Paige Levinson & Madison "Maddie" Kirk
"In the Kitchen with Paige and Maddie"
For our senior project, we decided to create a pilot episode for our own cooking television show: "In the Kitchen with Paige and Maddie." We drew inspiration from our childhoods spent watching "Giada at Home" and "Top Chef," but it was ultimately our love of both food and film that pushed us to choose this project.
We hand-picked between countless family recipes (and a few of our own) to create our menu: trio of bruschetta, garlic-lemon salmon, and orange olive oil cake. From there, we designed our kitchen set up, propped our camera up on a tripod, threw on aprons, and began recording. We were responsible for every aspect of the show, whether it be cooking the food, acquiring close-up and wide shots with one single camera, improvising dialogue whilst on camera, editing and deciding the placement of each clip, or choosing the proper background/theme music.
Our full episode is available below! We've also attached a few recipes beneath it for your enjoyment.
Pea Pesto Bruschetta:
10 oz frozen peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup mint (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Toasted ciabatta
Optional: ricotta or creme fraiche
INSTRUCTIONS:
Defrost peas and put all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are combined, but still chunky. You do not want a paste, so don’t overmix.
Toast bread until crunchy, but not too dark (depending on your preference). Spread the pesto onto the toasted bread and top with ricotta/crema of your choice.
Salmon:
2 filets boneless skinless salmon
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1 squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Massage in with lemon juice.
Place the salmon fillets in the pan. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until a golden brown crust forms. Add in the remaining lemon juice, butter, and parsley (if desired).
Carefully flip the salmon and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until fish is opaque or cooked to your preference. Finally, place the salmons on a large plate and drizzle the butter mixture from the pan on the salmon. Garnish with parsley.
Olive Oil Cake: Serves: 1 (8-inch round) cake
3 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 orange
INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour; line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar at high speed for 30 seconds. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, beating until combined. Add milk, beating until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low. Beat in vanilla extract and one zested orange. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating until combined, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. In a pan, add thinly sliced oranges to the bottom and sprinkle with sugar. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 33 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan by flipping the cake slowly, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Brush with fresh olive oil just before serving. Store at room temperature wrapped loosely in foil or plastic wrap.