David Ross

nice analysis as usual, I enjoy hearing your opinion on each episode. ← Thank you, much appreciated and I certainly enjoy reading everyone else's perspectives on each episode. I'm going to re-watch last week's episode again tonight so I can take another look at the Elimination Challenge. I'll post those comments tommmorrow. I can't leave well enough alone, so I have to give a last, parting shot at Antonia and Lisa and the Polish Sausage foibles of last week. I admit that after reviewing the recipe on the Top Chef site and reading Ted's blog that Antonia and Lisa did in fact use Polish Sausage in their dish-albeit a paltry 2 oz. of the stuff. Mixing a measely 2oz. of Polish Sausage with Chorizo into their "Purple Mashed Potatoes" was their way of skirting under the radar and faking an excuse for the judges that they were "improvising." Technicalities aside, I still don't think they met the intent of the challenge last week, which should have been to showcase Polish Sausage as a main ingredient in the dish. Not to worry though, Lisa is quickly running out of breath as the pack heads into the far turn and into the homestretch. I'm not in the Antonia sympathy camp this week. Tricky editing to play on viewer's emotions for Antonia's family situation doesn't mean she deserves to be a Top Chef. So while I don't buy into the feel-good story, I do give Antonia high marks for her cooking abilities this week and for winning both the Quickfire and and Elimination Challenges. Nice Job Antonia-now just keep cooking.

I’d say this week’s “Common Threads” episode lacked flavor and “seasoning.” In other words, we were presented with two disappointing, bland challenges that really didn’t do much to promote the concept of a “Top Chef.” In my perfect little world, a world that is often at odds with the “reality” of Top Chef, a little farm North of Chicago raising free-range ducks would be the sponsor of a “Duck” challenge. Now that’s my idea of providing the Chefs with a quality product that will give them the best opportunity to show us their culinary skills. Yet, it’s doubtful that a small, family-owned duck farm in Illinois would be able to afford the cost of a 30-second spot on “Top Chef.” Even if they had the cash to spend on advertising on National television, they probably couldn’t sell enough ducks to keep up with the demand that would be generated by airing a commercial on Top Chef. It’s probably wishful thinking on my part to expect that the advertising sales staff at Bravo would even court an artisanal food purveyor. The makers of Glad Wrap and Uncle Ben’s rice are far more valuable to Bravo due to their mass demographic appeal than a few organic ducks. In order to satisfy their commitments to crass commercialism, Bravo gave us the “Rice in 15 Minutes” Quickfire Challenge. A rice challenge per se, is totally appropriate to Top Chef-as long as the limitations of the challenge still give the Chefs the greatest opportunity to shine. I don’t discredit Uncle Ben’s rice for what it is, but I don’t consider it to be in the same class of rice that I’d expect to see in a fine dining kitchen. Restricting the Chefs to using pre-cooked rice wrapped in foil packets to make a dish in 15 minutes just didn’t seem fair. Even so, some Chefs did an admirable job of putting together a decent rice dish. I think Stephanie and Mark both fell under the spell of attempting to create a complicated dish that just didn’t fit within the confines of a 15-minute rice challenge. They both admitted to committing a cardinal sin of cooking-they sent out dishes that they hadn’t properly tasted. Stephanie said that she had never made a seafood pancake before and that “she had no idea what it (seafood pancakes), tasted like.” With only 15 minutes of cooking time, she should have realized that a tested, simple recipe would have been the best course of action. She took a stupid risk that resulted in a soppy dish of “Brown Rice Pancakes with Scallops and Vinaigrette.” I really can’t imagine what Mark was thinking when he decided to pair turkey with miso and grapes. (Maybe he just likes to cut little grapes in half?). Last week, Mark used grapes more appropriately in his “Concord Grape Sauce” paired with “Purple, Depressed, Bacon” (pork loin with sweet potatoes). But this week, I felt that he slapped too many competing flavors together in his dish of “Miso-Glazed Turkey on Rice Salad with Sugar Snap Peas, Grapes and Tomatoes.” You probably aren’t a Top Chef if Padma says that your turkey tastes like “chicken.” I still don’t personally like Antonia after the disrespect she showed the judges during last week’s “Polish Sausage” incident, but she did a fine job this week in winning the Quickfire Challenge with her “Rice Salad with Skirt Steak, Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes.” I like the simple, clean flavors in Antonia’s dish and it’s something that I’d definately make for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. By the way, I thought I’d do a taste test. I’m having “microwaveable” Uncle Ben’s rice for lunch right now. It’s bland-even with salt, pepper and butter.

Last night I did two desserts from the "Traditional British Cooking" cookbook. I wanted to do two fruit desserts with fresh, clean "Spring" flavors to follow a dinner of Chicken with Morels and Asparagus. Of course, I couldn't just settle for using the recipe exactly as it is written in the book. Instead of serving the Syllabub on its own in a glass or bowl, I spooned it into a tartlet made with a Shortbread crust. The second dessert is Cranberry Jelly with Raspberries and Cream. You cook the cranberry juice with spices before chilling it. I changed the spice mixture in the recipe by using star anise instead of the cinnamon and clove called for in the recipe. You also add fresh ginger to the juice as it cooks. The jelly was pretty tangy, almost too much so, but it was a nice counter balance to the sweetness and richness of the syllabub. Orange Syllabub with Cranberry Jelly and Raspberry:

Spring is finally here in the Northwest. Tonight I did Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables and Bowtie Pasta. I browned the chicken pieces and then braised them in a liquid made of white wine, chicken stock, thyme and preserved lemons. (I started the preserved lemons last week). The vegetables included baby carrots, peas, local asparagus and morel mushrooms. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand to pay $65.00 per pound for fresh morels so I used dried and they worked just fine. The forest fires the previous Summer have an impact on the Spring morel crop. If the fires are severe, we tend to have a large crop of morels-the fires carry the mushroom spores through the wind-nature's way of seeding the new crop of morels. But last summer the fires were not as intense as in previous years, so our fresh morels are not as abundant this year. Thus, the ridiculously high price. Here is a closeup shot of the dish brought to the table family style in one big bowl: And a shot of an individual serving:

Late as I am, I hope you’ll indulge me. With episode “8” looming just hours away, here are some thoughts about last week’s episode “7”, the “Improv” episode. It was refreshing to see a challenge presented in the format of a private dinner party rather than a “Zoo” catered event, a “Block Party” catered event, an “Elements” catered event or a “Tailgate” catered event. Enough with the catered affairs already! First Course-Andrew and Spike (winners) Inspiration-“Yellow, Love, Vanilla” Dish-“Butternut Squash Soup with Vanilla Crème Fraiche” The street name for Spike’s dish would be “The Revenge of Soup.” Now Antonia, you can “vomit in your mouth if Spike wins.” Soup revenge is so delicious. Spike proved, albeit a couple of week’s after the Great Top Chef Soup Debate, that a chef can create a simple, delicious, outstanding dish of “soup.” Andrew and Spike met every element of the challenge--Yellow-Butternut Squash, Love-Vanilla, Vanilla-Crème Fraiche-- by combining the rich, buttery flavor of the squash with the exotic scent of sweet vanilla in a soup that whispered “love” to the diners. Second Course-Stephanie and Jen (the biggest loser’s) Inspiration-“Orange, Turned-On, Asparagus” Dish-“Ménage a Trois of Orange with Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Salad and Olive Tapenade” Stephanie and Jen’s attempt at a threesome turned into an ugly romp of messy ingredients covered by an oily blanket of melted cheese. Steph and Jen spent over $50 on Boucheron cheese. They should have simply sliced the cheese and served it as an accompaniment to the main components of the dish, orange and asparagus. The ladies chose to make a bed of soggy bread, limp asparagus that was neither “erect” nor “turned-on,” and then cover it with an oil-slickened blanket of cheese. Stephanie’s attempt at presenting sexual innuendo to the judges as she introduced the dish came off as fake. Lisa and Stephanie’s attempted to heighten the sexual tension by slurping limpid spears of asparagus. If that’s their idea of a ménage a trois, no thank you. Jen needed to go home to sate her sexual urges, but I don’t agree with the judge’s decision to send her home for the dish. At the very least, Jen and Stephanie attempted to meet the challenge, even if their cooking fell down. Third Course-Dale and Richard (the biggest winner’s) Inspiration-“Green, Perplexed, Tofu” Dish-“Tofu Steak Marinated in Beef Fat with Green Curry” Dale and Richard are clearly the two standouts at this point in the competition. Week after week Richard has successfully worked within the guidelines of the challenges before him. In my opinion, Richard doesn’t see the challenges as “limiting” his abilities but rather as a “challenge” to create an exceptional dish. He didn’t just put some spinach on a plate with confusing blocks of tofu and meat-he took his dish out of the safe zone and onto a higher plane. Dale is the perfect teammate to compliment Richard because he shares Richard’s creative thinking and level of execution. At first glance, I’d probably yawn a bit if I were presented with what I was told was a block of tofu, cut into a “steak” and then grilled, sitting atop green curry and fried eggplant. But after one bite of Richard and Dale’s tofu, I’m sure I would give the Chefs a perplexing glance. What is that beefy taste Richard? You said it was tofu but it sure doesn’t taste like tofu. It’s white, it’s creamy, but it has grill marks and tastes like a “beefy” steak. I’m perplexed. But I’m satisfied. Thank you Chefs. Fourth Course-Lisa and Antonia-(should have BOTH lost and been kicked in the ass as they walked out the kitchen door) Inspiration-“Magenta, Drunk, Polish Sausage” Dish-“Sea Bass with Purple Potato Puree, Chorizo and Tequila Sauce” Antonia and Lisa limited the small amount of creativity in their feeble minds by blatantly disregarding the parameters of the challenge. They purposely chose to disrespect the city’s rich history by not using Polish Sausage and it showed in the final dish. I agree with the suggestion that braising Polish Sausage in Beer would have met the challenge, but there’s so much more that Antonia and Lisa could have done to create a top dish. They could have taken a turn on a classic dish of Choucroute Garni by using red cabbage for the “magenta” color. They might have selected beer for the braising liquid-the “drunk” element-or they could have taken a turn and braised the meats and cabbage in wine. Just because Polish Sausage was one of the elements of the inspiration that doesn’t mean that there was no room for creativity. The Chefs could have “improvised” by pairing the sausage other appropriate cured meats like Smoked Pork Loin or Bratwurst. Fifth Course-Nikki and Mark (Not winners, not losers) Inspiration-“Purple, Depressed, Bacon” Dish-“Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes, Grape Sauce, Natural Jus, Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta” Mark and Nikki probably are both nice people, but I just don’t think they are at the level of a “Top” Chef. Mark’s description of the “bacon being depressed because it had to share the plate with Brussels Sprouts” was weak. I’d like pork and sweet potatoes for Sunday dinner, but it wouldn’t excite me if that is what Mark and Nikkie brought to the judges table. Chef Colicchio wins the award for The Best Line from last week’s episode: Tom was drilling Antonia and Lisa about why they chose to use Sea Bass in their dish when the challenge clearly stated “Polish Sausage.” After spewing some obviously insincere excuses, Antonia finally broke down and said “from now on…..” a reference that she wouldn’t make the same mistake in the future. Tom: “IF there’s a from now on!” Great line Tom, but sadly, you made the mistake of allowing these two wicked witches who blew into Chicago to stay in the competition.

I forgot to mention another loser in this week’s Quickfire “Dessert Challenge.” Our Aussie Mate Mark, the man who adorns his various headbands with frilly red flowers. It seems like his sense of fashion is about as bad as his sense of cooking. Mark's certainly providing some humorous moments on Top Chef this year-like the infamous bathtub romp with Spike. But really, looking back at the dishes he's produced so far, Mark's food has been pretty forgettable. Mark's personality rates much higher on the "likeability" scale than those snot-nosed, rude sows Lisa and Antonia. But being a nice guy who cooks unremarkable food doesn't always cut it on Top Chef. Regardless of Mark's hair garnishments, the Pavlova's were "mixed-up" in Judge Johnny's opinion. Mark hasn't shown much promise and he'll probably be going home soon.

Interesting question. I recall that pineapple juice has an enzyme that can prevent gelatin from gelling, so I guess it could also affect the proteins in egg whites. I don't recall the ice cream, but it's also possible that sitting out under the TV lights did not help. ← You are probably right, i.e. the camera lights having an effect on the look of the ice cream. There is a photo of the dish on the Top Chef site on the Rate the Plate tab. Aside from the large mass and outside/glossy texture of the ice cream, I wish Richard hadn't put such a large glob on the plate.

Sorry for my delayed responses. I'm not as quick-witted as some of you. I seem to have to watch each episode at least three times before I can put my thoughts on paper. So far this season, I’m actually enjoying the Quickfire Challenges more than the dramatic Elimination Challenges. I like the Quickfire Challenge because it dares the Chefs to think on the spot and create a dish in 30 minutes or less. And thankfully, when it comes to the Quickfire Challenge, Bravo doesn’t have the time to air pathetic clips of Dale skipping beer caps and F’ing off Lisa. (Even though she deserves it). Maybe Bravo took pity on the Chefs this year when it came to the dessert challenge-the usual 30 minute Quickfire was extended to 1 hour and 30 minutes. (If you weren’t watching closely you would have missed the time clock set at 1.30.00 when Padma called for the Chefs to start cooking). It’s a bit of Top Chef lore that the dessert challenge has brought previous Chefs to their knees. I don’t think the efforts of the Chefs this year were all that bad compared to previous years-but there were definitely a few clunkers among the group. Although Judge Johnny gave Spike unenthusiastic praise for at least attempting to make a soufflé, Spike’s technique fell short. He shouldn’t have attempted to make a soufflé if he wasn’t absolutely sure it would have worked. If there’s a pastry chef in the house, let me know if a soufflé would be affected by baking it inside of a hollowed out pineapple?? I’m actually curious to know if the liquid in the pineapple had a negative effect on Spike’s finished soufflé. Look at the photo of his dessert on the Top Chef site and it looks like a puddle of wilted eggs stuck in the middle of a poorly carved pineapple. And the requisite little “wee-drink-in-a-shot-glass” off to the side of the dish only accents, in a bad way, the failings of the soufflé. I still kinda like ya Spike, you’re what my 84-year old Father would call a “character.” This was the week I wished the results of BOTH the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges would have been merged so that Antonia’s snotty ass would have been eliminated. I’ll talk about her sausage ignorance later, but her dessert of “Bruleed Lemon Curd with Lemon Cake,” and a smattering of ugly strawberries and a dollop of cream was uninspired and downright ugly on the plate. Antonia should have put forth more effort. She could have used the same basic ingredients, but done it in a more thoughtful, more flavorful and more creative manner. She could have incorporated lemon curd in the lemon cake batter and then topped the cake with a “brulee” garnish. Candied citrus peel and fresher looking berries might have given her dessert the upscale appearance it needed. I liked Richard’s winning dessert of “Banana Scallops with Banana Guacamole and Chocolate Ice Cream,” but I don’t think it was without fault. I liked the idea of sautéing the banana “scallops” to give them that caramelized texture we crave in a sea scallop. Judge Johnny said that the “similar textures (of the banana and guacamole), were really smart.” While I like the combination of banana and chocolate, Richard’s “Chocolate Ice Cream,” looked more like slick chocolate pudding dumped on the plate. I’d like to know what type of recipe Richard used for the ice cream base. It’s pretty hard to successfully make an ice cream base, chill it and then process it in an ice cream freezer/maker in an hour and 30 minutes. I also felt the presentation of Richard’s dish was not up to his usually high standards. Part of the presentation looks very upscale-you see a swish of chocolate sauce on the plate next to the “banana scallops.” Yet the plate is muddied up with a big dump of “chocolate ice cream.” It’s a minor point, but I think Richard should have taken a few more seconds and shaped the ice cream into a small quenelle. That would have been a more appropriate accent to the overall presentation of the dish. Richard also scored points with me this week when he said that “I’m not a one-trick pony” and “sure, I can do the chemical thing,” bit “I can cook, like making a dessert.” That’s the measure of a “Top Chef”-someone who recognizes their talent and builds on their strengths, yet doesn't allow weaknesses to prevent them from surging forward. Well said Richard.

One week left before I leave on my trip to Vegas Uncork'd. I've put together what I think is an impressive list of dining experiences and I'm looking forward to sharing my reports with you: -Tuesday, May 6, Dinner at Michael Mina at Bellagio. Chef Anthony Amoroso was in Seattle last week doing some press for Vegas Uncork'd. He prepared a delicious dish of Sous-vide Lobster with Curry on KONG-TV. I've put in my request to have his Lobster dish when I dine there, along with Chef Mina's signature "Caviar Parfait" appetizer. -Wednesday, May 7, OPEN. No decisions yet, but I'm thinking about dinner at the counter at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the MGM. -Thursday, May 8, Lunch at Louis's Southern style restaurant with friends. -Thursday, May 9, "Master's Series" dinner at Bradlegy Ogden at Caesar's hosted by Chef Bradley Ogden and Alan Richman. -Friday, May 9, "Editor's at Lunch" luncheon at Sensi at Bellagio hosted by Chef Martin Heirling and Alan Richman. -Friday, May 9, the "Grand Tasting" event at the Forum Shops at Caesar's hosted by 52, yes over 50, of the finest restaurants and chefs in Las Vegas. -Saturday, May 10, "Star Chef's Luncheon" at Daniel Boulud Brasserie at Wynn hosted by Chef Boulud and Bon Appetit Editor Barbara Fairchild. -Saturday, May 11, dinner at the "A Tale of Five Chefs Gala" at Bellagio hosted by Julian Serrano, Todd English, Michael Mina, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Jean-Phillipe Maury. -Sunday, May 12, dinner at CUT at The Palazzo with friends. I'll be sharing lots of photos with you and speaking about the creative cooking going on in the kitchens in Las Vegas.

From what I found when I was searching for Green Goddess recipes, the traditional dish always included anchovy and tarragon wine vinegar. The tarragon wine vinegar gives Green Goddess that characteristic snappy taste. Without it, you basically have a creamy green herb dressing. You can change things up and still stay within the flavor boundaries of what I would call Green Goddess. In the Calamari and Lamb dishes above, I added cilantro to the basic recipe. Sometimes for a salad I'll add chunks of Bleu Cheese after the dressing has been mixed. Serve "Green Goddess and Bleu" on a chilled wedge of Iceberg and you have a different take on today's popular Iceberg Wedge with Bleu Cheese Dressing. 1 clove garlic, chopped 3 tablespoons anchovy paste 3 tablespoons finely snipped chives 1/3 cup finely snipped parsley 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons tarragon wine vinegar 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Add the garlic, anchovy paste, chives, parsley, lemon juice, tarragon vinegar, sour cream and mayonnaise to a blender. Mix on high speed until the ingredients are incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the dressing refrigerated, covered, until ready to use.

Finally, after our worst winter in over 50 years and record snowfall, we came out of the winter doldrums and are now seeing the wonder of Spring in Eastern Washington. That means fresh asparagus from Walla Walla. I had some of the Green Goddess dressing leftover from the calamari dish a few days ago, so I used that as a sauce for the lamb. I had never ventured into making a garlic custard-and I was taking a risk in adding some pureed asparagus. I was worried that the asparagus would water down the egg custard and wondered if I should add another egg yolk to give the custard more body. Rather than make that assumption, I didn't add any extra eggs to the recipe. I just poached about 3 stalks of asparagus, pureed it and then added it to the custard. Success! The custard had a subtle flavor of garlic and asparagus-subtle but not overpowering. Just enough. I garnished the custard with some chives from the garden and a few sprinkles of an old standby-fried shallots that I buy in a big jar at the Asian market. I grilled the zuchinni and then cut it in large dice and cured it with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and some lemon zest. Here are the results, "Roast Rack of Lamb, Asparagus-Garlic Custard, Green Goddess Dressing, Grilled Zuchinni Salad."

Last night was an experiment-"Fried Calamari with Green Goddess Sauce." I experimented a bit with the breading on the Calamari. I used a mix of Corn Flake crumbs and cornstarch. While the breading turned out o.k., the calamari weren't as crunchcy as they are when I use my regular seasoned flour mixture. Next time I'm going to experiment with a panko mixture for the breading. My Mother used to buy Green Goddess Salad Dressing, I think Wishbone brand, when I was a kid in the 60's-70's. For some reason, a few years ago as I approached 50, I turned back to many of the foods of my youth. I searched and searched for Green Goddess and couldn't find a single bottle in any major market. I've found it in specialty markets, but it doesn't taste anything like what I remebered. A few years back I found a recipe online and I've been using it ever since. This time I added some extra "green" to the Green Goddess by adding some cilantro. I added a bit more tarragon vinegar than I prefer, but the extra tang in the dressing helped cut through the richness of the fried calamari and those butter-dipped breadsticks you see in the background. Enjoy.

This dish is a stunner! Very nice indeed. Can you share the Saffron Scallop Sauce with us?

No, no worries from this guy way out West. I've already been reading the dirty little details about the "Improv" episode on the Top Chef site, even though the actual show won't air in my market until 10pm Pacific Time. I couldn't wait. I've been viewing the plates. Looks interesting from what I've seen so far. I'll be interested to see how Richard pulled off Chocolate Ice Cream in a 30-minute Quickfire Challenge.

A little off topic here, but while I'm waiting for this week's "Improv" episode of Top Chef, (something about pastry and comedy in Chicago), I'll share a bit more on tailgating. Read up a few bars and you'll see my admission-I'm an Oregon State Beaver. That's almost embarassing to admit to a USC Trojan. At least it used to be when SC was regularly beating us by skads of points. A few years back, Oregon State went to Baton Rouge to play the #1 ranked LSU Tigers. It was predicted we would be embarassed and become the laughing stock of college football nation. We came within one barely missed field goal of upsetting the Tigers in overtime. One of my ultimate food dreams is to eat my way through a season-long tour of tailgate parties at some of the great American college football stadiums. Now onward to this week's episode. Comedy (as in Second City Chicago), and Sweets. I am sure we're in for some laughs.....I just don't know if we'll laugh at the chefs or with them.

Thank you for confirming my assumptions about how delicious a tailgate party can be. We eat pretty good out West in the Pac-10, but I doubt we can compare to the tailgate spreads at your 90,000+ seat stadium. Now if we hadn't missed those field goals a few years back down on the bayou.........

I suppose one could argue that a "tailgate" party has nothing whatsoever to do with sports-it's more of a gathering of people to eat, drink and soak up the party atmosphere that surrounds the event. But I think that there is a correlation between understanding the challenge and how you carry it out in the context of the food you present. I think Ryan's lack of interest in sports, and football in particular, showed he was totally unfamiliar with the concept of the tailgate party. That seems to me to be a direct link to the failures of the food he presented. But even if we give him a pass on that issue, he still didn't think, or care to think, about putting forth a decent dish. Had Ryan grasped the concept of a "tailgate" party, he might have turned a messy bread salad into a delicious marinated chicken with bread salad on a quality bread roll. Unique, flavorful and a nice small bite that fit within the context of a tailgate party challenge and a dish the guests would have expected from a Top Chef. I've been a football fan my entire life and I've been going to tailgate parties at college football games for going on 40 some years now. Based on my own experiences, a tailgate party can be much more than just your average backyward BBQ. Sure, a tailgate party is a mass of people who are just there for the food and booze-and some could care less about the football game. However, you could make a strong case for arguing that a tailgate party is actually a local food event that is a portrait of the foods from a particular region. It just happens to be a food event that is staged at a sports venue. I'm a graduate of Oregon State, a member of the Pac-10 Conference. Oregon State is located in the Willamette Valley, about an hour drive South of Portland. You'll regularly see regional foods served at a tailgate party during home football games in Corvallis-things like barbecued salmon, steamed dungeness crab and all sorts of local berries, like Marionberries and Loganberries, used in desserts. There's plenty of Budweiser and Hillshire Sausages to go around-but there's also a lot of seasonal, locally-produced foods. I've never been to a tailgate party down South, but I've seen lots of images of what y'all cook at an SEC, (Southeast Conference), tailgate party. Imagine the wonderful food you would see displayed at a tailgate party at a home game in Baton Rouge, the home of the LSU Tigers. My guess is that there would be lots of gumbos, jambalayas and maybe even some fried alligator nuggets. For some, a tailgate party is just an excuse to eat and drink to excess on a Saturday morning. But for others, it can be a wonderful experience to enjoy local dishes in a communal setting. Isn't it too bad that some of the "Top Chef's" didn't recognize that fact?

Last week, I gave Chef Colicchio a “bravo” for addressing the issues of the demeanor of the contestants and for recognizing the fact that he is listening to the comments and constructive criticisms from the viewers. Tom is my favorite judge on Top Chef. And his crew in Las Vegas cooks one mean piece of meat at “Craftsteak” at the MGM. If the “Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms” are on the menu when you dine there, order them to accompany your prime-grade, grass-finished, seared steak. Delicious. But this week for the “Tailgate” episode, Chef Tom lost a few style points for bringing back that silly looking black beret. (Maybe he should have dipped into Spike’s supply of funky headwear for something new?) Wasn’t it last year that we first saw Tom wearing the beret? I think it was the “Airline Food,” episode. There they were, Tom and Bourdain, two cool middle-aged dudes sitting on a Continental 777 in a hangar in New Jersey. Maybe a basic hat with the “Schlitz Beer” logo would have fit in better at a Chicago Bears game. A minor point that made me smile. Thanks for the chuckle Chef. There were certainly more laughable scenes from this past week’s “Tailgate” episode. Mark and Spike decided to spend the evening before the challenge on a date in a bubble bath. One of the better lines of the evening was when Mark told Spike to “look at my bubbles.” As Antonia so brilliantly put it, “it looks like cheap porno.” Bubble baths and champagne are fun of course, but Mark might have put his time to better use by doing some homework and writing a script for how to pull-off chicken skewers and corn chowder at the tailgate party. Studying instead of bathing with Spike might have given Mark “cleaner” marks from the judges. Mark was a disaster at the barby-He didn’t appear to have enough chicken skewers prepped and ready to go on the grill fast enough to keep pace with the customers appetites. He gave away a much-needed towel to his friend Ryan at the next station-a towel he needed to clean up his own mess. I didn’t catch it, but listening to Padma describe Mark’s triple dipping his spoons-first in the chowder, then in his mouth, then back in the chowder-really made me groan. Mark’s weak attempt at the Tailgate Challenge put the spotlight on what may be his weakness in the future-an inability to plan, be organized and cook “clean.” Chef Tom put it in simple and frank terms at the judges’ table when he told Mark that “you better clean up your act man!” Nikki is a minor player on a Triple-D class ball club trying to compete in the major leagues against stars like Richard. Nikki made so many mistakes it’s hard to list them all. Settling for pre-made, basic recipe Italian Sausage was just one of the more noticeable errors in judgement. She chose to pair her “Sausage and Grilled Pepper Sandwich” with inconsequential grilled shrimp served with “homemade cocktail sauce.” She should have disregarded the shrimp and used the savings to her advantage by buying quality cuts of meat and blending her own spices to make a savory sausage. (Like the more talented Chef Richard did for his “Pate Melt with Spicy Mayonnaise and Pickled Cucumber”). Another glaring fault was Nikki’s error in not planning enough food for the number of guests she was told would pass by her station. One of my pet peeves is going to a bakery at 7am only to be told “we’re out of the maple bars, Sir.” That’s basically what Nikki told the football fans. What was that you said Nikki? You can’t really give me a whole sandwich because you “might not have enough.” Not good enough my dear. If you’re serving hungry Bears fans give them a full sandwich. (Oh yeah, and hold out 4 of the sandwiches-you might need them to serve to the judges). We are all in agreement that she absolutely has to go--and soon. Yet Nikki did make an attempt, however feeble it was, to meet the challenge of a “Tailgate” party. Lastly, there was our metro-sexual friend Ryan. Through his own admission, he doesn’t like sports and he’s never really been to a tailgate party. And it showed. A Top Chef would have to be really ignorant to present the three fussy dishes Ryan put on the back of the tailgate. Football fans don’t want to mess with having to nosh on a dainty little “Poached Pear” or cut through a messy “Bread Salad with Marinated Chicken.” Food you can feel, that you can hold with one hand while balancing a beer in the other hand, food with lots of flavor, that’s what the “daily special” should be at a tailgate party. I like the idea of a bread salad with chicken, but Ryan just wasn’t successful at presenting the dish within the context of a tailgate party. As the judges said, aside from the fact that Ryan didn’t even come close to meeting the challenges presented at a “Tailgate” party, his food “just wasn’t very good.” I think the judges were left with two very poor choices-keep Nikki, who at least attempted to make a first-down but went out of bounds before she got to the line-or eliminate Ryan for fumbling the ball in the end-zone. I’ve seen the previews for the upcoming episode-something about pastry and baking? Now this is really going to be a treat.

Don't let Marco Pierre White hear you say that. BTW, your Daily Racing Form analysis post was Grade I Stakes quality! ← Thanks for the advice-I'll pray that Chef Marco doesn't catch wind of my distaste for chicken bouillon cubes. I've heard some rumblings that he once had quite the temper. I wouldn't want him throwing cubes of bouillon at me.... ← Bouollion does not always mean cubes. There is boulllion out there that is more like a concentrate and is used in alot of better restaurants for speeding up prep. ← I followed Dale's instructions and used the chicken bouillon. The recipe on the site simply calls for "4T chicken bouillon." Since the recipe didn't specify what type/form to use, I used granulated chicken bouillon. The chicken bouillon didn't seem to have any flavor effect on the ribs. I'm still curious why Dale used it. ← I'm thinking more about this and R you are probably right on-maybe Dale used a concentrated, liquid type of bouillon to give the marinade for the ribs extra flavor? If that's the case it certainly makes more sense. Even if the recipe that Bravo posted on the site doesn't make sense.

Don't let Marco Pierre White hear you say that. BTW, your Daily Racing Form analysis post was Grade I Stakes quality! ← Thanks for the advice-I'll pray that Chef Marco doesn't catch wind of my distaste for chicken bouillon cubes. I've heard some rumblings that he once had quite the temper. I wouldn't want him throwing cubes of bouillon at me.... ← Bouollion does not always mean cubes. There is boulllion out there that is more like a concentrate and is used in alot of better restaurants for speeding up prep. ← I followed Dale's instructions and used the chicken bouillon. The recipe on the site simply calls for "4T chicken bouillon." Since the recipe didn't specify what type/form to use, I used granulated chicken bouillon. The chicken bouillon didn't seem to have any flavor effect on the ribs. I'm still curious why Dale used it.

Your plates are delicious-and I'm especially intrigued by the Purple Sprouting Broccolli. Is it grown locally or imported? I've never seen it in a market in the States. It simply sings Spring. Very nice.

Don't let Marco Pierre White hear you say that. BTW, your Daily Racing Form analysis post was Grade I Stakes quality! ← Thanks for the advice-I'll pray that Chef Marco doesn't catch wind of my distaste for chicken bouillon cubes. I've heard some rumblings that he once had quite the temper. I wouldn't want him throwing cubes of bouillon at me....

In general, I’ve enjoyed the Quickfire Challenges this year more than most of the Elimination Challenges. The Quickfire Challenges tend to be presented to the viewers as less important than the big, dramatic Elimination rounds. I agree with those who have commented that they are tired of seeing so many catered affairs as the theme of the Elimination Challenges. One can only take so many cold “blini” as it were. But for the most part, I have preferred watching the Quickfire Challenges because they test the skills of the individual Chefs under the extreme pressure of creating a dish in 30 minutes. This week’s Quickfire Challenge of pairing beer with food really showed us how creative and ambitious some of these Chefs can be. Sadly, for some, Spike in particular, we also saw how an unmotivated Chef’s attitude carries through to the uncreative dish that is presented to the judges. So let’s start with Spike’s dish of “Charcuterie Plate and Tapas of Clams.” Sure, I’d like a cold beer and some good salami. O.K., throw in a pot of clams steamed in beer and I might be satisfied if I was at a trendy little tapas bar. But do you think putting some salami on a wood block with two green olives, a couple of slices of cheese and a few grapes is creative enough for a Top Chef competition? No, it isn’t. Did Spike honestly think that steaming clams in a little beer broth would win this challenge? If he did think that he was mistaken. I can’t speak to other parts of the country, but I know that in the Northwest we are happily enjoying the products of a growing micro-brew industry. Some would argue that pairing beer with food is an emerging opportunity for chefs. I would agree. Spike would have been well-served if he had viewed beer in that same light-an opportunity to meet the challenge by creating a unique dish that accented the flavor of the chosen beer. Jennifer did just that and was rewarded with the win. While I was happy to see Jennifer come away with the win-and to boost her spirits after the departure of her dearly beloved Zoi-I have to question how Jen pulled off her dish of “Shrimp and Scallop Beignets with Fennel, Avocado and Pepper Purees.” I like Jen’s idea to take beer-battered fish to a new level, but how did she pull that off in 30 minutes? Isn’t that the time constraint for the Quickfire Challenge-30 minutes? If you read the ingredients in Jen’s recipe you would question how she could accomplish all the tasks she had to do and present the finished dish in such a short time-frame. Let’s see, there’s heating the oil in the deep-fryer, roasting the peppers for the sauce, mixing the batter for the beignets, and chopping up the shrimp and scallops. Maybe Bravo heated up the oil in the fryer ahead of time. In any case, Jen deserves congrats this week for creating a dish that fit like a glove with the theme of pairing beer with food. Nice job Jen. Now back on my rant this week about Bravo not paying attention to details on the Top Chef website. Take a look at the photo of Lisa’s dish from the Quickfire Challenge on the “Rate the Plate” page. The dish is described as “Bacon Cheeseburger with Potato Chips.” Huh?? Looks like two lamb chops to me. We see a drizzle of sauce, possibly made from the beer Lisa chose-Stella Artois. Now scroll two photos to the left, and there you’ll see the aforementioned cheeseburger and chips-with a bottle of Amber Bock beer in the background. But there’s no title for the dish and no credit to the Chef who made it. So who did what dish Bravo? Somebody at Bravo needs to really, really clean up the mistakes that are repeatedly being made on their site. Next up-a few comments about Nikki’s sausage faux pas, (and that lopsided muff of hair that seems to always appear on her head in the “on-camera” interview clips), and the return of the ridiculous French beret topping the head of the head judge.

Thanks. The wonderful Indian flavors of the spices really came through, but the texture of the outer coating of the meat was not good. While I give Dale recognition for his win, I've got some criticisms for Bravo. Remember when Tom told Mark at the judges table to "clean up his act...." a reference to Mark's messy habits (i.e., triple-dipping spoons in corn chowder)? Well, Tom should tell the suits at Bravo the same thing-to clean up the posted recipes and some of the mess they've left on the Top Chef site. I get the sense that Dale probably had the recipe for the ribs in his memory bank. My guess is that after he won the challenge, Bravo asked him for a written recipe. It appears that in a rush to get the winning dish posted, Bravo forgot to have someone review and edit the recipe. Had they done so, it would have included times for poaching the ribs and instructions for how long the ribs should have been marinated. Bravo should have taken the recipe a step further and broken down the ingredients so they would work for a home cook-not "12 sides of pork ribs" for 80 hungry football fans. I know there is a rush to get recipes of the dishes posted, but I'd rather wait for a recipe that is accurate than settle for a poorly written recipe that is posted a few minutes after the show airs. There's some other details that Bravo is missing on the website-like posting some photos on the "Rate the Plate" page-yet without a caption telling us the name of the dish and which Chef created it. Overlooking these small details on the Top Chef site makes it appear a bit amateurish and I'd expect more from the producers of one of the higher-rated cable reality shows.

Tonight I made Dale's winning "Tandoori Pork Ribs." They turned out fairly good but not outstanding. The ribs are a perfect "tailgate" food-the prep, the pre-poaching and marinating-can be done the day before the big game, and then the ribs can be grilled/smoked and finished at the party. The recipe that is posted on the site is not very well written for the average cook-it doesn't tell you how long to "poach" the ribs. People want specifics when they read a recipe: Dale's "Tandori Pork Ribs:" Toast all spices and combine with yogurt, bouillon and white soy; blend in blender. Poach ribs in water, vinegar, sugar, hot sauce, salt and pineapple skin. After ribs have been poached tender; let cool then mix in yogurt-bouillon marinade. Grill ribs, on medium flame brushed with marinade. Tandori Pork: 4T coriander 4T madras curry 9 pieces cardamom pods 2T mustard seeds 2T white pepper 4T chili powder 4T garam masala 3 quarts yogurt 4T chicken bouillon 1 cup white soy 12 sides pork ribs Water for poaching 1/2 cup vinegar Sugar to taste 2 quarts hot sauce 4T salt 1 piece pineapple skin I thought it was odd that Dale included "chicken bouillon" as an ingredient in the marinade. It would be interesting to ask Dale why he uses chicken bouillon. It's almost sacriligeous for a Top chef to use those little dirt clods in quality cooking. Not really knowing from the written recipe on the site how long the ribs should be "poached" and then marinated, I took my chances. I poached the ribs for about an hour. That seemed to be the right amount of time to get the meat tender yet not falling off the bone. The recipe didn't tell me how long the ribs should sit in the marinade--so I assumed, quite dangerously, that overnight would allow the meat to soak up the spices. I'm not a chemist, but the finished ribs didn't have the cripsy-crunchy crust I like in my ribs. My assumption is that the pork bathed in the yogurt too long, (and the acids in the yogurt attacked porky), resulting in the finished ribs having a bit of a gummy-pasty texture on the outside. I liked the fact that Dale prepared ribs in a Tandoori style rather than the usual Southern type ribs. The finished ribs had a spicy kick but weren't overpowering with heat. So, putting myself on the line for all of you, here is a photo of my attempt at a Top Chef winning dish. Now please be kind with your criticisms, I'm not a professional Top Chef.