The Great American Recipe

Alejandra Ramos: Tonight, on the "Great American Recipe"...

It's time for everyone's favorite round, the recipe swap.

OK. Fran: All right!

Rex: I'm here to help you.

OK.

Thank you so much.

Coby: I never cooked rice like this in my life.

All aboard for the struggle bus.

Hee hee!

Rex: I feel like a pro doing this now.

Ha ha!

Suwanee: I don't even know what these tools are.

That's a biscuit cutter.

Biscuit cutter.

Ramos: We always talk about the smell in the room.

Today I think it's panic.

[Laughter] Welcome back to the "Great American Recipe."

[Pen scratches] Fran: All right.

Feeling fit?

Feeling zippy?

I'm ready to start cooking.

Fran, voice-over: Last week, I had my first win.

Our favorite bake sale item was... Fran.

[Cheering] Fran, your lemon pound cake muffins were really bright, something that I would definitely go back for.

Thank you, Chef.

Fran, voice-over: And so this week, I'm feeling sassy, and I'm ready to go.

Coby: Hey, good morning.

Ramos: Good morning, everyone.

So great to see you all again.

Welcome back to the "Great American Recipe."

Please join me in saying hello to our judges, Francis Lam... Hey, everyone.

Tiffany Derry... Good morning, y'all.

and Tim Hollingsworth.

Welcome back.

Good to be back.

You've made it now to the halfway mark.

You must be feeling a little bit relieved.

Coby: Oh, yeah.

Definitely.

Ramos: This week is the biggest test of your confidence and ability to adapt in the kitchen.

For the first round, we want you to cook a tried and true dish, one that impresses every time it's made, but you aren't cooking your own recipes.

You'll be cooking the recipes of... Yep.

Oh, my gosh.

This is going to be a recipe swap.

the judges.

[Hollingsworth laughs] OK. Fran: OK.

I hope I get Tiffany's.

[Laughter] Just saying.

I'm not really a fancy cook, so I'm a little nervous.

Will I be able to have that delicate touch that some of these guys really have?

Ramos: Judges, tell us who you've selected to cook your recipes.

Francis Lam: My first recipe is Bangladeshi chicken korma.

And it is not going to Anika.

[Laughter] Coby.

[Coby mock sobs] [Laughter] Oh, my goodness.

[Laughter] Lam: My next recipe is Chinese stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.

Anika, make this one.

What?

All right.

Thank you.

Sure.

Tiffany Derry: My first recipe is chicken and dumplings.

Waigal.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

Derry: My next dish is crispy duck with dirty rice.

Rex, let's see what you do with that.

All right.

Thank you.

Yes.

[Laughter] Hollingsworth: My first recipe is biscuits and gravy, and I would love to see Suwanee make it.

[Laughter] Suwanee: I knew it.

Fran, I know you thought this one was for you.

Ha ha!

Hollingsworth: And my last dish is spinach bucatini with bacon, clams, and creme fraiche.

That's your recipe, Fran.

[Laughter] Thank you.

You're welcome.

All right, cooks, you have 60 minutes to prepare your assigned recipe from Tiffany, Tim, or Francis.

And because we're pushing you way out of your culinary comfort zone, during the cook, the judges will give you hands-on help with your dishes.

Wow.

[Cheering] Lam: And as always, your dishes will be judged on taste, execution, presentation, and how well you did with today's theme, which is your adaptability in the kitchen.

Ramos: All right, cooks, your time starts now!

Let's go.

Hollingsworth: All right.

Derry: Yes, y'all got this.

Hollingsworth: You can do it.

Heavy.

These are heavy.

Hollingsworth: Make sure you guys read the recipes from start to finish first.

"Brush the dough pieces lightly."

Maybe read it twice.

"Puree it in a blender "with ginger, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of water until smooth."

OK. For the first time in "Great American Recipe" history, the home cooks are making the judges' recipe.

I'm excited.

Lam: I think this is super fun.

I mean, we're always talking about how we're getting to know them through their food, and this is a chance for them to get to know us a little bit.

Hollingsworth: Yeah, I mean, they got to be nervous.

Not only are they making a recipe that's brand new to them, but they're making our recipes to be judged by us.

[Laughter] Yes, this is the recipe, these are the guidelines, but I want to see them still make a dish that's representative of them and me.

That's a lot.

I want both me and I want you on a plate.

[Laughter] No pressure.

"4-6 green cardamoms."

Never heard of that.

I'm making Chef Francis' Bangladeshi chicken korma.

I've been all over the earth when I was in the service, but one place I did not visit is Bangladesh.

So I know absolutely nothing about Bangladesh food.

I'm confident in Cajun food.

I'm not so confident in other foods.

All right.

This recipe calls for season the chicken with salt.

Back home in Louisiana, we use our Cajun seasoning pretty much as salt.

So just a little bit.

I won't go too, too crazy.

Hey, Coby, how's it going?

It's going.

Kind of in shock with all these different herbs and spices that I've never even heard of.

So I know in Cajun food, you want to brown everything first.

This technique, you take the chicken, you just season it, and then you make a paste with the onion, the ginger, the garlic, and then you just cook it together.

How do you--how do we do--go about...?

So these are cardamom pods.

OK. And so what I do is I give it a little smash.

OK. And then you see the seed come out.

Oh, yeah.

So the seeds will come flavor it.

If I can smash these for you while you get the puree going.

That sounds good.

Coby, voice-over: Thank God Chef Francis kind of helps me along with the dish.

All right.

Lam: There you go.

Coby, voice-over: I've been on the top for a few challenges... Then let's pour this in there.

but to make it to that finale, I have to show the judges that I'm one of the frontrunners in this competition.

All right, Coby, good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

"400 grams."

Suwanee, voice-over: For this challenge, I'm making Tim's biscuit and gravy.

I don't make this, so I'm worried about the consistency of the gravy, the flavors, and also baking the dough.

I mean all the parts, right?

Ha ha!

Suwanee, voice-over: For the biscuit, I start by mixing all the dry ingredients.

Whisk it together.

Last week in the bake sale, surprisingly, I did really well.

Hollingsworth: The texture of the bread came out really nice.

You did a good job.

Derry: And you're not a baker.

Suwanee: I am not.

OK!

OK.

I'm not.

I am so not.

[Derry laughs] Suwanee, voice-over: But baking is not something that I do often.

Hi, Suwanee.

How's it going?

Hi.

Whew!

I know you weren't expecting this today.

No, not at all.

Biscuits and gravy was something that my grandma used to make, and my kids love it.

Oh, my goodness.

I don't even know what these tools are.

I use... That's a biscuit cutter.

Biscuit cutter.

Yeah.

So I'm just going to help you real quick.

Biscuit and gravy, it's my husband's favorite American breakfast.

He will probably ask me to marry him again if I come home and make this recipe for him.

So now we have our rolling pin.

So basically, we're kind of laminating the dough.

OK. Just having little layers.

The layers.

That way when the biscuit gets baked, it'll kind of fluff up, right?

Suwanee, voice-over: To have Tim help me with the dough, I feel relief because Tim is trusting me with his family recipe.

We're doing good.

How you feeling?

Can you stay here the whole time?

[Laughter] Hollingsworth: You can do this.

Suwanee: OK.

Thank you so much.

Good luck.

Yeah.

I appreciate this.

OK.

Probably about a 3-inch piece.

Rex: Nothing like some really good pepper.

For this challenge, I am making Tiffany's crispy duck with dirty rice.

I'm excited, at the same time, nervous, because I have not had any dirty rice before.

So what makes dirty rice dirty rice?

Derry: So often, it's liver, gizzards.

Things that people would have thrown away is turned into a very delicious dish.

And I don't know about y'all, but I love dirty rice.

I love dirty rice.

So I'm gonna make sure I'm gonna have this gizzard tender.

Ramos: But it is labor-intensive.

It is.

I mean, you have to boil the gizzards, so that they're nice and tender because they're a tougher cut.

You need to cook the liver separately as well.

You need to cook rice separately.

Then you need to cook everything together.

No big task.

Derry: I mean, at the end of the day, this is what the challenge is all about-- being able to get out of your comfort zone and make it happen.

Ramos: Exactly.

Rex: So we have gizzard in our pressure cooker.

I'm going to go and cook our rice.

Rex, voice-over: I cook mostly Filipino cuisine, so I haven't tried a lot of Southern food.

So right now, I'm scoring the duck.

I've tried some crispy ducks but not this--not this one.

Tiffany wants me to start rendering the fat of the duck starting with a cold pan.

Cold skillet.

So I don't normally do that.

I hope it's cooking.

Hey, Rex.

Hi, Chef.

How we doing so far?

The duck, I do it differently back home.

Quicker, yeah.

So this is like start it slow, cook it slow.

I want to see that fat render down, getting the duck really nice and crispy.

OK. And then I'll just help get your mixture ready for the dirty rice.

Think of it in the realm of, like, a fried rice... Fried rice, OK. but it's gonna stick a little bit together because of the livers and the gizzards and everything else.

OK, OK. Rex, voice-over: It makes you feel better when Tiffany jumped in and helped me.

I feel like Bernadette, my wife, is with me because Bernadette is like my sous chef back home.

We've been married for 19 years, and she's my number-one fan.

So make sure you got, like, your Creole seasoning, garlic, onion, bell peppers.

You need some Cajun seasoning, Rex?

I got you.

Actually, we could.

We'd love some.

I got your back, bud.

Oh, can I try it?

Yeah, absolutely.

Be careful.

It's spicy.

[Laughter] Good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

Here we go.

We have white wine, my favorite.

I'm getting that out just because it'll make me happy.

The dish I'm making is Tim's bucatini with spinach, bacon, and clams.

It sounds really good.

I make pasta a lot.

And when the kids come home, one of our absolutely in stone family traditions is spaghetti night.

This is not just another weeknight meal.

What amps the ante is a few new techniques in this.

One is how to confit an egg yolk.

Hey, Fran.

How you feeling?

I'm feeling like this is going to be a new family favorite.

That's awesome.

Thank you.

But I am so intimidated with the egg yolks and the confit.

So here's what we're going to do.

OK. OK.

So let's go ahead and start cracking eggs.

Fran, voice-over: Tim helps me separate the egg yolks from the whites and submerge them in this bath of avocado oil.

Hollingsworth: Yep.

So just drop it right in there and then gently cook it.

OK, here we go.

Then they have to be covered and put in this super fancy oven.

It has lots of steam in it.

And this little egg yolk is going to be the crowning glory on this pasta.

Coby: How you looking, Fran?

You can say a prayer that everything, like, comes together... You got it.

and it's Tim-worthy.

OK. Not a lot of steam.

40 minutes left.

Oh, shoot.

Beautiful browned meat.

Oh, my God.

I forgot to put in the timer.

Anika, voice-over: For this challenge, I am making Francis' Chinese stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.

So I'm going to start doing the ginger-scallion sauce.

I hope I'm not putting in way too much ginger.

I feel very excited because my husband and I love cooking and eating food from all over the world, but I've never made Chinese stir fry before.

Hey, Anika, how's it going?

Hi, Francis.

Thank you for coming by.

Oh!

You're making ginger-scallion sauce... Yeah.

my favorite thing in the world.

I have the rice cooking already.

Perfect.

OK. so this dish is very simple.

Yeah.

It's basically scrambled eggs with chunks of tomato.

But to me, there are some keys to making it, like, extra, extra special.

If you beat the eggs with salt, like, 10 or 15 minutes before, it actually makes it more tender.

What!

I didn't know that.

Yeah, like, the salt... Wow.

actually helps to break down the egg a little bit.

And before you cook the eggs, get your pan and the oil really quite hot.

The eggs will be in the pan for maybe 30 seconds.

Wow.

This technique is so unusual to me.

Completely reverse of Bangladeshi.

It's the reverse.

Completely.

I'm not used to super-fast techniques where the flavors just come together very quickly.

I love learning new techniques.

I'm super excited.

Great work.

I'm going to leave you be.

OK. Salt this now.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I just want to make sure I have enough salt.

Anika, voice-over: In the last couple of weeks, the judges consistently said I lacked sufficient salt, but I'm determined to make it to the finale.

So I want to make sure that my salt is right.

And at the end of the day, I hope he's going to be proud of what I've made.

I'm flying blind.

For this challenge, I'm making Tiffany's chicken and dumplings.

I've never had chicken and dumplings, but I will today.

Say a prayer for me.

I'm going to need all the help I can get.

First, I'm going to sweat my onions.

Then I'm gonna add the chicken with some Creole seasoning.

I've never really used it before, but I'm excited.

Obviously, I'm going to add turmeric and coriander.

Maybe we'll add a little chili for spice.

This is not in the recipe, but I'm doing it.

[Chuckles] It smells amazing.

Waigal, voice-over: While the chicken is cooking in the pressure cooker, I work on the dough for the dumplings.

Nervous because I don't do this kind of dumpling.

Tiffany's dumplings use a type of biscuit dough.

What even is this?

In Afghanistan, a dumpling is, like, filled with meat or, like, vegetables.

So this is not a dumpling.

But I guess it is in the South.

To me, they're looking like little, mini pillows.

Not very desirable.

Hi, Tiffany.

Hey.

So I feel like we threw you a little curveball.

Have you ever had chicken and dumplings?

No, I've never had them.

Never?

No.

Well, this is just the version that I grew up having, which is a little different.

I usually do them a little thinner.

Sometimes I do them a little bit on a diagonal... Ooh.

so that they cook up a little different.

That's so pretty.

They'll puff up a little, so I don't want them too thick.

So is it OK if I roll these out a little?

If you can, yeah.

Got it.

Make it work.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Thank you.

Ramos: 30 minutes left, everyone.

Whaaaat?

Time flies when you're having fun.

Rex: Wow.

Looks like really good.

Ooh.

Something's happening.

[Sizzling] All the sounds.

[Laughs] Suwanee, voice-over: For the sausage gravy, I combined sausage, Aleppo pepper, sage, thyme, flour, and milk.

It's a little low.

Hey, Suwanee, gravy's coming along?

It's coming along well.

Hollingsworth: Nice.

Looking good.

Anything that you would like to add, I would love to see it.

I have cooked with American herbs before, but not very often.

I put these in my cocktail... [Laughing] for prettiness.

I added extra sage and thyme.

I love herbs.

Coby: Can I taste your gravy?

Oh, yes, please.

Please, please, please.

Coby: Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorites.

Suwanee: Oh, here we go.

More biscuit and gravy people.

That's OK.

Put more pressure on me.

Ooh, that's really good.

I like it.

Ooh.

Thank you.

Coby: That gravy's fantastic.

Ramos: Ten minutes left.

I think this is good.

Gizzard and our liver.

Waigal, how's it looking?

It looks beautiful.

Oh, good.

Yeah.

This is like chicken and dumplings goes to Kabul, Afghanistan.

I just want to make sure I don't get any bones.

It would be an automatic elimination if I choke someone.

Heh!

I still think we need to brown some stuff.

Coby, voice-over: Chef Francis' recipe calls for a fried onion topping, so I'ma brown it.

That's my spin on it.

We brown this in Louisiana.

I am glad I got to brown these.

I mean, everything was white.

I'm like, Oh, my God.

Not knowing what this is supposed to taste like, I wouldn't even know if it's good or bad.

The only thing I have in my back pocket is I can bring it to Anika.

Here.

Taste this and I'll stir that for you.

OK. All right.

Let me know.

OK. It's tasting good.

It needs to be thicker.

Coby: Thicker?

I know you don't like salt too much, but I feel like it needs salt.

It needs more salt.

Even I'm saying it needs more salt.

I gotcha.

Yeah.

[Laughter] Anika told you?

Hollingsworth: That means you need salt.

Right?!

I know!

Hard to believe.

I'm throwing some more salt in there.

Fran: As happy as a clam.

If you're happy, I'm happy.

I was invited to make this dish my own, so I'm going to add bacon fat into the clam sauce.

That's better!

That's my style, like fo' shizzle.

Perfect.

OK, now I need to get the pasta going.

Seven minutes.

Oh, my God.

All right.

Moment of truth.

Coby: I got it.

We close.

Rex, how you doing?

Rex: Oh.

We're good.

We're getting ready for our rice.

Derry: Oh, OK. Ramos: Oh!

Rex: I've never cooked dirty rice, but cooking fried rice, I always use a wok.

Derry: Dirty rice in a wok.

Ramos: I love that.

Rex, what are you adding?

I'm just adding some Filipino seasoning.

OK. Rex, voice-over: Combining Asian flavor with the Creole, it's a risk, but I'm still torn between two lovers.

We'll see.

Three minutes.

Whoo!

Judges: Whoo!

Coby: All right.

I got this.

Anika: Oh, my God.

Lam: Anika, how's it going?

So I was waiting till the last minute because it was going to go fast at the end.

Lam: Oh, no.

Anika, voice-over: Because it's all going to come together very quickly, I have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go, but I am nervous because everything's happening very rapid pace.

Oh, my God.

Two minutes, everyone.

Get plating.

Oh, dag blame it.

No ladle?

Really?

And I just have a little bit more gravy.

Ramos: Make your judges proud with those recipes.

This is it!

Fran: An egg on every plate.

Ramos: 10, 9, 8... 7, 6, Hollingsworth and Ramos: 5, 4, 3... 2, 1.

Ramos: Time's up!

Rex: Whoo!

[Applause] Done.

[Blows] Ramos: We gave you 60 minutes to prepare a recipe by one of our fantastic judges.

Fran, come join us.

Hi.

Tell us what you made for us.

I made Tim's bucatini with spinach, bacon, and clams.

Hollingsworth: You know, Fran, I've cooked this dish many, many times.

Your version turned out great.

Oh, my God.

[Laughter] I'm so glad.

Oxygen came back into the room.

Hollingsworth: To me, this dish is always about balance-- the brininess of the clam, that sort of smoky element from the bacon.

But I think just a little bit more clam broth would help make the dish creamier.

OK.

But overall, excellent job.

Lam: Yeah, I think you've done really wonderfully here.

I think the pasta's well cooked, has a really good bite.

And the confit egg yolk, you nailed it.

And so the combination in the bowl is really, really nice.

Oh, thank you, Chef.

Waigal, come join us.

I made Chef Tiffany's chicken and dumplings.

I did deviate a bit from the original recipe.

I added a bit of turmeric and coriander and serrano pepper.

I mean... [Exhales] I think it's fantastic.

Ooh.

Derry: I think you've stayed pretty true to the essence of what chicken and dumplings should be, but adding your flavors on top.

But when you're thinking about your garnish, I would say be careful.

If I get that huge piece, that's way too much.

Otherwise, I'm really digging it.

Thank you.

I think the chicken is cooked beautifully.

And the dumplings, they're light, but they have this sort of like chew to them that really create a nice texture.

Wow.

This is amazing.

Thank you.

[Speaks Farsi] Nooshe jan. Coby, come join us.

Well, first of all, [Speaking Bengali] Ki khobor.

It means "What's happening?"

[Laughter] Anika taught me how to say it, so... Lam: Oh, that's great.

The dish was Bangladeshi chicken korma.

I did add some Cajun seasoning to that.

Derry: First off, your rice is perfectly cooked.

Chicken itself is not dry, and the sauce is creamy, and you got it down thicker than what it was earlier.

Lam: Yeah, I agree with everything Tiffany has said.

This is properly done.

The gravy came out to the right consistency.

The flavor of the spices and the yogurt, the onion, the ginger, all that stuff is meant to be the marriage of those flavors.

The one thing that's sort of ironic is you kept-- really wanted to brown food, but the onions are not brown enough.

Otherwise, I think you executed the dish as it was meant to be.

Thank you.

Rex, come join us.

Hoo.

Ramos: Ha ha!

Ramos: So today I made crispy duck with dirty rice, but I did a little bit of Filipino seasoning and sesame oil on it.

You did a great job with the cooking of that duck skin.

Very well-seasoned as well.

But the dirty rice, the flavor of that oil which you added was a tiny bit strong.

Derry: Yeah, I agree, the chicken livers and gizzards and the rice, all of them perfectly cooked, but it just needed a little bit more Creole seasoning.

But overall, I thought that you did a really good job.

Thank you so much.

Anika, come join us.

Anika: I made Francis' stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.

My one twist, I will say, we love sauces in Bangladesh, so I added all the sauce on top of the rice and the eggs.

What I like about the dish is it's very, like, simple in the greatest way.

There's the sweetness of the tomatoes balanced with the eggs and the rice and the scallion and the ginger.

I think it all comes together really nice.

Lam: Yeah, I agree with everything.

You did a really nice job.

The eggs are how I like them-- super well-seasoned and a little bit more on the tender side.

But when I got a bigger chunk of tomato, I felt like, Oh, maybe a little more salt on that one could have been good.

Otherwise, it's pretty much spot on.

[Gasps] Ohh, thank you.

Suwanee, come join us.

Suwanee: I made Tim's biscuits and gravy.

I stayed true to the recipe.

I just added a little bit more herbs to the gravy.

Derry: I absolutely cannot believe that this is your first time making biscuits.

Girl, you better tell everybody you'll make 'em.

Oh, my gosh.

[Laughter] The inside is so soft and pillowy and just perfect!

The only thing you needed to do was leave it in the oven just a touch more to give it a little crust.

It's because you have that gravy, you know, that's sitting on it, and so that nice contrast is always really good.

Hollingsworth: I agree with Tiffany on the biscuits as well, but overall, you nailed it.

I think you did a great job with balancing and creating a well-rounded herbaceous gravy.

Thank you so much.

And I hope you make them for your husband now.

He thanks you.

[Laughter] Suwanee, voice-over: I am so encouraged about my biscuit and gravy.

It's just unbelievable, really.

And I just hope my dish can come out on top.

Ramos: In the last round, we tested you on some of our judges' favorite recipes.

Judges, which home cooks had the most successful dishes of the round?

Our first favorite dish of the round was... Waigal.

[Applause] Lam: Your chicken and dumplings hit all the marks that Tiffany needed them to hit.

[Derry chuckles] Lam: The dumplings were smooth and silky and still had a nice chew.

The chicken was well-cooked.

The broth was nicely flavored.

But then you added your own spin to it, and we just love how much the turmeric gave it an earthiness.

It really felt like a combination of Tiffany's chicken and dumplings and your own.

Thank you.

Waigal, voice-over: I cannot believe that I won a challenge where I've never had this dish before.

I feel a boost of confidence going into the next round.

Derry: Our other top home cook of this round is... Suwanee!

[Applause] Your biscuits and gravy was like going home to the deep, deep South!

The biscuit was pillowy, and the gravy has so much flavor.

But we loved the addition of all the herbs you added to it that brightened it up.

Great job.

Thank you so much.

This means the world to me.

Finally.

[Laughter] Cooks: Whoo!

This is your first top dish!

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Tim, for all the tips to make this dish successful.

Absolutely.

You did a great job.

Suwanee, voice-over: I'm so thrilled.

It means a lot that I'm able to do well with Tim's recipe.

I think I'm a biscuit and gravy queen now.

Excellent job, cooks.

Now just be sure to take what you learned in this challenge with you into the next round.

In the last round, we threw you a curveball by challenging you to prepare one of the judges' personal recipes.

In the second round, we're switching things up yet again.

Or shall I say swapping things up?

Huh?

That's right.

It's time for everyone's favorite round, the recipe swap.

Waigal: OK. Fran: All right.

Ha ha.

Waigal, voice-over: Immediately, panic.

We have randomly selected a recipe for each of you that belongs to one of your fellow home cooks.

You'll find those at each of your stations.

Waigal, voice-over: Making another home cook's dish that I've never seen or eaten is definitely out of my comfort zone.

You'll have 60 minutes to prepare the dish, but remember, we also want to see your culinary POV.

Derry: And as always, your dishes will be judged on taste, presentation, execution, and, of course, the theme.

Ramos: All right.

Your time starts now.

Go find out what recipes you're cooking.

Recipe swap.

Was not expecting it, but the judging criteria is the same no matter what.

And if you create a great dish, they're gonna let you know.

And if you didn't create a great dish, they're going to let you know that, too.

"Suwanee's duck laab."

[Cree-oh-lee] "Coby's shrimp Creole over fried fish."

[Cree-ole] It's Creole.

[Cree-ole].

Creole.

I'm sorry.

[With mock disappointment] That's OK. [Laughter] Waigal, I have yours.

Oh, my God.

You're so lucky.

[Laughs] It's au-aushak... [Aw-shack] Aushak, aushak... "Aushak potstickers."

Good luck, girl.

I got Anika's [Cot-ah] "Boroi khatta with salmon."

[Cut-tuh] Khatta.

What's boroi?

Boroi?

It's jujube berries.

OK.

I got "Fran's homemade pasta and tomatoes."

I have "Rex's rellenong [bahng-oose] bangus..." [Bahg-noose] Rex: Bangus.

"...stuffed milkfish."

Oh, wow.

Sorry, Fran.

[Laughter] Ramos: Oh, boy.

Look at these faces.

Coby: Giddyap.

Hollingsworth: Let's go.

OK. "...bottom of the pot with Creole mustard."

Creole mustard.

What does that mean?

What are we doing with the cornmeal?

[Laughs] Coby: Is it a wok or just a pan?

Labneh.

Oh, my God.

I love labneh.

The first challenge was cooking your recipes, and now they are swapping and cooking each other's.

Lam: I have never seen a look of abject terror quite like what we saw!

Fran: OK. Derry: There were some dishes that I'm sure they have never, ever, ever, ever heard of.

You know, we always talk about the smell in the room.

Today I think it's panic.

[Laughter] Oop.

Sorry, sorry.

I'm not sure what calamansi is, except it looks like some sort of fruit.

Getting Rex's dish, I am already in a blind panic because I've never eaten Filipino food before.

Ooh, it's very, very sweet, spicy ketchup.

And I've never had milkfish.

I've never stuffed a fish.

Oh, here he comes.

Yay.

Oh, Fran.

Hey, Rex.

OK. All right, Fran, I'm here to help you.

OK.

Thank you so much.

So this is your entire bangus.

The tricky part is to debone-- or removing all the meat of the bangus without breaking the skin actually.

Without breaking the skin.

OK, gotcha.

Yes, yes.

That's the hardest part.

So rellenong bangus is a fried milkfish with a stuffing inside.

I love it, but it's a difficult dish.

Not a lot of Filipinos even make this dish.

So we're going to break the tail first, break the neck.

There you go.

Gotcha.

Now, remove the gills.

Lam: I mean, this is a very particular technique.

He's actually taking the bones out and then taking the meat out while leaving the skin intact.

Then you rewrap the filling and the fish skin almost like a sausage, and then you fry that.

Derry: Wow.

Wow.

Now you're gonna squeeze it out.

See?

It's coming out.

OK.

It's coming out.

There you go.

It's coming out.

It's coming out, Fran.

Coming out, Fran.

[Cheers] Whoa.

You're a wonder.

Uh, you can also use that meat to do your stuffing.

OK. OK, Fran, you got it.

Fran, voice-over: This dish is Rex's pride and joy, so I have to do justice.

Holy mackerel.

But I'm not even confident that I can do that.

This is interesting.

[Laughter] This definitely is not my cup of tea.

Rex, voice-over: Fran and I swapped dishes in this round, so I'm making her homemade pasta with tomatoes.

Right now I'm excited, but, at the same time, a little scared because I haven't made any pasta--real pasta--so... Fran, voice-over: Rex, he's making my homemade pasta.

I make this for birthdays and holidays.

Even though Rex has never made fresh pasta, I think he's going to do really well because I know Rex is a good cook.

A really good pasta you want to let rest for at least 40 minutes, so I'm going to see if I can have time to do that.

Rex, voice-over: I'm kneading this hard dough, and it's tough.

[Sighs] It's a workout.

Hey, Rex, how's it going?

What's going on with your dough?

Kneading, it's pretty, pretty tough.

It looks a little dry to me.

But you want to know a trick?

What?

OK. We can chamber vac it.

Yes.

And basically, that's like you kneaded it for 20 minutes.

Wow.

Rex: So this make it a little moist inside?

Yeah.

So this will help the flour absorb more moisture.

Hollingsworth: Yeah.

See how the dough expands, then it'll compress.

And then that's going to help develop the gluten.

And ultimately, that kind of takes out the kneading factors.

Now, would this also cut down the time it needs to sit?

100%.

Yes.

We used the vacuum sealer.

Ooh, look at that.

Derry: Looks good.

That's beautiful.

Making some pasta.

I'm having the moment, like, I'm having a great time doing this, actually.

Looks great, Rex.

Beautiful.

That looks great.

That looks amazing.

I feel like a pro doing this now.

Ha ha!

He looks like a pastaiolo.

Rex: It is cool.

Thank you, Fran.

I can make my own pasta now.

Well done, bud.

Fried rice.

I never cooked rice like this in my life.

Suwanee and I swapped dishes this round.

I am making duck laam?

Laab.

Never heard of that before.

I'm lost.

I'm anxious.

Suwanee, this rice, I just pour it in that thing?

Yes.

Grind up the rice very lightly.

Suwanee, voice-over: Duck laab brings me back to my childhood in Thailand.

This is a very complex salad with ground duck meat, crispy fried duck skin, toasted rice, fish sauce, peppers, and all these different vegetables and herbs.

Coby: We do eat duck where I'm from.

I'm a duck hunter, and we do make cracklings at home.

And this is pretty much what we're making right here is some duck cracklings.

And I got to brown this meat.

So I feel a little bit confident with that.

But normally, we eat our duck in a gumbo.

So this is a different way, make this in a salad.

"Cover the bottom of the pot with Cajun seasoning."

Coby, can I have your seasoning, please?

I do have some, yes.

I have Coby's dish, and it's shrimp Creole over fried fish.

Suwanee, voice-over: Going into this challenge, I feel nervous again because I don't know much about Cajun cooking.

OK. Is this it?

That's it.

Just use it like this and season your cornmeal, and then you just batter your fish with that.

Make sure you have the Creole mustard on both sides.

Shrimp Creole with fried fish is, the white fish is fried.

They become super crispy.

And then that shrimp Creole sauce on top kind of gives it that kick.

Suwanee always has 127 different things in her recipe, so I think she's capable of making this simple dish.

I'm making the shrimp Creole sauce, building on the flavors here.

Suwanee, voice-over: Cooking two Southern dishes is so out of my comfort zone, but I came up on top for the first round and hopefully, I can continue to win the judges over.

OK, I'm going to add the shrimp later.

40 minutes left.

[Exhales] I got this.

Oh, my gosh.

Seriously?

There goes the ground halal beef.

I guess this is the juju berry.

Interesting.

Anika and I swapped dishes in this round, so I'm making her boroi khatta with salmon.

I'm feeling a bit nervous.

I've never made anything with boroi, which is a juju berry.

Boroi khatta, it's a very special dish to me because my dadu, my grandmother, used to make it regularly.

She passed away, but it still reminds me of her.

Waigal: Wow.

That smells amazing.

Waigal, voice-over: For the jujube broth, I add boiled jujubes along with the liquid that they were cooking in, so it can lend a very tart flavor to the broth.

It's very interesting.

Never have I ever.

Anika's boroi khatta, it's served with salmon.

So I'm gonna start on the salmon marinade.

Anika's is marinated with butter and lemon.

And I'm gonna go ahead and add just a few things.

I add turmeric, coriander, sumac.

The saffron is my special touch.

[Laughs] That's exactly the color we want.

Sunshine, just like me.

Waigal, voice-over: The judges loved my spin on this first round.

So this round, we're not keeping it simple.

We're not keeping it demure.

We're going all out for this one.

Coolio.

I have no idea what this is supposed to taste like, but I'm trying not to look frazzled outwardly.

I get Waigal's recipe, which is aushak potstickers.

I've never had Afghan dumplings.

We're using leeks and scallions for the filling.

That's enough salt.

I've personally never made dumplings before, so this is going to be a challenge.

Hey, Waigal, how do you get the dumpling wrapper to just stick?

OK, so put that in the middle and fold it over, and then you're going to get the fork and press the sides.

Seal it.

Like this?

Crimp it.

Yes.

There you go.

Oh.

Waigal, voice-over: Aushak is near and dear to my heart.

Traditionally, in Afghanistan, the family gathers to make all the dumplings, and it's like a group activity almost.

The dumplings are served with garlic yogurt and topped with ground beef sauce.

You just don't ever be stingy with oil when it comes to Afghan cooking.

Oil?

OK. Oh, my God.

That's a lot of oil.

I know.

[Laughs] This ground beef sauce calls for onions, tomatoes, tomato paste... Give it a mix.

and serrano peppers.

I'm gonna wing it.

I've been wanting to try Afghan food, but I would have loved to have had an Afghan make it, not me make it.

Let's see how that goes.

30 minutes, 30 minutes!

Ooh, look at that.

It's beautiful.

All right!

OK, I'm gonna add shrimp.

Lost my glasses.

Lord have mercy.

OK.

Oyster and soy sauce.

Huh.

OK.

This stuffing has a million ingredients-- pork, onion, garlic, carrot, a variety of vegetables, soy sauce, fish, and quail eggs.

Rex, the eggs are whole, correct?

Yes, yes.

I don't know what I'm doing, like, even a little bit.

OK. Fran.

All aboard for the struggle bus!

Hee hee!

What's going on here?

I have two skins marinating.

I need to stuff, and then I will dredge, and then I'll eventually fry it.

All right.

Come on.

Let's go.

OK. Got it.

Thank goodness for Tiffany.

Get it in there.

Let's go.

Just stuff it in there.

She's holding the fish open.

I'm packing it nicely.

You will go in because I said so.

There you go, Fran!

You tell it what it's going to be!

OK. Fran, voice-over: And ultimately, I was able to stuff these skins pretty well.

And then it's going in?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Be careful with that oil.

Thank you, Madam.

I've never done anything like this.

And if it works, this technique is the very coolest.

Derry: That's it.

You got it.

Beautiful.

It takes a village.

[Laughter] I'm going to do the sauce real quick.

Olive oil.

Fran's--made a sauce.

Calls for different types of spices.

Smoked paprika, pepper flakes.

Looks like it's going to be a little spicy.

Rex, voice-over: And then I'm going to use my Filipino seasoning for my own twist on it.

Toss this here.

Fran... Yeah.

are you using lemon juice or just--just the peel?

Fran: Start with the zest.

What's a zest?

The skin of the lemon.

Thank you.

Rex, voice-over: While that cooks, I'm going to start to boil my pasta.

Oh!

Having trouble with this.

Rex, voice-over: But the noodles have sticked together.

Come on.

Come on.

Nope.

[Laughs] So I'm just going to boil it, and hopefully, it turns out good.

You good, Rex?

You good?

Yes.

[Laughs] I hope so.

All right, you guys, you have 15 minutes left.

Augh.

Coby: Looks good to me.

I want to jazz up the flavors.

I think I can add a little bit of my own twist in the fish fillet.

My Thai twist is a oyster sauce.

I add a little bit of oyster sauce and fish sauce, of course.

You know, all of the umami flavors I love cooking with.

I have two proteins here.

So, yes, I think the shrimp is going to be fine, but the fish, Coby told me to not put too much mustard on the fish so that the flour can stick onto the filet.

My biggest concern is to fry the fish perfectly because that is the main protein.

OK, fish, we're going in.

Coby: Hey, I need some chili sauce.

Where's your chili sauce?

Suwanee, chili sauce.

Oh, oh, oh.

Chili sauce.

Here are the chilis.

All right.

And what about, uh... OK, um... To have some chili sauce, I got to make, like, an oil with that or something?

I'm completely lost.

I'm still not sure what the duck laab is supposed to taste like and what it's supposed to look like.

There's so much here.

She has so many ingredients.

The stakes are high for me because the finale is coming up, so I think it's going to come down to the attention to detail.

Coby, is the duck in the bowl already?

Coby: Oh, the duck.

Oh, Lord have mercy.

Hollingsworth: Don't forget the duck.

Coby: I knew that.

I knew that!

Ha ha!

Hollingsworth: Oh, boy.

Whew!

Coby's off the rails.

Oh, God.

I'm gonna, I guess, boil steam the dumplings, which apparently, is supposed to be the traditional Afghan way.

I feel a lot of pressure to get this dish right because we're getting very close to the finale.

I'm just gonna let it sit there until I finish the sauce.

But it's not my dish, so I have no idea how it's going to turn out.

All right.

I'm gonna just taste it.

[Coughs] My God.

Oh, my God.

Anika, voice-over: My mouth is on fire.

Ha!

Waigal?

Yeah?

Is this supposed to be super-hot spicy because of the five serrano peppers?

Did you put them all?

Yeah, because it asked for five.

I told you--it asked-- [Anika laughs] Uh, no.

Anika, voice-over: I didn't know that.

I've never made this dish.

Now it's like, crazy hot.

I'm trying to remove some of them, so this, like, doesn't kill the judges.

Anika, voice-over: I think, "OK. "I have labneh for the yogurt sauce, "so I'm going to add the labneh in the meat as well to reduce the heat."

I'm just going to go with my own instincts right now.

Only seven more minutes.

Oh, my God.

Ou la la.

Looking good.

Anika, what do you think of the broth?

Why is it so sweet?

It's supposed to be tart and tangy.

Waigal, voice-over: I'm freaking out.

This jujube broth is not giving tangy.

It's giving sweet.

Add some lime.

OK. Reduce it more.

OK.

So I add a whole bunch of limes.

I also add a handful of barberries because I know those are sour.

That's actually so pretty.

Oh, my God.

And then I found myself with my own flavors.

In round one, I used heavy cream to bring the dumplings together.

And in this round, I'm using coconut milk.

I kind of took the basics of Anika's recipe, but then I got creative and crazy and I just end up with a whole new dish.

Wow.

It tastes like an island off the coast of Bangladesh with an Afghan tourist.

It's great.

[Laughs] Three minutes.

You have three minutes left.

That ain't even good.

Derry: Oh, look at Fran's fish.

Looks good.

Yeah.

Fran's fish looks good.

Fran, voice-over: My fish is golden brown.

And I am so both impressed and grateful.

Ha ha!

Stay.

Just stay.

Ooh, look at that.

That's cute.

Ramos: One minute left, folks.

Get it on a plate.

Hoo.

Two per person.

Hot as Hades.

Oh, my God.

10, 9, 8... 7, 6, 5, 4, 3... 2, 1.

Ramos: Time's up!

Rex: Whoo!

Time's up.

Time's up!

Waigal, we did it!

Wow.

Ramos: You made it.

Ramos: We gave you 60 minutes to cook a dish by one of your fellow home cooks.

Coby, come join us.

Tell us whose dish you had and what you made.

Coby: Today I had Suwanee's dish, and it is duck laab.

The first time I ever made duck crackling, so that's a new one for me, too.

The crackling, some of them kind of got a little dark, but I really liked the overall flavor.

I liked the fish sauce and all the vegetables that you eat with this, and the spice is good.

Hollingsworth: Like Tiffany said, the flavor is there, but you need a little bit more acid, right?

That lime juice should be a little bit more pronounced.

But you know what?

You've cooked two different dishes from Asia today.

I think that you made them proud, actually, so... Coby: Thank you.

Thank you.

Suwanee, come join us.

Hello.

Hello.

I had Coby's shrimp Creole with fried fish.

I made the dish my own by adding oyster sauce and fish sauce to the fish fillet.

Really nice fry on the fish.

I've never had a fried fish where the dredge was so flavorful.

[Suwanee chuckles] Lam: I just get super umami flavors.

I agree with that.

You've actually executed it pretty well.

The shrimp sauce is very bold, a lot of creaminess.

If I had to pick it apart, I would say, you know, maybe cook the shrimp a little bit less.

The texture gets a little bit grainy when you overcook it, but overall, I think you did a great job.

Thank you so much.

Your honorary Southern half.

[Both chuckle] All right.

Waigal, come join us.

I had Anika's dish, and it's boroi khatta, which is jujube broth with salmon.

Then I did add my own spin.

I added some saffron, sumac, and I added barberry for the tartness.

Derry: Overall, I feel like this was successful.

You made it familiar in your own way.

I like the soup with sort of all of the chunky elements in it.

And it's very creamy with the coconut milk.

And then the salmon itself, it looks like some pieces might be a little more cooked than I'd like.

Lam: Yeah, I agree with everything Tiffany has said, but it's not unpleasant.

It's not dry.

Especially, served in a broth, I think it's doable, but maybe, if in the oven, I would have taken it out a couple minutes earlier.

But I like all that tartness, that tanginess from the barberry, from the lime.

You get that sweetness from the jujube.

Really quite lovely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

[Speaks Farsi] Nooshe jan. Anika, come join us.

I got Waigal's recipe, and it's aushak potstickers.

I added some labneh in there to, like, reduce the heat.

Overall, I think, you know, interpreting a dish that you've never had before and putting your perspective on that dish, I think you did a great job.

Oh, thank you.

Hollingsworth: I love all of the individual components on the plate here.

Very, very good.

Extremely well-balanced.

The meat is kind of pretty rich, but the ground beef, it's a little bit-- I won't say dry, but, like, like, it needs to be cooked just a little bit longer to tenderize that meat.

Lam: Yeah.

The ground beef could be a little bit more tender, but all the components of the dish are quite delicious.

Like, I don't need any more salt in it.

And we get to the dumpling, the filling, it's really, really nice.

My problem with the dish is that we only got two dumplings.

Ohh.

So I think just, like, the proportion, and make sure you get the right quantity of the true star of the dish on the plate.

Yeah, I think it was really tasty.

Thank you.

Rex, come join us.

So I made Fran's homemade pasta with tomatoes, and I added more of my Filipino seasoning again.

Hollingsworth: I think the noodles were on the right track, and they're pretty close, but when you cut the pasta, make sure that you're really flaking it apart and, you know, making sure that the noodles are individual.

Lam: Yeah, I mean, I think some of the pasta was twice as thick as other, and so it became a very uneven cook.

But I really enjoy the sauce.

The combination of the blistered tomatoes with those spices and that smokiness and the savoriness, really, really delicious.

Thank you so much, Chef.

Thank you so much.

Fran, come and join us.

So I got Rex's rellenong bangus, and that is stuffed milkfish.

Lam: I would say the frying, my skin was a little bit on the sort of like, rubbery, tough side.

Oh, OK. Lam: The fish could have been cooked a little bit longer.

Derry: Yeah, just a little bit longer.

Longer.

OK. Derry: But this is a labor of love.

I mean, me and you were over there holding its skin, and you stuffing it, and we're just going to get it in here and pray for the rest.

And whether this is exactly how it's supposed to be or not, I think that you have a very flavorful stuffing.

Thank you, and thank you for your help.

Thank you.

[Cooks applaud] Oh, my God.

Thank you.

You'll be OK. Good job.

Fran, voice-over: So generally, I am super adaptable, but I feel like I've failed to adapt for the recipe swap.

Ramos: So we have a lot to discuss.

What are some of the standout dishes of this round?

I have to say one of my favorites was Suwanee.

She made Coby's shrimp Creole over fried fish, and I thought she not only nailed it, but did add a little bit of herself in seasoning that fish with fish sauce and oyster sauce.

I agree.

The fish was cooked perfectly.

The sauce had a lot of flavor, but the shrimp was, like, a little bit overcooked.

Ramos: What's interesting is she came out on top in round one with Tim's biscuit and gravy recipe.

Derry: Yeah.

Even though these may not be the flavors that we know from her, what she's showcasing is that she's a strong cook and that she's able to pivot.

Adapting, right?

Derry: Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Derry: Another one of my favorites was Anika.

She made Waigal's recipe.

I loved the leeks that were inside of the dumpling and the onion with the labneh that she did with all of that kind of really came together nicely.

Hollingsworth: Yeah, it was super delicious, but I think the beef was, like, a little bit tough.

I feel like it needed to cook a little bit longer.

But she tasted it, thought it was a little bit too spicy, and had the forethought to add some more labneh to the sauce to tone those flavors down, which is what we've been asking for.

Another one of my favorite dishes this round was Waigal's.

He made Anika's boroi khatta, which was the salmon in this tangy sauce that he actually enriched by adding coconut milk and some of his spices that we've seen him use throughout this competition.

Lam: The flavors, I thought, were really interesting and delicious, but I think there were execution things going on in that dish because the salmon was a little bit overcooked.

Yeah.

All right, judges, were there any dishes you felt needed improvement?

I feel like Coby made a duck laab that was slightly just off.

Lam: That dish is supposed to be very, very bright, but he really didn't use much lime juice.

And the duck skin cracklings, some of them were beautifully cooked and some of them were bitter and burnt.

Do you think he just got lost in the recipe today?

Oh, I think he was lost from the moment he saw that recipe.

[Laughter] Hollingsworth: Overall, I think that today was way outside of his comfort zone.

That's for sure.

Another one of the dishes that I really felt missed the mark was Rex.

Rex had Fran's homemade pasta with tomatoes.

Overall, the techniques weren't there.

Lam: We were watching him roll that pasta, and it looked beautiful.

Yeah.

Lam: And it was just the mistake of not separating the strands right away.

Then he struggled to get them unstuck, so the cooking time was inconsistent.

But kudos to him for the effort.

You know, another dish that needed a little bit of help was Fran's dish-- Rex's stuffed milkfish.

There's some things that she could have potentially done a little bit better-- frying the fish a little bit longer, creating a crispier skin.

Derry: Yeah, I agree, but she had to scoop the meat out and debone it, and then she just stuffed it in there like a sausage casing.

I can't imagine getting a whole fish, like, "Wait.

What am I doing here?"

So we give Fran a lot of credit for that, right?

Yes.

However, the finale is just two weeks away, and at this point, it comes down to all those little details.

It does.

Ramos: But it sounds like you've made your decision.

Judges: Yeah.

Totally.

Great.

Let's bring the cooks back in.

Ramos: All right.

In the last round, you traded recipes with a fellow home cook.

While you all did the recipes proud, the judges do want to give a little feedback on a couple dishes they felt needed some improvement.

The first dish that lacked a little finesse is... Fran.

[Laughter] Fran: Sorry.

Fran, I... what a journey we've gone on today.

But you know what?

You really tried to keep the essence of Rex's stuffed milkfish.

But we did feel that the fish could have been fried a little bit crispier.

Thank you.

And the second dish that wasn't as successful was... Rex.

I feel like you were heading in such a great direction with Fran's homemade pasta with tomatoes.

And I think you just got tripped up along the way with the pasta dough.

And, you know, it wasn't the easiest recipe for you, but great job pushing through.

Thank you.

Ramos: All right.

Because we gave you two really challenging rounds of cooking, nobody will be going home this week.

[Exhales] Ramos: Now let's talk about the dishes that were standouts this round.

The first dish we loved this round was... Suwanee's.

Thank you.

Lam: I think you did real justice to Coby's shrimp Creole and fried fish.

The sauce was rich.

It was hearty, really well-spiced.

And we were all really impressed by your tremendous flavor on that.

Thank you so much.

Our next favorite dish was... Waigal.

[Cooks cheer] Your version of Anika's boroi khatta was absolutely delicious.

Adding the coconut milk, the saffron, the sumac, the barberry.

Honestly, the dish felt like a marriage between the two cultures.

The salmon was a little bit overcooked, but overall, great dish.

Thank you.

Ramos: But as you know, only one dish can come out on top.

And the winner of the round is... Suwanee!

[Cheering] No way.

What a phenomenal week.

That shrimp Creole served over fried fish felt so soulful.

Adding in your flavor really took that dish to another place.

You stepped out of your comfort zone, and it really paid off for you.

Wow.

Thank you so, so much.

I did well for both rounds.

It's just unbelievable to me, of all the dishes, not Thai but Southern American dishes.

I'm happy.

Thank you, Coby.

Thank you.

Ramos: All right, cooks, see you all next week for more of your great American recipes.

Good night.

Cooks: Good night.

Bye.

Bye.

Rex: Thank you.

Ramos: Next time on the "Great American Recipe"...

This week we want you to focus on memorable recipes in your family.

This is my husband's favorite breakfast.

Anika: This dish is the celebration of the lives that my parents had.

I feel like your mom and your dad were there when you were cooking this meal.

Coby: We kind of been through thick and thin together, so it made me cry.

It is time to announce the three home cooks who will be moving on to the big finale next week.

[Pen scratches]