Citrus Cook-Off

We had the team cook-off in the Miele Showroom on Saturday. What a fabulous venue for a party! They had plenty of space for three teams to each have their own kitchen plus space for mingling and eating in between. We got to make use of the Miele stoves, ovens (verrrry cool - they have a built in probe to test the internal temperature of your meat!) and dishwashers, as well as the Kitchen Aid appliances, the Henckles knives and the Jamie Oliver dishes! Heaven!

(Island Pork Tenderloin Salad with Lime Cilantro Rice)

Sandra and Paulina did a really awesome job at creating their menu! They incorporated the citrus theme very well and had very unique and challenging dishes to prepare. I, on the other hand, took quite an easy route :)

It was quite funny watching Cherie's video footage afterward... during the prep and cooking portions there'd be footage of the other two teams working very hard (chopping, slicing, juicing, mixing, everything), and then there'd be footage of our team chatting, snacking, sipping wine and taking it easy... whoops (note to self, challenge the team more next time round!). Ahhhh don't get me wrong our team also worked hard and did a fantastic job, I just happened to choose dishes that were fairly simple to make.

(Lime Balsamic Beef Citrus Skewers with Tofu Lime Ceviche)

I loved the creativity that Sandra and Paulina came up with. Each of them incorporated almost every type of citrus, and both made home-made sorbets and ice cream! WOW! Sandra also brought in this amazing appliance (pizelle machine) that made home made waffle bowls for the ice cream!

(Lime Coriander Chicken Skewers, Carrot Ginger Soup with Cucumber stuffed with Mandarins)

Judging was based on everyone's votes on originality, taste and presentation for each of the side, entree and dessert. And by no coincidence, we each took home a win, with Paulina's Team Fowl Play taking the overall win! Sandra's team scored highest for their Tofu Lime Ceviche; we scored highest for our Island Pork Tenderloin Salad and Paulina's team scored highest for their Key Lime Pie!

It was super fun and everyone really got right into it. After 2.5 hours of prepping and cooking, it was great to just sit back, relax and eat all the food that we'd just made!

Anyway there it is... the event of the month and what a great way to celebrate a birthday! Cherie did an amazing job of coordinating the whole thing and if that wasn't enough to keep her busy, she still went and baked a really delicious chocolate cake for me! Thanks Cherie!


*phew... and now I'm tired... 30's hit me with a bang and now it's time to take a nap! ;)

(I've added some pics online for those who want to take a look!)