BATTLE DATA FILE
Episode: 34
Japan Original Airdate: 6/24/94
The Challenger: Masahiko Miyamoto, an apprentice of two of the five top chefs in France. He went into the field of French cooking at 22, and left for France at 26 without any credentials. Was accepted by "Ferme de Mougins," a 1-star restaurant, shortly after his arrival, and worked his way up from there, ultimately becoming head sauce chef under Georges Blanc.
The Iron Chef: the dean of the Iron Chefs, Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. Last time out he soundly defeated Kiyoshi Takahashi in the Carrot Battle. This time, a French chef comes knocking at his door...can he stave off another eager challenger?
The Battle:
Once again, actress Mayuko Takata joins Fukui and Hattori in the announcer's booth. While I'll admit to liking her presence in the booth (she's definitely easy on the eyes), can we get someone else in the chair for a change? I think I've only done one episode (if you don't count the Ishinabe battle) where she wasn't there.
Anyway, onward to today's festivities.
And fist pumped, striding confidently into Kitchen Stadium comes Miyamoto. Probably the most determined chef I've seen thus far into the show's run, unless you count Kandagawa. And as the Iron Chefs rise into view, and with Miyamoto's fiancee watching, the man calls out the Dean of Iron Chefs himself, Iron Chef Chen Kenichi.
"For a chef who imports his ingredients from France, what shall I choose as the theme?" Kaga asks, adding that it was a difficult task. "To get an idea, I tried and tried to squeeze something out of my brain. Yes. To get an idea, what do you do to your brain? This is the first ingredient we'll have in liquid form."
And with a flourish, Kaga MILKS his reveal for all it's worth and unveils...MILK!
And according to Kaga, French chefs describe milk as "a natural fond" or stock, whose flavor must not be spoiled.
No use crying over spilled milk before this battle...away they go, with the Chairman's call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Several bottles of milk are on the stand, and after the men shuffle back, Miyamoto has rice in a pot, while Chen is generously pouring some of the theme in his wok (to which he would later add vinegar--to harden it, according to Hattori). Vanilla beans have appeared on Miyamoto's side and he has milk in a pot on his side as well (that had the vanilla he was working with earlier.
Chen is separating the milk/vinegar mixture, and Hattori says that'll become something like cheese. Miyamoto, meanwhile, has the beginnings of a Bechamel sauce on his side, with sea urchin (!) in the blender. Adding milk to that, Miyamoto says he'd like to avoid a ton of confection-like items. And Chen is taking a cleaver to a bottle of milk! That goes into his wok, and he's adding coconut milk to that.
Miyamoto has bowls on his side, into which he's pouring the sea urchin/milk mixture. We're still not sure where that's going...meanwhile, Chen is rinsing peeled Asian green beans. Wonder where that could go?
15 minutes gone already, and Miyamoto is adding more sea urchin to the bowls from earlier--perhaps he'll steam that. Another pot of his looks faintly yellow...eggs, perhaps?
Chen's beans have gone into and out of the wok (and into the steamer, with honey added), while Miyamoto's bowls have gone into the steamer. Speaking of Miyamoto, he has a HUGE slab of bacon on his side, and Fukui and Takata can't believe the size. Hattori is nonplussed as Miyamoto is making strips to combine with the milk, which Fukui can't fathom.
Lobsters and milk have found Chen's wok, and his cheese-like item has gone into the fridge. Miyamoto has spring roll sheets out, rolling them up like a cone--something will go into those, but we don't know what quite yet.
Halfway through, and there's more milk in Chen's wok that has thickened--that went into a small pan. Miyamoto is cutting up plastic wrap and placing some shredded potatoes into those wraps...perhaps to steam, according to Hattori.
Cherry tomatoes, sans tops, are on Chen's side (perhaps for a stuffing job). Miyamoto's potatoes have hit the butter in the frying pan (Takata was right, for shaping, not steaming). And it appears Chen's assistants are working with watermelon...
Miyamoto is whisking eggs and milk, which has hit a pot somewhere on his side. Both sides are sweating up a storm going into the last quarter of the battle...hope none of that hits the food!
Chen's wok is on fire, as lightly fried pumpkin, radish, potatoes and carrot were in it...15 minutes left as we swing back to Miyamoto, and he's chilling something in his bowl...looking a bit like gnocchi. In a separate bowl, he's adding OJ to the egg/milk mixture he was whisking earlier.
Chen, meanwhile, is unwrapping his "quick-fix cheese" and slicing it--a bang-up cottage cheese, according to Hattori.
Miyamoto is dusting an almond powder over his gnocchi/kudzu jellylike item, while Chen's cheese has hit the wok for a quick stir-fry as the 10-minute call is announced. And word on the floor is that Chen may have to scrap the lobster dish. Uh-oh.
Miyamoto is spooning a soup over that steamed sea urchin item from the top of the battle--looks like some red snapper and mushrooms found that dish as well. Looks very impressive.
Chen has soybeans, corn, and a white item in his wok...and Miyamoto is plating the potatoes. The cone has hit the plate as well.
Chen is plating his tomatoes and cheese, while Miyamoto has a milk stew with vegetables. 5 minutes to go as Chen's vegetables take another turn in the wok (which has another milk sauce, shaping to be a chowder of some kind).
The challenger's stew has turned green, after adding some herbs (cresson, the commentators say) to it. Nice color to that one.
Word on the floor is that Chen is tackling a fourth dish--a fried item-- with 3:40 left on the clock. And the orange milk sauce is going onto the potatoes on Miyamoto's side...but perhaps there isn't enough milk in that one? Maybe that's just me.
Chen's lobster and crab milk jelly is going ahead after all...or not, as it's not hard enough...maybe it's on its way out after all.
Chen's wok is going again with the pumpkin and vegetables, with milk added to that. His assistants are putting the coconut milk mixture into bowls, and the watermelon is on standby.
One minute left, and Chen's fruit has indeed hit the coconut milk. Iron Chef Chen is scrambling to finish, while Miyamoto is pulling something out of the oven as the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Milk Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Miyamoto's four dishes:
--Sauteed Lobster in Potato Crust, Orange Flavor
--Soup Royale with Sea Urchin and Truffles
--Cresson Chowder
--Vanilla Flavor Kudzu Jelly
Iron Chef Chen's four dishes:
--Stir-fried Lobster and Scallops, Milk Flavor
--Fried Milk Cheese with Fruit Sauce
--Milk Stew with Five Vegetables
--Coconut Milk Dessert
Anyway, onward to today's festivities.
And fist pumped, striding confidently into Kitchen Stadium comes Miyamoto. Probably the most determined chef I've seen thus far into the show's run, unless you count Kandagawa. And as the Iron Chefs rise into view, and with Miyamoto's fiancee watching, the man calls out the Dean of Iron Chefs himself, Iron Chef Chen Kenichi.
"For a chef who imports his ingredients from France, what shall I choose as the theme?" Kaga asks, adding that it was a difficult task. "To get an idea, I tried and tried to squeeze something out of my brain. Yes. To get an idea, what do you do to your brain? This is the first ingredient we'll have in liquid form."
And with a flourish, Kaga MILKS his reveal for all it's worth and unveils...MILK!
And according to Kaga, French chefs describe milk as "a natural fond" or stock, whose flavor must not be spoiled.
No use crying over spilled milk before this battle...away they go, with the Chairman's call of "ALLEZ CUISINE!"
Several bottles of milk are on the stand, and after the men shuffle back, Miyamoto has rice in a pot, while Chen is generously pouring some of the theme in his wok (to which he would later add vinegar--to harden it, according to Hattori). Vanilla beans have appeared on Miyamoto's side and he has milk in a pot on his side as well (that had the vanilla he was working with earlier.
Chen is separating the milk/vinegar mixture, and Hattori says that'll become something like cheese. Miyamoto, meanwhile, has the beginnings of a Bechamel sauce on his side, with sea urchin (!) in the blender. Adding milk to that, Miyamoto says he'd like to avoid a ton of confection-like items. And Chen is taking a cleaver to a bottle of milk! That goes into his wok, and he's adding coconut milk to that.
Miyamoto has bowls on his side, into which he's pouring the sea urchin/milk mixture. We're still not sure where that's going...meanwhile, Chen is rinsing peeled Asian green beans. Wonder where that could go?
15 minutes gone already, and Miyamoto is adding more sea urchin to the bowls from earlier--perhaps he'll steam that. Another pot of his looks faintly yellow...eggs, perhaps?
Chen's beans have gone into and out of the wok (and into the steamer, with honey added), while Miyamoto's bowls have gone into the steamer. Speaking of Miyamoto, he has a HUGE slab of bacon on his side, and Fukui and Takata can't believe the size. Hattori is nonplussed as Miyamoto is making strips to combine with the milk, which Fukui can't fathom.
Lobsters and milk have found Chen's wok, and his cheese-like item has gone into the fridge. Miyamoto has spring roll sheets out, rolling them up like a cone--something will go into those, but we don't know what quite yet.
Halfway through, and there's more milk in Chen's wok that has thickened--that went into a small pan. Miyamoto is cutting up plastic wrap and placing some shredded potatoes into those wraps...perhaps to steam, according to Hattori.
Cherry tomatoes, sans tops, are on Chen's side (perhaps for a stuffing job). Miyamoto's potatoes have hit the butter in the frying pan (Takata was right, for shaping, not steaming). And it appears Chen's assistants are working with watermelon...
Miyamoto is whisking eggs and milk, which has hit a pot somewhere on his side. Both sides are sweating up a storm going into the last quarter of the battle...hope none of that hits the food!
Chen's wok is on fire, as lightly fried pumpkin, radish, potatoes and carrot were in it...15 minutes left as we swing back to Miyamoto, and he's chilling something in his bowl...looking a bit like gnocchi. In a separate bowl, he's adding OJ to the egg/milk mixture he was whisking earlier.
Chen, meanwhile, is unwrapping his "quick-fix cheese" and slicing it--a bang-up cottage cheese, according to Hattori.
Miyamoto is dusting an almond powder over his gnocchi/kudzu jellylike item, while Chen's cheese has hit the wok for a quick stir-fry as the 10-minute call is announced. And word on the floor is that Chen may have to scrap the lobster dish. Uh-oh.
Miyamoto is spooning a soup over that steamed sea urchin item from the top of the battle--looks like some red snapper and mushrooms found that dish as well. Looks very impressive.
Chen has soybeans, corn, and a white item in his wok...and Miyamoto is plating the potatoes. The cone has hit the plate as well.
Chen is plating his tomatoes and cheese, while Miyamoto has a milk stew with vegetables. 5 minutes to go as Chen's vegetables take another turn in the wok (which has another milk sauce, shaping to be a chowder of some kind).
The challenger's stew has turned green, after adding some herbs (cresson, the commentators say) to it. Nice color to that one.
Word on the floor is that Chen is tackling a fourth dish--a fried item-- with 3:40 left on the clock. And the orange milk sauce is going onto the potatoes on Miyamoto's side...but perhaps there isn't enough milk in that one? Maybe that's just me.
Chen's lobster and crab milk jelly is going ahead after all...or not, as it's not hard enough...maybe it's on its way out after all.
Chen's wok is going again with the pumpkin and vegetables, with milk added to that. His assistants are putting the coconut milk mixture into bowls, and the watermelon is on standby.
One minute left, and Chen's fruit has indeed hit the coconut milk. Iron Chef Chen is scrambling to finish, while Miyamoto is pulling something out of the oven as the final seconds tick down...
"And THAT'S IT! The cooking's done, the Milk Battle is OVAH!"
Challenger Miyamoto's four dishes:
--Sauteed Lobster in Potato Crust, Orange Flavor
--Soup Royale with Sea Urchin and Truffles
--Cresson Chowder
--Vanilla Flavor Kudzu Jelly
Iron Chef Chen's four dishes:
--Stir-fried Lobster and Scallops, Milk Flavor
--Fried Milk Cheese with Fruit Sauce
--Milk Stew with Five Vegetables
--Coconut Milk Dessert
On the panel today for the Milk Battle are:
--Director Kazuyoshi Okuyama
--Actress Mayuko Takata
--Rosanjin Scholar Masaaki Hirano (again?!)
Challenger, as always, is up first, as Miyamoto's lobster hits the table. He encourages them to mix everything together.
Takata likes the aroma of oranges in the sauce. Hirano simply says "Wonderful," a stark contrast to his verbose lectures of yore. Hmm...maybe he'll actually be tolerable this show...
Takata likes the soup, saying there's a jellylike texture. Okuyama agrees, liking the texture of the mushrooms.
Okuyama notes how powerful the milk is in the Cresson Chowder, saying it brings back memories of his childhood.
For the dessert, Okuyama could've done without the almond powder, and thinks it could've been chilled more. Takata wanted a syrup on hers, saying it's a bit too powdery.
I would just like to note: Hirano has spoken exactly once thus far. Thank heavens.
And now it's Chen's turn to face the music...
Takata thinks the milk encapsulates everything in Chen's first dish, stealing the line right out of Hirano's mouth. Hirano goes on to add the corn and beans blend together nicely.
Okuyama thinks the cheese is a little too fluffy, but Takata is smiling as she takes a bite. But Hirano thinks it's a bit too subtle, saying the vinegar is weak.
Okuyama likes the texture and flavor in his third dish, saying this, too, also brings back good memories. Not quite sure what he means here...
Kaga has to prod the panel about the dessert--the fruit in coconut milk. Hirano likes it, thinking it could be a one-of-a-kind, new dish. Okuyama says he's seen that in each of Chen's dishes, a little extra something that sets it apart from everything else. But isn't that what Kitchen Stadium is all about though?
But in the end, who's got milk down pat? Kaga says himself that it's not an easy ingredient, adding that it was the panel's toughest decision--a "razor-thin margin." So who takes it--the Iron Chef or the hero of French cuisine?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi!"
Close call indeed, even if we never get to see the scores (I think Kaga says something about 1 point before the verdict, but my Japanese isn't so good). But a tough challenger, a tough theme, and a tough battle prove to be no match for the Dean of Iron Chefs.
My take: I will admit to not knowing the first thing about what to do with milk in this situation. Having said that, both men were incredibly creative in their approach. I favor Chen a little bit more in this one, though, if for the sole reason that the milk featured prominently in each of his dishes. With Miyamoto, it seemed as though we were getting some fancy dish...with milk...some other fancy dish...with milk...et cetera. With Chen, however, the milk truly took center stage.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
Challenger, as always, is up first, as Miyamoto's lobster hits the table. He encourages them to mix everything together.
Takata likes the aroma of oranges in the sauce. Hirano simply says "Wonderful," a stark contrast to his verbose lectures of yore. Hmm...maybe he'll actually be tolerable this show...
Takata likes the soup, saying there's a jellylike texture. Okuyama agrees, liking the texture of the mushrooms.
Okuyama notes how powerful the milk is in the Cresson Chowder, saying it brings back memories of his childhood.
For the dessert, Okuyama could've done without the almond powder, and thinks it could've been chilled more. Takata wanted a syrup on hers, saying it's a bit too powdery.
I would just like to note: Hirano has spoken exactly once thus far. Thank heavens.
And now it's Chen's turn to face the music...
Takata thinks the milk encapsulates everything in Chen's first dish, stealing the line right out of Hirano's mouth. Hirano goes on to add the corn and beans blend together nicely.
Okuyama thinks the cheese is a little too fluffy, but Takata is smiling as she takes a bite. But Hirano thinks it's a bit too subtle, saying the vinegar is weak.
Okuyama likes the texture and flavor in his third dish, saying this, too, also brings back good memories. Not quite sure what he means here...
Kaga has to prod the panel about the dessert--the fruit in coconut milk. Hirano likes it, thinking it could be a one-of-a-kind, new dish. Okuyama says he's seen that in each of Chen's dishes, a little extra something that sets it apart from everything else. But isn't that what Kitchen Stadium is all about though?
But in the end, who's got milk down pat? Kaga says himself that it's not an easy ingredient, adding that it was the panel's toughest decision--a "razor-thin margin." So who takes it--the Iron Chef or the hero of French cuisine?
"Tetsujin, Chen Kenichi!"
Close call indeed, even if we never get to see the scores (I think Kaga says something about 1 point before the verdict, but my Japanese isn't so good). But a tough challenger, a tough theme, and a tough battle prove to be no match for the Dean of Iron Chefs.
My take: I will admit to not knowing the first thing about what to do with milk in this situation. Having said that, both men were incredibly creative in their approach. I favor Chen a little bit more in this one, though, if for the sole reason that the milk featured prominently in each of his dishes. With Miyamoto, it seemed as though we were getting some fancy dish...with milk...some other fancy dish...with milk...et cetera. With Chen, however, the milk truly took center stage.
Watch this battle at the Iron Chef Collection here.
