Amateur Mushroom Soup Cook-Off

Recipes being accepted for 2012 Amateur Mushroom Soup Cook-Off

Saturday, September 8, 10 am in the Special Events Tent

Deadline to enter: July 30, 2012

PRIZES:
1st Prize – $500 & Plaque
2nd Prize – Plaque
3rd Prize – Plaque

COMPLETE CONTEST RULES

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all amateur cooks, twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who are residents of the United States, except members of The Mushroom Festival Committee and their immediate families, agencies and consultants of The Mushroom Festival and their immediate families.

DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked or FAX-dated by July 30, 2012. Receipt of entries will not be acknowledged.

RECIPE ENTRIES:

Must be an original recipe.
Must contain at least 4 ounces fresh mushrooms per 8-ounce serving
May contain any variety or combination of varieties of fresh mushrooms cultivated in theUnited States.
Mushrooms must be the dominant ingredient. Meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables may be used to flavor the soup, but cannot dominate or overshadow the main ingredient—mushrooms. Any stock can be used.
Must contain no more than 12 ingredients (including water, salt and pepper). Ingredients must be readily available.
Must take no longer than 1 hour to prepare, including cooking time.

JUDGING:

Recipes will be judged on originality, taste, appearance and ease of preparation.
All entries will be screened and taste-tested by an expert panel, to select the cook-off finalists.
Cook-off finalists will be notified by August 24, 2012. Non-finalists will not be notified.
In the event that a selected finalist is unable to enter the cook-off, another finalist will be selected in his/her place. You may not have someone else prepare your recipe.
The cook-off will be held at The Mushroom Festival(date and time still to be determined) where finalists will prepare their soup from start to finish.
The Mushroom Festival will supply a double burner heating unit and a worktable for each contestant. The contestants must bring all ingredients for at least 4 servings, preparation and cooking utensils as well as the dish for presenting the soup to the judges.
Final judging will be conducted by a panel of town officials, culinary professionals and Mushroom Festival Committee members. Panel of judges will not know the names of the finalists until the judging is completed.
The winners will be announced immediately following the judging.

HOW TO ENTER:

All recipes must be clearly printed or typed on a separate sheet of paper.
Only one (1) recipe may be submitted per person, so send in your best!
- List each ingredient in order of use with the amount needed and clear directions for preparing the soup.
- Write your name, address, and phone number at the top of the recipe you enter.

Return the application and recipe by mail, email or fax.

Mail application and entries to: Mushroom Soup Cook-Off Contest, c/o The Mushroom Festival, P.O. Box 1000, KennettSquare,PA19348

Email application and entries to: themushroomfestival@gmail.com (place Amateur Soup Contest in the subject line. A typed name in the signature box indicates you understand and accept the rules of the contest.

Fax entries to: 610-925-3374

REGULATIONS:

The Mushroom Festival is not responsible for late, lost, damaged or misdirected mail or faxes or illegible entries.
Liability for applicable federal, state or other taxes will be the sole responsibility of the individual winners.
Contestants are responsible for all travel expenses to and from the contest.
Only one prize will be given to an entrant.
This contest is void where prohibited by law and is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Entries become the property of The Mushroom Festival, Inc. and cannot be returned.
By entering the contest, all participants consent to the commercial use of their name, picture and recipe without additional compensation.
Contestants agree to be bound to these official rules and the decisions of the judges.

Download the 2012 Amatuer Mushroom Soup Cook-off Contest Rules

Download the 2012 Amateur Mushroom Soup Cook-Off Application

2011 Amateur Mushroom Soup Cook-Off Results

Chianti Crimini Mushroom Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini, by Katie Hagerty of Garnet Valley, Pa.

The results of the 2011 Mushroom Soup Amateur Cook-off are:
First place: Chianti Crimini Mushroom Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini by Katie Hagerty of Garnet Valley, Pa.
Second place: Big Sam’s Italian Mushroom Soup, by Samuel Onizuk, of Elkton, Md.
Third Place: Harvest Pumpkin Soup by Becky Caruso of Potomac Falls,Va.

Other Finalists included:

Fresh Mushroom-Caprese Soup, by Michelle Christensen, of State College, Pa.
Rustic Mushroom and Shallot Soup, by Barbara Ruhmann, of Townsend, Del.
Mushrooom and Swiss burger Bliss Soup, by Tina Verrelli, of Devon, PA.

2011 Mushroom Soup Cook-off Winning Recipe

Chianti Crimini Mushroom Soup with Blue Cheese Crostini

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
24 oz. Sliced Crimini Mushrooms
1 Leek, white end, sliced crosswise
4T Olive oil
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2T (divided) Blue Cheese, crumbled
1/2 Cup Chianti (red wine)
48 oz. Beef Broth
1T Rosemary, fresh, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper—to taste
French Bread, sliced about ½-inch thick

Directions:
Rinse Mushrooms in cool water to clean, slice thinly. Rinse Leeks in cool water clean, cut off white end and slice crosswise.

Over medium heat in large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic, sauté 1 minute. Add shallots sauté about 2- 3 minutes. When garlic begins to brown, add leeks and mushrooms, slightly reduce heat. Sauté another 8-10 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat back to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the crumbled blue cheese and let melt, about 1 minute. Add the Chianti wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beef broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, add ½ tablespoon of the rosemary, and let cook for about 15 -20 minutes.

While soup is cooking, preheat oven or toaster oven to 425-degrees F and slice the French bead. Mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon of blue cheese and ½ tablespoon of rosemary. Brush the sliced bread with a light layer of olive oil and top with the blue cheese rosemary mixture. Bake the bread for 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown.

Add salt and pepper to the soup. Cook over low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Pour into bowl and place blue cheese crostini on top. Garnish with fresh rosemary if desired.