Erica Franklin

Erica Franklin of Bensalem, Pa.
Fruity Tutti Frozen Soy Cream on Oatmeal Lace
 
Franklin attends Bucks County Technical High School, where she is a member of the Drama Club, SkillsUSA and DECA, as well as president of both Students Against Destructive Decisions and Peer Mediation. She says, “Ever since I was a little kid, I always enjoyed preparing food. When the time came for me to continue my education at the high-school level, I already knew I wanted my career to be in the field of culinary arts. I chose to attend the technical high school in my county so I could pursue my love of the field.”
 
Franklin's recipe, reflects her “almost vegan” diet, dairy-free and using a variety of fruits.
 
Judge Gregg Hamm, a J&W alumnus who competed in the 1992 contest and is currently a culinary arts instructor at Lee County Senior High School and Central Carolina Community College, commented that “the oatmeal lace was amazing.” Judge Daniel J. Scannell, CMC, another J&W alumnus, executive chef of the Cherry Hills (Colo.) Country Club and member of the ACF Culinary Teams 2000 and 2004, said she did a “nice job using the soy milk and silken tofu … excellent flavor.”

Zest Ingredients
1 tangerine
1 lemon
1 lime
 
Method of Preparation
1. Bring water to a simmer in a pot.
2. Wash all fruits thoroughly. Keeping the zests separated, zest each fruit. Set aside fruit for later use.
3. Using the zest of one fruit at a time, place zest in a finely meshed strainer and immerse in simmering water for 15 seconds. Cool the zest by rinsing with cold water. Repeat with the zest of the other two fruits. Set aside.
 
Fruity Tutti Frozen Soy Cream
Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy milk (original/regular flavor)
4 ounces firm silken tofu
1/3 banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine and lemon juice
2 slices of canned pineapple  
 
Method of Preparation
1. Blend sugar and soy milk.
2. Add mixture, as well as tofu, to food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Add the banana and pineapple and blend.
4. Pour the juices through a strainer to avoid any pulp or seeds entering the cream. Blend into the mixture in the food processor, making sure the mixture is smooth.
5. Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze by using directions on the machine.
6. Transfer the ice cream to a container and store in the freezer to finish it off. Manually stir the cream every 20 minutes and store in the freezer for no longer than 2 and 1/2 hours.
 
Mango-Lime Dessert Sauce
Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh mango, rough chopped (only chop what you need from the fruit, save the rest for later)
Freshly squeezed lime juice to taste; use entire lime and strain to get out pulp and seeds
Sugar to taste (if necessary)
 
Method of Preparation
1. Blend chopped mango in food processor until smooth.
2. Add desired amount of lime juice. (Keep in mind the consistency; you don’t want a thin sauce; it should be able to stay where you put it on the plate and not run.)
3. Add sugar if necessary and blend. The sauce should be sweet from the mango, yet sour from the lime. However, depending on the quality of both fruits, sugar might be necessary.
4. Refrigerate.
 
Oatmeal Lace
Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
 
Method of Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put a Silpat on a sheet tray or baking pan and set aside.
3. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
4. Separate the batter into 6 equal parts, placing them on the Silpat to form 6 flat, even circles.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes.
6. Before the lace has had a chance to cool and harden, use a metal spatula to cut each one in half. When you bring down the smooth edge of the spatula in the center of each lace and press, it will slightly cut and separate each lace into two halves.
7. Let stand 2 minutes; the lace will cool and harden.
8. Use the smooth edge of the metal spatulas to completely cut and separate each lace into two halves by pressing through the cut you made in step 6.
9. Transfer to cooling rack.
 
Garnish
Ingredients
Mango
Banana
 
Method of Preparation
1. As thin as possible, cut 8 slices of mango approximately 2 inches x 1/4 inch. Keep cold.
2. Wait until right before plating to dice 4 teaspoons of banana. (Make sure to cut off and discard the already cut, brown end from before.)
 
Plating Instructions
1. In the center of each prefrozen plate, stack 3 Oatmeal Lace halves to resemble a spiral staircase.
2. With a spoon, place sauce on the plate to form approximately 9 half-moon curves around the Oatmeal Lace, like yin-yang shapes.
3. With a #16 school (it should hold 1/4 cup), place 2 scoops of the frozen cream side-by-side on top of the Oatmeal Lace.
4. Lay 2 mango strips on top to form an X.
5. Place 1 teaspoon of diced banana overtop the mango.
6. Garnish cream with a very little lemon zest topped with lime zest.
7. Sprinkle a little tangerine zest around the center of the plate, where the sauce is.