Caprial and John cooking class

I took a cooking class from Caprial and John tonight. Mary had gotten me a gift certificate from there last Christmas, and I finally made time for a class.

What a hoot. They're very much like they appear on their TV show, though John is less obnoxious. The menu was:

Squash and Sage Bisque with Crispy Prosciutto
Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder Rubbed with Tomato and Herbs
Crispy Fried Potatoes and Parsnips
Spicy Braised Greens
Walnut Chocolate Cake

John is a pork freak, which I admire. The soup had prosciutto, the greens had bacon, and obviously the pork was ... pork. And he talked about making bacon - which I now need to try.

Anyway, the tips I picked up were: reduce, reduce, reduce - whether it be wine or stock, reduce and you'll get tasty results. Oh, and add bacon to everything, it tastes better. And their secret ingredient for finishing off soups is Ketchup Manis (a sweet, thick, Indonesian version of soy sauce).