In this second part of the five-part tournament, Nino, Alyssa, Peter and Salma are competing for a chance to earn the second spot in the finale. In the appetizer round they face cooking with wild langoustines, Asian long beans, yuzu juice and Japanese sweet potatoes.
Plating to Earn His Keep
"I know these langoustines," says Peter, knowing exactly how to clean and prep them. His plan includes sauteing the shellfish and cooking the beans in yuzu juice. "This is my first impression for the judges," says Peter, determined to do his best.
The Homegrown Expert
"I've basically been eating langoustine [since] before I was born," says Nino. Following what he learned from his grandma in Sicily "to not overcook it," he's planning on a tartare, just barely cooking the shellfish in a yuzu fume. "He knows seafood very, very well," says Scott, observing Nino's expert handling.
Persevering up to the Minute
"I've never even seen them in my life before, but I'm not really afraid," says Salma of the langoustines. She's cooking the shellfish in yuzu juice and turning the potatoes into fries, for a take on fish and chips. But two cuts have cost her precious time, and she's plating down to the minute.
The New Chicken of the Sea
"This is gross. I don't even eat seafood," says Alyssa, who keeps squealing as she peels the langoustines. "Meat is meat," she says, deciding to treat it like chicken and serve it with potato salad, but she can't find mayonnaise, which judge Amanda Freitag calls her out on.
Shellfish Issues
"The spices are raw," Maneet Chauhan points out to Salma, who ran out of time to cook them through. Scott Conant finds the langoustine overcooked on both Peter's and Alyssa's dishes. And Amanda finds not enough yuzu on Nino's plate, but too much in Peter's dish. In the end, Alyssa is chopped.
Farm-Fresh Forward
"I look over at Nino, and he's butchering this thing," says Peter of the lamb shoulder in the entree basket. "I was basically born on a farm," says Nino, familiar with the protein. He's turning the coconut milk and dates from the basket into a sauce, and he's sauteing the bok choy, the last basket ingredient.
Knowledge vs. Experience
"I need to do so much better," says Salma, making a kofta recipe she's familiar with. It's the first time she's used a grinder. Scott warns her to be careful, but as soon as he says it, she cuts herself while trimming the bok choy — and again while pitting the dates.
"I've just got to figure something out," says Peter, taking scraps from the lamb shoulder to make a vegetable-focused stir-fry with the bok choy. He decides to chop the dates to add to his wine sauce, but he says "there's way too many dates" as time is called.
Overpowering Additions
"It's definitely delicious," Maneet comments on Peter's dish. But the dates are "too much," Scott says. "It's a very good kofta," Scott tells Salma, but adds that her tahini sauce is unsuccessful. Amanda finds Nino's sauce overpowered by the addition of blue cheese and olives, and for that reason he's chopped.
Cooking Off the Cuff
"I really don't have anything planned," says Salma, deciding to use just the ice cream portion of the ice cream sandwiches from the basket. She caramelizes the marshmallows, another basket ingredient, to create a sauce. "I'm not even sure how to use this thing," she says, using the antigriddle with little success.
Little Man with a Plan
Peter knows exactly what he's making: crepes using the powdered peanut butter from the basket. And to complement the curry powder in the basket, he utilizes green apples for a filling. "These have to work," he says of the crepes, which stick to the pan. "It's just a very eggy batter," Maneet says of the crepes.
Dessert Downfall
"Salma's running to the freezer with 1:15 left," yells Amanda. "Her ice cream's completely melted," Maneet points out as Salma returns from the pantry to plate. "It didn't really work out for me, as you can see," Salma admits to the judges. "It did not make up a dessert," Amanda tells Salma after she is chopped.
The Part 2 Winner
"You are the Chopped Champion," Ted tells Peter, who'll be back to compete again in the finale for a chance to win $25,000. "Of course you've got to do that against three other competitors," Ted reminds him. "Yeah, but I can beat them," Peter says.
More Teen Tournament
Visit the Teen Tournament page to find out more on the competition, browse photo galleries and watch video highlights. Plus, hear from the teen winners.
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