| Floundering Around | |
| Season 2, Episode 3 | |
 | |
| Air date | June 30, 2009 |
| Winner | Marc Spooner |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous High Hopes |
next Pride on the Plate |
A challenging cut of meat in the mystery basket ups the level of difficulty in the Appetizer Round. For the entrée course the chefs must devise big plans for some miniature produce and a whole flounder.
Contestants[]
- Julio Lazzarini, Executive Chef and Owner, Orillas Tapas Bar and Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
- Marc Spooner, Production Chef, Great Performances Catering, New York, NY
- Massimo Felici, Executive Chef, Ristorante DeGrezia, New York, NY
- Christine Campbell, Butcher and Private Chef, Long Island, NY
Judges[]
Meal[]
Appetizer[]
Ingredients: Beef Shoulder, Fish Sauce, Canned Pumpkin
Julio's dish is Seared Beef Shoulder with Korean BBQ Sauce. The BBQ sauce is incredibly tasty and the highlight of his dish. His dish is quite sweet, and for a first course it is heavy.
Marc created a Thai Beef Salad with Pumpkin Chipotle Sauce. The judges love his pumpkin chipotle and his use of the fish sauce as a vinaigrette. The only complaints are that the meat could use more dressing, and the peppers and onions don't fit in the salad.
Massimo made an Arugula Salad with Seared Beef. The meat is cooked perfectly and treated well. His pumpkin sauce has far too much sage in it, as well as some raw pieces.
Christine created Beef and Pumpkin Ragout with Peppers. Her meat is very overcooked, which she blames on the inconsistency of the piece she got. She extracted a lot of flavor from the meat itself and combined all three ingredients in the ragout.
The judges decide that the first to go is Chef Massimo because of the raw sage in his pumpkin purée.
Entrée[]
Ingredients: Flounder, Yellow Plantains, Baby Bok Choy, Mini Watermelon
Marc prepared Fried Curry Flounder with Pickled Watermelon Rind Salad. The judges love his pickled watermelon rind salad and wished they had more of the pickling liquid. The fish is under-seasoned and somewhat broken up.
Christine created Steamed Flounder Stuffed with Plantains & Bok Choy. The watermelon broth is far too spicy, and the fish is undercooked. The judges admire her creative idea and how she incorporated all of the basket ingredients in it.
Julio's entrée is Lemon Glazed with Grilled Bok Choy & Watermelon. The fish is the most delicately cooked of the round, and the bok choy is nice. There is too much of the bok choy, and Amanda's first bite of fish is a mouthful of pin bones.
All three chefs struggled in the entrée round, but in the end, the judges chop Chef Christine for serving raw fish and overly spicy sauce.
Dessert[]
Ingredients: Tomatillos, Crème Fraîche, Plain Donuts
Julio's dessert is French Toast Donuts with Tomatillo Compote. The flavors are nice, and there is a lot of creativity in the dish. The dessert is very heavy, and the apple in the compote masks the tomatillo a bit.
Marc made Classic Fritters with Tomatillo Chutney. The tomatillo chutney is fantastic and the judges like his fritters. They do wish that they had more fritters.
In the end, the judges chop Chef Julio. Marc is made Chopped Champion.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
| Chopped Season 2 | |
| << Season 1 • Season 3 >> | |
| #01 Salty Veggies & Heated Battles | #08 A Wish Upon a Starfruit |
| #02 High Hopes | #09 Buckwheat Blunders and Twists of Fate |
| #03 Floundering Around | #10 The Ultimate Face-Off |
| #04 Pride on the Plate | #11 Best of the Best |
| #05 Pretty Please With a Pepper on Top | #12 All Stars Showdown |
| #06 A Prickly Situation | #13 Bring It! |
| #07 Pods, Grills and Sticky Fingers | |