Today on Food Network's version of "Top Chef" gone amok, it's a ladies-only affair, with three rounds to determine who - if only for this one day - is queen of the kitchen.
 

Cara Thompson Bellmore, NY (orig. Alabama) executive chef, The Bayou

Katherine See Boston executive chef, Kingfish Hall

Suzanne Vizethann Atlanta chef/owner, The Hungry Peach

Deirdre Henderson New York City executive chef, BarOnA and comedienne

You know the rules, and you know the lifelines. Let's meet the judges...

- American cuisine expert Geoffrey Zakarian
- Star executive chef Amanda Freitag
- Malaysian-inspired chef & restaurateur Zakary Pelaccio

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). On the menu today for round 1 are... brown bread in a can, dried figs, frozen peas, and duck white kidneys.

Cara are 20 on the clock... Make the best of'em!

Cara: Bread Pudding with Blackened Duck Kidneys
Katherine: Duck White Kidney Mousse with Fig Gastrique
Suzanne: Duck Kidney & Brown Bread Pudding with Peas
Deirdre: Kidney and Pea Bread Pudding with Fig Hash

The color contributes to the presentation on Deirdre's dish, BUT a lot of membranes were left on the kidneys. The flavors on Suzanne's pie are good, but it's not as firm as it is supposed to be. Katherine's combination works, but it needed more of the puree. And she forgot to plate her fig. Cara's kidneys were overcooked, but we were hoping for a little finesse with the plating.

The first person... to be chopped... is... KATHERINE. The fact that she was going to take on a mousse was ambitious, but she did not plate all of the ingredients in time.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). Three chefs left. Awaiting them in this round are... quail, Pedro Ximenez sherry, crosnes, and cabbage.

... and time starts now.

Cara: Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Quail with Roasted Crosnes
Suzanne: Pan-Seared Quail with Crosnes Puree & Slaw
Deirdre: Fried Quail with Crosnes Slaw and Creamy Grits

Suzanne's quail is cooked nicely. The sherry comes out well in the sauce. The one thing that works the least, the puree. Cara's quail is gutsy and the sauce ties in well. The potatoes on her dish were undercooked, and her quail crust didn't adhere. Deirdre's quail legs are perfect, but the slaw... not so much. It's crossing the line between slaw and cooked cabbage. And nothing really ties together.

The next person... to be chopped... is... DEIRDRE. The legs worked, but the grits didn't really work, and the slaw didn't come together.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). One round away from $10,000. The boxes of destiny feature... crescent roll dough, dried currants, key lime juice, and creamed corn.

We're 30 from a champion... Let's go!

Cara: Fried Dough with Two Sauces
Suzanne: Apple Turnover with Creamed Corn & Lime Cream

The judges liked the idea of Cara's zeppole. Amanda thought that the greasy crescent roll was a bit of a disappointment, and she's missing the lime juice. Suzanne's disaster recovered well. The acidic turnover makes her dish, but the portion was a little bit small.

First course was a disaster. Both chefs grew from that, but one chef fell from the entree to the dessert. The other stretched and overcame the situation given her. It takes a certain confidence to be a chef, but it seems that Suzanne was lacking, and Cara was a little bit heavy-handed with hers. Will she end up handing her ovaries on a plate to her?

So who gets the money and who gets the chop?

The final chef... to be chopped... is...  CARA. It came down to execution. Plain and simple.

So the person who doesn't really cook that much and considers herself more of "a business owner", is now the proud owner of 10,000 pictures of George Washington. Congratulations, Suzanne!

But who's next? Find out next week as another four chefs fight it out for $10,000 while avoiding being 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.