Junior Masterchef(Contributor) - Masterchef Junior Cookbook: Bold Recipes and Essential Techniques to Inspire Young Cooks

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MasterChef Junior would like to thank:

The team at Endemol Shine North America: Thomas Ferguson, Elizabeth M. Lockwood, Kelly Hill, Tamaya Petteway, and Vivi Zigler. Also, our friends on the Marketing Team, Rob Hughes and Ivana Zbozinek, and everyone at the production company who worked behind the scenes.

Our team at Clarkson Potter: Rica Allannic, Doris Cooper, Ian Dingman, Stephanie Huntwork, Ashley Meyer, Kim Tyner, Aaron Wehner, Joyce Wong.

Our talented writer, Maria Zizka, and her agent, Katherine Cowles.

Our excellent photography team: photographer Evan Sung, food stylist Rebecca Jurkevich, and prop stylist Kira Corbin. A special thanks to our cover model, Charlotte Wing-Yi Sweet.

Our entire TV network family and partners at FOX, especially those who helped shepherd this to life: Melissa Gold, Armando Solares, Kathryn Brown, and Malaika Naulls.

The MasterChef judges and production team: Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, Graham Elliot, Joe Bastianich, Robin Ashbrook, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Yasmin Shakleton, the teams at CAA and Milk Bar. Wed also like to thank Chef Sandee Birdsong and Chef Avery Pursell and the talented culinary teams, as well as the fantastic production crews who have worked on the show across the shows seasons.

Most important, to the hundreds of kids who have stepped foot in the MasterChef Junior kitchen with big dreams and even bigger hearts. You are what makes this show what it is.

And to the fans, from all of us who work to bring this show to life in all its forms, we thank you! Keep watching and keep cooking!

SCALLOP AND SMOKED TROUT FRITTERS
with ROMESCO SAUCE

These fritters and romesco sauce are delicious together, but if you want to serve it exactly as Jasmine did, whip up the Green Papaya and Bell Pepper Salad () and arrange a small handful of it on top of the fritters. Youll notice theres a pepper theme running through this dish, giving it a complex, slightly spicy flavor. Building meals around a single flavor is a great way to create an unexpected but coordinated dish. Pick your favorite vegetable and see where it takes you!

serves 4

Romesco Sauce

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon dark chile powder

tablespoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon red curry powder

cup roasted salted peanuts

4 ounces roasted piquillo peppers

1 cup roasted red bell peppers

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt

Scallop and Smoked Trout Fritters

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups bay scallops, cut into quarters

1 cup chopped smoked trout

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Zest of 2 key limes

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

4 roasted piquillo peppers, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Small bunch of micro cilantro, for garnish

1. Make the romesco sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, chile powder, allspice, cloves, cayenne, and red curry powder. Measure 1 tablespoon of this seasoning mixture into a food processor. (There will be leftover seasoning mixture; try it sprinkled over a fillet of snapper or as a dry rub for steak.) Add the peanuts, piquillo peppers, roasted red bell peppers, vinegar, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Season with salt.
2. Make the scallop and smoked trout fritters: Pour at least 3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat over medium-high heat to 350F.
3. In a large bowl, combine the scallops, trout, red bell pepper, garlic, chives, lime zest, egg yolks, mayonnaise, flour, 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, the piquillo peppers, and a pinch of salt. Put the remaining 2 cups bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Using your hands, shape the scallop mixture into 12 balls about 1 inch in diameter and roll them in the remaining 2 cups bread crumbs.
4. When the oil is ready, working in batches, carefully fry the fritters until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. To check for doneness, you can cut open a fritter to make sure the middle is cooked through and no longer doughy. Transfer to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels and let cool slightly.
5. To serve, pile the fritters on a large platter. Serve the romesco sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish with a few sprigs of micro cilantro.

ELEVATING FINGER FOOD FOR THE FINALE

For her Season 5 finale, Jasmine chose to elevate the seafood fritter (a classic finger food) to a restaurant-quality dish. I wanted to do something simple, she says, but with flavors that would impress the judges. Also, I wanted to do a dish in honor of my fathers Jamaican heritage. With that in mind, she combined scallops and smoked trout here, rather than the other types of seafood more commonly found in fritters, like crab or cod. I hoped these flavors would be more appealing to the judges and make the dish more sophisticated, Jasmine says. She also served the fritters with a peppery romesco sauce and Green Papaya and Bell Pepper Salad (), both of which added to the sophistication and overall complexity of the dish.

So how can home cooks elevate other classic foods? Jasmine suggests three ways to take a dish to the next level: First, remember your audience and you will understand what they like and will find fancier alternatives that they will enjoy. Second, take a classic idea and a chefs idea, and then find somewhere in between those two with your cooking. Third, keep it simple and make sure you have the basics down. Above all else, she believes we should never be afraid to try an old dish in a new way!

CRAB CAKES
with GARLIC AIOLI

These Baltimore-style crab cakes are well seasoned and, in true Maryland style, dont have a lot of filler ingredientsjust enough mayonnaise and egg to hold them together. True Baltimore crab cakes would be made from the small, sweet Chesapeake Bay blue crabs this region is famous for, but you could use whatever your fishmonger has available. Instead of making eight small crab cakes to serve four people, try shaping them into even smaller, bite-size cakes for a delicious passed appetizer.

serves 4

1 pound lump crabmeat

1 large egg yolk

cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 garlic cloves, minced

cup sour cream

1 tablespoon celery seeds

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

8 butter lettuce leaves, for serving

Lemon wedges, for garnish