Week-5 Sopes

This past week was a success!! The kids loved the sopes!

Spanish Tapas-Mini Baked Sopes

Vegan and Gluten Free Homemade Sopes

Ingredients:

Sope Shells

2C Corn Masa Flour-Maseca (in the flour section of your grocery store)

1/4t of salt

1 1/4C warm water

2t of canola oil

Mix the ingredients in a bowl to form a soft dough. If dough feels dry add more water 1T at a time. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. We made 12-14 small dough balls to make them mini appetizers. *Cover the dough with a damp towel or paper towel because the masa will dry quick. 

Preheat griddle (we will be using a comal) set on high heat. Using your fingers, flatten the dough ball to form a 3” diameter circle. It will be about 3/8” thick.  The size of a small round taco tortilla. Make sure you don't overwork your dough and make the sopes to thin. 

Place sope on the griddle and cook sope for about a minute on the griddle, then turn and cook the other side. Carefully remove from the heat, and set aside. Repeat process for remaining masa balls. 

When all balls have been flattened and cooked, pinch the edges of the sope to create a raised rim about 1/4” high. Sopes will be hot, so be careful.  

In a separate frying pan. Heat some oil to 300 degrees F. Fry sopes until lightly golden, and place on a paper towel to drain. You may also bake them, simply place them on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray, bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. 

I like sopes de frijoles, so i typically add beans, Monterey jack cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and jalapenos. But you can fill the sopes with just about anything you like. Chicken, carne asada, or potatoes with chorizo. 

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli

Homemade Pumpkin Filled Ravioli

For the pasta dough:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 – 1/2 cup hot boiling water

To make the Pumpkin filling:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


For the sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 sage leaves (plus additional for garnish, if desired), chopped
1/2 cup of half and half
Kosher salt
Parmesan shavings

To prepare the pasta dough, measure the flour and the salt on a clean surface. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Use your fingertips to break up the egg yolks and gently mix in the flour until the mixture is crumbly and resembles sand. Gradually add the hot water, a few drips at a time, carefully working it into the flour mixture until a dough forms (be careful not to burn yourself!). Knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes, until smooth.  Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 24 hours).

While the pasta dough rests, combine the ricotta, pumpkin, milk, egg, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper and parsley. Beat to combine. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Roulpat silicon mat, lightly flour. Place a pot of water to boil, sprinkle sea salt into water.

Once the dough has rested, using a pasta machine (or if you’re brave and strong, a rolling pin) to roll the pasta out into wide sheets. If you have a pasta maker use the number 4 to thin your pasta sheets. We fed it through 3-4 times to get a thin sheet of pasta dough. Once your pasta dough is to the desired thickness, use a pizza cutter, cut the pasta into perfect rectangles. Place dough on floured Roulpat. Place a tablespoon of the filling on the pasta dough, about an inch apart across the pasta dough (you should be able to make two rows of filling for the ravioli). Top with another sheet of pasta dough. Using a ravioli cutter/maker cut into individual ravioli.

To prepare the ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes, in batches, pushing the ravioli back down into the boiling water with a wooden spoon as it floats to the top.  Drain the ravioli and set aside.

Make a quick browned butter sage sauce to spoon on top. Brown the butter with the fresh sage. Once the butter is brown, add the half and half. Add salt to taste, plate the ravioli and spoon the sauce on top of fresh steamed asparagus. Enjoy!

Our Pumpkin Scones

The kids had so much fun making these scones. I introduced them to a pastry cutter, Silpat, Roulpat and taught them how to knead sticky dough by adding flour to the dough. Everyone loved them.

Pumpkin Scones with Pumpkin Icing

Tis' the Season for EVERYTHING Pumpkin

Ingredients

Scone
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree, chilled (don't chill in can)
• 3 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp half and half
Glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp half and half, then more as needed
Pumpkin Icing
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp half and half

Directions

• For the scones:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor pulse together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended (if you don't have a food processor you can whisk by hand in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry cutter). Add butter and pulse mixture several times to cut butter into mixture (large pieces of butter should no longer be visible). Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and create a well in center.
• In a bowl whisk together chilled pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract and honey. Pour mixture into well in flour/butter mixture. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon to incorporate, then knead in bowl (or on work surface) by hand several times to bring mixture together. Dust a work surface with flour then invert dough onto surface. Pat and shape dough into an even 8-inch round. Using a large knife, slice into 8 equal wedges (dust knife with flour as needed while cutting, it will be fairly sticky).
• Transfer scones to a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush tops with 1 Tbsp half and half then bake in preheated oven 13 - 15 minutes until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 10 minutes (no longer) before spreading with glaze.
• For the glaze:
• In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and half and half, adding more half and half as needed to reach desired consistency (it should be fairly thick not runny). Spoon and spread mixture scones to evenly coat tops (use all of it). Let glaze set at room temperature.
• For the pumpkin glaze:
• In a mixing bowl (I just used the one from the glaze above without cleaning out) whisk together powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and half and half. Transfer mixture to a small Ziploc bag, seal bag, cut a small tip from corner and drizzle mixture over tops of scones. Allow icing to set. Best served day prepared.

Salted Caramel Popcorn- Week 1

Salted Caramel Popcorn

3/4 cup of popcorn kernels

Start by popping the kernels (either air popped, microwaved in a lunch sized paper bag or a pot on the stove top). We simply used the stovetop and pot. Once popcorn has popped, place the popcorn on a large jelly roll pan or cake pan. Spray with nonstick cooking spray if you are NOT using a Silpat.

Sprinkle popcorn with 1tsp of sea salt.

In a pot, melt:

1/2 cup of butter

Add: 

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup of light corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt 

Stirring all to combine, bring to a boil without stirring for about 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and add:

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour hot caramel over the popcorn stirring well to coat. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove, cool and break into pieces. 

Cook Tip: We wanted extra coated caramel popcorn, so we doubled the caramel recipe; however it is not necessary. :) 

Lots of Happy Campers!!! Enjoy

Welcome to Cooking/Baking Elective Class for Winter Feels like Summer2014

Cooking/Baking Class Summer/Fall 2014

Hello Parents & Students,

Welcome to Cooking and Baking Class for Kids! I hope you are looking forward to a fun experience for your child, as much as I am. The students will be using the stove and oven but I will be instructing, supervising and involved in every step of the process and preparation of every recipe. I have an assistant in every cooking class (my assistants are composed of ILCS students who have a passion for cooking/baking, have take my class previously and exhibit leadership). My assistant helps me with the more advanced techniques and methods of cooking as well as assists some of the kids in class.

Please let me know if your child has ANY food allergies or sensitivities as soon as possible. Please E-mail me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

For my class to be successful it is very important that every student is a listener; as well as careful during class. Please review the kitchen safety rules with your child (I will also be going over the rules with them on the first day of class). If a student is misbehaving inappropriately he or she will not be permitted to participate with our cooking/baking class for that day. I will begin with a warning and then will ask the student to take a seat. If the behavior continues I will drop the student from Cooking/Baking Elective Class. If your child is dropped from this elective, a full payment for the cost of the trimester will be required. It is a privilege to be in ANY Elective Class, inappropriate behavior takes away time from the kids I am trying to teach. It also creates an unsafe atmosphere. I want to make sure everyone has fun, but I must keep the safety of all the children in mind.

***PLEASE NOTE*** The cost of the cooking/baking elective class is $75 total for the trimester. Extended days are held on the last Thursday of every month at CSC. *If you attend BSC and are in this elective on Thursdays you will not attend elective class on these Extended Days. Extended days take place on Thursdays; the last day of the month at CSC.

*Please take a look at the information above for the tuition fee. All payments are due as soon as possible. Please make your check payable directly to: Esmeralda Williams. Cash is also accepted, if payment is made via currency I will provide a receipt for those payments. I understand that some individuals may be going through a hardship. If so, please do not hesitate to email me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com let me know if you need a scholarship or if you need additional time to make your payment. All information is kept confidential.

I don’t foresee having to cancel any classes but in the event that I do, I will notify you via a phone call/email. ILCS provids me with the phone number you have on file with the office. If there is a different number where you need or would like to be contacted, please email it to me at ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

I have lots of fun recipes planned. I hope your child enjoys my cooking and baking class. Most of all, I hope your child surprises you and makes a few of the recipes he/she learned to prepare in class! :)

Recipes are available on my cooking blog website. Students may log on with your parents consent; please visit our cooking/baking blog for ALL recipes and class lessons. www.ilcscookingelective.blogspot.com

If you have any questions, please contact Esmeralda Williams at 805-201-5865 or email ilcscookingelective@gmail.com

Thank you,


Esmeralda Williams