See highlights from the fourth part in the $75,000 charity tournament to see how chefs Lee Anne Wong, Fabio Viviani, Jet Tila and Rocco DiSpirito dealt with the mystery baskets.
"Cleaning scallops was not on my agenda today," says Fabio of the basket ingredient, which he decides to pan-roast. "It looks like a bagel and a blueberry doughnut had a weird baby," he says of the taro buns, another ingredient he's leery of. His appetizer must also include tahini paste and seasoned eggs in soy sauce.
Burning the Butter at Both Ends
"I don't use butter in real life," says Rocco as he puts an entire stick of it into a saute pan to melt for toasting up taro-bun croutons for his scallop dish. "They told me, 'Do not cook healthy if you want a chance of winning,'" he tells the judges. However, he burns the first batch and has to take an extra bun from Jet.
Presentation in the Raw
"I think presentation is so important," says Lee Anne, who is plating at the last minute, adding cucumber ribbons to her scallop crudo with taro yogurt puree. "I go for the yolk right away," she says, when using the seasoned eggs with the taro bun to create a crumble component for the dish.
Judging vs. Competing
"I have to go to a place I'm very comfortable with," says Jet, competing for the first time on Chopped. He makes a Thai larb salad, incorporating some of the taro buns into a dressing, and frying the rest. "I'm going to have to actually cook my butt off," he says, nothing that he's more comfortable judging on Cutthroat Kitchen than competing here.
Culture Club
"This is like a joke, right? 'Two Asians and two Italians walk into Chopped,'" says Jet, poking fun at the four of them. "I think this tahini-sesame seed mixture is grainy," Aarón says of Lee Anne's dish. Worried about his comment, she thinks it could "make or break" her dish, and in the end it does, leading to her being chopped.
Kitchen Copycats
"It's like a chewy piece of leather," says Fabio, pounding the beef shoulder basket ingredient to make braciole for his entree. "Oh my God, we're both making the same thing," says Rocco, abandoning his idea for meatballs after struggling with the grinder. The two also turn the basket's coffee pods into a sauce.
The Beat of His Own Drum
"I feel really great," says Jet, seeing what his two competitors are up to. "I think these two dudes will take each other out." He decides on making a donburi, inspired by the other basket ingredients of chickpea curry and finger limes. He grabs a meat grinder and has no issue in getting the beef through, unlike Rocco.
Size Matters, Too
"I will never compromise quality for presentation," says Fabio, plating his chickpea and finger lime puree, topped with braciole and coffee-cream sauce. Seeing the others' plates, he worries, "Mine may be a tad too simple." "You fell down a little bit when it came to the portion size," Aarón tells him after he is chopped.
When Plans Just Don't Pan Out
"My plan is to make ice cream sandwiches," Jet says, scooping out his Philadelphia-style ice cream, which includes the fish-shaped pretzels from the basket. However, he has to go to Plan B after his cookies are an "epic fail." He ends up serving an ice cream sundae with a fruit compote he made using the dried plums.
"It turns out the ingredients in the mystery basket are perfect for making cake," says Rocco, who's using the pistachio cream and dried plums from the basket in his cake batter. "I'm making a hard caramel brittle," he says, reaching across his station to add the carbonated crystals, another basket ingredient.
A Tale of Two Textures
Finding Jet's ice cream fun, Amanda's only complaint is that "it's not velvety in texture." Scott is impressed that Rocco "baked a cake in five minutes in the microwave," but says that it's dry. The judges decide Jet's three courses better represented the basket ingredients. "I am in shock and disbelief," says Jet in amazement.
More Chopped All-Stars
Go behind the scenes of the tournament: Browse photo galleries, watch video highlights and read exclusive interviews from the winning chefs.
