The Great American Recipe: Episode 4 Recap
Episode four of The Great American Recipe marks the halfway point of the competition, and this episode was was all about portable foods. The remaining seven cooks prepared handheld treats and the ultimate dishes for outdoor dining.
The theme for episode four was 'Ready to Go Meals.' In the first round, the cooks had 60 minutes to prepare a handheld dish. Their portable dishes were presented to judges Graham Elliot, Tiffany Derry and Leah Cohen for their critiques. In the second round of competition the cooks had 90 minutes to prepare a dish they could enjoy at an outdoor event with the panel of judges.
Here's how it went!
Round One
In round one the cooks had 60 minutes to prepare a handheld dish. With an elimination round just around the corner, the remaining contestants bravely ventured into the first challenge.
Despite knowing an elimination is imminent, many of the contestants didn't let the heat of the competition get in the way of having fun.
First round food consisted of Tony's quesadillas, mustard maple chicken wings from Brian, spring rolls from Foo, Silvia's BLT burritos with lots of bacon, a salmon wrap from Nikki, an Italian sausage sandwich from Dan and lamb and barley stuffed grape leaves from Robin.
Each of the contestants took the judges' previous criticism seriously and worked it into their dishes for this first challenge.
Wether needing more salt or more spice, the contestants were prepared to give the judges what they want. Take it from Foo ... he spiced up his dishes and it paid off.
Ultimately Robin's lamb and barley stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) were a hit with the judges and she was able to take a breather before moving on to round two.
Round Two
After a successful round one, the chefs ventured into round two with a new objective: prepare a dish to enjoy at an outdoor event with the panel of judges (in 90 minutes).
Contestant Brian Leigh took this opportunity to create his crowd-pleasing macaroni and cheese. But he has a special name for it.
Brian's absurd-Leigh mac 'n' cheese contains multiple types of cheese, cauliflower, jalapeños and even more deliciousness.
While Brian prepared his comfort food classic, the other remaining chefs worked on their dishes.
Dan spent this challenge creating pasta from scratch, which seemed to be a bit of a workout. The judges were ultimately impressed with his dish although they wished it had a bit more flavor.
The remaining dishes were served to the judges and despite the flavor and backstory, Brian's dish didn't push him through to the next round.
