Chef Jan Birnbaum and Michael go head to head to create their versions of this spicy classic; then the neighbors get to judge who does it best. It's a hot pot party complete with the fixins!
Gameplan
Morning of Chili Challenge Cook off:
Chop, season and brown meat and vegetables for Chiarello Chicken And White Bean Chili With Veggies.
Add vegetables, thin out with wine, broth and paste, simmer for one hour.
Pit, peel, and grill avocadoes on open flame for Green Goddess Dressing.
Mix, puree and refrigerate Green Goddess Dressing.
Mix, puree and refrigerate Bloody Bull mix.
Add final red peppers, white beans and other vegetables to Chiarello Chicken And White Bean Chili with Veggies, simmer for another few minutes and refrigerate until serving.
2 Hours before Chili Challenge Cook off:
Brown meats, sauté with vegetables, chilies, spices and flour, thin out with broth, beer, and ground tortilla mixture and allow to simmer for one hour for Green Duck Chili.
Assemble and serve Bloody Bull cocktails.
Cut iceberg wedges, top with Green Goddess Dressing, and serve.
Garnish and serve chilies side by side, or separately.
Beverages: Bloody Bull Cocktails, Beer
From his home base in Scottsdale, Ariz., world-class restaurateur Scott Conant challenges three chef teams from across America to compete in the most real-world culinary battle ever devised -- all from their own restaurant kitchens. In two rounds, Scott throws down challenges that speak to everyday issues that chefs and restaurants face. Using their own ingredients and equipment, the chefs must complete these challenges and impress the respected restaurateur -- Maneet Chauhan, Chris Cosentino and Tiffani Faison -- waiting in their dining rooms. In the end, one restaurant team will win city pride and $15,000 for restaurant improvements.
Gooey butter cake started out as a baker's mistake, but turned into a St. Louis specialty adored by one and all. Iron Chef Michael Symon heads to the Gateway City to get his fingers sticky and settle a feud between Park Ave. Coffee and Gooey Louie's, two places that use old family recipes to make that famous confection. Helping Michael along the way are pastry instructors from the L'Ecole Culinaire school, Missouri natives and lovers of all things goo. In Cincinnati, the ice cream may be cold, but this rivalry is steaming hot! Graeter's and Aglamesis have been churning out chocolate chip ice cream the old-fashioned way for over 100 years, and the good people of Ohio are divided. Take a step back in time as Michael Symon learns the techniques that give each hand dipped scoop that unmistakable flavor and he crowns a champion of the chip!
Everyone has their weak moments. Chef George Stella reveals low carb secrets to satisfy the most urgent of cravings. His low carb vegetable and "mega-meat" pizzas made with a soy flour crust, "mock" fettuccini primavera using spaghetti squash, fresh fruit margaritas with blueberries, cantaloupe and strawberries, and the biggest one of all, cannoli parfaits with chocolate chip covered ricotta and whipped cream will get you through those tough times.
Top 5 Tips
1. Pre-made spaghetti and pizza sauces are discouraged due to their high sugar content, but tomato paste or sauce in a can without added sugar is allowed. Just remember to always read the labels!
2. Once the spaghetti squash starts to resemble strings, it is ready. Take out immediately and put in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. If not, you'll end up with squash squash, not spaghetti squash.
3. The spaghetti primavera has 8 net carbs per serving, but don't worry about the carbs. Spaghetti squash is full of fiber and everyone needs that!
4. Each cannoli serving is 7 net carbs, but you can always trim your carb count by dividing into six servings and then you'll have 5 net carbs per serving.
5. Fresh fruit is allowed on a low carb diet as long as you pick the right fruit. Honeydw, cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries are all great choices.
No room for a party? No problem! Invite your friends for a giant cookout at your local state park. This party is as easy as it is fun as Michael gives tips for simple cooking in an outdoor fire. Because you eat it all with your hands, you won't even have to wash dishes!
Gameplan
Day Before Party:
Make and refrigerate caponata
Puree Basil Chive butter, refrigerate
Soak and wrap radicchio leaves
2 Hours Before Party:
Clean and cut crabs for cooking
Pack cooler for campground
At the Party:
Fill radicchio lettuce cups and serve
Shuck corn
Heat Olive Oil for crab
Roast corn, coat with butter, serve
Finish cooking crab
Clean up campsite
Roast Marshmallows
Assemble and serve S’mores over fire
Wine Recommendation
Garguilo Vineyard Pinot Grigio; Gargiulo Vineyard Cabernet
Play cupid by asking all of your single friends over for a cocktail party. Our food is delicious and easy to make, plus simple to manage as you meet and greet. And there’s always something to talk about at our special ice cream mix in station.
Gameplan
Day Before Party:
Place tray filled with water in the freezer for Ice Cream Mix In Station
Prepare tomatoes, peppers, mix with seasonings and place in the oven to broil for Roasted Tomato and Pepper Sauce
Mash together and refrigerate Mint Salt for Lamb Lollipops
Pull tomatoes and peppers out of the oven, and puree for Roasted Tomato and Pepper Sauce
Precook pastina for Pastina Risotto with Roasted Tomato and Pepper Sauce
Saute and crisp prosciutto for Crostini of Prosciutto to accompany Melon Soup
Peel, puree and strain Melon Soup, place in pitcher and refrigerate
Strain pastina, cover with olive oil and refrigerate for Pastina Risotto with Roasted Tomato and Pepper Sauce
1 Hour Before Party:
Season with mint salt, and brown frenched lamb in sauté pan for Lamb Lollipops with Mint Salt
Begin to slice day old bread for Parmesan Crostini
Remove lamb from stove top, place in oven for Lamb Lollipops with Mint Salt
Top and coat Parmesan Crostini and place in oven to brown
Add merlot to browned lamb rack sauté pan to create a glaze to top Lamb Lollipops with Mint Salt
Finish pastina, combine with spinach and prepared sauce
Carve lamb racks, top with glaze
At Party:
Pour Napastyle Sunset Cocktails
Pour Melon Soups, top with Prosciutto Crostini
Place Pastina Risotto with Roasted Tomato and Pepper Sauce in spoons for serving
Eat and Enjoy.
At Party:
Prepare ice cream mix in ingredients, crushed candy, chocolate sauce etc
Place frozen tray on counter, cover with another, inverted tray. Cover both trays with plastic wrap
Slice up vanilla ice cream with spatula, and use toppings to mix in
Eat and Enjoy.
This battle pits two couples with failed business experience against each other for a second stab at a venture together. Washington D.C.'s Chris Alvear and Francisco Pliego have had a rollercoaster relationship in both love in business, and though neither endeavor worked out, they remain ambitious friends with plans to open a Latino-Fusion restaurant. Sara and Mitchell Matzek are a husband-and-wife team from Harpers Ferry, W. Va., whose roadside Texas BBQ stand was hit by a car and destroyed. It's a fiery battle of Texas vs. the Ex's-and it all heats up as the clock winds down. Judges include: Alison Brod, Drew Nieporent, and Geoffrey Zakarian.
Chefs Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino visit Las Vegas and go head-to-head with two of the city’s top chefs: Stephen Hopcraft and Santanna Salas of MGM’s Seablue restaurant. After making a pit stop at the country’s coldest bar, the teams gorge on an all-you-can-eat buffet and navigate the MGM room service kitchen in a non-stop fight to win. The teams discover unusual food spots that even shock Sin City locals.