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Bobby's Triple Threat Season 4 Episode 5
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00:00I'm Bobby Flay.
00:03I've spent my entire career competing at the highest level.
00:07Today starts a new chapter.
00:10I've created the toughest culinary competition yet.
00:13I've handpicked three extraordinary chefs to become my triple threat.
00:18They got the call, now they feel the heat.
00:21Brooke Williamson is on the team for her competitive fire.
00:24Her California cuisine is packed with fresh flavor.
00:28Michael Voltaggio is a magician in the kitchen.
00:31He got the call for his gutsy modern edge.
00:34And Aisha Nurjaya rounds out the squad with her global flavors and that New York City punch.
00:45Each night, one world-class chef must make it past all three of my titans
00:50if they want to take home $25,000 in cold, hard cash.
00:55Think I'm hard to beat?
00:58Wait till you get a taste of my triple threat.
01:10This crowd is buzzing and ready for action.
01:13This is triple threat.
01:15I've invited a competition legend to my secret kitchen tonight.
01:20As always, if a chef has the password to get through that door, they have the endurance to take on the titans.
01:27We're ready, our knives are sharpened, right?
01:29Our minds are running, our hearts are open.
01:31Let's see what happens.
01:32This chef and restaurateur has decades of experience putting her global twists on comfort food.
01:38She's earned a three-star review from the Chicago Tribune, as well as a James Beard Award.
01:48She rose up the ranks at hotspots in Chicago and New York before building her empire in Nashville.
01:55Oh, my God.
01:57Neat.
01:58Not only is she a chopped judge and chopped champions.
02:01That's neat.
02:02But she's the only two-time winner of Tournament of Champions.
02:05You all know her, and one of you went up against her and lost.
02:09Which one?
02:11The chef you're all going up against is?
02:13Here we go.
02:16Password, please.
02:17Chopped masala.
02:19Mmm.
02:20Chef, Manit Chauhan.
02:21Hi.
02:22Whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:23Come on, guys.
02:24A little bit more happy to see me.
02:25I thought we had friends.
02:26I'm smiling.
02:27Am I not?
02:28Your eyes don't show the smile.
02:42All right.
02:43Manit is one of the top competitors in the competition universe.
02:46We are friends, but the day that Manit and I met in the finale of TOC didn't go my way.
02:53I would love to show Manit that I'm capable of beating her, and the only way to really do that is to beat her.
02:58I love watching you cook.
02:59Your food is always beautiful, but I will tell you, this will be a very, very, very tough competition.
03:04You guys have been things of my nightmare.
03:06Yeah.
03:07Just saying.
03:09I haven't slept all night.
03:10Actually, that's not true.
03:11I haven't slept for the last four nights.
03:14I mean, they are Bobby's titans.
03:17If you can take them down, you get $25,000 and a bunch of bragging rights.
03:21Because I know you guys don't like to talk about, like, who wins what.
03:24What?
03:27Manit, what would it mean for you to win tonight?
03:29It'll be a kind of a self-validation that, yes, I can do this, and I can do it over and over and over again.
03:36All right, let's get to it.
03:38There will be three head-to-head rounds, each against one of these guys.
03:41There will be a blind tasting for each round, and there will be one single judge for the night.
03:45In round one and round two, I choose the two ingredients, you choose the titan.
03:50In round three, you choose the ingredients, and you go up against the last titan.
03:55For round one, the ingredients are lamb loin and mangoes.
04:01I've actually climbed mango trees and plucked mangoes.
04:03Really?
04:04Yes.
04:05You know exactly how I got these.
04:06Yeah.
04:10Ready to go?
04:11Always. Born ready.
04:12Okay, Manit.
04:14Which titan will you go up against in round one?
04:19I'm going to start with Brooke.
04:22Tell us why.
04:25Familiar face.
04:26Oh, okay.
04:27Yeah.
04:28Tournament of champion champions.
04:29I'm so honored that Manit finds me to be a familiar, welcoming face.
04:35Welcome to the kitchen, Manit.
04:36Manit, Brooke, you have 45 minutes on the clock, and your time starts now.
04:49Hey, Brooke.
04:50I thought you would be happy to see me here.
04:52I am happy to see you.
04:53How does it feel to have me in the kitchen over here?
04:55Oh, my God.
04:56Are we going to do this?
04:57Yes, we're going to do this.
04:58Brooke, just ignore her.
04:59A lamb loin is a very, very tender cut.
05:04It almost has no fat in it.
05:06It cooks very, very quickly, so you need to be careful.
05:08I love lamb loin because I think that it can take on a lot of assertive flavors.
05:12And mangoes are amazing because they're creamy.
05:15You can do a lot with them.
05:16I think when I showed Manit the lamb loin and the mango, like, her head was blown.
05:21Lamb and mango definitely makes you think of Indian cuisine.
05:24Notice we didn't say thank you when you showed her the ingredients.
05:26Well, I have to be hospitable to our guests.
05:29Not that hospitable.
05:31Brooke is an incredible, fierce competitor.
05:34And we've been in festivals together, so we've gotten to know each other.
05:38I'm in awe of her cooking style.
05:40But I've beaten her before, and I'm ready to do it again.
05:44I grew up in India, so my foundation is steeped in Indian cooking and Indian spices.
05:49So, first, I'm going to be making a lamb loin and mango chapli kebab.
05:56Now, chapli means flattened kebab.
05:58And then I am serving that on a mango mint chutney and a mango slaw.
06:03She's grinding mango into the lamb. That's interesting.
06:06Hmm. I mean, mango is certainly a tenderizer.
06:09For the kebabs, I run the lamb loin through the grinder with mango, mint, and garam masala,
06:15which translated from Hindi, it means warming spices.
06:18I think this is going to be a very interesting battle.
06:20Manit crushes competitions, but also runs incredible restaurants,
06:23and I think that's what we all do here.
06:26I think Manit has really done a great job showcasing Indian flavors to people all across America.
06:31She has a few hot spots like Mockingbird and Chohan Ale and Masala House in Nashville.
06:36So, don't sleep on Manit.
06:38How's your time in New York so far, Manit?
06:40I was waiting for you guys to show up and take me out for dinner.
06:44We didn't know you were here, Manit.
06:46Uh-huh!
06:49To me, the best way to serve lamb loin is roasting it.
06:52So, for my first dish, I'm doing a spice-rubbed lamb loin with curried lentils
06:57and a mango-pepper mint glaze because mint and lamb go hand in hand.
07:02This should be a good face-off.
07:04Brooke and Manit, they cook similarly.
07:06Like, their food is very fresh, very flavorful, very bright.
07:09The second dish that I am making is coconut lamb loin curry with mango fried rice.
07:16She has a pressure cooker out.
07:18Yeah.
07:19In India, we use pressure cooker for everything.
07:21I put the lamb loin mango, garam masala, onions, along with beef broth and coconut milk.
07:29A really rich sauce is what is going to balance off the leanness of the meat.
07:33Hi, Manit.
07:34Hello, Bobby.
07:35The pressure cooker.
07:36What's happening there?
07:37So, I am hoping to make a mango lamb curry.
07:41Spices in there?
07:42Spices, mango, a lot of love.
07:45Well, I know it's going to be good.
07:47Is she going tartare?
07:48Is she?
07:49I don't know.
07:50Oh, Brooke, where are you going with this?
07:52Um, you know, I'm doing a tartare, which I know that you're not a big fan of.
07:56But I feel like I can get a lot of flavor into this.
07:59I mean, tartare is risky in general.
08:01I always feel like warm dishes score higher than cold dishes.
08:04For my second dish, I'm doing a lamb and mango tartare with harissa and a mango jam.
08:10I'm going to mix that tartare with some mango, whole grain mustard, shallots, some harissa.
08:15What's that?
08:16That is mango, tangerine juice, tamarind.
08:20I'm going to make a little jam to go underneath the tartare.
08:23I mean, I've made tartare in this kitchen and been very successful with it.
08:27Okay.
08:28So, I think it's really dependent on whether or not the judge appreciates a tartare.
08:3227 minutes.
08:33Brooke is going the tartare route.
08:35I think it's a big risk.
08:37When I did Iron Chef, I went up against David Burke and he made a lamb tartare and the judge was like, I'm not eating this.
08:42Oh, really?
08:43Yeah.
08:44You don't know if the judge is going to be eating raw lamb.
08:47Meneet's cooking like she's been in this kitchen before.
08:49I'm like so intrigued by this pressure cooked lamb loin.
08:51I don't get it.
08:52She's going to make it like the tender braised lamb that you get when you order Indian.
08:57There's no fat, dude.
08:58She also added coconut milk.
08:59There's liquid in there, chef.
09:00I know, but it's going to be dry.
09:02I'm going to start on my glaze for the lamb loin.
09:05I'm using honey and then I'm adding hot pickled peppers, fresh mango and mint to make the outside of the lamb sort of hot, spicy, sweet and salty.
09:12Meneet's cooking the rice and the lamb fat, which I love because I can smell it.
09:17I put some julienne mangoes in it and let it cook.
09:20So next I sear my spice rubbed lamb loin in lamb fat.
09:27That looks beautiful.
09:29A loin of lamb to me should be in that sweet spot right between medium and medium rare.
09:35Yep.
09:36And then for the curried lentils, I'm going to throw some yellow curry paste, coconut milk and let that simmer out.
09:42Hi, you're making?
09:47So this is Indian street food called chapli kebab, which means flattened kebabs.
09:51Are you going to fry them?
09:52Yeah.
09:53That's what I'm going to do.
09:54All right.
09:5515 minutes to go.
09:56So for the mango and chutney, I'm trying to get herbaceousness from the mint heat from the Thai chili and sweetness from the mango.
10:03So it touches each and every flavor palette that you have in your mouth.
10:07Let's put lamb out of the oven.
10:09It's in the oven.
10:10Lamb in the oven.
10:14Did she overcook the lamb?
10:15It might be a touch over.
10:18I know that I've left it in the oven like two minutes too long.
10:22I mean, it could certainly cost Brooke the round.
10:24How many points does it take to lose a round?
10:26Not many.
10:28It's over.
10:35Five minutes.
10:38How are you, Minit?
10:39Hanging in there.
10:40I am trying to time everything.
10:42I'm like, oh, I have to do this.
10:43I have to do this.
10:44It's chaos happening over here.
10:46So with the lamb, I take it out from the pressure cooker and then blend the rest of the liquid.
10:53And my mango lamb curry is ready.
10:56Two minutes.
10:59I get the curried lentils on the base of the plate and then a couple of slices of lamb loin and that mango glaze.
11:07For the kebabs, I want to make a quick mango slaw because when you take a bite, you want something bright that goes right on top of the mango mint chutney and chapli kebab.
11:1930 seconds.
11:20I spread that mango jam all over one side of the brioche, top it with my cold tartare and then for a little bit of added texture, I know I can puff wild rice instantly.
11:33Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
11:41Beautiful.
11:43Nice job.
11:45I love using spices.
11:46I love using flavors.
11:48This is as much Maneet in your face as you can get.
11:52Maneet very rarely makes a mistake.
11:54So my biggest concern right now is this lamb loin, which I know is overcooked.
12:04What a way to kick off this competition.
12:06Let's see who'll come out on top.
12:08Our judge has worked at very well-known establishments like Eleven Madison Park and Bettany.
12:14He is a modern American chef with expertise in everything from Japanese, French, and Southern food.
12:20He is the 2024 James Beard Award winner Best Chef in New York State.
12:26At just 32 years old, he is currently the executive chef at Two Star Michelin Saga in New York City.
12:33Please welcome Chef Charlie Mitchell.
12:41How are you doing?
12:42I know Charlie.
12:43We both are chefs in New York.
12:45Charlie definitely is a tough judge.
12:46I think that he strives for excellence and expects excellence.
12:49He's also the nicest person ever, and I'm excited to see him here today.
12:53Charlie, I asked you to come and judge tonight because I respect your palate so much and, of course, all of your skills and accolades, so I'm looking forward to this.
13:00Thanks for having me.
13:01I'm super excited to be here.
13:02Good.
13:03So when you're thinking about a dish, what are you looking for?
13:06For starters, always flavor.
13:07And then intentionality is also very important.
13:09And just being able to see the decisions that are made by the chef and understand why you made those decisions is important.
13:14Okay.
13:15Understand the story it's telling.
13:16Yeah, exactly.
13:17All right, Charlie, so this is a blind tasting, as you know.
13:19So our two chefs were each asked to create dishes with loin of lamb and mangoes.
13:25Actually, lamb is one of my favorite red meats.
13:27Me too.
13:28I don't really cook with a lot of mangoes, but I've eaten a lot of mangoes on the streets of New York City.
13:35Let's start with Chef A.
13:37The first dish is a spice rubbed lamb loin with yellow curry lentils and a mango peppermint glaze.
13:46At first, you really get the glaze here.
13:47The use of the mango, especially with the chilies, really shines here.
13:50Mm-hmm.
13:51The creaminess from the lentils is also very nice.
13:52Mm-hmm.
13:53For me, the lamb loin is cooked a little more than I would like it to be, and the lamb really took a backseat to the mango here.
13:58Right.
14:01This is a lamb and mango tartare with mango jam, harissa, and puffed rice.
14:08The textures are really nice.
14:09You know, puffed raw rice, the toast point.
14:11The mango really comes across.
14:13I think the sweetness from the mango kind of wins here.
14:15Mm-hmm.
14:16I think the lamb gets lost a little bit.
14:17Mm-hmm.
14:18Maybe a little bit of acid would have took it to the next level.
14:20Okay.
14:21Let's move on to Chef B.
14:22So dish one is a lamb mango choppy kabob and a mango mint chutney with mango slaw.
14:29For starters, it's really pretty.
14:30The color of the chutney along with the red pepper and the mango.
14:37I think the flavors here are very successful.
14:38You know, the lamb with the mint, but kind of spicy.
14:41Spicy?
14:42Yeah.
14:43A little bit for me.
14:44I like little pops of spice throughout the meal, but not too much.
14:48Okay.
14:49Let's move on to the second dish.
14:50Coconut lamb curry with mango rice.
14:53I think the cook on the lamb here was really unsuccessful.
14:58It seems like a more of like a braised technique here, which I don't think it works with the dish.
15:03It kind of dries out the lamb and the curry isn't really helping it enough.
15:06And the rice has nice texture, but this is really too sweet.
15:08Kind of takes over the whole dish.
15:09Right.
15:10And I think the mango probably did that.
15:12So I think overall, like the use of the lamb and the use of the mango is unsuccessful for both ingredients in this dish.
15:16All right, Charlie, I'm going to ask you to give up to 10 points for each chef.
15:22Based on the commentary, Charlie loved one of Monique's dishes, didn't love the other one, and he was okay with both of my dishes.
15:31So I think I have a chance here.
15:33All right, Charlie, Chef A was our Titan Brooke.
15:36Brooke, your dishes scored six points this round.
15:41Brooke, your lamb, it was overcooked in the first dish, but the use of mango in both preparations was great.
15:47Which means Chef B is Mineet.
15:49Mineet, your dishes scored a total of six points as well.
15:56The chef's feedback on my curry was not very flattering, so I am pleasantly surprised.
16:03Mineet, the kebab dish was my favorite dish of the round, but your curry dish was my least favorite dish of the round.
16:10We are tied, so technically I still didn't beat her, nor did she.
16:14All right, Charlie, well done.
16:15Thank you so much for being here.
16:16We'll see you after round two.
16:18All right, thanks.
16:19Love you, lady.
16:20Thank you so much.
16:21Have fun.
16:22Round two has the same rules as round one.
16:25And your ingredients are yellowfin tuna and avocado.
16:30Damn it.
16:31Brooke, would you like to go again?
16:33Yes!
16:35I do not work with yellowfin tuna and avocado much.
16:40I have worked with it, absolutely.
16:42But you are not going to get tuna avocado curry on any of my menus.
16:47Which titan would you like to cook against in round two?
16:49Which one of you wants to compete against me first?
16:52Wow!
16:53I shall compete against you.
16:57Because Michael volunteered.
16:59That's my strategy.
17:00I like that.
17:0245 minutes on the clock.
17:04Let's go.
17:05Yes, Chef.
17:06Yes, Chef.
17:07Let's go, Aisha!
17:11Behind you, behind you.
17:12Tuna is something I always have on my menu because it's such a crowd pleaser.
17:17I mean, this is a sushi-grade tuna, so obviously you can eat this raw.
17:20And tuna and avocados go so well together.
17:22I mean, who doesn't want a tuna and avocado roll?
17:25I think you've got to do a raw and a cooked preparation.
17:27Absolutely.
17:28And avocado is a wonderful ingredient.
17:30It's very California, Brooke.
17:31Yes, it is.
17:32Fun fact, Brooke Williamson used to be on the California Avocado Board.
17:34Yeah, it makes great hummus, by the way.
17:37So Aisha is somebody who I've recently come to know through judging together.
17:42And of course, I have scouted out her restaurant and been blown away by the flavors.
17:47But I've never competed against her.
17:49How's it going, Mineet?
17:50What?
17:51How's it going?
17:52Just kidding.
17:53She's trying to do psychological warfare on me, guys.
17:57I really want to show that these ingredients can be used in a lot of ways.
18:02So first, I'm going to be making a tuna three-way dip with tempura, avocado.
18:09I don't know why I'm not bringing a bucket.
18:11Aisha hats.
18:12Every ingredient in the pantry.
18:14The jars are on the side.
18:20I'm depleting jar storage, guys.
18:21Don't even look at me, please.
18:23Look at Mineet.
18:24Look how beautiful she looks.
18:25The entire Mediterranean has made its way to Aisha's station.
18:28Weepa, weepa.
18:29Let's go.
18:30I think I feel pressure.
18:31I know like I'm going against the Goliath.
18:34And I forgot something.
18:35I know Mineet.
18:36I like to call her my friend.
18:37But I know what my job is.
18:38So I am determined to crush her.
18:40So for my first dish, I'm making grilled tuna with smashed avocado.
18:44And sesame almond duka, which is a nut and seed mix that has a bunch of spices in it.
18:50Woo!
18:51Are you okay?
18:52Yep.
18:53Wow.
18:54Aisha's like heat man today, boy.
18:58Should be an interesting matchup.
18:59I mean, I think it's going to be flavor versus flavor.
19:01You know, Aisha is from Gravesend, Brooklyn.
19:03Her mom is Italian.
19:05Her father is Indonesian.
19:06But now she's cooking a lot of Eastern Mediterranean food.
19:09So she's got range.
19:11So Charlie, today's judge, I think he's pretty straightforward.
19:14Yeah.
19:15You have to think about your technique, the way you season, and showcase the ingredients.
19:18That's the key.
19:19Charlie doesn't seem very partial to spices.
19:23So I am trying my level best to balance off what he wants and what I cook.
19:28Minnie, are you making me a pie?
19:30Yes, I am.
19:31Oh, my God.
19:32I love it.
19:33So the second dish that I am making is a catifi tart with a fenugreek seared tuna and an avocado mash.
19:43I arrange the catifi in the tart shells.
19:46Hi, Chef.
19:47Tell me the two dishes you're making.
19:50One is a tuna dip.
19:52Okay.
19:53And the second, it's almost going to be like a tart.
19:55Will it have, like, spices that you're known for on it?
19:58I don't know.
19:59After hearing the feedback from the first round, I'm almost afraid of using spices.
20:04Don't be gun-shy.
20:05We love your flavors.
20:06For my second dish, I'm making a tuna tartare with catifi fried avocado.
20:11I have to ask you about this interesting technique.
20:14Yes.
20:15Why do you want circles?
20:16I want to do crispy avocado with catifi.
20:18Oh.
20:19So you're going to fry it?
20:20I'm going to fry it.
20:21Interesting.
20:22Okay, cool.
20:23So in the tartare, I add avocado, serrano chilies, shallots, and cassavitano olives.
20:28I think Ayesha has, as Charlie said, like, good intention with her dishes.
20:33But Meneet does the same thing.
20:34Although, I feel like she's not confident in what she's doing tonight.
20:38If after tasting a chutney, which you think was perfectly balanced, the judge calls it spicy.
20:44I mean, it definitely messes with you.
20:46I mean, Charlie didn't say he didn't want spice.
20:49He just said that he uses it sparingly.
20:51I think she's holding back on her spice rack.
20:53Like, that's her strength.
20:54How you feeling, Chef?
20:55About to throw up.
20:58Welcome to the Titan Diet.
21:03Look at my drip.
21:04Look at my drip.
21:05Look at my drip.
21:06Check out the risk.
21:07Check out the risk.
21:08Check out the risk.
21:09Check out the risk.
21:10Yeah.
21:1120 minutes.
21:12Okay.
21:13I have very mixed feelings about cooking for Charlie Mitchell.
21:16I mean, am I going to tone it down or not?
21:19I am known for big, bold flavors.
21:21So I decide I am going to stay true to who I am as a chef.
21:25Then I'm going to play to my spices.
21:28So next, I start making the avocado mash for my seared tuna.
21:32So in the food processor, I put some avocado, citrus, cilantro, little bit of serrano, not too much.
21:38I had a knife cut today, guys.
21:40Is she making guacamole?
21:42I take some avocado and I add serrano chilies, red onion, lime zest and juice.
21:47That's going to be underneath my seared tuna.
21:49For my tuna three-way dip, I make a mayo dressing with some avocado, salt and lime juice and mix it with half of the tuna and avocado mixture.
22:01And then the other half goes in the second dressing, which has sesame seed oil and soy sauce.
22:07How's it going, chef?
22:08Good, chef.
22:09You?
22:10I'm looking for texture here.
22:11So I grab sesame seeds and sliced almonds and I fry them.
22:15I'm going to make almond dukkah for the top of the tuna.
22:18Oh, I like that.
22:19I'm not getting dinged for a little crunch.
22:21Crispy, yes, yes, yes.
22:22All right, 13 minutes to go.
22:26What's the crust in your tuna, Monique?
22:27Fenugreek?
22:28Fenugreek, yeah.
22:29So a little bit of the natural bitterness that fenugreek has.
22:32Smells good.
22:33Can we have more kataifi, please?
22:35Next, I take the avocado slices, dredge it in egg wash, and then kataifi with a little bit of sumac and za'atar.
22:42I'm going to fry it so it's going to be a nice contrast to the tartare.
22:45Five minutes to go.
22:47I'm just hoping Aisha gets us a nice little cushion going into round three.
22:52Aisha's no stranger to that pressure, so if anybody's capable of this, she absolutely is.
22:57Now for my tuna three-way dip, I am going to tempura avocado.
23:02So I'd make a tempura batter, all-purpose flour, salt, club soda, and turmeric.
23:08It's hot today.
23:09Now I'm staring at the tuna, it's staring at me.
23:12I err on the side of caution here because I know that Charlie does not want bold flavors.
23:16So I just put salt and get it into a hot pan.
23:19Three minutes.
23:20Finally, for my three-way dip, I take some pieces of tuna and deep fry it.
23:26Once that is ready, I'm ready to plate.
23:29So I put the mayo tuna at the base, then the sesame tuna, and then the tempura avocado fritters.
23:37And top it up with the deep-fried tuna.
23:41Come on, Aisha.
23:43To plate my seared tuna dish, I lay down the smashed avocado.
23:46Look, Aisha's tuna's perfect.
23:48And then I finish it with the sesame almond zucca.
23:5140 seconds.
23:52I put some of the avocado mash at the base.
23:55The tuna steak goes in the middle, and then the katifi tart right on top.
24:02I grab the tuna tartare and put it down.
24:0410, 9, 8.
24:07And then I put the crispy katifi avocado on top.
24:104, 3, 2, 1.
24:14That's it.
24:15That round was intense.
24:16But there is some whimsy in it, and there is a lot of flavor in it, and it looks absolutely stunning.
24:24Looks lovely.
24:26Yeah, I'm not 100% happy.
24:27I love the way that the fried katifi avocado came out, but I just feel like the tuna tartare wasn't really finished.
24:38All right, Charlie, welcome back.
24:39Thanks.
24:40The chefs that competed in round two were given yellowfin tuna and avocados.
24:44You into those ingredients?
24:45Yeah, absolutely.
24:46I mean, I eat a lot of avocado and tuna.
24:48I love eating raw fish, so I love eating tuna.
24:50Okay, great.
24:51So the first dish, tuna three-way dip with tempura fried avocado.
24:55It's a beautiful dish and ambitious.
24:57Yeah.
24:58Definitely.
25:03I like that move.
25:04Well, I figured I should use it as, like, the chip, right?
25:07Yeah, absolutely.
25:08The flavors give you kind of like tuna-avocado, like sushi roll you would have somewhere.
25:11So I think it just works very well, like, with the use of sesame and soy in there.
25:14The avocado is super playful.
25:16That's also nice here, too.
25:17Like, the warmth in the avocado with, like, the coldness that's going on here.
25:20Right.
25:21That temperature contrast.
25:22But I think I don't identify it as tuna, necessarily.
25:24The crispy bites are really nice, but the raw preparation, you kind of lose in here.
25:29Let's move on to the second dish.
25:30Kataifi tart, avocado mash, and fenugreek seared tuna.
25:38The cook on a tuna is really, really nice.
25:40The fenugreek adds spice and also a nice crust to it.
25:43The tuna really shines here.
25:44And the avocado, it brings the fattiness, but flavor-wise, it's not really giving much more than that.
25:48Okay.
25:49Let's move on to the next, Chef.
25:52So the first dish, grilled tuna with smashed avocado and an almond duca.
26:01The cook on the tuna was very nice.
26:02The almond and the sesame toasted on top adds nice complexity to it.
26:06But the tuna kind of gets lost a little bit.
26:08Almond and avocado smashed kind of reminds you of, like, a guacamole.
26:11It would have been nice to have received something a little bit unexpected.
26:14Right.
26:15Let's move on to the second dish.
26:17Tuna tartare with crispy kataifi avocado and za'atar.
26:23I mean, here I think the avocado got a lot of love.
26:25The fried avocado with the kataifi is, like, a fun way.
26:27I've never really seen it done like that before.
26:28Yeah.
26:29The tuna and the tartare is a nice amount of avocado, and the texture's nice and it shines.
26:32But I feel like the tuna kind of takes it back seedier for it to be a tuna tartare,
26:35and it's not really adding any flavor or texture to it.
26:38All right, Charlie, please write down the scores given to chefs 1 through 10.
26:42Got it.
26:44Charlie has proven to be a tough critic today.
26:47I mean, I'm feeling like I'm gonna get some lumps.
26:50Chef A was Mineet.
26:52Mineet, your dishes scored a total of six points in this round.
26:58Mineet, your first dish was super playful, but unfortunately, the tuna got lost.
27:02And for your second dish, I was really wild about that perfect cook on the tuna.
27:06And Aisha with Chef B.
27:08Aisha, your dishes received a total of five points this round.
27:15Oh, wow.
27:19I am devastated. I have never gotten a five.
27:22I would like to cut a hole underneath my feet and then just jump in it.
27:26All right, well, thank you, Chef, for cooking with me today.
27:29While your tuna was cooked really well, I felt that avocado overpowered the tuna in both dishes.
27:33I agree. Thank you, Chef.
27:35Charlie, thank you so much. We'll see you after round three.
27:37All right. Thanks a lot.
27:39Okay, I'll tell you one thing. Tonight's judge is being very stingy with the points. It's quite something.
27:51I'm glad I'm not cooking tonight. Let's get to round three.
27:54Love you.
28:00All right, Mineet, two rounds down.
28:02Michael, since you're the only Titan that hasn't cooked yet, you're up.
28:05All right, Michael.
28:11So, Michael, as you know, this round, Mineet is in charge.
28:14She gets to choose the two ingredients.
28:16You ready?
28:17No.
28:19Of course you're ready.
28:20We're down a point, so I have to win by a couple of points in order for the Titans to win today.
28:25And I have no idea what to expect.
28:28So, the two ingredients are...
28:35Okay, Michael, Mineet, you'll each make one dish this round.
28:38Mineet, show us what you got.
28:44Poha or flattened rice and makhana or fox nuts.
28:48Fox nuts?
28:49Yep.
28:50The number of foxes which were, I'm just kidding.
28:52Yes, it takes a lot of foxes.
28:55Why'd you choose these ingredients?
28:58I once made poha, the flattened rice on Beat Bobby Flay, and you loved it.
29:02Yes.
29:03And you've never had it before.
29:04Right.
29:05So, I was like, if you haven't had it, maybe the Titans haven't had it.
29:08Have you used these?
29:09I mean, that one's for, like, what, porridge or something?
29:13I worked closely with a pastry chef in India, and I've seen this poha before.
29:17But fox nuts, I've never touched one of these before.
29:20Is this...
29:22Are those, like, water lily seeds?
29:23Water lily seeds.
29:24Water lily seeds.
29:25Those are great little snacks.
29:26I don't know what the hell you make with that.
29:28Okay, chefs.
29:30I'm gonna give you both 40 minutes on the clock.
29:32Cook like your fox nuts are on the line.
29:34I'll get you back for this one day.
29:35Oh, I love you.
29:36I've never gone head to head with Manit before.
29:37We're Titans.
29:38We're expected to be able to beat anyone.
29:39But she's got more competition belts than I think I have actual belts for my pants.
29:53Michael does have a very analytical mind, and he can take ingredients and break it down.
30:00It could be spectacular, but it could also backfire.
30:03Ay, ay, ay.
30:04Pohat.
30:05Pohat.
30:06Pohat.
30:07So, this rice is parboiled just enough to flatten it.
30:11Okay.
30:12And then dry it out.
30:13And then dry it out?
30:14Yeah.
30:15It's already cooked.
30:16Yeah.
30:17So as soon as you hit it with some warm moisture, it's cooked.
30:18Got it.
30:19But there's no texture whatsoever.
30:20Very little.
30:21And then the fox nuts, I know them as water lily seeds.
30:24Only because I buy them either like cheese flavor or like garlic and turmeric.
30:28Really?
30:29Yeah.
30:30It's like popcorn.
30:31They taste like nothing, so you can just put seasoning on them.
30:33You could do like Cracker Jacks.
30:34Like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:35Like caramel corn.
30:36Um, so let me tell you what I would make.
30:37Some sort of praline, caramel, like some Cracker Jack situation.
30:40Peanuts.
30:41You're just repeating what I said I would.
30:42No, I said that.
30:43Wait a second.
30:44You said you, you thought you said that?
30:45I said I would make Cracker Jacks.
30:47Oh, sorry.
30:48Out of the fox nuts.
30:49You did say that.
30:50I knew I heard it somewhere.
30:51But I think.
30:52That actually got the crowd going.
30:58I've been here all night.
30:59I think I got to do a lot to try and connect with Charlie.
31:02He didn't seem to really connect with any of the food so far today.
31:05And so my goal is to make him smile a little bit.
31:08No one's ever made dessert in this competition.
31:10So it's a bit of a risk.
31:12What are you making?
31:13Uh, Chef, I'm making dessert, sir.
31:15There's a rice pudding with a praline of almonds.
31:19Ooh, yum.
31:20And a granola from the nut.
31:23Got it.
31:24So I'm going to take the fox nuts and turn it into a granola
31:27with brown butter and maple syrup, oats and corn cereal.
31:30And I'm adding curry to it because I don't want this to be too sweet.
31:33I think that he thrives right now.
31:34And he's going to come out.
31:36All the way.
31:38One more time.
31:39Come on.
31:40Congratulations.
31:41This is the Michael Voltaggio that we all know and love.
31:43He's going to break out some equipment most people don't use.
31:46He's going to apply some techniques that most of us don't use.
31:49And he's going to make something taste delicious.
31:52Michael, how are the fox nuts treating you?
31:54They are now granola, Chef.
31:56Awesome.
31:57I am finally in my round.
32:00And I'm like, okay, bring it on.
32:02I do think that this dish will showcase my creativity,
32:06but still staying true to who I am as a chef.
32:09I saw the poblano chilis.
32:10Yes.
32:11Are you making a curry?
32:12No, a relleno.
32:13A relleno?
32:14Yeah.
32:15Wow.
32:16What?
32:17I am going to make a poja stuffed poblano with a side of trail mix,
32:22which has both the poja and the fox nuts in it, and poja pilaf.
32:26This is a Mexican dish, but I'm going to get a little bit of Indian flair to it.
32:32Chili relleno.
32:33Wow.
32:34It's not the direction that I would expect Mineet to go in,
32:38but I think that this is actually a perfect opportunity for Mineet to get her flavors into a dish
32:44without it feeling overpowering, which seems to play to the judge today.
32:48This is the first time in history that dessert has been made in this kitchen.
32:52Yeah, it's true.
32:53Out of all the rounds, this is the hardest to judge,
32:55because Michael and Mineet are going into completely different directions.
32:59It's whether he wants to eat savory, or he wants to eat sweet,
33:02or that he likes one of these dishes over the other.
33:05Yeah.
33:0630 minutes to go.
33:09I think the biggest challenge working with the poja and the fox nuts
33:11is going to be just getting all the textures right.
33:13So for my rice pudding, I've got coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, the poja.
33:17I'm going to cook this and then cool it off.
33:20This is kind of crazy.
33:22You got this, Michael. Come on.
33:26Next, I add some cumin seeds, onions, curry leaves, peas, the flattened rice,
33:30turmeric, and my poja pilaf is ready.
33:33And then I make the trail mix, which is toasted fox nuts with deep-fried flattened rice.
33:40Season it with a little bit of salt and then deep-fried cashew.
33:46He is flying.
33:48So next, I'm going to grab every almond that we have to make my own nut butter so that I can make an almond praline dome.
33:55At the last second, I add simple syrup and coconut milk.
33:58He made praline.
34:0115 minutes to go.
34:02That's it.
34:03Next, I take half of my flattened rice pilaf and stuff my poblanos.
34:08You're going to batter them?
34:09Yes.
34:10This has fox nut flour, flour made with flattened rice.
34:14Right.
34:15And there's chickpea flour.
34:16Very smart.
34:17You're doing great.
34:18You're winning by one.
34:19I'm hoping that Charlie gets my flavors.
34:21That's basically all that I'm worried about.
34:24How are you doing, Chef?
34:25Good, Chef.
34:26And that's what?
34:27Granola made from the fox's nuts and then an almond praline.
34:34That's killer.
34:35Thanks.
34:36So, like, I know of Michael right now.
34:38Five minutes.
34:39First, I put down my pole hop pudding.
34:41Then my fox nut granola is going round the outside, round the outside.
34:45And I know that I still need to make three perfect praline domes.
34:49Michael's going to break out the liquid nitrogen.
34:51The praline dome is an opportunity for me to connect with Charlie.
34:54So I got to make sure that every technique I put into this is flawless.
34:57That ladle has to be super cold.
35:00Freeze that praline immediately.
35:02And then he has to get it off in one piece.
35:05Three minutes.
35:06Lord.
35:13It's not working.
35:14We are literally at the edge of our seats.
35:16Yeah.
35:17Sometimes Michael bites off more than he can chew.
35:19Two minutes.
35:20We're down by a point.
35:21And this could be a flop or it could be celebrated.
35:24I've been grinding.
35:25I've been working overtime and trying to climb up.
35:27I know no other way.
35:28I'm going hard until my time's up.
35:29Ninety seconds.
35:30What, Michael?
35:31Get this dome done or you're going to be so mad.
35:32Time is running out, but this is the only way to make this dome.
35:33He just has to get it off.
35:34Oh, come on.
35:35Do it.
35:36Do it.
35:37Do it.
35:38Just do it.
35:39Do it.
35:40Just do it.
35:41Oh my God.
35:42Yes.
35:43One down.
35:44Michael is a mad scientist.
35:45I mean, at times I want to crawl into his mind and see how is this working.
35:48I usually double fry things in a competition setting just to make sure that it's crispier.
35:49And I'm ready to plate.
35:50I put the poha pilaf on the plate.
35:51A little bit of trail mix.
35:52And then the chili reese.
35:53Oh, come on.
35:54Do it.
35:55Oh, come on.
35:56Do it.
35:57Do it.
35:58Do it.
35:59Do it.
36:00Do it.
36:01Do it.
36:02Do it.
36:03Just do it.
36:04Do it.
36:05Do it.
36:06Oh my God.
36:07Yes.
36:08Yes.
36:09Yes.
36:10Yes.
36:11One down.
36:12Michael is a mad scientist.
36:14I mean, at times I want to crawl into his mind and see how is this working.
36:17The chili relleno.
36:18Interesting way to plate this.
36:20But also, I don't think he's going to be able to find the fox nuts in her dish.
36:25I think this might backfire on her.
36:27Let's go and eat.
36:29Guys, you came to the wrong party.
36:32Let's put this guy out.
36:34Come too far.
36:35Can't turn around now.
36:36Can't sit back down.
36:37Only one move now.
36:38Forward.
36:39Forward.
36:40Yes.
36:41Forward.
36:42Forward.
36:43Forward.
36:44Forward.
36:45Ten.
36:46Nine.
36:47Eight.
36:48Seven.
36:49Six.
36:50Five.
36:51Four.
36:52Three.
36:53Three.
36:54Two.
36:55One.
36:56Good job.
36:57I'm happy with my dish.
36:58Even I am kind of amazed at my creativity that I could come up with something of this sort.
37:03I mean, talk about totally different dishes.
37:06Yeah.
37:07This is why you should be given ingredients that you have no idea about.
37:12Yeah, I mean, I definitely feel like I did enough to win this for the Titans.
37:15Bro, give me a hug.
37:16Give me a hug.
37:17You know, it showed creativity, imagination, and I really believe that I took something traditional
37:22and made it my own.
37:23Really?
37:24All right, welcome back Charlie.
37:25We have the round three dishes for tasting.
37:26So the two ingredients were poha and fox nuts.
37:27Are you familiar with these ingredients?
37:28I am not.
37:29I'm not, yeah.
37:30I've never heard of them before.
37:31Well, first time for everything.
37:32The poha is flattened rice and fox nuts are puffy seeds.
37:33Let's start with Chef A.
37:35Poha and cardamom pudding, fox nut granola, and salted almond praline dome.
37:52I'm really impressed with the dome here.
37:54Yeah.
37:55A lot going on.
37:56Yeah.
37:59So I love a good balanced dessert.
38:01And what I like about this one especially is that it's not too sweet.
38:03A lot of fun textures in here.
38:05Only thing I would say is that the rice pudding, I was expecting it to be a little bit like
38:08creamier or smoother.
38:10It kind of reminded me of undercooked grits a little bit.
38:12You know what I mean?
38:13But overall, I think it's very successful.
38:16Charlie says this is a successful dish.
38:19I mean, that's all I can ask for.
38:21Let's move on to Chef B.
38:26Poha stuffed poblano, fried in poha and fox nut batter.
38:30Serve with a fox nut, poha, cashew trail mix, and a poha pilaf.
38:37The rice pilaf is nice with the trail mix here with the puffed fox nuts.
38:41And the pepper is really interesting.
38:42It's really nice and I like the flavor of the poblano.
38:44And the texture of the batter really holds up nice and crispy.
38:47But you can't really identify what the filling is.
38:49The poha and the fox nut kind of take the back seat to everything else.
38:53All right, Charlie, please score these chefs one through twenty.
38:58The main ingredients took a back seat.
39:02I just am so perplexed.
39:05Ready to give out some scores?
39:06I'm ready.
39:07I'll take the money.
39:08You got the check. Let's go.
39:11There was main ingredient in everything.
39:13You would take a breath and you would be breathing in poha and fox nuts.
39:18First and foremost, this kind of cooking is very different from what I do.
39:22And I was just like genuinely blown away at the level of execution.
39:25Does that mean we can get you in this kitchen soon?
39:26No.
39:28Fair.
39:29I'll let them do it.
39:31Okay, Chef A was our Titan Michael, which means Chef B was Mineet.
39:37At the moment, the scores are Mineet has 12 points and the Titans have 11 points.
39:41Wow.
39:42Talk about low scores. We haven't seen scores across the board this low in a really long time. Maybe ever.
39:48All right, Charlie, you have the scores. You give them out.
39:51Mineet, the poblano dish, a lot of fun textures and a lot of big flavors there, but it was really hard to detect the poha and the fox nut.
40:00Mineet, I gave your dish...
40:0512 points.
40:0612.
40:08I think that Charlie needs to get into this kitchen and compete once, and I would love to be the judge on that one.
40:13So that brings Mineet's final score to 24 points.
40:16So, Titans, you're gonna need at least a 14 to take home the win.
40:20Michael, the texture of the rice pudding kind of threw me off, but really appreciate your use of the poha and the fox nut.
40:26Thank you, Chef.
40:27Michael, I gave your dish...
40:3317 points.
40:37Congratulations.
40:39I feel great about a 17. I mean, it's been tough all day long.
40:42I'm in the hospitality industry. I mean, my job is to make people happy.
40:46And I think I managed to make Charlie a little happy today.
40:49Mineet, thank you so much. It was so fun watching you cook all night.
40:52I'm very sorry, but obviously the Titans have blocked you from the $25,000.
40:56Thank you so much for being here tonight.
40:58Absolutely. Thank you.
40:59Thank you for your company.
41:00Congratulations.
41:02They deserve being your Titans.
41:03I might have not won today. You win some, you lose some.
41:08But in my eyes, I'm always the winner.
41:10Charlie, before I let you go, I just want to say you have scared every one of these chefs tonight.
41:15But it was really great listening to you.
41:18Thank you for having me.
41:19And I'll come down to Saga and check you out.
41:20Yes, please do. Please do. It was nice to be on the other side tonight.
41:22Pleasure. Thanks so much.
41:23Thank you, Chef.
41:24Thank you, Chefs.
41:25I mean, a 17 is basically perfect tonight, so.
41:29That was a tough day at work.
41:31We won. That's all that counts.
41:33Okay, Titans. There's some extra points at the bar. Come on over.
41:36Let's go.
41:37Let's go.
41:39Nice work, Michael.
41:40Enjoy the moment.
41:42Today is National Michael's Day.
41:44Tomorrow will be the parade, and then there will be an after party.
41:47This one's to Michael.
41:48This one's to Michael.
41:49Yeah.
41:50Great job.
41:51Cheers.
41:52Good job, my man. Thank you, Chefs.
41:53Cheers.
41:54You smacked those nuts, bro.
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