It was a bit of a trying week in the cooking lab with a few hits and a few misses. The Food and Fitness Class created a chocolate avocado pudding this week. Yes, it is unusual but if you’ve never had this, and you’re a fan of fudgy goodness, perhaps you’d consider giving this a try. With very simple ingredients of mashed avocado, cocoa, milk, margarine, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and cornstarch, this pudding was worth a try. (See recipe below)
Students also made a macaroni and cheese dish that had the added benefit of pureed cauliflower. Logan wasn’t a convert and Alexis agreed that the little extra something added more like a bit of nothing in terms of taste. Ok, been there, done that.
The handmade tortillas however were a victory in both their appearance and taste made by this same crew. Using flour, lard, salt and water, Logan expertly kneaded the dough and hand patted small flat disks that Alexis then cooked on each side in a frying pan. The result was a lovely, barely charred texture one could mistake as having been made South-of-the-border. Students filled their tortillas with a cooked mixture of ground turkey, crushed tomatoes, pureed carrot (!), onions and Mexican seasoning, then topped it off with sour cream, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce. They were quite happy with the results. Their week will end with fruit smoothies before they head to the library to do a bit of online and written work. There, they will determine the most appropriate daily calorie intake and benefit of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and dairy.
For the Culinary Arts class, the shortened week began with a traditional form of Macaroni and Cheese. Students first cooked up their noodles, mastered the art of making a roux with butter, flour, and milk and then added their cheeses. This was all topped off with Panko breadcrumbs and finished off in the oven with a short stint under the broiler. Their results were fantastic. When asking their opinions, several students stated, “I liked it A LOT!”
As for the week’s cupcake capers, well that’s quite possibly a story of small crimes and misdemeanors. Sierra Brassor and Jazmyn Dix were not so thrilled with their red velvet cupcakes which turned into more like a brownish, overbaked something- or -other that collectively stood their ground and refused to be chiseled from the pan. The girls concluded to scrap the project as I witnessed their dashed hopes of a rich red cupcake with a funky mango colored frosting; it was sadness cupcakeified and incidentally, the only food fatality of the school year thus far. (That’s a plus!) Meanwhile, Cody Birch and Thomas Duncan set out to make “ugly cupcakes”, just for grins, and they exceeded their goal with a grainy looking homage to The Grinch. In their defense however, the two attempted to justify their confection crime by stating ,“It tasted far better than it looked.” Saving the day were Sylvia Mill and Jordyn Trowt, the only reasonably successful cupcake duo with their lemon cupcakes paired with a white frosting. These hero’s, in an act of kindness, ended up sharing with their less fortunate, although much appreciative peers!
-Ms. LaBrie
Chocolate Pudding
(from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld)
¼ Cup trans-fat-free-soft tub margarine spread.
1 Cup avocado puree
1 Cup confectioner’s sugar
½ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ Cup cornstarch.
In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat. Stir in the avocado puree, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Cook, mashing well with a silicone spatula to smooth out any lumps of avocado, until the mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually stir in the cornstarch. Serve warm.
