Taste of Elegance, part I

The Missouri Pork Association held its annual mid-MO chef competition Monday night and once again, I was lucky enough to play judge. Like last year the entries at the top were very good; at the bottom, pretty bad. But that’s why you compete, right? Here’s how it went down.

(Note: judging was completely blind)

1st Place
Pork Belly Shiitake Pie with Chestnuts, Apples and Roasted Grapes
Chef Patrick Wilson
Churchill’s

As you can see, this pot pie came out looking burnt. Lost some appearance points there. But once inside, it was nothing but tender pork belly and creamy shiitake mushrooms. It was rich, but comforting and nicely cut with green apple and endive and roasted, peeled grapes. It really worked. And that crust? The chestnut flour in the recipe probably made it look more well-done than it really was. I’d order this at a restaurant, and had it at second place on my ballot. Also, Churchill’s is still open. This KOMU piece from last night serves as a nice profile of Chef Wilson.

Places two and three after the jump.

2nd Place
“Pork and Beans”
Herb Roasted Irish Pork Loin (whole belly and whole loin), Mashed
Buttered White Beans, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Fennel Pollen
Candied Walnuts, and Darjeeling Pear Cider Reduction
Chef Adam Wells-Morgan
The Club at Old Hawthorne

It’s possible that I was growing weary of pork belly at this point in the contest, but this dish – essentially porchetta – didn’t place in my top three. The other judges quite liked it. I found the meat wildly inconsistent in terms of doneness and the beans were a little dreary. There was likewise very little going on with the Brussels sprouts, though the candied nuts were nice.

3rd Place
Minestrone Soup with Sausage and Malfatti
Chef Dennis Clay
Les Bourgeois Vineyards

This was numero uno for me, and not by a little bit. In contests like this it’s the attention to detail that wins the day. Here we have truly amazing Italian sausage and even better braised greens. The broth, which we poured over the dish at the judge’s table, was similarly pitch-perfect in execution. I liked the pasta better than my counterparts, who felt it too thick, too chewy and just plain taking up too much of the plate. I could’ve done with less as well, but when everything else is this good, I say let it slide. If Chef Clay puts this on the Les Bourgeois menu I’ll be the first one at the door.

The rest of the entries to follow later in part II.

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Tags: Churchill's, Les Bourgeois, Missouri Pork Association, The Club at Old Hawthorne