All language subtitles for The.Great.American.Recipe.S01E05.1080p.WEB.h264-BAE

Alejandra Ramos: Tonight on
"The Great American Recipe"...

This week, we want to keep
the festivities going

by seeing what recipes
you would make

for one of life's
special celebrations.

Dan, voice-over: I made
this meal for my wife

on our 30th wedding anniversary.

It's gonna be really hard
not to cry about this one.

I'm gonna cry.
I'm gonna cry.

You shouldn't make me cry.

No. Now we're
gonna tear up, too.

You won her over with this dish,

and then you're keeping
her with this dish.

I'm feeling the festive spirit.

Alejandra: What makes
a great recipe?

Are they the dishes
that are passed down to us

through generations
of home cooking?

Bambi, voice-over:
I love to make my mom's

honey turkey wings.

Alejandra: Are they the ones
that tell the story

of who we are
and where we're from?

Silvia, voice-over:
I make mantecada.

It's like a Mexican muffin.

Tiffany: If this is what
it feels like at your home...

no matter what culture,
no matter what type of cuisine...

This type of comfort
I understand.

Alejandra: Modern American
home cooking has it all.

Dan: You have marinara sauce,
you have pizza sauce,

but you have Sunday gravy.

Foo: I'm making
a crab meatball soup.

Yum!

You guys asking
for funk and some...

[Laughter]

There it is.

Alejandra: To discover
the melting pot of dishes

this country has to offer,
we have invited

10 talented home cooks from
regions across the United States

to share the unique
and heartwarming stories

behind their
most treasured recipes...

This is family.

Alejandra: and at the end of
their journey, one home cook...

Graham: You're
passionate about flavor,

and you respect your heritage.

That is a perfect recipe.

Alejandra:
will crowned the winner.

Ohh!

Alejandra: Our doors are open,
and everyone's invited.

Welcome to
"The Great American Recipe."

[Pencil scratching]

♪

Robin: Ha ha ha!

No, you aren't.

♪

Leah:
Hey, everyone.

Hi. Welcome back.

Tony, voice-over: Being on top
from last week feels great.

The most successful
dish is... Tony

with his deconstructed
cannoli dip.

Nice.

Tony, voice-over: I'm coming in
this week feeling strong,

and I know that I just need
to keep up this momentum.

Aloha, all.

Dan: Buongiorno.

Hey.
Yes.

Knowing that I was
on the bottom last week

was more devastating than
actually being eliminated...

Nikki, you had
a few technical issues.

The chicken wasn't
cooked properly.

One of the things you have to do

is trust yourself and adapt.

Nikki, voice-over: so this week,
I'm gonna bring it.

Alejandra:
The remaining 6 of you

represent the best
of American home cooking.

Please welcome back our judges...
Graham Elliot,

Leah Cohen, and Tiffany Derry.

Last week,
you took our palates

on an adventure
to the great outdoors

by creating dishes that you
can make and take anywhere.

This week, we want to keep
the festivities going

by seeing what recipes
you would make

for one of life's
special celebrations.

In this first round,
you will have 60 minutes

to create a dish
that reminds you

of a special occasion,
those memorable events

that bring everyone together.

The recipes you make
should not only be delicious,

but they should also speak
to how your community

and your family celebrate.

Remember, your dishes
will be judged on taste,

execution, presentation,

and how well the recipe
highlights the theme.

Dan, voice-over: At this point
now, I'm feeling pretty good.

I think I know just
the perfect dish to make.

I see the wheels turning,
getting some ideas.

[Laughter]

Your time starts now.

♪

Ooh. Ooh.

Ooh! It's all good.

Nikki, voice-over:
Last week, I gave them

horrible chicken legs
with vegetables,

so this week,
I'm back in my wheelhouse.

I'm in it to win it.

I'm making a pesto pasta
with seared scallops.

So this is all
from my grandmother.

I found out that my grandmother
actually loved pesto,

and it was in my DNA.

Like, I knew I loved it,
but the trip of a lifetime

happened when I turned 40
and my family took me

to Italy for my birthday,
and I was able to take

an actual culinary class
and learn this firsthand.

Nikki, voice-over: So I make it
with basil, toasted pine nuts...

Oh, these are pretty,
pretty, pretty, pretty.

Nikki, voice-over: have to have
the toasted pine nuts...

lemon juice and lemon zest...

Whew! This is a arm workout,
arm workout.

Nikki, voice-over: like, so many
pesto recipes don't have lemon,

and I really never had that
until I went to Italy...

and then salt, parmesan cheese.

Nikki: I'm hoping that the
judges feel the love in this.

Oop.

♪

Oh, ho ho ho, baby.

Dan, voice-over: Today I'm doing
a little stuffed veal chop,

and then I'm doing a little bit
of spinach as a side,

and we're gonna go for it.

Dan, voice-over: I need to get
this stuffing made really fast

because I only have 60 minutes
and these chops are gonna take,

you know, at least 30,
so I get the breading

in chicken stock and then add
the meat and cheeses.

I'm gonna stuff them
with Prosciutto di Parma,

some fontina cheese,
some pecorino Romano,

and some mozzarella cheese.

My wife's favorite thing
is veal chop.

Anytime we go out
to a restaurant,

more than likely veal chop,

so I made this meal
for my wife Desiree

on our 30th wedding anniversary.

Dan, voice-over: So we've been
together for some time now.

My daughter's grown.

She's actually married
to a Providence firefighter.

They have 3 kids.

I wish that my wife
was a judge today,

even though she's probably
just as harsh as they are,

so wouldn't get a free pass
from her, either,

which is just how I like it.

Dan, voice-over: It would be
pretty cool to win

the whole entire thing
for my wife.

That's a nice one there.
That's the one I would want.

♪

Yeah. These are beautiful.

Robin, voice-over:
I'm making lamb chops

with a Mediterranean orzo salad

and some haricot verts
on the side,

which is a finer,
French green bean.

This is a dish
that I have to nail

because this
is my favorite dish.

My second oldest son Omar
now prepares this

for my birthday every year,
and he's a chef,

and if my birthday
falls on a day

where he is supposed
to be working,

he takes off and makes sure
I have this dish.

OK.

It's gonna be really hard
not to cry about this one.

First thing I need to do
is prepare the lamb.

I have rubbed them with mustard

that has also been laced
with lots of garlic

and then sprinkled salt
on top of them...

ah, I like salt right there
close to the meat...

and then I make a nice
panko-breaded crust,

make sure it's patted
on all sides of it,

and put them in a hot oven.

♪

Robin: You've got gorgeous
carrots over there.

Tony: Thank you.

I'm gonna julienne
these real quick,

so we're gonna use
these for my bulgogi.

OK.

♪

Tony, voice-over:
My special-occasion dish

is beef bulgogi... which is
a Korean-style, marinated beef...

and then I'm serving it with a
nice, little, quick pickled veg.

♪

This is a dish that my mom
would always make for us

on our arrival day.

It is a day that we celebrate
for when my mother

adopted me and my brother
from Korea.

Have our ginger,
soy sauce, sesame oil.

Tony, voice-over: You have
to start by marinating the beef

with a mixture of Asian pear,
onion, green onion,

soy sauce, sesame oil,
black pepper.

♪

Mm. Yep. Tastes great.

Tony, voice-over:
The biggest concern I have

is preparing the ribeye.

♪

Bulgogi is really thin slices,
and so typically,

I like to par-freeze my beef
so that way,

it is able to cut a lot cleaner
with those thinner slices,

but that's really tough to do
in the short amount of time.

45 minutes left, chefs.
Let's got going. 45 minutes.

All right.
Thank you, Tony.

You're welcome, Robin.

♪

There's something
about fried tortilla.

You just cannot stop
eating them. Ah.

Silvia, voice-over: For this
round, I'm making sopa Tarasca.

It is a tomato and bean soup
that is garnished

with different things,
like fried tortilla strips

that create this very complex
mixture of textures.

It was a soup that I made for
the first time in United States

right after I got
my U.S. citizenship

and even though I became
a citizen and I was very glad

because my family here
are Americans

bringing a little bit of Mexico
back to me

because it's still my identity
was a big comfort to me.

Silvia, voice-over:
So sopa Tarasca is another

of the dishes that you need
to layer the flavors,

so I like to do
a roasted-tomato-based salsa

because there is something
really beautiful

about the smokiness
of that charred tomato skin,

and then I make my salsa
with some chicken broth

because you want that marriage
of, like, the spices

and the liquid...

♪

Foo: Silvia, may
I have a bay leaf?

Yes, absolutely.

Silvia, voice-over:
and then I fry it.

Frying the salsa, it gives
another layer of flavor.

Smells good, Silvia.

Silvia:
Thank you. Ha ha!

Foo, voice-over: Today
we're making shaking beef.

The Vietnamese name
is called bo luc lac.

Traditionally, it is
beef tenderloin and tomatoes

with oyster sauce
and hoisin sauce

and dark soy sauce...

Ee, ay, ay.

Foo, voice-over:
but the way I'm making it,

instead of using tomatoes,
I'm adding red bell peppers

for some contrasting texture,

and then I'm serving it
on a coconut jasmine rice.

It's the very first dish
I made for my wife

while we were dating,
so it has a lot of memories,

and now we do it
on our anniversary,

and that's why
we're still married.

She has me cooking every day.

Ha ha ha! I'm kidding.

I feel good. I feel good.

Leah: Hi, Nikki.
Hi, guys.

How are you?
Good. How are you?

Doing great. What are
you cooking up for us?

So I am making today
a pesto pasta

with a seared scallop.

Pesto is one of my favorites.

Oh, my gosh, I'm excited
for you to try this.

I love that you have
the cast-iron out

for these scallops,
so we're expecting to see

a good, brown sear.
OK.

I mean, you can't
go wrong with that,

but I want you to do
what you do.

I mean, no pressure.

No, no, no.
I get it.

I want to make sure
today that you

are breathing
and that you have a plan...

I do.

Because sometimes
you get flustered.

Yes. I got a plan today,
and if I have to,

I'll just casually pivot.

No one will know the difference.

You will because
you are a good cook,

and you have to trust that.

Trust your gut.
Make it happen.

We believe in you.
Yeah.

What do we got on time?

Tiffany: 30 minutes,
everyone, 30 minutes.

Let's go. 30.

Hello, Dan.
Hey.

Dan the man.

What's happening, chefs?

Tell us what you're making.

All right, so what we have

is a stuffed veal chop

that's inside of the oven,

and I'm trying to
reduce this sauce down.

I got it in two pans.

You know, I'm trying
to get it down...

I can't change physics, though...

And then if it's
not thick enough,

I have my Plan "B" over here.

I made like a
little, light roux,

and then, you know, that's maybe

what I have to go with.

I don't know.

Cornstarch always works, too,

right, a little cornstarch

and water as a slurry.

Just add a little,
maybe don't put

too much in, you still get

that nice, thickness
that you're looking for.

Really? All right.
Yeah.

Fingers crossed on that.

♪

Robin, voice-over:
As the lamb is cooking,

I need to put together
the Mediterranean orzo salad.

Ha ha ha! Working it.

My son Omar
is an incredible chef,

and he created this dish for me
for my birthday

based on the things
he knows I like to eat.

He knows I like feta.
He knows I like olives.

Eh.

Robin, voice-over: I would love
to be able to win

with my son's recipe.

♪

Mm.

Mm. Ha ha!

♪

[Hums]

♪

1, 2, 3, 4...

Let's get you over here.

Ooh! Almost
busted my ankle.

Tony, voice-over:
The meat for my bulgogi

is well-marinated, so I'm
gonna focus on cooking that

with some scallions
and some onions.

And I'm just doing a batch.

It's still kind of a wash,
rinse, repeat step here,

so we're just taking all that,
and I'm toasting

some sesame seeds that I'm gonna
add for the garnish at the end,

so while we're doing all that,
the pickled vegetables

ae marinating, so we're just
kind of rolling with it.

Tony, voice-over: I'm paying
a lot of attention

to all the components of this
dish because this is something

that is near and dear to me
but also because we're down

to the final 6 of us
and I want to make sure

that every step along the way
is perfection.

Hopefully, everything comes out
in the end for the judges.

♪

Hello. Hi.
Hi, Silvia.

How are you doing?

Good, thank you,

very happy making this dish.

[Laughter]

I love soups.
I love beans.

What's in it?

It's a roasted tomato and beans.

What special event does
this dish celebrate?

I became a U.S. citizen
when I was pregnant

with my second kid,
and I never thought

that I would be
live in United States

and I will have kids
that are Americans,

so when I became
a U.S. citizen...

I'm gonna cry;
I'm gonna cry;

you shouldn't make me cry...

I was very happy for my family

because now may family
is my husband and my kids,

right, all Americans,
but after I went

to that ceremony, I came back,

and I had to make
something homey,

something that reminds me
that I'm still Mexican...

Yeah.
Yeah.

right, so that's my soup.

Sorry.

No. Now we're
gonna tear up, too.

Yeah. It just reminds
me that I'm both.

My kids are both,
and it's just a way, too,

like, feel that
I was not abandon

my family in Mexico just
because I became an American.

100% here, 100% there,

aqui y alla.
Yes, exactly.

That's wonderful.
Thank you, Silvia.

I love how you
honor your culture

of being both
Mexican and American.

Yes. Yes. Thank you.

♪

All right, everybody.
15 minutes to go.

All right.

Silvia, can I use your wok?

Absolutely.
Come get it.

Thank you.

Foo, voice-over: The reason why
this dish is called shaking beef

is because you want that wok
really searing hot

so when you throw that beef
in there, it sizzles,

and you're shaking the wok
as it's cooking.

That's why they call it
shaking beef.

♪

Whew! That is a hot wok.

Foo, voice-over: I've made
this dish a hundred times.

I can make it
with my eyes closed.

I feel good about my dish
at this point.

All right, everyone.
10 minutes left.

[All hoot]

Alejandra: So we're
down to 6 cooks.

How do you think
everyone is doing?

Tiffany: One thing
today that feels

a little bit different
is that there is

crazy intensity in here.

It's kind of like this.

I don't hear anything.

Focus.
I hear focus.

Yes.
Focus. Yeah.

Yep. People are connected
to their pots and pans,

and they're not playing around.

Tiffany: Yep.

♪

[Beep beep, beep beep]

♪

1, 2, 3,

4, 5,

6, 7, 8...

Nikki, voice-over: So I want
this perfect sear on a scallop,

and I learned that if you
count openly for two minutes,

so 120 seconds,
you get the perfect top sear,

and then you just turn it over
for, like, a minute,

and then it will be perfect.

59, 60, 61, 62, 63...

Nikki, how's it going?

64, 65, 66, 67,

68, 69, 70...

Nikki, voice-over: So Foo's
asking me, "How we doing?"

but I am, like, "Just focus.

Focus, focus, focus,
focus, focus."

99, 100, 1, 2...

Foo, voice-over:
Nikki, relax. Ha ha!

♪

Ohh, look at that, perfect.

♪

Tony, voice-over:
The judges said,

"Make sure you season.
Make sure you salt"...

Could use a little more salt,
to be honest.

so I just want to make sure
that I season as I go.

I'm happy.
5 minutes, guys.

5 minutes.
You should be plating.

Time's overrated.

Dan, voice-over:
Yeah. I'm behind,

so as time's running down,
I'm definitely concerned

about whether I'm gonna get
everything on the plate or not.

I got to finish the sauce...
I haven't even tasted it yet...

And then I got to get
these chops,

leaving those
till the last second,

feeling fear, F-E-A-R.

Ha ha!

I want it to look just beautiful
because that soup and I...

it's really close to my heart,
and I think all the colors...

Because it's a bean soup,
it's brown.

It really needs a pop of color,
so I'm being,

like, super careful trying
to get everything on the plate.

Sometimes when I do it at home,
I add a little bit of the cream,

and I like, you know,
when you go to restaurants

and it's something beautiful
and you do these shapes.

They look like hearts.

Here we go.

Nikki, voice-over:
The judges want to see

a perfect sear on the scallops.

So I think these
are cooked perfect

because... check that out...
Gorgeous and white,

tastes good, really good.

♪

Alejandra:
One minute left, cooks.

Oh, boy. OK.

♪

Robin: Wouldn't I love
to take a bite right now?

Make it happen, Dan.

Tiffany:
Go, Dan. Go.

Alejandra: You got this.
You got this.

Chefs: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Graham:
Hands up.

Oh...

Yummy. Heh heh.

♪

Hi, Nikki. Tell us
what you made.

So today I made for you

pesto pasta with
a seared scallop.

This is for my birthday.

My family took me to Italy.

We did the Cinque Terra Trail,

and my family had
a culinary experience

for me to make this dish.

Nikki, this is a very light

and refreshing bowl
of pesto pasta.

I love the addition
of the scallops.

That sweetness really makes
a difference to this dish,

and you can really taste
the basil, and I love that.

Graham: Yeah. I feel
like you saved us the cost

of a plane ticket
by letting us vicariously

go with you to Italy,
so thank you for doing that.

Yeah. Thank you,
judges. Thank you.

Hi, Tony.
Hi.

I made for you all
my beef bulgogi

with pickled veg,

so this is near
and dear to my heart.

This is my beef bulgogi
that my mom used to make

for me, for my brother and I

and my whole family
for our arrival day.

There's definitely
quite a bit of flavor

in your bulgogi.

There is some sweetness.

We definitely get the sesame,

some great pickle notes

from the pickled cucumber,
which are excellent,

and then I just like the carrot,

kind of fresh, very delicious,

but when you're
cutting your beef,

you really want to make sure

that you cut it even
because how you cut it

affects how it's gonna taste,

the texture you're gonna
have in your mouth.

All of those things
mean something.

Right.
Thank you, Chef.

Alejandra: Hi, Robin.
Hello.

Graham: Hey.

I've made roasted lamb chops

with a Mediterranean orzo salad.

My second oldest son
Omar now does this

for my birthday every year.

Let's get one thing clear.

This isn't just
lamb chops and salad, right?

I have a rosemary-skewered
rack of lamb

with haricot vert,
some red onion,

and a Mediterranean orzo salad.

Like, don't sell yourself short.

This is legit.

This looks like you just

opened your restaurant
and served this.

Way to bring it, Robin.

Thank you so much.

Hi, Foo.
Hi.

Tell us about your dish.

I made a Vietnamese dish

called bo luc lac.

In English, it's translated

to shaking beef.

It's the dish I made my wife

on our very first date.

It's the first dish
I cooked for her,

and now we do it
on our anniversary.

The beef itself is very tender.

There's a lot
of flavor going on.

It is delicious,

and I really like
the crispy shallot

and the garlic
on there, love it.

It is truly a delicious dish.

Leah: And I can tell
that this is something

that you have been
cooking for a long time,

many, many years of repetition

and nailing it down,
and I can see

why you're still
married to your wife

because the flavor, I mean,

you made her stay or, I mean...

I don't know,
but you won her over

with this dish, and then

you're keeping her
with this dish.

Thank you very much.
Thank you, Chef.

Ha ha!

Hi, Dan.
Hi, judges.

What I have is
a stuffed veal chop,

and on the side,
I did a little bit

of spinach and
a veal reduction sauce.

How is this
a special-occasion dish?

The day before I came out here

was my 30th wedding anniversary,

and, in my wife's words,
veal chop is her

"favorite thing
on the entire planet,"

so I wanted to do
something special for her

on our 30th anniversary
because when it comes

to having, like,
the perfect wife,

at least for me, she
checks all the boxes.

Aww.
Aww.

I mean, come on.
Yeah.

Graham: I really think
you got to call in

some co-workers
because it's on fire.

It's delicious.
You know what I mean?

You did a really great job

in the flavor
of the sauce especially,

and I know that trying
to throw it on the plate

last second, you know,
is hard, but we got it.

You were able to do it,
got some great flavor.

Tiffany: And I absolutely
love that your wife

has your heart in every aspect

and there's no other woman
as great as your wife...

Nope.

And we need
every man to say that,

but I think it's
just so special,

and we know and
we feel that love

that exudes through the food.

Thank you, Chef.

Hi, Silvia.
Hello.

[Laughter]

Tell us about
this beautiful dish.

Well, this is sopa Tarasca.

In English, could be,
like Tarascan soup,

and it is very close to my heart

because the first
time I made this

in United States was the day

that I became
an American citizen.

Silvia, as if we didn't know

you made it with love,
we can tell

with the hearts in this bowl.

Ha ha ha!
I love that.

You executed this perfectly.

The texture, the mouth feel

that you get from the soup

is what a cream soup should be,

and then you have all
these wonderful textures

from the crispy tortilla,

the creaminess from the avocado.

Very flavorful and, you know,
one of your best dishes.

Tiffany: Yeah, and
I think that it's

just such a beautiful
way to showcase

everything you love
about being Mexican

and about being American
with your family.

It's absolutely amazing,
but also the story

makes it even more rich.

Thank you very much.

Silvia, voice-over: It is
emotional because this soup

is very special to me,
and every comment

that they said about this soup

is just confirming that
the judges like my recipes.

♪

Thank you all for sharing
such memorable dishes with us.

It was all so delicious,

we want to be invited to each

and every one of your
parties next year.

We're just inviting ourselves.

Leah: Yeah.

Alejandra:
All right, judges.

Who made your favorite dishes
this round?

Robin, your rack of lamb

with the orzo was delicious.

Robin, voice-over: I feel
as though I put my son Omar

on a plate,
and I think if my son

were standing here now,
he'd be very proud.

Tiffany: And another one
of our favorites was Silvia.

Two words... muy deliciosa.

Oh, thank you.
Gracias.

Tiffany: It was so good,
and it was wonderful

to hear the story of this was
the dish that you chose

to share with your family for
your American citizenship day,

and then you chose
to share it with us.

We feel very honored.

Thank you.
Heh heh.

Silvia: voice-over:
I'm very proud of myself

because this soup
is very special,

and the story behind this recipe
is very moving.

Amazing job, Robin and Silvia.

We can't wait to see
what recipes

you have for the next round.

♪

Alejandra: In the last round,
you introduced us

to a cherished recipe
for a special gathering.

This round, we want to taste
the food you make

year after year
for your friends and family

when your favorite
holiday comes around.

You will have two hours
to create a single dish

featuring your family's
favorite holiday recipe,

and since the holidays
are all about togetherness,

we're doing this round
a little differently.

You need to make enough food
to feed all of us

and all of you.

Whoa.
Nice.

[Laughter]

Robin, voice-over:
Cooking for large groups

is something that comes
natural for me.

I love this. This is exciting.

Your dishes will be
judged on taste,

presentation, execution,

and how well your dish
showcases a theme.

So be sure to apply all
the tips and feedback

you've received from
the judges to make sure

that this dish
is your best one yet.

Unfortunately,
at the end of this round,

we will be saying good-bye
to one of you.

Cooks, are you ready for the
ultimate holiday celebration?

Let's do it.
Yes.

Alejandra: Good,
because your time starts now.

♪

Nikki: This smells like home.

I am making baccala,

so baccala is a salted cod,
and it's packed

with all different types
of garden veggies and wine,

and it's gonna be
in a tomato broth.

It's the staple of the Feast
of the Seven Fishes.

Nikki, voice-over:
The Feast of the Seven Fishes

is a Christmas Eve tradition
for many Italians,

and it's where we just cook
all different types of fish.

Yes. Caught it.

Nikki, voice-over: It's just
this big celebration.

The whole family is there,

and so we still do that
to this day.

Actually, I'm really excited.

Any traditions that I can share
I absolutely love.

♪

Rice. Rice.

Tony, voice-over: I'm making
my Asian-style shish kebabs

with chicken and beef
and coconut rice.

It screams the holidays
because my mom

would always make this
every New Year's for us.

I'm trying to remember
how my mom would always get

the best way of getting them all
roughly the same sizes.

Tony, voice-over: We have
two hours this round,

and it's a lot time,

but there's also a lot of
prep work that needs to be done.

♪

After I cut the vegetables,
I'm gonna make the marinade

by blending together my
green onions, rice wine vinegar,

soy sauce, and pineapple juice.

♪

Then, I'm going to reduce
that a little bit on the stove,

and then I'm gonna let that
cool for a little bit

while I work on
cutting the meat.

My favorite thing about
the New Year's is being able

to start anew
with my friends and family,

the people that I love the most.

When I am cooking these dishes,

I'm putting my heart, my soul
onto these plates,

and I'm in this competition
to share my story

and hopefully my food will win.

We'll see how it goes.

♪

Foo: I'm drowning in calamari,
and it feels squishy.

Foo, voice-over: I am making
a Vietnamese dish

called muc xoai goi.

It translates
to calamari mango salad.

This salad is made
traditionally for Christmas.

It's a lot of components
on this one.

This is crazy.

Tony: Foo,
you need a hand?

Uh... yeah.

If you have time,

I would like help
peeling mangoes.

Peeling mangoes.
All right.

I'm coming with my
peeler, question mark.

Thank you.

Peeler on the way.

Tony, voice-over:
It's called paying it forward.

I mean, as much as this
is a competition,

we're family here.

Foo: What a good guy.
What a good guy.

♪

Foo, voice-over: After
I prep the calamari,

the next thing I need to do
is start my marinade.

[Inhales]

Foo, voice-over: The marinade
is fish sauce, sriracha,

chili paste, garlic salt,
salt, and pepper.

Ee, ay, ay, that's a lot.

Foo, voice-over: I'm praying
that they're gonna

enjoy this dish
because it's something

that I really, really enjoy
making every year for my family.

I'm doing good.
I feel comfortable.

I got a good flow going.

Hey, guys, it's 90 minutes.

90 minutes.
Thank you.

Men: Thank you.

Foo: Silvia...
Yeah?

How's it going?
Good.

Nice.
You know what?

After Tony's
peeling the mangoes,

how about you come
and peel my apples

and peaches, too, you know?

Tony: You know, Silvia,
for you, I'll do anything.

Aw, thank you, Tony.

Silvia, voice-over:
For this round, I'm making

chiles en nogada,
which in English

is stuffed poblano peppers
with walnut sauce.

It honors the colors
of the Mexican flag...

green, white, and red...

And it is traditional
for Mexican Independence Day.

Every year, my family
gets together on September 15,

which is one day
before Independence Day,

and we eat together.

Silvia, voice-over: Chiles en
nogada is a time-consuming dish

because you need to do
a lot of things,

like preparing the filling,
which is sweet and savory...

Oops!

Silvia, voice-over: mix of
meats, nuts, fruits, and spices.

You'll see.
It's gonna be delicious.

Ha ha ha!

♪

Robin, what are you making?

Oh, I'm making
something called kibbeh.

They're kind of like
Middle Eastern meatballs.

Ooh, a Middle Eastern
meatball. I love it.

Robin, voice-over: My lamb chops
were a success the first round,

and what makes me feel good
is that each round

that I've presented
the judges food

that I wanted to serve to them,

they're enjoying
what I'm preparing for them.

I hope to do the same
for this round.

All right. Spice.

Robin, voice-over:
Kibbeh should probably be

the national dish
of Syria and Lebanon

because every Lebanese,
Syrian family makes this dish.

It is ground lamb
with a bulgur wheat

that is soaked overnight
in water so that it swells

so it's this light, fluffy grain
to mix with the lamb.

My major concern with this dish
is the fact I don't have

24 hours to soak this bulgur
wheat, so I'm gonna boil it.

We always have it
at Christmastime

because our family
gets together then.

I've got kids coming
from all different parts

of the United States
with their families now,

and so it's nice
to get everybody home,

and then we all cook together.

Robin, voice-over: There's no
way I'm gonna serve the judges

our family kibbeh without having
bread to go with it,

so I think in the time allotted,

I'm gonna be able to whip
together a rosemary bread.

Smells like... almost like
the Christmas tree.

Ha ha ha!

♪

Dan: Now I know why I've given
the grandkids this job.

Dan, voice-over: I'm making
Italian Christmas cookies,

so I'm gonna make
a almond biscotti,

and then with some
of those almond biscottis,

I'm gonna dip them
in some chocolate.

Then I'm gonna make
a pignoli cookie,

and I'm gonna make
a butter ball cookie.

Well, the butter balls,
a lot of people know them

as snowballs
around the holidays.

They're round, and they have
the powdered sugar on them,

but that's a traditional cookie
that you would see

in any Italian house
on Christmas.

Dan, voice-over:
So at this point,

I have the butter balls
in the oven,

and then I start
the pignoli cookies...

♪

so that's got a lot
of almond paste in it.

Mix that with some egg, sugar
in the food processor.

[Food processor stops]

[Click click click click
click click click]

Huh.

That was the end
of that food processor.

Hey, Tony, my good man...

What's up, my guy?

I'm just gonna use
this for one second.

Hey, go ahead.

We're gonna let this thing rip
and make magic happen.

[Food processor stops]

[Click click click]

Food processor number two dies.

OK.

Well, apparently, heh,

the food processor
does not like this dough,

so we're gonna have to go
to a quick Plan "B."

One hour left, guys, one hour.

Whoo!

Timing is absolutely
gonna be an issue for me.

♪

Foo:
♪ ...you're around ♪

I'm just singing to myself.

Ha! I caught it.

Ha ha ha!

Nikki, voice-over:
I'm making a fried fish

to go with the baccala stew.

Typically, what we do is,

it's called smelt,
but it's hard to find,

and if you can't find it,
then you do flounder.

So growing up, you have stages

of the Seven Fish dinner
that you can do,

so you start off
by cleaning the fish

to then finally getting
to bread the fish

to then finally
getting to make a soup,

and now I have these
amazing pictures of my dad

taking my son aside and teaching
him the traditional baccala.

It's actually good.

♪

Tony: You almost
slipped away from me.

Why am I talking
to a shish kebab like that?

That's weird.

Tony, voice-over:
I am working feverishly

on putting those
shish kebabs together.

We've got 45 minutes, y'all.

What?
45.

OK. Thank you.

Tony, voice-over:
I am panicking a little bit.

I still have, like,
7 more skewers to do,

cooking the ones
that are already on the pan,

and I still need to get
the glaze going on.

I mean, that's a lot.

My mother is a saint,
putting all these together.

Dan: I had 3 more
minutes on those cookies,

so I got 2 1/2 minutes.

Need something?

Do you want to put these,
actually, just in here

and then put them in
the oven real quick?

They're done?
Yup.

I'm gonna cook them up.

I'll finish them off in the oven

while the rest of these go on,

so we're just gonna
do a flip-a-roo.

Roger that.

Tony, voice-over:
I was helping Foo earlier.

Now Dan is helping
with my kebabs,

and now it's just become
full circle.

Fireman Dan to the rescue.

♪

Whew! That's a workout.

Hello, Foo.
Hello, chefs.

Foo, what are you making for us?

So today I'm making you

a grilled calamari mango salad,

so typically at my household,

this is eaten during Christmas,

which is a time that
a lot of my siblings

live across 5 states,

so we don't get together often,

so when we do, this
is a cherished dish,

and it's a labor of love.

Well, I love what you
have going on here.

I think this is really genius.

You don't have a grill,
necessarily, right?

You need that open flame

to char the squid.

This is what they
do on the beach

in Vietnam, right?

That's right.
You see the grill

right over that charcoal burner.

100%. 100%.
Love it.

Thank you.
Thank you, chefs.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Leah: All right, cooks.
30 minutes left.

Oh, my God. Ha ha ha!

Silvia, voice-over:
This dish, it's a lot of work.

You need to roast, peel,
and deseed the poblanos.

I just decide just
to put my hand in there.

It's easier
to take the seeds out,

and then you need
to make the sauce,

and the thing is,
when we make it in my family,

there is my mom and my aunts
doing it together.

This time it was all me.

Salt, salt.

Silvia, voice-over:
I love sharing the culture

in traditional Mexican recipes,

and it's a very important dish
in Mexico,

so I'm just hoping the judges
think it's a winner.

♪

It's good.

20 minutes, everyone.

♪

Alejandra: So, judges,
we have 6 home cooks left,

and they keep impressing us.

What do you think about
the cook's choices so far?

You know, I think
there is a great mix

of dishes being
represented here.

Leah: Yeah, because
it just shows

I might celebrate
one holiday one way,

and someone celebrates
the exact same holiday

with completely different food.

Yeah.
That's what's fun,

is that might even be
a completely different holiday.

We're not saying, "This
is a Thanksgiving theme,"

you know, "Let's see you
make stuffing."

It's like, "No.
We don't do that,"

so it is really exciting

to not only taste
the different food,

but, like, know
why they're doing it.

♪

OK. I think we're close
to that being done.

Alejandra, voice-over:
Robin is making kibbeh,

and what's interesting
and kind of unusual

is that they're
a Lebanese appetizer,

but they're also
incredibly popular

in the Dominican Republic.

A lot of my Dominican friends

also grew up eating kibbeh.

Graham:
Interesting.

Kibbeh, you always dig a hole
in the center of your meatball,

and you stuff it
with something else,

so I'm going to stuff it
with loosely ground lamb,

pine nuts, onions,
and some seasoning.

Once it's filled, you can
fry it, or you can bake it.

I always baked it,
but my son Omar said,

"Mom, you should try frying it,"
so I'm gonna try it

for the first time
in front of the judges.

Oh, OK. Sure. Why not? Ha ha!

Nope. That's not gonna work.

It's important to me to carry on

my family's cooking tradition
because it keeps it alive.

I remember my mother.

I remember being
in the kitchen with her,

so by keeping her recipes
part of our household,

it keeps her part
of our household.

It's hot... hot, hot, hot.

Robin, voice-over: I made
these meatballs really large,

and now I'm
second-guessing myself,

so I'm gonna put them
in the oven

because I'm afraid that the
inside is not gonna be cooked.

♪

Dan, how you doing?

Oh, I'm baking up a storm.

Dan, voice-over: Growing up,
Christmas, for me,

definitely felt like
a magical time of year

because I had
two Christmas trees.

I had one in my house,
and then I walked

across the street
to my grandparent's house,

and I had another
Christmas tree,

and now the grandkids
come over for Christmas.

My son-in-law's family,
they come over for Christmas.

Christmastime brings me

some of my fondest
memories, actually.

Hey, Dan...

Hey, chefs, how are you?

see some sweet stuff

happening in this kitchen.

Oh, yeah.

We're doing a little baking.

Graham: So I heard
that there was an issue

with the food processor...
Or processors.

Processors, due,

so I had to go old school

and mix them by hand.

[Bang]

Shots fired.
Silvia: Yeah.

I'm OK, I'm OK, I'm OK.

Is that a food processor?

Graham:
Yeah. I think so.

Another food
processor went down.

It's not just you,
Dan. You're good.

Oh, there's always somebody
to take the pressure off.

Well, I can't wait to
try your sweet treats.

Dan: Yes, yes.
Thank you.

Good luck.

♪

Tony, voice-over: So I'm
blow-torching the shish kebab.

I just want to make sure
that each of them

has a nice, little
caramelization,

a nice browning on them,

and I'm also brushing those
with an orange glaze.

See how I perked up?
I know that sound.

Sounds like fire.

Alejandra:
5 minutes, everyone.

Whoo!

♪

Nothing cooks
when you look at it.

Robin, voice-over: I'm just
gonna wait till the last minute

and see if it's cooked
the right way.

Can't have calamari
without their heads.

This is where the good stuff
comes in now.

Robin: Dan, your sweets
are looking sweet.

Dan: I'm gonna bring you
a cookie pretty soon.

One minute to go,
everybody, final minute.

Tony: All right,
crunch time.

Can I use your ladle?

Absolutely.

Robin: We're almost there,
almost dinner time.

5, 4,

3, 2, 1.

Hands up, everyone.

Alejandra:
Great jobs, everyone.

Two hours, that went fast.

Ha ha ha!

♪

Cooks, come join us at our table

and bring your holiday
dishes with you.

Graham: What do we got?
What do we got?

Wow!
Sweet.

Leah: ♪ Amazing ♪

Alejandra:
Ha ha ha!

I'm feeling the festive spirit.

Ha ha ha!

Foo, tell us about your dish.

This is a Vietnamese dish.
It's called muc xoai goi.

The English translation

is grilled calamari mango salad.

♪

Alejandra: And what
holiday do you celebrate

when you eat this dish?

Traditionally, we eat it
on Christmas every year.

Graham: I think this
is your best dish.

I'd have this,
like, twice a week.

I love this stuff.
Thank you.

Yeah.

Leah: I completely
agree with you.

The squid is really
nice and tender,

and it's perfectly cooked.

It has that nice
char on the outside,

and then you have
the perfect ratio

of all the other ingredients.

I just think that it is
really well-balanced.

Thank you, Chef.

And next up, we have Silvia.

Hello. Ha ha!

I made for you chiles en nogada,

which in English is
stuffed poblano peppers

with walnut sauce.

And what holiday do you
celebrate with this dish?

Silvia: Well, as you
can see in the colors...

green, red, and white...

it honors the colors
of the Mexican flag,

and it's usually served
during Fiestas Patrias

or in September
for Independence Day.

Tiffany: Silvia,
this dish is delicious.

There is so much favor.
There is some sweetness.

There's some crunch.

There is some savory going on,

but one of the things
that I must talk about

is the poblano because
it's not just charred

and the skin taken off.

It has acid in it.
It has flavor.

It's almost pickled in a way,

and so, it's great to see
that technique

of doing something
where we're adding on flavor,

layering this very complex dish.

Thank you so much.

Robin, tell us about your dish.

I made for you
a dish called kibbeh.

It is bulgur wheat
with ground lamb.

It's stuffed with pine nuts,

and I made for you
rosemary yeast bread.

We used to have it for
lots of different holidays,

but now Christmas, for sure,

when we can all be together,
we all want to make sure

that we have traditional foods.

Tiffany: Robin, the flavor
is delicious.

Once I had that bite with
all the flavor of the lamb,

and all those spices,
and I add a little bit

of that yogurt sauce
that has the texture

with the cumbers
and the fresh dill

and that lemon juice
of brightness that you get,

because it is a heavier meat,

you want some brightness,

and you get that in the yogurt,

but the texture of the meat

feels a little dry to me, and...

Robin: It is.

I could taste that,
too, first bite.

Graham: But the fact that
you had time to do the bread,

I was gonna say, like, "What'd
you do with the two hours?

You don't seem... "you know,

and then you're like,
"Oh, I baked my own bread,"

I'm like, "All right.
Never mind,

Like, go back
to what you're doing,"

but that's great
that you were able

to get all that stuff finished.

Thank you.

Hi, Tony. Ha ha!
Hi, judges.

What have you made
for us tonight?

I have made you
my Asian-style beef

and chicken shish kebabs
served with coconut rice.

My mom makes tons of these

on New Year's Day
for my family and I,

so this is in honor of her.

Mm. Yeah.

So when I think of New Year's,

I think explosions
and, like, fireworks

and everything else,
and that's kind of,

like, what you give us, right,

like, "big food on
swords" type of deal

with all the colors
and flavors popping,

but the rice

is not screaming
tasty, tasty, right?

There's just not much going on.

Maybe next time, throw in

some toasted coconut on top,

something to kind of tie it in.

Leah: And I think
maybe just do

a little bit more layering

on that flavor,

glazing it a little bit more

because the meat itself,

it has great flavor, right,

but the vegetables,

you're not really
getting that glaze,

and so, you know, it's an onion.

It's a nicely grilled onion,

but you're not
getting that flavor.

Yeah.
Thank you, Tony.

Thank you, judges,
appreciate it.

Alejandra:
Nikki.

I have made for you baccala.

It's a salted cod stew

with a fried fish to go with it.

This is our family tradition

that we do for Christmas Eve,

and we do the Feast
of the Seven Fishes.

Graham: This
is a delicious,

really concentrated
flavor, right?

They really meld.
It's beautiful.

It's kind of like family
in the bowl, right?

Leah: So, Nikki,

you started when you were young.

You were cleaning the baccala,

and now you're in charge

of making this wonderful dish,

and I'm very happy

that you shared it with us

because this is delicious.

Thank you so much.

And next up, we have Dan.

Hi, judges.

What we have here

is a tray of Christmas cookies,

and, obviously,
they're for Christmas.

[Laughter]

Why don't you tell us
about the cookies?

I have almond biscotti,

and one of them I dipped

in some tempered chocolate,

and I have pignoli nut cookie,

and a butter ball cookie.

Dan...

[Laughter]

Mm mm mm.

We have had so many

delicious traditions
here at the table.

For Christmas, honestly,
there is no better way

to end on the sweet note

but with the perfection
of all of these flavors.

You hear people say,

"There's always room
for dessert," right,

and when they taste like this,

there's always room for dessert.

Thank you, Chef.

Graham: So I know
that you killed

two food processors today,

and they died
for a worthy cause.

They were martyrs in the kitchen

because these cookies
are fantastic.

Thank you, Chef.

Alejandra: Thank you all
for sharing

so much of yourselves

and your unique family
traditions with us today.

We wish all of you
could stay with us,

but sadly, one cook
will be going home tonight.

♪

Your dishes today proved

why the 6 of you
have made it this far.

[Laughter]

Today was a true celebration
of holiday traditions.

We're gonna have
a really tough time

sending any of you home.

OK, judges.
What recipes stood out for you?

♪

Leah: Dan, your Christmas
cookies were delicious...

Dan: Thank you.

Ha ha ha!

And I want to eat
Christmas cookies

like that every year.

Tiffany: Another one
of our favorites was Foo.

We loved your squid
and mango salad.

Thank you.

Tiffany: You have
been taking our critiques

and listening
and turning them into your own.

Thank you, Chef.

Alejandra: There were
so many delicious recipes,

but we all agree
the most successful dish was...

♪

Foo with your squid
and mango salad.

Graham:
Absolutely.

Thank you.

Tiffany: It is something
that I think would be lovely

at every Christmas table.

Thank you.

Foo, voice-over:
My squid salad,

it's one of those dishes
that I'm very proud of.

It's a dish that resembles
my family,

so I'm happy to hear
the judges enjoyed it,

and it gives me the confidence

to move forward
to the next challenge.

Alejandra: Unfortunately,
there were a couple recipes

that were not as successful.

♪

Tony, we love that you showed us

your shish kebabs that you do,

but there were two hours,
and we wish

we could've seen just
a little bit more from you

because we know that you have

some amazing flavor profiles.

Tony, voice-over:
It's a real big bummer,

facing the reality that
the judges were probably

gonna call my name
in the bottom two.

This could be it.

Graham: The other dish that just
wasn't quite up to the level,

Robin, we love that you
have been stepping it up

and really going after
some big flavors,

but, however,
the kibbeh itself was dry

and needed less time
in the oven.

Robin, voice-over:
It's wrong. What can I say?

The kibbeh is wrong.

Messing up the one dish we've
made ever since I was born,

there's a good chance
I'm going home.

That means, Robin or Tony,

one of you will be leaving us.

This was extremely hard for us,

and we don't want to see
any of you go,

but the judges
have made their decision,

and sadly, Tony,

you'll be heading back
to your home kitchen tonight.

♪

It's OK, guys.
That's all right.

♪

Tony, voice-over: You know,
I'm bummed that I'm leaving.

I've had these highs,
I've had these lows,

but also, I feel very proud that
I was able to share my story.

Tiffany: Tony, it's
just been wonderful

to experience your traditions

and your culture
and so much love

that we see exuding from you.

Thank you very much,
chefs, judges.

I'm just so glad I'm able
to share my story,

and, honestly, being
amongst these home cooks,

it's just been
a dream come true.

Speaking of dreams,

I know our first day,
we talked about

you wanting to be in a kitchen.

I think that you should
definitely follow that.

You got some great skills,

and like to see
where you end up.

Thank you very much, Graham.
I really appreciate that.

Tony, thank you for sharing
your recipes with us.

We have loved getting
to know you better

through your food.

It was wonderful to have you
here with us.

Tony, voice-over:
I'm disappointed,

but I'm very appreciative
of the experience

that I've had so far, the
friendships that I've made.

Learning from these other
home cooks and competitors

and also learning
from the judges,

it's given me more confidence.

This experience has changed me
for the better,

so I'm very thankful for it.

Robin, voice-over:
I feel relieved

that I'm not the one going home,

but I'm also
feeling sad for Tony.

He's our youngest cook
in the kitchen,

so my heart as a mother
kind of goes for him.

This week was all about honoring

the way that food
is at the heart

of every special celebration
in our lives.

Thank you for sharing
your stories, your recipes,

and your talents with us.

We will see you back here
next week

for the next
"Great American Recipe."

♪

Next time on
"The Great American Recipe"...

This week, we're gonna mix it up
a little bit.

I know.aid.

♪

Robin: I don't know
how to do Asian food.

Dan: Love empanadas,
just not mine.

Leah: I know you didn't
create this dish,

but you recreated it very well.

Alejandra: This round,
we want to see the melting pot

of flavors from your
individual food story.

Foo, voice-over:
This dish represents

where I came from
and where I'm at now.

This is wild!

[Pencil scratches]
[Pencil scratching]