Tonight on Chopped All-Stars part 4 of 5, Chopped judges compete for the final spot in the finale at a chance at $50,000 for their favorite charity and bragging rights as All-Star Champion. It is always fun to see the judges on the other side looking in as their dishes get critiqued, although their counterparts are usually pretty kind to them.

The judges for tonight’s episode are as follows;

• Amanda Freitag
• Aaron Sanchez
• Geoffrey Zakarian

The Chefs competing tonight are as follows;

• Alex Guarnaschelli: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Marc Murphy: City Harvest
• Marcus Samuelsson: Rett Syndrome Research Trust
• Chris Santos: C-CAP Careers Through Culinary Arts Program 

Ted tells the competitors that the judges will critique their dishes based on taste, creativity and presentation.

APPETIZER ROUND
Ted Allen told the Chefs they have 20 minutes to complete the round and has them open their baskets which includes the following ingredients;

• Potato Pancakes
• Purple Kohlrabi
• Korean Melon
• Goat Brains

After the Chefs completed their dishes they were presented to the Judges and given the following critiques;

Chef Alex prepared Curried Goat Brains w/ Mustard Vinaigrette. The judges said the way she treated the potato pancake was brilliant and they loved the bacon and egg combo, but the dish was a little busy.

Chef Marcus prepared Goat Brain Pyttipanna w/ Apple. The judges said the dish needed a bit more lettuce to scoop the Pyttipanna on to. They loved the flavors but thought it was a bit too salty.

Chef Chris prepared Goat Brain & Potato Quesadilla w/ Melon & Kohlrabi Salsa. The judges said his dish needed more dressing and he should have served the salad on the side because it nullified the crunch out of the tortilla.

Chef Marc prepared Seared Goat Brains w/ Spicy Slaw. The judges liked his layers of goodness. They loved the pickling of the slaw. They also said he hid the potato’s because they were soggy.

After careful deliberation of all of the appetizers the judges chopped Chef Chris for the reasons above.

ENTREE ROUND
Ted Allen told the Chefs they have 30 minutes to complete the round and has them open their baskets which includes the following ingredients;

• Rack Of Berkshire Pork
• Kusa
• Grape Molasses
• Preserved Duck Eggs

After the Chefs completed their dishes they were presented to the Judges and given the following critiques;

Chef Marcus prepared Seared Pork Chops w/ Duck Egg Pashi and Kusa & Molasses Compote. The judges said his dish was complex and beautiful. Aaron said he had never eaten something this delicious. Amanda said the dish had too many spices which made the dish a little muddy in flavors.

Chef Alex prepared Double Glazed Chops w/ Bacon & Egg Salad. The judges said the chops were big and thick and they loved the risk. Geoffrey said his was a bit tough but loved it anyway. They thought she really elevated the eggs with the bacon. Aaron said he appreciated the jalapeno peppers on the dish.

Chef Marc prepared Pork Medallions w/ White Bean Ragout. The judges said some of the herbs were burnt which left a bitter taste. They said the flavor of the pork was delicious and they loved the sauce. They said the dish was very successful but his presentation was messy.

After careful deliberation the judges chopped Chef Marc for the reasons above.

DESSERT ROUND
Ted Allen told the Chefs they have 30 minutes to complete the round and has them open their baskets which includes the following ingredients;

• Baby Beets
• Farmers Cheese
• Cake Flour
• Cola

After the Chefs completed their dishes they were presented to the Judges and given the following critiques;

Chef Alex prepared a Blueberry & Beet Tart w/ Cream Topping and Cola Granita. The judges said her dish was unbelievable. A perfect balance of hot and cold. Aaron said the fried tarragon on top left her tart a bit greasy.

Chef Marcus prepared a Kladdkaka w/ Goat Cheese Two Ways. The judges said his treatment of the cheese frozen and a sauce was perfect. They said so many preparations to create the dish in the allotted time was spectacular. Aaron said the pine nuts needed to be toasted more because they were gritty.

After careful deliberation of all of the dishes the judges chopped Chef Alex and told her in the end it came down to flavors and Chef Marcus had better ones throughout the competition.

Ted tells Chef Marcus that he is in the finale with a chance to win $50,000 for his charity. Next week the following Chefs square off in the finale.

Tell us what you think of tonight’s competition, who your favorite is in the finale or who you think will win. Do not forget to check in next week for the finale recap and the conversation on the winner and losers.

• Part 1 – Iron Chefs
• Part 2 – Prime Time
• Part 3 – Food Network Stars

images courtesy of foodnetwork.com