Did Someone Say Bacon?: Chefs Challenge #8

Written by Rita Larkin

The text message from our editor-in-chief was forlorn. “Why did I have to miss the bacon? I love bacon.” Eric has attended nearly every Chefs Challenge this summer, and I suspect if the secret ingredient for the showdown between The Admiral and Sunset Terrace hadn’t been kept strictly classified, he might have postponed the family trip that caused him to miss the meal. Poor guy. But that meant more bacon for me and the crowd that threw out zealous applause when the ingredient, provided by Hickory Nut Gap Farm, was revealed (the diner seated next to me was so thrilled that she scrawled BACON! over and over on her scorecard).

There were subtle hints of the meat—sweet onion and corn soup with crumbled bacon—and big hits of it—chicken and bacon roulade. And both teams demonstrated bacon’s surprising versatility in their dishes.

Sunset Terrace, led by Chef Stephen Sauer, opened the competition with a creamy sweet onion soup with charred corn and Benton’s bacon. I was impressed that the meat retained it’s crispness, bringing texture, as well as flavor to the course. The dish more than satisfied the crowd and earned the second highest marks of the evening. It was also the highest rated soup of all the weekly challenges yet. The team followed with a “pancetta-style” bacon on spinach salad with watermelon and guava gastrique. The watermelon made a refreshing and striking contrast to the savory ingredient.

The Admiral’s bacon dashi with poached shrimp, pork, mussels, and 64° egg was my favorite dish of the evening, but the team’s chicken-bacon roulade with potato purée and bacon demi-glaze was rated No. 1 by the diners. My dining companion described the roulade as something her mother would make, purely for its hearty, comfort-food quality. Each team took advantage of pairing sweet and savory flavors in their desserts, but The Admiral’s chocolate-bacon candy bar with bacon crème anglaise proved more successful, taking the No. 3 spot in votes. Bacon wasn’t the only salty flavor in the dish, which was accented with fleur de sel. With two of the top three courses, Team Admiral, captained by Chef Elliot Moss, took the victory and will advance to the semifinal competition on July 27 to take on The Inn on Biltmore Estate, under the direction of Chef Rick Boyer.

Congratulations to both teams on a fantastic evening. I know at least one editor who wished he could have been there. Luckily, it wasn’t me.

Team Sunset Terrace’s Dishes:

- Sweet onion soup with charred corn and Benton’s bacon (voted No. 2 dish)

- Pancetta-style bacon over spinach salad with watermelon and guava gastrique

- Milk chocolate-dipped bacon with white chocolate risotto croquettes and Southern Comfort peach butter

Team Admiral’s Dishes:

- Bacon dashi, poached shrimp, pork, mussels, 64° egg, radish, chive, shallot, and pickled shiitake

-Chicken-bacon roulade, potato purée, Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, asparagus, and bacon demi-glaze (voted No. 1 dish)

-Chocolate-bacon candy bar, cocoa nib, piment d’Espelette, fleur de sel, and bacon crème anglaise (voted No. 3 dish)