| Octopus, Duck, Animal Crackers | |
| Season 1, Episode 1 | |
 | |
| Air date | January 13, 2009 |
| Winner | Sandy Davis |
| Episode Guide | |
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All bets are off when a slimy surprise in the Round One mystery basket surprises everybody. Then in the Entrée Round, one chef makes a risky creative choice. Will it pay off? And for the two chefs who survive the dreaded Chopping Block and make it all the way to the Dessert Round, challenges abound, when the competitors present their masterpieces made with animal crackers and prunes, will the judges prefer the more whimsical or traditional dish?
Contestants[]
- Sandy Davis, Catering Chef, Showstoppers Catering, New York, NY
- Summer Kriegshauser, Private Chef, New York, NY
- Katie Rosenhouse, Pastry Chef, Olana Restaurant, New York, NY
- Perry Pollaci, Sous Chef, Bar Blanc, New York, Ny
Judges[]
Meal[]
Appetizer[]
Ingredients: Baby Octopus, Bok Choy, Oyster Sauce, Smoked Paprika
Sandy made a Pulpo and Olive Salad with Wilted Bok Choy. The judges love the flavors that he introduced to the octopus. Alex feels that the dish is a little too salty.
Summer prepared Miso Glazed Octopus with Bok Choy. Her presentation is great. The judges like her bok choy. Marc's octopus is chewy, while Aarón's is tender.
Katie prepared a Citrus Octopus Salad with Toasted Baguette. The judges feel that her dish is a little too small, but her treatment of all the ingredients works well.
Perry made Grilled Octopus with Bok Choy Broth. The judges don't taste the oyster sauce in his dish, but the other three ingredients are prepared in a very creative and refined manner.
After deliberation, the judges decide to chop Chef Summer, feeling that her octopus wasn't prepared correctly, and that she focused too much on the presentation instead of taste.
Entrée[]
Ingredients: Duck Breast, Green Onions, Ginger, Honey
Katie prepared Seared Duck Breast with Cocoa Ricotta Crepe. The judges are amazed by how well the crepe turns out, and describe her dish as the most creative of the whole competition. The only complaint is that the scallions are cooked down a little too much.
Perry made Roasted Duck Breast with Glazed Carrots. His dish is very well executed, and all of the ingredients are treated well. The judges feel that is it a bit too safe. Marc in particular wants a starch.
Sandy made a Sauteed Duck Breast with Orange & Ginger Glaze. The judges love his charred scallions and his duck fat potatoes. However, the duck breast has fat that isn't rendered out, and there are large chunks of ginger on it from the glaze.
After deliberating, the judges chop Chef Perry because they feel he plated too safe.
Dessert[]
Ingredients: Prunes, Cream Cheese, Animal Crackers
Sandy made an Animal Cracker Dessert Soup with Cream Cheese Garnish. The judges like his delicate balance of flavors with the cream cheese in the center and the red wine/orange liquor soup. Marc is annoyed with the mint garnish.
Katie prepared an Animal Cracker Semifreddo with Prune Compote. She has mixed success from the techniques she applied: the lemon she added is a good touch to the semifreddo, but her cream cheese quanelle ends up being a cream cheese bomb.
After deliberating, the judges decide to chop Chef Katie, feeling that she had some trouble melding her flavors together, which leaves Sandy the Chopped Champion.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- Sandy later returned to Chopped for the Chopped Champions special The Ultimate Face-Off.
- Katie later returned for a Chopped Redemption event.
- This is the first episode of Chopped.