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Top Chef 10
apskip:
It is time for my fearless prediction of who will be in the finale of TC10. It should shock nobody that I expect to see:
Kristen
Brooke
Stefan
From the Last Chance Kitchen/Favorite Chef bracket, it is very hard to predict. I do not see CJ as able to sustain another 5 challenges to make it 10 total consecutive wins and then one more to beat the Favorite to get into the finale. I guess Micah has the best chance to do it.
kiki:
I completely agree with you apskip about Kristen and Brooke. They've been consistently among the best in every episode. But in my opinion the third finalist's place is still open. As much I liked Stephan in his season, so far he hasn't made an impression. He could still make it to the final because none of the rest look that capable of making it, but there could be a surprise ( Lizzie, for an all women final?).
apskip:
TC10, Ep. 10
There are now 8 chefs standing. Wolfgang Puck gave the Quickfire challenge: use ginger to create a dish in just 15 minutes. Those dishes were:
Brooke - Ginger-Caramel Squid with Fresh Lime & Chili Powder
Josh - White Chocolate & Ginger Soup with Peaches & Tarragon
Josie - Seared Scallop with Ginger-Honey Yogurt & Miso-Ginger Sauce
Kristen - Fennel-Ginger Salad with Brie & Tomatoes
Lizzie - Watermelon & Ginger Soup with Fresh Mint
Micah – Ginger Shrimp Salad with Radish, Plum, Ponzu Vinaigrette & Fried Crispy Ginger
Sheldon - Wok Fried Ginger Skirt Steak with Ginger & Oranges
Stefan – Ahi Tuna with Lemongrass & Ginger Vinaigrette
Two chefs scoring low on Puck’s rating system were Sheldon (for very pedestrian Chinese cuisine) and Josh (Wolfgang found his dish completely underwhelming).
3 chefs scored high: Brooke, Lizzie, Stefan.
Brooke was the winner and received immunity.
The Elimination Challenge was heralded by the arrival of Danny Meyer, one of the great restaurant concept creators and owners in America and a former partner of Tom Colicchio’s. The challenge was to create a concept for a complete restaurant embodied by a pithy phrase and create a dish that represents it. The 2 winning concepts/dishes would win $10,000 each. They had the assistance of 4 sous chefs: Eliza, Kuniko, Carla and Chrissy. That’s 1 sous chef for every 2 chefs, but the telecast did not show any evidence of sharing sous-chefs. 200 portions must be made since it’s Bite of Seattle where the tasting will take place.
The chefs all have some concept that they want to unveil, so they cook their hearts out on this one. Those dishes are:
Brooke – Unkosher - Matzo Ball Soup with Duck Confit & Toasted Rye Black Bread
Josh – Bistro George - Seared Eye of Rib Eye with Cauliflower Puree & Mushroom Red Wine Sauce
Josie – Home 305 - Puerco Asado, Black Bean Chorizo Croquette, Pickles & Mojo Sauce
Kristen – Atelier Kwan - Onsen Egg with Camembert-Mustard Sauce & Buttered Radishes
Lizzie – Mia Filino - Mustard Green Canederli with Fonduta & Crispy Speck
Micah – Raw - Salmon, Snapper, Himachi, Squid, Scallop & Mackerel with Raw Vegetables
Sheldon – Urbano - Sour Tamarind Soup with Pork Belly, Shrimp & Snapper
Stefan - Bangkok via Munch - Thai Lobster Bisque with Shrimp Dumplings, Potatoes & Radishes AND Bavarian Cream Mango Lollipop
The top 3 were Kristen, Sheldon and Josh. Kristen was once again the winner along with Sheldon. Padma instructed Kristen and Sheldon to choose 3 of the other chefs still alive as their sous chefs. One of them was about to be dismissed and leave one head chef with a deficit in manpower. So Kristen chose Brooke, Lizzie and Josie while Sheldon chose Josh, Stefan and Micah.
The less favorite dishes were those of Micah, Josie and Lizzie. Micah got the axe and was off to Last Chance Kitchen, leaving Sheldon’s team with 3 chefs versus 4 for Kristen’s team.
Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 7, CJ vs. Micah
The challenge was to prepare a dish with raw ingredients.
Micah went for a carpaccio from duck and bison. CJ went for beef hearts with pickled duck fat to make a tartare. The final dishes were:
Micah – bison carpaccio, duck tartare w/ quail egg yolk, pickled carrots, chilis, arugula
CJ – beef heart tartare with chili, pickled duck skin, tomato water
Once again, CJ was the winner.
apskip:
I predict that the next 2 off are Josie and Lizzie. After that, Josh and Sheldon. That will leave Kristen, Brooke and Stefan.
So, who will take down CJ in Last Chance Kitchen? I don't see any of my next 4 off who could do it, so CJ may run the table with 10 consecutive wins. The fan favorite will then cook off with the Last Chance Kitchen winner and the winner will move up into the final 4. I now see CJ as doing it, as his consistency has been amazing.
apskip:
TC10, Ep. 11 Restaurant Wars
The setup of both kitchens in the Georgetown Ballroom went well. Despite the fact that Sheldon was the executive chef, Stefan took charge of Urbano’s dining room layout. Josh admitted that he had never cooked Filipino style food before and neither had Stefan. Urbano had the disadvantage of one less chef, but they used their 2 dishwashers effectively to help out. Somehow, Stefan was the Maitre D’. Kristen did not have Executive Chef experience for the quantity to be prepared. She set up the flow so that she would be the final arbiter of everything leaving the kitchen.
Josie was supposed to start roasting duck bones for her bouillabaisse stock. Josie never actually did that and had to wait until the next day started. When Kristen finally discovered this, Josie came up with this lame excuse: "That's how I cook -- I don't rush thing" and Kristen let her get away with it. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done on time the next morning and won't be for quite some time. Something needed to be done to salvage the situation. The gelatin hadn't been added, so Kristen decided at the last minute to skip the gelatin and add cream and soy instead.
The dishes presented in Atelier Kwan were:
Brooke - Baked Bouberes, St. Agur Blue Cheese, Roasted Radish & Stone Fruit Compote
Lizzie - Charcuterie: Rabbit, Pickled Turnips & Yellow Beets in Chicken & Rabbit Broth
Josie - Bouillabaisse: Halibut, Dungeness Crab, Bay Scallops with Shellfish Broth
Kristen - Beef Bourguignon: Braised Short Rib, Garlic Puree, Mushrooms & Carrots
Almond Cake Macaron with Coconut Custard & Caramel Buttercream
The guests in Urbano finished their meals and refused to leave so that the tables could be “turned” (reset in non-restaurant lingo). Stefan had a very difficult time managing this thankless situation and his service to the judges slipped. The Urbano dishes were:
Josh - Balut: Poached Egg, Duck Confit & Foie Gras Mous
Halo-Halo: Coconut Sorbet, Avocado Mousse, Banana & Shredded Coconut
Sheldon - Adobo: Pork Belly with Mung Bean Puree & Pea Shoots Salad
Miki: Prawns, Tapioca Roll with Achiote
Stefan - Kilawen: Yellowtail with Cilantro, Spicy Chili & White Soy Sauces
Dark Chocolate with Macadamia Nuts, Ginger & Peppermint Oil
Urbano won this competition and Sheldon got that Toyota Avalon. That left Stefan off the hook. It was obvious that the judges considered Josie’s bouillabaisse horrendous, with scallops undercooked and halibut overcooked. They also did not think much of either of Kristen’s dishes. Brooke and Lizzie were commended for their fine dishes so this was going to be mostly a decision based on who was more responsible for the bouillabaisse. Kristen had made the mistake of selecting it for the menu and choosing Josie to cook it. She accepted the Executive Chef oversight for the dishes as they went out. Kristen’s beef bourguignon lacked a red wine sauce and her macarons were off on texture.
Judges’ Table had a difficult decision. Josie threw Kristen under the bus and Kristen bravely accepted ultimate responsibility and refused to share appropriate information that would have helped the judges to make a different decision. The judges elected to eliminate Kristen, which caused most viewers to cringe. So Josie undeservedly stayed alive and Kristen got the ax. All I can say is Ugh!
Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 8 CJ vs. Kristen
The challenge is Making a French-Inspired In 30 Minutes Using Snapper with a Smoke Element. Kristen elected to make bouillabaisse of snapper, crème fraiche, smoked butter, fennel, radish. CJ elected brown butter with creamed morels, smoked mashed potatoes and ratatouille.
Kristen won and should smoke the new Last Chance Kitchen chefs as they leave the regular competition. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done and won't be for quite some time.
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