The culinary world can be a tough one. Just read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, watch Hell’s Kitchen or a regular instalment of Top Chef.

So it was strange – and heart warming, honestly – to see three veteran chefs take a rookie under their collective wings and all help each other out on Masters. Of course Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi and Art Smith have nothing to fight for, nothing to prove. They’ve already climbed the ladder to culinary success, so they were just cooking to prove that they could do it, and score some coin for their charities.

The trio also helped relative newcomer Michael Cimarusti feel comfortable in his growth toward excellence.

The four men faced off in a doozy of a Quickfire Challenge as they drew knives to see which Whole Foods aisle they would be confined to shopping in. Waxman, who trained Bobby Flay, was relegated to the cans and jars aisle, where he nabbed the makings for a lentil salad. Yamaguchi, called the “King of Fusion,” was in the pasta row and made a quick starch that was accented by a fried egg on top. Smith, who counts Oprah Winfrey as one of his clients, scored the grains aisle, and whipped up a roasted vegetable risotto. Cimarusti was relegated to the baking aisle, where the seafood expert grabbed the makings for a chocolate mousse.

The judges were three employees from Whole Foods (lucky ducks!), who deemed the rookie’s dessert to be the best and awarded him a full five stars. Waxman got 3.5, Yamagushi a four and Smith all received 4.5 stars.

Then it was on to the Elimination Challenge, where each chef had to create a mystery box of ingredients for the chef whose name they drew. But rather than fill each other’s boxes with foodstuffs that could derail them, they each made of point of buying ingredients for which they could make their best dish possible. As Waxman pointed out, there is an unwritten rule in the chef’s world that you “not put someone else in the weeds.”

So what it lacked in drama, the challenge made up for in unparalleled quality, as judges Gail Simmons, James Oseland and Gael Greene quickly found out.

Of course, there can be only one winner, and it was Smith, whose fried chicken and mango pie stood head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. The blubbering (and I mean that in the best possible way) moves on to the next round, where the Top 6 finalists duke it out for $100,000.

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Top Chef Masters airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network


 

Fried Chicken Two Ways, Smashed White Yams and Apples, Smoked Cheddar Grits and Mango Pie 
(courtesy of Top Chef: Masters)


Course: Dessert, Main Course, Side Dish
Total Time: Half Day
Skill Level: Challenging
Cost: Splurge

Chef: Art Smith


Ingredients

Fried Chicken Leg
1 dozen chicken legs
1/4 cup kosher salt or coarse sea salt
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
6 eggs
4 cups of buttermilk

Smashed White Yams and Apples
4 apples, peeled and cored
3 medium white yams, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Chicken Thigh
8 skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
8 strips of good bacon
4 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cups of haricot vert
2 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dredging chicken
3 cups hot chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
1/4 cup cream

Smoked Cheddar Grits
4 cups water
2 cups of stone ground grits
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

Mango Pie
2 mangos, peeled, diced
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 pinch corn starch
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Pastry
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons or so of ice water
2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, for glaze
2 tablespoon of half and half
Sugar for glaze

Directions

Fried Chicken Leg
Put chicken legs in a large pot filled with enough water to cover, add salt and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Sift flour and spices into a bowl and reserve. (This can be made ahead for future fried chicken.)

In a second bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk together. Pour out water from chicken pot, take wet chicken, shake well and coat with seasoned dredged mix, shake well, to remove excess flour.

Heat oil in cast iron skillet or electric fryer to 335 degrees F. Fry chicken in hot oil, 325–335 degrees F or about 12-15 minutes. Be sure to watch the temperature so chicken does not over brown.

You can finish cooking chicken by placing on a sheet pan with a rack, and baking for about 10-15 minutes in 350 degree F oven.

Mashed Apple & White Yam
Roast apples, yams, garlic in preheated 400 degrees F till soft. Mash in a bowl with butter, vanilla extract, and salt

Chicken Thigh
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, reserve.

In a skillet, fry bacon till crispy. Remove bacon, and reserve. Keep bacon grease in skillet and add grapeseed oil to bacon grease. Heat skillet to medium high, add dredged chicken, and brown on each side, 6-7 minutes, remove and keep warm.

Add vegetables to skillet after you brown all the chicken. Sprinkle in flour to allow it to cook with the vegetables. Then add chicken to mixture. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, sprig of thyme and allow to braise until the chicken is tender cover well. Finish with cream, if desired, and keep warm for service.

Cheddar Grits
Bring water to boil in a sauce pan, stir in grits and salt. Cook grits till tender and creamy. Add butter and cheese. Stir in well, and keep warm, but away from high heat to prevent burning.

Mango Pie
In a hot sauté pan, sauté mangos with butter and sugar. Sprinkle corn starch and stir well. Cook till mango is soft and juicy. Reserve and allow to cool. When cool add the vanilla.

Pastry
Sift flour and sugar, cut butter into flour, with a fork, adding droplets of ice water to flour butter mixture and stirring until it all comes together. Place a little flour on the work surface. Take the dough and slight work. Chill for at least 1 hour.

In about 12, 3-ounce individual dishes add the mango mixture. Roll dough out about 1/4 inch and cover each pie.

Brush melted butter, half and half and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in 400 degree F oven till pies are bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

To Plate
On a large square plate or can be done in courses. Place one scoop of apple yam mixture, add a piece of crispy fried chicken, space add some cheese grits and the braised thigh with a few green beans, space and add the mango pie.

 

 

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