The Puna 'Ulu Festival - Cooking Contest Recipe - BOS

Saturday, March 3rd seemed like it dawned raining everywhere on the island except at the Breadfruit Festival location at the Kua O Ka La New Century Charter School in P?'?la'a, on the Kapoho-Kalapana road in lower Puna.

Two lovely masked keiki enjoying the festival

 

Over 1,100 people showed up even though there was inclement weather where they started from and were surprised to find it overcast, but breezy and cool during the day...well, all but for about a 4 minute quick shower that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirit!

Live music, cooking and cultural demonstrations, a huge imu loaded with breadfruit, lots of ono food, face painting for the keiki and many more activities staged all around the school property,

U'i Pai and Kumu Auli'i Mitchell laden with gifts donated for the Cooking Contest Prizes.

 

The Breadfruit Cooking Contest which was open to the public featured three categories: Appetizer, Main Dish/Entrée and Dessert. Prizes were awarded for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rdplace in each of these categories and for Healthiest Choice and Best in Show.

Judges criteria for judging: Best Use of Breadfruit, Taste, Presentation, Originality and Healthy Ingredients.

The 1st Place Winner in the Dessert Category also took the overall Best of Show Award.

P?nana Cookies

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Mash steamed breadfruit using a crank processor, a potato masher or a brief pulse in a blender.  The resulting paste should be sticky and clumpy, like buttermilk frosting.

Put the macadamia nuts, coconut, salt and cardamom in a mixing bowl and fold in the breadfruit paste, much like mixing butter into a batter until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Either wipe a cookie sheet with macadamia oil or use a non-stick cookie sheet.  Take about one tablespoons of breadfruit batter and roll into a ball.  Form the dough into a nest with an impression on top for the jelly.  Wet hands can help form the well-structured nest.  Fill the sheet with the nests about 1 to 2 inches from each other.  Then add about 1/2 a teaspoon of jelly to each nest.  Liliko'i jelly is ono because of its bright, tart flavor, but any firm jam or jelly will work.

Put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and/or top.  Remove and cool on a rack.  Enjoy!

Notes: This recipe is easy, healthy (for a dessert), and can be sourced completely locally! Plus, it is vegan and gluten free!

Yield: about 24 cookies.

Entry by: Raven Hanna and Jeremy Lutes, Pahoa

 

 

 

 

Original article