Cook of the Week Challenge: Judges get tougher in Round 2
The results for Week 2 are in, and as the challenges get tougher, the judges get tougher on the cooks, too.
Our seven competitors in the Cook of the Week Challenge faced a secret ingredient bag including dark chocolate from Morkes Chocolates, boneless pork chops using a $25 gift card at Tony's Fresh Market, broccoli raab courtesy of AMITA and Organic Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions from NOW Foods. Our guest judges rated their recipes on creativity, use of the secret ingredients, ease of use, appearance and perceived taste.
In the home challenge portion of this contest, recipe writing and organizing are paramount. It's a task not everyone's keen on, but it's essential here where judges rate the recipes, not the actual taste of each dish.
While the judges had some constructive criticism and good things to say about all of the second challenge recipes, the tallies show that Daniel Imburgia will not be going on to Challenge 3.
Our judges for Week 2 are Racheal Kunst from AMITA; 2013 Cook of the Week Challenge winner Dan Rich; 2014 Cook of the Week Challenge winner Michael Pennisi; Ahmed Azizy, executive chef for The Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca; and Suzy Singh of NOW Foods.
Here's what the judges had to say about each entry.
See the full recipes at dailyherald.com/lifestyle/food/cook-of-the-week-challenge/.
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Ben Blake's Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Chop over Peanut Satay Broccoli Raab with a Spicy Dark Chocolate Rosemary Merlot Sauce</b>
Kunst: I was intrigued by the sauce, it's an interesting combination of ingredients, but all would pair well with a peppercorn crust. I like the idea of a peanut satay style with the raab, just unsure how it blends with the rest of the dish, but I get the play of peanut butter and chocolate.
Rich: This contestant rocks the heat! Ghost pepper and sriracha is a bold move. As you continue with the competition, be mindful of your plating.
Pennisi: That broccoli raab idea is so creative. This is the one preparation I'd be most interested in tasting from all of the contestants. Overall I see several strong competing flavors in this dish, and it's hard to get my head around how they will interact.
Azizy: Very simple.
Singh: Absolutely loved the play of chocolate with peanut butter for this savory dish. It's perfectly festive and an interesting use of these savory ingredients. I fell in love with the use of Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions in your merlot sauce as well as your pork chop - you really brought this to a whole new level, and I like it. I think the sauce had too many ingredients and muddled the flavors of the chocolate and the smoked ghost pepper. Overall great job and keep it up.
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Mark Clemens' Breaded Pork Chops (Tonkatsu) with Japanese Barbecue Sauce served with Broccoli Raab</b>
Kunst: Inventive use of the chocolate, incorporating into a cuisine that typically doesn't use chocolate in a savory manner. But the presentation could be cleaner.
Rich: Yum. Very creative; it's a nice use of ingredients. I was impressed by the creativity and the level of detail offered by this challenger. This gets a double thumbs-up here.
Pennisi: There are a lot of things going on in the barbecue sauce, and the chocolate fits in pretty well there. I'm not sure I would like the results of frying in straight ghost-pepper-infused oil, but I like the panko crust. The seasoning and preparation of the broccoli raab are well thought-out, and I would be interested to see how the Asian flavors mix with the greens.
Azizy: Flat presentation.
Singh: Great work on creating a Japanese barbecue sauce which screams umami. It was a great complement to the pork chop and a wonderful use of the dark chocolate. The Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut oil would have been a good replacement for the red pepper on the broccoli raab. The combination of the oil with the sweet and spicy flavor would have complemented the dish perfectly. Overall, a great concept.
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Chuck Federici's Ghost-Oberfest of Pork Schnitzel, Warm German Potato Salad with Braised Sweet and “Ghostly” Broccoli Raab</b>
Kunst: I found it interesting to use the chocolate for the potato salad; chocolate and potato chips work together, the combo of salty and sweet. I would be interested in trying this. A more refined plating would make this dish look more appealing - maybe combining the broccoli raab into the warm potato salad and placing it on top of the schnitzel? Overall, looks great.
Pennisi: I like how this cook used fruit and spice to balance the bitterness of the broccoli raab. The schnitzel seems a little dry; it could really use some gravy. Chocolate potato salad is something I guess I would have to taste because it's so unusual. I'm having a hard time imagining what it would taste like.
Azizy: Lack of presentation.
Singh: I loved the use of the smoked ghost pepper in the broccoli raab. It really spiced up the dish and made me want to go back for seconds. I really wished you continued to use this ingredient when doing the three-step breading process for the pork schnitzel. It would have added a new level of flavor that would make this dish cravable. The use of chocolate in the potato salad was definitely a leap of creativity, and while it scored you points in the category, the combination of chocolate with apple cider vinegar and potatoes didn't hit a home run. Next time you plate this dish, try to use the center of the plate instead of compartmentalizing the ingredients. You eat with your eyes first. Great job contestant.
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Daniel Imburgia's Spicy Chocolate Raspberry Drizzled Cajun Pork Chops with Southern Style Broccoli Raab</b>
Kunst: Great use of ingredients, nice plating.
Rich: Some Cook of the Week Challenges can be a little tough. Maintain focus on combining flavors and food presentation for future submissions.
Pennisi: The spicy raspberry-chocolate sauce is going to work very well with the pork. I like how the pork chop was sliced and finished with the sauce. Treating the broccoli raab like southern greens was clever, although I'm skeptical of them being mushy and overly bitter. Also, smoked turkey, while delicious, is a bit of a stretch to be considered a common pantry item.
Azizy: Weak presentation.
Singh: The sauce in this dish sounds really interesting. The smoked ghost pepper would have been a wonderful replacement for the olive oil, as well as the use of red pepper flakes. You can definitely tell that you spent a long time thinking about plating because you did an excellent job. Overall this dish did fairly well, but I wish more went into making each ingredient the star of the dish.
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Darla Pitts' Pork Mole on Ghost Pepper Hash with Broccoli Raab Salsa Verde</b>
Kunst: This looks great, mole is a classic sauce for incorporating chocolate, and almost every home has a crockpot. I would be willing to try this recipe.
Rich: Love that you grabbed these ingredients and rocked the mole. I feel the taste of the dish would be great. However, I felt the look of the dish was just a bit too thrown together. Be mindful of the composition of the plate as you move through the competition.
Pennisi: Very creative but also a lot of work. Pork, chocolate and heat all work together in a mole, and this cook's recipe looks like a winner. The salsa verde is clever, but I don't think it highlights the broccoli raab, which should be a main character on the plate. I can't imagine anyone not liking this hash … spicy sweet potatoes? Yes, please.
Azizy: Good use of ingredients.
Singh: Now this is what I am talking about. Darla, you have kept a similar theme for all of the ingredients, and it all worked well on the plate together. Not only were you able to really make the Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions the star, but you utilized this ingredient in all of the right ways both as a marinade as well as the hash. Nice work and can't wait to see your recipes in the next round.
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Elizabeth Schuttler's Chocolate Coconut Pork Chops Topped with Mango Salsa, Coconut-Infused Mashed Potatoes, Creamy Coconut Broccoli Raab with a Savory Chocolate Sauce</b>
Kunst: Plating could be a little cleaner. The broccoli raab looks like an afterthought; possibly consider omitting the potatoes and doing just the raab mash. Overall an interesting concept and great use of the mystery ingredients.
Rich: The contestant shows an understanding of flavor palate and combining mystery basket ingredients, worthy of a trip to the next round. The plating and presentation were elegant. A nice job combining ingredients.
Pennisi: Mango salsa flavored with the infused coconut oil is a great idea and pairs so well with the pork chops. Mashed potatoes underneath are comforting and will soak up all those sweet and spicy flavors. The broccoli raab puree is a little strange but reminds me of creamed spinach. My only concern is that the chocolate sauce is out of place, but fortunately, it is used sparingly.
Azizy: Good presentation.
Singh: Obsessed with your plating and the multiple uses of the Organic Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions. I love how you used all of the ingredients to create a Caribbean vibe - I feel like I'm on vacation with this dish. The genius use of both coconut milk with the Organic Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions was the highlight of the dish. This dish scored a touchdown in my books.
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Joe Wachter's Stir-fried Pork and Broccoli Raab in Brown Sauce with Fried Garlic</b>
Kunst: Great plating, inventive use of chocolate in the sauce. Maybe next time utilize the coconut oil in the rice as a stir-fried rice.
Rich: I love the Asian approach and the use of the chocolate sauce. Broccoli raab is a little bitter. Sweet and heat is a great way to beat that back a bit. This recipe was a simply well-prepared dish that was presented to the judges beautifully. Your efforts are worthy of a shot at the next round.
Pennisi: Great idea to add chocolate to oyster and soy sauces. Care should be taken to make sure the chocolate melts into the finished sauce and doesn't make clumps. This cook demonstrated great technique by velveting the pork and pre-blanching the broccoli raab. The stir-fry could use a few more aromatics maybe ginger and/or chiles?
Azizy: Clean presentation.
Singh: This dish committed a cardinal culinary sin - you never let the oil smoke - that means the oil has oxidized and has gone rancid which will make your food less appetizing. I also think the Smoked Ghost Pepper Coconut Infusions can be used as the cooking oil instead of using a neutral oil. This coconut oil has a very high smoke point and is perfect for stir-fry. Overall, I was disappointed in this dish. I wished it showed more culinary skill.
<b>Next week:</b> See what our six cooks create using au jus and tenderloin tail from Chandler's Chophouse, artichoke hearts and falafel dough from Grecian Delight and goat cheese from Tony's Fresh Market.