Anyone watching Top Chef?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Who do you want to win ?

I love both Mei and Gregory - I wish they both could win.

They are in the gorgeous San Miguel de Allende Mexico (on my bucket list)


This week, they had just 45 minutes to:
1. Walk the nearby organic garden
2. Decide what to pick and make
3. Prep vegetables
4. Prepare a delicious meal

Can you imagine coming up with and making seared lamb with white chocolate ancho sauce and green chorizo vinaigrette and for a sweet dish making baby carrots with turmeric, dark chocolate, ginger, and rosemary all in 45 minutes !!??

This is truly amazing to me. It makes me think I am light years away from knowing how to really cook.


Review:
http://www.eater.com/2015/2/5/7983527/top-chef-boston-episode-14-recap-final-3

[Phentex]

1. I was surprised at how

likable the last few finalists have been. No assholes like they normally have on this show. I know it's all about the cooking, but when it comes down to the end where they are all very great chefs, I like for a decent person to win. I would be very happy for either of these two.

In other news, I can't stand Richard Blaise. I don't know why they keep bringing him back to judge!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. I KNOW - spiked up hair and all ! No assholes at all. Another thing

that's changed too is that Tom C - is not getting involved personally. I like
to think it was because there was a huge twitter war after last season. It
was highly suspect that he just picked the winner because he liked them. He
even wrote me a couple times trying to justify his decision.

[hibbing]

9. He's way too old for whatever that was on his head

I didn't watch all the episodes, so I must have missed the always present and overplayed grilled scallops challenge or whatever it is with scallops. Someone on here explained how that is a great test of skill and so on, which I understand. However, it is a t.v. show and certainly they could incorporate something else that is equally as challenging. Off my soapbox.

Peace

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. I think cooking swordfish is infinitely more difficult than scallops. :>)

[Warpy]

3. Are they putting chocolate or cacao in everything because it's Mexico?

They need to explore a few other things, like green mole based on pistachio and crema. There are a lot of fabulous things there that don't have any chocolate near them.

Also, I've always considered white chocolate to be a pallid imitation of the real thing, worse even than carob, and only the thief of the name. While the combination of chocolate and chile is sublime in both sweet and savory dishes, this one has a good chance of having ruined the flavor of ancho chiles.

I've gotten to the point now where I have a few things left in the fridge and no desire to shop and I can put something really good together out of unfriendly ingredients. I don't do speed cooking because I don't have to. However, I can cook.

Wake me up if one of them discovers cuitlacoche.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Wake up Warpy

cuitlacoche = corn smut, corn fungus. One of the
surviving chefs, Mei, had to use it as a focus of one of her
dishes. she and they loved it.

[Warpy]

5. Good, at least they're straying beyond the clichés

I lost interest in Top Chef several years ago. If I had to see one more molecular gastronomist, I'd have put my foot through the screen. Ditto Iron Chef. I have no patience for overworked food.

I'm perfectly awake. I just direct my attention elsewhere.

BTW, the secret to cuitlacoche is to dump it into a blender without looking at it. I find it best flavoring homemade tortillas to be wrapped around dairy based fillings.

[jtuck004]

11. "Another interesting story told by Ms. Fussell is that of a dinner presented by the James Beard

in New York City in 1989. The purpose was to give Americans a tasting of the corn smut but with a new name "Mexican Truffle". The menu was created by Josefina Howard of Rosa Mexicano restaurant and included huitlacoche appetizers, soup, crepes, tortilla torte, and even an huitlacoche ice cream. "

...Read more from GourmetSleuth.com: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/articles/detail/huitlacoche#ixzz3SQtJy31I

Words matter.

[Jenoch]

6. I have watched Top Chef for years.

This was the worst season of Top Chef. Few of the contestants were compelling ang much of the food was lacking when compared to previous seasons.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. No one to hate

they all loved each other.

May have a lot to do with the twitter war Tom got in last year - when he picked someone everyone hated.

I wish they would show more of the actual food preparation. They show them scrambling around and you don't really know what they are trying to make. And I am always amazed at how they come up with their ideas - and how they know what goes together - what their rationale was. How you learn that. I have picked up some good flavor combinations at home - but it's like amateur hour compared to them.

Why when you have lobster would you ever pick octopus when it's so finicky to make?

[Jenoch]

8. The contestant that was disliked

was sent PPYKG (Aaron) early in the contest.

I actually liked Nick. He was intense and I am also he got edited to make him seem more intense than maybe he actually was when compared too others. Nina's constant referring to her competitors as d*cks (or her use of 'suck my d*ck!?)annoyed me more than Nick. I thought Tom's explanation was valid.

I think the contestants chose octopuss precisely because it is not an easy preparation.

I agree that they should show more of the cooking. However, that appeals to those of us with are cooking enthusiasts, maybe not so much for those who simply into reality television.