Pewter Chef Returns - Battle Cornicopia - A Cooking Extravaganza

Frequent Pewter Chef guest The Count brought his business partner Iron Man (and wife Iron Maiden) to experience the event that is the Pewter Chef.  For those who are not familiar with this event, unlike the traditional Iron Chef concept where there are competitors who cook dishes using a secret ingredient, at Pewter Chef my guests bring a variety of foods that I convert into a multi-course meal before their very eyes.

Of course the Count and Contessa have never been known for restraint so they come with these bags and bags of ingredients!

Step One - Catalog Ingredients

The Contessa has offered to be my assistant.

Wife has offered to look on and nod knowingly.

 Ground Bison?

Kale?

Are you ready Contessa?

(this will be almost the last time we see her as she will be prepping and cleaning all night)

Let The Cooking Begin
 

 Blanching Kale

Peeling Acorn Squash

Collecting spices for a spice mixture

Toasting said spices

Sifting the ground spices onto oiled slices of squash

The Count, Iron Man, Wife, and Iron Maiden filled with anticipation

Spiced squash into the oven

A selection of mushrooms

Cutting bacon into chunks

"Holy crap, there's a lot going on in here!"

"Hmmm Wife" Iron Man says, "Do you think he can pull it off or do you think he's going to implode?"

Bacon browning

Making a Spanish inspired sauce

In go the mushrooms

Sauteing away

"Excuse me Mr. Pewter Chef, could we have some more wine?"

Add the blanched kale

Voila, Course One

"Scronch, scronch, scronch"

Meanwhile back at Kitchen Practice Field (sort of like Kitchen Stadium but smaller) the master pan is being prepared again

I was given dried apricots so I poached them with red wine and lobster stock base

In go fingerling potatoes

Out comes the roasted spiced squash

All kinds of stuff in action

Potatoes starting, tomatillos poaching, apricot wine sauce cooling

Course Two - Roasted Indian Spiced Squash

"What the &$!@# these trout fillets have pin bones in them!"

Turn the roasting potatoes

Blending the tomatillos

"Yes, yes, yes I know.  More wine"

 Turn the roasting potatoes

Flavor the trout

Make the tomatillo sauce

Cutting an avocado garnish

Chopping peanuts

Course Three - Deconstructed Fish Tacos
 

"Scronch, scronch, scronch"

"We're on the home stretch"

Wife in the background doing clean up

Beautiful rib lamb chops

Pan roasting

Roasted potatoes

Contessa delights in picking off the fish bones

Course Four - Lamb Chops with Apricot Wine Sauce and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

 

The start of dessert.

Unfortunately the photographer bailed out on me at this point.

This is a combination of pineapple and plums cooked with some red miso glaze, honey and brandy.

It was blended into a sauce and served with coconut gelato for course five.