Buckley Cooks

Ms. Kaczkiewicz's French Clafoutis

A French summertime classic, every year once spring and summer roll around my mother will make this easy dessert with whatever fresh fruit is available – or dried fruit, if that’s all she has.

Fast, flavorful, and vibrant, Clafoutis (pronounced clah-foo-tee) is part custard, part cake studded with brilliantly colored berries, or cooling fruits.

Add a dollop of Schlag (hearty German-style whipped cream), or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’re left with a brilliant dessert ideal for weeknight meals, or dinner with guests.

Basic Clafoutis (borrowed from Epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk*
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 325**

Step 2: Choose your fruit! In these pictures I used raspberry and peeled, sliced pear but most fruits will work just as well. Berries of all kinds are always a winning choice, but cherries, apples, peaches, figs, etc… even dried fruits make delicious choices! Arrange the fruit in a cast-iron skillet or pie pan.

Step 3: Make the batter! Whisk together all of the listed ingredients until it is a smooth batter. It will be quite liquid and easy to pour.

Step 4: Pour over the fruit, then bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm – though it is just as good chilled the next day.

*My mother skips the whole milk and flour and substitutes about 1 cup-1 ½ cups of plain Greek yogurt. I personally prefer this recipe, which has a more cakelike texture but the carb-conscious might prefer the substitute!

**It can easily be baked at 350, for a shorter duration, but the lower, slower cooktime lets the top develop a beautiful golden hue.

Ms. Amos' Hedgehog Bars (an Australian Favourite)

Ingredients:

17 oz graham crackers
2 sticks salted butter, melted
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tin sweetened condensed milk

Icing Ingredients:

17 oz Semi-sweet chocolate
2 teaspoons cooking oil (I used coconut oil, but any can be used)

Instructions:

Step 1: Crush the graham crackers in a bowl, until there is a combination of fine and chunky crumbs. Add the cocoa powder and coconut and mix well.

Step 2: Melt the butter and sweetened condensed milk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Press into a brownie pan (11 x 7 x 1.5 inch) until roughly smooth and refrigerate until cool.

Step 3: Melt chocolate and oil in the microwave for approx 30 secs and pour onto the cooled bar mix and smooth over. Refrigerate to set.

Step 4: Cut into bars, squares or triangles and enjoy.

** I made a half batch of mixture and pressed it into a 9in x 9 in square pan. It made 18 triangles.

Cole P.'s Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. lasagna noodles
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 lb. Gardein-brand meatless ground substitute
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-0z.) jars marinara
16 oz. whole milk ricotta
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 c. chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
large egg
lb. sliced mozzarella

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375º. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente, less 2 minutes. Drain and drizzle a bit of olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-high meatless substitute, garlic, oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, then add marinara and stir until warmed through.

Step 3: Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, and egg in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 4: In a large casserole dish, evenly spread a small amount of the meatless sauce across the bottom of the dish, then top with a single layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of ricotta mixture, and a single layer of mozzarella. Repeat layers, topping the last layer of noodles with meat sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

Step 5: Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then increase temperature to 400º and bake uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes.

Step 6: Garnish with parsley before serving.

The Perez Family’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all purpose flour (unbleached, if you have it)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or your favorite)
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2: Grease and flour a 9x13 pan

Step 3: In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well.

Step 4: Add the flour and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Step 6: Spread half of the cake batter in prepared pan.

Step 7: Sprinkle half of the chocolate chip mixture over the batter.

Step 8: Repeat with the remaining batter and chocolate chip mixture.

Step 9: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Mr. Roden's Microwave Cooking Club

Bento Boxes with Ms. Amos

Anyone who knows science co-chair Michelle Amos knows she knows bento. A collector of bento boxes, she is often the envy of the faculty lounge as she heats up the contents of her culinary jewel box for lunch. Here, she offers some suggestions for packing a bento to take on a walk, to the park, a car ride, or to the beach (even if you have to drive to Ventura Country)!

Ms. Amos’s Bento Rules:
When packing a bento for transport, always make sure that it is packed very tightly. Cherry tomatoes are great space fillers, to stop things moving around too much. Use silicon cupcake to separate out smaller items like fruit or berries. Salad green leaves are another great divider. Please remember, if packing anything that is hot, allow it to cool down before sealing the bento.

Blue Bento Box:
This bento box contains four 1-inch square pieces of zucchini bake made from zucchini, carrots, egg, and cheese (a lunch box staple in Australia), baby spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, salad dressing, and some fresh mixed berries. Substitute the zucchini for mini quiches, frittata, or any kind of omelette; sub in any type of salad green for the spinach.

White Bento Box:
This ‘mezze platter’ contains roasted pepper hummus, tzatziki dips, crudité (carrot and cucumber sticks), cherry tomatoes, beef meatballs and some toasted sourdough. Meatballs can be substituted for small fried chicken pieces, chicken nuggets, or satay chicken pieces and the dips can be replaced with any you have in the house.

Send us your favorite recipes (and a photo of the finished product) from social isolation! Just email buckleyathome@buckley.org with the subject line, 'Buckley Cooks'!

Ms. Zarrow's Vegan Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies