Published: November 10, 2009 11:52 pm      

No time to bake?

MSU culinary arts students host bake sale to raise money for competitions

Want to enjoy some scrumptious pumpkin rolls, hot apple pie or fluffy, delicious dinner rolls without having to do all the work that goes into making them?

The culinary club at Mountain State University in Beckley will be more than happy to help.

Members are taking orders until Nov. 16 and will have the goodies ready for customers to pick up Nov. 23-24.

“This gives us some good experience, and it provides a way for people to have some holiday specialties to make Thanksgiving more special,” said Keli Royal, a fourth-year student at The National Institute for Culinary Arts at MSU.

The goal of the Cougar Culinarians was to make items affordable and still collect some proceeds for the club, which uses the money for trips to culinary competitions.

“Those competitions help us build our skills and learn from other culinary students and chefs,” Royal said. “They help to round out the knowledge and skills we are learning here.”

The group kicked off the bake sale a few weeks ago and has already had a good response.

“We have had a lot of orders, and we are still getting more every day,” Royal said. “We’ve been surprised how the idea just took off.”

Items available are apple pie, $5; pumpkin pie, $5; pumpkin roll, $6; and a dozen dinner rolls, $2.50.

Following this sale, the club will host a Christmas bake sale featuring cookies. Details for that sale will be announced later.

To order, call 304-929-1720 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Royal shared a few recipes readers might want to try at home:



Chocolate toffee bars



1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cups toffee bits

1 1/4 cups chopped chocolate

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup sliced almonds



Place butter in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish; bake at 325 degrees F. for 3 minutes or until butter is melted completely.

Layer graham cracker crumbs and the remaining ingredients in the baking dish with the melted butter. Press down firmly in the baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until you see the edges are lightly brown. Cool completely in dish. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Tip: You can also add 1 tablespoon espresso powder or 1 cup shredded coconut to substitute an ingredient.



Cheddar and onion popovers



2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted melted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion



Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. In a bowl combine the eggs and salt; whisk together but beat lightly. Stir in milk and melted butter, then add the flour, just until blended. Do not over beat.

Fill the muffin pan half full in each slot and place in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 425 degrees F. and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. and finish baking for 10-15 minutes, until they are golden. The popovers should be crisp on the outside.

Quickly pierce each popover with a skewer or a small knife to release the steam. Leave in the oven for a couple more minutes for further crisping. Then remove and serve right away.

Tip: You can make chocolate popovers by just adding one-third cup of cocoa powder, replacing the cheese and onions. If you like the popovers plain, leave the cheese, onion and cocoa powder out, and top them with fresh fruit or jellies.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com