[screaming]
* Baking It *
* Grannies taste it, Baking It *
* Baking It *
Hello, bakers.
ALL: Hi. Hello.
Maya, look who it is, the semi-finalists.
[clapping]
MAYA: Congratulations to all of you.
You are one step closer to being named the Master Bakers
and winning the $50,000 prize.
[cheering]
We have been through so much together already.
You remade exploding cakes. You faced your fears.
You updated recipes from the past.
Now, your challenge is to answer
a very controversial question:
sweet or savory?
And it's a divisive question. I like savory.
And for the purpose of this episode, I like sweet.
Now, we want to find out which side you're on.
AMY: And no, you can't say I like both,
or people are complicated, or why are you shouting at me?
You have to decide.
Yeah, you gotta pick, sweet or savory
and then make me a pie.
Because look, everyone likes pie.
But Maya, like, really likes pie.
Yeah. Pie is my favorite food.
Delicious fillings, buttery crust,
endless opportunities for creativity.
Did I mention buttery crust?
It's the perfect challenge for the semi-finals.
This is a Big Ol' Bake.
And frankly, it's another chance to get to know you more.
And that's what we wanna know, you bakers.
Indeed. Pies are the window to the soul.
And remember, these pies have to earn you a spot in finals.
So, they need to be showstoppers.
They gotta be crusty contenders.
-They gotta be top tarts. -Prize-winning pies.
Now, let's start your semi-final Big Ol' Bake.
Let's go.
Wait, what are we doing, though?
I wanna do more so a savory dish,
which is what my quiche normally is.
-Right. -You can't just start running.
I'm sorry, I'm in a panic mode.
I'm just like grabbing bowls and stuff.
-Okay. -Definitely sweet.
You know, I don't like savory.
I'll start the crust. You can find the pie things.
And so, we gonna do like a sweet potato red velvet pie.
I like red velvet. You like sweet potatoes.
What do you wanna do? I'm thinking--
I like chocolate. Go sweet, go sweet.
Chocolate, coffee?
Coffee chocolate. I want some spicy.
Chai pie.
All right. This is their ticket to the finals.
This is the semi-finals.
-This is a big deal. -MAYA: Yeah.
AMY: These teams are ready. They're gonna crush it.
They're gonna crust it.
We're going sweet today. We've-- we've done a lot of savory
while we've been here, but we wanna show the grandmas
that we can bake some sweet things too.
YUKI: And what are y'all making?
A seafood quiche.
I love that y'all are always doing seafood.
Going into the semi-finals,
there's definitely a lot of competition.
We are not gonna sleep on anybody
'cause everyone is running with their A games.
-What are you guys making? -MADDIE: We're gonna make
a dark chocolate banana cream pie.
COREY: I'm gonna pretty much start the crust.
KEITH: Big Ol' Bake!
Yeah. I'mma start the crust.
Hey, Yuki. What are you making?
A banana cream pudding pie.
-The competition's on. -It's on.
Oh, my God. Are we having a bake-off?
It's a California style to the Southern style.
Can you just promise me to save me a slice of your own?
Girl, as long as you save us some.
-We can have a taste test. Yes. -Absolutely. That's the best.
Love it.
Do I look like George Washington?
No, you're gorgeous.
That looks fancy.
-That's very fancy. -It is.
Hi, Maddie and April.
How are you?
A really important question that's on our minds today.
Sweet or savory?
We are sweet.
-Sweet. -You're team sweet.
We are making a dark chocolate ganache banana cream pie.
AMY: Dark chocolate ganache banana cream pie.
-Our competition's over there. -Yep.
MADDIE: They're baking the same thing.
MAYA: BCP drama? Banana cream pie.
MADDIE: Banana cream pie drama.
-BCP gate? -It's BCP gate.
We're gonna see-- It's going down. Whose is better?
APRIL: You know we're sweet Southerners,
but you know Southerners.
-We-- we're competitive. -We are very competitive.
We might be sweet and smile.
You know what we say, "Bless 'em."
-Bless 'em. -Bless.
Okay. So, this is something that you normally make?
MADDIE: Oh, we love it. Yes.
This is also-- It's actually known as humble pie.
-Humble pie? -Let's hear it.
Yes. Well, it's-- it's quite embarrassing.
I can't wait to hear it.
The more embarrassing, the better.
It came about when I was 14 years old.
I took my parents' car when I wasn't supposed to.
Nothing happened.
I pulled back in, I was fine,
but the neighbors snitched on me.
-Little rebel. -APRIL: I know. I know.
So, my dad had a different way of teaching lessons.
He goes, "If you think you're old enough
"and you're responsible,
"I'm gonna let you drive to school next week."
And I thought, "Okay." So really excited.
Monday rolls around,
and I walk outside to my dad
standing on the back of a riding lawnmower.
And I drove a riding lawnmower to school for five days.
-Stop it. -As a punishment.
And on Friday, when I got home,
my mom was sitting at the kitchen table.
I walked in the door, devastated still
'cause it was embarrassing, of course.
And my mom had banana cream pies sitting on the table,
and we all had a slice, and with no words
that was like kind of the ending to my consequence.
So, this is why this is called humble pie.
I'm gonna ask you guys a serious question.
-Yes. -Okay.
What do you learn when you have a--
a mom like this, who tells you
there's like a way to break social protocol,
there's another path less traveled that you can take?
Most definitely.
Especially 'cause I'm not going to college
and being here instead, like what? [chuckles]
APRIL: When my 18-year-old goes,
"I'm top of my class and I don't wanna go to college."
Instead of going, "No, that's outs--
I went, "She's ready." Like, I get it.
And I wish I had had her attitude at 18 years old.
It took me, you know, 30 more plus years.
It's the best thing ever.
I listen to my friends, and they'll, like,
they'll come and talk bad about their moms,
and I was like, I can't do that because she's always there.
She always supports. [laughs]
-AMY: That's really sweet. -Thank you. I appreciate that.
-That's beautiful. -That's really beautiful.
You're making-- you're making mummy cry.
MADDIE: I know you're making my eyes water.
AMY: Yeah. That's the goal, babe.
That was awesome.
It's nice to see a mother
and a daughter standing together
and openly sharing how they feel, which is really rare.
We don't always tell each other how much we love each other.
And I thought that was really moving to see
how important her mom was to her
and for her mom to hear it. Moms never hear it.
So, if anybody wants to say it right now, we're listening.
[crickets chirping]
You know, I tell the truth, and I don't lie.
Always excited for banana cream pie.
-Hi, team. -Hi.
-Hey. -How are you?
-YUKI: Good, how are you? -Good.
AMY: Now, how are you guys feeling about
the BCP controversy?
The banana cream pie controversy.
MAYA: Banana cream pie. You know, the BCP gate.
It's all love. It's like a friendly competition.
OMONIVIE: It is. Is it, though?
Because we were over there talking to them,
and they were like, "We have the best one."
And we were like, "Wait a minute."
MAYA: And I was all, "What do you mean?"
And he was all, "Can I call you later?"
-And I was like, "Yeah." -W-T-F.
-AMY: Yes. -I need all the tea.
And then we were like, "We're going over there."
And they were like, "Over there?"
And then they looked over, and they were like.
We're feeling pretty confident.
We have a graham cracker crust.
We toasted some shredded coconut.
And then the base also has
some brown sugar caramelized bananas.
That's like the cinnamon and nutmeg
you're picking up right now.
Can I say something actually serious
that I loved and I'm watching you guys
that it's reminding me of?
And Maya and I are examples of this--
Maya and I have known each other for over 20,
-almost 25 years. -Aw.
Is that female friendships
are the most important friendships.
Absolutely.
YUKI: It-- I think it's really beautiful
to grow through decades with each other.
Like to me, like, there's--
there are friendships and sisterhoods that always
last through different generations and seasons.
And like, we literally met when we were 18,
17 and now we're in our 30s.
So, we've been there for each other for--
-Almost 15 years now. -Yes.
Growing up, I always wanted a sister
and then I got stuck with you.
Yes.
YUKI: We butt heads. We are--
We're different, but similar in a lot of ways.
But I think we just have a really unshakeable bond
that like, no matter what life grows at us,
like we know that we're gonna be there for each other.
Absolutely. During medical school,
I was always just stressed out, calling her crying all the time.
She flew across the country with a baked cake on her lap
for my college graduation. And she's the more--
I'm-- I'm gonna cry already.
Emotional one. I know, I see it in your eyes.
Okay. I'm just-- It was just really special
to like, be going on this journey together with you
and like finding different ways where we can support each other
and like make new memories too.
-Gosh. -And there's a real tear.
Yeah. It's okay.
That is what a great friendship is,
is a friend who knows you and likes you anyway.
-Exactly. -Ooh, amen. Amy-men. [laughs]
Amy-men.
Maya, we love female friendship.
Yes. Yuki and Omonivie have a really wonderful
friendship and partnership
and are really each other's chosen family.
They're an example of how you can't do it alone.
I mean, I know your friendship is very important to me.
Your friendship is really important to me.
-MAYA: We met, -AMY: It was 2001.
AMY: I just started SNL. You were there.
And I thought, "I want that woman to be my friend."
MAYA: I know. Sometimes, you really know
when you see someone you're like,
"I want that person to be my friend."
Totally. And a lot of people don't know,
Maya and I had offices next to each other.
-MAYA: Mm-hmm. -And we used to open the window,
you could stare at the Empire State Building.
And we did that for eight straight years.
And then, we were fired because we never wrote a thing.
You really shouldn't dangle out of the windows of 30 Rock.
There are no screens.
Wonder if there's screens now.
-I bet there are. -I bet somebody ruined it.
I'm Gen Z. I like to not fall out a window.
This is dangerous. Okay.
We get it.
But back when we were there,
we smoked cigarettes and we did dangle out the window.
-It was a really bad idea. -It was. [laughs]
* Baking it *
* It can be sweet or it can be meat *
* As long as it's a pie *
* Coconut cream or fish from a stream *
* Just put them in a pie *
* Oh, I love pie *
RAVI: Let's get buttery.
-Hi, guys. How're you doing? -AMY: Hi.
-How's it going? -MAYA: Good. How're you?
It's going really well.
-Yeah. What are you making? -We're making a dirty chai pie.
-BOTH: Ooh. -RAVI: Mm-hmm.
MAYA: So you're going--
you're going for the sweet pie not the savory.
REEMA: So, the crust has chai spices in it,
ginger powder, cardamom, cinnamon.
And then the next layer,
a salty dulce de leche with chai spices in it.
-I like the inclusion of chai. -Mm-hmm.
And is this your own chai spice?
My mom makes chai.
We have our own little chai spice at home.
So, I kind of mimicked that.
Half our household is coffee drinkers
and the other half is chai drinkers.
So, this pie kinda represents our family here.
REEMA: When I was really little,
there was a restaurant down the street from our house
and on Fridays, my dad and I would sneak off
and we would share a slice of pie there
and it was our secret. And I--
I literally found out a year ago when she made a similar pie.
She's like, "Me and Dad used to eat this pie all the time."
REEMA: He worked night shifts,
so, I didn't really get to see him at all
-growing up, during the week. -What did he do growing up?
Just a blue collar job in a factory.
-AMY: Factory? -So, a couple years ago, he--
he was diagnosed with cancer
and I was helping him through treatment
and I was reflecting.
And I was like, the one big memory
that I have with my dad consistently was--
was my pie dates with him.
It feels so special to be able to make this pie.
And I don't-- I don't even know if he knew that in that moment
those little pie dates meant so much to me.
He probably had no idea. To him, he-- he was like,
"Oh, it's, like, a little treat that we're having."
But that was really important to me.
And having those-- those memories of my dad.
RAVI: He's doing well now,
but you see things in a whole different way.
You are all parents dreams right now.
-REEMA: Yes. I hope so. -But no pressure.
A big ol' pie.
Big Ol' Bake.
KANDYY: I've never used this thing before.
-It's kinda fun. -SEVN: You're doing a good job.
Yeah, it's kinda fun.
We might need to get one of those for the house.
Kandyy and Sevn.
-Hi. We see a lot of blue here. -KANDYY: Yes.
MAYA: What-- what are you making?
SEVN: We're making red velvet sweet potato pie.
I think we know, but you guys are more sweet than savory.
-Very much. -SEVN: Yes.
She loves red velvet cake.
So, we're gonna have that at the bottom
and it's gonna be topped with sweet potato pie.
It's gonna like a bubble bath.
We're gonna use blue butter cream
to make it look like waters splashing around in the tub.
Wow.
I used to nanny for two little boys
and when I used to put them in the bathtub,
it was just like fun time.
They always wanted to play with toys.
Rubber duckies. I nannied for two kids.
Their names are Krishna and Balram.
During that time, we became family.
They are so amazing. And they--
they're just like a ray of sunshine.
-They're full of sunshine. -Yes.
-And joy. -We love them to pieces.
What do you need to know about working with young kids?
Like, what's the secret of-- of connecting with them?
Kids like normally naturally like gravitate towards me.
SEVN: She's great with kids. It's scary.
We be in grocery stores,
and little kids are crying and run up to her.
-KANDYY: Yes. -Really?
She's lovable. If I had to do this with somebody else,
I couldn't think of anybody but Kandyy.
-Oh. -AMY: Sweet.
You guys are sweet.
SEVN: Thank you so much. Sweet like this pie.
-AMY: Sweet like-- -I'm ready. I'm ready for it.
REEMA: You've been giving me an arm workout.
I'm always the messiest when I make pie.
RAVI: I'll be honest,
I've been kind of sick of dessert since we got here.
COREY: Once we do this, we can start chopping up the--
-KEITH: Tomatoes. -COREY: Tomatoes. Yeah.
-We are team sweet. -Sweet.
OMONIVIE: But like all of a sudden,
I just started craving vegetables.
[applause, cheering]
AMY: We're honoring some of our favorite leaves
and roots tonight, and we're gonna roast them up nice.
I just hope they have thick skins.
Hey, vegetables. What can I say?
They're the first thing everybody learns to hate.
Am I right? I heard we were performing for food today,
but I'm looking around, and all I see are ingredients.
Now, who do we have first?
AMY: Oh, look who it is. Cucumber.
You spent your whole life
just lounging around, waiting to be a pickle.
You got vitamins, minerals. All you need is some flavor.
Yeah. But we love you, buddy. Really.
You are one of the all-time great. God bless.
You and your wife.
Oh, is that you, arugula? People say you're peppery.
I think you're just bitter.
Hey! The only good thing about you,
is it your name sounds like an old-timey car horn.
A-roo-gula.
We kid. We kid because we love you, arugula.
You make every dish more sophisticated.
MAYA: Hello, eggplant, you big purple freak.
You're not an egg, you're barely a plant.
You are a disaster.
I don't wanna throw too much nightshade at you,
but people used to think you were a delicacy.
Now, young people type you into their phones
instead of a ding dong.
Roasted.
Whoa!
-[booing] -BOTH: Hey, hey.
Oh! Boo! Boo! Shut up!
AMY: Well, well, if it isn't the last food left
at the crudité, celery!
Oh boy. Celery, what, didn't we roast you already?
You're so bland I don't even remember.
Celery, you're the boring pot of soup, but I love you.
Yeah. Eating your burns more calories than you contain.
And with that, we say, thank you and salute.
For the vegetables that joined us tonight,
thanks for being good sports.
Everyone knows you healthy,
you're good for the planet and they hate you anyway.
[applause, cheering]
* Baking It *
MADDIE: You confident in your whipping skills?
-I am. -Good.
Are you confident in my whipping skills?
I have to be.
Either I can go home inspired to do more pies
or I can go home vowing
never to even say the word pie again.
I don't care for pies. I don't care to eat them.
I don't care to-- to bake them. So, for this specific challenge,
I'm gonna trust Corey
and just let him rock out on this one.
-I'm following Corey today. -This is the first time
I'm actually teaching him something.
The one pie that I know I can make,
it might not be a sweet pie
and it may be a little different,
but hopefully, it will really, you know,
just set us apart to where we can get to the next round.
I will just cut it into two pieces
and that way we can just measure it as we go.
This is just nerve-wracking to be the leader.
So, if we get kicked out of the semi-finals,
I'm gonna say, "Oh, it's because of Corey." 1000%.
It's okay. I'll take the blame for it.
But if we win,
it's because I gave you the opportunity to lead.
-Hi, Corey. Hi, Keith. -AMY: Hi!
I love this set. Can I have it when you're done with it?
Isn't this cute?
I mean, I might just have to tie it
around my head like a wrap, but it's okay.
Mi casa es su casa.
I love it. [laughs]
And so what are you making today?
Well, Corey is actually taking the lead this time
I've been doing the lead baking in the other bakes.
It's a savory dish with a sweet twist to it.
Do you know how happy you made her?
AMY: I'm so excited.
You guys are making the only savory pie.
You like that? Yeah. So, it's gonna have some shrimp,
it's gonna have some crushed salmon, some capers.
Gonna throw some spinach up in there.
Then, I'm gonna bake it with a graham cracker crust.
This is my first time actually taking the lead. It just--
I just feel like it's a lot of stress on me.
One with this being the semi-finals
and this dish can either make us or break us.
Yeah.
This dish is just so special to me
because when my real-- When our real dad died,
I never really had a-- We never had a father figure.
And then so, when I got to my 12th grade year
in high school, my adopted dad,
he actually was my cheer coach at first.
I was a cheerleader, the only male on the team.
-Wow! -And this is one of his dishes
that he actually passed on to me.
My coach, Eddie, he literally took me under his wing.
I mean, I was dealing with depression.
So he was like, "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."
And I knew in that moment that I could trust him
and that makes a great father, whether it's biological or not.
Well, what you guys are reminding us of
is that everybody needs a lot of dads.
-MAYA: Absolutely. -They do. They do.
AMY: And you know, there's a lot of men
that are gonna be watching this show
who are gonna be relating to you guys
and you're gonna make the only savory pie.
So, thank you so much for that.
-Anything for you. -All right, guys. Thank you.
You ladies have a good one.
Amy, I know that you're a real savory person.
Only one person made a savory dish.
I know. I'm so sorry, boss.
I really, really thought that there would be more
than one savory dish today.
I don't know why people wanna deny me of my savory dish,
but everyone's like, "I wanna be sweet."
I'm like, "Yeah? Well, wake up.
"The world's a different place now."
-Guess what kid? -AMY: Yeah.
I've been around the block for a while.
It's been a tough couple years. It's time for some salt.
Yeah.
-Hello! -MAN: Hi, grannies.
ALL: Hi.
Oh, it's getting close, y'all.
NORMA: Well, bakers,
Gigi Sherri will not be with us today.
Aw!
Oh. I wanted a Gigi-diggity.
I'm sure we're all going to miss her.
I actually I'm sad.
Don't worry. The three of us will up our opinions,
and we'll be just as opinionated as ever.
You're stuck with us. [laughs]
* The chairs are rocking *
* The grannies are talking *
* About you *
HARRIET: Today, the bakers have been asked to bake pies,
sweet or savory. It's up to them.
What do you think is harder? Savory or sweet?
I think it's harder to make savory.
ANNE: Yeah. And to me,
savory's got a little umph to it, you know.
Yes. More spices, more herbs. Sweet's sugar.
-Yeah. -Sweet could be hard because--
-HARRIET: It could be. -You know, people always have
a tendency in a pie to over sweeten and forget
that if they're doing a fruit pie,
that fruit has its own sweetness
and sometimes, it can go over the top sweet.
It's just the right amount of sweetness.
NORMA: There's so many pitfalls to baking a pie.
People think you just throw some stuff in a crust,
and there it is. One of the things people
don't pay enough attention to is putting a little cornstarch.
Especially if you're making a fruit pie.
Otherwise, the juice is so runny
that the pie does not hold together,
and you just get soupy fruit.
There is nothing worse than cutting it
and then picking it up. It's oozing.
Slides off the spatula.
We want a perfect crust.
We want a-- a pie that has set properly,
and we want that flavor to jump out and tell us,
you know, what am I?
But one thing they all have in common, a flaky pie crust.
Definitely.
I'm just gonna do cinnamon and ginger
and then for the cardamom, we can add more spices.
No cardamom or anything?
But the grandmas told me, they're like,
"We really like how you guys use spices."
REEMA: I can do it in the crust too, I guess.
That's a good idea. Okay, I'll be-- I'll spice--
I'm just gonna-- We're spicing our pie crust today,
which I don't know if a lot of people do.
It's not even something that I generally do.
But, we want the flavors to be in every layer
and we figured if those flavors work in our fillings,
they should work just as well in our pie crust.
Back with like 18 more spices.
RAVI: I think it's a great idea.
REEMA: Two teaspoons cinnamon.
RAVI: Even though we're going sweet today,
we're definitely gonna bring the spice.
The grannies are gonna have a spice explosion
in their mouth when they take a bite of this pie.
You know, all these spices. I have no clue.
But you make everything so--
-I know salt. -REEMA: Salt.
We're just not spicy. But I love it.
I love all the stuff you've introduced me to
'cause it's just not what I know.
Aw!
I like a nice, thick crust.
I do too. I think it's good.
-RAVI: Yeah. -MAYA: My, oh my,
one hour 'til pie.
I'm getting nervous.
KANDYY: Man, this red velvet smell so good.
I almost wanna lick this. This looks so good.
Cream cheese with anything.
COREY: I mean I-- I trust you with making seafoods
'cause shrimp will cook beautifully.
KEITH: That's my new tagline.
Grandma Harriet really loved our shrimp the last bake.
So, hopefully, we can follow that up
with the same amount, if not better flavor,
for the salmon and shrimp.
COREY: We're gonna cook the seafood separately first
and then make the crust.
We're gonna like crush up the salmon
and then put the shrimp and then the capers.
You gotta do.
[mixer whirring]
SEVN: So, I could do the rice papers while I'm waiting.
Okay.
SEVN: I am making rice paper cells
and it's gonna act as water for our faucet in our bathtub.
And like water's gonna be splashing
out of the bathtub pot.
Kandyy's making the faucet to go to the bathtub.
So, I'm just making the different pieces
and I'm gonna dehydrate it for like five minutes
so they can dry.
Hey, Mom, what percent of dark chocolate should I use?
We typically make this pie at home
with dark chocolate since it is what we love most.
The darker the better.
But you never know with everyone else's taste buds,
what someone's gonna like. That's really bitter.
That's half bitter.
This will do.
APRIL: Yuki and Omonivie are also doing a banana pie.
So, we thought why not just step outside the box
-and go for it? -REEMA: The 72 was
-a little bitter, but I like-- -MADDIE: See, I'm a bitter.
I like bitter too, especially with the sweet.
I say we go with what we know.
I don't even know if this is nine inches, but okay.
Oh, in those back right drawer, there's rulers.
So, this pie is not just
your regular, degular banana pudding, banana cream pie.
We really took it a step higher incorporating coconut,
cinnamon, caramelized brown sugar bananas,
Chessmen butter cookies.
So, in one spoonful, you are getting like
five different flavors, textures,
all that blends in well with that banana cream pie.
-[mixer whirring] -Come on...
The thick custard pairs really well
with the graham cracker crust
to give it a little extra texture and crunch.
I'm sure there's a way to take this top off.
I just don't have time.
They're doing graham cracker crust.
Oh nah, we're doing the good, buttery, flakey.
This is unprecedented.
We have two, I repeat, two banana cream pies.
This is the kind of drama that happens on Baking It.
We're making Maddie's famous crust that we know
-the grannies already like. -Oh my God.
We have to do a little better. Up our game.
This is getting messy. I need to put this up.
YUKI: Oh, she means business.
-She's in her real baker mode. -AMY: Okay.
Everyone's body language is really peaceful.
They like each other. They say--
MAYA: They say, we get along great. And yet--
And yet there's an energy in the air.
The pressure's on.
We'll see what the grannies will have to say.
I'm afraid there's gonna be an actual physical fight.
[chuckles]
* Baking It! *
SEVN: Okay. After I get these in the oven,
I'm gonna start on the sweet potato filling.
KANDYY: Okay.
So it seems like one of us is doing savory
and one of us is doing sweet.
-Yeah. -Ooh.
I'm putting this to y'all.
What personality do you have?
I'm gonna start with me, so why not.
Go for it Harriet.
My personality tends to be sweet.
-You think so? -With a kick.
[laughs]
Try this, it's good.
Like melt in your mouth.
What do you think you're sweet or savory?
Oh, I know for sure.
I am an apple pie with tons of cinnamon.
You want ice cream in the top?
Of course. vanilla.
Okay. I have to find out.
Girlfriend. Sweet or savory?
Savory. No doubt about it.
-What kind of savory? -What kind of savory?
For me, a little pepper. Little red pepper.
-Cayenne pepper. -Mm.
COREY: Sevn, that looks crazy. What are you doing?
-Making ice cream. -COREY: Oh wow.
YUKI: You look like a scientist.
I'm gonna call you Dr. Sevn from now on.
The baker scientist.
MADDIE: I'm just worried, mine's not gonna cool.
We had a little bit of a little panic attack moment.
Because the dough has to chill before we can put
any of our cold filling in it.
And if it's not cold enough, our filling's not gonna set.
So that was-- that's my biggest worry.
So what did you just put in the refrigerator?
-My pie. -Oh, that's the pie.
-Just a-- -It's just the base.
-Oh, okay. -MADDIE: Yeah.
I have like a huge cream filling to do on top.
Oh, okay. Nice. Nice.
[indistinct] cold doesn't melt it.
YUKI: Maybe make it like a little wider
'cause I don't know if it might shrink a little.
I think there's going to be two challenging elements.
One, how do we make this decorative pie crust
that looks amazing, that has detail and tells a story?
YUKI: Okay. Stars. I'm on star patrol.
We chose to go with the traditional flaky pie crust
that we could put a little egg wash over,
brown it and kind of bring the imagery to life.
I've just never used these pans before,
so I'm hoping the crust holds up.
And two, how is Yuki gonna pull off this graham cracker crust
using this pie pan that she's never actually used before?
Wait, why did you choose to do something
we've never done before?
That's what we've been doing this whole challenge.
-Oh, that's true. -Right?
So I knew going into these semi-finals I did not
want to put the pie in like a traditional pie pan.
So decided why not during semi-finals try something
I've never done before and use a whole spring pan,
which I've had to think how to do the latching and all that.
Let us all say a prayer.
If when I unlatch the spring pan if everything crumbled,
there just wouldn't be enough time for us to-- to fix it.
***
Ooh! Thank you, Jesus.
I feel like we should get a plate.
-Jesus. -The crust is good.
-I was nervous. -Yeah, it's nice and firm.
-It's perfect. -But it turned out beautiful.
Like, I was really, really pleased.
Like it was a nice, sturdy, thick structure.
It kind of looked like it was just wrapping the--
the cream pie-like cloud in the middle.
-It looked perfect. -The crust looks great.
Thank you.
30 minutes. It's crust or bust.
-Okay. -COREY: Ooh.
So a little bit too much butter.
You see, the butter is seeping out a little bit?
So in the midst of me baking this crust,
I see that the butter literally has separated
from the batter and it's just sitting there.
It's literally like a pool of just butter.
I'm gonna just-- I'm gonna-- I'm gonna do another one.
Normally at home, I--I mean, I could take my time.
I put on my good 90s music, I got my glass of wine.
I'm just chilling. I'm relaxing. I'm not in that environment.
I'm literally on crunch time.
You know, I don't have time to repair a dish, you know.
So it's just-- it's-- it is a little nerve-wracking right now.
And it's the semi-finals.
I'm trying to get to the finals. I'm trying to get that broach.
[sighs] I'm trying not to cry right now
'cause this is stressful.
I'm okay.
Just really trying to keep my composure.
It's just hard 'cause, like I love my brother so much.
And I'm really, I'm really doing this for him.
Hoping, one, that I make him proud,
but also two, that I execute this dish well because this is
something that somebody so dear to me has passed on to me.
And to, you know, bring this into this
bake and try to hopefully make it into the finale is--
is a big thing for me, so.
And this is literally on my head, so.
I just don't want to be the reason that we get sent home.
You got this. Like, I believe in you.
Thank you. I needed that. Okay.
Instead of trying to do damage control on this batch of crust,
we just started over.
I think that if we can get our heads on straight,
we actually still have a chance to make our bake.
COREY: This is a lot better than the last one we made.
***
RAVI: This is looking great, Reema.
I need knobs like ASAP.
MADIE: Has a little dip, that's not good.
APRIL: You gotta hide that.
I have no idea what to do, Mom.
APRIL: I think you can hide it with the flower piping.
KEITH: This oven?
The inside is still slightly wet.
I'm noticing that the center of this quiche
is still a little liquid-y.
I turn the heat up to 425
to hopefully get it to bake completely through.
I would rather serve a little crispy crunch on the crust
than to serve an uncooked quiche.
***
I got a "filling" we only have five minutes left.
COREY: Stressing out right now.
I'm like hella anxious right now.
If it breaks, we'll just try--
YUKI: Can you hold the bottom left corner?
Really need just to hurry up and bake.
REEMA: They look pretty similar, right?
RAVI: It-- it looks great.
MADDIE: This is freaking me out.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
SEVN: Oh my gosh.
We gotta hurry up with this ice cream.
COREY: Oh, no. I just cannot serve a uncooked quiche.
Hey, we can do it. It's just the final touches.
RAVI: Come on, come on, come on, come, come on.
MAYA: All right. Last chance.
AMY AND MAYA: Five, four, three, two, one.
-[timer rings] -Times's up.
Oh my God.
That was stressful.
Good job.
RAVI: It went well.
COREY: I don't think that it had enough time in the oven.
The crust is a little burnt around the edges,
but some people liked burnt crust, but not many people.
But hey, we made it this far.
* Baking It! *
ANNE: Beautiful.
Lovely.
***
Bakers, we put a lot on your plate today.
And I wanna try all of it.
I'm not the one judging your pies,
but I will take home some leftovers.
AMY: Now, the panel of opinionated grannies
are going to taste your sweet and savory pies.
Grannies, let's give them a try.
Kandyy and Sevn.
***
Hello.
-Hello. -Oh wow.
Rubber ducky in the tub. How cute is that?
Cute.
SEVN: Today, we chose to make
a red velvet sweet potato pie with a cream cheese buttercream.
Also, we made you some vanilla ice cream
with a caramel drizzle.
-NORMA: I love the look of it. -SEVN: Thank you.
NORMA: It's a happy pie.
I don't know how it tastes, but I'm happy to see it.
***
How did you get the rice paper in that shape?
So what I do, I boil some water with food coloring gel
and then I get a bunch of parchment paper,
crinkle it up and stick it into a dehydrator.
ANNE: How do you know how to do that?
I like experimenting a lot.
-ANNE: Well, it paid off. -NORMA: It's a gift.
-Yes, ma'am. -Mm.
That-- that sweet potato is delicious.
BOTH: Thank you.
The sweet potato is really good.
Mm-hmm.
The red velvet is executed beautifully.
And the layers are great.
NORMA: Layers are so beautifully even.
These two kinda make the texture of this red velvet.
This was gutsy.
Mm-hmm. Well, it's delicious.
Thank you.
ANNE: But the flavor for me in the crust
is just not-- not great.
It tastes too floury to me, but it's beautiful.
-Thank you. -Thank you so much.
-Reema and Ravi. -Hello grandmas.
-Hello. -Hello.
REEMA: Today we made a dirty chai pie.
RAVI: Our crust is flavored with cardamom and cinnamon,
and then our middle layer is dulce de leche.
And then, on top of that, I made a ganache.
And then, on top of that, different whipped creams here.
Half of them are flavored with espresso,
and the other half are flavored with the chai spices.
So this pile was inspired because growing up,
the only time where our family got together
was during breakfast time. So it meant a lot to us.
REEMA: My dad worked night shift,
so we really didn't get to see him much.
But on Fridays, we would sneak out, and we would go down
the street to this little diner,
and we would share a slice of pie.
And it was like our little secret.
Two years ago, oh God, sorry.
Two years ago, my dad was diagnosed with cancer.
-It's okay. -I'm okay.
And it just made me reflect on our memories together.
And unfortunately, we don't realize that
until something big happens.
And I hope it reminds everybody
don't ever take a second for granted.
-Exactly. -Yeah.
REEMA: I didn't realize pie
would make me have so many feelings.
Maya and I have cried over many pies.
So many pies.
[laughs]
NORMA: I must say it holds together beautifully.
Which is lovely.
The crust is a pretty color too.
REEMA: Thank you.
It's all that cinnamon and all spice and clove in it.
And I can taste the different flavors in your topping.
Oh, the espresso.
You can taste the espresso.
Yeah. Good.
NORMA: If I have to say anything, the crust,
I'm finding it tough to cut.
Okay.
But all in all, I think the pie had a beautiful appearance,
and the flavors are executed beautifully.
I love the topping and all that.
The two layers, the chocolate and the whipped cream,
really plays well off of each other.
Good. Good.
You should be proud.
-Thank you. -Thank you so much.
-NORMA: Thank you very much. -MAYA: Maddie And April.
MADDIE: We made a very Southern classic
dark chocolate banana cream pie.
Maddie did piping with the whipped cream.
-With the braided edging. -NORMA: Looks lovely.
And you, of course, you used the egg wash
on it to get that color?
Yes. I used the egg wash. And I use some honey.
-Honey? -Honey.
Oh, okay. So that's how you do it.
I'll make sure to do that when I never bake.
***
Thank you, dear. Thank you.
***
I haven't tasted it yet, but it's a little gooey.
Yeah. Soft.
Yeah. It did not set as long as I wanted to.
ANNE: I think the crust could have been
a little bit darker too.
But then that just the way I like 'em.
Thank you.
The whipped cream on top is delicious.
I like everything about it.
-But boy, that chocolate-- -It is bitter.
Got a kick to it. What is it? 70%?
-72. -72.
We are dark chocolate people.
So we like the bitter to go with the sweet personally.
But I understand.
Yeah. The dark chocolate's an adjustment.
Yeah. I'm not loving that little bit of bitter,
you know, bitterness in the chocolate.
But overall, very good.
-Thank you very much. -Thank you.
AMY: Yuki and Omonivie.
YUKI: We also made a banana cream pie,
but we wanted to put a little twist on it.
So there's a graham cracker crust,
and we actually folded in some toasted coconut flakes.
And then Omonivie was really the creative artist
director who handcrafted the top design.
OMONIVIE: I crafted a crescent moon with some craters in there.
We have some stars, and there's the two of us.
NORMA: Very, very unique.
Did you put lemon on the bananas to keep them from turning brown?
We did not get to that final step.
We literally put our last ornament on
at the three second mark.
Yeah, because that's a good trick if you ever
want them to stay without browning.
***
HARRIET: Oh, the top part, very good.
ANNE: And I go for the crust first,
and I like the coconut in there.
-Yeah. -ANNE: It's just subtle enough.
And the crust is not dense.
You know, it's tender.
It's very tasty, the coconut.
-Really enhances the flavor. -Mm. This is good.
NORMA: Now, this is your banana cream filling on the top.
I have to compliment you on the way it stayed together.
It did. You know what I mean? It has a nice consistency.
I just thought I'd take this opportunity to tell everyone
a little something about myself that you may not know.
Yeah?
I love pie.
Love it so much.
I love it so much...
I'm married a damn pie.
You know, choosing your favorite pie
is like choosing your favorite child.
Which you're not supposed to do. Right?
It's like an apples to apples comparison.
Yeah. Except there's no apple pie today.
Yeah.
* Baking It! *
MAYA: Keith and Corey.
-Hello, Grannies. -Hello, Grannies.
-Hello. -Hello.
COREY: We made a seafood quiche.
The quiche is stuffed with salmon,
some Cajun shrimp, some capers.
And the crust is a graham cracker crust.
So when our father passed,
we never really had a father figure.
So my cheer coach kinda took me under his wing
and became my dad.
And so, this dish is my favorite from him.
So I hope that I did a really good job with
remaking it and I hope he's proud of me as well.
-So let's taste. -Okay.
Yeah. We're ready.
We're ready to taste it.
***
So it's not quite all the way done, which I hate.
-Don't say anything. -Yes, don't say anything.
Don't let anyone know that.
Ixnay on the elltay.
I hope you gave me some shrimp.
-HARRIET: Thank you. Thank you. -Oh, you did.
-[chuckles] -Mm-mm.
ANNE: I can taste that shrimp flavor too.
HARRIET: I just got something sweet, and it's good.
-Yeah, I did too. -It's the crust.
The crust is a-- it's a savory dish with a sweet twist to it.
ANNE: Mm. The crust is delicious.
HARRIET: I will say this, I'm not a fan of cooked salmon,
but I like this.
Using that sweet crust
balanced out that fishy salmon flavor that I always detect.
The crust, the top, evenly browned.
-Really nice. -Thank you so much.
The crust is wonderful.
NORMA: It's tasty. It's baked beautifully.
Well, I'm amazed that you didn't overcook the shrimp.
No. I mean, 'cause that's hard.
And you got a good shrimp [indistinct].
Thank you.
And it set up very well.
I mean, it-- it's not spreading
across the plate when you serve it.
It didn't do that at all.
This was a tough one to pull together and--
and you did a good job.
-Thank you so much. -Thank you, Grannies.
Thank you. We enjoyed it very much.
[applause]
COREY: That went better than I thought it would.
***
Bakers, only four teams can move on to the finals.
I wish we could keep all of you and that all of you could
keep making pies instead of all that other dumb, boring stuff.
But I don't make the rules.
-Amy does. -Yes.
And we feel so lucky that we got to spend
this time with all of you.
You really outdid yourselves today.
Nana Harriet, which pie deserves a broach today?
And which flavor, sweet or savory, is superior?
Sweet and savory.
We don't think of the savory part of it.
-It's always the sweet. -Right.
So it was our pleasure today to taste a savory pie
once again as well as the sweet pies.
There were great, they were bananas,
chocolate, whipped cream.
It was truly wonderful.
But the team that created the pie
that rose to the top...
***
Was savory. Keith and Corey.
[applause, cheers]
***
HARRIET: The reason why you won,
you had the courage to do savory, which is difficult.
And of all the savory pies, it was seafood, it was salmon,
it was shrimp with a graham cracker crust.
-Amazing. -Hey ya, yi, yi.
How inventive. I congratulate you both.
Yes. Keith and Corey, come get your broach.
MAYA: Aw! Look at you!
HARRIET: This isn't mine.
-I was holding it for Anne. -[laughter]
-MAYA: We believe you. -She always needs a little nip.
-And here's the broaches. -COREY: Wow.
-Congratulations. -Thank you so much.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you, thank you. -KEITH: Thank you.
-Congratulations. -Never saw that pigtail before.
Oh my little rat tail? You want it? I'll cut it off for you.
HARRIET: Where have you been hiding it?
-The broach bros. -The broach bros.
Shout outs to my dad, Eddie, like I love you so much.
Thank you for this recipe because it made us a winner.
KEITH: I honestly thought that when I saw you
having a meltdown in the kitchen,
I said, "Oh, this is the end for us. This is it."
But if Corey was not here with me, I don't know what
I would've done for this challenge.
So the fact that your quiche recipe sailed
us through to the finals, what?
You did an amazing job. And I'm super proud of you.
-Thank you. I love you. -Love you too.
Now sadly, we have to say goodbye to one of our teams.
AMY: And we can't say this enough.
This decision gets harder every week.
MAYA: So Bubbe Norma, which team won't be
staying with us until the savory end?
NORMA: Well, this is so difficult for us.
We have grown so fond of all of you.
It tears our hearts out to see any of you leave.
Unfortunately, the team that will be going home today is...
Maddie and April.
***
Unfortunately, your pie was falling apart.
It just didn't hold up.
And the chocolate, it was just not as good
as it could have been.
But we are so sorry to see you go.
You've given us such wonderful bakes.
And Maddie, for someone as young as you are,
you are an extraordinary baker.
I know this is so hard, and you don't wanna hear
this type of thing when you're disappointed.
But honestly, every setback in life
is a setup for future success.
Everybody, thank you for an incredible bake.
And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the pie.
***
MADDIE: This has been, by far, one of the best
experiences of my life.
-Yay! -I don't know
if you can say the same, but, this is
just a new core memory with my mom that I will never forget.
Yeah. Now, this'll make me cry.
***
Mama April, I need your energy.
Aw. Love you, girl.
When these grown adults come up and want hugs and call you mom.
When they say, "I don't have a mom anymore,
thanks so much for cheering me on."
I already have seven children, but I'm telling you,
I just got a whole bunch more.
Oh, this just sad.
ALL: Bake it! Bake it! Bake it!
APRIL: Met some amazing people. I got to meet two of my idols.
I'm best friends with Maya and Amy.
-They just don't know it yet. -[chuckles]
So it-- it's been amazing.
[cheering]
***
Congratulations. You made it to the finals.
-[cheering] -MAYA: Your challenge
is too bake a striking centerpiece dish
for a special event that is important to you.
Only one team can take home the bread check for $50,000.
RAVI: This is the last bake. We gotta go big.
Don't burn the pot. Stir the pot.
NORMA: Everything has to be top-notch.
Oh my gosh.
MAYA: Four baking teams.
-YUKI: You want a chest bump? -Oh, my goodness.
-AMY: Three grannies today. -How does it taste?
I don't know, but it tastes awesome.
-Two Hosts. -One winner.
This is safe, right?
-[loud blast] -[screams]
HARRIET: Oh my goodness.
-Oh, we really hope you win. -Aw, thank you.
Are you saying that to everybody or just us?
-Yeah. We're saying that to-- -KEITH: Okay. I figured that.
We have to legally say that to everyone.