Top Chef ™
Baker:
Season:
Week:
Challenge Type:
Cheesy Popcorn Grits with Goat Cheese
Cesar: "We don't have that much time to think about what we're grabbing, but luckily, I see cheddar popcorn. I feel like that's going to be an easy one to cook with. That's going to be the grits."
Cesar: "I'm making popcorn grits with a little bit of broccoli. Finish it with some cheddar. When I first moved to Chicago and I had, like $600 in my bank account, I survived off staff meals and popcorn. Just cook those down with some cream, and they just get a grit consistency. They already are cheddar flavored, so it'll be like little cheddar grits with some goat cheese on them."
Cesar: "Tastes nice. The broccoli's in there. The popcorn just melts into the cream bacon mixture."
Presenting to Judges
Cesar: "This is cheddar popcorn grits finished with a little bit of goat cheese and an apple bacon, celery leaf condiment on top."
Judges: "What did you use for your cooking implement?"
Cesar: "Pressure cooker. Just for searing the bacon."
Judge: "Got it. I would never have known it was popcorn if you didn't say anything. Nice."
Judges
"Cesar. The creativity of taking popcorn and turning it into grits, you need to be committed on that strong move. And it had all these layers of texture as you worked in your apples that were crunchy and fresh. It was really tasty."
