Tag Archives: Graham Elliot

TV reviews

MasterChef Junior:Phone Home and Gourmet Burgers

Hamburger
Photo: Wikipedia

Having survived the initial trials, the top twelve junior chefs arrive at the kitchen to face their first mystery box. Last week I wondered whether these kids are kids owing to the quality of the cooking shown. Keep that in mind about this show. Perhaps, as some suggest in jest, they are actually Hogwarts students on vacation. Now one funny thing to remember is that many of these kids are too short when they stand at their cooking stations. So they stand on platforms that give them the needed height. Even with that, some of the shorter ones had some difficulty raising the mystery box. When asked what they do would do with $100,000 prize money, most thought about gifts and parties. Only Alexander would use it for culinary school.

Mystery Box
Fortunately the mystery box did not have anything like offal or a pigs head. Perhaps they are saving that for a Halloween themed episode. It did however have filet mignon, tiger shrimp, mixed berries, blue cheese (which Sara said stank like feet), arugula, potatoes, and assorted vegetables. So right away they are giving them high value ingredients to see what they make of it. They also had an advantage no one else had before: the ability to use a tablet to call home or a friend for advice. Skype got some good product placement out of this show. And not a mention of Walmart at all (which I think supplies groceries for this show as well.)

As the camera followed the junior chefs, we saw them busy at work as if they had done this all before. Pretty amazing to watch these kids tackle these ingredients. In the end the three that were brought up for judging were:

Alexander (filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes, carrots and salad)
The chefs all loved this dish which had the right sear on the meat, delicious mashed potatoes, and carrots. One small complaint Gordon noted was that salad does not go under the meat. Alexander showed real talent here. Graham sees himself in Alexander and notes he has more talent then he did at his age. In short, a triple (using a baseball metaphor here).

Jack (surf & turf)
He was one of the few that incorporated the shrimp into his dish. Another great dish as the chefs all had compliments about its quality and presentation. Graham used a carpenter metaphor to say he nailed the dish. I would say a grand slam. But do not say “bam” too much Graham. I think another celebrity chef may have trademarked its use. 🙂

Troy (filet mignon with poached egg and root vegetable hash)
Once again compliments all around. Joe really liked it noting the intense flavor with bay leaves. Gordon would have preferred the steak medium rare rather than medium. Triple.

Jack wins the round and heads back to find out his amazing advantage. First off, he is spared elimination. Then he will decide what food his fellow junior chefs will cook. And this is where we take a trip back in time since it is our masterchefs favorite foods when they were a kid. Each one holds up a photo of them around 8 years old or so. For Joe, it was not a pasta or pizza dish but chicken wings. Who knew! Graham holds up his picture and it is hard to recognize him. Back then little kid now a Michelin star chef with tattoos, a hairstyle from an old cartoon strip, and funky glasses. Jack does not see the resemblance. For Graham, his favorite was the hamburger. Gordon looks much younger without wrinkles and it turns out he liked fish fingers (fish sticks in America).

Now for some strategy. Chicken wings are not hard to do but you have to know how to prep them. There are lots of easy combinations here but the wrong sauce, a badly made one, or mangled wings could send someone home. Fish sticks require to use fish meat coated in a batter and deep fried. Lots of ways to go here and easy to screw up (like what our favorite vegetarian did with calamari in MasterChef). And then the humble hamburger. Easy to make but easy to over complicate as well. Jack chooses hamburger but of course these are not going to be two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese and pickle on a sesame seed bun. Nope, these are going to be Gourmet Burgers.

Gourmet Burgers Challenge
After the mad scramble in the pantry, we see Gavin working on an Italian style burger, Kaylen on one that incorporates many flavors, Alexander is working on beef sliders. Joe tells Alexander that Jack is targeting him. Alexander is totally unafraid and says he has it all working together. And then tells Joe to step back while he dumps kale into frying pan (which immediately sounds explosive and Joe flinches). Molly tries a Korean themed burger with kimchee, rice, soy sauce, and rice cakes. Gordon asks if that sounds good to her. That sound you hear is the gong of doom being heard and her face reveals she is nervous. Tommy is making a breakfast burger with American cheese, an egg, and sweet potato. Gordon is concerned about using that kind of cheese inside a burger. Most chefs would use a good cheddar or other cheese that melts since American cheese needs more help to melt.

Those that really stretched flavors using beef or pork fared much better than those using lamb or turkey. Gavin, Alexander and Kaylen are chosen as the best for their flavors and presentation. Really it was quite amazing especially with Alexander. No doubt about it, this kid is destined to become a great chef one day. Sadly though this is an elimination so three have to be called up and two are going to be sent home. Jewels had a dry lamb dish. Both Tommy and Molly both tackled turkey that came out dry. Molly’s Korean themed burger was sadly a mess in terms of flavors. And Tommy’s breakfast burger was dry and the American cheese did not melt enough in the middle to give it any moisture. Joe observes at one point when tasting that he never has had a good turkey burger. I would have to agree. In most places they slab on lots of toppings to obscure its dryness. The same is done in cheap burger joints to hide the fact they quick cooked the beef by mashing it down (and oddly end up being praised by a ninny on Food Network for it) and then covering it up with gooey cheese and sauces.

Jewels survives but Tommy and Molly go home. It was sad to see and they were comforted by their fellow junior chefs. Joe mentions earlier that sometimes we have this idea in our heads but when we put it on the plate it does not match. Unfortunately on MasterChef you only get one chance and if you blow it, out the door you go.

Final Thoughts
These kids are remarkable. They are able to put out dishes that rival those seen on regular MasterChef. And that is a problem for this show. We have to believe that kids who have not yet graduated from high school are able to produce masterful dishes that get praised by the judges as restaurant quality. I suspect many are going to find that difficult to believe. Sure it is possible to get food training in their home kitchen. As a kid I knew families where cooking was very important and everyone was involved in the activity. You pick up quickly lots of knowledge this way (like Joe did with his mother Lidia) and learn a lot of techniques. Or your family is serious foodies that like to cook. Your apt to pick up a lot that way along with watching lots of food television programs.

At the same time, I suspect a lot of viewers will wonder if they are being tricked. They display skills that seem beyond what most kids have at that age. And that may end up losing viewers who wonder if the kids are being used or manipulated by reality television. They might very well be the most talented young chefs in America today but one wonders whether it is a one time thing or a trend that kids are learning to cook so well at a young age when most kids have to deal with doing their homework.

Postscript: The numbers are out and there was a dip in viewers watching MasterChef Junior. ABC won the night and Last Man Standing (half-hour show at 8:00 p.m., same time as MasterChef Junior) got more people watching. (6 million compared to MasterChef at just under 4 million). MasterChef was third in the first half-hour behind Last Man Standing (ABC) and Undercover Boss (CBS/full hour/7 million viewers). MasterChef 18-49 rating (the top demographic they target) dropped to 1.3 (last week 1.6).

Next week: Can the kids recreate Gordon’s famous Beef Wellington?

TV reviews

MasterChef Junior: Are These Kids Really Kids?

Update 28 Sep: The Friday television ratings are out.TV By The Numbers at zap2it.com reports the premiere of MasterChef Junior was number 1 at the 8:00 p.m. hour beating out the premiere of Undercover Boss, Last Man Standing (a show I liked until they fiddled with it and changed a cast member), Michael J. Fox Show, and Perfect Score.
—
When I heard they were considering a kids version of MasterChef, I cringed. The success record of shows that try a junior version is not pretty. American Idol tried it and never did it again. We saw parents acting like divas, kids trying to be divas, and the American Idol judges trying to be serious about judging young children singing the hits. It was a mess. And The Amazing Race tried a family-friendly season. Except it turned out those families could be just as competitive and sometimes just as nasty as some in the regular season. And so it it appears MasterChef’s turn to go the kid route. I ask myself why. Like Del Shannon’s Runaway, I keep hearing why, why, why in my head.

From what I learned before the first episode aired, it was clear they were going to hold these kids to the same standards of the regular MasterChef. Which means these kids really have to know how to cook. This is not opening a can or using a box mix to make a cake here folks. Safety wise it means a full brigade of medics are right there to watch those kids should they cut themselves. And the judges, while mostly the same as in the regular series, have to hold back on the nastiness they might throw out in the regular show when something nasty is put in front of them.

Fortunately most of the kids presentations in this preliminary round were all good with some surprising exceptional cooking. It made me realize that some of these kids are learning to cook very young considering the techniques we saw. One kid brought up an exceptional looking sushi dish that a trained sushi chef would nod approvingly at. Perhaps this demonstrates a major shift in our culture where so many kids are interested in cooking food as a possible career choice. The Food Network and other places have made chefs and cooking more popular. Actually it is good thing kids learn to cook food. It is something that will carry with them all their lives and possibly pass on to their children.

MasterChef Junior is not a cooking school but a real competition. And it looks like the judges–Joe Bastianich, Graham Elliot, Gordon Ramsay–are going to demand high standards from these kids. They might not use the nasty looks or comments they would use with adults, they will still have to tell them when a dish is unacceptable. Or send a kid home when they are on the bottom. I did wonder when they were judging the dishes whether they were being totally honest at times. Then again when a dish did not quite meet expectations they did tell them what was wrong with it. They seemed very surprised by the quality of the dishes prepared.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the entire season. Right now I am still not entirely convinced this was wise or needed by MasterChef. Clearly they must have done some research and found a market for this show. However judging from what I saw in the season opener, it looks promising.

 

TV reviews

MasterChef Finale: And The Winner Is….

Luca Manfe won the coveted title of MasterChef(U.S.). The Italian born restaurant manager,who last year never made it beyond the audition phase, was up against a formidable foe in Natasha Crnjac. It was the best finale in the series history pitting two extraordinary cooks up for the title. Both are fierce competitors and unafraid to take risks. And both delivered the best dishes they have ever cooked.

In fact both were so good that Gordan Ramsay wondered in the judging phase whether it was a draw. The other judges, though, said only one could win. That tells you how good they both are when it was so close. What likely went for Luca was his menu was just that touch more of finesse and decadence you would find in a European high class restaurant. His father and sister were flown over for the event by MasterChef making the win even more poignant for him. Luca has achieved the American dream he was hoping for.

As for Natasha, she has gained tremendous experience and exposure from being on the show. Doors are going to be open for her to work at restaurants to gain the experience she needs. And I look forward one day to not only eating at Luca’s Italian Restaurant but Natasha’s as well. Congratulations to Luca and well done to Natasha.

witch hatOf course the show had to have its Krissi moment. Gordon called on Krissi to comment on the two cooks battling it out below. She was complementary to Luca but said all Natasha was doing was sauteing scallops. To that Natasha simply turned around, looked up and put Krissi in her place. She reminded Krissi that she was up in the gallery while she was down in the “thunderdome.” Once again reminding everyone that Krissi is a ….well you know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVykRMuL2Xc

TV reviews

MasterChef(4Sep2013)-Top Four Becomes Top Three, and then Top Two

*Walmart Mentions: 0

*Another two-parter!

*And now we are down to just four: Jessie, Krissi, Luca and Natasha. Quite remarkable when you consider the opponents they faced during the competition: Lynn, Jordan, James to name a few.

*Another team challenge opens this two parter and ends with the final three going head to head.

*Nerves were a problem in the first challenge. Blue Team (Luca/Natasha) and Red Team (Jessie/Krissi) were feeling the pressure. While Blue Team did work together, Red was a disaster since neither like the other. Worse Krissi had a temper tantrum and walked off leaving Jessie to do all the work. And that spelled doom for her team which ended up in the pressure test. Personally the minute she gave up and walked away her apron should have been forfeit right there. Gordon noted that Krissi often allows people to tell her what to do and then when things go wrong, throw them under the bus.

*Last year the three souffle challenge was perhaps one of the toughest. This year one upped it. Krissi and Jessie had to make one stunning chocolate mousse for Graham, one stunning lava cake for Joe, and one stunning chocolate souffle for Gordon. Krissi’s mousse is excellent while Jessie’s souffle is better. That leaves it up to Joe and the not-so-stunning lava cakes.

witch hat*And so finally, at long last, Krissi leaves the competition. As a consolation, she gets invited to dinner (with her son)at his upscale Del Posto in New York. She is a talented cook and baker but has many issues that frankly ought to have sent her home long before this. Her bullying and constant bad manners are not welcome in most places. MasterChef has seen its share of villains over the years, but Krissi truly is number one in that category. To make it worse, it seems they wanted to keep her around long enough for the drama and possibly to shake up the other cheftestants. So long Krissi. I will not say the words but if you have seen the Wizard of Oz, you know what song to sing here.

*Top three-Jessie, Luca, and Natasha-entry dishes are back but they now have to show how far they have come since those early days. All three put forth good dishes but Luca, once again, plays wrong with a cheese sauce. Jessie wins and is ranked number 1 allowing to select one of the three foods presented by the judges.  Mario Batalli likes to say parmigiano reggiano is the undisputed king of all cheeses but it turns out it is really a high nobleman in the court of great Italian cheeses. Grana Padano, says Joe, is the king. Graham unveils Kobe beef, the best beef in the world. And finally Gordon has an Alaskan king crab. Jessie gets first pick and chooses Kobe beef even though she has never worked with it before. Natasha gets second pick and chooses the crab for herself leaving Luca with the Grana Padana. And off they go to cook their dishes.

*Natasha’s dish gets rave reviews and complements on the risk taken. Luca gets praise as well. Jessie’s Kobe beef also gets praised but not her noodles. Gordon asks to taste the papaya salad she had also done. After tasting, Gordon raves at how good it is. The others taste it and also think it is good. Gordon points out it is a better than the noodles and would have made a big difference. And probably it would have as both Luca and Natasha are the final two. Sadly Jessie, one of my personal favorites, ends up leaving. Joe though offers her to come work for him. She has style and finesse and will make a terrific chef one day running her own restaurant. And Joe will give her the experience she needs to become one.

Tune in next week for what will be a great match: Luca vs. Natasha. If Luca wins, all of Italy will cheer (but cry if he loses).  Who do you think should win and was Krissi exit right or wrong?

TV reviews

MasterChef (28Aug2013):Kids Take Over Kitchen, Vietnamese Soup, and Paula Deen

Paula_Deen
Photo: Wikipedia

*Number of times Walmart mentioned during show: 0

*A full two hour episode.

*Visitors In The Kitchen! Possibly to prepare us for Junior MasterChef, the sons of the judges pay a visit.
They also get to pick 15 items for the cheftestants to cook. Then they visit the contestants to see how they are doing. Jack, Gordon’s son, asks Jessie if she has a boyfriend (she does). The items they had to cook were a hodgepodge of ingredients only kids would put together like pork, a hazelnut chocolate spread, assorted fruits, peanut butter, cheese slices and ketchup.

witch hat*James, Jessie and Luca are called up but Krissi and Natasha (the bakers) are left behind. Krissi fumes at not being called up for her made from scratch pastry. Natasha did something weird. Instead of making fruit crepes, she made pancakes. While the judges make the decision as to who wins, Krissi makes a snide comment that they used premade pastry in the dishes. Krissi proving once again why she gets the pointed witch hat.

*The Best Dish Ever Challenge: James wins and has to select three dishes each of the judges says it is tops for them. For Joe it is a uni & caviar dish he had in Singapore. For Graham, it is a softshell crab sandwich his grandfather made for him. And finally Gordon has an amazing Vietnamese pork noodle dish he had in Vietnam. Each of those on the bottom will cook the one James selects. He chooses the Vietnamese soup knowing how difficult it will be. He hopes to take out Natasha or Luca.

*Luca presents the best recreation of it. Gordon raves over it as do the others. While weeks ago I doubted Luca’s ability to stay, his ability to produce this complex soup shows he is a very serious contender. Jessie too puts up a very good soup. Both Natasha and Krissi presents soups that are good though with some small issues (like Natasha’s broth being more sweet and thus needing more salt). Both Luca and Jessie are winners leaving Krissi and Natasha on the bottom.

*Head Fake The judges at first seem to be sending Natasha home when Krissi is sent upstairs. She starts crying and Gordon goes on about how difficult it was to make the decision. Meanwhile the cameras role as Natasha continues to cry for at least 30 seconds more before Gordon says it was so close that no one is going home. They are all safe. A MasterChef first where those on the bottom were saved because both dishes were so good (perhaps not has good as Luca or Jessie’s) they could not send them home. Or is it something else? Perhaps to preserve the two mean girls for a little longer?

Part Deux

*It is a bright, beautiful day as they visit a lovely ranch where horses seem to be enjoying themselves. And then Paula Deen drives up with a tractor of hay! Fox never mentioned her appearance on the show in any of its promos. There is also reporting that Fox wanted to edit out her appearance. Cowards. But they could not do it since her appearance is important for the continuity. They could have gone sneaky by shooting scenes with another celebrity and inserting them where Paula was. In the end, they did nothing and you know what, it was just fine.

*After hitching a ride with some hay, our cheftestants end up in a nice area with dining tables set out. Their task will be to each cook for one table but there is a major hitch. Luca gets to decide what proteins each of his competitors will cook, Southern stye. He keeps pork chops. He gives alligator to Jessie, chicken to James, catfish to Natasha, and prawns to Krissi. And off they go to cook their meals.

*James makes a strategic mistake that costs him later. The chicken breasts are pretty large and decides not cut or flatten them for easier cooking. So big pieces of chicken are going into the oven taking longer to cook…and well you guessed it they were not quite done and had to be reheated. Unfortunately one got by when Gordon was checking his table. Major technical foul and puts him into the pressure test later.

*Natasha bungles cooking the catfish. Her sides are fine but decides to grill the buttermilk batter coated fish which means they stick to the grill. Gordon advises she pan fry. However her fish ends up underdone in the end. This from a gal who has shown tremendous skill.

*Krissi’s makes shrimp and fried green tomatoes. Not much negatives about the dish but perhaps not quite elevated enough since…..

*Jessie gets rave reviews for the alligator, a tough meat to cook. And Luca gets raves as well for his delicious pork chops. So both Jessie and Luca get the win, the rest to the pressure test. Paula did not try Natasha’s fish since it was underdone.

*Hell’s Pressure Test. Of all the pressure tests, this was one of the most difficult. Both Luca and Jessie were shown dishes from each of judges restaurants. Each of them looked very difficult to replicate, especially Graham’s panna cota dessert. Jessie and Luca now have to decide who gets to cook what. They gave Natasha Gordon’s scallop appetizer, Krissi the Fillet Rossini from Del Posto, and Graham’s Greek yogurt panna cota with different honeys and flavors goes to James.

*Krissi and Natasha do reasonably well though have errors. Natasha ran out of time so not enough sauce but Gordon is pleased. Krissi though overcooks her fillet (she put it in the oven) and one of the pears still has skin on it. James gets the flavors right but fouled getting the panna cotta set (he put it in the refrigerator rather than a blast chiller. James is sent home leaving Krissi and Natasha to join the final four.

*Ratings/Rankings
1. Luca (tied with Jessie). Luca has shown considerable growth and talent. While weeks ago I thought he was fading, he has shown some remarkable cooking skills. I think he might very well be in the top two unless he totally screws himself up.

1. Jessie  (tied with Luca). She is not just a pretty face. We saw that in the audition when Gordon challenged her to fillet a whole fish. While she took some stumbles on the way, she has shown finesse in most of her dishes. And earned the respect of the judges as well.

2. Natasha. I am worried about Natasha. She has shown some tremendous skills and the ability to do well under pressure(although her first team challenge for the wedding had its problems). But lately she seems to have problems. Forgetting garlic, thinking pancakes with fruit is MasterChef material, or cooking catfish totally the wrong way. I just wonder if the pressure of the competition is rattling her and causing some lapses in judgment. However I still think she has  the ability to take down Jessie or Luca (or possibly Krissi if it came to it).

3. Krissi. She has serious cooking chops but, as Gordon pointed out, the limitation is her. He did not say it but a boy from Scotland from a middle class family became a master chef with Michelin stars because he reached far beyond his comfort zone. Krissi is most comfortable with foods she knows but, as she pointed out, does not go to fancy restaurants. We saw how uncomfortable she was with Asian foods. And she was very hesitant to replicate the soup. However she also is being rattled by the pressure to produce stunning upscale restaurant quality food. Add to that her belligerent and nasty attitude she has, and that can often spell doom for a cook in a competition. There is no room to hide now. If Natasha screws up, she may very well end up in the top three, but she might very well trip herself up in a spectacular way.

 

Joe has some interesting to say at his blog on People about this episode.

TV reviews

MasterChef(21Aug2013):Cooking In Wolfgang Puck’s Restaurant, Learning How To Steam Dumplings, and Calamari

Wok Cooking
The most common cooking utensil in China.
Photo:Wikipedia(JVDC)

*Down to the final six. And strangely they are all standing up on a roof waiting for MasterChef 1 carrying the Culinary Trio to arrive. Visually stunning but rather pointless. Wait! There are only five standing there. Turns out Krissi has a fear of heights and could not stand there (she is on the stairs nearby). The teams are quickly sorted out between Natasha (blue) and Bri (Red). Natasha selects Jessie and Luca. Bri has James and Krissi.

*Once again it is time for the grueling restaurant takeover. This is where our aspiring winners must pass through a trial by fire by working a real restaurant cooking their signature dishes. And since this restaurant is Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant WP 24, the dishes are going to be Asian. Krissi is uncomfortable with Asian food.

*The appetizers soar out of Team Bri while Team Red seems stuck in funk. Now time for a lesson in cooking science. Some steamed appetizers came back undercooked. Turns out Luca put cold water in the steamer! When you add cold water into hot water, it lowers the temperature explaining the undercooked dumplings. There is a word Red used on That 70’s Show that says it all. You get the picture. It was pretty dumb.

*Gordon Ramsay is the expediter and Joe is doing front of the house. Graham seems to be hanging around watching the cooking. Team Natasha gets it together and is whipping out the entrees while Krissi on Team Bri is having major issues. She cannot recall how to do the prawn dish right, flubs up, and looses confidence in herself. Their delay is costly as people are waiting over an hour and half for their food. Some walk out. Graham steps in and starts getting Krissi focused. The entrees started going out. Reviews are good for Team Natasha, not so good for Team Bri. In the end both completed the service but had to wait till the next day to find out who won.

*Team Natasha is the winner and safe heading up to the balcony. They are now in the top five.

*Bri, Krissi, and James are left to make fried calamari with marinara sauce. Now I have never given much thought to its preparation since I get it at a restaurant. You have to clean and slice the squids, prepare a batter, fry them in oil but carefully so they do not overcook (or undercook), and prepare a good marinara sauce. Which means taking apart the canned tomatoes, straining them, making them into sauce using extra virgin olive oil, garlic and other spices. So it is a considerable amount of work to be done.

*Bri and James do well in breaking down the squids.

witch hat*Krissi has the most trouble in breaking down the squids. Graham says her anger is making it harder. And she gets comments from above triggering an angry response from her (using rude words and trying to fling sauce at them). Such behavior gets no rebuke from Gordon, Graham or Joe (if there was it was not shown).

*Bri has her oil too hot so it cooks the outside but not inside. Plus it does not look good. Inexplicably she adds lemon to the marinara. As Joe points out, it, the dish is already acidic with the tomatoes. While not said, it can result in off flavors. Krissi’s look like onion rings says Gordon. I like onion rings but not for fried calamari. Her sauce is decent. That takes us to James. For reasons even he cannot explain, he did nothing with the marinara other than tomatoes and a few spices. No extra virgin olive oil. It tastes off, says Gordon. But Gordon is disappointed with all three saying they all should go home. James though is spared leaving Bri and Krissi on the bottom.

*At this point the decision ought to be not who was the worst but who is worth saving. Neither dish passed muster and it is entirely possible both could go home.

*Krissi gets another pass while Bri heads home. Now on one hand it is perfectly justified *if* you are judging on whose dish was the worst. Her calamari were undercooked. Krissi was not undercooked but not executed right either. At this point I would think is who of those two do you want potentially as a top four, top two, or even winning. In that scenario, Bri ought to have been saved and Krissi sent home. Krissi also did poorly in the restaurant challenge. I understand why they sent Bri home but they ought to have thought who best of the two to save. Joe defends the decision on his blog at People but I will not be surprised if we learn later Bri went so Krissi could hang around longer. Krissi vs Natasha, the two mean girls of the show, is perhaps at play. Krissi said in a previous episode she sees Natasha as another her.  Natasha is not so different. She is just as nasty about other people as Krissi is but does not not cackle or gloat like Krissi. She is also the better chef of the two.

Update (25 Aug 2013:
Below is the extended version of the debate over the three calamari dishes presented. It is pretty clear they were not pleased with any of them. Also I was right about the lemon-it did give an awful flavor to Bri’s sauce.

TV reviews

MasterChef(14 Aug 2013):T-Bone Steaks, A Bird Show, and A Wicked Witch

Brown Quail
Brown Quail(Coturnix ypsilophora)
Photo:Wikipedia

*We are down to the Top 7 (again) and that means….more cooking.

*Walmart got several plugs upfront in the episode, including one by James.

*What was the Walmart truck all about? Did people not believe that Walmart actually delivered produce to MasterChef?Again shades of Hells Kitchen (which often makes losing teams fetch deliveries off trucks). And the truck was not like any produce truck I have every seen. The production crews must have been busy getting that to look right for the camera.

*There is nothing like a good steak but of course you cannot just bring up meat and potatoes for these judges. The top three selected all had elevated presentations for the judges. I must now retract what I earlier thought of Luca. I thought he was not going to make it this far but he has shown more depth than before. Now he might be in the top four if he plays his cards right.

*Jordan, Luca, and Krissi were the top three and Krissi gets the win. The others are stunned. She heads back which takes us to….

*MasterChef’s Birds on Parade! We have a delightful quail, a pigeon, pheasant, chicken, duck, and turkey. Krissi must not go to a zoo much since she thinks from the chirping noise it is either a frog or cricket. Krissi gets to select which ones our home chefs will prepare. She retires with glee as they are told to collect their proteins. Unfortunately the cages have been left open and they are all wandering around the pantry (a possible health code violation?) with picture tags around their necks indicating who gets what. Luca seems most disturbed at having to pick up his turkey. It is not a small one either. Bri tells the pigeon that it ought to be comforted she is vegetarian (pigeons are grain eaters). All the animals seem rather docile so likely these are domesticated from a local kids zoo or something similar. Fortunately they are just for show as MasterChef has provided the fully skinned versions at their workstations.

witch hat

*Now time to get serious. Krissi has thrown some real serious rockets at her competitors. Jessie gets the easiest, the chicken. Her chief targets are Jordan(quail), Natasha (pheasant), and Bri (pigeon). She tosses the duck to James and the turkey to Luca who she knows probably never cooked one before. Krissi gloats and cackles up on the balcony. At some point (possibly when they are all in the pantry), she gives the middle finger salute. All that is missing is a pointed cap and a broom to complete the image.

*Krissi Fires Rockets But Misfires Except For One
Historical fact: the earliest rockets used by the British in the Napoleonic Wars were grand going away but you did not want to be there when they came down. The noise was horrible and scared the heck out of people. Their accuracy though was pretty bad. Krissi fired off a lot of rockets but few hit their mark. Natasha, who probably had one of the most difficult birds, did very well. Bri was a surprise too. She presented a nicely cooked stuffed pigeon that both Gordon and Joe raved about (Krissi dissed it as Bri brought it up). Luca also did well with his turkey and James stepped it up with an Asian inspired duck.

Jessie though took a real tumble. We have seen this gal tackle some pretty tough proteins and come out on top. And yet she completely misses the mark here. She presents a throughly underwhelming chicken meal that aptly was called a television dinner. It was not only something too homey it simply offered nothing for the upscale MasterChef kitchen. It put her on the bottom with Jordan, who totally misfired with the quail. It was raw, had a bad sauce, and nothing on the plate indicated MasterChef quality. The quail sent him home. It was hard to watch. The winners were Bri and Natasha.

*Final Call for Jordan
Jordan was offered the opportunity to visit Chicago and work with Graham. Jordan has serious talent and with Graham to  put him on the right course, he will dump driving trucks and they will deliver to him in the future. But when asked who would win, he declared Natasha. He called her a bitch but said she backed it up with her cooking. Now we are left with just six. And next week they are going to run service in a major restaurant. The previews show Gordon screaming a lot (shades of Hells Kitchen again) so it ought to be interesting.

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TV reviews

MasterChef-Sunny Eggs and Second Chances(8 Aug 2013)

sunny side up egg
Photo:Pdcook(Wikimedia)

*This episode had no mention of Walmart.

*The cheftestants were likely told they would not be cooking since they wore clothes suitable for dining than cooking.

*Unlike last year, each judge selected one person to come back and compete for the apron. Bri (Gordon),Bime (Graham), and Lynn(Joe). All three had reactions from The Six. Lynn was most feared while Bri and Bime got rolled eyes and the usual “they do not belong” here type of retorts. And oh yes, Krissi was upset too.

*Eggs and lots of them. Now remember this is reality television and they control what we see. Not all those eggs were real but food decoratives. They selected from the areas where the real eggs were. And no mention they came from Walmart!

*The challenge was straight forward: cook us as many sunny side up eggs in fifteen minutes. MasterChief provided the pans, stove, butter, and oil. Of course the eggs have to be perfect. And each challenger had one hundred plates to use.

*Bime seemed the most organized, Lynn the most stressed, and Bri made good use of her time.

*I understand why they trashed those eggs but all those plates? Hopefully they were imperfect lots that were bought cheaply.

*Hens all over America were outraged at the egg wastage. So many eggs tossed away, only a few good ones cooked. PETA will not doubt lodge a protest.

*Lynn proved why he fizzled out in his Epic Fail. He cannot handle stress very well.

*The Six retire to the restaurant and with Joe to await being served. Which took an hour. What did they do for that entire hour? Just sit there with Joe and wait for the food to be served? I would hope they could whip out iPods and listen to music or catch up on some reading until they were needed.

*Bri and Bime each got a whole king salmon. What a treat! Unfortunately they had to take it apart to make seven entrees (pan fried) that included asparagus, potatoes, and Hollandaise sauce.

*The vote was an even three for Bime and Bri. That was unexpected but the reason Joe was part of the tasting (and did not see who cooked each plate). The seventh person would be the tie-breaker if it occurred. It did and Bri made it back. Congratulations Bri!

Final Thoughts
Eggs. I like eggs but I have to admit after watching all those eggs I could not eat one the next day. I would not want to ever cook so many eggs under that time pressure. Not surprised Lynn flamed out and neither was Joe from his blog posting at people. I would have brought back Eddie instead. Eddie, Lynn, Bri or Bethy would have been a better challenge. Bime had his moments but he was a poor team leader and totally mixed up tartar sauce and cornstarch turning his not-lemon meringue into something used on horror movie set. Still the fact the Bri won means more pressure on the others. And next week promises to turn the heat on even more.

Update on Josh Marks
From all news reports, he was put under psychiatric observation. TMZ reported that in a promo for a group he works with that he admitted he was bi-polar. His rambling and incoherent statements when he was arrested point to someone with a problem. But the legal system is not so forgiving on such things. He faces real serious jail time unless some deal is worked out.

Ratings Update(9 Aug 2013)
Deadline Hollywood is reporting that ratings for MasterChef fell 4% from last week. However the show was still the second-highest-rated show of the night. The highest rating was the results show for America’s Got Talent.

 

TV reviews

MasterChef 31Jul 2013: Family, Sushi, and Luca Aims Wrong

Hiroshige Bowl of Sushi
Photo: Wikipedia

After last weeks adventure in the outdoors, it is back to the MasterChef kitchen for the next Mystery Box challenge. But under the giant box are family members waiting to see their loved ones. It actually was quite touching for our remaining cheftestants. Krissi’s son could not be there in person due to tests but did tape a message which broke Krissi into tears. The challenge was to make food that reminded you of family and of course make it special for MasterChef. From what we saw during the walk arounds, they all seemed to be doing some fine work. In the end it came down to Natasha, Jessi, and Luca. All three dishes were considered excellent but Luca got the edge so off to the pantry he goes.

Sushi Chefs

I have to think one of the most difficult challenges MasterChef throws is sushi. It looks simple but requires a lot of finesse and technique to get it right. There is not any room for error. Now the twist is that, like last year, it will be done by teams of two. Not at the same time, that would be too easy! Once again it is a tag team challenge where one member does work and the other stands by offering tips, advice, or begins planning their escape to a distant tropical island. Luca pairs Natasha and Krissi together since he does not like Natasha (and she not liking him much either). Surprisingly he puts James and Jordan together, two strong contenders you normally would not want paired up. I suspect he was recalling Eddie’s tactic of giving them both fresh mushrooms and how it really hurt them by being overconfident. Eddie and Jessi are paired.

Luca Shots Arrow, Misses Target

Luca wanted to get Natasha and he hoped pairing her with Krissi would lead to problems (neither likes the other). Instead the two work together rather than against the other. Krissi decides to listen to Natasha (the more skilled in this regard) and do the needed chopping and rice. So instead of friction, they work as a team likely to throw serious mud right back in Luca’s face. And it worked since they nearly recreated the original dish (though with just seconds to spare). The judges praised their dish.

Alas once again you see the overconfidence of James and Jordan. Jordan at one point starts washing the uni driving Gordon mad at seeing all that flavor being washed away. They present a dish that while has mostly good knife skills and is bland (no seasoning in the rice and much too little elsewhere). Worse the two laugh it off enraging Gordon who says they remind him of teenagers. Luca got it right here. Unfortunately his arrow did not get Natasha or this un-dynamic duo but hit Eddie squarely on the chest.

The dish Eddie and Jessi submit is not great, bad knife skills, and over seasoned with vinegar. Joe asks if they are 50-50 responsible. They say yes but Joe does not believe it. He challenges Eddie, who claimed to eat sushi twice a week, to eat something with him. Eddie declined and that pretty much sealed his fate. Natasha and Krissi are safe, the Un-Dynamic Duo is just saved by their knife skills, and Eddie and Jessi are on the bottom. Eddie is sent home ending a remarkable journey on MasterChef. He clearly has the chops to make it on his own and I hope he gets some mentoring in a real kitchen. I am really disappointed as I pegged him as being in the top four and possibly top two. His demise is once again a reminder how easy it is too trip up and go home.

The Final Six Or Not?
As this episode ends, the final six are James, Jessi, Jordan, Krissi, Luca, and Natasha. But the MasterChef promo for next week shows that last year was not a fluke. They plan to bring back several recent eliminations (last year they brought back all but the first two to be eliminated) so they can battle it out to regain the apron. Last year it brought back Josh (who had been eliminated in the egg pressure test)back into the competition and he made it into the finale against Christine. So it looks like the Final Six will be short lived as one of their competitors makes it back. And it could be someone that Krissi targeted could be back to haunt her. Personally it would be great to see Lynn or Eddie back.

Final Thoughts
This was a good episode and convinced me that Natasha is one of the top four. Krissi, who I am not a fan of, managed to hold her tongue and put her head down to work with Natasha for the win. Luca, who I thought was heading out the door, managed to show he still belongs on the show. I still doubt he will win the trophy but he is going to give it his all. It was sad to see Eddie go. I think this guy has tremendous talent and had he not fallen probably in the top four. Jordan and James really came off badly proving what Eddie surmised early on: both these guys try to complicate their dishes and end up looking foolish for it. Fortunately for them, Eddie and Jessi did far worse. It was close, I think, since neither Eddie/Jessi or James/Jordan really did well. Then again if Eddie wins back a spot in the competition next week, his exit might be short lived.

And Luca, when aiming arrow be sure to understand your target. You botched it when it came to Natasha. She is more stronger now. You did manage to send Eddie home but now the bullseye on your back from Krissi and Natasha make it likely you will go home soon.

Some Disturbing News About Josh Marks
Last night the news broke that MasterChef season 3 finalist Josh Marks had been arrested for assaulting a police officer and taking a weapon. According to TMZ:

As we reported, 26-year-old 7-foot-2 Marks was arrested by University of Chicago police Monday after allegedly punching a cop and trying to grab his gun. 3 officers tried to subdue Marks with batons and pepper spray, but he broke free and took off running.  It eventually took 5 officers to chase him down and handcuff him. Once in custody, cops claim Marks blamed Gordon Ramsay for his outburst, claiming the celeb chef had possessed him and turned him into God. We’re told there was no evidence of drug use.

His family issued a statement on the incident:

“We are working closely with medical professionals to determine if Josh’s behavior could be related to mental health symptoms. Our primary concern is Josh, his health, well being and getting him proper treatment. Josh is an amazing, gentle and talented young man. He comes from a very close knit family; is a cum laude college graduate and very involved in the community. His family is at his side to give him any support that he needs right now.”

This is a very disturbing turn of events for Josh. Obviously something is very wrong and possibly a mental breakdown or stress of some kind (one former contestant speculates he is bi-polar but I agree with Braiser, the guy is a idiot for saying it). What it is I have not a clue but this kind of behavior is not normal. I hope others join with me and giving Josh and his family all the support they need during this time. Hopefully whatever caused this can be treated and Josh will go on. Hopefully his attorney can work out a deal with prosecutors so he gets the treatment he likely needs rather than sitting out 14 years in jail.

 

 

TV reviews

MasterChef: Cooking Outdoors and Eclairs

Just some notes on the most recent episode on MasterChef (aka Survivor Chef) shown on 24 Jul 2013.

*Perhaps Fox is considering a new show called Survivor Chef. Contestants would be taken a remote location in a wilderness, force them to cook one stellar meal with limited tools and food, declare a winner, and have the losing team decides who gets voted off.

*Krissi once again shows how nice she is by declaring she does not like Bri. So when the two teams are formed up initially, she is not on the team lead by Bri. Unfortunately Gordon decided to do the captain switch so she ended up on Bri’s team anyway.

*Each team had bare essentials and one protein to cook. Bri choose rabbit and Natasha got pigeon. They had one iron pan and limited pantry.

*Krissi actually made pasta, a daring feat considering the limitations

*Both teams did well by MasterChef standards but in the end Team Natasha won with their braised pigeon. Gordon like Bri’s better (rabbit with pasta) but was outvoted.

Classical éclair
Charles Haynes(Flickr)

*The pressure test had them cook eclairs. I had an éclair a long time ago and disliked it. Initially it was Krissi, Jordan, Bri, and Jessi that faced the dreaded test. In an unusual twist, they had the winning team decide who should be saved. Saved: Krissi. Their thinking was Krissi was the weakest. That left two strong contenders, Jordan and Jessi and one vegetarian to to make the dreaded eclairs.

Not one of them got it right but Jordan’s were the best of a bad lot. Jessi and Bri were on the bottom and both could have gone home. Bri’s though was more raw than Jessi’s, so she was sent home.

My Thoughts

No surprise  Bri was sent home. I pegged either her or Luca as the next one going home. Jessi ending up in the same boat as Bri was a surprise. Then again, those eclairs are tough to make. Jordan just barely escaped being in the bottom two.

The outdoor challenge was not that interesting to me. It was one of the few times we see the cheftestants forced to be together for a very long time (overnight). In Hell’s Kitchen it is staple we see them both in the kitchen and back in the dormitory. Not so on MasterChef. Outside of the challenges and their confessionals, we do not seem them anyplace else. We saw both teams trying to figure out their strategy for cooking. Obviously they were given gear to camp for the night.

I also thought it just a bit pretentious they had to set up a table with a white cloth. This is outside folks! Think casual.

I also hope MasterChef is not starting to become more like Hell’s Kitchen in some respects. Ramsay admitted in an interview what many suspected was the case, that many selected to be on HK are just duds put there for entertainment and shock value. It explains why he would keep some around and drop others. Now that is not the case here for MasterChef but in the case of Krissi, I do have to wonder if the reason she has hung around this long is they want the drama she creates.

Krissi’s save surprised me since they all dislike her (and she is the same back at them). Then again they looked down and saw two top competitors and one wildcard in Bri. So Krissi gets the save so one of those three gets to go home. Obviously knocking out Jessi or Jordan would have been better but knocking out Bri gets rid of someone who, to the surprise of many, has some genuine creativity. I would have put Krissi down there since she is a strong chef and not weak. Cooking out her element might very well send her home.

Now we are down to Eddie, James, Jordan, Jessi, Krissi, Luca, and Natasha.  Seven nice chefs left, to paraphrase Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka. According to the promos, family members drop by. And yet another aspiring MasterChef will bid farewell. The top is Eddie and Natasha, followed by Jessi, James and Krissi. Luca ought to go next but, as so often happens, something can happen and trip up someone who ought to be in the top four being sent home. Luca might stick around longer than Krissi though, so you never know!