MasterChef Junior (2013) s06e03 Episode Script

Announcer: Previously on MasterChef Junior ( screaming ) 40 of the best young home cooks in America - Open oven.
- Yes! fought for a place Make those plates look stunning.
I want an apron now.
in the MasterChef kitchen.
.
Perfect.
That is a bloody delicious good sandwich.
Thank you, Chef.
Looks like a professional chef has done that.
I'm blown away.
and earned a coveted white apron.
Gordon: Congratulations.
( applause ) Tonight - Lift! - Ooh! Child: Bacon - Chocolate - Dates! Wow, um Zucchini, soy sauce, everything, from A to Z.
the top 24 learn their culinary ABCs.
Ah.
And then the junior home cooks Christina: Tonight, you'll all be making a fruit tart.
face a French classic, - and while some ( groans ) crumble under the pressure Oh, God, I'm done.
for others Really beautifully done.
success is sweet.
Amazing.
- Let's go! - ( screaming ) I'm so excited to be here in the top 24.
Oh, my gosh! Sophia: Thousands of kids tried out, and I got my white apron and now all I have to do is just prove myself to the judges.
Oh, my gosh! Come on down, guys! I've been to Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, but the MasterChef Junior kitchen is like its own country.
Gordon: Line up! Eva: Look at this place; beautiful stations, a pantry, restaurant, equipment room.
It's like Neverland for home cooks.
So good to see you all.
So good to see you too, Chef.
Beni: I'm nine years old, and I'm in fourth grade.
I would like to inspire kids to cook all different kinds of food and to be unique, creative, thinking outside the box, and show them that you can become more than you think.
Welcome to MasterChef Junior.
Yes! Joe: You are the 24 best young home cooks between the ages of 8 and 13 in all of America.
The winner of this amazing cooking competition will take home $100,000.
Whoa.
There's also one other little prize that's probably worth mentioning.
The ultimate prize the trophy and title of America's next MasterChef Junior.
( all cheering ) Girl: It's so shiny! Beautiful.
Now, it's time for the real fun to start.
So, please, head to your stations.
It's time for the iconic mystery box challenge.
Gordon: Tonight, you will have to use whatever you find under those boxes to make us one amazing MasterChef-worthy dish.
Whoever has the best dish of the night will be given a huge advantage in the nextup coming challenge.
Are you ready to find out what is underneath your boxes? All: Yes, Chef! Gordon: On the count of three, lift your boxes.
One, two two and a half.
( screaming ) three!Lift.
Oh! - Ooh, yeah.
- Ooh.
You have a very interesting combo.
Since this is your first mystery box challenge, we thought we'd start with the first thing you learn in school, the alphabet.
( laughing ) Under there you have 26 ingredients, from A to Z.
A is for Asia go, B is for bacon, C is for chocolate Chocolate.
Joe: We have lamb, mango, New York strip steak, olives, potato, quinoa.
Is this alive? Xanthan gum, yogurt, and, of course, zucchini.
For tonight's challenge, Joe, Christina, and myself just want to see you on a plate, a dish that makes you the one to watch in this competition.
Now, along with your A to Z ingredients, you're also going to havea ccess to the MasterChef staple pantry box.
Guys, trust me, those basics could make or break your dish.
You'll each just have one hour to make us a dish using your A to Z ingredients.
Are you ready for your first ever mystery boxchallenge? All: Yes, Chef! Your one hour starts now! Come on, guys! Ah.
Whoa! Excuse me, excuse me.
I'm part Brazilian, but I want to show that I can make more than just Brazilian food, so I'm using the chocolates and the mango to make churros.
Churros aren't Brazilian.
They're from Mexico, and I'm very confident that the judges will choose me for the top three.
When I saw all these ingredients, I was like, Pasta.
So today I'm makinga pasta puttanesca with tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant.
The first time I made it, it was around Christmas time.
We had gotten this pasta making kit.
From then on, I've been making homemade pasta with my sister, Remy.
So I think that I can blow the judges away.
Butter, butter, butter.
Here's my butter.
Wow, this is it.
Season six.
We've got 14 American states represented with these contestants.
We've got kids from California, Illinois, Hawaii.
That's gonna be incredible diversity, that multicultural insight to this country.
I am making lamb chops with a little bit of a mango kale salad.
Lamb chops, I think it has a nice flavor that goes nice with the salad.
I am making a chocolate cake with a mango simple syrup.
It really shows my personality, because I'm sweet, and I really like all the different flavors.
I think this will be a winning dish today.
- Good luck, Ben.
- Thanks.
Right.
Beni, how you feeling? Great, chef.
Tell me about the dish.
What are you doing? I'm making herb-crusted New York strip steak with yogurt dill sauce, ginger quinoa - Wow.
- and sautéed kale.
Steak is one of my favorite meats, and my grandpa always cooked steak for big, family events.
To become America's next MasterChef Junior, you're up against some tough competition.
Do you think you can stand out? Yeah, I think I can stand out, because I cookvery interesting dishes, and I consider myself a unique girl.
The punky Chicago girl.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
Now, young lady, you've got 28 minutes to get your hands on that advantage, okay? - Yes.
- Good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
Henry, how are you, buddy? I'm doing great.
So what are you making today? I'm going to represent Texas, so I'm making a grilled lamb chop with yogurt tzatziki grilled zucchini, and quinoa.
Have you seasoned the lamb chop at all? I'm starting to.
When you season, let me show you a trick.
You wanna season from, like, high.
Wah.
Wah.
Because it goes on nice and even.
It's like you're blessing it.
You go like, wah, wah, wah.
Try it with the salt.
Get a good amount of saltin your fingers, and then from up here.
Higher.
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
Nice work.
Henry, good luck, my friend.
Thank you.
- All right, Miss Sophia.
- Hi.
What are you making with this A to Z mystery box? I love to do Middle Eastern, so I am making Middle Eastern spiced lamb chops with date quinoa and dill yogurt sauce.
Wow.
Where does this come from? How did you learn how to cook? Mostly from my mom and dad.
And I remember from a very young age in Hawaii I was just ableto peek my head upover the counter top and see what the heck was going on up there.
Okay.
Then my love of cooking just sprang from there.
I love it.
Good luck.
Gordon: Guys, we're down to five minutes remaining.
Do not plate too early, please.
Ladies, Olivia and Remy.
- Yep.
- Yes.
Big sister Remy, what are you making? I'm gonna be making for you lamb chops with cheese biscuits and an eggplant puree or grilled eggplant.
Just like baba ganoush-style rack of lamb.
- Yeah.
- You're just burning the whole eggplant on the flame itself.
Like, this is how my grandmother cooks.
Is that a good thing? - It's an excellent thing.
- Thanks.
That's a very sophisticated cooking technique.
Yay.
So cooking it this way gives it a smoky flavor, right? That's an excellent idea.
Okay.
Good luck.
Thank you.
90 seconds remaining, guys.
- Come on.
- Almost there.
You're still basting? I'm almost done.
I just need one more minute.
Wow.
I mean, some incredible dishes out there.
Christina: They're definitely rising to the occasion, I'll tell you that.
You should be plating your dish.
Make sure you're seasoning properly.
- Taste.
- Hot.
Gordon: Make it shine.
Remember, a big advantage for one of you tonight.
Those chocolate cakes look good.
- Finishing touches.
- Come on, guys.
Gordon: Here we go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and stop! - Hands in the air! - Hands in the air! ( applause ) Now, tonight we gave you an incredible box filled with beautiful ingredients from A to zed.
Whilst you worked at your stations, Joe, Christina, myself, we tasted as we went along.
We watched you very carefully.
So we'd like to takea much closer look at three of what we think are the top dishes of the night.
The first dish that we'd like to see-- this individual cooked way beyond their years.
Let's see if this New Yorker has what it takes to steal our first mystery box challenge.
Please step forward,Remy! Oh, my gosh! Whoo! Yay.
Good job, Remy! I was crossing my fingers that I would get called up for the top three.
Way to go, Remy! But I am so happy for my sister.
I mean, her dish looks beautiful.
I love her so much.
And I'm really proud of her.
Remy, that looks beautiful.
Describe the dish,please.
Today I've made for you lamb chops with a roasted eggplant puree and cheese biscuits.
Uh, incredible.
I mean, seriously.
Who taught you how to cook like this? We make lamb chopsall the time in my house.
And my great aunt always used to love making rolls and bread, and I've had cheese and eggplant together, so I wanted to make an eggplant puree with a cheese biscuit.
Wow.
Look at that lamb.
What did you sear it in? Grape seed oil, and then I added some balsamic and I basted it in butter, thyme, and rosemary.
The lamb's cooked with finesse.
Let's get that right.
Moist, crisp.
It is absolutely phenomena.
Eggplant puree, delicious.
Seasoned beautifully.
Love what you've done with those biscuits.
Beautiful.
Thank you.
What would I change? If you're gonna roast that eggplant, roast the tomato as well so you can get a little bit of acidity to that bitternes sof the eggplant.
But great start, great job.
- Uh, well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
Remy, you have all kinds of skills on this plate.
Lamb chops that you butchered yourself.
And sometimes, when you eat a rack of lamb, you want a piece of bread, and you brought the bread.
You're like the butcher, the baker, - and the baba ganoush maker.
- Kids: Oh! Do you make candle sticks too? - Uh, no, Joe.
- ( laughter ) - This dish, it's beautiful.
- Thank you.
The lamb is cooked perfectly.
The puree is deliciou.
And the fact that you baked a bread effectively to go with your dish is quite astonishing.
- Good job.
- Thank you.
( cheers and applause ) Second dish we'd like to examine further the plate definitely looks fit for any restaurant table.
Clearly, this Midwestern girl is one to watch.
Oh, please, please, please,please.
Please step forward.
Beni.
- Look at her smile.
- The cutest.
Oh, my gosh! I'm in the top three of the first mystery box challenge.
My dish really shows that this girl is supposed to be wearing this apron, supposed to be here, and this girl knows how to cook a steak.
Beni.
Hello, Chef.
Tell me about this steak.
You have in front of you an herb-crusted steak with ginger, quinoa, sautéed kale, and a dill yogurt sauce.
Your dish looks like it's come out of a new-age steak house.
Kale, quinoa, all these ingredients that you find at hip, young steakhouses nowadays.
Thank you, Chef.
All right, what's the herb crust? Cilantro and thyme.
How'd you cook this steak? Uh, medium rare.
- Girl, nice job.
- Thank you.
And why the dill yogurt sauce? My dad taught me how to make a dill yogurt sauce, and I thought that it would go nice with a steak and kale and quinoa.
You did a great job cooking that steak.
Thank you.
It's juicy.
It's tender.
Love the herb crust.
Love the cook.
Thank you.
The kale, I was expecting to be just a little bit softer and juicier and unctuous, but overall, nice job.
Thank you.
Wow.
O-M-G.
( laughter ) Uh, great searon the steak.
Glistening pink and incredibly juicy.
I mean, really beautifully done.
Wow.
Man, that's good.
The meat is incredible.
- Um, Beni Thank you, Chef.
Uh, great job.
What would I change? Get some of that zucchini, some of those tomatoes, and make that quinoa a little bit more exciting.
Okay.
But definitely one to watch.
- Great job.
Well done.
- Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Good job, Beni.
Way to go, Beni.
Good job.
Joe: The third and final dish we wanna take a closer look at is from a young home cook the stunning dish is vibrant, and it's an impressive display of culinary techniques.
Please bring your dish up to the front Henry.
( cheers and applause ) Henry: Yes.
I am so happy to get to the top three.
This is a massive deal.
And it shows that, being from Texas, my food is bigger and better than anyone else's.
This just proves it.
I cook like a boss.
Well, Henry, tell me about this dish.
Today I prepared for you a grilled lamb chop with yogurt tzatziki, quinoa, grilled zucchini, and a fried bay leaf.
This is a very Mediterranean, sophisticated dish.
What inspired you? Well, I like to cook lamb because I cooked lambin my house, and it was really good.
Everyone, like, was fighting over it.
The lamb is cooked perfectly.
Any flavoring in the quinoa? I just put a little bit of lemon zest.
The zucchini is actually quite delicious.
You grilled themon the grill plate? Yes.
My question for you, Henry, is how far do you think you can go? Hopefully to the finale.
- So you believe in yourself? - Yes.
You're a self-starter, self-motivator? Mm-hmm.
Who else gives you motivation in life? My mom does, and my, um, friends wrote me letters before I left.
Mm-hmm.
And I always just look at those, and that's my inspiration.
Good job, Henry.
Thank you.
I love this tzatziki.
I think it has great flavor.
I love the zucchini.
Would have loved to see some olive tapenade or a little bit more of that sort of, like, zesty maybe some lemon zest, something big and bright to bring it in.
But, listen,it's an impressive dish.
That's why you're down here.
You're definitely a guy from a big state with big personality and big flavors.
Excited to see what else you've got.
- Nice job.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Henry.
- Nice job, Henry! Amazing.
Three outstanding dishes.
Remy, Beni, and Henry, well done.
But there can onlybe one winner, one individual that will receive a big advantage.
The best dish of the night congratulations goes to Please be me.
Gordon: Three outstanding dishes.
Remy, Beni, and Henry, well done, but there can only be one winner.
The young home cook who will be joining us up here and receive a huge advantage in the next round of this competition congratulations goes to Please be me.
Remy! Well done.
Oh, my gosh! ( gasps )Yes.
Oh, my gosh.
Young lady, head up to the safety of the balcony.
I have won the very first mystery box in the whole competition.
Amazing, amazing, amazing.
This is a big deal.
The rest of you, please come down to the front.
Shuffle in.
Big ones at the back.
For this next challenge, you're all gonna have to make a classic European dessert.
Oh It's a cookie.
You're gonna be making a treat that is so technical and so temperamental that it can make the greatest pastry chefs in the world quite nervous.
Tonight you'll all be making What is it? - What is it gonna be? - Ahh! A fruit tart.
It's not just a work of art.
It's a masterpiece.
Visual impact is absolutely paramount.
The way a fruit tart looks is just as important as the flavor.
Come on.
Look at that.
Filled with the perfect ratio of pastry cream that's set to hold all of the beautiful fruits that are adorned on top.
And of course the foundation of it all, a magnificent crust.
Fruit tarts are a really popular dessert in Belarusian cuisine.
I know the right ratio of crust to filling to fruits on top.
I know that I can make a fruit tart that'll impress the judges.
Delicious.
Now, you will all have just one hour to make us a beautiful fruit tart.
The crust, the flavors of the pastry cream and the fruit toppings are all up to you.
So shop smart in the MasterChef pantry and make a tart that will keep you in this competition.
All: Yes, Joe! Young home cooks, your time starts now! Come on, guys! You can do it! ( cheering ) - Oh, my God! - Oh, my God! Where's the shopping baskets? Where's the orange? Where's the almond meal? Almond flour.
Quani: Growing up in Georgia, I've made a lot of desserts, but not a fruit tart.
I'm more of a cake person.
I can't find any almond meal! Since some of my favorite fruits are Hawaiian, I'm gonna be using strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and I'm also gonna incorporate mango and, uh pastry cream.
Excuse me! Coming through.
So back in Michiganat my local fair, they have, like, this build-your-own snow cone thing, and my favorite is the strawberry limeade.
So I'm making a lime curd tart with strawberries on top.
No one saw that.
I feel like baking's not quite my thing, so I'm pretty nervous right now.
Let's go! This is so heavy! Look at my basket! Let's go, guys.
I'm lifting weight! Is there anything left in that pantry? Excuse me.
Wow, it's a tough one, this one.
Yep.
You're talking about patisserie-level desserts.
Oh, it's so heavy.
Joe: So, Christina, what's the A to Z of building this tart? First things first, you gotta make the crust.
So the crust is almond meal, graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, a little egg white to help bind it together.
And without the crust made properly, - the rest of the fruit tart can't happen.
- Gordon: Sure.
( gasps ) Doesn't look right.
My big worry is can they get it thin enough in the corners so when they come to slice it, it's not thicker than the actual fruit.
Open oven! Once that crust is made, molded, baked, and cooled, you make the pastry cream.
You decide what flavor you wanna go with.
Purple.
And then you start to thinly slice and beautifully arrange your fruit.
And then of course the glam of it all is that beautiful fruit glaze.
What is the dos and don'ts of choosing your fruit topping? First of all, no cooked fruit.
This is about a raw berry, but also you don't wanna see fibrous fruit.
You don't wanna see pineapple.
You don't wanna see thick slices of any fruit.
Guys, just under 40 minutes remaining.
I am making a mascarpone and lemon filling with raspberries and strawberries on top.
Looking good, Liv.
I make fruit tarts all the time.
My great grandma got me into making them, so I'm feeling pretty confident about this.
Today I'm making a blackberry and raspberry blueberry fruit tart with a white chocolate coulis.
I love baking, and I also love dessert, so I feel confident that this is gonna be a fruit tart the judges love.
I am making a five-berry mint tart with oranges and peaches on top.
I don't make fruit tarts a lot, but my mom is a baker.
I just watch her every day when I'm doing my homeworkin the kitchen.
She's my inspiration.
Oh, that needs more time.
Those bases need to get set quickly.
Let's go.
- Speed! - Hot pan.
Hot pan.
( whimpers ) I forgot my graham cracker.
I am just about to put my crust in the oven, and I look over, and there's a perfectly sealed bag of 12 graham crackers right next to me.
Oh, shoot.
- You all right, Zia? - No.
I'm really worried about Zia.
She put everything in the food processor except her graham crackers.
Graham crackers are the base of everything in the crust.
That's why it's called a graham cracker crust.
Oh, man.
I don't have enough ingredients to start my crust over again.
Joe: Oh, that's no good.
Zia: And I don't know what to do.
- Zia: Oh, man.
- Gordon: You okay, Zia? No.
I forgot my graham crackers.
Okay.
Okay, listen.
Don't worry.
Now, we're not gonna panic.
Uh-huh.
We're gonna start again, okay? Now, let's do this together.
So where's your graham crackers? Where are they? Right here, but I don't have any more of the other ingredients.
Don't worry 'cause we'll put that back in there.
The most important thing is you spotted it now, okay? Now, let's dry that up.
How many crackers shall I put in there? Zia: Um, 12.
Let's put fourin there first.
Where's your lid gone? - Right there.
- Good.
Off we go.
And now let's get this zoomed up.
Press.
There you go.
And again, blitz.
- Let's check it out now.
- Thank you.
That's much better, isn't it? Yeah.
Just a little taste first.
You taste it.
Nice and dry.
Now, tell me about the tart.
What are you doing? Uh, I'm doing a strawberry filling and a apricot glaze.
That sounds amazing.
You good? - Yeah.
- Back on track? Good girl.
Off you go.
Oven open! 23 minutes left.
Hello, Ariana.
How you doing? Doing great.
Okay, tell me about your strategy on this.
Back in my house in Minnesota, we have a big raspberry garden, so I'm making a lemon raspberry tart with a golden raspberry and red raspberry coulis.
The two color raspberries, I like that.
- Okay, Ariana, good luck.
- Thank you.
Right, Beni, how are you doing? Great, chef.
Now tell me about the tart.
I'm making a graham cracker almond crust with a raspberry mint pastry cream.
- Raspberry mint.
- Yes, raspberry mint.
- I love that idea.
- Thank you.
And what about the top? I'm topping with kiwi and lemon zest on top.
My grandma, she is a baking champion, so we always used to bake cookies together.
Right.
So I'm kinda taking inspiration from her.
Okay, my darling.
Good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
You've got to start filling those tarts, guys.
All right, Evan.
Tell me about this fruit tart.
It is going to be an Italian fruit tart with a balsamic vinegar glaze.
Balsamic and strawberry is a very classic Italian pairing, but you gotta make sure that the balsamic is more about sweet acidity.
Yes.
You have 15 minutes to go.
Thank you, Chef.
Right, Juelz, tell me about the fruit.
What are you going to put on top? - Well, I'm putting strawberry, kiwi, and blackberry.
- Okay, great.
Good.
So that looks a little bit of a mess.
Let me show you how to cuta strawberry, okay? 'Cause you wanna put those nice, thin slices on there, right? Yeah.
One, two.
Now that looks way better than cutting strawberries like that.
Yeah.
So start slicing the fruitin a nice manner so when you put them on top of the tart it looks amazing, okay? - Okay.
- Good man.
All right, guys.
Five minutes left.
Fill up your tart with fruit.
Looking good, guys.
Christina: Whoo! Guys, it's getting intense in there.
These young 23 home cooks have come alive.
Pastry brush.
Now Avery is doing a raspberry blackberry pastry cream, and she's also planning on putting some peaches and some orange slices on top.
Very excited to try that.
Quani is flavoring his pastry cream with a little bit of mango, which could be interesting.
But he has to be careful to get the mango flavor, but not the mango fiber.
Gordon: 60 seconds remaining! All of you, glaze your tarts.
Come on, guys! Christina: Take this time to really refine your tart.
- Let's go.
Come on.
- You got this, guys.
Finishing touches.
Gordon: This is it.
Judges: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two,one, and stop.
- Christine: Hands in the air.
- Gordon: Hands in the air.
Well done! ( cheers and applause ) Gordon: Well done.
Christina: Tonight we asked you to make a superb fruit tart with real wow factor.
Some of youknocked this challenge right out of the park.
That's why we're gonna send some of you straight up to the safety of the balcony with Remy.
But first, we're gonna take a closer look at those fruit tarts.
Ariana.
What is the sortof color splash? This is a golden raspberry and red raspberry coulis.
Olivia: Christina Tosi is pretty much the best pastry chef in America.
Interesting.
Thank you.
Olivia: And Gordon Ramsay is one of the greatest chefs in the world! Gordon: Avery, you left the skin on the oranges.
Um, that's purposely done, Chef.
Olivia: And Joe is just scary.
What were you thinking with that? Olivia: This is really intense.
Gracie, what's the glaze? An orange preserve.
Hmm.
Olivia: Everyone's fruit tart looks amazing.
- Do you think you're safe? - Yes, Chef.
And I hope I did just enough to get me on to that balcony.
Uh, it's an incredible task.
Some people took risksthat really paid off.
Really clever combinations.
Now, quite a number of you did so well that you're safe and you'll be headed up to the balcony shortly Those home cooks are - Ariana.
- Whoo-hoo! Beni.
- Olivia.
- Yes.
Whoo! Olivia! - Evan.
- ( cheers and applause ) I'm pretty confidentthat I am going to be called safe.
Emily.
- Sophia.
- Yes.
Then they call one name after another after another.
Christina: Anthony! Zia: After another - Henry.
- Oh, gosh.
And they're not calling me.
I'm like, "What is happening right now? I'm not hearing my name.
" Christina: And Maria.
( cheers and applause ) If I've called your name, please head up to the safety of the balcony with Remy.
Avery: I'm so sad I didn't get sent up to the balcony.
Since my mom's a baker, I really wanted to knock this challenge out of the park, and that really didn't just go my way, so I'm very nervous with my tart.
Now, six of you remain down here.
Sadly, your tarts did not live up to those made by the ones safe up on the balcony.
So we need to examine them a little bit more now and take a much deeper look.
Christina: And from there we'll decide which of you down here will move forward in the competition.
First up, Zia.
Let's go, please.
- Child: Go, Zia! - ( cheers and applause ) Even though I had problems with my crust, I just love the way it looks, and I think it's going to taste just really, really, really good.
Right.
Young lady, describe the tart, please.
I made a strawberry, raspberry, blueberry fruit tart with a strawberry filling and an apricot glaze.
Okay.
Let's get in there, shall we? Uh-oh.
It's too thick.
It's just not coming up.
Need a hand? Joe, do you have a hacksaw? How much butter was in this? A stick.
A stick.
Well, it's definitely a stick.
Stick to the pan.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, my gosh.
Zia, how much butter was in this? A stick.
A stick.
Well, it's definitely a stick.
Stick to the pan.
- Uh-oh.
- Uh-oh.
Right.
What do you see? - Thick crust? - Way too thick.
God The actual crust is way too hard, and I can't eat much more, because I've just come back from the dentist.
Fruit, some are sliced into quarters, some are sliced into thin slices, some's whole.
I haven't made a tart before, so it was really hard.
Right.
My saving grace for this one is that the actual pastry cream is actually quite delicious.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Zia.
- Good job, Zia.
Good job, Zia! Zia: I just want to cry, because the judges do have to send two of us home.
I'm just hoping that it's not me.
Next up please, Lindsay.
My tart doesn't look as nice as I really would have wanted it to, but I think my fruit tart will stand out because it's strawberry limeade, so hopefully the creativeness will save me tonight.
Okay, Miss Lindsay.
What'd you make? I made a lime curd tart with a strawberry glaze and strawberries on top.
So you can see here there are some parts where you have a nice thinness of crust, but I wish the crust was a bit taller - so that we had more of that lime curd and pastry cream.
- Yes.
And what is the crust? The crust is just a almond and graham cracker.
The pastry cream is actually very good.
I like that flavor combination of strawberry and lime.
- Thank you.
- But for me, the visual impact of this tart just isn't there.
Half of the tart almost looks white, 'cause you've used the center of the strawberries as opposed to these red bits of the strawberry on the outer skin.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Good job, Lindsay.
- Good job, Lindsay! - Whoo! Go, Lindsay! Well done.
- Next up, Avery.
- All right, Avery.
Avery: Back in Texas, I really never made a fruit tart, but my fruit tart has every colorin the rainbow and beyond, so I think I still have a chance of being safe.
- Hello, Avery.
- Hi.
I made a mint tart with blackberries, oranges, raspberries, and peaches.
So the problem with a tart like this - is you really have to eateverything on it.
- Mm-hmm.
People really don't eat orange peels.
I guess I just forgot to cut it off.
And you left the skin on the peach.
That's another little mistake.
Mm.
What's the flavoring of the cream? Raspberry and blackberry.
It's actually delicious.
Very good.
Nice acidity, well-flavored.
Thank you.
So what do you think about the crust? It kinda looks a little funky because I added blue sprinkles to it.
Sprinkles? What's up with that? I like sprinkles.
You have sprinkleson your boots? Let me see.
Kind of.
Sprinkles everywhere, huh? You're just a wild woman.
The crust is crispy.
It's cooked through.
It's even.
But a little bit mistake on the choice of the fruit.
Thank you, Avery.
- Good job, Avery! - Good job, Avery! Next up, Quani.
Let's go, please.
Let's go, Quani! Quani: Back in Georgia, I love to bake, and I have my own baking business, but I've never madea fruit tart before, so I don't know what went wrong.
I know my flavors are really good, so hopefully that can get meon a spot into the balcony.
Describe the tart, please.
Today I made a Hawaiian fruit tart with strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries on top.
What's the pastry cream filled with? Mangoes and orange flavoring.
I was trying to make, like, a Hawaiian theme.
I think the cream's delicious.
That actual mango flavor, the orange essence, it's beautiful.
Really good indeed.
But the fruit on top is a little bit messy.
I've got sort of big, thick chunks of kiwi and the actual base is way too hard because it's so thick.
Not your best shot, is it? - No, Chef.
- Thank you.
Child: Good job, Quani.
( cheering ) Next up please, Juelz.
( cheers, applause ) Juelz: I don't know a lot about fruit tarts because where I live in St.
Louis, we don't have a lot of bakeries near me, and I've never made a fruit tart before, so I'm nervous.
All right, Juelz.
Now what fruits did you end up using? I ended up using strawberries, pineapples, and kiwi.
Mm.
Why pineapple? Because I thought that it would make it look a little bit colorful but not, like, too colorful.
I think that you had several different technique issues.
The shape of that crust all the way around is very uneven.
Would have loved to see a nicer spread of that beautiful, vanilla pastry cream, and I wish you just would have spent more time.
Thin knife cuts on that kiwi.
Thin knife cutson that strawberry.
Pineapple doesn't belong in a fruit tart.
Because it's so fibrous, it destroys the texture of that pastry cream.
You didn't really use that time and the finesse to really give us something that was really eye-catching.
Thank you.
Way to go, Juelz.
Last up is Ben.
Ben: I love to bake, especially dessert, so I put my own spin on this fruit tart.
I like to experiment with a ton of different flavors, and white chocolate almost goes with all fruit, so I know my fruit tart tastes great.
Joe: All right, Ben.
In pastry, we're talking about aesthetic presentation, beautiful things.
Is this your vision? Is this what you were going for? I feel like that it really looks good and tastes good.
- My gosh.
- No.
What's this? Like, a shard? It's just a piece of white chocolate.
- Looks like an iceberg.
- Oh.
If I was eating in your restaurant, you know what I'd do? I'd send it back.
So, Ben, in pastry, we're talking about aesthetic presentation, beautiful things.
Is this your vision? Is this what you were going for? I feel like that it really looks good and tastes good.
Oh, my gosh.
- No.
- No? You really skipped on the details on this tart.
Oh.
Let's say that you're not one for tidiness.
Yeah.
- What happened? - I don't really know.
( laughter ) Let's taste it.
What's the idea here? It's a white chocolate, raspberry and blackberry and blueberry fruit tart.
The ratio, as you can see here Uh-huh.
What do you think of that? - I think it needs more cream.
- Yeah.
You know, the berry flavor's good.
Uh-huh.
The crust is flavored well.
The white chocolate, even though aesthetically not so appealing, flavor's pretty good.
But in general it needs a little bit more of a delicate touch, - a little bit of finesse.
- Okay.
We're looking for you, Ben, to raise your game with these challenges.
Do you think you have what it takes? Yes.
I hope there's a chance to see that.
- Good job, Ben.
- ( cheers and applause ) I deserve a second chance.
I deserve a second chance.
- Incredible tarts.
- Yeah Quani: This was a pretty tough challenge, and I think we all struggled a little bit.
I'm disappointed, because I bake back in Georgia, and I just think I messed up tonight.
Home cooks, will you please come down to the front? Quani: I'm hoping I get another chance, because I know there's more in me that'll definitely impress the judges.
This was a very tough challenge, and all six of you should be really proud of yourselves.
But here comes the toughest part for Joe, Christina, and myself.
We will have to say good-bye to two of you.
Please remember no matter what happens, you are still some of the most talented youngsters anywhere in this country.
Avery and Lindsay, step forward, please.
Avery, Lindsay, you both They're good.
They're good.
still have a chance to become America's MasterChef Junior.
Head on up to the balcony.
Oh, my God.
That was so close.
Oh, my God.
Christina: Quani, Juelz,Zia, and Ben, this is a competition, and not everyone can move forward, which means two of you will be going home.
Quani and Ben, both of you, please head on up to the balcony.
( cheers and applause ) I knew we could do it, Quani.
Juelz and Zia, the finesse of tonight's challenge got the better of you both.
Juelz, unfortunately, young man, you put one fruit on your tart, the pineapple, that just didn't work.
Zia, unfortunately your tart was so thick it left no room for the cream.
We know how technical that challenge was, but unfortunately, both of you fell short.
Keep hold of those aprons and promise us you'll continue to cook.
( crying )Yes.
Hey, come here, come here.
It's okay.
Hey, do you want to know what my first fruit tart looked like? It was not good.
It was a hot mess.
It wouldn't have even gotten me here in this competition with one of those aprons.
Keep your head up high for me, okay? Thank you, Zia, Juelz.
Off you go.
Thank you.
( cheers and applause ) - Good job.
- Good job, Juelz.
Good job, Zia.
Juelz: Looks like I'm gonna be headed back to St.
Louis, but I beat out bazillions of kids who wanted to be here, and that's an accomplishment.
I know my family's gonna be so proud of me.
Child: Keep cooking, guys.
Zia: Even though I didn't get the MasterChef Junior trophy, I still had the honor of being here.
Be proud of yourself! Whether I'm nine years oldor I'm 43 years old, I was one of the top 24 junior home cooks in America.
That is a big deal.
- Announcer: Next week - Oh, my God! - Milkshakes.
- Faster, faster! - the competition - Blend, blend, blend.
- gets a shake up.
- This just might get pretty messy.
But it's the judges - ( screaming ) that find themselves in the thick of it.
And then, a Southern classic Chicken and waffles.
gets a modern spin.
- Tie dye? Looks like you made him out of Play-Doh.
- ( gasps ) - Oh, wow.