Test Kitchen : gourmet.com

Every month we’re giving two cooks in the Gourmet Test Kitchen an ingredient and asking them to create two dishes each—one savory and one sweet. You vote to determine who wins.

For our second challenge, Paul Grimes faced stiff competition from test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau in our MUSTARD challenge. It was close, but Paul walked away the victor with his savory ice cream main and pretzel-inspired dessert.

When it comes to artistic flair, French-trained, former freelance food stylist, Paul Grimes, is Gourmet’s go-to man.

So how, exactly, do you get to a place where Dijon-mustard ice cream on gravlaks seems like a delicious, logical—some might say inevitable—idea for a first course?

mustard caramel crunchies with chocolate glaze

Mustard has a tart, acidic quality that can go in many different directions, as can Paul Grimes’s passion for chasing salt with sweet.

Is there anything in the world of food Ruth hasn’t done? Over the last 25 years, she’s developed hundreds of recipes, owned a restaurant, and even spent time selling crepes at a farmers’ market. No, she hasn’t eaten yak meat in Outer Mongolia—but she’s sure she could make it taste great.

Slathering mustard on chicken is one easy way to a juicy, flavorful bird.

When test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau put mustard in her spice rack, so to speak, alongside cinnamon and ginger, a whole new world opened up, especially when the former Vermonter turned to a longtime favorite: molasses cookies.

In this first challenge, Maggie Ruggiero clinched the title despite stiff competition from Ian Knauer.

Check out their recipes below:

Maggie’s SAVORY Dish: Avocado and Chile-Spiced Fried Eggs on Shrimp Toast
Maggie’s SWEET Dish: Avocado Marshmallows
Ian’s SAVORY Dish: Guacamole “Pasta”
Ian’s SWEET Dish: Avocado Crème Brûlée