Comments from Alice Waters and Jacques Pepin on cooking competitions

Cooking Competitions – A word of caution about them

January 29, 2017January 29, 2017Leave a comment

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A Word About Cooking Competitions

Cooking competitions are the rage right now!

This is Chef Scott, founder of Chefsville. I found an interesting article about cooking competitions and wanted to comment on the remarks made. There were some very true insights in this article by 2 extremely influential forces in the food industry, Alice Waters and Jacques Pepin.

Chef Alice Waters is one of the original founders of the farm to plate movement from back in the late 1970s. Continue reading “Cooking Competitions – A word of caution about them” →

Cooking Skills Every Beginning Cook Should Learn

December 1, 2016August 30, 2022Leave a comment

Cooking skills are so important! When it comes to cooking, there are so many wonderful ingredients, equipment, cultures and techniques to use that one will find they never will get bored.

Chefsville provides all kinds of teaching venues throughout the Dallas Metroplex. After working with over 250,000 students (both kids and adults) we decided to drop this online as a great read. Teaching cooking skills is wonderful fun for us. Continue reading “Cooking Skills Every Beginning Cook Should Learn” →

Mac & Cheese with Bacon

November 10, 2016March 24, 2021Leave a comment

Mac & Cheese with Bacon

Our 4th president, Thomas Jefferson invented Mac N Cheese. He made a pasta extruder that helped make macaroni. Back then, in the 1700s, macaroni was long and flat. So you would get only 6 per serving. Every-time I celebrate Thomas Jefferson, I eat a version of Mac N Cheese. This one has bacon to really perk it up. If your family eats bacon, then this is a great recipe for you.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Dish, Side

Cuisine American

Servings people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter unsalted
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 slices bacon diced
1/2 pound pasta any shape that is fun
1/2 white onion diced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove chopped
1 quart whole milk scalded
1 cup white bread crumbs
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar shredded (2 cups)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
Meanwhile, melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.
Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour them into a 10 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish.
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until they're minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.

Notes

Equipment Necessary-
2 Pots
Cutting Board
Chef’s Knife
Box Grater
Whisk
Wooden Spoon
Adult Supervision

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Eggless Pasta Dough

November 9, 2016March 24, 20211 Comment

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Eggless Pasta Dough

One of the great questions if you are a huge pasta fan is: Egg or eggless? Well to be honest, in Italy, the recipe for pasta changes from town to town. Adding eggs was made by more "well to do" people. It does add a slight richness to the dish, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with eggless pasta. Basically in Italy, they use a different type of flour than we do here in America. They use "semolina" which is a dry duram wheat - very hard flour. Semolina because it basically is a whole grain product has nutritional value. Contrast to that, in America, all-purpose flour is used that doesn't have any nutritional value.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Appetizer, Main Dish, Poultry and Eggs

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings People