Cooking from the Pantry

Posted by Maile.
Recently, we were part of the Worcester Wine and Food Festival. It was full of restaurant folks serving fancy food. It was all very yummy, but - we’re not a restaurant; we’re a cooking school, and we wanted to serve something our students would make. So we decided on gougeres, which we make in our Very Basics series, filled with homemade herbed ricotta, which we make in our cheese classes, topped with pickled red grapes, which is a garnish that could appear any time.

Though the flavors were subtle, the gougeres were well received, and they looked great. There were, however, a few “interesting” comments. Not the response you want to hear! So when the Taste of MetroWest event came along, Lori turned to the pantry.

Now, we’re always teaching our students about stocking the pantry and putting meals together from what’s in the pantry and fridge. Lori found that she had the makings for three spreads that would go with the gougeres and ricotta: Lime Curd, Spanish Strawberry Preserves, and Carrot Halwa.

Well, you have to remember that Lori’s a super-creative cook and knows all these great techniques. That’s why she’s the chef and we’re the students. Lime Curd – luscious; Spanish Strawberries – divine; but Carrot Halwa?! I tried it. It’s delish! A great way to get your carrots, too.

Carrot Halwa

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Cups grated carrot
2 Cups milk
1/4 - 1/3 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Grating of nutmeg

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over MEDIUM-LOW. Add carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and no longer “raw”. Add the milk; increase the heat to bring it to a low boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until milk evaporates. Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add spices.

NOTE: Halwa is usually served with cashews decorating it or actually as an ingredient. At the last minute, Lori added a handful of pistachio nuts.