Hail to the Chef!
,' Wednesdays, 10 PM ET, Food Network.)The battle: Create the ultimate holiday meal from the secret ingredients -- standing beef rib roast, squash, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, apple cider, and every chef's staple, candy canes.
Zakarian had visions of a "fanciful modernist Christmas" dancing in his head. Falkner's decision to make agnolotti, little pillows of filled pasta, was based on children nestled all snug in their beds, etc. The two sped over to the ingredients and started cooking and...
Wait -- without stopping the clock, the Chairman called both chefs over to unveil his first surprise: cranberries. And no, this wasn't the kind of gift you can hide in the cupboard next to the bread machine. The consolation was that they could use any eliminated chef for help in creating a cranberry dish. Zakarian and Falkner quickly agreed that Alex Guarnaschelli would be the ultimate sous chef.
Zakarian enlisted Guarnaschelli to make cranberry risotto with sake, while on the other side of Kitchen Stadium, Falkner planned a halftime palate cleanser of cranberry sorbet. Everyone was a frenzied blur of cooking and...