Best Dishes of All Time MasterChef part 2

So the next dish is a dish that I think would certainly win the award for being the most restaurant-ready. And that dish belongs to... Christian. Well done. Good job. So tell me about the dish. I made a pistachio-crusted salmon with a strawberry balsamic reduction. And I put that over some asparagus with a little caramelized fennel and some roasted fingerling potatoes. So we see a salmon that is perfectly cooked, being crisp on the top and translucent and moist. And the bonus for us was the effective use of the strawberries. Well done. So we saw a lot of people crusting the fish with the pistachio, but this one was nice and even all the way across. Yeah, really yummy. Really good job. Thank you, chef. The actual combination, the fingerling, the fennel, the asparagus, the salmon is done. Absolutely on the money. Good job. Well done. Thank you. Lee. So basically, it's a Dungeness crab salad with some fresh avocado and then gazpacho on the loose as the sauce. Your dishes haven't been the worst. They haven't been the greatest. They've just kind of been in the middle somewhere. This one just screamed to me right away. And I'm so excited to try it because this is exactly what I would have been making with this challenge. You knock this challenge out of the park. Thank you very much. This is awesome. You have gone from down here to jumping up to the top and now you're a force to be reckoned with. So keep on that track, OK? Thank you very much, chef. This is the best dish we've seen so far in the history of MasterChef. Congratulations. Lee, well done. Elizabeth, straight from New York City. What do we have? We have a breakfast lasagna made with guanapadano, chanterelles and prosciutto and a salad of baby artichoke hearts with capers marinated in champagne, lemon and olive oil. How many layers? There are five layers. And what's inside of it? Layers of bechamel with prosciutto. Then I mixed in the chanterelles and the prosciutto and then I just did guanapadano layered on top. Wow. That's great. This is amazing. Thank you. Great use of bechamel. This is using the ingredients, creating other products from the base ingredients, putting them together in an amazing dish. You've been to Italy? No, I have not. This is like taking a trip to Italy. Great job. Beautiful dish. Joe is like gushing over my dish. And I'm like, I think I had like a deer in headlights, like OMG face going on because I just can't believe that he likes my lasagna so much. Leslie. Boom. My name's called. I'm walking up and I don't want to pat myself on the back just yet. But I just might have this here. Describe the dish, please. We've got a trio of protein here, the pork chop, the Kobe beef and you have the ahi tuna. They've all been seared on a griddle. You're the only person out of everybody tonight that had the balls to say, I'm going to go for all three. Right. Describe the tuna. It's just marinated in a little soy sauce with a touch of balsamic vinegar and some salt. Slightly warm in the center. Perfect. Kobe beef? Kobe beef, just salt and pepper and then the stilton cheese and the caviar just to make it look rich. And the pork was just salt and pepper and just seared. Here's the thing. You're not a fluke. Let's get that right. Brilliant dish. For me, the best dish that you've cooked so far in this competition. I'm just so glad it's tonight because you've picked the perfect moment. Thank you. Tell me about the pea puree. It just has some salt, pepper, some of the cheese. It's good. You can taste the freshness, the greenness of the peas. The Kobe, love the idea of putting stilton on it. It's a classic, but it's a classic because it's delicious. And where do you put the truffles? In the parsnip puree. Oh, it's delicious. I was angry when I was at your bench because I tasted some good food that had not been seasoned at all. But this is seasoned perfectly. So good job. Let's leave it at that. Don't answer. Great dish. Thank you, chef. Well done. What's going on, guys? Hi, how are you? Last guy of the day. Still hungry? Yep. Perfect. First name is? Johnny B. Johnny B. Good to see you, bud. What are you cooking? I'm making a lobster cracker jacks. Lobster cracker jacks. You've got five minutes. Okay. And what's your day job? What do you do for a living? I'm a carpenter, but I want to pursue food and see what I can do with it. I like the way you utilize a beer bottle for a rolling pin. Yeah, staring out over the ocean and the utensils aren't always around, so we're, you know, everybody's always got a beer bottle in their hand. But lobster, popcorn, nuts, and caramel. Yeah. Served in a cocktail glass. Yeah. You know, it's bizarre. Is this something you've done before, though? I've done it a couple times. Okay. People love it. Everybody keeps asking me for more, so I think that's a good sign. Great. I'm smirking. What's going on, Johnny B? How are you? Good. Pleasure to meet you. You probably don't hear this much, but you're a lot smaller in person than I thought you were going to be. The camera adds about 180 pounds. All right. Coconut, caramel, lobster. Salty, sweet. Buttery, crunchy. Butter. This is one of those things that either works or it doesn't. Exactly. I'm going to fall. I'm going to fall hard. Lobster. Yeah. With cashews and coconut. It's so out there, I don't even know what it is. Yeah, you have nothing to compare it to. All right. Popcorn and lobster? Yeah. That doesn't read well on the menu. But there's something intriguing about that, because I'm forced to say it. It actually works. It's bizarre. For me, it's a 100% yes, because it was absolutely delicious in a very weird, exciting way. Perfect. Thank you. Joe. This is like MasterChef, so you're going to have to cook Italian and Asian, and we're going to put you through challenges. Is this like a little trick? You come here and try to dazzle us, or you got what it takes? I don't think it's a trick. I think I have what it takes. You know, I can hang. I'm on for the ride. Perfect. Thank you. Graham. Love it. Totally. Congratulations. Across the board. Three big yeses. Welcome. Good job. Thank you very much. This is like a yes. This is like an out there yes. OK. This is Joe taking a big chance. You got to reel it in here, because, like, you kind of, like, maybe bamboozled us a little bit. All right. Now you got to take the next step. All right. Thank you very much, guys. Woo! Why does that work? You can't stop eating it. It's kind of weirdly good. They cooked a delicious, scrumptious dessert that looked like any dessert that you'd find in our restaurant. That dish belongs to Natasha. Well done. I'm proud of myself. I'm not here to just look pretty on camera and chop some basil. Like, I'm here to be better than everyone. How are you? I am awesome. At some point, maybe I'll go up to her and say, look, I know we have our differences, but good job. But I probably won't, because I can't stand them. Tell me exactly what's in it. A lemon curd pie tart with a chocolate ganache incorporated with bacon fat with a meringue. A lot of finesse. Great flavors. Good job. Thank you. The technical ability of rendering the bacon fat, putting that together with the cocoa fat, and not allowing it to break is actually quite rare, let me tell you. It's layer upon layer upon layer, which is the sign of a great technician. I can't wait to see what you've got in the next rounds. This dish you could buy at a pâtisserie in Paris or at a three-star restaurant in New York. I'm thinking, what is the message to us? You're saying, well, I'm Natasha. I'm serious. I'm here to win. And turn around. You know what you're saying to the rest of them? Kiss my ass. What is in here? What am I looking at? I did some pureed tail and some shiitake mushrooms and rainbow Swiss chard to go with it. A fried langoustine. And you can see, I mean, it's perfectly coated. Perfectly seasoned. Thank you. Really good. Awesome. Great job. Thank you so much. It's beautiful. That, for me, is one of the best langoustines I've tasted. Really good job. Wow. Jesse's definitely on my radar right now. Definitely keeping an eye close to seeing what her weaknesses and strengths are. So, Chrissy. My cheesecake fell. It's not the most beautiful cake. No. And what is, what are these round things? Those are, those are raspberry bombs. That's good-looking cheesecake. You see, had this stayed up another inch, we would have had the perfect specimen. This cheesecake has a lightness and a restraint to it. It's beautiful. Crust is nice and thin. This is very fluffy, light, flavorful. Delicious. You keep giving me food that I'm used to eating at home. Thank you. Very rich. Very creamy. The raspberry, it's not cloying and heavy. It just provides a nice little pop of acidity. Great job. Yeah, that's as good as it gets. You've got the base exactly the way it should be. Look at the shiny texture of the filling. It's got class. I mean, real class. You're a force to be reckoned with because it tastes absolutely sublime. Thank you. Good job. Thank you. The fish cooked beautifully, but there's this glaze. And the balance in that glaze was outstanding. We liken that glaze to some of the best Japanese restaurants anywhere in the world, which is shocking considering this glaze was made by an Italian, Luca. I'm shocked. I'm surprised that Luca's up there. He looks a little cocky right now. This is a pan-seared black cod with some shiitake mushroom that they braise in butter and the snap peas. What did I tell you about this sauce when I tasted it? It could have been the thing that made me stand up or put me in the bottom. Luca, this sauce is amazing because it's kind of like the culmination of your journey. You understood the protein better than anyone else. You have French technique, Asian flavors. You made me proud. Grazie mille. Bravo. Grazie. You got the balance right. Puree on the plate, sugar snap peas, cooked with acidity as well, the glaze. It's a tough thing to get right. Great job. Thank you, chef. Really well done. Thank you. Please step forward. Nick. Finally. Hell yes, dude. It's time that I'm being recognized as a frontrunner in this competition, and this is where I need to be. Okay, Nick, first off, describe the dish, please. What I made for you is breakfast three ways. French toast with a berry, mint, and lemon compote. And then I call this double egg the perfect bite. It has maple syrup, bacon, and of course the egg. And then a breakfast sausage and asparagus and mushroom medley. What did you coat the brioche in? Basic cinnamon, lemon zest, and egg and whipped cream. And what else is in the sausage? Asparagus? Yes, he has asparagus tips, mushrooms, and breakfast sausage. And then just a simple seasoning. And inside the egg, what do you mix it with? The double egg is a little bit of cream, maple syrup, and some rendered down bacon. I've never been a big fan with the sweet items. We grew up in England, and a full English breakfast was a massive treat. So we're not used to eating that level of sweetness with our breakfast. However, it works. Double eggs, not easy to pull off. Sausage, delicious. But the French toast, yeah, amazing. I'm glad you're not playing safe. This one is definitely a standout. Good job. Thank you. What berries did you use? I just used the blackberries, and then I also used a full lemon, lemon zest, and mint. I really, really love how acidic those berries are. The flavors are there. The technique is there. What's the next step? I have one goal, and that's to open a local bar with some really good food in San Diego. So that's where I'm on my way to. I mean, if this is an indication, and I had this for breakfast at your restaurant, I'd want to come back and check out lunch and dinner. Good job. Yay! I made a Southern American comfort dish that I've been cooking for as long as I can remember. I put myself on that plate, and that's the plate that's going to win today. Visually, beautiful. Describe the dish, please. I made for you a cilantro lime roasted shrimp with a roasted poblano cream corn, black bean dinner rice, and an avocado crema. Why keep the shells on? It's absolutely beautiful, and I think you're really going to enjoy the cook of the shrimp with the shells on as well. How did you cook them? I tossed them with cilantro lime zest and juice, chili lime seasoning, and smoked paprika. Presentation's got that wow factor. However, when you serve them whole like that, they're awkward to eat because you polished the dish up, and yet you served it as if the shell should be off. Right. But flavor, this is the exciting thing about you. Dish is delicious. Love the heat in there as well. Pretty good indeed. I mean, this is a sign of things to come. Uh, yeah. It's bloody delicious. Well done. Thank you. Thank you, Chef. I'm just going to go in there with my hands. Sure. These prawns are super sweet, and you were able to put right amount of seasoning, the lime, all the things that really bring out the inherent flavor of the actual shellfish. Thank you, Chef. The corn has great seasoning. Everything is thoughtful. Right amount of cumin, a little bit of heat with the cayenne. Nothing is competing against one another, and I think that, for me, is remarkable. Thank you. Our next home cook, a handyman who also likes to bake. Terry, come on up. Terry. Yeah, Terry. Terry, what kind of pie did you make? This is a good old American blueberry pie, Chef, that I grew up with. It has a nice buttery crust. Here, I also added a little bit of raw sugar on the top. The moment of truth, Terry. Is the pie slice as beautiful as the pie? I mean... Terry. It's beautiful. Way to go, Terry. It's shiny. It's glistening. The blueberries are inviting you in. The sugar in there has been cooked down. It's just stunning. If you ask me, with that slice of pie, you could go all the way. All right. Thank you, Chef. Thank you, Terry. Beautiful. Put your hand out. Your hands are bigger than the pie. Look at it. I mean, seriously, it is a piece of art. What did you combine the blueberries with? Put a little bit of lemon in there for some acidity. I added some cornstarch and some sugar. You should taste it. I shouldn't really do that, should I? Here you go. Look. Now you tell me what that tastes of. It tastes pretty good, Chef. Victory. It's one of the best pies we've ever seen in this competition ever. Terry! Great job. Enjoy it. Thank you. Terry!