Battle Bobby Flay - August 3, 2008

We all came to Spreckles Park and got FLAYED! Battle Bobby Flay was another successful event in our 2008 Summer, Coronado Concert in the Park/Iron Chef, lineup. Bobby’s signature dishes, prepared by our talented chefs, were exceptional, marvelous, fantastic, tremendous and phenomenal!

Jim and Carmen commenced the festivities with a delicious Ham & Mushroom Pâté, surrounded by squares of Stephanie March’s Jalapeno Cheese Grits. Actress Stephanie March, Bobby Flay’s wife, apparently makes these special Grits for Bobby’s birthday.

Susan shared a gourmet selection of spreads and dips and pita chips from Whole Foods.

Pam presented Sophie’s Chopped Salad, named after Bobby’s daughter. The salad has romaine lettuce, chick peas, red beans, cucumber, tomatoes, cubes of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, and a few crispy tortilla chips, all tossed with a tasty Balsamic, Dijon and olive oil vinaigrette. Another clear keeper.

Kerry made Chicken Curry Salad with the curry she brought back from last year’s trip to London and South Africa. Feel free to do a repeat of this dish for Sunday’s Battle Curry!

Kai showcased Bobby Flay’s Red Beef Chili. Talk about layers of flavor...sweetness, spiciness, and heat! This chili features cubes of beef, dark beer, semi-sweet chocolate, and a combination of at least 10 different chili peppers and chile powders. Kai’s version also includes beans and extra garlic and definitely needs to make an appearance at the Coronado Chili Cook-Off! After the concert, John absconded with some Chili and a handful of the Cheese Grits and we enjoyed a delicious Monday night dinner!

Jack & Sandra dazzled us with Bobby Flay’s Pressed Cuban-Style Burgers, made with ground chuck, mayo, Dijon, roasted garlic, smoked ham, Swiss cheese and dill pickles. After grilling the patty and assembling the burger, it’s wrapped in foil and cooked in a hot skillet with a heavy skillet placed on top to press the sandwich until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Very nice flavors.

Denise prepared a version of Bobby Flay’s Coffee-Rubbed Filet Mignon, using Tri Tip instead. The rub contains a couple different chile powders, ground espresso, paprika, brown sugar and some other spices. The Tri Tip paired nicely with Bobby’s Mesa Grill’s Southwestern Potato Salad, which derives its kick from chipotle chile puree and cayenne.

Madeleine came through again with another fantastic dessert, Madeleine’s Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. Luckily, I was able to snap a photo before Madeleine and her friends devoured the cake in a single swoop.

Not to worry, we still had Keiser’s Robert Redford Dessert aka White Trailer Trash and...

Bobby Flay’s Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Apple Caramel Sauce, courtesy of John. For two days, he cooked pumpkin bread, pumpkin custard, apple caramel sauce and vanilla custard....and for two days we cleaned the kitchen! It was worth the mess and the wait. Once again, I’m starting that diet...tomorrow.

For the finale, Brad unveiled his collapsible, folding, three-compartment ice chest...one compartment for the chilled flutes, one compartment for the Champagne and one compartment for the container of Bobby Flay’s Grand Champagne Cocktail mixture. The cocktail is made by pouring a blended mixture of Grand Marnier, honey and fresh strawberries into the bottom of chilled flutes and then filling the rest of the flute with Champagne. Brad was flaying at the mouth the entire time, claiming to be the only “True Iron Chef” because he is able to spend under an hour in the kitchen each Sunday. I did check the Grand Champagne Cocktail recipe, which states: “ Difficulty: Easy; Prep Time: 10 minutes.” Good for you, but we won’t ask how long it took to go to every store in town looking for that ‘great’ deal on that food processor!

By the way, we’ve missed some of our chefs of late...what’s up? Can’t take the heat of Kitchen Stadium??? We hope to see the following chefs very soon: Todd & Kate, Brent & Lenore, Joe & Karen, Mike and Vicki, Zesty, Mike & Ruth Ann and Jim & Melinda. Dean was in Tucson last week and we’re sure he’ll be back this week with a fabulous dish. Welcome home to Peter & Julie! Please join us! We also hope to see Mary & Geoff, Rob Leach & family, Mike Singley, QM2, Dr. Speir and his wife, Stacy & Dick, Chris, Scott & Sara, MOM, and any other new friends/chefs anyone wishes to invite before the season ends!

Curry up Brad, the clock is ticking.

Cheers,
Denise & John

*In a very brief moment of brilliance, Brad coined the phrases, “We all came to the park and got flayed” and “Curry up.”