Chill Out, It’s only chili….fest!

Oy Vey

The last time I made chili, I was getting ready to compete in my first Takedown and I was full of vim, vigor, and confidence. I have been humbled since then by the thought that I am going to be a father soon, and that winning isn’t everything. But, I will remind you all, especially Suarez! (JK) that I won that Chili Takedown!

So I found myself with my friend and partner, Nick at Chelsea Market picking up 50 pounds of good lookin’ beef from Dickson’s Farmstead Meats to use in the NY Chili Fest. I was thinking to myself, Oy Vey and Oy Geuvault – here I am again, carrying a small child’s weight in meat.  They are so committed to local beef at Dickson’s that I have the feeling that they are feeding livestock in the basement.

A side note, I originally did not want to do the Chili Fest. First of all, we were not eligible to win. Winning happens to be a great motivator when standing over two 5 gallon stock pots that steam your face with meat grease. Second, I had grown a little tired of competing. I realize that I prefer organizing a little bit better. When I compete, I stress. It has led to good results, but I end up so spent with a week of my life vanishing into thin air. I kept asking Nick if he seriously wanted to enter, and every time it was an emphatic, “yes!” I begrudgingly ceded. So, with the help from our wonderful sponsor, Brooklyn Brewery, we jumped into the fray with both feet.

All of this was before I realized that I would be hungover at 10 am on this cold Sunday morning attending my adorable 3 year old nephew’s birthday party. I am giving you this photo as proof of his cuteness:

I told you: cute!

My nephew’s birthday was so chaotic, fifteen children can feel like thirty as they all run around an indoor padded room full of  climbing gear. All the padded foam started to look like pillows, perfect pillows to lay my head and prepare for the afternoon of reckoning. It is funny how a child’s laughter can sound like both angels singing and screaming. Fine line, my friends.  But the early wake up call was going to make it tough to keep up my strength for a four hour contest. It was like a freakin’ marathon.

I was hungover because it was one of my best friends’ birthdays and she threw a terrific party the night before – Open Bar, is she crazy!? I forgot to mention that I catered the party, so not only was I making chili, but I was also elbow deep in chopped liver and gravlox – and NO I was not going to a Shivah. All this contributed to me feeling stretched thin. I felt terrible because I couldn’t gather the strength to really help with the chili during the week the way I normally would have.

Okay, so I already told you that we could not win (since Brooklyn Brewery was sponsoring the event). Yet, just entering a contest makes you want to win. We secretly hoped for a massive write in candidacy effort like the recent Senate election in Alaska. As it came closer to lifting the ladle to serve, my competitive juices started flowing.

Happy-ish

The biggest challenge for Nick and I when we compete together is: who’s judgment to trust more?  Whose recipe are we going to rely on? Chili is a very personal expression. We ended up making “The Chili Experiment” or “The Kitchen Sink Chili.” I think we ended up with 42 different ingredients none of which were beans (this makes Nick very happy, he is more of a meat-ist). To be honest, I think that 31 of the ingredients might have been Nick’s. We just make chili very differently. I do think our Experiment was a success. I thought it was well balanced and very flavorful and very rich, almost an umami bomb. The toppings we devised, I think tempered the richness and made for a complete bite. Each helping was topped with a cilantro, white bean, and garlic puree, and a fried jalapeno chip.

Need Air

We did have our fans and the longest line. I think we could have come close to winning with this gut-bomb of a chili.  It was delicious and a crowd-pleaser.  I did not taste all the other competitors out there, which sucks because that was one of the  main reasons I was excited to compete. We did’nt have time. It was go from the moment it started. I was so worn out by the end, I don’t care if I ever eat chili again. Well, at least for right now.

To all my friends who compete in the Food Experiments: Bravo! I could not believe how many times I had to describe the dish, my jaw hurt from talking and I’m a neurotic Jew from central casting. As we got on the subway to home, I turned to my wife and told her that I was not going to talk for the duration of the evening. I kept my promise.

Please, Empty

The Holiday Experiment is coming to town!

Is it already that time of year? When friends drink too much, speak too loudly, and eat too much….HELL YEAH! It’s time for another Experiment. My friends, and the five others who read this blog, The Holiday Experiment is around the corner. All the chefs have signed up and tickets are selling like gingerbread scented hot cakes.

By the way, I do not like holiday flavorings! It must stop. I do not want gingerbread flavored coffee or egg nog ice cream. Fucking Disgusting! Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Donuts, Pumpkin Lattes (How do you know you’re from the sticks? Pumpkin Latte – really!), Pumpkin Cocktails, Pumpkin Shit, Pumpkin Dreams, STOP IT! STOP IT NOW! I do not need the melding of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace mixed into everything that goes into my mouth. My family’s holiday tradition is to make great tasting normal food and cook a friggin’ pumpkin pie for dessert!

Did I tell you yet about the Holiday Experiment? I cannot wait. It is going to be fantastic. The entries look awesome, and yes there are some special pumpkin/gingerbread flavored items, BUT I’m sure these will be delicious! I am proud to say that Brooklyn Brewery is our sponsor, so beer will be flowing. Good Beer, NOT PUMPKIN BEER!

Oh, and for all you cheap bastards who constantly ask to be put on the guest list, try winning some tickets for a change – Follow us on Twitter and you might be selected to win a free ticket. Random drawing is Friday, November 26th.

my cat getting festive

The Roots, the roots, the roots are on Fire!!!

Another Experiment behind us, how was it for you?

The Brooklyn Roots Experiment begs the question: Why was this Experiment different from all other Experiments?
-Well, Bobby Steingoldschwartz, we held it in a new location: The Invisible Dog Gallery and it made a huge difference. I give all the props in the world to The Bell House and the GM. They always make the trains run on time. So, we did it in a new space and… it felt like the first time, like an Experiment Virgin touched for the very first time.

First, the space – have any of you been to The Invisible Dog Gallery? It is beautiful, light and airy, windows lining the walls. It worked perfectly for the event. We had planned a smaller more intimate Experiment and the space worked to our advantage.  The rough wood floors gave the room warmth, the event had a friendlier vibe as a result.

But isn’t it really about the Food? Isn’t it always about the food? The Brooklyn Roots Experiment was a different type of theme for us, a little ambiguous to some contestants. Normally, we name an ingredient and say, “go!”  Originally, we got a lot of entries for root dishes featuring beet, carrots, potatoes, it started to sound like a Russian Widows Convention. Anyway, The Brooklyn Roots Experiment was three fold. One could either make a dish using an ingredient grown in Brooklyn, make a dish featuring a product made in Brooklyn, or create a dish that best represents Brooklyn. As I said, it is all about The ROOTS baby!

Team Lei-mo's Polish Potluck

respect to brooklyn's greatest rapper (sorry lil' kim)

Once everyone got the theme right, the dishes couldn’t have been better. All the chefs have learned to season like a pro. I was initially worried because so many people had last minute wholesale changes to their dish. Yet, the people with last minute updates ending up winning the majority of the prizes. As usual, I loved Roopa’s dish. She is a very talented baker who should probably quit her day job. I cannot say enough about Jill Strominger’s dish. It was very tasty and so well balanced. As I told her, after reading her entry – I was really worried. The ice cream she made could go on just about anything: Horseradish cream cheese Ice Cream – Fantastic! Andrey did his usual mad scientist work. This time, he really hit a cord in my memory. His salmon pastrami cheesecake tasted like a canape my mom used to make from my youth that I just loved. I do not have the time to highlight all the wonders, the home made reindeer hot dog (are you kidding me) unbelievable, fresh made tortellini, braised brisket. And don’t forget the winner’s steak and potatoes – perfectly cooked! Like Butter!

Just Beet It - Beet Bread Pudding

Andrey applying the final touches to his salmon pastrami cheesecake

And who was left responsible for judging these amateur culinary masters? A panel of geniuses the likes of which we have never seen. We had Melissa Clark from The New York Times, Frank Castronovo of Frankies 457, Ed Levine of Serious Eats, and Sheri Eisenburg of The Food Lovers Guide to Brooklyn. Wow. I was impressed with how nice and accommodating they were. I cannot thank them enough. We even had a surprise guest who declined to judge, but enjoyed the food.  Wylie Dufrense showed up with two sous chef in tow. They sampled the wares and gave a a thrill to some of our talented cheftestants. The judges left discussing the difficulty in choosing just one winner.

Wylie and his crew hang out

Erin with her Reindeer Pølse

The best part of the event: The winner, John Husby, donated his entire prize to Ovarian Cancer Research which is a charity very dear to my wife’s and my heart.

more Brooklyn Roots photos

No Sleep till the Brooklyn ROOTS Experiment

It wasn’t until the Village Voice said that it had been six months since our last experiment did I realize that it had been that long. So I am excited to announce that the next experiment is literally around the corner, Sunday, September 12th. Since the last food crazed meat sweat feast, I got married, and NO, it was not the Wedding Experiment for all those wondering. Though, I did cater the damn thing. I guess it has been a life altering six months. I still owe one of my faithful readers an account of the honeymoon (just info about the food people – how sick do you think I am?).  Since the last experiment, I have also taken a new job as kitchen manager. So, life is changing rapidly.

I am really excited to get back into action. This is the first time the Experiment will not be at the Bell House, which will be a new challenge for Nick and me. I had become accustomed to Will’s effortless management. At the same time, I am looking forward to seeing the event in a different setting. We are setting up on the third floor in a gallery/loft in Cobble Hill, The Invisible Dog Art Center.

Plus the theme is slightly different for us. No single ingredient to inspire the chefs, but an entire borough: Brooklyn. From the red sauce joints and kielbasa kitchens of yesteryear, to Chinese food and Tacos from Sunset Park. Brooklyn is New York’s most diverse food destination.

The Brooklyn Roots Experiment is the latest in our series of successful competitive cooking events. It is part of Farm City Fair, a day-long celebration of local food and art, which is part of the fall festival of the French Institute Alliance Francaise. Our amateur chefs will be making creative dishes featuring ingredients grown or made in Brooklyn or inspired by the history of Brooklyn.

I hope to see you there…and for everyone who searches my blog for picture of cats with cheese on their head…

fizz au gratin

Forced Out Of Retirement

Just when I thought it was safe…they pull me back in!!!

I last competed in the cassoulet competition, and I said that would be it. I retired on top. I thought I would give Nick Suarez a chance to shine. Retirement has been great, early bird specials, pant suits, and forgetting the past. As Rocky did in number IV, I am coming out of retirement one last time. Instead of staring down Ivan Drago – I have Nick Suarez back in my sights.

Nick and I will be going head to head this Sunday (tomorrow) at the Taste of Williamsburg.    We won’t be the only ones, there will be over 30 other restaurants coming out for a good cause – a community center for the neighborhood. A refuge for those afraid of hipsters.  It will be this Sunday from noon to 4 on north 11 st in front of Brooklyn Brewery.

Maybe you saw the write up in the New York Post. Yes- I have everything to lose, but that is how the life of a champion must be. The lone gunslinger coming back to town for one last job he’s got to do. It is different this time – I am getting married and their are more important priorities. But it doesn’t matter – I am coming back to win.

p.s. what am I making? corned beef hash with deviled egg…

The Devil and Corn Beef Hash

Brunch Experiment – The Day After…

Closing Ceremonies

The Brunch Experiment was a success. How do I know? Because I taste every dish! And all of the dishes had that special something. It makes me sound like a sap – doesn’t it? But I guess I just have a big heart, I hope this is not a sign of an enlarged heart. Though to be honest, after going through 20 dishes of increasing cholesterol counts I thought Lipitor should be our sponsor.

Judging is Serious Business

If you weren’t there you missed some real successful experiments. Righteous Burn won the audience prize again, but they better be careful with the trash talk. They might be getting a little big for their peg legs. They wanted to challenge Nick and I to an Experiment. I will tell you right now that we would make them walk the plank! Still, we love the pirates. Plus, they had one of the best “acceptances” I have experienced, karate kicks and all.  And they broke an “indestructible”  Le Creuset pan in the process. The one I wanted to steal for myself!! How could they?

The Winner’s List:

Audience Award

Who Couldn't Love This Man?

1st Place: #13  Righteous Burn – The Righteous Kentucky

• $150 cash
• 2 round-trip tickets from JetBlue Airways
• Dish featured at Rose Water restaurant
• Gold Medal

Pig & Fig

2nd Place: #15 Team Vail – Juliana’s Pig and Fig Quiche

• Brunch for 4 at Rose Water + $100 cash

One & Sup

3rd Place: #18 One and Supp – Pork Hash Tamales

• $50 Whisk gift certificate + $50 cash

Judges Awards

Wanna Spoon?

1st Place: #20 Wanna Spoon? – Breakfast Cupcakes

• Cuisinart Stand Mixer

The mixer everyone was drooling over

Redneck Caviar - Bacon Marmalade

2nd Place: #16 Redneck Caviar – Duck Confit and Bacon Marmalade Donuts

• Brunch for two at Diner

Working Class Foodie in da House

3rd Place: #11 Working Class Foodies – Buttermilk Waffle Bread Pudding

• $50 Bark Hot Dogs Gift certificate + T-shirt
• 3 pounds Plowshares coffee

Nick & Theo Prize’s

Jeffrey is a Hooligan

Nick Prize:#9  Jeffrey Olsen –  Mad Tea Party

• One year supply of dairy courtesy of Organic Valley

No One Works Harder

Theo Prize: #7  Andrew Food – Full Brunch

• One night stay at Le Parker Meridien Hotel and brunch for two at Norma’s

We all know their winner’s dishes were fantastic, but what about the others? The beauty of an Experiment over other competitions is that the chefs go out on a limb, they strive to be innovative… God bless them.

Andrey's Exploding Quiche

Andrey as usual tested the limits and surprisingly missed the cut. From word of mouth, I thought he had a chance to place.

Team Philomena

Team Philomena had a really strong entry, their Italian pastry was very well executed and the acidic lemon glaze was very very good – memorable. Also, my hats off to new comer Andrew Winkler. Even though he did not win, I was impressed with his fried chicken. It is so hard to make anything fried for these events. They generally end up greasy and limp, not so for Winkler- good job.

Babes Who Brunch

I also would like the recipe for the bread pudding from the Babes Who Brunch. I am not joking Emily. That was great. It was so dense which I like. Actually, Knowlton gave it a thumbs up as well, so close Babes! I was upset because it was one of my last bites and I was so full that I did not have room to appreciate it fully.

When it comes down to it. I am just a fan of the chefs. I like seeing them frazzled, getting ready. I am sorry that some of my sentimental favorites did not get to the podium like Lei-Mo. They are just the nicest people. Plus, we had a new competitor this time who normally covers the event for the Village Voice. She was finally on the other side of the camera, it was awesome to see how into it she got.

Last but not least, I want to thank DJ Workhorse, aka Johnny Con Carne, aka Serious Business Taco, aka Schnapp. What a virtuoso! He made a  playlist of categorized gastronomic songs complete with a printed menu! It is a must read.

DJ Johnny Con Carne

Fiancee Deserves Some Credit

Lots more pics are up on the Food Experiment’s Flickr page.

Cochon 555 – Felt so good, at least it did yesterday…

After seeing the hordes stuffing themselves with pig and drink, I am relieved to know that the all important health care bill passed in the House. I had the great honor of being a judge at the Cochon 555 event. For the uninitiated, we are talking about a premier professional cooking competition.  Why 555? 5 Wines! 5 Chefs! 5 Pigs!

I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I started this amateur cook off thing as a diversion and now I am getting fed by some of the best chefs in New York for free!. Who knew being broke could be so fun, yeah! I must thank Brady Lowe. I did not even get a chance to introduce myself, which is probably a good thing because at some point in the evening I became shit-faced.  I do not get belligerent, just chatty, loud, and an inflated sense of my sense of humor – make sense? When did I become such a light weight? I only drank 5 cups of beer, 5 glasses of wine, 5 infused whiskeys. I appreciate that I got to eat before going down the devil’s path.

Using both hands for optimal drinking

Unlike other events I have judged there was a lot of fan fare. We were sequestered to a side room where we sat a huge frickin table. It looked like a table from a 15th century castle: good/bad – I don’t know. When I looked around the room, everyone I saw was a big part of NYC food culture. Rachel Wharton of Edible Manhattan and Brooklyn, Mylan da butcher, Josh Ozersky of the internet, etc. I had the luck of sitting next to Garrett Oliver the brewmaster of Brooklyn Breweries. The man knows his beer, he is no bullshit. Plus, I didn’t realize how much he cooked.

But it is all about the food, each chef had a pig and was judged on Utilization, Presentation, and Taste. They all had their strengths. In my opinion, there was a clear winner. First to present was Michael Canora of Hearth.

Canora - Hearth

He gave us the pig from nose to tail. He utilize the entire beast from fried heart and kidney risotto to a wonderful chocolate ravioli. There were at least 8 tastes on that plate. Second came Corwin Kave of Fatty Cue which I thought of as an odd move went with one dish to sum it all up. Bold move!

Corwin Kave - Fatty Cue

I thought it was a wonderful dish, but I think he suffered coming right on the heals of Canora. I was really looking forward to seeing what Mark Ladner of Del Posto had in store, but I became worried when  he showed up with one dish as well. My dream of pigging out on pig seemed in doubt.  Ladner’s dish was a memorable 100 layer lasagna, packed with porkiness. The texture of the pasta undeniably perfect. The dish was served cold, on purpose, but I felt that left it slightly underseasoned. I missed the pork’s unctuousness.  It was served atop a intense tomato ‘sauce’. Arriving fourth, was Gavin Kaysen who won my second place vote.

GAVIN KAYSEN – Café Boulud

A great and diverse selection of pork, his best work, I thought, was his charcuterie. His pork pie put Myers to shame, no HP sauce necessary!

They saved the best for last with Adam Kaye of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Adam Kaye of Blue Hill at Stone Barns

A little back story, I worked with Adam when I was at Blue Hill. He was actually my boss.  Oh how the tables have turned. I promised to be impartial once I saw him on the Chef list. I am not ass-kissing when I say I know how well he cooks.

Face Bacon

Adam Kaye's Fried Baloney

He had me at fried baloney. He has the ability to bring together unique combinations with flawless technique. His pate had a unexpected lightness that worked well with the crisp bitter chocolate wafer. Mazel Tov Adam – yours was the best.

As for the rest of the evening – drinking – oy vey 😦

The Brunch Experiment

I think I can say this with confidence: This experiment will be the best one yet!!!

Why this one?  It could be the prizes, the contestants, or the judges – not sure. First, I am excited to tell you that Organic Valley has agreed to be our sponsor. This means they are supplying our cheftesants with all the eggs, butter, milk, and cream they will need.  I shit you not. I am ordering 170 dozen eggs and 80 pounds of butter to be delivered to the Bell House. I might just cancel the experiment and attempt to create the largest omelet every conceived in Brooklyn. Before getting too sidetracked, how come there isn’t a ‘Brooklyn Omelet’ – I mean Denver has one and none of the stuff actually comes from Denver. Here is my proposal for the Brooklyn Omelet: 1) Salvatore Ricotta 2) Sausage from The Meat Hook (that is if I am not making any that week) 3) Greens from one of these frickin’ ubiquitous rooftop farms and 4) Three drops of hipster blood for color.

Back to the prizes…  We have two round trip tickets to anywhere in the United States from JetBlue.  Very cool, yet, Organic Valley is giving away a YEAR’S supply of product. I do not know if I could eat that many eggs but I am willing to try.  I do not want to forget the Le Parker Meridian is giving away a night’s stay and brunch in the morning – the sophisticated one night stand.  There is also dinner at Diner,  Brunch at Rose Water and all the Bodum French Presses I have in my house ready to give away to the chefs. There will be no losers this time, only varying degrees of winning.

Enough of that, I have been looking over the entries and I am really excited to taste them. I got some favorites, but it never works out that way. The winners usually come out of nowhere. I would let you know about some of the dishes, but people are looking for a big surprise factor. Some chefs are preparing over 300 eggs – insanity my friends.

Maybe I am excited because a production company is going to film the event from start to finish including following several contestants ahead of time. It is The Experiments’ big shot at television immortality. TV never dies, just the people who watch it. I encourage any characters who want 1.5 minutes of fame to sign up – now is your chance.

The Brooklyn Taco Experiment – It was everything and more

The awards presentation

I might sound trite. I might sound like a sap. I might sound like an ego maniac. I might, I might, I might…

This is difficult for me to write, but the Taco Experiment was an utter success. What made it a success? The People. Whether chefs or audience, it made no difference. Everyone was prepared to have a good time. This was the most exciting event for me because of the grand prize. We had two round trip tickets to Mexico to hand over. It feels great to reward hard work. I wanted to secure this prize for the winner ever since we decided to put on this little shindig. I sent 50 emails looking for a connection. Finally, my friend Isela of Hernan Housewares emailed me with a contact for a representative of Aero Mexico, a cool cat named Oscar. I see why Bob Barker never wanted to retire or why Reggis Philbin asked who wanted to be a millionaire.

The chef’s made some incredible food. I am not exaggerating. I felt as if our chefs were hitting their stride.  It wasn’t just pork my friends. We had duck, short ribs, brisket, oxtail, goat, chicken, marrow, and a giant sized Lipitor. Even though I felt I had an alien bursting from the side of my gut, I could have had more. It took the judges a longer time than usual to come up with a winner, everything was so good.

It wasn’t easy for Nick and myself either. We had much debate over the winner of the Nick and Theo prize. To call it a debate might be a slight exaggeration, Nick was slipping in and out of a meat coma. After taco 20, we both started to lose it. Unlike other events, where we usually only have a bite of each competitors dish, we were eating entire tacos.  I have seen Nick in a meat coma once before at The Food & Wine Meatball Madness competition. The first symptom is broth flavored sweat, followed by confusion and hallucinating. It finally concludes with a meat bomb gently resting against all one’s major organs. Now I know where my spleen is located, I still do not know its function. Oddly enough, I left the stage, missed a taco, and in a state of panic rushed over to the competitor to get  a taste. I had already had 25 tacos!!! What was I thinking?? With meat filling all the space in our heads, making a decision was rough. I admire the Judges as they plowed through competitor after competitor looking for greatness.

Love it

The best was having secret judge, Fernando Martinez of the Red Hook Ball fields, examine the lot. He had a totally different perspective than the rest. After all, he makes meat tacos everyday. The last thing he is going to favor on his day off is another meat taco. Thank god I am not a betting man because I feel vegetarians are operating with a handicap when they enter these contests. YET, he chose the grilled Halloumi Cheese taco as his favorite, a VEGETARIAN option. The world is flipping sideways and now my Fiancee can stick a feather in her cap. Oy vey!

Fiancee Rockin the Voting Box

On a side note, we had the tortillas GENEROUSLY provided by Tortilleria Chinantla. The reason we sought out a tortilla sponsor was to relieve an expense to the chefs. We know its difficult – remember Nick and I compete (though I did retire recently for the second time). But, I did not think the logistics through. It was difficult for some chef to get the corn tortillas heated properly. I take blame for that and I feel guilty. I know its hard work. Our job is to make the chefs’ job easier, even though I give them shit. It’s out of love and respect. For the upcoming Egg Experiment, we will be providing eggs to everyone in advance.

Holy Goat

I think anyone who credits themselves for the success of an event is an idiot. I am no idiot. The people to thank are numerous. Starting with the Chefs, all of you! and Mark Kupa, Dick Swizzle, Naomi (I am so sorry that the room was left a mess), all the various volunteers, the clan de Suarez, the judges, the sponsor, and most of all my Fiancee and future wife!

THE RESULTS:

The Grand Prize Winner - Serious Business

AUDIENCE AWARDS

1st Place – #12 John Schnapp Serious Business Taco (2 Round-trip
Tickets to Anywhere in Mexico Courtesy of AeroMexico)

2nd Place – #24 Mike Leahy Fat Mikey’s ($100 Cash + $250 Jimmy’s 43
Gift Certificate)

3rd Place – #2 Jason Marcus Breakfast Taco ($50 Cash + Whisk Gift
Certificate + $25 Calexico Gift Certificate)

JUDGES AWARDS

1st Place – #1 Andrey Ayrapetov Carnitas ($50 Calexico Gift
Certificate + Red Hook Vendor Private Tour + Red Hook Vendor’s Lunch
with 3 Friends

2nd Place – #20 Mike McGowan Shredded Beef Rib Tacos ($50 Cascabel
Gift Certificate + Red Hook Vendor Private Tour + Red Hook Vendor’s
Lunch with 1 Friend)

3rd Place – #24 Mike Leahy Fat Mikey’s (Bark Beer Growler + $35 Bark
Gift Certificate)

SECRET JUDGE PRIZE – Judge by Fernando Martinez – Country Boys Taco
Truck – 2009 Vendy Award Winner

#17 Sabrina Mossberg Halloumi Steak Taco (Hernan
Botanero/Tortillero/Tequilero Set + $25 Calexico Gift Certificate)

NICK AND THEO PRIZE

#15 Alyssa Lees Beef/Pork Chile with Tequila Creme and Spicy Toffee
Dessert (Ultimate T-shirt Prize + Crif Dog Skateboard + Tortilleria
Chinantla Clock + 4 Tickets to the Sold Out Lost Premiere at the Bell
House)

Cassoulet King! Still Humble?

Cassoulet - the starting line

Does that picture qualify as food porn? I heard the term ‘food porn’ will soon be eliminated – finally. Although it makes me kind of sad is that I never had a chance to use it.

When I saw the announcement for last year’s Cassoulet competition I was too late to sign up. To say it saddened me would be an understatement. It actually pissed me off. A year ago, I had just started to get a taste for competition, like blood to a prepubescent vampire. A year later, what a change my life has taken – Jimmy emailed me to let me know the cassoulet contest was coming up and asked me to enter. I was honored.  Jimmy is a great guy and I love Jimmy’s 43.  I was upset I missed the deadline last time because I really enjoy making cassoulet. I think I used that frustration as inspiration for this year’s event, and worked twice as hard.

Maybe, I tried twice as hard because I have a reputation to uphold, or I would like to retire from competitive cooking on top, like Barry Sanders. Whatever the reason, I worked hard and won against some meaty competition. Before I get to my dish, first, let me remind everyone that we all had come out in support of the Greenmarket, and second, let me espouse on the specialness of others…

Peter Hoffman and Daughter

Many familiar faces were in the line up. Some new to competing, but familiar none the less. Peter Hoffman, of Back Forty and Savoy, and his daughter were stationed near me.  It is no surprise that he came out to support the Greenmarket; he has made a real difference in the way New York eats. He was the Greenmarket Chef a decade before anyone else. He made a great cassoulet, tender rabbit, balanced beans, and crunchy bits. Yet, I was distracted, not by his wonderful cassoulet, but by his great looking cast iron vessels/kettles – not sure what to call them. I started to covet my neighbors cookware. I started dreaming of having that cookware, dreaming of a hearth to set it upon, dreaming of a fiancee who eats meat so I can make stew in them.  At least, I know what is going to be the first item we register for. (On a side note, please feel free to pick and pay for any item off our future registry.)

Of course, Cathy Erway was in attendance. What would a cook-off be without her? like the sky without blue. She plunked down a beautiful canary yellow le creuset pot containing a Moroccan themed cassoulet with dates and curry. I thought it was a great entry. Across the way from me was Tom Harvey and son with one of the most surprising and delicious entries. A newbie to the cook-off scene, I hope he intends to stay. He is the nicest guy – came over the table and handed my Fiancee and me a bowl. He was so humble, like really humble – not my fake humble. Couldn’t put the bowl down, it was salty with a strong tomato base. The goose was tender and he did not screw around – he brought two matching orange le creuset  pots. I think the real winner of this contest was Le Creuset. Everyone was using one. I was distracted by the colors. It might be stupid to say, but they make the prettiest pots and I think that makes anything inside taste better by a factor of 10. By the way, my creuset was baby blue and Nick’s was vibrant green.

I was really disappointed I did not get to try everyone’s dish. In particular, I missed Ms. Feigenbaum’s. I get so wrapped up in serving everyone that I sometime forget to eat. She won 1st Place in the very important category – audience’s choice. I feel that is what it is all about, winning the audience.

He's the one with the beard

My toughest competition tends to come from Nick, Nick Suarez. He is not only my rival, but partner in thefoodexperiments. It is always bittersweet to compete against one another, at least that is what I think. I want to beat him, and at the same time I would like to see him do well. Second place is doing well – right? Anyway, his dish was very good and it had the Suarez hallmark of richness. It was rich, properly seasoned, and I kept wanting to eat more. He topped it with some great duck “crispies.”

As for my dish, it was a simple affair. I made two sausages: lamb crepinettes which are made from braised lamb shoulder pressed and wrapped in caul fat and

Lamb Crepinettes

duck and roast garlic sausage. I added a little cream, eggs, and poached them in red wine. They had great flavor.

Staged Shot - Theo Peck drinks red wine while making duck sausage - how edgy

For the beans, I cooked them in two reinforced stocks, mushroom and lamb. Once the beans were cooked and they were ready to bake, I added duck fat, salt, shiitake mushrooms, a bit of both sausages, and a puree of garlic, bean, cream, duck fat. I also cut up and placed a smoke / roasted pork belly to the beans.

Bastin Belly

The belly I got from butchering a pig at The Queens Farm Museum.

To top this meat-acular beast – kale, of course. I needed something to make this potential gut bomb lighter. I realize that you cannot spell cassoulet without gut bomb, but the crispiness is an essential characteristic. I made kale chip in a low oven and crumbled them with some garlic, lemon, duck fat, and butter.

I was nervous throughout the day, the judging panel was GOOD. It wasn’t a slouch panel. It is another reason to work hard and make the best dish. I presumed they would have high expectations, and as they grilled me on my cassoulet I knew they meant business. They all had the credentials. Chef Matt Weingarten of Inside St. Barts, Josh Ozersky – the Original Mr. Cutlets, Alex Van Buren – accomplished food writer, and Betty Fussell – also an accomplished food writer…so it was an honor and surprise that they called me out for first place. It has been a long time since I felt the joy of victory and I plan on savoring it.

Thank You

Success

There are plenty more photos over at metromix.  Take care all, I plan on writing a recipe post soon.