Hey Young Chefs!
Today, I interviewed Chef Alina Eisenhauer. Not your traditional chef, Alina Eisenhauer, Owner, and Executive Chef at Sweet Kitchen & Bar in Worcester, Massachusetts, studied Film & Television, had a ten-year fitness career (competing in Miss Fitness USA among others) and opened her first bakery in 2003. She was a winning contestant on Food Network’s Sweet Genius, Chopped, and Cupcake Wars. At Sweet, she serves baked goods by day, and cocktails, desserts, and savory bites in the evening. Sweet is known for its Dosants – a doughnut croissant hybrid – the top-selling item on the menu since it first appeared in 2008. Alina is set to open an additional Sweet location in early October.
“A Tisket A Tasket What’s Inside My Basket?”
Today’s secret ingredient is… Bleu Cheese. Let’s talk about Bleu Cheese. Here is a recipe for “Bleu Cheese Chive Cauliflower Casserole.” This casserole is great and I used chives from my herb garden!
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. bleu cheese crumbles
3 tbsp. chives, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cauliflower in a casserole dish. In a small pot over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and create a blonde roux, mixing butter and flour thoroughly. Add heavy cream, bleu cheese, chives, salt, and pepper. Stir continuously until sauce thickens and sticks to spoon. Pour into a casserole dish, coating all the cauliflower. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until top browns. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.
“Food Passport!”
In this segment, your food passport will take you around the world. We’ll explore a country’s food and culture, and I will give you a recipe to try. Today’s food passport takes you to “India.” Here is my recipe for “Chapati.”
Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. hot water or as needed
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Stir in olive oil and enough water to make a soft, elastic dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 10-12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest for 15 minutes. Heat iron skillet over medium heat. Spray cooking spray onto skillet. Using rolling pin, roll balls of dough until thin like a tortilla. Cook each side for 30 seconds, or until there are brown spots. Makes 10-12 chapati.
On October 3, I am participating in the 4th Annual Dove Self-Esteem Weekend kicking off atop the Empire State Building in New York City. How cool is that?! Dove is making girls unstoppable. 6 out of 10 girls stop doing the things they love because they feel bad about their looks. I am joining Dove to shine a light on the girls who never stop doing what they love! I am proud to be an unstoppable girl, supporting this effort to reach 15 million girls by 2015 with self-esteem programming. You can help too by visiting dove.com/girlsunstoppable. I can’t wait to tell you all about the event when I return!
“Figure Out This Food”
I post a close-up of a food item on my Facebook page and the first three guesses get a shout-out here. Congratulations to Angelica Nguyen, Zarah Gagatiga, and Linda Santos for guessing “Bitter melon or Bitter gourd.”
“Snacktivity Time”
It’s Snacktivity Time! Here, I give you fun easy breezy snack ideas. Today’s Snacktivity is… “Banana Coconut Bread.” My friends and I made this as dessert before dinner. We devoured it!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. bananas, mashed
1 c. coconut flakes
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 coconut cream
2 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X5X3 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs and mix well. Incorporate bananas, coconut flakes, coconut milk, coconut cream, and beat until smooth. Stir in flour and salt. Fold in nuts. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
“Creative Cuisine”
This is my recipe for “Homemade Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce.” My friends and I made this ravioli at my sleepover this past weekend. YUM!
Dough Ingredients:
4 c. all-purpose flour
6 eggs
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Dough Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Roll out dough 1/16 of an inch thick with a rolling pin or pasta machine. Cut out circles with large biscuit cutters.
Ravioli Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
Ravioli Directions:
Place about 1 teaspoon filling in the center of the circle and fold in half. Pinch edges until sealed. Boil in salted water for about 12 minutes. Serve with Creamy Tomato Sauce.
Here’s another “Creative Cuisine” idea. Here’s a recipe for “Tomato Cream Sauce.” My mom and friend made this together. This sauce is so good!
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 c. heavy cream
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté shallots and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook for five minutes. Add Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, honey, salt, and white pepper. Simmer for ten minutes. Add heavy cream. Cook until sauce thickens. Serves 4-6.
“Cookin’ Crafts!”
Here is a fun kitchen-related craft. Today’s cookin’ craft is how to make a “Chalkboard Serving Platter.”
Supplies:
1 serving platter
Chalkboard paint
Small paintbrush
Chalk
Instructions:
Step 1: Paint chalkboard paint onto a serving platter.
Step 2: Let the paint dry completely.
Step 3: After dried, place food such as cheeses and crackers. You can write what type of food you are serving. Everyone will love the platter and ask where you bought it! They’ll be surprised when you tell them you made it.
That’s all for this week! Join me next week when I interview the AMAZING Chef Jacques Torres, a modern-day “Willy Wonka” who is known as “Mr. Chocolate.”
Bon Appetit, Kid Chef Eliana
