The Taste, free flowing blog from last Thursday's show.

The Taste 2/13/14

EXTRA NOTE:  I’ve had cat problems (will blog about that later) so I meant to put this up before today – now I’m blogging about the finals I thought I’d better put up last week’s show. 

Note I free wrote what was going on and my opinion on the fly of the show and cleaned it up after.

So the show is “good with beer”  I hate beer but that is beside the point.  I thought Lee would do good because he is always pulling out beer…. But his mentor is an Idiot.   Anthony takes Lee out to have some fancy stuff that I’m not even going to try to spell here --- that consists mostly of the weird stuff.  Organ meat, testicles, tongue.  Oh sure it was good, but Lee TOLD Anthony that he never had the stuff… so what does Anthony do?  Stocks his pantry with the stuff!  And then goes oh it never occurred to me that he wouldn’t be able to cook with the stuff (something like that).   I’m like you MORON.   Lee is the only cook left in your kitchen– give him stuff he is familiar with.   Lee has no idea how to cook organ meat.  

Commercial.  

Anthony just said to Lee “We defiantly don’t want to go in a direction you are not comfortable with”.   So we will see how this goes!

Ok so now Anthony told Lee to go with a meatball – because they are stuck with what else to do.

In the meantime- Ludo wants to work with Seafood – so Jeff is going with “bar food” – so shrimp scampi – fried.  Which sounds good actually.   Then Louise is happy because she worked in a bar.  She is doing a beer-battered fish taco thing… I missed the full name.  

Oh and here we go the contestants are criticizing people again.  Oh here we go Marina doesn’t drink (alcohol)   I do… but I’m in the same boat I don’t drink beer.  She figures beer is bitter and tea is bitter so …. Make something that goes with tea.

Looks like Sarah is going with the organ meats – she is doing a Lamb kidney.  This is Marcus’ kitchen – and the challenge is to do something exotic.  LOL Nigella just compared Marcus’ kitchen with a “spell making session in hog-warts.”

Ok back to Lee – doing meatballs.   Nigella is going from kitchen to kitchen.    It occurs to me… Lee--- has ALL Gold stars, but as he is the last member of his team – if the guest cook picks his dish last – then he’s out.  That’s almost not fair as I’ll bet he is the best cook there.    Anthony just said “just make it delicious” .

A note: I was going to do this on my first blog post on the taste but I ran out of time.  I admit I like Shehu   - Right now Sarah is upset because Marcus is spending so much time with Shehu.

To be honest… I like Shehu because he reminds me of a warrior… standing there with his arms crossed tall and strong.  I want to strap a sword to his back.  OR give him a large hammer and make him a blacksmith – I think it’s great that a guy that could play the part of a fantasy warrior is a cook.

Oops he just cut himself!  Well that happens.  Don’t know what’s up with the other chef ragging on him.  I cut myself the other day cutting garlic… though not badly. 

Sigh.  I like but to be honest I know Shehu isn’t going to make the final.  I don’t think he’s good enough. 

Now back at Anthony’s kitchen and Nigella says that Lee’s food tastes too salty… but they were PUSHING the food to be salty.   Sheesh.  

Ok it’s the big Rush.   About ready for the chefs to try the dishes and choose.   Ah commercial break.  :)

Gah… I’m starving myself.  I think I’m just going to have a bowl of cereal.  :D

Ahhhhhhh… Ludo’s going crazy… now it’s stopped…. I don’t know who picked what – other then Lee of course – his dish defaults up there.

Oh the guest guy looks jolly. 

I hope no one’s dish is very bad.  I hope it’s a hard choice. 

Lets see… first … oh he’s doing the meatball with French onion soup first.  That sounds good too.. oh and Nigella… French onion soup is VERY salty.   (I tried it once thinking Id like it because of the onions and it was too salty for me and I *like* salt)

The guest Judge likes the size and crispiness…. He doesn’t like the garlicky taste – huh?  Garlic is good.  He thinks the sauce is off.

Ok next, Marina’s was picked… shrimp and cucumber.   – He likes the crunch – flavors inside good… little dry but not so bad that he doesn’t want another.  

Now.. Sarah’s… kidney – sweetbread and shrimp. Sweetbread is like organ meat, it’s the weird stuff, hearts, tongue etc- it doesn’t say what she used here.  (wiki it) .   Great Asian taste – but he doesn’t like the spice.   Said “A good effort”  

Ok now the guest chef says it would be a hard choice… so… best dish…. Ludo!

Oh boy.  That’s great… but now what?   It’s Lee or… Sarah/Shehu.   I’m torn… I almost want it to be Lee so that Shehu will go through but that wouldn’t be fair.   Really Shehu should go home.

Poor Anthony – he said that they are standing there like condemned men.

…. The guest chef is standing there having a hard time deciding.  And now… commercial.

… and we are back.. and the lowest ---- it’s Marcus!   So Lee is through.. but now it’s between Sarah and Shehu.  and sorry but I think Sarah is better.  Marcus doesn’t want to let anyone go home.

His issue with Sarah is almost every time he picked Sarah’s dish .. they have been on the bottom.   As for Shehu Marcus says he hit a brick wall.. now they each are talking about themselves.    Wow.

Yep… Shehu is done.  :(    I do like that Sarah feels bad about it… I think some of the people are really tied together which is nice.  Of course others --- snipe behind the backs – but that is also in part what snips the producers decide to put forward.

I like what they said about him at the end. 

Now it’s the solo challenge - … the challenge is to make something WITH beer – that is beer is the ingredient. 

A promised Lee if he got through he would give Lee court side seats to the Knicks… looks like he is going to pay off. 

(I wonder if that is allowed)

Now this is interesting the guest cook – Jonathan – when salting something he says to salt up high to spread it out.  Huh.  Maybe I’ll try that (and get salt all over the stove…)

I like the way they talk about Marina – how she is a wild card… someone just said if they dropped all the contestants in the desert with a butter knife, Marina would win.  Lol

Oh… they get two hours instead of one.  Louise says she’s not sure about the extra hour – because they would expect more.

Well … Anthony says that the idea of the extra hour is so they can make dishes that would be impossible to make in one hour.

Now… we have 5 people left Louise, Jeff, Marina, Sarah and Lee.

Louise is making chili.   And she says her chili normally cooks all day.  Hey I wonder though – she is putting beer in it – I wonder if they will taste that    Jeff is braising pork with beer and adding cheddar biscuits.  Marina --- they haven’t said what she is making – but she has a lot of pressure cookers.

Sarah is making a Meguez sausage with other stuff… (went to fast on the screen for me to write it all) brazing again with beer.  Huh. 

The mentors are chatting about their chefs.   And… while I type this I have a kitty (Onyx)  who has for some reason burrowed under the blanket – is up against my foot.  She normally is in her little hammock or behind me on the loveseat.

Marina is making Fried stuffed pastry balls.  I missed where the beer came in.

She said “anything you throw at me I’ll cook it”

LOL .. Lee is making sloppy joes with Pork and Blood sausage.   He thinks it’s easy.  Now the mentors are talking about how nervous Lee was during the team challenge.

Jeff is afraid of the pressure cooker.  He has no backup – if it doesn’t work he’s screwed (and that’s what he said.) 

Whew I’m going to have to go back and spell check this! 

Oh no!   they are up to an hour left but there is one more challenge  -- they have to make an extra dish – one that complementary dish with what they have.   Then there was an oops Lee made a comment of surprise and Jeff told him what a complementary dish was – and Lee goes I know BLEEP what it is.  I don’t know exactly what he said but he cussed and the guest mentor thought it was for him. Ooops!

OHHHHH Sarah is frying Smelt as a side dish… wish I knew how to do that.. I feed smelt to my garter snakes. :D   (wonder what she would think of that.)

Huh I wonder though… do you eat the bones?   The smelts I get are slit in the belly but they have the backbones.   I like that because it gives my snakes calcium but – I’m not sure I’d want to eat that (nevermind the head…)

Now… Lee is flipping out. Minutes before he was comfortable – then this he has no clue what to make with sloppy joes!  I’m like something green.  But… different people eat sloppy joes with different things… see Joes are hot and can be a little spicy (though they don’t have to be)  full of flavor.  I prefer to complement that with a salad – something cool and bland.    The Chef mentors seem to not like the subtleties of a bland dish though.  

Oh man…  he’s got 15 min and Lee doesn’t know what he’s going to make.  Holy cow! 

Now we are back with Jeff and the pressure cooker –opening it… and…… and…..

Yes!  And it’s perfect – pork is soft. 

Now we have “ball” jokes with Marina.

Back to lee – who is going to do avocado fries.. which IMHO would work I don’t like avocado BUT it is a “cool” ingredient so that may work.

Now everyone is rushing to get stuff done on time.   One minute left and people are plating.  I don’t think I’ve seen anyone miss-plate – other then last week when someone forgot the lime zest… which is miner. 

Wow.

Now they are going to serve it up. 

Oh and Lee’s first.  He just wants to beat Jeff… lets see what they say.

Salty… greasy… ut oh.   Anthony doesn’t have a problem with it… Of course – he thinks it’s good that way.   Some people like the avatar but others don’t see the link.

Marina made slaw with the ball.  Nigella felt that the side dish was better.  Ut oh… they don’t like the fact that there isn’t enough meat… they didn’t like her dish.  I think she makes very unique dishes and well… in the past they either love it or hate it.   I admitted earlier on in the show I thought Marina was going to go.  But as it got to this point she started cooking things that they liked… so I’m disappointed that the Judges don’t like her dish now 

Man there is still 45 min left – how can they string out a 2 hour show like this?  I guess they are going to play a lot of commercials. 

Jeff is up.  He had the pork and his side was a kimchie… spelled wrong I know.  Ooo mostly positive comments.   They loved the match between the main dish and side.

Now Sarah – brazed cabbage and lamb sausage with the smelt fris.   She said it goes sweet and salty.   Oh they don’t know what it is… potato not cooked enough.  Wow Anthony thinks it’s salty.  He normally likes salty.

Louise is next with chili and cornbread.  Perfect (imho).  Anthony said “no way this is chili”.  Why is everyone mentioning the salt.  Why is everything too salty?  Mixed comments.  

Oh they are done?  Ok I guess Jeff is going to get all the gold stars because he got the best comments.  Now the judges are saying this was disappointed -   wow.  And Anthony didn’t like the sandwich etc… and ended with the bowl of chili – they thought it was too easy and done to fast.  Chili needs to SIT.  It’s not that fast.  

In the contestant lounge - Sarah is talking about making her own sausage – but you know I’ll BET they have no clue that she did. 

Now they are talking how there are 5 of them and 8 stars – so maybe someone will get a gold and red.  I’ll bet it’s more focused on one or two people on each side. 

-------

They are back – Anthony said he is disappointed. 

Boy he reamed all the cooks!

Ok best --- Anthony – Jeff (uh huh.)

Marcus – Jeff (yep.)

Nigella – Jeff (surprise surpise)  lol!!!!

Ludo- Lee!   Ha ! he’s upset because Lee is the competition and Ludo keeps picking him.

Now – Kimchi (needed the spelling good for cc)  they are praising Jeff.  Anthony says he at least embraced the challenge. 

Now lets see – if Lee gets a red star. 

Worst:

An- oh yeah… commercial.   He gulps and goes I didn’t see that coming.  I wonder if he picked Marina – he knew what Lee made so… he shouldn’t have picked Lee and said that.   But he was uping Marina a lot.   We. Shall. See. 

A- Marina – ye p thought so. 

M – Lee --- hehe.

N – Lee – again.

L – Sarah – wow – that was a surprise.  She just said – every red star she has gotten was from Ludo.

Funny Louise didn’t get either and she sneaks though.

Worst – Marina explaining it – Anthony’s complaint is that it was bland right.  No one can find the beer – too much dough.  

Lee- Nigella thought there was a proportion issue – too much bread again … not enough meat – and the cheese on top was too much – loved the side dish but not with that.   It’s sloppy joe he needed more meat -  - and he said he didn’t want to get it all over them  er.. it’s SLOPPY JOE. – it’s SUPPOSED to get all over people :D.

Ok now Sarah – she had the smelts – The complaints:  the side dish was salty and the potatoes was not cooked.  Of course she thought she embraced the challenge better then anyone else – you know if you are on the lower end… you should be honest that you failed.

Lee- this is the first time he’s been in the bottom – and he’d love the opportunity to continue.

Now they want the three to say – who should go home.

Marina said --- Based on the result of the competition – Sarah.

Sarah – of course said Marina.  Duh

Lee- also said Marina – he tasted her dish and didn’t like it – but over all likes her cooking.

So now the mentors get to debate and they are finally starting ice skating on TV   - so I’m ignoring the people discussing who should go home.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

Oh back to the show.. but now the Judges are debating.  And of course defending their favorites.

Hmmm. See now they are talking about how Sarah’s dish was over salted… Sarah says she barely put salt on it. You know… I think it’s the BEER.   Now I have to ask my bro if beer is salty I’ll bet it gives the dish that component.

Ok … so who is going home?

Lee got through.

OK  Sarah was sent home.   And now I want to watch ice skating so I’m not going to watch the final interviews.

So I’m going to Sign off now as I just wanted to blog about the taste.