Taste Test (32 page)

Authors: Kelly Fiore

To roast corn and potato shreds:

Cut corn off the cob (2 cobs for 1 cup of kernels.) Shred one russet potato lengthwise. Arrange corn and potato shreds on
a well-greased sheet pan. Roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until potato shreds are brown and crispy. Remove shreds and continue roasting corn for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until they just begin to turn brown. Remove and let cool before adding to bisque.

Christian Van Lorton’s Sea Bass with Beets and Fennel

1 bunch beets, peeled and quartered

2 fennel bulbs, chunked

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 cloves garlic, sliced

¾ cup dry white wine

½ cup fresh orange juice

6 pieces orange peel, each ½ inch

6 sea bass fillets, each approximately 7 ounces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss beets and fennel with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven for 20 minutes. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons oil. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, orange juice, and orange peel, heat to boiling, and boil 1 minute. Remove beets and fennel from oven and add them to the wine mixture; simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Season fish with salt and pepper. Drizzle fish with 3 tablespoons of oil. Roast at 400 degrees until fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from oven. Spoon the beet and fennel mixture onto a serving plate; place fish on top and drizzle with oil. Serves 6 to 8 people.

Kelsey Dison’s Spicy Fajita Casserole

8 flour or corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

vegetable oil or cooking spray

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

salt and ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, or steak

4 tablespoons oil, divided

1 cup light beer

2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

2 red onions, thinly sliced

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated zest and juice of 1 lime

¼ cup cilantro or flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole, to garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a baking sheet, toss tortilla strips with some oil or spray with cooking spray and bake in oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn halfway through the cooking time so they get brown on all sides.

In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder,
cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper. Toss chicken with the spice mixture and set meat aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the meat to the pan and sear until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beer to the pan and cook to reduce, 3 to 4 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, place a second large skillet over high heat with 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan, and cook until brown around the edges and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper to the pan, toss to combine and reserve.

When everything is ready, toss the meat, peppers, and onions, and toasted tortilla strips together in a casserole dish. Top with the cheese and melt under the broiler. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Christian Van Lorton’s Southern Fried Steak with Red Pepper Relish

1 large roasted red bell pepper, fresh or jarred

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1½ teaspoons, hot-pepper sauce, divided

1¾ teaspoons salt, divided

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

2 to 3 tablespoons green onions, chopped

4 (½ pound) beef cube steaks

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon black pepper

1½ cups buttermilk

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable shortening, for deep frying

4 cups milk

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Relish:

Peel, seed, and chop red pepper. In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, maple syrup, ½ teaspoon hot-pepper sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the chopped red pepper, thawed corn, and green onions. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. Let relish stand at room temperature before serving.

Steaks:

Pound the steaks to about ¼-inch thickness. Place 2 cups flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and ¾ teaspoon salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, 1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour. Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible. Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer. Cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Nora Henderson’s Blackened Mahimahi with Mango Butter

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons paprika

3 teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons finely ground pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper

1½ teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

1½ teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled

4 mahimahi filets

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, plus ⅔ cup butter, melted, divided

2 ripe mangos

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl.

Slice filets to desired thickness, rinse, and dry with paper towels. Put one filet at a time on a dry plate, cover with the spice mixture, and gently rub it into filet. Have a cup of flour on another dry plate and roll filet until covered. Continue until whole fish is complete. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Place 2 or 3 filets in pan and cook each side for 3 minutes or until dark brown/black.

Peel outside of mango and slice flesh away from the pit
and core. Chop fruit into ½-inch pieces. Put a small amount of butter in a small skillet and sauté mango until very soft. Put softened mango in a blender with butter, cayenne, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Serve on a warm platter with sauce on the side.

Acknowledgments

Preheat

Before I met fiction, I fell hard for poetry. I was blessed with amazing teachers: Michael Waters, who taught me everything I know about the importance of words and the tightness of good prose; Jim Harms, whose use and love of narrative showed me how to condense a lifetime in less than a page; and Mary Ann Samyn, who introduced me to different forms and structures—who essentially opened my mind to styles other than my own. I’m also indebted to the Mid Atlantic Arts Council and the Maryland State Arts Council, whose Individual Artist Award grants were blessings that allowed me to travel, think, write, and get here.

Combine

Some higher,
Glee
-loving, hair-metal power brought me my agent, Hannah Brown Gordon. She is my Cheerio. She is
my CC Deville. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for her faith in me and my writing and for her encouragement and dedication to making this happen.

Champion is a noun and a verb—it applies in all ways when talking about my editor, Mary Kate Castellani. Her close reads and thoughtful edits took this book to places that made it far better than its former self. I’m indebted.

Serve

I’m incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by people who love me, even when I bury myself in an isolated writing world and don’t come out for days. My parents, Ann and Dale Edgeington, are the epitome of supportive, and I’m extremely lucky to get to call them Mom and Dad. Throughout this process, Katie Wheeler has been my cheerleader, my sounding board, and my dearest friend. I also need to say a big THANK-YOU to Carly Keane, Lauren Martin, Ali Lazorchak, Ryan Edgeington, the MFA/English Department at West Virginia University, the English Department at Salisbury University, Ken Robidoux and the staff of Connotation Press, and the students and staff of Frederick High School. I’m also extremely grateful for the websites and associations that are so supportive of YA writers like me, especially SCBWI, YALitChat, and YA Highway. Also, a special thank-you to the Sands family, whose daughter, Nora, unwittingly lent me her name for this book.

Most of all, I owe everything to my boys, who gave me room to breathe and time to write, who spent so many evenings and weekends wifeless and mommyless so that I could dream my dreams. Matt, you’ve been there for everything the
vows promise and then some. You’ve made me the luckiest girl in the world. And Max, you’ve taught me all the most important lessons about love. My writing, my world, my life, is better because of you.

All rights reserved.
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published in the United States of America in August 2013
by Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
E-book edition published in August 2013
www.bloomsbury.com

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Walker BFYR, 1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018. Bloomsbury books may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at [email protected]

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fiore, Kelly.
Taste test / Kelly Fiore.
pages cm
Summary: While attending a Connecticut culinary academy, North Carolina high schooler
Nora suspects someone of sabotaging the academy’s televised cooking competition.
[1. Cooking—Fiction. 2. Contests—Fiction. 3. Reality television programs—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.F49869Tas 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012027331

ISBN: 978-0-8027-3475-4 (e-book)

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