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Top Chef 7

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apskip:
TC7, ep. 3

The Quickfire is being judged by John Iuzzini and Gail; both of them are co-hosts for the upcoming Top Chef: Just Desserts reality show, so it was an opportunity for BRAVO to give free publicity inside one of its hits. The winner’s dish from this episode will be featured on Top Chef: Just Desserts. There is a lot of bitching and grousing among the TC7 competitors, as few like the challenges that pastry chefs face routinely. Tracey had problems with her fruit pie, which Angelo helped her to get out of the oven, but it has no hope of salvation. Tracey had to start again.

The desserts presented were:

Alex – White Chocolate, Tapioca + Chevre Pie, Almond Crust, Raspberry Puree
Amanda – Apple Pie with Rosemary and Bourbon, Hazelnut Crust
Andrea – Key Lime and Meyer Lemon Pie w/ Fresh Basil Syrup + Black Pepper-Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
Angelo – Sweet Potato Pie, Curry Spices, Crumble Crust
Arnold – Kalamansi and Key Lime Pie Parfait w/ Korean Soju
Ed – Banana Cream Pie, Salted Peanut, Celery Spuma
Kelly – Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart, Chocolate Pate Sucre, Spiced Raspberry Sauce
Kenny – Bananas Foster Pie w/ Currants + Chinese Five Spice
Kevin – Blueberry and Coriander Pie
Lynne – Mango Pie w/ Basil & Vanilla Crust, Basil Ice Cream, Coconut Cookie
Stephen – Curried Apple Date Pie w/ Saffron
Tamesha – Nectarine Pie w/ Walnuts and Strawberry Salad
Tiffany – Peach Cobbler w Cornmeal Crust and Buttermilk-Lemon Crème Anglaise
Timothy – Apple and Pecan Deconstructed Pie w/ Whipped Cream, White Chocolate Sauce
Tracey – Blueberry Almond Crunch Pie, Light Cream, Almond Brittle

Johnny and Gail found that the least successful desserts were by Alex (texture not right), Tracey (crust too thin and bottom not cooked through) and Ed (ingredients did not fit together). The winners’ group was Kelly (beautiful ganache), Kenny (simple with great flavors and texture) and Stephen. Kelly was the Quickfire winner, with her recipe to be presented on Top Chef: Just Desserts.

The Elimination Challenge was to use outdoor Weber grills and briquettes to create a picnic meal for a large group of Capitol Hill interns. Shopping at Whole Foods was for 30 minutes and with $400, followed by the 3 hours to prep and 1 hour grilling the next morning. The Guest Judge for this challenge was Jonathan Waxman, 4th place finisher in Top Chef Masters 2 and a favorite chef of mine due to his influence on American cuisine over decades.

The dishes were:
Alex – Pork Butt, Lemongrass Glaze, Polenta, Cucumber Salad
Amanda – Dry Rubbed Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Bacon Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Andrea – Spicy Root Beer Glazed Skirt Steak, Potato Salad
Angelo – Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps, Smoked Egg Salad
Arnold – Sesame Lamb Meatball, Tabouli Salad, Gazpacho
Ed – Tuna Loin w/ Lentils Hummus
Kelly – Bison Burger, Watermelon, Tomato Salad
Kenny – Harissa Marinated Pork Loin, Quinoa Grilled Eggplant
Kevin – Marinated Flank Steak, Rice and Beans, Tomato Avocado Salad
Lynne – Leg of Lamb w/ Ras El Hanout, Zucchini "Spaghetti", Balsamic Onions
Stephen – Bacon Wrapped Bass, Ratatouille, Olive Pine Nut Cous Cous
Tamesha – Marinated Skirt Steak, Caramel Soy Glaze, Fennel Citrus Salad
Tiffany – Tamarind Glazed Wild Sockeye Salmon, Israeli Cous Cous
Timothy – Pork Two Ways: Dry Pork Loin, West Babyback Ribs, Grilled Vegetables, Spring Salad
Tracy – Italian Sausage Slider, Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion Salad
The winners’ group was Arnold (full of flavor), Ed (for his successful experimentation), Amanda (for her excellent grilled asparagus) and Angelo (for daring to use Asian flavors). Arnold won.

The losers’ group was:
Stephen – submitted a dish for a restaurant, not a picnic
Timothy – wilted greens
Tracey – Italian food executed poorly
Kevin – his rice and beans were at the quality level of Puerto Rican street food

Tracey was obviously going to lose and so she did.

From Tom Colicchio’s excellent blog on this episode: “While discussing Tracy’s dish at the picnic, we judges all downplayed how improperly seasoned and how generally poor it was lest we make it completely obvious that she’d be going home, but we all knew instantly that her dish was the weakest by far.” I have always suspected that the judges use misdirection to not give away who the eliminee is. This proves my case.

apskip:
TC7, ep. 4 Room Service

This episode opened with Tom and Padma already in the Washington Hilton Hotel top chef kitchen as the chefs arrived. What do tom and Padma have in common outside Top Chef? Both are parents of a child under 1 year old, Tom’s being 8 months and Padma’s 2 months when filming took place. This High Stakes Quickfire is to create a dish that will please Tom and Padma but also in a pureed version will also appeal to their infants. Tom and Padma will separately pick winners who will receive $10,000 cash each from Dial Nutriskin. There will be no immunity for the two winners.

The dishes selected were:

Alex – Duck w/ Spinach, Basil, Mushroom
Amanda - Tandoori Crusted Tuna. Caramelized Apple and Cauliflower Ragout, Apple Puree
Andrea – Sweet Potato Tamale w/ Roasted Apples + Smoked Bacon
Angelo – Poached Tuna w/ Fenugreek Broth, Tomatoes, Soy Sauce + Honey
Arnold – Curried Sweet Potato Bisque
Ed – Grilled Salmon w/ Saffron-Curry-Cauliflower Puree, Brown Butter Pine Nut Vinaigrette, Green Apple Batons
Kelly – Roast Pork Loin w/ chilled Peaches, Ginger
Kenny – Curried Chicken, Mango Salad, Butternut Squash Confit, Maitake Mushrooms
Kevin – Pan Seared Duck w/ Baby Carrots
Lynne – Chicken w/ Sweet Potato, Fruit Compote
Stephen – Classic Turkey Dinner w/ Apples, Pears, Onions, Broccolini, Butternut Squash Puree
Tamesha – Salmon w/ Vegetable Chowder, Lobster Stock, Thai Basil & Licorice Oil
Tiffany - Pan-Seared Rib Eye, Mushroom Ragout, Grilled Asparagus
Timothy – Sautéed Lamb w/ Mushrooms, Shallot, Ginger


Tom’s Losers’ group was Timothy for overcooked lamb and Alex for puree herbaceous and watery. Padma’s Losers group was Kevin for pool of blood under the duck and Kelly’s pork for blandness.

The Winner’s group was Lynne, Tamesha, Kenny and Angelo. Tom chose Tamesha and Padma chose Kenny.

Elimination Challenge
The chefs were asked to pair up for this and were told that the losing pair would both be eliminated. Hilton Hotels and Resorts Worldwide VP Restaurant Concepts Beth Scott was on hand to highlight the desire for Hilton Hotels and Resorts Worldwide to obtain new signature menu items that were healthy, sophisticated, tasty and easy to prepare. The winning dinner items would be placed onto the list of menus available to all Hilton properties worldwide. The Judges for this were Dunn, Tom and Eric Ripert plus restaurant owner Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora in Washington. Former top chef contestants Michael Isabella, Brian Voltaggio and Spike Mendelssohn provided comments while sampling the dishes but did not participate in the final discussions on which teams won and lost. This was a round robin tournament involving breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. 2 teams out of 7 were exempt from further competition if they place in the Best of Breakfast group, with the remaining 5 teams competing for Lunch. 2 teams of 5 were exempt if they place in the Best of Lunch group. The final 3 teams have to cook off for Dinner with 2 remaining and one team going home. Breakfast cooking was 30 minutes, lunch 45 minutes and dinner 60 minutes. This is a real marathon of endurance for those forced into the cookoff for dinner. Ingredients were bought at Whole foods for $200 in 30 minutes.

The Breakfast dishes presented by each pair were:

Alex/Ed (Alex screwed up badly by neglecting to plate the sauce on their eggs and Ed by leaving one potato cake off someone’s plate) – Prosciutto Potato Cake, Egg w/ Lemon Pancake, Bellini Cocktail
Amanda/Stephen (she said nobody else would pick either one) – Poached Egg, Pancetta, Potato Rosti w/ Grape Ragout, Hollandaise
Andrea/Kelly - Bacon-Cheddar Wheat Waffle, Poached Egg, Mango-Lime-Mint Yogurt Smoothie
Angelo/Tamesha - Egg, Bacon, White Cheddar Broth
Arnold/Lynne - Tortilla Española w/ Chorizo + Bacon, Olive-Pear Salad & Papas Bravas
Kenny/Kevin - Poached Egg on Herb Brioche, Prosciutto, Manchego, Spanish Olive Tapenade
Tiffany/Timothy – “Creole Style” Crab Cake Eggs Benedict w/ Asparagus, Bacon Potato Hash in Hollandaise

The Breakfast competition was won by Tiffany/Timothy and Amanda/Stephen.

Lunch dishes were:
Alex/Ed – Sea Scallops with Ricotta Gnudi & Broccoli Rabe
Andrea/Kelly – Crispy-Skinned Red Snapper & Panzanella Salad, Mustard Vinaigrette
Arnold/Lynne – Tuna Cannelloni, Forbidden Rice Salas & Tomato Vinaigrette
Kenny/Kevin – Chickpea Pappardelle with Grilled Chicken & Tahini Sauce
Angelo/Tamesha - Beef Slivers, Jicama-Asian Pear Salad, Mint, Cilantro & Kimchi Vinaigrette

The Lunch winners were Angelo/Tamesha and Alex/Ed. That left these teams and their dinner dishes:

Andrea/Kelly – Braised Beef Short Rib, Polenta, Shiitake Mushrooms, Gremolata
Arnold/Lynne – Pineapple Red Curry Mussels w/ Squid Ink Pasta, Focaccia
Kenny/Kevin (and Angelo is rooting against this team as it would be awesome to see them both get eliminated here) – Braised Beef Short Rib, Squash, Potato + Carrot Confit, Tempura Horseradish

The final decision was that Andrea/Kelly were sent back to the group of those who made it through in the first two rounds. Kenny/Kevin had what I regarded to be overdramatized faults in Tom’s criticism of no glaze on the ribs and Eric’s inability to taste horseradish flavor in the food where there should have been some. However, the glaring error in Lynne cooking the fresh pasta 12 minutes before time expired was impossible to overcome. Arnold bitched that he had done nothing wrong, but he was sent home for Lynne’s huge mistake. That’s the way it goes, Arnold. Somebody has to bite the bullet on every top chef episode and this episode it was two somebodies and in my estimation a very fair judgment of the worst.

apskip:
TC7, ep. 5 Farm Policy

This episode began with Angelo romancing Tamesha, who clearly looks up to him for his higher skill level. Patrick O’Connell, chef/owner at the Inn at Little Washington, consistently rated as one of the finest restaurant in the U.S.(5 Star and 5 Diamond if you do not subscribe to the Michelin rating system of max 3 stars like me), arrived to be Guest Judge. The Quickfire involved using Maryland blue crab (yummy!) to make the best possible dish in one hour. Some crabs were a loose and a little frisky on the table. Tim has the edge here because he lives in Maryland and “goes crabbing most Sundays.”
 
The dishes selected were:
Alex - Jumbo Lump Crab, Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Avocado Mousse, Fresh Herb Salad
Amanda - Crab Salad w/ Sauterne Ginger Juniper Gelee
Andrea - Warm Crab Salad, Citrus Gastrique, Mexican Red Chile
Angelo - Blue Crab Broth Infused w/ Lemongrass, Ginger, Mix of Spices
Ed – Jumbo Lump Crab w/ Thai Basil, Mango, Cucumber Salad
Kelly – Crab Salad w/ Grapefruit Vinaigrette, Grapefruit Butter Sauce
Kevin – Blue Crab Chowder with Potato, Celery, Espelette Pepper Oil, Frozen Bacon Crumble
Kenny - Crab 3 Ways: Korean Chili Crab Bisque, Crab Bruschetta Thai Basil, Warm Crab w/ Sesame, Mango Cream Chile and Aioli
Stephen – Crab Salad in Sweet Bell Peppers, Brandy Basil Dressing
Tamesha – Crab Chowder with Lemongrass, Ginger, Cardamom, Coconut Milk
Tiffany - Hot and Sour Crab Soup, Arbol Chilies, Spaghetti Leeks
Timothy – Beer-Steamed Crabs w/ Avocado, Passion Fruit, Heirloom Vinaigrette
The judging by O’Connell rated Andrea low for her potatoes overwhelming the delicacy of the crab in her dish, Amanda for gelee being out of balance and Kevin for his crab getting lost in the complexity of his dish.

O’Connell rated Ed high for his bringing out the natural flavor of the crabmeat in this Thai-inspired dish, Kenny’s trio of crabcakes (presumably for variety and Angelo’s for his dish’s delicacy and showcasing the crab taste. However, the win went to Ed and he got immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

Elimination Challenge

This is to feed 40 local chefs and farmers on huge picnic tables at the Ayrshire Farms, Virginia’s first certified organic and humane farm. Local produce will be used as the ingredients. The chefs have to divide up the logical components of a meal so that appetizers, entrees, vegetables, salads, bread and side dishes are covered for family-style serving but work as one team.  The chefs will find out what cooking facilities and ingredients they will have once they arrive at the farm and they will have the use of a mobile unit with spices, oils, etc. termed the Mobile Pantry that fits in the back of a Toyota SUV.  The job of determining who does what is extremely difficult, as Kenny and Angelo appear to be battling for leadership of the group. Neither one wins it so the result is chaos. The way out is for the 2-person teams from the prior day to be used for the elimination challenge. This makes some people unhappy, with Ed not wanting to spend any more time with Alex so he could pair up with Tiffany, but that does not appear to happen.

When the teams arrive they get 3 hours to cook on outdoor grills with lava rocks, small portable ovens and hotplates. There is a rush to choose the best ingredients there. There were mishaps and second-guessing during the cooking. Timothy decided to not puree turnips that he had cooked to a certain point. Kevin was the victim of Tamesha accidentally knocking over one of his completed dishes involving cauliflower couscous, so he had to start over with broccoli and zucchini.

The final dishes were:
Alex - Provencal Beef Tenderloin w/ Ratatouille
Amanda - Country Vegetable Minestrone, Smoked Tomato Broth
Andrea - Garlic & Five Spice Rubbed Grilled Pork Loin w/ Roasted Shallot-Apple Balsamic Jus Roasted Beets,
Angelo - Ginger Grilled Duck Breast w/ Oregano Honey
Ed – Ratatouille w/ Eggplant, Summer Squash, Tomato
Kelly – Five Spiced Roasted Apples and Roasted Beets
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Basil-Scented Whipped Cream (note- she did this with time left to make a positive impression on the judges, as in for extra credit; I applaud her)
Kenny - , Hot and Sour Curried Eggplant with Peppers & Carrot Tops,
Kevin – Broccoli Couscous Scented with Lemon Zest
Stephen – Mixed Farm Salad: Balsamic Onion, Egg, Apple, Cabernet Vinaigrette + Garlic Dressing
Tamesha – Cherry Compote, Red Wine Balsamic Vinaigrette, Grilled Asparagus Salad
Tiffany - Collard Greens with Swiss Chard, Turnip, Chanterelles in Duck Broth
Timothy – Roasted Turnips & Asparagus with Honey


At Judges’ Table Kevin, Kenny, Kelly and Andrea were rated as the Winners’ Group. Kenny won.

The Losers’ Group was Timothy, Stephen and Amanda (3rd time there for Stephen and timothy and second for Amanda). Timothy’s not finishing off the turnip mousseline which would have improved his dish immensely was a critical mistake; O’Connell called it “a bit of a mish mash.” Stephen served an overdressed salad in a bowl, two major faux pas, and the lettuce was also bruised. Amanda did not have any pasta in her minestrone as noted and challenged by Eric. She also did not cut her vegetables uniformly as her leeks and celery were cut small but her carrots were cut large.

The summaries by Tom of their litany of errors was:
Amanda – not cutting vegetables to a uniform size forces them to cook at different rates
Stephen – lacked confidence by serving an overdressed salad which also had too many ingredients
Timothy – not continuing to the mousseline was a big mistake

Their decision was to eliminate Timothy, but any of them could have been chosen as they all stood out as much worse than the rest.

apskip:
There are now 11 chefs left in TC7. I think they clearly fall into the category of having the skills to go all the way or "not ready for prime time." I have constructed an index based on +1 for each winners' group finish for both the quickfire or for the Elimination Challenge and -1 for each losers' group finish. Here is the results  for chefs still in the competition (note - Arnold was the only chef who actually had a positive rating when he exited and Timothy had a -5 rating when he did):

Not Ready for Prime Time
Andrea -3
Kevin -2
Stephen -2
Alex 0

On the Bubble
Amanda +1
Tamesha +1
Tiffany +1

Expected by Me to be the Final 4
Ed +2
Kelly +2
Kenny +5
Angelo +5

Note that I expect 3 males to be in the final 4 based solely on what they have accomplished so far in the competition.  Andrea, Stephen and Kevin has distinguished themselves as having fewer skills than the others left in TC7. Alex appears to be a mediocre competitor. Amanda seems to frequently show questionable judgment.  Tamesha and Tiffany haven't fully developed as chefs yet so their promise is outweighed by their inexperience.

I welcome alternative points of view on these predictions.

TexasLady:
I'm almost caught up Apskip. Then I will have some opinions. It does seem like this is a more cutthroat season than any I can remember.

Thanks as always for the great recaps!

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