Cucumber-Feta Toasts May 23, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Cucumber-Feta Toasts 2016-05-23 16:03:01 Print Ingredients ½ baguette 6 t. extra-virgin olive oil 3 ounces feta ½ t. fresh lemon juice coarse salt and ground pepper 1 small English cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise Instructions Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees. Split baguette lengthwise and lightly brush cut sides with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Bake until golden around edges, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together feta, 4 teaspoons oil, and lemon juice with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Spread feta mixture evenly over toasted baguette and top with cucumber slices. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a drizzle of oil. Cut into pieces to serve. Adapted from Martha Stewart Appetizers Adapted from Martha Stewart Appetizers Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Jam Jar Cocktail May 18, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Jam Jar Cocktail 2016-05-18 18:41:49 Serves 1 Print Ingredients 3 oz. vodka ½ a lime, squeezed and dropped into cocktail shaker ¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Originale 1 t. American Spoon® Blueberry-Lime Preserves lemon-lime soda Instructions hake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, pour over ice, and top with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Adapted from American Spoon Adapted from American Spoon Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Potato Skins with Smoked Cheddar & Bacon April 27, 2016 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Potato Skins with Smoked Cheddar & Bacon 2016-04-27 15:28:25 Serves 8 Print Ingredients 8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes 4 slices (4 ounces) thick cut bacon 2 T. canola oil fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup (3 ounces) grated smoked cheddar cheese 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal sour cream, for serving Instructions Preheat the oven to 250 F. Wrap each potato in a layer of aluminum foil. Put the potatoes in a baking dish and bake until tender when squeezed through the foil, about 1 hour. Unwrap and let cool a bit. Raise the oven temperature to 400 F. Slice the bacon crosswise into narrow strips, and fry them in a skillet over medium eat until chewy and slightly shrunken but not crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain and reserve. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise. With a large spoon, scoop out the potato flesh (reserve it for another use), leaving a 3/8 inch thick shell. Rub the shells evenly, inside and out, with the oil*, and sprinkle the insides with a little salt and pepper. Arrange the potato skins on a large baking sheet and bake until the edges begin to brown, 25 minutes. Divide the bacon and cheddar among the hollowed-out potato skins, and bake until the cheese has melted and the edges of the potato skins have crisped and turned brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish each potato skin with a few pieces of sliced scallion and a small dollop of sour cream, and serve immediately. Notes *With potato skins, the crisp edges are everything so be sure to coat that part with plenty of oil. By Amy Thielen Adapted from The New Midwestern Table Adapted from The New Midwestern Table Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Blooming Brie Bowl November 10, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Blooming Brie Bowl with Caramelized Pears 2015-11-10 17:40:06 Print Ingredients 2 T. butter 2 shallots, minced 2 pears, peeled, cored and diced 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 t. brown sugar 1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1 (8 ounce) round loaf sourdough bread 1 (8 ounce) round Brie cheese, rind removed and cubed Instructions Preheat oven to 350° F. In a skillet, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the pears and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper. Increase the heat slightly and simmer the mixture until all of the liquid has evaporated and the pears have caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Cut top third off loaf of bread; hollow out enough bread from bottom to make room for cheese. Cube removed bread; set aside. Using a knife, make 2-inch cuts into loaf around edge of bread at 1-in. intervals. Spread inside of bread with 1 Tbsp. butter. Place ½ of cheese into bottom of bread bowl, top with 1/2 of the pear mixture. Place the remaining brie half on top, spread with the remaining pear mixture and sprinkle with remaining slivered almonds. Replace bread top and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° F. oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with reserved sourdough bread pieces and crackers. By Maureen McHugh Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Make it an Event by Jill Foucré August 24, 2013 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment A number of years ago when the first twinklings of Marcel’s started to emerge in my mind, the part that I was in love with was the prospect of having cooking classes. I love to cook and entertain, I love to try new things, experiment with new recipes and techniques and make as many of the ingredients as possible from scratch. When I would attend classes at recreational cooking schools, I always learned something, had fun, had a great meal and was in the company of those who also shared my love of cooking and great food. Marcel’s clearly evolved into both a cooking school and a beautiful retail store and I am so glad we can offer both and that they complement each other so well. I love everything about Marcel’s but my heart is in the kitchen. Since we opened almost two years ago we have held 368 classes and have had 113 private events – and have had over 6,000 students in our kitchen! The private events have been something I didn’t fully anticipate when we were initially planning Marcel’s. I thought we would do some events like this but not nearly the scope and quantity. For private groups we have done everything from kid’s birthday parties to bachelorette parties and bridal showers to corporate groups (including some fun competitive formats!) to couples to friends to families. We like to tailor to the customer’s needs so we don’t have predetermined menus — we set a date, I book a chef, we plan menus, and then we’re ready for a great event! From personal classes for two people to cocktail party-style events for 60 and everything in between, we can format something for everyone. We also love to do add ons like favors or flowers or personalized aprons. Recently we held our first ever open house for event and meeting planners to spread the word about Marcel’s and we have joined the Dupage Convention and Visitors Bureau so we can become a destination for those looking for the best venues in the area. And in the process, so many people are also discovering downtown Glen Ellyn — we regularly hear “I had no idea Glen Ellyn had such a great downtown!” I am excited to be the host site for so many fun, memorable events – it truly embodies our quest to help everyone cook, create, and celebrate.