Beyond Ramen: Johns Hopkins Teaches Gourmet Dorm Cooking

During the month of January, Johns Hopkins hosts Intersession. Students can choose from a number of 3-week classes, some of them very serious; others, less so. But by far the most useful offering this Intersession was Dorm Cooking 101.

In the course, Johns Hopkins junior Jane Hu taught her fellow students how to make dark chocolate truffles out of chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and avocados–and, more fancily, mushroom risotto. How do you make risotto using only a hot plate and a microwave? I have no idea; Hu is clearly a wizard. (She also posts other recipes to her food blog, but most of those dishes clearly weren’t made in a dorm room.)

Believe it or not, there aren’t a whole lot of resources out there for dorm room residents with gourmet inclinations. Clearly, Hu should write a cookbook!