A Passion for Cooking

Twelve-year-old Sophie Bach had a dream of competing on the TV show Chopped, where contestants are presented with baskets full of unrelated ingredients and charged with turning those ingredients into appetizers, entrees, and desserts in short time.

Sophie and her mom, Pam Morris, who is a teacher specialist at Kolter Elementary, would bake and cook together. “Then I started watching cooking shows,” Sophie says, “which got me even more into cooking. It was all I ever wanted to do when I was younger.”

But the reality of being on Chopped superseded the dream. “There was a lot of difficulty to getting on [the show],” Sophie says. “First, the amount of time they have to cook. The majority of my recipes take longer than an hour, and I’m not comfortable with time limits. Also not knowing what’s in the baskets. Those people have their recipes memorized; I don’t.

“The dream has faded,” Sophie says. 

Instead, Pam and Sophie hosted a Chopped-themed party for Sophie’s 11th birthday. “Mom took care of the baskets, and we randomized teams. We tried to think of things that would be easy to make and then put those ingredients in the baskets.”

Beyond the shows and parties, Sophie makes dinner for her mom, dad David Bach, and younger brother Alex Bach about once a week, although, her mom says, “Seventh-grade homework sometimes gets in the way.” Some of her specialties are turkey burgers, lo mein, lemon pepper chicken, “without a lot of pepper,” Pam adds. Parmesan crisps, brownies with pretzel-pecan topping, and grilled cheese on whole wheat are some other favorites.

Sophie peruses cookbooks that have been gifted to her, and she also was especially inspired by a grandparent gift: a year-long subscription to Raddish Kids, which provided her with a monthly recipe and kitchen tool. Pam enjoys the hunt, too. “I look online for recipes a lot,” she says. “I love the blog ‘Once Upon a Chef.’”

Sophie and Pam have put their own spin on a zucchini parmesan crisp recipe from Food Network that has become a staple in their family. “It’s simple,” Pam says. “I had made it before and thought it would be a perfect recipe to give to Sophie. It’s a little time consuming to make, and Sophie like to be detail oriented.”

“Every time I make it, the prep work seems to go faster and faster,” Sophie says, explaining that she added panko breadcrumbs to the mix for extra crunch. “It’s fun,” she says, “because you get the crunchiness of the panko on the outside and the softness of the zucchini on the inside, which you don’t expect. I like the different textures.”

HANDS ON Sophie Bach's favorite recipe is Zucchini Parmesan Crisps, which she likes to serve with yogurt dip flavored with dill and chives. (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

Sophie Bach’s Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Based on a recipe from Food Network

2 medium zucchini 
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (3⁄4 ounce)
¼ cup plain dry breadcrumbs
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into ¼-inch thick rounds (thin enough to crisp but not too thin to burn). In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan, breadcrumbs, panko, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each zucchini round into the parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides. Press the coating to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with a spatula and serve immediately with Sophie’s yogurt dip, if desired.

Sophie Bach’s Yogurt Dip

From Raddish Kids

¼ cup fat-free Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (the Bach family likes olive oil mayonnaise for its reduced fat content)
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dried or fresh chives
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

RECIPE WHIZ Roderick Austin creates his own recipes based on what's in the fridge. (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

Roderick Austin, a partner in a software company, has a passion for cooking that started not long after he learned to walk. 

“My aunt was going through the French Cordon Bleu,” he says, “to learn to be a chef. She lived with us, and when I was a toddler, we would get together in the mornings when everyone else was still asleep and we’d make pancakes.”

Something clicked, Sophie and Pam attest: “He’s a ridiculously good cook,” Pam says. Roderick’s wife Amanda went to St. John’s School with Pam’s husband, David’s college roommate, and they’ve remained friends.

“Baking is my first love,” Roderick says. “My grandmother was a huge baker and would throw big dinner parties. My mom and dad were not so much into it, it wasn’t a passion of theirs. But my grandmother and aunt were big inspirations. My grandfather couldn’t cook worth a damn, but he enjoyed it so much. He experienced life through food.”

The inspiring aunt has moved on to other career paths and lives in London, but she still loves to cook. “Recently I was in London,” Roderick, who was born in South Africa, says, “and we did some cooking together.”

At home, the kitchen is Roderick’s domain. Of his wife Amanda, a PhD student at University of Houston, Roderick says, “She cooks when she has to, but she doesn’t do it for enjoyment.” So Amanda and their boys, Avery, 12, and Everett, 7, mostly leave Roderick to it (although Everett steps in to assist his dad every once in a while).

“When I’m not traveling, I’m cooking almost every day, whether it is baking something or making a meal or fulfilling my children’s request to satiate their hunger,” he says. “That is usually breakfast, because they love pancakes and waffles and crepes. I’ve probably made millions of crepes. They love all the derivatives of egg, flour, milk, and sugar.”

Every once in a while, Roderick can count on his younger son, Everett, 7, to stand in as sous chef. Here he helps to make Poached Pear French Toast.

For recipes, Roderick turns to social media, noting that he doesn’t really follow the recipes but uses them as inspiration. Some of the accounts he likes: “A French-trained pastry chef out of San Diego, Bruno Albouze (@brunoalbouze on Instagram), I think is fantastic. Then Jules Cooking (@jules_cooking on TikTok) is very, very good. He operates at a higher level, meaning he is pretty sophisticated, technique-driven. I wouldn’t refer him to a beginner. The Notorious Foodie (@notorious_foodie on TikTok) is more relatable with things most people can make in their kitchen. I probably find 80 percent of my inspiration there.”

Roderick calls his pork chop recipe a “happy accident.” He explains, “We had some friends and family over for dinner and we made some guacamole for snacks. I remembered many years ago, I don’t know where, I had guacamole with mango in it and really loved it. So I made it a few times and the boys really enjoyed it because they love fruit and will eat pounds and pounds of it a week. So it was a huge hit with them. I had some leftover, and I had made these pork chops, which I enjoy a lot, and wasn’t in the mood for a pan sauce. I saw the mango guacamole and wondered, I know you can pair pineapple with pork chops. It turned out to be spectacular. The combination was so exceptional it made it onto my roster that sticks in my mind that I’ll make with some frequency.” Most of the time Roderick makes something and moves onto the next experiment.

“The French toast comes from my boys’ absolute love of breakfast foods. It gets a bit exhausting to make pancakes or waffles every weekend. Beat the eggs, put in a little milk and some bread, and off you go. So one weekend we had some leftover brioche bread. The boys had been asking for crepes. I thought about combining those two things, so I ended up using sort of a custard base for the toast, and I also had some candied orange peel left over from something I had made, and I mixed that into the custard base. Then I had a couple pears in the fridge just starting to get a little overripe. It was really just this happy combination of a custard base inspired by crepes, with some leftover brioche and these pears…when it all came together, it was an absolute winner.”

Pork Chops with Mango Guacamole and Parsnip Puree (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

Roderick Austin’s Pork Chops with Mango Guacamole and Parsnip Puree 

For the Mango Guacamole: 1 mango, peeled and finely diced
3 avocados, peeled and finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the Parsnip Puree: 3 parsnips, peeled, cores removed, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Kosher salt
3-4 tablespoons milk

For the Pork Chops: 2 pork chops
2 tablespoons neutral oil (avocado, grapeseed, or peanut)
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 to 5 sprigs of fresh herbs (such as rosemary, oregano, and/or thyme)

In a small bowl, stir the mango and avocado together. Add lime juice and stir in the cilantro. Set aside.

Place the parsnips, 2 tablespoons of butter, and a generous pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan. Add ½ cup water, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until the parsnips are very soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add water as needed to prevent the parsnips from browning or burning. Once they are soft, use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add a little milk to thin the puree to the desired consistency.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm 2 tablespoons oil in an oven-proof skillet over high heat. Dry the pork chops very well on both sides. When the oil is shimmering, carefully place the pork chops into the skillet and sear for 3-5 minutes until browned. Flip the pork chops and repeat on the other side. Do not overcook.

Slide the skillet into the oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork chop reads 130 degrees. Remove the skillet from the oven and place back on the stovetop. Add 2 tablespoons butter, the garlic, and fresh herb sprigs to the pan. Cook over medium heat to melt the butter and infuse it with garlic and herbs, about 3 minutes. Use a spoon to baste the pork chops with the flavored butter. Remove from the heat and let the pork chops rest 5 minutes with the garlic and basting herbs on top.

To serve, spoon some of the pureed parsnips into the center of a plate and top with a pork chop. Dollop some guacamole on top, and drizzle pan sauce from the skillet over and around the pork chop.

Poached Pear French Toast (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

Roderick Austin’s Poached Pear French Toast

Brioche bread, sliced thick
3 eggs
¼ cup cream
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Cointreau and/or amaretto, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pear
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar 
2 tablespoons maple syrup, optional
Mascarpone or crème fraîche, optional

Make the custard. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the cream, milk, and sugar. If using, whisk in the Cointreau, amaretto, and/or vanilla. Refrigerate for 1 hour (not required, but recommended).

Peel and quarter the pears, and remove the cores. Place 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons sugar in a skillet. Add the quartered pears, cover with a lid, and cook over medium-high heat, turning the pears occasionally, until they are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Midway through, drop in a tablespoon of water to steam the pears, making sure the sauce doesn’t stick or burn. Remove the pears from the skillet and set aside. Pour the pan sauce into a bowl, and if you are using the maple syrup, stir it into the pan sauce.

Place the bread slices in the bowl with the custard and let them soak for a few minutes on each side. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is sizzling, remove the soaked bread from the custard bowl and place it in the skillet. Cook on each side for several minutes, moving the bread around the pan to absorb the butter, until the bread is browned.

Place the French toast on a platter and, if using, top with a dollop of mascarpone or crème fraîche. Spoon the pears and reserved pan sauce over top.