QUICKFIRE: Ohmigod… they brought so, SO sexy Sam “The Hot Diabetic” Talbot back from Season 2 as a guest judge. Give me a few so I can compose myself… There, better now.
Anyway, Sam challenged the group of seven to bring sexy back to the salad — within 45 minutes. Richard tried another playful approach, making a “ceviche” of fruits and veggies. Andrew made a fruit salad of strawberries and mango with a Thai dressing and siracha. Spike countered with a “sensual beef salad” of skirt steak, pineapple, radish and cucumber. Lisa went under the sea to find ingredients for her grilled squid and lobster salad that she “sexified” by adding banana. (Squid & banana?!!!) Antonia felt the heat from S.T.H.D. and responded by poaching an egg over a wild mushroom salad with squash blossoms and a bacon vinaigrette. Dale’s poached chicken salad had an Asian flavor with nori paste, chopped Napa cabbage and rice wine vinegar. Stephanie ran out of time to finish/plate her artichoke chips, but her fall duet salad included pear, artichoke and pear vinaigrette. Sam’s least favorite attempts were Richard’s (”not acidic” enough for a ceviche), Stephanie’s missing artichoke chip and Lisa’s “banana hodgepodge.” Sam liked Spike’s blend of beef, pineapple and mint. He told Antonia that nothing was “sexier than breaking into a yolk” and she just about died. (Me too.) He gave props to Dale for the touch of pureed Nori in his salad. And the Justin Timberlake Award for Bringing Sexy Back to Salad went to… Spike!
ELIMINATION: Sam, of course, is diabetic and also comes from a family of cops. This challenge combined those two facts into protect and serve cops in training by creating a healthy box lunch. Each dish had to include a vegetable, fruit, something whole grain and a lean protein.
As the challenge winner, Spike had an extra 10 minutes in Whole Foods to buy his four main ingredients. Once chosen, none of the other contestants could use them. Instead of focusing on the concept of his dish, Spike focused on the strategy of picking four ingredients that the loss of would cripple his opponents and force them to be very creative. So he went for chicken, bread, tomatoes and lettuce. It was a risky strategy, and really annoyed the others.
Spike made a mayo-less open faced chicken salad with grapes and olives, whole wheat pita slices and crudite. The judges called it “pedestrian.” Andrew made a salmon maki roll wrapped in parsnip/pine nut “rice” with pickled ginger and wasabi that the judges deemed “very strange.” (Kinda like him…) Antonia made a curried beef with caramelized cauliflower, brown rice and mixed fruit. The judges really liked the flavors. Dale cooked lemongrass bison (fewer calories/50 percent less cholesterol than beef) with brown rice and a cucumber, radish and herb salad. The creativity of his protein choice impressed the judges who thought the dish need a bit more heat but it had nice color. Lisa made shrimp stir fry with endamame, bean sprouts and a spicy hot sauce that was cooled with Greek yogurt topped with berries. The heat under her brown rice was mysteriously turned up during the cooking time. She said the “S” word: sabotage. All denied it. Spike was annoyed by Richard’s “question of the day” to all of the cops: “Do you like burritos?” He made them a grilled tuna “burrito” rolled in a rice wrapper with quinoa, beans, avocado, mango and cucumber salad. Stephanie cooked a hearty mushroom, leek and meatball soup with barley, pureed veggies, apples and yogurt. The judges said it was both very well seasoned and satisfying. At the judges table, it was Dale who won this round. He noted that makes it five for 20 wins.
Called into the loser round were Andrew, Spike and Lisa. Andrew was told his meal would leave the cops hungry for more, and more apt to raid a candy machine in the afternoon. Spike got spanked for combining olives and grapes in his chicken salad. He gave lip back to the judges saying it was about the sweet/salty thing. Tom Colicchio countered that it was about the taste thing. Meeeeooow!
Lisa was knocked for undercooked shrimp (yikes!), then she threw Andrew under the bus for not having a whole grain in his dish. Andrew responded that he’s “always been against the grain” and then he further proved it by displaying some serious ‘tude to the panel. When the judges sent him packing his knives he said get-up-in-a-clocktower-with-a-gun creepily, “No security necessary.” Spike said from the heart, “Andrew and I will be boys forever.” Love you guys… not!
Meanwhile, that’s a gorgeous sweater Sam’s wearing. Thank you TC for bringing sexy back, STHD-style ;^)
