I have to say that this week’s list of mystery ingredients weren’t as crazy as episode 5. It was just the combination that was strange. Sure, some of the items were a bit on the “exotic” side, but it wasn’t enough to gross the chefs out too much (unlike last week, where they had to use over-processed snack items). The contestants, were, as with earlier episodes, quite ranged. There was an experienced, Toronto-based chef with his own restaurant (Trevor Wilkinson of Trevor Kitchen and Bar), an immigrant from Mexico, Mariel, who a kitchen manager at an event space in Edmonton, a gastro chef from Orangeville and a very young chef who said he learned to cook from his late grandmother. Judges this week were Michael Smith, John Higgins and Anne Yarymowich.
Rambutans, a fruit native to Thailand, was one of the mystery ingredients for Round Two
For the first round, contestants had to create a dish using squab, refried beans, benito (dried fish) flakes and ginger ale. Strange combination, sure, but not so weird on their own. Mariel went straight to her roots and made a squab fajita with a ginger ale pico de gallo while Trevor pan seared the squab and served it apple and bacon refried beans. Two chefs roasted their squabs and served it with refried bean puree. As for the judges’ reactions, they seemed to like most of the squabs, though one of the judges did not like a contestant’s technique (he was chopped). Another judge thought that Mariel should have used more spice on her dish (Mariel said that she was trying to cook for a Canadian palate, which is, in general, less tolerant of spice). If I had been a contestant for last night’s episode, I might have made a spread using the squab, benito and refried beans to top crostini to go with a salad dressed with a ginger ale vinaigrette. But that might not be “crazy” or “creative” enough for the judges.
Round two consisted of big eye tuna, orange marmalade, peanut butter and rambutan, a fruit from Thailand that is similar to lychee. Again, it was a strange combination, but not too “out there.” Dishes included a tuna that was marinated in a marmalade horseradish and served with a warm peanut butter potato salad (Trevor), a grilled peanut butter tuna served with potatoes dressed with marmalade and rambutan and finally, tuna with rambutan salsa, glazed turnips with marmalade and peanut butter mayo. The judges were impressed with the young chef’s presentation using the rambutan shell (but thought the tuna was too oily, since he more or less drowned it in olive oil) and thought Trevor’s peanut butter potato salad was, while weird, definitely “worked.” Mariel, however, was criticized for her over-cooked tuna and was chopped after this round.
The dessert round was a bit more interesting. Radishes, feta, dried apples and lemon oil. What is one supposed to make with those? Some sort of feta gelato, perhaps? Nope, didn’t see that with either remaining chef. Viewers did see, however, a feta mousse with armagnac apples (with a julienne of radish) from Trevor and the other chef made a feta sabayon with apples and lemon oil. He was very creative with the layering, so that each bite would be “different.” On the other hand, Trevor attempted to make tuiel – a very thin cookie – to give the dessert a bit of crunch. Unfortunately, he failed both times and that cost him. The judges thought the dessert would be much more elevated had there been more texture. Perhaps he should have included his signature cotton candy. Oh well.
Image credit: Forest & Kim Starr [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
