12/29 Degustation Menu: Bobby Flay

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ironchef

ironchef

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12/29 Degustation Menu: Take that Bobby Flay

So two weeks ago, my boss and I were talking about celebrity chefs and other well known chefs and we got to Bobby Flay. Most long time posters on here know that I do not like Bobby Flay not only for his attitude, but for his narrow range of versatility in cooking. Quite simply, I think he's overrated (much like the Yankees). So, my boss said, "Well, if you think you can do a better Southwestern-style menu then put one out in a couple of weeks."

Yeah right, in the middle of the holiday season??? Well, he challenged me enough to where I did it. So here it was at $90 per person:


First Course:
Pan Seared Foie Gras with Masa Harina Blini
Micro Sprouts, Sweet Corn Foam, Chipotle Gastrique




Second Course:
Raviolis of Mexican White Shrimp and Queso Requeson
Crispy Tortilla and Wilted Lettuce Salad, Achiote Oil



Third Course:
Pan Seared Opakapaka
Baked Arroz Espanol with Chorizo Ragout, Pico de Gallo, Horchata Beurre Blanc



Fourth Course:
Pan Roasted Sonoma Duck
Risotto con Cuatro Queso, Tangerine Reduction, Tres Leche Foam



Dessert:
Mille-Feuille
Fried Bananas, Crema Espesa, Cinnamon Gelato

 
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Amazing spread, iron! I've never heard of some of the stuff on those plates!

Nice job!

BUT, I love Bobby Flay! He makes things that _I_ would make (and have made), he's good looking and a lot fun to watch. One of my favorite celebrity chefs to watch, in fact. When he smiles and laughs, so do I!

Lee
 
That is a really beautiful spread. Tell me how you did your foie gras please.

Just as an aside, I really think that Bobby has "grown up" from his first persona on TV. He is much less dismissive and attitudinal, in my opinion. His Throw Down series is quite congenial, and while his things on Iron Chef will be southwestern, so will the others reflect their specialties.
 
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Fantastically done. My wife and I especially like the aesthetics of #2, #4, and #5.

I, too, do not like Bobby Flay. BBQ or Bake somethign and make a peppery sauce. Rise, was, repeat. Aside from that, his attitude on the original Iron Chef was unforgivable. Probably why he had to go out there and make his own, where he would win all of the time.

Mario Batali, on the other hand, Fantastic chef with a great attitude!
 
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TATTRAT said:
What was the stabilizer in the foam? Or was it just volume?
Click to expand...

For the foam on the foie gras and duck I used alginate which is a stabilizer derived from seaweed extracts. It basically works like gelatin for the most part. For the foam on the fish I used lecithin in the beurre blanc and an immersion blender.
 
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Candocook said:
That is a really beautiful spread. Tell me how you did your foie gras please.

Just as an aside, I really think that Bobby has "grown up" from his first persona on TV. He is much less dismissive and attitudinal, in my opinion. His Throw Down series is quite congenial, and while his things on Iron Chef will be southwestern, so will the others reflect their specialties.
Click to expand...

The foie gras was basically scored with a paring knife and pan seared. The blini incorporated masa harina and was flavored to try and resemble a tamale in taste. The chipotle gastrique was a reduction made with pureed canned chipotle in adobo peppers, sugar, white wine, and vinegar. The sweet corn foam was made with almost like a fresh cream of corn which was pureed, strained, stabilized, and then foamed.
 
QSis said:
Amazing spread, iron! I've never heard of some of the stuff on those plates!

Nice job!

BUT, I love Bobby Flay! He makes things that _I_ would make (and have made), he's good looking and a lot fun to watch. One of my favorite celebrity chefs to watch, in fact. When he smiles and laughs, so do I!

Lee
Click to expand...

Yeah, I spent a day looking through various Mexican cookbooks and ingredient lists to get ideas about flavoring combinations. I didn't get a chance to really try any of the dishes before Friday because it was so busy the past week that a lot of it I just sorta winged that day "Iron Chef" style. The only one I was worried about in flavor was the horchata sauce since horchata has traditionally dessert-like flavors but I made it a bit more savory to compliment the fish and the pico de gallo.
 
stinemates said:
Mario Batali, on the other hand, Fantastic chef with a great attitude!
Click to expand...

Mario is one of my favorites as well. The guy has shown that he can go outside and beyond his comfort zone and incorporate all kinds of flavors into his dishes. He has amazed me with his versatility and his willigness to try different thing.
 
Looks great!

I picked up Mario's last book and saw that he likes Italian/Mexican fusion cuisine quite a bit.

Bobby is ok. I think a lot of it is just for show. While I don't own any of his books, I have referenced some of his recipes on FoodTv.com. :)
 
ironchef said:
The only one I was worried about in flavor was the horchata sauce since horchata has traditionally dessert-like flavors but I made it a bit more savory to compliment the fish and the pico de gallo.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to mention that I thought the horchata beurre-blanc was very clever. If you don't mind me asking, what did you use in the sauce to help it compliment the fish and pico de gallo better?
 
college_cook said:
I just wanted to mention that I thought the horchata beurre-blanc was very clever. If you don't mind me asking, what did you use in the sauce to help it compliment the fish and pico de gallo better?
Click to expand...

I used a chicken stock reduction, lime, fennel, tahini, and Mexican chocolate.
 
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