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This Mardi Gras thing is getting out of hand in this town.
Over the last several years it's gotten bigger, better, and more involved--the celebration now boasts 14 events in 7 weeks--with new events added every year. (For this weekend's activities and the remaining 2011 Mardi Gras schedule, go here.)
One of the favorites is the Crystal Cajun Cook-Off, held last weekend at the World's Fair Pavilion, which was sporting its snazzy winter walls and windows.
The format for the cook-off remained the same as in prior years: ten professional and ten amateur cooking teams compete in their respective categories for bragging rights to the best Cajun/Creole dishes. Two different sets of judges taste and score the entries, awarding a first, second, and third place in each category.
The judges were privy to the chef's recipes and cooking methods (one of which was 6 pages long), but the tome paid off for Chris Lee and Katie Case, who walked away with top honors in the pro division.
Lee (Exec Chef at Sanctuaria, Chuy Arzola's, Cafe Ventana) and Case (Chef de Cuisine at Cafe Ventana) prepared a "Creole Trinity," a three-pronged double-take on the now-famous vegetable trinity on which Cajun cooking is based. (Those who remember Cajun chef Justin Wilson will remember his distinctive description of same: on-ee-on, say-er-ee, and green pebbah.)
The duo twisted a dish from Sanctuaria (adding grits to his Wicked Good Shrimp) and flanked it with a flaky crawfish pie (as served at Kirk's, one of Lee's first cooking gigs) and a third item, Lee's version of chicken and waffles: a cube of spicy chicken breast atop a wedge of cornmeal waffle. This judge poured the demitasse of warm, bourbon-bacon syrup over the latter, to spectacular results, so much so that Lee vowed to put the item on the menu at Hendrick's BBQ, the next restaurant from the trinity of Gurpreet Padda, Ami Grimes, and Lee. (Hendrick's is scheduled to open this summer in the former Waterworks Building, just off the Katy Trail at 1200 S. Main St. in St. Charles.)
Chef Jack MacMurray (formerly of Sage) took the silver with a deceivingly-tasty pork loin stuffed with andouille and the aforementioned "holy trinity;" along with spinach grana flan and bourbon-glazed sweet potatoes. The kicker here (and the reason for a few extra points), was his addition of a kick-ass, sassafras-parsley coulis.
The chef team of Cary Exler and Samuel J. Cousins from L'Ecole Culinaire took third place with an appetizer trio: a frog leg fried in crawfish flour, served over grits; a Kumamoto oyster shooter (notice the cucumber "palate cleanser" below); and a mini-crawfish po-boy.
Not surprisingly, grits were incorporated into several dishes. The best and silkiest version appeared on private caterer Mark and Patty Johnson's mahi-mahi below, grits so good we attached the recipe, a first for Relish:
Fresh Corn and Goat Cheese Grit Cakes
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk, plus 1-2 more, as needed (or use chicken broth for a lighter dish)
I cup coarse ground yellow corn grits
2 tbs butter (+ 2-3 more for sauteeing grit cakes)
3 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup freshly shucked corn (thawed, frozen corn may be used if fresh is not available)
Salt
Method:
Heat milk over medium heat until just bubbling, stirring often. Add grits in slow stream, stirring continuously until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir grits often until done, about 20-30 minutes, adding more milk if needed to maintain a creamy consistency. Turn heat to low when done, and stir in corn, butter and goat cheese until incorporated. Salt to taste.
Immediately pour grits into a greased 9X9X2 non-stick baking pan. Use a larger pan if you want a "shorter" grit cake. Let grits cool for 1-2 hours.
When set up, turn grits out onto a cooking board, and using a tall mold ring (2" at least), cut out grit cakes. (Tip: You can make a quick mold by removing both ends of a soup or vegetable can.)
Heat butter in large saute pan over medium heat, add 4 grit cakes and sear both sides until golden (about 3-4 minutes per side). Remove cakes and place in 350* oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
