Adam Gertler rises to the top of the dessert menu with ultra-rich, creamy creations. In Waterbury, VT, get the scoop on how Ben & Jerry's is mixing its most outrageous ice cream yet. Taste the new flavor of New Orleans' French Quarter, where Aunt Sally's Pralines puts a dash of Tabasco sauce in its famous Creamy Pralines. Then in Chicago, discover the latest luscious recipe at The Eli's Cheesecake Company: citrus paired with wine in the luxurious Blood Orange Champagne Cheesecake.
Adam Gertler is checking out some of the weirdest, wackiest desserts in the country. Meet a New York City baker who serves her treats, including a sugary twist on nachos made with brownies, cookies and chocolate sauce, from a truck. At a taffy factory in Salt Lake City, Adam finds crazy taffy flavors based on classic cocktails, and a visit to a shop in New Orleans uncovers a place that churning ice cream with bizarre ingredients like beets and corn.
Four fresh-faced junior chefs must give it their all to impress the judges, model Jourdan Dunn and chefs Carla Hall and Chris Santos. In round one, the competitors must confront a soft drink with a wacky flavor, and some grapes in a funny shape and a crunchy healthy snack are required elements in the young chefs' goat entrees. Then, there's big drama in the dessert round as one competitor attempts a last-ditch dash to the ice cream machine.
The chefs learn that instead of the usual appetizer, entree and dessert baskets, their Thanksgiving-themed rounds will be sides, turkey and pie -- all Turkey Day essentials! In round one, the competitors hustle to make magnificent side dishes using a strange ice cream and soup made from judge Martha Stewart's recipe. The remaining three chefs must attempt to put a creative spin on their turkey plates. Finally, the promise of pies and tawny port makes for a festive pie round.
Two of the competitors in this Grill Masters fight are engaged to be married -- can they both make it to the final round? In the first round, a succulent seafood and an odd ice cream are two of the surprises in the mystery basket. Then in the second round of live-fire cooking, the chefs are shocked to find a live ingredient. And when a delicate ingredient flames up on the grill in the final round, can it be salvaged?
All four chefs in this special Thanksgiving competition dedicate their time and talents to soup kitchens. In the first round, the chefs each come up with distinctive appetizer concepts in response to the typical Thanksgiving leftovers found in the baskets. Then in the entree round, the remaining chefs are surprised to see a theme emerging with the baskets. And an ice cream cake and a starchy candy are two of the perplexing items to be dealt with in the final round.
The pastry experts battling it out in the Chopped Kitchen are excited to learn that they'll be making candy, cake and ice cream in this all-desserts challenge. They face three rounds of chocolate, but an unwelcome, squirmy invader in the first basket threatens to dampen their enthusiasm. Round two has the chefs making ambitious baking plans that must include hummus, and some savory finds in the final basket challenge the remaining competitors to strike a flavor balance or risk being chopped.
Six ice cream masters arrive at Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, Vermont, with the goal of having their own flavor featured in a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop. They begin at the end, as host Molly Yeh tasks them with resurrecting flavors from the infamous Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard. Actor and musician Kevin Bacon challenges the competitors to make a flavor in his name that incorporates up to six different ingredients, and judges Jet and Ali Tila decide which maker's flavor gets buried.
Alex tackles the great American pastime - making a serious sandwich. Ingredients are key for this turkey sandwich. It calls for roasted turkey breast, bacon, creamy dressing, and crisp iceberg lettuce. French fries get all the fame, but Alex thinks onion rings are really the overlooked side-kick to a sandwich. These beer battered onion rings come out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. She finishes off the meal with another sandwich - an almond cookie ice cream sandwich!