Tonight, four chefs go against each other,
against the judges, against the mystery box, against the Chopping Block... and
against the clock for $10,000. Let's meet'em.
ANDRE MARRERO
New York City
former actor; chef tournant at L'Atelier in the Four Seasons,
NYC |
MARGARITTE MALFY
New York City
executive chef & restaurateur, La Palapa |
CHRIS BURKE
New York City
private chef |
RACHELLE RODWELL
Manhattan, NYC
shoe connoisseur & chef de cuisine at SoHo Grand Hotel |
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.
Back to judge are Alex, Aaron, and
Michael.
Round 1: APPETIZER. The
mystery ingredients... lump crab meat, dried shiitake mushrooms,
pink grapefruit, bran cereal.
And the time...
starts now.
Andre: Spicy Crab Cake
Inverted Crab Cake Spicy Crab Soup
Margaritte: Grapefruit and Crab Meat on Toasted Bran
Chris: Crab Cake with Country-Style Dressing
Rachelle: Warm Cabbage Salad with Sautéed Crab Meat
Andre is totally winging it, while Margaritte is
rehydrating the shiitake with apple juice for extra flavor. Chris is throwing
away anything and everything in his kitchen, and then blames Rachelle for
stealing mushrooms. A little backstory, as Andre and Chris used to work
together. With 10 minutes left, Andre decides to chuck the spice in favor of
creativity of an inverted crab cake. With five minutes, Andre decides against
that in favor of a spicy crab soup.
And TIME.
What's on your plate is what the judges will eat.
First up, Andre presents a soup, but
it plays off as a parfait. Margaritte pairs her ingredients nicely,
but the bran does indeed get soggy. Alex is getting a sense of
Chris' style, but the issue of the mushrooms (found by Aaron)
remains... present. The judges wanted some acid or fat from
Rachelle's salad.
Andre had the most flavors.
Margaritte couldn't convert a good technique. Chris was a pirate.
And Rachelle was too clean. So who gets chopped first?
The first person to be chopped is...
MARGARITTE. The cereal killed the dish.
Round 2:
ENTREE. In the fun box next... ground beef, cannellini beans,
tahini paste, and grape jelly.
The thirty... starts now.
Andre: Mediterranean Slider with
Onion Gastrique
Chris: Cannelloni of Beef with Bacon with Potatoes and Corn Stew
Rachelle: Sicilian Meatballs with Tahini Yogurt Sauce
Rachelle has an idea of what she's doing, and she
grabs her basket to make one trip to the pantry. Chris is makes a rosti potato
to go with his cannelloni (that's a fried potato cake to you and me). Andre is
also making a potato side with "a chippy fried thingie." He also makes a hummus
mayo for his burger. Meanwhile, Rachelle burns her balls and makes more than one
trip to the pantry. Chris is doing a lot of double dipping. That concerns Alex.
And TIME... to
eat. Heh.
Chris is up first. He gets a
recommendation on the whole double dipping thing. Rachelle has a
good idea of portion control. But it's missing a little bit of
acidity. Andre's dish is nothing short of brilliant. The potatoes
are a bit of a letdown, though.
Beef is what's for dinner. All three
had great ideas, but will Rachelle's lack of a broth hurt her? Did
Andre's burger kill the other two dishes?
The second person to be chopped is...
RACHELLE. It was a nice presentation on the first dish, but
execution is really lacking.
Final Round: DESSERT. One more
basket, and in it... brioche bread, cantaloupe, pecans, and
avocadoes.
Chris has it made. Andre's kind of
nervous. Time to cook!
Andre: Infused Brioche Torte with
Avocado Mousse and Candied Pecans
Chris: Trio (Napoleon of Avocado & Cantaloupe Mousse, Grilled
Cantaloupe Ravioli, and Avocado Pate)
Chris is pureeing avocadoes, while
Andre looks to yogurt for a bit more body. Chris is using the
ingredients in every way possible, while Andre is lost and frazzled.
He needs to do something with that melon. Chris is done, and he asks
Andre to help. Should've taken him up on it, because he needs a
sauce. Oh well.
And we're done with a celebratory shot. Let's
serve it up.
The flavors in Andre's dish made sense layer by
layer, but they needed the melon and something to fill that negative space.
Chris... makes a great presentation with great techniques... but where's the
dessert?
Remember, the judges are not only assessing the
desserts, but your overall meals. Was Chris brash enough to win $10,000? Or did
slow and steady win the race? Andre was a little clunky, but he wowed them with
the burger. Chris had a good front nine.
One of these guys just won $10,000.
The final chef to be chopped... is... CHRIS. He
has ability and potential, but he lacks maturity. Take this as a growing
experience.
But congratulations and mad props go to Andre
Marrero, this week's Chopped Champion. He just made ten large.
Next week, four more chefs and another $10,000 to
be won if you can avoid being... 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.