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

Tuesday afternoon,

Mr. Hawthorne, Rosie, and Zelda headed to Manteo to the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island.

We're going to another cooking class. I always stop to say hello to the otters. I want a pet otter.

The osprey cam is on.

Today, Chef Marc-Jean Berruet of The Pearl, located in the Sea Ranch in Kill Devil Hills, was preparing rockfish with a very unique, intriguing sauce - Scallopini of Striped Bass with a Sorrel Sauce

Today's fish is rockfish, AKA striper or striped bass. For each cooking class, we always have an explanation of the fish being prepared that day. This enlightening information is given by the most engaging and knowledgeable employees at the North Carolina Aquarium. Beth, Anne Marie, and Liz are wonderful and I applaud them. This season, the Outer Banks is seeing some of the best rockfishing it has in 5 or 6 years. Back in January, a 12 year old fishing out of Oregon Inlet landed a record-setting 63-pound rockfish. The previous record was a 62-pounder caught out of Oregon Inlet in 2005. January's record only lasted for 2 days when another giant striper weighing in at 64 pounds was reeled in. To read the latest on the recreational vs commercial brouhaha on rockfish in Dare County, please read the Outer Banks Voice's article on recent fish kills. The minimum catch size for rockfish is 28 inches.

Rockfish are anadromous, meaning they live their adult life in salt water and spawn in fresh water, laying anywhere from 1/2 million to 3 million eggs.

When buying rockfish, or any fish for that matter, check for clarity of the eyes and red gills full of blood as signs of freshness.

Chef Berruet brought a gutted rockfish and showed us how to filet it.

Chef Berruet made his first incision by the gill plate.

Then he went into the dorsal fin and down the back.

To release the filet, Chef Berruet cut a hole in the tail of the skin so he could stick his fingers in to hold the fish, then sliced down the filet to remove it from the skin.

He felt along the filets for any pin bones that needed removing. Then he cut the filets into small pieces. For a 7 pound fish, the yield was about 11 pieces per filet. I noticed Chef Berruet left the blood line in. I always remove this, but truth be told, it's not that noticeable in rockfish. For tuna, or other stronger-flavored fish, I would definitely remove it.

The rockfish scallopini were seasoned with salt and pepper, then dredged through flour. These were quickly sauteed in butter (for flavor) and oil (to raise the smoke point of the butter). The fish was removed from the pan, and Chef started on his sauce.

He added a chopped shallot to the pan and sweated it for about a minute, then added some vermouth and brought it to a boil.

Heavy cream was poured in and he reduced this by half. Now for the secret ingredient - sorrel paste. I've never had sorrel before, but this is just the beginning of a lovely relationship with this perennial herb. Zelda had joined the Hawthornes for this class and we both went out on Saturday, independently, looking for sorrel. I went to Central Garden Center and Nursery, WalMart, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware, all in Kitty Hawk. No luck. Zelda found it at Kitty Hawk Garden Center

on Woods Rd in Kitty Hawk, and was kind enough to bring me a plant. Mr. Hawthorne stopped there yesterday on his way home from work and picked up four more plants. Chef Berruet added his sorrel paste to the sauce. Sorrel has a taste like nothing else I've had. It's citrusy due to the ascorbic acid in it. I can't think of anything to sub for it. It's interesting to know that sorrel's sharp taste is due to oxalic acid, which is a poison. Sorrel is harmless in small quantities, but in large quantities it can be fatal. Wikipedia didn't elaborate on how large a quantity.

To make sorrel paste, chop the leaves, add water to cover, cook it for a while, then puree. The sorrel mixture was added to the sauce and spooned over the fish.

First, let me apologize for the crappy picture. My little Nikon CoolPix is autofocus and when it's faced with a monotone subject it doesn't know where to focus. I tried putting the fork in there so the camera could focus on it, but that didn't work either. I loved this sauce. Learning about the sauce was worth the price of the class. That said, one seven-pound rockfish does NOT 20 people feed.

Osprey cam!