Masterchef (2010–…): Season 12, Episode 20 - Finale Part 2: Special Guest Christina Tosi - full transcript
The remaining chefs whip up a gourmet dessert with former judge Christina Tosi.
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GORDON: It's the "MasterChef:
Back to Win" grand finale.
So far, in the appetizer round,
all three finalists have shown
they are hungry for the title.
Tonight is your last chance to prove
that you deserve the grand prize.
CHRISTIAN:
Let's go, let's go!
It's stunning.
It's got that glamour.
It looks like something that I
would serve at a table in a restaurant.
Christian, I think this dish
screams you.
The magic is in the breading.
It's classic.
Delicious stuff.
Young lady, tough start,
you got frazzled,
but fish is cooked beautifully.
- And it's delicious.
- Thank you.
And the entrée round kicked off
with a very special guest judge.
Graham Elliot!
- Yes!
- Everyone's really playing it risky.
- The level is sky high.
- Absolutely.
Let's go, guys.
You got this!
Let's go, baby, let's go.
This is gonna be
down to the final minute.
Tonight, the "Back to Win"
finale continues.
It's the finale now.
Everything you've done
so far in this competition,
you're not blowing it now.
Less than five minutes, and
Dara's short ribs are still in the pot.
GORDON: We are judging
you on what you serve.
Big, deep breath,
compose yourself.
And with another guest judge
to impress...
Give a big warm welcome.
Christina Tosi!
...it's a fierce fight
to the finish line.
This dessert is a triumph.
You're pushing the boundaries.
You're testing our palates.
CHRISTINA: It's clear
that you know great flavor.
It's a gorgeous dessert.
America's next MasterChef is...
- Ten minutes to go!
- Here we go!
This entrée round is gonna be
so down to the final minute.
Everyone's really
playing it risky.
- Let's go Mike! Go, Michael!
- Go, Mike!
GORDON: Michael's doing
this chili rub loin of lamb.
JOE: He's doing a double corn,
a corn fritter and a corn cream,
which could be interesting
with lamb.
Oh, my gosh.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
- Michael's way behind.
- He's behind, and, I mean,
it literally looks
like he's making five dishes.
I'm concerned that Michael's
ambition might take him down today.
[BLEEP]
I work clean, I look clean,
my plate will be clean.
The jeopardy for Dara... when
she serves me that short rib
and I can put my fingers in it
and squeeze it apart,
- it'll be perfect.
- GRAHAM: Yeah, yeah.
GORDON: This is
gonna be make or break.
When that lid comes off,
it could go either way.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Keep pushing.
GORDON: Christian's
now starting to sear his beef.
Some are that size, some are that
size. They're not all the same size.
That's a major
point of jeopardy.
Four filets, medium rare,
there's nowhere for him to hide.
Oh, boy.
[CHEERING]
I don't have time for this.
What is Michael doing?
Did they set hard enough?
Oh, [BLEEP].
- This is not how it's ever been before.
- No.
- Oh, my God.
- Look at me, okay?
What you're doing now is
creating a mess, so slow down.
Everything you've done so far
in this competition,
you're not blowing it now.
- Composure.
- Okay.
- If it's not good, you don't serve it.
- Yes, Chef.
'Cause we are judging you
on what you serve.
Big, deep breath.
Compose yourself.
- Okay.
- Wow.
Five minutes to go!
Come on, guys!
Emily, right now,
who's in jeopardy?
It's less than five minutes, and
Dara's short ribs are still in the pot.
So I am, like, having a
heart attack for her right now.
Yep. Michael's grit cakes
have gone all soft.
They're nowhere near crispy
like he said they would be.
What should he be doing?
I mean, you don't
want to start over,
so maybe crisp them up
in a pan or something?
- Uh-huh.
- And how's Christian looking?
I mean, he's really taking
that time with his plating,
so the steaks are resting.
Hopefully he can pull it through
in these last four minutes.
Amazing. Amazing.
Come on, come on.
Dara, you're doing great.
Take a deep breath.
I'm nervous about
your short ribs, Dara.
90 seconds to go!
Come on!
Yeah, it's time for her
to open that thing.
Open that thing up, Dara.
Dara, open it up.
- There you go. Open it up.
- She's going to open it up.
- Carefully.
- Careful. Be careful.
- [CHEERING]
- EMILY: Oh!
- Those are beautiful.
- Those look amazing.
- They look beautiful.
- Yes, Chef.
- Keep it going, girl.
- Yes, Chef.
Taste everything, you guys.
You got this.
- Michael, that's cooked perfectly.
- [BLEEP]
- Ooh, I'm shaking.
- Go, Christian!
Yeah, Dara!
GORDON: Okay, Dara,
you've got to get it on the plate.
- All right, come on.
- Get it on the plate!
- Get that meat on that plate.
- 30 seconds!
Now the sauce!
Oh, my God.
ALL:
Ten, nine, eight...
seven, six, five...
four, three, two, one.
- AARÓN: That's it!
- GORDON: And stop!
- Good job.
- Wow.
What an incredible entrée round.
Please make your way
around to the front.
Michael, let's start
with you please.
Bring your entrées down,
thank you.
- Go, Mike!
- Go, Mike!
After the appetizer round,
I felt like I was smack-dab
in the center
of this competition.
Whoo! Come on, Michael!
But with the entrée round,
I'm getting concerned
that I bit off
more than I can chew.
But I believe in pushing myself
to my limit,
and that's what I did tonight.
Right, please describe
your dish.
This is a chili rubbed
loin of lamb
with a roasted
poblano grit cake,
corn purée, and birria jus.
You literally
worked your ass off
there across
those last 60 minutes.
And you look at the final
product, it looks good.
The dish looks really tasty
and the colors are vibrant.
Unfortunately,
with the cook on the lamb,
it looks like it wasn't evenly
seared all the way around.
GORDON: Shall we?
Is that the consistency
you're looking for in the sauce?
I did want it thick. I wanted it to be
able to kind of soak up the heartiness.
Wow. Michael,
the crispy corn cake
needs to be a little bit
more crispy, as you know.
That's not delivering what it
should in terms of the texture.
But I love the corn purée.
It's delicious.
Mushrooms, beautiful.
- But the lamb is slightly overcooked.
- Heard.
I like all the components.
There's a lot going on.
But I think the cooking
of the lamb,
it's more going towards medium
than medium rare.
I like the way that you embraced
some of those Mesoamerican ingredients
with the corn purée and the
mushrooms. It just makes sense.
- The overall flavor is something that's pleasant.
- Okay. Thank you, Chef.
I think the flavors
are all there.
You've got the poblanos
that are in the grit cake,
which provide a lot
of that earthy flavor, too.
So it's a flavor bomb.
Really delicious,
and I think you did a good job.
AARÓN:
Thank you, Michael.
I actually enjoyed the corn cake
more than the lamb.
- I thought it was quite good.
- The grit cake was nice, yeah.
Dara, please bring
your dish forward.
Dara! Yeah! Whoo!
A few different things went
wrong in my appetizer round,
but I feel really good
about my entrée.
I was definitely calmer, cleaner.
That definitely is reflected
in my plates.
Dara, please describe
what you've made.
For my entrée, I made
Chinese-style short ribs
with a whipped Japanese
sweet potato,
spiced carrots,
caramelized pearl onions,
with a carrot top gremolata.
- Visually, young lady, it looks beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef.
Yeah, aesthetically
very interesting.
I love this kind of
decorative wreath effect.
Now the moment of truth.
I'm gonna do the pinch test.
- Are you ready?
- Yes, Chef.
Let's see if this works.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, Dara!
Dara, you took a big risk
in that pressure cooker,
and, young lady, it paid off.
It's delicious.
A dark rich, sticky,
beautiful short rib
with that light, fluffy mash.
You're 20 years of age,
but it tastes like there's
20 years of cooking in here,
and I think that's
the exciting thing for me.
AARÓN: It's spicy, it's
intriguingly reduced and rich.
It's just really
thought-provoking food.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
If anything, it is that the
sauce is a little over-reduced,
so it's almost
on the verge of saltiness.
Luckily, the sweet potato
and the carrot
add that sweetness
to kind of balance.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Yeah, um, look.
I would serve this
in my restaurant.
I would eat it
at his restaurant.
And I would eat it
at his restaurant.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Joe.
Thank you so much.
- Yeah, Dara!
- Come on, Dara!
[CHEERING]
Yeah, it's very good.
Very good, indeed.
Okay, Christian,
please bring us down your dish.
I feel like this is the best plating I've
ever done throughout this competition.
- Let's go, Chris.
- Let's go, baby.
I'm just hoping and praying
that these steaks
are cooked right.
Okay, Christian,
please describe the dish to us.
Tonight I've prepared for you
a Cajun rubbed filet mignon
with a shrimp and crab cake,
with sautéed turnip greens,
parsnip purée, and a tomato
Cajun cream sauce.
Christian, visually,
it looks beautiful.
The filet looks like
it's sat in an unctuous pool
- of absolute wonderful purée.
- Thank you, Chef.
Question is,
you've got four filets here.
A lot of variation, 'cause
they're different in size as well.
You're telling us
that they're all medium rare.
I feel that they are
all medium rare, sir.
Let's find out.
Come on, Dad. Come on, now.
Come on, come on, come on.
You've got four filets here.
A lot of variation, 'cause
they're different in size as well.
You're telling us
that they're all medium rare.
I feel that they are
all medium rare, sir.
Let's find out.
All right.
It's perfect medium rare.
Yes.
Mine is beautifully done.
- AARÓN: Little under.
- JOE: Mm.
One left.
It's a little under.
Christian, I think you took
a really bold move
'cause we've got four different sized
filets, and mine's cooked beautifully.
But two of the steaks
are medium rare
and two are rare,
so there's a technical problem.
But, flavor-wise, it is
absolutely [BLEEP] delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
I love the purée.
It's just silky smooth
- and very creamy.
- Thank you, Chef.
For me, it's a little underdone,
which is a disappointment.
But overall, the choices that you made
here resulted in big, beautiful flavor.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Chef.
I love that the sweetness that
comes with the glazed turnip
pairs so well with the crab,
which is gorgeous and golden.
You added just enough binding
to hold it together.
Christian, you kind of created
a bit of an existential
crisis for me,
because I really like this dish.
But if these four dishes
were dropped in
my restaurant tonight,
two of them are going
back to the kitchen.
Mm.
- Too bad. Thank you.
- Thank you.
Yeah, good point.
- But the flavors, I mean, are delicious.
- Yeah.
- Happy?
- Let's do it.
Wow, well done.
Michael, Dara, Christian,
two rounds down, one to go.
- This is it.
- JOE: Okay, guys,
we all know that desserts
are notoriously difficult
to execute and master.
But pull them off right tonight
and you will leave a lasting
and sweet impression.
And just so we know you're
putting forth your best dishes,
we have yet another special
guest joining us this evening.
Not only is she one of the most
prominent pastry chefs on the planet,
she's also beloved family
of the MasterChef team.
Oh, my goodness.
Give a big warm welcome
to the Milk Bar maven,
- Christina Tosi!
- Whoo!
[CHEERING CONTINUES]
Yay!
Aah! My head is just like
rainbows and butterflies.
Wow.
She's the dessert queen,
and to know
that she's gonna be tasting
my dessert tonight is exciting.
She is MasterChef legendary.
Thank you so much
for coming back here tonight.
It feels like a homecoming.
GORDON:
Please welcome Christina Tosi.
Christina is truly one of the most
revered pastry chefs anywhere in the world.
Derrick, it's gorgeous.
The bright red
from the raspberry sauce,
and just that paper thin layer
of tempered chocolate.
Really nice decision.
That sumac seasoning
really brings out both
the potatoes and the lamb.
Shayne the Train,
that ribeye steak
is cooked beautifully.
It's got a kick.
Brandi, this dessert
is stunning.
Incredibly proud of you.
Dream big, everyone.
You never know where
your food dreams might take you.
Shayne, have you
missed Christina?
It's safe to say
I've missed you very much, Christina.
- Dude.
- I'm a grown man now.
- A lot has changed.
- I mean...
AARÓN: Are you asking
her on a date or what?
Can you behave yourself, please?
Dara, your face lit up.
You nervous?
A little bit more now.
You're such
an inspiration to me,
so being able to cook for you
tonight is gonna be incredible.
- Thank you.
- GORDON: Amazing.
How important is that level of
perfection across this dessert tonight?
I mean, you remember
the highlight of your meal
and you remember
the tail end of your meal.
That dessert is crucial,
and in this competition,
we've seen things change.
As far as I'm concerned,
it's for any of
you three to take.
GORDON: Absolutely.
Graham, you've got
a bird's eye view
from up in the balcony.
You're safe in the arms
of Big Willie.
- He's waiting for you.
- Whoo!
- Thank you, Graham.
- All right. Thanks, guys.
GORDON: We'll catch
up with you a bit later.
This is it, everybody.
Your desserts.
Michael, we'll start with you.
Today, I'm gonna be making
deep fried milk
with a mango ice cream
and a cajeta goat's milk
dulce de leche
with tropical fruit salsa.
- Wow.
- Mmm.
Dara?
For dessert, I will be making
a vanilla ile flottante.
So that's a floating island.
A floating island, yes,
which is like a pavlova...
the crispy meringue,
the marshmallowy center,
with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
tropical fruit, and
a caramelized forbidden rice.
- Mm.
- Christian, please.
Tonight, I'll be
preparing for you
Dorothy's Southern
banana pudding,
topped with salted pecans
and a lemon cookie.
Wow.
So, who is Dorothy?
Dorothy is my late grandmother.
I'm gonna go ahead
and elevate this dessert
and it's gonna pop.
- They all sound delicious.
- Wow.
The final dish. That's all
that remains before we crown
our "Back to Win"
MasterChef champion.
- Are you all ready?
- Yes, Chef.
Give it all you've got.
Your 60 minutes start...
- Now!
- Let's go!
Oh, my God. Let's go!
I'm going into the dessert round
with a lot of confidence,
but I do feel a little
extra pressure
because everyone knows that
pastry desserts are my thing.
- Okay.
- Well done. Let's go, Michael.
Let's go. Good.
Well done, Christian.
Let's go!
I'm nervous because this
last cook means so much to me.
You know, it's a tribute
to my grandmother.
My focus right now
is to finish strong
and to make my family proud.
- Here we go again.
- MICHAEL: Going into the dessert round,
I know my entrée
wasn't the best,
which puts me in
a very precarious situation.
- You got it, Mike.
- This dessert is ultimately the deciding factor
in who wins this season
of "MasterChef."
Oh, my God.
This is it.
For me, the dessert,
as you know, is one
of the most important ones.
JOE: And the dishes
need to be at the level
that we would serve
at any of our restaurants.
- Yeah.
- So that's the gauntlet.
We have great themes
to the menus.
So, Michael's is modern Tex Mex.
- Dara...
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
FRED:
Let's go, you guys!
- Come on, Christian!
- Come on, Chris.
- Come on, Dad!
- FRED: Whip it, Dara!
Whip like a queen.
DARA: Oh, yeah, come on.
There we go.
[SIGHS]
15 minutes gone,
45 minutes to go.
Come on, guys.
Looking good, Mike.
- Right, young man, how are you feeling?
- I'm feeling good.
I got to get this into the freezer
as soon as humanly possible.
So, Michael, give me a little
insight. What's in this pot?
This is is my coconut milk
corn starch slurry
that's gonna be formed
into these fried milk balls.
- So it's a coconut fried milk.
- That's right.
- Why coconut?
- I just love the tropical flavors.
There's gonna be a lot
of tropical fruit with this,
and it's just gonna be special.
It's gonna be something
that's never been done before.
- Tex Mex, tropical fruit.
- Yeah.
This is not a tres leches cake,
but it is my complete version
of tres leches.
So I've got goat's milk,
coconut milk,
and cream with my own
homemade mango ice cream.
- Your three milks.
- My three milks.
But the star
of the dessert is what?
The fried milk
and that ice cream.
Wait, the fried milk or the...
you can't have two stars.
I really want
this ice cream to shine.
It's my favorite part
of the dish.
How're you gonna
plate this thing?
I'm gonna plate it very
contemporary, as I tend to do.
It's gonna look
like art on a plate.
Young man,
the very best of luck.
Thank you both so much.
Christian, my main man. What's
going on? Talk to me about your dish.
So I'm making my grandmother's
traditional banana pudding.
Okay, banana pudding might seem pretty
straight forward. But you're gonna elevate it.
Yeah, my grandmother
and my uncle was very close...
- Yes.
- ...and he used to eat a lot of lemon cookies.
- Okay.
- And it used to be my favorite cookie,
so I just decided to add
a little lemon zest to my wafer.
- Yes.
- And then also I'm gonna salt some pecans.
My grandmother used to
grow pecans on her land,
- so it's straight home, you know?
- Yeah.
I'm putting them
in some nice glasses,
and it's gonna be a lot
of layers of flavor, brother.
I love it. This banana
pudding has a lot riding on it.
It does. I have to make my mom
proud because this is what she does.
- Do us proud.
- Mom, how do you think he's doing?
- He's doing good.
- Handle your business, all right, brother?
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
- All right.
Keep it up, baby.
Keep it up.
Take a deep breath, Dara.
Meringue's going.
All right, Dara, let's talk
about the floating island.
Yes, with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
some tropical fruit,
and a caramelized crispy rice.
- So, a reinterpretation of a pavlova.
- Essentially.
Tell me about the forbidden
rice. How do you do that?
I just deep fried it
at 400 degrees.
It's gonna make almost like
a Rice Krispy treat.
So, this whole menu is a journey
into your childhood.
Yeah, this dessert really
represents my past and my present.
So, I had a pavlova
at my first birthday.
The present is
one of the most influential
chef instructors I had
showed me this dessert.
I have grown so much as a person
and as a culinarian,
and I feel like I've been able
to show you guys that.
- Totally.
- And today's just a new start
as an adult
in this industry, so...
So these, at the end of the day,
have to be light,
crispy, and chewy.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes.
- Okay, can't wait. Thanks, Dara.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, Dara!
Come on, Dara!
We are coming down
to the last 20 minutes.
Come on, guys.
JOE: Oh.
He's making his ice cream
with liquid nitrogen.
CHRISTINA: When you make
ice cream like this,
if you pour too much,
if you go too fast,
you're freezing it quickly,
you're crystallizing the ice
cream, making it less smooth.
- Sure. He seems to be putting a lot of liquid nitrogen.
- JOE: Yeah, it's a lot.
- Mad scientist!
- JOE: He's going back.
- CHRISTINA: Oh, God, he's going for more.
- GORDON: He's going for more.
No, no, no.
Aah, aah, what is he doing?
CHRISTINA: Michael is taking
that blow torch and he's using it
to warm up the pieces
of mango ice cream
that have frozen up
the walls of his mixing bowl
- to make one continuous ice cream mixture.
- Oh, no.
- What is he doing? He's still going?
- There he goes again.
Michael seems to just be
adding liquid nitrogen
with reckless abandon.
That's not a great recipe
for a great dessert.
- No.
- Nope.
GORDON: Oh, dear.
Michael seems to just be adding
liquid nitrogen with reckless abandon.
That's not a great recipe
for a great dessert.
- No.
- Nope.
CHRISTINA: Okay, here he...
oh, my goodness. It's chunky.
- Wow.
- He about to caramelize some bananas.
AARÓN: Christian right now
is conjuring up the memory
of his beloved grandmother
who, sadly, recently passed.
He's gonna make banana pudding.
I have to say, you don't
often see pudding as the star...
- No.
- ...of a three-course meal.
It seems a little too
simple for me. I don't know.
Let's go, baby.
So, Dara's presented
a floating island meringue.
But she's really delivering
a deconstructed pavlova.
A pavlova is essentially
a large meringue
with a passionfruit curd, and
then you surround with fresh fruit.
I think that Dara's trying
to make this a final send-off.
Exactly. As always with Dara,
she's a great technician.
Yes, but her plating skills
are phenomenal.
But the thing
about a floating island
is it's egg whites
and sugar, maybe vanilla.
GORDON: I'm hoping
it's not too sweet.
FRED: Dang, Michael, look
at you with the pink pineapple.
Oh, beautiful.
So, Michael's got a lot going on
in his dessert, right?
He sure does.
He's doing that fried milk,
that needs to be sort of
like warm and oozy and gooey,
and he's playing that off of the
sharp coldness of a mango ice cream.
AARÓN: I just hope he hasn't
taken a bunch of different elements
and pray that
they work together.
Sure. It sounds
a little bit like that.
[BLEEP]
That was hot. I'm all right.
GORDON: Five minutes
remaining. Come on, guys.
Graham, bird's eye view
from the top.
How's it looking from up there?
It's looking great. Everyone's
clearly in their element.
You have Christian plating,
you have Dara looking
calm, composed,
and then Michael, kind of
a recreation of the entrée.
- Running around. I'm getting nervous.
- Yes.
But, again, pulling it off.
Fried milk. Amazing.
Look at Michael's station
compared to Dara's station right now.
It's clear who's in control
and who is aflutter.
- He is sweating out there.
- That's when you try to do too much.
- Go, Michael, go!
- Go, Christian!
Don't forget your pecans.
60 seconds to go!
Last minute. Come on, guys!
Look at that. Michael's
ice cream looks delicious.
- Oh, my God, she's removing the...
- There you go.
- They're beautiful!
- They are beautiful.
- Wow.
- Michael!
Oh, my God.
- [BLEEP]
- Come on, Mike.
Come on, baby.
Come on, baby.
Remember, this is
for your grandmother.
20 seconds! Oh, my God.
- Come on, Dara!
- FRED: Come on, Dara!
ALL:
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four,
- three, two, one!
- GORDON: And stop!
- GORDON: Well done!
- Oh, my God.
I've been saying
from the beginning,
I came here to prove to myself,
my family, the judges,
how much I've grown,
and I'm feeling extremely
proud of myself.
These are happy tears now.
I made it. The most
important day of my life.
It was the hardest thing
I've ever done,
but I'm still standing.
CHRISTIAN: I'm feeling
good. I'm feeling content.
At this point,
this can go either way,
'cause these
are some amazing chefs.
They put out
some amazing desserts.
It's an honor to be back here
and I feel like
I made my family proud,
'cause I wanted
to stay true to myself.
And staying true to myself
got me this far,
so I'm very proud of myself.
This is it, everyone,
the dish that will seal
somebody's fate
as the champion of season 12,
"MasterChef: Back to Win."
Please make your way
around to the front.
Dara, can you please
bring your dessert forward?
Yeah, Dara!
What's she gonna do
with those meringues?
I'm feeling really confident
with this dessert
because it combines textures
and a ton of traditional
French techniques.
But also I'm dipping
my meringue domes in nitrogen
to create this beautiful crust
of crispy meringue
as well as that pillowy inside.
- GORDON: She's basting them
in liquid nitrogen. - Oh, wow.
I'm extremely proud
of this dessert.
I think it's gonna be the
perfect end to my whole menu,
and I feel like it
could get me that win.
Dara, please describe
your dessert.
I prepared a vanilla
ile flottante
with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
tropical fruit, and
a caramelized forbidden rice.
- Mm.
- Visually, it looks beautiful.
I just love the colors.
Smart choice on the plateware.
I just think
it's well thought out.
- You smash the top?
- Yes, please smash the top.
- AARÓN: A-ha!
- Mine's not smashing.
Is it supposed to crack?
Gotta... hard. Crush it.
- Yeah.
- Harder?
- Oh, no!
- Okay.
I love a dessert
that looks like something
I know and I've tasted before,
but is full of surprises.
I like that you brought
big flavor to the table,
and it's clear that you thought
about texture. It's a gorgeous dessert.
Dara, it's got that wow factor.
It's a little too sweet,
but I love the crème anglaise.
The fruit, it's refreshing.
This is a very
well-seasoned dessert.
I don't think people talk about
seasoning with dessert enough.
I think when you have
that passionfruit,
those seeds give you a pepper-ness
to it that I think is very pleasant.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
Dara, I love the use of
the savory herbs or greens.
- What did you put in here?
- Micro-cilantro.
Really smart, because it gives
complexity to the fruit.
The forbidden rice,
it's a good textural contrast.
- Very good.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Dara.
- Yeah, Dara!
I like the passionfruit
in that crème anglaise.
It's a really
thoughtful dessert.
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God.
Michael, please step forward
with your dessert.
Yes, Chef.
I am feeling a sense of relief
that it's over,
that whatever happens next
is out of my hands.
I can only hope
that I've done enough
to take home the trophy today.
Please describe your dessert.
Tonight, I've made for you
a play on tres leches.
It's a homemade mango ice cream
with deep fried milk,
salted cajeta
goat's milk caramel,
and a tropical fruit salsa.
Visually, Michael,
it's intriguing.
The colors are great,
and it's the kind of dessert
that whizzes across
the dining room floor,
and it's a bit
of an eye catcher.
What do you think is wrong
with my plate, Michael?
Yeah, you are missing one
of your fried milk squares.
JOE: And you chose
to short Aarón.
Um...
[BLEEP]
What do you think is wrong
with my plate, Michael?
Yeah, you are missing one
of your fried milk squares.
And you chose to short Aarón.
Um...
I was hoping that Aarón
would be the most forgiving.
- Oh!
- Oh.
GORDON: Here's a secret.
Just take one
off everyone's plate
and then no one's
missed anything.
- Yeah.
- Shall we?
Michael, the ice cream
is delicious, young man.
It's smooth, it's beautiful.
I think your fried milk
could be a little less dense,
but you're pushing
the boundaries,
you're testing our palates.
Michael, I think, conceptually,
it's a beautiful dessert.
You clearly have an eye
for putting food on a plate.
The mango ice cream is the star.
I think your goat's milk caramel
is really interesting.
It's edgy. It's clear
that you know great flavor.
It's clear that you have
a point of view and perspective.
Thank you. I really
appreciate that feedback.
Yeah, Michael, when I have
the ice cream, the crumble,
and the tropical fruit salsa,
it's a beautiful bite.
But I think that the cajeta caramel
is some completely different concept.
It's hard to marry the cajeta with
tropical fruit. It's just difficult to do.
And also, I'm short one
of those fried milk portions,
and consistency is such
a big part of our industry
and you just got to be very
mindful of that, Michael.
- Yeah. - Michael, I want to
compliment you on this dessert,
because we asked you
to cook us dishes
that we would serve in our
restaurant. I think you did that.
- This dessert is a triumph.
- Thank you all.
Okay, Christian,
please come forward.
CHRISTIAN:
I put so much passion,
so much love into this dessert.
I just hope that
the judges see that,
because this dessert
is standing between me
and a quarter million dollars.
Okay, Christian,
what did you make for us?
Tonight, I made for you
Dorothy's Southern
banana pudding,
with a bourbon caramel sauce,
topped with salted pecans
and a lemon cookie.
Christian, I think the fascinating
thing about your plating tonight,
looking across
all three courses,
is that you're holding
on to the heritage,
and it is clearly for a reason.
You know, my grandmother is
not here to witness me on this stage,
but I just wanted
to give her a tribute.
And if Grandma Dorothy was sat next
to Mom, what would she say right now?
The same thing that she been
saying when I left season five,
that I'm proud of you.
"I'm proud of you."
GORDON:
Thank you, Christian.
Thank you.
Shall we?
Young man, you know,
one thing is clearly evident.
Your banana pudding
is delicious.
It's not too sweet,
which is important.
But when you look at
the elevation
of the two dishes behind you,
it's like this is
from a unique buffet
off a floating super yacht.
I think you could have
elevated it a touch more
coming outside the glass
and getting away
from that comfort zone.
Yes, Chef.
So, Christian, I have this rule,
always start with a flavor story
that you believe in
with all of your might.
And you have that in this
banana pudding. It's Grandma's.
But I don't know that I know enough
about you, Christian, in this dish.
But with that said, I mean,
good dessert's good dessert,
and this is a really
delicious dessert.
AARÓN: It's complex, at
the same time very simplistic.
It's straightforward.
It's honest.
It's just like you.
Yes, Chef, thank you.
Christian, there's a bit of
missed opportunities in this dish.
You could caramelize the bananas
in a little bit
of butter and brandy.
So there's things you could do
to make it better.
But, look, I have to commend you
on being true to yourself
in everything you do.
You brought your grandmother's
dessert to the table.
It's a beautiful thing.
Good job.
Thank you.
It's a delicious banana pudding.
- Oh, man.
- We all had some goods and bads.
- Yeah. It's gonna...
- Let's be honest.
- It's gonna come down to the
smallest details. - It really is.
That was
an extraordinary finish.
All three of you
should be really proud
of yourselves, honestly.
And now that we've tasted
all of your dishes,
we need to judge you
across your entire meal.
Graham, please come down here
to join us in the restaurant.
Right now, we have got some
very serious decisions to be made.
Please give us a moment.
Okay, that was
really incredible.
So, now down to the balance
of the overall menu.
- Yeah.
- Shall we start with Michael?
He wanted to go for a modern
Tex Mex approach with his menu.
He went out the gate
with a spicy aguachile.
And it was acidic and spicy,
what an aguachile should be.
Visually, it had that impact.
It needed more salt, didn't it?
It did, it did. But definitely
restaurant quality.
- Sure. - With Michael, I'm
more critical of his entrée.
He really didn't pay enough
attention to that lamb loin.
The unfortunate thing
is that lamb being so delicate,
- it was over-seasoned and it was over... yeah.
- It was overcooked.
- Ay.
- Corn purée though, was exceptional.
- Yes.
- Come on.
But I don't know
about that dessert.
It was just a disconnect for me.
There were parts about
Michael's dessert that I really loved.
I thought visually
it was stunning.
It held gravitas
for the MasterChef kitchen,
which I highly respected.
I have to commend him
'cause he didn't play it safe.
He didn't. He was the one
who went out there the most.
So, Dara, she started off
with that crispy seared snapper.
- JOE: And it was good.
- It was good. Fish were cooked beautifully.
Then for the entrée, it was
that amazing braised short rib,
and then this beautiful
sweet potato purée.
- It was delicious.
- If we had that tonight in a restaurant,
we all would leave and be like,
"That short rib was great, huh?"
Absolutely.
Dara's dessert,
a very dense, sweet meringue.
But everything else around it
was acidic, was bright.
That meringue, I think it's
something that's memorable.
Her instinct,
from a flavor standpoint,
I think is the most
impressive of the three.
I totally agree with that.
GORDON: So, Christian came
out of the gate strong
with that fried green tomato
and the remoulade.
The flavor profile was deep down
South, and it was absolutely spot-on.
- It was good.
- Then his entrée was that Cajun-spiced filet.
Unfortunately, half the filets were
cooked at different temperatures.
But it was delicious.
And he took just as much care
in the turnips
as he did with the main star,
which was that filet.
The flavors were awesome.
That dessert at the end
was a classic take
on his Grandma Dorothy's
pudding.
He was so stuck
on the emotion of it,
and a great dessert
is emotional,
but it was Christian's grandma's
banana pudding,
not Christian's banana pudding.
The biggest ingredient
missing across his dessert
- was the risk factor.
- I agree 100%.
But his currency is not risk.
His currency is honesty.
Sure.
- Proud of you guys.
- Proud of you.
There can only be one winner
of "MasterChef: Back to Win."
So how do we decide
between the three of them?
- My heart is beating out of
my chest right now. - Pounding.
CHRISTIAN: Winning "MasterChef"
would mean the world to me.
I feel that I gave everything
throughout
this whole competition.
I came back to prove myself
and not just come back
and be in the finale.
I came back to win.
It's a difficult decision,
but it's the right decision.
- Shall we?
- Are we happy?
- Got it.
- Let's do it.
GORDON: Wow.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
DARA: I see that MasterChef
trophy, and I want it.
I'm young,
but wise beyond my years.
And I feel like
I've proven time after time
that I deserve this win.
Well done. You three
showed us week after week
that you had the fire
and the spirit
that brought you back to win.
This has been
the most competitive year
in the history
of this competition.
Only one of you will win
the quarter
of a million dollars.
- Ooh-hoo.
- Whoo.
And only one of you will be able
to proudly place this trophy
in your future restaurant.
The truth is that I gave this
finale everything that I have.
Nothing has pushed me
to these extremes before.
But I never gave up
in the kitchen
and I never gave up on myself.
And that's why I'm gonna win it.
Will it be Michael,
Dara...
or Christian?
America's next MasterChef is...
Congratulations...
Dara!
She won! She won!
Dara, you did it!
- You did it!
- Come on, girl!
- You did it.
- You did it!
Dara, come here! Come on!
Yes! You've... you've done it!
- Thank you so much.
- You've done it! Amazing.
- JOE: Here you go.
- Thank you so much.
- Congratulations.
- You deserve it, young lady!
- Thank you so much.
- And this is for you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please give it up for Dara!
I am overwhelmed and speechless.
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
- This has been the most
incredible journey of my life,
and all my hard work
and determination paid off.
I'm so grateful to be
surrounded by my loved ones.
My father isn't here,
but I know that
he's been looking over me
this whole competition,
and I know I made him
proud tonight.
- Yes!
- Yeah.
CROWD: Dara! Dara! Dara!
That photo looks
pretty good up there.
- Yeah!
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
Ladies and gentlemen, give it up
for Christian and Michael, please!
[CHEERING CONTINUES]
CHRISTIAN: Dara was
unbelievable at any age.
But at 20 years old,
it's ridiculous.
So proud of you, Dara.
She deserves this, and I
had a blast cooking beside her.
- Don't you dare stop now.
- I'm not.
- Do you have any idea what
you achieved tonight? - Yeah.
Even though I didn't win
tonight, I still feel like a winner.
To come back to "MasterChef"
the second time
and just to come
so close to winning?
I can't be upset at myself.
- That was a blast.
- I was 12 years old
the last time
I was on this show,
and now I am the season 12
MasterChef winner.
I came back to win
and that's exactly what I did.
[CHEERING]
We are looking for talented
home cooks nationwide.
If you think you have
what it takes to become,
just like Dara,
America's next MasterChef,
Good night and God bless.
Amazing.
---
GORDON: It's the "MasterChef:
Back to Win" grand finale.
So far, in the appetizer round,
all three finalists have shown
they are hungry for the title.
Tonight is your last chance to prove
that you deserve the grand prize.
CHRISTIAN:
Let's go, let's go!
It's stunning.
It's got that glamour.
It looks like something that I
would serve at a table in a restaurant.
Christian, I think this dish
screams you.
The magic is in the breading.
It's classic.
Delicious stuff.
Young lady, tough start,
you got frazzled,
but fish is cooked beautifully.
- And it's delicious.
- Thank you.
And the entrée round kicked off
with a very special guest judge.
Graham Elliot!
- Yes!
- Everyone's really playing it risky.
- The level is sky high.
- Absolutely.
Let's go, guys.
You got this!
Let's go, baby, let's go.
This is gonna be
down to the final minute.
Tonight, the "Back to Win"
finale continues.
It's the finale now.
Everything you've done
so far in this competition,
you're not blowing it now.
Less than five minutes, and
Dara's short ribs are still in the pot.
GORDON: We are judging
you on what you serve.
Big, deep breath,
compose yourself.
And with another guest judge
to impress...
Give a big warm welcome.
Christina Tosi!
...it's a fierce fight
to the finish line.
This dessert is a triumph.
You're pushing the boundaries.
You're testing our palates.
CHRISTINA: It's clear
that you know great flavor.
It's a gorgeous dessert.
America's next MasterChef is...
- Ten minutes to go!
- Here we go!
This entrée round is gonna be
so down to the final minute.
Everyone's really
playing it risky.
- Let's go Mike! Go, Michael!
- Go, Mike!
GORDON: Michael's doing
this chili rub loin of lamb.
JOE: He's doing a double corn,
a corn fritter and a corn cream,
which could be interesting
with lamb.
Oh, my gosh.
Breathe, breathe, breathe.
- Michael's way behind.
- He's behind, and, I mean,
it literally looks
like he's making five dishes.
I'm concerned that Michael's
ambition might take him down today.
[BLEEP]
I work clean, I look clean,
my plate will be clean.
The jeopardy for Dara... when
she serves me that short rib
and I can put my fingers in it
and squeeze it apart,
- it'll be perfect.
- GRAHAM: Yeah, yeah.
GORDON: This is
gonna be make or break.
When that lid comes off,
it could go either way.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Keep pushing.
GORDON: Christian's
now starting to sear his beef.
Some are that size, some are that
size. They're not all the same size.
That's a major
point of jeopardy.
Four filets, medium rare,
there's nowhere for him to hide.
Oh, boy.
[CHEERING]
I don't have time for this.
What is Michael doing?
Did they set hard enough?
Oh, [BLEEP].
- This is not how it's ever been before.
- No.
- Oh, my God.
- Look at me, okay?
What you're doing now is
creating a mess, so slow down.
Everything you've done so far
in this competition,
you're not blowing it now.
- Composure.
- Okay.
- If it's not good, you don't serve it.
- Yes, Chef.
'Cause we are judging you
on what you serve.
Big, deep breath.
Compose yourself.
- Okay.
- Wow.
Five minutes to go!
Come on, guys!
Emily, right now,
who's in jeopardy?
It's less than five minutes, and
Dara's short ribs are still in the pot.
So I am, like, having a
heart attack for her right now.
Yep. Michael's grit cakes
have gone all soft.
They're nowhere near crispy
like he said they would be.
What should he be doing?
I mean, you don't
want to start over,
so maybe crisp them up
in a pan or something?
- Uh-huh.
- And how's Christian looking?
I mean, he's really taking
that time with his plating,
so the steaks are resting.
Hopefully he can pull it through
in these last four minutes.
Amazing. Amazing.
Come on, come on.
Dara, you're doing great.
Take a deep breath.
I'm nervous about
your short ribs, Dara.
90 seconds to go!
Come on!
Yeah, it's time for her
to open that thing.
Open that thing up, Dara.
Dara, open it up.
- There you go. Open it up.
- She's going to open it up.
- Carefully.
- Careful. Be careful.
- [CHEERING]
- EMILY: Oh!
- Those are beautiful.
- Those look amazing.
- They look beautiful.
- Yes, Chef.
- Keep it going, girl.
- Yes, Chef.
Taste everything, you guys.
You got this.
- Michael, that's cooked perfectly.
- [BLEEP]
- Ooh, I'm shaking.
- Go, Christian!
Yeah, Dara!
GORDON: Okay, Dara,
you've got to get it on the plate.
- All right, come on.
- Get it on the plate!
- Get that meat on that plate.
- 30 seconds!
Now the sauce!
Oh, my God.
ALL:
Ten, nine, eight...
seven, six, five...
four, three, two, one.
- AARÓN: That's it!
- GORDON: And stop!
- Good job.
- Wow.
What an incredible entrée round.
Please make your way
around to the front.
Michael, let's start
with you please.
Bring your entrées down,
thank you.
- Go, Mike!
- Go, Mike!
After the appetizer round,
I felt like I was smack-dab
in the center
of this competition.
Whoo! Come on, Michael!
But with the entrée round,
I'm getting concerned
that I bit off
more than I can chew.
But I believe in pushing myself
to my limit,
and that's what I did tonight.
Right, please describe
your dish.
This is a chili rubbed
loin of lamb
with a roasted
poblano grit cake,
corn purée, and birria jus.
You literally
worked your ass off
there across
those last 60 minutes.
And you look at the final
product, it looks good.
The dish looks really tasty
and the colors are vibrant.
Unfortunately,
with the cook on the lamb,
it looks like it wasn't evenly
seared all the way around.
GORDON: Shall we?
Is that the consistency
you're looking for in the sauce?
I did want it thick. I wanted it to be
able to kind of soak up the heartiness.
Wow. Michael,
the crispy corn cake
needs to be a little bit
more crispy, as you know.
That's not delivering what it
should in terms of the texture.
But I love the corn purée.
It's delicious.
Mushrooms, beautiful.
- But the lamb is slightly overcooked.
- Heard.
I like all the components.
There's a lot going on.
But I think the cooking
of the lamb,
it's more going towards medium
than medium rare.
I like the way that you embraced
some of those Mesoamerican ingredients
with the corn purée and the
mushrooms. It just makes sense.
- The overall flavor is something that's pleasant.
- Okay. Thank you, Chef.
I think the flavors
are all there.
You've got the poblanos
that are in the grit cake,
which provide a lot
of that earthy flavor, too.
So it's a flavor bomb.
Really delicious,
and I think you did a good job.
AARÓN:
Thank you, Michael.
I actually enjoyed the corn cake
more than the lamb.
- I thought it was quite good.
- The grit cake was nice, yeah.
Dara, please bring
your dish forward.
Dara! Yeah! Whoo!
A few different things went
wrong in my appetizer round,
but I feel really good
about my entrée.
I was definitely calmer, cleaner.
That definitely is reflected
in my plates.
Dara, please describe
what you've made.
For my entrée, I made
Chinese-style short ribs
with a whipped Japanese
sweet potato,
spiced carrots,
caramelized pearl onions,
with a carrot top gremolata.
- Visually, young lady, it looks beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef.
Yeah, aesthetically
very interesting.
I love this kind of
decorative wreath effect.
Now the moment of truth.
I'm gonna do the pinch test.
- Are you ready?
- Yes, Chef.
Let's see if this works.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, Dara!
Dara, you took a big risk
in that pressure cooker,
and, young lady, it paid off.
It's delicious.
A dark rich, sticky,
beautiful short rib
with that light, fluffy mash.
You're 20 years of age,
but it tastes like there's
20 years of cooking in here,
and I think that's
the exciting thing for me.
AARÓN: It's spicy, it's
intriguingly reduced and rich.
It's just really
thought-provoking food.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
If anything, it is that the
sauce is a little over-reduced,
so it's almost
on the verge of saltiness.
Luckily, the sweet potato
and the carrot
add that sweetness
to kind of balance.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Yeah, um, look.
I would serve this
in my restaurant.
I would eat it
at his restaurant.
And I would eat it
at his restaurant.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Joe.
Thank you so much.
- Yeah, Dara!
- Come on, Dara!
[CHEERING]
Yeah, it's very good.
Very good, indeed.
Okay, Christian,
please bring us down your dish.
I feel like this is the best plating I've
ever done throughout this competition.
- Let's go, Chris.
- Let's go, baby.
I'm just hoping and praying
that these steaks
are cooked right.
Okay, Christian,
please describe the dish to us.
Tonight I've prepared for you
a Cajun rubbed filet mignon
with a shrimp and crab cake,
with sautéed turnip greens,
parsnip purée, and a tomato
Cajun cream sauce.
Christian, visually,
it looks beautiful.
The filet looks like
it's sat in an unctuous pool
- of absolute wonderful purée.
- Thank you, Chef.
Question is,
you've got four filets here.
A lot of variation, 'cause
they're different in size as well.
You're telling us
that they're all medium rare.
I feel that they are
all medium rare, sir.
Let's find out.
Come on, Dad. Come on, now.
Come on, come on, come on.
You've got four filets here.
A lot of variation, 'cause
they're different in size as well.
You're telling us
that they're all medium rare.
I feel that they are
all medium rare, sir.
Let's find out.
All right.
It's perfect medium rare.
Yes.
Mine is beautifully done.
- AARÓN: Little under.
- JOE: Mm.
One left.
It's a little under.
Christian, I think you took
a really bold move
'cause we've got four different sized
filets, and mine's cooked beautifully.
But two of the steaks
are medium rare
and two are rare,
so there's a technical problem.
But, flavor-wise, it is
absolutely [BLEEP] delicious.
Thank you, Chef.
I love the purée.
It's just silky smooth
- and very creamy.
- Thank you, Chef.
For me, it's a little underdone,
which is a disappointment.
But overall, the choices that you made
here resulted in big, beautiful flavor.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Chef.
I love that the sweetness that
comes with the glazed turnip
pairs so well with the crab,
which is gorgeous and golden.
You added just enough binding
to hold it together.
Christian, you kind of created
a bit of an existential
crisis for me,
because I really like this dish.
But if these four dishes
were dropped in
my restaurant tonight,
two of them are going
back to the kitchen.
Mm.
- Too bad. Thank you.
- Thank you.
Yeah, good point.
- But the flavors, I mean, are delicious.
- Yeah.
- Happy?
- Let's do it.
Wow, well done.
Michael, Dara, Christian,
two rounds down, one to go.
- This is it.
- JOE: Okay, guys,
we all know that desserts
are notoriously difficult
to execute and master.
But pull them off right tonight
and you will leave a lasting
and sweet impression.
And just so we know you're
putting forth your best dishes,
we have yet another special
guest joining us this evening.
Not only is she one of the most
prominent pastry chefs on the planet,
she's also beloved family
of the MasterChef team.
Oh, my goodness.
Give a big warm welcome
to the Milk Bar maven,
- Christina Tosi!
- Whoo!
[CHEERING CONTINUES]
Yay!
Aah! My head is just like
rainbows and butterflies.
Wow.
She's the dessert queen,
and to know
that she's gonna be tasting
my dessert tonight is exciting.
She is MasterChef legendary.
Thank you so much
for coming back here tonight.
It feels like a homecoming.
GORDON:
Please welcome Christina Tosi.
Christina is truly one of the most
revered pastry chefs anywhere in the world.
Derrick, it's gorgeous.
The bright red
from the raspberry sauce,
and just that paper thin layer
of tempered chocolate.
Really nice decision.
That sumac seasoning
really brings out both
the potatoes and the lamb.
Shayne the Train,
that ribeye steak
is cooked beautifully.
It's got a kick.
Brandi, this dessert
is stunning.
Incredibly proud of you.
Dream big, everyone.
You never know where
your food dreams might take you.
Shayne, have you
missed Christina?
It's safe to say
I've missed you very much, Christina.
- Dude.
- I'm a grown man now.
- A lot has changed.
- I mean...
AARÓN: Are you asking
her on a date or what?
Can you behave yourself, please?
Dara, your face lit up.
You nervous?
A little bit more now.
You're such
an inspiration to me,
so being able to cook for you
tonight is gonna be incredible.
- Thank you.
- GORDON: Amazing.
How important is that level of
perfection across this dessert tonight?
I mean, you remember
the highlight of your meal
and you remember
the tail end of your meal.
That dessert is crucial,
and in this competition,
we've seen things change.
As far as I'm concerned,
it's for any of
you three to take.
GORDON: Absolutely.
Graham, you've got
a bird's eye view
from up in the balcony.
You're safe in the arms
of Big Willie.
- He's waiting for you.
- Whoo!
- Thank you, Graham.
- All right. Thanks, guys.
GORDON: We'll catch
up with you a bit later.
This is it, everybody.
Your desserts.
Michael, we'll start with you.
Today, I'm gonna be making
deep fried milk
with a mango ice cream
and a cajeta goat's milk
dulce de leche
with tropical fruit salsa.
- Wow.
- Mmm.
Dara?
For dessert, I will be making
a vanilla ile flottante.
So that's a floating island.
A floating island, yes,
which is like a pavlova...
the crispy meringue,
the marshmallowy center,
with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
tropical fruit, and
a caramelized forbidden rice.
- Mm.
- Christian, please.
Tonight, I'll be
preparing for you
Dorothy's Southern
banana pudding,
topped with salted pecans
and a lemon cookie.
Wow.
So, who is Dorothy?
Dorothy is my late grandmother.
I'm gonna go ahead
and elevate this dessert
and it's gonna pop.
- They all sound delicious.
- Wow.
The final dish. That's all
that remains before we crown
our "Back to Win"
MasterChef champion.
- Are you all ready?
- Yes, Chef.
Give it all you've got.
Your 60 minutes start...
- Now!
- Let's go!
Oh, my God. Let's go!
I'm going into the dessert round
with a lot of confidence,
but I do feel a little
extra pressure
because everyone knows that
pastry desserts are my thing.
- Okay.
- Well done. Let's go, Michael.
Let's go. Good.
Well done, Christian.
Let's go!
I'm nervous because this
last cook means so much to me.
You know, it's a tribute
to my grandmother.
My focus right now
is to finish strong
and to make my family proud.
- Here we go again.
- MICHAEL: Going into the dessert round,
I know my entrée
wasn't the best,
which puts me in
a very precarious situation.
- You got it, Mike.
- This dessert is ultimately the deciding factor
in who wins this season
of "MasterChef."
Oh, my God.
This is it.
For me, the dessert,
as you know, is one
of the most important ones.
JOE: And the dishes
need to be at the level
that we would serve
at any of our restaurants.
- Yeah.
- So that's the gauntlet.
We have great themes
to the menus.
So, Michael's is modern Tex Mex.
- Dara...
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
FRED:
Let's go, you guys!
- Come on, Christian!
- Come on, Chris.
- Come on, Dad!
- FRED: Whip it, Dara!
Whip like a queen.
DARA: Oh, yeah, come on.
There we go.
[SIGHS]
15 minutes gone,
45 minutes to go.
Come on, guys.
Looking good, Mike.
- Right, young man, how are you feeling?
- I'm feeling good.
I got to get this into the freezer
as soon as humanly possible.
So, Michael, give me a little
insight. What's in this pot?
This is is my coconut milk
corn starch slurry
that's gonna be formed
into these fried milk balls.
- So it's a coconut fried milk.
- That's right.
- Why coconut?
- I just love the tropical flavors.
There's gonna be a lot
of tropical fruit with this,
and it's just gonna be special.
It's gonna be something
that's never been done before.
- Tex Mex, tropical fruit.
- Yeah.
This is not a tres leches cake,
but it is my complete version
of tres leches.
So I've got goat's milk,
coconut milk,
and cream with my own
homemade mango ice cream.
- Your three milks.
- My three milks.
But the star
of the dessert is what?
The fried milk
and that ice cream.
Wait, the fried milk or the...
you can't have two stars.
I really want
this ice cream to shine.
It's my favorite part
of the dish.
How're you gonna
plate this thing?
I'm gonna plate it very
contemporary, as I tend to do.
It's gonna look
like art on a plate.
Young man,
the very best of luck.
Thank you both so much.
Christian, my main man. What's
going on? Talk to me about your dish.
So I'm making my grandmother's
traditional banana pudding.
Okay, banana pudding might seem pretty
straight forward. But you're gonna elevate it.
Yeah, my grandmother
and my uncle was very close...
- Yes.
- ...and he used to eat a lot of lemon cookies.
- Okay.
- And it used to be my favorite cookie,
so I just decided to add
a little lemon zest to my wafer.
- Yes.
- And then also I'm gonna salt some pecans.
My grandmother used to
grow pecans on her land,
- so it's straight home, you know?
- Yeah.
I'm putting them
in some nice glasses,
and it's gonna be a lot
of layers of flavor, brother.
I love it. This banana
pudding has a lot riding on it.
It does. I have to make my mom
proud because this is what she does.
- Do us proud.
- Mom, how do you think he's doing?
- He's doing good.
- Handle your business, all right, brother?
- Thank you, Chef. Thank you.
- All right.
Keep it up, baby.
Keep it up.
Take a deep breath, Dara.
Meringue's going.
All right, Dara, let's talk
about the floating island.
Yes, with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
some tropical fruit,
and a caramelized crispy rice.
- So, a reinterpretation of a pavlova.
- Essentially.
Tell me about the forbidden
rice. How do you do that?
I just deep fried it
at 400 degrees.
It's gonna make almost like
a Rice Krispy treat.
So, this whole menu is a journey
into your childhood.
Yeah, this dessert really
represents my past and my present.
So, I had a pavlova
at my first birthday.
The present is
one of the most influential
chef instructors I had
showed me this dessert.
I have grown so much as a person
and as a culinarian,
and I feel like I've been able
to show you guys that.
- Totally.
- And today's just a new start
as an adult
in this industry, so...
So these, at the end of the day,
have to be light,
crispy, and chewy.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes.
- Okay, can't wait. Thanks, Dara.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, Dara!
Come on, Dara!
We are coming down
to the last 20 minutes.
Come on, guys.
JOE: Oh.
He's making his ice cream
with liquid nitrogen.
CHRISTINA: When you make
ice cream like this,
if you pour too much,
if you go too fast,
you're freezing it quickly,
you're crystallizing the ice
cream, making it less smooth.
- Sure. He seems to be putting a lot of liquid nitrogen.
- JOE: Yeah, it's a lot.
- Mad scientist!
- JOE: He's going back.
- CHRISTINA: Oh, God, he's going for more.
- GORDON: He's going for more.
No, no, no.
Aah, aah, what is he doing?
CHRISTINA: Michael is taking
that blow torch and he's using it
to warm up the pieces
of mango ice cream
that have frozen up
the walls of his mixing bowl
- to make one continuous ice cream mixture.
- Oh, no.
- What is he doing? He's still going?
- There he goes again.
Michael seems to just be
adding liquid nitrogen
with reckless abandon.
That's not a great recipe
for a great dessert.
- No.
- Nope.
GORDON: Oh, dear.
Michael seems to just be adding
liquid nitrogen with reckless abandon.
That's not a great recipe
for a great dessert.
- No.
- Nope.
CHRISTINA: Okay, here he...
oh, my goodness. It's chunky.
- Wow.
- He about to caramelize some bananas.
AARÓN: Christian right now
is conjuring up the memory
of his beloved grandmother
who, sadly, recently passed.
He's gonna make banana pudding.
I have to say, you don't
often see pudding as the star...
- No.
- ...of a three-course meal.
It seems a little too
simple for me. I don't know.
Let's go, baby.
So, Dara's presented
a floating island meringue.
But she's really delivering
a deconstructed pavlova.
A pavlova is essentially
a large meringue
with a passionfruit curd, and
then you surround with fresh fruit.
I think that Dara's trying
to make this a final send-off.
Exactly. As always with Dara,
she's a great technician.
Yes, but her plating skills
are phenomenal.
But the thing
about a floating island
is it's egg whites
and sugar, maybe vanilla.
GORDON: I'm hoping
it's not too sweet.
FRED: Dang, Michael, look
at you with the pink pineapple.
Oh, beautiful.
So, Michael's got a lot going on
in his dessert, right?
He sure does.
He's doing that fried milk,
that needs to be sort of
like warm and oozy and gooey,
and he's playing that off of the
sharp coldness of a mango ice cream.
AARÓN: I just hope he hasn't
taken a bunch of different elements
and pray that
they work together.
Sure. It sounds
a little bit like that.
[BLEEP]
That was hot. I'm all right.
GORDON: Five minutes
remaining. Come on, guys.
Graham, bird's eye view
from the top.
How's it looking from up there?
It's looking great. Everyone's
clearly in their element.
You have Christian plating,
you have Dara looking
calm, composed,
and then Michael, kind of
a recreation of the entrée.
- Running around. I'm getting nervous.
- Yes.
But, again, pulling it off.
Fried milk. Amazing.
Look at Michael's station
compared to Dara's station right now.
It's clear who's in control
and who is aflutter.
- He is sweating out there.
- That's when you try to do too much.
- Go, Michael, go!
- Go, Christian!
Don't forget your pecans.
60 seconds to go!
Last minute. Come on, guys!
Look at that. Michael's
ice cream looks delicious.
- Oh, my God, she's removing the...
- There you go.
- They're beautiful!
- They are beautiful.
- Wow.
- Michael!
Oh, my God.
- [BLEEP]
- Come on, Mike.
Come on, baby.
Come on, baby.
Remember, this is
for your grandmother.
20 seconds! Oh, my God.
- Come on, Dara!
- FRED: Come on, Dara!
ALL:
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four,
- three, two, one!
- GORDON: And stop!
- GORDON: Well done!
- Oh, my God.
I've been saying
from the beginning,
I came here to prove to myself,
my family, the judges,
how much I've grown,
and I'm feeling extremely
proud of myself.
These are happy tears now.
I made it. The most
important day of my life.
It was the hardest thing
I've ever done,
but I'm still standing.
CHRISTIAN: I'm feeling
good. I'm feeling content.
At this point,
this can go either way,
'cause these
are some amazing chefs.
They put out
some amazing desserts.
It's an honor to be back here
and I feel like
I made my family proud,
'cause I wanted
to stay true to myself.
And staying true to myself
got me this far,
so I'm very proud of myself.
This is it, everyone,
the dish that will seal
somebody's fate
as the champion of season 12,
"MasterChef: Back to Win."
Please make your way
around to the front.
Dara, can you please
bring your dessert forward?
Yeah, Dara!
What's she gonna do
with those meringues?
I'm feeling really confident
with this dessert
because it combines textures
and a ton of traditional
French techniques.
But also I'm dipping
my meringue domes in nitrogen
to create this beautiful crust
of crispy meringue
as well as that pillowy inside.
- GORDON: She's basting them
in liquid nitrogen. - Oh, wow.
I'm extremely proud
of this dessert.
I think it's gonna be the
perfect end to my whole menu,
and I feel like it
could get me that win.
Dara, please describe
your dessert.
I prepared a vanilla
ile flottante
with a passionfruit
crème anglaise,
tropical fruit, and
a caramelized forbidden rice.
- Mm.
- Visually, it looks beautiful.
I just love the colors.
Smart choice on the plateware.
I just think
it's well thought out.
- You smash the top?
- Yes, please smash the top.
- AARÓN: A-ha!
- Mine's not smashing.
Is it supposed to crack?
Gotta... hard. Crush it.
- Yeah.
- Harder?
- Oh, no!
- Okay.
I love a dessert
that looks like something
I know and I've tasted before,
but is full of surprises.
I like that you brought
big flavor to the table,
and it's clear that you thought
about texture. It's a gorgeous dessert.
Dara, it's got that wow factor.
It's a little too sweet,
but I love the crème anglaise.
The fruit, it's refreshing.
This is a very
well-seasoned dessert.
I don't think people talk about
seasoning with dessert enough.
I think when you have
that passionfruit,
those seeds give you a pepper-ness
to it that I think is very pleasant.
- Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
Dara, I love the use of
the savory herbs or greens.
- What did you put in here?
- Micro-cilantro.
Really smart, because it gives
complexity to the fruit.
The forbidden rice,
it's a good textural contrast.
- Very good.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Dara.
- Yeah, Dara!
I like the passionfruit
in that crème anglaise.
It's a really
thoughtful dessert.
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God.
Michael, please step forward
with your dessert.
Yes, Chef.
I am feeling a sense of relief
that it's over,
that whatever happens next
is out of my hands.
I can only hope
that I've done enough
to take home the trophy today.
Please describe your dessert.
Tonight, I've made for you
a play on tres leches.
It's a homemade mango ice cream
with deep fried milk,
salted cajeta
goat's milk caramel,
and a tropical fruit salsa.
Visually, Michael,
it's intriguing.
The colors are great,
and it's the kind of dessert
that whizzes across
the dining room floor,
and it's a bit
of an eye catcher.
What do you think is wrong
with my plate, Michael?
Yeah, you are missing one
of your fried milk squares.
JOE: And you chose
to short Aarón.
Um...
[BLEEP]
What do you think is wrong
with my plate, Michael?
Yeah, you are missing one
of your fried milk squares.
And you chose to short Aarón.
Um...
I was hoping that Aarón
would be the most forgiving.
- Oh!
- Oh.
GORDON: Here's a secret.
Just take one
off everyone's plate
and then no one's
missed anything.
- Yeah.
- Shall we?
Michael, the ice cream
is delicious, young man.
It's smooth, it's beautiful.
I think your fried milk
could be a little less dense,
but you're pushing
the boundaries,
you're testing our palates.
Michael, I think, conceptually,
it's a beautiful dessert.
You clearly have an eye
for putting food on a plate.
The mango ice cream is the star.
I think your goat's milk caramel
is really interesting.
It's edgy. It's clear
that you know great flavor.
It's clear that you have
a point of view and perspective.
Thank you. I really
appreciate that feedback.
Yeah, Michael, when I have
the ice cream, the crumble,
and the tropical fruit salsa,
it's a beautiful bite.
But I think that the cajeta caramel
is some completely different concept.
It's hard to marry the cajeta with
tropical fruit. It's just difficult to do.
And also, I'm short one
of those fried milk portions,
and consistency is such
a big part of our industry
and you just got to be very
mindful of that, Michael.
- Yeah. - Michael, I want to
compliment you on this dessert,
because we asked you
to cook us dishes
that we would serve in our
restaurant. I think you did that.
- This dessert is a triumph.
- Thank you all.
Okay, Christian,
please come forward.
CHRISTIAN:
I put so much passion,
so much love into this dessert.
I just hope that
the judges see that,
because this dessert
is standing between me
and a quarter million dollars.
Okay, Christian,
what did you make for us?
Tonight, I made for you
Dorothy's Southern
banana pudding,
with a bourbon caramel sauce,
topped with salted pecans
and a lemon cookie.
Christian, I think the fascinating
thing about your plating tonight,
looking across
all three courses,
is that you're holding
on to the heritage,
and it is clearly for a reason.
You know, my grandmother is
not here to witness me on this stage,
but I just wanted
to give her a tribute.
And if Grandma Dorothy was sat next
to Mom, what would she say right now?
The same thing that she been
saying when I left season five,
that I'm proud of you.
"I'm proud of you."
GORDON:
Thank you, Christian.
Thank you.
Shall we?
Young man, you know,
one thing is clearly evident.
Your banana pudding
is delicious.
It's not too sweet,
which is important.
But when you look at
the elevation
of the two dishes behind you,
it's like this is
from a unique buffet
off a floating super yacht.
I think you could have
elevated it a touch more
coming outside the glass
and getting away
from that comfort zone.
Yes, Chef.
So, Christian, I have this rule,
always start with a flavor story
that you believe in
with all of your might.
And you have that in this
banana pudding. It's Grandma's.
But I don't know that I know enough
about you, Christian, in this dish.
But with that said, I mean,
good dessert's good dessert,
and this is a really
delicious dessert.
AARÓN: It's complex, at
the same time very simplistic.
It's straightforward.
It's honest.
It's just like you.
Yes, Chef, thank you.
Christian, there's a bit of
missed opportunities in this dish.
You could caramelize the bananas
in a little bit
of butter and brandy.
So there's things you could do
to make it better.
But, look, I have to commend you
on being true to yourself
in everything you do.
You brought your grandmother's
dessert to the table.
It's a beautiful thing.
Good job.
Thank you.
It's a delicious banana pudding.
- Oh, man.
- We all had some goods and bads.
- Yeah. It's gonna...
- Let's be honest.
- It's gonna come down to the
smallest details. - It really is.
That was
an extraordinary finish.
All three of you
should be really proud
of yourselves, honestly.
And now that we've tasted
all of your dishes,
we need to judge you
across your entire meal.
Graham, please come down here
to join us in the restaurant.
Right now, we have got some
very serious decisions to be made.
Please give us a moment.
Okay, that was
really incredible.
So, now down to the balance
of the overall menu.
- Yeah.
- Shall we start with Michael?
He wanted to go for a modern
Tex Mex approach with his menu.
He went out the gate
with a spicy aguachile.
And it was acidic and spicy,
what an aguachile should be.
Visually, it had that impact.
It needed more salt, didn't it?
It did, it did. But definitely
restaurant quality.
- Sure. - With Michael, I'm
more critical of his entrée.
He really didn't pay enough
attention to that lamb loin.
The unfortunate thing
is that lamb being so delicate,
- it was over-seasoned and it was over... yeah.
- It was overcooked.
- Ay.
- Corn purée though, was exceptional.
- Yes.
- Come on.
But I don't know
about that dessert.
It was just a disconnect for me.
There were parts about
Michael's dessert that I really loved.
I thought visually
it was stunning.
It held gravitas
for the MasterChef kitchen,
which I highly respected.
I have to commend him
'cause he didn't play it safe.
He didn't. He was the one
who went out there the most.
So, Dara, she started off
with that crispy seared snapper.
- JOE: And it was good.
- It was good. Fish were cooked beautifully.
Then for the entrée, it was
that amazing braised short rib,
and then this beautiful
sweet potato purée.
- It was delicious.
- If we had that tonight in a restaurant,
we all would leave and be like,
"That short rib was great, huh?"
Absolutely.
Dara's dessert,
a very dense, sweet meringue.
But everything else around it
was acidic, was bright.
That meringue, I think it's
something that's memorable.
Her instinct,
from a flavor standpoint,
I think is the most
impressive of the three.
I totally agree with that.
GORDON: So, Christian came
out of the gate strong
with that fried green tomato
and the remoulade.
The flavor profile was deep down
South, and it was absolutely spot-on.
- It was good.
- Then his entrée was that Cajun-spiced filet.
Unfortunately, half the filets were
cooked at different temperatures.
But it was delicious.
And he took just as much care
in the turnips
as he did with the main star,
which was that filet.
The flavors were awesome.
That dessert at the end
was a classic take
on his Grandma Dorothy's
pudding.
He was so stuck
on the emotion of it,
and a great dessert
is emotional,
but it was Christian's grandma's
banana pudding,
not Christian's banana pudding.
The biggest ingredient
missing across his dessert
- was the risk factor.
- I agree 100%.
But his currency is not risk.
His currency is honesty.
Sure.
- Proud of you guys.
- Proud of you.
There can only be one winner
of "MasterChef: Back to Win."
So how do we decide
between the three of them?
- My heart is beating out of
my chest right now. - Pounding.
CHRISTIAN: Winning "MasterChef"
would mean the world to me.
I feel that I gave everything
throughout
this whole competition.
I came back to prove myself
and not just come back
and be in the finale.
I came back to win.
It's a difficult decision,
but it's the right decision.
- Shall we?
- Are we happy?
- Got it.
- Let's do it.
GORDON: Wow.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
DARA: I see that MasterChef
trophy, and I want it.
I'm young,
but wise beyond my years.
And I feel like
I've proven time after time
that I deserve this win.
Well done. You three
showed us week after week
that you had the fire
and the spirit
that brought you back to win.
This has been
the most competitive year
in the history
of this competition.
Only one of you will win
the quarter
of a million dollars.
- Ooh-hoo.
- Whoo.
And only one of you will be able
to proudly place this trophy
in your future restaurant.
The truth is that I gave this
finale everything that I have.
Nothing has pushed me
to these extremes before.
But I never gave up
in the kitchen
and I never gave up on myself.
And that's why I'm gonna win it.
Will it be Michael,
Dara...
or Christian?
America's next MasterChef is...
Congratulations...
Dara!
She won! She won!
Dara, you did it!
- You did it!
- Come on, girl!
- You did it.
- You did it!
Dara, come here! Come on!
Yes! You've... you've done it!
- Thank you so much.
- You've done it! Amazing.
- JOE: Here you go.
- Thank you so much.
- Congratulations.
- You deserve it, young lady!
- Thank you so much.
- And this is for you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please give it up for Dara!
I am overwhelmed and speechless.
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
- This has been the most
incredible journey of my life,
and all my hard work
and determination paid off.
I'm so grateful to be
surrounded by my loved ones.
My father isn't here,
but I know that
he's been looking over me
this whole competition,
and I know I made him
proud tonight.
- Yes!
- Yeah.
CROWD: Dara! Dara! Dara!
That photo looks
pretty good up there.
- Yeah!
- [CHEERING CONTINUES]
Ladies and gentlemen, give it up
for Christian and Michael, please!
[CHEERING CONTINUES]
CHRISTIAN: Dara was
unbelievable at any age.
But at 20 years old,
it's ridiculous.
So proud of you, Dara.
She deserves this, and I
had a blast cooking beside her.
- Don't you dare stop now.
- I'm not.
- Do you have any idea what
you achieved tonight? - Yeah.
Even though I didn't win
tonight, I still feel like a winner.
To come back to "MasterChef"
the second time
and just to come
so close to winning?
I can't be upset at myself.
- That was a blast.
- I was 12 years old
the last time
I was on this show,
and now I am the season 12
MasterChef winner.
I came back to win
and that's exactly what I did.
[CHEERING]
We are looking for talented
home cooks nationwide.
If you think you have
what it takes to become,
just like Dara,
America's next MasterChef,
Good night and God bless.
Amazing.