KitchenAid plant based cookery class
I’m always looking for ways to expand my culinary repertoire, especially when it comes to vegan meals, as I’m trying to work a much more plant-based diet into my daily life. That’s why the plant-based cookery class with KitchenAid designed and led by Chef Lisa Marley could not have come at a more perfect time.
Set within the KitchenAid Experience Store in the heart of the West End, a small group of us donned our KitchenAid aprons and got to work at our individual cookery stations, equipped with a beautifully designed Artisan stand mixer each.
To kick things off, we got stuck right in with pasta making, and despite my experience of pasta to date being solely consumption based, I soon found myself kneading a dough made up of flour and eggs, before loading in the pasta roller attachment and then watching, mesmerised, as it satisfyingly ran through it. It was just as easy to turn the dough into tagliatelle using a different attachment. For the more adventurous of the group, we were invited to add our favourite herbs, such as basil, to give the pasta that beautiful green colour, and of course flavour. Who knew pasta making was actually quite simple, particularly with the assistance of the hefty well-designed piece of machinery to do all of the heavy lifting?
We then moved on to experiment with baking a variety of breads to accompany a chilli-smashed avocado; a simple pitta and then a slightly thicker sweet potato purée and yoghurt flatbread, both of which required no proofing and were in the oven in under ten minutes. At this point, we took a moment to sample the goods. We slathered our breads with smashed avocado and a delightful walnut pesto made by the Chef beforehand, adding a sliced chilli to garnish and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
To finish, we watched as Lisa demonstrated a chocolate brownie made from a variety of unexpected foods and, for the health conscious, no refined sugar. The main ingredients were pinto beans sweetened with bananas and coconut sugar, so I was curious to see how they would stack up against the ‘naughtier’ versions I tend to go for. It turns out, healthy can be scrumptious too if done correctly; the brownies were squidgy to the touch and satisfyingly sweet, and the tahini salted caramel drizzle was quite literally the icing on the cake.
Overall, the half-day course with KitchenAid was an enjoyable and informative mix of hands-on sessions and demos, culminating in a mini-celebration which involved eating the fruits of our labour whilst washing everything down with a glass of bubbly. Lisa was charismatic and friendly, and had lots to say about the ingredients and the KitchenAid mixers we were road testing. The company has been making stand mixers for a century and with over ten attachments, it is a truly iconic and masterful piece of equipment that would most certainly take pride of place in any foodies kitchen. Upon leaving, and with the recipes as a parting gift, my only complaint was that I didn’t have an Artisan waiting for me at home.
There are a variety of cookery classes taking place at the Experience Store starting from £40, you can view further details here:https://www.kitchenaidlondon.co.uk/responsive/cookery?action=filter-page
Written by Simran Maini-Hoskins
