Many thanks to Zoey (age 7!) for today’s post.  She is already quite an accomplished chef and shares her experience making a new dessert with us.  I nearly cried when I read her story – perhaps because she is so close in age to my own son.   I also want to thank Janelle, Zoey’s mom, for encouraging her in the kitchen!  I hope this story inspires you to play with your children in the kitchen like Janelle does.

I have always liked cookbooks. And, now I’m old enough to really get cooking. I decided I wanted to try different desserts from around the world. And then I found a recipe that sounded very good. It said it was good enough for a queen. The recipe was from India and it was for Maharani Cupcakes – a coconut cupcake with lemon curd and sweet basil cream.

First we made the sweet basil cream. We put basil leaves in hot cream and let it steep for an hour. Then it had to chill for three hours. Then we made the lemon curd. We juiced a lot of lemons and shredded some of the peel on a grater to get zest. I didn’t know that we could eat the peel. After we made the curd, that had to chill for 3 hours, too. Then we made the cupcakes. We used a white cupcake mix and added shredded coconut. Then we put them in the oven.

It took a long time to wait for the cream and lemon curd to chill. I kept asking my mom if it had been 3 hours yet. Finally, when everything was ready, we got to decorate the cupcakes. First, we put some lemon curd on top of the cupcakes. Then we put on the sweet basil cream. And then we put on fun sprinkles.

They really did look like they were fit for a queen. And they tasted delicious. But, I think I’ll skip the lemon curd next time.

I wonder what I’ll make next. I’ve made French Chocolate Truffles, Egyptian Mango Cup, Japanese Honey Butter Toast – and now Indian Maharani Cupcakes. I have a recipe for New Zealand Pavlova that sounds yummy. I’m sure whatever I choose, I’ll have fun making it. I love cooking!

Does your child have a story they’d like to share about an experience with food or in the kitchen?  How about you?  My readers love to see how parents interact with their children in the kitchen.  The more stories we can share about cooking with kids, the more likely it is that other people will try it, too.  I post these stories every Monday and would love to share yours!