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00:00...mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.
00:07Previously on Top Chef Canada.
00:09Here we go, guys!
00:11We want you to create a dish inspired by a family memory.
00:15It's going to be hard for any chef that has to go home on this challenge.
00:19This is what I would dream for a fried chicken dish to be.
00:22This dish is just so smart, and I'm very, very upset that I didn't think about it first.
00:26I love that you showed us your story, but I do think the meat is a little over.
00:33We have a tie. The chefs with the best dishes are Colson and Katie.
00:41Chefs, this is a non-elimination challenge.
00:45What?
00:46It's actually the first ever in Top Chef Canada history.
00:49By far, this is the biggest holy moment.
00:53Now, four chefs are still standing in a battle for the ultimate prize.
00:59$10,000, courtesy of Ninja.
01:02DoorDash delivery for a year.
01:05$10,000 from Premier Protein.
01:07The redesigned Volkswagen Tiguan.
01:10$100,000, courtesy of McCain French Fries.
01:15And the title of Canada's Top Chef.
01:17Oh.
01:31Oh.
01:33Walking in this morning, there's a living room, there's a dining room table.
01:37What are we doing?
01:39Oh.
01:40Oh.
01:41Good morning, chefs.
01:42Good morning.
01:43So you all know that the one thing every great dish needs is great ingredients.
01:51In this quickfire challenge, you're going to have to create a dish delivered with ingredients
01:55from DoorDash, and then deliver it as takeout.
02:00And these groceries are coming by very special delivery.
02:04Oh, boy.
02:04Please welcome the Top Chef Canada judges.
02:09Special delivery.
02:11Oh, my God.
02:14Wow, the judges, they're all here.
02:16Welcome.
02:18Hi, thank you.
02:19What's in there?
02:20To find out which judges' ingredients you'll be using, come pick a knife.
02:24Colson, you're up first.
02:29David.
02:29I don't want to know what's in that bag, I'll tell you.
02:3218 all over again.
02:35David Zilber and I worked together at Noma.
02:38He was the head of fermentation, and I was an intern for the summer.
02:42He was on a whole other level.
02:43Whatever he's got in there is going to be a bag of tricks.
02:46In here, you've got some Eastern flavors.
02:48Lots of brown, rich, umami.
02:51There's a lot you can do with this.
02:52Trust me.
02:53Great.
02:53Katie.
02:56Me, too.
02:57Oh, my God.
02:59Katie, I hope you like Chinese flavors.
03:02Oh.
03:02And I know you do.
03:04I think you kind of won the lottery here.
03:06Very nice.
03:07Chris.
03:08Janet.
03:09Nice one.
03:10The ingredients in my bag, surprise, surprise, Italian.
03:15Alex, that means you have Chef Mark McKeown.
03:18Alex, a lot of traditional, classic items in the bag.
03:21I love it, Chef.
03:22So what are you looking for from our chefs in this challenge?
03:25Delivery food should really be a restaurant experience, even if I'm eating it in my sweatpants
03:31at home.
03:31So make something delicious and craveable something you want to come back to over and over again.
03:37I hope you're ready to deliver.
03:38Because the chef with the best dish will win $5,000, courtesy of DoorDash.
03:45Ha, ha, ha.
03:46Here we go.
03:47Okay, let's go.
03:48Me, too.
03:48Let's go.
03:49Oh, I forgot to mention just one major thing.
03:52For this challenge, your sous chefs will be the judges.
03:58Not many chefs can say that they work with Chef Mark as their sous chef.
04:06If we don't win, I'll pay you the five grand.
04:09Whoa.
04:10Oh, he said it on camera.
04:12He said it on camera.
04:14Good luck to all of you.
04:15No luck needed.
04:16Oh.
04:18Yes.
04:21Chefs, you'll have 40 minutes on the clock.
04:24And your time starts now.
04:29Let's go.
04:29Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
04:32Here we go, here we go.
04:33Yeah.
04:34What do we have here?
04:36Calabrian chilies.
04:37Love it.
04:38We are cooking with the judges for the first time in Top Chef Canada history.
04:42It's awesome.
04:43We got linguine, pecorino, garlic, guanciale.
04:46Okay.
04:47It's obvious we're making pasta, Chef.
04:48Let's get the clams opened up.
04:50I'm going to get some water on the stove.
04:52Okay, Chef?
04:52What did he say?
04:54Did he say open the clams?
04:56I didn't even catch my first instruction.
04:58Oh, perfect. Yeah, yeah.
05:00I'm stoked with this basket, Nijun.
05:02I'm thinking, like, dandan.
05:04That's why I got it!
05:06The stars aligned and put us together.
05:10The dandan noodles, it's just peanut butter,
05:12chili oil, vinegar, soy, and sesame oil.
05:16Uh, yeah.
05:18The dandan sauce has big, bold flavors,
05:21so it needs fresh, crunchy veg.
05:24I get Nijun to dicing my carrots.
05:27She is absolutely killing it.
05:30I can't ask for better chopping skills.
05:33David and Mark brought their own knives.
05:35I did not,
05:36because I always talk about knife skills in this competition,
05:40so I better do a decent job.
05:42Working beside Chef Mark was a legend.
05:45Really intimidating, however, he's on my side.
05:47Chef Mark's bag has luxurious ingredients.
05:50Some chanterelle mushrooms, fresh meat.
05:53Gorgonzola. Amazing.
05:54Yeah.
05:55I decided to make grilled beef tenderloin and orzoto.
05:58If you want to start with cooking orzoto,
06:00we're gonna make it into orzoto.
06:01Okay, so I'm gonna get busy.
06:02Chef Mark, he's a machine.
06:04He's chopping shallots, cooking the mushrooms,
06:07shocking peas.
06:09Peas were not a good idea.
06:11I can really see the intensity in Mark McEwen's eyes.
06:15I can barely see through my glasses.
06:17I have so much sweat on them.
06:18Mark, you rusty?
06:20Nah, it's like riding a bike.
06:21You're going down, McEwen.
06:23Okay, Silber.
06:2420 minutes.
06:2520 minutes.
06:26Heard.
06:27So, David, you're making the chicken dashi.
06:30Yeah.
06:31David Silber's bag has funky eastern ingredients.
06:34No shortage of umami, right?
06:36Just like working at Noma.
06:37We are making dashi broth with udon noodles
06:41and a soft-boiled egg.
06:43And how's our eggs?
06:44We got them going?
06:45No, not yet, Chef.
06:46Thank you for reminding me.
06:47Last time David Silber and I worked together,
06:50he was here and I was here.
06:52But today, I'm in charge.
06:54David is the greatest partner of all time.
06:57Me and David Silber are back again together.
07:00He's not holding back.
07:02He's like wanting to win this just as bad as I do.
07:05Mark, how are your traditional ingredients holding up?
07:07Going down, Silber.
07:08Going down.
07:09Should I be insulted?
07:11Like, are we not competition?
07:13Me, June.
07:14I'm taking you down.
07:15I'm not worried.
07:17I'm dancing.
07:18I'm bobbing.
07:19I'm cooking Italian food.
07:20How iconic is this?
07:21Getting to cook next to Janet Zuccarini.
07:23Woo!
07:24Janet is not a chef by trade.
07:26She's a restaurateur.
07:28But she's opened up multiple restaurants.
07:30So we're making Italian food with Janet,
07:32fun and very nerve-ragging.
07:34We are making a clam linguine.
07:37Probably the riskiest part of this takeout dish
07:39is nailing the pasta because the noodles can be overcooked
07:43as they sit.
07:44Pasta for delivery has to be a little bit under.
07:47Pasta only al dente on my watch.
07:50We're in it to win it.
07:51Three minutes left, chef.
07:53Woo!
07:54Containers.
07:55We've got to get our containers.
07:56Woo!
07:57Get right behind, right behind, right behind.
07:59It's time to plate and pack them up for takeout.
08:02Crunch time.
08:03Get in on it, baby.
08:04It's fast-paced.
08:05Everyone is just in game mode.
08:07Volunteer.
08:08Let's go, let's go, let's go.
08:09Oh, yeah.
08:10We got hot broths.
08:11I go in with the pasta.
08:12You go in with the basil and the cheese.
08:13We won't be chintzy on the cheese.
08:14Never.
08:15This is amazing.
08:16Five, four, three, two, one.
08:21All right, chefs and judges, hands up.
08:24Woo!
08:26Down to the wire.
08:30We're good.
08:31We're good, we're good, we're good, we're good.
08:36Judges, that was so much fun to watch.
08:38The kitchen smells amazing,
08:40so I'm very excited to try the food that you've all made.
08:43Yes, as are we.
08:46Jordan!
08:47Hey!
08:48Hi!
08:51So tell us what you made.
08:52So, um, it's a little dandan noodles with rice noodles.
08:55There's a peanut sauce with char-grilled prawns,
08:58and then we have crispy fried eggs.
09:00And then on the side, pickled carrots and smashed cucumbers.
09:04And how was it working with me, June?
09:06Oh, it was such a joy.
09:07I want to cook with you every day.
09:09Aw, that's so sweet.
09:10Thank you, Katie.
09:11Thank you, guys.
09:14Mmm.
09:15Oh, my gosh.
09:16I absolutely love the sauce.
09:18It's good cold.
09:19It's good warm.
09:20You would eat this anyway.
09:21I think the base flavors are really fantastic.
09:23Lots of umami.
09:24For take-out food,
09:25this is what I'm going to order two times a week.
09:27It's really good.
09:28I hate to admit it.
09:29Oh, my God, I love this.
09:31And whoever cut the carrots, like, perfect.
09:33Me!
09:34Wow.
09:35Me!
09:36I did that.
09:37Come in, please.
09:38Ciao.
09:39Ciao.
09:40Ciao.
09:41Ciao.
09:42Ciao.
09:43Bienvenuto.
09:44Please tell us what you are delivering to us.
09:45Absolutely.
09:46So you guys have a little classic Italian meal here.
09:49You have a clam rosé pasta.
09:52And on the side, you have a rapini loaded with Calabrian chilis,
09:56garlic, and pecorino as well.
09:58Smells good.
09:59All right.
10:00Thank you, Chris.
10:01Enjoy.
10:02The clams are cooked really well.
10:04All that beautiful clam juice is in the sauce.
10:06You can feel it and taste it.
10:07I think the dish is tasty.
10:08And then you kind of have a nice bitterness
10:10coming from the rapini.
10:11Oh, that's a classic.
10:12So, Janet, now you're trying your pasta.
10:14How are you feeling?
10:15Typically, linguine alla bongole,
10:17you might not add cream to it.
10:18This has cream and cheese,
10:19but it's got some really good flavors.
10:21It's maybe just a little bit muted,
10:23but it is really good.
10:24Another great dish.
10:25I'm ready for more.
10:26Me too.
10:29You may enter.
10:30Hello, everyone.
10:31Hi, Alex.
10:32Hello.
10:33Hi, Alex.
10:34Welcome to my humble abode.
10:36So, today we have beef tenderloin
10:38with roasted potatoes and risotto,
10:41and then our radicchio spinach salad.
10:43Beautiful.
10:44Enjoy. Thank you.
10:45Bye. Thank you.
10:46This is very luxurious.
10:49It's cooked perfectly.
10:50It traveled well.
10:51This feels very McEwen.
10:52Everything was done really well.
10:53I didn't expect, like, the tenderloin
10:55to come out like that.
10:56It is cooked perfectly,
10:57and the potatoes just crunch flavor and saltiness.
11:00They're so good.
11:01I also like the peas.
11:02Like, the peas didn't overcook.
11:04Shucking peas under pressure?
11:06It's not fun.
11:07I saw.
11:10Come in, please.
11:11Delivery's here.
11:12You guys ordered from Zilbs and Cole tonight.
11:16So, today we have chicken dashi
11:19to pour over your udon noodles.
11:21In the udon noodle, you have some nori,
11:23some grilled, sprody cauliflower,
11:25and then a lightly poached egg.
11:27What was it like working with Zilber?
11:29I could see his competitive face was on.
11:31Yeah, he was all business.
11:33Thank you, Chef.
11:34No problem.
11:35Perfect cook on the egg.
11:36Thank you, Chef.
11:37I was worried about that.
11:38Perfect cook.
11:39The broth is my absolute favorite.
11:41It's so well-balanced, rich and umami.
11:44I actually really love the charred bits
11:46I'm getting from the cauliflower.
11:47It adds that kind of bitter element to it, too.
11:50My cauliflower is just really burnt, though.
11:53I think it's on purpose.
11:54But that's like a little bit more
11:56than I would probably do, I would say.
11:59This is gonna be really frickin' hard.
12:01Oh, my God, I know.
12:02Every dish could be in a restaurant right now.
12:03Yeah, I agree.
12:04For sure.
12:10Chefs, you all did an incredible job
12:12with this takeout challenge.
12:13All of you delivered,
12:14but only one of you can take home
12:16the cash.
12:17And the chef with the best delivery dish is...
12:29The Top Chef Canada small appliances
12:31are brought to you in part by Ninja.
12:39The chef with the best delivery dish is...
12:46Katie.
12:49Yay!
12:50Oh, my God!
12:51Aw!
12:52What's up?
12:53We did it, Mijun.
12:54That's awesome.
12:55Oh, my God!
12:56Yay!
12:57Is this your third quick-fire win?
12:59Yes, it is.
13:00Go, girl.
13:01You've won a $5,000 cash prize,
13:04courtesy of DoorDash.
13:05That's cool.
13:06Nice.
13:07So happy.
13:08Dinner's on me.
13:10No limits, Mijun.
13:11I think it was the cutting of the carrot.
13:14When I saw the knife skills,
13:15I really started to sweat.
13:24For chefs, time is money.
13:26Every day in your restaurants,
13:27you have to make calculated decisions
13:29around budgets, resources,
13:31and the time it takes to execute a perfect dish.
13:35So in this challenge,
13:37we want you to create a dish using either time or money.
13:44For the chefs who choose time,
13:46you'll have all the time in the world.
13:48Four total hours to prep your dishes.
13:52You'll be working with these ingredients
13:54that all need time to build flavor.
13:56No access to anything else in this kitchen.
13:59These ingredients may require a little extra attention
14:02and love,
14:03but what you can coax out of them
14:05is maybe something money can't buy.
14:08If you choose money,
14:09you'll get to shop for ingredients
14:10at McEwen Fine Foods,
14:12where you'll have $2,500 to spend.
14:17But you'll only have one hour to cook your dish.
14:24Chefs, you won't have a lot of time,
14:25but you'll have enough money
14:26to pull the ingredients together,
14:28to pull off a spectacular plate.
14:30But just remember,
14:31great ingredients don't guarantee a great dish.
14:33You have to execute at a really high level
14:36and quickly.
14:37Yeah, got it.
14:40You're gonna be cooking and serving your dishes
14:42at the historic Harbor 60, Toronto.
14:45And joining us at the table
14:47will be a very special guest.
14:49The man behind Montreal's Maison Boulud
14:52and Cafe Boulud in Toronto,
14:54Chef Danielle Boulud.
14:57Okay.
14:58Well, I instantly got goosebumps,
14:59but I don't know about these guys.
15:02He's a legend.
15:03It's gonna be really hard to cook for him tomorrow,
15:05but I would love nothing more than to impress him.
15:07If I got to even shake Daniel Boulud's hand,
15:09that would be a moment that I never forget.
15:11The stakes are higher than ever.
15:15This is the last elimination challenge before the finale.
15:19Four of you are cooking,
15:21but only two of you will make it to the finale.
15:24And two of you will be eliminated.
15:27I knew it.
15:28This is the final battle.
15:30Two are gone, and the next two,
15:32one of those is gonna be Top Chef.
15:34This is the biggest boss that we've seen so far.
15:37To determine which two of you will be working with time
15:40and which two of you will be working with money,
15:43well, that's up to you.
15:46Oh, no.
15:48If you can't all agree,
15:49we're gonna be pulling knives to determine your fate.
15:51You have five minutes starting now.
16:00Is there anyone who wants to take money?
16:02There's all good ingredients here.
16:05I think I'll go money.
16:07You don't have to buy all the expensive ingredients.
16:10Like, just, like, cook good in one hour.
16:13One hour is less time,
16:15but at least I can go choose the ingredients.
16:18I will have more control.
16:21One hour on-site is definitely tough.
16:23I would love time.
16:25Yeah, time, for sure.
16:26Yeah, I'll go time.
16:27Well, that's three times.
16:29You have 25 seconds left to decide.
16:34I don't feel fast enough and confident enough
16:37to be able to do an hour.
16:39I don't think I would change my mind.
16:41I would take it to a knife draw if I had to.
16:44Okay, whatever.
16:45I'll take the money.
16:46Are you sure?
16:47Yeah.
16:48Initially, I didn't want money.
16:49I wanted time.
16:50Could be the death, you know?
16:51Could be the death of us.
16:52Kiss of death.
16:53It's a bet, and hopefully it pays off.
16:54The categories are locked.
16:55Alex and Chris, you've got time.
16:57And Colson and Katie, you've got money.
16:59Best of luck, Chefs.
17:01Thank you, Chef.
17:02Let's go, dude.
17:03For this elimination challenge, we have to create a dish
17:05with the constraints of time or money.
17:06Alex and Chris have three hours of time.
17:08You've got the best.
17:09You've got the best.
17:10Kiss of death.
17:11It's a bet, and hopefully it pays off.
17:12The categories are locked.
17:13Alex and Chris, you've got time.
17:14And Colson and Katie, you've got money.
17:16Best of luck, Chefs.
17:18Thank you, Chef.
17:19Let's go, dude.
17:22Let's go, dude.
17:23For this elimination challenge, we have to create a dish
17:27with the constraints of time or money.
17:30Alex and Chris have three hours to prep today,
17:34plus one hour tomorrow.
17:36There's no prep when you pick money,
17:38and you only get one hour to cook.
17:41I got 2,500 bucks.
17:43This is more money than we've ever spent.
17:45For me, like, I can go for big flavors
17:48in a short amount of time.
17:50I've won the most quick fire challenges
17:52in Top Chef Canada kitchen,
17:53and so I guess that kind of says
17:55that I can cook in a short amount of time.
17:57I'm ready.
17:58I'm ready.
17:59Plenty of money.
18:00Plenty of money.
18:01Plenty of money.
18:04Pront.
18:05Back.
18:06Let's push.
18:07Yeah.
18:08Feels really weird.
18:09Just me and Chris cooking.
18:11I chose time over money
18:13because my dish requires a lot of technique,
18:16so I need the full three-hour prep today.
18:19I'm gonna build my dish packed with umami.
18:23I'm making chicken PTVA.
18:26PTVA is like a Wellington.
18:28It's a very classic French dish.
18:30It takes so much technique and time to make
18:33because you're layering different ingredients.
18:36Sous-vite, chicken breast, mushroom duccel,
18:40cabbage encased in paedo.
18:43I'm pretty confident that this will turn out really nice.
18:47Chris, what are you making?
18:48I'm gonna make a slow-cooked pork shoulder.
18:51I know that with the time frame,
18:54I can transform this pork shoulder
18:56into something really special.
18:57So I'm gonna sous-vite my pork shoulder overnight,
19:01and it's gonna be the real steak-y element to my plate.
19:05So I'm putting my pork roast into my sous-vite bag
19:08so I can get it sous-viting overnight.
19:11Pork is often really good with a sweet element,
19:15so I'm making a carrot caramel using carrot juice.
19:18I hope you like carrots.
19:20This dish will get me a spot in the finale
19:23because I'm utilizing my time, I think, very wisely.
19:27Some carrots treated with care.
19:29Carrots.
19:30You can cut that if you want.
19:33To go with the PTVA,
19:36and I'll make some porcini jus.
19:38It's porcini mushrooms flavored with some chicken stock.
19:41I'm gonna make some nice chicken stock.
19:43I'm putting lots of chicken feed into my pressure cooker.
19:46Even though there's not too much meat on the feet,
19:50you can extract so much nice flavors out of the bones and feet,
19:53which will give my porcini jus death.
19:56Yes.
19:57You can't buy time with money.
19:59Time is umami.
20:01Can I look at this 200-gram tin of caviar, please?
20:04Katie and I, we got $2,500 to spend.
20:08Yeah, how much is it?
20:10Uh, $725.
20:11Yeah.
20:12That's the good stuff.
20:13Money wasn't my first choice,
20:14so I think, what is the most outrageous dish
20:18that I could think of?
20:20I'm doing, like, a beef rosini,
20:21so I just need, like, a thinner steak
20:23that we're just gonna cut in half.
20:24A beef rosini is a real classic French,
20:28elegant, luxe, over-the-top dish.
20:31Foie gras on steak.
20:33This is taking the challenge to the extreme.
20:37I'm layering mine with A5 Japanese Wagyu.
20:40The foie gras, king crab leg, caviar, truffle.
20:47I can spend money fast, and I'm good at it.
20:51We got $1,850 just with eight items.
20:56All right.
20:58I need ten two-ounce portions.
21:00I'm making seared sea bass with drunken clams.
21:04I'm actually not spending too much money, to be honest.
21:07I don't need no foie.
21:08I don't need no dry-aged meat or anything like that.
21:11I chose money because I would rather have control
21:15over the choice of my ingredients
21:17and use the money to purchase exactly what I need.
21:20I'm confident that I can execute, like, big flavors
21:23in a short amount of time.
21:25Just gonna stay true to what I'm good at
21:27and what I know,
21:28and make sure that gets me to the finale.
21:30Hope that takes me to the top.
21:32Alex, we've got an hour and a half, man.
21:35Hour and a half?
21:36Oui.
21:37Well, my pork is in the sous-vide,
21:39and I'm also gonna be doing pork confit
21:41turned into a rillette.
21:42Slow and steady.
21:43New confit for the pork shoulder,
21:45and then after it's nice and tender,
21:47take it out of the fat and shred it up,
21:49adding vinegar, some of that fat that it was cooked in,
21:52and seasonings to turn it into a rillette.
21:54Another way I want to utilize my teeth
21:55is to make sure that I'm going to do
21:57a little bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit
21:59of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit
22:01The only way I want to utilize my time
22:03is making focaccia
22:04that I'm fermenting in the fridge overnight.
22:06Every 30 minutes or so,
22:07I'm gonna give it a stretch and fold
22:08right until the last second.
22:09It's fatty pork on fatty bread.
22:11I mean, it's gonna be delicious.
22:13Do you have any extra time?
22:15Yep, take everything.
22:16You've got extra time?
22:18Was that a joke?
22:2045 minutes, Chris.
22:22Heard.
22:23So now I have my chicken breast sous-vide
22:26ready to build my PTVA.
22:28First layer, cabbage,
22:30and then mushroom duxelles, chicken breast.
22:33And then I roll everything together
22:36so that it's nice and tight.
22:37And finally, I take my pie dough and encase it.
22:41It is risky to serve to Chef Daniel Bluth for sure.
22:44Cooking this very iconic French dish
22:47for Chef Daniel Bluth is crazy.
22:50I want to go fancier.
22:51Not enough time.
22:52It's so close to finale.
22:55It has to be perfect.
22:58Oh, that's too much sugar.
23:00During my three-hour prep cook yesterday,
23:15I left the pork shoulder sous-viding overnight.
23:18And the sous-vide went off in the night
23:21after we left the kitchen.
23:23It was my risk to do that.
23:25Ah!
23:27I can't use my pork.
23:28It is completely raw.
23:30I thought about, I don't know,
23:33just not even cooking almost
23:35because my whole dish was based around this pork.
23:38I don't have a dish and I need to somehow pivot
23:40and I don't have many more ingredients left.
23:42I don't have any more ingredients left.
23:45Oh, Jesus.
24:02Coming in.
24:03How are we feeling?
24:04Woo!
24:05For this elimination challenge,
24:06Chris and Alex chose time.
24:08Yesterday, they had three hours to prep.
24:10Katie and I chose money.
24:12And today, we'll have one hour
24:13to cook our finale-worthy dishes.
24:16Let's go.
24:19Well, I just don't have the main component
24:22of my dish anymore.
24:24I was gonna make a pork rillette on focaccia
24:27to go with my pork shoulder,
24:28but I no longer have pork shoulder,
24:30so I'm gonna try and make it
24:31into the main component of my dish.
24:33This is my main dish now,
24:35so it has to be perfect.
24:37I need to make sauce,
24:39and I need to cook my clams.
24:41I only have an hour.
24:43I chose money because I can have control
24:46over my ingredients and cook well in one hour,
24:49but still be on the money with flavor.
24:52Kind of making like a drunken clam situation.
24:55I'm basing my dish off of one of my favorite dishes
24:58growing up.
24:59It's called drunken chicken.
25:00It's like poached chicken and Chinese cooking wine,
25:03but instead of using chicken,
25:05I'm using clams.
25:06Trying to make humble ingredients taste good.
25:09I need to get these clams drunk,
25:11so I take scallions and ginger,
25:14then a little bit of black bean,
25:16and then I throw in my clams,
25:17and then I deglaze the pan
25:19with a little Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine.
25:21I want them to open up,
25:22and I want the natural clam juices
25:24so that I can extract that
25:26and make my beurre blanc.
25:28I really want that sauce to be rich in clams
25:32and the cooking wine flavor.
25:34These are my spinach, crab, and kohlrabi rolls.
25:37In Chinese cuisine,
25:38there's always a side of sautéed greens,
25:41so I'm gonna make a spinach and kohlrabi roll
25:43with a big dollop of caviar.
25:45That's my little money piece.
25:47It's a finale plate.
25:54I have to focus on plating.
25:56All four of us are extremely talented chefs.
25:59If I compare myself on paper to them,
26:02I haven't worked in many restaurants around the world.
26:05I haven't been to Europe
26:07or won cooking competitions,
26:09but I've won the most challenges in this competition.
26:12I don't think the other chefs realize
26:14what a tough competitor I would be,
26:16but I want my voice to be heard at the top.
26:23Hi, Katie.
26:24Hi.
26:25Let me introduce you to the guests at our table today.
26:27The executive chef here at Harbor 60,
26:30Chef Solomon Mason.
26:31Pleasure.
26:32And a man who needs no introduction.
26:34Of course not.
26:35Chef Danielle Balud.
26:36Sonana, Chef.
26:37Pleased to meet you, Katie.
26:38Pleased to meet you.
26:39I chose money.
26:40So I was playing around with drunken clams,
26:43so I'm not sure if you guys have had drunken chicken before.
26:46So I did like a drunken clams situation here,
26:49with seared sea bass, with some black bean sauce,
26:52and a beur blanc made with the clam jus.
26:54And then on the side, I did a little kohlrabi roll,
26:57and to finish off, just a hint of caviar.
27:01Thank you, Katie.
27:02Thank you, Katie.
27:03Thank you, Katie.
27:04I love her creativity.
27:06She's taking, like, a Cantonese black bean clams,
27:09and then you have your drunken chicken,
27:11which you see more in, like, Shanghai.
27:13And these clams are just so sweet and juicy and delicious.
27:18Her cook on the sea bass is perfect.
27:20It has a nice crust to it, but it's super moist inside.
27:23I'm French, and I love sauce.
27:25The time she spent on making those sauce,
27:28the beur blanc with the clams was very good.
27:31One of my favorite components was the kohlrabi roll.
27:33I thought that that was the most relief I got on the dish
27:36from all the protein.
27:37Do you see money on the plate?
27:38No, I don't see money on the plate at all.
27:40There's nothing on the plate in terms of the extreme luxury side
27:44that we talked about.
27:46The caviar gets a bit lost in the plate.
27:48She went for her comfort zone.
27:50This porcini jus itself took me three hours to make.
27:57Choosing time over money was a good call
28:00because it's super flavorful.
28:02Along with the PTVA, I made chicken kromeski.
28:05Kromeski is like a croquette.
28:08It's gonna be the nice crispy element.
28:10That's gonna be really good.
28:11My PTVA is nice and juicy.
28:13I wanna make it into top two,
28:15and I think that my dish
28:17is definitely a finale-worthy dish.
28:19I'm super excited to serve this.
28:23Wow.
28:24This took some time.
28:25Yeah.
28:26This took some time.
28:27I feel like I met Danielle.
28:28Yeah.
28:29Hi, Alex.
28:30Hello, judges.
28:31Hi.
28:32You picked time,
28:33so tell us what you made for us.
28:35I made you a chicken PTVA with a mushroom duxelles,
28:39and then I have leg meat kromeski
28:41with some porcini jus.
28:43Please enjoy.
28:45Thank you, chef.
28:46Well done.
28:47Oh, my God.
28:48Gorgeous.
28:49Mmm.
28:50That is so good.
28:51The execution of the PTVA,
28:53it's really perfect.
28:54The porc-feshwi was cooked through,
28:56which is very important
28:57because you don't want to overcook the chicken.
28:59And I'm crazy about the jus.
29:01Yeah.
29:02Because we're all drinking it now.
29:03It took the time to roast those bones
29:05and get that caramelization.
29:07The kromeski is so crispy.
29:09It's not oily.
29:10It's fluffy.
29:11It's soft.
29:12There's so many textures.
29:13Alex just did a master class on this plate.
29:16He's taken the humble chicken,
29:17and everything has flavor.
29:19That's about as good as chicken gets.
29:21This is fantastic.
29:22This is exactly what we wanted to see.
29:24Yeah.
29:27Hot coming out.
29:28I need to serve an entire slice of this focaccia
29:31with way more riette
29:32because this is my plate now.
29:34So the focaccia better turn out.
29:38Look at that.
29:39Beauty.
29:40Oh, nice bread.
29:41Thanks.
29:42So it's now going to be pork riette on focaccia
29:45with a little carrot frikka salad on the side.
29:47And I still have some of those leftover carrots,
29:49so I'm making an elevated carrot salad.
29:52So I'm going to add, like, some, like, carrot ribbons
29:55to go with my other carrots,
29:56just to try and bulk the plate up a little bit.
29:59All the components of my dish
30:00are almost exactly how I wanted them to be,
30:03so I'm happy with how everything else turned out.
30:08I'm here representing East Coast chefs,
30:10our culinary scene is underappreciated,
30:13so I'm here to win for myself
30:15and for Nova Scotia.
30:26Hi, Chris.
30:27Hello, judges, chefs.
30:28Oh, welcome.
30:29Hello.
30:30Pleasure, chef.
30:31Pleasure to meet you.
30:32So I made you guys some fresh-baked focaccia.
30:35We did an overnight ferment,
30:36and then you have a pork riette.
30:38On the side, you have a carrot salad
30:39with a little frica and a carrot caramel.
30:42Thank you, chef.
30:43Of course. Enjoy.
30:48The focaccia, to pull that off in, you know,
30:50four hours of active time is extremely well-made.
30:52I think it's really fun all the different ways
30:54he incorporated carrot into this.
30:56I really love the carrot caramel with the frica,
30:59which is nice and nutty and crunchy.
31:01I really think that everything here is seasoned fantastically.
31:04The riette is still moist.
31:06It has heaps of flavor.
31:08But just conceptually, it is a sandwich in a salad.
31:12It surprised me to do a riette and focaccia.
31:15It's all very, very tasty, but, you know,
31:17where's the star here?
31:18Where's, like, the main focus?
31:20And I'm just not getting that.
31:23Today, we are making a Beef Rossini Royale.
31:27It's a big dish.
31:28My take on a Beef Rossini Royale
31:30is layers of indulgent and rich proteins all on a plate.
31:34It's one of the best dishes in the world that was ever created.
31:37Yeah, we're feeling, you know, full of jobs to do.
31:40My stuff is just really a la minute.
31:42I've chosen money, but today is all about time.
31:45In order to execute the Beef Rossini to Top Chef Canada level,
31:49this would take four line cooks.
31:51Crab's gonna go in.
31:52From the snow crab being just lightly poached
31:55in butter and lemon and a little bit of Esplet,
31:57the foie gras has to be perfectly seared
31:59because overcooked foie gras, there's nothing worse.
32:01These are looking good.
32:03It's really easy for any of these ingredients
32:05to take a wrong turn.
32:06We better not overcook the beef.
32:10The best thing about Wagyu is, like,
32:11it's just so melt in your mouth.
32:13I just need to build the quickest, fastest crust on it.
32:16This is so intense.
32:17I can't push any harder than I am.
32:26Oh, my God.
32:28If I nail this, people are gonna be talking about it.
32:35This is definitely money.
32:37Hey, closet. Oh, wow!
32:40I couldn't stop there.
32:44This is the one-hour Beef Rossini Royale with truffle.
32:49So here I've done A5 Japanese Wagyu tenderloin.
32:52Spinach, a crostini, Alaskan king crab, caviar,
32:56Italian summer truffles, and then a nice piece of foie gras.
33:01You know, if I had to charge for this dish 30% food cost,
33:04that's a $650 dish that you have in front of you.
33:08I think that's what I paid at Prime Seafood Palace.
33:11Yeah.
33:13Thank you, Paulson. Thank you.
33:14It feels like a privilege.
33:18That's a very sexy plate of food.
33:20I think it's so his personality.
33:22It's indulgent, it's rich, it's over the top, it's fun.
33:25I was shocked that he did it in an hour.
33:27Yeah.
33:28That was choreography in there.
33:29To put up this plate like this, it is a dance on the line.
33:31And everything is technically perfect.
33:32Mm-hmm.
33:33That foie gras is right on the money.
33:35Yeah.
33:36Really moist and succulent,
33:37but it had a nice little crust on it.
33:39This dish sounded like a jackpot.
33:44That's all coming down in the plate.
33:46Mm-hmm.
33:59Chefs, we challenged you with the ultimate chef's dilemma,
34:10the luxury of time versus the privilege of money.
34:14And today you revealed the benefits and drawbacks of both choices.
34:18Two of you will make it to the finale,
34:20and two of you will be going home.
34:23Chris, you had four hours for your cook.
34:29How did you use it?
34:30I had some pork shoulder that was gonna sous vide overnight
34:34and be a more steak-y element.
34:36But my equipment failed me.
34:39It's my risk I took.
34:41And that's when I decided to pivot and make the rillette
34:44the main component of the dish
34:46and turn my garnish into more of a carrot salad.
34:49I was proud of what I was able to put my head down and do today.
34:52Katie, you chose money,
34:56but you chose rather humble ingredients.
34:59What was your thinking on that?
35:01The money to me really wasn't to show
35:04that I can buy expensive ingredients and put it on the plate.
35:08I chose to put myself through the challenge
35:11of a one-hour cook time
35:14and still show my flavors, my style,
35:18stay authentic, stay true to myself.
35:21Colson, was it necessary to put caviar on the Rossini?
35:27Was it because you had a lot of money to spend?
35:31Or you really intended to bring that layer of flavor?
35:35For me, it's that little bit of saltiness.
35:38Just gonna pair so nice with the king crab.
35:40It's the little cherry on top of just this amazing dish.
35:44I was happy with that product once I put it onto the plate.
35:47Alex, the three chefs beside you
35:51have been top-notch contestants all season.
35:54Were you worried that making something so traditional,
35:57a pétitier with chicken,
35:59might be outshone by a more creative endeavor
36:01from some of your peers?
36:02I know their styles.
36:04I know their high-level cooking standards.
36:07However, I would just focus on my dish
36:09to showcase my skills.
36:11Danielle, please tell us who had the winning dish.
36:15The chef with the best dish is...
36:24Alex.
36:30Good work.
36:32Thank you so much, chef.
36:33Wow.
36:34Yeah, this was really nerve-wracking.
36:36I had to really give 1,000%.
36:38Well, Alex, it was truly classic.
36:41And the jus, it was roasted to the best flavor.
36:45Thank you, chef.
36:46Congratulations, Alex.
36:48You've earned your spot in the finale.
36:51I'm feeling incredible.
36:53Super positive feedback from chef Daniel Bluth.
36:56I'm so happy I'm going to the finale.
36:59It just gives me goosebumps.
37:01Chris, Katie, and Coulson,
37:08there's only one spot left in the finale,
37:11and two of you will be eliminated.
37:22Chris, please pack your knives and go.
37:26I think I did present a really good dish to the judges,
37:35but at the end of the day,
37:36it wasn't the dish that I wanted to present.
37:39It is an honor to be cooking for you judges,
37:42but also being amongst these amazing peers.
37:45Katie and Coulson,
37:47you can head back to the locker room
37:49while we make our decision.
37:51Thank you, chefs.
37:53Thanks, Chris.
37:55It's been quite the journey indeed.
37:57Of course, it's not how I wanted it to end for me.
38:00See you later, guys.
38:01Yeah, man.
38:02Yeah, one last one.
38:03Thanks, guys.
38:04Thanks, guys.
38:05Very proud of you, man.
38:06I'm happy to have made it to the final four,
38:08and I hold my head high.
38:10I'll see you out east.
38:12See you, buddy.
38:13Later, guys.
38:17This is the best final three chefs
38:20we've ever had in Top Chef Canada history.
38:22Yeah, for sure.
38:23Impressive.
38:24Well, Alex is in the finale.
38:26Who's gonna join him?
38:27Coulson or Katie?
38:28Coulson made it rain, and I was dancing in it.
38:31It was delicious.
38:32Forget all of the money.
38:34What really made that dish so successful
38:36was the fact that the croissant on the foie,
38:39on the beef, every aspect of that
38:41was almost him leaning into his time restriction to say,
38:44look at how many octopus arms I can whip out in the kitchen
38:47to make you believe I am the Top Chef.
38:51Katie, she also had the same amount of money,
38:54the same amount of time as Coulson,
38:56and she chose to actually make something a little bit more humble,
38:59but true to who she is as a chef.
39:01My fish was cooked rather perfectly.
39:03To get the clams right, to get it all assembled,
39:05to pull that off at the last minute, quite expert of her.
39:08She wanted the freedom to be herself, and she did that.
39:12Are we giving Coulson too much credit for having his personality
39:15be something that leans into opulence that much more easily?
39:18She's really doing her own thing, her own style.
39:21Just kind of makes her, like, that much more special.
39:25But we also asked them to give us money-worthy dish,
39:29and Coulson did it and then some.
39:32His technique was amazing.
39:34That was the best brosini I've ever had.
39:36I don't know if I will go back to Coulson so often.
39:39For your heart.
39:41I really feel that Katie,
39:43it was just a beautiful, well-executed,
39:47close to her heart kind of dish.
39:49I've never had a dish like she cooked today, ever.
39:51She's incredibly talented,
39:53but do you think that she should be one of the final chefs?
39:56It really pains me.
39:58We're gonna lose out on trying an incredible finale meal
40:01from one of these two amazing Canadian chefs.
40:04No, I agree with that.
40:17Coulson and Katie, one of you will be joining Alex in the finale.
40:30But for one of you, this is the end of the line.
40:34Coulson, congratulations.
40:48You're going to the finale.
40:50Oh, I'm sorry.
40:53You took so good.
40:56I'm so proud of you.
40:58Katie, please pack your knives and go.
41:03Truly, thank you for the opportunity,
41:05for your time, your grace, your knowledge.
41:08It's been one hell of a ride.
41:11Katie, you represented so many unheard voices,
41:14and yet you managed to find your own voice in this competition.
41:17You're a really special chef.
41:19It's really been an honor seeing your journey here.
41:25And this is just gonna be the beginning for you.
41:30You know, I came on here to get to know myself,
41:34prove something, be visible,
41:36and I got more than I could ask for.
41:40It's an honor.
41:42We're gonna miss you, Katie.
41:46It's really heartwarming to see that I have made an impact.
41:56This journey was really worth it.
41:58Yeah, I don't regret anything.
41:59You guys are gonna, you know, kill it.
42:02I've learned to be loud with my voice and be proud of it.
42:07I can't wait to see what's next.
42:10It was amazing.
42:13One last cook.
42:14Cheers to the finale.
42:16Hello, hello.
42:18Oh, oh.
42:19This is your locker room?
42:20Yeah.
42:21What an honor.
42:22Please don't look behind the curtains.
42:23Alex, congratulations.
42:24Chef.
42:25What an honor.
42:26Congratulations again.
42:27Thank you very much.
42:28You both spoke French loudly today in your cooking.
42:32You're gonna go to the final challenge.
42:34This is incredible, and I think the judge, I'm waiting for you.
42:38I am looking forward to watch it.
42:41May the best chef win.
42:43Good luck.
42:44Thank you, chef.
42:45Thank you, chef.
42:48This is crazy.
42:50Chefs, you made it.
43:05One of you will be Canada's top chef.
43:11For many, winning means the opportunity to open the restaurant of their dreams.
43:17So, for this final challenge, you're gonna do exactly that.
43:23Chefs, this is it.
43:25It's restaurant wars.
43:31Did you think we'd forget?
43:33There's no way.
43:34After everything, we're doing restaurant wars.
43:39What's happening?
43:42Yeah, and then there was two.
43:47Next time on Top Chef Canada.
43:49Every executive chef needs a strong and talented team to support them.
43:54Let's go!
43:56There's $100,000 on the line.
43:58This is it.
43:59This is game seven.
44:00I'm one service away from becoming Canada's top chef.
44:03That one bite could win this whole thing.
44:05There's a lot of work that went into this.
44:07Homeroom.
44:08You are Canada's Top Chef.
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