Ishinabe vs. Jacques Borie
Originally Airdate: 12/19/93
Iron Chef, the Official Book episode# 10
Iron Chef Collection episode# 110
For Kitchen Stadium’s first Christmas battle, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) winner is brought in as challenger: Jacques Borie, who won the medal at age 36 in 1982.
Just as Chairman Kaga is about to summon the Iron Chefs, he asks if Borie understands Japanese. “Oh yes,” Borie assures him. Kaga calls on his Iron Chefs with special fervor, and Borie selects Ishinabe, “the so-called sauce specialist of French cuisine,” for a French-on-French battle. The two smilingly shake hands as the Chairman prepares to announce the ingredient.
“When you think of Christmas, you think of only one ingredient. An ingredient found in almost all chickens. Oh, sorry [Ishinabe laughs at Kaga’s stumble]… Well, I meant in all kitchens. Today’s theme is kitchen… no, no… Chicken!”
“Oh, no,” moans actress Mai Kitajima, on the commentators’ panel, as the chefs start cutting and degutting their chickens. “This is not my favorite part of this show. I guess it comes with the territory” (How would she have reacted to a live octopus battle?). Joining her on the panel are Dr. Yukio Hattori, and Kenji Fukui.
Ishinabe cuts thick slices of black truffle, and just as Hattori is predicting it will be stuffed under the chicken’s skin, Ishinabe does exactly that. The challenger also works on some black truffle. It’s chopped into fine bits. Some chicken breast is coated with the rich dark bits, and pan-fried. Truffles are also used for sauce, in this truffle-abundant battle.
Challenger Borie offers two dishes:
- Fresh Truffle Royale (“Unfortunately, it can’t be taken into account by the tasters, during the judging, as it doesn’t contain any chicken.”)
- Chicken Breast Etuve, Truffle Flavor, with Vegetables
Iron Chef Ishinabe presents two dishes as well:
- Chicken Salad (with ginger, wasabi, yuzu, and soy sauce)
- Chicken Demi-Deuil
Compared to other episodes, the time spent cooking is shorter (wasn’t this actually a 30-minute battle?), while the commentary is longer–perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say, interminably longer.
On the judging panel are novelist Yasuo Tanaka, Mai Kitajima, and culinary historian Masaaki Hirano. What happens when a novelist, whose livelihood is based on creatively putting words together, says everything he has to say about a dish… but then has to say even more? You’re about to find out. The funny thing is, he doesn’t do any better than the other two judges.
“This is really well-balanced,” says Tanaka of the royale. “I’m referring to the multiple layers of flavors that come out as you eat it.”
“This royale is flavored incredibly well!” says Hirano. “I’m just out of words to describe this. Just… incredible!”
Tanaka shows his literary prowess by comparing Borie’s chicken breast to a mysterious French lady, whom one has seen many times…
“I’m moved by the way this was prepared,” adds Hirano. “Very delicious. This dish speaks of France itself. I saw the history of France in both of his dishes.”
Tanaka compares Ishinabe’s chicken salad to a Japanese lady, showing her white and silky skin.
“I think I’ve been fortunate enough,” says Hirano, “to be on the tasting panel whenever Ishinabe-san has been cooking so far. He is so skilled in creating a story in his dishes, and today, in a subtle way, well–chicken is quite a weak ingredient in flavor, you know… not that powerful, so I think it’s important to choose the right seasons to flavor it, and he tried not to over-cook the chicken, as Tanaka mentioned, trying to maintain the natural flavor of the chicken…” etc. etc. etc.
Side notes: I thought I recognized morels in Ishinabe’s main dish, and the Iron Chef verified this to the tasting panel. An interesting coincidence: I’d just this past weekend gone looking for morels on our property–and actually found a few! They were seriously delicious.
Rodney Schroeter
May 2008
Kitchen Stadium Board
22 May, 2008