Battle Tomato
Massive spotlights and bleachers full of screaming fans adorned Panic HQ today as Neven, Les, and I competed in Battle Tomato: a competition to feature tomatoes creatively, no recipes allowed.
I made a caprese shot: cold basil juice, cherry tomato, hot mozzarella and creme fraîche; a confit duo: puff pastry, tomato confit, duck confit, and thyme; and discs of gazpacho ice topped with a dollop of balsamic reduction.
My favorite dish of Neven’s was his gelato caprese trio, which was refreshing and clever despite a freezer mishap ruining the presentation.
Les broke out an awesome French secret weapon to make his gazpacho in egg dish, which made it look incredibly classy.
In the end, the judges declared it a three-way draw, a happy ending to a competition with a hashtag full of drama.
Thanks very much to Neven, Mike, and Christa for the photos, which you can further browse on Flickr.
