masterchefonfox:

Submitted to MasterChef by sayattheexplorer

My desire to highlight all the ingredients was really stumped by the mystery box at first. I had extremely pungent  ingredients such as balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, blue cheese, mustard, and Kosher dill pickles. Bringing these flavors out to the same plate and have them not fight each other is no easy task. Drunk Quebecois food and a refreshing Thai salad to balance the weight of the blue cheese gravy made so much sense! I went all out and got intoxicated to test the recipes!

Larb with an international profile

Instead of the traditional fermented fish and lime elements, I used soy sauce, mustard, pickles, and balsamic vinegar. Rice, beef, nuts and the overall flavor profile remain true to the traditional dish that is both Laotian and Northern Thai. Bright and deep in umami, satisfying and flavorful! 

Poutine with blue cheese

Poutine is a specialty of Quebec, typically served as fries with cheese curds and brown gravy. I used blue cheese curds, soy sauce, and beef broth to make mine. It was not surprisingly phenomenal when sober and divine when intoxicated. 

Go to my blog for the detailed instructions to execute this great plate — bon appetit, have fun and stay tuned for the next challenge!