And then there were four! And I'm sure none of you were disappointed with the outcome of last week's episode of Top Chef, appropriately titled "The Last Supper."

The show started off back at the apartment with the remaining cheftestants dealing with the loss of Jaime. Arrogant Stefan, who previously expressed a serious crush on her, easily dismissed her, saying "she had to go."

At the Top Chef Kitchen, hostess and Elfman's desire Padma showed up with guest judge, Chef Innovator Wylie Dufresne, who has an affection for eggs. The chefs were tasked to make an egg dish to "Wow" Wylie and given a whole hour to do it!

Wylie's innovation is Molecular Gastronomy -- ????, OK, you got me on that one. He's been on the show before and I still don't get it ...

Anyway, here's what the final five came up with:

Fabio made Eggs Sunnyside, Two Ways
Hosea made a Trio of Japanese-Style Eggs, a roll, tempura and fried egg salad.
Stefan came up with a Panecota and poached eggs with mango sauce.
Leah whipped up Quail Eggs Benedict with bacon Hollandaise.
And Carla (who was on fire last week), was not optomistic about her Dr. Seuss-inspired Green Eggs and Ham, stating her and molecular gastronomy were like "oil and water."

Fabio proclaimed himself to be "running like Flash," while Carla compared herself to the tortoise in the famous children's fable "The Tortoise and The Hair" ... and we all know how that turned out.

Carla won out -- Wylie really dug her innovation with the Seuss classic. Fabio was, pissed "I'm on the friggin bottom for what?" Hosea and Leah managed to join him.

On to the Elimination Challenge: Cheftestants drew knives, each with the name of a highly regarded chef in the TV world.
Fabio drew Lidia Bastianich, who he called the "Queen of Italian cooking in this country!" (Lidia's a big star at my house, we almost never miss her PBS show!)
Hosea paired with Susan Ungaro.
Stefan got Marcus Samuelson.
Leah drew Wylie.
And Carla couldn't believe her luck when she pulled superstar chef Jacques Pepin.

Each celebrity chef was asked to come up with their perfect "last supper," and the competing chefs were tasked to create these dishes.
Jacques chose Roast Squab with fresh Peas.
Susan asked for Shrimp Scampi and Tomatoes Provencal.
Marcus wanted Roasted Salmon with Spinach.
Lidia picked perfectly Roasted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Salad.
And Wylie went with his fave, Eggs Benedict.

Carla, who won the right to swap dishes with anyone from the QuickFire Challenge, couldn't have been happier about her luck -- "Peas and I are like this," she said, while crossing her fingers. She couldn't wait to cook for Jacques!

Chefs were given $300 and 30 minutes to shop for ingredients at Whole Foods and two hours to cook.

Hosea proclaims "Stefan is without a doubt the guy to beat." While Stefan countered, behind Hosea's back, that "I don't think he has the balls to be a chef." Snark!

While preparing their meals, Carla decided "less is more," and Leah realized she had "something to prove." Yeah right Leah, you do, you should've been gone a few weeks ago ...

Stefan preened that there's "nothing I could possibly screw up with this dish." Careful Stefan, you may be the one to beat, but don't get to cocky, remember Richard from last season? He was undoubtedly the best of the cheftestants throughout the whole season, and completely blew it at the finale!

In the middle of everything, Fabio breaks his finger!!! I've watched and rewatched and still can't figure out how this happened ... Unbelievably, he decides to press on, saying "I'll chop it off and sear it so it doesn't bleed anymore -- I'll deal with this tomorrow!"

Over-confident as usual, Stefan decides to change his dish by making two different creations with spinach -- "What???" said Carla, completely perplexed by his decision.

Fabio has goosebumps over cooking his "home" food. His grandmother made this dish all the time ...

Chef and cohost Tom Colicchio shows up in the kitchen just in time to beg the cheftestants -- "Do not embarass me!"

And it was time to serve ...

Leah's worried about her overly thickened Hollandaise sauce over the Eggs Benedict, although Wylie was more upset over the egg whites being "runny."

Stefan (Roasted Salmon) brought about confusion with the two spinach sides. Marcus thought he nailed the sauce, but the fish was overcooked. Lidia thought that ruined the dish.

Jacques thought that Hosea (Shrimp Scampy) did not make a proper Provencal (tomatoes), and judge Toby Young was "not a fan of this dish."

Fabio had a hard time butchering his roasted chicken, due to the broken finger, comparing himself to "Jason on Friday the 13th!" But Lidia loved it, saying it was "something I was hoping would be just like this." Wylie also thought the chicken was "awesome and super tasty." Fabio's salad, however, didn't go over as well -- this is Top Chef folks, salads are never welcome here!

Carla told the judges she tried to "stay true to what I was told," adding that "I'm in awe of this man," referring to Jacques. Susan, who wasn't a fan of squab before, stated, "Carla has made me a convert!" Colicchio praised the simplicity. But the greatest compliment of all came from Jacques Pepin himself, who said he "could die happy with that (dish)!"

After the tasting was over, Colicchio congratulated the chefs for not embarrassing him!

Back in the Stew Room -- Fabio was grilled about his broken finger and claimed it wasn't a big deal -- "It's Top Chef, not Top Pussy!"

All cheftestants were invited to Judges' Table for review at the same time.

Leah was criticized for her runny eggs and the problem with the consistency of her sauce.

Stefan's overcooked fish was deemed poor and judges couldn't tell that the spinach was two separated dishes. (Ha-Ha Stefan, not impossible to screw up was it? ... I type in my best Yoda-style.)

Hosea's tomatoes were too refined, although Susan liked her dish.

Fabio's chicken was highly praised. Young said it was "like something you produced from your own childhood." However, the salad was compared to airplane food -- "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go shoot myself" over his airplane salad, Fabio shrugged.

Carla's squab was brought under fire for being overcooked, which she admitted she knew. However, Pepin told her "it was very tender" and she had made "incredible peas. I loved it!"

In the end, Fabio won the challenge and a huge bottle of wine. "I think it's gonna be gone in few hours!" he proclaimed. "Tonight we drink in Hell!" he said in homage to 300's King Leonidas ("Tonight we dine in Hell") -- Love ya Fabio!

And finally, Leah was asked to pack her knives and go, leaving what I think is one of the best final four in Top Chef history to compete this week for the title of Top Chef!

This Wednesday, the cheftestants will fly to New Orleans for the finale to be guest judged by, who else, but New Orleans Chef Embassador Emeril Lagasse!

I promise to update better this week!
Up Next -- Survivor: Tocantins Recap

Yeah, I now it's not Chicago, but I like this banner!

Here ya go Cindy L. -- the Top Chef Recap, hope you were watching last night!!

Last night's Top Chef featured the Elfman's favorite guest judge -- or as Fabio so eloquently put it, the "God of the French Chef"-- Eric Ripert, owner of New York City's Le Bernardin restaurant. He also owns 10 Arts in Philadelphia, named for its address on the Avenue of the Arts.

Anyway, Chef Ripert is always good for some laughs, even if it's at the expense of his super-Frenchy accent! Elfman still loves the way he used to pronounce former cheftestant Dale -- "Dell"!

Last night's show kicked off back at the players' apartment with Fabio stating again how he really wants to win, and Hosea proclaiming himself the last standing male American Chef in the competition.

The Very Frenchy Chef Eric Ripert

Then it was right to the QuickFire Challenge, where Padma introduced their esteemed guest judge Ripert to the ooohs and aaahs of the competitors. Hosea standing before Ripert admitted to being "as nervous as I've ever been!"

Since Ripert's speciality is cooking fish, the challenge involved a fish filleting tournament. Round one had the cheftestants slicing sardines, which are a rather small fish and proved quite difficult. Jaime's and Carla's skills were deemed the worst, so they were eliminated from the next round, which involved filleting Arctic Char.

Leah, whose track record with fish hasn't been so good, just gave up. Ripert was impressed with Hosea's, saying "very beautiful, great job." Not so much with Fabio's, "cut too much meat off with the head." Leah and Hosea were out of the competition.

Round Three brought on the freshwater eel -- or as I said EEEEWWWW!! Stefan was quite confident as he's been filleting eel all his life ... while Hosea looked lost, imitating whatever Stefan was doing. Chef Ripert praised Stefan's beautiful fillet, while marveling at his "clean station."
Hosea was not so good and his station was "more messy." Stefan easily won the challenge, giving him that all needed advantage in the Elimination Challenge.

The chefs were sent back to the apartment and, to everyone's delight, with an invitation to Le Bernardin as Ripert's guests for lunch the next day. The next morning, cheftestants excitedly got ready for their lunch date, c'mon guys, are you really this naive -- you know it's going to lead to the challenge ...

Anyway, upon arriving and being seated at Le Bernardin, along with Ripert, Padma, Toby Young and Tom Colicchio, the players were served six seafood dishes very distinct to the restaurant. Hmmm, I hope they're paying careful attention to those dishes ...

Le Bernardin, like Ripert, is primarily known for its fabulous seafood. The entrees included Red Snapper with Consomme, Mahi Mahi with Miso & Mushroom Sauce, Baked Lobster w/Hollandaise, Poached Escalar with potato crisps and red wine sauce, Za'atar (WTH? that's a new one for me) Spiced Monkfish with Black Garlic and Sauteed Black Bass w/Braised Celery. Mmmmmmm, sounds delicious!

(Side note: Some day the Elfman and I are going to try out Le Bernardin!)

Right after everyone's finished enjoying their meals, as I predicted, here comes the challenge: Each chef will be tasked to recreate one of these dishes as close as possible from scratch in the restaurant's kitchen. They will be given all the ingredients and will have to judge for themselves what goes where and how much.

Stefan's advantage for winning the QuickFire is that he gets to choose his dish, while the others draw knives. Stefan wisely chooses what is perceived to be the easiest dish to recreate -- the baked lobster. Here's what the rest got:

Carla - Escolar
Hosea - Monkfish
Fabio - Red Snapper
Leah - Mahi Mahi
Jaime - Black Bass

Fabio, of course, has something to say, admitting he's a little upset because "I do not have 30 years experience of Fabio Viviani preparing Eric Ripert food!"

The chefs then get 2 hours to prep and practice their dishes. Then they will cook for the judges.
Jaime asks Hosea to help her with her ham sauce.

Halfway through prep/cooking time, Chef Ripert shows up in the kitchen to critique. He tells the over confident Stefan that his asparagus should not be cooked, and Carla's dish needs more acidity, but the fish is cooked OK.

The judges are anxiously awaiting their dishes, sitting at a table in Le Bernardin, when Colicchio commented, "Just being in this kitchen is enough to scare the Chef Pants out of anybody!" Well done, Colicchio, you get the Quote of the Night!

Fabio's first out of the gate with his Red Snapper. The breading on the fish is deeemd overdone and too thick. Chef Ripert, however, is impressed. Colicchio calls it"a very good forgery."

Jaime's not as lucky with her Mahi Mahi. The judges note that the flavor is definitely different. Colicchio can only taste ginger, while Toby Young calls it "something I've never tasted before,." and not in a good way.

Stefan's baked lobster is very well received. Padma criticizes the sauce being too thick, but Ripert calls it "well seasoned" and says it's very close to the original.

Carla gets much needed help from her fellow chefs finishing her Escolar dish. Colicchio praises this, saying Carla did a "very good job." Ripert thinks it's not as crispy.

Hosea's Monkfish is up next and he's worried. Ripert describes the sauce as close, but not the fish. Tom complains that Hosea didn't let the fish before cutting it.

Jaime's Black Bass gets mixed reviews. Ripert calls the celery "hard core," while Colicchio deems the fish well-cooked. Young, however, just says it's "remarkably poor."

On to Judges Table:
The best are Carla, Stefan and Fabio. Carla's Hollandaise comes into question, Stefan's sauce was too thick and Fabio's bread is criticized. To which Fabio replies, "it's a honor to make this dish."

Sorry, Fabio, your sucking up didn't work -- Stefan easily wins again and gets a copy of Eric Ripert's new book "On The Line." http://www.amazon.com/Line-Eric-Ripert/dp/1579653693/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233936892&sr=8-1

Enter the worst -- Leah, Jamie and Hosea. Leah is immediately asked about her giving up during the QuickFire. Does she really want to be there?

Hosea was unlucky enough to have the least favorite dish. Colicchio brings up cutting the fish w/o letting it rest.

Padma tells Jaime she would have sent her dish back! Oh snap! Young claims that the burnt taste rendered the dish toxic. Jaime admits that the celery was oversalted.

Unbelievably, after all that was complained about Leah's dish and attitude -- Jaime's sent
packing!


Bye Bye Jaime :(

For more Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef

Next week: It's Jacques Pepin and Lydia Bastianich (my sister's fave) stopping by the guest judge!

Sorry I'm so late, been a busy week for me and Eddie Idol -- he'll be posting Wednesday night's AI Update later today. Sometimes his real job gets in the way!

Yeah, I know it's not Chicago, but I liked this banner and decided to post it anyway!

Well, Top Chef presented it's most popular challenge last night -- Restaurant Wars -- and the episode was hot and heavy, and I'm not just talking about the Hosea/Leah hook-up!

Right at the beginning, we see Hosea in the cheftestants' apartment talking about his girlfriend (no, that wasn't foreshadowing or anything). A little musings about throwing Arianne under the bus followed, and then it was off to the Quickfire Challenge.

And, finally, a guest judge that I actually recognized! Philadelphia restauranteur Stephen Starr, owner and creator of Morimoto, El Vez, Parc and Butcher & Singer (his latest), as well as other successful dining digs in New York City and Atlantic City, was brought on by Padma to participate in a quickfire tasting.

Padma announced that the next challenge would be the revered Restaurant Wars and the Quickfire Challenge was about creating one dish to showcase a theme for your restaurant. And the chefs were off and running, eager to impress Starr. As Fabio put it, "In love and in war you are allowed to do anything!"

Leah chose Red Snapper and quickly declared that it "smelled like ass," while Fabio had trouble opening the freezer doors!

Restaurant Themes:
Carla - Homey, Rustic
Hosea - Seafood, Mediterrean
Leah -- Asian
Stefan - American
Jeff - also American
Rhadika - Latin
Jaime - Seasonal
Fabio - Meditterean (would we expect anything else from him?)

After sampling all, Starr chose Rhadika's pan-seared cod with corn, spinach and chorizo as the winner. Leah came in second, so both were deemed leaders in the "war" and got to pick their teams.

Rhadika chose Carla, Jeff and Jaime, reiterating how much she dislikes Stefan ...
Leah picked Hosea (obviously), Fabio and Stefan.

Back at the apartment, where teams were left to come up with menus and names for their restaurants -- Sahana for Rhadika's team/Sunset Lounge for Leah's -- Leah and Hosea got a little too close and made out on the couch (oh no they didn't -- oh yes they did!). The next morning both admitted to the camera that it was a mistake because they are both in relationships (hmmm wonder if they still are after last night's ep aired). Then they continued to whine about it throughout the rest of the challenge ... yawn!

Each team was given $3,000 to start their respective restaurants, with six hours to prep their dishes. They also got $5,000 to shop for linens, furniture, accessories, etc. at Pier One. While shopping, Fabio declared, "This is the feeling my wife have all the time!"

Keep it up Fabio -- I love the stuff that man says!

Rhadika took on the task of manager, supervising the front of the house and kitchen, for her Middle Eastern-themed restaurant. While Fabio, wearing a Team Fabio shirt (where can I get that?), eagerly stepped up to play host for the Asian-themed Sunset Lounge. Jaime decided to make scallops -- AGAIN!!

Teams got to work, cooking and decorating their restaurants. Fabio walked in all decked out in a suit, to the cheers of his teammates, and delivered his best line yet -- "I run the front of the House. We can serve monkey ass in empty clam shell! We're gonna win this one. I'm running the show in the front!"

And much to his credit -- they did!

I don't know if this was an oversight or on purpose, but apparently, no one checked to make sure that the freezer was working properly and it made for chaos among both teams. Carla's yogurt sorbet turned to soup and Stefan's desserts had problems as well.

Diners arrived in swift fashion to both restaurants and the service began ... people complained right away about Rhadika's lack of finesse out front. The judges were particularly disappointed, purposely getting up to leave to see if she would bid them a proper farewell (never knew this was soooo important!).

But it was quite the opposite at the Sunset Lounge, where Fabio absolutely shined!! Starr declared Fabio "Fabulous!"

Judges weren't too impressed with either team's dishes, but decided that Fabio's fabulous demeanor and Stefan's delicious desserts were enough to win the challenge for the Sunset Lounge, with Stefan taking the top prize.

Team Sahana was really called to the carpet for their disappointing dishes and service at Judges' Table. Leah's cod was a "disaster." Carla was called out on her soupy yogurt, which she defended, saying that she knew it wasn't good, but sent it out "with love" anyway. Head judge Chef Tom Colicchio wasn't buying it, saying her explanation was "nonsense" and asking Rhadika why she, as manager, didn't do something about it!

And then -- horror of horrors -- Tom announced to team Sahana that the judges "walked out without a goodbye!"

To no one's surprise, Rhadika was asked to pack her knives and go ...

Next week: Top Chef All-Stars Challenge! Several former cheftestants are being brought back to compete either with or against this season's players, including Spike and Andrew, who made the most popular Top Chef quote of all time --- "I have a Culinary B-ner!" and I know there's a T-shirt over on bravo.com with that on it!


Andrew


Spike

For more info or to watch Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

As last night's epsiode of Top Chef opened last night I was pleasantly surprised to see something I could get the Elfman for Valentine's Day -- that "I 'heart' Padma" T-shirt that Stefan was wearing!!

The perfect gift!! No one I know 'hearts' Padma more ... And it's conveniently available at http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

On to the Quick Fire Challenge: The Return of Hung!! Just what I was waiting for. Hung was the winner of Top Chef Season 3 and, as Padma said, "The fastest chef in Top Chef history."

Hung was on hand to help Padma judge the challenge which gave the cheftestants 15 minutes (in honor of Hung's being so fast) to make something delicious from ordinary cupboard staples. Ordinary meaning Spam, garbanzo beans, canned chili, and other ingredients that our "chefs" aren't used to cooking with. You know, the crap we cook with everyday!

Our chefs buzzed around the Top Chef kitchen and here's what they came up with:

Jamie - bruschetta with garbanzo beans and smoked fish
Stefan - Baked bean soup with Spam
Hosea - Sweet pea soup with pork rinds (Hung was excited about the pork rinds!) and Spam
Fabio - Mac & cheese with roast artichokes and chili pepper
Arianne - Open-faced turkey Spam sandwich (eewww!)
Carla - Asian salmon cakes w/mayo (homemade, of course)
Rhadika - Red bean dip w/bread
Leah - Waffles, strawberries and sausage
Jeff - Baby conch (remember Hung is big on fish) w/coconut sauce

After tasting the bottom three were determinied: Leah, Rhadika and Jaime
Top 3: Hosea (pork rinds), Stefan and Jeff (conch).

Hung picked Stefan as the winner, which ticked off Hosea, because he had shared his Spam with him. Stefan got immunity.

For the Elimination Challenge the cheftestants were tasked to go Back to Basics and create a seasonal meal, family-style lunch including dessert. They drew knives dividing the teams into Pig (Jeff, Fabio, Rhadika), Chicken (Stefan, Jaime, Carla) and Lamb (Arianne, Leah, Hosea).

Back at the apartment, the teams rallied together to come up with their menus. A heated exchange erupted between Jaime and Stefan with Jaime leaving telling Stefan to do "whatever you want." This only endeared her to Stefan more, "She's so cute when she's pissed." Hey Stefan, she likes her own gender, give up already!

The following morning they packed up and headed for the Whole Foods Store, or so they thought. Actually they were taken to the country to a place called Blue Hill at Stone Barns, owned by chef Dan Barber (yeah, I know, never heard of him either). The farm specializes in growing local produce and raising their own meats, hence Pig, Chicken and Lamb. The chefs would be cooking for the farmers.

Pork team decided to roast pork loin, with sausage ravioli and a basil pesto sauce, roasted vegetables, with creme brulee for dessert.

The Chicken team made roast chicken and chicken cutlets w/tomato salad, chicken consumme and a nectarine/strawberry tart.

Team Lamb went with a duo of lamb, heirloom tomato salad, rosemary garlic potatoes, and a berry trifle.

In the kitchen, Fabio became frustrated when it took Rhadika almost an hour to peel and cook corn -- "what?" he stated. Arianne was having a hard time tying up the lamb, so Leah stepped in to do it. And the Pork team was worried about meat getting done on time.

As time was running out, Arianne declared the lamb "perfect."

At the tasting: Team Chicken's consumme came into question - why serve soup on an 85-degree day? The chicken entrees went over well and the tart was considered good.

Judges declared the lamb a "mess," saying it was sliced wrong, with the grain. They also didn't like the aggressive pesto, and found the trifle "unappealing." Uh-o.

Team Pork's dishes were overshadowed by the "overwhelming pesto", while the tomatoes were well received. Unfortunately the creme brulee was deemed too sweet.

Team Pork were the first called to Judges Table and declared the winners of the challenge. All three actually won, and were promptly sent back to retrieve the rest of the cheftestants, who weren't so lucky.

Team Pork: Jeff admitted to taking off the pig fat, which the judges didn't like because it ruined the flavor. Fabio was criticized for his overwhelming pesto. And Rhadika was asked if making the salad and dessert was enough?

Team Lamb: Judges immediately asked who made the lamb, to which Arianne owned up and admitted not knowing how to tie it up properly. So why was she the only one working on the lamb, judges asked? Head judge Tom Colicchio said her "butchering was a big problem." Hosea, who said he roasted the potatoes, admitted he could've broken down the meat. Colicchio replied he should have said something ...

After sending the chefs back to await their fate, there was some interesting discussion around Judges Table. As pointed out by the Elfman, new judge Toby Young had quite a few conflicting views with Colicchio -- all valid points. However, Colicchio stood firm saying Arianne "really did a disservice to the lamb." Padma stuck up for her, while Young said she can't cook. Padma replied that actually before he came in, she did some really great cooking. To which Young replied, that he thought they were supposed to be juding on what was done in that particular challenge! Colicchio concurred!

In the end, Team Pork was deemed safe, because Jeff recycled the green tomatoes he found on the ground, and that was a big part of what the farmers stood for.

On Team Lamb, Leah was chided for not doing enough, and Arianne was sent to pack her knives and go, calling Hosea a "wimp."


Luv this gif of Carla!

Sorry to see her go, thought she'd definitely outlast Carla (not my fave). And for Jan vs Jan, who asked, Fabio is my fave this season. I think a final 3 showdown between Fabio, Stefan and Hosea would make my Top Chef!! Also, I like the new judge. Toby Young definitely has some interesting insight, and I also like the way he debated Tom last night!

Next week it looks like the Hosea/Leah hook-up might be happening, but more importantly it's -- THE RESTAURANT WARS CHALLENGE!!!

If this is your first season, don't miss next week. The Restaurant Wars Challenge is legendary Top Chef stuff. It can literally make or break a cheftestant. Back in Season 3, Hung's only real competition, Trey, was sent packing after his disastrous turn running the restaurant.

It works like this -- the chefs are divided up into two teams, each tasked with opening their own restaurant. They are usually given an empty room and kitchen and they have to come up with a theme, menu, layout and decorations, all on a certain monetary budget. Each team must also elect a restaurant manager (Trey's downfall), head chef, server and hostess, taking some of the chefs out of their element. It's usually the most interesting episode of the season, don't miss it!!

For more on Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

Forgive me, I've been meaning to post this for the last week ...

According TV Guide, those of us who can't get enough of Top Chef can check out Bravo's web site for Top Chef: After the Knife. This weekly Web series follows the show's dismissed foodies into the eliminatd-cast house.

As the catch phrase for Bravo goes "Watch What Happens!"

For more on Top Chef visit http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/index.php

And, hey, I really need to check these sites I recommend more carefully -- seems my cutie-bear Chef Tom Colicchio has his own blog over there as well. Oh la la -- lucky me!

Also, if you're a big fan of Padma's, like our very own Elfman, you can check out her looks from week to week in her Photo Gallery -- oh behave, Elfman!

This week’s Top Chef started out in the apartment shared by the Chestestants. The self-professed Dynamic Duo, Fabio and Stefan, were entertaining each other with witty banter while Stefan was carving a watermelon. A Bromance is definitely in the making between these two fan faves.

Hosea called his sister for an update on his father, who he let us all know had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She assured him all’s well and to keep pursuing his dream.

On to the Quick Fire Challenge: The task was to cook a holiday meal using only one pot. And, if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, the guest judge was none other than Martha Stewart! Wow, this show’s really getting some clout. There have been some interesting guests this season …
Eugene and Jamie opted for a stew; Stefan chose a veal Celtic ghoulash; Hosea went for paella; Melissa did pork and apples; Jeff made risotto with pork and potatoes; Karla chose a brined turkey breast; Ariane made a caulilflower puree with filet mignon, and Fabio cooked up mushroom polenta with duck breast.
After sampling all the dishes, Martha deemed Jeff, Eugene and Fabio most unworthy. While Hosea, Jamie and Ariane made the cut. Jamie was so ready to actually win a challenge, however, Martha was more impressed with Ariane. Ariane won immunity for the Elimination Challenge (and good thing she did). Seems Jamie’s always losing to Ariane.

For the Elimination Challenge the chefs were tasked to make hors d’ouevres for a Christmas themed AMFAR benefit (American Foundation for AIDS Research) in the Prince George Ballroom. They were given three hours to make enough treats for 250, including hostess and Tony award-winning actress Natasha Richardson. Guest just for this challenge was chef Michelle Bernstein.
Of course, there’s always a catch … and this one was each chef was given a line from the 12 Days of Christmas song and had to create their dish themed around it i.e. A Partridge in a Pair Tree, 5 Golden Rings, 3 French hens, etc.

"Once again, I picked a crappy theme," joked Fabio, who was unlucky enough to get 9 Ladies Dancing.

The rest were:
Hosea – 11 Pipers Piping
Jeff – 10 Lords a Leaping
Melissa – 8 Maids a Milking
Jamie – 7 Swans a Swimming
Ariane – 6 Geese a Laying
Eugene – 5 Golden Rings
Stefan – 4 Calling Birds
Leah – 3 French Hens
Carla – 2 Turtle Doves
Radhika – A Partridge in a Pair Tree

After shopping for ingedients, the chefs went to work in the Top Chef kitchen with Hosea smoking everyone out, while cooking his pork.

Unfortunately, the next morning when the chefs returned to complete and pack up their dishes, they found that someone had inadvertently left one of the massive refrigerator doors open and some food had spoiled. Specifically Radhika’s 40 ducks and Hosea’s 20 lbs. of pork, which left them at a severe deficit.
In the spirit of Christmas, all the chefs pulled together and helped their fellow contestants so everyone had a decent chance at the challenge. More pork was found and Radhika had saved the duck parts that she wasn’t using and made her dish with mostly leg meat.

All went well at the party, although some dishes were clearly not as well liked as others. Guests were all given red AIDS ribbons and asked to leave their ribbon at the table with their favorite dish. Despite losing his original pork, Hosea won the most ribbons and was the judges choice for best.

The bottom three were Eugene for his bad seveche, Melissa for her overpowering blue cheese and Jamie for her undercooked scallops.


Added just for fun!

Back in the waiting room, Chef Tom Colicchio stopped in to give the chefs a pep talk. Funny, how the last two seasons, the Top Chef judges kept saying that they didn’t think they could find contestants better than the season before, but they had.

Not the case this season. According to Colicchio, these folks just aren’t measuring up for a top cooking show like Top Chef. To cite an example Colicchio used Ariane’s 8 Geese/Laying dish, Deviled Eggs. "I mean, you’re never gonna win with deviled eggs," a clearly frustrated Colicchio stated. "You need to start making the dishes that got you here!"

After making his point, Colicchio let the group know that due to they’re banding together to help Hosea and Radhika and in the spirit of Christmas, no one was going home this week. All breathed a sigh of relief.

Up next (and I don’t think they mean next week, probably after the holidays), the chefs will face Gail’s replacement for the rest of the season, the obligatory snarky British judge Toby Young. And it’s clear by the preview that they’d prefer to have Gail back!