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By Laura Graham
Whip out the spatulas, grab the sifters, put on your apron! Mary Martini, manager of the Central Market Cooking School and HEB’s Central Market are cooking up some great ideas for your kids this spring break!
The cooking school is offering two classes for children ages 8 to 14 during the week of March 12 to 18, when most San Antonio area school districts will be on spring break. The classes, which cost $35 each, will offer kids hands-on opportunities to prepare several delicious dishes.
Central Market calls the first class “Spring Break Kids Camp: Breakfast Blast.” Students will work alongside chefs to prepare fresh-squeezed juices, Good Morning muffins, breakfast torta, Heavenly hash browns and mini cinnamon pecan coffee cakes.
Afterwards, students will get to eat everything on their menu and bring some goodies home. Breakfast Blast will be March 14, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Delicious desserts
If breakfast doesn’t tempt your child’s palate, perhaps the second class will: “Delicious Desserts” will be Mar. 16, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The dessert menu features peanut butter cups, chocolate cup cakes with gooey frosting, fruit turnovers, chocolate-dipped fruit kebabs and lemon bars.
Martini, says the students will be able to prepare each recipe when they finish the class. No experience is necessary; cooking school instructor-chefs will work side-by-side the students to assist them.
Cooking classes can have a lasting effect on children, says Martini.
New confidence
“Parents [of former students] come up to (cooking school staff) and say, ‘She used to be shy, but this has given her new confidence,” says Martini. “And if [children] don’t like a certain food, they’re more apt to try it if they participate in preparing it. For example, many parents have commented that after their children learned to make wonton soup during a cooking class, the recipe has become a staple in their home.”
Martini recommends parents allow their children to cook at home with them.
“It is so good for both the parent and the child to cook together,” she says. She cautions parents to be realistic and “take the patience necessary” to work in the kitchen with children.
Since opened
Central Market has been offering children’s cooking classes since it opened seven years ago. In addition to the spring break classes, the store will be offering a class for Mother’s Day as well as eight weeks of classes in the summer. Summer classes will begin in June, with three classes a week. In addition to covering recipes that go along with the theme of “Around the World,” classes will include discussions of cooking-related issues such as kitchen safety and manners.
Call Central Market Cooking School at 368-8600 to sign up for either class. Classes are limited to sixteen students; spaces are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Central Market is located at 4821 Broadway in San Antonio.
Martini offered these two kid-friendly recipes from previous cooking classes. While neither will be covered in the spring break classes, they are recipes parents can share with their children without the benefit of a class.
Crunchy French Toast
Ingredients:
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. coconut, toasted
1/3 c. corn flakes, crushed
3 Tbs. butter
4 slices bread Directions:
In a flat dish, combine the egg milk, sugar and cinnamon. In another flat dish, combine the coconut & corn flakes. Heat the butter in a skillet or griddle. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, then into the corn flake mixture. Brown on each side in the skillet. Serve with maple syrup or strawberry maple syrup.
Strawberry Maple Syrup
Ingredients:
1 c. strawberries
1/2 c. syrup
1/4 c. apple juice concentrate Directions:
Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor and serve hot or cold over French toast or pancakes.
Zucchini with Mozzarella and Pretzel Crumbles
Ingredients:
2 zucchini
2 summer squash
1 tsp. salt
1 lemon pepper
1 c. pretzels, crumbled
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 c. mozzarella cheese Directions:
Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. Cut zucchini & squash into circles. Place in the buttered pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with pretzels, and top with the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.
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