Now that it is the New Year, it is time for a new Top Chef!

QuickFire Challenge:

Our guest judge is Chef Jean-Christophe Novelli (who apparently has a new Bravo show called Chef Academy). Their quickfire was to create a sweet treat without any kind of sugar in 45 minutes. Pastry and dessert seems to be a downfall of many seasons so I am curious how this goes. Considering the fact they have honey and fruit I don’t think it is a huge problem. Carla apparently thought she would be able to freeze whole bananas in 45 minutes, I think that was a bit short sited.

The bottom was Carla, Arianne, and Jamie. The top was Radhika, Leah, and Jeff with Radhika winning.

Elimination Challenge:

The new judge is Toby Young who is a restaurant critic from England. Padma tells them that they all have the day off. Does anyone every find that relaxing?

Tom shows up at the apartment to talk to the chefs. He tells them that the chefs are going to judged without being associated with their food (blind tasting) so the new judge can know them food first. They are also going to be feeding a group of foodies and critics. They are to fix a family style meal but what ever they want to make. 2 people will be eliminated this week. They will be breaking into 2 groups. The groups were formed by knife pull and then Radhika picked which one she wanted to cook with. They each have $100.

Eugene is planning on making a daikon noodles with a tomato-basil sauce and I agree with Jamie, I don’t even think that goes anywhere near each other. Eugene says how creative he is and that no one else would think of that dish. I hate to tell him, that might mean something. Carla was once again waiting for her intuition to speak to her in the grocery store. Oy! Fabio has a rare lamb! Radhika’s bisque was bland and off but she sent it out anyway. Leah is making something she has never done before. Why does she think that is a good idea. You need to make what you know because that is what represents you.

Eugene: Crispy Red Snapper with Tomato, Basil and Daikon Fettuccine
Melissa: Ahi Tuna Crudo Tacos
Jamie: Seared Scallops with Fennel, Garlic, Oranges and Olives
Radhika: Curried Crab Bisque with a Lemon Scented Crab Salad
Hosea: Bacon wrapped Halibut with roasted vegetables in a Beurre Blanc Sauce
Fabio: Rack of Lamb with Cheese Ravioli and Mushroom Sauce
Jeff: Trio Tapas: Oyster, Seared Tuna, Avocado Sorbet and Grilled Peaches
Carla: Pea Risotto with Scallops with a Gremolata
Adrianne: Skate Wing with Pineapple and Cauliflower Puree
Leah: Seared Rouget encrusted in Bread with Fried Beans in Chorizo Sauce
Stefan: Roasted Duck and Braised Cabbage with Bread Dumplings

Judging:

The twist is that the not at the moment cooking chefs are the food experts. The panel is on the tv in the kitchen so that the chefs can see (ie, group A that hasn’t judged yet got to see how they were judges). Toby is deliciously horrible. Of course Fabio’s dish got slammed for be too rare but they like the ravioli. Tobey said Radhika’s soup was the missing weapon of mass destruction. Jamie got kudos for a well done scallop dish. Toby thought that Eugene’s whole dish was bland and the warm daikon wasn’t a hit with the group. They thought that the ahi tacos need salt and were fishy. Toby said the ahi tacos tasted like cat food. Tom liked Stefan’s whole dish even though others weren’t sure about the dumplings. Toby liked Jeff’s but Tom didn’t. Eugene just thought there was too much going on Jeff’s plate. Arianne was a hit. But Carla had too much raw garlic in her gremolata.

Tom was much happier with the offerings this week. First the judges wanted to see Jamie, Stefan and Arianne. Of course they were the top. Jamie finally won! Then the judges wanted to see Melissa, Eugene and Carla. 2 of them is going. The consensus seemed to be that Carla should have added the gremolata into the risotto. Melissa said she learned a lot watching the critique. Tom told Melissa that she had a failure of imagination. Tom didn’t like the daikon with tomato and basil. Jean-Christphe said the fish was over cooked and Toby said it was bland. Eugene just kept saying that he had been too creative. Melissa says she has so much more. Carla said if she just hadn’t done the scallop her dish would have been perfect.

Toby stood up for Eugene. Tom things that Melissa showed who she was and Toby said that was why she should go. They also said Carla wasn’t confident enough to be herself. Tom told Eugene that his skill needed to catch up with his creativity. In the end Melissa and Eugene were sent home. I think that is right because Carla has excelled previously but the other 2 really haven’t at any point.

Next week Hung is back at least in the quickfire! So come on back next week to see what happens!

So here we go! This week looks to be an interesting episode.

Apparently Stefan has a crush on Jamie…..

QuickFire Challenge:
They are doing Identify the Ingredient. I always love this challenge. But that does mean that there isn’t a guest judge. They cheftestants get matched up to go head to head. They are tasting sauce and then identifying the ingredients. Last chef standing wins! They say how many ingredients they can guess and then it seems the person with the highest names them.

The reality is that no one wants to lose to Stefan due to his ego. The final 3 were Carla, Stefan and Hosea. Hosea ended up winning and therefore gets immunity.

Elimination Challenge:
First off everyone pulls knives for teams (old, borrowed, blue, etc). Padma is throwing a bridal shower for Gail (the next morning). It is 35-40 women. Gail prefers no veal or black beans but other than that she is open.

Off the bat the Borrowed team is going Indian and Radhika is worried that it will keep her in the box but it doesn’t appear she actually contested the idea. Daniel is trying to tie “new” and pickles together. I actually think that would be a better fit with old. Luckily Eugene came up with a surf and turf sushi roll. But Carla doesn’t like it but won’t say anything. Old is tying in heirloom tomato.
They have 2 1/2 hours to prep that first night. Stefan is bossy! They split there dish into 3 parts but Stefan is trying to push Hosea into a specific tomato. The Blue Team is using the blue ocean as the theme and doing sea bass but I agree with Tom that is seems a bit boring, especially since they are last. The New Team was having problems with their rice but they seem to compensate. Then Eugene comes up with the idea of letting them build their own sushi.
The day of the even Radhika seemed to get a little nervous by the great ambiance. Of course Tom is in the kitchen because he wasn’t invited to the party;). Danny added mushrooms to Carla’s salad without telling her and when she found out, she didn’t seem happy. Ariane seemed to be having problems getting the lamb done on time because the lamb was initially done rare. Everyone ended up helping them plate.

Something Old (Jeff, Hosea, Stefan)- Tomato Terrine wrapping Eggplant, Carpaccio with Tomato Sorbet, Gazpacho
Something New (Daniel, Carla, Eugene)- Surf & Turf Sushi Roll, Frisee Salad with Won Ton, Peach-Miso BBQ Sauce, Yuzu Sorbet
Something Borrowed (Jamie, Radhika, Ariane)- Eastern Spiced Lamb marinated in Yogurt, VadduvanCarrot Puree, Wilted Kale, Cucumber Raita
Something Blue (Melissa, Fabio, Leah)- Chilean Sea Bass, Roasted Corn Puree, Swiss Chard

Judging (I have decided to put the serving in this area):

Dana Cowin (editor of Food and Wine) is the guest judge this week. The gazpacho and sorbet seemed popular but the terrine seemed bland. The New Team never told the guest how to eat the dish. Gail thought the shrimp was cold and tasted as if it was fried in old oil. I have to say that Borrowed sounded so yummy. Everyone was pleased with how the lamb was cooked and how everything tasted. Fabio did a good job saying how the green (chard) and yellow(corn) made blue on the color wheel. Apparently the food itself was ok but a little boring.

First up were the teams for Old and Borrowed. They said that Jeff’s sorbet was the hit of that course (in your face Stefan). They also really liked the carrot puree and how well the lamb was cooked. Ariane won and got a brand new set of Calphalon cookware and electrics collection. Jamie wasn’t real happy because she always gets so close.

So then the other 2 teams go in. Team New was asked right off how the dish was meant to be. Padma asked about the rice. And Dana said adding things didn’t camaflouge how the rice itself was. When all 3 were asked if they liked how it went, Carla was the only one who wasn’t happy. The judges didn’t like the mushrooms in the salad but Daniel thought they were good.

Team Blue got a bit slammed for lack of texture but the basic flavor was there. Tom said the plate gave him the blues. Fabio said they should get credit for all the fish being done well and Tom said it is easy to do Chilean Sea Bass for a group.

The judges said how sad it was for New the Carla’s salad was the best part. Danny only contributed little things and it spoke poorly that he liked it. Eugene was getting slammed that he tried to salvage the rice.

In the end it was Daniel’s last meal. He said in the little exit that he didn’t deserve to go and if he would have thrown people under the bus he would have lasted longer.

Next week Martha Stewart is back and it looks like the frigs die.

As we get closer to Christmas life is crazy but it makes a Top Chef break all the more enjoyable.

Only 1 member of Team Rainbow left, awww.

Quickfire Challenge:
The guest judge is Rocco Dispirito. It looks as if it is the breakfast challenge. They need to create a breakfast amuse-bouche. They have 30 minutes and Rocco recommends they use bacon! It looks like time ran out on a few of them. There are a lot of bacon and egg dish. They did ding some of the chefs that they didn’t actually do breakfast and an amuse-bouche (which is only 1 bite). The bottom was Daniel with his cornflake crusted zucchini flower (to sweet) and Fabio with his brioche with brulee banana and espresso shot (to desserty). The top was Stefan with his huevos rancheros in the egg, Leah with her perfect bit of bacon quail egg and cheese, and Jamie with her bacon egg and cheese. The winner was Leah. She got a copy of Rocco’s new book.

Elimination Challenge:

The chefs had to create a dish for a 2 1/2 minute presentation for a live tv segment. Then they will also do their presentations 1 at a time for the judges in the kitchen. They have $100 and 30 minutes to shop.

I was impresses that 3 of the chefs asked to cut their own meat behind the counter. At least then they can have complete ownership of the product they produce. Alex picks a dessert and I think that is a great choice for tv because people always want to make a cool fancy dessert. As someone who has done quite a few cooking demos for Pampered Chef (I understand that it is low level cooking) I am entertained how they are trying to figure out how to do the demo. Leah seems to be planning on needing her immunity. Daniel and Jamie seem to have tv experience so we will see if that helps them. Daniel says he lights up in front of the camera. I don’t know about that.

Ariane – Beefsteak Tomato Salad with Watermelon and Feta
Eugene – Tuna Sashimi and Pea Shoot Salad
Hosea – Crispy Ahi Tuna Rolls with Wasabi Peas
Fabio – Tuna with Roasted Carrots and Asparagus Salad
Leah – Duck Breast with Corn and Blueberry Hash
Jamie – Salad with Duck Egg, Bacon and Caviar
Melissa – Blackened Habenero Shrimp
Alex – Rose Infused Creme Brulee
Jeff – Malfouf Roll with Shrimp and Muhammara Rice
Daniel – Ginger Soy Skirt Steak and Cabbage Salad
Stefan – Minestrone Soup with Pancetta and Herbs
Carla – Tortilla Soup
Radhika – Sweet Shrimp and Cucumber Salad

Then we started the demos for the judges. Ariane seemed to get through the presentation pretty smoothly.
Jamie’s white on her duck egg didn’t set up during the demo.
Alex didn’t finish in time, the judges didn’t like is and he didn’t finish his demo on time.
Jeff used odd ingredients and crazy names.
Daniel had a lot of smoke with his steak but it was good. He was also very personable.
Stefan was uming out the door but he was ready for a swap out so that was a good sign.
I was shocked that Melissa’s shrimp were so spicy that Tom had to spit it out.
Then Carla, Radhika and Leah ran out of time. Then Leah said bad words;).

Judges:

Of course they talked about Jamie’s raw egg. They also mentioned that Leah didn’t have any confidence and it is good she had immunity. Alex just didn’t think it out. Carla kind of made Rocco uncomfortable. Tom didn’t like that Daniel smoked out the studio and the mugging was bad. They thought that Stefan did well but his personality didn’t gell. They thought Jeff did well and pulled it together. Fabio was a ball and they liked Ariane. The bottom was Melissa, Alex and Jamie. The top three were Fabio, Jeff and Ariane. Then they sent them home and said that they would see them in the morning at Judges Table.

Alex is getting married in a month and seems to possibly ready to go. So Melissa is getting ready to fight for her life.

The next morning at 2am Chef Tom showed up and woke up the top three. He was sending them to the Today show to have hosts judge the winner live on tv. Jeff is pissed that he has to serve his food to these ladies with unsophisticated palates at 6:35am. Wasn’t he told to think of the home chef? If that is the problem he has no one to blame but himself.

Radhika was a good sport watching them on tv. Poor Ariane, Merideth hates watermelon. Poor Fabio couldn’t understand the chaos. They seemed puzzled by Jeff’s and then Kathy Lee had to go spit it out. Ariane won!!!! The guys were a little pissed.

Judges Table:

Ariane won about 2 dozen of Rocco’s favorite tools and she will be presenting a dish on the Today show the day after the episode airs. Her resturant is right out side of NY. Can you imagine the bump it is getting regardless of her winning or even going a week farther?

Then it was the bottom’s turn. When Padma asked how Melissa thought it went. Well, she shocked me because she thought it was just a little to spicy for some people. They all slammed her that.

Jamie realized that her egg was raw. Tom recommended next time that she should flip the egg.

Alex said the whole point of the competition was to push yourself. I love the fact the Tom pointed out that the point was to win. Tom also pointed out that a creme brulee was impossible to do in an hour to begin with.

The judges don’t like that Melissa defended her spice level. Rocco really didn’t like Jamie’s because she recoiled at the end when she failed.

In the end Alex was out!

So what did you all think? Let me know and I will see you next week.

Here we are back again for a Thanksgiving version of Top Chef. Strap in because it is going to be a crazy ride!

As far as the whole Team Rainbow thing, I am shocked there were only 3 to begin with. But anyway..
Quickfire Challenge:
The guest judge is Grant Achatz. The knife pull correlates with a page in the Top Chef Cookbook. They have 1 hour to do their take on the recipe on that page. So part way through Padma stopped everyone and then told them to make soup. They had to take the ingredients they have and make a soup. They had 50 minutes.

The one who had the tuna tar tar seems to think she needs to do a cold soup in order to do the tar tar. But they said use the ingredients not the dish.

Leah did well in working with an ingredient (white asparagus) she hated.

The top was Jamie, Leah, and Daniel. The winner of immunity was Leah!

Elimination Challenge:

So the challenge was to work in 2 teams to make a Thanksgiving dinner for the Foo Fighters and their entourage that is over 60 people and some are vegetarians. They were going to receive the Foo Fighters rider at the venue. The winning team get to watch the concert while the other team cleans up.

The twist appears to be that it is all outside. They have 1 burner, toaster ovens and microwave. No frig or freezer.

Team 1 is Sexy Pants with Leah, Fabio, Hosea, Jamie, Stefan, Melissa, Radhika. Team 2 is Cougar with Alex, Ariane, Richard, Carla, Daniel, Eugene, Jeff.

By the time they got back from shopping they only had 3 hours to cook. Then is rains. But they get all the food on the table. Shock moment of the night: When Tom Coliccio is declared a “hotty gay bear icon”.

Team Cougar Menu:
Ariane-Butterball Turkey Confit with Mushroom Gravy and Cranberry
Jeff-Spoonbread Stuffing with Roasted Figs, Cranberrys, Walnuts and Onions
Roasted Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Maple Smoked Pork Loin
5 cheese Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon
Fresh Fruit and Pumpkin Mousse
Peach and Cherry Cobbler
Banana S’mores

Their stuffing wasn’t a hit with the band and the Mashed potatoes weren’t cooked all the way. They liked the turkey and the mac & cheese. The consistancy of the pumpkin was bad.

Team Sexy Pants Menu:
Butterball Turkey
Vegan Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmellows
Gravy
Side Salads
Roasted Pumkin Honey and Cinnamon Tiramisu
Peach and Blueberry Crisp

They liked the vegan stuffing best of both teams. They also liked the sweet potatoes. Everyone liked their desserts. Tom was impressed with Fabio’s Tiramisu.

The Foo Fighters choose Sexy Pants to go see the concert. I think the dessert pushed it over.

Judges Table:

Let me just start with the losing team seemed to have some sore losers in it.

Jeff said that he was shocked that they were there because they did well in spite of the curve balls. Now those were the same curve balls that the other team had. Everyone loved Ariane’s turkey. Tom said Jeff’s cornbread was dry and over cooked. The mashed potatoes were under cooked. Dessert was what made the difference. Carla said her cobbler may have been a little sweet. The berries and pumpkin in the parfait didn’t go together. The s’mores didn’t have any burnt sugar, wasn’t gooey and didn’t have enough chocolate. The vanilla foam on the smores didn’t work for catering.

So it boiled down to the s’mores, parfait, and mashed potatoes. But Jeff did come out as a natural leader and that helped his cause. In the end Richard’s s’mores lost the game for him.

So everybody strap in. Based on the commercial I can’t wait. I got my tivo and a little chocolate so lets go!

Quickfire Challenge:

Guest judge is Donatella from the Iron Chef judging panel!!! Their challenge is to make signature hot dogs and they were competing against Angelina Deangelo, who has a world famous hot dog stand. They had 45 minutes and there was panic! It looks like some people made actual dogs and some manipulated existing dogs.

Jill-summer roll with existing dogs
Radhika-kabob dog with lamb, pork and chuck
Daniel-pork hotdog with horseradish mustard
Eugene- Maki roll with pita and boursin cheese
Hosea- Pork dog with roasted pepper and bacon
Stefan- Italian sausage in French bread with cheddar and tartar sauce
Carla- lamb and pork sausage with sauerkraut
Ariane- chicken sausage with bacon
Fabio- Andoille with goat cheese, roasted bell pepper
Jamie- pork and beef sausage with bacon and onions (had bone in the meat)

Jill and Stefan were on the bottom. Radhika, Fabio and Hosea were on the top. Radhika won and therefor got immunity in the Elimination.

Elimination Challenge:

They had to create a 3 course “New American” lunch menu for 50 New Yorkers. Each person will be responsible for one dish.

The fun twist in this (that I saw in the commercial) is that it is at Tom Colicchio’s restaurant and the 50 customers were the New York chefs who didn’t make the show.

So I can’t believe Jill got Ostrich eggs if she doesn’t even know how to open it. Fabio has a very interesting thing that is going to keep the outside of the olive solid and liquefy the inside. I am curious t see more about this. I think Ariane knows that her dessert isn’t good enough and is to sweet but has given up.

Appetizer Group:
Fabio- Beef Carpaccio with Arugula Salad, Parmesan and Spherical Olives
Hosea- Chilled Crab with Citrus Vanilla Dressing, Mango and Avocado
Jamie- Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Chili Oil and Mint
Melissa- Grilled Avocado, White Peaches, Nectarines with a light Balsamic Vinaigrette
Leah- Yukon Potato, Seared Scallops with Chives and Green Peppercorns

Entree Group:
Stefan- Pan Seared Halibut with Micro Greens, Ravioli, Champagne Sauce and Dill
Alex- Grilled Pork Tenderloin over Potato with Mushroom, Tomato and Red Beet Demi-glace
Eugene- Open Meatloaf Sandwich with Ciabatta, Gouda Fondue and Portabella Ragout
Jill- Ostrich Egg Quiche with Rice-Pecan crust, Asparagus, Aged Cheese
Jeff- Southern Chicken, Honey Mustard and Chorizo Spoon Bread

Dessert Group:
Carla- Rustic Apple Tart with Ginger Peach Tea, Apple Cider Reduction and Cheddar Cheese
Ariane- Lemon Meringue Martini with Vanilla Cookie Crunch and Cherry Surprise
Daniel- Ricotta Pound Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Strawberry Lemon Coulis
Richard- Sandwich of Banana Nut Bread, Peanut Butter and Banana Brulee with Grape Gelato
Radhika- Citrus Avocado Mousse with Chocolate Wontons and Kahlua shot

Tom and his chef were expediting all the orders. The judges seemed to really like Jamie’s but not Hosea’s at all. One of the guests nailed that the crab was out of a can. A diner said that Leah’s scallops were sandy. Apparently Fabio’s olives were like egg yolks and seemed to be a hit with the judges. A diner said the Jill’s quiche was dog food and Donatella said it was gluey. I am going to say that is bad, very bad. Padma spit out Ariane’s dessert because it was so sweet. They thought Radhika’s was a sweet guacamole. They thought that Carla’s was good but the Cheese looked bad on the plate.

Judges Table:

Tom starts off with the group that everyone set up their stations well but the food over all was unimpressive. First up to the judges table were Ariane, Fabio, Jamie, Hosea, Carla, and Jill. They liked Carla’s patry but wished she could have worked the cheddar right into the dish. They liked Fabio’s dish. They really liked the olives. Also they liked Jamie’s corn puree. The winner was Fabio.

Now on the other side of the coin. Hosea got slammed for his dish not being well seasoned. They said Ariane’s was boring and Padma spit it out. Tom said Jill made the Ostrich egg boring and Gail said it didn’t taste good. Jill said the pressure got to her and just really defended it poorly when Gail asked what she would do differently.

In the end Jill was out. I am predicting that Ariane is the next one out. But come back next week and see if I am right.