Vying for one of three remaining spots in the Chopped Champions $50,000 grand finale, four returning chefs open the first basket to find a seafood delicacy and a traditional holiday food/gift. In the second round, a slip of the knife threatens to slow one champion down, as the chefs put together entrees using peanut butter and jelly ... and squab. Then, with just two chefs left fighting in the dessert round, patience might be the most important ingredient, as one competitor seems overly eager to take his baked concoction out of the oven.
Guy Fieri and his chef friends make their lazy-day favorites. Eric Greenspan goes all in with his Chicken Schnitzel with Black Olive Brown Butter Sauce and all out with a Banana White Chocolate and Pretzel Skillet Cookie. Antonia Lofaso makes a rich Seafood Fra Diavolo and pairs it perfectly with Charred Rapini. Marc Murphy creates an Escarole Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette to go with his Baked Four-Cheese Spaghetti. Crista Luedtke goes gluten-free with her garbanzo bean-based Socca and shares one of her restaurant classics, Boon Brussels Sprouts.
Kardea Brown kicks off summer by inviting her best girls for an afternoon on the beach to enjoy the gorgeous weather and even better food! She is throwing together a Seafood Clambake over a firepit and whipping up a Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce for dipping. Next on the menu, Kardea puts together her Cucumber Crab Boats for crunch and brightness, plus a refreshing and fruity cocktail fittingly called Yolanda's Drink, inspired by her bestie. And Kardea can't get her girls together without a dessert, so she's baked a velvety Mango Chiffon Pie.
In this preliminary battle of an elite five-part tournament, Northern chefs, from Detroit to Minnesota, face off to see who will rep their region in the $50,000 finale. In the appetizer round, the chefs must combine a sweet baked good with a strange paste. A certain style of pizza and a signature spud sound right up this group's alley, but the entrée basket is not easy, even for these seasoned pros. Cherries and chips are cheery inclusions in the dessert basket, but the final two contenders are all business rushing to do their best with their final plates.