[Image: Amazon.com]

It’s no secret that I love reality TV competitions. That’s why I’ve been excited to watch the current season of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. The competition is down to the final four chefs. Incredibly, none of them will walk away with money in their pocket from this competition. All of their winnings go to their charities. But that doesn’t stop them from giving it their all.

These superstar chefs all have huge talent and enormous egos. So they pull out all the stops in the competition. Some of them have served as guest judges on the original Top Chef series, but they are given a true wake-up call when they are the ones competing in those impossible challenges. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

So it’s great news for Top Chef Masters fans that the first season of the series will be released on DVD tomorrow. You’ll want be sure to get to your retailer tomorrow so you can get your copy.

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As a side note, Top Chef lso has a cookbook out that you may want. The book is entitled How You Can Cook Like a Top Chef. This is how the book is described:

“Covering everything from knife skills to sauces and sous-vide, How to Cook Like a Top Chef teaches aspiring chefs what it takes to be a star in the kitchen. Packed with exclusive content including a foreword by Top Chef: Masters winner Rick Bayless, original recipes from contestants, behind-the-scenes interviews, juicy trivia, and tons of tips and tricks this volume is as indispensable on the cook’s countertop as it is essential reading for Top Chef fans.”

I know I really need this guide!

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[Image: © 2010 Bravo Network]

After a very successful first season, Top Chef Masters is returning to Bravo on April 7 at 11:00 pm ET and will return to Wednesday nights after the premiere. This series had a very different feel from the regular Top Chef series, since the competitors are world-renowned chefs and compete for their charities. It’s fun to see them struggle with some of the challenges.

So far, according to BuddyTV, we know that Kelly Choi will return as the show’s host and the series will bring Gail Simmons into the fold as a regular judge. New York Magazine food critic Gael Greene, Saveur magazine editor-in-chief James Oseland, and British journalist and broadcaster Jay Rayner will return as regular judges too.

I really liked Rick Bayless and it was a pleasure to see him win the first season. Now I look forward to finding out who the season 2 competitors will be.

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[Photos: © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

[Bravo Photo: Virginia Sherwood © 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.]

Last night on the Top Chef Las Vegas finale, the chefs were surprised when they all got a visit from their mothers. Poor Mrs. Voltaggio was there to support both of her sons as they went head-to-head in the finale. It was really touching that Bryan & Michael both said that they wanted to win, but if they didn’t, they wanted it to be the other brother.

Each of the three finalists was given two of the season’s eliminated chefs to act as their sous chefs and they were each given a box of odd ingredients with which they had to create one dish. (It reminded me a bit of the Food Network show, Chopped). They had to each create a dessert and once the moms were there, they each found out that they would also have to reinvent their favorite childhood dish. So they each created four courses in the meal for the judges:

• Their childhood meal, reinvented
• A dish using the mystery box ingredients
• A Chef’s Choice dish
• A dessert

When they went to the judges’ table, Kevin was unfortunately told he did not win and it came down to the final two, the Voltaggio brothers. After some discussion, Michael was named the most recent Top Chef.

Personally, I enjoyed the brotherly rivalry this season. They were both incredibly talented and they dominated many of the challenges. It was really cool that it came down to the two of them in the end. And very fitting. I would have been satisfied with any of the final three as the winner, but happy that it was Michael. It was a great Top Chef season!

What did you think of this season of the show? Were you happy that Michael won? Let us know!

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The winner of the latest Top Chef episode, Betty Fraser, appeared on the Today Show to demonstrate to Al Roker the way to make her winning sandwich. You can see the full video of the interview here. (You’ll have to endure a commercial while the actual video is loading, but hang in there…)

The sandwich looks so yummy it makes me want to go home and make one for myself.

The recipes for this week’s challenge are all posted on the Top Chef web site. You can go get them here.

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The Top Chef chefs this week are challenged to create an original ice cream flavor for the immunity challenge. Their ice cream was made to be road taste tested at the Redondo Seaside Lagoon.

Carlos used avocados instead of eggs to provide a creamy consistency without having to heat it on the stove. (Avocados in ice cream???)

Emily went with something much newer and trendier, chocolate lavender. It sounds interesting.

Sam, a diabetic, doesn’t eat ice cream so he doesn’t make it. I guess that makes this a bigger challenge for him.

Ilan makes waffles with bacon and uses them to make ice cream. (Say what??)

Marcel made bacon and avocado ice cream. (Now it’s gone too far….)

Emily was upset when she found out that the audience turned out to be “a bunch of snotty little kids.” She hates kids.

Didn’t they know that those were the people who go to the beach and get ice cream?

Hello!

Here’s the list of ice cream flavors:

• Marisa: Vanilla Peanut & Swirls – finished in the bottom 3
• Cliff: Marshmallows & Cookies – winner of immunity
• Michael: Peanut Butter, Jelly & Bananas
• Betty: Redondo Beach Berry
• Ilan: Bacon & Waffle
• Carlos: Avocado, Vanilla & Marshmallow – tied for runner-up
• Sam: Ginger Snap & Citrus Crumble – tied for runner-up
• Marcel: Avocado & Bacon – finished in last place (what a shocker!)
• Josie: Peach Cobbler
• Emily: Calming Chocolate with Lavender – finished in the bottom 3

Then came the elimination challenge. The guest judge for this challenge was Chef Stephen Bulgarelli, Senior Executive Chef for TGI Friday’s restaurants. The chefs must create a dish that they think is right for the TGI Fridays menu. They need to take a childhood favorite and update it. The winner will get their dish on the TGI Friday menu nationwide.

The firemen at a local fire station will be served the food as it is judged. Here are the items the chefs created:

• Michael: Cheesesteak Sandwich with Onion Rings – the firemen said it was overcooked and didn’t have much flavor, greasy & chewy, sloppy presentation
• Marcel: Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Cabbage – they liked it, it was tender
• Sam: Summer Fruit Salad – they said it had tremendous flavor
• Emily: Super Slamming Surf & Turf – they said it was too salty, amateurish, sloppy
• Frank: Wonderland Mushroom Fantasy – they said they felt like they were in Smurfland, bizarre, difficult to pull off in a restaurant
• Ilan: Bacon Smoked Roasted Corn – lots of Ummmm
• Cliff: Grown Up Macaroni & Cheese with Fish Sticks – they said it was spicy, a little bit of kick to it
• Josie: Miami Style BBQ Steak Skewers with Fire Roasted Salsa
• Elia: Shrimp & Fish Tacos With Guacamole and Fried Beans
• Carlos: Chicken Fried Shrimp With Corn, Red Pepper and Lime Salad
• Mia: Mama Mia Meatloaf Sandwich With Spicy Ketcharella – one guy said he’s had frozen fries out of the bag that tasted better than that, they were dry
• Marissa: Strawberry Crisp With Orange Caramel Sauce – they said it was “freakin’ awesome”
• Betty: Grilled Cheese With Portobello Mushrooms & Roasted Red Pepper Soup – they said it was delicious and they would order it again, she got it right

The judges coined a new term: cravable. They want the TGI Friday’s customers to crave the dish.

The top three chefs were Betty, Sam and Cliff. Betty’s dish was the winner and will be appearing on the TGI Fridays menu.

The bottom three chefs were Emily, Michael and Frank. The choices for elimination were Emily’s salty food, Frank’s conceptual but bland food and Michael’s sloppy overdone food.

Emily was eliminated because she shouldn’t have served something that was so poorly seasoned.

If you want to get the recipes for these and other Top Chef dishes, go to the Bravo site.

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I ran across this video on the web and just had to share it. Last season’s Top Chef had a one line catch phrase and this is it:

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Bravo’s Top Chef is back with a whole new batch of aspiring chefs. For the season premiere, last year’s Top Chef winner, Harold, joins the show as a guest judge. The show has a new host, Padma Lakshmi, who I hear was offered the host spot the first season, but turned it down.
 
The first show of the season sets our expectations high for the complexity of the challenges to come. The chefs had to create a dish in a short time period using all of the ingredients in a mystery box. Then, had to be judged by their peers. We saw some very arrogant personalities emerge, and lack of self confidence or experience show themselves too. 

The cast is a collection of interesting folks and it will be fun to watch the claws come out as they become more competitive, as well as watch the friendships and alliances emerge. Stay tuned, I’ll serve up my opinions and reviews as the shows air this season.

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