Jared AxelrodWriter of Adventure

If memory serves me right, two equally matched cooking talents did battle last Saturday. Yours truly squared off against none other than the mighty Kate Eckert, cooking up a storm of which there truly can be no comparison.

Luckily we had a competent Chairman to reign us in.

But what ingredient did Chairman Collins have in store for us?

MUSHROOMS!!!

I put together five savory dishes and one sweet dish with this impressively varied ingredient:
Portobello lasagna bites with manchego cheese
Korean-style oyster mushrooms in fried rice
Mushroom ragout
Cremini mac & cheese
Cream of mushroom pie
Fried shitaki and goat cheese dumplings

Kate masterfully created 4 savory dishes and one sweet dish, proving the versatility of this ingredient yet again:
Stuffed button mushrooms
Emu egg frittata with beech mushrooms and sultanas
French mushroom soup with gruyere and puff pastry
Filet mignon with oyster and portabella sauce, topped with balsamic glaze and creme fraiche
“The Tentacle” brown sugar-glazed portobella mushroom slices

The winner by judgment: Kate! Despite the incredibly close battle, she gained a three point lead to dominate the competition!

Further details of the match will have to wait until I finish editing the video.

Tomorrow is the chosen date for the first of what I am hoping is many IRON CHEF: PHILADELPHIA battles.  I am incredibly nervous. The best way to decrease nervousness is to prepare in advance, but there is only so much one can do with the “mystery ingredient” remaining, well, a mystery.

Luckily, Jenn and Russell–dear friends, through and through–came over to do a test run.  What mystery ingrediant did they bring?  Why, none other than…ZUCCHINI!!! The timer was set for an hour, and we got to work!

This was a good test, as it gave me experience not only cooking on the fly, but also directing various sous cooks. Having twice as many people as normal also gave a good safety net, and allowed us to make not one, not two, not three but FIVE dishes in the space of one hour:

Zucchini Stir Fry

With yellow peppers, chantrelle mushrooms and onions. I put very little seasoning in this beyond hot pepper flakes and garlic. Zucchini has such delicate flavor, I didn’t want to overwhelm it.  This was basically a hot salad.

Singular Ratatouille

A riff on ratatouille, only without eggplant and yellow squash. Thinly sliced zucchini baked with parmesean, olive oil and a chunky, bacon-infused tomato sauce. Probably my favorite dish of the evening.

Zucchini Mac & Cheese

Grated zucchini in a parmesean and goat cheese sauce, with whole wheat penne. While the goat cheese added a delicious creaminess to the sauce, it overwhelmed the zucchini. Still, so tasty I found myself craving it today.

Zucchini Stew

Zucchini and chicken stew infused with the flavors of bacon, curry, smoked paprika and pale ale. Despite the multitude of ingredients, zucchini did stand out in this hearty stew, just not near enough. Lesson learned: you can never add too much of the secret ingrediant.

Zucchini and Apple Puree

The puree was blended with cinnamon, vanilla and sugar, and topped with yogurt and shredded Gruyere cheese. The inspiration for this came from Jenn, who mentioned eating a zucchini pie that tasted like apples. I handed this one off to J.R., Mistress of Apple Sauce, and she developed an almost-puddling like puree that managed to be sweet and taste like the vegetable at it’s base. The yogurt and Gruyere added a wonderful creamy bite to the desert as a whole.

So, lessons learned? I only have one oven, so it’s use is crucial. If I want a cold desert, start it early. Salt is a friend, especially with watery vegetables. Dogfish Pale Ale is very sweet. Listen to J.R. about what cheese to put where.

All in all, a fabulous evening, a good test run, and a lovely dinner with friends. Who could ask for more?

For those who were curious about a rather large entry on the project list, yes, I am orchestrating an Iron Chef battle to take place this weekend.  My opponent is not one to be underestimated, but I feel confident in my abilities.  Not so confident that I haven’t been practicing, however. I’ve been trying out some flavor combinations–peanut butter goes surprisingly well with lamb, and manchego cheese goes well with…well, everything–and working on getting my speed up in the kitchen.  I can now whip up a batch of orecchiette in an hour, should it come to that.

In addition to new food, we also got some some new plates, as you can see above. J.R. remarked that we didn’t purchase plates so much as frames, and there’s truth to that. They shall, after all, be holding art.

Rushed, delicious art.

That knife there is J.R.’s, also bought for the battle.  She agreed to be my sous for this, on the condition that if she was going to be doing chopping, she wanted something serious to chop with. Some people might be intimidated by a knife that size.  Not my wife, but some people.

The battle is set for this Saturday, at 4pm. Because no one has access to a kitchen stadium, we’re splitting up the battle between our two respective kitchens. I’m going first, so we’re starting at my place, and when the tasting and judgement of my dishes is over, we’ll go over to her’s and do it all over again.  I’m extremely excited.

Audience members are welcome, but keep in mind that there’s not really much of a view into our kitchens and only the judges get to eat. We might film it, maybe. I can guarantee pics of the completed dishes, though.

Will my cuisine reign supreme?  I sure hope so.