ATC Love to Chef Melissa Camacho

Chef Camacho had her ups and downs this season. Her highs were very high, but her lows...well, this week's was enough to get her eliminated. While her idea of creating "cactus" out of donuts with green glaze seemed fine, she wasn't able to produce a light and fluffy confection that would wow the judges. Her other dessert, whoopie pie sunflowers with chocolate leaves, was delicious, but unfortunately not enough to save her this week.

Chef Camacho - we loved your lively personality and are sorry to see you go! We wish you much success in the future.

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Camacho. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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ATC Love to Chef Craig Poirier

This week, Chef Craig had a great idea - recreating the giant gummy bears from the original Willy Wonka movie by using paté a fruit, a type of jellied fruit candy. Unfortunately, things didn't come out as planned, and while gummy, the candies weren't particularly flavorful.


Chef Craig - we're sorry to see you go. We wish you much luck in the future.

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Poirier. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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Reactions to Top Chef Just Desserts 3 Episode 4

Rather than having a Quickfire this week, the pastrycheftestants take a trip to the movies to see the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Unbeknownst to them, some of their fellow audience members once starred in the film: Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt); Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee); Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde); and Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket). Gail introduces them after the film and presents the Elimination Challenge: to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Willy Wonka movie, the chefs must recreate the chocolate factory, working as one team.

Immediately, the pastrycheftestants set to planning. Chris thinks that it's a good idea for there to be two groups - a creative team responsible for design and planning and a production team responsible for cranking out desserts. While the chefs seem to fall in line with the idea at first, once Johnny comes in to tell them that this week is a double elimination, it's every man for himself.

The end result of their labors is quite wonderful. Bravo/Magical Elves produced a set reminiscent of the interior of the chocolate factory, which the pastrycheftestants filled with waterfalls, pumpkin patches, and edible flowers.

Joining Hubert Keller, Gail, and Johnny for tasting are the four former Wonka stars, a gaggle of children and their parents, and wedding cake guru, Ron Ben-Israel, who is also the guest judge for the episode.

Later, when everyone has come down from their sugar high, Gail calls out Craig, Sally, Katzie, Melissa, Carlos, Matthew, and Megan, who are the top and bottom for this contest. Matthew, Katzie, and Carlos really paid attention to creating special, magical, desserts. Katzie's "carrot patch" full of carrot cake was charming, as was her bee hive/honey dispenser, and good enough to get her the win.

Craig, Sally, Melissa, and Megan didn't fare as well. Both of Megan's desserts were failures and it looked like she would be going home until Carlos stepped in gallantly to say that she had been so busy helping everyone else. Melissa didn't have a savior for her hard green donuts, nor did Craig have any excuses for his flavorless pate a fruit gummy bears, and both were given the boot.

Did you watch this week? What did you think? Please leave a comment!

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Top Chef Just Desserts 2 Episode 4 Previews

The cheftestants are welcomed into a world of pure imagination when they get their challenge this week. Of course the world of Top Chef Just Desserts isn't all fantasy and sweets and this Wonka-inspired challenge won't be any different. Creating a fantasy world of treats has the chefs in a frenzy. Who will hit the mark this week and who will fall short of sweet success? Find out tonight 9/14 @ 10/9c on BRAVO's Top Chef Just Desserts 2!

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All Top Chef Interview with "Top Chef Just Desserts" Season 2 Chef Nelson Paz

Chef Nelson Paz talks about his experience on the show.

Click here for the podcast.

Nelson is the Executive Pastry Chef at Asana in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Boston.

Thank you Chef Nelson!

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Recap Roundup: Top Chef Just Desserts 2.3

TWOP on Gail: "Lemon mascarpone pancakes with amaretto macerated strawberries. These pancakes make Gail wish her Barbies were here, because they would have had so much fun being out of the Barbie Dreamhouse, driving down the open road in their Bitchin' Barbie Camaro, and being on the Top Chef set with their BFF Gail. She could have fed them tiny little bites of tiny lemon mascarpone pancakes through their tiny smiles. It's nice to know that Gail is as crazy as I think she is. It's in her eyes; so don't try to deny it."

Picktainment on the Quickfire verdict: "The least favorites are Rebecca (who had too much going on to fit in a stick of gum), Melissa (because coffee breath usually isn’t the goal of gum chewers), and Matthew (who basically made a granola bar). Top three are Craig with his pancakes, Nelson’s Black Forest thing, and Carlos’ lovely tapioca, with Craig ending up the big winner. This gives Nelson sad puppy dog eyes."

Jordan Baker is annoyed: "And the winner is…CRAIG. HOLY JESUS, that dunderhead won! He’s super excited, and says that while he had thought he’d use the $25K to pay off school loans, he’s probably going to go shopping. Carlos, who had earlier talked about using it to send his five kids to college, looks pissed. In my own home, I am probably making a similar face since the 6th of the month is when Citibank dutifully sends my student loan bill. And Craig has immunity. Jesus. Another week where we won’t be getting rid of him."

Eater on team challenges: "Another team challenge. This makes three in a row, and it's getting old. Craig picks Amanda to head up the other team for no apparent reason other than it's the first thing out of his mouth. We smell a crush! Melissa is pissed for being 'picked last.' Again. Should we break it to her that she really wasn't picked last (twice)? She wasn't picked at all (twice). Later she declares: 'I am dead inside from this team (challenge) shit.' Honey, we are too. However, do the words 'suck it up' mean anything to you?"

Culture Mob on plastic: "It’s showtime, and the client walks in; she’s clearly Vanderpump-ed her face full of snake toxin. I’ve seriously developed a deep distaste for this woman and the only sentence I’ve heard her utter is 'Oh, that’s absolutely gorgeous.' Gail’s forced to smile through the pain of sitting with these people and introduces them; they all appear to attempt to show emotion on their face, but they’re unable to smile for some unknown reason."

Chron.com on excess: "Too bad Rebecca’s team’s table 'looked like an episode of dessert hoarders,' as Hugh Acheson put it. Lisa did not like the over-use of flowers and flower petals on the display, and it ultimately put a relatively talented team on the bottom. Unfortunately, everyone on the losing team seemed more technically skilled than everyone on the winning team, with the exception of the team leader, Craig, who had immunity."

If you're doing a recap for Top Chef Just Desserts, let us know!

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TC News and Information 9.12.11

This week’s Willy Wonka episode of Just Desserts rated inclusion by producers The Magical Elves in their top 10 list of favorite episodes of all the shows they’ve produced, saying it “may be the ultimate episode of Just Desserts. . . ." Click through the slide show for the 9 others, many of which I’m sure our readers will recall.

Have you been reading Just Desserts Season 1 winner Yigit Pura’s Bravo blog about this season? You can also find him “half-naked and sugar-coated,” Yigit says, in a calendar for Meals on Wheels, one of his favorite charities. You can glimpse him in the right-hand sidebar, or purchase one, here.

Were you as glad as I was to see TC Masters contestant Hugh Acheson as guest judge on last week’s episode? He’ll be back as one of the judges on TC9: Texas with Emeril Lagasse, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Frequent TC judge Eric Ripert’s Le Bernadin recently reopened and Feast has before, during, and after videos about the restaurant’s renovation. Meanwhile, Ripert protégé and TC All-Star Jen Carroll has announced she is leaving Ripert’s 10 Arts restaurant in Philly, according to Grub Street.

Three Top Chef chefs make the New York Times list of this fall’s most hotly anticipated restaurants: Masters 3 winner Floyd Cardoz’s North End Grill, Season 3 winner Hung Huynh’s Catch, and All Star contestant Dale Talde’s Talde.

Those Voltaggio brothers are busy too. They have a new cookbook coming out, and Michael’s long-promised LA restaurant Ink. (reported here to be opening in late September) has been upstaged by his new sandwich shop, Ink.Sack, which opened recently a few doors down. LA Weekly’s Jonathan Gold reports here. Yum Sugar has a great video interview with Michael Voltaggio here about his numerous new ventures.

All-Stars winner Richard Blais tells Eater his wife came up for the name of his next restaurant, The Spence, slated to open in winter 2012. He’s also a finalist for Restaurateur of the Year from the Georgia Restaurant Association. Winners will be announced in November.

All-Star Casey Thompson has teamed up with Sam’s Club and is eyeing new opportunities in Napa, according to this interview with Eater. Dale Levitski has been enlisted by Sam’s Club too.

Here's a report of Season 4 of Top Chef Masters filming in Vegas (scroll down to the second paragraph under The Scene and Heard).

Finally, if you’ve ever dreamed of being on Top Chef, you have something in common with Marge Simpson, reports Zap2It. Tom Colicchio will appear in animated form on The Simpsons season premiere on FOX September 25. Is it just me, or does this rendering look more like Hosea Rosenberg?


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Top Recipe - Rebecca Masson's Rhubarb Rose Crisp with Crème Fraiche Sherbet

Lisa Vanderpump called this her favorite dish of the challenge.

Rhubarb Rose Crisp with Crème Fraiche Sherbet

Rose Rhubarb Crisp:
10 cups rhubarb
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 teaspoons rose water, to taste

Topping:
8 1/2 ounces flour
8 ounces brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces butter
1 3/4 cups oats

Sherbet:
2 1/2 pounds crème fraiche
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
1 pinch salt

Rose Rhubarb Crisp:
1. Toss rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, rose water and let macerate for about 30 minutes.
2. Place in ramekins to bake.

Topping:
1. Place flour, sugar, butter and salt in food processor, pulse until it resembles coarse sand.
2. Place in a bowl and with hands blend in oats until large crumbles.
3. Sprinkle over top of crisp filling

Sherbet:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or using an immersion blender.
2. Spin in ice cream machine and place over top of crisp.

© 2011 CHEF REBECCA MASSON

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Exit Interview - Nelson Paz

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Congratulations, Team Amanda!

Amanda, Carlos, Melissa, Katzie, Megan, and Chris - you did a fantastic job with your dessert table for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant party!  Your desserts and decor were impressively sophisticated, despite the rampant use of pink. ;)

Some of you are definitely looking like folks to beat. Will any of you make it to the top? We'll see!

This post is only for positive comments about these chefs. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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