Originally posted on January 14, 2024 @ 5:30 am
Masterchef Junior Recap for 12/10/2023
-Chef Gordon Ramsay as Santa , Daphne Oz as an angel and Aaron Sanchez as a snowman is the cutest thing ever!
-Each kid gets a special gold apron to wear for the duration of the competition.
-Colbie reminds me of Violet from General Hospital.
-Tilly Ramsay is on hand to help judge…..broken foot and all….dressed as an elf.
-The kids will all need to cook a traditional holiday dinner using proteins they find in snowmen.
-Mina is making a Japanese rice bowl.
-Emerson can’t fins a small spoon, so he tries to use a big one until Chef Ramsay helps him find him.
-Did Emerson seriously call himself an idiot sandwich?
-Landon is making chicken thighs with latkes with the help of his stuffed toy Camo.
-Elijah makes a Haitian dish called soup joumou.
-Emerson starts getting overwhelmed with the pressure.
-Lorenzo makes branzino with fingerling potatoes.
-Xiaowan is making dumplings. She is a sassy one and I love it.
-Zarah makes salmon with veggies and potatoes.
-I love the banter between Tilly and Chef Ramsay.
-Zarah runs into issues with her salmon and must start over.
-Emerson has only been cooking for a year and considers Chef Ramsay to be his inspiration.
-Colbie always adds her favorite ingredient–love–to all her food. Her chicken and corn dish is something her Go-Go (grandma) taught her how to make.
-Rae is making a surf and turf dish.
-Time to judge!
-Xiaowan’s ground pork dumplings: it is a delicious, beautiful dish.
-Elijah: His soup joumou with beef chuck is very flavorful and well-balanced.
-Mina: Her ground chicken Japanese rice bowl is a bit bland, but the pickled cucumbers on top were delicious.
-Rae: Her surf and turf with lobster and ribeye is well-seasoned, but the ribeye is too rare.
-Landon: His chicken thigh with cranberry sauce and latkes is cooked perfectly.
-Colbie: Her honey chicken with southern fried corn is delicious and next level.
-Emerson: The salmon is delicious, despite being overcooked, but the couscous could have used more seasoning.
-Lorenzo: His branzino is cooked beautifully.
-Zarah: Her salmon is undercooked, but the Indian flavors and potatoes made the dish.
-Elijah just eating his food without a worry in the world is such a mood.
-Colbie, Xiaowan and Lorenzo are the top cooks of the night. Colbie has the top dish and wins some OXO goodies for her kitchen.
-Zarah, Mina and Emerson are all sent home. They are all in tears and it breaks my heart. Everyone gives them hugs and tells them to keep cooking.
Hour 2!
-They are all making pies. There are three teams: Colbie and Lorenzo, Elijah and Xiaowan and Rae and Landon.
-Each team will need to make as many pies as possible topped with whipped cream ,sprinkles and cherries. Whichever team makes the most pies will win a prize, while the others will need to participate in an elimination challenge.
-The teams seem to be a bit overwhelmed, but still having fun.
-Colbie eating the cherry she said they couldn’t use was so cute….and so me.
-The judges give the pros and cons of each team’s pies and declare Landon and Rae the winners. They are in the semifinals. They also get to shove a pastry in a judge’s face. Rae chooses Chef Ramsay, while Landon chooses Aaron.
-The other two teams will cook in the elimination challenge.
-The elimination challenge has the remaining cooks making their own savory pies. The winner will get Staub cookware and the bottom two will be going home.
-Landon and Rae enjoy hot chocolate with the judges while the others bake their pies.
-Lorenzo is making empanadas, which he says is a handheld pie. He adds several different spices to make it stand out.
-Colbie is making a savory pie with ricotta and veggies that sounds absolutely delicious.
-Elijah is also making empanadas. His are with beef and a secret sauce.
-Xiaowan is making a chicken pot pie with Chinese spices.
-Chef Ramsay joins Rae and Landon for some hot chocolate and ends up spilling it. Rae quips that he needs a sippy cup.
-Xiaowan is running out of time, so Chef Ramsay helps her finish cooking.
-Judgment time!
-Elijah’s empanada is delicious, but the potatoes are a bit undercooked.
-Lorenzo’s empanada is colorful, but the mixture did not cool down properly. However, it tastes good, despite being a bit greasy.
-Xiaowan’s chicken pot pie has undercooked pastry, but the filling is delicious, despite being a bit dry.
-Colbie’s garden vegetable and ricotta tarte is delicious and almost perfectly cooked.
-The judges deliberate and decide that the winner of the challenge is………Elijah.
-Colbie is also in the semifinals, with Xiaowan and Lorenzo going home.
-More next week, stay tuned!