Summer Farmer's Market Cooking Demo

Nov 1

Our subscriber writes that she is making a food/cooking demonstration for a farmer's market. The good news is that she has plenty of beautiful fruits and vegetables.

The challenge is that they only gave her a hot plate and an electric skillet."GREAT!" We tell her - an electric skillet is easy to use, and it makes everyone feel like they can go home and cook just like you because almost everyone has a skillet and knows how to use it.

Here are our suggestions:

Warm salsa -Summer's bounty of fresh peppers, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and fruits lend themselves well to a warm salsa.

If I were going to make a warm salsa in the skillet, I would chop tomatoes (or use cherry tomatoes just as they are), peppers, green onions, cilantro, and peaches/apricots. I would saute garlic and onions, then gently add the other chopped veggies - add cilantro and lime at the end. Remove from the heat quickly. Serve with fresh baguette slices or crackers and enjoy - this could go great with whole grain pita triangles, chips, veggies, fish, chicken, or even fresh salsa or rice - the sky is the limit.

Skillet cobbler -If you have berries and plums, you can make a skillet cobbler. I would cut the plums in quarters and bring them to a simmer with sugar and a bit of water plus cinnamon. Then when it is soft, add the berries and stir and serve. There are a few Farmer's Market handouts here.

And here is the link to a recipe for lower-calorie cheesecake and sorbet cake and a chart on the calories of these items compared to regular frosted cakes.

Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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