Gordon: Previously on "masterchef"...
It's your first dessert challenge.
Your futures in this kitchen are at stake right now.
Do not crumble under pressure.
Considering I'd never done this before,
I'm pretty confident that I've nailed this right now.
- Well done, all of you. - Yes!
Make your way up to the balcony.
One of you have cooked for your very last time
inside this incredible kitchen.
Evan, please place your apron on your bench.
Noah: Let's go, evan!
Tonight...
We are now down to the top 16.
The home cooks fight for immunity...
- Let's go! - ...In an epic team challenge.
- Blue team! - Joe: Two captains will teach the entire team
how to execute a three-course italian meal.
Your future in this competition depends on these people.
- Ah, you burned me. - Oh!
- I know exactly what I'm doing. Trust me. - Okay.
Joe: We've never done a challenge this difficult
this early on, with this many home cooks in the kitchen.
- ( bleep ) hell. - But, season 10, this is the time to do it.
( music playing )
- yeah! - Whoo!
- Welcome, guys. - Awesome.
- Top 16, baby. - Let's go.
Let's get it, let's get it, let's get it.
There we go!
- Uh-oh. I knew it. - Oh, boy.
Fred: Oh, it is a team challenge.
I hate team challenges.
A team challenge,
you have to give up some control.
I'm used to being by myself.
I like cooking alone.
I hate putting my fate in the hands of other people.
We are now down to the top 16 home cooks
to the extraordinary 10th season of "masterchef."
- come on! - Yeah!
Wicked! Yeah!
Tonight, you have a team challenge,
and the challenge you face tonight--
the biggest risk that I personally
have ever taken in this competition.
( murmuring )
but first, let's divide up into teams.
From bri to the right, you're the red team.
From michael to the left, you're the blue team. Please put on your aprons.
Jamie: It's a team challenge, and you better get your team on point
or you're not gonna have immunity. That's the bottom line.
I was on the losing team the first time.
I'm not used to losing, so at this point,
I'm just hoping I'm on the right team.
Red team redemption, right here. Let's go.
Now, all of you take a look around,
because your future in this competition depends on these people.
But there is one very important aspect
that is still up in the air-- your captains,
who today will have a lot riding on their shoulders.
Because those captains are heading to a restaurant.
And let me tell you something, it's one of the best in all of los angeles.
It's a restaurant that I happen to know very, very well,
because we will be going to my restaurant...
Osteria mozza.
- Wow. - Let's go, joe!
How awesome.
Two captains will have to learn
how to make a gourmet, authentic,
three-course italian meal.
- Oof. - So cool.
You will then have to come back here
and teach the entire team
how to execute that meal for us.
- Ooh. - Awesome.
- Let's do it. - I like it.
This is the 10th anniversary of "masterchef."
in none of those 10 years of "masterchef"
have I ever, ever brought amateur home cooks
into the kitchen of my restaurant.
Love that. Let's roll.
Now, if you think you have what it takes
to lead your team to victory,
and you want to be the captain, raise your hands.
( chuckles )
right, hands down.
Convince us, and joe especially,
why you should be the captain.
To start, I'm italian.
Done deal. Sign him up.
- That's fair, right? - That already qualifies you for many things, but continue.
I have not lost any challenge in the masterchef kitchen yet.
- Mm. - I have also worked worked in several restaurants,
including in a 3 michelin star kitchen for a month this summer.
- Good stuff. - For starters, I'm literally a captain.
- You are a captain. - As long as we communicate,
I feel like I can run this team straight to victory.
- Interesting. - I'd love to get in your restaurant and learn.
I have leadership skills. I think I'm a great communicator.
I run a business. I have more employees than teammates right now,
which means, you know, I know how to do this.
Compelling, because running a business
is a big part of restaurants.
Subha, you're the only one who doesn't raise your hand?
You don't wanna hang out with me?
I thought me and you in my car, we could be pretty good.
Sexy subha and jazzy joe down highland boulevard.
- Sexy subha and jazzy joe. - No.
Leadership is all about leading when needed
and following when needed to be.
- That's admirable. - Appreciate that.
That said, from the blue team,
I've decided that I'd like michael to be the captain.
Well done, buddy. You got this. You got this, buddy.
From the red team, nick to be the captain.
- Let's go, baby. - All right.
- The nicks! - Hope you guys are ready
for what you've signed up for.
Let's go. The car awaits. Let's go to osteria mozza.
- Guys, you got this. Memory. - Take notes.
- Remember everything. - Good luck, man.
- All the little stuff. Pay attention. - We believe in you!
Drive carefully, joe.
Joe: All right, boys, let's go.
My strategy is essentially to take as many notes as I can.
I want to bring everything back to my team
so that we can perfectly replicate what I see at osteria mozza.
My overall strategy is to really take charge.
I have my own business.
When I build a house,
I don't actually lift a hammer.
I'm gonna be managing everything.
All right, boys, we're here.
- Here we go. - Welcome to osteria mozza.
Liz is the executive chef of the osteria.
This is michael, captain of the blue team,
and nick, captain of the red team.
- Hello, michael. - Nice to meet you.
How are you, chef? Nice to meet you.
So, today, liz will demonstrate
and teach you how to make three of the signature dishes
- of osteria mozza. - Awesome.
- Right, liz? - Yeah.
First is a pasta course,
the ricotta and egg raviolo
with brown butter and sage.
It's a very simple dish.
It is just a pasta stuffed with ricotta filling
and an egg yolk in the middle.
And when you cut into it, the egg just oozes right out.
It has to ooze, though.
So, we are going to start
by making the filling for the raviolos.
Joe: Start with the ricotta, which is dry.
Grana padano dried grating cheese.
- And then you have nutmeg. - We're gonna do just a few turns in there.
It can be very sharp and pungent,
so it's really a very small quantity.
Liz: Now we're gonna make the pasta dough.
Two cups of just regular all-purpose flour.
Isn't this how your grandma did it?
- My grandmother still does it this way. - Nona?
- She's 99. - Wow.
I think this is the most difficult challenge yet, but at the same time,
making an italian pasta dish from scratch,
is something that I did with my family growing up,
and that's something that joe and I share in common.
This is your make or break time, okay?
If you mess this up, you gotta start over.
Joe: The egg yolk, which is the star of this raviolo,
will nestle into the ricotta.
The ricotta gets warm, the yolk warms up a little bit,
but is still perfectly runny.
Michael: The pasta dish is very simple.
There's actually not very many ingredients.
It's all about technique.
Joe: What is the sauce for this pasta?
Literally, butter and sage.
We're browning the butter
and frying the sage in that butter.
So, as much as I feel confident
in my own abilities to cook,
can I communicate it to my team?
I mean, this is basically a game of telephone.
And see how bubbly it is, and foamy?
That's perfectly browned butter.
- Amazing. - And joe's gonna garnish with some grana padano.
- And this is ready to serve. - Michael: Beautiful.
Go ahead, cut it open.
- Wow. - Ooh, wow.
That's what you're looking for.
All right, second dish. This is...
Lamb rack in a tahini and dried persian lime marinade.
The marinade is very simple and straightforward.
So, I'm gonna start here with tahini, coriander, and smoked paprika,
and that gives it really good color.
You notice the quantity of the seasoning that she's using?
A lot of salt. Oh, my gosh.
I think if one of you two figured out
how to season it properly,
you could probably win the whole competition.
- It's that important. - Right.
- Hmm. - So, this takes at least seven minutes per side.
- Wow. - So, when you're cutting the lamb,
you're following the bones.
You want it to be as close to even as possible.
- Sure. - For plating,
just a little dollop of marinade.
Some broccolini, do a little cross with your lamb.
And, obviously, the more attractive piece on top.
- Wow. - Next, we are going to do the sea trout
with the umbrian lentils and the red cabbage sottaceto.
- We want the cabbage to be soft, but not mushy. - Okay.
Okay, so, while the cabbage is cooking down,
we're gonna start our lentils.
Joe: The lentils are tricky, right?
Like, you get lentils around a lot, they're like mush.
- Bad. - Bad.
You want to feel each one under your teeth.
This is tasmanian sea trout.
Salt the skin,
but not pepper it.
In order to get evenly crispy skin, you hold it down.
And if your fingers slip,
the skin will slide right off.
You'll have, like, a bald fish.
Nick: There's a lot of pressure here.
It's me versus michael,
trying to soak in as much information as we can.
I have to be drawing diagrams, I have to be taking notes.
It's sort of a crazy thing, because if the captain
doesn't get the right information,
then it's over and we lose.
Now I'm gonna teach you an italian nona secret for real.
You have to finish everything with olive oil.
See, adding fat will give it, like, a creamy, sheeny effect.
All right, so here is, really, your moment of truth.
Is your fish overcooked? Is your skin crispy?
- Is your skin still on the fish? - Both: Wow.
- I got really, really nice crispy skin here. - Awesome.
- Wow. - We're gonna get that right on top.
Take a little bit of the cabbage,
- and that's it. - Joe: Voila.
- Nick: Beautiful. - Thank you.
Now, this is an osteria mozza classic staple.
This is not entry level, obviously, today.
You have to become not only expert cooks,
but cooking instructors when we head back to the masterchef kitchen.
You really have not made this easy on us.
Nick: This is the first time I've actually felt
really stressed in this competition.
I don't know how I'm possibly going to pull this off.
Best of luck. Liz, thank you.
- That was awesome. - You're so welcome.
- Thank you very much. - Thank you so much.
( music playing )
michael just needs to get here. I'm ready to cook.
Absolutely, I'm ready to soak up
what he's got to throw down, man.
No egos in the kitchen. Nick's steering the ship.
- We all listen to nick. - Yeah.
- Confident about your strategy? - Very.
Who on your team are you worried about, michael?
I don't think I really have a worry right now,
'cause I've kind of laid it out in a way
that everybody has a role.
Do you have any weak points on your team?
If I am a good leader,
I don't think I should have any weak points.
I totally agree. It's time to get in there
and teach your teams how to make the three-course italian meal that you just saw.
I want to see three dishes of each course.
- That's one per judge, nine in total. - Okay.
You will have one hour to pull this off.
You better get moving, 'cause your time starts now.
Whoo!
Yo, guys, let's go!
Red team, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
I want to see three dishes of each course.
- That's one per judge, nine in total. - Okay.
You will have one hour to pull this off.
You better get moving, 'cause your time starts now.
Whoo!
Yo, guys, let's go!
Red team, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
- We're gonna cut right to the chase here, okay? - The clock is ticking.
- What's up, guys? - Welcome back.
- How'd it go, buddy? - All right. Good stuff, man.
We spent a whole day with joe at the restaurant.
And we have three different recipes we're doing today.
- Okay. - Ricotta and egg raviolo,
which has the raw egg inside.
Second is a lamb rack that's marinated
in a tahini and lime marinade with grilled broccolini.
The last dish is a sea trout.
I'm breaking you guys up into teams.
Sarah and shari, you guys are on pasta.
This dish is extremely fragile.
If you break the yolks, game over.
The lamb dish, noah and liz. I know you can knock
this one out of the park. Lamb, I mean, come on.
- That's you, right? - Let's roll. Absolutely.
The fish dish is the most complicated.
I'm putting all three of you, but, dorian,
- I want you in charge. - Okay.
Sam, you're actually gonna be the one cooking the fish.
And, subha, I have a good feeling you can handle
- some frickin' lentils. - Absolutely.
- Jamie, you're a big fish guy, right? - Yes, sir.
- Do you want to take the lead on the fish? - Absolutely.
All right, let's do that.
With jamie, I do want to put bri,
who's got that really delicate plating ability.
So, there's a lentil nest on the bottom,
fish on top, and then the cabbage on top?
Exactly.
So, on lentils, that's really fine knife work,
but if you're comfortable with that--
- it's brunoise. - It's brunoise, yeah.
I want the lamb station to be handled by keturah and fred.
And then the shallots, are they diced or sliced?
Those are really finely kind of diced.
And then we got wuta and renee on the ravioli.
You want to boil it as long as it takes for the butter to brown.
The grated parmesan, is it on top?
Yeah, you just do a nice microblend.
I can help with that at the end.
In all honesty, is this kind of challenge
too early for these amateurs?
I really don't know. We've never done a challenge
this difficult this early on with this many home cooks in the kitchen.
We might be pushing the envelope, but season 10?
This is the time to do it.
Hey, guys, we're gonna win this.
- Get in here, get in here. - Let's kill it today.
- One, two... - Three.
- Red team. - Blue team!
Let's go, guys. 50 minutes remaining.
- Let's go! - Break!
Start separating the eggs very carefully.
We also need to get the ricotta strained in the cheesecloth.
I'm feeling extremely strong right out of the gate
after mike explains all the recipes.
How are we with the cabbage?
Go a little thinner. A tiny bit thinner.
He's giving us out notes. I'm ready to go.
Pick your lambs. Which lambs? I think these are the two best.
I would say cut them all
- and see which get the most beautiful cuts. - Absolutely.
So, for the brown butter, I have a whole stick of butter.
Good. Yeah, you don't really have to cut it up like that,
if you don't want, but either way.
Nick is taking complete charge,
and he's making sure that our flavors are exactly on point.
I'm trusting the kid right now.
All right, so, it's got to be super salty.
- When you get a chance, nick. - Like, way saltier than you think.
Nick, I need you at your earliest convenience.
Everyone's calling my name and getting me to help clarify things,
which is okay because I couldn't have possibly
put everything down on those pages.
First we cook the meat, and then let's grill this off.
- That needs to rest and this doesn't. - Absolutely, absolutely.
Pasta dough? Eh, whatever. I've done it before.
It might not be perfect, but I can accomplish it.
Renee, how's the dough?
- I'm getting it done. - All right.
- Let's get it in the fridge as soon as we can. - Yep.
So nick made ravioli as his signature dish, which were very, very good.
I think nick has an edge, but I think michael has the experience
and the maturity to drive his team to victory.
This is joe's restaurant,
so we are not sending anything out that looks like crap.
Nick: Hey, we've got 40 minutes. We've got 40 minutes to go.
So the jeopardy this evening
is that one full team will be facing elimination.
- And the winning team will be safe on the balcony. - Yes.
I'm gonna get the water on, sarah.
Okay. Salty as the sea.
I'm not worried about the pasta itself.
I actually have a pasta maker at home,
and instead of play-doh, my daughter and I make pasta.
She rolls out the dough and I'm cranking out actual pasta.
- It's looking good, sarah. It looks good. - Thank you.
All right, darlin', you got some cabbage in there? You want a little bit more?
- This is probably good, yeah. - That's probably plenty.
I'm gonna add the balsamic in, like, three minutes.
- Okay. - Subha: Okay, lentils are going in.
- How you doing, subha? - Good, good. So far, so good.
I feel very comfortable cooking lentils.
There's over 30 varieties of lentils in india,
and I cook them all the time.
Spatula, spatula.
- Rubber spatulas. - Okay, here you go.
- Thank you. - Yep. Whoo!
This looks awesome.
Noah: My grandma taught me
how to make a lamb roast when I was a kid,
but I've never done a marinade like this,
which makes me more excited because that's why I'm here,
is to do things outside my comfort zone and to learn.
- Mike, taste this. - Mm.
- Dead on? - Delicious. A little more salt.
It's not seasoned. I'll let you season it.
We'll do your stuff, and taste it. Taste, taste.
Then I'm putting lamb in it, so make sure it's good.
Taste this.
- Boom. Nailed it, awesome. - Yeah?
Remember, we're only doing four pieces of fish.
Four that are the exact same size.
Four of the best pieces there.
I've cooked fish hundreds if not thousands of times.
But I took the first piece of fish,
slapped it in a hot pan, and the skin just slid right off.
Right off the bat, that was kind of a bad omen.
Sam, please let me know if you need any help.
I really don't, but I want to fire more fish to practice.
- No cast iron? - Nah, stainless. Hundred percent.
- They gotta be piping hot. - Yeah, I know.
Gordon: 30 minutes to go.
We've got to get cooking, guys, let's go.
Right, captain nick, who's doing what?
So, we have renee and wuta up on pasta.
I'm kind of floating over here, 'cause it's kind of a tricky dish to do.
Okay, good. Who's doing the lamb?
The lamb is that back row right there with fred and keturah.
Then we've got bri, jamie, and micah on the fish.
- Okay, keep it going. - Yes, chef. Thank you.
Michael, how do you feel where you are right now?
Oh, man, I think everybody's kicking ass.
Noah and liz are on the lamb.
Dorian's in charge of the fish station,
and sarah and shari are on pasta.
- Everything tastes good, it's seasoned. - So, what about the pasta?
- When are you gonna start rolling that out? - The pasta's chilling.
- We got about four more minutes on the chill. - Okay.
- Who's cooking the lamb? - I'm going to do it in the next two minutes.
So, what's the big issue with grilling it?
- Rendering fat. - So be careful you don't burn it
- before you render it. - Okay.
- Hi, joe. Hi, aarón. - When are you gonna
start rendering this thing?
I'm gonna be putting it on in a minute and thirty seconds.
- Who's doing the brown butter? - I'm doing the brown butter.
Okay, don't take it too dark, okay?
Make sure you know when that point is.
- Again, be careful. Taste it, yes? - Okay.
Michael?
- Is he ready? - No.
I think it still needs another minute.
That white was getting a little higher
- last time I saw it, so don't move yet. - Got it.
- Renee? - Yes.
- Give me a w. - W.
- Give me an a. - A.
- Give me a t. - T.
- Give me an e. - E.
- Give me an r. - R.
- Water. - For?
- Pasta. - Pasta.
- On. - Oh! Duh!
Oh, my god.
I had a really stupid moment. I apologize.
- Water. - For?
- Pasta. - On!
- Oh! Duh! - Oh, my god.
I had a really stupid moment. I apologize.
We're good, we're good. Let's get two.
All right, renee, go get the dough.
I'm feeling good. I had a little bit of a dumb moment,
'cause I'm like, "huh?" with the water.
But, hey, it's okay! You know, I'm getting it.
- The pasta is rested. Does that feel right? - Oh, that's beautiful.
- Oh, awesome. - Yeah, that's really beautiful.
What we need to see right now, gentlemen,
is the captains being less vocal and more hands-on.
We can't have this much liquid in there,
so I would figure out a way to get some of that out.
Joe: Neither captain has cooked.
They're walking around like a soccer coach,
- yelling at people. - You can go a tiny bit darker.
- They actually burnt them a little bit. - Okay, burn 'em.
There's gonna be a point that they're gonna have to get in there and cook.
Let's go, captains. Let's get in there.
Let's get hands-on.
My cutting board is moving way too much.
I definitely need to focus the most on the pasta station.
I think renee is struggling a little bit with the dough.
We don't want to fold it, right?
'cause we're just gonna make it dry.
This raviolo has to be perfect,
so I have to jump in there and do it myself.
The dough looks so pretty.
- It does. Nice job. - Thank you.
You did a really good job with it.
Use the eggs as a guide,
'cause that's about the size of the yolk.
- Sure. - So we're gonna have room for about two
- plus the top. - Okay.
So, wuta, when we go brown butter,
I want to do, like, two or three pans
just to make sure we're totally good on it, all right?
'cause if it burns, we're totally screwed with one of them,
- so let's do, like, three. - Okay.
15 minutes remaining. Let's go, guys!
Speed up, please!
I actually don't think that you've seared it enough,
if I'm being very honest with you.
- Okay, put them back-- - I don't like this.
Put them back on the grill, then.
I'll let you be the lamb master, okay?
I want nick to come to the back a little bit more
and check on the lamb, because I know how to make lamb,
but I don't know how to make lamb to osteria mozza standards.
- Nick! - One sec, one sec.
He does seem to be quite preoccupied
with the pasta station,
but I do need him to give me
a little bit more guidance.
That's, like-- that's rare.
- Salt everywhere. - Salt everywhere. Pepper only the non-skin side, okay.
- Yep, you got it. - Jamie: I'm confident about the fish.
I know what pieces we're gonna use.
I got one job, and that's to make sure
that fish comes out perfect. I mean, I'm the fish guy.
So the pressure's on at this point, big time.
All right, what do we need?
- We don't need anything. Lentils are good. - Lentils are good?
Why aren't you just using that top part there?
The top part is just gonna become the lid.
Yeah, I know, but they're rolling more stuff out there.
What I'm trying to say is why don't they finish two?
This is drying out. In two minutes from now, it's gonna be dry.
- You'll never stick it together. - Makes perfect sense.
When you start a ravioli, you can't stop.
Joe: All right, put the yolk in.
Nick: So, we need to oil these when we put yolks in, right?
Yes. That's perfect. Now the big trick here
is getting the other pasta on top, squeezing the air out.
Because if there's any air in there
and you drop it, it's gonna go boom.
You know, after this, we don't have any more fish.
- Got it. I know exactly what I'm doing. - Okay.
No stress. Done this before.
I understand that, but you know you're not
gonna get the same heat as you would on cast iron.
- I know you love these pans. - Dorian, you gotta trust me.
I'm worried about this fish sticking to this pan.
Just make sure there's plenty of oil.
- I would like to use cast iron as well. - Let's use the cast iron.
I really would. I know you like stainless steel, but--
oh, no, no, no, no. I know exactly what I'm doing.
I know-- michael, you gotta trust me.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
- Cast iron. - Dorian, I know exactly what I'm doing.
- Okay. - Believe me, trust me.
Sam keeps saying he has it, but he doesn't.
And because he doesn't have it, he's gonna sink us.
If you let him put that fish in there and it's not hot,
- it's not gonna get crispy. - Sam, you didn't listen to me.
I gave specific instructions to sam.
I told him to get the cast iron pan.
And I turn around, and there's stainless steel.
I don't know if it's ego or what his problem is,
but we only have so many fish fillets left.
Don't-- no. Keep your hand on the fish.
Look, you lost the skin, dude.
I want these two in the cast iron.
We're getting two of them done.
Get those pans roaring, guys.
They're already hot. They're already on.
Skin down, do not move your fingers.
That's the sear that we were supposed to have.
Why are we cooking three different fish in three different pans?
Because sam wasn't able to get the skillet hot enough,
so the skin on the fish wasn't getting crispy enough.
So are we gonna keep the temperatures all the same?
We're gonna do the best that we can, at this point.
But we've got three times of jeopardy now.
- Right. - They have to, guys.
- You want to win this, yes? - Yes, chef.
- A hundred percent, chef. - Come on, then, guys.
- Nick! Come quick. - Yeah?
- Should this be looking like this? - One sec, one sec.
Is that a medium rare? I would choose the ones that are medium rare.
Some of these look a little bit under, so I would--
- no, they're not. - If they're not, okay.
Some of the lamb's raw, by the way.
- Not on blue. - Perfect, perfect, perfect.
- All right, renee, we're gonna cook these, okay? - Yep.
So, red team, they're now poaching the ravioli.
Now make sure it's brown. We gotta time this really well, okay?
If you cook the ravioli too early and it sits,
you know what happens with that yolk.
Does it start to coagulate a little bit?
- The yolk needs to be warm, runny, and perfect. - Yep.
Yo, let's go. Someone should go think about plating.
- We're on it. - You don't need the pan to take it out?
- Yeah, but don't put them anywhere. - We're good.
- We're good, we're good. - I'll put it on the other side.
- That's fine. - Okay. Let's calm down.
- Calm down. - Look at me, team.
Everybody take a deep breath. We're okay.
- Dorian: Thank you. - The fish looks beautiful. The lamb looks beautiful.
- Thank you. Breathe. - Everybody breathe.
Just gonna slide them in.
Slide them in, keep the egg up.
Make sure you get that nutty brown butter.
Michael, sage. Now?
Shari: With our dish, I'm worried about getting
that sage leaf crispy.
And michael keeps telling me
I need to wait for the brown butter.
What time do we start the burnt butter, michael?
Not yet. It's not brown yet.
Just till we get a light brown.
"wait, wait, wait. Don't do it yet."
michael, sage. Do I put it in?
So I'm feeling very anxious,
because this butter is not gonna brown.
Just keep it moving. I'm here watching.
Perfect.
Gordon: Last two minutes, guys.
We only have two minutes, so we gotta get this going.
Where is nick?
Keturah: I need nick over here right now
because I have no idea how to plate this dish.
- Nick! - For the garnish--
there's not lemons on this garnish. On this one.
Nick! Nick! I need you to show me how to plate!
Show me one plate so I can replicate it.
- Okay, what about the-- - just plate it and then I will replicate it.
- That's all. - On top looking pretty. Mixed in, mixed in.
You've gotta to be dressing. Let's go!
- Did you dress these with the marinade? - No, not yet.
You've got to hurry up, please, michael.
- 90 seconds to go, guys. - Just a minute,
and then you just dump it onto the plate.
- Nick, taste the fish. - Nick, how's this? Can you approve?
It looks awesome. It looks beautiful.
30 seconds to go.
All right, let's go, let's go.
Grated cheese, parmesan, that's it.
Wuta: How much parmesan? Not a lot, right?
Just a sprinkling.
- On the top? - Yes, just a sprinkling.
I got it. Just put the greens in there.
Michael's not even gonna have a chance
to look at the other two dishes.
This is a big mistake.
He needed to trust them with the ravioli.
Aarón: All right, let's treat it with love. Oh, my god.
Help him out, sarah!
Come on, get it on there. Get it on there.
Aarón: Parmesan, let's go!
Shari, get 'em on the plate!
Ow! Aah, you burned me!
Come on, get it on there. Get it on there.
- Grated cheese, grated cheese. - Shari, get 'em on the plate!
- Ow! Aah, you burned me! - Oh, my lord.
Aarón: Parmesan, let's go!
Gordon: Ten, nine, eight...
Judges: Seven, six, five...
- Hold on. - ...Four, three, two, one.
- And, stop! - Aarón: That's it!
- Yes! Let's go, blue! - Good job. It's good. Hey.
- Was our butter browned enough? - No.
Teams, please bring forward your three-course meals.
- Up to the front, right now. - Michael: Oh, ( bleep ).
We don't have shredded parmesan.
Gordon: Try and put them in a nice straight line, please.
It is time to taste the egg ricotta raviolo.
Red team first. Nick, can you bring your dish forward
- along with the cooks who helped execute it? - Yes, chef.
Nick: Looking at my dishes, I feel proud of myself and of my team.
Typically, I'm used to being the student, not the teacher,
and I've reversed that role here,
and I think I've done a really, really good job.
- Okay, visually. - Visually, I love the height of the ravioli.
- Mine looks good. - Yeah, I love seeing all those brown speckles
of the brown butter. That allows me to really see
how you cooked that butter down just the right way.
- Thank you, chef. - Joe: Yeah, aesthetically, it seems spot on.
- Is the sage truly crispy fried? - It is.
In fact, it is.
- Mine's a little bit darker underneath, joe. - Yeah.
Gordon: We don't cook them. We don't sauté them.
- Aarón: No, no, no, no. That's too much. - Joe: That's too much.
Let's see if this yolk is spot on. Very good.
Aarón: Yep, there you go.
- Joe: I think mine is perfect. - Gordon: Mm-hmm.
Mine's delicious. Pasta's not too thick.
A touch less cooking underneath
and you would have nailed a perfect raviolo.
I think the brown butter sauce and the sage
are exactly the way they should be.
Joe: Yeah, it's pretty close. It's really, really good.
There's only one comment I would make.
- Who dosed the nutmeg in the ricotta? - Nutmeg.
- Yeah. - I did.
- Joe: Too much. - Too much?
Yeah, too powerful.
Nutmeg is a very powerful spice.
It's a little bit dominant.
The cheese dosing, the salinity, it's all spot on.
The yolk is obviously perfect. The brown butter is great. The sage is crispy.
It's spot on. It just it's dominated by that nutmeg.
- Okay. - Thank you.
- Thank you, guys.
Good job.
Okay, michael, please bring up your pasta
along with the people who helped execute it.
I'm looking around the table and I think we have a problem.
The brown butter did not turn out.
I just see a pool of butter sitting on my plates.
- We might be in trouble. - Gordon, you know this dish.
You've eaten it a million times. You just saw the prior example.
- What do we think? - Visually,
it looks like it's sat in a pool of butter.
- Michael: Yeah. - Joe: It would be a perfect butter sauce
if it was a simple...
( speaking italian )
like we say. Melted butter and sage
is a sauce for a lot of pastas.
Not this one.
The problem is is the burnt butter
gives that edge of nuttiness and richness
that you really need to contrast the egg yolk and the ricotta filling.
Michael, what else are you missing other than browning that butter?
Michael: The grana padano at the end, yeah.
You just forgot about the grana?
- No. We ran out of time. - Okay. We saw that.
It was a bit of a panic at the end.
- Yeah. - All right.
- The sage is not crispy. - No.
- Who was sautéing the butter? - I was sautéing the butter.
I had asked michael when to start it,
and he kept telling me to hold off.
And I should have listened to my instincts and just threw
- that sage in and just done it. - I do take responsibility.
Right. All right, let's see how...
Okay. Wait, is that a little egg white in there?
- No. - Oh, that's bad.
- Gordon: Egg white? - Joe: Yeah.
- Can't rush that process. - Who separated the eggs?
- Both: We both did. - Joe: This is really raw.
Aarón: Ooh, yeah, that is-- it's a little runny.
The pasta roll, that was nice. Who rolled the pasta?
- I did, joe. - Perfect.
- Thank you. - So, my egg's undercooked.
It's a shame 'cause you got the finesse of the ravioli absolutely nailed.
The thickness of the pasta is beautiful.
And the use of nutmeg is perfect, as opposed to the red team.
You know, making a brown butter is taking it right to the limit.
- Right. - They got right to the edge.
You guys didn't even go near it.
- Thank you very much. - Thank you very much.
- Thank you. - Thank you, chefs. Thank you, joe.
Our raviolo is not as good as the other team's.
So right now, I'm feeling a bit defeated.
We really need this lamb to be cooked perfect,
and we need that fish to be on the point.
Otherwise, I got that black apron on again.
Red team, please bring up your roasted lamb dishes.
Right now, it's one to zero, so I'm feeling really confident.
I think keturah and fred did the best they could have
given I spent the least amount of time at their station.
So, visually interesting.
A little bit of a different strategy--
serve the crusty end of one rack
and the centerpiece another. Was that your idea?
- No, that was mine. - Is that how she did it in the restaurant?
- No, joe, it's not. - We couldn't get them to stand upright,
- so we tried to improvise. - But the right way would have been this way.
- Ah, I see. - Does that change anything?
- Yes, it does. - Yes.
- Who actually sliced the lamb? - I did.
- Very nice job. - Thank you.
You really did a great job. The slicing is perfect.
And you did even portions,
which was something we even struggle with in the restaurant,
so that's a really terrific job.
Thank you, joe.
- So, my lamb's a little rare here. - Okay, chef.
When you see lamb that rare,
what do you do with the grill adjacent to you?
- Pop it back on the grill. - That's right. For how long?
- Keturah: A few seconds. - That's right.
- So why didn't you do it? - My mistake, chef. Now I know.
What I enjoy here is the fact
that everything has beautiful citrus.
I think you were a little heavy-handed with the marinade.
That's very pungent and very strong.
You just need a little bit of that
to reconnect you to the actual marinade.
- Yes, chef. - Aarón: Too much.
For me, the broccolini are a little undercooked.
But the crust on the lamb is spot on.
It's good. It's very, very close.
I think the flavors are spot on. I think the broccolini's delicious.
The plate's fruitful. Unfortunately, my lamb is way undercooked.
My lamb's a little better. You have a little bit of variance from piece to piece.
- This is a perfect medium rare. - Aarón: Yeah.
- Gordon: Yeah? - Aarón: Mine's okay.
And also, the fat on mine is rendered better.
This just got a little bit more heat somewhere than yours did.
- Yeah. - Yeah, but that's inconsistency.
- And that's not how you do it at your restaurant. - Right.
- So, that's the bottom line. - Thank you.
- Yes, chef.
Joe: Okay, thank you.
Fred: It's a bit of an unsettling feeling
because we had better cooked pieces of lamb.
But just with the time constraints
and us rushing to throw things on the plate,
we just grabbed the wrong ones.
Okay, blue team, please bring up your rack of lamb.
- All right. - Noah: We're definitely down by one.
It's zero, one on us right now, so we're dead in the water
if I don't knock this lamb out. We're done.
My lamb is sliced and put on the plate beautifully.
Who put the lamb on the plate?
- That's me, chef. - Gordon: That looks appetizing.
Aarón: What I appreciate, there's a direct connection
with the char of the broccolini and the char on the lamb.
- Thank you, chef. - 'cause now we're bringing those two elements together,
and I can see it visually, so I love that.
Joe: I can tell right away that the tahini sauce is more on par.
Not as dense. It's more liquid.
Certainly, the crust on the lamb looks spot on.
- The cook looks perfect. - Who cooked the lamb?
- Me, chef. - All of it?
Noah: Yes, chef.
- Joe: Who made the tahini? - Both of us did.
- A collaboration. - Yes, absolutely.
So we could get the lamb marinated and going.
We were tasting, tasting, tasting, adding sauce.
Liz: And we really pulled michael in to really just taste
along the way to make sure it was on point.
- My lamb's seasoned beautifully. - Thank you, chef.
Gordon: It's on point. A touch less cooking on the broccolini for me,
'cause it's sort of melting too quickly
and I want that little bit of bitterness in there.
But it's absolutely delicious.
What you did that was so insightful was the fact
that you took that marinade with all the spices
and then the way that you grilled it aggressively,
it bloomed those spices so they're front and center.
So that right there is the most memorable part of it.
Joe: The balance between the tahini sauce,
the char on the outside of the lamb,
and the perfect medium rare on the inside
is the magic of this dish, and it's spot on.
- Thank you so much, joe. - Visually, flavor-wise,
it's almost a duplicate of our lamb dish.
- Thank y'all so much. - Thank you.
- Really good.
- Well done. - Thank you.
- Thank you.
Noah and liz kicked ass today.
They came through big time.
I put them exactly where they needed to be.
I tell you what. I think it's pretty apparent
that the red team had the best ravioli dish.
- Definitely. - And the blue team had the best lamb dish.
- Gordon: Definitely. - So it's one and one.
Meaning, boys, it all comes down to the fish.
- Sea trout from tasmania. - Okay, red team,
please bring down the pan-roasted sea trout.
We won the ravioli. The lamb went to the blue team.
It's like a horse race right now,
but I know in my heart
this fish is cooked perfectly. I know it is.
But there's always that little devil on your shoulder,
"man, you might have messed this up."
all I can think is if there's three dudes on the planet
who can figure out a way I messed this fish up,
it's these three guys in front of me.
- Jamie, you cooked the fish. - Yes, sir.
Jamie cooked five pieces of the trout simultaneously
in two cast iron pans. I saw it.
We had them, so we may as well try them.
- It was impressive. - Thank you.
- Shall we? - Yeah, let's try it.
- Who cooked the lentils? - I did, chef.
- Gordon: In what? - Micah: Chicken stock, chef.
Joe: I'll give you my criticism as the owner of the restaurant
where this dish comes from.
- Shall we? - Yeah, let's try it.
I'll give you my criticism as the owner of the restaurant
where this dish comes from.
No comment.
It's hard for me to distinguish
this from the restaurant. It's perfect.
- Oh, wow. - Oh, my gosh.
- Thank you, joe. - Thank you, joe.
- It's amazing. - Thank you.
Technically, this is beyond reproach,
and as close a replication of osteria mozza as you can get.
I think for me, it just needs a little bit of citrus
or another hit of lemon on the top just to complete it
and put a ribbon on the whole dish.
- Yes, chef. - The tasmanian sea trout
is absolutely cooked beautifully.
I've just got one side of my plate
absolutely doused in black pepper.
So that needs to be seasoned from a height, not so close.
- Okay. - But good job. Thank you.
Good job, brother.
- Thanks you. - I have to tell you one thing, michael.
You have one tough act to follow.
Please bring up your sea trout dishes
along with the people who helped you cook them.
I'm praying to everything
that our fish is cooked properly.
We had our issues, but we have beautiful dishes.
I'm just hoping that we pulled it together.
Gordon: I saw three different individuals
cooking three different sea trouts.
So, what are the chances tonight of having
three exactly the same cooked sea trout?
I think it's gonna be an uphill battle
considering we used two different pans.
Who plated it? 'cause there's way too many lentils.
Dorian: I plated two plates, and michael showed me the first initial plate.
You have a four-ounce piece of fish
with two and a half ounces of garnish.
Joe: The problem here is these lentils were cooked in a way where they broke
and all the starch is released, so it looks like a minestrone,
like a pasta fagioli, where you break the beans.
If you look at the red team's lentils, they're shiny.
Remember? Olive oil in the end, individual lentils.
We did add the olive oil, but it was too late.
It was too late. Who cooked the lentils?
- I did, chef. - Yeah, you ruined them.
Let's take a look at the skin first. This one's actually okay.
- This one is missing half the skin. - Aarón: Mm-hmm.
Joe: So a bit overcooked.
You've got a lot of issues of technical cooking mistakes.
The lentils are cooked poorly. It's like a lentil soup
that you would sell for two bucks in a cafeteria.
The sea trout's overcooked, inconsistent.
The cabbage is actually quite good. Crispy, seasoned well.
This is one of the most expensive fish anywhere in the world.
Tasmanian sea trout, it is a luxurious ingredient.
- Mine's white. - It looks like canned salmon.
- Oh, lord. - It's totally poached.
When we're heading for the rocks, stop.
Time out. Come here. Let's readjust.
- Yeah. - The fact that you didn't do that,
the chances of getting this perfect tonight is near impossible,
'cause you got three individuals cooking one dish.
- Yeah. - Thank you.
It's okay.
Okay, folks, we need to discuss.
Please give us a moment.
This shouldn't take long.
No, that's gonna be pretty quick.
It's not that tough. It's pretty obvious.
Gordon: I'm more in shock with michael.
As the captain, you've gotta use your resources and, uh,
at this point, it's not cutting the mustard.
- We did all we could do. - All right, let's go.
- Good job, guys. - My god.
- Joe: Okay, guys. - You all faced a massive challenge tonight,
let's get that right, as your teamwork skills
were really, truly put to the test.
Tonight was a big ask on my part, on our part.
Unfortunately, there can only be one winning team.
And I think we all know which team is the winning team tonight.
The team that will be safe from elimination is...
- The red team. - Ooh.
That's right, son. Good job, guys.
Nick and team, please head up to the balcony.
- ( sighs ) - put on those white aprons.
- Good job, congratulations. - Thank you, gentlemen.
- You guys did an excellent job. - Nick: We've just won.
Our team was cool, calm, and collected
in a way that I haven't seen before in any team challenge.
And so I'm really happy with the work I've done tonight.
Micah: Nick is the reason we won.
His note-taking was perfection,
and I finally have immunity.
I have been in every single elimination challenge.
It feels so good to be safe.
Blue team, you did not come together as a team,
and now you have to prove that some of you
still deserve to be in this kitchen.
- Yes, chef. - Hey, nick!
- Yes, chef. - You are safe with immunity.
But because you are the captain of the winning team,
as a bonus for leading your team to victory,
you have a very, very important decision to make
in the elimination challenge tomorrow.
This decision will affect the future of this competition big-time.
- Good night. - Good night.
- Good night, chef. - Good job.
Michael: I just lost another team challenge,
and I let myself down, I let my team down.
Dorian: I have to wear this crazy black apron
of death and dreams again.
Elimination, here we come.
( music playing )