S13.E02: Beauty and the Beast

[Whimsy]

Quote

The finalists host a party celebrating Disney's live-action feature Beauty and the Beast. The finalists are divided into three teams, with each team drawing inspiration from one of the iconic rooms of the castle to decorate a serving station and cook up a dish before presenting to a ballroom full of party guests. Special guest Sandra Lee attends the event with Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay to help pick a winning team, then two finalists from the losing team are sent home.

[cooksdelight]

Sideshow Bob and Nana are gone....

[LittleIggy]

Just now, cooksdelight said:

Sideshow Bob and Nana are gone....

I was about to post that Toya looked liked Sideshow Bob when I read your post. Great minds...

[susannot]

I like home cook Amy.  Forget what she said but snark against egotistic chef Corey.  Glad to see Matthew taken down a peg or two.  Wanted to try all the dishes of the library team.

[Christina]

NASA Nana Nancy insisting Matthew stand next to her at the cheese counter instead of continuing to shop, made me agree with Matthew and want her to go first. That is incredibly dumb, and to top it off, she said something like he was running around the store like a toddler. Oh well, good riddance. 

Middle Eastern Mama Suzanne(?) needs to get it together, too. She'll be gone soon if she doesn't, and she is offering something completely different from the rest. 

[BusyOctober]

The correct 2 were eliminated.  The network already has the "grumpy granny" demographic covered.  Coincidentally, it is covered by the same person satisfying the "we have enough Nancys" demographic.  Toya's hair was just too big for me to ignore. Yes, she kept it piled high and not loose while cooking, but I kept worrying about the strands of hair falling from the front of that magnificent hair structure.  Toya has beautiful hair, and I liked it better when she had it loose...it wasn't as distracting.

Matthew needs to calm the eff down with the self satisfied smuggy smirking.  I would never watch his show.  I also don't think I'd watch a show led by Rusty.  All his hootin' and hollerin' and huffing and snorting through the kitchen made me think there was a bull let loose in there.  Suzanne is Penny-lite and I would happily buy her a ticket back to Detroit so I don't have to hear her whining about being ganged up on, and bullied and overruled.  BTW, I think the adjective she was looking for to describe her combo of Mediterranean & French cuisine is fusion. Not 'compound'.

I loved Jason on the Holiday Baking show, so I hope he sticks around for a long time.  

[smiley13]

I don't think the judges liked hardly any of the food maybe just Martha Stewart Jr's sandwich?

Matthew was right, he was with the weakest teammates.   Nancy ran out of time to finish her dish and had a weak presentation. 

[susannot]

Agree about Suzanne, poor thing.  She is a bullying victim and cannot get a break (!).  Also really dislike Jason.  His little southern cute sayins" make me puke.

[Chyromaniac]

Words misused this episode:

compound 

coercion 

[susannot]

3 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

I don't think the judges liked hardly any of the food maybe just Martha Stewart Jr's sandwich?

Matthew was right, he was with the weakest teammates.   Nancy ran out of time to finish her dish and had a weak presentation. 

Wanted her sandwich.

[Gbb]

7 minutes ago, Chyromaniac said:

Words misused this episode:

compound 

coercion 

Compound, yes. I think 'coercion' may have been a Freudian slip. Matthew's team was predisposed to disagree with anything he said. 

I actually find find myself a bit torn on that. Having watched him on his season and last year's Comeback Kitchen, I can't blame them too much. He was an entitled, immature douchebag. But this year he seems to be trying to be less of a prick, and his maturity level is starting to improve, so I'd be inclined to at least give him a chance. Especially as he knows this show, including what does and doesn't work, far better than any of them. 

Edited June 12, 2017 by Gbb

[smiley13]

The whole time Martha Jr was describing her sandwich, all I could think of was lavender air freshener, lol.  It did not sound appealing to me at all, but the judges raved about it.

[Christina]

19 minutes ago, Gbb said:

[Regarding Matthew snip] He was an entitled, immature douchebag. But this year he seems to be trying to be less of a prick, and his maturity level is starting to improve, so I'd be inclined to at least give him a chance. Especially as he knows this show, including what does and doesn't work, far better than any of them. 

He's appeared on a few things and has settled himself down, a lot, from his first FNS appearance. I probably wouldn't watch his show, but right now, I don't think I'd watch any of them. There probably isn't going to be a show but instead someone to do quick Instagram and Facebook posts, and he probably would do great with those. I expect he will be carried to the end, but as it stands right now, he'll probably earn it legitimately. 

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

The whole time Martha Jr was describing her sandwich, all I could think of was lavender air freshener, lol.  It did not sound appealing to me at all, but the judges raved about it.

I kept thinking about eating something with perfume sprayed on it!

[backformore]

Bonjourno, Rusty?  REALLY?  He comes across like a jerk, AND he monopolized the time after warning Suzanne not to do it.  And how is a large lamb chop and hors d'oeuvre?  If only he had been on the other team, he would have gone home. 

Suzanne was boring as hell anyway.  Tell ONE thing about yourself, not everything. 

Nancy is an idiot. Just because someone is younger than you, doesn't mean they're a "toddler."   I don't like when women define themselves solely n terms of their parenting or grandparenting roles.  You're not 80, be more than a "Nana".   The potatoes were normal sized. If she needed large ones, well, SHE was the one who shopped for ingredients! 

Addie's dish, with the lavender -  I've had dishes with lavender. The key is to make it very subtle, so it's more of a fragrance on top of the flavor of the food.  actually perfect for afternoon tea in France.  Looks like she hit the right note, as the judges loved it. 

[Blonde Gator]

2 hours ago, smiley13 said:

I don't think the judges liked hardly any of the food maybe just Martha Stewart Jr's sandwich?

Matthew was right, he was with the weakest teammates.   Nancy ran out of time to finish her dish and had a weak presentation. 

Bobby said Corey's lobster veloute (sorry, I don't know how to do the accent things) was fantastic, and the lobster was cooked perfectly.  It looked awesome.

Having said that, I wish that they'd named an actual WINNER for the team, to put our speculation to rest.  I agree, that Mini-Martha made one tea sandwich they raved over, but per usual, in these contests, making more than one thing leaves one open to additional critiques, and I don't remember what they said about her 2nd sammy.   Then again, Mini-Martha really did a banging job of decorating "The Library".  So, to me, it's a draw who the top cook was on this challenge.

And....the Brunch Bunch made a major blunder by not having a leader.  Teams have leaders.  Teams have followers.  But they can't have a mishmash of both without anyone knowing who is doing what to whom.   It was obvious there was no leadership, two of the cooks were in the weeds the whole time, and no offer of help was forthcoming.  That's just bad form, all the way around.

[backformore]

2 minutes ago, Blonde Gator said:

I agree, that Mini-Martha made one tea sandwich they raved over, but per usual, in these contests, making more than one thing leaves one open to additional critiques, and I don't remember what they said about her 2nd sammy.

I'm confused by the "mini-Martha" label, since I don't even know the contestants names yet, I can't also know their nicknames. 

One contestants, Addie,, made the lavender tea sandwiches.  The other,  Amy, made two different "mosaic" tea sandwiches.  I think that's right. 

I do wish that the "team" element wasn't there.  the worst dish or presentation could be save by having strong team members.  I think the worst PERSON should be eliminated, regardless of team.

[J-Man]

It figures they'd haul Aunt Sandy in for the tablescapes. But when they introduced her as "Food Network's expert on all things home," and something else (can't remember the exact wording), I did a double-take.  When was the last time she was even ON Food Network? They don't even show repeats of her old shows anymore, except at Halloween, apparently. Is she (or they) trying to resuscitate her career?

Nancy was driving me crazy with her pronunciation of "vichyssoise." The last "s" is NOT SILENT. The final syllable is pronounced SWAHZ, and I believe Bobby said it correctly. If she'd been eating it since she was nine years old, surely someone must've have corrected her at some point.

I think it would've been fairer to pick two people to go home from among the bottom two teams, rather than two from one team. If so, Suzanne probably would've been (compound) toast and Toya might have stayed, since her food was not bad and was marked down mostly for not fitting the theme.

[TDT]

"I don't know whether to scratch my butt or wipe my watch.." -Jason

The correct two did go home..btw no Star Salvation this season?

Was nice of Rusty to keep talking into,and back from,the commercial break (smh)

[GaT]

Glad to see the grandma gone, she was kind of a bitch. Toya just completely ignored the theme in favor of making something she made all the time, it didn't work. 

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, smiley13 said:

Matthew was right, he was with the weakest teammates.   Nancy ran out of time to finish her dish and had a weak presentation. 

Not just the weakest team but probably the most misguided team.  They don't like how Matthew sounds overly rehearsed? The solution to that is the opposite of not rehearsing, especially when you work with a team. People would rather hear someone who is rehearsed than someone whose mind wanders which is what happens when you don't rehearse.  But even people who naturally don't sound rehearsed often get there by rehearsing quite a bit so they naturalize what they want to say instead of trying to memorize it.

Rare is the skill of nailing it cold but even those who do it well cold probably have a lot of practice at something similar.

 

2 hours ago, backformore said:

 I don't like when women define themselves solely n terms of their parenting or grandparenting roles.  You're not 80, be more than a "Nana".   The potatoes were normal sized. If she needed large ones, well, SHE was the one who shopped for ingredients!

And she actually did have an interesting career beyond being a nana.  I do think she was taken by the potatoes, though.  I suspect potatoes were a pantry ingredient and she hadn't seen them before she went shopping.   I think the cornstarch was also likely a pantry ingredient which may be why they didn't buy it.  The big yellow container that Jason had was pretty basic. I doubt they carried it in a French specialty store.

1 hour ago, Blonde Gator said:

And....the Brunch Bunch made a major blunder by not having a leader.  Teams have leaders.  Teams have followers.  But they can't have a mishmash of both without anyone knowing who is doing what to whom.   It was obvious there was no leadership, two of the cooks were in the weeds the whole time, and no offer of help was forthcoming.  That's just bad form, all the way around.

They did have a leader whether they acknowledged it or not.  It was Nancy.  Matthew tried to lead but for whatever reason, they didn't want to listen to him. Perhaps it was because of smug critique of their intros last week. Nancy is the one who said no to his purchased of whipped cream in the spray can (I was on her side here--it may have been chantilly cream but he can make that and it'd probably be better.)  Nancy is the one who said he can't make hot soup for brunch which is how she volunteered to make her cold potato soup.  And Nancy was the one who first went "no no no" to his idea to rehearse.  They may not have recognized it but they did follow someone.

I am surprised that none of them told Toya to make something breakfasty.  It was brunch. I'm surprised they weren't dinged on that.

1 hour ago, J-Man said:

I think it would've been fairer to pick two people to go home from among the bottom two teams, rather than two from one team. If so, Suzanne probably would've been (compound) toast and Toya might have stayed, since her food was not bad and was marked down mostly for not fitting the theme.

I'm torn.  I would have felt bad for Suzanne this week if she had gone home.  She did get pushed into making a vegetarian dish--although she probably could have done lamb since two people did it in her group.  And she wasn't allowed to go food shopping.  I'm just grateful that the things Rusty left at the store weren't hers.  Then, Rusty did a minute long presentation which clearly threw her.  What she did was bad but I would have liked to see what she would have done with her full 30 seconds.

[bluepiano]

2 hours ago, J-Man said:

I think it would've been fairer to pick two people to go home from among the bottom two teams, rather than two from one team. If so, Suzanne probably would've been (compound) toast and Toya might have stayed, since her food was not bad and was marked down mostly for not fitting the theme.

Yeah, sending home half a team is pretty severe, and I don't remember them ever doing that. I fully expected that only the winning team would be safe, allowing them to send the weakest person home from the other  two teams. I thought Rusty was really annoying and self-centered, besides not knowing the difference between French and Italian, but Bobby liked his lamb chop so he would have stayed anyway. Probably Suzanne would've gone, as she was a deer in the headlights. ("Compound?" Like at the pharmacy).

In retrospect, I  guess Toya's departure was hinted at by the editing. She kept saying how she was going to share something of herself, which meant that she was going to make that shrimp and grits family Christmas dish no matter what the challenge was. Though based on the judges' comments, her food was far from the worst dish of the week. (Wow, I can't remember an episode where such a high percentage of the dishes were slammed).

There's always inconsistency in the judging. Toya got dinged for not following the challenge, but Rusty didn't really make an hours' dourvses, and they mentioned that but it didn't seem to matter.

Food Network Star has had more than its share of overbearing alpha males over the years, so Rusty and David continue that tradition. Suzanne and Amy need to get better at sticking up for themselves or they'll continue to get bulldozed.

I really don't need to see David flex his muscles every show. But I expect it's about 99% certain I will.

Nancy. Good grief. I couldn't find one redeeming thing about her. I believe the only reason she made it on the show is so they can say they had a "senior" contestant. But was she the best they could do?

Edited June 12, 2017 by bluepiano

[spiderpig]

GrumpyPig logging in.

I found the Beauty and the Beast concept twee rather than charming.  Maybe I'm just easily annoyed by movie tie-ins (like Snow White and the Huntsman on TC), but the whole construct seemed forced.

I also wonder about team issues, and particularly having half the team food shop for everyone.  While C and D are off looking at designer library books, they're relying on A and B to purchase their vittles.  I wouldn't be comfortable with giving a competitor (though temporarily a teammate) that much control over my preparation.  Especially when Corey dropped 1/3 of the team's budget on caviar for his own dish.

Exactly what was available in the FN pantry anyway?  I was confused about potatoes and corn starch.  If Nancy wanted a particular potato for her vichysoisse, why didn't she ask them to shop for it?  

Yeah, I'm tired and grouchy.  

I almost forgot - Giada had the most off-putting close-up of sticking a fork in her mouth and scraping the food off with her teeth in a kind of rictus grin.  The horror!

Must go lie down.

[cooksdelight]

6 hours ago, backformore said:

I do wish that the "team" element wasn't there.  the worst dish or presentation could be save by having strong team members.  I think the worst PERSON should be eliminated, regardless of team

They're copying Top Chef.

 

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

If Nancy wanted a particular potato for her vichysoisse, why didn't she ask them to shop for it?  

She was the shopper, she and Matthew. So, it's her own damn fault she didn't get her food cooked fast enough and had no time to strain it. Also, did you notice the look on her face when they told her it tasted like cold mashed potatoes?? HAHAHAHA

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Giada had the most off-putting close-up of sticking a fork in her mouth and scraping the food off with her teeth in a kind of rictus grin

I loved that the food stuck to her teeth!!! All 97 of them!

[smiley13]

I didn't mind Nancy and thought she was spot on with her view of Matthew running off in the store.    It wouldn't have been so funny except that Matthew is full of himself.

I like Rusty so I didn't care that he talked longer than he should have.  He has cooked for the Zac Brown Bank Eat-N-Greets for quite a while and is probably used to be in charge.

And Martha Jr can keep her smell good sandwiches.  I don't want my food smelling like lavender.  But hey, I also don't like candles that smell like food.

7 hours ago, backformore said:

I'm confused by the "mini-Martha" label, since I don't even know the contestants names yet, I can't also know their nicknames. 

One contestants, Addie,, made the lavender tea sandwiches.  The other,  Amy, made two different "mosaic" tea sandwiches.  I think that's right. 

I do wish that the "team" element wasn't there.  the worst dish or presentation could be save by having strong team members.  I think the worst PERSON should be eliminated, regardless of team.

Addie is Mini-Matrtha/Martha Jr. with her smells like air freshener food.

[cooksdelight]

WHAT was up with Bobby's eyebrows? He had on so much makeup that they took on a life of their own.

[Wings]

Very smooth of either Amy or Addie (I get them confused) grabbing her Library team members quickly.  Luckily they were standing in close proximity.  They must have been hanging out together in the break room before walking on stage. 

Travis' bananas foster flavors would have been better in a scone for tea.  

I would usually agree with @spiderpig on the theme, but it worked this time in that those would could not produce anything remotely French stood out as limited.  Toya paid for that but others were as guilty.   She is beautiful and a loved her hair though.  

Hysterical that Rusty grilled Suzanne in keeping her talk to 30 seconds and he was the guilty party.   

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

WHAT was up with Bobby's eyebrows? He had on so much makeup that they took on a life of their own.

I have noticed that for awhile now.  His hair, brows included, must be gray now so he colors them.  

When he was younger they were not so big.  The smaller little blonde hairs, that you cannot see here because they are too pale,  are now all red!  

Edited June 12, 2017 by wings707

[Gbb]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

I didn't mind Nancy and thought she was spot on with her view of Matthew running off in the store.    It wouldn't have been so funny except that Matthew is full of himself.

The store is when Nancy lost me (though it could have been at "No.  You can't make warm soup, it has to be cold soup. And I'm making it so pick something else.") Matthew is full of himself but he's not a child, much less her child, and was under no obligation to "stay close to Mommy" in the grocery store. 

Edited June 12, 2017 by Gbb

[Gbb]

11 hours ago, susannot said:

I like home cook Amy.  Forget what she said but snark against egotistic chef Corey.  Glad to see Matthew taken down a peg or two.  Wanted to try all the dishes of the library team.

I like her a lot too, but she could stand to drop a few of the "I'm just a home cook" references. The line was something like "Did you get the doors painted? No, but the kids are still alive."

[Wings]

8 hours ago, J-Man said:

I think it would've been fairer to pick two people to go home from among the bottom two teams, rather than two from one team. If so, Suzanne probably would've been (compound) toast and Toya might have stayed, since her food was not bad and was marked down mostly for not fitting the theme.

I agree.  

Susanne is gone next week unless it is a middle eastern theme.   Rusty needs to go, too.   I find tiring to watch big men get all puffed up about hurling large cuts of meat on a grill with the predictable bravado.   I am a meat and potato guy says he.  And top that off with a Bonjourno.    >groan, go away <

Hors d'oeuvres are supposed to be picked up with your fingers and eaten in one or two bites.  The judges don't seem to be calling them on that. 

Nancy said the small potatoes are all they had.  She just didn't look carefully.  Larger ones had to have been there.  She was a pill in the market. 

Vietnamese pancakes/crepes are delicious but with half cornstarch?! That sounds terrible.  I make them with only rice flour.    

Prediction, Cory and Addie will be the finalists.  

[Blonde Gator]

9 hours ago, backformore said:

I'm confused by the "mini-Martha" label, since I don't even know the contestants names yet, I can't also know their nicknames. 

One contestants, Addie,, made the lavender tea sandwiches.  The other,  Amy, made two different "mosaic" tea sandwiches.  I think that's right. 

I do wish that the "team" element wasn't there.  the worst dish or presentation could be save by having strong team members.  I think the worst PERSON should be eliminated, regardless of team.

The woman on the Library Team, who used to work for Martha Stewart. 

[Blonde Gator]

2 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

WHAT was up with Bobby's eyebrows? He had on so much makeup that they took on a life of their own.

Gosh, I was so scattered last night I forgot to tape this for a 2nd watch.  The comments here about the judges are hilarious, I never catch this stuff on the first watch...so thanks for the giggles!

[backformore]

7 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

They did have a leader whether they acknowledged it or not.  It was Nancy.  Matthew tried to lead but for whatever reason, they didn't want to listen to him. Perhaps it was because of smug critique of their intros last week. Nancy is the one who said no to his purchased of whipped cream in the spray can (I was on her side here--it may have been chantilly cream but he can make that and it'd probably be better.)  Nancy is the one who said he can't make hot soup for brunch which is how she volunteered to make her cold potato soup.  And Nancy was the one who first went "no no no" to his idea to rehearse.  They may not have recognized it but they did follow someone.

I agree!  The others followed Nancy's lead in dismissing anything matthew said or did.  It would have been smarter of the others to listen to him.  Nancy was actually a bit of a bully, shutting down anything he said, then referring to him as a "toddler".   Just because you choose to call yourself "Nana", doesn't mean you're everyone's grandma and they have to obey you!

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Exactly what was available in the FN pantry anyway?  I was confused about potatoes and corn starch.  If Nancy wanted a particular potato for her vichysoisse, why didn't she ask them to shop for it?  

Nancy shopped - AND I noticed another contestant who had large potatoes, so they were available.

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

I almost forgot - Giada had the most off-putting close-up of sticking a fork in her mouth and scraping the food off with her teeth in a kind of rictus grin.  The horror!

YES!  And the look on her face!  she was thinking, "OK how many calories would be in two molecules of this?" 

[Maya]

7 hours ago, spiderpig said:

I also wonder about team issues, and particularly having half the team food shop for everyone.  While C and D are off looking at designer library books, they're relying on A and B to purchase their vittles.  I wouldn't be comfortable with giving a competitor (though temporarily a teammate) that much control over my preparation.  Especially when Corey dropped 1/3 of the team's budget on caviar for his own dish.

That's a good point, what a fantastic opportunity for sabotage, especially since they're not allowed to say things like, "I didn't have (blank), so I had to make this instead." Although doesn't seem like any of the shoppers were that evil :)

I didn't understand why Corey needed the family-size tin of caviar, then realized later they were cooking for an entire ballroom full of people. I missed that somehow. 

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, wings707 said:

When he was younger they were not so big.  The smaller little blonde hairs, that you cannot see here because they are too pale,  are now all red!

Thanks for that pic, glad it's not just me noticing the two big caterpillars that have taken up residence on his forehead.

[Gbb]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

Rusty needs to go, too.   I find tiring to watch big men get all puffed up about hurling large cuts of meat on a grill with the predictable bravado.   I am a meat and potato guy says he.  And top that off with a Bonjourno.    >groan, go away <

Hors d'oeuvres are supposed to be picked up with your fingers and eaten in one or two bites.  The judges don't seem to be calling them on that.

I wonder if there was a bit of discussion about this that we missed. At one point (re Rusty's chop) Bobby said something like "It's kind of like a lollypop. You can pick it up one one hand and eat it." and Giada said "I dare you" (or words to that effect). Makes me think one of the judges brought up the fact that Rusty's dish wasn't really an hors d'oeuvre.

[cooksdelight]

Just now, Gbb said:

Makes me think one of the judges brought up the fact that Rusty's dish wasn't really an hors d'oeuvre.

Sandra probably did, and they edited it out so that they can keep Rusty around longer.

Nancy is posting on FB this morning about the editing, and how she wasn't properly shown, she's won hundreds of cooking competitions. She won't say much more, but like everyone else who gets booted early, they whine about the editing.

[Wings]

Addie would be a good choice for a show about entertaining Martha style.  Not a stand and stir or even making entrees.  Focus on hors d' oeuvres, small plates and specialty dishes for holidays and events.  I can see that work.  Toss in table decor and she fills a space.  

[smiley13]

2 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Addie would be a good choice for a show about entertaining Martha style.  Not a stand and stir or even making entrees.  Focus on hors d' oeuvres, small plates and specialty dishes for holidays and events.  I can see that work.  Toss in table decor and she fills a space.  

She could be the new Sandra Lee, but that would still be what people here call stand and stir if any food is involved.

[dewelar]

As is often the case, for the most part the people who stand out to me this early in the season are doing so negatively. Even Jason, whom I was predisposed to like after his Baking Championship win, is getting on my nerves. Also, apparently Aunt Sandy didn't think much of his floral arranging skills, which had to hurt. I do think I liked Cory and Addie this week, though.

 

Good riddance to Nancy, but too bad Toya had to be collateral damage. As noted above, it really should have been Suzanne, and I really, really wish it would have been Rusty. "How ya dern?" Seriously? Wasn't the "ermahgerd" meme over a few years ago? Oh, and Giada? When I think "meal in a ballroom", I absolutely do not think decadent. I think elegant, which is the absolute opposite of what gnawing on a lamb chop is. Also, Amy? Making sandwiches with two different sets of innards is not the same as making sandwiches two ways. Gah.

 

Regarding the shopping, I think Cao got hosed by Matthew -- who said he knew "exactly what Cao and Toya need" -- not getting her cornstarch. That was the one thing about which Nancy was right -- he kind of did need supervision. He's right below Rusty on my hate list, but unfortunately I expect him to make the finals.

Edited June 12, 2017 by dewelar
A few tweaks

[laffytaffy997]

59 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Addie would be a good choice for a show about entertaining Martha style.  Not a stand and stir or even making entrees.  Focus on hors d' oeuvres, small plates and specialty dishes for holidays and events.  I can see that work.  Toss in table decor and she fills a space.  

Giada already has a show that is pretty much that premise called "Giada Entertains." Although, it is a stand and stir show.

[Gbb]

10 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Regarding the shopping, I think Cao got hosed by Matthew -- who said he knew "exactly what Cao and Toya need" -- not getting her cornstarch. That was the one thing about which Nancy was right -- he kind of did need supervision. He's right below Rusty on my hate list, but unfortunately I expect him to make the finals.

I'm not so sure about that.  Half rice-flour, half-corn starch sounded off to me, so I Googled "Vietnamese pancake" recipes. The top 6 search returns didn't list cornstarch on the ingredients list at all. The 7th did but listed only 2T and "optional."  I wonder too about pantry items vs. high-end French grocery items. Certain things I'd expect to be in the pantry: AP flour, corn starch, white & apple cider vinegar, butter. Others I would expect to need to buy at the specialty store: rice flour, champagne vinegar, grass-fed cultured butter.  I could be totally off-base, of course.

[Wings]

20 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Good riddance to Nancy, but too bad Toya had to be collateral damage. As noted above, it really should have been Suzanne, and I really, really wish it would have been Rusty. "How ya dern?" Seriously? Wasn't the "ermahgerd" meme over a few years ago? Oh, and Giada? When I think "meal in a ballroom", I absolutely do not think decadent. I think elegant, which is the absolute opposite of what gnawing on a lamb chop is.

Yes to all of this.  LOL!  

Again the judges did not give specific enough instructions.   

Should ofs:

*Your food should be elegant

*Hors d' oeuvres are hand held and one or two bites

*Think France, step out of your comfort zone

*Think dainty and easily consumed standing at a small table (thinking shrimp and grits here)

*Think buffet, guests will want to taste several things at your table  (again the shrimp and grits)

[Gbb]

33 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Good riddance to Nancy, but too bad Toya had to be collateral damage.

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I am about Toya going home last night. I doubt she was going to win but she seemed to have a lot of potential and she did far better than some people last night *cough*Suzanne*cough*

Sure, Shrimp & Grits isn't particularly French, but then neither were a LOT of the dishes that made it through, even on the winning team. (And as a Creole dish, I can make a much better  argument for it being French than a lot of other dishes.) As for it not fitting the brunch theme, I live in the South and if you go to a nice restaurant that serves brunch, you can bet Shrimp & Grits will be on the menu somewhere. Grits is a breakfast food, for Pete's sake.  And lookee here what I found from a Brunch at Bobby's episode: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/brunch-bobbys/episodes/southern-brunch

I'm mostly annoyed that they didn't kick people off from BOTH losing teams rather than taking half of a single team, especially when Matthew and Cao aren't going anywhere soon. That meant Toya was leaving no matter what she made.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Gbb

[dewelar]

18 minutes ago, Gbb said:

38 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Regarding the shopping, I think Cao got hosed by Matthew -- who said he knew "exactly what Cao and Toya need" -- not getting her cornstarch...

I'm not so sure about that.  Half rice-flour, half-corn starch sounded off to me, so I Googled "Vietnamese pancake" recipes. The top 6 search returns didn't list cornstarch on the ingredients list at all. The 7th did but listed only 2T and "optional." [...] Certain things I'd expect to be in the pantry: [...] corn starch...

Fair enough. I'm not much of a cook myself, so I probably underestimate the availability of cornstarch (and my dislike of smug Matthew may be coloring my view). Still, that was the impression that the editing monkeys gave me, so there you are.

Edited June 12, 2017 by dewelar
Weird font thing again

[cooksdelight]

39 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Again the judges did not give specific enough instructions.   

Should ofs:

*Your food should be elegant

*Hors d' oeuvres are hand held and one or two bites

*Think France, step out of your comfort zone

*Think dainty and easily consumed standing at a small table (thinking shrimp and grits here)

*Think buffet, guests will want to taste several things at your table  (again the shrimp and grits)

Cooks/chefs of the caliber to be on this show should know all this. But they are handed money to go shopping after they come up with a recipe to fix what they think will WOW the judges, and all common sense goes right out of their heads.

I'm not a professional, but I have done a lot of catering for friends. If they tell me it's a party of hors d'oeuvres, I know not to put a platter of chicken legs on the menu.

If the theme is France, I know not to make a southern dish. 

[smiley13]

1 minute ago, cooksdelight said:

Cooks/chefs of the caliber to be on this show should know all this. But they are handed money to go shopping after they come up with a recipe to fix what they think will WOW the judges, and all common sense goes right out of their heads.

I'm not a professional, but I have done a lot of catering for friends. If they tell me it's a party of hors d'oeuvres, I know not to put a platter of chicken legs on the menu.

If the theme is France, I know not to make a southern dish. 

Her dish was Creole and was a brunch item.  Being Creole tied it into the French theme.  

[Wings]

13 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

Her dish was Creole and was a brunch item.  Being Creole tied it into the French theme.  

It was too large and though Creole people have French roots it is not by any stretch considered French cuisine.  Grits are not found in France, Thailand or India, to name 3 of many!  The judges mentioned that.  You want to win the show?  Pay attention.  

There were others who failed on that, too, but were not on the losing team.  

Edited June 12, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

6 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

They're copying Top Chef.

 

She was the shopper, she and Matthew. So, it's her own damn fault she didn't get her food cooked fast enough and had no time to strain it. Also, did you notice the look on her face when they told her it tasted like cold mashed potatoes?? HAHAHAHA

Thanks for pointing that out cooks.  Even more reason Nancy shot herself in the foot. (I guess I was so busy being dazzled by Matt's aw-shucks George Clooney charm - not - that I forgot she was with him.)  Since the main focus of your French dish is potatoes, and you're shopping in a French market, don't you think you would work a little harder to find your principle ingredient?  I'd like to root for a fellow oldster, but based on her food and presentation, Nancy needed to go.  (Did she really work for NASA?  Where?  The car pool?)

49 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Yes to all of this.  LOL!  

Again the judges did not give specific enough instructions.   

Should ofs:

*Your food should be elegant

*Hors d' oeuvres are hand held and one or two bites

*Think France, step out of your comfort zone

*Think dainty and easily consumed standing at a small table (thinking shrimp and grits here)

*Think buffet, guests will want to taste several things at your table  (again the shrimp and grits)

I agree about the vagueness of the assignment, wings.  They were busy getting their contractually-obligated film clip in and showing the contestants squee about the movie, but they weren't very specific except about the rooms they were to represent. 

[cooksdelight]

8 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

(Did she really work for NASA?  Where?  The car pool?)

Bwahahahahaha!!!  No, she pushed the launch button. 

Think about that, as slow as she has been. :D