Bright Hills Cooks Guild sponsors "Trial by Fire"

If you were not able to attend or decided just to take a day off you missed a really fun event with great food at the end.

And I'll let the Guild Mistress, Dame Olwen the Odd, and the Cooks Guild tell you about the winners. (hehehe, I know I'm sneaky)

Sounds like a regular SCA event?
Nope, it's better!

Trial by Fire is the annual cooking competition sponsored by the Bright Hills Cooks Guild but YOU DO NOT have to be a Cooks Guild member to participate. It's an unofficial event and this year was #12!

Don't want to cook?
Then you can come, watch, and be one of the Gallery!

The Goal is to cook a period recipe, that serves 8 people, under Pennsic conditions. You may use any equipment you use at Pennsic to prepare a meal-

Coleman Stoves
Korean Stoves
Fire Rings
Charcole Grills
Ceramic Brassier's etc. etc.

Documentation is required and you get 2 hours to set up and then four hours to prepare, cook and plate your dish.

The catagories for entires were-
Best Grain
Best Meat
Best Vegetable
Best Dessert
Grand Champion

This year there were 14 dishes prepared across all four of the catagories.

Some of the ingredients used this year included chicken, beef, lamb, rabbit, rice, turnip greens, cabbage, miso soup, bananas, dates, currents, raisins, pistachios, honey, homemade sausage, pomegranate juice, yogurt, to name a few.

Food was boiled, braised, simmered and steamed. All was delicious and went to prove you don't have to eat out of a can to eat well at Pennsic.

I encourage folks to try their hand at this competition next year. It's open to all of any age. You can enter any or all of the catagories and the Cooks Guild offers prizes to the winners!

I plan on entering next year. No more sitting in the gallery for me!