Gail's Fashion Corner

Yowza!

Winning Was Never So Sweet

Don't know what everyone else thought about the finale of Just Desserts but it was a bittersweet ending to a enjoyable twist to the Top Chef series. In my humble opinion the right person won, the underdog almost took the whole shebang and Karma had a little surprise for the third place loser in the form of unsellable souffles.

One of the biggest surprises, at least for me, was the finalists going straight into the finale. Certainly no rest for the weary. The chefs show up at the Kitchen expecting one more Quickfire only to find Gail in a hot new outfit but apparently unable to move below the waist. Gail fills them in on their final challenge, a four course tasting menu, totally chef's choice of what they want to make. All served to a dining room chock full of outstanding chefs and well known critics waiting to pick apart their desserts.

Gail generously gives the chefs the night off and sends them off to enjoy a night of cocktails at the Edison. It's a dark little spot and there our chefs find Chef Johnny lurking in the shadows, enjoying an adult beverage. After reassuring them there's no twist waiting in the kitchen, Johnny orders some desserts to share.

These desserts look so yummy but sadly there's no hint as to what they are or who made what. Well, no specifics exactly but we do get to meet the chefs.

It's the Three Blond Aces!! From right to left, the very perky Chef Sherry Yard, next to my longtime pretend girlfriend, Chef Elizabeth Falkner, next to old school pastry Chef Claudia Fleming (former pastry chef for Tom Colicchio at Gramercy Park). They made the fancy desserts and they will be serving as Sous Chefs to our finalists as they prepare their final desserts. Yigit pulls Sherry from the Cookie Jar of Destiny, Danielle takes Elizabeth leaving Claudia for last. Danielle, of course has a face for just such an occasion that mixes anxiety and elation.

She really should market this ability. Perhaps Danielle's Face A Day Blog. It could go on for years. There's another night at the condo where more childish stupidity happens but I'm so sick of it that we're just not going there. Back in the kitchen, all the chefs crack down to get as much done as possible in the seven hours they have on that first day. It's uneventful yet productive. It might have even been a learning experience had one wanted a lesson....say in the technique in spherification (the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spherical shapes). Morgan does his best to enlighten Chef Fleming...

(I'm not here for a chemistry lesson, you big mook)

...while Danielle listens attentively, wondering if Chef Claudia will embrace Morgan's methods to her bosom?

Yeah.....I'm guessing Chef Fleming is going to take a pass on spherification. So Day One ends with hugs for Sous Chefs Falkner and Yard. Chef Fleming, having failed Spherification 101, is not rewarded with a hug. Fast forward to Day Two at the kitchen where a whole new set of Sous Chefs have replaced the hard working crew of the day before.

Guess who doesn't play well with most of these folks? It's at this point that the Idiot King makes his last nasty, violent remark. However this post is about the winners of this last episode, not the loser. So the Cookie Jar of Destiny is produced for the last time and Yigit pulls Tim, Danielle pulls Tania and Morgan pulls Heather H. and before you know it their three hours is up and it's time to start serving. Lots of familiar faces among the guests.

Elizabeth Falkner.

Suzanne Goin with James Oseland. While Suzanne is looking really spiffy in her should cut-out dress, James has decided on the outfit he wants to be buried in.

Susan Feniger, another one of my pretend Girlfriends (for when Elizabeth is out of town...)

The remaining contestants not working in the kitchen also get to join in but only after they are segregated away from all the Adult chefs and relegated to the Just Dessert's version of the Kids Table. Damn that's cold.

Now when it comes down to the Finale dishes, it's really about perfection. There's a lot of other criteria but if you fail at one thing, you get shoved to the bottom and then those who performed better are judged against each other. I think I can safely say Yigit had a pretty flawless night.

Yigit's First Course

Cucumber Lime Sorbet with Straus Yogurt Caviar Pearls

Of all of Yigit's desserts, I think I want to try this one the most because it totally challenges my idea of what a dessert should be. It's so intriguing.

Yigit's Second Course

Strawberry Sorbet & Lemongrass Ginger Ice Cream with Berry Meringue & Consommé

Yigit's Third Course

Muscovado Braised Pineapple & Coconut Cake

This is the dish I most want to try and make. Pineapple and coconut? Yes please.

Yigit's Fourth Course

Hazelnut Dacquoise, Milk Jam & Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Everything else just looks amazing. It's a menu full of confidence and energy and really shot Yigit into the Winner's spot.

Team Go Diva, together again.

Just Desserts The Winner is...

First Winner of Top Chef Just Desserts

Seeing Double

Remember Morgan's anniversary cake. The really simple one? Lemon cake on one layer, chocolate on the other, shell icing border, little interior dots? Did it look familiar to you?

Check out Heather H's cake from the third episode where the chefs had to make wedding cakes.

Take off the pink flowers and it could double for Morgan's cake.

Except Heather's cake won her challenge.

If I Knew You Were Coming...

Last big challenge before the finals. I was expecting a challenge that really forces the last four chefs stretch their culinary muscles.


Not exactly pulling a Gumby here are they? The basic challenge is make a sixty first anniversary cake for Sylvia Weinstock and her husband, Ben. Right off the bat I have issues. You're having a big party, celebrating over sixty years of being with the one you love and you don't tell the baker what kind of cake you want? This could have been so much more fun if the couple had interviewed privately with each chef and told each of them different elements she wanted in the cake.

That would have been surprising. So was it any surprise we got some really weak cakes?

Morgan. This has got the be the most boring cake I've ever seen on tv. Talk about playing it safe.

Yigit. A little more complicated than Morgan's, I like the beach ball decorations however Yigit fails at executing some of the internal elements of his cake.

Danielle. Again, nothing fancy but I love that she took the chance on the gray frosting coloring. I know Sylvia didn't like it but really, did we expect someone that old school would like that color?

Zac. Well. If you're gonna go out, go out big.

Judge's Table is pretty much what you'd expect, Zac is rightly called out for this disaster of a cake but not before he and Morgan rip each other bloody. While Morgan may be happy that Zac is gone (but not entirely) he can take no comfort in winning the challenge. That happy development goes to Danielle and her battleship gray cake.

Jumping for Joy right out of the camera frame. Now that's a happy winner.

My Life In Chocolate

We are now down to four chefs back at the Sugar Shack and Morgan has determined that the 3 remaining chefs are conspiring against him.

How does he know this? Apparently the whispering among the other three. So if they are loudly singing show tunes Morgan's unhappy and if they whisper Morgan's unhappy. Just can't make the dude happy, perhaps he should eat some worms...

Back in the kitchen all Pimping Hands on Deck!

Time for a Godiva Quickfire. Now I've cooked with chocolate, Valrhona or Callebaut, perhaps a Guittard or even a Ghirardelli but I don't remember seeing big brick of Godiva as a choice for making truffles or ganache. Maybe it's just a Midwestern thing. However here we are for the Quickfire.


Make four pieces of candy representing four great moments in your life. Sigh. OK. Top Chef, The Empire, seems to love forcing some sort of emotional attachment to challenges which, in reality, is kinda nutty considering the time frame doesn't really encourage developing and creating loving little pieces of your heart on a plate. So not only do you have to create 4 unique pieces of confection, in 2 hours, with a back story for each piece but you also have to have all of that judged by the Guest Judge...

Not exactly a happy little ray of sunshine is Francois since the French take their little chocolate nibbles very seriously. I'm pretty sure the pucker factor was mighty tight for our chefs....except perhaps for Danielle whose happiness in her own little world is turning out to be a blessing in disguise in these later challenges. She's happy doing her thing and for this Quickfire her thing is a cute little baseball bonbon with milk chocolate with caramel popcorn and peanuts.

Here's a bonus shot of Danielle when she's obviously had as much time as she wants in the bathroom.

Danielle is The Woman of a Thousand Faces.

Man, that is one massive chunk of chocolate. Just a hint, when you need imported cheese or chocolate this thick, you better hope you just got paid.

So because of the emotional attachments connected with each piece, we get lots of molding shots intermingled with family and loved ones.

Danielle's business venture, pretty gutsy for someone so young.


Yigit's incredibly cute boyfriend.

Zac's incredibly cute parents. Please note the simple anniversary cake. That Zac made for them. He can be restrained. Just sayin'. Now I've brought you all these touching human pictures so I don't have to deal with Morgan's Whine of the Challenge. Which was a hearty burgundy concerning pastry bags and said pastry bags not being in the place he expected them to be. Morgan, it can be said, has a massive Whine Cellar suitable for any and every occasion.


So what did our chefs come up with for their final product? (If you'd like to see all chocolates and their descriptions you can hit Bravo's Rate the Plate for this episode otherwise I'm just going to share their collections.)

Morgan's collection. Pretty but a bit cold and sharp.

Yigit's collection. Gotta finish all four. Even if one is a failure, put it on the plate that way you're still in the running.

Zac's collection. Very restrained for Zac but not a big hit with the guest judge.

Danielle's collection. A very cute and heartfelt offering.

What does Francois think of our chefs lives expressed in chocolate?

Well as best as I could make out...and really after years of trying to decipher both Eric Ripert and Hubert Keller's thick French accents, you'd think I'd be better at this...he couldn't judge Yigit because Yigit didn't finish the challenge. He then went on to say that while he liked what Zac did but he believes Zac had the Schweet Toot which is way more accurate than he realizes. For the top two he liked Danielle's popcorn baseball and the coconut ganache with pineapple jam and for Morgan he didn't really say what he enjoyed just that the green tea offering was too sweet. At this point I'm thinking Danielle has scored some more cash from the stern French judge but NO. Morgan wins. Again. Prompting Danielle to perfect her Morgan Winning Face.

Nice. I'm glad she can take it all in stride because I know Morgan is bugging the hell out of me. But then again, I'm not Danielle, Woman of a Thousand and One Faces.

The Many Faces of Danielle

Because you asked. Just a quick sampling.