Welcome to Fire Masters,
where three chefs
will take on three blazing culinary challenges.
Oh, dangerous move.
Yeah, buddy.
[Dylan Benoit] Two will be eliminated.
And the last chef standing
will go head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges,
battling for the chance to win $10,000.
- Nice. - [Dylan] And to earn their place
as a Fire Masters champion.
The dish is really missing acidity.
Absolutely amazing.
- [Dylan] Speed. - Let's go.
- [Dylan] Skill. - [Jonathan Till] Beautiful.
[Dylan] Scorching competition.
This is Fire Masters.
Three chefs think they can bring the heat
and battle it out to become the next
Fire Masters champion.
Let's meet them.
First up, Jonathan Till from Washington, D.C.
I'm the owner of Heritage Foraging
and a chef at Blagden Hospitality.
I love being out in the woods,
so I spend a lot of time camping and foraging.
All you need is a couple good ingredients
and, you know, a nice hot fire
with some good wood and you can make amazing dishes.
I'm ready to get out there and cook
and just show everyone what I got.
And, you know, maybe win $10,000.
Hi, judges.
Next, Aaron Crawford from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
I'm the executive chef at Pine Ridge Golf Club.
I've been cooking for over ten years now,
working from fast food to fine dining
and everything else in between.
I love what I do and I hope it translates into my food.
I'm the next Fire Masters champion
because I'm a great chef. [chuckles]
Hey, chefs.
And last, Jeff Zhou from Toronto, Ontario.
Being trained in Italian cuisine,
I feel confident going into this.
I love cooking because I love that I can use
my creativity in different ways
to express myself.
I'm super excited.
Let's go.
Hi, chefs.
Chefs, welcome to Fire Masters.
Here's how it's all going down.
There will be three rounds of competition.
In the first two rounds,
you'll be competing against one another.
And at the end of each of these rounds,
one of you will be going home.
In the third and final round,
the last chef standing
will go head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges,
for the chance to win $10,000
and the title of today's Fire Masters champion.
Speaking of judges,
here's who you'll need to impress.
Chef Dale MacKay is the chef and co-owner
of the celebrated Grassroots Restaurant Group
in Saskatchewan.
Hello, chefs. Welcome to Fire Masters.
- Hi, chef. - Hello, chef.
[Dylan] Chef Connie DeSousa is an accomplished chef,
butcher and co-owner of Char restaurant group
including the award winning
Char Cut Italian Roast House
and Char Bar in Calgary, Alberta.
Hi, chefs. Good luck today.
[all] Thank you, chef.
[Dylan] Chef Eddie Jackson is a celebrity chef,
cookbook author
and the owner of Rosehill Beer Garden
in Houston, Texas.
Hope you guys brought your A game.
[all] Yes.
Chefs, I hope you're ready for some fierce competition
because it's time to heat things up.
In this first wildfire round, you'll create a dish
that shows your personality on a plate.
You'll each have your own top of the line grill station
and use of our Fire Masters firepit.
As well as access to our fully stocked
and stacked pantry.
Your dish will be judged on three things.
Presentation, creativity
and, of course, taste.
Chefs, are you ready?
- [both] Yeah. - Let's do it.
You've got 30 minutes on the clock
and your time starts now.
-[judges clapping] -[Connie DeSousa] Come on, chefs.
Good job. Go for it.
For my signature dish,
I'm making grilled branzino with smoked scallop sauce
and charred leek and potatoes.
Let's go.
First, I put butter, cream and scallops
in the charcoal grill.
That's all gonna go in my smoked scallop puree.
Next, I need to butterfly my branzino.
I'm cutting the spine out so there's no bones in the fish.
I wanna cook it as a whole fish.
That way, it stays together.
I worked at a pescatarian restaurant for five years
and I love how the fish tastes when you grill it.
[Dale MacKay] Branzino's a very versatile fish
for cooking over fires.
Got lovely, lovely skin.
You can crisp it up and it's got beautiful white flesh.
It takes on smoke really nice.
Beautiful.
For my signature dish, I'm making dukkah crusted lamb
with a charred carrot puree
and pomegranate gastrique.
It's my signature dish because I make it
all the time in my restaurant
and it's a huge hit.
Yeah, buddy.
Fresh out the gate,
I need to season my lamb chops with some salt.
I just wanna get a nice sear using the firepit,
get a little bit of smoke on there.
And I need to get my carrots on the fire.
Okay, that's good.
Next, I'm gonna start working on my dukkah.
Dukkah is a Middle Eastern mixture of spices and nuts,
typically black and white sesame seeds,
cumin, coriander and pistachios.
I like to put in pumpkin seeds as well.
Put my own little spin on it.
I wanna toast everything before crusting my lamb.
It's gonna incorporate a much better, stronger flavor.
[Jonathan] Quail.
My signature dish is saba marinated quail
with smoked mushroom succotash.
This is one of the first things
that I did at one of the restaurants
that I worked at.
Right away, I start on the quail.
I'm gonna spatchcock it.
You take out the backbone,
spread it open and take out the ribs,
so you can lay out the bird flat.
Think spatchcocking those quail
is a really smart play for Chef Jonathan.
It's gonna cook super quick, super evenly.
- Definitely a wise choice. - Mmm-hmm.
[Jonathan] Once I finish with the quail,
I grab saba for my marinade.
Kind of tastes like prunes a little bit
and it goes great with the game of the quail.
I add shallots and some fines herbes
and let it marinate.
Good, good, good. We got this.
[Dylan] Chefs, we're halfway through the cook.
Only 15 minutes remaining.
[Jeff] I flip the fish skin side up
and I season it with oil and salt.
Fish is gonna go on the grill now.
First, I add some oil to my firing grate.
This is gonna get nice and hot
and give me that crispy skin I want.
Fish is on.
Let's go.
Next, I'm putting the potatoes and leeks
in a cast iron pan.
I want these leeks to be deeply charred.
This is a tough vegetable and it can take it.
Oh, yeah. There it is.
[Aaron] I check on my lamb chops.
The sear's looking great.
Yeah, buddy.
But I'm worried that if I leave them on too long,
they're gonna overcook.
So, I'm taking my lamb chops off that hot pit.
It's time to start crusting my lamb.
So, I'm gonna coat it with a little bit corn syrup on the outside.
And then I'm gonna roll it in the dukkah.
Okay, that's ready to go.
I put them into the top shelf of the barbecue,
to, kind of, act like an oven.
Okay.
[Jonathan] I grab my onions, peppers and zucchini
'cause that's gonna be one of the foundations
for my succotash.
Today, I'll be making my own version
of succotash with mushrooms.
King trumpet's a big meaty mushroom
and the enoki and beech mushrooms
both have a really nice texture and flavor to them
and soak up a lot of the smoke.
Get in there.
Next, I'm gonna put together, my carrot puree.
I'm chopping the carrots and putting them in a pan
with some cream.
This is gonna help finish the cook
and then I'm gonna use that liquid in my puree.
Give it a go on the base of my plate.
Gonna be nice and aromatic.
Add a little creamy component.
I add butter, salt and some apple cider vinegar.
And I'm gonna top if off with a little cumin
'cause there's some in the dukkah
and it's gonna tie the whole dish together.
Ten minutes left, chefs. Time to hustle.
[Jonathan] With ten minutes to go,
I need to take my quail over to the firepit.
It's a very hot fire. It's very risky.
With the sugars in there and just how small the quail is,
it can dry out very quickly
if you don't pay attention to it
and then you're eating sawdust.
So, I raise the bar up, let the meat caramelize
and then I flip it over.
Oh, yeah.
Get some crisp marks on there.
[Jeff] Oh, yeah.
Beautiful, beautiful.
I get a nice color on there,
so I'm taking my fish off of the firepit
and putting it on the top rack of the grill
because I want that top side to be nice and juicy and moist.
Nice.
Next, I wanna make my smoked scallop sauce.
I take my shallots and smoked scallops
and I add white wine, the smoked cream
and the smoked butter.
Beautiful.
I think those are very smart choices.
Especially with the fish, like the branzino,
which is very delicate.
It needs some richness to go with it.
On the lamb chop, the cook I'm looking for
about a medium rare to medium.
That should be fine.
So, I pull them off and let them rest.
And I'm about to work on my pomegranate gastrique.
Gastrique is a French sauce,
using caramelized sugar and vinegar
and in this case, I'm using merlot
and pomegranate juice.
Because I love pairing that flavor with lamb.
First, I wanna reduce it to a syrup.
And then I add a little bit of sugar.
Oh, no. That's not good.
I'm moving so fast that I accidentally dumped
way too much sugar in there.
[Dylan] Six minutes.
I can't use it.
My gastrique's not gonna make it to the plate.
I gotta start over.
I'm freaking out.
My gastrique's not gonna make it to the plate.
With five minutes left, I have to make a new gastrique
and let it cook down
and just hope for the best.
Come on, come on, come on. Get going.
[Dylan] Chefs, you've got three minutes left.
[Jonathan] Nice.
I'm finishing building the layers of flavor
in my succotash.
The mushrooms have already picked up the smoke.
I need a little acid to counteract that
so I use the sherry vinegar.
And I also want some floralness for the summer,
so I throw a handful of fresh herbs in there.
Oh, man, those colors are beautiful.
Start plating.
I take my quail. It's nicely caramelized.
We got this.
[Dylan] Chefs, you've got two minutes left.
This is it.
Beautiful.
I'm checking the branzino
and the skin is exactly where I want it.
It's crispy, it's golden
and it's ready to go on a plate.
[Dylan] Chefs, only one minute left.
Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go.
I'm cutting into the lamb.
No.
And I see that it's a little bit under.
But I've got no time. I gotta keep plating.
[all] Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
Time's up, chefs.
- Nice job, chefs. - [Connie] Good job, chefs.
[judges clapping]
[Jeff] I look at my dish. To me, it looks beautiful.
But I hope that the flavors will come through.
[Aaron] I think I have the winning dish.
The flavors are definitely there.
The use of the arena is there.
The only thing that's working against me right now,
is the doneness of my lamb.
[Jonathan] I'm happy with what I made.
I hope the judges are most impressed
by my ingredients.
It's not a dish that you would generally see everyday.
Chef Jonathan. Please tell us what you've made for the judges.
[Jonathan] I made saba marinated quail
with smoked mushroom succotash.
Chef Jonathan, you got some great caramelization
on the quail without overcooking it,
which obviously is the tricky part
when it comes to quail.
I really enjoy the sauce.
It's got some really nice sweetness to it.
I gotta tell you, I'm from the south,
I'm a sucker for succotash.
- [chuckles] - And this is a very successful succotash.
For me though,
I feel like this plate is screaming
for citrus or something.
'Cause you have these sweet notes.
You have these smoky notes.
I really wanna try to brighten this plate up.
All right, thanks, chef.
Thank you very much, chef.
Thanks, judges.
I'm happy with the quail and how it came out.
But I agree with Chef Eddie.
The plate did need a little more citrus.
I hope this doesn't send me home.
Chef Aaron, please tell us about your signature dish.
[Aaron] So I've prepared a dukkah crusted rack of lamb,
with charred carrot puree
and pomegranate gastrique.
This is a really nice looking plate of food.
Thank you.
Chef Aaron, I really love the Egyptian feel
that you used with the dukkah.
But I do have to say,
although it's seasoned really well,
mine was just a little bit undercooked.
[Dale] My lamb actually was cooked quite nicely.
I think the side stands up really well,
with it as well.
And I do love the puree.
It's really refined.
[Connie] Carrying the cumin from the dukkah
into your carrot puree,
I thought was really smart as well.
Made it, kind of, tie everything together.
And your pomegranate gastrique
was the perfect balance of acidity
to really, kind of, complement this dish
because the lamb is very rich.
- Thank you very much, chef. - Thank you, chefs.
[Aaron] I'm really happy with the flavors
I put forward today.
I hope that is enough to get me into the next round.
Chef Jeff, please tell us about what you made for the judges.
[Jeff] Today, we have a grilled branzino
with a smoked scallop sauce
and charred leek and fingerling potatoes.
Trying to see if I have a hook
to hang this on my wall.
- Man, this looks like a work of art. - [Connie laughs]
Thank you.
Chef Jeff, you have masterfully prepared
your protein.
I love that you took the time
to take a rack and warm it up
to cook your branzino skin perfectly.
Mine was crispy.
And the char that you've developed
on your leeks, is perfect.
It just brings out the sweetness of them.
And it makes them nice and tender.
They almost melt in your mouth.
I like the scallop cream.
I think it is creative.
But, the one thing I have to say is
that the dish is really missing acidity
to really cut through that cream.
I think putting some other fresh herbs on there too
would definitely brighten the whole dish up.
- Thank you, chef. - Thank you.
And thank you, chefs.
The judges need a couple of minutes
to discuss what they've tasted.
We'll call you back shortly.
[Jeff] I hope to stay in this competition
because I have a lot more to showcase.
But at this point,
it's all in the judges' hands.
Wow, judges.
That was a tight wildfire round.
What did you think about Chef Jonathan's signature dish?
His quail was expertly butchered
and expertly prepared.
He got just enough char on the skin.
The succotash also had
some char and some smoke to it.
I do think that his plate
was screaming for some type of citrus
because it didn't have that pop
of just freshness that I was looking for.
Tell me your thoughts on Chef Aaron's signature dish.
[Eddie] It was seasoned very well.
[Connie] The char that he developed
on his carrot puree,
incorporating the cumin,
to really tie in with the dukkah
that he crusted his lamb with,
- it was so delicious. - [Eddie] Yeah, yeah.
We get to the lamb, which is the star of the plate.
But it was so inconsistently cooked,
throughout our three plates.
Let's talk about Chef Jeff's dish.
[Connie] Perfectly cooked fish.
Perfectly butchered.
I didn't have one pin bone in mine.
And his scallop sauce was uber creative.
My only problem with it was
it was a little bit one note
- throughout the whole dish. - [Eddie] Yeah.
If you don't have that burst of acidity,
it's gonna fall a bit flat.
But what a gorgeous looking plate.
- [Connie] Mmm-hmm. - Well, judges,
an incredibly competitive round,
but have you made a decision?
[all] Yes.
Let's call the chefs back in.
Chefs, in this wildfire round,
you were asked to create a signature dish
that showcases who you are as a chef.
Judges, whose signature dish was the best in this round?
The chef with the best dish is...
Chef Jeff.
[all clapping]
Congratulations, Chef Jeff.
You will have an advantage heading into the next round.
Thank you. Wow.
Judges, it's down to Chef Jonathan
and Chef Aaron.
Who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
Judges, it's down to Chef Jonathan,
with his grilled quail and smoked mushroom succotash
and Chef Aaron with his dukkah crusted lamb
and charred carrot puree.
Who will you be sending home?
The chef who will be going home is...
Chef Aaron.
Can't win them all. [chuckles]
Chef Aaron, you cooked your heart out
and it was a really delicious dish.
Thank you, judges. Appreciate it.
Unfortunately, you've been eliminated from the competition.
- It's time to leave the Fire Masters arena. - Okay.
Definitely sucks to be eliminated
but I'm so happy I got to compete
with some of the best in North America.
This is probably the most fun I've had,
cooking wise, my entire life.
Chefs, please welcome Montana's executive chef,
Jen Hennings.
Hi, chefs.
- Hi, how are you, chef? - Hello.
At Montana's, there's nothing that we love more
than a tasty barbecue dish
that's packed and stacked with flavor.
For your next challenge,
you'll go head-to-head
to create your take on a classic dish.
Get ready for...
Battle of the epic sandwich.
- Okay. - That's a good one.
[Dylan] Grilled meat, tasty toppings and sauces
piled high on a bun.
Give us an epic barbecue sandwich
that's too good to put down.
Chef Jeff, because you won the first round,
you have the advantage
and you get to choose your ingredient first.
- Awesome. - Which will you choose to cook with?
Peameal bacon or chicken breast?
I choose peameal bacon.
I love peameal bacon.
It reminds me of Sunday morning,
when you need something just to feel
re-energized for the day.
[Dylan] Which means, Chef Jonathan,
you'll be cooking with chicken breast.
[Jonathan] If I had first choice,
I would have chosen the chicken,
because you can do anything you want with it. Let's go.
-Thank you, chef Jen! -Thanks, Dylan! Good luck, chefs!
- Thank you, chef! - Thank you, chef.
Chefs, you've got 30 minutes back on the clock,
and your time starts...
now!
- [clapping] - [judges] Come on, chefs!
[Jonathan] To me, epic means something that really stands out.
So I grabbed the chicken and right away,
I start connecting it to my Hawaiian heritage,
because, you know, we eat a lot of chicken in Hawaii.
Yeah!
So I'm making a grilled teriyaki chicken sandwich
with pineapple slaw, kimchi mayo,
and fried potato salad.
There used to be a place in Waikiki, Hawaii,
we used to go to for lunch,
and they had a sandwich very similar to this.
I'm gonna make it a little creative and unique, so,
first I make a quick teriyaki marinade for the chicken.
Sweet soy...
Some garlic, some ginger,
and a little sriracha for a secret ingredient.
While my chicken's marinating,
I'm gonna get to work on my potato salad.
I pour pork fat over my potatoes,
to give it a little extra flavor.
Hopefully, they come out super delightful.
When I think epic, I think big,
I think messy, delicious,
so I'm making a smoked peameal bacon sandwich,
with avocado mash, tomato relish, and citrus salad.
First, I put a bowl of ice on the charcoal grill,
because I wanna get a cold smoke going.
Cold smoking is when you impart smoky flavor,
but it doesn't actually cook whatever's on the grill.
[Jonathan] So I'm making a pineapple slaw,
to bring brightness out that I'm looking for in the dish.
I have the pineapple slices cooking on the charcoal grill.
I julienne the jicama.
Jicama is really mild, but has a very nice texture.
Next, I cut cucumbers, my cabbage,
and then I dice up the grilled pineapple.
I add one pepper to it,
just to give it a touch of heat,
some sugar, olive oil, some lime.
In the last round, one of the judges had said
that he wished my dish had a little more citrus,
so I wanted to make sure this dish is well balanced.
Fantastic.
Let's go!
I'm making grilled avocado mash.
I have my avocados and scallions charred,
I got some jalapenos here that I'm gonna add,
so it's gonna bring out a little bit of heat.
I mix it all with the ricotta, lemon juice, garlic and salt.
That's gonna bring a nice creaminess to my sandwich.
Mmm!
[Jonathan] I'm about halfway through the cook,
and it's time to get my chicken going.
I wanna do it on the firepit,
so the chicken picks up the smoky flavor.
[Jonathan] It's time to work on a condiment
for my sandwich, so I'm making kimchi mayo.
The acid from the kimchi goes well with the saltiness
and creaminess of the mayonnaise.
Pair 'em together, and you got something delightful.
Ten minutes left, chefs! It's go time!
[Jeff] I'm rough chopping some tomatoes for my relish.
I add shallots, basil, and a little brown sugar.
This condiment's gonna add a nice, bright, freshness to my peameal sandwich.
Okay, relish done!
I need to put together my citrus salad.
I'm ripping apart lettuce, chopping down my pears,
adding a little orange and lime juice,
- and a little chive. - Very nice!
I check on my peameal bacon,
and they're about done smoking.
Awesome.
And I just wanna get a quick char,
so I throw it on the firepit.
Very nice, very nice!
[Dylan] Chefs, only five minutes left!
- Let's go! - Come on, chefs!
[Jonathan] For an epic sandwich,
I definitely wanna toast my bun a little bit.
Nice! Chicken time.
My chicken is looking beautiful.
The teriyaki glaze is giving it that nice caramelization I was looking for,
the slaw's gonna go on top of the chicken,
and it's really gonna tie everything together.
Chefs, one minute left! Get your food on the plate!
- Let's go, chefs! - [judges clapping]
[Jeff] I start with the bun first.
I'm putting my avo mash on there,
grilled peameal, some tomato relish,
and I finish off with a fried egg
and another layer of avo mash.
[judges] Ten! Nine! Eight!
Seven! Six!
Five! Four! Three!
Two! One!
Time's up, chefs!
- [judges clapping] - [Connie] Good job, chefs!
[Jonathan] I believe I have a winning dish.
My components are well thought out and well executed.
[Jeff] I just tried to be as bold as possible.
But, is it too big of a sandwich?
- Hi, chefs. - [Jonathan] Hello, chefs.
Chef Jonathan, please tell us about your epic sandwich using chicken breast.
[Jonathan] It's teriyaki chicken breast,
with kimchi mayo, grilled pineapple slaw,
and pork fat roasted potato salad.
[Connie] Chef Jonathan, the seasoning that you used
on the chicken was really coming through.
I can taste the garlic and the sweetness of the teriyaki.
I love the char that you got on it,
and I really liked your kimchi mayo.
I wish you had pulled that into the potato salad as well,
just to tie everything together.
The slaw is so delicious.
It's very bright, has beautiful texture.
It's a cute little sandwich,
but I'm not sure it's overly epic.
I wish maybe you would have went with a larger bun,
and more mayo, more kimchi,
- just supersize it to epic proportions. - Thank you, chef.
- Thank you, Chef Jonathan! - Thank you.
[Jonathan] I'm hoping the judges look past the size of the sandwich,
and appreciate the flavors I put in.
Chef Jeff, please tell us about your epic sandwich using peameal bacon.
[Jeff] Today, I have a smoked peameal bacon sandwich,
with a charred avocado mash,
tomato relish, fried egg,
and on the side, I have a little salad.
[Eddie] Feels a little soggy down there.
- Okay, we're going in. - [chuckling]
I think I need a shower.
[both laughing]
Well, Chef Jeff, I have to say,
you have nailed the look on an epic sandwich.
I love the treatment of the peameal bacon,
I love the smoke, and the char is great.
[Connie] I've never had ricotta mixed with avocado before,
and I thought it really brightened up the peameal bacon
and added that level of acidity that it needs.
But, if you're gonna put things that have a wet texture,
you have to make sure that you use a really toasty bun.
- Mmm-hmm. - Or change the bread,
to make sure that it's, like, a sourdough,
or something that's gonna be really nice and sturdy.
- Thank you very much, chef! - Thank you.
- And thank you, chef. - Thank you, chefs.
Let's give the judges a couple of minutes to discuss what they've tasted.
- We'll call you back when we're ready. - Thank you.
[Jeff] I went all out. Size, flavors,
condiments, everything.
And I don't know if that's gonna work against me.
Judges, it was the battle of the epic sandwiches.
One of these chefs working with chicken breast,
and the other with peameal bacon.
How did they do?
[Connie] I really loved chef Jonathan's teriyaki approach,
his chicken was perfectly seared.
The slaw was very, very smart,
he had some great crunch in there,
and the kimchi mayo,
it was a really nice way of adding a good creaminess,
but at the same time, you get that nice, kind of, spiciness,
which I think you really needed to balance out that pineapple.
I just wanted a little bit more of everything in his sandwich, though.
It was a little more restrained, and maybe a little less epic.
Chef Jeff utilized the Fire Masters arena well.
I loved that he smoked the peameal bacon before grilling it.
I loved the avocado, it was bright and fresh, and I could taste
the char of the onions that he incorporated into it.
I think the biggest downfall with Chef Jeff
is just the construction of it.
This was a tough battle, but have you made a decision?
[all] Yes.
Let's call the chefs back in.
[Dylan] Chefs, in this crossfire round,
we asked you to create an epic sandwich,
using chicken breast or peameal bacon.
Judges, tell us.
Who will be moving on to the final round?
The chef that will be moving on to the final round is...
Chef Jeff.
[clapping]
Thank you, judges. Thank you, guys.
Congratulations, Chef Jeff!
You have won a portable grill,
and you're moving on to the final round.
Wow. Wow.
Chef Jonathan, you're a very impressive and creative chef.
It was our pleasure to watch you cook today.
You should be very proud.
Thank you, chefs. Thank you.
-Good luck, man. Knock 'em dead. -Thank you.
I came out to show my skills, and to meet some new people.
I had a lot of fun doing it,
so I'm really happy about that.
Chef Jeff, in the first two rounds,
you showed the judges you sure know your way around a grill.
But now, it's time for the ultimate test.
In this final round, you'll be going head-to-head
against one of our Fire Masters judges.
And the judge you'll be facing off against is...
Chef Connie DeSousa!
- All right! - [Eddie] Go, Connie!
- Let's do this! Yes! - Good job!
[Jeff] Chef Connie is an amazing chef.
-It's an honor, chef. I'm really excited. -Me, too.
[Jeff] I can't wait to test my skills against her,
and show what I'm worth in the final round.
[Dylan] Chef Jeff, and chef Connie!
You're about to face off in the Feast of Fire!
Chefs, in this final round,
you must create a family-style feast,
inspired by the theme...
Fruit on Fire!
- Yes! [chuckles] - Let's do it!
[Dylan] Exciting things happen when fruit meets flame.
It's time to pair nature's candy with fire
to create a flavorful marriage.
Give us a feast that features three different fruits.
The stakes have never been higher.
So you'll each have a sous-chef,
to help you create your feast.
These feasts will be tasted blind,
which means we're not gonna be here to watch you cook.
However, when we do return,
I'll be taking Chef Connie's seat at the judges' table.
But, chefs, before you get started,
I've got a hot twist for you.
At the firepit, there are two stands.
Choose a stand and light it on fire
to reveal an ingredient you must use in your feast.
You've got 45 minutes on the clock,
and your time starts...
- now! - Whoo!
I love putting fruit on the fire.
[Dylan] This is gonna be an incredible battle.
[Connie] We're tasked to cook with a secret ingredient.
Mango!
I'm happy with mango,
because it works really well with proteins.
[Jeff] Cantaloupe!
I feel nervous,
because it's not one of those fruits
that go with everything.
Banana...
[Connie] I'm just thinking of all the different applications
that I can do with fruit in the Fire Masters arena,
and trying not to make everything too sweet.
[Connie] Let's go!
So I am gonna focus on the flavors of Southeast Asia.
- Peppers... - Yep.
[Connie] Because I can create balance with sour, sweet,
spicy, salty.
For my main course,
I'm making sticky mango duck.
For my first side,
a watermelon coconut ceviche.
And for my next side,
spicy noodles with grilled vegetables.
For dessert,
chocolate macadamia biscuits,
with charred bananas.
-[exhales] All right! Those babies are on. -[Connie] Thank you.
My plan for the duck
is that I wanna start with a dry rub.
Korean chili, some allspice,
garlic, and onion.
[Connie] Beautiful!
Scallops, okay.
I gotta grab guanciale. Okay, let's go.
[Jeff] For my Feast of Fire theme tonight,
I'm going to Italy, because classic pairings
like melon and prosciutto can be used
to really highlight the fruit.
So for my main tonight,
I'm preparing a seared scallop
with guanciale vinaigrette,
and charred cantaloupe.
For one of my sides,
I'm doing roasted cauliflower
with smoked pine nut sauce
and roasted red grape.
And my other side
is a classic Italian dish
of grilled leafy greens
with Parmesan and chili.
And for dessert, I have funnel cake
with lime cream and strawberries.
[sous-chef] For the cantaloupe, you want me halving it?
- [Jeff] No, I want it cubed, and then seared. - Yes, chef.
[Jeff] When you sear cantaloupe,
all the sugars from the fruit come to the surface
and you get a really beautiful crust.
Beautiful, beautiful.
It's Feast of Fire time, my friends,
- and we've got a really fun barrel this evening. - [Eddie] Yeah.
Fruit to Fire!
It's so versatile.
Sauces, vinaigrettes, chutneys.
[Dale] Yeah, and fruit takes on char,
takes on smoke really, really well,
but it's gonna be really important that each chef
understands the fruit they're dealing with.
Do you need to add acidity?
Do you need to add some sweetness?
[Dylan] And I can't wait to see what they do
with these incredible fruits.
Me, too. I'm hungry.
[Connie] It's time to work on my chocolate biscuits
with charred bananas.
I love that bitterness of the dark char,
contrasted with the sweetness of the banana.
[Connie] For the biscuits, I mix flour,
baking powder, cold butter,
sugar, salt,
and cream.
And of course, who can forget about the chocolate chips?
My guanciale's reducing, getting nice and crispy.
[Jeff] Guanciale is cured pork cheek,
and is a delicacy in Italy.
Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!
I wanna make a guanciale vinaigrette for my scallop fish.
That's a play on that prosciutto and melon
classic Italian combination.
In the bowl, I have scallions,
rendered off guanciale, red wine vinegar,
sugar, salt, a little honey.
It's gonna give that really savory, meaty bite
to the scallops that I want.
[Jeff] Amazing!
Okay, I'm bringing these over,
- I'll pull those off in two seconds! - Okay!
Thirty minutes left!
[Connie] It's time to make a sticky mango sauce for the duck.
I have chili paste, lime juice,
garlic, ginger, and brown sugar,
and that's what's giving it that beautiful sticky element.
I blitz it up in the food processor,
and then hit it in a cast iron pan to reduce.
But I can't just serve duck with sauce,
I need some kind of garnish.
So, and I'm also making mango salad.
Dicing it up and seasoning it with cilantro and lime juice.
Any kind of acid on these strawberries?
- [Jeff] Uh, yeah, let's do a little lime. - Got it.
Time to make my funnel cake dough.
I'm adding my wet ingredients in first,
milk, vanilla extract, and eggs.
Then I add a little baking powder,
flour, salt, and sugar.
Just eyeball it...
Eyeballing dessert, can you believe it?
- Okay, right behind you. - I'm gonna do straight zest in this.
[Jeff] Amazing, thank you, chef.
[Jeff] My sous-chef is working on the Chantilly cream,
using whipping cream, lime zest, and sugar.
- [Jeff] Yes, that's perfect, yeah. - Yeah.
[Connie] The duck is getting nice and crispy,
so I put it on the charcoal grill.
Because I wanna impart some smoke on the duck.
Now I need to focus on the watermelon ceviche.
- We're gonna cut off the rind... - Yeah...
Watermelon is super sweet,
so I wanna make sure that I have enough
spiciness and freshness in this dish.
So, I'm actually trying
to make my take on a traditional tiger's milk.
I've got coconut, fish sauce,
lots of lime juice, so that it can really
brighten up the flavor of the watermelon,
garlic, ginger, and cilantro.
[Jeff] Fifteen minutes left!
Oh, yeah. Nice.
Cauliflower's looking really good.
Next, I'm gonna work on the pine nut puree for my cauliflower dish.
I check my pine nuts...
- Oh, yeah. They're good. - They look nice and golden brown,
so in a blender goes pine nuts,
a little bit of oil,
red wine vinegar, and water.
Oh, there we go, there we go.
Next, I put pork fat in the hot cast iron pan,
because it's time for the main event.
The scallops.
I do one side of a sear, so they get that beautiful golden-brown on top,
but they're still soft for the rest of the bite.
[Connie] Ten minutes left!
I want my duck to be perfect medium,
so I'm pulling it at 130 degrees,
so that it can rest up to medium.
- Noodles are just behind you. - Okay.
It's time to start plating my noodle dish.
I toss them in some lime juice,
garlic, ginger, spice,
and then I'm gonna add my charred vegetables.
This dish is done.
[Jeff] So my escarole and baby bok choy have a nice char.
It's time to put it all together with lemon juice,
chili, then Parmesan,
and it's ready to go on a plate.
There's seven minutes left,
and my sous-chef puts the funnel cake dough in the oil.
[sous-chef] It's not staying together.
It's really hot.
[Jeff] It's burning, it's splitting,
nothing's working, and I'm panicking.
[Jeff] No, no, no!
Maybe this is over for me.
[Jeff] The funnel cake dough is a disaster.
It's burning, it's splitting.
Six minutes left, and we gotta troubleshoot
this funnel cake dough, and quick.
Little more flour? It's really hot.
We turn off the heat, add more flour, and keep trying.
Come on.
[Connie] Yeah, it's a little better.
Yes.
Five minutes, guys.
I'm gonna start building the ceviche.
So I lay down the watermelon steaks into a bowl with tiger's milk,
and then I add jicama for texture.
Connie, biscuits are off.
I need filling to go with the biscuit,
so I mix macadamia nut and dulce de leche.
- [sous-chef] That looks great. Yeah? - [Connie] Okay, perfect.
Okay, these are gonna be up like that.
Banana, and that's that.
[Dylan] Three minutes!
[Jeff] My scallops are looking nice and golden.
I'm gonna start plating.
I have my scallops, my charred cantaloupe,
and I finish with my guanciale vinaigrette.
This is plated. I'm gonna plate cauliflower now.
I put down my pine nut puree,
my roasted cauliflower,
and finish with roasted grapes.
All I'm waiting for is dessert now.
- Okay. This is kind of what I got. - [Jeff] Okay.
The funnel cakes look a bit deconstructed,
but we gotta get these on the plate.
- And then just strawberries on top? - Yeah.
It's now or never.
One minute!
[Connie] I'm racing against the clock.
I need to slice the duck really thin,
spread the sauce on my plate,
fan out the duck,
and try and get the rest of my garnishes on there.
[Dylan] Ten,
nine, eight,
seven,
six,
five,
four,
three,
two, one.
- [chuckles] Oh, my God. - [chuckles]
- Boom. - Got it done.
That was the fastest 45 minutes of my entire life.
The funnel cakes, they're not as pretty as I wanted them to be,
but I tasted everything, it tasted great.
[Connie] I'm happy that I showcased the fruit in almost every single dish.
But I'm honestly a little bit worried about my dessert.
I improvised on that one.
I really hope the judges like it.
Well, my friends,
tonight it's all about fire and fruit.
This chef had to cook with cantaloupe.
This chef has prepared seared scallops
with guanciale vinaigrette and charred cantaloupe.
Roasted cauliflower with smoked pine nut sauce and roasted red grapes.
Grilled leafy greens with Parmesan and chili.
And we'll top it off with funnel cake
with lime cream and strawberries.
This is gorgeous.
I mean, would you just look at the cook on that.
[Dale] The sear on these scallops are perfect.
- Mmm, it's really nice. - Man, that's... [chuckles]
That's really good.
[Dylan] These scallops are perfectly seared on one side,
and then topped with that rich sauce
and the guanciale, works really nice together.
But I can kind of take or leave the cantaloupe,
and cantaloupe was the fruit that they had to use in their feast.
Yeah, I agree.
The star of the scallops is the scallops.
But at the same time, I think the cantaloupe goes well
and it really does pair well with the sauce too.
I also like what this chef did with the cauliflower dish.
[Eddie] Everything on that plate
- seems like it touched something in the arena. - [Dylan and Dale] Yeah.
[Eddie] You have the rich, smoky sauce.
You have the char that's on the outside of that cauliflower.
[Dylan] And I like the roasted grapes.
Those little pops of sweetness,
definitely add a great taste to the dish.
[Eddie] Absolutely.
Let's move onto the grilled leafy greens.
- I'm actually really liking this dish. - Yes.
I like that they're very well dressed,
and that grated Parm on top
gives it that kind of richness that I think leafy greens definitely needs,
because on its own, it really doesn't have much flavor.
This first feast was ripe with creativity and flavor.
I'm excited for dessert.
Let's do it.
This chef has prepared funnel cake with lime cream and strawberries.
The flavor of the funnel cake is spot-on.
I agree with you,
but I'm not really getting any smoke, char, or anything else.
Is it fruit-forward? yes.
But I'm not sure it's really a Fire Masters arena dessert.
All the chef had to do was get a really hot pan,
char those strawberries a little bit,
- [Eddie] Gotta appreciate the pops of red, though. - [Dylan] Mmm-hmm.
This first feast really brought the flavors of fruit to the table.
Let's see what the second chef has in store for us.
Our second Fruit to Fire feast has landed.
This chef had to cook with mango.
This chef has prepared sticky mango duck.
Watermelon-coconut ceviche.
Spicy noodles with grilled vegetables.
And we'll finish off with chocolate macadamia biscuits with charred bananas.
Let's dig in.
Ooh. Wow.
That sauce with the mango is magic.
It's sour and spicy,
and it really lends itself well to the sweetness that the duck has.
- The duck breast was cooked very well. - [Eddie] Mmm-hmm.
[Dylan] And this is just a really smart,
- well-balanced and delicious dish. - Yep.
I also really like the flavor of the watermelon ceviche.
[Dale] That coconut sauce is quite delicious,
all those fresh herbs.
This is the exact dish I wanna eat on a hot summer night.
But I have to say the noodle dish is a bit of a letdown for me.
[Dylan] It's got a little spice to it,
but other than that there's really not a lot of flavor.
[Dale] And it's lacking salt.
- [Eddie] Yeah, salt. - So with heat you always need that salt
- to kind of, you know, give it that actual body... - Mmm.
- of flavor, but it's more heat and not enough seasoning. - [Dylan] Yeah.
Let's see what they've made for dessert.
This chef has prepared chocolate macadamia biscuits with charred banana.
-That's good. [chuckles] -Mmm, very good, right? [chuckles]
It's not an attractive dessert,
but at the same time, looks definitely are deceiving,
and it's quite delicious.
- That macadamia butter... - [Dylan] Mmm-hmm.
It has a lot of sweetness in it.
So, I like those charred bits on the banana
because it broke it up a little bit.
Another feast that brought peak fruit flavor to the table.
[Eddie] Absolutely.
We've had two exceptional fruit to fire feasts.
We're gonna have to break these down plate by plate
- and see how these chefs did. - Yeah.
Let's start with the mains.
The first chef preparing seared scallops with cantaloupe.
And the second chef with the sticky mango duck.
The first chef gave us perfectly seared scallops.
[Dylan] But if you took the cantaloupe off that plate,
you wouldn't really be missing it.
Whereas the second chef,
if you took that mango off,
it would be a completely different dish.
Yeah, I 100% agree.
The second chef did a really good job of integrating mango into that dish.
Let's take a look at the sides.
The first chef preparing that roasted cauliflower
with the pine nut sauce and the grapes.
And the second chef with the watermelon ceviche.
I absolutely love the watermelon dish.
It was elegant.
It was definitely fruit-forward.
But the first chef also really used the Fire Masters arena a lot more.
There was a char on the cauliflower in a smoked pine nut sauce.
The grapes were charred,
so they really did highlight the arena as well as fruit.
Yeah, I totally agree.
Moving on to the second set of sides.
The first chef prepared those grilled leafy greens,
and the second chef with the spicy noodle salad.
Those charred leafy greens were delicious.
[Dale] That noodle dish just fell flat on seasoning.
Moving on to dessert.
The first chef did the funnel cake
with the lime cream and strawberries.
The second chef, the chocolate macadamia biscuits with charred banana.
I think the flavor of the funnel cake was quite good.
- But you're not really getting any char to it. - [Eddie] Yeah.
Whereas the bananas of the second chef kind of surprised me.
Once you got into it, the bananas and everything,
- it really did work together. - [Eddie] Definitely.
I think it's safe to say both of these chefs
did a great job utilizing their fruits in the feasts.
It was a difficult choice,
but I think we've made a decision.
- Yeah. - I think we have.
Let's call the chefs back in.
Win or lose, I feel that I put out some really good food,
so I'm really proud.
I may look calm, but I am freaking out inside. [chuckles]
Chefs, both of your feasts paired fruit and flame in delectable ways.
In the first feast,
we thought the seared scallops with cantaloupe was a delicious blend of flavors.
However, we were missing the flavors
of the Fire Masters arena in the dessert.
In the second feast,
the sticky mango duck was a luscious and beautifully balanced dish.
However, we felt the spicy noodles would have benefited
from some additional seasoning.
Chefs, we have made our decision.
Tonight's winning feast is...
the first feast with the seared scallops and grilled leafy greens.
- Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
- [all clapping]
- Congratulations. - What?
- Thank you, Chef. - That's amazing.
- Good job. - Oh, my God!
Congratulations, Chef Jeff.
You have won $10,000 and the title of today's Fire Masters champion.
- Whoo! - [all laughing]
This is, like, the highlight of my culinary career.
And it feels like a dream come true.
- [all clapping] - Good job, chef.
I'm really happy for Chef Jeff.
He was a fierce competitor.
Thank you, chef. Thank you.
Every single time I cook in the Fire Masters arena,
it just keeps getting harder and harder,
but it's always fun competing.
-Congratulations, chef. A very nice cook. -Thank you.
[Jeff] I'm just overwhelmed with happiness.
[laughs]
I can't believe it.
- Good job. - How's that feel?
- It was amazing. - [all clapping]