I have a confession: I do not ‘kitchen.’ I don’t cook, don’t do dishes, don’t grocery shop. Yes, I am from South Louisiana and was told no one would ever marry me.
I stood undeterred. I have not actually applied heat to an uncooked item since I met my now-husband who just so happens to be classically trained as a chef. Like, I may have made popcorn and can honestly say that I have made a mean sandwich or five over the course of the years, but little else can be attributed to my culinary prowess.
Now, do I know flavor profiles, successful presentation composition, and have come to understand the nuances of sous vide flavor and textural infusion as opposed to en papillote technique. Yes on all counts!
Cara Peterson, culinary director for Rocca Pizzeria and former Chef de Cuisine of Shaya’s Saba Restaurant in New Orleans, taught a Pizza Masterclass April 6.
Rodneyna Hart
That being said, I sent a message to my husband that I would be home late Wednesday week before last because I had been invited to a cooking class at Red Stick Spice Company. To which he replied, “Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”
All kidding aside, the experience was a generous initiation from the most beautifully fragrant store on Jefferson Highway. Amid the isles of loose leaf teas and infused olive oils are cooking trinkets and gizmos that look like the source for all of my husband’s anniversary basket this year.
There is an adjacent large room where prep and cooking surfaces proliferate. That evening, we found a perfectly calibrated pizza oven and prepped ingredients in neat stations. Couples and instructors filled the large square cooking space that occupies half of the room. We walked in to find already baked bread, and wine was available for purchase. To the left was a family-style dining table with place settings for all the guests. We snacked a bit, then all scrubbed up and were handed color-coded aprons, yellow for the guests and black for the staff.
I had walked into the Pizza Masterclass with Cara Peterson, culinary director for Rocca Pizzeria and former chef de cuisine of Shaya’s Saba Restaurant in New Orleans. The menu was pizza two ways, kale Caesar salad, and tiramisu truffles.
We started by watching a demonstration of how to create the perfect Neapolitan-style pizza dough, a careful balance of 00 and all-purpose flour. As the flour and other ingredients churned in the stand mixer, I thought, “It cannot be that easy.”
It was and it wasn’t.
Making pizza at Red Stick Spice Company’s Pizza Masterclass
For me, as a serious student of food and a casual lurker of preparation, it is all magic. These raw materials with the right time, energy, and techniques somehow become the incredible delicacies we love to devour. Cara was a kind and relatable instructor, being sure to show the best practices and leave room for interpretation through her words and deeds. She used accessible language that even a novice like myself could follow.
We all got our time with her to properly knead and stretch the rested dough they so generously provided. We topped this with the prepared shredded cheeses, pepperoni, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella slices, and tomato sauce provided. As the antithesis of my maximalist nature a light touch and restraint are rewarded here, leading to a pizza that when baked can rest on the tips of your fingers with no sagging.
We were taught the perfect amount of flour to create a release on the pizza paddle but not to cause smoking in the oven. She demonstrated the shake technique with no fear of the pizza falling on the ground. I was not this bold and tested it over the granite countertop.
Cara demonstrated how to put the paddle three-quarters of the way in and just like an impressive waiter removes a tablecloth without disturbing the dishes we removed the pizza without disturbing the toppings. What seemed like seconds (actually three minutes) after sliding the pizza into the oven and turning it twice the pizza was hot, melty, and ready to remove from the oven.
Want to learn how to cook a distinctive Louisiana dish? Places like Red Stick Spice Company, seen here, will show you how.
They created stations of the menu’s other elements such as deep dish sausage pizza, deep-dish Canadian bacon pizza, salad and dessert. I tried my hand at a rather successful deep dish sausage pizza made in a cast iron pan. This is where I shined, when I was told that there were no restrictions on the number of toppings on this upside-down cooking process. On this pizza and I used everything. I used fresh cooked Italian sausage, tomato sauce and cheese. It took the longest to cook but was incredibly rewarding.
We all sat around the dinner table and feasted on our victorious meal while the rest of the crew made pizzas, focaccia bread and delicious desserts. Overall, I would count this as a win. Just don’t tell my husband that I enjoyed cooking. He might start getting some ideas.
Dining and Cooking