HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEF EMI

Really I don’t know what the fuss was about… it was only a little tart. Just some flour, sugar, cream cheese, and mixed berries. It didn't even look pretty. You would have thought I discovered a new way to slice bread the way my fellow chef students acted. Stephan (loved your pork dish tonight) offered me money to make a whole one just for him to eat. Louwen, how many pieces did you eat? And I think two marriage proposals, from James and Brianna. I won't name names but really there was a lot of plate licking. What a great compliment and I really, really thank you!!!

One of the best pieces of advice I picked up at the competition on Friday was, make sure you have memorized two or three cake recipe's, so you can just wing it if you have to at the last minute. Well many years ago when I was a little girl (HA) I had the two best mentors. Grace Manny one of the original freelance Home Economists for Family Circle Magazine and many other publications (God rest her soul, I truly miss this lady) and Marie Walsh, my Godmother and the Editor of Family Circle, Great Ideas. I learned many wonderful techniques for food photography, recipe testing and basic cooking at my years at Family Circle and with these two ladies to guide me. They too had the same advice, memorize a few recipes and then you are able to elaborate, add, tweek, and then tada; Masterpieces!

My advice to my fellow culinary students, memorize what you love to eat or taste’s good to your pallet. Take one appetizer, entrée and dessert and master it, inside and out. Now switch it up. Make it vegetarian, make it with pork instead of beef; add a different spice, bake instead of fry. Etc, etc, etc. Because not everyone has the same taste, pallet, diet or even religious guidelines; and then there will be a day where you will have to wing it. From your original creation’s you can take it anywhere. Seriously!

You asked and I promised.

Shortbread Crust

2 cups flour

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup softened butter

All ingredients in the bowl, pastry cut the butter until kind of crumbly then with hands form a ball. It's going to soft. Press the dough into the greased 9 could have been 10 inch tart pan and refrigerate about 20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Filling

16 ounces of softened cream cheese

 ½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

All ingredients in a heavy duty mixing bowl for the kitchen aid blender and whip using the whipping tool, until creamy and smooth.

Berry Topping

½ cup each frozen raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup corn starch

½ cup water

lemon zest and a squeeze of a half a lemon

All ingredients into a medium size pot, heat on medium heat until berries are kind a glazed over and there is a nice think sauce. About 10 minutes tops! Stir occasionally.

Now bake the crust about 10 minutes or until golden in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Let cool slightly. Layer the cream cheese filling and then the topping and get in the freezer like super quick to firm up in time for plating at 7:15pm. Ok try and refrigerating it under normal conditions about 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving. Ask Brianna and she will tell you I used exact measurements mostly made up as I went along. :P Love you all and I need a taste when you make yours.

 

The original classtime was PORK . YEAH!!! I was so over beef you have no idea.

I was paired up with Brianna, a first for the two of us. I think we did really well. I ground the pork with the help of Tammy (Thanks Tammy, that was like a little scary in the beginning) for our burgers. We mixed our ground pork with some honey, barbecue sauce that Brianna made last week, and some red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, seared them for a few minutes on each side, and into the oven to finish off the cooking process. In the mean time we made some corn cakes and glazed carrots for our veggie, and it was pretty tasty, all in all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEF EMI.