The day itself couldnt have been better. After nearly a week of spitting rain, Saturday was blessed with unblemished blue skies, steady breezes, and 70-degree temps without a hint of humidity. But the cooks still felt the heat as they sweated it out over the hot coals to perfect recipes such as Moroccan charbroiled lamb and fennel stew with seven-seed Replica IWC 3719-03 Aquatimer Automatic watch couscous; savory pheasant stew; campfire-roasted fig, white wine, and ham fondue bread; and grilled blackened leg of lamb with blackstrap ginger sauce and rhubarb fig mint chutney—in short, stuff youd expect in a five-star restaurant, not a tree-lined backcountry campsite or riverside retreat accessibly only by canoe.After the jump, the winners and their recipes are announced.
The “camp-ecurian” dishes were rated by three judges, including 2007 Northeast finalist Brian Mulligan and Seth Levy with American Hiking Society, based on taste, the ease with which one could cook the recipe on a campfire, and how well the dishes paired with chef-selected Redwood Creek wines. Judging from the food samples circulated, picking a winner per region was no enviable task, especially when you factor in the intoxicating distract of the free wine samples. But an hour after the judging started, the top two East Replica IWC 5442-06 Portuguese Jones watch Coast backcountry chefs had been crowned: Byron Stout of Fort Myers, FL, will represent the Southeast in the New York finals with his Campfire Pizza, while Manhattan’s own Melissa Mullins will try to use her hometown advantage with her desert dish of blackberry hand pies with jar-whipped lavender cream.Northwest semi-finals take place in Seattle on May 31 at the Pike Place Market Street Festival, and on June 7 the Midwest grills it out in Chicago’s Botanical Garden Wine Festival. Finals are held at New York’s Riverside Park on June 26.Below are the two winning recipes.
And check back in July, when we’ll announce the winning dish, as well as recipes from the other finalists. In the meantime, check out last year’s winning recipes.CAMPFIRE PIZZABy Byron Stout of Fort Myers, FLIngredients:Dough:1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 Replica IWC IW323401 Ingenieur Automatic watch tablespoon sugar1/4 cup olive oil3/4 cup plain yogurtToppings:1/2 pound pancetta (1/4 inch-thick) slices cut into julienne strips1 small eggplant, peeled, halved and sliced 6-8 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick1 shallot, thinly sliced1 red bell pepper, julienne1/2 head of garlic smashed and chopped1/4 pound Asiago cheese, gratedSaltPepperPreparation:Note: For easy preparation and assembly, julienne the pancetta slices and place in a re-sealable plastic baggie so that it can be transported to the campsite.
