Dessert Wars

I was wondering how they were going to adapt Restaurant Wars into a dessert only setting. I'm not sure I like it. It somehow loses a bit of the drama that chefs cooking multi-course meals usually deal with. I know they had special orders but still. Let's review. The challenge for our two teams was to prepare and stock a pastry shop. Each chef had to prepare 3 desserts on the menu and one item on the menu is required to be a bread item. The reward, aside from bragging rights to having won the first Dessert Wars, is $30,000. Nice. So off they go to shop...where nothing exciting happens but still you have to pimp the grocery store or no free access to film inside the store.
Back at the kitchen things start to get interesting. Two of Team Diva's desserts involve pie or tart crust. Simple right? A building block of every pastry chef's training. But if you work in a larger scale bakery that cranks out a lot of pies and tarts, there are machines that help you roll your dough (dough sheeter) into thin, precise crusts.
The black team has no problem using this machine. However Whiny Heather chooses to hand roll all the dough for her team. Why? Could be she's had bad experiences with a dough sheeter in the past and is uncomfortable using it. Or. It could be that she fears it will be seen as a short cut. While this is the first season of Just Desserts, the chefs have had plenty of examples of how shortcuts bite them in the ass from 8 seasons of Top Chef. So Heather rolling her own could be a wise choice....IF she rolls all of them perfectly.

Then there's the lemons.
Seems that Morgan can't find two bags of lemons. Since he can't find his two bags of lemons he bought, he claims Yigit took his lemons and on top of that, is upset that Yigit took all the lemons out of the Pantry. If Morgan's not careful the Whiny title is coming off Heather and will be slapped on his broad forehead.

Not much else of interest happens during prep except Yigit covers himself with a large bowl of whipped cream...and not in a good way.

Although as cute as he is I'm betting he could get plenty of folks to cover him in whipped cream in a good way.

Next day finds the chefs hustling to get ready and open their pastry shops. Our guest judge for Dessert Wars is Nancy Silverton, she of many awards, cookbooks and dessert establishments.

Will she be tough? Nit picky? Will the chefs be ready in time?

The black team appears to be. Team Diva?

Not so much. Now I watched closely to see if Team Diva's case ever looked as full as the black team's case and below is the best I could find.

Some stuff but just not as eye catching as the black team's display. Not a good choice. Onto the desserts.

Zac

Yigit

Heather

Morgan

Eric

Danielle

The best in my opinion and the ones I'd buy if I were in the two shops? Zac's donut offering and Morgan's Chocolate Mousse, as much as it pains me to say in Morgan's case. While he might be a total dick he has a ton of talent. Zac loves to fry things and I love him for that. However over all Whisk It Away takes the title and the money.
The worst is Heather's crust for her lemon tart and Yigit's chocolate tart. Her decision to hand roll turns out to be the wrong one. Now because Team Diva lost they come in for the most criticism which they no doubt deserved. But part of me is kinda pissed that the black team put up a chocolate chip cookie and a pretzel stick as Dessert War entries. I thought Johnny's bullshit line about having something you know will sell was crap. It's Dessert Wars, I want amazing. Geez, at least make an interesting shape with the pretzel.

In the end Whiny Heather finally whines no more.

All the News That Fits

The diabolical producers of Just Desserts weren't satisfied with yanking away the chef's gadgets during the last Quickfire so they decide to drain them of all color with a Black and White Elimination Challenge.

The LA Times is celebrating their 128th year anniversary and are throwing themselves a little party. Probably because you never know when another newspaper will bite the dust and end up in that big recycling bin in the sky so might as well party now. The chefs can use any flavor they like but the end result of the dish must appear black and white. I really like this challenge. It pushes the better chefs into some interesting directions and weeds out the chefs who don't really conform to the challenge or those who just run off the tracks all together.

Most of the chefs seem to be rising to the occasion.

Although I don't really understand what Morgan is trying to accomplish with this maneuver? Prep is done and now it's time to set up at the party.

Apparently the drowning method did not work out so well for Morgan.

It's at this point that Remaining Heather discovers that she's missing rice krispy treats. Of course, just like pea puree, she immediately suspects Morgan. Which we all get to hear about. A LOT.

Remaining Heather no longer, now she is Whiny Heather and her mission on Just Desserts is to find a way to eliminate Morgan. What she needs to do is concentrate on her desserts. Because she's letting some color bleed out on her plate.

While it's hard to see here, Erika's middle layer is not dark at all. However it's her ice cream that is failing her.

Danielle's play on the 128th anniversary is cute but fails to impress the judges.

In bit of twistiness the judges call in Whiny Heather, Danielle and Erika to Judges Table first leaving the four guys to start dripping copious amounts of loser sweat in the stew room. What the guys don't know is that it's the ladies who have to face the fire of failed dishes.

Even after their critique, they must not reveal that they are the losers as the menfolk enter Judges Table. That coupled with the judges slamming her ice cream causes something in Erika to snap.

However it's hard to argue with desserts like these.

Zac's deep fried Whoopie Pie. Deep Fried, need I say more?

Morgan's Blocks and Columns, a very clever take on a newspaper dessert.

Eric's beautiful and delicious Mississippi Mud Cake.

Yigit's dessert of many flavors and components.

The boys enter the Judges arena to take their punishment like men and nearly end up fainting with relief to find out they are the winners. Is it wrong that I love the whole deviousness of that move? Despite much praise and love heaped on the long suffering Eric, they finally announce Yigit the winner.

Unfortunately for me, one of my favs ends up going home and it's not Whiny Heather.


Erika has to pack up her pastry bag and move on. I know I'm sad but as it gets closer to the finale, the decisions are going to be harder and harder. Even more exciting? Just Dessert's version of Restaurant Wars. Don't look for the same old same old.