Top Chef ™

Cesar: "Risotto. It's a dish, but I also see it as a technique. You're just agitating the rice to release its natural starches, and that's how you're building the creaminess of the risotto. I'm going to use celeriac (celery root) as the rice component. I'm just gonna make a rice stock. The judges always want a little twist, so I think they're just gonna be like, wow, this is so good."

Cesar, later: "I'm just getting everything (veggies) cut up right and then I'll blanch them real quick in the rice stock in order for it to mimic the rice. I'm using the rice stock because celery root doesn't have a whole lot of starch, and I need starch to thicken the risotto, so I've got my stock working."

Cesar (preparing to plate): "Even though I'm using vegetables, the risotto's good. It has the right flavors, the textures. I'm just happy that I'm not the only one that did a vegetable risotto."

Presenting to Judges

Cesar: "Risotto. I find it is a technique, and that's what I've done here. I made a celery risotto with chicken jus, and white truffle."

Judge: "So just to be clear, there's no rice."

Cesar: "There's rice stock."

Judge: "Rice stock, but there's no actual rice."

Cesar: "Yeah. I've done something like vegetable risottos before."

Judge: "So you cook it in the exact same method as you would risotto?"

Cesar: "Yeah. Been doing really well with vegetables, so it's what I feel comfortable with."