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Top Chef recap, episode 6: The First Thanksgiving

Top Chef episode 6 recap.
[additional-authors]
November 20, 2014

Katsuji’s made it a custom to pour out some of his Pabst into the sink to commemorate the show’s fallen contestants. This week, he splashes some Pabst for controversial Aaron, who got canned last episode. Smell ya later!

For a pre-quickfire challenge, the cheftestants go harvesting for cranberries. It’s Ocean Spray meets The Hunger Games as contestants dressed in proper gear go sludging waist-high through a cranberry-infested bog until they fill up their baskets with ripened fruit. Katsuji’s harvesting skills leave much to be desired.

QUICKFIRE CHALLENGE: Cranberry Dishes

Guest Judge: Tiffani Faison, Top Chef Season 1 alumna

Katsuji’s Dish: Steak tartare with chile de arbol mayonnaise, fresh cranberries and cranberry hot sauce

Since Katsuji’s stint in the bog wasn’t that successful, he doesn’t get access to the premium pantry foods during the quickfire. 

Instead, he uses a skirt steak as his protein for a cranberry-based tartare. Skirt steak is a cheap piece of meat, tough with tendon, and not ideal for a raw tartare. His dish gets slammed in the bottom three. Luckily, he has the next challenge for redemption.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE: The First Thanksgiving

Guest Judge: Restaurateur Ken Oringer

Katsuji’s Dish: Roasted butternut squash with poached lobster, chestnuts and ancho chile butter 

Contestants must create a Thanksgiving dish only using ingredients and methods available in Massachusetts during the 1600s…think wooden spoons, cauldrons and bonfires.

Site supervisor of the Wampanoag Indigenous program said she loved the lobster, which she never likes. Typically, Wampanoag use lobster as bait to catch more desirable fish. 

“Who’da thought that a Mexican guy from kosher food would turn a Wampanoag Indian into loving lobster?” asked Oringer.

Katsuji’s dish goes above and beyond, and he wins the elimination challenge! Heck yes. For the recipe, visit Bravo.

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