- The chefs must find that certain Je Ne Sais Quoi in Sin City. The contestants are put to the test when they must pair up to make the perfect French dish for some of France's culinary greats: "Chef of the Century," Joel Robuchon along with culinary superstars Daniel Boulud, Hubert Keller, Laurent Tourondel and Jean Joho join the competitors at Joel Robuchon for this French-tastic fine-dining challenge.—Anonymous
- Mike I. is still bitter he was on the bottom for the Air Force challenge. Robin notices that the first three chefs eliminated were all women. They head to Daniel Boulud's restaurant. Mattin is practically giving birth to neckerchiefs, he's so excited.
Tom and Daniel greet them. Tom introduces the escargot. Jen thinks "whoever thought a snail looked good to eat, had to be really f----- hungry."
For their Quickfire they have to use snails as their main protein. Daniel expects something he's never tasted before. It's high stakes - but it's not about winning money. The winner gets immunity and the loser will be going home. Jen admits she's "nervous as hell."
They get to use Daniel's kitchen and they're serving Tom and Daniel. And they're off. Ashley has never cooked escargot and is really nervous, Mike I is going Greek. Robin accidentally grabs Ron's snails but they clear it up politely and calmly.
Mattin says he came to the U.S. from France in 2002 and escargot are his childhood.
Serving time.
Ron made snails Provencal with carmelized shallots. Jen made grilled ramps with Brussel sprouts and chantrelle and snails in ouzu. Jesse made an "ELT" - fried snails, mache and fried green tomatoes.
Laurine made lemon risotto with parsley pesto and snails. Hector made Carribean snails with pickled mushrooms. Robin did a twist on bagels and lox with poached escargot, marmalade.
Mattin made fava bean crostini with escargot. Ashley made escargot mirepoix soup and salad. Kevin made escargot fricassee with bacon jam.
Bryan made escargot with red wine risotto, spinach emulsion and marcona almond froth, Mike V. made escargot with chantrelle bolognese, Mike I made sauteed escargot over potato garlic puree with spring onion and ouzo broth.
Tom tells the gang they did a great job. Daniel picks his favorites: Mike I., Kevin and Jen. The winner is Kevin, who gets immunity and a bonus to be named later.
The least favorites were Jesse, Ashley and Robin. (Perennial loser Jesse looks like she's going to cry.) Tom announces a cookoff: they get 20 minutes to make an amuse bouche and the loser is out.
Ashley says the kitchen is a disaster and they can't find anything.
Robin made avacado soup with crab, ouzo and green apple relish. Jesse made tuna tartare with a fried quail egg on top. Ashley made foie gras with pineapple, carmelized tomato and ramps.
Tom tells Robin her proportion was a little off, but hers was a "very nice dish." Tom tells Jesse hers was a little off. Ashley had a great idea but the foie gras could have been cut thicker.
Tom announces the loser: Jesse.
She doesn't seem surprised. "I'm pissed, I'm disappointed, I'm embarrassed. I haven't felt like myself since I got here. I've been on the bottom the entire time I've been here. The thing I want people to know is that I don't suck this bad."
Jen also notices that only women are being eliminated. "We really need to step it up more."
For the elimination challenge, they draw knives with classic French sauces or protein on them. They're working in pairs to make a six course meal pairing their sauces and proteins.
Mattin continues to think he's got it made. They'll be serving some of the best French chefs in the world, Tom announces, including Joel Robuchon, who was named chef of the century in France. Tom says he's nervous to even eat with the man. As winner, Kevin not only isn't cooking, he gets to eat with them. He's beside himself. He has all of his books, even the ones in French, which he doesn't understand.
They pair up, including the trout with the bernaise and frog legs with brown butter. Off to shop they go, with a budget of $200.
Ashley is with Mattin making young chicken in veloute sauce, which she describes as French gravy. She wants to use asparagus, but he says you never put green anything in that sauce.
Ron thinks Robin's ideas are a little out there, and not classically French.
Mike V worked under a French chef for a year and is paired with Jen for rabbit and sauce chasseur. Bryan V. and Mike I. are together for the trout and bernaise.
Back to the kitchen to prep for two hours.
Mike I wants to do a twist on the sauce and Bryan, who worked in a steak house and made eggless bernaise a ton steers him in the right direction.
Ron says he's made frog legs maybe 200 different ways because he has classical French training. As they work together, Robin doesn't stop talking and he says no one wants to work with her.
Back at the house they celebrate Mattin's birthday, continuing the French-athon. He gets loaded and gets in the hot tub half clothed.
In the morning, they try not to psych themselves out. Kevin says it's the biggest moment in most of the chefs' careers.
They head off to Joel Robuchon's restaurant. Mike I is awed to be in his kitchen. Ron tries to get Robin to focus on her sauce.
Mike I is worried that his deconstructed bernaise isn't working.
Eli has sauce Americaine (like lobster bisque) with Laurine's lobster. They worry about overcooking the lobster.
Ashley says she's so nervous she "feels like throwing up."
Jen and Mike V. work together seamlessly.
Hector and Ash are making chateaubriand with sauce au poivre, which is basically filet mignon with pepper sauce. Hector worries his meat isn't at the temperature he wants.
The chefs, Tom, Padma and Gail arrive. Kevin tries to keep himself together.
Eli describes Ron and Robin's dish as "overly caked frog legs" sitting on a bed of wilted greens.
Padma introduces the guest judges: chefs Boulud, Hubert Keller, Jean Joho (owner of Everest and Eiffel Tower restaurants), Laurent Tourondel, owner of BLT restaurants; and Joel Robuchon, who apologizes that he doesn't speak English (he has a translator).
Ron and Robin present their frog legs meuniere with lemon confit, mache and argula salad with fried capers. Daniel says the legs were overcooked. Hubert thinks there was some originality in the dish. Joel says you can't really taste the frog anymore.
Mike I. and Bryan V. serve their warm cured trout in a light brine with deconstructed bernaise. Boulud gets immediately that the sauce can be mixed into bernaise. Jean thinks the dish could be served in a restaurant. Joel likes the thought they put into it and says he liked it very much.
Eli and Laurine present their lobster with sauce Americaine with cauliflower puree. Joel says they succeed, but it lacks classic sauce Americaine flavor.
Mattin and Ashley present seared poussin with ravioli with sauce veloute and green asparagus. (Mattin presents first in French.) Joel says the fish is bland and the sauce isn't quite right. Jean says the poussin is overcooked and the bacon wasn't needed in the sauce. Tom says this is one case where something wasn't better with bacon.
Jen and Mike V. finish just in time and present their rabbit chasseur with mustard noodle and shiso. Daniel calls it a very good piece of rabbit, and Joel says it was perfectly cooked. Tom thinks it's very mature cooking.
Hector waits til the last moment to cut his resting meat which means Ash doesn't get enough sauce on the plates. They present their chateaubriand, sauce au poivre with confit de pommes and spinach. Padma asks where her sauce is. Joel says it lacks refinement. Tom thinks his meat is cooked wrong and Gail says hers looks like it was "hacked with an ax."
Joel says he was "pleasantly surprised by the quality of the work of some of these young candidates. We saw some very successful dishes." Gail says she doesn't think they couldn't have had this meal at this point in any other season. Joel says any of the chefs are welcome to come work for him.
Back in the stew room Kevin joins them. He says they weren't disappointed in any way, but he doesn't ID favorites.
Padma comes for Bryan, Mike I., Jen and Mike V. The Voltaggios reign again. Mattin looks like he wants to cry tiny French tears.
Padma tells them they had the best dishes. Tom says they were amazing dishes and Joel was a big fan of the trout. Mike I says it was great team work.
Tom tells Jen her sauce was a "brilliant idea of what food can be." Jen says it was easy working together. "It's hard when you're working next to somebody that talented, you hope she's not going to out-do you," Mike says. Jen beams. Well flirted, sir.
Daniel announces the winner: Brian. Chef Robuchon has invited him to come work for him for a week. Bryan's thrilled.
Padma asks for the losers. Mattin, Ashley, Hector and Ash.
Gail tells Ashley the poussin was dried out and Daniel says the veloute was more like a gravy, with too much bacon, Tom adds. When Daniel says the asparagus didn't add anything, Mattin says it wasn't his idea. Ashley says she suggested an asparagus veloute and Tom says he assumes Mattin shot that down. He says he didn't (even though we saw him doing so).
With Ash, Padma asks where the sauce was. Hector looks wounded knowing the meat didn't turn out right. He tells them about having two minutes to cut. Daniel says it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to cook meat.
Ash goes back to the stew room and says the chopping block is painful because the judges are right.
Tom says the beef was under-rested and Daniel says the chateaubriand was the easiest thing to do. Tom says a great sauce couldn't hide the poorly cooked meat.
As for Ashley, Gail thinks she acted like she had no responsibility. Daniel guesses that she left it up to Mattin. Tom thinks this was Mattin's moment to shine and he didn't and his veloute was a bacon cream sauce.
Back out on the chopping block.
Tom reminds the losers that the night's challenge was probably a high point in their careers, with the opportunity to cook for such renowned chefs. He tells Mattin and Ashley there were problems with both parts of their dish and that Hector and Ash's wasn't harmonious.
And the knife packer is... Hector.
"I am sad that I'm leaving, I expected to be here longer, to show more of my skills, to represent my people longer," he says. "A couple of the challenges I changed the way I cook to meet time restrictions, to meet the judge's tastes, and I think maybe that didn't play my way."
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