Top Chef: Locavores

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
Farm Policy

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a dish using crabs
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a dish using produce & proteins from a local organic & humane farm

I like it when they use local ingredients, so I liked that they were on the farm making food this episode. I loved past seasons where they had to buy everything from a farmer’s market. Since my favorite restaurants in town do the same thing when making their food, it is fun to watch the chefs do it on the show.

Quickfire Challenge


The guest judge was James Beard award winner, Patrick O’Connell, also the chef/owner of The Inn at Little Washington. Kevin was excited since he had worked for Patrick in the past and wanted to cook for him again. They had one hour to make a dish using the Maryland blue crabs that were live and wandering around on a table.

Angelo told the camera that he had crabs so it brought back bad memories. Thanks for sharing! Andrea was used to working with bigger crabs down in Miami. The blue crabs were very tiny. Tamesha said she used to be allergic to crabs so she never ate them. When she learned about the challenge, she thought,”WTF.”

Losers


Andrea
Warm Crab Salad, Citrus Gastrique, Mexican Red Chiles

Patrick said, “Not your mother’s crab salad” when he tasted it. He said the weight of the potatoes overwhelmed the delicacy of the crab.


Amanda
Crab Salad with Sauterne, Ginger & Juniper Gelee

Padma said “Wow!” and Amanda asked if that was a “Wow yummy” or “Wow…” Padma said it was pungent. Patrick said the “fascinating” gelee put the dish out of balance.


Kevin
Blue Crab Chowder with Potato, Celery & Espelette Oil, Frozen Bacon Crumble

Patrick said his dish illustrated confusion and the crab got lost. I guess cooking for him before didn’t give him any advantages.

Middle of the Road


Tiffany
Hot & Sour Crab Soup, Arbol Chiles, Spaghetti Leek


Tim
Beer Steamed Crabs with Avocado, Passion Fruit & Heirloom Vinaigrette

Tim talked while making the crabs about how he works with them all the time, but his dish didn’t get a mention at all. Not too noteworthy, I guess.


Stephen
Crab Salad in Sweet Bell Peppers, Brandy Basil Dressing


Tamesha
Crab Chowder with Lemongrass, Ginger, Cardamom & Coconut Milk

Patrick said it was unusual and intriguing.

Winners


Ed

Jumbo Lump Crab with Thai Basil, Mango & Cucumber Salad

Patrick said his dish did a wonderful job bringing out all the natural components of the crab in the Thai-inspired dish.


Kenny
Crab 3 Ways: Korean Crab Bisque, Crab Bruschetta & Warm Crab with Sesame

He loved his trio of crab tastes.


Angelo
Blue Crab Broth Infused with Lemongrass & Ginger

Patrick found it extremely delicate and showed off the crab very nicely.

Quickfire Winner: Ed

Elimination Challenge


Padma told them they would be using fresh, local ingredients on a farm. They would be traveling to Virginia’s first totally organic and certified humane farm. They would be creating a meal for 40 local chefs and farmers. They would be working in one single team. They had to put out a minimum of six family-style dishes. Each person had to be responsible for something on the table. They would also not see their ingredients or cooking equipment until they arrived at the farm the next day. They would have a mobile pantry in the back of one of their cars.

The chefs get back to the house and Angelo and Kenny start coming up with different game plans of how to tackle it. Angelo was listing off each dish as a protein, produce, starch…Then Kenny jumped in saying they had to pull names for teams since there were 12 people so teams of two. Then they would draw what dish they were working on. Angelo started arguing saying he would draw what dish, but he wanted to pick his own team. Tiffany tried to get them to stop arguing so they could move on, but they wouldn’t compromise. Then Alex said they could do teams of four, which I think everyone ignored. Stephen said they could do a plate of fruit to represent all of them for dessert. I don’t even know how that makes sense but everyone told him no.

Then there was discussion if they should work with the same teams as the day before or not. Only some people wanted to do that while others wanted to mix it up. They ended up breaking up into the same pairs and going to discuss dishes separately. Tiffany did not want to be with Tim again since she felt like she carried the team the last time. Tim was thrilled to be with Tiffany. Ed did not want to be with Alex. He wanted to be with Tiffany. I think he has a crush on her. Ed and Tiffany ended up talking food while leaving Alex and Tim alone.

They arrived at the farms the next day and had three hours to figure out what to make and then cook it. What they had to cook with were some propane grills,  hot plates and little ovens. At one point, Kevin had made some cauliflower couscous that was in a bowl that managed to fall on the ground. He lost it. He had to go get something else to make. Andrea was worried that the pork tenderloin she was going to make wasn’t going to be done enough due to the grills not getting hot enough. She cut it down into smaller pieces. Kelly had some time while her turnips were roasting  so she decided to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp. She knew that she could get sent home for making an extra dish that didn’t work, but she was going for it.


Amanda
Country Vegetable Minestrone, Smoked Tomato Broth

Patrick found the rusticity of it to be shocking. Eric found the carrots to be too hard. Tom said a lot of the vegetables were cut up too small while other pieces were too big. Patrick agreed and found it hard to get a spoonful into his mouth.


Stephen
Farm Salad: Balsamic Onion, Egg, Apple, Cabernet Vinaigrette & Garlic Dressing

Padma said it left her cold. She found it wet, heavy and over seasoned. Patrick said putting it in a bowl was not a good choice. I’m not sure why. Anyone know? Tom said he bruised up the lettuce and if someone doesn’t pay attention to their lettuce, that drives him nuts and ruins a salad for him. Remember that people, don’t bruise your lettuce!


From the top clockwise: Kevin’s couscous, Angelo’s duck with Tamesha’s cherry compote, Kelly’s roasted beets, Andrea’s pork loin and Kenny’s eggplant curry

Kenny
Hot and Sour Curried Eggplant with Peppers & Carrot Tops

Padma said it was lovely. Patrick found it very hot. Tom said he had no problem with it. He expects his curries to be hot and his beer to be cold.

Kevin
Broccoli Couscous Scented with Lemon Zest

Eric loved the combination of the Kenny’s dish with Kevin’s couscous. He said the couscous gave it a cooling effect.

Andrea
Garlic & Five Spice-Rubbed Grilled Pork Loin with Shallot-Apple Balsamic Jus

Eric found the pork loin to be delicious. He thought it was cooked perfectly.

Kelly
Five Spice-Roasted Apples & Roasted Beets

Padma liked the beets and apples and how they complemented the pork. Eric thought they were also cooked perfectly. Tom thought Andrea and Kelly’s dish was very nice.

Angelo
Ginger Grilled Duck Breast with Oregano Honey

Tom liked the duck. Padma loved the seasonings on the duck.

Tamesha
Cherry Compote, Red Wine Balsamic Vinaigrette, Grilled Asparagus Salad

Tom liked the cherries with the duck. He didn’t think the asparagus had a whole lot of flavor.

From the bottom clockwise: Alex’s beef, Tim’s turnips, Tiffany’s greens and Ed’s ratatouille

Tiffany
Collard Greens with Swiss Chard, Turnip  & Chanterelles in Duck Broth

Tom found the greens undercooked.

Alex
Provencal Beef Tenderloin with Ratatouille

Eric thought the quality of the meat was exceptional.

Ed
Ratatouille with Eggplant, Summer Squash & Tomato

Eric was not a fan of stuffing the meat with the ratatouille. He didn’t think it added anything to the dish.

Tim
Roasted Turnips & Asparagus with Honey

Patrick said they didn’t register with him. Padma agreed. Tom said that was a problem. Tom said it didn’t make an impression. Patrick said it was a bit of a mish mash.


Kelly
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Basil Scented Whipped Cream

Tom really liked Kelly’s extra dessert dish. He said she didn’t have to do it and it was really good. He viewed it as extra credit. Padma loved the basil and lemon zest in the whipped cream.

Tom thought the chefs did a nice job overall. Patrick said he was satisfied. Eric said the proof that he liked it was his very clean plate.

Judges’ Table

Winners

Padma called in Kevin, Kelly, Andrea and Kelly. They had the best dishes that afternoon. When Padma asked Kevin to tell them about his couscous, he told them about how his cauliflower ended up on the ground. Patrick said maybe it was fortuitous. Tom asked if he wished he had a protein or was he happy with the vegetables. Kevin said he was very happy with the vegetables. He thought it was more of a challenge and it worked out well. Padma told him his couscous was done perfectly.

Kenny said with he the eggplant, he wanted to do something that had  big burst of flavor. Since it was cool outside, he wanted to add some spices to keep everyone warm. Padma said it had a nice spike in it. Tom informed him that was high praise, since she’s a bit tough on curries.

Andrea told them she was worried about the temperature of the pork. She said they were big pieces, but she cut them down to four smaller pieces. She wanted some sweetness to the sauce so she added a little bit of sugar. Tom said he really liked the sauce. He thought it made the dish. Eric loved the pork. He thought the beets complemented it perfectly. He thought the sauce had enough acidity that it worked well with the beets too. Patrick said the entire dish had an elegant rustic quality that he loved. Padma said she appreciated she did a dessert.

Padma told them all that they worked well together to make a beautiful meal for them. Patrick got to pick the winner. He said the first thing he tasted was striking in its clarity. It was also beautifully balanced with the accompanying dish.

Elimination Challenge Winner: Kenny

Losers

Tim, Amanda and Stephen were called in. Tim said he was going to make a mousseline, but as he was cutting and roasting them, he thought he should leave them whole. Eric said the turnips were cut so tiny that he couldn’t taste them with the potato and asparagus. He also found the seasoning of the dish bland. Tom said he hadn’t mentioned asparagus before but it ended up in the dish. Tim said he didn’t like the all-white dish so he added some color. Tom questioned why he added asparagus just for color. He took that as he didn’t like his dish and he was trying to fix it, but he didn’t fix it.

Patrick informed Stephen that there are two ways to serve a salad and a bowl is the worst possible way. He said a plate allows you to continue to toss it while you eat it. You can’t do that in a bowl? For messy eaters like me, it seems easier in a bowl. Then he dumped a gloppy dressing on it, which was like a “concrete truck pouring on top of silk.” It did not work. Stephen started talking about wanting to add texture to the dish so that’s why he had the apples in there. Tom said that if he wanted to use the apples in the place of croutons, he should have diced them smaller. There were big pieces of apple.

Eric asked Amanda to describe a minestrone soup. She described the one she made. Eric asked her if she thought it should have pasta in it too. She just looked confused. Tom asked that when we cut things, why do we cut them uniformly? She said so they cook evenly. Then he asked why she didn’t do that. She shook her head like, “Yeah, why didn’t I do that?” Padma said the dish felt amateurish. Patrick said it felt like it was made by a grandmother who cut up the pieces with an ax and it didn’t have the polish one might expect from a chef.

They were sent out. Tom said that with Stephen’s dish, he didn’t have an issue that he had a lot of stuff there, but how he chose to present it. He said he could have had 20 ingredients in there, as long as it doesn’t appear to have 20 ingredients in there. Eric said he had three and a half hours and he tried to put all the techniques that he knew into that salad and that was his mistake. Padma said it was over thought and overdressed. Patrick said with Tim’s dish a puree would have been ideal next to all the other foods they were eating, so he should have stuck to his original plan. Eric said what he did was invisible. He worked for over three hours and didn’t make an impression on the plate. Padma said Amanda seemed a bit perplexed to be on the bottom again. Tom said she was on the bottom because of the carrots. He said she didn’t think about how they would cook. Eric said it was also the name of the soup was minestrone and there was no pasta in it.

They were called back in. Tom told them there is a cause and effect when they cook. He said if you make one choice, it affects the outcome of the dish and that’s where the dishes failed. Amanda must learn that if she cuts one vegetable larger than the rest, it will cook differently. Stephen didn’t have the confidence to give them a nice perfectly dressed salad. He went overboard and the salad came out overdressed and weighted down. Tim made one decision to make a puree, but midstream changed his mind and it completely messed with his dish. He did even give them roasted flavors that they would expect from a roasted vegetable dish. Padma asked Tim to pack his knives and go.

Questions

  1. What did you think about Kevin working with the guest judge, Patrick, in the past and then being one of the dishes on the bottom of the quickfire?
  2. Were you surprised that Kevin, who was so down on himself with such low self-esteem, actually pulled himself out of a funk to be one of the top dishes? Even after his first dish ended up on the ground?
  3. What do you think about Angelo helping Tamesha out so much like he has done the past two episodes? Do you think he has some game plan that will help him out in the end or is he just being helpful?

Images: Bravo

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