Kids in the kitchen

Maria Helm Sinskey of Napa works as a winery chef, food writer and mother of two young girls. So when Williams-Sonoma, the upscale cookware and publishing company, tapped her to write a cookbook about family meals, it was a no-brainer.

The busy working mother had already started training her young daughters — Ella, 10 and Lexie, 9 — in the fine art of making corn tortillas and pizza dough from scratch while gathering them at the table each night for a home-cooked meal.

“There are lots of things that kids can do that don’t involve heat ... They can make breadcrumbs and peel carrots and stir,” Sinskey said in a phone interview from her home in Napa. “Just get them involved. Don’t let the kitchen be the taboo place.”

As culinary director of her family’s winery, Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa, Sinskey doesn’t always have a lot of time to make elaborate dinners on weeknights. But she makes sure she serves something healthy and fresh, made from scratch, that expands their palates while feeding their souls.

“We realized that the kids were getting into the broccoli, pasta, roast-chicken thing, and that they were getting limited in their food choices,” she said. “So pretty early, we started putting different vegetables and foods on their plate.”

In her latest cookbook, “Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen,” (Oxmoor House, 2009) Sinskey offers 100 simple but tasty recipes, from Angel Food Cake to Turkey Saltimbocca, plus a plethora of tips on getting kids into the kitchen and out of the “picky eater” rut.

Each chapter focuses on a different set of fresh ingredients — dairy, eggs, fruit, vegetables, chicken, meat, and so on. The chapters begin with a challenging family project, such as homemade ricotta cheese, berry jam or smoked salmon.

“Those are not for a weeknight dinner,” Sinskey said. “It’s for when you want to do an activity together on the weekend with your kids or other family members.”

Some of the projects, such as making chicken stock from scratch, are more accessible than others.

“Chicken stock is easy,” Sinskey said. “So many people don’t do it because you can buy it in the box. People don’t even want to be bothered cutting up a chicken, and I really think that’s the wrong way to think.”

Other projects are a little bit more involved, such as making homemade ravioli, from rolling out the fresh pasta to stuffing it with an herb and ricotta filling.

The cookbook appeals to families with young toddlers as well as teens going off to college, and everyone in between. Now that they’re pre-teens, both of Sinskey’s daughters are fearlessly taking on their on cooking projects, grabbing their mom’s cookbook to bake a cake or make pancakes from scratch.

“A box is just the dry ingredients mixed together,” Sinskey said. “Why not do it yourself? And then you can say you made it yourself. ... Plus, those mixes are pricey.”

In the cookbook, Sinskey suggests planting a small garden with fresh herbs and lettuces with your kids. Even those living in an urban setting can find a place for a few pots.

Thrift and self-reliance are just a few of the lessons kids learn by getting their hands dirty in the kitchen and the garden.

But in order to for kids to master some culinary skills, parents need to set aside their fears and relax. After all, Sinskey pointed out, we all make mistakes and have mishaps. Most of the time, they are pretty minor.

“Put your control freak aside,” Sinskey advised. “Yes, pay attention and supervise, but don’t sit there with your teeth gritted.”

When setting up your kids in the kitchen, it’s important to find a counter that is at the right height. If the counter is too high, you can have your child stand on a sturdy stepstool, or alternately, set up a workstation at the kitchen table.

“The counter should be the right height, and they should start with small knives and work their way up to bigger knives,” Sinskey said. “If you never give them a knife, they’re going to be 16 and not know what to do with it.”

If you have a gas stovetop, you can start kids cooking on a griddle, which protects them from the direct flame. Also, teach them how to use potholders to take hot pans out of the oven.

When kids help cook their own meal, they understand the effort that goes into it. And that, in turn, makes them less likely to turn up their noses at the result.

“My kids are starting to make their own lunches now,” she said. “Parents spend so much time on making lunches, and then the kids eat an eighth of what they pack.”

As for dinner, she advises against asking them what they want, giving choices or even telling them what you’re making ahead of time.

“The minute I announce something, my youngest daughter will say, ‘I don’t want that,’” Sinskey said. “But if I don’t say anything, she will just eat it, because she’s hungry.”

Sinskey, who released her first cookbook, “The Vineyard Kitchen,” in 2003, is currently participating in the international Masters of Wine program and hopes to become the first notable chef to hold the prestigious Master of Wine title.

This month, Sinskey won a scholarship from the Masters of Wine program to study wine in several European countries. For three weeks, she’s leaving the cooking in the capable hands of her husband, Rob, of Robert Sinskey Vineyards.

“He loves it while I’m gone, because I dominate the kitchen and now he can do whatever he wants,” she said. “He loves to make Mexican food, like rice and beans and fish tacos. He also uses the crockpot and he’ll cook chicken stock and make the chicken soup, a pot of beans or a lamb or beef stew.”

Meanwhile, Sinskey’s daughters have grown fond of their mom’s Pizza, Ham and Leek Quiche and — on special occasions — the Overnight Cinnamon Buns they tested for the cookbook.

They also learned to love her classic recipes for Braised Beef Stew, Chicken Kebabs and Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers, aimed at kids of all ages.

“Adults like the chicken fingers more than kids,” Sinskey said, with a laugh. “But they won’t admit it.”

The following three recipes are from “Williams-Sonoma Family Meals” by Maria Helm Sinskey.

Citrus Crabby Cakes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

½pound fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments and cartilage

1cup (2 ounces) fresh white braed crumbs

¼cup store-bought mayonnaise

1tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1tablespoon unsalted butter

Watercress or butter lettuce leaves, for serving

1Meyer lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Citrus vinaigrette, homemade (see below)

In a bowl, combine the crabmeat, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and chives, and mix gently until the ingredients are evenly distributed, being careful not to break up the chunks of crabmeat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shape into 6 equal-sized cakes and place them on a plate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to overnight to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb some of the juices.

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter is hot, add the crab cakes and cook until golden on the undersides, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the cakes over and cook on the second sides until golden, 3 to 4 minutes longer, reducing the heat if needed to avoid overcooking the exterior.

Transfer to a platter; garnish with the watercress and lemon wedges, and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top, if using. Serve right away.

Citrus Vinaigrette

Makes ½ cup

2tablespoons fresh orange juice

1tablespoon each fresh lemon and lime juice

1teaspoon minced shallot

¼teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2tablespoons each extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil

2teaspoons mixed, chopped fresh herbs such as chives, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, tarragon and/or chervil, in any combination

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange, lemon and lime juices; shallot; salt and 1 or 2 grinds of pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Whisk in both oils, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the herbs just before serving to retain their bright colors.

“Dipping these tasty fingers into a delicious array of sauces makes them even more fun to eat, especially for little ones,” Sinskey writes. “Choose from all kinds of savory concoctions, such as Tomato-Basil Sauce, Lemony Mayo, spicy mustard or even good-quality barbecue sauce.”

Oven-fried Chicken Fingers

Makes 4 to 6 servings

¼cup extra-virgin olive oil

½cup all-purpose (plain) flour

4large egg whties, lightly beaten

1cup plain dried bread crumbs

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

½cup grated Parmesan cheese

1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

3boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each cut into 4 strips, or 1¼ pounds chicken tenders (about 12)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the oil into a rimmed baking sheet.

Place the flour, egg whites and bread crumbs into 3 separate shallow bowls or pie pans and line them up, in that order. Season each bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir the Parmesan, thyme and parsley into the bread crumbs.

One at a time, dip the chicken pieces into the flour and tap off the excess, and then dip into the egg whites and allow the excess to drip off. Finally, roll in the bread crumbs and place on the prepared pan, spacing them 1 to 2 inches apart. (At this point, the chicken can be refrigerated, uncovered, for a few hours. The coating will dry out a bit, so it will crisp better in the oven.)

Bake for 8 minutes. Turn the pieces over and continue to bake until golden and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a platter and serve right away.

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@

pressdemocrat.com.