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...
 

Holly Sheppard New York City chef de cuisine, Silkstone Catering Events

Jeremy Spector New York City chef/owner, The Brindle Room

Joseph Arcarola New York City chef, Highline Ballroom

Walter D'Rozario New York City chef de cuisine, Junoon

Tonight on the panel.

- One of the finest chefs in the country according to First Lady Michelle Obama Marcus Samuelsson
- Esteemed executive chef Alex Guarnaschelli
- Superstar restauranteur Chris Santos

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). The first basket of the night has... boudin blanc, chanterelle mushrooms, baby artichokes, and orange marmalade.

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

Holly: ... no idea yet.
Jeremy: Seared Boudin Blanc Crostini
Joseph: Boudin Blanc Sausage & Peppers
Walter: Pan-Seared Boudin Blanc with Marmalade Sauce

Boudin blanc is a classic French sausage that is made a lot at Christmas, and it's really great for adding a lot of other flavors.

Half of the time is gone, and Holly is just getting her chokes in the water. Still no idea how to make her final dish. Ultimate decides on...

Holly: Medley of Boudin Blanc & Baby Artichoke.

Time's up... and Jeremy has forgotten his artichoke. That may cost him.

Holly's mushrooms are nicely cooked, but the artichoke is unevenly cooked, and there was no transformation in the dishes. Jeremy's crostini is a nice vehicle for the boudin blanc, but it is terribly underseasoned. Joseph's sausage was kept whole. A good idea, but the supporting ingredients were lacking. Walter's plate had subtlety in spices, but it's a bit too peppery.

With the exception of Walter, all of the chefs played it a little too safe. Jeremy could've really given the competition a run for the money, but he forgot the marmalade. Holly just hoped that she survived. Someone's gotta go down in order to have a winner. The first chef... to be chopped... is... JOSEPH! Jeremy may have forgotten to put an ingredient down, but Joseph just got it wrong on all levels.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). Jeremy survived by THAT much, and now he and others face... rainbow chard, tonic water, malanga coco, and rabbit.

It's rabbit season... for the 30 minutes starting from now.

Holly: Braised Rabbit with Pickled Chard Stems
Jeremy: Rabbit Lop
Walter: Braised Rabbit with Brandy

Will Walter be able to braise that rabbit down in 30 minutes? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile Jeremy has a lot of flavors going on in his rabbit lop.

Malanga coco is in the potato family. It's used a lot in Caribbean cooking, and Marcus likes to use it instead of potato for fries.

Jeremy made a rabbit lop over wilted spinach. Marcus thinks that it's cool to do something different, but it's not balanced, calling it a "techno party in his mouth". He cannot taste the malanga coco. And he may have gone overboard with the spicy ingredients, but Alex thought it was addictive. Walter's rabbit sauce is very balanced and flavorful, but the malanga coco chip was soggy and the rabbit was a little dry. Holly's pickled chard was fantastic and gorgeous to look at, but the dish needed 10 minutes to cook.

Jeremy and Holly stepped their game up, but Walter was a little bit in the rough. Will that cost him in the end? The next chef... to be chopped... is... JEREMY. It was a hard round to judge, but he overused the spices, and that overtook the basket ingredients.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). We're left with one more basket. Inside: fino sherry, granola, dried persimmon, and vanilla ice cream.

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

Holly: Ice Cream Sandwich
Walter: Sherry Vanilla Crepe with Granola Filling

This is a first in the Chopped Kitchen, having a tub of premade ice cream in the basket. How do you repurpose that? We'll find out in a moment.

Walter will serve first. It's a beautifully composed dessert, but the crepe was really thick because of fear of granola. The filling is great. This dish could've been a little bit more. Holly's dessert brings back a childhood memory. The cookie is delicious, but it was a bit raw in the center.

Walter started strong in the taste category, but did little else. Holly started strong in the plating category, but didn't do much else. This is going to come down to who came through the greatest over the course of the meal.

The final chef... to be chopped... is... HOLLY. She brought a clean whimsical sensibility, but there were critical mistakes all throughout the game.

... that can't be said for the methodical WALTER D'ROZARIO, who wins $10,000 and the title of Chopped Champion. The big winner in this battle, his family, especially his son, who was brought to America for medical treatment.

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.