My friend Ada, of Christmas Crack fame, had a wonderful idea. She decided that it would be a great idea to have a dinner party with the theme of the T.V. show Chopped. Chopped’s premise is that there are several chefs that are given mystery ingredients, which are generally a cacophony of flavors, and a short amount of time to make something gourmet.
She asked several people to bring a mystery ingredient so
she could make an appe-teaser, entrée, and desert. The rules were simple:
-There’s a strict time limit
-She must use the secret ingredients
-She can use any ingredients to supplement the mystery
ingredients
Sounds good in theory. I am usually an optimist but even I
ate a snack before arriving…just in case.
The following were the ingredients brought by Ada’s “friends”
-1 Raw Chicken Thigh
-1 Bag of Cheetos
-Small Bottle of Tarjin
-4 Questionable Carrots
-Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
-Shock Top Lemon Shandy
-1 Large Jar of Enchilada Sauce
-1 Costco Can o’ Chicken
-Raspberry Pop-Tarts
-1 Bar of Lindt Chili Chocolate
-A Handful of “El Scorcho” Hot Sauce from Del Taco
-Vanilla Ice Cream
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| The Tossed Salad and Hot Pocket Wonton. |
The Appe-teaser Round:
Ada had 20 minutes to concoct a first course. She made a
tossed iceberg salad with carrot shards and Cheeto croutons, served with a
balsamic vinegar and Tarjin reduction dressing. She paired this with a Hot
Pocket wonton. She food processed the Hot Pocket in its entirety and then
lovingly folded the mixture into wonton wrappers and fried them. These were
topped with a spicy “El Scorcho” cream sauce. The flavors were layered nicely
and there was a depth of flavor that permeated the dish and tied the tastes
together.
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| Tortilla Chip Enchiladas. |
The Entrée Round:
The Entrée was to be completed in 30 minutes. Ada was a
culinary wizard basically. She made a Mexican Lasagna, layering tortilla chips,
chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce. There were notes of heat and flavor that
burst on the tongue like little tiny fireworks. Click here for a video with a more detailed description of the entree by Chef Ada!
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| A House Divided Dessert |
The Desert Round:
Like a champ, Ada finished the desert round in 20 minutes.
She named the dish “A House Divided”. It was a modern twist on the pie a ’la
mode. She used raspberry Pop-Tarts as the base and top, a scoop of ice cream in
between. Then she made a chili chocolate reduction and caramelized it. Drizzled
a little of that reduction on top and served individually. Delicious!
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| All foodies, young and old enjoyed this dinner. |
