Wonderful Adventure at the World Food Championships

World Food Championships 2014 

This year WFC Grand Prize @ the Final Table was $100,000.00

http://www.worldfoodchampionships.com/news/431/san-diego-chef-crowned-2014-world-food-champion

What excitement last week November 12th - 18th.

2014 World Food Championship (9) Categories

• Barbecue
• Chili
• Sandwich
• Burger
• Dessert
• Bacon
• Recipe
• Pasta
• Seafood

The recipe category was based on the theme " Cheese". 

Judges were told that every recipe must feature and highlight cheese as the star of the dish.

 Kenmore Kitchen Coliseum 

My Signature Dish - This Isn't A Philly Cheesesteak

The Signature Dish is intended to allow the cook to put their best foot forward. Show the judges what you can do best with cheese.

After the signature round my sandwich put me in the Top Twenty coming in at # 13 with a score of 81.75%

Structured Build Dish  Picadillo w/Chili Cheese

The theme for Structured Build Dish was South of the Border. Mexican cuisine is a culinary favorite.  This round separates the proverbial "men from the boys"  by creating an even footing or structure, which will show our proven culinary skills.  After this round, my Picadillo earned me 87.875% and moved me from the Top 20 to the Top Ten 7th place.

Infused Ingredient Round - Cheese & Potatoes

Cheesy Potato Mushroom Gratin score 78.44%

The infused ingredient for the Recipe Category was Potatoes.  This round will show off a cook's culinary creativity and ability to pair featured ingredients in a manner that both creates an impressive finished product and also highlights cheese and potatoes. Now not expecting to make it to the top ten, I had to create a recipe on the fly to fix for this round.  My combined score for all three entries was 80.99%, which placed 4th in Top Ten Recipe Category.

http://www.worldfoodchampionships.com/scores/competition/7

I had so much fun doing this and I looking forward to next years 2015 World Food Championship which will be held in Kissimmee Florida November 1st - 8th 2015.

Tomato and Spinach Tart

Cooking from the pantry -  I have 4 lovely tomatoes that I needed to use before they get to ripe.  I really wanted to make a pizza, but realized I did not have ready made pizza dough.  So I decided to use pie crust and make a tart with my fresh tomatoes and spinach.   So is it a pizza or tart?  Well you can call it what ever you would like. All I know is my Tomato and Spinach Tart was very good.  I hope you will try this from the pantry recipe.

 Ingredients

• 1 - 9" pie crust 
• 4 medium tomatoes, cut about 1/4" thick slices
• 12 spinach leafs cut in half
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese slice thin or shredded mozzarella low-moisture
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon MRS Dash Herb and Garlic seasoning

 

Step 1

Preheat oven 375° and spray pie pan with cooking spray.  Unfold pie crust and place in pan.  With a fork prick crust, then line crust with parchment paper.  Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes.   Once done remove from oven, then remove dried beans and parchment paper.

 

 

Step 2

Brush pie crust with olive oil and line the bottom of crust with mozzarella slices, then place spinach leafs on top.  Season with MRS Dash, then arrange slice tomatoes on top of the spinach.  Sprinkle oregano and parmesan cheese on top, bake for about 30 - 35 minutes.  Serve hot or room temperature.

 

Tomato and Spinach Tart with fresh mozzarella cheese.  It's like a deep dish pizza.

 

Note: If cheese exudes some liquid while baking, tilt the pan and spoon it off to keep the pie crust from becoming soggy. 

Cooking from the Pantry Sunday Morning - Quiche

Mushroom Bell Pepper Quiche 

This Sunday morning, I'm cooking from the pantry, making quiche with whatever I have on hand. Today, I have mushrooms, various-colored bell peppers, onions, parsley, eggs, milk, cheese, and a 9-inch pie crust. Let's get started.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Portabella Mushrooms (diced)
• 1 cup Bell Peppers (diced) 
• 1/2 cup Red Onions / Scallions 
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar and Gouda combined
• 5 large eggs
• 2/3 cup of low fat Milk
• 9" Pie Crust 
• 1 Small Baking potato (diced) 
• 4 cloves Garlic (minced)

Baking Tools : 4   4 1/2" tart shells or one 9"  Pie Dish

Prep time: 15     Cook Time: 30 - 35 minutes    Let Stand: 10 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook vegetables in a skillet with a tablespoon of Olive Oil on medium heat, starting with diced potatoes first. Then add the rest of the veggies and cook for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Then remove from heat and let cool.
3. Beat eggs and milk in a medium bowl with a whisk until blended well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, or use MS Dash Herb & Garlic Seasoning. 
4. Stir in the cooled veggie mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese. Then, in tart pans or pie pans with pie crust, pour the mixture into the pie crust and place it on a baking sheet.
5. Bake 30 - 35 minutes. Top the quiche with the remaining cheese and bake 5 to 8 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Check out my video on 3 Cheese Quiche for Kraft's Touch of Giving campaign.