My Dream Has Come True – Michael FINALLY Appears On Top Chef Masters – Part Two; Plus Panna Cotta As Wobbling Breasts

The Elimination Challenge is to cook a 3 course meal for 100 people all by themselves.

Rick: You gotta be kidding me! Michael: Put on the coffee pot. Lachlan does the math and says, “That’s 300 plates.”

THEN Kelly says they will be catering a party for 100 of Top Chef’s biggest fans and the chefs each have to create 3 different HORS D'OEUVRES, (not an entire meal), based on an appetizer, entrée and dessert. They all breathe a HUGE sigh of relief, except for Rick, who is still concerned.

They have 3 hours to prep that day and one hour the next day. They have $1000 for food. Each of them?

They go shopping and bring all their food back to the kitchen. Nils says he wants to do most of his cooking today and try not to use the stove much at all tomorrow.

Lachlan wants to do things that standout in people’s mouths. Michael is impressed, “Going old school?” he says.

Michael says he likes to have things in his dishes that set him apart and have a little snap to them.

The subtitle says Michael’s dessert will be Balsamic Marinated Strawberries. I’m worried that that will be too simple. People always love chocolate and I want his dish to compete with Nils’ dessert OR any of the others, which all sound good. Oh, Michael says he’s also making a basil gelato. That will obviously be exceptional.

Rick says since the Quickfire, he feels a new respect for the competitors on Top Chef. I agree. To me, the hardest thing is the time crunch they have. Just getting anything on the plate would be a victory, much less a fantastic delicious anything.

Uh-oh, there’s a problem with Michael’s gelato. It’s not freezing and he says it’s starting to separate. I really hope he’s not left with just the strawberries. Maybe he can bang out something tomorrow. He says he’s screwed. Why can’t he just freeze it over night?

It’s the day of the challenge. The first thing Michael has to do is to figure out what to do with his gelato. (Why couldn’t he throw it in the freezer? I know the texture isn’t the same, but at least it would be frozen.) He’s putting it in the blast freezer, “piggy backing” it onto something that Lachlan’s doing. Mike doesn’t know to use it, but Lachlan does.

Rick isn’t worried about his food; he’s worried about cooking for 100 people all on his own. Nils, the efficient Swede, remarks that he’s the first chef in the dining room to set up. He even has time to schuzzz up his table.

Lachlan says he’s “ferociously busy” and is thankful that the servers arrive when they do to help set up. Rick is a bit scattered as he gathers all his elements. They are all going to be so appreciative of their restaurant staffs when they get back to their restaurants. Rick says his strategy is to set up a “sensible assembly line situation”.

Michael says “doing large parties by yourself isn’t something a chef normally does”, so he’s depending on his waiter to help him plate stuff. He wants to have the first 50 or 60 servings done in advance.

Nils goes back in the kitchen and feels as if something is wrong, because he’s not busy scrambling around. It’s not possible that he forgot a dish, is it? He says maybe he didn’t do enough or he forgot something. Nils helps Rick to scoop out some avocados. Rick is psyched. He thinks his dishes are great.

People arrive. Michael is behind his station smiling at the ladies. Oy, he does say one tiny little slightly cheesy thing to a young woman, “If I had a smile like yours, I wouldn’t HAVE to cook for a living.” I guess he’s just trying to pile on the points and, if it takes flattery, so be it.

Michael

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, Citrus Vinaigrette & Marcona Almonds

Prawns With Rice Flour, Chili & Garlic Oil

Balsamic Marinated Strawberries With Basil Gelato & Chocolate Crème Fraiche

Kelly comes in, looking gorgeous. Michael, please say NOTHING to her about her looks! She introduces him to the judges. He says (to us) that Jay is a loose cannon and that Gael has tasted food from some of the best chefs in the world.

Michael tells them that the salad has half winter and half spring in it. The guests love it.

Gael: I think this would be a great salad at any dinner…BUT probably not standing up. James: It’s not the best context for it.

It would have been a little impossible to have fried 100 tidbits in the short amount of time he had, wouldn’t it?

Lachlan

“Fritta Esotica” Fried Pineapple Wrapped In Speck

Grilled Beef Short Ribs With Anchovy Parmesan Vinaigrette & Horseradish

Strawberry Frangipane Tart With Yogurt Semifreddo And White Chocolate Dust

Lachlan DID deep-fry his appetizer, but he’s getting a huge backed-up line. Jay: Is putting pineapple in the deep fat fryer a good idea? James: It loses its sweetness and kind of gets overtaken by the cooking grease.

Ok, good, Michael’s still on top…for now. Gael likes the speck. Other folks say it tastes like a Hawaiian pizza. Someone else says it’s a little odd.

Rick

Upakapaka & Barramunci Ceviche with Yuzu, Avocado & Grapefuit

Brandade Of Scallop & Shrimp, Fennel Salad With Truffle Vinaigrette

Lemon Panna Cotta With Ginger, Macadamia, Coconut & Pineapple

What a lovely menu.

Rick has a really nice deep radio voice. That probably comes in handy in the kitchen.

A guest says, “Heaven in my mouth,” about his ceviche. James: Kudos for presentation. Wait a sec, how is that any different than Michael’s salad. It’s served in the same way in a small cup with a utensil. Jay: The flavors are nice. Gael: And the avocado texture is wonderful.

Rick says he realized as he was serving, that the guests were ALL foodies.

Nils Norén

Scallop With Smoked Potato Cream, Apple & Curry Oil

Slow Cooked Salmon With Napa Cabbage, Chorizo, Broccoli Puree & Madeira Sauce

Chocolate And Goat Cheese Ganache, Cara Cara Orange Gel & Lapsong Cream

I hope he’s not sous-viding the salmon. That never works out well.

AND it looks like a TINY serving. The guests say it’s good. James: Beautiful presentation. Look, it’s very beautiful. Jay: Fantastic. James says Nils met the cocktail challenge too, better than the others.

How is eating something with a spoon a typical cocktail dish? I mean three out of the four of the chefs served stuff in bowls, so they can’t mark Michael down for serving an unsuitable cocktail dish.

Michael calls his main course “Pissed Off Prawns”. He's having fun with the crowd and they’re loving him. Lachlan says (to us) that Michael is the favorite and definitely “the most comfortable showman”. “It comes really naturally to HIM,” Lachlan says in an almost jealous way.

Gael is peeved that MC’S dish is served with a knife. She says you would never have one a cocktail party. James luckily says that’s not true. Jay agrees with Gael. Oh no, this isn’t slipping through Michael’s chef fingers, is it? Well, he’s ahead and the crowd loves him, so maybe he can pull it off. THEN Gael says it’s very oily. Jay says it’s a bit greasy, but very well cooked.

Michael thinks Rick is the man to beat and that his zero stars are a giant motivator for Rick to do well today. Rick’s main course goes over well. Gael: This definitely lives up to the promise of being a brandade. (I just love when that happens.) James: The greens are really good.

Lachlan’s main course short ribs look gorgeous. James: Delicious. Jay: I love it. James: I love the salad part. Michael is definitely slipping down a few notches. Oh, but James says too bad that wasn’t Lachlan’s appetizer instead of the fried thing.

The crowd loves Nils’ salmon. James: The best dish or aesthetic of anybody so far. Jay: Oh! James: Wow! I’m getting concerned.

A guest says Lachlan’s dessert reminds him of something his mom would make, if she could bake. James: It almost has a meat-like taste. That cannot be good. Gael: Where? James: The strawberries themselves.

Michael's rushing to get out the dessert. He says it has more components than he has time or patience, but the gelato did freeze. I’m so glad he threw some chocolate in there. That’s always a crowd pleaser, but with the basil? Let’s see.

MC has the cute girls, standing around him, finishing the plating. “Women helping me is never cheating…maybe to my wife.” Har-har. Jay: It shouldn’t work, but it does. YES!!! Gael: I don’t like lawn cuttings in my dessert.

Do you think she has it in for him, because he’s not from New York? C’mon Gael, be fair.

And it’s not just the women who fall for Michael’s charms. A male guest says he wants to eat this dessert for the rest of his life.

Rick says dessert is not his forte, but I actually think his sounds wonderful. About the presentation in little individual bowls - each with a crusty topping - Jay says, “I’m impressed by the way he pulled that off. James: The panna cotta itself was creamy and wonderful. Jay looking straight into Kelly’s eyes says, “A good panna cotta…is meant to wobble like a woman’s breast.”

Alrighty then…I wonder how long he’s been waiting to use that line.

Nils’ dessert is not well received. The guests don’t like the smoky cream. James says it’s like eating bacon-y chocolate. Jay: I think that’s the goat cheese bringing a savory element you’re not expecting. One guest says that dessert was too smart for her.

This is funny. The others chefs shake hands with some of their fans as they finish up for the evening. Michael is double kissing the ladies.

Okay, let’s hurry this puppy along. At Critics Table, there are things the judges like from all the chefs and things they don’t.

Michael says he’s used to doing things like this, but with 15 other people helping him. James loves his Brussels sprout salad. Gael asks him about needing a knife and fork for the shrimp. He says he left the tail on and to Italians that’s kind of like a fork. Jay says there’s was too much oil on the shrimp. Gael repeats that she doesn’t like lawn cuttings in her dessert. Michael laughs heartily. Then she says she was amazed at how well balanced it was.

Nils was complimented on his first two dishes. Gael asks him if he cooked the salmon sous vide. He said no, that he put it in water, covered the top with salt and cooked it on the bottom and cured it on the top. Interesting. James suddenly comes up with the fact that fish tasted a bit fishier than he expected. What does that mean? It wasn’t chicken, after all, it WAS fish. The other two judges don’t agree.

They comment on Nils’ dessert. He LOVES tea and whipped cream and he almost doesn’t care who else likes it (but he was nice about saying it). Jay says that was the most unsuccessful part of the menu. Nils says, with a smile, it was supposed to taste smoky. James says he appreciates that Nils was trying to get their palates to taste something new.

Lachlan is so earnest as he talks about his cooking. James says the meat dish may have been a bit salty. Lach says some parts of it may have been hit with more salt than others. Jay wants to know why he used strawberries in his dessert, instead of the classic pears or plums. Lachlan says pears weren’t in season. Jay says fair enough. (I don’t actually like cooked strawberries. I think the texture is a bit wimpy.)

Gael loves Rick’s ceviche. And the judges were wowed by the fact that he made 100 individual panna cottas.

The chefs go back to the kitchen and drink wine, while the critics discuss. Jay says it was interesting to watch a group of very experienced chefs “stripped back to just themselves”. (Hmm, a couple of them stripped down? I’m in.)

Gael adds that they had to chat with the guests at the same time, as if it were all easy. Well, we know who was the shining star at that…Gael says she’s converted to basil in desserts now.

In the kitchen, the other chefs rib Michael for his “The tail is the fork” comment.

The critics say Nils’ dishes were the most elegant and “gem-like”. Hey! Don’t forget that you hated the dessert.

They can’t agree with Lachlan frying the pineapple, and they’re not overly enthusiastic about his other dishes. So it seems like Michael is in a fight with Nils. Rick’s were good too, but starting at zero may be too much ground to make up.

Rick got good marks for his brandade with the salad. They LOVED the dessert. He is definitely the one to beat, but is it enough?

Rick is completely hyper before finding out the results. He’s funny. Alright, one last prediction…from the bottom up – Lachlan, Nils, Rick, AND Michael will triumph.

Rick

Quickfire – 0

Fans – 4 stars

Critics – James 4; Gael 4 ½; Jay 4 1/2

Total – 17 stars

Thank Goodness, Michael can beat that.

Lachlan

Quickfire – 3

Fans – 3 1/2 stars

Critics – James 2 1/2; Gael 3 ½; Jay 3

Total – 15½ stars

Wow, that’s not a lot. He gets sent back to the kitchen.

Nils

Quickfire – 3 stars

Fans – 3 ½ stars

Critics – James 4; Gael 3 1/2; Jay 3

Total – 17 stars

Michael is sooooooooooooooooo winning. Nils is tied with Rick, but I’m not worried.

I actually think I’m amazing. Really. Okay, so I didn’t predict a tie, but it’s not going to matter. Michael is soooooooo close, I can almost taste it.

This is the big moment. The reason I’ve been watching this show for weeks and writing thousands and thousands of words about it. FOR THIS MOMENT:

Michael

Quickfire – 4 ½ stars

Fans – 3 1/2 stars

Critics – James 3 1/2; Gael 4; Jay 4

Total – 19½ stars

YAY!!! GO ME!!!!GO ME!!! Oh, I mean, Go Michael!! Yes! Finally an outcome on one of these things that I can get behind! Yes! He is awesome….and I ALWAYS knew he would do it. He’s thrilled. He kisses Kelly’s hand (of course) and drinks with his buddy chefs.

Rick is happy he got 4 stars from the guests. To him that’s like the People’s Choice award. He says Top Chef is “not easy. It’s grueling.”

I am thrilled. THRILLED. Hey Michael, call me, I’ll tell you my prediction for the finals…

My Dream Has Come True – Michael FINALLY Appears On Top Chef Masters – Part One

I’m seriously demented. I am so excited by this episode that I wrote MANY different headlines. I settled on the one above, because I didn’t want to come across as a stalker. Although if you read a few of my many MC posts – especially the early ones - I probably do sound stalkeresque.

These were a few of the discards:

I’ve Waited Weeks For Michael Chiarello To Be On Top Chef Masters – Maybe Even My Whole Life (I definitely come off a bit scary there.)

Finally! The Chef I’ve Been Waiting WEEKS For On Top Chef Masters – Michael Chiarello (I didn’t like all those prepositions.)

Presenting Michael Chiarello - The Hottest Chef In The Universe On Top Chef Masters! (Sounds like he’s in a carnival…or a weight-lifting contest.)

By the way, I’m not the only one who has been eagerly awaiting this episode. MC has had viewing parties this week. I hope that means that he won.

One other thing - I wish I could tell you why I love Michael Chiarello so much. You know how sometimes there’s just a spark between people? Well, okay, I realize this is one-sided, but, in some ways, that makes it better. He can’t possibly disappoint me, because I love everything he does. He’s a cool, attractive, modern kinda guy. But I guess what I love most about him are his skills…behind a stove. I love his tossy toss with the sauté pan. I love his eminently doable at-home recipes. I use, often daily, things I’ve learned from him. (Cook mushrooms on high, which I knew, and don’t salt them before they’re browned or they’ll steam, which I SHOULD have known.)

It’s starting! Ok, ok, we know all about Glad bags, let’s get to it.

Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Hotel is the first to walk in. Gael tells us he’s taken 3 NY restaurants to 3 star status - Oceana, Molyvos and RM Seafood. Tom says he’s dedicated to conservation issues. His charity is the The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association.

Nils Norén comes in next. He’s VP of Culinary Arts at the French Culinary Institute. Tom fills us in that the Swedish chef worked under Marcus Samuelsson at Aquavit. Nils loves training the next generation of chefs. He’s competing for the Friends Of The FCI.

Lachlan Patterson comes out next and wants to know why the other two get the stations right in front of the stoves. Rick says it’s because they’re old and he’s not. Lachlan (Mackinnon-Patterson is the name on his restaurant’s website and everywhere else, for that matter) is the Chef at Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. He tells us about his James Beard Award and winning best new chef from Food and Wine when he was 28 years old. Jay tells us that he got some of his training with Thomas Keller. His charity is the Denver Children’s Hospital.

Finally, Michael appears! I can barely contain myself. I want to watch the whole thing in slow-mo just to savor every moment. It would be funny if I transcribed every single word he says. Let’s see if I have the patience:

“I’m Michael Chiarello from the Napa Valley. I own Bottega Restaurant.”

Okay, I’m not going to write down each word he utters, but I will be watching with eagle eyes. Michael says he wanted to be a chef since he was a kid. He chef-ed for awhile and then he “stepped back” and did the television chef thing, but now he’s back and loving it.

Jay (foreigner Jay, how does he even know my Mikie?) says that since Michael been out of the restaurant world for so long, he may feel he has the most to prove. EXCUSE ME! I STILL remember the heavenly risotto I had at Tra Vigne when he was the chef. I have no idea if it was his actual hands on it, but the fact that he was the chef then and I still remember it over 15 (close to 20?) years later says that Michael has nothing to prove except that he’s the best!

He’s competing for Clinica Olé, just as Cindy Pawlcyn did. He says he came to win.

Kelly comes in and tells them their Quickfire Challenge is using junk food. MC says, “C’mon, you’re killing me.” Yup, their challenge is to create a fine dining experience out of the junk food. They draw knives.

Mike draws Number One. Yeah!!! Go MC!!! I have no idea what that means, but he’s happy, so I am too. OH, he gets to pick first from the junk food table. That IS good. He picks fish sticks.

Lachlan is next. He picks the hot dog. Rick says his first two choices are gone, so he goes with the corndog. Nils goes with the fried shrimp. No one took the Twinkies?!! What wrong with these guys? (Not Michael, of course.)

The judges for this Quickfire have very strong opinions, Kelly says. Oh NO! They’re not bringing back the girl scouts, are they?! Especially the redheaded one??! Please tell me that isn’t true.

Oh my, they may wish it were the girl scouts. One of the judges is the ever flip-outable, Jeff Lewis, from Flipping Out(REAL quality television. I wish I were kidding. I wonder what’s happened to him since the real estate market crashed.) Oh, his crew is there - Jenni (LOVE Jenni), the truly cute Ryan (he’s spoken for) and Carrie ,his real estate agent, who, if I remember correctly, married Jeff’s brother. I digress.

Michael says (to us) that it’s hard enough having a critic judge your food, but having someone that doesn’t know about food is even tougher. Kelly says they have 45 minutes to turn junk into genius. THAT to me is the toughest part - the speed with which they have to work.

They run to the pantry. Lachlan is amazing with what he wants to accomplish in that time. He’s making a sausage and using it in a stew. Rick is making a shrimp hot dog in a cornmeal batter. Wait! I’m confused. Do they have to USE their junk food item in their dish or make something that resembles it? Rick is funny. He says he loves working in a kitchen because he has such a short attention span (which he’s worked UP to 5 seconds) and there are always so many things to do.

Nils says he picked the shrimp because he likes to work with seafood. I’m really confused. It doesn’t look like any of them is using the junk food that they picked.

Lachlan says his biggest competition may be Michael, because he’s traveled so much in Italy and their styles are similar, but MC’s disadvantage, Lachlan says, is that he’s been away from a restaurant for so long. I’m not worried. I think Michael can take them with one hand tied behind his back. Oh, that was last week.

Michael says his dish should impress the judges. He says that in Italian cooking, it’s all about taking bits and pieces of fish, for example, and turning them into something wonderful.

Kelly goes out and sits down with the judges. Jeff says, with great seriousness, that he and Ryan are sooo busy that they don’t have time to sit down in a restaurant. He says he goes through a lot of drive throughs and he goes on to name every single fast food place in Southern California. He says,“We are white trash with money.”

The chefs rush. Rick is worried those he doesn’t have time to incorporate all the elements he wanted to. Lachlan loves his broth, but he’s worried that his sausage isn’t cooked. Nils is okay, because he says Swedes are very punctual and a 12:42 train leaves at 12:42. Rick is screwed because his corn dogs aren’t done. Oh, there’s a commercial for a new season of Flipping Out. It looks pretty darn great.

Luckily, MC clears up my confusion about the challenge.(Thanks, hon.) He says what Kelly should have – that the challenge is to cook a dish inspired by junk food. Rick is soooooooo mad at himself for not finishing and thus not having anything to present to the judges that he wishes he could disappear through a trap door.

Lachlan – Hot Dog

Prosciutto Stufado With Pork Sausage

Jeff looks at it, worried, and says “It IS cooked, right? It looks a little rare.” Carrie says the broth is good. Ryan (really, really, REALLY handsome Ryan) says that it’s all good, EXCEPT for the meat. That’s “the weird part.”

Michael – Fish Sticks

Swordfish Meatballs with Fisherman’s Sauce

Jenni is excited when this is put down, because she loves anything fried. Ryan is excited because he hasn’t had fish sticks since childhood. Jeff: “I like this one. I would keep eating this.” YAY!!!! Go TEAM MICHAEL!!! Jenni: There are three perfect balls and I like the color. Jeff giggles.

Nils – Fried Shrimp

Shrimp with Creamed Corn & Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

They’re blown away by the elegant presentation. Jeff: It’s very pretty. Ryan: It’s beautiful (so is he), but I don’t see the fried in the fried shrimp yet. Carrie says it doesn’t taste fried, it tastes boiled. This is SO going to go to Michael. Jenni likes the buttery crouton. Jeff: I find it a little plain without the tomato. Back in the kitchen, Nils says he guesses the interpretation of fine dining can vary.

Jeff is LIVID when he finds out that the 4^th chef didn’t finish his dish. He would have had seconds of something else. Jeff is merciless to poor Rick Moonen as he says, “Didn’t he have 45 minutes to do this?” He feels like they got ripped off. Poor Rick, but I admit that I’M happy that MC only has 2 chefs to beat.

Rick says he’d like to see Jeff come to the kitchen and make a corndog in 45 minutes.

MC says what I just said. He says he feels bad for Rick, but now he has at least a 30% chance of winning. Actually, that’s a 33.333% chance.

Lachlan – 3 stars

He doesn’t look thrilled.

Nils – 3 stars

Rick – 0 stars

Michael – 4½ stars

He feels good. Do I or do I not know a little sumptin’ sumptin’ about what it takes to win Top Chef??? Michael is sooo going to win and reign triumphant. I just know it.