| Champions' Tournament: Part 2 | |
| Season 9, Episode 2 | |
 | |
| Air date | September 6, 2011 |
| Winner | Danielle Saunders |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous Champions' Tournament: Part 1 |
next Champions' Tournament: Part 3 |
Four returning winners fight for a spot in the $50,000 grand finale competition. In the first round a pre-made breakfast food prevents some of the competitors from being as creative as they should, and presentation flaws plague the champs. The remaining competitors are left trying to figure out what to do with an expensive fish and an unusual snack food in the entrée round. And the two champs who move on to the dessert round have to do their best with a dough that they don't know well.
Contestants[]
- Danielle Saunders, Private Chef, New York, NY, Canned Cheese, Please!
- Michael Vignola, Executive Chef, Michael Jordan's Steak House, New York, NY, Fright Bites
- Alejandra Padilla, Sous chef, La Fonda del Sol, New York, NY, Victory on the Brain
- Shehu Fitzgerald, Chef, Ritz Carlton, New York, NY, The Icing on the Steak
Judges[]
Meal[]
Appetizer[]
Ingredients: Frosted Wheat Cereal, Baby Red Romaine Lettuce, Black Garlic, Quahog Clams
Danielle prepared Sautéed Clams & Italian Sausage w/ Arugula Romaine Salad. The flavor profile of the sausage and the clams works well together. Danielle's dish is very safe, especially against fellow champions.
Michael's appetizer is Coconut Clam Soup with Shaved Romaine. The flavors are extremely complex and work in true harmony. The use of the cereal is a smart use of an awful product. The romaine in the center is limp and wilted.
Alejandra made Black Garlic Marinated Clam Cocktail Salad. Alejandra has a lot of vibrant flavors in her dish, and her use of ice water to make the lettuce crunchy is a smart move. The fault of the dish is the large amount of golden raisins, which takes away from her flavors.
Shehu prepared Wedge Salad with Clams and Black Garlic Aioli. Shehu's flavors are the most "clam-forward", and he is the only chef to cook his lettuce, which is done well. The aioli is very creative. The cereal with the clams are incredibly soggy, and his use of them as croutons is marked as sad.
Ultimately, the judges decide that while the appetizer made by Chef Shehu was good, the usage of the cereal was an obvious flaw, and caused him to relinguish his hopes of being the Grand Champion.
Entrée[]
Ingredients: Tuna Belly, Lemon Curd, Purple Cauliflower, Dried Cuttlefish Snack
Dessert[]
Ingredients: Cacao Beans, Masa Dough, Pisco, Gorgonzola Dolce
Gallery[]
Notes[]
| Chopped Season 9 | |
| << Season 8 • Season 10 >> | |
| #01 Champions' Tournament: Part 1 | #09 Make A Splash! |
| #02 Champions' Tournament: Part 2 | #10 One in a Hundred |
| #03 Champions' Tournament: Part 3 | #11 Blood Orange Sorbet, Sweat, & Tears |
| #04 Champions' Tournament: Part 4 | #12 Give It Your All |
| #05 Champions' Tournament: Grand Finale | #13 Class Acts |
| #06 Time & Space | #14 Yakety Yak, Yak, Yak |
| #07 Everything's Rosy | #15 Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Lobster! |
| #08 Trick or Treat, Chicken Feet! | #16 Duck for Dinner |