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Alisha Hanlin, 27, is owner and chef for Pressed Flour, a baked goods business in Shepherdstown, W.Va.
She got her start in cooking when she was young. Her mother invited her to work with her in the kitchen.
"I did small tasks around the kitchen at home," she said. "I picked up a lot more from my mother in cooking with her as a child than I realized until I was in the professional kitchen and I was applying this knowledge that I had gotten from her."
Hanlin was until recently the pastry chef for LJ's and the Kat Lounge, a high-end restaurant in Hagerstown. The dishes at LJ's can be very fancy, but Hanlin encourages people try cooking for themselves and their families.
"People become intimidated. On the one hand, they think, ‘Well, I can do that.' And on the other hand, you can get really overwhelmed and intimidated," she said. "I hate that, because I would like for everyone to be able to enjoy cooking at home."
This is a seasonal recipe suitable for serving at a holiday dinner.
Mushroom thyme stuffing
1 loaf challah bread, 3/4-inch cubed and oven-toasted, about 11 cups (see cook's note)
2 to 4 ounces cooking oil
1 1/2 cups sweet onion, small-medium dice
1 1/4 cups celery, small-medium dice
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cremini mushroom, small-medium dice
1/4 cup sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped fine
2 heaping tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Parmesan or asiago cheese, shredded (see cook's note)
5 eggs
She got her start in cooking when she was young. Her mother invited her to work with her in the kitchen.
"I did small tasks around the kitchen at home," she said. "I picked up a lot more from my mother in cooking with her as a child than I realized until I was in the professional kitchen and I was applying this knowledge that I had gotten from her."
Hanlin was until recently the pastry chef for LJ's and the Kat Lounge, a high-end restaurant in Hagerstown. The dishes at LJ's can be very fancy, but Hanlin encourages people try cooking for themselves and their families.
"People become intimidated. On the one hand, they think, ‘Well, I can do that.' And on the other hand, you can get really overwhelmed and intimidated," she said. "I hate that, because I would like for everyone to be able to enjoy cooking at home."
This is a seasonal recipe suitable for serving at a holiday dinner.
Mushroom thyme stuffing
1 loaf challah bread, 3/4-inch cubed and oven-toasted, about 11 cups (see cook's note)
2 to 4 ounces cooking oil
1 1/2 cups sweet onion, small-medium dice
1 1/4 cups celery, small-medium dice
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cremini mushroom, small-medium dice
1/4 cup sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped fine
2 heaping tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Parmesan or asiago cheese, shredded (see cook's note)
5 eggs
