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00:00Iron Shafts that have ever been.
00:03Alex is very intimidating.
00:07Countless elite chefs from across America
00:09have taken on this culinary legend.
00:12She's defeated virtually everyone that's faced her.
00:17But all of that stops now.
00:21Alex, you know I love you, but you're going down.
00:23Challenge accepted.
00:24This season, I'm bringing in the most celebrated chefs.
00:27Today the gloves are off. It's on.
00:29The winningest champions...
00:30I've been avoiding her for years.
00:32They're all joining forces to take Alex down.
00:36Alex, your name's coming down.
00:38Erica, are you kidding me?
00:39Tonight, Alex battles three of America's best bakers.
00:42I beat Chef Alex season one.
00:45I'm back to beat her again.
00:46Will these proven winners roll over the Iron Shaft?
00:48It doesn't get harder than this for me.
00:50And I kind of like that.
00:52This is Alex vs. America.
00:55We're back at it.
01:04Oh, you like that.
01:05It was good.
01:05A little drum roll for you, huh?
01:07We're back at it, Chef.
01:08Okay.
01:09Tonight is going to be a little bit different
01:11than, you know, what you typically do.
01:12You might have done a version of this
01:15in previous seasons or two,
01:17but I promise you, it's nothing like tonight.
01:19Hmm.
01:20Are you ready to meet your first chef?
01:21All right.
01:23This chef grew up in India
01:24and went to culinary school in Virginia,
01:26so she mixes both Indian and Southern flavors
01:28in her cooking.
01:29That is cool.
01:30She's a food writer for Bon Appetit,
01:32Epicurious, and The Kitchen,
01:33and she's the winner of season seven of
01:35Spring Baking Championship.
01:39Oh, no.
01:39These Baking Championship champions
01:41are unbelievable.
01:42From Richmond, Virginia,
01:44please welcome Chef Kea Wingfield.
01:46Winning Spring Baking Championship was surreal.
01:50The reason I'll beat Alex
01:51is because of my very unique understanding of flavors.
01:54Anytime I can stick to my roots,
01:57I can't go wrong.
01:57How are you, Chef?
01:58Great. How are you?
01:59Doing well.
02:00Wow.
02:01The Spring Baking Championship is an achievement.
02:04That's like tournament of champions with desserts.
02:07Very honored to be here just competing with you.
02:10Chef, do you have an idea of what's going on tonight?
02:12Yeah, I mean, we're making desserts, clearly.
02:14I mean, of some form.
02:16Of some sort.
02:16Let me give you another clue to where we're heading
02:18and introduce the next chef.
02:20She's an executive pastry chef
02:21and owner of Quail and Condor,
02:23named one of the best bakeries in the Bay Area
02:25by the San Francisco Chronicle.
02:27Yeah, I see where you're headed.
02:29She's the season six
02:30Holiday Baking Championship winner.
02:32You know what?
02:33This is going to be between the two of you.
02:35From Healdsburg, California,
02:37please welcome Chef Melissa Yank.
02:39My specialty is mostly breads.
02:42I really love playing with savory.
02:44Like, I don't love sweet, sweet things.
02:45I want to throw Alex off by showcasing some savory side of me.
02:49I love that it's ladies' night so far.
02:50I do as well.
02:52She is a spring baking champion.
02:54I've watched her.
02:55You watched her on TV?
02:56Uh-huh.
02:56And how'd that go?
02:58I'm very scared to be next to her now.
03:01Let's introduce the third baker.
03:05She owns a successful macaron company,
03:07and her baking videos have earned her over 150,000 viewers.
03:14She did win both rounds in season one's chocolate competition against you.
03:20From Miami, Florida, please welcome Chef Karina Rivera.
03:24Oh, for God's sake.
03:27Hi.
03:28I'm a classically trained baker,
03:31and I compete against Chef Alex for season one.
03:35I beat her in both rounds and took home $10,000.
03:40I'm back to beat her again.
03:42Chef, it's good to see you.
03:43I'm packing it in.
03:44Listen, seriously, Eric, it's been good.
03:46It's been really good.
03:47It's good to see you.
03:48Oh, my God.
03:49She made the most ridiculous macaroons.
03:51I totally remember.
03:52Was it like a chocolate ganache filling?
03:53Yeah, I see the one.
03:54Oh, yeah.
03:55I'm not a pastry chef.
03:59I'm not going to say,
04:00oh, my God, what am I going to do?
04:01I don't have anything I can make.
04:03No, I do.
04:04But if this were a beef stew challenge,
04:05I'd have a lot bigger repertoire than these ladies.
04:08Bakers, you'll be competing against Alex
04:10in a two-round baking showdown.
04:12First up, the survival round.
04:13All four of you will prepare your best baked dish.
04:16Our expert judges will sample your dishes
04:18in a blind tasting and rank them one through four.
04:20The bakers of the top three dishes
04:22move on to the money round.
04:23And the one who comes in fourth will be eliminated.
04:26Ladies, are you ready?
04:27Yeah.
04:27Step on up.
04:28Let's do it.
04:31Under the cloche one,
04:32we have a trendy baking ingredient.
04:36Oh.
04:37So we have potato chips.
04:39We have tahini.
04:40We have miso and avocado.
04:42I'm geared towards miso or tahini.
04:49Mmm.
04:51I would choose probably tahini.
04:53What do you want?
04:54I mean, now that I'm staring at it,
04:55I kind of want the miso.
04:57Mmm.
04:57I love miso.
04:58Well, I like miso because it's another salting agent.
05:00I would just use it like salt.
05:02I think tahini can be the star.
05:03That's the thing with miso, too.
05:05You cannot overuse it.
05:06Sure.
05:07It's a touch.
05:08Yeah.
05:09Okay, tahini it is.
05:10Tahini it is.
05:11All right.
05:12Thoughts on tahini, chef?
05:13I love tahini.
05:14Not too salty, not too sweet.
05:16Not too salty, not too sweet.
05:18Oh, no.
05:19Oh, God.
05:20Let's talk about it.
05:21What's your flavor profile?
05:23Are we going sweet or are we going savory?
05:25Savory.
05:26Savory.
05:27I would also like savory.
05:28Savory.
05:29Have you met her?
05:31Have you met Alex Guarnaschelli?
05:33Okay, sweet, sweet, sweet.
05:34But you wanted savory.
05:35What happened to you?
05:36You just crumpled like a house of cards.
05:38I'm a ball of emotions right now.
05:43We can't let you start off easy.
05:45It's kind of scary.
05:46To go up against Alex.
05:49All right.
05:50A unanimous decision.
05:51We're going sweet.
05:52But how are we going to present this?
05:56Where will your dish be served?
05:58Are we at a bake sale or high-end bakery?
06:02I think choosing bake sale would give chef Alex an advantage.
06:06Okay.
06:07I feel like she's always plating things, so.
06:10I would listen to Karina.
06:12She did beat her twice.
06:13Fair.
06:14But do you want Karina to make her macaroons and eliminate all of you?
06:17What would you...
06:18Oh, now she's gracious.
06:21Comes in wearing a flower.
06:22She wants to know everybody's feelings.
06:24My first option would be high-end.
06:27I love high-end.
06:28Let's do high-end each other.
06:31But bake sale is, you know, more approachable.
06:34It doesn't really matter.
06:36Okay.
06:36Let's do high-end.
06:37Let's do it.
06:38Okay.
06:38All right.
06:39We're going high-end.
06:41One final decision before we start the bake-off.
06:44How much time do we have?
06:46Anywhere between one minute and 60 minutes.
06:48I think we should pick a long time.
06:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:50Me too.
06:50Me too.
06:51Yeah, let's go for...
06:5260 minutes.
06:53Full 60?
06:53Yeah.
06:54I don't mind.
06:55Ladies, the board is set.
06:56We're making a high-end bakery dish, which is sweet, featuring tahini, in 60 minutes.
07:02Whoever prepares the top-ranked dish in this round has total control of the details of the next round.
07:07So think about that as you're competing.
07:09Your time starts now.
07:09I'm not a pastry chef.
07:15We're definitely in their wheelhouse, but I've competed in a lot of sweet challenges,
07:19and I've been competing a really long time.
07:21I have plenty of things I can make, and it is going to be a sugar showdown.
07:26I think, when in doubt, freak out and make a tart.
07:30Talk to me, chef.
07:31How are we doing?
07:31I'm making a tart with tahini pastry cream.
07:34I'm going to make a persimmon sorbet.
07:36That sounds delicious.
07:37I hope so.
07:38I'm going to do a classic tart dough with a little bit of, like, lemon zest in there.
07:42I also add a couple of egg yolks, which I don't usually do, which adds more richness to the dough.
07:47I want the tart dough and the pastry cream to be, like, really buttery-rich tahini.
07:52All 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 and hope that I'm not last.
08:02That's what I'm going for here.
08:04What's going on, chef?
08:05How are you?
08:05Good. I'm a little nervous, but excited at the same time.
08:08This is your station. This is your house.
08:10This is my house.
08:10You've claimed dominance in one, both rounds.
08:12How are you nervous?
08:13It should be a walk in the park.
08:15Because, you know, I'm competing against some amazing chefs.
08:18I love the respect that you have, but they also should be afraid of you too, chef.
08:21Yeah.
08:21Absolutely.
08:23I think chef Alex is learning new skills.
08:25I've seen her through the seasons, and I see how she's gaining confidence.
08:30Each season, she's getting better and better.
08:32I'm going to make a tart, a tahini tart.
08:35So, right now, I'm working on the sablé.
08:38For my high-end sweet good, I'm making a tahini tart, because, of course, tahini is the star of the show.
08:44A dark chocolate ganache with tahini to balance a little bit of sweetness, and then some candied sesame seeds to go on top of the tart.
08:53When I won the first season, it was amazing, because it was also reassuring of my skills, so I'm here to meet Alex again.
09:05Chef Melissa.
09:05Hello.
09:06Tell me what you have in mind.
09:08I said I was going to do a tart, but I'm going to do a tart.
09:10You were not, and now you're doing it.
09:11She always makes a tart.
09:12She does, and she makes a really good one.
09:14I know, so I'm going to go head-to-head.
09:16That's a lot of bravery, but, I mean, you're equipped.
09:18I'm a bull-by-the-horns kind of girl.
09:19I love that.
09:20Tell me what you have in mind for your flavor profile.
09:21I'm going to make a vanilla bean tart crust, a coffee caramel that'll kind of ooze out when you break into it, and then a sesame tahini, like, custard cremeux, and then tonka bean meringue, a little orange zest.
09:35And all of that is 60 minutes.
09:37Yeah.
09:37Godspeed, Chef.
09:38That's a lot.
09:39I want to stand toe-to-toe with Alex because I know I am fierce and competitive.
09:43I also know that I have other tricks in my bag that are different.
09:46I never like a bland tart, so I've got vanilla bean, butter, powdered sugar.
09:52Cool technique.
09:53You're creaming the butter right now, but it's a little cold.
09:56It's cold.
09:57It's cold, so you're using the blowtorch to kind of soften the butter quicker.
10:00Soften the butter.
10:01I started baking when I was eight years old.
10:04It was my activity with my grandmother, who was one of the first females in the Philippines to open a bakery.
10:10To be able to still compete and to still be here and show up makes me feel so empowered.
10:14I know I've accomplished a lot at a young age, but I'd like to see where I match up with Alex and sit right up there with her.
10:21The strategy is stick to what I know.
10:24I know flavor.
10:25I'm a flavor girl.
10:26I call myself the flavor queen.
10:28My idea is to do some kind of a white chocolate fudge cake and then swirl my tahini into the batter directly.
10:35So the first thing I do is I melt down white chocolate and butter together.
10:39Because it's a white chocolate base, they take on many flavors, and I think it pairs really well with tahini.
10:45I call myself a bit of a street-style pastry chef.
10:47I sort of bake like I cook.
10:49I'll add things here, throw things there.
10:51I've been baking for 15 years.
10:53So I am qualified to beat Alex.
10:55There is no doubt about that.
10:57Chef Alex has her work cut out for her.
10:59Baking, something that she's familiar with, sure, but not compared to three chefs who do this every single day.
11:06Not only are these some of the top bakers in America, they're proven winners.
11:09Chef Alex has her work cut out for her.
11:12This is, I can't believe this.
11:14Like, if you don't want me to win, that's one thing.
11:16But if you want me to keep losing in the first round, this is how to do it.
11:26This is an official 35-minute time call.
11:3035 minutes left.
11:32There was definitely a time where I considered being a pastry chef.
11:36And in every restaurant I worked, they were like, go ahead, stick the girl in the pastry.
11:40This is really hard.
11:41Which I was frustrated with at the time, but little did I know, 50 million years later, I'd be very happy I did that time.
11:48Chefs, I'm going to let the judges know what's happening right now.
11:51I'll be right back.
11:52Tonight's judges are celebrated pastry chefs who are renowned for their baking excellence.
11:55Our first judge is Stephanie Boswell, internationally acclaimed executive pastry chef, and her pastries have graced Michelin-star restaurants.
12:02She is joined by three-time James Beard award-winning pastry chef, Sherry Yard.
12:06During her time as executive pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck Spago, she received Bon Appetit's award for pastry chef of the year.
12:12Ladies, what are some things you want to see out of these chefs?
12:14Honestly, I want to see a little restraint, and I want to see perfectly executed simplicity.
12:20Restraint is a sign of a good chef.
12:22I think so.
12:23Just plain, down, and dirty deliciousness.
12:26It's got to all come together.
12:27Yeah.
12:27All right.
12:28Whole package.
12:32Sweating so much.
12:34Next up, my sorbet.
12:35I have never made persimmon sorbet, but you know what happens to chefs when they see stuff, and they feel inspired, right?
12:42I puree persimmons and ground cherries with a simple syrup.
12:47I think it'll be nice and sour with the tahini.
12:51Karina, any more baking tips for me?
12:53Yes.
12:54Stay calm.
12:55Are you making macaroons over there?
12:58No, no macaroons this time.
13:00Notice how smiley she is?
13:02Flowers, smiles, she comes in here.
13:04Silent killer, I tell you.
13:05I start my tahini whipped ganache, so I used white chocolate as a base, and then tahini.
13:11Now I'm doing a dark chocolate ganache with tahini, because, of course, it's the star of the show.
13:19Chef Karina.
13:20Yes.
13:20What was it like to beat an Iron Chef?
13:22I really couldn't believe it.
13:24Recently, I watched the episode again, and I was like, how did that happen?
13:28So hopefully, I'll make them proud again.
13:30If I win, I would definitely use this money to keep growing my small business.
13:37This money would really help my business to continue to grow.
13:4220 minutes, 30 seconds.
13:44I'm going to make a coffee caramel, kind of like a salted coffee caramel, kind of reinforce
13:49it with that tahini as well.
13:51I'm half Turkish.
13:52I'm seeing a lot of tahini or sesame products.
13:54I just immediately think of Turkish coffee.
13:57And so I'm going to make a tahini caramel cremeux with a coffee tahini caramel on the bottom.
14:03I thought it would make a good sauce, because I wanted it to ooze out when the judges cut into it.
14:08Oh, that's good.
14:10So cakes are in the oven.
14:12I wanted to make a tamarind caramel.
14:14Tamarind brings in a bitter tartness into the sweet caramel.
14:18I'm going to beat Alex.
14:19We're going to knock it out of the first round.
14:21And there's also $10,000 on the line.
14:24For my tart filling, I'm going to make a tahini pastry cream.
14:28I whisk together cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, and a little bit of vanilla with a generous scoop of the tahini.
14:37And I also want to make honeycomb kind of brittle, which is just boiling sugar, water, salt,
14:44cooking it until it browns a little bit with a lot of sesame seeds to use as a textural component on my dish.
14:51Right now, I'm making my financier.
14:53A financier cake is a very moist cake, usually made with brown butter.
14:58But you can also use this financier to fill different pastries, in this case, this tart.
15:05Once my batter is done, I'm going to put my financier batter inside the tart shell.
15:10Time is flying.
15:11Nine minutes left. Nine minutes left in the cook.
15:14So my plan is to make an Indian cookie, if you will, that's called chicky.
15:19It's kind of like a griddle.
15:20This is another way that I include my culture and heritage and what I grew up eating into the foods I'm making.
15:27That's ultimately what got me the Spring Baking Championship win.
15:30If 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.
15:37It's time to plate, chefs. Two and a half minutes left.
15:40So I start by putting the pieces of honeycomb with the sesame on the bottom of the plate on one side.
15:47So when I take my tart shells out and the edges are a little brown, but I have a plan.
15:50I dip them in honey and then dip them in sesame.
15:53So the edges are crusted with seeds.
15:56I fill it with the pastry cream and then I spoon the diced fresh persimmon and ground cherries on top.
16:04And then I put this sorbet on the side.
16:07What 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.
16:15Plating is very important, especially a high-end bakery.
16:20I'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.
16:28I 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 flour.
16:39I want to toast the meringue and then I want it to add orange zest.
16:45I get out my caramel sauce and pull that down.
16:47I get my cakes out of the mold and I deliberately put them upside down.
16:52I pipe some cream next to my cake.
16:54I spoon that on top of the cake.
16:56I break apart my chickie into these shards that look very high-end and I place the shards next to my cake.
17:02Five, four, three, two, one.
17:09That is about it, ladies.
17:13In front of you, you should have a menu card.
17:16Write down the full description of your dish and all the detail in which you want me to explain it to the judges.
17:21I'm sorry, you're not a pastry chef, you said?
17:23I am not.
17:24It looks beautiful.
17:25That's a high-end bakery right there.
17:27When in doubt, freak out and make a tart shell.
17:28That's my role.
17:29I hate to be the hater here, ladies, but I got to ask you to leave.
17:33We'll call you in when the judges have made their decision.
17:36Well done.
17:37Karina.
17:37Oh my God.
17:39I'm leaving.
17:41No, stay, please.
17:42It looks so good.
17:43I love how elegant it is.
17:45Chef Melissa, really pretty.
17:47Notice how they all went gold leaf.
17:49Melissa and Karina also made tart shells.
17:51I want to say great minds think alike, but I'm so nervous.
17:55Chef Kaya.
17:56I love this.
17:57That's a really good idea.
17:59Chef, I'll see you in a bit.
18:01How do you feel?
18:02I feel good.
18:03Let's go ahead and bring in our lovely judges, please.
18:07Hi, ladies.
18:08How are you?
18:08These chefs chose to make a high-end bakery dish using tahini, and it has to have a sweet
18:15profile to it, and it gave themselves 60 minutes to do so.
18:18Our first dish is a tahini tart.
18:20We have a tahini and brown butter fernetier, dark chocolate and tahini ganache, tahini
18:25with ganache, candy sesame seeds.
18:28Please enjoy.
18:28I think Karina's plate looks stunning.
18:31I think it looks like it could be in the glass window case of a bakery.
18:34Talk about taste with your eyes first.
18:35I can imagine this in a beautiful golden case.
18:38Okay, tick, high-end.
18:40Sure.
18:40I love this.
18:41I love the fact that this tart shell has been baked in a perforated ring, so you get a really
18:45nice bake on it.
18:46That's the finoncier.
18:48It borders being, like, kind of creamy, but it's not because it's dry.
18:52This one's sitting in my mouth, flat and chewy.
18:55Let's move on to the next dish, please.
18:57Oh, my gosh.
18:59Resetting.
19:00Wow.
19:00Our second dish is a white chocolate fudge cake with tahini swirl, a tamarind caramel,
19:06a lemon cream and cardamom chantilly.
19:08And the chef is asking you to please bite all of the components together with each bite.
19:12I love that Kea made a cake.
19:14I love that we all made tarts and Kea said, no, I'm not going to do it.
19:17I can completely understand why the chef wanted us to eat everything together.
19:21Yeah.
19:22Because eating one by one, I don't love them.
19:25But when they're all put together, it completely makes sense.
19:28I think this cake is perfectly baked.
19:31The chip is just thin and wafer-like, but it doesn't have multi-layers of tahini.
19:38I don't know if this is necessarily high-end.
19:41I think some of the presentation could be tidied up.
19:43It's on Soho, not Fifth Avenue.
19:45Let's go ahead and move on to the last dish.
19:47Oh, wow.
19:49Our third dish is a sesame tahini tart and tahini pastry cream with a persimmon ground cherry sorbet.
19:57And now I'm just realizing that I made sorbet and that you would never have sorbet in a high-end bakery because it would melt.
20:04Oops.
20:05Well, I love the presentation on this.
20:07It's fantastic.
20:08High marks on so many things.
20:10I love this sorbet.
20:12I love the tart shell.
20:13That said, I would love to see a little bit more persimmon because persimmon is such this light flavor.
20:19What about high-end?
20:22Not as quick of an answer.
20:26There are high-end components to it, right?
20:30If this chef had edited a little bit, that would have read as more refined to me.
20:34Let's go ahead and move on to the last dish, please.
20:37Okay.
20:38Who gave everyone the tart memo?
20:40Yeah, a lot of tarts here.
20:42We have a tahini caramel tart.
20:43This is a coffee tahini caramel topped with tonka bean meringue and orange zest.
20:48Melissa's plate looks like a textbook, like a bakery.
20:51The burn meringue, the tahini.
20:53Start pretty.
20:54Pretty.
20:55Lovely.
20:55High-end.
20:56Elegant.
20:56Okay.
20:57High-end.
20:57I'd like to see a whisper smaller.
20:59The shell itself is beautifully even, beautifully thin.
21:03Tahini's coming through twice.
21:05Tonka bean.
21:06There's a lot of tonka there.
21:08So, they're literally battling going back and forth.
21:10A lot of hits.
21:12I got a lot of misses on this as well.
21:16All right.
21:16Let's go ahead and clear the plates and get to the hard part.
21:19It's time to rank them.
21:21He isn't me?
21:22You're going to have to rank them one through four.
21:24So glad it's not me.
21:27Let's go ahead and bring the chefs back in, please.
21:32Welcome back, ladies.
21:33The judges really enjoyed all four dishes.
21:37Well done, ladies.
21:38Chef Melissa, the judges thought your tart shell was evenly cooked and beautifully presented.
21:42It was.
21:43I had, like, tart shell jealousy.
21:46The judges, they also felt that the tonka bean battled the flavor of the tahini.
21:50Chef Karina, the judges loved your cohesive and delicate presentation.
21:57But they thought that your financier could have been cooked a little bit more.
22:02Chef Kea.
22:03The judges thought your dish had very elegant flavors.
22:05Unfortunately, though, your tahini flavor was not as forward as they would have liked.
22:09And they felt the plating wasn't quite as high-end.
22:12And obviously, that leaves Chef Alex.
22:15Your sorbet and tart shell were both delicious.
22:17However, they wanted more persimmon and more tahini.
22:21So, chefs, we all know there can only be three chefs moving into the next round.
22:25But first, let me go ahead and announce the winner of the first round.
22:27And the chef will have exclusive pick in the money round.
22:33The chef from Florida, Karina.
22:34Oh, my God!
22:35Well done.
22:38Karina, you have yet to lose in this kitchen.
22:40There's a lot of pressure.
22:41A lot of pressure?
22:42Oh, yeah, there is.
22:43This is the third time Karina's won.
22:45She has a better record than I do this season.
22:49The chef that, unfortunately, will be leaving us and not moving on to the money round is...
22:57Chef Kaya, I'm sorry, from Virginia.
23:00That's okay.
23:01I didn't beat Alex, but my other two contestants, women, are in it.
23:06And I'm hoping one of them takes prize.
23:09I just wish I had a little bit more time to finish my plating.
23:11Congratulations, chefs.
23:12That means you've all survived your first baking challenge, and you're now in the money round.
23:16Well done.
23:16Chef Karina, the cool thing about this is you have exclusive pick to all the details of the next round.
23:23Are you ready?
23:23I'm ready.
23:24Let's do it.
23:25Don't screw me over.
23:26No.
23:27This is very familiar to you.
23:29Go ahead, puppet master.
23:31Let's do it.
23:32Make us dance.
23:33In this round, your dish will be themed around a specific holiday.
23:39Aw.
23:40So, we have 4th of July, Halloween.
23:43So cute.
23:44Christmas.
23:45Aw.
23:46And Thanksgiving.
23:48Look at these little hats.
23:49Very cute.
23:50Very, very, very cute.
23:51They all sound interesting.
23:53Yeah, but she has a total agenda and knows what she's picking already.
23:56What do you want?
23:57Oh.
23:58Uh.
23:58I like the idea of 4th of July.
24:00It's got a lot of versatility versus all these other things have very specific ingredients.
24:05What about you, Chef?
24:06The sea chef?
24:06I love them all.
24:07What spoke to you immediately?
24:08Yeah.
24:09Christmas.
24:09Why?
24:11Because, you know, it's bright.
24:13I don't know, cozy.
24:14Sure.
24:15What did you win holiday baking for?
24:16It was Christmas.
24:17You forgot that, huh?
24:18I completely forgot.
24:20Right in her hands.
24:22You sure you want to give her Christmas, Karina?
24:24Yes.
24:25Let's do Christmas.
24:26In holiday spirit, you have your red sweater on.
24:29Oh, look at me.
24:29Also in the spirit.
24:31Okay, perfect.
24:31Forget that guy.
24:33It's Christmas.
24:34Yes, yes.
24:35Love it.
24:35Let's do it.
24:35Let's do it.
24:36Decision number two.
24:38What would the key flavor of your dish be?
24:43Are we going vegetable, chocolate, or fruit?
24:47Since the first season, I did chocolate.
24:50You did win with chocolate.
24:51But I want to diversify a little.
24:53Girls to diversify.
24:55Can you hear this?
24:56How do you feel about this?
24:57Oh, no.
24:59She sets up the camera.
25:02I'm totally down for chocolate.
25:04Okay.
25:04Oh, I'm all about the fruit.
25:06And just because of the first challenge, I also used a lot of chocolate.
25:10I'll go with fruit.
25:11And not what you know you can beat Alex with.
25:13She doesn't care.
25:14She doesn't care.
25:16She's the end destroyer.
25:17It's like a steamroller not caring about all the little flowers in the garden.
25:22Karina, we have one more cloche.
25:24What style will we be going with, though?
25:27Are we making it rolled?
25:29Is it layered or filled?
25:32These are all hard, actually.
25:33This demands more than the other two do.
25:36I'd say they're all about equally hard.
25:38Yeah.
25:38Okay.
25:40I'll do layered.
25:41Por qué?
25:42Por qué I have something in mind.
25:45Ah!
25:46She can layer like 50 things in five minutes.
25:49You have a dish in mind?
25:50Yes.
25:51One final last detail.
25:53How much time are you giving these two chefs?
25:54Yeah, 60.
25:55Because, again, baking, it can go very fast.
25:59And you want to give Alex that much time again?
26:01Yes.
26:01You don't want 60 minutes.
26:03You want half an hour, you said?
26:04No, I want 60.
26:04I thought you said 20 minutes earlier.
26:06Why are you getting shorter?
26:07From the hallway.
26:08What?
26:10Full 60?
26:11Yes, full 60.
26:12I would imagine.
26:13Okay.
26:13So the table is set.
26:15A Christmas layered fruit dish in 60 minutes.
26:18Your time starts now.
26:22Good.
26:25Here's the thing.
26:26It's one thing in theory.
26:27It's another thing in execution.
26:28So we have to see these chefs really take home this theme of layered Christmas fruit, put
26:34it all together, and make it good.
26:36My mom would always make something really dramatic at Christmas.
26:39I want to make an ice cream cake, and I think of cranberries.
26:42I just feel like no one else is going to use cranberries.
26:46What's going on, Chef?
26:47I'm going to make a layered vanilla cake with buttermilk, ice cream, and cranberries.
26:51Like fried rosemary and frosting.
26:53Oh, I'm in the holiday spirit immediately.
26:55I love that.
26:56Maybe some candy canes, and maybe some pink peppercorns, and maybe some pomegranate.
27:00This is Christmas on steroids.
27:02Yeah.
27:03This is like the diehard of Christmas.
27:04Yeah.
27:05Come out to LA.
27:06We'll have a few laughs.
27:07Yeah, something like that.
27:08Sure.
27:10So I'm going to start working on the batter for the cake.
27:12I've got eggs and sugar just whipping.
27:13I'm going to get a nice, fluffy cake.
27:17I'm not sure that all of it will work, but everything I'm making is going to be delicious.
27:23Merry Christmas.
27:25Chef Melissa.
27:26Hello.
27:27Tell me what you're thinking.
27:28I think I'm going to do like a gingerbread with red fruits tiramisu.
27:33So the first thing I want to get in the oven is the sponge cake.
27:36It's going to take the longest.
27:37I'm making like a gingerbread sponge for red fruit tiramisu.
27:41I look up to Alex because she's done this like 200 plus times.
27:44I do think to beat Alex, I have to swing for the fences.
27:48If I can beat her, then it's almost like I took a moment that she gained from all of those
27:52experiences and just took the one.
27:54It's the best I'm going to do.
27:58I'm making macarons.
28:00So it's going to be layered.
28:01It's going to have a lot of, you know, Christmas.
28:04Inspiration, macarons can take a while to make and bake.
28:10So right now, what I'm trying to do is start my macaron batter as soon as possible.
28:16Karina, we meet again.
28:18You as the victor.
28:19Are you tired of this or this is what you came here to do?
28:22I think this is why I came.
28:24You won with macarons last time.
28:25Yes, this is why I'm here.
28:26You think you can do it again?
28:27I think I can do it again.
28:28But I'm going to take a different approach and I'm going to try to make like a Christmas
28:33tree.
28:33Okay.
28:34I know I made macarons the first time that I was here, but that's who I am.
28:39I feel confident.
28:40I like that.
28:41Yeah.
28:41The meringue is beautiful.
28:44I would say macarons are very close to my heart.
28:48I'm doing this macaron in order to win this competition, to be able to keep making macarons.
28:54I would definitely buy an oven that would allow me to bake more and more and more macarons.
29:01So this is, you know, all tied together.
29:06Oh, it's so good the last time you made it.
29:10Traitor.
29:11The thing that's hard is that Karina is just a powerhouse.
29:15This is her fourth round in this kitchen.
29:17She's won the past three.
29:19Is the whole show just going to be her beating me 15 times?
29:22Is that the plot line?
29:23And as I understand it, Melissa won the holiday baking championship with a Christmas dessert.
29:29It's going to come down to whether anybody makes a mistake and whether I make the worst
29:34choices out of the three of us.
29:35I'm trying to beat two people that are really good at desserts.
29:38That's my inspo.
29:39I don't have a grandmother that did this.
29:41Or a cousin or whatever.
29:42Is that what you're looking for?
29:43Nothing.
29:43Nothing.
29:4330-minute time call.
29:52The first round was not an easy decision, and the judges had a lot to parse with.
29:58These bakers brought it, and honestly, I feel like they're bringing it again this round.
30:01I am the favorite to win this.
30:06Not at all.
30:07Three times Karina's been here, she's won all three times.
30:10And Melissa's over here making a tiramisu for the Queen of England.
30:15But right now, at this very moment in time, I'm the Grinch, and I can potentially win this.
30:20I feel like these chefs are going to go for red fruits to symbolize the color of Christmas, but I'm going for the flavor of Christmas.
30:27So I pick cranberry and pomegranate.
30:29This whole dessert is going to work if my cranberry sauce sets up, and I can get the cake out of the oven and cooled to layer this all together in time.
30:38Pulling all the elements of Christmas, then also there's herbs.
30:41We see some fresh rosemary on Chef Alex's station.
30:44I love that play right now.
30:4623 minutes left on the clock, chefs.
30:49I'm making the mascarpone cream cheese frosting.
30:52The money round is like, okay, time to get serious.
30:54You know, there's no more rounds after this.
30:55It's just all or nothing.
30:57When I won Holiday Baking Championship, I said that I would use the money for a wedding, which I did.
31:03But we had to postpone our honeymoon, and we still haven't done that yet.
31:06So I would love to take today's prize money and go somewhere super special.
31:11So right now, I'm making, like, a nice berries compote.
31:17So I'm doing this compote with some berries, and then I add a little bit of cinnamon stick.
31:23The cinnamon stick really reminds me of Christmas.
31:28Every time that I look at Chef Alex, she's in her zone.
31:32Sometimes I cannot believe she's in the same competition as I am, because I'm a little bit nervous.
31:37But I can beat Alex again, because I do bake with love.
31:43It smells like cinnamon.
31:44It smells like Christmas in Sierra.
31:46Very...
31:47No, it's so good.
31:50So I'm going to start my ice cream.
31:53I want, like, the sourness of buttermilk ice cream for some reason,
31:56because I feel like a lot of Christmas and holiday desserts are really sweet.
31:59And I want this dessert to be more complex than that.
32:02I want it to have more layers.
32:06So the next step is I make, like, a quickie frosting with milk powder, cream, and sugar.
32:12Just whipping that up and getting that firm with some vanilla.
32:14And then I just quickly make a candy cane peppercorn dust.
32:19I've got a lot of little gameplay elements here.
32:21The rosemary to symbolize, like, needles of a Christmas tree.
32:24I've got candy canes.
32:25I'm trying to kind of point very pointedly to Christmas.
32:33Normally for tiramisu, you would have a espresso simple syrup.
32:37So I'm going to replace this with a red fruit compote.
32:39I want to do all red fruits, because I don't love just cranberries.
32:45Something tart is going to be good against the spice.
32:47And I want that color, too, to come through.
32:50After seeing Alex and Karina bake in the first round,
32:53I know there's no time for mistakes.
32:55So every part of this has to be perfect.
32:58Chef, we have seven and a half minutes left.
32:59I wish the clock would stop.
33:02Macarons are cooked.
33:03So let's whip this.
33:04So for my mascarpone cream, I am whipping a little bit of heavy cream.
33:09Then I add a little bit of mascarpone cheese.
33:12This is going to bring a nice texture element.
33:15It pairs very nice with the berries.
33:17I'm going to set it aside just for when I need it.
33:22Five minutes left in this cook, chefs.
33:23Make sure it's fruity.
33:26Make sure it's Christmassy.
33:29Make sure it's layered.
33:32The cake I get out of the oven, it's beautiful and fluffy.
33:35And then I just cut six rounds with the ring malls.
33:38I press cake layers into the rounds.
33:42My cranberry sauce looks beautiful, but it's just not set up enough.
33:45Nope, didn't work.
33:46But I'm kind of at the point of no return.
33:49And then I form sort of discs of buttermilk ice cream,
33:53and I layer it.
33:54Cake on top.
33:55But it's just melting.
33:57It's ruined.
33:58I'm trying to frost it.
34:00I'm half-frosting it.
34:01Then I cover it with some pomegranate seeds
34:04and rosemary needles on top.
34:06And then I put the powdered candy cane over the top.
34:10This is where I get embarrassed.
34:12It's just so scary.
34:14Three-minute time call.
34:16The first layer is the French macaron.
34:18Then the second layer is my mascarpone cream.
34:21I add in the middle some of the berries compote,
34:26and then I repeat that until I have this beautiful Christmas tree.
34:30Then I start decorating the plate so I can make it look Christmassy
34:34with some fresh berries, a little bit of coconut flakes,
34:39so it looks like snow.
34:40And I'm very happy of how this dessert looks.
34:45Make sure you get it done in the next minute.
34:46One minute left, chefs.
34:47So I put a little bit of the mascarpone cream in the bottom of the dish
34:51and then some of that compote.
34:54Then I cut a smaller circle from the cake, press that in,
34:57and then just kind of repeat to get to the top.
35:01I want to secure the win against Alex,
35:03but I think I'm just a little nervous.
35:05All I can do to keep calm is to just focus on what I'm doing
35:08and stay committed.
35:10It's just like, okay, do the best you can with what you decided on.
35:12Five, four, three, two, one.
35:19That's about it.
35:20Ladies, well done.
35:22It's completely failed.
35:25All right, chefs, in front of your stations, you have a menu card.
35:28Please do me a favor and fill out that card
35:30with the exact details of what your dish is
35:33so I can go ahead and explain it to the judges.
35:36All right, ladies, once we are done with our menu cards,
35:38I'm going to kindly ask you to leave the kitchen
35:40and we'll bring in our judges.
35:46Chef Karina.
35:48Oh, my God, so cute.
35:50Very festive.
35:51Very cute.
35:51Very nice.
35:52I love it.
35:53Let's head over to Chef Melissa.
35:56It's beautiful.
35:57I really like it.
35:58I'm so glad I didn't make tiramisu.
36:00You thought about it.
36:00Yeah.
36:01I don't want to make the same thing as either of these chefs.
36:03Yeah, we'll see them in a bit.
36:04Okay.
36:05I think my dessert looks like it's going to wear
36:07the ugly sweater at work.
36:09And before the judging has even happened,
36:12I'm auto-judging myself right out of the competition.
36:17Let's bring in two of the sweetest judges
36:19that anyone can ask for.
36:21Stephanie and Sherry.
36:24Yes.
36:26So, ladies, we're going Christmas-themed.
36:28We have to make it layered.
36:30There has to be fruit.
36:31And they gave themselves 60 minutes to do so.
36:33So, the first dish we have in front of you
36:35is a gingerbread and redberry tiramisu.
36:38There's a gingerbread sponge,
36:39redberry compote,
36:41used in marmalade with fresh berries and pomegranate.
36:44I think Melissa's brilliant
36:45for doing a fruit soak on ladyfingers
36:47for tiramisu,
36:48where you would normally have coffee or chocolate.
36:50So smart.
36:51I love the textures of this.
36:53I love the look of this.
36:55I think it's great.
36:56I like the glass.
36:57So, you can see all the layers.
36:59The colors, green Christmas and holiday.
37:01The flavors, to me,
37:02this is more of a spring.
37:04I agree with Sherry.
37:05I wouldn't necessarily eat this and think Christmas.
37:08Let's go ahead and move on to the next dish, please.
37:10Reject.
37:11What we have here is a mascarpone
37:13and berry Christmas tree.
37:15We have French macaroons
37:16layered with mascarpone and lemon cream,
37:19a berry compote,
37:20strawberry crunch,
37:22and the chef is asking you to just go for it.
37:23I think Karina defaulted to her macaroons.
37:27It may not have been fruity
37:28and directly Christmassy enough.
37:30I think Karina could have dug a little deeper.
37:32I do enjoy eating this.
37:34I think the flavor of it is fantastic.
37:36I love the layering.
37:38It's great.
37:39I do not get Christmas
37:40except for the Christmas tree sort of shape.
37:43Visually, it's a winter wonderland.
37:45This, again, is happy and bright and beautiful.
37:48But not Christmassy.
37:49Exactly.
37:50Let's move on to the last dish, please.
37:51Oh!
37:53Resetting.
37:54Our last dish of the evening.
37:56is a buttermilk ice cream
37:58and cranberry vanilla layered cake.
38:00We have orange zest,
38:02pomegranate,
38:03rosemary,
38:04and a candy cane pink peppercorn dust.
38:07Mine is layered,
38:08but the ice cream's kind of melted.
38:10The cranberry's not set.
38:12It all tastes good,
38:14but it's kind of a hot mess.
38:15There's so much happening here.
38:17It is a circus of flavor.
38:19I think it's ugly, but delicious.
38:21I think it was smart that they used mint and rosemary
38:24because they sort of create a bridge to each other.
38:26It truly is very Christmas.
38:28The layers of the cake are thick.
38:29If you just cut that same cake into smaller layers,
38:33and then it would eat a lot better.
38:35But flavor-wise, I like the flavors.
38:38No kidding.
38:38You've got cranberry,
38:40and then you've got the pomegranate,
38:41and then you've got buttermilk.
38:43It does have Christmas.
38:44So of all three, flavor-wise,
38:47this is my Christmas happy place.
38:51All right, chefs.
38:51You have to rank these dishes.
38:53It's amazing that you beat her three times.
38:56Sitting here, I know that my flavors are great.
38:58I know I hit the flavors of Christmas,
39:01but I wouldn't put this dessert
39:03in the window of a bakery.
39:04Am I going to measure up?
39:06I don't think so,
39:06and that's disappointing to me.
39:08Let's go ahead and bring it in.
39:09The chefs, please.
39:12Hi!
39:14What's that?
39:15I love that.
39:16Sisters are doing it for themselves.
39:19That's right.
39:20Judges, please meet the chefs
39:21responsible for all the stunning dishes this evening.
39:24From the state of California,
39:25we have Chef Melissa Yank.
39:26From the state of Florida,
39:27we have Chef Karina Rivera.
39:29And from the state of New York,
39:30we have Chef Alex Guernaschelli.
39:32And chefs, you may know these acclaimed judges,
39:34but just in case,
39:35we have Executive Pastry Chef Stephanie Boswell.
39:38And three-time James Beard,
39:40a Warren-winning pastry chef,
39:42Sherry Yard.
39:42The judges, it was Chef Melissa
39:44that made the gingerbread
39:45and red berry terremissue.
39:47Chef Melissa,
39:48let me go ahead and tell you
39:48what the judges thought of your dish.
39:50Your dish had gorgeous textures and colors.
39:52It had wonderful flavor.
39:53The judges did say
39:54that it's the most layered dish of the three.
39:56However, the judges
39:57were not getting crispness from your dish.
40:00In this round,
40:00Chef Karina made the mascarpone
40:01and berry Christmas tree.
40:03Your dish was very crispness in presentation.
40:06And your macaron had perfect texture.
40:08However,
40:09the flavors worked well together.
40:11They were not typical Christmas flavors.
40:14And the up-and-coming pastry chef
40:15from New York City,
40:16Chef Alex,
40:17made the buttermilk and ice cream
40:19cranberry-layered cake.
40:21The judges thought your dish
40:22packed a punch of Christmas flavor.
40:24However, Chef,
40:26the layers of your cake
40:26were a little too thick.
40:28The layering was stunning.
40:30Really beautiful,
40:31well-presented.
40:32Yeah, incredible work.
40:34The entire day.
40:35Thank you so much.
40:35So remember,
40:36the judges rank your dishes
40:37without knowing who made what.
40:39The chef they had finishing third
40:40in this round was...
40:43I'm sorry, Chef Melissa.
40:47Being able to compete against Alex
40:49just means I was even good enough
40:52to be in her presence.
40:53You know, like,
40:54she's just on another level
40:55and I was just amazed
40:57to be standing there next to her.
40:59So, Chef,
41:00you do not need the reminder,
41:02but if you do win
41:03and out-beat Alex,
41:04you're going home with $10,000.
41:05Again.
41:07But if Chef Alex wins,
41:08it's sweet revenge
41:09and you're going home
41:10with nothing.
41:11I love that too.
41:14If you do win,
41:15you'll be the only chef
41:16to beat Alex
41:17four times in a row.
41:18So the winner
41:19of this baking showdown is...
41:23I'm sorry,
41:26Chef Karina
41:27did not beat the legend
41:28this time.
41:28Chef Alex, congratulations.
41:32That was amazing.
41:33Thank you so much, Chef Karina.
41:35I'm a little bit disappointed.
41:37I should have added
41:38some more spices,
41:39maybe nutmeg,
41:40but didn't even cross my mind
41:42because I was so focused.
41:44But I'm also happy
41:45that I was able
41:47to experience
41:47all this one more time.
41:49You just took down
41:50three of the best bakers
41:51in the country.
41:51Congratulations.
41:52Well done.
41:52Every time I think
41:55I'm going to lose,
41:56I win.
41:56Every time I think
41:57I'm going to win,
41:58I lose.
41:59It's literally
41:59a holiday rollercoaster
42:01in here.
42:02Merry Christmas to me.
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