PEPPERS

In the first battle of the second season of Iron Chef Dinner Club: FLAVOR THROWDOWN, Aaron and Anthony brushed off their finest pepper recipes and showed judges the best flavors and colors that capsicum have to offer us. Fried, pureed, sauteed, and candied--we tried it all!

Contestant 1: Chef Anthony

Course 1

Course 2

Course 3

Course 4

Contestant 1: Chef Aaron

Course 1: A Pair of Pickled Peppers

I pickled two kinds of peppers, bell and jalapeno, in a broth of vinegar with salt, onion, basil, dill, and garlic for four days. Jalapenos were pickled seeds-in so they were extra spicy. They were deep fried in a peppercorn buttermilk cornmeal batter and served with two sauces, one for each type of pickle. For the jalapenos, a cool peppercorn ranch; for the bell, a flavorful roasted garlic lime basil aioli.

Course 2: Subtle Poblanos

The soup has oven-roasted poblanos, potatoes, cream, an Anaheim chili, and a host of other spices. It came out much more subdued than I had intended, unfortunately. Garnished with tomatoes, more poblano, cilantro, and queso fresco. The cornbread on the side didn't have anything to do with peppers per se, but was meant to complement the soup. It was a basic buttermilk cornbread augmented with whole corn, dried cranberries, and crushed fennel seeds, baked in an iron skillet (the way all cornbread should be).

Course 3: Reversed Stuffed Peppers

The main point of the dish is that contraption in the center. Rice seasoned with lots of garam masala and other spices, formed into a rice cup using egg and flour to make it sticky. The rice cups were baked then flash-fried right before serving. Inside the cups was a roasted red pepper and onion blend with cumin as the dominant spice. It was topped with a piece of pork belly that was slow-cooked in a cider broth (with bell peppers!) then pan-fried just before serving. A chipotle aioli tops the cup.

The salad is topped with a roasted red pepper vinaigrette. 

Course 4: A Spicy Finish

Two desserts finish off the meal: a dark chocolate cake made from honey that was infused with ghost chilies (recipe here). Orange marmalade forms the bed and the chocolate sauce on top was also made with the infused honey.

The second is a rice cracker topped with a plain vanilla custard, onto which are sprinkled candied Anaheim chilies. The chilies had been poached in a sugar syrup with cinnamon and cloves, then baked at a low temp for about an hour.

And the winner is..............AARON DD!!!