Culinary Student Recipe Contest - Chilean Avocado Importers Association

I am going to enter this contest... It was posted at my school...

Time to start thinking about all the Avocado recipes I can come up with...!!


Culinary Student Recipe Contest - Chilean Avocado Importers Association


The Chilean Avocado Importers Association is sponsoring an avocado recipe contest for all eligible culinary students. Students will create a recipe for fall and/or winter menus featuring Chilean Hass Avocados and be eligible to win cash prizes. First prize is $1,000, second prize is $500 and two runners up each will win $250.

•Competition is open only to students enrolled in professional culinary programs during the course of the contest.
•Recipes can be for any type of menu, from breakfast to dinner or any other.
•Recipes must be for 12 portions and must use at least 3 Chilean Hass Avocados.
•Recipes must include all ingredients in order of use, quantity of ingredients with weight and/or measure, complete directions for preparation, yield and portion size.
•Students can submit as many entries as they like; prizes will be limited to one per student.
•All entries become the property of the Chilean Avocado Importers Association. Winning recipes may be featured in future issues of foodservice magazines.
•Entries will be judged on creativity, flavor, appearance and appropriateness to foodservice operations.
•All decisions made by the Chilean Avocado Importers Association are final.
•Winners will be notified on February 1, 2010.

Under $10 Wine

There are a lot of people whom are intimidated by wine; or someone introduced them to what was supposed to be an incredible RED! The red they introduced them too was dry, highly acidic and also $80...WOW! Then you wonder to yourself why you drank and $80 bottle of wine and it tasted like wet dust. Although many things could have happened to that wine; for instance improper storage over time or temperature. However; you can drink a Red without wanting to hurl...just look for reds under $10...YES under $10! I have the luxury of having Publix nearby every corner of my neighborhood; and they always have amazing deals on wine. In fact you can check out their wine guide/discounts etc... http://www.publix.com/clubs/wine/Home.do this is their link.

I myself like mellow reds with full body...one red in particular that can be found at a great price is Smoking Loon Pinot Noir. It's currently $7.49 at Publix...

In fact you are supposed to chill your reds...not at the same temperature as whites but the storing wine standard is 55 degrees F.

The whole idea is you must be able to feel the wine in the back of your palette while your nose envelopes the bouquet of the wine. It should make you smile!

If Red is not your thing a good thing to do is to try them out little by little...the mellow reds will garnish your attention first and maybe just maybe you will get up too that Full Body Cabernet.

Wines from the "new world"; such as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, California, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Spain...are all very GOOD!!!! And they are usually at a very low price right now. They want you to try something different and get hooked.

The best place to do your taste testing as at a Wine bar/store where you can try flights OR at a carousel style wine taster. They give you a glass and you fill up your taster card with cash...then you go to these carousels with many different wines from all over the world. Put in your card and select the wine you want to taste, Viola!

Cheers!~~

The Perfect Magarita

This is in response to a lot of you who either ask me for my Margarita recipe; and because Glen made a good point about accompanying my risotto and marg grilled shrimp...

Ok here we go...!

Get out a shaker, ice, glassware (margarita glass, tumbler, bathtub...lol), orange juice, limeade (preferrably frozen), tequila, triple sec, gran marnier (or gran gala, cointreau, etc...), limes, strainer...salt optional!

Make Margarita mix...
Can of Limeade
1 cup of orange juice (pulp or no pulp...no pulp if you don't have a strainer)
3 cups of water
3 to 4 fresh limes cut/squeezed
STIR and chill if not using right away...

Per Glass:
(In a shaker)
1.25 oz tequila (gold tequila is the best...any good gold tequila)
.25 oz triple sec
.50 oz cointreau, gran marnier or gran gala
3.5 oz margarita mix

SHAKE Vigurously with ice in shaker...strain over ice in your glass of choice...top with lime wedge or wheel...BEFORE you pour in the ice and strain the drink...make sure you salt the rim if you so desire...!!!

MMMMMMMmmmmm...I want one now!

Risotto

So I have been experimenting with many different types of Risotto. I like to be unique and I've never seen a Mexican Risotto. So I decided this world needed one.

In order to create something most people wouldn't/didn't understand I needed some Arobio Rice...or what we know as Risotto.

I sauteed half of a yellow onion, garlic and jalapeno in a tbsp of canola oil and lime juice. I then added 2 cups of Risotto (dry) to the Rondeau (dutch oven, pot). As I sauteed the Risotto with the current ingredients I then began to add diced tomatoes and cilantro. Then slowly began to add the 4 cups of chicken broth.
As I stirred I thought about black beans, avocado, and many other flavors that would go with a Mexican dish.
I then added the black beans strained, drained and dried; to the mixture...I notice still need more liquid so I added 1/4 cup of white wine; tbsp of lime juice and tbsp of tequila.
As this was coming together I began to season to taste; added 2 tbsp of butter melting it in the Risotto while stirring. Then I added 1/2 cup shredded low fat Mexican cheese blend...

After this wonderful concoction of Mexican flavors came together I realized I just crossed the border!

OLE!~~