On our Juneau port day where we weren't scheduled to arrive until 1PM, I spent the bulk of the morning cooking my own breakfast! No, it wasn't that I spent too much money in the shops and they were making me work off my bill. I actually paid Oceania to do this!
Oceania Cruises has a program onboard that allows you to book a cooking class held in The Culinary Center. It is located on Deck 12 across the hall from the Artist Loft. Around 120 days before our cruise, I logged in to our account on the Oceania website at midnight refreshing the page for the cooking classes. Given that this was an Alaska itinerary, many of the class themes offered were seafood based. Another option was dessert based but the description listed it as more about pairing dessert wines with various sweets so I skipped that choice. This left a class called Snowy Day Brunch. Each of the classes were held a few different dates during the cruise so there was more than one opportunity. All the classes sold out fairly quickly but I noticed in the last couple weeks before the cruise, one or two of them showed open slots. Keep checking back if the one you wanted to book was full.
Note - you will have to be able to stand at your station so be advised if you have an issue with standing for long periods of time. My station neighbor had concerns with being able to stand that long so she took seating breaks on the ledge where everyone stowed their stuff.
The description for Snowy Day Brunch:
Duration: 1 hr and 30 minutes
Is there any better feeling than the first snowfall of the season? It makes us want to bake our favorite cinnamon scones or egg casserole. Join us for a celebration of those leisurely days when it is snowy outside and we share favorite recipes with loved ones as we warm our toes by the fire. No snowy day brunch is complete without bubbly cocktails, so we'll share some of our mixologists' favorite recipes for taking the chill off.
Cost: $129 per person with a class max of around 12 people. Disclaimer: I did cover the extra cost of this class with on board credit received as a result of booking the cruise. Neither the OBC nor the cost of this class was gifted by the cruise line. This new experience for me was worth the money more than a ship excursion to a port I'd already visited or a spa appointment. It was raining rather than snowing most of this day and the only fire was on our induction cooktops but the food warmed us all the same.
The main rule for the class other than of course to wash our hands routinely and to be safe was that we could invite anyone we wished to come try the food but none of the food could leave the room. We also were only allowed to take still photographs, no videoing was allowed.
The doors stayed locked until we were officially welcomed to come into The Culinary Center by Chef Miles Beard. Another class attendee and I both arrived super early so we chatted about past cooking experiences, picky eater traveling companions, and our favorite cruises. It was cool also watching Chef Miles and his crew of sous chefs, as he introduced them during class, sing while they set up all of the cooking stations.
By the time we were let inside, nearly all of the participants had joined us to wait outside the doors. We were checked off the official list and handed over our tickets. The tickets look just like Oceania's excursion tickets so make sure you keep all of your tickets organized. Being there so early, I was able to select the center station in the front row. All stations had a great view of Chef Miles' demonstrations at the front counter, especially with the use of overhead cameras and his microphone headset.
Each station had an apron, a dishtowel, a large knife, a two burner stove, a cutting board, a container full of all the utensils we'd need, our measured out ingredients, and two waste bins so we can use the dry one for food waste and the wet for used cooking utensils. We also each had a glass of water at our stations so we could stay hydrated while we worked. The sous chefs team came around routinely clearing the dirty dishes and offering any help. Chef Miles also wandered around after his demonstration to answer questions and remind us of the steps. Each time we gathered in front of the Chef's counter to watch the next dish's demonstration, the sous chefs ran around behind us cleaning our stations and setting up the next set of fresh ingredients.
All of our portioned ingredients that could sit out of the fridge
Our two burner stovetop with the fry pan to be used during the main course and the baking pan to be used on the first recipe we made.
Styling this morning with my provided Oceania Cruises Culinary Center apron. I took such care, perhaps ironically, not to get it messy thinking I'd save it for a souvenir. As it turns out, you don't get to keep the apron you wore during class but you're welcome to purchase a new one, the dish towel, or a full cookbook published by Oceania's culinary program. We did at least get to keep a booklet showing the recipes we used today for the price of admission.
Our first offered cocktail - some fizzy version of a rum punch
First dish we made was our own pair of scones. First each step is talked through and shown as Chef Miles makes the dish himself in front of us.
During this first presentation, Chef Miles describes a step that gets one of the class participants upset with him. She starts insisting that this isn't how you work the dough to make the scones. At first you're thinking wow this lady must have the drink package. Then you think about how well Chef Miles is responding to this woman, going so far as to call her up to finish the demonstration. As she picks up where he left off, she starts talking about how the recipe we're making is her grandmother's scone recipe. It is soon revealed that our classmate is actually Chef Kathryn Kelly, the Director of Culinary Enrichment for Oceania Cruises and the founder of The Culinary Center. Chef Miles stood nearby with a huge grin on his face as he reveals that he goaded Chef Kelly into taking over because he likes to watch her cook and demonstrate the recipes.
"Your two best tools in the kitchen are at the ends of your arms"
Next step was to take the rounded mound of dough we'd made from scratch and flatten it out like a thick burger patty.
Next we divided our dough patty into fours and were instructed to only pick our best two pieces to bake in the pan. The other two pieces went into the waste bucket.
Each of our baking pans were numbered to correspond with our station number. Once we'd chosen our two best pieces to put in the pan, the sous chefs came around and put them in a big multi level oven at the front of the room. I used to bake cookies, brownies, and cakes all the time but I'd say this is pretty darn good for my first scone baking.
While the scones baked, Chef Miles resumed leading the class to teach us next how to make a salmon egg scramble.
First up is explaining how to properly hold a knife and not get any of that extra chopped finger protein in your dish.
Quick lesson on how to cut ingredients with different thicknesses and textures as Chef Miles made quick but patient work of a white mushroom, a spring onion, and how to microplane some garlic.
For the small handful of spinach leaves, Chef Miles showed us how to roll them up like a cigar so that they'll stay in place while you cut the entire group into strips known as a chiffonade or ribbon cut.
Lastly, he cracked an egg into its own small bowl and whisked it a little with a fork.
Now that all of the ingredients were ready, Chef Miles showed us when to add what ingredients to the pan. He also gave us tips on when to pull the pan off the heat before adding certain ingredients like the shredded salmon.
While we were watching Chef Miles, our stations were set up with the new set of tiny bowls full of ingredients to make the main dish.
I'm not usually one who thinks of salmon for breakfast but I found this salmon egg scramble to be tasty.
We were encouraged to start eating our scramble so we could taste it while it was still warm. And look what was ready by now to join our meal, the scones were done in the oven. They appeared at our stations with little dishes of jelly and cream. We discussed the ongoing debate of jelly or cream goes first on the scones while we ate.
My attempt to add the cream and jelly on top of the scone went a lot better than trying to make a scone sandwich.
Our last course was a soaked French Toast with a spicy kick and berries on top. This French Toast was also prepared in the skillet until both the top and the bottom took on a dark brown color.
Then with a triangular cut of the square to create two slices, we topped the dish with berries from the Northwest, a berry flavored fruit juice, and sprinkles of powdered sugar from a new to me kitchen tool that looked like a baby rattle with holes on one side. This dish was tasty until the heat from the spices kicks in at the back of your throat.
All of the dishes presented together at the end of class
