Cookalong -- and dine late -- with Chef Gordon Ramsay

Chef Gordon Ramsay is inviting himself over to your house for dinner.

And you're doing the cooking.

The "Hell's Kitchen" overlord launches a new special  Dec. 15 on Fox -- "Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live." The audience is invited to do just that. Patterned after Ramsay's UK show, the Michelin-honored chef will walk viewers through a three-course meal for four that they will prepare within one hour's time. (If your knife skills aren't up to par, don't worry. Chef Ramsay can't throw you out of your own kitchen.)

So what do you think? Game or lame?

Details, and your shopping list, here

--Rene Lynch
On Twitter @renelynch

Photo credit: Fox

Top Chef 'Just Desserts' and Season 7 casting

On Sunday, swarms of starry-eyed chefs showed up at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant to take a stab at becoming the next Top Chef. The Magical Elves production company was doing a double-whammy cattle call, where the pastry chefs auditioned for the first season of "Just Desserts" and the rest auditioned for Season 7 of "Top Chef."

Casting producer Donna Lee says that there have been some big names that have come out in other cities, but her lips are sealed on who. Eater LA reports that chefs from Ivan Kane's Cafe Was and the Dakota were in attendance, but here's a peak at a few of the promising under-the-radar hopefuls we had a chance to speak with:

Michelle Obama welcomes 'Iron Chef America'

Michelle Obama's White House garden is having quite a week.

The garden played a starring role in Tuesday night's episode of "The Biggest Loser," and today Food Network announced it will also take center stage in a special episode of "Iron Chef America." Chefs Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse go to D.C. where they will be greeted by the First Lady and joined by White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford for a Super Chef Battle.

The chairman's challenge: Create a meal for America using The White House Kitchen Garden’s produce as their secret ingredients. The episode premieres Sunday, January 3rd.

According to Food Network, the chefs will be allowed to use anything found in the White House Kitchen Garden to help them create their meals. It will be Flay and Comerford against Batali and Lagasse. Each team must come up with five dishes that showcase their garden fresh ingredients and best represent "the ultimate American meal."

The judges include: chef and best-selling cookbook author Nigella Lawson; Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin; and actress, author and designer Jane Seymour.

--Rene Lynch

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

Photo credit: NBC Universal

Sampler Platter: Reviving British food, hipsters make PBR more popular, Stefan Richter says something arrogant

Stefan Richter surprises no one with his arrogance, agribusiness throws its weight around and more food news in today's roundup.

-- Sorry, hipsters. Your ironic consumption of Pabst Blue Ribbon made it more popular -- and more expensive -- than other lowbrow beers. NBC Los Angeles
-- "I think America knows that I won Top Chef," says Stefan Richter. LAist
-- Sweets and schadenfreude: Cake Wrecks makes it into the New York Times.
-- California agribusiness pressures Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to nix Michael Pollan lecture. Los Angeles Times
-- Don't wear your sweatpants to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Washington Post
-- A recipe for bite-sized bacon caramels. The Kitchn
-- Bears love eating from minivans. Los Angeles Times
-- Hoping to incite “serious contemplation of a robust culinary tradition,” British Food in America, a new online mag “dedicated to the discussion and revival of British foodways,” launches. News items will appear “forthnightly." Cheerio, old chap.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Canned food from explorer Ernest Schackleton's 1907-09 Nimrod expedition in Antarctica, part of Britain's "robust culinary tradition." Credit: Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune.

Sampler Platter: Fat is the new normal, Eating Valley Blvd, XIV's vegan tasting menu, protecting Kentucky bourbon

Food art, bourbon, red onions and fat acceptance lead today's food news roundup.

-- Alton Brown says he doesn't see "Good Eats" lasting much beyond next year. Show Tracker
-- Chef Michael Mina’s vegan tasting menu at XIV. To Live and Eat in L.A.
-- Fat as the new normal: Saying no to diets, fat acceptance and questions about whether extra pounds really equal extra risk. Los Angeles Times
-- If you like art with your food, don't miss Wayne Thiebaud's iconic cupcakes on display in a retrospective at the Pasadena Museum of California Art until Jan. 31. Eating L.A.
--New food blog, Eating Valley Blvd, devoted solely to 8 miles of Asian eateries on Valley Boulevard between the 710 and 605 freeways, goes live.
-- Congressman Ben Chandler urges his fellow Kentuckians to protect the state's signature bourbon and horse industries. Lexington Herald-Leader
-- Gourmet Pigs declares Spago one of dineLA's best deals.
-- What to eat at Tanzore's Diwali party in Beverly Hills this week. Grub Street LA
-- Ma'Kai (Santa Monica) may close and be replaced by a Red Onion. Eater LA

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Wayne Thiebaud's "Four Sandwiches" (1965) puts its own spin on the theme of uniformity. Credit: Hackett-Freedman Gallery

Curtis Stone, Mark Peel hit prime time

On "Hell's Kitchen" tonight, Campanile's Mark Peel will treat some of the competitors to his legendary grilled cheese sandwiches. Meanwhile, TLC's "Take Home Chef" Curtis Stone will be running the Season 8 contestants of "The Biggest Loser" through "kitchen boot camp." In case you're one of those webisode watchers that Neil Patrick Harris prodded at the Emmys, or, heaven forbid, don't have a television, we've snatched one of Curtis' health-minded recipes so you can eat the episode. No need to worry: We won't tell Jillian Michaels you went back for seconds.

Curtis Stone's Rosemary Skewered Chicken With Orange Glaze

*This recipe has not been run through the L.A. Times test kitchen

Ingredients:
Juice of 3 oranges
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
6 large sprigs of rosemary about 10 to 12 inches long, with half the leaves removed

Method:
    * Preheat a grill or grill pan on medium high heat.
    * Place the orange juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the orange juice has the consistency of a very thin syrup.
    * Add the Dijon, honey, garlic and ginger and continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
    * Remove from heat to allow flavors to meld, and reserve.
    * Evenly divide the cubed chicken among the rosemary sprigs and skewer the chicken onto the exposed part of the rosemary sprigs.
    * Lightly brush the grill with oil and grill chicken for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
    * Remove skewers from the grill to a serving plate, drizzle with the orange sauce and serve immediately.

-- Krista Simmons

"The Biggest Loser" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Photo of Curtis Stone and Alison Sweeney on set courtesy of NBC Photo/Trae Patton

Two servings of 'Top Chef,' coming right up [Updated]

 

If you're reading a food blog, you probably fall into one of two categories: someone who TiVoed the "Top Chef Masters" finale and premiere of "Top Chef: Las Vegas" and has spent the day doing your best to avoid any spoilers. Or, you got a bellyful of back-to-back "Top Chef" and want to pore over every last detail.

So, to make everyone happy, here's what we will do: No spoilers here (you can click if you want to read more). But we will say that the finale of "Top Chef Masters" was amost un-"Top Chef"-like. The remaining chefs -- Rick Bayless, Hubert Keller and Michael Chiarello -- were given plenty of time, zero curveballs and even an extra pair of trusted hands in the kitchen. They just cooked their hearts out. When you're ready, you can click below to read more, and check out this chat with the inaugural Top Chef Master.

As for the premiere of "Top Chef: Las Vegas," we will only say this: Seitan worship was involved.

-- Rene Lynch

Check out another take on the finale after the jump ...

Tune in: Back-to-back 'Top Chef' series

Between the soon-to-be-released board game, a second cookbook, a wine label, specialty knife sets, finales, premiers and spinoffs, what far reaches of the culinary world hasn't the "Top Chef" empire infiltrated?

One thing is for sure: It's not your living room. On Wednesday, "Top Chef" will take over the airwaves for two hours with back-to-back series: the premier of "Top Chef Season 6" and the season finale of "Top Chef Masters."

At 9 p.m., "Top Chef Season 6" contestants take the stage in Las Vegas. Michael Voltaggio (formerly of the Bazaar and now at the Dining Room at the Langham) and his brother Bryan might deliver some drama in the form of sibling rivalry, making up for the lack of chef-vs.-chef tension in the "Masters" series.

At 10 p.m., Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello and Hubert Keller  will compete for the grand prize of a $100,000 donation to their charity of choice. The debut season of "Masters" garnered high ratings, despite the buddy-buddy nature of the seasoned chefs.

Next thing you know they'll be launching a children's line. Oh, wait. There's "Top Chef Juniors," rumored to air later this year ...

-- Krista Simmons

Photo: Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi. Credit: Bravo TV

Updated Aug. 18, 11:43 a.m.: A previous version of this post stated that "Top Chef Juniors" will air later this year. This has not been confirmed by the network.

Top Chef Masters turns into a sausage fest

So much for having some female energy to balance out the kitchen.

Anita Lo, who looked like a real contender throughout the season, flailed in the last two episodes and is down for the count. Now, three chefs with former television careers remain (Rick Bayless with Mexico, One Plate at a Time, Hubert Keller with Secrets of a Chef and Michael Chiarello with Easy Entertaining). 

None of the contestants were happy with the blind tasting quickfire challenge, which would have thrilled the finicky palates of an oenophile, but the lack of visual stimulus didn't have them jumping for joy. Chiarello came out on top, in spite of his stated trepidation for anything outside Italian ingredients. Keller was in the bottom rung for this challenge -- perhaps his sense of taste is dwindling with his old age. Clearly his libido isn't fading though, as he admitted enjoying Kelly Choi placing the blindfold on him in his on-camera interview.

Keller's years served him well during the elimination challenge; his sage-like composure and willingness to learn from others worked to his advantage. And while chilling with the other chefs after presentation, he admits that he got the idea for putting nutmeg in the dressing for his beets when he had a smoke the night before. Gotta love the silver fox!

Chiarello is the exact opposite of the huggable Keller, though. During the elimination challenge,  he's caught constantly barking at his sous chefs. He and Dale even had a minor altercation, but no punches were thrown. (Fiddlesticks!) Amidthe drama, Bayless switches on his OCD mode and gets to organizing the fridge, and Keller strategies his buffet spread, which has 17 separate dishes. Perhaps Chiarello should have spent less time fighting and more time considering his swordfish, which the judges agreed was lamentable.

The chefs seemed pretty adaptable when the 200-person buffet's location was changed to the sun scorched terrace at the SLS Hotel, where they were also asked to chop one of their sous chefs. Bayless listened to former cheffer Richard Blais, famous for his molecular creations. Together they made a nitrogen frozen avocado ice cream, whose on-the-spot freezing suited the sunlight just fine. Lo was concerned about her crudo bar, but at that point had already prepared sauces and wasn't about to start over. She didn't seem too preoccupied with cutting out former co-worker Jamie, who moved too slow on seafood shucking for Lo's liking.

Anyhow, in the end Chiarello's '80s-style buffet beat out Lo's sun-beaten seafood. Bayless and Keller end up in the top 2, which is my guess for where they'll stay next week. Get ready for the final round...

--Krista Simmons

Photo of Anita Lo courtesy of Bravo TV

'Top Chef Masters': Where are your (truffle) chips?

For the remaining Top Chef Masters, it was a night of contrasts. In the quickfire challenge, the finalists were asked to whip up their best burgers for big names in the biz including Morgan Spurlock (director of "Super Size Me") and the beloved Sang Yoon of the Los Angeles Father's Office outpost.

Micheal Chiarello's bovine masterpiece stole the show, beating out Hubert Keller, who apparently has a $5,000 burger at Fleur de Lys (Las Vegas). Let's just marinate on Chiarello's side for a moment -- truffle manchego potato chips? Mamma mia! There's no Vegas burger that could trump that.

Later in the show, the chefs were put through the ringer by Zooey Deschanel and her barrage of hipster buddies. Not only were they vegos, but they also didn't eat eggs, dairy, soy or gluten. Having such limited options around a wealth of talented chefs irks me almost as much as watching Gwyneth Paltrow tromp across Spain, turning up her nose at jamon Iberico.

The chefs and judges were a miffed as well. New Yorker Gael Greene seemed a bit perturbed at one point, "God knows what they get to eat!" she said. All the contestants seemed challenged, but Smith was the worst off. Perhaps he could use a tip or two from the some of L.A.'s indie vegan caterers.

His strawberry and rice cream soup looked like a little a sixth-grader's science experiment that had been left out in the sun. And though Lo's limp eggplant was a sad sight, Smith's dish ended up on the chopping block.

Now only four chefs remain. Where are you placing your chips? (If they're covered in truffle, please send them my way).

-- Krista Simmons