World Cup Best of Brazil Masterclass at Jenius Social

Is everyone going crazy with the World Cup scenario? I am so not a football fan, but somehow with everyone in good spirits about the game, especially when you are at a pub in the evenings, its kind of hard to not be part of the whole fun. The husband has been filling me in on that front and I can hear him shouting and screaming (to himself) in the middle of the night watching a game.

Even though the sport doesn't appeal to me much, Brazil does, and most importantly, the food aspect. So when Jenius Social invited me to their World Cup Best of Brazil Masterclass I couldn't say no. I'd been to Jenius Social once before and its this really nice social hub of sorts in North London. I walked in and knew immediately that it would make for THE perfect place to host our events (in case you are wondering what I'm talking about, there's something in the pipeline, stay tuned for the big reveal). Its cosy, its personal and omg the light coming in from those huge glass windows was kind of where i was sold. There is also a well-fitted and fully functional kitchen, which was to be our abode for the evening.

We were about 6 to 8 of us and I for one had such a blast. The Chef, after introducing us to Brazilian food, dove straight into the cooking session. He first showed us how to prepare the various dishes and then sent us over to our work stations to start cooking a kick-ass Brazilian feast. Being a small group, we had hands on experience in every dish. Right from getting the ingredients ready, to cooking it to serving it was done by all of us, of course with the Chefs help. It was my first time with Brazilian food and I must say it was quite interesting. 

We made spicy Malagueta Prawn skewers, zingy lime and garlic chicken skewers alternated with chunky pineapple cubes, Cassava picanha, Bacalhau (Brazilian fishcakes) and my favourite the quinoa salad with mango and avocado which was so refreshing and summery. I am so going to try making this at home one of these days. Another favourite was the Empadinhas, small pastries filled with any filling of choice, cheese in this case, which were very similar to empanadas. After a busy 2 hours, we were ready to dig into all the food we prepared.

Took off our aprons and settled down at the table with a glorious glass of Caipirinha - yes Brazil's national cocktail- and some conversation, before digging into the food. Jenius Social did a fab job of organising the cook-along session celebrating Brazilian street food, and for a few of us it was a first time eating and cooking the food from that part of the world. We summed up the evening with a generous slice of the Nega Maluca, a Brazilain chocolate cake coated with a delicious layer of caramel, and went home with a wealth of information on Brazilian street food.

Jenius Social conducts regular food and drink master classes, supper clubs and cookery classes and they are also a great way to meet like minded people. Convenient location, great kitchen and a very helpful and friendly owner makes this the perfect place to hire for your event as well. I am thinking i should check out their coffee masterclass next.

With thanks to Jenius Social for inviting me to the masterclass