The Mango Board set the rules for the cook-off: Each chef would produce a fusion-themed dish featuring mangoes as a prominent ingredient.
Chef Alvarez presented his dish first. His description: "Mango allspice-brined Pasture Prime pork with a mango arbol barbecue sauce and pickled mango over a tostone." Twelve hours of braising produced a wonderfully tender pork shoulder, the tostone was a crispy wonder, and the lightly pickled garnish provided a nice contrast. Still, the dish cried out for spice, chilies or hot sauce. My fellow judges, Charlie Belcher of WTVT and Lynn Kessel of Table Scraps/The Tampa Tribune, agreed the dish needed waking up. He used mangoes three different ways, but its flavor was not discernible in the pork.
That said, I could still eat Alvarez's dish all day with a bottle of Cholula or Sri Racha. It was like some new lovely Caribbean fiesta food, a tostone tostada.
Chris Ponte was mild mannered at the event, but his dazzling four-part mango progression belied his culinary passion and intense competitiveness. It was impressive to look at, and had those precocious, precious details chefs are so fond of: tiny skewer-forks, tall skinny shot glasses, foam, and reinvented sushi rolls.
Ponte's progression began with a light mango sushi-type roll paired with a mango-infused soy concoction. The shrimp tempura was elevated by a rich mango caramel sauce. The shrimp and mango salad with mango foam and green mango sauce was pleasant, if awkward to eat. It also cried out for spicy heat. The coconut roll was light, slightly sweet and nutty, wrapped in a small sheet of mango. Too bad the sliver of jalapeno served on top didn't lend any spice to the proceedings.
My fellow judges and I declared chef Ponte the day's champion. It was a pleasant event, and both chefs emerged winners, even if they were a little gun shy with their spices.
Don't tell Chef Ponte, but as I look back, I'm still craving those tostones Alvarez made. I have my hot sauce ready.
See their recipes below:
Chef Ponte’s Shrimp and mango salad and tempura shrimp with a spicy mango dipping sauce(Makes 4 appetizer portions)
Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
3 ½ oz yellow onions
0.2 oz whole clove garlic
0.2 oz root fresh ginger
6 oz mango
½ ea red bell pepper
1 oz ketchup
½ oz sweet thai chili sauce
½ oz brown sugar
0.1 oz jalapeno pepper
7 fl oz chicken bouillon
1 ea kaffir lime leaves
0.1 oz red curry
0.04 oz kosher salt
1 ea lime
Instructions:
1. Saute onions and red peppers until tender
2. Add remaining ingredients except for lime juice bring to rapid boil remove lime leaf
3. Add lime juice and blend all ingredients
4. Cool and serve
Tempura Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 extra large egg
8 oz sparkling (Voss) water
2 ½ oz all purpose flour
1 cup ice
4 oz cornstarch
4 ea shrimp 16-20 ct raw
2 dashes lemon twist salt
Instructions:
1. Sanitize all utensils prior to use
2. Whisk together the egg and water
3. Lightly fold in the flour and cornstarch (do not over mix). Reserve 1 oz for dusting shrimp
4. Add ice and refrigerate.
5. Dust shrimp with corn starch and fry at 350° for 3 minutes
Shrimp and Mango Salad
Ingredients:
8 ea shrimp 26-30 ct cooked
1 ea mango, diced
2 oz red bell pepper, diced
1 pinch cilantro, fresh herbs chopped
2 oz light corn syrup
0.3 oz jalapeno pepper, minced
½ ea vanilla, cleaned
½ ea lime, juiced
2 oz mango jelly
1 oz wonton skins, fried
4 fl oz coconut foam
1 oz dried sweetened coconut, toasted
Instructions:
1. Sanitize all utensils prior to use
2. Combine shrimp, mango, red pepper, corn syrup, jalapeno, cilantro, vanilla and lime
3. Place salad in a small glass and top with mango jelly, wontons, coconut foam and garnish toasted coconut
Chef Alvarez’s Mango all spice brined pasture prime pork, mango arbol BBQ, pickled mango, tostone(Serves 75)
Brine
Ingredients:
1 gal cider vinegar
1 whole raw ham (cut into sections)
2 c sugar
2 c salt
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c allspice
1 T red pepper
12 mangos pureed
Slaw
Ingredients:
4 heads of shredded cabbage
2 julienned red peppers
2 julienned red onions
6 julienned mangoes
2 c cider vinegar
1 T sugar
2 T water
Mango BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
12 pureed mangoes
1 c vinegar
4 arbol chilies
1 c sugar
Pinch salt
Tostones
Ingredients:
12 plantains slices, fried, flatten, fried
Instructions:
1. Soak pork in brine for 24 hours
2. Rinse
3. Bake at 300 degrees for 12 hours
4. Shred pork
5. Smear Mango BBQ on plate, Place tostone on top of smear, Place pork on top of tostone, Place Slaw on top of pork
