Top Chef 3: Episode 3
This week on Top Chef, the chef’s had to do something that I could actually relate to…make a low-cholesterol, updated version on an American comfort food. They each had a dish and the choices were things like tuna casserole, meatloaf, fried chicken, and lasagna.I was floored and more than underwhelmed at how lousy most of them performed. First of all, some of them need to drop the snobby attitude. I know, hard for many chefs to do. Many of them seem degraded to even have to touch the plates and I was amazed at how many of them didn’t even know what they were.
Now I will admit that some of these are not the most sophisticated of dishes, but that was kind of the point. To not only try to make them more healthy, but add a chef’s flair. The lack of imagination from this group was staggering.
Howie and Dale were the stand-outs and thought like chefs, not spoiled, snobby foodies. Dale reinvented Chicken and Dumplings with inspiration from a old family Hungarian recipe and Howie had Pork Chops and Apple Sauce. Howie won with his brilliant take on this American Classic. Instead of Apple Sauce he made an Apple Slaw. These guys got the point of the challenge and executed it well.
Those on the chopping block attempted Meatloaf, Chicken A La King, Franks and Beans and Tuna Casserole. CJ attempted to be very creative with his Tuna Casserole and put a lot of thought in the low-cholesterol slant, but veered off course somewhere. It ended up being a nasty, health food version, but he tried. I have yet to figure out what Lia does in the kitchen. She attempted Franks and Beans using lentils and chicken sausage, but the only thing she made was the lentils that were horrible; she had 2 hours. Sara had no clue what Chicken A La King was, and that became painfully obvious. In the end Micah got the boot for her scary meatloaf. She had not clue what it was and had her nose up in the air throughout the challenge. Since you know us “Americans like ketchup on everything”. Excuse me!! Lee Anne though put it a bit nicer:
Micah’s not un-American at all. She just never had meatloaf as a kid. While her references to what we as Americans like to eat could have been misconstrued as derogatory, it’s just because she honestly is not familiar with the food that was on the table. Her dish was terrible, more like an odd meat terrine in a ring mold than a meat loaf. The flavors were off and the texture was dry and mealy.
Lee Anne also took some time to discuss the “Oven-Gate” with Hung and Lia’s inability to make sausage…it had nothing to do with time. Check out Lee Anne’s blog here.
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1 opinion for Top Chef 3: Episode 3
Ratatouille Movie Review
Jul 6, 2007 at 3:22 pm
[...] From a foodie perspective I enjoyed the literal theme, of “Anyone Can Cook”. The belief that great food is not an elitist idea and the simple joys always bring us back to our love affair with food. The idea that something as simple as Ratatouille, properly made not only with skill but love, can evoke such emotion is wonderful. An idea that was lost on our Top Chef contestants last week. [...]
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