Neuqua students go head-to-head in 'Iron Chef'-style cookie competition

This week's secret ingredient is cookie.

Alton Brown was not harassing the chefs or commenting on their concoctions Friday in Neuqua Valley's own Kitchen Stadium. But he likely wishes he were there for this local version of the Food Network's "Iron Chef."

Students in Joanne Wagoner's pastry arts classes broke into six teams last week to create an original cookie. On Friday, in true "Iron Chef" fashion, a panel of judges grilled each team and deliberated intensely before declaring Kasper Sorfleet and Tim Worley's Caramel Chocolate Supreme the contest winner.

Judge and guidance counselor Spike Grosshuesch said the confection - sugar cookie infused with caramel pellets and chocolate chips, then drizzled with more caramel - had the perfect combination of taste and presentation.

"We felt like we could walk into any bakery and say, 'I'd like to eat that cookie,' " Grosshuesch said. "There was another cookie that they were competing with, but the presentation put them over the top."

Sorfleet, who considers himself a "pretty good cook" at home, wasn't surprised with the outcome.

"(Wagoner) helped us with the basic idea of using the caramel, and once we got going we were unstoppable," Sorfleet said. "We only made one batch, tested it and knew we nailed it and didn't need to go any further."

Not every group was so lucky. The students making the Peppermint Merengue cookies finally perfected their plan on the fourth and final batch, just in time for Friday's judging. They were happy with the results, even if the judges weren't.

"Ultimately, we learned three ways not to make merengue cookies," joked sophomore Anil Sharma. "But now we know how to make killer merengue cookies next time we need to."

Despite the fun of the "Iron Chef" showdown, Sharma appears to have learned exactly the lesson Wagoner hopes every student takes away from the contest.

"You know, if they failed a few times experimenting with different recipes, that's OK. That's cooking in any test kitchen," she said. "But this exercise is really designed to teach them how math and science apply even to cooking. As you manipulate the ratio of one ingredient, you have to figure out the new ratio of the others to get the consistency or flavor you need."

Following Friday's judging, Wagoner said the students would form new groups this week to begin a nine-day unit focusing on pie-making. The results will be taste-tested by their peers.