Chopped: Injera, Hearts of Palm, Rabbit Escabeche | Full Episode Recap | S11 E11 | Food Network

Welcome, chefs. Here are the rules. There are three rounds, appetizer, entree, and dessert. Each course comes with its own basket of mystery ingredients. You must use every ingredient in the basket. If your dish doesn't cut it, you will be chopped. Chefs, please open your baskets. And we have injera, hearts of palm, mash, and rabbit escabeche. You have 20 minutes for the appetizer course. Starting now. Behind you. Sorry. I'm gonna make rabbit escabeche salad, and I'm gonna serve it over the injera. I'm gonna make rabbit escabeche sopes. Sopes are kind of like a tostada. So I want to do a crepe with a saute of mushrooms, shallots, and the rabbit. It's like layers of mashed potato, and I'm going to use the rabbit as a stuffing. I wasn't clear on what the mash was, but right away it reminded me of cilantro. Hearts of palm are used widely in South Florida. So I decided to make a fresh, citrusy salad. I've never seen the rabbit in the can before. Really smell and look like catfish. Decide to saute the rabbit with the hearts of palm, and then I'm cutting up the injera to saute with the rabbit. On you. I don't want to just put a salad together. I want to do something different. I want the judges to see my creativity. Oh, my God, I didn't know this was burned. I'm worried I'm not going to make everything to the plate. One minute, chefs. 60 seconds. I'm running out of time. I throw the rabbit into the skillet. Miguel is still browning something in a pan. 30 seconds left. Really scrambling at this point just to plate the food. Give it your all until the very last second, chefs. I'm trying to cut the crepes, and I realize it has bones in it. Can't believe they couldn't feed the rabbit with the bones. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Time's up. Please step back. Chef Miguel. Today I made rabbit escabeche sopes with a cooked tomato salsa and a raw hearts of palm salsa. This is very spicy, and I love it. It tastes like you had a lot longer to cook than 20 minutes to develop evolved flavors like this. Chef Nelly. It's a traditional Peruvian dish. It's called causa. Smashed potato with the injera and rabbit as a stuffing. I love the fresh potato salad here. I think the use of the rabbit is brilliant. Chef Vito. I made a rabbit escabeche salad and a mashed iced tomato and hearts of palm salad. Presentation-wise, using the spoon the way you did, it really kind of added a burst of freshness. Thank you. Chef Chris. Yeah, it's a rabbit escabeche injera crepe with a citrus hearts of palm mashed salad. I really appreciate the insanely bracing acidity of this salad. The orange is sweet. The onions have a little bite. So whose dish is on the chopping block? Chef Nelly, you've been chopped. You have made it to the second round of this competition. Chef Miguel, Chef Vito, Chef Chris, please open your baskets. And the mandatory ingredients for the entree round are goat chops, dragon's tongue beans, cinnamon schnapps, and dark chocolate. You'll have 30 minutes this time, starting now. So I'm thinking sear goat chops with a nice ancho chili chocolate. So I'm really psyched about doing a curry spice rub for the goat. And the best way to counter the curry spice blend is to make a chocolate rice. I think that inspired me to grill these goat chops. Growing up, I used to love watching them grill. And then to top it off, I'm going to make a nice, hot and sweet raspberry sauce. And chefs, this is your two-minute warning. That cinnamon schnapps tastes like mouthwash. You got to hide the schnapps. So I'm just going to throw it in the sauce and let that sweet heat come out like that. I put the dragon tongues on the plate. I crisscrossed the goat chops. One minute left, chefs. Plate up, plate up, plate up, plate up, plate up. Throw the chocolate and the butter into the risotto. Chocolate and butter going into the risotto with a minute left. I'm hoping the risotto's cooked because I don't even have a timed taste. 30 seconds, chefs. Wow, this is just down to the wire. I need to prove something to my family. I need to bring this money home. That's what I need to do. Watch that clock, chefs. Let's go, man. Not going to move on if you don't finish your plates. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Time's up. Please step back. Chef Vito. Did the grilled goat chops with a sweet and spicy raspberry sauce chocolate sweet potatoes and bacon and garlic sauteed dragon tongue beans. The goat is cooked really, really well. I love that you let that grill pan get really hot. Really nice caramelization on the outside. Next up, Chef Chris. It's a Caribbean spice and seared goat with a chocolate rice and a schnapps steamed dragon tongue beans. The beans are essential to this dish because they are crunchy. And the cinnamon schnapps, because you used it sparingly on the beans, you get away with it. I love the combination between the chocolate and the curry. The curry for me on the goat is fantastic, but the rice itself is just not good. When you use this type of rice and you don't cook it the right way, it's just got a funky mouthfeel. Everything on the left is so good and everything on the right is not. Thank you, Chef Chris. Last entree, Chef Miguel. I made a chocolate and coffee rub goat chops with sauteed dragon tongue beans and blueberry sauce. I love your bean salad underneath. Adding in almonds was really, really smart. Whose dish is on the chopping block? Chef Miguel, you've been chopped. Chef Vito, Chef Chris, which one of you is going to ace the final round? That'll be me. I don't think so. Please open your baskets for the dessert course. And you must use Hollandaise sauce, strawberries, walnuts, and blue corn tortilla chips. You have 30 minutes on the clock. Time starts now. Behind you, behind you. There is it, there is it. My daughters love dessert, and I'm thinking if I get chopped at this stage, it's a letdown for a little girl. I have to transform the blue corn tortilla chips in some way. So I've decided to use them in a crust for a strawberry tart. I'm going to make a nice, sweet nacho dolce. Finish it off with a little strawberry sauce. Right now is the grand finale. Need the judges to pick me. I need $10,000. And chefs, you've got one minute left. I'm going to take the first tart out of the mold and it's not coming out. Come on. This is really down to the wire. 30 seconds, chefs. I move on and I try to get the next one. Please come out of the pan. And 10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Time's up. Please step back. Here we go. Good job, guys. Chef Chris. It's a blue corn tortilla, strawberry and hollandaise tart with spiced walnuts and a fresh whipped cream. I admire your creativity. You embraced the basket. Very smart. Chef Vito. I made a nacho dolce. It's not something I would ever make in 8 million years, but I can appreciate that you chose to express yourself in the way that was really true to yourself. I like the dessert. So, whose dish is on the chopping block? Chef Vito, you've been chopped. Oh my God. And that means, Chef Chris Wessel, you are the chopped champion. Your richly deserved reward, $10,000. God, thank you. Who would you dedicate this win to? Oh, my daughters.