A SWEET REVOLUTION WITH FRENCH FRIDAYS

A SWEET REVOLUTION WITH FRENCH FRIDAYS

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Listen up. French Fridays is joining a global revolt. Created by English chef Jamie Oliver, who crossed the Pond to transform the way America feeds its children, we Doristas are proud to hold our whisks high and march into battle. It’s Food Revolution Day. For the past 3 years, we have set aside this special Friday to support Oliver’s mission of inspiring kids to be food smart.

Applesauce Spice Bars

Applesauce Spice Bars

My secret weapon for FRD are the irresistible Applesauce Spice Bars. These amazing sweets are loaded with healthy – diced apples, plump raisins, chopped nuts and unsweetened applesauce. Spiced up with cinnamon and allspice and frosted with a swoon-worthy brown-sugar glaze, one of these tasty bars will multiply your happy tenfold. Family, friends, or guests? Smitten. Just crumbs left. The recipe is below.

The beauty of these tasty bars are that they are made in one pot. The batter is delicious enough to eat (and, I did) or pour over ice cream!

The beauty of these tasty bars are that they are made in one pot. The batter is delicious enough to eat (and, I did) or pour over ice cream!

Now I’m game for this revolution but who wants to do battle alone? Not me. So I texted my California family and asked if they’d care to revolt with me. With a little prodding from Melissa, their mother, both Emma, 13, and Clara, 11, agreed, saying there’s nothing they’d rather do! Although I wasn’t privy to the negotiations, I think it revolved around, “It’s Grandma. Her Blog. You will participate.”

Clara (and, her Dad) are the designated Lefse griddle bakers. Lefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread made with leftover potatoes, flour, butter, and milk or cream.

Clara (and, her Dad) are the designated Lefse griddle bakers. Lefse is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread made with leftover potatoes, flour, butter, and milk or cream.

Food Revolution Day is about getting kids food savvy, setting them up for a long, healthy life. Over 42 million children worldwide under the age of five are now overweight/obese. That’s doubled since 1980. YIKES. As a result, childhood diabetes is on the uptick. Readers, it’s time to throw up a Stop Sign.

The Bars are ready to pop into the oven.

The Bars are ready to pop into the oven.

Out of the oven and cooling while I make the glaze.

Out of the oven and cooling while I make the glaze.

Emma and Clara know their way around their kitchen. However, it was two years ago, when their mom opened her own business, working long hours, that they stepped up their game. During most weeks, they make a meal plan, Melissa does the shopping and some prep, but it’s the girls who have the meal ready-to-go by dinnertime. Both of them make their own school lunches and, if treats are to be baked, they do it. Since we often trade text photos of what we’re making, this could be an ideal time for more food conversation.

After spreading with the brown-sugar glaze,  it's time to cut them into bars.

After spreading with the brown-sugar glaze, it’s time to cut them into bars.

Our family eats healthy but we also don’t discount sweet treats. Since Emma’s speciality is Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies which her Mother had already requested for her Mother’s Day stash, she would bake a batch. I was in for Applesauce Spice Bars. Clara’s choice was a dilemma, bagels and pretzels which she’d never done or baked donuts. “The best treats I have ever made,” she said, “were Nutmeg Cinnamon Donuts with Maple Frosting.”

She made all three.

Emma's making meringues with her Mom while her Dad makes breakfast.

Emma’s making meringues with her Mom while her Dad makes breakfast.

Our food conversations meandered around the best things they make….

Emma: “I love to make Lemon Bars, Macaroons and, of course, Oatmeal- Raisin Cookies with Chocolate Chips. I make the part of dinner that is not meat. [note: Emma is a Vegetarian.] And, I LOVE nachos.”

Clara: “I can make Omelettes, Donuts (baked), all types of Cookies, Burritos, Ham, and Sausages.”

and, their worst disasters.

Clara: “My worst disaster was when I accidentally used powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar (the cookies tasted GREAT though). I also made a cornbread and it sunk. It tasted and looked weird, but I do not know what I did.”

Emma: “Once I make a toffee brownie thing in a pan for a Superbowl party but it tasted bad. It was kinda bitter and gross! “ =(

Emma's Oastmeal-Raisin -Chocolate Chip Cookies

Emma’s Oastmeal-Raisin -Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wanting to know if they enjoyed this kitchen thing and wished to expand their repertoire, I asked what more they’d like to learn to cook. Their wants ranged from fancier main course dishes and ice cream (“I want my Mom to teach me.”) to quiche and brownies.

Clara's first-time-ever bagels and pretzels

Clara’s first-time-ever bagels and pretzels

As I sit writing this post tonight, on the eve of Food Revolution Day 2015, I feel grateful, very grateful and also sadly alarmed. My grandchildren are not who we are trying to reach on this important day. Emma and Clara are not targeted by the California-based Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. They have not met hunger nor suffer nutritional deficiencies. Their parents are tough taskmasters, seeing to their nourishment and filling their bellies with healthy, organic foods. Those kids are already food smart and have the best shot to live a long, healthy life.

My alarm is about the 2.6 million children worldwide who die each year because of hunger-related causes. In the United States alone, 15.8 million children live in food insecure households. It gets worse. Thirty to 40% of the food supply here is wasted. That’s more than 20 pounds of food per person per month. It gets worse. The tab for that lost nourishment is creeping towards almost $200 billion. Hooray and thank you to food activists Oliver, Alice Waters, Ann Cooper and Michelle Obama for their efforts to bring more nourishing choices to America’s school lunchrooms.

Statistics: *WHO, March 2013; United Nations Environment Programme, N. America; Feeding America

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APPLESAUCE SPICE BARS by Dorie Greenspan, Baking from my home to yours Cookbook
(Makes 32 bars)

INGREDIENTS:

The Bars

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

The Glaze
2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13 inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

4. Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and liquor, if you are using it. Whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth.

5. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Mix in the apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

6. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool while you make the glaze.

7. For the glaze, in a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking frequently. Adjust the heat so that the glaze simmers, and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

8. Turn the cake out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the cake onto another rack, so it is right side up. Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher. Grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the cake, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let the cake cool to room temperature before you cut it.

Storing: Kept in a covered container, the bars will be fine for about 3 days at room temperature. Because of the glaze, they cannot be frozen.

French Fridays with Dorie is an international group of food bloggers who are cooking their way through Around My French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. Visit our link here. Merci to Canadian blogger Mardi Michels of http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/ who not only supports Jamie Oliver’s efforts but also encourages the FFWD participation.

FRENCH FRIDAYS: JOINING THE REVOLUTION

FRENCH FRIDAYS: JOINING THE REVOLUTION

For today's purposes, we are theRevolutionaries. Dominick (l), Mary, Cavanaugh(r).  Selfie by Dom

For today’s purposes, we are the Revolutionaries. Dominick (l), Mary, Cavanaugh(r). Selfie by Dom

“Cooking is, without a doubt, one of the most important skills a person can ever learn. Once someone has that knowledge, that’s it – they’re set for life”. Chef Jamie Oliver

Although Dom is draining moisture from the cucumbers, Cav decided we needed more cubed dukes.

Although Dom is draining moisture from the cucumbers, Cav decided we needed more cubed cukes.

This week we Doristas pulled out our chopping blocks, sharpened our knifes and picked up our whisks. It’s Jamie Oliver’s third annual Food Revolution Day and, once again, French Fridays with Dorie is here to do battle. Last year’s theme, with teachers and foodies in 74 countries participating, was Cook It & Share It. This year we were asked to “cook with kids and get them excited about food.”

Dom is drying the cucumbers by twisting them in a dish cloth and squeezing. He found this very strange.

Dom is drying the cucumbers by twisting them in a dish cloth and squeezing. He found this very strange.

I asked my neighbor, Cavanaugh, a 17-year-old junior at Aspen High School, to cook with me. Although Cav is now into football, college interviews and getting fit in his tux for this month’s prom, I’ve known him since he was a little boy fixated on StarWars.

Yes, Cav is going to kill his mother for sharing this picture with me. He was such a cute little boy.

Yes, Cav is going to be unhappy with his mother for sharing this picture with me but he was such a cute little boy.

Last Christmas I was at City Market when Cav and his pal, Dominick, were grocery shopping. Their cart was piled to overflowing with snacks. Chips, crackers, dips and spreads, cookies, Coca Cola, candy – nothing nutritious. “Hi, Cav,” I said, “ what’s all this?”

Adding all the Tzatziki ingredients to the Greek yogurt mixture

Adding all the Tzatziki ingredients to the Greek yogurt mixture

“Oh, hello, Mrs. Hirsch,” he replied. “We’re just stocking up for the rest of the holidays.”

We put the finished Tzatziki in the fridge so the flavors could blend together well,

We put the finished Tzatziki in the fridge so the flavors could blend together well.

When I returned home from the store, still amused, I did what any respectable pseudo-Grandmother would do, I called his Mother. “Blanca, I just saw Cav and his friends at the grocery store,” I reported. “They were loading up for the rest of the school break and absolutely nothing was nutritious.”

Dom separates the yolk from the egg whites for the chocolate mousse.

Dom separates the yolk from the egg whites for the chocolate mousse.

After hanging up, Blanca went flying down the stairs to the rec room where the boys were unloading their groceries into the snack cupboards and fridge. “Mrs. Hirsch just called and says you didn’t buy anything nutritious.”

Now Cav separates the yolk from the egg whites. (I will admit to a little gentle trash talk going on here.)

Now Cav separates the yolk from the egg whites. (I will admit to a little gentle trash talk going on here.)

I soon received a text from the boys. “Yes, we did, Mrs. Hirsch. We bought bacon!”

Melting chocolate is always a  dicey technique for me. Not too much but just enough. Dom programmed the microwave (15 second intervals) while Cav stirred the 4 ounces of chocolate each time to finally get the proper consistency. It was perfect.

Melting chocolate is always a dicey technique for me. Not too much but just enough. Dom programmed the microwave (15 second intervals) while Cav stirred the 4 ounces of chocolate each time to finally get the proper consistency. It was perfect.

That’s the reason why my young friends, Cav and Dom, celebrated Food Revolution 2014 with me in my kitchen last Wednesday afternoon.

It's boring to wait for egg whites to form peaks and get shiny. They actually taught me the physics involved in this technique. (Who knew?)

It’s boring to wait for egg whites to form peaks and get shiny. They actually taught me the physics involved in this technique. (Who knew?)

We first made Tzatziki, a Greek yogurt-based blend of seedless cucumbers, fresh herbs, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Since it is distinctively tasty and creamy, it’s a great dip for crudités and chips. Although neither Cav nor Dom had tasted Tzatziki before, they recognized and liked the dill flavoring. As a substitute for mayo, maybe? “This would be great on a hamburger,” Cav suggested.

After "lightening" the chocolate with meringue, Dom carefully folded the remaining meringue into the bowl. Cav offers additional instruction.

After “lightening” the chocolate with meringue, Dom carefully folds the remaining meringue into the bowl. Cav offers additional instruction.

Because I wanted a show-stopper to rival store-bought cakes, cookies and candy bars, we also made Dorie’s totally decadent Top-Secret Dark Chocolate Mousse. Rich, creamy, and delicious, this mousse is something the boys could make for their parents and eventually their own friends and families. A bit more complicated than Tzatziki, this dark chocolate concoction was awesome (their word, not mine).

After pouring the mousse into brandy snifters,they each added whipped cream. We used the best product available from a can which worked fine.

After pouring the mousse into brandy snifters,they each added whipped cream. We used the best product available from a can which worked fine.

I hope you readers enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed cooking and spending time with these very handsome young men. Jamie Oliver wants this day to be a celebration with kids and “day of global action to raise awareness of the joys of cooking good food and it’s impact on our health and happiness.”

Although we didn't have time to let the mousse sit in the fridge for an hour before decorating, we still produced a pretty dessert.

Although they didn’t have time to let the mousse sit in the fridge for an hour before decorating, they still produced a pretty dessert.

It wasn’t easy to juggle busy schedules, practices and classes to make this afternoon happen. And, even I admit that cooking with Mrs. Hirsch was probably not at the top of their Want-to-do List. But, at the end of the day, we’d laughed, weathered a yolks/egg whites separation disaster, handled constant incoming texts from girlfriends and created two rather tasty dishes. I’d call that a pretty perfect revolution, wouldn’t you?

Ready to roll with a boxful of Tzatziki with crudités and chips and a batch of Dark Chocolate Mousse. Good job, Guys.

Ready to roll with a boxful of Tzatziki with crudités and chips and a batch of Dark Chocolate Mousse. Good job, Guys.

French Fridays with Dorie is an international cooking group working its way through Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table. Although both the recipes in this post are already linked, you can again grab the recipes here and here. If you wish to see the revolutionary efforts of my colleagues, go to our FFWD site.