- 13 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:02I'm Padma Lakshmi, and we've scoured the nation to bring together the most elite chefs and the most renowned judges
00:10into the ultimate culinary battleground.
00:13This is a test of our 10 culinary commandments. Master them and you win $1 million.
00:20Brought to you by our official cleanup partners, Don Powerwash.
00:29Last time on America's Culinary Cup, today's a no-holds-barred, non-stop, gastronomic gauntlet.
00:36Oh, my God. This is nuts. Buddha, congratulations.
00:40You are the winner and get an advantage in our next commandment.
00:45And now, Keith and Beverly. Chef Beverly, you've served your final dish.
00:53You can't even celebrate the wins because of who's going home.
00:57Hi.
00:57Even though they asked God to go home in order for me to win that million dollars.
01:01Bye, Bev.
01:13I feel good today coming into the top six with an advantage. What's going on here?
01:18But let's see what that advantage is.
01:21Two tables.
01:21Oh, three tables. Three tables.
01:24Oh, my God.
01:25Oh, we have to put up something, huh?
01:28It feels great to still be here. I made it through molecular gastronomy.
01:31I thought I was going to go home in, but very thankful to still be in the competition.
01:36I'm in the top six among elite chefs, and it feels amazing.
01:43American cheese is engineered to melt the same way every time.
01:46It could be 30 different cheeses that we have to...
01:48Identify?
01:49Whatever it is, we have to put up 30 variations.
01:52I don't like the fact that there's 30 of anything.
01:54Maybe we're just assembling sandwiches.
01:58Oh, here we go.
02:06Hello, chefs. How's everyone feeling?
02:10Great.
02:12I feel pretty good. Like, I am adapting to the competition, and that fluidity, I think, is one of the
02:20most important things.
02:21You survived six intense commandments, and now six of you remain.
02:26Those that survived today will be one step closer to winning America's Culinary Cup and $1 million.
02:34Brought to you by our official cleanup partners, Dawn Power Wash.
02:39Final six now, I mean, there is nowhere to hide.
02:42But at the same time, I am literally five people away from the million-dollar win.
02:47Now let's get into our seventh commandment, consistency.
02:53To be a great chef, it's not enough to make something great once.
02:57You have to make it great every single time.
03:01Consistency is the backbone of a professional kitchen.
03:04And consistency is what keeps your guests coming back.
03:08Consistency is arguably the most important thing.
03:11I talk to my team about consistency more than anything, because that's what separates good and great restaurants.
03:16Today, you'll showcase your mastery of consistency by making 30 of the exact same dish.
03:25That's a lot of dishes.
03:27But, like, no chef is worth anything unless they can be consistent.
03:30And none of us would be here if we couldn't deliver on consistency.
03:34For your dishes, you'll be using one of these cooking methods.
03:39Grilling, poaching, or searing.
03:41I think you get more flavor out of searing and grilling, but you don't get consistency the same way.
03:47I mean, poaching inherently is the most consistent form of cooking of all three of them, without a doubt.
03:51There's little room for error on consistency.
03:53And someone here was insistent that you must work with fish.
04:00Who?
04:00Not you, darling.
04:01Well, he made them, you know, whatever, do molecular gastronomy for the whole last challenge.
04:06Chefs, cooking fish consistently is a whole other animal, literally.
04:11It cooks faster than meat and can be much more temperamental.
04:14It's one of the most difficult things to master in the professional kitchen.
04:18It's intimidating to be cooking seafood for Michael, because he's one of the most famous chefs in that department in
04:24the world.
04:25Providence is a three Michelin star restaurant.
04:27The guy's a beast.
04:29But don't worry, you won't be working alone.
04:31You'll be working in teams of two.
04:34I have mixed feelings about a team challenge.
04:37It gives you the opportunity to supplement someone else's strengths.
04:40But it can also be tricky because your partner could be the person you're going head-to-head against in
04:46the next round.
04:47How are you feeling?
04:48It's not what we were expecting, but we never know what to expect.
04:52Chris, who do you want to work with?
04:53I mean, I've seen Katie put up some amazing seafood dishes throughout this competition, so probably her.
05:00Chris?
05:00Katie, who would you like to work with?
05:02Oh, gosh.
05:03That's a good question.
05:05Sorry, Chris.
05:08Brutal.
05:09Well, this is America's Culinary Cup, where you don't always get what you want.
05:13But do you know who does get what they want?
05:15Buddha.
05:16Buddha, you won the last commandment, so you'll get to pick your team.
05:20Wow.
05:21And what cooking method you're going to use.
05:24Well, this.
05:26And you'll decide the other teams.
05:28Oh, my gosh.
05:30And what cooking method they'll use.
05:33Jeez.
05:34Buddha is a competition veteran.
05:36He's a strategic player, so we should all be a little scared.
05:41Buddha, how does it feel to have all the power?
05:43It feels good, but it's a very hard puzzle to navigate.
05:48Matt is probably my biggest threat.
05:51And so do I pair up Matt with someone that he is not comfortable with and try and get Matt
05:56out?
05:57A lot of things going in my head right now.
05:59Or do I team up with Matt because, at the end of the day, I'm going to have a tougher
06:03time getting to the finish line without him?
06:06Buddha, who would you like to work with? And what cooking method do you want to use?
06:10Obviously, I have to play it in my sort of strategic way.
06:13I'd have to go with Matt.
06:15He's a Baku store winner, and whacking up 30 plates of consistency is like a walk on a park.
06:21And I think the cooking method that we'll probably go with is poaching.
06:24You can't beat him, join him.
06:27Matt, please join Buddha.
06:30All right, Buddha, which team do you want to pair up to grill?
06:34I do want to play it like I'm doing it as it's fair, but I'm not doing that.
06:38I'm going to just go down the line. I think Katie and Kara, and then Keith and Chris.
06:44A million dollars on the line, you're just going to be like, Chris with Keith, Katie with Kara.
06:48Yeah. There's definitely some strategy just because their cuisines are actually kind of clashing.
06:54Katie and Kara are going to grill. You know, you've got Spanish and Asian.
06:58You have Middle Eastern. You've got soul food.
07:00Keith and Chris are going to go searing.
07:03Chris works over live fire. That's how he got his Michelin star.
07:06Keith just won a challenge a couple of commandments ago literally for his grilled hamachi color.
07:11So why would I give them grilling? My best chances to going to the next commandment
07:15is making sure that the other contestants don't have the best chances to go into the next commandment.
07:19So Chris and Keith are going to sear. Katie and Kara are going to grill.
07:26Each team will have two and a half hours to make 30 identical and consistent dishes.
07:32The team that finishes in first place will be safe, but I can't say the same for the rest of
07:39you.
07:39And believe me when I say you do not want to end up on the bottom for this one.
07:43All right, chefs, please head to your stations.
07:4730 pieces of fish all flawlessly cooked for Chef Michael, the seafood king of L.A.
07:54No pressure, right?
07:56Your time starts now. Good luck.
07:59Tell me what you're thinking.
07:59So my initial idea was to do a saffron and tomato bourbon.
08:03So just talking about the cooking of the trout.
08:06I'll just spit out my idea, what I'm thinking.
08:09I immediately have a dish in mind.
08:11Halibut, we're going to pipe a shrimp mousse.
08:13Then we're just going to roll it up and valentine it.
08:15And then I was thinking of like a veil that would cover the dish.
08:18This dish was on my last summer menu and everyone loved it.
08:22I like the idea of like covering the fish.
08:24So it's more of consistency because I can't see it.
08:26I don't like to overcomplicate.
08:27Me either.
08:28All right, let's go for it.
08:29You all for it?
08:29I'm all for it.
08:30All right, let's do it.
08:31For this commandment, chefs will be scored on four judging criteria.
08:35Taste, creativity, presentation, and mastery of the commandment.
08:39Each category is worth five points for a total of 20 points from each judge
08:44with a possible perfect score of 60.
08:56So what exactly is this other than a hairpin?
08:59This?
08:59Yeah.
09:00Is this so I can put my hair up?
09:02Yes, exactly.
09:03I'm so glad you asked.
09:04So this is something that pretty much everybody in our kitchen has.
09:07A fancy toothpick?
09:08Yes, no, not a fancy toothpick.
09:10We're going to use this to determine how well the fish is cooked.
09:13You just put it into the flesh, and if it stops right away,
09:16you know the fish is not cooked.
09:18If it passes through with just general resistance,
09:20then the fish is warmed through.
09:22And if it goes all the way through, forget it.
09:24The fish is overdone.
09:25Exciting.
09:26Wiley, you don't get one.
09:27That's fine.
09:28We're going to share one.
09:29Yeah, we'll push it in together, Michael.
09:32So today, me and Matt will be making halibut stuffed with a shrimp fast
09:36with mussels, leeks, and hazelnuts.
09:39Matt is butchering the fish.
09:40While he is butchering the fish, I need to get the brine on.
09:43Halibut actually does not taste that great if it's not brined.
09:46Halibut is a large fish.
09:48Don't have to worry about tiny bones.
09:50And we only have two and a half hours to make 30 dishes.
09:52I cannot have my partner or myself spending an owl cleaning fish.
09:56Halibut holds together, but also, you know, it's a big fish.
09:59You can make 40 portions with one.
10:00Right.
10:01You know, we're only asking for 30.
10:03The strategy for consistency here is butterflying the fish open,
10:07and then we're going to pipe the shrimp mousse down the middle,
10:09fold it back over, and torque it up so it's nice and cylindrical
10:12to give us not only even shapes, but to give us some nice even cooking.
10:16The first commandment is consistency.
10:18We've all worked in these big events.
10:19We've done banquet style.
10:21The biggest challenge is the time,
10:23and you've got to make sure that you have all 30 dishes done within that time frame.
10:28We are making grilled trout with charred eggplant puree,
10:33a cilantro mojo verde, and artichokes.
10:36Kara and I make the decision that she's going to butcher the fish,
10:40and then I'll brine it, cook it on the grill,
10:42and then finish it in the oven right before we plate it.
10:45If I had to do this challenge, what I'd be thinking about
10:47was trying to, like, make a sauce and a garnish
10:50kind of at the same time in one pot,
10:52and this way I could focus all my attention
10:55on properly cooking the fish.
10:57How are you feeling about 30 dishes, Kara?
10:59I mean, the scaling takes time. It's not difficult.
11:01Not royally with fillets is probably the hardest part.
11:05I'm nervous about cooking seafood for Michael.
11:07How could you not be?
11:08I actually tried to work for Michael for one night only.
11:11I staged at Michael's Restaurant Providence when I was 17.
11:15I thought it was one of the coolest kitchens I'd ever been in.
11:17He has a room just for fish breakdown, and his focus on seafood was amazing.
11:20Like, it was all the things that, when I was a young chef,
11:22that I was, like, looking to become.
11:24Pin boning. I would love to help pin boning.
11:26I can help with that right now.
11:28The pin bones are these little bones that go in the middle of the fillet
11:32that need to be removed.
11:34They're also dangerous because they're the thing that you don't want to swallow
11:36because they're very, very small, and you can miss them when you're eating the fish.
11:39Do you think Buddha had something going with putting us together as the girls?
11:42Like, he's trying to knock us both out?
11:44Yeah.
11:45The top two will be safe, but I have no idea what's gonna happen to everyone else.
11:52So, Kara and I need to win this.
11:55I'd like to be safe.
11:56Me too.
11:57I'm gonna start with the couscous and make the beurre blanc simultaneously
12:01so we can get those nicely seasoned.
12:03We're making seared black bass with cousa and a saffron and tomato beurre blanc.
12:08Chris had an idea, and so we decided to let him create the flavor and I'll fillet his fish.
12:13I have a fair amount to do.
12:15Cook the zucchini, make the fennel salad, cook couscous, and make the beurre blanc.
12:20Keith's focused on fish breakdown, cleaning, portioning, and eventually searing.
12:26I love black bass.
12:27It is one of the fish I learned to butcher first.
12:30It's a delicious fish.
12:31I love the texture.
12:32I think black bass is a great sort of blank slate to build off.
12:35Keith really has his work cut out for him though,
12:37because black bass are tiny and the fillets are thin.
12:39The flesh is definitely smaller than what I would've wanted it to be.
12:43There's no way you're gonna have consistent shapes of fish because the way a bass is.
12:49An eight ounce steak is an eight ounce steak.
12:51They may look different, but you're still getting eight ounces.
12:55So my approach to consistency is not the same look, but the same amount.
12:59We're gonna get the fish skin going closer to game time,
13:02so we can focus on consistency and making sure that the fish is beautifully cooked.
13:06So I guess Keith is in charge of all the fish.
13:09He's gonna butcher it.
13:10Yeah, he's gotta scale and butcher and pin bone all that fish by himself.
13:14It is a lot of work.
13:15And then Chris is gonna do his amazing sauce work.
13:18We're coming out swinging today.
13:20All right, just make those flavors bold.
13:21Yep.
13:22I did quite well on my last verblanc, so.
13:25If there's one thing I'm good at, it's that.
13:28You tried the brine?
13:29I did. It's beautiful.
13:30Yeah.
13:31Oh, it's so good.
13:31I decided to go for poaching because we can sous vide,
13:35which means we can manipulate the shape of the fish,
13:39and that's super important when you want consistency.
13:42I'm starting on the shrimpers.
13:43I got the brown butter working as well.
13:45Fish is down.
13:46Timer on.
13:47I'm gonna start the leek process and the beginning of the sauce.
13:51And I'll start cooking off those mussels and clams.
13:54Some of these are really stuck in there.
13:56They do not want to come out.
13:58I'm gonna jump in with you and pin bone.
14:01Because some of these pin bones are really stubborn.
14:04Pin bone is a pain.
14:06But it's also, you know, something that you have to do,
14:09and Trout has a lot of pin bones in it.
14:11I mean, this takes some time,
14:13but also this is a consistency challenge, so it should.
14:16How's the fish look, Chef?
14:17Fish looks good.
14:19To be honest, I wanted to go halibut,
14:21but Chris wants bass for the flavor profile that he's thinking.
14:25Of course, wish I had a meaty or white fish.
14:27This is gonna be challenging.
14:28It's hard to take the tweezers and pull the pin bones out,
14:31so it's just easier to cut them out.
14:33It does look like maybe Keith is struggling a little bit
14:35with the butchering of the fish.
14:36Now I'm thinking,
14:37should we have chose a different fish?
14:39This bass is dangerous.
14:40Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
14:49Chris, that size you want?
14:50Perfect.
14:51Perfect?
14:51Yeah, I think so.
14:52How many ounces is that?
14:54I don't know. I'll have a scale, but...
14:55That's one piece?
14:56Yes.
14:56That's one filet.
14:57They're thin.
14:58They're thin.
14:59Yeah, so we're just gonna have to go high heat,
15:00get a nice color on them.
15:01That's it.
15:0230 portions of fish is a lot in two and a half hours,
15:06but I have quick ways of doing things.
15:09Filet and fish, you have to be careful
15:11that you don't get the bones in there.
15:13The vast majority of restaurants they buy filets.
15:15It's one of the reasons why I work exclusively with wild fish,
15:18because it's such a romantic thing
15:20to be able to work with whole animals that way.
15:22I'm very comfortable making beurre blanc,
15:25and I think for 30 plates it'll eat well with the fish,
15:28so I think it's a smart move for this challenge.
15:30Here's the base of it.
15:35Yeah?
15:36I think it's good on saffron.
15:37You get all of it, right?
15:38Yes.
15:39Yeah.
15:40Kusa is a traditional dish in the Middle East.
15:42It's usually made with rice and meat as a stuffing,
15:44but I'm using couscous.
15:46So we're kind of just blending flavors and techniques here,
15:49trying to come up with a cohesive fun dish.
15:51Chris is excited.
15:53It's like Michael Jordan in rhythm.
15:55Just give him the ball.
15:56I just want to nail this fish so we can win this thing.
16:00You're good.
16:01You're golden.
16:02You're sitting pretty, boy.
16:03I'm not going for second place, that's for sure.
16:04I know you're not.
16:05I'm gunning.
16:06I know I can outcook anybody in the room on a given day,
16:09but as we continue to move up in this competition,
16:11I do think if Buddha and Matt were to leave,
16:14it would make it a heck of a lot easier.
16:17This is going to be the leeks that are going to be melted.
16:20That's going to go on top of the halibut.
16:22Buddha has a good understanding of strategy,
16:24so I let him take the lead on the dish.
16:27Our idea is to kind of stack everything on the fish
16:30and then just finish it with the bale and then the sauce.
16:33That's going to be the best way of creating consistency
16:35all the way through 30 plates.
16:37You keep going with what you need to do.
16:39I'm going to try and get most of the wrapping done.
16:40Matt's going to keep working on the garnishes,
16:42and I'm going to start filling the fish with shrimp fast,
16:46and I'm going to start rolling them.
16:47Next step after this is to get it poaching for about 30 minutes.
16:52Once we portion it, then we'll then bring it up
16:54in a bath of brown butter with the leeks and mussels,
16:57and then we're going to finish it off with a veil.
16:59Matt and Buddha, they have a lot of steps to their dish.
17:02Yeah.
17:02Unsurprisingly.
17:03Yes.
17:04You want to check these?
17:05Yeah.
17:05Is it consistent to you?
17:06Yeah.
17:07I think that's what we're looking for.
17:09Consistency.
17:10It's a lot of process, but it should enable them
17:12to make 30 very consistent pieces of fish.
17:15It feels great working with Matt.
17:17Fish is fully in at 54.
17:19We just kind of like won.
17:22It's interesting.
17:23Buddha and Matt went head-to-head in the first episode,
17:26and Buddha won by one point.
17:28Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
17:31Exactly.
17:32That's why you guys are so close to me right now.
17:36That grill over there has got eggplant all over it,
17:39but they're going to use that to cook the fish.
17:41Those fish will stick to the grill.
17:43I want to jump in there and help them.
17:45If Michael were grilling the fish, I wouldn't be worried,
17:47but I am a little anxious about this process.
17:50I'm going to test cooking a trout.
17:53Oh.
17:53Okay.
17:54They're going to use that grill over there,
17:56so that fear was allayed on my part.
17:58I was just confused.
18:01The eggplant's done.
18:03I'm starting on the eggplant puree.
18:04I'm putting scallions,
18:05confit garlic,
18:06tahini,
18:07soy,
18:08a little bit of lemon.
18:09I'm going to leave this a little chunky.
18:11I like texture.
18:12Okay.
18:13I trust you.
18:14The challenges that we have are getting 30 portions.
18:18Or more so that we have some room for error
18:22in case some things go wrong with some of the portions.
18:25We can pick the best ones.
18:26I'm feeling like I'm going to need to start grilling
18:28at the 30-minute mark.
18:30I don't know.
18:31Definitely at 30 minutes.
18:32Because you're right, I'm going to be busy with that.
18:34Which is fine.
18:35It's what we knew.
18:37See, I'm starting on the other jokes.
18:45So I'm going to start working on the seaweed veils.
18:49Matt and Budak, what worries me about what they're doing
18:51is that it's a lot of process.
18:52I don't know if that's going to work for them.
18:54I agree with you.
18:55I think they're making it hard on themselves.
18:57This is a challenge about fish cookery and consistency.
18:59You don't need a gel.
19:00Every component of the dish should be at the service
19:02of delicious flavor.
19:04I like all those bells and whistles.
19:06I just don't want them to be there for no reason.
19:09I want them to serve the dish so they're seamless.
19:12We're going to achieve consistency by covering our fish
19:15with this beautiful veil that will kind of blanket everything
19:17and really make it look consistent.
19:19But lucky Matt, I kind of went for a gamble.
19:22The thing is, to be honest, this is the first time I've made it.
19:26I came up with the idea, but my head chef developed it.
19:30And she did it, but I never made the recipe.
19:33So the risk of making this veil is that it will break,
19:36it will not come out delicate,
19:38or it could be too chewy and really just ruin the whole dish.
19:41I'm pouring out the liquid and I don't have much time
19:44for it to level out.
19:45It's going to firm up.
19:46I'm shaking all my pots and water's going everywhere,
19:49but I don't have time to worry about that right now
19:52because this thing's going to set like that.
19:54If it doesn't work out, I think Matt will probably kill me,
19:57but I have to commit to the dish now.
20:08We're working with a gelatin setting agent
20:12that has to be super thin because they're judging us on consistency.
20:16And so the most important part is that I have a consistent level
20:20of gelay spread out throughout my whole table.
20:22It was a huge risk, but I think I did it.
20:25You know, check it. Yeah.
20:29I think it's great. Okay.
20:31I'm relieved.
20:32First time I've done the veil, and it's working.
20:35This is the literal veil of consistency.
20:37Buddha and I both have kind of similar backgrounds.
20:40I think we understand a very high level of consistency
20:44and technique, and it's also kind of good to work together
20:47because I kind of get a little bit clearer picture
20:49of, like, what's going on in his head.
20:51Buddha's probably my strongest competition.
20:53So maybe that'll play off as a possible benefit towards the end.
20:58This old dog's got a lot of tricks.
20:59The youngest one here, though.
21:02Chris. Yeah?
21:03Come take a look.
21:04I just like both of us to make the decisions together.
21:06That's what you want?
21:07Perfect, dude. Great.
21:08Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful.
21:09Damn, yeah.
21:10Coming together, chef.
21:14Check the cooking of that fish.
21:15Yeah, you're good.
21:16It's, like, nice and rare on the bottom, crispy on top.
21:18You're good. Leave it just like that.
21:19Okay.
21:20I'm gonna start putting the plate together.
21:21Top of mind for me is, like, not messing up the fish
21:24and bringing Kara down with me.
21:26And so I am grateful that I made extra portions.
21:30Just take the pretty ones.
21:31That one's not very pretty.
21:34A little bit out.
21:35Get some gloves, maybe.
21:36We take the fish out of the brown butter
21:37once it's calmed up to temperature.
21:39We are then layering it with leeks, mussels, clams,
21:43and then we're gonna give it a final bake in the oven.
21:46Chris, I got 37 pieces.
21:4837?
21:48Yeah.
21:49Great.
21:49My pan's hot.
21:50Really hot, so I can see the out that fish.
21:54The sauce is hot.
21:55The kusa is ready.
21:5715 minutes left.
21:5915.
21:59It's time to go.
22:01I just need four minutes on the cook, so I don't triple.
22:04Everybody else is plating by now.
22:05We're not gonna make it.
22:07You put the fish on and I'll put the bell on?
22:08Yeah.
22:09There's nine minutes left.
22:10At five, we've gotta be plating the fish.
22:12Yes, exactly.
22:15Fish coming shortly.
22:16Five minutes left.
22:19I'm gonna go plate.
22:20Go ahead.
22:21Come on, boys.
22:21We'll do sauce and fish at the same time.
22:23Yep.
22:23They can't get fish and sauce on in under five minutes.
22:26Three minutes.
22:27We gotta go.
22:28My stomach is in knots just watching them.
22:31I know.
22:31Just keep hauling ass.
22:34You good, Matt?
22:35Yeah.
22:35I got six more to go.
22:37I feel like Buddha and Matt, they speak the same culinary language.
22:40Yeah.
22:40That's great.
22:41They can feel what the other's doing.
22:42They've got a plan.
22:43It's like watching a ballet.
22:45There's nothing better than a quiet kitchen and it's just like everyone's just like doing
22:49their job.
22:49This is a little piece in the same way.
22:54Five, four, three, two, one.
22:58Time is up.
23:03Good job, buddy.
23:04Great work.
23:06Don't need to do the big crew store anymore.
23:08I did it with him already.
23:09That's only a quarter of it.
23:11Well done, guys.
23:12Congratulations.
23:12Nice job.
23:14First, we have Kara and Katie.
23:16We made a grilled trout with a burnt eggplant puree, grilled artichokes, and a mojo verde sauce.
23:32Kara and Katie, I think you did a great job getting it crispy.
23:37We're judging you on the consistency of the cook of the fish.
23:40There were a couple of fish that I saw.
23:42Certainly, the ones that were on the thinner side that got a little bit overcooked.
23:46But also, when I had the thicker portions of fish, they were beautifully cooked.
23:50Yeah, I think I tried six pieces and there's a couple that just saw a little bit too much time.
23:55I love how herbaceous the artichokes are.
23:58I think they're really bright.
23:59The garnishes and vegetables are as great as the fish.
24:03They were really well seasoned.
24:05I love seeing that you had a little mold and salt here to finish every piece of fish.
24:09And a squeeze of lemon showed really nice touch.
24:11Great stuff, guys.
24:12Yeah, really good.
24:14Oh, my God.
24:15We were both happy with the dish.
24:16We're both happy with how it turned out.
24:18Whether it's going to get us in first place or not, we're not sure.
24:20It's tight competition now.
24:22It's a beautiful dish.
24:23I know.
24:23Chris and Keith, tell us about your dish.
24:25You have seared black bass with a saffron and tomato beurre blanc, and then stuffed squash,
24:32a little bit of shaved fennel as well.
24:40Keith, you were responsible for butchering the fish and searing it?
24:43Yes.
24:43Yes.
24:46Chris, I want to know what's in your sauce.
24:48Shallot garlic, a little bit of black pepper, bloomed ground saffron,
24:53and then roasted cherry tomatoes in the pizza oven,
24:57and then built a beurre blanc from there, mounting it with butter,
24:59a little bit of shio koji, and lemon juice.
25:03Sauce is delicious.
25:05It might be the best sauce that I've tried today.
25:07Oh, thank you so much.
25:08Yeah.
25:09The fish is cooked very nicely.
25:16You see that?
25:19Those are bones.
25:24Bones.
25:24Two bones in one piece of fish.
25:27Well, I'll this one up.
25:35Unfortunately, there were a few bones.
25:39Sorry I screwed it up with the fish, buddy.
25:41It's okay, buddy.
25:41We're still in it.
25:42For a seafood challenge, to find bones is no bueno.
25:45It's extremely unfortunate.
25:47We put together a great dish, but for Keith,
25:50to leave bones still in the fish is gonna take us down.
25:53And there's a lack of consistency in the cutting of the fish as well.
25:57See this one?
25:59Looks pretty nice and big.
26:01This one, on the other hand, is much shorter, and it's curling.
26:07When you have a filleted bass, it's already inconsistent,
26:10and so if we try to just portion all one size,
26:14we wouldn't have had enough to actually do 30 pieces.
26:18I could have picked another fish.
26:20What my advice would have been, just cut them smaller,
26:23and you'd have been able to get 30 more consistently sized portions
26:27out of the amount of fish that was back there.
26:30The shapes weren't the same.
26:32I get it.
26:33I could have chose a different fish, and I have to live with that.
26:37As far as flavor and composition of this dish,
26:39you guys did a great job.
26:41Thank you, chefs, as always.
26:45Bones, man.
26:46When you have a partner, and you drop the ball,
26:49and they suffer, it just hits different.
26:51I made a terrible mistake.
26:52If Chris and I are at the bottom,
26:54is it a double elimination?
26:56Or to people cooking off?
26:58I just want the opportunity to redeem myself.
27:02No matter what, all good.
27:04And now we have Buddha and Matt.
27:06What did you make for us?
27:08Halibut that's been rolled and stuffed with a shrimp vase,
27:12covered with a veil that encases melted leeks and mussels,
27:17and finished off with a beautiful sauce made with clam juice.
27:19It's a very sophisticated dish.
27:27Mmm.
27:28Very tasty.
27:32Buddha, can you tell me about the veil?
27:33Yeah, so the veil was made with kalasaro de lice, thyme,
27:36some lemon peel.
27:37I then blended some nori into it.
27:40I set it with kappa carrageenan.
27:43Um, well done, chefs.
27:45Very consistent.
27:47And I use my handy-dandy pick.
27:49They are pretty much all the same temperature.
27:52There's many components.
27:53Seasoning is fantastic.
27:55I think the sauce, delicious.
27:57You really get that clam flavor.
27:59It is incredibly consistent,
28:01plate to plate to plate to plate.
28:02I love this dish as well.
28:04At first, I thought, like, with that veil,
28:06it was a little bit of Buddha being Buddha.
28:08But it serves a purpose here.
28:10It's delicious.
28:11It's not just show.
28:13It's a consistency strategy.
28:15The hazelnut is a nice surprise,
28:17a nice crunch that's hidden in there.
28:19I think it's a beautifully composed dish.
28:23It shows off all of your technical prowess.
28:26Nice balance of flavor.
28:28Well done, chefs.
28:29Congratulations.
28:30Beautiful plate.
28:31Me and Matt, we worked fantastically together.
28:34We definitely used each other to our best capability,
28:36and we did something that was incredible.
28:38Nice.
28:39That's good.
28:40Good dish. Good dish.
28:41Let's score.
28:47All right, can I get the dawn power wash?
28:49Yeah.
28:50Nice.
28:50I thought that went well.
28:51If we would have cooked it any further,
28:53made it any hotter,
28:54I think the fish would have been over.
28:56Yes.
28:58We'll have to see the scores.
29:01Like brand new.
29:04They were right that we could have picked a different fish,
29:07and I think it put us at a disadvantage
29:09because as much as I was saying black bass,
29:12they were on the smaller side.
29:13They were small.
29:14They were small.
29:15Keith said, excellent chef.
29:16I guarantee you, go eat at this restaurant,
29:18you'll never find a single pin bone.
29:20It's just on this competition, things can slip by.
29:26But this is a scary moment for both of us.
29:28He and I have cooked on the bottom a bunch of times,
29:32him more than me,
29:33but if we got to cook again,
29:34that's why we're here on this competition.
29:36Oh, man.
29:41All right, chefs, please come down.
29:52Well, the scores are in,
29:54and the winning team will be safe
29:56and moving on to our next commandment.
29:59Let's see the scores.
30:06Wow.
30:07Buddha and Matt, first place with 57 points.
30:11Congratulations.
30:12I've been doing competitions since I was like 14,
30:14and if I was to tell my 14-year-old self
30:16that I'd be plating up 30 plates with a Bakusto winner,
30:20you'd probably say, you know, you're kidding.
30:22Matt, if you don't watch out,
30:23Buddha's gonna start a Matt fan club.
30:28I've already started it.
30:29Matt has always been the biggest threat.
30:31I have never gone against someone of that caliber
30:33in any cooking competition.
30:35I admire Bakusto or chefs,
30:37but I'm, you know,
30:39I'm also excited to see if I can take him out.
30:42Buddha and Matt, you won first place.
30:45That means, obviously, that you're safe.
30:47But the four of you will all be cooking again
30:49in a four-way showdown.
30:53I want to know the definition of showdown.
30:57Oh, my God.
30:58I really don't want to cook again.
31:00I thought second place would be safe.
31:03I'm glad that it's four people cooking
31:06opposed to just me and Chris having a cook-off.
31:09The more people, the better chances I have
31:12to stay in the competition.
31:14So here is your final consistency challenge.
31:17The ultimate test of a chef,
31:20to make a French omelet.
31:24High-end restaurants don't hire people
31:26unless they can cook a French omelet,
31:27because it shows understanding of cookery
31:30and how dedicated have you been to your craft.
31:32Making a proper French omelet, creamy in the center,
31:36pale yellow with absolutely no browning
31:39and perfectly folded is a rite of passage for any chef.
31:42It's a staple thing.
31:43You work in French kitchens,
31:44and one of the first things you learn how to do
31:45is egg cookery.
31:46And making French omelets is a specific part of that,
31:49if not the only part of that.
31:51You'll have ten minutes
31:52to give us the perfect French omelet.
31:56Ten minutes?
31:57French omelets in ten minutes from start to finish,
32:00gathering ingredients, gathering equipment.
32:02Like, that's impossible.
32:04You have ten minutes.
32:05Please head to your stations.
32:07I have been cooking in a professional kitchen
32:09for almost two years, and I'm pregnant.
32:11So it's just, like, surreal that I made it this far.
32:13And now it's nuts that getting to the million dollars
32:16is resting on making a perfect omelet.
32:18Matt and Buda, you can relax up there.
32:20We'll take our omelets in the dining room.
32:22Good luck to you all.
32:24Everyone's nervous.
32:26Do I cook all four at once?
32:27That's crazy.
32:28How do I do two and two?
32:29Like, what is the strategy here?
32:34Your time starts now.
32:39I love making French omelets.
32:44Four omelets, three ingredients.
32:46Hard challenge.
32:47I wonder if they're going to be able to order everything.
32:51This is our first ten-minute cook.
32:53That scared the daylights out of me.
32:55Eight minutes!
32:56Holy .
32:58Every competition we've had, that last ten minutes
33:00is when you better start plating.
33:02So in my head, I'm like, you're already behind the clock.
33:04I don't even know if this is enough time.
33:06With a million dollars down the line, it's brutal.
33:09A perfect French omelet is lightly seasoned,
33:11not heavily seasoned.
33:12The outside should not have any brown.
33:15No, it should be this beautiful sort of canary yellow.
33:19I would uncharacteristically use unsalted butter.
33:22And it's really quick.
33:23A properly made omelet is truly, like,
33:26maybe the greatest invention of Western civilization.
33:28Wow.
33:31My strategy is to crack the eggs all in one bowl and drop them one by one.
33:36Because why would you take the time to crack four eggs into separate bowls?
33:40Wild to me.
33:41I've got to put energy to other things.
33:44Six minutes.
33:49Jeez, that went by fast.
33:51I can't believe my future in this competition
33:54comes down to cooking omelets consistently.
33:59Turn that down.
34:00My strategy is to start all four on low heat,
34:05get two of them pretty set, set them off the heat,
34:07and then finish the other two.
34:08Okay, there we go.
34:09There we go.
34:12When I rolled my eggs,
34:13I realized underneath that one was brown.
34:16Brown is not an option.
34:17You want it to be yellow.
34:18So I'm trying to get another omelet made.
34:22But I'm running out of time.
34:23Through this competition,
34:24I've been fighting for my place.
34:26And so I'm not giving up.
34:33I realize that my flames are too high.
34:36Then I'm trying to adjust the flame.
34:38Then I have to go back to the first egg I'm cooking
34:40and try to get that right.
34:41And then I realize I'm losing focus on the other three.
34:43And then everything just goes to, you know,
34:45hell in a hand basket.
34:47Chris is not doing good.
34:48Something's funny.
34:49He doesn't have an omelet.
34:50He's scrambling.
34:53I'm done.
34:54I'm done.
34:56That's not looking good for him.
35:04Four minutes.
35:08Panicking.
35:09Panicking.
35:10I try to remake the ones that didn't turn out the way I wanted them to.
35:15And just in complete panic.
35:17I mean, I'm about to go home if I don't cook this one.
35:19Perfect.
35:24This challenge is 10 minutes of stress.
35:26Not ideal.
35:28The only thing that's keeping me through this whole competition,
35:30with that pressure, staying calm.
35:33Trying to get another omelet made, and it's setting,
35:37but I'm running out of time.
35:40I feel better about a couple that I'm making,
35:42but I know that I'm probably gonna end up putting up a less-than-perfect product
35:46on one, if not multiple, plates.
35:49This is a consistency challenge, and these omelets are far from consistent.
35:5345 seconds.
35:54How much?
35:5545 seconds.
35:5745.
35:58That sounds like carnage right now.
36:01Oh, my God.
36:0220 seconds.
36:03Heard 20 seconds?
36:04I'm throwing omelets on plates.
36:06There is no finesse in shaping a beautiful torpedo.
36:10I'd probably be pulling my beard out if I was out there watching this.
36:13Five, four, three, two, one.
36:18Jeez.
36:19Oh, my God.
36:21me.
36:23Yep.
36:24Me, too.
36:25I think I'm going home.
36:26I've had a lot of highs and lows on this competition.
36:29I mean, I was chosen as least likely to win, and I'm still here.
36:33But no, I can't believe my place in the competition rests on a freaking French omelet.
36:48We all made exactly the same thing.
36:51We're watching the judges passing the plates.
36:54They're talking about it in front of us.
36:55It's not easy.
36:56It's a hard one.
36:57In this moment, I am incredibly stressed.
37:01Okay.
37:02The green.
37:03This is Katie's.
37:05It's got beautiful color.
37:06It's nice and blonde on the inside.
37:09Mm-hmm.
37:10Yeah.
37:10This is Kara's.
37:11These have a great shape.
37:12Yeah, great shape.
37:12It's a little too liquid.
37:14I'm okay with that.
37:15Yeah, I'm okay with that, too.
37:16That's how I like my eggs.
37:18Okay.
37:18This is Keith's plate.
37:22That's salty.
37:23I agree, yeah.
37:25Keith's omelet on your plate.
37:26It's so brown.
37:27It's so overcooked.
37:29Well, that's not good.
37:30No.
37:31Chris's omelet was very dark.
37:33Mm-hmm.
37:33The same problem that Keith had on one of his plates.
37:38There's inconsistency in it.
37:40In all of them.
37:41One is the most consistent.
37:43Mm-hmm.
37:43Mm-hmm.
37:48Katie's was the most consistent out of all four.
37:52Kara's less so.
37:54From the comments, I know it's between Chris and I.
37:57Chefs, it's time to decide who will be moving on
38:00and who will be going home.
38:08The chef that served my least consistent omelet...
38:15...is Keith.
38:19Michael, who had your least consistent omelet?
38:29Keith.
38:32Wiley.
38:33Keith.
38:34Understood.
38:37I'm sorry, Keith.
38:39You served your final dish.
38:42Thank you all.
38:43Love you, buddy.
38:44Love you, too.
38:45Hey, Keith, it's been a pleasure.
38:47Absolutely.
38:47I fought the good fight.
38:49Oh, my God, yes.
38:50Yeah, you are incredible.
38:51Yeah.
38:51One thing I've been consistent at is fighting in this competition
38:55for my place.
38:56I hope for you in LA.
38:57And I'm proud of that.
38:58Keith, 50 points to the second-highest score.
39:02I am someone who grew up with less than other people.
39:05Like, I come from Watts.
39:06I overcame the gangs, prison, poverty.
39:11I didn't go to culinary school.
39:13My introduction to the kitchen was surviving.
39:16Let the evidence show.
39:17I am toasting some coriander.
39:20This is delicious.
39:22Keith, at 169 points.
39:27Yes!
39:28I just want to thank you.
39:29This has been an honor.
39:31And as much as it's done for me, it's done more for my community
39:35to be able to see me on this platform and be inspired.
39:39And you've inspired all of us as well.
39:43I'll see you.
39:43If I inspire one person where I come from, I've won.
39:47Love you.
39:48Thank you, chef.
39:48Much respect.
39:55Congratulations, chefs.
39:56You are still in the game.
39:58Thank you so much.
40:00You definitely would want us to celebrate.
40:02That's right.
40:03Take it.
40:05Congratulations.
40:06You made it to the top five.
40:08I am ecstatic.
40:12When I entered this competition, I never expected to make it this far.
40:17I have a one in five chance of winning this competition and a million dollars.
40:23Yes!
40:24I can do this.
40:26It's okay.
40:28Honestly, that was the most anxiety I've had in any cooking challenge.
40:37Well done, chefs.
40:38We're now down to the final five.
40:40It feels incredible to still be here.
40:42The skill set of all the other chefs.
40:45I'm like, you know, battling the ever-present, am I meant to be here feeling.
40:50So, it's really special to be in the final five.
40:52Only one of you can walk away with one million dollars.
40:57Get some rest.
40:58We'll see you very soon.
41:00Bye.
41:01Cheers, guys.
41:02Good night.
41:03Can you believe there's only five left?
41:06It's like a culinary super group.
41:07It's like Grateful Bread.
41:09Fleetwood Mac and Cheese.
41:10Snack Street Boys.
41:17All right.
41:18Shall we go and speculate what this next challenge is going to be?
41:23She'll go back home, crawl up in a ball and whisper consistency in the corner.
41:29Honestly, I'm so happy that was a short one.
41:31At least it was like, get it over with the bandaid off.
41:34I absolutely did not think I would get this far.
41:36I'm pregnant.
41:38Where are we at now?
41:39Banana size?
41:40What are you doing?
41:41We're past banana.
41:42We're past banana?
41:42Where are we?
41:43I don't know.
41:44I have to look up this food chart.
41:45Banana was last week.
41:46Fact of the matter is, if I lose, they beat a pregnant lady.
41:49So, what would happen if I wasn't pregnant is all I'm going to say.
41:53Do we get to change out of these gross coats?
41:55Mine smells so fishy.
42:01Next time on America's Culinary Cup.
42:04Our culinary commandment is world cuisine.
42:08I'm so nervous to put up a Korean dish for Roy Choi.
42:10Station's an absolute war zone.
42:13I could be going hard.
42:14I haven't felt like this ever.
42:16It's an interesting turn of events.
42:17I have no idea how this is going to go.
42:21I'm so nervous.
42:42It's delicious.
Comments