Top Chef ™

Top Chef ™ Challenge Type:

Elimination

Beet, Kale and Puffins on a Table

Dan: " I present you with beet tartar mixed with tahini, pickled apples, celery, and shallots. We have a beet puree with shirodashi and fish sauce, a fried kale and pumpkin seed puree with a little fried kale salad. We have some scallion powder. There's black garlic, lavender with harissa oil and horseradish emulsion. And then there's a side that is somewhere between a pita and a english muffin."

Gail Simmons, waving the side: "That's a perfect description."

Dan: " I call them puffins. I just had a good time with this."

Judges' Comments

"I mean, it's playful, it's fun. A lot of organic movements going on. Very Jackson Pollock style."

"Yeah. I love these puffins. There's like a real fluffiness to them. That's so great."

"The fun thing about this, you try different pieces. So you try some of the beets and labneh together. It's really nice. The beets and horseradish together kind of mix and match."

"Beets are one of my all time favorites. So to have them like this, where if you closed your eyes and questioned if it was a beet or not because of the smokiness, it's just a lot of fun."

Meanwhile, Kristen Kish is having fun on the table ...

"Kristen, what are you doing over there?"

Kristen Kish: "I'm just playing. Now you make one big bite."

"Oh, you're really just making a puffin sandwich. Go, girl. Someone had to do it."