A Honey of a Challenge
11 September 2012
National Honey Board awards $8,000 in Culinary Institute of America scholarships to culminate Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge
After intense deliberations, the National Honey Board named CIA student Perry Xu Cao, enrolled in the Hyde Park, N.Y., campus, the grand-prize winner of the inaugural “Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge.” Cao was awarded the $5,000 scholarship for his Goat Cheese Tempura with Honey Dipping Sauces following a morning of fierce but friendly competition at the Aug. 20 Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge’s “Final Four” cook-off event at CIA Greystone in St. Helena, Calif.
Cao’s winning recipe was a simple yet elegant appetizer featuring three varietals of honey infused with aromatics to create mouthwatering sauces, providing a delicious balance to the crispy, citrus-laced and savory goat-cheese tempura. His tempura recipe was inspired in part by his first kitchen job, making shrimp tempura. For the Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge, Cao artfully concocted three dipping sauces, infusing three honey varietals (from ubiquitous clover to bold buckwheat) with floral essences and uniting them with spices and flavorful berries. The result is a mouthwatering appetizer that can be dressed up or down, suitable for white-tablecloth to fast-casual establishments. For high-volume applications, the dipping sauces can be prepared in advance and easily served using squeeze bottles. What’s more, the colorful sauces will complement a variety of savory items, including pork, chicken and vegetables.
“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the Final Four Cook-off,” said Catherine Barry, director of marketing at the National Honey Board, and one of three judges. “The decision-making process was incredibly difficult, as each student showcased a delicious and compelling way to highlight honey in their dishes. In the end, we chose a recipe that showcases several honey varietals beautifully, complementing other flavors of the dish, while giving a nod to honey’s natural origins with a sprinkling of flowers on the plate.”
In addition to Barry, the panel of judges for the Honey Recipe Challenge Final Four Cook-off included honey aficionados and professional chefs Ray Martin, formerly with BJ’s Restaurants and Cheesecake Factory, and j.W. Foster, executive chef at The Fairmont San Francisco, who regularly incorporates honey into his menu thanks in part to the property’s own roof-top beehives.
Caption, Photo2: Front row (l. to r.): Courtney Weyl, CIA Greystone; Perry Xu Cao, CIA Hyde Park; Catherine Barry, National Honey Board; Jennifer Shea, CIA Greystone. Back row (l. to r.): Courtney Guerra, CIA Greystone; Chef j.W. Foster, The Fairmont San Francisco; Ray Martin, formerly of BJ's Restaurants; Eric Hodet, CIA Hyde Park.
The four finalists, representing the top entries in each of the Honey Recipe Challenge’s four categories (Appetizer, Sides/Salad, Entrée and Dessert), are as follows:
$5,000 Grand Prize Scholarship Winner
Goat Cheese Tempura with Honey Dipping Sauces (Appetizer)
Perry Xu Cao (CIA Hyde Park) of New Rochelle, N.Y.
$1,000 Finalist Scholarship Winners
Honey-Seared Ahi Tuna with Citrus and Greens (Sides/Salad)
Jennifer Shea (CIA Greystone) of Lake Villa, Ill.
Ba Kwa Style Pork Burger with Honey-Lime Pickle, Sweet Thyme Aïoli and Okinawan Sweet Potato Fries with Kecap Manis (Entrée)
Eric Hodet (CIA Hyde Park) of Fairfax, Vt.
Honey and Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwich (Dessert)
Courtney Weyl (CIA Greystone) of St. Helena, Calif.
To view an online gallery of photos, visit http://bit.ly/NHBcookoff.
The National Honey Board is a federal research and promotion board under USDA oversight that conducts research, marketing and promotion programs to help maintain and expand markets for honey and honey products. These programs are funded by an assessment of one cent per pound on domestic and imported honey.
Caption: Perry Xu Cao’s grand-prize-winning Goat Cheese Tempura with Honey Dipping Sauces.