Top Chef: June 2013

Our friends and a lovely couple, Torey and Jim, hosted a Top Chef dinner competition in January of 2013.  Torey and Jim would be competing against one another in a round of 5 courses - each paired with a wine, cocktail, or beer. We came ready to eat, not expecting the food to be so impressive to look at and eat.






There were four courses that evening:

• Amuse Bouche
• Appetizer
• Entree
• Dessert

Since both Torey and Jim prepared all four courses, we actually ate eight courses!  We never knew who had prepared which dish.  At each place setting was a scorecard, which we used to rate each dish on:

• presentation
• taste
• execution
• "wow" factor

It was a magical night that everyone decided needed to happen again.

So, the new tradition continued in June of 2013.  This time it was Tim and I competing against our friends, Ian and Katie.  We had the challenge of competing in Torey and Jim's house - so we had to schlep all of our food and plating items to their house where we assembled before serving.  An added challenge was that their building's gas lines were not working - so we had to work without a stove or an oven.  We made do with a microwave and an electric skillet.

I spent several weeks leading up to the competition scouring websites and magazines for recipes that could be made ahead of time and would impressive when assembled.  We did do a test run of a few of the recipes:

• scallops - dry scallops are worth the extra price over wet scallops
• cachapas - we had to figure out how to make it look fancy when serving it 
• strawberry ice cream - surprisingly tricky to make
• almond cake - thankfully we did test this out because our first recipe turned out more like an almond brownie instead of an almond cake

We also took a trip to Crate and Barrel to purchase some cute plating items to make our presentation a bit more impressive!  

Here are the menus for each duo.  I have listed Tim's and my menu first in each category.
We tried to take pictures, but in the rush of everything we missed photographing one or two courses.

AMUSE BOUCHE:

 
Summer Berry Salad in a Parmesan Cup
Assorted berries are tossed with basil and arugula in a parmesan cup accompanied by a mixed-berry gastrique.

 





Minted Watermelon Salad with Honey Yogurt Sauce
Watermelon and other seasonal fruits are macerated with lime and mint and paired with a creamy, tangy sauce.





APPETIZER:

 
Seared Scallops with Pea Puree
Seared scallops are served on a sweet pea puree and sprinkled with a gremolata of parsley, lemon zest, and shallots.  Crispy pancetta adds a slight crunch to each bite.

 



Goat Cheese Crostini
Toasted bread is topped with rich goat cheese, prosciutto, asparagus, or peach, a drizzle of honey, and a dusting of black pepper.




ENTREE:

Cachapas with Adobo Roasted Chicken
Venezuelan sweet corn cakes are served with chicken in adobo sauce and topped with queso fresco.  They are paired with two sauces of distinct Latin American origin: Chimichurri, a parsley-based Argentine sauce, and Aji Amarillo, a slightly spicy Peruvian sauce.



Beer-Braised Carnitas Tacos
Pulled pork tacos feature a chili-lime sauce, fresh mango-black bean salsa, and avocado wedges.  Tacos are served with traditional arroz con tomate.

Dessert:

Almond Cake with Strawberry Ice Cream
A slice of almond cake is served with fresh strawberry ice cream and a reduction of balsamic vinegar is drizzled on the side.

 
Torta di Rocotta
A ricotta cheesecake is scented with citrus and amaretti and paired with fresh berries and a raspberry-citrus glaze.






In the end, it was just as fun to be in the kitchen as it was to be eating and judging.  Ian and Katie were a great duo, but somehow, Tim and I were the winners of this Top Chef competition.  I think we can look forward to a brunch version in the coming months :)