Over the past eight years I have had the wonderful privilege of sharing my thoughts and favorite recipes with all of you through these monthly articles. This one is special since it will be my last for the foreseeable future. I have taken on a new role at the college — director of LLCC Community Education. 

I will miss being the culinary coordinator of Community Education, creating and teaching programming and events with a focus on food and wine education. At the same time, I’m very excited to expand in my new role, developing and overseeing various non-credit learning opportunities, programs and events for people of all ages in our community. I plan to bring the same passion I have for cooking and baking classes to our personal enrichment, arts, travel, youth camps and skill building courses we offer. Just like food brings people together, I hope the programs we offer through Community Education will bring the community together and be a resource for people to learn, grow and forge a pathway to all types of educational opportunities at the college.  

Thank you all for your emails, comments and questions about my articles over the years. I always appreciated hearing from you! I’m leaving you with a few of my favorite recipes from previous articles, and I look forward to introducing you to the new culinary coordinator in the spring semester. Until then, I wish you Happy Holidays, and happy cooking and baking this winter!  

Traditional sugar cookie dough

Yield: 3 dozen 3-inch cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients a little at a time to the butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated.
5. Divide dough in two portions, flatten and wrap. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and roll out on lightly floured surface. 
6. Cut, and then bake on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. Decorate with the following cookie icing recipe.

Sugar cookie icing

Yield: 2 cups of icing

• 3 tablespoons meringue powder 
• 4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners’ sugar
• 6 tablespoons warm water

1. In a stand mixer, use a whisk attachment to mix all ingredients together on low speed for 7-10 minutes. Only stop mixer once, about halfway through mixing, to scrape down the sides. DO NOT whip at any speed except low (stir) or icing with become stiff.  
2. This icing will be a very thin, pourable consistency. Use a funnel to pour into a squeeze bottle to pipe onto cookies.  
3. To color icing, use powdered or gel colors and stir in by hand. A little color goes a long way.
4. Keep icing covered in bowl, or cover cap of squeeze bottle when not in use. Icing will dry and crust over if not covered.
5. This icing is used to make the flat glazed decorated cookies. If layering colors, let dry in between applications. 
6. Once dry, icing will be shiny and hard to the touch. 

French Quarter beignets

Prep time: 15 min., Inactive time: 90 min., Cook time: 20 min.

Yield: about 2 dozen

• 1 cup warm water (105° to 110°)
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 
• 1/3 cups of sugar + 1 tablespoon 
• 2/3 cup whole milk 
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk 
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 
• 4 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• neutral oil for frying 
• powdered sugar 

1. Add the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a standing mixer bowl, and whisk until combined. Let sit for 7-10 minutes until it forms a raft on top. 
2. Next, pour in the remaining sugar, milk, eggs and melted butter, and whisk until combined. 
3. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer with the hook attachment, and add in the salt and flour. Mix on medium speed until smooth and the dough has pulled away from the inside of the bowl, about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel, and let sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes. 
5. Transfer the dough to a large clean surface dusted with flour, and roll out until it is ½” to ¾” thick and cut into 1 ½” to 2” squares or rectangles. 
6. Add 5-6 of the beignets to a pot with hot oil or a deep fryer set to 350. Cook for 1 1/2-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. 
7. Cook in batches until the beignets have all been fried. Set on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or paper towels, and drain. 
8. Coat heavily in powdered sugar and serve. 

Mini éclairs

Yield: 36 minis

• 4 ounces milk
• 4 ounces water
• Dash of salt
• 4 ounces butter, cubed
• 6 ounces bread flour
• 8 ounces eggs

1. Bring milk, water, salt and butter to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
2. Once butter has melted, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously to combine.  
3. Continue to stir until mixture forms a mass and pulls away from sides of pan, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixer, and beat on medium with the paddle to cool slightly.  
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each. Dough will slide off paddle when ready.  
5. Place in piping bag, and pipe small round drops about the size of a tablespoon onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.  
6. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.
7. Cool. Then fill with pastry cream (recipe below).

Pastry crème 

Yield: 3 pounds

• 32 ounces milk 
• 8 ounces sugar 
• 3 ounces butter (cubed) 
• Pinch of salt 
• 3 ounces cornstarch 
• 12 ounces eggs 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

1. In a large saucepan, combine milk, sugar, salt and cornstarch. Over medium heat, whisk constantly and bring to a boil.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs.
3. Temper the egg mixture by slowly adding the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture whisking CONSTANTLY! Add the hot to the cold very slowly, or you will scramble the eggs!
4. Return mixture to saucepan. Continue to cook over low heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Remove from heat. Cool over an ice bath, and stir in butter and vanilla.
6. Once cooled, pipe into baked shells (recipe above). Dip tops of éclairs into chocolate ganache (recipe follows). 

Chocolate ganache

Yield: 1 cup

• 4 ounces dark chocolate
• 4 ounces heavy cream

1. Heat cream in saucepan over low/medium heat just until simmering. Pour over chopped chocolate, and let sit for a few minutes. As chocolate starts to melt, stir with a folding motion (gently) until all chocolate is melted and there is a smooth mirror shine to it.  
2. If chocolate does not melt completely, microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.