Masterchef (2010–…): Season 10, Episode 7 - Gordon Takes on a Tarte - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously
on "MasterChef"...

This incredible tenth season

continues with this
mystery box...

- Yes!
- What?

- Aarón: Let's move!
- You want to make

the best dish possible, you got
to use the appropriate equipment.

I've cooked well over a hundred
pounds of skirt steak in my day.

- Okay, you know what, Evan?
- Oh, wow.

The ( bleep ) that you dole
out will come back at you.

Gordon: ...with just three
home cooks gaining immunity.

- I absolutely love this dish.
- Joe: Wow.



- Gordon: Shari.
- Nick.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Wuta.

- Whoo!
- There you go!

Sam, Liz, and Fred,

you three have the worst
dishes of the night.

Those of you still down
here face elimination.

- Tonight...
- It's your first dessert challenge.

...it's a demo from me that
you won't want to miss.

- Awesome.
- Oh!

And an elimination challenge...

- ...with an ending

that surprises everyone.

- I don't like it at all.
- I...

Gordon: This could
send you home tonight.



Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- Whoo!
- Welcome back to the amazing

tenth season of "MasterChef."

Let's do this today.

Sam: Going into this challenge,

I'm not feeling very confident.

I'm coming off of the worst
performance I've had so far.

I just need to regroup, focus,
and get some confidence back.

Honestly, it's been the
most talented pool

of home cooks we've ever seen.

But you know what's
on the line tonight.

At least one of you
will be eliminated

from this competition.

Yesterday, three of you
exceeded our expectations.

That's why you are all three
safe up on the balcony.

For the rest of you, it
is time now to put on

your black aprons to
face elimination.

Liz: Being unsafe
and having to cook

in the elimination
challenge is scary.

But I'm not leaving "MasterChef"
until I win this thing.

Your upcoming elimination challenge
will put you in a sticky situation.

- Oh, boy.
- Oh, boy.

That's right, it's your
first dessert challenge.

Nothing should scare
you guys more.

Keturah: I don't eat desserts,

I don't make desserts,

so I am losing it right now.

Are you ready to
face your fears?

All: Yes, Chef!

What's under here is
one of my favorites.

It is a classic, delicious
French dessert.

- A stunning...

- A tarte tatin! - ...caramelized
pear tarte tatin.

- Oh, yes!
- Yes.

Dorian: I was hoping
for a crème brulee.

Even a soufflé.

But I've never seen
on "MasterChef"

something so technical.

Chef Ramsay is pulling out
the big guns this season.

Now to make this dish correctly,

it takes utter precision,
skill, finesse,

and in your case, a little help.

That's why I'm about to
show you how it's done.

Noah: Hallelujah. So,
the master blaster

is going to show
us how to do this.

It's a dream come true, really.

Tonight, you'll have 60 minutes to
cook a caramelized tarte tatin.

The secret is the
pastry and the fruit.

You got apples,
pineapples, peaches.

Take it any direction you wish,

but there's steps
you've got to follow.

First thing, the short crust.

Flour, sugar, salt, okay?
And your butter.

Make sure your butter
is nice and firm.

The most important thing
in this short crust

is to make sure it's robust.

Any of you ever made a
tarte tatin before?

I made one for a
Christmas party at work.

Wow. Make this dough
nice and pliable.

Let that rest now.
Now, for the caramel,

take a cast iron pan, place
that butter into the pan.

From there, fingers,
push that down.

Lightly sprinkle the sugar, and
that's the base of the caramel.

You got the butter,
you got the sugar.

Some cinnamon sticks,
some star anise,

and then a beautiful
vanilla pod.

Now, the pears.

You place the round
part into the butter

at a 90 degree angle,
and the point comes up.

All the way around.
Look at that there.

We put that on.

We'll start seeing that
sugar and that butter melt,

but you need to be
super careful here.

Caramel, as you know, we're going
to take it to 380 degrees.

We're not burning it, but we're going
to get it really nice and dark.

Take this caramel too
far and it's bitter.

I have no clue how I'm
going to do all this stuff

as smoothly as he's doing it.

Now for the pastry.

The secret here is to make sure

we do not roll this
pastry too thin.

You're looking for about
3/4 of a centimeter thick.

Then we can see the color, right?
It's nice and dark.

The smell is incredible.
Take that off the gas.

You go onto the
board, super careful.

We lift up and we go
over the pan quickly.

- Awesome. - Then you lift up the
pear and tuck the pastry in.

Up and twist. Lift
up and tuck in.

Super important...
one, two, three.

If we don't pierce that pastry,

you're going to steam it
underneath, and it'll be raw.

Into the oven she goes.

18 to 20 minutes, 375.

Wuta: I'm so grateful
I'm up here,

because this is one
of the challenges

that either makes a
chef or breaks a chef.

I've never even seen
this dessert before.

Now, crème anglaise.
What is crème anglaise?

It's custard. You start
off and bring your cream

and your milk to a boil.

As that's boiling,
whisk in the yolks,

in with your sugar,
and we whisk.

Now, I'm doing a
vanilla basic custard.

What I want to see tonight
is some creativity.

You can go any route.
In she goes.

One third, a quick whisk.

And then from there, back in.

This is where you got
to be super careful.

You turn the gas down,
nonstop stirring.

As you start to see it
thickening, you take that off.

I'm feeling nervous.

It's a classic French dessert,

so how do I put an
Indian twist on it?

Out. Back on.

380 degrees caramel.
Please be careful.

Plate on top, firm
hand on, and twist.

And there we have our
beautiful tarte tatin.

- Oh, wow.
- Wow.

- Wow.
- All right.

Gordon: Well, guess what.

We're not done yet.
Lights down, please.

Cognac in. We're going to
flambé the tarte tatin.

In. Tilt.

- Noah: Awesome.
- Wow.

Noah: Oh, my gosh.

That smells so good.

And then finally, a
beautiful sprinkling

of powdered sugar across
the caramelized pastry.

- And that is how

a true MasterChef delivers
a caramelized tarte tatin.

- Beautiful.
- Awesome.

Micah: This tarte tatin challenge
is deceptively simple.

I can see a thousand
ways it could go wrong.

Your dough could be too thick.
You could burn the caramel.

- You could burn your fruit.
- Head to your stations.

- Yes, Joe.
- I'm honestly terrified

because baking challenges
in the MasterChef kitchen

are the toughest,

and it has sent home

some of the best cooks.

Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go.

Aarón: Come on,
everyone, let's go.

Damn, Subha.

Renee: Running into the pantry,

and I see all this
beautiful fruit.

Peach is my favorite.

Dorian: I doubt, Renee,
if you're going to need

- that many peaches.
- First come, first serve.

Oh, my God.

Keturah: My strategy right now
is I'm making my dough first

because I want it to
have ample time to rest.

Get that pastry started.
Smart, Keturah.

I'm feeling really anxious.

I've never actually made
a tarte tatin before.

Unbelievable, I know, being
that my family lives in France.

But I just, um... I
don't eat desserts.

Fred, like, knows
what he's doing,

so he's just... he's loving this.

I've been asking for a baking
challenge this whole time.

I'm making an apple ginger
infused tarte tatin.

I need to redeem
myself from being told

that I was one of the worst
three dishes last night.

And because I'm the
only one in the room

who's made a tarte tatin before,

I feel like they're
going to have much,

much higher expectations of me.

I'm excited about
this challenge.

I've never made a tarte tatin
before, but I know cooking.

I know baking. I've been blessed
to be able to cook and bake,

and I definitely got this one.

Noah: This is like an
upside-down fruitcake.

I've never made that, of course,

but I've eaten a hell
of a lot of them,

because I used to be,
like, almost 400 pounds.

So I definitely have
tasted a hundred cakes

sort of similar to this.

We don't really eat a lot
of desserts at home,

and when we do, it's usually
something like an apple pie

or something that's simple.

This is an extremely
difficult dessert.

I just have to stay
focused enough

to not miss one of these steps.

Good job, "Heimey."

- Who's Heimey?
- Heimey is how you say "Jamie" in Spanish.

Subha, all right, so talk to
us about your tarte tatin.

I'm going to have a mixed one,
half pear and half apple.

You're taking a big risk because you have
two different cook times. Good luck, Subha.

Thank you.

Just under 45 minutes to go.

I demonstrated that
dish properly for them.

The big question tonight is do
they become even more adventurous?

Do they use the peaches? Do
they go down the pineapple?

Do they use the banana?

Keturah: I'm focusing
on my dough right now,

and I'm about to run into
the kitchen to let it rest.

- There we go, K. - My strategy
right now is to go with peach,

but by the time I make
it into the pantry,

all the peaches are gone.

I don't believe it. How are
there no peaches left?

The only other fruit that
I'm fairly familiar with

is a pineapple.

I've used it in
curries and sauces,

but definitely don't know how
to work with it on a pastry.

Pineapple is risky.

Nick: I would not
use a pineapple.

Really watery and really acidic.

I sliced the
pineapple into rings

because I figure that's the way

that it should be in a dessert,

but after that, I have no
clue what to do with it.

- Right. How are you feeling?
- Very, very nervous.

You got your work cut out.

One of the most
difficult fruits.

Fibrous, difficult, watery.

I've never made this before.
I wanted to use peaches.

The peaches had run out.

Choosing pineapple
is bloody brave.

Nobody else is doing pineapple.

In fact, one's doing pineapple.

Everybody else is going
for the easy route,

you know, the apples, the
pears, and the peaches.

This is the most difficult.

So this could send
you home tonight.

Keturah: I am terrified.

I can't do this.

Keturah: I am terrified.

I feel like this might be
the moment that I go home.

Hey, you still got
40 minutes to go.

You decided to do it. We're
going to go with it now.

You pull this one off, you
will not be going home.

- Okay?
- Okay.

Do not crumble under pressure.

Okay, thank you, Chef.

Come on, Keturah. Don't
lose it now, sweetie.

Okay.

- Gordon: Keturah started crying.
- Aarón: You know what?

The pressure, the fact that
this is an elimination,

there's so many high
emotions going on right now.

Sarah: This challenge is all about
making the perfect tarte tatin.

Coming from a background
of military service,

I can follow direction
really well.

My strategy is to follow Gordon's
steps as much as possible,

because if you can't follow
direction, you are done.

Michael: I'm not
huge into sweets,

but my fiancée has the biggest
sweet tooth in the world,

so every single
Sunday, I'm baking.

That's what I love to do.

So, I'm definitely not
going home today.

I can't. I've worked
too hard for this.

Right. Young man, how
are you feeling?

- Hey, I'm feeling awesome. - Tell me
about the dish. What are you doing?

I'm doing a pear and apple tart.

What are you worried about?

Yesterday, I had some
trouble managing my time,

and that's something I want
to pay attention to today.

But you're keeping
your head down.

You're turning into
one of the most

articulate pupils, because
you're absorbing.

I'm listening. I'm
paying attention

to not just what I'm doing,
but everybody else is doing.

- Focus. Come on. Good luck.
- Thank you.

Thyme is on which shelf?

Evan: I know next to nothing
about a tarte tatin.

But I've got the deepest
knowledge base that's out there.

I've traveled the world.

I know about a ton
of ingredients.

So I'm feeling really confident
and I'm super excited.

So, Evan, are you a
big dessert baker?

- No.
- Jeez, you have to be a complete package.

I got plenty of package.

I actually do bake a little.

I have family members that
bake semi-professionally.

That's not going to help you tonight.
You need to know...

No, I spent a little time
with them learning some tips,

- so...
- So what are you going to be doing?

Talk to me here, Evan.

It's going to be an apple...

tarte tatin.

Okay, are you doing
anything unique

with your crème anglaise?

I'm going to kind of fly
by the seat of my pants.

- Uh, yeah.
- Anyway, Evan...

- Thank you.
- It's a pleasure, gents.

Evan: I'm not worried
in the least.

I'm going to blow right
through this thing.

I don't need Gordon's step
by step instructions.

I can knock out awesome dishes
with what I got up here.

So, come at me.

All right, everyone,
just over 30 minutes.

Your tarte tatin should
be caramelizing now.

Shari: Looks good, Noah.
Looks good.

Liz, those bananas look nice.

The big Achilles' heel this
evening is that caramel,

and having the confidence
to get it nice and dark

before it goes into the oven.

Sarah, that looks
really, really good.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

Beautiful. What's the
flavor of the caramel?

- Vanilla and ginger.
- Love it.

But can we get the caramel
where it needs to be?

- Okay? Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.

Keturah: I am extremely
daunted by this challenge,

but I need to calm down and
remember why I'm here.

What goes well with pineapple?
Um, a bit of spice.

Okay, some ginger.

Why don't we take
that up a notch

with a little bit of cayenne?

I'm just thinking of everything

that I would use ordinarily
in a savory dish.

Gordon: Keturah's gone for the pineapple
because the peaches have gone.

She's now back on track, and
she's cut it thinly into slices.

- Yeah, she's smart.
- Okay, okay, okay.

I'm seriously worried about Sam.

He's gone and cut the
pineapple into chunks.

- It's going to be fibrous.
- Yes.

Sam: I'm sacrificing a lot
to be here right now.

My wife is at home taking care
of our 11-month-old by herself.

I have a busy job as an attorney

that I'm basically
putting on hold.

I can't go home.

I wanted to make sure that my
caramelization happens correctly,

and I don't want to leave
the station until then.

The technique in
caramelizing, it is key.

You can burn it or you
can under-caramelize it,

so that is my current
nervous worry.

Micah, let's go,
let's go, let's go.

I'm feeling really confident.

I just got to keep
an eye on this.

I've never made a tarte tatin,
but I've made a lot of caramels,

I've made a lot of crème
anglaises before.

One day, I want to
open up a bakery.

I love to do pastries.

Oh, that caramel
makes me nervous.

It looks done. Doesn't
it look done?

- Oh, yeah.
- Everything is going well.

I'm just waiting on the caramel.

I go back there, and I smell it,

and my heart drops to my shoes.

It burned.

Oh, Micah's is burning.
Micah's is burning.

It's just a complete disaster.

And I know I cannot serve that,

because it will
completely ruin my dish.

I'm done-zo.

Look at Micah's caramel. There's
smoke coming out of that pan now.

Micah: My caramel burned.

It's just a complete disaster.

You got this, Micah. Come on.

Take a deep breath. You got it.

I cannot let this send me home.

What the heck's he doing?

Shari: He's going to start over.

I don't really know if
there's enough time

to make another caramel,
but I have to go for it.

Shari: You got this, Micah!
Come on.

Aarón: You should be rolling
out your dough, everyone.

Start to fabricate the look and the
aesthetic of your tarte tatin.

Shari: All right, Noah.

Dorian's got pecans in her pastry.
Love it.

Shari: Oh, gosh. Sarah's
is going to burn, too.

Oh, my God.

Oh, no. Oh.

My caramel is too dark.

So, I would redo it. I
would just redo it.

Oh, my God, oh, my
God, oh, my God.

I don't have time
to start again.

I'm trying to put
more butter in there,

put a little bit more
sugar to try and save it.

I'm just crossing my fingers
and saying a couple prayers

- that it's going to work out.
- Nick: Come on, Sarah.

You're good, you're good.
Don't panic.

Guys, in the next three minutes,

your tarte tatins have
got to be in the oven.

- Noah: Yes, Chef.
- Allow 15 to 18 minutes cook time.

Shari: Keturah,
you're doing awesome!

- Fred's gone in the oven.
- Joe: In the oven. First one.

- Wow.
- Good boy. Good.

- Did you pierce the top?
- Yes, I did. I did six holes.

- Good boy.
- Oh, for God's sake.

I ( bleep ) up somehow.

Sam: The caramel just isn't
as brown as I would like.

Gordon: Now, Sam, he's cut
the pineapple into chunks.

The caramel is going to be so weak because
there's so much juice in the pineapple.

It's going to to negate a
lot of the caramelization.

That's right. It won't happen.
He'll never get color on it.

To me, it's certainly better
to be slightly under.

If it's over-caramelized,
it'll be burnt.

Evan: So, I'm looking
at the tarte tatin,

and it looks wet,

like there's almost a
little too much caramel.

Let's do this.

I decide I'm going to pour off

a little bit of the
caramel liquid.

What the hell is he doing?

I know what I'm doing.

That actually looks
kind of sexy.

I promise you, if somebody
can do it, it's you.

We're down to 21
minutes remaining.

Nick: Come on, Subha, let's go.

Let's go. Get it in the oven.

Sarah, I want that in the oven
in the next three minutes.

Let's go.

Shari: Sarah,
you're doing great.

Wuta: There we go, Micah.
Way to come back.

You made me nervous
for a second.

Micah: 18 minutes is all
a tarte tatin needs.

I just pray that I'm going
to have it done in time.

Guys, just under
18 minutes to go.

Under 18 minutes to go.

Shari: Great job, Micah.
Great job.

Subha: I'm putting an
Indian inspired twist

on the French tarte tatin.

In the crème anglaise, I
want to use a rose flavor,

and then use cardamom with it.

- Rosewater, ooh!
- Mmm. Wow.

- Man!
- So, Subha, he's going to be very unique.

He's going to use rosewater, and he
seems like he's really fired up.

Joe: I hope he knows
what he's doing.

Just over ten minutes to go.

Looking good! Looking good, Bri!

Wuta: Let's go, y'all! Let's go!

You guys got this.
You guys got this.

Shari: Fred, you're
doing awesome.

Fred: My tarte tatin
should be almost done.

But I noticed it wasn't
cooking fast enough.

It just needs so
much more color.

This is insane.

If I don't nail this, they're
just going to eject me.

Shari: It's looking good, Liz.

Holy cow. Look at that.

Wow. That one looks...

it looks like a chicken
pot pie, baby,

in the South, baby!

Fred, I can't wait to see it.

Shari: Sam, that looks great!

I have no ( bleep ) idea how
long this thing's been in there.

- Now, Fred.
- Yeah.

Gordon: Fred, tonight,
is in his element.

I've never seen this
guy so focused.

That is his calling,
guys, by the way.

I mean, he wants to be
America's next MasterChef,

but baking is his skill.

Fred: I am having an
outright panic attack.

If I leave it in there longer,

my apples are going
to be overcooked.

Everything comes
down to this moment.

Is that cooked, Fred?
Is it cooked?

The dough is really,
really undercooked.

I think my pastry is
definitely too thick.

I don't have a
whole lot of time.

I'm staring right
at my death dish.

Gordon: Five minutes
to go, guys!

Shari: Looking good, guys.

Fred: I'm freaking
out right now....

Oh, jeez.

...because it's still
not cooked through.

Come on, Fred!

But I'm definitely
running out of time,

so it has to come out now.

My pastry must be too thick,

and it breaks my heart
into a million pieces,

because the last thing
I want to go home on

is something that I love to do.

Shari: That looks
beautiful, Noah.

The moment has come that I'm going
to have to frickin' do this flip.

The moment of truth right here.

Gordon: Hand, cloth, tip.

Large plate. Has everybody
got a large plate?

- All: Yes, Chef!
- How dramatic it's going to be

when you invert that tarte tatin.
It's...

Noah: You got one
shot to do this.

If I drop it, it's over.
I'm going home.

Oh!

Shari: Hey, great job, Noah!
Whoo!

Oh, Jamie, that was awesome.

- Whoo, son!
- Shari: Beautiful.

- Oh, yeah. - Shari: Liz, I'm
so proud of you. It's awesome.

Ooh. Yay!

What happened to
Evan's... what is that?

Looking down at the tart,
it looks really dry.

Did you drain off some
of that excess juice?

- I did.
- Good. Did you keep it?

That would've been genius.

Never throw that
genius stuff away.

You know, it's true. It has all
that flavor and that complexity.

I really wish I didn't
toss that extra caramel,

but when it's said and done,

I'm happy with
what's on the plate.

Tilt it!

You need it nice and... oh!

- Whoo!
- Yeah, Subha!

Over! Over!

Oh, my God. I think he did.

You have brandy down your glove.

- Over.
- Oh.

There we go. You okay?
Is it burnt?

No, no. Nothing at all, no.

( bleep ) Subha.

Two, three!

Gordon: Take your time.

Oh. Oh, do you smell that?

Sarah: I hope it's not burnt.

And it's hard to tell

because I can't cut into it.

Shari: Good job, Micah!

Whoo! Great job, Micah!

Micah: Even though I
did my caramel again,

if I ruined those peaches
in that first caramel,

that is going to transfer
into my tarte tatin.

I'm just praying that acrid,
disgusting petrol taste...

Damn.

...did not affect my fruit.

Everyone should be dusting!

Dust! 30 seconds to go.

Finish strong, finish strong!

Not so confident.

Gordon: Come on, let's go!

10, 9, 8, 7,

6, 5, 4,

- 3, 2, 1!
- And stop!

- Hands in the air!
- Hands in the air!

That one was a blast!

I'm worried if they'll ding me

because I don't have a lot of...

like, my caramel
evaporated into the tarte,

so it's not as oozy
as everyone else's.

- Well done!
- No matter what happens,

- it was an honor to cook.
- Whoo, son!

Never thought I'd be able
to do that in an hour.

Holy cow, man.

That's a big sucker.

Why is it so fat?

Joe: Because you put
12 peaches in there.

- Tough challenge, right?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Now it's time to taste.
Let's dig in.

Did you have any trouble?

Just a little bit.

Liz, are you happy
with the way it looks?

I've never made it before,
so I'm pretty happy with it.

Sam: When I finished
the challenge,

I'm mostly thinking
about the job I did,

shortcuts I could've taken to
be a little more efficient.

- That's crispy, huh?
- I tried my best, Chef.

But in the back of your
head after a challenge,

you're always thinking,

I hope someone did
worse than me.

The pressure got you
tonight, didn't it?

A little bit, Chef. It did.

Because at the end of the day,

you don't have to
outrun the bear,

you just have to outrun
the guy next to you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Guys, it was a tough
call there tonight.

- Yeah, yeah. - There's one
that's not even a tarte tatin.

I feel everyone really showed
their culinary identity

- with the crème anglaises.
- A couple of the individuals

have got the fruit overcooked.

They're actually
caramelizing it too long.

I think it's pretty clear
who needs to go upstairs

- and stay down.
- Yeah, I'm with you.

- Well done, all of you.
- All: Thank you, Chef.

Some of you baked some
beautiful desserts.

You will not face
elimination tonight.

There was one home
cook that stood out.

This individual executed
a delicious tarte tatin.

The crust on that
pastry is exemplary.

Michael, make your way
up to the balcony.

- Congrats.
- Thank you, guys.

Let's go, boy.

Michael: I feel awesome.

I am the first one called
up to the balcony.

And, honestly, I feel
like I kicked butt.

All right, so the next
person that we felt

really showed some
culinary skill

in interpreting this very
classic French dessert,

- and that is Bri.
- Yay!

- Join your colleagues.
- Thank you.

It feels amazing that
the judges think

that I stand out from the pack,

and I'm so happy to
have that recognition.

The next home cook
continues to excel

and do her state
of Georgia proud.

Dorian continues to wow
us with her desserts.

Good job. Head upstairs, Dorian.

- Congratulations, Liz.
- Yes!

Liz: I went from
having the worst dish

to having the best dish,
and I pulled it off.

I totally pulled off something
I've never made before.

Micah: I'm sweating buckets.

I'm watching everyone
go up to the balcony.

Renee, please head
up to the balcony.

Renee: I am beyond happy.
I nailed it.

Praise Jesus, I am
on the balcony.

- Noah.
- Thank you, Chef!

My heart goes from my
shoes up to my throat.

I'm so nervous. I
just want to be safe.

And the catch of the day...
Jamie, congratulations.

- Go ahead, big fella!
- Whoo!

Sarah: I'm looking around the
room trying to compare it

to other people's, but to me,

I... I just don't
think it's there.

If I go out on this note, like,
why did I even come here?

The last person heading up to
the safety of the balcony,

this individual started
off in the weeds,

but, boy, did they rectify
and come back strong.

The crust is extraordinary.

The cook on the
fruit, mind-blowing.

And I think we want to
see this individual

have a little bit more
confidence about themselves.

Because what they've just done,

is pretty spot-on.

Please make your way
up to the balcony...

The last person heading up to
the safety of the balcony...

Micah.

Man: All right, Micah!

- Yeah, Micah!
- Well done, Micah!

Thank you.

- Man, I'm on cloud ten.
- Good job.

I'm one step closer to
where I want to be.

For those of you remaining,

Joe, Aarón, and myself
need to dig way,

way deeper into your dishes.

Shortly, we have a
huge decision to make.

At least one of you have
cooked for your very last time

- inside this incredible kitchen.
- Wow.

All right, so the
first home cook

that we'd like to bring up and
taste their dish further...

...is Keturah.
Please come on up.

Keturah: Desserts
are my weak point,

and I'm very, very,
very frightened

that this could
be my last hurrah

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Describe the dish, please.

This is a spiced
pineapple tarte tatin,

and a pineapple sauce.

- Keturah, how are you feeling?
- Nervous.

You've got your work cut out...

one of the most
difficult fruits.

So this could send
you home tonight.

When I saw you cut the
pineapple the way you did,

I was relieved that they
were slices, not chunks.

Keturah, I actually love this.

I think you were able to
really do a great job

with cooking the
pineapple in such a way

that it didn't go to
that place of no return.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Joe: It's far from traditional,

but it's well-executed.

It's crunchy, it's buttery.
Really good.

Watching you cook under panic
and stress is interesting

because you get to find out a lot about
yourself when you're vulnerable.

And tonight, it's actually
good to see the real you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Great job, Keturah.
- Yes.

Sam?

- Go, Sam. Do it, Sam.
- Go, Sam!

Sam: After yesterday,

I really wanted an opportunity
to redeem myself,

but I know I haven't really
done such a good job.

I'm one mistake away
from going home.

Yeah. Sam, describe
the dish, please.

This is a pineapple tarte tatin.

It's flavored with vanilla,
star anise, and cinnamon.

The crème anglaise is flavored
with coconut milk and lime juice.

Did you think of another cut
before you assembled it?

- Or did you want to go chunks?
- No, I wanted to go chunks.

I heard you saying, "If
you're gonna do banana,

do an inch and a half
or two inches thick."

So immediately in
my mind, I think,

"All right, so my
pineapple should be

an inch and a half to
two inches thick."

Completely different fruits.

- So, I would've done rings.
- Understood.

An inch, and cut
the rings in half.

So much liquid here,
it's extraordinary.

Joe: Crème anglaise
is straightforward?

Vanilla? Nothing... no twists?

No, instead of milk,
I used coconut milk

and a little lime juice.

It's disappointing, Sam, 'cause I'm
really equating this to, like,

when you get a pizza that
doesn't have enough cheese,

and then you kind
of swipe it down

and then you're just left with the
bottom of the crust, you know?

That's what I have here.

But what you do have there

is well-seasoned
and well-flavored.

It's just the construction
of it is lacking a lot.

The tops are cut beautifully,
so you've got the top part.

You've just... you've
got your work cut out

when the pineapple's so chunky

because you can't
caramelize a chunk.

The one redeeming factor here

is that I thought the idea
of putting coconut milk

- and pineapple together was really
fantastic. - Thank you, Joe.

- Thank you, Sam.
- Great job, brother.

Tough one.

Next up, Sarah, please.
Let's go.

Sarah: I'm really concerned

about the darkness
on the tarte tatin.

If it's actually burnt,
it's gonna be bitter.

So I'm hoping that
it's not so bad

that I'm out of
this competition.

Describe the dish, please.

I've made for you a peach
and ginger tarte tatin

with a ginger and
vanilla anglaise.

Are you happy with it?

I'm not happy with it, Chef.
I overcooked my caramel.

I'm not proud of
this dish at all.

Mm-hmm.

- Well? - It has a little
petrol-y, acrid situation,

but I think the peaches
are cooked perfectly.

I think your crème
anglaise is beautiful.

- It's silky, it's smooth.
- Here's the thing.

It's just on that
over-caramelized flavor.

It's got that little aftertaste.

It's kind of like the
acidity and caramel-y taste

that you get when you
eat cough syrup.

Thank you, Sarah.

Good job, Sarah. Sarah,
you're all right.

- You're all right, Sarah.
- Good job, Sarah.

As I'm waiting to
hear my name called,

I'm trying to listen very closely
to all the other criticisms.

The judges are being tough, and
that's definitely making me nervous.

- Next, Subha.
- Subha: I'm very nervous.

This could be bad, because
I put an Indian twist

on a very traditional
French dessert.

Describe the dish, please.

The dish is pear and
apple tarte tatin

and a rose flavor
crème anglaise.

So, visually the pears should be turned
the other way. They're upside-down.

Joe: You know what
I love about this

is it has a beautiful
golden hue to it.

Not like Sarah's,
like, super charred.

It has, like, a very
nice color tone to it.

- Aarón: Yeah.
- Beautiful consistency.

I think the true star is that
right there, that crème anglaise.

It's wonderful. I
think, instinctually,

you have a clear vision
with what you want to do.

I just think you need to
back it up with technique.

When you put apple and pear together,
they cook at different times,

so you're shooting yourself
in the foot because

the apple's disintegrated,
but the pear's beautiful.

Here's the bizarre news.

You're like the Willy Wonka
of the MasterChef kitchen.

Rosewater crème
anglaise... it works.

But every time I watch
you cook, it's...

I feel like I've got to go
and lie down for 10 minutes

because you're so confusing.

- Thank you, Subha.
- Thank you, Chef.

Noah: Great job, Subha.
Great job, Subha.

- Good job, Subaru!
- Well done, Subha.

Next tarte tatin, Evan,
please come forward.

- Let's go, Evan.
- Let's go, Evan!

I'm a little worried that it's
maybe a minute or two over,

but if that was in front of me

and I liked apples
and fruity dessert,

I'd probably nick
a bite of that.

- Describe the dish, please.
- I have an apple,

lemon, and ginger tarte tatin

with a thyme anglaise.

So, aesthetically, it
looks like a tarte fine.

It's like you've got puff pastry
with sliced apples on there.

Did you cut the apples
further than half?

No, I cored and
quartered the apples.

- Quartered? Quartered?
- Quartered?

- You half them.
- Like, little slices of apples this big?

I took the halves
and halved them.

- Ah, that's why.
- So, the problem you've got there

is that they'll
never, ever retain

any form of structure
whilst caramelizing.

I didn't cut mine into quarters.

Let's get in there, shall we?

- How long did you cook it for?
- 22 minutes roughly.

22 minutes. So you
quartered the apples

and cooked it longer
than I suggested.

- I didn't have a timer running...
- Right.

...so I just looked
for the color.

Do you often bake
without a timer?

Do you drive without looking
at the speedometer?

I don't drive that often,
living in the city.

Do you often bake
without a timer?

Do you drive without looking
at the speedometer?

I don't drive that often,
living in the city.

Baking is not like making an
omelet or cooking a steak

where you touch it,
and you feel it.

- There's a science to this.
- I had my eye on the clock.

I executed it to the
best of my ability.

The actual crust is way
better than the apples.

The apples are way overcooked.

The problem with this is it's
more like an apple tarte.

- Flat.
- Yeah. It's like a...

Where is the caramel?
Look, there's nothing.

There's no caramel. Nothing.

Where is it? This is
not a tarte tatin.

- This is an apple tarte.
- The whole part of a tarte tatin for me

is that beautiful balance
of having it caramelized

and also having a
little bite to it.

- This has gone the other way.
- It's very simple for me.

It's a very good apple tarte.

It's a very poor
apple tarte tatin.

- Apologies.
- Thanks, Evan.

Great job, Evan.

Fred, please bring
up your tarte tatin.

- Yes, Chef.
- Come on, Fred.

- Come on, Fred.
- Let's go, let's go!

Because I'm the only one in the room
who has made a tarte tatin before,

the judges have much, much
higher expectations of me.

I definitely think if
anything's gonna send me home,

it's gonna be this dish.

- Describe the dish, please.
- For you I have a ginger,

vanilla, and cinnamon
infused apple tarte tatin

with a brown butter and
cardamom crème anglaise.

Well, obviously, it's raw
here, it's caramelized here.

It's imbalanced, it's kind of...
structurally, it fell apart.

That's not what we wanted.

You were the only home cook
that's made a tarte tatin before

and I can't see that here.

For me, it's applesauce.
I don't like it at all.

It's not the cake we wanted.

I disagree. I like the flavor.
You've got that right.

Unfortunately, it
doesn't look decent.

Personally, I expected
more from you tonight.

I expected more
from myself, Chef.

Thank you.

- Good job, Fred.
- Good job, Fred!

Stand tall. Stay focused.

Excuse us, as we need a moment to
discuss this very important matter.

Thank you.

Fred: I feel like I failed.

After hearing the
judges' critiques,

I'm basically saying my
good-byes to everyone.

I already am trying to envision

what my life was before
this competition

because I'm expecting that
I have to go back to it.

Some standouts again,
without a doubt.

It's just really deciding
whose was worse.

I think it's pretty obvious
who the weakest one is, yeah?

- Ready?
- Yeah.

All six of you, please make
your way down to the front.

Thank you.

Going home would
literally be shocking.

I don't want to go home.

I want to live till tomorrow

to be able to cook again.

This one was tough for us.

Sarah and Keturah,
please step forward.

Both of you girls
struggled this evening.

Nice to see that you
could come back.

In fact, the comeback was just
enough to retain your white aprons.

- Go on upstairs.
- Let's go, girls! Let's go, girls!

Sarah: I was just saying prayers

that they weren't
gonna send me home,

and, uh, I'm still here.

The positive of this
experience has been

I've learned that it's
okay to be vulnerable.

But I don't ever want to
see a black apron again.

Subha, please step forward.

Subha, to be very honest, I think
you made some fundamental mistakes,

but you continue to
put your background

into your dishes, and
we can taste it.

We felt that it was
just good enough

- for you to retain your apron.
- Let's go, Subha!

- Please head upstairs.
- Good luck, guys. Good luck, good luck.

- Good job, buddy.
- Fred, Sam, Evan,

clearly you three are at
the bottom of the barrel.

And, Fred, a lackluster
performance,

especially when
you're the only one

in the room this evening
who had done this before.

Sam, you know,

the crust was delicious,

but it was literally
swimming in water.

Evan, you didn't put
your spin on it,

you completely changed the dish.

This is a tough call.

The person leaving "MasterChef,"

not entering the top 16

of this incredible
competition is...

Evan.

Fred, Sam, move it. Up
to the balcony, quick.

- I'm so sorry, Evan.
- It's all good, guys.

Fred: I am trying to learn,

which I think is
probably the one reason

why they saved me over Evan.

Evan, to become America's
next MasterChef,

we need an incredible pupil.

There's times across
this competition

that you have been so difficult
about taking advice.

Yeah, I think your knowledge and
your love of food is apparent, Evan,

and I hope you can take that with
whatever you do in your food career,

'cause I know it's
gonna be there.

- Thank you.
- Please place your apron on your bench.

Good night.

Evan: In the end,
it doesn't matter.

I still feel like my experience
and my knowledge base

means that I was the best
chef in this competition.

This is not the end of
my culinary journey.

This is just the beginning.