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TED: Four chefs, three courses...
Feeling the pressure, guys.
...only one chance to win.
Let's go.
The challenge -- create an unforgettable meal
from the mystery items hidden in these baskets...
Whoa.
...before time runs out.
Our distinguished panel of chefs will critique their work...
That is one of the worst things I've ever put in my mouth.
Brilliant and inspired.
TED: ...and one by one,
they must face the dreaded chopping block.
Who will win the $10,000 prize,
and who will be chopped?
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Four competitors think they have what it takes
to be the "Chopped" champion.
Let's meet them. First up, Chef Ben Durham.
BEN: I'm the executive chef at FOUR Food Studio
in Long Island, New York.
How long on those skirt steaks, man?
We got to go.
I've got a vegetable garden on the roof,
which has allowed me to play with new ingredients.
My mom was actually an amazing gardener.
I just lost my mother to cancer.
When I get to spend time up on the roof,
I feel like I'm up there with my mom.
Make sure you don't get that pan too hot.
I don't want to burn that duck, all right?
I work very well under pressure.
I'm extremely competitive,
and I would love to win "Chopped" for my mom.
Next, we have Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky.
NATASHA: I'm the chef-owner of Bear Restaurant
in New York City.
Bear is a family business.
I own and run this with my brother, Alex.
Okay. Finishing.
I use a lot of flavors that are very close
to what I grew up with in Ukraine.
Our family came to America almost 20 years ago.
We were political refugees.
My parents always talked about, like, the American dream.
Winning "Chopped" would be part of their dream coming true.
Then there's Chef Paolo Pasio.
PAOLO: I am the proud owner of Osteria Latini
located in Brentwood, California.
What does he want -- langoustines?
I run my kitchen with an iron fist.
Food has to be good. Service has to be good.
Working, working, working is great,
but sometimes you need some adrenaline in your life,
so in order to have the rush, I race and I skydive.
It's great adrenaline. It's great adrenaline.
Whoo!
But my first love is my daughter.
There we are!
I'm going to compete for her college education.
Of course it's gonna happen. I'm gonna win.
Pickup -- 4!
Finally, we welcome Chef Katsuji Tanabe.
KATSUJI I'm the owner and executive chef for MexiKosher...
a Mexican kosher restaurant in L.A., California.
So, Chef, the leaves were already washed and checked,
and I'm gonna have to turn on the pilot lights for you.
In kosher, there's a lot of rules,
and you have to be supervised at all times,
and you're forbidden to use dairy, pork, or shellfish.
I want one of your big burritos, man.
I'm a Catholic Mexican Japanese
who runs a kosher Orthodox restaurant.
There's nobody who does more crazy cooking than me.
If you think you can beat me, you're really, really wrong.
TED: Welcome, Chefs. Here are the rules.
There are three rounds -- appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Each course has its own basket of mystery ingredients.
You must use every ingredient in the basket in some way.
Also available to you -- our pantry and fridge.
When the clock runs out,
our judges will critique your dishes
on presentation, taste, and creativity.
If your dish doesn't cut it, you will be chopped.
Chefs, please open these first baskets.
And your appetizers must include...
Clock is set at 20 minutes.
Time starts now.
NATASHA: We're all fighting for ingredients, for sink space.
It's stressful, but at the same time,
that adrenaline is just pumping.
Snails is not something that I work with every day,
but I know they can be tough sometimes.
I blanch them just a little bit.
I'm making sautéed snails over acai berry and lemon-bar puree.
My family chose to leave the Ukraine
because it was the end of the Soviet Union.
The economy was crashing.
The political atmosphere was very difficult.
We had to find a way to escape.
And so life is about survival for me,
and I'm a survivor.
I'm gonna keep fighting, and I'm gonna win.
KATSUJI: I opened the basket, and I think,
"I don't know these ingredients." [ Chuckles ]
I think if I cook the snails, they might get rubbery,
so I'm gonna do a ceviche.
I grab some cilantro.
I chop some of the upland cress.
With the acai berry,
I'm gonna make, like, a little, spicy sauce.
I get some jalapeños and some dried chiles de árbol.
I opened a Mexican kosher restaurant
without dairy or pork.
Who does that?
I want to show these judges that I'm Mexican, I'm proud of it,
and I know how to utilize ingredients.
Lemon bar for an appetizer.
I normally cook Italian, and in this basket,
I don't see any Italian in there, no.
But I'm a really good cook.
Yes, I know what I'm doing.
The dish I'm making is sautéed snails
with a potato cake and a lemon-bar-acai sauce.
I came to the U.S. in 1992 from Italy.
I started working as a busboy.
Then I became a waiter, and then they promoted me as a manager,
and then I bought the restaurant from them.
I had six restaurants in my life,
and every one successful.
BEN: I've got a lot of acid in this basket,
so seafood ceviche is something quick
that I can marinate, get on the plate.
I'm making an Asian-style snail ceviche
with an acai-berry-and-lemon-bar broth.
I've always been in the kitchen.
My mom was a great baker,
and so it's something that we did together
since I could push a high stool up to the stove
and make French toast for breakfast.
Being a chef, it just made perfect sense.
And our judges are Chef Aarón Sánchez,
Chef Maneet Chauhan, and Chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
Are you looking forward to four plates of whelk-snail goodness?
Whelks are great. Delicious. They have a very meaty texture.
MANEET: I think the peppery upland cress
is going to add a wonderful flavor dimension to the whelks.
GEOFFREY: Noticing Natasha's incredible knife skills.
Yeah. Really, really fast.
NATASHA: I'm using the potatoes and the garlic
to make kind of a base for the snails.
I just want to bring it back to my roots
of something that's hearty and warm.
KATSUJI: I go to the pantry, and I grab French bread.
I'm making a butter out of the lemon bar.
So, I want to use it as a spread for a crostini.
So, the acai berry grows in the rainforest in Brazil
and is packed with nutrients.
But it'll get very puckery. You got to be careful.
BEN: The acai-berry- and-lemon-bar sauce
needs some kind of savory note to it,
so I grab some dashi, some sesame oil.
Before my mom passed away,
I was 99% focused on work and a restaurant,
and the last six months have let me re-evaluate my priorities.
If I win the $10,000, I definitely want to
take a couple trips home to see my family.
Chefs, 10 minutes left on the clock.
GEOFFREY: These competitors are running and jumping and banging.
Rarely do we see this kind of intensity in the first round.
NATASHA: I take one whole lemon bar,
and I just puree that with the acai juice.
I'm using the entire bar
because the crust is going to give body to the puree.
PAOLO: I'm gonna make a potato cake,
so I shred my potatoes, and I quick-fry them.
I have to do it fast because if they're not gonna be cooked,
I'm gonna be chopped.
[ Sighs ]
I really don't want to get chopped in Round 1.
No. No, thank you.
[ Clock ticking ]
KATSUJI: Behind!
Coming through, coming through, coming through, coming through.
PAOLO: I have to cook the potatoes as fast as possible,
so I put the pan in the oven,
and I just hope the potatoes are gonna be ready on time.
Being here at "Chopped" is great.
It gives you a huge adrenaline rush.
I feel competitive and want to win the $10,000
to give my daughter the money for her education funds.
I want her to be successful in life
and to have a happy smile every morning.
NATASHA: I need to spice up the dish a little bit,
and so I grab some horseradish,
another ingredient that's very prominent
in Eastern European cuisine.
I add a few teaspoons of that to the puree and the snails.
Kind of give it a little bit of a kick.
I'm using the upland cress to garnish the top of the ceviche,
and then I add some scallions and some frisée.
And, chefs, got to call the 2-minute warning.
KATSUJI: I'm going to mix my ceviche,
so I throw in my onions, my chopped cilantro,
and then the snails.
Then I squeeze the lime, squeeze the orange.
It tastes awesome.
PAOLO: My heart is pumping very, very fast,
and there's lots of pressure.
One minute, chefs.
PAOLO: With one minute left on the clock, I pick up my dishes.
Katsuji comes back with the smoking gun.
I have never used a smoking gun.
What better day to use one than today?
But it's more complex than I expected.
I really don't know if Katsuji is going to be making it.
BEN: There's no time left. I don't have sauce on the plate.
I don't have my salad.
TED: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Time's up. Please step back.
Oh, boy.
I know my dish tastes good,
but I've got a lot of issues with the presentation.
KATSUJI: Wow. I'm very, very proud of what I'm serving.
I look at Paolo's dish.
It looks like dog food on a plate.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
Chefs, you've arrived at the chopping block.
The appetizers you just made using lemon bars, acai juice,
upland cress, and whelk snails
now will be tasted and critiqued by our esteemed judges.
Chef Ben.
Prepared for you guys an Asian-style snail ceviche.
It has an acai-berry-and-lemon-bar broth
with a little upland-cress salad on top.
Enjoy.
I think the idea of a ceviche is great.
Really capitalized on the acidic part of the basket.
The ceviche -- delicious.
I think that was an amazing use of the whelks.
But I really don't care much about the acai broth.
It's such a strong flavor
that I wish you had used it very judiciously.
And, obviously, judging from this Jackson *** painting
that I have in front of me...
You got the sloppy one, right?
I did get the sloppy one.
You just have to give some attention to plating
'cause appearance is important.
Understood, Chef.
And why have you decided to compete with us today?
Six months ago, my mother passed away of cancer.
I could've chose to wallow in pity,
but I think it's more important to take a positive step
and try to make my family proud.
Thank you, chefs.
Next up -- Chef Natasha.
I made sautéed snails over some garlic potatoes
with acai-berry-lemon-bar puree.
First of all, it's a very nice portion.
Thank you.
I also really love what you did with the potato.
That you fried it with garlic is, like, magical.
I do like your choices,
but I think the whelk is overcooked.
MANEET: I agree.
But the use of the acai and the lemon bar was really clever.
So, why are you here today?
Well, I'm here today because I want to show my parents
that my success was worth their struggles.
We emigrated right before the fall of the Soviet Union,
and the only way we could do that was to escape.
My father was a master painter. Very famous.
And so he exchanged his artwork
to smuggle our family on the train.
I remember the anxiety on my parents' face,
and that still, to this day, motivates me.
That's amazing.
It's like a thriller.
Thank you, chefs.
Now we move to Chef Paolo.
I made sautéed snails
with a potato cake and a lemon-tart-acai sauce.
Chef, how did you like that basket of ingredients?
I love it not.
[ Laughing ]
This is a good dish.
I love the snail with the garlic and lemon.
It's classic flavor.
I think potato cake was a great idea here.
But the presentation got away with you a little bit.
You could've made it a little bit more concise.
And my potato cake is not completely cooked.
Sure.
And finally -- Chef Katsuji.
Today I made snail ceviche with a lemon-bar crostini.
It's delicious.
I think the jalapeño gave just the right amount of heat.
GEOFFREY: I really like what you did with the toast,
but I think the smoke added nothing to this.
Smoke is not an ingredient.
Don't have to hide behind the smoke.
But the idea of a ceviche was well executed.
I think it's a little bit more traditional than Ben's.
I think it could be spicier, to be honest.
You ***'d it up a little bit,
which I would've liked to have seen a little bit more --
more raza. You know what I mean?
Well, I've been ***'d up a lot lately in my life.
I'm from Mexico,
but I own a kosher Mexican Jewish Orthodox restaurant.
It's a challenge for me every day
to convert nonkosher food into kosher,
but I love the challenge.
So, you're aiming for first place.
Is there something else?
Thank you.
It was a tough basket.
My presentation, it wasn't good at all.
I'm worried about the snails, you know, overcooking it.
I'm definitely a little concerned with my dish. The plating was sloppy.
If I had to make a choice, who was going to be chopped,
I wouldn't know. I wouldn't know.
All of these four chefs
completely transformed these four ingredients.
The best part about Katsuji's dish
was that it looked so fresh.
Toast with the lemon-bar spread was delicious.
I also thought that he got very lucky
that the smoke didn't ruin that dish,
nor did it add anything.
Both Ben and Katsuji gave us a ceviche,
but both the ceviches were so markedly different.
I actually really liked Ben's flavors.
I liked the Asian approach that he took.
He actually represented the acai well.
He just put way too much on it.
And your presentation was...not very appetizing.
I thought Natasha did a really good job.
Potato, garlic, snails. What's better than that?
And she really used the acai judiciously.
But I just felt that Natasha overcooked those whelk snails.
And I really liked Paolo's idea about making the potato cakes,
though the center of the potato cake that I got
wasn't cooked.
But I thought that his snails
were among the most tender snails I had.
All of these competitors really wanted to go at your throat,
and I love it.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
BEN: The plating was a little sloppy,
but I think the flavors were there.
PAOLO: I've been cooking all my life.
It would be pretty much embarrassing going home
and saying, you know, "I've been chopped.
Finito."
[ Clock ticking ]
TED: So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Ben, you've been chopped.
Judges?
MANEET: Chef Ben, we thought that your approach
to the basket ingredients was very creative,
but the acai broth was too much, and we have to chop you.
I understand. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Thank you.
Came down to a couple minor, little flaws, you know,
and I just had one too many.
But this is about as easy a hurdle as I've faced in a while,
so we can brush this one off pretty easy.
TED: Chef Natasha, Chef Paolo, Chef Katsuji,
please open your baskets for the entrée round.
And you must use...
You get 30 minutes to complete your work.
Time starts now.
KATSUJI: A shawarma,
it's very flavorful pieces of lamb, full of spices.
For me, lamb and dark chilies
are, like, the perfect marriage.
I think I'm gonna make some kind of mole sauce.
I don't want to call it a mole,
'cause mole takes a long time to cook,
but I still want to showcase all of those flavors.
I grew up in Mexico City until I was 19 years old.
After that, we moved to L.A. with nothing.
I think I'm a mentor for kosher.
I did everything on my own.
Maybe I'm not the best chef for fine dining,
but I really think I could be the best kosher chef out there.
Not crazy about the shawarma.
But I know the flavor,
and I know I want to make a polpette over mashed potatoes.
Polpette is a patty, Italian.
The last round,
my potatoes wasn't cooked all the way through.
This round, I boiled the potatoes right away.
I think Natasha is a strong competitor.
She's young, but she's knowledgeable,
and Katsuji, too.
But I feel confident, and I'm not scared of talent.
NATASHA: I know there's three very salty ingredients
in the basket.
I'm thinking of making a stroganoff
that has cream and butter
that will mellow out that saltiness.
I'm making lamb shawarma stroganoff
with roasted Romanesco.
I get the shawarma into the pan
just to tenderize it a little bit.
Go for some pasta to infuse it with all the flavors.
Stroganoff, it's basically the mac-and-cheese of my culture.
It's simple. It's not pretentious.
It's kind of the go-to comfort food.
Do you think that Katsuji is going down the mole route?
AARóN: Yeah.
I'm just concerned that you have to cook a mole out,
and I don't know if he's gonna have enough time to do it.
KATSUJI: The mole that I make in my restaurant
takes like 24 hours just of stewing.
I don't know why I make my life so difficult.
I taste it. It needs to be more complex.
I grab some cumin, some paprika, cinnamon, and some chipotle.
Aarón commented that I went too ***
with the lack of spiciness.
For this round, I'm not gonna hold back on the spiciness.
So, judges, lamb shawarma.
A lot of flavor in it already.
It's already been processed, cooked.
I think that might be
the most difficult ingredient in this basket.
The baby Romanesco, it's amazing charred.
It just looks beautiful, and it's delicious.
Got the Romanesco cauliflower roasting,
and then I decide to combine the roasted cauliflower
with the pasta and the mushrooms.
I make a topping of the potato chips and sour cream
and the cornichons to get a little bit of a crust.
I sauté the shawarma with some red wine
and then put some parmesan, some eggs, chicken potato chips
and make small patties.
I'm putting some of the potato chips into the sauce
to emulsify it and make it more -- more thick.
I want to put a little sour cream to finish the dish,
so I just mix it with the Romanesco and the cornichons.
I want to make a nice, crispy tortilla,
so I grab the flour tortillas.
I put them in the fryer.
Okay, chefs, 10 minutes left.
So, the cornichons, little French pickles.
In Natasha's part of the world --
Eastern Europe -- pickles are beloved.
With the cornichons, I want to infuse them with some ***,
and so I add some dill.
Kind of really give it
that, like, authentic Eastern European touch.
TED: Here we have three first-generation immigrants
to America.
Yes, I am.
Definitely.
When you come to America, you consider it almost as a gift.
It is a land of opportunity,
and you make sure that you make the best advantage
of this opportunity which you've got.
NATASHA: My parents, they're both professors,
and to move here, they basically had to start all over.
Watching them having to wash, like, bathroom stalls
was extremely difficult.
They taught me that sometimes
you have to give up everything you have
and just go for your dream.
So, you can give me the toughest, toughest road,
and I'm not gonna give up.
All right, chefs, only five minutes left.
PAOLO: My potatoes are ready to go.
I put some salt and pepper, cream, and butter,
and I'm using the cornichons for a reduction sauce.
And I add some Bellota and cream.
NATASHA: I get my stroganoff out of the oven.
I put some parmesan on top
and get the torch just to get a little more caramelization.
KATSUJI: I watch "Chopped" every day.
I make fun of so many chefs,
and I always think I could beat all of them.
But I'm surprised.
These guys are very, very good. Very, very good.
But I still think that I'm the best chef here.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Time's up. Please step back.
NATASHA: I'm feeling very excited about this dish and the *** pairing.
That's me on a plate.
Natasha, she's so smart.
I didn't think about putting any kind of drink on the side.
How dare she.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
[ Clock ticking ]
Whether you wanted to cheer or cry
when you opened that entrée basket,
you still had to cook with lamb shawarma,
baby Romanesco cauliflower, cornichons,
and chicken-flavored potato chips.
Chef Natasha.
The main entrée is lamb shawarma stroganoff
with roasted Romanesco.
The shot is a cornichon-and-dill-infused ***
and is a way to start the meal in Ukrainian tradition.
Is there a toast? What do you say in Russian?
You say, "Na zdorov'ya,"
and then you drink three more of those.
Na zdorov'ya.
Na zdorov'ya.
Na zdorov'ya.
Nice!
Well, I think this is very tasty.
Thank you, Chef.
Taming the gaminess of the lamb with the sour cream,
and then the pastas are just these little sponges
for all that wonderful flavor.
Very smart use of the ingredients.
Not only that -- it was genius,
what you did to the *** with the pickle juice and the dill.
It's not show-off. It really works.
MANEET: It's very hearty. It's very homey.
But you could have cut down on the amount of shawarma
that you put in this.
But other than that, delicious.
Thank you.
Next up -- Chef Paolo.
I made for you today shawarma polpette
with Romanesco cauliflower and mushrooms
over mashed potatoes.
This is really yummy.
If you wanted to have a lamb burger,
this is what I would want to have.
You got a great sear on the outside,
so it kept all those juices inside.
I mean, just a different take on a very traditional thing,
and I love it.
What I particularly like about the plate
is the cornichon sauce.
It's bright. It's got a little bit of the acid coming through.
But I wish that the seasoning was a little bit more.
Stronger, you mean?
Even a little bit of salt and pepper in the potato puree
would have just livened the dish.
Thank you, Chef Paolo.
Finally -- Chef Katsuji.
So, guys, I made you --
I want to call it, like, a quick toasted salsa with crema
mixed with cornichons, cilantro, and the baby Romanesco.
I don't really want to call it a mole,
'cause a mole, it's just so time-consuming.
AARóN: You don't call this a mole, but, trust me,
I've tasted just about almost every mole you can,
and it does have those flavors.
I think it flavors the lamb perfectly.
I'm just really -- I'm really proud of this dish...
...as a Mexican.
Makes me feel very happy
to see this kind of technique being applied
and respect to the ingredients and the traditions.
I can taste the bitter. I can taste the sweet.
I just comes together beautifully.
The tortillas...
I wish you had just done away with the tortilla.
There's a lot of oil which is coming in.
GEOFFREY: I'm gonna agree on the tortilla.
It's just mushy.
But there's so much flavor and sophistication
in the rest of the dish.
The lamb really sings with this sauce.
TED: All right.
Thank you.
You know, you cheated, because you gave them ***.
That's not cheating,
because the *** was infused with an ingredient.
In Italian, it's called cheating.
You put wine in your sauces.
I like wine.
Well, I like ***.
We all want to win.
Nobody wants to be chopped -- nobody.
You look tired.
You should go home.
[ Laughs ]
I have to say, what a great round.
The polpette, the stroganoff, and the "mole."
Incredibly clever and incredibly distinctive.
I thought that Paolo's lamb was great.
You know, it tasted like shawarma.
He had a great crust.
The cornichons, the sauce, I think that was spectacular.
AARóN: But just some seasoning, I think,
could've brought everything together.
Katsuji's salsa, I thought,
had really deep flavors in all the traditional ways,
and I loved that crema with the cornichons
and the baby Romanesco cauliflower.
However, that fried tortilla was really greasy and just mushy.
Natasha, by doing a beef stroganoff but using lamb,
I thought that was just genius.
She was able to layer it in such a way
that you really got the true essence of her dish.
Her mistake, I think, was the shawarma itself.
The pieces were too big.
But she did get elements of the dish into the shot,
so it just seemed like a perfect pairing.
All I can say is there's so much integrity in these dishes,
so it's gonna be a very difficult decision
to chop somebody, but we have to.
KATSUJI: Both of those guys are extremely good.
I think that flour tortilla might've really screwed me over.
I want to make it to the dessert round very, very much.
Very much.
But I don't know what's -- what's gonna happen next.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
[ Clock ticking ]
So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Paolo, you've been chopped. Judges?
Chef Paolo, this was a very difficult decision for all of us.
This is a case where you had two really creative competitors,
and we just felt, compared to the others,
yours was a little bland.
Okay. Thank you.
You're going down.
What? [ Chuckles ]
PAOLO: I'm pissed off. Yes, I am.
I'm upset. Yes, I am.
I think I did a solid dish.
Yeah, I wanted to win badly, but it's not gonna happen.
Chef Katsuji, Chef Natasha,
who's gonna take this dessert round?
I will.
Let's get in a fight.
KATSUJI: I've been talking a little trash to Natasha.
It's part of the fun, you know?
NATASHA: Katsuji was trying to push my buttons.
I don't like the cockiness.
Please open your baskets.
And you must use...
30 minutes to complete your work.
Time starts now.
As soon as I cut into the cantaloupe...
...screamed to me, "Make me into a sherbet."
I'm making a sesame-seed crepe
with a cantaloupe-cucumber sherbet.
There's a stigma on Mexican and kosher food.
People think it's supposed to be cheap,
big portions, and very little care.
But I know that my flavors are fun and elegant.
I'm gonna win
because it's time for me to change people's perception.
It's amazing to see the will and the tenacity both of them have.
And it's really inspiring to see both Katsuji and Natasha here
coming from two different points of view
and preserving their heritage.
NATASHA: In Ukrainian culture,
dessert is a little bit less on the sweet side
than a lot of American desserts are.
Immediately, I'm thinking shortbread cookies.
My restaurant I opened with my brother and my parents
represents kind of independence, and it's a big achievement.
We share all our struggles and all our joys together,
so to win would be a huge victory for all of us.
So, judges, do you think the cucumber salad
is gonna be the problem here?
AARóN: I don't think so at all.
This cucumber salad has been lightly dressed
with some sugar, touch of salt, and just vinegar,
so I think you can really impart something sweet to it.
And, chefs, you're looking at 20 minutes on the clock.
I'm making a cream to have, like, a lighter balance
to the heaviness of the cookie.
I got the marshmallow in there
and the cucumbers with the sour cream.
Who among us grew up with this iconic marshmallow spread?
GEOFFREY: I know Ted and I did.
Marshmallow melted with corn syrup. That's all it is.
It's really very tasty.
I never have marshmallow spread.
It's a great flavor.
My first thought is I should make a cajeta sauce
with a little bit of bourbon, the marshmallows,
and the sesame-seed candy.
That's gonna go inside of my crepes.
Next, I start my crepe batter.
I grab some eggs, some seltzer water,
a little bit of lemon.
Going against Natasha,
she's been very, very solid for the last two rounds.
But right now, I want to find a way to outshine her.
Now down to 10 minutes.
I plated the entrée course with a *** shot.
Why not also include a drink and dessert?
I'm making a traditional fruit tea
with the cucumber salad and the cantaloupe.
Hopefully the judges love it.
KATSUJI: I'm going back to the ice-cream machine to check my sherbet,
and the only thing that I didn't want to happen,
that's the thing that happened.
It overmixed, but I don't have time to make it again.
And, chefs, you've got only five minutes left.
It's that stage of the dessert round
where suddenly a hush falls over the kitchen.
NATASHA: I have my tea going. It looks great.
And then I want to blend it.
Oh, my God.
I think she burned herself.
I'm in shock, but I can't let this burn
distract me from completing my dish.
I want to use the cucumber salad to make, like, a whipped cream.
I'm gonna blend the cream, some cucumbers,
a little bit of cilantro, mint, and basil.
We've had such amazing food from both of them --
the appetizer, the entrées.
Our expectations are really, really high.
KATSUJI: I have my cream in the canister, and it doesn't want to come out.
The problem with using the canister
is you have to make sure that it's a smooth puree,
and I think the cucumber is getting stuck in the nozzle.
All right, chefs, only one minute left.
Oh, my gosh, you're getting toasted marshmallow spread.
KATSUJI: The 30 minutes, they just disappear.
I grab another CO2 cartridge,
and then I just shake the canister very, very hard,
and it comes out.
TED: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Time's up. Please step back.
What a round.
KATSUJI: Time's up, and I think this is a winner dish.
NATASHA: My dessert looks beautiful.
When I look over to Katsuji's dessert,
I don't think that the crepe is very original.
That's not gonna cut it.
[ Clock ticking ]
Let's hope the judges have saved room for desserts
made from cucumber salad, cantaloupe,
sesame-seed candy, and marshmallow spread.
Chef Katsuji.
I have here a sesame-seed crepe stuffed with sesame-seed cajeta
with cantaloupe, cucumber sherbet,
and on the side, I have a whipped cream
with cucumber and some fresh herbs.
AARóN: I think it's a very interesting choice
that you chose to make crepes,
'cause crepes are something that's very traditional.
This teeters on savory, but it's sweet enough.
I think the cajeta approach is really nice.
I like the idea of the sherbet,
but there is too much fat in this.
And it has been overchurned,
so the cream has turned into butter.
I agree, but the cucumber cream is delicious.
Chef Katsuji, thank you.
Thank you.
And finally -- Chef Natasha.
For dessert, I made a sesame cookie
with a marshmallow cream and a melon-cucumber tea.
So, we saw that you had a little bit of an accident
on your station.
Did you burn yourself?
I did.
I did burn myself just a little bit,
but it's, you know --
I'm happy that you continued on.
It shows a lot of your grit and your moxie.
Thank you, Chef.
You know, here you have a lot of very interesting flavors,
and I like the idea that it's not too sweet,
and I love this cream on the bottom.
But this cookie is very dense. It has that raw flavor to it.
Actually, I didn't have a problem with the cookie.
The one thing which I did not care at all on the plate
was the tea.
It just came across as completely flat.
It's not really infused with a lot of sugar or other spices.
If it's a little, you know, mellow, it's okay for me.
This is a very unusual dessert,
and I appreciate unusual desserts.
TED: Remember, chefs,
the appetizers, entrées, and desserts that you made
will all be discussed by the judges as they pick the winner.
Thank you.
Oh, God! I'm glad that it's over.
I feel like I've cooked my -- the best I could.
Obviously, you want to win. I want to win.
If I win against you, I will be very proud.
You're gonna give me your money if you win?
No, but you were a very tough competitor.
Thank you. So are you. So are you.
Well, thinking about the meals as a whole, who wins?
The first course, to me, was a clear win for Katsuji.
I thought he did a really nice job
of balancing flavors in the ceviche.
I also liked Natasha's first course.
Her potato-and-snail roast with the garlic,
I thought, was delicious.
AARóN: Well, I thought Natasha overcooked the whelk
by poaching it prior to sautéing it.
I think in the entrée round,
you have to look at Natasha's play on beef stroganoff.
I thought that was one of the yummiest dishes of the day,
and let's not forget that ***
with the dill pickle juice in it.
On the other hand, Katsuji, he made this mole
which had such an amazing depth of flavor.
To do that in half an hour?
I think that that was incredible.
But that tortilla, it was chewy, and it was just mush.
You know what I mean?
I thought Katsuji took the appetizer.
I thought Natasha took the entrée.
I do agree with that. I'm very torn with the dessert.
I think that the creativity was more heightened with Natasha's.
The marshmallow spread -- I thought that was amazing.
But then the tea that she made was so sorely disappointing.
And, also, that cookie was such a focal point of her dessert,
and I didn't think it was executed well.
I actually did not have a problem at all with her cookie.
I mean, on the same lines,
we can say that in Katsuji's dessert,
the sorbet was the focal point,
and that was a sore disappointment.
Yeah, the sorbet was overchurned,
but I applauded the creativity there.
I think it's a very, very tough decision.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
KATSUJI: I'm feeling relieved.
Actually, I'm feeling confident. My heart tells me I won.
On this day, I really cooked, you know,
with a lot of passion and a lot of heart,
and I really, really hope that I won.
So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Natasha, you've been chopped.
Judges?
GEOFFREY: Tasha, your first course, it was delicious.
The second course, the [Chuckles] shawarma stroganoff
was amazing.
But we felt that dessert course
didn't have the right consistency, flavor, or nuance.
And so for those reasons, we have to chop you today.
Chef, I think your family will be honored
by the way you celebrated their journey,
so I hope you leave here with your head held high.
Great job, Chef.
Very nice meeting you. Thank you so much. Spasybi.
Spasybi.
Well, I guess the dessert wasn't as good as I thought it was,
but I don't think I let myself down.
I'm starting out, but I'm working hard,
and there's a lot more success to come.
TED: That means, Chef Katsuji Tanabe,
that you are the "Chopped" champion.
Congratulations.
Yeah!
AARóN: I thought you did a great justice
to your background, to your food, to your culture.
It's been an, you know, experience of a lifetime.
Thanks for liking my food.
KATSUJI: I came here from Mexico with nothing,
and starting tomorrow, I will start saying,
"Katsuji Tanabe, 'Chopped' champion.
Nice to meet you."
I'm proof of the American dream exists.