email this page
Give these recipes a try.
Ponzek, a mother of three, twice earned three-star status from the New York Times during her stint as executive chef at Manhattan’s Montrachet. When she left full-time restaurant work, she and her husband, Greg Addonizio, opened Aux Delices, a specialty food business. Now, they have three gourmet take-out food shops in and around Greenwich, Conn. They also have a production kitchen and bake shop where 22 kids at a time participate in themed cooking classes, such as Tapas for Kids and Let’s Cook Asian.
As the mother of Remy, 11, Cole, 10, and Gray, 7, Ponzek started cooking projects around the island in her home kitchen with small groups of their friends. “Kids love cooking with their peers, and you’d be surprised how many more things they try with their friends cooking beside them,” she says.
For the home kitchen, Ponzek recommends small groups so that “each child has enough work space.” She reminds parents that even older children need to take turns at the hot stove for safety reasons. Age appropriate, hands-on recipes are ideal; even little ones can tear leaves off basil and pull grapes off a stem. She suggests that parents consider a child’s personal interest and ability so that cooking is always a positive experience. Some children will want to tackle ethnic meals or artsy cake decorating; others simply enjoy making, rolling and topping a pizza. She adds, “But kids of all ages love to make the Chocolate Flowerpot Cakes.”
** A wonderful chocolate frosting recipe for the Chocolate Flowerpot Cakes can be found here.
Chocolate Flowerpot Cakes
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon,
all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups boiling water
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
Chocolate Frosting, optional
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Stir together boiling water and cocoa in a small bowl.
4. Combine butter and sugar and beat with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes, scraping the bowl once. Add eggs one at a time; beat well after each addition.
5. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape bowl occasionally. Batter will be thin.
6. Divide batter evenly among pots to about three-quarters full. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pots on baking sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely in the flowerpots. Frost the top of each with Chocolate Frosting, if desired. Serves 8.
Note: The cake batter fills two 8-inch layer cake pans, if you prefer. Bake the cake layers 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire racks and fill and frost as desired.
Recipe adapted from The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together by Debra Ponzek (© 2006. Published by Clarkson/Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.). Relish Cooking with Kids, June 2008.
Sugar Snap Peas with Mint and Lemon
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄3 cup loosely packed chopped mint leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
¼ teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lemon
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add peas, mint and lemon rind; cook 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly heated. Add salt and lemon juice. Serves 4.
Recipe adapted from The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together by Debra Ponzek (© 2006. Published by Clarkson/Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.). Relish Cooking with Kids, June 2008.
Tropical Chicken Skewers with Mango Yogurt Dipping Sauce
½ small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (5 to 7 ounces each)
2 red bell peppers
6 (12-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes
½ teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Mango Dipping Sauce:
1 large mango, chopped
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
1 green onion, coarsely chopped
2. To prepare fruit and chicken, cut pineapple into 12 pieces. Cut chicken into 24 pieces. Cut red bell peppers into 24 pieces. Thread fruit, bell pepper and chicken onto skewers (allowing kids to arrange the ingredients). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly spray grill grate with cooking spray. Heat charcoal or gas grill to medium hot.
4. Place skewers on grill and cook 5 to 7 minutes per side, turning as needed, until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
5. Serve skewers with dipping sauce. Serves 6.
Recipe adapted from The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together by Debra Ponzek (© 2006. Published by Clarkson/Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.). Relish Cooking with Kids, June 2008.
Related Stories
If you enjoyed reading this story, The Family Kitchen, then you might enjoy these other stories.Share This Story With Others:
There are no current discussions for this article. Why not be the first?
