Hello all…

My apologies for missing last weeks blog post.

This week wrapped up our final Introduction to Cooking class for the Winter 2013 season of our “Introduction To…” courses.

Week 3, Chef Nick and I taught the class how to make home made pizza dough and by the end of class each of the students got to take home 2 of the most original and interesting pizzas I’ve ever seen… and they got to take them home in real pizza boxes! One of our students even made one that looked like a bunny!

With Saint Patrick’s Day just around the corner, this Friday’s class… our 4th and final class… we tackled Irish Soda Bread first. The students got to learn the different types of leavened breads between last week’s yeast based pizza dough and this weeks baking soda/baking powder based type of leavening agent.

We had time during this last class to make one of my favorites… The Loaded Banana. I’d like to claim the idea as my own but I think my version may be an amalgam of a few other ideas I’ve seen.

Even though I’ve written the directions in a narrative form… it might seem complicated but when you get right down to it, it’s really simple.

So here’s how it goes…

You’ll need to start with a sheet of puff pastry dough. You can find pre made puff pastry sheets in the freezer section of your supermarket or… if you are daring and skilled enough you can make your own puff pastry from scratch… and I wish you luck with that. Puff pastry is a tricky and tedious task but it can yield a delicious, light and flaky result.

(Preheat you oven to 375%… always preheat your oven!!!!)

So you take your puff pastry sheet that has been unfolded to a rectangle shape and lay it out on a lightly floured work surface (to keep it from sticking). Next, peel a banana. The straighter the banana, the easier this is… but any old banana will do. Place the banana right in the middle of the pastry sheet. Depending on the size of the bananas you may get two Loaded Bananas out of one pastry sheet… if you cut the sheet in half width-wise and turn them 90 degrees so the bananas fit.

Next… add the fillings of your choice. Be creative. Walnuts and caramel. Butterscotch chips and toasted slivered almonds. Peanuts  and strawberry jam. The options are endless.

In class this week we, of course because we are at Camp, did chocolate chips and marshmallows! An oven-baked warm and gooey S’mores Banana! Imagine that with a scoop of Graham Cracker and vanilla swirl Ice cream?!?

Tuck the filling right up beside the banana on one side. As close to the banana as you can. Then brush egg-wash (a scrambled egg will do) around the banana and the filling where, when we fold the pastry sheet over in half, the edges meet they will begin to seal. Using the edges of you hands, tuck the dough in as close to the banana and the filling inside…. pressing down to firm up the seal. Trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife (under parental supervision… or unless you are as old as me or a chef). A pizza cutter can be a safer way to let the little ones participate in this process… still with supervision.

With the excess pastry cut away, using the tines of a fork, flute the cut edges… pressing down on the edges with the end of the fork all the way around…. completing the seal. What you end up with should look, more or less, like a giant pierogi!!

Put your Loaded Banana on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven (rack in the middle) that you preheated to 375 degrees. immediately drop the temp of the oven to 350. Bake until the crust has risen has turned a light golden brown. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes (depending on your oven).

When this thing is done… use caution because it will be HOT. Let it cool for a few minutes then dig in!! These are best served warm, right away… hopefully with a scoop of ice cream.

I want to thank all our aspiring Chefs who hung out with Chef Nick and I these last few weeks… Brendan, David, Madison, Madeline, Elisabeth, Jared,  Gabby and Grant. I hope you get some good use out of the Chef coats cooking at home… and I hope you took a few lessons home with you amongst all the fun we had. I hope to see you all again soon!

To my Assistant Nick… you are the ultimate Assistant… and you showed me that, ten fold,  over these 4 classes. Thank you for all your help and everything you do for Camp… and for me.

To the guy behind the scene who always “stops by” during class (to see if we have any leftovers he might be interested… hehehe…)… Joe… you have been making pulling off awesomeness very easy for me to attempt to do… and I’d like to think we get there very, very often. Thanks for all you’ve been doing behind the scenes. It means more than you know. Setting each other up for success is such a natural thing to do.

Thanks friends and family of Camp…

Be good…

Chef Jason.