Dining Services Wins Gold Award in NACUFS Contest

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UConn Dining Services has won the Gold Award for the Best Local Foods Recipe in the 2015 NACUFS (National Association of College and Food Service) Nutrition Awards contest! Open to all institutional members of the association, the goal of the Best Local Foods Recipe Contest is to recognize and encourage the use of locally produced foods in the menus of NACUFS member institutions. The winning recipe, served at Chuck & Augie’s, is “Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Green Peas, Granny Smith Apples and Cremini Mushrooms”.

 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Makes 25 servings

6 pounds sweet potatoes (local)

6 pounds russet potatoes (local)

8 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs (local)

1 cup maple syrup (local)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

 

Directions:

1) Place potatoes on sheet pan and roast in 400-degree oven until a fork easily pierces center, about 1 hour.

2) Scoop out potato flesh and press through ricer into large bowl.

(Working in half batches)

3) Spread ½ the flour onto clean work surface, and place riced potatoes onto flour.

4) Add 2 eggs, ½ cup maple syrup and half the salt.

5) Using your hands, mix together ingredients until combined into a dough.

6) Scoop dough into pastry bag and pipe out into ropes on floured surface.

7) Cut each rope into half-inch pieces, and using fork, mark sides of gnocchi. (Repeat with second batch of gnocchi dough ingredients.)

8) Store gnocchi on flour dusted baking sheet pan until ready to cook, or freeze on sheet pan, place in plastic bags and freeze for up to two weeks.

 

Shallot and Thyme Butter

Makes 5 pounds

  • 4 pounds unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 pound shallots (local)
  • 1 cup fresh thyme (local)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Place shallots and thyme in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

2) Add butter, salt, and pepper, blending until combined.

3) Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Prepare

7 Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, and diced (local)

2 ¼ pounds green peas (local)

¾ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced thin (local)

¾ pound Applewood smoked bacon, cooked and chopped (local)

6 ounces Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated

Directions:

(Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add gnocchi and cook until it floats to top, remove with strainer and add to sauté pan in step 3)

1) Melt shallot –thyme butter in sauté pan over medium-high heat.

2) Add mushrooms and sauté until tender; add peas, bacon, and apples cooking until hot.

3) Add gnocchi and toss until ingredients are heated through.

4) Place on plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Dining Services Opening Gluten Free Bakery on Campus

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Dining Services is pleased to offer a first on a university campus – an on-site gluten free bakery. As the demand for gluten free baked goods increases, UConn Dining Services is ready to meet that demand by supplying all residential dining units, cafes, grab & go’s as well as University Catering, with fresh baked gluten free products by the end of this semester. For more information go to the bakery webpage at http://dining.uconn.edu/bakery/

UConn Dining Chef Wins Silver at NACUFS Regional

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Chef Kyle Davis, from UConn’s Department of Dining Services, received a Silver Medal  at the Northeast Regional NACUFS Conference in Providence in March. Kyle competed against ten other chefs, representing different colleges and universities around the Northeast. His Silver Medal dish was a Baby Bella and Pinoli Nut Buffalo Flank Steak with Cipollini Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Vegetable Medley.

UConn Dining Services 15th Annual Culinary Competition

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The Every year Dining Services Chefs have an opportunity to duke it out and exhibit their culinary skills in our annual Culinary Olympics. We bring in special guest judges from around the area to exert their palates to some very creative culinary experiments. And, all are welcome to stop in and cheer on or jeer on your favorite Chefs.

This year the event will took place at the South Campus / Rome Ballroom located at the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus on Thursday January 15, 2015. Each year, the creative Dining Services’ chefs seem to raise the culinary bar even higher and this year’s entries were no exception!

We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Culinary Competition.

THE RECIPE CONTEST

Winners in the Appetizer Category

  • 1st Place: Hector Vega – Seasons of Gazpacho
  • 2nd Place: Alexis Saucier – Tuna Watermelon Crudo
  • 3rd Place: Erik Larkin – Shepherd’s Pie Eggroll

Winners in the Entrée Category

  • 1st Place: Hector Vega – Steak and Egg Open Faced Sandwich with Yucca Fries
  • 2nd Place: Scott Chapman – Blue Crab and Shrimp Taco with Mango Pico de Gallo
  • 3rd Place: Gary Ellis – Bourbon Glazed Bacon Explosion with Smashed Potatoes, Cracklin’ Green Beans and Honey Applesauce

Winners in the Dessert Category

  • 1st Place: Frank Cameron – Gluten Free Carrot Cake
  • 2nd Place: Bill McKay – Five Citrus Ginger Sorbet
  • 3rd Place: Alexis Saucier – Maple Flan with Sautéed Pears

BOILING POINT COMPETITION WINNERS

The surprise basket given to each team contained the following ingredients: Romanesco, Duck Breast, Raisin Juice, Gojuchang (hot red pepper sauce), Molasses Ginger Cookies and Candy Canes. From those ingredients teams had 75 minutes to prepare three different tapas, or appetizers.

1st Place: Team 5, University Catering – Hector Vega, Alexis Saucier, Christina Brault

  • Appetizers Created: Ginger Garlic Crostini with Seared Raisin, Chili Duck Breast, Molasses Ginger Duck Stew served with Romanesco Puree, Five Spice Pancake with Ginger Peppermint Sauce

2nd Place: Team 3, South Dining – Ann Marie Meres, Charlie String, Pashupati

  • Appetizers Created: Duck Breast Stuffed with Mushroom Duxelle and Raisin Glaze, Romanesco and Asparagus Timbale with Red Pepper Paste, Molasses Blini with Fruit Compote

3rd Place: Team 10, Central Production Kitchen (CPK) – Shawn Fitzgerald, Kim Spaulding, Heidi Howlett

  • Appetizers Created: Duck Crostini with Mango Salsa Gojuchang Sauce, Asian Romanesco Quesadilla with Cilantro Lime Viniagrette, Holiday Parfait with Peppermint

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Schedule of Events

9:30am Chef Demo

Crispy skin duck breast, spinach & bacon risotto, and a blackberry gastrique.

Jason St. Onge

G-7 Catering Company, Thompson, CT

Jason St. Onge

The “Recipe Contest” that is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30am. Recipes must be prepared on site for 12 portions, and must fall into one of the following categories: Appetizer / Entrée / Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria: Clarity of Recipe / Creativity of Dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste and Texture.

10:30am-12:15pm Recipe Contest Judging

Judges:

Chef Jason St. Onge, G-7 Catering Company, www.gsevencatering.com

Chef Barbarellen Olsen, Culinary Department Head, Windham Technical High School, https://windham.cttech.org/

Dan Doerr, University of Connecticut, Assistant to the Vice President for Planning and Assessment & Director of Senior Transition Programs. www.uconn.edu/

Chef Will Deason, Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Café http://www.willimanticbrewingcompany.com/

 

10:30am-1:30pm UConn Bakery Demos and Displays

Stop by and learn the art of decorating from our professional pastry chefs and bakers.

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12:30pm-4:45pm “Boiling Point” Competition

This is our version of the “Iron Chef” competition that will involve teams of three chefs representing the different dining facilities within the department. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients, and using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different Tapas (small food or appetizer) on each plate. Teams will have 75 minutes to prepare their dishes for 4 judges. Teams will then be scored on the following criteria: Creativity of dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste and Textures. (Teams are not allowed to bring ingredients, or use ingredients that are not supplied by competition)

Judges:

Chef Christopher Prosperi, Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant.
http://www.metrobis.com/

Rand Richards Cooper, Novelist, Longtime Food and Travel writer and Food Critic with The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/

Chef Marc Hussey, Culinary Consultant for the Connecticut Technical High School System.
http://www.cttech.org/central/career-ops/technical-programs/cl.htm

Chef Carl Stafford, Professor of Hospitality Management, Manchester Community College.
http://www.manchestercc.edu/

Award Presentation immediately following Boiling Point

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UConn Co-op Bookstore will have an array of cookbooks by various authors available for purchase at the event.

“Not Just Desserts” Bakery Presents UConn History In Cake

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In honor of UConn’s 2014 Convocation, Dining Services’ “Not Just Desserts” Bakery presented a history of UConn on a very large and unusual display cake. Designed as a commemorative history of UConn, Eric Merkle, Bakery Manager, spent hours perusing photos in the UConn digital photo gallery. Approximately 200 photos were printed on edible paper and then individually framed using 300 pounds of molded chocolate: milk, dark and white. During the convocation celebration, Eric adhered the framed photos to the cake, assisted by Sandy Sandberg, Head Pastry Chef and Crystal Russell, Pastry Chef. The Bakery staff also created dozens of sheet cakes which were served, along with famous UConn Dairy Bar ice cream, to more than 3,500 members of the incoming freshman class.