I want to start off my last challenge of the season by saying THANK YOU to all who have participated or followed along. It has definitely been a great learning experience.
So for the finale, the cheftestants were told they had to do a 3-course meal. 1st course being a mystery box with set ingredients. 2nd course was anything they chose, and the 3rd course HAD to be a dessert. The next day, they were surprised by their mothers and an extra course that had to be inspired by their favorite childhood dishes and mothers.
So for my first course, I made a dish inspired by this tomato and egg dish my mom makes all the time. It's so simple but delicious every time.
1st Course
(Favorite Childhood Dish Inspired by
Mother)
Baked Tomato and Egg with Rice
When I ate this dish, I always ate it with rice. So I mixed some steamed rice with tomato, garlic, and parsley and put it at the bottom of the tomato cup. Then I beat some eggs and poured it right over the rice. I then baked it so that the tomato would cook along with the egg. To add some contrast in texture, I breaded the tomato caps with panko crumbs then baked those as well. On the side, I have a Garlic Parsley Pesto.
I tasted the dish, and it was lacking in salt. I salted the insides of the tomato cups, but I guess it wasn't enough. The rice mixture tasted fine to me, but I guess when eaten with the rest, it really didn't shine. I salted the beaten eggs, but I of course did not taste the raw eggs before I baked it. There wasn't enough of the pesto to make up for the lack of flavor.
The second course was the mystery box course. The box contained Pacific Rockfish, Dungeness Crab, Kabocha Squash, Meyer Lemon, Matsutake Mushroom, and Anise Hyssop.
2nd Course
(Mystery Box)
Butter-Poached Rockfish with Coconut Crab Kabocha Curry and
Lemon Cream
I couldn't find Matsutake Mushrooms, so I just substituted with Shiitake, because they said it was a tough mushroom. I couldn't find Anise Hyssop, so I just used Anise seeds. I poached the rockfish in clarified butter infused with parsley, then put it on top of some crab that I cooked in coconut milk. I roasted the Kabocha squash then pureed it into the coconut curry. The chicken broth I added to the curry was fortified with the leftover crab shells. I added some cream infused with lemon zest and anise. To top it off, I breaded and deep fried a piece of shiitake mushroom for some texture.
The coconut Kabocha curry was really good! The crab was also delicious, but I forgot to season the fish, so it was a bit bland. I also overcooked it. The fried mushroom was good. However, I originally had so much more planned for this dish, but ran out of time. I wanted to add corn to the curry and actually incorporate the cream from the corn into the curry. I also wanted to put some peas on top of the fish so that the mushroom would be sitting on top of them.
My third dish utilizes one of my favorite proteins: duck.
3rd Course
(Chef’s choice)
Duck a L’Orange, Golden Beet, and Fennel
I pan-seared the duck breast, then finished it off in the oven. I made an orange reduction with orange juice, Grand Marnier, and brown sugar. On the side, I roasted a golden beet and topped it with some fennel leaves. Then last, I have some fennel sauteed in duck fat.
This dish also did not turn out the way I planned, again, due to time. Originally, I wanted to serve the duck with a sweet potato chip, but I ruined the chips twice, so I gave up. The first time, I forgot to oil the foil, so when I went to flip the chips after baking on one side, they got stuck and broke. The second time, I totally burnt them. Also, I forgot to season the fennel, and I undercooked the golden beets. I wanted the fennel to stay in one piece, but it fell apart. I honestly have never worked with fennel before, but I thought it would go well with the orange sauce. I didn't really enjoy the taste. Speaking of orange, I was going to supreme some oranges and put them along the trail of sauce. However, the duck breast was a hit with all my guests!
Traditionally, Top Cheftestants have not had much luck with desserts, so for the 4th course, they had to make one.
4th Course
(Dessert)
Banana Cream Cheese Won Ton, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and
Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle
On the bottom left, I served a deep fried won ton with sweetened cream cheese and a slice of banana on top. It's sprinkled with some powdered sugar. Then I have a vanilla bean ice cream I made from egg yolks, heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla beans. I served it over a red sugar "wave" and topped it off with some crushed hazelnut. On the right, I served a peanut butter truffle rolled in graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. It was served over a little bit of caramel.
Taste-wise, this was my most successful dish. Presentation-wise, it could have been better. I wanted to make a chocolate sauce and do a little plate decoration with it and the caramel sauce. The banana cream cheese won ton was supposed to be a phyllo purse, but the phyllo I had left was dried out and cracked. I figured won ton would be easier to work with anyway. My ice cream quenelle was not working out because I pre-shaped them so I wouldn't have to do it all during service. They did hold their shape when I put them back in the freezer. I was however, pretty happy that my sugar pieces came out right.
Diner's comments
1st course
The tomato was a very great and smart idea to house the rice and egg inside. The egg was cooked perfectly. Very interesting take on the dish you described.
Sauce could be spicier. Baked tomato was very tender and cooked well. Rice and egg mixed together well. Enjoyed, but maybe needed some seasoning on the egg and rice.
It reminded me a lot of my childhood. Loved the egg on top, very tender. The rice cooked w/ the insides of the tomato had a lot of flavor. Visually appealing w/ the red, yellow, and green. Great presentation w/ the stuffed tomato.
This course's concept was wild and imaginable. It was playful and had a
great opportunity to make a well, texturized and colorful dish! The
plating was awesome. I had a lot of hype. The egg was cooked PERFECTLY,
as was the tomatoe. It had the perfect texture. The best part was the
tomatoe did not fall apart as you cut through it. No mess. There was a
little room for improvement. One, it was underseasoned. I think salting
the tomatoes before baking would have really help with that. The rice
was also seasoned not too well. A little bland. I think the use of a
spice could have made this dish amazing. Maybe add some heat too? I
loved the tomatoe hat top. The crunch made the texture great, but
again, was missing salt. The sauce was actually really good, but in my
opinion not concentrated enough..the flavor was not enough to make up
for the underseasoned tomatoe.
2nd course
The rockfish in the curry sauce was really flavorful. When everything was combined into one bite there was lots of great flavor. Not sure if the curry was supposed to be warm but it was cold.
I liked this a lot. I don't usually care for anise flavors but it went well with this dish. Would have liked some starch (potatoes, rice) to soak up the leftover curry sauce.
Coconut gave the rockfish a creamy taste. Loved the kabocha squash the texture was so smooth. the lemon infused anise sauce gave just the right amount of acidity to the dish.
This was an interesting dish. The fish was good, although I will admit
not the best. I think this is because of personal preference. The curry
sauce on the other hand was absolutely delicious. Loved loved loved it.
I really wanted a grain in the curry cause I literally was just eating
the sauce by its lonesome after i ate the fish. I found the
mint-licorice a little strange, i will admit. I just think it didnt do
well with the coconut. Luckily it wasnt too strong so I barely noticed.
The crab was delicious, and made a great texture in the curried soup.
Even the mushroom wasnt bad and brought great texture to the dish.
3rd course
This was my favorite dish of the night. The duck was cooked so well and had so much good flavor. The orange glaze really went well with the dish. Of course I was really happy to see you bring back the golden beet. Although you forgot to season the fennel it was still flavorful.
Duck was yummy. Cooked perfectly with lots of natural flavor. Enjoyed the golden beet. Fennel could use some seasoning. But truly enjoyed this dish.
The duck was perfection. Very tender. The skin was just the right amount of crispiness. The golden beet & fennel was a good complement to the duck w/ orange glaze. Refreshing on the palate. Would've liked to how the sweet potato chip added a sweet component to the dish.
Yum. We saw the return of the golden beet. Still delicious. I do admit
the previous method of cooking. I felt this was more raw and didnt have
that great texture the other beet had. It still brought amazing color
to the dish. Next was the fennel, and honestly I didn't care for that
too much. The duck was next. Fatty, but delicious! This isnt my
favorite way of eating duck, but it was a juicy and flavorful breast. I
really enjoyed it!
4th course
I was a huge fan of the truffle and I'm glad it was the last thing I tasted. Everything on the plate was delicious! And well executed!
I LOVED the deep fried banana cream cheese won ton. Some added cinnamon sugar flavor would be really good. French vanilla ice cream was very tasty and the sugar "cage" tasted like strawberry even though there wasn't any in it. Chocolate/peanut butter gruffle was very rich and tasted like something from Godiva. Well done!
AMAZING. Loved the plating w/ the cage. Tasted a bit like strawberry. The homemade vanilla bean ice cream was so delicious and creamy and smooth. Really liked that the banana cream cheese was wrapped in the warm phyllo. The crispiness was a good contrast to the creamyness. The peanut butter truffle seemed like something from Godiva. Melted in my mouth, good balance of chocolate & peanut butter flavor. Reminded me a lot of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but in the form of a truffle. Graham cracker flakes added a surprising, but good texture to the truffle.
The best dessert Tony has ever pulled out. The ice cream was PERFECT.
The hazelnut really brought out so much flavor. I did not expect ice
cream to taste that good. The wonton was PERFECTLY balanced with
sweetness and cheese. It was heaven. The banana flavor was subtle and
appropriate. The peanut butter truffle. So good. It was beautiful. It
was amazing, and its something that really showed Tony's chef.
This
was probably one of my favorite dinners by chef Tony. It was very well
thought out, for the most part very well executed and something I would
expect from a fine dining restaurant.
Until the next season, I may be re-doing dishes that I felt I could have executed better, or I might do "what went wrong" dishes. This blog really takes a lot of work sometimes, so I may not do it next season, but I'll try my best to keep this blog up and running. Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas!
See you in 2010!
