Skip to main content

#peterbsbrewsandbitescontest: A Winning Recipe!

By

When I saw #peterbsbrewsandbitescontest - a cooking contest to create an appetizer using one of their brews - announced on Peter B's Facebook page, I was instantly inspired. I created a dish showcasing my favorite Peter B's brew: Legend of Laguna IPA. Then I submitted my IPA-Braised Carnitas Over Polenta Cakes to the contest...and waited.


The three finalists were announced...

  • Beer Fondue by Rachel N.
  • IPA-Braised Carnitas over Polenta Cakes by Camilla M.
  • Vegan Beer Caramelized Leek & Onion Dip served with Beer Pretzel Bites by Briana S. 

...followed by more waiting. Yesterday, the chef at Peter B's recreated our three dishes and we were judged by the Beer Geeks, the Grub Hunter, and KRML's Program Director AKA Chris, Merideth, Mike, and Jeff. I was oddly nervous that a professional chef was making one of my recipes. Here's the crew, judging the dishes during Pub Talk last night.

photo by Portola Hotel & Spa

As is always the case on a Wednesday evening, Jake and I were shuffling the kiddos. R had mandolin lessons, so Jake took him and I grabbed D to go watch and listen to the show.

"Mom, I'm not allowed to go to a bar."

It's fine. We're going to sit outside and listen to the radio. 

 "You do know that you can't see anything on the radio, right?"

No, the show is on the radio, but we can see the people broadcasting from the pub. 

 "Really?!?"

Yes. Please walk faster.

We were already late and I only found a 30 minute parking spot at the wharf. When we got there, they were already tasting my dish. KRML posted these...


As always I learned something. I didn't want to be too stalker-ish, so I didn't go over to see who was saying what. One of the comments was "well, it's not really carnitas...because carnitas is cooked in lard." I had no idea! So, I looked it up when I got home and he was right. But, really, who cooks with lard these days?!?

Another comment was that my recipe was not easy to make, or something to that effect. I thought: okay, I am not going to win. They think it's inauthentic and complicated.

D and I had lemonades and cheese curds, then dashed off before the winner was announced. I had been keeping a close eye on the time and just barely beat the meter-man to my car. He was two cars away when we arrived; and we had sprinted from Peter B's. Phew. No parking ticket!

So, we missed the final verdict. A little while later one of the Beer Geeks tweeted me: "you won by the way." Here's the blogpost from Portola, announcing the winner: here.

Woohoo. I shouted and started dancing around the living room. D gave me a high-five and a huge hug before running upstairs to tell Daddy and R.

I liked the challenge they posed. I really liked the culinary adventure of creating a new dish. And, I'll be honest, I loved winning the contest!

Look for the post of our Beer Garden adventure at the end of September. That's what I won - two tickets to the beer garden event, a night at the hotel, and a growlette.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

By
photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...
183 comments
Read more

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

By
As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

By
I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.
Post a Comment
Read more