this was a much more difficult decision than i thought it would be!!! there were so many tasty looking entries, alas there can only be one finalist this week. every dish from the meatloafs to the pork chops and medallions, the apple hors d’oeuvres to the pork shoulder and so on….all very creative and tasty looking. i had to narrow it down, first, to the three dishes that stood out to me the most….
mimi’s goat calderata was one of the standouts. i know goat may be a little scary for some folks out there, but it is having quite a surge in the culinary community because when prepared right it can be quite tasty! in fact i just started playing around with it myself over the past few months, working on some special dishes for my new restaurant. i also like the thought process described… not going with a simple pasta (though pasta with an apple and olive sauce is quite tasty) and then seeing that fuji apples would have the right amount of tartness to brighten the dish while the sweetness of the basil would go well with the goat. look forward to trying this recipe myself…the cheese intrigues me.
bill’s seared scallops were also a favorite. i admit that scallops are one of my favorites so they did stand out. the use of the olive tapenade with the scallops is something that i often like to do as the sweetness of the scallops is nice with the saltiness of the olives. part of what i enjoyed was the writing of the recipe itself (not all of the ass kissing that went on with the intro, though i of course loved that too). it was well written with a hint of whimsy which is how we are going to write ours for my new cookbook. just keeps it interesting as you are following along in a book. altogether a beautiful and tasty looking dish.
the stuffed apples caught my eye, as being very creative. and honestly, when you are bobbing for apples, aren’t you thinking, ‘boy i hope these are stuffed with pork’. i know i am. and also hoping i do not drown. aside the point. i was impressed at the extra step of making foccacia at home…many restaurants that make stuffings or croutons with bread do not even make their own. also just a very seasonal looking dish.
after much thought i had to make a decision…
at the end of the day i can only base my decision on the photo and the flavors in the recipe. i think the dish with the most visual stimulation, the most seasonal representation and the most creativity….
joel’s baked apples have grabbed a spot in the finals!
thank you again to all of this week’s entries! was such a tough decision. not sure how tom and padma can do this all the time!
the next ingredients will be listed on saturday (giving everyone an extra day to prep and take photos). i hope this week’s chefs will join us again!
congrats joel!
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