by Ian Jackman
2 pounds collard greens, washed, stems removed, and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
Sweet Maple Corn Bread (recipe follows)
SWEET MAPLE CORN BREAD
Cooking spray
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons fine salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork pieces and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes. Add the onion, cut sides down, and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the broth. Season with the vinegar, crushed pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer. Adjust the seasoning, if desired. Add the collard greens and garlic cloves, stir to combine, and cover. Cook until the greens are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the onion, garlic, and pork. Transfer the greens to a serving bowl. Serve with the corn bread.
SWEET MAPLE CORN BREAD
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the butter and pour into the pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden.
3. Remove the corn bread from the oven and brush with the butter. Serve immediately.
Questions of Integrity
Jeffrey and Michael (Halloween) both felt moved to make Mexican food. There was no connection, admitted Jeffrey, but Bob said it was okay to be so charmingly conned. Katie (Earth Day) talked about protein and antioxidants rather than food. Brett connected April Fool’s Day with his mother (“He’s a little wacky, right?” said Rosemary), and Eddie was about to give too much information about his first date with his girlfriend before Bob cut him off.
In evaluation, Giada said that she liked Teddy’s food but that he had to make his presentation real. Bob wondered if Brett was sure he wanted to be on TV. Brett said he did. Bob said Melissa made delicious food but there was a lot of “mommy mayhem.” In the background, Brett patted Teddy on the back. Giada asked Brett if he wanted to say something. “In the culinary world you do have to be able to produce your dish and put it out,” said Brett. Melissa said it was great that Teddy and Brett had helped her plate.
To Brett, he and Teddy had saved Melissa, but Melissa said her plates wouldn’t have been any different without help. Not wanting to “throw anyone under the bus,” Teddy had nothing to say.
Bob pressed Melissa. “I don’t think that sixty seconds of taking a spoon and putting it into a ramekin is part ownership of a dish.” Melissa was shocked. “That’s questioning my integrity, and that’s just a whole different thing.”
“We’re looking at character under pressure. It doesn’t just make for good TV; character is essential if you are going to be a Food Network star. If you don’t have the qualities of humor and kindness and grace under pressure, it’s going to trip you up in the long run. You’re not going to have a fan base.
“In other shows, whether it’s a dish or a dress, only the final product can send finalists home. The judges don’t have to be concerned with how they got to make it. In our show, the person is not going to be disposable at the end of the series. It’s really important how they got to where they are. If they have lied, cheated, or stolen, their character isn’t one that people are going to embrace a year or two on.”
—Bob Tuschman
The gap between where Brett was and what Bob needed from him was too wide, and he was sent home. “I don’t know if I brought the full Brett August,” he said. “I tried.”
Jamika’s gamble completely paid off, and she won the challenge. She went into Good Housekeeping to cook for its “Healthy in a Hurry” feature. “Look out, world,” said Jamika.
“Winning that challenge gave me a great boost of confidence. I proved that you must never underestimate the power of simplicity. Although this is a simple dish, it is also a very good dish. And it gave warning to my competitors to watch out for this chick!”
—Jamika Pessoa
CRAB CAKES with Basil Mayonnaise
Recipe courtesy Brett August
Yield: 4 servings, 8 (3½- to 4-ounce) cakes • Cook Time: 20 minutes • Prep Time: 20 minutes • Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
FOR THE CRAB CAKES
¼ cup finely diced white onion
1 stalk celery, finely diced
Vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
1 cup dry white bread crumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
FOR THE DRESSING
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1. FOR THE CRAB CAKES: In a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat, sauté the onion and celery with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. Lightly beat the egg in a medium-size bowl, then add the onion mixture, mustard, salt, and pepper. Fold in the crabmeat and bread crumbs. Form the mixture into 2- to 3-inch cakes, approximately ½ inch thick. Dredge the cakes in flour, and refrigerate for 30 minutes—this will allow them to hold their shape.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium high-heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 teaspoon of the oil until you achieve a nutty aroma. Sear the crab cakes in two batches for about 6 minutes total, flipping once halfway through, until they are golden brown.
3. FOR THE DRESSING: In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, and basil. Serve with the crab cakes.
“Love the crab cakes! I make a lot of different types; the crab cake is very versatile.”
—Brett August
Tyler’s Tips
For their next challenge, the finalists took a trip to Stew Leonard’s supermarket, where Tyler Florence gave them sixty dollars each for a budget dinner party for twelve. And they had to stop shopping to give a thirty-second tip on camera about how to stretch their food dollar.
“Melissa, the tips fall out of her mouth. She can’t even help it because she is that woman, teaching you how to cook on a budget. She could be in a five million–dollar kitchen, she still just knows how to cut the budget. Like Sandra Lee, she is bringing you her life.”
—Susie Fogelson
Teddy was over-the-top, “cartoonish” even. Eddie seemed insincere. Michael said he typically spent a thousand dollars on a dinner party and couldn’t give a coherent tip. Jamika suggested reusing a marinade, which is a big no-no from a food-safety perspective. Eddie’s idea of adding fresh herbs to salads was not really money-saving at all. Tyler announced Jeffrey won the challenge.
MONEY-SAVING TIPS
1. Add bread crumbs to ground meat to stretch it. (Teddy)
2. Make crêpes with Nutella for dessert; have the leftovers for breakfast. (Jeffrey)
3. Put the white part of a green onion or scallion in water and the green will regenerate. (Melissa)
4. Squash and zucchini are very economical vegetables. (Debbie)
5. Cut back on meat and use more grains and beans. (Katie)
Dinner at Ina’s
As the finalists drove to East Hampton, Debbie figured correctly that they were going to see Ina Garten. “It’s just so warm and welcoming and intimidating at the same time,” said Teddy as they arrived.
The task: Make a dinner party using what they bought earlier for sixty dollars. The twist: They were in teams of two. Each teammate cooked one course, and they collaborated on a third. Challenge winner Jeffrey picked Michael; the other pairings were random
. “I don’t know if I can trust him,” said Debbie of teammate Teddy, referencing the previous elimination. When Eddie was teamed with Melissa, he said, he was not excited. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to pick up some slack.”
Teddy and Debbie planned their menu: Vegetable Linguini with Asian Marinara was Debbie’s, and they’d collaborate on a Pan-Asian Meat Loaf, leaving Teddy with dessert—Strawberry Shortcake Trifle. “I don’t know why I take on the dessert,” said Teddy.
Eddie planned to make Sweet Onion, Watermelon, and Feta Salad; Melissa, Lemon Thyme Chicken; and together, a Bananas Foster Nutella Quesadilla. Eddie was disconcerted by having a teammate, and Melissa complained that he talked to her like she was five.
Teddy described Debbie’s sauce as fantastic, and there was chemistry there. But Teddy hadn’t focused on dessert and when he did, he had about five minutes to make it. He didn’t grill the shortcake and left out the pine nuts.
Melissa talked to the diners about her “Clean the Pantry Week,” when to save money she wouldn’t grocery shop for a week. “Melissa glows in the dark,” said Ina. “She has a presence and a light about her that I think is stunning.” But Clarkson Potter publicist Kate Tyler said Melissa made her crazy with her “overeagerness.” The chicken lacked flavor, and Ina’s friend Barbara Liberman called Eddie’s salad inedible. Debbie’s calm presentation seemed to help Teddy. Their collaborative meat loaf was a hit. “This may be my second-favorite meat loaf after Ina’s,” said Bob.
Michael and Jeffrey presented their Roasted Tomato and Red Chili Soup; Michael, his Pesto-Rubbed Grilled Chicken on Crostini; and Jeffrey his crêpes. Jeffrey was confident and connected with the guests: “The great thing about chiles, you can use them to flavor lots of food. It doesn’t have to be just salsa or Mexican.” Bob said it looked like elegant dinner-party food.
“The show was such a turning point in my life. Since then, I capture almost everything I cook into my recipe software so that I can remake things and share the recipes. Before the show I probably almost never made the same thing twice. It has been ten years since I was the chef/owner of my Sweet Heat restaurants, so I did not have a fixed repertoire. Although I am capturing the recipes for my cookbook, I still tend to make variations on most of them based on what’s in the kitchen, my mood, and the people I’m cooking for.”
—Jeffrey Saad
Katie and Jamika compromised on an “international” style. Ina loved Jamika’s Salmon with Seaweed and Pepper Slaw, but Katie again overplayed the healthy aspects of her food (Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccolini).
In evaluation, Jamika and Katie’s international viewpoint was deemed a cop-out. Bobby thought Jeffrey and Michael’s soup needed more chile. Bob asked for more of Jeffrey than his story about making crêpes. Michael’s food was delicious, but he seemed lost. “You’ve got to get your shows rockin’, and you have to be happy about it,” Bobby said. When he looked at the tape of Eddie cooking with Melissa, he said, Eddie’s eye rolling drove him nuts. “A little chivalry in the kitchen goes a long way,” he said.
Bob liked Debbie’s linguini. Susie said Teddy’s dessert was “an abomination . . . just embarrassing.” The meat loaf was “awesome,” however. Teddy said, “I feel like that was my dish.” Debbie said the meat loaf was collaborative, and again Teddy took credit even though at the dinner he’d said the dessert was his.
“This whole thing that’s going on here is driving me crazy,” said Bobby. “I don’t like the spirit of it.”
Teddy eventually agreed that he should have taken ownership of the dessert, and Debbie reaffirmed that they’d both worked on the meat loaf. “I’m having a really hard time with your honesty and integrity here,” she told Teddy.
The winning team was Jeffrey and Michael. Waiting for the verdict, Teddy apologized for not being a gentleman. “I’m truly sorry,” he said. But it was Eddie who was sent home.
what is AN ANAHEIM CHILE?
Jeffrey’s red Anaheim chile is a sweet pepper with a good kick (the riper it becomes, the redder and sweeter it gets). For comparison, it is rated 2 or 3 on the Scovìlle scale (a scientific measure of a pepper’s heat), with 100–1,500 units of heat. A jalapeño runs 2,500 and more units; a habañero, 9 for more than 100,000 units of pleasure and pain.
ROASTED TOMATO AND RED CHILE SOUP
Recipe courtesy Jeffrey Saad
Yield: 6 appetizer servings, ½ cup per serving • Prep Time: 25 minutes • Cook Time: 20 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
FOR THE SOUP
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 red Anaheim chiles, 1 roasted
1 (16-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Quesadilla Croutons (recipe follows)
Cilantro Sour Cream (recipe follows)
QUESADILLA CROUTONS
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Jack/Cheddar cheese mix
1 teaspoon ground cumin
CILANTRO SOUR CREAM
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1. In a medium-size pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cut 1 fresh chile in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Chop the chile and add to the onion. Sauté, stirring often, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the chile mixture to a blender or use a wand hand blender and purée until smooth.∗ Return to the pot. Seed and chop the roasted chile and add to the soup along with the lime juice. If the soup is too thick, add water.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Lay a Quesadilla Crouton in each bowl and top with a dollop of Cilantro Sour Cream.
∗ When blending hot liquids, remove the liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor; fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times, then process on high speed until smooth.
QUESADILLA CROUTONS
1. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.
2. Lay 2 tortillas on a work surface. Divide the cheese between the tortillas. Sprinkle with the cumin. Top each with one of the remaining tortillas. Grill the tortillas until golden brown on the outside and the cheese starts to melt. Remove to a cutting board. Cut into ½-inch strips, then cut each strip on an angle to create 2 smaller strips.
Yield: 4 croutons • Prep Time: 5 minutes • Cook Time: 2 to 3 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
CILANTRO SOUR CREAM: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.
Yield: about ½ cup • Prep Time: 10 minutes
The Ultimate American Meal
Nothing is more American than a great burger. Bobby offered to put the finalists’ best burger—one that most successfully represented an American region—on the menu at Bobby’s Burger Palace, which he was opening in Connecticut. Finalists had twenty minutes to cook and thirty seconds to present.
The committee’s least favorite burgers were Jamika’s, which had sausage on it (they didn’t like her overrehearsed presentation either), and Katie’s undercooked pink-raw turkey burger. The top two were Melissa’s Burlington Burger, inspired by her time at college in Vermont, with turkey chili, Vermont Cheddar, and spinach, and Michael’s, but the winner was Michael’s. “I want to make out with Bobby I’m so excited,” he said.
“Winning that challenge was so much fun, and I got to represent a New York City ’hood that I happen to love . . . a lot.”
—Michael Proietti
Michael ch
ose to represent Mulberry Street, the heart of Little Italy in New York City. The Italian influence was in the mozzarella and the pancetta on each side of the burger. “I like that,” Bobby said, and praised the classic ingredients, the tomato and basil. Bob enjoyed the fact that it was served on garlic bread—something he’d never thought of for a burger. And Michael presented with energy and charm, where in previous weeks he’d stumbled.
“I came up with the Mulberry Street Burger on the spot. I was thinking in my head what I could do, and I looked at the pancetta and thought, ‘That can work.’ It’s the same shape as a burger and it would just sit great on a burger and it’ll get über crisp! Who doesn’t love pancetta?
“I do make the burger a lot, and I no longer put the mozzarella inside it because you can’t get accurate doneness on it . . . so now the mozzarella goes on top. It just works better.”
—Michael Proietti
MULBERRY STREET BURGER
Recipe courtesy Michael Proietti
Yield: 4 servings • Prep Time: 30 minutes • Cook Time: 20 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
1½ pounds ground beef
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 slices pancetta (3 ounces total)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 large fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 hamburger buns
½ cup baby arugula (about ½ ounce)
Basil Ketchup (recipe follows)