Cook of the Week Challenge: Harrell, Crabtree excel in lentil, amaranth matchups
Today we round out our Round 2 lineup, or as I've taken to calling them, the Epicurean Eight, with Juanita Harrel of Wheaton and Chris Crabtree of Winfield.
Harrell and her boldly flavored smoked lentils and Southern-fried cube steaks eked passed Palatine's Steve May and his twist on Salisbury steak. In the final Round 1 challenge, Crabtree's flatbread, in which she used amaranth in two forms, and her plum-topped amaranth pudding bested Itasca's Jack Mac Intosh and his plum-sauced sausage kebabs and toasted amaranth-topped grilled fruit.
They join Jamie Andrade of Elk Grove Village, Joan Huenecke of Palatine, Emily Geddes of Geneva, Denise Allen of Hanover Park, David Rench of Spring Grove, and Molly Sutton of Arlington Heights in the fight for spots at the live cook-off finale Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield Schaumburg.
Let's find out what the judges had to say about the lentil/pumpkin beer and amanarth/plum recipes.
Southern-Fried Beef Cubed Steak and Smokey Lentils: Juanita Harrell
Michael Bach: Interesting play on seasonings, using warm seasonings to contrast the sweetness of the pumpkin beer. Adding the salad gives the dish nice presentation bringing in the green from the watercress and the white of the feta cheese breaks up the dull colors of the other two items on the plate and adds a fresher look. You get an interesting blast of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon which plays well with the sazon seasoning and the paprika in the lentils. Adding bacon to the lentils keeps the lentils moist and adds richness and helps cut the spice from the chipotle peppers. The salad helps to cleanse the palate between bits although I might have opted for a different dressing. Overall I found this dish to be a fun play for the eyes and the palate.
Brian Emmett: The use of adobo in this and the smoked paprika really make this dish stand out.
Penny Kazmier: By adding bacon, smoked paprika and lots of garlic to create Smokey Baked Lentils, this cook added heat and layers of flavor to the otherwise bland lentil. Chipotle peppers, along with their delicious sauce, pull everything together, but may prove be a little too spicy, so I might add one pepper at a time to work up to my desired level of heat.
Suzy Singh: Excellent use of the ingredients in this mystery box challenge. Culinary suggestion: the pumpkin beer would have highlighted even better if it was first added to the roux and reduced two-thirds to obtain a higher concentration and better flavor prior to adding the broth, stock would have been more preferred. Overall great work and delicious ambition!
Not Your Cafeteria Salisbury Steak with Lentil-Watercress Salad: Steve May
M.B.: Using Pumpkin beer to cook the lentils was a nice touch to infuse the favor into the salad. All ingredients were used well and played a main roll in each aspect of the dish. I would have liked to have seen a bit more color in the dish. Adding the pumpkin seeds on the top helps color, but the plate still seems a bit bland. Time is the largest factor here. Overall I found this dish to be pleasing. If the cook time for the meat was reduced and add a bit more color to the plate this might have been the winner.
B.E.: I think more ingredients need to be added to these recipes it seems like they would be bland. Maybe some chopped fresh garlic and hint of lemon zest in the lentils.
P.K.: Cooking the lentils in beer is a great way of adding flavor and the addition of green peas makes the dish visually appealing. By also adding beer to the gravy this cook cleverly tied flavors together on one plate.
S.S: Wow! The scores were very close in this cook off! Beautiful use and attention to detail in regards to the dried lentils. The recipe would have been elevated if the Salisbury steak was cut into smaller pieces and placed in a stew as this recipe seemed to suggest. This would have an incredible combination of flavor and texture. Overall great job and use of ingredients!
Amaranth Flatbread and Almond Amaranth Pudding: Chris Crabtree
B.E.: I love the use of flatbread in this! I think the combination of honey in the goat cheese and drizzle of balsamic will make it too sweet.
P.K.: The blend of almond, cinnamon and plums in the Almond Amaranth Pudding with Plum Compote sounds like pure comfort food. Perfect for a cool fall day.
S.S.: Now this is what I call smart cooking! Using amaranth flour with amaranth grain is genius! I would suggest cooking the amaranth and then blending until it forms into a paste-like consistency prior to combining with dry ingredients. This will give you better mouth feel and a moist gluten-free flatbread. Overall great job in creating a cohesive and delicious gluten-free flatbread. I'm impressed!
Asian Kebabs with Plum Hoisin Sauce and Amaranth-crusted Artichokes: Jack Mac Intosh
B.E.: I love the use of ingredients in these kebabs and the plum sauce is a nice pairing!
P.K.: The artichoke hearts sound delicious, and the plum-hoisin sauce sounds the perfect blend of sweet and spice.
S.S.: Overall incredible use of the mystery box ingredients. I especially loved your unique use of Living NOW Organic Amaranth. Popping amaranth over heat is an excellent use of this gluten free super grain! I wished you used all four ingredients in the mystery box challenge in one dish instead of creating three separate dishes. I challenge you in the next round to create 1 cohesive dish — this is where the challenge truly lies.
Fan favorites
Voters picked Jack Mac Intosh's Asian Kebabs with Plum Sauce and Juanita Harrell's Southern-Fried Cube Steaks and Watercress Salad as the Challenge 7 and 8 winners, respectively.
Online voting opens for Round 2 recipes on Oct. 8 and will close at midnight Oct. 12. Cast your vote at surveymonkey.com/s/2014COTW. Each week we'll select one person at random to win a prize from one of our sponsors.
For voting on Challenge 7 and 8 recipes, Willam Kolf will receive “Gastro Grilling: Fired-up Recipes to Grill Great Everyday Meals” by Ted Reader.