Spicing Up Kid Favorites

Little ones are either the best or the worst food critics. They know exactly what they like and make no bones about it. Unfortunately with their ideas comes a refusal to try new or improved dishes.This limits their palates and their diet.However all it takes is some craftiness and creativity to make them change their minds.

Melissa Clark realized this with her four year old daughter. She explores her kid's diet and passion for only white foods in her New York Times Dining column A Good Appetite. Dahlia loves baked mac as any kid does along with chicken pot pie. Her mother, being more adventurous decides to spice these up. It is hard though because kids,even teen agers, have a set idea of what they want to eat. There are no variations. They like it because it is comfort food.Anything else would be blasphemy.

How does Ms. Clark change it up. With the baked mac and cheese, cheddar is replaced with creamy marscapone and the slightly sharp and biting mix of Parmesan and Reggiano cheese. For silkiness, she adds some Brie too and nutmeg for a different  flavor. Her daughter likes this, thankfully  as she does her mother's twist on chicken pot pie. This is slightly adult with the addition of white wine along with garlic, celery root and leeks. This recipe is a great one for introducing new veggies to kids. She also has another kid classic rice pudding, this made with golden raisins  and cardamon for zest.

It's tough to change anyone's tastes, especially a kid's. Yet that little tongue can be persuaded into trying new flavors by subtly changing the recipe.It may be sneaky but it's a great way of getting even the most sutbborneest and youngest food critic to eat and accept.