Elk Grove Village mom nets Cook of the Week Challenge win with crusted sturgeon, spicy pumpkin purée

At the mention of canned pumpkin and whiskey I could see smiles cross their faces and the wheels in their minds start turning. When I told the four Cook of the Week Challenge finalists the remaining mystery basket ingredients were BroccoLeaf and sturgeon, those smiles turned to looks of bewilderment and the wheels nearly skidded to a halt.

“I had a little panic attack,” admitted Jamie Andrade of Elk Grove Village, a three-time contestant in the Daily Herald's cooking competition. “I thought, ‘what the heck!' I don't like pumpkin at all and I had never cooked with sturgeon, ever.”

Sturgeon, a farm-raised, firm-fleshed fish with skin more like a shark than a salmon, isn't the darling of the supermarket seafood counter ... yet. As more restaurants add this sustainable fish to their menus it's just a matter of time before it trickles down to family dinner tables. BroccoLeaf, new to the produce aisle, is simply the large leaves from the broccoli plant that traditionally had been discarded. New studies show the greens have a nutrition profile similar to kale.

So faced with two relatively unknown ingredients our four finalists — Andrade, Emily Geddes of Geneva, Juanita Harrell of Wheaton and Molly Sutton of Arlington Heights, headed into the competition kitchen and in one hour masterfully created entrees to present to a panel of six judges. Oh, and they did it in front of nearly 500 people who crowded the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield for the 2014 cook-off.

Andrade's Cornmeal-dusted Sturgeon with Sweet Potato Pumpkin Puree and Whiskey Orange Brown Sugar Sauce won the competition and earned her the title Daily Herald 2014 Cook of the Years. Judges rated the dishes on creativity, use of ingredients, appearance and taste.

“I knew immediately I would take skin off the fish because I wanted to put the pureed sweet potatoes/carrots/pumpkin on the bottom of the dish and it wouldn't work to have the skin on,” Andrade explained. “I decided to bread the fish because I didn't know how it tasted. I figured, if it was a strong fish the breading would temper it, and if it was mild it would add to it.”

Judges praised the balance of her dish.

“Jamie nailed the spice/sweet balance in her pumpkin purée,” said Hyatt executive chef John Junior. “The purée offered a unique, unexpected heat,” added fellow judge Dan Rich, 2013 Cook of the Year.

Geddes, a new mom, also was leery of a couple of the mystery basket ingredients, but confident she could create something good. “They didn't throw in any crazy odd ingredients, and I was thankful for that.”

“I like fish,” said Sutton, with her husband, Richard cooking at her side. It was the BroccoLeaf that stumped her. “I didn't realize how bitter it would be. ... I cut it very thin in a chiffonade, cooked it in bacon fat and used chicken broth to take away the bitterness.

Harrell took a similar approach to the BroccoLeaf, but really wowed the judges by chopping the fish and forming it into croquettes that she served atop the sauteed BroccoLeaf. A spicy pumpkin soup completed her entree.

“Very interesting use of spices, plus inventive preparation of the fish,” said celebrity chef Gale Gand.

“The croquette and soup combination is so innovative,” said chef Maggie Ziph with Now Foods in Bloomingdale.

Their recipes will be available Nov. 19 in our special Cook of the Week Challenge wrap up section.

Cook of the Week Challenge Finale Mystery basket ingredients:

Whiskey from Binny's Beverage Depot

Canned pumpkin from Whole Foods Market

Farm-raised sturgeon from Fortune Fish, Bensenville

BroccoLeaf from Foxy Organic