This Thursday, April 24 from 11 am to noon, join Anne Cori at the Missouri Botanical Garden in the Shoenberg Theater for “Spot the Imposter: Choosing the Correct Herb in Cooking.” The lecture is free, but reservations are required.

Many herbs have similar common names, but different tastes and usage. Learn all about which herb is best for which cuisine. This event is in conjunction with the annual Herb Sale at the Garden sponsored by the St. Louis Herb Society.

A good scampi is an excuse to eat lots of garlic butter and this recipe elevates the simple scampi by adding scallops, wine, and seasonings. Shrimp and Scallop Scampi is Number 17 on the list of Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Get the recipe here.

Shrimp and Scallop Scampi is a staple in our all-time favorite “Tuscany for Two” cooking class, next offered on Sunday, May 25 or Sunday, June 15. Sign up for “Tuscany for Two” and also master garlic-rosemary rib-eye steaks, baked polenta, roasted vegetables, and blackberry gelato in pizzelle cones.

A salad is not just a salad when it is chock-full of vegetables, cheese, herbs, olives, and bread. Kirk Warner, chef-owner of Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen, created this delicious salad, which trumps all other bread salads because he uses multiple herbs and multiple vegetables in a lemon-honey dressing. Get the recipe here. Spring Vegetable Fattoush is Number 18 on our list of Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory.

To taste and enjoy this salad, sign up for “Riviera Retreat” cooking class on Saturday, May 17.

Kirk Warner teaches memorable cooking classes full of creative recipes that you can’t wait to make. His upcoming cooking classes include:

• “The Morel Compass” on April 21
• “Fish and Seafood” on May 9
• “The Dim Sum Cart” on June 16
• “Pitmaster” on June 28

Amateur bread-baker Margi Kahn has taught us so much about how to mix, knead, rise, form, and bake an incredible variety of breads over the twenty years that she has taught bread-baking classes at Kitchen Conservatory. Every staff-member has a different favorite “Margi bread,” but we all agree that her focaccia is exceptional. To experience Margi’s enthusiastic teaching, join her in one of these upcoming bread classes:

• “On the Rise with Yeasted Tarts” on April 9 or 10
• “Scrumptious Crumpets, Brioche, and More” on April 23
• “Cinnamon Roll Models” on June 4 or 5
• “Pizza Grate-ness on the Grill” on June 14
• “Which Side is your Bread Buttered?” on June 25 or 26

To get the secret to this wonderful bread, purchase the rosemary focaccia recipe for only $1!

The fantastic focaccia will be made in our all-day bread-baking class on Sunday, June 8. Register now.

My favorite party dish is crispy chicken leg quarters. I turn on the heat when the doorbell rings, enjoy the cocktail hour, and magically, the chicken entree is perfectly cooked! Chef Mike Johnson taught this technique in a cooking class fifteen years ago and the whole staff has been cooking chicken this way ever since.

Here is the recipe.

Crispy Chicken Leg Quarters is Number 20 on our countdown of the Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. To see this recipe in action, sign up for “Culinary Skills” — a four-part, participation cooking class that starts on April 30.

Kitchen Conservatory is a cooking school with a kitchen store, because some tools have to be seen in action before buying. Every time we demonstrate the Cameron Stovetop Smoker and people taste how delicious the lightly smoked food is, we sell smokers. Plus, the smoker is easy to use (especially when the outside grill is covered in snow) and easy to clean up.

Barb Nack, who has been the Director of the cooking school for ten years, created Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Molasses Barbecue Sauce, which is Number 21 on our list of Top Thirty Recipes celebrating our thirtieth anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Get the recipe here.

See this recipe in action on Tuesday, May 20 in “Grilling University: Pork 101“, led by Barb Nack. Her class also features spare ribs, pork tacos, and pulled pork belly sandwiches.

Inspiration can strike different people at the same time — like Newton and Leibniz discovering calculus at the same time. Two of our longtime cooking instructors, Christie Maggi and Kirk Warner, started making potato-wrapped shrimp, and neither remembers who did it first! This shrimp is one of our favorite party appetizers.

Get the recipe here — plus our favorite dipping sauce for the shrimp, Sweet Chile Sauce, which is sweet, tart, spicy, and irresistible. The Potato-Wrapped Shrimp is Number 22 on the Top Thirty Recipes of Kitchen Conservatory celebrating our thirtieth anniversary.

The potatoes in this recipe are made using a spiral slicer, which turns vegetables into thin spaghetti strands.

To see and taste this appetizer made in cooking class, sign up for “Weekend Dinner Party: Table Conversation” on Friday, March 28 at 6 pm.

Guacamole is now a typical American food and served at most parties. What makes one guacamole any better than other? This recipe contains an unusual addition: smoky and spicy fresh poblano peppers. Chef Dave Rook, whose creative skills were on display in the kitchens of Crazy Fish, Aqua Vin, Copia, and now Oceano restaurants, created Roasted Poblano Guacamole in a cooking class in 2005 at Kitchen Conservatory. His “guac” was so superior that night, we made him make a second batch during class!

This addictive guacamole is Number 23 on our list of Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Get the recipe here.

“Roasted Poblano Guacamole” will be featured in cooking class on April 13 in “Date Night for Couples: Enchanting New Mexico.” Register Now.

What makes one cheesecake better than another? Texture. A good cheesecake has a creamy, luscious custard on top of a buttery crust. Cheesecake never excited me until I met this cheesecake. Get the recipe here.

We learned how to make superior cheesecake from pastry chef extraordinaire Marla Scissors, who passed away from ALS at age 39 in 2008. Marla took no shortcuts in the kitchen and her perfect pastries showed her attention to detail. We are featuring two versions of her cheesecake: Vanilla Cheesecake with Tart Cherry Topping and Double Chocolate Cheesecake. Both cakes are sensational. Cheesecake is Number 24 on the Top Thirty Recipes Celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory.

To taste this cheesecake, sign up for “The Big Cheese…Cake” on April 3 with Naam Pruitt.

We all scream for ice cream, but this ice cream is the ultimate crowd favorite. The intense flavor of blackberries makes for a luscious and creamy gelato. Blackberry gelato is Number 25 on our list of the Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Not only is the gelato delicious, but the mauve color makes a sensational presentation. Get the recipe here.

Blackberry Gelato in Pizzelle Cones is a staple in our all-time favorite “Tuscany for Two” cooking class, next offered on Monday, March 17 or Saturday, April 19, or Sunday May 25. Sign up for “Tuscany for Two” and also master shrimp and scallop scampi, garlic-rosemary rib-eye steaks, baked polenta, and roasted vegetables.

To make this recipe, you will need an electric ice cream machine and an electric pizzelle maker and cone to shape the warm cookies.