Students Exemplify Innovation in Culinary Arts

Pi is a mysterious mathematical value used to help find the area and circumference of a circle. Still, its homophone "pie" is easily favored by most. March 14, also known as Pi Day, is an annual celebration that combines an appreciation for mathematics with an appetite for baked goods.

A hunger for constructing pastry, cakes and bread is easily found in Salt Lake Community College's Culinary Institute, which offers the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs. Brittani Crane and Ellie Black, students at the institute, employed the Culinary Arts program's learning outcomes of innovation, learning and trust while completing their coursework. The pair utilizes their experience gained through the institute’s rigorous curriculum and approach assignments with a passion and flair that cannot be learned in the classroom. In celebration of Pi Day, the pair share their experiences in the Culinary Institute and two unique pie recipes.

Brittani Crane graduated from the Culinary Arts program in 2020 and is currently enrolled in the Hospitality Management program. After finishing high school, Brittani was unsure of her career path.

Years of self-development as a carpenter and then in the medical industry helped Brittani confidently pinpoint her third career pivot. Starting a family led her to learn about baking and domestic life. Her newfound passion for cooking and baking motivated her to apply for SLCC’s Culinary Arts program. “I knew I loved to cook,” says Brittani. “I always have a smile on my face.”

For some, Brittani’s career change may seem life-altering, but she was confident in her decision to start over. “Julia Child started her career in her forties,” Brittani says of the famous American cooking teacher and author. “She gives me a lot of inspiration.”

Once she completed the Culinary Arts program, Brittani enrolled in the institute’s Hospitality Management program to prepare for her dream job as a restaurant owner. “I need to know every angle to be prepared for owning a business,” says said. While in the program, Brittani learned problem-solving skills — the baking and mathematic kind — and how to navigate issues business owners face.

Brittani credits both Culinary Institute programs for fostering her creativity and teaching her how to uncover a niche in the food industry to “keep the [business’] momentum going.”

During Brittani’s time in Catering Management, a course that introduces students to the world of catering, she learned how to organize and operate a small to mid-sized business. For the final assignment, Brittani’s developed a catering menu for a themed event. She spent several days preparing a “Utah Fish and Game” menu featuring five unique appetizers with ingredients like locally sourced fish and ground meat made from rabbit.

Ellie Black, a student in the Culinary Arts program with a baking focus, also shared her positive experience with Catering Management. Ellie drew on her Italian heritage by creating a five-course Italian menu. “It was a fun way to make what you want and be creative,” Ellie says.

Like Brittani, Ellie's appreciation for food stems from memories with family. "It was bonding time, being in the kitchen," she shares. These formative years spent baking family recipes with her grandma molded Ellie's dream of becoming a professional baker.

After graduating from high school at only 16 years old, Ellie applied to the Culinary Arts program. She said she chose SLCC because of its proximity to home and accreditation by the American Culinary Federation.

"I get to come to school and do what I love every day," Ellie says.

Outside of time in the classroom, Ellie develops her small business focusing on specialty cakes. After graduating, she plans to establish a catering business, and she is certain the program prepared her for success. The most powerful lesson she discovered was the benefit of asking questions. Ellie believes the supportive nature of faculty and other students led her to ask for help more often. "I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to do it on my own and figure it out,'" she says. "I've learned that there are people who I can ask questions and will help me out."

To learn more about the Culinary Arts program, explore frequently asked questions about the program or contact Jeffrey Coker, associate dean of Culinary Arts (Jeffery.Coker@slcc.edu or 801-957-5334).

Brittani’s Blueberry Sage Pie

Basic Pie Crust

Brittani uses a Basic Pie Crust recipe and adds her own special twist: sage.

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour for dusting
• 1 cup of unsalted butter (chilled)
• 2 ounces of buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• ¼ cup of water
• 3 tablespoons of minced sage

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add flour to the mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Dice butter into ¼-inch cubes and place in refrigerator.
4. After 30 minutes, whisk together the buttermilk, salt, vanilla and sugar.
5. Place chilled mixing bowl with flour onto the standing mixer. Add the diced butter and minced sage.
6. On low speed, gently blend until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
7. Add the cold buttermilk mixture and water. Mix on low speed until the mixture barely comes together (approximately 15 seconds).
8. Remove mixture from the bowl and place onto a plastic wrap (it will look dry). Form dough into a disk.
9. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Pie Filling

• 6 cups of fresh blueberries (washed and drained)
• ⅓ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• ⅛ teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of butter (chilled and cubed)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the blueberries, lemon zest and lemon juice.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Fold this mixture into the blueberry mixture.
3. Place the pie filling in the refrigerator.

Egg Wash (optional)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs (whisked)
• 1 tablespoon of water
• Sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water until frothy.

Pie Assembly Directions

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a work surface dusted with flour. Cut the dough in half.
2. Mold and roll out one half of the dough using a bench scraper to keep it from sticking. Place the dough in a pie dish, allowing ¾-inch of overhang.
3. Roll out the second half of the dough. Use a pizza cutter to make 1-inch-wide strips.
4. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie dish.
5. In an alternating fashion, lay the 1-inch-wide strips in a lattice form over the pie filling. Brush the egg wash on the underside of the strips (where they will meet the bottom crust).
6. Brush the top of the pie edge with the egg wash and gently fold the bottom crust over the top of the lattice. Pinch edges or use a fork to seal.
7. Brush the entire top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Then, sprinkle the top with sugar.
8. Set the pie on a lined sheet tray and place it on the lower rack of a preheated oven. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
9. Move the pie to the middle rack and lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown.
10. After taking the pie out of the oven, cool it on a rack.

Brittani's Pie Crust Tips

• Always keep your pie dough very cold. If the butter softens, place the pie dough back in the refrigerator.
• Don’t overmix the dough. Overmixing can make it tough.
• If edges of the pie start to darken too quickly, make a foil ring and place it on the edge of the pie. This is to help reduce heat exposure.

Ellie’s Apricot Cherry Pecan Pi Tart

Pecan Crust

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups of ground pecans
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup of white granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Stir together the ground nuts, cinnamon and sugar.
3. Mix in the melted butter.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart shell pan.
5. Chill the unbaked crust in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.
6. Set the pie crust on a sheet tray and place it on the middle rack of a preheated oven.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Cool the crust completely.

Apricot Cherry Mousse Filling

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of dried apricots
• 2 ounces of dried cherries
• 4 ounces of lemon juiceM
• 3 ounces of granulated sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon of salt
• 1 ounce of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 pound of heaving whipping cream
• 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

1. While the crust is baking, cook down the apricots and cherries with lemon juice and cinnamon. Mix in the sugar, salt and butter.
2. After the mixture is cool, puree it in a Robot-Coupe or food processor. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is fluffy.
4. Whip the fruit puree into the whipped heavy cream.
5. Fill the cooled pie shell with fruit puree and whipped cream mixture. Place in the freezer.
6. Top the tart with candied apricots, cherries and toasted pecans, if desired.