Zenster bows to Ellykat and Scylla.
Chef Troy:
As a great fan and student of Cajun cooking, I must deal with you extra harshly so as not to allow my partisan nature to show through.
Nevertheless I am filled happiness and love as I participate in the holy marriage of Crawfish tails to Jalapeno. I appreciate that you have taken the cheese stuffed and fried jalapeno, that perverted staple of fast food and bars, and brought to it the nobility of character it that pepper so deserves. I assume that you are firing a contemptuous shot across the bow of such insitutions, and I approve.
While I would not criticize after such an excellent first effort, I feel that your description of the soup left me with no real insight into its subtlety or flavoring. I can only assume the competant and workmanlike dish, not the exceptional one.
Alas this trend continues with Maque Choux, broken only by the addition of the smoked jalapeno, which elevates and brings nuance to this classic dish. Again, I longed for more detail.
Oddly I find the brevity of your descrtiption of the main dish, to prove exactly the opposite effect. Who is not familiar with roast tenderloin? Who does not know the joy of mashed sweet potatos? The addition of a jalapeno cranberry glaze can only bring joy to these staples, a twist
of refinement.
The salad and dessert top off a fine meal, yet one that I feel that I have not lived as I have some of the others.
Unaware of the subtleties of execution and presentation you might have employed I am nevertheless pleased at the balance and choice you have employed. At best, I can only assume a n average job of that which I am unaware. I give you high marks for creativity and subtlety in your altering of several staples. I assume an average execution and presentation, but feel justified in adding an additional point based on the overall fine balance of the meal.
Your score: 17
This victory also goes to Zenster. Due to the low mark of 16 provided you by another judge his victory was ensured no matter my score.
Looks at Whammo’s lone dish, and the look of shame upon his face. I feel that you have not enhanced the flavor of the pig in your cavalier delivery, and this sherbert is an insult.
The pig however is serviceable, and deserves a score.
Whammo: 13
Fenris:
From your description I feel that your salad has become a part of me. I love how you have taken the best from any number of cuisines and geographys and combined them here. I finished wanting more and searched the Ultimate Recipe thread (though I know I should only grade by what you post here,) to no avail. The recipe does not appear, or I have missed it. Nevertheless, I am truly satisfied and pleased as I move on.
I also find the presentation and choice of your next dish to move me to the mountaintop. I of course approve of the use of white truffles here.
I am also most appreciative of your next dish. When I saw the ingredients, I thought you were just showing off with an unlimited budget. However, I feel that your judicious use of Rosemary has proven your worthiness and imposed harmony to these ingredients by underscoring them appropriately. Somehow though, I am jangled by the nutmeg. While I feel that it enhaces the Rosemary it can’t help but clash with the lobster. This dish is a master symphony with a single discordant note.
The mincemeat pie for dessert is both whimsical and appropriate, and caps off this fine dish.
I find your presentation and creativity to be flawless. My only disapointments were with your promise to post recipes in another thread and failing to do so (I would not have penalized you had not you mentioned it in this thread,) and the discordant note I sensed in you main dish.
Your score: 18
In scoring these dishes, I have gone back and forth between two open windows: one in which I typoe my comments, and one in which I read the posts, and review the dishes.
In tallying the scores, I see that I have created a tie between Iron Chef Zenster and Iron Chef Fenris.
Please see my next post as two how this may be resolved, if there is interest.
In honesty, I have been disapointed in this thread.
I tried to attempt something which relied upon a large commitment form other parties. Some came through in stellar fashion, while others for various reasons disapointed.
In truth, I also came up with the idea before I had satisfactorily considered the execution, so I feel that the blame should be placed squarely on my own shoulders for any failings here, or any confusion that existed.
I think though that the seed of something worthy has been planted here.
I would like to do this again. However, in good conscience I could only do so under the following conditions:
Now that we have an idea as to what is needed to create a good contest, whe should only have one contest with one ingredient. Chefs should only participate who are committed to posting detailed descriptions and recipes. I think it’s the only way that something like this can be judged fairly, and it was my mistake not to insist upon recipes.
We will also need at least three panelist who are committed to carefully examining each offering, and not posting arbitrary or toungue in cheek scores. I think that it’s only appropriate that we have this in respect to the effort that must be put forth by each chef. Simply to post a score, or make a joke is not sufficient. Humor and fun clearly belong, but without substance behind it, the panelist insults the effort.
I will reexamine this thread for the next week or so, and see who volunteers for duty as either chef or panelist, and is willing to accept the commitment involved. This last is very necessary, as others will be relying upon you.
If at least two Chefs and three panelists state such a commitment, I’d like to do a Mark II version of this thread. Otherwise I’ll put it to rest. Anybody who would prefer to take over, or has better ideas is welcome to do so, or state them.
Zenster bows to Chef Troy and Fenris.
Scylla san, I humbly submit my abilities to another round in the Iron Chef Stadium Kitchen.
I saw on http://slashdot.org/ that there is a movie in the works, but even better than a regular movie is “Lego Chef”. If you have not seen it, you really should.
All righty then!
Whaddaya say Scylla, time for round two?
I’ll leave the logistics to you. Needless to say, we will need some truly committed partichants in the next go round. I’m fairly confident that JavaMaven is up for another tussle. We’ll see if she checks in here as well.
::throws down gauntlet::
So Zenster wants a grudge match? 
:: picks up gauntlet, and throws it down again::
I accept!
i humbly express my wish to challenge iron chef zenster in the chinese arena.