As the cheftestants walk into the kitchen, Curtis Stone tells them that John Rivera Selar had to drop out of the competition due to an undisclosed emergency so they're bringing back Hugh Acheson.
Quickfire Challenge
The challenge is to make a meatball dish in 30 minutes...and they have to hand grind the meat with a hand grinder. The judge is Kelis, who apparently is also a cook, owns real clothes that one would wear to something other than a hooker convention and loves meatballs (you would have thought it was shakes, but whatever).
All the chefs are having a terrible time with the meat grinder. IT's like a bad horror movie - meat is all over the place.
As Kelis tastes the meatballs, she's kinda pissing off the cheftestants. She makes faces, comments on the flavors and generally is totally critical.
She criticizes Hugh's lamb merguez meatball with shitake and Hugh just says these flavors have been paired, like, forever...
Kelis's favorite is John's Vietnamese chicken meatball.
Elimination Challenge
Guest Christina Hendricks (Joan on Mad Men) and her husband are the guest judges. She says she's surrounded by 60's food constantly (due to Mad Men themed parties we guess), and hates it. She wants the chefs to update the dishes. They have to make both the classic dish and then an updated version (all appetizer sized).
At the party, the judges are all drinking martinis. Christina always looks about ten years younger when she's Christina and not Joan. I prefer Joan...can we get Joan? She would make one totally bitchy judge - don't you think? Anyway, the cheftestants make:
John - Oysters Rockefeller. Christina says the oyster is comforting and warm.
Mary Sue - Deviled eggs. Christina says it's not really a deviled egg but it's amazing.
George - Chicken ala King. The modern blows the classic out of the water.
Traci - Beef Stroganoff. Christina didn't really taste the mushrooms.
Suvir - Veal Oscar. James says it was cooked a while ago. Mystery meat. One bland note.
Sue - Duck L'Orange . Sue doesn't finish her dishes and leaves out some components.
Hugh - Beef Wellington. Ruth says the components are divorced instead of being married.
Celina - Coq au Vin. Christina loves the vinegary taste.
Floyd - Ambrosia . Christina says its whimsical and delicious.
Alex - Bread Pudding. Christina says not enough bread.
Naomi - Grasshopper Pie. Christina says the taste is a little off, but James likes it.
Judges Table
Mary Sue, John and Floyd have the best dishes. James Oseland said John made a benchmark oysters Rockefeller.
Ruth says that Floyd made a chef classic version of a bad housewife dish.
Stone says he wants Mary Sue's recipe.
James said that the eggs wee a perfect blend of flavors. The winner is Mary Sue.
Alex, Suvir, Sue are the bottom three. J
ames said he was disappointed with the duck.
Ruth said Sue didn't show the difference between the 60's and modern versions of the duck. James said the veal was like shoe leather. Suvir said he had no station to cook on - only the fryer.
Ruth said that bread pudding is something you can play with for a master chef she expects wow! James calls the bread puddings undelicious.
Sue is eliminated.
Next week: Things get buggy!
Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.
