The Taste aka OBNB 2016 (Part 3- Results)

In case you missed our FaceBook Live Results Ceremony...

I must first announce, this worked out perfectly the way I intended, which is obviously the most important thing about this competition. In reverse order (loser to winner):

7. Liz
6. Greg
5. Meghan
4. Marion
3. Andrew
2. Kip
1. Kevin

Kevin wins the Picard Cup! (I told you no one in this house actually reads this carefully!) His dish is also the only one that was totally gone by 9PM (in terms of leftovers- some people made perfectly enough to feed the 8 eaters).

To review, here are the rules for the Chopped round at Christmas:

Round 1: Appetizer (basket ingredients purchased by Liz)

Kevin and Kip will cook in the upstairs kitchen. Andrew and Marion will cook downstairs. They are invited to bring 4 pantry ingredients each (we are also currently working on a list of guaranteed pantry items). They will open the "basket" of ingredients at approximately 10:30 and will have exactly 1.5 hours to cook from first sight to service (service at noon). Meghan, Greg, and Liz will be the only judges and will rank the 4 dishes. The fourth place chef will be eliminated.

Round 2: Entree (basket ingredients purchased by Greg)

The first place chef will choose to cook upstairs with a partner or alone downstairs. The second place chef gets next pick. The third place chef gets whatever space is left. They will open the "basket" and have exactly one hour from first sight to service. Meghan, Greg, and Liz will again judge and rank the dishes. The third place chef will be eliminated.

Round 3: Dessert (basket ingredients purchased by Meghan-just as I planned!)

The first place chef will choose to cook upstairs or downstairs. The two chefs will open the "basket" and have exactly thirty minutes from first sight to service. The judges will pick a winner. The eliminated contestants will have the opportunity to also choose a favorite as a consolation prize if they do not pick the same winner as the judges.

There will be live streaming the day of the competition (like December 28 or December 29 so block your schedules, people!) as well as blog posts per round. Happy holidays, everybody!

The Taste aka OBNB 2016 (Part 2)

Now for my impressions. Listed in order of serving, not in order of my opinion:

Taste 1: Kevin’s Gnocchi and Mushroom Alfredo with Pancetta and Sundried Tomatoes

I suspect I may have been targeted with this taste. It was all my favorite things in a bite. The gnocchi were perfectly al dente and the mushrooms were finely chopped. The pancetta and sundried tomatoes provided some textural interest and the umami flavor was spot on. I would like to eat this with every meal for the rest of my life I think.

Taste 2: Kip’s Vozzo Pesto Feta Cheeseburger with Touch of Bacon on Homemade Biscuit

I could not have pinpointed the pesto until Kip named his dish (we did not get to know what we were eating until the bite was finished), but in hindsight, I think it totally made the sauce. The burger was perfectly cooked and homemade biscuit did not seem homemade in the most complimentary way. The sauce had a coolness to it, almost like French onion dip. I enjoyed this very much, especially and including the side of a single Dorito.

Taste 3: Greg’s Poached Quail Eggs Benedict on Scratch Biscuit

This dish was the first true bite. We were encouraged to eat it in one bite, which made this a much different experience for me. I really like any cooking competition that includes the classic Horbal biscuit recipe and I do love me an eggs benedict. The poached quail eggs were precisely and perfectly cooked. The Canadian bacon patty was the exact right size. This was a delicate and delicious little bite.

Taste 4: Liz’s Creamy Potato Leek Soup in Italian Bread Bowl

This was the dish I knew the most about before it was made, as there was much trial and error involved in the making of the bread bowl. It did not affect my impression, though. The texture of the soup was smooth and light. The bread bowl was nicely dense. The flavor was salty and the temperature was nice and warm. The dollop of sour cream and chives, crumbled eggs, bacon and cheese as garnish were a nice touch in terms of flavor, which is always nice for a garnish, I think.

Taste 5: Meghan’s Red Wine Poached Pear with Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Sweet Cream

(Meg doesn't think it's fair to describe her own dish so this is Liz ghostblogging):  This was an exciting moment in SHFRP Competition history: the single best thing Meghan has ever made us.  We are all so proud of how far she has come from the dog-nausea-inducing cornbread with sunflower seeds disaster of the first competition.  This sweet interlude was a fruity, creamy treat with a mellow red wine syrup. We all (even Meg) agreed that it could have used a bit of cruncy texture, but overall it was a light and delicious departure from the savory fare the rest of us dished up.

Taste 6: Andrew’s Mini Yorkshire Puddings with French Onion Gravy

Andrew’s dish was our second true bite and it did not disappoint. I am not as familiar with Yorkshire puddings as I now wish I was. This bite was a delightful surprise in terms of texture. It was unexpectedly light and fluffy. The gravy is difficult to describe in terms of complexity of flavor but it was so. Good. It tasted like the nicest French onion soup flavor and was apparently made from Andrew’s Thanksgiving leftovers.

Taste 7: Marion’s Inside-Out Chinese Soup Dumplings

The final dish did not disappoint. It does not count, but it sure was pretty! The dumpling reminded me of my favorite Thai appetizer, but with soup, which was a great addition. The broth was mild and there was a nice warm spice in the background. The dumpling texture was perfect and light and the filling was lovely. This was a great ending.

The voting is now taking place. Stay tuned for results!

The Taste aka OBNB 2016

The Compound Thanksgiving Taste 

aka “One Bite, No B!tch!ng (OBNB)”

In the interest of re-complicating last year’s simple celebration of the holidays, we have decided to purchase an entire home for our cooking competition and added a preliminary round to complete overtake another holiday. We have been toying with the idea of doing “The Taste” for several years and this, friends, is the year. 2016. Year of the Compound. Year of the Taste. 

To make things extra interesting, we also added 8 dogs to the mix. You read that correctly. The Horbal/Frederick/Raftery/Penning clan added to family dogs and our guest judge, Cousin Stephanie, brought 3 of her own. For a “taste” of what that is like, check out this:

Jude is also getting into the action this year. It’s probably only another year or so before Pete and Lucy are in the mix. Hence the reason we have two kitchens.



Despite the chaos, the rules for the OBNB are pretty simple: make the best bite. You are judged solely on taste. We are dimming the lights, doing no dish naming or describing, and we rank you per the best taste. Obviously, there is online voting and scheming involved as well.

Here’s where it gets complicated (because of course it gets complicated): your score determines your rank for the Christmas competition, when we will be doing a true “Chopped” challenge.

The chefs are all ranked according to taste, one being the best and seven being the worst, by all competitors and Stephanie, our guest judge. The four lowest scoring chefs will move on to the Christmas competition. Each Christmas chef is welcome to bring up to four pantry items that can be used at any time in addition to the normal stock of Sharp Shopper ingredients, of course, in case anyone wants to use Sir Bananas.

Round 1: Appetizer

The two lowest scoring chefs from the OBNB get to cook in the main kitchen, while the third and fourth place chefs from the OBNB cook in the downstairs kitchenette. The highest overall scorer from the OBNB must buy the basket ingredients for round 1. The chefs are surprised with their basket, then have an hour and a half to make their appetizer. One chef is eliminated and the others are ranked first, second, third.

Round 2: Entrée

The remaining chefs now cook an entrée. The first-place chef gets to pick if they would like to cook alone in the downstairs kitchen or with another chef in the main kitchen. The second-place chef gets to pick their spot next. The third-place chef gets what left. In this round, chefs get one hour to cook from learning the basket ingredients to plating their dish. This basket is purchased by the second highest scoring from the OBNB. One chef is eliminated and the remaining two chefs move on to Round 3.

Round 3: Dessert

The final two chefs face off in the final round. The first-place chef chooses their kitchen and the second-place chef gets what is left. The first loser of the OBNB gets to supply the basket ingredients for the dessert round. The chefs get exactly 30 minutes to cook their desserts. The winner gets to keep the Picard cup. (That sentence was really just to see if the Compound owners are paying attention.)

So there’s the rules. Stay tuned for the results.