Top Chef Week 6: The Chefs Get Back to Work
Top Chef is finally back after a too long two-week hiatus!
All of the chefs from the last episode that aired got to stay, thanks to Tom's Christmas miracle of no one packing their knives to go.
A big change has already occurred on the show. While judge Gail Simmons goes off to get married (hope the wedding was better than her bridal shower- ugh, remember that?), British restaurant critic Toby Young will fill in. And calling him a tough critic is the first understatement of 2009.
The Quickfire Challenge started off with Padma greeting the chefs along with guest judge Jean-Christophe Novelli, who will have a new show on Bravo (way to cross market!). Padma talked about people being conscious of calories and asked them to create a sweet treat. However, Padma and Jean-Christophe took all the sugar out of the kitchen and left the chefs to create the dish with a sweetness factor of their own.
Carla loves making desserts, so she decided on a baklava with bananas sauteed in walnut oil and chocolate discs. Jean-Christophe thought the bananas were bland. Hosea decided on roasted figs and peaches. Stefan thought it looked like green vomit. Radhika made a bread pudding using whole-wheat challah bread with peaches and cashews. Jean-Christophe thought it was "adventurous." Fabio created a granola and oat tart with berries, which Jean-Christophe wasn't a fan of. Jeff's frozen cherry and white fig yogurt was "well-done." Melissa used her Latin cooking skills and made a baked fruit burrito. Leah's crepe with ricotta and berries had a drizzle of balsamic vinegar that Jean-Christophe loved. Ariane's whole-wheat crepe with toasted almonds and whipped cream didn't go over so well because her whipped cream was so thick it was more like butter. Jamie's ricotta, mascarpone, and peach napoleon was "overpowered" by the cheese, said Jean-Christophe. Radhika ultimately won the challenge, as well as immunity.
Tom informed the chefs of the Elimination Challenge. He told them that he really wanted them to impress the new judge and to show him what kind of food they are able to cook. Thus, they would be doing a blind judging. They would be cooking for judges, foodies, and critics.
The chefs had to create a family style meal that showed what they are capable of. And since no one left during the last elimination, two chefs would be leaving this time.
Because the space where they were cooking was small, the chefs would be cooking in two groups. Since Radhika got immunity, she could choose what group to cook with. She chose group A instead of group B because Stefan was in group B and he "creates more stress." Fabio was aware of the new judge and said he would definitely "piss off a lot of people."
While group A was getting ready to plate, Fabio noticed he forgot to take his lamb out of the sous-vide bath (a method of cooking food inside a plastic bag in a hot water bath) and it was way undercooked. He did have time to criticize Jamie's choice of cooking scallops because she always does it. "It's 'Top Chef' not 'Top Scallop,'" he said.
So the table is set and there is Toby Young. He's a bald man with square-frame glasses and a biting attitude. Group A started out with a huge twist. The "foodies" critiquing the dishes with the judges would be Group B!
Hosea's bacon-wrapped halibut with green mustard sauce had Carla raving about the vegetable medley on the side. Radhika's curried crab bisque with crab salad had Stefan "numb" from the overwhelming spice. Toby said it was where the "weapons of mass destruction" were. And he was just getting started.
Melissa's tuna crudo tacos had Leah looking for salt in the dish and Ariane said it tasted fishy. Toby blasted it and said it tasted like "cat food." Fabio's cheese ravioli and lamb had Stefan also looking for seasoning while Jean-Christophe said the cheese mixture in the ravioli was "superb." Jamie's seared scallops with fennel had a fan in Jeff and Jean-Christophe said it was well-done. Eugene's crispy red snapper with tomato and basil pasta had Toby calling the fish undercooked and the dish was just "bland leading bland."
Group B started with Stefan's roasted duck with braised cabbage. Tom raved and said "it had a lot of flavor." Jeff's tapas trio had Tom calling it "not a dish" but rather "hors d'oeurves." Toby said that the sorbet Jeff had was like "Tom Cruise in 'Tropic Thunder'- an unexpected treat." Ariane's skate wing with cauliflower puree and pineapple was "original" and "fabulous" according to Jean-Christophe. Leah's Pan-European style fish and chips had a rave from Toby. Carla's seared scallop with risotto had Hosea calling it "uninspired." The amount of garlic was too much for Jamie, and Tom hated the taste of raw garlic.
"Weapons of mass destruction"? "Cat food"? Saying a dish was like Tom Cruise? Toby Young might just be the blast of sour to Tom and Padma's sweetness that makes Top Chef so much fun to watch. I can't wait for next week to hear what he'll say next. And also there's a blow-up fight between Jamie and Stefan. Next week better come by fast!