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Hone skills at
culinary academy

The Kahala Mandarin Oriental opens its Kahala Culinary Academy on Saturday, offering weekly demonstrations and hands-on classes meant to cover both basic cooking and upscale dining.

The lineup for the first trimester of classes, held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through April 30:

Fundamentals of Cooking: Introduction to the Kitchen, Saturday; Knife Skills, Jan. 29; Soups and Stocks, Feb. 19; Mother Sauces, Feb. 26; Tricks of the Trade, March 26; Cold Kitchen (salads and appetizers), April 9.

Baking Workshops: Chocolate Fundamentals, Jan. 15; Valentine's Sweets, Feb. 12, Introduction to Baking, March 19; Cake and Pastries, April 16; Wedding Cakes, April 23.

Specialty Events: Sushi for Beginners, Jan. 22; Chinese New Year Feast, Feb. 5; Spring Celebration, March 5; the Perfect Pizza, March 12; Bachelor & Bachelorette (aphrodisiacs), April 2; Introduction to Cheese, April 30.

Costs run from $55 to $75 for demonstration classes and $115 to $125 for hands-on classes, in which students follow along with the chef at their own workstations. The fundamentals classes are demos, except knife skills; the baking workshops and some of the specialty classes are hands-on. All classes include tastings. Call 739-8780.

This seemed a good time to dispense with the request of Stephanie Nishizaki, who seeks the recipe for creme brulee as served at Hoku's at the Kahala Mandarin.

Executive Pastry Chef Bradford Hull begins his cooking lessons early, providing this recipe for the dish, which takes its distinctive flavor from a healthy dose of Grand Marnier.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cream and vanilla bean in a pan and bring to boil.

In separate bowl, mix egg yolks, sugar and Grand Marnier.

Remove cream from heat. Slowly stir in egg mixture. Strain and pour into 4 to 6 small baking dishes.

Place dishes in a water bath (a large pan filled with water) and bake 30 to 45 minutes, until firm. Sprinkle tops with sugar and caramelize using a hand-held torch (or run under a broiler until tops turn brown and form a crunchy crust). Serves 4 to 6.