#22: fusion - March 2011

Fusion cookoff was held at Jeff Downer's on March 21st. When someone commented on how bare the walls were in the dining area of the kitchen, Jeff said that the room never gets used, so we dragged the couch in from the other room and made a point of using it. It was a cosy affair with plenty of beer & wine and only a few entries, which made it feel a little like a prix fixé menu that we could all enjoy without having to worry about how uncomfortably full we would be by the end.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Amanda: "Roman Hands, Thrussian Fingers" borscht with lemongrass, galangal and baby corn, served with piroshki filled with cilantro (Thai-Russian)

Jeff D: "small town sushi" cheeseburger sushi with all the fixins, including fries and onions rings (American-Japanese)

Malloreigh: "Brezhnev's 9-year-itch" qorma, borscht, horseradish-dill sour cream, served with buckwheat pancakes, otherwise known as blini (Afghan-Russian)

Jen: "drunken tourists" Polenta rounds with a red onion & watercress salad in a whiskey-mustard dill dressing, topped with smoked tofu sautéed in Guinness (British-Italian)

Jeff Z: "mi vietnamita es terrible" lettuce wrap with a bean, salsa & veggie stir-fry, sushi rice, cheese, and cilantro cream (Vietnamese-Mexican)

Arinn: "the kilted Aztec" spicy chocolate shortbread with cayenne icing sugar (Mexican-Scottish)


It should be noted that Arinn flew from Calgary the same day, and her entry was made in Calgary the night before and brought in her carry-on. Also in attendance were Tim, Malloreigh's friend Vanessa, and Anita towards the end of the evening.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jeff D
creativity: Amanda/Jen
presentation: Jen
fusionificnessocity (in actual words, most interesting/best pairing): Arinn
overall favourite: Malloreigh

overall winner: Jen (first victory!)