Only four chefs would be moving on to the Top Chef finals after Wednesday’s episode — but not before the five remaining contestants competed in one of the toughest challenges on the show yet: A culinary Olympics. Modeled after the Bocuse d’Or, a worldwide culinary competition, Michael, Bryan, Eli, Jen and Kevin had to wow a who’s who of diners with a mirrored platter containing one protein and two garnishes — and, no, that doesn’t mean a sprig of parsley.
Quickfire: Gavin Kaysan, a chef who has represented the U.S. in the Bocuse d’Or, told the five they had to create a “ballantine” — or, in layman’s terms, a dish that contains a protein inside a protein inside a protein. (Think fancy turducken!) Ultimately, Jennifer redeemed herself after succumbing to her nerves in past weeks. The Philadelphia-based chef won the challenge for her seafood ballantine, earning an extra 30 minutes to cook in the final challenge. “It feels good to win again,” she said.
Fighting Words: For the elimination challenge, the chefs could cook with either lamb or salmon, but the vegetable garnishes were up to them. Their task was to show ultimate refinement in skill and intricate technique — not just to create a tasty dish. That caused some problems for Kevin. Despite his recent winning streak, the Atlanta chef admitted he liked to make homestyle food, dishes that may seem too simple for such a precise challenge. And Michael agreed: “The food that Kevin cooks is the food that I cook on my day off,” he said. Deciding he needed to step up his game or (possibly) face elimination, Kevin opted to sous-vide his lamb — despite never using that technique before. Luckily, Bryan (a.k.a. the nicer Voltaggio brother) offered him some pointers.
Taking a Risk: In the end, the gamble paid off for Kevin: Not only did he successfully execute his lamb, the chef actually won the challenge. The diners, which included guest judge and culinary luminary Thomas Keller, loved his flavors. Bryan fared well too — though he undercooked his lamb — and the estimable panel of judges said he showed promise.
Top Four: Michael didn’t live up to his tough talk and self-promotion. The chef’s platter suffered from what one diner called “a total lack of harmony.” Plus, his salmon still had a bone it in, a major faux-pas that would have disqualified him in the Bocuse d’Or. Eli, too, served inedible lamb, leaving Keller to bemoan the raw meat as a total waste, while Tom Colicchio criticized his technical ability. So, in an elimination that was neither shocking nor especially upsetting, Eli was sent home, leaving the Voltaggio brothers, Kevin and Jennifer to face off on next week’s finale. –Brian Orloff
Tell us: What did you think of this challenge? Did Kevin deserve to win? And who should be named Top Chef?
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