And it still works like a charm.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Blast From the Past
A photo of the Wheel of Fortune my grandfather and I made when I was just 8 years old...
And it still works like a charm.
And it still works like a charm.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
ICT: Battle Fugu, Episode 3
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 3
Japan Original Airdate: 10/31/1993
Hotei, a Chinese chef from 500 years ago, is the subject of Kaga's opening monologue today. Since Ishinabe and Michiba have already battled, I think it's pretty obvious who today's Iron Chef will be...more on that in a bit, though. First, let's hand it over to Fukui for the preliminary battle...
I wonder what the chefs are looking at when Fukui addresses the audience for the first time. It's kind of funny to watch them in the background.
Today's theme for the preliminary battle: spaghetti!
And sitting on today's panel:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
First to face the panel for the spaghetti preliminary: 27-year-old...I can't catch his name, but he prepares a black spaghetti with (I presume) parmesan cheese and an avocado sauce. I can't tell how the judges react to this one, but Ishii bizarrely swirls the spaghetti on her plate. Hmm.
Next to face the judges: Masani Matsui. He roasts a tomato over the open flame, and finishes with a tomato-basilico spaghetti. Looks very much like a traditional spaghetti.
Third up: Naoki Narita. Clams, a whole fish, and other seafood are stewed in white wine before being poured over plain spaghetti. He dubs this dish "Spaghetti alla Pescatore, Mare del Tokio." It's certainly the most impressive-looking of the dishes so far. Hirano likes the sauce.
Fourth up: I think I heard Fukui mention he's Korean! Kim Yong-pil, if my ears serve me right. He makes his noodles from scratch--essentially, he makes jjajangmyun (Chinese-style black bean noodles). Not terribly original, but it gets the job done all the same.
Last up: an Italian, 38-year-old Paolo Indragoli. (OK, everyone else can go home now.) Crabs play a big part in his spaghetti, and if my ears serve me right, the dish is called "Spaghetti al Grancchio." Ishii really likes it, which is a really good sign if the last two preliminaries are to be believed.
And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the winner of the preliminary is...Paolo Indragoli! And he's incredibly delighted to be facing the Iron Chefs.
BATTLE OF IRON CHEF
Of note: Kaga introduces our challenger simply by his first name..."Paolo!" And the Italian hero strides confidently into Kitchen Stadium. And without any further ado, Kaga calls forth the Iron Chefs! (What, no calling them "the pride of the Gourmet Academy" this time? Guess Paolo wouldn't have understood anyway.)
And as he's asked who he wants to challenge, Paolo says something in Italian, but I think I caught "Signore Cin" at the end of that...which means Chen Kenichi is today's target.
Now, the big question...what's today's theme ingredient? As Kaga rips the red tablecloth off the ingredient stand, we see a tank containing two fish...our first live theme ingredient! What is it, though?
"Kyo no tema wa...TORA-FUGU!"
...what the hell? Seriously, they're using fugu? Hoo boy, this oughta be interesting. Hope nobody dies at the end of this episode. Well, we're about to find out what'll happen as Kaga delivers the familiar call to battle...ALLEZ CUISINE!
And with that, the Gourmet Academy has provided two licensed fugu chefs to prepare the fish for today's combatants. This will not be counted as part of the 60-minute battle.
For those who don't know, fugu is extremely poisonous--some would say about 200 times more potent than cyanide. A strict exam is administered to anyone wishing to handle the fish, and a third of all applicants fail (some even die as a result, because they have to consume their prepared fish as well). Basically, if you screw up, your guests are dead.
But seeing as how we Iron Chef fans know the judges make future appearances (not to mention Kaga himself), I think everyone's going to be OK. So with the preparation complete, the real gong goes off, and the battle clock officially begins ticking.
Hattori makes a note that fugu is pretty expensive...I may have heard wrong, but each fish today cost ¥30,000. Today that's about $300, but take inflation into account, and that number is more along the lines of $500 or so.
Straight away, Chen wastes no time in slicing his fish. Challenger Paolo is boiling some whole tomatoes, and slicing some other raw ones. And Ohta's back on the floor--the first thing he says is that this is Paolo's first time working with fugu. Guess it's just as well that he had someone kill the fish for him.
Chen is making sashimi-sized fillets of fugu...hey, Paolo knows a little Japanese!
Paolo: Chin-san, genki?
Chen: Hai, genki desu.
Paolo is cutting an orange on his side...Ohta reports that he's making a Mediterranean sauce with oranges, lemons, garlic, and...something else that I didn't catch.
15 minutes gone already, and Chen is wrapping asparagus with fugu fillets as Paolo breaks out into song on the other side. At least he knows how to have fun.
Something just went into Chen's steamer that I didn't catch, while Paolo has his fugu pieces in a saucepan for a quick saute. Chen, meanwhile, is dredging some of his.
Already Paolo is plating, halfway through the battle--the fugu pieces from his saucepan, orange, and lemons have joined the plate. And then...Paolo throws the fish back onto the heat. Guess it wasn't done.
Chen has the beginnings of a soup on his side, while Paolo is breaking down yet another orange. And...aha, it was the asparagus wrapped in fugu that went into Chen's steamer!
Another look at Paolo's saucepan reveals the fish from earlier and a sauce of some kind...
Chen's wok is in action...can't tell what went in that, but maybe we'll get a report from Ohta on that. Hattori mentions "nouvelle Chinois" on Chen's side as he plates the mixture from his wok...his dish looks like something out of Ishinabe's playbook!
And Paolo comes over to Chen's side to see what's up!
Three minutes left, and Ohta comes in with a report...that I can't understand. Chen is plating a soup of some kind, with fugu meat and fins at the bottom. Sorta resembles a shark's fin soup, if you ask me.
Paolo's fugu is finally being plated by the oranges and lemons. 1 minute left now, and Paolo has some vegetables and tomatoes in a pan that he's also plating...and Chen is just watching Paolo struggle to complete his dish in the last 30 seconds! Will he get it done in time? The final seconds tick down...and THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Fugu Battle is OVAH!
Iron Chef Chen has two dishes:
Meanwhile, Challenger Indragoli has just this one:
So...how will the tasters react to these dishes? More to the point, will they survive this tasting?
Paolo's dish gets an...interesting reaction from Ishii, as she proclaims "It's sweet" and reaches for her napkin. She mentions the orange while shaking her head. This can't be good.
Hirano, meanwhile, goes off on a monologue that I can't understand. And while Kageyama's talking, Kaga has this look on his face that just says something like, "Yes, go on...I definitely agree, the challenger missed the mark today..."
And quickly, they move on to Chen's dishes. Kageyama really likes the soup, and Ishii doesn't react nearly as violently this time as she did the first time. So I guess it's pretty obvious who's going to win this one, but let's ask anyway...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of Italian cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi."
And thank heavens all the tasters are still standing! So all three Iron Chefs have won their debut battles. Can they each go two in a row in their second? We'll find out...
My thoughts: Now that's just cruel, making an Italian chef work with fugu. The poor man probably had never seen it in his life until that day! I gotta hand him some creativity points, though. But he was definitely beaten on taste, if the reactions of the judges were any indication.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 3
Japan Original Airdate: 10/31/1993
Hotei, a Chinese chef from 500 years ago, is the subject of Kaga's opening monologue today. Since Ishinabe and Michiba have already battled, I think it's pretty obvious who today's Iron Chef will be...more on that in a bit, though. First, let's hand it over to Fukui for the preliminary battle...
I wonder what the chefs are looking at when Fukui addresses the audience for the first time. It's kind of funny to watch them in the background.
Today's theme for the preliminary battle: spaghetti!
And sitting on today's panel:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
First to face the panel for the spaghetti preliminary: 27-year-old...I can't catch his name, but he prepares a black spaghetti with (I presume) parmesan cheese and an avocado sauce. I can't tell how the judges react to this one, but Ishii bizarrely swirls the spaghetti on her plate. Hmm.
Next to face the judges: Masani Matsui. He roasts a tomato over the open flame, and finishes with a tomato-basilico spaghetti. Looks very much like a traditional spaghetti.
Third up: Naoki Narita. Clams, a whole fish, and other seafood are stewed in white wine before being poured over plain spaghetti. He dubs this dish "Spaghetti alla Pescatore, Mare del Tokio." It's certainly the most impressive-looking of the dishes so far. Hirano likes the sauce.
Fourth up: I think I heard Fukui mention he's Korean! Kim Yong-pil, if my ears serve me right. He makes his noodles from scratch--essentially, he makes jjajangmyun (Chinese-style black bean noodles). Not terribly original, but it gets the job done all the same.
Last up: an Italian, 38-year-old Paolo Indragoli. (OK, everyone else can go home now.) Crabs play a big part in his spaghetti, and if my ears serve me right, the dish is called "Spaghetti al Grancchio." Ishii really likes it, which is a really good sign if the last two preliminaries are to be believed.
And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the winner of the preliminary is...Paolo Indragoli! And he's incredibly delighted to be facing the Iron Chefs.
BATTLE OF IRON CHEF
Of note: Kaga introduces our challenger simply by his first name..."Paolo!" And the Italian hero strides confidently into Kitchen Stadium. And without any further ado, Kaga calls forth the Iron Chefs! (What, no calling them "the pride of the Gourmet Academy" this time? Guess Paolo wouldn't have understood anyway.)
And as he's asked who he wants to challenge, Paolo says something in Italian, but I think I caught "Signore Cin" at the end of that...which means Chen Kenichi is today's target.
Now, the big question...what's today's theme ingredient? As Kaga rips the red tablecloth off the ingredient stand, we see a tank containing two fish...our first live theme ingredient! What is it, though?
"Kyo no tema wa...TORA-FUGU!"
...what the hell? Seriously, they're using fugu? Hoo boy, this oughta be interesting. Hope nobody dies at the end of this episode. Well, we're about to find out what'll happen as Kaga delivers the familiar call to battle...ALLEZ CUISINE!
And with that, the Gourmet Academy has provided two licensed fugu chefs to prepare the fish for today's combatants. This will not be counted as part of the 60-minute battle.
For those who don't know, fugu is extremely poisonous--some would say about 200 times more potent than cyanide. A strict exam is administered to anyone wishing to handle the fish, and a third of all applicants fail (some even die as a result, because they have to consume their prepared fish as well). Basically, if you screw up, your guests are dead.
But seeing as how we Iron Chef fans know the judges make future appearances (not to mention Kaga himself), I think everyone's going to be OK. So with the preparation complete, the real gong goes off, and the battle clock officially begins ticking.
Hattori makes a note that fugu is pretty expensive...I may have heard wrong, but each fish today cost ¥30,000. Today that's about $300, but take inflation into account, and that number is more along the lines of $500 or so.
Straight away, Chen wastes no time in slicing his fish. Challenger Paolo is boiling some whole tomatoes, and slicing some other raw ones. And Ohta's back on the floor--the first thing he says is that this is Paolo's first time working with fugu. Guess it's just as well that he had someone kill the fish for him.
Chen is making sashimi-sized fillets of fugu...hey, Paolo knows a little Japanese!
Paolo: Chin-san, genki?
Chen: Hai, genki desu.
Paolo is cutting an orange on his side...Ohta reports that he's making a Mediterranean sauce with oranges, lemons, garlic, and...something else that I didn't catch.
15 minutes gone already, and Chen is wrapping asparagus with fugu fillets as Paolo breaks out into song on the other side. At least he knows how to have fun.
Something just went into Chen's steamer that I didn't catch, while Paolo has his fugu pieces in a saucepan for a quick saute. Chen, meanwhile, is dredging some of his.
Already Paolo is plating, halfway through the battle--the fugu pieces from his saucepan, orange, and lemons have joined the plate. And then...Paolo throws the fish back onto the heat. Guess it wasn't done.
Chen has the beginnings of a soup on his side, while Paolo is breaking down yet another orange. And...aha, it was the asparagus wrapped in fugu that went into Chen's steamer!
Another look at Paolo's saucepan reveals the fish from earlier and a sauce of some kind...
Chen's wok is in action...can't tell what went in that, but maybe we'll get a report from Ohta on that. Hattori mentions "nouvelle Chinois" on Chen's side as he plates the mixture from his wok...his dish looks like something out of Ishinabe's playbook!
And Paolo comes over to Chen's side to see what's up!
Three minutes left, and Ohta comes in with a report...that I can't understand. Chen is plating a soup of some kind, with fugu meat and fins at the bottom. Sorta resembles a shark's fin soup, if you ask me.
Paolo's fugu is finally being plated by the oranges and lemons. 1 minute left now, and Paolo has some vegetables and tomatoes in a pan that he's also plating...and Chen is just watching Paolo struggle to complete his dish in the last 30 seconds! Will he get it done in time? The final seconds tick down...and THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Fugu Battle is OVAH!
Iron Chef Chen has two dishes:
Meanwhile, Challenger Indragoli has just this one:
So...how will the tasters react to these dishes? More to the point, will they survive this tasting?
Paolo's dish gets an...interesting reaction from Ishii, as she proclaims "It's sweet" and reaches for her napkin. She mentions the orange while shaking her head. This can't be good.
Hirano, meanwhile, goes off on a monologue that I can't understand. And while Kageyama's talking, Kaga has this look on his face that just says something like, "Yes, go on...I definitely agree, the challenger missed the mark today..."
And quickly, they move on to Chen's dishes. Kageyama really likes the soup, and Ishii doesn't react nearly as violently this time as she did the first time. So I guess it's pretty obvious who's going to win this one, but let's ask anyway...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of Italian cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi."
And thank heavens all the tasters are still standing! So all three Iron Chefs have won their debut battles. Can they each go two in a row in their second? We'll find out...
My thoughts: Now that's just cruel, making an Italian chef work with fugu. The poor man probably had never seen it in his life until that day! I gotta hand him some creativity points, though. But he was definitely beaten on taste, if the reactions of the judges were any indication.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
ICT: Battle Foie Gras, Episode 2
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 2
Japan Original Airdate: 10/17/93
Continuing with our special look at the first season of Iron Chef, we now proceed to the second episode ever produced.
Kaga begins talking about French chef Escoffier in his opening monologue. He mentions ice cream and the dessert peach melba as well...hmm. Apparently peach melba was named after one Marie Melba. (I've never had it, so I can't say too much...)
Anyway, on to the preliminary battle--today's preliminary theme is Omurice! In other words, rice in an omelet, usually topped with ketchup. But today's battle will be decided, at least in this writer's point of view, by how creatively the chefs flavor the rice. Bonus points to whoever does anything creative with the eggs themselves.
On the panel today:
--Producer Yasushi Akimoto
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
First to face the panel: Noboru Ishidoya (I may have that last name completely wrong). He makes a donut-shaped omelet, with ketchup rice, onions, and bacon. A mushroom sauce fills the hole in the middle.
Ishii's reaction says it all...
I pick up her saying "zannen desu." If my viewings of Japanese "Millionaire" are any jumping-off point, Ishidoya's toast.
Next to face the panel: Shinya Abe. Potatoes and mixed vegetables go into his omelet, which ends up looking like an egg pizza with red bell peppers. His rice looked like it had some Vienna sausage in it as well. The ketchup rice is placed right in the middle.
Ishii, once again, gives away what she thinks, as she reaches for her water glass straight away. Akimoto says something that makes Ishii react quite profoundly...wish I knew what he said, because she agrees with him...and how!
Next to face the judges: 21-year-old Masanori Oshima. He mixes red food coloring into his eggs. Matsutake mushrooms flavor his rice, and a sauce containing said matsutake is poured over the top of the entire omelet.
Akimoto calls it "ninja rice," whatever that means. At least this one wasn't a flat-out "no" from the panel, at least as far as I could tell...
Fourth up: Yosei Kobayagawa. 12 different spices are mixed together with butter and rice. A sour cream sauce is draped over the eggs...and the panel likes it! The first time I actually hear "oishii" said.
Last up: computer operator Haruhiko Kaniuchi. His omurice resembles a sushi roll. A demiglace sauce accompanies the arrangement.
And Ishii is struggling to hold back a laugh, for some reason.
But in the end, as if we had to guess...the winner of the preliminary is...Yosei Kobayagawa! He advances to face the Iron Chefs...but whom will he challenge?
BATTLE OF IRON CHEF
Kaga seems to be much more imperial today, entering and declaring quite loudly, "My Gourmet Academy is forever!" After some more soliloquy, he finally welcomes Kobayagawa into Kitchen Stadium...and summons his Iron Chefs for the second time. (I think he's starting to get the hang of this.)
So, who will Kobayagawa call out today? Ishinabe already has dispatched the first challenger...so Kobayagawa opts for Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba! They go so far as to call him the "God of Japanese cuisine!" (Think you made a mistake, Kobayagawa-san?)
So it'll be a French/Japanese battle today, according to Kaga. What theme will he give the two chefs? A doozy for Michiba, as far as the untrained eye can tell...foie gras. In other words, something completely unheard of in Japanese cuisine. Advantage challenger, for the moment...
An interesting fact pointed out by our Chairman: Europe has been using foie gras for the last 4500 years. Japan? Only for the last 10 (as of '93, anyway).
But we Iron Chef fans already have an idea how Michiba will handle this difficult ingredient, and now we get to see his first battle begin with Kaga's call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
The time limit has already been lowered to one hour beginning with this battle, as both men advance to the ingredient stand very slowly. And both chefs, at least for the first couple of minutes, stand there staring at the foie gras--Kobayagawa gets a sniff at his, but both have this look on this face that just screams, "What on Earth am I supposed to do with this?"
Michiba begins his first menu 3 minutes into the battle, and Fukui says something along the lines of, "Well, let's remember, he's only got an hour!"
Meanwhile, Kobayagawa looks to already be slicing his foie gras into bite-size pieces. Michiba has fetched a flounder from the pantry, and we begin to see the beginnings of Michiba's first Inochi no Dashi (Broth of Vigor). He's become known for this--dumping huge heapings of bonito shavings into konbu broth.
Kobayagawa has leeks, mushrooms, and...something else boiling in water--Hattori confirms there's no foie gras there, though.
Michiba begins slicing his foie gras into fillets (almost just like filleting sashimi, if you ask me). Kobayagawa has asparagus on his side, and just like that, 15 minutes are gone!
Michiba has a different fish (amadai or tilefish) on his side that he's filleting, while the challenger is carving flowers out of tomatoes. He also has lemons and...something green on his side. Presentation points, indeed. The asparagus he had out earlier has found some boiling water...and there's another pot boiling as we hear half the battle is gone!
Michiba has dredged some of his foie gras in flour and is giving that a quick saute, while Kobayagawa appears to have sprinkled some pepper over a small portion of his. Something has gone into Michiba's steamer, and we see (as the 20-minute mark is announced) foie gras and matsutake about to be wrapped in fish fillets (the flounder from earlier). And--wait a second, that's not Ohta at all!
15 minutes left now, back to Kobayagawa's side, he has a sauce in the works.
Michiba's fish fillets have hit the steamer, and he's got a can of caviar out on his side as well. Kobayagawa is finally sauteing his foie gras with 5 minutes to go.
Michiba's first dish is beginning to take shape--a foie gras salad with fish fillets and ponzu sauce. Meanwhile, Kobayagawa's sauteed foie gras is plated over some asparagus. It's later joined by some shrimp and that sauce he was working on earlier. A decorative plate, to be sure.
1 minute left now, and Michiba's fish fillets are coming out of the steamer. Both sides appear to be done with about 15 seconds left...the final seconds tick down, and without any applause, the Foie Gras Battle is OVAH!
Challenger Kobayagawa has just one dish:
Iron Chef Michiba has two:
And now, the moment of truth: tasting and judgement. This time, the challenger's dish is tasted first--it's well received, but I can't tell what Kishi thinks about it.
Michiba's dishes get even *more* of a positive reaction from Akimoto, at least...
Well, Iron Chef fans should probably already guess who wins this one...and frankly, I think I already have an idea. But we turn to Kaga for the announcement of today's winner. So who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of French cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo."
And here's something we don't see...at the end, we get a credit roll of the recipes for all three dishes! (Though this probably didn't last long.)
My thoughts: If I didn't know the challenger was a French chef, this really could've gone either way. What it really came down to (since it appears they were about on par in taste and presentation) was originality. And clearly, Michiba isn't going to lose that kind of battle.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 2
Japan Original Airdate: 10/17/93
Continuing with our special look at the first season of Iron Chef, we now proceed to the second episode ever produced.
Kaga begins talking about French chef Escoffier in his opening monologue. He mentions ice cream and the dessert peach melba as well...hmm. Apparently peach melba was named after one Marie Melba. (I've never had it, so I can't say too much...)
Anyway, on to the preliminary battle--today's preliminary theme is Omurice! In other words, rice in an omelet, usually topped with ketchup. But today's battle will be decided, at least in this writer's point of view, by how creatively the chefs flavor the rice. Bonus points to whoever does anything creative with the eggs themselves.
On the panel today:
--Producer Yasushi Akimoto
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
First to face the panel: Noboru Ishidoya (I may have that last name completely wrong). He makes a donut-shaped omelet, with ketchup rice, onions, and bacon. A mushroom sauce fills the hole in the middle.
Ishii's reaction says it all...
 |
| "Something is very, very wrong." |
Next to face the panel: Shinya Abe. Potatoes and mixed vegetables go into his omelet, which ends up looking like an egg pizza with red bell peppers. His rice looked like it had some Vienna sausage in it as well. The ketchup rice is placed right in the middle.
Ishii, once again, gives away what she thinks, as she reaches for her water glass straight away. Akimoto says something that makes Ishii react quite profoundly...wish I knew what he said, because she agrees with him...and how!
Next to face the judges: 21-year-old Masanori Oshima. He mixes red food coloring into his eggs. Matsutake mushrooms flavor his rice, and a sauce containing said matsutake is poured over the top of the entire omelet.
Akimoto calls it "ninja rice," whatever that means. At least this one wasn't a flat-out "no" from the panel, at least as far as I could tell...
Fourth up: Yosei Kobayagawa. 12 different spices are mixed together with butter and rice. A sour cream sauce is draped over the eggs...and the panel likes it! The first time I actually hear "oishii" said.
Last up: computer operator Haruhiko Kaniuchi. His omurice resembles a sushi roll. A demiglace sauce accompanies the arrangement.
And Ishii is struggling to hold back a laugh, for some reason.
But in the end, as if we had to guess...the winner of the preliminary is...Yosei Kobayagawa! He advances to face the Iron Chefs...but whom will he challenge?
BATTLE OF IRON CHEF
Kaga seems to be much more imperial today, entering and declaring quite loudly, "My Gourmet Academy is forever!" After some more soliloquy, he finally welcomes Kobayagawa into Kitchen Stadium...and summons his Iron Chefs for the second time. (I think he's starting to get the hang of this.)
So, who will Kobayagawa call out today? Ishinabe already has dispatched the first challenger...so Kobayagawa opts for Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba! They go so far as to call him the "God of Japanese cuisine!" (Think you made a mistake, Kobayagawa-san?)
So it'll be a French/Japanese battle today, according to Kaga. What theme will he give the two chefs? A doozy for Michiba, as far as the untrained eye can tell...foie gras. In other words, something completely unheard of in Japanese cuisine. Advantage challenger, for the moment...
An interesting fact pointed out by our Chairman: Europe has been using foie gras for the last 4500 years. Japan? Only for the last 10 (as of '93, anyway).
But we Iron Chef fans already have an idea how Michiba will handle this difficult ingredient, and now we get to see his first battle begin with Kaga's call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
The time limit has already been lowered to one hour beginning with this battle, as both men advance to the ingredient stand very slowly. And both chefs, at least for the first couple of minutes, stand there staring at the foie gras--Kobayagawa gets a sniff at his, but both have this look on this face that just screams, "What on Earth am I supposed to do with this?"
Michiba begins his first menu 3 minutes into the battle, and Fukui says something along the lines of, "Well, let's remember, he's only got an hour!"
Meanwhile, Kobayagawa looks to already be slicing his foie gras into bite-size pieces. Michiba has fetched a flounder from the pantry, and we begin to see the beginnings of Michiba's first Inochi no Dashi (Broth of Vigor). He's become known for this--dumping huge heapings of bonito shavings into konbu broth.
Kobayagawa has leeks, mushrooms, and...something else boiling in water--Hattori confirms there's no foie gras there, though.
Michiba begins slicing his foie gras into fillets (almost just like filleting sashimi, if you ask me). Kobayagawa has asparagus on his side, and just like that, 15 minutes are gone!
Michiba has a different fish (amadai or tilefish) on his side that he's filleting, while the challenger is carving flowers out of tomatoes. He also has lemons and...something green on his side. Presentation points, indeed. The asparagus he had out earlier has found some boiling water...and there's another pot boiling as we hear half the battle is gone!
Michiba has dredged some of his foie gras in flour and is giving that a quick saute, while Kobayagawa appears to have sprinkled some pepper over a small portion of his. Something has gone into Michiba's steamer, and we see (as the 20-minute mark is announced) foie gras and matsutake about to be wrapped in fish fillets (the flounder from earlier). And--wait a second, that's not Ohta at all!
15 minutes left now, back to Kobayagawa's side, he has a sauce in the works.
Michiba's fish fillets have hit the steamer, and he's got a can of caviar out on his side as well. Kobayagawa is finally sauteing his foie gras with 5 minutes to go.
Michiba's first dish is beginning to take shape--a foie gras salad with fish fillets and ponzu sauce. Meanwhile, Kobayagawa's sauteed foie gras is plated over some asparagus. It's later joined by some shrimp and that sauce he was working on earlier. A decorative plate, to be sure.
1 minute left now, and Michiba's fish fillets are coming out of the steamer. Both sides appear to be done with about 15 seconds left...the final seconds tick down, and without any applause, the Foie Gras Battle is OVAH!
Challenger Kobayagawa has just one dish:
Iron Chef Michiba has two:
 |
| The bottom dish was his steamed fish fillets. |
Michiba's dishes get even *more* of a positive reaction from Akimoto, at least...
Well, Iron Chef fans should probably already guess who wins this one...and frankly, I think I already have an idea. But we turn to Kaga for the announcement of today's winner. So who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of French cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo."
And here's something we don't see...at the end, we get a credit roll of the recipes for all three dishes! (Though this probably didn't last long.)
My thoughts: If I didn't know the challenger was a French chef, this really could've gone either way. What it really came down to (since it appears they were about on par in taste and presentation) was originality. And clearly, Michiba isn't going to lose that kind of battle.
Watch this episode at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Iron Chef Timeline Special: Battle Salmon, Episode 1
I'm going back in time quite a ways in the timeline, but there's a very good reason for that.
Yes, you're reading that right. Episode 1, as in the very first Iron Chef episode to air anywhere in the world. It was recently rebroadcast in Japan on a premium channel (as a companion to the new series, I suppose), as have been many classic episodes never before seen in the United States. Now, thanks to the wonderful Iron Chef Collection, I can dutifully recap this very special episode here.
Note: I'm watching the original Japanese--no subs, no dubs. So I'm trying as best I can in what little Japanese I understand. I'll admit I've learned a lot just from watching this show, but I've got a long way to go.
That being said...on with the show!
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 1
Japan Original Airdate: 10/10/1993
The format of these first episodes was slightly different from what we know today...more on that in a little while. Meanwhile, Kaga's first monologue begins in his library. He mentions Béchamel from France, Enbai from China, and Rosanjin from Japan--three great chefs of the world. We get an interesting shot of what appears to be concept art for what we've come to know as Kitchen Stadium--before we see Kaga step into the real thing, into the opening sequence we all know so well.
Kaga then explains the concept behind the Gourmet Academy. But before the Iron Chefs make their appearance, we need to have...a preliminary battle! We join Fukui on the Iron Chef's side of the stadium, where five chefs are examining the layout of the kitchen.
Speaking of the stadium, a red curtain is hiding the half where Kaga usually stands.
The format of the preliminary battles is as such: a theme "dish" (not ingredient) is presented. The chef who best articulates that theme dish will face one of the Iron Chefs. In this case, today's theme is...gyoza!
And after a monologue from Kaga about gyoza, we meet the tasting panel:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
We start the preliminaries with Seiji Yamada, 33. He wraps whole shrimp in a gyoza skin, putting those into a hot chili sauce. And a dessert dish is also prepared--strawberries were definitely involved, but wrapped in gyoza skins? Hmm. He gets presentation points from me, though.
Kageyama likes it--I can't tell what Hirano says, but he brings up the sauce.
Next to face the panel: 57-year-old Masatoshi Kondo. I think I heard pork and shrimp went into his gyoza--which are, for some reason, colored green across the top. Apparently this is called "fei tsai fa yen" in Chinese.
Kageyama says something about the color--he might've said something about it being a little strange.
Third up: 18-year-old Takahiro Yamakura. Gelatin goes into his gyoza, which he boils and serves in a kind of soup. Some other kind of meat went in there, but I couldn't catch what kind.
The fourth man is the first international chef: from Nepal, Piremu Rama. He grinds some spices, combines them with pork, and serves it in a rather large gyoza the tasters have trouble picking up. Two sauces are included: coriander and (I think) tomato.
Kageyama says it's good, but Ishii is clearly having trouble picking up the large dumpling with her chopsticks.
Last up: Takeshi Maryuama. Ground meat, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms are combined into a filling for his gyoza, which look like little purses. Those are stir-fried. He calls it "nira-manju." (Anyone with info about that name, please comment below.)
Judging by the panel's reactions, I think they all like it...but then we turn to Kageyama for the announcement of the winner of the preliminary...Takeshi Maruyama! He'll face one of the Iron Chefs shortly.
After the break, we see Maruyama waiting behind the challenger's curtain as Kaga makes his first entrance. This is the first time I've seen him acknowledge any crowd at all, as he openly waves and thanks those in attendance. He's behaving a bit more like an emperor than a chairman, but that's just me...
He then welcomes Maruyama, the very first challenger, into Kitchen Stadium--and this is an odd sight--Maruyama strides into Kitchen Stadium without applause or any narration from Fukui. Hmm.
Well, no matter...for the first time, we hear Kaga's immortal words: "Come to life, Iron Chefs!"
And for the first time ever, the world meets the Iron Chefs:
Chen, Ishinabe, and Michiba. The invincible men of culinary skills make their appearance for the first time...with no introduction of their background. But the question is, who will be thrown into the shark tank first?
With determination, Maruyama calls out...Ishinabe! The man in green, the one they call the Visconti of the culinary world, the God of Sauces, acknowledges Maruyama's challenge with a raise of his bell pepper and descends to the kitchen floor to take part in the first-ever battle.
Of note--Michiba is still standing at the dais while Kaga is announcing the theme ingredient. Speaking of...the first theme ever comes with Kaga's invitation to use any of the wide range of ingredients the Gourmet Academy has to offer. With that, Kaga rips off the red tablecloth for the first time and reveals...salmon! (Quite dramatically, I might add.)
And after a proverb about salmon from Kaga, he booms forth the now-familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
The gong is banged, and the first battle--which has a time limit of 90 minutes--is underway rather slowly as both men approach the ingredient stand with trepidation. Fukui and Hattori are alone in the announcer's booth, but they'll be here to guide us through this culinary confrontation all the same.
Maruyama is going grocery shopping on his side of the stadium, while Ishinabe seems puzzled by the available plates.
Maruyama's wok is fired up, and he makes a sign about wiping sweat off his brow. On the other side, the first action we see is Ishinabe chopping onions and carrots, while his assistants look on. After an edit that magically takes us 25 minutes into the battle, we see Maruyama finally beginning to break down his salmon. Takes him a couple of cleaver chops to do so.
Ishinabe has a deconstructed Ise-ebi (Japanese lobster) in his food processor, which shakes violently as he starts in. 30 minutes into the battle (which isn't announced, but shown on-screen), we get our first report from Ohta on the challenger's side: I don't know what Ohta just said, but Maruyama seems embarrassed for some reason.
Back to the Iron Chef's side, Ishinabe is deboning his salmon with tweezers (or is that forceps?). We swing back to Maruyama, who has a hunk of salmon in his wok. Ishinabe is slicing up his salmon into smaller, more manageable fillets, while we get another report from Ohta about the challenger--I think he may have said the challenger is intimidated by the cameras.
Ishinabe has scallops and Japanese lobster meat on this side. And as Hattori speculates about a mousse of some kind, Ishinabe acknowledges in kind! Fukui flips out as Ohta confirms that Ishinabe is indeed making a mousse.
A graphic reveals that there are about 15 minutes left in the battle. Maruyama has a minced mixture that he's stir-frying in his wok, while Ishinabe's salmon fillets from earlier have hit the skillet for a sauté. The commentators are trying to figure out what Maruyama's mixture is...all they conclude is that it's ground meat of some kind and vegetables. Kinda stating the obvious, but then...
Ishinabe's scallops are laying on top of the salmon fillets in the skillet, and the lobster joins it. Maruyama is arranging a circle of Chinese cabbage on a plate, while Ishinabe magically has a green spinach sauce. Fukui is quick to point out that said sauce matches the color of his costume.
10 minutes to go (hey, the first time call!), and Ishinabe's salmon has hit the plate, as has Maruyama's ground meat mixture. Ishinabe is dotting his salmon with the green sauce, adorning the plate with a lobster head. Maruyama's plate gets some slices of lemon, while the challenger dashes off to the fridge to fetch some lettuce. It doesn't appear as though Maruyama has used a lot of his fish--a shot reveals what he hadn't used, and there's still a considerable portion left!
Ohta comes in with a report that makes Fukui sound like he spit his coffee out--something about salmon, that much I understood...and somehow, we fast forward to 15 seconds left in the battle...Maruyama is preparing some lettuce to serve alongside his ground meat dish...but does he make it in time? The final gong rings just as Maruyama chucks some unusuable portions of lettuce into the trash (and as he does, you can hear some beeping in the background...maybe that was their official clock at the time?).
Now, for the first dishes ever presented on Iron Chef:
Challenger Maruyama has just one dish:
Iron Chef Ishinabe has two dishes:
And in a move that we probably won't see until Iron Chef America many years later, Iron Chef Ishinabe's dishes are tasted first. But a surprise--the chefs themselves are not present to provide commentary on their dishes!
I don't understand much Japanese, but what I *do* understand while Maruyama's dish is being tasted: Ishii makes a face as she looks over the lettuce wrap, and says, "Where's the salmon?" This alone probably doesn't bode well for Maruyama...
But after all that...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of Chinese cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Ishinabe Yutaka."
Kaga doesn't shout the verdict as we've become accustomed to him doing...he just plainly states it like that, and without any postmortem from Fukui, the show fades to credits.
And that's how it all began on that one October day in nineteen hundred and ninety-three.
My thoughts: Obviously, every show experiences some growing pains when they first start. And while this is such a fantastic look into the episode that started a legend, I think we can all agree that it's a good thing they changed the format. It was pretty obvious Ishinabe was going to win once the battle was over, but personally, I love seeing this first show and wondering what must've been going through everyone's minds.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Yes, you're reading that right. Episode 1, as in the very first Iron Chef episode to air anywhere in the world. It was recently rebroadcast in Japan on a premium channel (as a companion to the new series, I suppose), as have been many classic episodes never before seen in the United States. Now, thanks to the wonderful Iron Chef Collection, I can dutifully recap this very special episode here.
Note: I'm watching the original Japanese--no subs, no dubs. So I'm trying as best I can in what little Japanese I understand. I'll admit I've learned a lot just from watching this show, but I've got a long way to go.
That being said...on with the show!
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 1
Japan Original Airdate: 10/10/1993
The format of these first episodes was slightly different from what we know today...more on that in a little while. Meanwhile, Kaga's first monologue begins in his library. He mentions Béchamel from France, Enbai from China, and Rosanjin from Japan--three great chefs of the world. We get an interesting shot of what appears to be concept art for what we've come to know as Kitchen Stadium--before we see Kaga step into the real thing, into the opening sequence we all know so well.
Kaga then explains the concept behind the Gourmet Academy. But before the Iron Chefs make their appearance, we need to have...a preliminary battle! We join Fukui on the Iron Chef's side of the stadium, where five chefs are examining the layout of the kitchen.
Speaking of the stadium, a red curtain is hiding the half where Kaga usually stands.
The format of the preliminary battles is as such: a theme "dish" (not ingredient) is presented. The chef who best articulates that theme dish will face one of the Iron Chefs. In this case, today's theme is...gyoza!
And after a monologue from Kaga about gyoza, we meet the tasting panel:
--Novelist Tamio Kageyama
--Newscaster Mitsuko Ishii
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
We start the preliminaries with Seiji Yamada, 33. He wraps whole shrimp in a gyoza skin, putting those into a hot chili sauce. And a dessert dish is also prepared--strawberries were definitely involved, but wrapped in gyoza skins? Hmm. He gets presentation points from me, though.
Kageyama likes it--I can't tell what Hirano says, but he brings up the sauce.
Next to face the panel: 57-year-old Masatoshi Kondo. I think I heard pork and shrimp went into his gyoza--which are, for some reason, colored green across the top. Apparently this is called "fei tsai fa yen" in Chinese.
Kageyama says something about the color--he might've said something about it being a little strange.
Third up: 18-year-old Takahiro Yamakura. Gelatin goes into his gyoza, which he boils and serves in a kind of soup. Some other kind of meat went in there, but I couldn't catch what kind.
The fourth man is the first international chef: from Nepal, Piremu Rama. He grinds some spices, combines them with pork, and serves it in a rather large gyoza the tasters have trouble picking up. Two sauces are included: coriander and (I think) tomato.
Kageyama says it's good, but Ishii is clearly having trouble picking up the large dumpling with her chopsticks.
Last up: Takeshi Maryuama. Ground meat, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms are combined into a filling for his gyoza, which look like little purses. Those are stir-fried. He calls it "nira-manju." (Anyone with info about that name, please comment below.)
Judging by the panel's reactions, I think they all like it...but then we turn to Kageyama for the announcement of the winner of the preliminary...Takeshi Maruyama! He'll face one of the Iron Chefs shortly.
After the break, we see Maruyama waiting behind the challenger's curtain as Kaga makes his first entrance. This is the first time I've seen him acknowledge any crowd at all, as he openly waves and thanks those in attendance. He's behaving a bit more like an emperor than a chairman, but that's just me...
He then welcomes Maruyama, the very first challenger, into Kitchen Stadium--and this is an odd sight--Maruyama strides into Kitchen Stadium without applause or any narration from Fukui. Hmm.
Well, no matter...for the first time, we hear Kaga's immortal words: "Come to life, Iron Chefs!"
And for the first time ever, the world meets the Iron Chefs:
Chen, Ishinabe, and Michiba. The invincible men of culinary skills make their appearance for the first time...with no introduction of their background. But the question is, who will be thrown into the shark tank first?
With determination, Maruyama calls out...Ishinabe! The man in green, the one they call the Visconti of the culinary world, the God of Sauces, acknowledges Maruyama's challenge with a raise of his bell pepper and descends to the kitchen floor to take part in the first-ever battle.
Of note--Michiba is still standing at the dais while Kaga is announcing the theme ingredient. Speaking of...the first theme ever comes with Kaga's invitation to use any of the wide range of ingredients the Gourmet Academy has to offer. With that, Kaga rips off the red tablecloth for the first time and reveals...salmon! (Quite dramatically, I might add.)
And after a proverb about salmon from Kaga, he booms forth the now-familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
The gong is banged, and the first battle--which has a time limit of 90 minutes--is underway rather slowly as both men approach the ingredient stand with trepidation. Fukui and Hattori are alone in the announcer's booth, but they'll be here to guide us through this culinary confrontation all the same.
Maruyama is going grocery shopping on his side of the stadium, while Ishinabe seems puzzled by the available plates.
Maruyama's wok is fired up, and he makes a sign about wiping sweat off his brow. On the other side, the first action we see is Ishinabe chopping onions and carrots, while his assistants look on. After an edit that magically takes us 25 minutes into the battle, we see Maruyama finally beginning to break down his salmon. Takes him a couple of cleaver chops to do so.
Ishinabe has a deconstructed Ise-ebi (Japanese lobster) in his food processor, which shakes violently as he starts in. 30 minutes into the battle (which isn't announced, but shown on-screen), we get our first report from Ohta on the challenger's side: I don't know what Ohta just said, but Maruyama seems embarrassed for some reason.
Back to the Iron Chef's side, Ishinabe is deboning his salmon with tweezers (or is that forceps?). We swing back to Maruyama, who has a hunk of salmon in his wok. Ishinabe is slicing up his salmon into smaller, more manageable fillets, while we get another report from Ohta about the challenger--I think he may have said the challenger is intimidated by the cameras.
Ishinabe has scallops and Japanese lobster meat on this side. And as Hattori speculates about a mousse of some kind, Ishinabe acknowledges in kind! Fukui flips out as Ohta confirms that Ishinabe is indeed making a mousse.
A graphic reveals that there are about 15 minutes left in the battle. Maruyama has a minced mixture that he's stir-frying in his wok, while Ishinabe's salmon fillets from earlier have hit the skillet for a sauté. The commentators are trying to figure out what Maruyama's mixture is...all they conclude is that it's ground meat of some kind and vegetables. Kinda stating the obvious, but then...
Ishinabe's scallops are laying on top of the salmon fillets in the skillet, and the lobster joins it. Maruyama is arranging a circle of Chinese cabbage on a plate, while Ishinabe magically has a green spinach sauce. Fukui is quick to point out that said sauce matches the color of his costume.
10 minutes to go (hey, the first time call!), and Ishinabe's salmon has hit the plate, as has Maruyama's ground meat mixture. Ishinabe is dotting his salmon with the green sauce, adorning the plate with a lobster head. Maruyama's plate gets some slices of lemon, while the challenger dashes off to the fridge to fetch some lettuce. It doesn't appear as though Maruyama has used a lot of his fish--a shot reveals what he hadn't used, and there's still a considerable portion left!
Ohta comes in with a report that makes Fukui sound like he spit his coffee out--something about salmon, that much I understood...and somehow, we fast forward to 15 seconds left in the battle...Maruyama is preparing some lettuce to serve alongside his ground meat dish...but does he make it in time? The final gong rings just as Maruyama chucks some unusuable portions of lettuce into the trash (and as he does, you can hear some beeping in the background...maybe that was their official clock at the time?).
Now, for the first dishes ever presented on Iron Chef:
Challenger Maruyama has just one dish:
Iron Chef Ishinabe has two dishes:
I don't understand much Japanese, but what I *do* understand while Maruyama's dish is being tasted: Ishii makes a face as she looks over the lettuce wrap, and says, "Where's the salmon?" This alone probably doesn't bode well for Maruyama...
But after all that...who takes it? Will it be the Iron Chef or the hero of Chinese cuisine? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Tetsujin, Ishinabe Yutaka."
Kaga doesn't shout the verdict as we've become accustomed to him doing...he just plainly states it like that, and without any postmortem from Fukui, the show fades to credits.
And that's how it all began on that one October day in nineteen hundred and ninety-three.
My thoughts: Obviously, every show experiences some growing pains when they first start. And while this is such a fantastic look into the episode that started a legend, I think we can all agree that it's a good thing they changed the format. It was pretty obvious Ishinabe was going to win once the battle was over, but personally, I love seeing this first show and wondering what must've been going through everyone's minds.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Friday, January 4, 2013
ICT: Battle Sea Bass: Bruant/Furutaka vs. Michiba/Chen
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 38
Japan Original Airdate: 7/22/1994
The Challengers: Joel Bruant and Masafumi Furutaka. Bruant, who has been cooking since the age of 13, trained under Paul Bocuse, the "Emperor of French Cuisine." Furutaka is his top apprentice.
The Iron Chefs: Rokusaburo Michiba and Chen Kenichi. Sakai lost last week...can the Iron Chefs avoid taking one loss each in the span of just two battles?
The Battle:
Before we say anything more...can I just comment on how ridiculous Bruant's dubbed voice is in the intro film? It's almost like the guy's *trying* too hard to have a French accent.
Anyway, joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box today is another new face, actress Kazuko Katoh.
This is the first time Kitchen Stadium will hold a 2-on-2 showdown, to honor--as Kaga says in the opening--the upcoming summer vacation.
"This has been one of my dreams," Kaga says before he brings on the two challengers, introducing them as literal heavyweights ("weighing in at over 500 pounds," the subtitles say--he actually says 250 kilos). And then he proceeds to ask if the kitchen is a bit too small for the both of them. Way to call them both fat, Kaga.
Anyway, we get a really cool angle from the kitchen floor of the Iron Chefs ascending into view. Once the dry ice clears, it is Bruant who makes the call--they want to take on Michiba and Chen! No chance for French redemption for Sakai this week. They don't mention Chen and Michiba's combined weight, but Michiba alone probably makes sure that the scales aren't tipped at all. He isn't a very big man at all.
But now to the business of the theme ingredient. "What would be a suitable ingredient for this special match?" Kaga asks. "A fish that is comparable to red snapper in the summer months. As its Japanese name suggests, it is very smooth. What kinds of Japanese, French, and Chinese dishes will we enjoy today?" And Kaga can barely contain his excitement as he unveils...sea bass!
And speaking of the best sea bass in summer, good sea bass makes a rainbow on sashimi, according to Kaga.
But this first doubles match gets underway as Kaga booms forth the familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And the notes indicate that the 2-on-2 match means no assistants for either side. Hattori notes the fish has the most fat on it in the summer. Hattori says he overheard Michiba making Japanese dishes and Chen making Chinese dishes: "Not exactly earth-shattering news there," Fukui notes.
Furutaka is already doing some dirty work with the sea bass, while Michiba is already filleting away. And we find that he can really move--that's the first time I've seen him run in Kitchen Stadium!
The French team has diced sea bass, minced prawns, and eggs in their food processor. As we swing back to the other side, Fukui notes that he might expect sashimi from Michiba, but we won't have time for a menu, apparently...he fooled Katoh when he unrolled some paper towels instead. And Chen is peeling grapes, while Ohta notes he heard him saying, "Hey, I got the easy job today!" Hmm.
Furutaka is preparing what Hattori thinks will be a croute, with sea bass and the food processor mixture stuffed inside a pie. Michiba is skewering sea bass steaks, while Chen has a mixture in the food processor of his own. They say it might be the exact same as the challenger's side. And Ohta notes that, without assistants, Michiba's a bit lost--he has no idea how to work the salamander oven! Soon after he notes that the challengers have giant pie sheets sandwiching a whole fish.
While all that was going on, the 15-minute call was announced, while Fukui unwittingly gets in a Yu-Gi-Oh reference by saying Chen is in "attack mode," while Michiba barely saves his skewered sea bass steaks from burning. The challengers' pie crust is getting some scale patterns in it--that'll earn them definite presentation points. And into the oven it goes, as does the mousse that went into a circular cake mold earlier.
Chen's wok is in action, with some dumplings from his food processor (egg whites and lychee, Ohta says--later corrected to say the grapes are indeed there).
30 minutes gone now, and Bruant has chopped truffles to bits for a Sauce Perigeux. Michiba, meanwhile, drops a load of chopped-up fish into the steamer. The French side has a sauce Choron (with tomato purée) in preparation, and now Ohta notes that Bruant, perhaps flustered by the pressure of the battle, has switched tongues to French, and nobody knows what he's saying!
20 minutes left now, and Chen is working with sea bass innards--Hattori thinks he'll cure them with salt. Michiba is arranging the sea bass steaks from earlier, while the challengers are making a soup. And it looks like Furutaka put food coloring on lemon peels!
The broadcasters' box is noting how the challengers appear to have an edge with the overall flow of their dishes, because Michiba and Chen appear to be a bit disjointed...
Challengers are decorating a large silver dish, while Michiba extracts his chopped fish from the steamer with 10 minutes to go. Bruant, flustered earlier in the battle, says they'll make it on time just fine, while the Iron Chefs appear to be lost...Chen says it's gonna be close.
The mousse on the challengers' side doesn't want to come out of the mold...and after a short struggle, it eventually does come out, even if Furutaka has to do some reparative surgery to it. The Perigeux sauce will go over that.
Michiba is stuffing ginkgo nuts into some red blossoms, but nobody cares about that--the challengers' fish pie has just come out of the oven with 5 minutes to go! (Bless you, Michiba..."someone hand him a hanky," Fukui says.) That goes on the silver dish they were decorating earlier.
Chen has some potato strings in the formation of a nest for plating in his wok, while Michiba is plating sashimi onto winter melon and chicory.
3 minutes to go, and Bruant sounds a bit pressed for time...but he might not have anything to worry about, it's the Iron Chefs who are in trouble--Chen is frantically chopping things up with two and half left!
Chen's stir fry goes down on the potato nest from earlier, and the Perigeux sauce is down on the challengers' side. Michiba's putting some finishing touches on his sashimi, while Chen is on the run! That man can really hustle.
1 minute left, and the challengers' are putting finishing touches on their dishes, while the Iron Chefs have bigger fish to fry than just presentation with just 30 seconds left...the final seconds are ticking down as the Iron Chefs look like they just barely make it...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Sea Bass Battle is OVAH!"
The French team is offering four dishes:
--Chilled Sea Bass in Basil & Oil Sauce
--Sea Bass Mousse with Truffle Sauce
--Sea Bass Soup, Provence Style
--Sea Bass Pie (with Choron sauce)
The Iron Chefs are offering five dishes:
--Chilled Sea Bass Sashimi
--Salt-grilled Sea Bass
--Stir-fried Sea Bass & Vegetables
--Sea Bass Stew
--Lychee & Muscat in Sea Bass Dumpling
On the panel for the Sea Bass Battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Kazuko Katoh
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
The long table is out today! Four, rather than three members are on the panel today...I wonder if they accounted for the possibility of a tie?
Kurimoto likes the texture and sauce of the challengers' first dish, while Takata likes the skin.
Katoh, on the second dish, is having an "I Can't Believe It's Not Sea Bass" moment.
Hirano says the soup needed a bit more salt for more depth of flavor, saying they held back too much. Takata says it's too oily--Bruant counters that he didn't have enough time.
And now the two men serve their sea bass pie...
Hirano likes how they preserved the original form of the fish, while Takata really likes the taste as well.
Now the Iron Chefs are up--I wonder how they'll do?
The sashimi is generally well-received, as are the grilled sea bass steaks. Chen's stir-fry gets a nod of approval after a few mellower dishes. Takata notices it "tastes like chicken."
The stew is jointly served, and Kurimoto has a politician moment when he describes it as "Japan shaking hands with China."
Hirano likes the clever approach of how the fruit was wrapped, while Takata notes it's a very lady-like dessert. But perhaps the nail in the coffin for them--Kurimoto doesn't sense a unifying theme across their courses.
But ultimately, it's the panel as a whole that determines whose cuisine reigns supreme. Will it be the Iron Chefs or the French cuisine heavyweights?
"Challengers, Bruant and Furutaka!"
"Yes, they have rolled over the Iron Chefs!" Fukui apparently can't help but get in one more fat joke before this battle is over. Le sigh.
My thoughts: If it were two-on-one, it may have been a very different story. But I think the Iron Chefs were done in by a lack of coherence in their courses. That and Chen's stir-fry didn't seem terribly original to me. I'm sure they all tasted great, though.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 38
Japan Original Airdate: 7/22/1994
The Challengers: Joel Bruant and Masafumi Furutaka. Bruant, who has been cooking since the age of 13, trained under Paul Bocuse, the "Emperor of French Cuisine." Furutaka is his top apprentice.
The Iron Chefs: Rokusaburo Michiba and Chen Kenichi. Sakai lost last week...can the Iron Chefs avoid taking one loss each in the span of just two battles?
The Battle:
Before we say anything more...can I just comment on how ridiculous Bruant's dubbed voice is in the intro film? It's almost like the guy's *trying* too hard to have a French accent.
Anyway, joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box today is another new face, actress Kazuko Katoh.
This is the first time Kitchen Stadium will hold a 2-on-2 showdown, to honor--as Kaga says in the opening--the upcoming summer vacation.
"This has been one of my dreams," Kaga says before he brings on the two challengers, introducing them as literal heavyweights ("weighing in at over 500 pounds," the subtitles say--he actually says 250 kilos). And then he proceeds to ask if the kitchen is a bit too small for the both of them. Way to call them both fat, Kaga.
Anyway, we get a really cool angle from the kitchen floor of the Iron Chefs ascending into view. Once the dry ice clears, it is Bruant who makes the call--they want to take on Michiba and Chen! No chance for French redemption for Sakai this week. They don't mention Chen and Michiba's combined weight, but Michiba alone probably makes sure that the scales aren't tipped at all. He isn't a very big man at all.
But now to the business of the theme ingredient. "What would be a suitable ingredient for this special match?" Kaga asks. "A fish that is comparable to red snapper in the summer months. As its Japanese name suggests, it is very smooth. What kinds of Japanese, French, and Chinese dishes will we enjoy today?" And Kaga can barely contain his excitement as he unveils...sea bass!
And speaking of the best sea bass in summer, good sea bass makes a rainbow on sashimi, according to Kaga.
But this first doubles match gets underway as Kaga booms forth the familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And the notes indicate that the 2-on-2 match means no assistants for either side. Hattori notes the fish has the most fat on it in the summer. Hattori says he overheard Michiba making Japanese dishes and Chen making Chinese dishes: "Not exactly earth-shattering news there," Fukui notes.
Furutaka is already doing some dirty work with the sea bass, while Michiba is already filleting away. And we find that he can really move--that's the first time I've seen him run in Kitchen Stadium!
The French team has diced sea bass, minced prawns, and eggs in their food processor. As we swing back to the other side, Fukui notes that he might expect sashimi from Michiba, but we won't have time for a menu, apparently...he fooled Katoh when he unrolled some paper towels instead. And Chen is peeling grapes, while Ohta notes he heard him saying, "Hey, I got the easy job today!" Hmm.
Furutaka is preparing what Hattori thinks will be a croute, with sea bass and the food processor mixture stuffed inside a pie. Michiba is skewering sea bass steaks, while Chen has a mixture in the food processor of his own. They say it might be the exact same as the challenger's side. And Ohta notes that, without assistants, Michiba's a bit lost--he has no idea how to work the salamander oven! Soon after he notes that the challengers have giant pie sheets sandwiching a whole fish.
While all that was going on, the 15-minute call was announced, while Fukui unwittingly gets in a Yu-Gi-Oh reference by saying Chen is in "attack mode," while Michiba barely saves his skewered sea bass steaks from burning. The challengers' pie crust is getting some scale patterns in it--that'll earn them definite presentation points. And into the oven it goes, as does the mousse that went into a circular cake mold earlier.
Chen's wok is in action, with some dumplings from his food processor (egg whites and lychee, Ohta says--later corrected to say the grapes are indeed there).
30 minutes gone now, and Bruant has chopped truffles to bits for a Sauce Perigeux. Michiba, meanwhile, drops a load of chopped-up fish into the steamer. The French side has a sauce Choron (with tomato purée) in preparation, and now Ohta notes that Bruant, perhaps flustered by the pressure of the battle, has switched tongues to French, and nobody knows what he's saying!
20 minutes left now, and Chen is working with sea bass innards--Hattori thinks he'll cure them with salt. Michiba is arranging the sea bass steaks from earlier, while the challengers are making a soup. And it looks like Furutaka put food coloring on lemon peels!
The broadcasters' box is noting how the challengers appear to have an edge with the overall flow of their dishes, because Michiba and Chen appear to be a bit disjointed...
Challengers are decorating a large silver dish, while Michiba extracts his chopped fish from the steamer with 10 minutes to go. Bruant, flustered earlier in the battle, says they'll make it on time just fine, while the Iron Chefs appear to be lost...Chen says it's gonna be close.
The mousse on the challengers' side doesn't want to come out of the mold...and after a short struggle, it eventually does come out, even if Furutaka has to do some reparative surgery to it. The Perigeux sauce will go over that.
Michiba is stuffing ginkgo nuts into some red blossoms, but nobody cares about that--the challengers' fish pie has just come out of the oven with 5 minutes to go! (Bless you, Michiba..."someone hand him a hanky," Fukui says.) That goes on the silver dish they were decorating earlier.
Chen has some potato strings in the formation of a nest for plating in his wok, while Michiba is plating sashimi onto winter melon and chicory.
3 minutes to go, and Bruant sounds a bit pressed for time...but he might not have anything to worry about, it's the Iron Chefs who are in trouble--Chen is frantically chopping things up with two and half left!
Chen's stir fry goes down on the potato nest from earlier, and the Perigeux sauce is down on the challengers' side. Michiba's putting some finishing touches on his sashimi, while Chen is on the run! That man can really hustle.
1 minute left, and the challengers' are putting finishing touches on their dishes, while the Iron Chefs have bigger fish to fry than just presentation with just 30 seconds left...the final seconds are ticking down as the Iron Chefs look like they just barely make it...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Sea Bass Battle is OVAH!"
The French team is offering four dishes:
--Chilled Sea Bass in Basil & Oil Sauce
--Sea Bass Mousse with Truffle Sauce
--Sea Bass Soup, Provence Style
--Sea Bass Pie (with Choron sauce)
The Iron Chefs are offering five dishes:
--Chilled Sea Bass Sashimi
--Salt-grilled Sea Bass
--Stir-fried Sea Bass & Vegetables
--Sea Bass Stew
--Lychee & Muscat in Sea Bass Dumpling
On the panel for the Sea Bass Battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Kazuko Katoh
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
The long table is out today! Four, rather than three members are on the panel today...I wonder if they accounted for the possibility of a tie?
Kurimoto likes the texture and sauce of the challengers' first dish, while Takata likes the skin.
Katoh, on the second dish, is having an "I Can't Believe It's Not Sea Bass" moment.
Hirano says the soup needed a bit more salt for more depth of flavor, saying they held back too much. Takata says it's too oily--Bruant counters that he didn't have enough time.
And now the two men serve their sea bass pie...
Hirano likes how they preserved the original form of the fish, while Takata really likes the taste as well.
Now the Iron Chefs are up--I wonder how they'll do?
The sashimi is generally well-received, as are the grilled sea bass steaks. Chen's stir-fry gets a nod of approval after a few mellower dishes. Takata notices it "tastes like chicken."
The stew is jointly served, and Kurimoto has a politician moment when he describes it as "Japan shaking hands with China."
Hirano likes the clever approach of how the fruit was wrapped, while Takata notes it's a very lady-like dessert. But perhaps the nail in the coffin for them--Kurimoto doesn't sense a unifying theme across their courses.
But ultimately, it's the panel as a whole that determines whose cuisine reigns supreme. Will it be the Iron Chefs or the French cuisine heavyweights?
"Challengers, Bruant and Furutaka!"
"Yes, they have rolled over the Iron Chefs!" Fukui apparently can't help but get in one more fat joke before this battle is over. Le sigh.
My thoughts: If it were two-on-one, it may have been a very different story. But I think the Iron Chefs were done in by a lack of coherence in their courses. That and Chen's stir-fry didn't seem terribly original to me. I'm sure they all tasted great, though.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
ICT: Battle Homard: Shimizu vs. Sakai
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 37
Japan Original Airdate: 7/15/94
The Challenger: Tadaaki Shimizu, former sous-chef and head chef of the Japanese location of La Tour d'Argent, a very famous French restaurant that opened in 1582. He once cooked for the Crown Prince of Japan during his time at La Tour d'Argent in Paris. His own restaurant, La Tourelle, is in Tokyo. His claim to fame is his use of sauces.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time out, he defeated Yuji Wakiya in Battle Uni, who's gone four in a row in this timeline. Can he extend his streak?
The Battle:
Joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box today is NOT Mayuko Takata for once, but rather another actress, Shoko Tamura...a self-proclaimed French cuisine enthusiast. Fukui goes so far as to dub her an "expert," as she's experienced Belgian flavors as well. Let's see how she does as she comments on this battle...
And here comes Shimizu into Kitchen Stadium, confidently shaking Kaga's hand as he reaches the center. And as Kaga's audio gets a little hot as he summons his Iron Chefs, the lights dim, the men rise out of the floor, the dry ice clears, and Shimizu calls out another French chef--Sakai! (Still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium, might we add.)
"What would be a suitable ingredient for this genius French chef?" Kaga asks, adding that it didn't take him very long to decide. "When you hear 'La Tour d'Argent,' you think of a certain dish with that bird." (I presume he means the duck dish the Crown Prince dined on that he mentioned in the opening.) "But that's too straightforward," he quickly dismisses. "So instead, I chose the most popular expensive seafood in France." And as he says that, Kaga makes clawing motions with his fingers, indicating that the theme is indeed...(live) homard lobster!
Apparently, the French say the left claw of the homard is the best part...
But now this all-French confrontation begins with the Chairman's familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Fukui is quick to note they're still alive, and Hattori says these are imported, hence the use of the French word "homard" (which actually means lobster in French). Shimizu has skewered the tails of two whole lobsters, and into a pot of boiling water they go. Sakai appears to be doing the same thing, sans heads.
Shimizu has the corail, or the livers of the lobster, in a bowl. Sakai, meanwhile, has a court-bouillon (soup of herbs) to do away with the fishy smell.
Shimizu sticks a pair of lobsters soaked in olive oil into the oven before he works on breaking down a chicken. Sakai has lobster roe in a bowl, and there's the 15-minute call already!
Lobsters in a frying pan on Shimizu's side (which gets a little flambé over the replay), and down they go into a bigger pot ("double play flambé," Fukui says). Sakai has boiled lobster tails from the court-bouillon, which he's slicing up...Ohta is quick to note that he overheard Sakai say this ingredient is a piece of cake. Hmm.
Shimizu has the beginnings of what appears to be a lobster bisque on his side, and after adding a creamy liquid of some kind, he's peeling some tomatoes with care. And as he does that, we get a shot of his wife in the Royal Box. And suddenly...rose petal tomatoes! So that's why he was being so meticulous about it.
Sakai's fighting words come out as he basically says the food from La Tour d'Argent "wasn't too impressive," adding that he wasn't into classic French dishes that much. Speaking of Sakai (and as the 30-minute mark is announced), he's got some rectangular molds which he's putting in okra and lobster pieces minced together.
Radishes on Shimizu's side, which he's making for a salad...while Sakai has pears, avocados, peaches, and mangoes. Sweet stuff...yum.
The rest of the tomatoes Shimizu used are being used as bowls for that mayonnaise salad with the radishes from earlier. Sakai is making a fruity sauce with all those fruits we mentioned earlier, as he gives 'em a spin into the blender.
Shimizu has already plated his tomato hors d'oeuvres (the "amuse," Hattori calls it). 20 minutes to go, and Sakai is cracking claws. He also has halved lobster tails with some kind of sauce spooned on top (that found the salamander oven), while Shimizu is still plating something else...while caviar goes down on the tomatoes.
Sakai's peaches find some glass bowls, paired with some lobsters, while Shimizu's chicken is now in the oven. Hattori speculates he's trying to imitate a duck dish, but substituting a lighter-flavored meat. Meanwhile, Sakai's fruity sauce goes down over the peaches and lobster.
Shimizu apparently has time for an additional dish (15 minutes, to be exact), while Sakai is plating the items in the rectangular molds. Shimizu's fifth dish appears to be lobsters stewing in saffron, veal stock, shallots, garlic, and butter. Fukui is quick to note that it looks a bit like Chen's prawns in chili sauce.
Sakai is plating some lobster tails, shells and all...while Shimizu's soup appears to have hit the blender to get a smoother texture.
Some more frantic activity from both sides, and Fukui once again mentions that Sakai is the only Iron Chef that's still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium. Five minutes to go, and Shimizu's saffron lobsters go down over some cucumbers. Sakai's lobster tails get an additional sauce that Hattori says is made from lobster stock. Shimizu's chicken and lobster dish hits the plate, while his soup also finds some bowls (Hattori says his soup looks like a cappuccino).
One minute left, and sauces are going down on both sides all over the place...Shimizu appears to be done with a few seconds to go, while Sakai is finishing with some sauces as the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Homard Lobster Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Shimizu is offering five dishes:
--Homard Lobster Tartare
--Homard Lobster Salad
--Homard Lobster Soup, Cappuccino Style
--Chicken & Homard Lobster Combo
--Homard Lobster Stewed in Saffron Sauce
Iron Chef Sakai offers three dishes:
--Homard Lobster & Peach Salad
--Homard Lobster Galette
--Roast Homard Lobster
On the panel today for the Homard Battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Shoko Tamura
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger Shimizu is up first, and he says the first thing he thought about was the flow of his dishes.
Kurimoto loves the texture of the tartare, while Hirano actually says something meaningful for once--he likes the way the lobster was chilled.
The salad is generally well-received across the board, as is the soup--Hirano says the flavor is so profound, while Kurimoto sense the "wrath of the lobster." Whatever that means. He doesn't like the chicken/lobster combo, though.
Hirano says the final dish was unnecessary...while Kurimoto says he thought it was a good way to end the courses.
Now for Sakai--he tried to combine in-season ingredients with the lobster, he says.
Kurimoto says peaches and lobster is a strange combination, but it works. Tamura likes the texture of the peach.
Hirano says the softness of the okra makes the second dish playful, but Kurimoto thinks it's a tad overpowering. He does like the last dish, though, saying the lobster is perfectly grilled. Tamura especially loves the sauce.
But ultimately, who takes the day? Will it be the Iron Chef or the genius of the silver tower? Can Sakai stay undefeated? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Tadaaki Shimizu!"
Holy--! Down goes Sakai! DOWN GOES SAKAI! It's almost as if the Chairman couldn't even spit the words out, but eventually he did. Shimizu becomes the first man to take down Iron Chef Sakai, and how!
My thoughts: I definitely think Sakai won in terms of presentation. But I liked the way Shimizu's dishes had that clear flow Hirano talked about. In the end, I guess it came down to personal taste preference, and everyone knows you can't judge that unless you're actually there.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 37
Japan Original Airdate: 7/15/94
The Challenger: Tadaaki Shimizu, former sous-chef and head chef of the Japanese location of La Tour d'Argent, a very famous French restaurant that opened in 1582. He once cooked for the Crown Prince of Japan during his time at La Tour d'Argent in Paris. His own restaurant, La Tourelle, is in Tokyo. His claim to fame is his use of sauces.
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai. Last time out, he defeated Yuji Wakiya in Battle Uni, who's gone four in a row in this timeline. Can he extend his streak?
The Battle:
Joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box today is NOT Mayuko Takata for once, but rather another actress, Shoko Tamura...a self-proclaimed French cuisine enthusiast. Fukui goes so far as to dub her an "expert," as she's experienced Belgian flavors as well. Let's see how she does as she comments on this battle...
And here comes Shimizu into Kitchen Stadium, confidently shaking Kaga's hand as he reaches the center. And as Kaga's audio gets a little hot as he summons his Iron Chefs, the lights dim, the men rise out of the floor, the dry ice clears, and Shimizu calls out another French chef--Sakai! (Still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium, might we add.)
"What would be a suitable ingredient for this genius French chef?" Kaga asks, adding that it didn't take him very long to decide. "When you hear 'La Tour d'Argent,' you think of a certain dish with that bird." (I presume he means the duck dish the Crown Prince dined on that he mentioned in the opening.) "But that's too straightforward," he quickly dismisses. "So instead, I chose the most popular expensive seafood in France." And as he says that, Kaga makes clawing motions with his fingers, indicating that the theme is indeed...(live) homard lobster!
Apparently, the French say the left claw of the homard is the best part...
But now this all-French confrontation begins with the Chairman's familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Fukui is quick to note they're still alive, and Hattori says these are imported, hence the use of the French word "homard" (which actually means lobster in French). Shimizu has skewered the tails of two whole lobsters, and into a pot of boiling water they go. Sakai appears to be doing the same thing, sans heads.
Shimizu has the corail, or the livers of the lobster, in a bowl. Sakai, meanwhile, has a court-bouillon (soup of herbs) to do away with the fishy smell.
Shimizu sticks a pair of lobsters soaked in olive oil into the oven before he works on breaking down a chicken. Sakai has lobster roe in a bowl, and there's the 15-minute call already!
Lobsters in a frying pan on Shimizu's side (which gets a little flambé over the replay), and down they go into a bigger pot ("double play flambé," Fukui says). Sakai has boiled lobster tails from the court-bouillon, which he's slicing up...Ohta is quick to note that he overheard Sakai say this ingredient is a piece of cake. Hmm.
Shimizu has the beginnings of what appears to be a lobster bisque on his side, and after adding a creamy liquid of some kind, he's peeling some tomatoes with care. And as he does that, we get a shot of his wife in the Royal Box. And suddenly...rose petal tomatoes! So that's why he was being so meticulous about it.
Sakai's fighting words come out as he basically says the food from La Tour d'Argent "wasn't too impressive," adding that he wasn't into classic French dishes that much. Speaking of Sakai (and as the 30-minute mark is announced), he's got some rectangular molds which he's putting in okra and lobster pieces minced together.
Radishes on Shimizu's side, which he's making for a salad...while Sakai has pears, avocados, peaches, and mangoes. Sweet stuff...yum.
The rest of the tomatoes Shimizu used are being used as bowls for that mayonnaise salad with the radishes from earlier. Sakai is making a fruity sauce with all those fruits we mentioned earlier, as he gives 'em a spin into the blender.
Shimizu has already plated his tomato hors d'oeuvres (the "amuse," Hattori calls it). 20 minutes to go, and Sakai is cracking claws. He also has halved lobster tails with some kind of sauce spooned on top (that found the salamander oven), while Shimizu is still plating something else...while caviar goes down on the tomatoes.
Sakai's peaches find some glass bowls, paired with some lobsters, while Shimizu's chicken is now in the oven. Hattori speculates he's trying to imitate a duck dish, but substituting a lighter-flavored meat. Meanwhile, Sakai's fruity sauce goes down over the peaches and lobster.
Shimizu apparently has time for an additional dish (15 minutes, to be exact), while Sakai is plating the items in the rectangular molds. Shimizu's fifth dish appears to be lobsters stewing in saffron, veal stock, shallots, garlic, and butter. Fukui is quick to note that it looks a bit like Chen's prawns in chili sauce.
Sakai is plating some lobster tails, shells and all...while Shimizu's soup appears to have hit the blender to get a smoother texture.
Some more frantic activity from both sides, and Fukui once again mentions that Sakai is the only Iron Chef that's still undefeated in Kitchen Stadium. Five minutes to go, and Shimizu's saffron lobsters go down over some cucumbers. Sakai's lobster tails get an additional sauce that Hattori says is made from lobster stock. Shimizu's chicken and lobster dish hits the plate, while his soup also finds some bowls (Hattori says his soup looks like a cappuccino).
One minute left, and sauces are going down on both sides all over the place...Shimizu appears to be done with a few seconds to go, while Sakai is finishing with some sauces as the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Homard Lobster Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Shimizu is offering five dishes:
--Homard Lobster Tartare
--Homard Lobster Salad
--Homard Lobster Soup, Cappuccino Style
--Chicken & Homard Lobster Combo
--Homard Lobster Stewed in Saffron Sauce
Iron Chef Sakai offers three dishes:
--Homard Lobster & Peach Salad
--Homard Lobster Galette
--Roast Homard Lobster
On the panel today for the Homard Battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Shoko Tamura
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano
Challenger Shimizu is up first, and he says the first thing he thought about was the flow of his dishes.
Kurimoto loves the texture of the tartare, while Hirano actually says something meaningful for once--he likes the way the lobster was chilled.
The salad is generally well-received across the board, as is the soup--Hirano says the flavor is so profound, while Kurimoto sense the "wrath of the lobster." Whatever that means. He doesn't like the chicken/lobster combo, though.
Hirano says the final dish was unnecessary...while Kurimoto says he thought it was a good way to end the courses.
Now for Sakai--he tried to combine in-season ingredients with the lobster, he says.
Kurimoto says peaches and lobster is a strange combination, but it works. Tamura likes the texture of the peach.
Hirano says the softness of the okra makes the second dish playful, but Kurimoto thinks it's a tad overpowering. He does like the last dish, though, saying the lobster is perfectly grilled. Tamura especially loves the sauce.
But ultimately, who takes the day? Will it be the Iron Chef or the genius of the silver tower? Can Sakai stay undefeated? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?
"Challenger, Tadaaki Shimizu!"
Holy--! Down goes Sakai! DOWN GOES SAKAI! It's almost as if the Chairman couldn't even spit the words out, but eventually he did. Shimizu becomes the first man to take down Iron Chef Sakai, and how!
My thoughts: I definitely think Sakai won in terms of presentation. But I liked the way Shimizu's dishes had that clear flow Hirano talked about. In the end, I guess it came down to personal taste preference, and everyone knows you can't judge that unless you're actually there.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
ICT: Battle Tuna: Michiba vs. Mera
BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 36
Japan Original Airdate: 7/8/94
The Challenger: Takashi Mera, who wields the longest cooking knife in Japan (twice the size of a regular knife). He is the head chef of a restaurant which is frequented by many Japanese Prime Ministers. Kaga says Mera reminds him of a samurai character in a Japanese novel (Sasaki Kojiro, Kaga later says, if that means anything to you).
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba, who's been specifically called out for this battle because his use of foreign ingredients in Japanese dishes have earned the ire of the challenger. It's been a while since we saw him last, but he won a convincing victory against Hanato in the Sweetfish Battle. How will he fare against the man with the longest knife in Japan?
The Battle:
Joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.
And striding confidently into Kitchen Stadium comes Mera, with knife in tow (in its own bag and all!). Looks a bit like a sword at his side as he brings it in. He's about to unsheath it, when Kaga stops him and tells him to swing it around after the gong. But after the formalities are complete, and the dry ice clears, Mera calls out--to the surprise of absolutely no one--Michiba.
"The challengers in my stadium of late all seem to be guessing what the theme is," Kaga begins. "Today, both chefs might be thinking of a certain ingredient. Summer. A certain fish is in season. The challenger is probably wanting to use his long knife to cut into the bones. Am I right?" Kaga cheekily asks. And then he fakes everyone out by announcing the theme as pike eel (hamo), before ripping off the veil for real and revealing...tuna!
And as Kaga later proclaims, to enjoy tuna, "cook it on your tongue." (If the fishmongers at Tsukiji Fish Market are to be believed.)
But these chefs won't be cooking tuna on their tongues, they'll be cooking it in all sorts of ways in Kitchen Stadium soon after Kaga's familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And the battle begins with both sides frantically scrambling up to the ingredient stand to get a hold of this tuna that apparently cost over $10,000. One whole fish in pieces on the stand today, and only one head up for grabs, and Mera...wait, no, Michiba gets it! Apparently he told one of his assistants to grab it for him. Cheeky devil, that Michiba.
Hattori says the fish weighs 60-70kg, or about 150 pounds. Michiba straightaway looks to extract the eye, and both sides wanted the head, according to Ohta...but Michiba got there first.
And Mera is writing a menu a la Michiba, who appears to be a little late with his. But then, Michiba's busy extracting the eyeballs from the head, so it's understandable.
And here comes Mera's famous long knife, which Hattori comments looks like a sword. As he's busy filleting his tuna, Michiba has his Broth of Vigor on the stove. Fukui provides some context with Sasaki Kojiro, who had the longest sword in samurai lore...and Mera shows off a bit by twirling his knife before setting it down. Impressive.
Michiba is skewering the eyeballs for some grilling treatment, and he finally gets to the task of writing his menu. Grilled skin is mentioned as he does so, as is a tuna carpaccio.
Mera is mincing tuna and green onions (for negitoro, says Hattori). Further investigation of Michiba's menu reveals plans for six dishes, one of which will be sushi.
15 minutes gone already, and Mera is skewering eggplants which head over to the oven. Michiba has the skin of the belly on his side, and he's got some double-barreled chopping action on his side. He's quick to point out that in the samurai novel they keep referencing, the guy with the longer sword lost. So...
Chutoro (moderately fatty fish) is being wrapped in yuba on Mera's side, while Michiba is mixing pine nuts and ginger into the tuna he was double-barrel chopping. And the eyeballs have come off the grill as well!
Mera apparently overheard Michiba talk about the samurai tale, and quickly retorts that we're living in modern times, and that this isn't a fairy tale! As he says that, he takes rice out of the cooker. Fukui notes vinegar and light soy sauce as well, but Mera adds sesame seeds to his rice...maybe not for sushi? But he does have a roller on his side...
Michiba, meanwhile, puts down green onions on top of the tuna/pine nut/ginger mixture, while Mera is indeed rolling a sushi roll with negitoro and ginkgo leaves (or was that shiso?)
Michiba is deep frying a cut of the most expensive part of the tuna (otoro). Fukui notes as Michiba's slicing it that it looks like a tataki-style treatment. Mera is also doing some deep-frying as well, deep-frying the sushi rolls in a plum sauce of some kind. Hmm.
Michiba is making some incisions into some raw tuna, which Takata and Hattori note that it will open up at some point. His frying pan, which contains tuna cheek meat, mirin, and soy sauce, flares up a bit...
Mera's eggplants are off the grill, and topped with the negitoro. Uni has joined that mixture. He's also preparing an uramaki (rice on the outside sushi roll), which joins the eggplants under the salamander oven. Michiba, meanwhile, is preparing his sushi rice as well.
The sushi roller is still in action on Mera's side, this time with cucumber skins. Michiba is now forming his sushi, which Hattori says will be wrapped in persimmon leaves. Mera's wrapped item with the cucumbers contains yuba bean curd and grated daikon, which leaves Takata wondering where the tuna is...which is already inside the yuba skins.
Michiba's sushi goes down on the persimmon leaves with 15 minutes to go in the battle, while Mera is dicing tuna for sashimi. Michiba drops the tuna (coated with something) with the incisions he made earlier into a pot of hot water.
Mera has some glass boat bowls to plate his cubed tuna sashimi on top of a shiso leaf, and now 10 minutes left in the battle...Michiba plates his tataki which Fukui says looks a bit French. Iwatake (a type of mushroom) joins Mera's sashimi.
Tuna skins have been plated on Michiba's side, while Mera is working with some kudzu jelly. That goes on top of the sashimi as the 5-minute mark is announced--Mera is completely under control, according to Ohta.
Michiba's carpaccio is being plated on top of a miso sauce of some kind (Fukui is quick to point out that he thinks he's watching Sakai instead), topped by some caviar. And Mera is slicing his sushi rolls.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's scored tuna is in a bowl, to be joined (perhaps) by his Broth of Vigor. And Mera's sushi is being plated, quite nicely I might add...
1 minute left, and Michiba looks like he has branches in his hand...both sides, putting finishing touches on their dishes as the last few seconds tick down...
"And that's it! The cooking's done, the Tuna Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Mera is offering four dishes:
--Tuna Sashimi with Okra Paste
--Tuna and Cucumber Roll with Cured Plum Sauce
--Tuna Braised on Eggplant with Miso
--Tuna Sushi Rolls, Two Flavors
Iron Chef Michiba offers seven(!) dishes:
--Tuna Soup
--Tuna Skin Appetizer
--Tuna Carpaccio
--Grilled Tuna Cheek Meat
--Fried Toro Sashimi
--Tuna Sushi, Michiba Style
--Salt-Grilled Tuna Eyeballs
On the panel today for the Tuna battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Challenger Mera's dishes are up first, as always...who says he made it a point not to overcook any of his dishes.
As his tuna sashimi is served, Kaga notes that the dish is "difficult to eat." But Kishi says it's all connected. Kurimoto says it would go well with sake, but Takata notes the okra is too strong.
Kurimoto loves the cucumber rolls, saying you can taste the layering.
The eggplants are universally liked across the board, with Kurimoto saying something along the lines of "I can't believe it's not tuna." Kishi notes the eggplant is overpowering, however.
And the sushi rolls...Kurimoto says it needed a bit more cured plum. Whatever that means.
Michiba's now up...
Kurimoto doesn't like how the soup is a bit sour, but Kishi says it's a bit salty. Michiba counters that the salt was necessary to keep the tuna in check, but he acquiesces...for now.
The carpaccio gets "mms" across the board...Kurimoto is lost for words, saying there's no Japanese (or French) words to describe it.
Kishi likes the cheek meat, and Kurimoto is (again) rendered speechless by it.
Kishi thinks the seaweed on Michiba's sushi is unneccessary, but Takata likes the whole package.
And as Michiba serves the eyeballs, he sneaks a bite for himself! And for good reason--everyone likes them. Kurimoto says he could really go for some sake, and after all this...so could I!
But now, it's time to know...whose cuisine reigns supreme? Kaga notes that, "performance wise, the challenger wins. But what about taste?" Will it be the Iron Chef or the samurai chef?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!" (To the surprise of nobody.) One has to wonder if getting the head first was a factor, but even if it weren't in play on either side, Michiba made a pretty convincing showing.
My thoughts: There's not a whole lot else to say. When you look at Michiba's dishes against Mera's, there's no comparison. Michiba blew him out of the water, and it's not because he outnumbered him by number of dishes, either.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Episode: 36
Japan Original Airdate: 7/8/94
The Challenger: Takashi Mera, who wields the longest cooking knife in Japan (twice the size of a regular knife). He is the head chef of a restaurant which is frequented by many Japanese Prime Ministers. Kaga says Mera reminds him of a samurai character in a Japanese novel (Sasaki Kojiro, Kaga later says, if that means anything to you).
The Iron Chef: Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba, who's been specifically called out for this battle because his use of foreign ingredients in Japanese dishes have earned the ire of the challenger. It's been a while since we saw him last, but he won a convincing victory against Hanato in the Sweetfish Battle. How will he fare against the man with the longest knife in Japan?
The Battle:
Joining Fukui and Hattori in the broadcasters' box is, once again, actress Mayuko Takata.
And striding confidently into Kitchen Stadium comes Mera, with knife in tow (in its own bag and all!). Looks a bit like a sword at his side as he brings it in. He's about to unsheath it, when Kaga stops him and tells him to swing it around after the gong. But after the formalities are complete, and the dry ice clears, Mera calls out--to the surprise of absolutely no one--Michiba.
"The challengers in my stadium of late all seem to be guessing what the theme is," Kaga begins. "Today, both chefs might be thinking of a certain ingredient. Summer. A certain fish is in season. The challenger is probably wanting to use his long knife to cut into the bones. Am I right?" Kaga cheekily asks. And then he fakes everyone out by announcing the theme as pike eel (hamo), before ripping off the veil for real and revealing...tuna!
And as Kaga later proclaims, to enjoy tuna, "cook it on your tongue." (If the fishmongers at Tsukiji Fish Market are to be believed.)
But these chefs won't be cooking tuna on their tongues, they'll be cooking it in all sorts of ways in Kitchen Stadium soon after Kaga's familiar call to battle: "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
And the battle begins with both sides frantically scrambling up to the ingredient stand to get a hold of this tuna that apparently cost over $10,000. One whole fish in pieces on the stand today, and only one head up for grabs, and Mera...wait, no, Michiba gets it! Apparently he told one of his assistants to grab it for him. Cheeky devil, that Michiba.
Hattori says the fish weighs 60-70kg, or about 150 pounds. Michiba straightaway looks to extract the eye, and both sides wanted the head, according to Ohta...but Michiba got there first.
And Mera is writing a menu a la Michiba, who appears to be a little late with his. But then, Michiba's busy extracting the eyeballs from the head, so it's understandable.
And here comes Mera's famous long knife, which Hattori comments looks like a sword. As he's busy filleting his tuna, Michiba has his Broth of Vigor on the stove. Fukui provides some context with Sasaki Kojiro, who had the longest sword in samurai lore...and Mera shows off a bit by twirling his knife before setting it down. Impressive.
Michiba is skewering the eyeballs for some grilling treatment, and he finally gets to the task of writing his menu. Grilled skin is mentioned as he does so, as is a tuna carpaccio.
Mera is mincing tuna and green onions (for negitoro, says Hattori). Further investigation of Michiba's menu reveals plans for six dishes, one of which will be sushi.
15 minutes gone already, and Mera is skewering eggplants which head over to the oven. Michiba has the skin of the belly on his side, and he's got some double-barreled chopping action on his side. He's quick to point out that in the samurai novel they keep referencing, the guy with the longer sword lost. So...
Chutoro (moderately fatty fish) is being wrapped in yuba on Mera's side, while Michiba is mixing pine nuts and ginger into the tuna he was double-barrel chopping. And the eyeballs have come off the grill as well!
Mera apparently overheard Michiba talk about the samurai tale, and quickly retorts that we're living in modern times, and that this isn't a fairy tale! As he says that, he takes rice out of the cooker. Fukui notes vinegar and light soy sauce as well, but Mera adds sesame seeds to his rice...maybe not for sushi? But he does have a roller on his side...
Michiba, meanwhile, puts down green onions on top of the tuna/pine nut/ginger mixture, while Mera is indeed rolling a sushi roll with negitoro and ginkgo leaves (or was that shiso?)
Michiba is deep frying a cut of the most expensive part of the tuna (otoro). Fukui notes as Michiba's slicing it that it looks like a tataki-style treatment. Mera is also doing some deep-frying as well, deep-frying the sushi rolls in a plum sauce of some kind. Hmm.
Michiba is making some incisions into some raw tuna, which Takata and Hattori note that it will open up at some point. His frying pan, which contains tuna cheek meat, mirin, and soy sauce, flares up a bit...
Mera's eggplants are off the grill, and topped with the negitoro. Uni has joined that mixture. He's also preparing an uramaki (rice on the outside sushi roll), which joins the eggplants under the salamander oven. Michiba, meanwhile, is preparing his sushi rice as well.
The sushi roller is still in action on Mera's side, this time with cucumber skins. Michiba is now forming his sushi, which Hattori says will be wrapped in persimmon leaves. Mera's wrapped item with the cucumbers contains yuba bean curd and grated daikon, which leaves Takata wondering where the tuna is...which is already inside the yuba skins.
Michiba's sushi goes down on the persimmon leaves with 15 minutes to go in the battle, while Mera is dicing tuna for sashimi. Michiba drops the tuna (coated with something) with the incisions he made earlier into a pot of hot water.
Mera has some glass boat bowls to plate his cubed tuna sashimi on top of a shiso leaf, and now 10 minutes left in the battle...Michiba plates his tataki which Fukui says looks a bit French. Iwatake (a type of mushroom) joins Mera's sashimi.
Tuna skins have been plated on Michiba's side, while Mera is working with some kudzu jelly. That goes on top of the sashimi as the 5-minute mark is announced--Mera is completely under control, according to Ohta.
Michiba's carpaccio is being plated on top of a miso sauce of some kind (Fukui is quick to point out that he thinks he's watching Sakai instead), topped by some caviar. And Mera is slicing his sushi rolls.
3 minutes left now, and Michiba's scored tuna is in a bowl, to be joined (perhaps) by his Broth of Vigor. And Mera's sushi is being plated, quite nicely I might add...
1 minute left, and Michiba looks like he has branches in his hand...both sides, putting finishing touches on their dishes as the last few seconds tick down...
"And that's it! The cooking's done, the Tuna Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Mera is offering four dishes:
--Tuna Sashimi with Okra Paste
--Tuna and Cucumber Roll with Cured Plum Sauce
--Tuna Braised on Eggplant with Miso
--Tuna Sushi Rolls, Two Flavors
Iron Chef Michiba offers seven(!) dishes:
--Tuna Soup
--Tuna Skin Appetizer
--Tuna Carpaccio
--Grilled Tuna Cheek Meat
--Fried Toro Sashimi
--Tuna Sushi, Michiba Style
--Salt-Grilled Tuna Eyeballs
On the panel today for the Tuna battle are:
--Former Lower House Member Shinichiro Kurimoto
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Culinary Critic Asako Kishi
Challenger Mera's dishes are up first, as always...who says he made it a point not to overcook any of his dishes.
As his tuna sashimi is served, Kaga notes that the dish is "difficult to eat." But Kishi says it's all connected. Kurimoto says it would go well with sake, but Takata notes the okra is too strong.
Kurimoto loves the cucumber rolls, saying you can taste the layering.
The eggplants are universally liked across the board, with Kurimoto saying something along the lines of "I can't believe it's not tuna." Kishi notes the eggplant is overpowering, however.
And the sushi rolls...Kurimoto says it needed a bit more cured plum. Whatever that means.
Michiba's now up...
Kurimoto doesn't like how the soup is a bit sour, but Kishi says it's a bit salty. Michiba counters that the salt was necessary to keep the tuna in check, but he acquiesces...for now.
The carpaccio gets "mms" across the board...Kurimoto is lost for words, saying there's no Japanese (or French) words to describe it.
Kishi likes the cheek meat, and Kurimoto is (again) rendered speechless by it.
Kishi thinks the seaweed on Michiba's sushi is unneccessary, but Takata likes the whole package.
And as Michiba serves the eyeballs, he sneaks a bite for himself! And for good reason--everyone likes them. Kurimoto says he could really go for some sake, and after all this...so could I!
But now, it's time to know...whose cuisine reigns supreme? Kaga notes that, "performance wise, the challenger wins. But what about taste?" Will it be the Iron Chef or the samurai chef?
"Tetsujin, Michiba Rokusaburo!" (To the surprise of nobody.) One has to wonder if getting the head first was a factor, but even if it weren't in play on either side, Michiba made a pretty convincing showing.
My thoughts: There's not a whole lot else to say. When you look at Michiba's dishes against Mera's, there's no comparison. Michiba blew him out of the water, and it's not because he outnumbered him by number of dishes, either.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
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