Jenn is back with a recap of Episode 5 of “The Taste!”

“On episode 5 of The Taste tonight it was all about The Art of the Sandwich. For the team challenge the remaining twelve contestants were asked to create their versions of a club, peanut butter and jelly or salad sandwich including tuna, chicken and egg salads. Considering most don’t eat a sandwich off of a spoon the contestants were able to place their tiny sandwiches on a small plate. As usual the teams tasted one another’s creations and chose one for judging, the winner earning immunity for them self and the assistance of guest judges during the solo challenge.

Tonight’s guest judges were Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, chef and owners of Torrisi Italian Specialties. The two critiqued the following sandwiches…

From team Anthony- Diane’s Pulled Pork Club Sandwich (very wet, messy but good)

From team Nigella- Huda’s Tangy Chicken Salad Sandwich (nice acid but a little bland at the same time)

From team Ludo- Gregg’s Seared Tuna Sandwich (grainy mayo but they were into it, very European, enjoyed a raw tuna in place of a classic tuna salad)

From team Brian- Khristianne’s Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich (very good)

In the end Gregg prepared the winning sandwich, winning immunity and assistance from the guest judges during the solo challenge. Not too many were pleased with this decision as he is known as quite the arrogant

For the solo challenge the contestants were tasked with creating the perfect sandwich, being told to step out of the box. As the mentors spoke among themselves about which kind of sandwiches they hoped to see I couldn’t help from laughing out loud as Ludo wished for a “Ba Hi Mi” sandwich, and was corrected by Anthony responding with, “a Banh Mi”? LOL!!! Here’s what the contestants came up with and a bit of what the mentors had to say…

Adam- Triple Pork Sandwich, a play on a Cubano (thought it was chicken and nothing special)

Khristianne- Pork Belly and Liver Mousse Sandwich (risky but really good)

Gregg- Curried Lamb on Naan (unpleasant flavors and didn’t care for bread)

Lauren- Mediterranean Lamb on Naan (loved it!)

Jeff- Hot Beef Sandwich (loved caramelized onions and herb mayo, Anthony shared some fun foodie facts about how deli-sliced meat had more flavor because of the air that was put into the meat which I was unaware of)

Ninamarie- Beef Carpaccio and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich (judges didn’t agree about this one, most enjoyed it except for Brian who felt it was mushy)

Sarah- Fried Oyster Taco (good fish taco with flavors dead on)

Diane- Pork Banh Mi (bad bread choice, too much bread, thick and chewy meat)

Paul- Steak and Fried Green Tomato Sandwich, he forgot to include his bacon component (judges still liked it a lot)

Mia- Lamb and Eggplant Puree on Homemade Naan (didn’t notice that the bread was hand-made and only noticed how burnt it was)

Uno- Steamed Beef Bun, a play on a Bao (thought bun was hand-made though it turned out to be premade pizza dough, Anthony noticed and appreciated the attempt to make a Chinese-inspired Bao sandwich)

Huda- Chicken Pesto Sandwich (raw chicken, over soaked bread, too much pesto)

After tasting and deliberating about sandwiches the judges chose their best and worst picks…

Anthony: Best- Lauren, Worst- Huda

Brian: Best- Jeff, Worst- Mia

Ludo: Best- Jeff, Worst- Gregg

Nigella: Best- Ninamarie, Worst- Diane

Able to return to their hatches and continue on with the show Jeff walked away with two stars while both Lauren and Ninamarie with one star. Also lucky to remain on the show was Gregg because of his immunity. In the bottom were Huda, Mia and Diane and because of her raw chicken Huda was sent home as well as Mia.

Tonight’s “Blue Ribbon” moment was when Khristianne used Best Foods to take her chicken curry sandwich from good to the best.

And a winner of the Best Foods recipe contest was revealed. She is Debbie Damman of Troy, MI with her Asian Chicken Salad. When asked why it was a winning dish she responded, “because it is a family favorite and perfect on a warm summer night”. Included in the dish was Best Foods mayo, chicken, wild rice, soy sauce, water chestnuts, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. For the full recipe visit www.abc.com/thetaste. Tune in next week on Tuesday when The Taste will air at its new time, 9pm!”

Happy Cooking,

Jenn