Demonstration class - Richard Blais, Top Chef Season 4

Being interested in all things food I was extremely excited to hear that Bravo and the Culinary Institute of America was organising demonstration cooking classes featuring the Top Chef Season 4 contestants. Throughout the show I had always thought that Dale Talde and Richard Blais were the strongest contestants but was slightly biased towards Richard due to his down to earth personality. Combined with my fascination for molecular gastronomy (having topped Chemistry in high school!!!) and a chef who had worked with names such as Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria and Daniel Boulud Richard was a natural choice.


Anticipation builds....

Having arrived straight from work I was still slightly flustered upon arrival. At my seat was a copy of the Top Chef cookbook presumably for Richard to sign later on. There was muted excitement as we all stared at the 'stage' which Richard was to be working from. The pyramid of products below are the various 'chemicals' used by Richard and most molecular gastronomy chefs.





Cocktail: Manhattan



As we are in NY, Richard kicks off with a Manhattan. So what is unique about this cocktail well firstly for those adverse to bird flu no eggs were used in producing the froth!!! Instead it was produced with lecithin, sodium alginate and calcium chloride. Ok so not exactly exciting for the average Joe but for a nerd like me this is fascinating stuff.

The cherry 'caviar' (shown above) is made by combining a cherry base, sodium alginate (gelling agent) and sodium citrate (an anticoagulant) and dripping these into a calcium chloride solution. The 'caviar' forms at the bottom of the solution. Fruit caviars as it is known was first used in the kitchen of Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame and no doubt Richard must have picked it up there.


Appetisers: Vitello Tramonto - hamachi sashimi with deep fried chicken skin



This dish is an attempt to replicate Richard's episode 12 hamachi and sweetbread dish. The sweetbreads were replaced with chicken skin you'ld think that given the demo was $195 a pop they would not hold back on the sweetbreads. Anyway back to the food. When I looked at the dish I worried that the hamachi would be overpowered but it was perfect the vinaigrette of lime juice, yuzu juice, truffle oil, ginger, honey and soy was light and brought out the natural flavours of the hamachi.

I had the smoked mayonnaise with the chicken skin not wanting to contaminate my hamachi. The mayonnaise was absolutely the best and most complex mayonnaise I have ever had.


Entree: Tofu steak marinated in beef fat with green curry



Episode 7 and this dish in particular epitomised why I loved Top Chef. I would say that this had to be my favourite dish in the whole episode so was extremely pleased to see that it was on the menu. The recipe is available on Bravo's website so I will only comment on the taste http://recipes.mt.bravotv.com/top_chef/season_4/episode_7_1/tofu_steak_marinated.php

This dish was everything I expected it to be the tofu well marinated, the green curry thick and flavoursome. What was also interesting about this dish other than the tofu was the vodka battered onion rings they were light, airy and crispy. The interesting thing about this dish was that it had flavours on every level yet it appeared so simple and straightforward as you bit into it.


Dessert: Bacon ice-cream



For dessert we have Richard's well known bacon ice-cream. Instead of using his signature liquid nitrogen Richard instead uses dry ice. The theory is that as the dry ice / liquid nitrogen evaporates it will release cold air and freeze the ice cream. As the released air is colder than the normal variety the ice cream is meant to be more creamy as it has not had time to form icicles. My ice cream was one of the last to arrive so was slightly melted but was still extremely good. The texture true to form was creamy and rich.


Concluding thoughts

Overall this was an experience which I will always cherish. Richard Blais was everything I thought he would be, I definitely hope to eat one of his more extensive tasting menus at his restaurant one day. After thinking about it I conclude that the reason why Richard is my favourite celebrity chef is not just because he produces good food but because he is down to earth, a pragmatic businessman and a natural leader. To me this is important as a good chef will just be a good chef but to be a successful chef you need to be able to lead your team whereas to survive and showcase your food to the world you must to some extent be a businessman. Furthermore, these are quality which I have always aspired to and held in high regard so in this respect it was inspirational to see a successful individual who still adheres to these values.

Also Richard like me believes that for food to be great you do not need to sprinkle it with foie gras, truffle and sweetbreads it is how it is made and the attention to detail and flavour that counts. I was also impressed when at the end he thanked his sous chefs for their help during the day saying that they are normally the forgotten people who worked the hardest.

One of my complaints was that I thought there should be more food as I really wanted to get the Richard Blais experience for someone who doesn't eat a lot I went home hungry!!! However, this seemed to be more in Bravo's control than Richard's. My other source of complaint which is again directed at Bravo was that they had a representative who monitored all of Richard's responses which at times marred the intimate nature of the Q&A.

Below is a picture of Richard and me after he signs my book.

Water Grill 5x5 dinner, LA

The 5 x 5 dinner is a collaboration by five of LA's finest chefs. Each chef is responsible for one dish from the tasting menu. This process is repeated at each chef's restaurant. I am told by my more experienced fellow diners that Water Grill is event 4 of 5.


Canapes and Amuse Bouche

Canapes: Kanpachi, pineapple and daikon (left)
Canapes: Risotto Balls with saffron, papaya, and andouille sausage (middle)
Canapes: Foie gras with orange konjac jelly and orange zest (right)



Perhaps it has been a while perhaps my memory is faulty but I cannot remember anything about the kanpachi even though it was meant to take centre stage. My only memory was that the daikon was strong and left a freshness in the mouth due to its coolness

Being partial to fried goodness my mouth had watered at the mere sight of the risotto balls and the little delights did not disappoint. Texturally the outer layer was just the right amount of crispiness and the filling sufficiently moist and succulent but not the sorry mess that risotto balls can sometimes be.

I have always strongly believed that foie gras should come in smaller portions as I am aware of how they are made but also for health reasons and the richness of foie gras itself. So I was pleased to see 'bite size' foie gras for the first time. The smooth, buttery richness was well balanced by the subtle orange jelly and zest and for once I craved for more. To be honest I also craved a piece of warm brioche to go with the foie gras.


Amuse bouche: Uni, fennel sorbet and tonburi - Chef David LeFevre of Water Grill



Coming from Australia where I could buy freshly opened uni for less than $10 at the Sydney fish markets, any uni dish was facing an uphill battle with me. This was exactly the case here, there was nothing wrong with the chef's interpretation in fact it was fairly good but I still felt myself daydreaming of the Sydney fish markets.

We were provided with olive, french and sourdough bread. The olives were my favourite. The idea of bread with butter is still a bit foreign to me and I wished I had some olive oil and rosemary to go with the bread.


Tasting Menu

Tasting 1: Big eye tuna sashimi with petite mache, jicama, watermelon, black quinoa, quail egg and shellfish emulsion - Chef Tentori of Boka (Chicago, Illinois)
Tasting 2: Pan roasted scallops with american caviar and yukon gold potato - Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence



This was a dish well done. Upon first looking at the tuna I winced my preference is to nurture the natural flavour and this was a piece of tuna that looked like it was drowning in flavours. However, this was not the case in each bite the flavours enhanced and complemented the natural flavour rather than override it. As I'm partial to quail eggs there is almost nothing a chef can do to turn me away from one and it was the case here.

If I had never had the scallops at Le Bernadins I would have no cause for complaint on this dish. There was a good interplay between the butter, lemon, caviar and savoury additions. In fact it tasted almost like the scallops at Le Bernadins but the flavour was not as bold and the scallops slightly tough but still very delicious.


Tasting 3: Santa Barbara spot prawn risotto with asparagus - Chef Gino Angelini of Oesteria Angelini
Tasting 4: Roasted john dory, mushroom tart, chorizo-torpedo onion marmalad with red wine mushroom jus - Chef Josiah Citrine of Melisse
Tasting 5: Hawaiin mero with kobe oxtail and red wine sauce - Chef Walter Manzke




Having never really been a risotto fan I pass this dish onto my fellow diner but of the mouthful I did have I thought that it was a bit to salty, the prawn was not fresh and the risotto undercooked. However, as I said I am not a risotto connoisseur and have not enjoyed what others consider to be 'good' risotto before so my comments may not be a good reflection of fact.

I really enjoyed the flavours on the dory dish particularly the mushroom tart. However, as I had spent some time on photographing the dory the pasty on my tart was not as crispy as it once was. At first I thought that the dory was too soft and it was overcooked however, upon reading more on the dory I realised there was nothing the chef could do the texture was that way as the fish had small, fine flakes.

Of the mero (furthest right) I cannot remember much perhaps because it was overpowered by other strong contenders on the plate. From left to right the celery with bacon was an interesting combination that worked well. The marrow was rich and decadent leaving me wanting however I felt that it was slightly overpowered by the carrots and wished that I had had it by itself. My personal favourite is the wagyu oxtail and potato it was simple but delectable.


Dessert and petit fours

Dessert: Yoghurt parfait with white nectarine sorbet and clementine sauce - Chef John Park of Water Grill
Petit fours (clockwise): Churros, valrhona chocolate, shortbread, peanut butter and jelly, pistachio macaroons, chocolate macaroons, peach jelly
Petit fours: malted chocolate ice cream lollipops



Chef John did what most chefs rarely did with desserts and that was practice moderation and this impressed me. The parfait was subtle with some slight acidity and the accompanying cherries and sauce were also light and fresh on the palate. An excellent job was also done on making the sorbet taste just like nectarines.

I had never seen such an elaborate arrangement of petit fours before in my life. My dining companions use the phrase mignardise instead of petit fours which also means little bites this impressed me and I make a mental note to casually drop the word next time in everyday conversation like I am just naturally sophisticated!!! Every piece was decadent and tasty my favourite are the churros I wish I had a bit of ice cream and chocolate to dip it in. This was one of the best churros I had ever had (note churros are rare in Sydney) the centre was soft and moist, the outer layer crispy but not harsh to the bite. After that I must say I was suitably pleased with the macaroons, these were the first macaroons in the US which came close to my experience at the Laduree, Paris. Actually everything on the plate was well done I only missed out on the jelly as I am not partial to sweet jelly desserts.

After thinking that this could not get any better I finished off with the lollipops and a cold burst of sensation burst across my tongue and filled me with delight. Needless to say it was a great ending to the meal


Final thoughts

Overall, the dishes were solid and enjoyable. Needless to say there were slight flaws in some of the dishes but in each case never enough to detract from the enjoyment of the meal. This being my first wine pairing I must say that a few of the wines will now enter my lists of favourite wines. I must give a big thanks to my dining companions who were very generous with their food knowledge (and wine knowledge in fact!!!) as well as their patience with my camera antics even to some point encouraging it. Actually one of the other more experienced blogger does this cool thing where he talks into the camera like a dictaphone after each dish and I am making mental notes to be equally sophisticated soon :P

Water Grill
544 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Phone: 213.891.0900