Cindy and I are fortunate to have a bunch of neighbors and local friends
who are good cooks. At the end of most weeks, the group gets together
for the "Friday Night Follies": a prepared dinner at one of our homes,
or takeout, or a gathering at a restaurant.

This week we decided to make it a bit more challenging. We organized
our own "Iron Chef" event. Actually, the rules were more like the Food
Network's "Chopped" show, but without anyone getting chopped. There
were no eliminations, no judging, no prizes. Just a good challenge for
the chefs. I volunteered to organize the event.

We had two teams, with three chefs on each team. At 4:30pm on Saturday,
all the chefs gathered for the revealing of the secret ingredients.
They did not know what they would be given before this meeting. Each
team received three bags, and each bag contained 3 or 4 ingredients.
The first bag contained ingredients for making an appetizer: Italian
eggplants, capers, and fresh mint. The second bag contained ingredients
for a main course: pork tenderloins, extra-firm tofu, leeks, and
tamarind paste. The last bag contained the dessert ingredients: Fuji
apples, goat cheese, and hazelnuts.

The teams had to use the ingredients in each bag in a significant way
for the designated course. They could add other ingredients found in
the kitchens, or fetch supplies from nearby markets. The chefs were not
allowed to consult cookbooks, the internet, or any other sources of
help. They had 3 hours to prepare a complete meal for 20 people:
themselves, and the assembled families and friends.

Cindy was on one of the teams, and I will let her describe the Iron Chef
experience. For me, choosing the secret ingredients was enough of a
challenge. My choices were constrained by a pre-agreed budget ($10 per
person), and by the dietary restrictions of some people who would be
sharing the dinner. Some are vegetarians. We also had to avoid gluten,
tomatoes, fish, walnuts, and dairy products from cows.

Our Iron Chefs performed beyond expectations. They finished on time,
and turned out some great food. Everyone had a lot of fun. To see the
results, and photos from the event, check out this gallery:

http://julianv.zenfolio.com/ironchefwedgwood2011

There will be a sequel, probably early next year. For the next event,
the Iron Chefs will be recruited from the children of the FNF families,
all of whom are college-age, or slightly older.

--
Julian Vrieslander

On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:01:39 -0800, Julian Vrieslander
> wrote:

>Cindy and I are fortunate to have a bunch of neighbors and local friends
>who are good cooks. At the end of most weeks, the group gets together
>for the "Friday Night Follies": a prepared dinner at one of our homes,
>or takeout, or a gathering at a restaurant.
>
>This week we decided to make it a bit more challenging. We organized
>our own "Iron Chef" event. Actually, the rules were more like the Food
>Network's "Chopped" show, but without anyone getting chopped. There
>were no eliminations, no judging, no prizes. Just a good challenge for
>the chefs. I volunteered to organize the event.
snippage

>http://julianv.zenfolio.com/ironchefwedgwood2011
>
>There will be a sequel, probably early next year. For the next event,
>the Iron Chefs will be recruited from the children of the FNF families,
>all of whom are college-age, or slightly older.

Dang, how fun was that. Thanks for the photos.

koko
--
Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

www.kokoscornerblog.com

Natural Watkins Spices
www.apinchofspices.com

On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:01:39 -0800, Julian Vrieslander
> wrote:

> Our Iron Chefs performed beyond expectations. They finished on time,
> and turned out some great food. Everyone had a lot of fun. To see the
> results, and photos from the event, check out this gallery:
>
> http://julianv.zenfolio.com/ironchefwedgwood2011

Looks like a good time was had by all!
>
> There will be a sequel, probably early next year. For the next event,
> the Iron Chefs will be recruited from the children of the FNF families,
> all of whom are college-age, or slightly older.

You know what they say - The apple doesn't drop far from the tree.
It will be a great time for parents to sit back and enjoy the fruits
of their children's labor... and ultimately create future parental
bragging rights.

--

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

In article >,
Julian Vrieslander > wrote:

snip
>
> Cindy was on one of the teams, and I will let her describe the Iron Chef
> experience. For me, choosing the secret ingredients was enough of a
> challenge. My choices were constrained by a pre-agreed budget ($10 per
> person), and by the dietary restrictions of some people who would be
> sharing the dinner. Some are vegetarians. We also had to avoid gluten,
> tomatoes, fish, walnuts, and dairy products from cows.

As could be seen from the photos, I was on a team with two guys. There
was a no-show, which meant we couldn't have a battle of the sexes this
time. Both Mike and Chris are seasoned, creative cooks with tricks up
their sleeves. Mike devised the cream puff recipe FROM MEMORY. Both of
them are also no drama. The three of us had serious zen going on.
OTOH, the other kitchen was giddy and fueled with "pinky drinkies"--our
term for mixed drinks that call out for cocktail umbrellas.

Each team had three cooks, a runner (someone to go to the grocery
store), and assorted kibitzers. The dietary restrictions took some
work, but we were able to accommodate everyone with at least two
courses. Since Chris's daughter has celiac disease, our runner went to
his house to pick up wheat-free tamari sauce and rice crackers. As a
result, we spent very little on other ingredients.

I highly recommend this exercise for team-building or just a good time.
Three hours is sufficient to get the job done without letting things sit
too long--if you time things right.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

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