MasterChef Junior (2013) s07e04 Episode Script
Off the Hook
1 - Announcer: Previously - Birthday cake.
an ageless pressure test Champagne? You're not allowed to drink for another nine years yet.
was a celebration for some.
- How's that look to you? - It looks wonderful.
Perfect.
- But for Ashley and Tal - Oh, dear.
I want you both to remember what you've achieved.
- the party came to an end.
- Bye.
Tonight There are fish everywhere! - when the competition - It's slippery.
is on the line, some home cooks flounder - Whoa! - Reid.
( screaming ) - Followed by - Chicken feet, pig snout, intestine.
- Oh, my God.
- ( groans ) an elimination test that's tough to face.
Put your hands up, if you like offal.
- Ugh! - Gross.
( cheering ) I feel so good to be in the top 18.
It just feels like magic right now.
I mean, I am a powerful eight-year-old cook.
That trophy and the hundred thousand dollars are so close I can feel it and I can smell it.
You watch out.
I am coming! Christina: All right, you 18.
As you can see, tonight is an iconic mystery box challenge.
Ooh, yay! Gordon: One, two three.
Lift! - What? - It's a goldfish! - Aww! - Oh, it's so cute! Wait, we're gonna have to cook it? - Oh! - Wait, what? When you walk into the MasterChef kitchen, you have to be ready to face whatever we throw at you guys.
You've never had goldfish fish and chips? Kids: No! Now, listen carefully.
When you start working with this ingredient, get out every single bone.
Understood? - Yes, Chef.
- Aarón: Don't worry.
Chef Gordon is gonna show you how it's done.
Gordon: Right.
Ooh! Ooh, okay.
( whistling ) ( shrieks ) Come on, Moby.
Come on! ( sighs ) - ( gasps ) - Of course I'm not expecting you guys to cook a goldfish.
- ( cheering ) - Gordon: Really? Thank you, world.
Thank you.
You're gonna be okay.
- Dear, oh, dear.
- He's my pet.
But we do expect you tonight to make us a flawless fish dish.
- Whoo! - ( cheering ) And you can do that featuring any fish that you find in that incredible MasterChef pantry.
So, you have one hour to make us an incredible fish dish.
And your one hour starts now.
- Gordon: Let's go.
- Christina: Get that fish.
- Fish! - I need my fish.
- Fish time! - I could deal with this.
- Oh, yeah, baby! - There are fish everywhere! Some of them are really small.
Some of them are really tall.
It's gonna be a little slimy, but that's okay.
- It's slippery.
- Rhashad: It's amazing.
I'm so happy we don't have to cook those goldfish.
( laughs ) - It's so heavy.
- Oh, my gosh.
Right, let's go.
All of you, fish down, go shopping.
- I have fish hands.
- You want a slimy high-five? Oh, God.
Really? I'm going to the grocery store like with my mom.
- I need baskets.
- Pass me the red cabbage.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Back home in Rhode Island, our family loves fish tacos.
So today I'm making a red snapper fish taco with tortilla chips and salsa because I really wanna show Aarón my taco skills.
- Do you see red pepper flakes? - Yes, I know where they are.
- I think I have everything.
- Come on, come on, let's go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go! Let's get cooking.
This is a big one, because there's only one temperature for fish - That's right.
- and that's perfection.
So these kids tonight are up against it.
Looks pretty good.
Guys, 18 young home cooks.
We have five eight-year-olds still in the competition.
Let them sweat.
But can an eight-year-old handle this pressure? - That looks good.
- Kid: ( gasps ) No! - What in the world? - Aarón: You have kids that are eight years old, but here's the deal, guys.
Some of them have been cooking for four years already.
- Gordon: Yes.
- I have plenty of time.
Just over 50 minutes remaining.
Let's go, guys.
Add some hoisin.
Back home in New Jersey, I eat branzino maybe once every two weeks.
I am eight years old, and I live in Demarest, New Jersey.
So this is our whole kitchen.
I like to cook, I like to ski, I like to play hockey, I like to do tae kwon do.
I can do a lot.
I've been cooking basically since I was, like, one.
I started seeing my mom cooking dinner and I was like, "How do you do that?" He's the most creative, confident, and excited chef there is.
Since I've traveled, like, all over the world, I like to cook Japanese food, Italian food.
I like all the countries' food.
I'm making a pan-seared branzino with cauliflower and glazed carrots.
I'm making a red snapper fish taco with pico de gallo and an avocado crema.
I'm making these fish tacos because back home in Atlanta we always make them, so I think I can win this.
Gordon: Guys, halfway.
30 minutes remaining.
Right, Talulah, what's tonight's dish? What are you doing? Well, my grandparents actually own a restaurant in the south of France.
So today I'm making a branzino amandine with an almond brown butter sauce and a herb salad.
Right.
You have a very foodie background, restaurants in the family, so I'm expecting fireworks with this fish.
- Yes.
- Good luck.
This smells good.
I wish I was eating this.
I love cooking with my heritage.
So I am making Asian seared halibut with some Asian style broccolini and some coconut lime rice.
Got it.
I'm gonna make fish tacos with a cabbage slaw on the inside.
I'm nine years old and I'm from San Antonio, Texas.
Come in.
I've been cooking since I was five years old.
And since I'm Mexican, I always cook Mexican food.
This is probably my favorite thing to use in the kitchen.
But baking is, like, my most favorite thing in the world to do.
She has fun doing it.
It's not work for her.
It's just her passion.
I'm ready to be the best junior home cook in America.
I love tacos and I wanna show my culture, and so that's why I'm making this.
- Matthew, you live in New Jersey, right? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Have you had a chance to go fishing - with your dad? - Yeah, I always go fishing.
- What do you guys fish for? - Any kind of fish.
Nice.
What are you making? I am making pan-seared branzino with a orange-scented rainbow chard and a warm tomato salsa.
Is this gonna be an amazing dish or what? - Mm-hmm.
- My man! Give me a little Boo-ya! Ooh! Last one.
Yes! - Mr.
Ben.
- Hello.
So remind me, how old are you - and where are you from? - I'm 11, and I'm from Morristown, New Jersey.
So what is this dish? I really like Thai flavors and I wanted to show that my palate's sophisticated, so I'm making halibut with Jasmine rice, and a coconut green curry sauce, Romanesco, and sugar snap peas.
- Ben, it's a lot going on.
- Mm-hmm.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Just over ten minutes remaining.
Remember, a huge advantage for one of you.
Just a little bit longer.
Right, Reid, what are you doing? What's the dish? Well, it's gonna be a striped bass with some potato hash - and some oven-roasted asparagus.
- Wow.
So you're a bit of a hunter, a fisherman.
Even though you're one of the youngest in the competition, - you're a man's man, right? - Yes, sir.
What's the largest fish you've caught? - It's an 11-pound striper.
- All right, all right, okay.
Do you take your girlfriend fishing? I well, I'm trying to get that right now.
( Reid laughs ) - Good luck.
- Yes, sir.
There we go.
- I wanna eat that.
- Exciting.
There is some serious culinary genius happening in the kitchen tonight.
A dab more salt and pepper.
Add that halibut.
60 seconds to go.
This is it! Okay, that looks ready.
Gordon: This is where it counts, guys.
Speed up.
It smells good.
Oh, it's fine.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three two, one.
- And stop! Hands in the air.
- Oh! Tonight, we challenged you to make us an incredible fish dish.
And Aarón, Christina, and I watched you all very carefully whilst you cooked.
Now we'd like to call down the three most impressive dishes that we would like to take a closer look at.
Gordon: The first home cook we'd like to bring forward tonight comes to this incredible kitchen all the way from New Jersey.
Please, step down here Matthew.
- Well done.
- ( cheering ) I'm so happy, because I'm the first one called, and that feels so good.
I think this shows all the kids that being young does not matter.
Wow! Young man, it looks incredible.
It looks like it's just come out of one of our restaurants.
Did you get Christina and Aarón to plate this? - No.
- Describe the dish, please.
Today, I've made you a pan-seared branzino with an orange-scented rainbow chard and a warm tomato salsa.
Hold on a minute.
Where are these ideas coming from? You're only eight.
Usually, my mind.
- And you.
- And me? - Yeah.
- Thank you very much.
So, visually, I love what you've done with the scoring.
It looks beautiful.
The colors pop.
- What did you season the fish with? - I just seasoned it - with salt and pepper.
- Mmm.
Oh, my goodness me.
Could you just get me a table and a chair? - I would like to sit down and finish this.
- Okay.
Young man, it's delicious.
If you were 18 years of age, I still wouldn't expect you to cook a dish like this.
- You're the real deal, aren't you? - Yes.
You're tiny, you're powerful, and you're very, very, very talented.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Here's what I love about what you did.
You cooked down those tomatoes in such a way that you brought out the acidity and the sweetness that really can stand up to the oily nature of that branzino.
- Okay.
- And most importantly, you celebrated the fish and cooked it perfectly.
- Great job, young man.
- Thank you.
That was awesome.
Matthew, you did so good.
The second dish that we'd like to examine further was made by a home cook all the way from Georgia.
Please, come up here, Brielle.
I wanna get called up to the top three so badly, but Brielle's tacos look amazing, and she is only eight years old.
She made better tacos than I could've made.
Brielle, what's your food dream? My food dream is to open up a restaurant called Brielle's Bistro, and I want it to be seafood and Italian food.
So this whole thing makes a lot of sense now.
- What's the dish? - I made a red snapper fish taco with a coleslaw, pico de gallo, and an avocado crema.
Why red snapper? It has a flavor that nothing else has and it had a texture.
- Mmm.
- So it would be good with tacos.
Brielle, your fish tacos are inspired.
They're light.
They're fresh.
And they make me feel like I'm on vacation, sitting at the sea, hanging out, and just celebrating life.
- Incredible job.
- Thank you.
I love what you've done.
Every time I have a bite of tomato, it explodes with that beautiful flavor.
The crema is beautifully balanced, and then the snapper's cooked perfectly.
Light and flaky.
Great job.
( cheering ) Great job, Brielle! The third dish that we want to examine further was also made by another eight-year-old.
Please, come on through, Reid.
Reid: Yay! I actually got in the top three dishes.
This is the perfect time for me to be called, because back home in Georgia fish is kind of my life.
- Reid.
- Yes, Chef.
So do you consider yourself more a hunter or a fisherman? - Both.
- I love that.
So, describe your dish.
I made for you striped bass with some oven-roasted asparagus and potato hash.
And I love the fact that you're the only young home cook that chose to tackle wild striped bass.
Me and my brother like to go fishing a lot for striped bass.
- So we catch those a lot.
- I gotta tell you, that skin is so phenomenal.
It gives texture.
Really makes a big impact.
And the fact that you were so simplistic with the composition, I think allowed the fish to be the star.
And I think right there was a stroke of genius on your part.
- Excellent job.
- Thank you.
Mmm.
Oh, boy, that's got texture.
This is a fantastic dish, young man.
The glistening on the fish is beautiful.
The bacon smell just, you know, enhances.
You cook with style.
I love the attitude.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.
girl: Good job.
Gordon: Three amazing dishes.
- All executed with perfection.
- Yeah.
So bold, so thoughtful, and so different.
You guys did such a good job.
Wow.
All of you, well done, but there can only be one winner.
And the home cook with the best dish, who will get a huge advantage in the next challenge Congratulations goes to Now, on to tonight's winner.
The home cook with the best dish, who will get a huge advantage in the next challenge congratulations Matthew! Oh, my God! - Oh, my God! - Matthew! You guys did a really good job, too.
Matthew, that dish was restaurant quality, cooked to perfection.
Incredible.
Brielle, well done.
Reid, well done.
Please, both of you, head back to your stations.
- Good job, guys.
- Now, Matthew, please, join us in that incredible MasterChef pantry.
Let's go.
Matthew: I feel so good right now.
I'm only eight years old, - and I had the best dish of the night.
- Well done, bud.
And I cannot wait to go see my special advantage.
Come on in, bud.
Matthew, welcome to the incredible MasterChef Junior pantry.
Because you won the mystery box challenge - Uh-huh.
- you do not have to cook - in the next challenge.
- Yes! Christina: Your next advantage is that tonight you get to choose what what everyone else will be cooking.
Whoa.
Everything under these boxes is loved by every kid in America.
Your first choice, it's one of the most-prized ingredients on the entire planet.
- I'm talking about - Chocolate! That's right, Matthew.
Chocolate.
Here we have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, even my favorite, which is Mexican chocolate.
There are a million directions that you can take with chocolate dishes.
I love chocolate.
Matthew, I have another ingredient kids love to eat.
It's bright, it's packed with vitamins, and it's full of flavor.
I'm talking about citrus! Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, and everything in between.
From cakes to marinades, sauces, dressings.
Everything is possible with this delicious ingredient.
- Wow.
- This last choice is something that I absolutely loved when I was your age.
It is of course What is that? - Offal.
- What is it? It's the liver, the heart, pig snout - Yuck.
- chicken feet, and you've got these beautiful - Oh, yuck, that's disgusting.
- ( groans ) - intestines.
- Oh, God.
That's so disgusting.
Kids love this stuff, right, Matthew? - No.
- Thank you.
All right, Matthew, what ingredient do you want your fellow home cooks to cook with tonight? I think I'm gonna choose - ( applause ) - All right, Matthew, up to the balcony.
Now, tonight's mystery box winner Matthew is safe from elimination tonight.
Back in the pantry, Matthew got to pick what each of you will be cooking with in this next challenge.
We gave Matthew the choice between three amazing options that are very popular with kids all over America.
Chocolate.
Citrus fruits.
Well, I offered Matthew the best choice.
Offal.
- What? - Intestines, duck heart, pigs feet, pigs ear, and pig snout.
Ivy: Ugh! A nose and a ear of a pig? Awful! Eww! Put your hands up, if you like offal.
Gross.
Right, tonight, you'll have 60 minutes to make us a stunning dish with whichever ingredient that Matthew chose for you displayed back in the pantry, and, unfortunately, we will have to say good-bye to two of you.
And now, Matthew, there's one more advantage - that we haven't even told you yet.
- Okay.
You now get to save five home cooks.
- Oh, my gosh, Matthew! - So, Matthew, what's going through your mind? What are you thinking? I'm looking for people who are pretty good cooks, that are very kind, and who deserve to stay in this competition.
All right, Matthew, which five of these home cooks would you like to save? I am gonna save Rhashad, - Yes! - Che, Ivy, Jayden, and Evie.
Now all of you get yourselves up there.
Evie: It feels so good to be safe.
I'm immediately in the top 16, which is the sweet 16.
Thank you, Matthew.
Right.
You'll have 60 minutes to make us a stunning dish.
- Are you ready? - Kids: Yes, Chef! Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go.
- Whoo! - Oh, my God! It's citrus! - Yay, citrus! - Oh, my God! - Lime.
- Oranges.
- Kumquats? - Look! They got Like, oh, my God.
I'm so excited that we got citrus.
I'm gonna just start with lemon because back home in New Jersey, I always like desserts.
Oh, these are oranges probably.
So I am making a citrus Napoleon with a blueberry jam.
I'm in town, I came here to find blueberries Basmati! Got it.
I'm going to make an orange Basmati rice with lemon garlic, jerk shrimp - Jerk seasoning! - and avocado crema.
Do you know where the avocado is? I'm feeling really good about this dish, because my dad's family is from Jamaica and I made this dish at home a lot of times.
What do we got? - Whoo! - Come on! You can do this.
- Don't stress.
- Now Matthew did choose citrus, - which can go sweet or savory.
- Absolutely.
Both ways hold just the amount of jeopardy.
- Where would you go? - No surprise.
- I would go sweet.
- Ooh, sounds good.
Right.
You know how difficult incorporating citrus into dessert is.
Yeah, you add too much citrus, the acidity, and the water content could ruin plenty of baked goods.
- What about you? - I mean, for me, I would go savory.
Okay.
But let us know that there's citrus in your dish, see a visual reference, whether it's little segments of the citrus, whether it's the zest, whether you candy the rind, - just use a juice.
- But keep it simple - and make the citrus the star.
- Yes.
Just under 50 minutes remaining.
Let's go, guys.
Malia: Being from California, I'm extremely happy that Matthew chose citrus.
So I am making seared pork chops with some lemon bok choy with a lime aioli.
I do cook with citrus back at home because it's very good for you and it brings out the flavor in everything.
Daggone it, hot! I'm from Newnan, Georgia.
Come on in.
I'm as Southern as they come, because if I'm not hunting These are my two deer.
and I'm not fishing My favorite thing about fishing is fishing.
I'm cooking.
That thing's huge.
I've been cooking since I was three.
He does love to cook and has since he was a little kid no matter what we do.
Reid: At my restaurant, I'm gonna serve venison, steak, chicken, and maybe some salads for the ladies.
Back at home in Georgia, me and my sister like to bake a lot, so I'm making, um, lemon glazed donuts.
That's a different side of Reid.
I'm hoping that I do the best with my donuts because I don't really wanna go home tonight.
- Good.
- Kate, tell me, what are you doing? I am making lemon ricotta pancake with a blueberry and raspberry sauce.
I love pancakes.
I make pancakes with my nana, so I feel very confident.
- These sound amazing.
Good luck.
- Thank you.
- Nayeli, ÿcómo estas guapa? - Yes.
- ÿMuy bien? - Si.
- Ow.
Ow.
- Oh, what happened? You okay? - What happened? You burned yourself on what? - I burned myself.
- The caramel? That's okay.
It's okay.
- Yes.
Oh, Nayeli! Nayeli burned herself with caramel.
That hurts so bad.
Hold on.
It's gonna be okay, mija.
All right, hold on.
- What happened? Okay.
- I burned myself.
I think she burned herself.
- All right.
- Nayeli, it's okay, mija.
Oh, my Lord.
- Ow.
Ow.
- Oh, what happened? You okay? - What happened? You burned yourself on what? - I burned myself.
- The caramel? That's okay.
It's okay.
- Yes.
- All right, hold on.
- What happened here? - I burned myself.
- Okay.
- Aarón: Be strong.
You're tough, Nayeli.
- All right.
Okay.
- It's okay, mija.
- Nayeli: Okay.
All right, it's just burned.
Okay, sweetheart.
Yeah, you just burned yourself, okay? You'll be fine, sweetheart.
Okay? You'll be all right, Nayeli.
There you go.
Come on.
You can do it, okay? You're on the way back.
It's all good.
So what are you making, Nayeli? A blood orange upside-down cake.
I'm going to top it with a blood orange whipped cream.
Outstanding.
Now, are you a big fan of doing cakes at home? Yes, back home in Texas I like to make a lot of cakes and cupcakes and cookies and macarons.
All right, you know what would make you feel better would be a great dish, okay? - Not to worry, mija.
- Okay, thank you.
- I'm here to help, okay, mija? Doing good.
- Thank you.
Reid: Nayeli, it's okay.
- Everything's gonna be all right.
- Okay, thank you.
Just over 20 minutes remaining.
Come on, guys.
Come on! Kyle, how are you feeling? - I'm feeling good about this dish.
- Okay.
I am very comfortable cooking with citrus because citrus is versatile, and I believe it should be in almost every dessert.
Thank you! This is what I'm talking about.
Boom! - What are you cooking? - I am making a tart with a lemon yuzu, pastry cream, and candied blood oranges.
Make sure that tart is baked beautifully and make sure that this dessert is all about that citrus.
- Thank you so much.
- I know you can do it.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Mateo, tell me about the dish.
What are you making? I am making a pan-seared sea scallop with carrot purée in a risotto.
And a risotto? Can you get this done in time? - Yeah.
- Where's the citrus coming in? The citrus is coming in two places.
- Right.
- It's coming in the sauce.
- Okay.
- And then also putting lemon zest, lemon juice in the risotto.
- Okay, so it's a nice citrus risotto.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
- How many times you made risotto, young man? Let's see.
Uh, let's say never.
Ne Mateo.
- Are you crazy? - I don't know.
It's an elimination challenge tonight, young man.
I really wanted to show people that I'm only eight, but I am here to win.
I know, but just focus on one thing, do that right, yes? - Yeah.
Thanks.
- Good luck.
Ivy: Smelling good! - Hey, Talulah.
- Hi! What are you gonna make? Today I am going to make a raspberry lemon macaron.
A macaron.
Have you made this before? It is something that I've made before at home, and I'm just adding different flavor to it.
And I think it's not gonna be that hard to pull off.
Now what is it about macarons that speak to you? My whole family is French, and I think it really, like, brings me on a plate today.
So I really hope it goes as well as I think it will.
All right, so, good luck, - okay, young lady? - Yes, Chef.
Just over ten minutes to go, home cooks.
Keep your eye on that clock.
What a magical challenge this is this evening.
Open oven.
Is there feet on there? Oh, no, they're not perfectly flat.
She doesn't have feet.
That's the sign of a good macaron.
Che: She'll be fine.
Christina: There is some serious culinary genius happening in the kitchen today.
- Yep.
- Gordon: Last minute to go.
It is time to start plating.
Remember, citrus needs to be the star! Come on, people.
Gordon: 30 seconds remaining.
- Christina: Let's go.
Finishing touches.
- Gordon: Come on, guys.
- Come on, come on, come on.
- Aarón: You got it.
Let's go! - This is good.
- Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop, hands in the air.
Well done.
- Christina: Hands in the air! - Aarón: Good job.
- ( cheering ) Well done.
Well, tonight, we asked you to make us an incredible dish utilizing citrus.
Now it's time to find out how they taste.
Let's begin with Ben.
Although I've never made a Napoleon before, back in New Jersey I bake a lot.
- That's really pretty.
- That looks good.
My goal from this dish is to show that I can handle an elimination challenge and that I can also cook dessert.
Ben, tell me about the dish.
I have made a citrus Napoleon with a blueberry jam.
The pastry cream has orange and lime zest, and then the puff pastry has lemon zest.
This looks like it came out of the most high-end pastry shop on Rodeo Drive.
Mmm.
Ben, it's a dream.
I love that I get lime and lemon and orange.
The blueberry helps lift them all up.
You've nailed the texture.
The puff pastry could be baked another three minutes or four minutes just so it's a little bit more golden brown.
- Mm-hmm.
- But I'm grasping, because this is a master class and a gorgeous citrus dessert.
- So impressive.
- Thank you.
Good job.
You should be really proud of yourself.
Che: Good job, Ben! Next up, the young Nayeli.
- Please come up here and bring your dish.
- Kid: Go, Nayeli.
Even though I burned myself in caramel, baking is, like, my most favorite thing in the world to do.
So a little burn wasn't gonna stop me from making a beautiful upside-down cake for the judges.
First of all, Nayeli, how's your hand? You don't see anything, but a burn.
I gotta tell you, you showed so much courage.
- You did good.
- Thank you.
Now tell me what you have right there.
I have a blood orange upside-down cake with a blood orange whipped cream.
Well, you know what? The knife is going through it really easily, which leads me to believe that you cooked it properly.
Look at that.
Look how fluffy and airy that is.
First of all, you cooked it, but it's still bright.
That little pop of all the citrus, that's amazing! You kept the fresh vibrancy of that fruit alive.
I think pulling off a very challenging upside-cake is not the easiest thing to do.
You did it while you were under the gun a little bit.
- I was very impressed about that.
- Thank you.
If I had to change one thing, just put a little dollop of the cream.
You don't need it all on the side.
- Okay.
- But other than that, - you hit a home run with a very difficult cake.
- Thank you.
Well done.
- Evie: Go, Nayeli.
- Ben: Go, Nayeli! Back on top.
Great job.
Right, next up, Talulah.
Let's go.
- Thank you.
- Malia: You got this, Talulah.
From afar, Talulah's macarons look great, and it's a really huge thing to do for an elimination challenge.
Personally, I would never even attempt to do that, but Talulah's known for her French cooking, so I think if anybody can pull off macarons, I think it's her.
Okay, young lady.
Now, the big question for me is tonight is elimination, right? Yes, Chef.
Why attempt one of the most difficult desserts anywhere in the world on a night like tonight? I've made them before, and I thought I could've pulled it off tonight.
What I love is the sheen you've got on the outside, but the disappointing part of this is not to the naked eye, and I'll show you why.
So here's the bit that is the frustrating part.
Inside, there's no center.
Now that should be full in there.
- You know that, right? - Yeah.
Talulah, here's the bit that is the frustrating part.
Inside, there's no center.
Yeah.
Now that should be full in there.
You know that, right? - Yeah.
- What went wrong? My macaron shells, they became hollow and they didn't fill all the way up, and they didn't get those feet that I wanted.
When you started piping it, did you know there was a problem? Yeah, but I knew it was too late.
I couldn't make a new batch, so I worked with the mistake.
Incorporating that coloring after the dry ingredients and knocking the air back out of those egg whites deflates your mixture to a flat meringue.
Why dunk them in all that butter? I thought it would look nice.
Soggy.
Soggy.
So it's like we've ruined them.
But listen, young lady, what you've got is an amazing sheen on that beautiful macaron.
What's the jam? It's a raspberry lemon jam.
Mmm.
That's delicious.
You've got the color of those macarons absolutely spot-on.
They look vibrant.
Unfortunately, they're hollow, dry, bits of egg white with a very heavy buttery flavor.
Thank you.
Please step forward, Reid.
Thank you.
All right, my friend, what is it? Reid: I've made you doughnuts with a mint and lemon glaze.
I like these crispy bits.
Thank you.
This is scary.
- Reid.
- Yes, ma'am? What I really like is that these doughnuts are different.
It's a celebration of lemon, but when you're working with yeast, you gotta give it time to rise - Yes, ma'am.
- so it's light and fluffy.
I like your vision.
You fell a little short on execution.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Reid.
- Good job, Reid.
Mateo, make your way down.
Describe the dish, please.
Mateo: So today for you I made pan-seared sea scallops with lemon beurre noisette, lemon risotto, and a carrot purée.
What did you finish the risotto with? I finished it with parmesan and some lemon zest.
The purée, it doesn't really make sense, and then you've got the scallops that's all burnt.
So they're very dry and really rubbery.
But what you have nailed is the risotto.
I can taste the lemon.
Unfortunately, the dish doesn't work.
You've got two items on there that's too much.
- Yes, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Mateo.
- Next up, please, Kate.
Kate: I have lemon pancakes with a raspberry and blueberry syrup.
So, do you make pancakes a lot? I do make them a pretty good bit with my nana.
This dish has this incredible rustic elegance to it.
I get these light fluffy pancakes.
I get a little bit of the richness from the ricotta.
This is an incredible dish.
- Thank you.
- Nice job.
Next up, Miss Brielle.
Can you step up here? All right, what do you have here, sweetie? Brielle: I made garlic jerk shrimp with basmati rice and avocado crema.
Tell me where the citrus is throughout this dish.
I put orange in the rice and the shrimp.
I appreciate the fact that you cooked the shrimp well, but that rice has so much pepper.
It's really overpowering.
And I think you need to have a little bit more of a sauce with the shrimp.
- But good job, young lady.
- ( cheering ) All right, next up, please, Kyle.
Come on down.
I'm really happy about the challenge because I got to cook with my two favorite things citrus and sweets.
And when I combine them, I think the result is legendary.
All right, Kyle, what's the dish? Kyle: So, today, I made for you a fruit tartlet with a yuzu pastry cream and candied blood oranges.
Now looking at this, when we look under, there's almost no color to it.
This needed a little bit longer in the oven.
Why that blood orange on top? I think the blood orange gives it a nice color, and also it's sweet and tart at the same time, and I think it really goes well.
Your curd is delicious.
It's beautifully cooked.
It's silky smooth.
You've got the right amount of eggs and the right amount of butter in it, but one is under-baked, which is unfortunate.
And you decision to garnish with that blood orange that's just so thick and clunky and bitter takes away from the beauty of that curd.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Kyle.
Really good job.
- Good job, Kyle.
Last up, Malia.
( cheers and applause ) Malia: Being from California, citrus is my middle name.
I am feeling really confident because citrus is the star and my pork chop is perfectly cooked says my thermometer.
Okay, young lady.
Describe the dish, please.
Malia: What I have made is a lemon-seared pork chop with lemon orzo, lemon bok choy, and a lime aioli.
Young lady, you've definitely got citrus on there, let's get that right.
So, the temperature inside the pork, describe it to me.
Well, the temperature inside should be somewhere around 160 degrees.
Oh, boy.
Oh, my Lord.
Malia, that looks Oh, boy.
Malia, that looks - beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Nailed it.
- Yes.
Did you caramelize it with lemon on top as well? I did.
I marinated it in a lemon vinaigrette for about 30 minutes.
- Malia.
- Yes.
That is a delicious dish.
The bok choy, lovely.
The orzo, it's seasoned beautiful.
- You know your citrus, don't you? - Mm-hmm.
It's got finesse.
It's a smart dish that's been conceptualized beautifully.
Great job.
- Thank you.
- Well done! Amazing.
- Good job, Malia! Really, really good job.
- Thank you.
You should be really proud of yourself.
Good job, Malia.
Tonight's challenge was to use citrus to make a dish worthy to stand out inside this incredible kitchen.
And the quality of dishes out there tonight was pretty spectacular.
Unfortunately, we're gonna say good night to two of you this evening.
Please, give us a moment to discuss.
- Wow, this is tough.
- Yeah.
Let's discuss some of the highlights.
The standout for me was Malia's.
Restaurant quality, and screams citrus.
Yes.
Across the board there were pluses and minuses.
Definitely.
Mateo's was badly conceptualized.
Scallops overcooked.
Really bad indeed.
I think Talulah's dish also fell short because she took a risk and the technique fell flat.
I agree.
Christina: Kyle was a little clunky.
Gordon: That tart was so uneven and badly done.
- Are we all agreed? - Yep.
As you know, this is a competition, and, unfortunately, we do have to say some good-byes.
Can all of our home cooks on the balcony please make your way back to your stations? Mateo: This was definitely a difficult challenge for me.
I could've did better.
There was lots of room for improvement.
But I just hope that what I did was enough, because I just don't want to go home.
Now, before we deal with the toughest part of the night, there were some out of this world dishes.
Gordon, what were your highlights? Big standout for me tonight was Malia's.
- It was amazing.
- Thank you.
What about you, Aarón? It had to go one way for me, and that's Nayeli.
Extremely well done.
Christina: For me, Ben.
It just left me with the biggest smile on my face.
Good job, guys! Now comes the toughest part of the night.
If I call your name, please come down here.
Mateo.
Brielle.
Kyle.
And, finally, Talulah.
This is a competition, and we're looking for just one MasterChef Junior.
If Gordon says your name, please step forward.
Brielle.
And Kyle.
Tonight, you did just enough to survive.
( gasps ) Please, head back to your stations.
You're safe.
Talulah, Mateo, you're both incredibly talented and you've got to keep your heads up high.
Promise me you're both gonna continue cooking, right? Both: Yes, Chef.
Please have a safe trip back.
- Good night.
- Good job, guys.
Mateo: I'm sad that I'm going home, but I had so many amazing memories in here.
I'm only eight years old, and I'm super excited that I got to step foot in the most famous kitchen - in the world.
- Bye, Mateo.
And this is just the beginning of my culinary career.
- Bye, Talulah.
It's okay.
- Bye, Talulah.
I got eliminated, and it's really unfortunate because I really wanted to win this.
But it's not like, "Oh, no, I got eliminated.
I'm never gonna cook again.
" You're one of the best home cooks in America, and that's really meaningful.
It's a passion, and "MasterChef Junior," it helps you develop that passion.
- Good night.
- Bye, guys.
Bye.
So I think it's something to be really proud of.
Announcer: Next time Are you all ready to get messy? - ( cheering ) - Yeah, baby! - Trifle.
- Go! Go! Go! - When the competition - Switch! shifts into high gear - Punch it, punch it! - You gotta move, let's go! - ( screaming ) - the top 16 face a sticky situation.
No! Then a Gordon Ramsay master class.
We have to replicate Gordon Ramsay sliders.
This is going to be really hard.
We're cooking up fun on MasterChef Junior.
Now here are a few more shows to check out from Fox.
Let me talk to you about my new show, Mental Samurai.
You think you're smart, good at puzzles, knowledge, memory games? What if I told you you were battling the clock, had to be perfect, and you were strapped into this thing? -(screams) -Whoa! -(grunts) -(shouts) ANNOUNCER: Mental Samurai, Tuesdays.
Is there a kill switch? ANNOUNCER: On Fox.
Can I eject outta this thing? ANNOUNCER: It's outrageous.
Oh, my God! It's outlandish! -Oh, my God! -Oh, my God! -It's out of control.
-Aaah! Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! It's Fox Sunday! -Oh -My -Freakin' -(farts) Oh, my God.
Sundays, only on Fox! Oh, my God, oh, my God!
an ageless pressure test Champagne? You're not allowed to drink for another nine years yet.
was a celebration for some.
- How's that look to you? - It looks wonderful.
Perfect.
- But for Ashley and Tal - Oh, dear.
I want you both to remember what you've achieved.
- the party came to an end.
- Bye.
Tonight There are fish everywhere! - when the competition - It's slippery.
is on the line, some home cooks flounder - Whoa! - Reid.
( screaming ) - Followed by - Chicken feet, pig snout, intestine.
- Oh, my God.
- ( groans ) an elimination test that's tough to face.
Put your hands up, if you like offal.
- Ugh! - Gross.
( cheering ) I feel so good to be in the top 18.
It just feels like magic right now.
I mean, I am a powerful eight-year-old cook.
That trophy and the hundred thousand dollars are so close I can feel it and I can smell it.
You watch out.
I am coming! Christina: All right, you 18.
As you can see, tonight is an iconic mystery box challenge.
Ooh, yay! Gordon: One, two three.
Lift! - What? - It's a goldfish! - Aww! - Oh, it's so cute! Wait, we're gonna have to cook it? - Oh! - Wait, what? When you walk into the MasterChef kitchen, you have to be ready to face whatever we throw at you guys.
You've never had goldfish fish and chips? Kids: No! Now, listen carefully.
When you start working with this ingredient, get out every single bone.
Understood? - Yes, Chef.
- Aarón: Don't worry.
Chef Gordon is gonna show you how it's done.
Gordon: Right.
Ooh! Ooh, okay.
( whistling ) ( shrieks ) Come on, Moby.
Come on! ( sighs ) - ( gasps ) - Of course I'm not expecting you guys to cook a goldfish.
- ( cheering ) - Gordon: Really? Thank you, world.
Thank you.
You're gonna be okay.
- Dear, oh, dear.
- He's my pet.
But we do expect you tonight to make us a flawless fish dish.
- Whoo! - ( cheering ) And you can do that featuring any fish that you find in that incredible MasterChef pantry.
So, you have one hour to make us an incredible fish dish.
And your one hour starts now.
- Gordon: Let's go.
- Christina: Get that fish.
- Fish! - I need my fish.
- Fish time! - I could deal with this.
- Oh, yeah, baby! - There are fish everywhere! Some of them are really small.
Some of them are really tall.
It's gonna be a little slimy, but that's okay.
- It's slippery.
- Rhashad: It's amazing.
I'm so happy we don't have to cook those goldfish.
( laughs ) - It's so heavy.
- Oh, my gosh.
Right, let's go.
All of you, fish down, go shopping.
- I have fish hands.
- You want a slimy high-five? Oh, God.
Really? I'm going to the grocery store like with my mom.
- I need baskets.
- Pass me the red cabbage.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Back home in Rhode Island, our family loves fish tacos.
So today I'm making a red snapper fish taco with tortilla chips and salsa because I really wanna show Aarón my taco skills.
- Do you see red pepper flakes? - Yes, I know where they are.
- I think I have everything.
- Come on, come on, let's go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go! Let's get cooking.
This is a big one, because there's only one temperature for fish - That's right.
- and that's perfection.
So these kids tonight are up against it.
Looks pretty good.
Guys, 18 young home cooks.
We have five eight-year-olds still in the competition.
Let them sweat.
But can an eight-year-old handle this pressure? - That looks good.
- Kid: ( gasps ) No! - What in the world? - Aarón: You have kids that are eight years old, but here's the deal, guys.
Some of them have been cooking for four years already.
- Gordon: Yes.
- I have plenty of time.
Just over 50 minutes remaining.
Let's go, guys.
Add some hoisin.
Back home in New Jersey, I eat branzino maybe once every two weeks.
I am eight years old, and I live in Demarest, New Jersey.
So this is our whole kitchen.
I like to cook, I like to ski, I like to play hockey, I like to do tae kwon do.
I can do a lot.
I've been cooking basically since I was, like, one.
I started seeing my mom cooking dinner and I was like, "How do you do that?" He's the most creative, confident, and excited chef there is.
Since I've traveled, like, all over the world, I like to cook Japanese food, Italian food.
I like all the countries' food.
I'm making a pan-seared branzino with cauliflower and glazed carrots.
I'm making a red snapper fish taco with pico de gallo and an avocado crema.
I'm making these fish tacos because back home in Atlanta we always make them, so I think I can win this.
Gordon: Guys, halfway.
30 minutes remaining.
Right, Talulah, what's tonight's dish? What are you doing? Well, my grandparents actually own a restaurant in the south of France.
So today I'm making a branzino amandine with an almond brown butter sauce and a herb salad.
Right.
You have a very foodie background, restaurants in the family, so I'm expecting fireworks with this fish.
- Yes.
- Good luck.
This smells good.
I wish I was eating this.
I love cooking with my heritage.
So I am making Asian seared halibut with some Asian style broccolini and some coconut lime rice.
Got it.
I'm gonna make fish tacos with a cabbage slaw on the inside.
I'm nine years old and I'm from San Antonio, Texas.
Come in.
I've been cooking since I was five years old.
And since I'm Mexican, I always cook Mexican food.
This is probably my favorite thing to use in the kitchen.
But baking is, like, my most favorite thing in the world to do.
She has fun doing it.
It's not work for her.
It's just her passion.
I'm ready to be the best junior home cook in America.
I love tacos and I wanna show my culture, and so that's why I'm making this.
- Matthew, you live in New Jersey, right? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Have you had a chance to go fishing - with your dad? - Yeah, I always go fishing.
- What do you guys fish for? - Any kind of fish.
Nice.
What are you making? I am making pan-seared branzino with a orange-scented rainbow chard and a warm tomato salsa.
Is this gonna be an amazing dish or what? - Mm-hmm.
- My man! Give me a little Boo-ya! Ooh! Last one.
Yes! - Mr.
Ben.
- Hello.
So remind me, how old are you - and where are you from? - I'm 11, and I'm from Morristown, New Jersey.
So what is this dish? I really like Thai flavors and I wanted to show that my palate's sophisticated, so I'm making halibut with Jasmine rice, and a coconut green curry sauce, Romanesco, and sugar snap peas.
- Ben, it's a lot going on.
- Mm-hmm.
- Good luck.
- Thank you.
Just over ten minutes remaining.
Remember, a huge advantage for one of you.
Just a little bit longer.
Right, Reid, what are you doing? What's the dish? Well, it's gonna be a striped bass with some potato hash - and some oven-roasted asparagus.
- Wow.
So you're a bit of a hunter, a fisherman.
Even though you're one of the youngest in the competition, - you're a man's man, right? - Yes, sir.
What's the largest fish you've caught? - It's an 11-pound striper.
- All right, all right, okay.
Do you take your girlfriend fishing? I well, I'm trying to get that right now.
( Reid laughs ) - Good luck.
- Yes, sir.
There we go.
- I wanna eat that.
- Exciting.
There is some serious culinary genius happening in the kitchen tonight.
A dab more salt and pepper.
Add that halibut.
60 seconds to go.
This is it! Okay, that looks ready.
Gordon: This is where it counts, guys.
Speed up.
It smells good.
Oh, it's fine.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three two, one.
- And stop! Hands in the air.
- Oh! Tonight, we challenged you to make us an incredible fish dish.
And Aarón, Christina, and I watched you all very carefully whilst you cooked.
Now we'd like to call down the three most impressive dishes that we would like to take a closer look at.
Gordon: The first home cook we'd like to bring forward tonight comes to this incredible kitchen all the way from New Jersey.
Please, step down here Matthew.
- Well done.
- ( cheering ) I'm so happy, because I'm the first one called, and that feels so good.
I think this shows all the kids that being young does not matter.
Wow! Young man, it looks incredible.
It looks like it's just come out of one of our restaurants.
Did you get Christina and Aarón to plate this? - No.
- Describe the dish, please.
Today, I've made you a pan-seared branzino with an orange-scented rainbow chard and a warm tomato salsa.
Hold on a minute.
Where are these ideas coming from? You're only eight.
Usually, my mind.
- And you.
- And me? - Yeah.
- Thank you very much.
So, visually, I love what you've done with the scoring.
It looks beautiful.
The colors pop.
- What did you season the fish with? - I just seasoned it - with salt and pepper.
- Mmm.
Oh, my goodness me.
Could you just get me a table and a chair? - I would like to sit down and finish this.
- Okay.
Young man, it's delicious.
If you were 18 years of age, I still wouldn't expect you to cook a dish like this.
- You're the real deal, aren't you? - Yes.
You're tiny, you're powerful, and you're very, very, very talented.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Here's what I love about what you did.
You cooked down those tomatoes in such a way that you brought out the acidity and the sweetness that really can stand up to the oily nature of that branzino.
- Okay.
- And most importantly, you celebrated the fish and cooked it perfectly.
- Great job, young man.
- Thank you.
That was awesome.
Matthew, you did so good.
The second dish that we'd like to examine further was made by a home cook all the way from Georgia.
Please, come up here, Brielle.
I wanna get called up to the top three so badly, but Brielle's tacos look amazing, and she is only eight years old.
She made better tacos than I could've made.
Brielle, what's your food dream? My food dream is to open up a restaurant called Brielle's Bistro, and I want it to be seafood and Italian food.
So this whole thing makes a lot of sense now.
- What's the dish? - I made a red snapper fish taco with a coleslaw, pico de gallo, and an avocado crema.
Why red snapper? It has a flavor that nothing else has and it had a texture.
- Mmm.
- So it would be good with tacos.
Brielle, your fish tacos are inspired.
They're light.
They're fresh.
And they make me feel like I'm on vacation, sitting at the sea, hanging out, and just celebrating life.
- Incredible job.
- Thank you.
I love what you've done.
Every time I have a bite of tomato, it explodes with that beautiful flavor.
The crema is beautifully balanced, and then the snapper's cooked perfectly.
Light and flaky.
Great job.
( cheering ) Great job, Brielle! The third dish that we want to examine further was also made by another eight-year-old.
Please, come on through, Reid.
Reid: Yay! I actually got in the top three dishes.
This is the perfect time for me to be called, because back home in Georgia fish is kind of my life.
- Reid.
- Yes, Chef.
So do you consider yourself more a hunter or a fisherman? - Both.
- I love that.
So, describe your dish.
I made for you striped bass with some oven-roasted asparagus and potato hash.
And I love the fact that you're the only young home cook that chose to tackle wild striped bass.
Me and my brother like to go fishing a lot for striped bass.
- So we catch those a lot.
- I gotta tell you, that skin is so phenomenal.
It gives texture.
Really makes a big impact.
And the fact that you were so simplistic with the composition, I think allowed the fish to be the star.
And I think right there was a stroke of genius on your part.
- Excellent job.
- Thank you.
Mmm.
Oh, boy, that's got texture.
This is a fantastic dish, young man.
The glistening on the fish is beautiful.
The bacon smell just, you know, enhances.
You cook with style.
I love the attitude.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.
girl: Good job.
Gordon: Three amazing dishes.
- All executed with perfection.
- Yeah.
So bold, so thoughtful, and so different.
You guys did such a good job.
Wow.
All of you, well done, but there can only be one winner.
And the home cook with the best dish, who will get a huge advantage in the next challenge Congratulations goes to Now, on to tonight's winner.
The home cook with the best dish, who will get a huge advantage in the next challenge congratulations Matthew! Oh, my God! - Oh, my God! - Matthew! You guys did a really good job, too.
Matthew, that dish was restaurant quality, cooked to perfection.
Incredible.
Brielle, well done.
Reid, well done.
Please, both of you, head back to your stations.
- Good job, guys.
- Now, Matthew, please, join us in that incredible MasterChef pantry.
Let's go.
Matthew: I feel so good right now.
I'm only eight years old, - and I had the best dish of the night.
- Well done, bud.
And I cannot wait to go see my special advantage.
Come on in, bud.
Matthew, welcome to the incredible MasterChef Junior pantry.
Because you won the mystery box challenge - Uh-huh.
- you do not have to cook - in the next challenge.
- Yes! Christina: Your next advantage is that tonight you get to choose what what everyone else will be cooking.
Whoa.
Everything under these boxes is loved by every kid in America.
Your first choice, it's one of the most-prized ingredients on the entire planet.
- I'm talking about - Chocolate! That's right, Matthew.
Chocolate.
Here we have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, even my favorite, which is Mexican chocolate.
There are a million directions that you can take with chocolate dishes.
I love chocolate.
Matthew, I have another ingredient kids love to eat.
It's bright, it's packed with vitamins, and it's full of flavor.
I'm talking about citrus! Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, and everything in between.
From cakes to marinades, sauces, dressings.
Everything is possible with this delicious ingredient.
- Wow.
- This last choice is something that I absolutely loved when I was your age.
It is of course What is that? - Offal.
- What is it? It's the liver, the heart, pig snout - Yuck.
- chicken feet, and you've got these beautiful - Oh, yuck, that's disgusting.
- ( groans ) - intestines.
- Oh, God.
That's so disgusting.
Kids love this stuff, right, Matthew? - No.
- Thank you.
All right, Matthew, what ingredient do you want your fellow home cooks to cook with tonight? I think I'm gonna choose - ( applause ) - All right, Matthew, up to the balcony.
Now, tonight's mystery box winner Matthew is safe from elimination tonight.
Back in the pantry, Matthew got to pick what each of you will be cooking with in this next challenge.
We gave Matthew the choice between three amazing options that are very popular with kids all over America.
Chocolate.
Citrus fruits.
Well, I offered Matthew the best choice.
Offal.
- What? - Intestines, duck heart, pigs feet, pigs ear, and pig snout.
Ivy: Ugh! A nose and a ear of a pig? Awful! Eww! Put your hands up, if you like offal.
Gross.
Right, tonight, you'll have 60 minutes to make us a stunning dish with whichever ingredient that Matthew chose for you displayed back in the pantry, and, unfortunately, we will have to say good-bye to two of you.
And now, Matthew, there's one more advantage - that we haven't even told you yet.
- Okay.
You now get to save five home cooks.
- Oh, my gosh, Matthew! - So, Matthew, what's going through your mind? What are you thinking? I'm looking for people who are pretty good cooks, that are very kind, and who deserve to stay in this competition.
All right, Matthew, which five of these home cooks would you like to save? I am gonna save Rhashad, - Yes! - Che, Ivy, Jayden, and Evie.
Now all of you get yourselves up there.
Evie: It feels so good to be safe.
I'm immediately in the top 16, which is the sweet 16.
Thank you, Matthew.
Right.
You'll have 60 minutes to make us a stunning dish.
- Are you ready? - Kids: Yes, Chef! Your 60 minutes start now.
Let's go.
- Whoo! - Oh, my God! It's citrus! - Yay, citrus! - Oh, my God! - Lime.
- Oranges.
- Kumquats? - Look! They got Like, oh, my God.
I'm so excited that we got citrus.
I'm gonna just start with lemon because back home in New Jersey, I always like desserts.
Oh, these are oranges probably.
So I am making a citrus Napoleon with a blueberry jam.
I'm in town, I came here to find blueberries Basmati! Got it.
I'm going to make an orange Basmati rice with lemon garlic, jerk shrimp - Jerk seasoning! - and avocado crema.
Do you know where the avocado is? I'm feeling really good about this dish, because my dad's family is from Jamaica and I made this dish at home a lot of times.
What do we got? - Whoo! - Come on! You can do this.
- Don't stress.
- Now Matthew did choose citrus, - which can go sweet or savory.
- Absolutely.
Both ways hold just the amount of jeopardy.
- Where would you go? - No surprise.
- I would go sweet.
- Ooh, sounds good.
Right.
You know how difficult incorporating citrus into dessert is.
Yeah, you add too much citrus, the acidity, and the water content could ruin plenty of baked goods.
- What about you? - I mean, for me, I would go savory.
Okay.
But let us know that there's citrus in your dish, see a visual reference, whether it's little segments of the citrus, whether it's the zest, whether you candy the rind, - just use a juice.
- But keep it simple - and make the citrus the star.
- Yes.
Just under 50 minutes remaining.
Let's go, guys.
Malia: Being from California, I'm extremely happy that Matthew chose citrus.
So I am making seared pork chops with some lemon bok choy with a lime aioli.
I do cook with citrus back at home because it's very good for you and it brings out the flavor in everything.
Daggone it, hot! I'm from Newnan, Georgia.
Come on in.
I'm as Southern as they come, because if I'm not hunting These are my two deer.
and I'm not fishing My favorite thing about fishing is fishing.
I'm cooking.
That thing's huge.
I've been cooking since I was three.
He does love to cook and has since he was a little kid no matter what we do.
Reid: At my restaurant, I'm gonna serve venison, steak, chicken, and maybe some salads for the ladies.
Back at home in Georgia, me and my sister like to bake a lot, so I'm making, um, lemon glazed donuts.
That's a different side of Reid.
I'm hoping that I do the best with my donuts because I don't really wanna go home tonight.
- Good.
- Kate, tell me, what are you doing? I am making lemon ricotta pancake with a blueberry and raspberry sauce.
I love pancakes.
I make pancakes with my nana, so I feel very confident.
- These sound amazing.
Good luck.
- Thank you.
- Nayeli, ÿcómo estas guapa? - Yes.
- ÿMuy bien? - Si.
- Ow.
Ow.
- Oh, what happened? You okay? - What happened? You burned yourself on what? - I burned myself.
- The caramel? That's okay.
It's okay.
- Yes.
Oh, Nayeli! Nayeli burned herself with caramel.
That hurts so bad.
Hold on.
It's gonna be okay, mija.
All right, hold on.
- What happened? Okay.
- I burned myself.
I think she burned herself.
- All right.
- Nayeli, it's okay, mija.
Oh, my Lord.
- Ow.
Ow.
- Oh, what happened? You okay? - What happened? You burned yourself on what? - I burned myself.
- The caramel? That's okay.
It's okay.
- Yes.
- All right, hold on.
- What happened here? - I burned myself.
- Okay.
- Aarón: Be strong.
You're tough, Nayeli.
- All right.
Okay.
- It's okay, mija.
- Nayeli: Okay.
All right, it's just burned.
Okay, sweetheart.
Yeah, you just burned yourself, okay? You'll be fine, sweetheart.
Okay? You'll be all right, Nayeli.
There you go.
Come on.
You can do it, okay? You're on the way back.
It's all good.
So what are you making, Nayeli? A blood orange upside-down cake.
I'm going to top it with a blood orange whipped cream.
Outstanding.
Now, are you a big fan of doing cakes at home? Yes, back home in Texas I like to make a lot of cakes and cupcakes and cookies and macarons.
All right, you know what would make you feel better would be a great dish, okay? - Not to worry, mija.
- Okay, thank you.
- I'm here to help, okay, mija? Doing good.
- Thank you.
Reid: Nayeli, it's okay.
- Everything's gonna be all right.
- Okay, thank you.
Just over 20 minutes remaining.
Come on, guys.
Come on! Kyle, how are you feeling? - I'm feeling good about this dish.
- Okay.
I am very comfortable cooking with citrus because citrus is versatile, and I believe it should be in almost every dessert.
Thank you! This is what I'm talking about.
Boom! - What are you cooking? - I am making a tart with a lemon yuzu, pastry cream, and candied blood oranges.
Make sure that tart is baked beautifully and make sure that this dessert is all about that citrus.
- Thank you so much.
- I know you can do it.
- Good luck.
- Thank you, Chef.
Mateo, tell me about the dish.
What are you making? I am making a pan-seared sea scallop with carrot purée in a risotto.
And a risotto? Can you get this done in time? - Yeah.
- Where's the citrus coming in? The citrus is coming in two places.
- Right.
- It's coming in the sauce.
- Okay.
- And then also putting lemon zest, lemon juice in the risotto.
- Okay, so it's a nice citrus risotto.
- Yeah.
- Yes.
- How many times you made risotto, young man? Let's see.
Uh, let's say never.
Ne Mateo.
- Are you crazy? - I don't know.
It's an elimination challenge tonight, young man.
I really wanted to show people that I'm only eight, but I am here to win.
I know, but just focus on one thing, do that right, yes? - Yeah.
Thanks.
- Good luck.
Ivy: Smelling good! - Hey, Talulah.
- Hi! What are you gonna make? Today I am going to make a raspberry lemon macaron.
A macaron.
Have you made this before? It is something that I've made before at home, and I'm just adding different flavor to it.
And I think it's not gonna be that hard to pull off.
Now what is it about macarons that speak to you? My whole family is French, and I think it really, like, brings me on a plate today.
So I really hope it goes as well as I think it will.
All right, so, good luck, - okay, young lady? - Yes, Chef.
Just over ten minutes to go, home cooks.
Keep your eye on that clock.
What a magical challenge this is this evening.
Open oven.
Is there feet on there? Oh, no, they're not perfectly flat.
She doesn't have feet.
That's the sign of a good macaron.
Che: She'll be fine.
Christina: There is some serious culinary genius happening in the kitchen today.
- Yep.
- Gordon: Last minute to go.
It is time to start plating.
Remember, citrus needs to be the star! Come on, people.
Gordon: 30 seconds remaining.
- Christina: Let's go.
Finishing touches.
- Gordon: Come on, guys.
- Come on, come on, come on.
- Aarón: You got it.
Let's go! - This is good.
- Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
- Gordon: And stop, hands in the air.
Well done.
- Christina: Hands in the air! - Aarón: Good job.
- ( cheering ) Well done.
Well, tonight, we asked you to make us an incredible dish utilizing citrus.
Now it's time to find out how they taste.
Let's begin with Ben.
Although I've never made a Napoleon before, back in New Jersey I bake a lot.
- That's really pretty.
- That looks good.
My goal from this dish is to show that I can handle an elimination challenge and that I can also cook dessert.
Ben, tell me about the dish.
I have made a citrus Napoleon with a blueberry jam.
The pastry cream has orange and lime zest, and then the puff pastry has lemon zest.
This looks like it came out of the most high-end pastry shop on Rodeo Drive.
Mmm.
Ben, it's a dream.
I love that I get lime and lemon and orange.
The blueberry helps lift them all up.
You've nailed the texture.
The puff pastry could be baked another three minutes or four minutes just so it's a little bit more golden brown.
- Mm-hmm.
- But I'm grasping, because this is a master class and a gorgeous citrus dessert.
- So impressive.
- Thank you.
Good job.
You should be really proud of yourself.
Che: Good job, Ben! Next up, the young Nayeli.
- Please come up here and bring your dish.
- Kid: Go, Nayeli.
Even though I burned myself in caramel, baking is, like, my most favorite thing in the world to do.
So a little burn wasn't gonna stop me from making a beautiful upside-down cake for the judges.
First of all, Nayeli, how's your hand? You don't see anything, but a burn.
I gotta tell you, you showed so much courage.
- You did good.
- Thank you.
Now tell me what you have right there.
I have a blood orange upside-down cake with a blood orange whipped cream.
Well, you know what? The knife is going through it really easily, which leads me to believe that you cooked it properly.
Look at that.
Look how fluffy and airy that is.
First of all, you cooked it, but it's still bright.
That little pop of all the citrus, that's amazing! You kept the fresh vibrancy of that fruit alive.
I think pulling off a very challenging upside-cake is not the easiest thing to do.
You did it while you were under the gun a little bit.
- I was very impressed about that.
- Thank you.
If I had to change one thing, just put a little dollop of the cream.
You don't need it all on the side.
- Okay.
- But other than that, - you hit a home run with a very difficult cake.
- Thank you.
Well done.
- Evie: Go, Nayeli.
- Ben: Go, Nayeli! Back on top.
Great job.
Right, next up, Talulah.
Let's go.
- Thank you.
- Malia: You got this, Talulah.
From afar, Talulah's macarons look great, and it's a really huge thing to do for an elimination challenge.
Personally, I would never even attempt to do that, but Talulah's known for her French cooking, so I think if anybody can pull off macarons, I think it's her.
Okay, young lady.
Now, the big question for me is tonight is elimination, right? Yes, Chef.
Why attempt one of the most difficult desserts anywhere in the world on a night like tonight? I've made them before, and I thought I could've pulled it off tonight.
What I love is the sheen you've got on the outside, but the disappointing part of this is not to the naked eye, and I'll show you why.
So here's the bit that is the frustrating part.
Inside, there's no center.
Now that should be full in there.
- You know that, right? - Yeah.
Talulah, here's the bit that is the frustrating part.
Inside, there's no center.
Yeah.
Now that should be full in there.
You know that, right? - Yeah.
- What went wrong? My macaron shells, they became hollow and they didn't fill all the way up, and they didn't get those feet that I wanted.
When you started piping it, did you know there was a problem? Yeah, but I knew it was too late.
I couldn't make a new batch, so I worked with the mistake.
Incorporating that coloring after the dry ingredients and knocking the air back out of those egg whites deflates your mixture to a flat meringue.
Why dunk them in all that butter? I thought it would look nice.
Soggy.
Soggy.
So it's like we've ruined them.
But listen, young lady, what you've got is an amazing sheen on that beautiful macaron.
What's the jam? It's a raspberry lemon jam.
Mmm.
That's delicious.
You've got the color of those macarons absolutely spot-on.
They look vibrant.
Unfortunately, they're hollow, dry, bits of egg white with a very heavy buttery flavor.
Thank you.
Please step forward, Reid.
Thank you.
All right, my friend, what is it? Reid: I've made you doughnuts with a mint and lemon glaze.
I like these crispy bits.
Thank you.
This is scary.
- Reid.
- Yes, ma'am? What I really like is that these doughnuts are different.
It's a celebration of lemon, but when you're working with yeast, you gotta give it time to rise - Yes, ma'am.
- so it's light and fluffy.
I like your vision.
You fell a little short on execution.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Reid.
- Good job, Reid.
Mateo, make your way down.
Describe the dish, please.
Mateo: So today for you I made pan-seared sea scallops with lemon beurre noisette, lemon risotto, and a carrot purée.
What did you finish the risotto with? I finished it with parmesan and some lemon zest.
The purée, it doesn't really make sense, and then you've got the scallops that's all burnt.
So they're very dry and really rubbery.
But what you have nailed is the risotto.
I can taste the lemon.
Unfortunately, the dish doesn't work.
You've got two items on there that's too much.
- Yes, Chef.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Mateo.
- Next up, please, Kate.
Kate: I have lemon pancakes with a raspberry and blueberry syrup.
So, do you make pancakes a lot? I do make them a pretty good bit with my nana.
This dish has this incredible rustic elegance to it.
I get these light fluffy pancakes.
I get a little bit of the richness from the ricotta.
This is an incredible dish.
- Thank you.
- Nice job.
Next up, Miss Brielle.
Can you step up here? All right, what do you have here, sweetie? Brielle: I made garlic jerk shrimp with basmati rice and avocado crema.
Tell me where the citrus is throughout this dish.
I put orange in the rice and the shrimp.
I appreciate the fact that you cooked the shrimp well, but that rice has so much pepper.
It's really overpowering.
And I think you need to have a little bit more of a sauce with the shrimp.
- But good job, young lady.
- ( cheering ) All right, next up, please, Kyle.
Come on down.
I'm really happy about the challenge because I got to cook with my two favorite things citrus and sweets.
And when I combine them, I think the result is legendary.
All right, Kyle, what's the dish? Kyle: So, today, I made for you a fruit tartlet with a yuzu pastry cream and candied blood oranges.
Now looking at this, when we look under, there's almost no color to it.
This needed a little bit longer in the oven.
Why that blood orange on top? I think the blood orange gives it a nice color, and also it's sweet and tart at the same time, and I think it really goes well.
Your curd is delicious.
It's beautifully cooked.
It's silky smooth.
You've got the right amount of eggs and the right amount of butter in it, but one is under-baked, which is unfortunate.
And you decision to garnish with that blood orange that's just so thick and clunky and bitter takes away from the beauty of that curd.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Good job, Kyle.
Really good job.
- Good job, Kyle.
Last up, Malia.
( cheers and applause ) Malia: Being from California, citrus is my middle name.
I am feeling really confident because citrus is the star and my pork chop is perfectly cooked says my thermometer.
Okay, young lady.
Describe the dish, please.
Malia: What I have made is a lemon-seared pork chop with lemon orzo, lemon bok choy, and a lime aioli.
Young lady, you've definitely got citrus on there, let's get that right.
So, the temperature inside the pork, describe it to me.
Well, the temperature inside should be somewhere around 160 degrees.
Oh, boy.
Oh, my Lord.
Malia, that looks Oh, boy.
Malia, that looks - beautiful.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Nailed it.
- Yes.
Did you caramelize it with lemon on top as well? I did.
I marinated it in a lemon vinaigrette for about 30 minutes.
- Malia.
- Yes.
That is a delicious dish.
The bok choy, lovely.
The orzo, it's seasoned beautiful.
- You know your citrus, don't you? - Mm-hmm.
It's got finesse.
It's a smart dish that's been conceptualized beautifully.
Great job.
- Thank you.
- Well done! Amazing.
- Good job, Malia! Really, really good job.
- Thank you.
You should be really proud of yourself.
Good job, Malia.
Tonight's challenge was to use citrus to make a dish worthy to stand out inside this incredible kitchen.
And the quality of dishes out there tonight was pretty spectacular.
Unfortunately, we're gonna say good night to two of you this evening.
Please, give us a moment to discuss.
- Wow, this is tough.
- Yeah.
Let's discuss some of the highlights.
The standout for me was Malia's.
Restaurant quality, and screams citrus.
Yes.
Across the board there were pluses and minuses.
Definitely.
Mateo's was badly conceptualized.
Scallops overcooked.
Really bad indeed.
I think Talulah's dish also fell short because she took a risk and the technique fell flat.
I agree.
Christina: Kyle was a little clunky.
Gordon: That tart was so uneven and badly done.
- Are we all agreed? - Yep.
As you know, this is a competition, and, unfortunately, we do have to say some good-byes.
Can all of our home cooks on the balcony please make your way back to your stations? Mateo: This was definitely a difficult challenge for me.
I could've did better.
There was lots of room for improvement.
But I just hope that what I did was enough, because I just don't want to go home.
Now, before we deal with the toughest part of the night, there were some out of this world dishes.
Gordon, what were your highlights? Big standout for me tonight was Malia's.
- It was amazing.
- Thank you.
What about you, Aarón? It had to go one way for me, and that's Nayeli.
Extremely well done.
Christina: For me, Ben.
It just left me with the biggest smile on my face.
Good job, guys! Now comes the toughest part of the night.
If I call your name, please come down here.
Mateo.
Brielle.
Kyle.
And, finally, Talulah.
This is a competition, and we're looking for just one MasterChef Junior.
If Gordon says your name, please step forward.
Brielle.
And Kyle.
Tonight, you did just enough to survive.
( gasps ) Please, head back to your stations.
You're safe.
Talulah, Mateo, you're both incredibly talented and you've got to keep your heads up high.
Promise me you're both gonna continue cooking, right? Both: Yes, Chef.
Please have a safe trip back.
- Good night.
- Good job, guys.
Mateo: I'm sad that I'm going home, but I had so many amazing memories in here.
I'm only eight years old, and I'm super excited that I got to step foot in the most famous kitchen - in the world.
- Bye, Mateo.
And this is just the beginning of my culinary career.
- Bye, Talulah.
It's okay.
- Bye, Talulah.
I got eliminated, and it's really unfortunate because I really wanted to win this.
But it's not like, "Oh, no, I got eliminated.
I'm never gonna cook again.
" You're one of the best home cooks in America, and that's really meaningful.
It's a passion, and "MasterChef Junior," it helps you develop that passion.
- Good night.
- Bye, guys.
Bye.
So I think it's something to be really proud of.
Announcer: Next time Are you all ready to get messy? - ( cheering ) - Yeah, baby! - Trifle.
- Go! Go! Go! - When the competition - Switch! shifts into high gear - Punch it, punch it! - You gotta move, let's go! - ( screaming ) - the top 16 face a sticky situation.
No! Then a Gordon Ramsay master class.
We have to replicate Gordon Ramsay sliders.
This is going to be really hard.
We're cooking up fun on MasterChef Junior.
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