The Next Iron Chef 5

*** SPOILER ALERT ***  In this post I say who gets kicked off the show.

This week’s episode of the Next Iron Chef was decent episode.  The task was to make a three course meal for 20 people using roughly $2,500 in ingredients (they got 2,000 Euros.)  They were then paired up with a sous chef whom they had never met before to help them with their cooking.

As has often been the case with the show, the complications in the task fall flat.  Whether this was just a case of poor editing or having a strange sous chef really made no difference, I cannot say.  They did spend the majority of time on the chefs shopping which was, I will admit, rather interesting.

One thing that would have been more interesting to me would have been to give them a Dinner: Impossible-style challenge where they would have had to prepare food for a large number people using a team of sous chefs they had never met.

That’s good television.

In the end, the rough around the edges, never able to string together three good dishes (the judges’ words, not mine) Chef Chris Costentino was informed that he was not going to be heading on to the finale.  This judgement came as no surprise as he did not fit the Food Network image and appeared unable to cook with cameras in his face (something that never happens in Iron Chef America…)

The last episode is going to be interesting.  When the show started, I assumed Chef Michael Simon would be gone by the episode 3 and Chef John Besh an easy champion.  I underestimated Simon, there’s fight him.  Probably because he is born to cook.

Anyway, the dishes on this episode were to be remakes of American classics.  They were an interesting mix with Chef Costentino presenting a lobster roll, philly cheese steak, and grappa infused fruit.  Chef Simon did a lobster hot dog, veal meat loaf with truffled potateoes, and a root beer float.  Chef Besh did fried seafood, chicken and dumplings and strawberry shortcake.

If you have $2,500 and need to feed 20 people to win your shot at culinary fame, what American classics would you redo?

For my money, I am going with kobe beef/bleu cheese sliders and home made potato chips, chicken fried steak breaded in panko with a marsala wine/herb cream reduction, and individualized apple pies with vanilla bean ice cream.

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