Foodie Gossip

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Top Chef All-Stars Episode 10 Recap: Lock Down

The Muppets Take Top Chef!

In tonight’s Top Chef All Stars 10^th episode, there are only seven chefs left and we can almost predict the season finally. But this Top Chef episode has all the makings of an amazing drama: Sesame Street's Elmo, Telly Monster & Cookie Monster judge the Quickfire, another Top Chef Bromance blooms and the Chefs tackle America’s monster chain store, Target. And here’s the recap for Top Chef All-Stars Episode 10 Recap: “Lock Down”.

The first scene opens in the pantry with Richard Blaise and Mike Isabella reminiscing about Fabio Viviani. Mike Izzy says Fabio is an impressive guy and Richard says that Fabio turned him into a "Fabio Fan" - he wishes Fabio had asked him for help... Ahh... The bromance lives on. Carla brags about her win (just a little) and dreams of a woman winning Top Chef All Stars. I'd love to see that too, but I'm not getting my hopes up (just yet).

The chefs then move to the bar for cocktails and toast to the "Magnificent Seven". Richard and Dale agree to be allies until one of them goes home or they make it to the end. Please let this treaty end next week!!

Quickfire Challenge
The chefs walk into the kitchen to find Padma Lakshmi rhyming with Cookie Monster, Telly Monster and Elmo. Padma tells the chefs that they have 45 minutes to make their best cookies. The winner will take home $5,000.

- The chefs are a bit lost since none have honed their cookie-making skills. Really? My baking skills suck and even I know how to whip up chocolate chip cookies.

- Richard Blais decides to make the zucchini cookie that Elmo wanted. It's clear that he's aiming to impress his 2-year-old daughter's idol, and I totally respect that. But have you noticed that he seems to be going a bit overboard lately?

- Antonia Lafaso makes a Dark Chocolate Cookie with white chocolate chips, a caramel glaze & sprinkles.

- Carla Hall makes a Chocolate Chip Cookie with cinnamon.

- Dale Talde makes a Pretzel & Potato Chip Shortbread Cookie with salted caramel chocolate ganache.

- Richard makes an Ice Cream Cookie with chocolate chips, zucchini & mint. I’m trying to imagine that tasting good… Still trying… Still trying… Nope! Not gonna happen.

- Mike Isabella makes an Almond & Dried Cherry Cookie with rose petal powdered sugar.

- Tiffany Derry makes a Shortbread Cookie with lemon zest, rosemary, thyme & coconut milk.

- Angelo Sosa makes a Chocolate Chip, Belgian Hazelnut Cookie & a Chocolate-Banana Milkshake.

- On the bottom are Richard (the Muppet monsters didn’t think his cooking was cookie-ish enough) and Angelo (for making a dry cookie).

- On the top are Dale’s sweet and salty cookie and Antonia’s chewy gooey cow-shit cookie.

- And Dale wins the Quickfire and takes home $5000. Yay Dale. Sorry Antonia. Even if it tastes like heaven, the Muppets still thought your cookie looked like cow-shit.

Richard Blaise, Angelo Sosa & Tiffany Derry think this
Top Chef challenge is tricky

Elimination Challenge
This week’s elimination prize is $25,000! The chefs have 3 hours at Target to shop for the items they need. Then they have to serve a meal for 100 Target employees the next day. Then the show seems to convert into a target commercial for a couple minutes – which I think we could have done without, since the entire show pretty much is a Target commercial.

The chefs arrive at Target just past midnight and go zooming down the aisles with their carts gathering all the appliances, utensils, food and furniture they think they’ll need.

- Dale makes rude comments about Tiffany as he shops for irons.

- Antonia pretty much grabs everything.

- Angelo and Mike shop together. Gotta love the bromance

- Tiffany shops for clothes as she shops for food.

- The chefs begin cooking… But Carla is still shopping. She finally joins the group after everyone else is already well on their way. Richard shows concern for her (but I think he’s just secretly threatened by her).

The 100 Target employees arrive, along with Padma, Tom, our favorite grouch-monster Anthony Bourdain, and this week’s guest judges: Ming Tsai (owner/chef of Blue Ginger) and Thomas O'Brien (home designer for Target).

- Richard makes a Pork Tenderloin with Green Chilies, Apples, Braised Pork Ribs & Corn Pancakes.

- Dale makes a Rib Eye Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Spicy Tomato Soup.

- Carla makes a Curry Apple Soup with Tomato Ginger Jam & Cucumber Apple Slaw.

- Antonia makes Parmesan Eggs on Garlic Crostini with Almond, Tomato & Apple Salad.

- Mike makes a Spicy Coconut Soup with Mushrooms, Scallops & Lime.

- Tiffany makes Jambalaya with Chicken, Sausage & Shrimp, and serves it with a Summer Salad.

- Angelo has Baked Potato Soup with Bacon, Sour Cream, Potato Skins, Scallions & Cheddar Cheese.

- The judges aren’t so impressed with everyone’s dishes – Anthony Bourdain thinks the chefs toked up the cheeba before they started cooking. And EVERYONE seems unhappy about the early hour.

The Elimination…

Padma walks in and announces that the judges would like to see: Dale, Antonia & Richard.

And the winner is… Dale again! When was the last time we saw a Top Chef win both the Quickfire AND Elimination in a single episode? I can’t remember.

Farewell, Angelo. It shoulda been the other way around.

The chefs are sent back and tell Carla, Tiffany & Angelo that the chefs would like to see them. The three face the judges and an endless barrage of insults: Carla’s dish didn’t develop and needed protein, Angelo’s soup was too salty, and the dried spices Tiffany used highlighted her dish’s deficiencies. And then Padma says:

“Angelo, please pack your knives and go.”

Mike Isabella is far more crushed that Angelo is being sent home than Angelo is – he’s lost his friend. Another bromance comes to a close.

And I would personally like to emphasize my own disappointment. It’s impressive that Dale won both challenges, though $25k for a grilled cheese and tomato soup sounds fishy. But seriously, he is a rude dude. And the same goes for Antonia. I know this is reality TV and some people like the drama, but then nix those two and bring Marcel back. He’s double-dipped in arrogance, but he’s entertaining as hell!

More on Top Chef:

Top Chef All Stars Episode 10 Sneak Peek: Lock Down (UPDATED!!)

Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi and Sesame Street's Elmo bond.

This week on Top Chef All Stars Episode 10, the chefs commandeer a Target and must prepare dishes for 100 people, using only the store’s merchandise.

The Quickfire: Sesame Street comes to Top Chef and the chefs each have to whip up a cookie that will impress Sesame Street stars Elmo, Telly Monster & Cookie Monster.

The Elimination Challenge: The chefs take over a Target store in the middle of the night and have 90 minutes to make a dish for 100 people (owch) using items found in the aisles. Anthony Bourdain guest stars.

And now for the Sneak Peek deets:

- Carla Hall is the last chef to her station

- Carla makes a curried apple soup with apple slaw. She wants to get a protein, but is afraid to leave her station due to time constraints.

- Richard Blais is worried that Carla’s dish won’t mature in time.

- Looks like a new bromance is brewing between Mike Isabella and Angelo Sosa. Mike lovingly refers to Angelo as “sweetie” when looking for his can opener.

- Mike wants to make a spicy coconut shrimp stew, but doesn’t have the shrimp. He then tries for coconut and pork, but scraps the pork and just makes spicy coconut broth with veggies. But flavors are coming together and Mike Isabella feels confident.

- Angelo is making a (baked) potato soup with bacon, onions and cheddar cheese. Mike Isabella plays Angelo’s taster and tells him the soup is a bit thick and missing “something”. Angelo adds more bacon and salt, hoping that it’ll fill the flavor void.

- Antonia Lafaso thinks that it’s ridiculous that all the chefs are making soup. “$25k on the line, I’m not going to make a soup, call it a day and play it safe.”

- Anthony Bourdain thinks the food was cooked by stoners.

It’s amazing how Carla is still so underestimated by the other chefs – particularly Richard Blaise. Every week, we hear how he’s “so concerned” about whether she’ll make it or not, and in the end, she ALWAYS ends up kicking some culinary tail. I really hope we see a Richard and Carla showdown in the season finally. Richard may know some magic, but Carla has all the love – and we know that the best dishes are only the best because they’re cooked with a whole lotta love.

And is it bad that I’d like to see Antonia go home? She just doesn’t seem like a nice person. She messed up Casey’s dish, but never came forward and she’s constantly making snotty comments about the other chefs and finding ways to put them down. Mean people suck, dude.

Can’t wait for tomorrow night’s Top Chef All Stars. Wish I could be on Lock Down with them!

More on Top Chef:

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Anti-Valentine’s Day Food: Avoid the Sex by Feeding Them Anaphrodisiacs

Beer or Ale is a the perfect beverage to lower the libido.

Want to avoid the sex without hurting your partner’s feelings on Valentine’s Day? Here’s an idea: Make them a meal of Anaphrodisiacs. That’s right! You can kill their mood by feeding them food that will squash their mojo.

Here are a few foods/seasonings that work as natural anaphrodisiacs:

- Marjoram

- Hops

- Common Rue

- Coriander

- Soy

- Mashua

Make your honey-bunny a fabulous Valentine ’s Day dinner, using some of the ingredients above. It’ll show them you care and take the rejection-factor off your plate, so you can enjoy a guilt-free sexless evening.

And the beauty of it is that there are no side-effects, other than putting the kibosh on their libido.

Need some anti-Valentine's Day dinner ideas? Here are a few tasty suggestions that'll do the job nicely:

- Tofu burgers seasoned with a mix of marjoram, coriander, lemon pepper, sea salt, and onion power. Serve it with a nice strawberry ale (hops). Kick it up a notch and cook the tofu burgers in soybean oil.

- Chicken and Tofu in a Marjoram Cream Sauce – once again, I’d suggest serving it with a strawberry or cherry ale. The red berry flavor has a Valentine’s Day theme to it, but contains hops, which will also lower the sex drive.

- Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

And one my personal favorites…

No Monkey Business Marinated Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. Crimini Mushrooms

- 2 Tbs. Soybean Oil

- 3 tsp. Garlic, minced

- 1/4 tsp. Thyme

- 1/4 tsp. Marjoram

- 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander

- A dash of Ground Cloves

- Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients and marinate for an hour or more in the refrigerator.

- Place the mushrooms on a grill or in a lightly oiled pan and roll around until lightly browned.

- Serve hot.

Happy Valentines Day!

More great Valentine's Day articles:

Have a Hot Valentine’s Day with These Top Aphrodisiacs

Spice up your Valentine's Day with Foodie Gossip's Top Aphrodisiacs

Tis the season for love and we’ve got the food to help. Aphrodisiacs are made to stir your longing and move your sex drive into gear. If you’re hoping to get lots of sex this Valentine’s Day, make sure to include some of these sensual foods in your Valentine’s Day dinner.

Top Aphrodisiacs:

Caviar

The word "caviar" derives from the Persian word "khav-yar", which means "cake of strength." It is said to help us restore our physical power and enhance good health. Caviar is a famous party food. Loaded with vitamin A, zinc and omega-3 fatty acid, it is believed to increase blood flow to the genitals and stimulate the formation of testosterone.

Oysters

Oysters have long been considered a very effective aphrodisiac. What makes oysters such a popular aphrodisiac is the fact that these slimy mollusks contain a high level of zinc. Any food rich in zinc has a beneficial effect on the libido. The slippery texture can evoke all sorts of dirty sexy ideas.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper not only sets your mouth on fire, but it also improves your sexual health. It can heat up your entire body, increase your blood circulation and make your erogenous zones become more sensitive. But careful not to overdose on this type of aphrodisiac – it’ll dehydrate you. There’s nothing sexy about a water buffalo.

Bananas

Whether bananas made the list due to the phallic shape of the banana flower, or the more practical reasons that they are rich in potassium and B vitamins which are necessities for sex hormone production, the banana has long been considered as an aphrodisiac food. A banana is a nutritious way to begin foreplay.

Chocolate

The Aztecs referred to chocolate as the “nourishment of the Gods”. People have loved chocolate throughout the centuries. Recent research is suggesting that chocolate contains chemicals that affect the neurotransmitters in the brain. Combine chocolate with other aphrodisiacs such as chili, ginger, or wine and you’ll be havin’ the sex fo’ sho’.

Ginger

Ginger root has been scientifically proven to be a stimulant to the circulatory system. If your blood is already pumping, then you’re half way there. And if your man is a pothead, you may want to double the dose.

Licorice

The Chinese have used licorice for medicinal purposes since ancient times. Chewing on bits of licorice root is said to enhance love and lust, and is particularly stimulating to woman. You may not like her breath, but it’ll get your woman in the mood for some lovin’.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg was highly prized by Chinese women as an aphrodisiac. In quantity, nutmeg can produce a hallucinogenic effect. It has all the loving taste of the Holidays without all the stress. Give yourself a heavy dose if you’re taking home coyote ugly.

Asparagus

Asparagus has been told to stir up lust partly because it is so hot, long and green(?). It is rich in potassium, folic acid and vitamin E, it can stimulate sex hormones as well as enhance your general well-being.

Wine

A glass or two of wine can increase the desire of anyone partaking. It has the power to make you more playful while the red variety even contains antioxidants. Wine or any other form of intoxicant will only raise your chances of play. That’s why one-night-stands are so common among winos.

Here are some other aphrodisiacs to try if you’re really feeling adventurous:

Arugula (Rocket) (Eruca sativa)

Cow cod soup (Jamaican Aphrodisiac)

Deer penis and antlers (in Taiwan and China)

Horny Goat Weed

Ginseng

Lamb, high in zinc, which is a known aphrodisiac.

Lettuce, considered an aphrodisiac in Ancient Egypt

Mannish Water (goat soup, Jamaican Aphrodisiac)

Mead (especially spiced mead varieties)

Watch out for Anaphrodisiacs – they’ll cool the oven when it comes to lovin.

Happy Valentine's Day!

More great Valentine's Day articles:

Friday, February 11, 2011

Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani Cooks with Love for Valentine's Day

Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani may have packed his knives this week on Top Chef All Stars and headed home, but we haven’t seen the last of him.

Our most lovable Top Chef cooks up a very special Valentine’s meal of Chicken Marsala and Strawberry Risotto with Champagne. And he couldn't be more charming. This video is a must-watch.

More great Valentine's Day articles:

Have a Hot Valentine’s Day with Foodie Gossip’s Top Aphrodisiacs
Anti-Valentine’s Day Food: Avoid the Sex by Feeding Them Anaphrodisiacs
Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani Cooks with Love for Valentine's Day

More on Top Chef: