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John Ireland Wins 2012 Iron Chef Challenge

October 9, 2012 By marketeditor

Note: All photos used here were taken by Nicole Kroll Photography, 518-307-5986.

Two of Saratoga’s favorite chefs, Max London of Max London’s and John Ireland of Panza’s, faced off in the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s fifth annual Iron Chef Challenge on the morning of Saturday, October 6. Grey skies did nothing to deter the crowd of onlookers who tried to learn about the techniques and flavor combinations used by the professionals.

Recognizing the diverse culinary preferences of its customers, the market this year asked the chefs to develop separate meat-centered and vegan plates, and an optional third plate of their own creation.

“Since our market’s first Iron Chef Challenge in 2008, this has become a favorite annual event among our market customers. It’s inspiring for home cooks to see what our area’s talented chefs can create with autumn’s fresh, local ingredients,” noted Jeff Bowers, President of Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association.

The chefs were allowed to bring butter, flour, oil, salt, pepper, three other ingredients of their choice, and cooking utensils. The cooking equipment was provided by Adirondack Appliance, including a flat-top EVO grill.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m., each chef received a basket of several “mystery ingredients” from the farmers’ market. This year, those items included lamb chops from Elihu Farm, kale from Otrembiak Farm, fennel from Denison Farm, and Gar-La-La, a vegan garlic-potato dip sold at the Wednesday markets by the Zorbas.

This year’s Iron Chef “mystery ingredients,” presented to the chefs just before they began cooking.
Each chef also received $30 to buy additional market items of his choice during a brief shopping period. Then, each chef had one hour of cooking time.
Butternut squash was one of the key ingredients in John Ireland’s third plate.

 

Max London cooks for the crowd of spectators.

The master of ceremonies for the event was Dave Pedinotti, chef and owner of Mouzon House. Judges for the competition (as pictured in photo below) were:

  • Ashley Dingeman, food blogger (saratogafoodfanatic.com)
  • Daniel Berman, food writer (fussylittleblog.com and contributor to AllOverAlbany.com)
  • Arielle Landsberg, president of Slow Food Saratoga Region (slowfoodsaratoga.com)
 All three of this year’s judges are involved in local food blogs and regional food organizations.

Judging was based on criteria including taste, presentation, and originality.

 

Max London’s Plates

Max London tops his flatbread with Gar-La-La and grilled vegetables.
Max London’s crusted grilled lamb was served with kale, fennel, and ricotta gnocchi.
A fruit-filled crepe with creme fraiche was the dessert that Max London presented to judges.
A random draw at the beginning of the contest determined that Max London would present his plates first to the judges. Each chef had the same amount of time, with John Ireland starting his shop and prep work a short while later. Ireland presented his plates second.
John Ireland’s Plates
A salad of thinly sliced market vegetables, topped with grilled eggplant, presented on a base of Gar-La-La, was the vegan dish prepared by John Ireland.
Ireland’s second plate included grilled lamb, served with bacon fish-sauce jam atop a bed of kale and Brussels sprouts.
For his final plate, John Ireland combined grated butternut squash, goat cheese, pumpernickel crumbs, and plums. The judges found this a very interesting combination.

After sampling each chef’s plates, Ireland was declared the 2012 winner, coming out ahead of London by a few points.

“Our market places an emphasis on helping consumers create fresh, healthy meals from farm-fresh ingredients from this region. We hope this competition might inspire some friendly competitions among families or neighbors, ” noted Market Coordinator and event organizer Suzanne Carreker-Voigt.

Filed Under: News

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We are the mall until 1:30 today! #saratogafarme We are the mall until 1:30 today! 
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #smallbusinesssaturdaymarket
This week’s vendor specials for the market in ce This week’s vendor specials for the market in celebration of Small Business Saturday.
Saturday - 9:30 to 1:30 at Wilton Mall in the
Food court!
Sweet Treats by Jennifer:
Holiday cookie flavors are here! We'll have our red velvet cookies, decadent millionaire bars and many other delicious sweet treats for you to enjoy
Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm:
Scotch Ridge will be in the market with our farm made all natural Christmas wreaths, Door Swags, Garland, Kissing Balls and pre decorated Table Top Trees.  All greens and trees (like everything) from our farm are produced with no pesticides or herbicides
Jireh Organic Farms & Livestock:
Purchase $40 of meat - get Non-GMO Eggs half price!  GMO Free Pork: Bacon, Hams, Tenderloins, Hot Italian Sausage links, Breakfast Sausage, Ground Pork, Hocks, Organs and more!!  GMO Free Chickens (whole & cut-ups), soup parts, feet for bone 
 #saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #smallbusinesssaturdaymarket #supportlocallymade #supportlocallygrown
We are very thankful for everyone who visits us we We are very thankful for everyone who visits us weekly. 
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you soon!
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆
Gift shopping this weekend? Visit us for Small Bu Gift shopping this weekend?  Visit us for Small Business Saturday.  If you want to purchase a little something other than baked goods, produce, meats, and dairy consider these items as gifts or to go along with a Saratoga Farmers' Market gift card:
● Artisan cheeses from Argyle Cheese Farmer and Nettle Meadow
● Candles from Reliquias
● Dried florals from Halfmoon Harvest and Lovin’ Mama Farm
● Christmas wreaths, garlands, and kissing balls from Scotch Ridge Berry and Tree Farm
● Coffee beans and ground coffee from Nally Coffee
● Gift packs from Muddy Trail, Saratoga Peanut Butter, and The Peanut Principle
● Gift items from Eat with Aliens
● Handcrafted cutting boards and decorative items from Megs Media
● Handmade soaps at Saratoga Suds n’ Stuff
● Honey from Ballston Lake Apiaries and Slate Valley Farms
● Immune boosters from Awakened Tonics
● Maple syrup from Slate Valley Farms
● Pickles from Puckers Gourmet
● Pup treats from Mugzy’s Bakery and The Peanut Principle
● Wine and spirits from Galway Vineyard & Winery, New Scotland Spirits, Yankee Distillers, and Slyboro Ciderhouse at Hicks Orchard
See you Saturday!!! 
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #smallbusinesssaturdaymarket

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