The Try Guys Try Keeping Up With Professional Chef From Bon Appetit

Bella Breakdown

Known for their time at BuzzFeed, better known as the “Try Guys,” are trying to keep up with a professional chef from Bon Appetit. Mind you, the try guys work together as a team while one professional chef gives them verbal directions as she’s prepping her recipe.

The challenge lies in making a luxury surf and turf carpaccio, in only 20 minutes. The try guys and chef will be creating the same recipe back-to-back in the Bon Appetit test kitchen, while the chef only gives verbal instructions for the try guys to follow. Seems easy enough right?

Keith starts as the first member to follow the chef’s recipe. They start off prepping the filet mignon by cutting thin slices off the end of the filet for a nice, even cutting line to start. The goal with prepping the filet is to slice the meat as thin as possible with one swift stroke of the knife.

One of the problems noted is that if you try to go too thin with your cuts that the meat will start to shred, the chef recommends cutting a little thicker if this occurs. Just watching Keith’s frustration over cutting thin filet strips is hilarious.

Once done cutting thin strips, they place the filet strips between two pieces of plastic wrap, then pound with a meat tenderizer on the flat side as thin as possible. The next step is to cover a plate in the thin filet slices, laying them flat and even. Then they give the plate of filet a nice drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle some flaky salt around the dish.

Now it’s Ned’s turn. They start out wiping down the cutting board for the next portion of the recipe. Similar to the filet slices, they start thinly slicing tuna. Once done slicing the tuna, they place the strips between two pieces of plastic wrap to start tenderizing the tuna.

The pro chef reminds Ned that the tuna is more delicate than the filet and not to tenderize too hard. Ned is quick to find out that pounding the thin tuna will tear which is a no-go for this dish.

Once done tenderizing the tuna they add the slices to the dish, folding them under and over the filet slices. Before moving onto the next step they add another drizzle of olive oil on the plate.

Eugene is the next to step up to the plate, literally. They start with scallops (flatter side of the shell facing upwards) and using a towel hold the hinge of the clam while you cut open the clam with the clam knife to separate the meat from the shell. When done properly, the shell should pop open easily so you can open up the scallop by the hinge.

Opening a scallop you can see all the various parts of the animal but for cooking, you want to cut out the big, circular white piece in the middle. Once they cut the meat from the shell, you can remove the scallop from the rest of the meat.

The next step is thinly slicing the scallop horizontally so the scallop can maintain the circular shape with three sliced pieces per scallop (ideally). Then place the slices around the plat, like pepperonis on a pizza.

Zach steps in for the final steps to complete the recipe. They start off with a shallot, grain mustard, and some champagne vinegar.

Using a chef’s knife they cut the tip off the shallot, then cut it in half lengthwise through the root. Then they finely dice one half of the shallot lengthwise starting with thin cuts lengthwise, then dicing the long pieces of the shallot.

Chop the shallot pieces again for a fine mince then place the shallot in a bowl and put it off to the side. Then measure a tablespoon of champagne vinegar and add to the bowl of shallots, adding a pinch of salt. Taking a fork they combine everything in the bowl of shallots and add a teaspoon of mustard with a tablespoon of olive oil. This will make for their vinegarette.

Then they grab a bundle of chives and thinly slice the bundle until they have the amount of a tablespoon of chives. Now it’s time for the caviar.

Using a small sample spoon they start adding dollops of caviar around the plate (similar to the scallops) using half the can. Then they drizzle on the vinegarette and zest a lemon over the plate using a Microplane zester. The key to zesting is to run the Microplane across the skin of the lemon twice then tap lightly to release the lemon zest.

After zesting the lemon they add another small drizzle of olive oil and a little flaky salt. Then they take a slice of toasted bread diagonally from both corners to create four triangle pieces of bread. Once done cutting the bread they place the cut bread on the outer rim of the plate.

Now comes the best part, the final reveal. Both sides of the kitchen wow in the glory of their homemade carpaccio.

Author: Karli Wallace

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