Challengers face their mystery ingredients, take off and run
In Challenge 3, home cooks Amanda Landers of Kildeer and Michael Ek of Bartlett were faced with Jumbo Sea Scallops from Don's Dock Seafood, spaghetti squash, portobello mushrooms and rosemary.
In Challenge 4, cooks John Hampson of Antioch and Tanya Cruz-Hernandez of Lombard were given King Oscar Wild Caught Sardines, avocado, lemon and endive.
Today, we hear from them about their inspirations, trials and errors, thoughts, feelings on the ingredients and more.
Next week, we'll hear what the judges thought about recipes submitted by cooks in Challenges 3 & 4 and their final decisions. We'll also offer essays from cooks in Challenges 5 and 6. Enjoy!
Challenge 3
Amanda Landers turns to a French sauce for her use of challenge ingredients
Amanda Landers prepared scallops in beurre blanc sauce with prosciutto and chose a savory clafoutis with seasonal fruits and vegetables as her side dish because she loves autumn.
“There is no better way to celebrate the arrival of cooler weather and falling leaves than with a dish that incorporates ingredients from the autumn harvest,” she explained.
As evidenced by the baskets of squash available at farmers markets and grocery stores, spaghetti squash is a big fall favorite, and Landers thought to pair it with tomatoes and Honeycrisp apples would capture the spirit of late August.
Landers went with a beurre blanc sauce to accompany the scallops because she thought it gave the meal a little more balance along with a sturdier flavor.
“When I first received the list of mystery ingredients, I was excited to use fresh scallops from Don's Dock Seafood in my dish,” she beamed. “Scallops, especially fresh ones, are rare treats for someone living in the Midwest, and I love cooking with the tender and rich flavors of scallops and portobellos.
Readers can empathize with Landers' low point during the cooking process - removing the seemingly endless seeds from spaghetti squash (“it was not a pleasant experience, but the final result was worth the effort that I put in”).
The most enjoyable point was when she plated the scallops with the beurre blanc sauce and when the clafoutis bakers were ready to come out of the oven.
“They smelled amazing! The scallops were tender and balanced well with the prosciutto. As I took my first bite of the clafoutis, I knew I would make it again for Thanksgiving.”
Michael Ek of Bartlett embraces cooking with seafood
When Mike Ek saw seafood as a mandatory ingredient, he was a little nervous. “While I love seafood, I am Chicago born and raised and cooking seafood is not in our skill set. I was thrilled to learn it was scallops, though, because they're my favorite.” Ek liked the contrast between sea scallops' sweet creaminess, the earthy portobello mushrooms and herbaceous rosemary. “Spaghetti squash, like pasta, is a blank canvas, and would work well as a base, and I brought all together with a bright citrus and a little saltiness.”
With the protein and vegetable set, Ek felt a starch like risotto would complement, and he added pieces of meaty, crispy pancetta for a zap of saltiness. He uses fresh herbs often, from his wife's potted herb garden, but he knew rosemary could present a texture problem. “When roasting a chicken or grilling a rib-eye, it's all good,” he explained, “but, with soft textured foods like scallops and squash, it can be a problem, so, I used rosemary in oil, sprigs in my sauté, and finely chopped. I used it three ways, kind of like a pitcher who uses his fastball, curveball and changeup.”
There was one foul ball in the kitchen when the shallots and garlic burned when sautéing the mushrooms (“Boy, is that a hard smell to get out of the kitchen”). He was delighted that he succeeded in flavoring the naturally bland spaghetti squash, and he deemed the risotto “absolutely spot on.” Ek's tasters agreed loving bites of pancetta in the risotto, recognizing a hint of rosemary and enjoying the finished scallops together with the squash.
Ek loved the challenge and was aware of his creative blossoming over the week. “It was fun, except for cleaning the kitchen.”
Challenge 4
Tanya Cruz-Hernandez looks past allergy to create paella
I have a severe shellfish and seafood allergy, so I normally stay away from anything that might trigger it. When I saw the ingredients, I was a little worried, but that diminished once the recipe in my head came together. My mind immediately went to trying my hand at a paella, even though I've never made it before, but I've always wanted to. I prepared a one-pot sardine and chorizo paella.
I took the necessary precautions and pulled in my boyfriend to be the official taster. I was excited to shop for ingredients I'd never used before - the sardines and endive. I was also worried about using these, but I knew if I could find a good balance of savory with fresh it would all work out. I kept thinking, as a home cook, what would I already have on hand and what would be a special purchase, I think using the sardines and the Extra-virgin olive oil that the sardines were packed in as my salt element was a good choice. My boyfriend and son were a little leery at first eating sardines, but they took one bite and thought it wasn't bad. I asked them to try more and be sure they get all the ingredients in a few bites. They did and ended up really enjoying it. They appreciated the chorizo balancing the flavor of the fish. My son, 13 and not a vegetable eater, even liked the mixed veggies I added to it.
I'm surprised that I was as relaxed as I was. I was worried my nerves would get the best of me, but I'm really proud of my dish. No matter what happens from here, I'm very happy with my experience and still know I will continue to cook with love for the people I love. I've watched many, many hours of cooking shows, and I've learned a lot about presenting your food in an inviting way. I plate nothing that isn't edible and always like a clean look. We eat with our eyes first.
John Hampson aims for dish pleasing to eye, palate
My thought was to find a way to transform all of the mystery ingredients into something that was appealing to both the eye and the palate, and since my cooking style is all about layers, I focused on the avocado first. I decided to make a cream enhanced with cilantro and tomatillo; then it just made sense to run with Latin flavors.
I have made crabcakes in the past using peppers and seasonings that you would find in Mexican cuisine, so a fish cake seemed like a natural fit. Finally, using the cabbage-like structure of the endive seemed like a good foundation for a slaw that would add nice flavor and texture balance to the dish.
My reaction to the mystery ingredients? Sardines. Really? I love most seafood, but sardines have to be at the very bottom of the list.
To me, they are an acquired taste so making it into a cake worked best because you still taste the fish, yet it played well with the other layers of the dish.
My kids really liked the first attempt. However, my wife does not eat any type of seafood so that I could rely only on my kids' opinions. My son is an extremely finicky eater, and he gave it a thumbs-up. I made the dish a few days later and had my neighbors try it, they both were very impressed and told me that I was a lock to win!
I love creating new dishes and sometimes feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen especially when I get a flavor profile in my head and see it come to fruition. I was explaining to my son the other day that it is kind of like how an artist will see the painting before he ever applies brush to canvas. I am a firm believer that you eat with your eyes as well, and quite honestly, I made a really nice dish.