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| Team Salt Queen- Nhadala & Eamon |
Spices- Cumin, Paprika, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper
Pantry- Mayonnaise, Coconut Oil, Jambalaya Mix, Salted Crackers, Tortillas, Lucky Charms Bar
Refrigerated- Milk, White Cheddar with Mediterranean Herbs
Proteins- Veggie Patties, Pork Chops, Bacon, Pork and Beans
Fruits and Vegetables- Dried Papaya and Pineapple, Orange and Tangerine Juice, Canned Mixed Veggies, Yellow Squash, Canned Pear Slices, Limes, Onion
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| The Winning Entry from Team Arryn Amyse & Rel |
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| Team Phoenix's Entry- Raynor & Rillan |
Team Salt Queen- I entered cleaved again this year, not knowing what to expect. I entered not only because I had a ton of fun last year, but I wanted to give my team a well deserved rest during dinner break. The basket held a slew of ingredients, that at first I didn’t know what to do with, so I wanted to stick to the same plan as last year - a simple meal, and a dessert. Here’s what we came up with.
Sliced pork chop on a bed of fried bacon and onion - seasoned with salt and chili powder.
Jambalaya rice - no extra seasonings necessary
Poached Pear Crepe - made by reducing orange juice and pear juice to sugar reduction, adding some sugared pineapple and the lucky charms breakfast bar to melt in flavor, reducing further with some milk for creaminess. I then added the sliced pears to cook in the flavors, and become sticky. I added these to a lightly fried tortilla to make a “crepe” dessert. ~ Hannah "Nhadala" Blood
Team Arryn- This was my first time entering Cleaved and actually first time attending QoH as a PC, so I had no idea what to expect. Given my reputation in prior Realms kitchens, I packed up half of my non-electric kitchen and ventured forth with my OOC husband (Aaron) for our team. Our overall game plan was to create a cohesive dish, avoid braising because that takes too long, and transform the ingredients like tortillas because everyone makes tacos or burritos with them. As soon as the basket was revealed my mental cogs stated turning and I instantly knew what the main dish was going to be.
We offered up citrus, spice, and tropical fruit braised pork taco sliders. The meat mixture started with caramelizing bacon and onions in coconut oil, then the pork chop was seared on both sides, and we added the dried mango and papaya, orange juice, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, lime zest and lime juice and let that braise (yes I know) until the last minute. The squash noodle addition came out of wanting to use our spiralizer and add color contrast; the noodles were gently sauteed in oil and salt. My sous chef cut the flour tortillas to mini circles for better presentation and I whipped up a quick aioli made of mayo, milk, chili powder, onion powder, lime juice and salt. The tacos were finished with a light sprinkling of the provided cheese.
For the side we served vegetable fried rice. We were given jambalaya rice with the seasoning included, but that didn't play well with my tacos. So my sous chef dutifully picked and sifted out the spices and got the plain washed rice going. The rice was fried in coconut oil with a combination of onion, vegetables hand picked out of the can of mixed vegetables, and the veggie burger patty, all diced small. The rice was seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, chili powder and liquid from the can of pork and beans.
In all there were only 3 ingredients from the basket we did not use in some form. ~ Melissa "Amyse" Metzger
Team Phoenix- This was my second year competing in Cleaved. I had a great time last year and wanted to give it a second attempt this year. Joe 'Rillan' was my partner and we strategized together once we saw the basket, and then did our best to execute on our ideas.
Caribbean Crusted Pork - we used the lime and pineapple to flavor the pork, and gave it a Ritz cracker crust. We topped this off with some seasoned diced onion.
Cheesy Jambalaya Rice - we added about a third of the cheese block in cubes and mixed that in with the rice, along with some of our remaining onions to add to the already heavily seasoned rice mix.
Squash Zoodles - once we saw the yellow squash, this came straight to mind. We 'zoodled' the squash to get the shape and then cooked it down in coconut oil and some of the leftover pork fat to add flavor.
Papaya Pear Roll-up - We wanted to include a dessert element on our plate, so for this we took the dried papya bits and reconsituted them in the pear juice. Once we had the papaya bits juicy again, we cooked that down along with the pear bits, then added in bacon and rolled them up. We gave the roll-ups a nice toasting in some coconut oil and sent our plate out for judging. ~ Nick "Raynor" Quadrini
