The BOP’s Plates of Plenty Challenge saw chefs from all over the region competing for the best dish. Here, some of the competitors – including the winners – share their divine recipes. Enjoy!

Cadera’s Blue Cheese Jalapeño Poppers

Mount Eliza Blue Cheese Popper in a Mount Brewing Co. High Line Hazy Pale Ale batter with Nana Dunn + Co curried onion chutney.

Makes 25 pieces

INGREDIENTS

Whole marinated jalapenos – we use La Morena

350g cream cheese

150g Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese

1 can Mount Brewing Co.

Hazy Pale Ale beer

1½ cups self-raising flour

Nana Dunn + Co’s Curried Onion Chutney to serve

METHOD

• Slice the jalapenos lengthways making sure not to cut the whole way through. Remove all the seeds.

• Combine cream cheese and blue cheese.

• Using a piping bag, fill the poppers with the cheese mixture being careful not to overfill
  - about three-quarters full.

• Mix beer and flour until smooth in texture.

• Dip the stuffed jalapeno into the batter to fully coat it and transfer straight into the deep fryer or oil at ideally 180°C.

• Cook until golden brown.

• Serve with the curried onion chutney.

Pearl Kitchen’s Pie & Beer

Smoked fish pie with blue cheese potato, curried onion chutney and smoked fish gravy, served with a beer.

Makes 10-12 pies.

INGREDIENTS

Blue cheese sauce

25g butter

1 tbsp plain flour

150ml milk

50g Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese, chopped or crumbled

Fish pie mix

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 carrot, chopped/diced small

250ml cream

1 tsp Dijon mustard

100ml of Mount Brewing Co. low carb ale

Olive oil for frying

1 small handful of flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped

500g-650g smoked kahawai, cut into biggish chunks

Pastry + egg wash

750g frozen puff pastry

2 egg yolks

15ml milk

Charred pearl onions

100g pickling onions

50ml sherry vinegar

METHOD

Blue cheese sauce

• Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, then stir in the flour and let cook for 1 min or so. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and all the milk has been added.

• Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir in the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted, and the sauce has thickened slightly, then season to taste.

Fish pie mix

• In a pan, fry the onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes in the olive oil then add the ale, cream and bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and Dijon and stir to wilt.

• Add your chunks of smoked kahawai to the mix at the end as it's already been smoked.

Pastry + egg wash

• Cut your puff pastry into small circles or desired shape. Brush egg wash onto the bottom and add your fish pie mixture into the centre of the pastry leaving enough room at the sides so you can add another layer of pastry on top and can seal the sides. I used a fork on the edges to make sure the pastry was pushed down and sealed properly.

• Before baking, egg wash the top of the pastry. Bake at 175°C for 15 minutes.

Charred pearl onions

• Boil onions with skin on in vegetable stock or water until onions become soft.

• Let them cool down completely and cut them in half.

• Get a smoking-hot pan with a little olive oil and place the onions cut side down for about 30 seconds. The onion should start to char and go black — this is when you can add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan and the onions will soak up all that flavour.

• When the onions have cooled down, you can take out the middle heart of the onion (we will use this in the chutney) and start to take out the onions’ petals. They should be charred on the outside.

The Trading Post’s Agnolotti del Plin

A handmade pasta in a typical Piemontese shape, filled with Mount Eliza Blue Monkey cheese in a Noble & Sunday Earl Grey-infused butter sauce with Mama Kali's Farm microgreens.

Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

Pasta

350g flour

150g semolina

200g eggs

100g egg yolk

8g cocoa powder

Filling

300g Mount Eliza

Blue Monkey cheese

150g cream

1 egg white

Pinch of salt

Sauce

50g butter

Pinch of Noble & Sunday

Earl Grey tea

Fresh Mama Kali’s Farm microgreens

METHOD

Pasta

• In a bowl or on the table, place the dry ingredients, then in the centre place the eggs and yolk and knead to a smooth dough texture. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.

Filling

• Blitz in a food processor the cheese and cream quickly then add egg white until smooth and thin but not whipped. Place in a piping bag and refrigerate until use.

Pasta continued

• With the help of a pasta machine or rolling pin, laminate the pasta dough close to 1mm thickness and cut in long strips.

• Then pipe a small amount of filling along the longer side on the pasta strip (you want the filling to be one finger apart from one another).

• Proceed to fold the pasta over itself and pinch the pasta with your index and thumb between the filling – squeezing a touch towards the centre of the filling.

• With the use of a zig-zag cutter, cut between the pinched pasta and the “plin” will look like little lollies. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes.

• Remove and toss in a pan with butter and a pinch of Earl Grey to emulsify the sauce.

• Add cooking water a little bit at a time and continue tossing to avoid the pasta getting stuck to the pan. This also gives a velvety look to the sauce.

• Plate and garnish with microgreens and add grated cheese as per your liking.

But First Dessert’s Biscoff Cheesecake

If you haven't tried Biscoff yet – this is your sign to run to your nearest supermarket, grab some Biscoff and whip up this delicious cheesecake.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

Base

240g Biscoff biscuits

80g butter

Cheesecake

450g cream cheese

200g Biscoff spread

250g cream

Topping

200g white chocolate

50g Biscoff spread

100g cream

METHOD

• Line a 20cm x 20cm cake tin (or individual cake rings like we use) with baking paper.

• Crush 240g Biscoff biscuits in a bowl, pour melted butter in and mix together well.

• Press into the bottom of the cake tin, place in the freezer to set and begin to prepare the cheesecake mix.

• Add cream cheese, cream, and Biscoff spread into a bowl. Whisk until nice and thick. Spoon this on top of the biscuit base and use a spatula/spoon to make sure it's nice and smooth for the ganache topping.

• Pop the cheesecake into the fridge for at least 3 hours to set before adding the ganache topping.

• Put the white chocolate and Biscoff in a bowl and set aside. Heat cream in a pot, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn't burn. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and Biscoff. Whisk until nice and smooth. Gently spread the ganache over the cheesecake.

• If you have any remaining cream or crushed biscuits, whip the cream and pipe swirls on top of the cheesecake (if you have piping bags/nozzles) or sprinkle over the crushed biscuits.

• Pop the cheesecake into the fridge for at least another hour or two before slicing.