01x02 - Food of Love

[bunniefuu]

Previously
on Top Chef: Just Desserts...

Game on, people.
I smell something burning.

I probably haven't made
a cupcake

since I was in home economics.

I am just freaking out.

I'm not able to plate
the dessert.

Oh, my God.

First time
in front of the judges,

and Mr. Chocolate himself,
Jacques Torres.

I don't think that's
the most decadent dessert.

Don't stress.

I do get anxiety
about sleep.

I'm thinking, "you're not here
to look pretty."

Just pick a bed,
get to it.

Some people are just gonna be
a huge pain in the butt.

And the winner is...

Heather.
Oh, you're kidding.

Tania, your dessert
just didn't measure up.

Now 11 pastry Chefs remain
to compete

for a feature
in Food & Wine magazine,

a showcase at the annual

Pebble Beach
Food & Wine festival,

a German-engineered,
sport-injected Buick Regal,

and $100,000

furnished
by Godiva Chocolatier.

Who has the creativity,

the skill,
and the drive

to win Top Chef:
Just Desserts?

Seth and I immediately formed
a quick bond here in the house.

Yo, can you throw me
my hat, dude,

if you see it somewhere?

We probably have more
in common

than any other cooks
in the house.

We like a lot
of the same Chefs,

and we're
both heterosexual males.

How do you shave
with no shaving cream?

That's [Bleep] painful.

It's the skin
sensitivity, man.

I'll break out.
Really?

Will you make me
a coffee?

Say it again.

Will you make me
a coffee, please?

Absolutely.
I'putting my order in.

I thought you said,
"do you want to go golfing?"

So now we're down
to 11 Chefs in the house,

and I'm kind of the go-to mama.

What's the coffee situation,
big mama?

There you go.
Oh, no, really?

It's just that easy?

It's that easy.

It could be
I'm a little older.

I've had a lot of kitchens.
I've had a lot of employees.

I play
that kind of motherly role.

So you're ready to rock?

I'm R.T.R.

[Line ringing]

Hello.
Hello? Mom?

The reason
I'm always striving

to become a better pastry Chef
is for my parents.

My mom has had just a bad run

of physical surgeries
and really bad luck.

How's your rehab coming?

Just tell me quickly.
Are you feeling better or worse?

If I didn't, you know,
care about her

and worry about her so much
and just love her so much,

I wouldn't have the passion
to cook.

And I hope
that she just understands

that I need to win this
for her.

I love you so much.
I love you so much.

And tell dad I love him,
and I'm thinking

about you guys, okay?
All right.

Love you.
Bye-bye.

Okay, guys, let's go.
Okay.

So we walk into the kitchen,

and the first thing
I actually see

is Elizabeth Falkner.

She is one of my idols.

And it's probably a few minutes
before I even realize

that there's a whole wall
of candy behind her.

Hello, Chefs.

All:
Hi, Gail.

I'd like to introduce you
to your judge

for this quickfire challenge.

She's the owner
of San Francisco's

famous Citizen Cake Patisserie
as well as Orson Restaurant,

acclaimed pastry Chef,

Top Chef judge,
and, of course,

Top Chef Master,
Elizabeth Falkner.

[Cheers and applause]

Hello, Chefs.

Elizabeth Falkner is probably

the coolest pastry Chef
there is.

You don't even want
to be her friend.

Like, you just want
to be her.

I'm sure you all have
fond memories

of being kids
in a candy store.

Well, for your
quickfire challenge,

you're going
to be creating a dish

that celebrates penny candy.

I didn't eat a lot of candy

when I was growing up.

I would say I was more
of a chocolate lover.

So I'm a little nervous
about what I'm planning

to do with it.

So I know we make a lot
of things from scratch,

but here we're asking you
to come up with some things

using already
premanufactured candies.

And this is challenging,
because there's already

different colors
and flavors

inherently in these candies.

I want people to see what pastry
Chefs are capable of doing.

I want some kick-ass desserts.

Oy.
The winner will get immunity

in our next
elimination challenge.

You have one hour to create
your penny-candy masterpiece.

You can use as many
or as few flavors as you want.

And your time starts now.

I've got so much candy
in my mouth.

I know.
It's gross.

Ugh,
I don't like that one.

I'm right behind you.

My favorite penny candy
is Sour Patch Kids,

lemon drops,
and jawbreakers.

And all I wanted to do
was eat the candy.

I think the main difficulty

is going to be making sure
that all the different additives

that go into the candies
don't actually k*ll

the textures of the dessert.
Hey, girl.

How you doing?

Apparently
breaking the machine.

How about you?
Yes. It's only 25 grand.

You're fine.

You just need to follow
the instructions.

Obey the challenge.

We're going to have
to make something

out of all this candy.

So I want to make
this kid friendly kind of.



I'm done.
You can come grab it.

I have a lot of experience
in pastry.

So I was kind of really shocked
in the last quickfire challenge

when I was not able
to get my dish plated.

But this time,
I am watching the clock

very intently,
and in my plan

for my dessert,
I'm thinking also about my time.

Atomic Fireballs made me think
of my mom.

My mom loves Atomic Fireballs,

but she can't eat them anymore

because she has
some health problems.

Come on,
come on.

So I decided I was gonna make
a spicy coconut jam

with some Atomic Fireballs
in it.

Do you need any buttercream?

I'm good, honey. Thank you.
Okay.

Let the sweat begin.

I'm really excited
about this challenge.

I was denied sugar so much
as a child

that I think
I became a pastry Chef

as an act of rebellion.

Some people get tattoos.

I decided to work with chocolate
and sugar and butter.

This is revenge
on my vegan mother

for never letting me go
to the candy store.

[Laughs]

When I hear
someone say "penny candy,"

the first thing
that comes to my mind

is when I was a kid,
we'd eat--

it was called worms and dirt.

It was chocolate pudding
and whipped cream,

and you'd put gummy worms in it.
They'd be coming out.

It was just, like,
this fun thing

that would be
at kids' birthdays.

It just feels good
to let all my tension out.

Everyone, you have
five minutes.

Thank you, Gail.

The last thing I have to do is
freeze my passion fruit sorbet

with some liquid nitrogen, but
I didn't have enough nitrogen,

and I couldn't get my passion
fruit sorbet frozen in time.

Oh, come on.

Ah, for the love
of Mike.

Five...

Four, three...

Two, one.

Tools down,
time's up, everyone.

[Bleep].

The first thing
that went through my head

was I had taken this chance

to do something
for my mom and failed.

Seth is having an issue

with his sorbet
not being cold enough.

And he just starts
breaking down.

[Weeps]

It's really disrupting
the kitchen.

I'm feeling emotional
as it is.

It's just making me
want to cry as well.

Hi, Yigit.
So tell us what you've made

and how penny candy comes
into the picture here.

I took some red licorice,

infused it
into my strawberry base,

added a little citrus
to cut the sweetness.

I call the dessert
"strawberries & cream."

It's definitely got
a candy approach,

and I really like that.
Thanks a lot.

Thank you.
Heather.

Hi, Heather.
What do we have here?

Well, what I did was
I did a play on a creamsicle.

So I made
a vanilla panna cotta,

and on top
is a passion fruit gelee.

I used some of the passion fruit
candy as a sweetener.

Thanks.
Thank you very much.

Hi.
Let's find out what you made.

Well, I kind of just took
everything orange up there--

orange sticks and lollipops--

and I mixed it
with some pistachio

and mascarpone
and cream.

Are you a candy eater?
Not really.

The pistachio flavor
comes through well.

Excellent.
Hi, Morgan.

Gail.
Tell us what you made today.

Well, it's, um, penny candy
on a pedestal.

It's chick-o-stick sable.

Then over the top of that
is a salted malted-milk ganache,

and the caramel up top

is actually
a re-pulled banana lollipop.

Great.
Thank you.

Hi, Malika.
Hello.

Tell us
your penny-candy creation.

I have a lemon drop
and strawberry parfait.

It is a yuzu cream

with a little bit
of strawberry gelee under it.

And the top has a little bit
of strawberry pop rocks.

Are you a candy eater?

You know, I am,

because I have
three small children, so...

Thanks a lot.
So what I did for you

is a browned butter
almond financier

with macerated strawberries

and a 20-year-aged balsamic.

Did you use
any actual penny candy

in creating this dessert?

No, just the flavors...
You didn't.

Focusing on strawberry.

I'm just curious
why you don't like any candy.

Not all candy.
You're a pastry Chef.

[Laughing]
I know.

Okay.

Thanks a lot.

Hi, Zac.
Hi, Gail. Chef.

Tell us
about your candy creation.

I created a dark chocolate

and sour cream ho ho

filled with a red hot
cream cheese filling

and then a warm black licorice
pernod and star anise coulis

and a little hot tamale
whipped cream.

Did you say there was black
licorice in here somewhere?

Yeah, it's the black licorice
pernod and star anise coulis.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

Eric, tell us
about your dessert.

My dessert today
is a malted chocolate pudding,

and it has barley malt extract
in it,

a little bit
of butterscotch candy,

and some malt balls.

And then we have a soft
malt ball cookie to go with it.

What kind of chocolate?

I used milk chocolate
and cocoa powder.

Okay.
Thank you.

Thanks.

Erika, what did you make
for us?

There's strawberry pop rocks
on the bottom

with a lemon drop cookie,

fresh strawberry sliced
with a sour lemon gelee.

And pop rocks on the top,

so hopefully
they're still popping.

These rocks
are definitely popping.

Good.
Great. Thanks, Erika.

Thank you.
I like that worms and dirt

at every kid's birthday party.

So I kind of did it
a little fancier,

and I did chocolate mousse,
and there's sour lemon gummies.

And then the crunch part
is malt balls and cacao nibs.

And then I did a lemon soda
that I made out of lemon drops.

I got the gummy candy
in the bottom.

Yeah, me too.
It's kind of fun.

Mm-hmm.
Thank you, Danielle.

Thank you.

Seth, I noticed
you had a little problem

finishing today.
What happened here?

I tried to do
a little too much,

and I needed 30 more seconds
to get a clean canele,

but I stand by the flavors, and
I think it's gonna taste good.

Well, then, you know what?
That's what matters

the most to us, so why don't you
tell us what you made?

I made a whopper chiffon cake

with a red hot coconut jam,
passion fruit vanilla sorbet,

and pistachios.

My mom goes through every day
in so much pain,

and the only thing in the world
she cares about is my happiness.

And I felt like today
was an opportunity

to give something back to her.

[Crying] I can't do this.
I can't do it.

I can't do this.
I can't do this.

I'm not sure
what's going on

with Seth,

and then I realized
that Seth was crying

because he didn't put
his ice cream on the plate.

Hey, man. Hey.
Breathe, okay.

Hey, stop.
It's fine.

I can't stop.
I know.

But, listen, man.
Listen, man.

You're a badass Chef.

There's a lot of pressure
to perform.

And I can understand
that anxiety.

But you got to kind of roll
with the punches sometimes.

The red hots are for my mom,
and she's so sick.

Hey, sweetie, I got to talk
to you for a second,

'cause I've done a lot
of these competitions.

And I've never won,
so...

[Laughter]

I'm totally
on your team, man.

I am on your team.

It's okay.
[sobbing]

I don't understand
why anyone is against me.

Nobody's against you.

Then why were you
saying anything?

It's not okay for you to yell
at a contestant or anyone.

It's not for you to tell me
what's okay.

I'm totally
on your team, man.

I am on your team.

It's okay.
[sobbing]

They're for my mom,
and I [Bleep] it up.

Hey, no, no, no.
You didn't [Bleep] it up.

I [Bleep] it up.
You're here.

I'm gonna pull it together.

But I want you
to do something for me.

I've done this a lot.
I've never done this.

I have to pull my head
out of my ass a lot, okay?

All right.
I'm gonna stop.

Okay.
Thank you.

Be tough.
Thank you, Chef.

You know,
losing my first quickfire,

I did feel bad for him,

but I think that you are
in a competition.

That is not
how you represent yourself.

You've got to get yourself
together and move on.

So, Elizabeth,
what did you think

of our penny-candy creations?

I was just really excited

to see a lot of colors and a lot
of use of different candies.

So who was
the least successful today?

One of the least successful
dishes today, I think,

was Heather C.,

just because
you didn't really seem

to embrace the challenge, and
this is a fun candy challenge,

and I just didn't see any fun
or any candy.

My other least favorite
would be Eric,

'cause I felt like I wanted
to see a little bit more

exploring of the malted candy.

I felt like it was
a little one-dimensional.

Who else
was your least favorite?

The least successful today,
unfortunately, is Seth.

I can tell you, Seth,
that I have absolutely been

in your shoes when I was
on Top Chef Masters.

You got to remember
that you got to just keep going.

Every day's a different day.

And this is a challenge,
and I know

you can step up to it.
Thank you.

So who were the three most
successful dessert makers today?

It was hard to choose.
You guys are a talented group.

Um, but I would say Heather H.

I really liked the way you used
a lot of the different

acidic citrus candies and played
around with sort of highlighting

some of those flavors
in different layers.

And then, Danielle, I really
liked seeing the playfulness

with the lemon soda
and the straw.

And then also the worm
in the dirt kind of theme--

and very successful
and a lot of different textures.

Thank you.

I would say I really liked
Zac's dessert,

mostly because I thought
it was a really good cake,

and then you used
the red hot candy filling,

and then what really
brought it home for me

was that licorice sauce--

and really tasty,
really balanced.

Thank you.

I was very, very happy
that she mentioned

that I did a cake,

'cause I kind of wanted
to stick my tongue out

to everyone else and be like,
"suck it, b*tches,"

because they did mousse.

You can do mousse
in ten minutes.

We had an hour, you know.

Like, let's put some, you know,
effort into this.

So who had
the best dessert today?

I would say Danielle.

[Applause]
Thank you.

Thanks.

Congratulations,
Danielle.

Thank you.
That means you have immunity

in our next
elimination challenge.

It's really nice to have
immunity, but at the same time,

I'm gonna put
my best foot forward.

I'm gonna make something
I would normally make

if it depended on me
going home or not.

James Beard award winner
and Top Chef Master veteran

Mark Peel just opened
a new 1940s-inspired restaurant

called the Tar Pit.

It's where we're going to find
out about your next challenge.

Head over to the Tar Pit now,
and I'll see you there.

Thank you.

Wow.

Oh, nice.

Hey.

Well, hello.

All: Hello.

Welcome to the Tar Pit.

Mark Peel
is the owner of the Tar Pit

and a very well-known Chef
here in Los Angeles.

Hello, hello, hello.

Hey.
All: Hi.

Hi, Chefs.

All: Hi, Gail.

It's good to see you.
Great to see you too.

Thanks so much for having us.

We chose to come
to a high-end bar like this,

because for your
elimination challenge,

you're going to have
to create a dish

inspired by a great cocktail.

And for this challenge,
you're going behind the bar

to shop
for your ingredients.

There's only
a limited amount of items

behind the bar.

And that is where my stress
is starting.

You've got a different kind
of pantry behind the bar.

But you're gonna have
to pull the flavors

from the bar
in creating your desserts.

You'll have
just two minutes each

behind the bar to shop
for ingredients

and then three hours back
at the Just Desserts kitchen

to prepare
your cocktail dessert

for our judges, as well
as 25 discerning barflies.

So Chef Peel
has a handful of coasters

with numbers on them,

which is going to designate
the order

that we can go and shop
behind the bar.

So we're gonna now go one
at a time.

Just reveal your numbers.
Yigit.


Erika.


Malika.


Heather C.



Eric?


All: Ooh.

[Laughs]
[quacks]

I'm really happy to go first.

I totally feel
like I have an advantage.

Usuay I'm always last.

All right, Eric,
let's get the party started.

Your time starts now.

All right.
Let's go.

I know exactly
what I want to do.

I'm really just lookg
for pineapple.

Don't get greedy.

I'm cooking for 30.

So I just grab
absolutely all of it.

Does anybody want pineapple?

Erika, your time starts now.

Mm-hmm, I smell Margarita.
Ha ha.

First thing I think about
is how I can incorporate salt

into my dessert,
because I like margaritas.

I'm seeing that the citrus
is starting to disappear,

and I'm starting to worry
and panic a little bit.

Yigit,
your time starts now.

Come on, Yigit.
Go, Yigit.

What you making?
A cosmo, girl?

Something. Whatever.

You're not getting any.

Danielle.

I am watching each one go
behind the bar

and thinking,
"don't touch that bottle.

Don't touch that bottle."

I've got a cocktail in mind,
and so far, so good.

Heather C.

Morgan.

Stone-faced.

Ooh.
Jack and coke, baby.

Zac.
Come on, Lady Gaga.

Do your thing.
Yeah, girl.

[Laughs]

I grab the benedictine,
which is perfect,

because benedictine has all
these great aromatics in it.

Do you need anything specific?

There's nothing left.

I see some tarragon.

The licorice-type flavor
in the tarragon will be perfect.

You shop with so much grace.

Only in the liquor aisle.
[laughter]

And then, you know,
I have some free time,

so I dance a little bit.

I'm like a kid
in a candy store back here.

Am I allowed
to do sh*ts?

Tim.
Come on, old man.

It's like
an alcoholic's nightmare.

[Laughs]
I had this cocktail

called the plantation.

All right.

And it's with basil
and a rum.

It's delicious.
Go, mama.

"Go, mama."
What's left?

I'm gonna take that one.

Seth.

Don't break anything
while you're back there.

I want to make
a greyhound dessert.

A greyhound
is basically grapefruit

and either vodka or gin.

Pink grapefruit.

Pink grapefruit somewhere?

I think he just stuck that
up his nose.

No pink grapefruit.

The reason I wanted to do
a greyhound

was because
it's refreshing and sweet,

so it's kind of like
a dessert anyhow,

and I felt like
if I couldn't do that,

I couldn't do anything.

It's not back here.
Rethink.

You got 40 seconds
to rethink it.

How am I supposed
to make a greyhound

without grapefruit juice?

Just deal with it.
Ten seconds.

You just got to make
a new version, man.

Go, Seth, go.

Go, Seth, go.

Let the creative juices flow.

Go, Seth, go.

Zero.

Bunch of [Bleep] haters.

I don't understand
why anyone is against me

when I'm behind there.
Both: Nobody's against you.

Then why were you
saying anything?

Oh, lord.
I'm broke.

My mother has over $100,000
in medical bills.

I'm not here for fun.
I'm here to save my life.

Hey, not okay.

It's not okay for you to yell
at your contestants or anyone.

It's not for you to tell me
what's okay.

Seth, you're being
an ass[Bleep].

You know, I could deal
with most of this stuff

in a normal restaurant scenario,
you know,

but when it's
you have no citrus

and now you need
to make a cocktail

for $100,000,
it's a lot more stressful,

you know.

I'm a little bit embarrassed.

He should have just gone
with the flow

and decide
something real quick.

I mean, that's
part of the challenge,

is having to adapt
to what you're left with.

All right, Chefs,
we got to move on.

I got to get
this joint open.

[Laughter]

We'll see you back here
for service.

Blast chiller's off.
It seems to be off.

All I see is Seth running
his laps around the kitchen.

It was like someone put
a flaming hot poker up his ass.

All right.

For the elimination challenge,
we're to take any cocktail

and create
a dessert around it,

using the ingredients
from the Tar Pit Restaurant

for your main ingredients,

as well as what's
in the Top Chef pantry.

Isn't very much.

No.
I don't want that.

Glucose, glucose.

Not having recipes and having
to think on your toes...

Three hours
isn't a lot of time.

It's really not
a lot of time.

You really have to have
a lot of confidence

in yourself and your skills
and your techniques,

'cause if you even
just break down,

I think, for one moment,

that could send you home.

Oh, come on.

I'm working on
a pineapple upside-down cake.

The drink that I'm inspired by

is a simple bourbon infused
with pineapple.

But I'm looking up,
and I'm noticing

that people are, like,
doing fancy things

and infusing different flavors.

And I'm always like...
[sighs]

I don't know
what they're doing.

I'm a baker, and I want
to rise to the top.

Duh.
You know.

I'm going to do
a black and blue gimlet.

So it's gonna be traditional
flavors of a gimlet

with the addition of blueberries
and blackberries.

I think today I still feel
emotionally exhausted,

between the crying spell
and then the yelling with Yigit.

So today
I'm just gonna take it easy

and stay out of trouble.

Going around.

Cooking is all I've done
most of my life.

You know, I've been thrown
into a four-star kitchen

as a sous Chef
when I was 24 years old.

I feel like I have a tremendous
amount of experience.

I have the talent.
I have the technique.

And I really want to show

my fellow competitors
what they have to go up against.

Ooh. I want to taste it.
What is it?

The drink that inspired me
for the dessert

is called the plantation.

Nice.
Not too strong, though?

Not strong enough?

It has basil,

so I took the basil
and infused it into a custard.

It's a custard cooled,
served cold?

You need more,

'cause it's gonna--
remember, when it's cold--

I don't have any.
That's all I got.

I don't have
quite enough basil,

so I'm gonna grind
the whole thing,

seeds and all.

I'm making
a blood-orange mojito cake.

But I feel
like the dish is lacking

that note of acidity
that it needs.

It's too sweet, 'cause I have
a white-chocolate mousse.

Maybe a glaze with...

Powdered sugar.
And rum?

Yeah, rum and maybe
a little honey.

Hey, Chefs.
What's going on?

All: Hi, Johnny.
Hey, Yigit.

Chef, what's up?
What are you working on?

I'm gonna make
a negroni creamsicle.

And I'm gonna make
a campari-based citrus coating

with kappa carrageenan and
a little thai basil ice cream.

Fan of cocktails?
Like every Chef, I'm sure.

Yes, indeed,
especially after a hard day.

Good luck to you.
Thank you, Chef. Cheers.

So far, Yigit has felt
pretty confident.

You know, he looks
like he's organized.

He looks like he's ready
for these challenges.

Whether or not he can actually
pull it together and succeed,

we'll just have
to wait and see.

I think my style
is entirely different

than Yigit's.

I got the basics.

He's got, like,
the "so advanced,"

but I don't think
he learned the basics.

I have a lot of experience,
so we'll see what happens.

Hey, Tim.
Hi, Johnny.

What's going on, Buddy?
It's all good.

What have we got
going on here?

I have
this little cocktail I love

called plantation.

Have you got
any problems so far?

They're not out
of the oven yet, so we'll see.

We'll know soon, right?

That's why I'm gonna go.

See you later.
Pleasure.

So the two ingredients
that Tim really latched on to

behind the bar
were basil and rum--

you know,
two really great ingredients.

I know he's adding alcohol
directly to his custard,

and a lot of times that
can change the way it bakes,

so I'm interested in seeing
how it sets up.

My man Seth.

Hey, how are you, Chef?

Nice to see you.
How are we holding up, Buddy?

I only got one pint
of blueberries,

and I needed 16 ounces,
so I had to use

a little blue food coloring,
unfortunately.

Uh-oh.
So I'm making

some surprise textures.

I'm going to do
a juniper gelee,

agar agar
locust bean gum gelatin,

and then I'm gonna have
some blackberry fizzy tabs.

And then there's gonna be
a couple other things

that I can't remember
right now,

and hopefully
it's all gonna come together.

Sounds like you got
a lot going on.

Take a deep breath
and get to it.

Thank you very much.
Good luck, man.

Yes, thank you.
Hello, Erika.

Hi, Chef, how are you?
How are we doing?

Pretty good.
Why don't you tell me

about what you're gonna make?

So I made a Tequila mousse
with orange and lime.

And I'm gonna make
a Margarita bombe.

Well, I happen
to love margaritas too,

so I can't wait to try it.
Awesome.

Thanks, Chef.
Thank you.

Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.

Erika's basic idea
of using a brulee is simple,

but she's adding different
layers and textures to it,

so it actually makes it
a much more complicated dessert.




Right behind, please.
Right behind.

Working in a kitchen
with Seth is a little hectic.

Open flame.

He is the kind of person
that I stay away from.

I'm like, "seriously?"

Blast chiller's off.
It seems to be o.

Just close the door.
It'll start again.

All is see is Seth,

you know, running his laps
around the kitchen.

I mean, like,
it was like someone

put a flaming hot poker
up his ass.

Very hot. Very hot.

Watch out, crazy man.

And it's
really nerve-racking.

I can't find my cake.

Does anyone see a really
blueberry-colored cake anywhere?

No?
Blueberry cake?

All right, I found it.
I found it.

Seth is
so mentally draining.

I mean, he's just taking away
from us

focusing on what
we're here to do.

Five minutes!
Five minutes.

You want me to wrap this?

Yeah. And then I have my basil
ice cream in there too.

I'm definitely stressed.
It's a lot to get done.

I feel bad asking you
for help.

I may have gone overboard
a little bit--

a little bit
too complicated.

But, you know,
I guess

I'll have to wait and see
what the judges think.

Minute and a half.
Oh, my Jesus.

Time!

Whew.
[bleep].

Nice work, guys.

Good job, everybody.

It's always a pleasure.

It's not a pleasure to be
in the bottom three.

No.
That's not a pleasure.

[Laughs]
Oh, my God.

Seth really made
an embarrassment of himself

at the Tar Pit
in front of Chef Peel.

And there's some tension
between Seth and us.

I think we're a little bit
dumbfounded by his behavior.

I think you need to apologize
to all of us.

I'd like to apologize.
We all have some issues.

I can do that.
I can do that too.

I'm not quite sure
what's gonna happen next.

I'm actually
a little bit nervous.

I'll try to make it up to you.
That's all I can really do.

[Scoffs] I don't want you
to make it up to me.

I want you to just treat us
like decent people.

I'm gonna try harder
starting tomorrow.

I understand it.

I feel [Bleep] humiliated,
you know.

Seth feels like
he let his mom down,

but we all have issues.

My dad passed away
from lung cancer

just a few years ago,

and somehow I actually managed
to pull through.

You have to understand that,
no matter what's going on

in your personal life,
you have no idea

what each of us are going on--

you know, have happening
outside of this.

Mm-hmm.
We could have trauma.

You have no idea,
and it's very selfish of you.

Yep.
I'm truly sorry for everything

that you're going through,
but you have no idea

about everyone else's
personal business.

I agree with everything
you just said,

and I hope I can, you know,
start making up for it tomorrow.

That's all I can do.

Regardless of everything
that he's done,

I still want to give the guy
the benefit of the doubt

and, you know, hope that
it'll be good for him too.

You know,
because if he's miserable,

it's not gonna be good
for anyone.

And you let me know anything
that I can do to help, you know.

At this point, distance
would be greatly appreciated.

All right.
Thank you.

You got it.

[Clatter]

Oh, my God.
[gasps]

Are you kidding me?

I look over, and I see

my chocolate squares
on the floor.

I didn't do it.
I didn't do it.

So the challenge
is to serve a dessert

that is inspired
by a cocktail,

and you only have one hour
to plate 30 desserts.

Let's do this, ladies.

So I walk
into Chef Mark Peel's kitchen

at the Tar Pit,

and it's a small space
for all of us

to prep and work together.

Watch your back.
It's gonna be staggered.

It's gonna be three Chefs
plating up at a time

for the judges
and 25 diners.

Coming through, guys.

So it's gonna be interesting.

My gelee is gonna be harder
than yours.

Yeah.

I'm really stressed
when I start to prep

for service,
because this is the first time

I've ever done it in my life.

I got 20 more minutes left,

and I just realize that
I'm, like, one dessert short.

So I have to rethink
my plating.

I have a full sphere,

and I was going to serve it
that way,

but now I'm gonna cut it
in half,

so then they can see
everything that's inside.

And I don't think they're
gonna expect that at all.

[Alarm sounds]
Time.

Time!

Stop it.

Are you taking mine?

All right,
judges are always gonna be

on this side of the plate.

I'm feeling good
about my cocktail dessert.

But I'm a little nervous
about the salt.

I want to be
in the top three,

and I want to kick ass
and win.

Hi, Chefs.
All: Hi.

I'd like to introduce you
to your judges

for today's challenge.

Of course, you all know
head judge Johnny Iuzzini.

And yesterday you met
Elizabeth Falkner.

And I'd like to welcome
a familiar face,

one of our permanent judges,
Chef Hubert Keller.

And say hello again
to Chef Mark Peel,

and finally Daphne Brogdon,

Mark's wife
and business partner.

All:
Hello.

So, Erika,
we're gonna start with you.

Tell us what cocktail dessert
you've made

from behind the Tar Pit bar.

My dessert
is a top-shelf Margarita.

My bombe has a lime cookie
with a Tequila mousse

and grand marnier
creme brulee.

Also, just to let you know,
there is salt,

because it is a Margarita.

I was really inspired
by the ginger-lime cocktail,

and so I did
a lime and lemon curd tart.

There's toasted coconut
on top,

and then I made a rum sabayon
and candied kumquats.

Well, I was inspired
by a strange drink

which consisted of,
like, bourbon and pineapple.

What I picked from the bar

was Kentucky bourbon

and pineapple, and I made
a pineapple upside-down cake.

Thank you so much, Chefs.
Thanks.

What did you think
of Erika's Margarita bombe?

I loved the subtlety of it.
It is a little bit bland.

And then you get the salt,
and you go--

and your mouth goes, "oh."

I really feel Erika embraced
the cocktail flavor.

She really took a Margarita

and really transformed it
into a dessert.

Oh, salt.
I just crunched.

An actual piece of salt?
Yeah. Yeah.

Tell me what you thought
of Danielle's dessert.

I would have liked
to have seen the mingue torte,

personally,
'cause I just really like

a little more caramelization
going on.

This doesn't resemble
a cocktail to me at all.

I have no idea
where she went.

I can't even figure out
which alcohol is in this.

There's a little rum
in the sabayon,

and I think that's it.

It's a good dessert.

I think the texture
is well done.

But it's true.
It misses a little bit--

part of the shine and dry
when it comes to a cocktail.

It was so delicious
and refreshing.

I just loved
the lime zesty taste.

Visually, even though
Eric's dish was the simplest,

to me, it had the most flavor

of the three
that we tasted by far.

I had to stop myself

from completely gobbling up
Eric's upside-down cake.

I thought it was delicious.

I really enjoyed the cake
texture a lot.

And I did get
a lot of bourbon flavor,

so the aftertaste in my mouth
is like a cocktail.

Oh, my God.
I'm not gonna get this done.

I am so [Bleep].
Let me help, man.

At this point, I just want
to get all the elements

onto the plate
for the judges,

even if it doesn't look 100%.

And it just breaks my heart.

Seth, one thing,
do you mind getting

my basil ice cream
out of the freezer?

Is it green?
Yes.

This is the freezer.

Oh, oh, oh.
Basil, basil.

And Seth was,
ironically enough,

kind of remorseful,
and he was trying to help

get ice creams
on the plate.

Here you go.

Time?
Three minutes.

[Bleep]!
I got three minutes

to scoop 36 scoops
of sorbet?

This is bad.

Anyone have a scoop
I could borrow?

Yigit.
Thank you.

[Alarm sounds]

When the timer goes off,
I feel utterly heartbroken,

because I know that my plates
didn't look as beautiful

as I know they were gonna look,

so I'm just worried that,
you know,

not having finished is gonna
definitely count against me.

Okay, Chefs,
queue up.

That puts me
on the bottom three.

You're not gonna be
the only one.

We're gonna start
with you, Yigit.

I translated a negroni.

I used campari to make a campari
and blood-orange agar agar.

And then
for the creamsicle part,

I made a citrus-scented
vanilla panna cotta.

And I paired that
with a sweet basil ice cream,

which I think just kind of ties
everything together.

My favorite cocktail
on the earth,

it might possibly be
the simplest--

okay, so we've got a cola-spiced
dickel's whiskey cake.

And that's being served
over a coke fluid gel

and a Dickel's Tennessee gelee.

Great.
Enjoy.

I decided to do
a gingerbread cake

with a el Dorado 15-year rum
caramel sauce

and then garnished
just like the Jamaican firefly

with some candied ginger
as well.

Thanks, Chefs.
All: Thank you.

Elizabeth,
did you like Yigit's dessert?

What comes together
for me the most

is all of this color
on the plate.

It looks like a fun,
cocktail-themed dessert.

How do you make ice cream
out of basil?

Oh, see,
I'm really into that.

I like it too.
The ice cream, you know,

unfortunately
was a little bit melted.

That's a timing issue,
so that's, again,

that's something he has
to think about when he plates.

The campari is one
of my favorite flavors,

so of course
I enjoyed that.

Tell me what you thought
of Morgan's whiskey cake.

What I really liked
in that dish was the gelee.

It suddenly pops in your mouth
like a cocktail, right?

He did a great job.

I just wish there was
one more thing on that cake.

I found it very dry too.

It didn't really seem
like a dessert.

I was really looking forward
to trying Heather C's dessert.

She's got a lot of great Spice
in there.

It's a really delicious
gingerbread.

It doesn't really
all come together

the way I think
she wanted it to.

I was actually
really excited

about having lime
in the middle of it,

but I didn't get any lime.



Are you using this freezer
behind you?

Are you gonna use this?
No.

Seth is near my station,

and there's all this action
going on right next to me.

Right behind, right behind,
right behind.

It gets on my nerves.
It's just like, come on.

[Clatter]
Oh, are you okay?

Yeah, yeah, just dropping
[Bleep] like an idiot.

Seth is going
into his freak-out mode.

I'm running really short
on time.

I don't think
I'm gonna finish,

and I think I'm gonna go home
in the bottom three.

As much as he pisses me off,

as much as I bitch
about him,

I can't watch someone
go down like that.

Do you need help?
Yes.

Just throw it on a plate.

Just start--
or if you can set up plates

for me somewhere, I'm just
gonna chuck everything on

with no particular order.
We have nine minutes, guys.

Nine minutes.


Am I there?
You're there.

Let me do a couple extra
just in case.

[Bleep] Slop shop
[Bleep]House.

Zac helps me out,
which is really great.

He's helping me get stuff
on a plate.

And now I'm done.
Can I help you?

Can I do anything?
I can put meringue sticks.

Can I help?
I'm good.

Sometimes you are gonna need
help from other people.

And if I could help someone else
to complete their dish,

that's what I'm gonna do.

Who else? I'm gonna come
help you right now.

What can I do?
What can I do, Chef?

Seth, stay
by the time clock.

Give us a countdown,
please.

I'm doing it.
I'm trying to get to it.

I'm trying to get
to the clock.

You have four seconds,
four seconds.

[Alarm sounds]

Ah!

I feel that I have a beautiful
dish that's gone out,

but I'm really concerned
about my balance

in the flavors.

I am concerned that this dish
might send me home.

Seth, we're gonna start
with you.

Great.
Tell us about your dessert.

The blueberry gimlet.

Of course you have blueberries,
raspberries,

hendrick's gin,
tanqueray gin,

lemon juice,
lime juice, and soda.

And the rest is up to you
to find.

So I did a blood-orange
and blackberry mojito.

I have a cake soaked
with white rum, blood orange,

and then I have
a white-chocolate mousse

infused with some fresh cream.

Well, my inspiration
was a white Russian.

I added some chocolate into it

and coffee and a Kahlua
and a little bit of vodka,

just to give it a little bit
of a refreshing bite

to cut off
with the custard.

Great.
Thank you so much.

Thanks, Chefs.

I think
that Malika's dessert

was one of the least successful
for me.

I got a lot
of the fresh-mint flavor,

but I didn't get the effect
of rum or blood orange.

Malika's dessert reminded me
like one of those desserts

that has
that sugary icing on top.

And if you eat the whole piece,
you pass out.

I think Malika embraced
the challenge

from the cocktail sampling.

I just think
it was very heavy-handed.

Heather's dessert,
I must say,

there was too much going on,
I think, between the layers.

I think she overthought it

and felt like she had
to keep adding to it.

I think
if she would have simplified

and had
a couple less components

that that dessert would have
been a greater success.

Seth indicated there were
some surprises in here.

What did you find?

First of all,
it's a blue cake.

So that's kind of
a little shocking,

'cause blue in the pastry world
is usually a faux pas.

I love gin, and it doesn't
taste like it, you know.

And I just--
I needed more gin.

He used two different gins,

and I really didn't get
either of those gins.



[Clatter]
Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.
Are you kidding me?

I didn't do it.
I didn't do it.

There's still some
that are on the acetate

that you can choose to use.
I can't use 'em.

I look over, and I see
all of my chocolate squares

on the floor.

What happened?
I was standing right here,

and I heard it fall.
I wasn't even moving.

I swear on my life.
Are you--are you joking?

I swear I don't know
what happened, man.

I swear I don't know.

I didn't move.

Did you get
your judges' plates done?

Nope. Those were the ones
I was saving for the judges.

But that's fine.
Thanks.

And instead of getting
out of the way...

I got to come back in here
and clean.

He decides to hang around

while I'm plating.

Watch your back, honey.
Go, go, go.

Step on me.
I don't care.

Oh, don't worry.
Judges first.

Just finish
your judges' plates.

It's okay.
You know what?

It's fine.
I'm fine.

I'm totally, totally fine.

[Alarm sounds]

[Bleep]!

I missed one,
one tuile.

Tuile in hands.
Missed one.

How come I didn't get
a tuile?

Where's your tuile?

I went out of my way
to help someone

in this competition,

and it ends up
biting me in the ass.

They knock over my stuff,

and I end up
with incomplete plates.

Zac, we're gonna start
with you.

Tell us what you made today.

Essentially, it's my take
on a jager b*mb.

We have
a dark-chocolate malt cake,

which I've filled
with a benedictine cremeux.

On top of it,
we have a lime pallet.

A tarragon tuile
finishes it off

to bring out more
of those aromatics.

I have a cocktail
that I really love,

and it's called
the plantation.

I have actually a basil pudding
underneath some orange,

some kumquat,
and a lime granita.

Thank you both so much.

Both:
Thank you.

I think v
really grabbed the bull

by the horns on this one.

You know, he took
such a low-brow cocktail

and really brought
some elegance to it.

I loved the whole concept
of it a lot.

I'm not sure
if I really am getting

the full effect
of a cocktail.

It kind of reminds me
of, like, a cake

that hasn't fully cooked yet.

I tasted, like, one big,
huge sh*t of alcohol,

and I was like, "whoa."

What did you think

of Tim Nugent's
plantation dessert?

I think this is the second
dish that Tim has presented

to us in a bowl.

And I don't know if that's
his comfort zone or not,

but I think he's got to kind of
get away from that a little bit,

because in this case,
it worked against him.

But also it's kind of a mess

when you start digging
into it too.

It becomes like scrambled eggs
in a soup.

[Laughs]
So it's not

pleasing to look at while
you're eating it, you know.

Mine looks the messiest
of all.

But, you know, I really--
actually I do enjoy the flavors.

It just really left
a lot to be desired.

I totally gave one
of the judges a burnt tuile.

That's all right.
I had two rings to put on,

and I didn't.

I am worried that,
since my dish is incomplete,

the judges aren't gonna get
the full profile of it.

This could land me
in the bottom three.

I made myself vulnerable
in front of you,

and now you're
all taking advantage of it.

I am so over this.

You guys want to play cards
or something?

We could use that
to make a deck of cards.

It's nothing against anyone.

I just want to sit
in silence, please.

Seth is a rather intense
individual.

I'm sorry. I just got
to play with something.

I'm feeling really antsy
right now.

I hope Seth can find
his self-control

within his passion.

This is my anti-camera helmet
I'm gonna build.

[Laughs]

I think people
are just really tired over Seth

and his emotional outbursts
and his selfish behavior.

And I feel like he needs
to stop being a child,

pull his [Bleep] together,
and move on.

[Laughter]

You cannot see my emotions.

[Laughs]

Judges table
makes me nervous,

but it's just
that waiting time.

But I feel good in my heart that
I'm gonna have a good dessert.

Here you go.

Hello, Gail.
Hi.

Hi, Gail.
We'd like to see

Erika...

Yigit...

And Eric.

Thanks.

I'm happy for Eric,
because I think he's somebody

who, like, needs it now
in order to survive another day.

You don't know.

This could be the bottom three
for all you know.

But I tasted his dish,
and it's not bottom three.

And I tasted her dish.

And I loved everything
that, you know--

I invite you--
I invite you to speak your mind

all the time,
and I'm never gonna judge you

just for saying the truth.

You can say
whatever you want.

I'm just saying--
so I phrase it

in the wrong way?
Let her talk.

Let her talk.
Please?

Let her finish.
You interrupt people.

You're so hard on me.
You're so hard on me.

No, but you don't let
people finish talking.

If you listen
and you take in--

I'm actually getting
really angry right now, so...

Oh, my God.
I am.

I'm trying not to.
I'm trying not to.

But I'm getting [Bleep]
Pissed off now.

At what I'm saying?
Seriously?

You guys
are incredible, man.

I made myself vulnerable
in front of you,

and now you're
all taking advantage of it.

I am so over this.

I was trying
to be supportive of Eric.

Okay. Let's stop.
How can that be evil?

Let's just talk
about something else,

'cause it's just not--
we know where this is gonna go.

Please don't stew.

I'm not gonna last
one more elimination

if I let these people
get in my head.

Everyone saw how I can cook
when my head is on straight.

I was a stronger cook
before I was a nicer guy,

so I'm gonna be a [Bleep],
and I'm gonna cook,

and I'm gonna win
this whole [Bleep].

And you can all suck it.
I don't [Bleep] Care anymore.

All: Whoa!
That's it.

Chefs, today we asked you
to get behind the bar

and choose ingredients
that would normally

be used in a cocktail

and turn them
into an unforgettable dessert.

Yours were the three
best desserts of the day.

[Laughs]

Yes.

Congratulations.
Thank you.

You can breathe now.
Oh, my gosh.

[Laughter]

Erika,

tell us about how you came
to your dessert today.

Well, my favorite drink
is a Margarita.

So I just wanted
to keep it clean

and simple,

and I love Tequila.

And I put that on the plate

along with some salt.

Erika, I thought
it was aesthetically beautiful.

It was really well plated.

You know, I tasted the alcohol
in every bite.

It was well balanced.

Thank you.

Also, the Tequila sauce--
I thought it was beautiful.

Yeah, I liked
how it was clear too...

Yeah. Yeah.
With the vanilla specks in it,

but just a clear sauce.

I always like
that kind of surprise.

Eric.

Pineapple upside-down cake
with bourbon.

Eric, I think

it was well ex*cuted,
I must say.

The consistency of the cake
was really nice and moist.

I think
the caramelization

on the pineapples
really, really sticked out,

so I think it's probably one
of the desserts

that the four of us,
we almost finished the plate,

so that was a good sign.
Thank you very much.

But also I think,
to be

in the Top Chef: Just Desserts
category,

you're gonna have to, you know,
think about the aesthetic

here and there,
so...

This today
was the first time

I've ever done plated service
in my life.

It was just
very overwhelming for me.

Yigit, tell us about how you
came to your dessert today.

Um, negronis I love,
so I wanted to compare something

with campari in kind of
a refreshing, creamy idea,

so, hence,
I used a panna cotta.

And, like, being here
right now is priceless,

so thank you so much.

Well, thank you.

We all were obviously
very impressed.

We loved the flavors too.

I thought you had a beautiful,
colorful interpretation

of a cocktail
as a dessert.

I also liked how cold it was.

It actually made me think
of a cocktail

because of the chill factor
on it.

Thank you very much.

What I really liked about it
is the consistency

of the panna cotta,
the creaminess

when you take it out
with the spoon,

so that was really well done.

Elizabeth,

as our guest judge,
please announce our winner.

The Chef who did
the best job

of taking a cocktail
and interpreting it

into a fantastic dessert was...

Erika.
[laughs]

Oh, gosh.

Congratulations, Erika.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

So this is my first win.
I'm feeling good about it.

This is starting to feel

like the game has started,
you know.

Watch out, world,
here comes sassy mama.

Now I have to ask you
to send back

three of your colleagues.

Thank you all.

Thank you.
Thank you.

I don't consider myself
a competitive person,

but once I get
into the game,

I'm a bulldog.

I won.

[Cheers and applause]

They would like
to see Malika,

Tim, and Seth.

Unfortunately,
the three of you

made the least satisfying
desserts.

[Exhales deeply]

Tim, you had the basil-rum
citrus plantation dessert.

Was the end result
how you envisioned it?

Yeah.

I just was resembling
a cocktail

that I like to drink,
that's all.

It's funny you say

that you wanted
to resemble a cocktail,

because five minutes
into eating it,

it really became a soupy mess.

It was bruleed,

which I think
also kind of went away.

So there was that line
in between

to keep the citrus wet
from hitting the custard,

but after 30 of 'em,
I think it was a little wet

by the time
they got to the table.

What drives me crazy
is you probably have

one of the sharpest palates
of all the Chefs here.

Your flavors
are almost spot on every time.

You just have
a very difficult time

putting it all together.

Seth.

Yes.

I know that you had
a bit of a rocky start

getting here.
Yeah. [clears throat]

Tell us why you think we were
unhappy with your dessert today.

It was a bad dish,

and I won't lie
and say I stand behind it.

I made too many components.
I messed 'em all up.

And I probably should have
just left some off the plate.

And I think at the point,
I honestly was just trying

to make it look soignee.

It seems like you're
a little too harsh on yourself

on that one, I must say.

No, no, no,
I must say.

The thing about the cake itself,

the blueberry cake, right,

I think there was no really--

we couldn't see any blueberry.
It was a blue cake.

You're a smart guy.
You're a smart pastry Chef.

Thank you.
I think you're trying

to do too much
too fast.

You need to pick a flavor,
pick a goal,

and work towards it.

If I stay, I mean,

I'm definitely gonna try to take
that advice to heart.

You said
that you just couldn't focus

during the challenge.

What was going on?

Um, I mean,
the reason I couldn't focus

is just because of the
ridiculous emotional breakdown

I had in the quickfire.

I would have loved to have
just, you know, gone home,

but I've always been taught
that the show must go on.

If you got to stay here,

how can we be sure that
that's not gonna happen again?

I honestly
can't promise that.

Malika...

Let's talk
about your mojito cake.

I chose the mojito,
because I really love

the combination
and the balance of flavors.

And I know that my dish
really lacked that.

I think, Malika,
where it really went wrong

is giving us
such a big piece of cake,

right, and I must say
I have a sweet tooth,

and I love sweets, but that one
was really sweet, yeah, so...

You know, realistically,
I wanted something airy

and very tart in the middle,

and I didn't complete that.

Malika,
this is the second time

that time has become
your enemy.

What do you think
is going wrong in the kitchen?

Why is this happening?

With the challenge today,

I was trying to backtrack
and fix

what bothered me
about the dish.

But what I really should
have done is change my plan

and done something different.

Okay, we'll call you back here
when we're ready.

Thank you.

We don't know.
[chuckles]

Seth did 11 different things,
I think he pointed out to us.

Maybe eight of which
actually got on the plate.

Right.
When you think

in normal circumstance,
right,

for 25 people, 11 items,
it's su1c1de.

It also really didn't make
the cocktail.

It was just so scattered,

really,
all over the plate, so...

Challenge after challenge,

Tim has really shown
great flavor combinations.

Yeah,
you can't really deny it,

except it just,
after a bite,

completely collapsed on me,

and I couldn't get past
that look of a curdled soup.

Honestly, I think he never did
that dessert before,

and probably,
instead of admitting it,

maybe that was a mistake--
he should just stick to it.

And I don't think
that he would serve that

in his restaurant.

And then
there was Malika's dish,

her mojito cake.

I really wasn't a fan
of the dish.

I thought it was too sweet.

I couldn't really find

the elements
that she had described.

I think, at least,
Malika, she admitted

that she was not happy
about the dessert, right?

I think Malika's having
a really hard time

adapting to what
these challenges call for,

and that worries me a lot.

Well, I think
it's pretty clear

which way the a*
is gonna fall tonight.

It shouldn't be
too complicated.

Let's bring them out here.

You each are here
for the same reason--

failure to change
when problems arise.

Tim, your flavor combination
was great.

But once we tried to eat it,

it became a bowl of scrambled
eggs floating in soup.

Malika, the dessert
you envisioned in your mind

unfortunately did not translate
to the dish.

Seth, just because you have


doesn't mean
you should use 50 techniques

in one single dish.

Gail.

Tim, your dessert
just didn't measure up.

Please pack your tools
and go.

I'm a little shocked to be
going home maybe this early.

I liked the dish,

and I thought it went
really well with the challenge.

This won't change anything
I've done in the last 20 years,

so I'll stick
to the same kind of style.

All: No!

Tim!
What?

No.
Bye.

You're kidding.
No!

[Applause]

Thank you.

Pleasure.
Pleasure.

This whole experience
for Just Desserts,

it's overwhelming.

It's exciting.

It's nerve-racking.

But I met
some fabulous people,

and I have no regrets
at all.

Next time
on Top Chef: Just Desserts...

All: So come on, all you Chefs,
and bake, bake, bake.

You'll be throwing
a bake sale.

[Cheers and applause]

Frickin' chaos.
Hot!

Shaking. Shaking.

Did you take
all the peanut butter?

Yes.
It's [Bleep] Sabotage time?

Hey. I see you shaking
the [Bleep] Table.

It's driving me crazy.

You're what?
I'm leaving.

Seth has already made it clear

that he can't interact
with children,

or he'll cuss too much.

Have you been snorting
buttercream?

You could almost taste
the resentment in her cookie.

I [Bleep] Hate this room.