WELCOME to the CHAMPIONS ROUND
Time to start ratcheting up the stress. How best to do that? Just a little thing called The Blindfold Tag Team Challenge.
It's a nasty little thing the producers came up with during the most recent season of Top Chef. It's brilliantly simple. Two teams of 4 chefs. Each team produces just one dish that they all have a hand in making. Except they each take a turn producing the dish. No one can speak and the chefs waiting their turn must be blindfolded so they cannot see what the current chef is doing. Each chef gets ten minutes with the dish keeping in mind what the strengths of the team are and what they can accomplish in their allotted time. I LOVE THIS CHALLENGE.
The chefs? Not so much. Why? Because little details or weaknesses that you could hide in other challenges suddenly leap out into the glare of the spotlight. Like say....
...claustrophobia. Yes the Obi Wan of the Kitchen suffers from paralyzing claustrophobia. And they made him the anchor of their team so that means he waits the longest under the dark, constrictive blindfold. I personally wanted a Jonathan Cam because I thought for sure he was going to faint into a crumpled heap.
So the race begins. Really the first chef on your team is the most important (despite what Marcus may think about the anchor being the most important) because they have the most time. Yes they only have ten minutes but if they want to use a protein that takes longer than ten minutes to cook they have the best opportunity to get it started. The Red team ( Tony, Carmen, Susur and Marcus) choose Tony to go first. The Blue Team (Susan, Jody, Rick and Jonathan) have Susan set their team up.
It's a nasty little thing the producers came up with during the most recent season of Top Chef. It's brilliantly simple. Two teams of 4 chefs. Each team produces just one dish that they all have a hand in making. Except they each take a turn producing the dish. No one can speak and the chefs waiting their turn must be blindfolded so they cannot see what the current chef is doing. Each chef gets ten minutes with the dish keeping in mind what the strengths of the team are and what they can accomplish in their allotted time. I LOVE THIS CHALLENGE.
The chefs? Not so much. Why? Because little details or weaknesses that you could hide in other challenges suddenly leap out into the glare of the spotlight. Like say....
...claustrophobia. Yes the Obi Wan of the Kitchen suffers from paralyzing claustrophobia. And they made him the anchor of their team so that means he waits the longest under the dark, constrictive blindfold. I personally wanted a Jonathan Cam because I thought for sure he was going to faint into a crumpled heap.
So the race begins. Really the first chef on your team is the most important (despite what Marcus may think about the anchor being the most important) because they have the most time. Yes they only have ten minutes but if they want to use a protein that takes longer than ten minutes to cook they have the best opportunity to get it started. The Red team ( Tony, Carmen, Susur and Marcus) choose Tony to go first. The Blue Team (Susan, Jody, Rick and Jonathan) have Susan set their team up.
Not surprisingly they pick similar product out of their assigned refrigerators. Scallops and mussels are on both their menus with Tony also taking some bass. The time flies by. The next two chefs are Jody and Carmen.
Each starts putting their own spin on the dish, adding flavor and setting up the anchor so they can easily finish and plate. Meanwhile...
Jody, who not only admits to watching Top Chef but can recite the strategy that Jen used for her stint at this challenge, starts whipping up a sauce. Carmen starts preparing the bass. Your time is up, in flies Susur and Rick.
Each starts putting their own spin on the dish, adding flavor and setting up the anchor so they can easily finish and plate. Meanwhile...
...Jonathan still hasn't reached his Happy Place. Finally Jonathan is freed from his phobic bonds. Obi Wan is back and calmly assessing the dish before him.
His team watches in awe. Waiting for the...The Look.
The ingredients are speaking to him, the Force is flowing through him and all is calm. The dish whispers "I'm lonely, cuddle me in butter" and Obi Wan hears it's cries of loneliness and seeks to calm it fennel bitterness. He is Obi Wan
Master of the Kitchen.
Jay Raynor is our only judge for the Quickfire (Kelly still being full from her Grilled Cheese sandwich Quickfire sampling back in Episode 2). What does he think of the two dishes?
The Red Team has produced a Prosciutto Pan Seared Sea Bass and a Truffle Spiced Shellfish Broth. All the seafood components seem to be perfectly cooked. The bass sits on a bed of prosciutto that might be a tad under cooked. Jay likes the "herbiness" of the dish but is confused by the two component aspect. Is it one dish or two?
The Blue Team has a Mussel and Scallop Stew with Orange and Fennel. Again, Jay compliments the cooking of the seafood. He's a bit taken aback by the bitterness of the fennel. Is it too much or just right? Did Obi Waxman add enough butter to balance the fennel? Jay's not saying.
The Red Team comes on strong with 4 stars.
But the Force is with the Blue Team as they squeak by with that extra half star. Thank you Obi Waxman.
The Red Team comes on strong with 4 stars.
But the Force is with the Blue Team as they squeak by with that extra half star. Thank you Obi Waxman.
Next Up: Wedding Wars, Master Style
