4th Iron Chef Dinner - Join the fun Sat 3/8

The 4th Iron Chef Dinner will be hosted by Joel and Sue Finkle at our house on Saturday, March 8th at 6pm.
This is a great opportunity to have fun with cooking - anyone is welcome to join in.
Rules:
The secret ingredient will be announced at 11pm Friday night (March 7th).
You are allowed to go out an buy the secret ingredient once it is announced.
Use the secret ingredient and whatever you have in your house to create a dish (sweet, savory, whatever).
You have all day Saturday to put together your dish.
Bring you dish and share it with everyone else.
We have a double oven and the usual kitchen appliances if you need to warm or finish a dish at our house.

The secret ingredient will not be meat, but could be anything else. So far we have had molasses, pears and celery.
Everyone is welcome, but please let us know you want to participate.
Attending:
1. Suef
2. Joelf
3. Mamagotcha
4. Chouxfly
5. Cathy
6. Irisarbor

I was wondering when this event would pop up; been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now. I'm in as I really enjoyed it last year.

Hooray! So glad you are willing to do this! I think both Chouxfly and I would like to join you this time around.

Thank you so much for hosting!

Hi,

I have a Chicago Foodways Roundtable meeting this date. I won't really know if I will have time to make a dish for the secret ingredient. While my dish may be iffy, though I may bring a complimentary dish, though not a dish with this ingredient.

I hope this is acceptable.

Regards,

I'm going to have to back out as I have a conflict.

I'm afraid I'll have to decline your invitation, Sue...my class doesn't get out til 4pm and I doubt I'll have time to cook and travel too. I'll keep an eye out for #5.

I almost missed this- glad I checked the plain calendar- I think I should be in pending business travel....

Irisarbor - does this mean you can attend?

Hi,

I plan to be there. I will at my computer at 11:00 pm for the reveal. If I don't have the ingredient, I will be at Jewel at 11:15 pm.

Regards,

We can definitely come.
Trip postponed to April 6th!
Gotta love those fluid schedules LOL

So glad we are not predicted to have 6 inches of snow THIS Saturday evening.
and the DH will join us, but as you know, he does not cook-
if the secret ingredient lends itself to beverages he may rustle up an alcoholic concoction.

Getting excited! It's been a long time since our last gathering. And for those wavering on the fence... do please join us! It's a terrific way to get a glimpse inside the techniques and thought processes of some of our creative and resourceful members. There are no winners or losers!

I have a college friend (residing in LA) pegged to select our Secret Theme Ingredient... start lining up your spatulas.

I just PMd our address to everyone who said they were coming. If you did not get the message, let me know. The ingredient will be posted soon.

And the secret theme ingredient, chosen by our guest chairman jonathan Green, is...

CARROT


ALLEZ CUISINE!

And remember that you may only shop for carrots and carrot products such as juice.

Hi,

I will make glazed carrots. Maybe something else, though I will have figure it out when I find the time later.

Thanks!

Regards,

Carrot cake seems too easy, so I think it is going to be a carrot bread pudding or custard. Will figure it out in the morning.

Hi,

If someone desires glazed carrots, you can take it.

Meanwhile, I will make carrot-pineapple salad a la Ono Kine Grindz of Wauwautosa, WI

A salad was one of my thoughts except I've done a Thai som tam before (with pear).
Right now I'm leaning toward something in the chawanmushi/thai fish custard spectrum.

I will do a carrot soup, and maybe a carrot cake since it is Franks favorite dessert

Sorry I can't make it for this. I would have made Ma Z's carrot Kugel.

(The Thai som tam was one of my first thoughts, Joel!)

I'll be doing some kind of Asian-style carrots-and-chicken-wings (because I wanted to get some protein in there), and a roasted carrot-ginger ice cream.

Mmm ice cream
I will have ginger in my soup also
I may add a garnish/swirl of some crab from the freezer
Is anyone allergic to crab?
I can leave on the side if need be....

I will be bringing cream puffs filled with steamed carrot chicken salad for an appetizer, and Spicy Carrot Juice Bloody Mary for cocktails.

And Mamagotcha and I worked together on our dessert. I think we called it an 'eclairrot'.

Hi,

I just got home. I am checking my e-mails, then heading to the kitchen. I will be late, more like 6:30 is my guess.

Regards,
Cathy

Many thanks to SueF and JoelF for graciously hosting our most recent Iron Chef gathering... Carrot Conflict!

Photos from our delicious dinner...

And now we all can see in the dark!

Thank you to Sue and Joel for hosting a lovely evening.
I tried my best to be good company, and was sorely distracted by the horrible soup disaster on the way over.
Note to self: next time secure soup crock pot better , or hold in hands up front, or put in thermos with screw on lid, or use larger crock pot with clip on lid, or ...on and on and on

Horns to the driver who stopped short in front of us with no brake lights or turn signal GRRRR

sigh..the disaster area that was the back well of my minivan was easily fixed with money-
props and kudos to the good folks at Grand Prix car wash in Deerfield who spent all of Sunday morning getting it clean and fresh smelling,
not that roasted carrot soup made with smoked ham hock broth smelled bad, mind you,
just maybe not what you want your car to smell like....

At least the cake arrived in one piece

Next Iron Chef at our house, I think...

Hugs, Irisarbor! You were delightful company and nobody begrudged you a few grumbles about such rotten luck... so glad nobody was hurt, and the damage was relatively easily repaired.

The cake was AWESOME!