WNC Chef’s Challenge: Cooking with Beer
Posted Mar 18, 2011 in Beer, Beer Pairings, Breweries, Cooking with Beer, Goings on, The Beerlanthropy® Project
The WNC Chef’s Challenge is going on right now and last week’s ingredient was… BEER! The event squared off teams from Pomodoros and Tomato Jam Café, featuring beers from Lexington Avenue Brewery and The Wedge. Here is the low-down, reprinted with permission from WNC Magazine.
To some, beer trumps bacon as a secret ingredient in the Chefs Challenge. After all, here in Beer City, USA, we wash down every meal with a local microbrew, right? But if you ask any nonchef holding a pint what dishes you can make using beer, you might get a glazed stare that can’t be attributed to his or her alcohol level. Luckily, the teams in the second face-off of the Chefs Challenge competition, led by Chef Greg King of Pomodoros Greek and Italian Café and Chef Daniel Wright of Tomato Jam Café, rose to the occasion, subtly blending the beverage into batters, sauces, and even chocolate mousses.
Wedge Brewing Co. and Lexington Avenue Brewery, both in Asheville, supplied the star ingredients. The evening played out with two seafood and two pork dishes, and two chocolate mousses. The opening offering by Pomodoros, an IPA-battered shrimp, was a logical use for the beer, but the accompanying beet and goat cheese salad and candied lemon slice brought color and originality to the dish. Chef Wright’s dish of striped bass with parsnip and sunchoke puree that followed was a nice taste progression. Though the puree could easily have been mistaken for mashed potatoes at first glance, its sweetness was a fresh complement to the fish, which was rated the second best dish of the evening.
Two very different takes on pork and beer came next. Tomato Jam’s pork loin ragù served with sides of beet and carrot grits created a colorful plate. The savory ragù with tender bites of pork was the standout on the plate. At least one diner (me) guessed that the following plate, an American Pale Ale-braised pulled pork butt with ale-infused barbecue sauce and a crisp and refreshing apple and fennel slaw, was in keeping with Tomato Jam’s menu of homestyle cooking. Instead, it was a testament to Chef King’s culinary versatility. The apple slaw with cider vinaigrette was a bright and refreshing take on a traditional cabbage salad.
Both presented mousses for dessert, creating a battle of chocolate. Pomodoros’ mocha stout mousse was the lighter of the two and came presented in a phylo cup complemented with porter ice cream, sprinkled with caramel brittle. Tomato Jam’s richer chocolate dollop was festooned with a blue peppermint candy twist. Both dishes were fine finales, but perhaps it was the ice cream that pushed Pomodoros ahead, because diners rated this the top dish of the evening.
Chef King claimed the victory in the match-up, which was even closer than last week’s between Bistro at Biltmore and Deerfield Community, with only 439 points, less than 7 percent of the vote, separating the challengers. Cheers to both chefs.
Team Pomodoros
Led by Chef Greg King
Menu:
- Japanese-style, IPA-battered shrimp with cucumber, goat cheese, and beet salad with ale-lemon vinaigrette, candied lemon, and arugula
- Wedge American Pale Ale-braised pulled pork butt with ale barbecue sauce, and apple and fennel slaw with apple cider vinaigrette
- Mocha stout mousse in phylo dough garnished with roasted pistachios, and served with porter ice cream topped with caramel brittleTeam Tomato Jam
Led by Chef Daniel Wright
Menu:
- Striped bass with raisin tapenade, bay leaf-ale béchamel, parsnip-sunchoke purée, and arugula garnish
- Pork loin ragù with shiitake mushrooms and beet and carrot grits
- Chocolate stout mousse with a chocolate-beer reduction, served with a buttery pastry cookie and berry gastriqueNext week: Chef Rob Keener of Flight Wood Grill & Wine Bar in Hendersonville vs. Chef Jason Roy of Lexington Avenue Brewery in Asheville. Visit www.ashevillewineandfoodfestival.com to purchase tickets.
