5/27/09
Scouting out SNACKS
Daisy troop learns how to cook with help from Chef Scott Curry

Girl Scout troops are interested in more than just cookies. You might be surprised to learn that Daisy Girl Scout Troop 102 knows how to cook paninis, pasta and peas.

The troop’s end-of-year treat was “Cooking at Curry’s.” After they learned how to make several recipes and with the help of Chef Scott Curry at his restaurant May 19, their parents joined them for a ceremony featuring — what else? — brownies and refreshments. The Cream Cheese Brownies the girls helped prepare were a perfect fit for the bridging ceremony, marking the Daisy Scouts’ move up to Brownie Scouts. “The big thing was trying to find some things the girls would eat and that we could actually cook together,” said Curry, who has three daughters himself. “I really had a lot of fun doing this class, because 7- and 8-year-olds are about the best age — old enough to be inquisitive, but not old enough to be smart alecks,” he said.

When deciding on the items to prepare, Curry was pretty sure the girls would like brownies and French toast. “Obviously, anything with real whipping cream and sugar and vanilla is a winner,” he said. “And I’ve never met a kid who didn’t like Alfredo sauce,” he said, so he included Fettuccini Alfredo, a pasta dish. Then he added panini sandwiches, which he makes on his restaurant’s flat-top grill. “A lot of people have George Foreman grills in their houses, and you can use those, or another type of electric press grill,” he said. Children love simple sandwiches, and ham and cheese goes over huge with most, he said. “You just butter the bread on one side and add other simple items and it’s ready quickly. It’s something many kids can do themselves, I think,” Curry said.

The tough part was finding a vegetable for the class. Curry mentioned asparagus to the girls and was surprised to find two or three asparagus lovers. Then he asked about Brussels sprouts and a couple of girls said they eat them. He chose to prepare fresh snow peas from the grocery produce section and told the girls to expect a sweet taste. “We blanched them and added a little salt, and almost all tried them, with some eating several pieces,” Curry said. “Even the most finicky eaters tasted everything,” said troop leader Joanna May.

Before they started helping him with recipes, Curry gave the girls a tour of his restaurant, including the walk-in freezers, which they loved. “He also showed us the ‘dungeon,’ which is used for dry storage of all types of items,” May said. “The girls were fascinated, and I was, also.” May, who lives in Decatur and is assistant principal at Athens Middle School, said she has planned programs on diet, fitness, skin care and other topics for the Daisy troop this year. She helped Curry create recipe booklets for each girl to take home. Rules were included in the recipe booklet, too, such as wash your hands before starting and clean up when finished. Safety advice included not touching a hot oven or stove and never walking around with sharp knives or graters. “Choose something to cook that you love to eat,” Curry advised them. “And feel free to try new things when cooking and even change a recipe to spice things up.”

Here are the recipes the girls took home.

Ham and Swiss Panini

• 2 slices French bread
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• 1 slice Swiss cheese
• 2 thin slices ham (Black Forest works well)
• Butter

Preheat the panini press, skillet or George Foreman grill. Coat one side of each slice of bread with a thin layer of butter. This will help prevent the sandwich from sticking to the press/grill and makes it taste better.

Spread mayonnaise on the other side of each bread slice. On top of that, layer the remainder in the following order: Swiss cheese, tomato, ham. Close sandwich, pop it into the panini press, close and count to 240 or so.

If using a skillet to make panini, use medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown; flip and repeat. Makes one.

Fettuccini Alfredo

• 8 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 11/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon roux
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat 3/4 gallon water, salt and salad oil in large pot. Bring to boil. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Then add cream and bring to boil. Turn heat onto low and add roux and cheese. Bring to a boil.

Drain pasta. Serve sauce over noodles.

Snow Peas

• Snow peas in desired quantity
• Water
• Salt
• Butter

Bring salt water to a boil. Drop fresh snow peas into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove from water. Immediately drop peas into ice bath for several minutes. Remove, dry and place in refrigerator until ready to sauté.

When ready to eat, heat pan, add butter and snow peas and sauté for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fabulous French Toast

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• Dash of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 pieces bread
• Dash of cinnamon

Crack the egg into a medium-size bowl and beat well. Then mix in the milk, cream and vanilla extract.

Put the butter in a frying pan. Heat the pan on the stovetop on medium heat. It’s hot enough when the butter starts to bubble. Dunk each piece of bread in the egg mixture. Make sure the bread is totally covered. Cook the bread in the frying pan on low heat until the underside is light brown (about 2 minutes).

Use a spatula to flip the bread over, and cook for another 2 minutes. Use the spatula to transfer the French toast to a plate.

Cover with syrup.

Cream Cheese Brownies

• 1 cup unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 11/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• 11/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate batter, mix 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt and walnuts together. Melt the chocolate and 6 tablespoons butter in a double boiler or microwave oven. Cool slightly.

Beat 4 eggs in a bowl. Add 11/2 cups of sugar gradually, beating until well mixed. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well. Stir in almond extract and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

For the cream cheese topping, beat the cream cheese and 3 tablespoons butter in mixer until smooth. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well. Pour 2/3 of the chocolate batter into a buttered and parchment-lined 9x12-inch baking pan. Spread with the cream cheese layer. Swirl with a knife to marbleize. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean; do not overbake. Cool in the pan.

Read the article in The Decatur Daily at -
http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/35646.html