Word: contesting
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Perhaps nothing symbolized the U.S. team's efforts at the Bocuse d'Or better than its beef cheeks. At the world's premier chef's competition, which ended on Jan. 28 in Lyon, France, the Estonians transformed the cheeks - a required ingredient in this year's contest - into pot-au-feu; the Brazilians stuffed potatoes with them; and the Malaysians spiced them up into rendang. But the U.S. competitors, Timothy Hollingsworth and his assistant, Adina Guest, braised the meat until it was silky, set it on a tiny round of baby turnip, and topped it with a floret of broccolini...
...Scandinavians triumphed because they immersed themselves in the French essence of the contest. From the heavy presence of seafood mousses to the cheesy, Maurice Chevalier compliments the emcee paid the female judges, the Bocuse d'Or is nothing if not French. But because it is also a kind of culinary Olympics, with teams from 24 countries competing over two days for a gold trophy that brings unmatched prestige and a 20,000-euro prize, the contest is imbued with nationalist rivalries that extend from the fans in the bleachers to the flavors on the elaborate platters. In fact...
...that the two men raised for the team didn't hurt either. Money clearly makes a difference in the contest's outcome, as it provides the team who has it with an opportunity to train for months. While well-funded Norway had a team truck equipped with a practice kitchen, the South African team made do with a less grandiose means of getting around. "We bought a couple of trolleys to get our produce in," says team coach Marli Roberts. "And then we took public transportation...
Like other teams, the South Africans strived to put a bit of home on their platter without alienating the judges, in this case by including some South African curry and passionfruit in their marinated cod. The Dutch topped one of their exquisite garnishes with pastry windmills. First-time contestant Uruguay served its oxtails in hand-painted ceramic pots from home. The British team's national touch came in the name they assigned their beef filet: Henry V. "It's a bit of fun," says team coach Roger Hulstone. "Britain beating the French at Agincourt and all that." Adds...
...hoping it wouldn't be luxury item upon luxury item, that they would strip away the pretension," he said after tasting his way through 12 plates of beef on the first day, "But that wasn't quite the case. Still, the fact that I'm here means the contest is changing."(See the top 10 food trends...