, which is Shrimp and Grits, Oysters D back left, and his Creole Shrimp Cream in the back right. Wes had Shrimp and Grits on his menu for a while and noticed it really wasn't a mover and a shaker. Really, now, what do you Yankees who come down here to vacation know about grits? Wes realized this too, so he changed the name of the dish to Redneck Risotto. Yankees will eat something called Redneck Risotto. Smart move there, Wes. This is Mauritzio, who's been with Wes for years. And I hope I spelled his name right. Mauritzio makes beautiful garnishes - tomato roses, scallion flowers, lemon cups. Now, I present to you the recipes, with my notes. This is basically what my recipes look like. Ingredients and no amounts. I can read this and I totally get it. Wes, I know this is how you rock 'n' roll, and I know you like to razzle-dazzle, but you must remember, this is a cooking class. You're not auditioning for a catering job here, although I'd give it to you. ; ) I just don't think everyone there would be able to go home and prepare these dishes. That's all I'm saying. For those of you too lazy to click on the menus, Rosie is going to the trouble of typing it all out for you.

Jalapeno laced crab cakes 1 pound crab meat
diced jalapeno
diced red onion
panko
mayo
Creole mustard
one egg
oil to fry

Creole shrimp cream to finish
heavy cream
shrimp
garlic
Cajun spice
tomato paste Bronzed rockfish with a Balsamic stung strawberry salsa/goat cheese rockfish filet
Cajun spice
olive oil
Kosher salt
Balsamic stung strawberries
Quartered strawberries
Balsamic glaze
EVOO
Goat cheese to finish Oysters D NC oysters
heavy cream
Kosher salt, cracked pepper
olive oil
spinach
garlic
white wine
Cajun spice
mushrooms, sliced

Shrimp and grits
shrimp
heavy cream
tomato puree
pico de gallo
bacon crumbles
Redneck Risotto
Parmesan crisp

Chef Wes' signature presentation on a mirror. Mauritzio is drawing with sauces.

Don't you love the jellyfish?

You can watch as they plate the mirrors.

Shrimp cakes down the left side. Bed of spinach, awaiting ...

... Oysters D.

Redneck risotto.

Bronzed rockfish surrounding the grits.

Balsamic strawberry salsa going on rockfish.

Mini crab cakes with Creole shrimp cream sauce on left. Tomato rose. Oysters D on right.

Mini crab cakes with Creole shrimp sauce.

Oysters D. It has pasta in it, which wasn't listed in the ingredients list.

Redneck Risotto surrounded by bronzed rockfish with Balsamic-stung strawberry salsa.

Glowria tends to wander a bit in class. She thought her grease-stained mat looked like Chucky. She drew this for me. Chucky in heels? Sometimes, I worry about Glow. Back to class. Focus, Glow. Focus.

That's Buster in the background shooting pictures of our class. He always asks if any of us don't want to be on the North Carolina Aquarium's Facebook page and my hand shoots right up and I always have to remind him that I'm still in the Witness Protection Program. This picture is from the North Carolina Aquarium's Facebook. Mr. Hawthorne isn't there. He'd gone to the bathroom. Can you guess which one Rosie is? Dang it all, Buster. If I get whacked, it's gonna be on your hands. And check the clock. Class started at 12:00 and it's not even 1:00. Wes is like the Energizer Bunny.

Here's my plate

My favorite was the bronzed rockfish with a Balsamic stung strawberry salsa.

Oysters D. I got no oysters. :(

Crabcake. Sorry, but I tasted no crab and no jalapeno.

Shrimp and grits. Bacon crumbles were supposed to be in here and I didn't taste any. And there was no Parmesan crisp as called for in the recipe.

Chef Wes' presentation on mirrors is great for a romantic Valentine's dinner for two (which is not the way we roll), but for a cooking class, it really doesn't work. The dishes were plated from the mirrors and because of that, the dishes were inconsistent. There were no oysters in my Oyster D or Glowria's. I never tasted any bacon. I didn't get the goat cheese finish on top of my rockfish. I didn't get the Creole shrimp sauce on my crab cakes. And I would have liked more sriracha aioli. Rockfish with the Balsamic strawberry salsa kicked ass. Enjoyed it. Thanks, Wes.

Mr. Turtle in the tank with the alligators.

Happy alligator.

These otters will miss me.

The Hawthornes Attend Cooking Class At The North Carolina Aquarium. Chef Wes Stepp From Red Sky Cafe In Duck.

Tuesday, the Hawthornes and Zelda headed once again to Manteo to our cooking class at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

Must stop by to say hello to my otters.

This little feller kept looking at something "up thar."

All these critters are in the "Wetlands on the Edge" exhibit.

There are two alligators in this exhibit.

And one box turtle. Now, on to our class, hosted by Chef Wes Stepp of the Red Sky Cafe in Duck, North Carolina.

This was one of the best classes I've been to yet. So enjoyable. Chef Wes is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and entertaining; and it's clear that he loves what he does. He's very comfortable in front of his audience, no doubt due to the numerous informative videos he's done and his experience doing cooking demos for a local TV channel. As we watched Chef Wes prepare four different seafood dishes and be terrifically organized with his sauces and accoutrements - the consummate professional - he told us the story of one of his TV experiences. It was a nine-minute segment and they wanted him to do three three-minute segments, with commercial breaks in between. On one dish. Three minutes discussing the dish. Three minutes preparing the dish. Three minutes plating the dish. After watching Chef Wes today, I'm sure that was impossible for him to do. I imagine he did six different dishes in a lesser amount of time and he still had to do filler. For more information about Red Sky Cafe and Chef Wes please check out Cooking Outer Banks Seafood with Chef Wes Stepp and his Party Catering Site. Chef Wes has been a chef on the Outer Banks for over 25 years. He was Executive Chef at Kelley's Restaurant for 15 years before buying the Red Sky Cafe in 2002.

His focus is on the abundance of local seafood and produce - expertly prepared and exquisitely presented. This is Mauritzio. He made lovely, edible garnishes to accentuate Chef Wes' dishes.

Chef Wes produced four different seafood dishes for us - all with local seafood from Wanchese. For that alone, I applaud him. First he made miniature crabcakes using lump and claw meat, mayonnaise, chopped scallions, Dijon mustard, egg, horseradish, Old Bay seasoning, and panko breadcrumbs. It's very important to gently fold in the crabmeat. You want to keep the lumps of meat in the cakes. You don't want to shred the meat. He used a sriracha aioli sauce with which to top the crabcakes: 3 cups mayo 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup sriracha sauce

We learned from Anne Marie, one of the very informative Aquarium employees, that harvested crabs must be between 5 inches and 6 3/4 inches from point to point on their carapace and the daily limit for crabbers is 50 crabs. Here's the Sports Fisherman's Guide for size and bag limits.

Chef Wes plated the crabcakes on a granite pedestal (presentation!) and Mauritzio dotted each cake with the sriracha aioli.

Next, Chef started on charred raw tuna. He's using yellowfin tuna. Yellowfin tuna is a deep sea fish, also known as ahi. Ahi, in the Hawaiian language, is the word for "fire." Long ago, Hawaiians fished for tuna in wooden canoes. When the tuna was caught and reeled in, the friction of the ropes against the wooden canoes caused smoke, hence the name "ahi." Yellowfin is smaller than bluefin tuna and the taste is less fatty and oily than bluefin. We learned from Anne Marie that tuna are usually caught on a long line or by rod and reel, close to the surface and usually no more than 100 meters deep. Tuna swim in schools following their food sources. The minimum length is 27 inches and the bag limit is 3 yellowfins per day per person. Chef Wes showed us his tuna filets. You want a deep, blood red color. If the tuna is whitish, it's been on ice too long. If it's a bright bubblegum pink color, then it was gas-frozen on the boat.

Chef Wes coated the tuna with wasabi paste and quickly seared each side in olive oil. You can see the tuna in the pan on the monitor, left. In the right-hand pan he's searing shrimp.

The tuna was thinly sliced and served with a seaweed salad with rice vinegar, pickled ginger, red pepper, and what he called an Asian Lacquer sauce: 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 1 cup sugar (Chef Wes used a raw sugar, not white.) Combine and bring to a boil. To the seared shrimp, on the right, he added applewood smoked bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, sweet red peppers, scallions, Cajun Seasoning (garlic powder, paprika, chile powder). He slowly added in heavy cream, reduced it so it coated the back of a spoon, and poured this over his Redneck Risotto.

Here Chef Wes is showing off one of Mauritzio's garnishes - a fringed scallion. He also had carrot roses.

On the right hand side of the monitor is Chef Wes' Shrimp 'n' Grits, or as he calls it, "Redneck Risotto." His grits were cooked in chicken stock, then heavy cream and Asiago cheese were added.

This is all being plated on a mirrored surface.

I betcha Wes liked to finger paint as a child.

Lastly, Chef Wes prepared Pesto Seared Scallops. Simply sear the scallops and toss with your favorite basil pesto. The pesto scallops were served on a bed of spinach and mixed greens with fresh herbs, orange segments, sweet red pepper, and a rice wine/sugar/citrus vinaigrette.

Charred raw tuna in the background with a seaweed salad and pickled ginger on a granite pedestal. In the foreground on the mirror is Shrimp and Redneck Risotto (grits) in the front, crabcakes back left, and pesto scallops on a mixed green salad with citrus vinaigrette. Assorted sauces were drizzled across the mirror.

I loved the presentation.

Here's my plate. Pesto scallop on salad on left, crabcake on top, charred tuna on right draped with pickled ginger.

And here's the shrimp and grits.

Yes. The Hawthornes will be making a visit to Red Sky Cafe in the near future. I'm loving this. Sun-dried tomato rockfish.

Delicious. As Chef Wes said, "I like fresh, colorful, and lots of flavor." So do I. "Upscale, without the uppity." Home run here.