Remember the game show Name That Tune? I can name that song in five notes? The Quickfire Challenge on Top Chef this week was a take off of that game show, with a game called Name That Ingredient. It was done in tournament style. The chefs were to say how many ingredients that they could name in a dish that they tasted. The first round was Daniel vs. Hosea, Arianne vs. Jeff, Jamie vs. Stefan, Eugene vs. Leah, Fabio vs. Radhika, Carla vs., Melissa; the second round match ups were Hosea vs. Ariane, Stefan vs. Leah, Radhika vs. Carla and the finals were Carla, Stefan, & Hosea. Hosea won immunity from the elimination challenge by lasting the longest in a name the ingredient until you miss finals.
The elimination challenge became personal because it involved two of the regular judges, Padma throwing a bridal shower for Gail Simmons of Food & Wine Magazine with an estimated forty women in attendance. The cooks were divided into four teams:
Something old, Stefan, Jeff, & Hosea. They actually did three dishes. Jeff made heirloom tomato carpaccio and sorbert, Stefan made a heirloom tomato eggplant & basil terrine, and Hosea made heirloom gazpaccio with mint, watermelon, and cucumber salsa.
Something new, Carla, Eugene, & Daniel. They made components that combined into one dish Tempura shrimp (Eugene) Beef Skewer with peach-miso bbq sauce (Daniel), frisee salad with wonton (Carla), and Yuzo sorbet.
Something borrowed - Ariane, Jamie, & Radhika also made several components into one dish. Indian Spiced Lamb (Ariane) on carrot puree (Jamie) with raita and wilted kale (Radhika). Ariane almost didn't get the lamb cooked in time and it looked pretty rare.
Something blue - Leah, Melissa, & Fabio all of whom had to struggle with there being no blue food so they went the blue ocean route and made blue corn encrusted Chilean sea bass (Fabio), with Swiss charo (Melissa), and corn puree (Leah) which some of the guests referred to as old people nursing home food.
The guest judge for this segment was Dana Cowin, editor and chief of Food & Wine Magazine. Her and the regular judges Tom, Padma, & Gail picked the two bottom teams as the New and Blue Teams. The New Team was picked last. Tom wanted to send all three of the new team packing but could only choose one. The one common theme throughout this season of Top Chef is that the chef that defends a bad dish is sent home. This week Daniel thought his dish was great, the judges thought his dish stunk. Daniel was sent home.
The two best teams were the Old and Borrowed Teams with the Borrowed team coming out on top. The Top Chef of the night. Ariane ended up making a perfectly cooked tasteful lamd and for the second week in the row my gal, Ariane, came out on top!
There really weren’t a lot of life lessons on Top Chef this except maybe that if you are a straight guy don’t put the moves on a lesbian. However, watching the cooking show the question occurred to me that I would like to ask the readers here, what is your recipe for a happy life?
Mine would be a lot of compassion, mixed with romance, a little selfishness, a lot of selflessness, some charity, a dose of reality, a lot of testing the waters, a lot of love, a side of patience, an ounce of caution, some humility, some helpfulness, some willing to be helped, a great deal of humor, the ability to laugh at yourself and a dish of entertainment. Yours?
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8 comments:
You forgot to mention a HUGE dose of "sense of humor" to say nothing of a sense of the ridiculous. And even more important, the ability to laugh at yourself. 8^)
Mary Z!
I was just thinking this morning about you and wondering how you were you must have caught the waves.
And you are right I meant to put both of those in there and after you mentioned them I edited the post and did put them in there! You get the credit though!
Bill
Hi Bill - I've been hanging around. I don't watch those TV programs, so don't have anything to contribute. All is fine around here.
I decided to give us a special treat this year, and had a cleaning service come and do a "spring cleaning". Getting stuff out of corners and up off the floor about killed us, but after 3 1/2 hours and a lighter wallet, it does look much better. And now maybe we can sort through some of the junk that we didn't throw away.
I did forget another helpful thing - good health. It's not mandatory, of course, but it does make things a bit easier.
Hi Mary Z
I always think you have something to contribute!Glad things are fine and I am elated that you hired a cleaning service to do your spring cleaning. You deserve a break!
Good health is important but as you said you can still be happy without it!
Bill
I like all your choices for ingredients for a happy life, but mostly, I think I'd be very happy if I could be free of responsibility for anything or anyone besides myself. All that other stuff you can make happen for yourself. Well, except maybe the romance part, that can be hard to come by if you're at all picky. {g}
Plenty of money never hurts, either. Is it crass of me to suggest that? So be it.
I thought the lamb dish looked by far the best, myself, though it might have been a tad on the rare side. But only a tad.
Hi Pat
I thoguht the lamb dish looked rare too and in fact I thought it looked to rare and was kind of surprised when all of them it was cooked to perfection.
I also long for the days when I am my own responsiblity. And I would love to have enough money to help people and to take away all financial limitations!
Bill
Bill, I thought all your choices were right on the money. My two top are Patience and Laughter.
And I think your girl on Top Chef is doing great..oh oh did I just jinx it?
Hi there Dona Delightful
Patience and laughter are right at the top of my lost too.
I don't think you jinxed Ariane if I haven't jinxed her yet you sure haven't!
Bill
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