What’s new in the kitchen

Food is always a hot topic around our house. Whether it’s planning,

buying, preparing, eating or cleaning, it seems like the next meal is

always right around the corner. That’s why I like to take cooking

classes, particularly classes that specialize in quick and easy

menus. So, when Sur La Table offered a “Trader Joe’s Goes Fishing”

class with Chef Mila, I knew I had to be in the audience.

Actually, there were two Wights in the audience. My budding chef

and daughter Mary Rose joined 38 other women in a quest for delicious

and simple meals. Mila invited Mary Rose to help her in the kitchen.

Since the food network has always been Mary Rose’s channel of choice,

it was like her own little heaven: chopping, stirring and garnishing

to her heart’s content.

Mila brought new products from Trader Joe’s -- and fabulous ideas

for putting them together. The first on her list of new and wonderful

products was a gorgonzola and pear pizza. These pizzas (in the

freezer section) are great appetizers.

One pizza can be cut into 30 hors d oeuvre sized portions.

The flavor combination is amazing and you can’t get easier than

popping a frozen pizza in the oven, slicing it and serving (just

throw away the box before your guests come). The next hot item is

frozen spices. Trader Joe’s has come through with frozen fresh herbs.

These small green packages have “cubes” of fresh garlic, basil or

parsley that are exactly one teaspoon of your preferred flavoring.

The garlic tastes just like fresh, without the bother of peeling and

chopping.

One of the seafood dishes that Mila prepared is a new seafood

product from TJ’s: Argentine Red Shrimp.

If I hadn’t seen the package label, I would have sworn that these

were little lobsters. The texture, the taste and the coloring are

identical to its pricier counterpart.

The shrimp are sold in 1-pound packages and if you like seafood,

you are going to love this product. Another fast and easy dish from

the deep was salmon with pinjur sauce and capers. The salmon is

seared, baked, and topped off with the sauce. This couldn’t be

simpler or more delicious.

The pinjur sauce is a Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is a Macedonian

creation using roasted red peppers and eggplant. Heat; add capers and

you have a 15-minute masterpiece.

Sur La Table had quite a few new products. My favorite addition

was a new mitt that looked like a large plastic mitten. It gives the

cook a better feel for the food, is protection for pans and foods up

to 500 degrees and is easy to clean. After reviewing the state of my

mitts and potholders, I think I need to invest in a couple of these.

Another winner was a ginger grater. This grater grabs the fiber

out of fresh ginger and has a pocket at the bottom to hold the

precious juices. Another fantastic product from Sur La Table is the

ceramic knife. This knife cuts beautifully. The manufacturer is

headquartered in Irvine. Send in the knife and they will sharpen the

blades for the life of the product.

The sweet ending of the class was a Mango Passion Exotique torte.

Again, look in the Trader Joe’s freezer section. It is stunning, it

is delicious and it’s $5.99. Incredible.

Sur La Table’s summer cooking class schedule is hot off the

presses. This season offers classes that include “Martinis, Munchies

and Summer Cocktails” with a menu that includes mojitos, KT’s summer

coolers, lemon drop martinis, tortilla Espanola, muffuletta salad,

satays the easy way and chocolate nut bourbon pie with ice cream.

I think Annie’s senior year is catching up with me -- this

alcohol-laden class sounds mighty fine. Another class that sounded

interesting was the Picnic and Tailgate from the Pacific Club.

This menu includes mini-baked brie en croute with dried fruit,

seasonal crudites with roasted garlic and goat cheese dip, penne

pasta salad with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes, gourmet pressed

picnic sandwiches and chocolate-covered, long-stemmed strawberries.

Pick up a brochure at Sur La Table, pick up a fearless flier at

Trader Joe’s and make your summer cooking exciting ... and easy.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Sundays.