Previously on “Top Chef”: we began the season with a gimmicky Quickfire that involved working in teams and not speaking to each other. One team did not plate a single thing. Empty, clean plates. Buddha, Monique, and Jo won immunity, and promptly did not get much screen time in the Elimination challenge. Each team had to break down a primal of beef and make a coordinated three courses with cuts from that primal. No one cared about if the menus were coordinated. Robert won with pot roast and gnocchi. Stephanie harped on being “Midwestern” and wanting to make meat and potatoes and not Asian food, which I thought was the loser edit, but in the end she survived. Instead, Leia made terrible summer rolls and was sent home. (click for more)
In the morning there are no shots of getting ready, but instead we just start with entering the Top Chef Kitchen, with a huge table full of cheese. There is also a cheese fountain, which is just a chocolate fountain but with cheese in it. Unsanitary. Padma introduces guest judge Irma Galvan. She is a Houston celebrity, known for her Mexican cooking.
The Quickfire today is about queso. Make queso and something to dip in it. No tortilla chips. Winner gets immunity. Interesting. 30 minutes to cook.
There's a lot of running around but also some weird slo-mo shots of cooking. Jo says it's just queso but you need to have the technique to make a good cheese sauce. Jae has never had queso but she loves cheese. Seriously I always see Korean food with cheese on it. It's a thing. Everyone asks each other what they're doing and it's very contrived. You know no one wants to talk to each other, they just want to work. Damarr seems to be prepping jalapenos, because he thinks everyone else is going to make chips and fried things and the judges will be over it. He's humming to himself trying to drown everyone else out. Buddha is making foam because cheese is heavy. Yeah that's the point. Nick is one of those parents that named all his kids with the same starting letter. Jackson says “crispy spaghetti cracker”. I think Luke has four or five saute pans on the stove. He's also complaining that cheese is heavy and gross. Sarah tries to explain gas station nacho cheese. I think this time everyone gets their food plated.
Stephanie: pepper jack and extra sharp cheddar queso with corn fritter. Monique: fried mustard greens with fondue and pickled peppers. Damarr: mild cheddar queso, pickled Serrano chilies and toasted breadcrumbs with smoked paprika. Buddha: “nacho average spring roll” with chorizo, queso, and guacamole. Nick: pork belly and blue crab “surf & turf queso” with beet and sweet potato chips. Evelyn: adobo con queso and taro chips. Sarah: hushpuppy with cheddar, pepperjack, and sichuan chili bean paste queso. Sam: Gruyere queso blanco with pepper pancakes.. I thought they were scallion pancakes? Robert: queso Oaxaca fonduta with jalapeno salsa and fried white asparagus. Ashleigh: blue cheese fonduta with roasted sweet potato. Jo: harissa queso with basque peppers, cilantro salsa, and roasted cauliflower. Luke: queso with smoked mozzarella, sharp cheddar, manchego cheese and milk crepe. So the “crepe” is from pouring milk into a shallow pan and letting it heat until most of it evaporates. Jae: Korean style queso with stir fried chorizo, potato chips and pickles. Jackson: crispy mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano queso with crispy spaghetti cracker. It looks like he served a quesadilla. I guess it's crispy on the outside, so there's cheese but no dip. He seems very pleased with himself.
So Irma says they did better than she would have done. Sam's pancakes weren't great and the queso was thin. Robert's queso was also thin. Jackson didn't have anything to dip and everyone is disappointed. If you're going to be weird it has to be good. Evelyn had great presentation and flavors. Nick's “surf and turf” ended up working and the flavors went together. Damarr used serranos as his dippers and they were the perfect match to the queso. The winner is Damarr. The texture made it stand out. Immunity!
Elimination Challenge. Chef Chris Shepherd comes out. Another local legend, who does service work in addition to cooking. Padma talks about high school football. The challenge is to cook in two teams of seven. “Random assignment”. The two teams are Wildcats (Sam, Sarah, Robert, Damarr, Monique, Luke, and Jo) and Cougars (Evelyn, Nick, Buddha, Ashleigh, Stephanie, Jae, and Jackson). Then Padma says they're missing something and two mascots and two cheerleaders show up. Actually the cheerleaders are Dawn (again) and Sam from Season 2. I didn't recognize Sam AT ALL. He has scraggly facial hair and some hipster glasses. Dawn is the Wildcat, and Sam is the Cougar. Each team must make seven dishes (of course because teams is just a plea for drama from the producers). They must also be loaded with carbs. There is a weird tangent where we ask Dawn what kinds of carbs she would eat before competitions and she says not heavy. Each dish is going to be served head-to-head. Hmm. There is also some talk about offense and defense, but I don't feel like there's a difference? Offense decides as a team which dish to put up and then defense decides who from their team goes up. I guess defense can react better? Whatever. 20 minutes right now to plan, and 90 minutes tomorrow to cook. I guess somehow you will earn yards by impressing judges, which is the usual list and also Brooke. Oh, OK, every vote is five yards. If you get from one endzone to the other, your team gets immunity. If after all seven rounds neither team has made it to the other endzone, then the winner and loser can be from any team. So your team can carry you, but only if you get to the endzone. Even if your team is ahead, if you're not in the endzone you are still in danger. I kind of like that actually. It must be a decisive victory to save dead weight. This is so complicated though.
I'm not sure why we had a conversation about what kind of carbs are good when we're not feeding athletes. I guess the carbs thing was an actual requirement. The Cougars talk about what grains they're going to use, some people are creative and then Stephanie and Jackson both want white rice. Nick asks how many people are making rice, and Buddha and Jackson kind of hem and haw so she says “just one”. She wants to make feijoada, which is a traditional Brazilian stew served over white rice. Since they probably shouldn't have multiple rice dishes Jackson passive-aggressively says he'll just have to think of something else. There are a lot of grains.
The Wildcats are having a decent conversation, although Sarah can't seem to make up her mind. She names several dishes (she says “I might do a shrimp and grit” which is so obnoxious to me) but every time she names something, Dawn points out that the carbs need to be the star. Then she asks if something is a carb and Dawn is like “Yes!” like duh, but I listened to the clip ten times and I have no idea what she's saying. Cougars ask about dessert, and Sam says it better be good but if it is that's a great idea. Jackson is now making a polenta cake, but he's still sulking about not making rice. I guess it's boring. On the Wildcats, Monique is making sticky rice with coconut milk for dessert. She says she'll plan to go last, but they have to plan to be ready at any time. You don't know who the other team is going to pick and if they wanna put dessert in the middle you might have to go early.
Shopping time. Stephanie says more things about the Midwest and carbs. Feijoada is a stew with chorizo, beef, and beans. It's basically rice and beans, with toasted cassava on top and then also orange slices. Evelyn is making rice noodles and sea bass. Buddha was a fat kid and he is going to have like five different carbs. Sam reveals in confessional that he gave up his apartment to be on the show and everything he owns is in two pieces of luggage. Also he loves potatoes. Luke wants a dish that he knows he can finish on time. Sarah is now making a dish with several kinds of chickpeas. I guess that's what she asked about? There is a weird conversation at the register where Sarah says something about getting stock in case she wants to cook chickpeas. Monique is like “YOU'RE COOKING CHICKPEAS!?” in a very loud voice and the editing would have you believe everyone turned around to look. She points out that you need to soak them, and Sarah promises she bought canned chickpeas that won't take that much time. She asks if Monique thinks the judges will have a problem with cans, and Monique quickly says no. A quick search says cooking dried chickpeas involves soaking for at least an hour and then cooking for an hour, so there's no way she can cook from dried.
In the morning everyone sits in the apartment and comes up with the order they are going to try for. It's things like, we know Stephanie is making rice and beans so who is making beans? They should battle her. Things like that. They set up those garbage outdoor kitchens on the field for everyone to cook. Jo points out that her team has Damarr, who has immunity. If they lose there are fewer options to send home. Ashleigh interviews that the plan is for people who have longer to cook, they are going last. Buddha doesn't want to go too rustic. Jackson interviews that he did play high school football, and he was terrible but he was also a starter because their team was pretty shitty. Heh. He also continues to not tell anyone he can't smell or taste anything, hiding it this time by asking Sam's opinion about his sauce.
The Wildcats are in good shape, probably. Jo is making congee. She says her family is Chinese, but they lived in the Philippines. She's only recently started making Filipino food. Robert tells Dawn that he's been working out and lost 80 pounds and I guess eats tacos after working out.
Tom Time! And Brooke. Sarah talks about chickpeas and she's making something she's never made before. Tom tries to roast her but Dawn and Brooke do it all the time. Monique is making biko, which is a sticky rice cake. It sounds great. Damarr is cooking farro, but dirty rice style. That sounds amazing. He interviews that his mom had a stroke when he was 15 and he took over cooking. Nick lets Tom taste his potato potlikker, and Tom makes the weirdest face. No one knows what this face is about. Stephanie interviews that she and her husband were trying to bring the things they learned in Minneapolis back to Bismark. It hit me weirdly that someone was taking inspiration in Minneapolis, you know? Just odd.
Sam dances while blending something. Evelyn is having trouble with the rice noodles. I'm not sure if it's because they're in a saute pan, or the pan is too crowded, or they're bad, or what. But she says they're chewy and slimy so I wonder if the pan is too crowded. She's going to make a new batch and then serve whichever one is better. Jo's congee doesn't taste like a lot, because congee usually doesn't. She adds some black garlic. Evelyn is now getting everyone's leftover grains because the noodles are terrible.
The judges arrive and Padma blows a whistle. Cougars are going to be up first, and pick their first chef. Buddha is going to go first, and he brags in confessional that he's done plating before time is up and he's ready to go. Sam announces that Buddha is first, and gives a basic description of the dish, and then there's a scramble on the other team. Dawn asks Luke to go, but Luke hesitates for whatever reason. Damarr immediately jumps in and says he'll go first. Damarr now has three minutes to plate. Buddha: grains and wheat inspired mujaddara with yogurt, grapes and cucumbers. Mujaddara is a dish with lentils and rice. Damarr: dirty farro with 'nduja, chicken thighs and chicken liver. 'Nduja is a very spicy spreadable salami. The judges hold up pom poms to vote (sigh) and Damarr wins four to one. They are making the mascots run around on the field. Both dishes are strong. 20-5 Wildcats. First to 100 wins.
So they're going to take turns naming people first, because Dawn says they're sending Luke up. Stephanie is supposed to go, but Ashleigh says she's worried about her meatballs drying out and can she go next. Stephanie responds that her rice is about to go, but if she's really that worried about her meatballs she can go next. On the one hand I wish people would be assertive about saying no in situations like this, but on the other hand I know everyone would be mad about how they're not a team player. Luke: butternut squash confit in walnut oil, walnut black garlic paste with chicken and pickled squash. The chyron says “butternut squash” but he says “pumpkin” and yes I know they're the same but you could match the words up, you know? Ashleigh: farro and quinoa porridge, teff and turkey meatballs with shoots and sprouts salad. Teff is the main ingredient in injera, the bread you have at Ethiopian restaurants. Ashleigh takes it four to one. Apparently Luke's dish was bland. Now it's 25-25.
Now Stephanie's rice is cold, so I guess she can't go next? Not sure why she didn't keep it warm? Jae's going to go, and Dawn says Robert is up next. Jae: freekeh salad tossed in fermented blue plum and pomegranate vinaigrette with spiced panko. Robert: wild mushroom taco, butterbean puree with tomato salsa and jalapeno salsa. Robert takes it three to two. Sometimes they just praise the dishes, and sometimes they say something is bad. Here it's all praise. 40-35 Wildcats.
Jo is going up next. Stephanie volunteers to go this time. I guess her rice is fixed. Jo: black garlic barley congee with green pepper and tamari-infused mushroom slaw. Stephanie: feijoada with rice, cilantro salad, toasted cassava and orange. Padma asks if the rice should be broken, and Stephanie tries to save it by saying that's how she likes it, so yeah a little bit. No one votes for Stephanie. Oof. The flavors helped the congee a lot, so it wasn't so heavy. Stephanie's rice wasn't good at all. Once the chefs leave, it turns out Stephanie didn't put any meat in her dish, so it's not really feijoada. All that harping on it and it's not even right? 65-35 Wildcats.
Nick goes up next, and the other team matches with Monique. There's a weird conversation from Sam about how her dish is amazing and if they score too many points she'll never get to serve her dish? Something like that? Anyway, I guess Sam was supposed to go but he convinces everyone that Monique should go up next. Monique doesn't seem to care. Nick: purple sweet potato and potlikker with lemon yogurt, swiss chard, and crispy sage. Monique: biko with caramelized coconut milk. So why is the dessert in the middle of the meal? Padma wants to know too. Monique says something about finishing it off. But they can't, they only have 65 points. Did they think she needed to go now in order to serve at all? They're winning and have at least one more round. Padma says “this could be it” but can no one do math here? Anyway of course Nick wins four to one. 70-55 Wildcats. Why did she go now? This is dumb on many levels.
Sarah complains her dish was ready a long time ago and this was a strategic mistake. Yeah I have no idea what Sam was doing and also why everyone went along with it. The next matchup is Sam and Evelyn. Evelyn gets some coaching to minimize how this is plan B. Sam: roasted sweet potato brushed with brown butter, white soy, and garlic with yogurt dressing. Evelyn: mixed grains with tamarind nuoc cham, fresh herb salad, and turmeric sea bass. Padma asks about the rice noodles, and Evelyn says they weren't good enough to serve. Sam wins four to one. Evelyn just had one too many things. 90-60 Wildcats. OK NOW it's close enough to win.
You'll notice everyone got to serve all their dishes. It was never a blowout even though we made a big deal about how that was possible. Jackson knows they can't win but they can keep the other team from having immunity, basically. Sarah: “celebration of chickpea”--chickpea hummus, panisse crouton, socca, and puffed chickpea. Panisse is fried chickpeas, like if you see chickpea fries on a menu. Socca is a chickpea crepe. She jokes that she didn't intend to go last today, and then Tom asks a pointed question about if they're canned chickpeas. Jackson: polenta cake, whipped yogurt and blueberry sauce. Jackson takes every vote. Wow. 90-85 Wildcats, but they didn't get to 100 so someone from the Wildcats could go home. Tom asks if it was strategy to not go against dessert, but it was a good thing he didn't, because the other dessert was fantastic. Interesting. I guess Tom forgot it was the other team's idea to put dessert randomly in the middle. Jackson didn't have any control over it. Sarah says “that's painful to hear” in a pissy tone, I guess because Tom basically said “good thing you went against this shitty dish”.
Judges' Table. Tom says overall the food was really at a high level. The “MVP” made a really great dish that was well balanced and had great flavors. And that was Damarr. He's on a roll. He's got much more confidence now that he made a dish he grew up with and it won.
Sarah, Luke, and Stephanie are the bottom three. Sarah thought chickpeas were an “unthought-of” angle. Because people don't consider them carbs. But not hummus. She could have made stew or something and it would have felt hearty and not like a snack. Plus canned chickpeas are fine, but “fine” isn't good enough for this show. Luke had too much oil on the plate, because the squash was cooked confit and I guess he added oil to the plate? It needed seasoning and acid. Stephanie actually had meat in her beans, chorizo and kielbasa and some pork butt. But after cooking the meat and beans together she took all the meat out so it would be more carb focused. It was too simple. Also why take out all the meat? That doesn't make it more carb forward. And now it's not feijoada.
Padma says all three bottom dishes lacked in flavor and imagination. Maybe Luke had some imagination, but it tasted terrible and he got lost in his idea. Sarah made a dip. And the presentation was everything buried in hummus. Stephanie overcooked her rice and it was very broken, but then it was bland on top of that.
Tom thinks sports and cooking are the same, or very similar, and then Stephanie is sent home. Yeah. She says she hasn't even started to show the judges what she can do. Very determined to get to Last Chance Kitchen.
Next week: street food Asian night market, some interesting faces. Jackson wishing he could taste things. Hung is here.
Last Chance Kitchen: Leia doesn't know if she was eliminated because she was sick or because she was terrible. Stephanie wanted to showcase North Dakota. Not really sure why she heard “carb forward” and didn't make her meat and potatoes. Tom explains how LCK works, but we all know.
Today's challenge is about local ingredients. These two didn't get a chance to embrace these ingredients. 30 minutes to create a dish that showcases some of these ingredients. Oh and you will have to pick a cloche that has a surprise. Leia picks the one on the left and it's rattlesnake. Stephanie ends up with alligator. She says she's eaten it before but not cooked it. Tom warns them it can go chewy quickly. They must use at least one other local ingredient but then they can use whatever else.
Leia has only cooked in this kitchen once so she's trying to get her bearings. Fried rattlesnake with some jicama salad. Yeah the best idea because I think that's what most people do. Stephanie is marinating the alligator in buttermilk and pepper soda. My assumption is this is Dr. Pepper and they can't use the brand name. She is also frying her weird protein. Leia is discovering rattlesnake isn't filleted before you get it. It's full of bones. It's also stiffened into the curve it was on the plate.
Tom Time! Stephanie tested some alligator and it was chewy. They talk a little bit about fried food at the state fair but they don't have a lot to say. Leia says “popcorn rattlesnake” and Tom is really confused until he figures out it's popcorn like popcorn shrimp, not popcorn like movie popcorn. Stephanie wants an acidic condiment, because she says it will counteract dry protein. Leia likes the way the rattlesnake tastes. Leia asks if they can do a shot after this, and Tom is like “yeah can we?”
Leia: cornmeal fried rattlesnake with grapefruit jicama salad and yogurt grapefruit schmear. Stephanie: pepper soda marinated fried alligator, lemon and chermoula sauce with sliced grapefruit and scallions. Tom says they both handled the ingredient well. The alligator is crispy and there's some nice balance. Leia also put acidity and had crispy snake. One dish was kind of bland, and that was Stephanie. So Leia is moving on. She feels validated. Stephanie didn't seasoned her scallions. She is upset she's not moving on, but as long as she's proud of what she makes it will be fine.
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