Armchair Chopped - Third Course Ambitions

Armchair chopped is a challenge I've entertained many time while sitting on the couch watching the cooking show Chopped. Chefs are provided with a container of mystery ingredients and tasked with making a dish - appetizer, entree, or dessert.

Recently (01/25/11), the final 2 chefs were presented with a mystery basket containing the following ingredients and tasked with preparing a dessert in 30 minutes.

Coquitos: Per Haynes and McLaughlin, Coquito nuts are the edible fruit of the Chilean wine palm. They look like small coconuts and, reportedly, taste similar.

Coquito nuts

[fresh] Turmeric: The root of the a tropical plant native to India, turmeric is a spice with a flavor profile similar to Ginger. Not only does turmeric provide a source of vibrant yellow/orange color but, apparently, has many homeopathic and beautifying qualities.

Fresh Turmeric Root and Ground Turmeric

Empanada Wrappers: A pie crust-like dough, empanada wrappers are comprised of flour, salt, egg, and sugar among other possible ingredients.

Empanada Wrappers

Corn on the Cob: "sweet corn" that has not been cut from the cob. Typically this vegetable is purchased in the husk and either roasted or grilled with the husk on or boiled or steamed once the husk has been removed.

Corn on the Cob

The competition I engage in is purely singular. I challenge myself to utilize the same ingredient to compose a dish in a similar fashion and time period as the chefs on the show. I have yet to actually try cooking the dishes I developed and am skeptical about whether I would actually be able to complete them in the time allowed. I take the time, rather, to develop and sketch the dish I would like to present.

For this basket of ingredients I settled on a Banana and Coquito/Rum Napoleon with Corn Coulis and Turmeric Sugar. The Banana and Coquito/Rum creams would be just a developed pastry cream. The Corn coulis would be sweetened with honey and a touch of salt added to help prevent the dessert from being to sweet. The turmeric would be blended with granulated sugar to produce a bright orange sugar that would be sprinkled on the top of the pastry and across the plate. It seems very ambitious and perhaps impractical to complete but it shows promise in taste, texture, and technique.




Banana and Coquito/Rum Napoleon with Corn Coulis and Turmeric Sugar

 
I had never heard of coquitos prior to this episode and will have to look into acquiring a sample. Also, fresh turmeric is not an ingredient I have seen before was excited to see it and learn about the complimentary flavor profile. Empanada wrappers did not provide any great "curveball" and would certainly serve as a recipe for the rest of the ingredients for this dish; the actual shape of this dish -in competition- would be a half circle, not a rectangular as a typical Napoleon. Corn lends itself to being a contributor in a dessert course. This is not the most difficult mix of ingredients I have witnessed - not by a long shot!

The world of food is filled with opportunities to paint 1000 different pictures with the same set of brushes. I think this is what is so wonderful about culinary. Fascinating.