Tuesday, September 20, 2011

#26: foods you used to hate - September 2011

Former least favourite foods cookoff was held at Blühaus (Jen & Jeff's) on the 15th of September. It was beginning to feel like fall, with earlier sunsets and rainy days, so everyone was pleased to be inside with lots of food and wine.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Amanda: "I dunno, gimme a sec... fuck!" salt & pepper sautéed asparagus with lemon, in a parsley-blackberry dipping sauce
lemon-sautéed asparagus
Dave & Anya: "wet fungus" steamed kale & spinach salad with garlic, portobello mushrooms, apples, basil, pumpkin seeds and almonds
warm kale & spinach salad
Jen: "I cuss, you cuss" asparagus & oyster mushroom with applewood smoked salt & roasted garlic cream cheese in a filo pastry tart
asparagus & oyster mushroom pastry
Adriana "I ♥ ur sw33t yamz" sweet potato & yam baked with soy cheese, caramelized apples, cardamom, and green olives
sweet potato pie
Yaara: "broccoli squish with pink stuff on top" broccoli-tahini cheesy casserole with strawberry gravy
cheesy broccoli-tahini casserole
Jeff D: "hummingbird's breast & chrochrownds" grits with sweet & savoury collard greens featuring shiitake & portobello mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, raisins, and onions
bits & grits
Veronica: "what the fuck is a chickpea?" hummus quesadilla with maple garlic black beans, roasted green pepper, and chipotle sour cream
hummus quesadilla
Marina: "better than sex tarts" chocolate peanut butter filling in a gluten-free pretzel crust
chocolate peanut butter tarts

Also in attendance were Jeff Z, Jesse, Krystyna, Sarah, Onur, Dan, Laryssa, and Nina.

CATEGORIES & WINNERS
creativity: Yaara
seconds: Jen
presentation: Amanda
overall favourite: Adriana

overall winner: Adriana

best name: (unscored category) Dave & Anya

Sunday, September 4, 2011

#25: seasonal local fruit - August 2011

Seasonal fruit cookoff was held on the 29th of August at Mischief Manor (Mal & Kaylie's) shortly before they vacate the place. This cookoff was also gluten-free. Malloreigh wanted to host before they moved out, but did concede that their place is really too small (I think we were all expecting a smaller cookoff than it turned out to be). Nevertheless, we all ate loads of delicious food and polished off several bottles of wine. And although we missed Amanda at this cookoff, it was sort of a good thing she didn't come because there were nuts abound!

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Malloreigh: "wild sage advice" savoury strawberry-balsamic red onion tart with baked tofu and topped with cherry sage jam
savoury strawberry tart
Jen: "picokanagan de gallo" nectarine, blueberry & tomato salsa with cilantro & lime basil, served with chili-cornmeal crusted fried tofu and garnished with pea shoots
crispy fried tofu and fruit salsa
Bronwen: "sex on the peach tacos" roasted peaches, pico de gallo, cashew cream & lime in a corn tortilla
sex on the peach tacos
Kaylie: "I love Canadian melons" potato croquette atop fig jam served with watermelon and cucumber-fennel salad, topped with basil oil
I love Canadian melons
Arinn: "she taste so good" cherry-almond mini pies
she's my cherry pie
Veronica: "bloody drunken pears" cinnamon poached pears in sour cherry & blueberry sauce, topped with cashew cream
bloody drunken pears
Marina: "berry sinful crispy devils" chocolate rice krispie squares with fresh blackberries & strawberries
chocolate rice krispie squares
Jeff Z: "nebulous strawberry soup" strawberry, red wine, and wine vinegar soup with sour cream and mint
nebulous strawberry soup

Also in attendance were Yaara, Adriana, George, Shawna, Jeff D, and Janna.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Malloreigh
presentation: Jen
creativity: Malloreigh
best use of ingredient: Malloreigh/Jeff
overall: Bronwen

overall winner: Malloreigh/Bronwen

best name: (unscored category) Bronwen