masterchef junior season 2 episode 4 recap

Masterchef Junior Season 2 Finale Recap: And the Winner is…

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

Season two’s finale was a showdown between Logan and Samuel, to see whose creativity and flavors in the kitchen wowed the judges more. Samuel likes sophisticated dishes and unique flavors, while Logan excels in presentation and his signature bow-tie.

Photo credit: Fox.

Photo credit: Fox.

Whoever wins will be the youngest Masterchef Junior ever. Samuel is 12, while Logan, who is 11, claims that this night is the most exciting night ever in his childhood! Wow.

They both have ten minutes to go back in the pantry and get the things they need to create their three course meal. As expected Samuel’s menu is a risk and very complicated. He’s using liquid nitrogen! They have 90 minutes to create their amazing three-courses.

We see some input from some of the top ten competitors: Sam doesn’t know who’ll win because Logan and Samuel are both great cooks. Abby thinks Logan’s menu is super difficult and that he’s going to win, while Mitchell announces that this battle is going to be epic!

Finally we get to see the kid’s imaginations run wild – so far, that hasn’t been the case in the past several episodes. The kids have been limited on what they could create, we definitely missed the creativity that comes from mystery box challenges, or free range of the pantry where they can pick and choose at will.

And these little home cooks are creative and inventive. Logan uses a smoking gun to smoke his aioli, and says that it’s every boy’s dream: fire and a Nerf gun. Samuel uses liquid nitrogen to quick freeze his raspberries and then he smashes them into little pieces. Gordon says he looks like a sou chef from Breaking Bad. The judges comment that they might be witnessing the future of cooking.

The 90 minutes is up and both Samuel and Logan’s dishes look fantastic. Logan says he’s very proud that he got everything on the plate that he wanted. Samuel says (as he looks down at his dishes) that he knows he’s come a long way on this journey. It’s difficult to see who is going to win this challenge, all their dishes look excellent.

Samuel is first to present his appetizer. He made south-east Asian chicken oysters with pickled cucumber and crispy rice. Gordon says the chicken is cooked perfectly but that there is too much vinegar. Graham says he likes the idea of the dish better than the actual flavor. On the other hand, Joe likes the flavor and the vinegar. He says it’s a ying-yang type of dish that takes him right back to Singapore.

For Logan’s appetizer he made grilled spot prawns with olive capers and smoked saffron aioli. Joe asks if he feels strongly about this dish, and Logan replies with: of course, how could I not? Where do these kids get their confidence from? Gordon says the spot prawns are cooked beautifully. Graham comments that it’s a great dish but the olive capers overpower the other flavors on the plate. Joe, once again, disagrees and likes the olive flavor on top of the aioli and says that the dish is a hit on every level. You can tell Logan is very pleased, but Samuel has a hard time keeping a poker face.

For the entrees, Samuel made pan-seared arctic char with coconut saffron curry. He pours the curry sauce at the table for the judges. Joe cuts into the fish, and says that Samuel has cooked it perfectly. Graham says that the fish is so good that it can practically stand on its own even without the other ingredients. He also says that the coconut curry is heavy, and he would want the fish to stand out more. Gordan says that there are professional chefs that can’t even cook fish like that.

Logan made salt-crusted branzino stuffed with lemon, thyme and butter with chimichurri and roasted vegetables. Joe says that the fish is cooked perfectly, but the chimichurri is a little bit aggressive. Although, it looks like Logan’s dish might be more successful, Gordan says its anyone’s game because they both cooked their fish perfectly but they applied the wrong sauce.

Now, for the dessert! And both of their desserts look excellent! Samuel made a kaffer lime panna cotta with passion fruit and raspberry. Graham tastes first and says its like getting punched in the mouth…in the best way possible. It’s like edible perfume and the raspberry adds a nice textural aspect to the dish. Gordan says that all the flavors go together wonderfully and Joe comments that using the star anise in the dish was crazy brilliant and very delicious. It looks like it is anyone’s game at this point!

Logan made a meyer lemon madeleine with a berry compote and goat cheese mousse. Gordan says visually, that it is brilliant but that the madeleines could have been cooked longer. Joe says that its a great ending to the dishes that he just made.

The judges reiterate that regardless of the results they should walk out into the kitchen with their heads held high because they both made some fantastic dishes. It seems to be a tough call, as neither of them had any big mistakes. At this point, it seems that Samuel’s menu was a bit more complicated than Logan’s, however, Logan seemed to have flavors that worked a lot better.

After an agonizing, drawn out pause, the judges finally announce the winner and it is: Logan!

Photo credit: Fox

Photo credit: Fox

You can tell that Samuel is very disappointed, but Gordan says that he should be proud of what he accomplished. It looks like Logan’s dishes overall tasted better than Samuel’s, but what a finale! Finally, we got to see some beautifully presented dishes and some creative flavors. It seemed like this was the flare we have been missing all season long from the rest of the contestants. Was it because they were limited because of the challenges? I think so!

I hear they are casting already for the third season of Masterchef Junior, but well done Logan! A well-deserved win!

Masterchef Junior Season 2 episode 5 Recap: Pop-up Restaurant Take-over

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

Right from the start, the kids are congratulated on being the top six junior cooks in America. The judges reveal that they won’t be cooking in the Masterchef kitchen today, but in a professional restaurant. But there is a twist: it’s a pop-up restaurant, which Samuel explains is usually a restaurant that lasts only one evening and has VIPs and very important people there. This time, they will be serving to a culinary crowd; foodies and food critiques a like. Oh, and the restaurant is in Malibu.

The group will split up into teams of three. Abby and Samuel are team captains, as they had the best dishes in the last round. The blue team is: Samuel, Sean and Oona, and the red team: Abby, Adaiah and Logan.

Credit: Fox

Credit: Fox

The judges have prepared a sophisticated menu for the restaurant. The guests have the choice between two appetizers: tempura zucchini blossoms with goat cheese, or spot prawn ceviche. For the entrees: loup de mer with fennel trio, or filet mignon with fries and spring mushrooms.

First, the judges show the contestants how to cook and present each dish. Logan notices that Abby isn’t taking notes, but drawing smiley faces. Oh, boy. Even Samuel, who so far has proven himself to be a top contender, is a little intimidated by all of the components to some of the dishes. The judges reveal that the guests know that they are kids but they will still be judged on an adult level. And of course, Gordan Ramsay will be expediting in the kitchen.

While Samuel rises perfectly to the head chef position in his team, Abby is having a hard time being heard. Some of the other contestants in her team are having a hard time listening to her, as she is a younger chef and might not be as experienced. Logan says that things are tense in the kitchen and the last thing he wants to hear is Abby’s voice in his ear…ouch.

The guests start arriving and say that the pop-up restaurant is not an easy thing to do. Gordan starts shouting orders to the different teams and already you can start to see it flying over their heads. Even I can’t remember ten different things without it flying over my head. (Hopefully in the behind the scenes they have a pen and paper to write this stuff down.)

Oona is having a hard time getting the squash blossoms out on the plate. Gordan tells them they are serving to VIPs, not PIGs. While the red team is struggling with the seasoning on their ceviche. Gordan sits down with Logan in an uncomfortable confrontation: “Why did you do that?” (Oh, God, stop with the drama already. It was an accident.)

mcj5_oona_cooking.0

Credit: Fox

Meanwhile, Oona is still struggling with the squash blossoms and it is slowing down the blue team’s orders. Graham has to step in to put them back on track. While the red team is flying out with orders, the blue team is struggling and falling behind. Gordan Ramsay is starting to lose his temper. Did I mention that the restaurant take-over is my least favorite episode?

The blue team gets confronted by Gordan Ramsay and asked why they can’t get the orders out that he asked for. He says they should just go home. But of course, he doesn’t really mean it. They re-group and try putting out appetizers. Abby says that she’s very proud of her team and thinks that if they can nail the entrees they can win this.

They start on the entrees. Graham gives Logan some tips about properly cooking the fish, something like be one with the fish and don’t push it down in the pan and be like: “I’m sorry you had to die but we are going to make some people really, really happy.” Riight.

Meanwhile, the blue team seems to be bouncing back, however on the red team, Adaiah is struggling with the filet mignon. The blue team finishes their entrees and the red team falls behind. Now it is the judge’s turn to evaluate each of the team’s entrees. The red team’s fish was cooked perfectly, however, the blue team’s filet mignon was seasoned and cooked a lot better.

Looks like it is a close competition, that’s for sure! The kids meet the guests that they cooked for and someone asks to describe their experience cooking under Gordan Ramsay in one word. Sean comes out with “traumatizing.” I say that about sums it up!

And the winning team is…the red team! This is a surprise, really, but they worked better together and as a result turned out some better tasting dishes. And the two that get to go home: Oona and Sean. What?! Is Masterchef Junior trying to get rid of their best cook? Sean has displayed (I thought) some awesome dishes…more than anyone else in the competition. But Samuel is saved because of his masterful leadership skills.

Who’s left? Abby, Samuel, Adaiah and Logan. Not who I would have thought would be in the final four, but we will see how it turns out! Looks like fish is on the menu for the next episode, and what ever happened to the mystery box challenges?

Here’s a sneak peek of next week’s episode below:

My thoughts about last night’s episode?

So far, it seems like everything in this season is being led by the judges, what ever happened to creating their very own dishes with purely their imagination? I feel like the quality of their dishes is suffering as a result, because they are limited by the challenges. But that’s just my personal opinion. I’m starting to think that Season one was a fluke.

Tonight was definitely not my favorite episode. It was stressful and the kids didn’t seem to have a lot of fun, which isn’t that fun to watch. It was definitely one of Masterchef junior’s most awkward episodes so far. Hopefully the next few we see will step it up some!

Thoughts below if you want!

Masterchef Junior Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: Fried eggs, Restaurant Dreams and Over-cooked Protein

/ Ajmorse / Leave a comment

Tomorrow night premieres a new episode of Masterchef Junior, so how about a quick recap of last week’s episode?

Credit: Greg Gayne/Fox

Credit: Greg Gayne/Fox

Right from the beginning the kids are asked what they would do if they won the $100,000 and the Masterchef junior trophy. Adaiah said she would buy guitars, a piano, and a dirt bike. Oona would go to Vegas, and Abby would buy a bunch of horse posters. Gordon says she could buy her own horse, but Abby replies she doesn’t have enough room in her back yard. (Tehehe).

The first challenge: to make a perfect sunny-side up egg. No brown edges, no over-cooked yoke. Poor Oona and Abby seem to struggle. Sean, of course, has the most eggs. He wins the challenge with ten perfect eggs. Abby has the less, with just two eggs.

But there is a twist to the next challenge. They can only use the same amount of ingredients in their next dish as how many eggs they managed to cook. Looks like Abby is going to have to step it up some! Gordon gives her a hug and says that she can do it. (So adorable).

The kids are asked about their dreams of having their own restaurants. They are all so very creative. Abby wants to have a vet clinic/restaurant which specializes in healthy food. She said she’s going to name it “Horses and Courses.” Oh, we love you Abby! Logan wants an underwater bistro. And as Samuel is talking about his french restaurant which is (not surprising) called “Le Samuel,” he tucks the plans to his establishment back into a briefcase. Seriously? Where did they find this kid?!

For their next dish, the kids have one hour to create the signature dish that they would want in their restaurant. We also learn in this bit that Graham was most inspired by Gordon Ramsay in his career. We also learn that Sean wants a restaurant called “The Drunken Cow,” because he specializes in cooking with meat and likes to cook with wine a lot. Wait a minute, this kid is like…twelve.

Abby, who had only two ingredients, makes salmon with asparagus five ways and the judges are impressed because the salmon is perfectly cooked. Sean is next with the most ingredients at ten, he made a rib eye steak with paprika crema and potatoes. His steak is slightly overcooked, but graham likes the sauce. Levi makes a pan-seared salmon with a mustard maple glaze and broccoli done two ways. His salmon is also over-cooked. C’mon guys!

Adaiah is next with her yogurt-crusted lamb chop which she made with sweet potatoes and orange sauce. Graham likes the flavor of the orange and how everything comes together. Oona only had four ingredients as well, and she makes scallops two ways with ginger oil and cauliflower puree. Her dish is the most presentable, but half of her scallops are over-cooked.

Logan makes flat iron steak marinated in soy sauce and ginger with bamboo rice. The steak is perfectly cooked and well-seasoned, according to Joe, but the rice is over-cooked and missing salt. Gordon says that they are a little bit underwhelmed by his dish, poor fellow. I guess the days of sugar-coated niceties are over. He still gets a hug from Ramsay. What is even more touching is the other kids that get emotional in reaction to Logan’s disappointment. Even though it is a competition, its so sweet that these kids are also friends.

Josh is next to present his dish and he made curried duck a l’orange with cilantro rice. The duck is slightly over-cooked and Graham says that the cilantro wasn’t needed, that he should have used another ingredient instead to perfect the dish.

Samuel is last to present his dish, and already the judges aren’t impressed. He had his choice of eight ingredients and Gordan says it looks like he has only three ingredients on the plate. He made a five-spice seared duck with pesto cucumber and zucchini puree. But the earlier critiques are only to add to the drama, because Gordan says that the duck is cooked perfectly. Finally! Someone who didn’t over-cook their protein!

This makes me wonder yet again if last season’s kids were a fluke? Was it staged? Because so many of the contestants seemed to have mistakes tonight.

The two that had astounding dishes: Abby and Samuel. Samuel says that it is time to buy into the Le Samuel stock because it’s going to be an up day in the stock market. Okay, even as arrogant as that sounds…it is still amusing.

Sean, Oona, Levi and Josh are in the bottom four. Sadly, at the end of the night, Josh and Levi get sent home. This is unfair, I think, because Levi overall has had more successful dishes than many of them, but Oona is their entertainer, so of course she can’t go home yet!

Looks like a restaurant take-over in the next episode! Here’s a sneak peak: