Top Chef: Honoring the Ingredients

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Top Chef: New York
Down on the Farm

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a delicious dish without fresh ingredients
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a seasonal meal around pork, lamb or chicken

I have read comments that the show has gotten crazy with its sound effects. I know they have always been there or I have always noticed them, but never really minded them. I found them funny when Tom said something that was pretty mean to a contestant and it had the “dun!” sound effect after it. It has become very noticeable with Toby Young joining as the guest judge. Since almost everything out of his mouth is a snarky comment, which I love, but when everything he says is followed up with the “dun!” sound effect, it is just too much. They should cool it a bit and just let what he said stand on its own. It is almost becoming like the annoying laugh tracks on classic sitcoms.

Quickfire Challenge

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The guest judge for the quickfire challenge was Hung, the Top Chef of season three. Oh, crazy Hung! I remember him running around like a mad man, being super dangerous, but he could also do everything super quickly while being oblivious that he was pissing everyone off. For the challenge, Padma talked about how the chefs are used to working with seasonal and fresh ingredients before unveiling a table filled with canned and jarred food. The challenge was to make the most delicious dish they could only using the ingredients in the pantry of the Top Chef kitchen. Also, she said in honor of the fastest Top Chef, Hung, they would only have 15 minutes. Awesome! I would totally fail.

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Leah
Waffles with Strawberries & Sausage

Leah made breakfast. When Hung tried it, he said it was crunchy, which didn’t seem like a good thing. She said she fried it and he just made a face.

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Stefan
Baked Bean & Spam Soup with Grilled Cheese & Spam Sandwich

Hung asked if he seasoned the soup or just went with how it was in the can. Stefan said it was a bit sweet to begin with but he did rinse it off and thought the soup tasted best with the sandwich.

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Fabio
Mac & Cheese with Roasted Artichoke & Chili Pepper

Hung said he liked the heat.

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Radhika
Spicy Red Bean Dip with Grilled Bread

Radhika said she loves dip so that’s why she made some. Padma was laughing while she had some, but I guess something was cut so we never got to see what was so funny.

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Hosea
Sweet Pea Soup with Spam, Onion Rings, Pork Rinds & Hearts of Palm

Hung was excited about the pork rinds.

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Jeff
Deep Fried Baby Conch, Coconut Sauce & Pina Colada

Padma was surprised when Jeff said he had baby conch.

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Jamie
Bruschetta with Garbanzo Beans, Artichoke & Smoked Mussels

Hung seemed somewhat impressed or wary about Jamie having smoked mussels. Not sure which.

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Ariane
Open-Faced Turkey Spam Sandwich with Gravy  & Cranberry-Pineapple Chutney

Padma was impressed there was turkey spam and Hung said it was interesting.

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Carla
Asian Salmon Cake with Fried Green Beans & Lemongrass -Ginger Mayo

Padma said the mayo was pretty good and Hung agreed. I guess the rest was not so good.

Losers

  • Leah – Waffles were a little bit too crunchy. He said they looked great, but there wasn’t much done to it.
  • Radhika – He said it was just a can of beans with some seasoning added and some toast. It wasn’t a complete dish, but more like a snack.
  • Jamie – He said she just opened up some cans, got rid of the oil and put it on toast. He thought she could have done more seasoning-wise.

Winners

  • Hosea – It was one of his favorite dishes. He loved the soup, the crunchy and salty spam, and it all balanced together.
  • Stefan – The soup and sandwich took some time to make and it would be something Hung would make at three in the morning.
  • Jeff – He used his time wisely. The three separate components all married together well, and he took some time to bread up the conch.

Quickfire Challenge Winner: Stefan

Stefan did win immunity. When does the immunity thing stop for the season? I’m ready for people not to depend on it for real fun!

Elimination Challenge

They were going back to basics for the elimination challenge. Padma had them draw knives with animals printed on them. Here is how the teams were divided up:

Pig

  • Fabio
  • Radhika
  • Jeff

Lamb

  • Ariane
  • Leah
  • Hosea

Chicken

  • Carla
  • Stefan
  • Jamie

Each team had to create a seasonal meal based around their protein. They would then create a family-style lunch including dessert for 16 people per team. The teams went back to the loft to come up with their meal plan. The lamb team was coming up with ideas. Hosea told the camera that he had a similar style of cooking as Leah, but they both trusted Ariane since she had won challenges with lamb before so they were going to leave the cooking of lamb up to her. Over on the chicken team, Stefan was saying they could roast an entire chicken and make the skin really crispy. He didn’t get to finish his idea before Jamie cut him off saying they can’t just roast a chicken and put it on a plate. They had to do more to it than that. Stefan said that wouldn’t be all he would do and she should know better since he had not made any crap food since he had been there. They went back and forth arguing. Stefan told the camera that Jamie is super cute when she is so angry so he still has his crush on the lesbian. Carla just sat there in silence telling the camera that she could not create with that negative energy. Cuckoo!  On the pork team, they were trying to do it as simple as possible so no Indian, no Italian and no overthinking. They were trying to come up with something that would work with all their strengths.

Later on, Jamie and Carla came up with a plan and wanted to change the menu without Stefan around. Then Jamie went to go tell him about it and he said he wasn’t changing it. She said he was chaing it. He had to since he had immunity. Blah, blah, blah. Crazy people! The next morning, Hosea started freaking out, thinking their menu on the lamb team wasn’t seasonal enough. He talked with Leah and Ariane about changing the way they prepared the lamb and they came up with a new plan.

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The morning of the elimination, the chefs piled into their cars and realized after being driven around for a while, that they were not going shopping at Whole Foods, but ended up at chef Dan Barber’s farm. They went shopping with three farmers and would be making lunch for the farmers and chefs that worked there, along with some of their family. The various teams were starting to rethink their menus when they realized they would not have the same selection they would have had at the store, but it would really be fresh food. The chefs were taken out to the fields and the pork team found the tomatoes. Jeff told his team, he could make a fried green tomato dish and he doubted any other team would be making that.

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After picking up some things out on the farm, the chefs came into a fully stocked kitchen filled with fresh produce and their proteins. The chefs had three hours to prepare their menus.

Team Pork Menu

  • Seared Pork Loin – Jeff
  • Sausage Ravioli with Pesto – Fabio
  • Fried Green Tomatoes – Jeff
  • Grilled Corn Salad with Bacon – Radhika
  • Creme Brulee – Radhika/Jeff

Team Chicken Menu

  • Chicken Cutlet – Jamie
  • Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken – Stefan
  • Chicken Ravioli Soup – Stefan
  • Nectarine & Strawberry Tartlet – Carla

Team Lamb Menu

  • Roasted Duo of Lamb – Ariane
  • Heriloom Tomato Salad – Leah
  • Rosemary & Garlic-Roasted Potatoes – Hosea
  • Swiss Chard – Hosea
  • Summer Berry Trifle – Leah

Leah felt like she wasn’t doing enough since she was only doing a salad and dessert. She thought she should do more, but apparently didn’t say anything to anyone on her team. Fabio was confused about why it took Radhika an hour to peel and grill ten pieces of corn. She must be as slow as I am at cooking! Tom did his wandering around through the kitchen when there was two hours left to prep to quiz the chefs and see what was going on. Afterwards, he told the camera what he thought. He was concerned about how the lamb team removed all the lamb meat from the bone. He said since they were on the farm and had the opportunity to get any cut they wanted from the whole lamb, that the best way to keep it simple was to keep it on the bone. Tom said he liked soup, but was unsure of why the chicken team was doing soup when it was pretty warm out on the farm (you mean, it really isn’t January? 😉 ). For the pork team, he said that the creme brulee was a good dessert and simple to do, but hoped that they would do it correctly and not be sent home like Alex had been sent home earlier in the season.

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When there was one hour left before they served the food, Hosea and Leah were very concerned that Ariane was being too slow with the lamb. Ariane didn’t know how to tie the roast so Leah did it for her. She said she could have done a better job, but she wanted to get it in the oven so it would be done. Does that mean something will happen with the way it was tied? When there was less than 15 minutes left, Radhika was freaking out that Jeff was juststarting to  sear the pork loin. She was afraid it wouldn’t be done in time. The lamb came out and Ariane said the little lambs were perfectly cooked so she was happy. The pork was done on that team and everyone seemed to get everything done just fine. It was time to serve lunch to the chefs, farmers and their families along with Tom, Padma, Toby and Dan Barber, the guest judge.

Entrees

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Team Lamb
Roasted Lamb Loin & Roasted Roulade of Lamb Leg, Rosemary & Garlic-Roasted Potatoes,  and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Dan said the lamb was a mess. Tom said it was really poor butchering. He said they took a beautiful leg of lamb, tore it apart and rolled it up. He said the seasoning was very aggressive so it overwhelmed the lamb. Toby said they had heard of the expression of mutton dressed as lamb. He said it was lamb dressed as mutton. Padma said the potatoes were lovely. Tom said the swiss chard was nice. He would have liked to see some of the stems in it though. One of the guests said the entire lamb meal was slightly out of season. Another guest said they sliced the lamb against the grain so all the juice ran out, which made it slightly overcooked. Tom said if they were meant to honor the protein, it was no way to honor the lamb.

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Team Pork
Sausage, Zucchini & Eggplant Ravioli with Pesto, Fried Green Tomato with Tomato Jam, and Seared Pork Loin & Grilled Corn Salad with Bacon

Padma said the ravioli was fine, but she couldn’t taste anything but the pesto on top. Toby said the pesto was the big, bad wolf that blew that pig’s house down. Tom has the same complaint with the pork team as he did with the lamb. They got a cut of meat on the bone and then they stripped it off of it to make the pork loin. He said it defeated the purpose of the pork, which was about the fat that was all cut off. Padma said the star on the pork plate for her was the fried green tomatoes. Dan said they were very crispy and Tom agreed they were good.

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Team Chicken
Chicken Cutlet with Mizuna, Corn, Onion & Tomato Salad, Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken with Tomato Salad, and Chicken Ravioli Soup

Padma said she didn’t see the point of the chicken team making the soup. Tom agreed saying again that it was too hot for soup. One of the guests said she agreed it was a bit too hot for soup, but she thought it was really, really good. Dan said the roasted chicken was really delicious. Tom said it was nicely roasted. Toby said the outside of the cutlet was good and crispy. Dan said the idea was good with the cutlet and the salad. He thought it was a nice concept. One of the farmers loved the fried chicken with the citrus flavor.

Desserts

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Team Chicken
Nectarine & Strawberry Tartlet with Thyme, Cream & Lemon Zest

Tom said Carla makes a great crust and she used it again. He said he also loved that she used thyme in the dessert. He loves it when herbs are used in desserts. Dan said it was intelligently done and not too sweet, which was a very nice way to end the lunch. One of the guests like that it was paired with the lemon. Another guests loved the lemon in the cream and then commented that her boyfriend/husband had seconds so he really liked it.

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Team Pork
Vanilla & Lavender-Scented Creme Brulee

Padma said it was too sweet. Tom said the custard itself was sweet and the sugars that they put on top was too thick. Toby said the mint and berry combination was like they emptied a Pimm’s and poured it right on top of the creme brulee. One of the farmers said it was a very rich dessert for a hot day, but the portion was small enough that he didn’t feel heavy from it.

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Team Lamb
Summer Berry Trifle with Vanilla Cream

Dan said the trifle was very unappealing.  It reminded him of elementary school.

Judges’ Table

Pamda asked to see Jamie, Carla and Stefan. Padma told Carla that the pastry was their favorite dessert. Tom said he knew there was some tension on the team about if they should go heavy or light, and wondered who ended up winning between Stefan and Jamie. Carla actually piped up for once, saying she was the moderator, and it came down to the team compromising to make it work. Both Stefan and Jamie agreed that they all worked it out eventually. Dan got to pick the overall winner and he decided that since they all showed all the best of what the farm could offer, they were all the overall winners of the challenge.

Padma then asked them to send back both the lamb and pork teams. Padma told them that both of their teams did poorly in the challenge. They started with the pig team. Toby asked if it was a team or individual decision to remove the fat from the pork. Jeff said he decided to remove the fat. He said that is what he usually does, especially if he has something to wrap around it. Dan disagreed with that decision saying the fat that is around the pig is one of the more delicious parts of the animal. Tom said if they could get something that was on the bone, it cooks nicer and creates more flavor. Jeff didn’t have much to say to that beyond, “If it wasn’t enough, then it wasn’t enough.” He didn’t say it in a cocky tone though, but more like he just learned something. Padma asked Fabio about the ravioli. He said first they were thinking of a cherry tomato sauce, but there were no cherry tomatoes in the kitchen so he made some light pesto. Dan said the amount of the pesto was the problem, saying a really heavy hand put it on. Toby said the problems were the flavors in the sausage were delicate and were overwhelmed with the pesto. It really wasn’t that light. Padma asked Radhika what she contributed to the dish. She said she made the grilled corn salad and helped Jeff with the dessert. Tom asked Radhika what she would think of a chef in her kitchen that only made a salad and helped with dessert in three hours. He asked her if she thought it was enough. She said she did her dishes and helped out where her team needed her. She said she was not standing still for three hours.

Next up was the lamb team. Tom asked why they decided to take the lamb off the bone, pound it out and roll it up. Ariane said they were worried that if they braised it, it might not be tender enough so if they tenderized it and roasted it, it would take less time. Dan asked why they would tenderize it when baby lamb by definition is tender. Ariane said okay since she had no idea. Padma asked who broke down the lamb. Ariane did it. Padma asked why Ariane was the only one dealing with the lamb. Hosea just looked at Leah as if he was at a loss for words. Then Leah finally spoke up saying, it wasn’t just Ariane. They did help. She said that there were various components and limited responsibilities since Ariane took the lamb.  Tom said he had issues with the amateurish butchering of the lamb. He said it wasn’t tied evenly. He said the purpose of tying meat was to make sure it is uniform and cooks evenly. Ariane said she didn’t have any experience rolling or tying. Tom asked if there was any discussion about who could do what. Ariane said she did speak up and ask for help. She said Leah helped her tie and Hosea helped her tenderize. I think Tom’s point was why it wasn’t discussed when they were coming up with the menu. Leah said she had a lot of experience rolling and tying of the lamb, but Tom pointed out some had tiny ends while others had big ends so they were not uniform. Dan asked Hosea where he was in the rolling and tying of the lamb. He said he was making the potatoes and vegetables. They asked if he knew how to break down lamb. He said he had a lot of experience in doing that before. Tom said then he should have done it for the team.

Padma said there are a lot of chefs that could be sent home from their performance that day. Tom said they always say it comes down to the ingredients, but he said there they could see good ingredients put in the wrong hands can lead to bad results. Dan said it was amazing to see what the farmers grew and then what chefs could do to mess it all up. Tom said it was amazing what they couldn’t do. Toby said there was something so bloodless and anemic about the pork dish. He said that when he is faced with a beautiful, well-reared piece of meat, he doesn’t want to stand back and admire it. He wants to have full-blown, unprotected sex with it. He didn’t even get to first base with this pork. Haha! Dan said he was with Toby on the pork, but he was willing to forgive it based on what they were given with the lamb. Tom said the lamb was butchered incorrectly and butchered period. Dan agreed said there wasn’t much thought process put into the lamb compared to the pork. Tom said the majority of them agreed that the lamb dish was the worst dish.

Tom said if the pork dish was much better, he wouldn’t be making the argument, but since they were both pretty poor, could he make a case for sending Radhika home for not doing much of anything? Padma agreed saying she just hung back and took a back seat while not seeming to be bothered by not doing much. Tom said the challenge was about the farm and the animals and Ariane really did a disservice to the lamb. He said Hosea knew that she couldn’t butcher and he should have jumped in, but if she can’t butcher a leg of lamb, what was she doing in the competition. Padma said she felt sorry for her, but Toby countered that she shouldn’t let pity cloud her judgment. Toby said he felt sorry for her too since she couldn’t cook. Padma said she had made some really good things in the past and Toby pointed out that they were supposed to throw out what they had done in the past and just judge them solely on what they did that challenge. Tom said that was correct.  Padma had issue with Leah knowing that Ariane didn’t know what she was doing, but she just stood back and let her take the fall. Tom agreed saying Leah didn’t do much and she knew it. Dan noticed that Leah was not owning up to anything she did wrong, which he found appalling about the whole exchange that really had a lot to do with the tying.

The chefs were finally called back in. Tom told them they were quite disappointed with both dishes. On the pork team, Radhika did not contribute very much to the team. Fabio did plenty of work, but the pork in the stuffing of the ravioli was obliterated by the heavy hand of  pesto. Jeff made the mistake of taking the fat away from the pork. They also thought the creme brulee was too sweet. They did love the fried green tomatoes and how they honored that produce. He said that was the saving touch of the dish and the reason why the pork team was not the losing team. Over on the lamb team, Leah did not contribute much to the team at all. She said she wanted more to do, but then she should fight for the dishes she wants to have on the menu. Tom said he was surprised that Ariane said she did not have any butchering experience, but then she would take on that role. He said the meat wasn’t properly butchered and it wasn’t properly cooked. It had a heavy hand of marinade. With Hosea, Tom was concerned with him having experience with butchering, but he letting his teammate flounder when it was obvious she needed help. Padma asked Ariane to please pack her knives and go.

Questions

  1. Should Ariane had been sent home due to her poor butchering, tenderizing already tender meat and heavy marinade of the lamb? Should she have said something about the menu when they were planning instead of just being run over by the lovebirds?
  2. Should Leah have gone home for the poor tying that really contributed to the lamb not being cooked properly or just her not doing really anything on the team other than standing around?
  3. Should Hosea have gone home for not doing the butchering on his team or changing the menu plan at the last minute to something Ariane was unfamiliar with?
  4. Should Radhika have gone home for not doing much on her team and taking an hour to grill corn?
  5. Did you find half of the quickfire challenge dishes as disgusting as I did? I would have eaten Fabio’s mac and cheese dish though.
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