Tonight on "The Great American Recipe"... Derry: In this round, we want you to create a dish using your grain of choice.

This is a street snack that you'll find throughout Mexico.

Mae, voice-over: Southern China's favorite grain is rice.

For this challenge, I had to think of something different.

My abuela would say, "Así se cocina."

Doug: I think this is a nice blend of my childhood but also with my Germanic heritage, with the traditional bratwurst.

Derry: This is a really delicious plate of food.

Welcome back to "The Great American Recipe."

♪ ♪ Mae: Here we go.

Adjo: Are you nervous?

Mae: A little bit.

I'm glad we're in week two because now I know what to expect.

Every week is a new challenge and a new beginning, new opportunity, so, I am excited.

I want to really get cooking.

Hi, everyone!

All: Hi!

[Laughs] Ramos: Welcome back to week two of "The Great American Recipe."

We're back with our wonderful judges-- Tiffany Derry... Hey, y'all.

Francis Lam... Hey, everyone.

and Tim Hollingsworth.

Hi, guys.

Ramos: Last week, we learned so much about you through the dishes that defined who you are and where you live.

Hollingsworth: All of you showed us that you're some of the best cooks in the country.

Derry: For the next 6 weeks, you'll be sharing your recipes and your stories leading up to the finale.

Lam: We'll give you feedback so you can fine-tune your recipes.

Then we'll choose our favorite dishes at the end of each round.

Ramos: We'll be tracking your progress and your overall success, then right before the finale, we'll reveal which 3 home cooks have earned their spot in the final week of the competition.

Ultimately, one of you will be named the winner of "The Great American Recipe."

[Cheering and applause] Ready to find out what you'll be cooking this week?

Jon: Yes.

Tim: Bring it.

Ramos: This week's theme is all about your go-to ingredients.

Doug: OK. Kim: OK. Ramos: For round one, you'll have 60 minutes to create a dish spotlighting at least one go-to ingredient that makes your recipe stand out from the crowd.

Your dishes will be judged on taste, presentation, execution, and how well your dish delivers on the theme.

Now, can I tell you a secret?

Adjo: Yeah.

Tim: Sure.

Man: Please.

Your time starts now!

[All talking at once] [Ramos laughs] All right.

Let's go.

Ramos: All right, judges, we asked them to create a dish using their secret-weapon ingredient.

What are you looking for in this round?

Lam: To my mind, the first thing I think of is, like, something that has a lot of flavor, like a big flavor boost.

Derry: Yes, but I don't want it to be overwhelming, because if it's something that I'm putting in multiple dishes, I don't want them all to taste the same.

Hollingsworth: Yeah.

Ramos: Exactly.

I just want it to really just bring out a little bit more flavor.

♪ Let's go.

♪ I don't really want any of this fibrous junk, so, a soup spoon makes quick work of taking all of that pulp out.

Today, I'm making a delicata squash soup, but my secret ingredient is turmeric.

Ha ha ha!

I have to say at the end of last week, my confidence was really shaken.

Derry: Doug, unfortunately, the puff pastry on the bottom was a little undercooked.

Doug, voice-over: So, this week, I need to make sure that I am on point.

For this preparation, all of the veggies just go in the pot.

I make this soup all the time on a chilly day for me and my husband.

My husband keeps mostly vegetarian and he really enjoys this soup, so, I really hope that it's the winner.

Hello, Doug.

Hey, Tiffany.

How are you?

I'm good.

How are you?

I'm doing OK today.

Yeah, yeah.

OK.

So, delicata squash.

Love it.

What I find, it gets a little muddy with all the cooking, so, I have a secret ingredient to bring back that golden squash color.

OK. Oh!

And it's ground turmeric.

Turmeric.

OK.

So, what got you more was the color of the turmeric.

Well, I do like that earthy taste when you use it in those high amounts.

Yeah.

What other spices are you adding in?

I see quite a bit.

I have some tarragon, which brings a springlike flavor and some dried dill.

So, whenever you're dealing with dried spices, you want to allow them to absorb that liquid, because it's really, really dry and the flavor doesn't come through.

Thank you.

I can't wait to try it.

All right.

All right, let's get this guy stirred up.

♪ Woman: Whoo!

Ingrid is stressed.

[Laughs] I'm really excited today because I'm making my favorite Salvadorian dessert recipe.

I am making nuegados, which is a doughnut-type patty with yuca and cheese.

Growing up, my abuela used to make nuegados for me as a special treat in the afternoons.

And now that I'm a mother, I make this dessert for my kids when I miss my abuela.

My secret weapon is dulce de atado.

"Atado" means "wrapped" in Spanish.

It's unrefined sugar in its natural state before it has been processed.

To make panela, which is a syrup for my nuegados, I place a piece of atado with cinnamon in a pot of water and I let it melt.

I am toasting my masa because I'm gonna make chilate.

It has ginger, allspices, and toasted corn flour.

Chilates is spice tea, which is gonna balance out the flavor for my dessert.

♪ Oh, it smells good.

I'm making truffle risotto and the ingredient that I'm highlighting in this dish is black shaved truffles.

Truffles are sort of the pièce de résistance to my dish because they're extremely earthy and quite expensive.

So, risotto is kind of in my DNA.

The story goes that when I was born, which was in the winter of 1978, there was a huge storm in New England and my mom had a ton of risotto in the house and word on the street is it was the last thing she ate before she had me.

When you cook risotto, you don't just throw all your stock in at once.

You're adding it about a half a cup at a time.

I'm using water that I cooked the asparagus in because I'm putting asparagus into this risotto as well and I really want to bring out that asparagus flavor.

Derry: How y'all doing?

Y'all OK?

[All talking at once] Man: Let's do it.

Yeah.

Derry: All right.

Ooh!

♪ Ooh.

Perfect.

Perfect.

I am excited to be making egusi stew... and my secret ingredient is egusi.

When you put it into stuff, it has, like, the consistency of cheese, but it's solely plant-based, so, it's definitely going to be a treat for their palate.

I have multiple pots going.

We have tomato base with the egusi in there now.

My spinach is going.

And then I'm adding two types of peppers-- the medium bell pepper and my habanero pepper is where the heat and the spice is gonna come from.

Hollingsworth: Hello, Adjo.

How are you?

Hello.

I'm doing well, Chef.

This is new to me.

I've never had it before.

Well, look at that.

Can you teach me, Chef?

Two weeks in a row.

Yeah, absolutely.

This is a staple in Togolese, Ghanaian, and Nigerian culture.

The smell is incredible.

Thank you, thank you.

So, this is a palm nut oil base... OK. and the egusi is the milky white stuff that you see in there.

It's a very milky taste.

That's why we need the spinach and the vegetables to kind of give it a different kind of texture.

-That is very, very good.

Wow.

-Thank you.

Thank you, Chef.

Just remember you gotta make sure that everything on the plate is gonna shine.

Absolutely.

This looks like you won't have any trouble with that, so...

Absolutely.

Thank you, Chef.

It's looking just the way I want it to look.

Do this.

So, the first thing I've gotta get started on is my marinade.

It's gonna be the paste that we're gonna use for the pork.

I am making tacos al pastor and my secret ingredient is achiote paste.

Achiote paste is made from the annatto seeds.

It's a tropical bush that grows in the Caribbean and the tropical areas of Mexico.

So, in my marinade, I'm using achiote paste with a little bit of garlic, chicken stock, and ancho, pasilla, and guajillo chilis.

All right.

They wanted spice.

-[Laughter] -So, the traditional way to make tacos al pastor, they come from Mexico City and there was a large immigrant population of Middle Eastern folks, and so, they brought their spit, and what we call a trompo, and the idea is, is you take these beautiful pieces of pork, very thin, and then it cooks down and it slowly cooks and it's all about the crusty ends.

And then they're going to be finished with a slice of pineapple.

Man: Let's do it, guys!

40 minutes, everyone.

Man: Whoo!

I'm off to a slow start here.

A lot of chopping in Chinese food, so, that's what I'm doing.

You know, Chinese food, it's all about prepping.

Get everything in line because a wok is quick.

I'm making the shrimp fried rice and my secret ingredient is the shrimp paste.

Shrimp paste is a very pungent ingredient.

It adds a little kick, a little special flavor that you can't quite pinpoint.

I have been making fried rice forever.

I make shrimp fried rice whenever my kids come home.

They love it.

OK, I got to season it now.

I add the shrimp paste before I add the rice.

Hey, Tim, can you open this for me, please?

Yes, I can.

Oh, see, you loosened it up for me.

That was nothing.

Thank you.

I'm definitely getting to know my fellow home cooks better.

We've got a great vibe and we're kind of turning into a little family.

How's everybody doing?

I'm doing great.

How you doing, bro?

Good, I guess.

Ha ha ha!

Chicken breasts are not created equal.

I'm making a Southern style Chicken Cordon Bleu and my secret-weapon ingredient is kind of funny.

It's pork rind crumbs in lieu of bread crumbs.

One day when I was grocery shopping, I saw a can of pork rind crumbs.

So, I said, "That's crazy.

Let's give it a whirl."

My mom, she's a great cook.

She always did a little something different.

And I think that's kind of carried over to me as a home cook.

I like to push myself and try new things.

We're gonna make some pimento cheese here, also known as paté of the South.

[Laughs] I'm using sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, whipped cream cheese, pimentos, salt, and pepper.

Cut back on the mayo just a little bit because I don't want all my cheese running out of my chicken breasts.

All right.

Two more to go.

♪ Man: 30 minutes left.

Ooh!

This is not a low-calorie meal I'm making.

My secret ingredient recipe is a moose burger with Kenai cheese dip.

Kenai cheese dip is to South Central Alaska as pimento cheese dip is to the South.

So, I combine my sharp shredded cheese with sour cream, mayonnaise, pickled jalapeño, a little bit of hot sauce, and this is one that I'm actually really excited about, because anyone from South Central Alaska knows Kenai cheese dip.

And moose is definitely part of my heritage growing up.

I'm gonna make some moose burgers here and I'm gonna season it with a little special seasoning, and I'm really not gonna add much else to it, because I kind of want that wild flavor of the moose to come through.

I grew up in a small rural village in Alaska, so, moose was one of our main sources of red meat.

Similar to beef, you don't want to overwork your meat.

I want these burgers to be really tender and have some really good moose-y flavor.

This recipe always reminds me of my dad Don because he loved going out hunting moose.

So, getting a win for my dad would be really special.

[Sizzling] Smells like home.

♪ Perfect, perfect.

Awesome.

This is looking great.

I would like a little bit more spinach in there.

So far, so good.

Growing up, we ate egusi I would say at least once a month.

It's just one of those stews that's in rotation.

You get that beautiful red color and then with the peppers, yeah.

Very, very colorful dish.

With my egusi, I am serving it with some boiled plantain.

It's going to balance the spiciness and the curry of the egusi with the sweetness.

Oh, yeah.

Perfect.

♪ Smell is unbelievable.

What I like to do is I take those shaved pieces of truffle and I chop them up into a fine powder and I actually just sprinkle that into the rice in addition to the topping.

♪ This rice is still way too al dente.

My game plan is to plate it at the very last second.

I definitely don't want the rice to be overcooked, but I don't want to be so hypervigilant that I undercook it.

Finding that delicate balance is critical to having your rice cooked just perfectly.

OK.

Right now, we got them breaded in our pork rind crumbs.

They are gonna give it a nice, crisp crunch and add a little bit of that flavor to it.

I'm feeling good.

My chicken's coming along.

I'm gonna coat the chicken breast completely in this egg wash so that the pork rind crumbs have something to stick to.

And these are about to go into the oven.

While my chicken is cooking, I'm moving on to my rice and beans.

I go ahead and cook my white rice.

I add some small red beans to it as well as salt, pepper, butter, and some cayenne.

Just want to mix it through very good.

Let them sit there and finish steaming off.

You have 15 minutes left.

My goodness.

A little olive oil on these crostinis.

This is gonna be just our little something crunchy to dip your soup in.

Once the soup starts to boil, I start forming some crostinis or toast that I'm gonna serve on top of the soup.

I want nice, crunchy croutons that are well-seasoned.

And I even grate on a little Parmesan cheese.

Now I'm gonna do a quick broil on both sides.

♪ These little crumbly bits are just as important as the full pork.

I was able to get a good char on the grill, so, while it's not a trompo, it's pretty dang close.

Here we go, folks.

I want to show the judges a great corn tortilla.

To make my corn tortillas, I use masa harina and corn flour.

[Indistinct] Not gonna work.

Rrr!

I'm adding more oil to get the tortillas to release.

That's why you always make extras.

You got 10 minutes left.

Good lookin', you ain't cookin', so, I'm gonna try to not look at it and just finish it off and, um... ♪ Darn it, darn it, darn it.

Hollingsworth: Oh.

It looks like Doug overcooked his baguette.

God dang it, Doug.

But the thing is that bread goes fast.

Like, you put that fat on it and it broils quickly and you go 30 seconds to a minute too long, it's over.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rapid-fire croutons this time.

I don't want to disappoint the judges or even myself, so, I throw some fresh crostini in the oven.

Get it in, get it in, get it in.

Get it under this rippin' hot broiler.

OK. ♪ Yuca has become very popular.

Everybody knows about yuca, but I really haven't seen a lot of desserts made with yuca.

I'm really hoping the judges love this preparation.

Now I'm gonna add my nuegados into my secret ingredient, my atado.

It doesn't have to be soaked in it for a long time.

It's just enough for it to get soaked and cover in those juices.

And this is what a done nuegado looks like.

I prefer to cook everything in my beloved wok.

It has an aroma of its own, and any food you make in it, it imparts that wok flavor.

They call it the breath of the wok.

Hi, Mae.

Hi.

How are you doing?

How are you, Francis?

I am very excited.

I see your bottle of shrimp paste.

That's my secret ingredient.

Oh, right on.

OK. Shrimp paste is, like, a fermented paste of dried shrimp.

It has a very...

Potent.

strong but beautiful flavor, I think.

Yeah.

Some famous restaurants use that on all their fried rice.

The secret's out.

This wok looks well-loved.

Yes.

Over 50 years.

50 years?

My mom gave it to me.

Well-seasoned, well-loved.

I use it all the time.

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

I'm so glad you have it with you.

I can't be without it.

I can't wait to taste this.

Thank you.

Excited for you.

Thank you, Francis.

OK, I gotta season it now.

3 minutes left.

Just 3 minutes.

More butter never hurt nobody, either.

Gotta watch over these babies like a hawk, because moose meat has, like, no fat in it.

To finish my moose burgers, I use a toasted brioche bun, little light layer of yellow mustard, some lettuce, my big scoop of Kenai cheese dip on top of it, and then some bacon to top it all off.

Yum.

Ramos: 30 seconds!

Get it all on the plate.

Getting it plated.

♪ Let's do it!

Get it on the plate.

Ramos: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

That's it, everybody.

Hands up.

Well done!

[Applause] Great job, great job.

♪ Ramos: We gave you an hour to prepare a dish featuring your favorite secret-weapon ingredient.

Marcella, come join us.

Ramos: Hi there.

Lam: How are you today?

Marcella: Good.

Ramos: What have you made for us?

Judges, today, I made for you a truffle risotto and the secret ingredient would be the black truffle on top and also embedded into the risotto as well.

I'm hoping you guys are "fungis."

Yeah.

[Laughter] Hollingsworth: I mean, first of all, I really like how you fortified the same ingredients throughout the dish.

Chopping the truffles and putting it inside the risotto when it cooked so you pick up on that flavor as well.

Derry: I agree.

I like the pieces of asparagus.

You really made sure they were al dente as well.

I will say that normally, risotto has a little bit of give, right?

It just needed a little bit more liquid right at the end.

Thank you.

Ramos: Adjo, tell us what you made for us.

Today, I've made for you egusi stew served with a side of plantain, and my secret ingredient is the egusi itself.

Derry: Unbelievable that you were able to get that flavor in one hour.

I mean, it is so rich and bright and colorful.

I think that this is a beautiful bowl.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chef.

Hollingsworth: This is my first time eating this dish.

I don't have anything necessarily to compare it to, but the floralness, the spiciness from the habanero, the plantain and kind of the texture and creaminess that you get cleanses your palate as you go back in and have that hearty spinach.

It's really delicious.

Good job.

Thank you, Chef.

Jon, you're up.

So, I made tacos al pastor, and achiote paste is the secret ingredient.

Achiote paste.

I'm familiar with that one.

[Laughs] Yeah.

Hollingsworth: To me, it's a perfect dish, because you have the balance of the tortilla, you have the meatiness and all the flavor packed into the pork, but I do wish the tortillas just held together a little bit better.

Jon: Yeah.

Lam: I would say also searing the pineapple was a great move, but I do miss lots of charred bits.

What I might suggest next time, lay it out on a sheet tray and broil it so that intense fire can give you a little bit of those tarry bits on the edges of the meat as well.

That's some great pointers.

I really appreciate it, Francis.

Ramos: Tim.

Tim: Today, I've made for you a Southern style Chicken Cordon Bleu over some rice with red beans.

My secret weapon is pork rind crumbs, which I've used in place of bread crumbs on my chicken.

Man: Oh, yeah.

Derry: There is so much flavor coming from that rind, and the pimento cheese in the inside gives you that peekaboo surprise, and your chicken here is definitely the star.

Hollingsworth: I agree, but the one thing that I will say is I feel like the rice is just a little bit overcooked.

Tim: Yes, sir.

Hollingsworth: And, you know, I wish that the grains were separating and just a little bit less kind of mealy.

Tim: Yes, sir.

Mae.

I made the shrimp fried rice and the secret ingredient is Chinese shrimp paste.

It gives it a little kick.

Lam: The thing with the shrimp paste, you cooked it in the rice, you let the heat transform it a bit so it doesn't have that intensity, it just gives you a really mellow depth that is so delicious.

Hollingsworth: I agree.

That's one of my favorite dishes and I saw your wok on your station.

I'm a little bit jealous of that wok.

You know, the wok develops.

They call it the breath of the wok, is the aroma, is the smoky flavor that you only get in the wok.

You can take all my jewelry away but do not take my wok.

[Laughter] Kim, it's your turn.

Today, for you, I have made moose burgers with Kenai cheese dip.

♪ Hollingsworth: The burger for me, I think it's great.

Even though you have the fattiness of the cheese and you've added the bacon, if you put a little bit of butter when you're griddling the bun to bump up that fat a little bit because it is such a lean meat.

Derry: The flavor reminds me a little bit of sort of like a lamb, you know.

A little wild.

It's got a little tang in there.

And Kenai cheese dip is creamy, it's cheesy, it's salty.

It has some spice in here.

It's really delicious.

Thank you so much.

All right, Doug.

Judges, I've made for you a delicata squash soup, and the secret ingredient that comes through is ground turmeric.

And then I prepared a crostini for you.

Lam: The flavor here is really nice, Doug.

What the turmeric gives you is that really earthy, almost sort of ginger-y flavor.

I think that's great.

I love the fact that the crostini didn't work out the first time, but you were like, "OK, we're gonna do this again.

"I've been listening and now I'm going to make another batch."

I think this is very nice.

Thank you, Chefs.

-Ingrid.

-What I made for you today is nuegados with miel de dulce de atado, and I made a chilate, because the atado is so sweet.

Lam: Ingrid, I have to say it is so beautiful.

The yuca has, like, a chewy texture and the atado with the canela is-- the cinnamon flavor is so beautiful and you have this very, very light tea to go with it that's not sweet at all.

I think it's wonderful.

Ingrid: Thank you.

Derry: I agree wholeheartedly.

The cassava is just a beautiful texture here.

It's just different in every way, but in a good different.

Ingrid: Thank you.

I'm so excited to hear all the positive comments from the judges, because it represents my culture with one of my favorite desserts.

♪ Ramos: Cooks, we asked you to make us a dish featuring your favorite, shall I say, undercover ingredients.

Judges, whose dishes stood out for you in this round?

Well, it's no secret that we loved all of your dishes, but there are two dishes that really wowed us in particular.

The first top dish of the round was... ♪ Adjo.

Your egusi stew.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Great.

It was super delicious.

Thank you very much.

Your secret weapon, the egusi, really brought such beautiful richness and texture to that dish and the spinach was silky and the flavor just went on forever.

It was really great.

Adjo: Thank you, Chef.

I feel great because that's my whole purpose here, is to share with the world all the new things they don't know about African culture.

Our other favorite dish of the round was... ♪ Ingrid with your cassava doughnut.

Oh, my gosh.

The texture that the cassava gave it was excellent.

Even the syrup you made was so delicious.

Thank you.

Hearing that the judges loved this Salvadoran dish means that I am somehow doing justice to our culture.

We can't wait to see what all of you cook up in the next round.

Adjo: Let's do it.

Woman: Yeah.

[Laughs] ♪ Ramos: In the last round, we got the inside scoop on some lesser-known ingredients that you love to cook with.

In this round, we want you to create a dish using your grain of choice, one that best represents your food story and your culture.

Ramos: For round two, you'll have 60 minutes to prepare a dish featuring a grain.

Lam: And, as always, your dishes will be evaluated on taste, execution, presentation, and how you approach the theme.

All right, well, let's not "wheat" another minute.

Your time starts now.

[Laughs] Let's do this, guys.

Ramos: All right, judges, what are you guys looking for in this round?

They're all gonna have very different dishes, but what I'm looking for, obviously, is that growth from week one, things that, you know, we spoke to them about.

Are they really searing properly?

Are they not overcrowding the pan?

Are they seasoning properly?

I want to see them grow and kind of make it their own as well.

♪ I'm going to add a little bit of water first and then I'm gonna blend this and this is gonna be the marinade for my beets.

I'm feeling really good to go into round two.

I'm coming with the mindset that my culture is great.

We have very good ingredients.

We have very good flavors.

And people just need to get into it.

[Laughs] The next thing I do need to get going is my blended tomatoes.

I'm making jollof rice with with a Togolese beef stew.

Jollof rice is one of those dishes in West African cuisine that has become very popular in the past few years.

So, jollof rice is most similar to Mexican rice.

The base of the rice is a tomato puree, and then you add all your curries and spices into that base.

You have, like, a tomato brothy kind of consistency and then you add the rice.

If the base is not right, it's not going to be good, because that's where all the flavor comes from to go into the rice.

You can make jollof rice with long grain rice.

I like jasmine because it gives you that fluffy yet sticky texture.

All the different countries, all the different African countries make jollof rice.

Some people may make it with veggies, some people make it with meat infused into the broth.

If you want to start a fight in any African community, just name any country and say they have the best jollof rice and see the war begin.

[Laughs] ♪ Marcella, what are you doing over there?

I'm making some bacon.

It's gonna smell so good in here.

So good on this end.

Doug, voice-over: This round, I am making a farro and vegetable medley topped with roasted sausages.

Farro, it's an ancient wheat kernel, and growing up on a farm in western Pennsylvania, we grew a bunch of different grains as well as corn, and I always thought of that as animal feed.

But now I see farro in the grocery store and I love it.

I've already started boiling some chicken stock and added our farro to it, along with a white onion and some bay leaf to get a lot of aromatic flavor going.

This is pearled farro or a quicker cooking farro.

Just because of the nature of the challenge, we need something that cooks a little quicker.

I think this dish is so full of flavor that it might be one of the judges' favorites.

Bacon, you are looking great.

Let's save you for later.

♪ Oh, boy.

I gotta shut this off.

For this round, I've chosen arborio rice.

Arborio rice is an Italian grain.

It is a very tender rice that's often used in arancini.

And I'm making my spin on a Sicilian arancini.

It's essentially a fried rice ball, but it's got a lot of cheeses in it and a lot of bacon.

Equally as important is the sauce that accompanies it.

That includes tomato puree, onions, garlic, and plenty of basil.

♪ Um, the...I got to stop.

I ruined that.

It's destroyed.

It's got way too much salt.

I got to start over.

I have so many things going on at this point, I forget that I already salted the water before I put the rice in.

This is really not good.

This is too salty.

I can't use it.

I can't use it.

Derry: Starting over at 40 minutes to go.

Hollingsworth: Yeah.

She has a lot going on over there.

When we ask you to make grain the star of the dish and your grain is not working out, that's a huge problem.

Derry and Hollingsworth: Yeah.

And she definitely felt that and knew it.

All right.

Let's try this again.

♪ I am making one of my favorite meals with corn.

I'm feeling great after round one because the judges loved my nuegados with the miel.

And now for this challenge, I'm using one of the top grains in Latin America.

I'm making roasted corn salad.

I'm just gonna move this.

I think the grill is not working for me.

I'm just gonna go old school.

Ingrid, you have the corn right there on the burner?

Ingrid: Yeah.

Hollingsworth: I like that.

Ingrid: I tried to grill it, but I am used to an open flame.

Hollingsworth: Get the char.

My abuela would say, "Así se cocina."

I love it.

Ingrid, voice-over: Once the corn is roasted, I carefully slice the kernels off the cob and set them aside to cool.

Lam: Hola, Ingrid.

Hola.

What goes in the salad?

Sure.

Roasted corn.

[Laughs] This is a way to honor my dad.

He farmed corn in El Salvador.

Yeah.

And then when he came to the States, every summer, he would grow his own corn.

It was my mom's favorite vegetable roasted.

Oh, I love that.

He grew it for her?

Yes.

Would you have sweet corn in El Salvador?

It's a different corn over there.

It's more starchy.

Yeah, yeah.

This one is more sweeter.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, that's why I'm adding a citrus dressing.

A little bit of mayo, salt, pepper, and just lime juice.

I love that with the sweetness of the corn.

Like something of a creamy, fattier dressing.

It's really nice together.

Can I have a taste of the corn?

Sure.

Gracias.

♪ Para mí, un poquito mas sal.

Sí, necesita mas sal.

Gracias.

This recipe is simple, but with the sweet corn, citrus mayo, and fresh veggies, it represents all the Salvadorian flavors that my family loves.

I think the judges are gonna love it.

Jon, we put the Latin flair.

That's right.

Right?

We know how to do things.

That's right.

We put the Latin flair.

This is Mexican street corn, also known as esquites.

I grew up in El Paso, which is on the border of Texas and Mexico.

It's a favorite dish when you're traveling in the different plazas of Mexico, all throughout Mexico.

It's really about a beautifully roasted corn, taking it off the cob, and putting it into a cup with sour cream, Mexican crema, and mayonnaise.

What we want to do is give it a nice char before you add all of the additional accompaniments.

Ramos: We've got a maiz challenge going on because Ingrid, right next to Jon, is also working on some corn.

Hey, Ingrid, I'm gonna steal your idea.

I'm trying to be patient, but this is what I was gonna do to begin with it.

Go ahead!

Thank you, ma'am.

Lam: I got to say, like, that technique of doing the corn right on the burner is so good, even without a grill.

So, they're gonna present probably pretty similarly.

It's gonna be two dressed corn salads, also off the cob.

Derry: You know, it's hard when you have two dishes that are both using the same ingredients because right off the bat, you compare them.

We'll see who wore it best.

Lam: Yeah, I'm gonna see who's highlighting the corn the most.

Derry: Yes.

There's only gonna be one corn winner.

Ramos: That's right.

[Laughter] Ramos: 35 minutes left.

Man: Whoo!

I'm gonna start a trend.

A healthy trend.

Southern China's favorite grain is rice.

But for this challenge, I had to think of something different.

I'm making savory oatmeal with meatballs and some preserved Chinese radishes.

The goal of making this savory oatmeal is to make it like a soup, but creamy.

Derry: Does Mae have oatmeal?

Oatmeal is not something that's commonly found in China, so, I think she's drawing on other experiences in her life.

Derry: Yeah.

Ramos: I'm excited.

This is a dish I had as a child before I went to school, in the cold wintertime in New England.

I was born in Canton, China.

I moved to Fall River, Massachusetts when I was 8 years old, and I remember my mother making this.

Chopping, chopping, chopping.

For the meatball mixture, I'm adding chopped preserved vegetable, egg white, oyster sauce, and a little soy sauce.

You know, I went to school as a little kid, walked to school by myself, and this was perfect before I took my long walk.

OK, they're looking good.

♪ Chopping some onions.

Hope they don't make me cry.

For this round, I'm gonna make a Low Country chicken bog with chicken thighs.

Chicken bog is a kind of one-pot rice meal.

Incorporates chicken, celery, onions, and sausage as well.

I chose rice because I love rice.

I have it with just about every other meal, but I think it also tells the story of the state I call home.

Couple hundred years ago, rice was the cash crop.

Rice was to South Carolina as tobacco was to Virginia and cotton was to other states.

It's one of those things in the South where everybody kind of has their own recipe.

But I'm gonna listen to what the judges said.

Hollingsworth: The rice is just a little bit overcooked, and I wish that the grains were separating and just a little bit less kind of mealy.

Tim, voice-over: I'm gonna let it cook, I'm gonna let it steam, and I'm gonna leave it alone.

That's perfect.

Ramos: Tim is kind of doubling down, even though it didn't go so well the first time.

If at first you don't succeed.

[Laughs] Maybe he'll get his rice redemption.

[Laughs] Derry: You know, Tim has been right there on the outskirts of our top dishes.

Hollingsworth: Oh, yeah.

Derry: You know?

That technique is what's messing him up.

His flavor, his taste.

Yes.

Presentation is there.

Hollingsworth: He's so close.

Derry: So close.

Hollingsworth: It all has to be perfect.

Derry: Yeah.

♪ My quinoa is going in.

In Alaska, because the growing season is so short, we don't grow a lot of grains.

So, I'm pulling my grain from South America and I'm gonna pair it with Mediterranean flavors.

I'm gonna make a Mediterranean salmon meatball quinoa bowl.

The reason I chose quinoa is because my family's pretty health-conscious.

My daughter is a dancer, and so, this is one of the grains that we've actually really come to enjoy.

For my salmon meatballs, I'm using canned salmon that I brought from home, and I add panko, Parmesan, egg, and oregano.

I remember what Tiffany said about not crowding my meat, and I'm really just trying to get a little, nice crust on them.

I think I've got it.

Derry: You know, I'm interested to see if Kim uses the quinoa any other way.

You know, like, definitely she's using it as the base of sort of the salmon meatballs.

Ramos: And because the quinoa is supposed to be the star, so she's got her beautiful salmon... Derry: She's got it.

but it's the quinoa that needs to shine.

Derry: Exactly.

♪ Needs salt.

Derry: 30 minutes, y'all.

Lam: 30 minutes.

Derry: Halfway there.

Ramos: Whoo!

30?

Yes.

God, I'm in trouble.

I can't bread anything because it's still cooking.

Oh, hi.

Hey.

Hi, Marcella.

What's going on?

I was really banking on some time to cool the rice in the fridge.

That might not happen.

Take one of those sheet trays and I would get it in the freezer now.

Good call.

And get it cold.

And then spread it out and let it get as much surface as you can, and even if you get 3, 4 minutes in the freezer...

It's better than nothing.

You're right.

When the rice is done, if I transfer it onto that cold sheet tray, it's really gonna speed up the process of getting the rice to room temperature.

Oh, whoo!

So, Marcella started over and she's really worried about the time.

So, I did give her a few hints.

I just couldn't see her just struggling like that, you know?

I am so glad that Tiffany gave me that tip about putting this on a chilled pan, because that might be the game changer for me.

♪ Doug, voice-over: All right.

Got a couple more sausages prepped.

The farro is boiling away, so, I get my nicely scored sausages in the oven.

425, 450.

Sausages are doing their thing.

While that's happening, I'm basically making a hot and sour dressing for the farro.

We're gonna put a little balsamic in and start to get it a little caramelized.

♪ Then from here, it's all about tasting until we get to the right sort of vibe.

♪ Hollingsworth: You guys have 15 minutes left.

Jon: We got this!

We good, we're good.

So, after I roast the corn, I take the corn off the cob, I throw them in a saute pan, and I add some onion and garlic and chili.

These corn cobs that we got were just perfect and super juicy, so I'm excited about being able to serve this.

♪ Just waiting on the rice to get done.

Not going too far this time.

Just like they said last time.

I hope you're hungry.

Tim, what's up, man?

I'm doing good, sir.

Have you ever heard of chicken bog?

You know what?

I have not.

So, we've got some, uh, of course, rice, chicken thighs, Polish kielbasa.

♪ You know, that's really, really good.

You know, if I can give you a little bit of advice here.

Yes, sir.

The rice needs a little bit more time.

OK.

So, I would keep that steam going a little bit.

All right.

And when you're stirring the rice, I'll use, like, you know, like, a meat fork to fluff it.

But anytime you're putting something like this and you're, like, overagitating-- Smashing the spoon.

yeah, you're overstirring it or something like that, then you have, like, rice that can get, like, broken up in little pieces and stuff.

OK.

I see.

I see.

No.

Great.

That's great to know.

Thank you.

You know what?

I'm gonna take every bit of his advice and not overwork my rice.

♪ Ingrid: I'm trying them to see if they're all ready.

I'm frying up unripened plantains to make chips for my corn salad, and I'm feeling great so far.

Marcella: Ingrid.

Ingrid: Hi!

Marcella: Are you still using your deep fryer?

Ingrid: I'm not.

Is it OK if I use it?

That's perfectly fine with me.

Marcella, voice-over: At this point, if I had double the frying power, I could make up a lot of lost time.

Oh, my God.

Come on.

3 minutes left.

Jon: We got this!

I have to get plating.

I really need to get these bowls put together because I want them to look really nice.

So, my base is a quinoa, and then I'm going to add tomatoes, avocados, Kalamata olives, pickled red onions, my salmon meatballs, and my tzatziki.

I'm seasoning really carefully because the judges keep saying, "Check your salt, check your salt, check your salt."

And so, I want it to be the perfect saltiness.

♪ Tim: Finish it off with some finely ground fresh pepper.

The trick is the oatmeal.

You want to get it real creamy.

The meatballs are very tiny, but flavorful.

It is a delicious dish for me.

30 seconds.

Oh, my goodness.

♪ Mm!

Ramos: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6... All judges: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Ramos: Hands up!

Whoo!

[Cheering and applause] [Whistles] ♪ In this round, we asked you to prepare a grain-based dish inspired by your family's heritage and traditions.

All right, Mae, come and join us.

Tell us what your dish is.

Well, it's oats, and it's savory oatmeal with meatballs and preserved Chinese radishes.

Lam: I've never been a believer in savory oatmeal.

You have turned me into a believer.

Thank you.

Derry: I agree.

This right here with the meatballs and the little preserves.

It's so balanced.

Every bite, you get a little bit of something and it's so creamy.

And I think you just did a really lovely job.

Thank you.

Tim, you're up.

Today, I made a Low Country chicken bog, and my grain of choice today was rice.

Hollingsworth: It's just got a ton of flavor.

The fact that you use chicken thighs, you have the sausage in there as well.

That gives that a little bit of smoke.

I think it's a great dish.

Lam: Yeah, I agree.

One thing that really stands out to me about this dish is you used the perfect amount of fat.

Every grain is just slightly coated with that flavorful fat.

Thank you.

But the rice is a little bit uneven in the cooking.

OK. -Kim.

-Judges, what I've made for you is a Mediterranean salmon meatball quinoa bowl.

Lam: It's a beautiful plate.

The quinoa is cooked really nicely.

It's fluffy.

But I would say, though, some of the other toppings, a little salt would bring those flavors up a little bit.

Derry: I agree.

But the salmon itself, it has really an incredible amount of flavor.

Thank you.

Next up--Doug!

Chefs, I've made for you a farro and veggie medley, and I have roasted bratwurst sausages over top of that.

Lam: I love the fact that earlier today, you showed us a dish that you make for your vegetarian husband.

And this is what you make when, like, he's on vacation?

Doug: Yeah.

[Laughter] Or those soy-type sausages, maybe, but it really doesn't work for me or for you guys.

Part of the reason I really enjoy it is because of all the textures, and the reduction and the caramelization of the balsamic vinegar, I think, really developed a lot of depth and flavor in this dish.

Derry: Doug, this is beautiful.

I mean, the way you cut the sausage allows it to get that crispy skin on the outside but still cooked through.

I think you're one of those folks who are listening, and this is a really delicious plate of food.

Good to hear.

Thank you so much.

-Marcella.

-Today, judges, I made a classic Sicilian street food called arancini.

Derry: You had some issues today, right?

A few battles to get through.

A few obstacles.

Yeah.

Derry: Well, there's definitely a lot of flavor in your arancini.

That creamy rice in the inside.

That bacon gives a little bit of smokiness.

There's quite a bit of cheese in here.

Exactly as it should be.

Lam: I agree.

But one thing about presentation is the basil is pretty, but I would just chop up more of it like you have and just put it on top so you actually get some of it in the bite.

Thank you, Chef.

Adjo, come join us.

So, what I made for you today is some jollof rice.

In Togolese culture, we use jasmine rice, and on the side of the jollof rice is some beef stew.

Lam: This rice texture, it almost reminds me of a sticky rice.

-Yes.

-It's not fluffy, separate.

It does have a little bit of stick, but in a really pleasant way.

Hollingsworth: Yeah, I agree.

I mean, you always bring the flavor.

I do think that the meat is a little bit dry, but overall, great flavor.

Adjo: Thank you, Chef.

Judges: Thank you.

Jon, come join us.

I made esquites, which is also known as Mexican street corn.

So, corn is sort of the holy grail of Mexico and the Americas.

I really like your presentation here and I think that you really are listening to the judges, being able to build flavor.

And then one other key note is I pick up the smokiness.

I like that, but the outside layer of the corn is just a little tough... Jon: OK. and chewy for me, but overall, it's a great dish.

I appreciate it, Chef.

Derry: I will echo Tim.

When you cut the corn, don't go too close.

When you go a little too close to the cob, you get sort of that corn that you can't really break down.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Ingrid.

Your turn.

I have roasted corn salad and my grain is corn.

So, Ingrid, you obviously made a beautiful corn dish, but you're also near Jon, who is making a corn dish.

We said battle of the corn is happening over there.

Hollingsworth: You guys both did a tremendous job.

It's really, like, craveable.

You want to take a bite immediately.

And the corn is really, really good.

I really like the way that you cooked it because you bring out that sweet, but you also have the smokiness.

For me, just a little bit more salt, but I think the platanos also makes it feel like a meal.

It's terrific.

Thank you.

Muchisimas gracias, Ingrid.

Judges: Thank you.

Adjo: Nice job, Ingrid.

Jon: High five.

Ramos: Great job, everybody.

Please give us a moment to discuss all of your dishes and then we'll call you back in to announce our favorite.

♪ Ramos: We've got a lot to talk about here.

Let's start with our tops.

Tim did a pretty good job.

I know that the rice was just slightly, slightly under, but his seasoning and his flavors are right there.

Derry: It had the sausage flavor.

Had chicken.

Like, all of the rice had flavor.

He's clearly a very good cook.

Yes.

But, like, each cook has just been, like, one tiny thing that kind of got in the way a little bit.

Yeah.

You know who I would say I thought might have had nerves but clearly overcame them today is Doug.

Ramos and Hollingsworth: Yes.

Lam: Doug just brought it.

The farro was really nicely cooked.

The vegetables he folded into it paired with those really beautiful cross-hatched bratwurst.

Derry: Yeah.

But honestly, that farro by itself was so great that I really kind of moved that bratwurst over and just kept eating the farro.

Hollingsworth: Yeah, it was the same thing for me.

I thought it was a great dish.

And certainly one of my favorites from this round was Mae's savory oatmeal, and it was so beautifully creamy.

Lam: It was a beautiful, almost soup texture, but not too loose.

You could still feel a little bit of the individual oat grains.

Derry: Yeah, I was surprised at how much I loved it.

One thing I do wish is that, like, the meatballs were so good, but there were only a few meatballs in it, and I would have liked more of those meatballs in there.

Ramos: All right, let's talk about the dishes needing some improvement.

The dish that really didn't hit the mark for me today was Jon's esquites.

I feel like he struggled with the technique, right?

Lam: When he was cutting the corn off the cob, his knife was digging into the cob itself and just nicking out parts of the cob, which are hard and tough to eat.

Hollingsworth: I think he's growing, but ultimately, that was, like, a dealbreaker for me.

Lam: You know, I would put Adjo's dish on the table, too.

I just loved the flavor of the jollof rice.

Hollingsworth: For sure, but I think there was one item on the plate that didn't make the cut.

Derry: Yeah, the meat was dry.

It needed a little more love, too, you know?

Lam: Yeah, for sure.

Derry: Another dish that I wish was a little more successful was Kim's Mediterranean quinoa salmon meatball bowl.

I did think the quinoa was a star.

I just think all the supporting vegetables, you need to do something else to them.

Yeah, I agree.

So many great dishes, but it seems like you've come to a decision, right?

Think so.

Yeah, for sure.

Fantastic.

Let's bring back in our home cooks.

♪ We asked you to prepare a grain-based dish that best honors your food story.

Before we announce the winner of this round, the judges would like to share some feedback on two of the dishes that weren't as successful today.

The first dish that we thought was a little bit lacking today was... Kim's.

Ohh.

Hollingsworth: Kim, your Mediterranean salmon meatball quinoa bowl was overall a beautiful dish, but the seasoning was just under.

The other dish that we thought could have used a little bit more finesse was Jon's.

We really appreciate that you took our note about not being afraid to come with the flavor, but I think, overall, what the dish suffered from was when you were cutting the corn off the cob, your knife nicked some bits of the cob itself, which made it really hard.

Ramos: All right.

Now it's time to find out who had the best dishes of the round.

Lam: The first dish that really impressed us... was Mae's.

[Cheering and applause] Kim: Yeah, Mae!

Thank you.

Lam: Mae, your savory oatmeal took us by complete surprise.

The meatballs were delicious.

Really appreciate that you made me see oatmeal a totally new way.

Thank you.

Our other favorite dish of the round was... Doug.

[Cheering and applause] Doug: Oh!

Dougie!

Yay!

Oh!

Hollingsworth: Doug, your farro and vegetable medley with sausage was one of the best farro salads I have ever had.

Doug: Ohh.

Woman: Wow.

That's quite a compliment.

You were able to pack in so much flavor with that sweet and sour balsamic reduction.

Just made for a well-balanced dish.

Thank you so much, Chefs.

We loved both of your dishes, but there can only be one winner, and the winner of the round is... Doug!

Oh, my goodness.

[Cheering and applause] Doug: Oh, my goodness.

Thank you.

Appreciate that.

Doug, we really appreciated that there were clear improvements.

You have been listening, tweaking along the way, and honestly, this was a beautiful display of grains.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Doug, voice-over: This week meant so much to me.

I feel like I really showed the judges that I am hearing them, not just for the feedback for me, but from everyone else.

I'm picking up what they're putting down and I'm putting that in my food.

Ramos: Although Doug may have won this round, you're all still in the running to make it to the finale.

We'll see you back here next week for more of your great American recipes.

Marcella: Bye, guys.

Ramos: Bye, guys.

♪ Ramos, voice-over: Next time on "The Great American Recipe"... we want you to create a special dish that always brings a smile to your loved one's face.

Jon, voice-over: It's all about love and comfort.

Kim, voice-over: Homemade pasta is the ultimate way to cheer someone up.

Derry: I think we're gonna get a lot of different expressions of love today.

Yeah.

Adjo: If you haven't had my lamb chops, we're not friends yet.

Tim: I hope that the judges fall in love with it like my wife fell in love with me after I made it.

Lam: There can only be one winning dish, and that is... ♪