Top Chef: All-American Food

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
Capitol Grill

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Make a Pie from Scratch
  • Elimination Challenge: Prepare a picnic for Capitol Hills interns that includes 1 main dish and 2 sides

This season, the chefs seem pretty catty towards one another with a lot of yelling in the kitchen. Besides a few grudges, it has been fairly calm in the past few seasons. Do you enjoy it more when the chefs squabble or when it is just about the food? I like it to be about the food, but when they bicker, I do find it funny.

Quickfire Challenge


The guest judge was Johnny Iuzzini, head pastry chef at Jean Georges. He was also a James Beard award winner and is, apparently, the hottest thing going in terms of pastry. Gail Simmons was also there. Padma informed everyone that Gail and Johnny were going to be host and head judge of the new show Top Chef: Just Desserts. Bravo does like its plugs! Then Padma announced what should have been a surprise to no one at that point was the quickfire challenge was going to be about desserts.

Johnny said that pastry chefs are about organization. They can’t do it last minute over the stove, but need to prepare and measure ingredients. Padma told them that they would be making a dessert that was an American tradition — the pie. Stephen was freaking out since the first two chefs that were sent home this season were sent home for a dessert. The winner would have immunity from the elimination challenge.They had two hours to make it.

Kelly and Arnold argued over space. Arnold really hates Kelly so everything she does annoys him. Kelly told the camera that when she opened up her first restaurant with her husband, they did everything so she knows something about making desserts. Angelo said he never made a pie in his life. He decided to just treat it like anything else he was making so he wanted to make a curry yam pie. Tamesha also had never made a pie before. Lynne said she felt confident since she was an instructor at the Culinary Institute so she didn’t need recipes to make desserts. Amanda said she wasn’t a fan of pie, but she had made an apple pie before so she was going to do a variation on that. Kenny was trying not to show that he was laughing at Alex’s pie dough that was super thick.  Ed apparently hates Alex. He told the camera that he was a slob and had no technique. It cracks me up how much the chefs are bugging the other chefs this season. Tracy pulled her pie out of the oven and she said it tasted only like butter. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she made it. She wanted to start over, but didn’t know if she would have enough time. She did actually make something in time for the challenge to be over. Amazing!

Losers


Alex
White Chocolate, Tapioca & Chevre Pie with Almond Crust & Raspberry Puree

Johnny asked if there was egg in the pie. Alex said there was and Johnny responded that it was more like a quiche. Gail said that the texture of the pie wasn’t quite there.


Tracey
Blueberry Almond Crunch Pie with Light Cream & Almond Brittle

Johnny said he noticed there was a lot of liquid in it. He wondered if she put anything in there to harden the liquid. She said she didn’t put any starch in it. Gail said the crust was really too thin, the top was burnt, and the bottom wasn’t cooked through.


Ed
Banana Cream Pie with Salted Peanuts & Celery Spuma

Ed said his grandmother always had banana cream pie when he came over, so he decided to make that with a few extras. Jokingly, Gail asked how his celery spuma compared to his grandmother’s celery spuma. She just laughed at him while he was speechless. Johnny said that he didn’t get why Ed made a banana cream pie, but then added all these extra things that didn’t tie together.

Middle of the Road


Amanda
Apple Pie with Rosemary & Bourbon, Hazelnut Crust

Oh Amanda loves alcohol in her food! Amanda told the judges that she isn’t a pastry chef, so she hoped she didn’t mess up anything too terribly. Johnny said that was a cop out since his grandmother wasn’t a pastry chef, but she knew how to make a pie. Amanda made an awesome shock face in response.


Arnold
Kalamansi & Key Lie Pie Parfait with Korean Soju

The judges didn’t say anything after tasting it.


Angelo
Sweet Potato Pie, Curry Spices, Crumble Crust

I guess making not making pies before does not put you in the top since the judges didn’t say anything about it.


Tiffany
Peach Cobble with Cornmeal Crust, Buttermilk-Lemon Creme Anglaise

Johnny said it was really dark. She said she put molasses and dark brown sugar in it.


Lynne
Mango Pie with Basil & Vanilla Crust

Gail asked if she had ever made the crust before with basil. Lynne said it was her first time with basil in the crust.

Winners


Kelly
Spiced Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

Johnny said the ganache was nice and smooth. He said she had a great emulsion. Gail said it was a beautiful chocolate pie. She said it just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of “bells and whistles” and a simple pie goes a long way.


Stephen
Curried Apple-Date Pie with Saffron

Gail said she tasted something sour in it. Gail said it was a really surprising flavor combination but it worked.


Kenny
Bananas Foster Pie with Currants & Chinese Five-Spice

Johnny said that Chinese Five-Spice was not seen often in pies. Kenny said he liked the balance of flavors. Johnny said he took something simple like a bananas foster and added great flavors and textures.

Quickfire Winner: Kenny

Elimination Challenge

Padma told the chefs they would be celebrating another American tradition for the elimination challenge by preparing a picnic. They would be serving the Capitol Hill interns. Padma said that they would be provided with a grill at the Mt. Vernon estate they would be serving the picnic at the next day.

The chefs were prepping their stuff until Amanda and Alex got into it at the ovens. She was yelling about who had stuff in her oven. Alex said it was empty so he used it. She said her name was on it. He said it wasn’t. I guess she moved his stuff. This was all happening when Tom walked into the kitchen to see how things were going. Nice! When Tom was making the rounds, he asked Amanda what was up with the shouting. She said she had labeled the oven so she moved Alex’s dish. She said it was “prison rules”. Tom said he had never been to prison so he didn’t know what the rules were. Way to make an impression on the head judge!

Ed explained his dish to Tom and Tom said that it sounded like a lot of stuff going on. Ed tried to reassure him that it all worked well together, while he was also worried that he might have had too much stuff going on.  Arnold was a bit flustered when Tom came around so he didn’t talk much. Arnold had made a comment earlier in the kitchen that he missed his sous chef. He told Tom that he was making something from a menu he had prepared for one of his restaurants, but he wasn’t usually making it himself. Tom told the camera that he was a bit worried that Arnold might not be as ready for the challenge since he has spent so much time in the front of the house instead of in the back, cooking.

Tiffany commented that Amanda was spending a lot of time yelling while she was prepping. Amanda was then shown yelling about where the tape was or running around with her food while trying to get it packed up to go while everyone else was being relatively calm. Tiffany didn’t know if Amanda didn’t plan well or was just a high strung person, but she decided to quit turning around to see why she was yelling or else she was going to get stressed out herself.

When they arrived at the Mt. Vernon Estate the next day, they had one hour to prep before the interns arrived. Arnold did not know how to start a grill, so he looked at Kenny, who is a grill master, set up his grill with the coals and lighter fluid. He just copied him on a two second delay and they both had their grills going. Tracey was asking about how to turn the grill down. They had coal-burning grills, not propane ones. Kenny informed her that she couldn’t turn down the heat. I could have figured that much out!

The interns arrived along with the judges. Padma was there with Tom, Gail and guest judge Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto.


Arnold
Sesame Lamb Meatball with Tabouli Salad & Gazpacho

Tom liked it. He said it was seasoned really well. Jonathan said it takes talent to take that kabob and grill it. Gail loved the salad. It tasted really fresh and also like it would stand up well in the heat of the day. Some of the guests loved the lamb meatball.


Tamesha
Marinated Skirt Steak with Caramel Soy Glaze & Fennel Citrus Salad

When Tamesha saw the guest judge was Jonathan Waxman, she became nervous, since he is a grilling master. She did think she did a great job with her skirt steak. Tom liked the steak. Jonathan thought it was a little overcooked. He found it chewy. The interns thought it was delicious.


Angelo
Vietnamese Lettuce Wrap, Smoked Egg Salad

Jonathan said it was a magazine cover dish. Gail loved the smokiness in the egg salad.


Alex
Grilled Pork Butt with Lemongrass Glaze, Polenta & Cucumber Salad

Alex thought he had the winning dish. He said it was tasty and he would “want to eat the ass out of this pig all day.” Okay then! Gail thought the pork was beautifully cooked. Jonathan thought the sauce was on the sweet side. He thought he should have added some habanero and have some fun with it.


Tim
Pork Two Ways: Dry Loin & Wet Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Vegetables

While Tim was dishing his plate to the judges, a Canadian goose flew by and pooped on the table. It missed the food, but got the tablecloth. Good job Sperel! Tom thought the pork was pretty good, but was not impressed with the sides. He said the beans were really overcooked. Padma said the maybe the bird knew something they didn’t. An intern didn’t think the pork was that tender and was a little dry.


Amanda
Dry-Rub Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Asparagus, Bacon Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Gail said she liked Amanda’s rib much better than Tim’s rib. Jonathan agreed. He also said that he loves grilled asparagus.


Kelly
Bison Burger, Watermelon & Tomato Salad

Tom thought the burger was pretty bland. Gail thought it was a pretty simple presentation and there was nothing that a home cook couldn’t do easily. I’m not sure if that was a good or bad thing. Tracey was telling Kelly that she had heard good things about the bison burgers. Kelly said, “Really? That doesn’t mean the judges will like it.”


Kevin
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, Rice & Beans, Tomato & Avocado Salad

Kevin said his wife’s family is from Puerto Rico so he wanted to do something that was inspired from there. Gail asked if anyone noticed the strange texture of the beans. Jonathan said they were undercooked. Jonathan wondered is anyone noticed how bland was rice was.


Lynne
Leg of Lamb with Ras el Hanout, Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Balsamic Onions

Padma said the lamb felt very heavy even though it looked light. Gail said it was the cheese and Jonathan agreed it was making it too heavy.


Kenny
Harissa Marinated Pork Loin, Quinoa Grilled Eggplant

Gail really liked the harissa. She thought the pork was well cooked.


Tracey
Italian Sausage Slider, Tomato Cucumber & Red Onion Salad

Tom said she used a little too much fennel. Jonathan said it was too big. It wasn’t a slider. Gail said it was also a little undercooked.


Tiffany
Tamarind Glazed Wild Sockeye Salmon, Israeli Couscous

Tom said it was bland. Jonathan said, “To have a glaze that has no flavor is really sad.”


Andrea
Spicy Root Beer Glazed Skirt Steak, Potato Salad

Tom said, “Well, that is root beer.” Gail said the root beer was too sweet. One intern said she wouldn’t have expected root beer to taste good on meat.


Stephen
Bacon Wrapped Sea Bass, Ratatouille & Olive Pine Nut Couscous

Stephen said he wrapped it in bacon to keep it moist. Gail didn’t think it was good at all. She found it stringy on the inside and really hard and chewy to get to on the outside. Tom said the bacon crisp up on the grill, but it didn’t render its fat out. He said he was also not a fan of the fish.


Ed
Spiced Tuna Loin with Lentil Hummus

When picking up the dish, Jonathan asked if Ed would serve something like this to his family for a picnic. Ed said he definitely would. While eating it, Jonathan said Ed’s dish was very picnic friendly. He seemed pleasantly surprised. Tom said there was a lot of flavor in it. One of the interns said the tuna was perfectly cooked.

The night before, some of the chefs were giving Amanda a hard time of how she had prepared her ribs. They seemed to think it was horrible that she hadn’t taken the bones out, but after the challenge, they were all tasting each other dishes. Angelo said that he thought Amanda’s dish was the best one, even better than his. With his ego, that’s saying something!

Judges’ Table

Winners

Padma asked to see Arnold, Ed, Amanda and Angelo. Padma told them they had the winning dishes. I think they were super happy after the switcheroo last week where the losers went in first.

Jonathan told Ed that it was a bold choice using tuna. Tom told Arnold that his lamb meatball was full of flavor. He was surprised about how much flavor it had and liked it. Jonathan told Amanda that she killed it with the asparagus. He loved the ribs from the rub to the way they were cooked. He said the salad didn’t need to be there. Tom told Angelo that he loved the crisp flavors and enjoyed his dish very much.

Jonathan picked the overall winner and it was Arnold. He said he did it for him.

Losers

Tim, Stephen, Tracey and Kevin were called in and then were told they have the most disappointing dishes. Padma asked Stephen if he had made the dish before. He said he hadn’t done it for a picnic. Gail said that  his sea bass was unappealing. Once she cut into it, it became very hard. Overall, it just didn’t come together. Tom said the bacon had no char on it at all. It needed to spend more time on the grill developing smoky flavors. He also said the couscous was greasy and had very little flavor at all.

Moving onto Tim, Gail said she did not care for the vegetables. She said some were cooked and some were not cooked. Tom said everything has to be seasoned and they had plenty of time yesterday and today to do it.  Jonathan thought he shied away from the dish instead of pushing it farther, so that’s why he was disappointed.

Padma told Kevin that his plate was the safest Puerto Rican food she has ever had. He seemed shocked. He said that Puerto Ricans he knows would make that food. Gail asked if they were chefs. He said no. She said, “Exactly! You are! Take that food and step it up a notch like a chef.”

Tracy was asked if she was surprised to be there. She said no. Jonathan asked if she had tasted her food while she was preparing it yesterday. She said she did. He asked if she thought she should have crushed the fennel seed to evenly distribute it. She said she probably should have. She said that there were some patties that probably had a lot of fennel seed while some hardly had any. Gail said her patty was pretty raw. Tom said that if she was calling that Italian food, it was insulting to Italians. Jonathan said that part of being top chef was that when things go wrong, you figure out how to fix it. He said he could tell she gave up a bit and she should never do that.

They were sent out. Tom said with Stephen, he just made a bad choice. It was almost like he waved it over the grill at the last second. Jonathan said the fish was seriously inedible. It was raw bacon and overcooked fish. Tom said that to him, the fish wasn’t even the worst part of the dish. He thought the couscous was worse. He said he was sensing a lack of self confidence. With Tim, Tom said that Tim had told him that the grill was “his thing” and he was very comfortable with it, but he didn’t like the grilled zucchini. Jonathan said that at least it was edible. With Tracey, Jonathan said that his 10-year-old son could have made that patty. He said it did not look like a professional chef made the patty. With Kevin, Tom thought his meat was grilled nicely but the rice was overcooked and the beans were undercooked. Tom thought they got a watered down version of Puerto Rican food.

The chefs were called back in. Tom said the challenge was to cook an All-American picnic at a historic site, but none of them created history with their food. Who writes this stuff? Tom told Stephen he gave them food that was keeping more with a restaurant than a picnic. He also paired it with a dish of oily couscous. Tom told Tim that his plate should have been full of flavor, but instead they got watery beans and wilted greens. Tom told Kevin that his inspiration didn’t come through on the plate. Tom said that Tracey wanted to do Italian food, but she left them with white bread and slimy onions and peppers. Padma asked Tracy to pack her knives and go

Questions

  1. Do you think it is fair of the chefs to expect to know how to make a dessert when they come on the show?
  2. Should they be shocked when they have to make a dessert even though each season, they have to at some point?
  3. Do you think there is a definite front runner at this point or will some of the other chefs start shining more as it goes along?

Images: Bravo

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