By Carstens Smith
“It”'s yummy, wicked good, ”enthusiastically exclaims Heather Jansz as she tastes rice pudding with lingonberries, coconut milk, cardamom, and ginger, a recipe she developed for the “Nordic Ice with Spice” class hosted by Ingebretsen”'s on November 7. The class is a four course dinner and cooking class that features favorite Nordic ingredients, combined in new ways with liberal doses of spices.
Heather is well qualified to create such recipes. She is the Curry Diva, a chef who specializes in the cuisine of Sri Lanka and who incorporates Ayurvedic principles in her use of spices. A former co-owner of the Sri Lanka Curry House, a cookbook author, and chef for the Highland Grill”'s Monday evening Curry Nights, Heather grew up on the island of Sri Lanka and is of Portuguese-Dutch descent. She learned from an early age how different ingredients and cultural foods can be combined in new and appealing ways.
Curries are a popular “food fashion” in the Scandinavian countries right now. The “Nordic Ice and Spice” class was inspired by this trend. It is intended to give participants a knowledge of spices and the confidence to create their own recipes. The four course dinner will have an appetizer course with imported Scandinavian cheeses and chutneys, and a platter of fish, bread, and curries, including a curry sauce the specifically complements lutefisk, (because we couldn”'t forget lutefisk”¦). That is followed by a soup course of curried squash soup with smoked bacon, an entrée of spiced pork loin on savory barley, salads, and a desert course. The class is BYOB, with endless cups of Viking Biking coffee served.
The class will be held at Our Kitchen, 813 W. 36th St. Our Kitchen”'s cozy size and the clear view of the kitchen creates a friendly, interactive atmosphere. “I want people to see, eat, talk, ask questions, and thoroughly enjoy themselves,” says Heather. Reservations are $75 a person. Please call Ingebretsen”'s, 612.729.9333 to register. Visit www.ingebretsens.com for further information.
