Students from SDA’s international cuisine class were victorious this month, placing second out of 12 at the Teen Master Chef Competition.

The team of four, seniors Ty Gibson, Aaron Steger, Sam Fierro, and Jeffrey Phan, were all very proud of their success.

“We worked great together, in fact it was our best performance as a team together,” senior Aaron Steger said.

“I feel like we rocked our dish,” senior Sam Fierro said. “We were all pretty nervous for it but it turned out to be great, definitely the prettiest out of all the schools.”

“As a team, we communicated, stayed calm under pressure, and had an awesome time!” senior Ty Gibson said.

For more on the competition and their preparations up to it, see the story in the December issue of the newspaper.

Below are the teams winning recipes they used for their five piece plate.

Seared Scallops with Pomme Fondant, Leak Latke, and Wild Mushrooms. Served with a Lobster Veloute Sauce, Parsley Pesto, and Tangerine Reduction. Garnished with Fried Taragon leaves and shaved Black Truffle.

Ingredients:

Pomme Fondant with Grated Black Truffle

Ingredients:

5 Gold Potatoes

3 Tbls Butter

3 Tbls Bacon Fat

4 Cups Chicken Stock

3 Garlic Cloves

Salt/Pepper to taste

Black Truffle for grating

Mushroom Duxelles

Ingredients:

1 lb. crimini mushrooms

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 finely chopped shallots

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/3 cup sherry (cooking wine)

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

Wild Mushroom Duo

Ingredients:

3 Cups Chanterelle Mushrooms

3 Cups Oyster Mushrooms

2 Garlic Cloves

10 Tarragon leaves

Salt/Pepper to taste

Leek, Bacon and Caramelized Shallot Latkes

Ingredients:

1 Large Leek

6 Slices Cooked Bacon

1 Shallot

3 Eggs

2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

2 Tbls Buter/Bacon Fat

Salt/Pepper to taste

Tangerine Reduction

Ingredients:

3 Cups of Tangerine Juice

Tangerine Infused Parsley Pesto

Ingredients:

2 Bunches of Fresh Parsley

1 Cup Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves

3 Tbls Tangerine Juice

Salt/Pepper to taste

Seared Scallops

Ingredients:

16 One oz. wild caught Sea Scallops

2 Tbls Butter

Salt/Pepper to taste

Lemon Tarragon Veloute Sauce

Ingredients:

6 Tbls Butter

6 Tbls Flour

3 Cups Lobster Stock

10 Tarragon Leaves

Zest of ½ a Lemon

Juice from ½ a Lemon

Salt/Pepper to taste

Fried Tarragon Leaves

Ingredients:

15 Tarragon Leaves

3 Tbl Butter

Lobster Stock

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 pound cleaned, uncooked lobster shells (from about three 1 3/4-pound lobsters), coarsely chopped

1/4 cup brandy

2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and cut across into very thin slices

3 large shallots, peeled and cut across into very thin slices

1/4 small fennel bulb, cut across into very thin slices

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups water

Chicken Stock

3 (5-pound) roasting chickens

3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered

6 carrots, unpeeled and halved

4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds

4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half, optional

20 sprigs fresh parsley

15 sprigs fresh thyme

20 sprigs fresh dill

1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Process:

Pomme Fondant with Grated Black Truffle

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes approximately ¾ of an inch thick

2. Use ring mold to cut rounds out of the sliced potatoes

3. Melt butter/bacon fat in pan and place potato rounds in hot pan to sear both sides

4. After both sides are seared, add chicken stock and reduce to simmer

5. Simmer and cover until potatoes are fork tender

6. Finish with grated Black Truffle

Mushroom Duxelles

Directions:

1. Dice mushrooms and shallots into small cubes

2. Cook mushrooms and shallots in dry pan until mushrooms become soft

3. Add butter, let melt and incorporate

4. Add dried thyme

5. Add sherry and let cook down

6. Finish with cream, salt, and pepper

Wild Mushroom Duo

Directions:

1. Rough chop all mushrooms and add chopped garlic and half the tarragon

2. Mixture is cooked in skillet until mushrooms are soft and cooked

3. Remove from heat and finish with fresh tarragon and salt and pepper to taste

Leek, Bacon, and Caramelized Shallot Latkes

Directions:

1. Slice leeks and soak in water allowing dirt to sink to the bottom

2. In a bowl, add clean leeks, chopped bacon, eggs, bread crumbs, and sauteed shallot

3. Combine ingredients thoroughly dispersing the egg and bread crumbs evenly (salt/pepper)

4. In a hot pan, melt butter and bacon fat

5. Add leek mixture to hot pan and press down making one large latke

6. Cook until latke is brown on both sides

Tangerine Reduction

Directions:

1. Simmer tangerine juice in a saute pan until the juice is reduced to ½ its original volume

Tangerine Infused Parsley Pesto

Directions:

1. Chop parsley as fine as possible with the garlic cloves

2. Stream in olive oil and tangerine juice

3. Mix thoroughly and salt/pepper to taste

Seared Scallops

Directions:

1. Pat scallops dry and place in hot pan with melted butter

2. Sear until golden brown on both sides

3. Remove and salt/pepper to taste

Lemon Tarragon Veloute Sauce

Directions:

1. Make roux with butter and flour

2. Add lobster stock until desired consistency

3. Finish with chopped tarragon, lemon juice and lemon zest

4. Salt/Pepper to taste

Fried Tarragon Leaves

Directions:

1. Fry tarragon leaves in bacon fat

2. Place fried leaves on top of seared scallops

Lobster Stock

1. Heat the oil in a large, wide pot over high heat until just smoking. Add the lobster shells and sear without stirring for 1 minute (the shells may stick to the pot). Stir them slightly and continue cooking, stirring from time to time until the shells are well browned but not burned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the brandy, garlic, shallots, and fennel. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the tomato paste. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly down on the solids to extract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible (see Tip, below). Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Chicken Stock

Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.