Ep 9. Cora vs. Grieveson

In the seventh season of Iron Chef America, we witness an intense culinary battle between Chefs Cat Cora and Paul Grieveson. Both of them show off their exceptional culinary skills and creativity in this ninth episode of the season.

The show starts with the announcement of the theme ingredient of the day: "Bounty of the Ocean." It is now up to the chefs to unleash their imaginations and create a mouth-watering dish using the seafood ingredients they have been provided. The secret ingredient could be anything from lobster to prawns or salmon.

The judges for this episode are James Oseland, Sandi Toksvig, and Michael Ruhlman, who bring in their expertise to evaluate the dishes presented by the Chefs. The chef who manages to impress the judges with their outstanding dish will be declared the winner of the battle.

The first round of the battle between the chefs starts with a bang as both of them charge to the pantry to get the necessary ingredients for their dishes. While Chef Cora goes for tuna, shrimps, and oysters, Chef Grieveson opts for lobsters and other fishes.

As the clock ticks away, both chefs start to cook their respective dishes. Chef Cora uses her creativity to prepare a unique dish called Kinilaw, which is a type of seafood salad, using the ingredients she has selected from the pantry. On the other hand, Chef Grieveson goes for a classic and simple dish, pan-roasted scallops with corn puree.

The judges evaluate both the dishes and give their feedback. James mentions that Chef Cora's Kinilaw was refreshing and tangy, while Sandi describes Chef Grieveson's pan-roasted scallops as "perfectly cooked." The judges conclude that both dishes were equally good and could not decide which was better. The first round ends in a tie.

The second round starts with the announcement of the secret ingredient, which is Coho salmon. Now, the chefs have to create a dish that incorporates this ingredient with their culinary expertise. Chef Cora decides to grill the salmon and serve it with a herb salsa, while Chef Grieveson chooses to prepare a salmon soup with mushrooms and kale.

Once again, the judges evaluate both the dishes and are blown away by the culinary genius displayed by both chefs. They particularly praise Chef Cora's herb salsa, which they claim enhanced the flavor of the salmon, and Chef Grieveson's soup, which they describe as "hearty and flavorful." The judges once more declare the round a tie.

The final round of the battle between Cora and Grieveson is undoubtedly the most challenging. The chefs have one hour to prepare two dishes using the secret ingredient, which is sea urchin. It is difficult to work with this delicate ingredient, but both chefs embrace the challenge.

Chef Cora is in her comfort zone in this final round as she has extensive experience working with seafood. She chooses to prepare a unique dish consisting of sea urchin pasta with caviar and truffle oil. Chef Grieveson, on the other hand, decides to prepare a fried sea urchin in tempura that is served with a dipping sauce.

Once again, the judges' task proves to be challenging as both dishes are exceptional. James describes Chef Cora's pasta dish as "divine," while Michael lauds Chef Grieveson's sea urchin in tempura as "crispy and delicious."

The judges are faced with the challenging task of declaring a winner between the two chefs. After much consideration, they finally declare Chef Cat Cora as the winner of the battle as her dishes were consistently exceptional throughout the episode.

Iron Chef America season 7 episode 9 was an intense and gripping battle between two culinary giants. Both Chefs Cora and Grieveson displayed their culinary skills and creativity, and the judges had a difficult task of selecting a winner. However, in the end, Chef Cat Cora emerged victorious with her flavor-packed and innovative dishes.