The clock is
set, the Chopping Block is cleaned, and four chefs are ready...
KLAUS KRONSTEINER
orig. Austria
chef de cuisine |
CHRISTOPHER JACKSON
Brooklyn, NY
chef & restaurateur, Ted and Honey |
PIPPA CALLAND
central Pennsylvania
chef & entrepreneur, Chef for Hire |
RAYMOND JACKSON
parts unknown
culinary instructor |
The rules are
simple. You're given a mélange of random theme ingredients that must
be used in that dish. You have 30 minutes of cooking time. After
each course, the plate will be judged on creativity, presentation,
and above all, taste. The chef whose plate scores the lowest after
each course will be "chopped". The last chef standing wins $10,000.
Last week's
judges are this week's judges... So it's safe to add them to the
L-bar.
Tonight's judges...
- Chef and restauranteur Aaron
Sanchez
- Executive chef and "The Cooking Loft" host Alex Guarnaschelli
- Chef and restauranteur Marc Murphy
Round 1: APPETIZER. The
mystery ingredients... firm tofu, tomato paste, and prosciutto.
And the time...
starts now.
Klaus:
Prosciutto Wrapped Tofu with Warm Red Cabbage Salad
Christopher: Bruscetta with Grilled Tofu and Mediterranean Chutney
Pippa: Herb Salad with Prosciutto, Fried Tofu & Sherry Vinaigrette
Raymond: Basil Sesame Seared Tofu with Salad and Puttanesca Sauce
Tofu is proving
to be a bit of a roadblock. But not an impossible ingredient to work
with. Unless you're grilling it and it's coming apart...
Christopher. Last minute plating goes heavy. No one wants to get
chopped because they didn't finish.
And TIME.
What's on your plate is what the judges will eat.
First up, Klaus
gets the points on the flavor combination, but gets docked on the
presentation. Christopher gets points on the bruscetta, but not so
on the tofu. Aaron likes Pippa's salad, but Marc wanted a little
more of a lift. Raymond has serious flavor going on, but Alex wanted
a little texture variance.
Right now, tofu
has already claimed its first victim. Will it be the person who
didn't flavor it enough or the person who didn't need to get rid of
the color of it?
The first
person to be chopped is... RAYMOND. They liked the original way the
tofu was treated, but the other elements didn't come together.
Round 2:
ENTREE. The ingredients... daikon, pork loin, Napa cabbage, Thai
chilies, and blue point oysters.
Klaus: Surf 'n
Turf with Cabbage Salad and Potato Cake
Christopher: Pork Ribs Medallions with Fried Oyster
Tempura and Daikon Potato Cake
Pippa: Pork in Oyster Sauce with Napa Cabbage Slaw
Pippa has no
time to roast it, so she cuts her loins into manageable pieces. Same
with the other two. Klaus has suffered a serious cut, meanwhile. At
the two-minute warning, Klaus just throws everything on a plate and
hopes it sticks.
And that's
TIME.
Let's go to the
Chopping Block. Christopher's dish is composed, and the techniques
are impressive. But Marc isn't getting all the textures. And Alex
may have gotten a shell. Pippa's pork is tasty, but the heat of the
chilies doesn't follow through. Klaus went the raw way and got
raves, but seeds on the cabbage was a bit much.
So we have
fried, sauced, and raw applications with basically the same dish.
And the judges agree that no one really connected the oysters with
the pork. Whose medallions will give someone the gold, and whose
medallion will give someone the shaft?
The second
person to be chopped is... KLAUS. It was not up to standard.
Round 3:
DESSERT. The final ingredients... phyllo dough, gorgonzola,
dried pineapple rings, and blueberries.
Thirty on the
clock... and go.
Christopher:
Maple Gorgonzola Pancake with Phyllo Straws and Blueberry Compote
Pippa: Napoleon with Gorgonzola Cream and Blueberry Thyme Sauce
Christopher is
basically doing everything by feel and winging it as he goes. Pippa
is a little more methodical, but she too is working on pure
instinct. Her secret.. get everything liquored up.
Five minute
mark, and Chris is reduced to a maple gorgonzola pancake. And
apparently Alex is freaking out.
TIME! Breathe.
It's over. Let's go to the Block...
The judges love
the clean flavors of the napoleon. The pancake is very moist, but
the judges wanted more of the cheese. All in all, both chefs played
a few risks.
Not only are
the judges giving $10,000 based on the dish at hand, but also based
on the natural progression from appetizer to dessert. Did Pippa's
lack of cohesion cost her $10,000? Is Christopher's fringe strategy
pay off? It's neck and neck, and both chefs have had their flaws.
The final
person to be chopped is... CHRISTOPHER. There's no doubt that he's
talented, but his style is too convoluted.
As for Pippa,
pay her $10,000 cash money. They were looking for a soul behind the
food, and they got it.
Next week, four more chefs and three
more dishes, all hoping not to be... chopped.
To see this episode in its
entirety, or to apply to be a contestant on "Chopped", visit the
official website at
www.foodnetwork.com/chopped.