Top Chef: Super Flavors

510bodyslam

Top Chef: New York
Super Bowl Chef Showdown

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Pair whole grain oats with food group to create an original dish.
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a dish based on the regional cuisine of a NFL team.

I love the show when it gets towards the end of the season since they are able to show the food more with fewer chefs. It also gives more time at Judges’ Table and hearing the judges talk about the food. That’s what I like hearing since I learn things. I never understood about acid in food before watching this show. The most I would ever say about a dish I tried would be, “It’s good” or “It’s bad.” Now I can pinpoint what I like or don’t like about something. It is quite educational!

Quickfire Challenge

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The guest judge for the episode was Scott Conant, chef/owner of Scarpetta Restaurant.  The group had a big chalkboard where there were ingredients listed on top and a food group listed on the side, but it was all covered up. Each chef had to write their name in a box and then it would be revealed to them their combination. One at a time, they wrote the names, and Padma first revealed the food group.

  • Jamie – fruits
  • Leah – seafood
  • Stefan – dairy
  • Fabio – vegetables
  • Hosea – meat
  • Carla – nuts & grains
  • Jeff – poultry

When Fabio got vegetables, he told the camera there was no reason to eat vegetables when there is meat and seafood around. Next, Padma revealed what key ingredient they would have to work with.  It was revealed one by one that the key ingredient everyone had to work with was oats. It was a Quaker Oats Quickfire Challenge! Oh god more naming of the quickfire challenges with products. Their challenge was to rethink the super grain and the winner would not get immunity. They would get an advantage in the elimination round. It is about time that the immunity ended! They had 45 minutes to create an original dish.

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Stefan – Dairy
Banana Mousse with Quaker Oats & Oat-Almond Petit Four

Stefan said since people think of oats for breakfast, he wanted to make something sexy for dessert. Scott asked if the rose Stefan put on the plate was edible. Stefan told him he could eat it if he wanted to, but Padma just put it in his jacket pocket instead.

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Fabio – Vegetables
Quaker Oat-Crusted Eggplant with Corn & Parmesan Salad

Jamie thought Fabio had way too much oatmeal on his eggplant. Scott said the food spoke for itself and he had nothing else to say. Fabio felt he was making fun of it.

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Carla – Nuts & Grains
Pecan & Quaker Oat-Crusted Tofu with Oatmeal & Lentil Salad

Scott asked what the tofu was marinated in. Carla said soy sauce, ginger and sriracha. He thanked her and moved on.

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Jamie – Fruit
Coconut & Quaker Oat-Crusted Shrimp, Nectarine Salsa & Avocado Creme Fraiche

Jamie didn’t want to do dessert, but something savory. Scott asked what was in the crust and Jamie told him oats, coconut and flour.

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HoseaMeat
Quaker Oat-Crusted Wiener Schnitzel with Warm Potato Salad & Mustard Sauce

Hosea had the inspiration of wiener schnitzel from making it in a restaurant he used to work.

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Leah – Seafood
Quaker Oat-Crusted Branzino & Mussels with Escarole & Bacon

Leah decided to do a crust on a fish. She couldn’t think of anything else to do. Scott asked what was the inspiration for the bacon and Leah said she loved bacon.

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Jeff – Poultry
Quaker Oat-Crusted Chicken Paillard, Grits & Fried Zucchini

Jeff wanted to make multiple things with oats and thought he would have enough time since he was fast. Jeff told them that the Superbowl theme got him into the mood of fried chicken, but he wanted to do something different with it.

Losers

  • Leah – She had a good concept that wasn’t executed properly. The fish was overcooked and it clashed with the bacon.
  • Fabio – He encrusted the eggplant so much that the eggplant couldn’t be tasted at all, only the oats.
  • Jeff – The first impression of the plate was it was very brown and heavy. He did compliment him on making the chicken moist.

Winners

  • Carla – She did a great job bringing in the flavors with the tofu and the vegetables.
  • Jamie – The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the avocado and creme fraiche  were a nice flavor combination on the dish.
  • Stefan – There were great textures, great flavor combination and very simple and straight-forward.

Overall Quickfire Challenge Winner: Stefan

Stefan was thrilled that he had won five challenges in a row. He would find out later what his advantage would be in the elimination challenge. Padma told the chefs to go to the stew room to find a surprise while she got things set up in the kitchen.

Elimination Challenge

The chefs found chef jackets with their names and the number five on the back (for season five of Top Chef)  of them like sports jerseys. They went back into the kitchen  to find football helmets everywhere and Padma announced the challenge would be Top Chef bowl. They were introduced to the opposing team and past Top Chef contestants came running into the kitchen: Andrew from season 4, Josie from season 2, Andrea from season 1, Spike from season 4, Camille from season 3, Nikki from season 4 and Miguel from season 1. Each chef from season 5 competed against a player from a past season in a head-to-head cook off celebrating the regional cuisine of an NFL team. The teams:

  • Miami Dolphins
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • New York Giants
  • San Francisco ’49ers
  • New Orleans Saints

As the winner of the quickfire challenge, Stefan was able to pick which NFL team he wanted and which chef he would be cooking against. He picked Dallas Cowboys and Andrea. Fabio said he thought Stefan picked Andrea because she cooks nothing but vegetables and was kicked off season 1 once but came back after someone else left the season unexpectedly. Then she was eliminated later on before the end of the season. The teams huddled up to decide who would pick which team in five minutes. After they were done, each team announced who picked which NFL team and they saw who they would be competing against.

  • Dallas Cowboys – Stefan/Andrea
  • Miami Dolphins – Jeff/Josie
  • Green Bay Packers – Fabio/Spike
  • Seattle Seahawks – Hosea/Miguel
  • New York Giants – Leah/Nikki
  • San Francisco ’49ers – Jamie/Camille
  • New Orleans Saints – Carla/Andrew

They had two hours to look over the ingredients provided for each region and plan their menu. They would only have twenty minutes to prepare their meal the next day. The winners in the head-to-head would have bragging rights, but if any of the losers happened to be from season five, they would automatically be up for elimination.

Jamie picked San Francisco because she was from there and would never hear the end of it back home if she didn’t pick it, but her mind went blank when saw the ingredients listed. She started to freak out. Hosea was a bit worried about taking raw ingredients and preparing a meal in only twenty minutes. He did look over and guessed that Miguel was doing a cedar-plank salmon, which he didn’t find very interesting. Miguel said that the season five chefs had better be prepared to face the grandfathers of Top Chef.  Spike felt all the anxiousness and anticipation starting to creep back in when he was back in the kitchen. Fabio said that making food in only twenty minutes was not cooking, but rushing.  Fabio said he would do it by saying, “If they gave me a monkey butt filled with fried bananas, I’d come up with something anyway. It is not a problem.” Carla was going to make gumbo since that was a good southern recipe. Andrew warned season five that if they did not bring their A-game, “they would be stomped and [he] would be peeing on their bodies.” Oh Andrew is so clever. Spike said they should have ended Top Chef after season four. No one could top them. Jamie said the all-star chefs were trying to psyche them all out.

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The next day, the chefs took their stuff over to the Institute of Culinary Education. While the chefs were getting set up in the back, Padma was in the studio kitchen area going over the rules:

  1. Two chefs cook per round
  2. Judges’ vote scores a touchdown (7 points)
  3. Five Fan Tasters’ vote scores a field goal (3 points)

Nikki vs Leah: New York Giants

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Nikki
Chicken Livers with Onions & Goat Cheese on Challah

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Leah
NY Strip with Creamed Corn, Snap Peas & Arugula Salad

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Leah
  • Toby: Nikki
  • Scott: Leah
  • Tom: Leah

Leah received the touch down from the judges.

Fan Taster scores: There were five students from the culinary institute. Only two picked Leah over Nikki’s dish so Nikki got the field goal of three points.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 3
Home Team: 7

Miguel vs Hosea: Seattle Seahawks

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Miguel
Cedar Plank Salmon with Noodles & Mushrooms

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Hosea
Crispy Salmon Roll with Ginger-Blackberry Sauce

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Hosea
  • Toby: Hosea
  • Scott: Hosea
  • Tom: Miguel

Hosea received the touch down from the judges.

Fan Taster scores: Four people picked Hosea so he got all 10 points for the round.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 3
Home Team: 17

Andrew vs Carla: New Orleans Saints

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Andrew
Crayfish Crudo with a Spicy Lime Vinaigrette

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Carla
Crawfish & Andouille Gumbo Over Stone-Ground Grits

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Carla
  • Toby: Carla
  • Scott: Carla
  • Tom: Carla

Carla received the touch down from the judges.

Fan Taster scores: Only one person picked Carla so Andrew received the field goal points.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 6
Home Team: 24

Andrea vs Stefan: Dallas Cowboys

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Andrea
Tex-Mex Chili with Fried Corn Chips & Guacamole Coleslaw

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Stefan
Roasted Pork with Coleslaw & NY Steak with Corn Salad

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Andrea
  • Toby: Andrea
  • Scott: Stefan
  • Tom: Stefan

Since the judges were tied, all 10 points would be awarded based on the fan taster scores.

Fan Taster scores: All five picked Andrea’s dish so she got all 10 points and Stefan received none.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 16
Home Team: 24

Camille vs Jamie: San Francisco 49ers

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Camille
Miso Sweet Potato Mash with Mustard Crab Meat & Salad

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Jamie
Crab Cioppino with Olives, Basil & Toasted Sourdough

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Jamie
  • Toby: Jamie
  • Scott: Camille
  • Tom: Camille

Since the judges were tied, all 10 points would be awarded based on the fan taster scores.

Fan Taster scores: All five picked Jamie’ dish so she got all 10 points and Camille received none.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 16
Home Team: 34

Josie vs Jeff: Miami Dolphins

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Josie
Warm Rock Shrimp Ceviche with Papaya

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Jeff
Rock Shrimp Ceviche with Sangria Sorbet

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Jeff
  • Toby: Josie
  • Scott: Josie
  • Tom: Josie

Josie won the judges scores.

Fan Taster scores: Three preferred Josie’s plate so Jeff received no points from the fan tasters either.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 26
Home Team: 34

Spike vs Fabio: Green Bay Packers

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Spike
Five-Spice Venison with Port Reduction & Micro Herb Salad

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Fabio
Venison with Mustard Sauce & Mache Salad with Cheddar

Judges’ Scores:

  • Padma: Spike
  • Toby: Fabio
  • Scott: Spike
  • Tom: Spike

Spike won the judges scores.

Fan Taster scores: Four preferred Fabio’s dish so he got the field goal points.

Top Chef Bowl Scores:

All Stars: 33
Home Team: 37

The home team won overall, but one of them would be going home. Stefan and Jeff would be in the bottom since they received zero points. Fabio would also be there since he only received three points out of ten.

Judges’ Table

Leah, Carla, Hosea and Jamie were called in to be congratulated for winning their head-to-head competition. Carla was excited to get New Orleans since she had wanted to make grits. Toby said Carla’s dish had a very authentic flavor of New Orleans about it. He said he tasted the love this time. Tom told Carla that he felt she really got the point of the challenge. He said it was smart to infuse the bodies of the crawfish into the stock. Hosea said he wanted to create something unique while taking advantage of the Asian ingredients that were available to him.  Tom loved that Hosea was able to make an egg roll with the salmon as medium rare inside of it.  Scott said if a dish is really good, there is something that draws you back to it. He said it was well done. Jamie said when people think of San Francisco, they usually think of sourdough bread first so she knew she wanted to use that. Toby said when someone is watching a football game, they want to dispense of using utensils so he really liked that she had the sourdough bread there as a way to shovel the dish onto it and scoop it in your mouth.  Scott said it was refreshing to watch the way she cooked and he loved that she was able to extract good flavors out of the ingredients she was using. Leah said she really wanted to make something super simple and taste good. Tom said she accomplished that. He loved that she used herbs when she basted it. As the guest judge, Scott got to pick the overall winner and he picked Carla. She was shocked. She won two tickets to the Superbowl.

Fabio said that when he sliced his venison it was medium rare, but when he had it sitting on top of the hot cabbage, it became overcooked. Tom shook his head like he didn’t buy that excuse. Scott said, “Intentions don’t matter. What matters is what is on the plate in front of you.” He asked Fabio if he understood and then didn’t believe Fabio when he said he did. Scott said the greens he had on the plate were wilted and the cheese he put on the plate had no acid to it. Fabio took offense to that and started to tell Scott that he should know since he has an Italian restaurant. Scott told Fabio to calm down since he was the judge. He said that everyone has the intention to make perfect food each time, but he failed at making a perfect dish. Fabio said he agreed with that.

It was Stefan’s first time in the bottom. Toby said his problem with the dish was “overall, it was a bit uninspired.” Stefan apologized. Tom said they were hoping to get a bit more out of the dish by what they think of with Texas, which was big and in your face. Scott said there could have been more flavor and more depth. Scott said it was interesting that he chose to go against Andrea. Tom said he did it because he thought she was going to be weak. Stefan didn’t say anything but he didn’t disagree with what Tom had said.

Jeff said when he first heard Superbowl, he thought chicken and ribs. Then when he saw what was in the box of ingredients, he was going to go back to his roots with the sorbet, but when he arrived, he saw the plastic plates. He felt he went two steps forward and one step back. Tom asked what was the big deal with plastic plates. Jeff changed the subject saying he got beat by hot ceviche that he didn’t think was ceviche. Tom said Josie’s dish was more flavorful than his dish. Jeff pointed out that he did way more things than she did. Then he admitted that he probably did too many things and it came back to bite him. Toby said he chose Josie’s dish because it has the authentic taste of Miami. Jeff said if he got beat, then he got beat and he wasn’t going to argue. Tom said it came down to flavor and her dish was more enjoyable. He said Jeff’s version was a “very watered down version of ceviche.”

They were all sent out. Scott said Stefan’s salad “was a disaster. It was amateur at best.” Tom said there were a lot of things wrong with that dish. Padma said, “To me, that salad, was abominable.” Scott asked what Fabio’s point was when he was defending his dish. Toby said he felt Fabio was dealt the poorest state. Scott said they all got to choose their states and that is what he picked. He said if Fabio had made a nicely cooked venison, then it would have made a good dish. Tom didn’t like Jeff’s dish at all. He thought it was a poor ceviche. He couldn’t do it in 20 minutes so he poached the shrimp beforehand. Tom said that Jeff said Josie didn’t make a ceviche, but Jeff didn’t either. Scott agreed.

They were called back in. Tom told Jeff, “You gave us kind of a watered down version of ceviche.” Tom told Stefan, “You didn’t give us the strong flavors we are looking for, that we expect from Texas and from Dallas.” Tom told Fabio, “You completely overcooked the venison.” Padma asked Jeff to pack his knives and leave.

Questions

  1. Did Jeff deserve to go home for his tasteless ceviche or should it have been Stefan with his disaster salad or Fabio with his overcooked venison?
  2. Do you think what saves Fabio is he is so charming, especially when he was talking to the audience and Spike during the cook off?
  3. Was anyone else confused about how they thought 20 minutes wasn’t enough to cook at the cook off when that is the length of some of the quickfire challenges, and they did have two hours to plan and prep?
  4. Is anyone else surprised that Leah is still around especially when most of the time in the kitchen she really has no idea and epitomizes a slacker?
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