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Top Chef Masters Season 2
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TCM2, ep. 5 Wedding Wars
This is the beginning of the Champions Round. Two master chefs from each of the 4 Preliminary Round episodes made it here and they will face off with one eliminated each week until 3 remain. Then there will be a 3-way competition to determine the second Top Chef Master. After the Quickfire below, I will drop all last names in references to the master chefs.
The Quickfire is a blindfolded relay race in which the not-used-yet members of a team are blindfolded and cannot communicate at all with their prior teammates who have moved some recipe forward. There are 2 teams of 4 competing. The Red team of Carmen Gonzalez, Susur Lee, Tony Montuano and Marcus Samuelsson make Truffle Spiced Shellfish Broth. The Blue team of Jody Adams, Susan Feniger, Rick Moonen and Jonathan Waxman make Mussel & Scallop Stew with Orange & Fennel. The Blue team wins $2,500 for the charity of each team member.
A pair of late 30 somethings is getting married in San Juan Capistrano. The master chefs will be catering the food for the wedding out of mobile cooking units. The bride and groom state their likes and dislikes and the chefs are supposed to give them what they want. The bride wants either Asian or French plus Bananas Foster and the groom is meat and potatoes but definitely carrot cake. The Blue team gets to pick which one’s food they want to do and they go with the bride, which leaves the Red team with the groom. One serious issue is the wedding cake since in a past episode of Wedding Wars one team used a boxed cake mix, which was only marginally acceptable then and will not be OK for master chefs. Susur took on that unenviable task and added two additional desserts for variety. The teams split up and buy at both Whole foods and Restaurant Depot.
The wedding starts out with hors d’oeuvres courses. For the Blue Team the Hors d’Oeuvres were: Susan- Potatoes Bhajia with Mint Cilantro Sauce and Tamarind Date Chutney. The critics call it “perfection.”
Jonathan- Red Pepper Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Caviar and Lemon Zest. The critics call it “Very very good” but “a little too big to be bite sized”. Jody- Pancetta and Melted Raclette Tart. It has “crispness” and is “easy to eat”
The Red Team Hors d’oeuvres were:
Marcus- Lobster Roll with Asian Pear which the critics called “bright and rich,” plus a Honey Mustard Cured Tuna which they termed “sophisticated”.
Carmen- Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Avocado Relish which the critics rated as just a crab cake.
The entrees and side dishes that were prepared were:
Carmen – she served as overall coordinator and only was able to make roasted corn salsa
Jody - Dijon Rack of Lamb w/ Rosemary, Farro, Autumn Vegetables
Jonathon – Roast Chicken w/ Tarragon Veloute, Cauliflower Puree
Marcus – Roast Beef Tenderloin with Grilled Onion Ragout and Pomegranate Sauce
Rick – Seafood Mixed Grill w/ Opah, Coho Salmon, Swordfish on Sweet and Sour Eggplant
Susan – Egyptian Semolina Cake with Berries and Cream
Tony – Flaming Ouzo Shrimp, Potatoes Au Gratin, Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Oregano
The critics say that Jody’s rack of lamb is spot on, Jonathon is “the Chicken Master” and Rick’s seafood is too sweet and overcooked. Susan’s Egyptian Semolina Cake with Berries and Cream was dry and Jody’s Bananas Foster with Candied Pecans and Rum Caramel Sauce was excellent.
The critics say that Tony’s shrimp dish is perfect and the au gratin potatoes are amazing, but his pasta was overcooked. Marcus’ beef dish was rated mushy.
Susur created 3 separate desserts: Croque en Bouche wedding cake, an Upside Down Raising Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, a Chocolate Profiterole and Whipping Cream and the groom’s Carrot Cake. The first two are great, but the carrot cake is mediocre.
The bride’s team wins and will not be further evaluated. The evaluation of the elimination challenge for the losing team is by the diners and the critics:
Gael JO JR Diners Total
Carmen 2.5 2 2.5 4 11
Marcus 3 3 3 4.5 13.5
Susur 4.5 4 3.5 4 16
Tony 3.5 4 3.5 3 14
Carmen got the ax for not having enough food in the final presentations. Also, I am sure that
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TCM2, ep. 6 Scary Surf and Turf
The Quickfire had the master chefs draw for a character from “The Simpsons” TV show and then prepare food that their character would eat. The assignments and dishes prepared were:
Jody – vegetarian Lisa; Cracked Wheat Salad w/Goat's Milk Ricotta, BBQ Beets, Baked Kale Chips
Jonathon – Bart; Spaghetti Bambino w/ Grilled Tomato, Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Marcus – Apu; Indian Tomato Soup with Rice, Chickpeas, Chutney, Melon and Nuts
Rick – Homer; Shrimp "Sloppy D'Oh!" (spaghetti w/ grilled ham, tomato and cheese sandwiches) w/ Truffle Chips and Beer
Susan – Moe; Millet Rice Crispy Treats w/ Peanut Butter Chips, Donuts, Mexican Hot Chocolate
Susur – Marge; created her image (hair, pearls, and all) out of purple potatoes (beehive hairdo) a pan roasted pork chop (w/ olive eyes and pretzel ears) and glazed grapes (pearls) in a mustard sauce.
Tony – Chief Wiggum; Fried Bacon Honey Pizza Dough with Boozy Coffee
Tony had set the bacon fat aside and was planning to use it, but susur inadvertently beat him to it. The evaluators for the Quickfire were “The Simpsons” TV show creator, producer/writer and lead actor who does many voices. They gave the following scores:
Susan 4 Tony 3 Susur 3.5 Marcus 4 Jody 4 Rick 4.5 Jonathon 4. Rick is the winner. That gave him an advantage for the Elimination Challenge as well as $5k for his charity Three Square.
The Elimination Challenge involved selection of some exotic surf and turf creatures, including Giant Squid, Geoduck, Kangaroo, Goat, black chicken, Sea Cucumber (really a slug), Monkfish Liver and Duck Tongue. One choice must be from land and one from sea. Rick got a broken mousse making his dish and used Activa to repair it.
The dishes that were prepared for that were:
Jody - Sicilian Spiced Roast Goat, Geoduck and Chickpea Chowder, Homemade Harissa
Jonathon – Giant Squid Fritto Misto, Fried Duck Tongue, Fideo w/ Duck Tongue
Marcus – Geoduck and Kangaroo Sausage, Geoduck w/ Couscous, Geoduck and Kangaroo Tartare
Rick – Poached Black Chicken Mousse, Roulade, Monkfish Liver Torchon, Buttered Leeks
Susan – Marinated Sea Cucumber, Fried Sea Cucumber, Kangaroo with Juniper Sauce
Susur – Poached Monkfish Liver, Black Chicken Veldute, Black Chicken w/ Monkfish Liver
Tony - Crostino w/ Calamari in Zimino, Braised Goat Sauce, Goat Cheese Ravioli
The guest diners were Andrew Zimmern, Bill Esparza, Marc Moss and Eddie Lin. I guess they figured few could stomach these dishes but the icon of Bizarre Foods. Commentary on the dishes included criticism for not enough salt on Tony’s crostino and not enough goat in that dish.
The judges’ results were to rate the top 4 as Tony, Susur, Rick and Susan. Rick got 18.5 while Susur beat him with 19, again almost a perfect score. Susur wins $10K for the Andre Agassi foundation for Education.
Gael JO JR Diners Total
Jody 3 2.5 2.5 2.5 10.5
Jonathon 3 2.5 3.5 2 11
Marcus 3 3 3 2.5 11.5
So Jody heads home
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I am p[I predicted before the final episode tonight that it will be Susur for the win. with the courses completed, I still believe that.
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TCM2, ep. 7 Tailgating
This Quickfire was to cook the leg of an animal in a delicious way for evaluation by Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Jason Leszak and critic Jay Rayner. The dishes prepared were:
Jonathon - Capellini w/ King Crab Leg, Jalapenos, Mint
Marcus - Confit of Frog Legs w/ Curry Broth, Crab Rice
Rick – Egg in A Hole with Roasted Octopus Leg and Béarnaise Sauce
Susan - Cumin-Cilantro Chicken w/ Pickled Tomatoes on Quinoa, Raisin Pilaf
Susur – Indochine Roasted Leg of Lamb w/Lamb Meatballs, Pine Nuts, Dry Cherry Sauce
Tony - Warm Crab and Potato Salad w/ Three Types of Coriander
The scores were Tony 3.5, Rick 3, Jonathon 3.5, Marcus 3, Susan 4.5 and Susur 4. Susan’s win got her a special advantage for the Elimination Challenge plus $5k for her charity, the Scleroderma Research Foundation.
This Elimination Challenge was a tailgating party for University of Southern California football game fans. Dishes prepared in the Top Chef Masters kitchen, cooked on a Weber grill in a parking lot and served to USC fans were:
Jonathon – NY Steak Tacos w/ Grilled Vegetables, Bordelaise Sauce
Marcus – Grilled Chicken and Shrimp Soup w/Grilled Vegetables, Couscous, a Burger
Rick – Chermoula Grilled Chicken w/ Baba Ghanoush, Spicy Slaw on Pita Bread
Susan – Skirt Steak Tacos w/ bordelaise Sauce, Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Roasted Pepper Salsa
Susur – Korean Style Skirt Steak w/ Roasted Cauliflower, Austrian Dumplings
Tony - Grilled Pizza w/ Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Romano, Arugula, Prosciutto
Susan got an edge on the others by receiving a USC cap and apron to attract the masses to her booth. Susur did not understand the concept of tailgating (and had never been to a live football game before) until one of the other chefs explained it to him.
Jonathon’s stale tortillas caused his lower scores. Susan was scored down on the inappropriateness of her dumpling. Critics Jay and James disagreed on the dryness of Marcus’ burger. Gael says Susr’s beef we brilliant but his dumplings were “from outer space.” Comments on Rick’s food were quite positive. Tony’s grilled pizza got the lowest scores for its execution despite being a crowd-pleaser.
The final scores for the higher performance group were:
Gael JO JR Diners Total
Marcus 4 3 3.5 4 14.5
Susur 3.5 3.5 4 4 15
Susan 4 4 4 4 16
Susan’s won an additional $10K for her charity.
The scores for the lower performance group were:
Gael JO JR Diners Total
Rick 4 3 3 3.5 13.5
Jonathon 2.5 2 3 3 10.5
Tony 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 10
Tony is eliminated.
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TCM2, ep. 8 Food of the Gods
The Quickfire was the classic “Name that Ingredient” where the chefs taste a sauce briefly and compete in a bidding war to guarantee how many ingredients they can correctly name its 29 ingredients. They are eliminated if they miss on any ingredient or fail to identify the nominated number of ingredients.
In Susur versus Marcus, Susur guaranteed 6 ingredients and named carrots, celery, onions, tomato, red wine vinegar, and oil. He was asked to clarify what type of oil and he picked vegetable, which got him the win that round. In Rick versus Susan, she guaranteed 6 and named onions, butter, salt and red wine. The actual sauce has white wine and red wine vinegar, so she’s out. Jonathon had gotten a first round bye. In the second round the sauce is Thai green curry and he faces Susur and Rick. Jonathon mistakenly identifies butter when, as he said, he should have said garlic. The finals was Rick versus Susur with a lobster sauce composed of 30 ingredients. Susr says lobster, Rick says sugar, Susur says garlic and it’s over because there is no garlic in that sauce. Rick won $5k for his charity, Three Square. The master chefs really do no better than those competing on Top Chef and facing the same test of tasting skills. It’s amazing to me how few the best in the business can effectively identify.
The chefs are told that they must stay in the kitchen for a special event. It proves to be the arrival of a birthday cake, since that day is Jonathon’s 59th birthday. It showed a figure representing him on a French alp, which is where is usually spends his birthdays.
The Elimination Challenge was to use divine inspiration to create food fit for Greek gods. Each chef drew a knife to determine which Greek god they got. They were:
Jonathon – Poseidon, king of the sea
Marcus – Ares, god of war
Rick – Hades, king of the underworld (which Rick accompanied by a moo-ha-ha laugh that was really devilish)
Susan – Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty and sex
Susur – Dionysus, god of wine
The dishes prepared were:
Jonathon – Seared Scallops w/ Romesco Sauce, Cherry Tomatoes, String Beans, Mashed Celery Puree
Marcus – Cured Beef and Salmon with Apple Broth and Oyster Foam
Rick – Swordfish Crusted w/Flaked Garlic, Onions, and Poppyseeds, Crimson Potatoes, Daikon, Radishes, Parsnips
Susan - Coconut Jam Toast with Sweet Butter, Dark Soy, Fried Egg w/ White Pepper
Susur - Roasted Pork Loin Marinated in Chinese Wine, Croquette w/ Feta and Risotto, Santorini Olives
The critics find Jonathon’s scallops too salty in spite of a marvelous sauce. Rick’s swordfish was dry. Susan is criticized for doing just a sandwich although its individual components were fine.
Marcus and Rick are evaluated to be the higher performance group. Here are their scores:
Gail Gael JR Diners Total
Marcus 3.5 4 4 4 15.5
Rick 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 18
Rick won $10k here, for a total this episode of $15 for his charity Three Square.
The scoring of the lower performance group was:
Gail Gael JR Diners Total
Jonathon 3 3 2.5 4 12.5
Susan 2 2.5 2 3.5 10
Susur 4 4 4 3 15
Susan was eliminated. She had spunk, but I think she went out at the appropriate place in this competition. It should be noted that Jonathon is now consistently in the lower performance group, which do not bode well for him.
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