The contest: 7 amateur chefs in a culinary creativity match.

The challenge: Use four out of six given ingredients to create a new recipe that our readers will love. The dish that garners the most compliments wins!

The ingredients: pear, puff pastry, potato, almonds, wine & mushrooms

The contestants:

Well, we’ve got quite a line-up here. First, there is Mrs. Anna Kest. An artist by nature and profession, Mrs. Kest cooks with a passion that fits her energetic personality. “I see ingredients in the store and think, This is my palette! I put together ingredients that go well together — both visually and by flavor.”

Second, we have Rivki Reichmann, whose creative and colorful creations have graced the pages of Kosher Scoop, and who brings her crafting flair right into her kitchen.

Like Rivki, Sefi Uhr and Rena Weiss have contributed their own artistic flair to KI, and beyond. Whatever project or event they each prepare, it always has that special touch. As we can see from their mouthwatering contributions, their talents include food preparation, too.

Shani Malka, a regular columnist in Kosher Scoop, has been sharing her culinary expertise for years through her popular cooking classes. We knew we could count on her for a professional and delicious recipe.

And then, of course, there is Faigy Grossmann, whose cookie decorating and baking talents are legendary. Both professionally and at home, her work with food speaks for itself.

Last, but not least, is Dina Gunsberg. Dina confided in me that she never, ever, uses recipes. She has a knack for blending flavors and textures of foods, and it certainly shows in her Dinner with Dina column in KI. When she told me that she makes up recipes as she cooks, I knew she would be the perfect contestant in this exciting recipe-a-thon.

The results: All of our contestants were up for a challenge, and excited to join in the fun. We only had to nudge them a tiny bit to send in their recipes by the deadline. It was remarkable to see how each of our participants took their individual spin on the nature and potential of the ingredients given. The result was a wide range of flavor and possibility that simply amazes.

So … which recipe do YOU like best?

Beef Medallion Pear Tarts

Chicken Wellingons

Puff Pastry Shepherd's Pie

Pearfectly Yummy Pears

Salmon With Vegetables in Puff Pastry Dough

Pear Tarts with Almond Cream

Flounder with Pears, Almonds, and Peppers

This article and its accompanying recipes were featured in Kosher Scoop Issue 7, December 2011. Kosher Scoop is a project of Mishpacha Magazine.