Dish Of The Year, Dreamy Delights

Desserts were the stars of the Richmond Dish of the Year competition, sponsored by the Central Virginia March of Dimes. Held in conjunction with the March of Dimes' 13th Annual Gourmet Chefs Auction on Nov. 16, the Dish of the Year contest drew a field of 19 sweet entries. Judges included David Barrish, director of the school of culinary arts, tourism and hospitality at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; Tanya Cauthen, culinary director of Virginia Gourmet and a contributor to Richmond magazine; and chef Robert Hayes of Hermitage Country Club.

The first-place winner was chef Christine Wansleben's Five Spice Tea Cake with Coriander Cream and Candied Fennel. Judges said the dessert was a "Zen-like fusion of flavors. It was the kind of dessert you could eat from start to finish without being overwhelmed by a single element." Wansleben added and subtracted from a Gale Gand tea-cake recipe and dreamed up the candied fennel and spiced cream accompaniments. "The coriander, with its orange scent, provides a nice balance of flavor with the tea cake," says Wansleben. "And rarely does anyone use fennel as a sweet."