12:31 December 01, 2008 | All news from "Cooking Tips"

Top Chef - A Foo Fighters Thanksgiving Feast

Last week?s Top Chef threw some curveballs at the competitors. In the Quickfire Challenge, they were initially given a page number in the Top Chef The Cookbook with a recipe that they would have to put their own spin on from previous seasons. After about 15 minutes of prep work, they were told that Padma and guest judge, Grant Achatz, now wanted them to prepare a soup using those same ingredients.

Most of the chefs were able to roll with the changes and came up with some interesting creations. I enjoyed watching the judges taste the soups because it seemed like they were giving more feedback than in previous episodes. It was easier to tell which ones were likely to be favorites based on the comments made. Overall, Leah was the top choice in this challenge with her chilled white asparagus soup.

The chefs were surprised with this week?s Elimination Challenge because they were to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for the Foo Fighters at their current concert venue in Rochester, NY. They were given their rider, which states all of their likes and dislikes, and they were to take that into consideration when making up their menu. The winning team would be invited to stay and watch the concert after dinner. Leah was given the opportunity to choose her team and the remaining chefs made up the second team.

Once they arrived, they were thrown a curveball in that they were to prepare the meal outside using toaster ovens, microwaves and one burner. There were no refrigerators or cold storage available. Each team created a menu that had some traditional items on it, as well as a few twists based on what the Foo Fighters might like. While preparing their dishes, it started to rain, so another unintended curveball was thrown into the mix on this challenge.

Overall, the judges chose Leah?s team as the winner. They made a vegan stuffing that was perfect and a huge hit with the judges and the band. They also loved the mashed yams witih the burnt marshmallows on top. In case you are keeping score, both of the European chefs were on this team, which means they have not been on the losing side yet!

The other team had one shining spot with Ariane. She really redeemed herself this week with a perfectly cooked turkey. No small feat considering she had to prepare it in a toaster oven. Daniel tried to hide that some of his potatoes were underdone, and mashed them with the fully cooked potatoes. He referred to them as ?al dente,? but no one enjoyed them. Carla?s cobbler was the best of the three bad desserts that were prepared. Jeff took on the leadership role, but then took on way too many dishes and they were impacted by his lack of focus. Richard?s Banana S?more was described by one of the members of the band as looking like it had spit on it. Not exactly appetizing, and apprarently enough to send him to pack his knives this week.

If you get a chance to catch this episode when it?s aired again, I would recommend it because the Foo Fighters were fun to watch and their comments were some of the best I?ve heard yet.

This week, the contestants are preparing food on the Today Show live.

Photo courtesy of Bravo TV.