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Top Chef Masters 4

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TCM4, Ep. 1

QUICKFIRE CHALLENGE
The first task was for the chefs to pair up to receive by random draw each of 2 ingredients. They then had 30 minutes to create a stunning dish. Here is what they created:
Lorena Garcia, Art Smith -Duck Lettuce Wrap with Corn Salsa and Peach Ricotta Crème
Chris Cosentino, Patricia Yeo -Beefalo de Gato Pescado
Clark Frasier, Debbie Gold-Grilled Langoustine+Parsley Pistou w/ Candied Popped Quinoa
Kerry Heffernan, Takashi Yagihashi -Sauteed Pork Tenderloin w/ Bologna Frisee Salad and Soy Ginger Caramel Sauce
Mark Gaier, Thierry Rautureau- Flank Steak with Corn and Blueberry Salad and Black Garlic Harissa
Missy Robbins, Sue Torres - Brandied Pineapple with Honeyed Yogurt, Almonds and Chilies

The winners of $5,000 each for this task were Chris and Patricia.

ELIMINATIon CHALLENGE

Each spent 15 minutes planning for a general buffet, then had $2000 and 45 minutes to shop at Whole Foods. After they returned to the cooking HQ, Curtis came in with a major twist: The first group was going to do a Mexican buffet and the other group was going to do an Indian buffet. Of course all the spices they had purchased fit the prior category, so they were swimming upstream all the way although they had a choice to send a chef back to buy more spices and ingredients.  There was 5 hours to cook. The Red team did send Art Smith back to back additional ingredients, but little time was left when he returned. Missy Robbins sliced her finger badly and had no effective choice but to withdraw from TCM4.

The Blue team’s dishes were:
Clark Gaier - Heirloom Tomato Compote w/ Fried Green Beans, Shallots + Goat Cheese
Debbie Gold - Rose Water Lemon Curd with Spiced Streusel and Meringue
Clark Frasier - Curried Corn Soup with Curried Flatbread
Sue Torres - Indian-Spiced Chicken with Lentil Rice Cakes and Tomato Ginger Jam
Takashi Yagihashi – Shrimp+ Salmon Dumpling w/ Swiss Chard + Curried Coconut Broth
Thierry Rautureau - Masala Salmon and Beef Shoulder with Spiced Couscous

The Red team’s dishes were:
Patricia Yeo on behalf of Missy Robbins - Zucchini Salad w/Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
Art Smith - "Pan de Tres Leches" with Candied Cocoa Nib and Tequila Caramel Sauce
Chris Cosentino – “Pork and Beans" with Cured Pork and Chickpeas
Kerry Heffernan - Grilled Steak with Arugula, Posole and Chimichurri Coulis
Lorena Garcia – “Leche de Tigre" Ceviche Salad and Tequila Horchata
Patricia Yeo - Chicken and Beef Adobo with Cornmeal Pancakes and Peach Salsa

The judges found the blue team’s dishes to be tasty but not really Indian (not having Indian spices will do that to you). The Red team‘s dishes were spicy and could be identified as Mexican dishes. Red won. The chef of the week was Chris Cosentino for his “pork and beans, for which he won $10,000” 

The deliberations on which blue team chef to eliminate were difficult. There were no clear favorites. The judges eventually decided that Sue had to pack her bags.

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New judge Krista Williams had many appropriately edgy comments. She clearly knows food flavors, ingredients, textures, etc.

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TCM4, Ep. 2

The master chefs were told that there would be no Quickfire because the whole episode was needed for the wedding of Christine and Jay. This couple had a hard luck story, but was willing to have their wedding filmed in return for all the food.The chefs had to first decide who was doing what. They then had 45 minutes and $6000 to shop mostly at Whole Foods for ingredients. There were several key ingredients not available, particularly mango and papaya for Debbie’s Thai papaya salad. Kerry did not have the expected crab in containers at the checkout counter; he only had crab salad.  Here were the dishes prepared:

Art - Inside-Out Upside-Down Pineapple Cake with Rum Vanilla Sauce
Chris - Banana Leaf Braised Pork with Aioli and Adobo Sauces and bitter greens
Clark - Barbecued Duck with Sirloin Szechuan Sauce in Lettuce
Debbie - Grilled Green Napa Cabbage Salad
Kerry - Corn Panna Cotta with Grilled Okra, Crab, and Marjoram
Lorena - Vanilla Leche Flan Topped with Toasted Coconut
Patricia – Asian-style salad with Pickled Mackerel, Young Coconut and Chilies
Takashi - Braised Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon and Steamed Bun
Thierry - Grandma's (Pork) Blood Soup
Mark - Sesame-Coated Baked Atlantic Salmon with Egg Noodle Cake

The chefs had less than 24 hours to do the total catering, but they were not forced (unlike some prior Top Chef seasons) to work around the clock. Art may have had the longest lead time item with the cake. It fell about 30 minutes before the time for it to be served. He patched it up so it looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa but had most the intended flavor. Debbie could not succeed in her Thai papaya salad with the braised braised cabbage that was the substitute. Mark apparently served raw salmon. So we have our 3 worst chefs.
 
On the especially good side, Patricia’s mackerel, Takashi’s braised pork belly and Chris’ barbecued duck all won acclaim. The award best chef for this episode was $10,000 to Patricia Yeo and her Heifer International.

There were ample reasons to take out any of the 3 worst chefs. Debbie got the elimination because her dish apparently had no redeeming virtue.  I see both Art and Mark as getting a reprieve that they really did not deserve.

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TCM4, Ep. 3


The Quickfire was to create a seafood dish without using any heat. The other chefs thought this was a shoe-in for Takashi to excel at and win (because he is a sushi chef, quite a bit different from the heat of teppanyaki), although Kerry is exclusively a seafood chef. Here are the dishes the master chefs offered:

Art - Yellow Tomato and Avocado Soup with Chopped Clam and Prawn Salad
Chris - Mackerel Fra Diavolo
Chris - Oysters with Watermelon and Lemon Relis
Kerry - Hamachi with Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
Lorena - Spicy Yellowtail Tiraditos with Avocado and Jalapenos
Mark - Geoduck, Cucumber and Seaweed with Sea Urchin Dressing
Patricia - Scallop Crudo with Uni and Cilantro Sauce
Takashi - Sauteed Calamari with Savory Okonomiyaki Pancakes
Thierry - Geoduck, Cucumber and Seaweed with Sea Urchin Dressing

The Guest Judge was the very food-savvy Brian Boitano, Olympic skating gold medalist. He rated two dishes as sub-par: Thierry’s,  Kerry’s. He rated Mark as third-best,Chris as second-best and Takashi’s as best. Takashi won $5000 for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Japan.

The Elimination Challenge started with a split into 3 teams of 3. Those teams shopped for $250 of ingredients in 30 minutes. Each team got to prep for one hour in advance of their 30 minutes on the teppanyaki grill at the MGM Grand Shibuya restaurant. Krista Simmons was not available, so they used Francis Lam for this episode along with James Oseman and Ruth Reichl as Judges. The Guest master chefs from prior TCM seasons were Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Jonathan Waxman and Rick Moonen.

Kerry - Shrimp with Eggplant Herb Salad and Gochujang Sauce
Mark - Scallops with Bok Choy, Pickled Mushrooms and Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Lorena – chicken fried rice, Spicy Chili Oil, Cilantro and Orange Guava Sauce

Art - Griddled Shrimp, Cheese Grits Cakes and Swamp Greens Salad   
Chris - Grandma Easton's Rhode Island Clam Chowder
Thierry - Pear Crepe Flambe with Almond Cream and Pear Butter

Clark - Lobster Tails with Miso and Seared Orange Butter
Takashi - Sauteed Calamari with Savory Okonomiyaki Pancakes
Patricia - Beef Kalbi Lettuce Wrap with Gochujang Sauce

The best trio as rated by the judges was Art, Chris and Thierry. Art was best and he won $10,000 for his Common Threads charity. The worst trio was Kerry, Mark and Lorena. All 3 were seriously under-seasoned and Mark’s dish was also incredibly simple. You can get away with that only if the result if extremely tasty.  Mark’s dish was too simple, underseasoned and not very tasty, so he bit the dust of elimination. 

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TCM4, Ep. 4

The Quickfire was a challenge done with the B-52s singing group as Guest Judges. The master chefs had 8 minutes to assemble a salad from 52 ingredient choices on a salad bar. The dishes were:
Art - Tomato, Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad with Watermelon Soup
Chris - Romaine Lettuce with Radish, Egg and Soft Herbs
Clark - Green Olives and Hearts of Palm with Mustard Vinaigrette
Kerry - Salade Russe with Yogurt
Lorena - Grilled Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette
Patricia - Chopped Romaine and Chinese Noodles with Yuzu Dressing
Takashi - Romaine and Arugula with Beets and Pickled Radishes
Thierry - Baby Arugula, Beets and Blueberries with Rice Vinegar Dressing

The better performers were Lorena, Kerry and Thierry. The least attractive were Kerry and Art?. The winner was Lorena, who won $5,000 for Alliance for a Healthier Generation as well as immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

The elimination Challenge started with the introduction of the chairwoman of the Hualapi Nation, which owns Grand Canyon West and has developed it (composed of 2 major viewing points, the famous “Skywalk”, Native American Village, Hualapi Ranch, overnight cabins, and an air strip). Master chefs were paired and drew knives to determine what their primary Hualapi food ingredients were:
Chris and Patricia - Rabbit/Squash.
Art and Lorena - Quail/Prickly pear
Thierry and Takashi - Venison/Yucca flower
Clark and Kerry - Beef/Corn

They were to create dishes that highlighted the Hualapi ingredients cooking for 24 people in 2 hours at the Grand Canyon. The master chefs were taken by helicopter to the air strip and driven to one of the points where some cover and a variety of kitchen equipment was in place. Well into their work, it rained and threatened to impact their preparation of the dishes, but they covered cooking items with tin foil and it seemed to be OK.

The final dishes were:
Lorena and Art - Barbecued Quail and Prickly Pear Slaw
Thierry and Takashi - Grilled Venison and Banana Yucca Cake with Braised Figs
Chris and Patricia – rabbits n’ bits with acorn squash &  agrodolce
Clark and Kerry - Spiced Beef Filet and Corn with Sage Pistou and Chili Ragout

Thierry/Takashi won mostly due to Thierry’s ability to work with yucca flowers, which he had never seen or read about before. They got $5,000 each for their charities.

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