Cooking with Teens and Young Adults

Last weekend I had some kids over from the local high school to cook dinner with each other, and with me here at Ezekiel's Table. They are helping me with my recipe and menu testing while I await the decision from Princeton Township about my re-opening. Being with them reminds me of the importance that cooking has in the lives of kids anxious to go out into the world.

Kids are full of excitement and trepidation at the thought of leaving the nest. They try to jump the gun in too many ways, getting involved in things they think are adult behavior. Oh, yes...we complain so often that they want all the freedom of adulthood without the responsibility. But getting the chance to have a dinner party together, now that's one of the best things they can do. Besides the real-life skills of learning to sustain themselves nutritionally, they are learning the finer arts of working together, of gracious hospitality, and of just making do! When kids cook together and have fun at it, the line between fun and responsibility are gloriously blurred.

This month we made Caesar Salad with homemade croutons, Fettuccine Balsamico with pasta they made themselves, and my favorite Brownies with Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache. I must admit, the menu was a bit heavy, something that would send most of us into a carbo-coma. It might have explained why they were go giggly by the end of dinner. But these were all recipes they wanted to try, and they did magnificently! Personally, I can't wait to see them again. You can see photos of them on my Ezekiel's Table facebook page. Visit me there when you can!

Here is the brownie recipe. It's one of my favorites.


The Best Brownies

These brownies are so fudgy, I like to freeze them and break them up into vanilla (or rose-scented) ice cream. Even when frozen, they are still chewy. The freezer also helps to hide them, because no one can stop eating them!

Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped finely
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped nuts
Directions:
♨Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13”x9” baking pan.
♨In a medium saucepan melt the butter completely. Then remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth.

♨Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended after the addition of each egg. Add the flour, vanilla and salt to the mixture and stir in well. Then add the chopped nuts to the mixture and stir to blend.

♨Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan. Bake in oven 30 to 35 minutes. Brownies are done with a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack and cut into servings with a sharp knife.

You can make the chocolate ganache by warming 1/2 cup heavy cream in a saucepan just until it is too warm to touch. Add 4 oz of your favorite cooking chocolate cut as finely as you can. Stir gently until everything is melted. Drizzle directly over the brownies and ice cream.