As the contestants gathered in the Kenmore Pro Kitchen for this week's Quickfire Challenge, Padma announced that, although most of the contestants were accustomed to cooking in a fine dining environment, this Quickfire would require them to cook for the "Man on the Street." They were tasked with creating an original ice cream flavor that would be "road tasted" later at the Redondo Beach Lagoon.
While a few of the contestants were obviously thrown off, most of them were quick to accept the challenge. They spent the next two hours and forty-five minutes creating three quarts of ice cream each, and transported them to Redondo Beach to be judged by the passers-by. Ilan's affinity for breakfast flavors inspired him to attempt a Bacon and Waffle Ice Cream, which was surprisingly well-received by the crowd. Betty, who showed a little more of her good showmanship, pushed her "Redondo Berry" concoction, while Josie chose a perfect foil for ice cream--Peach Cobbler--as her signature flavor. Michael called upon Elvis for inspiration, creating a Peanut Butter-Banana Ice Cream. The bottom vote-getters included Emily, with her Lavender and "Calming Chocolate" Ice Cream, Marisa's Vanilla-Peanut Ice Cream, and Marcel's Avocado-Bacon Ice Cream (which was universally panned). Marcel was pompous, as usual, implying the "general public" wasn't sophisticated enough to appreciate his creation. At the top was Carlos, who turned to avocados with his Avocado with Marshmallow and Vanilla Ice Cream, acknowledging that their natural creaminess would preclude the need for eggs, which would require valuable time to cook. Sam, who, incidentally, is diabetic, charmed the crowd with his movie star looks and his Ginger Snap-Citrus Ice Cream. The winner of tonight's challenge, though, was Cliff, with his Crunchy Cookie and Marshmallow Ice Cream. For the second week in a row, Cliff would be immune to elimination.
Next came the Elimination Challenge, featuring guest judge, Stephen Bulgarelli, from the TGIFriday's family of restaurants. Weirdly, I've known Bulgarelli since elementary school--his younger sister, Jill, and I were in the same class since Kindergarten! Such a strange, small world. Anyway, this week's Elimination Challenge was to recall a favorite dish from childhood and update it for adults. The winning creation would be featured on the menu at TGIFriday's restaurants across the country. There was a VERY apparent disinterest among the fine-dining chefs, such as Marcel and Emily, who claimed, "It's not my style," explaining that she'd only ever worked in 4-Star establishments. Even Ilan and Sam seemed less than thrilled, but at least they accepted the challenge willingly. Their recipes would be taste-tested later that day by the men at the South Pasadena Fire Department, the quintessential Everyman.
It was immediately revealed that Mike, who had previously worked at TGIF earlier in his career, would receive no special treatment--good or bad. Regardless, he was confident that his Everyman lifestyle would inspire him to win this challenge.
Ilan created a fantastic-looking Bacon-Smoked Corn side dish, which I may end up borrowing myself. Josie looked to her Asian roots with Barbecued Beef Skewers, while Elia went south-of-the-border with her Fish Tacos. Carlos borrowed from Southern cuisine with his Chicken-Fried Shrimp, and Mia went the comfort food route with Mamma Mia's Meatloaf. Marisa stuck with what she knew, dessert, and created a Strawberry Crisp with Orange Caramel, which the judges proclaimed "awesome."
Marcel hit a snag with his Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Cabbage and Onion Rings, when the deep fryer failed to come to temperature. All the while, he pissed and moaned to no end, blaming the previous user for lowering the temperature. This annoyed the rest of the contestants, with Betty reacting the most vehemently. She called Marcel a "selfish, self-centered, egotistical bastard," to which Marcel reacted completely astonished and appalled. It set of a heated conflict between the two, which was quelled when Betty acknowledged that it was distracting Sam, who was preparing his own creation for the judges.
Sam remained completely focused, creating a unique, vegetarian option: Summer Fruit Salad with Spicy Chimichurri. This was proclaimed "delicious" by the judges, and placed him in the Top 3. Cliff, with his Adult Fish Sticks and Mac-n-Cheese (featuring smoked provolone, gouda, and maple-smoked lardons), landed him at the top, as well. Rouding out the Top 3 was Betty, who hit a snag of her own when the griddle failed to come to temperature. She offered up a Grilled Cheese with Portobello-Roasted Red Pepper Soup (hmm, sounds strangely reminiscent of a very recent post on this blog, no?). In the end, it was Betty, for the second week in a row, who was the winner of this week's Elimination Challenge.
Next to the judge's table were the Bottom 3. Mike's Cheesesteak Sandwiches with Onion Rings were unanimously slammed by the judges--they were greasy, sloppy, overcooked, and completely lacking in flavor. Things actually got a little tense when Mike attempted to defend his creation, causing the judges to question his attitude and his commitment to quality. "How do you screw up a steak sandwich?" was their collective query. Frank, who went the "conceptual" route, creating a bizarre Mushroom Fantasy Salad. Inspired by his daughter's love for Alice in Wonderland, this salad featured a small village of cottages and trees made with mushrooms. Tom wondered if his fantasy was drug-induced, and Gail thought she had stepped into Smurfland. While they appreciated the thought behind it, he judges called the dish "confusing" and "impractical," and scolded that "Food is for eating!" Finally, there was Emily and her Super Slammin' Surf & Turf, which was deemed "inedible," over-salted, and overcooked. She admitted that she was thrown off by the challenge, and her nerves caused her to completely miss on the seasoning. In the end, this mistake caused Emily the challenge, and she was asked to pack her knives and go.
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