by Gina Scarpa

 

Tonight, on Top Chef: Masters, Wylie Dufresne, Suzanne Tracht, Graham Elliot Bowles, and Elizabeth Falkner will be cooking off for a spot in the Winner’s Circle to compete in the finale.  Tonight’s winner will walk away with $10,000 for their favorite charity.  Graham is competing for the American Heart Association, Suzanne for Sova (a food pantry that helps hungry and needy families), Wylie for Autism Speaks, and Elizabeth for Edible Schoolyards (a program that teaches kids about the food they eat).

 

Things gets started with a quickfire challenge.  The chefs will have to create an amuse-bouche using only ingredients from a vending machine.  For those who are saying to themselves, “What the heck is an amuse-bouche?!”, it’s a small gift from a chef, usually consisting of one or two bites.  The challenge was first given to the chefs in season two of Top Chef so it’s only fitting that former contestants Ilan, Betty, and Michael are their judges.  I’m not quite sure what high quality dish can be made from potato chips, beef jerkey, and ham and cheese sandwiches but if anyone can pull it off, it’s this group.

 

Wylie is up first with his red onion and grilled sandwich with Dr. Pepper reduction.  Just as I wonder how a Dr. Pepper reduction can be good, Betty points out that it solidified.  Ew.  I like Wylie too, but I think he missed the mark on this one.  Suzanne presents fried shallot rings with a microgreen salad and Dr. Pepper aioli.  Dr. Pepper is the man tonight.  The judges seemed to be very happy with what she did.  Elizabeth makes braised beef jerkey with orange juice, lemon, and horseradish ice cream.  I’m fairly certain that, at no time, would I ever want horseradish ice cream.  Apparently, Betty agrees, saying that the flavors do not complement each other but Ilan is a fan.  Last up is Graham, who has prepared a tuna salad with pickled shallot, ginger orange bubbles, and beef jerkey miso powder.  Michael likens it to his mom’s tuna salad… which he said was a good thing.  With 5 stars (a perfect score), Suzanne wins the challenge.

 

In tonight’s elimination challenge, the chefs will have to prepare a meal for the writers and producers of Lost.  Lost is only my favorite show on television so I couldn’t be more excited for this challenge!  Some of the chefs have never seen the show… oh boy, good luck with that.  There’s not enough time to explain to you mysterious hatches, smoke monsters, people who come back from the dead, and time travel.  The catch for this challenge is that they can only used prepackaged and canned items, just like the Dharma Initiative on Lost would use. 

 

After some brainstorming and shopping, here are the menus that the chefs have decided upon:
Elizabeth: Anchu-beer braised boar loin; Coffee scented poached boar loin; Yam papaya pudding
Graham: Maki roll with tuna and dehydrated pineapple; Tuna nicoise; Tuna a la plancha
Suzanne: Risotto with uni, clams, and prawns; Wild boar strip with oyster beer sauce; Mango corn salad
Wylie: Roasted chicken with poached egg; Beets with dried corn; Plantain puree

 

The diners are mixed on Elizabeth’s dishes.  They either really liked it or really didn’t.  They’re all in agreement that Graham’s food is outstanding.  Wylie runs into a problem with one of the judges doesn’t have any chicken on his plate.  While some don’t understand his point of view with his dish, others call it one of the best meals they’ve ever had.  Suzanne presents her meal last and her pork goes over better than Elizabeth’s did.  Wylie points out that it’s still anyone’s game but it looks like Suzanne or Graham will be taking this one.

 

With very little negative feedback, it’s always tough to figure out which way the judges are going to go but after deliberating, they’re ready to hand down their results.  Here are the final scores:
Suzanne: 22 ½ stars

Graham: 20 ½ stars

Wylie: 20 stars

Elizabeth: 16 ½ stars 

 

Suzanne Tracht moves on to the final competition along with Hubert Keller, who advanced last week.  Four more chefs will be added to the mix before the finale and that competition is going to be fierce!

 

Top Chef: Masters airs Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

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