The End of Top Chef All-Stars

The finale of Top Chef All Stars is finally here tonight. It has been an interesting season to watch with several highs and lows. I think it has been fun to watch even though I haven't always enjoyed the types of challenges the contestants have had to endure. Here are my thoughts about the final two: Richard and Mike.

When the season started, I thought that Richard Blais was the one to beat. He was a very strong competitor in the Chicago season. He and the winner from his season, Stephanie, were neck and neck all throughout the competition. For that finale, I figured it was pretty much a toss-up between the two of them. He seemed like one of the strongest chefs from the collection of "All-Stars". On the other hand, Mike Isabella, who competed in the season based in Las Vegas, never appeared to be very strong to me. The Las Vegas season had some really extraordinary talent in the Voltaggio brothers, along with Kevin and Jen. Mike paled in comparison to this foursome. When this season started, I expected Mike to go home in the first half of the contestants. With the finale here, there have been several surprises along the way for both of these contestants.

Richard: Can we say obsessive? He over-analyzes everything he makes and becomes a little nutty under pressure. He uses liquid nitrogen way too much. He thinks too highly of himself. I don't like it that he felt like he lost in Chicago because he messed up and that he gives Stephanie no credit for her own skills. I don't like how dismissive he is to the other chefs on the show. He is a very highly skilled chef, and I would love to try some of his food. He does think outside the box and is able to put together dishes with ingredients he does not normally use and they still seem to taste great. However, he has not been at the top of his game the entire season and he has really gotten on my nerves.

Mike: Mike layed low for most of the first part of the season. He was never the worst, but rarely one of the best. However, he has gotten on a role, winning several challenges late in the season. That said, I just don't find him impressive. I really dislike his personality and honestly cannot believe he is in the finale. He is so rude and arrogant and I can't stand that.

So I will reluctantly cheer for Richard tonight. He deserves to win. Ironically, I was a bigger Richard fan before the All-Stars season than after. We will all know soon who is Top Chef.

In a future post, I will talk more about the rest of the season and the things that made it good and bad.

Spring is Here = Fire up the Grill

To celebrate the first day of spring on Sunday, I decided it was time to fire up the grill. At least I have gotten to do one thing that is spring-like this week. The weather doesn't seem to realize that it is suppose to be warming up. I wanted to make something with a couple of filet mignon steaks we had. So here is the creation I put together.

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Caramelized Onions

2 6-8 oz Filet Mignon

4 small slices of bacon

2 teaspoons ground mustard

1 onion

1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons cabernet sauvignon jam

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

kosher salt & pepper

Preparing the dish:

Allow steaks to warm a little at room temperature to take some of the chill off. Chop onion into thin strips. Start melting 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick pan. Quickly rub steaks into the melting butter to coat them on each side. Do not allow them to cook. Add another 1/2 tablespoon butter to the pan and start cooking the onions on medium heat. While onions are cooking, season the steaks on each side with the ground mustard, salt, and pepper, rubbing them into the meat. Continue cooking onions until they start browning. Push all of the onions to one side of the pan. Add the bacon to the other side of the pan to start cooking for 3-4 minutes. To the onions, add the jam along with another 1/2 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low. Keep the bacon cooking separate from the onions, allowing some of the juices from each to mix with the other. Add the balsamic vinegar to the onions and continue cooking until the the bacon begins to crisp at the edges. Once bacon and onions are done, set aside.

Preheat your grill and allow the temperature to rise to 450-500 degrees. Sear steaks on the grill, turning once halfway through cooking. About 2 minutes before the steaks reach the level of cooking you want, remove them from the grill and reduce the grill heat. Using toothpicks, attach bacon to the sides of the filet mignon. The bacon should cover the whole sides of the beef. If needed, cut the bacon to fit. Spoon half of the onion mixture and juices on top of each steak. Return steaks to the grill for about 2 more minutes. Remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Substitutions: The only ingredient that might be difficult to find is the jam. Instead you could try a combination of 2 tablespoons grape jam and 2 tablespoons red wine. The jam I have is from a company called Emily G's. They have a great selection of jams which I have sampled at previous food shows. Their web site also has several recipes for using jams in main dishes, salads, desserts, and more.

Coming soon: Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

Food Starters

Welcome to my start of my new food blog. I thought I would try something new and write about a variety of food experiences: cooking, restaurant reviews, foodie events, TV shows about food, cookbooks, and travel. You get the idea. Recently, I made a number of recipes that were quite good, and they were also fun to make. I followed a recipe for some of these foods, and others I came up with on my own. However, the problem is that I am finding it difficult to remember all of the details. Sadly, I am reaching that age where something must leave the brain to fit in something new. I had the idea to start writing some of these things down, so that I could recall the details of my cooking experiences. What changes did I make to the recipe? Did I really bake this at 350 degrees? What things would I change if I made the recipe again? I am out of chili powder, what would I substitute? (Just kidding, I don't run out of chili powder.)



I have quite a collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines which contain more recipes than I could make in my lifetime. My wife and I will try some of these new recipes from time to time. My goal is to be more systematic about the recipes and try to make at least one new recipe per week. Okay, that may be an overly ambitious goal, but that is just the way I work. Let's see how far I can get. Anyone have any bets on how long this streak will last?



Hopefully, you will enjoy some of the things I write. I will be sharing some of the recipes that I develop. In the future, I plan to talk about my favorite food products to use and where to find them. Please feel free to add your thoughts on food and places you like to eat.



So long for now, it is almost time for the Final Four of Top Chef All-Stars.