Top chef week 10 competition

bayoutider · July 5th, 2009, 05:17 PM

All right final 3 this competition is titled "4th of July food". I know, I know, it's a little late but WAW4TIDE selfishly decided to get married in the middle of all this and screw up my schedule. Look at it this way, you have almost a year to perfect whatever swill these remaining chefs conjure up.

My idea of 4th of July food is just about anything that fits well on a picnic table. There is more than good BBQ so I expect you to think outside the box, reinvent the wheel and build a better mousetrap. Some old favorites can supply a base for something new and tasty so with that thought firmly planted under your wig hat let the battle begin.

You have till Monday July 13, 10PM to get your entries in. Anyone who cannot meet that deadline speak up now. There will be no more immunity, winners of this competition will go head to head for the jacket.

BamaLuver · July 6th, 2009, 09:21 PM

Wow --this week's competition should be awesome! Just think of all the great creations for the 4th -- fried chicken, BBQ, pork, seafood, veggies, salads, homemade ice cream, pies, cakes, creative drinks, watermelon. etc!!! Can't wait to see the recipes!

Good luck to you all!!!!

derek4tide · July 11th, 2009, 01:34 PM

For starters, I like to have a good summer soup or salad. Since most salads are something everyone has tried, I like to throw out a good summer soup from time to time to give guests something different. I have done this soup many times and it has always been a hit in the summer.

Derek's Summer Squash Soup

Ingredients:
A generous splash of extra virgin olive oil or 3 tablespoons of butter
3 large shallots, chopped
A couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3-inch sprig of rosemary
1 1/2 pounds yellow or green summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices/chunks
3/4 pound potatoes, un-peeled, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups lightly flavored vegetable stock or water

Garnish with: fresh herbs, toasted almonds, a generous drizzle of olive oil/ melted butter, and/or some crumbled feta

Directions:
Heat extra virgin olive oil/butter in large thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, salt, red pepper flakes, and rosemary. Saute until shallots are tender - a couple minutes. Stir in the squash and potatoes, and cook until the squash starts to get a bit tender - a few minutes. Stir in the garlic, remove the sprig of rosemary, and then add the stock (or water) to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Puree with a hand blender. If you like a silkier soup feel free to pour the soup through a strainer. I like this soup topped with a bit of crumbled feta, some toasted almonds, a drizzle of olive oil, and a small pinch of red pepper - but it's perfectly good straight with no fuss on top.

Serves 6 - 8

Another great starter that friends love is my Italian Grilled Shrimp Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette. This is a light way to enjoy a hearty orzo and shrimp salad during the summer months. If you don't like the soup, you can always have this great starter dish. I always like to have choices for any gathering.

Derek's Italian Grilled Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:
8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
2 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 9 ounces total), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
3 tablespoons purchased pesto
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 ounces total), cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:
Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper with oil mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk pesto, lime juice, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette. Place shrimp in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons pesto vinaigrette; toss to coat.

Grill zucchini and bell pepper until crisptender, about 3 minutes per side for zucchini and 4 minutes per side for bell pepper. Transfer to work surface. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; grill until charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place shrimp in bowl with orzo. Chop zucchini and bell pepper; add to bowl with orzo. Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.

Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold or at room temperature.

Serves 6

I'm all about choice, so I always have more than one type of meat or entree when grilling for our parties. Today, I will start with a fish, then follow with a pork and finish up with a red meat or chicken. Living here near the gulf, I am all about fresh grouper, but it is not always available. So, sometimes I use flounder, snapper or amberjack as back ups. I have even used catfish for this as well. Today, I 'll use flounder.

Tampa Grilled Flounder with Cucumber Salsa

Ingredients:
1. 2 medium cucumber(s), 2 cups diced seeded peeled
2. 1/3 cup(s) onion(s), green, thinly sliced
3. 1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped
4. 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
5. 1/4 cup(s) lime juice, fresh lime- about 2 limes
6. 2 tablespoon pepper(s), jalapeno, finely chopped seeded
7. 1 tablespoon oil, olive
8. 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
9. 1 clove(s) garlic, minced, minced
10. 24 ounce(s) flounder, four- six ounce fillets
11. 2 teaspoon oil, olive
12. 1/8 teaspoon salt
13. 1/8 teaspoon pepper, black ground
14. Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Prepare grill.

Brush fillets evenly with 2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8teaspoon black pepper. Place fillets on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with cucumber salsa.

Serves 4-6

Now for the pork -

Derek's BBQ Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 - 1-1/2 lb pork tenderloin

For the Spice Rub:

2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the Bourbon Glaze:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tbsp Bourbon (I always use Maker's Mark, but any decent Bourbon or whisky could be used.)
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix the spice rub ingredients (salt, sugar, paprika, pepper, mustard powder and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

2. Pour the spice mixture over the pork tenderloin and rub into all its surfaces. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by melting the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and adding the minced garlic. Cook about 1 minute.

4. Add the Bourbon, sugar, mustard, cinnamon and cloves and continue to simmer briskly over high heat, stirring almost continuously until it is thick and syrupy, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper. It should be well seasoned for the saltiness to stand up to the sweetness. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

5. Get a hot grill started and grill the tenderloins over high heat, turning occasionally until golden brown and cooked through. After the surface is seared a bit, baste the tenderloin on all sides with the Bourbon glaze repeatedly until all the glaze is used up during the final 5 to 10 minutes of cooking. This will take 3 to 4 minutes per size, about 12 to 15 minutes total depending on the heat of the grill and the size of the tenderloin. The internal temperature should be close to 160. Note that pork tenderloin is generally fairly small and thin, so it can overcook quickly. Try to avoid overcooking to maintain moisture and juiciness in the meat!

6. Note: the smoky, sweet flavor of the glaze can be augmented nicely by smoking woods. If you want, add some hickory, mesquite or apple smoking wood chips or chunks to your fire shortly before cooking the pork. Try to cover the grill with its lid during most of the cooking to hold in all that yummy, aromatic smoke!

7. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes under aluminum foil.

8. Slice into thin medallions on the diagonal and serve. If there is extra pan drippings and glaze it can be spooned over the meat.

Serves 4-6

Now, on to the chicken -

Derek's Special Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lb Boneless skinless chicken (I always use organic)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Cloves garlic; minced
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 teasspoons Orange zest
1/3 cup Fresh Orange juice (not from concentrate)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup Bourbon whiskey (once again, I use Maker's Mark)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup catsup
1 tablespoon steak sauce (I use A-1)
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce (I use a local brand, but use your favorite and to taste)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch of cloves

Directions:
Start by preparing your chicken pieces for the grill. What you want to look for are large clumps of fat and loose, unnecessary pieces of skin. Even with organic chicken, there are always fatty pieces that should be removed. Trim these off. This will help reduce the risk of flare-ups when you are cooking and make a more presentable piece of chicken.

Mix all ingredients other than chicken well. Marinate chicken 4 hours.

When grilling chicken, I always want to have one side of my grill hotter than the other. On a charcoal grill I accomplish this by banking the bulk of the hot coals to one side of the grill. This gives us a hot side and a warm side. On a gas grill I want one burner on high and other burners turned lower. This will depend on how many burners your grill has. On the grill I am using has three burners and they run side to side (most grills have burners that run front to back). I have the back burner on high, the middle burner on medium, and the front burner on low. Get your grill up to temperature and then adjust the heat down to around 350 to 375 degrees F.

Remove from marinade and grill, basting with marinade frequently.

Serves 8

It's not a summer time celebration without ice cream! This is an ice cream recipe I came up with after having a banana ice cream and hazelnut ice cream on different days in New Orleans last spring. I added the grilled figs after having them with vanilla ice cream at a restaurant in Orlando.

Derek's Banana and Hazelnut Ice Cream with Grilled Figs
1/2 cup hazelnuts
3 ripe bananas (to puree)
2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place hazelnuts in a baking pan and bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly toasted.
3. Place nuts on a cloth towel, wrap the nuts up, and rub them together until their papery skins come off.
4. Cool nuts.
5. In blender or food processor, grind nuts until are finely ground and start to release their oil but still have texture. Ater doing nuts, puree the bananas and set aside.
6. In a double boiler combine half-and-half and the nuts.
7. Cook over simmering water for 15 minutes.
8. Whisk sugar into the egg yolks.
9. Whisk some of the hot half-and-half mixture with the egg yolks return the egg yolk mixture to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the spoon.
10. When done, place the pan in a pan of very cold water and stir until cool.
11. Stir the cream and extract into the mixture.
12. Stir in the pureed bananas.
13. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or til thoroughly chilled.
14. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufactuer's directions.

Grilled Figs

Ingredients:
8-10 fresh figs
2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Clean and rinse figs. Cut each in half. Take the fig and with cut side, press into brown sugar. Brush each fig with honey and vanilla extract combo. Place on the grill for 2 minutes until the sugar begins to bubble. Serve in bowl with banana and hazelnut ice cream.

For any summertime celebration (or anytime of year), I always want to have some special drinks as well. And nothing says summertime fun like good tequila and not just any tequila, but Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo.

This is the best tequila by far, with no after taste and as smooth as silk. Everyone who has tried this at our parties always wants to know what brand it is and how to get it.

Derek's Cabo Explosion

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Cabo Wabo anejo tequila (blue agave)
3 ounces sugarfree Red Bull energy drink

Directions:
Pour the Cabo Wabo anjeo tequila into an old-fashioned glass. Add the sugarfree Red Bull, and shoot.

For those who want something more relaxed and fruity, I offer the Summer Surprise.....the surprise is you really can't taste the alcohol.

Summer Surprise
A Summer Surprise starts with creme de bananes, Captain Morgan Parrot Bay coconut rum, triple sec, blackberry brandy, orange juice, pineapple juice and apple juice.

Ingredients:
3 parts creme de bananes
2 parts Captain Morgan Parrot Bay coconut rum
1 part triple sec
1 part blackberry brandy
3 parts fresh orange juice (not from concentrate)
2 parts pineapple juice
fill with apple juice

Directions:
Mix appropriate amounts in a pitcher or bowl. Pour into glass filled with ice. Garnish with the fruit of your choice.

WAW4Tide · July 13th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Top Chef July 4th Competition

The 4th of July is one of my top 3 meals of the year. There is nothing I like more than eating a ton of BBQ on a hot day and sweating through it all with some ice cold beer. I have always had just one big meal around 4 p.m. on the 4th so that people can digest and then move to see fireworks or light fireworks or whatever. So in keeping with the way, that I have always enjoyed the 4th, my menu will be revolved on a concept of one big meal. I also like to prepare almost everything family style, and serve them on big platters on a long table. Also, I always make enough to have leftovers for days.

Bleu Cheese and Bacon Cole Slaw
This is a particular crowd pleaser and a vast improvement over ordinary cole slaw.

4 heads green cabbage
2 heads red cabbage
2 pounds of carrots
24 oz crumbled bleu cheese (any kind will work…I wouldn’t get anything expensive)
2 pounds of thick sliced bacon

Core the cabbage and the chop into workable pieces. Slice very thin all the cabbage. Then peel the carrots and then run them through a grater. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and on walled baking trays lay the bacon pieces flat. It is ok if they overlap. Cook the bacon for 8 minutes and then remove and flip sides. Continue cooking until preferred level of doneness. I like mine crispy because it gives the slaw texture contrast. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels and dry. Then crumble by hand and add to the cabbage and bleu cheese.
3 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/5 cup crème fraiche (if not available then add another ½ cup sour cream)
¼ onion minced
½ tsp minced garlic (the stuff in a jar works well here)
5 tbs of either red wine or champagne vinegar (I prefer champagne)
4 tbs sugar
1 tbs celery salt
½ tbs cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit for one hour in the fridge. Stir again and then coat the cabbage mixture. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Pulling it out and stirring every hour and tasting and seasoning. I always have to add more black pepper. This can be made the day before.

Carolina style Pulled Pork with Sauce and Cheddar Chive Biscuits to make Sandwiches
This recipe calls for lots of sub recipes, so if you want to save time, you can use dinner rolls, or you could buy sauce, or you could make sauce and rolls and buy pork. However, if you want the best results, then this is the way to do it. The sandwich is going to have tons of flavor, due to the meat and sauce combining on a really flavorful biscuit.

Biscuits-This will make somewhere 12-14 depending on the size of your scoop.
2 cups all purpose flour
T tsp baking bowder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs sugar
½ tsp Spanish paprika
1/8 cup of freshed chopped chives
1 tbs of fresh chopped parsley
1 cup of grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
¾ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 stick butter
3 cloves of garlic

Pre heat the oven to 350. In a bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients but not the herbs with a whisk. Run the mixture through a sifter. Next add the herbs, cheese, and buttermilk, and sour cream and mix together until a dough forms. Then with an ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Smash the garlic cloves and add to a pan with the stick of butter and allow the garlic to infuse the butter. Remove from heat and brush each biscuit with the garlic butter. Place the biscuits in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush again with garlic butter. Allow to cool and then place in a napkin lined bread basket for serving.

Mop Sauce
½ cup water
2.5 cups apple cider vinegar
½ stick of butter
Juice of 2 lemons and the two halves of a lemon
½ cup worcesteshire
8 cloves of garlic smashed
¼ cup of hot sauce
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp Spanish paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp old hickory smoked salt

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12 minutes and stir. Strain and then put into a cup, or what I do is take a plastic bottle, usually the one that the vinegar comes in and poke holes in the cap and fill that up with the mop sauce.

BBQ Sauce
1 onion diced
3 shallots diced
7 cloves of garlic diced
Juice of a lemon
1.5 cups of cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
¾ stick of butter
½ cup honey
3.5 cups ketchup
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs all spice
2 tbs Spanish paprika
2 tbs ancho chile pepper
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
¼ cup worcesteshire
1 tbs hickory salt
1 tbs salt
3 tbs ground hot mustard powder
Hot sauce to desired heat

In a sauté pot add the butter and the garlic, shallots, and onion and lemon juice and cook until the vegetables become translucent. Next add the ketchup, honey, vinegar, and worcesteshire and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the spices and brown sugar and continue to cook. Cook over low heat and stir every so often tasting. Here you will need to determine your preference and add either vinegar or brown sugar., and also the amount of hot sauce you might like. You should also salt and pepper accordingly. When you taste the sauce it should start out sweet and then you should get the heat at the back of your tongue.

6 pound bone in pork shoulder-rub with cider vinegar and salt and pepper before cooking

Light your grill and clean the grates. This can be done on charcoal or gas. All you need to know is that you want to cook over indirect heat and have a grill temperature of 225. Then you want to cook the pork shoulder at 40 minutes a pound. So this one should cook for 4 hours. While cooking baste with the mop sauce every 10-15 minutes. When the mop sauce is gone…and it should be, fill the bottle up with cider vinegar and hot sauce and continue to baste until it is done. Then remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes, and with forks pull the shoulder apart into long skinny strands. Serve on a biscuit with bbq sauce.

Dry Rubbed Hot Wings and Legs
My sister in law loves wings, so I made these just for her…unfortunately for her, everyone else liked them as well and she didn’t get as many as she wanted. So this should make a large batch, and remember you want the whole wing not a drummet.

16 whole wings
10 drumsticks

Clean the chicken and then pat dry.

Spice Rub
2 tbs salt
½ tbs cumin
1 tbs smoked paprika (regular will work fine)
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs chipotle chile pepper
1 tbs garlic salt
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs brown sugar

Mix together well and rub all over the chicken pieces. If there is any remaining, reserve.
Light your grill and get it to a low sustainable heat. Place the chicken skin side up to start and shut the lid. Pay close attention in case of flare ups and then after 5 minutes flip the chicken. After another 3 minutes begin to move the chicken off of the flames and arrange them so that they are not directly on the heat. Now you will want to watch them and carefully cook them for another 30 minutes switching them from direct to indirect heat. A quick tip is to put all the legs on the heat and wings off and then swap. The chicken should have a nice crispy skin and when the skin begins to burst and juice comes out and causes flare ups, it is time to take them off.

Wing Sauce
3 Cups of your favorite hot sauce-I like Louisiana Crystal
2 tbs champagne vinegar
2 tbs flour
1 stick butter
¾ cup honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Melt the butter and then whisk in the flour and continue to whisk avoiding lumps. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the hot sauce in batches. Next add the vinegar and honey and lemon juice and continue to whisk until mixed.

Toss the chicken in the wing sauce and then put onto a plate. Serve with bleu cheese dipping sauce.

Bleu Cheese dipping sauce
12 oz crumbled bleu cheese
½ cup sour cream
2 tbs fresh chopped dill
¼ cup mayo
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all together until well mixed. If you don’t want to do this, use bleu cheese dressing or ranch dressing.

Red, White, and Booze
If the title didn’t give it away, this is a drink. This is really refreshing and is great on a hot day.
This recipe is per drink, and if it is too much for you then it can make 2. Simple syrup is simply equal parts sugar and water dissolved over low heat.

3 jiggers vodka
1 ½ jiggers simple syrup
1 ½ jiggers fresh lime juice
1 jigger grenadine

Shake over ice and then strain into a glass with ice. Then fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Garnish with a lime, or because it’s the 4th with blueberries.

Hickory Smoked Jack and Coke
I wanted to add this just to share, I know its the morning after so it doesn't need judging. I have had this at a bar in Nashville and think that it is really cool

1 bottle Coca-Cola
1 bottle jack Daniels

Start a charcoal fire and add hickory chips or use a smoker. Ina sheet pan place coc-cola. Place over the smoke from the coals and cook for 3 hours. Then in a glass with ice add jack daniels, then add cola. Enjoy.

Wanted to make sure I got this in...gonna try and edit it again, having a dinner meeting at 8.

DrBama · July 14th, 2009, 02:42 AM

FoUrth of July Recipes

Ok, here's the deal. I was lying in bed tonight and realized "Holy $@#&!!!!! I forgot to submit my Fourth of July recipes!!!" So, I hopped up, much to the chagrin of Mrs. DrBama and ran to the computer to post these. The sad thing is that I had them ready and waiting and just plain forgot to post. So, in the hopes that the judges will show some mercy, I submit these recipes for your gustatory pleasure. I actually prepared these dishes for the Fourth this year, with the contest in mind.

Squash and Crab Soup

A summer favorite of mine, and either a appetizer in small amounts or a main course with some crusty bread. Its also a pretty quick fix, as soups go.

Ingredients:

1/2 pint half and half
1/2 pint milk
1/2 cup flour
1/4 pound butter
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 pound onions, chopped
2 pounds squash, thinly sliced
1/4 cup crab or shrimp base
1 quart water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/4 cup chives, cut
2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Thickener for soup:

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour and small portions of milk until a smooth paste is formed. Add the remainder of the milk and the half and half and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Soup:

Melt butter in a large stockpot. Add garlic, carrots, onions, and squash and cook until the squash begins to fall apart. Add cayenne pepper, salt, and crab/shrimp base and mix thoroughly while simmering. Add the chives, crabmeat, and water and bring to a boil.

Add the thickener to the soup in small quantities. Continue stirring until the soup thickens. You should end up with a thick chowder consistency. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 min, stirring occasionally.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On my recent trip to the beach, I stopped and bought some wonderful Chilton County peaches along with some fresh tomatoes from a roadside stand (PawPaw's I believe was the name of it). I do believe that fresh peaches are my favorite fruit, and I wanted to develop a dish with the fresh ingredients I had on hand. I grilled the peppers to give it another layer of flavor. Here's what happened....

Duck with Peach Salsa

4 duck breasts, boneless
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Grill duck with skin side down over coals which have been allowed to mature well (will flame like a mutha if you don't). I prefer my duck just a bit short of well done. I don't season the meat much because duck has such a fantastic flavor all on its own. The problem with being too fatty is helped by grilling it skin side down for most of the grilling time.

Peach Salsa

2 cups diced peeled peaches
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup diced grilled red bell pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice, about 1 medium lime
2 teaspoons finely minced grilled/roasted poblano chile pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
dash garlic powder
1 tablespoon orange juice
dash freshly ground black pepper
orange blossom honey, if desired, to taste

Combine all above ingredients in a large mixing bowl and allow flavors to meld for at least 6 hours, better overnight. Serve over grilled duck breast.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
German Potato Salad

A friend of mine introduced me to this recipe earlier this year. It may be really common, but somehow, I hadn't had it till then. I have had so much mustard and mayo based potato salad that this was a really refreshing change. I added a few extras to it (capers, celery, replaced a white onion with scallions)...It's one of my favorite sides, along with my green apple slaw I submitted during the first season of Iron Chef Tidefans (which I wish I could re-submit for this contest

).

Ingredients

3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 cup white onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool.
Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the bacon grease and cook until browned. Add the scallion, celery and capers. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Add the potatoes. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm. Leftovers are wonderful cold, but its best when warm.

Blueberry Layer Cake

This is a cake that is a memory from my childhood that I have tried to re-create. I started with no recipe, but a vivid memory of eating a fantastic blueberry layer cake under the shady oak tree in the yard of my neighbor's antebellum home. I always looked forward to this cake. I have done my best to re-create the recipe. I hope that I'm not looked down upon for using box cake mix, and you can certainly use your favorite cake recipe. Added tip: if you want to make a lighter fluffier cake, add an egg more than what is recommended. If you want a richer heartier cake, replace the water in the recipe with whole milk. For this recipe, I added an extra egg to each of two boxes of yellow cake mix.

Two cakes prepared as on the boxes for nine inch circular recipes.

Upon removal from the oven, allow to cool on a rack while prepping for the other stages of assembly.

Ingredients:

One cannister of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 cups fresh blueberries (frozen will do, but fresh is MUCH better)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Place half the blueberries into a mixing bowl and cover with sweetened condensed milk. Using potato masher, crush the blueberries to release their juices. Add in the remaining blueberries and mix together. Allow to sit at least 20 minutes. Just before icing the cake, drain with a collander, but reserve the juice

For Cream Cheese Icing

2 packets cream cheese, room temp
2 sticks of butter, room temp
2 boxes (aproximately) Confectioner's sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix together cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until well combined and smooth. Add vanilla. Gradually add confectioner's sugar until you are happy with the icing texture. Try not to eat it all before you put it on the cake. :-)

To assemble:

Place cooled cake onto plate, brush with lemonade concentrate until well covered but NOT SOGGY. Spoon and spatula on a layer of cream cheese icing. Add a layer of the slightly sweetened blueberries and top with a small amount (two to four tsp) of the blueberry "sauce". Top with the next layer of cake and repeat the process until all the layers have been assembled. Top and cover with remaining icing. Top with a few whole blueberries and a few sprinkles of the blueberry sauce.

Independent Waters

5 oz Vodka
3 oz Fresca
3 oz Lemonade
2 oz Orange juice
2 oz Pineapple juice

Mix the vodka, pineapple, orange, lemonade and Fresca. Serve over Ice. Very refreshing on a hot and sweaty day. This one can be made without the vodka for the kids

I am at the mercy of the judges with regards to the deadline. Sorry.