Teams meeting with the chefs at Frasca
Teams preparing for service
Chef Eric's sous chef Zach plating
Chef Eric managing his line
Chef Aaron and sous chef Oliver plating
Aaron's 1st course: Hamachi sashimi with horseradish cream, seaweed, and kelp tuiles
Eric's 1st course: Beef carpaccio with arugula salad and parmesan
Aaron's 2nd course: Maple glazed quail with pumpkin puree, coriander gastrique and cilantro
Eric's second course: Olive oil poached halibut with golden beets two ways and blood orange
Aaron's 3rd course: Venison loin with coffee-cardamom soil, purple potatoes, fennel confit, heirloom carrots, and red wine jus
Eric's third course: Pan roasted duck breast with risotto and blueberry-orange reduction
Aaron's dessert: Chocolate ganache with raspberry sorbet, candied beets, chocolate dust and rose water gelee
Eric's dessert: Deconstructed tiramisu
All the chefs with Lachlan Patterson
Once again, Aaron is too humble to document the evening's festivities, so he has turned it over to his proud papa. This year's competition pitted Aaron and his team (Adin and Oliver) against Eric and Zach, two members of the Boulder High ProStart class (their third teammate had to have a surgery shortly before the event, but the teams had all day to prepare their meals, and all the dishes were ready to go when the diners arrived.)
Unlike last year, in which the three judges scored only the meals put in front of them, this year's event saw a dramatic change in both evaluation and service. There were two seatings, at 5:30 and 7:30, with a total of 65 diners. The judges spent the first service in the kitchen, watching and evaluating the chefs' abilities to work with their teams, plate the dishes and maintain order and cleanliness in the workspace. They then went into the dining room for the second seating, and graded the finished dishes. Each diner was also given the opportunity to vote for his/her favorite chef, and the scores were tabulated to choose the ultimate victor.
The first dish was a dramatic contrast in styles. Aaron chose to present a very petite but beautiful bowl of hamachi crudo with horseradish cream, seaweed and homemade kelp tuiles. The dish was delicious, however, the bowl it was served in had very steep sides, making it very challenging to experience all the tastes together with the fork provided for the course. Eric countered with a very large plate of beef carpaccio, topped with an arugula salad and Parmesan cheese. The beef was extremely tasty, but the chefs weren't able to get it thin enough to totally execute this very classic dish. While Aaron's dish could have been a bit bigger, Eric's could have been somewhat smaller.
Aaron's second course was a maple-glazed quail with pumpkin puree, coriander gastrique and cilantro, while Eric offered an olive oil-poached halibut with golden beets prepared two ways and blood orange. Aaron's quail was done to perfection, although the accompaniments lent just a touch too much sweetness to the dish. Eric also cooked his protein extremely well, however, the halibut lacked a bit of seasoning. Here, the fish was outshone by the golden beets, which were both beautiful and delicious, the best preparation of a vegetable that either chef presented during the meal.
Aaron's third dish was a venison loin with coffee-cardamom soil, purple potatoes, fennel confit, heirloom carrots, and red wine jus. He prepared the venison using a special sous-vide technique he picked up in New York at Eleven Madison Park, and it was absolutely mouth-watering. However, the diners I spoke to were even more impressed by the coffee-cardamom soil, whose unique flavor and texture were a revelation. If there was anything to criticize in the dish, the accompanying vegetables were a tiny bit underdone. Eric plated a pan roasted duck breast with risotto and blueberry-orange reduction. From my perspective, and those around me, this was the least successful dish of the night. In trying to keep the duck at medium-rare, he wasn't able to render enough of the fat to leave the diner with just crispy skin and tender meat. The remaining fat got in the way of fully enjoying the duck. In addition, the risotto had the wrong texture, coming out more like grits than the classic Italian preparation.
Both chefs brought creativity to the dessert course, Aaron with his chocolate ganache with raspberry sorbet, candied beets, chocolate dust and rose water gelee, and Eric with a deconstructed tiramisu. While both dishes won over the diners, I have to say that Aaron's was one of the five best desserts I have ever eaten in my life, stacking up with anything I've tasted in some of the best restaurants in the world. With Valentine's Day just two days away, Aaron's combination of chocolate, roses and the red color of the raspberry sorbet and candied beet was perfect for the occasion, and every aspect of it was magnificent, with the tastes completely complementing one another. Eric's take on the classic tiramisu was skillfully executed and very tasty, although the shot of espresso for dipping the lady fingers and mascarpone slightly overpowered the other components with its potency.
Just as in the first competition last year, both teams performed admirably, and the diners and judges were faced with a tough choice. Ultimately, Aaron's team won a close decision, but everyone was able to be extremely proud of what they brought to the table. Remarkably, by the time everyone was served, the teams had almost completely cleaned up the entire kitchen, which might have been even more of an accomplishment than the fabulous meals they regaled the diners with. Kudos to Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, the brilliant talent behind the food at Frasca, for showing these young men how to comport themselves professionally in a top kitchen.
For those who follow this blog regularly, you will be aware that this was the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work that Aaron has done since the first competition last May. For the past nine months, he has devoted himself tirelessly to improving his technique, creating high-level original dishes, and doing whatever it takes for him to become a great chef. Perhaps the greatest compliment he received on this night came from his boss and mentor at the Black Cat, Chef Eric Skokan, who was once again one of the judges. Chef Skokan told Aaron after the event that his cooking had gotten to the point where we could have put his meal on a plane, flown it to Chicago, and served it at any number of high-end restaurants. The diners in Chicago would simply have thanked the owners for another wonderful meal, and would not have even noticed that it wasn't the food of their usual chef. As an observer of Aaron's journey, I can only say "Amen."
PS- Idea for next year. Does anyone out there in the blogoverse know any chefs of Aaron's age (16 and under) anywhere in the country who are working at this high a level? And secondly, does anyone have any connections in the television industry to set up a true national Junior Iron Chef competition for young chefs like him to take their art to the next level?
