Transcript: Shrimp, Raspberries, Goat Cheese

Stump the Chef
Episode “Shrimp, Raspberries, Goat Cheese”

Announcer 1: One seasoned chef, three random ingredients, and three tough judges. Its time for Stump the Chef. Today award winning chef Matt Weaver will set his culinary skills against his toughest opponent yet, lets see today’s random ingredients.
Female Announcer: Shrimp, Goat cheese, and Raspberries?
Announcer 1: Now let’s play, Stump the Chef.
Matt: Raspberries and goat cheese? Oh I know what I am going to do, this is a no brainer. And you know what there going to like it, I know they are.
Announcer 1: And he’s off.
Announcer 2: Starting it off just full of confidence he’s just diving right in and it looks like he is putting together a marinade for the shrimp.
Announcer 3: Uh, huh. I think I have that same sweatshirt. Add some oregano, a little cayenne pepper he threw in. I got to say these are looking pretty good. No you know, I gave it away to charity actually.
Announcer 2: You know marinating the shrimp like that; my guess is we are probably going to see him grilling those up. I am assuming a deep fry is out of the question.
Announcer 3: If there is a cigarette burn on the left shoulder, then its mine.
Announcer 2: Starting off with the shrimp and moving right along to the raspberries. It looks like Matt put them in the blender; he follows that up with some sugar, and then mustard. Honestly I don’t have a clue what he’s doing with this.
Announcer 3: Clue, well I can tell you I solved the case, it was Colonel Mustard in the blender with the raspberries.
Announcer 2: Helpful as always. He added some oil and vinegar right after that, my guess is he’s going with vinaigrette. My guess is we are going to be seeing some sort of salad here today.
Announcer 1: Sorry to interrupt guys. But its time for, Matt’s tangent!
Matt: A vinaigrette is a liquid suspension, made from a fat such as vegetable oil, and an acid such as vinegar. They can be flavored with many different things, such as vegetables herbs and spices. Now emulsifying agents such as Dijon mustard and egg yolks, help keep the oil and vinegar together. Vinaigrettes can be flavored with almost anything. Try things like cheese’s nuts or fruits.
These are one of my favorite things to make because it’s hard to mess up. If they get a little too spicy, add some oil. If it’s a little too bland add some more spice. Experiment with new flavors, see what you come up with, enjoy.
Announcer 1: Meanwhile back in the kitchen.
Announcer 2: And here’s the third ingredient in our mix. Matt’s frying up that goat cheese. You know goat cheese actually can be a real challenge to work with sometimes, because it’s much tarter than other cheeses.
Announcer 3: You know that’s because of substances like cambric acid. Which are medium chained fatty acids that are found in higher proportions in goat cheese as compared to cow’s cheese.
Announcer 2: Really?
Announcer 3: Yes.
Announcer 2: That’s absolutely fascinating.
Announcer 3: Yeah, I also had a really bad experience once goat sitting.
Announcer 2: You can see right there he dredged the goat cheese in flour. Then dipped it in the egg, then he’s putting in bread crumbs to get a nice good coating on it. Interesting tip, he put the goat cheese in the freezer, just for a little while, makes it much easier to slice.
Announcer 3: The same goes for my friend. Much easier to chop up when it’s been chilled.
Announcer 2: So we have a raspberry vinaigrette, shrimp marinating in the fridge. This deep fried goat cheese that looks fantastic, but still no clear idea how matt’s going to put these together into a meal.
Announcer 3: You know goats actually bleed a lot more than you think they would.
Announcer 2: Finally grilling up the shrimp. You know, it makes sense that way the last step to cook these. If you want to serve them hot, you have got to cook them last. But you know without a good idea of how he’s putting these together. I don’t know what to think about this.
Announcer 3: You know what I think?
Announcer 2: What’s that?
Announcer 3: My sweatshirt was blue.
Announcer 2: Alright, let’s check in with Matt, Matt how’s it going?
Matt: It’s going really well. These ingredients don’t seem to go together, but the raspberries made me think of vinaigrette, and I think its coming together. There really going to be blown away by this one.
Announcer 2: Well he’s right about one thing; those three ingredients don’t seem to go together at all. Yet he’s maintained his confidence throughout. I have got to say I like his chances.
Announcer 1: Its plating time.
Announcer 2: And it looks like Matt’s putting together a salad after all. You can see right there, he took that raspberry vinaigrette we saw him make earlier; he’s mixing it up with some fresh greens. This is an interesting approach I think, giving the three ingredients he was handed today, shrimp, goat cheese and raspberries. Salad isn’t the first thing that would have jumped to my mind. He’s putting the fried goat cheese right on top there. Oh and followed it up with that marinated and grilled shrimp. And a beautiful presentation with the shrimp there right on top. He’s got to feel good about this.
Announcer 1: Looks good to me, but let’s see what our judges have to say about that.
Matt: With these ingredients, I decided to marinate the shrimp. Sort of an odd choice of marinade, I used cinnamon and oregano. Then with the goat cheese I breaded it with flour and some bread crumbs, and fried it. Then with the raspberries I made a vinaigrette with some red wine vinegar and some Dijon mustard and I think it came together really good. Enjoy.
Robert: Well Matt, I am not a fan of goat cheese, and I have to say I am still not a fan of goat cheese. Because its s overpowering. I do like the seasoning you did on the shrimp, and I like the vinaigrette, but as it is that’s the flavor that I stick with after I am done eating it. I would say you’re stumped.
Scott: You know Matt I do have to say that coming in to this I was a little bit biased because I don’t prefer goat cheese, but I think it counteracted a lot of the pungent taste of the goat cheese by frying it. But I don’t think the marinade of the shrimp, as well as the balsamic vinaigrette with the raspberries really can even come close to counteracting just the overpowering nature of that goat cheese. I’m sorry man but I think you have been stumped.
Monica: Well I have to say Matt, as you know I am not a fan of goat cheese. But I think the frying it tapers that sharpness. And I really like this dish.
Matt: Thanks Mom.
Announcer 1: Let’s tally the votes. That’s the ketchup. Matt you have been stumped.
Matt: Stumped, yeah well I had fun. I liked it, my mom liked it and well I guess not everybody did. Well, remember don’t be afraid of the kitchen thanks for joining us, see you next time.
Announcer 1: That’s it for this episode of Stump the Chef.