contest BEGIN! Chopped Throwdown

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buddy said:
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.
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Cool! Yeah if any bread is going to hold up it would be melba that stuff is pretty solid. Nice work!
 
Oh bury me not..... on the lone prairie.....

Teaser:

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CMS

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2 cornish hens, cut into serving pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for hens
sea salt
ground dried datil
ground dried congo trinidad
chopped swiss chard
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2-1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
3/4 cup coarsely crumbled melba toast
minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375F. Rub hen lightly with olive oil, season with salt and some of the pepper powders.

Combine 2 tablespoons butter with the mustard and some of the pepper powders. Reserve 2 teaspoons of this mix for the sauce. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. mix with melba toast crumbs, thyme, garlic, pepper powders, and swiss chard.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sear hen skin-side down until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Smear hen with part of the mustard mix. Turn hen skin-side up, and smear with the rest of the mustard mix (except the reserved 2 teaspoons.) Pat the melba/chard mixture onto the hen.

Put the skillet in the oven and roast until then hen is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Move hen to a platter - tent with foil. Add stock and cream to skillet over medium heat, and stir until creamy and reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved mustard mixture. Strain and serve with hen.

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This was served with remaining swiss chard, lightly wilted in olive oil, sea salt, and garlic.
 
So for anyone else who is curious about melba toast and didn't already know.... according to Wikipedia:

[Melba toast] is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. Its name is thought to date from 1897, when the singer was very ill and it became a staple of her diet. The toast was created for her by chef and fan Auguste Escoffier, who also created the Peach Melba dessert for her. The hotel proprietor César Ritz supposedly named it in a conversation with Escoffier. Melba toast is usually made by lightly toasting bread in the normal way of making toast. Once the outside of the bread is slightly firm, it is removed from the toaster and then each slice is cut laterally with a bread knife to make two slices that are half the original thickness of the bread. These two thin slices are then toasted again to make Melba toast.


So there you go.... melba toast is just any old bread, toasted, thinly sliced, then toasted again. So technically any thinly sliced toast is melba toast, even if it doesn't say "melba" on it...... we have now been edified.
 
Frydad's Breaded Corn Cock

Hey everyone. Had to go all the way to Austin, TX to find a cornish game hen, but I'm glad I did. Where I grew up, in the holler, we called them Corn Cocks.
So, I took some swiss chard, hit it with some oil, and baked it until it was crispy. Then I charded into a chopper with some melba toast, parmesan cheese, and hab powder to make the best bread crumbs ever.

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I grinded this like a stripper at a bachelor party until it was ready to slap on my meat.

Fried it till crisp. It was like mini KFC. I served it to a bunch of people who enjoyed the taste, but were still hungry after the tiny bones were stripped bare.
Who cares. It was throwdown greatness.
CORNISH HENS, breaded in MELBA TOAST and SWISS CHARD and some other stuff. FRIED till golden brown, served with HAB SAUCE, next to a scantily clad BARBIE!!!
Enjoy!

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It looks dark because it's awesome.

Where you at JT?

FD
 
It probably is awesome. But the big green thing sticking up from between Barbie's legs??? That is just wrong..... here's the one you needed:
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Damn my northern grocers(Well chain any way) No chard to be found ,nor any beet greens. Though I did find beets in one store, just was well trimmed. I even double checked the garden, We have had years where the chard grew even after snowfall. Stuff is harty as hell, but didn't survive hard freeze. I had 2 reds 2 greens and 1 yellow types yet for not. Such potential gone to waste. Good entries, wish I could enter but I lack an ingredient. Given a differnt season it would be a differant story. Now enough with the over dramatisation good enteries, should be a hard vote.
 
I was waiting for someone to do fried chicken. I mean, what else are you gonna do with melba, right? Very creative to crispify the chard and incorporate it into the crumbs. This is totally Chopped style.
 
Have mercy Fitty! Love it looooooong time! Got the Barbie. Got the 'nanner leaf in there too as well as the required foo. We are not worthy! Killermanjaro!
 
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