Masterchef (2010–…): Season 11, Episode 6 - Michael Mina - Meat Roulette - full transcript

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NARRATOR: Gordon's back, and
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GORDAN RAMSEY: This is
"Masterchef Legends."

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Gordon: Previously on
"MasterChef Legends"...

- Let's go!
- ...the competition kicked off.

You are the top 15.

Please welcome
the legend, Morimoto!

The patron saint of pastries,
Sherry Yard!



I watch you all the time.
I just...

Come on!
I'll give you a hug.

A very well-executed,
thoughtful dish.

- Monkfish cooked perfect.
- Gordon: It's delicious.

- Thank you.
- Sherry: You've made this rich and decadent.

I would put this on the menu.

And the first home cooks
were sent packing.

I don't think I could even
qualify that as a taco.

You know what it tastes like?

- Bitter.
- Gross.

It was just a recipe
for disaster.

The person leaving
the MasterChef kitchen is...

Elyce.

Annai.



Tonight...

Please welcome the legend
of surf and turf, Michael Mina.

The man himself is here.

It's the first mystery box
challenge of the season.

I want to vomit.

The stakes
are higher than ever...

- What are we doing? Guys!
- I'm screwed.

- Aarón: Let's go!
- ...to avoid elimination.

- I don't understand it.
- Oh, [bleep].

I would be happy walking into
any restaurant and getting this dish.

I'm a little bit in shock.

Please place
your apron on your desks.

Have a safe journey home.

I'm so sorry.

Gordon:
Say good-bye.

- All right.
- Right.

Whoo!

[cheering]

Welcome back to the incredible
"MasterChef Legends."

- Man: Oh, mystery box!
- I'm walking into the kitchen

and I see all of these boxes.

- Line up, everybody.
- It's our first mystery box challenge.

I like a plan
and I like to be organized.

I don't like mystery.

Let's get going, but I need to clear
something up with all of you first.

Unfortunately,
Mary Jayne has fallen ill

and she's no longer
able to compete.

The good news
is she's gonna be okay.

She sends her best
to all of you.

All: Aww.

Now, this means that
there are only 12 of you left,

and we are inching
closer to the top 10.

Tonight, you're going to be facing
another elimination challenge,

and another one of you will
be leaving the competition.

Tonight, as you guys
can see behind you,

we've got your first
mystery box challenge.

But we are gonna keep things
mysterious just for a second,

because this is
"MasterChef Legends"

and we have another legend
to introduce to you.

Tonight's legend
actually is a chef

that has revolutionized
fine dining in America.

He operates over
40 restaurants worldwide.

Not to mention
multiple Michelin stars,

and he's even cooked
for not one, not two,

- but three US presidents.
- Wow.

All of you, please welcome

San Francisco's
Superman of surf and turf,

the legendary Michael Mina.

Alejandro:
Michael Mina, baby!

The man himself is here.

I appreciate him so much. We
have similar beginnings in our life.

- So good to see you.
- He's an immigrant, just like me.

- Hello.
- All: Hello!

Can I just say first of all, what an
absolute pleasure to have you here.

- Thank you.
- First time ever on the set of "MasterChef."

- Thank you for having me.
- Amazing. Alejandro?

- Chef?
- I have never seen you this excited.

- Come up and shake hands. Come on.
- Oh, my God.

- Jeez!
- Chef, can I give you a hug?

- There you go.
- Thank you so much for coming.

- There you go.
- Wow. Oh, my God.

Truly, that's freaking awesome.

Gordon: Now, I thought
I had a lot of restaurants,

but how many do you have,
currently?

- 42 restaurants.
- That's incredible.

You put that glamorous twist
on those incredible steak houses.

Um, where did it start for you?

I think like so many chefs,
you know,

you're influenced
by your family.

I did grow up in a Middle
Eastern Egyptian household,

so food is everywhere,
food's all over the table.

And I think that's
where it all started.

Now, since we're joined
by the legend

behind that incredible
bourbon steak empire,

for your challenge tonight,

each of you will be tasked
with cooking a unique,

MasterChef-worthy beef dish.

But here's the catch.

You won't know what cut you're
cooking until you lift your mystery box.

[groaning]

Now, today, we don't want to see
something that we've seen a thousand times.

Guys, we're talking beef here. There are
so many different ways you can impress us.

- Chef Gordon, Chef Michael?
- Yeah?

Maybe this gaggle needs
a little inspiration.

- Chef, you up for it?
- I'm ready.

- Oh, no way.
- Yes!

- Let's do this.
- Yes!

Both Chef Gordon and Chef Mina
are doing a demo for us today,

which is insane because people would pay,
like, a lot of money to see this happen.

And my mind has gone
into hyperdrive,

I'm just like,
"Soak in all this stuff."

- You ready?
- Thank you, Chef.

Excellent. Now, Chef,
tell me, what's your dish?

I am doing a wagyu rib-eye,
and we're gonna do dukkah,

a really nice
Middle Eastern spice,

a little bit of sesame seed,
and black pepper.

- Beautiful. So, I'm gonna use a sweetbread, okay?
- Oh, yeah.

An amazing offal. It's a
sweetbread from the pancreas,

it's not a throat gland,
so a lot more delicious.

I'm gonna take a leaf
out of your book

as the king and the legend
of surf and turf.

I'm gonna do roasted scallops,
a little Sauternes jus,

and with some
caramelized carrots as well.

- Sounds great.
- Now, cast iron pan.

Lay away from you
inside there like that

and get that really nice
caramelization.

So, when you're cooking offal,
haven't got that meaty, robust flavor,

so you've got to work the herbs,
the spices, to get that in there.

So now, Chef, I'm just gonna
go ahead and flip the beef,

and always find
the empty spot in your pan.

Don't flip it back
on the same spot

because that's the coldest
part of your pan.

So important.

So now I'm just giving the meat
a nice butter baste.

So the brown butter
and the garlic and the herbs

is gonna give the meat
a lot of flavor.

Beautiful. Now, from there,
I'm gonna sit that in the oven.

Yeah, that fat's gonna
render in there real nice

and we're just gonna let it go low
and slow in the oven for a minute.

- And what temperature do you have your oven?
- 350.

- Wonderful. So it is lower.
- Nice. Take my sweetbread out.

So I've got a little meat sauce.

That will be the base
for the crust for the dukkah

- which will give it the nice spiciness.
- Gordon: Love that.

So when you come to dress this,
imagine the plate,

start to visualize what
we're doing in terms of colors.

What is so important is the
balance in this dish, right?

I'm coming off of a high from
last week's challenge, dude.

Like, I've got a little
boost of confidence right now.

I've got three things on here, guys...
carrots, scallops, and sweetbread.

The only thing I am not hoping for in
this mystery box is the sweetbreads.

Because being
from Omaha, Nebraska,

give me a piece of meat, I'll do
a million and one things with it.

But we got Omaha steaks,
not Omaha sweetbreads.

And there we go.

A beautiful
caramelized sweetbreads

with scallops and Sauternes.

And that is how
two MasterChef legends

prepare the most
extraordinary beef dishes.

Every single demo has been
an amazing opportunity

to learn techniques
and things like that,

and I just want to show them,
"Look, I will take whatever

piece of information
that you have for me

because at the end of the day,
I am a student."

Now, tonight, we've made dishes
with an incredible rib-eye

and one with a sweetbread.

Tonight, you'll be cooking
beef dishes of your own.

We're gonna play
a little meat roulette.

Joe: You will each have just one
hour to cook us a restaurant-quality dish

using whatever cut of beef that
you find under your mystery box.

- Wow.
- Aarón: Some of these cuts will be familiar,

but they're not all
easy to work with.

- Okay.
- Now please pick a station.

Are you kidding?

So, it's a mystery box. We
don't know what we're gonna get.

I would hate to get like a cow's
head or something of that nature.

- I want this one.
- So, we know that

there's a bunch
of different cuts of meat

that are gonna be
under these boxes.

I'm hoping that
I don't get something

I've never cooked with before.

Right, on the count of three,
lift your boxes.

So nervous right now.

Gordon: One...

two...

three, lift.

Oh, yes! Skirt steak.

- Yes.
- Oh, man.

- Yeah! Hanger steak.
- Oh, [bleep].

- Interesting.
- I got a flank.

I have the rib-eye cap.

Oh, man, I got a top sirloin.

- Abe, what have you got?
- Uh, sweetbread.

Oh, boy.

I want to vomit.
I have cheek.

I am freaking out right now
because I have beef cheek.

Not only have I never made it,
I've never eaten it.

So I have no idea
how I'm gonna create

a beautiful recipe
to impress these judges.

Now, tonight,
use those cuts of beef

in a legendary manner
out of respect

for tonight's legend,
Michael Mina.

Now, listen closely. Only one
of you will win a special prize.

You get dinner for two in his
Michelin-starred restaurant,

Michael Mina, in San Francisco.

- Whoa!
- Yes!

But the home cook
who cannot run with the bulls

will be eliminated.

- Right, everybody ready?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Your 60 minutes start...

- Now!
- Let's go!

Okay, so, polenta.
I have milk.

- Parsley, come on.
- Sorry.

I need one of those spice rubs.

- I need to see the vinegars back here.
- Sorry.

- Thank you. Ah, ah, ah!
- Ah! Ah!

Potatoes.

I got the New York strip steak.

I have never cooked
a New York strip steak before.

So, yeah, a little bit nervous.

Behind you.

Stock.

Panko, panko!
Where's the panko?

Chives?
What else we got in here?

I was in the bottom three last
week with the dessert challenge,

so it was a sigh of relief
to see a filet.

I think it's
the best cut of meat,

but it's a lot of pressure

cooking a filet mignon
for Michael Mina.

He's obviously an icon, so my
filet, it has to be absolutely perfect.

- [muttering]
- Whoa!

Here we go.

Miles:
I am making a T-bone steak

with a really amazing
chimichurri.

There's high expectations, being
a Texan, to cook a proper steak.

If I don't nail the steak,
Texas might hate me a little bit,

but they're forgiving people.

All right, so, I am making
a teriyaki glazed top sirloin

with white rice
seasoned with shallots.

Then I'm gonna accompany it
with some things

that'll calm the flavors down
and bring them up

and it'll all
come together at the end.

Behind you.

I am making an herbed
banana squash puree

with grilled asparagus
and a red wine sauce

with a pan-seared rib-eye cap.

Steak is something
I'm familiar with.

Not necessarily this cut,
but I'm just gonna treat it

like it's any other steak,
medium rare,

and get a nice sear on it.

When I opened up the box
and found sweetbreads,

I was a little bit worried.

I haven't cooked
sweetbread before,

so I'm not quite sure
what I'm doing.

There is definitely
an added pressure

because this is
by far the piece of meat

that nobody wanted.

I thought, hey, why not fry it?

Because everything tastes
so much better when it's fried.

In the previous challenge,
I was in the bottom three,

so I really need
to step up my game.

I'm gonna try to put
my heart out on a plate,

and hopefully
it doesn't get butchered.

Oh, [bleep].

Gordon: Just under
50 minutes remaining.

Now, top 12,
an amazing challenge

based around Michael's
incredible beef empire.

One's going home tonight.

What's great about
this competition

is every different cut,
you have to cook it differently.

Joe: You covered, with these
cuts, basically the whole cow,

and there's certainly ones that are
more difficult and ones that are easier.

What do you notice first
when someone cooks a steak?

Well, I mean, obviously,
is the meat tempered properly?

Is the pan hot enough,
if they're searing it?

Have they seasoned sufficiently?

Michael: Have they
seasoned it sufficiently?

How are they testing it
while they're cooking it?

The basics. So this is really
entry-level cooking in a lot of ways.

- Sure.
- All the simple stuff that adds up.

- Michael, hardest cut out there tonight?
- Yes?

Michael: I mean,
you gotta think short ribs,

- just based on the timing.
- Aarón: Absolutely. Yup.

I'm making a lemongrass
braised short ribs.

I'm going to make sure
this piece of short ribs

goes in a pressure cooker
in the next 5 to 10 minutes

because it needs to get tender
in the pressure

for at least 35 minutes.

So, today I feel like
I'm not competing

with other home cooks,
but with time.

Gordon:
45 minutes to go.

Anne: I'm making a braised
beef cheek with a creamy polenta.

Braised beef cheek
takes six hours to make.

I'm doing this in 60 minutes,

so the pressure
is definitely on.

I've never made beef cheek
in my life.

I just know
that I gotta get it going.

That's the most important part
to using a stock pot.

If I don't do that,
I'm gonna be going home.

Matt, what cut did you get?
Aww, fillet.

- Filet.
- Filet is the leanest, the simplest,

the cut that everyone
in America knows.

Yeah, I'm excited
about this filet.

How are you gonna take
a filet and distinguish it?

I'm actually just gonna make a
dish I make for my wife all the time.

That's good,
stick to what you know.

I'm gonna try to kick it up
a little bit.

I'm gonna do a porcini
vermouth pan sauce,

little shallots on top, garlic
mashed potato with chives.

- Okay.
- I'm gonna super hard sear,

and get it nice and golden,
then put it in a low oven.

- Not a hard sear.
- No? No?

You just really kiss it
and really massage

and nurture it
in the searing process.

It doesn't have any fat,
so just nice and easy, okay?

I think a lot's gonna hinge, obviously,
in the cook of that beautiful filet

- in how much you respect that product.
- Yes.

I definitely feel like my steak
has to be absolutely perfect

because some other people
who've had, like,

beef cheeks or the sweetbreads,

they may have a little more
room for error.

So I need to nail it
and make the judges proud.

Gordon:
42 minutes remaining.

- Now, Lexy, how are you feeling?
- I'm okay today.

- And you got New York Strip.
- I didn't make out too bad.

Lexy has a nice family at home.

Tell Chef how much you spend
on food a week.

About $40, give or take.

$40 a week?
How large is your family?

Um, it's me, my husband,
and my two kids.

How many times have you ever
cooked New York Strip?

- None.
- Amazing.

- Not once? That's awesome.
- I'm so happy.

- That is incredible.
- But I'm super excited for the opportunity.

- What's the dish?
- I'm gonna make a cabernet jam

and put it underneath,
then add some potatoes...

What kind of oil are you
gonna use to sear that meat?

I was gonna do olive oil.
What would you do?

- Use grapeseed?
- Yeah. Little higher smoking point.

- Okay. Thank you.
- Good luck.

Lexy: I was in the top three
in our last challenge.

That lets me know that I
actually do deserve to be here,

and so I'm feeling
very confident.

At the same time,
I'm just kind of nervous,

wanting to make sure
that this steak is perfect.

God.

Where is a whisk?
Why isn't there a whisk?

Growing up, every Sunday,
you'd always go home,

hit the grill, cook some steaks.

And I'm gonna do a little
twist on our family recipe.

So far, up until this point,
I have only cooked fish.

I'm here today to prove
that I belong in the top 12.

Sharp knife.
Sharp behind.

Uh, what am I missing?
What am I missing?

Kelsey, now,
the cut you got, um...

- I got skirt steak. Yeah.
- You got skirt steak.

Ooh, what do you have that in?

Beer and lime juice
and a little salt.

- Have you ever tasted that?
- I actually have not.

- Why beer?
- Um, just, you know,

to get in some of that
kind of carbonation in there,

let it kind of break down
a little bit.

Smart. Also, that nice
hoppy feel to it as well.

And then I'm gonna also
do a salsa roja.

Love that. What's the rub on
there? That's what I'm dying to know.

Ancho chili.
Yeah, a little coffee.

Make sure you get
enough spice in it.

- Yes, yeah. Thank you!
- Good luck.

Kelsey:
Skirt steak is not something

you see very often
in a fine dining restaurant.

But I love to experiment with
a lot of different flavor profiles

and that's really
how I came up with the idea

to use the Mexican flavors.

I'm here to try new things,

and I hope I can pull this off.

Gordon:
35 minutes remaining.

- Seriously?
- Whoo.

I am making a seasoned rib-eye,

butter basted
with thyme and garlic.

This is the first time I'm cooking
any kind of meat in two years.

I'm here on MasterChef.
I don't have much of a choice.

So I'm gonna do it,
I'm gonna impress the judges,

and I'm just gonna do my thing,
make it happen, you know?

- Alejandro?
- Sir!

Come on, Alejandro.
You talked me up,

- you gotta make me proud, now.
- Yes, I am. I am.

- Tell us about the dish.
- I'm gonna be making a hanger steak.

What's the garnish?
What are you doing?

I'm doing domino potatoes.

A domino potato. They
all fall over? What is it?

I cut them up and then I
cut them on the mandolin.

- Holy [bleep].
- And I just put 'em all...

- The shape of a domino.
- Yes.

Have you ever seen
a domino potato?

- I have not.
- It's called domino potatoes.

I'm gonna go home and tell every
chef they've got to reword their menus.

Abe, what's going on?
I love sweetbreads.

Oh, God, that's a high order.

So, how are you gonna cook 'em?

Since I've never really
cooked with sweetbread,

I thought,
hey, why not fry them?

- Deep fry or pan fry?
- Deep fry, deep fry.

Well, here's the deal,
if you bread that,

the outside, the coating is gonna
cook before the inside cooks,

so you have
to accelerate that process.

You can either sear 'em really
quickly, put them in the oven,

blanch them in milk,
and then bread them.

Yes, yes, yes.
Thank you, Chef.

Come on.

Almost forgot to season that.

Wow, there is a lot
going on out there.

So, Abe is gonna
deep fry the sweetbread.

Let's be honest,
nobody wanted the sweetbread.

It's one of the most difficult
offals to get right.

He was very unsure
about how to do it.

He told him
to poach them in milk.

- Smart.
- Just very lightly in milk,

and then bread it to accelerate
a little bit of the cooking process.

Now, Lexy, she's never cooked
a New York strip before.

Never ever.

She's doing,
like, a red wine jam.

Caramelized shallots
with red wine, or no?

Um, no, I didn't see
shallots in there.

- She had some raisins in there.
- Yeah, I mean,

the dish sounds a little bit
sort of off-piste.

- Yeah.
- So, Matt has the Cadillac of all cuts. He has the filet.

I asked him, "How do you want to
cook it?" He said, "With a hard sear."

It needs to be just kissed
on the pan and nurtured,

- butter-basted, introduce fat to that.
- Yeah.

21 minutes remaining.

I overcooked this one.
[bleep] me.

All right, check this out.
We have Matt.

Joe:
I think he's having issues.

Matt: At this point,
my steak's overcooked.

Now I only have 20 minutes left.

[sighs]

And now I gotta start over.

Gordon:
Damn. Not good.

Gordon:
18 minutes remaining.

I took the filet out and I poked
it and temped it and it was over.

So I'm not serving
that to the judges,

so I gotta start over.

[bleeping]

Now I have to move quick because
now I only have under 20 minutes left.

- How are you feeling?
- Uh, a little behind.

So, this needs turning.

- Let it roll round the pan. Let the pan do the work.
- Yes, Chef.

Sear in all that flavor there.

A filet has no fat,
so it needs lots of fat.

I'm gonna add a little
butter and baste it...

- A lot of butter.
- ...right at the end.

Matt, don't let those
potatoes get cold.

You're making mashed potatoes.

Working on that right now
with a little hot butter.

You're right
at the edge right now.

Love that.
Get that smile on your face.

You got the best cut
in America tonight.

- The filet. Okay?
- I know. Thank you, Chef.

You've still got
15 minutes to go, okay?

Hot, hot, hot.
There we go.

- Right, how are you feeling?
- I'm good, Chef.

I sort of parboiled the sweetbreads
in milk, garlic, and some thyme.

- So you're gonna dredge these sweetbreads? Good.
- Yes.

It sounds amazing. If you can bring
this together in the next 12 minutes,

young man, you could be having dinner
in Michael's restaurant in San Francisco.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Good luck.

Tarragon, thyme.

I don't expect to be
in the top three

because I usually
don't cook red meat,

so it would be a huge shock
for me if I did it, like, perfect.

As long as I'm not in
the bottom three, I'm good.

- Hi, there.
- Hello.

- So, polenta? Good.
- Yes, sir. Creamy polenta.

And I'm gonna make you the best
braised beef cheeks you've ever had.

Two beef cheeks.
I have my timer on,

so one is gonna be
stopped at 35 minutes

and one is gonna be
stopped at 40.

My suggestion is push that
stock pot as far as you can.

- Okay. Okay.
- It will only get better,

meaning the more you cook it.
You know what I'm saying?

- Yes, yes, yes.
- Do you have a sauce done?

- So, I'm making my sauce out of one of these.
- Oh, another thing,

you're putting a huge amount
of pressure on yourself...

- I know, I know.
- ...because you've got to wait till the last minute

- to open it for the sake of the beef cheek.
- [alarm beeping]

But then you've got to
just discover what's in there

and pull a sauce out of it.
That's, like, without a net.

- Are you ready for that?
- I don't have any choice.

No, you really don't
have any choice. Good luck.

- Miles?
- Yes, Chef.

- That looks incredible.
- Thank you.

- What's on top there?
- It's breadcrumbs.

We've got, uh, green onions.

- What do you have in the pan?
- My "morals" over here.

Morels. Morals are what your
parents installed in you, young man.

- Morels.
- Right, good luck.

- 10 minutes to go.
- Miles: Thank you, guys.

- Doing good, Alex?
- You're good.

Look how gorgeous it is.

Flank steak isn't the most

prestige cut of steak
to cook with,

but I have a fresh concept
and I think I can really

make this flank steak
shine in this.

- It smells good over here.
- It smells great.

I did a seared flank
with a glaze.

Gordon: That looks good.
What's the wrap? What's the shell?

- Shiso. So you have the shiso leaves.
- Beautiful.

Then you cut against the grain. You'll
have a little piece. You put in a leaf.

You have a pickled daikon and a
lime pepper dipping sauce all go with it.

Lovely. That is
delicious, by the way.

- That is delicious.
- I'm glad you guys like it.

That's the glaze.
Family recipe.

Okay, young man, eight
minutes to go. Get it together.

- I'm gonna put it in here then.
- Yeah. Love the pickle bag.

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

All right.

We're down
to the last five minutes.

Five minutes. Gotta start
plating. Gotta start plating.

Gordon:
This is where it counts.

- Focus on that execution.
- Oh, gosh.

Looking down at my stock pot,
I am freaking out right now.

I'm gonna open one
and then open the next

and figure out
how to get it on the plate.

But I got no idea
how I'm gonna create

a beautiful plate
from beef cheek.

So I'm going to make
two portions

because it has to be perfect.

I don't even know
how to do this.

Oh, okay.

Gordon: Some incredible
dishes, by the way.

- Absolutely.
- What really caught your eye?

Joseph's, with that shiso leaf?

- Oh, my goodness me. Oh, my God, amazing.
- That came out good?

Anne, she's doing
a braised beef cheek.

It takes three hours
to braise properly.

Can you really braise a beef
cheek properly in an hour?

Aarón:
In a pressure cooker, yes.

- One plate, Anne, please.
- Yes, sir, okay.

- If you waste time doing two plates...
- I'm screwed.

...I promise you now, you will not
be going to San Francisco for dinner.

- One stunning portion, please.
- Aarón: Come on!

- Gordon: Two minutes to go.
- Two minutes!

Come on, Matt.

I've told Anne twice
to stop doing two plates

- and she's still dressing two plates.
- Just in case.

I don't understand it
right now, Anne.

- I gotta go.
- Last minute, guys, let's go!

- Oh, my gosh.
- Come on, come on.

- Keep it going.
- All right.

This is where you're thinking
of garnishes, tools of refinement.

- 30 seconds remain. Let's go, come on.
- Man.

Come on, Abe. Come on, Matt.
The Rolls-Royce of cuts.

- Ah!
- Prove it.

- Oh, [bleep].
- Gordon: Ten.

Judges:
Nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

- And stop!
- Hands in the air.

Well done.

Wow!

- It does not look like crap.
- That's not cooked, so...

- You don't think so?
- No, this one's way over. That one's way under.

I feel like I have a good
chance of being in the top three.

I definitely know for sure
I'm not going home on this dish.

- Wow, I love that glaze, bro.
- Thanks, man.

Forgot the damn green onions!

I should've paid more attention
to just plating one and I...

because I plated two,
this is not...

I mean, it's not a beautiful... it doesn't
look as pretty as it's gonna taste.

All of you, well done.

Not an easy task.

Now we'd like to take a much
deeper look at everything you've done.

- Gentlemen, shall we?
- Joe: Yes.

Joseph, I see there's a certain
sparseness to your presentation.

I just wanted to have
everything on this plate matter.

Abe, so, you got an interesting
lot with the sweetbreads.

- Yes, Chef.
- You happy with the dish?

Um, I am. I'm quite surprised
how the sweetbread turned out.

Thank you.

How do you feel
that your dish came out?

I feel really good. I feel like
I executed the T-bone well.

Miles:
When the judges come through

and critique each component,
I find that invaluable.

- Your crust had a lot of flavor.
- Yes, Chef.

But it's also really intense

watching the critiques
of the other competitors.

- Did you slice that rib cap and taste it?
- I did not.

It's stressful to see
when someone messes up.

- First time ever cooking a New York strip?
- Yes.

- Did you get a chance to taste it?
- I did, yeah.

Joe: How come the
potatoes aren't brown?

There was 10 minutes left
and I put it all the way up to broil,

but they didn't get the right...

Should've put them in a pan.

Aarón:
I love skirt steak.

- So you went a little Mexican route.
- I did.

Gordon: Very hard to make
that thing look delicious,

but it's all
in the flavor, right?

- Yes.
- Fingers crossed.

This is season of legends,
and we have Michael Mina here

who is a meat legend,

so the nerves
are definitely real.

- You had the short rib.
- Short ribs, yes.

Do you feel that you actually got to
braise the meat in the time you had?

- Yes, Chef.
- Okay.

- How did you feel it went?
- I'm a little disappointed.

I feel like I got thrown
a softball here and I missed.

- Michael, you had the rib-eye.
- Yes, I did.

All right, how did we do?

I have not cooked meat
in over two years,

but I believe
my components came together.

You got the...
obviously, the beef cheek.

- How'd it go?
- Um, I'm super emotional right now.

- Oh, gosh, I can't.
- Don't worry. Take your time.

I'm so sorry. I hate crying.

Take a deep breath. Hey, um, tonight
you were dealt a dysfunctional card.

To get anything done
in 60 minutes is a tall order.

Do you think that dish
is sending you home tonight?

No, I think this dish
should send me up front.

- Gordon: Good. Thank you.
- Yes, sir.

Here's the exciting part for me.

When you and I, Chef,
did that demo earlier,

- nobody's copied.
- Yeah.

Gordon:
So I like that individuality.

Some of the more
problematic dishes,

I think that
you can see the regret.

- It's gonna be tough.
- Yeah.

- Shall we? Excellent.
- All right.

Tonight, we have to say
good-bye to one of you,

but first we would like to
highlight the top three dishes.

Remember what's at stake,

an amazing dinner
in Chef Michael's restaurant.

The first dish we want
to take a much closer look at

is from a young individual
that has wowed us.

This person enters the top three
for the first time.

Please step forward, Abe.

- Go, Abe!
- Whoo!

Abe:
I am ecstatic.

I took something
that nobody wanted

and still made it stand out.

Gordon: Abe, describe
the dish, please.

Here we have
a deep fried sweetbread

with a butternut squash puree

and a coleslaw with raisins.

Let's agree, one thing
right off the bat,

it's definitely restaurant-quality.
It looks beautiful.

Thank you, Chef.

Shall we?
Why the butternut squash puree?

Um, well, I wanted
a little bit of sweetness,

and I thought it'd be
a nice sort of complement

with the crunchiness

and also just the flavor
profile with the sweetbread.

I thought it was very good.
I like the acidity.

I think it did
come together nice.

- Thank you, Chef.
- The sweetbreads are cooked perfectly.

The one thing I don't...
doesn't fit here is the raisins.

You have enough sweetness
from the butternut squash,

- you don't need it.
- Thank you.

It's crunchy, sweet.
I love the acidity.

- I think it's good.
- Thank you, Joe.

Abe, the sweetbreads
are delicious.

Let's be honest, nobody wanted
the sweetbreads tonight,

and you've made it
look easy. Well done.

- Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
- Good job. Please.

- Whoo!
- Good job, Abe!

Woman: Good job, Abe!

The next dish we want to taste

was made by a cook
who kept things very simple.

Please come forward...

Joseph.

- Good job, Joseph!
- Yeah, Big J.!

Being in the top three
is this surreal feeling.

I'm just so happy
my twist on our family recipe

could elevate this medium
cut of meat to the top three.

- Describe the dish, please.
- So, this is a flank steak served with shiso leaves

and pickled radishes with
a salt and pepper lime sauce.

It looks elegant.

You're a big thinker
when it comes to food,

and it means a lot, I can see.

I'm excited to try it.

Joe: All right,
how should it be cooked?

Medium rare,
a little bit medium.

- All right, see what we got.
- That'll work.

Joe: It's super
bright, super clean.

Conceptually, the
kind of dish I love to eat.

There's no getting around
how perfectly cooked that steak...

the fact that you were able
to impart so much flavor

in such an abbreviated period
of time is really a stroke of genius.

Yeah, the sauce that you had
in the pan, that was delicious.

Just maybe a touch
more of that on the meat.

That is delicious.

Joseph, I think it's one of the best things
you've cooked so far in this competition.

- Wow.
- Good job.

- Thank you.
- Well done.

- Good job, Joseph!
- Nice job, Joseph!

The final dish of the top three,

and one of the most beautifully
presented dishes of the night,

please come forward...

- Kelsey.
- Woman: Whoo!

Kelsey: I came to
"MasterChef" to challenge myself

to step outside
of my comfort zone.

I thought it was a great time

to explore some Mexican
flavor profiles.

And when I tasted it,
I knew that I had nailed it.

Aarón: Can you please
describe your dish, Kelsey?

So, it's a dry rubbed
and seared skirt steak

on a base, there's a salsa roja

and some elote style corn
with some avocado crema.

Visually, it's beautiful.
It's got finesse.

This just screams, "Eat me."

You do have a lot
of components going on,

and to be able
to bring them together

and make them
look like this is great.

Thank you.

Dig in.

Joe: Have you made
this dish before

- or did you just come up with it today?
- No, absolutely not.

When I saw skirt steak,
you always think

simple chimichurris
and stuff like that.

I wanted to kind of
step outside of that realm

and try something new.

- Kelsey, the steak's delicious.
- Thank you.

I mean, it's just
melt in your mouth.

The toast on the corn
is just stunning.

The only thing I would change,
I would get some charred lime,

and, bang,
just a little touch of salt.

And that is it.
But it's a really good dish.

Thank you.

The fact that you were able
to season it aggressively

and let that cook through,
I think is fantastic.

It looked great,
it tasted better.

- Really good.
- Thank you so much.

Marinating the meat
in the beer and lime,

that was so unique, and
it really added a nice twist.

But great job.
I love it.

- Gordon: Well done.
- Thank you, thank you.

- Good job.
- Good job, Kels.

Gordon:
Please give us a minute.

I'll take it.

- Three exceptional dishes.
- Yeah.

Gordon: Abe had the most
difficult task tonight.

- Joe: For sure.
- Michael: One thing about Kelsey's dish,

I did not expect it
to come together that well.

Aarón: You can't
take away from Joseph

getting that much flavor
in such a short period of time.

- All right.
- Yeah. Happy?

- Let's do it.
- Tough one.

Abe, Joseph, Kelsey,

just one of you
will score dinner

at the flagship Michael Mina
restaurant in San Francisco.

Congratulations goes to...

Abe, Joseph, Kelsey,

just one of you
will score dinner

at the flagship Michael Mina
restaurant in San Francisco.

Congratulations goes to...

- Abe.
- [bleep]

Oh, [bleep]. Okay.

- All right.
- Good job.

- [bleep]
- Gordon: Really well done.

The good news is that
all three of you are safe

from tonight's elimination.

Please head up to the balcony.
Well done.

- Thank you.
- Amazing. Good job.

Abe:
Oh, my God, this is amazing.

Bottom three
to the top three now,

and then wining the challenge?

Wow, this is so cool.

You three, well done.
Amazing.

Now, tonight, somebody will be
leaving the MasterChef kitchen.

But first we have to take
a much closer look

at the bottom three.

The first home cook has
previously been in the top three.

Tonight was not their night,

and they did not handle
this cut of beef correctly.

Please step down...

Anne.

Anne:
I'm super nervous right now.

Looking down at my dish,

I'm worried that
it's not gonna be enough.

And I'm hoping
that being how difficult

this meat was, that'll help.

I could be going home,
and that means

my dream ends today.

Gordon:
Describe the dish, please.

I made you a braised beef cheek
with a creamy polenta,

roasted root vegetables,
and beef stock a jus.

So, visually, you know,
it looks uncompleted.

I've seen what you've done
in this competition,

and this thing looks lacklust.

Shall we?

How long did you braise
them for, please, Anne?

45 minutes.

And what did you braise them in?

I did beef stock,
chicken stock, white wine,

tons of aromatics,
carrots, and onions.

Anne, um, unfortunately tonight,
panic set in with five minutes to go.

Pressure cooker, it put more
pressure on you than it did in the pan.

I wish that you had
cut the cheeks up that size

at the beginning, so they'll
cook two thirds earlier.

So, Anne, I think
the sauce is really nice,

a good spice to it, and I think you
need it with the fattiness of that meat.

But I do agree that this dish
needs to come together.

- Yes, Chef.
- Yeah, this is frustrating

because it has all the
ingredients for a successful dish,

it just needs
to be realized better.

This is a great example of someone
who does not know how to braise.

And as we head towards the
top 10 of "MasterChef Legends,"

we expect you guys
to have mastery

of some of these basic cooking
techniques, braising being one of them.

- You didn't have the technique.
- Thank you, Chef.

Aarón: The next dish
that we would like to taste

comes from a home cook
that embraces rustic plating,

but they overcomplicated
a very simple steak.

Please come forward...

- Lexy.
- Okay.

Lexy: This competition
is super intense.

Last challenge, I'm in the top.

This challenge,
I'm in the bottom.

So I'm a little nervous
because I came here

to give a better life
to my kids,

and so if I go home right now,

I won't be able to do that.

Please describe your dish.

You have a New York strip steak

with roasted potatoes,
sautéed mushrooms and onions,

and a cabernet jam.

Lexy, we're getting
down to the top 10.

That's what's just
around the corner.

And quite frankly,
it doesn't scream a top 10 dish.

I'm just hoping it tastes
better than it looks.

- Shall we?
- All right, so, how did you want to cook it?

It should be a good medium,
medium rare.

- Medium rare, all right.
- It should be pink.

- All right. Got that.
- Nice.

Tell me about this jam.
What are you calling it?

- It's a cabernet jam.
- So it's a jam made out of wine.

- Yes.
- What else is in there?

Raisins, cranberries,

and some daikons
pureed together.

The steak was cooked... a little
overcooked for me, but that's my taste.

And don't give me
white potatoes,

because it just kind of,
like... it makes me angry.

I have to say, the mushrooms
and the sear on the steak are great,

but the potatoes
are undercooked.

Aesthetically,
you didn't hit the mark.

There are some great
flavors here, but it's dry.

You need a sauce on this dish.

Okay.

Potatoes could be way better.
Sort of bland.

Um, it's not that difficult
to do a great potato.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

The last dish
we would like to taste

mishandled several
elements of the dish.

Please come forward...

The last dish
we would like to taste

mishandled several
elements of the dish.

Please come forward...

Matt.

Matt:
I'm definitely nervous.

I was in
the bottom three last week

with the dessert challenge,

but I feel like this
is my redemption dish.

I got a really good cut of meat
and I needed to nail this,

so I'm really disappointed in
the way I'm going right now.

Today, I made
a pan-seared filet mignon

with a porcini vermouth
reduction sauce,

roasted Brussels sprouts, and
roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

Matt, it looks like
you struggled.

I'm a little bit in shock.

Unfortunately,
there's a big difference

between searing and scorching.

Joe:
How should it be cooked?

It should be medium rare.

So it's gray on the outside
and pink in the middle.

- Yeah.
- All right, let's give it a try.

So, I'm gonna say something
maybe a little bit harsh.

This is a dish you would
get in a restaurant

with anonymous cooks
where it doesn't really matter

what you're eating
or who's cooking it for you.

I think the promising news is
that the onions, they're cooked well.

The potatoes have
a good consistency.

But I agree,
this is a perfect example

of something
that is so misleading.

Because you see the pink
on the inside and you think,

"Oh, it's cooked all right,"
but it's actually hammered.

Yeah, Matt,
when you take something

like the filet and potatoes
and Brussels sprouts,

and you're just really looking
for just simple perfection, right?

We didn't hit
any of the components.

Matt, let's make one thing clear
to everybody in here.

It may be the most expensive cut
in the country tonight,

but it's also one of the
hardest things to get right.

The high point for me is that
the seasoning's on point,

so there is something
to salvage from there.

- Thank you, Matt.
- Thank you.

- It's all right.
- Gordon: Anne, Lexy, Matt,

please give us a minute.
Thank you.

Wow.

So, Anne lacked
that incredible flavor.

All the goodness
was in that pan, right?

- Mm-hmm.
- Damn.

Lexy's garnish on top
of that steak was tasty.

Yeah, but how do you
mess up a potato?

[groans]

With Matt,
you have to have that spark,

that ambition
to do something more.

He's not putting it
on the plate.

- Mistakes, all around.
- Yeah.

- Joe: Shall we?
- Gordon: Yeah.

Oh, God.

Anne, Lexy, Matt,

the dish that we thought
lacked the finesse

and the passion to continue
in this competition,

that dish belongs to...

Matt.

Lexy, Anne,
say good-bye to Matt, please.

Head back to your stations.
Thank you.

Matt, you know,
when you get presented

one of the most delicious cuts
anywhere on the planet,

then you need to do it justice.

You certainly can't overcook it.

And that, unfortunately, is why
you've cooked for the last time.

Please place your apron on your
desk. Have a safe journey home.

Matt: This whole journey
has been kind of crazy.

I was definitely hoping
that there would be

a small chance
that I would stay,

but I just didn't execute what
I had in front of me today.

I knew it wasn't
up to their standards.

- I have a lot to learn...
- Bye, Matt.

...but I think
my kids are gonna be

incredibly proud of me
for making it this far,

and I'm just gonna keep cooking

and keep trying to hone
my skills and move forward.

Now, all of you,
top 10 is around the corner.

Just 11 of you remaining.

We know that you may be
all feeling the pressure,

but trust me, things are
about to reach a boil.

Good night.

Gordon: Next time on
"MasterChef Legends"...

One of the most influential
voices in Italian cuisine.

To me, she's family.

Gordon: The legendary
Nancy Silverton.

The most crucial
elimination challenge yet...

- You guys ready to make some fresh pasta?
- Fire it up.

...to decide which home cooks
are worthy of a spot in the top 10.

I wouldn't get rid
of anything on the plate.

- It looks stunning.
- It's not a pasta dish. It's kind of gross.

Gordon: We're down
to the last 10 minutes.

Sadly, for one of you,

your last inside
the MasterChef kitchen.

It's "MasterChef Legends,"
not "MasterChef Junior."

"MasterChef" is back
with the season of legends.

Wednesdays on Fox.