[Comprehensive Entertainment] Reincarnation reality show

What is Classic American Dish?

fish and chips?No, that's British street food.

Veal blancboise?No, that's a classic French dish.

seafood rice?No, that's the most famous and popular dish in Spain.

None of this—horrible or delicate or simply delicious—is classic American cuisine.

American food is hot sausage, oily hot dog, salty bacon, macaroni and cheese with unique flavor, hamburger with rich gravy, and sandwich with distinct taste. Nutritious food is the classic of fast-paced Americans.

"I don't think any of you are unfamiliar with the theme this time."

On the second day of the challenge session, Gordon used this sentence as his opening remarks.

"This may be your most everyday food, but you still have to make us refreshed."

Hearing the hint from the chef, the contestants of the two teams standing in front of the chef immediately started to think about the theme of this competition. Almost everyone thought of hamburger, hamburger and hamburger. This is definitely the most representative food in the United States ,none of them.

Put all other food in the burger and experience it with the burger-sausage, bacon, hot dog, everything is fine!

"This challenge." Gordon looked at the contestants who stared at him unblinkingly. Every time he saw the nervousness of the contestants, he had a subtle pleasure, "What you have to do for me , is classic American food, whether it’s burgers or sandwiches, sausage or bacon, brunch or dinner, everything is fine. The focus this time is simple but not simple, the dishes can be simple, but the taste can’t be simple! Got it? "

"Yes, Chef!" Chef's request was broader than they had imagined, much to the relief of the contestants.If everyone made hamburgers, the final competition would be more direct and more terrifying.The more restricted the theme, the more intense the competition, so that the strong players can stand out more, but the weaker players will also expose their weaknesses!

"You still have a full 30 minutes to complete this game." Gordon finally reminded, "So don't send me with the kind of simple food that can be completed in 5 minutes. This will not only make you Shame will also shame me and Hell's Kitchen. Because besides me, there are two other chefs in your dreams as judges for this challenge!"

"Oh..." Here it comes!In addition to the nervous exclamation, the contestants immediately held their breath, waiting for the chef to reveal the other two judges - it is not surprising that there are judges other than the chef in the challenge competition, this is also a novelty created by the program team feel.

For the most part, the judges are terrific, Michelin-starred chefs, though occasionally there are unprofessional but equally eye-catching judges.However, this time the judge should be the former. If the chef can be called the chef of the contestants' dreams, then the other party must also be a well-known and powerful chef in the culinary world!

"Come on, let's welcome two chefs!" Gordon looked towards the door. "First, the CEO and Executive Chef of Ortega 120, Thomas Orteger! Welcome, Thomas!" Gordon's last sentence was addressed to the guest judges.

The tall and chubby chef walked quickly towards the chef and the contestants. When he walked up to Gordon, the two exchanged a warm hug and patted each other on the back—he was also the chef and the actual management of the restaurant. Or, Gordon and Thomas have friendship and a common language. This level of welcome is really normal.

"Hello, I hope you can make food that catches my eye. This is a big problem." After hugging Gordon, Thomas quickly turned around and greeted the players.His words are very solid. After all, to make classic dishes amazing, this is a job that requires not only cooking skills, cooking experience, but also whimsy.

It’s like trying to make Chinese home-cooked food so amazing, it’s also rare—no matter how delicious tomato scrambled eggs are, they are still tomato scrambled eggs. There are a few real national players who rely on special tomatoes Famous for scrambled eggs?

The reality is not movies and fairy tales. It is not enough to rely on "love" to make ordinary dishes outstanding. The so-called "glowing dishes" sometimes only exist in animation.To really make a dish stand out, you must use different ingredients, fresh and unique cooking techniques, and a flash of inspiration to make this humble dish stand out.

Just like the famous boiled cabbage dish in the Manchu Banquet, it seems inconspicuous, just a clear soup with little water, but in fact, it is not just cabbage, but fresh and hot, complicated workmanship, clear chicken soup without a trace of impurities (called boiled water), while keeping the natural shape of the cabbage unchanged, boil the cabbage little by little.

For a humble cabbage, from the preparation of the soup to the final preparation, it takes whole hours.

This is what makes an ordinary dish stand out immediately. From ingredients to techniques, from time to workmanship, everything is meticulous and ingenious.

This time the challenge is the same, although the time is limited, only 10 minutes, but it is absolutely difficult to make dishes that look simple, but generally have no special features, into dishes that give people a new look.

"The next person to be invited is the executive chef and operator of the jar hotel, Suzanne Chachit." Gordon hugged the woman with brown curly short hair who walked in after Thomas, "Welcome, Suzanne. "

"Thank you, Gordon." Suzanne and Gordon hugged and greeted the players, "Hello, I am looking forward to your performance. With Gordon here to 'supervise', your level must continue to improve." Improve." Suzanne was very eloquent, not only encouraged the contestants, but also praised the host of the show by the way.

"Okay." After the contestants also nodded to the two guests, Gordon said to the contestants, "This challenge is about to start, and the last reminder I give is to try to stagger with your teammates. Come on, don't make the same food, it will give us a little freshness, understand?"

"Yes, Chef!" the contestants shouted back to the Chef.

"Okay, let's go! The game begins!" Gordon nodded in satisfaction, and with a big wave of his hand, the players who were always ready rushed into their respective kitchens and went straight to the ingredients area!

Off to the side, where photography is no longer being filmed, Gordon sat down with two guests, tasting wine and chatting.

On the other side, where the camera is always watching, the contestants are busy picking ingredients and preparing to start their cooking.

"Leah, what are you going to do?" In the red team, Julie asked Yili while picking ingredients from the food area and freezer at the back with the others.

This is a question on everyone's mind.If the same type of food is made, even if they are not compared together on the surface—their direct opponent is the blue team, but the chef will definitely make a secret comparison in his heart, and that is essentially a competition with the same team.

No one wants to cook the exact same food as Leah if they can.

The chef has always liked Liya's food. It can be said that Liya has grasped the taste of the chef. The opponent's strength is obvious to all. Once he competes with the opponent on the same stage, no one can guarantee that he will be able to make dishes that surpass the opponent. Hold each other's shoulders.Even though, everyone has such an idea in their hearts, and even hesitates whether to implement it, but hesitation and decision are two different things.In this matter, even Renee was unwilling to confront Leah directly.

"I'm going to make a small hamburger." Yili replied without hesitation—she has specially prepared common dishes such as hamburgers, steaks, and seafood. Even though she has no talent in food innovation, Xie Cheng is really good at it. very thoughtful.The other party and her mentor this time helped her prepare a lot of unique and classic dishes. What she has to do is to reproduce those dishes that have been prepared long ago when she encounters a suitable theme.

This is very frustrating. After all, she is not a real professional chef. Unlike other contestants who have been immersed in this industry for ten or decades, they may not be good at leadership, but they are talented in cooking , experienced, definitely not something that an acquired "crash" player like her can match.She can only be as tricky as possible, just like betting and guessing questions in an exam.No matter where, besides strength, luck and skill are very important.This targeted preparation is game skill.

"By the way, what are you all going to do?" After briefly stating her plan, Yili also asked the others.As the chef said, she hopes that her teammates will not do heavy work as much as possible, which will indeed make the chef unconsciously compare.And their real enemy is not their teammates, but the blue team separated by a wall, and they should not fight internally.

"I'm going to make bacon mac and cheese." Denisa has already picked up her main ingredients and is now picking out the seasoning side dish.

"I want to make a baked bread pudding. This is a special dish in my family. I will make it for my children during the holidays." Julie replied with a smile-if there is a loving cuisine in the world, the family is full of care. The feeling of love and the food made by oneself are one of them.However, for the chef, the biggest question is, will the home-cooked food be too simple to arouse the appetite of diners on the plate?This is indeed a question for Julie to think about.

"I want to make a top-notch steak burger." Renee paused, and also expressed her ambition.Compared with Yili's small burger, what she wants to do is a luxurious big burger.This is a dish that is not directly, but intentionally or unintentionally reveals hostility.But in order to prevent repeating it with others, Renee still spoke out.

Everyone, including Yili, felt Renee's provocation. They looked at Yili unconsciously, but Yili's expression remained unchanged—after the dinner service victory last night, the red team There were no loud dissonances inside.However, the root of the curse that has been buried and solidified cannot be pulled out overnight, and instead of trying to pull it out, it is better to dig out the muddy land directly to cut the grass and avoid future troubles.When it's time to make a decision, Yili will never be soft.

"I'm going to make sausages." Suddenly, the atmosphere became a little awkward, and Irene quickly opened her mouth to ease the atmosphere-this is still in the game, please everyone work together, can't you compete well?Erin thought so.

"Then I'll make tacos with bacon," Mira said, too.

"...wouldn't this be too Mexican?" Meg said blankly, and of course Mira rolled her eyes.But in matters of fact, Meg was not wrong.Mexico is a big corn-producing country, and burritos are a classic way of food in this country-many ingredients can be chopped and shredded into burritos. Meg's words are not unreasonable.

"Haven't you ever had a burrito in America?" Makes sense, but it's obviously frowned upon.Mira immediately blushed and retorted, and her rebuttal was also justified-Mexico and the United States are adjacent to each other and blend in many aspects, from food to economy, from language to culture.In the United States, besides the official English, Spanish is also popular. In addition to the versatility of Spanish itself, it is also related to its neighboring countries. Latinos are also an important race in the United States.

"..." Meg didn't talk very thoughtfully, and she immediately stopped talking when Mira slapped her so much, but when she lowered her head, her mouth still moved to the side unconsciously.Fortunately, Mira didn't see it, otherwise there would be another quarrel.

"Don't talk about it now." Yili also has a headache for this situation, but time is limited. Whether it is arguing or persuading a fight, it is a waste of time and energy. They can't spend their precious game time on it. I could only forcibly change the subject and ask others, "Gina, Whitney, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do..." The two also expressed their plans respectively.

While the red team is planning their menu, the blue team is also discussing their plans.

The red team has nine members, and the pressure of internal competition is high. If there is a slight overlap, they may be used for comparison. In contrast, the blue team has only seven members. The options available have also increased.

"I'm going to make a stuffed bread," said Brandon, who thought his recipe was up to par.

"No problem." No one wants to compete with him on this.

"Then let me make a Muffuletta sandwich." Josh said, this kind of sandwich is a representative of New Orleans, a very important part of the American regional diet, and definitely meets the requirements of the chef.

"I want to do New Yorker steak." Adam said directly.

His request drew other people's attention.Not to mention anything else, among all the common and classic dishes, Adam suddenly said to make a steak, which is like when others say that we make home-cooked dishes, one person suddenly said to make top-level dishes, giving people a kind of A sense of supercilious arrogance.

But after all, it was during the competition. The others tried hard and endured, and finally did not directly confront Adam, but their behavior also revealed a lot of dissatisfaction—for example, they snorted in disdain, thinking that Adam used good ingredients to make high-end food It can't be done well, and another example is throwing the cloth to wipe your hands on the table heavily, or more appropriately, making a slap.

"What do you mean!"

Adam's temper has always been a little bit. In the past, Devin held him back and persuaded him and others to make peace, but now that Devin was eliminated by him in disguise, no one came out to be a peacemaker anymore—— The male contestants didn't forget that the one who nominated the good-tempered uncle Dewin was this ungrateful bastard. In addition, Adam usually has a bad temper, and the others were even more reluctant to talk to him.

It can be said that after last night's dinner service and elimination session, it wasn't Sean who upset the men's team the most. Others didn't take him too seriously, so they didn't target him, but they didn't have a good look at Adam, who likes to "bite people".

Perhaps, it was precisely because of this crisis that Adam decided to make a successful steak, which won the affirmation of the chef and made others look at him differently.He doesn't care about those villains who are jealous of him, as long as he cooks steak, the chef will definitely praise him, he can imagine that scene!As for the other wild dogs barking around, he didn't care at all!

"Hmph, it's nothing." The others didn't bother to talk to Adam, and simply continued talking about their plans.

"I'll make an Eggs Benedict, with some..." Xiao also said his plan.

"Then I'll make a maple sausage," Sean said.

"I want to do..." Renault also answered.

It was long, but the real negotiation process was actually just a few minutes. The players of the two teams quickly decided on their own dishes, selected the ingredients, and then returned to their respective dining tables to start their own cooking.

Ely's little burgers are very quintessentially American, not the multilayered, elaborate traditional European burgers.

The little burger is said to date back to the Great Depression.At that time, the lives of Americans were very difficult, unable to pay for food expenses in the past, and the business of street vendors was declining day by day.In order to improve their business, small bosses have launched this kind of affordable food with smaller portions and lower prices.Later, the Great Depression passed, but Americans got used to this small burger, so this food officially entered American families and various restaurants.

However, it is impossible for a high-end restaurant to just incorporate this kind of cheap food, so many changes have been made.For example, with more expensive raw materials and more complicated cooking techniques, the small hamburger is no longer the original small hamburger, except that the size has not changed, it has become another more noble and expensive food, officially from the common people in the food class into the aristocracy.

The so-called high-end food is generally for the taste, not for filling the stomach.The natural size of the small burger determines that it has the opportunity to enter the high-end food circle, and will not be discriminated against because of its big size.The small burger has a delicate and rich taste, which is the definition of a small burger in a high-end restaurant. It not only meets the requirements of the chef's classic American food, but also does not appear too homely or out of date.

In order to enhance the level and style of the small burger, Yili chose high-end ingredients as much as possible.

It is not necessarily impossible to make high-end cuisine with ordinary ingredients, but it is definitely easier to make high-end cuisine with high-end ingredients.

Yili doesn't want to increase the difficulty of her work, she wants to make the chef realize as much as possible that no matter what it is, as long as the food she cooks, it must be on the menu of a high-end restaurant!

This is like those luxury foods, in order to maintain their own luxury style, they do not hesitate to sprinkle edible gold leaf on the dishes.Whether this kind of gold leaf can improve the taste of food will not be said (the answer is probably no), but there is no doubt that it can increase the value of food.

Therefore, the most important patty in the burger, Yili chose the top steak.

The so-called top steak is actually a rib eye steak, but it is the best part of the rib eye steak. Only the rib eye steak that follows the lower diaphragm of the cow can be called a top steak. The number is also very rare, second only to filet.

Filet steak is of course the most tender and most expensive part of a cow. A thousand-pound cow can only produce single-digit filets. Based on the principle that rare things are more expensive, the cost of filet is taken for granted. up!However, the characteristic of filet mignon is tender, very tender, almost creamy tender, but its fat content is very low, so it is not suitable for meat patties.

The ribeye steak is just the opposite. It is also a very expensive part of the beef, but it is not as expensive as the filet. Its meat is also relatively tender. Most importantly, it also has uniform and beautiful marbled fat!For meatloaf, the pattern of fat may not mean much, but the fat itself is very important!Only with oil can there be a natural oily aroma and enhance the aroma of gravy!And the gravy is the essence of the patty in the burger!

As the best piece of ribeye steak, the top steak has a natural smooth, tender and sweet taste, even and delicate fat, and overflowing gravy. It is definitely the most suitable beef for meatloaf!

After getting the other ingredients for the side dishes, Yili started to deal with the steak.

Turning a whole steak into the final patty is bound to be a complicated process.

Thankfully, these steaks are fresh ingredients, not frozen, otherwise, it will take a precious time to wake up the meat.

Yili first chopped the beef thoroughly, and then marinated it with the prepared seasoning.

A small piece of beef used to make patties does not require a meat grinder-that is a necessity for large-scale fast food restaurants, and the meat cut by hand always has a natural quality that a meat grinder cannot match. The taste is like rice flour and flour crushed by machine, which is not as flavorful as hand-milled.Countless top restaurants search the world for the best raw materials and the best pre-processed food year after year, just for that subtle difference in taste.This is word of mouth and the beauty of food.

As for seasoning, Yili chose sea salt, black pepper, and a little lemon juice.

Sea salt and black pepper are evenly sprinkled on the beef in a small stainless steel basin, and the lemons taken in advance are also cut in half. Squeeze with your hands to squeeze out a yellowish and transparent fresh lemon juice.

These common seasonings are very suitable for seasoning without masking the freshness and sweetness of the beef itself.

Compared with ordinary table salt, sea salt has a richer taste, can bring out the original taste of ingredients, and can also enrich the taste of food. It is an ideal seasoning.The freshly cut and squeezed lemon juice can remove the natural fishy smell of meat, just like the spices in Chinese cooking, it can also increase the umami taste of the meat, play a role in freshening, and can also soften the meat, so that The final patty is more palatable.

The preliminarily processed beef was quickly put aside, Yili turned on the stove, heated up the oil pan, took a piece of bacon, cut it into pieces, and sprinkled the bacon when the oil pan sizzled softly.

This bacon is made from pork, which is actually the best meat for burger patties.

You know, the texture and chew that are important for steak don't really matter when it's shredded and made into patties.In other words, the meat quality advantages of high-quality steaks cannot be perfectly reflected.In contrast, the meat quality of pork is generally more balanced. Unlike steak, there are differences in tenderness in different parts, and pork also has gravy, which is very suitable for making meatloaf.Even Gordon himself said in a cooking column that pork is the perfect meatloaf ingredient.

But it sounds like ordinary pork is not as good as special cut steak, so Yili chose top steak.This is a competition, and she wants to surpass others, whether it is the ingredients or the final presentation.

The diced bacon quickly changed color in the oil pan, from light pink to delicious deep red, and a layer of crispy texture appeared on the surface, and the rich aroma of bacon spread immediately.Adding this kind of bacon to the patty can increase the taste and layering of the patty, bringing diners a different enjoyment-like sweet chocolate with crisp and delicious nuts, which makes people eat it for the first time. There is a sense of surprise.

After that, Yili cut into the onion with purple skin - this kind of onion is a little sweeter than ordinary white onions, which is the natural feature of purple onions, which can increase the sweetness of meat and make meat more sweet, After that, smoked paprika and other seasonings were added to make the bacon a salivary red.

The bacon will be cooked soon. At this time, you can use a special kitchen napkin to spread on the chopping board, pour the bacon on top, and use the paper towel to absorb the golden oil from the bacon to make it more refreshing. Pour the processed bacon into the small stainless steel basin containing the beef.

Knead to infuse the bacon with the ground beef more, then form three golf ball-sized patties, flatten slightly, and place in the refrigerator to rest.This both gives the patty its shape and allows the flavors of the seasoning to penetrate the beef better.

From the simple sprinkling, everything, and squeezing of the beef, to the frying of the bacon, to the repeated and patient kneading and shaping, Yili's meticulous and skillful movements are constantly magnified under the lens, and the calm and smooth Her posture made people feel full of confidence in the food born in her hands—it must be very, very delicious meatloaf, so it deserves her to treat it so seriously and carefully.

Five minutes later, the patty took shape, and Yili began to make other side dishes in the burger—bread, salad, vegetables, cheese, sauces, all of which are important components of a burger, and a burger should be a complete serving A good dish, like a real steak, should have a variety of side dishes, not just a bare steak.

Yili quickly kneaded a small dough and put it aside to ferment, waiting to make her hamburger noodles.

After that, she started making her important sauce, which she wanted to make a very Anglo-American sweet and savory sauce.

During the resting time of the meatloaf, Yili has enough time to wait for the dough to ferment and make a perfect sauce.

The first is tomato sauce to accompany the main sauce.

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, peel the skins, mash them with a blender, then simmer in a pot, season with salt, sugar and other seasonings, put them into the broth prepared in the kitchen, and set high heat first, then low heat, stir, collect juice, take out.

This makes for a basic tomato sauce.

Then, start making the main show.

Pour the olive oil into the pan, heat, and shake well.

While you're waiting for the oil to heat up, you can prepare the condiments for the important sauce—if you're quick enough.

The first is the onion—this is an important ingredient in Western food. Cut the washed and peeled onion in half, put one side down on the chopping board, and be careful not to cut one end, and cut the onion from the other end. Separate slices, then cut from the top, and chop the onion into fine pieces—this is the cut that maximizes the contact surface of the onion and blends best with other ingredients and seasonings.In addition to the all-purpose onion, a little garlic clove is also chopped, which will enrich the flavor and texture of the onion.

But in the blink of an eye several times, those white and delicate hands quickly cut the ingredients, and then before the audience could react, they slid the palm and the blade on the chopping board neatly, picked up the chopped onions and Garlic cloves, poured into the frying pan——that too fast movement made one almost unable to help worrying whether her hand would be cut by it.

The onion and garlic cloves added to the oil pan soften quickly, and before it is fully cooked, salt and other seasonings are added immediately, as well as brown sugar and smoked paprika for color, which slowly stain the original white ingredients. Put on a beautiful reddish brown color, control the firepower, and stir fry gently from time to time, so that the brown sugar, red pepper and ingredients slowly melt and blend, creating a caramel-like sticky feeling.

At this time, the sauce has been preliminarily completed and the ingredients are fully cooked, so some apple cider vinegar can be added in a timely manner, which can make the taste of the sauce more fresh and rich.However, as a translucent liquid, apple cider vinegar will undoubtedly dilute the subtle stickiness before, so it is necessary to re-collect the juice with high heat to maintain the texture of the sauce itself.

After that, the previously prepared tomato sauce can come in handy.

The consistency of tomato sauce is naturally the best of all sauces, so when you add a basic tomato sauce to a basic smoked barbecue sauce, you get a new sauce with just the right consistency, and you can also use a little hot sauce And seasoning again.

After two to three minutes of blending, a fresh, flavorful, and flavorful smoky BBQ sauce is complete.

This is definitely one of the best sauces in the world for small burgers!

Even if you can't taste it, under the high-definition lens, everyone can imagine how delicious the sauce that keeps gurgling small bubbles and glowing with thin steam is—it must be sweet and salty, with a little taste Slightly stimulating taste buds, awakening taste buds, but not too spicy, sweet and spicy, and can also taste a little sourness belonging to tomato sauce and apple cider vinegar, which is a wonderful taste that whets the appetite!

After a full 15 minutes, Yili finally finished her sauce!

When the pan was tilted and the slightly thick, caramel-colored sauce slowly slid from the pan to the white porcelain bowl below, everyone behind the camera could see how delicious the sauce was. Delicate and perfect, not even the slightest flaw can be seen!

While the others were still immersed in the mouth-watering delicious sauce, Yili had already continued her work—she had no extra time to think, and she had to complete her progress as soon as possible!Whether it is refrigeration, fermentation or making sauces, it is very time-consuming work, and their competition time this time is only half an hour!

Yili quickly shredded the washed lettuce and purple cabbage, mixed them into the sauce, dehydrated, and counted down for 9 minutes.

Then take out the fermented small dough, knead it into shape, sprinkle with sesame seeds, put it in the oven to bake regularly, and count down for 7 minutes.

Take the rested patties out of the refrigerator, pour olive oil in a pan, and start frying when the oil pan squeaks slightly.One side of the patty turns appetizingly brown after 2 minutes, turn it over, cut three slices of cheddar cheese on one side of the chopping board, place it on the side where the patty is fried, and wait for the flat bottom The heat from the pot slowly spread to the cheese, making the cheese melt slowly. The sweet smell mixed with the tempting meaty aroma kept floating over the kitchen...

Count down for 3 minutes.

Remove the hot toasted bread from the oven and let it rest for a while before cutting.

The refreshing lettuce and purple cabbage salad is placed at the bottom, and the light green and deep purple look very well matched;

Put a sliced ​​tomato in the middle, the natural deep red color is very beautiful;

Then carefully remove the patty topped with a slice of cheese from the pan and place it on top of the tomato slices;

Finally, spoon a spoonful of thick smoky barbecue sauce onto the slightly melted tender yellow cheese;

Cover with bread slices sprinkled with sesame seeds.

"One more minute! Hurry up!" At the last moment, Gordon stood up from his seat and reminded the players loudly.

At this time, the contestants were all busy with their final tasks, and almost no one could distract themselves from answering the chef.

Of course, the chef doesn't take it seriously - who else understands the tension and busyness of the kitchen better than him?

Of course he understood these young people who had no time to distract him.

Yili's three little burgers are ready.

Each of the burgers is small and cute, but the height is half a palm high. The rich filling makes them have a fat and crumbling feeling, which makes people worry and want to drool.

——It’s safer to eat it quickly!

—Yes, it’s better for the little burgers, and better for us!

——To show or not to eat is simply a crime!crime! ! !

The audience in front of the TV has their eyes straight...

Although Yili didn't know the audience's worries, but for the sake of beauty and practicality, she also took three thin bamboo sticks from the side, and inserted them into the burger slightly obliquely from the top of the burger to fix the burger. good.

——In formal restaurants, this is generally the case. Only fast-food burgers that can be eaten on the street will use a piece of paper to send a burger. It is purely for filling the stomach, not for tasting classic food. .

"10, 9, 8..." The chef is counting down.

Yili finally adjusted the shape of the small burgers so that they presented the neatest and most attractive side, and then, amidst the chef's countdown, brought her plate to the dining table in front of the chef.