Iron Chef OOT 3/21-4/1

[Mermade]

4th entry is in the oven (dessert). I should have it in before 9. We'll see. Yeah, I know I'm crazy, but I actually had 2 more ideas (another appetizer and a side dish) that I didn't get to and will just be part of dinner tomorrow or Tuesday. It seems either I have a million ideas or none. Funny.

BTW, Jingleheimer is making some delicious smelling BBQ pork ribs. He made his own BBQ sauce using some of the leftover chile de arbol--not for ICOOT just for dinner. Can't wait.

[Mrs. Utah]

Roasted Quail with Green Chiles.

Marinade

2 chopped green chiles(I used serrano)
~2 Tbs cider vinegar
~2Tsp honey
juice of 1 lime
white wine ~1/2 cup
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lemon grass



Reserve 1/2 of marinade to use while roasting quail.


Combine and add 4 quail that have been rinsed and patted dry.
Cover and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes




Remove quail and put in roasting pan with reserved marinade. Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until quail is done.

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

Using veggie peeler, peel long ribbons of sweet potato and fry in vegetable oil until browned. Drain on paper towel and season when taken from oil with mixture of kosher salt and cayenne pepper.



These were really good. Utah does not like sweet potatoes at all but ate almost all of what I made. I was very liberal with the cayenne pepper.


Plate the quail with the sweet potato and garnish with a serrano peeper that has been fried along with the sweet potato.

[Mermade]

<font color="red"> Ancho Chili Chocolate Cake </font>

2 sticks butter
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
5 Tbsp pureed ancho chili
1/4 cup of cocoa sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

Butter a 9" round springform pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper. Use a sharp knife to cut the paper into a 9" circle so that it just lines the bottom of the pan. Butter the waxed paper.

If you have one, use a double boiler to melt the butter and the chocolate. (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate.) If you don't have a double boiler (like me) use a bowl held over a saucepan filled with water on medium low heat.



When the butter-chocolate is melted, whisk in salt, cocoa and cinnamon.

In another bowl whisk egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and 5 Tbsp of ancho chili puree, mix well. Fold chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

Note, to make the ancho chili puree, remove seeds from several ancho chilis, finely chop. I tried then to grind them with mortar and pestle--no luck. So I turned to the food processor, which worked well. Process the dried chilis with about 1/4 cup of water and the chilis will form a puree.

This didn't work:



This did:



In a standing mixer, mix egg whites until thickened and then add remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix until whites make hard peaks. Gradually bit by bit fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Do this carefully, do not mix too much. You don't want to deflate the egg whites.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.



Bake 45 min at 350 degrees. The edges should be set with the center still somewhat soft. A tester should come out pretty clean. Let the cake completely cool in the pan.



Take a sharp knift and go around the edges of the pan. Release the springform. Cut slices and use a pie server to gently remove the slice from the waxed paper.

Make whipped cream to top and serve with a fanned strawberry.



Edited to add prep pics.

[Mermade]

This is NOT an entry, but I did snap a shot of Jingleheimer's ribs with that chile de arbol sauce. They were VERY good. Juicy. I didn't see him making them, so I didn't realize that the sauce was more like a glaze than a traditional bbq sauce. The result was these shiny, delicious boneless ribs with an almost candy glaze on them. Really outstanding. Any questions about them direct his way--I just enjoyed them and took the photo.

[Mrs. Utah]

Very nice Mer!

I wished I would have had time to make a desert. I love the combination of chocolate and chiles.

Will Jingleheimer share his glaze recipe? It looks really good.

Are all of those chiles making that baby active? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Pivotonian]

[ QUOTE ]
All the herbs I used are fresh from my garden. That makes me happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mermade, your post makes me happy. The chorizoey/potatoey/eggy/buttery/habaneroey goodness of that dish.

Oh my.

Edited to add habaneroey

[Mrs. Utah]

Judge each chef based on (in order of priority):
1. Use of secret ingredient. Is it inovative and interesting? Or is it pedestrian and common?
2. Preparation and presentation. Were the items well cooked? How do you judge their procedure? How well has it been plated?
3. Deliciousness. Would you like to eat? Which dish looks tastiest?


Mermade

Red Cactus Pear and Chile de Arbol Margarita




Huevo, Patatas, y Chorizo con Aceite de Habanero



Mesquite Grilled Ribeye with Roasted Poblano and Red Jalapeño Sauce Topped with Fried Green Tomatillos





Ancho Chili Chocolate Cake






Billy Bibbit

Roasted Poblano Chile Bisque





Chili and Almond Stuffed Cod




cbloom

Chile Colorado with Polenta




StevieG

Jalapeños Stuffed with Crab and Avocado





Mrs. Utah

Chili Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Chipotle Peppers



Roasted Quail with Green Chiles.



[/ QUOTE ]

[NorCalJosh]

over all i gotta say that mrs utah's raviolis probably made my mouth water the most. but they werent quite enough to overcome the overall awesomeness of mermades dishes. This week i went on pure deliciousness, and i would pay very good money to sit down and eat those offerings. please invite me over for dinner=(

[StevieG]

Billy, That soup recipe is interesting, and I really want to try making it. How fine did you chop the corn tortillas to make your roux? Would it be easier just to use corn flour there?

Overall, very solid effort. I think that soup rivals Mrs. Utah for the best individual dish this week.

Mrs. Utah, that honor goes to you. Those ravioli look tempting. I really want to try those, and if that dish were on offer in a restaurant I would not even need to look at the rest of the appetizers.

Mermade, nice work trying a lot of different uses of the chile pepper. From frying slices, to pureeing for sauces, to spicing up cocktails and dessert. To me, that is what Iron Chef is all about. Vote to Mermade.

[NorCalJosh]

i like how you had the exact same thoughts as me but said them much much better. i suck a lot at the internet.