Editor’s Letter

Sydney

Mattia Dean

Ella

Matthew

Ariah

Ruthie

Avilene

Sydney

Rukaya

Delayna Kate

Ever yone Wins

an old friend of mine wrote a book last year that explains the impossibly complicated world of college admissions. It’s called Who Gets In and Why, and I never imagined that I’d end up talking about it here. But I was reading the book while we were judging hundreds of entries for our recipe competition, America’s Best Kid Cooks, and now I think I have a rough idea of what it feels like to be an admissions officer at Yale. My friend, Jeff Selingo, says that in 2019, Yale accepted 2,178 students out of 36,843 who applied—a 5.9 percent acceptance rate. We, by comparison, went searching for the best young cooks in the country and chose five winners from an entry pool of 413, an acceptance rate of just 1.2 percent. The numbers don’t lie: It’s way harder to win this contest than it is to get into Yale. And selecting the five kids on page 44 was basically the toughest thing we’ve ever done at this magazine.

Look at these faces and tell me if you could ever be coldhearted enough to move their recipes to a “no” pile. These kids—and hundreds of others who entered—are the definition of winners. They created totally original recipes using bread and rolls from our friends at King’s Hawaiian, and while we were impressed by their creativity, we were blown away by their heartfelt stories. Many of them told us that cooking got them through the pandemic. Some explained how food has connected them with their culture and relatives. Others told us how much they’ve learned by spending time in the kitchen. (And a bunch of kids told us how obsessed they are with King’s Hawaiian rolls!)

We’ve all heard those terrifying rumors about college admissions committees tossing whole stacks of applications to get through the process. I promise you we didn’t resort to that. We painstakingly read every entry and analyzed every recipe, and after weeks of deliberation, we got the list down to a dozen finalists. Then we made the test kitchen team do the hard part. They tested the 12 best recipes and picked the winners. We made the rejection part easier for them though: We didn’t show them the kidsʼ photos.

Nakomis

Ava Grace

Maile Carpenter Editor in Chief @maile__fnmag

Shaelyn and Brynah Annelise

Zoe

Izabelle

Chloe

Mekhi

Cannon Kyra

Annie

Salem

Ryan and Ruby Evie

Iymona

Jayden

Ross Haley

Clara Raley

Maile Carpenter

Creative Director Deirdre Koribanick Executive Editor Liz Sgroi Managing Editor Robb Riedel Photo Director Alice Albert

Editorial

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Bake with honey and apples on page 56!

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Take your pick!

Local tomatoes in a rainbow of colors are bursting with fresh flavor this time of year. The possibilities are endless, so take your pick to whip up a chilled soup, a hearty sauce, or a spicy Po’ Boy. You’ll get the function and style you need to make these and all your favorite seasonal recipes shine with Food Network™ Cookware, only at Kohl’s.

Chilled Tomato Soup with Crispy Chorizo

from FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN Serves: 4 | Active Time: 15 min Total Time: 1 hr 15 min (includes chilling time)

INGREDIENTS

11/4 pounds yellow heirloom tomatoes (about 4), stemmed and roughly chopped 2 tablespoons sliced almonds 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced Sliced crusty bread, toasted, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Add the tomato, almonds, sherry vinegar, cucumber, bell pepper, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper to a blender. Blend on high until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the 8-in. skillet from a Food Network™ 10-pc. Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden and toasted, about 1 minute more. Taste chilled soup and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, then top with the crispy chorizo, garlic and a drizzle of the chorizo oil. Serve with toasted crusty bread.

Grated Tomato Sauce Pasta with Butter and Cheese

from FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN Serves: 4—6 | Active Time: 25 min | Total Time: 25 min

INGREDIENTS

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 ounces cavatappi 2 pounds red heirloom tomatoes (about 6), stemmed 6 fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving 2 cloves garlic, finely grated 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

DIRECTIONS

Bring water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in the 6-qt. stockpot from a Food Network™ 10-pc. Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain well. Meanwhile, set a box grater inside of a large bowl. Grate the tomatoes until all that’s left is the flattened tomato skins, then discard. Add the basil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper and stir to combine. Pour the tomato mixture into the 3-qt. saute pan from a Food Network™ 10-pc. Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir continuously until melted and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and Parmesan to the warm sauce and toss until thoroughly combined. Serve with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan and fresh basil.

Fried Green Tomato Po’ Boy

from FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN Serves: 4 | Active Time: 30 min | Total Time: 30 min

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon hot sauce, plus more for serving 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 large egg 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 2 medium green tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices Canola oil, for frying 4 soft hoagie rolls, split and toasted Shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced red onions, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and onion powder in a small bowl. Whisk together the Cajun seasoning, 1/2 cup of the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a second shallow dish. Whisk together the cornmeal and remaining 5 tablespoons flour in a third dish. Dredge the tomato slices first in the Cajun seasoning mixture, shaking off excess, then in the buttermilk mixture, then in the cornmeal mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to a large plate. Heat 1/2 inch oil in the 10-in. skillet from a Food Network™ 10-pc. Nonstick Ceramic Cookware Set over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in 2 batches, fry the tomatoes, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate; season with salt. Fill the rolls with the tomatoes, lettuce, onions, a few dashes of hot sauce and a drizzle of remoulade sauce.