Summer is the season of al fresco dining. Whether it’s a backyard barbecue or a picnic in the park —it's best practice, no matter what the season is, to bring something for everyone to nosh on. So, it’s time to dust off your serving ware, pull out the cookbooks, and make your grocery list. But if you’re like me and get overwhelmed with the plethora of liked, favorited, pinned, saved, etc., recipes scattered across every social media platform and digital notepad available it can be difficult to figure out where to start. Thankfully, Deer Valley Resort’s Creative Academy offers inspiration alongside tips and tricks to improve your culinary skills and elevate your entertaining.  

Class topics and themes are selected by Deer Valley’s food and beverage leadership team and are thoughtfully developed based on the time of year, current trends, and what is believed to resonate most with their audience, locals and visitors alike. Chefs from across the resort are encouraged to express their creativity by designing classes based on what they’re most passionate about cooking, resulting in more engaging and authentic learning experiences.

The Creative Academy is located inside the lobby of the Deer Valley Plaza, adjacent to the Cafe. A large ‘U’ shaped table is positioned with the chef at the front, so all students have a clear view. Consider sitting closer to the top of the ‘U’ if you’d like to be as close to the action as possible.  

If you’d like to enjoy a crisp glass of wine alongside the fruits of your labor, there’s a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase during all classes. Plus, themes for upcoming 21+ classes include High West Whiskey cocktail making, wine and cheese pairings, and a tour of Italian wines. 

A Cooking Class for Anyone

The students in my class represented a wide range of ages and culinary knowledge; highlighting that the Creative Academy classes are open to everyone. Most of my classmates were on vacation from out-of-state or on a day trip from the Wasatch Front, enjoying a reprieve from the heat in the cool mountain air. The class was comprised of a few students who were by themselves, couples, a family, and a group of girls, in addition to me and my fellow foodie friend.  

Our questions spanned the proverbial kitchen sink (pun intended), ranging from “What’s chili oil?” to “Do I need to go to an Asian specialty grocery store to buy mirin and fish sauce?” to “What does it mean to braise something? Can I use my oven for that?”

Anyone can (and should) take a cooking class at Deer Valley!

Answers include: chili oil is a vegetable-based oil infused with chili peppers, you can buy mirin and fish sauce at almost any grocery store—Whole Foods has a great selection of international products, and that braising is a cooking technique combining searing and simmering to tenderize meat, and that you can, and should, use your oven for it. 

Chef Janet Davido, Executive Chef at Silver Lake Lodge, was our fabulous educator and instructor. She boasts 10 years of experience working in Deer Valley’s kitchens, starting as a line cook at Royal Street Cafe before working her way up to Chef de Cuisine at Silver Lake Lodge, and now serving as Executive Chef.  

Menu cards at the Deer Valley Creative Academy!

The Menu

Chef Davido prepared a hors d’oeuvres menu spanning many seasons, highlighting dishes that shine in the summer and work well year-round. She emphasized how, “Taking simple ingredients and elevating them, turning them on their head, makes for an interesting bite”. The menu also featured several ingredients that were used in multiple dishes. Creating a menu in this manner eliminates some of the mental math needed to streamline your grocery shopping and mise en place, a French term meaning “everything in its place”. This refers to the setup—arranging ingredients, and organizing supplies required before cooking.  

Each student had six recipe cards at our stations, indicating what we’d be learning how to prepare. First up was a melon jam, made from cantaloupe, sugar, and lemon juice. Chef Davido prepared a delicious bite that seemingly knocked the socks off one of our classmates; he’d just experienced crispy prosciutto for the first time. She informed him that making it is as easy as laying pieces of prosciutto on a baking sheet and popping it in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes, and more importantly, that it can be used in an abundance of applications and recipes. “When in doubt, crispy prosciutto is good on everything.” Mic drop! The bite featured a foundation of crispy prosciutto and a dollop of fresh burrata (or mozzarella), followed by the melon jam and mint “caviar pearls”.  

Kitchen Chemistry

Chef Davido led us through the process of making our own caviar pearls—which was essentially a really cool science experiment. The magic ingredient is agar agar, a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from seaweed which serves as a stabilizing and thickening agent. It’s added to a pot of flavoring liquid and brought to a boil to hydrate the agar agar and thoroughly mix.    Herbs can be used with water and pressed through a cheesecloth. Or,  citrus juice or herbal teas like the hibiscus and elderberry tea we used in class can be used as well.  

Using a pipette or squeeze bottle, drip the flavored liquid into a container of cold, flavorless, high smoke point oil like avocado or grapeseed oil. The caviar pearls form and sink to the bottom of the container, before being strained out (bonus: you can save the oil and reuse it next time you make caviar pearls). Finally, rinse the strained pearls with cold water and store in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to use. This recipe effectively creates little flavor bombs that burst to enhance the flavor and taste of each bite.  

An Upgraded Dip 

Next up, move over Greek salad—htipiti is here to steal the show. This Greek dip is made by combining the following ingredients in a food processor: feta cheese, roasted red bell peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, chipotle Morita powder, and cracked black pepper. The best part? It gets better with time. Serve with pita when you’re ready to enjoy.  

I firmly believe that a strong appetizer selection is one that offers more than one type of cheese-based product. Bonus points if the variety also features different temperatures and textures. The htipiti covers the chunky, cold, salty, and savory cheese categories; so, it only makes sense to round out the selection with a chilled honey brie dip and a baked honey brie dip, both topped with candied nuts and chili oil.  

Time to level up your dip game!

Chef Davido demonstrated how to make the candied nuts we were topping the brie with. It’s a simple process, but one that requires a watchful eye. Begin by slowly cooking sugar over the stove to make caramel. Remember to be patient, stir through the clumps of sugar, and if it smells like it’s burning, you’re doing it right. Add the nuts, a pinch of salt, and spread on a baking sheet to cool. Sprinkle the nuts over the brie—or eat  as is to enjoy.  

The Meat of it All

After Chef Davido covered the “basics” of hors d’oeuvres, we dove into the pork belly. This portion of class is where the majority of our questions came from. Fortunately for me, Food Network is my favorite television channel, so I’ve picked up a fair amount of culinary jargon over the years. However, the average home cook may not be familiar with the process of braising and glazing a slab of pork belly.  

Collectively, we learned that one of the most crucial steps in braising meat comes from the initial searing process, where it’s imperative to put the pork belly in a high sided pan with the fat facing up, before covering it with marinade. After covering the pork belly with parchment paper, cover the pan with foil and braise in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least one hour, so the internal temperature can reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  

At this point, there are several different avenues in which you can prepare pork belly. If using immediately after braising, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, uncover the pork, and let it crisp for about 5-10 minutes. If not using immediately, transfer the pork belly and its juices into the refrigerator. When using, dice the pork belly to desired size and fry in a pan to warm and crisp up the outside. Brush with glaze before serving.  

These tacos hit different at your next summer get together!

Last But Not Least.

Let’s talk about the glaze. This is where you may need to purchase a few ingredients that you may not have in your pantry. Chef Davido created a recipe for a miso glaze featuring white miso paste, rice wine vinegar, mirin, chili paste, fish sauce, togarashi, lemon juice, fresh ginger, garlic, sugar, and water. The list of ingredients is longer than the directions. Step one, combine all ingredients in a bowl by whisking or blending. Step two, store in a sealed container. Done.  

Okay, but how are we making an appetizer with pork belly? Chef Davido prepared what was my favorite bite of the class—mini pork belly tacos with a stone fruit salsa, shredded lettuce, and lime caviar pearls, in a crispy wonton taco shell.

I easily inhaled four or five of them before cutting myself off so I could continue sampling the other delicious bites, including another preparation of pork belly skewered with marinated cucumber ribbon and lime caviar pearls and drizzled with chili oil.  

After a riveting 90 minutes of Chef Davido’s demonstrations, caviar pearl making, and copious note taking, it was time to eat. Unsurprisingly, everything was delicious. Even the surprise shrimp skewers that Chef Davido pulled out of her hat were quite tasty. And I don’t like shrimp!  

Book Your Own Creative Academy Class

With a full belly and a goodie bag containing agar agar, grapeseed oil, and a pipette to make my own caviar pearls at home, I left the Deer Valley Creative Academy with an arsenal of new ideas for any upcoming hors d’oeuvres needs that may come my way.  

Consider signing up for one of the remaining summer themed Creative Academy classes, running weekends from 3:30 – 5:00 pm through Sunday, August 31st. Please note that some classes are 21+ and some are specifically tailored for children, aka, little chefs. Can’t make a class in August? Be sure to check back in the fall for the next slate of classes. Bon appetite!  

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