Merguez-Stuffed Quail with Potato Mille-Feuille (Batata Harra style) and Apricot Chutney 

Chris's second course tells the story of his present — North African and Middle Eastern travels, plated with a tribute to his late mother. 

Chris: "Second course at the restaurant, I do a merguez-stuffed quail that I like a lot." 

Chris: "We're heading to Morocco for the second course. I want to go the route of [my travels] — North Africa and the Middle East. So we're making merguez-stuffed quail with batata harra and this apricot chutney that I used to make with my mother for Thanksgiving." 

Chris on the mille-feuille: "Mille-feuille means a thousand layers. The potato version is just lots of layers of thinly sliced potato, typically with clarified butter, cooked in an oven. I want to make it in the style of batata harra, which is like a spiced potato dish that we specifically ate in Lebanon that we love. So apricot chutney is the nod to my mom — we would make a chutney every Thanksgiving." 

Chris: "I'm always thinking about my mother. I want to have a piece of her on the plate because I'm thinking about her every day, and that's right now." 

Chris (presenting): "I have been very fortunate to travel all over the Middle East and North Africa. I draw on those experiences in my food. So today is kind of a blend of Morocco and Lebanon. You have merguez-stuffed quail — a little bit of Lebanon on the plate — and then you have potato mille-feuille, and then a little apricot chutney, which is an ode to my mother. She passed away in January very suddenly. In this present moment, I'm thinking about her, and every day I'm thinking about her. I think that's a big reason I'm still in this competition, so I wanted to include my mother, of course, as well."