A Pop-Up Iron Chef

I recently had the fortune to sample a pop-up dinner created by one of the unknown Iron Chefs - Iron Chef Titanium. Titanium because he has the strength to create French, Italian and virtually any cuisine but the flexibility to adapt to changing ingredients or themes or even recalcitrant dinner guests who don't follow the rules. The invitation strictly stated that I was NOT to bring any food and that the theme of the evening was tomato - tomato in every course. This is how the menu read:

 Bellinis with Caviar and Blinis to start

Amuse Bouche

Tomato Water and Mother's Broth

1st course

Onaga Carpaccio with Cucumber Consomme, Grape Tomatoes and Enoki Mushrooms

2nd course

Tomatoes Three Ways: Poached Tomatoes with Asparagus; Steak Tartare with Sicilian Sauce; Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil

3rd course

Gnocchi with Fresh Tomatoes, Green Olives and Smoked Cheese

4th course

Balsamic Glazed Beef with Red Wine Reduction, Parsnip Puree and Roasted Tomatoes

Dessert

Panna Cotta

Of course, as mon ami once stated "he doesn't follow recipes when he cooks and he's not about to start now". A man cut from the same cloth, I TOO don't follow recipes... and am not about to start. So I make my own tomato water with vine ripened Hamakua tomatoes, a touch of alderwood smoked salt and fresh basil and proceed to make a pint of tomato water. Add a cup of vodka - a mixture of Ciroc and Square One Basil vodka then garnish with yellow Ho Farms cherry tomatoes and Waianae basil dipped in a touch of alderwood smoked salt for the perfect Tomato Water Martini.

My excuse. This isn't food, it's a drink!

Of course, need to pair it with kibbles so I did a Sun-Dried Tomato and Vacche Rose Parmigiano Palmier. I guess this might qualify as food... but my excuse was this was simply a chef's "snack" at the chef's discretion to serve or not to serve.

Finally, I also made an Italian Stewed Tomato Spice Cake. Once again I pleaded, "this isn't food, it's dessert". When your mother stated years ago "eat all of the food on your dinner plate", she didn't mean the Twinkies. If you proceeded to scarf dessert after her proclamation, you'd be whacked "upside da head"! So dessert ISN'T food! I rest my case.

We also had loads of wine including sake, an Altagracia red and "parking lot" Krug but I neglected to capture a course or two and many of the wines. But alas, meals like this are mainly about breaking bread with friends. Though they were all excellent, the food and wines are secondary. Until the next pop-up, a voitre sante!