Final episode of Next Iron Chef: A liveblog
So the final episode of the Next Iron Chef will be fought out Iron Chef style in Kitchen Stadium between John Besh and Michael Symon. I am definitely a Symon fan, just because he wears a black shirt instead of the traditional white uniform. Plus he has that devilish laugh. So awesome. That said, Besh might win just because his food tends to be more refined. The liveblog is after the jump (Don’t look if you don’t want to be spoiled!)
9:05 pm: I’m late! Aah! Oh, but lookie, I’m just in time to catch the secret ingredient. Swordfish! That sounds good, I guess. I haven’t had a lot of good swordfish, so it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.
9:06: My favorite is definitely Chef Symon. He starts off the battle with “Who’s your daddy?!” while carrying the swordfish. Besh is alright, but he’s too.. classically French trained. Symon is like “Screw it, I’m using the hacksaw.”
9:07: Wait, pineapple? Weeeird. Ah, they’re showing all the other Next Iron Chef contestants. They don’t look terribly happy to be there. Also, it’s weird to see Flay, Cora, and Morimoto just sitting there. What happened to Batali?
9:08: Alton looks spiffy in a bowtie.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
9:12: Okay, here’s the breakdown. Besh is making a stock thingy with swordfish bones, lemongrass, and shrimp heads, plus corn blinis. Symon has salsa verde, beets, and lamb.
9:13: The judges are introduced. My favorite judge is Andrew Knowlton. Seems the most fair out of all three.
9:13: Ooh, Besh’s thin slices of swordfish looks good.
9:13: Ooooh, Symon is using the sous vie. Love that stuff. Pureed swordfish on pasta? Uh.. ew? I don’t know if that sounds good.
9:14: Besh has crusted swordfish with some spices. Symon has a similar thing in a dutch oven. Besh has a tempura batter thingy apparently. Symon seems to have a lot of tips for being fast in the kitchen. Besh has.. fish circles? and parmesan cheese? Ooh, deep fried! Nice.
9:16: Symon is grilling swordfish, which is pretty standard procedure. Looks like he’s trying to go for versatility in the kitchen with the different applications. Yuzu! And Morimoto makes an appearance, yay!
9:17: Huh, new Iron Chef uniforms? Weeird… Whoa, design was a result of a contest too. And the judge was Mark Ecko? Uh, that doesn’t sound too good… The mother and daughter team look nice though.
9:17: Symon is PLATING? WTF? Geez, almost too fast.
9:18: Wow, Besh’s food looks very yummy. Puree of potato and swordfish. Lobster tails in a stock I see too.
9:19: Symon plates some pineapple with spice crusted swordfish. And Besh is rolling out pasta. 15 minutes more to go!!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
9:23: 10 minutes to go! Almonds and swordfish in a blender. It’s a.. what? A scodaya? Some kind of garlic sauce. Symon is definitely making swordfish tempura, as is Besh. Besh has puree of swordfish and cauliflower. Symon has some bacon with his swordfish. Besh has shrimp and swordfish. Very clean presentation, as Alton said.
9:25: Flay, Cora, and Morimoto gives their opinions of the heat of the battle. Morimoto, of course, says he wants a swordfish dessert. Crazy guy! Besh wants to give Morimoto a swordfish dessert? Haha, okay, Besh might win this. Or lose!
9:26: mmm.. corn blini with slightly smoked swordfish. Swordfish tempura, ravioli, breaded swordfish, some soup thing, wow. I’m impressed with Besh, I have to say.
9:27: Lamb tongue eh? Interesting. Ravioli as well, roasted swordfish, swordfish collar with chorizo, swordfish tempura. 30 seconds to go! Swordfish wrapped in phyllo dough of some kind. 10 seconds to go. Besh has the dessert ready! With a berry thingy.
9:28: Wow, okay, I’m impressed with Besh’s showing. Symon was good too of course, but I think I liked Besh’s course a tiny bit better. Well, so far anyway, I’m not too clear of what Symon’s plates are just yet.
9:29: Hah! The judges will be the Iron Chefs! Now I know why Batali isn’t there, he doesn’t want to be a judge 
Smart guy. Now I wonder if Morimoto’s liking of the swordfish dessert will tip this in Besh’s favor.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
9:33: Symon goes first. First course: Marinated Swordfish. With soy, sesame, yuzu, plus pressurized lamb tongue. Also a cocktail, with sake, yuzu, etc. Flay likes the pairing. He doesn’t understand the lamb tongue. But Flay gets it eventually. Morimoto likes the cocktail too.
9:34: Second course: Olive Oil Poached Swordfish. This was the one in the immersion circulator, there’s also cucumber and fennel. Cora likes the look of it. Flay likes it, says it has a lot of flavor and finesse.
9:35: Third course: Swordfish ravioli, in a truffle butter sauce. Cora says the mousse was too gritty and not smooth. Morimoto says swordfish has a very delicate flavor, and is expecting a more punchy flavor to make up for that.
9:35: And he gets it. Fourth course: Spice roasted swordfish. With pineapple salsa, and the sauce is coconut and ancho sauce. Flay says it’s really tasty. Cora says it straight out rocks, with flavor, etc. Morimoto says that this shows his progression, “you come in little by little. Punch punch punch punch.”
9:36: Fifth course: Crispy swordfish. With beets. Morimoto says that it is a good tempura. Cora wants a little more garlic, says it tasted bland.
9:36: Sixth course: Braised swordfish collar with grilled swordfish. Two different preparations, this is the one with the chorizo flavor. Stuffed the clam with the collar, plus has salsa verde, and sauce. Morimoto says one word: “Punch.” He was waiting for something like that. Cora says the dish is Iron Chef material. Flay says that the collar is the best.
9:37: Symon says “We did pretty good.” Which may not be enough.
9:38 Besh’s turn. First course: Cold smoked swordfish. Served with Louisiana wine, and corn blini, and caviar. Flay likes it a lot. Cora says that it’s a clever dish, with delicate flavors.
9:38: Second course: Swordfish crunchy roll. Lobster wrapped with swordfish, served with buttermilk dressing, and spicy salad. Flay says that it’s more of a lobster dish. Morimoto agrees with it, and says he should’ve used a little bit of lobster.
9:39: Third course: Swordfish Brandade Agnolotti. Lots of flavor. Cora says that she likes that he used the swordfish cheeks, plus basil, good choices. Morimoto says the mousse is a success.
9:40: Fourth course: Breaded swordfish. Swordfish “breaded” with.. bread. Covered in crab meat and hollandaise. Flay loves it, a lot of favorite ingredients. But almost too rich, wishes there was some spices or citrus. Cora agrees; needs something to cut it.
9:41: Fifth course: Blackened swordfish and shrimp. Broth with shrimp heads, etc. Cora doesn’t think the shrimp is necessary. Flay agrees. Good dish though.
9:41: Sixth course: Swordfish piccata. The “meat and potatoes” course. Sauteed chanterelles with bacon, plus pureed cauliflower, etc. Fish is treated like a steak. Morimoto says, finally, he gets a swordfish steak. he says the bacon and mushrooms are strong, but the swordfish is thick enough.
9:42: Seventh BONUS course: Swordfish cream in brik pastry. Served with berry sauce. None of them taste the swordfish in it, which is a good thing I think, though Cora says that she would’ve probably integrated a little bit more swordfish flavor. Morimoto says “I like your challenging spirit.” Morimoto likes it of course.
So far so good, but I think Besh has the lead here. Damn.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
9:48: Judgement time. There are six “judges.” Weird. The original three judges give their opinions on the progression of Symon and Besh. They thought Symon started out slow and ended with a bang. Besh, however, seemed to have been solid all the way. Symon won four battles, but Besh also had less disappointments, and was always up there. Flay wants an IC to be dominant, and a leader. Cora wants an IC to be a visualist, needs to talk, have fun. Morimoto agrees with both Flay and Cora, which got some laughs. Michael (judge) wants good fundamentals. Donatella wants them to push food to the edge. Andrew wants a warrior, with creativity, out of comfort zone.
9:51: Morimoto drew all the dishes on his clipboard! That’s too funny. He’s comparing ravioli with ravioli, fried food to fried food, etc. Morimoto says it’s up in the air so far. Alton asked them what they thought of the dessert. Cora liked the dessert, but Flay wouldn’t have done it.
9:52: Alton asks them to judge. But it’s not a points system, it’s by a BALLOT? All six get to write down a name and then whoever gets the most votes is the winner. Oh man, that’s.. I don’t know if I like that.
9:53: Alton delivers the votes to the chairman, who is conveniently sitting behind them.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
9:57: The final judgement! The chairman is about to announce the Next Iron Chef….. And it’s….
CHEF SYMON!!
OMG, finally. Wow, this is amazing. I was rooting for Symon all along, and I thought he wouldn’t get it because of Besh’s impressive seventh course showing. But I think maybe it was his downfall too. Yay Chef Symon!
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