This Week’s Five Best Food Events – 1/12/2015

Learning. Cooking. Eating. If you made a promise to yourself to start being active in one of these categories, then consider five of this week’s most intriguing events.

Your Liver, Your Health, National Gourmet Institute, 48 West 21st Street, Monday, 6:30 p.m.

Now that the holidays are over, work on treating your liver right by picking up a few tips from natural medicine expert Dr. Peter Bongiorno. The class will focus on identifying foods and remedies that best support liver function and detail the benefits of undergoing detoxification. Reservations are $45.

Spicy Sichuan Cooking, The Brooklyn Kitchen, 100 Frost Street, Brooklyn, Tuesday

Tame the winter cold this week by learning how to cook with spicy Sichuan pepper. Instructor Diana Kuan, author of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, will cook up a variety of dishes focused on the ingredient, such as dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, and cucumber salad. Class attendees will also learn how to properly store and prepare the Sichuan peppercorn. Students receive beer pairings alongside each dish; reserve your seat for $85 through the Brooklyn Kitchen website.

Williams-Sonoma Presents Road to Lyon featuring James Beard Award Winning Chef Paul Qui, Williams-Sonoma, 10 Columbus Circle, Wednesday, 6 p.m.

In preparation for the the 2015 Bocuse d’Or Culinary Olympiad, Austin-based chef Paul Qui is hosting a fundraiser for Team USA complete with wine and select appetizers. Guests will have the chance to watch Qui prepare several dishes for the worldwide chefs’ competition as part of a live demonstration. Reservations are $75, and your ticket includes wine and small bites.

Captain Lawrence Beer Dinner, Whole Foods, 214 3rd Street, Brooklyn, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Head to the Gowanus Whole Foods for a five-course meal complete with beer pairings courtesy of Elmsford, New York–based Captain Lawrence Brewery. Dishes include poached shrimp, pear and winter squash salad, and lamb bacon; beers include a smoked porter and the 12 percent ABV “Frost Monster.” Reservations are $50.

Burns Night Celebration Dinner, The American Scottish Foundation, 575 Madison Avenue, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Celebrate Scotland with an evening of music, Balvenie whiskey, and traditional bagpipes before sitting down for supper. The event also includes a reading of Robert Burns’s poem “Address to a Haggis,” complete with a ceremonial presentation of the famed Scottish dish. Festivities include a raffle and traditional Celtic dancing. Additional information, including ticket package options, is available through the event’s website.