It's a new season in the Chopped Kitchen. A new wad of $10,000 cash money is on the line. And a new batch of chefs are awaiting the chopping block. Tonight, we have these four...
 

Dave Ward Long Island City, NY (orig. Ireland) executive chef, Thomas Preti Catering

Elise Kornack New York City sous chef, Restaurant Aquavit

Johnny McLaughlin Rosendale, NY chef/owner, Heartbreakingdawns.com

David Nichols New York City executive sous chef, Landmarc

Tonight on the panel.

- Vanguard of the New Harlem Renaissance Marcus Samuelsson
- Newly appointed Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian
- Superstar restauranteur Scott Conant

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). The first basket of the night has... wasabi root, blueberries, cocktail blinis, and guanciale.

... and you have 20 minutes... and they start now.

Dave: Toasted Blinis with Wasabi Gastrique
Elise: Salad with Wasabi Yogurt Potatoes
Johnny: Crispy Guanciale with Berry Sauce
David: Crispy Guanciale Salad

Guanciale is your quintessential cured meat product with peppercorns and rosemary. To do it right, you have to render it right.

Dave went Baltic with the dish. It's a good appetizer, but three of the four requirements were not transformed enough. The intention is valid, but there's nothing inspired. Elise understands flavor and texture beautifully, but there needed a little more guanciale. Johnny added a little bit of spice. It was about the same as Dave's, but it was more done than Dave's. But the blinis leave little to be desired. David's prep of guanciale wins top marks with the judges, and the radicchio was a smart choice, but it was overly wilted.

This was a learning curve round, with mistakes throughout, but one of our chefs made a mistake too many. Elise's presentation and inventiveness were tops, but she didn't highlight the ingredients. Johnny and David were smart with a few elements. Dave just mailed in a performance. The first chef... to be chopped... is... DAVE. There were just so many things wrong with the dish that overlooked the good things.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). Our three remaining chefs are now taking on the challenge of the entree box... Bloody Mary mix, green seedless grapes, cashews, and chicken steak.

Thirty minutes... Get to it!

Elise: Seared Chicken Steak
Johnny: Chicken Steak with Creole Gravy
David: Cashew Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken steak is a northeastern term for top blade beefsteak or flatiron steak. It's very tender, and you can do so much with it. What they have to do is get a flavor profile in it.

Elise added a grape cannellini salad. The steak was so tender, but Elise's cooking was uneven. Her ability to coax flavors is uncommon, but her beans are tough. Johnny's sauce is "just nuts". Overall, it's an unusual dish, a Thai-meets-Italian. But the cashew is pronounced in the sauce. David's sauce is bright with just enough sweetness, but there's a misunderstanding on how to handle the meat. He would've done himself a service with a light green something instead of potatoes.

But which two of the chefs remaining are on a roll that will send them to dessert? Elise made fundamental errors that may cost her in the end. The other two stepped it up a skotch. The next chef... to be chopped... is... JOHNNY. His food is fun, but he's up against two fierce competitors, and he had a lot of technical errors.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). We're left with one more basket. Inside: cinnamon toast cereal, Asian pears, chocolate covered raisins, and Camembert.

We're half-an-hour away from a big money moment.

Elise: Camembert Sorbet
David: Chocolate Raisin Fudge

Camembert is a very mild cow's cheese. David's hoping to use that to incorporate with the chocolate raisin, while Elise is using the ice cream machine to make her sorbet, a play on a cheese plate. We're down to two potential rising stars.

David turns his fudge into a truffle, a plan B. The judges love plan B. The Asian pear development isn't as successful, not as light and fresh. But if you eat the liquid that comes out of it... it's delicious. Elise wins over Geoffrey with the dessert's combination of all of the tastes in your mouth. But the texture is wrong. The cinnamon toast tuile is wrong.

This was quite a competition. The flavor that David got from the truffles could make up for the lack of respect with the pear. Elise went about dessert's flavors the right way, but underdelivered on her tuile. This is going to be a close one, as it has been all throughout.

The final chef... to be chopped... is... DAVID. It really was a pleasure watching him work, but he was up against a really tough chef.

... and ultimately ELISE KORNACK had fewer technical errors, and she gets to bring home $10,000 and the title of Chopped Champion to her sweet lovely lady. But be on the lookout for both finalists to make waves in the culinary world in the future.

Now our attention turns to the next battle. One player is going to be paid, and the other three are going to be CHOPPED.

To see extras from this episode, or to apply to be a contestant on "Chopped", visit the official website at www.foodnetwork.com/chopped.