Pre school menu

My son is about to start pre school. He and I will both be joining a co-op program that calls for parents to participate in the daily activities. One of the duty is to provide snacks for the children. In my group, there will be 9 children. The school is strictly vegetarian with restrictions on nuts of any kind. I heard also that we have a child with allergy to sesame seeds and oils. My challenge is to provide a finger snacks for 9 children that includes the following food groups.

2 vegetables

2 fruits

1 protein

1 grain

For my first attempt I plan on doing the following:

• vegetable oil [grapeseed oil] fried cubes of tofu (protein)
• apple frites (fruit)
• blueberries or more ambitious banana tempora (batter made from eggs and flour) (protein/fruit)
• cucumber sandwiches (grain/veg)
• zucchini chips

To serve I will use the skiphop mini bowls that came with the palette tray. I bought a dozen of those during Lucian's first year to stock up on puree meals. I will have to look for other vessels for the remaining items.

Quick scallop dish

Last night I came across Alton Brown's simple technique for searing scallops. With that in mind, I went to WholePaycheck and bought their ready made mango salsa and a can of truffle olive oil, along with 10 scallops big enough for searing. The dinner was then really simple. I took out of the freezer one of Trader Joe's asparagus risotto and heat that in a chef's pan. Seared the scallops in oil and butter. Served it with a drizzle of truffle oil topped with mango salsa. Really fast and easy. Scallops was about $11, truffle oil $10, mango salsa $5, and risotto was probably $3. The result was delectable.

WD50

I thought of that lubricant that calms squeaky wheels when I heard the name WD50, but that's as far as my smarts go. As Martina and I drove up to 50 Clinton street where Wylie Dufresne runs his molecular gastronomy she says, 'silly, it's named after his name and the street number!'

The food was simply great!

Martina and I chose the 8 course tasting that served up little bites of chemistry sets. I ordered the wine pairings to mix it all up with. I was wowed by some dishes and found a couple too smart for my little noggin. The wines were simple and unpretentious. The flavors complemented the flavors so well. I was taken in by the marriage of sherry and foie gras terrine.

The best part of the evening of course was meeting chef Dufresne in his immaculate kitchen!

Eating vs. Drinking

I am a fiend when it comes to drinking fresh squeezed orange juice. What a wonderfully effortless and delightful way of sucking in all that wonderful flavors fruits of all kinds give out without having to work at it; no peeling, pitting, and chomping to extract the small morsels of sweets and tarts. Juice gives up that wonderful tastes in abundance. I love starting out a sunny morning with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. Aaaah....

I never doubted the benefit of drinking juice, until I heard a wise tidbit this morning on public radio. The show asked a simple question, why drink juice when you can eat the fruit. I've grown up lazy in my generation. Everyone is on the go and doesn't have time to stop and eat a proper meal. Well, the news is fruits are better eaten than drunk! You take in all the benefits and none of the sweets and calories. In juice form, one consumes most of the frutose and take in the least of nutrients. Also, eating a fruit helps you moderate the amount of in-take. You can drink a lot of juice, but you would be full and satisfied with eating far less of a fruit.

I'm turning over a new leaf. I will stock up on fruits and savor the occasional glass of juice, perhaps make myself a mimosa instead!