And They (Almost) All Lived Happily Ever After: Top Chef Just Desserts

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, August 26th, 2011

CityZen Pastry Chef Matthew Petersen (Image: Bravo TV)

[Warning: this post does contain spoilers for those who care.]

In a Nut Shell: A Recap

Season 2 of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Just Desserts premiered Wednesday, and proud Arlingtonian pastry chef Matthew Petersen kicked butt (no surprise). The show opened with pop (as opposed to a bang): the Quickfire Challenge required the pastry chefs to create a modern take on a soda fountain treat.

In this round (in which contestants compete for immunity), Petersen fell in the middle of the pack. Judge (Who’s) Johnny Iuzzini, looking slightly less rockabilly this season, signaled disappointment that there was nothing else on the bottom of  the chocolate Brooklyn egg cream with lemon floating island that Petersen and his partner presented. However, Petersen’s sin was not as grievous as an Elvis-inspired dullard of a dessert and a dispirted (looking) banana split proffered by two other duos.

As for the former, Johnny made a good point .  . . obviously, you don’t want to present anything but the most well-conceived Elvis tribute to someone whose personal style is a nod to the King. Lina and Craig’s almond crispies, raspberry sauce and butter pecan ice cream incorporated bananas; other than that, I’m not sure how Elvis was in the building. Not enough to impress Presley or Iuzzini.   

And the latter dessert? Besides the obvious point that, well, a banana split has kind of been done, a serious pastry offense was committed. Sitting right on top of that dessert was . . . gasp. . . a vanilla bean. Otherwise known as an NFG or nonfunctional garnish. It was pretty much drilled into us from day one in pastry school that this a no-no. If you can’t consume it, don’t use it. (Shout out to Chef Maas for this piece of wisdom.)

The verdict? Amanda and Nelson’s chocolate sponge cake, pickled cherries and pistachios won the day. As a spumoni fan, this flavor combination had my heart racing.

Round two’s Elimination Challenge was someone’s idea of a fairy tale come true; namely, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Hansel & Gretel. If you think these stories are universally loved and known, this episode proves you wrong. Surprisingly, there were a number of chefs who struggled with the basic storylines; and it showed in some of the choices made in composing the required showpieces with the accompanying themed desserts. And just like fairy tales, there were dark undercurrents–”incidents and accidents, there were hints and allegations.”

Case in point, the Jack and the Bean Stalk ladies were unfortunately saddled with Craig, whose voice sounds like he permanently swallowed helium (or at the very least like the cute little neighbor kid Bo from Season 1 of Friday Night Lights . . . it just doesn’t sound so cute coming from a 25-year -old.) The “immature” contestant left his teammates scrambling to assemble their sugar showpiece in the eleventh hour.  Their work was stunning, but only in one dimension (the back revealed a series of disguised breaks and cracks occasioned by the circumstance).

The judges issued their verdicts while dressed in ridiculous fairy tale-themed costumes. (Gail Simmons was Little Red Riding Hood, not Johnny). Petersen’s Little Red team was riding high (its showpiece featured a striking figurine of the protagonist made from pulled and blown sugar; the desserts “raised the bar” with  flavor and textural contrasts), and was ultimately declared the winner over team Goldilocks.

The unfortunate Jack and the Bean Stalk ensemble and team Hansel and Gretel were up for elimination. And then the obligatory throwing under the bus occurred. Melissa of Team H&G hated Lina’s cake house from the start. Admittedly, there was nothing tempting to a child about this house. Instead of a colorful and playful gingerbread, it looked more like a brown barn of doom. Or a pedophile’s lair.

And with that, Lina was the first to take her whisk and beat it (come on Gail, so much better than “pack your tools and go”).

Some Top Chef Just Desserts Vocab

It occurred to me as I watched this first TCJD episode that, while everyone loves dessert, the spin-off seems a little less accessible than TC savory. Could  it be all the unfamiliar terminology? So here is a little Episode 1 vocabulary lesson that might help:

Bergamot (as in Katzie’s Elimination Challenge Bergamot Clouds with Whipped Lemon Ricotta and Sweet Pea Sorbet) is a pear-shaped orange that is highly valued for its essential oils (it is used in perfumes and candies). You’ll find its peel in Earl Grey tea. Katzie’s recipe featured Bergamot oil.

Bergamot Clouds (Image: Bravo TV)

Bomboloni . . . a fancy word for something we all love. This time, we are talking about the ultimate fried food, an Italian doughnut.  Amanda Rockman’s Bomboloni was “rose scented” due to her rose-flavored meringue.

The île flottante or floating islands in Petersen’s chocolate Brooklyn egg cream are poached balls of meringue (egg whites and sugar). They look sort of like poached eggs, which might explain the alternative fancy French moniker oeufs a la niege (eggs in the snow).

Feiulletine sounds pretty high fallutin’ but don’t be intimidated:  it is a rather simple ingredient. It is basically crushed biscuits that taste a little like really delicate (or rich people’s) corn flakes. If you combine feiulletine with pralinosa (a praline flavored paste that tastes like rich people’s nutella) and melted chocolate (or buy it pre-mixed), you can use it to add texture to a lot of desserts. Think Ferrero Rocher . . . In this episode, the feiulletine is employed in the ill-fated Quick Fire banana split.

Nougatine is a confection, traditionally made by combining almonds and a cooked sugar syrup. The mixture is rolled out while warm and can then be cut into different shapes. Petersen and his partner Carlos used cocoa nibs in place of nuts in their Red Riding Hood-themed Blackout Sponge Cake, Cocoa Nib Nougatine, Poached Cherries, and Micro Basil.

Blackout Sponge Cake (Image: Bravo TV)

For more on Petersen’s TCJD experience, including his position on the use of recipes during the competition, check out this informative Q&A with the Post’s Tim Carman.

C’est tout for now. Happy Friday!

-Johnisha M. Levi

Food of Love

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, February 10th, 2011

It is almost the start of Valentine’s Weekend and you still haven’t decided what or where you will be eating. Whether you decide to eat out at a fancy restaurant and leave the cooking to the professionals or try your hand at culinary arts to impress (or attempt to impress) your date, be sure to order or cook dinner with aphrodisiac foods.

Here are a few items to look for on the restaurant menu or at the grocery store:

Chocolate contains anandamide which is a chemical that gives you a natural psychoactive good feeling. It also contains phenylethylamine, the “love” chemical that releases dopamine in the brain’s pleasure centers. Chocolate also induces excitable feelings and stimulates attraction and euphoria. It is no wonder that the Aztecs referred to chocolate as “nourishment of the Gods.”

Oysters are very nutritious and high in protein and they are also a natural aphrodisiac. They hold high levels of zinc which increase testosterone levels. They say that the aroma of oysters is similar to that of female pheromones. I don’t know how I feel about that- the scent of oysters is not particularly flattering to me nor do I wish to smell remotely like any seafood, even if it is fresh and delicious.

Avocados are said to be the “chocolate” of fruits. It all started in 200 B.C. when the Mayans and Aztecs ate them to increase desirability. Chop them up in your salad or mash them up for some guacamole. It seems to be a very sensuous fruit having such smooth texture and beautiful earthy colors.

Bananas are full of potassium, magnesium and vitamin B, which are necessities for both male and female hormone production.

Basil is said to stimulate passion and fertility. There is a Moldavian (old Romanian) folklore that says if a man accepts a sprig of basil from a woman, then he is destined to fall in love with her. James Franco, will you accept my sprig of basil?

Honey was a primary ingredient in many ancient Egyptian cures for sterility and impotence. They say that mead, an alcoholic fermented drink which is made from honey was given to a happy couple, hence the word, “honeymoon.” Honey has vitamin B for male hormones and boron which is a mineral that assists the body in metabolizing estrogen, the female hormone.

Some more aphrodisiac foods include saffron, rosemary, garlic, nutmeg, strawberries, cherries, chili peppers, tomatoes, lobster, shrimp, truffles, figs, arugula, coffee, pine nuts, almonds, anise and many more.

With so many foods that are aphrodisiacs, there are many variations and options to eat for dinner all weekend long to celebrate love.

-Rebecca Kim

Feed Your Indie Spirit

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

By now you may be thinking I’m obsessed with movies about food, seeing as how this is my third post on the topic.  That may be the case.

If you are interested in more food related films at an affordable price, you can catch them at the DC Independent Film Festival, which goes until March 14^th. 

Image: DCIFF

All films can be seen at the Navy Memorial Museum/Heritage Center/Burke Theatre in DC (701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W). Sessions are typically $10 (less for students/seniors) and include several movies.  You can also attend 10 sessions for $50.

Bananas!* Watch the case of a banned pesticide between Nicaraguan banana workers and Dole Foods unfold in this suspenseful documentary. Part of the Politics of Food theme session. 7pm.

Calzone. An 11 minute film about a Mafia godfather eating dinner in an Italian restaurant. When he orders a calzone he realizes there isn’t an egg inside it and makes a big ordeal out of the matter. Part of the Politics of Food theme session at the festival. 7pm, right after Bananas!*

Image: Bananas!*

Thursday, March 11

Beyond the Pole. A film about two guys trying to be the first Carbon Neutral, Vegetarian, Organic expedition to attempt the North Pole. Can they finish the expedition without any experience, is it a dream, or did they die and go to heaven? Find out at 7pm. It’s part of the Green Room theme session of the festival.

Between Grass and Sky: Rhythms of a Cowboy Poem. Images of the American West are portrayed in poems by three cowboy poets in this short documentary. The 6 minute film is part of the Artistic Expressions theme session. 1:30pm.

A Drop in the Bucket. A documentary about good people providing clean water in rural Cambodia.  The filmmaker spent the last two years building fifteen wells with the help of Sambrothers Clean Water Project and Journeys Within Our Community. The 23 minute film is part of the Asian Pearls theme session. 4:45pm.  Visit the non-profit organization’s website for information on how you can help.

The last film is included because World Water Day is coming up on March 22nd. And last I checked you can’t make food without water.  More information on that in an upcoming blog.

Speaking of water and food…today is National Crabmeat Day. And The Cove won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. 

–Aisha Salazar