‘Top Chef’: Death by dessert

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First, I never want Fabio to be eliminated. Ever. I don’t think he said one thing that didn’t make me laugh during Wednesday’s episode of ‘Top Chef.’ The fact that he can really cook -- by making mostly smart choices when faced with a challenge -- is just a bonus.

This week, Fabio chose not to give guest judge Rocco DiSpirito his bacon during the amuse bouche-style breakfast Quickfire, but we still got this bit of commentary: ‘[Rocco] said something before the challenge, that he loved bacon, and I should have listened. Next time, I’m going to do a piece of toast, bacon, some [expletive] eggs on it, and I’ll probably be one of the top three.’ Hey, the man’s got a point. He made something different. Sure, it was something a little closer to dessert and Rocco later said he was a savory breakfast kinda guy, but nearly everyone else had used eggs and bread. If I were Fabio, I’d be miffed too.

Then again, desserts are almost never a winner. Carla’s apple pastry two weeks ago earned praise from Padma, but desserts are rarely a strong suit for contestants. Richard’s attempt at an upscale banana s’mores got him booted last week. Canning Alex for trying to rush a creme brulee was a no-brainer.

Can a dessert never win? Past contestants have been given kudos for trying, some successfully, to end meals with something sweet. Wedding cakes, cherry tarts, fruit sorbets have all gone over OK. But as ‘Top Chef’ fans know, dessert usually equals death by chopping block. Things never go as planned when it comes to that final course. And yet season after season, someone will voluntarily step up and think that the very act of taking a risk will earn them points with the judges.

The thing about thoughtful desserts -- those that require more skill and composition than, say, an ice cream sundae -- is that they usually take more planning and organization than a savory meal. Why? Because desserts need to be baked or chilled for specific amounts of time. Things need to be kneaded, or left to rest or set up. Exact measurements are often required. Desserts usually can’t be saved at the last minute by adding a little of this or that. More often than not, restaurant chefs do one or the other, the main meal or the dessert, because they truly require different skill sets.

Richard hadn’t made any sort of impression on me -- other than his having a big old crush on head judge Tom Colicchio -- by the time he whipped up a flat s’more with a skimpy amount of chocolate on it, so I wasn’t too sorry to see him go. The choice to cook a s’more on ‘Top Chef’ was not smart. Who wins with a s’more? Same goes for Alex, who did not have the sense to understand that it would take at least an hour just for his creme brulee to cool down and set up -- forget the time it would take to prepare and bake.

I’d go into the contestants grumbling over having to cook for live TV -- they’re on a TV show for gosh sakes! -- but Colicchio beat me to it.

My predictions for the next to go are Daniel and Melissa. Who do you think will leave next?

-- Denise Martin

Related:
Complete ‘Top Chef’ coverage
‘Top Chef’ coverage on the LA Times Food blog, The Daily Dish