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Local cooks whip up tasty pastries at April meet

Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic (CASA) members continuously strive to exceed even their own previous tasty dishes as they engage in friendly battle during the group’s monthly competitions. Each month members choose between the selected main dish and the chosen dessert category and then hope to add a first place to their annual score. 

Three first-place nods in a calendar year earn the local cooks a coveted Bing award. This lovely faceted glass trophy is named for early CASA member, Bing Horn, who was married to Adolph Horn, the founder of Mexico’s ice cream chains Bing and Dolphy. 

During the fourth meeting of 2015 on Monday, April 20, Leslie Yanko and Monica Malloy each qualified for CASA’s highest honor. To qualify, each took first place in opposing categories in the January, February and April competition. Yanko qualified for a 2015 Bing in the filled pastry category. Her profiteroles also received membership raves and the people’s choice award. 

Malloy qualified for her tenth Bing with a top win in the April fish or seafood category with smoked shrimp cakes with poblano relish. 

Also placing in the fish or seafood main dish were Margaret Ancira’s second place shrimp paesano which also took the people’s choice prize and Catherine Suter’s third place red snapper Veracruz which won the presentation vote. 

In the filled pastries category, second place and the presentation award went to Kinna Bilavam’s pumpkin roll with coconut. Marina Benz took third with cinnamon rolls.

During the Monday, March 16 meeting, members placing in the Indian Main Dish were first, Catherine Suter, chicken dhansak with naan; second and presentation, Molloy, maharaja lamb in spinach sauce and third place and people’s choice, Carole Wolff, butter chicken. 

Puddings and mousses took the March spotlight with first place going to Mary Ann Waite’s white chocolate mousse with Frangelica. Monique Grossman took second place and best presentation with her apple craison bread pudding with caramel sauce and whipped cream, while Jeanne Tulloch’s coffee mousse won the third place nod. Yanko’s lemon curd with berries took the people’s choice win in the dessert category. 

The next meeting of CASA will be held on Monday, May 18, 4 p.m. at Min Wah Restaurant. For more information email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the CASA website at ajijiccasa.org.