Top Chef Cooking Party

Seven courses, nine plus hours! It was quite the gastronomical event!!! Everyone embraced the challenge and went above and beyond. We stayed true to the recipes, at least to the spirit of the recipes and lived up to the title of Top Chef.

1st ~ Roasted Golden and Red Beet Salad with Plums, Goat Cheese, and Pecans ~ Joyce and Eric
While not the Top Chef version, it was nevertheless wonderful and ever so demanding - 5 markets and 5 hours later! "Judges" agreed it was definitely worth the effort.

2nd ~ Savory Tomato Bread Pudding ~ Tiffany and Dean
Light, airy, and flavorful. The perfect appetizer that kept everyone fed while the cooking continued.

3rd ~ Sauteed Red Snapper in White Truffle Asparagus and Clam Broth ~ Diana
A four course meal in one dish. It included a luscious clam based soup, roasted fingerling potatoes, a duo of white and green asparagus, and finally the main attraction, red snapper. Complex in flavors and preparation.

4th ~ Sauteed Clams in White Wine, Shallots, and Garlic ~ Diana
An added bonus, the clams were creatively fashioned into a tiny perfect bite of yumminess!

5th ~ NY Steak and Braised Short Ribs with Apple Potstickers ~ Beth, Ray, and Thao
Beef two ways, with two sauces, and with Asian flavors. There was the firm quickly seared steak contrasted with the tender slow braised short ribs, all infused with lemongrass, ginger, soy, and chili spice, and complimented with a sweet yet savory apple filled potsticker.

6th ~ Black Thai Rice with Carmelized Coconut and Mango Cream ~ Shipra
"I'm stuffed. A rice dish for dessert? Are you kidding?" Nope, we all had room. Sticky rice, cream, and carmelized coconut all sound very rich and heavy but OMG it was surprisingly not. Just simply delicious. It was actually the perfect continuation of the Asian flavors.

7th ~ Halo Halo with Shaved Ice, Avocado, Mango, Kiwi, Nuts, and Rice Krispies ~ Shipra
Common street food? Not this gourmet version. Yes, there was crushed ice but that was where the similarity ends. Unique avocado flavoring, with bruleed mangos, coconut infused mango, fresh kiwi, braised then fried cashews, and for added texture, rice krispies. Absolute genius - there is always room for this light, refreshing dessert. Seconds please!