This year’s theme was: Pies; Sweet and Savory.
I had so much fun and was full of admiration for the kids and their enthusiasm they brought with them to this year’s camp. I love doing this and will keep doing it as long as April will have me.. I already know what next year’s theme is, but in the tradition of “The Kids’ Cooking Camp” it will be a secret until the first day of camp. I can hardly wait!
Thanks so much to April, all the kids and their families. It is an honor to teach these kids each year!
Love, Norah/ Mama Ceres xoxoxoxo
I had 14 kids this year and they were split up in 3 groups: “the lils”, “the meds” and “the bigs”.
(as always, please scroll over picture for description, click to enlarge.)
Here is a copy of the menu and recipe booklet for this years camp:
Cooking Camp 2011 at The Kids’ House
Brought to you by Norah Collins Cline/ Mama Ceres. Thanks to the generosity of April. Thank you so much for your faith in me!!
Pies; Sweet and Savory
We will be making a selection of free form, individual and mini pies/tarts/turnovers using pastry dough, spring roll wrappers and phyllo (filo) dough. Some of the recipes are from my library of cook books. Others are my original recipes or version of classic recipes.
Menu
(Savory)
W/ Cheddar Crust
- Spanikopita Triangles
- Jamaican Beef Patties
(Sweet)
- Mini Garnet Yam & Coconut Pies
- Free Form Individual Apple Pies
- Mini Key Lime Pies
Savory Recipes:
Leek and Potato Mini Tarts with Cheddar Crust
An original recipe of mine
(Makes about 48 mini tarts)
Filling:
3 large russet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced thin
3 large leeks, green trimmed off, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced thin, soaked, rinsed and spun dry in salad spinner
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 bunch chives, sliced thin
2 eggs, mixed
½ -3/4 C milk, half and half or combo of milk and cream
Blanch sliced potatoes until cooked but al dente. Drain. Sauté leeks and garlic until cooked. Combine potatoes, leeks, chives and eggs. Add enough milk to slightly loosen mixture, but not make runny. Fill mini pie tins with liners and then press in circles of rolled out pastry. Fill 2/3 way up with potato/ leek mixture and bake at 350’ for 30 minutes until pastry is golden and filling is set. Garnish with additional chives or chopped Italian Parsley.
Cheddar Pastry for Potato/Leek Mini Tarts:
6 ¼ C unbleached a.p. flour
1 C 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 C chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8-12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
1 -1 1/2 C (about) ice water
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add shortening and butter and cut in using several on/off turns. Add cheese and cut in until shortening and butter resemble small peas. With machine running, gradually blend in enough water until soft moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. When ready to use, roll dough out on floured board to 1/8th inch thick and cut out 2-3 inch circles or large enough to fill paper mini muffin tin liners. Press into liner filled mini muffin tins.
Spanikopita Triangles:
One of my versions of Spanikopita
(Makes approximately 48 small triangles)
¼-1/3 cup vegetable oil
2-3 large onions, chopped
2# frozen spinach, thawed drained and squeezed dry
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2-3 t dried)
12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
8 ounces ricotta cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 packages phyllo dough (thawed overnight in fridge)
1- ½ sticks butter, melted to be brushed onto phyllo dough layers and over top of triangles.
Sauté onions, cool. Mix other ingredients except for melted cheese. Layer 2 sheets phyllo dough with butter and stack. Cut vertically into 6 sections, fold each into half, vertically. Place about 1 ½ t of filling onto bottom of each and fold up, as if folding a flag. Brush each with butter. Freeze or bake. Leftover filling can be frozen for next time. If you freeze them, allow triangles to thaw at room temperature for about ½ hour before baking. Bake at 350’ for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.
Jamaican Beef Patties from Island Cooking; Recipes from the Caribbean by Dunstan A. Harris
(We will double the recipe to make at least 24 mini turnovers)
Filling: (page 13)
1 # lean ground beef
1 t ground annatto or 1 T paprika (smoked or plain) for color
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh hot pepper, minced or 1 t cayenne pepper
2 t season salt or plain salt
1 t dried thyme, crumbled
3 large onion, finely chopped
1 C finely diced celery
2 T soy sauce
½ C plain (or seasoned) bread crumbs
3 scallions (green onions), finely chopped
1 T a.p. flour
¼ C diced red pepper (sweet bell)
Additional salt, to taste
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
Pastry for Jamaican Beef Patties: (page 138)
2 C a.p. flour
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
1/2 C vegetable shortening
¼ C cold water
Filling: Combine the ground beef with the annatto or paprika in a large sauce pan over medium heat, and break it up by stirring with a spoon until it is browned. Drain off any excess liquid, and add all the remaining ingredients, except the pastry and egg yolk. (If the meat is very dry, add up to 2 T water) Reduce the heat, stir thoroughly, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool at room temperature. (Use or refrigerate)
On floured board, roll out the pastry dough as thinly as possible- about 1/8th inch thick. Stamp out circles of dough (about 5 inch diameter for large or 2-3 inch for mini) and place 1 T (for large) or 1 ½ t (for mini) of cooled filling in the center of each.
Moisten the edges of the pastry circles with water and fold the dough over to form a crescent. Crimp the edges together with a fork to seal the pastry and brush the top with the beaten egg yolk. Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake in a pre-heated 400’ oven for 30 minutes (for large) or 20 minutes (for mini). Serve warm.
Pastry: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Rub in the shortening and water without kneading too much as the dough will become too elastic and heavy. Mix until the dough has the consistency of bread crumbs, and roll into a ball. Lightly dust the dough with flour, wrap in plastic film or waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least and hour.
Sweet Recipes:
Garnet and Coconut Mini Pies
An original recipe of mine
(Makes about 48 mini pies)
6 garnet yams, roasted and scooped out of skin
6 eggs, gently beaten
1C coconut milk
1 C sugar
1 t each: nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice
½ t salt
2 t vanilla
“Sweet” Basic Pie Crust (1 ½ times James McNair’s “basic pie crust” recipe from his Pie cook book, pgs. 10, 11)
Combine and mix all ingredients. Pour into mini muffin tins that have been lined and filled with circles of pie dough (same method as for Potato/Leek Tartlets.
“Sweet” Basic Pie Crust for Garnet Yam/Coconut and Key Lime Pies:
4 ½ C a.p. flour
1 t salt
4 ½ T sugar
1 1/2 cups chilled fat cut into small pieces: any combo butter/lard/shortening
12 T (1/2 C plus ¼ C) or more if needed, ice water w/ 3 cold egg yolks whisked in
Combine flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in fat until mixture resembles course bread crumbs. Add ice water/egg mixture and work with fork until dough comes together. Form 2 disks and wrap in plastic or plastic bag and freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.
Free Form Individual Apple Pies
An original recipe of mine
(Makes about 48 small individual pies)
8 apples, peeled, and chopped into medium small dice
1 cup sugar
1 t cinnamon
A splash of water
Combine all ingredients and cook until apples are just tender, but not too soft. Cool or refrigerate before filling. When ready to fill, round off edges of 48 plus spring or egg roll wrappers, brush edges with water and add a couple of T apple mixture in the middle. Fold up sides, creating a rough “circle” with a small opening in the center. Brush free form pies with butter and bake at 350’ for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown. Just before serving sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, powder sugar or just plain cinnamon. Eat warm or room temperature.
Key Lime Mini Pies
Pg 52 James McNair’s key lime pie from his cook book, Pie
(Makes about 48 mini pies)
½-1/3 key lime juice or fresh squeezed lime juice
1 cans (14 oz.) sweet condensed
4 egg yolks
Recipe of “Sweet Pie Crust”
Whipped cream for garnish
Mix all ingredients. Add up to 1T lime zest if desired. Fill cooled prebaked pie crust
And bake for 15 minutes. Cool and put small dollop of sweetened whip cream on each mini pie.
Note about prebaked pie crusts: fill mini muffin tins as described on potato/leek tarts and garnet yam/coconut pies, but gently pierce the circles of dough thoroughly before pressing into muffin tin liners. Prebake for about 7-10 minutes until cooked but not browned. Be sure to fill only 2/3 of the way up.
