ST PAUL, Minn. — The first Cooks of Crocus Hill started in 1973 at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lexington Parkway in St. Paul.
Fifty years later, the famous cooking school and culinary shop has added new locations and merged with Gavin Kaysen's Bellecour Bakery to form a single brand: Cooks | Bellecour.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary Cooks | Bellecour will be offering special cooking classes with friends such as Andrew Zimmern, Gavin Kaysen, Amy Thielen and KARE 11 Saturday's Bobby and Belinda Jensen.
Upcoming classes:
Tuesday Sep 26, 6 - 7:30 PM
Gavin Kaysen
Menu: Cottage Cakes with Apricot Jam; Crispy Chicken Thighs with Roasted Fall Vegetables and Endive Salad
Wednesday Sep 26, 6 -8 PM
Andrew Zimmern
Menu: Pan-fried pork dumplings and dipping sauce, crab cake, fritters with remoulade
October 8th, 2023, 6 - 8 PM
Amy Thielen
Menu: Crispy Smashed Chicken Breasts with Gin-and-Sage Jus; Matafans (raised potato and cabbage pancake); Bacon Fat-Roasted Cauliflower with Herb Salad; Single Origin Chocolate Cake.
She is sharing her new book Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others
October 13th, 6 - 8 PM
Cooking with Bobby and Belinda Jensen
Menu: Shrimp; Pork Saltimbocca and Side; Affogato
Cooks | Bellecour has three locations: the original in St. Paul, the recently opened one at 3934 Market Street in Edina, and the North Loop spot at 210 North 1st Street Minneapolis.
Co-owner, Karl Benson, joined KARE 11 Saturday to discuss the big news and share a recipe.
Thai Flavors Crab Dip
Ingredients
8 oz block of cream cheese
8 oz lump crab
4 oz Thai-style sweet chili sauce
Herb Melody
2 tsp thin sliced scallion onion, green parts
2 tsp Thai basil
2 tsp cilantro
2 tsp mint
2-inch knob fresh ginger, finely chopped
Zest of one fresh lime
Juice from half a lime
Optional:
A few shakes of hot red chili flakes - to taste
A few shakes of crisp fried shallots or onion
Directions
Simply put, think of this as building a seven-layer dip.
Bring cream cheese to a chilly room temp. You want it just warm enough to spread on a plate.
- Schmere the cream cheese as the base layer
- Float a layer of the sweet chili sauce over the cream cheese
- Sprinkle with half the finely chopped fresh ginger
- Layer the crab meat
- Sprinkle with the remaining fresh chopped ginger
- Sprinkle with the zest of the lime
- Squeeze of lime juice
- Sprinkle with the herb melody - Note: We like this melody of herbs. It’s traditional in South East Asia. Depending on what’s available in your area, any individual, of combination, of these fresh herbs will work
Optional - Hot chili flake and crisp fried onion
Serve with a variety of crispy crackers - almond, wheat or rice. Or, all three.