Emma’s Quesadilla

Let your kids try their hand at modifying a recipe…

Improvise when you can’t find all the ingredients

Emma is 9 years old and loves goat’s cheese and lots of things most kids would turn up their noses to.  She can also be picky, so when I could not find the fig jam for our recipe, I thought of the berries she loves and settled on black current.  I honestly didn’t know how she’d react to this change, but she wasn’t concerned. She loved crumbling the cheese and was surprised that we did not oil the skillet. When the moment of truth came, and she had cut it into 8 even triangles, she smiled very contentedly – she loved it.

Consider the season when making variations!

Some days later we were planning dinner with her parents, grandmother and cousin.  Emma wanted to make an ‘appetizer’ of the quesadilla.  By this time some fig jam was found and she also bought fresh, local figs at the market with her mom.  When it came time to prepare the quesadillas, Emma was now in full command. She discovered the perfect balance of jam and cheese, and knew exactly how browned she wanted it as she gently lifted the quesadilla with a spatula and peaked underneath to check for the color. She was proud that I photographed her making the final one – I think her self-confidence and pride shows through in these photos!  Well done, Emma!