Garden Veggie Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pie shell (9 inches)
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh bell peppers
• 1/4 cup diced yellow summer squash
•  1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded smoked Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh chive
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Let pastry shell stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 400° for 4 minutes. Remove foil; bake 4 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 350°.
2. In a large skillet, saute the onion, mushrooms and squash in butter until tender. Add spinach and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Spoon into crust; top with cheese.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, rosemary, thyme, chives and pepper until blended; pour over cheese.
4. Cover edges of crust loosely with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Watermelon-Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups watermelon, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 sprigs mint
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mint to garnish

Lemon to garnish

Watermelon to garnish

Directions:

1. In a pot on high heat, bring sugar and water to a light boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and your mixture is clear. Turn off the fire, and throw in your sprigs of mint.
2. Allow mint to steep for at least 15 minutes, then remove it from your simple syrup and discard. Cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Pour cooled mint-infused syrup into your blender along with the watermelon. Blend until mixture is  is smooth and uniform.
4. Strain mixture into a pitcher using a screen to get rid of the fruit bits.
5. Add lemon juice to the pitcher, and stir.
6. Serve immediately, over ice.
7. Garnish with Mint, watermelon, and lemon

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min. + standing
Yield: 6-8 Servings

Friday Cooking Demo - Ice Cream

Mint Chocolate Chip

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• or 2 Cups Half and Half (instead of milk and cream)
• 3oz Sugar
• 5oz Plain Chocolate Grated
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Essence or 2 TBSP Fresh Mint
• Optional: Two or three drops of green food coloring

Directions

1. Place the milk* and sugar (or 1/2 of the half & half) into a saucepan with sugar & mint. Heat gently to dissolve sugar. 
2. Strain through mesh strainer & cool. 
3. When cold stir in the heavy cream* (or rest of half & half) & food coloring. 
4. Transfer the complete mixture to ice cream maker & once the mixture begins to thicken add the chocolate.

Banna Churro

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 3oz Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 3 Bananas Frozen and defrosted

Directions

1. Peel & puree the banana into a smooth puree. 
2. Stir in cream & sugar into banana mixture. 
3. Mix well & strain through a mesh strainer. 
4. Chill in fridge for 2-3 hours. 
5. Add cinnamon & transfer mixture into ice cream maker.

Friday Cooking Demo - Labna Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 Coffee Filters
• Perforated Pan
• 1 Container Greek Yogurt (4 cups approximately)
• 2 TBSP. High Quality Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Juice and grated zest of lemon
• 1 TBSP. Chopped Thyme
• 2 TBSP. Chopped Mint

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together well in a bowl.
2. Using coffee filters distribute the mixture evenly between three filters and twist the filter to form a "coin purse" shape. Tie off the coin purse at the top & place in a perforated pan.
3. Place another pan on top of the "coin purse" & place both containers in another to catch the liquid as it drips. Let the mixture set for 24-48 hours. During this process the liquid in the yogurt will slowly drip out & start to clump together forming a delicious cheese.

Yields 3.5 cups Labna Cheese

Friday Cooking Demo - Pineapple Ceviche

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup tequila
• 2 cups chopped cooked shrimp meat
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced, to taste
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Cumin & paprika to taste

Directions

1. Stir the shrimp, bell pepper, pineapple, onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, tequila, salt, spices and pepper together in a glass or ceramic mixing bowl until evenly combined.
2. Cover, and refrigerate 1 hour before serving. 

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

The Secret Garden

Finding extra space for growth and new structural additions can be a challenge at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Sometimes that darn mountain gets in the way! The CMZoo’s culinary team took this particular challenge on and designed a unique enhancement to their cooking operation. Without leaving the foot print of the Grizzly Grill, a rooftop garden was created. Through partnerships with Pikes Peak Urban Garden, Ace Hardware, Soil Menders, and Smart Pot Tree Bags, the garden has really made a big impact. Items growing in the garden range from beans, to squash, to lettuce, to fresh herbs, and edible flowers. The staff will be using as much of this produce as possible in the zoo’s restaurants. Garden salads, garden pizzas, and various specials that incorporate the sustainable produce will be featured at the Grill.

Much of this produce can be grown at home and the chefs are happy to answer any questions you may have. Expect the produce to start showing up around the zoo in the middle of June.

Look for recipes from the Chefs coming soon.

Friday Cooking Demo - Bananas Foster

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. Whole Unsalted Butter
• 3-4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Brandy or Rum
• Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice To Taste
• Cinnamon To Taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream as Needed
• ½ to 1 whole Banana

Directions

1. Heat a sauté pan on the stove.
2. Add butter & cook until melted.
3. Add the brown sugar & cook until the sugar is     completely dissolved & starts to look foamy & bubbly.
4. Add the brandy or rum & flambé.
5. Add orange juice, cinnamon & heavy whipping cream. Bring back to a simmer.
6. Add the bananas & simmer until smooth & slightly thickened.
7. You can garnish with almond pralines, fresh mint sprigs, maraschino cherries, or fresh whipped cream!

How to make Fresh Mozzarella

Each Friday at 3:00pm Executive Chef Nathan Dirnberger hosts a cooking demonstration in the Grizzly Grill. This past Friday he and his cooking team demonstrated how to make mozzarella cheese, below is the recipe he demonstrated. 

Ingredients

•  2 gallons water, divided
• 3 pounds whole milk mozzarella curd (available at specialty Italian markets)
• 4 tablespoons salt, divided, plus more for serving
• Tomatoes-sliced, Basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring a gallon of water to a boil.
2. In a large bowl, break up the mozzarella curd into small pieces. Coat the curd with 2 tablespoons of salt, & set aside.
3. In another large bowl, salt the second gallon of water with the remaining salt & add as much ice as it can hold.
4. This is where it gets a little tricky. Carefully pour the boiling water over the salted curd. As the curds begin to melt, carefully stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute. Submerge both of your hands in the ice water for as long as you can stand it, because you're about to stretch the mozzarella in boiling hot water. The curd will have settled into the bottom of the bowl, & at this point you have to work quickly or risk over-cooking the curd.
5. Dip your hands into the hot water & begin stretching the mozzarella. By stretching the cheese you insure that all the curds have completely melted. The curds will become incredibly soft & have buttery shine, & also, it smells wonderful. Form the mozzarella into tomato size balls, & then drop the mozzarella into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Work quickly, as the mozzarella will start to become rubbery the longer it sits in the hot water.
6. Wrap each mozzarella ball tightly in plastic wrap & store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
7. Serve the cheese with the best tomatoes & fresh basil you can find, extra virgin olive oil, salt & fresh cracked pepper.

Check back each week for a new recipe straight from the Taste of the Wild Catering team here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.