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00:00Alex is one of the greatest Iron Chefs that have ever been.
00:07Alex is very intimidating.
00:10Countless elite chefs from across America have taken on this culinary legend.
00:16She's defeated virtually everyone that's faced her.
00:21But all of that stops now.
00:24Alex, you know I love you.
00:27But you're going down.
00:28Challenge accepted.
00:29This season, I'm bringing in the most celebrated chefs.
00:32Today the gloves are off.
00:33It's on.
00:34The winningest champions.
00:35I've been avoiding her for years.
00:37They're all joining forces to take Alex down.
00:40Alex, your name's coming down.
00:42Eric, are you kidding me?
00:44Tonight, Alex battles three of America's best bakers.
00:47I beat Chef Alex season one.
00:49I'm back to beat her again.
00:51Will these proven winners roll over the Iron Chef?
00:53It doesn't get harder than this for me.
00:55And I kind of like that.
00:57This is Alex versus America.
01:08We're back at it.
01:09Oh, you like that?
01:10It was good.
01:11A little drum roll for you, huh?
01:12We're back at it, Chef.
01:13Okay.
01:14Tonight is going to be a little bit different than, you know, what you typically do.
01:18You might have done a version of this in previous seasons or two.
01:22But I promise you, it's nothing like tonight.
01:24Hmm.
01:25Are you ready to meet your first chef?
01:27All right.
01:28This chef grew up in India and went to culinary school in Virginia.
01:31So she mixes both Indian and Southern flavors in her cooking.
01:34That is cool.
01:35She's a food writer for Bon Appetit, Epicurious, and The Kitchen.
01:38And she's the winner of season seven of Spring Baking.
01:42Oh, no.
01:43Championship.
01:44Oh, no.
01:45These Baking Championship champions are unbelievable.
01:48From Richmond, Virginia, please welcome Chef Kea Wingfield.
01:52Winning Spring Baking Championship was surreal.
01:55The reason I'll beat Alex is because of my very unique understanding of flavors.
01:59Anytime I can stick to my roots, I can't go wrong.
02:02How are you, Chef?
02:03Great. How are you?
02:04Doing well.
02:05Wow.
02:06The Spring Baking Championship is an achievement.
02:09That's like Tournament of Champions with desserts.
02:12Very honored to be here just competing with you.
02:14Chef, do you have an idea of what's going on tonight?
02:17Yeah, I mean, we're making desserts, clearly.
02:19I mean, of some form.
02:20Of some sort.
02:21Let me give you another clue to where we're heading and introduce the next chef.
02:24She's an executive pastry chef and owner of Quail and Condor, named one of the best bakeries in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle.
02:32Yeah, I see where you're headed.
02:34She's the season six holiday baking championship winner.
02:37You know what? This is going to be between the two of you.
02:40From Healdsburg, California, please welcome Chef Melissa Yank.
02:44My specialty is mostly breads. I really love playing with savory. Like, I don't love sweet, sweet things.
02:50I want to throw Alex off by showcasing some savory side of me.
02:53I love that it's ladies' night so far.
02:55I do as well.
02:56She is a spring baking champion.
02:59I've watched her.
03:00You watched her on TV?
03:01Uh-huh.
03:02And how'd that go?
03:03I'm very scared to be next to her now.
03:06Let's introduce the third baker.
03:08She owns a successful macaron company, and her baking videos have earned her over 150,000 viewers.
03:18She did win both rounds in season one's chocolate competition against you.
03:23From Miami, Florida, please welcome Chef Karina Rivera.
03:29Oh, for God's sake!
03:32Hi!
03:33I'm a classically trained baker, and I compete against Chef Alex for season one.
03:40I beat her in both rounds and took home $10,000.
03:45I'm back to beat her again.
03:47Chef, it's good to see you.
03:48I'm packing it in.
03:49Listen, seriously, Eric.
03:50It's been good.
03:51It's been really good.
03:52It's been really good.
03:53It's good to see you.
03:54Oh, my God.
03:55She made the most ridiculous macaroons.
03:56I totally remember.
03:57Was it like a chocolate ganache?
03:58Yeah.
03:59Oh, yeah.
04:00Oh, yeah.
04:01Oh, yeah.
04:02Oh, yeah.
04:03I'm not a pastry chef.
04:04I'm not gonna say, oh, my God, what am I gonna do?
04:06I don't have anything I can make.
04:08No, I do.
04:09But if this were a beef stew challenge, I'd have a lot bigger repertoire than these ladies.
04:13Bakers, you'll be competing against Alex in a two-round baking showdown.
04:17First up, the survival round.
04:18All four of you will prepare your best baked dish.
04:21Our expert judges will sample your dishes in a blind tasting and rank them one through four.
04:25The bakers of the top three dishes move on to the money round.
04:28And the one who comes in fourth will be eliminated.
04:31Ladies, we ready?
04:32Yeah.
04:33Step on up.
04:34Let's do it.
04:35Under the cloche one, we have a trendy baking ingredient.
04:41Oh, oh.
04:42So, we have potato chips.
04:44We have tahini.
04:45We have miso and avocado.
04:48I'm geared towards miso or tahini.
04:52Mmm.
04:55I would choose probably tahini.
04:58What do you want?
04:59I mean, now that I'm staring at it, I kind of want the miso.
05:02Mmm.
05:03I love miso.
05:04Well, I like miso because it's another salting agent.
05:06I would just use it like salt.
05:07I think tahini can be the star.
05:09That's the thing with miso, too.
05:10You cannot overuse it.
05:11Sure.
05:12It's a touch.
05:13Yeah.
05:14Okay, tahini it is.
05:15Tahini it is.
05:16All right.
05:17Thoughts on tahini, chef?
05:18I love tahini.
05:19Not too salty, not too sweet.
05:21Not too salty, not too sweet.
05:23Yeah.
05:24Oh, God.
05:25Let's talk about it.
05:26What's your flavor profile?
05:28Are we going sweet or are we going savory?
05:30Savory.
05:31Savory.
05:32I would also like savory.
05:33Savory.
05:34Have you met her?
05:36Have you met Alex Guarnaschelli?
05:38Okay, sweet, sweet, sweet.
05:39But you wanted savory.
05:40What happened to you?
05:41You just crumpled like a house of cards.
05:43Aw.
05:44I'm a ball of emotions right now.
05:47You are?
05:48We can't let you start off easy.
05:50It's kind of scary.
05:51To go up against Alex.
05:53Mm-hmm.
05:54All right.
05:55A unanimous decision.
05:56We're going sweet.
05:57But how are we going to present this?
06:00Where will your dish be served?
06:03Are we at a bake sale or high-end bakery?
06:07I think, like, choosing bake sale would give Chef Alex an advantage.
06:11Okay.
06:12I feel like she's always plating things, so.
06:15I would listen to Karina.
06:17She did beat her twice.
06:18Fair.
06:19But do you want Karina to make her macaroons and eliminate all of you?
06:22What would you...
06:23What do you want?
06:24Oh, now she's gracious.
06:26Comes in wearing a flower.
06:27She wants Snorri Butter's feelings.
06:29How are you feeling now?
06:30My first option would be high-end.
06:32I love high-end.
06:33Let's do high-end each other.
06:36But bake sale is, you know, more approachable.
06:39It doesn't really matter.
06:41Okay.
06:42Let's do high-end.
06:43Let's do it.
06:44Okay.
06:45All right.
06:46One final decision before we start the bake-off.
06:49How much time do we have?
06:51Anywhere between one minute and 60 minutes.
06:53Yeah.
06:54I think we should pick a long time.
06:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:56Me too.
06:57Me too.
06:58Yeah, let's go for...
06:5960 minutes.
07:00Full 60?
07:01Yeah, I don't mind.
07:02Ladies, the board is set.
07:03We're making a high-end bakery dish, which is sweet, featuring tahini, in 60 minutes.
07:07Whoever prepares the top-ranked dish in this round has total control of the details of the next round.
07:12So think about that as you're competing.
07:14Your time starts now.
07:15I'm not a pastry chef.
07:16We're definitely in their wheelhouse.
07:17But I've competed in a lot of sweet challenges.
07:18And I've been competing a really long time.
07:19I have plenty of things I can make.
07:20And it is gonna be a sugar showdown.
07:21I think, when in doubt, freak out and make a tart.
07:22Talk to me, chef.
07:23How are we doing?
07:24I'm making a tart with tahini pastry cream.
07:25I'm gonna make a persimmon sorbet.
07:26That sounds delicious.
07:27I hope so.
07:28I'm gonna do a classic tart dough with a little bit of, like, lemon zest in there.
07:31I also add a couple of egg yolks, which I don't usually do, which adds more richness to the dough.
07:38I want the tart dough and the pepper dough to make a little bit of a little bit of lemon zest in there.
07:45I also add a couple of egg yolks, which I don't usually do, which adds more richness to the dough.
07:52I want the tart dough and the pastry cream to be, like, really buttery-rich tahini.
07:57All I can do is take a dish and make it the way I would in savory and balance a lot of different flavors and textures.
08:04And hope that I'm not last.
08:06That's what I'm going for here.
08:08What's going on, chef? How are you?
08:10Good. I'm a little nervous, but excited at the same time.
08:13This is your station. This is your house.
08:14This is my house.
08:15You've claimed dominance in one, both rounds.
08:17Yes, yes.
08:18How are you nervous?
08:19This should be a walk in the park.
08:20Because, you know, I'm competing against some amazing chefs.
08:23I love the respect that you have, but they also should be afraid of you too, chef.
08:26Yes.
08:27Absolutely.
08:28I think chef Alex is learning new skills.
08:30I've seen her through the seasons, and I see how she's gaining confidence.
08:35Each season, she's getting better and better.
08:37I'm going to make a tart, a tahini tart.
08:40So right now, I'm working on the sablé.
08:43For my high-end sweet good, I'm making a tahini tart because, of course, tahini is the star of the show.
08:49A dark chocolate ganache with tahini to balance a little bit of sweetness.
08:53And then some candied sesame seeds to go on top of the tart.
08:58When I won the first season, it was amazing because it was also reassuring of my skills.
09:05So I'm here to meet Alex again.
09:09Chef Melissa.
09:10Hello.
09:11Tell me what you have in mind.
09:12I said I was going to do a tart, but I'm going to do a tart.
09:15You were not, and now you're doing it.
09:16She always makes a tart.
09:17She does, and she makes a really good one.
09:19I know, so I'm going to go head-to-head.
09:20It's a lot of bravery, but, I mean, you're equipped.
09:23I'm a bold-by-the-horns kind of girl.
09:24I love that.
09:25Tell me what you have in mind for your flavor profile.
09:27I'm going to make a vanilla bean tart crust.
09:30Mmm.
09:31A coffee caramel that'll kind of ooze out when you break into it.
09:33And then a sesame tahini, like, custard cremeux.
09:38And then tonka bean meringue, a little orange zest.
09:40And all of that in 60 minutes.
09:42Yeah.
09:43Godspeed, Chef.
09:45That's a lot.
09:46I want to stand toe-to-toe with Alex because I know I am fierce and competitive.
09:48I also know that I have other tricks in my bag that are different.
09:51I never like a bland tart, so I've got vanilla bean, butter, powdered sugar.
09:57Cool technique.
09:58You're creaming the butter right now, but it's a little cold.
10:01It's cold.
10:02It's cold, so you're using the blowtorch to kind of...
10:04Soften the butter quicker.
10:05Soften the butter.
10:06I started baking when I was eight years old.
10:09It was my activity with my grandmother, who was one of the first females in the Philippines
10:14to open a bakery.
10:15To be able to still compete and to still be here and show up makes me feel so empowered.
10:19I know I've accomplished a lot at a young age, but I'd like to see where I match up with
10:23Alex and sit right up there with her.
10:26The strategy is stick to what I know.
10:29I know flavor.
10:30I'm a flavor girl.
10:31I call myself the flavor queen.
10:33My idea is to do some kind of a white chocolate fudge cake and then swirl my tahini into the
10:39batter directly.
10:40So the first thing I do is I melt down white chocolate and butter together.
10:44Because it's a white chocolate base, they take on many flavors.
10:47And I think it pairs really well with tahini.
10:50I call myself a bit of a street style pastry chef.
10:53I sort of bake like I cook.
10:54I'll add things here, throw things there.
10:56I've been baking for 15 years.
10:58So I am qualified to beat Alex.
11:00There's no doubt about that.
11:01Chef Alex has her work cut out for her.
11:04Baking something that she's familiar with, sure.
11:07But not compared to three chefs who do this every single day.
11:11Not only are these some of the top bakers in America, they're proven winners.
11:14Chef Alex has her work cut out for her.
11:17This is, I can't, like if you don't want me to win, that's one thing.
11:21But if you want me to keep losing in the first round, this is how to do it.
11:25This is an official 35 minute time call.
11:3535 minutes left.
11:37There was definitely a time where I considered being a pastry chef.
11:41And in every restaurant I worked, they were like, go ahead, stick the girl in the pastry.
11:45This is really hard.
11:46Which I was frustrated with at the time.
11:48But little did I know, 50 million years later, I'd be very happy I did that time.
11:53Chefs, I'm going to let the judges know what's happening right now, I'll be right back.
11:56Tonight's judges are celebrated pastry chefs who are renowned for their baking excellence.
12:00Our first judge is Stephanie Boswell.
12:02Internationally acclaimed executive pastry chef and her pastries have graced Michelin star restaurants.
12:06She is joined by three-time James Beard award-winning pastry chef, Sherry Yard.
12:10During her time as executive pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's Spago, she received Bon Appetit's award for pastry chef of the year.
12:16Ladies, what are some things you want to see out of these chefs?
12:19Honestly, I want to see a little restraint and I want to see perfectly executed simplicity.
12:25Restraint is a sign of a good chef.
12:27I think so.
12:28Just plain, down and dirty deliciousness.
12:31It's got to all come together.
12:32Yeah.
12:33All right.
12:34Whole package.
12:37Sweating so much.
12:39Next up, my sorbet.
12:41I have never made persimmon sorbet, but you know what happens to chefs when they see stuff and they feel inspired, right?
12:47I puree persimmons and ground cherries with a simple syrup.
12:52I think it'll be nice and sour with the tahini.
12:55Karina, any more baking tips for me?
12:58Yes.
12:59Stay calm.
13:00Are you making macaroons over there?
13:02No, no macaroons this time.
13:05Notice how smiley she is, flowers, smiles, she comes in here.
13:08Silent killer, I tell you.
13:10I start my tahini whipped ganache.
13:13So I used white chocolate as a base and then tahini.
13:16Now I'm doing a dark chocolate ganache with tahini because, of course, it's the star of the show.
13:24Chef Karina.
13:25Yes.
13:26What was it like to beat an Iron Chef?
13:27I really couldn't believe it.
13:29Recently I watched the episode again and I was like, how did that happen?
13:33How did I do it?
13:34Hopefully I'll make them proud again.
13:36If I win, I would definitely use this money to keep growing my small business.
13:42This money would really help my business to continue to grow.
13:4720 minutes, 30 seconds.
13:49I'm going to make a coffee caramel, kind of like a salted coffee caramel.
13:53Kind of reinforce it with that tahini as well.
13:56I'm half Turkish.
13:57You know, seeing a lot of tahini or sesame products, I just immediately think of Turkish coffee.
14:02And so I'm going to make a tahini caramel cremeux with a coffee tahini caramel on the bottom.
14:09I thought it would make a good sauce because I wanted it to ooze out when the judges cut into it.
14:13Ooh, that's good.
14:15So cakes are in the oven.
14:17I wanted to make a tamarind caramel.
14:19Tamarind brings in a bitter tartness into the sweet caramel.
14:23I'm going to beat Alex.
14:24We're going to knock her out of the first round.
14:26And there's also $10,000 on the line.
14:29For my tart filling, I'm going to make a tahini pastry cream.
14:33I whisk together cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and a little bit of vanilla with a generous scoop of the tahini.
14:42And I also want to make honeycomb kind of brittle, which is just boiling sugar, water, salt,
14:48cooking it until it browns a little bit with a lot of sesame seeds.
14:52To use as a textural component on my dish.
14:55Right now, I'm making my financier.
14:58A financier cake is a very moist cake, usually made with brown butter.
15:03But you can also use this financier to fill different pastries.
15:08In this case, this tart.
15:10Once my batter is done, I'm going to put my financier batter inside the tart shell.
15:15Time is flying.
15:16Nine minutes left. Nine minutes left in the cook.
15:19So my plan is to make an Indian cookie, if you will, that's called chicky.
15:24It's kind of like a griddle.
15:25This is another way that I include my culture and heritage and what I grew up eating into the foods I'm making.
15:32That's ultimately what got me the Spring Baking Championship win.
15:35If it got me a win there, then of course I'm going to replicate it and try and use my tools and beat Alex with it.
15:41It's time to plate, chefs. Two and a half minutes left.
15:45So I start by putting the pieces of honeycomb with the sesame on the bottom of the plate on one side.
15:52So when I take my tart tails out and the edges are a little brown, but I have a plan.
15:55I dip them in honey and then dip them in sesame.
15:58So the edges are crusted with seeds.
16:01I fill it with the pastry cream and then I spoon the diced fresh persimmon and ground cherries on top.
16:08And then I put this sorbet on the side.
16:11What I'll do is that I'll remove a little bit of the center of the financier and then I'll add the chocolate ganache.
16:20Plating is very important, especially a high-end bakery.
16:24I'm going to finish up by putting a little bit more tahini, the sesame on top and then a little bit of gold leaf to top it up.
16:33I pull the tarts out of the blast freezer and I'm taking my meringue with a flat-sided spatula and just trying to encase it almost like a flower.
16:42I want to toast the meringue and then I wanted to add orange zest.
16:49I get out my caramel sauce and pull that down.
16:52I get my cakes out of the mold and I deliberately put them upside down.
16:56I pipe some cream next to my cake.
16:58I spoon that on top of the cake.
17:00I break apart my chickie into these shards that look very high-end and I place the shards next to my cake.
17:07Five, four, three, two, one.
17:14That is about it, ladies.
17:18In front of you, you should have a menu card.
17:20Write down the full description of your dish and all the detail in which you want me to explain it to the judges.
17:26I'm sorry, you're not a pastry chef, you said?
17:28I am not.
17:29It looks beautiful.
17:30That's a high-end bakery right there.
17:31When in doubt, freak out and make a tart shell.
17:33That's my role.
17:34Yes, yes, yes.
17:35I hate to be the hater here, ladies, but I got to ask you to leave.
17:38We'll call you in when the judges have made their decision.
17:41Well done.
17:42Karina.
17:43Oh, my God.
17:44I'm leaving.
17:45No, stay, please.
17:47This looks so good.
17:48I love how elegant it is.
17:50Chef Melissa?
17:51Really pretty.
17:52Notice how they all went gold leaf.
17:54Melissa and Karina also made tart shells.
17:57I want to say great minds think alike, but I'm so nervous.
18:00Chef Kaya.
18:01I love this.
18:02That's a really good idea.
18:04Chef, I'll see you in a bit.
18:06How do you feel?
18:07I feel good.
18:08Let's go ahead and bring in our lovely judges, please.
18:12Hi, ladies.
18:13How are you?
18:14Hi.
18:15These chefs chose to make a high-end bakery dish using tahini,
18:19and it has to have a sweet profile to it,
18:21and it gave themselves 60 minutes to do so.
18:23Our first dish is a tahini tart.
18:25We have a tahini and brown butter fernetier,
18:27dark chocolate and tahini ganache, tahini with ganache,
18:31candy sesame seeds.
18:32Please enjoy.
18:33I think Karina's plate looks stunning.
18:35I think it looks like it could be in the glass window case of a bakery.
18:38Talk about taste with your eyes first.
18:40I can imagine this in a beautiful golden case.
18:43Okay, tick, high-end.
18:44Sure.
18:45I love this.
18:46I love the fact that this tart shell has been baked in a perforated ring,
18:49so you get a really nice bake on it.
18:51That's the financier, it borders being, like, kind of creamy,
18:55but it's not because it's dry.
18:57This one's sitting in my mouth, flat and chewy.
19:00Let's move on to the next dish, please.
19:02Oh, my gosh.
19:03Resetting.
19:04Wow.
19:05Our second dish is a white chocolate fudge cake with tahini swirl,
19:09a tamar and caramel, a lemon cream and cardamom chantilly.
19:12And the chef is asking you to please bite all of the components together with each bite.
19:17I love that Kea made a cake.
19:18I love that we all made tarts and Kea said, no, I'm not going to do it.
19:22I can completely understand why the chef wanted us to eat everything together.
19:26Yeah.
19:27Because eating one by one, I don't love them.
19:29But when they're all put together, it completely makes sense.
19:33I think this cake is perfectly baked.
19:36The chip is just thin and wafer-like,
19:40but it doesn't have multi-layers of tahini.
19:43I don't know if this is necessarily high-end.
19:46I think some of the presentation could be tidied up.
19:48It's on Soho, not Fifth Avenue.
19:50Let's go ahead and move on to the next dish.
19:52Ooh, wow.
19:54Our third dish is a sesame tahini tart and tahini pastry cream
19:59with a persimmon ground cherry sorbet.
20:02And now I'm just realizing that I made sorbet
20:04and that you would never have sorbet in a high-end bakery
20:08because it would melt.
20:09Oops.
20:10Well, I love the presentation on this.
20:12It's fantastic.
20:13High marks on so many things.
20:15I love this sorbet.
20:17I love the tart shell.
20:18That said, I would love to see a little bit more persimmon
20:21because persimmon is such this light flavor.
20:24What about high-end?
20:27Not as quick of an answer.
20:31There are high-end components to it, right?
20:34Okay.
20:35If this chef had edited a little bit, that would have read as more refined to me.
20:40Let's go ahead and move on to the last dish, please.
20:42Okay.
20:43Ooh.
20:44Who gave everyone the tart memo?
20:45Yeah.
20:46A lot of tarts here.
20:47We have a tahini caramel tart.
20:48This is a coffee tahini caramel topped with tonka bean meringue and orange zest.
20:53Melissa's plate looks like a textbook, like a bakery, the burned meringue, the tahini.
20:58Start pretty.
20:59Pretty.
21:00Lovely.
21:01High-end.
21:02Okay.
21:03High-end.
21:04I'd like to see a whisper smaller.
21:05Itself is beautifully even.
21:07Beautifully thin.
21:08Tahini's coming through twice.
21:10Tonka bean.
21:11There's a lot of tonka there.
21:13So they're literally battling back and forth.
21:16A lot of hits.
21:17I got a lot of misses on this as well.
21:21All right.
21:22Let's go ahead and clear the plates and get to the hard part.
21:24It's time to rank them.
21:25Oh, I don't remember that.
21:26The he and the me?
21:27You're going to have to rank them one through four.
21:29So glad it's not me.
21:33Let's go ahead and bring the chefs back in, please.
21:34Welcome back, ladies.
21:40The judges really enjoyed all four dishes.
21:42Well done, ladies.
21:43Chef Melissa, the judges thought your tart shell was evenly cooked and beautifully presented.
21:47It was.
21:48I had, like, tart shell jealousy.
21:51The judges, they also felt that the tonka bean battled the flavor of the tahini.
21:56Chef Karina, the judges loved your cohesive and delicate presentation.
22:01But they thought that your franatier could have been cooked a little bit more.
22:06Chef Kaya.
22:07The judges thought your dish had very elegant flavors.
22:10Unfortunately, though, your tahini flavor was not as forward as they would have liked.
22:14And they felt the plating wasn't quite as high-end.
22:17And obviously that leaves Chef Alex.
22:19Your sorbet and tart shell were both delicious.
22:22However, they wanted more persimmon and more tahini.
22:26So chefs, we all know there can only be three chefs moving into the next round.
22:29But first, let me go ahead and announce the winner of the first round.
22:32And the chef will have exclusive pick in the money round.
22:38The chef from Florida, Karina.
22:39Oh, my God!
22:40Well done.
22:42Karina, you have yet to lose in this kitchen.
22:45There's a lot of pressure.
22:46A lot of pressure?
22:47Oh, yeah, there is.
22:49This is the third time Karina's won.
22:50She has a better record than I do this season.
22:54The chef that unfortunately will be leaving us and not moving on to the money round is...
22:58Chef Kaya, I'm sorry, from Virginia.
23:05That's okay. Thank you.
23:06I didn't beat Alex, but my other two contestants, women, are in it.
23:11And I'm hoping one of them takes prize.
23:14I just wish I had a little bit more time to finish my plating.
23:17Congratulations, chefs.
23:18That means you've all survived your first baking challenge and you're now in the money round.
23:21Well done.
23:22Chef Karina, the cool thing about this is you have exclusive pick to all the details of the next round.
23:28Are you ready?
23:29I'm ready.
23:30Let's do it.
23:31Don't screw me over.
23:32No.
23:33This is very familiar to you.
23:35Go ahead, puppet master.
23:36Let's do it.
23:37Make us dance.
23:38In this round, your dish will be themed around a specific holiday.
23:45Aww.
23:46So, we have 4th of July, Halloween.
23:49So cute.
23:50Christmas.
23:51Aww.
23:52And Thanksgiving.
23:53Look at these little hats.
23:54Very cute.
23:55Very, very, very cute.
23:56They all sound interesting.
23:58Yeah, but she has a total agenda and knows what she's picking already.
24:01What do you want?
24:02Oh.
24:03Uh, I like the idea of 4th of July.
24:05Hmm.
24:06It's got a lot of versatility versus all these other things have very specific ingredients.
24:09What about you, chef?
24:10The sea chef?
24:11I love them all.
24:12What spoke to you immediately?
24:13Yeah.
24:14Christmas.
24:15Why?
24:16Because, you know, it's bright, I don't know, cozy.
24:19Sure.
24:20What did you win holiday baking for?
24:21It was Christmas.
24:22You forgot that, huh?
24:23I completely forgot.
24:24She won.
24:25Right in her hands.
24:26You sure you want to give her Christmas, Karina?
24:29I, yes.
24:30Let's do Christmas.
24:31I'm in the holiday spirit.
24:32You have your red sweater on.
24:33Aww.
24:34Look at me.
24:35Also in the spirit.
24:36Okay, perfect.
24:37Forget that guy.
24:38It's Christmas.
24:39Yes, yes.
24:40Love it.
24:41Let's do it.
24:42Question number two.
24:43What would the key flavor of your dish be?
24:48Are we going vegetable, chocolate, or fruits?
24:52Since the first season, I did chocolate.
24:55You did win with chocolate.
24:56But I want to diversify a little bit.
24:59I want to diversify.
25:00Can you hear this?
25:01How do you feel about this?
25:03Oh, no.
25:04She sets up the camera.
25:07I'm totally down for chocolate.
25:09Okay.
25:10Oh, I'm all about the fruit.
25:11And just because of the first challenge, I also used a lot of chocolate.
25:15I'll go with fruit.
25:16And not what you know you can beat Alex with.
25:18Yes.
25:19She doesn't care.
25:20She doesn't care.
25:21She's the end destroyer.
25:22It's like a steamroller, not caring about all the little flowers in the garden.
25:27Karina, we have one more close.
25:29What style will we be going with, though?
25:32Oh, oh.
25:33Are we making it rolled?
25:34Wow.
25:35Is it layered or filled?
25:37These are all hard, actually.
25:38This demands more than the other two do.
25:41I'd say they're all about equally hard.
25:42Yeah.
25:43Okay.
25:44I'll do layered.
25:46Por qué?
25:47Porque I have something in mind.
25:49Ah!
25:50She can layer like 50 things in five minutes.
25:53You have a dish in mind?
25:55Yes.
25:56One final last detail.
25:58How much time are you giving these two chefs?
25:59Yeah, 60.
26:00Because, again, baking, it can go very fast.
26:04And you want to give Alex that much time again?
26:06Yes.
26:07You don't want 60 minutes.
26:08You want half an hour, you said?
26:09No, I want 60.
26:10I thought you said 20 minutes earlier.
26:11Why are you getting shorter?
26:12From the hallway.
26:13What?
26:15An hour.
26:16Full 60?
26:17Yes, full 60.
26:18I would imagine.
26:19Okay, so the table is set.
26:20A Christmas layered fruit dish in 60 minutes.
26:23Your time starts now.
26:27Sweet.
26:30Here's the thing.
26:31It's one thing in theory,
26:32it's another thing in execution.
26:34So we have to see these chefs really take home this theme
26:37of layered Christmas fruit,
26:39put it all together, and make it good.
26:41My mom would always make something really dramatic at Christmas.
26:44I want to make an ice cream cake,
26:46and I think of cranberries.
26:48I just feel like no one else is going to use cranberries.
26:51What's going on, Chef?
26:52I'm going to make a layered vanilla cake
26:54with buttermilk, ice cream, and cranberries.
26:56Like fried rosemary and frosting.
26:58Oh, I'm in the holiday spirit immediately.
27:00I love that.
27:01Maybe some candy canes,
27:02and maybe some pink peppercorns,
27:04and maybe some pomegranate.
27:05This is Christmas on steroids.
27:07Yeah.
27:08This is like the Die Hard of Christmas.
27:09Yeah.
27:10Come out to L.A.
27:11We'll have a few laughs.
27:12Yeah, something like that.
27:13Sure.
27:15So I'm going to start working on the batter for the cake.
27:17I've got eggs and sugar just whipping.
27:19I'm going to get a nice fluffy cake.
27:20I'm not sure that all of it will work,
27:24but everything I'm making is going to be delicious.
27:27Merry Christmas.
27:30Chef Melissa.
27:31Hello.
27:32Tell me what you're thinking.
27:33I think I'm going to do like a gingerbread
27:34with red fruits tiramisu.
27:37So the first thing I want to get in the oven
27:39is the sponge cake.
27:40It's going to take the longest.
27:41I'm making like a gingerbread sponge for red fruit tiramisu.
27:45I look up to Alex because she's done this like 200 plus times.
27:49I do think to beat Alex, I have to swing for the fences.
27:52If I can beat her, then it's almost like I took a moment
27:55that she gained from all of those experiences
27:57and just took the one.
27:58This is the best I'm going to do.
28:00I'm making macarons.
28:04So it's going to be layered.
28:05It's going to have a lot of, you know, Christmas inspiration.
28:11Macarons can take a while to make and bake.
28:14So right now what I'm trying to do
28:17is start my macaron batter as soon as possible.
28:21Karina, we meet again.
28:22You as the victor.
28:23Are you tired of this or this is what you came here to do?
28:26I think this is why I came.
28:28You won with macarons last time.
28:29This is why I'm here.
28:30You think you can do it again?
28:31I think I can do it again,
28:33but I'm going to take a different approach
28:35and I'm going to try to make like a Christmas tree.
28:38Okay.
28:39I know I made macarons the first time that I was here,
28:42but that's who I am.
28:43I feel confident.
28:45I like that.
28:46Yeah.
28:47The meringue is beautiful.
28:49I would say macarons are very close to my heart.
28:52I'm doing this macaron in order to win this competition,
28:56to be able to keep making macarons.
28:59I would definitely buy an oven
29:01that would allow me to bake more and more and more macarons.
29:05So this is, you know, all tied together.
29:11Oh, it's so good the last time you made it.
29:13Oh.
29:15Traitor.
29:16The thing that's hard is that Karina is just a powerhouse.
29:20This is her fourth round in this kitchen.
29:22She's won the past three.
29:24Is the whole show just going to be her beating me 15 times?
29:27Is that the plot line?
29:28And as I understand it,
29:29Melissa won the holiday baking championship
29:32with a Christmas dessert.
29:34It's going to come down to whether anybody makes a mistake
29:37and whether I make the worst choices out of the three of us.
29:40I'm trying to beat two people that are really good at desserts.
29:43That's my inspo.
29:44I don't have a grandmother that did this or a cousin or whatever.
29:47Is that what you're looking for?
29:48Nothing.
29:4930-minute time call.
29:59The first round was not an easy decision,
30:01and the judges had a lot to parse with.
30:03These bakers brought it, and honestly,
30:05I feel like they're bringing it again this round.
30:09I am the favorite to win this.
30:11Not at all.
30:12Three times Karina's been here, she's won all three times.
30:15And Melissa's over here making a tiramisu for the Queen of England.
30:19But right now, at this very moment in time,
30:22I'm the Grinch, and I can potentially win this.
30:25I feel like these chefs are going to go for red fruits
30:28to symbolize the color of Christmas,
30:30but I'm going for the flavor of Christmas.
30:32So I pick cranberry and pomegranate.
30:34This whole dessert is going to work if my cranberry sauce sets up
30:37and I can get the cake out of the oven and cooled
30:40to layer this all together in time.
30:42Pulling all the elements of Christmas,
30:45then also there's herbs.
30:46We see some fresh rosemary on Chef Alex's station.
30:48I love that play right now.
30:5023 minutes left on the clock, chefs.
30:53I'm making the mascarpone cream cheese frosting.
30:56The money round is like, okay, time to get serious.
30:58You know, there's no more rounds after this.
31:00It's just all or nothing.
31:02When I won Holiday Baking Championship,
31:04I said that I would use the money for a wedding,
31:06which I did.
31:07But we had to postpone our honeymoon,
31:09and we still haven't done that yet,
31:10so I would love to take today's prize money
31:12and go somewhere super special.
31:18So right now I'm making like a nice berries compote.
31:21So I'm doing this compote with some berries,
31:25and then I add a little bit of cinnamon stick.
31:27The cinnamon stick really reminds me of Christmas.
31:32Every time that I look at Chef Alex,
31:35she's in her zone.
31:37Sometimes I cannot believe
31:38she's in the same competition as I am
31:40because I'm a little bit nervous,
31:42but I can beat Alex again
31:44because I do bake with love.
31:47It smells like cinnamon.
31:48It smells like Christmas in here, very...
31:51No, it's so good.
31:53So I'm gonna start my ice cream.
31:57I want like the sourness of buttermilk ice cream
32:00for some reason
32:01because I feel like a lot of Christmas
32:02and holiday desserts are really sweet,
32:04and I want this dessert to be more complex than that.
32:07I want it to have more layers.
32:10So the next step is I make like a quickie frosting
32:14with milk powder cream and sugar,
32:17just whipping that up
32:18and getting that firm with some vanilla.
32:20And then I just quickly make a candy cane peppercorn dust.
32:23I've got a lot of little gameplay elements here,
32:26the rosemary to symbolize like needles of a Christmas tree.
32:29I've got candy canes.
32:30I'm trying to kind of point very pointedly to Christmas.
32:38Normally for tiramisu,
32:39you would have a espresso simple syrup.
32:42So I'm going to replace this with a red fruit compote.
32:45I want to do all red fruits
32:47because I don't love just cranberries.
32:49Something tart is going to be good against the spice.
32:52And I want that color too to come through.
32:55After seeing Alex and Karina bake in the first round,
32:58I know there's no time for mistakes.
33:00So every part of this has to be perfect.
33:02Chef, we have seven and a half minutes left.
33:04I wish the clock would stop.
33:07Macarons are cooked.
33:08So let's whip this.
33:09So for my mascarpone cream,
33:11I am whipping a little bit of heavy cream.
33:14Then I add a little bit of mascarpone cheese.
33:17This is going to bring a nice texture element.
33:20It pairs very nice with the berries.
33:22I'm going to set it aside just for when I need it.
33:26Five minutes left in this cook, chefs.
33:28Make sure it's fruity.
33:30Make sure it's Christmassy.
33:33Make sure it's layered.
33:35The cake I get out of the oven, it's beautiful and fluffy.
33:40And then I just cut six rounds with the ring malt.
33:43I press cake layers into the rounds.
33:46My cranberry sauce looks beautiful, but it's just not set up enough.
33:49Nope, didn't work.
33:50But I'm kind of at the point of no return.
33:53And then I form sort of discs of buttermilk ice cream and I layer it.
33:59Cake on top.
34:00But it's just melting.
34:01It's ruined.
34:02I'm trying to frost it.
34:04I'm half frosting it.
34:06Then I cover it with some pomegranate seeds and rosemary needles on top.
34:11And then I put the powdered candy cane over the top.
34:15This is where I get embarrassed.
34:18Three minute time call.
34:20The first layer is the French macaron.
34:23Then the second layer is my mascarpone cream.
34:26I add in the middle some of the berries compote.
34:30And then I repeat that until I have this beautiful Christmas tree.
34:35Then I start decorating the plate so I can make it look Christmassy
34:39with some fresh berries, a little bit of coconut flakes,
34:44so it looks like snow.
34:45And I'm very happy of how this dessert looks.
34:49Make sure you get it done in the next minute.
34:51One minute left, chefs.
34:52So I put a little bit of the mascarpone cream in the bottom of the dish
34:56and then some of that compote.
34:58Then I cut a smaller circle from the cake, press that in,
35:02and then just kind of repeat to get to the top.
35:05I want to secure the win against Alex,
35:08but I think I'm just a little nervous.
35:10All I can do to keep calm is to just focus on what I'm doing
35:13and stay committed.
35:15It's just like, okay, do the best you can with what you decided on.
35:18Five, four, three, two, one.
35:24That's about it.
35:25Ladies, well done.
35:27It's completely failed.
35:29All right, chefs, in front of your stations you have a menu card.
35:34Please do me a favor and fill out that card with the exact details of what your dish is
35:38so I can go ahead and explain it to the judges.
35:41All right, ladies, once we are done with our menu cards,
35:43I'm going to kindly ask you to leave the kitchen and we'll bring in our judges.
35:48Chef Karina.
35:53Oh my God, so cute.
35:55Very festive.
35:56Very cute.
35:57Very nice.
35:58I love it.
35:59Let's head over to Chef Melissa.
36:01It's beautiful.
36:02I really like it.
36:03I'm so glad I didn't make tiramisu.
36:05You thought about it.
36:06Yeah.
36:07I don't want to make the same thing as either of these chefs.
36:08Yeah.
36:09We'll see you in a bit.
36:10Okay.
36:11My dessert looks like it's going to wear the ugly sweater at work.
36:15And before the judging has even happened, I'm auto-judging myself right out of the competition.
36:22Let's bring in two of the sweetest judges that anyone can ask for.
36:26Stephanie and Sherry.
36:30Yes.
36:31So, ladies, we're going Christmas-themed.
36:33We have to make it layered.
36:35There has to be fruit.
36:36And they gave themselves 60 minutes to do so.
36:38So, the first dish we have in front of you is a gingerbread and red berry tiramisu.
36:42Oh.
36:43It's a gingerbread sponge, red berry compote, yuzu marmalade with fresh berries and pomegranate.
36:49I think Melissa's brilliant for doing a fruit soak on ladyfingers for tiramisu where you would normally have coffee or chocolate.
36:55So smart.
36:57I love the textures of this.
36:58I love the look of this.
37:00I think it's great.
37:02I like the glass so you can see all the layers.
37:04The color screen Christmas and holiday.
37:06The flavors, to me, this is more of a spring.
37:09I agree with Sherry.
37:10I wouldn't necessarily eat this and think Christmas.
37:13Let's go ahead and move on to the next dish, please.
37:16What we have here is a mascarpone and berry Christmas tree.
37:19We have French macaroons layered with mascarpone and lemon cream, a berry compote, strawberry crunch, and the chef is asking you to just go for it.
37:28I think Karina defaulted to her macaroons.
37:31It may not have been fruity and directly Christmassy enough.
37:35I think Karina could have dug a little deeper.
37:37I do enjoy eating this.
37:39I think the flavor of it is fantastic.
37:41I love the layering.
37:42It's great.
37:43I do not get Christmas except for the Christmas tree sort of shape.
37:47Visually, it's a winter wonderland.
37:49This, again, is happy and bright and beautiful.
37:53But not Christmassy.
37:54Exactly.
37:55Let's move on to the last dish, please.
37:56Oh!
37:57Resetting.
37:58Our last dish of the evening is a buttermilk ice cream and cranberry vanilla layered cake.
38:05We have orange zest, pomegranate, rosemary, and a candy cane pink peppercorn dust.
38:11Mine is layered, but the ice cream is kind of melted.
38:15The cranberry is not set.
38:18It all tastes good, but it's kind of a hot mess.
38:20There's so much happening here.
38:22It is a circus of flavor.
38:24I think it's ugly but delicious.
38:26I think it was smart that they used mint and rosemary because they sort of create a bridge to each other.
38:31It truly is very Christmas.
38:33The layers of the cake are thick.
38:34If you just cut that same cake into smaller layers, and then it would eat a lot better.
38:40But flavor-wise, I like the flavors.
38:43No kidding.
38:44You've got cranberry, and then you've got the pomegranate, and then you've got buttermilk.
38:48It does have Christmas.
38:49So of all three, flavor-wise, this is my Christmas happy place.
38:55All right, chefs.
38:56We have to rank these dishes.
38:58It's amazing that you beat her three times.
39:01Sitting here, I know that my flavors are great.
39:03I know I hit the flavors of Christmas, but I wouldn't put this dessert in the window of a bakery.
39:09Am I going to measure up?
39:11I don't think so.
39:12And that's disappointing to me.
39:13Let's go ahead and bring in the chefs, please.
39:18Hi!
39:20What's that?
39:21I love that.
39:22Sisters are doing it for themselves.
39:24That's right.
39:25Judges, please meet the chefs responsible for all the stunning dishes this evening.
39:29From the state of California, we have Chef Melissa Yank.
39:32From the state of Florida, we have Chef Karina Rivera.
39:34And from the state of New York, we have Chef Alex Gornichelli.
39:37And chefs, you may know these acclaimed judges, but just in case, we have executive pastry chef Stephanie Boswell.
39:43And three-time James Beard, a Warren-winning pastry chef, Sherry Yard.
39:47Judges, it was Chef Melissa that made the gingerbread and red berry tiramisu.
39:51Chef Melissa, let me go ahead and tell you what the judges thought of your dish.
39:54Your dish had gorgeous textures and colors and had wonderful flavor.
39:58The judges did say that it's the most layered dish of the three.
40:01However, the judges were not getting Christmas from your dish.
40:04In this round, Chef Karina made the mascarpone and berry Christmas tree.
40:07Your dish was very Christmas in presentation.
40:10And your macaron had perfect texture.
40:13However, the flavors worked well together.
40:15They were not typical Christmas flavors.
40:18And the up-and-coming pastry chef from New York City, Chef Alex, made the buttermilk and ice cream cranberry layered cake.
40:26The judges thought your dish packed a punch of Christmas flavor.
40:29However, Chef, the layers of your cake were a little too thick.
40:33The layering was stunning.
40:35Really beautiful, well presented.
40:37Yeah, incredible work.
40:39The entire day.
40:40Thank you so much.
40:41So remember, the judges ranked your dishes without knowing who made what.
40:44The chef they had finishing third in this round was...
40:49I'm sorry, Chef Melissa.
40:52Being able to compete against Alex just means I was even good enough to be in her presence.
40:58You know, like, she's just on another level and I was just amazed to be standing there next to her.
41:05So Chef, you do not need the reminder, but if you do win and out-beat Alex, you're going home with $10,000 again.
41:12But if Chef Alex wins, it's sweet revenge and you're going home with nothing.
41:16I love that too.
41:19If you do win, you'll be the only chef to beat Alex four times in a row.
41:23So the winner of this baking showdown is...
41:30I'm sorry, Chef Karina did not beat the legend this time.
41:33Chef Alex, congratulations.
41:36That was amazing.
41:38Thank you so much, Chef Maria.
41:39I'm a little bit disappointed.
41:41I should have added some more spices, maybe nutmeg, but didn't even cross my mind because I was so focused.
41:48But I'm also happy that I was able to experience all this one more time.
41:54You just took down three of the best bakers in the country. Congratulations. Well done.
41:58Every time I think I'm going to lose, I win. Every time I think I'm going to win, I lose.
42:03It's literally a holiday roller coaster in here. Merry Christmas to me.
42:08Merry Christmas to me.
42:09Merry Christmas.
42:10See you guys next week.
42:11It's been a holiday holiday.
42:12I'm really full of the best bakers.
42:13I'm really good at this holiday.
42:14I love it.
42:17Anyway, thanks.
42:19I'm very much into this place.
42:20You're almost done.
42:21You're almost done.
42:22I love it.
42:23I love it.
42:24I love it.
42:25I love it.
42:26You're kind of a lovely guy.
42:28I love it.
42:29I love it.
42:30I love it.
42:31You're just a lovely guy.
42:33I love it.
42:34I love it.
42:35I love it.
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