by Chandra Clewley

 

 

The second episode of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills starts with a busy week for Big City Chefs. The three events are a 35th birthday bash for a “Foodzilla” wife’s husband, a murder mystery party in a Scottish castle and a Gourmet Dinner Club where the diners each bring one item and the chefs have to create something Iron Chef style.

 

Chef Brian and Chef Brooks are assigned to the Murder Mystery party thrown by Denise, the owner of an exact replica Scottish castle. Brooke and Brian are thinking of rustic, authentic 17th century food in several courses, and come up with an Appetizer Course of Cinnamon Sausage Biscuits and Roasted Roma Tomato and Bison Soup. The main course will be a Roasted Turkey Leg wrapped in Collard Greens and a Traditional Sheppard’s Pie. For Dessert, they will serve an Apple Galette with Brandy Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce. The chefs start cooking and Denise throws them a couple of curve balls. The first is that the chefs will have to plant clues in the food as the courses come out. The second is that the chefs will have to wear period costumes as well.

 

The second party is hosted by Melissa, a chef who is also a control freak. It is her husband’s 35th birthday and he wants her out of the kitchen with him to celebrate. When Chef Stuart and Chef Manouschka show up, there is a “to do” list that Melissa has left out for them. The first rule is that they must wear latex gloves, something neither of them has done ever. The chefs decide that their first course will be Boerewors on Challah Bread, Strawberry and Asparagus Salad and Cous Cous with Shrimp. For the main course, they will be serving Beef and Guinness Short Ribs and a Herb Stuffed Cornish Game Hen. For dessert they will serve Manouschka’s Mini Chocolate Dipped Caramel Apples with Vanilla Swirls and Stuart’s Poached Apples served in a Valrhona Chocolate Cup.

 

 Melissa comes into the kitchen and starts tasting all of the food, complaining that there are too many cooked stews and veggies and wants to make a salad. Once the salad is underway, she then complains that there has to be one salad that doesn’t have nuts and one that does for someone who has a nut allergy. Manouschka and Stuart are dying of annoyance.

 

The third party is a Gourmet Dinner Club, and Chefs Sasha and Jesse are on task although they are nervous that there is so much lack of control with the ingredients.  The surprise ingredients end up being: Octopus, Beef Tongue, Catfish, Cabbage, Goat Cheese, Oatmeal, Romaine Lettuce, Wagyu Beef, Okra, Salsa, Avocado, Pears, Polenta and Spinach. Sasha is so grossed out, that Jesse thinks that he is going to have to cook all the weird stuff and Sasha will just make the dessert. They have an hour to make up their menu, and Jesse is stuck on Jalapeno poppers. Sasha is determined not to have “bad bar food.” Finally they reach an agreement with an Appetizer course of Avocado Soup served over Grilled Octopus. The second course is Grilled Catfish Taco with Cabbage and Creamy Tomato Salsa and Beef Tongue Taco with Baked Okra in Romaine Lettuce. For the main course, they will serve Grilled Beef Wagyu Beef with Quick Creamed Spinach served on Polenta. Unfortunately, they are way behind because it took them so long to figure out what to make. 

 

Over at the 35th birthday party, Melissa is flipping out and making Manouschka and Stuart really nervous. She also decides to add a dish that her husband Saul must have, a traditional Mielie Pap which is similar to a polenta. Everything Stuart does is just not good enough for Melissa but after she vetoes the Chimichurri sauce for the shrimp because it has too much garlic, Manouschka hits it out of the park by creating a Haitian cocktail sauce that Melissa loves. Finally, Melissa offers invaluable help when she shows Stuart how to make the Mielie Pap but not before asking Stuart which salad doesn’t have nuts in it, and when he points it out, taking an entire bag of walnuts and putting them on it, to his chagrin. All in all, the dinner actually goes over smoothly, particularly for Saul who is pleased he had his wife by his side for this birthday celebration. The chefs are pleased when Melissa comes in and says “good job” but are not surprised when she tells them to clean up her kitchen and that she wants it spotless.

 

Back at the Murder Mystery, the guests are served and Brian and Brooke receive the final clue and solve the mystery. The vegetarian was the killer!

 

Meanwhile, Sasha is flipping out. Everyone is hungry and she is nervous about the tongue being too chewy. When she presents it, she even tells them to prepare to chew, and blames it on Jesse’s cooking. The diners are actually surprised and like the tongue tacos. Once the tongue is out of the way, Sasha and Jesse start working better together and for a dessert Sasha whips up a tequila and citrus sauce to go with the oatmeal and pear crumble. This goes over huge with the guests.

 

All of the dinners are a great success to the relief of the exhausted chefs!

 

Catch an all new episode of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, airing next Friday at 10/9 c on Food Network.

 

(Image courtesy of Food Network)

 

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