Master Chef V: Feed These Kids!

A daunting task is before us: food for children.

The Challenge:

Make a kid friendly dish that is also appealing to adults. 

Scoring:

1-10 pts from the adults.

Bonus Points:  Up to 2 possible bonus points.  1 point if you can convince at least one child to try the dish and 2 if at least one child likes the dish.

Thus, a perfect score would be 12.

Look at 'em!  They're hungry!  One has already resorted to eating his own fingers!

Update: Master Chef V will take place on Sunday January 25, 2009.  Huzzah!

Sweet and Sour SweeTart Stuffed Cabbage

by Erica Cooksey

2 pounds ground chuck

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup long-grain rice, parboiled for 3 minutes

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 medium onions, diced, divided

1 extra-large head green cabbage (4 to 5 pounds)

1 cup SweeTarts, ground in a spice grinder (I left out the grape ones)

Dark brown sugar

Fresh lemons

1 box (~28oz) Pomi strained tomatoes

Canola oil

Saute one of the onions in a bit of oil until translucent but not brown and let cool. Combine with ingredients 1 through 5. Set aside.

Dip the whole head of cabbage in a big pot of boiling water until the outer leaves are soft (see recap video for my technique). Pull it out, peel off the outer leaves, and repeat this process until you get to the inner leaves that are too small and crinkly to stuff. Shred the inner leaves, and remove the center rib from the outer leaves.

Sprinkle some of the shredded cabbage in the bottom of a casserole dish. Roll up a little oval of meat in each large cabbage leaf, and place atop the shredded cabbage.

Uh I hadn't slept much so I forget how I did the sauce exactly but just saute the remaining onion and dump the strained tomatoes on top, bring the whole thing to a boil, turn down the heat, and add a bunch of salt, brown sugar, lemon juice, and about 2 tablespoons of SweeTart powder until it the sauce has a good balance of sweet and sour. I think I used about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 lemons, but I'm not sure. You'll be fine, I promise.

Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls and bake covered at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the master chef timer goes off. Serve over kosher pareve mashed potatoes.

Crimson Gore Gelatin

by Kelly Campana

1 bag candy eyeball gum

2 boxes red jello mix

2 cups water

14 ice cubes

1) Bring 2 cups water to boil ( in micro or strove top)

2) empty jello mix into large mixing bowl

3) mix in boiling water till well dissolved

4) add ice cubes 

5) mix until ice cubes are completely dissolved (try to create a bubbly/foam while mixing)

6) pour into portion cups

7) drop in eyeballs (make sure they make cur-plunk noises)

8) arrange in fridge with mini fan for circulation

9) wait about 2.5 hours or until jiggly to serve

Reese's Pieces Thai Peanut Sauce

by Krystal Wolfe

1 cup reese's pieces

1 tbl olive oil

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk

4 oz chopped ginger

3 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 tbl fish sauce

1 tbl soy sauce

3 tbl Cholula hot sauce

1. Add the reese's pieces to a food processor.

2. Add 1 tbl olive oil.

3. Use food processor until the candy has a grainy consistency.

4. Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat.

5. Add 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk to the saucepan.

6. Add the reese's pieces to the sauce pan.

7. When the recce pieces are melted add the ginger and garlic.

8. Lower to low heat and cook for approximately 5 minutes.

9. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and Cholula hot sauce.

10. Take off burner and let sit for approximately 20 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Serve with chicken or over a salad.

Another Master Chef Event

I'm considering a few more music / food gatherings for those interested. 

On November 29th the Empty Hats will be at Saturday Morning Market in St. Petersburg.  They are a great little Celtic band.  The market opens at 9 a.m. but I'm not sure when the band plays.  I suggest meeting up about 10:30 so we can listen to some music and get some fresh vegetables and swag before it closes at 2.  This event should be very kid and dog friendly.  Check the link above for directions as the Market has moved.

Master Chef IV: Video Recap

Bit-O-Honey Pumpkin Cake

by Denise Parker

170g (about 6 oz) Bit-O-Honey Bars

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 can (15-oz size) pure pumpkin

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 ounces butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups confectioners' sugar

For the pumpkin cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13-

by-9-inch pan with nonstick spray.

Freeze the Bit-O-Honey Bars for 10 minutes. (Don't forget to unwrap them before freezing.) In the food processor, chop candy bars coarsely. Set aside. (For a quieter solution, put the froze candies in a ziplock bag and hit it with a hammer.)

In a large mixing bowl, using electric mixer, combine the oil and eggs, and mix 30 seconds on high. Add pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix on medium 1 minute, scraping down sides of the bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda and flour, and mix on low 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped candy bars.

Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting: In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Mix in the vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until thoroughly incorporated.

Special Dark Mole Poblano Chicken

by Scott Wurzel

6 chicken thighs

1 yellow onion, quartered

3 cloves of garlic

5 roma tomatoes, halved

1 4 oz can chilis in adobo sauce, divided into 2 oz sauce and one chili

1/4 c olive oil

2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

2 tbl whole cumin seeds

2 tbl sesame seeds

3 tbl black peppercorns

4 Hershey's Mini Special Dark

4 Hershey's Mini Special Dark Mr. Goodbar

Salt

Ground pepper

Toast cumin, sesame seeds, and peppercorns until sesame seeds are a light brown.  In a grinder, combine toasted spices with the five spice powder and finely grind.

In a food processor, combine onion, garlic, tomatoes, chilies and sauce, olive oil, and chocolate bars.  Add spices and process until smooth.  At this point it will look a little like salsa, but once exposed to heat it will come together.

Salt and pepper chicken thighs and then brown in a skillet over Medium heat.  Once the chicken is browned, pour the contents of the food processor into the pan and cover.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 25 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Peep Wings

by Glen Parker

1 lb frozen chicken wingettes

1/2 C Texas Pete hot sauce

1/4 C Butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 packet Taco Bell Mild sauce

12 pumpkin shaped Peeps (approx 5 classic Yellow Peeps)

Peanut Oil for Frying

0)  Heat oil in deep fry pan to 350F

1)  Steam wings for 20 minutes to render out some excess fat. Evacuate wings to bowl lined with paper towel.  Remove as much moisture as you can.

2)  In medium sauce pan, combine hot sauce, butter, salt, Taco Bell sauce, and Peeps over medium-low heat.  Stir often with whisk until Peeps and butter completely melted. Remove from heat.

3)  Fry wings in small batches 2-3 minutes, until skin crispy.  For better results let oil reheat to 350F between batches.

4)  Toss wings in sauce, serve immediately.

Master Chef IV: Parker Dynasty Established

Another Parker, another dessert!  Congrats to Denise for winning the fourth Master Chef competition.  Her pumpkin spice Bit-O-Honey spiked cake perfectly captured the spirit of the competition and the season.

Watch the blog for this and other spooky-good recipes.

To Us, It's Candy Corn...

... but for Domo-kun, they are copious replicates.

Bulgogi and Korean Cole Slaw

by Robert Cooksey

1.5 lbs thinly sliced sirloin strips

CJ Bulgogi marinade (can find in Asian markets, CJ = Cheil Jedang)

toasted sesame seeds

sesame oil

1 bunch scallions

1/2 cup burdock (sliced into thin strips, boiled, and rinsed)

1/2 cup oshinko

1/2 cup shredded carrot

ginger

1 bulb garlic

Tamari

Shao Hsing

Honey Powder

Sriracha Mayonnaise

Marinate sirloin with enough CJ bulgogi marinade to cover the sirloin strips. Add a tablespoon of sesame oil and liberally sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.  Chop two scallions and sprinkle over top of marinade and use fork to separate the strips and distribute the oil, onions, and sesame seeds. Let marinade for at least an hour.

While the meat is marinating, dice the oshinko and shred the carrot and toss with burdock. In a skillet over medium low heat, bring 1/4 cup of Tamari and a splash of Shao Hsing to heat with a teaspoon of shredded ginger, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, and two tablespoons of honey powder (could use honey, I was experimenting). Reduce. Turn off the heat and add the vegetable mix. Toss in the skillet (or put in a container and toss) to evenly distribute the liquid over the vegetables. Add Sriracha Mayonnaise to desired cole slaw consistency. Stir and refrigerate.

Remove sirloin from marinade. Let it drain in colander. Get an iron skillet hot over medium heat. Add the sirloin and a handful of scallion chopped in 1/4- 1/2 inch pieces with angle cut ends. Remove all liquid and let meat star to caramelize and char a bit.

Pull off heat and serve with a scoop of the cold (in temperature) and spicy cole slaw.

I didn't do so, but this would be very good served with some sticky rice.

Master Chef III Video Recap

Download full version.

Master Chef IV: Sweet Autumn Abundance

October approaches. The harvest season is upon us once again; a time for celebrating the bounty brought forth from mother earth and a time of wonder amidst the beauty and charm of autumn!

A great many foods are now available in abundance.  A Master Chef should always look to take advantage of whatever the local market is able to  supply.  Among the variety of squash, apples, and turkeys, grocers this time of year now stock a cornucopia of Halloween Candy. 

With this in mind, I present:

The Fourth Challenge

Each participant will construct a dish that includes as one of its ingredients; *Halloween Candy*.  This ingredient can play a minor role in the dish, or it can be a featured ingredient.  It can be included in the cooking process, or it can be used as garnish.  It doesn't matter how its used so long as the majority of contenders agree that said ingredient is in fact Halloween Candy.

Postscript

This challenge does not mean that all dishes should be desserts.  Far from it.  A true masterchef should be able to bend an ingredient to their will, while at the same time respecting the spirit of the ingredient.   I look forward to many creative applications of candy in the cooking process.

---

Additionally, I propose a new scoring system that codifies the values that Master Chef hold fast to.  I've modeled it after the Iron Chef scheme.  A contender can earn a maximum of 20 points from each judge.

The points break down as follows:

5 points for honoring the intent of the Challenge

5 points for honoring the judges sense of Style

10 points for honoring the judges sense of Taste

The scores will be tallied and averaged as in the past.  The winner will be the contender with the highest average score.

Jessica's Amazing Curry Chicken with Red Lentils

by Jessica McGuire

2 lb boneless chicken breast

1 cup red lentils

1/2 lb to 1lb of tindori vegetables

1/2 of chopped large red onion

red chili powder

cumin

Vindaloo curry paste 

sugar

kosher salt

vegetable oil

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Rub chicken with chili powder, cumin and sugur or vindaloo paste on both sides.

Slice tindori into halves and sprinkle liberally with cumin and sugar and coat lightly with vegetable oil. Chop red onion(i only used half but if I could have used the whole onion, depends on how much you want).

In a metal pan lined with foil arrange the onions,chicken, and tindori.

Cook in oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until chicken is tender.

About 10 or 15 minutes before chicken is ready, begin the lentils. Rinse them off first. In a pot boil 2 cups of water with 2 or 3 pinches of course salt. I found 2 cups of water to every 1 cup lentils worked well. When water is at a low boil add in lentils. Watch them closely and add a few more pinches of salt. They should only take between 8 to 12 minutes or so. Do a few taste tests while they cook to monitor their progress. Drain and serve with chicken.

Fried Taro Ice Cream

by Krystal Wolfe

1 gal Taro Ice Cream

4 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1.5 cup Shredded Coconut

4 Eggs

4 Tsp Sugar

2 qt Soybean Oil

Dry Ice

1. Take an ice cream scoop worth of ice cream and roll into a ball.

2. Cover in plastic wrap.

3. Put over dry ice for approximately 20 minutes or until firm.

Repeat the above steps for each ball.

4. Place on the table two bowls or single use pie pans.

5. In one pie pan whisk together sugar and eggs until the mixture is consistent.

6. In the other pan combine the panko bread crumbs and coconut. Ratio used depends on taste i used about a 3:1 ratio of panko bread crumbs to coconut.

7. Remove one ice cream ball.

8. Roll ice cream in eggs and thoroughly coat.

9. Roll in panko and coconut mixture and thoroughly coat.

10. Cover ice cream ball in plastic wrap.

11. Put over dry ice for approximately 15 minutes or until the egg, panko and coconut have solidified.

12. Heat soybean oil to 400 degrees F.

13. Remove one ball from plastic wrap.

14. Place in oil for approximately 15-30 seconds or until coating is golden brown.

15. Remove from oil.

16. Serve.

Ribbon-Of-Lime Teacake

by Glen Parker

Cake

2 1/4 cup AP Flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Lime Gel

1 cup fresh lime juice (not keylime)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 1/2 tbsp corn starch

Vanilla Icing

2-3 tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup powder sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a two-piece springform pan at least 2 inches up sides.

2)  Prepare Lime Gel

Make a slurry of cornstarch and 3 tbsp water in a cup, mix well. Mix lime juice, water, sugar, cornstarch slurry in sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until boiling, stirring often. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and cool to near room temperature. A fan will speed this process.

3)  Prepare Cake

In large bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup mixture for topping.

For batter, stir baking powder, soda, nutmeg, and salt into remaining crumb mixture.  Make a well in the center.

In small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture all at once to nutmeg mixture.  Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy.  Set aside 1 cup batter.

4)  Build the cake

Spread remaining batter onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of springform pan.  This step is messy.  I recommend liberal use of parchment paper and cooking spray to help spread the batter. Carefully spread the lime gel on top. Spoon reserved batter into small mounds on top of the gel.

Sprinkle with topping.

5)  Bake the cake for 45 minutes.

6)  Prepare icing

Stir together lime juice, vanilla, and enough powdered sugar to form a loose, drizzling consistency.

7)  End Game

Let cake cool completely before serving for a set center, or while warm for a more liquid center. Drizzle with icing. Cut and serve.

Apple Turkey Burgers

by Denise Parker

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup applesauce, divided

1/4 cup fine chopped onion

1/4 cup fine chopped red pepper

salt & pepper to taste

6 onion rolls

Combine turkey, 1/2 cup applesauce, onion and pepper in a bowl.

Form burgers into 4 inch patties, and cook over medium heat to 160F,

about 3-4 minute.

Lightly toast onion rolls.  Server burger topped with 1 Tbsp applesauce.

Cuban Market Arroz con Pollo

by Scott Wurzel

5 Chicken Legs (labeled "Meat" at my market)

3 cups long grain white rice

Adobo seasoning, bitter orange flavor

1/2 spanish onion

3 Red and/or Green Peppers

3 Cloves Garlic

1 tsp annatto powder

4 oz can tomato sauce

12 oz cheap beer (Corona)

2 Bay Leaves

4 cups chicken broth*

Salt and Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coat chicken with olive oil, pepper, salt, and Adobo seasoning.  Add a little more oil to a large, high-sided pan and put on medium heat.  Brown chicken on all sides and then remove from pan. Do not drain the drippings from the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add all the onions and garlic, about a quarter of the peppers, and the annatto.  Cook for a minute and stir in tomato sauce.  Continue until vegetables are soft.

Pour in rice and stir until the rice is coated evenly in the sofrito.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour in beer and stir, then add in the rest of the peppers and add the chicken back into the pan. Raise heat to medium. Add broth, stir well, and bring the mixture to just under a boil.  Reduce head to medium-low and cover.  Cook for 35 minutes without peeking.  If all the liquid hasn't absorbed after 35 minutes, cook an addition 5 to 10 minutes.

* La Teresita Grocery does not sell chicken stock (only bouillon), so this is homemade from ingredients acquired at the store.

Master Chef III Concludes

If there were any questions that desserts could be competitive, the third challenge answered that with an firm "yes."  The top two spots were taken by sweets with the new Master Chef Glen taking the "cake."

Some of our best recipes yet will be posted this week.

Master Chef Field Trip

The Sauce Boss is coming to Skippers Smoke House on October 3rd at 8 pm.  Who's in? 

"ONE MORNING IN THE EARLY 70'S, THE SAUCE BOSS WALKED OUT OF HIS HOUSE AND FOUND A 1933 VINTAGE NATIONAL STEEL GUITAR in his front yard. That lead him down the Blues path. Deep in the shed, he penned “Let the Big Dog Eat.”  Years later he combined his blues with his hot sauce in a big pot of gumbo, made right on stage. Singing the recipe, he mixed his music and cooking together into a new medium."

Make sure to bring some extra cash for planet gumbo.

Assignments

I drew names out of a hat, as with the last challenge, but I didn't have time to make a video.

Anyway, here are the results. Use your mouse to highlight the text above each market to find out whose it is!

[Radio Edit: I converted the silly mouse over to something you could read without wanting to flog the poster --r ]

Scott:
La Teresita Grocery (Cuban)
3302 W Columbus Dr
Tampa, FL 33607
(813) 877-4393
http://www.tampapix.com/teresita.htm

Kelly:
India Bazaar (Indian)
4023 W Waters Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 885-9551
http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3712853750

Robert:
Kim Bros. (Korean)
4021 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 886-8989

Krystal:
Oceanic Oriental (Chinese, some pan-Asian)
1609 N Tampa St
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 254-2041
http://www.oceanicmarket.com

Andy:
African Paradise (African)
1511 E Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33612
(813) 975-0309
http://africanparadisemarket.com

Jessica:
Apna Bazaar (mostly Paki/middle east with some Indian)
2361 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33612
(813) 903-1774

Glen:
Carribean One-Stop Grocery (Caribbean)
5010 N 15th St
Tampa, FL 33610
(813) 238-1458
http://caribbeanonestopgrocery.com/

Since Roates is in Sarasota, I drew from three choices for him down there. So his assignment is:
Brasil 500 (Brazillian)
2744 Stickney Point Rd
Sarasota, FL 34231
(941) 921-4916

Enjoy!!!

Master Chef III: Market Mayhem

One of the greatest things about being an epicurean in Tampa is the ethnic diversity here. Thus, there is enough of a demand to open specialized grocers. There are Korean, Chinese, Carribean, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, Japanese, Paki, Indian, et al markets here. In my experience, they all tend to be reasonably priced with a few generic staples, a modest produce section, and a lot of "niche" ingredients.

The Third Challenge

Keeping that in mind, here is your challenge. Each participant will be randomly assigned a specific ethnic/specialty market here in Tampa. You will have to construct a dish made ONLY from ingredients obtained at that market. You may choose whether or not your dish is influenced by the ethnicity that your market targets; for example, if you get a Korean grocer, it is up to you as to whether or not you make a Korean dish. That being said, use of interesting ingredients is encouraged! Salt, pepper, and vegetable oil are freebies, and I will provide those.

Fire Roasted Salsa

by Jessica McGuire

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 green tomato, quartered

1 poblano chili, halved

5 springs fresh cilantro

1 can chipotles in adobo sauce

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

In a dry cast iron skilled, sear poblano and tomatoes until the skin is blistered.  This can also be done on a grill.

In a food processor, add tomatoes, chili, cilantro, garlic and onions.  Drizzle in just the sauce from the can of chipotles.  For a spicier salsa, add a chili from the can too.  Drizzle in about three turns of olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Blend until uniform but still a little chunky.  Serve with your choice of chips.

Croissant Confusion

By Kelly Campana

1 tube Pillsbury croissant dough

1 tub Moove over Butter

1/2 box brown sugar

cinnamon

4-5 banana's sliced

1/2 mango chopped

sangria (the pre-bottled kind)

4 Chicken thighs cut into strips

5 drops green food dye mixed with 1/4 cup water

1 large and one small/medium pan

Hardware:

mixing bowl and spoon

cutting board

spatula

    

Fruit Filling

1. in bowl mix sangria, banana and mango, sprinkle with cinnamon and let stand about 5 minutes

2. in large pan over low/med hear (try not to break the butter) melt about 4 heaping table spoons of butter

3. slowly mix in about 1/3 box of brown sugar

4. add fruit mix (sauce and all) to pan, spreading fruit out so that it can compote evenly (about 10-15 minutes), stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  (Consistency should be thickened with fruit being anywhere from soft to lightly crispy.)

5. place compote back into original mixing bowl and put to side 

Filled Croissant

1. heat oven to 350°

2. take 2 croissant triangles and merge them along the center line to form a rectangle then place the rectangle into the cup of the muffin pan (it mill hang over the sides (repeat for all dough)

3. OPTIONAL: brush dough with food coloring to give seaweed effect

4. spoon fruit mix into dough filling each about 3/4 of the way

5. fold overlap to cover top and pinch closed

6. cook for about 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden

7. allow to coll 2-5 mins before serving

Chicken

1. once filled dough is cooking place the pan that you cooked the fruit in back on the stove un-rinsed put temp to med high

2. place chicken, about 1/2 of compote, and 2 tablespoons of butter into pan. 

3. Sprinkle with cinnamon lightly and fry till cooked through

4. place on plate when finished

Sauce

1. in second smaller saucepan put 2 tablespoons butter over low heat slowly mix about 1/2 a box of brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2. mix regularly so that it doesn't burn, it should become a think medium/dark brown caramel-ish sauce

TO PLATE

1. Take fruit croissant out of pan and lay center plate

2. place 2-3 chicken slices over croissant

3. drizzle sauce over entire thing

Blueberry Corncakes

by Krystal Wolfe

(adapted from  Alton Brown's "Instant" pancake mix)

Dry ingredients:

3 cups of cornneal

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs, separated

2 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups "Instant" Pancake Mix

Extras:

1-2 pints of blueberries

Honey and/or maple syrup

Preheat griddle/frying pan to 350 F

1) Combine dry ingredients into a bag or container

2) Mix throughly

3) Scoop the dry mix into a sepearate bowl

4) Whisk together egg whites and buttermilk in a seperate bowl

5) Whisk together egg yolks and butter in a seperate bowl

6) Combine the buttermilk mixture with the butter mixture

7) After the buttermilk and butter mixture is combined pour onto the dry ingredients

8) Combine mixture untill there is a consitant texture

9) Using a 1/3 mueasure cup scoop pancake mix onto the griddle/frying pan

10) Place fresh blueberries on non cooking surface

11) Flip pancake when cooking side is brown

12) Remove when each side is brown

13) Add maple syrup or honey

14) Serve.

June 2008 Video Recap

Download:

Full Version

Cell Phone

Best Tomato Bisque

by Scott Wurzel

Reflecting on the element of water and the region of Western Europe immediately evokes the mighty Rhein.  The Rein gives birth to Germany's wine region and its most famous offering, the sweet Riesling.  Savoring the smooth elixir, my palate and mind naturally meander west into France, the Empire who forever changed the cuisine of every land her soldiers set foot.  From there I drift south to the source of the region's civilization, Northern Italy and her fierce devotion to the tomato.

7 Large Roma tomatoes, halved

1 Large sweet onion, diced

2 celery stalks, halved and diced

1 cup matchstick carrots, chopped a bit

4 cloves garlic

4 slices thick bacon

3 tbl tomato paste

1 c Riesling

3 c chicken stock

1 1/2 c heavy cream

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

3 tbl arrowroot powder

Extras:

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Hot Sauce (Liquid Summer if you can get it)

Pecorino Romano for garnish

In a casserole dish place tomatoes skin side up.  Drizzle olive oil over the top and some salt. Fire up your broiler and place the dish in the oven.  Broil until the skins begin to blister. Remove the dish and with tongs or chopsticks, remove the skin from the tomatoes.  Set aside tomatoes, but do not drain liquid in the bottom of the dish.  Place into the dish and juice celery, onions, and carrots.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Mix well to combine.  Place tomatoes and garlic on top of mirepoix.  Return to oven and broil until the tomatoes and garlic brown.

While the vegetables are browning, place bacon into a sauce pot and render the fat until the bacon begins to crisp.  Remove the bacon and turn heat to lowest setting to keep fat warm until the vegetables are done.  

Add vegetables and juices produced by the vegetables to the pot and mash everything until the tomatoes are pulverized.

Add wine and raise heat to medium low.  Bring to a simmer and then add stock.  While again bringing to a simmer, add herbs whole and salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the herbs and, using a stick blender, blend mixture until smooth.  Slowly stir in cream and allow soup to come to temperature for a few minutes.

While running the stick blender, slowly add arrowroot to thicken.  Serve in a bowl topped with Pecorino Romano.

Comfort Food Alert: this soup is excellent with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Cream and Mint Baklava

by Andy Spetz

So this is my take on Baklava.  I had the unique challenge pairing the element of air with eastern European cuisine. I used lots of mint in order to get a sense of the cold winter air of eastern Europe after every bite. This one of my first forays into baking so it was quite a challenge. Some of the measurements might be off, because I am a cook at heart, and we all know how line cooks usually feel about measurements.

The Baklava

1 package of mint leaves

1 package of premade phyllo dough.

2 cups of mascarpone cheese

3 teaspoons of  peppermint extract

1/2 cup of sugar

1 table spoon of whole dried cloves, chopped (stems included)

1/2 cup of coconut shredded

1 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup of dried cherries sliced

Fresh cherries

Sliced almonds.

Walnuts (chopped).

 

Egg Wash

2 eggs, whites only

2 tables spoons of butter

Whipped topping

1 quart of heavy whipping cream

6 mint leaves  Chiffonade style

1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1/3 cup of sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350

2) While your oven is preheating you will need to prepare  your spread. Start with 2 cups of mascaprone cheese. Take 6 or so mint leaves and mince them. Add the sugar, peppermint extract, mint, the chopped  cloves, cherries and coconut. Stir vigorouly until all ingredients and mixed throughly.

3) Cut the phyllo dough to fit the pan.

 

4) Grease the pan, lay down 10 sheets of phyllo. Spray the top layer with olive oil spray and then spread a thin layer of the mascaprone mixture. Lay down 5 more sheets and spray the olive oil spray across the top layer again. This layer you will put  sliced almonds and walnuts (chopped) across this layer and a thin layer of coconut. Continue this pattern of 5 sheets of phyllo dough , then  mascoprone, then 5 more sheets with the nuts and coconut, until you are out of mascarpone mixture.

5) After you have run out of the mascarpone mixture, you will be adding the final layer, which again will be separated by 5 layers phillo dough. The top layer will have the coconut and walnuts sprinkled across the top. Place sliced fresh cherries on top of this layer.

6)  Take the egg wash and  brush it across the top layer. This will produce a nice browning effect on the top.

7) Let cook for 45 minutes

8) Now to make the whip cream topping. In a large mixing bowl add 1 quart of heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup of sugar and

the mint leaves together. Mix until you the consistency of whipped cream. After it has whipped, slowly fold in the extract.

9) After the baklava is done pull and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve, with one dollop of whipped topping on top, and  garnish with 1 large mint leaf and a fresh cherry.

Lamb and Shrimp with Lentils Du Puy

by Erica Cooksey

Obtaining "Mediterranean" with "earth" gave me the idea to do a surf and turf. I tend not to like duo-type entrees with very disparate

pieces, so I wanted to combine the two into one solid dish. Pretty much the only livestock that thrives around the Mediterranean are goats and lambs, so I stuffed a butterflied leg of lamb with a mixture of goat's milk feta, shrimp, and other Mediterranean flavors. I wanted it to be evocative of earthy flavors while still maintaining current seasonality. So I combined lentils du puy (which grow very well in that region) with white asparagus (made white by covering them with mulch), fresh morels, and bulbs such as leeks, fennel, and garlic.

Half of a boned, butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed of all surface fat and pounded to even thickness

About 2 ounces goat's milk feta, crumbled

Zest of one lemon, finely chopped

4 mint leaves, cut into chiffonade

A few Greek olives, pitted and chopped

About 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped roughly (I used quartered

canned ones that I rinsed and dried thoroughly)

2 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Herbes de Provence

1 cup lentils du puy (French green lentils), rinsed

1/2 cup vermouth

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 large fresh morels, diced

1 small bulb fennel (organic fennel is usually the right size), diced

Enough white asparagus to equal the fennel, woody ends snapped, cut into chunks

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium leek, white and light green part only, chopped

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

1) Salt the raw shrimp to taste. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, then immediately drain and refresh in ice water. Chop roughly and combine with feta, artichokes, lemon zest, mint, olives, and pepper. Stuff the lamb with this mixture and tie with butcher's twine. Coat the lamb in herbes de Provence and sear over high heat until a crust forms. Bake at 350 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.

2) Meanwhile, saute the leeks in a bit of butter or oil until softened. Stir in the lentils, then add 1/4 cup vermouth, 2 cups water, the bay leaves, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until cooked, about 30-35 minutes.

3) In a separate pan, saute the garlic, asparagus, morels, and fennel on medium high heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup vermouth and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and cook until it reduces to a syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the lentils when they are done, remove the bay leaves, and combine them with the vegetables

4) Serve slices of the lamb over a bed of the lentils and vegetables.

Master Chef Summer 2008 Concludes

Erica takes the whisk establishing the Master Chef Cooksey Dynasty.  The wait begins for the third challenge.

Recipes will be posted as soon as I get them.

Super Secret Supply Spots

With the new date set, and in the spirit of benevolence, here are three secret supply depots.

The Ravioli Company

3413 S Manhattan Ave

Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 254-2051

As far as I can tell, this store has been open for nearly a decade.  This small family owned shop makes fresh pasta daily.  As implied by the name, they have a large selection of Ravioli (scores of gourmet varieties).  Although it is some of the best Ravioli I've had, the value for the Master Chef is the sheet pasta.  The tender pasta is available by the pound in egg, spinach, and basil flavors.  The owner will cut the sheets to whatever width you like or sell them whole.  Also available are gnocchi in the same flavors, which are made fresh and then flash frozen.

VSpicery

2913 W Cypress St 

Tampa, FL

(813) 870-1133

http://www.vspicery.com/

Whole and ground spices available by the ounce.  Remarkable quality at a price low enough to make me initially skeptical.  No fear though, the spices are fresh and the owners and employees accommodating and knowledgeable.  They also have spice blends, which are nice shortcuts. I have a small addiction to the blackening spices they sell.  They also have a number of other speciality items like walnut oil and a selection of dried chilies and vinegars.  Behind the counter they keep top quality sun dried tomatoes like sweet contraband.  Also, if you adhere to the sea salt religion, you will find this a temple.

Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium

2080 Badlands Dr

Brandon, FL

(813) 653-2418

http://www.rollingpin.com/

Eclair molds. Cast iron woks. Dozens of DISTINCT rolling  pins. Wüstof.  Shun.  Bar-b-que mops.  If you need something standard or niche, this place has it.  If Radio Shack were a cooking store, this is what it would look like.  They also sharpen knives for $0.50 per inch.

Please share if you have any favorite places.

The Next Meeting

The tentative date for the next Master Chef challenge is June 21 at Erica and I's house. The address and easy directions will be on their way to the list shortly for those of you who haven't been here often or recently.

If anyone cannot make the 21st, speak up soon. If there are no objections we can begin the planning phase for what we have in the kitchen and what you might need to bring with you.

Drawing Lots

The lots have been drawn and the unique challenges assigned.

Guava Chocolate Wontons

by Krystal Wolfe

Avg. Score: 7.425

1 Jar guava preserve

1 Package of wonton skins

2-3 Egg yolks

3 Cups of frying oil (enough to cover the wontons)

Prep

1. Beat the egg yolks

2. Pour 1/2 to 1 inch of oil into a pan, one with high edges works best.

3. Slowly melt chocolate in a microwave.

Construction

1. Place the wonton skins on a flat surface

2. Scoop a small amount of guava preserve into the middle of the wonton. I used a plastic spoon to measure my amount.

3. Spread some egg yolk around the edge of the wonton. I used my fingers but a brush and be used.

4. Fold the woton over so that it fold a triangle.

5. Press down along the edge of the wonton

6. Let sit 2-3 minutes before placing in the oil

7. Place 2-3 wontons in the oil at one time.

8. Take the wontons out after they have risen to the top, 2-3 minutes.

9. Place the wontons on a cooling rack above paper towels or on paper towels.

10. Let cool before drizzling chocolate on the wontons

11. Serve.

A Call to All Would-Be Masters

The Hagakure reports Yamamoto Tsunetomo to have said that when a samurai is in understanding of his own Way, then he might be exposed to all ways and be more and more in accord with his own.

I say that if a Way be worthy of a master, then that way should guide the master with each of the great elements: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water.

In pondering these things, the form of the next great battle of chefs was revealed.

The Second Challenge

• Each contender will inherit lots drawn from two sources
• The first draw will assign one of the four great elements
  
• The second will reveal a region from one of the four far-flung corners of the earth
  
• It will be the task of each chef who accepts the challenge to master in a single dish both (1) the element and (2) the style of the region draw
  
• This dish should demonstrate that the would-be master's style is great enough to encompass all ways that luck or fate may cast upon them
  
• As with the first challenge, the chefs will be divided into two groups
  
• Each group will be judged by the chefs of the alternate round
  
• The reigning Master Chef will take advantage of his prerogative to cook in neither round and judge all contenders
  
• All preparation must occur on site
  
• Each group will have two hours in which to complete their dish
  
• These dishes will be judged on two criteria
  
• The conceptual use and integration of the challenge of the lots
  
• As always, the magic flavor of a great dish that bares the mark of master's hand
  
• Critique will be given publicly by each taster
  
• The scoring will be
  
• Olympic style (1-10 with one-tenth gradations)
  
• All scoring by the judges will be done in secret and revealed only after all dishes have been tasted and judged
  
• The chef with the highest average score will be rewarded the title of Master Chef and will be passed the Golden Whisk

Who dares answer the challenge of the Master Chef?

Master Chef the Movie

Enjoy this recap of the event!  I'll be adding everyone as co-authors to the blog shortly so we can begin plotting the next event.

Download:

Full Quality  - Watch on Your Cell

Tortellini Salad

by Denise Parker

Avg. Score: 7.875

Cook time, 20 minutes

Inactive time, 2 hours

16oz pkg frozen tortelini

8 oz pkg frozen stirfry vegitables (peppers, onions)

1 8oz bottle vinegrette salad dressing

1 can sliced black olives

1) Cook tortelini according to package directions, drain.

2) Chop stirfry veggies into bitesize pieces.

3) Stir pasta, veggies, olives, and 3/4 botle dressing in large bowl.

4) Chill salad in fridge at least 2 hours.

5) Add remaining salad dressing to taste.

Trail Mix Chicken Salad

by Glen Parker

Avg. Score: 8.25

Cook time, 35 minutes

Inactive time, 2 hours

1 lb boneless chicken parts, thighs, breasts

8oz pkg trail mix

3 celery stalks

1 C Mayo

1) Liberaly salt chicken, cook to 165F.

2) Coarsly chop chicken, celery and trail mix into small pieces.

3) Optional: for chunky salad, skip this step. For smooth tuna-like texture, process 3/4 chicken and trail mix through a grinder or food processor until smooth.

4) Stir together chicken, trail mix, celery, and mayo until well combined.

5) Refridgerate until chilled throughout, at least two hours

Serve on toasted bread, bagels, or spread on celery stalks

Tampa Shrimp and Chorizo Loaf

by Scott Wurzel

Avg. Score: 8.37

I love to take food from other locations and "bring them home."  Food is a local phenomena.  You could call it dishonest for me to make an oyster loaf sandwich outside of New Orleans (even if I could find good french bread).  So, in the spirit of this philosophy, I bring that fine sandwich to Tampa with two tastes of my home: gulf tiger shrimp and chorizo.

1 big loaf of cuban bread

1/2 pound Tiger Shrimp: peeled, deveined, and tails removed.

5 chorizo sausages (See note)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet (about a turn and a half).  Turn pan up to medium-low heat.

Slice bread length-wise in half.  Rake out enough of the bread to make a cradle for the filling.  Brush or drizzle olive oil on the inside of the bread and place in oven.  Bake for about 10 minutes or just until the bread is crisp.

Make a shallow incision across the length of each sausage and remove the casing. Add sausage to pan and break it up as it browns.  Saute until the sausage begins to brown.

Add shrimp to pan and mix everything together.  Continue saute until the shrimp is done, though still crisp.  Remove pan from heat.

Fill the bread with the shrimp and chorizo and replace the top.  Brush the outside of the bread with olive oil and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the outside is crisp.  Serve hot.

Note: This is raw, uncured chorizo. Like Kielbasa, chorizo comes in a variety of preparations.  You want the kind the butcher would make (and a good one will know what you are talking about).

Green Curry Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers

by Robert Cooksey, Master Chef

Avg. Score: 8.825

Tiger Tiger Green Curry Paste - 2 heaping tablespoons

Coconut Milk - one can

Shrimp - 1 lb. 16/20 shrimp (though larger might be better)

Pineapple - 1 fresh, very ripe

Put curry paste in pot on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir with wood spoon, flattening paste against skillet.

Add coconut milk, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile prep the other ingredients and get the charcoal ready.

Cut pineapple into 1 inch pieces. Alternately skewer shrimp and pineapple chunks to fill kebab.

When charcoal is ready (white coating of ash across all briquettes), grill kebabs on each side enough to get a quick, light char. This will depend on your grill, but should be no more than a couple minutes on each side.

Baste coconut/curry concoction across kebabs and rotate. Your goal is to get a nice char on pineapple and shrimp while basting with cococurrymilk before each rotation. I am sure to rotate at least twice in quick succession.

Pull from grill and serve. I like to serve them as a course at big BBQs that break up the orgy of sausages, burgers, steaks, and chicken with some light and acidic bites. They're also good over a nice pilaf.

Note: I didn't let the charcoal stay hot enough on this round and the char on the shrimp and pineapple suffered for it. I went light on the coals instead of adding enough to cover the entire bottom of the grill about 1.5 briquettes deep, which I should have done in retrospect since I was working on an unfamiliar grill whose heating behavior was not known.

Seared Scallops with Caper Sauce

by Erica Cooksey

Avg. Score: 8.8

1 3.5 oz jar capers in brine, drained with brine reserved

Enough golden raisins to equal the capers (1/4-1/3 cup)

A pound of very large (at least U-12) sea scallops

1 small head of cauliflower

Combine the drained capers and golden raisins in a small saucepan. Add

3/4 cup water to cover and simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until

raisins are plump and soft. Transfer to a blender, including the cooking water, and puree with about a tablespoon of the reserved brine. Set aside in a warming oven.

Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets. Using a mandoline or V-slicer, shave very thin slices. You will need twice as many slices as you have scallops.

Remove the crescent-shaped muscle from the scallops (if present) and halve the scallops across their equators.

Heat a nonstick pan on high, and sear both sides of each cauliflower slice until nicely browned. Set aside in warming oven.

Sear the scallops, one side only, in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until a crust forms and some opacity is visible from the other side.

Spoon some sauce on the bottom of a plate. Top with scallops, seared side up, then top each scallop with a browned cauliflower slice. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Healthy Banana "Souffle" and Left Over Surprise!

by Kelly Campana

Avg. Score: 7.32

1 oz box - Jell-o no bake sugar free pudding mix

16 oz - lite or free Whipped topping ( I used the lite cool whip)

1 box - reduced fat nilla wafers

1/2 gallon - 2% milk (will have some unused milk left over)

muffin pans w/t muffin wrappers

1) Crush nilla wafers (fine crush, great for layers, thick crush chunky topping).

2) Add 2 cups whipped topping, 3 cups milk, and 8 oz pudding mix to blender, blend until mixed creamy, place in mixing bowl.

3) Add about 1 cup whip and fold in using spoon to thicken to near pudding consistency.

4) Line muffin pan with muffin cups.

5) Place layer of cookie crumbles in bottom (the tighter you push them together then firmer a base it will create).

6) Using spoon scoop filling into cups.

7) Place in freezer till frozen.

Notes: you can switch the flavors of the cookies and pudding for different styles.  the only other time I did this was about 1.5 years ago with a 5-type chocolate (it had layers of Oreo, white, milk, dark, shaved flavored chocolate.  Also the actually idea is taking paper cups and layering the cookie and pudding.  place in freezer for about 5 hours and it freezes to a ice cream-ish thing. once frozen you flip it upside down like a toward and  peel away the cup. 

Left Over Surprise:

Depending on the number of cups you fill you will be left with a large amount of excess filling mix and cookies (about 1/2 a bag of cookies).

1) Make filling as above.

2) Pour filling mix and cookie crumbles into blender bowl. 

3) Add about another cup or so of milk to allow for blending.

4) Blend till cookies are more like granulated sugar then cookie pieces.

5) Pour into muffin cups.

6) Freeze 45 minutes till chilled and set firm but not frozen.

Bacon Filet Mignon Kabobs

by Andy Spetz

Avg. Score: 8.3

3 - 4 oz Filet minion  cut into 1inch by 1 inch cubes

Thick sliced hickory bacon, cut into half

1 sweet Vidalia onion, julienned

Pepper Garlic Meat rub

Grill Note: For this recipe I used both charcoal for heat and  hickory wood chips. I soaked the wood chips in a mixture of rum and water for about an hour. After your charcoal is hot enough, you will put the wood chip directly on the coals. The desired flames when you cook will be relatively low when you start out. The drippings from the bacon will cause excessive flames though so I would limit how many skewers you are doing at one time or else your flame will be hard to manage.

1) Cut Filet into 1 in by 1 in cubes, thickness can vary though based on personal preference( I.E.: thicker for more rare filets and thinner for more done). This will help ensure that you bacon can still crisp without over cooking your steak.

2) Julienne your onions. After that take 3/4 of the onion and wrap them into a tin foil.  After  wrapped they are ready to be put into the hot embers of the charcoal

3) Take your thick sliced bacon and cut it into half. You will want to cut them so you are left with two short and fat slices of bacon.  Dredge your filet chunks in the pepper garlic spice rub. The desired  outside texture should be like a light encrusting. Now its time to wrap your filets in the half bacon strips. Skewer them but make sure to leave  a half inch to an inch of space between each piece of meat. This is to ensure that the sides get cooked as evenly as possible.

4) In a frying pan cook 6 slices of bacon, as the bacon starts to cook the fat will be rendered, take the 1/4th onion that was left over and dice it. Put the diced onion in your frying pan and add a small pinch of salt. Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and let it cook for 8 minutes. After which you will discard the bacon slices (feed them to krystal) and put the liquid into a small bowl.

5)  Throw the kabobs on the grill. It should be noted that it would be well advised to keep water near (possibly a spray bottle of it) so that you can douse the flames when the bacon fat hits the  embers. You  will want a small fire but not a lot, so as you do not over  char the kabobs. It is also well advised not to cook all of your kabobs at once because with large amounts of fat hitting the flames it is quite easy to become over whelmed with the fire.

6) By the time the bacon is crisp, the steak should be cooked to a good medium - mid well.  Pull the kabobs off the grill and carefully  pull your tinfoil full of onions from the embers.

7) Pull the Kabobs off the skewer and open your tinfoil. The onions should be slightly  translucent and be somewhat soft. Let the onions rest on top of the  kabob and drizzle lightly the bacon and onion glaze you made earlier on top of the steak and onions.

8) Next, enjoy with friends and think of how much this simple recipe would have cost at a nice restaurant. Man, those guys are suckers.