Ultimate Cooking - Symposium Preparations

Yesterday in Ultimate Cooking, we prepared for the symposium. As we reflected on the week, it was hard to choose just one thing to display for all the things we have learned. As we came to a conclusion, we decided to make a Bolognese sauce with homemade pasta. Earlier in the week, we learned how to make both of these things at the Tuscan Kitchen during our workshop on Tuesday. We spent the afternoon yesterday making four pounds of pasta that we could feed to the community. We handmade the pasta by preparing the flour and using the proper techniques to form the dough. As we finished our first trial, we realized the dough was too wet and was sticking together. We then had to re-roll all the dough and remake the four pounds of pasta. As we finally completed the pasta, we learned how to over come obstacles and not rush processes in the kitchen. We also created a menu and a slide shows that displays our work throughout the week. At the end of the day we took a reflective period to look back on the skills we learned and the memories we made.

Ultimate Cooking; Facing the Judges!

Today in ultimate cooking the group was once again divided into two groups. Our challenge for the day was to create an entrée, side, and dessert for our panel of judges. As we split up in different kitchens, the groups went to work beginning with planning and shopping in the morning session. After lunch, Mr. Sampson's group went to work on making chicken pot pie, coleslaw, oreo truffles, and fried apple rings. Taking a total for 4 hours, the group went through many processes to accomplish the full meal. As each dish required multiple steps, it was the perfect challenge to push our comfort zones and try new techniques. In the other kitchen, Mrs. Kesslering's group created their own meal that consisted of asparagus, a loaded baked potato, lemon thyme chicken, and snow pudding. As their meal saw many challenges with the work space, they were able to over come and improvise to create a delicious meal. As the groups came together, it was time to eat our final products. Each group pre pared a final dish and served it to the judges. As the the judges were pleased with each dish, there had to be winners. The best main entree was awarded to the lemon thyme chicken. The best desert was awarded to the oreo truffle. The best side was the homemade vinegar coleslaw and finally the best overall group was Mrs. Kesselring's squad. As this was a very productive day, the group used skills learned form the whole week to make delicious food. This showed us how far we have come and that we can prepare our own food. We are excited to see what the last couple of days have in store for the chefs of Ultimate Cooking!

Ultimate Cooking Day 3

Ultimate Cooking had an eventful day dedicated to making unique pizzas. As we split into two teams, we spent the morning preparing the recipes and ingredients for our three pizzas. As we were encouraged think outside the box, each group stepped outside their comfort zone and created some unique pizza options for our judges. The first group kicked off the competition by making a unique taco pizza, mac and cheese pizza, and nutella pizza. The taco pizza had an exciting kick with salsa as the pizza sauce and refried beans, cheese, and veggies as the toppings. The Mac and Cheese pizza was an all around fan favorite as the noodles and cheese blended deliciously with the pizza dough. Lastly, group one's desert pizza was sweet and fresh at the same time. Using Nutella and fresh fruit, the two blended well and was a perfect way to top off their presentation. After we ate those pizzas, it was the second groups time to go to work. The second group had three new ideas that consisted of egg and bacon pizza, cinnamon roll pizza, and a meat and vodka sauce pizza. The egg and bacon pizza was the judges vote for best pizza of the day. The cinnamon roll pizza was another fan favorite and won the desert pizza competition. Lastly, the meat and vodka pizza was delicious and loaded with different meats and cheese. All in all, the the day was a success as each group created delicious and and different pizzas. One thing that was really cool was that no group used traditional pizza sauce and instead created their own sauces. As we learned how to make the dough from scratch and think outside the box with toppings, our day today taught us easy skills that we can use for future cooking. It was a fun day with delicious food and we are back at it tomorrow as the same groups will prepare their own main dish, side, and desert for our set of judges.

 

Monday Ultimate Cooking

Today in Ultimate Cooking we made Chicken Cutlets, Nachos, and Chicken Wings. For all three dishes, we had team competitions to see who could impress the judges the most. In the morning, Mr. Sampson and Mrs. Kesselring were very impressed by Gretchen and Anthony's chicken cutlet dish.

 With striking presentation and delicious taste, their dish prevailed as our week's first competition winner. After lunch, the crew headed to Market Basket to shop for ingredients for nachos and chicken wings. One group had a delicious beef,  six cheese, and veggie nacho blend with Micah Little's fan favorite Guacamole to compliment the dish.

The other group had a 3-in-1 nacho dish which included a bacon, plain, and veggie section. To compliment their dish they had two types of Guacamole and re ried beans as dipping options. In the end, the first nacho dish took home first place.

In the last challenge of the day, the same two groups had to make their own buffalo and barbecue sauces from scratch for our wings. As both sauces were quite tasty, the Barbecues complexity and kick took the last "W" of the day.

All in all, we learned some very valuable kitchen skills. Skills such as safely cutting vegetables and preparing meat are important as we continue on in our cooking careers.

Ultimate Cooking

Essential Question: What simple tools and techniques can give people the skills to make delicious gourmet food that will help them eat like royalty and be popular in college while also giving them cooking skills to use for the rest of their lives?

This week, we will learn how to expand our palates by exploring new cooking techniques and being adventurous eaters. Ultimate cooking will start a journey to create delicious and satisfying food that will help prepare us for college and life. On Tuesday, we are excited to go to Tuscan Kitchen and have the opportunity to learn from experienced chefs. We will be learning proper shopping rules and how to buy food efficiently. Christian is looking forward to the food competitions and spending time with friends. Micah is looking forward to making homemade pizza and Guddie is excited to learn new skills that will impress his mom. Mary is excited to learn simple skills of the kitchen and craft meals of her own.