Amateurs with Knives

Once again, the AwK authors reunite for Season 5 of Bravo TV’s Top Chef. It’s not on time because we never are. I mean, did you really think I was going to have this done on Thursday morning? Get real!

CC: Hey I heard Chef DoucheHat is going to be commenting on the show while he watches it. What a fan-friggin-TASTIC idea! I wish we had thought of that.

MM: Our posts are better, because they have pictures.

CC: Alright, you ready to kick out the f00kin’ jams on this bithc??

MM: I am, once I figure out what a “bithc” is.

Unavailable for comment, Bithc.

CC: Right away I’m distracted by Fabio.

MM: Right away I’m distracted by an ugly dude with ugly hair who is going on and on about how he is so meticulous about his ugly hair.

CC: Yeah, he’s no Ruhlman, thats for sure. Maybe a John Besh, but no Ruhlman.

Someone’s hair profiles are off.

MM: The maximum capacity for swoopy hair in the culinary world has been reached.

CC: So this year they are setting it in New York, where MM lives for realsies, so if anyone needs a kick in the nuts, she’s our inside man for that.

MM: I’ll drive right on over in my Macchiato-Mobile.

CC: The competition is setting out with a reasonably strong Quickfire challenge, but the gay guy is overly concerned about what Padma’s wearing… Uhm, what?

MM: Why is everyone so obsessed with Padma’s clothes? She doesn’t dress herself. Fashion people probably pick it out for her.

CC: She does dress well.

MM: You just really liked that toga from the last season.

CC: He should be more concerned about the challenge - this is the first time someone’s being eliminated from a Quickfire! The challenge is a race. The first leg is to perfectly peel fifteen apples with a knife. The first chefs to complete the challenge do not have to go on to the next leg, and are safe… Thats a pretty random test don’t you think? I mean how is that a measure of ability, really?

MM: It’s more about speed. Though it’s not difficult in technicality, getting fifteen apples peeled with a knife before your competitors is stressful. Someone’s going to take a finger off. This sort of reminds me of the first competition they did in the Next Iron Chef America, when the contestants did a speed test, too.

CC: They should have had them bone a chicken or something.

MM: They already did that on a previous season.

CC: Now they’re getting technical. The next leg of the Quickfire is to brunoise their peeled apples, which is basically a really really small dice. Like 1/16th of an inch. Brunoise is some bad ass shit.

Photo courtesy of http://www.11er.at

MM: For our readers, here’s a You Tube video of a chef demonstrating an onion brunoise. At least I hope that’s what it is. I’m typing this at work and You Tube is blocked. The Google description alludes that it’s a chef doing an onion brunoise so, let’s hope that’s not a euphemism for activities of the naked variety. It should be safe, because I don’t think You Tube has those sorts of things… and if they do, I don’t want to know about it.

CC: So Round 1: peel 15 apples with a peeling knife. Round 2: brunoise the apples. Round 3: cook a dish with their apples. (sigh) Why does the hot chick have to be annoying, too?

MM: Which one is the hot one? I don’t see a hot one.

CC: I’ll point her out… Her. Um… hot-ish.

Photo Courtesy of Bravo

MM: But she’s no Ruhlman! Wait, what do I say to that?

CC: (laughing) Okay, now the dishes are done. We have an apple slaw (meh) and a scallop that looks pretty good. Sorry, slaw boy. I bet he’s a goner.

MM: But no! It’s semi-hot chick. God, that’s harsh. I’m sorry, annoying and bitchy semi-hot chick.

CC: Yeah, that’s really bad.

MM: Did she just say she was going down on apples?

CC: Now that would be a show I’d watch. If you can go down on an apple, that’s some talent.

MM: If you can go down on an apple, you’re in the wrong industry… not that I’d condone it, I’m just sayin’.

CC: So now, let’s get a look at the three gays who have dubbed themselves “Team Rainbow”. Apparently Bravo made a Team Rainbow shirt that everyone can buy. (Shameless plug brought to you by Orli Ninjamaster and Team AwK.)

MM: Now this is a nice moment, an evening around the dinner table before the next day’s elimination challenge. There’s even a toast of well-wishes to all of the contestants. In their heads they’re all planning how they’re going to throw each other under the bus at the Judges’ Table.

Judges’ Table: Only the strong (flavor profiles) survive.

CC: The Elimination Challenge is a good one - chefs are randomly matched to an area in NYC and expected to come up with a regional dish that reflects the area.

MM: Some of the chefs have a severe disadvantage. They’ll have to rely on their training, experience and… um…

CC: Spirit guides?

Casper the Friendly Ghost: Leading you on wacky adventures and saving you from culinary hell since 1939

MM: I like these head-to-head challenges. Chefs are assigned to each district by twos, and then have to face off before the judges. Whenever they do it this way, it’s successful.

CC: Yeah, it’s a nice way to do it. Some of these regions are really difficult to pick for. Latin would be easy, Russian not so much.

MM: Yeah. Vodka and pickles… that’s the only thing that comes to mind for Russian. Is that even a flavor profile?

CC: Italian cuisine people lucked out, too - wait, there’s a chef who has never made Italian cuisine? That sounds pretty odd.

MM: How can you be a chef and have never made any Italian food? Especially being an American chef, because it’s such a huge part of our diet. I don’t get it. Moving on, it’s time for shameless plugs on the Top Chef sponsors: Buy GE Monogram.

CC: Yes! They are great and I use them exclusively. (pause) Do we get any money for saying that?

MM: Not a cent.

CC: Well, fuck ‘em then; they use five-year olds to make their stoves. Now for the guest judge to be revealed: Jean-Georges!

MM: Time for the contestants to collectively pee their pants.

CC: Jean-Georges Vongerichten is a world renown chef with three Michelin stars! The man is a culinary god.

Side note: Bravo did a little Q&A with Jean-Georges that can be found on their website here.

MM: The dishes are coming out, and none of them are exciting me.

CC: Not like deep throating an apple, no. A Lamb slider is pretty boring. How much time did they have to make their dishes?

MM: Two hours.

CC: That’s a lot of time, and the majority of these dishes are BO-RING.

MM: Whoa. It’s not good when your dish is being compared to Wolfgang Puck.

CC: Ruh-roh. Now for the Indian dishes. Those chefs are hosed with Padma on the panel.

MM: I do really like that rough, tatooed chef. He’s one of my favorites so far.

CC: Gene. Yeah, I like him, too. He Rain Manned it, and is one of the top three dishes.

MM: Stefan’s the winner.

CC: I was pulling for Gene, the Hawaii boy, but at least Stefan isn’t the most annoying of the Euros.

MM: Now for the losers.

CC: Wow, only two losers.

MM: Poor culinary school boy. He was on the chopping block in the Quickfire for that apple slaw, and just couldn’t cut it. Get it? He couldn’t cut it?

CC: …I’m out of here.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the geniuses over at Bravo thought it would be a great idea to do a Twitter feed. And it is a great idea, except they’re bringing back our favorite bonehead for the first one.

Orli Ninjamaster reports: Bravo now has a Top Chef Twitter feed featuring a different former TC contestant each week dishing on the competition. Tonight, Top Chef Chicago contestant Spike Mendelsohn will be live tweeting the Season 5 premiere.

Thanks, Orli… Uh, I think.

Spike? Are you kidding me? Come to think of it, I’ll probably tune into it for full douche-baggery. (That’s right, new words made up for you right here on AwK.) Here’s the montage of stupid hats we did for him during last season’s restaurant wars challenge.

Don’t forget to tune in tonight for the premiere of Season 5! Spike McCan’tCook optional!

There’s a lot of great food TV happening right now, and I wanted to make sure I point out three of the big ones that we’ve been tuning into (or are about to).

Chef Jeff Project on Food Network, Sunday nights

It’s not your typical reality show. Award winning chef, best selling author and ex-offender Jeff Henderson takes in six street-wise young adults and gives them a second chance in life. Knowing what a struggle it is to get away from the crime and drama of street life, Chef Jeff mentors these young people in his restaurant business, Posh Urban Cuisine, and they all get a chance to win a Culinary Art Institute scholarship from the Food Network. Their final exam airs this coming Sunday. If you haven’t watched the (short) season thus far, it’s worth it to catch some reruns.

Iron Chef Japan: It’s Alive! Week - every night on Fine Living Network

Orli Ninjamaster reports: This week on Iron Chef Japan reruns is the fourth of five stunt weeks! The Iron Chefs and their challengers grapple with some rather squirmy delicacies. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart — each episode’s secret ingredient starts out very much alive, and ends, well, very much not.

Thanks for the tip, Orli!

Also good to note for us die-hard Iron Chef Japan fans, on the Fine Living Network website, there’s a poll currently running to see who your favorite Iron Chef Japan is. As of right now, Chef Sakai is winning. (Of course he is, the guy is a badass.) Head over to the FLN site and take their poll!

Any man who can feel confident in hot pink silk pajamas is not to be trifled with… or he’s just really good with a knife and you shouldn’t laugh within earshot.

Top Chef Season 5 - Wednesdays on Bravo

The new Top Chef season starts this week on Bravo TV. Once again, Citizen Chef and I will attempt to review the episodes. So tune in to Bravo and tune into AwK for more hilarity. If you want to take a look at the new cast for the season, go to the Bravo website and check it out.

To wrap up AwK’s BBQ month, I was going to share another submission from the Build A Better Burger Book. The final was a winner of a creative award and looked really interesting. So, the burger was made. I had photos. I had materials. I was ready.

Photo courtesy of Build a Better Burger

Then I got busy and forgot from fighting terrorism, blowing up small villages and getting to da choppa with Arnold Swartzenegger. The AwK BBQ month has officially ended, but I’m still going to share this quirky little burger.

As I already said, this burger is the winner of the creativity award in 1996. Most of the creativity award burgers are just that - very creative. When you take your first bite, it’s hard to know what to expect, so keep an open mind. I was looking for something very different when I made it, so I was prepared.

Patties
1 1/3 pounds ground lamb
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt

I want to give you a glowing review, but because it’s the creativity award burger, you know it was a little weird. If you walked into an authentic Indian restaurant and asked them to make you a hamburger, this is exactly what it would taste like. Since I enjoy Indian food, I did like the taste - it was just odd having it as a hamburger.

To make the burgers, just take the ingredients and mix them together. Handle the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it. Grill, turning once until done to preference - 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

The burger is to be accompanied by a banana-yogurt sauce called “raita.” Before you get weirded out, just keep in mind that Indian food usually contains a lot of sweet flavors and is usually yogurt or tomato sauce based. The raita, while sounding odd on top of a hamburger, makes sense from an Indian cuisine standpoint.

Grilled Banana Raita
Vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack
2 very firm bananas, peeled
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

After reading through the ingredient list, you see right away this is going to be very sweet. Most people associate Indian food with 5-alarm spicy, but that isn’t always the case. A lot of their food has a lot of sweet, fresh flavors to balance that out, similarly to what you’re seeing with the raita.

To make the raita, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the bananas on the grill and cook, turning carefully, until lightly browned all over. The book says it should take 1 - 2 minutes, but on a skillet, it took a little longer. At first I was worried the banana would turn to mush over the fire, but the inside stayed firm. As soon as it turned a little brown, I flipped it over. Any longer than that and it would have been destroyed - so keep watching it while you’re cooking it.

While the bananas are cooking, place 1 teaspoon garam masala and the cumin in a fireproof container and toast on the grill for about 1 minute. Since I was using the Foreman, I didn’t do this part.

Dice up the banana into small cubes and mix with the rest of the raita ingredients. Stir well and set aside until the burgers are finished cooking.

To assemble: On each bun bottom, place 4 cucumber slices, a tomato slice, a patty and an equal portion of the raita. Add the bun tops and serve.

Here’s a shot of my finished burger as I was serving.

This concludes the Build A Better Burger series. If you liked what you saw, go pick up a copy!

Today is Tuesday, so I hope by now you’ve caught up on the season finale of The Next Food Network Star. I’ve had a chance to skim a couple of other blogs and it seems that everyone has a different opinion, and there’s no real clear favorite - at least not in the internet food community.

In the episode prior to the finale, three contestants went to Vegas to shoot a short promo/teaser for their own television show. Aaron had Bobby Flay walking him through the whole thing, step by step, holding his hand. Adam had a choreographed number with Guy Fieri berating him the whole time. Lisa’s was the most difficult, but she had the scripted card in her hand the whole time to tell her what to say - and she still couldn’t do it. Not that it was easy to do with Guy Fieri behind her making snide remarks.

Afterward, each contestant had to put together a buffet for 50 people and do a short presentation. Even though Aaron’s absolutely appalling presentation was so uncomfortable I actually got up and left the room, I was too distracted by what I saw in the first challenge. After watching each contestant’s video promo, I was disappointed by all three. The judges must have felt the same way, because they could not make a decision on the final two, and brought all three back to compete in the last challenge.

Honestly, I think the judges did that because Aaron was the favored contestant, and he completely blew it in the buffet presentation.

So now comes the season finale: All three contestants get to make a 4 minute television show. Each one comes up with what they want their show to be, and they present it to one of their top producers. This producer turns it into a show, and they film it on Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meals set.

Lisa comes up with “Beautiful Basics” - simple cooking that could easily be in a 5-star restaurant. That’s the part of Lisa that really interests me. She’s fashionable and elegant, and she can show you how to cook in the “spirit” of fine dining in a very simple way. That appeals to me. What doesn’t appeal to me is that she still gets a tad robotic in front of the camera, and her movements while she’s cooking is a whirlwind. It doesn’t look quite as fun as it should be, even though it’s interesting. Still, I would definitely cook her food.

Adam was just hilarious. He came up with “Always Hungry in Philadelphia” and he talks to viewers via the internet about recipes that they’re getting bored with, and gives them his exciting new version. It did come off a little like another show that’s already airing, but Adam is such an entertainer that I wanted to keep watching. Previously I was not an Adam fan, but after his show, I truly was. He did a “dancing roasted chicken” sitting on top of a beer can. There was a nice looking spice rub that went over the chicken, and some spices and garlic that went into the beer can to “faux” smoke the chicken. Overall he was really great, and his comedic value made me want to watch him all the time.

Aaron went last, in a segment called “Big Daddy’s Kitchen”. He cooked some steak with collard greens, topped with some fried plantains. When I watched the show, there was a lot more audience reaction shown with Aaron’s video of people laughing and really getting into the show. I’m wondering if they were watching the same segment I was, because I didn’t think Aaron was all that funny, engaging, or entertaining. I also didn’t think his food was that original. After the food was plated, Aaron said to the camera, “If you don’t think this looks good then you need your eyes checked!” Again, the cameras panned to the audience who were doubled over, laughing. I wasn’t laughing. I actually felt he was being condescending to the audience. It was like watching a “next notch up” Guy Fieri.

So here’s the end spoiler with a lot of my opinion involved. Read at your own risk.

In the end, Aaron was crowned the winner, but I think the judges had crowned him the winner a long time ago. They liked him from the start - that his food was consistently decent was the proverbial icing on the cake. After the buffet disaster in Vegas, I think it blew the judges’ confidence. They were afraid to give it to anyone other than Aaron, and brought all three back just in case. When Aaron proved he wouldn’t be a complete disaster in front of the camera he was crowned the winner. I do wish Aaron the best of luck and I hope he proves me wrong, but I don’t think his show will be one I watch. He wasn’t entertaining enough for me. I really wanted Lisa to do well, but I think she needs to work on softening her expressions and movements in front of a camera. My favorite at the end was Adam - not only would he appeal to the food masses, but he is someone you would want to watch just to be entertained. Then again, maybe I didn’t see the entire video clip so there was more going on than the home viewers were privy to. In any case, we wish Aaron the best of luck on his win.

I haven’t said anything about the latest two episodes of The Next Food Network Star, and I apologize for that. This morning I got online, fully intending to say something before this weekend’s finale, when I saw something quite surprising on the Food Network Addict’s (FNA) website:

The Food Network accidentally posted the finalists’ exit interviews and the winner’s video on their website.

It has since been pulled but… Whoops. What a shame that the struggling network continues to bungle things up. Last week’s Food Network Star episode garnered more ratings than Bravo’s darling “Project Runway” - and they botch the momentum with this. What a shame.

Here is the statement the Food Network released to FNA:

“FoodNetwork.com experienced technical difficulties last night. As our viewers have seen on The Next Food Network Star this season, many twists and turns have taken place during the show. We encourage all to tune in on Sunday at 10pm to see who will be the Next Food Network Star.”

They’re trying to salvage the wreckage, but the damage has been done.

For those of you who watch the show and don’t want the ending spoiled, have no fear - FNA has deleted all of the comments that would give the ending away, so you can go check out the info without fear.

It’s time, once again, for the weekly Build a Better Burger Contest, uh, burger.

Yes, I’m still trying to entice you to buy this book. If you’re into experimental and less traditional burgers, this is a great resource. The winning burgers from 1990 - 2004 are listed: The Grand Prize, First Prize, Second Prize and, always a quirky burger, the Award for Creativity. Today’s burger is the Grand Prize for the 1996 competition and the first burger by a female contestant to win the competition, proving once and for all that chicks like fire, too: Mulligatawny Burgers.

Photo courtesy of Build a Better Burger

This burger is paired with Sauvignon Blanc.

What originally drew me to this burger is that I love apples and curry together, and the sound of it with a souped-up chicken patty was irresistible.

Mulligatawny Burgers

Curried Apple Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped tart apple
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of ground cayenne

Patties
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 pounds freshly ground chicken
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped tart apple
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fine, fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon curry powder

You may or may not have noticed that I keep marking these burgers for the “Weeknight Cooking” category. Often times, I think the home cook rules burgers out because they should mostly be a “grilling” item, which involves a whole production with a BBQ. You’re waiting for me to bring up the George Foreman - and you’re right, I am! I have whipped these up on a Foreman grill for a delicious weeknight meal. Also doable in a pan, although you know I am partial to the George.

To start, make the curried mayonnaise: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to blend well. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Toast the almonds. You can either do this in a fire-proof skillet right on top of the grill, something on your stove or, as I mentioned yesterday, in a toaster oven. Set aside to cool.

Combine chicken, egg white, green onion, and apple in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the rolls. Finely chop the toasted almonds (or give them a quick whirl in a food processor or coffee grinder) and combine with the bread crumbs and curry powder in a shallow bowl, stirring well. Coat both sides of the patties with the almond mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook, turning once, just until the juices run clear when the patties are pierced in the center - about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with lightly toasted sourdough rolls, fresh spinach leaves and some of the curried apple mayonnaise.

First impressions about this burger (I’ve made it a few times now, so I’m trying to think back to when I took my first bite): Admittedly, this was the first real non-traditional burger I had ever tried and after my first bite, I was a little conflicted. I had to think about it while mulling over the mild, fresh flavors in my mouth until I could decide that I was completely and totally sold. The nuts were a surprise. I’m not usually a huge fan of nuts in anything other than cookies, so to come in contact with the nuts was a shock, but not off-putting. Toasting them makes them a little soft, and that’s why I didn’t mind them. The curried mayonnaise goes fantastically well with the burger - the sweetness of the apple with the mayonnaise and a hint of spice marries the patty nicely.

Verdict: Make it this weekend!

As you know, July is AwK’s BBQ month! It’s that special time of year when we get to talk about the things that are near and dear to my stomach:

Summer food.

I’m talking BBQ, Potlucks, Picnics, Family Gatherings, Friendly Get-Togethers, anything at all that requires getting outdoors and heating up the grill.

Or, at the very least, plugging your George Foreman into the socket on the back deck.

I’ve talked about the Build A Better Burger book before when I reviewed my 4th of July burger, Tuscan Burger Bruschetta. Now it’s time to talk about one of my absolute favorite burgers in the book: Napa Valley Basil-Smoked Burgers

The combination of fresh basil, minced red onion and sun dried tomatoes with a little pesto mayonnaise — It is so savory. And yes, when it’s the middle of winter and I’m jonesing for a delicious, flavor-packed burger, I have broken out the George Foreman. I have no shame in admitting it!

Burger Patties
2 pounds ground sirloin
1/4 cup Zinfandel
1/4 cup lightly packed minced fresh basil
1/4 cup minced fresh onion
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic salt

This burger won the Grand Prize in 1990. I have made it repeatedly and always with fantastic results.

Light some fire - preferrably in a grill with a cover. If you don’t have fire or you aren’t allowed to be anywhere near it, try for a stove or the George Foreman grill. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high.

The recipe tells you to mince the onions and basil, and finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Instead, I just toss those into my food processor and give it a whirl. It saves time and minces things beautifully — this is an especially good trick if you’re serving this dish to someone who doesn’t like to feel an onion in their mouth. The onion is minced up finely so that it lends to the flavor, but isn’t obtrusive.

Take the minced mixture out of your processor and put it in a bowl with the rest of the patty ingredients. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the rolls.

When the grill is ready, brush the rack with vegetable oil. If you’re using a George, you don’t have to do this because the George is perfect in every way. The Foreman Grill is like the Fifth Element, but of food.

Too much?

Okay anyway. Moisten 8 large basil sprigs with water, then put them directly onto the fire - this is the basil smoked part. I don’t do this because there’s already basil in the burger, and I’m fine without going through the trouble of adding basil smoke. Also, it’s pretty pointless if you’re cooking on the George because there is no fire. Same thing with pan cooking the patties — there’s no point. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook, turning once, until done to preference (5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium). During the last couple minutes of cooking, place some large sandwich rolls, cut side down, on the rack to toast lightly. During the last minute of cooking, top each patty with a slide of Monterey Jack cheese.

To assemble the burgers, use some pesto mayonnaise:

Pesto Mayonnaise
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto

You can see where we’re going with this. Put the pesto mayonnaise ingredients into a bowl and mix. I really do like the taste of this, and it does add some complementary flavor to the burger. Do NOT use Miracle Whip. I wouldn’t anyway but in case you were thinking about it, I really just don’t think the sweetness of the Miracle Whip can do anything other than obliterate the pesto, much less the savory flavors of the burger.

To assemble: Spread the mayonnaise over the cut side of the rolls. On each roll bottom, place a lettuce leaf, a patty, a tomato slide, an onion slice and a basil sprig. Add the roll tops and serve.

Amazing.

Okay, let’s get a show of hands here. Who else thought Adam was going to say, “Who else can say Rachel Ray jerked my chicken?”

I did.

This past episode of the Next Food Network star finally shows the contestants doing something quite appropriate: Guesting on Rachel Ray’s show. Each contestant was given a little Brownie Scout as a helper, and then asked to put together a simple recipe that they and their helper could demonstrate to an audience within a 4 minute time frame. The twist was that it was going to be on Rachel Ray’s daytime show.

The contestants met with Rachel beforehand, and she gave them some advice: Food television is about storytelling. You’re cooking and showing the viewer how to do it, but you’re always telling them a story that gets people involved with what you’re doing.

I was happy to see Aaron rise to the challenge and really shine in front of the audience. His presentation was well done and, according to the judges, the food was good. Adam was another one who did well, yet the judges confessed to him that they are still not confident in his cooking abilities.

Those two were the highlights. The lowlight was Lisa, who shut down in front of the camera. She was off to a decent start, then got overwhelmed and stopped talking. Rachel Ray had to carry the rest of the segment for her. It was a shame, because she really did get a nice start.

The rest was really uncomfortable to watch. Shane and Kelsey, two of the stronger cooks in the competition, fell short during their air time. Kelsey even made Rachel Ray cook her eggs, while Kelsey did little else other than just stand there.

In the end, Shane was kicked off. This really, really surprised me. I checked Bob Tuschman’s blog (one of the Next Food Network Judges) today. He had gone into the elimination thinking they would be saying goodbye to Kelsey. However after speaking with Shane, the judges felt that, although Shane’s culinary training and skill is very good, he hasn’t had a lot of life experience to really share passion for cooking. Instead, when Shane gets in front of a camera, it feels more like a stiff set of instructions, rather than story. Bob’s blog post is pretty short and quite enlightening if you wanted to head over to the Food Network’s site and take a quick read. Here’s a quick excerpt:

So, heading into the evaluation, I’m definitely thinking it’s Kelsey’s turn to say goodbye. But in the course of our long evaluation, I ask Shane about the origin of his passion for French food. I was stunned to hear that he had never been to France. Ever. He had simply taken a cooking class in French technique and that was the source of his “passion.”

Now, Shane is a talented, mature, and extremely likeable young man. But it became clear to me that he’s still just the student repeating back the teacher’s words. That’s good for your GPA, but not good for television. Shane will be a talent to watch. But he’s just not ready yet. So, unfortunately, it was au revoir to Shane.

The video segments are being featured on Rachel Ray’s Daytime Show website - but keep in mind that what you’re seeing there is a little different than what aired on The Next Food Network star, due to the ways the Producers wanted to portray the challenges.

July is grilling month here at Amateurs with Knives, and I’m going to kick it off by reviewing what went on my Weber this past Independence Day.

These babies:

Photo courtesy of Sutter Home

A couple of years ago I received a book called “Build a Better Burger”. The book is a compilation of the winning burgers from Sutter Home Winery’s Build a Better Burger Contest.

This is a pretty nifty book to have. If you like to grill and you like burgers in a wide, creative variety of proteins, this is definitely one to have on your shelf. Each burger has a photograph (ok, I like pictures in my books - go ahead and make jokes) and the instructions are very simply laid out so as not to intimidate even the most novice chef. Each burger also has a wine pairing listed.

Each BBB contestant must be an amateur, otherwise they are not eligible to win the prize. Still, that doesn’t stop professional chefs from entering, and the published book does note some of the professional burgers, even though they were not prize winners. Still, the most exciting and creative awards have gone to the amateurs. This is one of them.

Tuscan Burgers Bruschetta

Tomato Topping
1 ripe tomato, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Patties
1 scant cup loosely packed crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 pounds ground round
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for brushing on the grill rack
4 thin slices prosciutto or unsmoked ham slices
1/2 pound coarsely grated Fontina cheese

Bruschetta
1 oblong loaf crusty Italian bread, sliced diagonally into 12 (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) slices
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing on the bread

This particular burger won third prize in 1993, and is paired with Shiraz (Syrah).

There’s really not much to making a burger. Fire up your grill, mix up your burger stuff and throw that sucker on the fire!

Instruction #1: “Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.”

I love these sorts of instructions because the whole “medium-hot fire” thing sort of makes me laugh. It’s fire. Fire hot! I really can’t set it to anything other than flaming inferno. Maybe this is why the AwK admin does all of our grilling…

To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients, including salt and pepper to taste, in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

The topping rocked. In fact, I had some leftover so the next day so I stuck it on top of a piece of ciabatta and ate it. All that was missing was a glass of wine. True story.

To make the patties, combine the Gorgonzola, parsley and onion in a large bowl. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the bread slices.

When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the patties and cook 4 minutes. Place a slice of proscuitto on each patty and top with Fontina, dividing equally. Cover the grill and continue cooking the patties until done to preference, 1 to 4 minutes longer for medium.

To make the bruschetta, while the patties are cooking, brush the bread slices on each side with olive oil. Place on the outer edges of the grill rack, turning once, to toast lightly.

Yes! A photograph that didn’t come out blurry!

To assemble the burgers, spoon half of the tomato topping on 6 of the bruschetta slices, then top with the patties, the remaining tomato topping, and the remaining bruschetta.

Dig in!