The PRE-Fixe: 5 Things You Need To Know Before Making Pita With Pomp and Circumstance's James Ahearn

Bread is delicious. No matter what shape, or size, or the sauce you’re sopping up at the bottom of your bowl, bread makes things better. That’s why Leisurely is pumped to offer a pita making class at Pomp and Circumstance with Chef James Ahearn this Sunday December 8th. But before you pull a Katniss Everdeen and pull out all the stops in the search for Peeta, here are five things you’ll want to know before satiating your own personal hunger pains.

A selection of sourdough and pita breads. You can make these! Photo: Pomp & Circumstance/Facebook

1. It’s All In the Technique

Ahearn explains that making pita for him is similar to making an open crumb sourdough bread. To get the dough to where it needs to be, it has to be very wet and mixed in three stages. We’d list them out, but part of what makes Leisurely classes special is that you are LEARNING directly from a chef and not from a blog. It’s more personal that way, so we’re gonna leave you with a little mystery here.

2. You Don’t Need a Lot of Ingredients to Make Good Pita

We know you probably want to lay out exotic spices, flour, water, egg yolks, and more to stage a pretty epic photo, but that’s not necessary. “The ingredients are easily gathered, and can be made at home” explains Ahearn. Time, temperature and handling, and feeding the starter.

3. Pita is an Edible Shovel Your Mouth Should Depend On For Feeding

There is nothing a pita can’t be paired with, but if you want to focus on popular toppings be sure to have some hummus, mezzes, meats, and salads nearby. Some of the dips for inspiration you’ll find on Pomp and Circumstance’s menu includes a bottarga (that’s salted fish roe folks) in an onion dip, chicken gizzards with urfa chilis in a tomato broth, and goat cheese with leek ash. These might seem like super cheffed up versions of simple spreads, but the idea is to mix some texture, spice, and spreadable ingredients together and see what pans out.

Foie gras at Pomp and Circumstance. Get it before it’s banned!

4. Pomp and Circumstance is a Meat Lovers Paradise

Before opening Pomp and Circumstance, Ahearn ran Verde Wine Bar and Ristorante in Long Island, which was known for offering some intriguing dishes like offal. A fan of nose to tail cooking, his current menu features everything from rabbit leg to dry aged lamb meatballs. If you ask nicely, you may even learn a thing or two during class about the best ways to use those turkey bones that have been sitting in your fridge since Thanksgiving Day Dinner

5. The Mediterranean Sea is Chef’s Ahearn’s Inspiration

“The Mediterranean sea touches so many important landscapes, nations and continents. The diversity of cultures creates an interchangeable flavor profile to utilize as a chef,” explains Ahearn. Be sure to ask Chef Ahearn about the different ingredients you see on his menu and how they form the basis of his “Macro-Mediterranean” fare.