Highfield Hall Cooks!

Tortillas and Salsa, Oh My!

My little friend Ella requested quesadillas for the last class of the Tots 'n Pans session. Of course, I was more than happy to accommodate that request because I've made quesadillas before with both the children in the Kids Café and my Young Epicureans with a large measure of success. It's a lot of fun to make and shape one's own tortillas and these kids love to make dough. Any kind of dough. I asked, as I always do, after the dough was mixed, what to do, and Abigail raised her hand and said, "We have to let the dough rest," which Roberto followed up with, "The dough has to go night-night."

All together now: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! How cute was that?!

And now, rather than waxing on, here's a little peek into the world of Tots 'n' Pans—more specifically, two peeks:

Tots n' Pans Talk and Chop from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.
Tots Make Quesadillas from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Tots are Goin’ Crackers!

Graham and cheese crackers, that is. No, not all in one! This last class was all about crackers, and I realize that graham crackers are really just cookies, but how many of you have actually made your own graham crackers? Uh huh. That's what I thought! These kids have one up on you now, so you better get your culinary act together. Now, you might think that graham flour is a really special flour. And, in a way, it is. But, there's no such thing as a graham plant. Graham is not a whole grain or special type of grass. In fact, it's simply a type of whole wheat flour that has been ground in such a way that it contains more bran than whole wheat flour. In the early part of the 19^th century it was named for Rev. Sylvester Graham, who believed it to be more nutritious. Today some producers, like King Arthur, still make graham flour, and if you can't find it in your grocery store some natural foods stores carry it, but you can easily approximate your own by substituting 2 Tablespoons of wheat germ for 2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour per cup of flour in your recipe (in other words each cup of flour in your recipe would be 7/8 whole wheat flour 1/8 wheat germ).

We used all purpose flour augmented with some wheat germ simply because it is easier for the littlest kids to handle (it's more durable!), and we added honey and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon and sugar. The kids especially loved poking holes in the dough.

Some of the "crackers" had more holes than dough, it seemed!

They were all different shapes and sizes, but they looked terrific and tasted good too!

Cheese crackers were second on the agenda, and the Tots got to cut them in a wide variety of shapes.

They emerged from the oven in all their cheesy goodness just as parents were arriving, and they were yummy!

Pizza Perfect Morning

I know they're out there somewhere, but it's a rare child who doesn't like a good pizza. An even rarer child who doesn't like playing with a little pizza dough. The recipe we use in class makes for a truly epicurean experience. I might even venture to say that this dough is positively luxurious. It is easily stretched by its own weight—no need for tossing. Thank goodness, too, because who knows what could happen in a kitchen full of dough-tossing tots! As it was we had plenty of other things to get us messy.

Everyone made his or her own sauce, and let me just say right now that even though it's one of the best sauces I've ever had, it's a bit of a menace. It jumped all over Reilly's head and got in her hair! On the plus side, Reilly didn't seem to mind a bit, and was distracted by the beautiful basil and scrumptious fresh mozzarella and aged provolone we had for toppings.

 

I'm not sure how it happened, but the mozzarella disappeared almost as quickly as it was cut and let's just say it didn't all go on the pizzas. Abigail might know where it went!

What we created were truly traditional pizzas margherita, right in our own ovens. Do you know the origin of Pizza Margherita? No? Well, in 1899 Queen Marghereta visited Naples to escape the cholera epidemic that had invaded the northern part of Italy and chef Raffaelle Esposito served her a special pizza, whose colors (red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil) represented the colors of the Italian flag. The Queen so enjoyed her pizza that she sent the chef a thank you note. He then decided to name the pizza after her.

The hot pizzas emerged just as parents were arriving for pick up, but we still had some time to enjoy them. Crispy chewy crust, hot and spicy sauce (we gave it a little kick with some cayenne pepper), gooey melted mozz, and aromatic cooked basil. Yum!

Where Does Pink Lemonade Come From?

That was the question at last week's Tots 'n Pans class. "Pink sugar?" one of the little ones ventured. Hmm. Well, not exactly. They ooh-ed and ahh-ed when I explained to them that lemonade can be made pink with strawberries. For this beautiful pitcher of lemonade we squeezed fifteen lemons (two of which were also zested). I cooked a simple syrup on the stove, added the strawberries and zest, and let the mixture simmer until the strawberries gave us this gorgeous color.

While the lemonade was simmering we made some fantastic ginger snaps, which were flavored with five spice powder and minced crystallized ginger.

They mixed everything by hand—no mixers here! Not an easy job for an adult, much less a child, but they did it and the result was some lovely, fragrant cookies.

We had quite a few visitors during class who claimed to be coming to bask in the cuteness of the children, but I think they were really hoping to mooch a cookie or two. There was no way Roberto was going to give up any of his.

In fact, I think he may have eaten four cookies before his dad came to get him. The kids did a pretty good job on that pitcher of lemonade too!

Class wouldn't be complete without a little flour drawing. What? Don't look at me like that. A little flour in the car never hurt anybody!

Little Dumplings and Monsters Under the Stove

Not the Tots! Although an argument could be made for dumplings (the proof is in the photos)—that's what we made this week. Before we go any further, however, you need to see how we started class. I was doing some prep on the counter and turned around to see this:

It was catching, too, because when I looked over at Roberto he'd joined in:

Once we got the bowls off our heads and exchanged them for fresh ones, we started the dough for our Chinese Veggie dumplings. It was an easy dough, just flour and water and lots of elbow grease. Little Sean doesn't say much, but the boy makes a mean dough. And he does it all by himself. He won't hear of getting any help. The kids cut up cabbage, tofu, and scallions and mixed it with sesame oil, soy sauce, and fresh ginger. I made them a simple sesame oil and soy sauce with toasted sesame seeds. We put the dumplings on the stove to boil

and got busy making batter for fortune cookies. When those were going in the oven the dumplings were coming off the stove.

I wasn't the least bit surprised that the dumplings would be a hard sell for these kids, but every now and then I like to challenge them. Abigail was dead set against trying the dumplings, but hey, guess what?! She tried them. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd….she liked them!

Sean was a big fan too

 

He seemed especially fond of the sauce and drizzled it onto his dumplings with a spoon before finally giving up and throwing the dumplings right into the sauce bowl and scooping them straight into his mouth. My other two friends, Ella and Roberto, were less sure about this strange new food, but I'm hoping they gave it a try once they got home. (Or that at least their parents enjoyed the fruits of their nascent Asian culinary skills.) I'm not sure what Reilly would have thought of the dumplings if she'd been in class, but I know she wouldn't have hesitated to let me know! We missed seeing her this week and can't wait for her to come back next Thursday.

Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of the fortune cookies because we were rushing to get them out of the oven and folded before their parents arrived, but they each took home three or four cookies tied up in a cellophane bag with colorful ribbon as a special Mother's Day gift. The fortunes all celebrated mom with, "I love you," "Happy Mother's Day," and "You're the Best!"

Oh, and you'll all be happy to know that there are no longer any monsters under the stove. Roberto and I chased them right out the door. I'm relieved about that (as is Roberto!) because I'm sure the house ghosts wouldn't appreciate monsters invading their territory.

 

Is That Fruit on Your Pizza?

How lucky am I that all my Tots have returned for Session 2?! Luckier still that we've added another little guy to our ranks. We were all pleased to meet Roberto, whose cuteness factor is off the charts. Just look at him.

He was extremely excited about cooking and didn't hesitate to take a spot at the prep table when his dad dropped him off last Thursday morning. My brazen announcement that the day's fare would be Fruit Pizza was met with a chorus of, "What? Fruit PIZZA?!" They could hardly believe their ears.

We started out with the crust, a healthier version of the typical short dough used for this kind of recipe. Instead of tons of butter and sugar, we used a little of those things, because life would be so very very boring without them, but also added oats, nuts, and grated apple to the mix. The kids did a pretty great job mixing their dough and rolling it out.

And while they baked we made a sauce of ricotta and cream cheese, vanilla bean, and orange zest, and cut our fruit.

Believe it or not, I've seen improvement in their skills, and I was particularly impressed by their increased confidence. Just look at Abigail's focus! A mini chefsir for sure. Some of the Tots were especially hungry that day (um…Ella and Reilly!) and ate about 10 pounds of fruit before we even got a chance to put it on the pizza. Sean spent his time experimenting, as he often does. He started our first session by putting his pecans right into the pancake batter when we made German Oven Pancakes. Every week he tries something new. This week he smooshed all of his fruit with his hands and piled it high on his finished pizza.

Roberto made a beautiful pizza.

But his dad never got to see it, because by the time he got there he had eaten all the fruit off the top! I'm betting that Roberto's pizza wasn't the only one whose fruit was gone before it got home. Perhaps I should have called them Looted Fruit Pizzas instead?

 

Did You Know There’s a Clean Up Song?

Sheesh, I didn't! Apparently I missed the memo on that one, but these kids know it and we even used it this week to clean up between making frosting and putting it on the cakes, so to whomever created the Clean Up Song, my hat is off, my gratitude is unbridled. The prep table was spotless. The jimmies were stacked precariously neatly at one end, and I was even asked to move my coffee mug so they could clean under it. Now that's something to write home about!

I love these kids and feel incredibly fortunate that my life path led me to Highfield's door and gave me the opportunity to do this work.  I enjoy going to work and I leave happier than when I went in. These Tots n' Pans had a great time and to celebrate the end of a fun, oftentimes very funny, session we did what any great chef would do, we made cake!

Along the way bowls were licked

Untitled from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.

Hands were washed

(Many times, in fact!)

Conversations were had
Tots n Pans Chit Chat from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.

And jimmies and colored sugar sprinkles were abused in ways that would strike fear in the heart of any parent hoping for a peaceful afternoon.

The cakes were supremely well-executed, don't you think?

The best part of the day was seeing these smiling faces!

Yes! from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.

I'll see you all in a couple of weeks at the start of the next session!

Boo Yah!

Soft granola bars were the day's fare and since there were so many ingredients involved I premeasured everything and lined up the mise en place cups in front of each cutting board. "Which ones are the oats," I asked? Abigail pointed, and I said, "That's exactly right!"  She looked at me in disbelief and then exclaimed, "Boo yah!" (with a full fist pump, I might add!) Abigail is also responsible for "chefsir," which persists to this very day. She's a hoot. They all are, in fact. Just look at them….

…Ella's a messy little granola monster…

…Abigail has taken the "look Ma, no hands!" approach to cutting fruit, and…

…Reilly has this cooking thing down so well she can do it with her eyes closed.

Sean, on the other hand, has got to be up to something, don't you think?!

Our granola bars were made with cranberries and walnuts, were browned to golden perfection, and were highly complimented by several of our self-appointed Highfield tasters. Um yeah, and the kids liked them too! While they were cooking we put together a quick fruit and yogurt parfait. I jazzed up the vanilla yogurt with a little orange and lemon zest and even bruléed some of the parfaits that had bananas on top. The torch is always a big hit with the kids because it's so dramatic.

Here's the final product:

Everyone got to take home three or four sizeable bars and I was left with some beautiful flour drawings and a lovely chorus of "I love yous" from the children.

 

Only one more class in this session, but I'm looking forward to seeing all of these little guys in my next session, beginning right after April vacation.

 

Crow with a Side of Pizza Pockets and Fruit Smoothies

What was that I said about the Tots forgetting all about that Chefsir thing? Well yeah, they didn't, so it's crow for me, but thankfully the kids got a better deal with Pizza pockets shaped like bunnies, eggs, and tulips.

 

They made their own dough and tomato sauce from scratch and stuffed those little pockets full of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil and although they were too hot to eat before they left I'm betting they gobbled them right up. Especially if eating them involved as much gusto as drinking their fruit smoothies did. Those poor banana-strawberry-blueberry-nonfat yogurt-y drinks didn't stand a chance! They were positively guzzled. Just look at Sean here:

He dove into a second serving before all was said and done. Ella enjoyed both her cupfuls equally much and entertained us all with her silly smoothie mustaches.

Abigail took one sip, closed her eyes, and said, "Mmmmm. Wonderfullllllllll," and five minutes later announced that she didn't actually like the smoothie at all.

Chefsir was confused, to say the least, but with a confusing name like that it's really no wonder, is it?

You Can Call Me Chefsir!

That's my new name. So sayeth the Tots, anyway. I never asked them to call me chef, and sir definitely wasn't on the agenda, but somehow along the way they decided to combine the two and throughout last week's class that's who I was. Of course I expect them to forget all about it by the next time I see them, but I did get a good giggle out of Chefsir. "Um, excuse me, Chefsir?" "Chefsir, can you help me mix this?" "Is mine okay, Chefsir?"

These little ones didn't get a chance to make pasta the first week because their start class was postponed. Pasta-making isn't difficult, but it's labor-intensive and I wanted to get to know this group a little better before attempting something that required them to wait off and on in line. I have to say, these little guys did a great job with their pasta. They mixed and kneaded it themselves,

And then they let it rest while they made a pear and banana salad with Five Spice Powder and honey.

My favorite part of the class came during the cutting up phase of the fruit salad, when some visitors came in for a peek and Reilly enthusiastically told them, "We can touch EVERYTHING here!" And they can!

After the fruit salad it was time to roll the pasta. They were absolutely exuberant. And insistent upon turning the hand crank by themselves, which was an enormous feat considering the fact that the dough went through the rollers no less than eight times.

Tots n' Pans Making Pasta from Highfield Chef on Vimeo.

They waited extremely patiently between turns and took a great deal of pride in their pasta sheets. Perhaps the best moment of all for them was when they saw their pasta sheets turn into noodles right before their eyes. We took the noodles, stirred them into a pot of boiling water, and a couple of minutes later we saw this:

And this:

Reilly and Sean didn't want to leave and stood at the table shoveling in forkfuls of noodles with parmesan and olive oil (or butter, depending on their preference), for a good half hour after class ended! I think it's safe to say that a fantastic time was had by all!