Photo from Top Chef Canada's Facebook Page

***If you’re here looking for Dale’s pulled pork recipe, it has yet to be posted on the President’s Choice website. I’ll add the link when it’s posted. Thanks for visiting!***
 
Update: Here it is! (on Food Network’s website)
 
Only seven cheftestants are left! We’re definitely narrowing down the field. This week’s episode starts with a little sisterly bonding time between Andrea and Connie, with Andrea saying the girls are going to win, and Connie talking about how she feels more pressure each week, but is lucky she hasn’t been on the bottom yet. Darryl is excited he’s been called the Dark Horse in the competition and Rob wants to redeem himself after last week.
 
Quickfire! Our guest judge for this week is Mr. Obedient Ingredient himself, Roger Mooking. I change the channel every time Everyday Exotic comes on, because I really have no use for a show where the chef sings his own theme song. And maybe it would have been a good idea for Thea to wear flats this week, because she’s towering over Roger.
 
For the Quickfire, the chefs draw knives to determine a specific number of ingredients they will have to cook with. As on a Food Network show I actually do watch (5-Ingredient Fix), salt and pepper are free ingredients, as well as oil.
 
Dale – 12 – mussel and bacon veloute
Francois – 14 – salad with sardines and grilled peaches
Connie – 10 – clam and chorizo pasta with tomatoes
Darryl – 4 – rib eye with shallots, potatoes and green beans
Dusty – 8 – squab with bacon wrapped carrots
Andrea – 6 – roasted butternut squash soup with hazelnut oil
Rob – 16 – seared tuna with radish salad and couscous
 
The winner is Andrea! She gets an unlimited budget for the Elimination Challenge, which is to use President’s Choice products to prepare a dish of restaurant quality that the average customer can make at home. I thought I was going to hate this sponsored challenge, but I’m actually totally on board! Cheftestants will serve their dishes to Loblaws customers, and also have to show how the dish is prepared. Everyone goes to Loblaws to spend their $50, while Andrea spends $200, and gives Connie a ride in a shopping cart.
 
In our condo interlude this week, we learn that Dustin likes funky socks, which irritates Dale who only allows himself two colours of undies. Do the editors of the show really think we’re interested in this kind of thing?
 
Then we’re back at Loblaws, chefs have their stations set up, and away we go:
 
Dale – BBQ pulled pork with apple horseradish coleslaw and salted watermelon on the side. 
Judges: Dale has the right idea, the pork is flavourful and rich, with a little bit of smokiness.
 
Andrea – black cod with Memories of Kobe, asian noodle slaw and pineapple juice.
Judges: good not great. Roger’s not getting a bang of flavour, but says the dish has nice undertones.
 
Connie – foie gras and truffle sausage roll with pomegranate and current mustard.
Judges: Thea is concerned because the home cook probably wouldn’t take the time to make sausage at home. Mark is disappointed she made sausage again. Roger says the flavour is one-dimensional. 
 
Francois – confit of chicken thigh wrapped in phyllo pastry, with a grilled vegetable salad.
Judges: intense and spicy. Unlike Connie’s it’s better than something you’d buy frozen in a box.
 
Darryl – manicotti with ricotta, parmesan, and sweet peppers.
Judges: looks like buffet food and like the person who made it is not a chef. He’s made the most accessible dish, but the story better than product.
 
Dusty – gnudi with brown butter, sage, mushrooms, ricotta, and parmesan.
Judges: simple and tasty dish, earthy flavour, nice texture, ricotta is subtle and balanced. Mark notes that Dusty’s adorable factor is ramping up! So true 🙂
 
Rob – maple sizzurp pudding with bananas and a graham cracker crust. 
Judges: love it!
 
Back in the supply closet, Thea calls in Francois, Dale and Rob. They are the best! They translated gourmet food for the everyday cook. Francois’ dish had a nice pop of flavour, and the judges liked how he used a piece of paper to show customers how to fold the triangles. They were impressed with how well Dale adapted his personal style to the challenge; his dish wasn’t fussy, it was very accessible. The judges loved Rob’s dessert, and he was happy to redeem himself after last week’s chocolate mousse debacle.
 
The winner: Dale, for the second week in a row! He wins $5,000 which he’s going to share with his parents, and do something for his son’s school. Watch out Dale, you’re winning me over! I already have an amazing recipe for pulled pork, but Dale’s will be on the PC website. I really want Rob’s maple pudding recipe!  
 
Dale tells Darryl and Connie to go in to see the judges, and there’s NO WAY Connie can be sent home before Darryl, is there?!? Mark says Darryl didn’t elevate the everyday ingredients to another level, and his sauce was goopy and amateur. Shereen said his manicotti tasted bad and looked bad. Roger says the show is called Top Chef, not Good Cook. Zing! Mark was surprised Connie made another sausage, and Shereen said it was too much work for something that tasted like a pig in a blanket that came out of a box. The flavour didn’t explode in Roger’s mouth. Thea says she choked, and showed lack of imagination.
 
Connie gets upset, and starts to cry, then tells us she wanted to be a strong female role model! You are Connie! We love you! Thea says the judges have a tough decision (“NO YOU DON’T” I screamed at the TV), as Darryl’s food was amateur at best, and had no flavour, while the judges felt that the average home cook would have a hard time replicating Connie’s dish.
 
Going home: Darryl *relief*
 
Next week: Cheftestants have to prepare three meals that represent a day in the life of Canadian Food, with guest judge Lynn Crawford!
 
You guys, I was ready to stage a boycott if Connie went home before Darryl!!! Which of the dishes this week would you actually want to make at home? I would go with Dale’s pulled pork and Rob’s maple pudding, although I do enjoy wrapping things in phyllo. Now that we’re down to the last six, it’s time to make our predictions for the Top 3. I’m going with Dale, Rob and Andrea, based on this episode, but it’s really hard for me to leave Connie and Dusty out of that group. Dale’s already opened his own restaurant in Vancouver. Is this the most obvious *spoiler alert*???