Top Chef Seattle episode 9 recap: Past Suppers

Top Chef episode 9 opens with the camera lingering on Sheldon sharpening his knives, telling us how he is, in the spirit of Menehune, a warrior preparing for battle.

Little did he know.

Nine chefs are left in the competition: John, Kristen, Josie, Josh, Sheldon, Micah, Stefan, Brooke, and Lizzie. The Quickfire challenge is a sharp one . . . literally. Guest judge is knife maker extraordinaire Bob Kramer, a Master Bladesmith whose creations can go for $500 per inch.

Kramer shows off what his lethal babies can do, zipping through 2 pieces of 1-inch sisal rope in a New York second, faster than a speeding bullet, like the proverbial knife through butter. These knives are fierce, like Menehune.”Can I hug you now?” Sheldon asks.

The chefs split into teams for a three-part elimination Quickfire. In step 1, each team vies to be the first to have their knives sharp enough to cut through a piece of paper.  The last team to do this is eliminated. Step 2 is to be the first team to tourne 50 potatoes, or to cut then into little footballs. (Micah says that Josh’s efforts look like little poop logs!) The final challenge is an individual one: be the first chef to French a rack of rabbit. Micah has a zen moment breaking down the bunnies, and he ends as the winner of a 10″ Bob Kramer chef’s knife.

On to the Elimination challenge – a trip down the Top Chef memory lane. Each chef is assigned a notable moment from a previous season. They get two and a half hours to cook, which sounds like a boatload of time, but, as always, there’s a caveat . . . they are cooking for 200 Top Chef Superfans! The stakes are higher than usual – the winner gets a $15,000 prize AND their winning dish will be made into a Healthy Choice meal. Watch:

The chefs get going on their meals, and a few things stand out:

• Brooke talks about how important healthy eating is to her, because she used to be heavy.
• John can’t manage to find an appropriate risotto pan, but goes ahead and makes risotto anyway.
• Lizzie’s scallops smell bad, but she goes ahead and makes scallops anyway.
• Josh talked about cooking “trailer park sous vide,” which sounds funny but is actually a thing.
• And amazingly, we hear that John Tesar is the real-life Jimmy Sears character from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.

Guest judges were some of the coolest chefs around – Wylie Dufresne along with Top Chef Masters contestants Chris Cosentino and Jonathan Waxman. It was fun hearing Chris Cosentino talk about his own favorite Top Chef moment, the time in Top Chef Texas when Tom threw an early contestant off for butchering with a big jig saw.

But here is what you’re waiting for. The dishes are . . .

Micah made this Five-Spiced Duck Breast with Miso Polenta and Pickled Cherries. Judges agreed the miso polenta was a bad idea; flavors didn’t match or meld.

 

Sheldon’s Recreation: Beef Carpaccio, Poi and Mushroom Salad, and Silken Tofu Foam. Judges commented there was no eye appeal and the tofu lacked flavor.

 

Josh’s Soy Glazed-Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Cashew Puree & Heirloom Peaches. Judges thought the pork was cooked really well.

 

Brooke’s Smoked Salmon, Forbidden Black Rice with English Pea and Parsnip Puree. Brooke earned raves for her beautiful plate and smoked salmon.

 

Kristen’s winning dish: Poached Chicken Breast, Carrot Puree with Garlic and Tofu Emulsion. She got a “pretty cool!” and a gorgeous.

 

John’s Umami Risotto with Chicken, Salmon Roe, Burdock Root and Carrot Emulsion. Judges agreed the rice was inconsistent.

 

Josie’s Herb Roasted Chicken with Parsnip Puree and Steamed Root Vegetables. Judge’s verdict: fine, not exciting.

 

Stefan’s Recreation: Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Bacon and Grilled Mimolette Cheese Sandwich. Verdict: the soup was nice, but the sandwich was WAY too rich.

 

Poor Lizzie. Judges commented about the “dubious scallop quality” and thought the liquid they leached smelled bad.

Kristen was the clear winner, with Brooke and Josh clearly at the top with her. Lizzie and John were the only two at the bottom, and in a Top Chef twist, they engaged in a cookoff to see who would go home. The challenge? A cook off in the memorable moment from Season 10: make a healthy burger inspired by CJ’s disastrous burger from the pickle challenge.

Friends, it was NOT pretty watching Tesar bang around the kitchen, snagging the dill pickles, keeping Lizzie away from the oven . . . I do want to think the best of people, but he this was not one of his finer moments. He went home. And before you go, check out the dish on John Tesar, in his own words:

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