I was invited to participate as a judge in the cooking contest held this past Saturday as part of the Ka'u Coffee festivities in Pahala.
Most people have heard of Kona coffee....and except for the last few years, Ka'u coffee was not a major contender in the world of coffee. All that has been changing!
Ka'u, one of the largest ahupuaʻa (regions) of the Big Island of Hawai'i was known mostly for its vast dessert in the drier areas and sugar cane in the more fertile areas. All that changed when sugar cane was no longer a viable product and farmers in the area had to reinvent themselves to be able to support their families. Many turned to coffee growing and today, just barely 11 years after the first major plantings, Ka'u coffees have come into their own, placing within the top 10 in competitions and being recognized as serious contenders in the coffee world. Just recently in Houston, the Kailiawa Farm, one of the coffee growers in this southermost region of the island won the 'Coffee of the Year' award in the 2011 Specialty Coffee Association of Americaʻs (SCAA) annual international cupping competition with over 120 specialty coffee entries from 17 different coffee growing countries.
Lots of delicious food and coffee vendors; games, music and entertainment headlined by Cyril Pahinui; hula, pageantry, a cooking contest; coffee cuppings, tours of coffee farms and the 'Ka'u Coffee College', which will be open to the public on Sunday.
I was bowled over by the many entries in both the sweet and savory categories of the food. All entries were required to use coffee and encouraged to use as many other local products as possible.
Each first place winner took home $100. Second & thrid places received prizes of gift certificates. The highest scoring recipe, Strawberry Mocha Trifle entered by Crystal McIntosh, won the Best Taste of Ka'u with a cash prize of $250! Find the recipe and photo below.
Contest entry categories:
Dessert I: Cakes, cookies, and pies
Dessert II: Drinks, candies, other desserts
Main course/Entrée
Smoke meat, pupu/appetizers, savory snacks
Contest entry divisions:
Professional (working chefs, culinary teachers or post-secondary students of the culinary arts)
Amateur (adults who simply enjoy cooking at home and cook for their own enjoyment and for the satisfaction of their family and friends)
Student (High School and Middle School students who enjoy cooking for their own enjoyment and for the satisfaction of their family and friends)
Strawberry Mocha Trifle
Brownies:
1 cup butter, melted
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa
1 1/3 c. flour
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. white chocolate chips
Ka’u macadamia nuts chopped
½ tsp baking poweder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. Ka’u coffee
Hershey’s syrup
1 pint whipping cream
6 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
5 c. strawberries soaked in 2 c. melted strawberry jam
Garnishes:
1 Ka’u Strawberry
2 chocolate leaves (1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips melted + 2 Ka’u lemon leaves, clean)
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 13X9 pan. Stire butter and sugar until blended. Beat in eggs, then vanilla, until well blended. Stir in cocoa, mixing well. Sift flour, baking powder & salt into small bowls; stir together. Add flour mixture to chocolate batter, mixing until smooth. Sir in semi-sweet & white chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 25-30 minutes or until firm. Cool, then cut into 1 inch cubes. Place half of brownie cubes on bottom of large glass bowl. Bruch with coffee, then drizzle with Hershy’s syrup. Layer ½ of strawberries using slotted spoon. Then ½ of whipped cream. Repeat layers, garnish with strawberry & chocolate leaves.
Whipped Cream – beat whipping cream & sugar in chilled bowl until stiff, add vanilla in last minute of beating.
Chocolate leaves – brush melted chocolate onto 1 side of clean leaves until covered. Freeze overnight or until firm. Peel off lemon leaves.
Congratulations to the organizers of the festival and all of the participants for a well-run and fun event! Mahalo nui for inviting me to be a part of it!
I had so many photos and am sorry I had to narrow them to just the above.....!
