The remaining sixteen contestants on “MasterChef” will visit Camp Pendleton, a military base in Calif., where they will work in teams to prepare a healthy and balanced meal for 200 servicemen and women. After judges put the contestants through culinary ‘boot camp,’ the contestants return to the “MasterChef” kitchen for an intense elimination round. Who will emerge from the trenches and continue in the competition? The top 16 will compete on the June 18 episode of “MasterChef” on FOX Television.
Chef Graham Elliot is the culinary mastermind behind Chicago’s first “bistronomic” restaurant, Graham Elliot, which tempers four-star cuisine with humor and accessibility. In a very short time, the 33-year-old chef has accrued accolades, including Best New Chef in 2004 from Food & Wine magazine and three James Beard Nominations.
At age 27, Elliot became the youngest four-star chef in America. In May 2008, he opened the aptly named Graham Elliot, a restaurant that would not only bear his name, but become an extension of his passionate personality embodying his core principles of humility, courage, vision, respect and focus. Since opening its doors, Graham Elliot has beguiled the city of Chicago garnering two stars from the Chicago Tribune, two-and-a-half stars from the Chicago Sun-Times and one star in the 2011 MICHELIN Guide.
Elliot continues to break the mold at Graham Elliot incorporating his musical talents and passion for fine art into everyday operations. He first appeared at Lollapalooza 2009, a three-day music festival, with a tent in the public food court and a backstage meal for Jane’s Addiction. This past year, Elliot was enlisted as the Culinary Director for the entire festival orchestrating his own hand-picked lineup of Chicago-based chefs to feed festivalgoers.
In December 2010, Elliot opened Grahamwich, a casual, quick-service sandwich shop in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. In addition, he has appeared on both seasons of the popular cable competition series “Top Chef Masters.”
Elliot lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons.
Houstonian and amateur cook Alvin Schultz is a contestant on the second season of “MasterChef ” on FOX 26.
Here is what the judges had to say about their first taste of Schultz‘s food:
“I wish I had two mouths to eat (your food)…”
- Chef Graham Elliot
“Restaurant quality…”
- Joe Bastianich
“You can’t be this creative and not be in the (food) industry … freak genius.”
- Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Schultz was born in San Diego. His father was in the military and the family moved to Brooklyn when Schultz was three years old, and then to Portland, Ore. three years later. His mother cooked great food while Schultz was growing up and he spent his fourth grade summer watching Julia Child’s “How to Cook” series on videos that he checked out from the local library. He lived in Portland until the age of 23 and then moved to Houston.
Schultz employs the molecular gastronomic style of cooking and demonstrates to food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone how to make Steak & Egg with Seasonal Vegetable Hash. A deconstructed Texas Peach Bellini is also featured.
Follow Schultz’s progress on “MasterChef” every Monday and Tuesday night on FOX 26.
For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, listen to Cleverley’s radio show Saturdays at Noon on Talk 650 AM. (By the way, she gives out prizes on every radio show!)
Ingredients:
For the steak
1 thick cut (1.23-1.5″) rib steak. Ask your butcher for a “Cowboy Steak”.
2 Large Eggs.
1 Tspn Activa RM Transglutaminaise.
2 tblspn Butter.
Salt to taste.
Equipment
Immersion circulator set to 54.4 Celsius.
1.125″ Ring mold.
1.5″ Diameter x 1.75″ Biscuit Cutter.
Vacuum Sealer.
Fine hand strainer.
Blow Torch.
For the Hash
1 Cup Waxy potato, .25″ Dice.
1 Cup White Asparagus, .25″ Dice.
1 Large Shallot, Fine Dice.
1/4 Cup Green Onion Sliced Thin.
2 tblspn Green Capers.
1 tblspn Butter.
Micro Arugula.
Salt/Black Pepper to taste.
Equipment
Knife
Cutting Board
Frying pan.
For the Red Wine Carmel
1 Bottle Red Wine. (Value priced – Syrah, or tempernillo).
2 tblspn Butter.
~1/4 Cup Honey or to taste depending on wine.
Salt to taste.
Method
For the Steak
Use the biscuit cutter as a guide and cut two rounds out of the lean part of the steak. Use the smaller ring mold and carefully cut a small plug out of the middle of each steak. do not penetrate the bottom of the steak with your knife.
Flatten the plug out by pressing it against the cutting board like crushing garlic. Place the main part of the steak into the ring mold. Season the bottom of the hole with salt. Seperate the egg and discard the white or save for another use. Place the yolk in the center of the steak. Sprinkle the steak and the flattened plug with Activa RM using a fine hand strainer. Place the steak in a vacuum bag and seal. Allow Activa to set overnight, or place directly into a 54.4 Celsius water bath.
While the steak is in the water bath, Begin reducing wine over high heat and prep vegetables for hash. Total cook time for the steak is at least 60 minutes, up to 4 hours.
For the Red Wine Carmel
Monitor the wine reduction as you prep the vegetables, cut heat when the wine is a light syrup consistency. It will burn very quickly at this stage so be sure to watch it. Add honey and continue to reduce to a maple syrup consistency. Add butter and whisk to emulsify. Taste and correct seasoning with salt and/or honey. Transfer to squeeze bottle for service.
For the Hash
Twenty minutes before serving, sautee shallots in butter over medium heat. Season with salt. Add diced potatoes. Season with salt, and cook until tender. Add Asparagus, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes (Asparagus should be slightly crunchy). Add green onions and capers. Taste and correct for seasoning. Keep hash warm until plating.
Plating
Just before service, remove the steak from the water bath. Cut open vacuum bag and carefully remove steak from the ring mold. On a marble block or similar material, sear the steak with a blow torch. Once it is evenly brown on all sides, top with a teaspoon of butter and brown slightly further with blowtorch. Reserve on paper towels.
On a large white plate, draw a star with the wine reduction. In the center of the star, place about three tablespoons of the hash. Gently place the steak on top of the hash, and top with micro greens.
Deconstructed Texas Peach Bellini
Ingredients
For the Peach “Caviar”
505g Ripe Peaches (About 6 medium sized peaches, halved and pitted)
128g 1:1 Simple Syrup (Recipe Below)
15.75g Calcium Lactate Gluconate
For the Alginate Setting Bath
1432g BOTTLED water (3x12oz bottles, tap water will not work)
4.8g Sodium Alginate
1 Bottle Dry Prosecco or Cava
Equipment:
Hand Blender
Regular Blender
Squeeze bottle with 1/4″ opening
Hand strainer
Fresh water bath
Method:
The night before: Blend raw peaches, simple syrup, and Calcium Lactate Gluconate together in a blender. Puree until smooth, then continue to puree 2 minutes more. Taste. Correct seasoning with more simple syrup and/or a touch of salt.
Pass the peach puree through a fine strainer to remove large pieces of skin. Reserve puree in a sealed container in refrigerator overnight.
At least 4 hours (up to weeks) ahead of time: Mix bottled water and Sodium Alginate. Blend thoroughly with a hand blender. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.
For service, prepare a shallow bowl of the Sodium Alginate solution, make sure the setting bath is at least 1.5″ deep. Prepare a separate bowl of fresh tap water, again at least 1.5″ deep.
Transfer Peach Puree into squeeze bottle with 1/4″ opening. Carefully squeeze puree into Sodium Alginate bath forming 1/4″ spheres. Move the bottle around to avoid stacking drops of peach puree on top of each other. Work quickly. After about one table spoon of puree has been expended (About 20 spherical drops or “Caviar”) quickly gather caviar with hand strainer. Transfer immediately to fresh water bath. Stir fresh water bath to prevent caviar from sticking to each other. Repeat until you have created about 40 caviar per glass.
Using a fine hand strainer, transfer about 2 tablespoons of caviar into the bottom of a champagne flute. Add 2 teaspoons of simple syrup and swirl lightly. Repeat this process for each glass.
Top off each glass with ice cold champagne, Prosecco, or Cava.
Enjoy!
Simple Syrup Recipe
1 part (475g) White Sugar
1 part (475g) water (use bottled)
Heat in small sauce pan until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool before using. Can be refrigerated in sealed containers for weeks and added to desserts or cocktails.
