After months of preparation and countless hours of tweaking
recipes and tasting the outcomes, eight contestants from around the
country gathered Saturday to compete in the the 2006 Gilroy Garlic
Festival Great Garlic Cook-off. The winner, from Orland Park, Ill.,
took home cash and a crown
Oh Baby! This One’s a Winner
Just days before the 2006 Gilroy Garlic Festival Great Garlic Cook-off, Jennifer Malfas, a contestant from Orland Park, Ill., said she was shocked to be chosen to compete.
She’d just started entering recipe contests – she’s only entered three – and Saturday’s Garlic Festival cook-off was going to be her first competition ever. Imagine her surprise when she beat seven other contestants for first place and $1,000.
“This is so overwhelming,” Jennifer said with tears in her eyes after her win was announced. “It’s my first competition ever, and I’m just shocked. I can’t believe it. I tasted almost all of the other recipes, and everything was delicious. I can’t believe it.”
Jennifer’s husband, George, ran up on stage shortly after the announcement to hug and kiss his wife. Their 5-year-old son, Jonathan, hugged his mother’s legs.
“I’m so proud of her. Cooking is really her passion, and for her to win this is amazing,” George said.
Despite her novice cook-off status, Jennifer’s recipe “Oh Baby! Proscuitto Wrapped Roasted Garlic, Feta and Rosemary Stuffed Bellas” defeated recipes from 20-year veteran cook-off contestants.
“She should be very proud of herself,” said Andrea Froncillo, one of the judges and owner of The Stinking Rose Restaurant chain. “This year’s competition was very professional. People really knew what they were doing this year, and these recipes are very interesting. But the mushrooms not only tasted delicious, they were something everyone could do at home. They are hip, and they are something I would consider putting on the menu at my restaurant.”
First, second and third place winners took home a cash prize and one of three garlic crowns. The remaining five contestants each took home a $100 consolation prize.
Second place and $750 went to Michaela Rosenthal of Woodland Hills, Calif. for her recipe, “Lobster Medallion/Chipotle Butter Corn Cake Stacks with Roasted Garlic-Lime Beure Blanc and Roasted Jalapeño and Red Pepper Relish.”
“I don’t care about the money – they can keep the money,” Michaela said after completing her dish but before winners were announced. “All I want is one of those garlic crowns. I was here two years ago, and when I didn’t get a crown, I cried my eyes out. I just have to get a crown.”
When Michaela’s name was announced moments later, she threw her hands in the air and let out a whoop of glee. She cried as she received her garlic crown. She later hugged the majority of the people on the cook-off stage, including members of the press, volunteers, judges and other contestants.
Third place and $500 went to Jamie Miller of Maple Grove, Minn., for her “Chimichurri Cheeseburgers with Roasted Garlic-Chili Mayo” recipe.
Recipes in the contest had to be original, contain at least six cloves of fresh garlic, serve at least six and take less than two hours of preparation time. The dishes were judged on ease of preparation, flavor, texture, creativity, appearance and use of garlic.
Karen LaCorte, chairwoman of the cook-off, said this was the friendliest bunch of contestants she can remember seeing.
“They’re walking around tasting each others dishes, and they’re chatting like they’ve known each other for years,” she said. “I think it’s great that they’re all so friendly.”
During the competition, contestants chatted with each other, Jennifer offered her extra chicken stock to anyone that needed it, and Lisa Grant and Elaine Sweet showed each other pictures of their children.
The only mishap of the cook-off was a burner that went out on Elaine’s stove. Because the problem wasn’t discovered immediately, her fish didn’t fry correctly, causing them to be less crispy than they should be.
Many of the contestants were also still recovering from an incident at the Leavesley Inn, where they stayed Thursday night. A man who had been trying to make hash oil from marijuana caused an explosion in his hotel room, and he ran naked and on fire into the hallway.
Contestant Judy Reynolds helped extinguish the man, and Jennifer, her husband, and their son witnessed the incident. The Malfas family checked out of the hotel the next day, and Judy had to throw out most of her fresh ingredients after smoke filled the hallway and her nearby room.
“I spent most of Friday trying to regroup,” Judy said during the competition. “It was a really awful thing to see, and I was certainly rattled afterwards. But I think I’m OK today, and I’m ready to cook.”
Oh Baby! Proscuitto Wrapped Roasted Garlic, Feta and Rosemary Stuffed Bellas
By Jennifer A. Malfas of Orland Park, Ill.
Serves six people two mushrooms each.
Stuffing Ingredients:
5 whole heads of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2-3 tablespoons for drizzling
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon (zest and juice needed)
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup garlic toast crumbs
salt and pepper
Bellas:
12 baby portobello mushroom caps
12 slices proscuitto
2-3 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
salt and pepper
3-4 tablespoons chicken stock
Stuffing Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops off the garlic heads, place on aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place two sprigs of rosemary over garlic, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and roast in oven for 1 hour.
Remove roasted garlic from oven and squeeze pulp from heads into a bowl. Mix with olive oil, chopped rosemary, zest of the lemon, juice from half the lemon, feta cheese and garlic toast crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Can be prepared a day ahead, but do not mix in toast crumbs until ready to stuff.
Bellas Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems from cleaned mushroom caps and fill with stuffing mixture. Wrap the proscuitto slice and place in greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
When all mushrooms are in baking dish, put enough chicken stock in dish to just cover the bottom. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Baste with pan juices one more time, then broil uncovered for 2-3 minutes until proscuitto is brown and crispy. Enjoy!
Meet the contestants
Judy Reynolds, Bloomington, Ind.
Recipe: Creamy Lobster, Garlic and Hearts of Palm Soup
Total Garlic Used: Five tablespoons
Age: 61
Profession: Retired college professor
“I love clam chowder –and I mean I really love it– and I love potato soup, so this is kind of a combination of my two favorite soups. I thought lobster would kick it up a notch, and when I was putting this recipe together, I didn’t have any artichoke in the house, but I did have hearts of palm. I thought the hearts of palm gave the soup a little extra spice and more of a pickled taste.”
Jamie Miller, Maple Grove, Minn.
Recipe: Chimichurri Cheeseburgers with Roasted Garlic-Chili Mayo
Total Garlic Used: Three tablespoons
Age: 43
Profession: Homemaker
“I wanted to use chimichurri sauce in the recipe because it’s got a really strong, tangy flavor that’s very tasty. It’s a parsley garlic sauce with red wine from Argentina, and it’s often used with steak. The chili mayo is a sweet chili sauce that’s a nice contrast to the tangy chimichurri, so they worked well together.”
Jennifer A. Malfas, Orland Park, Ill.
Recipe: Oh Baby! Proscuitto Wrapped Roasted Garlic, Feta and Rosemary Stuffed Bellas
Total Garlic Used: Five heads
Age: 33
Profession: Homemaker
“I love cooking, especially the creativity involved, so I’m always playing around in the kitchen, tinkering with ingredients and throwing things together, and that’s how the bella recipe came about. I had the mushrooms in the fridge and I had all the other stuff, so I put it all together and came up with this.”
Elaine Sweet, Dallas, Texas
Recipe: Ponchatrain Potato Crisp Catfish with Garlic Mudbug Etouffee Cream
Total Garlic Used: Nine cloves
Age: 47
Profession: Financial manager for data processing company
“I kind of combined recipes for two of my family’s favorite things and came up with this recipe. My kids are always asking for crispy fish, so I make that all the time. We also really like crawfish, and so this fish with the etouffee was a nice combination of the two things.”
Roxanne Chan, Albany, Calif.
Recipe: Cornmeal Crepe Custards with Sweet Heat Shrimp Salsa
Total Garlic Used: Two heads
Age: 62
Profession: Retired
“My neighbor gave me a cold custard to try, and I thought it was good. That’s when I thought I’d try to make a garlic custard. It just happened that that night I was making crepes, so I thought maybe I’d try putting the custard in the crepes and baking them. I tried it and it worked, but I thought I needed something with raw garlic and spice to give (the dish) contrast and color, so I came up with the salsa. I played around with it, and this recipe is the final product.”
Michaela Rosenthal, Woodland Hills, Calif.
Recipe: Lobster Medallion/Chipotle Butter Corn Cake Stacks with Roasted Garlic-Lime Beure Blanc and Roasted Jalapeño and Red Pepper Relish
Total Garlic Used: 10 cloves
Age: 48
Profession: Homemaker
“Well, my husband loves corn, so I’ve been doing corn cakes for forever, and, of course, we love lobster. So, this recipe started when I morphed those two things together. I’ve been working on this recipe, playing with it and changing it over the last two years or so. I did a beef dish in the cook-off two years ago and I didn’t want to do that again. I’m horrible with chicken, so I wanted to do something with fish. I’m known for making a lot of strange appetizers, and that’s what this recipe is: a strange fish appetizer. But, I’m very happy with it.”
Lisa Grant, Cherry Hill, N.J.
Recipe: Mojo Shrimp Wraps with Roasted Garlic and Avocado Creme Fraiche
Total Garlic Used: Two and a half heads
Age: 37
Profession: Stay-at-home mom
“I do a lot of recipes, and I love to experiment, and lately I’ve been doing a lot with mojo marinades. I was in the grocery store and I saw the creme fraiche, so I thought that might be interesting to try with the mojo marinades. I like the mojo shrimp, because it’s a mixture of cultures. It’s a Cuban marinade with goat cheese, mashed avocado, black beans. Creme fraiche is kind of a toss-up between sour cream and whipped cream.”
George Medina, Huntingdon Beach, Calif.
Recipe: Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Red Pepper Cilantro Sauce
Total Garlic Used: Nine ounces
Age: 47
Profession: High-volume DVD salesman
“I came up with this recipe about four years ago. I’d just come back from Philly, and I’d bought some spices there. I was playing around with them, and I tried them with tenderloins. I decided to add a bunch of garlic and I thought it worked out pretty well. I made it for a wedding shower and everyone loved it. People ask me all the time now if I’ll make it for barbecues or for special occasions.”
Ponchatrain Potato Crisp Catfish with Garlic Mudbug Etouffee Cream
By Contestant Elaine Sweet, Dallas, TX
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 1/2 T unsalted butter
3 1/2 T flour
1 red onion, chopped
1 each, green and red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 (10 oz.) can clam juice
1/2 t each, cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails
1 cup heavy cream
1 T Pernod
1 t sea salt
For Ponchatrain Potato Crisp Catfish:
6 (8 oz.) catfish fillets
1 cup flour
4 t Creole seasoning, divided use
1 cup mayonnaise
2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 cups instant potato flakes
1 1/2 cups canola oil
Garnish with 4 green onions, cropped and chopped
Preparation:
Etouffee Cream:
1. Start by making Etouffee cream by melting butter in a deep skillet and then stir in flour, cook and stir until a dark brown roux forms.
2. Add onion, peppers, celery and garlic to skillet and cook and stir continuously for two minutes.
3. Stir in basil, parsley, tomato paste, clam juice, peppers and crawfish tails. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, breaking up the browned bits from skillet.
4. Stir in heavy cream and cook and stir until sauce has thickened, then stir in Pernod and salt, keep mixture warm.
Catfish:
1. Wash and rinse catfish fillets and place on paper towels to dry thoroughly.
2. Place flour and 2 t Creole season in flat bowl.
3. Next, place mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic in blender and pulse a few times to emulsify and liquefy. Transfer contents to flat bowl.
4. Place instant potato flakes and remaining 2 t Creole seasoning in bowl, stir to combine.
5. Heat canola oil in large Dutch oven.
6. Dredge dry catfish fillets in flour mixture, then dip in the mayonnaise mixture and let soak for a couple of minutes, then coat the fillets with the potato mixtures, pressing firmly down to pack potato flakes on fillets.
7. Fry in hot oil, turn when one side in golden brown and continue cooking until other side is golden too.
8. Place 6 fillets on each of six serving dishes and top with generous portion of the Etouffee cream and garnish with green onions.
Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Red Pepper Cilantro Sauce
By Contestant George Medina, Huntington Beach, CA
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 large red pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded
Approximately 1 T fresh lemon juice
4 cloves smoked garlic finely minced (regular garlic cloves are fine as a substitute)
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Approximately 8 T olive oil (just enough to emulsify)
Tenderloins:
2 to 2 1/2 lbs. of pork tenderloin, rinsed and patted dry
1 1/2 T soy sauce
2 T dried ancho spice (a Cajon spice blend works well as a substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T dried oregano
8 T Christopher Ranch crushed garlic
1/2 cup dry vermouth
Preparation:
Sauce:
For sauce, place all ingredients in food processor. Add oil as processor is running and set aside for serving.
Pork:
1. Place tenderloins in a 9 x 11 inch glass baking dish and coat meat with soy sauce.
2. Rub tenderloins with half of dry ingredients including the crushed garlic.
3. Turn over and repeat the process with remaining dry ingredients and crushed garlic.
4. Drizzle the tenderloins with the dry vermouth and cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
6. Prepare outdoor charcoal grill. When coals are medium high or just after they have turned white, place meat directly on grill and cover grill. This method works for any grill with a cover. Turn meat after approximately 5 minutes and continue turning at 5 minute intervals. Don’t worry if the meat gets a little charred. Meat will be ready in about 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Remove meat from grill and cover with foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
8. Slice across into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.
9. Plate meat by spooning cilantro sauce on plate and placing meat on top of sauce. Serve with any grilled vegetables.
Chimichurri Cheeseburgers with Roasted Garlic-Chili Mayo
By Contestant Jamie Miller, Maple Grove, MN
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Roasted Garlic-Chili Mayo:
1 head garlic
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup bottled chili sauce (such as Bennett’s)
3 T mayonnaise
1/2 t smoked paprika (or regular sweet paprika if unavailable)
Chimichurri:
1 1/2 cups Italian parsley leaves, packed
3 green onions, chopped
1 T chopped fresh garlic
5 T fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t fresh lime juice
11/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Burgers:
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T chopped fresh garlic
2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 t Ancho chile powder
1 t kosher salt
1 t freshly cracked pepper
2 lbs. ground chuck
Vegetable oil for grill
6 oz. Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
6 individual ciabatta rolls or square cut from 1-2 large loaves, split horizontally
2-3 T olive oil
Preparation:
Roasted Garlic-Chili Mayo:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel outermost papery skin from garlic head. Slice off the top 1/2 inch or so, to expose the cloves.
3. Place garlic head on a sheet of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1 T olive oil; wrap tightly and roast for 45 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool partially before unwrapping. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic into a small bowl and mash with a fork.
5. Remove 1 T of the mashed roasted garlic to another small bowl and whisk in chili sauce, mayonnaise and smoked paprika.
While garlic roasts, make chimichurri and prep burgers for grilling.
Chimichurri:
In a mini food processor or blender, combine parsley, green onions, 1 T garlic, 5 T olive oil vinegar, lime juice, 1 1/2 t oregano and red pepper flakes and puree to a slightly chunky sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat.
Burgers:
1. In a large bowl, mix together chopped onion, wine, Worcestershire, 1 T garlic, cumin, 1 1/2 t oregano, chile powder, kosher salt and 1 t pepper. Gently but thoroughly mix in ground chuck.
2. Form mixture into 6 patties, about 1/2 inch thick, with a slight indentation in the center.
3. Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on grill rack, over direct heat, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip patties and grill for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Top patties with cheese; cover grill and cook for an additional minute or two to melt the cheese and achieve desired degree of doneness.
5. Remove.
6. Brush cut sides of ciabatta rolls lightly with olive oil and place on grill, cut- sides down, to toast lightly, about 3-60 seconds.
7. Spread bottom half of rolls with the roasted garlic-chili mayo, top with a burger, the chimichurri and the top of the rolls.
Creamy Lobster-Garlic & Hearts of Palm Soup
By Contestant Judy Reynolds, Bloomington, IN
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
3 T coarsely chopped pancetta
3 T olive oil
1 cup chopped scallions
5 T peeled and minced fresh garlic
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 t fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1 (14.4 oz.) can hearts of palm, drained, sliced at an angle
1 1/2 cups lobster meat (about 2 small lobsters)
1 t salt or to taste
Cayenne pepper and scallions (green part only, sliced at an angle) for garnish
Preparation:
1. In a medium saucepan make a roux by mixing flour and butter until it
resembles sand. Over medium heat cook and stir for about 5 minutes
being careful not to let roux change color; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan cook pancetta in 3 T olive oil until pancetta is
crispy and fat is rendered. Add scallions and mined cloves of garlic
and saute until scallions are soft; about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth,
evaporated milk, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer about 20 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and cook until tender; about 15 minutes. Add roux little by little
until soup thickens enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove bay leaf. Add
hearts of palm and lobster meat; simmer 10 minutes longer. Season with 1 t
salt or to taste.
4. Ladle the soup into heated bowls and garnish each with a pinch of cayenne pepper and a scattering of fresh scallion slices.
Mojo Shrimp Wraps with Roasted Garlic and Avocado Crème Fraiche
By Contestant Lisa Grant, Cherry Hill, NJ
Serves 6:
Ingredients:
Shrimp Marinade Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed preferred)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 t chili powder
1 T sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 _ pounds (medium to large size) shrimp, peeled and deveined
Crème Fraiche Ingredients:
2 heads roasted garlic (plus 1-2 T olive oil for drizzling) * see notes below
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
6 ounces crème Fraiche (about 1/2 cup)** see notes below
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t salt
Remaining Wrap Ingredients:
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
6 (8 to 10 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups sliced grape tomatoes
6 T crumbled goat cheese
Lettuce leaves, fresh fruit (orange and lime sliced) and cilantro for garnish
Preparation:
Shrimp Marinade:
1. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a large non-reactive bowl (except for shrimp). Mix well and add shrimp.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Crème Fraiche:
1. In a medium bowl, squeeze the roasted garlic from the cloves and mash together with the avocado. Add the lime juice, crème Fraiche, pepper and salt.
2. Set aside for later use.
Cooking and assembling:
1. Remove shrimp from marinade. (Try to have some of the marinade, onion and cilantro stuck to the shrimp or add a little marinade to the pan.)
2. In a large non-stick pan, cook shrimp for a few minutes on medium high heat until pink. Add black beans and cook until heated through.
3. Place shrimp mixture in a bowl and wipe out pan.
4. Warm the tortillas in the pan so they are soft.
5. Spread each tortillas with the crème Fraiche mixture.
6. Place an equal amount of shrimp mixture on each tortilla.
7. Top with tomatoes and goat cheese
8. Wrap tortillas tightly, using toothpicks to close if necessary.
9. Place the wraps on a plate and cut in half if desired. Garnish with lettuce, fruit and cilantro.
Notes:
*To roast the garlic, peel the outer skins off the garlic and cut the tops off the heads while keeping the cloves intact. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until garlic is soft.
**Crème Fraiche can be purchased at gourmet grocery store. If this is not possible, it can be made by adding 2 T buttermilk to 1 cup whipping cream. Mix well in a glass container and cover. Let it sit at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours or until very thick. Any extra can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Lobster Medallion, Chipotle Butter Corn Cake Stack with Roasted Garlic-Lime Beurre Blanc and Roasted Jalapeno and Red Pepper Relish
By Contestant Michaela Rosenthal, Woodland Hills, CA
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Lobster:
2 lobster tails
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 whole garlic cloves
2 California bay leaves
1 lemon, thickly sliced
12 peppercorns
Chipotle Butter:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 t canned chipotle chilies
Corn Cakes:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta (corn meal)
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 green onions, finely chopped
Peanut oil for frying corn cakes
Beurre Blanc:
6 whole roasted* garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 t freshly grated lime zest
1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine (good quality)
1 cup thick whipping cream
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into six pieces
1/2 t ground white pepper
Relish:
2 roasted* jalapeno peppers, peeled and diced
1 small roasted* red bell pepper, peeled and diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 t freshly grated lemon zest and juice
2 t chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 t toasted sesame oil
Preparation:
Lobster:
Heat a large pasta pot half full of water and add lobster, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, lemon slices and peppercorns. Cook 8 minutes or until lobster shell just turns pink. Remove lobster from pot, cool slightly, remove from shell, cover and set aside.
Chipotle Butter:
Place butter and chilies in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a small dish and refrigerate.
Corn Cakes:
Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and melted butter. Stir in egg, corn and green onions. Stir into the dry ingredients. Heat a small amount of peanut oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet. Ladle corn cake batter into pan (3-4 inch circles) and fry until golden brown on each side (total of 5 minutes, 2 1/2 minutes per side). Place on a heated platter, cover and keep warm.
Beurre Blanc:
Press roasted garlic cloves into a medium saucepan. Add lime juice, zest and lemon juice and white wine. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, smashing garlic with tines of a fork while simmering. Stir in thick cream, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 10-15 additional minutes until reduced by a third. Gradually whisk in butter and white pepper. Season with sea salt to taste, if desired.
Relish:
Dice jalapenos, red bell pepper and minced garlic. Transfer to a small glass bowl and stir in citrus zest, juice, parsley, and sesame oil.
To serve:
Slice lobster into medallions; spread chipotle butter onto corn cakes. Alternating, overlap corn cakes and lobster into six equal “stacks”. Spoon beurre blanc down the middle of stacks lengthwise (you will have leftover sauce) and top with a spoonful of relish.
Notes:
*To roast garlic and peppers, place in a pie plate, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and roast in a 350 degree oven. Turn peppers occasionally during roasting. Remove peppers after 30 minutes and let garlic roast an additional 30 minutes.
Cornmeal Crepe Custards with Sweet Heat Shrimp Salsa
By Contestant Roxanne Chan, Albany, CA
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Crepes: (Note: There will be extra crepes)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 t sugar
1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/3 cups milk
3 eggs
1 T finely minced fresh garlic
Butter for coating pan
Custards
1 large head fresh garlic, separated into cloves
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
3 eggs
1 green onion, minced
Sweet Heat Shrimp Salsa
1/2 pound medium size shrimp, cooked, peeled
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small avocado diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 T snipped cilantro
1 T chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 T lime juice
1/2 cup diced mango
1/2 t salt
Lime zest garnish
Preparation :
1. In a blender container place the ingredients for the crepes. Blend until smooth. Let stand while preparing the custard.
2. In a pot cover the garlic cloves with boiling water and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and place in a medium bowl with the rest of the custard ingredients. Whisk until well blended.
3. Rub an 8 inch non-stick skillet with butter over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup batter to the pan, tilting to coat the pan bottom. Cook to set, about 1 minute. Turn and cook about 1 minute more. Transfer the crepe to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter.
4. Gently fit 6 crepes into butter 4-5 inch round oven proof dishes or molds.
5. Divide the custard among the crepe cups.
6. Place the dishes in a large shallow pan and bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes or until the custard is set.
7. Combine the ingredients for the salsa in a medium bowl.
8. Remove the custard crepe cups from the dishes and set on a serving platter. Surround with the salsa.
9. Garnish the cups with lime zest
