The Cookoff: Round 7 (the Final Round)

Round 7

Bleu Christmas Charms

Kip chose bleu cheese crumbles because "Blue Christmas" has "blue" in it and so does "bleu" cheese. We're still not sure he's literate. He also did not bring bleu cheese.

The chef says, "I was inspired by the era of the song. I chose to pay homage to my grandmother, who grew up around the time this song was at its peak popularity. I created a Lucky Charm™ crispy treat, simply combining butter, marshmallows, and heart-shaped kashi cereal with the Lucky Charms™ mixed in. The treats were cut out with a heart cookie cutter and broken to represent the sadness in the song. I topped the treats with a blue white chocolate (my grandmother's favorite color), creamy bleu cheese drizzle. The dish was served on my grandmother's china. The shot glasses (containing chocolate wine, which made Andrew blue from its disgusting-ness) were a high school graduation gift to her and she gave them to me." 

 

The Cookoff: Round 6

Round 6

A Partridge in a Pear Brie

Partridge in a Pear Tree inspired the selection of Juicy Pear Jelly Bellys, not what Andrew suggested.

The chef says, "The pork belly was soaked in apple cider, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and liquid smoke and then it was brushed with honey and rolled in crushed pecans and crushed Honey Nut Cheerios. It was placed atop a slice of pear that was poached in butter, then grilled and covered with a smear of brie. These elements rested on a pear Jelly Belly chutney. I was clearly inspired by the most repeated line of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'....and a partridge in a pear tree."

The Cookoff: Round 5

Round 5

Frosty's Melting

The original inspiration for Frosty was the Jiffy™ corn muffin mix, both to represent Frosty's corncob pipe and to offer redemption to someone to recreate the dish from the Great Cornbread Disaster of 2010. Luckily for the chef of this dish, Jiffy™ was not available at Whole Foods™ (and it contains lard, which our vegetarian participant would prefer not to eat), so the actual ingredient was a more wholesome version:

The chef says, "This dish was inspired by "Frosty the Snowman". At the end of "Frosty the Snowman", he melts so I decided to make him melt in my soup. The spice in the soup added to its ability to melt him. My secret ingredient was corn muffin mix so I went with a corn theme. Since I don't like corn bread I made corn soup. It is corn and roasted pablano soup with corn stock, cream, basil, and chives. It was served with a dollop of snowman yogurt, a corn bread mix and Cheerio™ flour button, two eyes made out of peppercorns, a corn bread cracker broomstick, and an aluminum foil silk hat filled with popcorn and Cheerios™ baked with butter and spices."

 

The Cookoff: Round 4

Round 4

Golden Jingle Bell Graham Mac and Cheese with Bell Pepper Tomato Soup and Golden Graham™ Crostini

Liz went with "the subtle, complex approach" when she chose Babybel™ cheese for "Jingle Bells".

The chef says, "This comfort food, made with Babybel™ cheese, portabella mushrooms, and green bell peppers, was inspired by the warm feeling from my childhood when we returned home from a chilling night of sledding.

It is penne pasta with five cheeses (Babybel™ cheddar, Babybel™ Gouda, Gruyere,  Monterrey jack, and finished with a little bit of Parmesan). In the baked macaroni and cheese are portabella mushrooms and spinach with a touch of chili powder. The mac and cheese is topped with panko and crushed Golden Grahams. The soup is comprised of  tomatoes, green bell peppers, vegetable stock, heavy cream, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. The crostini was garnished with powdered Golden Grahams and Parmesan cheese ready for dipping. The red and green colors remind all of us of the Christmas season and getting together with the comfort of our families."

 

For those of you playing along at home, here's a hint about the chef. This gift for Jude was inspired by him/her: