Keep it simple, sweet soy-glazed pork!

Staying away from complicated dishes was one of the lessons Roger Gelis learned last year when the Opus chef took part in Bangor’s Ultimate Chef competition.

Gelis went on to win the contest, in which local chefs compete against each other by creating dishes using a secret ingredient.

This year, when he returned to defend his Ultimate Chef title, Gelis knew what he had to do.

“I wanted to keep it simple,” he said. “Go out on a limb on some things, but don’t go too far. There have been times where I’ve done that.”

Gelis’ menu for this year’s Ultimate Chef competition has worked, so far. Using goat cheese, the secret ingredient for the first round, he won the competition against Sea Dog chef Ian McCue, and will advance to the final round in September.

Gelis will find out next month who his opponent is for the finals. That will come down to a matchup between Douglass Winslow of the Lucerne Inn on May 12 and Ryan Campbell of the River Drivers Restaurant in Millinocket on May 19.

Now in its second year, the Ultimate Chef competition, which is coordinated by the Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau, pits local chefs against each other as each creates a four-course meal – an appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert – with one common ingredient incorporated into each course.

After each course, diners rate the meal based on originality, taste and presentation.

Last year’s secret ingredients included apples, maple syrup and blueberries.

Gelis and McCue each used goat cheese in very different ways during the Sea Dog-Opus round.

Gelis said he was most pleased with his first course, a creamy goat cheese mousse with a hint of chive, tucked into a parmesan tuile – like a lacy cheese cracker – because of the interplay of the two cheeses.

His second course was pizza, studded with figs and aged goat cheese and ribbons of caramelized onions. That was followed by a sweet soy-glazed pork loin with goat cheese risotto, paired with a few stalks of asparagus.

Dessert was a chevre cheesecake with an almond-ginger crust and candied orange garnish.

Goat cheese wasn’t the main attraction of each of Gelis’ dishes – the tender pizza crust was a standout in that dish, while the pork loin was the main component of the entree – but the secret ingredient complemented each course.

Gelis used four different kinds of goat cheese, including a Greek-style sheep and goat cheese for the pizza and a yogurtlike variety for the risotto.

McCue opened with a mixture of feta and chevre cheeses stuffed into endive leaves drizzled with a balsamic reduction. His second course was a goat cheese spinach salad with cucumbers, sunflower seeds, strawberries and a raspberry vinaigrette. The entree course was a goat cheese and caramelized onion ravioli with a craisin cream sauce garnished with toasted walnuts. Dessert was a chevre creme brulee.

Gelis said he tried a lot of different goat cheeses over the years while traveling in France.

“When I found out [the secret ingredient] was goat cheese, I was very happy,” he told the group after the chevre cheesecake had been cleared. “I feel extremely confident using it, even in a dessert.”

The cost of attending the two May 12 and May 19 dinners is $90 per person. The secret ingredient is revealed the night of the first dinner.

To attend the next round of Ultimate Chef dinners, contact the Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau at 947-5205, 1-800-91-MOOSE or go to www.visitbangormaine.com.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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