01x05 - Italian Feast

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[Jordan Andino] Do luxury ingredients
always make the best dishes,

or can humble items be transformed
into a recipe for success?

This is Cook at all Costs.

I need something. I need something.

[Jordan] With $25,000 in their bank,

three home cooks will have
to bid on all their ingredients...

I'm ready.

...in a high-stakes,
auction-packed cook-off.

-Five thousand dollars!
-Sold!

The home cooks can spend big
for the best ingredients,

save their money for the basics,
or gamble on a surprise.

Chicken hearts. [laughs]

[Jordan] In the end, the winner

will go home
with all the cash left in their bank.

[laughs] Oh, man!

The back pantry is home

to the hottest names
in today's culinary world.

Surprise!

[Jordan] These celebrity chefs
will prepare the mystery boxes,

ingredient temptations,
and judge the dishes.

You gotta make Mama happy.

All right, Chef. Send out those boxes.

[music continues]

It's the ultimate cooking competition,
where skill meet strategy.

Let me get my buzzer fingers ready.

[Jordan] This is Cook at all Costs.

-What's happening, home cooks?
-Hi!

Hi!

Welcome to Cook at all Costs.
Are you excited?

-[contestants] Yes!
-Nervous?

-A tiny bit.
-[Jordan laughs]

Laura, Dominic, Bobbie,

in this round, you'll need to create
a standout dish in your signature style,

using ingredient boxes

that are being prepared
right now in the back pantry

by our guest chef and judge,

chef, baker, author, entrepreneur,

owner of legendary Italian eateries
all over the world,

Chef Nancy Silverton.

-[gasps] Oh my God!
-Oh my God! [laughs]

[Laura] I'm cooking for Nancy Silverton?!

The stakes just went way up.

All right, Chef. Whenever you're ready,
please send out those ingredient boxes.

[pulsing electronic music plays]

[Jordan] You'll start by blind bidding
on these three ingredient boxes

using your bank of $25,000.

The cook that bids highest
gets a Spend Box,

which consists of luxury ingredients

that'll elevate your dish to new heights.

The one with the lowest bid
gets the Save Box,

which is made up
of simple household staples,

ready to be transformed
into culinary gold.

And the bidder in between will be awarded
the mysterious Surprise Box.

It has some unusual items

that'll put your creativity to the test.

In the end, the winning home cook

walks away with whatever cash
is left in their bank.

The minimum bid
for these three ingredient boxes

is $2,500.

So please, lock in your bids now.

[sighs]

[suspenseful music plays]

I like to spend money,
but I'm trying to be conservative.

[Laura] I want that Spend Box.

I don't really care too much

about how much money I'm taking home.

It's more about a win for me, for sure.

[tablet chimes]

[Dominic] I want the Save Box.

I'm really used to cooking
with simple ingredients.

I'm confident I can pull off a great dish
with the least amount of money.

[tablet chimes]

All right, Laura,
let's take a look at your bid.

[boing]

Fifteen thousand dollars!

[curious music plays]

Go big or go home, I guess?

[all laugh]

I think that's absolutely nuts
to spend $15,000.

That's more than half
of what you're starting with!

But that's just me.

Dominic, let's take a look at your bid.

Wow, the polar opposite.

[laughing]

Dominic, you've bid the minimum...

-Yeah.
-...of $2,500.

Bobbie, let's take a look at your bid.

$4,250.

Laura, you had the highest bid,
which means you get the Spend Box.

[dramatic percussive music plays]

Dominic, you have the lowest bid,
which means you get the Save Box,

and Bobbie, you got the surprise.

Home cooks, you have 60 minutes to create

your best dish in any style you'd like.

Keep an eye on the line while you cook

because Chef Nancy
will be sending through more upgrades

to help your dish.

Are you ready to cook at all costs?

[all] Yes!

Perfect. Because the time starts now!

[aggressive music plays]

[Laura] Let's go! It's heavy!

[laughs]

Oh, my. Oh, my.

Green beans, lamb chops,
whole pomegranates.

I'm very familiar with this piece of lamb.

But oh my God, what am I going to do

with instant mashed potatoes
and onion soup mix?

My strategy is backfiring.

The Save Box was not what I expected.

We have fingerling potatoes.

[Laura] I spent $15,000 on the Spend Box.

So I've proven that I like to spend money.

Arugula!

I wanted the box
that had premium ingredients.

I'm seeing a bunch of things
that I'm familiar with.

Obviously, potatoes, green beans,
super happy.

I then see the lamb.

Rack of lamb?

I've never cooked lamb before,

and what am I cooking today? Lamb!

I love it, but not super familiar
with making it.

Almonds, pomegranate glaze.

I don't know anything
about a pomegranate glaze.

However, I know a thing or two
about a pomegranate martini.

[light comic music plays]

It's actually really good.

Pomegranate juice, pickled beans, leeks.

I have the Surprise Box.

I have canned potatoes, mixed nuts,
and a green thing.

The green thing looks weedy.

It... It looks familiar,
but I have no clue what it is.

Ground lamb.

I see ground lamb
and I'm thinking, "Oh, no."

I don't normally eat lamb,
so what am I supposed to do with this?

I have absolutely no idea what to do.

The Surprise Box is definitely a surprise.

Oh, gosh.

Okay, home cooks, looks like you
all got variations of lamb and potatoes.

Laura has a rack of lamb
and fingerling potatoes in the Spend Box,

Bobbie's got ground lamb
and canned potatoes in the Surprise Box,

And Dom has lamb chops
and boxed mashed potatoes in the Save Box.

Let's get those ideas going.

I've never cooked with instant potatoes.

I have no idea
what I'm going to make with that.

Feeling very nervous and overwhelmed
with those ingredients that I don't know.

I've never cooked with onion soup either.

I'm like, "Where to start?"

I love lamb.
It's one of my favorite proteins.

It's very easy for me
to cook this on the grill,

But those instant potatoes? Not my thing.

We're gonna test some things here.

[funky music plays]

-Ay, ay, ay. [laughs]
-[taps spoon]

We gotta zhuzh this up a bit.

[Dominic] I'm a marketing manager,
but what I wish I was doing for a living

is a full-time job as a cook,
a food personality.

Food is my passion.

I have my food blog
and I... cooking videos,

but I just need confidence
to do that full-time.

I think to myself, "Okay,
I'm gonna use those instant potatoes

to make potato cakes."

It's very mushy and tasteless.

So I will need some spices.
That's for sure.

[lively upbeat music plays]

Ah! Chef Nancy, how you doing?

-I'm doing great. Thank you.
-What're you working on here?

-I'm tying up my bouquet garni.
-Nice!

Thyme and the rosemary and the bay
are just perfect complements

to the kind of gaminess of lamb.

Mm-hmm. There's some fun ingredients
that you put in those boxes.

One thing I noticed was in the Save Box
was instant mashed potatoes.

Do you think a home cook could
truly elevate that into a great dish?

I was thinking about that lamb chop
with maybe a potato purée on the bottom.

Nice. I saw in the Surprise Box
some dandelion greens.

Yeah, I love the bitter flavor
of a dandelion green.

They might look at it
and say, "I don't know what this is."

"I'm not going to use it."
But if they taste it, as they should,

they will hopefully be inspired.

The Spend Box out there, Chef,
has pretty much everything I'd ever want,

including a delicious rack of lamb.

You've got the sweetness
of pomegranate glaze.

Oh, yeah.

That person better do a pretty great job.

Right, I'm gonna go check in on them.
See you in a bit.

[driving electronic music plays]

I am fairly intimidated by my Spend Box,
but I was a cheerleader all my life.

Go, Laura! You're so fine.

You're gonna cook it
and blow everybody's mind! [laughs]

And I am one
of the most competitive people

you will ever meet.

I am here to cook my best
and show my love for cooking.

So let's make it happen.

I'm cutting the lamb into individual chops

and I'm gonna grill it,

mostly because that's how
I've seen it done before. [laughs]

I'm gonna toast these almonds up.

These are going to provide
good texture for my green beans.

I'm making grilled lamb
with potatoes and green bean almondine.

Yeah.

[bold poppy music playing]

[laughs] I have no idea what this is.

I still have no idea what to do
with the ingredients in the box,

but I don't have any other option.

It's a bit bitter.

I love cooking. I also love art.

So I see my plate as like a canvas.

When someone sees my dishes,

they're blown away
by the artistry on a plate.

I'm going to start the dish by sautéing
the leeks with the green thing. [laughs]

For these canned potatoes and ground lamb,

I wanted to go something
a little bit more simple,

so I'm making lamb meatballs,
as well as mashed potatoes.

I'm seasoning them simply
with some salt and pepper,

but I need some herbs, maybe some garlic.

Garlic would be great.

It makes everything taste better.

[pulsing electronic music plays]

Home cooks, the line is moving.

Red lights are flashing.

We got some upgrades.

Are you ready for your first live auction?

Yes!

Home cooks,
our first item is Dijon mustard.

Tangy emulsifier, great for a marinade.

-Do I have $800?
-[hits buzzer] 800!

$800 going to Dominic, going once.

$800, going twice.

-Sold! Dominic!
-Thank you! Thank you very much!

Home cooks, the next item
up for bid is, ooh! Roasted garlic.

-Prepared by Chef Nancy Silverton herself.
-Wow.

I'll start the bid at $1,000
'cause it touched her hand.

$1,000. Do I have $1,000?

[hits buzzer] Yes, you do.

Dominic. Do I have $1,500?

-[chimes]
-$1,500!

Do I have $1,800?

-Yes.
-$1,800.

-Do I have $2,000?
-[chimes]

[Bobbie] I wonder why Laura's not bidding.

Oh, that's right. She has no more money.

-[Jordan] Do I have 2,300?
-Yes.

$2,300! Dominic really wants
this roasted garlic.

-Do I have 2,500?
-[chimes]

2,500, Bobbie! Let's go!

-Let's go! $3,000.
-[chimes]

-3,400!
-[chimes]

-3,700!
-[chimes]

-4,000.
-[chimes]

-$4,500!
-[chimes]

-[chimes]
-$5,000!

[Laura] Whoo, baby!

-$5,500.
-[chimes]

[Dominic] I need that bold flavor

for my potato cake.
Just need it at all costs.

Do I have $6,000?

[chimes]

Do I have $6,500?

[chimes]

-[yells] $6,500!
-[Bobbie laughs]

-This is so insane!
-Dominic, stop it!

$6,500, going once, going twice! Sold!

The most expensive garlic ever made!

That's a lot of money
to spend on food. [laughs]

Thank you. It's beautiful.

But I was not going
to let her get my garlic.

Trying to be frugal over here. [chuckles]

Next item up for bid is bouquet garni.

Here, you have a bundle
of rosemary, of thyme, and bay leaves.

This right here is great for aromatics,
great for a marinade, great flavoring.

I'll start the bid at $1,000.

-[chimes]
-[Bobbie] I need these fresh herbs.

They add so much flavor.

This is where I'm going to spend my money.

-Do I have $1,200 for this?
-[chimes]

$1,200 for Dominic!

Dominic and Bobbie, I like this.

Dom, you have your garlic.
Let me have my fresh herbs.

-[Jordan] $1,400.
-[chimes]

-Do I have 1,500?
-[chimes]

-Do I have $1,800?
-[chimes]

[Jordan] Oh, yes, I do! $1,800 going once.

$1,800 going twice.

Sold!

To Bobbie. Come pick up your...
[in French accent] ...bouquet garni.

Bobbie, Dominic, I like this.
I like this battle.

Home cooks, this next item
up for auction is a blind bid.

So you don't know what it is,
but here's what I'll tell you.

It is the perfect complement for lamb.

Blind bid $500, where I'll start.

-[hits buzzer] 500.
-$500 going, Dominic.

-[chimes]
-$600 to Bobbie.

-Do I have 800? 800?
-[chimes]

-Do I have 900?
-[chimes]

I'm bidding to drive up the price
and annoy Dom a little bit.

1,500, Dominic. Do I have 1,800?

Do I have 2,000?

-[hits buzzer]
-$2,000 going once, $2,000 going twice.

Sold! Mint jelly!

-Thank you.
-This was a battle!

[laughs]

All of you are cooking at all costs.

♪ How long do you cook lamb for? ♪

♪ I have no idea ♪

♪ 'Cause I've never made it before ♪

You can never go wrong
with anything grilled. Right?

-Laura, I can tell you're having fun.
-Yeah.

I want to have some of that fun with you.
Is there a cheer we can do?

-Yeah, let's do one. Okay.
-Okay, go.

[whistle blows]

-G-O! Let's go, let's go!
-...go!

-G-O! Let's go.
-[Jordan] G... Go!

Come on, Bobbie! G-O!

[together] Let's go, let's go!

-G-O! Let's go!
-[Dominic laughs]

[Laura] Dominic!

G-O! Let's go, let's go!

G-O! Let's go!

-Let's go! That was awesome!
-[whistle blows]

[propulsive music plays]

[Bobbie] Now that I have these herbs,
I'm putting them in the ground lamb

and some of it into the mashed potatoes.

I would love it
if I had some bread crumbs.

I could really use some bread crumbs
as a binder for my lamb meatballs.

So I am encrusting
my meatballs with mixed nuts.

[whirring]

How are we doing, Bobbie?

-Doing good. Doing good.
-Yeah?

[Bobbie] Concentrating quite a bit.

Okay, I need to get my lamb going,

I bought the Dijon
specifically for the lamb.

[sizzling]

And I'm using
this expensive roasted garlic

to flavor
my instant mashed potato patties.

It has a very bold
and sweet garlic flavor.

I'm going to fry up my potato cakes.

[sizzling]

[Dominic] And then,
mint jelly goes well with lamb,

so it kind of inspired me

to make a simple pesto with the spinach,
to pair perfectly with the lamb.

It's gonna be worth it.
It needed the sweetness.

Four minutes, 30 seconds left!

[Bobbie] For my meatballs,
I'm making pomegranate reduction

as kind of like a side sauce,
so it'll be drizzled around the plate

and it'll add a really nice color.

[dramatic music plays]

Oh, crap! Burnt my pomegranate reduction.

I have to start all over again. [groans]

I don't have much time left.

Oh, gosh!

My plate is like my canvas.

I need color.

Ninety seconds left.

Shut up! Seriously?

[driving electronic music plays]

[Jordan] Don't forget, you need
to get your plate onto the line

and hit the red button
before time runs out.

My pomegranate reduction is very thin.
I am not happy with it.

It looks so bad.

[suspenseful percussive music plays]

[chimes]

Okay, here she is.

[Dominic laughs]

[chimes]

[Jordan] Five, four, three...

-[chimes]
-...two, one.

Whoo! Good job.

[all applaud]

[Jordan] Okay, home cooks.
Let's send your plates back to Chef Nancy.

It's time for her to judge.

I really want to impress Nancy.

She is one of my culinary inspirations.

I admire her so much.

[intriguing funky music plays]

Wow, that was intense!

[both laugh]

-Chef! Are you hungry?
-I am.

Okay, this dish is
a nut-crusted lamb meatball

with potatoes, pomegranate glaze,

and a dandelion and leek sauté.

I love pomegranate glaze.

It's sweet but it's also, uh, acidic.

I would have just put it
on the bottom of the plate,

only because the darkness

kind of stains the potatoes,
and I like food to look bright.

I'm so happy that the cook

did not shy away
from using the dandelion greens,

and they're sautéed beautifully.
They're nice and green still.

I love that they mixed them with leeks.

[Jordan] This home cook
picked up your bouquet garni...

-[Nancy] Yeah.
-...for $1,800.

-Money well spent, I may add. [laughs]
-Um, oh! Okay, yeah.

Did they utilize those ingredients?

[Nancy] It's there.
I think it's really well balanced.

The meatballs, you get
that subtle gaminess,

lambiness of the lamb,

but it's well balanced
with that pomegranate.

-So, it's a good surprise? [laughs]
-Yeah, a good surprise.

-Right, Chef, you ready for the next one?
-I'm ready.

[Jordan] This dish is grilled lamb chops

with a potato cake, some aioli,

and a spinach pesto.

That's a potato cake
from instant mashed potatoes.

-I know. I can't wait to try that.
-[laughs]

[gentle suspenseful music playing]

A touch gluey,

but it still fits the bill
of a potato cake.

There's a sweetness in this.

Is this the person
that bought the mint jelly?

-Yes.
-I've never had a better usage of it.

Lamb is cooked really nicely.

Look it. I mean, it's still pink.

You can see a good char mark on there,
yet it's still cooked well.

This home cook purchased
roasted garlic for $6,500! [laughs]

And then also got, obviously,
the mint jelly, as you tasted,

and the Dijon mustard.

I don't know if I would
have spent that much money,

but those upgrades definitely helped it.

[Jordan] Chef, this dish is

almond-crusted grilled lamb chop

with twice-cooked potatoes

and green bean almondine.

This is the Spend Box
and this home cook spent $15,000

on this box.

Okay.

[tense music plays]

Another nicely cooked piece of lamb.

Right? Pink.

Mm-hmm.

I'm not tasting that pomegranate glaze.

And the beans are
a little bit underseasoned.

The cook definitely had
the best intentions,

and the dish is good.

It's just that I wouldn't
have minded tasting something

that has a little bit more of a pop to it.

One last question, Chef Nancy.

Have you come to a decision?

You know, I think I have a winner.

[suspenseful music plays]

It's time to announce a winner.
The home cook with the best dish is...

-Bobbie.
-[all applaud]

-[Laura] Whoo!
-[Jordan laughs]

[Bobbie] I can't believe I just won!

I was not expecting that.

I'm very, very surprised
that I won with the Surprise Box.

I'm just blown away.

Your final challenge is inspired
by the one and only Chef Nancy Silverton.

Since Chef Nancy is an expert
in all things Italian,

we're going to throw a piazza party.

-[laughs]
-Yay! Mwah!

Right now, Chef Nancy is creating
the ingredient boxes

that'll help you create
your best Italian dish.

All right, Chef Nancy! Andiamo!

[aggressive rock music plays]

[Jordan] In this round,
the boxes have set prices.

The Spend Box is going to run you $8,000.

-[inhales sharply]
-The Save Box will cost you $4,000.

And the Surprise Box will cost you $6,000.

Bobbie, since you won the first round,
you get first choice of boxes.

Oh, okay.

And you get to assign the other two
to whichever home cooks you'd like.

-Oh! [laughs]
-Oh, no! [laughs]

Price tag included.

Bobbie, which box do you want to buy?

[groovy music plays]

I will do the Save Box.

I'm picking the Save Box

because I don't want
to take away from my bank,

so I can spend big at the auction.

Who would you like to assign
the $8,000 Spend Box to?

[laughs] We'll do the Spend Box...

[breathes deeply]

-...for Dominic.
-[gasps softly]

[Bobbie] I want to assign
Dominic the more expensive box

just because Laura spent
way too much money in round one.

So I wanted to help her out
and give her the Surprise Box.

The cook with the best piazza party dish

will win the round
and whatever is left in your bank.

You have 45 minutes on the clock.

Let's cook at all costs! Go!

[Laura] Whoo!

[upbeat rock music plays]

Surprise me, Surprise Box.

[Bobbie] In the Save Box,

I see canned whole tomatoes,

pepperoni slices.

Some polenta and zucchini.

These aren't great ingredients.

But I'm the richest person here right now,

so I can spend as much money
as it takes at the auction.

Dom, what'd you get?

Oh my God, fennel, my favorite!

Prosciutto, focaccia, eggplant.

There's very good quality ingredients
in the Spend Box.

Very good prosciutto.
Very good burrata, fresh produce.

I think Bobbie just made
a big mistake giving me the Spend Box.

It's very good.

Let's do it!

[Laura] In my Surprise Box,

I have pancetta, anchovies.

Anchovy?

Um, FYI, I've never had it.

Italian dressing,

ricotta, and strained tomatoes.

Surprise! I don't even know
where to go with that.

Okey-dokey.

Wow. Looks like you all have
cured meat and tomatoes.

Pancetta and strained tomatoes
in the Surprise Box.

Pepperoni and canned tomatoes
in the Save Box.

And prosciutto and fresh tomatoes
in the Spend Box.

Love it.

[Laura] Dominic,
what you got going on over there?

-I got some tomatoes sautéing...
-Okay.

[Dominic] ...with fennel, onions, and basil.

-Cool.
-[Dominic] And some eggplant.

I have eggplant, so I am going
to make eggplant Parmigiana

with fennel cream of tomato sauce,
and crispy prosciutto.

Making eggplant Parmesan
for Nancy Silverton,

it's, "Oh my God! I need to get it right."

Just make the most creative dish
that I can possibly do.

Bobbie, what do you have going on?

I've got a lot going on right now.

I have cooked with polenta before,

but I'm not 100% comfortable with it.

I'm just going to hope for the best.

I'm making polenta with tomato sauce,

using the zucchini
and I guess the pepperoni,

but I would prefer if I had

another type of protein to add to my dish.

-[sniffing] Something smells delicious.
-[laughs]

That means my basil is fresh.
So I'm making a basil pesto.

What's your secret to an amazing pesto?

Fresh basil, Parmigiano Reggiano.

-And pine nuts...
-Pine nuts?

...that are not rancid
and are properly toasted.

And I... Rancid? I don't understand.
It's like, "Those can go bad?"

-Yeah. There's a lot of oil in pine nuts.
-Yeah, yeah.

Uh, so they can go bad.

-So taste 'em before you use them.
-Mm-hmm.

Now, I noticed in the ingredient boxes,
you only included cured meats.

What are you expecting
from each of the individual boxes?

With cured meats,
the flavor is so concentrated.

Mm-hmm.

The prosciutto,
that's really an easy one to work with.

But when it comes to the pepperoni,
like, what are you going to do

if it's not on a pizza?

-Mm-hmm.
-But pepperoni is really a flavor carrier.

A little goes a long way with it.

So it's almost like a seasoning,
they should use it as.

That's a good way to look at it.

Are you gonna be sending out
any other proteins?

-You're gonna just have to wait and see.
-All right, I'm gonna go check up on them.

-See you soon.
-See you.

[dramatic music plays]

[sizzling]

Fire!

Whoo!

[Laura] So I have ricotta cheese,

pancetta, and this tomato sauce,

and I instantly think,

"Aha! We've got a gnocchi!"

So I'm making a ricotta gnocchi.

A bad gnocchi is something that is
just, like, chewy and almost overdone.

You want it to be
just like a pillow in your mouth.

Some people think it's crazy

to make a homemade pasta
with this amount of time,

but I am a very busy mom
of two young kids.

So, I'm trying for 30-minute meals
as much as I can.

Typically, I do have
Parmesan cheese in this.

Of course, I have no Parmesan,

so I have to fly by the seat of my pants.

Yikes. Oh, yikes.

[tense pulsing music plays]

[booms]

[adventurous music plays]

Whoa!

[Laura] I see these cloches
coming down the line,

and I'm just praying,

"Please, let there be Parmesan."

[Jordan] First item up for bid is...

frutti di mare!

Mussels, clams, calamari.

-Popular along coastlines in Italy...
-[gasps]

[Jordan] ...and a staple
in many Italian dishes.

I'm so happy to see seafood.
This is exactly what I need right now.

Now, I'm gonna start
the bidding here for $800.

-[chimes]
-$800.

[Jordan] $800 to Bobbie.

-$1,000.
-[Jordan] $1,000 to Dominic.

[Dominic] I'm seeing this seafood,
but honestly,

I'm just bidding
to give a hard time to Bobbie.

[laughs]

-$1,200.
-[Jordan] $1,200 to Bobbie.

$1,200 going once, going twice.

Sold! To Bobbie for $1,200.

[upbeat music plays]

The next item up for auction is...

homemade mortar-and-pestle pesto

made by Nancy Silverton herself.

-Oh my God!
-[Dominic] Oh, wow!

Like, okay, I gotta have this. [chuckles]

Let me give you guys a deal.
$500 is where we'll start this bidding.

-500.
-$500 for Dominic.

-[chimes]
-[Jordan] $600 to Laura.

There's the big spender!

Whoo!

-[Jordan] $800 to Dominic.
-800.

[Jordan] Do I have $1,000?

$800 going once, going twice...

-Sold!
-[cash register rings]

Dominic. $800 pesto.

All right, so there are four items
in this menu.

I'm not going to tell you what they are.

But here's what I'll tell you,
this is definitely a fine dining menu.

You can select one of the four if you win.

I'm gonna start the bidding at $1,000.

-[hits buzzer] I'll start at a thousand.
-$1,000.

$1,500?

$1,000 going once,

$1,000 going twice.

[chimes]

Ooh.

She's a last-minute type of girl.

Do I have $2,000?

$1,500 going once, $1,500 going twice.

Sold to Bobbie! Come check this out.

Any selection of one thing in there.
What are the four options you have there?

I have truffles, Parmesan cheese,
dry pasta, and sausage.

Bobbie scooping up my Parmesan!

-So what do you want to have?
-Dry pasta, please.

The dry pasta.

The server will be right with you.

[suspenseful music plays]

I want this pasta
so I don't have to do the polenta,

and I know that'll work really well
with the seafood.

This'll definitely elevate
my dish to a whole nother level.

Now that I have
these beautiful ingredients,

I'm going to focus more
on my auction ingredients

than my Save Box.

I'm not using the pepperoni.

So I'm making tagliatelle frutti di mare.

Just throw this all in there.

Fifteen minutes left on the clock.

Whoo! Let's get it going!

I gotta get something
with that tomato sauce started.

However, I don't have my seasonings.

I'm trying to make
a tomato sauce for my gnocchi

without a cent of seasoning.

But I have wine,

and I have
this Italian dressing. [chuckles]

So I just put it all in the pot

and prayed to God that it would work.

What's really important is to get
that eggplant really crispy.

And the focaccia is a great breading,

but I really need olive oil
just to nail the crispiness.

[dramatic musical flourish plays]

[percussive music plays]

Something's coming, guys.

What do we have?

[Jordan] Home cooks,
it's a bonus upgrade auction.

Get ready with those buzzers.

Aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.

Ooh.

Start the bidding at $500.

-[chimes]
-$500.

$500 to Dominic. Do I have $600?

$500 going once, $500 going twice.

Sold to Dominic for $500!

So Dominic, your options are for $500,

you can either have
the olive oil and aged balsamic,

or whatever is underneath this cloche.

[tense music plays]

I'm curious to see
what's under the other cloche,

but I really need extra virgin olive oil.

I'm getting the olive oil
and the balsamic.

-Is that your final decision?
-Yes.

Then let's take a look
at what you could have had.

Five thousand dollars back into your bank.

Oh, my God.

Come get your olive oil.

That's pretty messed up.

[Dominic] Really hurts.
The cash would have been nice.

Oh, well!

But the olive oil is going
to make the difference in my dish.

Now I can get the eggplant crispy.

Five minutes left on the clock.

[percussive music plays]

[Bobbie] My pasta is a little too al dente
and my seafood is still cooking,

but I have no time left,
so this'll just have to do.

I'm adding it to my sauce
so it can cook in there a little bit more,

and absorb some more of that flavor.

[Dominic] I really wanted
to honor Nancy's pesto,

so I'm using the pesto as a sauce

for a very fresh and bold fennel slaw.

Okay, guys! We got two minutes!

-Let's do it!
-Whoo! Let's go!

Bellissimo! I don't know what that means,
but I think it means something good.

Is this the winning dish?
I don't know. But you know what?

You can put lipstick on a pig
and she looks pretty doggone good.

Thirty seconds left.

Remember, you got to get your plates
to the line and hit the red buzzer

before time runs out.

[Bobbie] I am not happy with my plating.

This is not my best piece of art,

but with the limited amount
of time I have...

[inhales sharply]

[Jordan] Ten seconds, nine,

eight, seven, six,

-five...
-[chimes]

-[Jordan] ...four...
-[chimes]

-[Jordan] ...three, two, one.
-[chimes]

Whoo, baby!

Oh, God!

[Jordan] Your dishes are off
to final judgment by Chef Nancy.

[dramatic music plays]

[sighs heavily]

-That was intense.
-[laughs]

-You ready?
-Oh, yes.

So this dish is
a tagliatelle frutti di mare.

So it has the calamari,
mussel, and clam upgrade.

This came from the Save Box.

Well, it came from the Save Box,
but not so much of a Save Box anymore.

-Given the seafood upgrades, right?
-[Jordan] Yes.

[Nancy] And obviously switched out
the polenta for the pasta.

[Jordan] Yes. Correct.

[driving instrumental hip-hop music plays]

You know, pasta is nicely cooked.

I can tell the mussels are plump

but there's nothing
that stands out about it.

I don't taste the pepperoni at all.

-That would have given it that kick.
-Mm-hmm.

And I think it would
have transformed the pasta

from something
that's a little bit ordinary

to something that was maybe extraordinary.

All right, Chef. So in front of you,
you have an eggplant Parmesan

with a creamy fennel tomato sauce,

a fennel pesto slaw,

and crispy prosciutto.

The crispiness of the eggplant
is terrific.

I love the crispy prosciutto.

Nice texture with all that,

which I love against the creaminess
of the tomato sauce.

And then the fennel with the basil pesto.

Did they do your pesto sauce justice?

I think I'd rather be able
to recognize it better.

For me,
the most successful part of the dish

is really that fry on the eggplant.

-All right, Chef, ready for the next dish?
-I'm ready.

For this dish, you have a ricotta gnocchi

in a tomato sauce with crispy pancetta.

That gnocchi was homemade.
Forty-five minutes.

You know, I love ricotta gnocchi.

I have to say this one's a little dry.

But it's a smart move.
Look it, you've got ricotta.

You want to turn it into an Italian dish

and this certainly goes
under the pasta category.

Think the most successful part
really is the flavor of that tomato sauce.

This was not an easy box.

So, I say not only an A for effort,

an A for...

Ingenuity?

Ab... Without a doubt.

You've now tasted
all three of the home cooks' dishes.

-Do you think you can select a winner?
-It's a tough one, but I think I can.

[suspenseful electronic music plays]

It's time to find out
who won the competition

and all the cash in their banks.

But first, allow me to introduce you
to our guest chef and judge,

the incomparable Chef Nancy Silverton.

[all applaud and cheer]

-Hello, home cooks.
-[laughing] Hello, hi!

Let's get to the results.

[dramatic music plays]

So, who made the tagliatelle
with the frutti di mare?

That was me.

So Bobbie, I gotta compliment you.

Your pasta was well cooked,
and the seafood was cooked perfectly.

-Good job.
-Thank you.

Which of you made the eggplant Parmigiana?

I did.

Dominic, your eggplant
was delicious and perfectly crispy.

It was really a complex and creative dish.

-Well done!
-Thank you.

-Laura.
-Hi.

I was really impressed
that you made gnocchi in 45 minutes.

You used the ricotta. Impressive.

Now, it's time to find out
whose home cooking was money in the bank.

Laura, you have $4,000 left in your bank.

Dominic, you have $3,900,

and Bobbie, you have
the largest amount with $12,250.

So the home cook with the best dish is...

[suspenseful electronic music continues]

Dominic.

-My God.
-[Laura] Whoo!

[all applauding]

[Dominic laughs]

Oh, my God. Thank you so much, guys.

Dominic, you've won
the $3,900 left in your bank.

-Yay!
-[Laura cheers]

-[Bobbie laughs]
-[all applaud]

I feel great. I'm so, so, so happy I won.

But I also learned a lot about myself.

The fact that I can cook
those ingredients that I don't know about,

just totally wing it.

Dominic, congratulations.

You proved that you can cook at all costs.

Thank you so much.

-[all applaud]
-Yeah!

I am just feeling
so grateful for the experience,

which will be a forever memory for me.

[Bobbie] Being here,
it just kind of shows you

that sometimes you are more capable
than you give yourself credit for.

[Dominic] I really want
to pursue this culinary career

and now I feel like I have
the confidence to do this full-time.

[cheerful electronic music plays]