#52: cooking with booze (second edition) - January 2014

Liquor-off the second was held at Ravenclaw House (Malloreigh & Allie's) on the 13th of January. It was one of our biggest, thirteen entries! After a few small ones in a row, it was a little overwhelming; we didn't finish eating until almost 11pm! It was an incredible cookoff, and our five (!!!) year anniversary! It was also the first in a long, long while where everyone who attended was competing.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Anna: "Wiser's cornucopia" mushroom & bean chili with sundried & roasted tomatoes, infused with Wiser's rye whiskey and garnished with chives, sour cream, & 2 kinds of cheese

Malloreigh: "I love cooking with wine; sometimes I even put it in the food!" pea, mint, & cilantro flan with mashed cauliflower & sunchokes, cooked with white wine

Chris: "something something sausage in your mouth" fennel & red wine seitan sausage with pane bianca, homemade pickled onions, and a red wine miso sauce

Jen: "patatas Havanas" Catalana-style patatas bravas (fried potato wedges) tossed in dark Havana rum & crushed chilies, with a white wine aïoli

Sarah: "pockets of realization" gluten-free perogies filled with bourbon-infused coconut bacon and potato, served with an apple cider applesauce

Laryssa: "the stout & unsavoury shepherd" tempeh, mushroom & vegetable pot pie with gravy, made with stout in every element (including the crust)

Kristina: "go home prawns, you're drunk!" whiskey flambé 'prawns' with grits, jalapeño, tamari, & hot sauce garnish

Bronwen: "steak your claim" tofu steak cooked with Bulleit rye, with a whiskey brown sauce, mashed potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms & onions

Alex: "French twist" white wine macadamia nut cheese on crostini, with a shaved vegetable salad and olive oil & lemon balm garnish

Tim: "ice ice beerby" ice creams made with (from left to right) stout, nut brown ale, pale ale, & gluten-free chestnut ale; served with roasted pear & rum-soaked sour cherry

Ash: "roseberry sorbet" raspberry rosé wine sorbet in a sugar cone & garnished with cocoa nibs

Steph: "boozy bourbon baked berry brown betty" blackberries & strawberries soaked in bourbon, with a coconut flour & oat topping

Allie: "royal pink rumpage" royal gala apple crumble with Sailor Jerry spiced rum and oat-pumpkin seed topping, garnished with soy sour cream

Anna, Tim A. & Alex all competed for the first time.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
presentation: Alex
alcoholism (best use of ingredient): Tim
creativity: Jen
overall favourite: Chris/Jen/Bronwen

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Tim

Because we didn't have any judges (non-competitors), we ran out of wine pretty quickly and actually went for a liquor store run during the break! That hasn't happened in a long time, & it's pretty ironic that it would happen at an alcohol-themed cookoff.

#51: family recipes - November 2013

Family recipes cookoff was held on the 25th of November, at Ash's lovely new house in Hastings-Sunrise. It was a quiet one, but we sat at the dining room table with our wine and it felt almost like a dinner party.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Jen: "prime time deliverance" seared broccolini on top of penne & vegetables in an almond alfredo sauce

Malloreigh: "don't forgetti the spaghetti" handmade noodles in tomato & herb sauce with 'beef' meatballs

Allie: "corn star parking" creamed corn, saltine cracker, & rice milk casserole

Ash: "mouse" chilled fruit soup with dried apricots, raisins, canned peaches, & cherries with winter spices

Also in attendance was Jeff, who decided not to enter as no one in his family is an especially good cook except himself.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Malloreigh/Ash
presentation: Jen
nostalgia/most immersive*: Malloreigh
creativity: Jen
overall favourite: Malloreigh

overall winner: Jen

best name: (unscored category) Allie/Ash

*this was a difficult category to come up with — as simply put as possible, it was the dish that most made you feel the cook's attachment to & history with it.