Saturday, September 4, 2010
Vote for Your Favorite Cheftestant!
Who is your favorite cheftestant this year? Tiffany? Ed? Kenny? Go to http://www.bravotv.com/livevote/top-chef/fan-favorite to cast your vote. The chef with the most votes wins $10,000, plus voters have an opportunity to win the same amount. Sounds win-win to me!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Top Chef Season 8!
Maybe to make-up for this season's quite lackluster quality, the scuttlebutt is that Top Chef season 8 will be a season of ALL STARS!
Apparently, filming has been taking place in New York and the chefs rumored to be participating are:
Marcel Vigneron
Richard Blais
Fabio Viviani
Stephen Asprinio
Angelo Sosa
Tiffany Derry
Spike Mendelsohn
Michael Isabella
Dale Talde
Tiffani Faison
Jamie Lauren
Tre Wilcox
What do you think? Who else would you like to see participate in an season of All-Stars? Wouldn't it be great for chefs like Tre Wilcox, Tiffany Derry, and Fabio Viviani get a second chance at winning the big prize? And, um, if Angelo is participating, does this mean he doesn't win season 7?
International Bacon Day!
This dog-friendly family event will take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Blue Ash Recreation Center, 4433 Cooper Road, in Cincinnati - one of the largest pork-producing cities in the United States.
For more information on the event, go to http://beggintime.com/baconFest.aspx.
To get you into the bacon-y mood, here are a couple of Kevin's recipes:
Spicy Bacon Popcorn
1/3 cup organic popping corn
3 T + 12g melted bacon fat
2 tsp espelette pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp popcorn salt
¼ C finely grated parmesan
8g tapioca maltodextrin
Place three tablespoons of bacon fat in bottom of popcorn machine. Add popping corn and allow machine to run until the popping slows. Remove from the machine and toss in a mixing bowl with espelette, black pepper, salt, and parmesan. Mix remaining bacon fat with tapioca maltodextrin. Sprinkle bacon powder over popcorn and serve.
Bacon Whoopie Pies
½ C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C dark brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
¼ C turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
½ C molasses
2 T grapeseed oil
2 C AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp kosher salt
Bacon Buttercream
12 egg whites
1 Tbsp salt
3 C dark brown sugar
36 oz butter
½ C rendered bacon fat
Combine together butter, granulated, and brown sugar and whisk on high speed in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, molasses, and oil and whisk to combine. Add in flour and all dry spices and salt and allow to mix until just combined. Roll cookie dough into a cylinder in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Slice cookies into ¼ inch disks and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are set, and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before using.
For the buttercream place the sugar and enough water to dissolve it in a heavy bottom saucepot. Bring to a boil and cook to 236 degrees Fahrenheit. While the sugar is cooking place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Begin whisking the whites on high speed once the sugar reaches the desired temperature. Remove the sugar from the heat and begin pouring it into the mixer in a thin stream slowly. Allow the mixture to whisk until the bowl cools to room temperature. Once cool add in butter and bacon fat and whisk on high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fill reserved cookie sandwiches with icing.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Meet the Pastry Chefs - Erica Davis
HOMETOWN: Tamms, Il – currently resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida
PROFESSION: Executive Pastry Chef, Ponte Vedra Inn and Club
CULINARY EDUCATION: Culinary Arts Degree, Oakland Community College
FAVORITE DESSERT RECIPE: My Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Chocolate Cherry Bread sliced and filled with Sweet Mascarpone Cheese) served with a Vanilla Milkshake
Erika Davis works as the Executive Pastry Chef at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, one of the most exclusive inns and country clubs in Florida. Born in Chicago, Erika knew at an early age she would become a pastry chef. She received her culinary arts degree from Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, MI, and trained under master chefs of breads, cake decorating and French pastries. Named one of the top African American chefs by Black Enterprise, she is the first black woman to be named “Detroit’s Chef of the Month” by The Detroit News and is the President of the Culinary Wonders USA organization. Erika always has butter, sugar, salt, chocolate and heavy cream on hand, and her favorite quote is "A day is never good without chocolate."
Congratulations, Chef Angelo Sosa
Chef Angelo Sosa, a strong competitor all season, swept last night's episode, taking home a Quickfire win (and trip to London) for his sauteed foie gras and his short ribs.
Ultimately, the crunch and intense flavor of his short ribs edged out his competitors, with Ripert repeatedly mentioning how much he loved the juniper aspect of the dish. For his efforts, Angelo not only got to head to Singapore on a high note, but he also took home a brand new Toyota Avalon and his meal will be turned into space food (which is truly, genuinely cool, no?).This post is only for positive comments regarding Chef Sosa. If you have anything negative to say about Chef Sosa or this episode, please leave your comment here.
ATC Love to Chef Tiffany Derry
This week we, very sadly, said goodbye to Chef Tiffany Derry, who's genuinely sunny and funny personality and consistently good food made her a favorite of bloggers everywhere.
Unfortunately, this week, she misjudged the freezing process, so her mussels froze solid and didn't make it to the plate. Though her fish was nicely cooked and Bourdain liked her sauce, Tom thought she could do without the tomatoes and Ripert thought the sauce needed a little more acid.This post is only for positive comments regarding Chef Derry. If you have anything negative to say about Chef Derry or this episode, please leave your comment here.
Reactions to Top Chef DC Episode 12
A new day dawns over our nation's capital and our chefs, who are finally without Amanda. Kevin can't believe he's made it this far (no kidding) and Kelly misses her husband. Is that a bad sign? Angelo's divorced with a son and his marriage failed...because he's a chef? I wonder if this is supposed to make me feel sorry for him?
Our team rolls into the Hilton kitchen, where Food & Wine's Dana Cowin is with Padma. Ed reveals that he's Facebook friends with her, which he seems to think means something. I almost don't have the heart to say, in case he reads this, that I'm friends with Richard Blais. It's really not that big of a deal.
The Quickfire challenge - to pick a wine and create a dish that pairs well with it - is certainly more useful in the real world than most. Plus, it's a high stakes challenge and the winner gets a trip to London. Kevin mentions that his wife has never been to Europe, confirming that nobody here is involved with anyone who's been anywhere.
All of the Quickfire dishes actually look pretty good to me. But then again, I like meat. And I like wine. Dana Cowin says that everyone did pretty well, except for Kevin, who paired quail with merlot and Kelly, who's bleu cheese foam was a little much. But she liked Angelo's pairing (but who doesn't like foie?) and Tiffany's elegant pairing. So Angelo takes it home (and goes to London) and Kevin's wife has to stay stateside for just a little longer.
Before the Elimination Challenge, Padma announces that the Top Chef finale will take place in Singapore, which makes Angelo "tingle" and he says he's a little Asian inside. I'm sure there's a joke in there, but I'm just too lazy to make it.
We learn, next, that the Elimination Challenge will take place at the Goddard Space Flight Center (where I went on a cool field trip in fourth grade). Kelly tells us that she went to Space Camp when she was a kid and I yell at the screen that "Space Camp" was my favorite movie in sixth grade. For real.
Once the team gets to the space center, they meet some scientisty-looking scientists and watch a video made by a couple of gravity-defying PR people holding dehydrated eggs. The challenge, then, is not a surprise: create a dish that can be freeze-dried for space, which means not too much sugar, more spice, and no big chunks. Oh, and Buzz Aldrin will be taking a break from telling Dancing with the Stars war stories to hang out with the judges.
The cooking-in-the kitchen section of the show is pretty standard, with Tom freaking Angelo out by asking questions and a little scurrying, until the end, when Tiffany realizes that her mussels have frozen solid and will be unusable. I feel badly for her, for real.
Next up is the blatant product placement portion of our show, in which the cheftestants learn that someone will take home a Toyota Avalon, that they drive around and gush over. It's black! It's sleek!
Then it's back to the kitchen, where everybody's slammed in and rushing, as per usual. Tiffany tells us that her first job was at IHOP, where she was told that ladies don't work in the kitchen. Because apparently she was working at IHOP in 1963? Was she serving Don Draper?
And onto the dishes...
The judges like Kelly's halibut, saying it's nicely cooked, but Vickie, the food scientist, mentions that they wouldn't be able to freeze-dry that much sauce. One of the astronauts comments that the crunch of the artichokes would be welcome on space, where nothing's crunchy.
Ed's little trip to Morocco (lamb) is well-seasoned, but "complicated" according to Ripert - though Bourdain disagrees, saying Ed has captured the flavors of Morocco. One of the astronauts comments that they'd have to get rid of the bone, though. No need for trash in space.
Kevin's New York strip is nicely cooked and is well-seasoned, though it does spark a conversation about the importance of spoons in space.
Tiffany sadly presents her halibut with shiitake and rice without mussels and Ripert says it doesn't really work together, though Bourdain likes the fish sauce, saying it "sings" to him.
Angelo manages to present his short ribs with pea puree without laughing at Alex. Buzz likes the dish overall, though Tom thinks the candied ginger is too sweet and Ripert thinks the mushrooms are too acidic. Bourdain once again disagrees with him, saying he thought the dish was great and might be easily adaptable to space. Angelo "put his heart on the plate" or whatever and then we hear that he made love to his short ribs? Oh, Angelo. Keep it in your pants.
Judge's Table is a little bit of a love-fest at first, with only gentle criticism and lots of "it's very close." The most heat occurs after the cheftestants head back to the stew room, when Bourdain and Ripert kind of look like they're going to fight. But not really. They love each other. As much, apparently, as Ripert loves juniper. Betcha he likes gin, too.
And the winner of the Toyota Avalon, whose dish will become a freeze-dried space meal, is Angelo. He's happy and strokes his new car key, which is exactly as disturbing as it sounds.
Sadly, this week we had to say goodbye to Tiffany, who's been my favorite for most of the season. Before Padma even delivers the verdict, she seems to know, but she's also obviously sad and her goodbye to Ed is genuinely emotional. As am I.
So, what did you think? Sad to see Tiffany go? Wish there was a way she could've stayed? Did Angelo deserve the win? Is Buzz Aldrin too much of a reality TV presence? Please leave a comment with your thoughts.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Meet the Pastry Chefs - Heather Chittum
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, NY – currently resides in Washington, DC
PROFESSION: Pastry Chef, Hook/Tackle Box
EDUCATION: BA, Clark University; Fundamentals of Pastry Arts Program, L’Academie de Cuisine
FAVORITE FALL DESSERT RECIPE: Carrot Cake with Creme Fraiche Sorbet and Candied Walnuts
Heather Chittum took an untraditional path to her career as a Pastry Chef. After studying government and international relations at Clark University, she moved to Washington, DC, where she worked on Capitol Hill for former New York State Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. After four years, she left to work for Share our Strength (SOS), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger. While there, she was introduced to some of the most influential chefs in the US, which inspired her to revisit her passion for cooking. She decided to enroll in culinary school and began working alongside Equinox’s acclaimed Pastry Chef Lisa Scruggs. Since then, she has also worked at Circle Bistro, Dish, Notti Bianchi and Citronelle with Chef Michel Richard before joining Pure Hospitality’s Hook/Tackle Box restaurant in Georgetown.
Top Chef DC Episode 12 Previews
Bring on the puns: the competition "blasts off" this week when the 5 remaining chef'testants visit NASA to receive their very unique elimination challenge: come up with space food creations that do not taste like moon rocks. The winner will have their dish served in space! And there are some very special guest judges to taste the chefs creations: discerning foodie Anthony Bourdain & notable Apollo Astronaut Buzz Aldrin join the panel to decide: which 4 chefs will make the cut to go to the FINALE in Singapore? Find out tonight 9/1 @ 10/9c - TOP CHEF D.C.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)