Comfort Foods</h1> <article> <h1>Comfort Foods</h1> <p>ygay — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 20:55:30 +0000</p> <span>Comfort Foods</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-03-02T15:55:30-05:00" title="Tuesday, March 2, 2021 - 15:55">Tue, 03/02/2021 - 15:55</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Sometimes there's nothing like a warm bowl of comfort after a long day. To help fill the craving, AVI staff members share some of the dishes that give them the warm and fuzzies, from fried chicken to cream puffs. </p> <p> </p> <div> <div class="expandable-section"> <h2 class="expandable-section__title"><button aria-controls="recipe1" aria-expanded="false" class="expandable-section__toggle" type="button"><span aria-hidden="true" class="expandable-section__toggle__symbol"></span> Pickle Brined Chicken</button></h2> <div class="expandable-section__content" id="recipe1"> <p><strong>Sous Chef Brian Csaky’s Pickle Brined Nashville Hot Chicken</strong></p> <p>“This is hands down the best way to prepare chicken,” says Csaky. “Who doesn’t love Nashville chicken? The addition of the briny pickle flavor really compliments the spicy fried goodness.”</p> <p>Chicken</p> <p>8 bone-in thighs</p> <p>Chicken Brine Ingredients</p> <p>2 cups pickle juice</p> <p>1 cup hot sauce</p> <p>2 to 3 cups buttermilk </p> <p>Frying Ingredients</p> <p>2 to 3 cups seasoned flour</p> <p>peanut oil </p> <p>Sauce Ingredients</p> <p>1 cup hot sauce</p> <p>½ cup brown sugar </p> <p>3 tablespoons cayenne pepper (or to taste)</p> <p>3 tablespoons paprika</p> <p>3 tablespoons garlic powder</p> <p>3 tablespoons chili powder</p> <p>Brine Preparation</p> <p>1. Combine brine ingredients into a large bowl. Pour over chicken to cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. </p> <p>Chicken Preparation</p> <p>1. Preheat oven to 275°F.</p> <p>2. Fill a Dutch oven three-quarters of the way with peanut oil.</p> <p>3. Drain chicken in a colander, then coat chicken in enough seasoned flour to coat. </p> <p>4. Gently drop chicken into oil and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 °F, roughly 18 minutes. Set on paper towels to drain. </p> <p>Sauce</p> <p>1. Combine hot sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper (or to taste), paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder in a bowl and whisk until smooth. </p> <p>2. Gently pour 1 cup of the mixture over fried chicken and toss in a bowl, making sure to completely coat chicken. *Be careful not to touch your eyes. </p> <p>3. Remove coated chicken from the bowl.</p> <p>4. Place leftover sauce in a small bowl for dipping.</p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div class="expandable-section"> <h2 class="expandable-section__title"><button aria-controls="Recipe2" aria-expanded="false" class="expandable-section__toggle" type="button"><span aria-hidden="true" class="expandable-section__toggle__symbol"></span> Cream Puffs</button></h2> <div class="expandable-section__content" id="Recipe2"> <p><strong>Esther Reed’s Cream Puffs</strong></p> <p>“My mother always makes cream puffs for family gatherings,” says Reed, director of retail at AVI. “They take some work but they are SO worth it.”</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Esther Reed, director of retail, holds a plate of unrolled pastry dough. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>Pastry Ingredients</p> <p>½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces</p> <p>½ cup water</p> <p>½ cup 2% or whole milk</p> <p>¼ teaspoon salt</p> <p>2 teaspoon granulated sugar</p> <p>1 cup all purpose flour</p> <p>4 large eggs, beaten </p> <p>Combine 1 egg with t tablespoon milk or water for egg wash.</p> <p>Pastry Cream Ingredients</p> <p>2 cups half-and-half</p> <p>6 large egg yolks, at room temperature</p> <p>½ cup granulated sugar</p> <p>&frac18 teaspoon salt</p> <p>¼ cup all-purpose flour</p> <p>¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces</p> <p>1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract</p> <p>Choux Pastry Dough</p> <p>Combine butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or, if using a handheld mixer, a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding eggs in the next step.</p> <p>Adding Beaten Eggs to Pastry</p> <p>With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add beaten eggs in 3 to 4 separate additions, mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will look curdled at first, but will begin to come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency.</p> <p>Your choux pastry dough is complete. You can use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.</p> <p>Pastry Shells (profiteroles)</p> <p>1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).</p> <p>2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.</p> <p>3. Lightly brush the parchment with water.</p> <p>4. Transfer choux pastry dough to a piping bag or use a zip bag and cut off one corner for easy piping.</p> <p>5. Pipe smaller than palm sized puffs onto parchment paper.</p> <p>6. Using a water moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each puff with egg wash.</p> <p>7. Do not open the oven as the pastries cook, as cool air will prevent them from properly puffing up. Bake for 20 minutes then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. </p> <p>Allow puffs to cool completely before filling.</p> <p>Cream Preparation</p> <p>1. Heat half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Add flour and whisk until combined. Mixture will be thick. Whisk about 1/2 cup half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered yolk mixture into half-and-half in the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes as the mixture thickens.</p> <p>2. Increase heat to medium and cook, whisking vigorously, until bubbles burst on the surface, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract until combined. Pastry cream will be thick. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Put plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.</p> <p>3. Transfer pastry cream into a piping bag or zip top bag. Cut tops of profiterole shells off and fill with pastry cream and replace tops.</p> <p>Alternatively, puffs can be filled with fresh whipped cream, lemon curd, chocolate mousse, etc. The sky's the limit!</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="expandable-section"> <h2 class="expandable-section__title"><button aria-controls="Recipe3" aria-expanded="false" class="expandable-section__toggle" type="button"><span aria-hidden="true" class="expandable-section__toggle__symbol"></span> Hot Sauce Crackers</button></h2> <div class="expandable-section__content" id="Recipe3"> <p><strong>Sarirose Hyldahl’s Hot Sauce Crackers</strong></p> <p>“This is a simple recipe but the result is so good and can be changed up in so many ways to suit your tastes,” says Hyldahl, director of catering.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Sarirose Hyldahl, director of catering, pours hot sauce into a large metal bowl. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>Ingredients</p> <p>4 tablespoons butter or margarine</p> <p>1 cup hot sauce </p> <p>1 teaspoon garlic powder</p> <p>¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (for extra spicy)</p> <p>1 teaspoon dried oregano</p> <p>1 box club crackers </p> <p> </p> <p>1. Preheat oven to 350 °F</p> <p>2. In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine, add dried spices and gradually stir in hot sauce until incorporated and the mixture has a gloss. Remove from heat. </p> <p>3. Place crackers in a large bowl and pour hot sauce mixture over top. Stir gently with a rubber spatula to ensure all crackers are evenly coated.</p> <p>4. Cover and allow crackers to soak up the sauce for at least 30 minutes or longer.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 1.25rem;"></span>5. Arrange crackers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to15 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crispy.</p> </div> </div> <div class="expandable-section"> <h2 class="expandable-section__title"><button aria-controls="Recipe4" aria-expanded="false" class="expandable-section__toggle" type="button"><span aria-hidden="true" class="expandable-section__toggle__symbol"></span> Sauce for Meatballs</button></h2> <div class="expandable-section__content" id="Recipe4"> <p><strong>Matt Schlottag’s A1 Meatball Sauce</strong></p> <p>“This is a great recipe rather than the traditional chili and jelly meatball sauce you normally see,” says Schlottag. “Once people have these, they will be begging you for your meatball sauce recipe. This recipe is forgiving and you can adjust the ingredients to suit your personal taste."</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Matt Schlottag, retail manager, in the Stevenson Dining Hall kitchen. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p>Sauce is for 1 pound of meatballs. Use it with your favorite meatball recipe.</p> <p>Ingredients</p> <p>¼ cup unsalted butter</p> <p>¼ cup steak sauce</p> <p>¼ cup ketchup </p> <p>2 tablespoons brown sugar</p> <p>¼ cup sour cream</p> <p>crockpot</p> <p>1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat.</p> <p>2. Add ketchup and steak sauce, whisking to combine.</p> <p>3. Stir in brown sugar until melted.</p> <p>4. Whisk in sour cream.</p> <p>Take care to not rush the sauce. Blending the ingredients too quickly or with too high of heat will cause the sauce to become greasy and separated.</p> <p>When the sauce is done, pour over meatballs in a crockpot and cook for 1 hour on high. Reduce temperature to low and cook an additional 3 hours.</p> </div> </div></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">AVI staff members share personal recipes for some of their favorite dishes</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-03-02T12:00:00Z">Tue, 03/02/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2550">Dining</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2386">Food</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Sous Chef Brian Csaky chops parsley as a garnish for his hot chicken dish.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Notable Black Culinarians to be Honored with Notable Dishes</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 20:20:41 +0000</p> <span>Notable Black Culinarians to be Honored with Notable Dishes</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-02-10T15:20:41-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - 15:20">Wed, 02/10/2021 - 15:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During her illustrious career, Edna Lewis, an award-winning chef and author, encouraged Black people to use fresh and local ingredients. Yemisi Awosan, another culinary influencer, is building a name for herself with foods that focus on her West African culture. Their contributions to the Black community, and those of their peers, was the driving force behind AVI’s contribution to Black History Month. </p> <p>“Candice Raynor, director and faculty in residence in <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" target="_blank">Africana Studies</a>, approached us with featuring events in celebration of Black History Month,” says Lilkeisha Smith, director of operations of 91ֱ��’s AVI Food Systems. “We contribute the best way we know how, through food. It’s what brings people together.” </p> <p>What resulted—a meal that honors Black agents of change in the culinary world—was derived from conversations Smith and Chef Manager Ben Slowik had about this year’s Black History Month theme—To Be Young, Black, and Gifted, and the students' commitment to be agents of change.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A Foods of Africa meal was served in Afrikan Heritage House earlier this month. Selections included Ethiopian collard greens, West African peanut chicken, smoked catfish soup, and timatim (Ethiopian tomato salad). Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>Slowik and Smith spent hours researching culinary articles, biographies, cookbooks, and social media pages. The influencers pulled are reflected in Slowik’s menu, which includes a decadent take on a popular student dish, jerk chicken, as well as new dishes. </p> <p>“There are so many Black chefs and culinarians that are doing their part by being vocal in their food and paving the way for other people,” says Smith. “The question we often ask ourselves when preparing menus is, what do we want our food to say; what’s the story?” “Each dish tells a story through food that inspires, wows, and offers pride in a profession that is often overlooked and where Blacks are often unseen. These culinarians see us and are holding a mirror up so Black chefs can see themselves in an honest and realistic way. How can you not want to join in and be another agent in this food movement?”</p> <p>The Notable People + Notable Dishes February 22 menu will include:</p> <ul> <li>Brisket in honor of <strong>Edna Lewis</strong>—not only a champion for fresh and local ingredients, but a chef who introduced family staples in many Black homes to the world. </li> <li>Jerk chicken in honor of <strong>Kwame Onwuachi</strong>, who used his African and Caribbean heritage to share his story in a refined way. “Onwuachi blazed his own path by stepping outside the box of what society thought a Black chef was, and was an agent of change for Black chefs in fine dining,” says Smith. </li> <li><strong>Yemisi Awosan</strong>, “whose story of starting small and working her way into grocery stores while sharing her heritage and culture is pure [genius],” says Smith. She will be honored with obe ata stew. </li> <li>Vegetable couscous will be served to honor <strong>Bryant Terry</strong>, a vegan chef and activist for a more sustainable food system as a right for all. “His ability to transform soul food staples into a delectable dish where you don’t miss the meat just shows the depth of his creativity and commitment to his craft,” says Smith.</li> <li>Pumpkin fritters, in honor of <strong>Jessica B. Harris</strong>, “who has awakened the minds of many Black chefs and culinarians as we search for our history and what that means through food,” says Smith.</li> </ul> <p>View more events on 91ֱ��’s <a href="/events/series/black-history-month" target="_blank">Black History Month web page</a>.<br> </p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-02-10T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Black influencers in the culinary world will be honored with dishes that reflect their work in a Black History Month dinner later this month.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2386">Food</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students in line for dinner at Afrikan Heritage House.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Q&A with Ben Geltzer</h1> <p>hhempste — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 18:53:04 +0000</p> <span>Q&A with Ben Geltzer</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-09-16T14:53:04-04:00" title="Monday, September 16, 2019 - 14:53">Mon, 09/16/2019 - 14:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Stevenson and Catering Executive Chef Ben Geltzer works in Campus Dining Services. He describes his role as multifaceted, as he manages production of anything that involves food or Bon Appétit. “Whether it’s Stevenson Dining Hall, campus catering, or in the other dining halls—I plan all of the menus, schedule staffing, and am a coach when it comes to teaching staff new things about food,” says Geltzer.</p> <p>Before coming to 91ֱ�� in March 2019, Geltzer worked for Capital University in Columbus. Prior to that, he worked at the Columbus Convention Center and in a variety of restaurants.</p> <p>Get to know more about Geltzer in this Q&A.</p> <p><strong>What do you enjoy most about your role as a chef? </strong></p> <p>I enjoy the challenge, honestly. In a higher education culinary environment, there are so many different moving parts. I like the puzzle of putting it together and seeing how the team comes together to make it work.</p> <p><strong>What’s your favorite thing to cook, either in the dining hall or at home?</strong></p> <p>My favorite thing to cook is anything I’m making at home. When I’m at home, it usually means I’m cooking for a friend or a loved one. Cooking is such an intimate gesture, and it’s such a show of love between people when they sit down to share a meal. I also love cooking something I’ve never cooked before. If it comes out how I envisioned it would, then that’s a great thing.</p> <p><strong>I understand that this summer, you sourced ingredients from the Lorain County Fair, on behalf of Bon Appétit and Campus Dining Services—can you tell me about this?</strong></p> <p>Bon Appetit has been sourcing ingredients locally from the county fair for the past few years. This year, both the steer and the hog that we purchased there had a connection to 91ֱ�� employees. The parent of the girl who raised the hog works for Campus Dining Services, and the father of the girl who raised the steer used to work for us.</p> <p><strong>Does anyone else source ingredients in this way, or are you the primary person? </strong></p> <p>Usually, John Klancar, director of operations, is the person who does this—he’s the one who has built all of the relationships at the Lorain County Fair, but I was able to take this on this year. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this.</p> <p><strong>Will students know when they are getting meals made from locally sourced items?</strong></p> <p>Yes, we’ll make a point of letting students know that this meal has been locally sourced. We’re going to make our own bacon from the pork belly, and we’ll probably cure our own ham. We’ll have plenty of ground beef that we’ll make into meatballs or meat sauce, and we may even make burger patties.</p> <p><strong>What’s the last thing that you cooked?</strong></p> <p>Chicken paprikash, made with herbs from my garden</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-09-16T12:00:00Z">Mon, 09/16/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>“Q&A with…” is a series dedicated to introducing staff members to the 91ֱ�� community. Is there someone you’d like to nominate? <a href="mailto:communic@oberlin.edu">Please get in touch</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2550">Dining</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2386">Food</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Stevenson and Catering Executive Chef Ben Geltzer.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Iron Chef, Stevenson Style</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 19:48:29 +0000</p> <span>Iron Chef, Stevenson Style</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-06-06T15:48:29-04:00" title="Tuesday, June 6, 2017 - 15:48">Tue, 06/06/2017 - 15:48</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>On stage in Stevenson Dining Hall and surrounded by more than 600 spectators, chefs and student participants competed in the Iron Chef Challenge: 91ֱ�� College. The themed event, modeled after the Food Network’s television series, took place during the noontime meal. Two teams, organized by Bon Appétit chef Matt Krasnevich, had 60 minutes to prepare four dishes to present to judges. Students participants Hannah Cipinko, Josh Clemson, Henry Coe, and Max Robinson teamed up with the battling chefs for the competition. At the last minute, a secret ingredient—asparagus—was announced, and competitors had to incorporate the vegetable into every dish. The resulting meals included locally sourced pork tenderloin, shrimp salad, asparagus salad with feta cheese, asparagus soup, scallops, and asparagus muffins.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-05-03T12:00:00Z">Wed, 05/03/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2386">Food</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Campus Dining Services</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>