Reignking

The previous episode was an individual challenge.

What's with the Brits and their prepared comments? There's no way you come up with that thigh comment or "Spamalot , not Camelot" on the fly. I think Robin is probably a fine cook -- you know, someone that would make a great one-note breakfast. Just not Top Chef-worthy. Notice that she got hugs from everyone, including Eli, at the end. I was surprised that Eli wasn't eliminated, since Nigella wanted to spit it out. Oh, and worst Quickfire reward ever.

Last night's show was a mini-Iron Chef -- use one ingredient (tamarind) three ways (savory, dessert, drink). However, they had to make it evoke Mexico; I think it was Sean Mullen who obviously showed his experience there in his take on street food (although, taste-wise, it didn't seem to be on the money). In the end, it came down to the raw churro vs. the nicely-cooked not-so-Mexican eclair.

Padme referred to there being a Final 3. So that might be it. Or one of the brothers self-destructs. Hard for me to imagine Kevin not being there. Padme Amidala? She is next week

TC:M will be back for a second season, as we all expected... http://www.bravotv.com/blogs/the-dish/top-chef-masters-returns

Michael V interview: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/burning-questions/michael-voltaggio-here-to-compete Boom!

I've seen a lot that use egg whites, and I would say that part of the reason is to keep them "healthy". Here is one that I really enjoy, but I've used olive oil instead of butter (and a bit of brown sugar). However, this is more of a "mix", and doesn't adhere as well as egg whites do. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/the-union-square-cafes-bar-nuts-recipe/index.html

As soon as he explained it, I shuddered. But there is a good way to serve a good pork dish cold: see Kevin! BTW, I've been surprised by Mike I's versatility in various ethnic cuisines, but I'd rather see him master one than be a jack of all trades. He doesn't seemed very focused and able to just put out a great dish. Even though Jennifer had seemed to only know fish, that doesn't bug me. Unless, of course, she were to only use scallops.

I thought Symon was just there for one season, but I never imagined Roberts coming back.

They infuse very well with vodka; I added some lemongrass, as well. It was a very quick infusion (3 days?).

They were chosen to challenge the chefs to use something they 99% probably had never used before.

I got the vibe that they wanted to set him up as the villain. I suspect that he, and Garces, make the finale. I noticed Appleman is now in NYC? But his apron said A16. Interesting that he relocated... After watching this episode, and the semifinal of the previous one (re-shown Saturday night), I remembered why I love it. We get to see real chefs really challenged, but also a lot of different ways to cook.

I used the onion confit as the base in my mushroom sauce, instead of just sauteing fresh ones. Yum.

Water, then I drained the mushrooms. I added the mushrooms in, and what was about half of that mushroom stock. I probably could've used it all.

They came out sweet. I wouldn't say they are much different from the original recipe, as far as the flavor profile (I don't eat it and taste all of those herbs and such). The pepper certainly comes through; I think I have a heavy hand with it, every time I "only" cooked them for 12 hours, as the sides were starting to burn a bit. The final color is between milk and dark chocolate. I think it could've used something heavier -- the original recipe called demi glace, and I only had beef bouillon (no stock around). I didn't want to add salt, though, and I was hoping the mushroom stock would be a good tradeoff. I only used the truffle oil because it is getting a bit stale and needs to be used. So, mushrooms were definitely good, but I'd be sure to not omit something "beefier" next time -- stock, demi glace, maybe ever Worcestershire sauce. I should throw in a dried chili pepper some time -- some smokiness and spiciness could be a nice note. I'm wondering if I could just do mushrooms now, and how they would caramelize. It wouldn't take as long. David, how did the red onions turn out? I love red onions, but most people say to use sweet onions (which I did).

Patience! I've got another ~12 hours, but the mushrooms smell like a very good idea.

Today's attempt: 5 yellow onion, sliced ~1 lb mushrooms (white and baby bella), sliced rehydrated shitakes (about 1/2 cup) 1/2 cup mushroom stock 1/4 cup butter 1/4 EVOO 1/8 cup truffle oil 2 tbsp coriander 1 tbsp white peppercorns 1 tbsp red peppercorns 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1/4 red vermouth

I'm following this recipe: which cooks the onions, low and slow, in a crockpot for hours to achieve a very rich caramelization.

Since the wife will be out of town for a few nights, it is a good time to stink the house up by making onion confit. This will be my 4th batch -- the only batch I didn't like was when I replaced some of the butter with olive oil. Never again. Has anyone ever added mushrooms to the onions? Or just made a mushroom confit? I make mushroom sauces all of the time, and was thinking that mushrooms would cook down and caramelize really well. I'm going to throw some into this batch and see what happens (some dried, some fresh).

Check her blog -- she was quite excited to be in that room. Tom loved Kevin's bacon jam so much that he immediately stole the idea and use it (per his blog).

This has been a fantastic season. Tom said that no other season could've executed that meal at that point, and I think he is right. It seems as through Bravo listened to the complaints, and really went out there and found some of the next best chefs. Of course, the lesser chefs are falling by the wayside, but there is a clear division between the contenders, almost-contenders, and nice-to-know-yous. Can you imagine Spike doing well in that challenge? Hector was the first one that I felt badly for, because I think a challenge such as that truly favors the professionally-trained chef. Still, a tenderloin needs to be cooked correctly, and it was really a no-brainer. And I love that they are focusing on things such as snails, or the classics, or modern techniques -- things that really intrigue me as a home cook that I want to learn more about.

Probably fat-free or sugar-free or low-fat Cool Whip. Because the woman is supposed to do all of the cooking? Marry a man that cooks, I suppose.

I'm wondering what you mean by lowering carbs, as well. Do you just mean refined carbs, or carbs altogether? Ravioli, specifically, is tougher than my other pasta-replacement solutions. Gnocchi is versatile; you can use ricotta, or nut flours. Depending on the answer to the first question, sweet potato could be used in place of potato. Shredded zucchini makes a great "noodle". As fatguy said, there is transglutaminase pasta -- I'm fairly certain that's what Richard Blais did for his "impasta".

I think Jay said he had never had mole?

Ah, the joys of a new house...and the fact that it has been a rather mild summer here. I was thinking the same thing the other day. I was at my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, just wishing beef bourguignon was "in season"...