Iron Chef part San

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

Astroboy shudders in disgust!

Nasty damn slimey scaly finny fertilize-your-eggs-by-ejaculating-into-the-current fish? EEEWWWWW! Only Gollum could/would be able to judge this round!

I hereby recuse myself from judging this round due to complete and absolute hatred of the featured main ingredient!

Gimme some beef, pork, or poultry dammit!!

[sup]Don’t drink water… fish f* in it!**-- W.C. Fields.[/sup]

As for squid: Astrogirl LOVES the stuff! But it has TEN disgusting, wriggly, primordial-oozey smelling tentacles! Bleahhhhughughughughugh!!!:eek: You shouldn’t eat nothin’ that has ten legs!!
Before anyone asks, fishing is great fun! I love fishing, I hate fish. There ya have it… Fishing is cool because Astroboy can feed the catch to his family and friends, and giggle as they stuff their faces with the nauseating wriggly flesh of the late submarine dwellers…

102

of actually having to taste/contemplate the taste of trout ice cream.

I’ve decided the better part of valor is to keep very quiet until both sets of recipes are posted. :wink:
<shuddering>
Ziactrice

103

We will begin with a bowl of Trout Woodsman Soup Served in earthenware bowls with wooden spoons. This delicious but wild dish, may have been enjoyed by the likes of cavemen tens of thousands of years ago. Let me tell you, they were on to a good thing. The light, specially prepared fish broth is enrichened by the addition of wild mushrooms, onions, herbs, watercress, and even cattail! New potatoes, msuhroom chunks, and tender hunks of filleted trout are relished with each spoonful. A crunchy square of bannock is the perfect accompaniment to this rich, honest dish.

The main course is Menage a Trout. A single dish contains three types of trout with it’s accompanying rice. These trout are of course the small and succulent ones.

First, is the Clay-baked trout. This is another primitive dish previously thought lost to history. A charred hunk of vaguely fish shaped clay rests next to a generous helping of wild rice. A picture of a trout is inscribed upon the top. I have cracked the clay though, and in removing the top you will find a succulent whole trout, stuffed with wild rice, wild vegetables, garlic and butter. Within the clay it has stewed within it own juices until done to perfection.

Next is Spicy blackened trout on a bed of brown rice. Tangy and tender, this piquant dish is cooked briefly over a searingly high heat. Flaky and Crunchy.

Finally is trout Cordon Bleu, or as I like to refer to it Ham and swiss on a fish. Between two thin fillets of trout lies a layer of spicy smoked ham, and swiss cheese.
The fillets are run through and egg batter, breaded and fried as one unit. This is served with white rice.

Desert is Trout or dare A single scoop of buter pecan ice cream resides on a desert dish. Spiced fried trout skin and fins Garnish the ice cream to form it’s head, tail, and fins. Wild strawberies, rasberries and mulberries are strewn about this dish. The ice cream is delicious, the tiny strawberries and fruits sublime. What will you with the fried skin garnish? Dare you?

104

Trout Woodsman Soup

1 large whole trout
1 cup wild onions (shallots will also do) chopped
2 1/2 cups local wild mushrooms (only if you know what you’re doing. You do not want to die. Store bought will do fine as well if you don’t know.)
1/2 cup watercress, lightly chopped
1/4 cup fresh young cattail meat (you can get this yourself now in the east. If you don’t know how, and want to, ask me)
1 basil leaf
1/4 cup each chopped fresh parsley and thyme.
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 chopped carrot
1/4 cup cooked wild rice
4-6 new potatos cut in quarters with skins on

(feel free to substitute fresh wild veggies that you can get)

1 tablespoon salt

2 quarts trout broth.

In a large pot brown garlic, half the onions, half the mushrooms salt and potatos lightly for 8-10 minutes. Add trout stock and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients, except for the trout and let simmer 1 hour.

Fillet trout, cut into chunks. Drop in, and bring to a boil. Immediately shut off heat and serve.

Note on trout broth:

Brown bones of trout (no head, no tail, a little meat) with butter and olive oil add water, an onion, some celery and let simmer at a near boil for one hour. Strain and use immediately.

Menage a Trout

Clay-baked Trout

1 small trout, cleaned and scaled for stuffing.

1/4 stick melted butter
dash of garlic and onion powder, salt and black pepper

1 cup cooked wild rice

stuffing:

1/4 cup wild rice, sauteed briefly with chopped onion and mushrooms and garlic in butter.

Sterile potters clay
Work 2 piece2 of clay into rough fish shapes 2 inches larger than trout 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick.

Rub melted butter, and spices on inside and out of trout.

Lay trout on piece of clay, stuff with stuffing.

Press other piece on top, joining top and bottom together to make a tight seal.

Carve a fishy in top with fork tine or toothpick. Bake at 400 degrees for one hour, or place in coals of wood fire for 45 minutes to one hour.

Allow to cool for ten minutes. Crack clay with back of knife being careful to preserve carving. Serve with wild rice.

Blackened trout

1 large trout fillet with skin (scaled though)

1/2 stick melted butter

seasoning mix

1 teaspoon salt,
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 teaspoon each: black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder.

Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until it’s as hot as you can get it.

Coat fillet with melted butter and cover evenly with seasoning mix.

Place in pan, and count to 60 slowly.

Flip it over carefully with a spatula, being sure not to leave the seasoning behind (scrape) and count to 60 again.

Remove, and serve immediately over brown rice.
Ham and swiss on a fish

2 fillets of trout.

1 slice swiss cheese
1 slice high quality ham

1 cup of bread crumbs (season with parsley salt and black pepper)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons tabasco sauce

salt and blackpepper to taste.

Place ham and swiss between fish fillets, and press lightly.

use a wisk to mix eggs and tabasco together.

Dredge fillets through egg mixture as one unit, bread and fry in oil at 350 degrees 7-10 minutes or a golden brown.

Serve over white rice.
Trout or dare

Butter pecan ice cream

Fried trout skins (see note)

Fresh wild strawberries, rasberries, and mulberries

Arrange items
Fried trout skins.

Scale one trout, cut into fillets and skin. Cut skins into head, fin and tail shapes about twice the size that you actually want. Dredge through a fifty fifty mix of red pepper and sugar and fry a few seconds in hot oil. Pat with paper towels.

Make a tiny hole in head shape where the eye goes and push a mulberry halfway through hole for eyes (or glue half a mulberry on each side with some frosting mix.)

Push skins into ice cream slightly to form fish shape. Garnish with fruit.

105

And now it’s time for tasting and judgement. Judges, please have your comments in by Friday 8:00 PM, MST. Feel free to e-mail me with your scores (I’d prefer it if you would, but you’re not required to.).

One comment: Just to be sure that the judges are clear on this issue: the fried fish scales/fins that Iron Chef Scylla used in his desert item does fulfill the requirement of including the theme ingredient.

Chairman Fenris

106

This ceviche is a good start, but very heavy on the lime juice, and the trout flesh is overcooked and tough. I’d suggest marinating all the ingredients together overnight so the fish cooks and the flavors meld together all at the same time. I would also halve the lime juice used (and don’t rinse off that juice from the trout!). [sub] I work in a Mexican restaurant with a ceviche bar and my future in-laws are from Latin America. I know my ceviche :smiley: [/sub] The trout is unusual, but works surprisingly well for this.

This dish is a little bland, but not necessarily in a bad way. I would look at this a simple comfort food–good, not fancy, and filling. The cashews add a nice crunch to the dish, and is a departure from using the traditional almonds.

The fish is good, but I’m not quite sure about the cranberry flavor with this. Cranberry is such an aggressive flavor, and it seems to clash with the delicate flavor of the trout. (Note: on your recipe, the cranberries would have to cook much longer. They usually need to simmer for around 15 minutes to get tender and extract the juice)

Since I didn’t get my smoked trout mousse, I’m getting my smoked trout somewhere else! This chowder is wonderful–it’s creamy and rich, and the smoked flavor is not overpowering. The nuggets seem to push it a little, but they are tasty–pass the ranch dressing :slight_smile:

107

This is delicious–the mushrooms go fantastically well with the trout. This is something I’d love to smell cooking in my kitchen.

This has to be the funniest name for an Iron Chef Dish. :smiley:

MMMmmmm… you have done justice to this fish that gave its life for our enjoyment. The garlic and butter complement the delicate flavor of the trout, and I love that you stuffed this with wild rice.

Now you’re talking! I love trout when it’s pan-fried, and the crispy skin goes so well with the tender flesh.

This is where you lost me. The ham and swiss completely overpower and clash with the flavor of the trout. This is disappointing after all your other dishes.

I take the dare.

The fried skins have not retained the fishy flavor, and are quite tasty. I’d have liked to have seen this served with a more neutral flavored ice-cream like vanilla, especially with all the berries being served with this. The fried skin adds a nice crunch to this little sundae.
I open my notebook, and jot down my scores, with a slight smile on my face.

108

Speaking in badly dubbed English while smiling fawningly:

I am sorry. I was trying for a bold hearty dish to contrast with the smooth sublety of the clay dish, and the piquant lightness of the blackened. I am glad you liked the others though.

::Bows apologetically repeatedly::

Yes, I was also torn in my choice of ice cream. Ideally I want a desert to be a reminiscent restatement of the ealier dishes, and I took a chance with the buttery nuttiness feeling it would match the statement of the soup, and clay baked courses.

109

This Trout Battle reminds me of a passage from M.F.K. Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me. Actually, whenever trout is mentioned, this always seems to come to mind…

The chapter is about three restaurants that she remembers in Switzerland; this part happens at a gasthaus in Malters:

Think we can find Anneli to do the next battle? :slight_smile:

110
111

Whoops…sorry about that… I was going to reply to something…but… you know.

112

Tornado Siren:

Salsa With A Twist: what an interesting idea. I have never heard of such a thing, but it actually sounds delicious. I have no comment on the amount of time the trout should spend in the lime juice, since I have no experience with this preparation. However, I appreciate the originality of this dish. The texture sounds interesting, too.

Oreintal Cashew Trout: I’m afraid that, after a promising beginning, the challenger sort of lost me with this dish. The oriental preparation of this looks like it would completely nullify all that is yummy about trout. The dish looks tasty, I admit, but especially if the trout were left out of it, or perhaps replaced with chicken.

Stuffed Whole Trout with Cranberry Drizzle: Mmmm. Now this is what trout is all about. The inclusion of cucumber in the stuffing is interesting – I wonder if it would get watery? Anyway, mushrooms and trout are a natural pair. In spite of the assertiveness of cranberries, I think just a drizzle would nicely complement the sweetness of the fish.

Smoked Trout and Clam Chowder with Fried Trout Nuggets: this looks really good, too. I love smoked fish, and find that it makes excellent soup. I appreciate the effort of the homemade bread bowls, and the nuggets sound rather yummy.

An excellent, varied, and interesting menu. The challenger was obviously being overly modest about her cooking skills. Good work, Tornado Siren!

113

Scylla:

Trout Woodsman Soup: yum. I’m very fond of wild mushrooms, and of fish soups that eschew the usual cream-based chowder broth. The inclusion of cattails sounds fascinating (I remember reading “My Side of the Mountain” as a child, in which the runaway kid eats cattails.) Two thumbs up – this looks grand.

Clay-baked Trout: I like the idea of fish baked in clay, and of course I have no issues with the wild rice stuffing, which sounds very nice. But you want to cook the poor thing at 400 for one hour? And then leave it in its little casket for another ten minutes?! Hmmm … I understand that you need the heat and the time to penetrate the clay container, but that still sounds like it would overcook the trout to a pulp. I must think on it.

Blackened Trout: Now we’re talking. Whoever discovered the magic transformation of spices when applied to a hot cast iron pan deserves a medal. Looks good.

Ham and Swiss on a Fish: Ah, who said food wasn’t amusing? I suspect that this probably tastes pretty good. I don’t think it’s the best use for a delicately-flavored fish like trout – two slices of Texas Toast would do as well, if not better – but hey, I’d eat it.

Trout or Dare: this is another one that will take some effort of imagination to decide how it would be. Crunchy and creamy = good. Fish skin and ice cream = gross. I’ll think about it.

All in all a very interesting menu. Scylla’s hard work and creativity are in evidence, as always.

(I just have to say – this is the second time that Scylla, unlike his opponent, has made an effort to describe an interesting presentation for his food. In the real world I wouldn’t particularly care, but I have these five presentation points to give out, see … anyway, perhaps it’s something for future combatants on this honorable stage to think about.)

I will spend some time in silent contemplation before sending my scores to Chariman Fenris.

114

Tasting: The Challenger

Just noting as did another judge, there was only one dish with presentation described from the esteemed Challenger.

I just want to say, I live in Texas. It’s hard to imagine it’s salsa with no cilantro. I’m glad to know it’s actually ceviche, instead… The taste of trout in this dish was rather overcome by the lime and jalapenos, as was perhaps the chef’s intention.

Cashew and trout seems a good match of complimetary flavors, but I have little idea which oriental sauce you’ve chosen. I’ve chosen to imagine the one I like best, just in case you’d meant that one. And the white rice is steamed, of course. If you’d roasted the cashews before inclusion, I’d have more optimism as to the final taste of the combination.

Somehow, with the vegetables inside, I would have been much more pleased to discover the cranberry taken as a sour drizzle, to contrast the sweetness of the fish, rather than sweet as you’ve chosen here. However, your creativity really shows in this dish to try and use something like cranberry with trout.

I love the presentation description on this dish. I love the taste of this dish. The nuggets are a perfect complement and contrast to the complexity of the chowder. This is sooo good. Thank you for making one of my favorites.

Iron Chef

Trout Woodsman Soup

I really doubt cavemen ever had it quite like this. It is a light soup, and would be a good summer one, I think.

Menage a Trout

Clay Baked Trout - the presentation is stunning, with the encasement in clay. This is very good.

Spicy Blackened Trout - I love pan-seared trout, but unfortunately, I feel it is too delicate a taste to manage both the bacon and the spice and still maintain the original delicate taste of the fish. At least, I cannot still taste it, but I admit I do not have a professional palate.

Ham and Swiss on Fish - These two seem a bit strong for this particular sort of fish; I cannot taste the fish so much as the ham and swiss, and the tastes don’t seem… overly complementary to each other.

Trout or Dare
Here you’ve offset spice with sweetness AND fried the skin for me! Forget the ice cream (which I don’t think matches too well)… I’ll just eat my fried fish skins and the berries! Delicious!

I’ll email our Chairman my scores as soon as I figure out how to find his email address (haven’t tried that before on here…)

Ziactrice

115

Ziactrice:

Bacon? Bacon? Who said anything about Bacon? Ain’t no bacon in myblackened trout, I’ll assure you.

116

Hear! Hear! Thou speaketh with great wisdom, Jekeira!

[grumbling]Nasty damn slimy finny fish! Koreans will try to slip it in on you at every possible opportunity! YEEEE-UUUCK! (where the hell is the vomiting smilie when you need it??)[/grumbling]

117

Jekeira:

With the clay, you’re gonna need an hour. It’s a hell of an insulator. As it evaporates the water out of the clay, it doesn’t really heat up all that much. It’s also 3-4 inches thick. I’ve made this. Trust me about the hour.
Cattails:

You can get really yummy cattails right now. Find a pond where they grow. You are looking for completely green ones that haven’t opened. Young and tender. Cut them off at the water line. Remove the top bulb. With a knife, carefully slit the stem and remove the juicy pulpy meat in the middle.

I like them cooked like asparagus, lightly steamed and coated with butter.

118

Thanks for the cattails info, Scylla. I’ll try this. (I seem to remember the kid in “My Side of the Mountain” pounding them with rocks and making some sort of bread out of the resulting “flour,” which doesn’t sound very appealing. He must have been harvesting the old tough ones.)

119

Ziactrice,

I can appreciate that you think the lime was a bit overdone, but…read the recipe again. There IS cilantro in it.
Siren

120

I’m making this reply without reading any of the critiques that may have been entered, so as to maintain the integrity of my observations. I’ll do the same with Scylla’s dishes, and then email my scores to the chairman. (I’m scoring each dish on the 20-point scale as if it were the only dish presented, then averaging the scores and rounding for my final tally.)

Salsa with a twist:
First of all, this strikes me more as a sort of ceviche than a salsa. We’re all foodies here… don’t dumb it down.

The length of the marinating time seems excessive to me (first overnight in lime juice and then another day in more lime juice along with the other ingredients?), and I find the resulting trout bits to be tough. The point of the lime juice in a ceviche is to “cook” the fish, so to speak; this was overcooked and the texture suffered. The flavors work together well, except that I found olive oil a surprising addition to a chilled salsa… it coated the mouth unpleasantly and interfered with the freshness of the other ingredients. Also, what about including either some diced avocado or perhaps diced mango at the last minute to add richness and/or sweetness to the salsa?

All in all, an experiment that almost works and could be elevated to its full potential with a little more attention to detail.

One disappointing factor was the chef’s omission of any description of the presentation. I have to dock you for that, Tornado.

Oriental Cashew Trout:
It’s tempting to score something high because you happen to like that particular dish, but it’s important to remember that taste isn’t everything on Iron Chef. I do like cashew (meat of choice) and always have, and this is a nicely rendered version of the classic recipe. It’s rich without being too heavy and the traditional white-rice accompaniment serves as an edible sponge for the savory brown sauce.
In my opinion, however, this dish does not really articulate the theme ingredient very well. Cashew (meat of choice) is a dish that tastes pretty much the same no matter what kind of meat is used, and in particular the delicate flavor of trout would completely disappear. Also, I worry that the texture of the fish would disintegrate in the heavy sauce.
Better presentation but still not up to I.C. standards for excellence.

Stuffed Whole Trout with Cranberry Drizzle:
Now THAT’S what I’m talking about. This dish is audacious, fascinating, creative, and flavorful. Two small quibbles: I found the inclusion of cucumber in the stuffing to be an odd choice. It doesn’t seem to add anything to the dish - you already have crunch from the celery and it doesn’t really contribute any flavor. Why not tie the dish together with a little chopped cranberry instead? Also, your recipe calls for the fish to be wrapped in bacon before baking. Fine by me, but unfortunately you neglected to include it in the ingredient list. If I’d gone shopping based on your recipe and found out once I got home that I’d have to go back out for bacon, I’d be pretty vexed.
Those are minor complaints, however, and overall I was very impressed with this dish. Bravo!

Smoked Trout & Clam Chowder with Fried Trout Nuggets:
Mmmmmmmm, chowder. If it weren’t preposterously hot here in Texas I’d go get some for lunch. I don’t see anything to criticize about this dish, and the bread bowls are a nice touch. The only thing I would have added is perhaps something to dip the trout nuggets in.

Overall, Tornado Siren, this is an excellent first effort especially since you must have been intimidated by going up against the former Chairman. Work on your descriptive powers and include more information about how you’re presenting each dish, and next time will be even better!