Welcome to CHOPPED Thursdays!!!
These episodes include Bob, Mel, Greg, and Christina, for our rendition of CHOPPED. Which basically means, seeing what 4 off-the-wall ingredients we can give to our friends, so they have to muddle through what we decide is the Chopped basket.
Rules and General Guidelines (for our version):
- 4 Basket Ingredients are to be purchased the DAY OF the "competition"
- Total Amount Spent cannot exceed $30 (we're poor...it's not like we can get Lobsters every time...we still have to pay rent...that, and if it sucks, we need money leftover to get Chinese...haha)
- All basket ingredients need to be purchased at a regular "Joe Schmo" Grocery Store (ShopRite, Stop n Shop, etc)
- There is only one round (Entree).
- This rule is pretty much there because we have to eat...
- Duration of the round = 30 minutes.
- All Chopped judging criteria remains the same
- Each contestant is judged based on Presentation, Taste, and Creativity
- All plates (total of 4) need to include all 4 basket ingredients (be it a lot or a little)
- Point values have yet to be determined...but I think each judge will be able to award the contestant up to 10 points (perfect score equalling 30 per round).
Tonight....was Bob's turn, and Greg was chosen to pick the 4 basket ingredients. Greg chose Shrimp (raw, de-veined, and un-peeled), Potato Gnocchi (fresh), Kiwis (4 - whole), and Jelly Beans (2 bags, store-brand). Total Spent = $28.
Because this was our first attempt at CHOPPED Thursdays, we didn't have a pot of water already boiling, or the oven hot...soooo....we gave Bob an extra 15 minutes added to his time (because we were feeling generous). With the timer set for 45 minutes...we gave Bob the GO to begin.
First thing Bob started to do was clean the shrimp, and peel the kiwis...mainly because he had never seen/cooked Gnocchi before, and was caught up on what the hell do with the Jelly Beans. Then, panic set in...then, a moment of clarity...he decides he knows exactly what to do for his appetizer. Yes - we told him he didn't need two courses, just an Entree, but he's an over-achiever, and felt like he had the time (with the extra 15 minutes). The below picture is Bob peeling Kiwis (note some of the Shrimp already in the sauté pan):
Once he finished with his appetizer (we still had no clue what this was). He decides to try his hand at the Jelly Beans...the below picture is him trying to "pulverize" (thanks Mel for the descriptive term) the Jelly Beans in the mini Food Processor. Final result: Jelly Beans = 1, Food Processor = 0...the blade continuously ended up popping off it's hinge.
Now, the time is quickly passing, some of the shrimp ended up getting a good "Char"...and it's down to the wire...the Chopped judges (Mel, Greg, and I) keep saying "PLATE, PLATE, PLATE YOUR DISHES!!". Bob, staying true to form, is keeping his cool, but running around like a maniac. He gets the dishes completed just in the nick of time, and we have a total of 9 plated dishes (4 appetizers, and 4 entrees).
Here is our Appetizer. He made a Shrimp & Kiwi Ceviche over Yellow Corn Chips, with a Jelly Bean Powder on top.
Here is our Entree. He made Pesto Gnocchi Mashed Potatoes, with Sauteed Jerk Shrimp, topped with a Caramelized Kiwi Jelly Bean Puree.
Now...the Judging begins....
Appetizer Summary: Chip was a little soggy; Overall taste was great; Plating was beautiful; No Jelly Beans evident in the dish.
Entree Summary: Shrimp were sauteed well; Kiwi puree on top was good with the shrimp, but not on it's own; Pesto Gnocchi Mashed Potatoes were heavy, and gummy; No Jelly Beans evident in the dish; Entire dish lacked cohesiveness.
Scoring: PRACTICE ROUND - SCORING NOT APPLICABLE
In the end, Bob was a good sport - he took Greg's "curveball" basket, and made a really fantastic appetizer of Ceviche. We think he would have passed the appetizer round, but would have been "CHOPPED" after the Entree round. All in all, GOOD EFFORT, BOB!!
I look forward to a New Chef and New Basket NEXT THURSDAY on the GCBM's CHOPPED!!!Labels: Bob and Mel, Ceviche, Chopped, Chopped Practice Rounds
