Paper Chef #13 - Special Awards

Paper Chef, the brain child of Owen Linderholm of Tomatilla, is loosely based on the ideas of the Iron Chef, and for most this first Friday of the month is a much anticipated challenge for creative cooking, a chance to try something different, to experience new tastes, and to discover new techniques. Everyone, from home cooks, professional chefs, dreamers to would be TV and movie actors, gets to star in their own kitchen stadium using 4 secret ingredients to cook and to write about the experience over the weekend. For Paper Chef #13, the ingredients came with a twist...

Ingredient 1: Rice
Ingredient 2: Carrots
Ingredient 3: Anchovies
Ingredient 4: Something from the other side of the world that helps make this dish a celebration for you. Write about how you picked that and why in your write-up!

"This month we are celebrating a major holiday season and a special 'other side of the world' edition of Paper Chef being judged from Down Under, hence the fourth 'ingredient' listed above."

When the seemingly basic ingredients were announced for this month's Paper Chef #13 challenge, no one predicted the hilarious scenes that follow as participants searched high and low on the internet, dug digitally to the other side of the world using software, looked up atlases and electronic maps, and consulted travel journals. Was the sought ingredient scorpion from China, or was it penguin from the Crozet Islands? Everyone eventually found the ingredients in the pantry, fridge, liquor store or the gourmet shop. The other side of the world for most means China, Australia or some country other than their own. However, Lady X's other side of the world was a not a physical location, a challenge to find and a celebration when found: it was the time and life before Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For Stephen, and duo Mrs D and Chopper Dave, celebration was finding the hard to get ingredients in their part of the world after much effort searching. While others celebrated with a party or Christmas theme, Culinary Bookworm went one step further and threw an "International Cocktail Party" with the works, out of economical rice-based dishes! At the other end of the scale, where meals are always festive, MagicTofu created the hilarious and innovative fake soft boiled egg out of "70%" recycled ingredients.

The battle for Paper Chef #13 came with lots of fun and laughter over whose dish or dishes rule supreme with claims real or exaggerated, and with many attempts to appeal to the Australian judging panel for bonus points. Now its time to announce the winners, but really there is no real need as everyone who takes on the challenge is already a winner for daring. Again, the human nature demands that winners get written for history to remember and for others to learn and to share.... So here goes the very unpopular task judges need to do, that is to name the winners, starting with these special awards:

Most Creative Use of Ingredient - Carrot
MagicTofu - Slurp and Burp - Ottawa, Ontario - Fake Soft Boiled Egg
These whimsical fake soft boil eggs encompass the technique used by top restaurants. Everyone has a soft spot for these innovative carrot "yolks".

Most Creative Use of Ingredient - Anchovies
Mrs D and Chopper - Belly Timber - Shaw Island, Washington - Siu Mai and Fried Shrimp with Rice
A spectacular garnish of anchovies leaping out of siu mai. A picture says a thousand words, so check out Mrs D's very excellent photography!

Most Creative Use of Ingredient - Rice
Culinary Bookworm - Weekly Dish - Baton Rouge, Louisiana - International Cocktail Party
How many ways are there to cook rice in a meal? Culinary Bookworm uses four as seen in this very impressive international cocktail party served on very "clean plates" comprising: Drunken Australian Rice Cakes with Carrot Coulis made with Australian Yellowtail Chardonnay, Cardamom-Spiced Basmati Rice Pudding with Anchovy Butter, Orange Coconut Sticky Rice Brulèe (sweetened with maple syrup), Wontons with Poblano-Mascarpone Filling. On offer for drinks "....a Cranberry Wine Punch that made the whole occasion seem more festive." As if that didn't take long to cook, look at the dining room: "As a matter of fact, in between cooking and photographing, we put on Christmas music and decorated the house. Now, the lights are strung, the tree is adorned, and we are all ready for the holidays. Or at least in the mood for some serious celebrating!" With party hats on we've been told!

Most Creative Use of Ingredient - From the Other Side
Stephen - What's for Dinner - Anchovy Sage Risotto and Carrot Cake Tower with Shiraz Jelly
Stephen's entry turns a quality Western Australian shiraz into a beautiful wine jelly. This entry also shows the best integration of ingredients for a single dish. "I was worried about the combination of the sugar in the jelly and the anchovies in the risotto, but unnecessarily so. It worked, especially with the chops. Think turkey, oyster stuffing, cranberry sauce. Nice counterpoint, no discord. I also worried that the flavor of the wine would be lost in the cooking and/or due to the addition of the sugar. Not a problem, however, it was a little bite of shimmering Shiraz!"

Best Interpretation of the Other Side of the World
Lady X - Experiment in Writing - Ontario - Crawfish Saffron Rice Stack, Macadamia Terrine, Lamington
For Lady X, the other side of the world not only means "down under" as in Australia, but also the better times before the challenges of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Lady X shares her fond memories of wine and food down under from her travel journals. Driven by the challenge of Paper Chef (and thanks to Owen Linderholm for inventing the event), she finds the "other side of the world" in good timing to create an excellent Australia menu featuring beer steamed crawfish, the local equivalent of Australian yabbies, macadamia and carrot terrine and lamington, with genuine maple syrup just for John! Lady X recommends "some cold beer & white wine" to wash down the meal for those of us in 45 degrees Celsius while experiencing a "nice balmy -10 degrees Celsius" in Canada! What a feat and a celebration it must be to conquer the world again...

Best Musical Accompaniment
Alanna - Veggie Venture - St Louis - Swagman Stew
Instead of Christmas carols to match the lovely red and green Christmas table setting, there is "Waltzing Matilda" to accompany Alanna's hearty red wine lamb stew with rice and Australian Shiraz!

Most Creative Use of Serving Ware
Thomas Burbridge - Taste of the Heat - Texas - Curried Carrot and Rice Soup in Capsicum Bowl, Grilled Pork with herbed Anchovy Mayonnaise
There is only one plate to wash in Thomas' feast on a plate: drinks (soup) in an edible bowl, which doubles up as the salad, all served on the same plate as the rest of the meal of US pork chops (from the other side of the world to the judges)!

Most Creative use of Colour
Anne - Anne's Food - Stockholm, Sweden - Fried Rice with Turkey and Saffron
A beautifully coloured saffron rice and turkey dish, with optional Canadian Maple Syrup or soy sauce. The rice, which is served on a pale blue plate, transforms leftover turkey and healthy bell peppers into a festive meal. The recommended drink is Julmust, a Swedish Christmas soda with ice.

Most Creative use of Foreign Language
Rachael - Fresh Approach Cooking - Los Angeles - Carrot-Rice Canapes with Anchoïade
Rachael cleverly transforms a rice and carrot salad into an innovative French meal through the of French terms and ingredients like "canapes", "pistou" and "anchoïade".

and now to the Golden Spice Award Ceremony!