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MasterChef Canada - Season 8 Episode 11 -
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00:00Tonight, an epic journey comes full circle.
00:07We are in the MasterChef kitchen, let's go!
00:11MasterChef Canada is back!
00:13Hailing from all parts of the country,
00:1515 of Canada's best home cooks showed up to compete.
00:18Your time starts now.
00:21Woo, Marianne's going for it!
00:23Hoping to turn a passion for cooking into culinary glory.
00:26Cooking is so punk rock.
00:28It's my dream, I'm here to win.
00:31New power plays and sky-high stakes kept the kitchen on edge.
00:35I would like to use my immunity pen.
00:37While strategic gameplay cranked up the heat.
00:39Who was the weakest link?
00:41Cindy.
00:41I was completely ignored.
00:44Every dish faced the judges' intense scrutiny.
00:47There's a lot riding on this one bite.
00:49I think you overloaded your fryer.
00:51I don't like the star of your show.
00:53Big mistake.
00:54And, one by one, talented cooks were sent home.
00:57Ida.
00:58Rainy.
00:59Daniel.
00:59Cindy.
01:00Paul.
01:01Great job, Sam!
01:03Koichi, the ride ends here.
01:04Andres?
01:05Yeah!
01:06Walking out of here today, it's a win.
01:09Way to go, boo!
01:11Now, three remain, but only one can win and become
01:14Canada's next MasterChef.
01:19Woo!
01:19Woo!
01:19Woo!
01:20Woo!
01:20Woo!
01:21Woo!
01:22Woo!
01:23Woo!
01:24Woo!
01:25Woo!
01:26Woo!
01:27Woo!
01:28Woo!
01:29Isn't this incredible.
01:30Amazing.
01:32Welcome, everyone, to the MasterChef Canada Season 8 finale.
01:36Woo!
01:37Woo!
01:38It all comes down to this.
01:41Canada's three top home cooks battling it out in the culinary showdown of their lives.
01:48Only one will take their spot on our Wall of Champions,
01:51claim the CIBC cash prize of $100,000,
01:55and get the life-changing title of Canada's MasterChef.
02:03And now, for the moment we've all been waiting for,
02:05let's welcome our finalists, shall we?
02:11First up, a data engineering manager
02:13whose dream is to make food part of her everyday life.
02:16From Toronto, Ontario, everyone, please welcome Veronica.
02:25I'm competing in the MasterChef Canada finale.
02:28I'm one step away from achieving my dream.
02:32Yay!
02:33I've always been on top, but never, like, the top top.
02:37But today's the finale,
02:38and I really hope that this is my chance to win this.
02:42Next up, a dentist who wanted to fill bellies
02:45instead of cavities.
02:48Also from Toronto, it's Liz!
02:54A year ago today, I was probably extracting a tooth
02:57or doing a filling, and here I am today
03:00in the MasterChef Canada finale.
03:02This is the ultimate goal, and I want to win it so badly.
03:11Whew!
03:12And finally, a mom and a cattle farmer
03:14from Fort St. John, B.C.
03:16Mary Ann!
03:17Top three being in the finale, like, it's just crazy!
03:25This journey has been the scariest thing that I've ever done,
03:32and I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I give myself credit for,
03:37and I'm gonna win MasterChef Canada for my kids.
03:41I want to show them what they can do
03:42because of what I can do.
03:45Veronica, Liz, and Mary Ann,
03:46I know firsthand what it means to have your nearest and dearest
03:49here in the kitchen.
03:50I can fully see it on all of your faces.
03:54But we can't forget about your MasterChef Canada family.
03:57Hello, Season 8 home cook!
04:00Welcome back!
04:01It's gonna be fun to watch.
04:04Yeah!
04:05Absolutely.
04:07Home cooks, tonight, only one of you can win the ultimate prize.
04:11The MasterChef Canada trophy,
04:13$100,000 from CIBC to go towards your culinary dreams,
04:18and the title of Canada's MasterChef.
04:26Home cooks, your final challenge is to make us a three-course meal.
04:30Your menu should tell us a story,
04:32and it could be about who you are, or where you're from,
04:35or even your own journey as a cook.
04:37Mary Ann, what's your concept?
04:39My concept is elevated farm-to-table,
04:42and just letting the ingredients shine.
04:45I love that.
04:46Thanks.
04:47The women that I am competing with, they are strong.
04:50But, you know, I'm gonna put my head down,
04:52I'm gonna focus in on what I need to do,
04:54and may the best cook win.
04:57Liz, what's the theme of your menu?
04:59I'm gonna be taking you on my culinary journey today.
05:02So, how I started cooking,
05:04where I get my inspiration from,
05:06and finally, where I'd like to go in the future.
05:08Three dishes stand between me realizing my hopes and dreams.
05:14I am going to put my everything into the cook today.
05:18Veronica, tell us about your menu for tonight.
05:21My menu for tonight represents who I am,
05:25where I started with cooking.
05:28Can't wait to try it.
05:31It's so close.
05:32It feels like I just have to push myself one last time
05:35to get that finale prize.
05:38You'll have three hours from start to finish.
05:41The clock will not stop.
05:43Each course is due at the top of each hour.
05:46Here we go.
05:47You got this.
05:48Three-hour cook.
05:49Your appetizer is due in 60 minutes.
05:55And your time starts now.
05:58What do I need?
06:03What do I need?
06:04What do I need?
06:05Uh, all the aromatics.
06:08Garlic.
06:09Some spices here.
06:10Okay.
06:11Definitely this.
06:12I'm rooting for Liz in the finale.
06:14She's always been adventurous.
06:16I think she continued to peak throughout the entire competition.
06:19And I'm really excited to see what she puts on the plate today.
06:22Chives, chives, chives.
06:24I'm team Marianne,
06:25because Marianne is a beautiful farm-to-table chef.
06:29I just love her style.
06:30And she really knows how to bring flavors together.
06:32Okay, here we go.
06:33Here we go.
06:34Here we go.
06:35Here we go.
06:36I think they are all great chefs.
06:39But Veronica has amazing talent.
06:42She's somebody who uses creative and unique flavors.
06:46That's what sets her apart, her attention to detail.
06:49A little bit nervous.
06:51This is already so stressful to watch.
06:53This finale cook is so special and different from any other thing they've done in the MasterChef Canada kitchen.
07:00I mean, this is a continuous three-hour cook doing three different plates.
07:04It's more akin to a real restaurant service than most of the challenges we've seen so far.
07:10Planning, strategy, and time management are going to be so key.
07:15I'm starting on my appetizer course, and it's all about onions today.
07:19All right, Liz is doing something with a whole bunch of yellow onions.
07:23Three hours sounds like a lot of time, but knowing everything that I have to get done today, I know it is going to fly by.
07:31My appetizer course is an ode to onions.
07:34Onions are really the first thing that I ever learned how to cook.
07:37Believe it or not, I would come home from school and make myself caramelized onions as an after-school snack.
07:42I've got an onion sauce, a caramelized onion, and dill and apple salad.
07:49I came into this competition really strong.
07:53I immediately won the first pressure test.
07:55Liz, this is for you.
07:57And then I won the immunity pin.
07:59Really great job.
08:01And ever since that cook, I think my food has been on an upward trajectory.
08:05This is something that is next level.
08:08It is buttery.
08:09It's velvety.
08:10Bananas, how smooth it is.
08:12This is a MasterChef type of plate.
08:14You killed it.
08:15You really did.
08:16When I set my mind to something, I get it done.
08:19You got this.
08:20You got this, Liz.
08:21I've missed you guys.
08:27Veronica is getting to work on some sort of dough.
08:30I wonder if we're getting another noodle.
08:32I think we're doing a dumpling.
08:33My thing, I'm cooking something I'm familiar with.
08:36Taste that I grew up eating with a slight twist.
08:40Today, I'm cooking northern Chinese food because that's where I'm from.
08:46Throughout this journey, I've learned to trust myself.
08:49I realized if I cook something that I truly love and I truly enjoy,
08:53that's when I get good feedback from the judges.
08:55All those flavors are really coming through.
08:57It's silky smooth.
08:58It's beautifully set.
09:00You understand flavors, and you are on the right path.
09:03Continue.
09:05Hey, Veronica.
09:06Yeah.
09:07Are you making dumplings for us?
09:08Not for you guys.
09:09For the judges only.
09:11Yes.
09:13Hi, Veronica.
09:15How does it feel to be out here in this finale?
09:17It feels pretty amazing that I've come this far.
09:20Yeah.
09:21So you're making dumplings for the first course.
09:23Yeah.
09:24Dumplings will be seared.
09:25It's pork and shrimp with a homemade chili oil and a lemon cream.
09:29Oh, cream.
09:30Okay.
09:31Yeah.
09:32Because traditionally, dipping sauce, you get a little bit like black vinegar,
09:35but I think lemon cream could be really nice.
09:37That sounds very cool.
09:38Yeah.
09:39You're changing it up a little bit.
09:40What are your things that you're worried about?
09:42Mostly timing.
09:43So definitely tight on time.
09:45It's very ambitious to make dumplings in 60 minutes.
09:49So I'm just going to push myself to get the dumplings out.
09:52I'm very pressed on time.
09:57Classic Marianne.
09:58Here I am.
09:59Focused.
10:00Focused.
10:01So it is farm to table.
10:03Not over complicated, no bells and whistles, but just really good flavor.
10:07The inspiration for this menu is elevated farm to table.
10:11That's the way that I grew up.
10:13My mom was, everything was from scratch and I've just continued to cook like that into my adulthood.
10:18Right now I'm doing my beef tartare.
10:20I'm doing a little bit of a sourdough, like crispy sourdough on the side, keeping it classic.
10:24It's got some of that good Wagyu in it.
10:29What do you guys look for in a great beef tartare?
10:31The proper amount of pickles, mustard.
10:33And what I really want to taste is I want to taste that raw beef.
10:36I really look for texture.
10:38I always appreciate the hand chop.
10:40And Marianne has definitely hand chopped hers.
10:43It's a Wagyu, which, I mean, she knows more than anybody about Wagyu, seeing as she and her husband are Wagyu farmers.
10:51I left my family back home to be here.
10:55Aww.
10:56I'm gonna cry and miss my family so much.
10:59It was a huge sacrifice, but I've gotten better and better and better with every cook.
11:03That roastie is so pillowy and beautiful on the inside.
11:07Your hot sauce is just spicy enough to tingle.
11:10I love this dish.
11:11I like that you break out of your norms and give us something different.
11:16My food dream is to open a farm-to-table restaurant at our farm.
11:21And it is so close.
11:22I can taste it.
11:23You got this, Marianne.
11:25Looks awesome.
11:2620 minutes left!
11:29So your appetizer's in 20.
11:31Appetizer's going really well.
11:33I've got all of my elements working and on the go.
11:37Liz has a lot of big flavors going on right now.
11:40She has a soubise.
11:41A soubise is like an onion-based sauce.
11:44It's rich.
11:45Liz is celebrating the onion in this dish.
11:47It's gonna be onion-forward, but it's gotta be balanced.
11:51So I see Veronica hand-chopping the shrimp that she's using for her pork dumplings.
11:57It makes all the difference in the world because it has this bouncy texture that is really prized in Chinese cuisine.
12:03Mm-hmm.
12:04But it's tedious and time-consumer.
12:06I still need to make my dumplings.
12:07I'm very pressed on time.
12:10Okay, Veronica is just starting to stuff her dumplings now.
12:14We're at nine minutes.
12:16It's gonna be very, very tight.
12:18If she doesn't get her dumplings into the pan very soon, I'm really gonna be worried for her.
12:24I have to make 12 of these and I am falling behind.
12:29I'm feeling very anxious.
12:31CIBC is helping Canada's next master chef realize their dreams with $100,000.
12:37Home cooks, you have nine minutes until your first course is due.
12:43If she doesn't get her dumplings into the pan very soon, I'm really gonna be worried for her.
12:52I really took a big risk with my dumplings.
12:55But I've definitely challenged myself a lot throughout the competition.
12:58And I think the judges can see that.
13:01Veronica's got her dumplings in the pans.
13:03They're steaming.
13:04Cutting it close.
13:05You're definitely cutting it close.
13:07Three minutes, everyone!
13:10Get the food on the plate!
13:12Come on!
13:13I don't know what it is about bread, but I struggle with bread.
13:16It seems so simple.
13:19There's two minutes until we start our tastings.
13:22Two minutes!
13:25Get to plating, everybody!
13:30All right, we are moving into the restaurant for tasting.
13:33And Veronica, you're up first.
13:34Got it!
13:35Got it!
13:36Final push!
13:37Final push!
13:38Woo!
13:41Got it!
13:42Yeah!
13:43I hope the judges like my appetizer because it's who I am and the dish represents me.
13:55Careful!
13:56Be careful!
13:57Woo!
14:02I've made a pork and shrimp dumpling with a chili oil and a lemon cream.
14:08Head back out there.
14:09You've got more cooking to do.
14:10Okay, thank you!
14:11Thank you!
14:12I like the plating.
14:13It's very simple.
14:14It's very straightforward.
14:15Mm-hmm.
14:16All right, let's dig in.
14:22It's certainly not a typical thing to do a lemon cream to pair with the dumplings, but
14:28I kind of like it.
14:29I was actually kind of mixing the chili oil into that lemon cream and then dipping the
14:33dumplings into that, and I found it really tasty.
14:36The filling is beautiful.
14:38It's soft.
14:39It's punchy.
14:40It's got really, really nice kind of classic flavors to it.
14:42Yeah, I mean, the dumpling dough is really, really great.
14:46It's seasoned well.
14:47I do like the lemon cream.
14:49I find it interesting, but mostly I like it there because it's cutting this insanely
14:53hot chili oil that's got probably about a tablespoon too much of it on the plate in
14:59my mind.
15:00Overall, I think this is a very well-conceived dish.
15:03Good job, Veronica.
15:04Strong start.
15:05Yeah.
15:06Looking good.
15:07Careful.
15:08Careful.
15:09Looking good.
15:10Looks amazing.
15:11Hello.
15:12Hi, Liz.
15:14Beautiful.
15:15That's beautiful.
15:16I made my ode to onions today.
15:18So I have an onion soubise sauce, some braised leeks, pickled pearl onions, and an apple and dill
15:32salad.
15:34Thank you, Liz.
15:44This is a restaurant-style dish.
15:46It's thoughtful.
15:47All the elements really play well together.
15:50I think it's remarkably nicely seasoned overall.
15:53Mm-hmm.
15:54The apple's really refreshing.
15:55The thing that surprised me most about this plate was how soft all the onion flavors were.
16:00Everything is balanced really nicely.
16:02If I have one tiny little speck of criticism, it's the dill is pretty strong.
16:07Overall, this is a classic Liz dish, and I can't wait to see what else she does.
16:14All right.
16:16So today, I prepared just a simple Wagyu tartare with a horseradish, egg yolk, mayo in the
16:23middle.
16:24Perfect.
16:25Enjoy.
16:27It looks really beautiful.
16:28The color on it is stunning.
16:29I think this looks like a classic steak tartare.
16:32Let's taste it.
16:33All right.
16:38I think Marianne's done a good job overall.
16:41The tartare has very classic overtones.
16:44I like it.
16:45But it is under-seasoned.
16:47Mm-hmm.
16:48And it's rather dramatically under-seasoned.
16:51I definitely agree.
16:52But even more than that, I think that the bread was unseasoned, too.
16:56Yes, could it have more salt?
16:58100%.
16:59But I don't find it too pickle-y.
17:01It has a nice balance to it.
17:02You're tasting the Wagyu.
17:03You're tasting that beef.
17:04She raises these cows.
17:06She wants to showcase what it tastes like.
17:08And I think she did a really good job with it.
17:15Home cooks, you now have 40 minutes left to serve us your main courses.
17:19You've got it!
17:20Whoo-hoo-hoo!
17:24I'm working on the duck wrap.
17:25It's inspired by Peking duck.
17:27For my entree, I'll be making a pan-seared smoked duck with fried eggplants.
17:32I will be using the dumpling dough and turn that into wraps.
17:37Veronica took inspiration from Peking duck, a classic Chinese wrap prized for its crispy duck skin.
17:43But she's working with duck breast.
17:45That's not easy to get right.
17:47And there's nothing worse than an overcooked duck breast.
17:50Let's hope that she gets it nice and medium rare throughout.
17:53Mm-hmm.
17:54It's finale and the judges already know that we can cook.
17:58So I can't just put out a plate that's normal.
18:02I have to do a lot more.
18:03This is the pork that I did.
18:10It's tender.
18:11For my main, I am doing an apple cider braised pork stuffed pasta with a apple slaw.
18:17It's a play on pulled pork and coleslaw.
18:20Marianne has taken pork shoulder and cubed it up and pressure cooked it with stock and herbs and now pulverizing it down into a finer filling.
18:30The consistency has to be right.
18:32There can't be too much moisture.
18:34And if it's too dry, then you're just gonna end up with that meaty fiber in your mouth.
18:39This dish is, it's simple food made well.
18:43Right now, my kids are starting to be in the kitchen with me and they love making pasta.
18:47So I knew that pasta had to be in my finale.
18:50One step at a time.
18:51Hopefully it works out.
18:55My second course is my octopus dish.
18:57The cook on it has to be perfect.
18:59So I've been braising it now for probably 45 minutes.
19:04For my main course, I will be serving octopus with chorizo and beans.
19:09This particular dish is inspired by a time when my husband and I were between jobs.
19:15We went to Europe.
19:16We ate our way through everything.
19:18This is the type of dish that we loved when eating in Spain.
19:22And I'm really making this dish for him today.
19:25Liz is working with octopus, which is not your average everyday easy protein.
19:30It's not what you reach for when you're looking for a quick cook.
19:33Now, octopus is tricky because it can be kind of rubbery, but it also can go kind of mushy if you don't cook it right.
19:40Everything's just gotta get going. I have a lot of elements to do.
19:43And there's ten minutes left before we taste main core food.
19:48You've got this!
19:51It's starting to get a little bit in that frantic.
19:53That's how it progresses. It's all right.
19:55The finesse of this pasta dough is gonna be really, really important.
19:58She's gotta roll it really nice and thin.
20:01Anytime you're doing a stuffed pasta, essentially you're doubling the sheet anytime you roll it over.
20:06So you have to make sure it's nice and thin so you're not ending up with that kind of, like, uncooked pasta dough chew.
20:12My concern is getting this pasta done in time.
20:16My biggest concern right now is my pasta.
20:19It's so crucial that there's no air bubbles or else your pasta's gonna explode.
20:23And I'm worried. I need the pasta to work.
20:32And there's ten minutes left before we taste main core food.
20:37You've got this!
20:39My concern is getting this pasta done in time.
20:42Mary Ann, wow, you are not joking.
20:45You're bringing your A-game.
20:47That's a finale pasta right there.
20:49The shape is beautiful.
20:50We're cheering for you.
20:52I'm, uh, very excited.
20:55I need the pasta to work.
20:57I'm just hoping for the best.
21:00Hey, we don't want this to break.
21:01Pray for longer.
21:02I know that this pasta stays.
21:04You got this, babe.
21:06Having my husband and my kids in the audience, it means everything.
21:10Because I'm not just doing it for myself.
21:12I'm doing it for them as well.
21:15Two minutes left.
21:16Two minutes left, everybody.
21:18All right, home cooks.
21:19We're gonna go get ready to taste your mains.
21:21We're really looking forward to them.
21:27Come on, guys. You're almost there.
21:29I hope that they see I took a risk.
21:31As I'm plating up this dish, I really want the octopus to kind of have some height to it.
21:36So I decide to use some broccolini as a prop for my octopus to make it look a little bit more beautiful for the judges.
21:44And I hope that they really like it.
21:48Just get my sauce one and then I'm done.
21:51Come on, Veronica. Finish strong.
21:53I'm trying.
21:54You got it, girl.
21:59Thanks, thanks.
22:03Amazing.
22:04Hello.
22:05Hi, Liz.
22:06Okay.
22:08You're welcome.
22:09I made for you grilled octopus with brava sauce, chorizo and beans, and then a little chimichurri to go on top as well.
22:16Very exciting.
22:17Enjoy.
22:18Head on back out there.
22:20I mean, Liz has given us a really pretty plate of food.
22:23It's very vibrant.
22:29The octopus is actually very, very well cooked.
22:32Still got a little trace of a chew, which I like.
22:34It's, you know, it's octopus.
22:36Everything else on the plate works, except for one thing.
22:39The broccolini.
22:40I feel like it's structural broccolini.
22:43Like, it holds everything up.
22:44It's a structural shim.
22:46It's a crutch.
22:47It's a broccoli crutch.
22:49I just don't think it needs to be there.
22:51I think it's a tasty dish.
22:52It's vibrant.
22:53It's punchy.
22:54It tastes like I've traveled somewhere on vacation.
22:57No jet lag, too.
22:59It's a tasty dish.
23:00It's bright.
23:01It's beautiful.
23:02If I really needed to narrow it down, I find that it's just a little bit acidic.
23:05And I think it might be a little bit of sherry vinegar.
23:08But overall, a very strong dish.
23:12Hi, Veronica.
23:13Thank you so much.
23:14Hello.
23:15Thank you, Veronica.
23:17I made pan-seared duck with fried eggplant and a black garlic soy reduction sauce.
23:22Okay, perfect.
23:23And you made the pancakes?
23:24Yes.
23:25Fantastic.
23:26Get out there.
23:27Keep going.
23:29Nicely rendered duck.
23:30Mm-hmm.
23:31Look how thin these pancakes are.
23:33I love that.
23:39The duck is cooked perfectly.
23:41It's that nice medium.
23:43And it's impressive that she pulled this off in the amount of time that she did.
23:47I think this is a classic Veronica where everything tastes purposeful.
23:51And I think if you're just looking at this dish, if you didn't see what went into it, you wouldn't fully appreciate how beautifully cooked that duck is, how wonderful those pancakes are, the depth of this sauce.
24:02All the other elements are extremely technical, and they're not easy to pull off.
24:07Mm-hmm.
24:08I think my only, if I can find a complaint on it, that I've got one piece of eggplant that's a little oily, it's not really a big complaint.
24:15Yeah.
24:16I love the flavors.
24:17I could eat this every day.
24:21Hi, Marianne.
24:22Hello.
24:23Here you are.
24:25Farm to table food.
24:27It's always risky.
24:28When you take something that's so simple, you can't hide.
24:32Everything needs to be perfect.
24:39Woo!
24:40You got this.
24:43Hi, Marianne.
24:44Hello.
24:45Here you are.
24:48So this is a apple braised pork stuffed pasta with a apple and cabbage slaw underneath.
24:56Nice.
24:57Enjoy.
24:58Thanks, Marianne.
24:59You're welcome.
25:00What a fun shape.
25:01I love this shape.
25:02Mm-hmm.
25:03It's almost like the MasterChef logo.
25:04A little bit.
25:06But I do wish that she'd taken a little bit more time to plate more clean.
25:11Let's see if it delivers.
25:18I think Marianne's dish is really good.
25:20The pasta, really well done.
25:22The fill is a little on the looser side.
25:24Mm-hmm.
25:25But the sauce is great.
25:26It's really refreshing-ish.
25:27Mm-hmm.
25:28You'd think it'd eat a lot heavier than it is.
25:29The sauce on this pasta is so good.
25:32It almost tastes like someone made a delicious apple and pork stew.
25:35Cooked that sauce down, added a bit of cream to it, and then put it on this pasta.
25:39This tastes like something you would want to eat after coming in after a long day of farming.
25:44It's rich.
25:45It's sweet.
25:46It's meaty.
25:47I didn't know that she had some crispy fried pancetta in there.
25:51Apple and some cabbage underneath.
25:53Almost like layers of surprises that I kept finding throughout.
25:57For me, this is somebody that is here to dominate this competition, play into her strengths.
26:04And really, we've tasted everyone's appetizers and everyone's mains.
26:08It is a very, very close race.
26:11It's really going to be telling when we taste these desserts.
26:18Home cooks, you are at 30 minutes.
26:20Go, guys!
26:21Let's go!
26:22Let's go!
26:23Let's go!
26:24Let's go!
26:25Keep pushing.
26:26It's cornflakes.
26:27Cornflakes, it looks like it.
26:28Cornflakes.
26:29Oh, I'm excited to see what you do with that, Veronica.
26:32It's a cornflake crumple on the dessert.
26:35Oh!
26:36Eight is a really lucky number in Chinese.
26:41It represents, like, prosperity.
26:43That translates to me as the color yellow.
26:46And corn is the first thing that came to mind.
26:49So, my dessert is corn ice cream on a cream puff crust with cornflakes, miso caramel, and a uni foam.
26:58Uni is sea urchin.
27:00It's kind of out there to uni on a sweet.
27:03But, I don't know, some voice is telling me that they might just work together.
27:07You ever had sea urchin with a dessert before?
27:11No, I don't think I have.
27:13Neither have I.
27:14I'm definitely taking a risk with this dish because that uni foam, I just hope the judges really like it.
27:20It is the last impression, and I have to end it on a high note.
27:29On the dot.
27:31My food dream is to reinvent my old blog, Three Little Figs, and reimagine that to something so much bigger.
27:38So, the key to my dessert is the figs.
27:41I'm making a goat cheese cheesecake with fresh and brule-ed figs.
27:46This dessert is the last part of my three-course meal.
27:49It's a huge deal.
27:51How do we feel about figs and dessert?
27:53I love figs.
27:54It's one of those fruits that you don't want to mess too much with.
27:57You don't want to over-manipulate it.
27:59I definitely think that the simpler the dessert with figs, the better.
28:04This is so important to me.
28:09What are we smoking on Mary Ann's station?
28:12Is it cream?
28:13I don't think she turned it on.
28:15No.
28:16Mary Ann, turn it on first.
28:18Oh.
28:19You know what?
28:20That's so...
28:21I appreciate you.
28:22Yep.
28:23I'm here for you.
28:24My dessert is an ode to an old-fashioned cocktail.
28:28This dessert is for my husband.
28:30His favorite drink is an old-fashioned.
28:33And so, it has a smoky component of the barrel in the ice cream with cannied orange peel.
28:39I'm working on my ice cream base right now.
28:41It's gonna have rye, some bitters, all the good things that you would find in an old-fashioned.
28:47Now, Mary Ann is making a really interesting type of dessert that I haven't seen before.
28:53It's a simple cocktail though.
28:54There are some key ingredients that you're expecting to see.
28:56Everything's on the line right now.
28:58I've got two strong competitors beside me.
29:03They're bringing their A-game.
29:04So, everything's fine.
29:05Everything's really good.
29:06Everything's fine.
29:07Everything's perfect.
29:0821 minutes left.
29:1121 minutes until the desserts.
29:13Perfect!
29:14Oh, my God.
29:15It's the shoe pastry.
29:17It needs at least 20 minutes in the oven.
29:19I'm very tired of time.
29:20Now, it's 21 minutes left and Veronica is piping her shoe paste.
29:25Does she have time to complete her dessert?
29:29Oh, gosh.
29:30Yeah, I still have a lot to do and then I know I'm falling behind.
29:35The shoe pastry is the vessel for my dessert, but it takes 20 minutes to bake.
29:41I'm really cutting it close at the time, but I don't want to give up.
29:46My food dream is to open a cafe and winning the MasterChef Canada title will just be a big step forward in helping me achieving that goal.
29:56My gelatin didn't seem to, like, bloom properly.
30:04If it doesn't set properly, I don't have a cheesecake.
30:07So, I see that Liz is having some difficulty with her cheesecake.
30:11Yeah, it's no bake.
30:12So, Liz really has to strike a balance.
30:14If you put too much gelatin in there, it's gonna be, like, half of a rubber ball.
30:18And if there's not enough, then it's just gonna be a sauce, essentially.
30:22Not what we're looking for today.
30:23There's nothing I can do at this point.
30:25I have to just hope that it works.
30:27I'm gonna say a little prayer.
30:30Home cooks, 10 minutes left in your final cook of this season.
30:36You got this.
30:37Get those desserts done.
30:38Where did the time go?
30:40Honestly.
30:41I decide, last minute, just to do, like, a nice caramel.
30:45Something creative that will impress the judges.
30:48But I've kind of struggled with caramel in the past.
30:51Oh, this is burning.
30:52I leave it on my burner.
30:53I completely forget about it.
30:54And I look over, and it's black.
30:57I, yeah.
30:58I...
30:59Apparently, I just can't do a...
31:02A caramel.
31:03Her dessert dreams might be up in flames.
31:06Five minutes till dessert.
31:17Bye!
31:18Apparently, I just can't do a caramel.
31:22Every time that something doesn't go right in this kitchen, you're definitely feeling the pressure.
31:26But you need to know when to let something go, and move on, and just make it work.
31:31I'm gonna pivot.
31:32I'm just gonna toast my hazelnuts with some butter.
31:36These home cooks have been cooking literally nonstop for the past almost three hours.
31:41We are in crunch time.
31:43They must be exhausted right now.
31:45A hundred percent.
31:46We're still kind of in the weeds, but I've got faith they can pull it out.
31:49I am feeling so much pressure.
31:52Everything is on the line today.
31:55I think Liz did turn out one of her cheesecakes.
31:58I think she's good.
31:59I think it's set.
32:00Okay.
32:01One minute!
32:02One minute left!
32:03Come on!
32:04It's your last minute in this kitchen!
32:08Make it count!
32:09You got it, girl!
32:10Oh, Veronica is down to the wire with that choux pastry.
32:13Come on!
32:14Ten!
32:15Nine!
32:16Ten!
32:17Nine!
32:18Eight!
32:19Seven!
32:20Six!
32:21Five!
32:22Four!
32:23Three!
32:24Two!
32:25One!
32:26Let's go!
32:27Let's go!
32:28Let's go!
32:29Yeah!
32:30You did it!
32:36I'm so proud of all three of them.
32:38That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
32:43I did my best for every dish.
32:45I'm happy with my dessert.
32:47It cooked with my heart, and I really hope that this is my chance.
32:53I feel a sense of peace.
32:55I mean, top three being in the finale, it's absolutely amazing.
32:59Winning would just open up a massive door for me.
33:02This was so hard, but I'm really proud of myself.
33:06You did great.
33:07I feel proud of you.
33:08Everything that I've worked for, my whole food dream, it all comes down to this.
33:16But I've put my absolute everything into these plates today.
33:19Liz!
33:27Liz, this dessert looks so colorful and inviting.
33:30But before we begin, we're going to talk about your first two courses.
33:33Okay.
33:34The appetizer was delicate and just beautifully plated.
33:37The one critique we'd give is that the addition of the fresh dill kind of took over that delicate onion flavor a little bit.
33:44Okay.
33:45Now, for your main, the octopus was done perfectly.
33:49The one thing is, you could have left off the broccoli.
33:54Now, this beautiful dessert, though, tell us about it.
33:57So I've prepared for you today figs in a few different ways.
34:01I've got a ghost cheese cheesecake in the center on a pistachio base, roulette fig, and then a dukkah spice blend around the plate there.
34:11Let's give it a taste.
34:19Is that Thai basil?
34:21Yes.
34:22I've never had figs in Thai basil before.
34:25Very, very tasty.
34:26When it comes to figs, I find that it's almost like the perfect fruit.
34:30And it's like the less that we do to it, the better the results.
34:34And you didn't over-manipulate the figs.
34:37The cheesecake is great.
34:38It's got a really nice sort of citric-y acid quality to lighten it up almost.
34:43It's a nice foil against some of the other richness on the plate.
34:47The dukkah's great.
34:48I would have put a lot less on.
34:50It wants to take over everything.
34:53But great job.
34:55I love the addition of the pistachios on there.
34:57They give a really good texture.
34:58Great job, Liz.
35:03The judges really like my dessert.
35:04Maybe there's a chance that I've got this.
35:07I don't know.
35:08I'm so nervous.
35:09Mary Ann, bring up your dish.
35:12Good job, Mary Ann.
35:13I am presenting this dish to the judges as a old-fashioned.
35:18And I think when they taste it, they're going to taste an old-fashioned.
35:22But they're going to be nitpicking at everything.
35:25And it needs to be perfect.
35:26Mary Ann, your dessert looks beautiful.
35:28But before we get into this, we really liked your take on the beef tartare.
35:31The wagyu was a star, but the dish needed more salt overall.
35:35Okay.
35:36Your stuffed pasta main was succulent.
35:38It was rich.
35:39The pasta was perfectly rolled, and it was the perfect vessel for the filling.
35:44Now, tell us about your dessert.
35:47So, this is an old-fashioned.
35:50So, rye and bitters mousse.
35:53And then there's a smoked vanilla ice cream.
35:56And then we have a spiced cookie to play on the bitters.
36:00I'm really excited to try this.
36:09I think the flavors are really clear.
36:11I really get the overtones of old-fashioned.
36:14I love the smoked ice cream.
36:16The mousse is good.
36:17The spiced cookie's great.
36:18Candied orange is good.
36:20The only thing that an old-fashioned has, usually,
36:23that I would have liked to see on this plate is a cherry.
36:26Cherry.
36:28But it's got crunch.
36:29It's got smoothness, richness.
36:31Good ode to an old-fashioned.
36:32Okay. Thank you.
36:34That smoked ice cream?
36:35Incredible.
36:36You really nailed it.
36:38I love the texture of that rye mousse.
36:40Had you not even told us that it was inspired by an old-fashioned,
36:44I would have got that already.
36:45So, I love this dessert.
36:47The spiced cookie on the outside, as soon as this plate landed,
36:49I was just, like, spicy and wonderful, and it smelled toasty.
36:54I think this is a really fun dessert.
36:57Great job.
36:58Thank you very much.
36:59I did my absolute best, and I am proud of what I did.
37:03In hindsight, I should have added a cherry, but it's out of my hands.
37:07It's up to the judges now to decide.
37:09Veronica.
37:10Yeah!
37:12I'm very nervous because the judges have not tried that flavor combination of uni and corn before.
37:20I'm a risk-taker, but taking risks has not gotten me a win yet.
37:25Veronica, this looks amazing, but before we try this, we're gonna just recap your first two courses and tell you what we thought.
37:32Okay.
37:33For your appetizer, the pork and shrimp dumplings were just perfectly cooked.
37:38I did feel that maybe the sesame and the oil could have been toasted a lot longer just to really get flavor out of those chilis and the sesame.
37:47Okay.
37:48Now, the Peking duck, on the other hand, was just simple in a lot of ways, but so technically complex,
37:55but it just shows your story and who you are, and it was just an excellent plate of food.
38:01Tell us all about this dessert.
38:03It's a little wacky.
38:04So, the idea is a little out there.
38:08It's corn ice cream with uni foam on top, and then there's miso caramel at the bottom, and also some corn flakes baked with milk powder.
38:16We can't wait to jump in.
38:25Veronica, I've never had uni in a sweet course before.
38:29And with the corn and the miso, it could really err toward savory.
38:36But it works so well.
38:38And that miso caramel is smooth and salty and sweet and just the perfect combination.
38:45This is a really, really strong dessert.
38:49Thank you, Mary.
38:50The dessert works.
38:51The uni integrates well with the corn.
38:53I like the crispies.
38:54The puff is great.
38:56I don't think the niblets needed to be there, but it is technical.
38:59There's a lot of technique going on here.
39:02Veronica, not only did you hit it with different layers of corn, you topped it off with something I've never had, a sweet uni dessert.
39:13When I think about this dessert, you're not just cooking a sweet plate.
39:17You're creating experiences.
39:20This is greatness on a plate.
39:25Thank you, judges.
39:30I think I nailed my dessert, but I don't know.
39:34Everyone is such an amazing cook, so it's really hard to tell, like, what the judges are thinking.
39:42Veronica, Liz, Marianne, you just gave us three amazing meals.
39:49We've got a lot to chat about, so please excuse us.
39:52We'll be back as soon as we can.
40:00This is not an easy decision.
40:01No.
40:02I feel like you see on every single one of their plates, lessons they've learned throughout the season.
40:07They've taken notes.
40:09When we look at the three different menus, I think we need to look at who gave us the most heart and showed us who they are on the plate.
40:17Look, this is a tough decision.
40:19We've got three extraordinarily qualified home cooks, and we just need to come down to figuring it out.
40:32Go on.
40:34I'll be right back.
40:36Let's see.
40:43Hey!
40:46Liz, Marianne, and Veronica, you three came into this kitchen wondering if you had what it takes to compete.
40:53compete, each with a dream of following your passion
40:56and changing your life through food.
40:59Winning Mass Chef Canada would be a dream come true.
41:02But at this point, I don't know.
41:04I don't know what's going to happen.
41:06The confidence you've gained in this kitchen is undeniable.
41:09It's there in those stellar menus you created.
41:12Whatever the outcome, your culinary journey does not end
41:15here.
41:16This is just the beginning.
41:17I think I've worked really hard.
41:19I really hope that this is the time that all my effort is worth it.
41:25The winning menu was technically ambitious
41:28and told a beautiful story from concepts to execution
41:32that simply blew us away.
41:35I want to win so badly.
41:37I really poured my heart into this cook.
41:40And I hope the judges see that.
41:42And maybe there's a chance that they
41:44love the food that I put out today.
41:47The winner of this beautiful trophy, $100,000 from CIBC,
41:55and the life-changing title of Canada's MasterChef is Veronica.
42:10Congratulations!
42:19Congratulations!
42:21I just won MasterChef Canada season eight.
42:25My face is going to be on that wall.
42:27Come on up!
42:29This journey has taught me that I am a great cook, and winning
42:37the MasterChef Canada title will just
42:39make it a lot easier to pursue my food dream.
42:42There's nothing stopping me now.
42:43Oh, yay!
42:45Congratulations!
42:47I may not have taken home the title of MasterChef today, but I
42:51still feel so accomplished.
42:54I have gained so much inspiration from my fellow home cooks.
42:57I'm just really happy.
42:59Thanks so much.
43:00You're really putting it together.
43:01Given that small-town girls can do big things, too.
43:06Life is too short to be scared.
43:08And sometimes you just go, and you give it all you have,
43:10and whatever the outcome may be, it's going to be good.
43:13Yeah!
43:15Season eight!
43:17There's only one winner for a season,
43:20and I'm still trying to process that I'm the winner of season eight.
43:25It's you.
43:26It is me.
43:28Season eight!
43:30Yeah!
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