Kids in the kitchen and a very unusual cookbook

When I grew up, I was rarely allowed in the kitchen when serious meal prep was going on. I was born in an era where the husband worked outside the home and the wife was apparently married to her house as well as her husband. If that weren’t enough, my father was convinced that if either my younger sister or I were to step foot in the kitchen, a catastrophic nightmare would ensue. We might spill something, break something or cause the stove to spontaneously burst into flames. No wonder it took me so long to feel comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. I was determined to do it differently when I had kids and now, in fact, one of my greatest joys as a parent is sharing my kitchen with my 7-year-old twins.

Actually, I started allowing them to help me in the kitchen when they were very young. I remember Sabrina helping me make Parmesan crisps to float in our soup when she was just 2 years old. Rachel dictated her first recipe for “Blueberry Pie” to me when she was 4: “2 lemons, some Blueberries, make a pie”. A year later, she realized the recipe was lacking something and amended it as follows “Add cinnamon”. Last year, when Rachel was in first grade, I was delighted when she chose The Coming To America Cookbook – Delicious Recipes and Fascinating Stories from America’s Many Cultures (by Joan D’Amico and Karen Eich Drummond) from her school library.

We made a few recipes originating from Korea, Germany and Thailand and Rachel wrote a book report about “Savory Shrimp Dinner over Rice”, an Italian dish. As she stated in her paper, “I measured the rice into a cup, rolled the lemons on the counter to get more juice from them, cut the lemons in half and juiced the lemons. My friend, Isabella, and I peeled the shrimp. Our arms got itchy after putting them over and over into the bowl of water full of shrimp.” Her favorite part of the recipe was “the way the rice soaked up the lemon juices”.

Last week, my other daughter, Sabrina, once again brought home a cookbook and considering that it’s stocked in an elementary school library and has “Disney” featured prominently in the title, you would assume that it would be directed to children. After reviewing the recipes, however, I really don’t think that kids are the target audience, despite the fact that many of the recipes offer a helpful sidebar indicating what kids can do to participate. The full title of the book is Disney Recipes – From Animation to Inspiration (by Ira L. Meyer, © 2003) and here are some things that struck me as odd:

“Smoked Salmon Tartare” – which I don’t see many kids eating to begin with – calls for “6 crumpets, well toasted”, the Glazed Ham recipe calls for a pint of whiskey and the Brussels sprouts recipe requires 8 oz. of nettles. Other fairly uncommon ingredients scattered throughout the book include Emmenthal and Gjetost cheeses, raspberry eau-de vie, casarecce, ugly fruit, New Mexico chili powder, green young coconuts, whole cardamom pods, rose water, orange blossom water, edible flowers, candied violets, orchids for garnish and no less than 4 recipes calling for edible gold (and none of them are dessert). I like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous cook, but some of these ingredients had me doing a double take.

Based on the recipes and ingredients, this just doesn’t seem like a cookbook geared towards children, and yet somehow, I don’t see a serious gourmand relying on “Disney Recipes” when planning the menu for their next soiree.

Another quibble I have with the book is that maybe only a third of the recipes have pictures and it’s often a beautifully photographed dish that makes me eager to recreate it. Instead, this book features mostly pictures from various Disney movies that serve as the inspiration for the recipes. Maybe that’s the target audience for this book – serious Disney fans – especially those who have a hankering for some green coconuts.

So what do you think? Am I being incredibly provincial in my response to some of the unlikely ingredients and recipes featured in the “Disney Recipes” cookbook? Or should I just scope out some nettles and give the kids some edible gold to flake over their risotto and coconut drinks?