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Food

Top Chef Masters Finale!

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So the time has come to see who will take it all. Not only the $100,000 for their charity but a prize package worth over $250,000 (like how that was glossed over;).

So we start with the chefs being whisked away to an unknown location for an unknown challenge (final, quickfire?). They arrive at the Getty Villa. They have to create a meal that is based on their food history. Their first food memory, the experience that made them decide to become chefs, the opening of their 1st restaurant and last their future. They will be serving Padma, Tom and Gail from the original Top Chef in addition to the regular critics. Also the 5 winners of Top Chef.

I find it interesting that both Hubert and Rick were brought up in the food business and that was connected to their first memory. Michael’s was tied to his mom cooking with him. I wonder about my children and what their food memories will be. Will it be the goofy cake I made or their dumping chocolate chips the first time or getting to roll snickerdoodles? My own are tied to failures and Passover;). It makes you think.

Hubert: Baeckeoffe (Alsatian Lamb, Beef, Pork and Potato Stew), Salmon Souffle served with Choucroute Flan, Colorado Lamb Chop wrapped in Vegetable Mousseline served with Vanilla-Merlot Sauce, Pan-Seared Sweetbreads served with Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks

Michael: Duo of Gnocchi, Polenta with Rabbit, Asparagus and Wild Mushroom served with Duck and Rabbit Liver Spiedini, Whole Fried Ginger Marinated Rouget served with Mango Salad, Brined Short Ribs served with 5 Onion Cavalo Nero

Rick: BBQ Smoked Quail w/ Watermelon Salad, Ahi Tuna with Oaxacan Black Mole served with Plantain Tamales & Grilled Nopales, Cochinita Pibil served with Sunchoke Puree, Crispy Pig’s Feet and Pickled Red Onion, Arroz a la Tumbaua with Lobster, Crab, Squid, Mussels and Shrimp served with Chorizo “Air”

Of course there is a finale twist. A card and remote are waiting for them in the kitchen the day of service. It is a video of their sous-chefs sending them a little encouragement. And then… the sous-chefs walked in! They all keep cooking and seem to be just getting it done. So what was the plan before the sous-chefs showed up?

Before we get to service and judgement let me say, Harold looks so much older! Not old but more like a grown up;).

Huang thought that Michael’s tomato sauce was under seasoned. But all 3 seemed to do well. The second course all went well too! Michael’s polenta looks so yummy but Hubert’s mousseline sauce is the most tantalizing for me. Michael’s fish in his 3rd course is a little scary looking. Elan thought Michael’s fish was one dimensional. Padma thought Hubert had to much vanilla and Tom thought the raw garlic was a mistake. Everyone thought Rick’s food was very sophisticated and that surprised them. Rick’s last dish may have suffered from time and it wasn’t a big success. Padma loved Michael’s short rib. Harold thought Hubert’s sweetbread was under cooked.

Onto Critic’s Table… Michael’s short rib was a huge hit but the fish was hit and miss. Hubert’s stew was homey and wonderful. Hubert said he blanched the garlic 3 times but everyone thought the garlic tasted almost raw. There was also mixed reviews on the vanilla in the lamb dish. Rick’s foam or “air” didn’t go over well and his fish was a little overcooked. But everyone loves Rick’s mole.

Michael: (diner’s) 4 1/2 stars, (total) 17 stars
Rick:(diner’s) 4 1/2 stars, (total) 18 stars
Hubert: (diner’s) 4 stars, (total) 16 1/2 stars

So Rick Bayliss won! I think it was well earned and couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!

That sends us into the new season of Top Chef. Stay tuned for that recap!

Food

Top Chef Masters: Who’s the Master

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So who is going home this week? Who is winning another $10 grand for their charity. Let us jump right in to find out!

So in the chefs walk to find a table full of burgers and fries. The quickfire is that the chefs have to make gourmet burgers with a side. The judges are 3 people known for burger stuff. The guy from Super Size Me, a guy who has won best burger and Spike from Top Chef who owns a DC burger place. Michael is making a 2 1/2 pound burger with truffle oil. Hubert has enormous pressure on him because not only does he have a burger place, he sells the $5000 burger. The judges seemed to like almost everyone’s burger but Anita’s cheese soup with mini burgers didn’t seem to fair as well. The judges seem to think Hubert’s rouquefort cheese was too much.
Hubert: 3 stars
Anita: 1 1/2 stars
Rick: 4 stars
Art: 3 1/2 stars
Michael: 4 stars
Then we come to our elimination challenge. The have to cater a party for Zoe Deshanel. The catch, Food restrictions: vegan, gluten intolerant and no soy. They must each be responsible for 1 dish. The get 2 hours to prep. It sounds like both Rick and Michael have some experience with gluten free cooking. Hubert was running behind so Michael helped him out. Prepping on site Michael almost lost his plates when the table started to collapse.
Hubert: White Gazpacho, Timbale of Avocado and Asparagus, Red Beet Salad
Anita: Spicy Grilled Eggplant, Lentil Salad, Cashew Sauce
Michael: Quinoa Pasta with Salsa Verde, Pine Nut Gremolata
Rick: Sweet Corn Tamales, Chili-Braised Clack Beans, Braised Greens
Art: Strawberry and Champagne Soup, Strawberry Rice Ice Cream, Almond Brittle
Service and Judging:
Hubert lost a couple of shooter glasses of his gazpacho but had extras. Hubert’s salad and soup went over well but the avocado felt done. Anita’s eggplant was a little to spicy and the lentils were to squishy. Michael’s pasta went over very well. Rick’s tamales was a real hit. The diners weren’t happy with the ice cream.
The judges thought Anita’s plate was sad, oily and disjointed. They thought Hubert’s was good. Michael’s dish was a big hit! They thought Rick’s tamale was good but the salad got lost. It’s seemed no one liked Art’s rice milk ice cream that he bought. Art’s brittle was a success.
At this point I think either Art or Anita is going home with either Hubert or Michael winning.
Art: 12 1/2 Stars
Anita: 13 Stars
Rick: 19 Stars
Hubert: 19 Stars
Michael: 22 Stars
Right now I think I am predicting Michael to win everything but I am not sure. See you next week!

Food

Top Chef Masters: The Race to the Goal!

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So now we are down to the final 6 chefs who are going for the big payoff! 1 chef will be eliminated this week but who? The winning chef for this week will get another 10 grand for their chairty. Let’s jump in!

So this week’s classic quickfire. They had to draw knives for teams. They have to the the “mise en place relay race”. I love this challenge! The guys probably haven’t had to do their own prep for a long time. Tom Collichio will be judging this challenge. They need to open 15 oysters, dice 5 onions, butcher 4 chickens then seperate 5 eggs and beat the white so they stay in the bowl when it is upside down. The winning team will get an advantage, so I assume that the big challenge will be in teams. Art totally kicked Hubert’s butt in the onion chopping challenge. Rick skunked Art on the egg whipping so the Salt team won. The winning team all got 5 stars for their performance and the losing 4 each.
Pepper: Suzanne, Michael, Art
Salt: Hubert, Anita, Rick
Then they each have to make their signature dish to show the other chefs about them. My guess is that they will each have to recreate someone’s signature dish.
Hubert: Lobster and Truffle Cappuccino with Corn Madeline
Art: Seared Grouper with Hearts of Palm, Trumpet Mushrooms and Meyer Lemon Zest
Anita: Seared Sea Scallop with Potato Puree, Sea Urchin and Mustard Greens
Michael: Fennel Balsalmic Quail with Mosto Cotto Mostardo and Sauteed Greens and Roasted Apples
Suzanne: Chopped Sirloin with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Fried Egg
Rick: Rack of Lamb & Black Pasilla Chile with Mission Figs
For the elimination challenge they have to take a competitor’s dish and put their spin on it. Hubert got to choose (since he went twice in the relay). So he choose to do Anita’s so she had to do his. Then the knife pull. Art was doing Suzanne’s, Suzanne was doing Art’s and Michael had to do Rick’s (though he didn’t want to) with Rick doing his. It looks like they can ask questions of the chefs. They shopped together and were talking. Watching Anita was funny because her lobster tried to walk away;).
Art: Ground Lamb Scotch Eggs, Sweet Potato Fries and Tomato Tart
Rick: Quail with Parsnip and Prosciutto stuffing over Wild Greens
Suzanne: Roasted Grouper with Gnocchi, Peas, Bacon and Parsnips
Hubert: Seared Scallop with Cream of Sea Urchin over Fingerling Mashed Potatoes
Michael: Rack of Lamb stuffed with Fig Mostarda, Chickpeas and Fried Chickpeas
Anita: Corn Chawanmushi, Champagne Gelee and Lobster Biscuit Sandwich
Service and Judging:
Some thought Art’s egg was over cooked but everyone thought it really represented Art. Rick really stepped outside his style but good. Suzanne’s gnocchi was cold and her fish was overdone. Hubert’s sauce didn’t have enough of a sea urchin flavor. Some thought that Michael’s food was bland and too rare. Anita’s dish seemed to be a hit! Based on just what the diners said (former Top Chef Masters contestants) Michael or Suzanne will be going home and Anita is winning. The judges liked both Hubert and Anita’s dishes but Hubert did get told that it was not enough sea urchin. Art got hit about the lamb being to rare and the egg being to done. Suzanne got hit about cold gnocchi and over cooked fish. Rick was just praised. Michael got tagged for his lamb being to rare and too much of his own. Michael wanted to respect Rick. A judge asked if he care more about what Rick thought than the judges and Michael said yes.
Hubert: 21 1/2 stars
Anita: 24 stars
Art: 15 stars
Suzanne: 14 1/2 stars
Rick: 23 stars
Michael: 18 1/2 stars
Anita won! But Suzanne lost. I don’t find that surprising but I didn’t think it was going to be so close with Art.
See you next week! Next week they will be catering for Zoe Deshanel (I probably spelled that very wrong;).

Food

Top Chef Masters (7/23)

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We are close to finding out who all 6 finalists will be. I noticed that Art Smith was featured in the commercials. I wonder if that is foreshadowing or if he is just the only chef anyone has heard of on this week’s show. Well, let us jump in and see!

So this week we have Art Smith, Jonathan Waxman, Michael Cimarust, Roy Yamaguchi. We all have heard of Art Smith since he is “Oprah’s chef” but I have seen him on a variety of things including Top Chef. All the rest seem a little familiar but I can’t place them. Then they said Jonathan Waxman trained Bobby Flay and it all came flooding back.
So their Quick Fire is the aisle challenge. They had to draw knives with numbers to find what aisle they are on. The get $20 to buy their ingredients from 1 aisle at Whole Foods. The judges this week are 3 people who work at Whole Foods. Art and Jonathan couldn’t figure out how to put the lids on pressure cookers and Michael came in to save the day. It was an entertaining moment;). I am already annoyed with Art Smith’s name dropping. Roy was having problems with the time frame but also with the lack of Asian ingredients. But they all seemed to do well. The stars were close.
Art: 4 1/2 stars
Jonathan: 3 1/2 stars
Michael: 5 stars
Roy: 4 stars
Then on to the Elimination Challenge. They have to creat a mystery box for the chef whose name they have drawn. Then that chef has to use 7 of the ingredients to create a dish. They seem to all be behaving themselves. The next day they get their boxes that have 11 ingredients. Roy bought everything that Art wanted. Likewise Art bought good things for Roy. Michael bought well for Jonathan but Jonathan purposely denied Michael fish. Otherwise Michael liked the box he received from Jonathan. Michael ran out of time and didn’t get to sauce all the plates.
Art served Fried Chicken 2 Ways and a Mango Pie. It was Southern and well received. Then Roy served Short Rib Kalbi and Mahi Mahi. Many liked it but some thought the lemon grass was to much. Then Michael served a Loin of Lamb with Sunchoke Puree, Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Purple Cauliflower. The sauce that few got was a hit, the meat was a hit, the rest was just ok. Then Jonathat served Pork Sausage and Chop with Cauliflower Celery Root Puree with Black Truffle. His puree was a hit and it seemed to be a good homie dish.
Gail Greene thought Michael’s dish was better without the sauce. It seemed that all Michael’s food didn’t work well on the plate together. Art’s chicken was a hit. Some of Roy’s Mahi Mahi seemed a little over cooked. Roy’s beef was good but they weren’t sure the fish and beef went together. Jonathan’s puree was well praised. The whole thing was a love fest between the chefs. It was cute. The judges said that Roy’s plate was over sauced.
Roy: 15 stars
Michael: 17 1/2 stars
Art: 22 stars
Jonathan: 20 stars
So Art is moving on! He is the last chef. So next week we move on to the top 6!

Food

Top Chef Masters (7/15)

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So here we meet again. How will our chefs do? I haven’t been doing so well with my favs (such as Besch and Dufrense). Who it going to win this week?

This week we have Michael Chiarello (watched his Easy Entertaining show for a while), Rick Moonen (seems really familiar and not just because he reminds me of Jeff Probst), Nils Noren (also familiar but I am thinking possibly Iron Chef America), and Lachlan M. Patterson (also a bit familiar). I think I know of Rick Moonen from when he was cooking at Oceana and a piece in a magazine on fish conservation issues. Nils was under Samuelson who we have seen on Top Chef before and he is now at French Culinary School. Lachlan is from Boulder and I can’t remember if we saw him when Top Chef was there.

So the Quick Fire is the junk food challenge. They have to use a junk food in a fine dining dish. Michael chose fish sticks and tartar sauce. Lachlin chose a hot dog. Rick chose a corn dog. Lastly Nils chose the fried shrimp. I love how they all chose a protein. The judges are Jeff Lewis and his employees. The chefs seem to be nervous about non-foodies judging them. We are having timing issues. Rick didn’t even present to the judges.

Scores:
Michael- 4 1/2 stars
Nils- 3 stars
Lachlin- 3 stars
Rick- 0 stars

The Elimination Challenge is to cook a miniature 3 course meal for 100 people by themselves. Basically they have to make appetizer plates representing an appitizer, entree and dessert. They each get $1000. Michael’s gellato wasn’t freezing during prep. Everyone seemed a little crazy about time except for Nils.

Menus:
Rick- Opakapaka Ceviche, Brandade of Scallop and Shrimp, Preserved Lemon Custard
Lachlan- Pinapple and Speck “Fritta Esotica”, Grilled Beef Short Ribs, Strawberry Frangipane Tart
Michael- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, Spicy Prawns, Balsamic Marinated Strawberries
Nils- Diced Scallop, Slow Cooked Salmon, Chocolate and Goat Cheese Ganache

Serving/Judging:
I am totally going to have to try shaving brussel sprouts. Lachlan’s Fritta seemed a little odd to everyone. Rick’s appetizer went over pretty well. Nils seemed to be the home run for the first course. The judges thought that Michael’s main course was a bit oily and the knife thing was bothersome. Rick’s entree went over well. Lachlan’s entree also went over well. The loved the salad component. The judges once again loved Nil’s dish. Lachlin’s went well but the strawberries reminded them of meat. Michael’s dessert worked for everyone except Gail. Rick’s panacotta went over well. Nil’s dessert didn’t go over well. It had to much smoke.

Gail was amazed that Michael’s dessert did work. They thought that Nil’s scallop was really good and his salmon was liked by 2 out of 3 of them. But Nil’s dessert was to smoky and almost bacony. They thought that Lachlin’s beef was salty. Gail liked Rick’s ceviche and his brandade was a success. They were in awe that Rick made individual custards. They didn’t like the deep fried pineapple from Lachlin.

Final Scores:
Michael- 19 1/2 start
Nils- 17 stars
Rick- 17 stars
Lachlin- 15 1/2 stars

So Michael wins! See you next week to see who else will be going to the champion’s round!

Food

Top Chef Masters (7/8)

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So here we meet again. I am feeling a poorly so I am not going to be tracking with to much detail. More snark though;). Let us see who are chefs are this week!

We have Mark Peel (name is familiar), Douglas Rodriguez, Anita Lo (who I have seen on stuff, maybe Top Chef), and one of my favs John Besch!!! I really thought John Besch was going to be the new Iron Chef. Anita always looks tough and a little angry.
The Quickfire is the egg challenge. They had to cook them with 1 hand behind their back. Gail is back as one of the quickfire judges. If Mark’s is edible he should win just because he made a pasta. John was a total mess. I don’t understand why his egg wasn’t cooked.
Mark: 2 1/2 stars
John: 1/2 stars
Douglas: 3 stars
Anita: 5 stars
So the Elimination Challenge is to make a dinner for Neil Patrick Harris and some friends. They have to make a dish based on the aspect of magic they each got (mystery, spectecle, illusion and surprise). I had no idea that John Besch was a Marine right out of high school! I really have my doubts about John’s tableside horseradish sorbet. I like that Tom was in the kitchen talking to the chefs. He needs to do that every week. I like having Gail Simmons back as a judge.
I think Mark’s en pappiotte was a success. John’s horseradish and creme fraiche seemed to go well. I think Anita’s illusion worked well but the plate just seemed off to me. Maybe it is just that so much of her sea scape was hidden. Douglas’s plate was just dangerous. I think if there was going to be flame element but it should not have been a slow burning flame.
Taste wise I think that Mark and Douglas might have done the best. But I think for concept I think Anita did hit it on the head.
John: 12 stars
Mark: 18 1/2 stars
Anita: 22 1/2
Douglas: 13 stars
So Anita is moving on! So what did you all think?

Food

Top Chef Masters (6/24)

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Here we meet for another week of Top Chef Masters! Who will win this round?

This week we have Wilo Benet, Cindy Pawlcyn, Rick Bayless and Ludo Lefebvre. I heard and seen a lot of Rick Bayless over the years for both his grilling and his authentic Mexican food. I have seen Ludo Lefebvre on Iron Chef America. I think Wilo Benet was on the Top Chef finale in Puerto Rico. I am not familiar with Cindy Pawlcyn.
Quickfire Challenge:
Their quickfire challenge starts with a knife pull and each knife is a color. I think the knife pull is the most gut wrenching process. They have to create a color themed dish. They are b eing judged by food stylists and photographers. They had 30 minutes. Ludo didn’t do everything he wanted so he was quite upset. Then the waiters forgot to take out the sauce. When they did it just made his steak tar-tar look bloody. Wilo left the metal forms on his plates. The scores were:
Ludo 3 stars
Cindy 3 1/2 stars
Rick 4 stars
Wilo 4 1/2 stars
Elimination Challenge:
They have to create a dish to be served on the street but… the dishes have to be made out of a specific key protein. Wilo had beef hearts. Rick had toungue. Cindy had tripe. Ludo had pigs ears. They had $300 to shop, access to the full pantry, 3 hours to prep and then on location they would get 1 hour. Ludo was going to do a quesadilla, Wilo was going to do a pita sandwich, Cindy is doing Menudo, and Rick was doing a taco. Due to the time constraints some of the chefs are using pressure cookers. While they all were hectic, Ludo was having problems getting his hot enough to cook his quesadilla.
Service and Judgeing:
The panel seemed to really liked Rick’s tacos. They liked Wilo’s Tripleta but thought there was a lot of toppings that his the heart. Ludo was behind in serving. The panel liked Ludo’s ear itself but wasn’t sure how it worked with the quesadilla. They thought the tripe in the Menudo was good but the broth was a little underseasoned.
Ludo 16 1/2 stars
Cindy 15 1/2 stars
Rick 22 1/2 stars
Wilo 19 1/2 stars
So Rick Bayliss wins and goes on to the next round. This is getting good! Next week will be fun. It has John Besch and Neal Patrick Harris!

Food

Top Chef Masters (6/17)

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Here we meet again for a nifty culinary showdown. While I don’t care for our host, I think this is a decent show. It looks as if we are going to have a vending machine challenge. Let us see if this week’s chefs will be as calm as last week’s.

Our chefs this week are… Graham Elliot Bowles, Elizabeth Falkner (former judge), Suzanne Tracht, and Wylie Dufresne (former judge). I know who Elizabeth and Wylie are from Top Chef and from various Food Network shows. The other 2 are mysteries to me. Graham is the youngest competitor. I always love Wylie because he really is a science dork!
Quickfire Challenge:
They get to create an amuse bouche using vending machine ingredients! This is classic Top Chef. The 3 judges for the quickfire are Elan, Betty and Michael from the season that received this challenge (and that Wylie judged). They got 30 minutes. Wylie was not happy at all with what he did. He kept cussing as it went out and while they were eating it. So Wylie got 3 stars, Elizabeth got 3 1/2 stars, Graham got 4 1/2 stars, and Suzanne got 5 stars.
Elimination Challenge:
This week’s challenge is that they have to cook dinner for creators and writers of LOST. They have to cook ingredients that would be on the island, no Top Chef pantry. They can only use canned and preserved things on a list. They did get a budget of $200 so that ain’t half bad.
This group does seem pretty friendly with each other at least. Wylie and Graham are good friends so they have a rapport as Suzanne termed it, “a kind of Mutt and Jeff thing”. Wylie was running around like a crazy man. Suzanne’s menu seems to be the most interesting because it has a little more protein variety. I have to say that I am dissapointed in Wylie’s menu. Roast chicken? That just seems a bit pedestrian given all you have to work with. Yes, he is using an immersion circulator but really? That seems cutting edge now a days? To me it just means you have more money for toys so you don’t have to work hard to regulate your water temp.
Graham Elliot Bowles: Maki Roll with Tuna and Dehydrated Pineapple, Tuna Nicoise, Tuna a la Plancha
Wylie Dufresne: Roasted Chicken with Poached Egg, Beets with Dried Corn, Plantain Puree
Elizabeth Falkner: Ancho-Beer Braised Boar Loin, Coffee Scented Poached Boar Loin, Yam Papaya Pudding
Suzanne Tracht: Rissoto with Uni, Clams and Prawns, Wild Boar Strip with Oyster Beer Sauce, Mango Corn Salad
Service:
Elizabeth’s puree wasn’t a big hit. Graham’s food seemed to go over very well. Wylie’s plate didn’t look all that yummy. One of the judges didn’t get chicken on his plate (and another got 2). Wylie’s poached egg went over fairly well and his chicken was good. Suzanne sold her plate as a holiday meal and it was a big hit!
Judges Table:
They all liked the poached egg from Wylie and his chicken. They loved Graham’s tunas. They liked Elizabeth’s braised boar but it needed the braising liquid as a sauce. They thought her puree was really sweet and like baby food. They thought Suzanne’s boar was good and has a nice crust. They had thought Suzanne’s plate was going to be to much but it all worked well together. The judges are so much nicer here than on Top Chef. While they were waiting in the stew room all the chefs walked over to the kitchen and made chocolate chip cookies. How fun!
Elizabeth: 16 1/2 stars
Wylie: 20 stars
Graham: 20 1/2 stars
Suzanne: 22 1/2 stars
Suzanne wins! But how would her and Hubert Keller match up? We shall see….
It looks like next week we are have Rick Bayliss and someone else who looks familiar but I can’t place. I have to say that the quality of chef does make up for our lack luster host. Next week should continue that quality! See you next week.

Food

Top Chef Masters

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I am so excited! Real chefs competing, this should be good! I recognize lots of these chefs from various magazines and shows. My favorites at this point are Wylie Dufre and John Besch but someone could impress me;). I also am excited to see the $$ go to charities.

It looks like they aren’t all competing at once but in groups. So our chefs this week are Michael Schlow, Huber Keller, Christopher Lee, and Tim Love. I don’t know if you remember Keller from season 1 of Top Chef, but he is the chef from the first show who tossed Colin (?) out of his kitchen.
They are getting a quickfire just like the orginal Top Chef. They are getting dessert. They have to make the most creative dessert possible for a table of Girl Scouts. The have 1 hour.
Keller wants to try to get a meringue in an hour. I don’t know how that will go. Schlow is trying a chocolate cake/brownie and ice cream. Getting ice cream to set up is going to be hard. Love is going with what he knows. He is making a bunch strawberry stuff including a “chicken-fried” strawberry. Lee is going with a French Toast on a stick kind of thing with maple syrup fluff and carmelized bananas. Love and Lee both seem to be doing something simple, yummy and time appropriate. Schlow struggled (as I thought he would) getting his cake to cook and his ice cream base won’t set up. He ended up just serving the candy and sort of some cake. Huber got his meringue and the plate looked great! He rightfully won the quickfire!
The quickfire scores will be added to the final. The quickfire judges awarded them up to 5 stars each. For the elimination challenge they can get a total of 20 stars. 5 from the diners and 15 from the judges. The winner gets to move onto the Championship Round and $10K for their charity.
Elimination Challenge:
They have to make a 3 course meal using only a microwave, toaster oven and hotplate. They are feeding the critics and some students at Pomona College. They get $150 to shop and access to a limited pantry. Then they will get 2 hours to prep and cook. Watching them shop was quite entertaining. It looks like a few of them are buying stuff on the fly. Love didn’t see ground pork but I know if he would have asked them to grind some. Whole Foods does that kind of stuff. Tim Love stuck all his groceries in the freezer including all the produce. This could be horrible and he didn’t have much of a plan to begin with. Keller and Schlow seemed befuddled over the microwave and how to use it;).
They actually get to cook in the dorm rooms. It looks like the student judges are the room owners. Keller drained his pasta and shocked it with cold water all in the shower. I don’t think Love is going to be ruling when it comes to braised kale and anyone but especially not California college kids.
Michael Schlow: Salmon Crudo, Cabbage Soup with Bacon, Pork a la Apicius
Hubert Keller: Fresh Scottish Salmon, Carrot and Pea Soup with Cinnamon, Macaroni and Cheese with Prawns
Christopher Lee: Red Snapper Ceviche, Creamy Risotto, Pan Roasted Pork Chop
Tim Love: Scallop Carpaccio, Squash and Corn “Pozole”, Skirt Steak and Breaised Kale
Service/Judging:
Keller’s first course seems the best received of all the first courses. Though everyone of the first dishes were well received. They thought Love’s pozole was great football/dorm food. The second courses did fine. Everyone liked all the tastes but the texture of Lee’s risotto was in question. Love’s 3rd course was a bit salty. The students thought the kale was bitter. The judges thought Schlow’s pork was overdone. Keller’s Mac & Cheese was a big hit with everyone. Lee’s pork chop was well accepted.
Critic’s Table:
The panel was torn on Heller’s soup and the cinnamon level. It was love or hate. They thought the flavor profile on Schlow’s pork was good but that it was over cooked. Schlow’s soup would have been better in another hour. They also liked Love’s stew and thought his steaked was well seared but a little over seasoned. They thought that Lee’s risotto’s flavor was good but the texture was off. They also thought Lee’s pork was well executed. Hubert Keller won!
Let me interject here that the Master’s stew room is much better than the normal Top Chef room;).
All in all this is pretty good! This week all the chefs seem to be friends and they were laid back. I don’t think that will be the case every week. I think I respect Tim Love even more than before and I was already a fan of Keller.
This is going to be an interesting season!