Food from the YDW kitchen

Recipes

Like the food at YDW? Here are the recipes we use, adapted for you to use at home or at your own dance weekend.

Beet Burgers

Sarah (YDW Kitchen Manager) first encountered Beet Burgers when she was working in the Pinewoods Camp kitchen. They are a delightful alternative to the standard tofu or tempeh vegetarian entrée. Beet Burgers have proved to be a big hit with the YDW crowd and we hear more requests for this recipe than anything else we cook. The YDW Beet Burger recipe is based on the one used at Pinewoods with modifications from online sources.

Ingredients

Ingredient	For a Few	50	100	150
Veggies
beets	1 lb	4⅔ lbs	9⅜ lbs	15 lbs
carrots	½ lb	3 lbs	6 lbs	9¾ lbs
onions (large)	1	3	7	10
garlic	3 cloves	16 cloves	31 cloves	50 cloves
fresh parsley	⅓ c.	1 c.	2 c.	3½ c.
Wet Ingredients
eggs	3	12	24	38
soy sauce	⅛ c.	¾ c.	1½ c.	2¼ c.
vegetable oil	⅓ c.	1½ c.	3 c.	4¾ c.
cheddar cheese	1¼ c.	6 c.	11 c.	18 c.
Dry Ingredients
brown rice (dry)	⅓ c.	2 c.	3½ c.	5½ c.
AP flour	¼ c.	1 c.	2 c.	3½ c.
sunflower seeds	1 c.	4⅔ c.	9⅜ c.	15 c.
sesame seeds	½ c.	2 c.	4⅜ c.	7 c.

Prep

Grate beets, carrots, and onions (a food processor is very helpful here). Using a large colander, drain the veggies by pushing down on them until all the water is squeezed out. If you skip this step, the burgers will end up too squishy. Put the drained veggies in a large bowl. Mince garlic and add to veggies.

Boil enough water so that you have a 2:1 ratio of water to rice. Add dry brown rice to boiling water and reduce heat to a low simmer. Do not stir the rice. Check after 45 minutes to see if the rice is still sticky. If it is, cook for another 15 minutes. Once rice is no longer sticky, remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. The rice can be cooked one day ahead.

Assembly and Baking

In a large bowl mix together veggies and rice. Add soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds, flour, sunflower seeds, salt, and pepper. Chop parsley and add to bowl. Toss ingredients until uniform.

Add eggs and cheese. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Using about ¾ cup of the mixture, form a patty between your hands — about 3 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Set on an oiled sheet tray. Bake at 350°F until crispy, about 20 minutes. Unbaked patties can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Apple Crisp

Held in September, YDW falls right in the middle of apple season in Vermont. This version comes primarily from Pinewoods Camp with liberal modification by Sarah.

Ingredients

Ingredient	For a Few	50	100	150
Topping (Crumble)
flour	1⅗ c.	8 c.	16 c.	24 c.
brown sugar	½ c.	2½ c.	5 c.	7½ c.
granulated white sugar	½ c.	2½ c.	5 c.	7½ c.
cinnamon	½ tsp	2⅓ tsp	4⅔ tsp	7 tsp
nutmeg	⅖ tsp	2 tsp	4 tsp	6 tsp
salt	⅖ tsp	2 tsp	4 tsp	6 tsp
cold unsalted butter	⅓ lb	1⅔ lbs	3⅓ lbs	5 lbs
Filling
apples	10	50	100	150
lemons	¼	1⅓	2⅔	4
sugar	½ c.	2½ c.	5 c.	7½ c.

Prep

Rinse and peel apples. Cut into eighths and then cut each eighth into thirds. Remove the hard bits of the core and the seeds. Place apple slices in a large bowl.

Zest the lemons and add the zest to the apples. Squeeze the juice from the same lemons onto the apples.

In a food processor, combine both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pulse a few times to mix. Cut butter into 1-inch chunks and add a few at a time, processing until the mixture is crumbly like coarse sand. You may need to do this in batches.

Assembly and Baking

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease baking pans.

Distribute apple mixture evenly among pans. Sprinkle sugar over each pan. Spread topping to cover. Bake for approximately 30–40 minutes until golden brown, bubbly, and fragrant. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Maple Carrot Cake

Carrot cake was a big hit as a midnight snack at YDW 2012. If you put vegetables in your cake, that means it’s good for you, right? This recipe comes from Rebecca with adjustments by Sarah.

Ingredients

Ingredient	For a Few	75	150
Dry Ingredients
flour	2 c.	10 c.	5½ lbs
baking powder	2 tsp	3 Tbs	5 Tbs
baking soda	2 tsp	3 Tbs	5 Tbs
cinnamon	½ tsp	2½ tsp	2 Tbs
ginger	¼ tsp	1 tsp	2½ tsp
nutmeg	¼ tsp	½ tsp	1 tsp
salt	1 tsp	5 tsp	3 Tbs
Wet Ingredients
sugar	1 c.	5 c.	10 c.
maple syrup (grade B)	1 c.	5 c.	10 c.
vegetable oil	½ c.	2½ c.	5 c.
large eggs	4	20	40
grated carrot	¾ lb	5 lb	12 lb
pecans or walnuts (optional)	½ c.	2½ c.	5 c.
Frosting
powdered sugar	1 c.	5 c.	10 c.
cream cheese	8 oz	2½ lbs	5 lbs
unsalted butter	¼ c.	1¼ c.	1 lb
vanilla	2 tsp	3 Tbs	¼ c.
maple syrup	¼ c.	1¼ c.	2½ c.

Prep

Sift together all dry ingredients. Crack eggs into a separate bowl. Shred the carrots using a box grater or food processor.

Rough chop the nuts to about the size of pea gravel. Spread on a sheet tray and toast at low temperature until fragrant — don’t burn them.

Assembly and Baking

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease baking pans.

Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, combine maple syrup, oil, and sugar until uniform. Add the eggs a few at a time until fully incorporated.

Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients — don’t dump in too much at once. Add the carrots and blend for a few minutes longer.

If you are sure no one has a nut allergy, mix in the pecans and/or walnuts. Otherwise set aside a small portion of batter for a nut-free batch.

Spread batter into deep sheet pans and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until the cake springs back lightly when pressed. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

Combine butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a food processor. With the machine running, gently stream in the maple syrup until you have a silky smooth frosting. Work in batches as needed.