| Chopped Champions: Part 3 | |
| Season 14, Episode 4 | |
 | |
| Air date | January 30, 2013 |
| Winner | Jun Tanaka |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous Chopped Champions: Part 2 |
next Chopped Champions: Part 4 |
With just two spots left in the tournament's $50,000 grand finale, four winners return to try to beat the odds and be victorious again. As time runs out in the first round, one chef struggles to get every ingredient onto every plate of his smoked eel appetizer: Will he do it? The champs leap into an entree round, featuring frog legs and gin. Two very different styles are represented in the dessert round, featuring araucana eggs and coconut macaroons, leaving the judges with a complex final decision to work out.
Contestants[]
- Lester Walker, Sous chef, Copia, New York, NY, Chewing the Caul Fat
- Elise Kornack, Chef and Entrepreneur, Aquavit, New York, NY, Chop on Through
- Jun Tanaka, Executive Chef, Pearl Restaurant, London, England, Easy Peasy?
- Corwin Kave, Executive Chef, Fatty Crab / Fatty 'Cue, New York, NY / St. John, VI, Plenty of Fish
Judges[]
Meal[]
Appetizer[]
Ingredients: Smoked Eel, Cream Cheese Spread, Quince Paste, Haricot Verts
Lester did "Bagels & Lox" with Haricot Vert Salad. The judges like his nod to bagels and lox in the dish. The cream cheese and eel work well as a spread, and the slices of green apple on the plate make a great palent cleanser. The spice mixture on the plate is a bit disjointed, and Lester's presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
Elise made Brown Butter Smoked Eel with Haricot Vert & Olive Salad. The presentation is amazing, and Elise nailed enhancing the smoky flavors in her dish, which are well balanced. The only complaint is that Scott had a few bones in his eel.
Jun made Smoked Eel with Quince Apple Purée & Green Bean Salad. The green beans are cooked perfectly, the acidity is great, and the purée goes well with the eel, which is the best of the round. The critique is that the plate is a bit messy. Maneet finds the cream cheese to taste curdled.
Corwin made Tom Tuah with Cream Cheese Chips. Corwin was unable to get the cream cheese onto Scott's plate. The flavors and spices are very well-balanced.
Although Corwin failed to get the cream cheese on Scott's plate, the judges chopped Chef Lester for his lacking presentation and disjointed flavors.
Entrée[]
Ingredients: Frog Legs, Yuzu Marmalade, Gin, Firm Tofu
Elise did Fennel & Yuzu Marinated Tofu w/ Butter Poached Frog Legs & Gin Broth. All of the flavors Elise has are delicious, Scott's favorite part being the mushrooms and Geoffrey the gin broth. The components are all extremely disjointed.
Jun made Caramelized Frog Legs w/ Gin Yuzu Sauce & Deep-Fried Tofu. Jun dropped most of his frog legs on the floor, forcing him to serve the judges one leg each. The presenation is great, and the frog leg is one of the best things ever served in the Chopped kitchen.
Corwin prepared Buttermilk Fried Frog Legs w/ Marinated Tofu, Yuzu Chili Sauce & Gin Cocktail. The tofu delicious and the chili works well with the yuzu in the sauce. The frog legs are perfectly crisp. While the cocktail is thoughtful, it is a complete disconnect. The components on Corwin's plate feel like parts of completely seperate dishes.
The entrée decision is a difficult one because each dish has error in it. The choice made is to chop Chef Corwin for presenting four components with absolutely no cohesion.
Dessert[]
Ingredients: Jackfruit, Araucana Eggs, Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Jun made Jackfruit & Pretzel Clafoutis with Coconut Crumble. Jun shows deft usage of the jackfruit, and the flavors in the dish show a lot of technique and restraint. The pretzels weren't transformed, and the presentation needs a bit of work.
Elise made Honey Semifreddo with Jackfruit Purée & Coconut Tuile. The presentation is modern and abstract. The tuile and the basil are smart moves on Elise's part. The purée is unpleasantly "sour-forward".
The judges are torn between who to let move on to the finale, but they eventually make the decision to chop Chef Elise for the mistakes in her last two courses. Chef Jun is made the Chopped Champion a second time and takes the third spot in the finale.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- The quince paste used was membrillo.
| Chopped Season 14 | |
| << Season 13 • Season 15 >> | |
| #01 Leftovers Overload | #08 Redemption Intention |
| #02 Chopped Champions: Part 1 | #09 Chopped All-Stars: Food Network vs. Cooking Channel |
| #03 Chopped Champions: Part 2 | #10 Chopped All-Stars: Mega Chefs |
| #04 Chopped Champions: Part 3 | #11 Chopped All-Stars: Judges |
| #05 Chopped Champions: Part 4 | #12 Chopped All-Stars: Celebrities |
| #06 Chopped Champions: Finale | #13 Chopped All-Stars: Finale! |
| #07 Just for the Halibut | |