"Cora vs. Scheib:
Battle Dungeness Crab" - July 16
Editor's Note: What follows is a
televised-move-by-televised-move recap. Because a
sixty-minute battle, intro, and judgment has to be
edited into 45 minutes of airtime, not every move will
be shown.
The Challenger:
Walter Scheib, executive chef of the White House from
1994 to 2005, and thus having the honor of serving the
First Family of the United States. Today, he is the
founder and chairman of The American Chef, a company
that specializes in creating Presidential dinners for
special events. The American chef chooses to go
toe-to-toe with a Greek goddess, Iron Chef Cat Cora.
The Crib Sheet:
CORA
Eric Takahashi & Brian ?, sous-chefs |
VS |
SCHEIB
Patrice Olivon & Vincent Horville, sous-chefs |
14 years |
EXPERIENCE |
32 years |
Greek/Aegean |
COOKING STYLE |
Contemporary American |
3-2, won last battle
against Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo |
BATTLE RECORD |
Challenger |
The Theme Ingredient:
Dungeness crab.
The Rules: Each chef
must create a five-course meal, with each course
utilizing the theme ingredient, within 60 minutes. The
judges will score the dishes on a 20-point scale: 10
points taste, 5 points plating and presentation, 5
points creativity and use of ingredient. The chef who
best articulates the theme ingredient through his dishes
wins. And now,
with an full heart and an empty stomach, the words of
the Chairman's dear uncle.... "Allez cuisine!"
Tonight's Judges:
Food & wine author Ted Allen ("Queer Eye for the
Straight Guy")
Actress Cady Huffman ("Romance & Cigarettes")
Author Ed Levine ("Pizza, a Slice of Heaven")
Semi-educational moment:
Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) are famed of the
western coasts of the United States.
Both of the sous-chefs on
the challenger's side have worked with Scheib in the
past, and as a result, the team moves rather quickly
through prep work and get their five out of the way in
time to bring out the more intense flavors.
Judgment (Scheib): "As we go through the menu,
we tried to create a little bit of a flow where we start
a little mild and work our way up to a peak, sweep back
down to dessert. Besides that, we just wanted to have
fun with the presentation." Dishes:
Crab Parfait, Spiced Crab Sweet Potato Soup, Crab Cake
with Hot Fruit Salsa, Crab Claw Salad, Crab Bisteeya
Judgment (Cora): "I really wanted to bring out
some of the classical sides of it, some of the more
refined ways of eating crab, and I wanted to go a little
global, too." Dishes: Crab Tian, Crab Cake Sandwich,
Basque Crab Spring Rolls, "Down and Dirty" Crab, "Chawan
Mushi" Steamed Japanese Crab Custard.
Cady plays the "bimbo du
jour" role to a T here. Ted saw the flow in the
challenger's dishes, starting out slow and then working
to a crescendo. The Iron Chef gains points for
presentation. But whose cuisine reigns supreme? The
verdict...
|
IRON CHEF |
CHALLENGER |
Taste |
23 |
27 |
Plating |
12 |
14 |
Originality |
14 |
14 |
... 55-49 in favor of
Challenger Walter Scheib. Originality ended up in a tie,
while taste and plating won the day for the challenger,
leaving the Iron Chef to sharpen her claws for another
day.
Until next time, we bid you
good eating. |