QUICK FIRE CHALLENGE

Last night was a banner night in the kitchen thanks to my sister's stroke of genius. After a few gin and tonics our friend J revealed that he hadn't eaten dinner. The sis and I had of course eaten (hobo dinner: sausage with sautéed peppers and onions), but rather than pull out some leftovers for Hungry Man, we fused Iron Chef and Top Chef to turn our kitchen into Kitchen Stadium for a Quick Fire Challenge. The task: use whatever ingredients we had on hand to make a series of small plates for our taster. Luckily, being obsessed with food, we had some good ingredients: basil oil, homemade ice cream, homemade ancho chili jam, herbs, fresh berries. What began on a whim morphed into a 6-course meal, and we had a great time doing it.

The Menu:
Dilled Goat Cheese and Ancho Chili Jam on Toast with Tamari Pumpkin Seeds
Chicken Nugget with Melted Cheese, Barbeque Sauce, and Fresh Parsley
Manchego Cheese with Blueberry Gastrique and Dill on a Rosemary Cracker
Green Eggs and Ham: Basil oil Sautéed Egg with Turkey Bacon
Tarragon Turkey Lettuce Wrap with Red Pepper Aioli and Sour Cream
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce and Fresh Raspberries

Guess who made what!