This was the third episode of five in the grilling challenge for Chopped: Grill Masters. The first four battles will determine the final head to head challenge, where the winner will walk away with $50,000.
The Contestants
The contestants for this episode were Chef Robyn Lindars, Chef Timothy Grandinetti, Chef Doug Keiles, and Chef Ernest Servantes.
The Judges
The judges for this episode were Aaron Sanchez, Amanda Freitag, and Marc Murphy.
The Appetizer Round
The secret ingredients for this round were oysters, hearts of palm, creamed spinach, and duck bacon. The oysters posed a serious problem for the chefs as their shells were very brittle. As they were shucked, shards of the shell would end up inside the oysters and all over the plates.
Chef Ernest Servantes showed his unique Latin heritage by deviating from the group with his dish. He made a queso fundido while the other three chefs made oyster Rockefeller.
Chef Robyn Lindars was eliminated this round for getting the oyster shell on her serving plates.
The Entree Round
The secret ingredients in this round were rabbit, eggplant, pineapple, and puff pastry dough. The rabbit was whole and the chefs had to take time to butcher it.
Chef Doug Keiles seriously burnt the dough but managed to recover. Chef Timothy Grandinetti made a sweet accompaniment to his entree with a pastry wrapped sweetened pineapple. The judges thought his dish was unbalanced and he was chopped this round.
The Dessert Round
The secret ingredients of this round were Meyer lemons, marshmallows, charcoal biscuits, and zucchini. Charcoal biscuits are an interesting ingredient. They are an old fashioned savory cracker that has charcoal added in the idea that it helps with digestion.
Chef Ernest Servantes made a zucchini bread pudding and the judges loved it. He made it savory and topped it with marshmallow candy that would sweeten the cake.
Chef Doug Keiles made a play on smores. He wrapped a marshmallow with grilled zucchini and plated it with a biscuit candy. He ended up over cooking the candy brittle and it solidified into a block of hard sugar that was inedible.
In the end it was Chef Ernest Servantes that was named the winner. He was unique in his flavors and that is what got him ahead. We will see him again in the finale of Chopped Grill Masters.
