The other day my sister suggested I write something to ask readers what their favorite kitchen gadgets were. Huh…why didn’t I think of that??? 🙂
C’mon now, we all have one—even those of us who may be “cooking challenged”. 🙂 Whether it be that particular whisk or immersion blender, we all have that one gadget that we just cannot bear to be without. For instance, if you asked my BF what his fav item would be, I would venture to say it would be his Global Chef’s Knife that he has affectionately named “Katsu”. As for me, I don’t think I could just pick one. It may vary depending on the season but if I had to narrow it down to three, it would be my (of course, in no particular order):
All-Clad Non Stick Grill PanArtisan Series KitchenAid Stand Mixer....In fabulous Grape Color 🙂And of course, you've met our new beauty, the 7.25 Quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven
So now it’s your turn friends….leave a comment and tell us what’s your favorite Kitchen Gadget that you can’t do without??? 🙂
**This entry has been submitted to The Culinary Chronicles through our Guest Blogger Contest. **
Submitted by: Carol L.
It’s a poorly-kept secret that I don’t have very much of a sweet tooth, despite the amount of baking that I do. I much prefer more spiced or lighter desserts like carrot cake, apple cobbler, and tiramisu. That is why I LOVE the fall and winter season — that’s when the spiced desserts come out to play! From pumpkin pie to gingerbread, these are the desserts that I especially enjoy making and devouring!
I took the opportunity during this season to concoct a recipe for a Spiced Maple Pecan Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. I started with my normal vanilla cupcake recipe, and substituted the white sugar with brown sugar instead, being sure to check the internet that this wouldn’t ruin the texture or form of my cupcake. Baking is such a chemical science, that you risk an imploded or exploded result if you substitute ingredients incorrectly! I then added some of my favorite fall and winter spices for baking: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and allspice… similar to what you would put into a pumpkin recipe.
All right, we’ve taken care of the “spiced” part of Spiced Maple Pecan, now for the “maple” part! Instead of vanilla, I wanted to use a maple flavoring. Googling around, I found that most maple recipes required a few cups of pure Grade B maple syrup. I was a little concerned as to what 1-3 cups of liquid would do to my cupcakes, and I had heard anecdotes that when you use the syrup, you don’t even get that familiar maple flavor that most people are used to. I contemplated a bit, but then decided I didn’t feel like dealing with failed cupcakes that day. Therefore, I opted to use the imitation maple flavoring by McCormick’s for my cupcakes and frosting. Amusingly enough, I later had a conversation with Nam herself, and she also prefers the imitation maple flavoring over the maple syrup!
Now for the best part… candied pecans! Making candied pecans is pretty easy, and it makes a HUGE difference when using candied pecans instead of regular pecans. It is everyone’s favorite part! The hardest thing about making candied pecans is trying not to eat them all yourself, and running out before they even make it into the cupcakes. I incorporated these babies into the cupcakes themselves and also sprinkled them on top of the maple cream cheese frosting.
The resulting cupcake was a hit! Everyone loved them, and I even got a comment that, “He normally hates cupcakes, but he loves these!” And I thought, “That’s because they’re not too sweet, and spiced instead!” I hope you try this recipe out and love them too!
Spiced Maple Pecan Cupcakes by Carol L.Spiced Maple Pecan Cupcakes by Carol L.
Spiced Maple Pecan Cupcakes
Ingredients:
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons imitation maple flavoring
• 3/4 cup candied pecans (recipe below)
1. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices; stir with a whisk until combined. Add butter and mix with an eletric mixer.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and maple flavoring.
3. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts. Mix until combined, but do not overbeat.
4. Dust the candied pecans with some flour (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes). Mix in the candied pecans.
5. Divide among cupcake liners. Bake at 325° until toothpick comes out clean.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• Approximately 2-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon imitation maple flavoring
1. Beat butter vigorously with an electric mixer. Scrape the bowl and add the cream cheese. Beat until combined.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add the maple flavoring and mix.
4. Continue to add powdered sugar until desired consistency for piping.
Candied Pecans
Ingredients:
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
1. In a pan, mix white sugar and pecan pieces. Turn on the heat to medium, and slowly stir with wooden chopsticks or spoon until the sugar starts to melt.
2. When the mixture becomes a nice brown color, remove from heat, and continue to stir until cooled. Careful, it can go from golden brown to burnt surprisingly quickly! If you don’t continue to stir until cool, it will all harden together in one big clump.
3. Once cooled, crumble and break apart any pecans that are stuck together.
*Reminder: You, too, can be a Guest Blogger of The Culinary Chronicles! Submit all entries to theculinarychronicles@gmail.com and be eligible to win an AWESOME Foodie Prize!
I’ve been on a soup kick lately….it’s all I want to eat and all I want to cook. I’m sure the nonstop rain we’ve been experiencing may have something to do with it, too. 🙂
So, this past Sunday, I thought I would make a Cream of Asparagus Soup. It sounded earthy, fresh, and somewhat “indulgent” because of the cream. I threw together some ingredients we had on hand and was extremely happy with the results. Not only was it quick and simple but it was also delicious! The crab meat added such a great “hmmmm” factor to the simple soup without deterring from the fresh produce. The lemon juice is also a must—as the acidity helps with it to not be over “creamy”.
Enjoy!
______________________________________________
Cream of Asparagus Soup Serves approximately 3-4
Ingredients:
1 Large Leek, finely chopped and thoroughly washed
2 Large Shallots, chopped
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Garlic Cloves, minced finely
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 lb. Fresh Asparagus (approximately 1 bunch), cut into 1 inch pieces
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ Cup Heavy Cream (or Half & Half)
½ Cup Crab Meat
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a heavy pot, melt butter with the olive oil. Cook leeks, shallots, and garlic until ingredients are softened-but not browned. Add asparagus, thyme leaves and broth. Simmer with lid on. Cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Purée the items with the lemon juice in a blender until smooth. This may be done in batches. Be sure to take precaution blending hot liquids. Pour the puréed soup into a clean pot and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently warm the soup until it begins to lightly bubble.
Ladle soup into bowls and place a heaping spoon of crabmeat in the center of the bowl. Serve with toasted bread.
Asparagus, Leeks, Shallots, and LemonFresh Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crab. Served with Toasted Sourdough Baguette.
Oyakodon must count as one of the top 5 as far as poplular food comes in Japan. It is easy to prepare and improvise with. Bear in mind that depending upon the region you are in Japan, the ingredients are totally different. For example, in Hokkaido you will be served salmon sashimi and salmon roe!
After all, “oyakodon” means “parent and child bowl” (ingredients!)!
Being asked about a recipe, I decided to introduce the main lines of a basic one here made with chicken and eggs, not bothering about quantities but concentrating on the method.
-Rice
Steam rice beforehand. Oyakodon prepared with freshly steamed rice is miles ahead of reheated rice as far as taste is concerned!
-Chicken
Choose breast or thigh chicken. It is up to you to use or discard the skin. I prefer to discard it, unless I deep-fry the chicken first.
-Eggs
Choose the freshest ones as possible with large deep-coloured yolks.
-Vegetables:
Thinly sliced onion to be cooked together with the oyakodon. A lot of people feel like adding other vegetables. Keep in mind they have to be cut thin and need to be fried.
Fresh leaved greens for the final and important touch. My favourite is fresh trefoil. If not available, I use flat parsley or chopped leeks.
In many regions they also add chopped dry seaweed for the final touch.
-Stock soup/sauce:
You may use water, but dashi is a lot better. I pesonally use seaweed dashi. One might use chicken stock, too. I add a little soy sauce, sugar, Japanese sake and sweet Japanese sake/mirin. That is where improvisation and personal taste come in!
You may season with salt and pepper, but bear in mind that soy sauce already contains salt, so easy on that one!
METHOD:
-Cut chicken in small enough pieces. Fry or deep-fry them first. If you fry/sautee them, just season chicken with a little salt and pepper. If you dep-fry them, season them with salt and pepper and cover them with plenty of cornstarch, unless you prefer the flour, egg and breadcrumbs method. Once the chicken has been fried to 90%, take out and leave in another plate or on a metallic grill to get rid of excess oil.
-Using only a little oil (that left by the chicken is fine), fry the onion (and other vegetables) until almost properly cooked.
Add soup/stock. bring slowly to boil on a small fire. Add chicken and boil for a minute just to let the taste penetrate the chicken.
During that time, beat eggs (quantity is up to you!) with chopsticks to leave some parts white (some people like well beaten).
As soon as the chicken has completely cooked, dicard some soup if too much of it, and add the eggs.
Point 1: the chicken should be tender, not overcooked.
Point 2: Too much soup/stock will prevent the eggs from cooking fast, or you might end up with scrambled eggs
Point 3: the “real” (debatable) recipe calls for the eggs to be only half cooked before transferring the lot onto the rice. In Kyoto, for example the eggs are most of the time well cooked and topped with a raw egg yolk.
-As soon as you are satisfied with the eggs, transfer the lot on top of a bowl filled with steamed rice. Decorate with trefoil and serve.
*Reminder: You, too, can be a Guest Bloggerof The Culinary Chronicles! Submit all entries to theculinarychronicles@gmail.com and be eligible to win an AWESOME Foodie Prize! 🙂
I have dreamed of having my very own Le Creuset Dutch Oven for a long time. And for a “long time”, I mean longer than I even knew what it really was or how fabulous they really were. I think the first memories I could recall of it was back in the day when “The Frugal Gourmet” had one on his stove in the 80’s. And although as a kid I thought it was just a “pretty pot”, I knew I wanted one when I grew up.
As I grew older and found out how much they actually cost, I could not bring myself to buy one. This is not to say that I didn’t think it was worth it but a few hundred bucks is pretty steep! Alas, I had to be content to utilize my siblings’ when the chance arose. 🙂
But this past Christmas…my Culinary Life changed when my awesome sister gave my boyfriend and I a gorgeous 7.25 quart round Dutch Oven. I squealed in delight as I hugged our new beauty—finally, we had one of our very own. Dreamy.
Then the next question arose….what were we going to make to break in our new dutch oven??? As silly as this may sound, I wanted a recipe that would require us to utilize as many components of the pot as we could—searing, braising, roasting, sautéing, etc. Heck, it was the first time we would be using it after all! 🙂
I finally settled upon a recipe by Bobby Flay for a Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle. Although I have NEVER been a fan of how Bobby Flay portrays himself on television, his food more times than not, looks delish.
We followed the recipe with the exceptions a few edits and were happy to find that it was pretty simple (although somewhat laborious and lengthy). The end results? D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. The ribs were succulent and tender with the aromatics giving the meat a rich flavor.
A few things about our take on the dish:
We omitted the Port & substituted with beef stock. Ruby Port is often too sweet for me in my savory dishes.
We decided not to remove the beef from the bones and served it directly over the pasta. Next time, I think we’ll do it though to get rid of some of the excess gristle and fat.
Although the recipe doesn’t state to, season with extra salt and pepper before dishing over the pasta. My “Better Half” thinks a bit of heat would complement the dish. Perhaps some red chili flakes?
This recipe could easily serve 6 adults.
We had the leftovers a few days later and served the ribs over mashed potatoes—YUM!
I would definitely recommend this recipe and will make it again (with a few tweaks). If you’re planning on tackling this one, keep in mind–it needs at least 3 hours in the oven for the ribs to get tender. It’s okay though, time goes by quickly if you have a snackie and a glass of vino. 🙂
ENJOY! 🙂
Heavily season the Short Ribs with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
Browning the ribs. The more brown bits the better! 🙂
Browned Ribs = Tons of flavor! 🙂
Cooking down the Shallots and Mirepoix
Short Ribs back in with the liquids & bouquet garni and ready to be put in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours. Yup, I said THREE! 🙂
The finished Short Ribs (with bone -in) over Pappardelle. Garnished with Pecorino Romano and Flat Leaf Parsley.
Did I mention how much I LOVE our new Dutch Oven! And yes, it really does make a difference! 🙂
**This entry has been submitted to The Culinary Chronicles as our First Guest Blogger.
Submitted by: Anonymous Blogger
At what point do you give in to the pressure that “BIGGER, newer, more expensive” is better? I have been able to resist the temptation to cave in especially for items that I already have and work just fine. Now, this is a completely different question if you were to ask me what would I purchase if I didn’t already have it? Of course, I have my own version of Cook’s Illustrated Equipment Review and know exactly what I would buy if I could. I’m the lone browser roaming around cooking stores coveting their merchandise and continually keeping an eye out for sales.
There are several items in my kitchen that I have received as gifts and have served me for many years. At the top of this list is my Classic Series KitchenAid Stand Mixer which is probably 10 years old but works fine and still shines like new. The only time that it has caused me any problem is when I am making large batches of a recipe, mixing sturdy dough (like gingerbread), or kneading dough. Unfortunately, this model only has a 250-watt motor and a small 4-1/2 quart stainless steel bowl. When subjected to those conditions, my stand mixer will rock all over my counter in distress. I usually have to anchor it down with my hands, than it’s no problem at all! Well, that is if you don’t mind flour flying all over the place because of the smaller bowl. So for years I convinced myself that it was just too indulgent to upgrade and that I should be saving my money to buy a place one day.
My Sturdy Old Classic Series
Well, that was until several weeks ago when I was roaming through Williams-Sonoma hoping that they will have their rare Friends and Family 20% off discount that happened last year just before Christmas. I think I must have checked online and at the store everyday for a month before the holidays, but sadly no discount. Then one day just the week before Christmas, I received an email about a special 3 day in-store only promotion: for every $50 that you spend, they would give you a $10 credit voucher to be used in their store during the next month. For the price of an upgrade to their Professional 6 quart Series, this would give me a voucher worth $80 in addition to the $50 rebate from the manufacture!
Needless to say, I went straight to their store the very next day feeling excited about my potential new purchase. However once I got there, my conservative “self” resurfaced a long with all of my doubts. For the next hour, I paced the store then left the store in order to “think” without the added pressure of having to see the coveted mixer with its big yellow bow ready to go. After much anxiety, I finally went back to purchase it but decided to ask them to hold it for me in the store until the following weekend when I would return from my brief holiday trip. My reasoning was to take advantage of the promotion before it expired, but with the condition that I could always change my mind and return it. I thought this strategy brilliant since it would also save me from having to carry it back and forth in case I did change my mind. I walked away feeling triumphant after overcoming an additional small hurdle. The mixer was $399.99. Technically, this would only give me a $70 voucher. So I had to go and search for something small that I would need anyway to bump me over $400 to be eligible for the $80 voucher– like a tube of black icing for 2.99.
During my trip that week, I attempted to find holes in my argument by soliciting advice from other members of my family. Unfortunately, they are too supportive of me in general and I was not able to find too many objections. When the time came for me to pick up my pre-paid merchandise, I was no where closer to making a decision. I stood staring at my current stand mixer which would have probably lasted me for another 10+ years; then went online to reconcile my credit card charges to see how much damage I already had done that month for Christmas. By the time that I got to the store, I was in even more distress as I passed the many homeless individuals on my journey. I had resigned then to the belief that bigger, newer, more expensive was possibly better. But do I always need BETTER? The answer is NO.
There are many things in my apartment that are hodge-podge that I have picked up from someone else’s discard on the sidewalk, or that have been handed down to me that I sentimentally cannot give away. I am fine living like this. That is, unless the stars are aligned just so, and the forces so magnetic that it would be way too difficult to ignore. Okay, okay, where am I going with this? Well, sometimes you have to play Zeus and recreate the constellation to get what you want. I ended up selling my old mixer on Craigslist. The money that I made, added to the value of my voucher and rebate was used to whittle away from the original price of the machine. When this was done and with my new mixer on my countertop, a thought came to me “Geez, the extent you would go to get what you really want”. Now, if only I can be as successful in other aspects of my life.
MY NEW PROFESSIONAL 610 SERIES (610 is exclusive to Williams-Sonoma with just some additional small bonuses)
*Reminder: You, too, can be a Guest Blogger of The Culinary Chronicles! Submit all entries to theculinarychronicles@gmail.com and be eligible to win an AWESOME Foodie Prize!
Alas, the whirlwind of holiday festivities, coupled with a long bout of the flu, has kept me away from blogging. But, I’m baaaaacccckkkkk and ready to kick in 2010!
At the close of 2009, I experienced an “Out-of-Body-Baking-Frenzy”. I kid you not….I was a baking machine and I was sure my better-half was going to have to hide the butter and sugar to keep me out of the kitchen!
Below are a few snapshots of evidence from my craze:
Unfortunately (or fortunately), I caught the “ickies” quickly after Christmas which put a pause on my culinary experiments. However, the recoup time gave me the perfect excuse to plop on the couch and catch up on some serious Food TV.
Upon their return to Kitchen Stadium, the chefs were shown various ingredients displayed on the altar– all grown/harvested within 100 miles of the Stadium. Local, fresh ingredients—-my kind of battle. Unfortunately, that’s when things kind of took a turn.
First off, where was the Chairman??? He was MIA from such an important “Super Chef Battle”? And although the beloved Alton Brown filled in and got to sit and taste the dishes with the judges, it seemed quite odd that Mark Dacascos (yes, the Chairman’s true name) would not be present. Perhaps some R&R was needed after his stint on “Dancing with the Stars“?
Speaking of the judges……this leads me to the next “whhaaat???” moment of the show. The panel consisted of Nigella Lawson, Jane Seymour, and Natalie Coughlin. With the exception of Nigella, seriously—Jane Seymour and Natalie Coughlin? Don’t get me wrong, this is no disrespect to Actresses-turned-Jewelry-Designers or Olympians but this is a Super Chef Battle! I was hoping for a Hubert Keller or better yet, a panel consisting of the old school Iron Chefs! That would be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Nope….no such thing.
As for the rest of the battle….it turned out to be pretty “meh”. Perhaps my expectations were set high since the word “super” was in the title (hey, I’m impressionable like that) but overall, it was a “C+” television experience for me.
But—-No Fear, as 2010 is shaping up to become an epic year for “good eats”. With San Francisco’s Dine-About-Town just around the corner, coupled with several new recipes and cooking gadgets I have yet to try—-my kitchen and tummy will be quite busy.
So with that, dear friends, I hope your holidays and New Year’s Festivities were joyful and delicious!
Just like our parents/guardians and teachers have taught us at an early age, I believe that ‘Sharing is Caring!’
With that belief in mind, this is my official call out for GUEST BLOGGERS! Yup, I’m talking about you! 🙂
– Have a recipe that you are darn proud of?
– Got food photos you’d like to share?
– Care to review your favorite local restaurant or watering hole?
– Want to dish about the latest culinary gossip?
– Have a ton to say but can’t commit the time to blog on your own?
– Have your own site but want to spread your wings to other cyber spots?
Then be the next foodie Guest Blogger on The Culinary Chronicles! I’d love to hear your foodie point of view and help shoot it out to all our cyber buddies.
Leave me a message on the comment section and YOU CAN BE MY NEXT GUEST BLOGGER! 🙂
And for a little EXTRA incentive—the Guest Blogger with the highest comments submitted to their foodie posts by March 1, 2010 will receive an awesome FOODIE PRIZE! 🙂 Woo Hoo–who doesn’t love surprise prizes?
I’ve already confessed by Gingerbread obsession. So, when a recent holiday feast left us with some delicious Poached Pear leftovers, I seized the opportunity to kick up a favorite holiday goodie.
I chose to adapt Martha Stewart’s recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes. Her version has such a wonderful spicy flavor with a moist cake that I knew would be the perfect match to the pears. However, since her recipe is scaled for “jumbo cupcakes”, I needed to tweak the measurements a bit.
The end results were absolutely delicious—-personally, my favorite cupcake of the year. And for those who prefer to scale down the sweet factor, swap out my cream cheese frosting for a light dusting of confectioner sugar.
These “Cuppies” will definitely be added to my Holiday Baking Rotation—though maybe next time I’ll use a Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting as opposed to the standard Cream Cheese. After all, it is the holidays!
Gingerbread-Pear Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes The Gingerbread Cupcake Batter was adapted from Martha Stewart’s “Gingerbread Cupcake Recipe” to accommodate a half batch and regular cupcake size.
Ingredients:
Cupcake Batter
1 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
¾ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter at room temperature
½ Cup Packed Dark-Brown Sugar
½ Cup Unsulphered Molasses
1 Large Egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
1½ Diced Poached Pears
Poached Pears
3 Bosc Pears (peeled, cored, halved)
1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
5-6 Allspice Corns
5-6 Whole Cloves
1 Vanilla Bean, split with seeds scraped
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Cups White Wine
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 Ounces of Cream Cheese at room temperature
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter at room temperature
2½ -3 Cups Confectioner Sugar (varies due to preferred frosting consistency)
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized saucepan, combine ingredients for poached pears with the exception of the pears. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add pears. Bring liquid to a rolling boil and lower to a light simmer. Cook pears until fork tender. Remove from heat and thoroughly cool. Once cooled, remove pears from poaching liquid and pat dry. Dice pears in small cubes.
In another small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the egg. Carefully fold in the diced pears.
Fill prepared cupcake pans lined with paper cups three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks.
While cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and then gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup at a time. Continue adding sugar to desire consistency. (I typically lean towards the full 3 cups for a firmer consistency to pipe the frosting). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use.
Once cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with prepared Cream Cheese frosting. Cupcakes can be stored up to three days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Note: Remaining Poached Pears can serve as a light and delicious dessert. Serve with a zabaglione or whipped cream. When storing in the refrigerator, keep pears in poaching liquid to add to the flavor and moistness.
It’s no secret that I’m a food show junkie…..cooking shows, cooking competitions, chef bios, restaurant features—you name it, I pretty much watch it all (Thank goodness my better half doesn’t mind too much!). Afterall, I kind of see it as my culinary education without the crazy culinary school tuition costs.
Among my favs over the past few years— Top Chef . Love, love, love it—and have been a faithful viewer all 6 seasons (in addition to the Top Chef Masters season). Sure, I agree with many who kind of liked it better in the earlier seasons when they had relatively unknown, less experienced chefs. They, after all, had more to gain. But with more seasoned chefs comes more interesting dishes which made this past Season 6 a crowd pleaser.
Before I go on, I must warn you all who haven’t seen the finale yet and say SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!Watch the finale and come back to read my rants But if you have seen it, let’s continue on…..
All season, the bf and I have been Team Jennifer Carroll, Chef de Cuisine of 10 Arts by Eric Ripert. Why? Because she was a darn great cook, funny as heck, and she was Eric Ripert’s gal. That is a winning combo right there!
Jennifer Carroll, Top Chef Season 6 Contestant
Imagine our disappointment when she got eliminated in part 1 of the finale….BUMMER!!! Who will give snarky comments now? But at least we still had my bf’s fav left in the final 3– Kevin Gillespie.
Kevin Gillespie is the Executive Chef & Partner of Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, Georgia. We loved him for being the “pork guy”….so much so that he had a tattoo of a pig! Quite funny. I particularly admired his stance of using only local & sustainable goods at his restaurant.
Kevin Gillespie, Top Chef Season 6 Contestant
Unfortunately Kevin didn’t perform his best with the final challenge. His 1st course was quite a favorite among the judges but the other dishes just didn’t cut it—with the worst being his pork dish….IRONY! Alas, Padma informs him that he is not Top Chef. Bummer Kev, we really liked you—and your sassy southern mom too!
Which finally leaves us with the remaining two….The Voltaggio Brothers. The culinary sibling powerhouse who were favored since the beginning of the season.
Voltaggio Brothers: Top Chef Season 6 Contestants
I must admit that I, too, was in awe of the dishes that these two whipped out. Beautiful, refined, innovative, and just darn impressive.
I favored the elder brother, Bryan Voltaggio , who is the Executive Chef and Co-owner of VOLT Restaurant, in Maryland. His dishes looked amazing and of the two brothers, he appeared more down to earth and humble.
Bryan Voltaggio, Top Chef Season 6 Contestant
He pulled out a few great dishes in the finale with the assistance of two Sous Chefs, Jennifer Carroll and Ashley Merriman. Unfortunately, the judges felt his dishes were somewhat safe. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think “safe” is a bad thing when it comes to dishes as long as it tastes darn good. But then again, I don’t get paid the big bucks to be a judge….
Which leaves us to the Top Chef Winner of Season 6, Michael Voltaggio.
Michael Voltaggio, Top Chef Season 6 Winner
Michael is the Chef de Cuisine at The Dining Room in Pasadena, California. Was I always impressed with his dishes? Yes. Did he push the envelope and think outside of the box? Yes. Did the bf and I secretly make up this fictitious story that he and Jennifer Carroll would end up hooking up? HECK YES! But what totally turned me off was the fact that he portrayed himself to be so cocky and arrogant. Two things that are NMF (not my fav). Bleh!
To be fair, I did think he was absolutely qualified to win and his track record throughout the season with Quick Fire and Elimination Challenge wins proved it (not to mention the 2010 Prius he scored and tons of cash with High Stakes challenges). But in the humble opinion of this food show junkie, I would have liked to have seen Jennifer or Kevin take it home.
I do need to also comment that the finale show this season was a tad lackluster. Gone are the days when the finale only consisted of 2 finalists or when we had to wait an entire week to see the winner after viewing the judging. C’mon now, Season 2 in the Big Island of Hawai’i was not only beautifully placed with the location but the finale meals were well spread out to give due credit to the finalists. I’m hoping that the producers of the show will rethink this new finale format and spend more air time featuring the food and judges commentary. HINT, HINT!
But when all is said and done, I can’t wait to see what next season will unfold.
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