by Joshua Krol

 

The final four stood awestruck in front of Chef Ramsay this week on Hell's Kitchen. They realized it's nearing the end of the competition and every little thing counts. That is exactly what Gordy tried to show during this week's "taste it and make it" challenge. The final four were paired up in teams consisting of Julian and Trev and Nona and Russ, and were asked to create a signature dish.

 

Meanwhile, Gordy escaped to the other kitchen and made his own signature dish. Upon Ramsay's return, he tried each team's dish and was able to pick out the main ingredients simply by taste. The importance of a great palate is something Gordy has been pushing since the first day of the competition.

 

After Gordy broke down the signature dishes he unveils the real challenge. Each chef was asked to taste Chef Ramsay's dish and recreate it using only sight, smell, and taste. With 45 minutes to create the dish, the chefs each took a couple mouthfuls and started cooking. While Nona was smitten by Gordy's great cooking, the others stayed focused and started to recreate. All of the chefs zeroed in on each individual ingredient while Trev left himself some options and created two of each section of the dish.

 

Nona and Russell agreed that veal was the main component. Julian chose pork and Trev made pork and veal. The yam puree was unanimously decided upon while Trev made an additional carrot puree. Surprisingly, all but Nona stood firm on a bacon cabbage mixture. Boldly, Nona chose pancetta. Lastly, chicken stock was considered to be the base of the dish but Trev tasted some sweetness and added a spice of wine. Each chef finished their dish within the 45 minute window. While Trev completed his dish correctly, his nervousness caused him to forget about the puree he made as it sat in the processor while Gordy tasted the dishes.

 

Forkfuls of each of the chef's dishes were shoveled into Gordy's mouth as he gave no real feedback until each one has been tasted. The one ingredient all of the chefs got right was the chicken stock. However, Trev was the only one to pick up on the sweetness and as a result was the only one to add wine. Unfortunately, Julian and Trev made the wrong meat decision and were eliminated from the challenge. That left Nona and Russell with the best matching dishes. However, Nona's decision of pancetta over bacon gave her the win over Russell.

 

Nona's first individual challenge win was long overdue. She was treated to a day at the spa and a new set of expensive cookware. Ramsay asked her to also choose another chef to partake in the spa festivities. Russell was chosen not because of his skill but because Nona wanted to be out his crosshairs for the next elimination. As Russell and Nona get pampered, Julian and Trev got to wash and pamper tablecloths and chef jackets. That night Russell and Nona returned from their day of relaxation and hit the kitchen for the all important dinner service.

 

As the chefs ready themselves for the service, Chef Ramsay pulled Julian aside. Gordy has been impressed with Julian's overall performance but has seen her fall off lately. He gave her a pep talk to fight back as they returned to open Hell's Kitchen. As the tickets rolled in for dinner service the chefs pushed out dishes strong and fast for the best start to dinner service all season. That is until Nona's first mistake. The infamous risotto that always gives the chefs trouble was the first mistake of the night. Nona's peppery risotto was sent back followed by Russell's raw scallops. This does not sway the chef's demeanor as they bounced back quickly on appetizers pushing food out in a continual flow.

 

Next were the entrees. Trev was placed on meat and now it is time for him to shine. Trev began to panic immediately forcing Chef Ramsay to give him a crash course on cutting wellington and sending him out of the kitchen for a 30 second breather. After an hour of decently strong service, Trev starts struggling on meats again. And again, he gets kicked out of the kitchen for a breather before he is let back in a second time. While Russell struggles to find his footing on fish, eventually the chefs pull together and finish the dinner service. What is most surprising of all is that Ramsay is actually happy with the chef's ugly but delicious service.

 

Unfortunately, the chefs are still asked to nominate two individuals for elimination. Not surprisingly, Trev is chosen for his poor communication alongside Russell and his poor fish service. During elimination both approach Ramsay sweating bullets. However, Ramsay pulls another surprise form his chef jacket and instead of eliminating someone, he invited each of the chef's families in as a reward for the unheard of strong dinner service. While the chefs got very emotional after seeing their families it also gave them a newfound inspiration to win Hell's Kitchen.

 

 

Hell's Kitchen airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

 

Follow Joshua @jkrol89

 

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