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Staff Intern EAST LONGMEADOW On July 24 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Katie Wilton will be teaching a cooking class at the East Longmeadow Public Library. The class is for nine to 14 year olds. Wilton will be promoting her cookbook, "You're the Cook! A guide to mixing it up in the kitchen." Participants will learn how to make foods such as Pizza Wontons, Deviled Eggs, Parmesan Pita Triangles, Yogurt Fruit Shakes, and Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries. Wilton brings her own equipment such as a toaster oven and hand mixer. "I also bring plenty of hand sanitizer," Wilton added. Wilton got into cooking when she was growing up. Her mother did not enjoy cooking and was willing to allow Wilton to experiment in the kitchen. While teaching at the Wellington School in Columbus, OH, she attended cooking classes where her love of cooking really took off. At a food conference, Wilton had a "lightning bolt moment" where she realized how she could combine her two favorite things, teaching and cooking. Wilton started working at a gourmet food market where she acquired hands on experience cooking and teaching. "I offered cooking classes for children at the market and at the Wellington School Summer Program," Wilton explained. At that point, Wilton realized she needed a formal education. She started attending The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and received a Professional Chef's Diploma. Her goal is to build confidence in middle school students by teaching them the life skill of cooking. "Middle school was important for me and middle school students are mature enough to handle equipment such as a hand mixer," Wilton said. Also, she enjoys talking to the students about their lives and can relate to them well. Wilton's cookbook focuses on four major products: eggs, cheese, pasta, and berries such as strawberries and blueberries. "The recipes are meant to teach basic culinary concepts. I also encourage the students to change the recipes such as the pizza wontons. Once they know how to make the wonton itself, the students can put anything they want into the wontons like bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate chips," Wilton commented. Copies of Wilton's cookbook can be purchased on Wilton's Web site, www.cookingwithkatie.com. Each book is $17.75 including shipping and handling. Pre registration is required. Please contact the East Longmeadow Library at 525-5432 for information about registration. Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries Recipe from "You're the Cook! A guide to mixing it up in the kitchen" by Katie Wilton. makes 12. 12 large strawberries 12 blueberries 4 ounces cream cheese 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1. Gently wash strawberries and pat dry. Remove green leaves and scoop out some of the center of the strawberries with a melon baler. Cut a bit off the bottom of each strawberry so that they will sit up on a plate. Wash blueberries, pat dry and set aside. 2. Place cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, and honey in a medium bowl. Mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Place the mixture in a pastry bag or a sealed bag to pipe filling into strawberries. 3. Pipe the cream cheese filling into each strawberry, sprinkle with some brown sugar and top with a blueberry. Serve chilled. | ||||||
