Bet big, win big! Doubling down on culinary gambling thrills, Chopped hosts a second Casino Royale tournament with even more ways for the chefs to take their fate into their own hands. The competitors don't have to keep the basket they've been dealt, and they can take a risk on an unknown replacement ingredient. In this preliminary battle, the chefs open their first baskets to find some cookies that look good, but not as part of an appetizer. In the entrée basket, it seems like a no-brainer to ditch a particularly strange ingredient, so everyone is shocked when one chef stubbornly decides to keep it. In the dessert round, a wild turn of events leaves one competitor with an ingredient that nobody saw coming.
Ree Drummond is sharing a seasonal spread of her favorite Christmas dishes. She starts with Mexican Wedding Cookies and Holiday Bacon Appetizers, delicious vintage treats passed down by her family. Then, it's on to festive finger food with Grilled Chicken Skewers, fabulous Fig and Blue Cheese Bruschetta, and no-cook Cheesy Mini Peppers. For last-minute eats, there's a fun Christmas Tree Pizza and 10-minute Chicken Curry in a Hurry. She unwraps a stunning side with Yorkshire Pudding and tells the secret of her showstopper Prime Rib with Rosemary Salt Crust. Next, Ree beings her potluck A-game with Cheery Cheesecake Santa Hats, cute Holiday Haystacks, Shortcut Peppermint Bark and charming Christmas Tree Tarts. Plus, there's a sneak peak of Ree's holiday movie, Candy Coated Christmas.
In New York City, Junior's is a name synonymous with cheesecake. This famed Brooklyn restaurant, opened by Harry Rosen in 1950, is now in the hands of his grandson, Alan. Alan has stuck to his grandfather's original recipe while expanding the cheesecake menu with creative combinations and modern flavors. Alan thinks that his cheesecake chops have landed him on the Food Network, and he's really excited to show off his creativity and his new Junior's location in the heart of Times Square. Of course, he has no clue that Bobby Flay will be part of the festivities. Will Bobby be able to turn the tide on 57 years of cheesecake dominance, or will Alan show why he's the big cheese? It's a big-time bake-off with a sweet finish, on this Cheesecake Throwdown.
Rematch on! With pride at stake and determination in their eyes, four previously defeated competitors return to the Chopped kitchen to prove that they are not second-best, after all. As they set out to redeem themselves, the chefs are challenged by a tough cut of meat and a pungent English condiment in the appetizer basket. And the twenty-minute time limit coupled with some very eager chefs leads to a rowdy round. Then as they hustle to assemble the entrees, the chefs have to fight harder than ever to stay in the competition, but with cookies and fish in the basket, impressing the judges is no sure thing. And in the quest to finally become a Chopped Champion, blueberry jellybeans stand in the way of two very determined previous losers.
Restaurant fads come and go, but authentic and time-honored steakhouse classics are never out of style. Guy Fieri invites his chef friends to the ranch for an evening of entertaining and steakhouse favorites. Meat master Marc Murphy elevates a Grilled Skirt Steak with a Charred Pepper Salsa and reinvents a classic with his Grilled Escarole Caesar Salad. Michael Voltaggio updates beef with broccoli with his Dry-Aged Rib-Eye with Broccoli Chimichurri and Soy Mustard, served alongside Hibiscus Whiskey Sours. Eric Greenspan makes a Not-Classic Wedge Salad with Pickled Peppers, Olive Relish and Blue Cheese, paired with a succulent Butter-Basted Rib-Eye with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Horseradish. And finally, Alex Guarnaschelli bucks convention with delectable Charred Double Cut Pork Chops with Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce and a decadent No-Bake Cheesecake for dessert.
In this episode, it's all about chocolate---rich, delicious, sensuous Semi-Homemade chocolate desserts! First, Sandra shows us how to prepare Chocolate Truffles. Next, Sandra bakes up a Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake. Then, we see how Sandra makes Butterscotch Bon-Bons
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To make beautiful chocolate displays, first run over to the craft store and purchase some topiaries, all different sizes, and some boxed chocolates. Pierce the individual chocolates with a tooth pick and tack them on the topiaries. Then when you're done, decorate it with a little silk ribbon. They're beautiful and delicious!
If you want to embellish some store-bought caramel apples, all you need to do is baste them with corn syrup, roll them in chopped nuts, and that's it! They take no time and save you lots of money!
Halloween is Sandra’s favorite time of the year! This year Sandra is getting decked out as four different divas: Cher, Madonna, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli. First up on the Halloween menu, a great start to an autumn day: Spooky Puffed Pastry with sauteed apples topped with whipped cream. She’s bringing out the blowtorch for her toasty Ghoulish Cream Pie. Next, an embellishment to the classic cupcake to create Bloodshot Peanut Butter Eyeballs that are so much fun to make. Then it’s a no-bake Creepy Cookie Cake that’s so simple to make but looks like it’s gourmet. And it’s just as much fun with cocktail time: Sandra mixes up a Black Widow Martini that tastes like black licorice. For the second cocktail, it’s a red and spooky Vampire Kiss Martini.