Penta Career Center instructor honored

Penta Career Center chef instructor Denise Schaefer had a wonderful surprise at the American Culinary Federation Northeast Regional Conference in Pittsburgh in early March. She was awarded the ACF President s Medallion given by John Kinsella, the group s national president, to members who exemplify culinary excellence and leadership.

Mrs. Schaefer is a certified executive chef and a certified culinary educator. She has been at the Penta Career Center for 32 years and has been a member of the ACF Maumee Valley Chef s Association for 20 years. In 2003, she was awarded the association s Chef of the Year award. She is a ServSafe instructor with the National Restaurant Association.

Culinary history

The second biennial symposium on American culinary history, Regional and Ethnic Traditions, will be held May 18-20 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The three-day-event includes topics such as Mouth of the South and Matzoh Ball Gumbo. Among the speakers are authors Jane and Michael Stern and Ari Weinzweig, co-founder and co-owner of Zingerman s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor.

Registration for the event, sponsored by the Clements Library and its Longone Center for American Culinary Research, is $175 with additional charges for specific culinary events.

For symposium details and registration, visit www.clements.umich.edu/culinary or call 734-764-2347. Registration deadline is April 30.

Artisanal food

Three Ohio artisanal producers have been named finalists in the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards: Jeni s Splendid Ice Creams of Columbus for outstanding dairy, outstanding fruit or vegetable, and outstanding confectionary food; La Campagna of Westlake, Ohio, for outsanding condiment/oil/vinegar, and Milo s Whole World Gourmet of Athens, Ohio, for outstanding condiment/oil/vinegar.

The finalists will submit their products to be judged to determine the grand prize winners across seven categories.

The recipe for Scottish Oat Scones is from Quaker Oats.

Here s a springtime recipe from Quaker Oats:

Scottish Oat Scones

1 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

teaspoon salt (optional)

8 tablespoons margarine or butter, chilled and cut into pieces

cup currants, diced dried mixed fruit, dried cranberries or dried blueberries

1/3 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in currants. In small bowl, combine milk and egg; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir with fork just until dry ingredients are moistened (do not over-mix).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll or pat dough into 8-inch circle about -inch thick. Sprinkle with combined remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Cut into 10 wedges; place on cookie sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm.

Yield: 10 scones

Source: Quaker Oats