I am quite fortunate in that I have three young chefs in my house. They all love to cook.
Rhubarb came home at three already rather proficient in the use of a knife. When people gasped at her chopping celery with a butcher knife, I would tell them how the five year olds at the orphanage used machetes to peel grapefruits for the younger children. Really, we are kind of whimps in this country when it comes to cutlery and kids. She also follows recipes to a tee and usually ends up with a product that perfectly resembles the picture in the cookbook.
Eggplant’s specialties are breakfast foods. I believe he considers breakfast fare to be a food group of its own. He makes a hearty oatmeal and mixes in all kinds of things, sometimes pumpkin, sometimes nuts and raisins, frequently peanut butter and bananas. He is the official pancake flipper of the household and is often thrilled to make Chilean eggs for himself and his siblings.
Blueberry likes to experiment with her food preparation. Like most things that interest her, cooking is a scientific endeavor. Well, it’s more like 80% science and 20% craving. She either chooses to cook vegetables or sweets, nothing in between. She’s somewhat dichotomous that way.
Yesterday, she excitedly proclaimed that she would be baking an apple crumble. This was to be an experiment with acid on apples. Indeed it was, as she sprinkled the apples with some apple cider vinegar. It would add a freshness to the final product, she explained. As I usually am with each child’s cooking attempts, I was quite impressed with this one. It turned our moist and delicious with a lovely crumbly topping. It is gluten-free and dairy-free and the entire recipe (aside from the temperature of the oven and the amount of cooking time) was concocted by Blueberry herself.
Blueberry’s Apple Crumble
