Returning to the Food Network's CUTTHROAT KITCHEN to do the 1960s TIME Warp!

IT was the Time of the Season... The Beatle Invasion and Mania! Elvis married Priscilla! Woodstock! "The Twist" It was expected that young ladies finished high school, knew how to cook and how to sew, got married, set-up housekeeping and had babies! Then there was this awakening called Feminism! And along came "The Pill" too!  

OH the Sixties! The decade called the Culture and Social Revolution! 

Love, Peace, War! Riots and Change!  We endured the heart-felt loss of Jack, Martin and Bobby to assassins and THE WAR in Vietnam that was ever present!  

We saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it!  We challenged the WHY and asked the WHY Nots!

Yep, and I was part of this! 

"Class of 1969" and an ARMY Brat, the Cold War and world issues and human  and civil rights and concerns were part of my daily life!  Movies such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, To Sir With Love!, To Kill a Mockingbird, Psycho, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and more were in the theatres and at the drive-in picture shows!

Then there was the Cuban Missile Crisis; the 'muscle cars' hit our streets in the form of beauty and style of the Mustang, the GTO, the Super Sport, and we witnessed one of space exploration's finest moments... the First Man Walks on the Moon! the debut of Star Trek and the First Super Bowl!  

Oh the stories I have about this great decade!  

"We saw things differently... 
and the world was never the same!" - Nancy Manlove

Second Row, third from the right... that's me... Chef Nancy Manlove, a product of the 60's

It was July 20th, 1969...
I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when this happened, it was the day before my 18th birthday, so how could I ever forget!

Oh and let's not forget about the food trends of the 60's 

The 60s encouraged showy, complicated food with French influence (Julia Child, Jacqueline Kennedy), suburban devotion (backyard barbecues), vegetarian curiosity (Frieda Caplan) and ethnic cuisine (soul food, Japanese Steak houses). This was also the decade of flaming things (fondue & Steak Diane) and lots and lots of junk food (aimed at the baby boom children). "Average" suburban families patronized family-style restaurant chains like Howard Johnson's. The first Wendy's restaurant opened in 1969 and we discovered Red Lobster and and Domino's Pizza. Technological marvels such as instant mashed potatoes, freeze dried coffee, Cool Whip, Tang and powdered cheese owe their success to this era. Cola's were sold in cans in addition to glass bottles. 

So it was perfect that I got the chance to return to the Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen special series known as the TIME Warp Tournament. And yes, I was lucky to be in the 1960s Heat! It's 16 winning chefs of their own episode on Cutthroat Kitchen that battles it out as contestants! The Food Network kicks off the TIME WARP tournament with the 1950s heat on June 1st and as time goes by, I show up as a contestant on June 8th! So tune in... watch and enjoy the visit back to the 1960s. Set your DVRs for Wednesday June 8, 2016 for 8PM CT! This is going to be a GREAT Blast from the PAST! 

The Timeline of the 60's proves we did not have the Food Network yet!  So I am super glad I lived through all of this and watched technologies change hand over fist and we have awesome at-our-fingertips foodie entertainment today! For now.. let's do the TIME WARP AGAIN!

Remember to always "KISS the Cook" 

For Now... Bon VIVANT!

Chef Nancy Manlove

WINNER OF CUTTHROAT KITCHEN
TV Celebrity Chef, i45NOW Cooking Show Host (coming soon), Personal Chef, Cooking Lessons, Party Planning, Menu & Recipe Creator, Food Photography, Kitchen Set-ups, Blogger Light

To Read More about ME

Follow me on:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Instagram
Email: ChefManlove@Chefsroll.com

The Winner of the GESH - Saucy Mama Product Giveaway Announced

It is will Saucy Delight that I share the official winner of the Great Eats Start Here Saucy Mama product GIVEAWAY contest....
But first, I want to say thank you to the ever so many that read the blog and submitted their answers to the 3 Questions about Saucy Mama products too!  It was nice to hear from food friends readers and get some new readers as well!  There are millions of food blogs out there and it thrills me to no end to have a share of the pie! 

The Correct Answers to: 

Question #1:  Did you know that Saucy Mama offers an incentive to consumers under their Sauced My Shelves?  What is the incentive? 

Answer: "If your store purchases a new Barhyte Specialty Foods' product, they'll send you a $25 Visa gift card under their Sauced MY Shelves Program. 

You'll find full details are posted at: http://barhyte.com/sauce-my-shelves/

Question #2: OTHER Sauces  How many products are shown in this category on the Sauce Mama website?  

Answer: SEVEN (7) including the Fan Favorite Pack along with several parent company products and Saucy Mama's 'All Natural' Zesty Cocktail Sauce,
Hot N' Creamy Horseradish,
Haus Barhyte Creamy Horseradish,
No Ho's Teriyaki Sauce,
Saucy Mama Creamy Horseradish and
Willamette Valley Creamy Horseradish 

Question #3:  What year did manufacturing begin for this speciality food product company located in Pendleton, Oregon?

Answer:  1976 (so that means they have a 40th Anniversary coming up!) 

Congratulations to Susan Bickta of Kutztown, PA who is the official GESH Blog Saucy Mama Giveaway WINNER! Enjoy your products!

I had some fun with this Saucy Mama Trivia style contest and GiveAWAY! Knowledge is always important and powerful.  
I extend my personal thank you to the fine folks at Saucy Mama for hosting this contest!  

Remember to always "KISS the Cook" 

For Now... Bon VIVANT!

Chef Nancy Manlove

WINNER OF CUTTHROAT KITCHEN
TV Celebrity Chef, i45NOW Cooking Show Host (coming soon), Personal Chef, Cooking Lessons, Party Planning, Menu & Recipe Creator, Food Photography, Kitchen Set-ups, Blogger Light

To Read More about ME

Follow me on:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Instagram
Email: ChefManlove@Chefsroll.com

Question #3 & Clue #3... Ready for Your Saucy MAMA Victory!

"Why am I doing this? Well a wise and gifted cook once said, 'an unopened bottle of Saucy Mama is just a delicious opportunity waiting to happen'." - Chef Nancy Manlove 

When Saucy Mama began their quest to find another talented team member for this year's Saucy Mama Team, the news came that they only had room for one more member and that this covet slot would be awarded to one of us from within a talented pool of 25 cooks, professional chefs and home cooks, bloggers and social media users!
The winner will go one to compete in the 2016 World Food Championships sponsored by Saucy Mama and travel to Ocean Beach, Alabama (in an expense paid trip) to help represent them while cooking their best!  I would be so HAPPY and honored to be selected based on my delicious creations made with their wonderful Saucy Mama products. 

And for you dear readers....

Provided you are the Giveaway Winner,  Saucy Mama will proudly send you three (3) of their products that you get to select (all but olives) as the lucky winner of this SAUCY MAMA  and Great Eats Start Here Blog contest.  You simply will answer 3 related Saucy Mama questions that I have posted on my blog and submit them to me via email or as a comment posted here for my review and  consideration.
A drawing will determine one (1) winner based on all qualified entries who answered correctly the three (3) Questions post on this blog . The decision of the winner is final once announced by Chef Nancy Manlove! 

I am betting my savvy, sassy, saucy and smart readers will know the correct answers to these questions and thus numerous names will be in a drawing to determine who gets the PRIZED SAUCY MAMA Giveaway.

The entry period begins Thursday May 26th at 5PM CT 

The entry period ends Monday May 30th at Midnight CT 

The winner will be officially announced and posted on Tuesday May 31st on this blog.
Good luck to everyone!

Now's the time to start drooling over which Saucy Mama products you will select. So, go check out all the fabo Saucy Mama products at http://barhyte.com

So for Question #3 & Clue #3... let's click on the Saucy Mama website and find your answer to: 
Question #3: What year did manufacturing begin for this speciality food product company located in Pendleton, Oregon?

Clue #3: They will celebrate their 40th anniversary soon! 

As one wise musician  always said, "Don't worry bout a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be alright." - Bob Marley

And no doubt about it, Marley would have loved this creation and my final entry... 

Your taste buds will take you to the islands when you dig into this tasty and hearty meal featuring a delicious and spicy bites of Jamaican Jerk Rib eye Steak served with a delightful refreshing confetti of Poblano Ranch Rice that can be served either at room temperature or as a cold side. Fried Plantains serve as an added treat to complete the culinary journey to the Caribbean using their flavors that have married well with the outstanding flavors of these two wonderful Saucy Mama Dressings.  

Jamaican Jerk Steak with Poblano Ranch Confetti Rice & Fried Plantains

Jamaican Jerk Steak with Poblano Ranch Confetti Rice & Fried Plantains 

Makes 6 Servings

Prep time 30 Minutes | Cook time 45 Minutes

Ingredients

Jamaican Jerk Beef:
-1 ½ lbs. of boneless rib eye steak, trimmed but reserve any fat removed
-1 Tablespoon kosher salt, divided
-1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
-1 large white onion, peeled thinly ¼-inch slices
-1 large yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced in thin 1/4-inch slices
-1 large orange bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced in thin 1/4-inch slices
-2 teaspoons minced garlic
-¼ cup a/p flour
-½ cup minced fresh tomato
-1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
-1 ½ cups beef broth
-1 cup sweet potato that has been peeled and diced in ½-inch pieces
-1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

-1 Tablespoon aji Amarillo paste
-12 ounces Saucy Mama Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce
-¼ cup lime juice
-1 cup pineapple tidbits, divided and well drained
-1/3 cup rough chopped fresh cilantro

Poblano Ranch Confetti Rice:
-2 cups Balsamic Rice
-2 ½ cups water
-2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-½ cup minced fresh cilantro
-1/3 cup finely diced red onion
-Zest of 1 medium sized lime
-¾ cup of Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing

Fried Plantains:
-2 green plantains, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
-1 quart vegetable oil

Garnishes:
-12 fresh lime wedges
-¼ bunch of fresh cilantro sprigs, long stem end discarded

Directions for Jamaican Jerk Beef: Heat 12-inch cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Season each side of the rib eye steaks with salt and pepper and place in the hot skillet searing each side for 4 minutes or until a nice crust is formed.   Remove steaks to platter and keep warm.

Add the trimmed rib eye fat to the skillet and render out until you have about 2 tablespoon and grease. Discard any remaining non-rendered fat.   

Add in the white onion, bell pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. 

Add in the garlic and continue to sauté until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add in the a/p flour sprinkling over vegetable mixture stirring to lightly coat.

Add in tomato, oregano leaves, beef broth and sweet potato.   Stir mixture well and place lid on skillet and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until sweet potato are fork tender.

Cut the seared rib eye meat into 1 ½-inch pieces and add into the simmering mixture along with aji Amarillo paste, Saucy Mama Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce, lime juice and pineapple tidbits. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Directions for Poblano Ranch Confetti Rice:  While the beef mixture is simmering, cook the rice in a sauce pan by bringing rice, water and butter to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow rice to steam with lid on the pan for 10 minutes more.

Remove cooked rice to a bowl to cool.  When cool, add in the ½ cup minced cilantro, red onion, remaining ½ cup pineapple tidbits, lime zest and the Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing.  Stir mixture well and set aside.

Directions for Fried Plantains:  In a deep sauce pan or deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees and fry the plantain slices in batches until crispy and golden in color.  Remove them to a paper towel lined plate.  This is optional, but you can make the plantain cups which is easy and a nice touch to serve the Poblano Ranch Confetti Rice in using a bird nest frying basket by cutting 4 plantain slices in half and placing them overlapping inside the bird nest and cover center with a few shorten lengths. Make one basket per serving and fry the remaining slices to serve as a side. These can be fried ahead and keep in a container lined in paper towels and covered with a tight-fitting lid.

Serve a portion of each item on 6 plates along with some of fresh cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.

So please enjoy the Memorial weekend and Holiday, be safe, but have some fun! Maybe you'll try one of my three SAUCY MAMA Recipes!  Which one is your favorite?  Will it be Bacon, Seafood, or Steak?

I'm off to have some island fun and await your post of your final answer to the 3 questions to find a lucky SAUCY MAMA Giveaway winner!

Remember to always "KISS the Cook" 

For Now... Bon VIVANT!

Chef Nancy Manlove

WINNER OF CUTTHROAT KITCHEN
TV Celebrity Chef, i45NOW Cooking Show Host (coming soon), Personal Chef, Cooking Lessons, Party Planning, Menu & Recipe Creator, Food Photography, Kitchen Set-ups, Blogger Light

To Read More about ME

Follow me on:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Instagram
Email: ChefManlove@Chefsroll.com

Especially proud to support the Military Veterans Support Foundation in a recent fundraiser held in Houston, TXI am thankful for their service!  Life is Good... Be Happy!

SAUCES, Dressings, MUSTARDS, Marinades, OLIVES and more! Clue #2

QUESTION & CLUE #2 is all about Saucy Mama's
Other Sauces

How many products are shown in this category on the Sauce Mama website?

http://barhyte.com/

I'll get right to the point today... above is your Question #2 & Clue #2 and all you'll just need to go find the answer on the Saucy Mama website and hold on to it for my Monday, May 30th blog post so you can make a comment on this blog giving your three answers to be eligible to win three (3) Saucy Mama products (excludes olives) and have the prize shipped directly to you!!!! No S&H either.  What a sponsor! What great flavors in their quality products!

 So I can't wait to see which reader WINS my G.E.S.H. blogging giveaway courtesy of SAUCY MAMA!!!!

With my desire to create a tasty and beautiful dish as an entry in the 2016 Saucy Mama Contest and as I adore all kinds of seafood, it's my go to protein!  Living on the Texas Gulf Coast makes all the readily available fresh seafood a chef's dream come true. My local Fishmonger knows me and what I love to cook! YUM!!!   So needless to say, I created an easy to make seafood recipe that has mass consumer appeal. These have been requested for an upcoming dinner party by a client!  My recipe creation and 2nd entry in this Preferred Qualifier for a Golden Ticket into the Seafood Category of the 2016 World Food Championship is: 

Champagne & Honey Mustard Crab Cakes with a Trio of Saucy Mama Sauced Crab Toppings

Makes 12 crab cakes or Four 3-piece Servings | Prep and chill time 1 Hour | Cook time 15 Minutes

The crunch is perfect in each bite of the crusty crab cakes that entice your taste buds further with the infusion of the flavor Saucy Mama’s Champagne & Honey Mustard found inside the mix.  Then as your fork cuts into each seafood crab delight, you’ll discover the tastiness of a trio of Saucy Mama products.  Which is going to be your favorite? All three offer a delicious topping as one is Poblano Ranch, one is Zesty Cocktail, and one is White Balsamic & Honey!  So one’s spicy, one’s Zesty, and one is Tangy, but for sure they are all flavor delicious because of Saucy Mama! The nice thing about the assortment of crab toppings is you might just be able to trade for a favorite! Good Luck and Happy Eating!

Ingredients for Crab Cakes

2 large eggs

2 sleeves of unsalted fat-free saltine crackers, crushed in a plastic bag, divided

1/3 cup Saucy Mama’s Champagne & Honey Mustard

1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 Teaspoons lime zest

2 ribs of celery, finely diced

½ cup chopped parsley

2 spring onions, whites and tops, fine chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons unsalted frozen butter, cut into little peas size bits

1 lb. lump crab meat, picked through carefully to remove any shell

Canola oil

Ingredients for Trio of Crab Toppings

1 pound of fully cooked king crab legs with claws

 ½ cup Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing

½ cup Saucy Mama Zesty Cocktail Sauce

½ cup Saucy Mama White Balsamic & Honey Dressing

Salt and Black pepper if desired

4 Spring Onions tops, thinly sliced, reserving 3 Tablespoons for garnish

Garnishes:
6 leaves of curly green leaf lettuce, rinsed and dried and torn into two pieces of equal as possible size to get 12 for plating

1 cup finely shredded red cabbage, rinsed until it no longer gives off any purple color in the water and drain well

12-18 grape tomatoes, slices in round, discard ends

2 large lemons, cut into wedges

1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions for Crab Cakes:  Place each sleeve of saltines in a medium sized plastic bag and crush in small pieces.  In a medium sized bowl whisk eggs and add in 1 sleeves of crushed saltines. Stir in Saucy Mama’s Champagne & Honey Mustard, cayenne pepper, sea salt, lime juice, lime zest. celery, parsley, spring onions, mayonnaise, and frozen butter bits. Blend until all in well incorporated, then gently fold in the lump crab meat. Trying not to break up the crab meat too much.

Place the mixture in the center of an 18-inch long piece of plastic wrap and roll up into a log shape about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Twist ends and place the ends under the log and place the log on a small pan and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Trio of Crab Toppings: While the crab log chills, pick out the crab meat from the king crab legs and bodies and place an equal portion in 3 small bowls.  Crack open the claws but leave whole for plating.   

In one bowl containing 1/3 of the picked king crab meat, add in the Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing and an equal portion of the sliced spring onion tops. Gently mix to incorporate without breaking up the king crank meat too much. Test taste for seasoning and adjust with salt & pepper, if desired.

In the second bowl containing 1/3 of the picked king crab meat, add in the Saucy Mama Zesty Cocktail Sauce and an equal portion of the sliced spring onion tops. Gently mix to incorporate without breaking up the king crank meat too much. Test taste for seasoning and adjust with salt & pepper, if desired.

In the third bowl containing 1/3 of the picked king crab meat, add in the Saucy Mama White Balsamic & Honey Dressing and an equal portion of the sliced spring onion tops. Gently mix to incorporate without breaking up the king crank meat too much. Test taste for seasoning and adjust with salt & pepper, if desired.

Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Directions for cooking the crab cakes:  Place enough oil in the bottom of a non-stick skillet just to cover evenly, no more, no less and heat over medium high heat. Remove the crab log from the refrigerator and cut 12 portions (12 crab cakes) of equal size.  Pour the second bag of crushed saltines in a shallow pan and round each crab cake into the crackers lightly pressing as you cover the surface evenly. Cook in batches if needed or with a second skillet, place up to six saltine coated crab cakes in the hot oil and fry until lightly browned; gently turn over and brown the other side, approximately 5 minutes on each side, the frozen butter will have melted and oozed out in this cooking time frame for one browned butter tasty surprise.  

To serve: Lay down a piece of the curly green leaf lettuce and top with an equal portion of the shredded red cabbage.  Then place atop 1 crab cake and a heaping tablespoon or two of one of the sauced trio crab toppings. Garnish with green onion sliced tops, grape tomato slices and a lemon or lime wedges. Continue to assembly until all cakes and toppings are served.

I like to offer these on a platter with the three choices of the sauced crab toppings and it becomes a serve yourself!

Check back soon for my next post and Question #3 & Clue on where to find the Saucy Mama answer and my next recipe made especially for this World Food Championships Qualifying Event

Remember to always "KISS the Cook" 

For Now... Bon VIVANT!

Chef Nancy Manlove

WINNER OF CUTTHROAT KITCHEN
TV Celebrity Chef, i45NOW Cooking Show Host (coming soon), Personal Chef, Cooking Lessons, Party Planning, Menu & Recipe Creator, Food Photography, Kitchen Set-ups, Blogger Light

To Read More about ME

Follow me on:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Instagram
Email: ChefManlove@Chefsroll.com

A Classic Dish... SAUCY MAMA Style! Clue #1

2nd Post on G.E.S.H. in a series of special blog post on Saucy Mama from Chef Nancy Manlove...

Howdy from Texas! 

Chef Nancy Manlove

The Real McCoy!

If you can't tell already, am a HUGE Fan of ... 

Having used their products many times, I fell in love at first bite! I enjoy their sauces, dressings, marinades, mustards and olives. I use them when I cook at home or entertain, and when I cook for clients! As a Pantry Cook, I know that their products are not only of the highest of quality, but also made in the USA by their hard working team along with their professional leadership and management team. Such a nice sponsoring food service company that they have allowed me to do a product giveaway...

For my G.E.S.H. readership  it's a SAUCY MAMA PRIZE GIVE-AWAY

(Question & Clue #1) Did you know that Saucy Mama offers an incentive to get Sauced on My Shelves?  Check it out on their website at: http://barhyte.com/
Hold on to your answer of how that happens and on Monday May 30th come back here with your correct answer for Question #1 and the upcoming Question #2 & Question #3 that will appear in my next two blog post.  Simply Follow the posted instructions and YOU could be the winner of my Saucy Mama Product Give-A-Away! Some lucky reader will be awarded 3 Saucy Mama products (except olives) choices that will be delivered direct to her/his home! Their product line is extensive and you'll have a tough time deciding which products to select.

  

For the 2016 SAUCY MAMA Contest I wanted a chance to use some heat, some tanginess, along with some classic flavors choices, so I elected to use their:

Zesty Cocktail Sauce
Four Leaf Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade
Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce 

Champagne & Honey Mustard

Poblano Ranch Dressing

White Balsamic and Honey Dressing

Saucy Mama is adding one lucky competitor to their already talented team of star competitor cooks to compete at the ‪2016 World Food Championships. I'm sure hoping their judges like my Bacon creation, using 2 different Saucy Mama products, enough to give me that GOLDEN Ticket and to be on the 2016 SAUCY MAMA TEAM. My Bacon Category recipe follows below! You can never go wrong with bacon in a recipe, as it is such a versatile ingredient! Now enter stage right with some clever and unique way of using Saucy Mama with Bacon and oui la la!  After all Poached Pears are French!

Four Leaf Balsamic & Chocolate Glazed Bacon & Pecan Crumbles with White Wine Poached Pears, Black Currants and White Balsamic & Honey Goat Cheese Scoops

Elegance on a plate that is super easy to prepare.  Taste combination that will have you wanting more! This dish can be served as an appetizer or salad and features the infusion of two delicious Saucy Mama Products in a unique way. 

Makes 8 Servings  | Prep time 30 Minutes | Cook time 1 hour

Ingredients

3 cups white wine (I used a Moscato, but others will work as well)

¾ cup granulated white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

5 whole allspice berries

½ cup blood orange juice and zest of one peel, removing as much of the white pith as possible under the skin

5 Tablespoons of honey, divided uses as stated in directions below

4 firm pears, peeled (I used Bartlett’s, but you can use Anjou or Bosc pears)

¼ cup black currants

¼ cup Saucy Mama Four Leaf Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade

2 Tablespoons of ready to use chocolate syrup

1 lb.  of sliced uncured maple bacon

1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons of finely chopped pecans, divided uses

1/3 cup Plus 2 teaspoons Saucy Mama White Balsamic & Honey Dressing, divided as 1/3 cup and 2 teaspoons

4 ounces goat cheese

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

6 Leaves of curly green leaf lettuce

1 bunch fresh watercress, long stems removed 

Directions:

Place the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, blood orange zest, blood orange juice and 2 Tablespoons of the honey in a large saucepan and stir together until the sugar and honey are dissolved. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat for around 10 minutes.
Add the peeled pears to the wine mixture. Reduce heat to a low and poach the pears for 25 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with fork tins.  Don’t overcook!

Remove the pears and reduce the wine mixture by half to create a thick syrup by bringing it to the boil over high heat for about 20 minutes, watching it carefully to prevent boil-overs. Remove the cinnamon stick, allspice and orange peels from the syrup.  Add in the currants and stir well. Set aside.

While the pears poach prepared the bacon.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and arrange bacon strips on a parchment lined baking pan with a rim placing them apart so they don’t overlap each other. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes. Do not turn off the oven!

Place the Saucy Mama Four Leaf Balsamic Vinaigrette and Marinade and 2 Tablespoons of the honey in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate syrup. Keep warm until ready to served.

Using a pastry brush, brush the bacon with the Four Leaf Balsamic-Chocolate mixture and flip over and brush the other side, (reserve the remaining sauce for a plating drizzle). Return bacon to the hot oven and continue to cook until bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly and place the bacon in a small food processor and pulse until the bacon is in small bits.  Add in the pecans and pulse for 5 seconds.  Set aside

Place the goat cheese in a small mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer until it is fluffy, add in 1 Tablespoon of the honey, lime zest, Black pepper, 3 Tablespoons of the bacon-pecan mixture and 2 teaspoons of the Saucy Mama White Balsamic & Honey Dressing. Fold together, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cut each pear in half and using a melon baller, scoop and gently remove the core-seed area of the pear half.  Using a sharp knife, make four cuts to create a fan look of the pear without cutting all the way up to it top (like a strawberry fan).

To serve:  Ladle several tablespoons of the reduce wine syrup on each plate and allow to spread.

Place one fanned pear down on the plate atop the wine reduction sauce.

Using the melon baller scoop out a goat cheese mound and place it down inside the hallow of each pear.

Place one leaf of the curly green leaf lettuce onto the plate at the top of the pear.

Add the watercress to a bowl and lightly toss it in the remaining 1/3 cup of Saucy Mama White Balsamic & Honey Dressing and place a portion of the dressed watercress at the neck of each fanned pear atop the curly green leaf lettuce. 

Place a portion of the bacon-pecan mixture around the plate lightly topping the watercress and cascading around the side of each fanned pear. Drizzle the Four Leaf Balsamic-Chocolate mixture over the entire pear and lettuce-watercress. Place a few currants on place to create a dot pattern.

Check back soon for my next post and Question #2 & Clue on where to find the Saucy Mama answer and my next recipe made especially for this World Food Championships Qualifying Event

Remember to always "KISS the Cook" 

For Now... Bon VIVANT!

Chef Nancy Manlove

WINNER OF CUTTHROAT KITCHEN
TV Celebrity Chef, i45NOW Cooking Show Host (coming soon), Personal Chef, Cooking Lessons, Party Planning, Menu & Recipe Creator, Food Photography, Kitchen Set-ups, Blogger Light

To Read More about ME

Follow me on:  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | Instagram
Email: ChefManlove@Chefsroll.com