When Terri Wahl was tired of life on the road as the guitarist for the all-girl, punk rock band called The Red Aunts, she turned back to her first love - food. Terri put down her guitar, picked up a whisk, and today is chef and owner of Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock, California. Auntie Em's is famous for its super-sized, super-moist, and super delicious cupcakes. Terri thinks the Food Network is filming her at the hipster club Echo Lounge, as she caters a CD release party with her rockin' Red Velvet Cupcakes. Little does she know that Chef Bobby Flay has been sweetening his own cupcake recipe on the sly. When he rolls up to the Echo, the tune is changed at the sweetest of all Throwdowns - the Cupcake challenge!
The four remaining finalists are told they’ll be doing live demos for a Miami morning television show and must keep their cool when things start to fall apart during the segments.
Then, Bobby Flay, Iron ChefMichael Symon and Red Lobster’s Senior Executive Chef Michael LaDuke surprise the finalists with an Iron Chef-style challenge. With access to a lavish seafood pantry, the finalists must survive a beachside wood-grilling challenge.
After being judged, the finalists undergo the ultimate seafood battle and the winner learns that his or her recipe will be prepared over Red Lobster’s wood grills and served to its guests nationwide. The next finalist is eliminated.
A lack of culinary training didn't stop food and theater writer Ryan McPhee from passing the first 11 of his 15 culinary taste tests, and he's back to finish the job. He's immediately caught in a sticky situation and hopes culinary expert Nilou Motamed can help him identify a mysterious Southern syrup. Then Navy vet and recipe tester Renae Wilson learns that there are no simple questions in this competition, and Kanchan Koya, the "Spice Mama," steps up to the tasting table to impresses host Kal Penn with her food knowledge and her Harvard doctorate in molecular science. But Kanchan's degree can only take her so far as she gets stumped early on and considers using her Flavor Favors, tapping Nilou and Chef Esther Choi to keep her in the game.
Fire up the grill for a delicious Alabama White Sauce Chicken recipe and then see how to doctor up store-bought barbecue sauce. Geoffrey Zakarian shows how to grill a lobster and Katie Lee has a colorful quinoa side salad. Plus, tips to set up the perfect barbecue buffet, grill trends, answers to your most common grill questions, and a Tequila Sunrise.
Mentioned in this episode:
Upgrade Your BBQ Sauce
How to Keep Party Spritzers Cool
Marcela's cooking reels people into her kitchen but today we get to see what she can reel in from the ocean! Marcela and her son Fausto take to the seas of San Diego with her favorite fishmonger to try her luck with a fishing rod. She's going on board with a delicious Crab Avocado Salad to share on the boat as she and the fellas take a break from fishing. Back in her kitchen, Marcela will pan roast halibut in corn husks and make a chipotle cream shrimp that's bound to refuel even the hungriest of sailors. Not only that, Marcela is making fresh and light Lobster Agua Chile, a spiced Ahi Tuna quesadilla and washing it down with a refreshing Honeydew margarita! Get ready to get hooked on these delicious summer seafood recipes!