When it comes to classic comfort food, no dish is more iconic than meatloaf. Fourth generation restaurateurs Jack and Rocco Collucci have been honing their comfort food skills at their Collucci Brother's Diner in Hyannis, Mass. They think the Food Network has tapped them and their renowned meatloaf to be featured in a special on American diners, and they’re getting ready to celebrate by throwing their culinary mentor, their father, a big birthday bash. But the real surprise is that Bobby Flay’s showing up to challenge them to a Meatloaf Throwdown! It's the hometown heroes versus the gourmet Goliath. Which meatloaf recipe will really satisfy?
New York City firefighter Keith Young is not some rookie in the firehouse kitchen. He’s a seasoned veteran with a culinary-school degree and a chicken cacciatore recipe with five-alarm flavor. Now the self-proclaimed "Firehouse Chef" is getting some face time on the Food Network. Of course, he doesn’t know that his star turn at New York’s Fire Museum is really a Throwdown against Bobby Flay. Plus, this challenge has a catch: both Keith and Bobby have to prepare their meals on a firehouse budget. In this Throwdown, cacciatore glory belongs to the man who can shop on the cheap but deliver gourmet.
To build the recruits' understanding of flavor, Chefs Anne and Robert set out three sauces for each team to replicate by taste alone in hopes of winning the honor of "top taste buds". Each chef then incorporates one of the sauces into a seafood dish, and their team members must recreate the recipe for the Skill Drill. After some difficulties, the recruits start in on the Main Dish Challenge where Chefs Anne and Robert demo a multi-component "Frozen Meal Makeover" using fresh and flavorful ingredients for the recruits to replicate. After sampling the results, two more worst cooks must turn in their aprons and leave Boot Camp.
The celebrity recruits enter boot camp to find it transformed into a nautical oasis equipped with fish tanks and a live mermaid! For their skill drill challenge, the recruits dive into the world of seafood by solving a recipe riddle to make ceviche. For the main dish challenge, chefs Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence show them how to butcher their own fish and make the classic fish en papillote. The recruits have to replicate their chef's fish but also create their own vegetable side dish. The two recruits that sink to the bottom enter the blind elimination challenge and attempt to cook their way into another week of boot camp.
Chef Cliff Crooks draws on his expertise to help three chefs in need, beginning with Chris at The Striker in Portsmouth, N.H. Chris was hired for his creativity, but he's lost his passion and his food is uninspired. In Albany, N.Y., Kizzy is chef and co-owner of Allie B's Cozy Kitchen, which features her mom's soul food recipes, but she needs to branch out to reinvigorate business. Finally, Chef Cliff meets Nicky, who has been the chef at Bella Napoli in Bloomfield, N.J., for more than 40 years -- and it shows in his terrible plating and the owners' desire for new dishes to bring in more customers.
George Duran says Mangia! in true Ham on the Street fashion with his unique take on that American favorite: Italian food! Your spaghetti will never be overcooked again as George enlists some flame-throwing Little Leaguers to help him debunk the ol' "throw it against the wall" test. Dry meatballs? A thing of the past thanks to George's juicily delicious recipe. And if you've got olive fever, HOTS has got the cure: a fresh olive taste test. Plus, watch passersby play "Fill That Cannoli," then see how George turns spaghetti into an hors d'ouevre and converts lasagna to dessert!
The Kitchen helps bring the wow to your holiday celebrations with show-stopping recipes and clever ideas for DIY gift giving. Geoffrey's Crown Roast of Pork With Sausage and Sage Stuffing is the perfect centerpiece dish to impress your guests. There's gift giving tips wrapped up in clever packages and the hosts answer your most pressing holiday cooking questions. Jeff and Marcela team up to cook an elegant dinner featuring Clementine and Cranberry Glazed Cornish Game Hens and we've put a pro to work building a showcase Gingerbread Home -- get her decorating secrets! Finally, GZ warms to the season with his Pumpkin Flip cocktail!
Jeff Mauro shares his family's Sunday Gravy recipe, then learn how to use leftover Italian ingredients in new ways and how to make fun crafts using empty wine bottles. Spice up antipasto with Geoffrey Zakarian's Parmigianino Monkey Bread with Soppressata and Olives and Jeff's Salami Cups with Whipped Honey Ricotta and Fresh Figs. Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli stops by to make Olive Oil Cake, and Geoffrey shows how to make classic Italian Limoncello.
Mentioned in this episode:
Wine Bottle Crafts
The Kitchen's serving up easy breezy recipes including Marcela Valladolid's Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken, chef Stuart O'Keeffe's Package Parceled Cod, and simple two-ingredient desserts. Plus, learn about seasonal greens and dressing pairings, then quick and easy side salads like Katie Lee's Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing and Geoffrey Zakarian's Dandelion Green Salad with Warm Bacon and Shallot Vinaigrette. To top it all off, Geoffrey makes a Rumbarb Cocktail.
Mentioned in this episode:
Get That Garden Growin'
For your first summer barbecue, there's a great new recipe for a killer burger and barbecue ribs. Discover some unique fries with sweet and savory dips. There are timesaving tricks for food prep and actor David Burtka shares the secrets for great homemade ice cream sandwiches. Plus, poolside snacks and a classic Long Island Ice Tea.
Mentioned in this episode:
How to Make Mix and Match Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches