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BOCES Students Serve Up Colonial Fare
Those who attend the 300th anniversary celebration of Benjamin Franklin's birthday at the John Jay Homestead in Katonah on June 4th will have a chance to sample authentic Colonial-era pound cake thanks to the Pastry Arts students at the BOCES Tech Center.
The cake, which takes its name from the quantity of each of its four ingredients, originated in the 18th century and was popular during Ben Franklin's lifetime. Although there are many variations on the recipe today, it typically calls for equal parts of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.
"We do this as a service to the community," said BOCES teacher Chef Jennifer Guiffre. "But it is also an opportunity to teach the students about the history of baking in America. They learn how cakes were usually made over an open fire in a skillet and which ingredients were hard to come by."
The cakes will be prepared by students in the advanced Pastry Arts class, which is a yearlong program that Culinary Arts students may choose to complete after their first year of Culinary Arts training, and also by second-year Culinary Arts students who are doing their Pastry Arts rotation, Ms. Guiffre said. Most students in the Pastry Arts class go on to specialize in pastry at top culinary schools after graduation.
The cakes enough to serve 300 people will be served as part of a daylong celebration of Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. Other activities will include stunt kite-flying demonstrations, 18th century magic shows, science experiments, a Benjamin Franklin impersonator, Colonial music, and more. Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services is a co-sponsor of the event.
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