It’s Pub Day for our Cookbook!
Behind the scenes at Dynamite Kids Cooking School
Issue 63: From Dana and Sara Kate
When we first opened The Dynamite Shop, we went through a ton of printer ink. At the start of each class, students got a copy of the recipe they were cooking and when they left, a fresh version was tucked into the pocket of the insulated bag they used to carry home the dinner they just made.
Enchiladas. Dumplings. Meatballs. Pot Pie. Gumbo. Cobb Salad. The recipe print-outs piled up! When we started cooking online, students printed them out at home and many compiled them in binders they’d show us over Zoom, along with photos of the meals they made and beautifully illustrated covers.
Someday, we told them, we’ll put all these recipes and lessons into a cookbook so you can refer to it whenever you want. And we can give our printers a rest.
Well, that day is finally here! Today, Dynamite Kids Cooking School hits bookstore shelves everywhere and we couldn’t be more excited for it to be on your kitchen counter, getting splattered with sauce and scribbled with notes as you cook from it. Each recipe features fundamental kitchen skills and lessons that will benefit budding cooks, but we have to admit, we think even grown-ups will take a lot away from this book, too.
Here’s why: These aren’t just the recipes we teach in class, they’re the ones we make at home and have for years, even decades. Below are a few highlights, and the behind-the-scenes stories of some of our favorite Dynamite dishes:
Cheater’s Porchetta (page 66): Dana started making this 20-plus years ago for dinner parties because it’s a great way to feed a crowd. Butterflied, slathered with pesto, tied, roasted, and sliced, it looks so pretty on a platter next to a bowl of orecchiette and a salad – and it makes awesome sandwiches the next day.
Eggs Four Ways (pages 48-51): If you can boil, fry, scramble, and poach an egg, you are set for life. From Mothers’ Day brunch, to that first hot plate in a dorm room, to making breakfast for a future love, egg skills are gold.
Smash Burgers (page 98): Dana (and her son, Jack’s) favorite burger joint is a tiny shiny diner called White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, and this recipe comes from watching the short order cooks smash balls of sirloin into a griddle, cooking it until the edges are crispy and caramelized. This is how burgers are made in the Bowen home, with lots of caramelized onions, cheddar and bread and butter pickles or squishy potato rolls.
Italian Wedding Soup (page 140): This is a soup Sara Kate’s mom used to make when she was a young child (and still does.) The story goes that she would slurp it up, the broth dribbling down her neck and chest and onto her high chair, but it was with such audible joy, Sara Kate’s mom just sat back and enjoyed the show. This is a really good lesson in complementary flavors and also a way to learn to make meatballs. Essential skill!
Curry with All the Vegetables (page 153): Dana first learned to make curry from her friend, Rosdi, a gossip columnist in Singapore she met while traveling. Every time she sweats the aromatics in the pan, she can hear Rosdi’s high pitched voice telling her not to burn them!
Zesty Lemon Bars (page 242): A lemon bar is one of those things Sara Kate and her daughter cannot refuse when they see it at a bakery, so we had to put a recipe for it in the book. These are a great combination of sweet, subtle shortbread on the bottom and sharp, tangy lemony goodness on top. Good for parties, bake sales and all-day snacking. Easy though, they pack a punch!
Mix-and-Match Holiday Cookies (page 233): This is a basic sugar cookie we spin different ways to teach students how to alter a baking recipe. The variations – nut-studded snowballs, thumbprints filled with raspberry jam – are based on recipes Dana made with her mom every Christmas – and still does!
Thank you for supporting our work and sharing this book with the young cooks in your lives!