Recap of episode 12 of season 20 of Top Chef: goodbye, London!
It was all out war on the last episode of best boss. The remaining six test leaders were paired up to compete against each other and do not one, not two, but three different wellingtons. The more puff pastry the better in my opinion. The duo who were sent to packing were Amar Santana and Sara Bradley for making a Raw Lamb Wellington. Amar should have stayed in his comfort zone and fried that sucker.
However, all was not lost for Amar and Sara. They had Last Chance Kitchen as a way to get back into the competition. All they had to do was cook against Charbel Hayek and impress Tom Coliccio and Gail Simmons. They had their work cut out for them.
I’m back, bitches!
So which leader won LCK and came back through these doors? Gabriel Rodriguez predicted Charbel and Tom Goetter said everyone’s name except Sara Bradley. It seemed to surprise everyone when Sara came through the door and shouted, “I’m back, bitches!” Sara was rejuvenated and ready to take down all the competition. Watch out, Buddha Lo!
Padma Lakshmi hosted guest judge Sam Bompas who apparently reignited the jelly craze. This man is so serious about jelly that he even used it to lift the hair above his head seven inches, and his do gave the perfect swing when he shook. Padma shared that their quick challenge was to make a dessert that incorporated jelly and a mold. Buddha suddenly heard a choir of angels chant “Hallelujah” as this was the challenge he and his 1,000 molds were waiting for.
Gabriel struggled to put on his dulce de leche panna cotta and ended up at the bottom. Tom joined him because the flavors weren’t working for his Orange Blossom Goat Cheese Panna Cotta. This left Ali Ghzawi, Sara and Buddha vying for victory. The judges loved the flavors of Ali’s delicious dark chocolate crémeux, blackcurrant sauce and pistachio crumble. They also enjoyed Sara’s buttermilk and strawberry jelly. But these two dishes were not enough to win the mold king crown. Buddha’s orange blossom mold ice cream on jelly and panna cotta won.
Last challenge in London
Padma announced that their latest challenge in London was to do trompe l’oeil, which meant tricking the eye. It was up to them how to interpret the challenge, such as creating a dish that looked like one food but was another. Padma told the chefs that they would also provide them with a variety of mussels. Buddha laughed and brought up the idea of using someone else’s molds other than his own.
Tom was excited about this challenge and shared that it was meant for him. Gabriel felt confident as he had taken on a similar challenge during his Top Chef season. His plan was to create a dish that looked like a sponge because he had worked his way up from being a dishwasher. Sara wasn’t happy as it wasn’t her style, but she decided to make matzo ball soup as this dish had already got her to the final. Ali wandered lost in the aisles of the grocery store until an idea arose to make a dish that looked like a garden. Afterwards, the chefs took a pleasant cocktail break and reminisced about their favorite challenges.
turtle time
The chefs were brought to the impressive Hatfield House, which looked more like the Palace of Versailles than a house. And this time they were able to cook inside the building and not in the parking lot. The chefs then got to work. With all the different molds, colors, and creative techniques flying around, it felt more like an art lesson than cooking in the finale. And speaking of the finale, Ali joked that he can’t wait to put “Ali” in the finale. Ba dum tiss!
Gabriel predicted the judges would be shocked that his dish wasn’t a dirty sponge. Let’s hope so. Tom lasered himself on his seaweed dish and made a pile of seaweed caviar with agar agar. Buddha made a point of making his potato croquette look like a black truffle. Sara didn’t want to use the molds but had FOMO so she gave in. Ali got dirty and made several different floors. And even though he hates turtles, Ali made a bunch of mini turtles for his garden. Ali proudly announced that if he arrived in Paris, he would buy a big turtle and call it Amar.
What’s for dinner?
Sara hadn’t started so well when Padma looked at her sideways and thought Sara’s “tamale” matzo ball soup was a piece of sushi. Tom wasn’t sure what the jellies were on his plate, but Gail loved the texture of the vegetables. Gabriel served his sponge cake with lemon brioche, lamb tartare and parmesan mousse. It took a minute, but then the judges were fans of the concept. Tom wished Gabriel had used a mold to make the sponge more even, but overall everyone was really happy with the flavors. Looks like El Gato will live another day!
Ali served his garden of falafel, sumac mousse, chickpeas, quinoa mousse and ground herb breadcrumbs. The judges had fun spotting the turtles among the food, but they didn’t like the dry breadcrumbs. Next was Tom’s seaweed caviar on the beach. Gail liked how Tom elevated the seaweed to caviar status, but the judges didn’t think the dish was technical enough. Buddha immediately caught the judges’ attention with his “What’s for dinner?” flat. He served a “red wine” of beef and onion, “cep” bread, “cherry” polpette and “black truffle” potato croquette. Gail said it looked like a still painting and tasted different than it looked. Buddha rose to the challenge as the judges licked their plates.
The last four
Padma has announced that the Wellington team, Gabriel and Buddha, are leaving for Paris! Padma thought Gabriel’s dish was a clever trick, and Gail loved her story and the amount of flavor in the dish. For Buddha, Tom was happy with how well executed the dish was and that he held back. Gail noted that her “red wine” was her favorite sip of the day. And the winner of the most delicious and delicate dish was…Buddha! The man is unstoppable.
Sara, Ali and Tom were downstairs. Padma thought Sara’s dish was delicious but she wanted her to push it further. The judges weren’t a fan of Ali’s dry breadcrumbs, and Tom thought the dish wasn’t delicate enough. Tom had the same comment for Tom’s seaweed dish. It was too thoughtful and uncomplicated. It’s sad to see one of these chefs miss the final, and unfortunately it was Tom who missed out on Paris. The other chefs were delighted. El Gato was now the cat. And off we go to Paris for the final!
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT TOM WAS ELIMINATED? DO YOU THINK ANYONE CAN BEAT BUDDHA? IN YOUR OPINION, WHO WILL WIN THE FINAL?
Recap of episode 12 of season 20 of Top Chef: Goodbye, London! appeared first on Reality Tea.
