She's picked up a lot from her mother <G>
By Cynthia Bowan
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I started to write this column by saying "when our children were younger"…for you see, right about now, we would have been buying school clothes, new backpacks, pencils, notebooks - those of you with children or who have had children are familiar with the litany.
Now here we are, getting ready to send our youngest, Bethany, off to school once more. However, this is a very different matter. No choosing courses in high school, no school plays and best of all, NO hoagie sales…
No, our daughter will be up early in the morning and head for a bus that will take her to downtown Pittsburgh, where she will start her culinary training at the Pittsburgh Culinary/Cordon Bleu School.
Bethany, like her sister Holly, has always helped me with holiday meals, cooking for church meals (how about 250 for a full Thanksgiving dinner?), and special events, like catering Open House celebrations for our friends Dave and Jody and their Quad L country store.
She's picked up a lot from her mother <G>, her brother Mark who attended the same school when it was known as PICA, her brother Doug who is a great cook of ethnic recipes (biryani, jambalaya and so on…), grandmothers, and other family members. From Holly, who makes her own beer at home, Beth picked up
knowledge of coffee, beer and wine…from her youngest brother, flair! If nothing else, Jon has an uncanny knack for producing dramatic dishes with flair (such as his boneless pork chops with apricot/peach/passion fruit preserves, for example).
She will have a base to start with and a wonderful world in which to broaden her knowledge. She knows it will not be easy; but this is a young woman who knows how to give her all and stay the course.
Bethany was in the Marines for four years. When she finished basic training and faced the crucible, even though her feet and ankles made the last mile or so of the test one of the most painful experiences of her life, and even though the Drill Instructors kept asking her if she wanted to quit, she refused.
She stayed the course, and she won.
Now she has a lot ahead of her besides school. She is engaged to Tony, a young man the entire family whole-heartedly approves of - but they will not get married until she is through with school. So my youngest is in for more than a couple life changes, but I think she sees them as more challenges to be met
and dealt with.
And just as everything else she has encountered, Bethany will give it all that she can, and then go that last mile - and win again.
The following are some of my daughter's favorite dishes. (You can find more in my previous columns here on Chef2Chef). I hope you will Enjoy! them as well as the following. And as always, CYH - consider yourself hugged.
Goldilocks' Gourmet Spinach Soup
from Diane Mott Davidson's book
5 T. unsalted butter
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, washed, dried, trimmed and diced
1 green onion or scallion, chopped
5 T. flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
ground nutmeg (optional - we used a dash)
1/4 lb. cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
1 c. Swiss cheese (Jarlsberg, if possible)
3/4 lb. fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, cooked and chopped
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. In it, slowly sauté mushrooms and scallion until tender. Add flour and stir just until flour is cooked, a couple of minutes. Whisk in first chicken broth and then milk, stirring until thickened. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg if desired, cream cheese and Swiss
cheese and stir until melted. Then stir in spinach. Heat and stir very gently. Season to taste. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 servings.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1stick butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. cold milk
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. chocolate chips
Cream the cheese, butter and sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk; beat well. Combine flour, powder and soda. Add to creamed mixture; blend well. (Batter will be thick). Gently fold in chips. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350F.
for25-30 minutes.
Bethany's Deep-Fried Ravioli with two sauces
(Original recipe from Queer Eye TV series)
Buy the small, round, cheese-filled ravioli. Do NOT defrost.
Dip each one first in flour, then in beaten egg, then in Panko (Japanese) or Italian breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil; drain well.
Heat a jar of tomato-vodka cream spaghetti sauce and place in one bowl. Heat one jar of Contadina pesto sauce with about ½ to ¾ c. half and half, and 3-4 T. grated Romano cheese; place in second bowl.
Serve ravioli hot (can reheat) with the choice of sauces, and watch them disappear!
Bethany's Favorite Party Snack
1 loaf of party rye bread
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1 c. chopped ripe olives
1/4 c. finely diced sweet onion
1/2 c. chopped fresh mushrooms
REAL mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
Combine cheese, olives, onions and mushrooms in a bowl. Add just enough mayonnaise to bind the ingredients together and make them spreadable.
Spread a small amount on each slice of the small party bread. Bake in 350F. preheated oven. Place mixture-covered bread slices on baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or so, until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve hot (but they still taste great, even when they cool off. <G>).
Momma's Tiramisu
24 firm ladyfingers (Savoiardi cookies preferred to actual ladyfingers - which will work also)
2 cups espresso, cooled
6 eggs, separated
2 T. granulated sugar
1 lb. mascarpone
4 T. rum
2 T. Triple Sec
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Whipped cream (opt.)
(NOTE: if you are using ladyfingers, place them on a baking sheet and toast them for maybe fifteen minutes at 350F. first. Cool them and then follow directions.)
Put the espresso in a wide bowl and soak each ladyfinger briefly (do not get them sopping wet - they will fall apart because they are not as "sturdy" as the Savoiardi are). Arrange half the ladyfingers in a rectangular serving dish.
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the combo turns pale yellow. Add the mascarpone, rum and triple sec; stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, beat the whites until stiff. Fold whites into the mascarpone mixture. Layer half the mixture atop the ladyfingers in the serving dish. Add another layer of ladyfingers, followed by the remaining mixture. Dust liberally with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour
before serving. Serve with whipped cream if you wish, on the side.
Makes twelve to sixteen servings.
By Cynthia Bowan
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Goldilocks' Gourmet Spinach Soup |
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Deep-Fried Ravioli with two sauces |
Favorite Party Snack |
Tiramisu
