01x05 - Alex vs. Chocolate

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Alex Guarnaschelli
is one of the best

competition cooks in America.

[Alex] I'm an Iron Chef.

I've beaten Bobby Flay
in his own kitchen.

[all cheering]

[Alex] There isn't a chef,
who's more competitive

than I am.

Michael Jordan plays basketball.

Serena Williams plays tennis.

Tiger Woods plays golf.

I cook.

Simple as that.

People always wanna
know what's next.

This is it.

It's almost impossible to
defeat her one-on-one.

So each week, she'll be battling

three of America's best chefs

at the same time.

She's not gonna
be able to do anything.

I'm a pastry chef
and she's not a pastry chef.

The gauntlet has
been thrown down.

[narrator] Chefs will be
handpicked from across the country.

Each with the mastery
of a specific type of food.

They are all coming here,
with one goal.

To beat Alex.

So, I've cooked in a lot
of cooking competitions

but I've never cooked
against nine chefs.

[chef 1] Alex knows
nothing about chocolate.

[giggles]

Y'all in trouble.

[Alex] I know I have
a target on my back.

And I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Today's gonna be sweet.
And I mean, literally.

We have three of the country's
best pastry chefs,

all here today
to battle Chef Alex

in a chocolate showdown.

[Dwayne] I am here
from Nashville, Tennessee.

And I've worked with
chocolate for 14 years.

The South gave me soul.

I definitely think that my soul is
what's gonna help me win today.

I'm from
San Francisco, California

where the craft chocolate
scene actually was created.

I am here to show Chef Alex
what chocolate is all about.

[Alex] I don't do any one thing

as much as any of these chefs.

And that gives
them an advantage.

I've done this a lot.

In this kitchen, we've done
nothing but savory battles.

I'm not sure if Alex is
expecting a sweet battle today.

She's coming in as an underdog.

You guys ready
to meet the legend?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

[Alex] Some people wanna
climb mount Kilimanjaro.

Some people want
to surf a perfect wave.

I wanna come here
and make a perfect everything.

And that arena
is built for that.

[Eric] So Alex, you never
know what you walk into.

Even in your own arena.

- Thanks.
- [Eric] giggles

[Eric] So tonight,
this is a chocolate battle.

Oh God! No.

People that work with
sugar or chocolate,

you could spend your whole life

just on that subject.

- And I have not.
- [Eric laughs]

Bring in the list.

[Eric] This is Chef Dwayne,
from Nashville, Tennessee.

Chef Dwayne served
as a head pastry chef

at prestigious restaurants,

and won numerous
baking competitions.

- He looks very serious.
- I'm ready to battle.

Likewise.

[Eric] Alex, please meet
Chef Karina from Florida.

Chef Karina began
taking pastry classes

as a child in Mexico, which is
the birth place of chocolate.

You can pretty much see
Karina's chocolate creations

on every magazine out right now.

You came from
where chocolate was born?

[all giggle]

I am dead in the water tonight.

And up next, we have Chef Harper

from San Francisco, California.

He's a 23-year-old
executive pastry chef

of a Michelin star restaurant.

Wow!

[Eric] So tonight, the three of
you will be competing against Alex

in a chocolate showdown.

- I wish I could leave right now.
- [all giggle]

[Eric] First, we have to get
through the survival round.

So, here's how it works.

You all, including Alex, have
to prepare a chocolate dish

that satisfies the challenge.

And then,
a pair of chocolate experts

will come here to
blind taste your dishes.

The chefs who cook
the top three dishes,

will survive.

And that fourth chef...

will not.

So, here's the thing, chefs...

it's not me who's
picking the challenge.

Alex isn't picking
the challenge.

We're actually going to leave
it up to you three.

Oh!

[Eric] You guys wanna do it?

- Let's go.
- All right, let's get to it.

All right.

What do we got?
What do we got?

You guys ready to see
what's under the first cloche?

- Yes, sir.
- [Eric] All right.

Chocolate.

In front of you,
you have dark chocolate,

milk chocolate
and white chocolate.

You need to choose, exclusively

the chocolate you're going
to be using for this round.

Dark chocolate

can be paired with
a lot more savory aspects.

She's savory, so...

[Dwayne] I do respect
Harper's idea of trying

to keep her away from the best
element for her to work with, right?

[Harper] We're all pastry.

I mean, you know milk and
white chocolate, a lot sweeter.

You can do so many
things with milk chocolate.

White chocolate tastes
like butter to me.

And dark chocolate
tastes like chocolate.

Milk chocolate tastes like
sugar water to me.

Okay.

Milk chocolate it is.

[all laughing]

[Eric] All right,
milk chocolate.

[Karina] Perfect.

[Eric] We have our first pick.

So, what goes with chocolate?

What about fruit?

You guys must use...

Dried fruit,

frozen fruit

or freeze-dried fruit.

And it's the only fruit
that you can use.

Frozen 'cause dried is too sweet

and we have already the
sweetness of the chocolate.

I agree with the frozen.

That's the option
I would go with

'cause it's time
constraints, right?

You know, trying to rehydrate
something that's dry...

Frozen would be
my... last choice

'Cause I don't want water.

Water's a hard pass
with chocolate for me.

Frozen it is, done.
Boom, perfect, right?

[all laughing]

[Eric] They're setting
you up for...

a doozy, chef.

[sighs]

[Eric] So, let's see what
you're going to be making

with that frozen fruit
and milk chocolate.

Oh!

You have the options between

making a kids treat

or a date night dessert.

[Karina] Chef Alex has
a lot more...

experience doing fancy
dinners and fancy plates.

Strategically,

maybe the fun one.

I have no kids,
I've never cooked for kids.

So, I'm leaning more heavy
to the romantic side

because it's in my comfort zone.

You should fight
for what you want.

But I think in order
to beat you,

we have more possibilities
by choosing kids theme.

Harper, where you at right now?

I'm definitely leaning more
towards the romantic.

You know, I'm very...

creative, I like putting a lot
of emotions and stuff.

[Eric] So, we're going
with a romantic dessert.

- [Dwayne] That we are.
- [Eric] Confidently.

Confidently.

[Eric] Might have been
a lifeline, who knows?

It was.

[Eric] You might've just
played it right into her hands.

I've never made
anything for a kid.

Let's figure out one of
the most important things.

How much time do you have?

I love this.

[Eric] So, you legitimately
have any time

between one minute
and 60 minutes.

But do remember,

Chef Alex has the same exact
time on her clock as well.

If we can all believe that
we can do something

in literally like, 18 minutes

We are asking a lot of ourselves

to pigeonhole us to 18 minutes.

She's not going to be
able to do anything.

I feel like we should
either stick to

one of the two extremes.

If we go a full hour, then...

We know what we're doing.

We can get
something really nice.

[Alex] You guys are
trying to break me.

There is such a thing
as overthinking it.

I'm good with the full hour.

Then, let's do a full hour.

All right guys, I'm coming
through for an answer.

We're going 60 minutes.

- Are you really?
- Yes, sir.

[Eric] You're giving
chef Alex one full hour.

Oh, an hour?

We'll give her 60 minutes.

What happened to


They didn't want it.

So, here's what
at stake this round.

The fourth rank dish, as you
know, will be headed home.

But the winner of this round
gets to pick exclusively

all of the variables
for the next round.

Oh wow!

All right guys, the hour that
you shouldn't have given Alex

starts now.

[all giggle]

This is a chocolate
battle for the ages.

[Dwayne] Look,
all I know is that

chef Alex Guarnaschelli is a
beast to be reckoned with, right?

She's feared and she's
revered for a reason.

But in order to beat the best,
you have to bring the best.

I don't wanna trip her up.

I wanna run her
over smack head on.

That's what I came here to do.

[Eric] Dwayne, my good man.

[Dwayne] I'm gonna hit up a
milk chocolate bread pudding.

- [Eric] Okay.
- And...

I'm gonna pair that with a...

peaches and bourbon sauce.

Kind of just really bringing
those southern flavors.

[Eric] Okay.

[Dwayne] This is just
butter and chocolate

and the cream into it.

And then, this is gonna get
tossed in here with eggs.

This is part of the base
to go with the custard

for the bread pudding.

I'm adding a little bit of salt.

Because salt is
a natural flavor enhancer.

That's it.

I think we're all just
trying to keep Chef Alex

out of that next round.

Being from Nashville, Tennessee,

My grandfather,
king of bread pudding.

He's the one, you know who

really showed me that
first bread pudding.

And then, growing up
in Southern Louisiana,

cooking is inside of my blood.

And so, this bread pudding is
like a love letter to the South.

[Alex] I don't have any
advantage over these

three people because
they're chocolatiers.

And the challenge is chocolate.

These are like, tigers
and I'm like a puma.

It's a different creature.

[Eric] I see raspberries.
I see some cocoa nips.

[Alex] Two different ice creams.

- [Eric] Okay.
- Sorbet and an ice cream swirled.

Oh!

[Alex] For my mother
and my father.

And milk chocolate cookies.

- Like that.
- Like a sandwich.

I love that.

I need another blender top.

She's in here like cook mode.

[Alex] Romantic evening,
I just think of my parents.

The original romance.

My mom would always eat sorbet.

My dad would always
eat chocolate ice cream.

I make my raspberry sorbet,

which is just little corn
syrup as a stabilizer,

sugar water and raspberries.

For the chocolate ice-cream,

it's cocoa powder,
milk, cream, sugar

simmered together.

Yeah, doing okay.

I'm trying to make
two ice creams.

Which is pretty dumb, right?

I love the route that
chef Alex is taking.

Even though she's slightly
out of her element,

she's going straight to
something that she knows.

Chef Alex is not doing one
but two different ice creams.

That's so smart on her part.

[Alex] When I don't
know what to do,

I just freak out and make
five kinds of ice cream.

Someone's gotta like it.

I'm trying to start as fast
as I can with the macarons.

Because it can take a while.

[Karina] Chef Alex is
such an amazing chef.

But I'm a pastry chef.

And I'm a chocolate expert.

My only concern
is that Chef Alex

is using this one hour
to make something amazing.

We're doing
a chocolate challenge.

So, I need to put
some cocoa powder.

I am going for macarons

because they're going
to give me an advantage.

This is gonna be the base...

of my macaron.

For my macaron,

I am mixing my dry
ingredients and my meringue.

And this is going
to give you that

beautiful look.

So, meringue's ready.

This is the base
of my chocolate macaron.

Macarons remind me of Paris,

the most romantic
city in the world.

These are a really nice
and beautiful dessert.

Macarons normally take
from 15 to 20 minutes to bake.

So... there we are.

[Harper] Coming from
San Francisco,

somewhere where the craft
chocolate scene is so big,

I'm definitely coming in with a lot of
weight on my shoulders on this one,

try to represent.

I have a creativity

that most classically trained
pastry chefs don't have.

So, I will be making
a sculptured candle.

It really comes from
the idea of like a...

candle-lit dinner for two

but instead of having
the candle between you,

why don't you each just
eat the candle instead?

The first thing I'm gonna do

to bring my candle
dessert to life,

is the inner layer, which is

raspberry and milk
chocolate ganache.

The outermost layer of my candle

needs to be this
French buttercream.

It's light and it looks like
a nice, white candle.

[Harper] So, I have my
buttercream working here

that I am about to finish that
I'm going to put in the cooler.

How is this gonna beat Alex?

I mean come on, I don't think
she's gonna be making a...

a lovely little
candle to be eating.

I believe Alex knows
nothing about chocolate.

Those judges are gonna have
to look each other in the eyes

and they're gonna fall right
in love when they my dish.

[Alex] Harper is very young
but I have experience.

I have spent many
years in kitchens

just doing that work,
that repetition.

So, bring it on.

All right chefs, I'm gonna
head over to the judges.

I'm gonna ask them
what they wanna see

out of this challenge
and I'll be right back.

Keep cooking.

[Eric] Today's gonna be sweet.

We have two chocolate
experts outside

waiting to taste their food.

The judges are not
in this building

'cause they're not supposed
to see what's going on.

That's why I have them
in the trailers right now.

We want the judging to
be completely unbiased

and totally fair.

First, we have
Chef Valerie Gordon.

She's a James Beard
nominated chocolatier,

who's Los Angeles shop,

Valarie Confections
has been recognized

as one of the top spots
for chocolate in the country

by Food and Wine Magazine.

And our other judge
is Jonathan Grahm.

He's one of the country's youngest
and most prolific chocolatiers.

His Compartes Chocolates
have partnered with luxury brands

around the world.

So, here's what
they're working with.

They decided on milk chocolate.

- [Jonathan] Oh!
- Frozen fruits.

[Valerie] Okay.

[Eric] They're making
a romantic dessert.

And then lastly, they have


I think it's smart that
they chose frozen fruit.

- Yeah.
- Because there's so much you can do with it.

And I am really happy
that it's romantic.

Because chocolate
is romantic anyway.

Very true, very true.

[Dwayne] For my bread pudding,

I need to crack as
many yolks as I can

so I can start my
ice cream base.

I believe that all ice cream
should come from a custard base.

The heavy cream, the milk,
sugar, corn syrup,

tempered egg yolks and then
pour over the chocolate

and have a perfect
milk chcolate ice cream base.

There we go.

[Dwayne] Coming in.

Should be good enough.

I don't think there's anything
that's beautiful together

than vanilla, bourbon
and peaches.

Then pair it with chocolate.

With the frozen fruit,

we want to make sure
that we cook that off.

That way, you're just left
with the flavor

and not too much extra water.

The fruit is also
going to add acidity.

So that way,
it will combat against the...

sweetness of the milk chocolate.

The peach and bourbon
vanilla sauce.

So, that's gonna have
like some caramel notes

with the vanilla

and then, the bourbon
cooks down the peaches.

This is something I might
steal for my own self.

That is pretty good.

[Dwayne] Hey, do
what you do, brother.

Cool just a little bit longer.

[Alex] I'm gonna make like
a little ice cream sandwich.

And it's important for
me to get that cooking.

You know, I can't just
go from a hot cookie

right to the plate.

[Alex] I'm missing something.

That's the end of that.

[Alex] I measured
everything incorrectly.

And I was very
tempted to kind of like,

add an egg and a little sugar
and just say, "Okay."

And I thought you know, that's
why it's good to have an hour.

So, I just threw it all out.

Started from scratch.

These are human moments

but generally, I do best
when I just focus on

what I see in my head.

I'm used to pressure
and maybe they're not.

Because I'm resilient.

I can shake it off.

[Eric] How's the cookie
dough, chef?

I'm gonna take a little bit.

Please.

[Alex] Please say they're
good even if they're not.

[Eric] Oh, you have
nothing to worry about.

This is the salted
caramel ganache.

This is your salted caramel.

Yes, salted caramel ganache.

Wow! Tastes very good, chef.

[Karina] Thank you.

[Eric] Chef Karina's
salted caramel,

absolutely delicious.

You get a nice,
beautiful balance

of bitter, sweet.

What you need right
now is that frozen fruit,

that she's working on to kind
of bring everything together.

She might be the one to beat.

[Karina] I'm doing
a lot of chocolate

but I'm a little concerned that

this is gonna be a lot
sweeter than I thought.

That's why, I'm thinking
of the cherry filling

to kind of balance
all these flavors.

I need to use frozen fruit

but the cherries
are much more liquid.

So, I'm adding
a little bit of sugar

and Agar Agar.

Agar Agar is gonna
help me to thicken

the sauce, so I have
a nice consistency.

Hopefully, everything
that I'm thinking

in my mind right now,
comes like to reality.

[Harper] I have a champagne
and cherry coulis

that's gonna go
on the bottom here.

Gotta have champagne.

I have my chocolate ganache
and my buttercream set.

Now, I gotta fill my candles.

[Harper] So, this is the milk
chocolate ganache.

I'm gonna flatten all this out

and we're gonna start
building our layers.

Ganache is an emulsion
between cream and...

the chocolate.

So, the ganache could be
the structure of the candle.

[Harper] Oh, you know what?

I did my layers backwards.

Buttercream should
have been the last.

I made my candle inside out.

And I can no longer
put more buttercream

on the outside to create
a nice, white candle.

Can't really do
anything about it.

Can you imagine, 18 minutes?

[giggles]

[Eric] Three and a half
minutes, chefs.

[Alex] If you have
the luxury of an hour,

you use it.

I decided to draw a big heart.

I thought I need something
that just says romance.

So plainly.

And I'm gonna make like
a little ice cream sandwich

with the sorbet and ice cream
swirled together.

I thought, maybe I can
be more impressive

by doing the frozen fruit
and the chocolate

just right up against each other

and that it would be dramatic.

Then, I add little chocolate
cookie crumble topping,

so when they break the cookie and
they eat the sorbet and the ice cream,

they have these like,
other little textures.

This is a dessert
that can be playful,

a little retro, honestly,

and could be fun
on a date night.

Messy, in a good way.

[Karina] I need to make sure
that my macaron looks

beautiful and romantic.

So, I dust a little
bit of cocoa powder

because chocolate.

I put a little bit
of the cherry filling

into my plate.

And a little bit of gold leaf
because this is gonna give it

a nice and romantic touch.

[Eric] Two minutes left
on the clock, chefs.

[Karina] Okay.

I need to start filling
my macarons.

So, I start with my salted
caramel ganache

in the bottom.

And then, I add a little bit
of the whipped ganache.

[chuckles] I'm really
proud of myself.

It's definitely giving
me romantic vibes.

So, I hope the judges
can feel that as well.

[Dwayne] It's time to actually
get all of these components

I worked really hard for,
on the plate.

So, I start that with adding
this bourbon and peach sauce.

Then, I place the milk chocolate
bread pudding right on top.

Then add ice cream and
the chantilly cream to the side.

My flavors and my ability
to tell a story

is always what's helped me
cross the finish line.

[Eric] Chef Harper looks upset.

It's quite literally
nothing on his plate.

Everyone else is
almost done plating.

[Harper] I am struggle
busting right now.

It's gonna taste fine
but it's gonna look like crap.

I'm actually quite upset.

Since I made my
candle inside out

and the ganache
is on the outside,

it's definitely not
where I wanted it.

It doesn't look right.

I really think I may have
messed this one up.

[Eric] Five, four,
three, two, one.

That's it, chefs. Hands up.

[Harper] I'm not gonna
be able to see the judges

or give it to them myself.

I know, I would have just
been trying to make excuses.

But I know why
I didn't do a good job.

I rushed it
and I made a mistake.

All right chefs, it's time for
you guys to write down

the description of your dish,

exactly the way you want
it to be read to the judges.

[Alex] Cute.
What is it? A candle?

Yeah. So, I totally
went too fast.

And so what I did was,
I switched my fillings around.

I actually did the French
buttercream on the inside.

I think it's whimsical and fun.

[Alex] Oh, my God,
these look so pretty.

- [Karina] Thank you.
- [Alex] Wow!

Oh, my God, this is so good.

[Eric] The bread pudding
was made by Dwayne.

It's bright.

Curious to see
what the judges say.

- Me too.
- Yeah.

All right chef,
I gotta send you off.

[Alex] I thought
Karina's macarons

were divine.

That's why I'm super nervous.

I want to defend my title

but these judges
are here for a reason.

And whatever they say, I'm
.gonna accept their feedback.

Because that's the position
I've put myself in.

How you guys think y'all did?

Date night desserts, like...

What are you feeling?

[Karina] It was quite
a challenge.

I didn't expect it was
gonna be that hard.

I'm hoping that, because
we had so much time,

Chef Alex didn't
necessarily self-edit.

[man 1] All right,
plates are dropping.

[director] Dishes up,
and we are rolling on...

[Eric] Hey, Valerie. Jonathan.
Welcome to the kitchen.

I wish I had a home kitchen
that looked like this.

That looks just like this?
Yeah, I agree.

- Yeah. Oh, wow!
- It's incredible.

[Eric] Yes.

This is the very first sweet
episode that we're doing

on Alex vs America.

- Sweet.
- [laughs]

All right, judges.

They were tasked

to make a romantic
date night dessert

and they gave themselves
one hour to do so.

They chose milk chocolate
and they chose frozen fruits.

So, in front of you,

milk chocolate cookie sandwich
with a raspberry sorbet

swirled with
chocolate ice cream.

Interesting.

Every chef has five
pastry tricks, right?

Let's just say, I pulled
all five of those down

and that's my dessert.

So, we'll see how it goes.

I think it looks like
something that would be served

on Valentine's day,
which was the theme.

A romantic date night.

But I just don't even
know how to cut into it.

I'm trying to cut into it
but I feel like...

I thought somebody would pick
it up and just go straight for it.

[Valerie] I'm going in.

I do like the raspberry sorbet.

It has a really
nice tanginess...

tart which really balances...

- [Eric] Yeah.
- with the sweet milk chocolate.

But I think the cookie's
a little thick,

which makes it hard to eat.

And the chocolate should
be a lot more delicate.

This went overboard.

I could have the sorbet
and take away the chocolate.

And that wasn't the challenge
but the sorbet was great.

All right chefs, so we're
gonna move on to the next dish.

Okay, great.

Judges, our next dish.

In front of you, you have a
Milk Chocolate Bread Pudding,

Peaches and Bourbon coulis,
Milk Chocolate Ice Cream.

[Alex] Dwayne, bread pudding
an interesting choice to me,

considering what
a skilled chocolatier he is.

So, I'll be curious to see
what the judges say.

But the bread pudding
looked top notch.

This is cute.

And I think it's a smart
dessert to make in an hour.

- [Eric] Sure.
- And the bread pudding's delicious.

It's really sensuous and
smooth and creamy at the bottom

and as you rise up,
it becomes more rigid

and it's topped with that really

crackly, crunchy goodness.

But I am begging for chocolate
in this ice cream.

- I do agree, we're missing the chocolate component.
- Yes.

- And big time.
- Big time.

Chocolate's definitely
not the star.

But it is a star dish.

[Eric] All right chefs,
we'll move on.

I have comments already.

- [softly] Save it.
- Yes.

All right judges,
French Cocoa Macaron.

We have a Milk Chocolate
Filled Ganache

with Salted Caramel,
Cherry Filling/

The plate is decorated
with Cherry Sauce

and a gold leaf.

[Alex] Karina's macarons,

some of the most delicious
I have ever had in my life.

And she was exciting to watch.

This feels romantic,
it feels luxurious.

[Valerie] I'm a little
concerned about the weepiness

of the ganache.

It does make me wanna weep.

When I see
the weeping ganache, but...

it's not as fruit forward
as the other ones we've tried.

But it's more chocolate forward.

This might be too
much chocolate.

- We'll see what number four brings on.
- Sure. Okay.

- It's so Goldilocks right now.
- Yeah, yeah.

I can't have enough of this,
I want more of that.

- I know.
- All right chefs, we'll move on to the next one.

Great.

[Valerie] Hey.

[Jonathan] Wow! It's always
the presentation for me.

That's the first thing
I have to say about.

Yes.

[Eric] In front of you, you guys
have a Cherry and Champagne Coulis

with a French Vanilla
Buttercream

and a raspberry
Milk Chocolate Ganache.

[Alex] I've done it myself.

You know, you talk too much
or you get distracted

and then you end up
with something

that doesn't look at all the
way you saw it in your head.

So, right away,
I think it looks very off.

It doesn't look like the same
dessert almost, to me.

Because this has a lot of white

and I don't see that here.

It looks like a kid
made it, to me.

Shots fired.

It tasted delicious.

But it was just like...

It did not look
the way I wanted it to.

[Valerie] I find
the coulis really lovely.

If I were to define
a romantic fruity flavor,

this would be it.

I actually taste
the champagne in that.

Which, that's not easy to do.

It feels like maybe there
was other things missing.

And this I maybe what
ended up on the plate.

I think they tried to so
something else

- And that's all that came. Yeah.
- Yes.

[Alex] If I make it
to round two,

I don't have another
dessert in me.

I have a lot of components.

The problem is,
some of these people have

accolades that
I don't even have.

So, the whole composed
dessert, I don't know.

I used my whole bag of tricks.

[director] All right,
picture's up.

Welcome back.

Whoever finishes first,

will be the only chef to
pick all the ingredients

for the next challenge.

But whoever finishes fourth,
will be headed out.

So, the chef who cooked
the first ranked dish is...

Chef Karina.

[Harper] Nice.

[Eric] The judges thought you made
a beautifully plated romantic dessert.

That also your chocolate
was front and center.

Chef Karina, you get
to pick all the ingredients

for the next challenge.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

[high-pitched] Thank you!

[Karina] This amazing!
I beat Chef Alex?

She's such a talented chef
and I beat her.

And the dish that
they picked second,

belongs to...

Chef Dwayne.

[all applauding]

There we go.

So that means, either Chef Alex

or Chef Harper
will finish fourth.

Candlelight dinner
for two, literally.

[all chuckle]

[Eric] Will this be
the first time,

Chef Alex doesn't make
it to the Money round?

And the dish that
they picked fourth is...

Chef Harper, I'm sorry.

They really enjoyed the creativeness
that you brought to the coulis.

But unfortunately,
it was the technical hiccups

that they couldn't get over.

I'm not surprised.

But I'm also happy,
that I got to come in.

Especially, to be able
to meet Chef Alex.

-You too.
-Glad to meet you, Harper. Thank you so much.

Thank you, take care.

- Nice to have you, Harper.
- Thank you,

Well, congratulations.

The three of you made
it to the Money round.

[Karina] Thank you.

So, there's only one
rule the Money round.

To win money, your dish
has to outrank Alex's.

Can I get some
pork chops over here?

I know, right? [laughs]

If you rank first, you win 10K.

If you rank second
and Alex ranks third,

you walk away with $5,000.

But if Alex's dish
is ranked first,

you guys are going home,
empty handed.

But in this round,

you're definitely not working
together to pick the ingredients.

Because that honor belongs
solely, to Chef Karina.

[chuckles] Oh, my God!

- [Eric] Big decisions ahead.
- Yeah.

Chef Karina, you ready to see
what's under the first cloche?

I want to, yeah.

Oh!

[Eric] Obviously, we have
chocolate again.

First off, we're going with
Ruby chocolate as an option.

[Karina] Okay.

- Mexican chocolate.
- [Karina] Okay.

[Eric] Or Blonde chocolate.

I think, Ruby is out.

But I think it is
really easy to...

hide away the flavor of it.

[Eric] Ah, okay.

[Karina] I'm a little...

scared about Mexican chocolate.

Because even though I'm Mexican,

here we are talking about
almost pure cacao.

I'll go with Blonde chocolate.

[Eric] You're going
with Blonde chocolate.

Yeah, this is one of my
favorite chocolates.

- Sure thing?
- Yes.

Looks like Chef Karina
is going with

the Blonde chocolate.

I literally was like, "Anything
but that Mexican chocolate!"

I know, I know.

[Eric] Let's move on
to the second cloche.

Carrots.

- Beets. And corn.
- No!

[Eric laughs] Chef Alex.

I don't even need
to think about it.

Oh, really?

Carrot.

I know, I love how carrot

pairs with other spices.

He's more horrified by
your choices than I am.

Well, that's good.
That's a good sign.

[Dwayne] At this point, Karina has
picked everything else that I wouldn't.

So, I have to deal with
the cards that I'm dealt.

[Eric] All right, carrots it is.

Let's see what
you're making and...

how much time you have.

So Chef Karina, your options are

something smooth
and crunchy for 40 minutes

or something hot
and cold for 50.

I'll do hot and cold
for 50 minutes.

I think it's a good combination.

Both time and task.

Who are you? We thought
you're on our team!

[Eric] This is
an interesting one.

Sounds great.

We love it, we can't wait.

Time starts now.

All right.

I'm behind you.

Something tells me,

this is probably the one that
Chef Alex wants the most.

This is not necessarily
her wheelhouse

and obviously,
it is for the competitors.

So, the fact that she can

kinda rise above the challenge

and beat them,

This probably will weigh a little bit
more than any other win that she has

here, in this kitchen.

[Alex] I definitely think
the favorite here

is Karina, based on
the first round desserts.

I think Dwayne second,
and me third.

But this is my arena.

So, I'm gonna fight to win.

I'm making a blonde
chocolate cake

with a carrot coulis

and a coconut sorbet.

[Alex] The challenge
is hot and cold dessert.

So, the first thing I do
is make coconut sorbet

by boiling a little corn
syrup as a stabilizer,

sugar water and coconut milk

and throwing them in
the ice cream machine.

Behind you.

It's just the smartest
thing to do here.

The blonde chocolate,
I absolutely love.

It's like brown
butter and toast,

crashed into white chocolate.

I use a lot of the blonde
chocolate in the batter.

It's basically like eggs,
strung together with some

flour and melted blonde
chocolate in butter.

[Alex] How we doing, chefs?

Hanging in there, barely.

[Karina] Not that bad.

[Alex] You wish
you picked beets?

I wish the selection
was different.

[both laugh]

Well, we're not mad
at you, don't worry.

I don't know, Dwayne's like,
"Speak for yourself."

[Dwayne] All right,
this should be enough.

At this point, I'm stuck
using the vegetable

that I can't stand.

I'm stuck using a chocolate
that I definitely don't wanna use.

But you know what?
At the end of the day,

this is the name of the game.

I'm here still to fight.

It's not my 100 per cent
fav to work with.

Trying to make a dish

build flavor forward around it,

that's not really
what I would do.

One thing I can really
think of in this moment,

is a Blondie.

And then, I wanna make
the carrot pineapple chutney.

It has carrots,

some pineapples,
little sugar, vanilla bean,

and raw apple cider vinegar.

One Blondie.

I'm actually feeling
really confident.

I may have not won round one
but I did come in second.

And I was still above Chef Alex.

So me kind of understanding
truly how chocolate works,

gives me the upper hand.

But it's not over yet.

And I'm sure after that last
round, she's coming swinging.

I think it's a good kind of...
balance to a brownie.

It's just a little bit lighter.

[Karina] I am melting
blonde chocolate

for my carrot cake.

[Karina] One of my
favorite desserts,

is a molten cake.

I normally do it with
dark chocolate

but in this case, I need to use

blonde chocolate.

I also need to use carrots.

It's kind of wild.

I've never done
something like this before.

But I'm excited.

I am grinding these carrots

because the smaller the pieces,

the quicker it's gonna cook.

Baking is a lot about science,

the right tools,
the right temperatures.

You need to be really
super focused.

I won the first round

but Chef Alex has
won a lot of times.

So, yeah.

This is gonna be tough.

[Alex] Thank God, there's some
carrots in all this.

Somebody picked out one
ingredient that I like.

[Alex] I decide I want
actual fresh carrots.

'Cause I think the blonde
chocolate is really rich.

And I want there
to be something fresh,

like a little place where
you can just eat like,

raw juicy carrot with sugar.

And lime zest
and lime juice and then,

go back into the cake
and the ice cream.

To go with that, I'm making
a carrot ginger sauce.

I cooked the carrot juice

and then I dose in
some of the fresh

turmeric and fresh ginger.

[Eric] Something to try?

- There's sauce over there.
- Okay, chef.

If you want.

Blonde chocolate
is very, very sweet.

- So, I think this is a very, very nice balance.
- I agree

- It's very sweet, that chocolate.
- Yeah.

All right.

Perfect.

Blondie using blonde chocolate.

Chef Dwayne, I think
you got something.

You have anything I can try?

Yes, the carrot
and pineapple chutney.

And this is what you have,
the apple cider vinegar.

- That's correct.
- Okay.

Yeah. So something
to hopefully get some tang

to kinda balance out the
sweetness of this chocolate

I'm dealing with.

[Eric] And that's so delicious.

[Dwayne] So, from a hot element,

I'm doing a blondie.

For my cold element, I'm doing
a cream cheese ice cream.

I take heavy cream,
cream cheese, sugar,

salt, corn syrup.

I can now temper
them to my yolks

and have a perfect
cream cheese ice cream.

[Dwayne] That ice cream
machine open?

What makes me unique
as a pastry chef,

is that I tend to cook
from a place of passion.

That's what sets
us apart from...

those who are good and then
those who are great.

[Karina] I am kind of nervous.

I am trying to focus
as much as I can right now.

Of course,
the obvious thing to do

with hot and cold
dessert is ice cream.

But I think that a carrot
anglaise would be a perfect pair

to incorporate in a hot
and cold dessert.

Making a anglaise can be easy
but you need to make sure

that you keep whisking

because there's
a lot of yolks in there

and you don't want
them to scramble.

Yolks are gonna help
me thicken up this sauce.

So, I want to add
another cold element.

So, I am doing
a cinnamon whipped cream.

I am adding cinnamon
because it compliments

both the carrots
and the blonde chocolate.

[Eric] Chefs, all we have
is four minutes left.

[Alex] Four minutes.

Should we have like our
classic competition show moment

where we see if they come
out of the mold or they stick?

Don't look.

Okay.

[Alex] When the cakes
come out of the oven,

I cover it with blonde
chocolate ganache.

And I add that fresh
carrot moment.

And I scoop the coconut
sorbet and I toss it in

really toasty coconut
'cause I want that crunch.

You know so, I've cooked in
a lot of cooking competitions

but I've never cooked
against an Iron chef.

[Dwayne] I take my blondie
out, I go ahead and cut it.

I really wanted
something to stand up

to kind of elevate the dish.

I then take the blonde
chocolate ganache

and squeeze a nice
size dollop in a bowl.

And I fit the blondies
right inside with that.

This way, whenever you're
biting down between the blondie

and the ganache,
you should definitely get

the blonde chocolate taste.

I then grab the chutney,
place it in the back corner.

And then, all that's left now

is to drop that scoop
of cream cheese ice cream

right down up front.

Now you have the perfect sundae.

[Eric] Less than


[Karina]
They seem ready to me.

Now, it's time to fill my
cakes with more chocolate.

Because this is
the star of the show.

And then, I make a nice canal

out of my whipped
cinnamon cream.

And I also put
my carrot anglaise

into a nice ramekin.

[Eric] Five, four,
three, two, one, it's done.

Well done, chefs. Well done.

Congratulations.

All right chefs...

I'm gonna ask that
you leave the kitchen

and the judges are
gonna be on their way in.

See you in a few.

Oh, yes yes yes.

[Alex] This is primitive
but you get the idea.

How is it?

[Eric] Balance.

It's the... the sorbet

that I didn't even know
that you did in like,

under ten minutes. I didn't-- I
didn't even see you go there.

Don't mess with me
and the ice cream machine.

And the colors are very
striking on this plate.

[Alex] Okay, I'm gonna go.

[Eric] All right, chef.

[Alex] It's hard to think
of the right idea

and execute it, the way
you see it in your head.

But I did that.

I just hope it's enough.

I mean, of course
I'm worried because

I saw how talented you both are.

I was surprised to see
Chef Alex's dish.

I noticed that she had
a real nice sponge

up there of some sort.

But I feel like she just kid of
just tossed the carrots on top.

[Karina] Well, let's see
what judges think.

Judges, you know
this is the final round.

The Money round

and this will determine
who wins the whole thing.

They had to use
blonde chocolate,

carrots,

and they had to make
a hot and cold dessert.



I'm excited to try this.

- Totally. Think it's a great combo.
- Yeah.

Carrot cake is like my
favorite, favorite dessert, so...

Is that the first thing
you're going to?

Carrot cake, for sure. Let's
see. I bet several of them.

Wow!

[Alex] I had more fun
this round than round one.

Because I got carrots.

So, I could use some stuff
that's maybe more familiar to me.

And I didn't make
any clunky cookies.

[Eric] In front of you, you
have a blonde chocolate cake

with a carrot ginger sauce
and a coconut sorbet.

Somebody has
definitely gone for carrot.

Cake in many, many components.

[Valerie] Yeah.
So beautifully ex*cuted.

[Eric giggles]

Yeah.

It's exactly what
I thought it would be

when I looked at it but it
actually might even be better

- than it looks.
- Wow! Interesting.

When you think about
a hot and cold challenge,

they have nailed it.

- Yes.
- I would say though...

I think this salad
element is unnecessary.

And if they left this alone,

they're absolutely
adhering to the challenge

and doing it beautifully.

[Jonathan] But the one
thing I have to say,

this cake, I want the recipe,

I wanna know what
chef made this.

[laughs]

I'm passionate
about this dessert.

- I'm sorry, guys.
- Oh, my God!

[chuckles] I like it.

[Alex] I think Dwayne could have
flexed his muscles a little bit more.

Blonde chocolate?

It's almost like
eating brown butter.

It's not chocolaty at all.

[Jonathan] Interesting.

This chef is calling this
a Blonde Chocolate Blondie,

carrot and pineapple chutney,

cream cheese ice cream.

And I'm just gonna like,
squish the brownie a little bit.

You gotta know
if it's like bouncing back.

Of course.

A blondie should have a taste
sensation that makes you think

- warm.
- Yeah.

There should be caramelization,

like that ooey goodness,
where you're like, "Yum!"

- [Eric] Yes.
- [Valerie] I'm not getting that in that.

It's just dry.

I think the chutney
tastes great.

The ice cream tastes great.

But the blondie...

- The blondie's a bummer. Yeah.
- It's bland.

I think Karina really played
into the caramel flavors

of the blonde chocolate.

I think she made
a caramel and like a cake,

which I think is a cool idea.

[Eric] Our last
and final offering.

In front of you, you have a warm,
blonde chocolate and carrot cake

with a blonde chocolate
warm ganache,

carrot anglaise,

cinnamon whipped cream.

- [Valerie] I mean, I'm looking...
- I see it, yeah.

Inside this vessel.

- It is literally just expelling...
- Oozing!

- blonde chocolate.
- Yeah, it really is.

[Valerie] A molten
cake can feel dated.

It doesn't.
This feels current to me.

This is so airy.

And fluffy.

This is hot, this is cold.
Nailing the theme.

You get that forward,

sort of low level spice.

You get the sweetness
of the carrot

and you also get the vegetal...

- Yes.
- note of the carrot.

I think this is the most
successful execution

of carrot flavor.

[Eric] Really?

That's coming through here
in a gently sweetened format.

One element that
I'm struggling with

just a tinee bit

is I think there's a little bit too
much stabilizer in the whipped cream.

- Yeah.
- I think the first dish

had a more blonde
chocolaty flavor.

Okay.

We have to decide whether
we're going on execution

or flavor and that could be...

- the tough call.
- Yeah, absolutely.

Okay.

[Eric] All right chefs,
come on in.

It's time.

Oh wow!

Hello.

Hi, guys.

- [Karina] Hi.
- Great job.

[Eric] All right chefs, here are the two
judges that have been trying out your dishes.

James Beard nominated
chocolatier, Valerie Gordon.

And the chocolatier behind
the worldwide success

of Compartes Chocolate,
Jonathan Grahm.

I'm pretty sure you guys
are curious who cooked what.

That's like, the suspense
has been k*lling us.

Yes.

[Eric] The blonde chocolate
cake with the coconut sorbet

was made by an Iron chef.

- Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.
- Oh, that cake.

[Eric] The chocolate blondie
sundae was made by Chef Dwayne.

Last but not least, Karina made
the blondie molten chocolate cake.

The chef that
finished third is...

I'm sorry, Chef Dwayne.

The cream cheese ice cream
was so well done.

The super bummer
was the blondie.

The blondie lacked
a lot of flavor.

Big fan of your work.

We know you're no stranger
to this kind of cooking.

I know who you are,
you're great.

I am not leaving my head
held down, that's for sure.

We appreciate you.
Thank you so much.

Thank you.

So, just to name the stakes,
Karina if you win,

you get ten grand.

If you lose and if Alex wins,

I'm sorry, you get nothing.

By the way, I get
nothing no matter what.

[all laughing]

They put your name up there,
they're like, "No money."

All right so the chef
that finished first is...

Chef Karina. Congratulations.

[all cheering]

Watch your tweezers.

Don't hurt me with
those tweezers.

-Oh, my God! Thank you so much!
-Congratulations.

Alex, it was truly was a lot
closer than you think.

I was pulling for that cake.

Probably the best cake
I've had in my life.

However, I was thrown quite a
bit by all of the raw carrot elements.

[Eric] And then
molten chocolate cake.

Taking that classic molten
cake but giving it a new spin

with these flavors of carrot
and blonde chocolate.

- That's an inventive dish.
- Yeah.

- [Eric] Chef Karina, congratulations.
- Yes!

You just won $10,000.

[all applauding]

And one more thing,

you just beat
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

I know, I know.

I cannot believe it.

Well, come back next year
for a rump roast challenge

[Eric] There you go,
there you go.

Congratulations
once again, chef.

Thank you very much.

I'm so happy for you.

I'm so... I'm never
happy to lose.

[indistinct chatter]

Well done.