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Top Chef Masters 4
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TCM4, Ep. 8
The Quickfire was a team event and knife draws made the teams Kerry and Lorena versus Patricia and Chris. The teams were restricted to have each member stay on one side of a line, which meant that one essentially prepped for both and the other cooked for both. Lorena criticized her partner for giving priority to himself. She got her rice accompaniment too late to make it onto the plate. The dishes were:
Kerry – Shrimp Farfalle with Herbs and Yellow Tomato Beurre Fondue
Lorena – seared salmon over Salsa Verde and Arugula-Celery Salad; without the intended sticky rice
Chris – Berber duck with dates, pinenuts, and spices
Patricia - tuna tataki and nori with Ginger and Scallion Vinaigrette
The judge was a Las Vegas oddsmaker, Johnny Avello. The verdict was that Kerry and Lorena won and split $5000 for their charities.
The Elimination Challenge was a unique Diner en Blanc very upscale picnic held outside on the large patio at the Venetian Hotel. Foodies had been invited to join the inventor of this concept worldwide in wearing all- white clothes, bringing their own white tablecloths and table decorations and wine and utensils. Tables just materialized out of thin air, but I believe the hotel pre-staged them. The chefs had to prepare food for 3 tables of about 25 diners each and serve it in white bags and boxes. They had the usual 30 minutes to shop and $750 each for ingredients.
The chefs prepared and bagged/boxed these dishes:
Lorena - Jerk Chicken salad w/mango +caramelized pine nuts, potato salad w/ cheese + chile sauce + cilantro, Jalapeno chocolate mousse w/ Berries + Whipped Cream
Patricia – daikon, edamame and radish salad with whitebait, bison with chili jam, flatbread, curried cauliflower and lentils
Chris - conserva of swordfish, marinated mushrooms with toasted pinenuts, a terrine of pork and chicken liver pate with hazelnuts and truffles, vegetables cooked in hay
Kerry - cauliflower soup with saffron coulis, a haricots verts pesto-orzo salad with mozzarella, peppered chicken kebab and Kielbasa with Peppers and Paprika Coulis
The winner was Chris, with Kerry a close second. The eliminated chef was Patricia.
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TCM4, Ep. 9
This episode opened with a Quickfire to test communication skills, Create Identical Dishes with a Mystery Teammate. Barriers were set up between each chef and an unknown individual (which turned out later to be the judges). The chef had to communicate what he or she was doing in sufficient detail over 20 minutes to allow that individual to match the dish the chef was preparing. The ingredients provided to each chef and partner were the same. The dishes created were:
Chris/James – Prawns with Sautéed Celery, Thyme, Pine Nuts and Chili Threads
Kerry/Ruth – Sauteed Chicken, Swiss Chard, Bacon, Parmesan with Rosemary Cream
Lorena/Francis – Swiss Chard with Sauteed Chicken, Onions, and Parmesan Cheese
The teaching styles of the master chefs were: Lorena patient and encouraging; Chris methodical; Kerry demanding. Lorena was not able to get her pasta cooked in time, so it stayed off the final plating. Curtis selected the pairing of Chris and James. Chris won $5,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
The Elimination Challenge was also a communications test titled “Guide Culinary Students to Create a Masterly Dish.” Two high school culinary students from the Southwest Career & Technical Academy were assigned to each chef. That chef had to guide them through all the steps in the preparation of a meal without ever touching the food. That involved menu planning, purchase of ingredients for $300 in 30 minutes at Whole Foods, then prepping and cooking for 2.5 hours. The dishes were supposed to be worthy of the menu in the professional restaurants of the master chefs. They were:
Chris overseeing Lacey and Emilio with Florentine-Inspired Chicken with orzo and Asparagus Ragout
Kerry overseeing Brittany and Erwin with Pork Loin with Hazelnut Brown Butter, Apples, and Watercress
Lorena overseeing JoJo and Jhane with 3 meat lasagna with goat cheese and Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
The learning experience for the students was the core of this exercise. Chris talked about minimizing ingredients and keeping things simple, clean and fresh, and learning new techniques. He elected to plate early and their dish may have suffered. Lorena taught how a hearty, home-cooked meal served family-style could bring a table of diners together. Kerry showed the students how focus, hustle and tough love can pay off in a pressure-filled environment.
The meal was served to the judges, the principal of the academy, culinary instructor and selected family members of the students. Then all but the judges were dismissed. The judges commented to the chefs on how well they had done in mentoring. However, they were limited (except for Curtis) to the quality of the end product on the plate. James Oseland felt that Kerry’s students’ creamed spinach was the best he had ever eaten. Kerry was judged the winner of $10,000 for City Harvest and a ticket to the finale. The TV audience rated his mentoring skills at 4%, but the judges did not know that months before when they decided.
The really difficult judges’ decision was between Chris and Lorena. Lorena’s lasagna was derided by Ruth as not worthy of being on any menu, but the other judges appeared to support Lorena. Chris’ pork loin was termed elegant by Ruth but perhaps overcooked and the salad wilted by its early plating by other judges. In the final decision, it was Lorena who was eliminated due to not elevating the dish sufficiently. Chris is going to the finale.
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TCM4, Ep. 10, Finale
It’s Chris Cosentino versus Kerry Heffernan mano a mano for the grand prize of $100,000 (to their selected charity) plus the title of Top Chef Master.
There is no Quickfire for a TCM finale. The master chefs went straight to an Elimination Challenge for all the marbles. They were given the assistance of one chef each who they had selected for the role of sous chef in this final phase of the competition from their own restaurants.
Menu planning took the first 30 minutes. Each pair then had 6 hours to shop and prep. Kerry did his shopping at Whole Foods exclusively. Chris went to Butcher Block and Whole Foods, taking a lot more time than Kerry. The next morning 2 hours was available to cook and 30 minutes to serve.
The challenge was to write 4 letters and provide the food they associated with each letter. Those 34 were love letter, apology, a thank you note, and a letter about themselves. The dishes created and served were:
Kerry Love – Scallop and Spot Prawn "Koren Jjigae”
Chris Love – Beef Heart Tartare, Foie Gras, and Puffed Beef Tendon
Kerry Apology – Flan of Sugar Snap Peas with Prosciutto, Morels, and Chervil
Chris Apology – Scallop, Pancetta Piana and Sea Urchin
Kerry ThankYou – Branzino with Clam Ragout and Mustard Greens
Chris ThankYou – Trippa Napolitana
Kerry Self – Dry Aged "Cote de Boeuf," Short Ribs with Swiss Chard and Fennel Gratin
Chris Self – blood sausage with an egg and oysters poached in rendered pork fat
The critics were the core judges, James Oseland, Ruth Riechl, James Lam and Krista Simmons plus these noted regional food critics:
Jane Goldman
Alan Richman
John Curtas
Alan Sytsma
Karen Brooks
Lesley Bargar Suter
The final decision was left to the core group of judges. They noted that the food of both Kerry and Chris was delicious but very different. Kerry’s was more refined with finesse and soul. Chris’ was bolder and took major risks. Ruth summed up the dilemma of the judges with “Do you want to be comforted or thrilled?” Chris won a total of $141,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research plus the title of Top Chef Master for himself.
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