if you can believe it, i never watched top chef masters while it was airing, but spent a productive day watching a marathon of back-to-back episodes. i was ecstatic when the sweet and wildly talented RICK BAYLESS was deservedly crowned top chef master! he represented the vast spectrum of mexican food, as it should be. finally! you may remember when i recently wrote about this subject and my hope that mexican food be recognized not just for delicious street food, but also for the refined cuisine it is. while judging rick bayless' presentation, ny food critic gael greene said her dish was much more sophisticated than what she expected, and padma lakshmi followed with, "a lot of times we don't give mexican food enough street cred as being as serious as maybe french or italian, and here there is nothing NOT sophisticated about this." i'm happy this dining experience opened the idea to the masses of mexican cuisine being a refined one.
i thought hubert keller was incredibly gracious and a monstrosity of talent. i was most fortunate to have dined at his restaurant, fleur de lys and had an unforgettable exquisite ballad of flavors with each biteful. he was such a thoughtful and kind teacher on the show. now michael chiarello on the other hand, my foodie love affair was threatened of coming to an end. although his food clearly speaks for itself and i've been a long admirer of his shows, cookbooks and restaurants, he got under my skin with that ego. who knows, it is reality tv after all, but there was a certain thoughtfulness i found to be lacking. he did appear to soften and in his reading his blog post here about how he came off was insightful. i do love how he spoke of his tremendous respect for rick bayless, and not just the food he prepares, but the respect he has for mexican culture as a whole. and can we have a moment of silence for that brined short rib he made for the finale? i can't talk about these 3 great chefs without speaking of anita lo. how incredible and inventive was she?! she's a whole lot of awesomeness. her dishes as my sister brought out were 'modern, yet homey'--which i find fits into my favorite genre. i was tempted to lick the tv a few times when her dishes were presented.
rick bayless wowed the judges and brought home the gold with his ahi tuna smothered with oaxacan black mole sauce which contained a staggering 27 ingredients! my mouth waters at the mere thought of it. fortunate for me, my sister got busy in the kitchen last night and began preparing an oaxacan mole that i may well be on my way to consuming in a few hours. until then, in the words or rick bayless when he won the competition: "VIVA MEXICO!"
Ahi Tuna with Oaxaca Black Mole, Plantain Tamal and Grilled Nopales
Arroz a la Tumbada, Tomato-Jalapeňo Broth, Chorizo "Air"
Achiote-Marinated Cochinta Pibil with Sunchoke Purée and Crispy Pigs Feet{via televicious}
