In this Halloween themed episode, the baskets are filled with spooky ingredients that have the chefs themselves spooked. What's even spookier are the plates given to the judges. In the appetizer round, 3 of the 4 chefs don't clip of the toenails of the chicken feet causing in judge outrage. Also, one of the dishes is overloaded with spice so much so that one of the judges has a cough attack.
Contestants
- Cris Spezial, Caterer, Nyack Gourmet, Nyack, NY
- Michael Dilonno, Chef and Restaurateur, Avenue Bistro Pub, Verona, NJ
- Michelle Firlit-Garcia, Pastry Chef, Bleeding Heart Bakery, Chicago, IL
- Rodney Henry, Pie Maker, Dangerously Delicious Pies, Baltimore, MD / Washington D.C.
Judges
- Chris Santos
- Alex Guarnaschelli
- Geoffrey Zakarian
Appetizer Round[]
Ingredients: Pre-Cooked Chicken Feet, Poblano Peppers, Black Radishes, Fruit-Flavored Candy
Cris Spezial: Cris made a Spiced Chicken Feet over Radish Salad with a Fruity Vinaigrette. The judges liked his approach, however, they criticzized Cris's decision to leave the toenails on the feet. Also, while Chris was okay with the spice on the dish, Alex exclaimed it as too much for her palet.
Michelle Firlit-Garcia: Michelle made a Deep Fried Chicken Feet over Fruit Candy Sauce. Michelle was acclaimed for her time and development put into her sauce with a result of great flavor. However, Michelle failed to take the toenails off the Chicken Feet.
Michael Dilonno: Michael made a Sautéed Chicken Feet with a Spicy Fruit Sauce. Michael was another chef who struggled not to take the toenails of the chicken foot. However, the judges said he had the best use of the peppers in the round by making them not too spicy.
Rodney Henry: Rodney stuck to his roots and presented the judges a Trick or Treat Pie utilizing all the basket ingredients inside the pie. Rodney was the only one of the round to trim the toenails off the Chicken Feet and the judges were happy to see that. However, they weren't satisfied by the undercooked pie dough which didn't help with tying the dish together.
In the end the judges chopped Chef Rodney for undercooking the pie dough and not developing as much flavor as the other contestants.
Entree Round[]
Ingredients: Sea Beans, Frog Legs, Blood Sausage, Halloween Candy
Michelle Firlit-Garcia: Michelle presented the judges with a Blood Sausage and Sea Bean Ragù with Sautéed Frog Legs. The judges favorite part of the dish was Michelle's frog legs because she managed to put a lot of flavor and still have them stay succulent and juicy. However, even though of her efforts to tone down the saltiness of the sea beans, they still overpowered the dish. But, they realized her talent for making a good sauce as they liked the one she made with the Halloween Candy.
Michael Dilonno: Michael gave the judges a dish of Candy-Glazed Blood Sausage with Sea Bean Salted Potatoes and Frog Legs Meuneire. The judges enjoyed Michael's Blood Sausage and thought it had a great depth of flavor. However, they didn't like Michael's Sea Beans because they weren't toned down enough. In addition, they thought his frog legs were overcooked.
Cris Spezial: Cris prepared Sautéed Blood Sausage and Frog Legs and Sea Bean Flavored Mashed Potatoes with a Halloween Candy Sauce. The judges praised Cris's Blood Sausage and they stated it was the best of the round. However, Alex had a big problem with Cris's potatoes. He added rosemary straight off the pine and didn't work with the potatoes. Also, the judges thought there were too many Sea Beans on the dish for the palet. But, they enjoyed Cris's sauce.
The judges decided to chop Chef Cris because of his heavy handed use of the Rosemary and Sea Beans.
Dessert Round[]
Ingredients: Ossa de Morti, Apple Cider, Ricotta Salata, Black Licorce
Michelle Firlit-Garcia: Michelle, confident in her pastry chef background, gave the judges an Apple Cider Cake topped with a Black Licorice Chocolate Ice Cream. The judges thought that Michelle had a good approach to the basket. However, she didn't notice she didn't turn the Ice Cream Machine on properly causing the Ice Cream to turn into soupy mess. Also, she didn't notice that she added Unsweetened Chocolate to her Ice Cream instead of Sweetened Chocolate causing the Ice Cream Soup to become bitter along with the Cake.
Michael Dilonno: Michael presented the judges with a Napoleon with Ossa de Morti and Ricotta Salata topped with a Chocolate Sauce. The judges liked Michael's idea to make a Napoleon and they especially enjoyed Michael's presentation. However, the judges wanted more creativity from Michael since the Ossa de Morti was barely transformed and just put on the plate. Also, they didn't think his dessert was sweet enough.
The judges made their final chop to Chef Michelle because of her downfall in the dessert round despite high expectations and not being able to develop as much flavor as Michael in the three courses. Chef Michael was then crowned winner.
Notes[]
- The Halloween Candy in the entree round was a mix of different famous halloween candies such as Candy Corn
- Chef Michelle would later return for the Redemption episode, "Redemption Competition".