The Great American Recipe has made it to the semi-final round and that means it is time to take on a celebration of “Family.”
With just four cooks left on The Great American Recipe, there is a lot on the line in this episode. Once again, we will see two different dishes from our home cooks. But, both dishes are based on the idea of friends and family.
In the first round, the dishes are all inspired by a friend (even those friends who are basically our family). And since there are only four cooks left, we are truly looking to see what each of them brings to the table (literally) in this round of cooking.
The Great American Recipe takes on two challenges that center around the theme of “Family”
Up first in this round we have Foo, who is making a Thai Spicy Basil Stir Fry, inspired by a family friend who he shares recipes with. And yes, he is putting his own spin on the dish.
Then we have Silvia. For her friend inspired dish, she is making Date and Macadamia Chicken Salad Sandwich. It is actually a recipe she got from her husband’s cousin, who has become a good friend of hers. And with this recipe, the two get to stay close, even if they don’t see each other often.
Our third cook is Dan, who is making Baked Stuff Quahogs (a large shell clam). This is a dish he learned to cook really young from a friend. And it was one of the first dishes Dan learned to make.
Finally we have Robin, who is whipping up Spinach Stuffed Squid. This is a dish she learned from a family that her family “adopted” when she was younger. And over the years, she has seen her friends make this dish many times. So it is all about making her friends proud.
With four very different dishes for the judges to try, it should be interesting to see which dishes end up being the favorites of the round. And after some interesting comments from the judges, it turns out that the best dishes came from Silvia and Foo.
Now it’s time for our second round! And that means that it is time for them to cook up some dishes inspired by their family.
In this case, it is the dishes that have stood the test of time. Think of the dishes that you grew up with and that you have adapted in your own way too.
So what are our home cooks cooking up this time?
In this round, Foo is making Vietnamese Egg Rolls (a recipe of his mother’s that she would use to thank the people who helped the family when they came to the U.S.). At Silvia’s station, she is making Pozole Verde (and she is doing it the way her mom did it, with a green salsa and chicken). Dan’s recipe is his Great Grandmother’s Calzone. (It’s a recipe he can trace all the way back to Italy and his great grandmother.) Finally, we have Robin, who is making a stuffed turkey. Specifically, her dish is Sage and Chestnut Turkey Stuffing.
Once again, these are some fascinating recipes. And it certainly sounds like this will end up being a difficult choice for the judges. Because at the end of the day, only three cooks can make it to the final.
So which cooks were at the top of this round? That would be Foo and Silvia! So which dish was the most successful? That honor went to Silvia and her Pozole.
And that means that it is between Dan and Robin as to who will sadly be going home. Ultimately, the person who went home this round was Dan.