[Scott] This competition is gonna be legendary.
[Ted] Four iconic Chopped judges have each hand-picked
four all-star champions in a battle of the best.
[Maneet] I am staking my reputation on these incredible chefs.
[Chris] To become a legendary chef here,
you have to be so bold and so driven.
Pressure makes diamonds,
and in the Chopped kitchen,
pressure makes legends.
[upbeat song playing]
♪♪ And the legend goes on♪
[Scott] You gotta pursue greatness nonstop.
[Amanda] They have to push the boundaries. They have to be ambitious.
-Ooh. -[Alex] Irreverent, unflappable,
-unbasketable. -See this?
[Ted] The champs who win the preliminary rounds
will return to cook in the tournament's finale
with the judges as their sous chefs.
I can't wait to boss him around.
It's kind of naughty.
[woman] They need to come in guns blazing.
Make me proud!
Now that's some boom-boom right there, girl.
That's the legendary move, like, that's it.
[contestant] Everyone is a champion, but there is only one legend.
Good enough isn't good enough.
Many champions will fall, but one legend will rise.
♪♪ And the legend goes on♪
[Scott] This competition, it's gonna be legendary.
To be a Chopped Legend,
you've gotta pursue greatness nonstop.
And you have to achieve it as well.
I think a great Chopped champion becomes a legend
when we can't believe the dish
came from the basket that it came from.
This is such a great balance of flavors,
of your point of view. It's firing on all cylinders here, truly.
I've judged Chopped from the very beginning,
and I know greatness when I see it.
My champions are extremely tough and talented.
[Bao Bao] My competitors should be afraid just to hear my name.
Bao Bao.
[Scott] First, here's Chef Bao Bao,
the champion of our Oodles of Noodles competition.
She knows how to take the lead and innovate.
I cannot believe you chose me.
Well, you know, you're very memorable.
You're really ambitious and you're a risk-taker,
but I think you have to rein in some of those risks.
Because not all risks reward, right?
[Bao Bao] So, last time I impressed the judge
by making everything from scratch.
And this time, I'm coming back, baby.
And you will see what else I can do.
[in Thai]
[Scott] Next, I had to pick Chef Pat Pascarella
from our Battle Italiano tournament.
We share a passion for Italian food,
and Chef Pat is destined for big things.
One of the things that I love about you,
you're constantly trying to be better, all the time.
Which I think is really a character trait
if you wanna become legendary.
The last time, you were chopped in the first round
and your dish seemed a little bit unfocused.
You know better than anybody that there is no success without failure.
Don't disappoint me.
[Pat] Losing that last one actually didn't sit well with me.
So, I'm pumped to get back out there.
Legend in the making.
[Scott] Next, I had to pick Chef Sara Bradley.
She's the grand champion of our All-American tournament.
I didn't have a single negative critique.
Chef, this is bananas.
This is so good.
You know how to get those flavors.
And you understand the techniques.
When it comes to baskets, sometimes,
putting that puzzle together is a little bit of a challenge.
I don't think it's a challenge for you.
But you have to impress the other judges
as much as you've impressed me.
So, get into the right headspace.
[Sara] The competition is gonna be at such a higher level.
You know, there's not gonna be any room for mistakes.
I wanna be the first one to win Chopped Legends.
[Scott] Finally, I picked Paco Moran.
He impressed me so much in our
Desperately Seeking Sous-Chef Tournament,
I offered him a job at the end of it.
-Aw. -[Scott] You cook great food.
But you really bring that emotion and that heart.
-That's all. -Thank you.
[Scott] That's your best asset.
I do think there are a few things we could work on.
Simplifying your thought process
in order to really create the dish
that you see in your mind's eye.
[Paco] Scott picked me. You know, he knows that I'm not gonna stop,
and I'm gonna fight for the best possible outcome.
The creme de la creme are facing off to represent me.
May the best champion win.
[Ted] Welcome back, chefs.
-Nice to see you all again. -Hi!
I remember Sara. She is a powerhouse of a chef.
[Ted] I remember Chef Pat. He really excelled here.
[Pat] Thousands of people have competed on Chopped.
And to be a legend in this kitchen, you have to beat the best.
And I'm ready to give it my all.
It's wonderful to have four outstanding champions back
by way of an invitation from esteemed judge Scott Conant.
[in English] I'm not gonna let you down, chef.
[Ted] Let's hope so.
There is much at stake in this extraordinary tournament.
The finale winner will score $25,000
for a cause near and dear to them,
-plus $25,000 in cash. -[chef softly] Whoo.
You guys should just go ahead and go on home.
-[chef] We'll see. -No!
Okay champions, time to dig into the first basket.
If you dislike your ingredients,
please direct your anger to Scott.
He picked them.
It's all yours. Open 'em up!
Is that a popsicle of spaghetti?
[Ted] You've got spaghetti ice pops.
There's ingredients in here that they have to
kind of react on the fly.
Those spaghetti ice pops,
what do you do with something like that?
-[Ted] Burrata. -One of my favorite.
[Scott] With burrata, you can create a sauce out of it.
You can utilize the interior part, the stracciatella.
-Ground pork. -[Ted] Ground pork.
-Red onion. -[Ted] And of course, red onions.
This is your favorite.
[Pat] Scott hates them, but he's testing us to
make sure that we do something with them.
[Scott] Chefs, we're pursuing excellence today.
This is the most important dish that you've ever cooked.
How you utilize these ingredients
will teach me something about your mindset and your skill set.
And then most importantly, about your adaptability.
Twenty minutes to make an impression.
-Clock starts now! -[Scott] Let's go, chefs.
[Amanda] These chefs are competing in something called Chopped Legends.
A title that's never been given before.
And they're also competing to have Scott as their sous chef.
I mean, they have to push the boundaries.
They have to be ambitious.
What is one main characteristic
that a Chopped Legend must possess?
Fearlessness.
-That's Chef Bao Bao. -Yeah.
They have to be very good at time management.
[Scott] I think deep knowledge of product is really important.
Understanding what each ingredient is gonna do to the dish overall,
and having some kind of cultural reference to it.
[Sara] Scott and I both love food that tells a story,
and I wanna make sure to do that this round.
I do my research. I know that one of his favorite dishes
is something his mom cooked for him, it was sausage and peppers.
And I'm gonna do a play on that.
So I am making a sausage and onion pan con tomate.
By seasoning up the pork, I wanna make it taste
kind of like an Italian sausage.
So, pan con tomate is bread, pan, with tomato.
I want something that packs a lot of flavor
that they'll remember.
[Pat] What makes a legend in a kitchen
is someone that is gonna create memorable dishes.
Something that pulls on the heartstrings of the judges.
This basket, it's screaming pasta dish to me.
I'm making penne with a pork ragu and stracciatella.
So in a separate pan,
I have my spaghetti popsicles and white wine.
And I'm basically reducing that down to then add to my ragu.
To be a legend, you have to be the best.
You have to be extraordinary.
Oh, my goodness.
I'm gonna go and see what these chefs are doing.
[groans] Ah!
Chef Bao Bao, right behind.
What do we got going on here, chef?
[Bao Bao] I'm trying to make a Asian-style empanada.
But then because I have to utilize
this gross thing and that cheese,
I gonna make this as a sauce.
And what are you gonna make the empanada out of?
-What's the dough? -Uh, I'm using the puff pastry.
Oh, you gotta get that stuff cooking, chef.
It takes 14 minutes to cook puff pastry.
-Unless you're gonna go in a deep fryer. -I gonna fry.
-Yeah, I gonna fry, chef. -[Scott] Got it. Okay, good.
[Bao Bao] For my empanada filling,
I saute the pork and red onions.
And I am using burrata to add
the fat and the creaminess to the filling.
[Scott] Chef Paco, tell me, man, what you're making?
[Paco] I'm making a pork tlayuda.
-Which is like a Oaxacan dish, right? -Yes, yes, yes.
[Paco] With kind of like puttanesca, but with pork.
-A little bit Mexico meets Italy. -I love it.
Good luck, chef.
[Paco] My plan is to melt down my spaghetti pops,
remove the noodles,
and then start a sauce with that for my tlayuda.
I'm also making pickled red onions
using Champagne vinegar and serrano chile.
I know Scott hates red onions, so I'm gonna use them twice.
Better to steer into the skid than try to avoid it.
[Ted] Chefs, you have ten minutes to get it done.
[exclaims] Wha!
[Scott] I really like the direction that Sara is going in.
Really good technique, streamlining flavor profiles.
Those juxtapositions of flavor,
really other level.
Pat, with about ten minutes to go,
just dropped a bunch of penne.
[Ted] Penne is an 11-minute pasta.
[Scott] Yes, I agree.
[Bao Bao] I have to make sure that I get my empanada to the deep fryer.
[Scott] You know, the one thing about Chef Bao Bao is
-she takes big risks. -Ooh.
[Bao Bao] Oh, no.
As I starting to add the filling into the puff pastry,
it's starting to melt.
The heat from my filling is melting off the puff pastry.
Puff pastry too small!
Chef Bao Bao, you got six minutes left.
[Bao Bao] I know, chef. The puff pastry is not working out for me.
The puff pastry is breaking apart.
This is the most stress that I've ever been into this kitchen.
Just not gonna work.
I cannot make it the way I want it to.
I told her, "Be careful with the risks."
And here she is.
[Bao Bao] I'm not happy with this at all.
This is not good.
Oh, no.
The puff pastry is not working for me,
and the clock is running down.
But you know, to be a legend,
you cannot give up easily.
You know what? I'm not gonna risk.
I have to go to the plan B.
Now I am making a cheesy pork dip
with tomato and raisin sauce.
I'm going to do this one.
I decided to grab tortilla, and I'm going to fry it.
Chef Bao Bao, you know you only have
four and a half minutes left, right?
Yes, chef.
I use my cheesy pork filling almost like a nacho.
[Pat] So, I'm gonna use the inside of the ball of burrata and make stracciatella.
I'm mixing it in a bowl with some heavy cream and some salt.
It tastes delicious.
[Paco] Normally on a tlayuda,
you would use a Oaxacan cheese, quesillo.
And you wouldn't do anything to it.
So I plan to do the same here
and just put the burrata down on the tortilla.
[Scott] So, Chef Paco comes with a great technique with soul.
I think that's what resonated with me from the very beginning.
Chef Paco, are you feeling good?
Yes.
[laughs]
Look at what Chef Sara is doing.
Taking that popsicle stick and rubbing it all over the bread,
trying to get a little bit of a flavor transfer.
I hope that that's enough.
[Sara] I'm taking the burrata and marinating it with a ton of herbs,
with grated tomato right into the cheese.
-[Scott] You got two minutes, chef. -[Marc speaks indistinctly]
[Marc] I'm worried about the pasta out of Pat's dish.
-Yeah, me too. -I think it might be a little too al dente
for the time that he put it in there.
[Ted] Thirty seconds. Get it on the plate.
[Amanda] Come on, chefs. This is your first round, you gotta impress.
Chef Bao Bao is struggling with whatever just came out of the fryer.
-Let's go, chefs. Get it done! -Watch it, chefs. The clock is winding down.
Ten, nine, eight,
-seven, six, five... -[man] I don't know.
-...four, three, two, one. -[Amanda] All four ingredients!
-Come on, chefs! -[Ted] Time's up!
I feel great being a part of Scott's team.
And the dish really represents him because, I mean,
pasta, Scott screams pasta.
So, um... And I lost on pasta my last time.
So, I wanna make sure I don't lose on pasta again this time.
[Bao Bao] Things happens, right?
And you have to learn how to fix the problem and then make it work.
[Scott] One of my champions has what it takes to become a legend.
I'm excited to see who stands out after this round.
Chefs, you have arrived at the chopping block.
You are all reaching for legendary status.
How did you do that with a basket of
spaghetti ice pops, ground pork,
burrata and red onions?
Chef Sara.
Hi, hello, y'all.
Today, I made a sausage and onion pan tomate.
Chef, what makes a legend in the kitchen?
You need to have a lot of attention to technique and detail.
You need to be able to utilize ingredients in all kinds of different ways.
And you need to be quick on your feet.
I think it's a great dish.
What I really love about the bread,
the way you toasted it, but also you seasoned it.
I also love the way you seasoned your pork
and massaged it in there. The pork got seasoning all the way through.
-What a genius move. -[Sara] Yes, chef.
I love the way you caramelized the red onion.
They're really sweet, but they still had texture, which is hard to do.
I agree. I think the seasoning on the burrata itself
is a really smart approach.
I think your usage of the herbs is wonderful.
I think the peppers strewn throughout
is a really nice touch as well.
I like that little pop of periodic spice.
I just don't think that there was that much of the flavor
or tomato transfer from that spaghetti pop.
Thank you, Chef Sara. Chef Pat?
So, here I have penne with a pork ragu and stracciatella.
Yeah, chef, I like your usage of the ground pork,
and with the onions inside here
-with that deep caramelization. -[Marc] Yeah.
[Scott] I like the usage of the stracciatella over the top.
I think the touch with the balsamic is nice.
How did you work with the spaghetti ice pops?
I pureed it, and then added it to the ragu.
It was really nice.
I do like the butteriness of your sauce.
But you know, for me, the pasta is a little on the al dente side.
If you're here competing to be a legend,
all the details have to be looked at.
Yeah, I have to agree with Amanda.
I think it really, it just needs that thirty more seconds.
But it's such a cohesive dish,
and all the basket ingredients work together.
Chef Pat, thank you.
Next up, Chef Bao Bao.
[Bao Bao] So what I have for you is a cheesy pork dip
with a tomato and raisin sauce.
[Ted] All right.
[Marc] We saw you started to try to make empanadas.
-That obviously wasn't working. -[Bao Bao] So yes, yeah.
To be a legend, you have to work with any circumstance,
and you have to fix the problem immediately.
That's why I just had to run and grab some tortilla.
It's a good recovery.
I totally get the over-ambition in competition.
I do it all the time, but you got everything on the plate.
[Marc] It's very pretty. I like the crunch with the chip.
The ground pork, it's flavorful, but it's dry.
If you used more of the burrata,
that fat content, it would have helped it.
I love your usage of the red onion here.
It's great texture, really beautiful flavor too.
Chef, what would it mean to you to become a Chopped Legend?
To be here representing, you know, not just my family,
but Thai people, definitely means a lot.
And as a woman, if I can get that title as a Legend,
that's even extra and a plus.
-Chef Bao Bao, thank you. -Thank you.
[Ted] Next up, Chef Paco.
[Paco] You have a pork tlayuda with spaghetti pop puttanesca,
and burrata and pickled red onions.
It's a little bit Mex-Italian.
Uh, Mexico meets Italy.
Chef, I think you did such a good job with the red onion in particular.
It's pickled, it's delicious.
It has some heat to it.
I like the cheese acting as a cooling element.
I like the flavor of the grilled flatbread.
And I like that you combine that Mexican flavor with Italian.
But it's like a, you know, a Mexican bruschetta.
Yeah, I like that you put a lot of herbs in here.
But I don't feel like the ground pork is
very homogenously, like, mixed in.
The sauce is good, but then all of a sudden
you get these chunks of dry pork popping up.
It's a little strange, that's all.
There's a lot going on here.
But weaving those flavors together the way you did, works.
-Thank you. -[Scott] Good job, chefs. Thank you.
As difficult as it was for Scott to pick the chefs for this competition,
it's bound to be much tougher
for this panel to pick the one to go home first.
Yeah, I don't wanna go home. I have a ton more to show.
I had thought about Microplaning that
spaghetti pop all over the top.
I wish I had done that now because that was kind of the one complaint,
is that I didn't utilize that enough.
[Pat] I feel like I have PTSD.
So, like when I initially heard them say,
"Oh, it was a little too al dente," I'm like,
definitely a low blow and it hurt.
[Ted] Now, one chef must leave the competition.
Who showed legendary potential in the appetizer round,
and whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Bao Bao, you've been chopped. Judges?
Chef, the risk, the risk!
I'm just a risk-taker.
Unfortunately, this time it just didn't pan out for your, chef.
Your usage of the puff pastry just didn't come together.
And it left you scrambling in the final minutes.
Altogether, your flavors just weren't a cohesive idea,
and so we had to chop you.
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
Chef, it's really good having you. Thank you.
[Bao Bao] It was a great honor to be chosen by Chef Scott.
This didn't go the way I wanted to.
But this is not the end for me.
Chef Pat, Chef Paco, Chef Sara,
once again, Scott has carefully chosen your ingredients.
Chefs, look at what's in the basket.
Try to dissect which components
you can break off and utilize for a dish.
And please remember,
you're representing me and my reputation.
I believe in you.
Okay, let's end the suspense.
Let's see what you got.
[laughing]
[Ted] And you've got a polenta log.
I mean, do they go to grits?
[Pat] Uh, what are these, dandelion?
[Ted] Puntarelle.
-[exhales sharply] -[Ted] Rack of goat.
And a giant cannoli.
[man laughs]
[Ted] Thirty minutes to wow the judges again.
Clock starts now.
-[Amanda] Come on, chefs! Let's do this! -[judges applaud]
[Amanda] We want legendary entrees.
Dig deep. Push yourself.
Polenta is something that you're well known for,
for your seven and a half hour polenta.
So you gave 'em a log of polenta.
[Pat] Scott and polenta, like, probably Scott's middle name
in high school was Scott Polenta Conant.
So, I definitely wanna make Scott proud with phenomenal polenta.
Pat, what are you making me?
I'm doing a roasted loin of goat
with a creamy polenta,
a cherry "port" wine reduction.
A little bit of sauteed puntarelle.
And then I'm gonna do a crust using the cannoli shell and some mustard.
Nice.
[Pat] To start my rack of goat,
you wanna render off as much of that fat as possible,
because that gristly goat fat
is not something that's, like, really palatable.
I'm very big into my dishes having texture as well as flavor.
So, I'll lather it up with whole grain mustard
and then top it with a mixture of
panko breadcrumb and the cannoli shells.
[Scott] Goat has been on my menu since the early '90s.
But when you have it in rack like this,
I think cooking it medium is the way you want it.
[Sara] I have lots of experience with goat.
I've actually hosted dinners
where the entire meal features goat.
My idea is to brown butter baste it
with lots of thyme and garlic.
[Marc] Appetizer around, I thought Sara had the strongest dish
-to the round actually, out of all four dishes. -Hmm, true.
[Marc] Sara, what are you making?
[Sara] I'm gonna do a goat loin
with a little goat grits with the polenta.
And like a salad of this and this and...
-[Marc] It's coming together. -...you know?
But wait, can we talk about the elephant in the room?
-Or the cannoli? -[Marc] There's no elephant.
-This is just a cannoli the size of an elephant. -[Amanda laughs]
Italian desserts are not that sticky sweet.
Yes, it's sweet, but if you add goat cheese,
you're gonna come up with something savory.
[Sara] I grabbed the goat's cheese and decided to
work that goat even more throughout my menu.
[Scott] I love that she was using multiple ingredients
that speak the same language.
I really think that that is a sign of a legendary chef.
[Sara] I feel like Paco and I
were, uh, tied maybe in the first round.
So, I just have to watch out for him this time around.
Paco, are you feeling strong in there?
Uh, yeah. I feel pretty confident on this.
-It's not my first time working with goat. -[Marc] All right.
[Paco] Goat tends to be a little bit gamey.
So, I know the sharpness from the mustard
is gonna help to offset that gaminess.
I'm making grilled goat with creamy polenta and puntarelle chimichurri.
C ooking it on the bone,
it's gonna keep all those juices
and a little bit more flavor in there.
[Ted] Twenty minutes on the clock, chefs.
Here we go, chefs. Push yourselves.
[Marc] Puntarelle are one of my favorite ingredients.
It's in a dandelion family,
which just have a lot of bitterness.
[Pat] I'm gonna use some of the orange from the cannoli
to zest my puntarelle. Take you away from all that bitterness.
[Sara] Puntarelle reminds me of fennel,
and I can roast it hard on both sides
and then braise it with a little basil, butter, and beef stock.
In the first round, I got knocked
for not utilizing the tomato ice pop enough.
So, I'm going to use the puntarelle top
with candied oranges and cherries from the giant cannolo,
to make a salad.
I'm going to use my puntarelle to make a chimichurri.
[Scott] Chef Paco is making a chimichurri with the puntarelle.
-I love that creativity. -Right?
Chefs, less than ten minutes to get it done.
[Amanda] Expectations are high.
We want legendary entrees.
I mean, you're gonna be in the kitchen
along with Maneet and her chef,
Alex and her chef, and Chris and his chef.
That alone is a legendary thing.
It's never been done in this kitchen before.
Chef Paco, is that goat cooked?
Nope.
At this point, I would take that right off the bone.
[Paco] Taking the goat off the bone is crossing my mind.
But the hot butter running's gonna help cook the goat a little bit faster.
-Seven and a half left. -[exclaims]
[Pat] I need every minute of that.
I look at the goat and I realize that it's not
getting to the temperature I need it to get at.
So, I have to kiss them back on the fire
to get away some of that rawness that's happening.
[Scott] We've seen this for years, right?
The chefs in the second round
start to feel a little bit more heat.
A little bit of the nerves.
I like what Sara's doing.
She took some of those pistachios from the pantry
to mimic the pistachio in the cannoli.
[Ted] It's a nice touch for her to reference the basket
in an oblique way like that.
[Scott] Three and a half minutes, guys.
You're all champs, but you gotta be a legend.
[Pat] It's getting really intense in the kitchen.
And over to my right is Paco,
and he's going down hard.
Whoo! Two minutes. Two minutes. Two.
[Scott] Let's go. Get it done.
Let's go, Chef Paco. Quick.
You guys see this? It's real pretty.
Just under a minute left, chefs.
[bleep]
[Scott] Twenty seconds. It's gonna go quick.
[Ted] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six--
-[Scott] Let's go, Paco. -[Ted] ...five, four--
-[Amanda] Come on, come on, hustle! -[Ted] ...three, two, one.
-Time's up. -[judges applauding]
Did he get it all done?
[Paco] I wish I would have had, like, three more minutes. [chuckles]
But, um, it is what it is.
I should have taken it off the bone.
[Scott] As a mentor, my expectations of these champions
is for them to pursue excellence, nonstop.
Perfection is unattainable, but excellence is something we always strive for.
Champions fighting for legendary status
and the chance to cook alongside Scott Conant in the finale,
you made entrees with a polenta log,
puntarelle, rack of goat, and a giant cannoli.
Chef Paco, what do we have?
[Paco] We have grilled goat with creamy polenta and puntarelle chimichurri.
That puntarelle chimichurri, I think, is spectacular.
Best thing on the plate.
I love that brightness, the acidity, the freshness, the spice.
[Amanda] I do agree, and I think
the polenta has a nice sweetness from the cannoli,
and I think that worked. With the bracing bitterness
and the spiciness of that chimichurri,
I think that was a good pairing.
But I so wish I would have had a nice, little,
puntarelle salad on the side, here.
It needs more representation of the puntarelle on the plate.
And the goat.
It's nicely seasoned, but it was undercooked.
[Amanda] You had a chance to show off technique
by cooking a beautiful piece of goat. This is the test.
Right here, this is the test.
[Ted] Thank you, Chef Paco. Next up, Chef Sara.
[Sara] So, I have a pistachio-crusted goat loin,
braised puntarelle, and a sweet chevre polenta.
I think I like this polenta because of the goat cheese.
It tamps down the sweetness, I think,
and gives it a little bit more texture on the palate, which I like.
The thing I'm most impressed with here is the puntarelle.
My mother used to do a fennel bulb
that she used to cut and sear,
and I used to love that texture and that flavor.
And this is really reminiscent of that.
And I think that pop of freshness when you use the top,
it was probably the best move on this plate.
[Amanda] The salad is delicious.
The fact that you mimic the orange in the cannoli is wonderful.
I love the little bit of cherry.
Unfortunately, my loin has so much unrendered fat.
And it's pretty rare. It just needed more time in the pan.
[Scott] But that crust on the goat.
Love the usage of the pistachio.
I think that's really money.
-Thank you. -[Amanda] What would it be like
to cook in the kitchen with Scott at your station?
There are some things that, like you never think will happen.
-Right. -I get to be the chef and he has to be my sous chef.
Our styles are pretty similar.
You know, we cook food that tells a story,
and that's really important to me
on everything I put on the plate,
and so, that would be awesome.
Finally, Chef Pat, please tell us about your entrees.
[Pat] So, we have a cannoli-crusted rack of goat,
with sweet corn polenta,
roasted, uh, puntarelle,
and I did a cherry and port wine reduction.
How'd you find that round, chef?
I wish I had, you know, three, four more minutes,
just to get the goat exactly the way I wanted it.
These plates are a bit inconsistent
when it comes to the goat temperature.
My goat is pretty rare.
[Marc] Yeah, but, you know, I like the cannolo crust.
I think the flavor's coming through. And I love your sauce.
The polenta, I think, yours is probably the best.
I think you've got the creamiest.
The sweetness of that polenta is really tampered down
with the amount of Parmesan cheese that you have inside there.
Which I really appreciate.
I think the best thing on the plate are these puntarelle.
I really like the texture on 'em,
perfect amount of salt inside of them.
Chef Pat, thank you.
All right, we are moving on to the desert round
where two of you will bring this battle home.
The level of competition, it's like out of control.
I mean, Sara has won multiple shows.
And then, Paco, like, an incredible competitor.
If my stress level gets any higher. I'll lose more hair.
[Paco] The ability to make something positive out of mistakes
is what makes a legend,
and I'm going to prove that.
Who gets to continue on this mission for legend status,
and whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Paco, you've been chopped. Judges?
[Scott] Chef Paco.
We loved the chimichurri that you created.
That usage of the puntarelle was really spectacular.
We just wish that you had cut that goat directly off the bone,
because, ultimately, you ended up
with a goat that was just undercooked.
And so, we had to chop you.
-[Paco speaking indistinctly] -[judges applauding]
[Paco] I knew it. I could have made
a better decision there, with the goat.
But, uh, overall, I'm happy with my performance.
-Ooh. -Chefs.
We gotta have some better cooking here.
The chefs that you're gonna be competing against
are not making these kinds of mistakes.
You're representing me and my reputation.
I take that seriously. As should you.
Yes, sir.
[Pat] Coming into this round, I feel like
Sara's probably got a leg up at this point,
and I really have to show out.
So, being this close to finale,
I mean, I want it more than ever.
[Sara] Coming into this round, I just really need to focus.
I wanna show my daughters, while Mommy's gone,
she's out there, whooping ass.
Legendary status, chefs. That's what we're going for.
If one of you is gonna win, you gotta crush it on this round.
Let's see what you got.
Scott wants you to make desserts with a chocolate souffle,
Japanese strawberries.
These are so yummy.
-[Ted] Chunky peanut butter. -Chunky. Only the best one to eat.
-[Ted] And yufka. -[Sara] It's, like, a Turkish ingredient,
kind of like a filo dough type thing.
We'll figure it out.
[Ted] Once again, 30 minutes.
Clock starts now.
-[Amanda] Come on, chefs, let's do this! -[Scott] All right.
-Chefs, let's go! Let's go! -Legendary dessert, right now.
[Ted] Scott, you're going to be a sous chef
to one of these people in the Legends finale.
What kind of qualities do you look for in a chef partner?
[Scott] I feel like with both Chef Sara and Chef Pat,
not only are they good at listening,
but they're also I'm good at communicating.
-[Sara] How you doing? -Good. How are you?
-Whoo! -[Scott] I think you have to be ready to learn,
but also be ready to teach.
[Marc] We've seen some great techniques.
But I feel like Sara's probably a little ahead
-of the game here. -I think.
[Ted] Scott, tell us about this dessert basket.
[Scott] My wife, being Turkish,
yufka is something that I've become very familiar with.
I would love to see these chefs
weave that savory element into a dessert.
[Amanda] I mean, all of those things go well together.
Chocolate and peanut butter, strawberry and peanut butter.
[Pat] So, looking at this basket, I feel like
Scott's kind of telling you
to go the Napoleon/ mille-feuille route.
Chef. Pat, what are you doing?
[Pat] I'm doing a play on, like, a mille-feuille.
Raspberries, some ricotta cream,
and I'm gonna make a whipped cream out of peanut butter as well.
Okay, what about that chocolate souffle? Did you just eat it?
[Pat] Chocolate souffle is inside of the ricotta cream.
[Amanda] D o you wanna talk about your love for peanut butter?
I am all about it. I can eat it all day, every day.
During dinnertime, my husband puts on this song
called Peanut Butter Jelly Time.
My daughters, like, dance. They spin on the floor.
And so, I want to do something peanut butter jelly.
I am making whooped cocoa and peanut butter
with Japanese strawberry jam and buttered yufka.
[Marc] The yufka.
- This is usually used for baklava, right? -[Amanda] Yep.
You layer the yufka with lots and lots of butter,
in between some crumbs or nuts, bake it,
and then, you pour the honey syrup over after it's baked.
[Ted] How long does it take to cook the yufka?
It's gonna be really quick because that's a dough that's already cooked.
-It just needs to be browned, essentially. -[Pat grunts]
Chefs, less than 15 minutes to go.
-Heard that. -[Sara in accent] Peanut butter chocolate.
[Pat] Delicious.
I taste one of the Japanese strawberries, and it just tastes like
the most intensified strawberry you've ever had in your life.
Those strawberries, they're just beautiful.
And you could easily make some kind of a jelly out of it.
[Pat] I'm gonna use the Japanese strawberries
to make a jelly with currants and some raspberries.
Awesome.
Next, I take the peanut butter,
and I'm gonna make a mousse out of it.
I grab, uh, heavy cream and sugar,
and I start whipping it together.
[Sara in normal voice] So, I wanna go,
kind of, like, a Southern mousse.
I like what Sara's doing with the peanut butter and cream cheese.
[Scott] And she added
-some chocolate souffle in there as well. -No.
I'm gonna use the Japanese strawberries to make strawberry jam.
I grab some strawberry preserves,
a little vanilla extract, and sugar.
It has, like, a nice acid. It's not too crazy sweet.
[Pat] So, as I'm done whipping the heavy cream,
I add the peanut butter into it.
Something just looks off.
And I quickly realize that it's broken,
and I over-whipped the cream.
Chefs, you have five minutes to wrap this up.
[Pat] I'm starting over. Yeah, the, uh... It was broke.
Legendary status is on the line.
Like, the last thing you want
is to not put out a perfect dish.
Come on.
[Pat] We're in the last round. There's a lot on the line,
and we all wanna make sure that we don't disappoint Scott.
So, I am re-making this peanut butter mousse.
Everything needs to be perfect to get to legendary status.
[Marc] I... I have to hand it to you, Scott.
I mean, we've seen two chefs here
that are down to the wire,
trying to become your chef.
They've really pulled out all the stops today.
I'm really proud of both of these chefs.
[Sara] I'm going to honey coat some of my Japanese strawberries,
just to add something extra to the basket ingredient.
It's gonna be legendary.
[Marc] Two and a half minutes, guys.
-[Scott] Let's go. -[Amanda clapping] Legendary.
[Sara] I know the yufka's done.
There's enough corners that look perfect for me
to be able to plate the way I want to.
[Amanda] I think I'm really gonna
push these guys on presentation, for this round.
Yeah. I think the last round was a little bit sloppy.
[Pat] The presentation I'm envisioning is a very high,
almost, um, not perfect mille-feuille.
So, it's not sitting directly on top of each other
but kind of scattered a little bit.
I want it to be more dramatic.
-[Scott] Let's go, chefs. -[Amanda whoops]
-Legendary. -[Ted] Wrap it up chefs.
Final seconds of the final round.
-[Amanda] Wow. -[Ted] Ten, nine,
eight, seven--
-[Amanda] Do you have all the flavors on there-- -[Ted] ...six--
-[Amanda] ...all the textures, all the ingredients? -[Ted] ...five, four, three,
two, one.
-Time's up. -[Amanda] Whoo!
[judges applauding]
[Sara] I want to be the one to represent Scott.
I want this so bad.
[Pat] I think I was a little bit behind
showing up so far, for this one,
but hopefully this one takes it over the top. It's delicious.
[Ted] Chef Sara and Chef Pat.
You worked with a chocolate souffle,
Japanese strawberries,
chunky peanut butter, and yufka.
Chef Sara, please tell us what you made.
[Sara] I have a little whooped cocoa and peanut butter
with a Japanese strawberry jam and buttered yufka.
-Did you say whooped? -Whooped. Yes, whooped.
I worked at a place in Alabama with, uh...
There was a little old lady, and she always said, "Whooped."
And it stuck.
And so we just say whooped in my restaurant.
[Scott] Uh, hey, chef, I got to tell you.
That first bite that I had where it had a little bit of that yufka,
the preserve with the strawberry and that whoop,
it was, like, really good flavor.
It had a legendary effect on me.
Yeah. I mean, your peanut butter chocolate whoop is good.
I love the herbs in there.
The strawberries. You really made them shine.
[Amanda] You created this really fun peanut butter and jelly vibe
in a very elevated way.
The yufka is delicious and flaky.
I kind of wish you used whole butter
instead of ghee, just for flavor purposes.
I agree with Amanda. I think that ghee is a little assertive.
But my favorite part about it is the texture,
those little chunks of peanuts that are inside there.
They just hit right.
-Good job, chef. Nice job. -Thanks.
Thank you, Chef Sara. Finally, Chef Pat.
[Pat] So, I have a peanut butter and jelly mille-feuille.
And then, I did a chocolate souffle
and whipped ricotta crema to go with it as well.
[Amanda] Well, chef, I like that you took the time
to do a beautiful plate presentation.
Probably one of your prettiest plates in the competition.
I love the whipped cream. I like the berries that you put in there.
[Marc] But on that same note,
I think, presentation and ratio
are two things that really make a dish.
And your ratio is definitely, I think, a little off here,
because we're getting a lot of the yufka.
The addition of the berries that you pulled from the pantry?
Really, really smart.
-Yep. -[Marc] The flavors in the actual two mousses
you've got going on are very, very nice.
[Scott] The mousses are delicious.
I really like that texture of the ricotta
with the chocolate from the souffle,
and also that whipped cream that you have with the peanut butter.
That is a real great sign of a legendary chef.
Okay. Who is moving on to the Chopped Legend's finale?
We'll have word in a few minutes.
Judges, both of these chefs fought hard to prove to you
that they deserve a chance at legend status.
But you have to make the call.
The difference between somebody who's just a cook
or a legend, here at Chopped, is that
when the basket opens up,
they zero in on the ingredients
and they come up with an idea immediately.
And that's what Pat and Sara did.
Yeah, we really have to analyze each course very carefully.
What I really liked about Sara's appetizer,
is that she came out of the gate champing at the bit,
ready to showcase that she's a legend.
-So confident. -Right out of the gate.
Strong dish.
The bread.
And the ground pork was actually seasoned very nicely.
[Amanda] Yes, I agree. You know what, though?
I think she skated around the spaghetti ice pops a little bit.
It was hard to discern.
Like, it just needed more tomato.
I do think Pat's appetizer was a little bit flattened
with the spaghetti pureed into it.
[Scott] I loved the caramelization of that red onion
inside the pasta, with that ground pork.
It was just such a cohesive dish,
and all of the ingredients worked together.
Yeah. But no, his pasta was a little bit under for sure.
Yeah. And in the entree round,
I think everyone struggled with the goat.
Oh, yeah.
Chef Pat, there was such an inconsistency in that goat.
Mine seemed to be okay,
but yours was straight up raw.
But he did the best job out of anybody
-with that polenta. -[Scott] I agree.
He really added enough cheese to kind of tamper down
all the sweetness that he added from the cannolo.
One of the most interesting things I saw today
was on Sara's dish.
The way she used the puntarelle.
She used the tops in a salad.
And then, she took the bottom and seared them and cooked them.
What a genius move.
It was stunning. But my goat chop.
The fat was not rendered.
Have you decided which Chopped champ
is still in the running to become a Chopped legend?
A legend awaits.
All right, let's go.
[Pat] I deserve a turn to work with Scott,
because I feel like I did exactly what he asked me to do.
And I wish to cook dishes from my heart,
cook dishes that sing the ingredients.
And I feel like... That I've shown what it takes
to be the first Chopped legend.
[Sara] To be a Chopped legend,
you have to be willing to break away
and maybe not always cook what is expected of you,
because you never know what you're gonna be presented with.
And I think that I have shown that Scott should choose me
to carry to the next round.
So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Pat, you've been chopped.
-Judges? -[Scott] Listen, chef, in your main course,
the polenta was probably the best usage,
and also we loved the puntarelle as well.
But the goat was really inconsistently cooked.
And your dessert round, chef,
we really loved the flavors you created.
But, unfortunately, your competitor
really did a great job in that dessert round as well.
And so, we had to chop you.
-Understood. -It was really great
-having you, chef. -Yes.
-Go get 'em. -[Sara] Thanks, man.
I feel good that at least I lost to Sara.
[sighs] I hate the way this feels.
The only thing that makes me happy right now,
is that she's moving on, and she gets to represent Scott.
So, he's in good hands.
[Ted] And that means Chef Sara Bradley,
-you are the Chopped champion. -[Sara] Yay!
-[Ted] Congratulations. -[Amanda whooping]
-Yeah! -[Sara] I'm excited.
-I'm excited, so... -[Scott] Chef.
We're all really impressed with what you do.
Not just how you cook, but your presence in the kitchen as well.
You're focused. You're determined.
Iconic stuff is from a legendary chef.
I'm ready to make you proud.
Ready to show why you picked me
and, and take it all the way.
Chef, now it's my turn to make you proud.
-I'm working for you now. -[Sara] All right.
I mean, I can't wait to boss him around.
Tremendous job, Sara.
Can't wait to see what you and Scott cook together.
[Amanda] Legendary. Legendary.
[Ted] Bring it home.
I wanna win for you.
[man 1] All bets are off.
I want pure ego.
[man 2] You have to be aggressive.
[man 1] You gotta come out swinging.
-[Ted] It's a war zone in there. -It's a legend!
♪♪ A legend is forever And the stories evolve ♪
It's a title that's never been given before.
This is the best dish I've ever had.
I love it.
These are the moments that legends are made of.
[man 3] I'm feeling the pressure. I'm feeling the heat.
[Ted] It's getting serious. It's getting real.
-[crashes] -[exclaims]
We may chop two people in this round.
[Alex] Cook your heart out.
Leave it on the floor.
♪♪ And the legend goes on ♪