“If you introduce your kids to a variety of nutritionally balanced good-tasting meals when they are very young, they’ll develop healthy eating habits that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.” – Chef Jordan Wagman
“Because children’s dietary preferences are set early in life, it’s important to predispose them to having a taste for whole healthy food rather than a preference for salty or heavily sweetened processed food.” – Nutritionist Jill Hillhouse
Wagman and Hillhouse believe the best way to insure a good start is in the home kitchen, where the amount of salt, sugar, and starch that is too often found in commercially prepared baby food can be controlled or omitted completely.  
In Easy Gourmet Baby Food, (Robert Rose, $24.95 paperback), the authors offer 150 easy-to-prepare tasty recipes, conveniently divided into age groups: 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and 12-24 months.  Each recipe is accompanied by detailed nutritional information and tips for transforming baby’s meal into a dish for the whole family.   
 At six months, the authors recommend introducing one food at a time, waiting five to seven days before trying another.  This allows the parent to identify any foods that might cause an adverse reaction.  Try Fresh Apricot Purée (attention adults: one tablespoon of this purée added to a martini makes a refreshing cocktail); Apple and Fig Brown Rice Cereal; Grilled Chicken and Avocado (the addition of chopped tomatoes and Cheddar cheese turn this purée into a great burrito stuffing); or Carrot and Split Pea Purée.  
Between 9 and 12 months children begin to express definite food preferences. “Allowing your baby to exert some independence can go a long way toward keeping peace at mealtime,” says Wagman.  Some of the dishes to test include Potato, Parsnip and Chicken Soup with Chive Parsley “Pistou” (“feed some to Baby and enjoy the rest yourself”); The Best Eggplant Parmesan; Egg and Sweet Pepper Fried Rice; Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Purée; and Ratatouille Vegetables.
When children reach the toddler stage, they become very busy exploring the world around them, so often don’t want to sit still long enough to eat.  One solution is to feed them more often.  Another is to offer finger foods.  Everyone in the family can enjoy World’s Best “Fish Sticks”; French Toast with Fresh Peaches and Peachy Maple Syrup; Strawberries with Granny Smith Apples; Broccoli, Potato, and Spinach Pie; Jonah’s “Mac and Cheese: and Classic Beef and Barley Stew.
“When you make your own baby food, you know exactly what your baby is eating,” says Hillhouse.  “The added value is you can shape her taste for the better by limiting ingredients that may have potentially negative effects over the long term.”
Chef Wagman emphasizes that changing cooking methods for the same ingredients can achieve an entirely different taste.  For example, try roasting a sweet potato instead of steaming it.  “Amazingly, by varying the cooking method you will create a whole new flavor for your child, significantly reducing the hissy-fit factor.  I know you know what I mean.”
Easy Gourmet Baby Food includes a “Not for Adults Only” chapter to further expand a child’s food repertoire, useful hints for food preparation and safety, as well as storing, freezing and reheating.   It is an excellent way for parents to give their child a healthy head start in life.

• Easy Gourmet Baby Food, by Jordan Wagman and Jill Hillhouse; Published by:  Robert Rose Inc. / Distributed by:  Firefly Books (May 2008)

Roasted Summer Fruit
This recipe works for virtually any fruit and can be served with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Makes about 4 cups (1 L)
Chef Jordan's Tips
The combination of the natural sugars in the fruit with brown sugar results in a very rich caramel. The key to caramelization is patience but it's really worth the wait! In winter substitute apples for the peaches or cranberries or frozen berries for the berries.

Nutrition Tip
We recommend choosing organic peaches and strawberries for this recipe since conventionally grown peaches and strawberries are among the foods on which pesticide residues have been most frequently found.
• Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C)
• Baking dish, lightly greased
• Potato masher, optional
2 peaches, pitted (2)
1 1/2 cups  fresh raspberries (375 mL)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (375 mL)
1 1/2 cups whole strawberries, stems removed (375 mL)
2 plums, pitted (2)
2 tbsp evaporated cane juice sugar OR     
25 mL packed brown sugar
1. In prepared baking dish, combine peaches, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums and sugar, stirring until fruit is evenly coated with sugar.
2. Roast in preheated oven until fruit is soft and nicely caramelized (see Tips, left), about 1 hour. Mash or cut to desired consistency. Let cool until warm to the touch or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Nutrients per serving (1/2 cup/125 mL)
Calories 65; Protein 1.0 g; Total fat 0.2 g; Saturated fat 0.0 g; Carbohydrates 17.3 g; Dietary fiber 2.1 g; Sodium 0.6 mg; Calcium10.5 mg; Iron   0.3 mg; Vitamin C 27.6 mg

Not just for babies
Serve this with pancakes in the morning, with a touch of whipped cream for an afternoon snack or as a condiment with seared pork tenderloin.
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