Previously on “Top Chef”: the chefs had a Quickfire involving honey and mead, and making “celebratory” dishes. Tom made duck and some honey caviar and won immunity easily. Then they shipped everyone off to a vacation home to make a “family holiday feast”, served family style, for the Elimination Challenge. Tom was immediately volunteered for dessert, since he had immunity, and it was of course not great. Amar made lamb shanks he had had while on vacation, but which was certainly a special occasion dish, and he won. Begoña made “leftovers” which involved dry chicken and she was eliminated. (click for more)
In Last Chance Kitchen: supposedly Dale, Begoña, and Luciana were supposed to agree on a three course menu with different textures, but Begoña just yelled what she was doing and didn't give anyone any options. Luciana ended up screwed by how both of them made squab because there was no communication, and hers didn't do well. Then Tom said that Dale and Begoña would have to make high tea for 12 people, and we didn't see what happened with that. But the winner will get back into the competition.
Oh and also Buddha was on the bottom and complained about it, and suddenly the internet was pissed and people came out of the woodwork to be all “I always knew he was a jerk” and y'all, people are allowed to be upset they didn't do well.
Gabri is emotional because he and Begoña were close and since he was also in the bottom he's feeling some guilt. Amar declares himself old and gives advice and stuff. They drive back to London that night, I guess because they only paid for one night at the vacation home?
In the morning Charbel talks about never being in the bottom, which I feel is foreshadowing, and then Padma shows up to the hotel to gather everyone. She tells Sylwia they won't need their knives. Downstairs is Padma and Tom in the restaurant. Padma calls it “the Quickfire” but they aren't cooking. They're getting afternoon tea, courtesy of Begoña and Dale. They had one hour to make finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries for everyone. As I suspected last week, the remaining contestants will have input on who wins. Sara says this is right up her alley; she is ready to judge anyone, anytime. Heh. Blind tasting of course. Padma and Tom will each get a vote, and then all the contestants put together will be one vote. Whoever wins will return to the competition, and also get immunity. Oo. So you return and you are guaranteed to last at least two episodes. Ali interviews that he doesn't want anyone back, because they've gotten down to ten people and they need to keep eliminating people. I don't mind LCK, although I do kind of mind having one person come back halfway and then another one at the end. Just one at the end is plenty.
Back in the kitchen, Dale says he's super competitive and does triathalons. Begoña does amuse bouches so she's in that mode. The contestants are all drinking tea but they have tea bags! You couldn't get them loose tea? Basic. Dale and Begoña are really frantic back there. They both really want to get back in, but an hour to do baking is really not enough time. Begoña's items look messy, and as she runs around, she slips and drops some plates. She seems OK, like, not injured, but the producers are calling out 30 seconds and she doesn't even have all the plates in her towers. And I mean the towers are just the metal scaffolding that you put the plates on to make the levels. It's just metal circles and like, one plate per tower. In the end Dale I think is done, but Begoña immediately says there's one plate missing and starts to cry.
When the waiters bring out the towers, it's way worse than I thought. I thought she missed a tower and so they would of course give that one to Tom and Padma and make a big deal about it. No, she missed all the towers. NO ONE got any of her scones.
Dale: smoked salmon and egg salad sandwich. Bacon and chive scone with Gruyere cheese. Ginger cake with mango compote. Someone bitches that there isn't jam on the scone. You don't put jam on a savory scone. Shush. Apparently there is one cake round with no mango compote.
Begoña: crab and seaweed sandwich. Chocolate eclair with whipped cream. I think the scones were supposed to have beetroot? This eclair looks melted, like it collapsed and then it was hot so the whipped cream melted. Tom says the choux dough isn't made properly.
So everyone votes, and to no one's surprise, Dale is returning. I feel for Begoña because she looks so upset. Also because they are starting over with LCK and I think she's out completely. Dale is so emotional Padma gives him a hug. He says in confessional that it's important to him that everyone thought he had the better tower, that they thought he deserved to return. I mean...that's true, but also Begoña failed spectacularly and there was no way they could justify picking her tower when a third of it was missing and another third was terrible. Anyone should have beat Begoña in this instance.
Padma says it's time for another British pastime: picnics. Are they an iconic British thing? Anyway, you will work in teams to make a “ready-to-serve” picnic basket for the judges and guests. At the castle where they film “Downton Abbey” but I bet they don't get to go inside. They're working in two teams, and they draw knives to pick. Yellow Team is Gabri, Tom, Sylwia, Amar, and Ali. Blue Team is Sara, Charbel, Nicole, Buddha, and Victoire. Dale gets to pick what team he wants to join, and he picks Blue. Tom says this is a fancy location and they are looking for fancy picnics. At least five dishes, and at least one sweet dish. They're going to shop at Fortnum and Mason, which is a very posh department store that began as a grocery store. It's the kind of place you would go if you needed fresh truffles and foie gras. This is where the royal family shops. They can also go to Whole Foods, so it's not all super fancy. 1.5 hours to prep today, and pack up. Tom clarifies the “ready-to-serve” part of the instructions: there is no kitchen at the castle tomorrow. Your dishes have to be served at room temperature, and last until tomorrow.
Buddha tells his team they should think about canapes, because that's fancy. Dale volunteers to do deviled eggs, because they are cheap and also he won't get in trouble. It sounds like he's slacking, but I think he is thinking about how their team has one extra person but the same budget, so this is a way to save money for everyone else. Sara says “chilled broccolini salad” and Buddha freaks out about salad. Sara interviews they have to compromise for the sake of the team. Buddha wants to make banoffee pie, but somehow with a banana mold. Banoffee pie is bananas and whipped cream and caramel sauce. Yellow team is planning appetizer, salad, like a full meal. Someone says “cold cioppino” and Amar is skeptical. I'm skeptical too, that's not a cold soup. Just make gazpacho. Amar is going to make dessert. Victoire wants to make cannelloni with smoked fish, but Nicole is insistent on making nicoise salad so she's using foie gras instead.
I think they split up for shopping. I feel like the only reason to split up is in case someone can't find an ingredient for someone else's dish, and they fight about it. Why can't they all go to both stores? Dale interviews that he has really mellowed from when he was first a chef. They put in a clip of his season of Top Chef, where he's yelling at everyone. Someone on the phone I think tells Victoire that people in the other car are using walnuts. She says not to worry, but I do not understand how she had such a serious attack and production didn't ban walnuts for the rest of the season. OK I take it back. They all went to Fortnum and Mason, they just had an extended scene in the cars where they called each other to chit chat about their dishes.
This store is very fancy, on multiple levels. Nicole flirts with the butcher. Buddha tells Dale what kind of caviar to get. Blue team spends like, 199.50 of their 200 pounds. Yellow team is struggling because Tom is spending £160 by himself. He tells Sylwia to get her chicken breast at Whole Foods, which I put in just in case they don't have any, or it's terrible quality, or something. At Whole Foods, Sara says the portions can be small because this is elevated. Gabri's idea of a picnic is to have some tostadas and ceviche, and enjoy the beach. Sylwia talks about sausage rolls and muffins? But with lemon posset to dip them in? Like a lemon curd? Posset is cream that's been curdled with wine, but it is a dessert. Nicole is making her nicoise salad with salmon and not tuna. Tom is spending everyone else's share of the money and he is very unconcerned about it.
Back at the kitchen we finally get the shot of someone vaulting the workstations, and I know everyone thought it was going to be Buddha, but it's Ali. I wasn't expecting that. 90 minutes to cook. There are baskets provided for them, and they aren't enormous. Charbel is making some mezze, baba ganoush, hummus, crudites. Listen that's a good picnic as far as I'm concerned. Gabri is smoking sea bass, but he's worried that by tomorrow it won't be smoky. So he's putting cucumber and red onion ash over the fish. I hope it doesn't turn out too smoky. Tom makes olive oil dust, so the salad isn't greasy. Dale's deviled eggs are easy, so he's helping everyone else prep. If he helps, and it helps his team win, then no one goes home. Amar hasn't ever been on a picnic and Sylwia declares him a picnic virgin. Heh. He's making flan, which I think keeps and travels pretty well. He talks about his mom, who lives with him, and how much he loves that. Victoire is making foie gras, and she's masked and gloved because no one banned walnuts from the kitchen like they should have. I think she's making cabbage rolls stuffed with foie gras mousse, and she's saying the cabbage leaves are not seasoned (on purpose) so everything has to come from the mousse. Sara grills broccolini and banters with Amar.
Tom Time! Nicole says “salmon nicoise” and Tom makes his “......interesting” face. Nicole immediately knows what that face means so she's a little worried. He makes the same face at Sylwia's lemon posset. Contestant Tom says “cioppino salad” which is how he's going to make cold cioppino. It's basically several kinds of tomato preparations. Tom interviews that both menus are fine, and it's going to come down to execution. Not only is Nicole not using tuna in her salad, she's baking instead of poaching in oil. Sylwia is doing chicken roulade dipped in lemon pudding and Tom does not get it. Contestant Tom is very ambitious.
Tom goes to strain some of the tomatoes he has, and spills juice all over the place. He says he has to do it over, and kicks a box. Of course after a commercial he is fine. Charbel is covering some of his vegetables with a damp paper towel so it stays crispy. Also they're packing in like, nice containers so if your food is still warm, the condensation might ruin it. Gabri is very behind and everyone has to help him plate. I think everyone makes it.
In the morning, Sara and Charbel talk about how weird today will be, because they can't cook anything. They're just serving. Nicole interviews that she's doing the show again because she wants the money. She's been approved for adoption, and she has a child waiting for her, and she feels so lucky. Aww.
As I suspected, they don't get to go in, but park in front and walk around to the back where there are some tables set up on the lawn. Yellow team is up first. Ali: muhammara with pickled walnuts and pomegranate vinaigrette. This is roasted red pepper dip. He tells them to make lettuce wraps with the ingredients and herbs. Someone says it's a bit big, and Padma says she has a big mouth. Tom: cioppino salad with pickled apples, zucchini and chilis, avocado with caviar chips, and tomato vinaigrette. Lacking seasoning. Gabri: smoked fish tostada with cucumber, red onion, watermelon, and spicy pesto. It must be assembled and there are several steps. Then they immediately fall apart when people try to eat them. Sylwia: su borek with chicken and 'nduja mousse, pistachios, lemon posset, and cucumber salsa. The posset is sweet, as we knew, and confusing. Borek seems to be similar to lasagna, with layers of pasta and filling, but with less sauce than lasagna would have. Amar: rum raisin flan with pineapple and sage marmalade. It's smooth without bubbles.
Once the team leaves, the judges discuss a little bit. They loved the muhammara, and the flan. The rest of the dishes did not work. The “cioppino” was only tomato and no other flavors, no fennel, and no seafood. Sylwia confused everyone with the sweet and savory. I thought Gabri might have fish that was too smoky, but apparently the smoke didn't come through at all. Plus there were too many wet ingredients so there was no way to eat the tostada without it falling apart. The dishes were over complicated but not any better. Tom breaks out the champagne and Padma shouts “Oh thank God!” I love drunk Padma.
Dale: deviled duck egg with sturgeon caviar. Victoire: foie gras rolled in cabbage with agrodolce sauce. It's rich. Charbel: vegetable crudites and toast with beetroot hummus, baba ganoush, and truffle dip. Nicole: salmon nicoise salad. This is declared lovely. Sara: charred broccolini with manchego, lardo, black walnuts, and truffle vinaigrette. Buddha: “banoffee pie” with crème diplomate, honey roasted bananas, and biscuit crumble. All in a mini banana shaped mold. There were fewer comments while the team was there.
This team is maybe more safe, but it's easier to eat than the last team. The salmon was great, and Tom admits on camera that his objection is just because it should be tuna and not salmon. But he did like it anyway. Sara had good textures. Buddha's dessert was maybe too sweet. Padma says they seem to have a clear idea of who won and which two are the bottom two.
Judges' Table. Padma announces that the winning team is the Blue team. They had luxury ingredients, and everyone did a solid job and Tom says it wasn't “overcheffed”. They praise Dale for making something good and then helping his team. Victoire maybe could have cooked her cabbage more but the foie gras was a nice surprise. Charbel's dips were delicious but his vegetables were beautiful. Nicole gets Tom to admit he was wrong. Sara's salad was like a great charcuterie board. Buddha's banana is impressive for the time limit, and creative, if a little sweet. The winner is Nicole. And she won $10,000! See, that's why they put in the story about how she's competing for the money. I know how you edit, Bravo. Although I was wrong about Charbel talking about never being in the bottom and then being in the bottom.
Padma asks how things went for the Yellow team, specifically picking Sylwia, and Sylwia immediately says some people spent all the money so she tried to use cheaper ingredients so everyone else could have money. Tom does volunteer that he spent the most money. So Padma asks if anyone didn't get ingredients they wanted because they ran out of money. Tom answers that no, he thinks everyone got everything, but people are making faces and Sylwia is making noises. After a commercial, Sylwia just says they let Tom buy his caviar and seafood first because it was important. Hmm. Ali's dish was well seasoned and fresh. Amar's flan was cooked really well and it was delicious. Gabri's fish wasn't very smoky, and the tostada was great. But when you put the fish on top, it all fell apart. No one understood Sylwia's dish, because the lemon posset was very sweet. Sylwia says that this was supposed to be watery, that's why it was su borek. But it really didn't work. Tom needed to edit, because there were too many things going on. He could have just thrown the caviar in the trash because you couldn't taste it, and if that's where all the money went, then he screwed his team too. So it's between Sylwia and Tom. One of them is going home...but not yet. Padma tells them to follow her, and they all go back around to the front where someone has set up two stations on the lawn. Sylwia is worried about what this is, while Tom is resigned because he's disappointed in his cioppino. So this is LCK this week.
Next week: dishes you can eat without utensils, someone has ribs, lots of plates with patterns and dots and weird looking.
Last Chance Kitchen: So Sylwia and Tom are going to battle, with the winner staying in the competition, and the loser going to the actual Last Chance Kitchen next week. Of course they both want to stay.
Tom says they will need to make sandwiches, over the top delicious sandwiches. It must have a piece of meat between two slices of bread, but other than that they can do whatever. The “pantry” is whatever they could arrange in the trunk of the product placement cars.
Only 20 minutes to cook. Tom gets tomatoes to redeem himself. He wants to make marmalade. Sylwia doesn't have time to do just anything, so she has crab and champagne, and 'nduja. She's making champagne hollandaise. Tom says “cioppino sandwich” and everyone laughs. But he's serious. The judges are shocked. At some point he realizes this might be a bad idea, so he grabs some tenderloin but keeps the marmalade. Sylwia tries to not to overthink everything. Tom tries to be normal. I think Sylwia is making salad? Some kind of chopped up vegetables.
Sylwia: crab sandwich with 'nduja champagne hollandaise spread. I know the chyron says “andouille” and not “'nduja” but andouille sausage is not a spread. Tom: beef filet sandwich with spicy tomato marmalade. They ask Tom and Sylwia why they picked the ingredients they did, which isn't very interesting. But apparently there is some crab on the outside of Sylwia's sandwich, and she says it's to keep things crispy. Meanwhile Amar is in the background of the shot sneaking bites of Sylwia's food out of the pans. The judges step away for a moment and then return to praise everyone. Tom didn't like that both of them put stuff on the outside of the sandwich. Anyway, the winner is Tom. Sylwia is sent to Last Chance Kitchen, because her sandwich was mostly soft.
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