Pumpkins aren’t just for carving spooky Jack-O-Lanterns. For ideas on what to do with autumn’s dynamic orange squash, look no further than the pumpkin-themed cooking classes at Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills.
Chef John Lee, editor of New Jersey restaurant blog Devil Gourmet, will be teaching “Perfectly Pumpkin” at the studio on October 11. Students will learn how to make a savory pumpkin bread pudding, a quick pumpkin soup, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin crème brûlée. On October 22, chef Nick Malgieri, a CIA graduate and author of Bread and 10 other baking and pastry cookbooks, will depart from the American tradition of pumpkin in dessert, and showcase it as an entrée. His demonstration class will include pumpkin ravioli, Sicilian antipasto with sweet and sour pumpkin, and the Southeastern Turkish entrée kabaklama, a hearty stew made with lamb, chickpeas and—wait for it—pumpkin. (Take a look at his Pumpkin Cooking Tips here.)
The studio will host numerous other seasonally inspired courses for all ability levels throughout October. “Autumn Braising” (October 15) will include a lesson on preparing beef short ribs with red wine. “Halloween in Disguise” (October 19) is designed for kids 5 to 9 (with adult). Surely you always wanted to know how to make an edible decorative acorn. Just sign up for “Cake Decorating with Fall Foliage” (October 21), with pastry chef Antoinette Hartman.
The cooking studio, which opened in 1983 in the gourmet supermarket’s flagship location in Short Hills (778 Morris Turnpike), touts itself as the oldest cooking school in the state. To register for any class, call 973-258-4009 or visit the Kings website.