Six Finalists away from a Winner!

The 2011 Preliminary Legendary Lentil Cook-Off was a success. Our wonderful volunteers prepared 50 lentil dishes to be tasted and scored by a panel of 25 judges. The top 6 finalists are in no particular order:

• Mango Lentil Chili submitted by Cindie Hards of Jupiter, Florida
• Caramel Lentil Brownies Sprinkled with Sea Salt submitted by Joni Hilton of Rocklin, CA
• Bangali Dal submitted by Nipa Reza and Saeed Alam of Dielsdorf, Switzerland
• Mediterranean Summer Lentil Salad submitted by Elizabeth Koseyan of North Hills, CA
• Magical Mayan Salad submitted by Jane Bacher of Robertsdale, Alabama
• Easy Campfire "Can Do" Lentil Chili submitted by Mary Louise Lever of Rome, Georgia

The competition was fierce, the judges took it seriously. Even our "I Hate Lentils!" judge, Bill Weed, was convinced that lentil dishes could be palatable. His choice for disguising the little legume was Lentil Love Sticky Toffee Pudding submitted by Helen Fields of Springtown, Texas.
Although he admits with enough chocolate, any lentil can be effectively hidden!

400 tastings of the top six recipes will be prepared and served to festival goers on August 20th. A grand prize of $1000 will be given to the favorite. Best wishes to all!