Culinary Tricks & Treats: Smoke, Spice & Squash

Overview:

Join Chef Cheo Smith in the Myers Kitchen this Halloween for an afternoon of seasonal techniques, kitchen tricks, and rich, comforting flavors. As autumn reaches its peak, the garden yields its final harvest of winter squashes and pumpkins — naturally sweet, versatile ingredients that offer far more than their familiar role on the front porch.

In the kitchen, we will explore the tricks of cooking with whole squashes across both savory and sweet applications. You will learn how to select, hollow and season culinary pumpkins to serve as edible, roasted presentation vessels that retain their structural integrity in the oven. Chef Cheo will demonstrate the slow-braising mechanics of a rich beef chili infused with smoked Mexican peppers layered with warm, dark mole aromatics like cinnamon, clove and cacao. To balance the depth of the chili, we will prepare fresh, golden cornbread studded with sweet roasted corn, whipped herb compound butter and a bright autumn salad featuring quick-pickled alliums and a light cilantro crema. 

In this class you will learn: 

• Culinary Vessel Techniques: How to select, prep, and roast whole pumpkins so they become tender and delicious without collapsing.
• Spice Architecture & Layering: The mechanics of working with dried, smoked Mexican chilis and blending complex mole spices for deep, slow-simmered warmth.
• Braising Mechanics: Techniques for searing, deglazing and slow-cooking beef to achieve maximum tenderness and rich broth density.
• Vegetable Purées in Pastry & Baking: Utilizing the natural moisture and starches of squash purées to create tender, structurally sound cakes and quick breads.

On the menu:  

• Smoked Mole Beef Chili in a Roasted Pumpkin Bowl: Slow-cooked beef, squash, smoked Mexican chilis and warm mole spices served inside an edible roasted winter squash vessel.
• Fresh Roasted Cornbread with Herbed Compound Butter: Warm golden cornbread studded with sweet charred corn kernels, served alongside a freshly whipped garden-herb butter.
• Autumn Field Salad with Pickled Radish & Cilantro Crema: Crisp seasonal greens topped with quick-pickled red onions, radishes and crumbled queso fresco, dressed in a light cilantro-lime crema.
• Spiced Squash Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: A fragrant fall cake showcasing the natural sweetness and moisture of roasted squash, finished with a velvety, tangy frosting.

A sampling meal of demonstrated recipes will be included.  

Please note: We are unable to accommodate individualized changes to the menu.

Instructor: 

Chef Cheo Smith brings his experience in kitchens of all sizes — from the home oven to producing hundreds of school lunches a day, and now, to the Farm at the Arb. A Minnesota native, Cheo is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and descendant of the White Earth Nation. He seeks to bridge the gaps in access and knowledge that prevent many people from getting farm fresh ingredients to their dinner table. His mission is to make preparing great tasting and healthy foods accessible to the home cook.