by Gina Scarpa

 

Fourteen chefs have arrived to compete on the new season of Top Chef: Just Desserts and presentation will be just as important as taste. At the end of it all, one chef will walk away with a feature in Food and Wine magazine, a feature at the annual Cayman Cookout, and $100,000. Among of the crop of new contestants are award winning pastry chefs, teachers and owners of pastry/dessert schools, and people who have worked for the likes of Wolfgang Puck.

 

Gail and Johnny show up to deliver the first Quickfire challenge. Chefs pair up to create a modern soda fountain treat. Craig, the least experienced of the group, is already freaking out and we're just talking about an ice cream soda here. He and his partner Lina land in the bottom along with Orlando and Megan. Carlos and Rebecca impress with a cereal milkshake, but it's Amanda and Nelson who end up winning the first challenge and gain immunity.

 

In the Top Chef kitchen, players are divided into teams and given famous fairy tales to base a showpiece and two plated desserts off of. The books and teams are Goldilocks (Rebecca, Sally, Orlando, and Nelson), Little Red Riding Hood (Matthew, Amanda, Carlos, and Chris), Jack and the Beanstalk (Katzie, Craig, and Megan), and Hansel and Gretl (Melissa, Lina, and Vanarin).

 

It's clear the pressure of being on Top Chef: Just Desserts is getting to some people and Craig, Rebecca, and Kaztie in particular seem frazzled. Type A personalities also start to kick in, most notably from Orlando and Lina, who stick their noses in what their teammates are making.

 

The dishes presented were:

 

Team Goldilocks: Almond bar with fruits of the forest with honey ice cream; Baby Bear's porridge, hot rainier cherries, basil syrup, and cherry sorbet
Team Jack and The Beanstalk: Bergamot clouds, whipped lemon ricotta, sweet pea sobert, and spiced golden syrup; Brown butter hazelnut cake, lemongrass stalk infused cream, and passion fruit
Team Red Riding Hood: Rose scented bomboloni, coconut tapioca, and red berry gelee; Blackout sponge cake, cocoa nib nougatine, poached cherries, and micro basil
Team Hansel and Gretl: Butterscotch brioche, goat cheese mousse, and smoked pineapple; Chocolate cloud, milk sherbert, and hibiscus apple seltzer

 

At Judges' Table, Team Goldilocks and Team Red Riding Hood are called in first - because they are the top groups this week! Johnny tells Team Red Riding Hood that they've raised the bar since last season and thought each of Team Goldiclocks' desserts were unique but cohesive. Team Riding Hood takes home the first elimination challenge win of the season and, of course, they're all safe.

 

Team Hansel and Gretl had no gingerbread house, which was a huge mistake. Melissa and Vanarin immediately throw Lina under the bus, saying it was all her vision. The judges are concerned that Craig lacks both experience in maturity so his days are clearly numbered. Despite that, Lina takes the fall for Team Hansel and Gretl's shortcomings in the challenge and is the first one to be eliminated. That's always rough.

 

 

Top Chef: Just Desserts airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

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