BC School Makes A $5K Shortcake

School is back on, and here’s a fun story about a B.C. school that made a $5,000 rhubarb shortcake—and a six-year old from Salmon Arm who made a $500 Margherita pizza!

These local kids beat out hundreds of others from across Canada courtesy of a grant called Cheese4Change, which supports healthy and sustainable eating among Canada’s youth. Six year-old Julia Wycherley created a video standing on a chair to reach her kitchen counter, where she demonstrated how to make her favourite pizza using all-sustainable ingredients. This effort won her $500. Kildala elementary school in Kitimat got all the kids involved in their video, showcasing their sustainable commitments and recipe made with locally grown rhubarb, local honey and Canadian mascarpone, winning their school $5,000!

The Cheese4Change program is open again for new recipe submissions, awarding multiple cash prizes of $5K to schools and $500 to students. B.C. has already won big and can win even more this year! To enter, teachers/students/parents can complete an online submission form and submit a sustainable recipe with ingredients that meet at least one of the five criteria outlined: low-to-no waste, local, healthy, ecologically responsible, and fair and accessible. In the meantime, check out the winning pizza and shortcake recipes below! —Vita Daily

Margherita Pizza By Julia Wycherley

¼ cup of Tre Stelle Mozzarella
1 sourdough pizza dough
3/4 cup pizza sauce
2 tsp of basil, chopped
1 tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out risen pizza dough on a floured surface, put rolled dough on a heat safe baking sheet, spread pizza sauce on dough, add diced tomatoes on crust. Spread whole or diced basil leaves on dough, spread grated mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until golden and crispy, about 15 minutes.

Honey Rhubarb Shortcakes By Kildala Elementary School

475g Tre Stelle Mascarpone
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
½ cup local honey
½ cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup cold milk
2 cups whipped cream
3 tbsp honey (more if you like it sweeter!)

Place your washed and chopped rhubarb in a pot along with ½ cup of honey and cook over medium heat until the rhubarb is tender but not falling apart. Add your cornstarch and water and stir until it comes back to a boil then remove from heat. Set it aside to cool in the refrigerator. While the rhubarb mixture is cooling, make the shortcakes. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Mix together your dry ingredients until well incorporated then cut in the butter using your fingers, or a pastry blender until the mixture looks sandy and the butter is broken into rolled oat sized crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the two mixtures together and stir until just incorporated. Scoop large rounded spoonful’s onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden. Allow the shortcakes to cool to room temperature. Now it’s time to make the cream. First, soften the mascarpone by stirring it together with the honey. Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream until incorporated. Fold the remaining whipped cream into the rest of the mixture. Do not over mix. Slice each shortcake in half and place the bottom half on a plate. Spoon over some of the rhubarb mixture, then layer it with some of the Tre Stelle Mascarpone cream, another spoonful of rhubarb, and then the top of the shortcake. Add another dollop of cream and garnish with a sprig of mint from the garden. Add a drizzle of honey.

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