Love Language

Alejandra Ramos: Tonight on "The Great American Recipe"... Nikki: This week is all about expressing the language of love through your food.

This is our go-to.

This brings us all the love.

Brian: When I make these cookies, I feel like my mom is there.

Food brings about so many different emotions.

Yes, I love it.

Sorry.

Who's in the room with you right now while you're cooking?

My grandmother is, but if I bomb the soup, then she wasn't here.

Ha ha ha!

There were so many delicious dishes tonight, but we all agreed the most successful one was... Narrator: What makes a great recipe?

Are they the dishes that are passed down to us through generations of home cooking?

Bambi: I love to make my mom's honey turkey wings.

Narrator: Are they the ones that tell the story of who we are and where we're from?

Silvia: I make Mantecada.

It's like a Mexican muffin.

Chef Tiffany: If this is what it feels like at your home, no matter what culture, no matter what type of cuisine, this type of comfort I understand.

Narrator: Modern American home cooking has it all.

Dan: You have marinara sauce, you have pizza sauce, but you got Sunday gravy.

Foo: I'm making a crab meatball soup.

Yum!

Foo: You guys asking for funk and some... [Laughter] There it is!

Narrator: To discover the melting pot of dishes this country has to offer, we have invited 10 talented home cooks from regions across the United States to share the unique and heartwarming stories behind their most treasured recipes.

Bambi: This is family.

Narrator: And at the end of their journey, one home cook...

Chef Graham: You're passionate about flavor and you respect your heritage.

That is a perfect recipe.

Narrator: will be crowned the winner.

Whoo hoo!

Our doors are open and everyone's invited, Welcome to "The Great American Recipe."

♪ [Pencil scratching] ♪ [Talking and laughing] Nikki: I already won with fish tacos.

Alejandra: We all agreed the cook with the best recipe is... Nikki--your shrimp tacos.

[Laughing and applause] Nikki: But I'm competitive.

Strategically, like, I want to ride the middle so that there's no target on my back.

And now I need to be in the top to show that I'm a contender and do my family proud.

I do not want to be in the bottom at all.

Hello, cooks!

Welcome to week 3 of "The Great American Recipe."

How are you feeling today?

[Cheering] That's what I like to hear!

We're joined by our fantastic judges: Tiffany Derry, Graham Elliot, and Leah Cohen.

Each week, it's gonna get a little bit tougher and tougher, so we really want to see you apply the tips that we've been giving you.

Dan: Once somebody's been eliminated, now the pool has been, you know, drained a little bit more and absolutely every one of these fantastic home cooks is capable of winning.

Alejandra: Last week, the 8 of you showed us your go-to dishes that would satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Chef Graham: We've been so psyched of what you've been doing, but we want to see even more from you now.

We want you to make food that makes us fall in love with you week after week.

Alejandra: Speaking of love, that just happens to be the theme for this week's cooking.

This week is all about expressing the language of love through your food.

[Laughter] Whoo!

That's right, Bambi.

[Laughter] Bambi feels the love.

♪ Even if I made a scrambled egg, it has to be made with love, because when you cook with love, no matter what it is, it's the best thing that you've ever tasted.

♪ In this first round, you'll have 60 minutes to prepare your most beloved comfort food.

I'm talking about that dish you always turn to to make yourself feel better.

♪ Cooks, love may be in the air, but at the end of these 60 minutes, it better be on that plate.

Chef Graham: Remember, your dishes will be judged on taste, presentation, execution, and how well that dish showcases the theme.

Are you ready to make us fall in love with your ultimate comfort food?

Whoo!

Whoo!

Alejandra: Your 60 minutes... ♪ starts now.

♪ Tony: So, today, I'm feeling pretty good.

Survive and advance is all I needed to do.

Last week, I was on the bottom 2 and almost got eliminated, but the judges do see something in me to allow me to stay for another week here, and I want to be able to prove to them that I do belong here and I want to put my best foot forward and cook some delicious things for them.

I am making Korean Potstickers, or what we call Mandu.

My mom used to make these for us when we were younger every year on our arrival day, the day that we came to America from South Korea.

When I make my Mandu, it makes me happy because it's just nostalgia and so whenever I'm feeling down or stressed or if I'm ever just really craving something really nostalgic and want to be happy, it's always gonna be Potstickers.

Each of those dumpling wrappers are filled with the delicious mixture.

Kimchi, mushrooms, ground pork, carrot, Napa cabbage, garlic, and ginger.

I feel pretty confident because my Potstickers are usually a crowd favorite.

Hopefully the judges love them just like all my friends and family do.

Hey, Foo, do you have some fish sauce I could borrow?

Foo: Yeah, I got some.

Hey, can I borrow?

Yeah.

Thank you so much, brother.

Thanks.

You got it, man.

From one Asian to another.

Tony: Ha ha!

Appreciate my Asian brother.

Ha ha ha!

I understand it's a competition, but I'm really competing with myself.

The other cooks have become friends, so I'm happy to help my friend Tony.

It's raining carrots.

Today, we're making a Banh Mi with canned ham.

So, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich.

Traditionally, it's made with barbecue pork, but I'm making it with canned ham as well as Sriracha aioli and pickled carrots and Daikon.

Growing up as an immigrant in a humble upbringing, sometimes pork was not accessible, and coming from a family of 10, my mom had to make the food stretch, feeding 8 children.

So she used canned ham to try to obtain that same flavor.

Canned ham is pretty versatile--it's sweet, it's salty, it's savory, and you fry it, it's crispy, it's yummy.

It looks great.

We got a nice little sear, a little char that we want.

Foo: I'm hoping that my flavors will shine and the judges love it.

♪ Nikki, what are you making?

I am doing Pho.

Can you believe it?

You're doing Pho?

Yes!

I love it!

Only for you.

I love it.

Nikki: I am making today a chicken thigh Pho.

I'm trying to get like a good sear on my veggies and then they're all gonna go in the pressure cooker.

My stepmom and I got to go to Vietnam, and I just fell in love with the dish.

It's warm and hearty so it's the perfect comfort food.

With Pho always comes your side garnishes, and in Vietnam, they serve it with Serrano jalapenos, limes, and then just tons of fresh herbs.

Alejandra: Hi, Nikki.

Hi, beautiful ladies.

Alejandra: I'm seeing a lot of gorgeous fresh herbs.

Yes.

What are you making?

So, I'm making Pho.

Chef Leah: There is nothing more comforting to me than a delicious bowl of Asian chicken noodle soup, so this is giving me all the feelings right now.

I started incorporating it, you know, with my kids.

So anytime they're sick, this is what we make.

This is our go-to.

This brings us all the love.

It's just warm, it fills you up, that broth just feels so good.

Chef Leah: So did you char your aromatics?

I did.

Yes.

Chef Leah: The ginger, the onion?

OK, great.

I'm glad that you know that, 'cause that is the key to getting that flavor of the broth, 'cause it's all about the broth right?

Nikki: Exactly.

Chef Leah: I love that you have so much herbs going on, because you have to make it light and refreshing, and the herbs really lend well to that, so...

Thank you so much, Nikki.

We can't wait to try it.

Thank you.

Chef Leah: Thank you.

Nikki: I'm super nervous for Leah to taste my Pho because, I mean, her style of cooking is South East Asian, so I want her approval.

I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

♪ [Egg cracks] Oh, my gosh!

Messy, messy.

All sweet.

I'm going all sweet today.

So I'm coming to week 3, The judges like what I'm cooking, but it seem that they want to see something different from me.

So it's time to change the game completely.

I'm going from savory to sweet.

I'm making something that's very comforting for me, which is Pan Dulce or like sweet bread.

It's called Mantecada and it's like a Mexican muffin, and I'm pairing that with a beverage that we love because it's so warm, comforting, sweet.

It's called Atole with a little bit of whipped cream, because who doesn't like whipped cream, right?

Ha ha!

Silvia: Making this dish is a little risky because I've been showing a lot of savory dishes and just switching to sweet can go really good or really bad, especially because I'm baking.

It smells really good.

Smell like orange and vanilla.

Should be OK. Silvia: The judges probably they didn't expect for me to make something sweet so it's a risk.

Silvia: This is so heavy!

I work hard right now.

Come on, muscles!

Come on, come on!

All right, guys.

45 minutes left to go!

All right.

Clock's a-ticking.

Chef Graham: You know, I think that we've seen presentation get better, things are tasting good.

This is one where I want to see some execution, right?

I want to see like real technique come out.

Chef Leah: You know, Nikki won the last challenge, and she's kind of shocking us by making Pho.

It can be very challenging to get all that flavor into that broth.

Chef Tiffany: But one of the things that I did see her doing was she's getting good char on the vegetables, so it'll be intensified flavor especially if it's going in any kind of fast cooker right?

So I'm interested to see how that comes out.

Yeah.

♪ Brian: Got to go slow, or else we're gonna have an explosion of flour.

So, today, my comfort food is white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cream pies.

Last week, the judges were saying that I tried to do too much, so going into this week, I will be self-editing a little more.

Brian: These cookies evolved over time.

My big addition to this is I add cardamom to the batter on the cookies.

It gives it a nice warmth to it that people aren't necessarily expecting.

Whoo!

We're getting a little big on this bowl.

So this is a complete homage to my mom.

She always had some form of cookie or sweet in our home.

Many times it was an oatmeal-based cookie.

Towards the end of her life, she started throwing white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

She perfected that cookie.

When I make these cookies, I feel like my mom is there.

They're near and dear to all of my family.

How's it going?

Chef Graham: Hey, Brian, what's up?

Not too much.

Alejandra: Hi, Brian.

Too much, maybe.

We'll see.

I am making oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies with dried cranberries.

Chef Graham: Really?

Brian: Yes, and these are actually going to end up as oatmeal cream pies.

Oh, yum!

No way.

Alejandra: And is this a family recipe?

What's the story?

It is.

Actually, my mom, in my mom's house, we always had oatmeal cookies.

She's been gone for about 5 years.

Chef Graham: Aw, I'm sorry to hear that.

Did your mom inspire your love of cooking?

Brian: Absolutely.

I wouldn't be where I am without her.

Her influence was deep.

Alejandra: I love that how, you know, each of these elements reminds you of your mom, reminds you of the stories.

Oh, I love eating these when I try to get myself out of a funk or I remember my mom, it really brings me back.

Chef Graham: Do you mind if we taste a little bit real quick?

By all means.

Go ahead.

All right.

Wha ha ha ha ha!

Just get a little bite here.

Brian: More is more, right?

Oh, my gosh!

Cardamom!

Cardamom, Cardamom.

Cardamom!

Brian: Absolutely.

Chef Graham: Yeah.

So, Brian, obviously you're a master at this, but remember when you're making cookies, it's just important making sure that they're all the same size-- Right.

and nice and rolled so that they bake evenly.

Alejandra: So excited to try these.

Thank you very much.

♪ How you doing, Robin?

Robin: Oh, we're cooking some pasta over here, or it's cooking me.

Ha ha!

Today, I am making comfort food so that I can get a hug.

That's what I get when I make this for my kids or my grandchildren.

It's called Sneaky Stuffed Shells, because I get tired of my kids saying, "What's that green stuff in there?"

So I found a way to hide it.

So they're still getting healthy home-cooked food without me having to deal with "What's that green stuff in there?"

Robin: Raising 4 children as a single mom, the most important thing daily was to make sure that I could get healthy homemade food on the table for my children.

[Whirring] There we go.

Zucchini is an easy vegetable to hide in the pasta shells.

We just puree it, mix it in with the meat sauce.

I'm gonna be using ground beef and a little bit of pork.

Got to have a little pork to fatten up the flavors.

I'm hiding these veggies.

Ha ha ha ha!

By the time there's cheese on top, they think they're eating just pasta or pizza, and then I get all those vegetables in them.

I'm hoping the judge will give me a hug after they taste this, too.

I'm moving slow, but I'm telling you, I would like to eat this right now.

It smells like a giant pizza!

Ha!

♪ All right, OK. Let's get this bacon shakin', baby.

I am making Ultimate Nachos.

For this recipe, I use ground turkey and chicken.

This comforts my family, all of my family.

It is when you don't want a formal dinner but you don't want a snack.

Alejandra: Hi, Bambi.

Hi, guys!

How are you?

Hello.

Alejandra: We are eager to find out what you're making.

Yes.

I am making Ultimate Nachos.

Chef Tiffany: OK, what does that mean?

To me, it means not a formal dinner, but it's more than a snack.

For our Thanksgiving, it's 5 days.

So, Wednesday, you have meals that you're able to move around with, but it has to be filling, so this is filling.

OK, what meat are you using?

I am using chicken thighs and also ground turkey.

I'll tell you, everything has bacon in it.

Ha ha!

Chef Tiffany: Ultimate!

Ultimate!

Ultimate!

Chef Tiffany: Just remember, make sure you season, make sure that you have proper cuts, those little things that we've been talking about, but bring the flavor most of all.

Bambi: Yes.

OK. Bring the flavor.

Alejandra: Who does this remind you of?

Um...it--it reminds me of my family.

We weren't able to do Thanksgiving, and we won't be able to do Thanksgiving this year.

[Voice breaking] So, yeah.

Food brings about so many different emotions, and it's just great that you have this to remind you when you can't be around the ones you love the most.

Yeah.

Bambi: My mother had a major stroke, and she's bedridden.

If my mom was able, she would be here.

My mother was the person who cooked for everybody, so I am honoring her by being here and showing up, just showing up.

[Chopping] I'm trying to be like Foo over there.

Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!

Ha ha!

♪ Guess that's how it works.

Today, I'm making a Calabrian Chili Pizza.

Dan: Pizza's important to my family because, you know, we came over from Italy, and everybody loves pizza.

You know, I love pizza, all kinds of pizza, so it's very comforting.

So we have some Calabrian Chili Soppressata.

I'm gonna make my own Calabrian Chili oil.

We're gonna make a sauce, and I'm gonna have some comfort food today.

I grow Calabrian Chilis, and the seeds came from Italy.

I got them some time ago, so they're like an heirloom chili, I guess we'll call it.

My uncle actually let me borrow this pan.

He makes fantastic pizza, and he's like, "Oh, you're gonna have to bring the pan with you."

It's got to come home with me or else I can't go home.

I'll just have to move here.

Ha ha!

Dan: Every pan cooks differently.

I can't account for how, you know, a brand new pan is gonna cook the pizza.

So at least I know what I'm gonna get out of, you know, the family pizza pan.

I'm gonna get the family pizza.

This recipe's been really a family recipe for years, and it changes up a little bit.

I like it a little spicier, so I use a spicy Soppressata, as opposed to a regular sweet Soppressata, they would call it.

I'm gonna do your Sicilian style pizza, where it's a little bit thicker of a crust and go that route 'cause I like Sicilian style pizza as well.

And we're going to layer this Buffalo Mozzarella on top of the Soppressata, and then we're gonna put it in the oven.

We're ready to go.

♪ Alejandra: All right, clock's ticking.

We've got 5 minutes!

♪ Silvia: Starting to worry about my Mantecadas.

I'm looking at the oven, I'm looking at the clock, and they're not ready, and I'm worried because it's taking longer to bake, so I'm very concerned it's gonna be dry, and I don't want that.

Oh, my!

Oh, my, oh, my!

Tony: I could use some serene music right now.

So, Tony's making Mandu, which is a Korean dumpling.

So he's using a pre-made wrapper, which is totally fine, I think.

So it really--it all goes down to the filling and the dipping sauce.

So it has to be perfectly seasoned.

♪ [Spoon clinks] So, I'm tasting my Mandu dipping sauce, and instantly I thought, "Oh, man, I cannot serve this to the judges.

It's way too vinegary."

Tony, what did you just throw out?

It was a mixture of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce for the dipping sauce I was gonna give you.

It just tasted too much of rice wine vinegar, so I'm gonna make another batch.

Tony: I need to make a new sauce.

I need to make sure that the balance of sweet and salty and vinegar is just the perfect blend.

That's better.

Chef Graham: Let's go!

Food on the plates!

♪ Alejandra: Make it happen!

5, 4, 3... 2... 1!

Hands up, everyone!

Step back!

Whoo!

[Applause] ♪ Tony: I'm feeling a little nervous at the moment.

When I make these Potstickers at home, it usually takes me at least a couple hours.

I knew some of them didn't really have that really beautiful pleating that I really wanted to have for these judges.

Tony: Hi, judges.

Hello!

Tony: How you doing today?

Hello, Tony.

Tony: I made for you guys today Korean Potstickers, or Mandu.

So the filling inside is primarily made of pork, and then I minced up some Kimchi with some mushrooms to give it a little bit more of that meaty texture.

This really reminds me of like a restaurant- quality Mandu.

The sear on this is great.

I think that it is crispy on one side and nice and soft and chewy on the other side.

And I think that's really important when you're making Mandu.

And I'm really happy that you redid the dipping sauce, because this is perfect.

Alejandra: Thank you, Tony.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Brian: Hey, hey.

Alejandra: Hi, Brian.

Today, I've made for you a white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cream pie.

The frosting is a sour cream frosting.

Chef Tiffany: What a delicious combination!

Brian: Thank you very much.

Chef Tiffany: Let me--let me compose myself a little bit.

All right, let's go.

The cookie itself, you nailed this extra part, and you get a lot of those spices, really balances out that sweetness.

You did an excellent job with this.

Thank you very much.

Chef Tiffany: One hit, maybe just a little less filling, so that if, you know, we bite into it, it's not coming out the end and it gets a little too messy.

Yeah.

Brian: Next batch.

Thank you very much.

Alejandra: Hi, Robin!

Hi!

All right, so what do you call this dish, Robin?

Robin: Sneaky Stuffed Shells.

Alejandra: Ooh...

This is zucchini and it is camouflaged in a beef and pork meat sauce and lathered with lots of cheese and hidden inside pasta shells.

Chef Graham: So the flavors are there, right.

It's delicious, it makes you want to jump in and try a bite.

I just want more of that sauce 'cause it's so good.

That's the one little critique, right--just give me more of it.

All right, I will.

Alejandra: Hi, Foo!

Hi.

Foo: Today, I made Banh Mi.

So, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich.

The version that I have here is with canned ham, cucumbers, and some fresh herbs.

It is my comfort food because it's a lunch that my mom would make for us on Sundays after church.

The flavor of this Banh Mi is on point.

You know, working with canned ham can be very tricky, and I think you treated it in a really smart way by adding all of these fresh herbs and cucumbers and the pickles, and I think it just all works together.

This is a delicious Banh Mi.

Thank you.

Alejandra: Hello, Silvia!

Hello!

I make Mantecadas with Lime Atole.

This is a recipe from my mom, it's very comforting.

And when I want to feel some love, nothing like make me a cup of Atole.

♪ Chef Tiffany: That is what it's all about right there.

When you bite into it, it's got that crunchy top, soft, moist inside.

Super delicious, super flavorful, divine.

No matter what culture, no matter what type of cuisine, this type of comfort I understand.

I'm so glad you enjoy it.

Thank you.

Alejandra: Hello, Dan.

How are you?

I made a Calabrian Chili Pizza today.

I put a little bit of the tomato sauce, and then we went with some Calabrian Chili Soppressata, some Buffalo Mozzarella.

[Exhales] I absolutely love it.

I love the hit of the Calabrian Chili and I just feel like family, you know what I mean.

Like, I feel the love of your uncle channeling through from the pan.

He's rooting for you.

I feel him, I feel him.

Me too, me too.

Chef Graham: ♪ Hey, Bambi ♪ Hi, guys!

I made for you Ultimate Nachos.

It has 3 types of cheese, chicken thighs, ground turkey, and you have black beans.

Only thing missing is the kitchen sink.

You really did a great job with creating what most of us consider to be Ultimate Nachos.

I mean like, when you said "ultimate," I wasn't ready for your ultimate.

I mean, there is flavor, there are layers here.

All of those chips have, you know, a good amount of sauce and meat and garnish.

It is delicious.

Alejandra: Thank you so much, Bambi.

That really was the ultimate.

[Laughter] Alejandra: Hi, Nikki.

Hi, judges!

I've made for you my chicken thigh Pho, and when I was in Vietnam, they always served it with even more fresh herbs, garnish, and then if you need a little bit more pep in your step, you can add more Jalapeno.

Holy Pho, that's good!

[Laughter] Chef Graham: Oh, you knew that was coming!

Ba dum-bum!

No that's got a lot of flavor for the amount of time that you had, right, 60 minutes to infuse all of that.

Really great.

It looks fresh and inviting, and I think this is something that you would see in a restaurant.

Alejandra: Thank you so much, Nikki.

Nikki: Thank you guys, thank you.

♪ Alejandra: We asked you to show us what dish you always make when you need a little extra TLC.

I think we're all feeling the love after tasting your recipes, am I right?

Chef Graham: 1,000%.

Oh, yeah.

Alejandra: Your dishes will be judged on taste, execution, presentation, and how well the recipe highlights the theme.

OK, judges, who were your favorite dishes for this round?

♪ Chef Tiffany: Silvia, we love that every bite was moist and delicious.

I want it for breakfast every morning.

It was simply perfect.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I'm so relieved and so happy.

I took the risk and it's a top dish.

And who doesn't like sweet stuff?

The other cook that made a delicious dish... Tony, with your Mandu.

[Applause] Whooooo!

Tony, you're back, baby!

Ha ha ha!

Your flavors were exactly what I was expecting Mandu to be.

The sauce was perfectly balanced and the filling-to-dumpling wrap ratio was perfect.

Excellent Mandu.

Thank you, chef.

Tony: It's just a huge sigh of relief because these past few weeks I was on the bottom, but to have the judges' notes of being back on top, it's a great feeling.

Great job, Silvia and Tony!

We can't wait to see what you do in the next round.

♪ Alejandra: In the last round, you made us a dish you love, but for this round it's all about showing love to someone else.

We all have recipes that make us think of a beloved friend or a family member.

Chef Leah: For our second round, we want you to create a dish that symbolizes love for a special person in your life.

You have 90 minutes to create the ultimate love letter in a single dish.

As always, your dish will be judged on taste, presentation, execution, and how well that dish showcases the theme.

Alejandra: Unfortunately, at the end of this round, we will be saying good-bye to one of you.

Ready to cook your hearts out?

Yeah!

Yes!

Ready!

Good, because your time... ♪ starts now.

Yeah!

Whoo hoo!

♪ Foo: I'm in a flow.

Foo: It's hard to be in this competitive element with all these really good cooks that are here with me.

It's a little nerve wracking, but I'm ready to show the judges and to show all my peers here who I am and share my family's food to the world.

I'm making a Vietnamese noodle soup dish called Bun Rieu.

Foo: My family emigrated here from Vietnam in 1975 after the fall of Saigon.

This dish represents where I came from.

I'm from Northern Vietnam.

This is a dish that all my sisters really love.

It's kind of a love letter to them.

My older sister, her name is Tan, she loves this dish.

In fact, she is with my wife now helping my wife watch our two girls.

So this dish is for her.

Chef Tiffany: Hey, Foo!

Foo: Hi!

Hi, Foo, how are you?

I'm doing well, thank you.

Today, I'm making a Vietnamese pork and crab meatball soup called Bun Rieu.

So I sauteed the shrimp paste and crab paste with some scallions and garlic and a pound of ground pork.

Yum!

Chef Leah: How did you learn how to make this dish?

Foo: I watched my mom and then my sister, she's very good at making this particular soup.

So every time she made it, I made sure I was right in the kitchen to help.

Remember you guys asking for funk and some... Ha ha!

There it is!

Chef Tiffany: Give us the flavor.

We are super excited to taste.

I see so many flavor combinations that I'm just, I'm ready now.

Thank you.

♪ ♪ Smashing garlic ♪ [Chuckling] I'm making Albondigas in Chipotle Sauce, and Albondigas is Mexican meatballs.

OK, mix this.

I made it in honor of my Abuela Anna, my grandmother, who, when we were children, she made this dish for us on our birthdays.

Alejandra: Well, hello!

Chef Graham: Hey, Silvia.

Welcome here to my...

This is Albondigas in Chipotle Sauce, and it has the spices and herbs, and I add a little bit of raisins to them.

Whoo!

This is extra.

'cause my grandmother didn't use to do that.

Yeah.

I just think they need a little bit of sweetness just because the chipotle is so spicy.

I love that.

I grew up eating Picadillo with raisins, so I love that same contrast of the savory meat, sweet raisin.

I love that.

Make it super special.

Alejandra: Yeah.

Yeah, so this is just one of those dishes that it really brings me back to my family in Mexico.

That's the best thing right, it's like a good dish you can go back in time.

And all the memories, it's amazing, right, because--and as I'm telling you this, I-- You can feel her sitting here.

Yeah, like she's sitting there with me.

Mm-hmm.

It smells great.

Alejandra: Well, gracias, Silvia.

The execution of the recipe is very important because I want my grandma to be very proud of me.

♪ I may need to call Nikki in for her professional advice-- Oh, yeah?

seeing she's the queen of pressure cookers.

We're making a little Pasta E Fagioli, which translates to pasta and beans.

[Chopping] My grandmother would make it every single week, you know, no matter what.

Whether it was 0 degrees out or 100 degrees out, you were having it.

Dan: My grandmother really influenced my Italian cooking.

This is an Italian soup that she taught me how to cook.

Now we're cooking with something here.

What goes into this soup is Navy beans, tomato paste, pork roast--pepper it first, but then I put salt in at the end 'cause it's kind of unusual.

When you're cooking beans, you really shouldn't add salt in when you're cooking them because it'll make them tough.

So the salt gets added in on the backside.

See what happens.

Hi, Dan!

What's going on?

How are you?

What are you making?

This is gonna be a Pasta E Fagioli-- Ah!

Bravo!

Dan: which is beans in pasta.

Oh, grazie!

Alejandra: So this is about love.

Who's in the room with you right now while you're cooking?

Emotionally, I would say my grandmother is, but if I bomb the soup, then she wasn't here.

I wouldn't want her to see this go down.

This is the grandmother that taught me how to cook in the kitchen.

My job was to put all the Navy beans inside of all the colander and go through them to make sure there was no rocks in them, 'cause way back when, rocks would slip through.

[Laughter] Alejandra: Thank you.

Dan: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Dan: By making this dish, I hope my grandmother would be proud, but I'm concerned about the meat being tough.

OK. ♪ And we're hoping for the best, but generally what I find in life is hope is not a good strategy.

We're not quitting.

♪ Too green.

Gonna need a bit of garlic.

Right?

Right.

That's what I was gonna say.

Brian: For this round, we have to create a dish inspired by our loved ones.

I am making Chicken Paprikash with a side of Spaetzle.

Brian: When I make this dish, it's like tracing the steps of my ancestors.

It's steeped in so many traditions.

This is passed down from my grandfather.

I was very, very young when he passed on.

Brian: I remember when I was like 4 or 5 years old, and he just took a stock pot, threw a bunch of chickens in it, a bunch of onions, and like 2 pounds of paprika to it, and feeding the family for the next few days.

My grandfather would be very proud of me if he could see me today.

It really brings my heart much joy.

Brian: So for my dish, I'm going to brown my chicken thighs, skin side down in the Dutch oven.

It allows you to get a little bit of fond built into the bottom of the pot.

That's all flavor that you want to build on the base of this sauce and then adding the onions and garlic and paprika because you want to bloom those spices.

You don't want to burn them so just enough to get that fragrance of that paprika going in there.

And I'm in the process of getting the Spaetzle together, which is noodles, essentially, popular in Hungarian and German cooking.

This is a old-school Spaetzle maker.

It came from Germany And we drop little dumplings in the water and it boils up.

Once they float to the surface they're done, and this is what the Paprikash will be served over.

Brian: I've impressed the judges for round one, so I'm feeling great because if I can create a recipe that your family takes up as a tradition, that is something that means a lot to me.

I've introduced so many people to this dish, and no one's walked away unhappy.

♪ Chopping right.

I am super competitive.

I want to be at the top and I got to think how can I execute the best to show that I'm a contender.

So today, I am making a Brown Sugar Molasses Cedar Planked Salmon.

Nikki: It's the salmon that my husband made for me the first time he was making me a meal.

It was freaking delicious and this dish just always reminds me of him.

Nikki: I love cooking with my husband, but when we first met he told me he didn't like leftovers and I told him he would starve to death.

Ha ha ha!

So I'm just adding the molasses to the top.

I don't want like super thick, so I'm just trying to just drizzle a little bit on.

Molasses can be a little overpowering, so that's all I'm doing.

We do this as a family.

I hope I'm doing them proud.

Nikki: I put the salmon in the oven, and there is a smokiness that's coming off the cedar planks.

It smells good.

It smells like a man's cologne.

I think it's freaking delicious.

Whoo!

I'm feeling really positive about this.

[Pan rattling] That smokiness from that cedar is like amazing.

♪ There we go!

That's it.

I am making a pie.

I'm making a Tahini Custard Pie.

When my mother became an empty nester she took to pie making and so whenever we had family gatherings, she made all the pies.

When she passed away, she did not leave us any of her recipes, so we have all played and played with various different forms of what we thought that she would make and how she would make them.

♪ Sorry.

No one has the recipes, so we've been making them up.

Robin: I have made this pie one or two times before and decided this was going to be the pie that I was gonna do in honor of my mother but certainly not in competition with anything that she does.

So I'm gonna do the best I can to honor her in this pie and make it taste damn good!

Robin: I feel like I have a lot to show the judges, so I'm hoping that at least my dessert stands out in the judges' mind and is not throwing me home after this round.

Then the custard goes in.

I will be working to do the custard with Tahini.

Tahini is toasted sesame seeds that have been pureed into a paste.

It's used in hummus, usually.

It's used in savory dishes.

But they're seeds, and they taste delicious when they've got a little sugar, a little cream.

The custard comes together quickly.

It's ready to go into the pie crust and get in the oven because it needs to bake and cool so I can cut it.

Bake, bake, bake, bake, bake, bake, bake.

Chef Graham: 30 minutes remaining!

Oh ho ho!

Almost forgot about you.

I'm making Korean glass noodles called Japchae, and I'm associating this with my brother.

So my brother and I love Korean food, obviously we're both from Korea and this is something that we love to make and love to eat at home.

Tony: It's just a great noodle dish.

Similar to stir frying that involves lots of veggies stir-fried, Korean beef, and sweet potato noodles.

We are busily julienning a lot of different veggies here.

I'm gonna start working on the beef pretty quickly, and then I'm simultaneously working on the noodles as well because those are gonna take some time to make sure that those are perfectly cooked.

So with Japchae, you can go a lot of different routes, but I like to use a lot of carrots, peppers, onions, green scallions, and then I just marinated some beef bulgogi to go with it--with the Korean glass noodles, and then mix it all together at the end, so hopefully time works on my side to mix it all up and present it to the judges.

Tony: I know that this is a lot of different components in this dish that just need to be executed like right one after the other and so if one thing doesn't go right, it could really upset the balance of everything else, so I got to really make sure that this whole entire dish is executed flawlessly.

Winning will prove that the average Korean can share their story and recipes with others.

Smell something over there?

Hey, what's that smell.

I smell me a bunch of delicious.

All right, we're gonna mix it up.

I am making my mom's turkey wings and cabbage and cornbread.

Bambi: This is my mom's signature dish.

I don't care.

You can call her at 2:00 in the morning, and she will pull out of the freezer the turkey wings and cabbage.

Don't know where she get the cabbage from, but she'll pull it out from somewhere.

Ha ha ha ha!

Yes, I've made it before and especially now since she's had a stroke, I make it more often.

Bambi: She's in a wheelchair so she's not able to cook, so I feel that she's cooking with me on this challenge.

I'm cooking my turkey wings.

You bake them, so you have to watch them and then once they get nice and brown, you take the aluminum foil and you cover them very tight and as they continue to cook, you just make sure that they stay moist by basting them.

I got to get Brian's approval.

Look at that.

Ain't that pretty, baby?

Oh, that looks beautiful!

That's pretty!

That is.

That's pretty!

Alejandra: 10 minutes left, cooks!

What's burning?

Did I burn it?

I may have burned it.

Ah, shooby, shooby.

Bambi: So I put in the cabbage in the pot, and I cook cabbage all the time, so I was like, "OK, I don't have to worry about the cabbage.

I'm more concerned about my turkey wings," and my cabbage overcooks.

It has to have a crisp.

Bambi: My cabbage is mush.

Whoo!

♪ Alejandra: 5 minutes left, cooks!

Get those things plated.

Tony: Yep, let's hurry up chefs.

Alejandra: All right, judges, our amazing home cooks continue to step it up, but is there anything you're worried about in this round?

Chef Tiffany: Dan has a really large chunk of meat, and, you know, with the time restraint, you might want to cut your pieces a little bit smaller, so we'll see if it's actually tender.

Yeah.

♪ Chef Tiffany: I tell you, Robin does well with her baked goods.

Yes.

Chef Tiffany: I would be more nervous with the oven than I would be for anything else that we're doing.

Like an oven can have so many issues.

She's like, "I got this."

That's her comfort zone right there.

Is absolutely her comfort zone.

That's her safe space.

Chef Tiffany: Yeah!

♪ One minute!

Oh, boy!

♪ I can do it!

I can do it!

Alejandra: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Hands up, everyone!

Step back!

Silvia: Whoo!

Whoo!

[Applause] That's what I'm talking about.

♪ Alejandra: This week is all about showing us how you express your love through the language of food.

We asked you to make a dish that reminds you of a special person in your life.

Chef Graham: Do not forget that we will be judging you on taste, presentation, execution, and how well your dish ties in the theme.

Alejandra: Bambi, come and join us.

Bambi: I am feeling stressed.

My cabbage is mush, but lo and behold, my turkey wings are gorgeous and hopefully, the prettiness will just outshine at the sides.

I made this dish in honor of my mom.

Honey turkey wings, cabbage and cornbread.

We make this dish just to bring back that feeling and that smell that she's still there cooking for us.

Chef Tiffany: So, Bambi, as I listen to your story about your mom, I honestly, I think about my grandmother who's also the matriarch, who is also suffering dementia and I think about how wonderful the food is that they've prepared and how they have taught us so much throughout the years and it's a hard road to travel.

Yes, it is.

Chef Tiffany: But there is so much love and there is so much that comes with all of that.

I'm so sorry.

I mean, good grief!

Hold it together, Tiffany.

Um...but I want to talk about this plate.

I love turkey wings and we ate them growing up a lot, and this is beautifully browned, but I want to see more, right?

I know what a good old southern-cooked cabbage green tastes like.

There is so much flavor and love that it just exudes from it, and I didn't get that same flavor here.

Alejandra: Nikki, come and join us.

Nikki: I made a molasses cedar planked salmon.

♪ Chef Graham: This is a deceptive dish.

I feel that it looks very simple, but it's really complex in its flavors.

You cooked it beautifully.

The salmon's nice and moist-- Thank you.

but it's got that layer of sweetness because of what it's been glazed in.

At the same time, you get that acidity from the lemon slices.

It just works really, really well.

Very tasty.

Good job.

Thank you.

Foo.

Foo: Today, I made for you a Vietnamese dish called Bun Rieu.

It's pork and crab meatball vermicelli noodle soup.

I made it in honor and love and respect for my 5 sisters who helped my mom and dad raise me.

Chef Leah: Foo, I love this dish.

The flavor of the meatballs are excellent.

I think they're very well-seasoned.

You get that crab, you get that pork, and they have a really great texture.

I love the pineapple in there.

I wish you cut it up a little bit smaller so you know more bites could have more of that pineapple flavor.

Foo: OK.

Thank you.

Brian, it is your turn.

Brian: Today, I made for you Chicken Paprikash with homemade Spaetzle inspired by 4 generations of my family cooking.

♪ Chef Graham: I love that it just looks very soulful, like you can tell that there's been a lot of heart put into it.

Chef Tiffany: The fact that you made your Spaetzle and then not only that you boil it but then you threw a little butter and browned it which was really, really nice.

I love those crunchies, I love that in there.

Had it been a little less of the Spaetzle, the sauce would have been able to adhere and every last piece of that pasta on the plate would have had some sauce with it.

So remembering all of those factors when you're plating makes a difference.

Thank you very much.

Alejandra: Dan!

Dan: Today, I made Pasta E Fagioli, which translates to pasta and beans and inspired by my grandmother.

♪ Chef Graham: So, Dan, it tastes great.

It's cooked perfectly.

It's got a beautiful texture.

The beans are nice and smooth and creamy.

So as far as technique goes, I think you hit it on all levels.

Chef Leah: In the 90 minutes that you had to cook this, you really got some nice meaty flavor incorporated into the dish.

Thank you.

Alejandra: Next up is Robin.

Come join us.

Robin: I made for you a Tahini Custard Pie, and it is to honor the memory of my mother.

♪ Chef Tiffany: Robin, I love the flavor here.

The Tahini is really smooth, and it feels nutty without being too much, right?

The balance here of the sweetness to savory, it's this line that you're really straddling beautifully.

Thank you so much.

Alejandra: Silvia, tell us what you made for us today.

Silvia: Albondigas in Chipotle sauce with white rice in honor on my mother and my grandmother, my Abuelita Anna.

♪ Chef Leah: This dish is just really well made and the addition of the raisins, I don't know if that's traditional or not.

Is that not traditional?

No, it's not traditional.

I think it's great.

I think that is a really nice addition to the richness of the rest of this dish.

Chef Tiffany: It is everything that you would want in a meatball.

The Chipotle is not too much, and it is something striking.

I--I can taste the generations of flavor.

Delicious.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Alejandra: Tony.

Tony Today, I've prepared for you Korean Japchae Noodles.

It's in honor of my brother Andrew, and it's something that I love and I love to make for him.

Chef Graham: So, Tony, this is a fun dish.

It just looks inviting, the colors, everything, you know, visually very appealing, but as tasty as the beef is and the veggies, the noodles are lacking.

Chef Leah: So, Tony, if you want to improve your Japchae, I would say add more sauce than you think the noodles need because they are so bland and plain and they're a sweet potato noodle.

They're not pasta, they don't absorb the same amount of flavor.

So you just have to constantly be re-seasoning and tasting.

Thank you, judges.

♪ Alejandra: Cooks, your dishes were full of heart today.

You definitely made us feel the love with your food.

Judges, what recipes sit out for you?

♪ Chef Graham: Silvia, your Albondigas.

Thank you.

♪ Chef Leah: So, for our other favorite dish... Nikki, your Planked Molasses Salmon.

Thank you, thank you.

♪ There were so many delicious dishes tonight, but we all agreed the most successful one was... Silvia and her Albondigas.

Ha ha!

Thank you!

Chef Graham: What really set your dish apart was the fact that there was such a great story in there and you were able to communicate that to us.

Your abuela and your mom, I love that.

So thank you again for sharing.

Thank you very much.

I'm feeling super proud of myself that I cook a dish that my grandma would be very proud of, even with the raisins.

Ha ha ha!

I just feel that my abuelita was with me all day and it's actually thanks to her!

♪ Unfortunately, there were a couple recipes that were not as successful.

Tony, while your dish overall didn't taste bad, I'm just expecting more from you in 90 minutes.

Tony: I'm feeling uneasy.

I mean, to be on the chopping block again for the second time, it hurts.

I put my heart and soul into my dish, but I knew that I had some execution errors.

I hope they don't send me home.

Alejandra: The other least successful dish is...

Chef Graham: Bambi, your dish fell short in a couple of different areas.

When it came to the greens, there was a lot of other opportunities for you to highlight that ingredient.

Bambi: It is stressful for me because at home I cook a dish, then I finish another dish, then I cook another dish.

But here in this kitchen, I have to cook everything all at once, which is crazy!

It is hard for me because I don't do well multi-tasking when I'm cooking.

But I did my best and I hope I can keep going in the competition.

Alejandra: Unfortunately, that means Bambi, Tony... one of you will be heading back to your home kitchens tonight.

Thank you for all of your stories, your heart and soul... but, Bambi, you will be leaving us tonight.

[Indistinct] You've got to do this.

[Laughter] Ohh!

Oh... Bambi, while I love the idea behind the dish and the fact that this is something so close to you and your mom, unfortunately, at this stage of the competition, we're really expecting you to be able to bring it on multiple levels.

[Crying] This has been a dream come true.

I was able to meet and learn from some of my favorite chefs and to bond with these amazing cooks.

This is family, and I thank you.

Oh, my goodness, I thank you for inviting me to the table.

Bambi: I believe I was able to represent who I am just by being myself.

This experience changed me as a person because I saw myself soaring.

♪ Regardless of losing, this was one of my dreams, and I did it, I did it.

[Laughter] Get it, get it, get it!

Tony: It was emotional, not only for me to be safe but to lose Bambi.

She was honestly like a mother to me, and it was very hard to see her go.

It's sad that I'm the reason why she's leaving.

You know, we're a family here, and it's always tough to see when another family member gets cut from the team.

Everyone did such an amazing job, and we are so proud of you.

Alejandra: It continues to be such a delight learning more about you and your stories, your recipes, but for tonight, it's time to head on out.

Chef Tiffany: See you soon!

Silvia: Yay!

Alejandra: Next time on "The Great American Recipe"...

This week, we'll be focusing on ready-to-go meals.

Go, go, go, go!

Nikki: This is what we eat on the go.

Chef Leah: Great handheld dish.

You can bring it anywhere.

Tony: This is something that I love to bring to picnics, to work potlucks.

Chef Graham: If you brought this out on the boat, I'd be psyched.

Chef Tiffany: Your recipes today showed us that no matter where you dine, that your food can be delicious and memorable.