4 innovative creations capture the spirit of the season
Have you picked up the December issue of Culinaire? If not, go grab a copy of the Alberta food and beverage magazine (find it at locations across the province) and turn to page 9.
"Holiday Entertaining for Extra Credit," by Keane Straub, features the talents and creativity of four NAIT culinary program students. Each offers a fresh take on working with traditional ingredients and dishes, along with a note on what makes those meaningful to them during the holiday season.
Dylan Reimer shares instructions for turkey dinner pie. The meal is heavily influenced by his parents' own interest in food and cooking. "My mother had a magical way of transforming yesterday's leftovers into new and exciting meals," Reimer told Straub.
Janik Hettinger offers his take on quiche lorraine. The German international student reminisces about how the dish would tide his family over as they laboured to prepare the main attraction: the Christmas Eve dinner that is the highlight of the season back home.
Milk bread pot pie bun is Michelle Huynh's contribution to the spread. These savoury, hearty stuffed sandwiches are inspired by Huynh's Vietnamese heritage and a challenge: What's to be done with all the Christmas dinner leftovers? Problem solved!
For dessert: Sweet potato cake. Now at work on a Baking and Pastry Arts diploma, Miranda McElwain (Culinary Arts ’21, Professional Meatcutting and Merchandising ’21) ranks cupcakes among her go-to recipes. This one evokes her grandmother's sweet potato pie, updated for the season with "a garnish of shortbread, Miranda's favourite holiday treat," Straub explains.
Check out all four recipes in the December issue of Culinaire magazine