Stephen was his usual cocky self again this week, and probably wondering what he had signed up for when this week’s challenge was once again anything but a four-star dining experience.
But first, the quick fire challenge was almost a disaster. The chefs were given five minutes to identify, blindfolded, twenty esoteric ethnic ingredients such as tamarind, ghee and Japanese potato. The humiliated contestants all blew it. Andrea won with only four correct guesses. To soothe their bruised egos, they held a junk food “Snack Master Challenge” back at their living quarters where Miguel took the crown by correctly identifying such delicacies as Whoppers, Doritos and Pork and Beans.
For the main challenge, contestants were told they would be shown their “new restaurant,” and in came a street food cart. “I’m used to four-star dining,” said Stephen. “I’ve never operated on the level of the street cart.” But he came through, with partner LeeAnn, as did the winning team of Tiffani and Dave. The judges thought this week’s challenge brought the best dishes yet of the series.
The challenge also had another part, and that was to successfully fuse two ethnic cuisines, Latin and Japanese, Chinese or Moroccan. All came up with creative dishes, but ultimately Lisa and Harold lost the challenge because their braised (but mostly raw) tuna over a salad that lacked the jicama they forgot back at the kitchen didn’t work as street food. Many potential customers in the Mission District of San Francisco were hesitant to try the raw fish from a street cart. The judges also didn’t like the fact that you had to use a fork to eat it, limiting portability. Lisa was sent home over Harold, for no real discernible reason other than Harold has been a star thus far in the series and Lisa had been at the chopping block on three previous occasions.
For all the praise for the delicious dishes, I was dying to try the winning “Moroccan Cubano Pork Sandwich,” until I saw the recipe from the network web site, bravotv.com. Take a look at the list of ingredients and the preparation and see if you’re brave enough to try it! (Invite me over, please, when you do….)
Dave & Tiffani’s “Moroccan Cubano Pork Sandwich”
Pork portion of sandwich
Olive oil
3 lbs of pork butt, cleaned and de-fatted
1 cup of Sheeba’s special curry blend
1/2 gallon beef stock
1 cup date syrup
2 Maui onions, medium dice
2 carrots, medium dice
4 stalks celery, medium dice
Kosher salt
black pepper
Method:
Clean all pork and cut into cubes. Thoroughly season all sides of each piece with kosher salt and black pepper, then roll in curry powder. Heat aluminum or cast iron sauté pan with olive oil covering the bottom surface for searing. Place seasoned pork onto hot pan and sear all sides of meat and then set aside. Continue adding oil with each batch of pork until finished. Do not rinse pan. You will deglaze this pan and use to build the chutney in later. In separate stock pot or deep sauce pan, add some olive oil and then sweat the mirepoix and then add seared pork and enough beef stock to cover the pieces of pork. Also, add additional salt and pepper and curry powder and cover and cook on medium heat to tenderize/stove-top braise the pork for about 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes, then remove pieces of pork. Place these pieces of pork in large sauté pan with some olive oil and add additional curry and date syrup and check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. After cooked and seasoned, remove from heat and chop up into small pieces to be used for sandwich.
Stone Fruit Chutney
1 tbsp. walnut oil
2 cups golden raisins
1 cup sliced dried apricots
1 cup finely chopped and toasted almonds
1 Tbsp. Sheeba’s curry blend
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. honey
1 cup date syrup
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
Method:
Place all ingredients into sauce or sauté pan and let all ingredients blend together and reduce until liquid has been absorbed by the dried fruits. Then let rest and season if needed. Spread the chutney on one side of the gordita
Pickled Carrots and Red Onion
4 carrots, peeled and sliced this on the bias
1/2 red onion chopped, sliced into thin strips
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
kosher salt
Method:
Blanch carrots in salted water. Remove and let rest in ice bath. Heat cider vinegar with sugar on the stove top to boil. Then add carrots and onions to the reduced vinegar and sugar mixture and cover and lest rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cooled then strain the majority of the liquid and set aside
Other ingredients and assembly:
6 0z mild white Moroccan cheese, finely crumbled or other mild white cheese like queso fresco
1 dozen gorditas
olive oil for gorditas
Assembly:
Heat gordita brushed with olive oil on the grill or in a pan on the stove top and then spread with chutney, lay in pieces of pork and top with cheese and pickled carrots and onions for garnish. Think taco here.