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Top Chef Masters 4

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TCM4, Ep. 5

This episode had a Quickfire to make a meat dish plus a vegetarian dish in 45 minutes for judging by the Indigo Girls duo. The dishes created and served were:
Art – Chicken Pot Pie with a Cheddar Biscuit Crust and Mushroom and Wilted Arugula Pot Pie with a Parmesan Savory Crust
Chris - Beef Bordelaise with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach and Portobello Bordelaise with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach
Kerry – Chicken with Olives and Herb Flan with Olives
Lorena – Arepa Dumpling Soup with Queso Fresco and Chicken Salad Arepa with Avocado and Queso Fresco
Patricia - Faux Pho Noodles w/ Rib Eye and Faux Pho Noodles with Mushrooms (note – she failed at the last minute to get pho into the dish, guaranteeing she wouldn’t win)
Takashi – Agedashi Tofu and Eggplant with a Veggie Somen Noodle Roll and Agedashi Tofu and Eggplant with Pork, Ginger and Japanese Mushrooms
Thierry – Poulet Basquaise and Fricassee of Vegetable Basquaise

The favorite dishes of the Indigo Girls were Art’s vegetarian, Lorena’s vegetarian and Takashi’s meat/tofu dish. Takashi won $5,000 for the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund plus immunity.

The Elimination Challenge was to cater canapés for Holly Madison’s pool party for 150 people at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. This ruled out anything that could not be eaten with a single bite. The actual dishes prepared in 2 hours and finished the next morning were:

Art – turkeyburger in a biscuit with garlic chutney
Chris – tuna bacon dish with compressed watermelon, Golden Tomatoes, Pistachios
Kerry – Chilled Red Pepper Coulis with Crab and Corn Fritter
Lorena – bunelos w/ Fresh Berry Compote, White Chocolate, Condensed Vanilla Sauce
Patricia – pulled pork on toast
Takashi – Sheep's Milk Yogurt Panna Cotta with Citrus Gelee, Fresh Berry Compote and Almonds
Thierry – croquet madame (really a monsieur with no fried egg on top) on toast with béchamel sauce, Tomato Vodka Shooter

Thierry had problems with burned bread and a béchamel sauce that was not right. James Oseland was upset that Thierry had left off the fried egg; Thierry pointed out that it would not fit. Thierry, Patricia and Chris were rated with the least favored dishes. Patricia’s bun was hated and some did not think her pork was properly pulled because she sliced it (although some thought that was OK). Chris had a conceptually complex dish that not everyone understood even though it was technically very well done. Some judges indicated pool participants complained that the taste evaporated too quickly. The master chef leaving was Thierry.

The master chefs with the best dishes were the other 4. Lorena won the honor plus $10,000 for her Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

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TCM4, Ep. 6

The guest judge for the Quickfire was Burlesque Queen Dieter von Teese. The chefs had 30 minutes to make a sexy dish including aphrodisiac ingredients. The dishes created were:

Art – Ile Flottante - Chocolate Vanilla Sauce with Strawberries and Brittle Bits
Chris – Foie Gras and Figs in Rose, Fig and Champagne Sauce
Kerry – Seared Tuna with Uni, Soy and Aromatics
Lorena – Tuna Telitas with Avocado and Arugula
Patricia – Chawanmushi, Caviar, Tempura Asparagus and Love Apple Salad
Takashi – Chilled Oyster and Sea Urchin with Yuzu-Truffle Vinaigrette
The two worst dishes were by Lorena (not sexy at all) and Art (very pedestrian).  The two best were by Chris and Takashi. The winner once again was Takashi, with $5000 for the American Red Cross Japan Relief fund and immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

Elimination Challenge
The master chefs were taken to the Las Vegas restaurant Lotus of Siam where owner Saipin Chutima explained and served a number of normal Thai dishes. Of the master chefs, only Patricia had prior experience with Thai food, having lived in Thailand for 2 years. The chefs were charged with opening a Thai restaurant in about 24 hours by assigning roles, creating a menu, buying the ingredients at Whole Foods and at Ranch 99 for spices with $4000 in 30 minutes, prepping in 4 hours then cooking. The judges were prior season judge Alan Systma, James Oseland, Francis  Lam and Krista Simmons.

The roles assigned were: Art Smith – FOH, Lorena Garcia – FOH, Patricia Yeo – line cook, Chris Cosentino – line cook, Takashi Tagihashi – line cook, Kerry Heffernan – expeditor (the most important). There was major conflict in the kitchen between Lorena and Patricia. The dishes crated and served were:

Art – Cashew-Crusted Chicken, Crispy Rice Salad with Lemongrass-Lime Vinaigrette
Chris – Sirloin Steak Larb Tartare
Kerry – Braised Pork Belly with Chinese Mustard Greens and Taro Root Puree
Lorena – Pisco Chicken Soup with Galangal, Cilantro and Lime
Patricia – Seared Duck Breast with Green Pineapple and Massaman Curry
Takashi - Yellow Curry with Shrimp and Crispy Noodles

The overall response of Saipin was that she wasn’t interested in eating any future Thai food by any of these master chefs. The best dishes were by Chris and Kerry. The $10,000 for best of the best went to Chris. The worst dishes were by Lorena, Patricia and Art. Lorena’s dish indicated that the chicken and broth had been poached separately and not melded, with resulting impact on its flavor profile. Patricia’s dish had extenuating circumstances with it having to wait for Kerry’s dish, be refired and then be too raw. Art tried to make a southern cuisine version of Thai cuisine. That didn’t work. Art was eliminated.

James Oseland, despite working on this show for a second season, questioned why chefs had to be eliminated (actually Art in particular). Curtis gave him a succinct rationale for that based on the need to make choices between better and worse.

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It's time for me to make my picks on who will be the final 2 in this competition. I believe that Takashi will be one and Lorena the other. I expect Takashi to win the $100,000 prize for his charity.

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TCM4, Ep. 7

This episode stated with a mise-en-place relay race, with the chefs cracking eggs, shaving cheese and slicing filet beef into perfect pieces weighing between 7.5 and 8.5 ounces. Takashi and Kerry are the last 2 master chefs standing, so they competed. Takashi offered vegetables, potatoes, an egg, and seared steak. Kerry offered country fried steak encrusted with parmesan cheese and a jus.  Kerry won, earning immunity from the elimination challenge and $5,000 for his charity City Harvest.

The challenge was judged by former world champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, so it took the format of a boxing ring competition. Pairs of master chefs competed to make the better dish out of mystery box ingredients in 20 minutes.

Chris vs. Takashi with Bacon
Takahashi - Sauteed Beef Tenderloin with Bacon, Egg and Provencal Vegetables
Chris - Cal-Mex Bacon and Eggs
Chris’ fish was the winner.

Patricia vs. Lorena, also with Bacon
Lorena - Potato and Bacon Soup with Corn and Bacon Sofrito
Patricia - "BLT" - Bacon, Leek and Tomato Salad
Lorena’s dish was the winner.

Chris vs. Lorena with Sugar
Chris - Zabaglione and Summer Fruit
Lorena - chocolate cakes and grilled pineapple and a second one, Caramelized Pineapple and Dulce de Leche Sauce
Lorena won the championship belt for herself plus $10,000 for alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Elimination Round with Chicken Livers
Patricia - Warm Asparagus Salad with Chicken Liver and Prosciutto + a cherry tomato
Takahashi - Chicken Liver with Prosciutto and Pickled Red Cabbage
Patricia won and Takashi was sent home.

It will not be Takashi winning the grand prize. Of the 4 master chefs remaining, I like Lorena next best fr the win.

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It's difficult to predict the winner of TCM4 at this stage, but I think Lorena has the best chance.

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