1 00:00:01,900 --> 00:00:03,567 [Ted Allen] Clock starts now. Let's go get 'em. 2 00:00:03,567 --> 00:00:05,867 -[woman 1] I'm so excited to be here. -Let's go. 3 00:00:05,867 --> 00:00:07,467 [man 1] The pressure is intense. 4 00:00:07,467 --> 00:00:09,567 [Ted] Let me breakdown how this is going to go. 5 00:00:09,567 --> 00:00:11,400 The baskets will set the tone. 6 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,100 -[woman 2 exclaims] -[under breath] My god. 7 00:00:13,100 --> 00:00:14,400 Fried onions. 8 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,166 [man 2] Guys, these are great ingredients. 9 00:00:16,166 --> 00:00:18,700 [Ted] 30 minutes to solve this culinary puzzle. 10 00:00:18,700 --> 00:00:21,166 This basket is so hard. 11 00:00:21,166 --> 00:00:23,867 I think I know what I'm doing. I'm trying to, uh, 12 00:00:23,867 --> 00:00:26,467 strategically think of how to include all the ingredients 13 00:00:26,467 --> 00:00:28,266 without just throwing them on the plate. 14 00:00:28,266 --> 00:00:30,367 [Ted] If your dish doesn't cut it... 15 00:00:30,367 --> 00:00:32,000 I'm shaking. 16 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,934 [man 3] Uh, I'm really feeling the pressure. I'll just have to plate it as is. 17 00:00:35,166 --> 00:00:37,333 ...you will be chopped. 18 00:00:44,867 --> 00:00:48,266 [Ciaran] I'm the chef to beat because I bring that fire, 19 00:00:48,266 --> 00:00:49,667 that heat, that passion. 20 00:00:49,667 --> 00:00:51,600 Just cooking with an audience, that's all. 21 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,467 I am the chef and owner of Glenmere Farm in Warwick, New York. 22 00:00:56,467 --> 00:00:59,400 My favorite style of food is farm-to-table. 23 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,166 I, quite literally, [chuckles] live on a farm. 24 00:01:02,166 --> 00:01:06,467 We focus on regenerative agriculture and food education. 25 00:01:06,467 --> 00:01:08,467 We host our own pop-up events. 26 00:01:08,467 --> 00:01:09,567 Cool. That's great. 27 00:01:09,567 --> 00:01:12,200 My strategy is to open the basket 28 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,066 and just start going. 29 00:01:14,066 --> 00:01:15,567 I'm here to win. 30 00:01:19,166 --> 00:01:22,400 [Jessica] My vibe in the kitchen is calm, cool and collected. 31 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,266 I'm just so, like, steady. 32 00:01:24,266 --> 00:01:25,900 I'm the owner and executive chef 33 00:01:25,900 --> 00:01:28,600 of Biscuit Batch mobile restaurant 34 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,166 out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. 35 00:01:30,166 --> 00:01:32,100 The dishes that I serve are seasonal. 36 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:35,367 Chicken pot pie, corn chowder, mushroom gravy. 37 00:01:35,367 --> 00:01:36,600 All the yummy things. 38 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,867 I got into cooking when I was in the navy. 39 00:01:39,867 --> 00:01:41,400 I was the gas turbine mechanic. 40 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:46,266 So, I used to find any way to get out of the 135 degree engine room. 41 00:01:46,266 --> 00:01:50,734 I used to help the CSes and they put me in the pastry section. 42 00:01:51,867 --> 00:01:54,600 I would say if you can't stand the heat in the engine room, 43 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,266 then get in the kitchen. 44 00:02:01,166 --> 00:02:03,667 My dishes will never lack flavor, 45 00:02:03,667 --> 00:02:07,100 color and definitely vibrant feelings. 46 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:09,867 Look at these beautiful root vegetables. 47 00:02:09,867 --> 00:02:11,567 It's gonna be delicious. 48 00:02:11,567 --> 00:02:15,834 I am owner of Sweet Savory Miami in Miami, Florida. 49 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:20,367 My past career I was a DJ. 50 00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:25,867 Definitely the passion for food and music has always been a part of me. 51 00:02:25,867 --> 00:02:29,066 There is nothing better than the perfect playlist 52 00:02:29,066 --> 00:02:30,667 with the perfect dish. 53 00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:37,333 Boy, it's gonna make you say, "Fix me a plate". 54 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,600 I am Scotty Scott from Fort Worth, Texas. 55 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,700 I am a personal chef, all-around internet food guy, 56 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:45,834 cookbook author and food truck owner. 57 00:02:46,667 --> 00:02:48,367 I've got traditional soul food recipes 58 00:02:48,367 --> 00:02:50,567 along with chapters where I kinda get funky. 59 00:02:50,567 --> 00:02:53,400 Just kind of put my own spin on traditional recipes. 60 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,066 Duck fat is gonna give this a nice little earthy flavor to it. 61 00:02:56,066 --> 00:02:59,000 I'm always trying to tell a story. Every plate has a story behind it 62 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,166 and I think Chopped will be the best story so far. 63 00:03:04,467 --> 00:03:05,867 -Hey, Chefs. -Hi, Ted. 64 00:03:05,867 --> 00:03:07,200 -Hi. -Hey. 65 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,700 The word is this group means business. Is that about right? 66 00:03:10,700 --> 00:03:12,567 -Big business. -Absolutely. 67 00:03:12,567 --> 00:03:15,066 Okay. There will be three rounds. 68 00:03:15,066 --> 00:03:17,967 Mandatory mystery ingredients for each course. 69 00:03:17,967 --> 00:03:21,767 If your dish doesn't cut it you will be chopped. 70 00:03:21,767 --> 00:03:23,166 Not today. 71 00:03:23,166 --> 00:03:26,066 What will you find in this first basket? 72 00:03:30,367 --> 00:03:31,367 Let's check it out. 73 00:03:32,467 --> 00:03:34,100 My God. 74 00:03:34,100 --> 00:03:35,367 Oh my damn. 75 00:03:35,700 --> 00:03:37,100 [Jessica exclaims] 76 00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:39,533 [Ted] And we have uni shooters. 77 00:03:39,767 --> 00:03:41,667 Uni shots. 78 00:03:41,667 --> 00:03:43,233 Uni indeed. 79 00:03:43,567 --> 00:03:45,667 What is that? 80 00:03:45,667 --> 00:03:48,266 Never seen it or heard of it before. 81 00:03:48,266 --> 00:03:50,634 -What is this? -[Ted] Mizuna. 82 00:03:51,367 --> 00:03:52,967 Arugula. 83 00:03:52,967 --> 00:03:56,166 Mizuna can be a very bitter vegetable. 84 00:03:56,166 --> 00:03:57,734 [Ted] Rice balls. 85 00:03:59,767 --> 00:04:01,200 [Scotty] Rice balls. 86 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,667 Okay, this is gonna be interesting because they're already cooked. 87 00:04:04,667 --> 00:04:06,667 [Ted] And fried onions. 88 00:04:06,667 --> 00:04:08,333 Fried onions. 89 00:04:09,367 --> 00:04:11,367 Guess I'm overly excited. 90 00:04:11,367 --> 00:04:12,667 It's interesting. 91 00:04:12,667 --> 00:04:15,500 [Ted] The appetizer round is just 20 minutes. 92 00:04:15,500 --> 00:04:16,667 [whispers] Okay. 93 00:04:16,667 --> 00:04:18,166 Clock starts right now. 94 00:04:18,166 --> 00:04:20,100 -Let's go get 'em. -[Ciaran] Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go. 95 00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:21,467 -[man 4] Right. -Let's go. 96 00:04:21,467 --> 00:04:22,967 -Whoo! -Let's go, let's go. 97 00:04:23,867 --> 00:04:27,166 Marc, you are joined by two special guest judges. 98 00:04:27,166 --> 00:04:30,800 Restaurateur and brand consultant, Chef Tiffany Derry. 99 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,867 And cookbook author and James Beard Award winning restaurateur, 100 00:04:34,867 --> 00:04:36,200 Chef Stephanie Izard. 101 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:37,500 Welcome back to you both. 102 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:39,467 It's so good to have you guys here. 103 00:04:39,467 --> 00:04:41,266 -Thank you. It's good to be here. -Thanks. [chuckles] 104 00:04:41,266 --> 00:04:44,400 [Ted] Judges, what do you think the challenge of this basket is? 105 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,400 It's that there's not one clear protein or one clear star of the plate 106 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,166 that you're building everything else around. 107 00:04:49,166 --> 00:04:53,166 Uni, of course. It's basically the roe of the sea urchin which, it's tricky. 108 00:04:53,166 --> 00:04:55,367 [Marc] I think, for me, the hard part with the shooter 109 00:04:55,367 --> 00:04:57,100 is that there's so many ingredients in there. 110 00:04:57,100 --> 00:04:58,367 You've got the little quail egg, 111 00:04:58,367 --> 00:05:00,500 you've got the uni, you've got the tobiko. 112 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:02,667 The uni shooter also has a little bit of sake in there. 113 00:05:02,667 --> 00:05:05,066 So, I guess a vinaigrette but then you're really 114 00:05:05,066 --> 00:05:06,667 pointing your dish in one direction. 115 00:05:07,266 --> 00:05:09,367 All right, time to get going. 116 00:05:09,367 --> 00:05:11,367 What's challenging about this basket is how 117 00:05:11,367 --> 00:05:13,300 I'm going to be able to tie everything together. 118 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:15,700 So Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines to make 119 00:05:15,700 --> 00:05:19,000 So, I'm making a red coconut curry soup 120 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,967 with an uni shot egg drop and mizuna oil. 121 00:05:22,567 --> 00:05:24,567 While my soup is reducing 122 00:05:24,567 --> 00:05:27,100 I start on my mizuna oil. 123 00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:30,500 This oil is going to add a little bit of bitterness 124 00:05:30,500 --> 00:05:33,567 the contrast the heat and sweetness from the soup. 125 00:05:33,567 --> 00:05:34,567 [indistinct] 126 00:05:34,567 --> 00:05:37,100 So, it looks like Ciaran is making a mizuna oil, 127 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:41,467 which is an unusual use of that ingredient's sort of light, earthy flavor. 128 00:05:41,467 --> 00:05:42,767 So, points for creativity. 129 00:05:42,767 --> 00:05:45,000 The oil's a fun idea. 130 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,266 -[Ciaran] Jessica, how you feeling? -[Jessica] Feeling all right. 131 00:05:47,266 --> 00:05:48,967 I think I know what I'm doing. 132 00:05:48,967 --> 00:05:50,867 Looking at all the basket ingredients 133 00:05:50,867 --> 00:05:53,800 I see Asian-inspired. 134 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:55,667 Jessica, what's going on over there? 135 00:05:55,667 --> 00:05:57,767 I'm going a little Asian-inspired... 136 00:05:57,767 --> 00:06:01,000 -Oh! -...Doing some fried onion rice cakes 137 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,266 and doing a bang bang sauce. 138 00:06:03,266 --> 00:06:04,967 Okay. Sounds great. 139 00:06:04,967 --> 00:06:07,200 [Jessica] For my rice cake, I'm gonna try to 140 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,300 add a little bit of moisture back into it 141 00:06:09,300 --> 00:06:13,500 by adding some egg, scallions, and then I dice an onion. 142 00:06:13,500 --> 00:06:16,200 I'm also gonna hand smash my fried onions 143 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:18,967 and use it as a coating for the rice cake. 144 00:06:18,967 --> 00:06:21,500 For my bang bang sauce I'm mixing together 145 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:23,700 mayo, sriracha, 146 00:06:23,700 --> 00:06:26,533 soy sauce and some of the liquid from the uni shooter. 147 00:06:27,266 --> 00:06:29,200 I'm here to compete on Chopped 148 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:34,467 to show support for all of my lady veterans out there 149 00:06:34,467 --> 00:06:36,700 that are struggling with PTSD. 150 00:06:36,700 --> 00:06:40,000 When I started cooking in the kitchen it became my safe space, 151 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,800 and my light at the end of a tunnel. 152 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,100 So, I hope that they can find something. 153 00:06:45,100 --> 00:06:48,567 So, they have rice balls which are also known as a arancini. 154 00:06:48,567 --> 00:06:51,567 Going to Italy or actually Sicily to be specific. 155 00:06:51,567 --> 00:06:54,467 It is rice. You typically have cheese. 156 00:06:54,467 --> 00:06:57,100 Sometimes people put a meat sauce. 157 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,100 You can put whatever filling that you wanna do. 158 00:06:59,100 --> 00:07:01,367 [Stephanie] Yeah, hopefully, the rice that's in there isn't cooked too long. 159 00:07:01,367 --> 00:07:03,867 so if you go to bring a second cook to it, that's the tricky bit is 160 00:07:03,867 --> 00:07:06,333 -now you're gonna end up with overcooked rice, possibly. -[Tiffany] Sure. 161 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,166 [whispers] Okay, okay. 162 00:07:09,166 --> 00:07:11,600 This basket is so hard. 163 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,667 The problem with rice balls, they're already cooked. 164 00:07:14,667 --> 00:07:18,000 So, they're going to be mushy. 165 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,400 The uni shooter is definitely leading me into a Asian direction. 166 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:27,166 I'm making an Asian-inspired fried onion rice cake 167 00:07:27,166 --> 00:07:30,467 with a miso glaze and uni garnish. 168 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,667 I make the miso glaze with some of the juice from the uni shooter 169 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:40,166 as well as some sriracha. 170 00:07:42,367 --> 00:07:44,600 Right now I'm a little bit flustered 171 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:46,467 because I'm trying to figure out exactly what path 172 00:07:46,467 --> 00:07:47,834 to take with these ingredients. 173 00:07:47,834 --> 00:07:50,767 I think I can use the mizuna to kind of help brighten up the dish. 174 00:07:50,767 --> 00:07:53,000 To kind of balance the richness of the uni. 175 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,600 I'm making a citrus, uni salad with a tomatillo dressing. 176 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,800 So, to make my dressing I've got some tomatillos, 177 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,000 I've got some onions, some garlic, 178 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,667 and I throw it all in the oven to kinda get it nice and roasty. 179 00:08:03,667 --> 00:08:06,266 I would describe my style of cooking as eclectic. 180 00:08:06,266 --> 00:08:09,700 I'm not classically trained so I'm always looking for new ideas, 181 00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:12,433 new things when I cook, new technique I've tried to implement it. 182 00:08:14,567 --> 00:08:18,100 All right, chefs, you've got 10 minutes. 183 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:22,200 With the fried onions, I know I want to incorporate them as a crunchy component. 184 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,567 And I know that I don't want to just serve these fried onions alone. 185 00:08:25,567 --> 00:08:29,000 So, I run to the pantry, I grab wonton wrappers 186 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,934 and I go straight to the fryer. 187 00:08:31,667 --> 00:08:33,100 The pressure is intense. 188 00:08:33,100 --> 00:08:34,266 Coming down. 189 00:08:34,266 --> 00:08:36,600 I feel like I'm running around in circles. 190 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,567 [chuckles] Losing my apron. 191 00:08:38,567 --> 00:08:39,867 [Tiffany] Let it go. Let it go. 192 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,100 [Jessica] Coming down, behind. 193 00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:44,400 I wanna use the uni on top of my rice cakes, 194 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,000 so I'm gonna strain out the shooter 195 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,367 and I set the uni aside for plating. 196 00:08:48,367 --> 00:08:50,266 I'm feeling confident this round. 197 00:08:50,266 --> 00:08:52,400 Right behind. Right behind. 198 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,300 I've got all my components and I think they're 199 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:56,834 meshing well together. 200 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:00,467 [Oakason] I flip my rice cakes 201 00:09:00,467 --> 00:09:03,467 and they have a nice, brown sear. 202 00:09:03,467 --> 00:09:07,467 I have three basket ingredients in these rice cakes. 203 00:09:07,467 --> 00:09:08,400 [softly] Okay. 204 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,600 The clock is moving so fast. 205 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,667 I just wanna get the ingredients on the plate. 206 00:09:14,867 --> 00:09:17,300 [Scotty] So as a cookbook author and a recipe developer 207 00:09:17,300 --> 00:09:19,200 I'm used to making ingredients, 208 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,467 taking them over and over and over again 209 00:09:21,467 --> 00:09:24,333 and making sure it's correct and not just going by the seat of your pants. 210 00:09:25,967 --> 00:09:29,967 So, you guys, Scotty's not touched any of his basket ingredients yet. 211 00:09:29,967 --> 00:09:31,867 [Scotty] You know, at this point I've got the dressing 212 00:09:31,867 --> 00:09:33,367 ready for the salad but... 213 00:09:33,367 --> 00:09:35,667 Don't forget all the basket ingredients, guys. 214 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:37,266 Oh, boy. 215 00:09:37,266 --> 00:09:39,800 None of the ingredients have been addressed yet, so I'm kind of freaking out. 216 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:41,367 At this point, you're telling me there's not 217 00:09:41,367 --> 00:09:43,600 -been one thing touched? -There's not. Look. No ball touched. 218 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,567 [Tiffany] He has to figure it out, refocus 219 00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:46,867 and... and make it happen. 220 00:09:46,867 --> 00:09:48,300 5 minutes left here, chefs. 221 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:49,767 [Scotty] The clock is... 222 00:09:49,767 --> 00:09:52,634 is about to expire and I'm really feeling the pressure. 223 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:56,934 [clock ticking] 224 00:10:02,266 --> 00:10:03,400 Oh, boy. 225 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,266 Scotty has not even touched any of his basket ingredients. 226 00:10:07,266 --> 00:10:09,700 [Scotty] At this point I'm worried I'm spending too much time on the dressing 227 00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:12,567 and not enough time on the other items in the basket. 228 00:10:12,567 --> 00:10:15,166 So what I decided to do was to take the uni out 229 00:10:15,166 --> 00:10:16,600 and add it to the salad. 230 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,367 All of the rice balls are still sitting there. 231 00:10:18,367 --> 00:10:20,266 [Scotty] I'm hoping to use the rice balls as a sort of a crouton 232 00:10:20,266 --> 00:10:22,467 but then, I wanna top my salad with the fried onions 233 00:10:22,467 --> 00:10:24,166 and the mizuna to add extra texture. 234 00:10:24,166 --> 00:10:25,834 So, I'm feeling pretty confident about these. 235 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:30,867 [Jessica] For my mizuna salad, I'm keeping it simple. 236 00:10:30,867 --> 00:10:32,967 I'm just gonna add some lemon juice, 237 00:10:32,967 --> 00:10:35,000 olive oil and salt and pepper. 238 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,634 Adding fried onions to my mizuna salad is gonna add texture. 239 00:10:40,367 --> 00:10:42,500 [Ciaran] I'm adding the rice balls to my soup because 240 00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:45,867 they're gonna act really well as a thickener. 241 00:10:47,367 --> 00:10:51,066 Oh, we're less than 2 minutes. If you're not plating you're in trouble right now. 242 00:10:52,266 --> 00:10:54,867 [Oakason] I drizzle some miso glaze on my plate 243 00:10:54,867 --> 00:10:56,800 and then add the rice cake. 244 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:00,367 To complete my appetizer I add the uni on top 245 00:11:00,367 --> 00:11:02,133 as well as some chives. 246 00:11:03,667 --> 00:11:05,266 [Tiffany] 45 seconds. 247 00:11:05,266 --> 00:11:06,867 All four ingredients on the plate. 248 00:11:06,867 --> 00:11:09,066 [Scotty] At this point, uh, I'm really feeling the pressure. 249 00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:11,900 I'm starting to realize I haven't really transformed the ingredients much 250 00:11:11,900 --> 00:11:14,767 but I still have to make sure I get everything on the plate. 251 00:11:14,767 --> 00:11:17,100 [Ted] All right, let's get those plates polished up, chefs. 252 00:11:17,100 --> 00:11:18,166 I'm shaking. 253 00:11:18,166 --> 00:11:21,367 -[Ted] Ten, nine, eight... -You got it, guys. 254 00:11:21,367 --> 00:11:23,400 ...seven, six... 255 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,467 -[Tiffany] Let's go. -...five, four, 256 00:11:25,467 --> 00:11:28,333 three, two, one... 257 00:11:29,066 --> 00:11:30,567 Time's up. That's it. 258 00:11:30,567 --> 00:11:32,066 [all cheering] 259 00:11:32,066 --> 00:11:34,500 [Marc] Oh, boy. I think he got it all on. 260 00:11:34,500 --> 00:11:37,100 Just couldn't get all my ingredients to meld together. 261 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:39,600 I was like, I had ideas in my head and they were going 262 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,333 separate directions at the wrong time. 263 00:11:46,166 --> 00:11:49,300 [Oakason] Jessica, it looks like she also made a rice cake 264 00:11:49,300 --> 00:11:50,500 so I am worried. 265 00:11:50,500 --> 00:11:51,533 [sighs] 266 00:11:59,367 --> 00:12:02,100 Chefs, you've arrived at the chopping block. 267 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:04,667 Inside your appetizer basket you found 268 00:12:04,667 --> 00:12:06,667 uni shooters, 269 00:12:06,667 --> 00:12:08,333 mizuna, 270 00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:10,367 rice balls, 271 00:12:10,367 --> 00:12:12,333 and fried onions. 272 00:12:13,667 --> 00:12:15,300 Chef Ciaran, what did you make? 273 00:12:15,300 --> 00:12:17,367 So, chefs, what I have for you is a 274 00:12:17,367 --> 00:12:20,500 Thai-inspired red coconut curry soup 275 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:23,600 with a uni shot egg drop 276 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,433 and a mizuna oil. 277 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:29,867 I love the taste of the crispy onions on top. 278 00:12:29,867 --> 00:12:33,500 -Each time you get a bite of that texture it's so nice. -Thank you. 279 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:36,300 The only thing I would say is having the quail egg as the, 280 00:12:36,300 --> 00:12:38,000 um, the ribbons that are supposed to be in the soup 281 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,867 it works a lot better when you have a brothy soup for egg drop but 282 00:12:40,867 --> 00:12:43,867 I wish you had added just some richness in there and just wish that I could 283 00:12:43,867 --> 00:12:45,233 detect that a little bit more. 284 00:12:46,166 --> 00:12:48,500 So, Ciaran, I think you really did a great job of 285 00:12:48,500 --> 00:12:50,667 bringing all of the ingredients together. 286 00:12:50,667 --> 00:12:52,900 You brought in minimal things. I liked the red curry, 287 00:12:52,900 --> 00:12:54,800 I love the spice, I love the sweetness. 288 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:56,567 I think it's a very balanced dish 289 00:12:56,567 --> 00:13:00,066 and I think using the rice balls as a thickener 290 00:13:00,066 --> 00:13:02,800 -it was a really smart way to cook. -[Ciaran] Thank you, Chef. 291 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,967 I see why you used the mizuna the way you did. 292 00:13:05,967 --> 00:13:08,266 -Mizuna oil doesn't, you know, doesn't have much flavor... -[Ciaran] Yeah. 293 00:13:08,266 --> 00:13:10,934 ...but you used it for, you know, for presentation. 294 00:13:11,900 --> 00:13:13,567 Next up, Chef Oakason. 295 00:13:13,567 --> 00:13:16,000 I prepared for you an Asian-inspired 296 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,800 French onion rice cake with a miso glaze, 297 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:21,567 garnished with uni. 298 00:13:21,567 --> 00:13:23,266 And where do you work? 299 00:13:23,266 --> 00:13:28,400 I am chef and owner of a company named Sweet Savory Miami. 300 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,100 It's a private chef service 301 00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:34,667 that predominantly provides nutrition to professional athletes. 302 00:13:34,667 --> 00:13:38,467 I have about 52 NBA clients and-- 303 00:13:38,467 --> 00:13:39,700 -52? -Wow. 304 00:13:39,700 --> 00:13:42,266 -You're making meals for-- -Yeah, and 32 NFL. 305 00:13:42,266 --> 00:13:44,734 And it's so much fun. 306 00:13:45,467 --> 00:13:47,166 I like it. It's simple. I think that 307 00:13:47,166 --> 00:13:50,567 the rice cake on the inside maybe could have a little bit more flavor incorporated. 308 00:13:50,567 --> 00:13:52,367 I think it's nice that you decided to put 309 00:13:52,367 --> 00:13:54,867 the fried onions inside to incorporate that flavor 310 00:13:54,867 --> 00:13:57,200 But on the inside of the rice ball it's a little bit dried out 311 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:58,300 because it was already rice cooked 312 00:13:58,300 --> 00:13:59,867 -and then you cooked it again. -Right. Yeah. 313 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,166 Oakason, I think this is a very good cake itself 314 00:14:04,166 --> 00:14:06,300 with the flavors of the sauce. 315 00:14:06,300 --> 00:14:08,667 I find your sauce to be a bit strong, though. 316 00:14:08,667 --> 00:14:11,000 I feel like you missed one area 317 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,200 to be able to add some freshness to the plate 318 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,667 and perhaps, if we had the freshness it wouldn't feel so overpowering. 319 00:14:16,667 --> 00:14:17,767 Right. Thank you. 320 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,667 You also used the uni from the shot on top as a garnish. 321 00:14:21,667 --> 00:14:22,600 -Yes. -[Marc] Yeah. 322 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:24,367 And I thought that was the best bite. 323 00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:26,500 I have to agree. It's a good start 324 00:14:26,500 --> 00:14:28,967 but I think it needs some acidity. 325 00:14:28,967 --> 00:14:32,266 I think you... A little salad on this plate would've gone a long way. 326 00:14:32,767 --> 00:14:34,000 Next up, Chef Jessica. 327 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,700 Today I have for you a bang bang uni rice cake 328 00:14:37,700 --> 00:14:39,867 with a fresh mizuna salad. 329 00:14:42,467 --> 00:14:45,000 I see a big piece of onion in here. What else is in the cake? 330 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,567 A yellow onion and green onion and egg 331 00:14:48,567 --> 00:14:50,567 to help remoisten. 332 00:14:50,567 --> 00:14:53,000 So, it's odd when we get two dishes that are very 333 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,100 -similar, obviously... -Yeah. 334 00:14:54,100 --> 00:14:55,967 ...'cause you end up comparing them a lot but 335 00:14:55,967 --> 00:14:57,367 I like the sauce underneath. 336 00:14:57,367 --> 00:15:00,567 I think it... it complements the rice cake. 337 00:15:00,567 --> 00:15:03,266 -The rice cake is still dense as well... -Mmm-hmm. 338 00:15:03,266 --> 00:15:06,567 ...but I do appreciate the mizuna salad on the side, which is 339 00:15:06,567 --> 00:15:09,166 -a little bit of relief. -Thank you. 340 00:15:09,166 --> 00:15:12,200 Yeah, this is a very well seasoned dish, Jessica. 341 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,400 I like the use of the onion and green onion 342 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,000 and kinda mimicking each other, 343 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,900 they... one is more fresh and one is more, you know, lingering. 344 00:15:20,900 --> 00:15:23,600 So, even though the cake itself is definitely dense 345 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,867 but I think you gave us some relief 346 00:15:25,867 --> 00:15:28,266 -with the salad. -Thank you. 347 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:30,567 Jessica, I think there's some really great things going on in the plate. 348 00:15:30,567 --> 00:15:33,300 The texture of the rice cake is a little bit challenging. 349 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:35,867 Putting in some fresh onions, you just would wanna go little bit smaller 350 00:15:35,867 --> 00:15:38,367 because getting that kind of big piece, it's a weird, um, 351 00:15:38,367 --> 00:15:41,266 texture and just kinda gives you a little bit too much onion all at once. 352 00:15:41,266 --> 00:15:42,734 Right. Thank you. 353 00:15:43,767 --> 00:15:45,266 And finally, Chef Scotty. 354 00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:48,867 I have a citrus, uni salad with a roasted tomatillo dressing. 355 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,166 How did that round go for you, Chef? 356 00:15:52,166 --> 00:15:55,166 We... we were watching and I think at the 357 00:15:55,166 --> 00:15:58,800 halfway mark you hadn't touched any of the actual basket ingredients. 358 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:00,767 Ah, I just got flustered. I was trying to go 359 00:16:00,767 --> 00:16:02,667 seven different directions at one time and 360 00:16:02,667 --> 00:16:05,100 I couldn't figure out which road to go down 361 00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:07,867 and wound up going down none of them, basically. 362 00:16:07,867 --> 00:16:09,367 All right, well, let's talk about the food. 363 00:16:09,367 --> 00:16:11,266 The dish itself it's fine, right? 364 00:16:11,266 --> 00:16:13,300 You made a vinaigrette, had some flavor, 365 00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:15,266 you had the Granny Smith apples. 366 00:16:15,266 --> 00:16:19,066 But when we're looking for a complete dish 367 00:16:19,066 --> 00:16:20,667 we wanna see transformation. 368 00:16:20,667 --> 00:16:24,266 I saw the rice balls just in the saute pan by themselves and 369 00:16:24,266 --> 00:16:27,967 -I just think you could've done so much more. -I agree. 370 00:16:27,967 --> 00:16:29,700 I think there is a couple of things where you can tell 371 00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:32,467 there would've been a good idea there if you had let it, kind of, go. 372 00:16:32,467 --> 00:16:35,367 Bringing in the apple to go with the richness of the rice cake, 373 00:16:35,367 --> 00:16:37,667 you've got the acidity that you were trying to work in. 374 00:16:37,667 --> 00:16:39,166 The dressing with the tomatillos, 375 00:16:39,166 --> 00:16:42,100 again that brightness with the rice cake could've worked in some ways. 376 00:16:42,100 --> 00:16:44,967 It seems that you let the stress, kind of, take over. 377 00:16:45,967 --> 00:16:47,467 Okay, thank you, chefs. 378 00:16:48,767 --> 00:16:52,100 Right now I'm feeling dejected, disappointed, 379 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:53,567 uh, but still optimistic. 380 00:16:53,567 --> 00:16:56,300 The problem was I just couldn't get in the right direction. 381 00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:59,000 [Oakason] The amount of time that was so short. 382 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,667 It was really hard to execute everything I wanted to do. 383 00:17:01,667 --> 00:17:05,233 I should've added some nice greeneries, some freshness. 384 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:20,934 Whose dish is on the chopping block? 385 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,667 Chef Scotty, you've been chopped. Judges. 386 00:17:34,667 --> 00:17:39,100 Scotty, none of the four basket ingredients were transformed. 387 00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:41,567 The rice balls were simply pan fried, 388 00:17:41,567 --> 00:17:43,834 nothing else done to them and put on the plate. 389 00:17:45,166 --> 00:17:47,367 And so, we had to chop you. 390 00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:49,433 -Quite understandable. -Thank you, Chef. 391 00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:54,367 I think the basket definitely threw me. 392 00:17:54,367 --> 00:17:56,700 I did not follow the task at hand and 393 00:17:56,700 --> 00:17:58,166 that's the result of it. 394 00:18:01,166 --> 00:18:03,867 [Ted] Chef Oakason, Chef Ciaran, Chef Jessica, 395 00:18:03,867 --> 00:18:06,767 now, things get real. Entree baskets. 396 00:18:12,867 --> 00:18:14,166 Let's check it out. 397 00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:17,367 Wow. 398 00:18:17,367 --> 00:18:19,767 [Ted] And can you make magnificent main dishes 399 00:18:19,767 --> 00:18:21,667 with cream of mushroom soup? 400 00:18:21,667 --> 00:18:23,166 Mushroom soup. 401 00:18:23,867 --> 00:18:25,600 The mushroom soup is weird. 402 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,066 It's congealed. It has... 403 00:18:28,066 --> 00:18:29,700 a grotesque texture. 404 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:31,066 [Ted] Cone cabbage. 405 00:18:31,066 --> 00:18:32,667 Big old cabbage. 406 00:18:32,667 --> 00:18:34,900 Okay. I feel okay about that. 407 00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:37,767 -[Ted] A banh mi. -Ooh, a banh mi. 408 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,467 I've had so many banh mis in my life 409 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:45,367 but to repurpose them and put them in a dish will be very hard. 410 00:18:45,367 --> 00:18:47,867 -[Ted] And Dover fillets. -Dover fillet. 411 00:18:49,066 --> 00:18:50,700 Very eclectic. 412 00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:51,834 [Ted] 30 minutes. 413 00:18:52,266 --> 00:18:53,700 Very interesting. 414 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:55,100 Clock starts now. 415 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:57,033 -All right, let's go get 'em. -Whoo! 416 00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:05,400 [Jessica] I am feeling a little bit more nervous this round. 417 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:07,900 Entree is something that's a lot bigger 418 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:11,400 but being an engineer maybe, definitely 419 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,367 made me more organized 420 00:19:13,367 --> 00:19:16,133 and better at holding my composure. 421 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,567 So, I just wanna keep it simple. 422 00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:21,900 I'm making banh mi breaded dover sole 423 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:24,200 with a mushroom cream sauce. 424 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,000 For my mushroom cream sauce 425 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,066 I'm gonna dice an onion, mince up some garlic, 426 00:19:29,066 --> 00:19:33,367 add some fresh thyme, some chicken stock and heavy cream. 427 00:19:33,367 --> 00:19:35,300 I'm gonna add a little bit of soy sauce 428 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:37,266 to add a little more umami flavor. 429 00:19:38,166 --> 00:19:40,767 Judges, the Dover fillets which are Dover sole 430 00:19:40,767 --> 00:19:42,900 are a sweet and mild fish. 431 00:19:42,900 --> 00:19:44,567 Is that a good thing in this basket? 432 00:19:44,567 --> 00:19:48,066 [Stephanie] I think it's such a... a simple fish that you don't wanna overpower. 433 00:19:48,066 --> 00:19:50,066 It's not only about delicate flavors 434 00:19:50,066 --> 00:19:52,166 but it is delicate in the touch. 435 00:19:52,166 --> 00:19:53,367 You're not gonna be grilling it. 436 00:19:53,367 --> 00:19:55,100 [Stephanie] I'm just excited about the banh mi, I mean, 437 00:19:55,100 --> 00:19:56,600 you have beautiful crackly bread, 438 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,567 you have your pate that's smeared on the bottom, 439 00:19:59,567 --> 00:20:02,667 pickles on top, crispy sort of ground pork in it. 440 00:20:02,667 --> 00:20:04,767 -Just so many layers of flavor going in. -Yeah. 441 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,200 [Ciaran] I know Dover sole is really delicate 442 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,166 and it can overcook in a second. 443 00:20:11,166 --> 00:20:14,867 I'm waiting to cook my fish because these fillets are so thin 444 00:20:14,867 --> 00:20:17,567 that I know if cook them too early, they're gonna dry out. 445 00:20:17,567 --> 00:20:22,000 For my entree I'm making a butter-basted Dover sole 446 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,266 with a charred cone cabbage, 447 00:20:24,266 --> 00:20:29,100 a pickled carrot puree and a mushroom tarragon sauce. 448 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,367 Definitely more conscious about the time this round. 449 00:20:31,367 --> 00:20:33,467 I'm choosing to make a pickled puree 450 00:20:33,467 --> 00:20:36,367 from the pickled carrots and radish off the top of the banh mi. 451 00:20:36,367 --> 00:20:40,967 And then, I'm also using the baguette for a crumb. 452 00:20:40,967 --> 00:20:43,800 I own Glenmere Farm with my mom. 453 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,467 Like so many chefs, I got laid off during the pandemic. 454 00:20:47,467 --> 00:20:50,066 It actually turned into a blessing because I was able to 455 00:20:50,066 --> 00:20:53,033 prioritize myself and my family and buy the farm. 456 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:56,100 Oakason, how is it going down there... 457 00:20:56,100 --> 00:20:57,900 -[Oakason] I'm good. -...and what are you making us? 458 00:20:57,900 --> 00:21:00,867 -[Oakason] I'm kind of going a southern route, um... -Southern? 459 00:21:00,867 --> 00:21:03,800 ...in a sense. I'm doing a polenta with cheese 460 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,000 with a touch of the mushroom 461 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,266 and a light, corn meal-crusted style Dover sole. 462 00:21:10,266 --> 00:21:13,667 I'm excited 'cause last round we had, like, two of almost the same dish 463 00:21:13,667 --> 00:21:17,200 -and now, these are three very different directions. -Yeah. 464 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,467 [Oakason] Because the Dover sole fillet is so flaky and delicate 465 00:21:20,467 --> 00:21:22,767 I wanted to add a nice crunch factor 466 00:21:22,767 --> 00:21:26,767 which is the reason why I decided to pan fry it with a corn meal flour. 467 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,834 15 minutes left, guys. 468 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,066 Jessica, how you lookin'? 469 00:21:35,066 --> 00:21:36,667 I'm doing all right. 470 00:21:36,667 --> 00:21:38,667 I'm trying to first strategically think 471 00:21:38,667 --> 00:21:40,300 of how to include all the ingredients 472 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:42,767 without just throwing 'em on the plate. 473 00:21:42,767 --> 00:21:45,867 I'm looking at my mushroom sauce and my breaded Dover 474 00:21:45,867 --> 00:21:47,600 and I decide that I'm gonna go a German route. 475 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,767 I'm gonna hard sear my cabbage down, add onions, fresh garlic, 476 00:21:51,767 --> 00:21:54,166 and red wine vinegar. 477 00:21:54,166 --> 00:21:56,867 I, I mean, I love cooked cabbage, I love raw cabbage. 478 00:21:56,867 --> 00:22:00,867 I think here, you know, the cone cabbage itself is an interesting thing, 479 00:22:00,867 --> 00:22:02,667 but it doesn't have a difference in flavor. 480 00:22:02,667 --> 00:22:04,667 If you were gonna go a slaw route, 481 00:22:04,667 --> 00:22:07,066 you could take a little bit of the herbs and the pickles 482 00:22:07,066 --> 00:22:11,266 from the banh mi and have that a part of your slaw. 483 00:22:11,266 --> 00:22:13,266 All right, chefs, you've got 10 minutes. 484 00:22:13,266 --> 00:22:16,800 [Ciaran] So, I take the cone cabbage and I quarter it into wedges, 485 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,367 and I get that in my pan really, really hot, 486 00:22:19,367 --> 00:22:20,867 so I can get that char on the exterior. 487 00:22:20,867 --> 00:22:22,467 -Then I start on my mushroom sauce. -[sizzling] 488 00:22:22,467 --> 00:22:26,600 [Ciaran] Shallots, butter, garlic, and I bring in fresh mushrooms also. 489 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:28,700 And then I deglaze with white wine. 490 00:22:28,700 --> 00:22:30,166 It's time for the fish. 491 00:22:30,166 --> 00:22:33,500 I grew up watching Food Network, grew up watching Chopped, 492 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:35,367 never would've thought I'd be here today. 493 00:22:35,367 --> 00:22:38,667 But the stress is through the roof. 494 00:22:39,367 --> 00:22:41,767 Ciaran, did you skin your fish. 495 00:22:41,767 --> 00:22:44,367 -I did not. -[Tiffany] Okay. 496 00:22:44,367 --> 00:22:46,367 -He's like, "uh-oh." -Now he's like, "Uh-oh, should I... 497 00:22:46,367 --> 00:22:47,367 Was I supposed to?" 498 00:22:47,367 --> 00:22:50,100 [laughing] Are you giving me hints? 499 00:22:50,100 --> 00:22:51,767 Classically on Dover sole, 500 00:22:51,767 --> 00:22:53,400 it's peeled off, it's very chewy. 501 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,500 It's not something that you really wanna eat. 502 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:57,767 [Ted] Less than five minutes left here, chefs. 503 00:23:02,100 --> 00:23:06,000 [Oakason] I taste the banh mi and I immediately realize that this 504 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,900 ground pork has such a beautiful flavor, 505 00:23:08,900 --> 00:23:12,500 and it would go perfect in a succotash. 506 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:14,767 I use some chopped portobello mushrooms, 507 00:23:14,767 --> 00:23:19,367 red and orange bell pepper, and the cone cabbage, 508 00:23:19,367 --> 00:23:20,834 and the pork from the banh mi. 509 00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,000 I cook for some celebrities, 510 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,667 um, some amazing, uh, hip-hop artists, 511 00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:30,100 some actors. 512 00:23:30,100 --> 00:23:32,567 It's hard to manage all of them, 513 00:23:32,567 --> 00:23:34,266 they're very high demand. 514 00:23:34,266 --> 00:23:40,000 However, I have a very strong team and we make it happen. 515 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,100 -All right, coming up on the two-minute warning here. -Oh, two minutes. 516 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:44,300 I hope everyone's plating. 517 00:23:44,300 --> 00:23:46,133 [Ted] Two-minute warning here, chefs! 518 00:23:49,567 --> 00:23:51,166 -Can I take some mushrooms? -[Ciaran] Yeah, go for it. 519 00:23:51,166 --> 00:23:53,767 [Jessica] I wanna do a garnish of seared mushroom 520 00:23:53,767 --> 00:23:56,600 so that you kind of know mushroom is in the dish 521 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,967 with the cream of mushroom soup. 522 00:23:58,967 --> 00:24:00,667 [Ted] Final minute of the round, chefs! 523 00:24:00,667 --> 00:24:03,567 [Ciaran chuckles] Jessica seems to be calm, 524 00:24:03,567 --> 00:24:05,166 as cool as a cucumber. 525 00:24:05,166 --> 00:24:07,600 I'm looking at Oakason, I'm a little worried about her. 526 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,000 I've watched Chopped for a very long time. 527 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,567 Polenta is rarely successful in the Chopped kitchen. 528 00:24:12,567 --> 00:24:14,867 [Ted] All right, let's get those plates polished up, chefs. 529 00:24:14,867 --> 00:24:17,266 -Let's go! -[Ted] Ten, nine, 530 00:24:17,266 --> 00:24:19,066 -eight, seven... -You gotta plate now. 531 00:24:19,066 --> 00:24:22,367 ...six, five, four, 532 00:24:22,367 --> 00:24:25,634 three, two, one. 533 00:24:26,367 --> 00:24:28,667 -Time's up! -[applause] 534 00:24:28,667 --> 00:24:32,033 -All right! -[applause continues] 535 00:24:35,667 --> 00:24:37,867 [Oakason] Wow, even though it was 10 more minutes, 536 00:24:37,867 --> 00:24:40,166 that round was so intense. 537 00:24:40,166 --> 00:24:42,100 I just wish I had a couple more minutes 538 00:24:42,100 --> 00:24:43,667 to put a little bit of citrus on top, 539 00:24:43,667 --> 00:24:46,266 but let's see what the judges say. 540 00:24:47,667 --> 00:24:49,467 [clock ticking] 541 00:24:53,767 --> 00:24:55,266 Chefs, in your entree basket, 542 00:24:55,266 --> 00:24:57,266 you found cream of mushroom soup, 543 00:24:57,266 --> 00:25:02,867 cone cabbage, a banh mi, and Dover sole fillets. 544 00:25:02,867 --> 00:25:05,066 Chef Jessica, please tell us about your dish. 545 00:25:05,066 --> 00:25:08,600 I have a pan-seared Dover sole, 546 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,567 a sauteed cabbage, 547 00:25:10,567 --> 00:25:13,233 and a mushroom sauce at the bottom. 548 00:25:15,100 --> 00:25:17,900 Usually on Dover sole, you should take the skin off. 549 00:25:17,900 --> 00:25:19,867 But it's just a, it's a little bit tough, 550 00:25:19,867 --> 00:25:21,467 it's a little bit gelatinous. 551 00:25:22,867 --> 00:25:24,867 None, none of you did think of taking the skin off. 552 00:25:24,867 --> 00:25:28,000 [laughs] Good to know. 553 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:29,767 I mean, I think when you eat your fish, Jessica, 554 00:25:29,767 --> 00:25:31,266 I think because you did that breading 555 00:25:31,266 --> 00:25:33,300 that the skin is fine, it's not, 556 00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:35,000 um, deterring from the flavor of the fish. 557 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,266 It's not ruining the texture in any way. 558 00:25:37,266 --> 00:25:38,700 Thank you. 559 00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:41,367 For me, the beauty here is definitely the cabbage. 560 00:25:41,367 --> 00:25:44,166 Like, the cabbage with the acidity 561 00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:47,100 and the flavor is delicious. 562 00:25:47,100 --> 00:25:50,667 Chef, what is motivating you to put yourself through this? To compete here? 563 00:25:50,667 --> 00:25:53,567 My kids. I have two kids. 564 00:25:53,567 --> 00:25:56,667 Um, I want them to see that their mom's a badass, you know? 565 00:25:56,667 --> 00:25:59,467 I was in the military, I have my own business, 566 00:25:59,467 --> 00:26:02,367 and I've been on Chopped and, you know, 567 00:26:02,367 --> 00:26:03,567 I've made it this far already. 568 00:26:03,567 --> 00:26:05,867 -Badassery is required here. -It is. 569 00:26:05,867 --> 00:26:07,266 [all laughing] 570 00:26:07,266 --> 00:26:10,166 Thank you, chef Jessica, next up, chef Oakason. 571 00:26:10,166 --> 00:26:11,967 I have prepared for you today 572 00:26:11,967 --> 00:26:14,767 a Southern-crusted Dover sole 573 00:26:14,767 --> 00:26:18,000 with a banh mi succotash, 574 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,200 and a polenta with cream of mushroom 575 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,567 and a little bit of cheddar. 576 00:26:24,567 --> 00:26:27,667 [Marc] The succotash I like, I think it's got a lot of flavor, the peppers. 577 00:26:27,667 --> 00:26:31,066 I think that was a very smart, sort of, maneuver there. 578 00:26:31,066 --> 00:26:34,567 My problem here is that the actual Dover sole itself, 579 00:26:34,567 --> 00:26:37,567 it's just extremely bland and overcooked. 580 00:26:37,567 --> 00:26:40,634 And the other problem is this polenta is just a little bit grainy. 581 00:26:41,667 --> 00:26:43,367 You know, I have to agree with Marc. 582 00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:45,166 I mean, obviously we can taste the polenta, 583 00:26:45,166 --> 00:26:47,100 and it definitely needs more time, 584 00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:48,767 but it also needs a little more flavor. 585 00:26:48,767 --> 00:26:53,567 It has a lot of richness, there's a lot of buttery, creamy notes in it, 586 00:26:53,567 --> 00:26:57,600 but everything could take a little bit more salt. 587 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,400 I think your banh mi succotash is a great idea. 588 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,266 You could see I ate it all off of the top here. 589 00:27:02,266 --> 00:27:04,667 I just think the polenta is undercooked, 590 00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:06,567 but the succotash, I love it. 591 00:27:06,567 --> 00:27:08,367 [Marc] It's interesting because the cone cabbage, 592 00:27:08,367 --> 00:27:11,200 you used very little of it, but it's very effective 593 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,734 where you did use it in, in this little succotash. 594 00:27:14,367 --> 00:27:15,567 Finally, chef Ciaran. 595 00:27:15,567 --> 00:27:18,567 You have a butter-basted Dover sole 596 00:27:18,567 --> 00:27:20,800 with a charred cone cabbage, 597 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:22,800 a pickled carrot puree, 598 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:26,233 and a mushroom tarragon sauce. 599 00:27:27,266 --> 00:27:28,667 [Ted] Ciaran, have you always been a chef? 600 00:27:28,667 --> 00:27:31,266 No, um, my background is in 601 00:27:31,266 --> 00:27:33,767 animal science and agriculture, originally, 602 00:27:33,767 --> 00:27:36,767 and found myself a little bit lost. 603 00:27:36,767 --> 00:27:39,667 So, I've always loved to cook, and my mom pushed me 604 00:27:39,667 --> 00:27:41,567 to check out CIA in Hyde Park. 605 00:27:41,567 --> 00:27:44,266 And I enrolled and fell in love 606 00:27:44,266 --> 00:27:46,533 from the first day of my fundamentals class. 607 00:27:47,700 --> 00:27:50,567 Ciaran, I mean, that carrot puree just steals the show. Do you see? 608 00:27:50,567 --> 00:27:52,467 -I was about to pick up my plate and start licking up. -[laughs] 609 00:27:52,467 --> 00:27:54,767 [Stephanie] It's just really delicious, so much flavor. 610 00:27:54,767 --> 00:27:56,400 I like the mushroom sauce as well. 611 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,967 The fish itself is a little bit overcooked 612 00:27:58,967 --> 00:28:01,266 and could use a little more seasoning. 613 00:28:01,266 --> 00:28:03,166 The cabbage, I love that it's caramelized cabbage. 614 00:28:03,166 --> 00:28:04,500 I love that flavor, the sweetness 615 00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:06,333 that comes out when it's cooked that way. 616 00:28:07,066 --> 00:28:08,667 I love the presentation here. 617 00:28:08,667 --> 00:28:11,166 I mean, it is visually appealing. 618 00:28:11,166 --> 00:28:14,000 Where you struggled just a little bit is in seasoning, right? 619 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,567 Like Stephanie said, everything could've used a little bit more. 620 00:28:17,567 --> 00:28:19,467 -Got it, thank you. -[Marc] I have to agree with them. 621 00:28:19,467 --> 00:28:20,800 It just definitely needs more seasoning, 622 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:23,600 and, uh, obviously your carrot sauce is really good, 623 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,133 but yeah, the fish is definitely a touch overcooked. 624 00:28:26,700 --> 00:28:27,634 Thank you, chefs. 625 00:28:28,567 --> 00:28:31,367 I feel good, but I also feel nervous. 626 00:28:31,367 --> 00:28:33,634 I think it's about fifty-fifty right now. 627 00:28:34,867 --> 00:28:37,600 I definitely made a few technical errors, 628 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,667 the dish being in some places a little under-seasoned, 629 00:28:40,667 --> 00:28:42,333 so mixed feelings. 630 00:28:48,700 --> 00:28:50,567 [clock ticking] 631 00:28:55,367 --> 00:28:59,066 So, whose dish is on the chopping block? 632 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,233 Chef Oakason, you've been chopped. Judges? 633 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:11,967 [Stephanie] Chef Oakason, though you had some great ideas, 634 00:29:11,967 --> 00:29:15,533 your Dover sole fillet was under-seasoned and overcooked. 635 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:18,066 And so, we had to chop you. 636 00:29:19,467 --> 00:29:22,400 Ciao-- Wait! [laughs] 637 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,967 Being chopped, I mean, it's frustrating. 638 00:29:24,967 --> 00:29:27,667 I wish I could've gone on to the final round, 639 00:29:27,667 --> 00:29:30,233 but it's been a great experience. 640 00:29:36,867 --> 00:29:39,066 [Ted] Chef Jessica, chef Ciaran, 641 00:29:39,066 --> 00:29:42,233 time to deal with the dessert baskets. 642 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:47,133 Let's see what's inside. 643 00:29:49,767 --> 00:29:51,400 Oh, my God. 644 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,367 And what kind of innovative sweet creations can you make with... 645 00:29:55,367 --> 00:29:56,500 Oh, no. 646 00:29:56,500 --> 00:29:58,467 ...red hot jawbreakers? 647 00:29:58,467 --> 00:30:01,100 Used to eat those as a kid. 648 00:30:01,100 --> 00:30:03,100 You know, I never liked those as a kid, personally. 649 00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:06,300 They're so spicy, I don't find it satisfying. 650 00:30:06,300 --> 00:30:07,567 It's not it for me. 651 00:30:07,567 --> 00:30:11,467 -[Ted] Blackberries. -Some fresh blackberries. 652 00:30:11,467 --> 00:30:14,834 -[Ted] Lychee drink. -Lychee, never had this before. 653 00:30:15,767 --> 00:30:18,600 [Ted] And Pastel de Elote. 654 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,266 [Jessica] Including a cake that's already made. 655 00:30:21,266 --> 00:30:23,767 [Ted] Clock is reset to 30 minutes! 656 00:30:23,767 --> 00:30:26,166 Excited about the blackberries, 657 00:30:26,166 --> 00:30:28,000 but that's about it. [laughs] 658 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:28,967 Time starts now. 659 00:30:28,967 --> 00:30:30,767 -[Marc] Yeah, here we go! -[Tiffany] All right! 660 00:30:30,767 --> 00:30:34,233 [applause] 661 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:37,166 Going into the dessert round, 662 00:30:37,166 --> 00:30:39,200 I definitely wanna represent Biscuit Batch 663 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:40,500 and make a biscuit. 664 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:41,867 Jessica, what are you doing? 665 00:30:41,867 --> 00:30:44,000 [excitedly] I am making biscuits! 666 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:45,600 [all] Oh! 667 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:47,867 -[Stephanie] Yay! -Staying on brand, Jessica, 668 00:30:47,867 --> 00:30:49,200 -very impressive. -[laughing] 669 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:50,767 [Marc] Jessica has a biscuit truck 670 00:30:50,767 --> 00:30:51,867 and she makes a lot of biscuits, 671 00:30:51,867 --> 00:30:54,000 but we already have the Pastel de Elote 672 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,166 in the basket, I don't know if you want a biscuit with that. 673 00:30:56,166 --> 00:30:58,000 It's basically a corn cake, right? 674 00:30:58,000 --> 00:30:59,867 -[Tiffany] Mmm. -[Marc] So, it's like, it's, it's sweet. 675 00:30:59,867 --> 00:31:01,100 I think the best thing you do with that 676 00:31:01,100 --> 00:31:03,667 -is just cut it and soak it in a little rum. -Ooh. 677 00:31:03,667 --> 00:31:04,533 Spongy. 678 00:31:04,533 --> 00:31:07,100 I'm gonna add the cake to my biscuit mix. 679 00:31:07,100 --> 00:31:09,600 I'm hoping it adds a little bit of sweetness. 680 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,100 Because I'm making biscuits, I feel like that puts my 681 00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:16,066 mobile restaurant on the line. 682 00:31:16,066 --> 00:31:18,767 I can't make a bad biscuit while I'm here. [laughs] 683 00:31:18,767 --> 00:31:20,166 While the biscuits are in the oven, 684 00:31:20,166 --> 00:31:22,567 I'm gonna get started on my blackberry coulis. 685 00:31:22,567 --> 00:31:26,500 I'm gonna incorporate my red hot jawbreakers into the coulis, 686 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:29,367 and add some fresh rosemary and the lychee drink 687 00:31:29,367 --> 00:31:31,867 to add some creaminess. 688 00:31:31,867 --> 00:31:35,367 Judges, those red hot jawbreakers are extremely spicy, 689 00:31:35,367 --> 00:31:37,567 they're also very hard to break down. 690 00:31:37,567 --> 00:31:39,000 What is the solution here? 691 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:40,166 I think I would just, like, try to melt, 692 00:31:40,166 --> 00:31:41,767 cinnamon up the outside. 693 00:31:41,767 --> 00:31:44,100 I just heard Jessica put a few of them into her pot. 694 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:45,767 [Marc] It's a lot of those red hots in there. 695 00:31:45,767 --> 00:31:48,200 -It's gonna be pretty spicy. -[Stephanie] Yes. 696 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,767 -You having fun, Jessica? -[Jessica] Oh, it's so much fun. 697 00:31:50,767 --> 00:31:51,867 "So much fun?" 698 00:31:51,867 --> 00:31:53,467 I think Jessica is really gonna 699 00:31:53,467 --> 00:31:55,000 hit her stride in dessert round 700 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,600 because biscuits are her specialty. 701 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,400 But this is do or die. 702 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:00,767 [loudly] Ciaran, what are you making? 703 00:32:00,767 --> 00:32:03,500 You know, the one thing my mom told me not to do 704 00:32:03,500 --> 00:32:05,200 the whole competition was make ice cream. 705 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,467 So, like any good kid, I'm gonna do the opposite of what she told me, 706 00:32:08,467 --> 00:32:11,567 and I'm gonna make a lychee ice cream. 707 00:32:11,567 --> 00:32:12,567 Okay. 708 00:32:12,567 --> 00:32:14,266 Sorry, Mom, making ice cream. 709 00:32:14,266 --> 00:32:17,467 [laughing] Listen to your mom, Ciaran! 710 00:32:17,467 --> 00:32:20,166 [Ciaran] We've been Chopped fans and viewers for a long time, 711 00:32:20,166 --> 00:32:23,367 and the ice cream machine can be the kiss of death. 712 00:32:23,367 --> 00:32:27,400 But the lychee drink is very sweet and floral, 713 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,100 and I think it's gonna work really well 714 00:32:29,100 --> 00:32:32,667 with the heaviness of the fat from the heavy cream and milk. 715 00:32:32,667 --> 00:32:35,166 I also crush green cardamom pods 716 00:32:35,166 --> 00:32:37,433 and add those in with some cinnamon sticks. 717 00:32:41,567 --> 00:32:43,667 So, I plan for this Pastel de Elote cake 718 00:32:43,667 --> 00:32:45,100 is to turn it into some kind of crumble... 719 00:32:45,100 --> 00:32:46,567 [Jessica] Coming down, right behind. 720 00:32:46,567 --> 00:32:48,867 ...with some crushed ladyfingers. 721 00:32:48,867 --> 00:32:50,300 I think this is a great mash up. 722 00:32:50,300 --> 00:32:53,266 I think that Ciaran has a little edge ahead of Jessica right now, 723 00:32:53,266 --> 00:32:55,800 but she makes biscuits every day. 724 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,367 Yeah. I think she's really gotta shine in the dessert round. 725 00:32:59,367 --> 00:33:01,567 Chefs, 15 minutes to get it done! 726 00:33:01,567 --> 00:33:06,166 [Jessica] I taste my coulis, and I feel like it's lacking a little bit more citrus, 727 00:33:06,166 --> 00:33:10,200 so I'm adding orange juice and zest. 728 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,266 I'm also gonna add some orange liqueur and some fresh raspberries, 729 00:33:14,266 --> 00:33:18,767 so that there's another acidic berry in the dish. 730 00:33:18,767 --> 00:33:22,367 [Ciaran] I'm using the jawbreaker as a flavoring base for my blackberry compote. 731 00:33:22,367 --> 00:33:24,467 I grow blackberries on my farm, 732 00:33:24,467 --> 00:33:25,867 something I use all the time. 733 00:33:25,867 --> 00:33:28,000 At Glenmere Farm, we're still brand-new. 734 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,967 We really need to improve our infrastructure, so winning the 10k 735 00:33:31,967 --> 00:33:33,266 would really push us in the right direction. 736 00:33:33,266 --> 00:33:36,467 I also add some golden raisins to give it bit more texture. 737 00:33:36,467 --> 00:33:37,667 Okay, this is gonna go on fire. 738 00:33:37,667 --> 00:33:39,967 To finish my compote, I flambe with some rum. 739 00:33:39,967 --> 00:33:42,500 -[sizzling] -[Ted] All right, chefs, you've got 10 minutes. 740 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:45,567 Oh, definitely cutting it down to the clock. 741 00:33:45,567 --> 00:33:47,166 I'm checking on my biscuits, 742 00:33:47,166 --> 00:33:50,600 I see that they're still a little bit gooey in the center, 743 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:53,500 so I raise the heat about 25 degrees. 744 00:33:53,500 --> 00:33:57,700 If I win the $10,000, I would put it towards my Biscuit Batch business 745 00:33:57,700 --> 00:33:59,667 and opening another mobile restaurant, 746 00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:03,233 so the pressure's really on to have these biscuits done in time. 747 00:34:05,567 --> 00:34:07,567 [Ciaran] So I go back to check my crumble, 748 00:34:07,567 --> 00:34:09,500 I take it out of the oven and... 749 00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:11,567 It's not really coming out the way I want it to. 750 00:34:12,500 --> 00:34:14,567 It's so dense and moist 751 00:34:14,567 --> 00:34:16,567 that there's no way it's gonna dry out 752 00:34:16,567 --> 00:34:18,367 to what I want within the time. 753 00:34:18,367 --> 00:34:20,567 Five minutes left here, chefs. 754 00:34:20,567 --> 00:34:23,166 [Ciaran groans] Oh. That hurts. 755 00:34:23,166 --> 00:34:25,100 I can't serve a soggy crumble. 756 00:34:25,100 --> 00:34:28,033 My elote cake crumble just isn't gonna work. 757 00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:32,667 [clock ticking] 758 00:34:36,300 --> 00:34:37,734 [sighs worriedly] 759 00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:41,567 I check my crumble in the oven, 760 00:34:41,567 --> 00:34:43,166 and it's just not turning out how I want. 761 00:34:43,166 --> 00:34:45,667 The texture is just nowhere near where I need it. 762 00:34:45,667 --> 00:34:48,567 [hurriedly] I'm gonna go back and turn the cake into something else. 763 00:34:48,567 --> 00:34:50,300 Ciaran, what's the batter? 764 00:34:50,300 --> 00:34:53,367 So, I wanted to use the cake in a crumble, 765 00:34:53,367 --> 00:34:56,467 but I'm gonna try to turn it into some kind of lychee fritter. 766 00:34:56,467 --> 00:34:59,367 So, I'm taking this mushy, failed crumble, 767 00:34:59,367 --> 00:35:01,867 -and turning it into an elote cake fritter. -[sizzling] 768 00:35:01,867 --> 00:35:05,567 [Ciaran] And then I'm also making a lychee-soaked elote cake 769 00:35:05,567 --> 00:35:07,000 to sit my ice-cream on. 770 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,967 Just wanna remind you that you have three minutes. 771 00:35:09,967 --> 00:35:11,667 [Ciaran] Okay, ice-cream time. 772 00:35:11,667 --> 00:35:14,000 -[Marc] Ciaran's ice cream is coming out. It looks... -Oh, it looks good! 773 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,467 It's actually ice cream, yeah. 774 00:35:15,467 --> 00:35:18,066 [Ciaran] I have my ice cream out, I'm super happy with it. 775 00:35:19,500 --> 00:35:20,967 [Jessica] While the biscuits are in the oven, 776 00:35:20,967 --> 00:35:24,100 I'm gonna use my lychee drink in a whipped cream. 777 00:35:24,100 --> 00:35:25,700 Jessica, how's your biscuits looking? 778 00:35:25,700 --> 00:35:28,266 Really gonna come down to the clock, I think. 779 00:35:28,266 --> 00:35:30,867 [Ted] And we've got one minute on the clock, chefs. 780 00:35:30,867 --> 00:35:32,200 [Stephanie] If you look at Jessica's face, 781 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:33,867 you can see worry all over her face 782 00:35:33,867 --> 00:35:35,100 about the time and the biscuits. 783 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:36,867 [Jessica] I check my biscuits, 784 00:35:36,867 --> 00:35:40,600 and thank you kitchen gods, they're done. [chuckles] 785 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,533 All right, chefs, final seconds of the final round here. 786 00:35:44,266 --> 00:35:47,300 Ten, nine, eight, 787 00:35:47,300 --> 00:35:50,367 seven, six, five, 788 00:35:50,367 --> 00:35:53,567 four, three, two, 789 00:35:53,567 --> 00:35:55,967 one, time's up! 790 00:35:55,967 --> 00:35:57,467 -[applause] -[Tiffany] Oh, my God. 791 00:35:57,467 --> 00:35:59,000 -Ah. -[Stephanie] Oh, you guys. 792 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:00,266 [applause continues] 793 00:36:00,266 --> 00:36:02,767 -My hands are so sweaty. -[both laughing] 794 00:36:02,767 --> 00:36:03,667 Me to. 795 00:36:03,667 --> 00:36:05,000 Feel like the ice cream machine 796 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,767 can either make you or break in the dessert round, 797 00:36:06,767 --> 00:36:08,467 but I really wanted to push myself. 798 00:36:08,467 --> 00:36:10,934 So, I'm happy with the way things turned out. 799 00:36:12,266 --> 00:36:15,100 [Jessica] I took a big risk making biscuits in the final round, 800 00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:20,533 and I pulled it off with, like, maybe 30 seconds to be able to plate my dish. 801 00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:30,700 [Ted] Chef Jessica and chef Ciaran, 802 00:36:30,700 --> 00:36:33,367 your final dishes, desserts made with 803 00:36:33,367 --> 00:36:37,266 red hot jawbreakers, blackberries, 804 00:36:37,266 --> 00:36:40,667 lychee drink, and Pastel de Elote. 805 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,467 Chef Jessica, tell us what you've made. 806 00:36:43,467 --> 00:36:47,867 For dessert, I wanted to represent my Biscuit Batch business. 807 00:36:47,867 --> 00:36:50,900 I made you a buttermilk biscuit, 808 00:36:50,900 --> 00:36:53,767 a blackberry rosemary coulis 809 00:36:53,767 --> 00:36:55,634 with a vanilla whipped cream. 810 00:36:57,567 --> 00:36:59,600 [Marc] Putting whipped cream on top of everything, 811 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:03,867 my biscuit's just, like, buried underneath a bunch of soggy liquid. 812 00:37:03,867 --> 00:37:05,166 If you had put this on a plate, 813 00:37:05,166 --> 00:37:06,967 put the whipped cream on the side, 814 00:37:06,967 --> 00:37:08,834 so it doesn't all just melt together. 815 00:37:10,100 --> 00:37:12,000 I was surprised the red hots you put in there 816 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,700 didn't blow us away because we were worried 817 00:37:13,700 --> 00:37:14,967 -you put so many in there. -Right. 818 00:37:14,967 --> 00:37:16,467 And we could smell it as it was cooking. 819 00:37:16,467 --> 00:37:19,567 I think the, the level of cinnamon spice in there 820 00:37:19,567 --> 00:37:21,734 is actually really beautiful, it's very nice. 821 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,266 [Stephanie] I love the whip. I love the lychee in the whip, 822 00:37:25,266 --> 00:37:26,867 it's really pretty. It's, um... 823 00:37:26,867 --> 00:37:28,667 Has, like, those floral notes coming out. 824 00:37:28,667 --> 00:37:31,100 -[Jessica] Mmm-hmm. -And I think that along with the cinnamon and the berries 825 00:37:31,100 --> 00:37:32,800 -works really well together. -[Tiffany] Yeah. 826 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:35,166 I like the flavor combination together very much. 827 00:37:35,166 --> 00:37:37,200 On the biscuit dough, you can definitely tell 828 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,200 that it's just slightly under 'cause it has this kind of, 829 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,467 almost like, um, a little mush in it, right? 830 00:37:43,467 --> 00:37:44,367 Mmm-hmm. 831 00:37:45,266 --> 00:37:47,767 Thank you, chef Jessica. Finally, chef Ciaran. 832 00:37:47,767 --> 00:37:50,867 For dessert today we have a lychee ice cream 833 00:37:50,867 --> 00:37:54,200 with a red hot blackberry compote, 834 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,467 a lychee-soaked elote cake, 835 00:37:56,467 --> 00:37:59,667 and an elote cake fritter. 836 00:37:59,667 --> 00:38:01,367 [Stephanie] I think the texture of the ice cream is beautiful. 837 00:38:01,367 --> 00:38:03,200 The concern was having the lychee drink 838 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:04,867 not be as thick as a milk or a cream, 839 00:38:04,867 --> 00:38:07,100 that it might make it too icy, but the texture is really nice. 840 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:08,600 -Thank you. -The soaked cake is great. 841 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:10,433 I think that's a great use of the lychee drink. 842 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:12,433 I like the lychee ice cream. 843 00:38:12,433 --> 00:38:14,700 -It think it has just a little hint of it... -[Ciaran] Mmm-hmm. 844 00:38:14,700 --> 00:38:15,767 ...it's not too much. 845 00:38:15,767 --> 00:38:18,367 I like that you put the lime zest to finish. 846 00:38:18,367 --> 00:38:20,667 Just really helps to bring it out. 847 00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:23,967 I was very concerned more about the fritter just because of... 848 00:38:23,967 --> 00:38:26,567 [chuckles] ...you know, taking and mashing up cake, 849 00:38:26,567 --> 00:38:29,166 and then frying it. Sometimes, it can be very dense, 850 00:38:29,166 --> 00:38:30,333 and it is dense, 851 00:38:31,767 --> 00:38:33,834 but it reminds me of bread pudding. 852 00:38:34,367 --> 00:38:36,000 Uh, the berries itself, 853 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:40,100 it doesn't have as much flavor as what you would want. 854 00:38:40,100 --> 00:38:42,767 [Marc] Well presentation-wise, I mean, it looks like a beautiful dessert. 855 00:38:42,767 --> 00:38:45,166 I like that you used the cake in two different ways. 856 00:38:45,166 --> 00:38:46,667 I love the ice cream. 857 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:49,867 I find lychee sometimes to be a little too floral in flavor, 858 00:38:49,867 --> 00:38:53,266 and I think by toning it down, I'm really happy with it. 859 00:38:54,967 --> 00:38:56,934 All right, chefs, thank you. 860 00:39:01,767 --> 00:39:05,367 Judges, those mystery baskets contained a true hodgepodge 861 00:39:05,367 --> 00:39:07,567 of flavors and influences. 862 00:39:07,567 --> 00:39:10,000 I thought Jessica did a good job in her appetizer round. 863 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,567 She made that little rice cake... 864 00:39:11,567 --> 00:39:13,967 Okay, the rice cake was a little dense. 865 00:39:13,967 --> 00:39:16,300 But the sauce that she paired with it was really good, 866 00:39:16,300 --> 00:39:19,166 and then she made that beautiful little salad with the mizuna next to it... 867 00:39:19,166 --> 00:39:20,266 -Yeah. -...which sort of, 868 00:39:20,266 --> 00:39:21,967 you know, carried the rice cake 869 00:39:21,967 --> 00:39:23,567 over the finish line, so to speak. 870 00:39:23,567 --> 00:39:26,467 [Stephanie] Ciaran's soup was one of my favorite bites of the day. 871 00:39:26,467 --> 00:39:27,567 A lot of layers of flavor 872 00:39:27,567 --> 00:39:29,367 created in a short amount of time. 873 00:39:29,367 --> 00:39:33,166 I liked his use of the rice ball to thicken the soup. 874 00:39:33,166 --> 00:39:36,266 Only, when Ciaran added the egg to the soup, 875 00:39:36,266 --> 00:39:37,500 he said, like, egg drop. 876 00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:39,667 And it was the most creamiest, velvety soup. 877 00:39:39,667 --> 00:39:43,300 Delicious, but it definitely didn't feel like egg drop. 878 00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:45,100 [Marc] In the main course, Ciaran's Dover sole 879 00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:47,567 was actually overcooked and a little bit chewier. 880 00:39:47,567 --> 00:39:49,166 But everything else on the plate really made up for-- 881 00:39:49,166 --> 00:39:51,266 -That carrot puree, it was delicious. -Yeah. 882 00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:53,767 I feel like he did a lot of work that paid off for him. 883 00:39:53,767 --> 00:39:57,467 You had the mushroom and tarragon cream sauce, 884 00:39:57,467 --> 00:39:59,900 the charred cabbage, it was beautifully cooked. 885 00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:04,100 Jessica did a great job of seasoning the fish 886 00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:07,467 and the cabbage with the vinegar and that sauce. 887 00:40:07,467 --> 00:40:10,467 I thought the, that dish together felt very homy, 888 00:40:10,467 --> 00:40:14,166 very delicious, and I didn't want for any more seasoning. 889 00:40:14,166 --> 00:40:17,266 I think Jessica and Ciaran, they're both good cooks. 890 00:40:17,266 --> 00:40:19,967 They know how to season, they know how to balance flavors. 891 00:40:19,967 --> 00:40:23,000 I think it really comes down to a few small mistakes. 892 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,033 So, who had the winning meal? 893 00:40:26,166 --> 00:40:27,433 We know without a doubt. 894 00:40:32,767 --> 00:40:35,166 I think I'm gonna win. I think I was a little bit 895 00:40:35,166 --> 00:40:37,967 more creative than Jessica in the first round. 896 00:40:37,967 --> 00:40:41,300 I think she may have me by a slight margin for the entree, 897 00:40:41,300 --> 00:40:43,000 but I really think my ice cream, 898 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:44,567 it's gonna push me over the edge. 899 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,867 I stayed pretty consistent with flavoring and seasoning 900 00:40:48,867 --> 00:40:51,400 and not overcooking any of my ingredients. 901 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,967 So I think overall, I definitely should take the win today. 902 00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:07,467 Chef Jessica, you've been chopped. Judges? 903 00:41:07,467 --> 00:41:09,100 [Marc] Jessica, you put up a good fight. 904 00:41:09,100 --> 00:41:11,166 And, uh, when we looked at all the courses, you know, 905 00:41:11,166 --> 00:41:12,767 starting with the appetizer round, 906 00:41:12,767 --> 00:41:15,200 your rice cake was just dry, it was little too dense. 907 00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:17,567 And your dessert, we felt, you know, the flavors were good, 908 00:41:17,567 --> 00:41:20,667 but the way you plated it, everything got soggy, melted. 909 00:41:20,667 --> 00:41:23,100 And so, unfortunately, we had to chop you. 910 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:24,166 Thank you. 911 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:28,900 It's definitely sad to lose, 912 00:41:28,900 --> 00:41:31,300 but I'm not disappointed in myself at all. 913 00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:34,767 Um, I came, I delivered. And I put out good dishes. 914 00:41:34,767 --> 00:41:37,133 So, I'm very happy with what I did today. 915 00:41:38,467 --> 00:41:41,266 And that means chef Ciaran McGoldrick, 916 00:41:41,266 --> 00:41:44,166 you are the Chopped Champion. Congratulations! 917 00:41:44,166 --> 00:41:45,667 -[indistinct cheering] -[applause] 918 00:41:45,667 --> 00:41:48,000 -Nice. -Thank you so much. Wow! 919 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:49,700 Uh, so excited. 920 00:41:49,700 --> 00:41:52,567 I had some very, very intense competition so 921 00:41:52,567 --> 00:41:56,000 to make it all the way to the end and then win... 922 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,367 Childhood, childhood dream, honestly.