Delicious Summer Desserts to Create

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcakes with Buttermilk Biscuits and Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

Makes 1 dozen

Strawberries

2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered

½ cup sugar

In large bowl, combine strawberries and sugar, set aside. (Toss occasionally until syrup forms)

Biscuits

1 cup tapioca flour

½ cup sweet sorghum flour

½ cup white rice flour

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup potato starch

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ cup vegetable shortening

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1½ cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the tapioca flour, sorghum flour, white rice flour, cornstarch, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.  Using your fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut the shortening and butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Add the buttermilk, stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Scoop out ¼ cup of dough, shape into a 1-inch-thick round, and place on the greased pan.  Repeat with the rest of the dough, (leaving 2 inch space between biscuits. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks before serving.

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon Gran Marnier

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream, sugar, orange zest and Gran Marnier until stiff peaks form. 

Plating

Cut biscuit in half and place bottom in shallow bowl.  Top each generously with strawberries and whipped cream.   Cover whipped cream with biscuit top and dust with powdered sugar.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Walnuts

Makes 4-6 servings

1 ½ pound beets, trimmed and washed

½ cup walnut halves or pecans

¼ cup sugar

Pinch cayenne

1 medium onion, caramelized

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 ½ tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 oz Arugula, Chiffonade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Individually wrap beets in tin foil and cook in oven 1 ½ hours.

While beets are cooking, place walnuts, sugar and cayenne pepper in medium sauté pan over medium heat. Continue stirring nuts until sugar dissolves into a liquid, and coats nuts. Pour walnuts out of skillet onto a piece of tin foil to cool.

In a second sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add onion, sprinkle with sugar, and stir occasionally 20-30 minutes until caramelized.

Remove beets from oven and allow to cool 30-40 minutes.

To peel beets, place them under cold running water and using your fingers, remove the skins. Dice beets and place in large mixing bowl.

In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and honey.  Gradually whisk in oil, salt and pepper until dressing is emulsified.  Pour dressing over beets and toss until thoroughly coated.  Sprinkle caramelized onions, candied walnuts, and goat cheese over beets, garnish with arugula and serve.

WikiCell - Will It Sell?

WikiCells is a form of edible packaging that will attempt to eliminate society's wasteful addiction to packaging—millions of tons worth end up in landfills each year, according to the EPA. According to the new venture's website, the idea for WikiCells is rooted in the way nature has always delivered nutrients: in a digestible skin "held together by healthy ions like calcium." Apples, potatoes, tomatoes: they all have an edible exterior that protects the treat within. Even something that isn't exactly delicious—like a citrus peel—finds its way into the kitchen in the form of zest.

"This soft skin may be comprised primarily of small particles of chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or many other natural substances with delicious taste and often useful nutrients," writes the WikiCells team. "Inside the skin may be liquid fruit juice, or thick pudding." So far Edwards and his collaborators—chief among them the industrial designer François Azambourg—have experimented with a gazpacho-stuffed tomato membrane, a wine-filled grape-like shell, and an orange juice-laden orb with a shell that tastes like, you guessed it, an orange. Possibilities like an edible milk bottle or yogurt container are not out of the question.

This summer WikiCells plans to market ice cream in an edible shell to a French audience—a high-tech version of something the Japanese have long enjoyed: ice cream-stuffed mochi.

A Delicious Spring Recipe

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion

10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Cold Winter Days Call for "Warm Your Belly" Recipes

As the weather grows colder and we remain indoors more often, having guests over for a special meal is a fun pasttime. For some unique ideas on what to prepare, what better recipes can there be but presidential recipes - Martha Washington's devil's food cake, Thomas Jefferson's beef stew or JFK's Boston clam chowder, to name a few. Go to: OurWhiteHouse.org/tasteofpast.html and NowPublic.com/style/eat-president-50-white-house-recipes-you-can-enjoy

Have fun - you'll be in good company!

Freshman 15 - It Really IS a Myth at UConn

Well, UConn students have taken the "Freshman 15" survey on our Facebook page and the consensus is...drum roll please...it really IS a myth!
Out of 69 students that responded, 14 said that yes, they did gain the Freshman 15, and 55 said that no, they did not gain the Freshman 15. Interesting, for sure.
So, how did that myth start? According to a study from Ohio State University, "The 'freshman 15' is a media myth." The authors of that study have written an article slated to appear in the December issue of the journal Social Science Quarterly, noting that the first mention of the phenomenon in the popular press appeared in 1989 in an article in Seventeen Magazine. Maybe they should have called it the 'Freshmen 17.'

Study: 'Freshman 15' Weight Gain Is A Myth

A study was just published today on FoxNews.com about "Freshman 15 Weight Gain Is A Myth." After all these years, we just assumed gaining all that weight was inevitable. So, out of curiosity, Dining Services is posing the question to students on our Facebook page: Did you gain 15+ pounds when you were a freshman or not? We'll compile the results and see how UConn stacks up to the study. Photo from the nutritionpost.com

Fall Weather is Coming and the Soup's On

Cooler weather is on it's way, any day now, and with it, the desire to enjoy a bowl of hot, delicious soup. While searching online for some quick, easy and delicious soup recipes, I came across this adorable story put to music by one of my all time favorite singers, singing about one of my all time favorite soups....enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNBzJlpwChU&feature=player

GROUNDS FOR GARDEN ENVY

Want a Healthy, Happy Garden?
Add coffee grounds....and Dining Services will give them to you for free! (We have a few pounds here and there!!!)
Vist our UC Cafes and the Cafe in Union Street Market and ask for your free bag of grounds.
Why Coffee Grounds?
Coffee grounds are filled with nitrogen, magnesium, calicum, potassium and other trace minerals - great for growing green things.

There are several ways you can put coffee grounds to work in your garden:
Put coffee gounds in your compost bin.

Add grounds directly to the soil in your garden. You can scratch it into the top couple of inches of soil or just sprinkle it on top and leave alone.

Create a slug and snail barrier. Coffee grounds are both abrasive and acidic so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants may just save them from these garden pests.

Make coffee ground "tea." Add two cups of used coffee grounds to a five gallon bucket of water. Let the "tea" steep for a few hours or overnight. You can use this concoction as a liquid fertilizer for garden and container plants. It also makes a great foliar feed.

Add coffee grounds to your worm bin. Worms love coffee grounds! Add some to your worm bin every week or so. A cup or so of grounds per week for a small worm bin is perfect.

Remember, just visit our Cafe in Union Street Market or one of the UC Cafes that is open this summer and ask for your free bag of coffee grounds. Your worms will thank you.
Information from About.com

University Catering Brings Home a Silver!

NACUFS we enter, year after year,
hoping to bring home a medal
and spread some good cheer
to all of the people who, day after day,
work very hard, so we just want to say...
THANK YOU so much from the bottom of our hearts,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, you certainly are parts
of our department we can't do without.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU ALL ARE THE BEST, WITHOUT A DOUBT!!

Congratulations to University Catering and everyone who was involved in this creative endeavor! Because of you, we won the Silver medal in the Catering: Special Event Catagory!!

Warm Weather Means Grilling

It's never too early to drag out the BBQ and do some hot weather grilling. Thought I'd share a few recipes from Rob.....unusual items you usually don't think of placing on a grill....but they are both delicious! Give them a try at your next backyard grill time.
GRILLED GUACAMOLE
Makes 4 servings
4 avocados, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic-minced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno, chopped (about 2 tsp)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
2 dashes hot sauce
Salt-to taste
Brush avocado halves with olive oil and place on preheated medium-high grill. Grill until slightly browned, remove from grill and allow to cool. Once cool, spoon avocado flesh from the skin and place in mixing bowl. Add tomato, garlic, onion, jalapeno, lemon juice and sour cream. Blend with a fork and then add in tomatoes, cilantro, hot sauce and salt. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips.

GRILLED RED and GREEN CABBAGE SLAW
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil plus additional for brushing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 medium head of red cabbage (about 1 3/4 pounds), quartered through core
1 medium head of green cabbage (about 1 3/4 pounds), quartered through core
1 bunch green onions (about 6), trimmed
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk vinegar, sugar, 1/2 cup oil, mustard, and tarragon in medium bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Brush cabbages and green onions with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill cabbages until dark grill marks form, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Grill green onions until charred on 1 side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to work surface. Chop green onions and cabbages; place in large bowl, discarding cores. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

This next recipe is not to be BBQ'd but really needs to be shared: a delicious recipe for muffins from Dennis. He made these a few weeks ago and brought them in......very, very good. (Would be even better with a bit a dark chocolate, but that's just my peronal opinion!) Enjoy.

ORCHARD CRUNCH MUFFINS
3 cups flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ pound unsalted butter, melted (microwave) and left at room temperature
2 extra large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 mashed ripe bananas
1 cored, peeled, large diced apple
1 cored, peeled, large diced pear
1 ½ cups muesli (if you don’t have this, make a mix of oatmeal, dried fruits and nuts) or use granola
½ cup coconut milk, unsweetened
1/4 cup maple syrup (use local)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with fluted paper muffin liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Add melted butter to dry mix and blend. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and coconut milk. Mix but not too much. Add to flour/butter mixture. Fold in mashed banana, cut up fruit, and maple syrup. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into paper liners. If you have an ice cream scoop, use it. Top each muffin with muesli and brown sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan.

Staff Awards & Milestones

The Divison of Student Affairs held it's annual Awards and Appreciation ceremony a few days ago and we are proud to say that two of our distinguished team members were honored for their contributions to not only the Department of Dining Services, but also to the Division of Student Affairs.
Rob Landolphi, our Culinary Operations Manager, won the 3C Award. In short, this award recognizes the guiding principles of collaboration, communication and community and is presented to an individual, group, department or committee that best exemplifies the notion of being a team player. Congratulations Rob!
Roselyn Lamont, Manager of Chuck & Augie's Restaurant, was honored to be chosen as Employee of the Year. This esteemed award is the Division of Student Affairs highest honor. Congratulations Roselyn!

Quite a few employees celebrated longevity milestones. Brian Cormier, chef at Gelfenbien Commons, celebrated 40 years of service with Dining Services....amazing! Debbie Lee, Lou Levy and Bob Zanonno celebrated 30 years of service. 20 year employees are Xiaoqing Cui, Grace Danso, Carol Gaylor, Gale Marsan, Richard Martin, Ken Soder and Zemei Ye. 15 year employees are Margaret Comeau, Peneope Corcoran, Jim Kupchunos, Helen Mesi and Jason Reynolds...an on down the line. Just goes to show you that Dining Services is a great place to work!

UConn-March Madness vs Dining Services-Candy Madness

With all the excitement of the UConn men’s and women's basketball teams being in the finals, Dining Services decided to jump in on the action with a "Candy Madness/Sweet Sixteen" bracket challenge! John at the Union Central Exchange Convenience Store called us (Marketing) saying he wanted to run a candy contest at the C-store. They just purchased one of those large acrylic candy dispensers...the see-through kind that holds a bunch of different kinds of candy and makes you drool every time you look at it. Well, twenty-nine out of thirty bins are already filled with a variety of colorful, delicious tasting candy. John purposely left the last bin empty, wanting C-Store customers to vote for their favorite candy, chosen from a list of sixteen additional options. Here's where Jeff (Marketing) stole this project away and ran with it.

He proposed the contest be centered around brackets, as in basketball brackets, which are first and foremost on everyone’s minds around here! He designed this great poster and bracket sheet, which is now posted on our Facebook page, along with rules on how to play. So, if you want in on the game and to participate in a different kind of historical event at UConn, go to Union Central Exchange and fill out your bracket! You can also read the details on our Facebook page. By the way, if you haven’t liked us yet, please do. There will be more promotions coming. Thanks! http://www.facebook.com/uconndiningservices

Derek, Chef at Chuck & Augie’s Restaurant, Wins Bronze Medal at NACUFS

Derek Carlsen, Chef from UConn Dining Services’ Chuck & Augie's Restaurant brought home a bronze medal from the National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) Culinary Competition held on Sunday, March 13th. The competition was part of the NACUFS Northeast regional conference held in Syracuse, New York. In the past few years at previous competitions, Derek has won gold, silver and more bronze medals.

Let me introduce you to Derek. He’s got a commanding presence, not only at the culinary competitions but also in the kitchen at Chuck & Augie’s. According to Roselyn, his boss, “Working with the other chefs, Derek is instrumental in the development of the menus at Chuck & Augie’s. He takes great pride in his work and is extremely talented and creative. He enjoys creating new recipes for staff to sample and welcomes their honest input.”

Derek is from Willington, CT and has been at Chuck & Augie’s for three years. In his early twenties, Derek’s experience belies his age. But, as he explains, “When I was a kid, daycare was at my grandma’s house. She would always be cooking something in the kitchen and of course, I always helped.” So he’s had hands on experience almost from his beginning!

As for schooling, Derek attended the Culinary Institute in Suffield and did an externship at the Global Gourmet, a banquet kitchen in the old G. Fox building in Hartford. His first job was at the Ritz Carlton in Boston. Working his way up to line chef, Derek enjoyed the variety and creativity he was able to put into the menus.

When not in the kitchen, Derek loves to fish. His truck is filled with fishing gear at all times so he is ready to drop a line in the water on a moment’s notice. A big-mouth bass has been his largest catch so far but he really enjoys fishing for trout. Maybe in the future I can wrangle a favorite trout recipe out of him, although he wouldn’t tell me his favorite fishing spot. He refused to divulge that secret! However, he will share the award winning recipe he created for NACUFS. Thanks Derek!

Coffee Rubbed Beef Tri-Tip with Avocado Salsa Verde, Sauteed Mushrooms & Leeks, and Sazon Potatoes

Coffee Rubbed Tri-Tip
1.5-2 LB Beef Tri-Tip
2 oz coffee beans (preferably medium-dark roast)
2 Tbsp coriander seed
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
6 each garlic cloves, brunoise
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
As needed smoked sea salt

Trim the beef of fat and silver skin. Cut length wise into 1 ½ inch thick pieces, repeat so you are left with 1 ½” x 1 ½” strips. Set aside and save the scraps for later use. Combine the next five ingredients in a spice grinder until finely ground. Rub the beef and set aside. Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium heat until hot. Shake off the excess rub from the beef and place in the pan. Turn the beef every 2-3 minutes searing them on all four sides. Check for doneness and allow to rest. In a small sauce pot add the oil and garlic on medium heat. When the garlic is a light brown color, remove and place on paper towels. When ready to serve, slice the beef on a bias, and garnish with the toasted garlic and smoked salt.

Avocado Salsa Verde
2 oz Spanish onion, diced
1 LB tomatillos, cleaned and halved
1 bunch cilantro, trimmed
1 each garlic clove, peeled
½ each avocado
As needed salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a container, rest plastic wrap on top of the sauce so there is no air contact. Refrigerate until needed.

Sautéed Mushroom & Leeks
1Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 LB shitake, trimmed and quartered
1 each garlic clove, minced
1 each shallot, small dice
½ tsp thyme, chopped
3 each leek, trimmed and sliced
2 Tbsp butter
As needed salt and pepper

In a large sauté pan add the oil and heat on medium-high. Add the mushroom and sauté until slightly caramelized. Add the garlic, shallot and thyme, continue to sauté until soft. Add the leeks and sauté until slightly soft and add the butter. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks have softened. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Sazon Potatoes
4 LB russet potatoes, tournee
2 pkt sazon
4 Tbsp cornstarch
As needed canola oil
As needed salt and pepper

Add the potatoes to a saucepot of salted water. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes and remove. Combine the sazon and cornstarch and add the potatoes, coating thoroughly. In a saucepot heat the canola oil to 350 degrees and fry the potatoes for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Back Again!

You know how they say there are thousands of random blogs out there with no identities, just floating around in space? Well, this was one of them! I totally forgot about this blog that I started 3 years ago for Dining Services....I found it today so maybe, just maybe, I'll remember to keep it up.

It's not that there is a lack of information to post, on the contrary. Dining Services has had an abundance of things going on since 2008 - still bee keeping (now 2 locations of hives), nacufs awards, dining unit renovations, new menu items, going extreme local, videos, facebook and twitter accounts, lost staff members, new staff members.

I am especially thrilled with my new staff member here in marketing. His name is Jeff and he was a real find...an uber excellent designer slash photographer as well as our social media guru...all wrapped up in one amazing person. And, of course, Kevin is the stable influence in our small but mighty department. A monster at shipping product, neither sleet, snow nor freezing looks from the logo police can shake his demeaner. Kev-o still maintains his "coolness." I am very blessed to work with these two great guys.

And, as always, regards to my favorite boss, our Director Dennis Pierce. He puts up with a lot from all of us yet pretty much keeps a great attitude. In fact, below is his favorite quote. It's a good one to remember and one I try to live up to. I don't always succeed but hey, every day is a new day!

"I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." - Charles R. Swindoll

Buzz on the Bees

Well, the bees have arrived and they are busily doing what bees do! Enjoying their new homes, too, no doubt. Thanks to Steve and Amy for this incredible undertaking. We also had some great press and an article in Sunday's Hartford Courant. You can read the article at:
http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/hc-01162643.apds.m0509.bc-ct--uconjun01,0,6139554.story

Bees Arriving May 31st!

UConn’s Department of Dining Services Begins New Apiary – Honey Produced will be used at the Storrs Campus Dining Facilities.
The bees, 30,000 of them, will be driven up from the farm in Georgia where they were purchased, and will arrive on May 31st at 3:00pm. You are invited to watch as Steve Anthony dons his bee garb and places the bees in their new home. For more information, please contact Stephen.Anthony@uconn.edu or amy.gronus@uconn.edu or Gail.Merrill@uconn.edu.