Feedback and Recipes of England

Today I made the classic fish and chips and British pound cake. Here is a picture below:

Here's some feedback:
- I enjoyed the pound cake a lot. I would recommend next time you makes the chips, less rosemary. And the fish was very good for how it was supposed to be made.
- Naomi, the food was all delicious. I had never had fish before but your fish was amazing. Good job with the pound cake! I like the sugar on top and the potato wedge was well seasoned and very good.
-The food was pretty bomb. The fish was amazing and so was the cake.
- Fish: Has a very nice light flavor and a nice texture. Cake- the cake isn't too sweet which makes it soo delicious. The potato was also seasoned very well and had a good texture.
- Everything was amazing. The fish was cooked really well and the fries were seasoned really good. The pound cake was perfect too.
- The cake was very good and I loved the chips and and fish. Over all it was very delicious!
- Despite the fish not being crunchy I still thought it was really good. I liked that you chose a fish that didn't have to strong of a taste. I liked how the pound cake wasn't overly sweet. I always love potatoes so of course they were amazing lol.
- The fries were perfectly baked. The fish was delicious, but some pieces were saltier than others. If the pound cake was supposed to have lemon, I didn't really taste it. Otherwise, it was delicious.
- The food this week was amazing! I don't have fish a lot but I thought it was great. And of course the cake was very good too! Nice job!
- I didn't get any seconds :( but the pound cake and fries were good.
- The food was 10 out of 10. The English pound cake was my favorite and the french fries were just as good. I would have eaten the fish if I wasn't allergic haha (I personally, the author, am a tad mad because whoever this is didn't tell me in the beginning of the year that. It's cool though) I will definitely pay to find English pound cake in the stores.
- The fish and chips were amazing! I loved the spices you used. The pound cake was my favorite, I was in love with the clash of flavors between the butter in the cake and the powered sugar on top! Good job!
- The fish was perfectly cooked. The potato was good, but my mom makes me them with a little garlic salt. The pound cake was perfect, very buttery.
- The food was exceptional once again- really liked the fish, haven't had good fish and chips in a while, thanks for a great meal once again.
- I loved the food today!! I thought it was perfect, Although I didn't try the fish the chips and pound cake were amazing!
- The potato wedges were delightful. I enjoyed the Rosemary spice as well, it adds a great touch of flavor.
- You're really good at making food! I think my favorite food today was the pound cake. It was really tasty and had a great texture! The French fries were really great as well (I sadly only had one) but I enjoyed every bite. The fish delicious too!
- Naomi, I really enjoyed this weeks food... as always. The potato wedges were my favorite, I've always loved them. I also really like the pound cake. The only thing I would recommend would be to make the outside crust softer. I also only like tuna generally, but the tilapia was good.


Recipes
English pound cake
- 3 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of butter
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 cups of white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract
- 6 eggs

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt then set it aside.
3) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

4)Stir in vanilla, orange and almond extracts. Blend in the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, until fully incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5)Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Allow cake to cool on rack before removing from pan to cool completely.

Fish and Chips:

- 1 1/2 pounds fresh tilapia fillets

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 extra-large egg

- Vegetable oil, for frying

- 2 large baking potatoes, unpeeled

- 2 tablespoons good olive oil

- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1)Lay the tilapia fillets on a cutting board. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Cut the fillets in 1 1/2 by 3-inch pieces.
2) In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 1/2 cup of water and then the egg.
3)Pour 1/2-inch of oil into a large (12-inch) frying pan and heat it to about 360 degrees F.
4)Dip each fillet into the batter, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Place it very carefully into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pieces. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil between 360 and 400 degrees F. Cook the fish on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the "chips."
Baked "Chips"
1)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2)Scrub the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half in thirds lengthwise. You'll have 6 long wedges from each potato. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together, making sure the potatoes are covered with oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer with 1 cut side down.
3)Bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, turning to the other cut side after 20 minutes. Bake until they are lightly browned, crisp outside, and tender inside. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Interviews

I am writing interview questions for my topic and with have a sample email to send to a chef and schedule an appointment.

1. How long has it taken you to become a chef?

2. When did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

3. Are there any role models in your life? Why?

4. Did you have any struggles along the way?

5. If you never became a chef, what would you want to be?

6. What is your favorite dish?

Hello, my name is Naomi and I am a student of a middle school in Middletown. We are working on this project in Language Arts called genius hour. Genius Hour is where people or students donate 20 percent of their time learning more about something they are passionate about. In my school we are currently doing that and my topic is around the world and around the plate. My topic involves cooking and for me to embrace different types of food and cultures. Every other Friday, I make food for my class from different countries each time. I know you must have a busy schedule but I would appreciate if I could interview a chef from your restaurant and learn how it is done in a professional kitchen with an experienced chef.

Background of France

     Did you know that France makes 400 kinds of cheese? Hello cholesterol and happiness, goodbye healthy living. Did you also know that the Eiffel Tower weighs about 10,000 tons? Anyway let's get down to the history of France. France is about 80 percent of Texas, if that helps with a visual, and is the largest nation in western Europe. In France with its summers are warm, its cool, rainy winters, and 90 percent of land fertile, makes France one of the world's leading farming nation.
     France did not immediately succeed in establishing a democracy due to the fact that Napoleon became emperor of France in 1799. Prior to that, France was under the control of the Romans for 500 years, starting in 58 B.C. Hard Rock life for them but eventually they obtain a democratic government and rights as citizens.
     France can also be known as a place where there were individual achievements. For example, as Marie Curie discovered Radium in a French lab and she became the first women to win a Nobel Prize.

Background of China

Dynasties aren't the only thing that determines China's history, geography plays a role too. China is composed of different climates with different features in different regions of the country. Natural products are largely dependent on rainfall. Some of its exports include wheat, barley, rice, textiles, silk, an a variety of teas. During the Stone Age there was a lot of cultural change such as how people began living together in settled places. They also cultivated land, domesticated animals, and made polished stone tools. Also a 4,000 year old writing system enabled the Chinese people to communicate with each other and maintain a cultural identity.

Can you think of any Disney princess who is Chinese? Congratulations if you guessed Mulan, and if not I don't think you know your Disney princesses that well. In the 1988 animated film, the main character Fa Mulan takes her father's place in a current war against the Huns. She goes to the training camp and pretends to be a guy there (no one suspected a thing. You'd think someone would notice.) and trains to fight. Well the inspiration came from a legend called The Ballad of Mulan, where there is the same plot as the movie except for the fact that the main characters name in the legend is Hua Mulan.

Feedback and Recipes of China

Today I made dumplings and chicken fried rice from China in honor of Lunar New Year. Here's the feedback and posted below is the recipes for the dishes.
- The food was AMAZING! Maybe try and make food for the vegetarians.
- I'm not really a dumplings person but the rice was great. It had incredible flavor, and I think the peppers made it. 9/10
- I only had the chicken fried rice but it was really good. It tasted like ti was from hibachi.
- Your food was great. I only had the rice, yet it was a 10/10 meal for me. Each of your cooking has benn amazing and gives me more of a reason to enjoy Fridays.
- I really liked the rice and dumplings. They had a good combination off flavors.
- Perfectly executed! Bring more portions!
- AMAZING JOB! The dumplings wee great and the rice was absolutely amazing!
- I loved your chicken fried rice. It was a good combination of flavors and had a good texture.
- I really like the chicken fried rice! At first when I had the dumpling I thought it was plain but then I put the soy sauce on it and it was very good! Nice job!
- I thought the rice was perfectly evened out in terms of the ingredients. I especially liked the bit of chicken. The dumplings were a little too doughy in my opinion but they were still good.
- I really enjoyed your dish today and was happy to eat one of my favorite meals. The dumplings were really good, although my second one had a bigger dough ratio than meat. The rice followed by soy sauce was great.
- I thought your food was amazing! I absolutely loved the dumplings and they tasted even better with the soy sauce! I loved the rice too. I can't wait for the next time.
- The rice was very good and I was cooked perfectly and I don't know what other things you put in there but it worked! Oh, I usually don't like peppers but I liked that.
-Rice- amazing; maybe add a little more spicy.

The dumplings were not my best presentation but everything came out good so I guess that's what counts; the flavor (not my personal motto as I will try to do better next time) Here's a picture of how they turned out.

Recipes

Dumplings:

- Ginger root (fresh, 2in x 1/2 in) shredded

- 1 pound of ground pork

- 1 tablespoon of rice wine

- 1/4 cup of scallions

- 1/4 cup of celery

For the dumpling wrapper, use 3 cups of flour and 1 1/4 cups of water and mix to create a dough.

Knead it and let it sit for five minutes then knead for three minutes again. Let it sit until you are done with the pork preparations.

1) Add the minced (cut as very small cubes/ cut thinly) of scallions, celery and the shredded ginger to the meat and mix it.

2) Once the dough is ready, make circles and place some meat inside. Seal the dough so that the meat can stay inside.

3) Place in a pan with water that doesn't exceed the height of the dumpling and steam for about 25 minutes. To check, take a dumpling and open it and taste it to check if the pork is cooked properly. You could buy dipping sauce specialized for Chinese dumplings.

Chicken Fried Rice:

- 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper (diced)

- 1/2 tablespoon of scallions (thinly sliced)

- Depending on how many people you are cooking for determines the amount of white rice you used. Make it a day before because it is better when it is cold. Let it cool out.

- 1/2 tablespoon of garlic

- 1/2 tablespoon of ginger

- 1 cup of fried chicken cut how you like it.

- 1/2 cup of soy sauce.

1) Pan fry the red pepper, garlic, ginger, scallions, and chicken. Then in a separate pan fry the rice with the soy sauce.

Recipes and Feedback (Greece)

 Feedback: On Friday I made a classic Greek salad and Tzatziki Sauce.
-I really liked the olives, they were a good balance to the salad. The dip was a little to garlic-y for me but nonetheless it was still good.
-I really enjoyed the pita bread and the sauce. The salad was the bomb. Good job.
-All delicious. I didn't eat the dip but only cause I don't like sour cream.
-Tastes very good. I like the salad and how it was different than what I usually eat. The pita bread and dip reminded me of something I had before and was very.
-The dressing to the salad was delicious and reminded me a lot of Italian dressing. Personally, I am not a fan of feta cheese but I think it would match well with this salad. The dip was very good as well and I really liked the consistency. (Although there was a bit too much of garlic)
-I liked the salad a lot and the dressing and the cheese tasted really good with it. The chips were a little hard to bite into but they were still rally good. I liked the dip a lot.
-I think that your food was a really good combination of flavors. I like the bread and the dip together. You did a really good job and I think everything as very tasty together.
-The food was, as usual, very good. I usually am not a huge garlic fan, but this is done well so it's not so overpowering. The salad was great (I love salad), since the dressing compliments it well.
-Very good once again! Loved everything as usual! thanks for the yummy food!


Recipes:
Classic Greek Salad
- Depending on the amount of people, one-two bundles of lettuce, cut about an inch
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (6 ounce) can of pitted black olives
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese (optional to preference)
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
     In large bowl combine the ingredients and add your preferred dressing on top.


Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 large English cucumber, peeled and grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 4 cloves of garlic minced (could be less if you are not a fan of garlic)
- a teaspoon of lemon juice
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups of sour cream

     1) Sprinkle the cucumber and salt in a bowl and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will help take out the juice from the cucumber.
     2) Place the sour cream in a separate bowl. Dump the cucumber and its juice onto sturdy, dry paper or cloth towel and squeeze as much moisture as possible from the cucumber. Add the cucumber into the sour cream and mix together with the garlic. Season it with salt and pepper to preference.
     3) Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Greece's background

     Greek customs are a very important aspect of Greece and its culture and also its traditions. In America, most people believe Christmas is the most important holiday however in Greece they treasure Easter more than Christmas. On Good Thursday and Good Saturday, women dye eggs red and bake buns. On Good Friday, the day of mourning, they decorated Epitaphios, the tomb of Christ with his icon, in flowers and carry it around the village then return back to the church where the believers would kiss the image of Christ. They also believe in superstitions as well. For example, instead of Friday the 13th they believe in Tuesday the 13th with the same things applying.  They also celebrate a festive called Carnival (In Greece it is called Apokries) where they feast for two weeks. Everyone is dressed up and parties take place in the streets and bars, throwing confetti to each other.  Right across Turkey is Greece. It is surrounded by water on three sides and is slowly going underwater economically and geologically.