Surfas will be host to several food camps this summer for children ages 6 and up*. Piccolo Chef  and Artbites will begin offering classes starting in July and going through August. Check out the full lineup in our events section!

*Classes are age specific, please check listing for age grouping. You must register for each camp through the school offering the class. Classes on the calendar of events link out to information for registration.

Serves 8

½ pound chile mulato (about 10)
½ pound chile ancho (about 10)
½ pound chile pasilla (about 10)
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
½ cup peanuts, without skin
½ cup raisins
½ cup apricots
½ cup pecans
½ cup almonds
10 peppercorns
5 cloves
2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
1 stick cinnamon
3 plantains, very ripe
2 slices bread, toasted
3 corn tortillas, toasted
2 pounds tomato (about 4 large), chopped
1 head garlic
1 onion
5 tablets Mexican chocolate
salt and sugar to taste
peanut or canola oil
2 ½ pounds combination chicken breast, thighs and wings
2 cups chicken stock

1. Put the chicken into a pan with the onion, garlic, and herbs; cover with water and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until the chicken is just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Set aside and reserve the poaching liquid.
2. Remove stems and seeds of chiles and brown on all sides.  Then place in hot water and when soft and pliable set aside.
3. Fry the plantains in oil and set aside.  Add the peanuts, bread and tortillas to the same pan to toast.  Set aside.
4. Separately cook the onion until translucent.  Add the garlic and chopped tomatoes and cook until soft.
5. Combine the chiles, plantains, peanuts, bread, tortillas, onions, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, apricots, almonds, peppercorns, clove, oregano and cinnamon and blend well.
6. Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil.  When hot add the mixture and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the chocolate and continue to stir until the melted.  Add about 2 cups of the reserved chicken stock, add chicken, heat through, taste and add salt and sugar as needed.  Serve with corn tortillas.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

1 ¾ cup masa harina
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot tap water

1. Heat two griddles to two different temperatures – one over medium heat and the other over medium-high heat. 
2. Cut two squares of plastic to cover the plates of a tortilla press.
3. Knead the masa harina with just enough water to make it soft (like cookie dough) but not sticky.
4. Open the tortilla press and lay one square of plastic on the bottom plate.  Scoop out a piece of dough about the size of a ping-pong ball, roll it into a ball and center it in the plastic.  Cover with the second sheet of plastic wrap.  Close the press and use the handle to flatten the ball into a disk.  Open the press and peel off the pieces of plastic wrap. 
5. Lay the tortilla onto the cooler griddle.  Bake for 15 to 30 seconds – just until the tortilla releases itself from the griddle.  Flip to the hotter griddle and bake until brown underneath – 30 to 45 seconds.  Turn once again, leaving it on the hot side and bake for another 30 to 45 seconds.  At this point the tortilla should puff up.
6. Transfer to a cloth-lined basket and continue making tortillas, stacking them and keeping them covered.

Meet food and art historian Maite Gomez-Rejón from ArtBites (http://www.artbites.net/) and learn about the traditions, history and foods of this fascinating celebration. Mainly celebrated in Mexico, the holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends who pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died.

Food is an integral part of the Day of the Dead festival and Maite will show how to prepare dishes that are traditional for the festival. Oaxacan Black Mole with Corn Tortillas and Mexican Hot Chocolate. All made from scratch!

Since 1995, Maite Gomez-Rejón has worked in the Education Departments of such renowned museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Villa and LACMA, and has taught art history at the college level. As a private chef, she has catered for rock stars (Aerosmith, KISS) and private parties for New York luminaries and non-profit organizations. She has also appeared on the Food Network’s Ready, Set, Cook! With Paula Deen and Chef Ludovic Lefebvre. In 2007, Maite combined her love of fine art and culinary art as founder of ARTBITES.

Serves 6

For the crème Chantilly:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract together on high speed until soft peaks form in the mixture.  Set aside.

For the chocolate sauce:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Put the heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, add the chocolate and whisk until well combined.  Whisk in the vanilla extract and set aside.

For the profiteroles (18 profiteroles):

1. Using a serrated knife cut the top off of each profiterole and set aside.
2. Fill a pastry bag with the whipped cream and fill each profiterole.  Place the top back on and drizzle with chocolate sauce.�
3. Serve about 3 per person.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Serves 6 to 8

3 pounds assorted fish or seafood cut into 2-inch chunks – shrimp, sand dabs, scallops
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bouquet garni – 2 sprigs fresh thyme, a small bunch of parsley and a bay leaf tied with a string
1-2 inch strip of orange zest
2 medium leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
8 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 cups canned plum tomatoes
8 cups fish stock, or water mixed with clam juice or chicken broth
½ teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon water
1 cup white wine
1 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
                      �
1. Heat the olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, fennel, leeks, orange zest and bouquet garni. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the tomatoes, white wine, fish stock and saffron and simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
4. Add seafood and simmer about 3 minutes.  Remove the orange zest and bouquet garni.  Taste, adjust seasoning, add chopped parsley and serve with a mixed green salad and French baguette.  

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Makes about ½ cup

Mixed Greens with Mustard Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
½ tablespoon herbs de Provence
1/3 cup olive oil
5 ounces mixed greens

1.  Combine the vinegar, shallots, garlic and about ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.  Let stand for a few minutes, then whisk in the mustard, crème fraiche and oil until thick and smooth.  Grind in some pepper, stir in the herbs, taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Dress the greens when ready to serve.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Ingredients:

For the Batter:
10 ounces pork lard or vegetable shortening, slightly softened but not runny
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 pounds masa harina mixed with 2 ¼ cups hot water
1 ½ cups chicken broth

For the Filling:
1 pound Mexican melting cheese (quesillo or asadero), grated,  OR 1 lb. Chevre Goat Cheese
6 ounces dried wild mushrooms or 1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried epazote
salt and pepper

Method:

Preparing the corn husks:
1. Cover the husks with very hot water, keeping them submerged for about a couple of hours, until they are pliable.
2. For forming the tamales, it’s a good idea to choose the largest and most pliable husks – ones that are at least 6” across and 7” long. If you can’t find enough this size, overlap to give you a broad enough space for smearing the tamal batter.  Pat them dry.

Preparing the filling:
1. Slice the cheese thinly and set aside.
2. Slice the fresh mushrooms or soak the dried mushrooms in water until soft.�
3. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and chopped epazote. Stir and cover. Continue to stir every few minutes, replacing the cover each time, until the mushrooms have released their juices. Uncover and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.  Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Preparing the batter:
1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with the salt baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute.  Continue beating as you add the masa harina in three additions.  Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup chicken broth.  Continue beating for another minute and add another ½ cup of broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft batter.  It should not be runny as it should hold its shape.  Taste the batter and season with additional salt if needed.

Making the tamales:
Smear a thin coating of the tamal dough over the broadest part of the husk, allowing for turning down about 1 ½ inches at the bottom broad part of the leaf and about 3 inches at the pointed top. For a good-sized tamal spread the dough over an area approximately 3 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches long.  Spread the filling down the middle of the dough. Fold the sides of the husk together firmly. Turn up the pointed end of the leaf and fold the broader end over it. Tear some of the husks lengthwise into narrow strips, and use one for tying each tamal across the top flap.The husks are water repellent, and since the dough is to be steamed, the idea is to form a water-tight package so that when the dough is cooked through it will be light and spongy. If moisture gets in it will be soggy.

Cooking the tamales:
1. The most convenient way to cook tamales is a conventional steamer.  Fill the bottom of the steamer with water up to the level indicated and bring to a boil.  Line the top of the steamer with corn husks, covering the bottom and sides well.  Stack the tamales upright, with the tied-down flaps upwards. For the best results, they should be packed firmly but not too tightly, because the husks swell out as the dough cooks.  Cover the tamales with more corn husks. Cover the top of the steamer with a thick cloth to absorb the condensation from the lid of the steamer. Cover the steamer with a tightly fitting lid.�
2. Let the tamales cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours over a medium flame. Keep the water bubbling, but not boiling violently. Keep a kettle of water simmering so that you can refill the steamer when necessary. To test the tamales for doneness, remove one from the center, and one from the side of the steamer. As you open the husks, the dough should come away easily from the husks and be completely smooth.

Serving and storing the tamales:
Once cooked, tamales are wonderful eaten right away, straight out of the husks, but they are also goof reheated by placing on an ungreased pan or griddle in their husks. They freeze beautifully and can be reheated by placing them in a 350° F oven still frozen, and heated through for about 30 minutes.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Ingredients:

5 cups milk
2 cups Mexican chocolate, chopped (Valhrona’s Xocopili Spicy Chocolate Pearls is a good choice)

Preparation:

1.  In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and chocolate.�
2.  Stir over medium heat until steaming hot and the chocolate has dissolved.�
3.  Pour into a pot, put a wooden molinillo in the pot and begin whipping the chocolate by rolling the handle quickly back and forth between your palms to produce a frothy drink.  (If a molinillo is not available, blending the chocolate for about 30 seconds produces the same effect.)
4.  Pour into cups and serve immediately.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Ingredients:
For the corn tortillas:
1 3/4 cups Maseca
2 tablespoons hot water
salt
tortilla press

For the filling:
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped epazote leaves
salt and pepper
8 ounces Mexican melting cheese (quesillo or asadero), grated

Preparation:
For the tortillas:
1.  Heat two griddles to two different temperatures – one over medium heat and the other over medium-high heat. �
2.  Cut two squares of plastic to cover the plates of a tortilla press.
3.  Knead the Maseca with just enough water to make it soft (like cookie dough) but not sticky.
4.  Open the tortilla press and lay one square of plastic on the bottom plate.  Scoop out a piece of dough about the size of a ping-pong ball, roll it into a ball and center it in the plastic.  Cover with the second sheet of plastic wrap.  Close the press and use the handle to flatten the ball into a disk.  Open the press and peel off the pieces of plastic wrap. �
5.  Lay the tortilla onto the cooler griddle.  Bake for 15 to 30 seconds – just until the tortilla releases itself from the griddle.  Flip to the hotter griddle and bake until brown underneath – 30 to 45 seconds.  Turn again, leaving it on the hot side and bake for another 30 to 45 seconds.  At this point the tortilla should puff up.
6.  Transfer to a cloth-lined basket and continue making tortillas, stacking them and keeping them covered.

For the quesadillas:
1.  Finely chop the onion and garlic.
2.  In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion and garlic and add the sliced mushrooms and chopped epazote.
2.  Stir until the mushrooms have released their juices and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
3.  To form the quesadillas, heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat.  Lightly brush one side of each tortilla with oil and lay it oiled side down on the hot griddle.  Spread about 1/4 cup of the cheese and about 3 tablespoons of the mushroom filling in the center of each tortilla.  When the cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla in half.  Cook, flipping every minute or so, until the cheese is completely melted.  Serve warm.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!