#79: pickles & preserves - October 2016

After a 3-month break, we returned with a fall mainstay: pickles & preserves! This cookoff was held on the first of October at Chris & Kristina's. Only 4 entries, but they were all filling and delicious.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Malloreigh: "u-don, we-don" udon noodles with pickled mushrooms and charred corn, bok choi, & tempeh

Chris: "3-apple 3-way" 3 varieties of apples preserved 3 ways— homemade cider, pasta with apple butter sauce, and a spicy pickled apple salad

Kristina: "hot potato" pickled home-grown potatoes with tahini sauce, sage, and broccoli flowers

Jen: "clone those lemons" lemon seitan chicken made with homemade lemon-rhubarb marmalade and preserved lemons; served with jasmine rice

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
presentation: Kristina
creativity: Kristina
perceived effort: Jen
best use of theme: 4-way tie!
overall favourite: Malloreigh

overall winner: Kristina

best name: (unscored category) Jen

#78: barbecue (third edition) - July 2016

Our third BBQ-off was held on Canada Day at Blühaus. This theme was expanded to include foods you might eat at a cookout, not just foods cooked on the grill. It was a wonderful day to sit in the backyard and eat a lot of food.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Krystyna: "like a Mac-aroni salad" elbow mac, pickles, red pepper, & celery in a vegenaise herb dressing

Jen: "fresher slice" grilled pizza with homemade marinara, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, onions, & basil

Jeff: "thirty Helens agree" ...coleslaw deserves another chance! homemade seitan ribs & BBQ sauce, with lime slaw & mustard seed potato salad

Chris: "the holy trinity" corn tacos with refried garlic scape beans, cumin-grilled zucchini, & grilled limes
Kristina: "please, sir" graham-style pound cake with maple butter, dark chocolate, & marshmallows

Apparently we had a lot of people at this cookoff because the scoresheet shows 12 voters, but who can remember who they were, it was like 3 years ago.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Krystyna
presentation: Chris
creativity: Jen
perceived effort: Jen/Jeff
barbequability (best use of theme): Jeff
overall favourite: Chris

overall winner: Jeff

best name: (unscored category) Jeff

#77: cocktails & canapés (fifth edition) - May 2016

Our annual cocktails & canapés cookoff was held at Ravenclaw House on the 7th of May. It was a lovely spring day, and we had plenty of people in attendance!

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Bronwen: "Italian origami" marinated tofu with fennel, sun-dried tomato, & citrus; served with a paper crane (sake, aperol, ramazzotti, lemon)

Laryssa: "bacon, bitches" rice paper bacon-wrapped cherry tomato with arugula, mizuna, & lemon mayo; served with a cocktail of lemon balm-infused whiskey, lemon soda, & smoked salt

Jen: "heavy polpetting" polpette (tempeh meatball in spicy marinara sauce) with crostini; served with a negroni (campari, sweet vermouth, gin)

Malloreigh: "great fruit" za'atar tofu, grapefruit, & avocado in tahini dressing; served with a cocktail of orange blossom water & grapefruit pepper vodka

Allie: "siete de Mayo" black bean slider with guacamole & pickled jalapeño; served with a beergarita (Corona, tequila, lime, salt)

Kristina: "Sangraladida" lentil mushroom empañada with chimichurri; served with a non-alcoholic red wine sangria

Liang: "sakushi" flower-shaped maki sushi; served with a cocktail of rice wine & matcha
Ash: "botanica" rye shortbread with juniper sea salt; served with a cocktail of gin & St. Germaine with elderflower, cucumber, basil, & borage

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
creativity: Ash
presentation: Bronwen
perceived effort: Laryssa
best canapé: Laryssa/Jen
best cocktail: Bronwen/Allie/Ash
best pairing: Allie

overall winner: Jen (and second place was a 3-way tie!)

best name: (unscored category) Allie

#76: noodles - April 2016

Our noodle cookoff was held at Chris & Kristina's on the 16th of April. It was a small one, but noodles are filling so we were good with it.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Chris: "spaghetti ramen" spaghetti cooked in alkaline water with shiso kimchi, daikon in plum vinegar, cold ramen dressing, fresh cucumber & avocado, and black garlic

Jen: "Vladimir Putinesca" linguine puttanesca (olives, capers, & garlic in a homemade passata), with a gremolata crostini

Kristina: "what do you mean, you forgot the mushrooms?" mushroom canelloni with cauliflower cream sauce and balsamic syrup

Malloreigh: "you po dan dan" Chinese hot oil noodles with black vinegar, charred bok choy & scallion, fermented tofu, chili bamboo shoots, and almonds

Also in attendance were Jeff and one other person, maybe Sarah? I can't remember because it was over 2 years ago.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Chris
presentation: Malloreigh
creativity: Chris
perceived effort: Jen/Kristina
texture: Jen/Chris/Mal
overall favourite: Jen/Chris/Mal

overall winner: Chris

best name: (unscored category) Jen

#75: root vegetables - February 2016

Our roots cookoff was held on the 14th of February at Ash's lovely house in Hastings-Sunrise. It was also the day Kristina announced that she and Chris would be expecting a baby in the summertime! It seems so long ago now...

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Jen: "chim chim churri" roasted parsnip soup with caper chimichurri

Kristina: "the bedeviled Scotsman" curry potato Scotch 'egg' with mustard, piri-piri sauce, jalapeño, & veggie bacon

Malloreigh: "comfy" potato & fennel confit with tarragon

Ash: "pirogi roulette" potato pirogies 3 ways: spinach & garlic, caramelized onion, and sauerkraut; with beet-jalapeño salad

Jeff: "you had me at poutine" double-fried russets with mushroom demi-glace and marinated tofu 'cheese'

Chris: "potato to the core" potato donut with chocolate potato truffle, and potato white chocolate sauce

The votes show that there was one more person in attendance, but it's been so long now I can't be sure who. Maybe Allie, or Maddy.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen/Ash
presentation: Jen
creativity: Kristina
perceived effort: Ash
rootiness: Jen/Mal
overall favourite: Kristina/Mal

overall winner: Kristina

best name: (unscored category) Jen

#74: 'fast' food - January 2016

Our 'fast' food cookoff— dishes created in less than 15 minutes on location with nothing pre-made— was held on the 18th of January at Blühaus. The idea was to create a sort of short order cook aspect to the cookoff, just to see what kind of dishes can be made with very little prep available to you. The results were quite interesting and varied, although our total cookoff time actually increased compared to usual!

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Kristina: "ah, Phuket" Thai rice noodle salad with cucumber, carrot, basil, & mint in a soy/mirin/ginger dressing

Malloreigh: "fame" soba noodle bowl with fried tofu, veggies, & shimeji mushrooms in a miso-tahini sauce; pepita & pea shoot garnish

Jen: "hot lunch day" fried peanut butter & homemade jam sandwich with homemade pickled rhubarb; fried sage leaf garnish

Allie: "um, warm cookie dough?" mostly-baked chocolate chip cookies

Ash: "sugar burns real quick" silken tofu crème brûlée with blueberry mint sauce
Chris: "a pear and an apple walk into a bar" poached apple & pear with pumpkin seed walnut crumble; ginger cherry & fresh basil garnish

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Kristina
presentation: Chris
creativity: Ash
perceived effort: Malloreigh
wow, you pulled that off: Jen/Chris
overall favourite: Malloreigh/Jen

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Allie

#73: comfort food (second edition) - November 2015

Our second comfort food cookoff was held at Chris & Kristina's on the 23rd of November. It was rainy and cold, a perfect day for some warm & filling foods.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES
Kristina: "ruffle truffle kerfuffle" cannellini bean ragú with sautéed king oyster mushrooms, thyme, and truffle oil

Jen: "hot potted! check it and see" Korean-style hot pot with coconut milk & shiitakes, served with jasmine rice, cashews, fresh herbs, & sesame-fried tofu

Ash: "when jocks relax" chili waffle fries with sour cream

Malloreigh: "sloppy joes" lentil meat sloppy joes with onion, avocado, & homemade relish

Bronwen: "bake chee busketti" baked spaghetti with cheesy cashew cream sauce & crouton topping, served with homemade lemon pepper

Chris: spaghetti with garlic, chilies, & wine; garnished with arugula & preserved lemon

Allie: "absentee cookies" chocolate chip cookies

Allie's entry was brought along by Malloreigh, as Allie was not able to attend, so we actually had more entries than attendees!

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
presentation: Jen/Ash
creativity: Ash
perceived effort: Malloreigh
most comforting: split 6 ways; no clear winner
overall favourite: Jen

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Jen