Chopped Challenge #3 - Sweet and Savory

This round of our Lower Kitchen: Chopped Challenge had us revisiting flavors of fall!  Our ingredients this time were pumpkin, eggs (as a distinct component, not merely a binder), nut butter, and chia seeds.  

As we had two weeks, and I couldn’t decide on sweet or savory, I decided to shoot for one of each!  However, as brilliant as my sweet idea was, the particular recipe I used was rather lacking, so I’m not going to share it here. 

I will, of course, share a picture:

One of the things I thought would be a great use for eggs is a meringue, which then leads me to think of Eton Mess.  So I decided to make it out of a chia seed pumpkin mousse, pumpkin spice meringue cookies, and whipped cream swirled through with amlou.  However.... It’s summer in Massachusetts.  That means it’s humid.  Which means that the meringues did not remain crisp and dry, but rather became soft within a matter of hours.  Also, the pumpkin chia seed mousse needs a lot of tinkering.  It worked in so far that the chia seeds set it up appropriately, but the flavor left a lot to be desired.  So perhaps I will revisit this one in the fall!
As for my savory submission, it was a huge success!  I tinkered with a savory waffle recipe to make them pumpkin, and then topped it with chicken sausage, instant pot poached eggs, and a maple sunbutter dressing that uses chia seeds to thicken it.  I will definitely be making this one again!


Savory Pumkin Waffle BreakfastWaffle Ingredients

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or whole milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar, let sit for five minutes)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  
• 1 whole egg
  
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
  
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, and Provolone cheese blend
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage

Maple Sunbutter Chia Seed Dressing

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  
• 2 tablespoons sunflower nut butter
  
• 1/4 cup water
  
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  

• 2 chicken sausages
  
• 4 eggs

1. Preheat your waffle iron.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and pumpkin, whisking until well combined.
   
2. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until just combined.  Stir in the cheese and sage.  
   
3. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions until crispy.
   
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside to allow to thicken.
   
5. To poach eggs, put one cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot and place a trivet in the bottom.  Spray four cavities of the silicone egg tray and then fill with the four eggs.  Place on the trivet, place the lid on, and pressure cook on high for four minutes.  Use a quick release.
   
6. To finish, heat the chicken sausage.  Place two waffles on a plate and top them with sausage and two eggs.  Drizzle with dressing.
   
7. Enjoy!