Iron Chef America: Chef Michael Symon Wins Battle Thanksgiving
Tonight’s premiere of “Iron Chef America” featured the newest Iron Chef, Michael Symon. Michael won “The Next Iron Chef” show to gain this honor, replacing former Iron Chef Maril Batali. He competed against Ricky Moore, chef of Agraria in Washington, D.C.
The secret ingredient alter contained items found in traditional holiday feasts. Turkey, corn, cranberries, pumpkins, and potatoes could all be used to create the ultimate holiday meal. The judges were Queer Eye’s Ted Allen, food author Jeffrey Steingarten, and executive chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli.
After spills (Symon knocked a glass over into some of his food) and thrills (Moore had 3 minutes to finish his uncooked venison), the judging began. Moore served up pumpkin soup (that Jeffrey said was “perfect”), cornbread dressing with braised turkey, deep fried turkey with cranberry sauce, bacon wrapped venison with potato robuchon, and sweet potato streusel with maple pecan ice cream. Iron Chef Symon presented fried oysters over crab, corn and sweet potato salad, turducken (poached duck egg with chicken liver sauce and turkey cracklings), fried turkey livers with mashed potatoes (which Ted called “a lovely dish”), braised turkey with squash and cranberry, and apple fennel crisp with crème fraiche ice cream.
It was Iron Chef Symon who prevailed his first time out. He won fairly easily over Chef Moore by a score of 51 to 43.
Read these other great entries
November 19th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Did we have any doubts that the newest Iron Chef would win? It really would have made the judges of The Next Iron Chef look dumb if Chef Symon lost his firt Iron Chef challenge.
What’s it with Ted Allen and being a judge on cooking shows. First Top Chef, now Iron Chef. I guess he has to do something now that Queer Eye is over.
I think if I went to someone’s house for Thanksgiving and they fed me that stuff I would need to make an excuse and go to McDonald’s. Where were the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes?
November 21st, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I know, it seemed pretty fixed to me…the judges RAVED over Moore’s dishes while they seemed split on Symon’s (1/2 great, 1/2 just okay). I was pretty surprised when Symon won…but it would have looked pretty bad if he hadn’t, I suppose.
I want that recipe for Symon’s apple fennel crisp!!!