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Food

Hell’s Kitchen Finale!!!

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As you may or may not have noticed, I didn’t do a recap last week but to sum it up… We saw both the rise and fall of Tenille. So who will win this week? They have all been so up and down, I have no idea who will win. I think if Dave can physically make it I think he has a great shot at winning!

So the 3 finalists have to make cuisine from around the world. Ariel has to do China, Dave India and Kevin got Mexico. They got 45 minutes to make their entree. Dave was totally befuddled as to Indian cooking. Ramsay brought in Vikas Khanna, Thomas Ortega, and Eddie Wong to help judge. They are all big chefs in their area of cuisine. Ariel completely lost it when trying to present her food. Ariel’s food was not a big hit. Kevin forgot to put his sauce on the plate. That was the element that really made it Mexican because it was just a pork loin but with a mole sauce. I think the other Mexican element was tequila in the marinade. Ortega didn’t go for his dish but the other 2 liked it. Dave chose pork for his protein and that wasn’t good due to the Muslim population. But his food tasted good. Dave’s Indian dish won!
Dave’s reward was that each guest judge was going to cook their signature dish for Dave. Ramsay specifically said he should ask lots of questions. Dave’s sister and fiance also joined him for lunch. He also got a complete set of cookware. The punishment was prepping the kitchen, prepping the dining room and stocking the bar. Kevin was a little bitter because he believed that if he would have served the sauce he would have won.
They all get into the kitchen to start service. Ramsay let them know that they are all going to get a turn to run the pass. The night seems to start off very well. Then Kevin takes over at the pass. Ramsay is up to his normal tricks to check quality control. So Scott changes the type of fish he takes up to Kevin. Then Ariel started having issues with her lamb and Kevin wasn’t listening to her. So the kitchen hit a stall.
Then it was Dave’s turn at the hot plate. Dave went a little nuts. Scott told him to watch as he was telling Scott to use a wooden spoon. He was yelling and kicking the garbage can. Food started moving out of the kitchen. Then Scott substituted spinach for the asparagus in the risotto and Dave didn’t catch it. Then the second test came up with the tuna. It wasn’t seared nor did it have the seeds on it. Then Dave seemed to bounce back.
Next up was Ariel. Her first test was when Heather substituted parsnip puree for the mashed potatoes and she failed. Then Scott substituted salmon for the sea bass but she caught it. Ariel was reading out orders and gave Kevin to much. So Kevin lost where he was and it made Ariel look really bad. So Ramsay was yelling at everyone. Ariel thinks that Kevin was dragging on purpose.
I think Dave actually may have done the best at the pass but I am not sure. It was a bit hit and miss. Ramsay asked them at the end of service to each think of 1 person who shouldn’t be there any more. Kevin chose Ariel, Ariel chose Kevin, and Dave chose Ariel. Ramsay chose Dave and Kevin to advance to the final. Dave and Kevin will be designing menus for their own restaurant. Then Ramsay whisk them away in a limo. They go to the roof of a hotel where they see a ton of people who are cheering for them.
They have 45 minutes to make a dish and the crowd will be their judge. There are big screens up so the crowd can watch the cooking. So they go head to head with 5 judges to taste. Of course, since we have seen Hell’s Kitchen before we know they are playing for first pick for kitchen staff. Of course it comes down to a 2-2 split and all depends on the last vote. But Dave’s venison beat Kevin’s lobster.
Right off the bat, Kevin will get Heather and Dave will get Scott. Dave’s first selection for his crew was Ariel. Then Kevin chose Van. Dave chose Robert. Kevin chose Amanda. Dave’s last choice was Suzanne, to which I am a bit shocked. So Sabrina was on Kevin’s team. Then they go to change, prep and make sure everyone has the menu down. The problem is that Kevin’s menu is beautiful but really complicated while Dave’s is simple but really attainable.
Then we get started! First app order out of Kevin’s kitchen has to be redone. Amanda had an issue with the scallop dish. Dave has apps flowing out of his kitchen while Kevin’s kitchen weren’t putting out anything. I think Kevin needed to call someone else over to the fish station at least to help them dig out. It would have taken 2 plates and I would have had someone at least help her if not switch with her. They were 40 minutes in without a plate leaving Kevin’s kitchen. Then Kevin put Van on the scallops and moved Amanda to hot apps.
Then over at Dave’s kitchen there were mushroom issues in his risotto. Robert felt that Dave set him up so he was messing with him, making him drop risotto. Then Amanda’s risotto got sent back in Kevin’s kitchen. So Kevin had Van help Amanda with her risottos. Van was saving Kevin’s bacon. Over in Dave’s side, Ariel had to redo some venison but it was manageable. An hour 15 in and both sides are sending out entrees. Kevin had issues calling out the right orders, he changed on a couple of times. It just happened to be the chef from the restaurant looking to hire one of these boys. Kevin was about to lose it on Amanda and then he seemed to calm down a lot. Dave was down to 4 tables and Kevin was down to 6. Kevin’s crew was on the upswing while Dave seemed to be dipping a bit. But they seemed to end at the same time.
In the end they stepped up to their doors and the one that opens is the winner. I wasn’t surprised at all that the winner is Dave! If he was this good with one arm, just imagine how great he will be when he has both;).
So that brings us to the end of this season of Hell’s Kitchen. See ya’ll next time ’round!

Food

Meal Plan Monday

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This is my last full week before I go back to Stanford so things are a little nutty over here! So hopefully I will at least have peace in the food department;).

Monday: Pork Loin Pot Pies (with corn and asparagus)
Tuesday: Kids-Sandwiches, Mom&Dad-Fair Food!
Wednesday: Pasta, Chicken and Asparagus in a Butter Garlic Sauce (Asparagus @Vons 99 cents a lb)
Thursday: Beef Roast, Potatoes, Broccoli
Friday: Chicken Kiev, Broccoli, Crescent Rolls

Food

Hell’s Kitchen Recap

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Last week half of our chefs did great and half did horribly. So how will everyone do this week?

As we open, Dave is hot because Tenille said something different then him in elimination. So he is gunning for her. Suzanne and Ariel are both realizing how close they came to being gone.

Then everyone goes into the kitchen for their first individual challenge. It is on presentation so Ramsay brings in the editorial staff of Bon Appetit, including Barbara Fairchild. They have to each make 1 dish. Then the staff will be ranking them by look. The top 2 will be tasted by Ramsay and Fairchild, the best tasting one will win but only of the top 2 looking ones. Suzanne made a calamari salad and Kevin thinks the salad is a bad choice. Dave totally couldn’t answer any questions about his dish. Tenille made fish but it broke going from skillet to plate. So Tenille was in last plate with Suzanne in 4th place. Kevin got first place. Ariel got second with Dave in a close third. So only Kevin and Ariel’s got tasted. Both dishes tasted well and they couldn’t decide. So they both won!

The reward was to join Ramsay and Fairchild for a Bon Appetit shoot where both their dishes, and them, would be featured. Then, as always, comes the punishment. The losers had go clean a street in order to make LA more presentable. They got to put on jumpsuits and ride in a prison style bus. Then they got to clean the parking lots and carpets. While working in the parking lot, Dave seemed to aggravate his wrist. So after the punishment, Kevin is “encouraging” Dave to quit in order help his wrist.

In prep Kevin takes charge and is starting to annoy people a little. The menu for this service is including the 2 winning dishes. Dave is on cold apps, Tenille is on hot apps, and Suzanne is on fish. Right off the bat we are having problems getting fish. Ariel tasted Tenille’s risotto and tells her it is over done and then Tenille said it was fine. Ramsay said it was over done. Then Suzanne’s scallops aren’t right. Come to find out the rice that Kevin prepped was over cooked. Ramsay was hot because Kevin didn’t throw out the rice and just make some more. Suzanne found another tray of rice that was done right. Then Ariel gave Ramsay pink chicken and he just about lost it. Then Suzanne sends raw john dory. Then Ariel is sending ragged lamb. Ramsay took her out to the dining room and reamed her out. Part of Ramsay’s biggest problem is that he was sending out partial tables and that drives him nuts.

They did actually manage to finish dinner service but it was a huge mess. Ramsay wanted the team to pick 2 people to go up. Suzanne said Ariel and Tenille should go up. Ariel said Kevin and Tenille over the risotto. And then we don’t see any more of the deliberations. The 2 nominees were Ariel, due to meat inconsistencies, and Suzanne, due to bad fish and her thinking she had a good service. Ramsay said they both should go but Suzanne was the person to leave.

So we are down to the final 4, who will win? Will they get more consistent as a whole? I think they could all flame out but we will see.

Food

Meal Plan Monday

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It is time to do a little meal planning! There is some awesome meat sales going on at Savemart so I will be doing some freezer cooking out of these meals too! I am even going to do lamb for the first time! A lot of these are new pseudo-recipes, I will post them if we like them.

Monday: Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes, Broccoli (I am going to use this cooking method for the meat but with my own flavors, will post if it is good) (genius me misread the ad. It is lamb shank. Now I need to research a recipe)
Tuesday: Crockpot Roast, Broccoli, Beer Bread
Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Pot Pies
Thursday: Sandwiches (before my Pampered Chef Party)
Friday: Shepherd’s Pie

Food

Top Chef Vegas!

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It has taken me days to get to Top Chef and I am so excited to see it so let us jump right in!

Quickfire Challenge:
So as the chef walk into the kitchen they are met by Padma and Michelle Bernstein. They need to make a duo that shows their personal battles (angel vs devil). The winner will get immunity. Ash was trying to make 2 custards but only one turned out. So the bottom was Ash, Bryan, Laurine while the top was Michael, Eli and Robin. The winner was Robin, much to everyone’s chagrin. Everyone thought she should have gone last time and now she has immunity. She did a healthy vs bad and talked about when she had cancer. At least Eli thinks that is why she won.
Elimination Challenge:
So to describe the challenge Penn and Teller walked in. They did a little magic trick. Then they reconstructed the trick. For the elimination challenge they will be destructing a classic dish. They pulled knives to see what they were making.
Jennifer: Meat Lasagna
Michael V.: Cesar Salad
Ash: Shepard’s Pie
Robin: New England Clam Chowder
Eli: Sweet and Sour Pork
Laurine: Fish and Chips
Kevin: Chicken Mole Negro
Bryan: Reuben
Mike I.: Eggs Florentine
Ashley: Pot Roast
Ron: Paella
Bryan is going to use tuna in his Reuben to change it. Mike I doesn’t know how to make eggs florentine to begin with. Michael V was making his own bread to go with his Cesar salad and encapsulating dressing. I love tech in food! His brother says he is a show off. Jennifer really didn’t have any idea as to a plan and that was during prep time. She is very classical and not used to deconstructing. Eli had brought a digital pressure cooker with him and the airline didn’t handle it well do Eli tapes it and it exploded. The kitchen did have pressure cookers but he wanted to use his. Many of them think Ron isn’t quite sure of what he was doing.
Service and Judging:
Tobey is back! First up is Mike I and Michael V. Mike I. used kale in his dish. The judges weren’t happy with it. But they liked Michael V’s salad but Tobey didn’t think the dressing exploded like it could. Laurine and Bryan served together. Laurine was having problems with her chips and burned some. Michelle thought the fish was dry and no one liked the chips. Everyone liked Bryan’s except Penn and Teller, who thought it was good just not Reubenesque. Ash was having problems with his parsnip puree being gummy so he didn’t use it. He used pea puree to replae the potato texture. Jennifer was disappointed with her plate. The judges liked Jennifer’s cheese chip because it was like the cheese crust on the lasagna. They all seemed to like it. But Ash didn’t fair so well. Ash’s lamb wasn’t cooked right. Tobey really didn’t like the pea puree instead of potato. Eli and Ron are next. Ron was having rice issues during prep. Eli did 2 types of broccoli in his sweet and sour pork dish. What is up with the broccoli? I have never had anything like that in either taste nor texture in sweet and sour pork. Everyone thought the rice was over cooked but not crispy on the bottom. Tom says he didn’t deconstruct it and it was a sad plate of food. Tobey didn’t like look of the sweet and sour pork but everyone seemed to like it. Kevin and Ashley were serving together. Kevin’s plate was a hit as was Ashley! They really loved both. Robin served last. Robin made a fennel flan and it was not good.
First up to see the judges were Ashley, Michael, Kevin and Jennifer. Michelle said she wasn’t a big fan of post roast but loved Ashley’s. They really loved all of them. The winner was Kevin. This was a big vindication since he got reamed last week over a similar dish. Then the judges wanted to see Laurine, Ron and Ash. Ash got slammed by Tobey for not using a potato. Tom hit Ash on bad cooking of the lamb. Laurine knew that her fish might have been over cooked. Tom said it seemed tentative. Tobey wanted a better chip. Ron did the “I don’t know how” thing. They didn’t like the rice and the overcooked seafood. Padma didn’t like the lack of deconstructing. I think that Michelle is thinking about walking over and smacking Tobey. Tobey was picking on them for saying Paella properly. In the end Ron was sent home. I think it was a long time in coming.
See you next week!

Food

And the Fires Keep Burning!

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So we are really starting to narrow the field and hopefully it is going to get really good! I think this week will be really interesting with Suzanne on the guys team!

The guys straight up told Suzanne that they didn’t want her on their team, don’t like her attitude and don’t like her.
So everyone heads to the kitchen and are met with Scott. They drop a tv screen with Gordon on it, he has gone to Whistler. The resturant they are playing for is know for local ingredients. Gordon had the local ingredients flown in and they have to make 3 dishes using the 15 ingredients and not repeating them. So they all get cooking. Sabrina and Suzanne are each being shut out on their teams. Ariel and Tenille thought they had lamb as an ingredient but it wasn’t. Sabrina knew it and never told them since they were ignoring her. Gordon flew back in to taste the food and he brought Sasha Cohen and Johnny Mosley to judge. Tenille presented the “lamb” dish and admitted that she didn’t know what it is but then said it was venison. They said that it was that they were just momentarily confused but knew it was venison. Van then blanked out as to what was in his dish. In the end the blue team won.
So the punishment for the red team’s loss was to work on a farm and to clean the pig pen. The blue team was off to meet Mark Peel at his top restaurant. They had grilled cheese sandwiches made in front of them. Ariel has a pig phobia and Tenille kept wrenching.
Before dinner service they had to design their own menus. They had to do 3 apps, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts. Tenille wasn’t coming up with fine dining suggestions but she had to have input. The blue team seemed to be really smooth on their menu. The red team seemed to be having lots of problems with theirs. Then they presented to Ramsay. Everyone on the blue team loved theirs but Sabrina wasn’t happy with Tenille’s app. Ramsay said it wasn’t something he would order but they have to be careful with the balance. It isn’t pointed out that none of the apps came from Sabrina. Of course this challenge means that the diners get to choose which menu to order off of.
So service started. Most of the orders started out of the blue menu. Tenille had never made chard and didn’t know how, even though it was on her station. On the blue team, Van is making more scallops than needed. The red’s ravioli came back because the meat in the center was frozen. Then Van had black bits on his scallops. Then more raviolis came back cold. The blue team took a commanding lead and then Dave hurt his arm with a nerve issue. But Dave went back out and was working it. Both sides are doing well part way into service. But then Sabrina seemed to be falling behind. While they were waiting on Tenille’s broccolini she took a sweep break. Then Van started messing up the same plate repeatedly. Then Sabrina also messed up the same halibut. So then Ramsay called up both Sabrina and Van then he said to shut down the kitchens.
No one won. Each team had to come up with 1 name for elimination. Van wants to put up Suzanne. Tenille wanted to send up Sabrina and Sabrina wanted to send up Tenille. In the end Sabrina and Van. But Dave did say that the weakest chef over all was Suzanne. In the end Sabrina was sent home.
Then we head into the second hour!
So the next day everyone gets their black jacket! Then the chefs go into the kitchen and Gordon is cooking. He was making one of his signature dishes from his restaurant in London. It was time for “taste it and make it” in pairs. It was Van/Ariel, Tenille/Kevin, and Dave/Suzanne. They got a dish from his LA restaurant to recreate. Van dropped the fish on the floor in the last minute so they had to do a rush cook on a new piece. All 3 teams used a different ingredient on the sauce. The winning team was Dave and Suzanne. The reward was to go to Gordon’s LA Restaurant and have Christina, a former winner, cook for them. The punishment is to prep for service and to decorate for a “couples” night.
For the special couples night they are doing a chop salad for 2 done tableside and a porter house for 2. So Kevin will be in the dining room. Those steaks looked huge! Suzanne is on hot apps which means it has to coordinate with Kevin and his making salad tableside. Out the gate Suzanne messed up because she didn’t make enough tortellini for the order. Van started an entree fish before he started the apps. Then Van was sweating in the food. They end up trying to get out entrees and apps at the same time. Tenille was on meat station and she started taking control to get everyone coordinate. Van was having all kinds of issues from the fish not being cooked to it being cooked wrong. Gordon had it, he took Van in the back and gave him both a warning and a talking to. Then Ariel blackened lettuce. Then Gordon and Scott just walked out! Then we go to commercial. I wonder if it is a ploy to see if they will quit cooking or if they will persevere. So Tenille tried to step in to take control. Ariel was in the weeds and Dave stepped in to help Ariel out. They started getting food up. Kevin was helping plate but then he had to out for the Porter House so he left Suzanne to push it out. She was afraid it was a test and that she would get it wrong so she wouldn’t plate. Van seemed to be a little overwhelmed. Then Gordon and Scott came back and he called them all up. Gordon then threw Van, Suzanne and Ariel out. Tenille, Kevin, and Dave finished up service.
Van was back in the dorm and was losing his very slippery grip on life. Then the other 3 totally handled it. Gordon told Tenille it was the best he had seen anyone cook meat. So the top 3 had to pick 2 people (out of those tossed) to put up for elimination. They decided to put up Suzanne because she wouldn’t plate. Then Dave said to put up Ariel because that was who Gordon wanted to see. But Dave wants Ariel gone over Van because she is better. When Dave said Ariel, Gordon seemed a little shocked. So Gordon asked Tenille if she thought Ariel and Suzanne were the worst. She said no, that Van and Suzanne should be up there. Gordon called all 3 up. Gordon told Suzanne that she was out of her depth and was heading straight to the bottom. Van said that he was tired of being on the chopping block and was born to cook. Gordon sent Ariel back in line. He sent Van home.
As much as I don’t like Suzanne, I really think Van was the right call. So will Suzanne be out next? We can only hope. We will have to see if someone looses it more.