contest BEGIN! Chopped Throwdown

[geeme]

SL - nice find on the rainbow chard - the rainbow chard at my store looked like..... looked like..... well, if it was a plant at some point in time, it's kind of hard to tell now! At least the green was fresh-looking.....

I am still puzzled as to why some grocery stores bother keeping garbage like that on the shelves - no one in their right mind would buy it. Blegh!

 

[Nicole]

excited to see what you guys come up with for this entry!!

nicole

 

[texas blues]

Geesh.... weren't you the one who said NOT to share ideas????

Cornish Hens - thawing in a water bath

Sorry but that's a big booooooooo!

 

[Eephus Man]

Well, ours turned out awesome!!

Will share pics tomorrow.

Appetizer: Swiss chard stems with cream cheese filling (would've used goat cheese but we're out) and red pepper flake.

Entree: Zuni style roasted hen with Aleppo Pepper herb rub, white melba bullet dressing/stuffing and pan-fried garlic swiss chard with homemade pepper vinegar.

Let me tell you, the ch...er, 'game hen' was great, but the white melba bullet dressing was badass.

I'm sure I broke like eighteen rules, but I'm having a blast watching this, participating and it should be fun to share pics tomorrow.

 

[mikeinsc]

Cornish Hen with Beet Greens and Toasted Grits

Ingredient list

Melba toast
Beet
Beet greens
Cornish Hen
Pancetta
Tarragon
Hoseradish
Lemon
Salt
Cream
Red Bell Pepper, roasted
Yellow onion
Red onion
Plain Goat Cheese
Celery
Carrot
Baby portabella mushroom
Garlic
Crushed Datil
Bhut Jolokia infused grapeseed oil
Bhut Jolokia flakes
Stone Ground Grits
Shallots

What I did

Render Pancetta until crispy. Save fat.

Roast the beets until tender then dice. Set aside.

Stock for grits. Sweat yellow and red onion, mushrooms, celery, garlic, roasted red bell pepper and carrots. Add crushed Datil pepper, hen and cover with water. When finished, remove hen and puree the vegetables. Strain the puree for the stock to cook the grits.

Pan fried leg quarters. Lightly sprinkle with Sea Salt and pan fry.

Grits. Lightly toast the grits with reserved pancetta fat. Add reserved stock and cream. Cook the grits until soft. Add sauteed onion, mushrooms, crispy pancetta and Datil.

Beet greens. Lightly wilt chopped greens sprinkled with sea salt. Add portion of onion and mushroom. Drizzle with horseradish tarragon viniagrette.

Horseradish Tarragon viniagrette. Whisk Bhut Jolokia Grapeseed oil, chopped tarragon, horseradish, lemon juice, pancetta fat until an emulsion is reached.

Goat cheese spread. Mix goat cheese and cream until smooth and soft. Add roasted red pepper, lemon zest and Bhut Jolokia flakes.



Assembly

Grits are on the bottom. Greens are twirled into a tall pile and placed on the grits. Drizzle the viniagrette on the greens and top with diced beets. Add the fried leg quarters. Spread the goat cheese spread on Melba toast. Top with shredded meat, then layer sauteed shallot, onion and mushroom. Garnish with tarragon leaves.

I think thats about everything that is needed for the proof of life.

 

[salsalady]

looking forward to the pics Eephus! way to stir it up!

I finally have a couple ideas percolating, and will probably cook/post manana. Looking forward to what else shows up in the TD!

 

[salsalady]

MIKE! NICE!


just make sure your final entry has all the bits in it, the ingredients, proof of life, etc...VERY nice entry!!!

 

[Coach]

Nice pics guys! I'm still on a quest to find them darn birds... not even any smallish chickens in the stores this week, but one of them may have a late delivery tomorrow... keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Eephus Man]

Nice pics guys! I'm still on a quest to find them darn birds... not even any smallish chickens in the stores this week, but one of them may have a late delivery tomorrow... keeping my fingers crossed.

See! I swear there's a shortage in Texas!! lol.

 

[Eephus Man]

I'll be back in the morning to finsh the write-up. But the quick is pan seared leg quarters in pancetta fat. Wilted beet greens tossed with sautee'd baby portabella mushroom and onions topped with a horseradish tarragon viniagrette and diced roast beet. Toasted grits made with the fresh chicken stock. The stock veggies were puree'd and then strained and thats what I used to cook the grits. The grits have mushroom, onion, red pepper,pancetta and Datil powder. The Melba toast has a red pepper and bhut jolokia goat cheese spread. It is topped with shredded cornish hen used to make the stock,sautee'd onions, mushrooms and tarragon leaves.

That looks goooooood. Nice work, dude.

 

[frydad4]

holy crap mike!!! That looks awesome!!!

 

[paulky_2000]

Well, there's that. Still, it seems you could have found some substitute for swiss chard - the THP sweetie posted some acceptable substitutes on the other thread in responding to DaQ, who also cannot find swiss chard.....

I must have missed that part. Had I known, I could have adjusted. (I had the toast and the hens in my cart!!) No big deal! I'll be back next month...

 

[logchief]

Verrrrry Creative Mike You've set the bar

 

[alfie]

Nice pics by everyone! I can't wait to see more finished dishes!

 

[geeme]

Sorry but that's a big booooooooo!

Why? You've never put a pack of frozen meat into a water bath to thaw quickly? That is the safer method than putting it out on the counter, while being faster than just putting into the fridge. I am puzzled by your boo.

 

[geeme]

That looks yummy-licious, Mike - and a great kickoff for the TD!

 

[buddy]

Here's my entry:

Buddy's Baked Chard-Hen-ay Lasagna

Ingredients -

Lasagna:
Roasted Cornish Hen - brushed with evoo and seasoned with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregeno, salt and pepper
Swiss Chard sauteed in evoo with garlic
Melba toast, pasta sauce, Fatali Flakes, onion, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarello cheese, Feta cheese, mushrooms, fresh Red Pepper, egg, basil, Italian seasoning.

Garlic Bread (broiled):
Melba toast, evoo, Mozzarella cheese, Vietnamese Tearjerker/Thai chile powder,, fresh oregano.

Salad:
Chopped Red Chard, tomatoes, strawberry/chardonnay vinegrette.

Beverage:
Chianti

Table is set:

Plate:

Close up of lasagna:

It was surprisingly good. Certainly a dish that anyone in the family will enjoy. All of the required ingredients incorporated into the lasagna. It had quite a kick as I used the Fatali flakes on every layer.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Nice entry buddy. You certainly made the best of those ingredients for lasagna. I just wonder if it tasted like soggy bread? How did the melba hold up, and what was the texture?

 

[wheebz]

who cares if its soggy, that looks awesome

 

[buddy]

Nice entry buddy. You certainly made the best of those ingredients for lasagna. I just wonder if it tasted like soggy bread? How did the melba hold up, and what was the texture?

The melba toast held up surpisingly well. Going in to it I had the exact same concern - that I'd end up with a pan fully of mushy, soggy bread and that it would be like eating stuffing. We were somewhat judicious with the pasta sauce. I would put the consistency similar to that of a somewhat overcooked macaroni - I used plain flavored melba toast so not much flavor from it. It stayed firm enough to maintain the distinct layers of the lasagna. Here's a couple of pictures of some that I dug out of the dish - surprisingly, they kept their shape even after baking in the oven for an hour.