All Top Chef Interview with John Tesar

Top Chef: Seattle contestant John Tesar talks about his experience on the show.

A highlight:

ATC: Have you watched the previous seasons of Top Chef? 

 JT: Yes, I believe I have watched every episode of every season for the past ten seasons. 

ATC: So you knew about the curse of the risotto... 

JT: Yes, of course, it was just the luck of the draw, I could have gotten anything, but I got the risotto. Howie's dish was very complicated and included frog's legs and all sorts of things. It was a challenge to make it healthy. It was complicated and let's not forget that he sweat in the dish!

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Thank you Chef John!

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ATC Love to Chef John Tesar

With his years of experience, Chef Tesar was a formidable competitor, but he was tripped up by the most dreaded of Top Chef dishes: risotto. While the uneven pan may have been the cause for the inconsistent texture of his risotto, he had nowhere to hide with regard to his lamb burger. In a head-to-head battle with Chef Lizzy Binder to make a healthy burger, the judges were generally satisfied with the flavor of both. However, the lack of moisture in Chef Tesar's lamb burger and the addition of fatty elements like a fried egg and cream cheese to a dish that was supposed to be healthy tipped the scales in Lizzy's favor. Despite not becoming Top Chef, we're sure that he will continue to shake things up in Dallas.

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Congratulations, Chefs John Tesar and Brooke Williamson!

Chefs John and Brooke paired up for the Roller Derby girls after party and turned out to be a great team. She reminded the Most Hated Chef in Dallas of his daughter, and she was too polite to say who he reminded her of. :) Their dish, a Thai-inspired beef with lobster rice and a tart slaw in honor of derby girl Kutta Rump, won unanimous praise from the judges and scored them a joint win.

Third time's the charm for John, but Brooke has been on top before. What's next for the two of them? Stay tuned and see!

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Top Recipe - Chili Oil Poached Cod with Dashi, Spot Prawn Shabu Shabu

Yay - Top Recipe is back, and this time Michael Voltaggio is doing the demos....

Chili Oil Poached Cod with Dashi, Spot Prawn Shabu Shabu

Serves 4

Chili oil, 4 cups
Fresh chili, 1each
Cilantro stems, 1 bunch
Ginger (chopped ruff) tablespoons
Green onion (ruff chopped) 1 bunch
Celery stalk 1 each
Shallot, half each
Morels, half handful, well rinsed, chopped
Turnips, 4 each, sliced
Heirloom baby carrots, 2 each, sliced
Spot prawns, 4 each
Ling cod filet sliced to 3 ounces per portion
2 cups Dashi
Salt to taste

Dashi:
2 ounces Kombu
4 ounces bonito flake
1 quart water
Cod bones, cleaned
Shrimp shells

1) Add all the ingredients to chili oil in a pot; temperature of the oil should be 110 degrees F.

2) Drop the filet in oil, cook about 6 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, cook morel and carrot in dashi (do not overcook it!). Clean the shrimp, and cut each bite size (basically four pieces from 1 shrimp)

4) Place prawns, morel, and carrots in a bowl. Place cooked fish on top, pour dashi over top. Season fish with fleur de sel on top, if needed.

To Make the Dashi:

Place water, cod bones and shrimp shells in pot over medium high heat. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through chinois into a clean sauce pot. Place kombu into stock and bring to soft boil. Remove from heat, add bonito flake and let steep for 10 minutes, Strain through chinois.

© 2012 JOHN TESAR, KUNIKO YAGI, SHELDON SIMEON
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Meet the Chefs - John Tesar

Hometown: New York, NY

Profession: Chef and Restaurateur, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Dallas, TX

Culinary Education: La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine, Paris

Favorite Simple Winter Recipe: Squid ink spaghetti, razor clams, baby squid, uni, black garlic, and preserved lemon

Known for his stylish, modern American cuisine prepared with classic European techniques, John has garnered much acclaim throughout his 20-plus years in the restaurant industry. He started his culinary career at Club Pierre in Westhampton, followed by stints at 13 Barrow Street, 44 & Hell’s Kitchen, Vine and The Supper Club in New York, where he cooked alongside Anthony Bourdain. He then moved to Las Vegas to work with Chef Rick Moonen at RM Seafood. In 2007, John moved to Dallas, where as Executive Chef of The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, he received five stars from both Modern Luxury and Dallas Morning News and was a James Beard semifinalist for “Best Chef Southwest.” During his tenure at The Cedars Social, Dallas Morning News voted it “Best New Restaurant.” John, who was proudly named the “Most Hated Chef in Dallas” by D Magazine in 2011, is currently gearing up for the opening of Spoon Bar & Kitchen, a seafood-focused fine dining restaurant set to open in Fall 2012.

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