Fourth round recipes awe judges despite toughest pairing yet

The Cook of the Week Challenge judges received five recipes this week and scored each with the result that Ann Wayne won't be one of four cooks vying for Cook of the Year bragging rights at this year's live cook-off finale Nov. 12.

All five cooks deserve praise for creating tasty dishes with what was arguably the toughest mashup of ingredients. Hmm, sardines and chicken sausage?

The judges praised the creativity of each cook, as well as the use and blending of the elements. You can review the round four recipes for yourself at dailyherald.com/lifestyle/cookoftheweek.

This week our cooks picked up their mystery baskets containing Tomato Brisling Sardines from King Oscar; Q Cup Quinoa from Now Foods; canned artichoke hearts courtesy of Chandler's Chop House; French bread crumbs from Gonnella Baking Co.; Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Sausage from Greenridge Farm.

This week's celebrity judges are Suzy Singh, a chef with NOW Foods; Ahmed Azizy, executive chef for the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca; John Engle, President and CEO, King Oscar, Inc.; Dave Gonnella of the Gonnella Baking Co.; and Robert Kempa, executive chef at Chandler's Chophouse & Banquets.

With arguably the most stringent list of ingredients, our home cooks were hard-pressed to come through with something creative, tasty and beautifully presented. The judges, as in the past, give credit to cooks for being inventive, bold and brave. That said, here's what the judges had to say about the individual entries.

Oscar Chapa

Azizy: This dish is nicely presented, although, the individual items could use something to tie it all together.

Engle: The Jambalaya is an excellent combination of this week's ingredients along with the breaded artichokes. Preparation of this recipe seems convenient and simple. I like the breaded artichokes.

Gonnella: Nice call on using several of the mystery ingredients for Jambalaya. My personal preference for Jambalaya is on the saucier side, but I can appreciate a clean dish. The Creole Mustard dipping sauce was a nice touch for the Cajun Breaded Artichokes.

Kempa: A good mix of ingredients appropriately used to recreate a southern staple. The recipe is well thought out and provides for a consistent and flavorful dish. The quinoa seems to be a little dry; I would have just added a little bit more broth.

Singh: Great use of the Q Cup for the Jambalaya. I wish you used this ingredient without the use of basmati rice. Also for the finals, please make sure you have a composed cohesive dish instead of separate recipes on a plate. Good luck!

Mark Clemens

Azizy: A clean and simple dish, I think it might need extra sauce to balance the drier ingredients.

Engle: I love Italian food, and the combination of ingredients in this Mediterranean dish feels like something mama would be making in the old country. I love the idea of artichoke meatballs (meatless), the sardines and sausage over pasta. This is an outstanding Italian dish and presentation.

Gonnella: This is a great-looking dish! The ingredient list is easy to manage and execute for the average home cook.

Kempa: Good job incorporating all of the ingredients into one dish. A little more color would have made the pasta stand out.

Singh: Love the use of the Q Cup in the meatless meatballs. The organic quinoa is the perfect binder for this dish! Looks delicious and tastes even better!

Roberta Fahey

Azizy: Your choice of the menu here is excellent, with a very good presentation. I think this is a recipe for success. Well done.

Engle: OK, this is the fourth outstanding recipe I've read today as a judge. I have already eaten every snack within arm's reach, and I'm only getting more hungry. Nice job. The paella and fritters dish sounds like it belongs on any Spanish restaurant's menu. This is a fantastic use of ingredients and simple to prepare. Well done!

Gonnella: The use of the mystery ingredients in the paella was a natural, nicely done! I would use a different filter or no filter on your food photography. Some of the nuances of the dish were hard to pick out in the paella.

Kempa: These ingredients play very well with Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine. Good seasoning and texture. A dipping sauce for the fritters would have been nice.

Singh: This is the perfect recipe with the mystery box ingredients! Great use of the Q Cup as a rice replacement! Delicious use of the sardines in the fritter recipe.

Darla Pitts

Azizy: The menu is good and well rounded. A bit more color would take this presentation to the next level. If executed properly, this will taste wonderful.

Engle: Another home run. This super simple preparation feels like the perfect lunch or dinner option on a cold fall day. And the prep/cooking time all in under 40 minutes. It's creative, delicious and healthy.

Gonnella: The Cajun gumbo sounds delicious! I enjoyed how you pulled together the mystery ingredients into the Parmesan fritters.

Kempa: A simple recipe that any home cook should be able to replicate. The fritters could have used a dipping sauce. The gumbo is definitely full of flavor and perfectly proportioned.

Singh: Creative use of the ingredients for this fantastic Cajun-inspired dish! Love the use of the Q Cups in the fritter - it's the perfect texture for this dish! I wish you sautéed the vegetables before making the roux. That will create a richer dish. Overall great job!

Ann Wayne

Fish 'n Chix Meatball Nest with Artichoke Bruschetta

Azizy: This a nice presentation, but the dish needs a sauce, it looks dry. You show good effort on the creativity and the concept of the nest and the recipe title.

Engle: This sounds delicious. I'm curious as to how the sardines and chicken sausage mixture blends. I love the healthy spaghetti squash nest idea and topping the plate off with the artichoke bruschetta is brilliant. I've never had anything quite like this, and I have to try it!

Gonnella: Fun presentation using the spaghetti squash nests! I liked the idea of using the artichokes for the bruschetta, but I think there was an opportunity to use fewer ingredients for a cleaner, more straightforward taste.

Kempa: Very creative use of ingredients. Not sure how I feel about fishy meatballs though. The sardines may have gone better with the bruschetta. Very nice presentation overall.

Singh: Very creative use of the spaghetti squash. Genius use of the Q Cup for the fish and chicken meatballs. The bruschetta, meatballs and spaghetti squash nest seems disjointed and not a cohesive dish.