Saturday, September 4, 2010

#7: salad - June 2009

First cookoff at Blühaus. We spread out a beach blanket on the kitchen floor and had an indoor picnic, accompanied by mojitos. This was a somewhat distressing cookoff because Amanda had an allergic reaction to Malloreigh's salad dressing and spent the rest of the evening lying on our couch until Jeff and I drove her home. Keri had mono and did not attend, but sent her entry along with Laryssa.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Amanda: "Flaccid Sandy Bitch" rice noodles, lime, lemon, shallots, asian pear, green onion, and cardamom.
Chelsea: "Shag Carpet" yams, onion, celery, hazelnuts, peppers, silken tofu sauce.
Malloreigh: "Basic Tossed Malad" spinach, tofu, capers, red onion, nuts, avocado, 'malad' dressing.
Laryssa: "The Wild Forest" baby spinach, cherries, carmelized pecans, mushrooms, red onion, facon bits, creamy orange garlic dressing.
Angelique: "Allahta Tabouleh" Lemon, bulgur wheat, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, red onion, chickpeas, cucumber.
Jeff: "Strawberry-Ginger FOB Salad" Mixed greens, strawberries, candied pecans, red onions, edamame, sesame-ginger miso dressing.
Jen: "Afternoon Delight" Cucumber, mint, pomegranate, ginger, lime.
Keri (absentee entry): "The Mono!!!" Classic potato salad with dill and capers.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS

Second piece: Keri
Presentation: Laryssa
Mouth marriage: Chelsea/Laryssa
Creativity: Laryssa
Best overall: Malloreigh

Overall winner: Laryssa

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

#6: appetizer & 1oz cocktail pairing - May 2009

This was the last cookoff at the Enchanted House. We had to limit the cocktails to 1oz of booze or less each so that people wouldn't end up with alcohol poisoning.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Malloreigh: "Spring In South Asia" Anise, shiitake mushroom, mango, and avocado on brown rice crackers. Served with aloe juice, anise liqueur, and pear garnished with green onion.
Laryssa: "Everything You Love About Summer" Avocado, cucumber, rice noodles, raspberries, teriyaki tofu, and mint in rice paper. Served with coconut, white rum, raspberries, strawberries, and mint.
Jeff: "Vegan Mini Burgers" black bean patties topped with red pepper relish and homemade veganaise on a homemade whole wheat bun. Served with a whiskey sour.
Angelique: "Not-so-Lox and Cream Cheese Bites" Smoked tofu, vegan cream cheese with dill and capers on onion dusted crackers. Served with redneck German lemonade - Old Milwaukee and 7-Up.
Amanda: "Vagina Boats" Green onions, sunflower garlic spread, poppyseeds, and raspberries on baby arugula leaves. Served with Love Canal Juice - muddled raspberries, lemon, lime, gin, 7-Up, and mint.
Jen: "Sweet & Spicy Tofu" Tofu fried in oil, ginger, and cayenne, topped with avocado, red pepper relish, and black sesame seeds. Served with a Negroni - campari, sweet vermouth, and cream sherry garnished with cherry and orange peel.
Keri: "Your Mom" Almond crackers topped with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and mint. Served with a Melon Mom - honeydew, rosewater, simple syrup, lime, and a shit tonne of gin.
Ben: Tortilla chips with spicy guacamole. Served with mango juice and tequila garnished with a gummy worm.
Yaara: "Let's Not Pretend It's Healthy" Pine nuts, walnuts, vinegar, and spinach. Served with blended hemp nut butter, raw cocoa, fireball, and stevia.

Unfortunately I do not have a photo of the scores, so I just put in what I have written in my notebook, which isn't much. If other people have better memories, feel free to fill in the blanks.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
Appetizer:
Drink Jeff
Pairing: Jen
Second piece: Keri
Creativity:

Overall winner: Amanda/Malloreigh

Obviously, we all got exceedingly drunk on this lovely late spring day in our nice clothes. This day is when the 'your mom' joke officially died. Jeff's drink made everyone need to take a smoke break. A slug crawled on someone's hand. It was a damn fine time.
fancy times

#5: mush/dip - April 2009

This cookoff was hosted at the Enchanted House and was attended by many people; there were ten or so entries. The theme was a "mush" or dip with a vehicle to eat it with - for example, a cracker.

edit by Jen: according to information I wrote down from the poster hanging on the fridge at the Enchanted House, the winner of this cookoff was Laryssa.

#4: PIZZA - March 2009

Our fourth cookoff was Pizza Off. This was a crazy cookoff - we had thirteen entries! Malloreigh made a quadruple batch of pizza crust, so attendees were required to bring only their toppings. We had some truly fierce entries, but of course... there could be only one winner. (I believe it was Britt.)

We utilized two ovens, with each pizza getting a twenty-minute cooking time. It was surprisingly efficient!

Amanda C - Avocado and Banana Pizza
Amanda K - Samosa Pizza
Britt - Thaitanic Peanut Sauce Pizza
Malloreigh - Garlic White Sauce Meditteranean Pizza

Goodness help me but I can't remember the rest. Other Cookoffers are welcome to contribute!

The best part about this cookoff for the hosts at the House of God was that we were privileged to keep all of the leftovers (though there weren't many). We were moving the next day so this food came in quite handy.