Mission Accomplished

I say it like that because that is what it felt like.  I have a terrible cold, a one-year old who is busy all the time and when my judge and his family showed up I had 6 kids to feed something other than my horseradish challenge.  I think I will do this differently next time.  But did it I did ... and it was good.

My menu was kale chips and crudites with a white bean horseradish dip.  I made prepared horseradish the night before ... which I thought would take care of this cold.  It tasted good with a little bite.  I could have added more to highlight the horseradish more but I am not sure I would have liked it as much.  It was subtle.

The horseradish stuffed olive martini's were really good.  Probably the highlight.  I used Vodka instead of Gin.  There was an actual sweetness to the olives which I didn't expect.  I could have eaten an entire bowl.  And the last sip - when the horseradish seem to settle on the bottom - reminded me of our last trip to the sushi bar.  I would make these again.


My main dish was a rustic potato, bacon and horseradish torte.  I ground the wheat fresh for my pie crust which turned out great.  I layered potatoes with bacon back and forth and then thought it would be a good idea to add a thin thin thin layer of horseradish root.  I topped the last layer with Sharp white cheddar and then poured over a mixture of heavy cream and prepared horseradish.  Put on the top crust and baked it for an hour.  The thin thin thin layer of horseradish was a bad idea.  But everyone found it humorous since it was the theme.  This is why my sister practices.

All that to say, I forgot to have anyone score the meal.  Kids were running around.  We were visiting over martini's with friends (Jon is above.  Just to prove he did show up) it had been too long since last we hung out.  But if i scored it honestly I would have given it a 3 in presentation, 3 for creativity and 3 for taste.  I need to leave a lot of room for the next one.  In both directions.