[heart thumping]
[dramatic chord strike]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, Bobby Flay!
[audience cheers]
-Last year, I ran the table. -[Ina] And the winner is...
[Eddie] Bobby!
-Bobby. -Oh!
So this holiday, all my Food Network friends
are here for revenge. -Mwahaha.
It's payback time.
Each holiday battle will go down in three rounds.
Let's fire it up.
-Get on my bad side one time! -Ooh.
-They'll battle each other with ingredients of my choice. [woman] What?
-Shocking! -No!
-He hates everybody. -[laughs]
[Bobby] The winner gets me and we'll compete in teams.
[chanting] Kick his butt! Kick his butt!
That's what I do.
-I'm gonna send you to school. -[squeals]
-[Bobby] The stakes are high. -What?
-[Bobby] The gloves are off. -[Carson groans]
And revenge is a dish best served hot.
-[Aarti] Amazing! -[woman #2] Whoo!
[Bobby] Who's ready for some holiday fun?
Let's do this!
[audience cheers]
[upbeat music playing]
Well, the holidays are here
and so is the winter weather. -[wind whistling]
[Bobby] Here hoping I get snowed in by my competitors,
my friend Eddie Jackson.
♪ Let's go! ♪
[audience cheers]
Bobby!
[action music playing]
Welcome to the great outdoors.
I really like this look on you.
You like -- I like it too.
I've been spending time in the wilderness, Bobby.
-How long you been out there? -Since last year.
-Really? -Yeah.
We have to get you back to civilization.
-You need to shave. -I know.
[laughs]
You know, last year I came here to stuff you like
a turkey, but somehow you beat Michael Voltaggio
in a stuffing challenge.
-I don't know how you did that. -That's right.
That's been with me for a year.
Out there in the woods, all alone.
-Me and my pet raccoon. -Really?
-Yeah. -What's his name?
-Pilar. -Pilar?
[Eddie] Yeah. Yeah.
[Bobby laughs]
-Pilar. -[both laugh]
[Eddie] All right, so picture this.
If you were snowed in, in a cabin in the woods,
what would you cook? -Something low and slow.
Warm up the cabin, good aromas, a roast or something braised.
-Rustic, you know? -Yeah, I like that.
-Game meats. -Game meats, yeah.
Root vegetables, soups and stews.
You gotta chop logs, build a campfire.
-That's my wildlife show. -[laughs]
[Bobby] So, cabin in the woods is the theme.
Eddie is living in the wilderness, apparently.
I think he's been hitting the bourbon.
That's right, Bobby, we're going deep into the woods
where no one can hear you for miles.
[laughs]
Man, there's so much hair in my mouth.
But you know what? Let me get rid of this.
[Bobby] Oh, nice.
-Hello, everyone. -[Bobby] There he is.
We're gonna get you snowed in tonight,
and I got some great chefs
to do it. -Let's go!
Bring 'em out!
Our first contender has yet to go head-to-head with you,
but she's done the next best thing.
-She's beat your Titans. -Hmm.
Chef Mei Lin!
[audience cheers]
Bobby, I'm gonna snow you in.
The gloves are coming off, Bobby!
Mei Lin's in the building.
Our next contender is here to settle the score.
Now, you may have beat her once or twice in holidays past,
but who's counting? -[Bobby chuckles lowly]
[audience laughs]
-It's Chef Tiffani Faison! -Bobby.
I'm here to log a win!
Let's go, Tiff!
[upbeat music playing]
[audience cheering]
-Oh, yeah. -[laughs]
-Oh, hey. -Hey.
You bundled up 'cause Imma ice you out?
I'm gonna take you down, Frosty.
OK, we'll see. We'll see.
[Mei] I've known Tiffani for years.
You look so cute.
[Mei] She actually judged me on an episode
of my season of "Top Chef."
I mean, she's a fierce, fierce competitor.
Good evening, chefs. Welcome back.
-Nice to see you here. -Thank you.
[Bobby] The last time I saw you in a kitchen, it was in
"Triple Threat," where you were victorious.
That's right.
Tiffani, last year you were here, and, uh, how'd it go?
I mean, I've never made it out of the first round.
-[Bobby] Really? -[mumbles and laughs]
It is time for me to get a win
in the "Holiday Throwdown" kitchen.
I'm gonna give you an ingredient of my choice,
and you must make that ingredient the star your dish.
Tonight's all about rustic, hearty winter food.
[Tiffani] Oh.
Wait, there's gonna be a bulb underneath there, right?
Hmm. Hmm.
-All the way down here? [Mei] Mm-hmm.
You never know what'll turn up.
-You never know what's gonna -- -[all laugh]
[Eddie] I see what you did there.
And that ingredient is...
candy cane beets. -Oh.
-Oh, OK. -What are you making?
Beets.
[audience laughs]
OK, don't drop the beet. Make the candy canes the star.
-[bell dings] -[audience cheers]
Let's go!
♪ [indistinct lyrics] ♪
-[beatboxing] -Oh!
[laughing]
-[Eddie] I like it. -[Bobby] Yes.
[Eddie] Candy cane beets.
I used to hate beets growing up, but as I got older,
I learned to love them.
They're very hearty, so you can roast beets,
you can, you know, caramelize beets.
[Eddie] But 20 minutes, how can you make beets the star
and keep it still to, like,
the cabin, hearty,
stick-to-your-bones kind of a vibe?
You could do, like, a roasted beet taco,
or you could do a tostada. -What are you making, Tiff?
I am doing a little dish that when I first met a baby Mei
on "Top Chef: Boston," she did with cranberries.
-Do you remember? -No, I don't.
[audience laughs]
The sweet-and-sour sauce with cranberries.
Oh, what?
I'm gonna try to make, like, uh, like a sweet-and-sour
chicken with beet sauce. -Oh, I like that idea.
Girl, I think imitation is the most sincere
form of flattery.
Mei is just one of the best chefs I know.
She is bold, and she's fast as all get-out, so it scares
living daylights out of me.
But we are only here to beat Bobby.
It is about revenge.
It is about taking him down in his own cabin.
-[Eddie] Is that ketchup? -Shh, Eddie.
-Is that ketchup? -Listen, as long as you're
part of the Village People over there.
-The Village People. -[all laugh]
This first round is really about, like, not being able
to escape that ingredient.
So, essentially, my sweet-and-sour sauce is
gonna be grated beets, white vinegar, soy sauce,
and fish sauce. -Tiffani is tough, man.
She is, like, she knows her stuff.
She has all kinds of concepts in Boston.
She could basically cook any cuisine.
She's not afraid.
♪ Stand up, this is how we do it ♪
Bobby is gonna be lost in the woods
when I'm done with him.
I've co-hosted on "Beat Bobby Flay."
I've competed on "Wildcard Kitchen," "Triple G."
I'm the season winner of "TOC III."
So I understand how to hit technique really hard and what
judges are typically looking for.
But last season, I was knocked out in round one,
but Tiff and I teamed up in round three,
and we were deeply misunderstood.
Sleep with one eye open.
Mr. Flay, you will wish you had a cabin to retreat to when
I defeat you.
Mei, what are you gonna make?
-I'm doing a beet salad. -With what?
-A whipped goat cheese. -Love it.
Very classic.
[Mei] My strategy is just to make those beets shine.
I wanna get them roasted.
I wanna pickle some of the beets.
I wanna leave some of it raw. I wanna use its leaves.
I'm a little concerned about how hearty this is gonna be.
I mean, the one thing about Mei is that she is a really
great cook. -Yeah.
So, when you hear beet and goat cheese salad,
like, what she brings to the table, I think there's
gonna be some surprises in there for sure.
I don't like to lose. And I don't plan on it today.
I've won shows like "Top Chef" and "Tournament of Champions,"
but I've never been on "Beat Bobby Flay" before.
I mean, I've always wanted to battle Bobby.
Bobby was on a winning streak last season.
I'm here to break that streak. I know all the tips and tricks.
All I have to do is bring the flavor.
Bobby, I've beat your Titans, and now I'm coming for you.
[Eddie] All right, we got 16 minutes.
-Already? -[audience cheers]
-Chef Mei. -How are you?
[Eddie] This gonna be a hearty salad?
It is gonna be different textures of beet.
I'm gonna pickle some.
The pickling liquid is white wine vinegar
and a little bit of sugar.
And goat cheese is a classic pairing for beets.
So this salad gonna be good enough to beat Tiffani?
I hope so. She's great, though.
-She's an amazing cook. -Aw, Mei.
-[Eddie] You really mean that? -I do.
-Come on, now.
-I see it in your eyes. -Oh, come on.
-[Eddie] I see it in your eyes. -[Mei laughs]
'Cause I know what Tiffani's gonna say.
-I know her. -I'm gonna say that
I'm clocking out and going home?
-You what? -Oh, stop.
[Tiffani] Just kidding, guys. I just love Mei.
[Mei laughs sarcastically]
[Eddie] So, Tiff, you're gonna make a sweet-and-sour chicken
with beet sauce? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. -Yeah, yeah, sure, sure.
So, my sauce is cooking down, I start working on the batter
for my chicken with garlic, ginger,
and then a little Kashmiri chili.
So you trying to beat her with her own stuff?
-You know. -[Eddie] I like that.
Well, you better get to it. You got 14 minutes left, Chef.
[audience cheers and applauds]
All right, Mei right now is caramelizing beets,
really getting that sweetness out of 'em. -Got it.
[Eddie] Hey, Tiffani, what you gonna do with the beet tops?
-I'm gonna make a beet salad. -[Eddie] Oh.
I love that face when you say that.
Let me do it again.
Hey, Tiffani, what you gonna do with the beet tops?
Um, make a beet salad.
[laughs]
[Tiffani] I chiffonade the beet leaves.
They're earthy, and I need to add cilantro and some mint in
them to lighten them up a little bit.
-Hi. -[Bobby] Hi.
-It's just beet tops. -Very nice.
-Thank you. -Can I taste that sauce?
[Tiffani] Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
She's a little unorthodox, you know what I mean?
-That's good. -Thank you.
What's up?
-Come on, now. -Perfect. Love that.
-All right, Mei Lin. -That's for you.
[Bobby] So, you just caramelized these beets?
[Mei] I did -- I caramelized them in a little bit
of oil, salt, and pepper. -Beautiful.
-Those are gorgeous. -[Mei] Thank you.
Five minutes and 45 seconds!
Mei's, like, caramelizing those beets.
That looks good.
[Eddie] I like that Mei has different types
of textures going on. -[Bobby] Yeah.
Chicken comes out of the fryer, looks good.
I make sure that the chicken is nice and coated.
I get two little pieces on each plate.
[Bobby] One minute to go.
[Mei] I get that salad dressed with vinaigrette.
It's tangerine juice, olive oil, as well as
the pickling liquid. -[all] Ten, nine, eight...
[Tiffani] I start plating my salad.
[all] ...six, five, four, three,
two, one. -[bell dings]
[audience cheers]
Whoo!
This is a good battle.
[Tiffani] I never do well in the first round ever.
So, this is, like, better than I expected.
[Mei] I celebrated the beet in a bunch of different ways.
So, hopefully Eddie likes it.
All right chefs, when I'm cozied up in the woods,
I want something that's warm, delicious, and from the heart.
Which is why I know both of you can beat Bobby,
'cause he has no heart to cook with.
-That was rough. -It's all right.
-OK, it's not nice. -I'll take it.
[laughing]
All right, so first it's gonna come down to what you did with
the candy cane beets. Chef Tiffani, what'd you make?
Well, Zaddy, I made a spicy beet...
-[Bobby] Wow. -...sweet-and-sour chicken
with a little candy cane beet salad.
[rock music playing]
I mean, have you seen those leather suspenders?
He's gonna end up on some calendars.
Yeah, yeah.
Tiffani, the batter on this chicken is perfect.
It's nice and thin and really crispy.
I love the refreshing salad that you have on top.
My only concern is that I'm not getting a whole lot of beet flavor,
but I gotta tell you, this is phenomenal.
Thank you.
-Chef Mei, what'd you make? -A beet salad.
I did a roasted preparation, pickled, and using its leaves.
Wow! This is an amazing salad.
The first bite I got was just intense beet flavor.
The beets are the star, but I don't think I can go out
and chop some wood after eating this, but very delicious.
It's tricky because you have one dish that is not really
hearty, like today's theme, and I have one dish
where I want more of the beets to come through.
I don't know which way I'm gonna go.
All right, only one of you can head back to the cabin kitchen,
and one of you will come on up here and hang out
with Uncle Eddie. -[laughs]
That's creepy.
Uncle Eddie.
[audience laughs]
The chef moving forward to round two is...
Chef Mei.
[audience cheers]
I've never made it past round one!
-Come on up here, Tiffani. -It continues.
Good job.
-Beautiful salad. -Come on.
-Hi. -I still love you.
-I don't love you. -[laughing]
[Tiffani] It's over.
All right, Mei, how does it feel to go into the second round?
Feels good, but a little bit nervous
for whoever's coming back behind those doors.
-Let's find out. -Well, our next contender has
been holed-up in a cabin ever
since your stuffing beat his last holiday season.
-Oh. -Oh.
-[Tiffani] Oh. -[Eddie] You know who it is now.
This is gonna be good!
It's your "Triple Threat" Titan Chef Michael Voltaggio!
Of course it is. Of course it is.
♪ I've been trying, still, I stand ♪
♪ Still, I rise, ain't no fear ♪
♪ Ain't no shame, this rhyme was never in vain ♪
Log off, Bobby!
[all laugh]
[all cheer]
I'm done, I quit, I quit. Nope, she's too good.
[Mei laughs]
[Michael] The last person I wanna see right now.
-Chefs. -Hi.
-[sighs] Chef, welcome back. -Thank you.
Last year didn't go the way you wanted to.
-It did not. -[Bobby] But I think the last
time you saw me, you were in the "Triple Threat" kitchen.
Correct, and that didn't go well either.
I know, what's up, dude? You're cooking for your job.
-Happy holidays. -[all laugh]
Well, actually, you guys used to work together, right?
She was my sous chef at my first restaurant.
-At Ink. -[Bobby] Interesting.
[Michael] And probably the best sous chef I ever had.
-[audience] Aw. -I don't like this right now.
[Bobby] Just to remind you, Michael, you can have
20 minutes on the clock.
I'm gonna give you an ingredient of my choice,
and you must make that ingredient
the star of your dish.
It's all about, like, cabin living.
I mean, look at Eddie.
Hearty, you know, things along those lines, outdoors, cold.
If you win this round, you get me, but also,
you get to make teams.
Let's see what we got on the fire.
[both] What?
[Tiffani] Oh, it's hot, it's hot.
And that ingredient is venison.
-Oh. -[audience] Ooh.
[all applaud]
[Mei] Hmm.
Thanks, deer.
[all laugh]
I mean, there's not, like, an inch of fat in this thing.
It's venison loin, it's pure meat.
Twenty minutes on the clock, you better hoof it and make
venison the star. -[bell dings]
♪ [indistinct lyrics] ♪
♪ Hear the Christmas bells ♪
-[Mei] Ooh. -[Michael] Sorry, Chef.
This is gonna be a good one.
-Yeah. -I like venison for 20 minutes.
-Yeah. -This is kind of a gift.
[Bobby] Yeah, because it's gonna cook very quickly, which means
you don't want to overcook it. -Correct.
It's literally the tender loin of a deer.
It's slightly gamey, like, not anywhere near lamb,
but definitely more than beef.
I would spice-crust it with lots of flavor
because it needs it. -It needs it.
Then fruit and venison goes really good together.
Really nicely together.
Yeah, the gaminess picks up the fruit really nicely.
I think Michael's already got a sauce working.
Hey, Michael, what's in the pan, man?
Gochujang, rice vinegar, soy sauce.
[Tiffani] Spicy sweet. Makes sense.
-[Bobby] What are you making? -Uh, carpaccio.
Brussels sprout ribs
and buttermilk-fried onions.
Oh, my God, he's gonna serve the whole stalk.
-[Tiffani] He is. -[Bobby laughs]
[Michael] He is.
Wait, are we getting deep-fried Brussels sprout
stalks with raw venison? -Definitely.
OK.
Michael is, like, chopping down
his Brussels sprout stalks. So this is very lumberjack-y.
Brussels sprout ribs certainly communicate a message of maybe
there's a fallen Christmas tree on the plate, but I hope it
didn't fall too far.
Michael, there's something wrong with you.
There is a lot of things wrong with me.
-That is correct, Chef. -[laughs]
Especially this time of year.
I have competed a lot in my career, including against
my own family, so everyone is fair game.
My brother and I actually won a holiday competition
against Bobby a few seasons ago.
Last holiday season, Bobby won.
I mean, Bobby got a little lucky that day, I guess.
What I try and do is bring surprise techniques,
sometimes flavor combinations that may or may not make sense
until you taste it.
I'm here for a little revenge, but I also feel like beating
Bobby is the gift that keeps on giving to everyone that is just
tired of seeing Bobby Flay win.
My favorite thing about competition is the opportunity
to surprise people, and Mei doesn't lose.
I'm gonna have to swing for the fences.
So, roasting the Brussels sprouts in the fryer, that hot
oil will actually caramelize these Brussels sprouts faster
than if I just put them in the oven.
Venison and the Brussels sprouts need to be friends, and so
my plan is to glaze the Brussels sprouts and the venison with
the same glaze. -Mei, what are you making?
I'm making, like, creamed kale with roasted venison.
Creamed kale? I love creamed kale.
I like that.
I won round one, but my dish wasn't hearty.
So creamed greens really just warm you from the inside out.
I'm gonna get ginger, garlic, chilies into a pot with
some duck fat. -Sixteen minutes left!
All right, Mei, talk me through this dish right here.
What are you gonna do with the venison?
-I'm gonna roast it. -Roast it?
Yeah. It's OK.
It's lean. It's lean.
Yeah, it'll cook fast.
So you used to work with old Michael over there, huh?
Yeah, he used to be my boss.
So you already spanked that butt a little bit before, huh?
-A little bit, yeah. -Yeah?
-You gonna do it again? -I hope so, yeah.
Eddie, don't encourage her, please.
She said she gonna really get in there.
She doesn't need your encouragement.
-I mean, really get in there. -[audience laughs]
Oh, there you like that one. [laughs]
All right, so we're gonna have a whole stalk of
Brussels sprouts. -Yes, as a rib.
So we gotta get them tender so they fall off the bone,
just like ribs. -[Eddie] Uh-huh.
All right, get to it.
Y'all got 13 minutes and 35 seconds.
[audience cheers]
[Michael] I'm gonna start working on my carpaccio.
So I'm gonna slice it and then pound those slices out
so the meat is easier to eat for the judges.
Make it make sense. Make it make sense.
[Eddie] So he's treating the Brussels sprout ribs as ribs.
[Bobby] Nothing ever appears the way it should be.
I don't know where he comes up with this stuff.
Well, he spent a year in a cabin by himself.
-[Bobby] Yeah. -[Eddie] Yeah.
I don't know what woods he been in, but.
[laughs]
I've never seen a dish like this.
This is all gonna make sense when it's done.
-I promise. -[Bobby] But --
[all laugh]
Just under 10 minutes.
[techno Christmas music playing]
-Oh, it looks really good. -OK.
[Bobby] He's glazing them.
-[Eddie] Yeah. -[Michael] Mei, you doing OK?
[Mei] Yes, Chef.
[Michael] Can you give me a hand for a second?
Uh, I don't know if I have that much time, Chef.
[audience laughs]
Mei was by far one of the best cooks that I've ever worked
with in my own restaurant or in any restaurant.
Today is gonna be a hard day.
The carpaccio, after it's pounded out,
season it heavily with salt and pepper so it'll start
to kinda cure the meat.
And then onion straws you would see like
on a casserole around the holidays.
So I wanna bring some of those vibes because venison
carpaccio doesn't scream holiday to me.
He's probably gonna blow us out of the water.
I would expect nothing less.
I'm digging what Mei is doing, though.
I see fat everywhere.
I'm gonna use bacon fat to actually roast my venison loin.
Then I'm gonna add a whole chunk of butter in there.
More butter is more better.
Mei, you want some more butter for that, or?
Oh, no, I'm good, thank you. It needs fat.
[Bobby] Holy hell, butter-poached venison,
we got it, baby. -[Tiffani] Six minutes.
OK, so what's in the kale?
[Mei] Lots of aromatics, I'm finishing it with
peanut butter. -Say it louder.
What are you making?
She's none of your business, is what's happening.
It's like a Thai peanut sauce, but it's got kale
running through it.
Take that, Brussels sprout ribs.
I love this, Mei. Hi, Chef.
[Michael] Hi.
OK, explain this to me.
So, basically, the same flavors will be
seasoned on the carpaccio that are on the ribs.
So it's almost like you're getting like a little
carpaccio barbecue plate.
Literally, I've never imagined that in all of my life.
OK, and then the crispy onions on top?
-[Michael] Yeah. -[Tiffani] OK, enjoy.
Five minutes.
[Michael] I've got my raw venison carpaccio on the plate.
I'm glazing it with gochujang glaze.
I'm sprinkling scallions just for freshness over top of it.
[Eddie] So Mei is frying her kale, and she has
the kale in the cream sauce?
-We're "kale-ing" it. -"Kale-ing" it?
[Tiffani] She's really "kale-ing" it over there.
[Mei] I have the creamed kale on the bottom of the bowl.
I place my roasted venison right on top.
One minute to go.
[Michael] On the side, I'm putting that nice stalk
of Brussels sprout ribs.
[all] Ten...
[Mei] Finish it off with the fried kale.
[all]...seven, six, five...
[Michael] I'm topping it with crispy onions.
-[all]...three, two, one. -[bell dings]
[audience cheers]
-[audience] Aw. -Good job.
-[Tiffani] They both got a lot done in 20 minutes. -[Eddie] Yeah.
I don't know where this came from.
[laughs]
[Eddie] All right chefs, to see who moves on to the final round,
it's all about the venison.
Chef Michael, please tell us what you made.
I made gochujang barbecue-glazed venison carpaccio with
crispy onions, as well as barbecue glazed
Brussels sprout ribs.
♪♪
I kinda want to strangle you, honestly.
It's so delicious.
I love the glaze on it, every joke I made about
your Brussels sprout ribs, I will just literally eat it.
-Thank you for that, Chef. -[Tiffani indistinct]
Thank you.
[Tiffani] What's hard is this round
is really all about venison.
It's like, you know, a deer alone in the woods.
It gets a little lost.
[Eddie] Texturally, as you eat it, I can tell it's meat,
but it could've been a tomato.
It could've been a mushroom. It could've been beef.
But as far as just like expert cooking, this is stellar.
Man, I love the seasoning throughout your dish.
Thank you.
Chef Mei, what'd you make?
I have a pan-roasted venison loin with coconut creamed kale.
♪♪
This literally seems like something I would get in
the cabin in the woods. I mean, stick to your ribs.
My venison is perfect.
On the other side of that, I get tons of spice, but I feel
like just salt and something to bring it all together
is really lacking.
If I could just sprinkle a little salt on this, I think
it would change the game.
But it has that, like, romantic,
like, fireplace vibe.
Ah, some great cooking by both of you tonight, so give us
a moment to discuss.
[Michael] I put a lot of flavor in there,
but Mei's dish, I think it's spot-on with what
the challenge is.
[Eddie] The chef moving forward to round three is...
Chef Michael.
[audience cheers]
[Bobby] Good job.
[upbeat music playing]
-Come here, Mei-Mei. -[Bobby] Good job.
I think what it really came down to is everything had
this pop of flavor that I think truly you need to have when
you're going up against Bobby.
So you've been here before and it didn't go
your way last time.
So how is history gonna go down tonight?
I have a really good feeling because we're both gonna
make a dish we haven't made before.
I don't like the sound of that.
I feel like I've made every dish in the world and you think
I haven't made this dish. That's not good.
It's the holidays. I bring the gifts, Chef.
Yeah.
♪ Who cares if I'm naughty or nice? ♪
♪ I'm popping them texts, don't look at the price ♪
♪ I'm hitting the gas and giving advice ♪
♪ You sittin' in last, I'm not losin' twice ♪
OK, Michael, what are we cooking?
What's your signature dish this evening?
-I fear for all of us. -[audience laughs]
My "signature dish" is...
Yorkshire Christmas pie.
-Ooh, OK, what? -[Eddie] What?
Wait, Yorkshire -- Yorkshire Christmas pie?
Uh-huh.
They're like Tiny Tim, what is this?
I mean, traditionally it's basically
a meat pie. -Oh, like game birds and stuff?
Game birds and stuff baked in, usually it's chicken
and something else baked in a pie crust.
-[Eddie] Oh my God. -Oh!
This is amazing. Ah -- [laughs].
I guess Bobby won't be coming home this Christmas.
[all laugh]
-[Bobby] What was that? -Oh my God.
-That was a good show. -Oh, my gosh.
Ooh.
[Eddie] All right, Bobby, seriously though, um,
you've never made this before? -No.
So who do you want on your team and who do you wanna
give to Bobby? -I mean, Mei, come on.
We have to, yes. Mei Lin is my -- is my...
[all cheer]
...is my family!
We are a team. We've been a team.
-We're gonna be a team today. -This is Team Ginger.
-We got Team Ginger. -Exactly, exactly.
Listen, I'm thrilled to cook with Bobby.
I've never cooked with you before.
-I know, it's crazy. -[Tiffani] So can't make
it out of the first round?
Go straight to the end and crush the competition.
-We got this. -Definitely.
So your challenge tonight is Yorkshire Christmas pie.
You also must serve that with two sides.
All right.
-Great. -Happy holidays, you guys.
I think it's time for a winter rumble!
Forty-five minutes on the clock, and your time starts now.
[audience cheers]
You want this?
Yes. Thank you.
Yorkshire Christmas pie.
[Tiffani] Ah!
[Eddie] So this dish actually dates back centuries.
People still make it today.
You can find this often in Britain.
I mean, this does make sense in a cabin in the woods.
It's filled with game-type meats.
It could be, uh, fruits and nuts.
Nice, flaky crust on top.
This is literally a hug in pie form.
Uh, what do I need?
One thing I do know is that Michael is definitely not gonna
stick to the script with this.
He's gonna get a little crazy with it.
-What's in this dish, Chef? -[Bobby] I don't know.
-[Eddie laughs] -This.
I love Michael to death.
You have to understand something.
He is on his own planet.
Generally, it takes, what, 10 minutes to make pie dough,
30 minutes to rest it. -Yeah.
Another 30 minutes to 40 to bake it.
-I'm already past 45 in my math. -[Mei] What, 30 or 40?
-I don't know, Chef. -Like, who knows when he thinks
about this kind of stuff, but when he comes in,
he comes in with conviction that he's gonna make
the greatest version of this thing that's ever been made.
So I'm gonna work on, obviously, the pie.
Side dishes I think we could make.
You remember the confit, like, uh...
-Fondant. -Yeah, the fondant that we made...
-Yes. -...at Ink, and then I would just
make some kind of, like, gravy or something for those.
-Mushroom cream sauce. -Perfect.
For me, holidays are about getting together
with your friends and your family and playing games,
and I think this is kind of my little game that's becoming
a tradition here on Holiday B.
Last time I won in this kitchen, I made a dish
that I hadn't made before, and it worked.
So maybe I can go two-for-two on that strategy.
I want that just like "The winner is...Michael."
And Bobby's just stoked that he chose me as a Titan and just
is validated in that decision.
And then broccoli.
My only inspo for that is make it look like that wreath
over there. -[Mei] Perfect [laughs].
♪ Snowflakes are falling ♪
♪ The lights are glowing ♪
So it looks like Michael has the ingredients for his pie
crust in the processor. -I'm going pretty traditional.
I'm making a quick pie dough, butter, flour, salt, milk.
And then generally, it's usually cooked with any
kind of game bird. I'm using a hen.
I'll use the livers.
I'll use some sausage and chicken breast inside.
All right, Bobby, so what's your take on
this Christmas Yorkshire pie?
We're gonna do a bunch of different poultry.
-Uh, some squab, some duck, some chicken. -That's right.
And then we're gonna do kind of a punchy mushroom dish
with super-rich mashed potatoes.
I'm gonna get some green curry.
-[Michael] Curry? -[Tiffani] Oh, no.
Here it comes.
What Yorkshire pie has curry in it?
[audience] Oh.
-[audience yelling] -[woman] Whoo!
[tense music playing]
[audience] Whoa!
Oh, Lord, there's a fire.
Ooh, funny. Oh, ho, ho, ho.
Bobby, watch this. I'll throw a towel at Michael.
Oh, I sense a little bit of frustration in the air.
He didn't catch on fire, did he?
Just for that, Michael, you're gonna beat him.
That's my plan.
[Eddie] Thirty-seven minutes left.
[Bobby] You doing OK?
-I mean, yeah, generally. -What?
-I said, "Generally, yeah." -The feeling is kind of
bring all of those poultries together, and you can really
serve a lot of bland food in this kind of meal.
So I'm gonna add green curry and some coconut milk
and almost make like a green curry gravy, so to speak,
because green curry is a really good combination of spices that
create a really fantastic depth of flavor.
And then I'm gonna make a buttermilk crust.
Buttermilk instead of water is a big deal.
Like, it really makes it very, very flaky.
It's something one of my pastry chefs taught me.
Trust me, I didn't come up with this.
I've never heard of buttermilk with water.
It's fantastic. Yeah, it's fantastic.
-What's up, Big Mike? -What's going on?
[Eddie] So who's working on what?
I got the sides going, doing a potato fondant.
-[Eddie] Ooh. -[Mei] With a mushroom
cream sauce. -[Eddie] I like that.
Since we're going classic with the pie, we're going classic
with the potatoes. -Classic with the sides.
I get a mushroom cream sauce working.
Shiitake mushrooms and maitake mushrooms with some thyme
and reduced cream.
[Eddie] All right, what's the second side?
A broccoli salad with mustard vinaigrette.
A mustard vinaigrette. I like that.
You wanna come with me in the vacuum machine?
'Cause gotta go over there.
OK, let's go. You run with me.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Vacuuming the dough hydrates everything together faster.
[Eddie] Your process is creative. Always is.
-Or stupid. -[audience laughs]
Teetering.
So what are you working on, Tiffani?
A little chicken skin.
We're working mashed potatoes and a mushroom dish.
Some roasted trumpet mushrooms and then a bunch of wok-charred
mushrooms on top of that.
So lots of, like, intense mushroom flavor.
Oh.
I'm gonna take scallion garlic ginger paste
and shrimp paste, like, make it really round and punchy.
[Bobby] This is what I love about
these competitions with the teams.
I would've never considered doing that with
those mushrooms, 'cause I don't use those ingredients.
But the fact that I was using, like, a little green curry just
to give it a little bit of Asian flavor, Tiffani was able
to kind of reach to that part of her repertoire and go
for it -- I love that.
[Eddie] You got 32 minutes and 45 seconds.
[audience cheers]
Hey, Michael, what's all in that bowl?
[Michael] Pork sausage, dried cranberries,
egg, and then potato flakes, actually binds it together so
that I don't have to add bread to it.
It'll stay moist instead of drying out whatever
your stuffing is.
[Eddie] I always love to watch him cook because somehow,
some way, he finds a way to make all those flavors
and the textures and everything just go together at the end.
[Michael] Inside the pie there is also chicken.
I'm rendering the skin.
[Mei] While that is going on, I get the broccoli cut up with
salt and pepper, olive oil, toss that, and get that in
the oven roasting.
Two totally different paths, but lots of flavor bombs added
to these dishes.
I think it's gonna come down to the dough, right?
We have 23 minutes and 20 seconds left, so I would really
urge both of these chefs to hurry up and get their pie
in the oven.
I roll the dough out, I cut out rings, and I cut out
the middle so that the dough can breathe.
Letting the dough breathe is so huge.
People forget to do that, or else you're just gonna have,
like, smushy pie dough. -[Bobby] No, exactly.
[Eddie] Chef Michael is doing almost like a hand pie,
so he's putting that filling right onto the dough itself.
Bobby has his filling in a cast-iron skillet.
He's gonna top it with a flaky crust, almost like a pot pie.
It's gonna cook very quickly.
Let me go mess with Bobby a little bit.
I found this book.
♪ 'Tis the season to be -- whoo ♪
Hey, Bobby.
We're getting a little too cozy out here in the woods.
-You know that, right? -Yeah.
There's also a lot of scary stuff out here too.
You ever heard of the Abominable Snowman?
-Never heard of him. -[Eddie] You haven't?
-Nope. -Well, I found this book
in the cabin.
-Mind if I read it? -Sure.
"His legend spans many years and cultures.
"Early explorers dismissed this legend that says
"the footprints were probably from a big old bad wolf.
-[ominous music playing] -[audience] Whoo!
"Others speculated it was just a big old dirty bear.
-[ominous trumpet playing] -[audience] Oh!
"But he's been seen all over the world.
"Every description is the same.
Some loner wandering in the woods with no friends."
That sounds like you tonight.
That sounds a little familiar, right, Bobby?
He has me.
[audience] Aw.
-What do you want, Eddie? -[audience laughs]
Hey Bobby, look me in my eyes.
The forehead, the brow...
-Yeah. -...the nose.
You might think I'm crazy, but it seems like
the Abominable Snow -- Snow --
-[woman] Look out! -[audience yells]
-[Tiffani] Oh my God! -[Eddie] Can I get a picture?
Come on.
Bobby, you gotta look at the camera.
[audience] Whoo!
The Abominable Snowman shows up 'cause that's what happens
here during the holidays.
[audience applauds]
[Bobby] I really wasn't able to pay a lot of attention
because I was really busy. -[audience] Oh.
But apparently he was here. I see his tracks.
[audience cheers]
[Eddie laughs]
All right, 17 minutes.
-[man] Uh-oh. -[audience] Oh!
[Michael] I take the chicken breasts out of the pans from rendering
straight into liquid nitrogen to stop the cooking process,
so they don't overcook.
[Mei] Cooling the chicken down with the liquid nitrogen.
Not only is it classic Michael,
but I think it's just smart cooking.
Michael coming in here with such an ambitious dish,
I wouldn't expect anything less.
Hey, team Michael, when are you aiming
to get your pie in the oven?
[Michael] Five minutes ago, sir.
[Eddie] Oh, five minutes ago.
-[audience] Oh!. -[woman] Run, Michael!
I know I'm running out of time.
Maybe not the best idea ever.
Sealing that with some egg wash and a fork,
brushing the outside, seasoning it with
salt and pepper. -Yo, get those in the oven!
Yes, Chef.
[audience laughs]
I get my pies in the oven with less than 15 minutes left.
I do make a similar dish to this, and I know that that
actually takes 16 minutes to cook.
I wanted to cook this for 20, so right now, I'm already
behind by at least five minutes.
In my head now, I'm just processing, what do I do if
this thing doesn't come out right?
Not my best idea, Mei.
-Definitely not my best idea. -Ugh.
-[Eddie] Eleven minutes left. -[audience cheers]
[Michael] Pies are in the oven, clock is ticking.
I still need to make my gravy.
I've got my pan that I rendered the chicken in,
chestnuts, onions, deglaze with cognac.
-[audience] Whoo! -Whoo!
I'm adding chicken stock to then braise these chestnuts.
Chef Mei, what are you working on?
I am finishing the fondant potatoes and getting
the broccoli ready. -[audience cheers]
[Mei] So, I take the broccoli out of the oven.
I get the parsnips in the fryer until it's golden brown.
That is gonna be the crispy element for the wreath.
All right, so Tiffani is running the potatoes
through a mill.
[Tiffani] I seasoned them really well and then
just started ladling the cream and butter in there.
Chef, do you wanna check these mushrooms...
Yeah.
♪♪
-Mmm. -OK?
Wow, it tastes great.
With five minutes left, both of these teams still have
a lot of work to do.
[Michael] Oof.
I can see that these pies aren't getting as hot
as I need them to be.
The pie might be going in the fryer.
-Oh [bleep]. -Ha ha, love it.
Do you? I bet you do.
I get this bright idea that maybe the fryer will fix it.
OK, we'll have to get these out somehow.
[Eddie] I don't know how this is gonna work out.
With that intense heat, they may fall apart.
-We'll have to find out, though. -[Mei] Chef, we got this.
We got this.
This is a deciding moment, folks.
Are those pies are gonna stay together.
Oh, this is not good.
Oh, no.
-[Mei] Ah. -That's not what we want, guys.
No, don't clap for that. That's not good.
Oh. [groans]
[Michael] I mean, I can't give up at this point.
So I know that I can slice this and quickly sear it.
And I also have the opportunity to get that hot gravy
that's gonna go over top of it.
The wheel's coming off the carriage over there, Chef?
I am very busy right now, Tiffani.
[singsong] You did it to yourself.
[audience laughs and applauds]
-Maybe a wee bit ambitious. -It's not over till it's over.
[Bobby] So the pie's coming out of the oven.
Then on top, I put the cashew crunch.
[Tiffani] So all the mushrooms are ready to go.
I'm like, full lunch lady, like ladle potato.
And then finishing them with crispy chicken skin.
It is perfect.
Michael, you have just under two minutes, brother.
[Michael] Yes, chef.
[Mei] For the broccoli, I get the mustard vinaigrette
in the middle.
I set the broccoli right around that as a "wreath."
Right on top of that, I get the crispy parsnips.
[audience cheers]
There's nothing on the plate! Oh, my God!
[all] Nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, -[Michael] Sauce everyone.
three, two, one. -[audience cheers]
Oh, I thought I could get that done faster.
[Tiffani] Perfect!
[Bobby] You deserve this.
[Eddie] Now, Chef Michael might have pulled this off,
because right now I'm looking at the pie that's on the plate.
It looks a lot more done than it did 30 seconds ago.
You know, I went with a rustic plating.
Uh...
since we're in the woods in the cabin.
So it's a little different than I'm used to, you know?
[laughs] He's so crazy.
[Tiffani laughs]
♪♪
[Eddie] All right, chefs.
Now it's time for me to introduce you to the judges.
First up, chef, author, and restaurateur,
Chris Scott. -[audience applauds]
Partner and sommelier at Cora, Emmeline Zhao.
Third-generation proprietor and owner
of Veselka Enterprises, Jason Birchard.
Thank you, thank you.
All right, so tonight was all about the foods that we would
eat if we were snowed in, in a cabin in the woods.
And tonight's challenge was Yorkshire Christmas Pie.
So start with the first meal in front of you.
♪♪
The pie, it's deep, it's rich,
it's hearty, it's flavorful.
Very interesting take on this one
with the coconut and the curry.
I only wish that there was a bit more creaminess in there.
But besides that, the mashed potato.
Love the chicken skin on top.
It worked, it's creamy and rich and delicious.
I think that the pie leans more in the pot pie category,
um, but it's still absolutely delicious.
The crust was done just perfectly.
The nut topping really added a beautiful touch.
Maybe the mushrooms could've used a little more salt,
but all in all, it was a great presentation.
All right, judges, why don't you try the second
Christmas Yorkshire pie? Dig in.
♪♪
This felt like the holidays.
Everything from the chestnuts to the cranberries
to the gravy.
But I do think the pastry on this was undercooked.
It's not raw, but it's not cooked either.
But the flavors are really spot-on.
The potatoes and mushroom fondant, a nice complement.
The roastedness of the broccoli and the fried parsnips brought
this dish all together.
I agree, the crust was not as flaky, but all in all, it was
some really nice holiday flavors here.
Now it is time to take a vote.
[tense music playing]
I can only blame myself for what went wrong.
So outside of that, I hope that the things that we did right
are enough to carry this dish to the win.
[tense music continues]
And the winning team is...
♪♪
...Team Bobby!
-Whoo! -[audience cheers]
Dummy.
-Oh. -[indistinct]
-You did this to yourself! -[Michael] I know.
-You did this to yourself. -You should never talk
to him again.
Ah!
Great flavors all around, but the pie, I mean, that was
soul touching, you know?
And that's the kind of dish that you want when you're in
the woods during the holidays. Great job.
-[Bobby] Thank you. -Good job.
[audience applauds]
Even though we didn't win, I don't regret choosing
the Yorkshire Christmas pie
because just getting to learn something new,
that's why we all cook.
But also because we got to cook together, so.
-We did get to cook together. -Yeah.
That was fun. That's always fun.
Thank you, guys.
[Eddie laughs]
Pull him back by the straps.
[Eddie groans] You know what, Bobby?
Maybe I should just leave you in the cabin for another
year and try again next year. How about that?
-This holiday season... -It's no more Mr. Nice Pie.
-[Tiffani laughs] -[audience cheers]
[joyful music plays]