Tonight on Sweet Genius the Pastry Chefs must use salty ingredients to make candy to join Ron Ben-Israel in his world of “Sweet Genius and win $10,000. The competitors tonight are father & son and mother & daughter despite the fact that none of them share the same last name.
The Chefs competing tonight are as follows;
- Pastry Chef Kerwin Hughes – Father
- Pastry Chef Edward Cogdill – Son
- Pastry Chef Angela Cuervo – Daughter
- Pastry Chef Lynn Chauca – Mother
Round 1: Chocolate Dessert – Mandatory Ingredients & Inspiration - 40 minutes
- Hot Air Balloon (inspiration)
- Spinach
- Italian Maraschino Cherries
After the time expires in round one, the Chefs must present their Chocolate Dessert to Ron Ben-Israel and receive the following critiques and possible elimination;
Chef Kerwin prepared a Frozen Chocolate Mousse w/ Balsamic and Cherry Gastric. Ron said the mousse was nice, sweet and very light. He said the gastric was sweet and pungent but he could not taste the spinach.
Chef Edward prepared a Cream Puff w/ Chocolate & Cherry Mousse Filling. Ron said his cream puff was excellent. He said the mousse was light and creamy but he could not taste the spinach. He asked Chef Edward what was raw spinach leaves doing on the plate and Chef Edward said he panicked and threw them on the plate.
Chef Angela prepared a Chocolate Molten Cake w/ Spinach and Cherry Sauce w/ Passion Fruit. Ron said her dish was colorful and fun. He said the cake was decadent and the cherry sauce was quite delectable but since the mother made the sauce and gave it to you it was not fair to use it. She said she added passion fruit to it to make it her own. ( I thought she should have been eliminated for cheating)
Chef Lynn prepared a Chocolate Crepe w/ Raspberry & Chocolate Mousse w/ Cherry Sauce. Ron said her presentation looked the balloon collapsed but he said her mousse filling was hearty and full of flavor. He said her sauce was rich, fruity and hearty. He said he did not like the texture of the crepe.
Ron told Chef Angela that using others ingredients were wrong and then told Chef Edward that in this test he was no sweet genius.
Round 2: Candy – Mandatory Ingredients & Inspiration - 50 minutes
- Gold Crown (inspiration)
- Salty Licorice
- Pine Nuts
After the time expires in round two, the Chefs must present their Candy to Ron Ben-Israel and receive the following critiques and possible elimination;
Chef Lynn prepared Milk Chocolate Bark w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Pine Nut Brittle. Ron asked her where was the inspiration for her dish and she said she ran out of time and did not get her brittle shaped crown on the plate. Ron said he loved the brittle, he said it was smokey and nutty. He said the bark was pleasant and successful. He said the ice cream was over churned and tasted like butter.
Chef Angela prepared a White Chocolate Banana Mousse w/ Brown Sugar Licorice Brittle and a Fondant Crown. Ron said you gave me a crown on the plate. He said the mousse was delicate but had too much almond extract which made it taste medicinal. He said her brittle was superior to her moms but was not crunchy because she used brown sugar.
Chef Kerwin prepared Sushi Candies w/ Candied Ginger. Ron said the marshmallow rice was very light and the pine nut mayo was delicious as was the basil sugar candy. He said the pickled ginger was inedible and had no place on the dish. He said his plate was rich in colors and interesting but had major pitfalls.
Ron told Chef Lynn that in this challenge she was no sweet genius.
Round 3: Cake – Mandatory Ingredients & Inspiration - 60 minutes
- Russian Dolls (inspiration)
- Butternut Squash
- Root Beer
After the time expires in round three, the Chefs must present their Cake to Ron Ben-Israel and receive the following critiques and possible elimination;
Chef Angela prepared a Vanilla Cake w/ Squash Filling & Root Beer Butter Cream topped w/ Fondant Russian Doll. Ron said the fondant doll was the third time she presented flat fondant painting to represent inspiration and he wonders if she can only do this type of inspiration. He said her cake was buttery and light. He said the squash filling was aromatic, surprising and floral. He said he could not taste the root beer.
Chef Kerwin prepared a Black Velvet Cake w/ Root Beer Butter Cream and a Fondant Russian Doll. Ron said the doll had too much sugar in it and the butter cream tasted like plastic because of the shortening in it. He said the cake was one of the best he ever tasted, it was velvety and moist.
Ron told Chef Kerwin that in this test he was no sweet genius and welcomed Chef Angela into his world of “Sweet Genius”. He told her she won $10,000.
images courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Arizona Time
The ginger on Chef Kerwin’s candy dish was pickled not candied, that’s why it didn’t belong on the plate.
Thanks for the heads up Marna.