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.