Food Draft - Meal Presentation

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

Just now, SwAg said:

It is pretty difficult to overlook that I dislike cajun seasoning when it’s the seasoning for half the food.  How heavy handed with this Cajun flavoring are you?  
 

Not heavy handed at all, just something to add a bit of flavor to a fairly bland protein.

Just now, SwAg said:

Any chance I could bury it in the pasta sauce?

Sure.

Just now, SwAg said:

Alcohol is always great for a meal, but do you feel like you’re missing something without a food appetizer or dessert?

idk?  I don’t really do desserts, so it wasn’t something I even considered tbh.

Just now, SwAg said:

This bourbon — any kind?  Am I paying for it?

My preference is Angel’s Envy.  I don’t drink anything too wild.

[MWil23]

10 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

My preference is Angel’s Envy

[MKnight82]

Good discussion going guys.  Just to make it easier for me to tally the votes, plus post your final ballots in this format:

 

@whoever - 3 points

@whoever - 2 points

@whoever - 1 point

 

[MKnight82]

On 8/17/2020 at 1:16 PM, Daniel said:

Aight.

Appetizer: Doubles (fried flatbread) topped with channa (chickpeas and leeks cooked in spices) with mango chutney (mango, habaneros, cilantro, and cider vinegar).

Entree: Venison tenderloin, grilled, and seasoned only with salt, pepper, cumin, and mango juice; jerk leg of venison, cooked over a wood spit; or barbecue venison ribs, smoked with charcoal and mango pits.

Side: Leek rings (onion rings made of leeks); grilled whole leeks

Condiments: Sweet chili sauce (mango juice, habaneros, leeks, vinegar, cilantro, spices, and salt, cooked down until thick); mango chutney

Dessert: Ginger spice cake (fresh ginger and garam masala cake), with caramel sauce and candied ginger; grilled halved mangoes and vanilla yogurt; and candied ginger and candied mango

Drinks: Red Stripe beer, cocktail bar with mango juice, simple syrup, vodka, and ginger-infused water and ginger-infused vodka

Flour

Habaneros

Cumin

Leeks

Ginger

Venison

Cane sugar

Garam masala

Soy milk

Baking powder

Vanilla yogurt

Peanut oil

Chickpeas

Curry powder

Ataulfo mangos

Cilantro/Coriander

Vodka

Red Stripe

Apple cider vinegar

 

I really like your appetizers.  I'm not a huge fan of Venison but that's just personal preference.  I've never had it served jerk style though so that might make the difference.  Your dessert is simple but sounds tasty.

[MKnight82]

On 8/17/2020 at 2:47 PM, Daniel said:

For @Counselor's meal:

Appetizer: Seafood soup (shellfish broth, crab or lobster mustard, cherry tomatoes, and garlic chives, thickened with rice)

Entree: Poached lobster, crab, and crawfish (cooked in wine, spices, and salt water), served with lemon slices; seared scallops

Sides: Seafood risotto (cooked in shellfish broth and sauteed garlic chives) with cherry tomatoes; grilled zucchini

Condiments: guacamole (avocado, saffron, lime juice, cherry tomatoes); crab/lobster sauce (shellfish [of your choice] mustard, tomatoes, chives, wine, saffron, and salt, cooked down)

Dessert: Poached pears (cooked in wine, vanilla, and palm sugar); Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Drinks: Cocktail bar containing gin, simple syrup, tonic water, Meyer lemons, and limes; Pinot Grigio

Shellfish

Garlic chives

Parprika

Pinot grigio

Cherry tomatoes

Arborio rice

Sesame oil

Avocado

Saffron

Vanilla

Gin

Palm sugar

Persian lime

Meyer Lemon

Tonic water

Bosc Pear

Zucchini

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

I don't really see a theme here other than just a crapload of shellfish.  I think it could have been more creatively used.  Also the CTC was criminally underused.  Best part of the dish is probably the seafood risotto, sounds delicious.  

[MKnight82]

On 8/17/2020 at 5:57 PM, SwAg said:

Cuisine de SwAg

Beverage:
Bottomless Mojitos
- White rum, fresh key lime juice, pineapple sage, sugar, and soda water.  Add fresh peach or blackberry puree for another sweet twist!

Shared Plates

Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy
- Handmade flaky and tender southern buttermilk biscuits served with an indulgent duck gravy.

Duck Lollipops:
- A dozen duck wings seasoned with Chinese Five-Spice, tossed in a blackberry-citrus sauce made from blackberries flambeed with rum, sugar, fresh lime juice, scallions, and Calabrian Chilli for a sweet-heat twist, and finished with lime zest.

Quail Egg & Caviar Flatbread:
- Grilled handmade flatbread topped with sunny-side-up quail eggs, scallions sautéed in fresh hand-pressed olive oil, sprinkled with homemade sweet cheese, and finished with kaluga caviar.

Entree:

Duck Truffle Carbonara
- Fresh handmade linguini pasta tossed in a decadent carbonara sauce made with duck eggs, duck bacon, white truffle, scallions, arugula, Calabrian Chilli, and lime-zest, topped with a pan-seared duck breast.

Shared Side:

Duck Poutine
- Fresh cut spuds, double fried in fresh-pressed olive oil and finished in duck fat, topped with a hardy duck gravy, homemade cheese curds, and diced scallions.

Dessert to Share:

Coconut-Key Lime Pie
- Classic key lime custard in a "not-so-classic, but oh-so-delicious" coconut macaroon crust, topped with meringue and candied key lime slices.

Custard Nachos
-  A mountain of homemade creamy blackberry and peach custard on a cold plate, accompanied with "right-out-the-frier" waffle cone chips, lightly glazed with a salted caramel sauce, served with fresh blackberry and peaches macerated with lime juice and sugar, and Chantilly cream for extra dippage!

 

 

Pantry
0A.  Salt  (N/A)
0B.  Pepper (N/A)
0C.  Water (N/A)
1.  Eggs (1.04)
2.  Heavy Cream (3.08)
3.  Duck (4.03)
4.  Cow Milk (5.04)
5.  Key Limes (5.08)
6.  King Edward Potatoes (6.03)
7.  Scallions (7.08)
8.  Beet Sugar (8.03)
9.  Green Olives (9.08)
10.  Self-Rising Flour (10.03)
11.  Sage (11.08)
12.  White Rum (12.03)
13.  Cream of Coconut (UDFA)
14.  Calabrian Chillies (UDFA)
15.  Yellow Peaches (UDFA)
16.  Arugula (UDFA)
17.  Reggianito Cheese (UDFA)
18.  Blackberries (UDFA)
19.  Coconut Macaroons (UDFA)
20.  Chinese Five-Spice (UDFA)
21.  White Truffle (UDFA)

Combinations for New Ingredients:
- Heavy Cream --> Butter and Buttermilk 
- Heavy Cream, Cow Milk, Key Lime (juice) --> Cheese / Cheese Curds
- Green Olives --> Olive Oil
- Water + CO2 Siphon --> Soda Water

You probably have my favorite cocktail in the competition.  I like how you used your ingredients in a lot of different ways.  Shared plates was a cool idea.  The custard nachos are a miss for me, sounds like something that would get soggy really fast and textures are big for me.  

[Scoundrel]

6 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

I don't really see a theme here other than just a crapload of shellfish.  I think it could have been more creatively used.  Also the CTC was criminally underused.  Best part of the dish is probably the seafood risotto, sounds delicious.  

Better than yours

[Scoundrel]

3 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

You probably have my favorite cocktail in the competition.  I like how you used your ingredients in a lot of different ways.  Shared plates was a cool idea.  The custard nachos are a miss for me, sounds like something that would get soggy really fast and textures are big for me.  

Because you are a pansy 

[MKnight82]

On 8/17/2020 at 8:18 PM, MWil23 said:

All right guys, I suppose it's time to present mine. Long story short, due to dietary restrictions in my family, such as my identical twin sisters having Celiac Disease (can't eat gluten/allergic to it), my mom is also on a gluten free diet and limited on some things as she's recovering from breast cancer/treatment for it, and general frustration with meal planning lends itself best in my extended family to:

*Family Style: Have a lot of options with really the same basic core concepts

AND

*Street Food: Fun and new things to try, lending itself to smaller portions but a lot more to choose from. It's basically a "Can I have a piece of that?" when you see someone else order something delicious

Essentially, this food setup is made to be shared and extensive, while also balancing the simple.

Appetizer:

Muhammara Roasted Red Pepper Dip:

Comprised of feta, Greek Yogurt, roasted red peppers (Florinis), onion, pepper, Brandywine Tomato paste, and optional ground lamb on the side for those who want to mix it in). Served with your choice of paleo naan bread or pita chips.

 

Entre:

Deconstructed Lamb Gyros (smoked lamb shoulder) and/or smoked rack of lamb with a butter paste (Butter, Salt, Pepper, Vadouvan, for those of you who don't know it's cumin on steroids)

With the gyros, I've prepared a homemade Tzatziki sauce (Yogurt, Cucumber, Mint) and have also made a chili paste available instead for those who prefer a bit of a walk on the wild side (harissa). Served with vidalia onion and brandywine tomatoes on a 4 ingredient gluten free naan flatbread (tapioca flour, coconut milk, almond flour, honey).

***NOTE****

Should you wish to put your gyros on pita chips or dip the naan bread in the roasted pepper dip, that's also an option.

*Roasted Lamb entre below*

 

Dessert:

I'm offering two desserts, both of which are very simple:

Stuffed Figs with Cambozola and walnuts, drizzled in honey

Stuffed boiled dates, marinated in honey, served with feta and walnuts

 

Reading your story it sounds like you were aware you were shooting for a healthier dish, and I applaud you for that but I think it hurts you some in a flavor competition.  I'm not the biggest fan of anything roasted red peppers, but I'd give your appetizer a shot.  You list your entree as a deconstructed gyro, I guess that you slice the lamb and put it in some naan?  I don't think that was very well explained, or maybe I missed it. I think some of the others beat your dessert options. 

[MKnight82]

1 minute ago, Counselor said:

Because you are a pansy 

Who doesn't like a good mojito?

[MWil23]

1 minute ago, MKnight82 said:

I guess that you slice the lamb and put it in some naan?  I don't think that was very well explained, or maybe I missed it.

I explained it a little more in detail this morning to SwAg.

[MKnight82]

On 8/18/2020 at 12:06 PM, MKnight82 said:

MKnight82's Meal:

 

Appetizer - Balsamic Bruschetta 

Sliced toasted french baguette. 

Chopped fresh sweet basil.

Diced roma tomatoes.

Drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese.   

Seasoned with salt and pepper.  

 

Main Course - Rigatoni with Bison Meatballs

Rigatoni. 

Fresh made marinara sauce made with pureed roma tomatoes, olive oil, diced yellow onion, sweet basil & salt.

Pan seared meatballs made with Bison meat, semolina flour, parmesan cheese, sweet basil and salt & pepper.

Topped with fresh basil leaves and graded parmesan cheese.

 

Dessert - Strawberry Basil Crumb Bars

Fresh strawberries.  Semolina flour.  Roasted chopped pecans.  Old Fashioned Oats.  Brown sugar.  Zest from an Orange.  Lightly covered with powdered sugar.  

 

Booze - Chianti

 

Draft Picks

1. Olive Oil

2. Roma tomatoes

3. Parmesan cheese

4. Bison

5. Sweet basil

6. Yellow onion

7. Rigatoni

8. French baguette 

9. Balsamic vinegar

10. Strawberries

11. Old fashioned oats

12. Brown sugar

 

UDFA

Pecans

Oranges

Semolina flour

Powdered sugar

Chianti

I'll critique my own.  Going all italian without landing Garlic may have been a mistake.  I think my appetizer and entree would taste good but are rather common and not as creative as some of the others dishes.  

[MKnight82]

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

I explained it a little more in detail this morning to SwAg.

Ok i'll look for it as I get deeper in the thread.  Thanks for clarifying.

[SwAg]

9 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

You probably have my favorite cocktail in the competition.  I like how you used your ingredients in a lot of different ways.  Shared plates was a cool idea.  The custard nachos are a miss for me, sounds like something that would get soggy really fast and textures are big for me.  

This might not have been entirely clear with my wording, but the “chips” are on a separate dish.  Nachos is a bit of a misnomer for the sake of naming and conveying the concept quickly.

Deconstructed nachos, or “chips and salsa,” would be more accurate analogy, as the custard is on a cold plate with the other elements for dipping (macerated fruit, chantilly), and the waffle cone chips are on another dish for use as a vessel.

You’re 100% right, if I made it function as nachos, it’s a total disaster because I made them “hot” for the purpose of being able to cut through the ice cream effectively.

[SwAg]

Otherwise, thank you.  I appreciate it.