Top Chef: Just Desserts (2010) s01e04 Episode Script
Lucent Dossier
Previously on Top Chef: Just Desserts I'm sorry.
I wasn't able to complete it.
You're what? I'm leaving.
Malika is having insecurities about her skills.
The winner is Eric.
[applause.]
I actually wanted to do something different.
Heather, you weren't forced into anything.
I am not saying that anyone forced me-- you're making people on the team who have supported you-- guys, can we just not argue with each other and just do this honorably? Heather Your dessert just didn't measure up.
You should go home, because you are a dick.
But I am cooking better food than you, so I'm not gonna go home.
Now nine 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.
[Buzzing loudly.]
Who has the creativity, the skill, and the drive to win Top Chef: Just Desserts? Top Chef: Just Desserts 1x04 Lucent Dossier The stress for me is just incredible.
I'm more stressed out than I've ever been in my entire life.
I would describe my profession as an artist, definitely.
[Groans.]
You have to be crazy to be a great artist, so, I mean, I'm a little bit crazy, I guess.
Can I have a bagel with cream cheese and stubble, please? Hey, man, what do you want a cat to do? You know, I haven't shaved in, like, four [Bleep.]
days, because I can never get in the bathroom.
I think it looks very rugged and handsome on you.
Oh, yeah, not very professional.
There's two Seths.
Um, there's the Seth that you want to talk to that can be very warm and very embracing.
And then there's freak-out Seth.
I feel like Seth can't deal with the pressure.
When he encounters difficulty, that's when he flips out.
Guess what.
This competition isn't easy.
There's a lot of talented Chefs, buddy.
Things aren't looking good for him.
Naked guy over this way.
My biggest weakness is psychological.
If I let the pressure get to me and I let my emotions take effect, it's definitely gonna drag me down.
It's been a little bit of up and downs, but, like, thinking about what I want, the two things that really drive me in my life are my family and cooking.
And when I'm here, I'm hating cooking.
Pastry Chefs are very detail-oriented and very obsessive, so to be put in an environment like this, working without your recipes in a new kitchen, it's very intense.
And cooking, for me, is about love and joy, but in the past few weeks, I've been feeling a little uneasy about what I've been doing, unsure.
Where do I really fit into this competition? But I don't want to make any decision out of emotion.
So for now, I'm gonna stick it out.
We've been through a lot in such a short time.
I know.
We really have.
I feel like I've been with you guys for [Bleep.]
months.
We walk into the Just Desserts kitchen, and there's this table full of ice cream.
We knew this was coming up.
We knew there was gonna be an ice-cream challenge.
Hello, Chefs.
All: Hello, Gail.
Today's guest judge is the Executive Chef of Tru in Chicago, my friend Gale Gand.
Gale Gand is known for taking very American classics and putting her own little twist on them, so this should be interesting.
I'm really excited to tell you about today's challenge.
It's a really fun one.
All right.
This dish has been pleasing Americans for over a century.
With the help of Breyers all natural ice cream and its variety of flavors, you're gonna be making the ultimate ice-cream sundae.
Yes.
Yes.
Right off the top of my head, I know I can do this awesome ice cream that I can put together in 15 minutes, and I'm gonna win because of that.
This one's mine.
And I'm not talking about just old bananas and nuts.
We want to be amused.
We want to be overindulged.
We want to see sundaes like we've never seen them before.
Do we make our own ice cream? You do not make your own ice cream.
Weak sauce.
Weak sauce.
I really don't know what Seth's problem is.
I absolutely love Breyers.
I'm excited.
[Sighs.]
I notice Seth seems out of it and is just shaking and pacing, and it's actually really scary.
[Seth chuckles.]
[Sighs.]
Yes, yes, yes.
I don't know.
It looked like he really couldn't help his behavior.
[Exhales sharply.]
Wow.
[chuckles.]
Yes.
[exhales sharply.]
As we're waiting for the crew to set up for the next part of the quickfire challenge, we go back to the stew room, and Seth starts causing problems again.
Does anybody else have any questions regarding to this challenge? Does anyone else remember hearing the items you don't use in this challenge will become part of the pantry? Do you remember hearing that? Yes, and then they changed it.
And then they told us they won't.
But I threw away something I brought from home because of that, and that's still not fair.
Something has happened in him where he decided that everybody was against him, the competition was against him.
It was definitely a moment where he flipped.
Well, it's not gonna affect this challenge.
How do you know? Oh, lord, Jesus almighty.
I don't care.
I'm defending myself.
Seth thinks they took some friggin' paper cups that he brought from home and feels as though now he can't make anything 'cause he doesn't have paper cups.
I just want the amount of cups that I brought with me back.
I couldn't find my paper cups that I needed for the ice-cream-sundae challenge, so I feel like it's not a fair starting point, you know? It's not fair.
Paper cups, paper cups and grapefruit juice-- I mean, these are Seth's breakdowns.
I was born at night, but not last night.
I'm not gonna throw myself on a cross and just go home 'cause you threw away my equipment.
And I think you guys are lying.
I mean, all of a sudden, he just started screaming, like, "I want my passport.
"I want my phone.
I want my wallet.
"Get me out of here.
Get me on the plane.
"Get me on the plane.
Get me on the plane.
Get me out of here.
" And then he disappeared.
Does he do that in the restaurant? What he's going through is no worse than any of us.
Absolutely.
You know? It's no worse than any of us.
He had no right to lose control.
I think Seth has had such an enormous emotional outbreak that I think everyone feels like a hurricane just erupted out of nowhere, and none of us want to have anything to do with it.
Can I get a raise of hands for everyone who's sick of it? Thank you.
It's just exhausting.
You know, we already have to have our minds into the challenges, and we want to enjoy ourselves with the challenges.
But he takes the fun out of it.
Honestly, I don't think he has the maturity level to handle the amount of pressure.
We don't need that.
I mean, we were so ready to start this challenge.
And I want us all to put it behind us and move forward.
[Siren wailing.]
Seth has totally freaked out in front of all of us and just blew up and, like, ran out the door.
Then suddenly we hear sirens, and we're like, "what the hell is going on?" [Siren continues wailing.]
Just try to relax for me, all right, buddy? [Exhales deeply.]
I want us all to put I it behind us and move forward.
[Siren wailing.]
Seth has totally freaked out in front of all of us and just blew up and, like, ran out the door.
Then suddenly we hear sirens, and we're like, "what the hell is going on?" Just try to relax for me, all right, buddy? I just got very upset, got into an argument, and it just kind of spiraled out of control till I was not able to catch my breath and ended up having what they call an anxiety attack and fainted and had to have, you know, 911 come and everything.
Okay.
It's your breathing.
What you need to do is just slow your breathing down.
And I didn't know what it was, 'cause that's never happened, but I feel like a crazy person.
We're gonna have you sit up.
Please.
Get up.
Sit up.
We're gonna have you sit on this ice chest.
Just go ahead and lean up.
Just lean up against it.
At this point, at Producers' discretion, I am not cleared to compete any further, and I'm done.
This is crushing.
This is the worst thing ever.
To have a dream and to be, you know-- to achieve it and then-- not to have it taken away, but to take it away from yourself-- I wouldn't wish it upon anybody.
[Siren wailing.]
Right.
With just the people we have in here.
What's up, guys? Well, Seth's no longer going to be with us.
He's had an anxiety attack, and he's not going to be able to continue in the competition.
So we wish him the best.
I don't know what to think.
I'm a little bit shocked.
I'm nervous.
I'm worried for him.
You know, I hope that Seth is gonna be okay.
I'm here to e if I can get you guys back on track.
I mean, I feel bad for him, like, in a human, compassionate way.
On the other hand, though, to have him not there is just [Laughs.]
It's like I can't even put it into words.
It's like 900 tons of pressure, like, lifted off my chest.
You guys have anything you want to ask me or say to me? I mean, is there anything we can do? I'm just ready to eat some ice cream, man.
Yeah.
I'm ready to eat some ice cream and play with some sundaes.
All right, then, on that note, let's get back to what the competition is.
We want to.
Thanks, guys.
All right.
Chefs, good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
All: Thank Chef.
[Exhales deeply.]
Oh, holla.
I am more than okay with Seth's leaving.
Head for the kitchen.
I think there's an emotional pause for about five minutes, but after that, I could just see a few people feeling so much more comfortable, because now nobody has to avoid the enormous pink elephant in the room.
So at this point, I think me and most of the contestants, we just want to focus on the food and just make beautiful food.
Then I guess it's just the eight of you.
It's unfortunate, because I really love Seth's ideas.
He would have been the one that would have really pushed all of us to do better.
Yet, on the other hand, he's a mess, and, you know, it's a relief to have him gone.
So what do you say we get back to making dessert? Yes.
Absolutely.
I hope that Seth's able to work out his issues, because I know there is an amazing Chef in there, and he just needs to trust himself and not get so worked up about everything.
Let's get started.
You'll each pull an ice-cream scoop to determine which flavor of Breyers all natural ice cream you'll be required to use.
Morgan, please pull out an ice-cream scoop.
Mint chocolate chip.
I pull mint chocolate chip.
It's my son's favorite ice cream.
I think I've got a good dessert I can do.
Chocolate chip cookie dough.
Chocolate.
You know it.
Zac.
Cherry vanilla.
Danielle.
Rocky road.
Eric.
Natural vanilla.
Heather.
Vanilla fudge twirl.
And Malika.
Cookies & cream.
Just so we're clear, the winner of this quickfire will receive immunity in the next elimination round.
You'll have 30 minutes to create the ultimate ice-cream sundae.
Your time starts now.
I love ice-cream sundaes.
But I don't like them crazy and turned upside down and wacky, 'cause I don't think that's interesting.
My style is not overcomplicated.
That's how I won the last challenge, and if I can just focus on what I do, that simple kind of traditional American baking, then I do have a chance to win this challenge.
17 minutes.
My ice cream is cookies & cream.
And I'm really looking forward to getting in front of Chef Gale Gand, and, you know, showing off my sundae.
I'm so happy that I'm here for this challenge.
You know, all the crazy things going on with Seth really reminded me to just have fun.
Ahh.
My sundae is mint chocolate chip, cookies, and milk.
But instead of s-u-n-d-a-e, I'm thinking s-u-n-d-a-y.
That's 'cause, since splitting up with my wife, Sunday is my day with my boy.
My son loves oreo cookies.
And he loves mint chocolate chip ice cream.
So this is going to be cooking for my son, and I would very much like to win.
Nine minutes, guys.
Nine minutes.
What? I pulled rocky road.
The sundae I'm gonna make is kind of a takeoff of neapolitan, so it's chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
My long-term goal has always been to have an old-fashioned soda shop.
You know, I've made, like, a bazillion sundaes, so I totally know good combinations and flavors, so I feel like I have an advantage.
3 minutes and 20 seconds! Sorry, love.
[Whistles.]
Seth's leaving was very emotionally draining.
And I may be breaking down on the inside, but, you know, you have to keep your cool and calm together, because in a kitchen, things go wrong, and this is when you, you know, bring in your professionalism.
Check his drama aside, and we just have to make the best of this.
You need this heavy cream here? Can I use it? Go for it, honey.
It's all you.
I'm actually kind of ice cream-obsessed.
In turkey, we have ice-cream parlors, but it's not as huge as it is in America.
I moved to the U.
S.
in 1992.
And now that I'm here, I eat a ton of ice cream.
Chocolate chip cookie dough is a very American flavor, and it's not something that I was brought up with.
I want to pull from all the things I never had as a kid, and I want to wow the judges.
One minute! Oh, Jesus.
[Grunts.]
[Groans.]
[Laughs.]
Chefs, time's up.
Utensils down.
[Whistles.]
All done.
Hello, Gails.
Hi.
It's the Gails.
Gail squared.
That's right.
Correct.
So today I have what I call the "Black Forest is burning" sundae.
So I had the cherry vanilla Breyers ice cream.
I panko-battered it and deep-fried it.
Deep-fried ice cream.
Basically, if you can cook it, I can fry it.
[Giggles.]
I like your style.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Gail.
Hi, ladies.
Hi, Erika.
Wow.
I have a chocolate banana s'mores frangelico sundae.
Tell me about the chocolate on the graham cracker.
I used a little bit of the Godiva semisweet.
Thank you.
Thanks so much.
Hi, Morgan.
So this is a s-u-n-d-a-y.
And you're gonna have to forgive me, 'cause I'm gonna cry, and it's gonna suck, but Just breathe.
I have my son every Sunday, guaranteed.
That's my day with my boy.
And I have a "sunday" snack, so it's cookies and milk.
So we have an oreo mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich and then some chocolate milk.
And to really accentuate the mint, I made a mint syrup.
That's really good.
Mmm.
Can I slurp this? Yes.
The chocolate milk is a bit foamy.
It's like a hot chocolate.
Exactly.
So we've got a mix of the frozen and the warm.
Thank you, Morgan.
Thank you.
Hello, ladies.
Hi.
I had vanilla fudge twirl.
So what I did was I made a sauce with brown sugar, butter, and I added a little bit of rum.
Then I fried some bananas on top with a little bit of cinnamon cream.
Great.
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Heather.
Thanks.
Hi.
How are you? Hi, Eric.
What I did today was sauteed peaches with a little bit of Brandy and brown sugar and butter.
And I also did a crisp on top.
Good instincts, all good instincts.
Thank you so much, Eric.
Thank you so much.
Hello.
I did some chocolate caramel sauce that has some malted-milk powder, and then I mixed that into bananas.
Wow.
So the sauce is caramel and chocolate? Yes.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Yigit.
How are you? I had chocolate chip cookie dough, so I wanted to work very decadent and luscious flavors.
So what I wanted to do was work peanut butter and kind of a concept of a s'more with the cookie dough.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Danielle.
I did rocky road meets neapolitan, 'cause when I was a kid, my mom would take those boxed ice creams and cut a slice, and I thought it was so cool.
I thought it was magic.
So I layered it.
I did rocky road and toasted almonds.
I roasted strawberries with a little honey and cinnamon and then marshmallows.
Nice meringue.
They definitely seemed to like it.
Like I said before, I definitely want to have an old-fashioned soda shop.
And to just have that kind of validation of I am good, it means everything to me.
Chefs, you were each given a specific ice-cream flavor and challenged to make sundaes.
Gale, why don't you tell them who our least favorite sundaes were? Eric, I felt like if I had had that sundae somewhere, I wouldn't necessarily want to meet the Chef that made that.
Come on, was it really that bad? Was it really that bad? I don't think so.
Danielle, with your sundae, we felt like we didn't quite get the neapolitan reference.
I heard it, but I don't know that I saw it in the sundae itself.
I'm totally bummed.
They seemed to enjoy it, and I'm just a little confused.
But I know that I thought it was delicious, and that's-- that's all I can do.
Erika, with yours, we were a little disappointed, because Gail specifically said she didn't want just nuts and bananas, and that was kind of what you gave us.
You gave us nuts and bananas with a little twist.
So, Gale, whose were our favorites? ZacI found yours really interesting.
I liked the fact that you used panko crumbs to coat your ice cream.
I'd never seen that before.
Yigit, your combination of chocolate ganache and the sauce was fun to eat.
So we enjoyed that one very much.
Thank you very much.
Morgan, we really enjoyed yours as well.
We liked the contrast in texture and temperature, so the hot cocoa along with the frozen mint chocolate chip ice cream in a sandwich, which I just loved.
And, you know, only one of you can win.
Our favorite was Morgan's.
[Applause.]
Thanks, buddy.
Congratulations, Morgan.
That means you have immunity in the next elimination challenge.
That's my first quickfire win.
It's my first win, period.
It feels good.
Cooking for my son and having somebody like it as much as I hoped he would [Sniffles.]
That's, uh--that's awesome.
For this next elimination challenge, you're going to be working in three teams of three.
Because Seth left us, as you can see, there aren't enough of you to do so, so we've decided to bring someone back.
[Cheers and applause.]
For this next elimination challenge, you're going to be working in three teams of three.
Because Seth left us, as you can see, there aren't enough of you to do so, so we've decided to bring someone back.
[Cheers and applause.]
Heather was the last Chef eliminated, so she's back in the competition.
[Laughs.]
I do feel like I left the competition a little early.
I feel like I haven't been able to really show what my strengths are.
You know, I have another chance.
Hi so they announce that Heather C's coming back Seth has left and I'm happy to see her but I mean seriously,, but anyone, as long as it's not Seth.
Chefs, the next elimination challenge is gonna test the limits of your imagination, creativity, and teamwork.
But before we get to what it is, you're gonna be divided into three teams.
I'm not really happy to hear that because the last elimination was a team challenge.
And it was just awful so I'm very nervous that this is not gonna go well.
Morgan, Yigit, and Zac, you were the top three from our quickfire challenge, so you will be the three team captains.
Morgan, you pick first.
Chef Gand (laughing) Heather H, please.
Yigit, you're next.
Erika.
Zac, who would you like? Malika.
Morgan.
Eric.
Danielle.
Heather C.
All right, go to your groups.
Because I don't know what the challenge will be, I want as balanced a team as I can possibly get.
Heather H is a great technician.
Eric is a man of flavor.
He's a great Baker.
He balances my team well.
You ready to kick some ass? Yes.
We are so [Bleep.]
ready.
We better win this.
All right, we ready? I nicknamed my team Team Breakdown, just because all three of us are prone to crying.
Tonight you'll be lucky enough to attend a performance by the Lucent Dossier experience.
They're a truly extraordinary group of performance artists that live in the most whimsical world.
You'll take inspiration from their performance and translate what you see into incredible desserts that will be served at a party of Lucent Dossier devotees.
I have no idea who Lucent Dossier is, but apparently they're some swinging, fire-wielding, aerialist troupe-- sounds fun.
In honor of the Lucent Dossier group, we want you to create a flaming experience.
And we mean fire.
Each team must also make a magnificent showpiece that must be the main attraction at your service station.
A pastry showpiece is an architectural structure that represents a certain theme of the room which it stands in.
And it takes a lot of work to get done.
I'm really, really nervous about the showpiece, because last time I did a showpiece was six years ago in culinary school.
And finally, each member of your team must put their own stamp on an individual dessert that echoes the concept and theme of your showpiece.
I am so overwhelmed by this challenge.
I mean, three desserts plus a flaming dessert.
I mean, it's just so mu-- it's so much.
It's crazy.
All right, Chefs, enjoy the performance.
Good luck.
We arrive at Lucent Dossier performance space.
It's very foggy, very mystical.
Welcome to mission control, Chefs.
I'm totally stoked to see this performance.
Ladies and gentlemen, for your culinary inspiration, we bring you a Lucent Dossier experience.
[Upbeat music.]
Ha! Ha! It's just mayhem, smoke everywhere, all the crazy costumes and all the different crazy characters.
It's almost like Mad Max meets Cirque du Soleil.
Chefs, thank you so much for coming.
We're really excited to see what you create.
[Applause.]
We should do a fruit dessert, a chocolate dessert, and then something that's kind of crunchy and yummy at the same time.
We have to get inspired by the Lucent Dossier to create a showpiece, one dessert each, and one flaming dessert.
What are you thinking? Talk to me.
Cake.
What kind of cake? I don't know-- chocolate.
Work with me, Danielle.
I know.
I'll do a mango panna cotta with the passion stuff.
That way we have a fruit.
We've got exotic fruit.
And I'll work on the centerpiece.
Towards the end if I need help-- with you guys getting all the centerpiece stuff, I will.
I volunteered that I would do the showpiece.
I was very inspired by the performance.
So I thought I would have some really good ideas.
Do we have everything we need for our showpiece? Heather immediately said, "I'm gonna do the showpiece.
" I mean, I've done a lot of showpieces, but good luck to her, because I have immunity.
There's only 15 minutes, so we've got to--we got to pick this up, okay? Put lemon-- some zest into it.
You know what? Whatev-- you figure out your dish, okay? Heather C is always so frazzled, so I'm really nervous that she's on my team, especially because she threw people under the bus the last challenge.
I'm definitely feeling, like, a little excluded from some of the planning, and I just feel like Zac doesn't like me.
Why don't you focus on your dessert? I'm feeling very nervous about Heather, because she's very unsure.
She's very emotional.
If you go in a challenge nerve-racked to begin with, it's just a really bad formula.
Good luck, huh? Yeah, you too.
Our theme is called exotic, since the show's got different colors.
It's vibrant.
It feels very surreal.
I'm working on triple-chocolate torte.
Eric's making a lemon roulade.
Oh, [Bleep.]
.
Come on.
And Morgan is doing a mango panna cotta.
Come on, just stay.
Stay, stay, stay.
Oh, you're an angel.
Thank you.
How are you doing on time and pace? I'm fine.
I'm starting to do the chocolate cake.
Our team's theme is naughty and nice.
My dessert is homemade banana bread topped with a spicy red curry.
Our flaming dessert is a Black Forest cake with flambeed cherries on top.
How's the panna cotta? I'm doing it now.
I wanted to get the cake in the oven first.
Malika is making a saffron panna cotta with candied ginger.
Heather C has finally decided on chocolate sorbet and meringue with peppered pineapple.
How many orders do you think I can get out of one slice? Out of one slice of pineapple? Bank for two.
If this base is still liquid, it's probably wrong, right? Uh, yeah.
What do you think the highest I can bake this meringue at is? Huh? Heather is very, very, very unsure and has a ton of questions and can't function as an independent individual.
And that's part of the reason why she got eliminated in the first place.
Heather.
Do you have a second, or do you want me to clean up these egg whites? Someone's gonna, like, die.
Our theme is sassy, sexy, and sultry.
My dessert is raspberry with a lime cake, creme fraiche, and a sweet lime bavarian, and it's paired with a savory sort of sweet lime and tonka Bean sorbet.
Erika's making a sassy pineapple with almond ice cream.
And Danielle's making a sultry chocolate dish with a basil ice cream.
2 hours and 58 minutes! Uh, what are you working on next? Being a leader kind of comes naturally to me, and it's something I've adopted since I was at a young age.
Bring it to a boil, put it into a bowl--that's it.
But if something goes wrong, you get blamed.
That's part of the job.
I just have to deal with that now.
Hour and 15! Come here and just push my face in.
Just push, push, push.
I am completely in charge of the showpiece.
My favorite technique is a brown sugar molding technique.
We end up molding my face and then making a mask out of that, which comes out awesome.
Oh, that's great.
I am looking around at this point, and I see Zac is putting his face in chocolate, and the other team is, like, making different weird sculptures, and we're kind of being very traditional.
God.
What worries me is that Morgan has immunity, and Heather has proven herself to be a superstar.
So if this team goes down, you know, like, I'll probably be the one going home.
What's doing? Man, I don't know what Heather's doing.
Where is she? This is not working out for me.
I need a minute of your time, because my meringue is not coming off of the silpats now.
They overdried.
You just have to get through this.
They're all, like, overbaked or whatever.
I need to do something else now.
I'm about to walk out the door.
Both: Okay.
So I need something that I can just handle Here's the cake.
Very manageable.
Heather is upset, and I understand.
I still have my doubts about being in the competition and being away from my kids, but in a team challenge, you've got to get yourself together and do the best you can.
Guys, five minutes, five minutes.
Beautiful.
That already came to a boil? Oh, you just-- okay, hold on.
I boiled the water.
Just--let's focus.
Okay, I've never added all this dry stuff to a sorbet.
I can-- okay, no, 'cause-- okay, I just need you to listen to me, 'cause I'm about to freak out.
You're adding lemon juice.
We need to add the sweet limes.
It's frustrating, because I gave Danielle a simple task-- prepare some sorbet.
But I'm not sure she was paying attention.
All the dry ingredients came to a full boil? However, my main concern for myself is, because I was helping Danielle Bring it to a quick boil and let's throw it in the freezer.
I'm a little worried that I didn't get to attend to my desserts as much as I wanted to.
If our team lost and one of us had to go home, being the team leader, I think it's gonna be me.
You're letting your teammates down.
What a brat.
Spoiled brat.
She needs to suck it up.
[Beeping.]
I call home to talk to my three boys.
I miss them so much.
How are you, sweetheart? I'm gonna be home before you know it.
[Chuckles.]
Just one day feels like a whole week.
I really miss you.
I have to do the best I can in the challenge How are you? Because if I'm not cooking to win, then there's no reason for me to be here.
I'm doing okay, sweetie.
I'm really, really busy working.
The opportunity to be on Top Chef: Just Desserts is the start of a very positive direction.
I can't go home after coming all this way.
I can't give up.
[Voice breaking.]
Okay, I love you guys.
Bye.
Was it? Oh.
It's the morning of our elimination challenge.
Obviously, somebody's got to go home, but I feel terrific, 'cause I have immunity, and I'm not going home.
Yo.
Is there anything we can get for you? I can see Heather C is really upset.
Going, coming back-- it's taken a big toll on her.
I think she's extremely frustrated with her performance.
I hate to see you lose something that you-- that you once saw not so long ago as a dream and an ideal of something that you wanted to participate in.
I mean, Morgan's right.
Top Chef: Just Desserts is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
But I feel like I'm making it a very big disaster.
Heather You're letting your teammates down.
You know, Heather C seems to break down at every turn and every corner.
I know she wasn't really happy with her dish, but this is a competition.
Everyone's gonna go home, except for one person.
Deal with it.
Heather, how about your teammates? This is a team competition.
I'm very upset that she lashes out at me, because I'm having a lot of mixed emotions about being back.
You don't think you're being selfish? I hope she's eliminated tonight.
Maybe she will understand what I'm going through.
What a spoiled brat.
Heather C's got a great opportunity coming back.
So what is the problem? Oh, I'm so fed up with her.
She needs to suck it up.
We head over to the Lucent Dossier Studio.
It's gonna be really fun.
We're gonna be able to interact with all the performers.
Our challenge is a two-feet-tall showpiece, three plated desserts-- 50 portions each-- and one flaming dessert-- 25 portions.
Hey, babe, I like it.
I think so too.
Oh, it looks good.
I'm just trying to get the flaming glasses ready.
And I can't see anything.
I have anise and cinnamon that I have to take out of my cherries, and I can't find them.
32 minutes! Don't break it.
My showpiece has nice shape and flow to it.
And the colors are very vibrant and very earthy.
I'm done.
I'm gonna go back to plating, okay? Okay.
I think that the desserts play very well to Lucent Dossier.
I think the showpiece has fallen a bit short of its original design plan.
It just doesn't represent exotic in my opinion.
Do you want to come take a peek at the sculpture? I see the other team's showpieces, and, I mean, it's, like, balls and columns and pulled sugar flowers.
I think ours is personal and really about this experience.
You do it like that, right? Whoa! Wait, wait, wait, wait.
At this point, we just want to make sure that we put together the showpiece without it cracking or without it falling through.
The other teams have taken a very safe approach with their showpieces, and ours is definitely much more delicate, which could work in our favor.
But with the slightest stroke of hand, it could all go to pieces.
[bleep.]
.
Go ahead and just pull it back.
Okay.
Five minutes! We need to hustle, 'cause we don't have any desserts ready.
Oh, my God, we are so behind.
The last five minutes before service starts, I'm definitely a little panicked.
We're still putting together our showpiece, and the guests are starting to come in.
I didn't realize that other teams had their desserts plated and ready to go, and we're still working on it.
Easy.
Easy, baby.
I don't want to go down in fire and flames on this one.
I need people to listen to me, guys, please.
You don't tell me that.
God, we have to hustle.
Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for every delicious morsel you have created.
So we are here to now present to you the inspiration we get from you-- the Lucent Dossier experience.
[Cheers and applause.]
I can't even concentrate in here.
It's toasty.
Wow.
So the show is starting, and we're still setting up our stations.
We got to have three different sets.
This is getting flambeed? Can you grab me a tasting spoon, please? Whoa.
My God.
I think we've really catered to this crowd.
I think, like, the mango panna cotta that's on the other table, I think is boring.
We're using saffron.
We're using smoked almonds.
We're using pepper.
We're using red curry.
So, I mean, I think that we really made these desserts for this crowd.
So I'm totally excited.
Thank you for coming and spending your time with Lucent Dossier.
Enjoy your food.
[Cheers and applause.]
Extra gloves.
Extra gloves.
Right here.
Right here.
Nice work.
Nice work.
Do we have more peaches cooked, or is that it? I think the other two teams played it more safe with their showpieces.
Nice and gentle.
We took more of a risk.
So in taking that risk, you know, it's like a 50/50 chance either they'll love it, or they may hate it.
What else do we need? Nothing.
Just We need the cake.
Is that the creme fraiche? This is creme fraiche with a little sugar.
I've got, like, 100 orders.
Hi, guys.
All: Hi.
You've already met Gale Gand.
And joining us again at the judges' table, Hubert Keller.
Hello, Chef.
Good to be here.
Hello.
We'd love to hear about your showpiece.
I was pretty much the one that focused on the centerpiece.
This is supposed to kind of represent some of the shapes from their "dresswear" and also the room.
All right, well, let's talk about the desserts that you made and how they relate to the showpiece.
My dish itself is a mango panna cotta.
It is served alongside an acai fluid gel and a passion fruit sorbet.
And there's the crescent that you find in the middle of the room that the aerialist performs on.
And that's represented in the crescents of milk chocolate.
Heather.
This is a triple-chocolate chai tea mousse torte.
Beautiful.
Eric.
I made a roulade.
Inside it has a caramel cream and a lemon cream, and on the side is a pomegranate sauce and candied kumquats.
For the flambe dish, what we've done is a almond cream.
And on top is, uh, cherries that were cooked in star anise, and then we have the flame on top.
Basically, it's kind of like a cherry pie all over the place.
All right.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Please enjoy, Chef.
We put out some beautiful product.
We did.
Yeah.
Yeah, the spoon is an issue.
Look at that.
Heather really was in charge of the showpiece.
I think the other two kind of gave her the freedom to go with it.
So if the showpiece comes out too small, it basically disappears.
Here, it really made an effect.
You cannot miss it.
You know, Morgan had immunity on this challenge, and he really takes a lot of ownership.
Morgan really put a lot of thought into this dish.
It's visually beautiful.
There's a lot of great colors here.
He didn't need to work hard on this one, but he did anyway.
Tasting these desserts, I was like, "I wonder what I taste like?" [Both laugh.]
Absolutely.
Well, you'll pardon me if I don't taste you.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
I haven't figured out really what Eric was going for, 'cause, visually, it's not very sexy.
Though I bet, for Eric, standing it on its end, for him, is kind of whimsical.
I totally agree.
I absolutely had this twice, and I love it.
Gale, what did you think of Heather H's dessert? Flavor-wise and texture-wise, it's very pleasant to eat.
I agree with you.
I really taste that chai flavor.
And it does feel a little bit sultry and a little bit exotic.
It was my first dessert with chai, and I loved it.
I had never had a chai dessert before, and it was very lovely.
All right, let's try their flaming dessert.
What is that? Is it crunchy? See if you guys get it.
No.
No.
Oh, I got it.
It's a star anise.
A piece of it? They didn't take it out.
Yeah.
Well, that's sort of unpleasant, Johnny.
Star anise is not meant to be eaten.
I think it's licorice.
Hi, Chefs.
Hello, Chef.
Chef.
First of all, none of us do showpieces.
So that was a challenge from the get-go.
I used a technique where I molded chocolate pressed in brown sugar.
That's actually my face down there.
We tried all the faces.
Apparently mine was the best.
All right, well, let's talk about your individual desserts.
We have a banana creme fraiche cake with a red-curry frosting.
It's that naughty/nice, sour/sweet, spicy/sweet.
I do hope you enjoy it.
Heather, tell us what you made.
I did a spiced black pepper pineapple with a chocolate sherbert and meringue.
Thank you.
I made a saffron-infused panna cotta with a feuilletine crunch.
And my sweet is my saffron.
And then my naughty is my spicy ginger.
For the quickfire, I called my sundae "The Black Forest is burning.
" So we decided, in the spirit of whimsy, to do the Black Forest is burning.
We're still in the Black Forest.
We're still in the Black Forest.
So what we have is a dark-chocolate cake, and then we have some fresh cherries, which we're gonna flambe.
Excellent.
Oh, we got a little, nice flambe action.
Thank you guys so much.
Thank you, Chefs.
Thank you very much.
Are you okay? I'm trying, Zac.
What's wrong? I'm just trying.
You're not happy with your dish? No.
I don't really feel that good about this dish.
And I don't want to go home for a second time.
I think it looks gorgeous.
But I'm feeling a bit defeated.
As soon as I saw the showpiece, it reminded me of their costumes-- you know, a lot of glam.
I think they really captured the whole burlesque essence really well.
That person said my dessert was weird.
I'm weird.
We're all weird.
So guess what.
Our desserts can be weird.
I think what Heather C's did-- really, it's fairly simple.
I think, of the group, this is the least playful visually.
I'm also not sure the elements are really sort of intertwining.
So this is Malika's saffron panna cotta.
For me, this represents the delicate aspect of the show, you know, the effeminate.
This is the best thing Malika has made to date.
That was excellent.
No, absolutely.
Are these ones ready? Yes.
Yes.
Please.
What are they? Saffron panna cotta.
Okay, let's taste Zac's banana and curry cake.
Visually, it's fun.
It's got movement too.
It's like a swish.
It's wild flavor.
And the curry and the banana work.
Red curry.
Okay.
That's crazy talk.
That is.
Yeah.
But I like crazy.
And a Black Forest cake is a very, very traditional dessert, and I'm glad to see they kind of did their spin on it.
You know, set some trees on fire.
They're taking the risk and going out there, right? It's kind of fun.
This is really, like, sticky and rich and gooey.
It goes down easier than a sword.
Hello, guys.
Hey.
Hello.
Our theme was sexy, sultry, and sassy.
So we saw a lot of the shapes, like the different oval rings from the back, as well as a lot of the feather textures.
I did the sultry chocolate mousse cake, and a lot of the angular leaves and stuff-- that's what inspired mine.
Yigit.
Okay, so what we have is a creme fraiche and sweet lime bavarian.
And it's served with a tonka bean and sweet lime sorbet.
It just kind of has a little savory hint to it.
Great.
Erika.
I have an almond ice-cream bar with a little bit of fresh pineapples roasted.
Now let's talk about your flaming dessert.
We made almond and citrus mirliton cakes, flambeed it with some bourbon.
We're not flaming anything here? We're not flaming.
We're flamed.
Were you doing it in front of the customers as they were coming through? Yep.
You just didn't want to do it for us? Oh, well, we just didn't have the time, I suppose.
Sorry.
I think we got nervous.
I really feel terrible that they didn't see me flambeing the desserts right in front of them-- it's a big mistake.
So I'm hoping that's not going to work to our disadvantage.
They were inspired by a lot of different aspects, as far as the structure, the makeup, the clothing.
So I think they've really brought a lot of the different elements of the show into their showpiece.
I think what Danielle was trying to do-- I like the basil, but I think the cake is too dense.
I like the fact that she tried to lighten the flavors using basil.
I just wish it had more basil.
But what I do like about it-- it's a fudgy, silky texture on your tongue.
Oh! I'm really happy to see that Erika was smart enough to put a frozen dessert on a frozen plate.
Pineapple has a quite high acidity level.
And then you eat it with the ice cream.
It really, really comes well together.
This was made by Erika? I want her child.
I think the first approach, it's a very feminine dish what Yigit made.
I think Yigit really did a good job in capturing the feminine qualities of the aerialists.
If there's a flavor that's Lucent Dossier, it's this.
Ah! So this is Yigit's team's flaming dessert.
They had flambeed the peaches in bourbon before they plated it.
I must say, I was a little bit disappointed, because every other team went to the trouble that actually we see the flames.
We wanted fire.
We wanted excitement.
You know, that's why we were here.
I would recommend you getting your own plate, because I don't think that I want to share anymore.
Are we breaking down the station? No, I'm just picking up the trash.
Service ends.
Heather's acting strange.
Why are you so upset all of a sudden? I'm not upset.
Oh, okay.
I'm just being stoic.
Stoic.
She's really, really bitter about something, but I don't know what it is.
Tough one to read you are.
Oh, am I? Tough one to read.
She's very moody, but I try not to take it personally.
Okay, your dessert looked really beautiful, really elegant.
Oh, thank you.
I think you should glaze the sauce over the ones you have.
Okay, I need to go to the bathroom.
I feel bad that she's upset.
I know.
I don't know what to do for her.
She brings on her own misery.
This is the point in which I go, "okay, "will Zac throw me under the bus, you know, just like the previous team challenge?" I don't want to squander this opportunity, but I feel like I am.
What was the challenge In its entirety? [Bleep.]
Him.
Never again.
[Clatter.]
Everybody else is running around, panicking, and the only way I feel that I can get through this is by just slowing down.
But you look so calm.
I know.
You're like the Zen Master.
I love it.
Eric doesn't push buttons, so everyone loves Eric.
I call him the Zen Baker.
We all do.
I knew that getting into this that it would be kind ofCrazy.
Hi.
We'd like to see Morgan, Eric, and Heather H.
Thanks.
We put so much more work into that showpiece.
I'm sorry.
That's [Bleep.]
.
That's all I have to say.
Maybe they're taking us all in.
Chefs, we challenged you to take the whimsical, magical Lucent Dossier experience and turn it into a dessert.
You definitely took us on a mystical journey.
You are the winning team.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Morgan, this dessert has been the best you've shown us so far.
I thought the flavors were spot on.
I thought the textures were great.
The way you laid it on the plate, I think it was a beautiful dessert, and I'd be happy to see that in a restaurant.
Thank you, Chef.
Let's talk about Heather's dessert.
I loved the textures, the supple smoothness, the subtle flavors of it.
Overall, I thought it ate very well.
I think, when it came to the showpiece, it definitely brought in the theme of Lucent Dossier in that piece, so I think it was pretty spectacular the way you did it.
So, Eric, I'm happy to see that you're actually getting to the point where you're composing multi-flavored, multi-textured desserts and thinking outside of a plate.
And I thought it was interesting to kind of have a roulade turned on its side.
You gave it to us in a way we're not familiar seeing it.
I really have to thank these guys for-- I mean, you know, I don't plate.
So, I mean, this to me was like, I feel like I'm climbing.
So, Gale, as our guest judge, please announce the winner.
All three of you really transported us, but we have to pick one, and we picked Morgan Again.
[Light applause.]
It always feels good to win.
It's a great feeling for 15 minutes, but game's on tomorrow.
Congratulations to all of you.
Great teamwork.
Thank you.
You can return to the stew room.
Thank you.
Good night, judges.
Gail says we should go back to the stew room, but she doesn't say who's gonna be in the bottom.
Hey.
Hey.
Who won? I won.
[Light applause.]
Yay.
You're welcome, Morgan.
Pretty much Morgan was a selfish jerk.
He worked on one dessert.
And as a result, he won.
He did one dessert.
I did a [Bleep.]
centerpiece and a dessert.
He did two desserts.
[Bleep.]
Him.
Never again.
No, I'm not gonna carry anybody anymore.
Heather wanted to make the showpiece.
If she's angry at anyone, it should be with herself.
[Bleep.]
What, Heather? I don't want to talk about it.
We won.
What difference does it make right now? I know.
So just-- in hindsight, I did a centerpiece and a plated dessert.
And as a result, my plated dessert was sacrificed.
And, honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with Morgan.
He's about himself.
He's not a team player.
Hi, Chefs.
Hi.
There were actually some hits and some misses on both of the other teams tonight.
So we would like to ask both of you some questions.
Let's start with Yigit, Danielle, and Erika.
Yigit, what was the challenge The challenge-- in its entirety? Absolutely.
The challenge was to create a showpiece.
Phase two was to translate desserts that would tie into the showpiece.
What's the third part? The flaming dessert.
Flaming dessert.
Where was the fire? You guys neglected to present the judges a flaming dessert.
When we did it for the guests, we did flambe the desserts.
We didn't get to see that.
To be fair to the two other teams, I think we felt like there was an issue here.
As you know, we still want to speak to the other team, so please send them out.
Thank you.
You know, I am a team Captain, so it was my fault that we, you know, failed to flambe our dessert right in front of them.
Zac, Malika, Heather.
Good luck, girl.
What happened? Chitchat? Mm-hmm.
I'm very happy with that.
Let's talk about what you guys did for us tonight.
Zac, the dessert was well-balanced, and I thought the banana curry cake was killer.
Zac, I really liked the cake, I must say, and I think you tried really going a direction, shocking a little bit.
I think the use of the curry, of pushing, a little bit, the envelope there, and so that was actually really great.
I loved the banana bread.
What I did have a little trouble with was it looked kind of punched out.
Like, it didn't look like a finished dessert.
Malika.
I chose to bring saffron into my dish.
I put it into a panna cotta, and under that, I had the feuilletine crunch, 'cause I wanted creamy and crunchy.
Malika, I think your dessert was one of my favorites tonight because of some of the elements you're talking about.
The creaminess of the panna cotta was spot on.
And some of that was-- Chef, um I think before we do go on, I have to say that I would perhaps like to ask to be eliminated today.
I think before we do go on, I have to say that I would perhaps like to ask to be eliminated today 'Cause I just would not want to see any of my fellow Chefs eliminated tonight, knowing how badly all of them want to be Top Chef.
Are you sure this is what you want to do? You know, I really am sure.
I'm happy about my decision, and I am very sure.
I just want to reiterate that your dessert was exceptional tonight.
It was the best thing we've had from you.
We've had some really great flavors from you since day one.
Thank you so much.
I'm honored, but it's the right thing for me, so--and that's what's important right now.
You can return to the kitchen and pack up your tools.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
There are two things that drive me in my life.
The first is my children, and the second is cooking.
And I don't enjoy cooking in a competitive environment.
And that's what I really learned coming here.
How'd it go? It went well.
I am leaving.
How do you mean? I'm going home tonight.
I eliminated myself.
I think I'm the least of the group who wants to be Top Chef, and it was unfair, so it was the right time to do it, so My decision about leaving-- it's not a sad one.
I just need to, like, hug everyone.
I really enjoyed the challenge, and I really, really loved working with my teammates.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
But my heart is really with my kids and my kitchen.
That gives me a lot of thrill and a lot of joy.
What's next for me is to go back to my life and keep moving forward and challenging myself in a way that feels right for me.
Next time on Top Chef: Just Desserts Go, diva.
Go, diva.
Heather, Zac, and I, we've become team "Go, Diva.
" Go, diva.
You're my diva.
People are a little bit threatened by the three of us.
Tough [Bleep.]
.
[All screaming.]
[Laughter.]
Yes! [Laughs.]
I love shoes, especially women's shoes.
Sassy.
Rrrow.
[Imitates whip cracking.]
Sassy.
I could take it off the form and have it on you in ten minutes.
We'll save that for later, Zac.
Okay.
The actual look of it was amateurish.
This is a dangerous bonbon.
It's more like a bomb-bomb.
For more about the recipes you've seen tonight,
I wasn't able to complete it.
You're what? I'm leaving.
Malika is having insecurities about her skills.
The winner is Eric.
[applause.]
I actually wanted to do something different.
Heather, you weren't forced into anything.
I am not saying that anyone forced me-- you're making people on the team who have supported you-- guys, can we just not argue with each other and just do this honorably? Heather Your dessert just didn't measure up.
You should go home, because you are a dick.
But I am cooking better food than you, so I'm not gonna go home.
Now nine 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.
[Buzzing loudly.]
Who has the creativity, the skill, and the drive to win Top Chef: Just Desserts? Top Chef: Just Desserts 1x04 Lucent Dossier The stress for me is just incredible.
I'm more stressed out than I've ever been in my entire life.
I would describe my profession as an artist, definitely.
[Groans.]
You have to be crazy to be a great artist, so, I mean, I'm a little bit crazy, I guess.
Can I have a bagel with cream cheese and stubble, please? Hey, man, what do you want a cat to do? You know, I haven't shaved in, like, four [Bleep.]
days, because I can never get in the bathroom.
I think it looks very rugged and handsome on you.
Oh, yeah, not very professional.
There's two Seths.
Um, there's the Seth that you want to talk to that can be very warm and very embracing.
And then there's freak-out Seth.
I feel like Seth can't deal with the pressure.
When he encounters difficulty, that's when he flips out.
Guess what.
This competition isn't easy.
There's a lot of talented Chefs, buddy.
Things aren't looking good for him.
Naked guy over this way.
My biggest weakness is psychological.
If I let the pressure get to me and I let my emotions take effect, it's definitely gonna drag me down.
It's been a little bit of up and downs, but, like, thinking about what I want, the two things that really drive me in my life are my family and cooking.
And when I'm here, I'm hating cooking.
Pastry Chefs are very detail-oriented and very obsessive, so to be put in an environment like this, working without your recipes in a new kitchen, it's very intense.
And cooking, for me, is about love and joy, but in the past few weeks, I've been feeling a little uneasy about what I've been doing, unsure.
Where do I really fit into this competition? But I don't want to make any decision out of emotion.
So for now, I'm gonna stick it out.
We've been through a lot in such a short time.
I know.
We really have.
I feel like I've been with you guys for [Bleep.]
months.
We walk into the Just Desserts kitchen, and there's this table full of ice cream.
We knew this was coming up.
We knew there was gonna be an ice-cream challenge.
Hello, Chefs.
All: Hello, Gail.
Today's guest judge is the Executive Chef of Tru in Chicago, my friend Gale Gand.
Gale Gand is known for taking very American classics and putting her own little twist on them, so this should be interesting.
I'm really excited to tell you about today's challenge.
It's a really fun one.
All right.
This dish has been pleasing Americans for over a century.
With the help of Breyers all natural ice cream and its variety of flavors, you're gonna be making the ultimate ice-cream sundae.
Yes.
Yes.
Right off the top of my head, I know I can do this awesome ice cream that I can put together in 15 minutes, and I'm gonna win because of that.
This one's mine.
And I'm not talking about just old bananas and nuts.
We want to be amused.
We want to be overindulged.
We want to see sundaes like we've never seen them before.
Do we make our own ice cream? You do not make your own ice cream.
Weak sauce.
Weak sauce.
I really don't know what Seth's problem is.
I absolutely love Breyers.
I'm excited.
[Sighs.]
I notice Seth seems out of it and is just shaking and pacing, and it's actually really scary.
[Seth chuckles.]
[Sighs.]
Yes, yes, yes.
I don't know.
It looked like he really couldn't help his behavior.
[Exhales sharply.]
Wow.
[chuckles.]
Yes.
[exhales sharply.]
As we're waiting for the crew to set up for the next part of the quickfire challenge, we go back to the stew room, and Seth starts causing problems again.
Does anybody else have any questions regarding to this challenge? Does anyone else remember hearing the items you don't use in this challenge will become part of the pantry? Do you remember hearing that? Yes, and then they changed it.
And then they told us they won't.
But I threw away something I brought from home because of that, and that's still not fair.
Something has happened in him where he decided that everybody was against him, the competition was against him.
It was definitely a moment where he flipped.
Well, it's not gonna affect this challenge.
How do you know? Oh, lord, Jesus almighty.
I don't care.
I'm defending myself.
Seth thinks they took some friggin' paper cups that he brought from home and feels as though now he can't make anything 'cause he doesn't have paper cups.
I just want the amount of cups that I brought with me back.
I couldn't find my paper cups that I needed for the ice-cream-sundae challenge, so I feel like it's not a fair starting point, you know? It's not fair.
Paper cups, paper cups and grapefruit juice-- I mean, these are Seth's breakdowns.
I was born at night, but not last night.
I'm not gonna throw myself on a cross and just go home 'cause you threw away my equipment.
And I think you guys are lying.
I mean, all of a sudden, he just started screaming, like, "I want my passport.
"I want my phone.
I want my wallet.
"Get me out of here.
Get me on the plane.
"Get me on the plane.
Get me on the plane.
Get me out of here.
" And then he disappeared.
Does he do that in the restaurant? What he's going through is no worse than any of us.
Absolutely.
You know? It's no worse than any of us.
He had no right to lose control.
I think Seth has had such an enormous emotional outbreak that I think everyone feels like a hurricane just erupted out of nowhere, and none of us want to have anything to do with it.
Can I get a raise of hands for everyone who's sick of it? Thank you.
It's just exhausting.
You know, we already have to have our minds into the challenges, and we want to enjoy ourselves with the challenges.
But he takes the fun out of it.
Honestly, I don't think he has the maturity level to handle the amount of pressure.
We don't need that.
I mean, we were so ready to start this challenge.
And I want us all to put it behind us and move forward.
[Siren wailing.]
Seth has totally freaked out in front of all of us and just blew up and, like, ran out the door.
Then suddenly we hear sirens, and we're like, "what the hell is going on?" [Siren continues wailing.]
Just try to relax for me, all right, buddy? [Exhales deeply.]
I want us all to put I it behind us and move forward.
[Siren wailing.]
Seth has totally freaked out in front of all of us and just blew up and, like, ran out the door.
Then suddenly we hear sirens, and we're like, "what the hell is going on?" Just try to relax for me, all right, buddy? I just got very upset, got into an argument, and it just kind of spiraled out of control till I was not able to catch my breath and ended up having what they call an anxiety attack and fainted and had to have, you know, 911 come and everything.
Okay.
It's your breathing.
What you need to do is just slow your breathing down.
And I didn't know what it was, 'cause that's never happened, but I feel like a crazy person.
We're gonna have you sit up.
Please.
Get up.
Sit up.
We're gonna have you sit on this ice chest.
Just go ahead and lean up.
Just lean up against it.
At this point, at Producers' discretion, I am not cleared to compete any further, and I'm done.
This is crushing.
This is the worst thing ever.
To have a dream and to be, you know-- to achieve it and then-- not to have it taken away, but to take it away from yourself-- I wouldn't wish it upon anybody.
[Siren wailing.]
Right.
With just the people we have in here.
What's up, guys? Well, Seth's no longer going to be with us.
He's had an anxiety attack, and he's not going to be able to continue in the competition.
So we wish him the best.
I don't know what to think.
I'm a little bit shocked.
I'm nervous.
I'm worried for him.
You know, I hope that Seth is gonna be okay.
I'm here to e if I can get you guys back on track.
I mean, I feel bad for him, like, in a human, compassionate way.
On the other hand, though, to have him not there is just [Laughs.]
It's like I can't even put it into words.
It's like 900 tons of pressure, like, lifted off my chest.
You guys have anything you want to ask me or say to me? I mean, is there anything we can do? I'm just ready to eat some ice cream, man.
Yeah.
I'm ready to eat some ice cream and play with some sundaes.
All right, then, on that note, let's get back to what the competition is.
We want to.
Thanks, guys.
All right.
Chefs, good luck.
Thank you, Chef.
All: Thank Chef.
[Exhales deeply.]
Oh, holla.
I am more than okay with Seth's leaving.
Head for the kitchen.
I think there's an emotional pause for about five minutes, but after that, I could just see a few people feeling so much more comfortable, because now nobody has to avoid the enormous pink elephant in the room.
So at this point, I think me and most of the contestants, we just want to focus on the food and just make beautiful food.
Then I guess it's just the eight of you.
It's unfortunate, because I really love Seth's ideas.
He would have been the one that would have really pushed all of us to do better.
Yet, on the other hand, he's a mess, and, you know, it's a relief to have him gone.
So what do you say we get back to making dessert? Yes.
Absolutely.
I hope that Seth's able to work out his issues, because I know there is an amazing Chef in there, and he just needs to trust himself and not get so worked up about everything.
Let's get started.
You'll each pull an ice-cream scoop to determine which flavor of Breyers all natural ice cream you'll be required to use.
Morgan, please pull out an ice-cream scoop.
Mint chocolate chip.
I pull mint chocolate chip.
It's my son's favorite ice cream.
I think I've got a good dessert I can do.
Chocolate chip cookie dough.
Chocolate.
You know it.
Zac.
Cherry vanilla.
Danielle.
Rocky road.
Eric.
Natural vanilla.
Heather.
Vanilla fudge twirl.
And Malika.
Cookies & cream.
Just so we're clear, the winner of this quickfire will receive immunity in the next elimination round.
You'll have 30 minutes to create the ultimate ice-cream sundae.
Your time starts now.
I love ice-cream sundaes.
But I don't like them crazy and turned upside down and wacky, 'cause I don't think that's interesting.
My style is not overcomplicated.
That's how I won the last challenge, and if I can just focus on what I do, that simple kind of traditional American baking, then I do have a chance to win this challenge.
17 minutes.
My ice cream is cookies & cream.
And I'm really looking forward to getting in front of Chef Gale Gand, and, you know, showing off my sundae.
I'm so happy that I'm here for this challenge.
You know, all the crazy things going on with Seth really reminded me to just have fun.
Ahh.
My sundae is mint chocolate chip, cookies, and milk.
But instead of s-u-n-d-a-e, I'm thinking s-u-n-d-a-y.
That's 'cause, since splitting up with my wife, Sunday is my day with my boy.
My son loves oreo cookies.
And he loves mint chocolate chip ice cream.
So this is going to be cooking for my son, and I would very much like to win.
Nine minutes, guys.
Nine minutes.
What? I pulled rocky road.
The sundae I'm gonna make is kind of a takeoff of neapolitan, so it's chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
My long-term goal has always been to have an old-fashioned soda shop.
You know, I've made, like, a bazillion sundaes, so I totally know good combinations and flavors, so I feel like I have an advantage.
3 minutes and 20 seconds! Sorry, love.
[Whistles.]
Seth's leaving was very emotionally draining.
And I may be breaking down on the inside, but, you know, you have to keep your cool and calm together, because in a kitchen, things go wrong, and this is when you, you know, bring in your professionalism.
Check his drama aside, and we just have to make the best of this.
You need this heavy cream here? Can I use it? Go for it, honey.
It's all you.
I'm actually kind of ice cream-obsessed.
In turkey, we have ice-cream parlors, but it's not as huge as it is in America.
I moved to the U.
S.
in 1992.
And now that I'm here, I eat a ton of ice cream.
Chocolate chip cookie dough is a very American flavor, and it's not something that I was brought up with.
I want to pull from all the things I never had as a kid, and I want to wow the judges.
One minute! Oh, Jesus.
[Grunts.]
[Groans.]
[Laughs.]
Chefs, time's up.
Utensils down.
[Whistles.]
All done.
Hello, Gails.
Hi.
It's the Gails.
Gail squared.
That's right.
Correct.
So today I have what I call the "Black Forest is burning" sundae.
So I had the cherry vanilla Breyers ice cream.
I panko-battered it and deep-fried it.
Deep-fried ice cream.
Basically, if you can cook it, I can fry it.
[Giggles.]
I like your style.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Gail.
Hi, ladies.
Hi, Erika.
Wow.
I have a chocolate banana s'mores frangelico sundae.
Tell me about the chocolate on the graham cracker.
I used a little bit of the Godiva semisweet.
Thank you.
Thanks so much.
Hi, Morgan.
So this is a s-u-n-d-a-y.
And you're gonna have to forgive me, 'cause I'm gonna cry, and it's gonna suck, but Just breathe.
I have my son every Sunday, guaranteed.
That's my day with my boy.
And I have a "sunday" snack, so it's cookies and milk.
So we have an oreo mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich and then some chocolate milk.
And to really accentuate the mint, I made a mint syrup.
That's really good.
Mmm.
Can I slurp this? Yes.
The chocolate milk is a bit foamy.
It's like a hot chocolate.
Exactly.
So we've got a mix of the frozen and the warm.
Thank you, Morgan.
Thank you.
Hello, ladies.
Hi.
I had vanilla fudge twirl.
So what I did was I made a sauce with brown sugar, butter, and I added a little bit of rum.
Then I fried some bananas on top with a little bit of cinnamon cream.
Great.
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Heather.
Thanks.
Hi.
How are you? Hi, Eric.
What I did today was sauteed peaches with a little bit of Brandy and brown sugar and butter.
And I also did a crisp on top.
Good instincts, all good instincts.
Thank you so much, Eric.
Thank you so much.
Hello.
I did some chocolate caramel sauce that has some malted-milk powder, and then I mixed that into bananas.
Wow.
So the sauce is caramel and chocolate? Yes.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Yigit.
How are you? I had chocolate chip cookie dough, so I wanted to work very decadent and luscious flavors.
So what I wanted to do was work peanut butter and kind of a concept of a s'more with the cookie dough.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Danielle.
I did rocky road meets neapolitan, 'cause when I was a kid, my mom would take those boxed ice creams and cut a slice, and I thought it was so cool.
I thought it was magic.
So I layered it.
I did rocky road and toasted almonds.
I roasted strawberries with a little honey and cinnamon and then marshmallows.
Nice meringue.
They definitely seemed to like it.
Like I said before, I definitely want to have an old-fashioned soda shop.
And to just have that kind of validation of I am good, it means everything to me.
Chefs, you were each given a specific ice-cream flavor and challenged to make sundaes.
Gale, why don't you tell them who our least favorite sundaes were? Eric, I felt like if I had had that sundae somewhere, I wouldn't necessarily want to meet the Chef that made that.
Come on, was it really that bad? Was it really that bad? I don't think so.
Danielle, with your sundae, we felt like we didn't quite get the neapolitan reference.
I heard it, but I don't know that I saw it in the sundae itself.
I'm totally bummed.
They seemed to enjoy it, and I'm just a little confused.
But I know that I thought it was delicious, and that's-- that's all I can do.
Erika, with yours, we were a little disappointed, because Gail specifically said she didn't want just nuts and bananas, and that was kind of what you gave us.
You gave us nuts and bananas with a little twist.
So, Gale, whose were our favorites? ZacI found yours really interesting.
I liked the fact that you used panko crumbs to coat your ice cream.
I'd never seen that before.
Yigit, your combination of chocolate ganache and the sauce was fun to eat.
So we enjoyed that one very much.
Thank you very much.
Morgan, we really enjoyed yours as well.
We liked the contrast in texture and temperature, so the hot cocoa along with the frozen mint chocolate chip ice cream in a sandwich, which I just loved.
And, you know, only one of you can win.
Our favorite was Morgan's.
[Applause.]
Thanks, buddy.
Congratulations, Morgan.
That means you have immunity in the next elimination challenge.
That's my first quickfire win.
It's my first win, period.
It feels good.
Cooking for my son and having somebody like it as much as I hoped he would [Sniffles.]
That's, uh--that's awesome.
For this next elimination challenge, you're going to be working in three teams of three.
Because Seth left us, as you can see, there aren't enough of you to do so, so we've decided to bring someone back.
[Cheers and applause.]
For this next elimination challenge, you're going to be working in three teams of three.
Because Seth left us, as you can see, there aren't enough of you to do so, so we've decided to bring someone back.
[Cheers and applause.]
Heather was the last Chef eliminated, so she's back in the competition.
[Laughs.]
I do feel like I left the competition a little early.
I feel like I haven't been able to really show what my strengths are.
You know, I have another chance.
Hi so they announce that Heather C's coming back Seth has left and I'm happy to see her but I mean seriously,, but anyone, as long as it's not Seth.
Chefs, the next elimination challenge is gonna test the limits of your imagination, creativity, and teamwork.
But before we get to what it is, you're gonna be divided into three teams.
I'm not really happy to hear that because the last elimination was a team challenge.
And it was just awful so I'm very nervous that this is not gonna go well.
Morgan, Yigit, and Zac, you were the top three from our quickfire challenge, so you will be the three team captains.
Morgan, you pick first.
Chef Gand (laughing) Heather H, please.
Yigit, you're next.
Erika.
Zac, who would you like? Malika.
Morgan.
Eric.
Danielle.
Heather C.
All right, go to your groups.
Because I don't know what the challenge will be, I want as balanced a team as I can possibly get.
Heather H is a great technician.
Eric is a man of flavor.
He's a great Baker.
He balances my team well.
You ready to kick some ass? Yes.
We are so [Bleep.]
ready.
We better win this.
All right, we ready? I nicknamed my team Team Breakdown, just because all three of us are prone to crying.
Tonight you'll be lucky enough to attend a performance by the Lucent Dossier experience.
They're a truly extraordinary group of performance artists that live in the most whimsical world.
You'll take inspiration from their performance and translate what you see into incredible desserts that will be served at a party of Lucent Dossier devotees.
I have no idea who Lucent Dossier is, but apparently they're some swinging, fire-wielding, aerialist troupe-- sounds fun.
In honor of the Lucent Dossier group, we want you to create a flaming experience.
And we mean fire.
Each team must also make a magnificent showpiece that must be the main attraction at your service station.
A pastry showpiece is an architectural structure that represents a certain theme of the room which it stands in.
And it takes a lot of work to get done.
I'm really, really nervous about the showpiece, because last time I did a showpiece was six years ago in culinary school.
And finally, each member of your team must put their own stamp on an individual dessert that echoes the concept and theme of your showpiece.
I am so overwhelmed by this challenge.
I mean, three desserts plus a flaming dessert.
I mean, it's just so mu-- it's so much.
It's crazy.
All right, Chefs, enjoy the performance.
Good luck.
We arrive at Lucent Dossier performance space.
It's very foggy, very mystical.
Welcome to mission control, Chefs.
I'm totally stoked to see this performance.
Ladies and gentlemen, for your culinary inspiration, we bring you a Lucent Dossier experience.
[Upbeat music.]
Ha! Ha! It's just mayhem, smoke everywhere, all the crazy costumes and all the different crazy characters.
It's almost like Mad Max meets Cirque du Soleil.
Chefs, thank you so much for coming.
We're really excited to see what you create.
[Applause.]
We should do a fruit dessert, a chocolate dessert, and then something that's kind of crunchy and yummy at the same time.
We have to get inspired by the Lucent Dossier to create a showpiece, one dessert each, and one flaming dessert.
What are you thinking? Talk to me.
Cake.
What kind of cake? I don't know-- chocolate.
Work with me, Danielle.
I know.
I'll do a mango panna cotta with the passion stuff.
That way we have a fruit.
We've got exotic fruit.
And I'll work on the centerpiece.
Towards the end if I need help-- with you guys getting all the centerpiece stuff, I will.
I volunteered that I would do the showpiece.
I was very inspired by the performance.
So I thought I would have some really good ideas.
Do we have everything we need for our showpiece? Heather immediately said, "I'm gonna do the showpiece.
" I mean, I've done a lot of showpieces, but good luck to her, because I have immunity.
There's only 15 minutes, so we've got to--we got to pick this up, okay? Put lemon-- some zest into it.
You know what? Whatev-- you figure out your dish, okay? Heather C is always so frazzled, so I'm really nervous that she's on my team, especially because she threw people under the bus the last challenge.
I'm definitely feeling, like, a little excluded from some of the planning, and I just feel like Zac doesn't like me.
Why don't you focus on your dessert? I'm feeling very nervous about Heather, because she's very unsure.
She's very emotional.
If you go in a challenge nerve-racked to begin with, it's just a really bad formula.
Good luck, huh? Yeah, you too.
Our theme is called exotic, since the show's got different colors.
It's vibrant.
It feels very surreal.
I'm working on triple-chocolate torte.
Eric's making a lemon roulade.
Oh, [Bleep.]
.
Come on.
And Morgan is doing a mango panna cotta.
Come on, just stay.
Stay, stay, stay.
Oh, you're an angel.
Thank you.
How are you doing on time and pace? I'm fine.
I'm starting to do the chocolate cake.
Our team's theme is naughty and nice.
My dessert is homemade banana bread topped with a spicy red curry.
Our flaming dessert is a Black Forest cake with flambeed cherries on top.
How's the panna cotta? I'm doing it now.
I wanted to get the cake in the oven first.
Malika is making a saffron panna cotta with candied ginger.
Heather C has finally decided on chocolate sorbet and meringue with peppered pineapple.
How many orders do you think I can get out of one slice? Out of one slice of pineapple? Bank for two.
If this base is still liquid, it's probably wrong, right? Uh, yeah.
What do you think the highest I can bake this meringue at is? Huh? Heather is very, very, very unsure and has a ton of questions and can't function as an independent individual.
And that's part of the reason why she got eliminated in the first place.
Heather.
Do you have a second, or do you want me to clean up these egg whites? Someone's gonna, like, die.
Our theme is sassy, sexy, and sultry.
My dessert is raspberry with a lime cake, creme fraiche, and a sweet lime bavarian, and it's paired with a savory sort of sweet lime and tonka Bean sorbet.
Erika's making a sassy pineapple with almond ice cream.
And Danielle's making a sultry chocolate dish with a basil ice cream.
2 hours and 58 minutes! Uh, what are you working on next? Being a leader kind of comes naturally to me, and it's something I've adopted since I was at a young age.
Bring it to a boil, put it into a bowl--that's it.
But if something goes wrong, you get blamed.
That's part of the job.
I just have to deal with that now.
Hour and 15! Come here and just push my face in.
Just push, push, push.
I am completely in charge of the showpiece.
My favorite technique is a brown sugar molding technique.
We end up molding my face and then making a mask out of that, which comes out awesome.
Oh, that's great.
I am looking around at this point, and I see Zac is putting his face in chocolate, and the other team is, like, making different weird sculptures, and we're kind of being very traditional.
God.
What worries me is that Morgan has immunity, and Heather has proven herself to be a superstar.
So if this team goes down, you know, like, I'll probably be the one going home.
What's doing? Man, I don't know what Heather's doing.
Where is she? This is not working out for me.
I need a minute of your time, because my meringue is not coming off of the silpats now.
They overdried.
You just have to get through this.
They're all, like, overbaked or whatever.
I need to do something else now.
I'm about to walk out the door.
Both: Okay.
So I need something that I can just handle Here's the cake.
Very manageable.
Heather is upset, and I understand.
I still have my doubts about being in the competition and being away from my kids, but in a team challenge, you've got to get yourself together and do the best you can.
Guys, five minutes, five minutes.
Beautiful.
That already came to a boil? Oh, you just-- okay, hold on.
I boiled the water.
Just--let's focus.
Okay, I've never added all this dry stuff to a sorbet.
I can-- okay, no, 'cause-- okay, I just need you to listen to me, 'cause I'm about to freak out.
You're adding lemon juice.
We need to add the sweet limes.
It's frustrating, because I gave Danielle a simple task-- prepare some sorbet.
But I'm not sure she was paying attention.
All the dry ingredients came to a full boil? However, my main concern for myself is, because I was helping Danielle Bring it to a quick boil and let's throw it in the freezer.
I'm a little worried that I didn't get to attend to my desserts as much as I wanted to.
If our team lost and one of us had to go home, being the team leader, I think it's gonna be me.
You're letting your teammates down.
What a brat.
Spoiled brat.
She needs to suck it up.
[Beeping.]
I call home to talk to my three boys.
I miss them so much.
How are you, sweetheart? I'm gonna be home before you know it.
[Chuckles.]
Just one day feels like a whole week.
I really miss you.
I have to do the best I can in the challenge How are you? Because if I'm not cooking to win, then there's no reason for me to be here.
I'm doing okay, sweetie.
I'm really, really busy working.
The opportunity to be on Top Chef: Just Desserts is the start of a very positive direction.
I can't go home after coming all this way.
I can't give up.
[Voice breaking.]
Okay, I love you guys.
Bye.
Was it? Oh.
It's the morning of our elimination challenge.
Obviously, somebody's got to go home, but I feel terrific, 'cause I have immunity, and I'm not going home.
Yo.
Is there anything we can get for you? I can see Heather C is really upset.
Going, coming back-- it's taken a big toll on her.
I think she's extremely frustrated with her performance.
I hate to see you lose something that you-- that you once saw not so long ago as a dream and an ideal of something that you wanted to participate in.
I mean, Morgan's right.
Top Chef: Just Desserts is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
But I feel like I'm making it a very big disaster.
Heather You're letting your teammates down.
You know, Heather C seems to break down at every turn and every corner.
I know she wasn't really happy with her dish, but this is a competition.
Everyone's gonna go home, except for one person.
Deal with it.
Heather, how about your teammates? This is a team competition.
I'm very upset that she lashes out at me, because I'm having a lot of mixed emotions about being back.
You don't think you're being selfish? I hope she's eliminated tonight.
Maybe she will understand what I'm going through.
What a spoiled brat.
Heather C's got a great opportunity coming back.
So what is the problem? Oh, I'm so fed up with her.
She needs to suck it up.
We head over to the Lucent Dossier Studio.
It's gonna be really fun.
We're gonna be able to interact with all the performers.
Our challenge is a two-feet-tall showpiece, three plated desserts-- 50 portions each-- and one flaming dessert-- 25 portions.
Hey, babe, I like it.
I think so too.
Oh, it looks good.
I'm just trying to get the flaming glasses ready.
And I can't see anything.
I have anise and cinnamon that I have to take out of my cherries, and I can't find them.
32 minutes! Don't break it.
My showpiece has nice shape and flow to it.
And the colors are very vibrant and very earthy.
I'm done.
I'm gonna go back to plating, okay? Okay.
I think that the desserts play very well to Lucent Dossier.
I think the showpiece has fallen a bit short of its original design plan.
It just doesn't represent exotic in my opinion.
Do you want to come take a peek at the sculpture? I see the other team's showpieces, and, I mean, it's, like, balls and columns and pulled sugar flowers.
I think ours is personal and really about this experience.
You do it like that, right? Whoa! Wait, wait, wait, wait.
At this point, we just want to make sure that we put together the showpiece without it cracking or without it falling through.
The other teams have taken a very safe approach with their showpieces, and ours is definitely much more delicate, which could work in our favor.
But with the slightest stroke of hand, it could all go to pieces.
[bleep.]
.
Go ahead and just pull it back.
Okay.
Five minutes! We need to hustle, 'cause we don't have any desserts ready.
Oh, my God, we are so behind.
The last five minutes before service starts, I'm definitely a little panicked.
We're still putting together our showpiece, and the guests are starting to come in.
I didn't realize that other teams had their desserts plated and ready to go, and we're still working on it.
Easy.
Easy, baby.
I don't want to go down in fire and flames on this one.
I need people to listen to me, guys, please.
You don't tell me that.
God, we have to hustle.
Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for every delicious morsel you have created.
So we are here to now present to you the inspiration we get from you-- the Lucent Dossier experience.
[Cheers and applause.]
I can't even concentrate in here.
It's toasty.
Wow.
So the show is starting, and we're still setting up our stations.
We got to have three different sets.
This is getting flambeed? Can you grab me a tasting spoon, please? Whoa.
My God.
I think we've really catered to this crowd.
I think, like, the mango panna cotta that's on the other table, I think is boring.
We're using saffron.
We're using smoked almonds.
We're using pepper.
We're using red curry.
So, I mean, I think that we really made these desserts for this crowd.
So I'm totally excited.
Thank you for coming and spending your time with Lucent Dossier.
Enjoy your food.
[Cheers and applause.]
Extra gloves.
Extra gloves.
Right here.
Right here.
Nice work.
Nice work.
Do we have more peaches cooked, or is that it? I think the other two teams played it more safe with their showpieces.
Nice and gentle.
We took more of a risk.
So in taking that risk, you know, it's like a 50/50 chance either they'll love it, or they may hate it.
What else do we need? Nothing.
Just We need the cake.
Is that the creme fraiche? This is creme fraiche with a little sugar.
I've got, like, 100 orders.
Hi, guys.
All: Hi.
You've already met Gale Gand.
And joining us again at the judges' table, Hubert Keller.
Hello, Chef.
Good to be here.
Hello.
We'd love to hear about your showpiece.
I was pretty much the one that focused on the centerpiece.
This is supposed to kind of represent some of the shapes from their "dresswear" and also the room.
All right, well, let's talk about the desserts that you made and how they relate to the showpiece.
My dish itself is a mango panna cotta.
It is served alongside an acai fluid gel and a passion fruit sorbet.
And there's the crescent that you find in the middle of the room that the aerialist performs on.
And that's represented in the crescents of milk chocolate.
Heather.
This is a triple-chocolate chai tea mousse torte.
Beautiful.
Eric.
I made a roulade.
Inside it has a caramel cream and a lemon cream, and on the side is a pomegranate sauce and candied kumquats.
For the flambe dish, what we've done is a almond cream.
And on top is, uh, cherries that were cooked in star anise, and then we have the flame on top.
Basically, it's kind of like a cherry pie all over the place.
All right.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you.
Please enjoy, Chef.
We put out some beautiful product.
We did.
Yeah.
Yeah, the spoon is an issue.
Look at that.
Heather really was in charge of the showpiece.
I think the other two kind of gave her the freedom to go with it.
So if the showpiece comes out too small, it basically disappears.
Here, it really made an effect.
You cannot miss it.
You know, Morgan had immunity on this challenge, and he really takes a lot of ownership.
Morgan really put a lot of thought into this dish.
It's visually beautiful.
There's a lot of great colors here.
He didn't need to work hard on this one, but he did anyway.
Tasting these desserts, I was like, "I wonder what I taste like?" [Both laugh.]
Absolutely.
Well, you'll pardon me if I don't taste you.
[Laughing.]
Yeah.
I haven't figured out really what Eric was going for, 'cause, visually, it's not very sexy.
Though I bet, for Eric, standing it on its end, for him, is kind of whimsical.
I totally agree.
I absolutely had this twice, and I love it.
Gale, what did you think of Heather H's dessert? Flavor-wise and texture-wise, it's very pleasant to eat.
I agree with you.
I really taste that chai flavor.
And it does feel a little bit sultry and a little bit exotic.
It was my first dessert with chai, and I loved it.
I had never had a chai dessert before, and it was very lovely.
All right, let's try their flaming dessert.
What is that? Is it crunchy? See if you guys get it.
No.
No.
Oh, I got it.
It's a star anise.
A piece of it? They didn't take it out.
Yeah.
Well, that's sort of unpleasant, Johnny.
Star anise is not meant to be eaten.
I think it's licorice.
Hi, Chefs.
Hello, Chef.
Chef.
First of all, none of us do showpieces.
So that was a challenge from the get-go.
I used a technique where I molded chocolate pressed in brown sugar.
That's actually my face down there.
We tried all the faces.
Apparently mine was the best.
All right, well, let's talk about your individual desserts.
We have a banana creme fraiche cake with a red-curry frosting.
It's that naughty/nice, sour/sweet, spicy/sweet.
I do hope you enjoy it.
Heather, tell us what you made.
I did a spiced black pepper pineapple with a chocolate sherbert and meringue.
Thank you.
I made a saffron-infused panna cotta with a feuilletine crunch.
And my sweet is my saffron.
And then my naughty is my spicy ginger.
For the quickfire, I called my sundae "The Black Forest is burning.
" So we decided, in the spirit of whimsy, to do the Black Forest is burning.
We're still in the Black Forest.
We're still in the Black Forest.
So what we have is a dark-chocolate cake, and then we have some fresh cherries, which we're gonna flambe.
Excellent.
Oh, we got a little, nice flambe action.
Thank you guys so much.
Thank you, Chefs.
Thank you very much.
Are you okay? I'm trying, Zac.
What's wrong? I'm just trying.
You're not happy with your dish? No.
I don't really feel that good about this dish.
And I don't want to go home for a second time.
I think it looks gorgeous.
But I'm feeling a bit defeated.
As soon as I saw the showpiece, it reminded me of their costumes-- you know, a lot of glam.
I think they really captured the whole burlesque essence really well.
That person said my dessert was weird.
I'm weird.
We're all weird.
So guess what.
Our desserts can be weird.
I think what Heather C's did-- really, it's fairly simple.
I think, of the group, this is the least playful visually.
I'm also not sure the elements are really sort of intertwining.
So this is Malika's saffron panna cotta.
For me, this represents the delicate aspect of the show, you know, the effeminate.
This is the best thing Malika has made to date.
That was excellent.
No, absolutely.
Are these ones ready? Yes.
Yes.
Please.
What are they? Saffron panna cotta.
Okay, let's taste Zac's banana and curry cake.
Visually, it's fun.
It's got movement too.
It's like a swish.
It's wild flavor.
And the curry and the banana work.
Red curry.
Okay.
That's crazy talk.
That is.
Yeah.
But I like crazy.
And a Black Forest cake is a very, very traditional dessert, and I'm glad to see they kind of did their spin on it.
You know, set some trees on fire.
They're taking the risk and going out there, right? It's kind of fun.
This is really, like, sticky and rich and gooey.
It goes down easier than a sword.
Hello, guys.
Hey.
Hello.
Our theme was sexy, sultry, and sassy.
So we saw a lot of the shapes, like the different oval rings from the back, as well as a lot of the feather textures.
I did the sultry chocolate mousse cake, and a lot of the angular leaves and stuff-- that's what inspired mine.
Yigit.
Okay, so what we have is a creme fraiche and sweet lime bavarian.
And it's served with a tonka bean and sweet lime sorbet.
It just kind of has a little savory hint to it.
Great.
Erika.
I have an almond ice-cream bar with a little bit of fresh pineapples roasted.
Now let's talk about your flaming dessert.
We made almond and citrus mirliton cakes, flambeed it with some bourbon.
We're not flaming anything here? We're not flaming.
We're flamed.
Were you doing it in front of the customers as they were coming through? Yep.
You just didn't want to do it for us? Oh, well, we just didn't have the time, I suppose.
Sorry.
I think we got nervous.
I really feel terrible that they didn't see me flambeing the desserts right in front of them-- it's a big mistake.
So I'm hoping that's not going to work to our disadvantage.
They were inspired by a lot of different aspects, as far as the structure, the makeup, the clothing.
So I think they've really brought a lot of the different elements of the show into their showpiece.
I think what Danielle was trying to do-- I like the basil, but I think the cake is too dense.
I like the fact that she tried to lighten the flavors using basil.
I just wish it had more basil.
But what I do like about it-- it's a fudgy, silky texture on your tongue.
Oh! I'm really happy to see that Erika was smart enough to put a frozen dessert on a frozen plate.
Pineapple has a quite high acidity level.
And then you eat it with the ice cream.
It really, really comes well together.
This was made by Erika? I want her child.
I think the first approach, it's a very feminine dish what Yigit made.
I think Yigit really did a good job in capturing the feminine qualities of the aerialists.
If there's a flavor that's Lucent Dossier, it's this.
Ah! So this is Yigit's team's flaming dessert.
They had flambeed the peaches in bourbon before they plated it.
I must say, I was a little bit disappointed, because every other team went to the trouble that actually we see the flames.
We wanted fire.
We wanted excitement.
You know, that's why we were here.
I would recommend you getting your own plate, because I don't think that I want to share anymore.
Are we breaking down the station? No, I'm just picking up the trash.
Service ends.
Heather's acting strange.
Why are you so upset all of a sudden? I'm not upset.
Oh, okay.
I'm just being stoic.
Stoic.
She's really, really bitter about something, but I don't know what it is.
Tough one to read you are.
Oh, am I? Tough one to read.
She's very moody, but I try not to take it personally.
Okay, your dessert looked really beautiful, really elegant.
Oh, thank you.
I think you should glaze the sauce over the ones you have.
Okay, I need to go to the bathroom.
I feel bad that she's upset.
I know.
I don't know what to do for her.
She brings on her own misery.
This is the point in which I go, "okay, "will Zac throw me under the bus, you know, just like the previous team challenge?" I don't want to squander this opportunity, but I feel like I am.
What was the challenge In its entirety? [Bleep.]
Him.
Never again.
[Clatter.]
Everybody else is running around, panicking, and the only way I feel that I can get through this is by just slowing down.
But you look so calm.
I know.
You're like the Zen Master.
I love it.
Eric doesn't push buttons, so everyone loves Eric.
I call him the Zen Baker.
We all do.
I knew that getting into this that it would be kind ofCrazy.
Hi.
We'd like to see Morgan, Eric, and Heather H.
Thanks.
We put so much more work into that showpiece.
I'm sorry.
That's [Bleep.]
.
That's all I have to say.
Maybe they're taking us all in.
Chefs, we challenged you to take the whimsical, magical Lucent Dossier experience and turn it into a dessert.
You definitely took us on a mystical journey.
You are the winning team.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Morgan, this dessert has been the best you've shown us so far.
I thought the flavors were spot on.
I thought the textures were great.
The way you laid it on the plate, I think it was a beautiful dessert, and I'd be happy to see that in a restaurant.
Thank you, Chef.
Let's talk about Heather's dessert.
I loved the textures, the supple smoothness, the subtle flavors of it.
Overall, I thought it ate very well.
I think, when it came to the showpiece, it definitely brought in the theme of Lucent Dossier in that piece, so I think it was pretty spectacular the way you did it.
So, Eric, I'm happy to see that you're actually getting to the point where you're composing multi-flavored, multi-textured desserts and thinking outside of a plate.
And I thought it was interesting to kind of have a roulade turned on its side.
You gave it to us in a way we're not familiar seeing it.
I really have to thank these guys for-- I mean, you know, I don't plate.
So, I mean, this to me was like, I feel like I'm climbing.
So, Gale, as our guest judge, please announce the winner.
All three of you really transported us, but we have to pick one, and we picked Morgan Again.
[Light applause.]
It always feels good to win.
It's a great feeling for 15 minutes, but game's on tomorrow.
Congratulations to all of you.
Great teamwork.
Thank you.
You can return to the stew room.
Thank you.
Good night, judges.
Gail says we should go back to the stew room, but she doesn't say who's gonna be in the bottom.
Hey.
Hey.
Who won? I won.
[Light applause.]
Yay.
You're welcome, Morgan.
Pretty much Morgan was a selfish jerk.
He worked on one dessert.
And as a result, he won.
He did one dessert.
I did a [Bleep.]
centerpiece and a dessert.
He did two desserts.
[Bleep.]
Him.
Never again.
No, I'm not gonna carry anybody anymore.
Heather wanted to make the showpiece.
If she's angry at anyone, it should be with herself.
[Bleep.]
What, Heather? I don't want to talk about it.
We won.
What difference does it make right now? I know.
So just-- in hindsight, I did a centerpiece and a plated dessert.
And as a result, my plated dessert was sacrificed.
And, honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with Morgan.
He's about himself.
He's not a team player.
Hi, Chefs.
Hi.
There were actually some hits and some misses on both of the other teams tonight.
So we would like to ask both of you some questions.
Let's start with Yigit, Danielle, and Erika.
Yigit, what was the challenge The challenge-- in its entirety? Absolutely.
The challenge was to create a showpiece.
Phase two was to translate desserts that would tie into the showpiece.
What's the third part? The flaming dessert.
Flaming dessert.
Where was the fire? You guys neglected to present the judges a flaming dessert.
When we did it for the guests, we did flambe the desserts.
We didn't get to see that.
To be fair to the two other teams, I think we felt like there was an issue here.
As you know, we still want to speak to the other team, so please send them out.
Thank you.
You know, I am a team Captain, so it was my fault that we, you know, failed to flambe our dessert right in front of them.
Zac, Malika, Heather.
Good luck, girl.
What happened? Chitchat? Mm-hmm.
I'm very happy with that.
Let's talk about what you guys did for us tonight.
Zac, the dessert was well-balanced, and I thought the banana curry cake was killer.
Zac, I really liked the cake, I must say, and I think you tried really going a direction, shocking a little bit.
I think the use of the curry, of pushing, a little bit, the envelope there, and so that was actually really great.
I loved the banana bread.
What I did have a little trouble with was it looked kind of punched out.
Like, it didn't look like a finished dessert.
Malika.
I chose to bring saffron into my dish.
I put it into a panna cotta, and under that, I had the feuilletine crunch, 'cause I wanted creamy and crunchy.
Malika, I think your dessert was one of my favorites tonight because of some of the elements you're talking about.
The creaminess of the panna cotta was spot on.
And some of that was-- Chef, um I think before we do go on, I have to say that I would perhaps like to ask to be eliminated today.
I think before we do go on, I have to say that I would perhaps like to ask to be eliminated today 'Cause I just would not want to see any of my fellow Chefs eliminated tonight, knowing how badly all of them want to be Top Chef.
Are you sure this is what you want to do? You know, I really am sure.
I'm happy about my decision, and I am very sure.
I just want to reiterate that your dessert was exceptional tonight.
It was the best thing we've had from you.
We've had some really great flavors from you since day one.
Thank you so much.
I'm honored, but it's the right thing for me, so--and that's what's important right now.
You can return to the kitchen and pack up your tools.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
There are two things that drive me in my life.
The first is my children, and the second is cooking.
And I don't enjoy cooking in a competitive environment.
And that's what I really learned coming here.
How'd it go? It went well.
I am leaving.
How do you mean? I'm going home tonight.
I eliminated myself.
I think I'm the least of the group who wants to be Top Chef, and it was unfair, so it was the right time to do it, so My decision about leaving-- it's not a sad one.
I just need to, like, hug everyone.
I really enjoyed the challenge, and I really, really loved working with my teammates.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
But my heart is really with my kids and my kitchen.
That gives me a lot of thrill and a lot of joy.
What's next for me is to go back to my life and keep moving forward and challenging myself in a way that feels right for me.
Next time on Top Chef: Just Desserts Go, diva.
Go, diva.
Heather, Zac, and I, we've become team "Go, Diva.
" Go, diva.
You're my diva.
People are a little bit threatened by the three of us.
Tough [Bleep.]
.
[All screaming.]
[Laughter.]
Yes! [Laughs.]
I love shoes, especially women's shoes.
Sassy.
Rrrow.
[Imitates whip cracking.]
Sassy.
I could take it off the form and have it on you in ten minutes.
We'll save that for later, Zac.
Okay.
The actual look of it was amateurish.
This is a dangerous bonbon.
It's more like a bomb-bomb.
For more about the recipes you've seen tonight,