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Bobby's Triple Threat Season 4 Episode 7
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00:01I'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 hand-picked 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
00:38and 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.
01:11Welcome to club three, everybody.
01:13Where the ovens are hot and the drinks are ice cold.
01:16This is triple threat.
01:18I've invited a culinary mastermind to my secret kitchen tonight.
01:24And when a chef has the password to get through that door,
01:27it means they have the juice to take on the titans.
01:30Every single day that we come into this kitchen,
01:32we are training for the Olympics.
01:35And together, we know that we can take on anyone.
01:37This is a chef that I competed against back in 2022.
01:40And I lost.
01:41So you know he's coming out swinging.
01:44Let's go!
01:46A star in the Ohio food scene,
01:48he's been named best chef in Columbus four years running.
01:51Wow.
01:52He's also earned multiple James Beard nominations.
01:55I'm coming through, through.
01:56His food is a bold mix of the Bengali dishes he grew up eating,
02:00all with American influences and high-end technique.
02:03Figured it out?
02:04Nope.
02:07Password?
02:08Buckeye.
02:09Ooh.
02:10Interesting.
02:11Titans, the chef that you're all going up against is...
02:14Avishar Berua.
02:20Good to see you.
02:21I've never met Chef Avishar, but I heard Bengali,
02:23so I know he's gonna bring big flavor.
02:25How you doing, chef?
02:26Doing well, how are you?
02:27Welcome.
02:29You and I have cooked against each other.
02:30You beat me in 2022.
02:31I did.
02:32With what?
02:33Kati roll.
02:34Kati roll.
02:35Yeah.
02:36You're not gonna figure it out.
02:37Okay.
02:38So I'm sure that you have come with a plan of attack.
02:40Always.
02:41But I want you to know these guys are tough.
02:43So if you beat these guys, what would it mean for you personally?
02:45I heard it was the greatest honor to meet your heroes,
02:48but as you know with me, I think it might be an even better honor
02:51to beat your heroes.
02:52Okay.
02:54Here are the rules of the game.
02:55There's gonna be three head-to-head rounds,
02:57each one against one of the Titans.
02:59There'll be a blind tasting with one single judge for the whole evening.
03:02Our judge is known for their Southeast Asian food and their New York grits.
03:06What was the judge's name again?
03:07I'll let you know after the first round.
03:09Nice try.
03:10In round one and round two, I choose the two ingredients.
03:13You choose the Titan.
03:14You can score up to 10 points.
03:15But in round three, you choose the ingredients and you go up against the last Titan.
03:19But that round is worth 20.
03:21Whoever gets the most points at the end of the night wins.
03:23It's that simple.
03:24Got it.
03:25Let's begin.
03:26For round one, the ingredients are yellowtail and pineapple.
03:32How do you feel about these ingredients?
03:34Feels like a lot of fun.
03:35Good.
03:36You have 45 minutes to make two distinctly different dishes.
03:39Okay, Avishar, which Titan would you like to go up against in round one?
03:42I think I'm gonna go against Michael.
03:47Okay.
03:48Any reason?
03:49Actually, in honesty, it's an order of respect.
03:51In our culture, we go the oldest first.
03:54And in terms of Top Chef, oldest.
03:56I was like, I think I'm actually the oldest.
03:59Do I need to put my apron on?
04:00Yes, sir.
04:01You're the oldest by far.
04:03Honestly, Michael is one of my culinary heroes.
04:05I have his book.
04:06I've studied it for a very long time.
04:08But it's gonna be pretty wild to face off against him in an arena.
04:10Avishar, Michael, 45 minutes on the clock.
04:12And your time starts now.
04:13Let's go.
04:14All right, Michael!
04:19So, yellowtail, really meaty, relatively versatile, kind of like tuna.
04:26I love it raw.
04:27I love it cooked.
04:28This fish is like in the witness protection plan because it has so many names.
04:31Right?
04:32Right.
04:33It's hamachi.
04:34It's amberjack.
04:35It's yellowtail.
04:36She's showing her Bensonhurst history right there.
04:39There's so many things you could do with these combinations.
04:42You can cook the pineapple.
04:43You can cook the fish.
04:44You can leave the fish raw.
04:45You can leave the pineapple raw.
04:47I think the challenge is restraint because the fish can take on flavor, but you don't
04:51want to really overpower it.
04:53What you working on, Chef?
04:54A hamachi smoked fish dip, Chef.
04:56Fish dip?
04:57Nice.
04:58What about the pineapple?
04:59I'll probably just make a pineapple salsa like in the 80s.
05:02Nice.
05:04Yeah, right.
05:05I'm also smoking my hamachi.
05:08That's cute.
05:12Were you serious about the hero comment?
05:14Yeah, of course.
05:15Why would I lie?
05:16I'm so honored, Chef.
05:17He mentioned that I'm one of his culinary heroes.
05:20All that makes me feel is old.
05:22You had a really good book that I learned a lot from.
05:24A book?
05:25Yes.
05:26The Volt Inc. book was one of my favorite books.
05:27Are you going to use my own recipes against me?
05:29That's not cool, Chef.
05:30That's a lot of spices.
05:33For my first dish, I'm thinking of a tartar.
05:35I'm going to cold smoked the fish and the pineapple.
05:37So I want to season it aggressively with what I would call Thai seasonings.
05:43So Avishar has worked for Danny Bowen at Mission Chinese, and he also worked for Wiley Dufresne at WD50.
05:49I like the way Avishar approaches food.
05:51He cooks at a very high level, but like a little bit quirky, you know, like in a fun way.
05:56He has these kind of stealth-like techniques that you don't see a lot.
05:59The Titans should be definitely worried about him because they don't know where his food's going to go.
06:03My idea is to cold smoke the fish and the pineapple.
06:06I go for the smoker, and I see that it's not there.
06:10That is a smoker.
06:14Oh, boy.
06:16Got the smoker, Chef?
06:17I do have a smoker.
06:18Nice.
06:19You know, this round is about speed.
06:20Welcome to Triple Threat.
06:22Luckily, I've worked in very many small restaurants with no smoker, so I'm able to improvise.
06:26So I built my own smoker.
06:28I find a variety of different wood chips and get the fire going.
06:30I want to get as much smoke as possible and as little time as possible.
06:33Pineapple has been like one of my favorite food of all time.
06:35It's just sweet and delicious, but you could also like do hot preparations with it and it holds up really well.
06:40Yes, it's very firm.
06:41Smoking, yes.
06:43I am smoking.
06:44Michael, what's the marinade?
06:45Sorghum, mirin, and soy sauce.
06:47Sorghum, it can be made into molasses.
06:49This will help get the sugar on the outside of the fish so that when I smoke it, it helps absorb that smoky flavor.
06:55You're smoking?
06:56Yes, Chef. I am smoking.
06:57What are the dishes?
06:58Smoked hamachi fish dip with dill-pickled pineapple.
07:01And what's the other one?
07:02Yellowtail and pink pineapple tiradito.
07:04Tiradito.
07:05Going to Peru today, Chef.
07:06What's the sauce?
07:07Uh, ahi, pineapple, garlic, lemon, lime.
07:11Nice.
07:13I think Michael's gonna do some innovative things, but he's keeping in a check.
07:16Finally.
07:17Michael sometimes can go overboard, but that's the beauty of Michael.
07:20He pushes the envelope almost every single time.
07:26Making a ginger onion pastry.
07:28Sorry about the smell.
07:29For my second dish, I want to make yellowtail malai curry with a mustard oil pickled pineapple.
07:33Malai curry is a uniquely Bengali dish that has influences both in Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
07:39It takes a lot of spices.
07:41Cinnamon, bay leaf, clove, green cardamom, turmeric, and chili powder.
07:45I'm gonna use the fish as well to reinforce it.
07:47And then I add the coconut milk and let it simmer away.
07:49I think these two ingredients, you have to be careful with how much bold flavor you go here.
07:54Like, this delicate hand goes a long way with this.
07:56Yeah.
07:57All right, Chef, how you doing?
07:58Good, how are you?
07:59What are you making?
08:00I'm gonna do a little bit of a malai curry.
08:01It's inspired by my mom's recipe.
08:03Very popular Bengali dish.
08:04Nice.
08:05Our second one's gonna be an uncooked preparation, inspired by my recent journeys to Thailand.
08:09Well, I see you've got, like, this triple layer smoking situation.
08:12Yeah.
08:13Wish I had a real smoker to utilize for that.
08:14That would've been cool, but whatever.
08:20Avishar said that this is, like, one of his family curries.
08:23I do appreciate the fact that Avishar is not taking shortcuts when he's using, like, whole cloves and cinnamon.
08:29But now he has fish in there.
08:31Is he gonna blend all of those spices up and then strain it?
08:34He might just be cooking everything together and then he's gonna strain it out.
08:38Some of the techniques that Avishar is using in the fish and some of the other elements of his dishes, like, I've never seen before.
08:43So I'm interested to see how these work out for him.
08:45This is part of what I love about the triple threat kitchen.
08:49We learn new techniques from the competitors all the time.
08:5120 minutes to go.
08:57Now I'm starting on my dill-pickled pineapple.
08:59Just cut the dill like a normal person.
09:02I'm just cutting nice little paves of yellow pineapple, putting it in a vacuum bag with chopped dill, champagne vinegar, and just a little bit of salt.
09:09When you get a southern fish dip, sometimes there's, like, pickles on the side.
09:12And I really just wanted this to be, like, a bright sort of contrast to that rich fish dip.
09:16Okay, that goes through.
09:18Since it is a rich crepe, it's crucial to have some balance.
09:21So I'm making a pickled pineapple.
09:23I am heating up some mustard oil, adding some whole spices, and pouring vinegar on to add a little bit of smokiness, a little bit of fire.
09:29Whoa!
09:30Whoa!
09:31Whoa!
09:32I want it to taste like it was roasted over a wok.
09:34Shut up.
09:35Shut up.
09:36I've never seen that technique, either.
09:40Does Mike have the waffle iron out?
09:43Yes, he does.
09:44He does?
09:45Yellowtail and pineapple waffles.
09:47He uses the waffle iron for toast now.
09:49For the fish dip.
09:50Now I'm going to start my tiradito.
09:52Beautiful pink pineapple.
09:53It actually looks the same color as the yellowtails.
09:55I'm basically going to take little slices, and I'm alternating them in the plate, so it's pink pineapple, yellowtail.
10:01Pink pineapple, yellowtail.
10:02Oh, it's so pretty.
10:04Ten minutes.
10:05Ten minutes, chefs.
10:06I start on the tartare.
10:07I'm using the smoked yellowtail, as well as smoked pink pineapple.
10:10I'm going to chop it up and season it with fish sauce, tamarind, and some lime juice.
10:15Sorry.
10:18I need to add some texture to the tartare dish.
10:20I'm thinking maybe I'll add some serranos and some shallots to add a little bit of crunch.
10:23And I'm going to fry some wonton chips for additional texture.
10:26Do we have celery somewhere?
10:28So I chilled my smoked yellowtail, now I'm turning it into a dip.
10:31I've got a little creme fraiche, lemon juice.
10:33I have to tell you, I love this idea of this fish dip.
10:35I would never go there, but it looks good.
10:37Yeah.
10:38Seven minutes to go.
10:41Avishar has spent a lot of time on the curry.
10:44He still has to strain that, no?
10:46It takes quite some time to develop flavor the correct way.
10:48Okay, fish is in.
10:50But this clock is no joke.
10:51We got to get it done, so I need to start thinking about how to assemble.
10:56Pull out chat masala for seasoning here.
11:00Curry sauce.
11:01Michael, what's in the blender?
11:03Tiradito sauce.
11:05Tiradito plates come out, then I'm just finishing it with a lemon yellow pineapple lime juice,
11:11ahi amarillo.
11:12Finish that with a little bit of shaved chive and some crispy sweet potatoes on there.
11:15Two minutes left.
11:16Do not cut yourself.
11:19I put the tartare on.
11:20I dress it with a little bit of the smoked pineapple and cover it in crispy wontons.
11:24I put my dill pickled pineapple on the plate, then I put a nice quenelle of my fish dip on top of the toast.
11:29Oh, look at that.
11:30It's cute.
11:31This dish looks pretty good to me.
11:33One minute to go.
11:34Avishar, get it on the plate.
11:36I was planning on taking my curry and passing it through a coarse strainer, but I ran out of time.
11:40Was he gonna strain that?
11:41No, he doesn't have time.
11:42He's gotta get it on the plate.
11:43I've worked so hard on this sauce, it has to hit the plate, but 45 minutes goes by very fast.
11:48Do you think that's an idea?
11:49I don't think Avishar's gonna finish.
11:51I have no idea how the titans do this day in and day out.
11:54Oh, boy.
11:55It is nuts.
11:56A lot more respect now.
11:57Oh, my God.
12:01Avishar, get it on the plate.
12:02I use the pan as a strainer.
12:04I start with the curry sauce on the base of the plate.
12:06I add a bit of the fish and then top with the pickled pineapple.
12:09Five, four, three, two, one.
12:13That's it.
12:14Yeah!
12:15How do you manage your time so well?
12:20It's hard.
12:21It looks beautiful.
12:23Very impressive.
12:25Both of these dishes are modern riffs on very classic dishes, so hopefully I can set the tone
12:29right now for the titans.
12:30How's everyone's heart rate over there?
12:31Good.
12:32I got through maybe 75% of what I had envisioned.
12:36My plates have no garnishes, no finishing touches, but they express the flavors that I was trying to get across.
12:46All right, guys.
12:47Our judge tonight is a celebrated chef who's been praised by the New York Times, New York Magazine, and the Huffington Post for their Southeast Asian-inspired restaurants.
12:55They've worked alongside some of the world's most renowned chefs at restaurants like Three Star, Eleven Madison, and Italy's Michelin-starred restaurant, La Mattia.
13:06Please welcome the chef and owner of Pig & Cow, Leah Cohen.
13:11Welcome.
13:12Hi.
13:13Hi.
13:14How are you?
13:15Nice to see you.
13:16Nice to see you.
13:17Thank you for having me.
13:18Have a seat.
13:19What's up, ladies?
13:20What's happening?
13:21And gentlemen.
13:22Chef.
13:23I've known Leah for many years.
13:25I know how educated her palate is in a very worldly manner.
13:28I also know that Abishar very much caters to the way that Leah loves to eat and cook.
13:33So, there's that.
13:34So, when you're looking at a successful dish, like, what's important to you?
13:38I mean, I care about what it looks like.
13:40I care about the technique.
13:42But I want a dish that I'm gonna go back and eat more and more.
13:45I wanna eat the whole plate.
13:46Right.
13:47I wanna lick it clean.
13:48You know what I mean?
13:49So, for a long time, our chefs were each asked to create two dishes using yellowtail and pineapple.
13:54So, dish number one, crispy yellowtail malai curry with mustard oil and pickled pineapple.
14:00I think just looking at this dish, it seems a little flat.
14:03I do think it is important to, you know, add a little, a little something at the end.
14:07Sure.
14:08All right.
14:09Give it a taste.
14:10The curry itself is fantastic.
14:14It compliments the fish really well.
14:16I'm gonna ask the girl, the acidity from that pickled pineapple cut through the richness of the curry.
14:22Move on to the dish, too.
14:23Okay.
14:24A smoked yellowtail and pink pineapple tartare with crispy wontons.
14:29I love the crispy wontons.
14:30That, I thought, was really smart and a great way to add some texture.
14:33Sure.
14:34I mean, I love the pink pineapple, but it kind of gets lost with the yellowtail.
14:37I'm not necessarily tasting the smoke.
14:40If you're gonna say it's smoked, it should taste smoked.
14:43I think this dish just needed more flavor overall.
14:46Okay.
14:47Let's move on to Chef B.
14:49Dish number one, sorghum smoked yellowtail fish dip with a dill pickled pineapple.
14:54This is gorgeous.
14:55Like, honestly, I'm like, oh, my God.
14:57Do you like, like, smoked fish dips like that?
15:00Bobby, I'm a New York Jew.
15:03Of course I love my smoked fish.
15:05And I'm Filipino.
15:06We love smoked fish.
15:07It's so, yeah.
15:08Like, this is right up my alley.
15:12Definitely smoked.
15:13You can taste the smoke right away.
15:15The compressed pineapple is very acidic.
15:18Like, almost too acidic.
15:19Like, I don't think, like, I didn't think you would ever hear these words come out of my mouth.
15:24But I think it can be overpowering.
15:26Okay.
15:27Let's move on to the second dish.
15:28The yellowtail and pink pineapple tiradito.
15:30Wow.
15:31From the texture to the acid, this is one of the most well-thought-out dishes I've tried in a cooking competition.
15:42If I had to nitpick, I would just add a little finishing salt to go on top.
15:47I'm happy that I got to express two different regions in two different dishes.
15:51Not happy that I was unable to execute in the way that I wanted to.
15:54Chef A was Avishar.
15:56Avishar, your dishes got a total of five points this round.
16:03While your curry was fantastic, you've got to work on your presentation.
16:07And in your tartare, I couldn't taste the smoke.
16:10Thank you, Chef.
16:11Which means that Chef B is Michael.
16:13Michael, you received a total of eight points this round.
16:16Congratulations.
16:17I was so impressed with the technique of smoking the fish.
16:20The only thing was that pineapple was so acidic, it just took away from all that hard work you put in that fish dip.
16:28You now know who the judge is.
16:29She's very specific and she's very thorough.
16:31Think about that when you're cooking.
16:33All right, Chef, we'll see you after round two.
16:36Thank you so much.
16:38Bye, everyone.
16:40It's kind of a tough round for you.
16:41You're down by three, but there's two more rounds, plenty of time for you to come back.
16:44Michael, you can join your teammates here on the sofa.
16:47Thanks, Chef.
16:48Not so much.
16:49Just take your time.
16:50Just like, don't take too much time.
16:52I mean, Avishar got a five.
16:54That's a tough score, but we've all been there.
16:56Now we just have to hang on to that lead.
16:58Gin, I need a drink.
17:01I thought this competition was going to be fairly difficult.
17:04Turns out I was right, but I never give up.
17:07I will take this note and double down on my efforts in the next round.
17:10Round two is the same rules as round one.
17:12You must make two distinctly different dishes using Yukon Gold potatoes and Parmigiano
17:20Reggiano cheese.
17:21Hmm.
17:22Avishar, how do you feel about these ingredients?
17:25I come from the Midwest where meat and potatoes are a thing.
17:27Close second is cheese.
17:28I think we can work through it.
17:29All right.
17:30And which titan would you like to compete against?
17:32Tough choice.
17:35I think I'll go with Ayesha.
17:37Okay.
17:38Ready.
17:39Round two.
17:40Any reason?
17:41Yeah.
17:42You know, sometimes you just go with it in life.
17:43It just comes to you.
17:44The first thing that comes out of your mouth, you got to go with.
17:45Sometimes you just go with it.
17:47All right.
17:48I like that.
17:49Avishar, Ayesha, your time starts right now.
17:52Let's go, chef.
17:53Let's go.
17:57Come on, Ayesha.
18:00Ayesha, you got this.
18:02How are you feeling, chef?
18:03Great.
18:04You?
18:05Amazing.
18:06What are your thoughts on potatoes and cheese?
18:07I've met a few potatoes I didn't like, but today I'm loving them.
18:08Excellent.
18:09Hopefully you like mine.
18:10Parmigiano-Reggiano, they call it the king of cheeses.
18:12It's so good.
18:13Yeah, I mean, cheese and potatoes are like peanut butter and jelly.
18:16Yeah.
18:17Parmigiano-Reggiano is like the Beyonce of cheese.
18:18Like, it's the most famous cheese in the world.
18:20I could just snack on Parmigiano all day long.
18:22Not masking the potato, not masking the Parmesan,
18:25making sure that they make sense together.
18:27That is the only challenge here.
18:29Yukon golds are tricky, too, though, because they're at that sweet spot.
18:32Like, you know, starch converts to sugar, then converts back to starch,
18:35and it stays in that middle part where it's got the sugar in it,
18:38and when you fry it, it burns fast.
18:41Why does education make you guys laugh?
18:43Because he's like, it's a potato.
18:45Because that's what you talk about, which is awesome.
18:47We would never talk like that.
18:49We need a therapist in our budget next time.
18:52I feel like I'm in culinary school right now.
18:54I cooked Italian food for many, many years,
18:56so I'm excited to showcase that a little bit.
18:58I'm making cacio pepe potato risotto.
19:01So I cut some potatoes, adding them to a pot with boiling water,
19:05and then I'm going to make a Parmesan fonduta,
19:07get some chicken stock, and I put some Parmesan rind in there,
19:09and then I grab heavy cream and milk,
19:11and I add to that thyme basil.
19:13The rind is one of my favorite parts to use.
19:15It enriches broths or stocks or soups.
19:18She's making fonduta.
19:19With the Parmesan rind?
19:20Smart.
19:21That's some Titan .
19:22Okay.
19:23I think that's good.
19:24You know, Aisha cooked with Lydia Bastiani for a long time,
19:27and Missy Robbins.
19:28These are stalwarts in terms of, like, Italian cuisine in New York,
19:32and Aisha's worked under them.
19:34Her Italian game is strong.
19:35I think I have the skill set to take down any chef
19:38that comes into this kitchen,
19:39and I want to make sure that everybody knows
19:41that I'm here and I'm here to stay.
19:43Is there more salt somewhere?
19:45Parmesan cheese is definitely not traditionally used
19:46in Southeast Asian cooking.
19:48I'm excited to hit the Parmesan and potatoes
19:50in a way that maybe the judges aren't expecting.
19:52Okay.
19:53I want to make a hash brown,
19:54but I want to serve that with penang curry.
19:56Whoa.
19:57I need to shred the potatoes in the food processor
19:59and soak them to remove the excess starch.
20:01Did you know we had that grating attachment?
20:03Because Avishar just did.
20:04He just grated it up.
20:05He just made, like, a pound of Parmesan.
20:06And potatoes.
20:07A pound of potatoes in, like, two minutes.
20:09Thanks for teaching me that, Avishar.
20:11Of course.
20:12I will say, Avishar has a different focus this round.
20:14Like, I got round one out of the way.
20:16I showed up now.
20:17I'm here.
20:18Stand up, look around.
20:20Everybody knows it's about to go down.
20:22So for my second dish,
20:23I'm making a potato-stuffed cigar with phyllo.
20:25That's mozzarella, right?
20:27It looks like it.
20:28Butter.
20:29Pull in.
20:30The filling is gonna taste like creamy mashed potatoes
20:33that are spiked with Parmesan,
20:35mozzarella, chopped dill, and scallions.
20:37So I start to rice the potatoes
20:39to make the stuffing for the phyllo cigar.
20:41And then I start to roll them.
20:42Oh.
20:43That's like a little package.
20:44Behind you.
20:47All right, Avishar.
20:48What's up, chef?
20:49I see you're breaking out lemongrass.
20:51Yes, chef.
20:52What are you doing, sir?
20:53Leah's from Pig & Cow, which is a really awesome restaurant.
20:55Yes.
20:56And I've actually eaten there before.
20:57It's a great restaurant.
20:58So I think I have an idea of her flavor profile.
20:59So I'm gonna try some hash browns.
21:00Hash browns.
21:01But with Thai flavors.
21:03Then we got the judge's Leah Cohen.
21:05It is very exciting because I don't have to worry about
21:07toning my flavors down.
21:08I can go on the side of a little spicier,
21:10a little saltier, a little more sour.
21:12And then on the other side, we want to do bartha.
21:14Bengali, I gotta make bartha.
21:15Halu bartha is basically a Bengali mashed potato.
21:17It's the classic Bengali dish,
21:18so if I don't make it at some point,
21:19my mom will probably kill me.
21:20It's very spicy.
21:21It's very nice.
21:22It's a humble food, but we like humble foods here.
21:23These chefs are going in very, very different directions,
21:25but that's what it's all about here on Trouble Threat.
21:28Let's confit these.
21:30I want the flavors of the hash brown
21:31to mimic the flavors of the curry.
21:33I'm adding duck fat with lime leaf,
21:35lemon grass, and Thai chilies.
21:37I need you to melt.
21:39Please cook.
21:40Please cook.
21:41Please cook.
21:42This, this.
21:43I had some vinegar.
21:44I know that Leah is looking for acid.
21:46And this is hard to put in a risotto,
21:47so I need to make some pickles.
21:49So I made a pickling liquid with some champagne vinegar,
21:52a little bit of sugar, honey, water, and salt.
21:55And I added the beets to that.
21:5630 minutes.
21:57Don't I make curry in 30 minutes?
21:59I think so.
22:00Penang curry is one of the most difficult
22:02and well-known curries in Thailand.
22:04Cayllam and Chris.
22:05This is going to take a little bit of time
22:07and a lot of ingredients.
22:08Garlic, galangal, shallots, lime leaf, cilantro.
22:11And roasted chilies.
22:18I mean, I just don't know if I've ever had
22:20Parmesan and curry together.
22:22I think Avachar is taking some risks here.
22:24These flavors are pretty big,
22:25and if he goes too big and too bold with the spice,
22:28you could really lose the integrity
22:29of the Parmesan Reggiano.
22:32She's making a potato risotto, no rice.
22:35It's actually smart because of the starch in that potato.
22:37It'll act like rice if she cooks it all the way down.
22:39But she does need to start cooking it.
22:41It's 26 minutes to go.
22:42Aisha, how long is that risotto going to take to cook?
22:44I'm getting it on right now, chef.
22:46The thing about the potato risotto
22:47is that you have to cook it in time so it doesn't sit,
22:50but it really is cutting it tight.
22:52Okay, freak.
22:53I know that this is going to take about 20 minutes to cook.
22:55I throw in the potatoes and I add the chicken stock.
22:58I'm a little freaked out
22:59because she has got so many things working
23:01and she's got to pull them all together
23:02and she's running out of time.
23:03You don't think it's going to be cooked?
23:05I think she's just at risk for, like,
23:07not bringing the seasoning and the creaminess
23:09and the texture of the risotto itself
23:11to, like, the last minute.
23:12Pot working.
23:13I'm just working.
23:14Who the is this up?
23:15Aisha looks a little flustered right now.
23:17I mean, Aisha is a titan for a reason.
23:19Bobby selected her.
23:20These are the moments to prove she's here to play,
23:22she's here to stay,
23:24and this round, there's a lot on the line.
23:26Come on, Aisha.
23:27Come on, Aisha.
23:28Come on, Aisha.
23:29How you looking at a bean?
23:32See, I'm up right now looking bean.
23:34The consistency of this risotto,
23:35I want the potatoes to kind of still maintain their shape,
23:38but I want it to be creamy.
23:39Come on, a bean!
23:40Doot, doot, doot, doot.
23:41So I taste the potatoes
23:42and they're literally almost done,
23:43but I still have 11 minutes left.
23:45So what I do is I strain the liquid out of the risotto,
23:48which this is an unconventional cooking method, guys.
23:51What is she?
23:52She keeps going back and forth.
23:53I don't like that she's draining the water off
23:54because that's where all the starch is.
23:55Yeah, I know.
23:56I don't like that.
23:57Is she worried that they're overcooking?
23:58So now that the pan is cold,
24:00I can actually stop the cooking process
24:02and I add a little bit of the Parmesan fondue,
24:05and then I reintroduce the liquid.
24:07Oh, she saved it.
24:08She saved it.
24:09I thought you were about to throw that love out, Aisha.
24:13Michael, give me a little credit, man.
24:15Yes, chef.
24:16I might be a new titan, but I'm an old chef.
24:22As my curry is cooking down,
24:23I have to start finalizing my aloe harte.
24:25And the cheese in here.
24:27I'm using dried arbol and Thai chilies to reinforce the spice.
24:30I take my bowl of potatoes,
24:32season it with cheese, onion, and cilantro,
24:34and begin matching them with my hands.
24:35She's gonna be hard-pressed
24:36to find the Parmesan in his food.
24:37Yeah.
24:38Five minutes to go.
24:40Now we fry.
24:41Next is hash brown time.
24:42I drop it in, let it fry.
24:44They're looking pretty good.
24:45God has spoken.
24:46Yes!
24:47Okay, cool.
24:48Four, chef.
24:49Four, four, four.
24:50Michael, I got this one.
24:51Yeah, baby.
24:52So I grab my plates.
24:53I throw down the cigar with my pickled beets, parsley, and dill.
25:00To plate my hash brown dish,
25:01I flood the bottom of the bowl with the penang curry,
25:03put the hash brown on top.
25:04It looks perfect.
25:05Take the remainder of the penang curry,
25:07fold in Parmesan.
25:08Now just garnish.
25:09And I finish with a hit of cilantro.
25:10I mean, his hash browns look crispy.
25:12They look like they can be kind of cool.
25:13Aisha, go back to the risotto, chef.
25:16Okay, hold on.
25:17Where the is the ladle?
25:19I plate my risotto in the bottom of the plate.
25:21You have 50 seconds.
25:2250 seconds.
25:23All right, hold on.
25:24To plate the aloe barba, I pour it into a bowl.
25:27I top it with some more grated Parmesan,
25:29and then I garnish it with some cilantro.
25:30One more chili for cake the way that my dad would like it.
25:3330 seconds.
25:34Okay, all right!
25:36I need my lemon zest.
25:37Here we go.
25:39Oh, man, Aisha.
25:41You guys are killing me.
25:43Ten.
25:44Okay.
25:45Nine.
25:46We pulled on.
25:47There you go, chef.
25:48So we need to hold on.
25:49Five, four, three, two, one.
25:53Good job, chef.
25:54Beautiful.
25:56You're a beast.
25:57Ooh.
25:58You know, am I nervous?
25:59Of course I'm always nervous.
26:00You never know how the judge is going to receive your dish.
26:02You guys are killing me, man.
26:03But both of these dishes represent who I am as a chef.
26:06Oh, how nice.
26:08I got it done this time.
26:09I am happy with the flavors.
26:10I wanted a tour of Thailand and also a tour of Bangladesh.
26:12And I hope that I was able to provide that.
26:14Nice job, chef.
26:20Okay, Leah, welcome back.
26:21The chefs in this round were given Yukon Gold Potatoes and Parmigiana Reggiano.
26:26I mean, that's like a match made in heaven.
26:28I know.
26:29You're too nice, Bobby.
26:30I want them to have so many ideas that, you know, it's about the choices they make.
26:33Yeah.
26:34Let's start with Chef A.
26:35Dish number one is a cacio e patate, lemon basil risotto.
26:40This is not your traditional risotto, but I love that play.
26:43You know, looking at this dish, it seems like it's going to be kind of somewhat simple, right?
26:48And then you get a bite and you get the potato just straight in your face and the parm in your face.
26:53Some bites are a little salty, but then you get a bite of that lemon and it kind of balances everything out.
26:58Let's move on to the second dish.
26:59Okay.
27:00A potato and Parmesan cigar with herb salad and pickled beets.
27:05So what I like that the chef did, they were like, I want to highlight that umami flavor that Parmesan gives you, the creaminess from the potato.
27:13That phyllo dough has just so much texture and it just makes it fun to eat.
27:18But the pickled beets could have been a little bit more pickled.
27:23All right.
27:24Let's move on to Chef B.
27:25Dish number one is Parmesan Penang hash brown.
27:28Ooh.
27:30I love Penang curry.
27:32I think Penang curry and potatoes go really well together.
27:34And that curry is phenomenal.
27:36Am I getting the Parmesan?
27:38Probably not.
27:39Penang curry is very strong and it kind of overpowers everything.
27:43One of the things that I think is really challenging when you're doing curry is to have anything to eat.
27:47Have anything else be the star outside of the curry.
27:50But very smart and very gutsy.
27:53Okay.
27:54Let's move on to the second dish.
27:55A lube bartha with mustard, onion, and Parmigiano.
27:58There's some heat in that like, oh my goodness.
28:01Listen, I love my heat, right?
28:03Right.
28:04But this is a lot of chilis packed in a small little ball of potatoes.
28:07You know, I taste the parm.
28:09Obviously the potato is the star.
28:11It's really challenging to kind of get anything else though.
28:14Because that heat just kind of overpowers like, everything else.
28:18Okay, thank you.
28:19It's nice to hear that the Penang curry passed the master's test.
28:22Unfortunately for the bartha, I am surprised to hear that it is too spicy.
28:26But I guess in a way I'm kind of honored.
28:28The ones that we use in Bangla, that's actually hotter.
28:30Okay, Leah, Chef A, it was Aisha.
28:32Your dishes scored a total of nine points.
28:36Congratulations.
28:40The way that you really honed in on the first dish
28:43and made it all about the potatoes and the parm
28:47was just the skill of like a true chef.
28:49Thank you very much, thank you.
28:50Okay, so that means that Avishar was Chef B.
28:53Your dishes scored a total of five points this round.
28:56Ouch.
28:57So Avishar, the flavor was great for the curry.
29:00I just didn't think that you'd make the potato or the parm the star.
29:03And then the chili was, I'm still coughing with that chili.
29:06Sorry.
29:07All right, Leah, thank you.
29:08We'll see you back for the final round.
29:09Okay, thank you.
29:10Okay, see you soon.
29:11I have a lot of emotions in my mind, just like the bartha.
29:13It's very mixed, but I can't let it shake me too much.
29:15I've got one more round to make up.
29:16Okay, right now Avishar, you have 10 points and the Titans have 17.
29:19Don't lose sight because don't forget in the third round, it's worth 20 points.
29:23Nice cooking with you, Chef.
29:25Thanks so much.
29:26I literally want to do jumping jacks and like jump through the ceiling.
29:29I'm really excited that I was able to do well and leave a cushion for the third round.
29:34Brooke, you're up.
29:35All right.
29:36All right, Brooke.
29:37Go.
29:39This is the final round.
29:40Time to raise the stakes.
29:42This round, Avishar is in charge.
29:43Show us what you got.
29:44For round three, I picked...
29:48Bayson and baby spinach.
29:50Bayson?
29:51Brooke, how do you feel about these ingredients?
29:52I don't know what that is.
29:54I think that this is a good strategy.
29:57He knows exactly what he's going to make.
29:59Can I taste it?
30:00And Brooke is going to have to reach.
30:02Oh.
30:04Is that chickpea flour?
30:05Yes.
30:06Oh.
30:07Bayson is chickpea flour.
30:08I use it a lot in Bengali and Indian cooking.
30:10Trying to see how long I can ride it.
30:13Avishar, why did you choose these ingredients?
30:15I think these are two perfectly blank slates that you get to demonstrate your best with.
30:18I love that.
30:19And you saved Brooke for this round because?
30:21Because based on baby spinach, Brooke.
30:23Based on baby spinach, Brooke.
30:25I like it.
30:26Alliteration.
30:27That's the first time we've ever been given that reason.
30:30Honestly, I have saved Brooke for last because I believe in escalating challenges.
30:34Brooke has the most experience.
30:36They say if you want to be the best, you got to be the best.
30:38I'm going to give you guys 40 minutes to make one dish.
30:41Your time starts right now.
30:42Chickpea flour is exactly what it sounds like.
30:52It's ground up garbanzos.
30:53Yeah.
30:54But the difference, I guess, between that and regular flour, I would compare this more to
30:58like a polenta from chickpeas versus like a whole wheat flour.
31:02Right.
31:03What are you making, chef?
31:04I'm going to make some, uh, spinach curry with chickpea fritters.
31:07Ooh, that sounds good.
31:09So my strategy for this round is really just to highlight the spinach and the bason flour.
31:14And curry flavors, to me, make total sense with the bason flour.
31:18I'm also making this.
31:19You're making curry, too?
31:20Yeah, yeah.
31:21Oh, cool.
31:22Just kidding.
31:23What are you making?
31:24I have no idea what I'm doing.
31:25You know exactly what you're doing.
31:27You've been waiting for this moment all day.
31:29To showcase the baby spinach and the bason, I'm making a spinach chat.
31:32Chat can signify any snack food that contains a lot of flavor and a lot of texture.
31:36On the base, I'm going to have a chickpea and baby spinach fritter.
31:39I'm making a slow-cooked egg, crispy baby spinach, and apple chutney.
31:43Let's be safe today.
31:45Let's put all of our eggs in one basket.
31:47Okay.
31:48To make my apple chutney, I have to compress six hours of flavor into ten minutes.
31:53To do this, I'm making the apple chutney in a pressure cooker with some cinnamon, bay leaf, clove, cardamom.
31:58Apples?
31:59I'm using a high ratio of Granny Smith to Honeycrisp Apples to keep the tartness.
32:03Bea said that she likes acidity, so I'm going to keep it very, very punchy.
32:06More acid.
32:07More acid.
32:08Navishar's down by seven points.
32:10He's going to have to really dig deep to get those points back.
32:12It's not impossible, but it is a big feat.
32:14Now is the time to buckle down.
32:16I'm going to need to show who I really am.
32:18Let's go.
32:19I have to go out with a bang.
32:21Round three is a difficult round.
32:30I'm going up against a dish that Avishar has probably made a hundred times.
32:34That is how he beat Bobby.
32:36Hi, Brooke.
32:37What are you making?
32:38Making green chickpea stuff.
32:40You're making green chickpea stuff?
32:41Do you work with chickpea flour a lot?
32:43Yeah.
32:44We do chickpea fries at the restaurant.
32:46You know, Brooke is really known for her California approach to cooking.
32:49You have to cook it out.
32:50You're making, yeah.
32:51You have to, like, kind of turn it into, like, pancake batter.
32:53Yeah.
32:54Everybody always thinks, like, you know, Brooke is going to cook some casual beach cuisine,
32:58but her range is vast.
33:00And then they stay nice and custardy on the inside.
33:02And then I'm going to fry it.
33:03Sometimes she doubts herself, but Brooke always makes whatever she makes delicious.
33:07I have a pot going with the chickpea flour, some pureed spinach, butter, and water.
33:12The challenge with these fries, one, is getting a perfect consistency, and then chilling it for long enough
33:18so that when you fry them, they don't explode.
33:2030 minutes to go.
33:22To make my fritters, I am using chickpea flour based on, and a green spinach puree.
33:27I sift the chickpea flour, and I use boiling water to start off so I can get it cooking.
33:31All right, chef, what are you making?
33:32Like a crispy shot dish.
33:33This is basically a little, like, little fritters, like chickpea and spinach.
33:36I start by blending some spinach, blend it in the blender to make a puree, and add it into the batter.
33:40Oh, he had spinach puree in his as well.
33:42I then cook the batter, lay it out on a half-sheet pan, and get it into the blast chiller so I can get it cool enough to form into the pieces that I want.
33:48They're making the same thing.
33:50I want to make sure that I have enough time to develop flavor here, so then I need to start on my curry.
33:55I get some onion and garlic and ginger into a pot to sweat.
33:59I add a little bit of lime, some honey, some shrimp stock, some yellow curry.
34:05Do you have the madras curry powder?
34:07I do not, chef.
34:08Oh, there it is.
34:09I'm using a bit of madras curry powder.
34:11I'm just, again, trying to develop lots of layers of flavor.
34:14Smells great over there.
34:17I'm gonna reduce all of that and then finish it with some coconut milk.
34:21That's not good.
34:22Seventeen and a half minutes.
34:24Perfect.
34:25Batter next.
34:26Next, I make a base on batter for two applications.
34:30One for my baby spinach and two to add some crunches to the dish.
34:33I mix together chickpea flour and water.
34:35Let's go.
34:36I also add cashmere chili powder, turmeric, and a little bit of chamasole.
34:39Avishar, what's that in the blender?
34:40A base on batter, chef.
34:42I pour some into the deep fryer to make some crunches.
34:45We like texture here.
34:46Oh, I see what he's doing.
34:48Pull it up and then start to coat my spinach with it.
34:50He's making, like, little fried chickpea fritters that he just did.
34:53Yeah, that's...
34:54Like, spetzli.
34:55That's sick, actually.
34:56You know.
34:57Michael!
34:58I mean, that's terrible.
34:59That's interesting.
35:01I'm stealing that.
35:02Yeah, it's just my mom's recipe, actually.
35:04My mom is an excellent cook.
35:06She learned from her mom and her mom learned from her mom.
35:08So it's cool to share the dishes that my mom taught me as a child.
35:11I came to work and learned something today.
35:15Chickpeas feel like an obvious garnish to me and a great way to reinforce the fact that I'm using a chickpea flour.
35:21So I decided to make fried chickpeas.
35:24The one thing that this dish really kind of is lacking in is some pops of acid.
35:29So I'm gonna pickle some shallots and then add some pomegranate seeds and make a little relish with that.
35:33Watch your chickpeas.
35:34Watch your soup.
35:36I get some beets juiced.
35:39I'm gonna turn these shallots nice and bright red to contrast the green of the plate.
35:45So I add some rice vinegar and some salt, put the shallots in, get that in the vacuum sealer.
35:49Those pickles will be done in a minute.
35:51Five.
35:52Five.
35:53Avishar, you gotta move it.
35:55Time to finish the dish.
35:57I run over to the blast chiller.
35:58I need one of these for my house.
35:59Come on, Avishar.
36:00I mean, I'm not rooting for you, but finish strong, brother.
36:03I take out my chickpea fritters and fry them in a high fryer.
36:07I check my fry batter.
36:10It is setting up nicely.
36:11That looks perfect.
36:12Beautiful.
36:13I drop my fries in the fryer.
36:15My fried chickpeas at this point are done.
36:17My curry sauce goes into the blender to get it nice and smooth.
36:21I put a giant handful of fresh spinach into the sauce just to wilt.
36:26Then I'm ready to plate.
36:27Two minutes.
36:28I pulled the chickpea fries out of the fryer.
36:31They're looking good.
36:32Just a sprinkle of salt and they're ready to go.
36:34So to plate, I take a few giant spoonfuls of that spinach curry, put it in the base of the bowl.
36:39In the middle, I place down the base on fries and then top that with my pomegranate relish and then my fried chickpeas.
36:46Ooh-wee.
36:4752 seconds.
36:49Get your plate.
36:50Even though I'm looking at the clock and seeing the nervous looks from the titan's faces.
36:53This guy's getting me anxiety.
36:55I know I got this.
36:56Now for the grand finale.
36:57To plate my dish, I begin with my chickpea fritters.
37:00Top that with my carefully cooked egg.
37:02Top that with my fried spinach.
37:04He's doing so much right now, but I'm afraid he's going to run out of time.
37:08Come on, chef.
37:09Make it happen.
37:10That looks great.
37:11I've blown fat pulled chutney.
37:12It's important for me to use a squeeze bottle so I can get every bite.
37:14Five.
37:15Four.
37:16Three.
37:17Two.
37:18One.
37:19That's it.
37:20Way to go.
37:22That was nuts.
37:23That was crazy.
37:24You know, normally I have a vision in my head of how I want a dish to come out.
37:27Today just kind of unfolded.
37:31It tastes good.
37:32I just made a bowl of stuff.
37:33Abishar, I think, just made a bowl of stuff.
37:35It's going to be stuff against stuff tonight.
37:37My hands are dirty as well.
37:38Yeah, so we're right.
37:39Sorry.
37:40I look over at Brooke's table and to no surprise, there's spinach 18 to 25 different ways.
37:44It has me a little worried.
37:45It's going to be a tough final call, but I'm proud of what I put up.
37:48Tell your mother I'm stealing this idea.
37:49Okay.
37:50I'll send you the recipe.
37:51Okay.
37:52Let's go.
37:55Welcome back, Leah.
37:57So this round is worth double the points.
37:58The two ingredients for this round, bay son and baby spinach.
38:02Ooh.
38:03Okay.
38:04I don't love spinach.
38:05Yeah.
38:06If I'm being honest.
38:07Right.
38:08I only eat it because people tell you it's healthy.
38:09Right.
38:10But like, it's kind of like very neutral in flavor.
38:11Yeah.
38:12Let's start with Chef A.
38:13Crispy spinach chaat with slow poached egg, spinach and chickpea fritters, and apple chutney.
38:18There is a lot going on.
38:20And like, not in a bad way.
38:22The texture in this dish is insane.
38:24You could think that it might be like overwhelming and too much, but it's not.
38:28The texture of the spinach is fantastic.
38:31It's so light.
38:32It's airy.
38:33Shows tons of technique.
38:34And then you get that like really rich creaminess from the egg.
38:38It's fun.
38:39It's adventurous.
38:40And I don't necessarily think spinach is as boring as I used to think after this dish.
38:44Exactly.
38:45Leah did have a lot of good feedback about my dish.
38:47However, seven points is no joke.
38:49I have a huge deficit to overcome, but everybody likes a good comeback story.
38:56Let's move on to Chef B.
38:59Spinach curry with Besson fries, pickled shallots, and a pomegranate relish.
39:04I mean, the red in here is popping.
39:06I mean, it's great.
39:07I also love the fact that the chef reincorporated the fact that we're using chickpea flour and
39:11put some crispy chickpeas on top to give it some texture, which it really does need because,
39:16you know, the fries can be, it can kind of be a little bit mushy.
39:19Like, yeah, it's nice on the outside and crispy, but then it's like smooth and creamy, but also can get just like a little flat.
39:25Yeah.
39:26I love how the chef really, like, leaned into the spinach.
39:28Using the spinach not only in the Besson fries, but, like, also sauteed spinach in the curry.
39:33This chef really wanted to highlight chickpeas, chickpea flour, and spinach, and I think the chef was extremely successful with that.
39:42Okay, Leah, moment of truth. Please rate these chefs 1 through 20.
39:47Okay.
39:48The feedback that Avishar just got was really impressive.
39:52She, like, literally feels like she rediscovered spinach, and he brought that to her.
39:57So, I don't know. I think this is going to be a close one.
39:59Chef A was Avishar, which means Chef B was our titan, Brooke.
40:05Avishar, I really enjoyed that dish.
40:08There was something just playful, which makes you want to go back and eat more of it.
40:13Brooke, there's a reason why so many people in this industry are scared to go up against you.
40:17And I think, you know, it was very well proven from that dish.
40:22So, right now, Avishar, you have 10 points, and the titans have 17.
40:25So, it is a seven-point deficit.
40:27Avishar, I gave your dish...
40:3317 points.
40:35More than five.
40:36Yeah.
40:37Seeing that Lee is a tough critic, 17 is amazing.
40:40I don't know if it's enough to win, but it sounds like I'm still in this.
40:44Okay, Avishar, that brings you a total to 27 points. Well done.
40:47Brooke, I gave your dish...
40:5217 points.
40:55I'm really happy that everything that I've put on this plate has been well-received.
40:58Avishar worked really hard.
41:00He deserves the 17 that he got.
41:03Nice.
41:04Excellent.
41:05Obviously, I'm very happy with a tie right now.
41:07So, Avishar, I'm sorry the titans blocked you from the $25,000, but I will say it was so fun to watch you cook tonight.
41:12You brought some techniques that we were all, like, sort of mesmerized by.
41:16And that crispy spinach, tell your mom, I'm stealing that.
41:20I will let her know.
41:21I lost the competition overall, but I got to cook with the greats.
41:24It makes me feel pretty good to be in the same room as them.
41:27But I can still say that I beat Bob, enough so that he wanted to see me get beat by the titans.
41:32Good job, guys.
41:34It was a group effort if I've ever seen one.
41:36I mean...
41:37We're the titans.
41:38I mean, this is...
41:39You can teach these old dogs new tricks, but you ain't taking that money.
41:44Let's have a drink.
41:45Did you just call us old dogs?
41:47Just me.
41:48Just me.
41:49I'm okay with that.
41:50Even though you're a month older than me.
41:51All right.
41:52Congratulations.
41:53This is your best season yet.
41:54Thank goodness for Aisha.
41:55Cheers to us.
41:56Way to go.
41:57Cheers.
41:58Cheers.
41:59Cheers.
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