Kelly Clarkson, Veggies & Trolls, Oh My! – Top Chef Recap

Anytime you kick off an episode of Top Chef All Stars LA with the infectious energy of Kelly Clarkson, you’re going to generate momentum that’s easy to ride throughout the whole show and that’s exactly what happened this week, with an assist from the new Trolls World Tour movie.

The inaugural American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, popped into the Top Chef All Stars LA kitchen to judge a Quickfire Challenge based on her new ‘Trolls World Tour’ animated film. And in staying true to the technicolor wonderland of the movie, the chefs were charged with creating one “harmonious” dish incorporating pantry items that represent all six colors from the different musical genres featured in the movie.

QUICKFIRE CHALLENGE

• Beef & pomegranate tartare with saffron, carrot, plum & blue cheese (Karen)
• Seared salmon with a strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, blueberry & plum sweet & sour sauce (Melissa)
• Shrimp & prosciutto salad, frozen strawberry, blueberry & blackberry dust with a bell pepper & chili pepper vinaigrette (Eric)
• Shrimp ceviche with uni, oranges, blackberry, blueberry & raspberry vinegar (Bryan)
• Citrus poached shrimp with mandarin orange, turmeric coconut milk, purple & blue potatoes, fresno chiles (Kevin)
• Pineapple plantain curry, summer salsita, brown butter salmon, raspberry, tomatoes, potato & cabbage (Lee Anne)
• Citrus brown butter ribeye, roasted potatoes, plums, apricots, passionfruit & cotton candy with chiles (Lisa)
• Butternut squash & plantain soup with pickled apples, figs, blueberry, fresno chiles (Gregory)
• Rainbow rice roll with shrimp, carrots, mango, purple potato, peppers & cotton candy peanut sauce (Stephanie)
• Purple potato gnocchi with shrimp, pickled blueberries, mandarin orange, chiles & coconut yellow curry broth (Nini)
• Banana curry with crispy prosciutto, grapes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes & peppercorn (Jen)
• Curry pumpkin ice cream with a blackberry, raspberry & strawberry caramel & cotton candy (Brian)

OUTCOME: Described by Kelly Clarkson as a “mouthful of awesomeness”, Gregory’s butternut squash & plantain soup won this week’s Quickfire, earning him not only immunity in the upcoming Elimination Challenge, but two tickets to the ‘Trolls World Tour’ red carpet premiere. Despite falling short, Lisa’s ribeye and Karen’s tartare were also among Clarkson’s top three dishes.