White Chocolate Sweetheart Ice Cream with Bread and Butter Chocolate Sauce and Anchovy Donut Crunch

Tracy's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Dessert Basket including the following items: 
Sweetheart Valentine Candies
Wickles or Bread & Butter Pickles
Anchovies
Donut

In the spirit of Food Network’s show Chopped, I participated in this crazy challenge.

I seriously wondered what I had signed up for. But, I buckled down and came up with this surprisingly tasty dessert! That said, if this were for the actual show, I would probably be eliminated because you cannot taste the pickles or the anchovies. That is good news, right? I will let you decide for yourself. If you leave out the anchovies and the pickle juice, no one will know, but if you leave them in, they won’t know either! Go ahead! Try it! I dare you!

White Chocolate Sweetheart Ice Cream with Bread and Butter Chocolate Sauce and Anchovy Donut Crunch 
By Tracy Hersh

For the Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 8-ounce bag of Brach’s Conversation hearts, ground to powder in a food processor
4 ounces of white chocolate, chopped

Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Do not boil. With a mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Pour the hot milk and cream slowly into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking to keep the eggs from cooking. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently until the custard thickens. Do not boil. When the custard coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, powdered candies and white chocolate. Stir until melted. Let the mixture cool. Pour the cooled mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

For the Sauce
Adapted from the Best Chocolate Sauce by David Lebovitz

¾ cup water
¼ cup bread and butter pickle juice (I used Vlasic Bread and Butter Chips.)
½ cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped.

Bring the water, juice, corn syrup, sugar and cocoa powder to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted. Let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For the Crunch
2 ounce can of anchovies in oil
warm water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of chopped almonds
1 package Little Debbie Crunch Donuts, stale or toasted. You could use 2 regular-sized cake donuts.
½ cup honey
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350.

Drain the anchovies, place them in warm water for 30 minutes to help remove some of the salt. Drain, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

On a baking sheet, spread out the oats and wheat germ. Toast for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. 

In a bowl, combine the oats and wheat germ with the pecans and almonds. Crumble the stale donuts into the mixture.

Pulse the anchovies and honey in a food processor, until blended. Pour the butter and the honey-anchovies mixture over the granola and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

To assemble this creation, place scoops of ice cream in a dish, drizzle with the chocolate sauce and top with the crunch. You can also decorate it with a few conversation hearts.

Oxtails with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters

Willie and Sandra's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Main Dish Basket including the following items: 

Oxtails
Blueberries
Mascarpone cheese
Quinoa

Willie and I decided we were definitely NOT going to participate in this challenge. Too much work travel for Willie, planning for an upcoming vacation, and other family responsibilities prevented it. It would be the first challenge I didn't participate in and I really felt badly about it, but no, it was definitely decided. Not Going To Participate.

The Friday night before the Chopped recipes and photos were due, Willie and I were just chilling out buy the fire. Just talking about the week and as usual, the subject of 37 Cooks arose. We both felt as though we were letting Linda Mire down and how could we do that? She is such an active participant in the group, always ready to volunteer when needed, always there to support me when I need her.

Willie said, “Why don’t you read me the list of the Chopped Round One ingredients.” And that was that. We Googled. We read cookbooks. We made grocery lists. We were hooked.

Later that night we learned we’d also be driving our daughter back and forth to college for a total of about 6 hours over the weekend. Did that deter our cooking? NO! Willie chose the Appetizer basket for his Chopped Challenge. I chose the Main Dish basket but he did quite a lot of the cooking and I helped him with the writing of his recipe so I’d say the contributions were pretty equal on this dish.

Linda, you made this challenge pretty dang hard! But we had a great time! Thank you!

Oxtails with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters
by Willie and Sandra Simmons
adapted from Marcus Samuelsson, Robert McGrath, and Epicurious 

Make the jerk mix and marinate the oxtails at least 8 hours. Make the blueberry barbecue sauce. Make the quinoa. Cook the oxtail. Make the fritters. Serve. Below are all the recipes.

Jerk Mix
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno chilies, seeds and ribs removed, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

Saute the jalapenos and garlic in oil until lightly browned. Add the allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, and brown sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.

Add the following to your blender: the cooked mixture (above), thyme, white pepper, salt, ginger, scallions, lime juice, and vinegar and blend until smooth.

You will have quite a bit of this left over. We’re going to try to freeze it and see how that works out. If you make this and freeze yours, let us know and we will as well.

Blueberry Barbecue Sauce
1 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/8 cup minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño chili, seeded
2 Tablespoons ketchup
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Over medium heat, cook the onion and jalapeno with a little oil in a nonstick skillet, until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, place the contents of the skillet in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the oxtails and the fritters. This is so delicious and can be used with anything where you use barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Oxtails
½ cup Jerk Mix (see below)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
12 pieces oxtail, each 5 inches long
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium Spanish onions, finely chopped
1 can (26 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1 piece fresh ginger (3 inches), peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Scotch bonnet chilies, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium canned chicken stock
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup honey

Combine the jerk mix, oil, and oxtails in a bowl and stir. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch-oven over high heat. Working in batches, add the oxtail and onions and cook, flipping occasionally, until browned, 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, ginger, and garlic; bring to simmer. Stir in chilies, salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, chicken stock, coffee, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, reduce the heat, and continue simmering for 2 hours.

Add the honey and continue simmering, uncovered, until the oxtail is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and serve.

Cheddar Quinoa Fritters
1 cup (7 ounces) quinoa, cooked
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

mascarpone cheese
sour cream
green onions, finely chopped

Stir the freshly cooked quinoa, cheese, scallions, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted. Cool. Stir in the eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a heated skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by the spoonful with plenty of room in between the fritters and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Mix equal parts of sour cream and mascarpone and add some chopped green onions or herbs. Serve each fritter with a little dollop of the mixture. It’s delicious.

Babe's Tail

Luke's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Main Dish Basket including the following items: 

Oxtails
Blueberries
Mascarpone cheese
Quinoa

Well, it was very tasty. I think a little more seasoning would have been better. Very interesting challenge, so I added a Cajun Twist!

Babe's Tail

by Luke Deville

1 oxtail, cut 1-inch thick

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

½ pound Smoked Pork Tasso

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic

3 Tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Hot

1 can beef broth

1 cup quinoa

½ pound mascarpone cheese

1 cup fresh blueberries

Season the oxtail with the 3 tablespoons of SYM Hot or to your liking. Heat the pot with the olive oil, place the oxtail in the pot and brown, flipping periodically. After 20 minutes, remove the oxtail and add the onions, bell pepper, and smoked tasso. Cook the onions until translucent. Add the can of Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic and cook with your onions for 10 minutes, adding beef broth when needed. After it is incorporated well, place the browned oxtail back into the pot with the onions, bell pepper, and tasso. Continue cooking over medium heat and adding beef broth to make a nice brown gravy. Cook until tender.

While the oxtail is cooking, it is time to cook the quinoa. Follow the directions on the package: In a sauce pan or rice cooker, add 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Blend together the mascarpone cheese and half a cup of blueberries. Top the blended cheese with the rest of the blueberries. Try dipping the oxtail in the cheese for a unique flavor!

Spamchee Balls with Sesame Chili Mayo

Mary's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Appetizer Basket including the following items: Spam (or a reasonable substitute like Taylor Ham or Ham Roll)
Kimchi
Shitake mushrooms
Flour or Rice
Sesame Oil

Hi there! Here’s my recipe!

Faced with this challenge my first thought was...ewww...Spam! Then I opened the can & my second thought echoed my first. When I was trying to think of what to make I kept coming back to sauerkraut balls, a Cleveland favorite. Since Cleveland is like our sister city at the other end of Lake Erie, I thought it was fitting to adapt that recipe to our challenge. Rather than bulk sausage, I ground the Spam. In the place of sauerkraut, I used the kimchee, o course. Mushrooms are definitely a natural fit with these two ingredients. The final product? Edible...definitely edible! The kimchee really shines in this recipe. Could be a new party favorite with your brave friends!

Spamchee Balls with Sesame Chili Mayo
by Mary Polovinuk

Makes 15 balls

6 ounces Spam, cut into cubes
5 dried Marx Foods Dried Organic Shiitake Mushrooms, reconstituted & coarsely chopped
4 ounces kimchee, coarsely chopped – I used my friend Brooke’s!
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon onion, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon flour
black pepper
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup white flour
1 egg beaten
panko breadcrumbs

Process the Spam, mushrooms and kimchee in a food processor until coarsely ground & mixed well. In medium bowl mix with the cream cheese, onion, egg, flour and black pepper to taste.

Shape into 1-inch balls and freeze for about 30 minutes.

Mix the flours together and set up a dredging station with the flours in one bowl, beaten egg in one bowl and panko bread crumbs in a 3rd bowl. Coat spamchee ball in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Deep fry for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. 
Serve with Sesame Chili Mayo.
Sesame Chili Mayo
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sesame oil
5 or 6 drops of Sriracha or other chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Mix all ingredients & refrigerate until ready to use.

Great Balls of Fire

Willie's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Appetizer Basket including the following items: 

Spam (or a reasonable substitute like Taylor Ham or Ham Roll)
Kimchi
Shitake mushrooms
Flour or Rice
Sesame Oil

Great Balls of Fire
by Willie Simmons
1 12 ounce can Spam 
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
4 ounces fresh Shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 teaspoon Penzeys jalapeno flakes
1 teaspoon Penzeys onion powder
12 ounces rice, cooked
Kimchi

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it makes a paste. Mix the paste and the cooked rice and shape into 1½-inch balls. Place the balls on a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour. Deep fry the balls at 365 degrees until golden brown. Serve on top of kimchi. 

The Chopped Challenge Round One

We have so many ideas for challenges, we actually wish we had more time and blog space to accomplish it all. We’re a very creative group. We were discussing what to do one day and one of our members, Linda Mire, said, “I want to do a Chopped Challenge.”

HOW FUN.

And so here we are, with the first two out of four rounds of our new Chopped Challenge.

Read on for an informative interview with our sponsor and fellow 37 cook member, Linda Mire.

But first, take a look at the baskets our cooks had to deal with!

Round One:
Appetizer Basket: 

 Spam (or a reasonable substitute like Taylor Ham or Ham Roll)

Kimchi 

Shiitake mushrooms 

Flour or Rice

Sesame Oil

Main Dish Basket: 

Oxtails 

Blueberries

Mascarpone 

Quinoa

Dessert Basket: 

Sweetheart Valentine Candies 

Wickles or Bread & Butter Pickles 

Anchovies 

a Donut

Round Two:

Appetizer Basket:

Theme: Chinese New Year - Mardis Gras Celebration

Wonton Wrappers

Bean Sprouts

Cajun Seasoning

Shrimp

Bonus Item (optional): Muffaletta Olive Spread

Main Dish Basket:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon

Cowboy Style Pinto Beans

Biscuits

Angel Hair Pasta

Prosciutto

Bonus Item (optional): Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

Dessert Basket:

Theme: Paula Deen and Thomas Keller

Butter

Banana Pudding

Pastry Cream

Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Bonus Item (optional): Bouchons au Chocolate

1. Linda, how did you come up with this idea to do a Chopped Challenge?

I love Chopped and have watched it from the beginning. I knew a few of our other cooks also loved it, especially Dawn Harmon. I thought it would be fun and challenging for our Cooks.

2. What was the most challenging aspect of coming up with the baskets?

When I started, I didn't look at it as a challenge because I was going to rely on our Cooks and let them tell me what the baskets should be. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of response and many of the ones I got were too easy. I will say that Dawn Harmon came up with a great Main Dish Basket which was in true spirit of "Chopped". I asked Woo Brower to add things that would go with Kimchi for the Appetizer Basket, and it went beyond the four ingredients. I kept all of her suggestions because I thought it might be helpful (time will tell). The dessert basket was my idea completely, and it was very tough. Anchovies for dessert? My fellow cooks may never forgive me for that one. For Round Two, I decided to quit worrying so much and depend completely on my own instincts. It also helped to choose a theme. The primary basket is a little easier, but I've thrown in some bonus items that will make them more difficult for our brave cooks.

3. Were you ever concerned that the 37 Cooks would all quit? The Round One baskets are TOUGH!

Yes, I was worried that some would drop out because the baskets were pretty crazy. However, I have a whole new respect for those who dove right in and were fearless.

4. We've heard there will be a total of 4 Chopped Challenge rounds, and that you will be allowing the 37 Cooks' fans to join in the last round. The fans could include anyone. Do you think the 37 Cooks are worried their fans might show them up?

I'm actually very excited about the fan interaction. We have a great group of followers and I'm sure many are outstanding cooks. I'm never afraid of seeing someone do a better job than I could. It inspires me to keep working harder in developing my own skills. I also think it will take us to another level on our Facebook page. Is there a better way to get to know people than through the food they cook?!