[woman] I feel a lot of pride, it's a lot of honor involved in this.
[man] My whole life people have always kind of doubted me.
I'm ready to silence those haters.
-Let's get it. -Double time!
[Ted] This tournament is about honor and commitment.
[woman] I don't quit.
[man] This is all or nothing for me.
[man 2] I love this feeling.
[woman 2] The adrenaline rush is real.
[Ted] 16 military chefs battle to represent their branch.
Champs will join forces.
Unbelievably crazy.
It's our nation's best.
[man] You can say that again.
-[man] B-E-S-T, best. -It's so good.
[whooping]
[narrator] Put to the ultimate test.
These chefs will do whatever it takes to win.
Oh, yeah, baby, here we go.
You gotta finish.
[woman] But you don't train for something like this.
[Ted] Everything has to be flawless.
[woman 3] The only time you fail is when you quit.
-Let's go! -What do you want from me?
-Get the food on the plate. -Hold on.
[Brian] I'm here to win and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
-Remember he's... -[all] Bomb squad.
[narrator] This is Chopped: Military Salute.
I am the Army.
I used to be part of the bomb squad.
Now the only fires I'm putting out are those in the kitchen.
I like to take simple, classic food and elevate it.
Oh, man, that looks good already.
I work at Carlisle Barracks.
I manage the household for the general.
Everything has to be flawless.
I have four children and it is a handful to say the least.
Who likes bad dad jokes?
What's a snowman's favorite lunch?
A brr-rito.
[laughs]
Bringing home a win would definitely classify me as the cool dad.
I'm trained to be calm under pressure.
I'm here to win and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
I'm an enlisted aide for the 25th Infantry Division
in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
As an enlisted aide, you're basically a personal chef
for the general every single day.
My style of cooking is straight Puerto Rican.
I try to cook healthy with those influences.
I'm made for Chopped.
I've been competing in the Army's culinary team.
We won gold every year, so I am absurdly competitive.
May the best warrior win.
Being from Puerto Rico, I can hide my influence.
My love for food comes from my madre.
A lot of bold flavors, a lot of richness.
I was in Afghanistan, surrounded by the enemy.
Cooking for a hundred infantry guys,
it's such an honor to be representing the Army.
This is the taste of Puerto Rico, and I'm here to get the job done.
I'm a culinary management NCO for the United States Army.
We serve 500 soldiers a day, three meals per day.
I don't like anything that I'm going to give
to my customers that don't represent me.
I'm a Southern girl.
I like flavor, I like color.
It comes from my heart, it comes from my soul.
The Army taught me to trust my instincts.
I'm here to show what the Army can do.
Let's get it.
Welcome, U.S. Army chefs.
Do you feel as confident as you look? Of course!
-Yes! -Let's get it!
-This is it. -Let's get it.
There are three rounds, appetizer, entree, and dessert.
Mandatory mystery ingredients for each course.
If your dish doesn't cut it, you will be chopped.
Cut!
The winner here will join champions from three other military branches
in the tournament's finale, where four champs
will join forces to try to take down three Chopped titans.
-Come on. -Let's do this.
-Let's go. -Well, you have to get through these first.
Open them up.
-All right. -Oh!
And you've got your hands on "S.O.S."
I can say what it is.
Stuff on a shingle.
When I saw S.O.S., I started having flashbacks of basic training.
-I love radishes. -Breakfast radishes.
-And quail eggs. -Quail eggs.
Quail eggs are extremely hard to work with.
They have a tough shell, they have a membrane.
-[Ted] And crescent roll dough. -Okay.
Thirty minutes to make your first plates.
-Clock starts now. -Yes!
[all clapping]
-Let's go, Army! -Let's go, Army!
-Whoo. -Scott, you are joined by Sunny Anderson,
co-host of The Kitchen and an Air Force veteran,
and Cliff Crooks, host of Food Network's Chef Boot Camp.
Yeah! All right, work, work, work, work!
Judges, what kind of personality do you think attracts people to the Army?
The Army does more before 9 o'clock than most people do
-all day. -My parents are both Army.
I think you can kind of see that in them right now.
-Behind you! -They wake up ready to go.
My brother is in the Army, 82nd Airborne, Special Operations.
This is like going back to advanced culinary school.
-Color and taste, color and taste, color and taste. -Color and taste.
You see the amount of camaraderie and the excitement,
but when it's go time, I know they're all more than capable of being
dead-on serious.
-Chef Colvin! -Yes, sir!
How's that dish going to make the Army proud?
Because it's all that it can be.
-I'll sing that song later. -That was the only Army answer.
I have the opportunity to work at the Pentagon
for the 4th Star General and the Joint Chief of Staff.
-Chef Luis! -Yes, Chef!
What are we making and how?
We're making some delicious quail egg,
goat cheese tart using the gravy.
Can we talk a little bit about stuff on a shingle?
Well, it is a famed breakfast dish in the Army
in particular.
It's basically just creamed sauce with chipped beef in it over toast.
I'm using the quail eggs as a binder for
the goat cheese SOS filling.
I am a competitive person. I like to win,
and I'm here for winning.
This actually is a very difficult basket.
You've got the deciding what to do with the SOS.
You've got the quail eggs.
Such a great ingredient.
They're so difficult to break that exterior shell.
It's so thick.
It's a challenge because you don't want to break the yolk.
I've never seen or worked with quail eggs before.
I'm looking at all these items.
I'm going to use a salad to bring everything together.
I'm making a radish salad with a boiled quail egg.
-I taste the SOS. -Ugh...
It was salty and beefy, so I think I'm going
to just throw it in a pot, thin it out,
and try to make that a sauce on top of my salad.
Chefs, 20 minutes left on that clock.
-Yeah. -All right, work, work, work, work.
I've been serving in the Army for 16 years.
I've cooked for foreign diplomats, generals.
The Army has given me so much.
-What do we got? -I want to win this for my children
and for my brothers and sisters in the EOD community.
I'm going to use the crescent dough as some form of vehicle
for the rest of my dish.
[Sunny] Oh, that crescent roll dough, that's omnipresent
in my refrigerator.
-Omnipresent. -Well, yeah, because when you think about it,
you need it.
It's so buttery and salty, but I hope they get it
in the oven soon because it takes about 15 minutes for it to cook.
Quail eggs.
For my appetizer, I'm making a quail egg
in a crescent dough basket with pickled radish and SOS sauce.
I have no idea how long I need to boil these quail eggs,
so I'm going to make a wild guess.
Hot oven.
Crescent roll dough is literally the best thing ever.
It's really easy to work with, and I like making
crescent roll dough with my kids.
I'm making a Mediterranean pizza with a bechamel white sauce
and a sunny side up quail egg.
For my bechamel white sauce, I take the SOS gravy
and I mix that with heavy cream.
Keep pushing, keep pushing, guys.
Luis is going to be tough competition.
I know of him.
He works for one of the highest ranking GOs in the military.
But I feel pretty confident. I'm a great chef.
I'm resilient. I'm a great soldier.
I get adrenaline when I'm in the kitchen,
and I just want to be the best.
[Cliff] Breakfast radishes, not as spicy as your regular radish,
neutral in flavor.
I love doing quick pickles, and I'm going to pickle
my radishes.
Vinegar with white wine vinegar.
Some red pepper flakes and whole peppercorns.
Look at that. Nice, creamy, good color.
There's a lot that you can do with SOS.
I know sour cream will level out some of the saltiness,
and I add a little Worcestershire sauce,
a little bit of the Asian hot sauce.
It should be a nice, light sauce with a little bit of spice.
[exclaims]
I diced up the radish, and I mixed it together
along with red onions, olives, arugula, and feta.
-All right. -I pulled my pizza crust out of the oven,
and it looks great.
I put my sauce on and the toppings,
and then I get it right back in the oven.
I want to top my pizzas off with a sunny-side-up quail egg.
The quail egg will add richness when you bite
into the pizza.
Let's go!
Once my tart is baking, I'm going to get started on my salad.
I blistered the cherry tomatoes over heat,
and I decided to blanch and sauté Brussels sprouts.
[Sunny] Eight minutes to go. Is someone getting Brussels sprouts out?
If I see Brussels sprouts coming out and going into a pan.
[Scott] DeShonta is having a real hard time
with this crescent roll dough.
It doesn't seem like she can get her idea together.
Can I get some flour, chef?
So this crescent dough is giving me so much trouble.
DeShonta doesn't have her dough in the oven yet.
The longer you handle and manipulate it, the softer it gets.
I'm beginning to think that that is the trap
of the basket.
'Cause I am definitely running out of time.
I need to put every component on this plate,
or I know I'm going to get chopped.
-Five minutes left on the clock, chefs. -Five minutes left!
-Already? -DeShonta, hurry up!
Double time!
DeShonta doesn't have her dough in the oven yet.
Fry that baby.
This crescent dough is giving me so much trouble.
You good? Do you want me to stir it for you?
Yes!
There's a lot of mutual respect here
amongst these chefs, which I really appreciate.
It's called an army of one.
Cutie behind you! Cutie behind you!
My plan B is just to fry it.
I'm making them into a crisp.
Gotta have some crunch to this plate, right?
That's right, texture!
All right, I want to top my pizza sauce
with a little bit of freshness.
So I grabbed some arugula and I dressed it with balsamic vinaigrette
and olive oil.
I want to show my kids that their mom is fearless,
and I'm not going anywhere without a fight.
I want to pickle the radishes to add some more brightness
to the dish.
A mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and fresh basil.
And I set my radishes aside to pickle.
We're not really done.
DeShonta put her crescent roll dough back in the fryer.
Now listen, I'm okay with a double fry
as long as that second fry doesn't leave it oil-laden.
[Scott] Ryan has decided to hard-boil his quail eggs.
Get out of here.
And now he's starting to attempt to peel these very tiny, delicate...
-Oh, jeez. -...little eggs right now.
-One minute to go, chefs! -Come on, Army!
With moments to spare, I put down my crescent baskets.
On top of that goes my peeled quail egg.
I garnish it with my spicy pickled radish.
Let's do it!
DeShonta, hurry up!
Come on, chefs, finish up those plates!
-Yes! -Let's go, Army!
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...
-Everything on! -...four, three, two, one.
-Time's up! Please step back. -[all clapping]
I am feeling worried it's a little small for an appetizer.
I realize I'm missing the pickled radishes.
There's only one plate with radishes.
Missing a basket ingredient is a big deal.
Forward, march!
Right face!
Forward, march!
U.S. Army chefs, you opened the appetizer basket
and found S.O.S. Breakfast radishes,
quail eggs, and crescent roll dough.
Chef Marisabel, what have you made?
So today I have for you a Mediterranean pizza,
and then on the top, I have a quail egg.
Bang-up job.
Incredibly smart move, rolling out the crescent roll dough in order to
decrease surface area and get it as crispy
and as fully cooked as possible.
Very smart to put that S.O.S., that stuff on a shingle,
over the top.
But there's a slight identity crisis going on here.
The top really does want to be Mediterranean,
and the bottom really wants to hang out in the south.
Okay.
It could've taken more of that Greek salad flavor profile
and really hammered it home here, adding more olives,
adding more tomatoes, having that feta cheese,
utilizing, instead of the arugula, the radish greens as well, right?
The basket is the key.
All in all, I think your egg is technically
-perfect with that quail egg. -Thank you.
Well done, Chef.
Next up is Chef Luis.
Today I did a quail egg goat cheese tart
with arugula and also Brussels sprouts.
[Ted] Chef Luis, why do you want to win Chopped?
Winning Chopped has been always a dream for me.
I'm originally from Puerto Rico, born and raised.
When I joined the Army, I joined with no English at all.
And then just realizing the long journey that
I've been through, that's the legacy I want to give to my kids.
Chef, what's in that mixture with the goat cheese?
I think that's the chipped beef from the stuff on a shingle.
-Oh, that's the beef. -Yeah, it's from the same component, yeah.
-It's really a smart idea. -Thank you, Chef.
Like, floored by it. It's awesome.
-Thank you, Chef. -I really adore this crescent roll dough tart.
Really smart to add the cheese to bring
a little bit of a light note.
The vinaigrette is very, very good.
-Thank you, Chef. -The radishes I don't have.
It's only on my plate right now.
Is the tart flambe enough to carry this dish forward
without the radishes on all the plate?
-Okay. -Next up, Chef DeShonta,
please tell us about your dish.
I have a radish salad with a fried biscuit
and a half of a quail egg.
I love the fact that it was a salad as an appetizer, of course.
And then the crescent roll dough, while incredibly crispy,
is very laden with the fryer oil.
Because you went back and then double fried it.
It's greasy, and it just tastes like nothing but the oil.
We just had an overdressed salad, and I think yours
was a little underdressed.
Listen, I think what you created here is great.
I love the effort. I love the knife work.
I love the utilization of the vegetables that you have inside here.
The egg, I think it was cooked perfectly.
-Yes, Chef. -So I think you have a really good touch.
Thank you.
Chef, why did you join the Army?
I was in a domestic, violent situation,
and I wanted to see how strong I was without my ex.
And I just want to let people know that you're not your past.
Incredible.
-Well done. -Thank you, Chef.
-Thank you. -Incredible.
Next up, Chef Brian, please tell us about your starter.
The dish you have in front of you is a boiled quail egg
in a croissant basket
with a spicy pickled radish and a S.O.S. sauce.
-So one bite, Chef? -One bite, Chef.
One bite, yeah.
Chef, how would you compare the pressure
of the Chopped kitchen to your work?
So I first started out with 101st Airborne Division,
deployed to Iraq.
I was able to transfer over to explosive ordnance disposal.
After that, I was blessed to be selected to
become an estate manager and personal chef
to a general in the United States Army.
So I think I'm okay with the pressure, sir.
-[all laughing] -Yeah.
This was so damn cute. I mean, was it an appetizer?
That's the question I'm asking myself.
Chef Brian, I loved it.
I got that Asian spice you were talking about in there.
I would have actually wanted more of it.
Maybe a couple more pieces of the pickled radish,
but I thought it was exciting to eat.
Thank you.
If I were to take you in the kitchen and cook this with you again,
I would say, let's take that egg about 50% of the way
from where you had it.
So you get that beautiful yolk.
That covers the palate.
It would be more of an experience, I would say,
-than just the flavor profile. -Absolutely.
Okay, we respect you all for your service.
But still, we must part ways with one chef.
I forgot the radishes on the plate.
I'm hoping they give me the opportunity to go to the next round,
so I can show them that that was just a minor mistake.
[DeShonta] It's going to either come down to me or Luis,
because at the end of the day, you have to have
all ingredients on there.
Only three U.S. Army chefs get to make entrees.
So whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Luis, you've been chopped.
Judges?
The best dish was just chopped because
of the technicality.
I want you to think about that.
Yes, Chef.
I want to say thank you. Thank you to each one of you guys.
If it weren't for the radishes, I'm pretty sure
I would stay in the competition.
Things happen for a reason, so I'm not fighting the destiny.
My dad is from the Army, so I'm going to need y'all
to represent. Can you guys step it up?
-Absolutely. -Absolutely, Chef.
We're going to need that.
Chef Brian, Chef DeShonta, Chef Marisabel,
we're set to begin this entree round as soon as you investigate
what's inside these.
-It's camo apples. -Get it?
Camo apple?
They look pretty.
I had a good laugh looking at these camo apples.
Oh, come on.
Oh!
What is this?
Guajes verde.
[Sunny] And pork tenderloin.
[Ted] Pork tenderloin.
You don't want to overcook pork tenderloin.
That could be quite tough.
[Ted] And fish sauce.
30 minutes to get your ideas together
and your plates in order.
Clock starts now.
Hi.
Judges, regular chefs come in off the street,
often express being nervous in the Chopped kitchen,
but these military chefs are trained in both cooking
and combat.
The basket is the great equalizer.
I don't care how much you've trained for anything else,
you have no idea what's in that basket.
Nerves can set in.
Tenderloin, it's the filet mignon of pork.
-Extremely tender, minimal fat. -Like zero.
Like zero fat.
And it needs a supporting cast of flavors in order
to have it really, really stand out.
Yeah, if you want to go aggressive on a rub
-or a marinade, it's the tenderloin. -Exactly.
All right.
I want to add as much flavor to this pork as possible.
Ground cumin.
Cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper.
Limes, limes, limes. Gotta have those limes.
Perfect for a pork tenderloin taco with a camo apple barbecue sauce.
[Cliff] The easiest thing in the basket is the fish sauce,
which is essentially fermented anchovy.
Incredibly pungent, incredibly flavorful.
If used properly.
I tasted the fish sauce, and it was so salty.
I'm gonna make it work today.
It'll add nice salt and an extra depth of flavor.
I'm making seared pork tenderloin
with an apple poblano puree.
The saltiness of bacon will pair really nice with the pork tenderloin.
[DeShonta] I'm looking at these basket ingredients,
and my mind goes straight to pasta.
My pasta, I know between 8 to 10 minutes, it'll be done.
So I'm going to make a seared pork tenderloin pasta.
Onions and peppers, I'mma just julienne them up for my pasta.
All right, 20 minutes left on the clock, chefs.
Next, we are going to taste these guys.
[Scott] These guajes verdes, they are from the acacia tree.
What it means is green pods, essentially.
So they look like little pepitas or pumpkin seeds.
-Right. -And they have this tremendous flavor, right?
It's a little buttery, a little garlicky, a little salty.
The seeds are edible, but the pod that
encases them are not.
These apples are tough cookies.
To go with my tenderloin, I'm making an apple guaje puree
with tomato and a roasted poblano.
Okay, what was I gonna do with sauce?
I can make a wonderful barbecue sauce
for this pork taco with onion powder,
ketchup, brown sugar.
I cut the apple out of the candy coating and throw it right in.
I add my fish sauce to the barbecue sauce,
and it is absolutely banging.
That is banging.
It's pork. Pork got a little sweetness to it.
Pork and apples go together, so I'm just going to throw
the apples in with a little bit of brown sugar.
The sweetness of the apples will offset the very salty
fish sauce.
I have to peel these pods and add them to my onions
and peppers.
[Brian] This will work. A taco needs a salsa.
I grab some tomatillos, a Roma tomato, lime.
I taste the seeds, and they have this beautiful nuttiness to them,
so I add them to my tomatillo sauce.
Five minutes to go, chefs.
-[Sunny] Marisabel. -Yes, ma'am.
-How you feeling about your pork tenderloin? -I'm feeling.
I like that answer, honey. I get it.
I need crispy bacon.
The pork is cooking, and the bacon is not.
This could be really bad.
There we go. I don't have plates.
I don't have tortillas.
-I'm rushing. -Brian, let's go!
I'm going!
I grabbed the corn tortillas, and I tried to toast it as quickly as possible.
You feeling all right over there?
-What is your definition of all right? -Ooh!
Time flies while you're stuffing tacos, man.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up.
[Marisabel] My entree looks beautiful.
The only thing that I'm worried about
is the crispiness on the bacon.
[sighs]
This is a very sad entree.
That one taco better be so delicious.
I can only expect the worst.
Man!
I feel utter defeat.
U.S. Army chefs, for the entree round,
we gave you a basket of camo apples,
guajes verde, pork tenderloin, and fish sauce.
Chef Marisabel, please tell us what you made.
Today I have for you a pork tenderloin
wrapped in bacon and an apple pepper puree.
There are a lot of really smart plays in this dish.
The camo apple and guajes verde sauce,
it's really, really smart and plays well with both porks, right?
The bacon and the pork tenderloin.
Pork itself, I had a couple pieces that were just cooked perfectly
and then a couple that were under.
-The bacon. -Yes.
-Bad move. -Okay.
Too thick, fat not rendered completely.
You have that big slab, make some lard on, honey.
Give me that crispy fat, I'll take it.
The most impressive thing on this plate to me
is your sauce with the guajes verde.
I love the texture of it.
I love the usage of the poblano with the apple.
I think you could have embraced that fish sauce
a touch more, but I think it all came together really nicely.
Thank you, Chef.
What would you say, chef, what's motivating you in this competition?
It's really my children.
They are my biggest motivation, and honestly,
my husband.
He really is my rock.
Being active duty and pretty much a single dad
when I'm gone. It's phenomenal.
Next up, chef DeShonta.
In front of you, you have a seared pork tenderloin pasta
with a caramelized camo apple.
In the pasta, I do have that fish sauce.
[Sunny] Your use of the fish sauce was interesting.
I was expecting for it to really show up.
It's almost not there.
Leaving the skin on the apples was a little bit chewy.
The apple could have used a bit more love.
-Yes, Chef. -Now, the pasta itself, it just eats dry
because there is no sauce to adhere to the noodle.
That pork is, you could say it's slightly overcooked.
I think it's really good.
Your initial instincts are really correct,
but it's these little flavor profiles that can just tweak
and lift everything else up.
Thank you very much, Chef. Appreciate it.
-Finally, chef Brian. -Yes, sir.
So you have a pork tenderloin taco with
a camo apple barbecue sauce and a tomatillo sauce.
Before I bite, I think my tomatillo sauce,
it missed the taco.
-Sorry. -So I'm just gonna smear it on there.
Thank you.
Chef, were you in a little bit of a rush there at the end?
I was trying to get two tacos, so you had one
with the tomatillo and one with the barbecue sauce.
Unfortunately, you can see the results of that.
Pork was very flavorful.
Love the camo apple barbecue sauce
and the use of the fish sauce.
Very, very smart move.
How dare you not give me two tacos?
-It just kind of broke in half. -So sorry.
Your barbecue sauce was awesome.
Put that on anything on the grill.
-On your back porch. -Yes, ma'am.
It's gonna work out. Salmon, chicken, pork, whatever.
I will say I would have loved more of the tomatillo sauce
that you made with the guajes verdes.
The tortilla itself, it definitely needs more time to char.
There's a lack of flavor there because it's just not developed, right?
-Right. Absolutely. -And it has that chalky texture to it.
And also in the taco itself wasn't enough.
I had three small pieces of meat and not enough
of the tomatillo, a little bit of the barbecue sauce.
So this is the problem.
You do such great work, and then all of a sudden you don't get it on the plate.
Frankly, it's what's in front of the guest
-is what really counts. -100%, sir.
All right, entrees done. Who will be making desserts?
And whose dish is on the chopping block?
[DeShonta] I'm being very optimistic that I do make it
to the next round, and I just put my best foot forward.
[Marisabel] I definitely made some errors.
I need to focus on keeping every dish consistent
and making sure that I really bring out those flavors.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get as many tacos
on that plate as I wanted to.
I'm feeling a little nervous.
Which two chefs will get to cook a complete meal?
And whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef DeShonta, you've been chopped.
Judges, Chef DeShonta, thank you so much
for representing the Army the way you have today.
Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
That fish sauce didn't come through in the finished dish.
Yes, Chef.
And the skin on the camo apple was just unappetizing.
-You've been chopped. -Thank you.
-Wonderful work. -Thank you.
Good luck to you.
Group hug, group hug. Aww.
Disappointed in my dish, but definitely not disappointed in me.
I have not quit, and I'm not a failure,
and I keep it moving.
Chef Marisabel, Chef Brian, to say the two of you
have played it cool under pressure here
would be an understatement.
Which one of you is destined to represent the U.S. Army
in our finale's high-octane military task force?
-I am. -It's definitely going to be me.
We'll see. Let's do this.
Dig in your final baskets.
Whoo!
And you're looking at an America milkshake.
Fresh figs?
Figs.
Crackers.
Butter crackers.
-And pandan milk candy. -Pandan.
Pandan milk candy.
What is a pandan milk candy?
Once again, 30 minutes.
Clock starts now.
Chef Brian definitely won round one.
-That cute little composed appetizer. -Yeah.
And then the entree, she definitely edged him out
with the sauce and everything that she put above it.
It's neck and neck. Whoever wins this dessert wins it all.
-How you doing, Chef? -I'm good, Chef.
-How are you? -Struggling.
I am at a level 10 with anxiety going against Marisabel.
And I have to do my best on this round,
here, now, in the present.
I know I can make some sort of crust out of these butter crackers.
With graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter.
I'm making a macerated strawberry tart
with a pandan milk chocolate sauce.
I find these small dishes.
I press the crust into the side, and I throw it in the oven.
I scoop my figs into a pot, and I add some sugar and lemon juice.
I get that going on the heat, and I add raspberries to make a sauce.
-Brian. -Yeah, Chef?
Is this dessert taking you to the finale?
Absolutely.
-You sure about that? -100%.
This basket, the butter crackers, you can utilize
as a base for some kind of a tart.
The figs, you could brulee them.
You have that milkshake, which is 50%
of the way onto a pastry cream.
I have to use this milkshake for an ice cream of some sort.
I'm making a pandan cream tart with raspberry fig sauce
and bruleed figs.
I grind up the butter crackers, and then I get my crust from the oven.
Next, I'm making the pandan cream to be a filling
on my tart.
I take the ice cream from the milkshake.
I crush up some of the pandan candies,
and I mix them in the ice cream.
Then I run the bowl over to the freezer, so it'll set.
[Brian] I taste the pandan milk candy.
It has a buttery mouthfeel.
It's this awkward green color.
This pandan smells like movie theater popcorn.
It's very milky.
It's very sweet.
I want to do a chocolate sauce for my dessert,
and I'm going to melt it down with pandan candy
and the milkshake to thin it out.
20 minutes left on that clock, chefs.
I want to utilize this vibrant green color to make a sauce.
To go with my tart, I'm making a raspberry fig sauce.
Oh, figs are great.
We grew up with them, and it was always just like my mom
would make some kind of a preserve-y sauce
-and spread it on some bread, and that was... -Yeah.
it really doesn't need much.
I go to check on my pandan cream, and it is not setting.
Five minutes to go, chefs.
Come on, Marisabel.
My pandan cream is completely liquid.
-It doesn't look like it's set. -It's not.
That's the problem.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
-Oh, shoot. -This pandan cream is the filling
of my entire dessert, and it is not setting.
Brian and I are neck and neck.
And if I don't finish strong, this could be it.
I leave the cream in the freezer.
To top off my tart, I'm making brulee figs.
Chef Brian, what's going on over there, chef?
I'm going crazy.
No, I'm straining some of the fig raspberry sauce that I just made.
-You got to start assembling. -Gotcha.
Time is running out, and I realize I need to get my crackers.
I have all my components on the table,
and I start plating.
And I have to whip up this whipped cream.
And I just start going to town.
All my pent-up frustrations and worries,
I'm putting that into my whipped cream.
I have no time left. I have to get my cream out of the freezer.
And I start assembling my tarts.
[Sunny] Come on, Marisabel.
Think about your final plate.
Make it look good, presentation.
-Have you tasted everything? -Yes, chef.
As I'm assembling my tarts, I'm realizing this cream has not set at all.
But I know there's no giving up.
All right, chefs, final seconds of the final round here.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
-Time's up. -Wow.
-Good job, chefs. -Good job.
[all] Wow.
All the flavors of everything that I made went really, really well.
Super sweet. It's going to be delicious.
All the components are there, but definitely
this is the scariest dish I've made today.
So I hope that it carries me.
Chef Marisabel, Chef Brian, you have made desserts
using an American milkshake, figs, butter crackers,
and pandan milk candy.
Chef Brian, what do we have?
Today, chef, for you, I have a macerated strawberry tart with a pandan
milk chocolate sauce and a raspberry fig sauce
to help balance out a little bit of that sweetness.
-It's delicious. -Thank you.
I wish this were bigger. I do.
-It would be 100 times better. -Understood.
First of all, the fact that you had that moist,
strawberry kind of syrupy thing going on
and it didn't sog out the crust, that's really why I ate it all.
I could have used more fig.
I know it's there, but, you know,
-something kind of got lost in the sauce, if you ask me. -Yes, ma'am.
The strawberries aren't in the basket. Figs are in the basket.
-It makes a lot of sense. -Use the figs.
-Does that make sense? -Yes, sir.
I like the use of the pandan in the chocolate sauce itself.
I like that it's not an overt big chocolate flavor.
It's kind of subtle.
-It's a great dessert amuse. -Understood.
Chef Brian, thank you.
Next up, Chef Marisabel.
I have a pandan crumble cream tart,
and then I have a fig and raspberry sauce
with a pandan sauce, and on the bottom is a butter cracker crust.
-Chef. -Yes.
I think you see the issue here, right?
Um, mine didn't set.
I don't know about anybody else.
I think the liquid itself is good, but it's a liquid.
Yes, chef.
But I really respect the use of the pandan candy
because the saltiness of it does cut through that creamy,
sweet America milkshake, and that's appreciated.
And I do want to give you kudos for not running into
the pantry and finding another fruit.
You really decided to focus on the fig,
and the fig was delicious.
I could tell it was slightly candied,
and it was a great topper to your dish.
The flavors in here are great. The crust is great.
The execution, yeah, that's when things
kind of go a little bit sideways.
You both showed us what you've got, and very soon,
we will name the champion.
Judges, the army really showed up in this competition.
Shall we start at round one?
That adorable little amuse-bouche that we got from Chef Brian.
I liked it. The S.O.S. sauce
on the bottom was delicious.
It was a good start.
-Spicy. -It needed a little bit more spice.
It needed a little bit more acidity.
It didn't work, but it was good.
Marisabel took the crescent roll dough
and made herself Mediterranean pizzette
using the S.O.S. as the base.
The S.O.S. was just really cloying.
It was incredibly dry.
Her quail egg was actually cooked beautifully.
It was. Chef Brian took that round.
But when it comes to the entree, I think
he had a real falter with that taco.
Got too comfortable because of that win in the first round.
[Scott] Parts were totally overcooked.
But I think what Brian did really well
was create two fantastic sauces.
That tomatillo and guajes verde salsa
that he put together, in addition to the barbecue sauce, fantastic.
But I had a really good version of
Marisabel's main course.
I really liked the way she cooked her pork tenderloin.
The bacon that she had on my plate,
parts of it were really crispy.
Other parts were rendered out well.
Some a little underdone, but it was still cooked all the way through.
But I think the best thing on Marisabel's plate
-was that sauce. -Hands down. It was delicious.
I give her just one tiny demerit off
for the appearance of it.
Had she added more fat and emulsified it more,
in that blender, just the more olive oil,
-It would've changed the color a little bit. -it would have changed.
So in a lot of ways, I really lean towards Chef Marisabel,
but there was really good cooking on Chef Brian's part
as well.
Well, both of these inspiring chefs
really gave it their best.
I think we have a winner.
Excellent.
So, who's dish is on the chopping block?
-[sighs] -[suspenseful music playing]
[Ted] Chef Marisabel, you've been chopped.
Judges?
Chef, this was a really tough decision.
Ultimately, it became issues with adaptability.
And your dessert, as soon as you realized
that that wasn't going to freeze, that's when you should have taken
a different approach.
-And so, we had to chop you. -Thank you so much.
Thank you, Chef.
It is extremely painful to lose so close to the end.
Brian better bring home something great in the finale.
And that means, Chef Brian Colvin, you are the Chopped champion.
-Yes! -Yeah!
Yeah!
This...
This is incredible.
And you will be returning to compete to win
the finale against the Chopped judges.
I'm speechless.
I don't know how to articulate how I feel about this.
This is great.
[Ted] You ready to fly high in the Chopped kitchen?
Get ready for this heat.
All that matters is what's on the plate.
-All right, work, work... -Time is flying.
-Flying. -Oh, yeah, baby, let's go.
It looks perfect.
Who has what it takes to take down a titan.
Four elite military chefs against three Chopped legends?
-Flames like fire! -Yeah!
-Whisk like the wind! -This is nuts.