Top Chef: Here Piggy

Top Chef: Chicago
Puerto Rico

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Make two fritter snacks using plantains in each snack.
  • Elimination Challenge: Use a whole pig to create dishes for a governor’s mansion event

The four finalist had some time off in between the last episode and the finale in Puerto Rico. Lisa showed up with a short hairdo and everyone was wearing a lot less clothing than in Chicago.

Quickfire Challenge

The guest judge for the episode was Wilo Benet, chef and owner of Pikayo. They had to make two different kind of fritters, which was a crispy snack with plantains. There is no drama between these chefs. Lisa gets along with all of them, so she is actually joking around, especially when Richard tries to catch his eyebrows on fire with a high flame.


Stephanie
Tostones with Seared Tuna and Pork & Shrimp Fritter with Brown Butter, Lime & Basil Sauce

Padma asked Stephanie if she had ever made tostones before. She said she hadn’t. Wilo said for the first time making them, they were not bad.


Antonia
Crispy Oysters with Cilantro Plantain Jam and Fried Yellow Plantain with Spicy Slaw

Padma asked if the oyster snack had any plantain in it besides the jam and Antonia said no. Maybe that wasn’t enough plantains?


Lisa
Tostones with Pan Roasted Duck & Mango Papaya Salsa and Sweet Plantain, Red Onion & Chorizo Fritter with Chutney Slaw

Wilo asked what was in the slaw, but no other comments.


Richard
Pork Meatballs with Ripe Plantain Sauce and Green Plantain Chips with Ripe Plantain Salsa

Wilo asked about the ripeness of the plantains and Richard said he really wanted to do them raw as a chip.

Losers:

  • Antonia – He wanted more integration between the ripe plantains and the slaw. The uncooked raw plantains in the jam were a little slimy. It was a turn off.
  • Richard – The raw plantains had too much raw taste to them and the meatball was a little dry.

Winners:

  • Stephanie – Great job. He loved that she used tostones. The size and flavors were balanced very nicely. He loved the cut of the tuna. It was the perfect size.
  • Lisa – He also loved that she used tostones. It was a also nicely balanced. He would have loved if the meat was cut a bit smaller, but loved the whole plate.

Quickfire Challenge Winner: Stephanie

She was thrilled that she finally won a quickfire, since she hasn’t won one all season. She said it was better late than never.

Elimination Challenge

The challenge would take place at some fancy mansion that used to be a fort where all the governors have resided. They would be cooking for 100 VIP guests at a garden party the next night. Each chef would get one entire pig and have to use it to create dishes for the garden party. They would need to make at least two dishes using different parts of the animal.

They will get help from past chefs to prepare their food. Dale, Nikki, Andrew and Spike show up. Lisa told the camera she did not want to work with Dale since they do not get along. She had a problem with Andrew when he left. She’s had problems with everyone so maybe she should quit being so mean. Stephanie’s advantage is to pair up everyone. She didn’t want any drama in the kitchen so she wanted people she thought would work well together:

  • Stephanie with Dale
  • Antonia with Nikki
  • Richard with Spike
  • Lisa with Andrew

The chefs had 30 minutes to plan their menu before their sous chefs headed off to the market to shop while they had to butcher their pigs. They would have two hours to prep and five hours the next day before the party started to finish up.

When the chefs were making up their menus, Antonia wanted to go traditional Puerto Rican. Richard disagreed and didn’t want to try to cook something that wasn’t him. Lisa was familiar was Latin flavors so she wanted to go that way.

The sous chefs were at the market and Nikki was coming across things she had never seen before. Andrew only knew a little Spanish so he was having a hard time communicating. Spike was having better luck. Dale knew all about rotten looking plantains that are good, even though they look horrible so he got some of those. While there, Richard remembered Malta that he had when he was a kid that was like caramel beer flavored drink. He called Spike to get some of that for a glaze.

Everyone came back from the store and prepped what they needed for the next day. Unfortunately, when everyone was packing stuff into the fridge one piece of pork that was marinating was left out and not in the fridge. It was Stephanie’s pork belly. Dale was so upset at what he did since he left it out. Stephanie said to throw it away and they would come up with something else.

Richard’s Menu

  • BBQ Pork Shoulder
  • Pork Belly with Pickled Watermelon
  • Ham & Beans
  • Ribs with Malta Glaze

Antonia’s Menu

  • Pork Belly with Sweet Peppers
  • Pork Sausage with pigeon Peas & Rice
  • Curried Pork

Antonia was having problems with the rice. The bottom was overcooked and the bottom was raw. Nikki said to the camera that something seemed off with her. She did seem to be a little bit off. It was like a replay with Casey from last season where the break did not do her good and got her off her game. She did not seem to be refreshed from the break, but just out of it.

Lisa’s Menu

  • Yuca & Pork Rellena
  • Citrus Braised Pork Belly
  • Adobo Roasted Pork Tostone

Stephanie’s Menu

  • Chicharrones, Fruit & Prosciutto Salad
  • Coconut Pork with Plantain Pancake
  • Pork Satay on Sugar Cane

The chicharrones was Dale’s idea after messing up the pork bellies. Stephanie was unsure about herself until they got that idea going. Then she was very excited.


Stephanie
Pork Satay on Sugar Cane Skewer with Miso Almond Sauce

Stephanie said it was influenced by her trip to Asia over the break.


Stephanie
Coconut Braised Pork with Black Plantain Pancake

Wilo asked how Stephanie prepared the pancake and looked impressed with her response. While walking away, Wilo said the pancakes were very inventive.


Stephanie
Tropical Fruit & Prosciutto Salad with Chicharrones

Gail said it was very nice and refreshing.


Richard
Fresh Ham with Local Beans

Richard said he grew up with pork and beans. He didn’t want it to have an aggressive flavor, but to have it be clean and nice.


Richard
Pressure Cooked Pork Belly with Pickled Watermelon and Pork Ribs with Malta & Soy Glaze

He talked about how he would have liked to have 48 hours to cook the pork belly, but he made due and how he used the Malta as a glaze since he had it when he was a kid.


Richard
BBQ Pork Shoulder with Braised Greens & Mango

Richard said he usually served the dish with peaches, but made it with mangos to fit the area better. Tom said nice job.


Lisa
Citrus Braised Pork Belly with Potato & Plantain Mash

Gail said it was very sweet.


Lisa
Adobo Roasted Pork, Black Bean & Onion Tostone


Lisa
Pork-Filled Yuca Rellena with Pineapple Mojo

Padma asked what a mojo was and Lisa said it was a dipping sauce with a lot of garlic.


Antonia
Honey Pork Belly with Pickled Sweet Pepper Salad


Antonia
Curried Pork with Pumpkin & Yuca and Pigeon Peas with Pork Sausage

Gail asked what the inspiration was for the curried pork. Antonia wanted to do traditional. She said even though the curry was more Caribbean, it was still a close island to Puerto Rico. Padma asked how long she soaked the beans. She said she did overnight. Gail said they had a little bit of kick and Antonia said she had a bit of habanero in them.

Judges’ Table

Padma asked Wilo what he thought overall. He said he saw originality and well executed classics. Tom said Richard’s pork belly was a highlight. He also loved Stephanie’s salad. He said that Lisa and Antonia had dishes that were not as good as their competitors.

Winners

Richard and Stephanie had the best dishes. Tom said it seemed like Richard was self editing himself. He usually had dishes that were out there, but what he served that night were a lot simpler. Tom said that is a good thing. Wilo loved the satays, especially the flavors of the meat. Wilo announced the overall winner who was a crowd favorite, which was Richard. He won a new car! Is this Price Is Right? He won a new Toyota Corolla.

Losers

Antonia and Lisa had the judges’ least favorite dishes. Tom said he was surprised that Lisa went in a Latin direction when she was known for Asian. She said that she did also have Latin dishes in her background. Gail said the puree was too sweet and overpowered the rest of the dish. Lisa’s dishes focused so much on her garnishes than the pork seemed an afterthought. Wilo asked how long before did Lisa prepare her tostone. She said they came right out of the fryer onto the plate three minutes before the guests arrived. She said she was trying to put everything together in the tostone to give it a balance bite. Wilo said it did not have that much balance.

Antonia said her peas could have been cooked more. She said she enjoys her peas a little on the al dente side. Padma asked when she noticed they were undercooked. She said she didn’t notice until the very end. Tom shook his head. Padma asked why she had all the dishes on the same plate. I guess everyone else had their dishes on separate plates. Is this a big deal? I guess so! Antonia said she did not want it to be refined. Gail said she couldn’t distinguish one dish from another one once they were all on the same plate.

The chefs were sent out. Tom said Lisa made a few mistakes. Gail said she had issues with each of her dishes. Tom and Wilo said the pork belly and mash did not go well together. Gail said her biggest mistake was the tostone and it was not done perfectly. Wilo said it was a good idea, but it wasn’t executed well. Gail said Antonia’s mistakes came early on with her rustic, home cook meal idea. It was less refined than the competitors. The judges said that there is no such thing as al dente peas.

The chefs were called back out. Tom said they needed to bring their A game, but they were both competing at a B+. Tom said that Antonia’s dish tasted good, but questioned her judgment for serving them on the same plate. The fatal flaw were the peas being undercooked. Tom said some of Lisa’s dishes were memorable, but some fell short of the mark. He also said that she had the one table that did not have crowds around it like the other crowds did. Padma asked Antonia to pack her knives and go.

How does someone that has the least amount of people at a party eating their food not go home? Urg! I think Antonia just had a bad day. After she said her good byes to everyone, Lisa got all pissy and Stephanie and Richard didn’t congratulate her for making it. She took it as they wished she had left instead of Antonia. Well, yeah!

Questions

  • What is up with Lisa and her never ending attitude?
  • Was it just me or did Stephanie and Lisa look a little heavier in Puerto Rico than they did in Chicago? Or was it just the lack of clothing on them?

Photo Source: Top Chef

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