Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas S01E02

InfinityStream.TV

Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas S01E02  #StarChristmas #RealityInsightHub   🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️ 👉 Official Channel:  />👉 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Transcript

00:00:00So we've turned the TOC Arena into a winner's wonderland.

00:00:05Some of the world's greatest, most celebrated chefs

00:00:08are pairing up to make their best sweet and savory dishes

00:00:12in the first ever team competition in the TOC Arena.

00:00:16Can you feel the adrenaline?

00:00:18Last time on TOC All-Star Christmas,

00:00:21the first of our 16 super duos clashed

00:00:24in a night of do-or-die battle.

00:00:26Jen Nashley!

00:00:27Your first win, how do you feel?

00:00:29I feel awesome!

00:00:30And tonight, six more teams will begin their Christmas quest.

00:00:34First, TOC four champs, Mei Lin and Nini Nguyen.

00:00:38We're just going to dominate.

00:00:39Take on Adam Sobel and Christian Petroni.

00:00:43What is that, Coco, baby?

00:00:44Then legendary chef, Marcus Samuelson

00:00:47and pastry chef, Rachel Sharif.

00:00:49Oh, my God!

00:00:51Battle Michelin-starred masters, Graham Elliott

00:00:54and Giuseppe Trentori.

00:00:56Push, push.

00:00:57And finally, famed brothers Michael and Brian Voltaggio face off

00:01:01against Kentucky's finest, Sarah Bradley and Damaris Phillips.

00:01:06We met each other and we fell in love.

00:01:08Which holiday duo will jiggle all the way to the title?

00:01:11I think we just won.

00:01:12The trophy, big bucks for charity.

00:01:15I'm going to kiss you.

00:01:15All right.

00:01:16And thanks to Carnival Cruise Line, $100,000.

00:01:20This is Tournament of Champions.

00:01:22This is Christmas, y'all.

00:01:23This is Christmas, y'all.

00:01:24All-Star Christmas.

00:01:26It's anyone's game.

00:01:38Are you ready to meet the Christmas contenders

00:01:41for the first battle of the night?

00:01:43That's what I like to hear.

00:01:45That's what I like to hear.

00:01:46First up, we have our number one seed team,

00:01:49the dynamic duo of Chef Mei Lin and Chef Nini Nguyen.

00:01:54This tight-knit team has major street cred.

00:01:57Mei, well, she's a TOC champ.

00:02:00And Nini is also a big competition winner with an impressive sweet and savory skill set.

00:02:07Not only have we cooked together before, we're very familiar with each other in the kitchen.

00:02:12We all so have, like, the same mind.

00:02:15Coming here with a champ is exciting.

00:02:17Like, I have the best date to this whole thing.

00:02:20But it's also nerve-wracking because I want to make sure I bring it.

00:02:23She's cooking the savory, and I'm cooking the desserts.

00:02:27I wouldn't be here with anybody else.

00:02:29Yeah.

00:02:31They're facing off against Chef Adam Sobel and Chef Christian Petroni.

00:02:37Both chefs have won battles here at TOC Arena, but have never reached the finals,

00:02:41which explains their number four seed status.

00:02:44Christian and I have a lot in common.

00:02:46We have a lot of heritage, family growing up in the Bronx.

00:02:49We've always been dear friends.

00:02:51He's very well-versed in the pastry side.

00:02:54We complement each other really, really well, and we could be a force to be reckoned with.

00:02:58I mean, I've known Adam for a really long time, and I know his skill set.

00:03:01He's worked for a lot of amazing chefs.

00:03:04He is very technique-driven.

00:03:06I'm kind of scared of them.

00:03:08I've never met Christian, but I've been a fan.

00:03:10You know Meg.

00:03:11I know Meg.

00:03:12You.

00:03:13But you know Meg.

00:03:14Yeah.

00:03:15And what I know, that we both know, that I'm sure everybody knows, Meg's a beast.

00:03:21If I had to pick someone to cook my last meal, that might be one of the chefs to do so.

00:03:25They're ready for it.

00:03:26Let's do it.

00:03:27Ready?

00:03:28Let's do it.

00:03:31Boo!

00:03:32Let's go, baby.

00:03:33Are you ready to see them jingle bell rock this arena?

00:03:36Let's rock it up!

00:03:41Chef Adam Sobel has guided the cuisines of over 50 acclaimed restaurants, helping earn them James Beard awards and multiple Michelin stars.

00:03:52With zero competition experience, he stepped into the TOC4 arena and made it all the way to the quarterfinals.

00:04:01Chef Christian Petroni is a restaurateur and parm-to-table cookbook author whose Italian cuisine has been described as effortless in its deliciousness by the New York Times.

00:04:12Give it up for Mr. Delicious and the great Hambino, Team Adam and Christian!

00:04:31Go, Guido.

00:04:32I know you're friends, but how did you make the decision you wanted to get in this competition together?

00:04:37It was a very faithful phone call, Guido.

00:04:39There's no one else in the world that I would be as excited to do it with, and Mr. Sobel has become one of my dearest friends in the whole world.

00:04:45So this is beautiful.

00:04:46If you can put the wonder twin powers together, you guys are going to go far.

00:04:50And going up against these opponents, you're going to need it.

00:04:54Your opponents!

00:04:57Mei Lin is a James Beard-nominated restaurateur who opened her first casual Szechuan hot chicken restaurant in Los Angeles.

00:05:04She is a master competitor, winning both Top Chef and Tournament of Champions Four.

00:05:13Chef Nini Wynn spent years as a pastry chef in New Orleans before honing her sweet skills in New York's Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park.

00:05:22Give it up from May Day May and Martini Nini!

00:05:28Chef Nailin and Nini!

00:05:31That's some spooky music.

00:05:32That was very spooky music.

00:05:33You made the decision to bring Nini on your team. Why?

00:05:48We think a lot of the same, so we're just going to use our ESP and work like that.

00:05:54Chefs, to the randomizer! Let's do this!

00:05:56Oh, God.

00:06:05Oh, God.

00:06:06All right, chefs.

00:06:07The randomizer will determine the mandatory details of both of your dishes.

00:06:12And the mandatory savory items for one dish.

00:06:15The mandatory sweet item for the other dish.

00:06:17And then the equipment, the style, and the wild card must be used in both dishes.

00:06:23Let's do this! Savory!

00:06:25Here we go!

00:06:28Oh, my God!

00:06:29Yes!

00:06:30Let's go!

00:06:31Oh, my God, this game.

00:06:33It's nice not being up here by myself.

00:06:35This is good.

00:06:36The moral support.

00:06:37Turkey, pork, pie, turkey, pork.

00:06:41In the savory eye of brown.

00:06:44Whoa!

00:06:45And the sweet.

00:06:47Raspberries, air fryer, buttery, and cocoa mix.

00:06:52Okay.

00:06:53Because it's the holidays, I will grant you the 35 minutes.

00:06:57Also, I'm going to give you an extra two minutes to come up with a game plan.

00:07:03Good luck.

00:07:04Okay.

00:07:05I'm gonna do the eye round.

00:07:06I'm gonna use the cocoa powder and make a spice blend, like a coffee cocoa rub.

00:07:09I'm gonna do a potato puree.

00:07:10Yeah.

00:07:11I admire his style so much.

00:07:12We have similar thought process when it comes to purity of ingredients.

00:07:16For the eye round, I'm thinking tartare.

00:07:19I think we're the team to beat.

00:07:22Nini and I can literally talk about an ingredient and bounce ideas off of each other.

00:07:26And our ideas are in sync.

00:07:29Air fryer, start the putons.

00:07:31Three, two, one.

00:07:33I love eye of the round for beef.

00:07:40It's very lean.

00:07:41It's very firm.

00:07:42Sliced thin, it's really good.

00:07:44Or low and slow and braised.

00:07:46Raspberries, I'm a raspberry junkie.

00:07:48You know, it's that sweet tart flavor I like.

00:07:50Plays well with chocolate.

00:07:51What's an air fryer?

00:07:52Everybody's so excited about them.

00:07:54What they really are is a small convection oven.

00:07:57It circulates warm air.

00:07:59You can crisp things really quick.

00:08:00Buttery.

00:08:01This can play into buttery crust, buttery sauces, buttery potatoes.

00:08:05You name it, they'll know how to master butter.

00:08:07And then hot cocoa.

00:08:09This getting employed in dessert, no problem.

00:08:11This getting employed into the use of the meat.

00:08:14They're gonna have to be very judicious about the way they use it.

00:08:17When you have a plan, fill me in.

00:08:19I'm doing a coffee cocoa spice eye of round for savory.

00:08:23It's gonna be pan roasted in ultra brown butter.

00:08:26And then I'm gonna do the potatoes in the air fryer,

00:08:28like a double potato garnish.

00:08:30We didn't want eye round.

00:08:31I didn't want eye round.

00:08:32Time is the issue.

00:08:33If anyone could do something with that eye round,

00:08:36it's my brother Adam.

00:08:38I always end up getting hammered on Christmas.

00:08:40Yeah.

00:08:41If you're going out to a family dinner during the holiday season,

00:08:44this is kind of a steakhouse dish that you would get.

00:08:47Christian, you got the cocoa bubble?

00:08:49Right here, babe.

00:08:53What was the first time we met?

00:08:55Um, I think we met in New York years ago.

00:08:58We really spent a lot of time together.

00:09:00The first year I did TOC, felt like I knew you for 30 years.

00:09:04Yeah, you know when someone's meant to be your friend.

00:09:06It's like, you know when you meet somebody, it's just easy.

00:09:08I admire his style so much.

00:09:10And like, I've seen Christian's desserts.

00:09:12I just love what he makes.

00:09:14Chef, what's in there?

00:09:15So I got raspberries in here right now.

00:09:17For the sweet dish.

00:09:18In the hopes of like sort of charring them.

00:09:20Sure.

00:09:21I'm making a olive oil palenta cake.

00:09:23That's where I'm going to incorporate the cocoa,

00:09:26brown butter as well.

00:09:27With the raspberries that are currently in the air fryer,

00:09:29that's going to go into either granita or sorbet.

00:09:33Sorbet with 26 minutes, okay.

00:09:35What we've put together really speaks to holiday.

00:09:38This is rich and buttery and roasty.

00:09:42And then you got decadence with the palenta cake.

00:09:45When I picture my mother's like holiday table with good holiday linen.

00:09:50Yeah.

00:09:51And you've sort of had this huge meal.

00:09:52And then in the middle, just picturing that like palenta cake,

00:09:56like on a platter with a doily.

00:09:58I want maple.

00:09:59A little powdered sugar over the top.

00:10:01I can picture it.

00:10:02I can see it.

00:10:03Or hot cocoa powder.

00:10:04In this case, hot cocoa powder.

00:10:06Chef, did cocoa go in yet?

00:10:08Yep.

00:10:09Coco's in here.

00:10:10It's going to transform from regular butter.

00:10:12To brown butter?

00:10:13To brown butter.

00:10:17Now to help us better understand the sweet and savory moves made by our teams.

00:10:21I'm joined by my own holiday helpers.

00:10:24That's right.

00:10:25Michelin recommended chef in charge of an elf group.

00:10:27The one and only wild card, Justin Warner.

00:10:30And the DOC3 champ and wicked Boston restaurateur, the one and only Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:10:37Justin and Tiffany will be closely observing the creation of our dishes

00:10:41so they can faithfully present them to the judges during the blind tasting.

00:10:45Chef May, what's the plan?

00:10:48I'm going to do a tartare.

00:10:50What?

00:10:51Woo!

00:10:52Tartare.

00:10:53How do we make buttery tartare, Chef?

00:10:55Well...

00:10:56We're going to grate some butter on it.

00:10:58I'm also going to make...

00:10:59Brioche croutons.

00:11:00Okay.

00:11:01So buttery.

00:11:02I love where we're going.

00:11:03May is great because she's won everything.

00:11:08She's not really used to losing.

00:11:10As a person who does lose, I'm really thankful to be here with her.

00:11:14She is smart.

00:11:16She is a fierce competitor.

00:11:19And she's my best friend.

00:11:20So I kind of won.

00:11:22So sweet.

00:11:25She took the time to really first thinly slice it.

00:11:28And she's got to get that cut right.

00:11:30When the judges look at this, they will know the difference between this being thrown in a food processor.

00:11:35Taking the time to cut this by hand, as labor-intensive and time-consuming as it is, is a must.

00:11:42So I started in pastry, but I'm most known for Vietnamese cuisine.

00:11:46You know, some people forget that I have some pastry skills.

00:11:50I will be making a dessert.

00:11:52Chef Nini.

00:11:53Yes?

00:11:54What's on the menu?

00:11:55Hot chocolate Napoleon with raspberries.

00:11:57Want to make some pastry cream?

00:11:58I'm going to try to bake these.

00:12:00And into the air fryer.

00:12:01Do you use air fryers a lot?

00:12:03At home, yes.

00:12:04Have you air fried puff pastry before?

00:12:06Um, no, but the whole thing about puff pastry is you need it to be hot.

00:12:10Yeah.

00:12:11And air fryers can make it hot and crispy.

00:12:14Let's hope it does that.

00:12:15Desserts are very difficult to make in a short amount of time because a lot of times you have to, like, heat things up, cool things down, change the temperature in 35 minutes.

00:12:23Like, every single step matters.

00:12:27This is not the time to, like, experiment on a new thing.

00:12:34Right behind you guys.

00:12:35Sorry.

00:12:36Sobel, what do you got going over here?

00:12:38I'm doing a super brown butter potato puree.

00:12:42My brown is going to sit on top.

00:12:44Okay.

00:12:45Potato is a huge contributor to the holiday table.

00:12:48Mashed potato is probably my favorite.

00:12:49I know.

00:12:50Yeah.

00:12:51The holidays are really important and special.

00:12:54Christian, can you open up those air fryers for me?

00:12:57Gotcha, babe.

00:12:58My dad's side of the family, we celebrated Hanukkah.

00:13:01My mom's side, Christmas, very traditional Italian, very traditional Jewish.

00:13:07A four-minute timer?

00:13:08Three minute?

00:13:09Two minute?

00:13:10I don't know.

00:13:11Just a heads up.

00:13:12I'm going to put it for two.

00:13:13You can look at it.

00:13:14Never done this before.

00:13:15All right.

00:13:16I like that.

00:13:17You can sort of right into the food processor.

00:13:20This is not something I've done before.

00:13:22Maybe I freeze up the motor.

00:13:24Maybe I don't.

00:13:25Maybe this goes great.

00:13:27Maybe it doesn't.

00:13:28But what I know is going to happen is I'm going to really be able to pull down the temperature

00:13:33of those roasted raspberries, which are going to be the raspberry sorbetto.

00:13:38I'm just going to have to get a picture of this.

00:13:41And he looks at the camera.

00:13:45May is making a brown butter chili cocoa aioli.

00:13:50Chili and chocolate is such a genius combination.

00:13:52We hate hot cocoa mix.

00:13:54Full of sugar.

00:13:55So I need some heat.

00:13:58We don't want our savory dish to be sweet.

00:14:01The holidays are like a time for you to show off.

00:14:04And so.

00:14:05To your family.

00:14:06Yeah.

00:14:07To your family.

00:14:08Like this is what I've been doing with my life.

00:14:11How are you feeling, May?

00:14:12I feel good.

00:14:13I feel good.

00:14:14Pastry cream.

00:14:15Corn starch, chef.

00:14:16Yes.

00:14:17Corn starch.

00:14:18Cocoa.

00:14:19The hot cocoa mix is going to be my sugar substitute for my pastry cream.

00:14:23I think we're the team to beat because May is the expansion of my brain.

00:14:29Because I'm like, oh my God.

00:14:30Like I know that.

00:14:31Like why didn't I think of that?

00:14:33All of our holiday dishes will be judged by a panel of culinary greats.

00:14:38They just don't know what the chefs are cooking or who's even competing.

00:14:43No, not because they've had too much eggnog, which could be the case.

00:14:47But tonight is because they're sequestered in their trailers because this is a blind tasting.

00:14:52The savory dish and the sweet dish are each worth a maximum of 50 points based on taste, use of the randomizer and presentation.

00:15:00The team with the highest combined score for both dishes will move on to the quarterfinals.

00:15:05And the eliminated team will have a blue, blue Christmas.

00:15:10Chef May Lynn, we got a game plan.

00:15:12So we're doing buttery croutons.

00:15:14We're going to cook these croutons in the air fryer.

00:15:16Melting down the ghee right now.

00:15:18And it just tastes like unctuous, unctuous butter.

00:15:21Got it.

00:15:22Nini and I have known each other for almost a decade.

00:15:25And we've traveled together.

00:15:27We've eaten together.

00:15:29We understand each other in a way that I don't think the other teams do.

00:15:33We're just going to dominate.

00:15:34Nini, can I go into one of these ovens?

00:15:37Not yet.

00:15:38I like to consider myself as May's sister that she never wanted.

00:15:43Oh, that's not true.

00:15:44I could not imagine you with a sister.

00:15:46I'd kill her.

00:15:47Yeah.

00:15:48So I put the croutons into the air fryer and then I work on a raspberry glaze.

00:15:54Is that raspberry jam, Chef?

00:15:56It is.

00:15:57Raspberries are on the randomizer.

00:15:59I really want to showcase like what I can make with it.

00:16:04Okay.

00:16:05Do you have the croutons?

00:16:07Yes.

00:16:08Where?

00:16:09Yes.

00:16:10Oh, .

00:16:11They are burnt.

00:16:12You have more?

00:16:13.

00:16:14Both the ciabatta and the brioche got burnt.

00:16:17That's her buttery component to the steak tartare.

00:16:19It's also going to give a lot of texture to the steak tartare that it would not otherwise have.

00:16:23Really critical.

00:16:25It's not good.

00:16:26Chef, we have 10 minutes left in the competition.

00:16:30How did that air fryer work for you on the puff pastry?

00:16:33A little too good.

00:16:34It's crucial that we have a component that's cooked from the air fryer.

00:16:38Can't serve these burnt croutons, so we have to make them again.

00:16:45How you doing, sweet love?

00:16:46I'm rolling like a freight train.

00:16:48Got some RoboShop potatoes going?

00:16:50Uh, something like that.

00:16:52Ask.

00:16:53Ask.

00:16:54There's a big difference between the team version of TOC and the singular battle mode that you need to be in mentally.

00:17:01When you have a partner, it removes a lot of stress from the situation.

00:17:05Chris, taste these?

00:17:07And it's the holidays.

00:17:09Some people get stressed out during the holidays, but not us.

00:17:12Cool as a cucumber.

00:17:14Okay.

00:17:16Delicious.

00:17:17I'm going to knock out a quick whipped cream.

00:17:20Vanilla make it in there as well?

00:17:21Yep, vanilla paste.

00:17:22Chris, I hear a timer.

00:17:24Yes.

00:17:26I pull my cakes out of the oven.

00:17:28Boom goes the dynamite, my friend.

00:17:30Beautiful.

00:17:31They're buttery.

00:17:33They're crispy on the outside.

00:17:35This man created a miracle.

00:17:37Teams, five minutes to go.

00:17:39It's time to plate up.

00:17:40A little dollop of the super brown whipped potato.

00:17:43I proceed to slice the perfectly cooked beef.

00:17:46It goes on top of the potato.

00:17:48That's my boy.

00:17:49That's my boy.

00:17:50When I plate, I want them to be cold because I know I'm going to be putting the sorbet in there with the brown butter cake.

00:17:57Is this going to die?

00:17:58How does that work?

00:17:59They can hold the whole thing frozen or you put it separate.

00:18:02I realize I can't add the sorbet to the dish because by the time it gets to the judges, even if they judge us first, the judging the savory before the sweet.

00:18:12Where's that cocoa, baby?

00:18:14And I don't want a polenta cake sitting in a puddle of raspberry coulis.

00:18:20I'm going to put them on the side, and this is meant to be eaten together.

00:18:24Two and a half minutes.

00:18:25Two and a half.

00:18:27Crite taffe and croutons, done.

00:18:31And they're looking really, really great.

00:18:34I have butter if you want a zest.

00:18:37My favorite part about this time of year is really just to enjoy food with your loved ones.

00:18:43I lay out a mound of the tartare and I dust with a little bit more cocoa powder as well as shaving of Parmesan cheese and butter because the theme is buttery.

00:18:54Hello.

00:18:5540 seconds.

00:18:56I put on layers of pastry cream.

00:18:59I'm topping it with those beautiful fresh raspberries and adding my raspberry glaze with a powder of hot cocoa mix.

00:19:09I know that we killed it.

00:19:11We literally have every single thing from the randomizer on this plate.

00:19:15And I think that it comes through, through and through.

00:19:18Five, four, three, two, one.

00:19:22Yeah.

00:19:23Yeah, baby.

00:19:24Let's go!

00:19:25Oh!

00:19:26Oh!

00:19:27Yes!

00:19:28Yes!

00:19:29Fantastic job, both teams.

00:19:32Well done.

00:19:33Let's bring the judges in.

00:19:36I feel like if anybody's in pastry, they will appreciate how much work I put into that dish.

00:19:44Yeah.

00:19:45I mean, I burnt her croutons, but it's okay.

00:19:47We came back.

00:19:48We came back.

00:19:49We came back.

00:19:50I've walked off this stage thinking I clearly won.

00:19:53You never know.

00:19:54I'm proud of what you did.

00:19:56You did a lot of work, man.

00:19:57That was a lot of work in 35 minutes.

00:19:59Oof.

00:20:00Damn.

00:20:03Our TOC judges have been patiently waiting in their trailers for their big moment.

00:20:08Let's meet them.

00:20:09First, we have the celebrated chef and New York Times best-selling author, who has opened

00:20:13multiple Michelin-star restaurants, the one and only Chef Curtis Stone.

00:20:20Oh, my God.

00:20:22Curtis?

00:20:23I'm nervous.

00:20:24Next up, we have the two-time James Beard Award winner named Best Pastry Chef,

00:20:28by Bon Appetit, the one and only Chef Gail Gann.

00:20:33Oh, wow.

00:20:34Oh, my God.

00:20:35She's going to judge my dessert.

00:20:37Oh, my God.

00:20:38She's incredible.

00:20:39She's a great pastry chef.

00:20:40Yeah.

00:20:41I want to give her a prettier plate.

00:20:42And next, the James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, who received a coveted three-star review

00:20:48for the New York Times, Chef Scott Connick.

00:20:51Oh, wow.

00:20:53Johnny Bones.

00:20:54Johnny Bones.

00:20:55Johnny Bones.

00:20:56Johnny Bones.

00:20:57Johnny Bones.

00:20:58As you know, the randomizer is a Scrooge of Christmas.

00:21:02In the savory category, they had to work with the Aya Brown.

00:21:05In sweet, they had raspberries.

00:21:07In the equipment for both dishes, air fryer for style, buttery.

00:21:12And the wild card ingredient is hot cocoa mix.

00:21:15Here to present the first dish is the one and only TOC3 champ herself, Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:21:22Let's go, Chef.

00:21:23Come on, Tiffany.

00:21:25Judges.

00:21:26I present to you your savory dish.

00:21:28This is tartare of buttery eye round with hot cocoa powder and emulsified brown butter.

00:21:34Bread was basted with cocoa butter-infused ghee and then air-fried to create little croutons.

00:21:41Not to be outdone by the tartare Santas we have left for you, the hot cocoa Napoleon with raspberries.

00:21:47The puff pastry was, you guessed it, air-fried until GBD, then layered with hot cocoa and butter pastry cream.

00:21:55The fresh raspberries were treated to a raspberry glaze and finished with a dusting of hot cocoa powder.

00:22:0235 minutes. Remember, 35 minutes.

00:22:04Overall, all the ingredients favored a sweet dish more than a savory dish.

00:22:09So that being said, I think that the chef who made this tartare really kind of wove a lot of different ingredients inside that.

00:22:16Tartare in order to make it work.

00:22:18And I think in a lot of ways this does work pretty well.

00:22:21It's actually craveable.

00:22:22Let's go.

00:22:23The flavor is really good.

00:22:25There's a nice crunch to it as well.

00:22:26It really changes the whole mouthfeel.

00:22:29Because when you eat a tartare, it's raw beef and the eye of round.

00:22:33It's a very lean cut of beef.

00:22:35Works really nicely.

00:22:36I would never have chosen it, but hey, you learn something every day.

00:22:39It's a strange plate of food, but it's quite delicious.

00:22:42Okay, I'll take it.

00:22:43We'll take that.

00:22:44I'll take it.

00:22:45The flavor use of the beef.

00:22:47It was a great way to cope with the time constraint, but that heat is blowing my palate a bit.

00:22:52That's what we needed.

00:22:53We needed one of those condoms.

00:22:54Yeah, I know.

00:22:55Sorry, May.

00:22:56At least one.

00:22:57But overall, it was an interesting dish.

00:22:59I'm not sure I tasted the hot cocoa enough.

00:23:02There was so much in the aioli, though, but you can't taste it.

00:23:06Moving on to the dessert.

00:23:07Things to love about it are the puff pastry, of course, very buttery, and then that creaminess of the chocolate pastry cream.

00:23:15It all works very nicely.

00:23:17I feel like the puff pastry didn't get cooked all the way through.

00:23:20I agree the puff pastry is undercooked.

00:23:24Yes.

00:23:25That being said, the pastry cream itself is wonderful.

00:23:28The usage of the raspberries is delicious.

00:23:30I really like the hot cocoa powder.

00:23:33It kind of acts as that foil, kind of like a powdered sugar would.

00:23:37It's delicious, of course.

00:23:39Okay.

00:23:40Worst things have been said.

00:23:42We're gonna be all right.

00:23:43Yeah, I feel good.

00:23:44Thank you, judges.

00:23:45Your scorecards are in front of you.

00:23:47You are going to be scoring both dishes.

00:23:4950 points available.

00:23:5125 points will be in taste.

00:23:5320 points will be in the use of the randomizer.

00:23:55And five points for plating.

00:23:57I'm sorry, the pastry wasn't as crispy.

00:24:00I wanted to stand it up, but I felt like if I'm gonna have a milf wheat, I have to have three layers.

00:24:05I feel like we've got a good shot at this.

00:24:07Oh, dude, I feel, I'm feeling good.

00:24:09All right, judges, thank you very much.

00:24:11Here to describe the second team's dishes, the one and only wildcard, Chef Justin Warner.

00:24:16First, this is a butter-basted holiday eye of round.

00:24:20The eye of round was rubbed with coffee, the hot cocoa mix,

00:24:24a little hot paprika.

00:24:26It's accompanied then by a potato in two forms.

00:24:29You'll see the air-fried sliced version, which was done with butter and Parmesan,

00:24:34and then a super brown butter with potato.

00:24:37Next, in the sweet department, you will find a hot cocoa polenta cake.

00:24:42It's accompanied by a vanilla panna and charred raspberry sorbetto.

00:24:47The raspberries were cooked in the air fryer to achieve a little char.

00:24:50Of course, you can add that to the chilled bowl with your polenta cake and vanilla panna.

00:24:56Good job, Justin.

00:24:57In the amount of time that our contestants had, there's an enormous amount of work here.

00:25:02The eye of round is normally a tougher cut of meat, and it needs a lot of resting.

00:25:09You get a little bit of chewiness on that.

00:25:11That said, I'm not a gummy shark.

00:25:12I'm not scared of a really flavorful steak, and it is.

00:25:15Excuse me, you know what?

00:25:16I'm not a gummy shark.

00:25:17I've got teeth.

00:25:18I can chew.

00:25:19What's a gummy shark?

00:25:20A shark with no teeth.

00:25:22It's the only shark you're happy to see as a surfer.

00:25:25Gummy shark.

00:25:26Gummy shark with no teeth.

00:25:27Is that just an Australian thing?

00:25:28You don't have gummy sharks here?

00:25:29What's going on?

00:25:32In terms of the butteriness, I mean, you hit it, and it's great.

00:25:35These potatoes here are fantastic, really rich in flavor.

00:25:39The potatoes under the steak are just a little gummy.

00:25:44I love the exterior rub on the meat.

00:25:47The hot cocoa mix adds a great deal of flavor.

00:25:50Usage of the butter in this dish is really spectacular.

00:25:53Come on, come on, come on.

00:25:55There's a lot of color.

00:25:56It actually looks kind of festive, kind of holiday-ish.

00:25:59Okay, that was the idea.

00:26:01I also find the beef to be tough.

00:26:03I understand that there was not a lot of time,

00:26:06but I think it would have benefited from a little more searing.

00:26:10Dessert, there's some nice textural contrast going on.

00:26:14That polenta cake has got, you know, a cornmeal crunch to it.

00:26:18I do love the cream on top of the cake,

00:26:21and I find that the raspberry is so acidic and so lacking sweetness.

00:26:26It doesn't belong for me almost.

00:26:28It's too high contrast.

00:26:29Bologna.

00:26:30I like the polenta cake.

00:26:31I think that little nut of butter that's inside there also really added a tremendous amount of moisture.

00:26:36I like the usage of the cocoa on the exterior as well.

00:26:38This is a hard thing to unpack, all right, because this sorbet here is extremely bright and acidic.

00:26:46It makes you pucker as you eat it.

00:26:49It's meant to be in with the stuff, but not alone, so that's why.

00:26:52This is so buttery that it makes you feel like the holidays just came and gave you a big hug.

00:26:58It's really fantastic.

00:27:00And then you realize why that's so acidic, because they're using it.

00:27:03The chefs that have made this dish want that to cut through this, and it really works.

00:27:08Yes.

00:27:09There's no sugar in it.

00:27:10Thank you very much, judges.

00:27:11Your score cards are in front of you.

00:27:13I don't even know what's going to happen.

00:27:15I don't know what's going to happen.

00:27:17There's a couple of things that we got dinged on, but so did they.

00:27:20Well, the scores are in, Chits.

00:27:21It is?

00:27:22Damn.

00:27:23All right.

00:27:24It's anyone's game, as they say.

00:27:27Yeah.

00:27:28Let's bring our chefs back in.

00:27:30Chef May!

00:27:31Chef Nene!

00:27:32Chef Adam!

00:27:33Chef Christian!

00:27:34Come on back!

00:27:40Well, chefs, nice, hard-fought battle.

00:27:43Here we go with the scores.

00:27:45One team scored a 42 out of 50 in savory, a 39 out of 50 in sweet, with the final being 81.

00:27:56The other team scored a 41 out of 50 in savory, a 38 out of 50 in sweet, with the final being 79.

00:28:08The winner of the TOC All-Star Christmas Battle between Team May and Nene and Team Adam and Christian is...

00:28:21May and Nene!

00:28:24Congratulations!

00:28:25Love you, baby.

00:28:26Smile.

00:28:27Come on.

00:28:28I love you.

00:28:34Sorry to see you go home, but I hope you have great holidays.

00:28:37Thank you for being here.

00:28:38Love you.

00:28:39Love you.

00:28:40Love you, bro.

00:28:41Love you, bro.

00:28:42We love you!

00:28:43It's tough to swallow.

00:28:44Especially if it's not necessarily...

00:28:45And the bigger, tougher pill to swallow is that we're really having fun and wanted to go on a deep run here.

00:29:00I'm pretty bummed out.

00:29:02Yeah.

00:29:03The opportunity is always amazing.

00:29:05Two best friends came in, worked collectively together, made fantastic dishes. Congratulations.

00:29:11There you have it!

00:29:12Thank you!

00:29:21I did it.

00:29:22We did it, guys.

00:29:23How was that?

00:29:24I liked it.

00:29:25It was great.

00:29:26Fun, right?

00:29:27It was great.

00:29:28Can we always have teams?

00:29:29I think it's nice.

00:29:30I think we communicated enough.

00:29:31Not a lot of talking.

00:29:32It was just a lot of...

00:29:33We knew that you were in your...

00:29:34Yeah.

00:29:35We divide and conquer.

00:29:36Are you ready for the next two teams?

00:29:38Yeah!

00:29:39Let's do this!

00:29:40We have our number two seed team, internationally recognized restaurateur.

00:29:45The one and only, Chef Marcus Samuelson.

00:29:48And his executive pastry chef, Rachel Sharif.

00:29:51Rachel is definitely our secret weapon.

00:29:54She has the energy.

00:29:55I've been working with Chef Marcus for a little over four months now.

00:29:59When you find someone that is talented and committed, I'm like, you're coming.

00:30:02I can't wait for me and Rachel to come up with great flavors together.

00:30:05Marcus is a culinary icon, and Rachel's pastry skills have earned her a devoted following.

00:30:12They're hoping their time spent creating restaurant dishes will make them a winning combo in the TOC arena.

00:30:18I feel like if Chef needs something for me that's a bit more pastry-forward, I can help him out with that.

00:30:24And if I need help with, like, flavor combinations, then that's all that Chef Marcus is about.

00:30:29The number three seed team features a pair of acclaimed high-end chefs, the one and only Graham Elliott and Giuseppe Trentori.

00:30:37We worked together trotters back in the late 90s, early 2000s.

00:30:40Marcus, remember when he came and spent a few days with us?

00:30:42He did, yes.

00:30:43Marcus is so nice and a good dude, but when we've seen him in the kitchen, it's like kicking people out of the way and just chopping and grabbing your pan.

00:30:50So, like, he's coming in on fire.

00:30:52Graham is one of the most respected chefs and judges in the competition world, but Giuseppe has never competed in his life.

00:31:00They are hoping their decade-long friendship will be the deciding factor in this round.

00:31:05The idea is for Giuseppe to focus on the pastry.

00:31:08I'm rocking on savory, but the fact that we know each other, being able to jump by, taste each other's stuff, get an idea of how to plate, and then kind of go back to our worlds and focus, so.

00:31:17It'll be the longest 35 minutes ever.

00:31:19It'll be the shortest 35 minutes ever.

00:31:21Don't fool yourself.

00:31:23I know Giuseppe and I know Graham.

00:31:25Talk about legend.

00:31:27I kind of like how I don't have too much knowledge of anybody.

00:31:29Yes.

00:31:30Rachel's skill, she focused on pastry.

00:31:33We're going to do very well.

00:31:36Ready?

00:31:37Let's go.

00:31:38Let's do it.

00:31:39All right, chefs, they're ready for you.

00:31:43Let's go.

00:31:44Let's go.

00:31:45We got this.

00:31:46Let's go.

00:31:49Are you ready to see these chefs fired up tonight?

00:31:52Let's write this up.

00:31:54Graham Elliott is a three-time James Beard nominee whose namesake, Chicago Restaurant, received two Michelin stars.

00:32:09He has been a judge on both MasterChef and Top Chef and competed on Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters.

00:32:16Chef Giuseppe Trattori has earned three James Beard nominations and, as an executive chef of Boca, earned a Michelin star four years in a row.

00:32:27Giuseppe has been Graham's friend for two decades, but this is his first time ever competing on television.

00:32:34Give it up for Grand Slam and GT!

00:32:39Team Graham and Giuseppe!

00:32:46First time?

00:32:47First time here.

00:32:48Very excited.

00:32:49First time cooking on television.

00:32:50On television.

00:32:51In competition.

00:32:52Dude, I'm nervous for you.

00:32:53You are one brave cat.

00:32:54I like to risk it all.

00:32:55Buddy, you are.

00:32:56You are.

00:32:57Gentlemen, good luck.

00:32:58Let's meet their opponents.

00:32:59Chef Marcus Samuelsson is the internationally acclaimed restaurateur.

00:33:01An eight-time James Beard Award winner.

00:33:02In addition to being one of TOC's most respected judges, he is a CHOP all-star champion and a Top Chef Masters winner.

00:33:14Now, Master Pastry Chef Rachel Sharif worked in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants.

00:33:15She was a rainy finalist for Pastry Chef of the Year in 2025 and is also making her very first competition appearance.

00:33:19here tonight.

00:33:44here tonight.

00:33:48Give a big, loud welcome to Team Marcus and Rachel!

00:34:07You probably have one of the biggest reputations.

00:34:10You finally come and compete, which I cannot thank you enough.

00:34:15This, for you, to be the one that is picked, out of all the chefs that would die to come

00:34:23work with him, how does that make you feel?

00:34:25I'm super honored.

00:34:26I still can't believe it's happening.

00:34:28Well, believe it, because we're here, and these two guys are killers!

00:34:31I know.

00:34:32We're here to perform.

00:34:33Chefs, let's take it to the randomizer.

00:34:35Let's go.

00:34:36All right.

00:34:40As you know, the randomizer will determine the mandatory details of both of your dishes,

00:34:48the mandatory savory item for one dish, and the mandatory sweet item for the other dish,

00:34:53and the equipment, the style, and the wild card, which is going to apply to both dishes.

00:34:58Here we go.

00:34:59Going for savory.

00:35:00Calamari, turkey, pork, turkey, turkey thigh.

00:35:13In the savory category, got to be happy with that.

00:35:16Sweet, donju pear, equipment, morto and pestle, style, nutty, and applesauce.

00:35:24It could be worse.

00:35:25I was expecting Grinch Fieri, and we're getting a little more like Santa guy.

00:35:28Grinch Fieri to Santa guy, okay? At least I'm back on the Christmas card list.

00:35:32How about this?

00:35:3335 minutes to cook, but I'll give you two minutes to confer as a team.

00:35:37Start now.

00:35:38I'm doing rice pudding, for sure.

00:35:40I'm going to Portugal.

00:35:42We both come from cultures that are very flavor-forward.

00:35:46Rachel's background with Jamaican-American, and for me, with Ethiopian.

00:35:50I grew up learning French pastry, so I have influences from everywhere.

00:35:54So, when I get an opportunity like this, I'm like, hey, Rachel, you're coming with.

00:35:59A sorbet.

00:36:00A sorbet.

00:36:01A little apple.

00:36:02A apple pear sorbet.

00:36:03I'm going to make the crepes, I think.

00:36:04I looked up to you as a culinarian, but then we became friends, and then, you know, we achieved

00:36:07life moments together.

00:36:08Years later, to be able to come here, we're going to just crush it.

00:36:11You need to ask me.

00:36:12You're a fish.

00:36:13I know.

00:36:14Good luck.

00:36:15Three, two, one, and we're going.

00:36:17Good luck, chefs.

00:36:20You're going to see some great cookery tonight.

00:36:25All right, turkey thighs, right?

00:36:27I'm a dark meat guy when it comes to the poultry.

00:36:29It's got the fat.

00:36:30It's got the flavor.

00:36:31Nanju pear.

00:36:32It can be cooked.

00:36:33It can be raw.

00:36:34And pears and crispness, everybody knows that correlation.

00:36:37Mordo and pestle.

00:36:38I mean, this is a key component in the culinary arsenal.

00:36:41This is going to take some arm work.

00:36:43Nutty is one of those things that could take a lot of interpretation.

00:36:46Really, a big spectrum of opportunity.

00:36:49And applesauce, this is going to work great alongside of the pears, and will play really

00:36:53good into the dessert.

00:36:54In my household, we did curry with noodles on the holidays.

00:36:59And warm baking spices, to me, scream Christmas.

00:37:03I know I can make a good rice pudding.

00:37:05I see that we have the pears.

00:37:07I can incorporate this into a sorbet of some sort.

00:37:10It's like a really good combination.

00:37:12Chef Marcus on the grind.

00:37:15Yes.

00:37:16Kathleen on the grind.

00:37:17I do a savory of myself.

00:37:19Once I knew it was turkey and nutty, let's do something with curry.

00:37:24And apples in the curry would really work, because it has a sweetener to it.

00:37:29You see the Mordo and Pasta?

00:37:31We have three of this.

00:37:33How are we making the curry nutty?

00:37:34Tons of nuts.

00:37:35I love Mordo and Pasta.

00:37:36I use it a lot.

00:37:37You can get layers of both fat and texture.

00:37:42The holidays are different.

00:37:43I know the joy when the next day comes to my family.

00:37:46It's like ripping that turkey meat off and putting the stews.

00:37:49And I was really channeling my family memories of this.

00:37:52And that's something I wanted to share.

00:37:53I'm trying not to stand here too fanboyish watching Marcus, but I am fanboying.

00:37:58Hi, how are you feeling?

00:37:59Hi, good.

00:38:00First time.

00:38:01First time competition.

00:38:02Welcome to the Madness.

00:38:03Welcome to the family.

00:38:04Thank you very much.

00:38:05Awesome.

00:38:06What's the plan, Chef?

00:38:07I'm doing sweet.

00:38:08Oh, it's just pears.

00:38:09So I'm going to go rice pudding.

00:38:10Okay.

00:38:11Press some pears in the spice mixture for a sorbet.

00:38:14Okay.

00:38:15So we'll see how this goes.

00:38:16Rice pudding isn't holiday forward.

00:38:18Oh, for me, it's super holiday.

00:38:19It's for you.

00:38:20Not for me.

00:38:21That's how different it is.

00:38:22Like holiday, it depends on where you're from.

00:38:24But I'm very familiar with the use of the warm baking spices.

00:38:27Such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom, allspice, and star anise.

00:38:34My aunt was dining in one of Chef Marcus's restaurants in New York City.

00:38:39And my aunt was like, oh my goodness, my niece is a pastry chef.

00:38:42And so I got a phone call.

00:38:43I was like, there's no way that like the Chef Marcus Samuelson is calling me right now.

00:38:48Oh, my God.

00:38:50As a young person, all you need is a shot and Rachel has the talent.

00:38:53So.

00:38:55Chef, welcome to the dance floor.

00:38:58Hi, how are you?

00:38:59Perfect.

00:39:00And you?

00:39:01Oh, lovely.

00:39:02Pear was for sweets, so I think I'm gonna make crepes.

00:39:05Okay.

00:39:06I grew up in a very poor family.

00:39:07And holiday for us, my mom is like, I have eggs, flour, a little mascarpone.

00:39:12She'll try to make crepes.

00:39:13So the crepes dish for me, my twist of what my mom used to make during the holidays.

00:39:18Giuseppe, how are you doing?

00:39:19Do you really want to know?

00:39:21I'm in a new savory.

00:39:23And, you know, turkey thighs are great.

00:39:24It's kind of like a chicken on steroids.

00:39:26Not a lot that you can do with those parts in such a short amount of time.

00:39:30So you need to apply the right cooking process to it.

00:39:33Talk to me, Chef.

00:39:34What's on the menu?

00:39:35Going with turkey schnitzel.

00:39:36I'm gonna pound it thin.

00:39:37I'm gonna add walnuts to the crust for the nutty flavor.

00:39:39And then the apple sauce, I will do the veal jus reduction with some sage and then whip

00:39:44that into it.

00:39:45Oh, I love that.

00:39:46I think that'll be nice, right?

00:39:47It's kind of holiday flavor.

00:39:48Nothing too loco.

00:40:06Walnuts, to me, scream holiday time.

00:40:10So grinding that, putting it into the breading was kind of one of those easy, let's do it

00:40:15type of things.

00:40:16This is a great call for texture, too.

00:40:19Giuseppe, six minutes left.

00:40:21Well, shut up.

00:40:22That's not funny.

00:40:23Let's go.

00:40:24Come on.

00:40:25Push, push.

00:40:26That limb is not funny.

00:40:27Okay.

00:40:28The fry station is set.

00:40:29Christmas time of 1998.

00:40:32That's when I first met Giuseppe, so.

00:40:34We met at Charlie Trotter, we worked there, and we're still friends all this day.

00:40:38Yeah.

00:40:39And as we all know, in a restaurant, one year, it's like a dog year.

00:40:41So I've known you for about 100 years.

00:40:45Marcus Hamilton, we've known each other for years.

00:40:47We have a similar pedigree.

00:40:49We've both judged for a long time.

00:40:51To throw all that to the side and get back in the kitchen, and then to have our culinary

00:40:56partners, first-time television competition, you've never seen a better, more equal matchup.

00:41:01I love challenge, and this is like one of the biggest challenge, to win this competition.

00:41:06Woo!

00:41:07Come on, y'all!

00:41:08All right, team, 20 minutes.

00:41:11What's next, chef?

00:41:12I'm going to make mascarpone cream.

00:41:14It's rich, luxurious, but like, what am I doing with a pear?

00:41:18I was thinking about the flavor, and that is your pear.

00:41:20It's very delicate.

00:41:21So I use them inside the crepes and raw on top.

00:41:26Around holidays and Christmas and, you know, Thanksgiving, you need that vegetable, greenery

00:41:34component.

00:41:35So I grab some Brussels sprouts.

00:41:37Applesauce in the jus?

00:41:38Yeah, so applesauce, veal jus, ginger, some sage.

00:41:41And also, the applesauce was very tart.

00:41:44Yeah.

00:41:45It was perfect for, like, savory and sweet.

00:41:47Mm-hmm.

00:41:48That's why I just warm it up with a little lemon juice and pumpkin spice.

00:41:51Delicious.

00:41:52What's the plan with this, chef?

00:41:54Make it like a version of drage.

00:41:56Well, what's drage, then?

00:41:57It's African nuts with sugar, caramelized sugar.

00:41:59Oh, okay.

00:42:00Just sounds fancier.

00:42:01What sort of nut?

00:42:02Hazel nut?

00:42:03Hazel nut.

00:42:04And then, kind of smash them in there so the sugar go with the nuts together.

00:42:07Give it a little naughty flavor and texture to this dish.

00:42:16I incorporate the applesauce into my pear juice spice mixture to give it body.

00:42:21And to also help stabilize, prevent that, like, icy consistency.

00:42:25Applesauce, it's shelf-stable, so the stabilizers that she needs for a sorbet are already in the applesauce.

00:42:30Good?

00:42:31I didn't think about that.

00:42:32Wild smart.

00:42:33I didn't think about that.

00:42:34Feel good, chef?

00:42:35I feel good, man.

00:42:36We're having fun, me and Rachel.

00:42:37It's good.

00:42:38There's probably two billion people in the world eating curry on holidays that just might not leave in America.

00:42:43I was not born here, and I want to share how we looked at the holidays.

00:42:47The holidays in my household, it's like, maybe we drank too much until the night before.

00:42:50You have a little bit of a hungover.

00:42:52You are gathering, making this dish together.

00:42:55It's fun.

00:42:56And curry with noodles is a great hangover cure.

00:42:59Teams, ten minutes, ten to go.

00:43:02How are we looking on this dessert over here?

00:43:07Dessert looks like the mise en place is ready to go.

00:43:10I think this is a smart play in that it's pretty shelf-stable.

00:43:13So what we're seeing is Chef Giuseppe moving back to help Chef Graham be a second set of hands.

00:43:17For the sauce, you want to put them on the side?

00:43:19Yeah.

00:43:20To have someone not only taking care of pastry, but to be able to jump in and help.

00:43:24It's not Giuseppe and Graham, it's like Graham-seppe.

00:43:27You know you love that one, that was good.

00:43:29That was good.

00:43:30Come on, come on.

00:43:32Turkey's done.

00:43:33Hash is done.

00:43:34You got that?

00:43:35I'm going to get plates.

00:43:37As a judge, you have to compete.

00:43:40You got to be able to sit on both sides of this.

00:43:43And this is fun.

00:43:45The holidays, I'm here with Rachel.

00:43:47I'm going to enjoy every second of it.

00:43:50Last minute, I decided to get the nutty component done.

00:43:54Pecans impart an amazing nutty flavor when you toast them.

00:43:57How much do you have left, Rachel?

00:43:59I'm just going to can do these nuts, then we have to plate.

00:44:01Three minutes.

00:44:02Three to go.

00:44:03So I put like apple puree on the bottom of the plate.

00:44:06Slice the crepes.

00:44:07Put one piece on each puree.

00:44:10I put some julienne pear on top.

00:44:12Dust it with the hazelnut.

00:44:14The crepe itself is almost like the Christmas present wrapping, and then you have the actual

00:44:18gift inside.

00:44:19What's in there?

00:44:20What is it?

00:44:21Oh, pescabon!

00:44:22You get it, and it's like double present.

00:44:24I was psyched about that.

00:44:26First thing down is the hash with the Brussels sprout, the chestnut, the pear, a little pancetta,

00:44:31then the buttermilk fried turkey.

00:44:34When you're in the kitchen battlefield, you learn about the people that you can rely on.

00:44:39Boom, boom.

00:44:40What else?

00:44:41Something to garnish the top of those pickled pears.

00:44:43Got it.

00:44:44And to see that over decades now and share that heart, spirit, as well as palate, it's

00:44:49very rewarding.

00:44:50Huh?

00:44:51Yo?

00:44:52Nothing else?

00:44:53Call it.

00:44:56I mean, we are going with soulful cooking curry with noodles.

00:45:02My broccoli rabe on that, and then I took it back.

00:45:06One minute!

00:45:08First was my warm rice pudding topping on top of the rice pudding, and then cold.

00:45:13Pear, apple, sorbet.

00:45:15Rachel did a fantastic job.

00:45:17For me, one of the biggest privileges in this part of my career is to work with younger

00:45:21than me, talented people that have different narratives, and Rachel is one of them.

00:45:26I appreciate that a lot.

00:45:28Five, four, three, two, one!

00:45:32That's it!

00:45:37Good job!

00:45:38All right, chefs.

00:45:40Great performance by all of you, and to the new chefs, congratulations.

00:45:44You just cut your teeth in one of the most difficult competitions ever.

00:45:47Awesome job.

00:45:48Good job.

00:45:49Awesome job.

00:45:50We're going to send you back to your trailers, and let's bring out the judges.

00:45:59Great job.

00:46:00Whoo!

00:46:01Whoo!

00:46:02She did it.

00:46:03Jesus, take the wheel.

00:46:04She did it.

00:46:05Cooking together for so long, it's like an extension of each other.

00:46:07You know, same mind, same palette, but the biggest is the same heart and soul and what

00:46:11we do, so you can almost just be blindfolded like a dance partner and be able to, dude,

00:46:15dude, you got that, you do that.

00:46:16Okay, how are we looking?

00:46:17I think we both, you both brought flavor in a short amount of time.

00:46:20Oh, yeah.

00:46:21Right?

00:46:22You feel good?

00:46:23Yeah, some good.

00:46:24I mean, I have no idea what they did.

00:46:26I don't know.

00:46:27I saw some plates, and I was like, whoo!

00:46:28Yeah?

00:46:29Yeah.

00:46:30All right, let's welcome back our judges.

00:46:32Chef Curtis Stone, Chef Gail Gann, and Chef Scott Conner.

00:46:36Curtis is a great guy.

00:46:37Curtis is amazing.

00:46:38He's traveled.

00:46:39He's been all over the world.

00:46:40He understands flavor from all over.

00:46:42I grew up watching Gail.

00:46:44That's so crazy.

00:46:46Dang, I worked with Gail back at True when I was 21 years old.

00:46:51Scott doesn't know it that I'm here, but Scott is one of my best friends in the world.

00:46:55Well, judges, the randomizer served up turkey thigh, donju pear.

00:47:00Mortar and pestle had to be the piece of equipment.

00:47:03Style, nutty, and the wild card ingredient, again in both dishes, was applesauce.

00:47:08Justin?

00:47:09Judges, your savory course first.

00:47:12This is buttermilk fried turkey thigh with a walnut crust.

00:47:16Now, those walnuts were crushed by the mortar and pestle.

00:47:20But you'll also find another nutty element in that Brussels hash with chestnuts and an apple jus.

00:47:26Onto the sweet dish, we have crepes with mascarpone, pear, and hazelnuts.

00:47:32The hazelnuts were crushed by the mortar and pestle.

00:47:35First of all, I've never met a cutlet that I don't love.

00:47:38This is just delicious, and I think it's spectacular.

00:47:41Really great caramelization on that chestnut, Brussels sprout move.

00:47:45I like that the sauce was on the side.

00:47:47I think it's a very thoughtful, kind of elegant touch.

00:47:50This is just good cooking.

00:47:52Absolutely love this turkey thigh.

00:47:54Thighs, in general, have a nice amount of fat, so everything's tender.

00:47:58Thank you, Gail. Yeah!

00:48:00I love all the color.

00:48:02It's really festive and fresh.

00:48:04If I had to criticize one little thing, it could use a little more salt.

00:48:09I only put all my salt on the top.

00:48:11I love the Brussels.

00:48:12It really brings it to life around the holiday time.

00:48:15I don't really get the applesauce very much.

00:48:17It's simple cooking, but it's very delicious.

00:48:19Let's move on to the dessert.

00:48:21Loving the textures.

00:48:22I've got some crunch from the hazelnuts.

00:48:24It seems like they might have been draged a bit, so I get like a little sugar crunch, too.

00:48:29I think it pairs perfectly.

00:48:32I do wish there was a little more of that cream, only because it's so delicious I want more.

00:48:37I think the crepe is a great idea.

00:48:39I wish there were just a little bit more color on that crepe, just to develop that flavor, just a touch.

00:48:44A good crepe is your color.

00:48:45I mean, if I'm going to be really particular...

00:48:47Don't get defensive.

00:48:49I like the usage of the pear, particularly that kind of doubling down in that applesauce.

00:48:53If I'm going to be really particular, they might be a little thick.

00:48:56I have to disagree with my friend Scott.

00:48:59I mean, my crepe is perfectly thin, so I don't know what you're eating over there, Scott, but this crepe to me.

00:49:04Yeah.

00:49:07Crepes are not easy to make in a short amount of time, because if you try and pour that crepe batter immediately in,

00:49:12it's going to create a bit of a tough crepe.

00:49:14These aren't. These are really delicate and great holiday feel.

00:49:17Simple but still refined. Impressed.

00:49:19Awesome. Thank you very much, judges.

00:49:21Two scorecards in front of you.

00:49:22We're going to be scoring the savory and sweet individually.

00:49:2550 points available for each dish.

00:49:2725 points are going to go to taste, 20 points for the use of the randomizer, and 5 points for plating.

00:49:33Couldn't have gone better. Like, again, for me.

00:49:36If they get the deliciousness, we have a very high chance they don't get that.

00:49:41I have faith that we're strong in flavors.

00:49:44All right, champ, give us the rundown on the second team's dish.

00:49:48Judges, you have your morning after nutty curry.

00:49:52The ground turkey was treated to a mortar and pestle roasted peanuts, made into a curry, and enhanced with a cauliflower and applesauce puree.

00:50:01The curry was then adored with crispy turkey.

00:50:04So on the sweet side, we have spiced rice pudding.

00:50:07The mortar and pestle was used to ground a spice mix to marinate the Danjou pears.

00:50:12The applesauce was also used as a stabilizer for the sorbet.

00:50:15Pecans found themselves into the mortar and pestle.

00:50:18Yes.

00:50:19For the noodle dish, I just love that I keep getting more and more flavors and more and more textures, too.

00:50:25Oh, okay.

00:50:26Tastes nutty.

00:50:27Very happy with this dish.

00:50:29I have a little of a conundrum here.

00:50:31I like the usage of the spices inside this a lot.

00:50:34I think it's expert navigation of a lot of different flavors and layers.

00:50:38But adding the broccoli rabe feels disjointed.

00:50:41I'm not loving that idea that I'm eating leftovers, quite frankly.

00:50:45I actually thought Scott would love that kind of Southeast Asian take.

00:50:50Yeah.

00:50:51That's all right.

00:50:52Can I have your leftovers? Is that what that means?

00:50:54Hey, hey, hey!

00:50:56Hayley!

00:50:58Point, Gail!

00:50:59No.

00:51:00No.

00:51:01Enjoy.

00:51:04At first glance, for me, it doesn't read holiday.

00:51:07But hey, we celebrate the holidays in so many different ways in this wonderful country and I love that.

00:51:14Really creative use of the turkey.

00:51:15I think it's cool that they've cut it into bite-sized pieces and deep-fried them.

00:51:20Yes, thank you for understanding the turkey.

00:51:22Yes, thank you for understanding the question.

00:51:24Gail's still eating.

00:51:25Yeah, I mean, they're all eating.

00:51:27I really do enjoy that peanutty flavor here.

00:51:29I think it's pretty on point.

00:51:31Now let's move on to the dessert.

00:51:32I don't know if you guys know this,

00:51:34but the rice pudding is warm,

00:51:36which is kind of fun when you've got a frozen element

00:51:39and a hot rice pudding.

00:51:40Not sure I pick up a lot of pear flavor in it,

00:51:43so I wish I could have gotten a little more hint

00:51:46that there was pear in there as well.

00:51:48Okay.

00:51:49Now the dessert, I'm having a different experience with it.

00:51:52I really love the spices used inside here.

00:51:54I love the textures.

00:51:55I love the creaminess of the rice pudding

00:51:58and the juxtaposition with the candied pecans.

00:52:00Beautiful.

00:52:01Pear sorbet is lovely with the rice pudding

00:52:04because the extreme cold and the extreme warm,

00:52:07those two things sort of melt together and it's wonderful.

00:52:09The caramelized pecans give a real holiday feel.

00:52:12It's a very interesting combination.

00:52:14I never would have made a sorbet.

00:52:16I would have tasted some pears and put it on top.

00:52:18We're just gonna leave it up to them.

00:52:20Yeah, you did a great job.

00:52:20That's all we can do.

00:52:21You did a great job, chef.

00:52:22You did a great job.

00:52:23I think that it was a really even judging.

00:52:26And that we did our best and we achieved what we wanted.

00:52:28We did.

00:52:29And we had a great time.

00:52:30Exactly.

00:52:31Judging cards are in front of you.

00:52:32I was living in shock that Scott didn't enjoy it.

00:52:36I stand by your dish.

00:52:37Of course.

00:52:38All right, chefs.

00:52:39All right.

00:52:40Scores are in.

00:52:41Let's see what happens.

00:52:42It's time to bring the chefs back in.

00:52:43Are you ready?

00:52:44Yeah!

00:52:45Let's bring in Chef Marcus, Chef Rachel, Chef Graham, Chef Giuseppe.

00:52:49Really high scores.

00:52:50One team scores 43 out of 50.

00:52:52In savory, 44 out of 50.

00:52:54In sweet, for a score of 87.

00:52:55The other team scores a 42 out of 50.

00:52:57In savory, 42 out of 50.

00:52:58Oh my God.

00:52:59In sweet.

00:53:00With the final being 84.

00:53:01And just so you know, thus far in the tournament, these scores are the highest combined scores

00:53:06of any round of competition.

00:53:07Well done.

00:53:08So in the battle between Chef Marcus and Chef Rachel versus Chef Graham and Chef Giuseppe,

00:53:15the winner is?

00:53:16No.

00:53:17No.

00:53:18No.

00:53:19No.

00:53:20No.

00:53:21No.

00:53:22No.

00:53:23No.

00:53:24No.

00:53:25No.

00:53:26No.

00:53:27No.

00:53:28No.

00:53:29No.

00:53:30No.

00:53:31No.

00:53:32No.

00:53:33No.

00:53:34No.

00:53:35No.

00:53:36No.

00:53:37No.

00:53:38Okay, bye.

00:53:39Trump's today, man.

00:53:40Graham and Giuseppe!

00:53:44Good job.

00:53:46You two cooked your butts off.

00:53:49That was a dish that would win on any given sunday.

00:53:53And today I'm sorry that it's not your time.

00:53:55But what an honor.

00:53:57What an honor.

00:53:58Good job.

00:54:05Great job.

00:54:06Great job.

00:54:08We both had a great time.

00:54:10I just wish that we would have another chance to prove ourselves,

00:54:15but it's okay.

00:54:17I'll be back.

00:54:17We'll be back.

00:54:18Yeah.

00:54:19Is this what you expected of your friend?

00:54:20Yeah.

00:54:21I mean, above and beyond.

00:54:21It's kind of like dance partners.

00:54:23We can close your eye and kind of know this one's over here.

00:54:25You guys dance?

00:54:26Oh, yeah.

00:54:26Come on.

00:54:27I don't.

00:54:29Well done.

00:54:30Give it up.

00:54:32Chef Graham, Chef Giuseppe, we'll see you soon.

00:54:35Adios, gentlemen.

00:54:36Woo-hoo.

00:54:39Adios?

00:54:40Amazing.

00:54:41I don't even know what to say.

00:54:42I'm very surprised to win, to be honest.

00:54:44Crepes had to have been incredible.

00:54:45Good job.

00:54:47Are you ready to meet the final contenders?

00:54:51But let's do this.

00:54:52We have our number two seed team, rock star restauranteurs,

00:54:57chefs Michael and Brian Voltaggio.

00:54:59Now, these mega-talented culinary brothers famously competed against each other

00:55:04in the Top Chef finale, and have since teamed up to open celebrated restaurants,

00:55:09but guess what?

00:55:11Have never competed in a big tournament until now.

00:55:15I mean, it's only natural that we would be cooking with each other, you know, in this

00:55:18competition.

00:55:19This is a holiday.

00:55:20This is about family.

00:55:21I think if anyone's nervous about Brian and I being on a team, you know, we're nervous

00:55:25about that pressure of other people being nervous, because now we have to deliver on that.

00:55:30Their opponents, the number three seed.

00:55:33After you, m'lady.

00:55:34Shop legend Sarah Bradley and Food Network star Chef Damaris Phillips.

00:55:39They have both won major championships, but still have something to prove.

00:55:44They're counting on their shared Kentucky pride to carry them to victory.

00:55:49We're Kentucky.

00:55:50Your social media is fabulous.

00:55:51That's how I first met Sarah.

00:55:53I would follow her and leave notes.

00:55:55I also love that, like, you're so in your wheelhouse.

00:55:58Like, don't put me in the pastry wheelhouse.

00:56:00That's how I feel about savory cooking.

00:56:01I think when we're in this kitchen, it's going to be like when we're at the restaurant.

00:56:04There's a lot of communication.

00:56:05It's, uh, how are you doing on this?

00:56:08How much longer on that?

00:56:09Can I help you with this?

00:56:10And I, there's going to be a lot of back and forth, but also checking in on each other,

00:56:13checking each other's work.

00:56:15Uh, we're not, we don't micromanage each other.

00:56:17We micro-support each other.

00:56:19It feels right that we're doing this all together.

00:56:28That was a good one.

00:56:30Let's go.

00:56:31Are you ready to see four chefs a-fighting?

00:56:37Then let's light this up!

00:56:44Sarah Bradley worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and Chicago before returning to

00:56:50Kentucky to open her own James Beard-nominated restaurant, Freight House.

00:56:54She is a premier shop legend, a two-time Top Chef runner-up, and earlier this year, she went

00:57:04all the way to the final battle in her very first appearance on TOC.

00:57:10Her teammate, Damaris Phillips, is an in-demand judge and host in the world of both sweet and

00:57:18savory cooking, and she has won over $130,000 in culinary competitions.

00:57:26Give a big Kentucky holler for the Duchess of Paducah and the Mouth of the South, Team Sarah

00:57:34and Damaris!

00:57:35I was expecting a little more dancing.

00:57:52We were going to square dance.

00:57:53Well, let's get serious, because your opponents are every bit serious.

00:57:58He is one of the titans on Bobby's Triple Threat and the winner of season six of Top Chef.

00:58:05Chef Michael Votaggio earned a Michelin-star and James Beard Award nods as an executive chef.

00:58:14Chef Brian Votaggio is a two-time James Beard nominee who has opened over a dozen restaurants.

00:58:23He is a three-time Top Chef finalist.

00:58:28Give it up for our number two seed, Chefs Brian and Michael Votaggio!

00:58:35Are we going to divide this between savory and sweet?

00:58:50That's up to your homie over there, the old randomize-y.

00:58:53The great thing is, is the randomizer has been serving up fantastic offerings.

00:58:58So, without further ado, the Queens of Kentucky and the Votaggio brothers, let's take it to the randomizer on this way.

00:59:12Should I blow it a kiss? I don't know what to do. I'm nervous.

00:59:16A little huggy-hug.

00:59:17I can't do that.

00:59:17The randomizer will determine the mandatory details of both of your dishes.

00:59:25The mandatory savory items for one dish, the mandatory sweet item for the other dish,

00:59:30and then the equipment, the style, and the wild card must be used in both dishes.

00:59:36Let's get after it.

00:59:37Going for savory!

00:59:38Here it goes.

00:59:49It really gets those going, y'all. It whoops them around there.

00:59:53In the savory category, pork, gallivine, ling, pork, pork tenderloin.

00:59:59In sweet pomegranate. See?

01:00:04Spiralizer, creamy, and candied citron.

01:00:08Yes.

01:00:09We can do this.

01:00:10I'm going to give you 35 minutes.

01:00:12But I'm going to give you two minutes to confer with one another before I start the clock.

01:00:17Okay.

01:00:18So, I'm going to do pork tenderloin with a loggy.

01:00:20They were like, who are you going to bring? And I was like, Damaris.

01:00:22There's like, an unspoken understanding about the food that is most important to us.

01:00:29Obviously, pork tenderloin, creamy, and spiralizer.

01:00:33We are brothers.

01:00:34The story used to be Brian and I against each other, and now it's Brian and I against everyone else.

01:00:39I mean, I think you could cream some greens, too.

01:00:41Cream some greens.

01:00:42Okay.

01:00:43Candied citron, curd.

01:00:45Also, a coconut sorbet.

01:00:46Three, two, one, 35 minutes starts now. Good luck, chef.

01:00:52Michael and Brian, what I'm going to give you for Christmas is a big old fat lose.

01:00:58You're the first or last.

01:01:00I'm already sweating.

01:01:03Chef, when you have a plan, I have a pen.

01:01:06I have the savory pork tenderloin.

01:01:08So, I'm going to do sweet potato latis.

01:01:09Okay.

01:01:10Pork tenderloin.

01:01:11I'm going to serve it with a creamy citron creme fraiche, and I'm going to make a little apple butter.

01:01:17Okay.

01:01:17The key for the pork tenderloin is to get a really nice char on the outside, and then go straight to the oven.

01:01:22So, it has plenty of time to rest.

01:01:25Tamara.

01:01:26What's up, girl?

01:01:26What's the plan, baby?

01:01:27So, I'm making a mayonnaise chocolate cake for sweet with that candied citron and pomegranate.

01:01:33You're making cake?

01:01:34Yeah.

01:01:34Listen, I don't know if it can be done.

01:01:37I think it can.

01:01:39We're going to do a candied citron curd that's going to go into the layers.

01:01:42Doing a pomegranate sauce.

01:01:44Wait, you're layering?

01:01:45I'm layering.

01:01:46Okay, Cookie, let's...

01:01:46Girl, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know.

01:01:49The holidays are four cakes for me, and I will feel devastated if I don't do what I'm best at.

01:01:57I am very good at cakes and mayonnaise cake.

01:02:00It's a creamy cake.

01:02:01I don't have the sweet skills like you do.

01:02:03Well, I don't have the savory skills like you do.

01:02:05That's just 100% the truth, and I think that's why this team is going to be so strong.

01:02:10Also, the holidays are about comfort, where sometimes southern food and Kentucky food is overlooked.

01:02:18This is the time of year when we shop.

01:02:21I got to get my cakes in.

01:02:22You need pan spray?

01:02:23I got you here.

01:02:25To do a layer cake, you have to bake your cake, and it has to be chilled in order to build.

01:02:34Everybody's working with purpose.

01:02:35I mean, nobody is missing a beat right now.

01:02:37It is just firing away.

01:02:38What's the plan with this, Chef?

01:02:41I'm going to smoke some butter.

01:02:43Woo-hoo!

01:02:44We're smoking.

01:02:45On the savory side, I'm going to do barbecue pork tenderloin, creamy braised greens, and smoke sweet potato puree with spiralized sweet potato.

01:02:54Pork tenderloin, one of my faves.

01:02:56Quick cooking, super lean.

01:02:58It's a great marinating meat.

01:02:59I think I just got a signed pastry.

01:03:03Brian grabbed the pork, so I guess I'm making dessert.

01:03:07With pomegranate.

01:03:08This randomizer, to me, influences a dish that's sort of southern in barbecue.

01:03:13I know that that's a lane that Brian really likes to cook in.

01:03:16I'm going to take one for the team this round.

01:03:17This is my dessert.

01:03:19Curd?

01:03:20Yeah.

01:03:20I'm making pomegranate curd with citron lemon pudding and whipped candied citron coconut cream.

01:03:27It's creamy, no?

01:03:28I think that's one of the ingredients, right?

01:03:30Creamy, yes.

01:03:31Yes.

01:03:31Required in the style department.

01:03:32Why Brian and I work so well together is because we are brothers.

01:03:36We operate our restaurants together.

01:03:38Oftentimes, when we're writing menus, I'll think of this crazy dish, and all I have to do is say it.

01:03:43And then Brian just puts it together, and there it is.

01:03:46Chef, that's your pommes juice?

01:03:47Yep.

01:03:48Pommes juice, gelatin, butter, eggs, some lemon in there, too, for some more acid, because, you know, pomegranate doesn't have that much acid in it.

01:03:57Once I pour it onto the tray, it's pretty hot.

01:03:59I'm going to throw it into the blast chiller, and hopefully the blast chiller will get this down to temp.

01:04:04I'm looking for this to be set and creamy.

01:04:09Making latkes.

01:04:11Making latkes.

01:04:12Great use of the spiralizer.

01:04:14That's Sarah Bradley always thinking.

01:04:16What a fierce competitor.

01:04:17I'm telling you.

01:04:18You know, latkes are quintessential Hanukkah.

01:04:22They are fried potatoes.

01:04:24And they're so yummy.

01:04:25Okay, I want to speak to all the Jews at home.

01:04:27Use sweet potatoes for your latkes.

01:04:29You don't ever have to worry about the inside oxidizing.

01:04:33Now that my cakes are in the oven, it's time for me to start my pomegranate sauce.

01:04:37I'm taking the whole pomegranate with a little bit of sugar and some vinegar.

01:04:41You see pomegranate all the time in the holidays.

01:04:50What's the plan with the trim?

01:04:51I'm going to build a sauce with that.

01:04:53I want to make sure I'm using the pork tenderloin in two different ways.

01:04:57I'm using the pork fat, the roast that, to actually start the sauce to reinforce the pork flavor into the dish.

01:05:03When we started opening our restaurants, we started taking a few holidays off because we were in charge.

01:05:09Now, when we do have the opportunity to stay home and cook with our family, we're doing that together.

01:05:14But I will say that sibling rivalry that you all love, it happens when we're at home in the kitchen cooking together.

01:05:20That part does happen.

01:05:22The citron is the fruit.

01:05:24It's kind of the granddaddy that created all other citruses.

01:05:26Almost no juice inside.

01:05:28The pulp is dry.

01:05:29To actually eat it, you would candy the rind.

01:05:32I'm sweetening my coconut with candy citron, coconut cream.

01:05:37People that make foams and fail in competition, just, they don't make foams.

01:05:40They just get these ideas in their head, like, today's the day I'm going to make foam.

01:05:44I've spent a lot of time formulating recipes so that I never find myself in that situation.

01:05:48I'll see this coconut cream, a creamy element, be hit with the nitrous.

01:05:52Now, that's been stabilized with a little bit of gelatin.

01:05:55I think providing it's cool enough, that should set up pretty nice.

01:05:58You're doing a beautiful job.

01:06:02Thank you so much.

01:06:03You really are killing it, Sarah.

01:06:05And she's making apple butter.

01:06:06Mm-hmm.

01:06:07It's really traditional to serve latkes with sour cream and apples.

01:06:10Put a little citron in my apple butter.

01:06:12It's this Eastern European Ashkenazi thing.

01:06:17You guys cook together a lot?

01:06:18No.

01:06:19No.

01:06:20But we're Kentucky girls, and we met each other, and we fell in love.

01:06:24It's time to start on that curd.

01:06:25This is an opportunity for me to use a spiralizer and also to use a candied citron.

01:06:31Candied citron is that part of a fruitcake that you just don't want.

01:06:34So I'm going to add in an actual spiralized lemon to my curd.

01:06:40Typically, with curds, you have to cool them down for them to have the right texture.

01:06:45I don't have time for that.

01:06:47And so if I put the candied citron into my curd, the candied parts of that are going to act as, like, pectin.

01:06:53And it's going to thicken this up.

01:06:56It's the first time in TOC history that they are celebrating sweets.

01:07:00And I've always wanted to compete at this caliber.

01:07:04I am much better at sweets.

01:07:06I don't want to leave here thinking that I left anything in my gas tank.

01:07:11James, you have 20 minutes.

01:07:1520 minutes to be plated sweet and savory.

01:07:1720 minutes.

01:07:20Brian, you good?

01:07:21Yep, I'm good.

01:07:22You know, normally during the holidays, I love to have a pot of brazen greens, let them cook for hours.

01:07:27Here, I'm using the candied citron and heavy cream.

01:07:31Mascarpone, chef?

01:07:31Yeah, just to make it a little bit creamier.

01:07:33You good, Brian?

01:07:35Yeah.

01:07:35Sure?

01:07:36Yes.

01:07:36What's going on there?

01:07:38I'm making a candied citron syrup.

01:07:41This is an opportunity for me to take this wild card ingredient and turn it into something creamy and double down on the randomizer.

01:07:49Candied citron, Joe.

01:07:51Anything you're seeing so far?

01:07:52Yeah, some smart moves.

01:07:54I think we're going to see a double utilization of sweet potatoes.

01:07:56Some of them have been placed in the pot there.

01:07:59I think that second one reserved is probably going to end up in the spiralizer.

01:08:04I use this basket, right?

01:08:05You good?

01:08:05Yeah, I'm good.

01:08:06I just want to get these in.

01:08:07I don't know where spiralizer is going to play in Voltaggio of the West Kitchen.

01:08:11I'm spiralizing beets because beets have a lot of natural sugar in them.

01:08:15All the components that I'm making are creamy.

01:08:17The beets will sort of add some texture.

01:08:20Powdered sugar can sort of be like a snow over top of the beets.

01:08:23Let it snow.

01:08:24Let it snow.

01:08:25Let it snow.

01:08:28I'm going to make this dill cream.

01:08:31I'm going to use creme fraiche.

01:08:32I'm going to use labneh.

01:08:32A lot of, like, dairy fat.

01:08:33It's going to make the dish really creamy.

01:08:36And it's going to go perfect with this really bright apple citron salad.

01:08:40We're watching Chef Sarah, like she always does, use those randomizer requirements over and over again.

01:08:46So we have the spiralized sweet potato and the lock cake.

01:08:49We also have spiralized apple salad.

01:08:51Very smart stuff.

01:08:52Are you making a cream cheese frosting?

01:08:54Yes.

01:08:55Cold cream cheese, granulated sugar, heavy cream, vanilla.

01:09:00It whips up in, like, two minutes.

01:09:02And it is creamy.

01:09:03I'm cooking the randomizer with my holiday traditions.

01:09:07I just don't know that I've nailed the spiralizer.

01:09:10I've grabbed a huge bar of dark chocolate, and I'm shaving that chocolate down, which I'm going to place on the top of my cake.

01:09:21Layer cake.

01:09:21Which means bakey, coolie, layer, frosty.

01:09:25Putting together, cutting, serving.

01:09:27At this point, I don't know if the cakes are going to cool in time.

01:09:29And if they don't, I guess I'm going to have to pivot, but I just don't want to.

01:09:34Anytime you put a cake in the oven, you have literally all of your eggs in one basket.

01:09:39Your final five minutes, five minutes to go.

01:09:42I'm just going to get it off this hot sheet tray.

01:09:43Okay.

01:09:44I'm a little nervous about getting these cakes.

01:09:47We've got to start cutting them.

01:09:49I'm not cutting them yet, Sarah.

01:09:50We've got to go.

01:09:51We have five minutes.

01:09:51I know, I know.

01:09:52Hey, it will be, it will be, it will be okay.

01:09:54It'll be time.

01:09:55I get the latkes down.

01:09:57I do a little dollop of my apple butter, a little dollop of my dill cream.

01:10:02Put that pork tenderloin over on the side.

01:10:05Two beautiful slices.

01:10:06Finishing this pork loin with a little olive oil, Hanukkah's all about the oil.

01:10:11And a really nice apple sauce.

01:10:13I'm going to intentionally build my dish so that my pork tenderloin can rest.

01:10:17First I grab the greens and then grab the sweet potato puree, half moon spoonful.

01:10:22Then I'm going back to the pork tenderloin.

01:10:24I'm finishing with the sauce.

01:10:27Sarah's putting my pomegranate sauce down on the plate, and then we're cutting out the cakes

01:10:32and placing them on top of that sauce.

01:10:34You want to build on them?

01:10:35Yeah.

01:10:36Oh yeah, you got it.

01:10:36I got it.

01:10:37Do it.

01:10:37Do it, Damaris.

01:10:38I'm sorry I ever questioned you.

01:10:41Three minutes.

01:10:42Three to go.

01:10:43Can you feel the adrenaline, everyone?

01:10:46Right?

01:10:48I put my cream into a zipper bag, and I make a well and fill that up with the lemon curd.

01:10:53Another layer of cake goes on top of that, and then I'm topping with another layer of my cheesecake icing.

01:10:59I'm like so proud to be on your team.

01:11:00I'm like so proud to be on your team.

01:11:02Everybody can hear this.

01:11:03It's Christmas, y'all.

01:11:05Right?

01:11:05It's Christmas.

01:11:0790 seconds to go.

01:11:08That ain't good.

01:11:12I'm grabbing my curd to start plating, and it is still liquid.

01:11:17In this moment, I feel like I'm not only am I letting my teammate down, I'm letting my literal brother down right now.

01:11:23I'm going to have to make some real tough decisions.

01:11:25First, I put down the citron puree.

01:11:28Next, I am grabbing my curd, which is at 25% set.

01:11:34The only thing I can think of is place my dishes into a pan and pour liquid nitrogen all over it,

01:11:38and let the nitrogen be the freezer to finish my dish.

01:11:42And then I'm aerating this coconut cream so that the judge can crack through and get all the different layers.

01:11:4715 seconds.

01:11:49Put the beets on top.

01:11:50Yep.

01:11:50Win or lose, do or die, it's going to come down to whether or not this thing sets up before it lands in front of the judge.

01:11:58I am praying for a holiday miracle.

01:12:005, 4, 3, 2, 1.

01:12:05Stop working.

01:12:13Fantastic final battle.

01:12:15Thank you so much.

01:12:17Awesome.

01:12:17That's how we wrap things up tonight.

01:12:21If that doesn't go well, that's on me.

01:12:23You did great that round.

01:12:25It stands on the top of the TLC arena and screams,

01:12:28I'm Hanukkah dish with pork.

01:12:30That's what I was going for.

01:12:32Really?

01:12:33Yes.

01:12:33I love that you're like, it screams, I'm Hanukkah with pork.

01:12:37With pork.

01:12:37I mean, that's that Kentucky humor right there.

01:12:39All right, ladies and gentlemen, for one final visit, let's welcome back our judges, Chef Curtis Stone.

01:12:48Chef Gail Gand.

01:12:49Gail's won James Beard awards for pastry.

01:12:52I mean, Gail's a legend.

01:12:53And Chef Scott Conant.

01:12:55If Scott says bad things about my food, I'm going to be heartbroken.

01:12:58He's very smart when it comes to judging food.

01:13:01The final battle of the evening really turned out to be a doozy.

01:13:05The randomizer served up some pork tenderloin, pomegranate.

01:13:10Both dishes had to utilize the spiralizer.

01:13:12The style was creamy in the savory and the sweet.

01:13:16And then the wild card ingredient.

01:13:18Yes, a little candied citron.

01:13:20Chef Tiffany, please describe the first team's dish.

01:13:23I think it's about time we lit the menorah.

01:13:25We have, in pork tenderloin, with latkes, the spiralizer was used to create our sweet potato latkes.

01:13:32With the latkes, you have two creamy sauces.

01:13:35The first is a five-spice and candied citron apple butter.

01:13:39The second is a creamy, fresh dill sauce.

01:13:43Finally, you have a spiralized apple and herb salad with candied citron vinaigrette.

01:13:49May I point your direction towards the creamy, dark chocolate mayo cake.

01:13:53The mayonnaise was used to create a creamier texture.

01:13:56On top of the cake and in the middle, you will notice a creamy cheese frosting.

01:14:02In addition to that, there is a dollop on the inside of candied citron and spiralized lemon curd.

01:14:07What?

01:14:08How would that work?

01:14:10The chef spiralized the lemon and used the candied citron to make their lemon curd.

01:14:15Great job, Damaris.

01:14:17Finally, you have a pomegranate sauce and a little bit of candied citron on the top.

01:14:23One thing to say to the chef that made the pork, mazel tov.

01:14:28It's delicious.

01:14:29Wow.

01:14:29Yeah.

01:14:30Come on, girl.

01:14:32That is my man, Scott.

01:14:34I wish every Seder meal was like this.

01:14:36I like the brightness, acidic, beautiful flavor, texture of that candied apple salad.

01:14:41The apple butter is delicious.

01:14:42I love the usage of this candied citron inside there.

01:14:45I love the creamy aspects with that dill sauce as well.

01:14:48It's a traditional garnish for latkes, applesauce, sour cream.

01:14:53And they're harking to tradition.

01:14:55Get it, girl, girl.

01:14:57Obviously, they really utilize the spiralizer.

01:15:00It's not an easy thing to necessarily work in.

01:15:02They did it perfectly.

01:15:04Part of the latkes, apple salad.

01:15:07And I kind of love it with pork because it's kind of naughty as a jerk.

01:15:12If I had to criticize anything, I think it would just be the fact that creamy is not the overall focus.

01:15:20It's not with every bite.

01:15:21How do you make pork tenderloin creamy?

01:15:23It's not easy to cook a pork tenderloin, right?

01:15:26It's easy to dry it out.

01:15:28This is cooked to absolute perfection.

01:15:32You get that nice crust on the outside.

01:15:35Creamy is something we're looking for.

01:15:37And this would lend itself so nicely to a cream sauce.

01:15:40But the flavors are all great.

01:15:42Everything individually is seasoned really well.

01:15:44It's an impressive plate of food.

01:15:46The dessert.

01:15:47Everything is light.

01:15:49And they did use the spiralizer.

01:15:51But I don't see, like, a big focus.

01:15:53But she used it twice.

01:15:55It really is this lovely mouthful.

01:15:58You get a little pop of texture from the pomegranates.

01:16:01And then the curd.

01:16:02I agree with you, Gail.

01:16:03I think the spiralizer is missing here.

01:16:06And I think there could have been maybe a bit more creativity.

01:16:09I use it two times.

01:16:10But I tell you what, it's good eating.

01:16:12Every chocolate cake should be a mayonnaise-based chocolate cake.

01:16:19It's delicious.

01:16:20You talk about hitting the brief with the creaminess.

01:16:22That is absolutely spectacular.

01:16:24Love the brightness of that pomegranate as well.

01:16:26And identifying the balance with the acidity.

01:16:29Oh, I thought I was going to say, but...

01:16:31I got no notes on this.

01:16:32Like, this is just good, simple, straightforward cooking.

01:16:36Ah!

01:16:38Can you hear us over here, everybody, y'all?

01:16:43They deserve it.

01:16:45I mean, they did really smart stuff.

01:16:48Well done, Chef.

01:16:52Could you please both get up off the floor?

01:16:55Okay, good.

01:16:58All right, judges, two scorecards in front of you, as you know.

01:17:02For each dish, 25 points in taste, 20 points in the use of the randomizer, and 5 points in plating.

01:17:08There were some negatives, but we got to wait to see what they say about the brothers.

01:17:13Maybe in this case, the randomizer could save us, but I have to admit that I feel like Damaris definitely made a better dessert.

01:17:20I just hope that your pork dish is high enough to outweigh the fact that I bombed that dessert, bro.

01:17:29And judges here to present the final dish of the evening, the wild card, Justin Warner.

01:17:35Before you, you're going to find the savory dish, barbecue pork tenderloin with creamy braised greens, citron, and then a hickory butter and sweet potato puree.

01:17:45The spiralizer is used in the form of some crispy sweet potatoes.

01:17:49The scraps left over from the portioning were used to craft the jus, which also featured some of the candied citron.

01:17:56And then in terms of creamy elements, we have the use of heavy cream, the mascarpone, and then that hickory smoked butter, which was used both in the sweet potato puree and to cook the pork tenderloin.

01:18:06You'll find that candied citron in the sauce and in the greens.

01:18:10Now on to the sweets.

01:18:12Here we have pomegranate curd with candied citron pudding and then a candied citron coconut cream.

01:18:18This is all crowned with spiralized, sugared beets.

01:18:21In terms of creamy components, you have the curd and then the coconut cream.

01:18:27That candied citron you're going to find in a syrup on the bottom of the plate and then also in the coconut cream.

01:18:33This pork tenderloin is cooked just as well as the last team cooked their pork tenderloin.

01:18:38As well.

01:18:39Yours is the standard.

01:18:41It's flawless.

01:18:42Beautifully seasoned as well.

01:18:44The puree is silky smooth.

01:18:46It has a really lovely creamy sauce.

01:18:49It has a lovely unctuous mouthfeel.

01:18:50I really love that first pork dish and I equally love this pork dish as well.

01:18:55That sauce is adding a lot to the pork.

01:18:57It's also adding a lot to that Swiss chard mixture as well and the sweet potato.

01:19:01Okay, Scott.

01:19:02This pork dish is gorgeous.

01:19:05It is prepared so well and it's such a sophisticated dish.

01:19:10I'm going to kiss you.

01:19:12All right, kiss me.

01:19:12I think that sweet potato puree is ethereal.

01:19:17I love the contrast with the spiralized sweet potatoes.

01:19:20So you see it in two forms.

01:19:22I do find the sauce over salted.

01:19:25Oh.

01:19:26Moving on to the dessert.

01:19:27Very creative.

01:19:28You've got to get that temperature correct.

01:19:30I poured liquid nitrogen on it and I prayed.

01:19:33Beets give a lovely earthiness.

01:19:35Boo.

01:19:36From a textural perspective, it's nicely frozen, kind of like a semi-fredo texture to a certain

01:19:41extent.

01:19:42Really good flavor.

01:19:43This is good cooking.

01:19:45They didn't bake anything.

01:19:46Huh.

01:19:47Good cooking.

01:19:48And it's great to see around the holiday time.

01:19:50That's what you want to experience around the holidays.

01:19:52Tell me the tradition that they've got from coconut, beet, lemon.

01:19:58Girl, I cannot.

01:20:00No, I kind of love the different creamy textures and flavors and the acid.

01:20:05You're picking up some from the pomegranate as well.

01:20:08Not enough focus on the citron.

01:20:10Could have used a little texture and that could have been the place to grab that.

01:20:14Judges, thank you very much.

01:20:15The scorecards for the final judging tonight.

01:20:17You know what cake I make every single, every single crisp chocolate.

01:20:21Mayo cake.

01:20:22It is one of my family's favorite cakes.

01:20:26I can't even believe now that it escaped me to not make a jus.

01:20:31I know that there's, the creaminess was brought through and the components that I added to the

01:20:36dish.

01:20:36This was close.

01:20:37I think it's going to be close.

01:20:39The holidays is about hugging your people and cooking together and that's, that's what

01:20:44we did.

01:20:45Get them up.

01:20:46All right, let's go check it out.

01:20:48Woo.

01:20:48All right, chefs, the scores are in.

01:20:50All right, let's go.

01:20:55All right, ladies and gentlemen, the judges have spoken.

01:20:57We've tallied the scores and let's bring our chefs back in.

01:21:00Chef Sarah, Chef Damaris.

01:21:04Chef Michael, Chef Brian.

01:21:05We have a two-point difference.

01:21:18One team scored a 40 out of 50 in savory and a 40 out of 50 in sweet for a score of 80.

01:21:28Second team scored a 42 in savory and also a 40 in sweet for a score of 82.

01:21:37In the battle between Team Michael and Brian versus Team Sarah and Damaris is...

01:21:44Chef Michael and Brian.

01:21:50You guys worked your butts off.

01:22:05I think that it was a very valiant effort and I don't look at this as a loss as much as

01:22:09they think they'd take a win.

01:22:11Yeah.

01:22:11Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Queens of Kentucky.

01:22:18Yeah.

01:22:22Well, shucks.

01:22:23It's okay.

01:22:24Oh, I'm fine.

01:22:25I feel like we cooked beautifully and I feel like we cooked holiday food.

01:22:30It was such a joy and a delight to cook with you.

01:22:33I couldn't be more proud to be somebody's teammate.

01:22:35Job well done.

01:22:36All right, gentlemen, let's take a look.

01:22:38Michael and Brian now going up against TOC champ Mei Lin and Nini Nguyen.

01:22:44Those two together, uh...

01:22:46Silent but deadly.

01:22:47Yeah.

01:22:48Yeah.

01:22:48Congratulations.

01:22:49Well done, gentlemen.

01:22:50Well done.

01:22:51Give it up.

01:22:52Both of the East, both of the West.

01:22:55Michael and Brian Bacazio.

01:23:03That was a holiday miracle.

01:23:05Yeah, it was.

01:23:06A little stressful.

01:23:07A little tense at the last few seconds.

01:23:09I knew Brian's dish was solid.

01:23:10Is there any sort of strategy kind of going into the next rounds?

01:23:13Are you guys splitting up the dishes?

01:23:15We're both comfortable in the pastry and in the savory kitchen.

01:23:17So for us, I think it's going to be dictated by the randomizer.

01:23:20We're up against, um, Mei Lin and Nini in the next round,

01:23:24which they're fierce competitors.

01:23:25So six teams have scored their first TOC team victories,

01:23:30keeping their holiday hopes alive for a green Christmas.

01:23:33Join us next time for the last of the first round battles.

01:23:36We got it, baby!

01:23:38That will decide which teams take the last two spots in the quarterfinals.

01:23:42Ultimately, one team will go dashing all the way to a $100,000 holiday.

01:23:47Here on Tournament of Champions, All-Star Christmas.

01:23:53See you next week!

01:23:54Adios!

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended