Private Cooking Class Menus
In your lake tahoe area home or vacation rental kitchen.
$125 per person. Tax and additional fees reflected in the Client Proposal.
How it Works
1. Choose your menu.
2. Communicate dietary restrictions or preferences.
3. Your Menu Proposal, with any add-ons, will be e-mailed and include full pricing. When it looks good to you, a deposit is due to secure the date (paid via a link provided)
4. Day-of, we arrive two hours before class to set-up and then we cook the meal together, you sit to enjoy your meal family-style meal while Mortar Pestle Cooking serves you and cleans-up.
Backyard Grill
Using your grill (or campfire and camp stove set-up, depending on which option you choose),
we will cook a simple & seasonal menu nearly entirely over fire.
SALAD and vinaigrette
Bread (Choose one)
Grilled FLATBREAD with garlic, olive oil, and tons of freshly torn herbs
Gluten Free Option: handmade heirloom corn tortillas
Grilled MEAT (Choose one)
Beef Tri-Tip, NY Steak, or Ribeye with Garlicky Herby Olive Oil Sauce
Chili & Citrus Butter Spatchcock Chicken with Citrus Salsa
Mustard & Rosemary-Marinated Pork Loin with Apple & Radish Slaw
Whole Fish with Guadeloupean Sauce Chien
VEGAN Black Bean, Quinoa, and Mushroom “Burger”
Grilled VEGGIES with Herbs
Dessert (Choose One)
Cream BISCUITS with marinated or grilled FRUIT and handmade WHIPPED CREAM
Gluten Free Option: Sub Almond Olive Oil Cake for the biscuits
Campsite Cooking
Using a campfire, cast iron skillets, and a camp stove, we will cook a simple menu,
slightly modified from the Backyard Fire Menu, that you can enjoy at your next campout
SALAD and Vinaigrette
Grilled FLATBREAD with garlic & chili oil
Cedar-Grilled TROUT or TRI-TIP with Salsa Verde
Charcoal-Roasted VEGGIES
Buckwheat CRÈPES with chocolate and cinnamon
Sfoglino Pasta by Hand
Learn the traditional way of making pasta with only flour, eggs, water, and a matarello- just like nonna!
SALAD and Vinaigrette
Pasta (Choose One)
Handmade Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli in lemon and butter sauce
Traditional Handmade Lasagna Bolognese
Handmade Lasagna Rotolo Bolognese (individually rolled instead of layered)
Gluten Free Not available for this option
FRUIT with Zabaglione
Everyday Cooking
Cook a menu focusing on foundational cooking techniques and when to apply them. From meat, to pan sauces, to veggies and more. Improving your basics will give you confidence and flexibility, no matter the kitchen!
SALAD and Vinaigrette
Bread (Choose one)
FOCACCIA with Rosemary and Crunchy Sea Salt
Gluten Free Option: Chickpea SOCCA with flaky sea salt and oregano
Meat (Choose One)
Pan-Roasted Beef, Pork, Chicken, or Fish with Pan Sauce
Blistered market VEGETABLE side dish with herbs
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Flambéed Fruit and Whipped Cream
Wine Pairing Add-On Option
$65 per person
Any menu can have a wine pairing add-on option, which includes an introduction to how wine and food dance with each other and how to approach choosing wine for food, or food for wine. We begin with a brief tasting of two contrasting wines that will be paired with the meal and then you and your group will enjoy the wines at the table. Please account for an additional hour before the class for this option.
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We cook with seasonal ingredients, which accounts for the vague description on the menus. All dietary restrictions and preferences must be communicated by one week in advance of the cooking class. We will choose the most enticing produce at the market that week for all of the sides, salads, and desserts.
All cooking classes are in your kitchen with your equipment/ serving ware, hands-on and intended for full participation from the group. We are there to guide, demonstrate, and teach to help you improve your foundational cooking skills and become a more confident and intuitive cook at home. You cook (with a little help from us), we set the table, serve your family-style meal, and clean-up after. A 50% deposit is due at the time of booking to secure the date.
Your requested date will be held for 3 days after sending the proposal.