Bocuse D'Or, Top Chef Style

August 19th. Remember that night? 14 weeks ago? 104 days? That's how long it's taken to get to the final 4 chefs. 17 chefs whacked down to 4. A lot has happened in that time. Padma got....bangs. Tom probably scored some more product pimpage. Chefs added more tattoos to whatever body space they have left. So hold on my little Top Chef Crack Monkeys, we're almost to the finish line.When we last saw our chefs, Jennifer had just won the Quickfire and our chefs are sweating French bullets, waiting to hear what the Elimination Challenge held in store for them.A mini Bocuse D'Or, that's all. That's right, each chef will choose between lamb or salmon as their protein, use that protein, make 2 intricate garnishes, all perfect in technique and presentation, in four hours. A panel of 12 judges, some who are on the American Advisory Board of the Bocuse D'Or will be judging your food but the real cherry on top of this hot French Sundae? Thomas Keller, of the legendary French Laundry, will be serving as a guest judge. The only way it could get better is to roll the man in duck fat and cover him in bacon. So the stress is definitely on. Will someone blow a gasket and end up throwing SPAM petit fours on the mirror?Isn't that why we watch?

The chefs take one last shopping trip to Whole Foods where they stare at produce for inspiration.Back at the condo, further inspiration is drawn from watching the dvds of past Bocuse D'Ors.Apparently it's a party in the stands at Bocuse. That's the trip Bravo should give away to their Top Chef fans, a trip to France to cheer on the Americans at the next Bocuse D'Or.
Once the dvds are done, there's an interesting exchange between Bryan and Kevin with Kevin asking advice about sous viding his lamb. Now, this is still a competition, and Bryan didn't have to help Kevin out but he did. Does Bryan want to win? Absolutely but not at the cost of "being a prick" in his words. What I like about this attitude is that some of these chefs put the food before the competition. Of course Bryan may have helped Kevin out thinking there's no way he would win this particular challenge. It's not his strong suit. Still the whole exchange was a breath of fresh air.

The next day comes bright and early and the chefs work quietly in the kitchen. Chef Tom brings a guest by to remind the chefs just what is at stake.What's at stake for Michael is apparently the Trash Talking award.I think he's got that all wrapped up. Chef Tom stops by again, this time alone, so he can make funny faces at the chefs.But also to announce that the winner of the Elimination Challenge will get THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!! Who's making funny faces now?Suddenly it's time to start the Parade of Mirrors. Kevin is the first to get a gander at the rest of the judges who include Traci Des Jardin, Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Alex Stratta and Tim Hollingsworth in addition to Tom, Padma, Gail and Thomas Keller. No point sweating about it now, your dish is done.

Poached Lamb Loin, Sherry-Glazed Beet & Asparagus in Sunchoke Cream

The judges seem to enjoy his food but Thomas thinks it's a little elementary for Bocuse.

Michael follows Kevin into the high stress arena.

Salmon with Cauliflower Chickpea Tart & Zucchini Tzatziki

While scoring points for being pretty, his flavors take a hit. Even worse, Alex Stratta finds a dreaded fish bone. In real world Bocuse D'Or, Michael would have failed right there. On top of that, his hollowed out cucumber impresses no one for technique or originality. Perhaps Michael should go watch with Kevin cook on his day off.

Back in the kitchen, Bryan finds himself in the weeds with time running out.But Bryan finds his earlier chef camaraderie rewarded by Jennifer who steps up to lend a hand, having won that extra 30 minutes in the Quickfire. Karma baby!

Crusted Lamb Loin, Lamb Shank Crepinette & Orzo Au Gratin

Again, the judges like the look of his platter and food but find the lamb undercooked and the rest of the dish needed just a bit more time.

Sausage Wrapped Lamb Loin, Carrot Puree & Tomato-Piquillo Canape

Eli decides to cut his lamb table side and immediately gets pinged for uneven slices and severely undercooked meat. So undercooked that no one wants to eat the meat. Not a good sign.

Salmon & Caviar, Shrimp Flan & Truffle, Celery Root & Shiitake

Jennifer finishes the group of five with her salmon. Her flavors seem to be well received but the direction of the dish lacked foresight. There's also some salmon servings that were perfect and others that were almost undercooked. Same with her shrimp flan.

The meal ends with accolades for all the chefs for their 12 hour Mini Bocuse D'Ors efforts. Still there's one more surprise. In addition to the money for winning the Elimination, the winner will also snag a spot to compete on the 2011 Bocuse D'Ors team. I don't think you'll be seeing that happen on any of the Food Network Competitive Cooking shows any time soon.
You have to think they are all just numb by the time they reach Judge's Table. Which is a good thing because the first round of comments are all about picking at each of the chef's weaknesses. No one goes unscathed but Tom winds it up by saying how much he respects the chefs and their food by getting to this stage in the competition and completing this challenge. The second round of comments seem to suggest that no one had the perfect dish. The only one coming closest is Kevin and his simplicity seems to be the biggest weakness.However, not enough of a weakness to stop the Juggernaut from taking home another $30,000 and the coveted spot to compete in Lyons.
Now for the Elimination. Frankly the four remaining chefs all looked like they were about to Stress Hurl.It doesn't take long for Padma to call out Eli's name.Can't say I was surprised but I am glad it finally happened. There's not one dish I think of when I think of Eli but I will remember him as someone who saw fit to mock a cancer survivor and I know if it were me that would not be something I'd be proud of.

Time to look ahead to the finale so pack your bags, we're going to Napa.

Let's Get Saucy

The Elimination Challenge had no twists. Well...it had no twists if you were well versed in classical French cooking. Julia Childs would have felt right at home working this challenge. Hector or Mike I., not so much. Classical French cooking requires an understanding of the various sauces and their versatility. For this challenge they gave the chefs six classic sauces. A quick review.

Sauce Béarnaise - a reduction of clarified butter, egg yolks, chervil, shallots simmered in vinegar.
Sauce Velouté - stock thickened with a blond roux seasoned with salt and pepper.

Sauce Meunière - Brown butter mixed with parsley and lemon.
Sauce Américaine - Lobster stock with onions, tomatoes, white wine, brandy, salt, cayenne pepper and butter.
Sauce Au Poivre - Pan juices from the peppercorn covered meat cooked in butter, with cognac, stock, heavy cream, salt and pepper.
Sauce Chasseur - A compound brown sauce made with demi-glace, mushrooms, shallots, tomatoes, and white wine.
The challenge wasn't just about whether the chefs were familiar with these sauces and could reproduce them but it was also about the chefs putting their own personal stamp on their dish with these particular sauces and proteins. Never was the divide between the contenders and the kitchen fodder so clear as it was with this challenge.

Mike and Bryan had the trout and Béarnaise. How did Bryan make this his dish? The deconstruction of the sauce and the preparation of the trout. Mike? He executed the sauce but as it was presented on the show (always keeping editing tricks in the back of my mind) it sounded like Mike wanted to deconstruct the sauce and didn't know how and it was Bryan giving him a method of an egg less béarnaise that would work. I know early rounds of Top Chef have lots of team and pairs challenges but I can not wait until we get whittled down where that won't be necessary.
Working more as a team as opposed to one teammate carrying the other were Jen and Michael. They had the rabbit and the Chasseur sauce. The delicate rabbit looked like it was cooked to perfection and they seemed to have added a little Asian flavor to the dish by incorporating shiso and mustard noodle. I would have had a hard time picking between the two but it sounded like The Man Robuchon liked the trout just a little more than the rabbit.When The Man says the trout wins then the trout wins.
Bryan takes not only the honor of winning this challenge in front of a whole lot of French Power Chefs, he also gets to stage (culinary internship) with The Man Robuchon himself in Vegas. My advice? Rosetta Stone because The Man only speaks English when he feels like it and I don't think that's very much in his own kitchen.

As for the kitchen fodder? Ashley discovers she was paired up with a French bus driver.Now as I saw it you had Tintin, the French chef and Hector, the Puerto Rican chef cooking in a classic French challenge and neither doing well. I know I would have tossed the guy who couldn't even cook his own mother country's food. In fact the little monkey should have auffed himself in embarrassment for even admitting that it had been a very long time since he had cooked a Velouté sauce or that there were 8 non French chefs that cooked French food better than he did. Frankly Tintin should thank Gail for his continued presence because once Gail latches on to a Food Foul......she will not let go. So Hector goes home a little sooner than Tintin but the French cheese is on the wall and it's only a matter of time before our little Tintin joins Hector in the Condo of Shame.

Next Episode: Tom refuses to swallow.

Waiter there's a Slug on my dish...

What a wild pendulum ride we seem to be on, swinging between The All American Thunderbirds of episode three and the total joie de vivre of episode four. At least there were no mimes.You'd think with the high protein content of a good meaty escargot, the high protein diet folks would be cornering the slimy escargot market. But no, the lowly land snail was presented under glass like some weird botanical freak. Considering all the other members of the mollusk family Americans do eat, why all the snail hatin'. Remember that the next time you have a heaping plate of Key West Conch fritters you're eating ocean snail instead of land snail.
The Quickfire takes place in Daniel Boulud's beautiful Las Vegas kitchen.Let's hope it inspires some beautiful cooking. Because for the first time, they will eliminate someone for the worst Quickfire dish.Looks like someone thinks they have an advantage.French fashion trends aside there were some excellent dishes that came out of the Quickfire. Namely Kevin's winning dish of Escargot Fricasse with mushrooms, brussel sprouts and Candied Bacon Jam.

The recipe for the whole dish can be found at Bravo but since folks have asked I'm posting the Bacon Jam recipe here. Because you know we're all about Baconization.

FOR BACON JAM:
1 cup bacon, cut into 2” X 1” X 1/2” pieces
¼ cup yellow onions, julienned
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

DIRECTIONS

For Bacon Jam:
1. Render bacon in a heavy sauté pan in hot 500-degree F oven until bacon is crispy.
2. Pull from oven and remove bacon. Cook julienned onions in the remaining bacon fat, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan until onions are dark golden.
3. Add brown sugar and stir to coat.
4. Add a third of the chicken stock and place pan back in the oven to simmer. Reduce mixture until thick, almost au sec (approx 5-15 minutes). Watch carefully that it doesn’t burn.
5. Add half of the remaining stock and reduce again until thick.
6. Add all of the remaining stock and remove pan from the oven. Season with salt, pepper, and espelette (an espelette chili pepper powder) to taste.
7. Pour contents into a blender and puree until fairly smooth.
8. Pour contents back into sauté pan and stir in honey to combine.
9. Put pan back into oven and cook stirring frequently until deep brick red color is reached.
10. Re-season and mount with butter. Allow to cool to warm temperature. Reserve.

Kevin's reward for giving us lucky viewers Candied Bacon Jam? Immunity and a seat at the big kid's table while everyone else sweats it out back in the kitchen.Just don't wear the meggings. Now for the least favorite dishes. I don't think anyone is surprised at the bottom three.What was a surprise was giving them one more chance by having a Cook Off. 20 minutes to make an amuse bouche out of anything in the kitchen. I know my heart was pounding so I can't imagine theirs. The dishes they made didn't look too bad but in the end it's the one who has camped out in the bottom of both the previous Quickfires and Elimination rounds.
Coming Next? Getting Saucy.