02x04 - Alex vs Cheese

[bunniefuu]

Some competitors
prove themselves
in a sports arena,

others in a boardroom.

This is where I prove myself.

What's up with that, America?

There isn't a chef
more competitive than I am.

My heart,
I can't have you win.

It's just not in my DNA.

- She's like the shark...
- I know she is.

...she's like circling prey
right now.

Chefs from across
the country

all want a shot
at Alex Guarnaschelli.

I'm about to take down
an Iron Chef.

Wow.

So each week,
three of America's best chefs

will battle Alex
at the same time.

These chefs
have been hand-selected

for their mastery
in a specific type of food,

and they're all here
for one goal, to beat Alex.

- You are going down.
- I'm coming for you, Alex.

My name's up there
for a reason.

♪ Yeah, we were born ready ♪

♪ Yeah, we were born wild ♪

Pretending this is your head.

Oh, snap.

Bonus points for that.

I know they all
want a shot at me.

Bring... it... on.

This is the ultimate
culinary battle.

This is Alex Vs. America.

♪ We're gonna get ready ♪

♪ 'Cause we're ready
To fight, come on! ♪

So, tonight,
it's going to be cheesy,
but in the best way.

We have three chefs
who are masters at cooking
with cheese,

who are attempting to beat
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

I'm a certified
artisan cheese maker.

Can Alex say that?

I just sit here
like a pent-up tiger.

It is going to be
an epic competition.

Eric is out there
talking to you at home,

telling you how things
are going to go down.

And I'm just sitting here
waiting, like ready to erupt.

Welcome, chefs.

The three of you
have been chosen

for your culinary skills
with cheese.

And tonight,
those skills will be essential

because you'll be going up
against the chef,

who is to cooking
competitions

what cheese is to Wisconsin.

Please welcome Chef
Alex Guarnaschelli.

Here we go.

- Hello, chefs.
- Hi, chef.

These are three cheese masters
ready to take you down.

Oh, God!

I'm glad I lived in France
for so long.

- I ate a lot of cheese...
- Yeah.

...and washed
a lot of dishes

and drank a lot of wine.

- Nice.
- Not in that order.

Nice.

This is Tracey Shepos Cenami.

She's an executive chef
for Northern California's
wine country.

She's a certified
artisan cheesemaker,

and she's also a three-time
Guy's Grocery Games winner.

That show is hard.
You must be really good.

Chef Chris Coleman.

He's an executive chef
from North Carolina,

whose restaurants
were named Best New Restaurant

and Best of the Best.

And he's also beat Bobby Flay
using cottage cheese.

Of all the cheeses.

Of all the cheese.

This is Chef Roshni Gurnani,

named one of the top five
Indian chefs in USA.

And she's also won
the first round
of Beat Bobby Flay

when the mystery ingredient
was Swiss cheese.

Did I judge you?

- And you won?
- Yeah.

Boy, am I sorry about that.

You'll be competing against
Alex in a two-round
cheese showdown

if you can pass
the Survival Round

and go on to outcook Alex
in the Money Round,

you can collectively win
up to $15,000.

But if Alex ends up
shredding you all...

...you'll walk away
with nothing.

You're really grating
on my nerves, Eric.

Ooh!

First up,
the Survival Round.

You and Alex will prepare
an original cheese dish.

All judges would then
rank the dishes

in a blind-tasting
from one through four.

If you finish
in the top three,

you'll move
on to the Money Round.

But the chef that finishes
in the fourth place
is gonna go home.

And even if that's you,
Chef Alex.

It's not me that's going
to decide the details

for your first round,

I'm actually going
to leave that up to you three.

All right, chefs,
let's start the game.

Here is your first
big decision.

Which category of cheese
would you like to use?

Mild cheeses
or a little funky?

In mild, you have cheeses
like Swiss,

mozzarella, paneer, cottage,

ricotta, and in the funky,
you've got blue cheese,

Stilton, Roquefort,
Limburger, Taleggio.

Whatever you guys
decide on collectively,

needs to be the forefront
of that dish.

- ...cottage.
- Boy, it smells
in here already.

Mmm-hmm.

She studied in France.

She knows all this.

Alex, are you leaning funky?

I'm not sayin'.

I like funky, guys.

- I'm saying mild.
- It has to be pronounced.

Can we make mild
cheese pronounced?

I would also
consider texture.

- I like funky cheese.
- All right, let's do it.

- Okay.
- Funky. All right. Funky.

- We're down with the funk.
- That is funky.

Let's see what else
you have to pair with that
funky cheese.

More cheese.

I knew it.
I knew it.

You have the option
between cheese popcorn,
cheese crackers,

or cheese puffs.

I'm going crackers,
guys.

Put these in my kids'
lunchboxes every single day.

But there's a lot of salt...

I think the cheese crackers
are the smartest.

Yes.

But I love the cheese puffs.

I just don't want popcorn.

There's not going
to be any left of this.

I am going to say
cheese puffs.

They're really good.
Don't do it.

Cheese puffs,
I'm down with.
- Yeah.

Cheese puffs.
Two out of three.

Let's go cheese puffs.
- Yes.

Now, it's time
to decide on what
you're making.

- Bowl.
- Bowl.

Bowl.

Bowl.

You guys didn't even, like,
let the cloche fully open.

Unanimous.

I think the bowl is,
it's just so much easier.

- Yeah.
- Is that okay with you?

It that okay with you?

As if you care.

Okay.

The most important variable
is how much time
you're giving yourselves.

You have anywhere
from one minute
to 60 minutes.

You remember more time
you give yourselves,

more time you give her.

- Maybe 35?
- 35.

35.

Do you guys have like
a game plan
in your mind of what--

- I have a thought.
- I have a game plan in mind.

Thought, yeah.

The cheese doodles,
you want me to make
pasta with cheese doodles?

What else can you do?

Well, then we just do 40?

- Forty minutes?
- Let's go 40.

Cool. All right.

That just helped, Alex.

All right, chefs.
Your time starts now.

Whoo!

This is a tough one,
funky cheese,

cheese puffs in a bowl.

Cheese puffs
are probably the thing

that's most difficult.

They're processed,
they're taste mandating.

They're not a real
cheese flavor.

I feel like it's going to be
a really big hurdle
for all the chefs.

I'm thinking about
how to use the cheese.

These are very
strong cheeses.

They're delicious

and then they're not,
like people.

I am actually really
well versed in cheese,

but do I make a lot of dishes

where I cook
and transform cheese?

No.

I can't see
what Alex is making,

but she's cracking
a butt ton of eggs
over there.

I'm going to make
a cheese puff gnocchi

with a blue cheese
and corn sauce.

First thing,
I do is get my tomatoes

in the oven to create
blistered tomatoes.

And then, I start peeling
my potatoes

to get those in
for my gnocchi.

I want to make something that
represents me,

which is Italian food.

I think that
I can use these ingredients
in a few ways

and still make
a really, really good dish.

Tell me what you're actually
working on.

I'm doing a kofta right now.

Ooh.
- I'm gonna add some cheese
into there.

Ooh-hoo.

Doing a masala sauce,
that the kofta's
gonna cook in.

I like it.

This is a dish that
I've never had cheese, like,

incorporated into it,
but, like, I'm now thinking,

like, why haven't I?

I'm gonna toast off
some spices now.

I'm typically known
for Sindhi Indian cuisine,

which are big, bold,
aromatic flavors.

Garam masala,

caraway, coriander,

curry powder.

This is a traditional
masala sauce,

and I'm just throwing
in a bunch of Stilton,

make it a little bit creamy.

Adding dairy to this dish
isn't unusual,

but adding the Stilton
adds a little funk that,

you know, not every
Indian household has.

Chef Alex,
what are you makin'?

Good talk.

Alex might be
from New York City.

She's nationally acclaimed.

And I'm from little old
Charlotte, North Carolina.

But you know what?

We have some pretty
awesome food down there.

What cheeses
are you using?

Kind of a cheesy Carolina
gold rice porridge.

Yeah.

So, I'm going to use
the Taleggio and the Stilton,

a little bit of pecorino
in the rice itself

and a little cheese puff
in the stock.

Ooh, funky, funky.

There's a lot of funky flavors
going on in this dish,

but I really want the funk
to be pronounced,

- since that's what we chose.
- Gotta beat, Alex.

This is what you got to do
to swing for the fences, man.

For my cheesy rice porridge,
I'll braise some greens.

Really, this is going
to be kind of North Carolina

in a bowl with funky cheese
and cheese puffs.

What are you thinking so far?

I mean, I don't see
how you avoid
the directive of the bowl...

- Sure.
- ...and not make a pasta.

I don't.

My question is,
should I put cheese puffs
in my pasta dough?

Yay or nay?

There's always
a first, chef.

So I decided I wanted
to make a pasta dough
with cheese puffs.

So I puree the cheese puffs
in the food processor

until they're like a paste.

I mean, if I put this in
my pasta dough, America,
would you?

How bad can it be?

No, I've never made this.

Why would I make this?

The minute
I add the cheese puffs,

the dough is like, "Come on.

Did you really think?"

I'm so not having any fun.

My brain's like,
we're not throwing away
all this work,

we're on the clock.

I just feel...
I feel exhausted.

You've got to make a choice
at a moment like this.

You go down that rabbit hole,
you know,

doggedly pursue
your first impulse

or do you pull back,
admit defeat, and start again?

Let's start again.

It seems like Chef Alex
is kind of hung up
on her process.

She threw away
that first round.

There's a lot of variables,
especially when you're working

with a processed ingredient
like those cheese puffs

and you're making something
natural, like pasta, right?

Something very organic,

very simple as far
as its ingredients.

Let me get a little bit
of a sauce going.

So, while my potatoes
are in the water,

I'm going to work
on my corn stock
for my sauce.

So I'm going to use corn,

so it'll be a little bit
of sweetness
into kind of about

some of that richness.
Some cheese puffs
in to flavor my stock.

Yeah.

Strain it and put it
into the base of my sauce

and start to build upon that

with some
of the stinky cheese.

I'm gonna put
in some Stilton

and I'm going to put
in some Epoisses.

I mean, it's cheesy,
but do I go even bigger

because it's the cheese
episode?

Yes.
The answer is yes.

I had never thought
that I would use
this much cheese

in really, what is it?
Three portions.

Alex has judged
my food before,

but I've never
competed against her,

so it's pretty exciting,
a little nerve-wracking,

but I'm here to win.

I want to beat Alex,
but I especially
want to beat her

in something that I love
so much, cheese.

I go ahead
and start the kofta.

Kofta is almost like kebab
or a meatball.

I knew I could add the cheese
into the ground beef.

I add the spices in there,
then I add some
of the cheese puffs

to help bind it.

So in here, I have, uh,
some of the blue cheese.

Some Epoisses.
I love making kofta.

I've never made it
with cheese.

But first time
for everything.

There's a lot on the line.

I mean, definitely
bragging rights,

definitely the wow factor,

if you beat Alex Guarnaschelli
at her own game.

She's really paved the way
for a lot of women chefs
in the industry.

And as much as I respect her,

I definitely want
to take her down.

So I'm using
Carolina gold rice today,

which represents
the rice culture

of the Carolinas.

That needs time.

I'm gonna make
a quick kale collard ragu
to go into the rice.

Everything's going
according to plan
as of right this second.

I just put vinegar
on my eggs
instead of olive oil.

I have to make this again.

Third time's a charm.

Come on,
get it together.

Get it together, Alex.

I'm a seasoned professional.

And on days like this,
when cheese puffs don't fit
in the dough

and I put vinegar
on my eggs,

I give myself
a really hard time.

I have made no food.

We're closin' in
on 21 minutes left, chefs.

I just...
I kind of give up.

I wanted to make a pasta dough
with cheese puffs,

and the minute I add
the cheese puffs,

the dough
flakes and crumbs.

So I start again
making new dough
with no cheese puffs.

Struggle is real today.

Being good at something,
being successful at something

means pushing through
even when you're having
an off day.

Finally, I get it on track
and I put the dough
in the fridge just to rest.

Comin' through.

So because this
is a blind-tasting,

we have our judges as far away
from the action as possible.

They don't know the challenge
or the chefs involved,

but they do know
cooking and cheese.

Michael Voltaggio
is an acclaimed restaurateur,

whose innovative
use of ingredients,

including cheese,
has won him Michelin stars,

a James Beard Award
nomination

and GQ's award for Best
New Restaurant in America.

Our next judge, Leah Park,
is the owner

and cheesemonger of Milkfarm,

named one of the best
cheese shops in the city

by L.A. Times
for its carefully
curated selection of local

and imported cheeses.

We have three
of the best cheese chefs

going up against
Alex right now.

Were you busy today or what?
You couldn't get out there?

I'm just here to eat,
not to compete.

So, the cook
is underway.

What do you want to taste
when you get
to the judges' table?

I hope everything
is very cheesy.

- Funky...
- Funky, right?

- We want funk, right?
- Of course.

All right, guys. Call you back
in when we're ready to taste.

We're excited.

For my cheese sauce,
I put fennel, shallot,

carrot and five garlic cloves

in the meat grinder
just to get them
all the same size.

And then I start sweating
that in a pan in olive oil
with salt and pepper.

I'm going to cream that
and then add a ton
of Taleggio cheese.

Funky!

There's about
a pound of cheese in here.

My dish is really heavy.
I need something light.

And those peas
are going to do the trick.

Just to break it up
and give a little acid.

Notably, this is the only
hard cheese

available for this round.

Pecorino Romano.

It still gives you
a bunch of funk,

but actually melts
and has different properties

than these soft cheeses
right there.

Seven and a half minutes left,
chefs. Seven and a half.

I start to roll
the dough out,

it's not my best work,

but... I'm there.

Now, if only this actually
tasted like cheese.

Drop that in the salted water
to cook it.

Problem with an ingredient
like cheese puffs

is you don't really
want to use it, right?

So I'm just grating
pecorino cheese

and mixing
with cheese puffs

and create like a little crisp
that I can just
drop on top.

I'm making gnocchi.

After my potatoes
are cooked through,

I start to make the dough.

My son Nico
loves making gnocchi.

So I'm going to take these
cheese puffs,

turn them
into a cheese puff flour,

and then use that flour
in my gnocchi.

It's cheese puff gnocchi,
have you ever made that
in your life?

No, no.

Before the judges even
eat my dish,

hopefully they'll be able
to see these orange gnocchi.

Hitting the judges
with cheese puff flavor.

Well, I want
it to be obvious.

So after my gnocchi
are cooked,

now I want to work
on the vegetables

that I want in this pasta.

Everything added
is to cut through

some of the richness

and some of the stink
of the cheese,
but not overpower it.

Might want to do
a little crumble on top.

- With the cheese puffs?
- Yeah.

Some cheese puffs
and pecorino.

Not all cheeses
are formed the same,

not all cheeses melt the same.

So there's going to be
definitely some play

when it comes to these chefs.

It really all depends
on what flavor
they're looking for,

what texture
they're looking for,
and how well it cooks.

I'm going to make
a quick raita.

I always want
to have a raita,

compliments Indian food
all the time.

Yogurt, cucumbers,
cilantro, some onion.

Hey, why not?

Let's add cheese into this
and make it a cheese raita.

I used Taleggio cheese
'cause it has that
creaminess to it.

A little flavor maybe.

I really thought that
that would bring the funk
through the raita.

So I'm gonna try
to make a papadum
with the pecorino.

In Sindhi culture,
no meal is complete
without papadum,

which is usually a lentil chip
and spices.

And here I'm going to make it,

uh, not with lentil.

But still spicy.

So I just use the cheese puff
and use some pecorino Romano

and spices and then
form the papadum
and bake it in the oven.

4:05 chefs, 4:05.

That's delicious.

I'm blown away.

Taleggio and the Stilton
are there for sure,

but that kind of artificial
cheese flavor

did tone down some stuff.

That's a way better than
I thought it would be.

And I add in this
Carolina gold rice.

I never thought in my career,

I'd be microplaning
cheese puffs
on the Food Network.

I'm going to try to use
these cheese puffs as, like,

a powdery, dusty garnish.

Things you gotta do
to take down Alex.

2:20 left, chefs. 2:20.

I'm trying to plate.

The main driving force
of this dish

is supposed to be cheese,

and so the pasta
should be second fiddle.

Now, if we were in Italy

and someone saw me
serve them a bowl of pasta

with that much sauce on it,
I'd be kicked out.

I don't want the judges
to miss the cheese.

I put cheese sauce,
peas, etc.

On the bottom of the plate.

Then I just take the pasta

right out of the water
and toss it in the sauce

and let it sit for a minute
and then I put that on top.

And then I drop
the cheese puff crisps

on top of my dish
for the visual.

Ninety seconds left, chefs,
90 seconds.

So I've got my gnocchi
and my sauce

with my corn and my kale.

Tomatoes are so pretty
and bright red,
I placed those on top.

Then I add my cheese puffs
and Pecorino breadcrumbs.

You can see that
I've used the cheese puffs.

You can smell the funk
of the cheese in the dish.

I think it's good.

I set the rice down.

In the middle, I made a little
cushion for the Kofta,

I put the rich gravy on top.

Papadum to the side.

And then nuts and the figs.

And of course, the raita
was in a separate bowl
to add, if you please.

I have cheese
in every single element.

This is a dish
that can beat Alex.

I put my food on the plate.

Super proud of it.

I'm using a ring mold
for the first time

since culinary school.

So the first thing I do
is get the cheesy
rice porridge

around the ring mold.

Next, I fill the ring mold
with the braised greens.

And lastly,
my cheese puff dust.

There is funk everywhere
with this dish.

I am smelling it.

It's highlighted.
It's there.

Five, four,
three, two, one.

Step away from your dish.

All right, chefs, you guys
have menu cards
in front of you.

What I need you to do
is write down the details
of your dish

exactly the way you want me
to describe it to the judges.

Remember, you won't be here
to do so yourselves.

I don't know
how to describe it.

All right, chefs,
we've got to get you guys
on out of here,

so we can bring the judges in

and then we'll start
the deliberation.

You look beautiful, chef.

- You too.
- Oh, my God.

I just want to clean up more.

- Huh?
- Wow!

Kofta.

Very cheesy sauce
to go along with this.

Spicy.

My mother made Indian food
when I was a kid a lot.

Chef Chris went
with the Carolina gold,
almost congee.

That's gorgeous.
That's stunning.

Thoughts?

I get pure funk.

- That's cool.
- And the gnocchi.

Oh, this is beautiful.

When have you ever seen
a cheese puff gnocchi?

Remember, I tried to make
cheese puff pasta dough,
and it was awful.

It's actually
pretty impressive.
Yeah.

So, basically, you like
everybody's dish but mine.

I'm leaving.

See you later, chef.

As soon as I saw that
she made pasta,

- I was like, we gave her
too much time.
- Too much time. Yeah.

Gave her too much time
to impress the judges.

These three competitors
clearly came to cook.

I think people think,
"Oh, cheese specialist,

so what do they do like,
they make a grilled cheese
in a bread bowl?

Uh, I don't see a bread bowl
for miles.

These are not cheese experts.

These are chefs, you know,
highly trained weapons

that happen to work
with cheese
far more than I do.

The anticipation.

I know.
I know. I know.

This looks great.

Just to remind you,
the chefs chose funky cheese.

They chose to work
with cheese puffs.

They chose to put it
in a bowl,

and they gave themselves
40 minutes to do so.

I like how you said,
they chose cheese puffs.

They did it.

So, first dish that you have
in front of you

cheese puff gnocchi
with Epoisses
and Stilton corn cream,

blistered tomato,
cheese puff crumble.

Tracey made
a cheese puff gnocchi.

She wrestled that
cheese puff into a dough.

Made a gnocchi, so
she's a better woman
than I am.

The sauce is really good.

It's super dense and creamy.

I really appreciate
the pop of colors.

This is really,
really beautiful.

Yeah.

What's crazy is that
you actually get

the cheese puff flavor
in there,

then you get the Stilton
and it just funks it up

a little bit more,
so I love that.

I really enjoyed
that they added corn
to the dish to add

a slight bit of sweetness

to contrast
the really stinky cheese.

My favorite part of the use
of the cheese puff

is actually using it as like
a fried breadcrumb topping.

Oh, yeah.

At first, I thought
it was a little heavy.

I thought
it was a little rich.

But it is a cheese dish.

A note to the dense creaminess
I love...

She's all about it.

I love, love, love cheese
and creamy cheeses.

- So this to me was perfect.
- Cool.

Let's go ahead and move on
to the next dish, please.

- It's good.
- Yeah.

Very good job.

All right, judges,
the next dish that you have
in front of you,

A Carolina gold rice porridge,

cooked in a Taleggio, Stilton
and cheese puffs brodo

with a bacon braised greens,

baby veg
and a cheese puff crumb.

Chris made a North Carolina
take on a congee,

sort of like a porridge.

I really get the funk
from the cheese in his dish.

I tasted it.
It's really good.

Could use salt,
but it's really cheesy.

The funkiness comes off
more on the smell
than the taste itself.

Mmm, okay.

I definitely get
a little breath of the funk
on the back of my palate.

I don't get as much
cheese puff flavor.

Yeah.

That Taleggio is so strong

that it sort of wipes
that out.

Cheese puffs fighting
with Taleggio,

I think cheese puffs
are going to lose
that battle every time.

The vegetables
are so flavorful,

there seems to be a lot
of like sugar.

There's some chili flake
in there.

I find that when I'm eating
all the vegetables
with the rice,

I'm losing a lot of the cheese
when I'm eating it
all as a composed dish.

Okay.

Sounds like we are ready
to move on to the next dish.

It's kind of fun to, like,
investigate it and eat it,
though.

It is. Yeah, yeah.

Judges, third dish
that you have

in front of you is a fresh,

handmade pasta
with a Taleggio cheese sauce,

pecorino cheese puff crisps,
peas and basil.

I'm glad I had the pecorino
to make the cheese puff crisps

because when I tried
to make dough

with the cheese puffs inside,

it just wasn't going
to turn out.

When you take 42 eggs
to make three bowls of pasta,

there's a problem.

Houston, we have a problem.

I'm not getting so much funk.

Are you getting so much funk?

Not that funky,
considering the cheese
they used.

Sure.

But I'm not overly
mad about that

because it almost eats like

- a reimagined fettuccine
Alfredo or a carbonara.
- Mmm-hmm.

I really like that
they mixed the cheese puffs

with Pecorino Romano
because actually

that gave this little
cheese crisp
a little bit of funkiness.

Pecorino and cheese puff
crisp, I think is really good.

I almost would have put
more of that

broken through
the whole entire dish.

I would love to have
a bag of these at home.

Let's go ahead and move
on to the last dish, please.

Thank you, judges.

Did you like it?
Both of you?

- I liked it. Yeah.
- Yeah.

Last dish is a cheese
and beef kofta.

Slow-cooked, simmered
in a cheese masala sauce

with a cheese,
raita on the side,

served with a cheese puff,

Pecorino Romano and papadum
with cheese cucumber salad.

So Roshni made like a kofta
with cheese on a cheese raita.

So I'm assuming that
her dish is also spicy.

My only concern is, um,
is it enough
about the cheese?

I've never heard the word
cheese used so much
in one sentence.

It's a lot of cheese.

Let's start off
with the funk.

For me, the funk
is in the conception
of this dish...

...but I'm not getting
a lot of the cheese funk.

Okay.

Roquefort is quite
a strong cheese.

Right in flavor can be gamey,
generally it's also salty.

And I'm not getting
any of that with this

because I think spices inside
are taking over.

I mean, I see
cheese puff there

because of that
bright artificial color,

but I'm not getting
a lot of the taste.

I think the only part
where I'm actually
getting cheese

is this cheese crumble
right here.

I like the bowl.

It's weird,
but it's oddly craveable.

Thank you, judges.

Now, that you've had
all four dishes,

I do need you guys
to rank them one through four.

You guys are in agreement?

I mean, you don't have
to send them home.

If you want to, like,
they can cook for us again

in one more round
and we can just decide.

If only we had
that much time.

Cali, Texas,
North Carolina.

Come on down.

And Alex.

Grading these dishes
was not easy.

But you know how it goes.

The chef who finishes fourth
will be out of here.

And the chef
that finishes first

will have an exclusive pick

of all the options
in the Money Round.

So the dish
that they picked fourth is...

Chef Roshni. I'm sorry.

No problem.

The judges loved the flavor.

They felt like you took 'em
around the world...

That's what I wanted
to do, yeah.

...but they definitely
just wanted more funk,
a little bit more cheese.

- Thank you so much, chef.
- Thank you, chef.

- Thank you...
- It was great
seeing you again.

- You're an artist.
- Good luck, guys.

Texas is out.

The chef that finished third
is from North Carolina,

Chef Chris made it through.

That means either Alex
or Chef Tracey ranked first.

No pressure.

The chef that ranked first
and gets exclusive pick

for all the options
in the next round,
Chef Tracey, Come on.

- No way.
- Well done. Yeah.

- Nicely done.
- Congratulations.

The judges loved your dish.

Funk came immediately.

They were impressed
by the gnocchi.

But now the Money Round
is here.

So here is how
the Money Round works.

Tracey is going to pick
all the options for the dish.

You guys are cooking
one more plate
to serve to the judges,

and then they'll rank
one through three.

So there's only one rule
in the Money Round.

To win money,
your dishes
has to outrate Alex's.

But if Alex comes in first,

you guys are cooking
for nothing.

You don't want to lose.
Beat Alex, period.

Easier said than done I know.

And these choices
will help you get there

by deciding on
the cheese category.

This time, you'll be choosing
between soft and firm.

For the soft cheese,
you have burrata,
Brillat-Savarin,

robiola, feta, cream cheese,
mascarpone.

And with your firm cheeses,
you have Parmigiano Reggiano,

Gruyere, aged cheddar
and manchego.

If you pick firm,
you can only use firm.

If you pick soft,
you can only use
soft cheeses.

I'm feeling the soft
for myself personally.

What do you think?

I want to eat the entire soft
board right now.

Yeah.

Can we get some
crackers and...

Seems like everyone
is in unison.

I don't know
if they're playing me
right now.

- I'm going to go with soft.
- Soft.

- Soft.
- 100%?

Yeah.

All right.
Soft cheese it is.

Okay.

Let's go ahead
and move on to the next.

Okay.
So decision number two...

- Yes.
- ...is what cheeseboard
fruit...

Oh.

...you want
to incorporate to your dish,

you have quince chips,
you have apricot
fruit leather,

and you have
freeze-dried figs.

Are you sure about that?

I mean, this is like
my favorite snack right here.

I love fruit leather.

It's like choosing between
the inside of a tire
and the roofing.

- I'm going fruit leather.
- Oh, my God.

All right, we're going
apricot fruit leather.

- Yeah.
- All right.

And this next one is about
what you make

and how much time you have.

Your options are between
dinner in 25 minutes.

Twenty-five minutes?

Two-five or dessert
in 40 minutes.

You got soft cheese,
you got apricot fruit leather.

Are you going
something savory in 25

or are you going something
sweet in 40?

I don't want to do anything
in 25 minutes.

I'm not dying
to make dessert either.

Normally that right there
would be my dessert.

I wouldn't make
anything else.

I'd literally eat
that cheese.

But I don't want to cook
dinner in 25 minutes.

It's your call.

I always vote for time.

Twenty-five minutes
is like...

It's ridiculous.

That's what I
think, too. Okay.

I cannot believe
I'm going to choose this,
but dessert in 40.

You're giving 40 minutes
to Chef Alex.

I'm giving 40 minutes
to myself.

All right,
dessert in 40.

Soft cheese,
apricot fruit leather,
dessert in 40.

Time starts now.

My God!

Dessert, dessert...

I didn't win
the first round.

These chefs work
with cheese every day,

so their muscle memory
with cheese

is so much more advanced
than mine.

But at the end of the day,
I'm here to win.

So I'm going to wing it
and make a cheesecake

with some yogurt
and cream cheese ice cream.

I make a mix of corn syrup,

water and sugar,
and I add that

into cream cheese
and Greek yogurt.

God's nectar.

That goes right
into the ice cream machine.

Now, I want to work
on my graham cr*cker crust.

So I put a sleeve
of graham crackers

and I add about
five tablespoons

of melted and lightly
browned butter.

I use the springform molds.

I press the graham
cr*cker mix in there

and I pop them in the oven.

Big C, round one
does not matter anymore.

We're heading
into this Money Round

and I'm the total underdog.

I have a lot to prove
in this round.

I kind of have to pull
no punches and just go for it.

Thought I made it
through cooking my food.

So, I'm like, let me just
continue to cook my food.

But how are you going
to do that?

- Uh, I'm going to make
some biscuits.
- Okay.

My fallback
dessert up the sleeve
is my grandmother's biscuits.

So I'm going to make
caramelized
white chocolate biscuits,

a robiola ice cream,
and a little raspberry

and apricot fruit leather
puree.

It's an honor
to, like, do

to my grandmother's biscuits
on national TV.

I'm gonna pour
in the caramelized
white chocolate.

See how it, like,
crumbles up immediately
when you put it in?

And then I'm flaking
in some butter,

and then I'm kind of bringing
the whole thing together

with some cold buttermilk.

It's like a drop biscuit.

Tracey is a great chef,
Alex is a great chef.

I'm going to take 'em out
with these biscuits.

So while the biscuits
are working in the oven,

I'm going to start
working on this
apricot fruit leather sauce.

I take
the fruit leather itself

and some boiling water.

I add some fresh raspberries
in and then a little bit
of sugar.

This is going to add
some acidity to the dish

and some freshness.

Let me go get some
ice cream going.

I know
we have to use soft cheese,

so my mind instantly
goes to ice cream.

This is going to be
an ice cream base.

This is the robiola.

So, robiola is a very soft,
very creamy,
spreadable cheese.

It's like a brief...

Sorry, talking
with my mouth full.
That was rude.

Throw it in the blender
and blend it
until it's smooth.

How do you feel
about desserts?

- I like desserts.
- Yeah.

I do make ice cream
from time to time.

It's not something
I'm an expert at.

There's some risk
in competition.

Like, I'm going to check
this ice cream out

every two minutes to make sure
it's where I want it to be.

Chef Tracey?

- Yes, sir.
- Excuse me.

Let me just dust off
the first-round win
off your shoulder.

Saying it's a lot of pressure
though.

A lot of pressure.

I think I beat Alex
in that first round
because I played the game.

I let the cheese
really be the star.

Tell me about the dish.

I'm going to make a mixed
berry galette

and then a multi-cheese
ice cream.

Okay.

I'm using cream cheese
I put into my dough here.

- I like rustic desserts.
- I think--

- Follow me.
- Oh, of course. Let's do it.

Once my dough
comes together,
I get it in the blast chiller

so it gets that
cold temperature
and comes together.

See if this will work.

I want to get my milk
and my cream boiling.

I'm adding goat cheese
and I'm adding
Brillat-Savarin.

Brillat-Savarin is one
of the best cheeses
ever known to man.

If you haven't had it,
you should.

Look at that decadent,
it's awesome.

It tastes like heaven.

So I get that mixture hot.

I get it in the blender
to really incorporate
all those flavors.

Then, I add
that apricot fruit leather

that's going to add
some sweetness

and then whisk it
into my egg yolks.

I don't know
who the judges are,

but I want them to taste
all these cheeses

that I've managed
to incorporate in this dish,
as well as the fruit leather.

It's part of the components.
I want them to taste that.

Coming through.

And I put it in
the ice cream machine.

What do I do here?

Oh, I'm on.
I'm on, off.

While my ice cream
is in the ice cream machine,

going to work on my galette.

So I get my dough

I put them
on my cookie sheets.

I want this berry filling
to taste like berries.

I don't want it
to be too overwhelming.

I mean, that's the thing
about a galette

is that really
it can be any fruit filling.

Berries are delicious.

I don't need
to manipulate them too much.

All three chefs
are using the ice cream
machine right now.

So I wanna see some skill,
I want to see some technique
from these chefs.

So, how's the ice cream, man?

I would say
a perfect texture, man.

Do you mind
if I hop in there?

I do not mind.
Grab some of that.

It's funky.

Wow. That is funky,
but it's delicious.

- Super creamy.
- Yeah.

Okay. Got to go
get my ice cream.

Cut this close,
but extraction.

Let's see what happens here.

It's not as smooth as I want.

I go check on my ice cream,
and it's thicker
than I want it to be.

So Tracey's right
behind me taking her
ice cream out,

and it looks over churned.

It's coming out that
spigot really, really slow.

I think I just overdid it.

I think I just overdid it.

My ice cream, it's thicker
than I want it to be.

I have to problem solve
right now.

Like I don't have time
to sit here
and be mad at myself.

Uh, not as smooth as I want,
but I think I know
how to fix it.

Call this a custard.

It's already this really
great basic

taste really good,
just keep it room temp,

I can use it as a custard.

Custard is really just
ice cream base

that hasn't been
put through a machine.

Fruit leather
is a lunch snack.

We love it, right?

I get the fruit leather
boiling in water,

cook it down till it's smooth
and then I add white
balsamic vinegar to that.

The apricot leather,
like, it's a little sweet,

and I want it to be
a little more zing.

Now, I'm going to focus
on the filling
for my cheesecake.

I want the sugar to dissolve

fully into the cream cheese
and get that, like,

almost like, cream cheese
frosting vibe.

I want to fold
in whipped cream
to make it lighter.

I've stopped trying to analyze
why I love competition
so much.

I just do.

How's it going?

I'm sweating, man.

We're running out of time.

I've already got a really
creamy ice cream,

so I want this
cream cheese meringue

to kind of balance that out
and be really
light and fluffy.

So it's traditional meringue
egg whites and sugar, whipped,
melted cream cheese

and then fold in
the egg whites

to the cream cheese
and done.

I get my biscuits
out of the oven

and I flip them
over on the cutting board

and they look perfect.

A well-rounded vehicle
for the rest
of the ingredients.

Feeling good, Trace?

Feeling good, feeling good?

I'll get there.

This is the last fruit leather
over there. Can I take it?

I'm making
a fruit leather caramel,

to put in my water
and the fruit leather

and my sugar and let
that melt a little bit.

I want this caramel
to be the sauce on my plate.

Whoo!

Now, we're getting somewhere.

Now I can plate.

Scoop the filling
and mold it into a circle.

Not cheesy enough, huh?

I'll give you some cheese.

People are going to be
in the ICU

when I'm done with them.

I cover it with the rind
of a piece of robiola cheese

to remind the judges
that this is all about cheese.

I put some
apricot leather sauce

around the edges,

and then I just finish it
with quenelle
of the yogurt ice cream.

I pull my galettes
out of the oven.

They're perfectly baked,
they're crispy.

Put my galette down
on the plate,

drizzle that
with the fruit leather caramel

and this really
delicious tasting custard.

I'm going to build
this biscuit stack.

Thinly sliced biscuits,
putting some
of the cream cheese meringue

on top, sugared raspberries,

and then another layer
of biscuit,

more meringue and raspberries
and top it off with biscuits.

Get a scoop of this
robiola ice cream

into a ramekin on the side.

Five, four, three, two, one.

And that's about it,
chefs, well done.

Go ahead and write down
the description.

Please also note the cheese
that you guys used.

And then we're going
to let the judges come in

and get this thing going.

Another round done.

Ooh, that's pretty,
super cool.

- Mmm-hmm.
- Oh, wow!

Are you impressed?
Do you like it?

Very. Can I go now, Dad?

We'll see you later, chef.

Hello, hello!

- All right.
- How are you feelin'?

Feel like
I just made dessert.

I didn't expect
to make dessert.

- Kicked my butt.
- I used a lot of cheese.

I didn't say that.

But I do know
that I used a lot of cheese.

So you guys are coming back
to an entirely new kitchen,

a sweet one, if that.

The winning chef chose
to use soft cheeses,

apricot fruit leather.

They decided to make
a dessert in 40 minutes.

What you have in front of you

is a caramelized
white chocolate biscuit

with a robiola ice cream,
cream cheese meringue
and a raspberry apricot puree.

Enjoy.

I thought Chris' dish
was very American.

It made... it made me think
of a strawberry shortcake
immediately when I saw it.

And when I heard there
was robiola ice cream...

They did a really good job
on this ice cream.

Super creamy
and there's no fat separation.

That ice cream
is bangin'.

Perfect texture.

It's not sweet.

- It tastes like the cheese.
- Yeah.

It's... I would use
the word incredible.

- That ice cream is incredible.
- Wow.

I like that they tried to use
meringue rather than

just like a whipped cream.

- But I don't know if I
would've preferred it to be...
- Like more of an ice cream.

- ...more of like a mousse.
- Like a buttercream?

A buttercream
or something like that. Yeah.

I really like the use
of the fruit leather.

Yeah, I do.

All right, let's go ahead
and move on to the next dish.

Thank you, guys.

That ice cream
is delicious.

Probably the best
cheese ice cream
I think I've ever had.

All right, judges.

Our next dish
is a mixed berry galette

with a cream cheese dough,

a fruit leather
and caramelized feta,

Brillat-Savarin
and chevre custard.

My only concern
with Tracey's is that
I think the mixed berries

takes away
from the apricot leather.

Are you guys tasting cheese?

- Yeah, absolutely.
- You do?

Yeah, in the dough, for sure.

And also, obviously
on the top with the sprinkle.

The use of the cheese
in the dough is a smart play

because butter
is a big part of dough.

And by replacing that
with cheese,

you're adding another little
sort of flavor

and you definitely get it,
but it also adds

a little texture to it
as well.

What about the use
of the apricot fruit leather?

I think that it's nice
to add all of that

with the nuts
and these mixed berries.

I love the galette
and I think all the berries
are super fresh.

The custard itself
has good cheese flavor.

It was a little overworked
like the fat,

and it was a little overworked
because it's a little bit
grainy.

All right.

Let's go ahead and move on
to the last dish, please.

Oh, snap.

Just a big piece
of cheese on top.

All right, chefs,
the last dish that we have
in front of you.

Robiola rind
and cream cheese cheesecake

with a yogurt ice cream

with an apricot
fruit leather sauce.

Uh, first and foremost,

because this is a cheese
challenge,

I am blown away by the fact
that they, like,

took off the bloomy rind
and put it back on.

Like this to me makes this...

- Super cool.
- Yeah.

Bonus points
for that for sure.

You look so happy.

It's just fun.

This is genius.

I think this is genius.

There's a bright acidity
to the ice cream, too.

But I almost feel like
they could have left
the ice cream

off completely
and just served...

Just this.

...that because it's that
incredible.

All these flavors
just start announcing
themselves,

you know what I'm saying?

It's just like,
"Hey, I'm here."

And then you
get that, like, little
graham-cr*cker-textured thing

on the bottom happening.
It's just fun.

The use
of the apricot fruit leather?

I mean, the sauce is fine.

It doesn't feel like
they added any flavor to that.

Taste a little watery.

I really love the mix
of textures in this tart.

That crust is very, very
kind of sandy and buttery.

You're enjoying that.

I think this is the most
I've seen you eat.
- All right.

It is time for the toughest
part of your evening.

It's time to rank
one through three.

The first ice cream
with that fruit leather sauce

by itself could have for me
won the entire thing.

But if I'm just thinking
about that last cheese tart,

I mean, the execution
of that was phenomenal.

I'm going back
to soft cheese.

Did I prefer that cheesecake
in the third dessert

or did I prefer the ice cream
in the first one?

Right.

Judges, what do we do?

I mean, I don't know.

This is too close for me.

Yeah.

I... I really don't know
what to do.

All right, so, judges,
I'm not going to send
you away this time.

We'll bring the chefs in,
and you guys get to tell them
what's up in person.

Good luck with that, chef.

You're making me do it?

All right, let's set up.

Let's bring them in.
Chefs, come on in.

From North Carolina,
this is Chef Chris Coleman.

- What's up, chefs.
- Hello.

From Northern California.

- This is Tracey Shepos Cenami.
- Hi.

And from New York City,
I think her name is Alex.

Chefs, here are the judges
that have been ranking
your dishes all day.

The owner of L.A.'s
critically acclaimed
cheese shop,

Milkfarm, this is Leah Park.

Hello.

- Hi.
- Hi.

And superstar
restaurateur,

my good friend,
Chef Michael Voltaggio.

- Hello.
- What's up, chef?

I can tell when you like
your judges.

All right, judges,
I like to tell you
who made what.

First, we'll start off
with Chef Tracey.

She made the galette for you.

Very good galette.

It was perfectly ex*cuted.

The crust was cheesy.

We just had some questions
about the custard

and what the ideal
texture was.

What you intended that to be?

Judges, it's also interesting
to let you know

that Chef Tracey
had the winning gnocchi dish
for the round one.

- That was... tsk.
- Incredible.

Let's move on to Chef Chris.

He made the biscuit
and the ice cream.

That ice cream...

It was insane.

Can you come to my shop
and make some?

Anytime.

They did want some mousse
or buttercream
to add to that dessert.

So that means by process
of elimination,

Chef Alex made the cheesecake.

I gasped.

I think my eyes
popped out of my head.

The chef
that finished third...

I'm sorry, Chef Tracey.

At least you could say
you won round one.

- I did.
- I thought your dish
was beautiful.

- Thank you.
- Nice job.

And then they were two.

So the chef that finished
in second was...

Call my cardiologist.

None of you.

You both won.

Congratulations.

We couldn't decide.

Never before
in Alex Vs. America.

That cheesecake was too good.

That ice cream was too good.

- We couldn't...
- Well done. Well done.

We would have stayed here
for the rest of the night.

So because we're breaking
the rules with the tie,

we're breaking the rules
with the money as well.

You, my friend,
are splitting the difference

and walking out of here
with $7500.

Hey, hey, hey!

That's awesome.
Thank you.

Congratulations
to both cheese winners.

Well done, guys.
Here we go, come on.

- Nice job.
That was awesome.
- Oh, my God!