Valentine's Day, A Special Birthday, Your Last Meal and Top Chef

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone. Hope the love in your life does something today and everyday to let you know how much they appreciate you! Today is also a special birthday. Today the State of Oregon turns one hundred and fifty years old! Oregon was founded February 14, 1859. Happy Birthday to our great state.

This week on Top Chef it was last meals, which of course brings up two questions: What would you want your last meal to be and who would you like to cook it? One of the things I learned this week from the show is that simple is often better and I am really simple! My last meal certainly would be. I would love my last meal to be the Jumbo Burger and homemade fries at the Helvatia Tavern in Hillsboro, Oregon. Check out this site to see what I want! http://portlandhamburgers.blogspot.com/2008/01/helvetia-tavern.html ,If the meal was home cooked it would be baked ham, scalloped potatoes, string beans, and chocolate chip cookies. I’m not to choosy as who would cook it for me. Doesn’t need to be anyone famous. Heck it could be anyone of the readers of the blog! I’d be fine with that.

Now on to the Top Chef Summary. The guest judge for the Quick Fire challenge was Wylie Dufreshe owner of the W-D 50 restaurant in New York. Wylie a lover of eggs had the cooks cook eggs in a way that would surprise him. On Top Chef and in life as well, simple is often better. While Leah, Hosea, Stefan, and Fabio tried to create multiple items and dishes Carla stuck with one item and a simple one at that. Carla won the Quick Fire Challenge with a Dr. Seuss inspired green eggs and ham! Winning gave her an advantage in the elimination challenge. An advantage that she chose not to use,

The elimination challenge was to cook the last meal for famous chefs. The contestants drew knifes with famous chefs names on it and what they wanted their last meal to be. The draw, the chef, and their choice for their last meal:

Fabio - Lidia Bastian - roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, leafy salad.

Hosea - Susan Ungaro - shrimp scampi with tomato provencal

Stefan - Marcus Samuelson - roasted salmon and spinach.

Carla - Jacques Pepin - Squab and peas

Leah - Wylie Dufreshe - Eggs Benedict.

As winner of the Quick Fire Challenge Carla had the choice to switch last meals and chefs with any of the other contestants but chose to stick with the famous Jacques Pepin.

Again simple almost won. Playing hurt did win. The winner of the elimination challenge was Fabio. Despite breaking his hand Fabio refused to go to the hospital and stuck in there and continued to cook. The trooper won. He know goes on to the final four in New Orleans. Finishing second with another simple dish is now the dark horse to win it all Carla.

The bottom three were Stefan, Hosea, and Leah. Leah’s not done to perfection Eggs Benedict left the judges a little wanting and she was finally sent home.

The final four of Carla, Hosea, Stefan, and Fabio now pack up and head to New Orleans for the semi-final and final. Be in interesting next couple of weeks!

Hope this day brings you love and a winning lottery ticket.