♪
♪♪
Craig: Lift!
Mary: Last time on MasterChef Canada.
Hugh: Your challenge is to make a duet
of MasterChef worthy fish dishes.
♪♪
Veronica: Be cool!
Bhu: Shrinks quite a bit.
I am struggling right now.
I can't see the vision.
Andres: These dishes need to come together, right now!
I need to show the judges that I deserve to be here.
Craig: Andres, this dish is a total mess.
♪♪
Andres: See ya! Yeah!
♪♪♪
Marianne: Hello, hello!
Veronica/Liz: Hello! Bhu: Hi!
Craig: Welcome back, final four.
Bhu: How cool is this?
Being in MasterChef Canada's Top Four.
All female.
Marianne: All right. Mary: Feeling good? Yeah!
Bhu: I feel...so powerful.
So proud of us.
We're part of MasterChef Canada history!
It's a pretty badass moment.
♪♪
Marianne: Being a MasterChef Canada
semifinalist is bonkers!
This journey, it's, like, the hardest thing
that I have ever done.
I'm feeling super proud, but I
badly want a spot in the finale.
Hugh: Welcome to the MasterChef Canada semifinal!
(applause)
Next up, the finale.
If you think getting this far has been a wild ride,
then all I can say is, 'buckle up!'
Veronica: I really want to be in the Top Three.
I just need to push myself
one last time, to secure that spot.
Mary: I'm gonna need a bit of help.
Craig, do you mind? Craig: Of course!
Mary: Okay, B-R-B.
Liz: Okay... Marianne: Makes me nervous.
The judges are kind of looking sneaky. So I'm gonna
figure out what they have up their sleeves today.
Home cooks: Whoa! Whoa...
Marianne: Okay...
Bhu: Is class in session right now? What's going on?
Craig: So let's play a little game.
♪♪
Liz: I see words on the whiteboard like
smoky, fiery, and creamy.
And I'm thinking these are all adjectives
that can be used to describe dishes.
Craig: Marianne, pick a word,
any word, that speaks to you.
Marianne: I'm gonna go creamy.
There's absolutely no strategy, in picking the word creamy.
I just look at it, and I like creamy food,
so...let's go.
Liz: (giggles) Mary: This is fun!
Craig: Okay, Liz, which word speaks to you?
Liz: Citrusy!
I'm dressed as a lemon today, so it's perfect!
Craig: Veronica?
Veronica: Crispy.
I just love the texture.
It's amazing mouth-feel.
Craig: And now, Bhu? Bhu: Spiced. (chuckles)
That's kind of my motto.
I like to collect spices and stories,
so of course I'm gonna pick spiced.
♪♪
Bhu: Things are happening back there.
Liz: I do not know.
Bhu: Mad scientist.
Liz: I have absolutely no idea what Mary is doing right now.
♪♪
What is going on? I have no idea.
- Whoa! Marianne: (nervous chuckle)
Mary: Home cooks, this is a rave review
of the show stopping dish
you're about to make.
Liz: Okay, Bhu: Oooh.
Mary: This MasterChef Canada semifinal was fire!
The winning dish was creamy and citrusy,
with a crispy twist.
And that spice touch was just...wow!
Liz: Wow! Bhu: Mmmm.
Marianne: This challenge can definitely be subjective.
There's a lot of different ways that you can play on these.
Something can be like hot spicy,
or could just be like a nice warm kind of spice.
Mary: Creamy, citrusy,
crispy and spice.
These are your parameters, and your inspiration.
Hugh: The only thing missing is your imagination.
Use it to create a dish
that matches this glowing praise.
Craig: You'll have full access to the pantry,
and you'll be judged on how well
your creation hits all four of these flavour notes.
Marianne: Okay.
Mary: The two cooks with the best dishes
will advance directly to the finale,
while the bottom two, will have to fight their way
into the final three.
Liz: The thought of having to fight my way into the finale
is so nerve-wracking.
Do two cooks in one day, is really hard.
I want to avoid that at all costs.
Mary: You have 45 minutes.
♪♪♪
And game on, 'cause your time starts now!
- Oh, my gosh! - Woooh!
Mary: Marianne's goin' for it, okay!
♪♪♪
Marianne: Oh, I need a basket, I guess.
Liz: Tons of lemons for citrus.
Marianne: So this challenge is kind of like
reverse engineering a dish.
You're getting a description of what it is,
and now you have to make something
that matches that description.
Okay, grapefruit. Bhu: Where are the carrots?
I feel a lot of pressure on my shoulders.
Liz: Sorry! Marianne: That's okay!
Bhu: I think I'm getting all the elements that I need,
and I hope they come together on the plate.
Craig: Go, go, go! (laughs)
Liz: So heavy!
♪♪♪
Marianne: I am super- excited about semifinals.
I mean, I can't believe we're here and you know,
a lot of pressure, as well.
Just visualizing the title of MasterChef Canada.
I'm thinking about of course, my family, my kids, my husband.
So excited for what my future holds.
I'm gonna get there by cooking
the way that I always cook, balancing flavours.
And just like drawing from the things that I know.
Craig: Hi, Marianne. Marianne: Hi, there!
Mary: What are we making today?
Marianne: I'm going to do a spiced pork,
a creamy celeriac,
a creamy coconut curry. Mary: Okay...
Marianne: I was gonna do a crispy leek
as my crispy element. And I forgot it in the pantry.
So... Mary: Oh, no!
Marianne: Yeah, I don't have flour either.
Mary: I don't know if y'all are like this, but on my season,
if someone had flour I would ask for it.
Marianne: Does anyone have flour?
Bhu: I do. You can- Mary: Look at that!
This is the energy that I like! Marianne: A little girl power!
(chuckles)
These three women beside me are amazing.
Every one of them can cook, so I need to bring my A-game.
Mary: Bhu!...Nice!
Marianne: Thanks, girl! Bhu: No worries.
♪♪
Bhu: Stakes are incredibly high,
that we're fighting to be in the finale.
So just hoping that... make it through.
I really want everything to be in one bite,
so I'm going for a dumpling.
The filling contains beets,
kimchi, and whipped feta.
More spice.
This is the semifinals, so I'm trying my best to deliver,
by continuing to play with
unconventional flavours together
and seeing how they can take different shapes and forms.
I actually think there's a lot of me in this dish.
I'm putting spice, I'm putting texture.
There's new things I've learned,
there's the old Bhu in here, there's everything in here.
Craig: So they've got 45 minutes
to get them into the finale... Mary: Mhm.
Craig: ...and this is an opportunity for them
to be really, really creative. The criteria is only four words.
Mary: Exactly. You could go savoury. You could go sweet.
I have a feeling no one's gonna go sweet.
Oh, maybe Veronica.
Hugh: Looks like Veronica is going that route.
Hugh: 45 minutes is not a lot of time to make a dessert.
Veronica: I've been consistently performing well,
but never the winner.
I'm done being good, but not good enough.
I really want to win now.
I'm making a Chinese five-spiced tart,
with a croustillant layer
and also chocolate ganache
and a orange sorbet.
That's a lot of things I am making for 45 minutes,
so I gotta hurry up.
All those elements have to be hit.
I can't mess this up.
It could go really well, or it could go really wrong.
Liz: I am making an eggplant schnitzel.
So, like a traditional schnitzel,
but using a whole roasted eggplant instead.
First task is I need to get those eggplants cooked.
Cooking a whole eggplant takes time.
I want to show the judges my creativity.
I think this is a really creative,
interesting vegetarian dish.
Coming into today with some wins under my belt,
and some great feedback from the judges,
it feels...good!
I've had a lot of self-doubt throughout this competition,
but being here has given me
the confidence that I need to get to that final.
And the closer I've come to it,
now, I want to go all the way.
I love to cook vegetarian at home,
so I'm really excited about this.
Craig: Home cooks, you have 30 minutes left!
Mary: Wondering if anyone's regretting their decision.
Creamy. Citrusy. Crispy. Spice.
Craig: I'm looking forward to seeing something
really fun. Mary: Me too.
I think these home cooks do really well with, like,
a little bit of a parameter.
And then they just get to fly.
♪♪
Bhu somehow has her dough done.
And it already looks pretty nicely kneaded.
Craig: She got the fire. Mary: She got the fire!
Bhu: So I've just recently been cleared to kind of return
to everyday activities from my injury.
And today, I'm feeling the weight of that.
But there's like no time to second guess
what I'm doing today.
I'm just gonna keep going.
Veronica: I'm adding five-spice powder to my pie tart dough.
My spiced component, it's in the tart.
I think I could use a little bit more.
And I just hope there's enough five-spice powder.
Five-spice is commonly used in a lot of, like,
savoury dishes in Chinese cooking.
Craig: Spice, to me doesn't necessarily mean
chili spice. Mary: No.
Craig: I think there's so many different layers
that we could take this. Yeah. Mary: Completely.
Liz: Everything is gonna be spiced.
The spices that I'm working with today,
are all kind of in that North African realm.
My family took a trip to
Morocco several years ago,
and it just awakened this whole new style of food
that I absolutely loved and adored.
Whoo, look at that! It's cool.
♪♪
Marianne: Today's challenge, we gotta hit all those elements!
I'm thinking like a Thai curry.
I mean, there's always the creamy element,
there's the acid element, and there's the spice element.
So there's already three elements in one sauce.
So I feel like it's a good starting point.
Mary: With this challenge, I feel like there's so many ways
you could interpret these four words.
Like creamy, you don't necessarily have to add cream
to make something creamy.
Marianne: This is my celeriac.
When celeriac cooks down, it gets super nice and creamy.
I'm just trying to check the boxes not once, but twice.
One creamy element done. (blender whirring)
Liz: I am making a creamy labneh,
which is like a strained Greek yogurt.
In order to get it really creamy,
I have to strain out all of the water from that yogurt,
and I don't have a lot of time.
Okay, okay, I can do this.
So I tie it up in a cheesecloth,
to try to get gravity
to pull the liquid out of the yogurt.
Mary: Liz is doing some sort of like labneh.
Usually I hang it for a lot longer than 20 minutes.
♪♪
Bhu: I'm just getting my herb chili oil.
My citrus element is going to come from my
lemon herb chili oil
that will be served with the dumplings.
But citrusy scares me the most.
I use citrus more to kind of add acid or brightness.
They don't necessarily focus on the citrusy portion of that,
so I know that's gonna be a struggle for me.
Hugh: The citrusy element's good.
There's tons of different options.
Marianne: My citrusy is gonna be in my grapefruit salad.
I do have the citrus in the Thai curry.
And now I'm trying to create this grapefruit salad.
And I'm just thinking like, is this enough citrus in this dish?
Craig: 15 minutes left, home cooks, to get into the finale!
Veronica: I'm tasting my orange sorbet.
Mary: Veronica is making an orange sorbet
to go with her tart.
Hugh: It's a pretty limited amount of time. Mary: Mhm.
Hugh: The fear is that she's gonna put something on the plate
that's not properly set up, and it's going to melt into...
Mary: A sauce. Mhm. Hugh: ...a puddle.
Veronica: I'm feeling maybe this tart is just too ambitious.
I have too many components and there's just not enough time.
I need to make a chocolate ganache.
Hugh: Veronica's really pushing the time limit on this.
Veronica: If these components don't set, then there's
zero chance that I'm getting a spot into the finale.
♪♪♪
Mary: CIBC is helping Canada's Next MasterChef
realize their dreams with $100,000.
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Veronica: I'm feeling maybe this tart is just too ambitious.
My biggest challenge is to make sure
all my components have enough time to set.
My ganache needs to set,
my sorbet needs to set.
Okay, fingers crossed!
I'm under a lot of pressure.
I'm...just going!
I really want this to be my last cook today.
I'm giving it 120%.
I won't have anything left after this.
So this dish has to get me to the finale.
Okay. You need to chill in the blast chiller.
♪♪♪
Marianne: Okay. I need to get working on my pork soon here.
♪♪
The pork chop is a major component
that has my spice element in it.
So I need to make sure that this pork chop is juicy.
It's a fat piece of meat,
so I'm hoping I have enough time to cook it.
Hugh: Pork chops can be tricky.
Mary: I think everyone has had an experience
with a shoe-textured pork chop before.
Or is that just me? No one else?
Sorry, Myra Berg, puttin' ya' on blast!
Craig: (chuckles)
Home cooks, there's ten minutes left! Bhu: Ten minutes?!
Mary: Come on, speed up! Get it done!
Liz: It smells amazing. I love the smell of labneh.
Hugh: Hey, Liz. What's goin' on? Liz: Hi!
Liz: Got some...labneh. Hugh: Oh, you're making labneh!
Very Middle Eastern. This is great!
Liz: These are flavours I really like.
Hugh: And crispy is the schnitzel, I would assume?
Liz: Crispy better be the schnitzel.
Hugh: Better be- yeah,
better be the schnitzel. Liz: Better be!
Hugh: So it's gonna have the schnitzel base,
and then all these elements nicely built on top?
Liz: I'm still considering the plating.
How do I make a schnitzel look elevated?
I really haven't come up with a solution.
Hugh: I would almost treat it like a plate.
Liz: Yes. Hugh: But don't let me cloud your judgment.
Liz: Thank you, thank you! Hugh: Good luck!
Hugh: Bhu. Bhu: Yes, chef?
Hugh: What is going on? Bhu: I am-
Hugh: You keep your eyes on your fingers.
Bhu: I am making creamy beet kimchi,
whipped feta dumplings. Hugh: Beet dumplings?!
Okay, this is the one to get into the finale.
The key is meeting those criteria.
Bhu: Yes. Hugh: Keeping your composure.
Bhu: Yep. Hugh: And getting it done.
Bhu: I feel like I'm hitting all the notes,
but putting everything into one bite is a big risk.
It's either gonna be really good,
or a really bad.
Hugh: Bhu, keep it going.
♪♪
Marianne: Trying to crisp up,
do like some spiced puffed rice,
and I got my crispy shallots.
You can't just do one element in these challenges.
You gotta do a few. So, I'm being quite ambitious.
I think it's super important to nail each of these
flavour descriptions.
So I'm gonna fry up some shallots and rice puff cereal.
That is crispy. Done.
Yeah, I'm super happy about it.
♪♪
Veronica: I still need to make my crunchy layer.
For my dish, my crispy element is the croustillant layer,
with walnut praline and corn flakes.
Hot, sticky sugar!
I want a crispy texture.
♪♪ (blender whirring)
Bhu: Okay, I'm making my dumplings. Here I go.
Hugh: Bhu, she's got a pretty crazy dish.
Mary: Okay. Hugh: She's making
crisp beet dumplings with feta and kimchi,
which is a battle
of a lot of regional flavours. Mary: Mhm.
Sounds like she's taking some big swings to impress us today.
Bhu: I'm just flipping these dumplings over,
so that they can get fried up on both sides,
'cause element is to be crispy.
We don't want one side to be soggy.
♪♪♪
Marianne: So the pork chop,
I just pull it a little bit under to where it needs to be,
'cause I know it's gonna rest up
to that temperature that I want it at.
Craig: How's this pork chop looking? Marianne: It's good.
Craig: Hopefully it's not overcooked. All right.
You got a nice sear on this one side.
I would consider doing just a little bit
of a sear on the sides. Marianne: Sure, thank you.
Craig: Yeah, you wanna get that nice caramelization all over.
Marianne: Okay. What chef wants, chef gets.
Craig: Marianne, you gotta be super fast.
Don't overcook it! Marianne: Okay, okay, okay!
I don't feel like I have time for this.
I cannot put that on a medium pan or else
it's gonna cook too much. I have to be a sharp sear, so
I gotta get that pan to the right temp.
Liz: I am feeling definitely under pressure.
My next thing I have to do is get that eggplant out.
I'm hoping it's ready to go.
I'm really worried about getting my eggplant cooked properly
all the way through.
It's feeling good.
I have to bread it, and then fry it.
Okay, my eggplant is my crispy element.
And I really don't know if this is gonna be enough.
Oh, my God, I've never been so nervous.
Craig: Home cooks, you have five minutes left!
That's a nice size to Liz's schnitzel.
Hugh: She's gotta make sure that schnitzel is crispy.
Liz: Time will tell if I finish today.
♪♪
Bhu: I'm feeling a lot of pressure.
I really don't want to go into a pressure test.
Veronica: I'm starting to plate. I'm adding my crunchy layer.
♪♪
One step at a time.
Mary: It's a nice, smooth ganache.
Hugh: Hopefully it sets up.
Veronica: It needs as much time as possible in the fridge.
I underestimated the amount of cooling time
that's required for this dessert.
Mary: Three minutes left, home cooks!
Marianne: This pan's just not getting hot enough.
There's a lot of pressure on this pork chop.
If I don't nail the cook on this,
then I'm doing the pressure test.
♪♪
Liz: It's looking really good.
Hugh: Two minutes left! Get it done!
Mary: Come on! Veronica: Sorry.
♪ (tense music) ♪
Mary: I think everyone has their plate.
I don't know if Bhu does...
Bhu: So much pressure.
♪♪
I'm thinking there's not enough elements on this plate.
This plate looks naked.
Putting everything into one bite,
and if I don't achieve a perfect balance,
it could send me into that pressure test.
Craig: One minute! One minute!
Get everything onto the plate! Mary: Come on, guys!
Liz: Oh my gosh! I'm literally down to the wire.
And I'm still trying to make something
that looks like a tennis racket,
elegant on a plate.
Mary: Come on, get everything on the plate!
Veronica, get that tart!
Judges: Five, four...
Three. Two. One...
Mary/Craig: Time's up! Mary: Hands up!
Good job!
Liz: Oh, my God!
Marianne: It was whirlwind. I literally just started
throwing stuff on the plate. It's very contemporary.
Hopefully they can appreciate this kind of art form.
Liz: I am a little emotional 'cause,
yeah, I just don't want to be in that pressure test.
I really want to be in that finale.
Craig: Veronica, you're up first.
Veronica: I'm trusting my flavours.
I think each component is actually well thought, cooked,
and I hope it gets me a spot into the finale.
I made a Chinese five-spice tart
with a cornflake croustillant layer
and a chocolate ganache and an orange sorbet.
♪♪
Mary: Pretty crispy.
♪♪
Hugh: Where is the spiced element?
Veronica: It's in the tart. Hugh: Oh, that's the five-spice.
So that's just in the tart shell?
Veronica: Yes.
Hugh: I think the five-spice may have been
washed out a little bit in the flavour.
You could have added a lot more.
Craig: Five-spice unto itself,
it has a very deep, dark base note to it.
The chocolate fights against that five-spice,
and it doesn't really jump out as much. Veronica: Okay.
Craig: But you really encapsulated that citrus
with that sorbet where I'm tasting
that bright Cara Cara orange
and it really packed a punch.
Overall, I'm astounded that you pulled this off in 45 minutes.
Mary: We were all saying, 'Oh, it'd be a smart idea
to go sweet,' but then all of us were like,
'Oh, there's not enough time,' and you did it.
The first thing I thought of when I ate this was crispy!
You could hear it when you were cutting it.
I could hear it through like most of the chewing,
like it didn't stop being crispy.
The spice element is too subtle,
but the chocolate ganache is lovely.
It's silky smooth. It's beautifully set.
I think there's definitely some tweaks,
but that was a really creative
and risky interpretation of that review.
Veronica: Thank you. Mary: Thanks, Veronica.
Hugh: Marianne, bring up your dish!
Marianne: I am hoping that this dish can just give me
a smooth pass right into the finale.
I made a spiced pork chop
with a creamy celeriac puree
and a citrus salad on top
with a Thai curry.
Mary: All right, let's dig in.
♪♪
Mary: Marianne, I've never tasted a pork chop,
with this flavour combination.
I was a little... confused with the celeriac,
but then also the Thai green curry,
and those things coming together but they really worked.
And I love a little bit of cereal on my plate.
Marianne: Good! Thank you.
Craig: Pork chop is a very easy protein to overcook,
and that's not what you did at all.
You had a really nice sear on there,
and it's exactly the way that I'd like to eat pork.
The grapefruit element, it didn't quite add
the bright and citrusy that I was looking for.
It was more like, almost an afterthought,
just kind of placed on the top.
Hugh: The pork does have a good amount of spice to it.
It could have used a little more salt. Marianne: Okay.
Hugh: The plating, it was
a little carried, I don't know...
But, in this day and age of contemporary cooking,
sometimes it's very intentional that it looks that way.
So I think you should be like,
'I meant to do that.' Marianne: Right!
Hugh: But overall, this works.
Marianne: Thank you very much.
(clapping)
Veronica: Good job, Marianne. Marianne: Thank you.
Craig: Bhu, please bring up your semifinal dish.
Bhu: If this bite under delivers, it's a fail.
There's four components that I need to balance.
And if they don't, it could send me into that pressure test.
So today, I have
crispy dumplings that has been stuffed with
a whipped feta, kimchi-beet filling.
And then it is served with a
herb lemon chili oil.
I wanted all four elements to be in one bite,
and so, hopefully it does that.
Craig: Well, there's a lot riding on this one bite.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
♪♪♪
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Bhu: I wanted
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Bhu: I wanted all four elements to b
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Bhu: I wanted all four elements to be in one b
Bhu: I wanted all four elements to be in one bit
Bhu: I wanted all four elements to be in one bite.
And so, hopefully it does that.
Craig: Well, there's a lot riding on this one bite.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
♪♪♪
♪♪
Mary: Bhu, my dumpling is...
unfortunately it's pretty empty. Bhu: Oooh!
Mary: When you actually shaped it, I think you filled it,
and then there's a good amount of steam obviously
coming off of those beets and that kimchi.
So it just puffed up that dumpling,
and kind of left like a cave.
Bhu: Apologies.
Mary: The actual dumpling dough you made,
it's really nice.
It's crispy, it's light,
it's got a little bit of a chew to it.
Hugh: Kimchi is such a beautiful thing.
It's such a wonderful ingredient,
but it can be dominant.
And it kind of drowned everything out.
Really, all I was tasting was kimchi and chili oil.
And those are two very big flavours.
Craig: One thing about the dumpling is that
the citrus, it's very much missing.
With a dish like this and
not showing the citrus the way that we asked,
that's 25% of the criteria.
I'm worried for you. Hugh: Thank you, Bhu.
Bhu: Thank you. Mary: Thanks, Bhu.
Bhu: This feels like I'm disappointing the judges.
Mary: It's not the classic Bhu
that we know and love, eh? Craig: It's true.
Bhu: My biggest goal is to show them that I'm still capable,
I'm still pushing.
But at this time, I'm feeling like I have to fight again.
Hugh: Liz, come on down! (clapping)
Liz: I'm feeling pretty unsure.
There have been some really excellent comments
about my fellow home cook's dishes today.
I didn't get to try it,
so it's all in the judges' hands at this point.
I made for you today
an eggplant schnitzel with a
labneh dressing on the side,
and a spicy cucumber and pomegranate salad.
♪♪
Craig: It cuts like butter!
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
♪♪
That eggplant is so crispy.
The sesame, it's nutty, it's fragrant.
And it got toasted perfectly
when you were searing your eggplant.
Spice-wise, I see that you're going more with those kind of
North African kind of spices. Liz: Yeah.
Craig: This is not amateur dish,
like this is something that is
next level. Liz: Thank you.
Mary: Your citrus notes are subtle, but there,
you've got that labneh.
And juxtaposed with that crispy sesame coating,
it's really, really fun to eat.
Hugh: The flavours are really clean,
and you definitely get the spice.
This is the first dish
that I can see
at a very nice restaurant. Easily.
It would be a dish that the reviews
would be taking pictures of it, because it looks pretty.
You killed it. You really did.
Liz: Thank you. (clapping)
I feel so relieved to know that they liked my dish,
and I feel really proud to have put something together
that they liked and that they understand.
It just means the world to me.
Hugh: It's a tough decision 'cause it's gonna make sure
that everybody who's getting into the finale
is walking the walk, and doing the work.
Mary: Mhm.
Marianne: It's super nerve- wracking standing here,
knowing that there's a possibility that I need to
fight my way into the finale.
Craig: ...we definitely saw a high,
I think there's a low. Mary: Mhm.
Bhu: I'm disappointed in myself right now,
but I want the judges to know
that, like, I'm still capable.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Veronica: I'm worried that my execution could be my downfall.
So I'm telling myself, prepare yourself for another test.
Hugh: Y'all had wildly different interpretations
of the dish review,
but I really love seeing that diversity in your food.
Your place in the finale is at stake,
but we're looking for the cooks who have that ambition
and want to be there.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Liz...
Congratulations, you are in the finale!
Liz: (sighs) Marianne: Good job!
Veronica: Good job, Liz! Liz: Thank you, guys.
Bhu: I'm so proud of you. You deserve it. Liz: Thank you, so much.
Liz: Absolutely, never in my wildest dreams
did I think that I would be
a finalist on MasterChef Canada.
I feel relieved, I feel proud,
and I also feel exhausted. (laughs)
♪♪
Mary: Veronica, you took a really big risk,
making that tart.
And your creative interpretation really impressed us.
That's exactly the kind of bold move
that gets you a spot in the finale!
Veronica: Yay!
Mary: Congratulations! (clapping)
Veronica: Thank you!
I'm going to the MasterChef Canada finale!
I'm genuinely shocked.
Mary: Well done to both of you. Go have a seat in the gallery.
Veronica (whispers): Good job, Liz!
Taking big risks...is worth it.
♪♪
Bhu: That means I am going into
a pressure test with Marianne.
This is my last fight to get into the finale.
And I hope it's enough.
Craig: Bhu and Marianne,
there's only one spot in the finale left.
To claim it, you'll have to face
our most daunting pressure test yet,
and prove that you have the skill,
time management, and precision to master one of nature's
most perfect ingredients. Bhu (whispers): Okay.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Cr
Crai
Craig:
Craig: B
Craig: Bhu
Craig: Bhu a
Craig: Bhu and
Craig: Bhu and M
Craig: Bhu and Mar
Craig: Bhu and Maria
Craig: Bhu and Mariann
Craig: Bhu and Marianne,
there's only one spot in the finale left.
To claim it, you'll have to face
our most daunting pressure test yet,
and prove that you have the skill,
time management, and precision
to master one of nature's most perfect ingredients.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
The egg!
Marianne: (soft chuckle)
Liz (whispers): Oh, wow! Bhu (whispers): Okay.
Craig: For this pressure test,
we want you to make eggs five ways.
Over easy. Scrambled.
French omelet.
Soft boiled, and poached.
All of them ready at the same time.
Bhu: Okay. Eggs five ways.
This is very intense right now.
Marianne: I cannot believe that eggs is gonna be
the determining factor whether or not I go into the finale.
Craig: This is not easy. Not even for a professional chef.
But you're in luck, 'cause I'm going to show you how to do it.
Bhu: Oh, cool.
Marianne: So Chef Craig is showing us
how to get it all done,
and the proper techniques,
and also what's expected.
Craig: Egg cookery is all about precision
multitasking and execution.
Mary, are you going to count me in?
Mary: Sure am! In three, two, one, go!
Craig: All right, so in this pan over here
I'm gonna be doing a soft poach.
So first thing I'm gonna do is add
a little bit of vinegar to this water.
And so you give that a stir.
And what this is going to do is it's going to really help
that egg to form into a nice round shape.
Marianne: I feel like Chef Craig probably do this in his sleep.
You need to be able to multitask
and there's no room for flaws.
Craig: Soft boiled eggs.
Bhu: Chef Craig is as cool as a cucumber.
Craig: This is gonna be my over-easy egg.
Bhu: Not an ounce of sweat.
He's moving so gracefully.
I hope I look like that.
Craig: Have a little bit of time to start my scramble.
Scramble, I like to give a little bit of cream.
A little pinch of salt into the pan.
I want to keep this on the heat,
and I want to form those medium curds.
I'm in control of these eggs.
The eggs are not in control of me.
Bhu: All of the egg methods that Chef Craig is showing us,
I've cooked before.
Craig: My poach.
Bhu: So I know them really well.
Craig: I'm going to pull my soft.
Bhu: But all of them together?
Craig: Over easy. Done!
Bhu: At the same time....
Craig: Soft scramble. Just like that.
Bhu: I hope I can do it.
Craig: Now, for the big show.
This is for the French omelet.
The omelet is the most technical
of all the egg preparations.
Marianne: The one preparation that I'm most nervous about
is probably the French omelet.
Because there are super technical.
Craig: I'm trying to move the edge of that omelet over.
Marianne: Eggs are finicky. They're so temperamental.
So there's so many things that can go wrong in this challenge.
If you mess up, there is nowhere to hide.
Craig: And then I'm going to flip it out.
We'll add a little bit of butter
and a little bit of herbs to finish.
Craig: All right, Mary, you can stop that clock.
Mary: Stop the clock!
Well, Craig, it was eight minutes and 47 seconds.
Craig: All right, well, I'm feeling generous,
so I'm going to give you
nine minutes to do these eggs.
All right, head to your stations.
♪♪
Veronica: You got this!
Marianne: There's only two of us. One of us is going home.
So, the pressure is real.
Bhu: There's a lot sitting on my shoulders.
Last fight. Let's go!
Craig: All right, home cooks, you got seven eggs,
nine minutes.
Your time starts...
♪♪
Now!
Veronica: Good luck!
Liz: You got this, guys!
Marianne: I have nine minutes on the clock.
My strategy is just to be focused and calm.
If I start being frantic,
I'm gonna lose control
of all these different egg situations.
And so I just keep telling myself,
be calm, be calm.
Bhu: All right. We've got a teacher versus a mom.
Both of these people, I feel like,
know a lot about multitasking.
Bhu: That one's good.
Craig: The key to this task is really just time management,
and making sure that all the eggs are being accounted for.
It's almost like being an octopus.
♪♪
Veronica: They're so calm and collected.
Craig: The swirl and the egg is so important
to help coat that egg white around the egg yolk.
The egg white wants to settle down, but the swirling it around
just encapsulates the whole thing.
Hugh: Does it matter if you go clockwise or counterclockwise?
Mary: Depends on which hemisphere you're in.
Bhu: My strategy is to go in the same order
that Chef Craig went in.
Starting off with my soft- boiled, then my poached.
Moving over to my over-easy,
then saving my scrambled and French for last.
And so I need
the temperature to be spot on.
The temperature is going to play a big role.
Nine minutes is not a long time to do this.
Mary: No.
♪♪♪
Veronica: Watching Marianne cook,
it's scary! Veronica/Liz: (quiet chuckles)
Veronica: Like, I don't want to go up against her.
Liz: She's very, very focused. Veronica (whispers): Yeah.
Marianne: This challenge is insanely technical.
I know the steps that I need to do,
and I'm just focusing
all my attention on these eggs.
♪♪
Bhu: This is a challenge for myself.
Yeah, Marianne is standing beside me,
but I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself.
Hugh: Four minutes left! Four minutes!
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that over-easy.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Oh, don't wreck it!
Hugh: She's working it a lot.
♪♪
Veronica: Gentle, gentle.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Ma
Mary
Mary:
Mary: I
Mary: I ho
Mary: I hope
Mary: I hope B
Mary: I hope Bhu
Mary: I hope Bhu's
Mary: I hope Bhu's g
Mary: I hope Bhu's gon
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna g
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go
fo
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for th
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the fl
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip o
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of th
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that o
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that ove
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that over-
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that over-ea
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that over-easy
Mary: I hope Bhu's gonna go for the flip of that over-easy.
♪♪
Oh, don't wreck it!
Hugh: She's working it a lot.
Bhu: Whatever you do, don't break that yolk.
Whatever you do,
do not break that yolk!
Veronica: Gentle, gentle!
♪♪♪
Mary: She got it over! Veronica: Good job, Bhu!
Liz: Good job, Bhu! Good job.
Craig: Three minutes left!
Mary/Craig: You got this!
Marianne: There is nowhere to hide in this challenge.
If you mess up, it's gonna be obvious.
♪♪♪
Craig: Bhu is checking her poached egg.
Mary: Nice. Now, your poach took a little longer
than you thought it would. Craig: Yeah.
Mary: But it depends on how cold that egg is
when it goes into that water,
how much the water temperature drops.
Craig: Marianne finished her poached egg.
Mary: Okay.
Craig: See Marianne's over-easy egg is still in the pan.
You don't want that to overcook, as well as the scramble.
Mary: But that looks like a nice scramble,
Craig: That looks like a nice. Mary: Yeah.
Liz: You got this, guys. Good job!
Great job, ladies!
Mary: Two minutes, guys. Two minutes left!
You've got this!
♪♪♪
Mary: Check the poach, check the poach, check the poach!
♪♪♪
Okay, she's checking the poached.
Bhu, yeah, get that poached egg out!
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Bhu: (distressed gasp) Mary: Oh.
Bhu doesn't look happy.
Bhu: My eggs aren't looking the best.
Somehow I've managed to lose
the white part of my poached egg.
But, I just try to focus on
getting the French omelet perfect.
♪♪
Craig: One minute! One minute left!
♪♪
Now she's going for the French omelet.
This is gonna be the real test.
♪♪
Marianne: The heat is just not high enough,
for this French omelet to properly set.
So I'm shifting my pots around,
I'm going to the back burner,
hoping that I can get the heat that I need
for this egg omelet to set.
♪♪
Mary: 30 seconds left, guys. 30 seconds!
You got this! You're almost there!
♪♪♪
Veronica: I think they need at least 30 seconds to roll it.
Marianne: The time is ticking,
and at this point, I'm just folding it in.
I hope this French omelet is not too gooey on the inside.
Veronica: Get the omelet perfect!
May: Butter and herbs. Butter and herbs.
Mary/Craig: Ten. Nine. Eight.
Seven. Six.
Judges: Five. Four.
Three. Two. One!
Mary: Get it on the blacktop! Mary/Craig: Time's up!
Mary: Oh, my. Oh!
Liz: Oh, wow!
Bhu (quietly): I think you're going.
I got everything onto my plate, but I'm worried.
I'm looking at my plate and looking at Marianne's...
and it looks different.
Mary: Bhu and Marianne...
...that was thrilling!
You both rocked it and matched Craig's timing,
so huge congratulations on that.
Now it's time for us to take a closer look.
Bhu: In this challenge, I had a lot of limiting factors.
There is a limited amount of eggs.
There's a limited amount of time.
So all I can do is hold my head up high.
And own what I just put on my plate.
♪♪
(cracking)
♪ (low tense music) ♪
Craig: Egg white is a little bit undercooked.
Kind of that snotty texture.
That's what I try to avoid. Bhu: Okay.
♪♪
So your poach is missing the coverage
of all that egg white.
Your temperature was a little bit low.
Bhu: Too low.
Craig: Egg yolk is nice and soft,
but just really missing all that egg white.
♪♪
Over-easy egg,
that's as picture perfect as you can get.
That's wonderful.
Well done for that. Bhu: Thank you.
Craig: Scramble, looks very nice.
Medium curds.
That's definitely a scramble that I would love to eat.
Only thing that's inconsistent is that
you put the herbs on your scramble
instead of on your French omelet.
♪♪
Now, your French omelet,
this is the toughest one to make.
♪♪
This is just a little bit too runny.
And this just comes down to temperature control.
♪♪
Mary: Really impressive though, getting all five done.
Marianne: The scrambled eggs
and the French omelet gave me the most trouble.
They just weren't coming together
as quickly as I wanted them to.
Craig: Marianne, nine minutes.
Very well done. Marianne: Thank you.
So I'm thinking, is this gonna be the difference
between having a shot at $100,000
or going home?
Craig: Let's check your soft boiled egg.
♪ (low tense music) ♪
That's a nice jelly egg.
♪♪
No raw egg white.
Very nice.
Poached egg,
surrounded by the white.
♪♪
Nice flow to that egg yolk as well too.
That's beautiful! Marianne: Thanks.
♪♪
Craig: Scramble...
♪♪
If I had to say... it is a little bit small,
like your temperature might have been a little bit low.
♪♪
Over-easy egg...
♪♪
That's picture perfect.
And your omelet.
You really got that nice
football shape.
♪♪
Let's see what it looks like inside.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Cr
Crai
Craig:
Craig: Y
Craig: You
Craig: Your
Craig: Your om
Craig: Your omel
Craig: Your omelet
Craig: Your omelet.
Craig: Your omelet. Le
Craig: Your omelet. Let'
Craig: Your omelet. Let's
Craig: Your omelet. Let's se
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see
wh
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what i
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it lo
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it look
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks li
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks like
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks like i
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks like ins
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks like insid
Craig: Your omelet. Let's see what it looks like inside.
♪ (tense dramatic music) ♪
Inside is very nicely cooked.
Small curds.
Easy throughout.
You got that butter on top, so it's glistening.
This is a stellar representation
of the five ways to cook eggs.
Marianne: Thank you.
♪♪
I gave that pressure test everything that I had.
Every egg turned out.
And I'm, I'm stoked.
Bhu: This is a make or break moment for me.
I'm thinking...I'm in trouble.
Mary: Bhu and Marianne,
if we had to decide this pressure test
on heart and effort alone,
it would be a straight up tie, like an impossible decision.
Sadly, though, only one of you can advance
to the MasterChef Canada Season Finale.
♪♪♪
Marianne,
you've really excelled in this challenge!
Marianne: Thank you.
Mary: You get that last spot!
♪♪ (clapping)
Marianne: Love you. Bhu: Love you.
Mary: Great job, Marianne! (clapping)
Marianne: I'm going to the finale!
Like...crazy!
I can't, I'm like, this is just crazy pants.
I'm one step away from $100,000.
Like pinch me. Like, is this real?
I am just so stoked.
This is absolutely the hardest thing that I've ever done.
But also the most amazing thing that I've ever done.
Hugh: Bhu, you burst into this competition
just thinking outside the box,
and just bringing creativity
and your love of food,
and it was awesome to see.
Bhu: So this time last year,
I had sustained a spinal injury
and I lost the ability to teach,
to dance, and most importantly, cook.
♪♪
I took a big loss.
But walking out of here today,
it's a win.
♪♪
Liz: Way to go, Bhu!
Bhu: Thank you, guys. (clapping)
Coming here to MasterChef Canada
has been something I needed.
I won challenges.
I got $10,000!
Mary: Bhu, congratulations! - Yeah, Bhu!
Bhu: To win the Immunity Pin...
Judges: Switch!
Bhu: Freaking love doing Tag Team.
Mary: Your skills as teachers really came in handy today.
Bhu: I represented
my heritage in so many ways.
Hugh: You just have this uncanny ability to
play in this amazing Indian cupboard.
And it's always exciting.
Bhu: Thank you.
I realize I'm capable of so much
more than I thought I was.
Mary: All right, Bhu, we've got three great
home cooks over there. Who do you think's gonna take home
the title of Canada's next MasterChef?
Bhu: I'll be rooting for you, Veronica.
Veronica: Thank you, Bhu!
Bhu is the best!
Veronica: Aah! Bhu: I love you guys. Marianne: I love you.
Bhu: I had a fantastic time here.
There's no regrets going out these doors.
Liz: Way to go, Bhu! We love you!
Bhu: I loved being here every single day.
♪♪ (clapping)
Mary: Everything you've dreamed of,
since you first walked into this kitchen,
is now within reach.
Time to trade in those aprons.
Craig: Congratulations! Veronica: Thank you!
Mary: Madame! Marianne: Oh! Very nice.
Liz: Thank you, Chef Hugh! Hugh: There you are.
Liz: This is my name. Chef Liz here. (laughter)
Craig: How do you feel?
Veronica: It feels great!
(laughter)
Liz: Dream come true.
Hugh: Marianne, what are your kids thinking
right about now, when they see this?
Marianne: I don't know. I think they're gonna be so excited.
I think they're gonna be proud of me.
Sorry...
Hugh: Great job, you three.
But the next time we see you, it'll be the finale.
So go get some rest, and get ready.
Marianne: Thank you. Veronica: Thank you, chef.
Marianne: Feels surreal that I'm wearing this chef jacket.
I'm just, like, vibrating a little bit.
Can you guys believe this?!
Like, starting out with 15 people.
And now here we are. Top Three.
Craig: Next time, it's the Finale!
Tonight, only one of you
can win the ultimate prize.
Veronica: This is my opportunity.
I'm going to win because
I am a risk taker.
Liz: I want to prove to the judges
that I've got the best food
in this kitchen.
Marianne: I'm gonna win MasterChef Canada
for my kids. I wanna show them
what they can do because of what I can do.
Mary: The winner of Canada's MasterChef is...
♪♪♪