‘Top Chef Masters’ finale

Bayless, an Oklahoma native and chef of Chicago’s famed Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, is one of three chefs left standing after weeks of competition. He’ll battle for the title against Italian cuisine stallion Michael Chiarello and France-born chef Hubert Keller on Bravo (channel 46) at 9:15 p.m.

But Bayless has been cool as a cucumber through every challenge, cranking out the delicious, authentic Mexican cooking for which he’s famous.

Bayless’s parents owned Oklahoma City’s Hickory House barbecue restaurant for more than 30 years. That’s where he got his start in the kitchen and a love for “slow and low” cooking that eventually branched out to authentic regional Mexican cuisine.

His mellow temperament and constant smile have quickly made him a fan favorite on the show. The tongue tacos than won him an early challenge have been added to the menu at Frontera Grill — and they actually sell out most nights, Bayless said on his blog (tulsaworld.com/root4rick).

If he snagged the $100,000 grand prize, it would go to the Frontera Farmer Foundation, a nonprofit committed to promoting small, sustainable farms in the Chicago area by providing them with capital development grants.

On last week’s episode, Keller narrowly beat Bayless (by half a star) on a lunch buffet challenge, but it was the avocado ice cream Bayless served (quick-frozen in liquid nitrogen by former Top Chef finalist Richard Blais) that wowed everyone. Here’s the recipe:

AVOCADO ICE CREAM

2 cups avocado puree
2 cups water
1 ¾ cups sugar
? cup lime juice
½ cup tequila

1. Blend ingredients in a blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

2. Store in freezer for at least a few hours before serving.

TOP CHEF: LAS VEGAS

Bravo (channel 46)