Wednesday, February 25, 2015

#61: Thanksgiving - October 2014

Our Thanksgiving cookoff was held on the 23rd of October at Blühaus. This was a rather unique cookoff for two reasons: first, dishes were assigned via random draw, and second, the food was eaten together instead of being served individually. We chose the most traditional dishes for the people we were certain would attend, and last minute competitors were given a choice of a few other things that are often seen at Thanksgiving dinners (this is how we ended up with two kinds of yams).

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
centerpiece
Allie S: protein centerpiece– rosemary rubbed seitan with bourbon caramelized shallots, roasted pears, and parsnips
potato balls
Liang: potatoes– potato & spinach balls with green onion
stuffing
Allie H: stuffing– walnut bread with carrots, celery, roasted pumpkin seesds, & cranberries
brussels sprouts
Malloreigh: brussels sprouts– roasted sprouts with pomegranate molasses, mint, and pomegranate seeds
mushroom gravy
cranberry sauce
Jen: sauces– mushroom gravy with rosemary & sage; cranberry blood orange fig sauce
pumpkin apple pie
pie & ice cream
Ash: pie– pumpkin apple pie with ice cream and pumpkin seed brittle
candied yams
Jeff: yams– candied yams with cinnamon pecan butter
terrine
Chris: terrine– roasted yams, onions, & apples with tarragon mustard

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
We opted to leave out the presentation and perceived effort categories because some dishes by default have an advantage or disadvantage.
seconds: Allie S/Allie H/Chris
compatibility: Jen
creativity: Ash
best use of theme: Allie H/Malloreigh
overall favourite: Chris

overall winner: Chris

Thanksvegan