CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
¡Bienvenido a Puerto Rico! The four remaining contestants competing for the title of Top Chef were excited, but a little apprehensive as they got off the plane in Puerto Rico. In a strange country, a strange kitchen and somewhat unfamiliar cuisine they tackled their Quickfire Challenge.
The menu should contain two original fritter recipes with plantains as the main ingredient. The two Quickfire Challenge judges were Padma Lakshmi and guest judge, Wilo Benet, owner/chef of the famous Puerto Rican restaurant, Pikayo. Fritters seemed to be the antithesis to the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies the contestants had at their disposal. The two dishes, whether savory or sweet, or a combination of both, must be prepared within 40 minutes.
Sauces and Relishes and Chutneys, oh my!
Each appetizer was accompanied by dipping sauce, a relish or chutney. Not that it was required, but I guess in order to make a plantain taste good, they chose to create an accompaniment.
I had thought fried plantains looked so appetizing, but I discovered I was very wrong upon my first tasting them. Fried plantains tasted and had the texture of stale tortilla chips. Furthermore, the plantains looked just like bananas, but they completely lacked the sweetness of bananas.
Stephanie brought out her two dishes. First she served tostones, or fried plantains, made with seared tuna. The two judges looked a little surprised and the fatal question came out of Padma's mouth when she asked, "Did you ever make tostones before?" Stephanie confessed it was her first time to ever prepare them. Wilo, the guest judge gave her a smile and stated they were not bad. Her second fritter dish was a shrimp fritter with brown butter, lime and basil.
Lisa prepared tostones with pan-roasted duck and mango papaya salsa and her second dish was a sweet plantain, red onion and chorizo fritter with chutney slaw.
Antonia created crispy oysters with cilantro and fried plantain jam. Her next fritter was a fried yellow plantain with spicy slaw. Although he did not say it in front of Antonia, Wilo thought the plantains in her jam were slimy.
"Smell my eyebrows?" Richard inquired of the other 3 contestants as the gas burner reached up and licked his eyebrows. He made pork meatballs with a ripe plantain sauce. His second dish was green plantain chips with ripe plantain salsa. Wilo thought his meatballs were dry. Ouch! for his eyebrows and that brutal comment regarding his meatballs. When all was said and done, Stephanie won her very first Quickfire Challenge ever out of the original 16 contestants. In the past, one would win elimination, but that is just not feasible when only four remained. Padma indicated she would know what her advantage was tomorrow.
Dancing the Night Away
Wilo invited each of them to a party with authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, music and dancing. A giant pig, horizontally impaled on a rotisserie, roasted over a fire pit. Each competitor attempted to maintain focus, but they graciously accepted the warm hospitality of the Puerto Rican citizens, except for Richard. He could not dance and readily admitted that fact.
Four Little Pigs
On the following day, each contestant realized the necessity to win in the elimination challenge. Rather than winning immunity for the Quickfire Challenge, Stephanie received the honor to divvy up the sous-chefs who were the four previously eliminated competitors. Dale, Nikki, Spike and Andrew were the choices. Stephanie paired the sous-chefs with the competitors based on how well they worked together in the kitchen. Good thing she went that route. With knives in the kitchen always at the ready, it was relieving to discover Stephanie did not assign Dale as Lisa's assistant. They both have "executive chef" attitudes and in the past, they did not work well together. Way to go Stephanie!
Each team received an entire 60 pound pig with which they had to prepare at least two pork dishes. They had 30 minutes to plan their menu and compile their usual lists of dishes and ingredients. While the sous-chefs were at the market butchering the native language, the actual competitors were butchering their pig. While "breaking down" his pig, Richard remembered a beverage called Malta that a Haitian neighbor kid always drank. Malta is a soft drink with a caramel flavor and overtime it has become a mainstream beverage. Richard immediately called Spike to have him add it to the list.
When the sous-chefs returned and pigs were all butchered, the pair prepared the menu as much as they could before the following day. However, Dale, with his cocky, non-team player attitude left the pork bellies out of the refrigerator over night unknowingly. Lisa realized, "any kind of error will send somebody home." I wonder if the pork-bellies left out all night constituted an error.
The day of the elimination challenge, each chef and assistant had five hours to prepare his or her meal for 100 VIP's at the Governor's mansion in San Juan. The dishes were:
Richard, with his assigned sous-chef, Spike, created BBQ Pork Shoulder; Pork Belly with Pickled Watermelon; Ham & Beans; and Ribs with Malta Glaze.
Antonia's menu consisted of Pork Belly with Sweet Peppers; Pork Sausage with Pigeon Peas & Rice; and Curried Pork. Nikki complimented her as a sous-chef in practice and verbally.
Lisa, along with her sous-chef, Andrew, prepared Yuca & Pork Rellena; Citrus Braised Pork Belly; and Adobo Roasted Pork Tostone.
When Stephanie realized the pork-bellies were left out, she knew at once not to serve them. Being known for her quick thinking, she decided on Chicharrones, which are pork rinds. Maybe it was a good thing that the pork-bellies were left out all night. Stephanie seemed pleased with this forced change in her menu. As such, with her self-assigned sous-chef, Dale, they devised three total dishes of Chicharrones, Fruit & Proscuitto Salad; Coconut Pork with Plantain Pancake; and Pork Satay on a Sugar Cane skewer.
Guests and judges, alike, indulged in cuisine that primarily represented each chef's own styles of cooking (except for Lisa's dish) in the garden area of the mansion. But palates and presentation combined with utmost perfection and personality is ultimately what the judges were seeking.
After the competition, they called Richard and Stephanie to the judges table. Padma, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and guest judge, Wilo Benet, maintained their stoic aura. The two were showered with mucho praise, but in the end Richard won a brand new 2009 Corolla car. I wonder how much that will cost to have shipped to the States?
Now for the bad news. The judges felt Lisa's puree was way too sweet and they just were not happy with her tostones. Does that mean the folded arm stance she always has when in front of the judges? Oh, no, that is "testosterone." Antonia's pigeon peas were not cooked long enough and her rice did not have the consistency she desired. This is the second time in two days she was nailed for her dishes. I honestly thought Antonia was going to go all the way in this 4th season competition and felt horrible she was in the bottom two. In fact, her young daughter jokingly told her not to return home unless she was came home with the title Top Chef. I guess it did not matter, because she was, indeed, asked to pack her knives and leave.
Guests and judges, alike, indulged in cuisine that primarily represented each chef's own styles of cooking (except for Lisa's dish) in the garden area of the mansion. But palates and presentation combined with utmost perfection and personality is ultimately what the judges were seeking.