By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com
In June, I had the pleasure of attending the Haldimand 4-H Celebrity Chef Club’s final meeting. Leaders Andrea Iacurti, Nate Evans, and Angela Bonitatibus based this club on popular chef Nick DiGiovanni and his cookbook “Knife Drop.” Andrea said, “Members developed skills in cooking, baking, food safety, knife work, and preparing dishes from scratch.”
Each member was required to choose one recipe from this book, prepare it at home, and bring it to the final meeting to share with everyone.
I spoke with first time 4-H member Ally Houwer, who chose to make fruit leather. She joined the club because she loves to cook and wanted to discover more recipes. One of the biggest lessons she learned was to have patience. Being one of 14 members, she said, “Everyone had to wait for their turn.”
Logan Chlan, another member, chose grilled cheese and tomato soup. He was clever and cut the sandwiches into bite-sized pieces. Using a toothpick, each person could dip it into the soup to enjoy a taste. One of his fellow members suggested the idea. He enjoys cooking at home and started watching cooking shows because his older brother was watching. Best part of the club for Logan was eating the food they made each meeting. Enjoy!
Fruit Leather
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tablespoons honey
Preheat the oven to its lowest setting, ideally between 135°F and 175°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth, then gently tap the blender on a hard surface to pop any air bubbles. Pour the puree onto the prepared baking sheet and spread thinly and evenly, then slam the sheet on the counter a few times to get it perfectly even. Don’t pour too thin of a layer or you’ll get thin fruit crisps instead of fruit leather, but don’t pour it too thick because it’ll take far too long to dry.
Place in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 hours or until the leather is no longer sticky to the touch, but take care not to overcook, as it can become dry and brittle. Start checking at about 3½ or 4 hours because oven temperatures will vary.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Gently peel the leather from the parchment and use a knife to cut it into strips. Tear it by hand or eat it however you like!
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter,
softened & divided
½ large yellow onion, chopped
1 (794g) can San Marzano tomatoes
¾ cup chicken stock
Kosher salt
4 slices sourdough bread
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar
1 cup freshly grated Muenster cheese
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 Tablespoons of butter with the onion. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes and chicken stock and season with salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sandwiches. Use a pastry brush to coat one side of each slice of bread with ½ Tablespoon of mayonnaise.
In a large nonstick pan, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add 2 slices of bread, mayonnaise side down, and top with 1¼ cup of cheddar and all the Muenster. Add the top slices, mayonnaise side up, and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the bottoms become golden, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the sandwiches from the skillet.
Sprinkle the remaining cheddar in two spots, each the size of the sourdough bread footprint, in the skillet. Place each sandwich on the pile of cheese and cook until the cheese forms a golden crust on one side of the sandwich, about 5 minutes.
To finish the soup, carefully transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend on high until smooth and lighter in colour.
Transfer the soup into serving bowls and plate the sandwiches.
