Culinary Adventures with Camilla

After the kiddos voted to learn about saffron this week, and after my Truffle-Making class on Monday, I decided to make some kid-friendly truffles with saffron just for them. It is Valentines' Day after all. I started with a White Chocolate-Saffron Ganache , letting it chill overnight in the fridge. I did go out and buy a mini scoop yesterday. Though I am a decidedly non-gadgety cook, this is a must for easy truffle making. I can't believe I've never had one before! Procedure Line a cookie sheet or tray with parchment paper.   With a tablespoon or tablespoon scoop, scoop chilled truffle ganache from your bowl and place on the lined tray.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes. (I let them chill for about 30 minutes.) For chocolate-dipped truffles...how to temper chocolate... Place half of your chipped chocolate (I didn't measure, but you can just repeat the process if you run out of chocolate) in a double-boiler and, over low heat, warm u...

Rosewater adds an exotic kick to a fresh carrot salad, though it is a polarizing flavor. I find that people either adore rosewater or abhor it. I took a vote - of the Spice It Up! kiddos - and all but one or two of the kids really disliked it. Oh, well. At least they can say that they have tried it. •             1 t coriander seeds •             2 t black cumin seeds •             6 large carrots, coarsely grated (3 1/2 to 4 cups) •             1/2 C golden raisins •             1 T rosewater •             2 t fresh lemon juice •             4 t extra v...

I created this for my Spice It Up! class because I loved the idea of merging sweet vanilla with savory curry powder. The result is an intriguing interplay of sweetness and spiciness. The kids devoured it, so it must have been good. I didn't get a single bite! So I had to make another batch for us to try.     vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out and reserved, bean cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces 4 t mild curry powder 1 t  freshly ground sea salt 8 chicken legs 4 T butter splash of olive oil 4 C sweet onions, peeled and chopped 1 C tomatoes, chopped 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ½” pieces 1 t whole cloves Combine the vanilla seeds, curry powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub the mixture on the chicken legs and set aside. In a large, flat-bottom pan, melt the butter with a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken legs and the vanilla bean pieces brown the chicken. Cook for approximately 15...

Of the three things we made in my Spice It Up! class today, this was - hands down! - the winner. 2 envelopes gelatin 1/2 cold water 4 C organic half-n-half 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 2 T dried lavender blossoms 1 t organic lemon extract Dissolve the gelatin in cold water.  Place the half-n-half, lavender, and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat till it begins to steam. Do not let it boil. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the lavender and stir in the lemon extract. Pour the cream mixture into the gelatin and stir till completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into your serving containers and let chill, uncovered, until set. At least four hours. Serve chilled. This made a dozen small servings.

One of the reasons I teach Friday enrichment classes: I learn things as I research for the kids. This class, I learned that what we typically call 'cinnamon' isn't real cinnamon. Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees and used in both sweet and savory dishes. While Cinnamomum verum is true cinnamon, most cinnamon sold is actually derived from a related species: cassia... Cassia burmannii is known as Korintje, Padang cassia, or Indonesian cinnamon; Cassia loureiroi is known as Saigon cinnamon, Vietnamese cassia, or Vietnamese cinnamon; and  Cassia cassia  is often sold as Chinese cinnamon. I can say, from grating it today with the kiddos, there is a difference. Wow. I will be tracking down real cinnamon from now on. I bought mine from The Savory Spice Shop .

Since today kicks off the Chinese Lunar Year of the Horse, we blended our own Chinese Five Spice. I cheated...and I had Jake grill the chicken for me ahead of time. Double cheating! But my Spice It Up! class is five minutes shorter today due to an earthquake drill, so I can use all the help I can get. In China, Japan and other Asian countries, it’s customary to eat long noodles, signifying longevity, on New Year’s Day. Since the noodles are never to be broken or shortened during the cooking process, I decided to go with a stir-fried “Long-Life Noodles” dish. CHINESE FIVE-SPICE CHICKEN 2 lb chicken thighs 1/3 C soy sauce 1/4 C olive oil 1 T crushed garlic 2 t Chinese five spice powder 1 t grated fresh ginger Combine all ingredients except chicken, and use as marinade. Then, marinate chicken at least an hour, but can marinate overnight. Bake in a 375 F. oven, basting once or twice, for about 45 minutes or grill until done. I made this ahead of time and tossed ...

While I took a shortcut , the kids ground and blended their own Chinese Five Spice today in our Spice it Up! class. First I had them smell the blend and see what scents they could discern. Then we let the spices fly! The usual 5-spice blend… cinnamon cloves fennel seeds star anise Szechuan peppercorns The extras… anise seed ginger nutmeg turmeric cardamom

I swapped lesson plans for this week's Spice it Up! class. I had originally planned a tabletop jaunt to Provençe, but realized that Chinese Five Spice was much more appropriate. I can't believe I almost missed that it's Chinese New Year. The year of the horse begins today. Perfect. We're grinding and mixing our own Chinese Five-Spice in class and making noodles!  Truth be told: the kiddos are grinding and mixing their own today. Me? I cheated. Teachers get to use shortcuts, right? I picked this up at Whole Foods and used it on the chicken for the Long Life Noodles. Recipe to come. Do you grind and blend your own spices? I love it...when I'm not pressed for time. Gong xi fa cai.

I made this for my Spice It Up! kiddos on the first week. I guess I forgot to post it. I just remembered when I made another version this weekend. The secret to homemade lemonade is to make a simple syrup first. That way the sugar is dissolved and not grainy in your drink. The ratio for the syrup is 1: 1. For this version I added  sprigs of rosemary and thyme to the syrup as it cooled. 1 C organic coconut sugar* 1 C water 1 C freshly squeezed lemon juice for the base 1 sprigs of fresh rosemary + some for garnish, if desired 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme + some for garnish, if desired lemon slices for garnish, if desired Place herbs in a jar or bottle that can hold up to 2 cups. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat till the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the syrup over the herbs and let cool. Reserve the syrup till you’re ready to make the lemonade. Pour syrup into a mixing pitcher. Add 1 C freshly squeezed lemon juice. T...

Today my Spice It Up! kiddos and I traveled, via tabletop, to the Moluccas. We looked at nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper...and we baked Piernik , a gingerbread cake from Poland. I employed a new strategy: I put all of the steps - measurements required, mixing, etc. - on pieces of paper and had each student pick one. That was their task. If they finished, and there were still more tasks to complete, they could pick another. This alleviated the constant barage of 'What can I do?!'s that I had last week. Anything that reduces my stress level in directing a dozen kids to make a single dish is a good thing. Some kids ground mace. Other ground nutmeg. Some measured sugar. And others whipped the cream to finish the cake. Good teamwork! For the Cake spray vegetable oil (I used canola) 1 -1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1 t ground ginger 1 t ground nutmeg 1 t ground mace 12 grinds of fresh black pepper 1 t ground cinnamon 1 t fleur de sel 1/2 t ...

•             green beans, stem ends trimmed •             water •             5 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced •             zest of 1 large organic lemon (organic because you’re eating the rind) •             juice from  lemons •             1 C tight-packed Italian parsley leaves •             fleur de sel flakes •             freshly ground pepper •             1-1/2 C coarsely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese •...

For six weeks this trimester I am teaching a Friday afternoon elective - what our school calls a Schoolwide Enrichment Model, or SEM: Spice it Up! I agreed to teach one dozen 4th through 6th graders all about herbs and spices. What the heck was I thinking?!? Just kidding. For the most part, they were all great...and I love watching kids cook and nosh on healthy, fresh foods. This week our focus was on parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. We made green beans with gremolata (parsley); sage shortbread; and rosemary-thyme lemonade. Recipes to come.... I had the kids smell, touch, and taste the fresh versus the dried herbs. Here are a few things I saw in their spice journals... My impressions of parsley... "The herb tastes like a carrot. The spice is dry." "Parsley tastes like broccoli. I'd make it with cheese tortillas." My impressions of sage... "Smells really bad" "I'd pair it with roasted meat." "It was really gros...

This trimester I'm leading a group of a dozen 4th through 6th graders on a culinary adventure around the globe based on herbs and spices! We start this week when they'll discuss the difference between herbs and spices, make notes on parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme...and taste some goodies with those herbs and spices. Can't wait. Photos and recipes to come. What's your favorite spice? What do you do with it?!?  Comment below or email me at constantmotioncamilla[at]gmail[dot]com. I can always use a new-to-me recipe!