Culinary class to explore sausage-making craze

Homemade salamis, gourmet sausages, charcuterie plates. The culinary art of grinding, spicing and casing seems to be more respected and more popular than ever.

Harper College is hopping on the bandwagon with "Sausages, Pates and Cured Meats," a new hands-on class that will explore the basic production of prepared meats such as bacon, sausage and terrines.

The class, which students can take through Harper's Continuing Education department or for credit, runs from 6:30 to 8:10 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Oct. 21 to Dec. 10. It will take place on the College's main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.

Instructor Jeff McDonald, a lawyer-by-day and longtime culinary enthusiast who's taken numerous hospitality classes at Harper, said students will learn how to make meats including bacon, corn beef, bratwurst, pates. Butchering and discerning different cuts of meat are also on the agenda.

"All of these cooking shows are making techniques traditionally perceived to be difficult much more popular," McDonald said. "People want to learn the basics and realize it's not so hard to do."

Tuition is $199 and fees are $100. For more information, call 847.925.6300 or visit harpercollege.edu/ce.