Back track: the first family smackdown

It's Friday night, I'm drinking a wonderful sparkling wine from northern Michigan (thanks mom and dad!) and I think it is high time we learn to upload pictures AND start to build the memory of the first smackdown. So here are my photos and the "Award Winning Wild Mushroom Tart."







At the top are our guests of honor and judges. Happy 50th wedding anniversary to Larry and Lois Hart (on the right).....this was the intimate party the night before the big party.


As everyone sends me their recipe, we'll get their recipe next to their pictures, but for now.....


Karen and Michael Hart - Appetizers


Dave and Rob eating the appetizers

Shane and Renee Hart - Soup and Salad
Renee do you have any pictures of those amazing croutons you made??


Tomato Soup
I could only make a wild guess at what went in the soup.
10 yellow tomatoes
1 large onion, diced and stewed at low heat until super soft.

Add the tomatoes, quartered to the onion and cook until they soften up.

Shove that junk through a chinois with one bulb of roasted garlic and one hand of finely grated ginger. Shove it through the chinois a second time.

Slowly cook in a pound of butter.

Cool. Serve room temperature and garnish with diced, pickled beets, a chiffonade of basil and an herbed, cracker with sundried tomato. Sprinkle with dots of mint infused almond oil. (OK--that wasn't there)



Salad
As for the salad, 5 lbs Zebra offal, seared with garlic and a port wine demi glaze.Served over a baby green salad with port wine dressing. garnished with fried mussel beard and blanched crickets.


Erin and Rob Augustine - Award Winning Wild Mushroom Tart


Crust:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 Tablespoons ice water


Blend flour and salt in food processor.
Cit in butter using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add enough water to blend dough.
Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk.
Wrap in plastic and chill 45 minutes. I actually froze the dough for a few days and it turned out just fine.
Roll out dough to 12-inch round and transfer to a 9-inch-diameter tart pan.
Trim edges and fold overhang to to form double-thick sides.
Chill 30 minutes.



Find wild chicken of the woods and pose for pictures in your pajamas :)




Filling:
2/3 quart bag frozen chicken of the woods
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 onion
2 Tablespoons brandy
3 Tablespoons chopped sage
3 Tablespoons chopped thyme


2/3 cup grated fontinella cheese
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg


Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute mushrooms until deep golden, about 10 minutes.
Add onion; saute until translucent.
Add brandy and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
Cool.


Line crust with foil.
Fill with dried beans.
Bake crust at 375 degrees until golden, about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese in crust while it is still hot.
Add mushroom mixture to crust.
Wisk milk, yolks, egg, and half of the sage and thyme in a bowl.
Pour into crust.
Top with remaining cheese, sage and thyme.
Bake until filling is set and golden, about 30 minutes.
Cool 15 minute
s before serving.


We also made a pear sorbet, but I don't have the recipe and it wasn't that good anyways.

Dave Rathbun and Andrea Augustine (Team Rathastine) -
Main Course

Karen and Mike Hart -
Cheese Plate and Dessert

















And then the voting! Which was hard because we only gave them thumbs up, neutral and thumbs down. Thankfully, all votes were thumbs up! Some got creative and drew extra thumbs. But in the end it was a dead tie between Andrea & Dave and Erin & Rob. So we sequestered ourselves and made the judges debate to choose a winner.









In the end Rob and Erin won a really cool ceramic knife...look how thin it can cut!











I think the wine must have been flowing too! What a wonderful meal, a great night, and a happy celebration of 50 years of marriage. Here's hoping we all make it that far!