Bethany Pratt Flint
“Food is so comforting and can bring joy to so many people,” said Bethany Pratt Flint, and “while I do love food and cooking, my new job will be in the clinical side (instead of food service) of dietetics.” Bethany got her bachelor’s of science in Dietetics and Nutrition, and in May will have her Master’s of Science in Food and Nutrition Services.
“Our degree really focuses on the nutrition, the science of food (like how its digested and absorbed in your body to the chemical properties of sugar or egg yolks in baked goods), and food service management.” She will be working at Rush Hospital on the cardio floor in the telemetry unit in Meridian.
As a high school senior, she shadowed Dr. Charlotte Oakley, dietitian at Ole Miss, for her career search paper in Allison Movitz’s English class. Since that time, she knew what she wanted to do with her career. Bethany served as Oakley’s assistant when she was executive director of the National Food Service Management Institute. And most recently while in grad school, she was her teaching assistant in the Experimental Foods class she taught.
“Throughout her career Dr. Oakley really has been a very influential player in the field of dietetics,” said Bethany.
Chef Lee Craven, formerly of Madidi in Clarksdale, was her instructor for a basic food class as well as the Lenoir Dining class. They were taught everything from how to hold a knife, to running the restaurant, Lenoir’s, on the Ole Miss campus. Students learn every aspect of the restaurant–cooking, baking, serving, hostessing, dishwashing–by moving to a different “station” or chore each week.
Bethany has always been surrounded by good food–from her mother (Becky Wright), who loves to cook, to her family being in the grocery store business.
“My mama instilled in me her passion for food. She is the first person I call when I’m stumped about something in the kitchen, and nine times out of 10, she has the answer I was looking for. It helped a lot in the classroom, too, because I was actually already familiar with the ingredients and techniques we learned about. I may not have used them or performed them myself, but I had seen my mother doing it,” she said.
Bethany began most of her cooking while in college, and usually cooks brunch for Becky on Mother’s Day, along with her brother, Ben, and his daughter, Emma Kate, and supper for her birthday. She also enjoys cooking with mother, saying they flow pretty well in the kitchen together. They have fun cooking while listening and singing along to music.
She usually fixes something new weekly and enjoys looking at food blogs for new recipes. She also loves Food Network. Ina Garten and Alton Brown are her favorites. Her husband, Jon, loves chicken, Cajun and Mexican. She says there’s nothing she won’t eat, that her “mama didn’t give us the option to be picky.” She loves the food of New Orleans, and Irene’s is one of her favorite restaurants.
She always has vegetables and tries to serve a well-balanced meal. “Roasted vegetables are delicious and so easy. Roasting them completely transforms flavor.” Other vegetables she roasts besides asparagus often include potatoes (russet, red, and sweet), carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. “Cooking times do vary for different vegetables.”
She says the recipes she submitted are all good for entertaining. The BBQ shrimp is one that is cooked and enjoyed by her whole family. She calls the brownies, “The best brownies I have ever had! These are actually the brownies that won Jon over. At our wedding, my creative mother titled them, ‘Hook, Line and Sinker Brownies’!”
“I think it would be fun to have a restaurant that only served breakfast and lunch–like with an upscale coffee shop feel– serving coffee, scones, muffins, and gourmet sandwiches on freshly baked bread! That’s all just really a dream…”
Outrageous Brownies
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet. Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 40 brownies. These are very rich so only a small amount is needed to satisfy the palate!
Butterscotch Delight
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ cups Cool Whip
2 (4 oz.) boxes instant butterscotch pudding mix
3 cups milk
Heath Bar (chocolate covered toffee candy) pieces
Mix flour, chopped pecans, and butter together. Press into a baking dish and bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and cool whip. Spread mixture on cooled crust, set aside. Mix instant pudding with milk. Put the pudding mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture. Top with cool whip. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and Heath Bar pieces.
New Orleans’ BBQ Shrimp
(I usually half this recipe. It still makes a lot!)
Ingredients
4 lb. shrimp, unpeeled
½ cup butter
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup chili sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 lemons, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper
½ teaspoon hot sauce
Spread shrimp in a 9×13 dish. Combine butter and next 12 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Pour over shrimp. Chill for two hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes @ 400° F. Serve with crusty bread to dip in juices!
Faux Boursin Cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. butter, room temperature
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced
½ tsp. dried majoram
½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. chives
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
Combine butter, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It is best if you let the flavors marry for a couple of hours. Before serving, bring to room temperature. Serve with toasted slices of baguette.
Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag.
Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the sauté pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for about 20-25 minutes or until the meat registers 145 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices and serve warm.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
1 lb. fresh asparagus
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425° F. Wash asparagus and snap off tough ends. On a heavy duty baking sheet, drizzle olive oil, and place asparagus in a single layer on a pan.
Roll the asparagus around in the olive oil to make sure it is coated well. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast for about 10-15 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve warm.
These are good with any meal, even with an omelet for breakfast!
