Five Chefs and a 'Whiner'

It’s 9:00 Sunday night and I’m glued to the tv, watching the “Next Iron Chef”. Why do I watch? I like reality cooking challenges. I am watching real chefs at the top of their game. I may learn something ( I hope so anyhow, I am always in student mode). And naturally, I want to know who the judges consider to be the best. They are all among the best and as Alton Brown says, “Anyone can have a bad day” and we all know that feeling. You already know who I want to have a bad day – the whiner.

There are six contestants left. Tonight’s challenge is to cook outdoors on a charcoal grill with no electricity, no running water and no gas. As if that weren’t challenge enough, guess who gets to choose your secret ingredients – the other challengers. Alton Brown tells the contestants that this is their chance for sabotage and to use that chance wisely. Who will throw who under the bus? Chris Cosentino won the last episode, so he will select pairs of chefs to select the ingredients. Chris selects Michael Symon as his own partner, Morou versus John Besh and Gavin Kaysen versus Aaron Sanchez. One by one, the chefs secretly pick out ingredients for their opponent. What did the chefs do to each other?

Chris chose quail, berries and something green that Michael had never heard of before. Michael grilled the quail, made juice out of the Jupiter berries and a blackberry salad with the green things he had never heard of before. His claim to fame was making polenta from the cornmeal in the pantry.

Michael chose squab and dandelion greens for Chris. Chris grilled the squab breast with Jupiter berries and made a dandelion greens salad. The judges really liked the salad.

Morou gave John Besh rabbit and lots of flowers as his main ingredients. John made chicken fried rabbit as his entrée and a salad. The judges commented that he did not use the rabbit is both dishes and the rabbit tasted like wet tissue.

John gave Morou venison, which Morou marinaded and grilled, served with a blueberry sauce. The judges liked his dishes, but said that his plating was routine.

It’s a given that the selection at the ingredient table was growing smaller and smaller, but Gavin and the ‘whiner’ did their best for each other. Gavin picked snails for the ‘whiner’. And what did the ‘whiner’ do? What he does best, whine. He couldn’t believe that he got snails. He couldn’t get his fire hot enough. The trials and tribulations in the life of Aaron Sanchez. The fire situation was remedied and just to see if it was hot enough, the ‘whiner’ tried to pick up a steel skillet without his side towel. What a goof! Anyhow, he prepared escargot pierced with garlic scapes and a mushroom salad.

Gavin got frog legs and quail eggs. What to do, what to do. Gavin confessed that he had only cooked frog legs twice before. He grilled frog leg lollipops with a raspberry sauce and poached quail eggs for a salad. Again the judges commented that the main ingredient was not used in both dishes. Judge Michael Ruhlman had a problem with his seasonings.

Even though the judges thought Chris Cosentino’s presentations were boring, he got a pass. John Besh also got a pass. Michael Symon was declared the winner of the challenge. Go, Michael!
(OH-IO).

This left three, Gavin, Morou and the ‘whiner’. Two would be eliminated. Who got to stay? The WHINER. Are you kidding me!!!!

Next stop is Munich.







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