Chefs Challenge 5: A Seedy Competition

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WNC Chefs Challenge 2011, Week 5

Wine & Food Festival

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Chefs Challenge 5: A Seedy Competition

I’m normally not big on superlatives, but through the cacophony of voices following last night’s Chefs Challenge, with Asheville’s The Lobster Trap and Posana Café competing, my sentiments were repeated many times over: This was the best challenge yet. Both strong contenders, chefs from the two teams presented a steady progression of dishes, each one more impressive that the last. And it didn’t hurt that the secret ingredient was delicious and versatile mustard.

Mustard appeared in many forms, from seed to sauce, sweet to tangy to spicy. Lusty Monk brought Original Sin, Burn in Hell Chipotle, and Alter Boy Honey mustards to the table. And from Crooked Condiments, A Walk in the Woods Gaelic Ale mustard, Stealthy Ninja Porter, and a horseradish version made only for local restaurants were woven into the cuisine. In addition, the teams (Executive Chef Doug Parsons, Mike McCarty, and David Eakett from the Trap, and Chef Jordan Arace, Ben Jordan, and Rebekah French from Posana) took liberties to blend their own ingredients into the mustards, further enhancing the flavor profiles.

The evening began with a classic rendition of the condiment, a German-inspired, beer-mustard bratwurst paired with a rather vinegary red cabbage and Brussels sprout slaw—a tinged alternative for sauerkraut—and Dijon mustard caviar. What I wrongly pegged for a dish by Posana was a foretelling kick-off of good tastes to come.

Next came a suspicious surf and turf: Ninja Porter mustard beef heart and toasted mustard seed-encrusted scallop, complemented with a mint and coriander-infused fava bean and artichoke salad and a maple-mustard horseradish au jus. Though the mustard flavor was a bit subdued in this dish from Posana, I loved that the café pushed the envelope with the medium rare organ (No, I did not know what it was when I bit into it). Two thumbs up for expanding my comfort zone when it comes to food.

The Lobster Trap stayed true to fare from the ocean with the third dish, serving a lightly poached salmon with horseradish mustard and a pinch of sea salt, mustard seed-encrusted scallop with pickled mustard seed vinaigrette (texturally reminiscent of caviar), and watercress, fennel, and radish slaw. I thought the great flavors on this plate, enhanced with a decorative touch of nutty, puréed arugula, would be hard to beat. But the best were yet to come.

Though lighter on the mustard flavor, Posana’s Original Sin mustard-braised ham hock with Brussels sprouts, sunchoke purée, and crispy prosciutto and truffled radish salad won high points from the crowd, coming in as the second highest rated dish. The rich ham hock was cooked perfectly, nearly falling off the bone. It paired well with the Secco-Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso wine I enjoyed, and was a welcome transition from the previous seafood creations.

Though it landed in third place, The Lobster Trap’s pistachio-encrusted pork tenderloin, served over a spicy potato, rutabaga, bacon, and arugula salad, and complemented with a sweet chipotle mustard sauce made with the restaurant’s own Oyster House Stout was my favorite.

But alas, the dish that won over diners was a dessert from Posana. Though most challenges see two appetizers, two entrées, and two desserts, I don’t believe anyone expected a mustard-infused toothsome treat. The café pulled it off beautifully with a duo: A pistachio crust tart filled with Ninja Porter mascarpone and topped with apple-fennel slaw was a savory accompaniment to a Gaelic honey mustard panna cotta with mandarin orange gelée. Earning 2,350 points, it was the favored dish of the night, and sent Posana Café on to the second round in May.

I love mustard in all its incarnations, but I have to admit, when I walked into this competition, I was doubtful of the condiment’s potential. I’m the kind of girl who’s lost in the kitchen, so aside from its obvious uses on sandwiches and burgers, I haven’t a clue what to do with it. But given the inspirational dishes from these chefs, I’m ready to branch out.

The Contenders
Team The Lobster Trap
Chef Doug Parsons, Mike McCarty & David Eakett
—Beer-mustard bratwurst with red cabbage and Brussels sprout slaw and Dijon mustard caviar
—Mustard seed-encrusted scallop with pickled mustard seed vinaigrette and olive oil poached salmon over a maple horseradish mustard, served with a watercress, fennel, and radish slaw
—Pistachio-encrusted pork tenderloin over a potato, rutabaga, bacon, and arugula salad, with a stout-chipotle mustard sauce

Team Posana Café
Chefs Jordan Arace, Ben Jordan & Rebekah French
—Ninja Porter mustard beef heart and toasted mustard seed-encrusted scallop with fava bean and artichoke salad and a horseradish mustard jus
—Ham hock braised with Original Sin mustard, with Brussels sprouts and sunchoke puree, and a crispy prosciutto and truffeled radish salad
—Pistachio-encrusted tartlet with Ninja Porter mascarpone, topped with apple-fennel slaw, and Gaelic honey mustard panna cotta with mandarin orange gelée

Don’t miss the next challenge April 11, when Sunburst Trout takes on Never Blue. Visit www.ashevillefoodandwine.com for details and tickets.