MasterChef Junior (2013) s07e16 Episode Script

Announcer: Last time This is the "MasterChef Junior" finale.
the three best junior home cooks in America faced off This is it.
over their appetizers.
Where Malia Gorgeous.
This is your most beautiful dish.
- Ivy - It's got that little bit of attitude.
- and Che - This dish is just pure magic.
took the competition to the next level.
The entrée could really change the course of this evening.
- It burnt.
- Oh, my gosh.
That is the worst thing that could happen.
( cheers and applause ) Timna: Sauce, sauce, sauce.
I think Ivy just burned that sauce.
You good, Ivy? It burnt.
Oh, my God.
- You okay? What happened? - Yeah.
My sauce burned.
Sauce burned.
We been in this situation before.
- Right.
- Get the pan on, don't give up.
Good girl.
Well done.
You got this, Ivy! I got this.
- You got this, Ivy.
- Thank you.
Five minutes to go, guys.
- Gordon: Come on.
- Let's go, Ivy! Come on, Ivy.
- You got this, Ivy.
- Yeah, Che! Yeah, Che! - Nice, Malia! - You got this, Malia! - You got this! - Whoo! Ivy! Ivy! Ivy! Ivy! Ivy! Gordon: Last two minutes.
Start plating, guys.
Come on, let's go.
- Looks good, Ivy! - Thank you.
Come on, Malia.
Whoo! ( cheers and applause ) Come on, Che! You got this.
- Go, Che! - One minute remaining.
Gordon: 60 seconds to go.
- Home stretch, baby! - There you go, Malia! - Yeah, Malia! - Go, Ivy! Go, Ivy! Come on, Che! Let's go! Finishing touches! Three identical plates.
Let's go! Yeah, mijo! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Stop.
Well done.
( cheers and applause ) Well done.
Come on.
All right, guys, it's time to taste your entrées.
Please join us in the restaurant.
( cheers and applause ) It is so important to do amazing in the entrée round because entrée is like the star of the three course.
Everything relies on the cook of my filet mignon.
If they're not cooked perfectly, my chance of winning might go up in flames.
Malia, can you please bring up your dishes.
Yes, Chef.
Malia, please, describe your entrée.
Well, today I made for you a pan-seared filet mignon with fried shishito peppers, dashi-braised daikon, and a yuzu soy steak sauce.
Malia, the cook on the filet for me is one temperature.
- You know what that is? - Medium rare.
Do you feel that you've done that through all three of these dishes? Yes, Chef.
Let's see.
It's teetering on rare.
Too rare, to be honest.
Maybe like ten seconds, maybe 15 more seconds searing it it could've taken that to utter perfection.
Malia, the flavor of this dish is unreal.
The sauce spot on.
It has a proper consistency.
It's viscous.
It's well-seasoned.
It's not oversalty or over-reduced.
You did such a great job of pulling out that umami flavor that you need when you're working with the soy and the shallots and those kind of ingredients.
The one thing that I think is an absolute miss is the daikon.
It's watery.
It's under-seasoned.
I like that idea of glazing vegetables.
That's the wrong vegetable for it.
The center of my filet is cooked beautifully.
But I wish that you had the confidence to get a heavier hand with that salt and pepper on the filet and a heavier sear.
But it is delicious.
The shishito peppers were brilliant.
That friend pepper and great piece of red meat really just speaks to the soul.
This entrée for me does scream uniquely Malia.
- Which I love.
- Thank you, Chef.
Young lady, the dish looks spectacular.
It's vibrant.
It's screaming Asian-Californian and it's got great finesse.
The five spice seasoning is not the kind of seasoning you'd see on an expensive cut.
The five spice is there to slow cut and braise.
So to do that and pull it off with a filet you did an amazing job.
You don't need to tantalize my palate with miso twice.
I loved that with the cod.
Do I wanna see it again? Not really.
- Yes, Chef.
- But it's a sophisticated dish.
- Great job.
- Thank you, Chef.
Good job, Malia.
Che, you're up next.
Please bring up your entrées.
I cooked such a risky dish for the entrée because no risk, no reward.
So I just put my all into this dish, and if it's executed perfectly, that could really help me win the finale.
I know this veal is going to blow the judges away.
Che, you had a lot going on, young man.
- Yes.
- Please, describe your entrée.
I made veal saltimbocca, roasted fingerling potatoes, spring pea ragout with morels, and a wild mushroom jus.
Now, Che this is a very hard dish to nail.
It requires a lot of technique making sure that the prosciutto is rendered, the veal is not overcooked, and the cheese is ooey gooey.
How confident that that's gonna be there? I'm confident.
I checked it before, - it was perfect.
- All right.
I wanna see all those three elements prosciutto, veal, and cheese in perfect harmony.
What do you think, Che? I think it looks great.
I think you're wrong.
Che, all right, I wanna see all those three elements prosciutto, veal, and cheese in perfect harmony.
What do you think, Che? I think it looks great.
I think you're wrong.
- I think it looks perfect.
- Thank you.
Che, love the cook on the saltimbocca.
- Thank you.
- You nailed it.
My concern, was it gonna be too salty? The salinity from the prosciutto did its job.
It carried all the way through the veal.
- Great job with that.
- Thank you.
Beautiful flavor throughout your ragout.
All the vegetables are cooked perfectly.
The peas, the fiddleheads, and a the truffle's a nice touch.
But I would have loved to see a little bit more butter, little bit more richness in that sauce.
It has a lot of lemon juice.
Which is a good thing, but - and it also needs to have some balance to it.
- Yep.
And it needed more time, it needed red wine, it needed to be cooked down a little bit more.
And that would've attributed to the color being a little bit more vibrant.
But let me tell you, you got a lot going on in this dish.
That's making me happy.
Christina: Che, it's a gorgeous entrée.
It's a sort of comfort food type entrée because of the veal saltimbocca, that oozy cheese, that crispy pancetta around it.
But then it also has the elegance of these fiddleheads ferns, and these peas, and these morel mushrooms that just scream spring.
Some of my peas have gone a little brown-gray.
They've been blanched a little too long.
But, listen, I think it's an incredibly unique dish.
I think it absolutely tells your story.
- Very nice job.
- Thank you.
The flavors are exquisite.
It's hearty.
It's you and the profile is incredible.
Here's the brilliant issue on this plate.
That prosciutto is very salty.
So it has that danger of making the dish salty.
But the seasoning is absolutely spot on.
It's you on a plate.
That's the most exciting thing about everything that you touch I really get to understand it's you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Good job, Che.
Ivy, can you please bring up your entrées? Even though my appetizer was not the best, I feel really confident about this round.
Thank you.
Because I took a very boring protein, I brought it to MasterChef quality and higher.
Ivy, can you please describe your dish? Tonight I have made glazed hanger steak with butternut squash two ways, fried Brussels sprouts, and an herb sauce.
Ivy, I don't need to tell you that a lot is riding on the temperature of this hanger steak.
And it is unforgiving and it needs a lot of aggressive seasoning.
So, I am hoping that this is cooked and seared the way it should be.
- It's gonna be good, right? - Yes, Chef, it will.
- Promise? - I promise.
- With a pinky? - Pinky.
The cook on the hanger steak is not perfect.
It's beyond perfect.
Ivy, so well done.
The sear is right there and there's tons of seasoning.
It really is carrying throughout the hanger steak.
I love that.
The herb purée It's really interesting.
It's flavorful.
It's creamy.
It's herbaceous and it's a fresh element.
And then your butternut squash and the Brussels sprouts smart choices.
This dish is so crafty and it's so well-thought-out.
For me, I think if there's one thing that could've been done different and elevated is the butternut squash batons.
Hit them with some cinnamon or a little bit of chili powder.
Make them a little bit more interesting 'cause they are front and center on your dish.
- Yes, Chef.
- But overall, what a performance.
Unbelievable cook on a very tricky steak, which is the hanger.
- Thank you.
- Ivy it's stunning.
The cook on that hanger steak is gorgeous.
The sear on the hanger steak shows the confidence that we're looking for tonight.
You had your two cast iron pans on and you got it to the gorgeous medium rare that that hanger steak demands.
But where my palate is left wanting is that acidity.
Whether it's in the herb sauce, whether it's zested over the top of these vegetables, I think that for me is the one bridge that I'm missing in taking a stunning entrée into a perfect entrée tonight.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Ivy, it's bloody delicious.
The temperature inside is just spot-on.
It's a chef's dream when you have a protein cooked this beautifully.
But that herb purée is breathtaking.
But when you have something as delicious, unctuous, rich, smooth as that, you don't need a sauce.
'Cause you got the herb purée, butternut squash purée, and then butternut squash.
So you don't need three or four wet items on a plate to lift a hanger steak.
It's that good.
So, what do I want from this dish? I want a nice glass of merlot.
I want the lights down.
And right now, I want to be left alone.
( chuckles ) - Thank you.
- Thank you.
Good job.
Malia Malia, Che, Ivy, please head back into that kitchen and get amped and get ready for your final course.
Dessert.
Thank you.
( cheers and applause ) Come on, what an incredible, amazing trio of entrées.
But this is where that trajectory across those three courses We're two down, and let me tell you, Ivy, Che, and Malia right now have one hand each on that trophy.
Let's see who can impress with the desserts.
( cheers and applause ) Malia, Che, and Ivy, all three of you have now presented us with two incredible courses, and it all comes down to this.
It is of course my favorite course dessert.
You have just one hour to make us each a delicious dessert that shows us that you deserve the biggest prize in the culinary world.
Are you three ready? All: Yes, Chef.
You final 60 minutes start now! - ( screams ) - Come on, guys.
( cheers and applause ) Guys, the final course.
60 minutes to make us three stunning desserts.
These three talented individuals have got nerves of steel and they are desperate for their hands on that trophy.
( cheering ) The dessert that flops tonight could really change the course of this evening.
- Absolutely.
- They haven't seen nothing.
- Whoo! - Go, Ivy! For dessert I'm making butterscotch pots de crème with a smoked caramel sauce, whipped crème fraiche, and a pine nut brittle.
From the entrée round, I'm carrying some momentum because I blew the judges away with my hanger steak.
Now I'm gonna blow the judges away with my dessert.
- ( cheers and applause ) - Good girl, Malia.
For my dessert, I'm making a black sesame panna cotta with a mixed berry coulis, raspberry cream, sesame tuile, and some raspberry pearls.
In appetizer and entrée I was feeling eh.
I mean, I did do really good.
It's just I didn't stand out that well.
So I need to make sure that this dessert is a showstopper.
- Go, Che! - Looking good.
For my dessert course, I'm making a chocolate olive oil cake with an orange glaze, fresh ricotta cream, and a pistachio tuile.
I've been flambéing every round of the finale so far and I'm doing it again with my orange glaze.
Because I love it, I think it adds so much flavor to the dishes, and it's so much fun.
- Go, Che! - Going into the dessert round, I mean, I think we're all even.
So it really matters here what you produce.
It needs to be perfection.
Because the winner of the dessert round is gonna win "MasterChef Junior.
" - Come on, let's go.
- ( cheers and applause ) - Come on, Che! - You got this, Ivy! Go, Malia! - Gordon: Come on.
- Come on, guys, you gotta move.
Gordon: Come on, let's go! These three talented individuals - are cooking like pros.
- Aarón: Yeah.
Christina: They're inventive.
They're dishes I've never seen before.
Blast chiller.
You know how important the dessert course is in us deciding who will be crowned the next MasterChef Junior.
Yeah, Malia! Whoo! 36 minutes remaining.
- Young lady.
Liquid nitrogen.
- Yes, Chef.
- Yeah.
- So explain the process.
What are you doing? First I'm going to add some raspberries to a bowl, and then I'm adding liquid nitrogen.
Then I'll just break them up to make the raspberry pearls.
Please tell me you're wearing protective gear, right? Goggles? - Yeah.
- Yeah? Please.
Okay, you got gloves.
Great.
Are we ready now for that? No, but it's just fun to wear them.
- Just Oh.
Okay.
- ( laughs ) I've tasted thousands of panna cottas.
I've never tasted one with black sesame seed.
Where are you coming up with these ideas? - I don't know.
My brain.
- Your brain.
( all laugh ) We got two different textures going on there.
You got that black sesame seed, and then you go vanilla.
Why go out with something so complicated and difficult to pull off? I'm going big or else I'm going home.
( all laugh ) Young lady, you have just under 30 minutes left working in this incredible kitchen.
Thank you.
- ( cheers and applause ) - Go, Ivy! Come on, Ivy! You can do this! Ivy! Come on! - Ivy.
- Hi! You're making a few different caramels tonight, is that right? Right.
I love trifles and sundaes where there's so many different layers, - but it tastes so good together.
- Absolutely.
Smoking this caramel sauce is going to give it that earthy, fireplace feeling to it.
Why bring that into a dessert? I feel it's gonna give it more like a rustic feel - Mm-hmm.
- rather than like, "Oh, schmancy fancy feel.
" How long are you gonna keep this caramel smoking? - Around three minutes.
- Okay.
Boom.
( cheers and applause ) - Whoo! - Whoo! Look at that.
Wow, Ivy.
You have 20 minutes left.
Good luck.
Thank you.
- You got this! You got this, Malia! - Whoo! Malia! Yeah, Malia! Ben: Oh, Malia! Whoa! Yeah, Malia! Yeah, Che! - Come on, Che! - It looks beautiful! - Che.
- Yes, Chef.
How you feeling right now? I see you got your cakes done.
- Pretty good.
- Are you feeling happy about the way they look? - Yeah, Chef.
- This idea of flourless chocolate cake is one of my favorites.
It plays to the idea that you are gluten-free.
I think I'm definitely saying the message that, you know, it doesn't matter if you're gluten-free or not, you can still cook amazing dishes.
Exactly.
- So you got your fresh ricotta there.
- Yes.
What kinda part is that gonna play in your dessert? - Well, it's gonna go with the whipped cream.
- Yep.
Which is gonna make it just have more body to it.
A lot of times I eat desserts and I eat one bite and I'm done with it.
- Yeah, 'cause they're too sweet, right? Yeah.
- They're all too sweet, right? But this dish with the ricotta, it's gonna be more savory, so you can eat more of it.
- Yeah.
So you make ricotta at home.
- Yes.
We have friends up the road that have a cow, and we get fresh milk from them, and then I make ricotta.
Not everybody has a cow as a neighbor.
- Yeah.
- You know what I mean? So, upstate New York, you're in a bounty of beautiful produce.
- Yes.
- Rural areas with farms.
- Yes.
- Does that inform your cooking at all? Yeah, it definitely does.
I like to use fresh ingredients like that.
- All right.
Good luck, young man.
- Thank you.
Just over nine minutes to go.
Amazing, exciting desserts tonight.
So, Malia, a black sesame seed panna cotta with raspberry jewels.
- She is going big.
- Yeah, but for me, I think Malia's going too far to the creative edge.
- No, no.
- I'm gonna tell you why.
You can't have superfluous garnishes.
- They have to make sense.
And I think - She has no choice.
She's gone way too simple in her first two courses.
This is her really trying to get out of the gates.
But, guys, a panna cotta.
It's two layers with that many elements.
Not many home cooks could pull that off.
Not many pastry chefs could pull that off.
- Yeah, Malia! - Malia! Looking good, Ivy.
So we have Ivy right night making a butterscotch budino.
She's gonna have a salted caramel on top of that as well.
- Think about Ivy's jeopardy.
You have to make that caramel, - Yeah.
- Yep.
- you then cool that caramel down, and then you incorporate that across a custard.
- Christina and Aarón: Yes.
- One temperature under or over, she's gonna scramble that custard and it'll be like a grainy, runny, lumpy texture.
It's absolutely about texture, consistency, and then balance of flavor.
- Go, Ivy! - Che! Che! Che is absolutely staying in his theme of this modern Italian.
He is making a chocolate olive oil sponge cake, fresh ricotta cream, and that pistachio tuile.
So he's using almond flour in lieu of regular flour, and think that's gonna give a beautiful nuttiness.
It's also gonna give texture and body to his cake.
But, guys, it's dark chocolate.
So he will never be able to see when it's golden brown, when it's overdone, when it's underdone.
Visually, he's going in blind.
- If he can pull this off tonight, - Yeah.
he will prove that he's an expert technician.
We're down to the last five minutes.
Come on.
Keep it going.
This is where it counts.
( cheers and applause ) Christina, Malia's gonna have to really move fast now to get those panna cottas out.
Otherwise she's never gonna finish in time.
Oh, gentle, gentle, gentle, gentle, gentle.
Malia, you have time, so relax.
Aaron: Yeah, Malia! You got this.
Malia is stressing me out.
There is no room for mistakes.
She needs to calm down, take a deep breath, because this is the "MasterChef Junior" finale.
Oh, it's not coming out.
Ben: Malia! Oh, my gosh.
( cheers and applause ) Malia's gonna have to really move fast now to get those panna cottas out.
Otherwise she's never gonna be finished in time.
Oh, gentle, gentle, gentle, gentle, gentle.
Oh, it's not coming out.
Ben: Malia! Oh, my gosh.
- Malia! Malia! - Nice, Malia.
- ( cheers and applause ) - Yeah! - You got this.
- Last two minutes.
- Come on, let's go.
- Come on, Che! - All right, Che! - Ivy! Come on, Ivy! You can do this.
Good girl, Malia.
Malia, great job.
- Ivy! - Oh, my gosh! Come on, Ivy, you've got this.
Speed up.
Come on, Malia! - Both: Malia! Malia! - Ben: That trophy's waiting for you.
Come on, Che.
Come on, you got this.
Come on, Che.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Gordon: 60 seconds to go! Come on.
Last minute.
Come on, Ivy! Jaala: You got this, Che! - Malia! Whoo! - Gordon: Come on.
- Come on, guys.
- Keep it going.
This is where it counts.
Everybody here we go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
( cheers and applause ) - Well done.
- Whoo! Whoo! ( cheers and applause ) Amazing.
Ladies and gentlemen, the cooking is finally over.
All that remains is for us to enjoy those desserts from you remarkable sixth graders.
And this is about to be the most important tasting of your three young lives.
Please, join us in the restaurant.
- That looks beautiful.
- Yeah, Che! Great job, Malia! Ivy! Ivy! Yeah, Malia! Whoo! All right, it's time for the final course.
Malia, please bring your dessert to the judges.
Thank you.
Malia, what's the dish? Well, today, I have made for you a black sesame panna cotta and a mixed berry coulis, raspberry cream, a sesame tuile, and raspberry pearls.
Now, the secret to a great panna cotta is setting it with just the right amount of gelatin in your case.
How much gelatin did you use to set that panna cotta? One packet.
- Do you think it was enough? - Yes, Chef.
For me, when I bite in, it needs to melt away into the most luxurious flavor that I could ever imagine.
- Are you ready? - Yes, Chef.
What am I thinking? Amazing.
No.
I think it's beyond amazing.
Oh, yes.
It's luxuriously smooth.
And that flavor in-between black sesame, vanilla is expert.
Thank you.
I think that your sesame tuile there is really lovely.
It has a very intense flavored popcorn direction.
What you've given to us tonight for your last and final course is one beyond amazing dessert.
Thank you, Chef.
Malia, the flavor of this dish is unreal.
I think you made a beautiful bridge between vanilla bean and black sesame.
It's exotic.
It's nutty.
And then this combination of black sesame and raspberry really helped take away from that really rich, dark, kind of earthy tone that this dessert inherently has.
All the components work for me.
- Really impressive.
- Thank you.
Malia, you've absolutely nailed that dessert.
It's rich, smooth, silky, and everything you want from a panna cotta.
When you taste that silky smooth cream, you don't detect one milligram of any setting agent.
So the incorporation of that gelatin throughout has been absolutely flawless.
I love it.
It's like the front cover of a pastry chef's cookbook.
Thank you.
Malia, great job.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Please bring us your dessert, Che.
Che, what did you make? I made a gluten-free chocolate olive oil cake, an orange glaze, a fresh ricotta cream, and a pistachio tuile.
Che, gluten-free or not, a great cake should be baked - to perfection all the way through.
- Yes.
Nothing runny in the center.
So when I slice into this cake, I'm gonna look for a beautiful, even crumb structure.
Are you certain that that cake is baked to perfection? Yes, Chef.
Let's see how you did.
Che, it's Che, when I slice into this cake, I'm gonna look for a beautiful, even crumb structure.
- Yes, Chef.
- Let's see how you did.
- It's baked beautifully.
- Thank you.
Your crumb structure is even all the way through.
It's glistening in the center.
The cake is stunning.
- Okay.
- I need the recipe.
Got it.
What was in that soak that you made? - That orange scent? - I just did butter and sugar in the pan, and then I did the juice of one orange to melt it.
Once it melted, I added the orange liqueur, and then flambéed with that.
This idea of chocolate, olive oil, and then the fresh citrus, it brings something that could read as a little too heavy into a bright, fresh zone in an unexpected way.
- Yep.
- The one thing I would change is your tuile.
That takes away from this beautiful sensory moment of your moist, dense olive oil cake.
- I think it's a stunning dessert.
- Thank you.
Che, there's all these little pockets of oil and fat and richness that allow the chocolate to really stand up and shine.
Also, I love the savory nature of your ricotta in that cream.
It balances the sweetness.
But for me, there's too much orange zest.
It's strong, and it overpowers your dessert.
- Yes, Chef.
- Che, I disagree with Aarón.
I think the balance of that orange flavor - is delicious.
- Thank you.
And it's rich, it's unctuous.
- But above all that, it is incredible moist.
- Thank you.
If I had to give some of my chefs a blind taste test, they'd have no idea that it was flourless.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
Please bring us your dessert, Ivy.
Here we go.
Ivy, what's the dessert? Tonight, I made butterscotch pots de creme with smoked salted caramel sauce, pine nut brittle with thyme on top, and a whipped creme fraiche.
Young lady, it looks delicious.
Very inviting, eye-catching.
Now, once you set that cream, did you adjust the caramel accordingly? Because the big danger about this particular dessert, it could be over-sweet.
Yes, I did.
There is not as much sugar in the caramel and the pine nut brittle.
- How do you get in? - You use your spoon and crack it.
Right.
Young lady, it's delicious.
You've absolutely nailed that dessert.
The base of the creme, delicious, refined, creamy.
but it's super sweet.
It's the kind of dessert you want to share.
And it is just a rich, beautiful dessert.
- Well done.
- Thank you.
Your butterscotch pudding is rich, it's creamy, nice and light and smooth.
I love the texture of that pine nut brittle on top.
- Thank you.
- But I think for me, that moment where you get to kind of break the rules and smash something to get into that dessert.
It brings a smile to my face, and that's what a great dessert does.
Ivy, I love the richness of caramel and how it plays with the pots de creme.
But you could have benefitted with one-third of the amount of thyme.
It's very aggressive.
The flavor of the pots de creme is just magical, the texture is silky smooth, and that's something to marvel at.
- Great job.
- Thank you.
- Good job, Ivy.
- You did a great job.
Thank you.
You did, too.
It's gonna be tight, you guys.
Honestly, it's gonna be close.
Well, all three of you presented us with exquisite plates throughout this entire evening.
The next time we see you three, we'll be ready to announce which one of you will become America's next MasterChef Junior.
Head back into the restaurant because we have a lot to discuss.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Thank you, guys.
( cheers and applause ) Come on.
Three amazing desserts.
I mean, what a way to finish a finale.
We have to pick a winner.
Well, I think that we should start with Malia's appetizer.
Malia made this miso-marinated cod with some beautiful handmade fresh soba noodles, and then a quail egg.
The dish lacked the acidity.
Apart from that, I think that is some of the best cooking she's ever done across this competition.
And Malia's entrée, pan-seared filet mignon in a yuzu soy steak sauce with fresh shishito peppers and some braised daikon.
She had a lot of compelling flavors.
I think she stayed true to her Japanese California roots.
Sauce was incredible, daikon badly executed.
But the confidence to cook a filet mignon in the finale, that girl's not messing around.
Aarón: And her dessert, black sesame panna cotta, with a mixed berry coulis, raspberry cream and raspberry pearls, and a sesame tuile.
The dish itself looks like a work of art.
She knew she needed to deliver in this third course something out of this world, and she absolutely did.
It all comes down to this.
I did everything that I could.
I put my Asian culture, my Japanese fusion I just put myself on a plate.
I deserve to win.
Now, Che gave us those gorgeous pan-seared Santa Barbara spot prawns and cuttlefish across that bed of polenta with Calabrian chile butter.
For me, his appetizer set the tone.
With him showing off on how to cook spot prawns and cuttlefish individually, and really excel at doing that? That made me take notice of Che.
The elements of skill he's just nailed - was extraordinary.
- Che then gave us an entrée of the veal saltimbocca, morel mushrooms, spring pea ragout, those fiddlehead ferns, and the roasted fingerling potatoes below.
He executed that veal beautifully.
The process of wrapping and lining it with the cheese is very difficult, and so the color and crispness was absolutely spot on.
For me, his biggest mistake was putting those fingerling potatoes underneath the veal.
I made the dish feel more clunky than refined.
- Yeah.
- Now, Che's dessert.
Flourless chocolate olive oil cake with an orange glaze, fresh ricotta whipped cream, and that pistachio tuile.
I was soaked beautifully, cooked to perfection.
You just couldn't stop diving in.
He's just put a gluten-free dessert on the map.
My biggest issue was that big clunky tuile.
It was too thick.
It was the one thing that really knocked Che's dessert out of the running for being my favorite tonight.
These three dishes really told my story from start to finish.
It shows my Italian heritage, my being gluten-free.
And it also shows my family, because that's what got me into cooking.
And no matter what happens, my dad would be so proud of me.
Now, Ivy gave us that incredible pan-seared red snapper with that tropical salsa, tostones, and then avocado crema.
I think the flavor of the tropical salsa was right there.
It had bracing heat.
It had the necessary amount of acid.
And the cook in the snapper was just textbook.
Beautiful, but very plain.
It just wasn't the strongest appetizer of the night.
And then she went on to that perfectly cooked hanger steak served on a bed of a herb purée, butternut squash served two ways, and fried Brussels sprouts.
The way Ivy cooked her hanger steak tonight - was absolutely expert.
- I gotta agree.
I think that's when Ivy really stepped up to the game.
That herb purée really was something magical.
It was perfection on a plate.
And then she rounded that off with that beautiful pot de creme with layers of custard, caramel, and then that pine nut crust on top.
Ivy's dessert, for me, was beautifully executed.
Very hard to get that kind of combination correct when you've got that custard set and that amount of caramel.
Ivy's dessert had a few flaws.
It was rich, but it was perfectly Ivy.
I am my strongest when I cook to my roots.
And that's what I did.
I put so much sweat, blood, and love into this.
Now it's time for me to climb up and grab that trophy.
Gordon: Three incredibly talented sixth graders.
What we have to decide on is a winner.
Who cooked the best meal? The best app, entrée, dessert.
And that will become America's next MasterChef Junior.
Do we have a consensus? - Gordon: We definitely do.
- Yes, we do.
- Okay.
Let's go.
- Let's go make it happen.
( cheers and applause ) Whoo! Come on! Malia: I've grown through this competition.
Now I can make anything from sushi to cupcakes.
If I win "MasterChef Junior" and I get $100,000, I can open up, like, a bakery or a food truck.
I need, need, need to win.
Che: I've cooked better than I've ever cooked before.
I've done everything I could possibly do.
Now I wanna start my culinary revolution.
I'm so close to the trophy.
I just need to grab on to it.
Ivy: This moment is so huge.
My entire "MasterChef Junior" journey all comes down to this.
If I win the "MasterChef Junior" finale, my life is gonna be changed forever.
( cheers and applause ) Malia, Che, and Ivy, this competition started many months ago with talented youngsters from the age of eight to thirteen.
And you are the final three left standing.
You may have started this journey as talented young home cooks, but you have all grown into so much more.
All three of you deserve to stand on this stage.
Please, come up here and take the place where you belong.
( cheering ) Gordon: Malia, Che, and Ivy, your performances have been outstanding, and all three of you have become an inspiration across this great country.
But this is a competition, and only one can take home the victory.
Just one of you will receive this.
A check for $100,000.
That's a lot of money.
- And just one of you will receive this.
- Oh, my gosh.
The most coveted trophy in the culinary world.
The winner of "MasterChef Junior" Congratulations ( no audible dialogue ) ( no audible dialogue ) ( no audible dialogue ) ( no audible dialogue ) Che! ( cheers and applause ) Oh, my God! Yes! Yes! - Oh, my God.
- Well done.
- Man! Whoa, amazing! - Che: Yes! Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Che: Oh, my gosh! I can't believe I won it! I won "MasterChef Junior!" - Absolute brilliance.
- Thank you.
I've been dreaming of this for so long, and I finally won.
I'm so happy and excited.
- Oh, grandma.
- Oh, thank you.
How cool is that? - I'm very proud of you.
- Oh, my God.
You've worked so hard, Chee-chee Bear.
- You've worked so hard.
- ( cheering ) Cooking alongside Ivy and Malia was amazing.
They're such great home cooks.
They deserve the trophy just as much as I do.
I wish I could share this trophy with them.
Just, you know, cut it in thirds or something.
- Yay! - Yes! Dudes! I am very happy for Che.
I feel like he deserves it.
He puts his heart in everything he does.
- He's just amazing.
- Oh, guys you're so great.
- You totally deserve it, Che.
- Oh! - You deserve it.
- Thank you.
- You guys did such a great job.
- I'm so proud of you, Che.
- I'm so - I have grown so much in this competition.
You know, even if I didn't win "MasterChef Junior," I'm just really proud of myself and I'm really proud of Che.
Che: My dad got me started into cooking, and now I have the trophy, I have the title, I have the $100,000, and it's all because of him.
If my dad could see me right now, he would be so proud of me.
- Congratulations! - Thank you! I am the next MasterChef Junior! ( cheering ) Yeah, Che!