Golden Skewer contest sticks it to hunger

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Two-hundred wooden skewers, 13 pounds of meat, six bell peppers, five packages of mushrooms, three different types of onions, two packages of goat cheese and one very happy goat-cheese-stealing cat.

That was Saturday at Yakima Herald-Republic photographer Sara Gettys' house. We chopped, marinated, skewed, grilled and stuffed our faces with the eight entries in the YH-R's Golden Skewer recipe contest.

Seven hours and two bags of briquettes later, our panel of six taste testers had full tummies and three clear winners -- and no real losers.

Because of the high quality of entries in our main dish category, we altered the contest rules, awarding first-, second- and third-place prizes to our top three entries, regardless of whether they were a main dish, side dish or dessert. Points were awarded on a weighted scale -- with five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote. First place received a $100 gift certificate from contest-sponsor Washington Beef. Second and third place each received a $50 gift certificate.

The winners

"Well, I owe it all to Grandma," said Nate Fulton, whose recipe for Hawaiian Explosion Skewers claimed our top prize.

Created by grandparents Stan and Shirley Holt of Omak more than 30 years ago, Fulton said the skewers remain a family favorite and it's a recipe he pulls out for any special occasion or family event.

The recipe featuring beef ribs, mango, mushrooms and bacon-wrapped pineapple was a favorite with our judges, who loved the sweet-salty combination of the bacon and fruit.

"The fruit-meat combo really pops and has a nice teriyaki flavor," tester T.J. Tranchell wrote. "The mango is a nice curve ball."

Fulton's grandparents developed the recipe after a trip to Hawaii.

"They were eating over there on the beach and they tasted this really nice Hawaiian-flavored shortribs," he said. "When they got home, grandma tried for months to re-create it. After a lot of trial and error, she came up with a recipe. We've been using it ever since for a lot of different beef dishes. It's really good on chicken, too."

Fulton recommends getting custom-cut ribs from your local butcher in order to get a thicker piece of meat.

Hawaiian Explosion Skewers

3 pounds flanken-style beef ribs

1 pound apple-smoked bacon (Thick slab)

1 pound fresh pineapple chunks

1 pound crimini mushrooms

1 pound fresh mango chunks

Marinade

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp garlic salt

1 tsp meat tenderizer

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 c. pinot grigio

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 c. soy sauce

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Combine wet ingredients and mix well. In large bowl, slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring constantly. Remove bones from flanken-style ribs and cube to desired size. Marinade beef in large container for 48 hours, turning twice daily.

Once marinated, build skewers in following order: Beef, bacon-wrapped pineapple, crimini mushroom, mango, repeat. Grill until bacon is cooked and beef has reached desired doneness.

Kathy Sali's recipe for Grilled Peaches with Chevre Mousse finished second by only one point during our testing event. The judges were blown away by the tastiness of the mousse, made with late-harvest Riesling and goat cheese from Tieton Creamery. It was also incredibly simple to make.

Most of the written comments from the judges were just exclamations of delight: "Amazing!" wrote Sara Gettys. "OMG!" was all judge Shannon Glessner could say.

Sali got the recipe from Brad Smith, a sous chef from Kennewick. Her home business, La Maison Cooking School, brings area chefs and wineries together for cooking classes.

"Brad taught the recipe in one of the classes and he uses pears," Sali said. "But I like to use peaches."

Our tip? Make up a double-batch of the mousse, but make sure not to leave it alone for too long -- our bowl was discovered by the cat, who helped himself to a serving of mousse.

Grilled Peaches with Chevre Mousse

1/2 c. Tieton Creamery Chevre, softened

2 tbsp sugar

2 c. whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c. late harvest Riesling or brandy flavoring (recommended: Naches Heights Vineyards)

4 tbsp honey

1/2 fresh pitted peach, per person

4 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp raw sugar (garnish)

4 tbsp chopped fresh basil (garnish)

1/2 c. caramel sauce

Cream together Chevre and sugar until smooth. Add whipping cream, vanilla, wine and honey and whip until soft peaks form. Place in a pastry bag or Ziploc bag and refrigerate.

Cut peaches in half and remove pits. Skewer peach halves so cut sides all face the same direction. Brush with melted butter. Grill core-side down until peaches begin to soften and are caramelized. Drizzle each plate with caramel and place peach grilled side up. Pipe the mousse into center core of each peach half. Sprinkle raw sugar and basil on peach and plate. Drizzle more caramel over all.

Our third-place finisher was Rick Turvey of Yakima, who submitted a recipe built by his wife, "Jen's Best Kebabs."

Turvey grew up on shish kebabs, usually marinating them in a Japanese hot sauce.

"She came up with this thing, and it was like awesome," Turvey said. "That recipe my wife made is out of this world."

The secret in the sauce for this marinade is peanut butter -- one tablespoon of the creamy stuff, to be precise. It added just a hint of extra flavor and sweetness, which our judges loved.

"Lots of flavor," wrote judge Pat Muir.

"It's the most flavor," T.J. Tranchell wrote. "A surprisingly flavor that is unexpected."

Turvey isn't sure if adding the peanut butter was a joke or intentional, but it works.

"She loves peanut butter," he said of his wife, Jen. "I'd always said she'd eat anything if it had peanut butter in it."

The marinade can be used on any type of meat, Turvey said, including seafood. He also recommends marinating the mushrooms in your favorite wine before grilling, as well as allowing your guests to assemble their kebabs themselves.

"The whole thing is making the shish kebabs with whatever you want -- that's the key to making a good shish kebab," he said.

Jen's Best Kebabs

11/4 pounds boneless sirloin, 11/2-inches thick

1/4 c. teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Tabasco pepper sauce

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

Optional: Green peppers, onions, mushrooms, shrimp, scallops, bacon ...

Cut meat into cubes. Blend teriyaki sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, garlic powder and Tabasco. Mix thoroughly and pour over meat. Marinade at least one hour, turning occasionally.

Arrange meat alternately on skewer with pineapple and other desired vegetables.

Grill until meat reaches desired doneness.

Want more? See all of the recipe entries online at Appetite, www.yakimaherald.com/blogs/appetite. Every entry was delicious, bringing unique blends of local ingredients, meats and vegetables to the table. Skewer up these recipes for your last grill of the summer, or simply use the marinades on your favorite cut of meat all year long.

Huge thanks to everyone who entered The Golden Skewer and to sponsor Washington Beef for supplying the excellent prizes.

* Savannah Tranchell can be reached at 509-577-7752 or stranchell@yakimaherald.com. Follow the Appetite blog on Twitter, @YHR_Appetite, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/yhrappetite.