Lesson Plan #4

Homemade Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce

We had an amazing week of pasta making! Flour everywhere along with smiling faces. I had one child comment, "at home my mom never let's us use flour because it's messy!". It truly made me laugh! I get it. I don't like my kids making messes for me at home either. What would a cooking class be without a mess? Not a fun and exciting class ;)

The kids learned how to make a simple pasta dough. They were taught that they need to allow the pasta to rest 30 mins. after mixing and before kneading to allow the gluten to relax so that the dough will roll out easily. If you do not let the gluten relax, you will find that the dough is springy and elastic, causing it to bounce back when you roll it. If this happens, wrap or cover the dough with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out, and let it rest 10-30 mins. We did not have time to allow our pasta to rest. 

I allowed the kids to choose the size of their noodles and away we went, everyone had a turn kneading their peace of dough and flattening it in the pasta machine and then cranking the handle and feeding the pasta dough into the machine and voila, created their own noodles.  

The kids learned how to infuse olive oil using whole garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and pepper flakes. Oh the smell was heavenly!!! 

We created a pumpkin sauce that was simply devine. Every child including the non pumpkin eaters liked it! We garnish it with raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) that we roasted in a pan without adding any oil to it. 

I recommended that the kids who create this recipe at home, use coconut milk in the sauce or add veggies and chicken to the sauce or try it the way we made it and have it for a Meatless Monday! 

Overall, the pasta dish was a success! I'm getting to know all the kids better. All the different personalities are such a blessing and bring so much to the class.

Homemade Pasta with a Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

My Mother's homemade pasta recipe:

3 cups of all purpose wheat flour or 2 cups of all purpose and 1 cup of semolina flour
3 eggs
3 Tbsp cold water or milk (my mom always used the egg shell to measure the water, so do I)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tsp of salt

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add remaining ingredients to the center and mix with a food processor or a stand mixer. We are doing it the good ol' way...with our hands! Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Form a round ball and cover it with plastic wrap for a minimum of 30 minutes(This is a good time to make your sauce). If you are using a pasta maker, select the type of pasta and get started. Otherwise, flour your work area and using a rolling pin, roll it as thin as possible. Cut into thin strips and drop pasta into boiling water add 2-3 Tbsp. of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil and *optional-feel free to add a pinch of salt to water). Toss pasta in a little corn or regular flour to keep it from sticking. Pasta is done when it is al dente (firm to the bite) or if you like it "well done", cook it a little longer.

Canned pumpkin puree isn't only good for pie; here, it becomes a creamy sauce for your favorite pasta, topped with deliciously crunchy fried rosemary and roasted pumpkin seeds. Add your favorite herb and make it for a Meatless Monday or add chopped chicken breast, chicken spinach sausage, the possibilities are endless. Add veggies and make it filling and a satisfying dinner :) Cooking Tip: Frying rosemary in olive oil not only turns the herb into a crispy garnish -- it also infuses the oil to create a tasty base for the pumpkin sauce.

Pumpkin Cream Sauce Recipe:

12 ounces pasta
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions:


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

In pasta pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot.

Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes (we are mixing all of this together in a bowl first, add 1 cup reserved pasta water to the sauce/pot. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some more of the reserved pasta water. Season generously with salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

Cook's Tip: You can make this using coconut milk instead of half & half and use gluten free noodles. You can add a clove of garlic to the oil while frying the rosemary for extra flavor. Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to the top of the pasta or in the sauce.

Lesson Plan Week #3

I personally had a short week with cooking class this past week due to teacher meetings and extended day. My Tuesday/Thursday classes, will need to make last weeks recipe at home, you won't be sorry if you do. The kids loved them and were so excited to have these pumpkin pie bites, even the NON-pumpkin eaters were fans of this dessert. I told them to be creative and top them off with vanilla ice cream, caramel and whipped cream. They could also add nuts to them. A great dish to share for the upcoming Holiday's :)

We had a great successful week. I taught the kids how to make their own pumpkin pie spice, especially since they are likely to already have all of the ingredients needed at home vs. a pre-made pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. The kids learned that allspice, ground cloves and nutmeg are strong spices. A little goes a long way.

They were all involved mixing the cream cheese and pumpkin puree, along with putting the spoonful's of pumpkin mix on the dough, rolling the bites and coating them in our spiced sugar.

Cook's Tip: We added additional cinnamon and spices. Don't be afraid to add additional spice. Start with a little bit of the spice of your choice and mix it together. Taste it, add more if you need to. :)

Tuesday and Thursday Cooking/Baking Class

Attention Parents with kids in the Tuesday and Thursday Elective Cooking/Baking Class: Please remember to let your kids know that we do NOT have class this Tuesday, September 24th and Thursday, September 26th. Thank you and please let the kids know I will have an exciting recipe ready for them to make.  

Lesson Plan Week #2

Homemade Pretzels

I hope the kids are enjoying their cooking/baking elective. I'm having a lot of fun teaching them. This past week we learned to work with yeast. I explained the difference between yeasts and how finicky yeast can be if you don't use lukewarm water. It has to be the perfect temperature to activate it. If the water is to cold, it will not activate the yeast. If it's to warm it will kill the yeast. The kids were taught how to knead dough instead of using a KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook. Every child rolled and shaped their pretzel. We BAKED our pretzels and saved calories and fat by using a simple cooking spray instead of dipping our pretzels in butter. I like this recipe because you can make the dough and use it immediately versus having to allow time for the dough to rise.

What is the difference between active dry yeast and instant yeast (also known as bread machine yeast)?

Instant yeast is a little more potent than active dry yeast and can be mixed in with your dry ingredients directly. I generally find it easier to work with. Active dry yeast works just as well as instant yeast, but requires being activated in a little bit of warm water before being added to the rest of the ingredients. Failure to properly activate it will result in your loaf not rising adequately.

Can I substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast in my recipe (or vice versa)?

Yes. If you are substituting active dry yeast for instant yeast in a recipe, read the instructions on the package to figure out how to activate the yeast before adding it to the recipe and reduce the amount of water you add later in the recipe by the amount of water you proof the yeast in (i.e., if you activate the yeast in a half a cup of water, add a half a cup of water or milk less later so that you end up with the same total amount of liquid in the recipe). You may also want to add about 20 percent more yeast to the recipe than what is called for, although using less yeast and letting it rise more slowly will result in a more flavorful loaf. If you are substituting instant yeast for active dry yeast, you can reduce the amount of yeast you use in your recipe by approximately 20 percent. Be sure not to forget to increase the amount of water you add to the dry ingredients by the amount that you would proof the active dry yeast in, so that you end up with the same total amount of liquid in the recipe.

What about fresh yeast?

Professional bakers often use fresh yeast. If you encounter a recipe that uses fresh yeast, divide the weight by 3 to calculate the proper amount of instant yeast to use. Many recipes in my baking books call for using a starter. I don't have the time/energy/patience to sustain a starter. Can I substitute yeast instead?

Absolutely. And vice-versa: you can turn a yeasted bread into a naturally leavened bread by omitting the yeast and including a starter. The flavor will be different, obviously, but in my experience it still can turn out quite good. You may even find you prefer your modified version to the original recipe. I don't know of an exact formula to calculate how much to substitute. I just assume that I'm going to need to add a little more flour and water (how much of each depends on whether it was a wet or dry leaven I am replacing) and enough yeast for a comparable size batch of yeasted bread. I usually figure around 1 or 2 teaspoons per loaf. Also be aware that yeast tends to move quicker than starters do, so expect to cut the rise time down by something like one half (or else reduce the yeast even more).

Week#2 Homemade Soft Pretzels 101

Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels 101
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 16 pretzels

Ingredients

For Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups warm water, 110-120 Degrees
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey OR 1 tablespoon cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 - 4 cups white whole wheat flour

For toppings:
For salty pretzels: kosher salt
OR
For cinnamon sugar pretzels: 2 Tablespoons cane sugar combine with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast and let sit for 3 minutes.

Stir in sugar and salt. Slowly stir in the white whole wheat flour until the dough comes together and is not too sticky. Knead the dough (either by hand or with the mixer's dough hook) in the bowl until the dough is smooth but not overworked, about 3-5 minutes.

Turn the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into four equal parts. Cut each part into four more equal parts, for a total of 16 balls of dough.

To form the pretzels, roll one of the balls of dough into a long thin rope. Put the two ends of the rope next to each other to form a tight U shape. Twist the ends together once so the twist is about half way down the U. Bring the two loose ends down to the loop at the bottom below the twist. Tuck the two ends under the loop and press so the dough adheres to itself. Gently pull on the pretzel so the dough becomes thinner and the pretzel becomes larger to form a nicely sized pretzel.

As for other shapes, you can bake the ropes for pretzels sticks, knot the ropes for pretzel knots, cut the ropes into little equal sized pieces for pretzel bites, or roll the dough into balls and scour the top for pretzel rolls.

Lay the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray (this helps the toppings stick). Dip the sprayed pretzels in a shallow bowl filled with your topping of choice (salt or cinnamon sugar) and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then broil for 30 seconds or until golden. Devour.

Lesson Plan Week #1

Hello!

Let me start by saying that I adore your kiddos! I have such great classes all week long!! I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better as we continue the trimester.

This week we learned the importance of making sure that when a recipe calls for rapid boiling water, that we allow it to really boil. We created dough from water, flour, salt and egg mixture. I explained to the kids to use cold water on their fingertips when creating the puffs. This helps with the sticky dough. Also, if they want perfect cream puffs, I told them to pipe the dough using a pastry bag.

We learned how to separate an egg. We learned the importance of adding one egg at a time and incorporating it well. The lemon curd we made is so simple because you add all of the ingredients before cooking it. We enjoyed the science part of cooking while making the curd. Once we added our fresh squeezed lemon juice, the curd mixture coagulated. As soon as we put it in the stovetop and started heating it, it became smooth and silky. I explained to the kids that the curd is ready once it coats the back of the spoon. We placed Saran Wrap on top of it to prevent a "skin from forming" on the curd.

The kids got to measure liquids and dry ingredients. I explained to them that they must always use a measuring cup for liquids to get an accurate measurement and a regular cup for dry ingredients. I also explained that they must look at the liquid measurement cup at eye level, while it is on a flat surface for accuracy. We cracked eggs into a separate container instead of directly into the bowl, this helps control egg shells versus ruining our recipe in the bowl. ;) The kids got to use a citrus press for juicing lemons. We used a pastry bag for the lemon cream and piped it inside our cream puffs.

Overall, it was a great week! We had a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed their lemon cream puffs. If you were lucky enough to get a bite from your kiddo, I hope you enjoyed it too :)

Have a GREAT week!

Week #1 Lemon Curd Cream Puffs Recipe

Cream puffs


1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs


Heat the butter and water to a boil. Add the flour all at once stirring vigorously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Add eggs one at a time beating vigorously until completely mixed together after each egg. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet (we will be using a Silpat for baking). Bake 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Makes about 20 puffs. Cool. Cut tops remove the insides. Fill with Lemon Curd.


Never Fail Lemon Curd

•6 tablespoons soft butter
•1 cup sugar
•2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
•2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cream together butter and sugar in stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time while mixing on low speed, then add yolks. Continue to beat on low for another minute or two. Mixture should be smooth and creamy light yellow. Next, add the lemon juice and continue to beat on low speed until incorporated. Things turn pretty ugly at this point, the mixture will be lumpy and look curdled, fear not, forge ahead.


Transfer the lemon curd to a medium sized saucepan and place over low heat. Stir until the mixture is heated through and no longer has a curdled appearance. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly for the next 12 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool with cling wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the curd. This will prevent it forming a skin on top. Once cool add one cup of cool whip to 1 cup of lemon curd. Whip together and fill cream puffs and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place remaining curd in a storage container of your choice. This keeps about a week in the fridge, it also freezes well.