"Flay vs. Morou: Battle
Frozen Pea" - July 9
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:
Morou, a Washington, DC chef who was the winner of "an
Iron Chef-sponsored cooking competition" there. Call it
the culinary equivalent of a poker super satellite. He
combines French, African, and Middle Eastern flavors in
his kitchen at Farrah Olivia. In winning, he has earned
the right to challenge, and he exercises on Iron Chef
Bobby Flay.
The Crib Sheet:
FLAY
Brian Ray & Neil Manacle, sous-chefs |
VS |
MOROU
Eddie Marine & Leon Baker, sous-chefs |
23 years |
EXPERIENCE |
17 years |
Southwestern |
COOKING STYLE |
Creative American |
9-5-2, tied last battle
against Susur Lee |
BATTLE RECORD |
Challenger |
The Theme Ingredient:
frozen garden peas.
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!"
Semi-educational moment:
Garden peas (pisum sativum) are actually a dwarf
mutation of field peas that have been the staple food of
many European diets even since the Ice Age. You're
probably thinking "frozen peas"? Well, because the sugar
in peas quickly converts into starch, these peas are
picked and preserved at the height of their quality. In
fact, peas were one of the first successes that Clarence
Birdseye had in his experiments involving flash-freezing
vegetables.
Tonight's Judges:
TV personality Hannah Storm (CBS's "The Early Show")
Culinary author Julie Powell ("Julie and Julia... 365
Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen")
Culinary critic/author Jeffrey Steingarten ("The Man Who
Ate Everything")
In attendance, the Honorable
Anthony Williams, mayor of Washington.
The challenger's most
interesting gambit: "Pea-sicles."
Judgment (Morou): "The idea here was to use the peas
in as many ways as we can, infusing our culture into
each dish." Dishes:
Beef Tartare with Stuffed Pepperoncini, Lobster with
Tapioca Risotto, Seared Waluu with Pea Couscous, Lamb
with Pea Salad, Sweet Pea Cream Cheese Stick with Pea
Beignets.
Judgment (Flay): "It has a lot of natural sweetness
to it, which plays into the food I like to cook, which
usually has a lot of spice." Dishes:
Green Pea Soup with Crispy Serrano, Green Pea Salt Cod
Croquette, Green Pea Ricotta Gemelli, Shrimp with Green
Pea Curry with Rice, Seared Scallop with Wasabi Pea
Crust. The judges
didn't really see the peas as the main player in the
challenger's dishes, although some of the flavors really
meshed well with each other. Dessert was a winner there.
The Iron Chef's counterbalance of sweet and heat works
here. The jasmine tea with the curry also works well
with the package. But whose cuisine reigns supreme? The
verdict...
|
IRON CHEF |
CHALLENGER |
Taste |
28 |
21 |
Plating |
14 |
11 |
Originality |
12 |
15 |
... 53-40 in favor of
Iron Chef Bobby Flay. A perfect score in originality was
not enough to overcome the taste of the Iron Chef's
dishes.
Until next time, we bid you
good eating. |