Top Chef Recap: The Meat Sweats

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Hi there! Howdy from the movie buff side of the screen! It’s me, Roxana Hadadi, stepping in for our usual top-notch recapper, Caroline Framke this week. As a dedicated fan and former recapper myself of Top Chef, let’s get some quick observations out of the way before we dive into the rodeo-themed episode. I’ve got Bryan Voltaggio over Michael in the sibling rivalry battle, I can’t wait for Padma Lakshmi’s new cooking competition, America’s Culinary Cup, to air on CBS later this year, and I’m thrilled that Tom Colicchio is back donning silly hats. It’s a small comfort in the world of 2025, but at least it keeps his local milliner afloat. Here’s hoping he picked up a new hat in Calgary!

This week’s semifinals are taking place in Calgary, Alberta, also known as “Cowtown”. To honor its cowboy heritage and the annual Calgary Stampede, a rodeo that has been held since 1912, the contestants must prepare a handheld pancake suitable for eating without utensils. This challenge mirrors the Quickfire in Los Angeles’ All-Stars edition where chefs had to cook an appetizer for 30 diners. Let’s keep experimenting with outdoor cooking challenges! (I hope the lasso reference adds a touch of western charm, but I can make it more explicit if needed.)

In this 45-minute Quickfire contest, the main issue for chefs was keeping the griddle’s heat consistent; most ended up charring their tester pancakes. However, almost everyone managed to adapt to using the flattop except for the boisterous Massimo who opted instead to prepare blini-style pancakes in frying pans, leaving viewers and judges craving more. The winning dishes included Shuai’s cornmeal pancake with scrambled eggs, Chinese sausage, and a cheese coating; Bailey’s buckwheat crespelle with brown-butter pecans, plum maple syrup, roasted mushrooms, and spinach; and Tristen’s Portuguese-style pancake featuring cheese, berbere chorizo, charred pepper and bacon syrup. We learn that Tristen’s culinary style is influenced by his mother’s military service and frequent relocations every two years. Unfortunately, Massimo served small buttermilk pancakes with plum sauce, smoked bacon marmalade, and peach purée; Lana presented creamed-corn hoecake with excessive sausage, poached peaches, and a syrup of peach and white hibiscus; and César offered an XO pancake that was too soggy with basil, Chinese sausage, brûléed tomato, and candied mushrooms. Taking home the victory was Shuai who earned $10,000, bringing his total winnings to $20,000.

In the elimination round, chefs will be working with an abundance of beef, specifically six different cuts: tenderloin, short ribs, beef cheek, New York striploin, rib eye, and flat iron. To add a unique twist, each dish must incorporate an Indigenous berry as a complementary ingredient. The chefs will have the freedom to choose their preferred cut, but the berries they receive will be randomly assigned. For instance, Massimo gets elderberries along with beef tenderloin, while Shuai receives black currants for his short ribs. Other pairings include Bailey with Saskatoon berry and beef cheek, Lana with haskap berry and New York striploin, César with chokeberry and rib eye, and Tristen with gooseberry and flat iron steak. Guest judge Denia Baltzer, a First Nations member chef, will be present to educate the chefs about the lesser-known berries in case they are unfamiliar with them. Interestingly, it appears that Bailey and Lana may face challenges due to their lack of familiarity with Saskatoon berries and haskap berries. Meanwhile, Massimo seems quite pleased with his elderberries, describing them as “very, very refined,” a trait he identifies with himself.

The dining experience goes smoothly for all, then Kristen treats the chefs to burgers and encourages them to continue expressing their unique perspectives, which is a sweet sentiment somewhat marred by the swift Wells Fargo product placement when she settles the bill. As the chefs enter chef Paul Rogalski’s Rouge kitchen for this challenge, two main concerns emerge: timing their beef cooking within the 2.5-hour timeframe and balancing the flavor of their chosen berry without overwhelming it (Shuai benefits from an extra 30 minutes thanks to his victory in last week’s elimination). Kristen frets over evenly cooking her flat iron steaks, while Lana’s mammoth Flintstone-like steaks appear comically large. César overdoes the sugar on his chokeberries, which is less severe than Bailey’s excessive sweetening of her brûléed blue cheese, making me question her mental wellbeing. Massimo races against time to plate his dishes, dropping one of his intricate berry leather circles on the floor (I find it interesting that dehydrated fruit has become his signature touch; will he create a third one?). Despite no catastrophic failures, the judges’ criticisms mainly revolve around the chefs mishandling their meats or concealing the Indigenous ingredients.

The judges’ preferred dishes are as follows: Massimo’s tenderloin with umeboshi-style elderberries, pickled elderberries, smoked kohlrabi, and elderberry-soup purée (Gail refers to it as a “standout”); Tristen’s Alberta flat iron with kohlrabi, gooseberries, and bone-marrow pemmican, a First Nations dish created by utilizing nitrous oxide for the beef fat, gooseberries, and meat mixture; and Shuai’s stuffed cabbage with braised short rib, wild rice congee, and black-currant black-pepper sauce, an adaptation of a dish his mother “Mama Wang” prepares. The judges applaud all the dishes, but there are concerns about Tristen serving Gail an undercooked piece of meat, and Tom finds Shuai’s dish to be too heavy due to the combination of the stuffed cabbage and porridge. Therefore, Massimo takes the win. Initially, Massimo seemed to have upset the judges with his comment that standing before them was “the worst part of my life,” but he later clarified that he meant “the silence” before learning if his dish placed him in the top or bottom. Despite some teasing from the judges and the show’s editors, Massimo maintains a good sense of humor about it all. In fact, I must admit that his boisterous, well-intentioned antics have grown on me over time.

The dishes presented were: Lana’s grilled steak with Pommes Anna potatoes, haskap-berry condiment, and smoked haskap-berry jus; Bailey’s beef cheek braised with Saskatoon berries, creamy polenta, brûléed blue cheese, and roasted walnuts; and César’s grilled rib eye with chokeberry reduction, rutabaga cream, and bone-marrow cornbread. Critiques included Lana’s steak being overly rested, her potatoes feeling like an afterthought, and heavy-handed use of sage. Bailey’s dish drew mixed responses, with some not liking the brûléed cheese while others felt she diluted the Saskatoon berry flavor with pomegranate juice. While César’s dish was generally well-received, particularly the cornbread, he was criticized for sweetening the chokeberries too much. Lana was eliminated due to numerous issues with her dish, leaving Massimo, Tristen, Shuai, Bailey, and César in Calgary for another week. The competition seems to be moving towards an all-male finale, disappointing many who were rooting for Katianna’s return. Lana’s “I was outcooked” is a dignified response, but it leaves many frustrated that Katianna didn’t make it back into the competition.

Leftovers

This episode, the dishes I was most eager to try were all the pancakes – I can never resist a pancake – and either Massimo or Shuai’s elimination dishes. Given my fondness for cabbage and any type of gelatinous rice, the congee is particularly tempting.

It seemed like Massimo’s fruit leather landed on the ground face down, didn’t it? Just wondering if that was indeed the parchment-side down. I must admit, my heart skipped a beat recalling each time contestants on The Great British Baking Show dropped something onto that dreaded carpeted floor and offered it to Paul and Prue. Ugh! And ew!

Shuai is truly blossoming in the latest episodes; it’s an excellent moment to find his rhythm. I’m betting on a finish between Shuai, Tristen, and Massimo. It seems logical to keep Bailey around since she prepares Italian cuisine, and the finals are set in Milan, but I just can’t seem to shake off my strong dislike for her excessive use of the word “cute.

Farewell to Lana; the signs were clear from the start, as early in the episode she mentioned her frequent appearances in the bottom and commented, “I’ve been serving them some truly delicious food, if I may say so myself,” and especially when she had the chance to reminisce about collaborating with Kristen (who seemed to have forgotten her quite well). By now, ‘truly delicious’ doesn’t seem like enough.

In this episode, Calgary was depicted so harshly it seems like someone at NBCUniversal might be envisioning a television show akin to “Yellowstone” being set there.

César expresses his regret for accidentally knocking over a mushroom when collecting Quickfire ingredients – It’s as if I were seeing myself reflected on screen with how frequently I chat with produce at the grocery store. My apologies to everyone who has had to listen to me asking, “Are you ready?” while tapping a melon.

Next week, we’ll be grilling outdoors! Building a fire usually seems like a tough challenge reminiscent of “Top Chef”; I can’t wait for it!

Friends, would you agree with Kristen that this season has been exceptionally fantastic for the chefs? To be honest, it hasn’t left me speechless, but feel free to share your positive views if you think otherwise.

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2025-05-23 05:55