|
|
GSNN
Primes |
|
Previous Episodes October 4 October 11 October 18 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Ten chefs will rise through the ranks, but only one will achieve greatness. Who will be the next Iron Chef? Recaps by Chico Alexander, GSNN
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright Statement Powered by 1&1 Internet |
|
Adaptability The chefs went globetrotting without ever leaving Los Angeles. They brought back those flavors to use in the next test, making Asian inspired American fare. Chefs Seamus Mullen and Amanda Freitag were locked in a dead heat, as Mullen claimed the advantage. Most disadvantaged was Brad Farmerie, who was ousted. Now only seven remain. TEST #7: ADAPTABILITY "In the chaos of Kitchen Stadium, things don't always go as planned. Therefore, an Iron Chef must have the ability to adapt quickly. The jet which has just landed is carrying an ingredient from Mexico. Be prepared to adapt accordingly." The jet captain delivers.... tamarind, a tropical seed pod with tangy pulp. The Chairman wants a Mexican duo, where one dish is sweet and another is savory. Not only that, the dishes must reflect a Mexican flair. You'll have 90 minutes to shop AND cook. Mullen has an advantage: a five-minute head start. Right NOW. Some people go for their protein first... others go for vegetables first... others... shop from a list. Crenn is the first back to the kitchen with 1:21 to cook, followed by Mullen, who has 1:18 to cook. Mehta seems to be taking his sweet time while the others finish. Appleman and Trevino have 1:17 to cook. That leaves three chefs to arrive... the first, Freitag, arrives with 1:16. Then comes Mehta with 1:14. Finally... Garces is stuck behind waiting for eggs. He arrives with 1:12 to cook. And Mehta, who is a glutton for punishment, is going for the ice cream machine AGAIN. Will it be third-time lucky? Crenn is making a tamarind-infused chicken. She was the first one back, so she has an advantage. Garces not only grew up eating Mexican food, he owns a Mexican restaurant. If he doesn't produce today... he shouldn't even be here. Appleman and Crenn have a tough time sharing pots. Crenn's trying to use the stove, but Appleman is breaking out his king-sized pressure cooker. Again. Freitag suggests that she's not making a churro... On Mexican day. She's making an eclair with tamarind filling. Trevino is making what looks like a ceviche, while Mehta is making a custard AND a pork disk. And once again, the ice cream machine has failed him. Meanwhile, something's burning... it's Appleman's pressure cooker, with a thick layer of whatever on the bottom. That's going to be a setback. He was able to salvage it, so we'll see what happens. Eight minutes on the clock, and Freitag hasn't even peeled her shrimp. And if having to adapt on the fly wasn't enough, now there's one more adaptation. Looking at the altar, the Chairman also wants you to prepare a beverage on top of what you are doing... and you have to do it within the allotted time. Oh, and the beverage must contain tamarind. One minute to go, as the chefs start plating. "Five seconds... three... two... one..." Put it down and walk away. The test is over. Time for judgment. First is Dominique Crenn... - Tamarind-Marinated Chicken & Tortilla
Soup Overall, the theme was connected, but the churro wasn't cooked all the way through. Brad Appleman is next.. - Sopa de Albondigas with Pecan &
Tamarind Next is Amanda Freitag... - Tamarind-Chipotle Shrimp with Jicama
Salad It's only 2/3 Mexican. Her presentation was really poor. Down the middle is Jehangir Mehta.. - Tamarind Apple Pork Chef Jose Garces is next... - Mole de Tamarindo with Chicken Poblano Garces is the man to beat so far. Will Seamus Mullen do it? - Tamarind-Marinated Shrimp Taco The drink scores. Everyone should have liquid nitrogen in their houses. Roberto Trevino is last. - Tamarind Coctel with Shrimp &
Huachinango Mehta's ice cream finally worked, so he won't have to try that again. All of his elements tied together finally, and he comes up the winner of this test. Joining him in the next round is honorable mention Nate Appleman and, barely, Jose Garces. That leaves us with four... Surviving to cook another day... Chefs Mullen and Trevino. That leaves our bottom two, Chefs Freitag and Crenn. Crenn's dish was underseasoned... and the giant chili didn't work. Freitag's dish was underwhelming, and the quality of the shrimp was poor. The deciding factor... was dessert. The eclair... saved Freitag. DOMINIQUE CRENN will not be the next Iron Chef. Six chefs remain, but only four will survive to take the ultimate culinary journey... on the road to Kitchen Stadium. To view this episode in its entirety, go to www.foodnetwork.com/nextironchef. |
|