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Judges make the call: Michael Ek in Cook of the Week Challenge 3, John Hampson in Challenge 4

Two more cooks join the ranks of Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challengers moving on to Round 2. In adding up the judges' scores, Challenges 3 and 4 were tight and the cooks wowed judges with use of ingredients and especially presentation.

In Challenge 3 Michael Ek and Amanda Landers found spaghetti squash, portobello mushrooms, rosemary and jumbo sea scallops from Don's Dock Seafood in their ingredient boxes.

You would think judging a cooking contest is a walk in the park, right?

“Boy, this week was a difficult week to judge these two contestants, as both dishes seemed as if they were prepared by a professional French chef,” Chef Suzy Singh said.

She thought Micheal Ek's idea to prepare a rosemary oil and using the infused extra-virgin olive oil in all aspects of his dish was amazing.

“I love that this contestant split the spaghetti squash, seasoned and added broth to impart more flavor during the baking of the spaghetti squash,” she said, adding that less is more, however. “The risotto was unnecessary in this dish, and the spaghetti squash should have been the base. Overall, great work; just keep it simple with elevated technique in the next round.”

  Scallops, risotto and spaghetti squash came from Cook of the Week Challenge contestant Michael Ek of Bartlett. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com

Andy Johnson of Don's Dock thought the creamy risotto may be a bit laborious to prepare for a side dish, but with its terrific punch of flavor and crispy, melt-in-your-mouth pancetta, it's well worth the wait.

If Ek's dish was on a restaurant menu, judge Jamie Andrade would definitely order it, but with time-consuming prep, it's something she wouldn't tackle herself on a weeknight.

As for Amanda Landers, Singh said she would eat her scallops in beurre blanc sauce with prosciutto any day of the week, and thought the home cook did well showcasing scallops and spaghetti squash.

“I wish the rosemary was highlighted even more,” Singh said, “and if you crisped the prosciutto, you would have achieved a new element of texture on the plate which is needed with steamed scallops.”

Cook of the Week Challenge 2014 winner Jamie Andrade thought the dish looked easy to prepare and sounded delicious.

“I like the addition of apples to the clafoutis; the sweet and savory works nicely with the salty prosciutto,” she said, but agreed with Singh that the prosciutto should've been crispier.

Johnson liked the ease of steaming the scallops, which left them tender and juicy.

“The satin-smooth butter sauce was boldly flavored without drowning out the pungency of the scallops,” he said, adding that her savory clafoutis side dish was innovative, particularly with the play of texture and taste between Honeycrisp apples and spaghetti squash.

  Michael Ek of Bartlett. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com

Michael Ek's bright sea scallops with earthy and salty spaghetti squash and risotto topped the challenge by the slimmest of margins.

In Challenge 4, Tanya Cruz-Hernandez and John Hampson were given King Oscar “Wild-Caught” Sardines, avocado, lemon and endive in their ingredient bags.

Sardines starring in paella? Cruz-Hernandez thought “why not,” and Chef Singh found it a clever addition to a one-pot dish that is easy to make with a great balance of flavor. “I love the concept of a paella to highlight the sardines,” the NOW Foods Chef said.

John Engle was pumped about trying the chorizo and sardine combination and found the simple to prepare and serve recipe hitting highs from the smoke of the fish to the spicy heat of the chorizo. But he also said he would have “loved to see something more creative with the avocado and lemon to complement a Spanish seafood classic.”

Singh agreed about using avocado simply as a garnish and suggested perhaps concocting an interesting sauce with the fat from the chorizo.

Penny Kazmier, the 2011 Cook of the Week Challenge Winner, praised Hernandez for using the sardine oil while cooking the chorizo for additional flavor and said she might have even added sardines into the rice during cooking for a flavor punch.

“I found myself wishing the avocado had been added as part of a relish to add even more flavor to what is a very pretty plated dish,” she noted.

  John Hampson of Antioch. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

“You had me at avocado cream,” Kazmier said, waxing poetic on John Hampson's Veracruz-style sardine fish cakes with endive slaw and avocado cream, which also won raves from Chef Suzy Singh.

“Wow! This contestant seems more like a professional chef than a home cook,” Singh said, adding she appreciated Hampson's use of each mystery box ingredient to highlight the flavors in his dish, which she described as “cohesive with a lot of depth of flavor.”

Kazmier found Hampson's plate attractive, and judge John Engle of King Oscar Sardines liked the concept of a fish cake, with the avocado cream serving as a natural addition.

The “creative combination makes me hungry - I love it,” Engle said.

Singh's only criticism was to minimize the number of ingredients in the fish cake.

“The simpler the recipe, the more the sardines will stand out - but great work, contestant,” Singh said.

The judges gave Hampson the edge to win Challenge No. 4 of Cook of the Week Challenge 2016.

Veracruz Style Sardine Fish Cakes with Endive Slaw and Avocado Cream

Bright Sea Scallops with Earthy and Salty Spaghetti Squash and Risotto

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