Food Network Star

by Ian Jackman

  ½ cup dry white wine

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

  2. Spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and transfer to a baking sheet. (You can also place each fillet on its own sheet of foil—be sure to divide the ingredients evenly.) Drizzle the fish with the lemon juice and zest. Top with the tomatoes, all of the peppers, squash, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Raise the sides of the foil over the fish so that they meet in the middle. Roll the foil to form a tent over the fish. Allow some space above the food to create a steam pocket. Pour the wine into the packet. Drizzle the fish with the olive oil, and top with the parsley. Close the foil packet to seal tightly and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork (the vegetables will still be firm and slightly crunchy). Serve the fish from the foil packet or transfer to a large platter.

  Miami Mayhem

  For their next challenge, the final five finalists were off to Miami. But before they could board their plane from JFK, Ted Allen intercepted them and asked them to cook a meal for one of the restaurants in Terminal 5. The winner would go on the menu. Jeffrey got the Italian restaurant AeroNuova and made Bruschetta with a Poached Egg for his “Cooking Without Borders” POV. Jeffrey finally told the story of his life: He’s Lebanese; his wife is Iranian, she was raised in Italy, and their lives are reflected in food. Bob loved the presentation and Jeffrey won the challenge.

  At the Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach, Ted Allen outlined the Main Challenge: Work as a team cooking for a cocktail party at the Nikki Beach nightclub. Each chef must create at least two hors d’oeuvres and the group would need to come up with a signature cocktail. Challenge winner Jeffrey made the assignments: In addition to their two dishes, Michael would work at the bar, Jeffrey handle the front of the house, and Debbie expedite in the kitchen.

  They had two hours to prep, and no one had enough time. Before they left the kitchen area, Jeffrey showed Melissa how to make his dish, and Michael gave Debbie instructions for his Chili Lime Shrimp and his Margarita Salmon Skewer.

  Jeffrey and Jamika were able to serve some of their food on the beach, but back at the cooking station, most of the food was labor-intensive: Debbie’s Passionfruit Chicken on a Daikon Crisp and Korean Torta; Melissa’s Salmon Shooter, Chicken Bite, and Roasted Vegetable Asada on a Tortilla; Jeffrey’s Tostada with Crab and Cuban Bites; Jamika’s Jerk Chicken Skewers and Shrimp with Pineapple Coleslaw; and Michael’s Margarita Salmon Skewer. Melissa was making her dishes and Jeffrey’s; Jamika, hers and Michael’s, while Debbie did her own.

  “The beach party was so crazy. Time was not on our side that day, but I still had a blast. That experience taught me two things: No matter what, always keep the party going, and never wear high heels when cooking on the beach.”

  —Jamika Pessoa

  Michael had a great time serving at the bar even if his drink, a Serrano Chile Margarita, lacked bite. Jeffrey found tables of hungry people—every tray was attacked—and the kitchen had to hustle. Bobby Flay went back to see what was up. “Get that food out,” he said. Michael came out from behind the bar and quickly served the committee, but the food was forgettable, if he wasn’t. When Debbie eventually presented her food, hers were by far the best dishes.

  “No, I don’t wish I’d spent less time at the bar. In fact I wish I was still there! I was having way too much fun. I spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen for my career, so when I got the chance to be in front of people and out of the kitchen, I jumped at the opportunity.”

  —Michael Proietti

  “It was really stressful. I am not someone who lives with regrets but if I were it would be that challenge. There were things I would have done differently and it made me definitely not want to be a caterer. Catering is much harder than you think.”

  —Melissa d’Arabian

  The committee criticized the service and a lot of the food. Bobby liked Debbie’s two dishes the best. Debbie said that only she’d been in the kitchen at all times and she’d tried to get the food out. She thought the leader should make sure the food went out and that she could only do so much. “I was being selfless.” Melissa said that she made five dishes; Jamika did four. Bob did the math and said that Debbie basically did two. Meanwhile, larger-than-life Michael was not the crowd favorite, and his salmon had no flavor.

  In deliberations, Bob said Michael had a lot of personality, but Michael himself admitted that he couldn’t perform in front of the camera. Bobby said he’d neglected his food. Susie said Debbie showed an unattractive side, but Ted said she’d made the best dishes. It was a tough decision, they admitted, and Michael, to his surprise, was sent home.

  “The judges do disagree. When we sent Michael home, I felt that was the wrong decision. I was angry that he was sent home at the time, and when I watched the episode, I was still mad. He was not my decision. I hate being overruled.”

  —Bob Tuschman

  “Michael I think was the best chef of all, he was so creative and he was a great friend. There was one night when I couldn’t sleep and was missing my family. At about two in the morning I went into Michael and Jeffrey’s room and the lights were off and said, ‘I just need a hug,’ and he said, ‘Come here,’ and gave me the biggest hug. Ten minutes later I was at ease and I went to bed and got to sleep.”

  —Melissa d’Arabian

  “Miami was my favorite episode. That may sound weird considering it’s the same episode I went home!”

  —Michael Proietti

  Getting Grilled

  In the first challenge of episode seven, Chef Michael Symon told the final four that they would be demo’ing for four minutes live on a local morning show. But the demos were rigged to fail. Debbie’s catfish was replaced with chicken and her utensils sabotaged. Still, she sailed through and improvised well, even when she saw that the catfish wasn’t catfish. “Flawless,” said Bob.

  Melissa (or Melinda or Melanie as the host called her) got a little frenetic. Jeffrey dealt with the technical snafus well, but Jamika closed down and struggled with the fake time cues and the camera being shoved in her face. Debbie won the challenge.

  CRISPY CATFISH

  with Edamame Succotash

  Recipes courtesy Debbie Lee

  Yield: 4 servings • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: about 15 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy

  4 catfish fillets (approximately 6 ounces each)

  ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  1 cup all-purpose flour

  2 large eggs

  1½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

  1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  1 teaspoon garlic powder

  Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

  Edamame Succotash (recipe follows)

  EDAMAME SUCCOTASH

  2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

  ½ cup red onion, finely diced

  1 teaspoon minced garlic

  2 strips (1½ ounces) applewood-smoked bacon, finely chopped (⅓ cup)

  1 cup frozen edamame (6 ounces), thawed

  ½ cup fresh corn kernels, from 1 small ear

  ¼ cup small-diced red bell pepper

  ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  1. Season both sides of the fillets with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Set aside.

  2. Place the flour in a shallow bowl or pie tin. In a separate shallow bowl or tin, beat the eggs. Combine the panko, paprika, and garlic powder in a third shallow bowl or tin and stir with a fork.

  3. Pour enough of the oil into a large deep skillet to go ½ inch high and heat over medium-high heat. Dust each fillet with the flour, then dip into the eggs, then press in the panko mixture. Fry the fillets in the hot oil until golden, crispy, and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.


  4. Transfer the fish to a plate lined with paper towels and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Make a bed of Edamame Succotash on a serving platter, top with the fillets, and serve.

  EDAMAME SUCCOTASH: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until it has rendered its fat and begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the edamame, corn, and bell pepper and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and serve hot.

  Yield: 4 servings (2 cups) • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: 12 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy

  “My mom would make catfish once a week. When I got to be in my late twenties, I reinvented that old-school version from my childhood. I just recently made it with a pounded pork cutlet—what we call tonkatsu.”

  —Debbie Lee

  Symon Says

  At the Eden Roc, Michael Symon stood in front of four outdoor grills to introduce Michael LaDuke of Red Lobster, who again was offering a spot on his restaurant’s Fresh Fish menu for the challenge winner. Finalists had to make a dish on the wood-fired grill paired with a crustacean or shellfish. Mini-challenge winner Debbie chose tilapia because she could cook it Korean-style; Melissa, arctic char for a citrus duo with orange and lime. Jamika took shrimp, mahimahi, peppers, and pineapple for a tropical theme. Jeffrey chose chiles, barramundi, scallops, and shrimp.

  Time for a twist. On Bobby’s instruction, Chef Symon took away all Jeffrey’s chiles and gave him Asian sauces—a new border for Jeffrey to cross.

  “For me, this was the opposite of my experience on the Intrepid. I was able to adapt and it was really rewarding. That was by far my favorite episode. We were pushed to the limit while baking under the ninety-degree sun in front of eight hundred–degree wood-burning grills! Michael Symon was an awesome addition to the episode.”

  —Jeffrey Saad

  Michael then took Jamika’s pineapple and gave her two big celery roots. She wasn’t happy. He took all Melissa’s citrus and give her habañeros. “I have never made fish without citrus,” said Melissa. Then he took away Debbie’s Asian ingredients and Bobby gave her olives, anchovies, and capers.

  “It’s hard to say what would have happened if they had sprung that kind of thing on us the first week! I definitely was feeling the loss of my sesame oil. But it’s all about coping and being able to modify at a moment’s notice.”

  —Debbie Lee

  Jeffrey used a wasabi broth to cook his fish à la nage, but he was worried about the array of strong flavors he used. Melissa grilled a passel of habañeros—did she know how strong they were? Jamika told Bob, “I think I’m just pissed right now.” She didn’t know what she was making until she had six minutes to go, when she grilled the celery root.

  “Jamika got mad at me. I have made that mistake on Iron Chef. A judge has tasted something and I thought it was perfect and they didn’t like it and I’ve got into arguments with them. It tends not to go well for you in the long run.”

  —Michael Symon

  Debbie presented Tilapia with Fennel, Orange, and Crab Salad with an Anchovy Olive Vinaigrette. Bobby Flay asked, “Where are the capers?”

  In the dressing, Debbie said. Then she said that she didn’t have them. “My bad. I must have left them out.”

  The food lacked brininess. Bobby loved the habañero flavor of Melissa’s scallops and char. Jeffrey too got good marks for his flavor. Bobby liked Jamika’s grilled celery root and her grilled mahimahi, but she got aggravated by the challenge. You have to have fun, Bob said.

  In evaluation, Bobby said that Jeffrey cooked with style, finesse, creativity. But what would he do on the network? His POV was “Cooking Without Borders,” but he always gravitated to the same ingredients. Bob said his Zen calm could be vanilla and that part of being a star was unpredictability.

  “Jeffrey: What was he going to do? This is why I kept worrying about him. Even at the eleventh hour, I was asking, ‘What am I going to do with you?’ ”

  —Susie Fogelson

  Jamika’s food lacked flavor, according to Chef Symon, and she shut down, got flustered and snippy. Bob said Melissa was calm and in control and her food was amazing. But Chef Symon wondered how she would prove that she was an expert. Melissa got fired up, talking about her credibility with moms. Bobby liked seeing her get passionate.

  The winner of the Red Lobster Challenge was Jeffrey’s Fish à la Nage. The next person sent home was Jamika.

  “I was a huge fan of Jamika’s. She was an excellent, inventive cook. She is beautiful and charming in person but wasn’t able to translate that to the camera consistently. You’re not just doing ten episodes of Star. We’re looking for someone who is going to do hundreds of episodes of a series and appear as a guest in situations where they have no control. Consistency is one of the key points, which is why a single bad performance really can send you home.”

  —Bob Tuschman

  what is À LA NAGE?

  A nage is a vegetable broth (or court-bouillon) in which fish or lobster can be poached and is served as part of the finished dish. The lobster or salmon is then à la nage, which in French means “swimming.”

  The Thousand-dollar Dinner

  The finalists arrived at Emeril’s Miami Beach restaurant where they were greeted by the man himself, Emeril Lagasse. Emeril talked about one of the original food stars, someone whose culinary passion inspired millions, his friend Julia Child. Emeril described the movie Julie and Julia, which weaved together Julia’s story with that of blogger Julie Powell, who was inspired to cook her way through Julia Child’s classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

  In the Main Challenge, Emeril wanted to see all passion on a plate presented in the spirit of the movie in a three-course dinner for twenty members of the culinary elite. “A very, very tough crowd,” he said. They had one thousand dollars each to shop with and would have to demo some portion of their meal live.

  After watching the movie, finalists planned their menus: Melissa: Potato Torte with Ratatouille; Herb Chicken with Mushroom Port Sauce and Orzo; Cheese Trio with Salad and Chocolate Orange Pochette. Debbie: Chile-Rubbed Barbecued Shrimp with Corn Salad; Korean Short Ribs (Kalbechim) with Crispy Grit Cakes; Asian Pear Eggrolls with Rum and Butterscotch. Jeffrey: Seared Scallops with Green Chile Chutney; Seafood Risotto; Chocolate Mousse with Biscotti. Shopping for all that, Jeffrey spent just $317.14. Am I a savvy shopper, he wondered, or am I screwed?

  MELISSA’S RATATOUILLE TIP

  Melissa learned to cook ratatouille from her mother-in-law from Nice. The trick: Cook the vegetables in this order: Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, or “E-Z-Pot.”

  “Should I have spent more of my thousand dollars? Hell, yeah! Although execution and balance are vitally important in cooking, a few chunks of saffron-laced lobster wouldn’t have hurt anything!”

  —Jeffrey Saad

  In the cavernous dining room, the three read the place cards of the guests: François Payard, Marcus Samuelsson, Rick Bayless, John Besh, Emeril, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Anne Burrell, Gina and Patrick Neely, Alex Guarnaschelli—a tough crowd indeed.

  “Rick Bayless, John Besh, Marcus Samuelsson, François Payard: This is the very tip-top of the food world. It was fascinating to hear how they reacted.”

  —Bob Tuschman

  Thankfully, the chefs had help: sous-chefs Katie (for Jeffrey); Michael (for Debbie); and Jamika (for Melissa). Jeffrey took a huge risk making risotto—Katie presciently wondered if it was going to sit too long. Melissa’s orzo was much too salty, and the torte didn’t brown, so she decided to serve the torte with the chicken so it could cook longer and plate the ratatouille with the orzo first.

  “I want this job because it matches who I am,” Melissa told the guests. Her mom had been a single college student raising two girls. They had a mother-daughter holiday tea every year that they spent months cooking for. That’s where she learne
d how to cook for people and bring them joy. When she was in college, her mom committed suicide and Melissa was left to cook on her own. That’s when she became good at getting a meal on the table. She went to business school and had ten successful years working. Her mind was fed but her soul was undernourished. Julia Child said, “Don’t be afraid.” “I’m standing in front of you not afraid, because I may fail but I’m failing at the right thing,” Melissa said.

  Bobby Flay said Melissa seemed completely different—“unbelievably thoughtful and poetic.” I’m not a harried housewife, she said. That’s not who I am.

  Patrick Neely and Rick Bayless liked the ratatouille’s textures and flavors. Melissa demo’ed the brick chicken, which Rick loved; François Payard said his was overcooked. The pastry pochette was “bangin,’ ” said Sunny Anderson, and Marcus Samuelsson concurred.

  “The Potato Torte was one of the judges’ favorite things, We had a budget of $1000 and one of their favorite dishes was one that cost me pennies per person. I love that—that’s exactly what Ten Dollar Dinners is about. No one is saying, ‘That’s good, for cheap food.’ It should be good even when you are serving a $1000 dinner.”

  —Melissa d’Arabian

  Debbie talked about her folks immigrating sixty years earlier, and all her mom could make was fried chicken, greens, and corn bread. Debbie met her grandmother, learned to make Korean food, and melded the two cuisines together: “Seoul to Soul.” Tyler Florence said the shrimp was southwestern. The short ribs were tough, said Payard, but Rick Bayless liked them a lot. Debbie demo’ed her eggroll, and Patrick Neely was captivated. Marcus loved the sauce on the roll but “the dough is raw.”