TopChef Competition BASTYR!

Last quarter my good friend Alicia (who by the way is a superstar chef) and I jumped on the opportunity to compete in Bastyr's annual TopChef competition. We both thought it would be a low key fun night of cooking but little did we know it would be an hour of intensity that we'd never forget but nor would the taste buds of the audience...  

This quarter has kept me far more busy than last quarter and so I really didn't put any thought into the impending competition until the day of and as Alicia and I were walking to the kitchen she turned to me and said, "ya know... I think this is a  pretty big deal! More than 150 people are coming to watch and it's posted in Seattle's Top List of weekend activities". Needless to say I was completely taken by surprise and injected with a dose of adrenaline. Yes I love to cook, but no I don't have any culinary education that could win awards. All I knew is that we needed a knife, an apron and we would be given a random protein and grain. Oh my. 

One incredibly stress-infused hour later, Alicia and I had produced what the people deemed to be the top entree of the evening and I'm hoping you'll try it out for yourself!! Since the whole experience was such a whirlwind, and we can't quite remember specific measurements etc, Alicia has diligently made the award winning recipe every night since the competition to perfect the recipe and voia la!  She's amazing.  In fact Alicia has her own website dedicated to absolutely incredible vegan meals that are simple to prepare yet hard to forget. So lucky to have had her has my partner. Tempeh was the protein we were assigned and with my love of coconut oil and her culinary expertise, the following dish came together BEAUTIFULLY. 

Ginger-Infused Glazed Tempeh with Crisp Pear Ribbons

Makes: 4 servings

Approximate prep time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Glaze

1 tsp ginger, minced

¼ tsp garlic, minced

½ cup maple syrup

¼ tsp lemon zest

1/8 tsp salt

Tempeh

2-3 tbsp coconut oil

1- 8 oz (227 g) package of plain tempeh, cut into 4 pieces (¼ inch or approximately ½ cm thick)

salt

1 Bartlett pear, sliced very thin (see procedure below)

cilantro, minced (for garnish)

Procedure

1.           Begin by preparing the glaze. In a small pot over medium heat, combine the garlic, ginger, maple syrup, lemon zest, and salt. Bring to a boil then lower the fire to low heat to keep the glaze warm, allowing the flavors to combine.

2.          In a large pan or skillet over medium low heat, add the coconut oil and allow to melt.

3.          While the coconut oil is melting, cut the tempeh into 4- ¼ inch (approximately ½ cm) thick slices. With a basting brush, spread a thin layer of the warm glaze on each side of the tempeh pieces and sprinkle each side lightly with salt.

4.        Once the coconut oil is hot, add the tempeh and allow to pan-fry for 10-12 minutes per side resulting in a golden-brown crust.

5.          Once you turn the tempeh over to cook on the other side, begin to prepare the pear ribbons. Cut the pear in half  (leaving peel in tact) and using a peeler, slice very thin ribbons of pear incorporating both the flesh and the peel. Slice 5-6 ribbons per tempeh piece or your desired amount. Set aside.

6.         When tempeh is almost finished frying, use a sieve to strain the glaze into a small bowl so as to remove the garlic and ginger. Add half of the glaze to the pan of tempeh. Coat both sides with the glaze and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes per side.

7.          Remove the tempeh from the pan. Serve immediately with pear ribbons propped on top and remaining glaze drizzled over each tempeh slice. Garnish with a sprinkle of minced cilantro.