Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante
#10
  Re: (...)
Did any of you watch Iron Chef? Chef Zakarian vs. Chef Shea Gallante of N.Y. – this show we had taped and just watched last Saturday and what a show it was. I spent the hour madly writing down ideas to try and then had to watch a 2nd time to make more notes.

Some of the highlights –
Pasta strands tossed with a pesto-like sauce wrapped around Burrata cheese which had been drizzled with a little balsamic. The bundle was served with a garnish of caviar.
[Image: PastaBurrataCaviar.jpg]

5 Lobster Ravioli – a square of pasta filled with 5 fillings but not cut individually – it is cooked as one large – dipped quickly in boiling water, then into a skillet with hot oil. Served drizzled with a light lobster jus and a herb oil. I might try it with crab….
[Image: 5Ravioliwlobster2.jpg]

Eggplant pasta – thin rolls of pasta with eggplant (thinly sliced on mandolin) pressed in between layers, cut pappardelle-style and serve with fried sweet breads and a sauce Amatriciana. The picture didn’t turn out.

And, finally dessert - deep fried Gnocchi – dipped in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with chocolate & caramel sauce.
[Image: DeepFriedgnocchiwcinnsugar3.jpg]

[Image: DeepFriedgnocchiwcinnsugar2.jpg]

Shrimp Confit – So simple, so rich, so good!! This was the only dish of Chef Zakarian’s that I was really interested in. I made this yesterday. Infused rosemary into duck fat and confitted the shrimp for 2 hours at 225°F. Because it is so rich, I’m, going to serve it with a Cannellini salad and lemon zest. Fingers crossed.
[Image: ShrimpConfitOct142014.jpg]

I'm going to do the shrimp again with rosemary infused olive oil - the duck fat kind of overwhelmed, but still tasty!!

I can’t play with all of these at one time – wow, too much rich food. But, I’m sure anxious to do them!!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#11
  Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by cjs (Did any of you watch...)
Interesting dishes there---RICH??? YUMMY!!!

I have watched a few episodes of Iron Chef this past week or so---caught it by chance on the Food Network (a recent addition to our "bouquet" of channels.

I have a silly question---the challenger comes in and then chooses an Iron Chef--(how did the iron chef become an iron chef other than previous competitions?? I am assuming here)

The challenge is to make a 5 course meal with a secret ingredient in one hour.....MY QUESTION---do the chefs and sous chefs have time once they know the secret ingredient to create a menu?? The pantry must be pretty awesome if off the cuff, so to speak. There must be some time lapse for the recipes to come to fruition (following a bit of time to get thoughts and planning together?)---pretty amazing stuff.

Just curious---can't be as simple as it looks as far as getting everything thought out, planned and presented--
"Never eat more than you can lift" Miss Piggy
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#12
  Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by cjs (Did any of you watch...)
Jean we watched that one - Jeff (our new adopted son) was here to watch with us. We were amazed at some of the dishes. The ravioli - the pasta with the burrata - OMG. I think Jeff wants me to make everything. LOL
You only live once . . . but if you do it right once should be enough!
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#13
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by Harborwitch (Jean we watched that...)
Well, then get over here, Sharon!!

Roxanne, I've read that the chefs have a few clues ahead of time, but don't know for sure what the secret ingredient will be. (At least I hope that was a true statement!)
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#14
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by cjs (Well, then get over ...)
Roxanne, they are told about three possible ingredients and get to practice several times with each, then they are told, later, which is the actual ingredient for the battle.

I don't know whether the producers give them three and THEN make the decision or whether the producers have already made the decision and tell the contestants three just to keep them guessing.

Here's what Takashi Yagihashi said about his experience (had to copy and paste it from Plate Online so the people who aren't members there could read it):
Quote:

What it's Like

To compete on Iron Chef

When I would watch Iron Chef, I always wondered what I would do if somebody from The Food Network ever asked me to be on it. Or I would imagine what I would do if I were inside the kitchen stadium. I happened to be thinking about it one day, and the next day, they called me. It sounded cool, and I wanted to do it. A similar thing happened to me in 2000: I remember wondering what it would be like to be a Food & Wine Best New Chef, and how much fun it would be to go to Aspen. The next day, Dana Cowin called me and told me I won. I think I might have ESP.

When The Food Network called me about Iron Chef, I jumped at the chance, but I’ve always had mixed feelings, because I don’t think food should be a competition. I think most chefs on the show have a career, most of them are better than regular chefs, but I don’t think they should be compared, or that one is better than other. But it’s a show, of course, a competition; somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. I was excited, but in the back of my head, I thought, are you sure you want to do this? But I knew it would be fun. Life is short—so I went for it.

We filmed last June at The Food Network studio in New York City. We had to prep five or six dishes in one hour to finish the item, and I was able to bring my sous chefs Fred Despres and Cindy Ha.

When we walked into the studio the day before to see the layout. It was like a party, I knew everybody—Michael Symon, who I was competing against, and Iron Chef Morimoto. We were shaking hands; it was kind of cool.

Our ingredient choices were cream cheese, live trout and egg. I knew from watching the show that if you don’t practice inside the stadium, you’ll never finish. We practiced four times with all three ingredients, and it was a lot of work. The first time one of our egg dishes took an hour and 20 minutes. The next one clocked in at an hour and 10 minutes, and the next time we shrunk it down to an hour.

I was really hoping for live trout, because I love fish and I know seafood. With live trout, I know I’m more advanced than Michael, but I knew Michael would win it with something like pork belly or pig.

After we found out we had eggs, we had time to talk and practice, but we couldn’t stop. You're given one hour to prep everything. I got nervous before we started, I had butterflies in my stomach. But after the competition started I knew I couldn’t do anything about it, and I felt calm and relaxed. We couldn’t worry about it anymore; time was ticking, and we had to start.

We tried to cook everything as quickly as possible and maximize our time. With the egg dishes, I really wanted to express my cooking style. That's why I did two traditional Japanese dishes, a soft-poached egg and the chawan mushi—a traditional egg custard with duck and sea urchin. Then I did a French-style scrambled ostrich egg with a gratin of beef marrow and American sturgeon caviar, and a crispy roulade of quail with a pheasant Scottish egg. Dessert also had Asian inspiration—coconut milk infused with lemon grass and kefir, a milk chocolate crème brûlée and caramel foam in an egg shell. I thought it was a very good menu.

I did make a mistake. I was supposed to cook eggs in a circulator for 30 minutes. I set an alarm and about 35 minutes later, my assistant Cindy yelled, “Takashi! Are the eggs ready?!” I hadn’t started the alarm clock. If she hadn’t called me we would’ve been in big trouble. It was a little over-cooked, it wasn’t a big mistake. I tried to say to the judges, this is what I meant to do!

I made another mistake with dessert. We made a milk chocolate crème brûlée baked in shells with caramel foam on top. It didn’t settle—the foam was too bubbly and light. You need three to four hours for that item to settle, but we had to settle it in 20 minutes. You have to push the limit with a lot of things.

I lost by only two points. They didn’t tell me what I did wrong. I lost points for taste. I’m not a judge, but a lot of it is based on luck. Some judges like some flavors more and some don’t. I thought we did a great job. I was happy.

Of course it’s a competition, I wish I could’ve won, but it was a great experience. I had a great time with my sous chefs, and of course Michael is a great old friend. It was a fun to compete with him. His sous chef and assistant in the stadium were my sous chefs in Michigan at Tribute. They didn’t show this, but I walked up to them before the competition and handed them a Band-Aid, and said, “Hey guys, in case you need this.” I think it made them more nervous.

When the show aired in April we did a special menu at Takashi with big screen TVs set up. As the secret ingredient was announced, we started bringing dishes from a seven-course menu to customers. They had a wonderful time, it was like watching a football game. When they announced that Michael won, everyone booed.



If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#15
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by cjs (Well, then get over ...)
Bob and I were so disgusted by Zakarian during the Next Iron Chef competition that we pretty much root against him - such an arrogant jack@ss!!
You only live once . . . but if you do it right once should be enough!
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#16
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by Harborwitch (Bob and I were so di...)
I don't remember this one?
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#17
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by labradors (Roxanne, they are to...)
Thanks, Labs....that is a perfect (???) summary of the competition. Great information.
"Never eat more than you can lift" Miss Piggy
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#18
  Re: Re: Iron Chef - Zakarian vs. Gallante by Roxanne 21 (Thanks, Labs....that...)
I love how Alex (I'm not even going to try to spell her last name ) puts Zakarian in his place when he gets pushy/arrogant with her.

I remember reading that article, Labs.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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