DC Food Fest - Discount Price thanks to Epicurean Ways!
DC Food Fest Feb 11-14 – Spanish Wines, Chef Demos and more!
Our partner in food and travel, Jane Gregg of Epicurean Ways, just told us that she can offer Speak! fans, too, a discount price to the Grand Tasting event at the DC Food Festival on Saturday, February 13 – $65 instead of $85 per person!
We’re forming a group to travel (likely by train) with Jane from Charlottesville to DC for this flavor-filled day, which will include lunch at Jose’ Andres’ Jaleo restaurant, and the Grand Tasting Event from 2-6pm: “Whether you’re a seasoned oenophile or a new wine lover, the Festival’s main event will delight your palate with 100 international wineries pouring more than 600 wines and a plethora of non-winery participants, including food, for you to sample. Throughout the afternoon, you can taste your way through some of the world’s great wine producing regions including; Spain, France, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and the U.S.”
For more info on the Saturday, Feb 13 excursion and how to book your spot, open this info sheet
NO CLASSES TONIGHT (TUESDAY Feb 2)!
Speak! will close early today, Tues Feb 2, since it’s starting to snow heavily. Cuentame, French for Adv. Beginners will take up next week. Pasaporte Spanish for Beginners will start this Thursday, Feb 4.
· 36 days ago
Speak! is OPEN - and our "Snow Policy"
Speak! is open as usual today, Monday Feb 1st!
The parking lot is cleared, the heat is on and most of the downtown roads are easier to navigate than the narrow alleys of an Italian hilltown. Our doors are already open at 8:30am for Gabriella’s Italian class.Speak! generally stays open despite the weather, but for specific classes, we make our decisions together with our students. Please check with your instructor regarding specific classes or call the school at 245-8255.
News · 38 days ago
The Quest for the Perfect Loaf of Bread
My Bread, by Jim Lahey (and me)
Like the holy grail, that perfect loaf of rustic bread has eluded me for decades. I’ve certainly tasted perfection in bakeries and restaurants from New York City to Rome, but baking a loaf of my own that would make my Italian husband smile only became possible thanks to Jim Lahey’s newly published book, My Bread . As he describes in the introductory chapters, Lahey, a baker and the founder of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC, was aiming to recreate the flavor and texture of breads he enjoyed while working (at a Rome bakery) and traveling in Italy. After years of experimentation, Lahey came up with a no-knead, long-rise recipe that involves simply mixing together flour, salt, yeast and water, covering the bowl and letting it sit (ideally overnight) for 12-18 hours. One more short rise (1 hour) later and the ball of dough is sprinkled with cornmeal (to prevent sticking) and placed inside a heated cast-iron Dutch oven inside a heated (500 degrees) oven. 45 minutes later, and out comes the perfect loaf – crunchy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, just as if it came out of a brick oven. Now that I’ve created at least 15 loaves, I can finally call it “my bread”, too. Simple, so satisfying, making this bread has become my evening (mixing) and morning (baking) ritual. If you’re a bread lover, I urge you to try it, too. I’ve also tried the many pizza recipes and can’t wait to make a batch of pancetta rolls!
I’m compiling a list of my favorite Italian food-related books on our Speak! amazon store. Please let me know if you have a favorite that I need to know about!
