Food Network Star Page 9
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon allspice
1 lightly beaten egg, for egg wash
20 fresh mint leaves, for garnish
1 cup Dream Cream (recipe follows)
DREAM CREAM
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Coat a 9 by 12-inch baking pan with the spray. Roll out one of the pie crusts to make a 13 by 14-inch rectangle. Place in the pan, pressing it up the sides. Prick holes in the crust with a fork or knife and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Drain the juice from the peaches. Add the peaches and raspberries to the crust. The crust should be three-quarters full. Mix the butter, vanilla extract, sugars, and allspice in a bowl and spread over the peaches. Roll the second pie crust to 13 by 14 inches and slice into 10 (1¼-inch) strips. Lay 5 strips diagonally across the cobbler and the other 5 diagonally in the opposite direction. Brush the crust with the egg wash. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Garnish with more raspberries and mint leaves and drizzle with the Dream Cream.
DREAM CREAM: In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and beat until well blended. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.
Yield: about 2 cups • Prep Time: 5 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
Robert Irvine: A Q&A
Was this a particularly difficult challenge?
For the finalists to work together to get this done was difficult from a time standpoint but I do it all the time. You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with in any job and Amy was smart to pick the team the way she did. They’re caterers. Hello, that’s what they do.
How did they do?
I would not have chosen some of the dishes they chose. You have to pick ingredients that can be multitasked. For example, if you take a tomato you have to be able to make seven dishes with that tomato. It makes the prep so much easier. You have to be creative. A tomato is a tomato until you make it something else. You can do anything with anything. As a chef you do that creating recipes and menus in any environment.
You had a run-in with Nikki over her cobbler . . .
What Nikki made was not what I would call a cobbler. You can do something similar, but don’t call it by the original name. My mum used to make one every Sunday so I have this vision of what my mother used to make and what Nikki made was not that. Cobbler is the same wherever you go—a scone-based top with fruit.
Then the team ran out of food . . .
It’s a major no-no. It doesn’t matter what event you do, you’d better not run out of food. On a buffet you have to triple what you make for a sit-down dinner. An average entrée size for beef or chicken or fish is five ounces for a sit-down event while on a buffet everything is two-and a half to three ounces but you know what people are like at buffets. On average people will eat about a pound of meat on a buffet so you have to take account of that.
But the team that messed up didn’t lose anyone . . .
No one was penalized. And if the guests aren’t fed that’s the first thing they talk about when they get home. It’s a bad omen. You can have a great ceremony and everyone’s happy and they’re not when they run out of food.
Double Elimination to the Carriage House
For the first time, evaluations and eliminations took place downstairs in the carriage house. There were recriminations—the Orange Team had run out of food, and bride Jennifer said she was disappointed that they served only side dishes—potato gratins, vegetarian napoleons, polenta . . . There was a lack of communication from the leader, Colombe, and Bobby wondered why they’d spent so little money. “Why wouldn’t you just go insane with the food?”
Amy’s team got the plaudits, but Bob told Amy that her Parisian POV could seem pretentious.
“Amy was maybe the biggest surprise on The Next Food Network Star. I didn’t like her at the beginning, although I didn’t say it on camera. I found her precious with all the talk of France. I had been very wrong. She is a woman of great soulfulness and depth and warmth. She is a fine cook and she was able to make French food very approachable, which is exactly what we are about. I went from being one of Amy’s biggest detractors to being one of her biggest fans.”
—Bob Tuschman
As the finalists waited upstairs while the committee deliberated, Adrien called out Paul for not telling Tommy about his polenta mistake. Paul apologized but said he was there to win. The judges were down on Vivien’s Cabbage Tahini Slaw, the flavors of which Bobby had described as “mismatched.” And she and Patrick weren’t able to bring it to the camera effectively. To the finalists’ surprise, this was a double elimination, and Patrick and Vivien were let go. Jag said he was shocked that Colombe was still around, but the remaining finalists hugged, acknowledging that all but one of them would eventually take that lonely walk down the carriage house steps.
“To make an impression, finalists need a big personality and food that reflects their personality. And if they really really want to continue, they need to play into the drama of the show. It’s a reality show after all, and there needs to be conflict. I think in the beginning a finalist can get more attention by creating drama than by creating good food.”
—Patrick Rolfe
A New Way to Grill
For this group’s first on-camera demo, Giada De Laurentiis broke down one of her recipes into nine parts and each finalist talked one segment through in one minute. After seeing the less-than-smooth results, Giada said, “We don’t want to see you sweat. What you need to learn is that confidence and that coolness.”
Giada introduced the finalists to Kristine Kidd, the food editor of Bon Appétit, who told them that they were competing for the cover recipe of an upcoming issue. The theme: “A New Way to Grill.” The dish that the finalists were about to create had to look delicious, be in season, and, most important, be something a home cook would make. To be on the cover of Bon Appétit upped the ante in this challenge. “I would kill for this prize,” Amy said.
“One of the things I’m known for is doing enormous pieces of meat,” said Tommy. “I’m feeling very comfortable [with this challenge].” Tommy introduced his dish to the Selection Committee plus photographer Mark Thomas, Kristine Kidd, and Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Barbara Fairchild. Tommy talked up the brown sugar in the rub, which provided the sweet flavor. Outside, he told his competitors, “I have ridiculously mad skills. You can’t look at that plate and not want to eat.”
GRELLA GRILL RUB
with Rabe and Shiitakes
Recipe courtesy Tommy Grella
Yield: 2 to 4 servings • Prep Time: 20 minutes • Cook Time: 1 hour • Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes • Ease of Preparation: intermediate
FOR THE RUB
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, roughly crushed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
THE GLAZE
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
THE VEGETABLES
½ cup olive oil
2 bunches broccoli rabe
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 large red onions, sliced into ¾ -inch-thick rings
THE STEAKS
2 large rib-eye steaks, 2 inches thick, with bones (2 pounds)
1. FOR THE RUB: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. You can store the rub in an airtight container for up
to 6 months.
2. FOR THE GLAZE: In a medium-size saucepan, over medium heat, combine the vinegar, honey, and brown sugar and simmer until reduced to a syrup, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
3. FOR THE VEGETABLES: Preheat the grill to medium-high.
4. Mix the olive oil, rabe, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Season the mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the vegetables until tender. (Rabe cooks for 2 to 3 minutes, onions for about 17 minutes, mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes.) Place the cooked vegetables onto a large plate or platter, cover with foil, and keep warm while you grill the steak.
5. FOR THE STEAKS: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
6. Rub each steak, on both sides, with 2 tablespoons of the rub. Grill for about 17 minutes, turning once. Transfer to the oven and continue to cook to the desired doneness (medium rare takes about 20 minutes). Lay the steaks on top of the vegetables and let them rest for 10 minutes. Coat with the glaze and serve immediately.
Don’t Mess with Texas
Rory took a gamble by creating her “famous ribs.” Normally she cooked them for five hours; here she had only ninety minutes. She knew she had to make a good impression on this challenge. “The only thing going through my head was ‘Cook ribs, ribs cook.’ ” At the presentation Bob asked Rory how this dish represented her POV. “I’m a very simple person, and serving it in the skillet is more me. I like rustic things, especially living out in Texas. It’s something that you see out on the ranch a lot.”
The winner of the challenge: Rory, with the grilled cantaloupe an interesting twist. Elimination came down to a choice between Nikki and Adrien, and it was Nikki who went home. “The winner’s circle feels a little bit better than the chopping block,” said Rory. “And I’d really like to stay here a little while.”
BABY BACK RIBS AND GRILLED CANTALOUPE
with Fresh Parsley Salad
Recipe courtesy Rory Schepisi
Yield: 8 servings • Prep Time: 30 minutes • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes • Ease of Preparation: intermediate
FOR THE RIBS
4 racks pork baby back ribs, 4 pounds
¼ cup Cajun seasoning
Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup soy sauce
FOR THE CANTALOUPE
1 ripe cantaloupe (2½ to 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon honey
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne
FOR THE SALAD
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, thoroughly cleaned and dried (6 cups)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Orange wedges, for garnish
BARBECUE SAUCE
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1½ cups ketchup
½ cup chicken stock
⅓ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1. FOR THE RIBS: Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Rub the ribs evenly on both sides with the Cajun seasoning. Place into a roasting pan or a very large baking dish. Mix the Barbecue Sauce, stock, and soy sauce in a bowl and pour over the ribs. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook the ribs until very tender, about 1½ hours.
3. FOR THE CANTALOUPE: Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Slice the cantaloupe in half, remove the seeds, then slice into ½-inch-thick pieces. Grill until you see nice grill marks, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook.
4. Remove the cantaloupe slices from the grill, drizzle the honey over them, and sprinkle with the cayenne.
5. FOR THE SALAD: In a medium bowl, sprinkle the parsley with the vinegar, orange juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve the ribs with Grilled Cantaloupe and Parsley Salad, and garnish with orange wedges.
BARBECUE SAUCE: In a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic in the oil until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Yield: about 1½ cups • Prep Time: 2 minutes • Cook Time: 1 hour • Ease of Preparation: easy
“My ribs are a dish that I’ve been perfecting since the age of twenty. I love baby backs and always look for ways to heighten the flavor while using simple preparation and execution. The techniques I’ve discovered over the years enable the precious cut to have that amazing fall-off-the-bone characteristic.
“My Fork ’N’ Ribs are on my menu at my restaurant, Boot Hill Saloon & Grill in Vega, Texas.”
—Rory Schepisi
The Basketball Challenge
For the next competition, the guest host was Guy Fieri, the previous season’s winner. Guy introduced NBA legend Darryl Dawkins, aka “Chocolate Thunder,” and the challenge was to make a dish with chocolate that reflected the finalist’s personality and to give a tip in the presentation. Oh, and by the way, Guy said, two of you go home this week.
Guy told the finalists they would have to make a crowd-pleasing dish and serve it to fans at a New Jersey Nets game. While shopping for ingredients, Colombe took someone’s bag off the conveyor belt, which left Paul without three key ingredients for his Hawaiian burger, so Adrien gave Paul some of his barbecue sauce.
“When I found out I was missing a bag with key ingredients, it sent my blood pressure through the roof. I was pretty angry when I found out that Colombe saw a stray bag at the store and decided to leave it. But it was not her responsibility either. After all, this is a competition. Suddenly my Hawaiian Barbecued Beef Burger needed a miracle! Adrien saved me by donating a few bottles of the barbecue sauce to my cause.”
—Paul McCullough
The next day, at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, finalists served their dishes to the fans.
Paul was stopped in his tracks by Guy wielding a food thermometer. Guy told him he had to get his burgers up to temperature (165°F.) before he could serve them.
“I felt bad in that situation. I felt like the narc, which is not my style. I would much rather have jumped in and helped Paul rather than have him go through that. How people react to situations is part of the show and he reacted well.”
—Guy Fieri
“I had a guest on my local cooking show do a version of Bacon-Wrapped Mushrooms, and I knew I’d keep that with me in the future. I make and bottle my own barbecue sauce for the Mission of Hope Cancer Fund in Michigan—I’ve always enjoyed making my own sauce. I figured it would go great with the Bacon-Wrapped Mushrooms, and it turned out to be true! I just wish I’d had the time to make my homemade sauce for the show! Glad it still worked.”
—Adrien Sharp
At the carriage house for judging, Guy told Jag that his Mexican-Style Tempura with Three-Chile Chocolate Sauce was the winner. As for the NBA Challenge, it was Adrien who won; Bob said he was “relatable, down to earth, warm.” In a double elimination, Tommy and Colombe went home.
“I felt incredibly uncomfortable. Tommy Grella and I have stayed friends since the show. He is a really sweet guy who is passionate about life and his family. I’m a softy. I love my family too. I love my friends, I love people, and I love people who are passionate about what they are doing. So that was tough for me.”
—Guy Fieri
BARBECUED BACON-WRAPPED MUSHROOMS
Recipe courtesy Adrien Sharp
Yield: 8 mushroom caps • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes • Ease of Preparation: easy
8 medium-size button mushrooms, 1½ to 2 inches in diameter (about 8 ounces)
8 slices peppered bacon, at room temperature, cut in half
4 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. To prepare the mushrooms, cut off their stems, rinse briefly, and dry well with paper towels.
3. Wrap each mushroom with 2 of the bacon-strip halves so that the seams overlap on the bottom o
f the mushroom. The bacon will stick to the mushrooms, so there is no need for toothpicks.
4. In a medium-size ovenproof sauté pan, cook the bacon-wrapped mushrooms over medium heat, seam side down, until the bacon begins to crisp, about 4 minutes. Brush the tops of the mushrooms with the barbecue sauce and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook until the bacon is crispy and the mushrooms are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stadium Food Light
Michael’s shrimp rolls were an alternative to the kind of heavy food we’re used to at stadiums. Light, no need for a fork, no sauce dripping down your replica jersey. “So different from everything else,” said Bob.
“The dish is one I have done for years. Sort of like the poor man’s lobster roll, or upscale arena food. ‘Perfect,’ I thought, and I went with it. They’re easy to produce within tight time constraints. Easy for fans to eat, viewers to embrace, and home cooks to execute.
“The name came to me like a vision. Jason Kidd was the captain of the Nets and also the name of a famous pirate, Captain Kidd. The Nets were playing the Atlanta Hawks, so any fan would want to buy into something that knocks the competition. Voilà! Hawk-Crushing Shrimp Rolls were born!
“The fans lined up at my cart, and I sold out faster than everyone else, with people coming back for more. One woman came up to me after her third and gave me a hug and a kiss. Does it get any better than that?
“I had so much fun doing it. Selling my food to the crowd brought me back to my days as a teenager at Shea Stadium selling bags of peanuts in the grandstands. Perfect! ‘Hot bag of nuts . . . get your hot bag of peanuts right here! Only twenty-five cents. A mere quarter of one dollar. Hot nuts!’