Masterchef (2010–…): Season 11, Episode 7 - Nancy Silverton - Pasta Challenge - full transcript

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Gordon: Previously on
"MasterChef Legends"...

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

We're gonna play
a little meat roulette.

I want to vomit.

Let's go.
What are we doing, guys?



- I'm screwed.
- [bleep]

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

and you've made it look easy.

Congratulations goes to Abe.

Aesthetically,
you didn't hit the mark.

You had the flavors.
You didn't have the technique.

- I'm so sorry.
- Gordon: I'm a little bit in shock.

- But it's actually hammered.
- Matt.

Please place your apron on your
desk. Safe journey home.

Tonight...

One of the most influential
voices in Italian cuisine.

- To me, she's family.
- 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 ten.

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

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

We're down to the last
ten minutes.

Sadly, for one of you, your last
inside the MasterChef kitchen.

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

- Whew!
- Top 11.

Top ten just around the corner.

- Very exciting day today.
- I agree.

Very exciting,
an extraordinary legend,

and they are gonna go crazy.

- Yah!
- [cheering]

- Welcome back.
- Whoo!

It is top 11, and today will
decide who is the top ten.

- Let's do it.
- Last week's challenge was very humbling for me.

I did not like being
in the bottom three.

And so this week
I need to kill it

because this small-town girl from
Kalamazoo, Michigan, has big dreams.

I need to win "MasterChef,"
so today I gotta prove myself.

So good to see you all.

We have just 11 home cooks left.

I can see any one of you 11
becoming America's next MasterChef.

And if you're anything like
tonight's legend,

you will remain precise and
perform at the top of your game

no matter what.

She is one of the most
influential voices

in Italian cuisine.

Joe: You can taste her heart
and soul in every dish she makes.

But she's more than just
a great chef and restaurateur.

To me, she's family.

Without any further ado,
please welcome

the legendary Nancy Silverton.

- [cheering]
- Whoo!

Nancy Silverton walks in
and I'm absolutely awestruck.

She is the queen
of Italian cooking.

Obviously, I'm Italian. I got red
sauce running through my veins.

Welcome, my darling.
You look incredible.

So she's definitely somebody
that I look up to,

and she's definitely somebody
that I'm trying to really impress today.

Welcome, welcome.
Nice to see you again.

- Hello, stranger.
- How are you?

Nancy, it's such a pleasure to have
you here back in the MasterChef kitchen.

One of the most dedicated,
hard-working chefs on the planet.

Throughout your
decades-long career,

you have won multiple
James Beard Awards

and even a Michelin star
for your work

at Los Angeles' Osteria Mozza,

which of course
you co-own with Joe here.

What do you look for
in a great young chef?

I think I look for somebody
that's really hungry to learn.

Keep it simple. Taste.

- Mm-hmm.
- Retaste.

- And then taste one more time.
- Joe: Yeah.

That's all well and good,
but what we're dying to know

is what's it like working
alongside Joe Bastianich?

- Oh, well, uh...
- What's it like?

- It's fantastic. The best.
- Aww.

Wouldn't trade him in
for anything.

I'm underappreciated
by these guys.

I can tell.

I am so excited you're here.
Are you guys excited?

- All: Yeah!
- Good. Kelsey, your face, you lit up.

Yeah. I've been familiar
with your restaurants.

I come from Italian background, so
it's just an inspiration to have you here,

and I'm really excited to hopefully
cook you something extremely delicious

- and from the heart.
- Looking forward.

Well, tonight,
you've got two of the minds

behind L.A.'s famous
Osteria Mozza.

So your challenge is to make
a staple of Italian cuisine.

Fresh pasta.

- No pressure, right?
- Yeah.

Honestly, I never tasted pasta
until I was, like, 16 years old.

Growing up in Cuba,
we didn't have it,

so not a lot of experience.

- Pasta is a blank canvas, right?
- Right.

It adds texture, flavor to
almost anything you throw at it.

But if you're not careful
making fresh pasta,

trust me, that can sabotage
your entire dish.

There is a real pasta culture,

and there's a way
of doing it that's right

and there's
a way of doing it wrong.

So, Nancy and I are gonna
show you a bit about how it's done.

- All: Yeah!
- That's awesome.

Demonstrations from these master
chefs are always, always incredible.

- And I can never get enough of it.
- Whoo.

- You guys ready to make some fresh pasta?
- All: Yes, Chef.

Being Italian and Italian
cuisine being my thing,

this is my chance to get back up into
the top three, get up on that balcony,

and I truly believe the dish I put out
there is gonna get me to that point.

All right, we're gonna make
orecchiette from the region of Puglia.

- So we'd use four yolks and...
- Two whole eggs.

- Joe: Some salt.
- Love that wow, Nancy. How important is that wow?

Joe: "La fontana,"
they call it in Italian.

Now what's important
about this process?

You got to slowly
incorporate the flour.

Uh-huh. Slowly incorporate it
so that it's smooth.

- Now you like to do it by hand?
- I do. It's a nice time that I just get to zen out.

You can do this
in a mixing machine,

but tradition in Italy
is called [speaks Italian]...

the old lady
with the big apron on.

- You calling me the old lady with the big apron on?
- Not you. You're not...

- Careful, careful.
- You are a fabulous,

fantastic fashion icon
from Los Angeles

who happens to make
excellent pasta.

All right, now the idea here

is that we're gonna make
a dish with three ingredients.

Broccoli rabe, a little pasta that
we made, maybe an anchovy or two.

What I really want
to reiterate is simplicity,

and I think that's the beauty
of Italian food.

While Nancy slowly works that, I'm
gonna cook my broccoli rabe in here.

I'm gonna slowly sauté them
with the garlic,

a little bit of salt,
and anchovies.

Okay, the pasta water.

Salt like the ocean.
More salt than you ever think.

- Is that too much, already?
- How do you know? You gotta taste it.

It's gotta taste like the sea.

Let's see, who's been
swimming in the ocean?

- Yeah.
- Lexy, you never swam in the ocean?

No, Joe. I have a lake.
I'm in Chicago.

Well, Lake Michigan
looks like an ocean.

Moving on, Nancy is
continuing to make our pasta.

How do you know when you start
to over-knead that dough?

- You can't over-knead it.
- Okay.

- Be afraid of under.
- Under-working it.

- Yeah, you need to work it.
- So she's gonna roll out these little logs.

You use the flat edge
of a butter knife,

and you press it down,

and let it roll like that,
and then you want to invert it.

- Gordon: Beautiful.
- Anne: Yeah, that's beautiful.

Chef, the purpose of inverting
is so it holds sauce in there, too?

- Exactly.
- Now you're really getting to A-level stuff.

Joseph: Watching Nancy and
Joe make pasta right in front of me

is like watching Ferrari
make cars.

Joe: Now we're going
to boil the orecchiette.

It's beautiful, it's artwork,
and it's legendary.

Now these are
25% undercooked still,

and I will finish
cooking them in this pan.

And the magic ingredient
is the pasta water.

My garlic goes bye-bye.
Don't need it anymore.

That's what you're supposed
to squeeze between the bread.

Yeah, in New Jersey.
In Italy, we don't do that.

All right, we're gonna give it
a little bit of grana padano.

Bounces nice.
I can tell it's done.

- Looks great. Smells great.
- Put it in the plate.

And that, my friends,
is how a MasterChef legend

and her humble assistant make a bowl
of orecchiette un cime di rapa. Thank you.

- Great job.
- Thank you so much.

- Wow.
- The fact that I've got to make pasta today

is freaky as hell.

But I feel like
all you gotta do is love it,

roll it, make it feel good,

and you'll have a bomb pasta.

Now tonight, all of you are going
to have to make an exceptional dish

where fresh pasta must be
one of the ingredients.

So each of you will have
one hour to prepare

a fresh pasta dish that will
make Nancy Silverton proud.

Get a load of this. Whoever
cooks the best pasta dish

will win an unbelievable prize
from our legendary guest.

You will get an exclusive
VIP dinner for two

at Osteria Mozza
here in Los Angeles.

Come on.
How cool is that?

However, the home cook's dish that
comes out flat tonight will be eliminated.

Make sure that is not you.

Get this right and you definitely
earn a spot in the top ten.

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

Your 60 minutes start...

- Now.
- Let's go!

Good luck, guys.

Good luck, good luck, good luck.

- Ah-ha.
- Get some more octopus.

That's what I need.
This is what I need.

- Where are you, little Italian sausage?
- Olive oil.

What I'm making is a beef and
pork ragu with fettuccine pesto,

some sautéed tomatoes,
and toasted pine nuts.

Where's the pine nuts?
Do you guys know?

Pine nuts, pine nuts.
Anybody seen pine nuts?

Oh, I found them. I've made
pasta a million times before.

I am a YouTube gamer, so I
actually have a YouTube video

from a VR headset as a tutorial.

Hopefully I'm teaching
you guys something.

So people can see, like,

what it looks like
to make pasta.

- Miles, you're out of the gate.
- Yes!

By the way, I was studying that
video on YouTube that you did of pasta.

- Oh, really?
- It's now got 46 views.

Woohoo!

- Pressure cooker.
- [muttering]

I'm gonna make lamb ragu
with pappardelle.

I do not make Italian pasta,
but I do make egg noodles,

and also I'll make dumplings
from scratch.

I think this will take me up to top three
because it's gonna be really delicious.

Pasta may look simple, and
we know that the simplest things

are the most difficult things
to execute.

So fingers crossed they stay
within their wheelhouse

and they give us an authentic
humble pasta dish tonight.

Just around the corner is the
top ten, which this competition

is gonna go into
a completely different league.

Last challenge,
I was in the bottom three,

which was slightly devastating.

And now I have to make
fresh pasta,

which is something
I've never done.

I left school to start a family,

and now I'm leaving my family
to start my culinary dream.

All right, Lexy.
Come on, girl. Come on, girl.

There's a lot on the line.

And so if I go home today,

all of that was for nothing.

So tonight's a big one.
Pasta may look simple,

and we know that the simplest things
are the most difficult things to execute.

Two tablespoons of olive
oil, okay? That's how you do it.

I think the tendency is that
people want to overdo pasta.

- They want to put too many things in it.
- Absolutely.

He's moving!
[chuckles]

Nancy, how would you break
those 60 minutes down?

I think they need to make
that pasta first

because if they're
going to be rolling it out,

- whether by hand or machine, it's gotta relax.
- Absolutely.

Joe: Rolling the pasta by hand gives
you more control over the thickness.

- Right, Nancy?
- Right, and when you have something so simple,

you cannot hide
behind anything in that pasta,

So if you overcook it,
if you underseason it,

if you cheese it on the stove,
it's all gonna show.

- Ouch.
- Eight minutes gone. Just over 52 minutes to go.

- Autumn, how are you feeling?
- Good.

- What do you got going on?
- So I'm doing a beet and ricotta tortellini.

- Lovely.
- I did two pastas.

And I'm gonna try to do them
striped for the tortellini.

What a great idea. Where
did you see this idea before?

I've seen striped pastas
on menus places.

- Sure.
- I've never done it before, so I'm trying to go

a little bit outside my comfort
zone, and hopefully it'll pay off.

- Good for you.
- You come from a Sicilian background, right?

Your dad's from Sicily, right?
So you know good Italian food.

Yes, my nonna
was always making pasta,

my dad was always making pasta.

So if I can't do this,
I'm gonna get yelled at.

Well, keep moving, okay?
Come on, Autumn.

- Oh, Miles. This is Nancy.
- Oh, Miles. Look at that.

- How's it going?
- Wow.

Look at that.
You're kneading by hand.

Can I see that?
Does that look right, Nancy?

It needs a little bit more,
but, yep, it's getting there.

- You're getting there.
- Yeah.

Trying to use these biceps
I've been working on.

So, what are you
making tonight, Miles?

So, I'm doing
a fettuccine pesto with,

like, a ground beef and pork

with a whole bunch of spices
and some toasted pine nuts.

- Joe: Just remember, don't over complicate it.
- Right.

So I'm actually keeping it
really simple.

You burned the pinoli.
You can throw those out.

- Okay.
- They'll be bitter.

Nancy: By the way,
that's a huge amount.

- Okay.
- You could make Christmas cookies

for an entire village
with that much pinolis.

I really love
the taste of pine nuts.

I do, too, but I think that
they can overpower, so...

- Right.
- Good luck.

Thank you, Chef.

So, I am making a fettuccine with
lobster and peas and a little tarragon.

So I grew up with
my great-grandma.

She was straight from Italy,
so I would sit there

and she would show me how to
make pasta and make her gnocchi.

Um, so we definitely are
a pasta making household.

- Michael.
- Gentlemen.

Come on, I'm expecting
one of the best pasta dishes.

- What are you doing?
- I'm doing a gnocchi

with lobster, crispy pancetta,

green peas,
and a brown butter sauce.

- Is this a family recipe?
- This itself isn't a family recipe, but gnocchi is.

My grandmother used to make it all
the time, as I was coming up Italian.

- I like that.
- The jeopardy here, of course,

is you got that lobster which
can overcook within seconds.

Get these out.

That goes down once, twist,

turn it up, twist, and then off.

Watch that.
It's gonna come out clean.

Get your little finger in there.

- Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.
- Once that's poached,

that sits beautifully on top
as little garnish.

And when it's cooked,
take it out.

It'll continue to cook.

So don't fully cook it
in the butter.

Hundred percent.
We're almost there already.

- Right before you're ready to go, all right?
- Thank you so much.

- Nancy, meet Lexy.
- Hello, Lexy.

- Hey.
- What is your plan?

- I'm doing lasagna.
- Ooh!

- A lasagna in an hour?
- Yeah.

- You're mad, girl.
- I know.

So Lexy has this family
and she's told us the story,

which I'm starting to believe less
and less that she cooks for $40 a week.

It's becoming, like, urban legend
because you give her a lobster,

she manhandles it like the
princess who grew up in a mansion.

Me and my husband are both super young
and so, you know, we're trying to build.

- Save money, have a...
- Yeah, exactly.

If you can make good food
without spending a lot of money,

- then why not, you know?
- Both: Which you can.

So, lasagna, what's the plan?

Layer of sauces that I need,

and then ricotta
with a little bit of basil,

- and then keep building.
- Some grana padano in between?

- Yes. Yep, now.
- It's a grating cheese, yeah.

- That sounds good. Good luck.
- Thank you.

Bye.

Okay, young man. Tell us about
the dish. What are you doing?

I'm making a tagliatelle pomodoro
with a grilled octopus, Chef.

How comfortable are you with fresh
pasta? Did you grow up with it as a kid?

No, I didn't eat pasta
until I was 16 years old

because we didn't have it
in Cuba, Chef.

Just be careful when
you're rolling it out.

- You don't want it too thin.
- Yes, Chef.

Inspiration behind this dish
comes from where?

As a little boy in Cuba, I used
to freedive and catch octopus.

- Which are quite hard to get hold of.
- Yes, sir.

So, you feel confident that that
octopus is gonna cook in time?

At home it takes me about
55 minutes on a regular pot.

I'm assuming with a pressure cooker here
about 29 minutes, and then I'm gonna grill it.

Where did this passion and excitement...
where does it come from, Alejandro?

Would you say it's Mom?
Is it Dad? Is it Grandma?

Both of them because they...

- You okay?
- They sacrificed everything they had for...

- For you?
- For me and my brother.

Which is incredible. I mean, you're going
to do that for your family one day, okay?

- Absolutely, Chef.
- Good luck. Halfway there.

- Thank you, Chef.
- Aarón: All right, everyone, less than 30 minutes.

Gotta get in that second gear.

- Game on.
- Here we go. Feeling okay.

Whew. All right.

Guys, look. Miles is
a little bit lost there.

- [bleep]
- Aarón: Oh.

- Uh-oh.
- Miles: Oh, my God.

I'm really stressed because
my first batch of pesto

didn't turn out the way
it should have.

[mumbling]
I don't have time.

I used finishing olive oil, which
I thought would be amazing,

probably made with
higher quality olives,

but it made my pesto
super bitter.

Inedible, essentially.

The pesto is a crucial
element to my plate,

- and I have to redo it.
- Oh, boy.

- Joe: What is he doing?
- He is upside down at the moment.

Miles: I'm really stressed
because my first batch of pesto

didn't turn out the way
it should have.

It's more than halfway through
when I have to remake my pesto.

It's super stressful
because I've still got

a lot of elements that
I'm trying to finish.

I wanted to toast off some
bread crumbs and some honey.

Ah, I burned it. Whatever.

But those go out the window
because I need to finish

a great second batch of pesto.

Ooh!

There you go, there you go,
there you go, there you go.

I am making a tagliatelle pasta
in a lamb meat sauce.

So I grew up not eating
super good Italian food.

Then once I got older, I remember
the first time I went to, like,

a nice Italian restaurant
and I ordered a bolognese.

It was a pasta and a meat sauce,
and I fell in love with it.

And to number six. Awesome.

Come on, pasta.

I am making a crab ravioli

with a seafood sauce
and blackened shrimp, man.

I grew up loving Cajun food.

Anything I make probably has
some Cajun seasoning on it.

And so I'm gonna bring that tonight,
man, with the sauce and everything.

21 minutes left.
I think I'm looking good.

- Hi, Anne.
- How are you?

What are you cooking
for us today?

So I am making you guys
some pappardelle pasta.

We're gonna do a nice cream sauce.
I'm gonna do asparagus and peas.

I'll blanch them both. And right
towards the end, I put them in.

They get the flavor, and
we have a party in our mouth.

- I like parties.
- So, yeah.

- So, cream sauce.
- Yes, sir.

The cream reduces quickly.
It thickens up.

So you don't want to be gloppy.
You want it to be light.

You want to make sure when
that pasta is tossed in it...

- Yes, yes.
- ...that the cream just coats the noodles.

- Okay, yep. Yes, sir.
- Make sure you grate the grana padano at the end

- when it's off the fire.
- Cream off the fire, grana padano off the fire.

I'm gonna hand you a beautiful
meal. That's my goal today.

- All right. Good luck, Anne.
- Good luck.

You got it, you got it.

- Mmm, good. Finally.
- Okay, young man.

Talk to us.
What do you got going on?

I'm gonna do a ravioli
stuffed with a pea,

goat cheese,
and porchetta filling,

with a brown butter
and crispy sage

- with some toasted pine nuts.
- Lovely. Love that idea.

Watching you cook
and the way you absorb things,

it's hard to believe
you're the youngest in here.

- Do you feel a strong contender tonight?
- I still have a lot to learn,

but I try to absorb as much
information as possible.

When I make my nut brown butter for my raviolis,
I'll throw the sage in at the beginning

with the butter, get it nice and
brown, little bit of lemon juice,

and then I'll pass it
through sieve.

Then I'll take it out,
put it on the spoon,

and lay it on the plate
to see the color.

If it's blond, it's not dark
enough, it's not tasty enough.

So when you poach these
raviolis, poach them with love.

And don't be afraid just to tap
them on a little piece of paper

- to get some of that excess water off if you need to.
- Okay, will do.

- Thank you, Chef. Thank you, thank you.
- Good luck.

- Alejandro, Nancy.
- Chef, what a pleasure.

- Nice to meet you.
- Joe: So this is cooking.

- You need to be watching this.
- Yes, Chef.

In Cuba, did you swim in lakes?

- Uh, no. We got the ocean.
- Does that taste like the ocean?

- Do you know what the ocean tastes like?
- Uh, yeah, yeah.

I added actually a lot of salt at the
very end because I didn't add enough.

What are you going
to do with that?

I'm going to finish it
in the sauce.

The sauce is a little bit salty,
so that might save me.

So your problem here is that
these fettuccine are super, super thin.

But it's going to give you
very little margin of error.

- So this is a tomato sauce?
- Yes, it's like a pomodoro.

And you're going to put
grilled octopus on top?

- Yes, Chef.
- Wow. That's interesting.

- Good luck.
- Thank you for your input.

We're down to
the last ten minutes.

Sadly, for one of you,
your last ten minutes

inside the MasterChef kitchen.

The challenge with the gnocchi is making
sure it's not too dense from the starch,

not overworking the potatoes.

So, yeah,
that's the main challenge

is making sure
it's not like a brick.

So, making pasta for Nancy Silverton,
it's a little bit nerve-wracking.

I mean, making pasta for Joe is
nerve-wracking, are you kidding?

The two of them is like
very, very, very intimidating.

Gordon: Wow. Exciting.
Some amazing dishes there.

A lot of ambition in the room.

People really want
to get into the top ten,

so I really feel we're going to
eat some good pasta today.

- Very exciting.
- Autumn, listen to this,

she's doing a beet root
flavored pasta

- with a normal pasta.
- That's cool.

- Were there canned beets? What did she use?
- She used the powdered beets...

- Oh, okay. I got it, I got it.
- ...to flavor the pasta.

Miles is making a pesto, right?

- Mm-hmm.
- His dish sounds really complicated.

He had a large sauté pan
two inches thick

full of pine nuts that he burnt.

All you needs is a couple
of pinolis, right?

- Joe: Yeah.
- Gordon: Alejandro,

I can't believe
he's going to braise an octopus

and then grill the octopus.

The list of
grilled proteins in pasta

- that I know that are successful is very short.
- Yeah, just...

And octopus is not one of them.

It could maybe perhaps work.
You never know.

Gordon: Just under
two minutes remaining.

Remember, for one of you,
an amazing dinner with Nancy

and straight into the top ten.

Sadly, for one of you, your last two
minutes inside the MasterChef kitchen.

All right, let's plate.
Finishing touches, let's go!

Put it down, Alejandro. Work
with both hands. Twice as quick.

- Yes, Chef.
- Thank you.

Keep it going, guys, Come on.

Be gentle with the pasta, guys.
Don't beat it up.

Looking good. Ten...

Judges:
Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

- And stop. Well done!
- That's it.

Hey, man. Good job.

- Oh, look at that plating, boy!
- Ahh, it's all right.

- Suu, it looks really good.
- Thank you.

- I hope it's good.
- That was the most stressful for me.

- That was very stressful.
- The pasta might be a little bit thin,

but I hope the judges are not
too rough if they think that it is.

I think I did my Italian heritage proud
by getting all my components together.

I could have been a little bit
neater, so we'll see where it goes.

Miles:
I did have one big misstep

and made my initial pesto
super bitter,

so I had to remake it.

All of you, well done.

Now tonight's task was to make
a stunning fresh pasta

inspired by Nancy
and create an amazing dish

to get yourself
into the top ten.

We're gonna take a walk around

and dig deeper
into your pasta dishes.

- Anne, what's the inspiration behind it?
- This reminds me of my family,

so I was going to make a little
bit of home for you guys tonight.

Thank you.

I feel like mine was great,
but at the same time,

there's other dishes you saw
you thought looked great...

Michael, it's a tad greasy.

- ...and they are tearing it apart.
- Joe: All right, Kelsey.

Do you feel like
this represents your cuisine?

This definitely represents me.

- [chuckles] - I'm not laughing.
You burnt your nuts twice.

- It was a mistake.
- It's "MasterChef Legends," not "MasterChef Junior,"

- you know that.
- Yes, Chef.

Joe:
Okay, Autumn, you happy?

Yeah, it's my first time ever

doing the stripes in the pasta,

so it was a little intimidating.

That is a stunning dish. I hope
it tastes as good as it looks.

I hope so, too.

The most difficult thing
about making pasta

is you have to
pay attention to your dough

and the amount of time
you cook it in the water.

- Joe: You think you cooked it through in the middle?
- I believe so, yes.

- Thank you.
- And then most importantly,

the thinness of your pasta.

Did you cut it by hand
or did you put it through the...

I was gonna cut it by hand,
but at the last minute,

- I decided to just...
- I wish you'd cut it by hand.

So how does it feel
to think like an Italian?

- Actually, I feel really good.
- Good.

This is your first time cooking a
non-Asian dish in this competition.

It is.

Lexy, lasagna's
kind of tough, right?

- Are you comfortable with it?
- You know, I think it could have been better,

but I also think maybe
it could have been worse, so...

Tay, Tay, Tay. I'm just interested
to see how all those components

play with one another because
they're a little fragmented.

What's in the lamb sauce
except for lamb?

Seasoned it with a little fish sauce,
salt, pepper, dash of rosemary.

- Interesting.
- Aarón: Yeah.

Some amazing dishes, yeah?

Three highlights
and three disappointments.

I think there's more
than three there, personally.

All that sauce inside of a
plate? I love me some restraint.

I would have loved more
of that bolognese on it.

- The whole dish fell apart.
- Yeah.

All right.

Now, someone is leaving
the competition this evening

and not heading
into the top ten.

But the best dish of the night

will win an amazing
dinner for two

at that stunning L.A. hotspot,
Osteria Mozza.

But first, we would like to
highlight our favorite dishes.

And the first home cook
made their mark tonight

with a stunning dish.

Please make
your way down here...

- Anne.
- What?

I was in the bottom last week.
Now I know I have what it takes.

If I have another roller
coaster, I can get through it.

I just had to believe in myself.

Today I created a hand-made
pappardelle pasta

with pancetta,
asparagus, and peas,

finished with a bread crumb
and a cream sauce.

- It looks good. Nancy?
- I was wondering if you were

going to cut up the asparagus,
which I'm happy you did

because it's much easier
to eat that way.

- Thank you.
- Please, that's for you, my dear.

Anne, let's make one thing
clear, it's cooked beautifully.

The lemon zest at the end for
me nails it. Really good, indeed.

- Thank you.
- I really respect the simplicity of it.

- Thank you.
- And it's also very classic.

No risks. You didn't take
any risks, but that's okay.

Yeah, for me, I think this
is an exercise in texture.

Between the green peas and
the crispy bread crumbs on top,

- it keeps your palate engaged.
- Thank you.

I think you're a little
overdressed for the ball.

- I would take off a couple of elements.
- Really?

Either the asparagus
or the peas would be enough.

It doesn't need
the bread crumbs.

But it's done well
in an excessive way.

Thank you.

- Good job.
- Good job, Anne.

Okay, the second home cook
we want to highlight

used an excellent, professional
pasta-making technique.

Please come forward...

- Autumn.
- Yeah? Oh! Yay!

I am ecstatic. Pasta's something
I do with my family all the time,

so my nonna
would be really proud.

This is her recipe
and I did this all for her.

- Tell us about your dish.
- I made a lemon ricotta and beet tortellini

with a white wine and leek sauce
and some pea tendrils.

Autumn, this dish screams
attitude and passion.

I think tonight we are seeing
you at your very best.

Thank you.

- Wing shapes.
- Yeah, and this is, you know,

also one of the most
difficult pasta shapes.

Really well balanced, huh?

- Quite good.
- Thank you.

The sauce is just the right
reduction of intensity.

The structure of
the tortellini are perfect.

I just love how refined it is
in its flavors, you know?

I've found myself in my personal life
where I've been on a date and, like,

this woman's beautiful
and then she's a bad kisser.

You understand the analogy?
It tastes as good as it looks.

I love it. It's focused.

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

- It's perfect.
- Thank you so much.

I would be happy to serve that

in my restaurant this evening,
it's that good.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

The next home cook that we'd like
to highlight skillfully used seafood.

Please come forward Kelsey.

Kelsey:
This is really amazing.

I mean,
I won the monkfish challenge.

- I was top three in the meat challenge.
- Good job, Kelsey.

Now I get to be top three again.
It's a little surreal.

Can you describe your dish,
please?

I had a tagliatelle
with lobster, peas,

tarragon, and a light
white wine cream sauce.

Huge jeopardy there
in that lobster.

If that's overcooked,
undercooked, then the dish is ruined.

- But it looks great.
- Mm-hmm.

- Let's try it.
- Please. How did you cook the lobster?

So I split it
straight down the middle,

and then floured it,
and seasoned it,

and then put it
flat into the pan.

The lobster steals the show.
It's seasoned perfectly.

- Very, very good.
- Thank you.

You can always tell
a considerate cook by the way

that they prepare
all the elements.

That you cut the lobster into
bite-size pieces says a lot

that you were thinking about
the way we were gonna have this.

- So I think that says a lot.
- I know the lobster is the star,

but also I think the noodle
is really a costar of this dish.

The water was seasoned
correctly. It's great.

Tough dish to pull off, Kelsey.

I love the fact that you took that
risk. There's so much happening now.

It feels like we're in the top five
and we're not into the top ten.

- So, well done.
- Thank you, guys.

- What an extraordinary tasting.
- Yeah.

But there was another dish
that caught Nancy's eye first,

and we are dying to take
a much deeper look at it.

Please come forward...

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Well done, you three,
but there was another dish

that caught Nancy's eye, and we are
dying to to take a much deeper look at it.

Please come forward...

Lexy.

Lexy: My mind is just like,
"What is happening right now?"

Last challenge,
I had one foot out the door,

and today I'm in the top four.

Lexy, describe the dish please.

It's a pretty simple lasagna.

I used Italian sausage,
a basic red sauce, and ricotta.

- Put some basil in as well.
- For me, it looks delicious.

It's like something
that's a big welcome home.

I love those crispy bits, and
that really got my attention.

- Thank you.
- Just let me tell you. This is what you do.

Gotcha.

We left you a little.

Just want to see
what the bottom is like here.

Aarón: Oh, yeah.
All the layers are even, yeah.

I didn't know how you were
possibly going to cook it

with the limited amount of time,
but you did it.

It's everything
I want to eat in lasagna.

It so deserves a spot here in the top four
tonight. The pasta's cooked beautifully.

There's texture in there,
which is quite rare for a lasagna.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

And I love the fact that you
left all the vegetables

in nice, big chunks
because it kind of goes with

the whole rustic home-style
feeling that it gives you.

And it's full of flavor, and it
represents you, so it's a great job.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Good job, Lexy!

- Joe: Very good.
- Excuse us.

- Four incredible dishes.
- If I'm talking about my favorite dish,

it would really be hard to say.

- Happy?
- Yeah.

[muttering]

Well done. Now, only one of you
can win that special dinner

in that beautiful
L.A. hotspot Osteria Mozza.

And the person that we've decided
cooked the best dish tonight...

Congratulations goes to...

- Autumn.
- [cheering]

Can't believe this.
Wow, thank you so much.

The first win for you in this
competition. How do you feel?

My nonna died very recently,
so she'd be very proud.

Exceptionally proud. You good?

Yeah. I'm trying
not to cry, but...

- The dish was delicious.
- Thank you.

The good news is all four of
you are heading into the top ten.

Head up to the balcony, please.

Whoo. Being in top ten
is absolutely amazing.

I know that I have to take
more risks, keep pushing myself.

I can cook,
and I'm gonna show 'em.

Now for the unfortunate
time of the evening,

to taste the three less
exciting pasta dishes.

And sadly, there is one of you that
will not continue in this competition.

The first dish we need to take
a much closer look at,

cooked by a young man
who went from confidence

to chaotic in the kitchen,

please come forward...

Miles.

I am definitely bummed that
this is the first time

I present a dish
in front of the judges

and I'm in the bottom three.

Being here means a ton to me,
so I'm hoping that the fact

that my pasta's executed
correctly will be my saving grace.

For you today,
I have a beef and pork ragu

with sautéed cherry tomatoes
and a fettuccine pesto.

So visually, for me,
it looks bizarre

because it's like two dishes
going on there.

- Shall we?
- How would you have wanted us to eat it?

I would want you to mix it up,
but plating it that way

kind of would look even worse
than it already is.

Gordon: Miles,
tonight you overshot it.

You burnt your nuts twice,

and so the elements
on your bench

behind you screamed
"out of control."

You did the opposite to what
Nancy and Joe showed you

- as an amazing master class.
- Apologize for that.

It's really, I think,
a sign of young cooks.

When they think of a dish,
it starts here,

but it has to end up here.

So think about what you do,
taste it, and edit it.

- Yes.
- If you mix it all together, you could eat it.

- How hungry are you, Nancy?
- Starving.

Commit to the pesto or commit to
a roasted tomato sauce with that.

- This is really disappointing.
- It's not a pasta dish.

It's a series of your mistakes

plated on a dish for us to eat.

- Gordon: Thank you, Miles.
- Thank you.

The next home cook
that we would like to see

overpowered their pasta,
sadly, with other elements

that didn't necessarily
fit on the dish.

Please come forward...

Alejandro.

Alejandro: I don't have a
lot of experience with pasta,

but I know my pasta's
way too thin,

so I just hope my flavors
are enough to save me.

Please describe your dish,
Alejandro.

I made today a tagliatelle
pomodoro with grilled octopus.

It looks like you haven't
thought this one out.

You've got the wrong pasta
with the wrong garnish.

- It's not inviting.
- Joe: Let's try it.

So, young man, tonight
you overcomplicated this dish.

Yeah, you can't get around
the fact that the pasta is just...

- is just not right.
- That pasta tastes like a pasta you cooked,

put it in your refrigerator
for three days,

and then heated up
in your microwave.

The good news for me
is that sauce is delicious.

What doesn't work in
that sauce is the octopus.

If this was
an octopus competition,

you would have won it.
Unfortunate.

- Thank you, young man.
- Thank you.

The final cook
that we need to see

made a major misfire
with the sauce,

and they're making their first
appearance in the bottom three.

Please come forward...

The final cook
that we need to see

made a major misfire
with the sauce,

and they're making their first
appearance in the bottom three.

Please come forward...

Michael.

Michael:
I haven't been called in

the bottom three in the past,

so my heart drops
into my stomach.

I feel like I let down myself,
my heritage.

I so badly want to stay
in this competition,

but I guess I just
didn't nail it today.

Okay, Michael,
explain to us this dish.

I have a gnocchi with
a butter poached lobster,

crispy pancetta and peas, and what
was supposed to be brown butter sauce.

This butter is like drawn butter,
like if you went to a lobster place.

And unfortunately, that is a
major technical error at this point.

Michael, when you make gnocchi,

they're like tiny, dainty,
delicate, little pillows

that you put into a pan
and you fry.

And then they increase like
someone's jacking them up with air.

They're insufficiently cooked,
so they're dense in the middle.

Here is a big, sort of hard,
dense lump of just chewiness.

And so when you
make them that big,

then they're twice
as hard to cook.

I find it very one note in
its texture and in its flavor,

so if you were
to be eating a bowl,

I think you'd get bored
really quickly.

Yeah, I mean,
the lobster's cooked well.

I just think a squeeze of lemon,
man, or something simple of acid

maybe could have helped
relieve some of that fat of the butter.

- Right.
- It's not like a complete failure,

but some technical problems
that we have to address.

- We just can't let them go by.
- I'd like to to say for me,

it is a failure
coming from Jersey.

My pride is hurt here,

but I take
your criticism in stride.

Don't take it personally,
take it professionally.

- Absolutely. Thank you.
- Thank you.

Right, we got a lot to discuss.
Please give us a moment.

Nancy, please.

So, Michael just gets
confused, doesn't he?

- He just rushes it.
- Then you say which one

had the most redeeming,
like, one element.

Like, none of them
is a complete dish, right?

- So then it's... we've decided.
- Yeah. Right, yeah.

Miles, Alejandro, Michael,

unfortunately your three dishes
were somewhat lacklust

and did not represent the
essence of tonight's challenge.

The individual that will not be
heading into the top ten...

is...

- Miles.
- No.

Alejandro, Michael,
say good-bye to Miles, please.

- Head back to your station.
- Appreciate it, man.

- [groans]
- No way.

Love you guys.

Miles, tonight you felt
somewhat outpaced.

You've come up with some
great ideas in this competition,

but tonight's dish left a really
confusing mark on all our palates.

We've all been there. We've
all gotten the bad review, right?

So we know how it hurts, but I
always say that makes me a better cook.

It's been an amazing experience
being here with you guys,

and I'm sorry I couldn't have
served you something better.

- Gordon: Come on, young man. Head up, yes?
- Joe: Yes.

- Please take that apron off.
- Love you, Miles.

- Love you, Miles!
- And safe trip back.

I'm really disappointed. I thought
for sure I'd get to the top ten.

It's not where I wanted
to end my journey.

I came in with a lot
of different interests,

and this allowed me to focus
solely on cooking.

So I hope that this can be
a launching pad

to propel me to open
my own restaurant.

This for sure isn't
the last you'll see of me

on my culinary journey.

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

- Come on!
- Welcome back. Top ten!

I can't believe I'm in
the top ten of "MasterChef."

Please welcome the godfather

of California cuisine,
Jonathan Waxman.

Kelsey: I absolutely love
Jonathan Waxman.

Lift.

A Californian-inspired
mystery box...

Oh, my gosh.
Do I have to rip its head off?

The last thing I want to do
is get an allergic reaction.

finds out which home cooks
can keep their cool...

- It's good.
- That's a professional touch.

...and who can't
handle the heat.

- Does anyone have any extra prawns?
- Oh, dear.

- Aah!
- Oh, gosh.

No one would ever
serve this to anybody.

It breaks my heart
to send you home.

"MasterChef" is back
with the season of legends.

Wednesdays on Fox.