JOEL: When we last saw our teams of friends,
they were feeling good, baby.
I'm feeling good, baby.
- JOEL: Told you. - Mmm.
JOEL: They deepened their bonds--
Yes, girl!
JOEL: --and also stacked some frosted cakes.
MAN: It's very important to pick up on all the clues.
Otherwise, you don't stand a chance of winning.
JOEL: Oof. The Curtis Stone dress down. Brutal.
One team cracked the mystery dessert--
Could be something like an Italian cream cake.
(Steam hissing)
JOEL: And earned something like safety--
Jesse and Justin!
Getting to skip the dreaded elimination bake,
where April and Sam's Linzer torte was a loser tart,
which is a play on words,
not an actual baked good.
- We were wrong. - Wow.
JOEL: But it was another team's
misguided blackberry and meringue--
- Adam and Cliff. - Oh, no!
JOEL: That sent them riding off into the sunset.
Aw. That's the saddest yee-haw I've ever seen.
Now, five fearless factions of friends
must frost and fight to the finale.
Oh, my gosh.
JOEL: Somebody please stop me.
This smells kind of nasty, like cheese.
Oh, I don't know about that.
JOEL: Someone let the Brits near Italian food.
(Roaring)
(Buzzing)
JOEL: And I get to the bottom of a conspiracy.
- You're flat-Earthers. - Yeah, yeah.
- No. - If I'm wrong, let me be wrong.
- We want them to be wrong. - Yeah.
Reveal the mystery dessert!
You heard that handsome devil.
I can't watch.
JOEL: Get ready for Crime Scene Kitchen.
♪
WOMAN: Week four. Let's go.
APRIL: Last week, we went in so confident,
but the Crime Scene Kitchen has humbled me,
and it takes a lot to humble me.
- We were on the verge of exile. - Yeah.
SAMANTHA: But we persevered.
JESSE: Last time, we won the safety bake,
so we just can't wait to get into that kitchen
and just fire it up.
Bro out with our dough out.
(Laughing)
They're going to use that.
Welcome to Crime Scene Kitchen.
Last week, our families competed.
This week, it's you, our teams of friends.
The two brackets will merge
halfway through the season,
where the winners will emerge
with the $100,000 prize
and a coveted slot on this show's Wikipedia page.
Whoo-hoo!
Okay.
And now, the pair that concocted
tonight's mysteries, our judges.
She's known throughout the Marvel Universe as Crème Brûlée.
Please welcome Yolanda Gampp.
(Cheering)
He's an Iron Chef superstar
and an ice dancing silver medalist.
He is Curtis Stone.
(Contestants applauding)
There are two bakes tonight.
First, the whimsical and breezy safety bake,
the winner of which gets to skip our second test,
the elimination bake.
The loser of the elimination bake is off the show.
I'm so happy we are still here.
Last time, we've missed so many clues.
We just need to make sure that we are great detectives.
I'm not worried about baking.
I'm worried about missing the clues.
- Look over there. - Look over there.
(Both laughing)
Behind me is the Crime Scene Kitchen.
Ooh.
Earlier, something delicious was baked there.
Using just the leftovers as evidence,
you'll have to recreate what you think was made in the kitchen.
Jesse and Justin, start your search!
- Let's go buddy. - Let's do it.
- Let's go. (Beeping)
- Let's go. Let's go. - Alright.
Okay. Checking aprons.
SAMANTHA: What are we making today?
Let's do this.
There's flour, all-purpose flour.
On the main board here, there's a cutter,
a pastry wheel, and a circular cutter.
Maybe a biscuit?
I see a cutter and a cutting wheel.
I'm thinking maybe something was rolled out and cut into shape.
Mixer bowl. Yo, what's this?
I open one of the cabinets,
and I'm seeing this glass bowl with some grease marks
and a plastic wrap over it.
I don't know. Smells like oil,
like maybe a dough was risen.
That's definitely a giveaway for a proofing bowl.
Proofing means to let a yeasted dough rise effectively
to make a bread.
What is this?
So, I have a mixing bowl here and a dough hook.
A dough...
Immediately, I think it's some type of bread.
It could be focaccia. It could be babka.
- Pockets. - It's almonds, brown sugar.
Like, oats, raisins, granola.
APRIL: It's starting to make me think
that some type of sweet bread was made in here.
Yeast. All-purpose flour.
JESSICA: We have some granola with some raisins here.
LENORE: And I see the dry ingredients, raisins,
and I see brown sugar.
And I come to the food processor.
And I smell pesto.
Pesto, Jessica.
I am interested.
Either sweet or savory.
- Parmesan cheese. - Parmesan cheese, used half.
There's a star. Look. So that's the shape.
- Okay. - It's like a star.
And I'm thinking it's definitely a clue.
KEIRON: It's an origami folded star,
so we're thinking some kind of dough
may have been folded into a star shape.
- What's this? - JANUSZ: Because the middle
is always empty, of the star.
Oh, I don't know about that.
BOTH: All-purpose flour.
NIKKI: We know that we're making some kind of bread.
Oh, what's this?
Beside the fridge, there's a parchment paper.
And we open it up, and it's pretty oily and greasy.
Oh. Okay. Okay. This is a shape.
This parchment paper definitely is a big clue.
- BRANDO: Okay. - NIKKI: Somehow we got
to make this shape.
This is showing us the shape
that the dough was baked in.
- (Whispering) Starburst. - It's like stars bursting.
♪
(Buzzing, beeping)
Okay. We've got 10 seconds.
- Is this basil? Is this-- - We have 10 seconds.
- That's basil, right?
What else can we cover here?
What does this pattern mean?
JOEL: And that is time!
- What... - Ah!
(Sighing)
(Laughing)
Bakers, you'll now have three hours
to figure out what the mystery dessert is and bake it.
The winner will earn safety and immediately advance
to the next round.
(Beeping)
The one thing that I saw is that bowl--
- Yeah, with the plastic wrap. - I think for rising.
Yeah. I agree, indicating some type of yeast
or a leavened dough.
- APRIL: What are we doing? - Obviously, we know
- it's a dough. - It's a dough. It's a dough.
Do we want to win the safety bake?
Heck yeah! Like, I want to be in those chairs this week
and not stressed out about the elimination bake.
I think the basil and the olive oil--
I don't think it was part of the bake.
I think with the brown sugar, oats,
it's a sweet bread.
So, this is funny,
because I'm thinking actually the opposite.
On the counter was a container of, like, granola.
The oats and the brown sugar,
I think that was there to throw us off.
I think it was, like, the focaccia bread.
(Laughing)
I'm thinking that we're making some type of focaccia bread.
APRIL: I'm telling you,
it's a sweet thing. Like, it's a dessert.
Like, there's almonds, like, slivered almonds on the counter.
We're not going savory,
because we feel like all of the savory clues
are way too in your face,
and so we decide to go
with a sweet dough starburst
with a brown sugar filling.
We're not going to let the Crime Scene Kitchen trick us
this time.
Your face.
(Both laughing)
No pressure. You feel pressure?
There's no pressure. Okay.
No pressure.
So, look. The dough was made.
- You've seen pesto being made. - Mm-hmm. So, do we think
that the pesto is incorporated into the dough?
I think it is filled with pesto.
- There was no-- - Like, mess.
Mess of it.
(Roaring)
- Yeah. - (Both laughing)
Hello, Janusz, Keiron!
- Hello! - Hello.
- It's Joel McHale-- - How are you, babes?
In a brand-new outfit. What do you guys think?
KEIRON: Looking good. I like.
What sweet treat are you making for me today?
It's not sweet. It's savory today.
It's going to be a star-shaped bread.
I've seen a star on the fridge.
It must be relating to the shape of the thing that was baked.
KEIRON: So, we're making a pesto star wreath
garnished with parmesan and basil.
This one has never even made pesto.
Pesto should be a easy meal that you just open a jar.
It's the easiest thing you can ever make!
Yeah, but then you need to clean your food processor.
Oh, diddums.
Have you made anything like this before?
I've made the sweet one before
that looked like a Christmas tree.
- KEIRON: Mm-hmm. - Just don't really remember
how I made it, because it was, like, seven years ago.
(Laughing)
I work as a food stylist in London,
and I first met Janusz
when we got together to create his amazing cookbook.
When we first met, we got on like a house on fire,
so how could we not become friends?
JANUSZ: Every single time I can spend with Keiron
- is like a luxury. - Aw.
Sorry. I don't want to distract you,
other than the fact that I'm distracting you.
Please do. I love being distracted.
That's my normal state, distracted.
I'm feeling pretty good that it's a savory item.
Jesse and Justin!
JUSTIN: Hey, man. How are you, sir?
I'm well. Alright. What are you guys making?
So, our base is going to be kind of a classic focaccia.
Because of the basil, the proofing bowl,
as well as the ring cutter that we saw in the center island,
we're making basil and parmesan focaccia rounds.
Focaccia pucks. That's a good name.
Basil and parmesan focaccia.
- We might cut it into rounds. - Just something you can grab.
Do you think it's harder to grab
round things than square things?
It's not a sphere.
You're flat Earthers. Okay.
No. Don't say that.
- (Laughing) - The Earth is round.
You guys. (Laughing)
Do you think you're going to be the cool teacher now
at school when this comes out?
I don't know.
I'm a high school culinary arts instructor,
and my nickname at the school is Chef G.
(In deep voice) Yo, Chef G. Sorry I didn't get
the pie crust in to you earlier.
That's okay. Have a seat. Let's get to work.
But you're giving me that A, right?
(In normal voice) Is what they sound like in Calgary?
- A little less-- - New York Italian. (Laughing)
So, you're tackling the dough.
I'm getting this succulent pesto going.
NIKKI: I think we need to make a sweet dough.
- There was the brown sugar. - BRANDO: Yes, light brown.
After that, do you think we should design the wreath?
Yes.
Because I saw the dough hook,
the basil pesto in the food processor,
and the parchment with the star shape,
we are making a basil pesto wreath with sweet dough.
You have the pesto in the sweet dough like a cinnamon roll,
and then you, like-- Yeah. You twist them individually.
Looks like a Christmas star.
Stars come in all shapes and sizes,
so right now, this star's coming from Brooklyn.
NIKKI: We're going in the oven!
BRANDO: Let's boost the energy up.
One, two. Burn off the carbs.
Ah.
JESSICA: I think that starburst's definitely
- a huge clue-- - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
As to how it needs to look.
It should look like a star when it's fully baked.
- Here is the thing. - Yes.
LENORE: Did you see on social media
when everybody was doing those, like, taco wreaths?
(Sighing) I don't know.
Are you sure it's a wreath and not just a starburst?
With the ring doing what?
This ring cutter indicates to me
that this is a round bread shape with a hole in the middle.
I think it needs to be a wreath.
- Okay. - Yeah.
JESSICA: Alright. If you're sure.
I'm letting her take the lead here.
Because we saw the circle cutter,
the pesto in the food processor,
and also parmesan cheese,
we decided to make a pesto parmesan wreath.
And if I'm wrong, let me be wrong,
but I don't think that it's just star bread
with pesto on top of it.
(Laughing)
- (Beeping) - JOEL: Ninety minutes
remaining! Ninety minutes,
and if you need more time,
maybe don't do your baking on a competitive cooking show!
(Laughing)
CURTIS: Four out of our five teams
are going savory in this round.
Now, that's a very interesting difference,
because we know our bakers are good at making
cakes and pies and all the sweet things,
but can they cook savory?
That's a very different muscle,
and we'll see which ones have it.
- KEIRON: Like this? - JANUSZ: Yes, that's it.
So, we really want to make sure we keep the shape.
So, by putting this ring around,
I think it's really going to help contain it.
Okay. Let's put her in.
Middle, yo. Yeah. Nice and easy.
Nice and easy.
(Buzzing)
SAMANTHA: I feel like I smell something.
APRIL: What do you mean?
I smell someone baking something.
Well, that's what we're supposed to be doing.
SAMANTHA: But it doesn't smell sweet.
It smells savory.
JANUSZ: They're puffing nicely, babe.
Right?
It smells like basil, something with basil.
- The smells start wafting over. - They smell real good.
It smells like a pizzeria.
It can't be focaccia.
It smells like focaccia from the other team!
It smells incredible.
I'm trying to hold it together and be so (Bleep) positive.
It's fine.
It's just really pissing me off.
- You cussed a couple of times. - Sorry. Just don't put it in.
You know what I'm saying? Bleep it out.
I'm going to need you to have confidence.
I do have confidence!
- SAMANTHA: Believe in us. - It just knocked it down
a level.
(Sighing)
APRIL: It smells like focaccia!
We want them to make that.
- Okay. - We want them to be wrong--
- Yes, we want them-- - And make that.
To be wrong and make that if ours is right.
(Laughing)
(Beeping)
JOEL: Thirty minutes remaining,
and then we release the wild dogs!
Ah!
LENORE: Oh, my gosh! That bread is ginormous!
APRIL: I don't think it's brown enough in the middle.
SAMANTHA: I hope it's right.
Me, too.
We pulled this bread out,
and it's under-baked.
The last thing we want to do is serve the judges
a half-cooked wreath.
BRANDO: We have to get it back in the oven ASAP.
Time for a tea.
Cheers.
JOEL: Curtis, you set this challenge.
What are these people doing?
Everyone's baking bread of one kind or another.
We've got three savory basil pesto breads--
Yeah, buddy. There you go.
KEIRON: That looks so good.
You're so talented!
CURTIS: One sweet bread with brown sugar and almonds--
APRIL: I'm just going to sit here and watch her.
CURTIS STONE: And one basil pesto bread with a sweet dough.
Lenore and Jessica, what are they making?
They're making a pesto parmesan wreath.
(Laughing) It's very pesto-y.
CURTIS: Jessica wanted to do a star shape,
and Lenore wanted to do the wreath.
How big was the argument?
Did they throw anything at each other?
No, no. It was a light argument.
Okay.
Jessie and Justin are the only ones to be making focaccia.
Oh, look at this.
YOLANDA: Uh-oh. Okay. You know,
I use circle cutters all the time,
but I have never used it for bread.
JESSE: Ooh, that looks good.
I like that.
Oh, yeah. She's brown.
Now, what we're going to do is cut
around all the brown sugar.
CURTIS: But look at Samantha and April's bread that's come out.
It doesn't look like it's risen--
- YOLANDA: No. - CURTIS: Very much,
and I wonder whether that was what they were going for.
Shh.
Are we thinking about it too hard?
Yeah.
Are you worried about the time?
I don't know.
Brando and Nikki are making a basil pesto wreath,
but they're using a sweet dough.
- Oh! - Yeah.
- Okay. - They're an enigma.
(Brando humming)
They're the only team that's using a sweet dough
and using the basil.
If that was made in the Crime Scene Kitchen,
they'll be safe.
That's a mamma mia.
- (Beeping) - JOEL: We got 20 seconds!
- JANUSZ: Opa. - KEIRON: Gorgeous.
- APRIL: Go, go, go, go, go, go. - JOEL: Ten!
KEIRON: Ah!
- Final touches. - JANUSZ: Do it.
JOEL: Here we go.
HOSTS: Three! Two! One!
JOEL: And that is time!
That is time!
- (Humming) - (Laughing) Not the booty.
Look what we have done!
I hope it's right.
APRIL: Me too, girl.
JOEL: Keiron and Janusz,
please bring us what you thought was made
in the Crime Scene Kitchen.
- CONTESTANTS: Ooh. - BRANDO: Oh, wow.
Okay. Twisted bread.
- Hello. - JOEL: Look at that.
JESSICA: So, that's the shape that I meant.
- No. I know. - Yeah. Okay.
So, we made a pesto star wreath.
Yeah, the star shape.
- They put pesto. - Mm-hmm.
I saw the food processor.
I feel there was a pesto that would be made in there.
What was it that made you make this particular shape?
KEIRON: So, it was the star that was on the fridge.
It was an origami star, lots of folding,
so we were thinking maybe that's a clue to fold the bread.
Eight different points.
Now, I'm thinking it's totally wrong.
Now, I am as well.
YOLANDA: Alright.
CURTIS: It's not an easy bread to make,
because there's a lot of intricate work.
There's a lot of folding and twisting of a dough.
But this is actually still quite light.
I love the presentation.
I think it's really pretty,
and the pesto is very tasty.
The big question is, is this what was baked
in the Crime Scene Kitchen?
If it is, it's a great rendition,
and I think you're in pretty good shape.
Or... you're not at all.
(Keiron and Janusz laughing)
Or that.
JOEL: Jesse and Justin!
APRIL: Okay.
They used the cutter.
JUSTIN: These are basil parmesan focaccia rounds.
They cut it into rounds,
which is very unusual.
Unless again that's something we never heard of.
I want to change my idea.
- How we going to do it? - Can we start again?
The savory ingredients that we were finding
pointed us towards kind of a focaccia bread,
and the pastry cutter, well, we realized that could represent
perhaps the shape of the entire--
- Right. - Dish.
♪
I think it tastes very good.
It's nice and soft inside.
You've got a beautiful crust on it.
It really is nice and crunchy.
It's quite lovely.
I mean, you guys were our best detectives
in our last safety bake.
- Yep. - Right.
CURTIS: So much so that you won it.
So, if focaccia was made in the Crime Scene Kitchen,
you guys have safety again.
Thank you, Chef.
JOEL: Lenore and Jessica!
Is that a star or just a wreath?
Looks like a wreath.
JESSICA: We made a pesto parmesan wreath for you today.
Yeah. Me too.
The real debate was, what is it going to look like?
Jess wasn't sure if that was the shape that we should do,
but I felt pretty confident about it.
They probably didn't find the parchment.
♪
The dough is really nice.
I like the ratio of how much pesto is in the bread,
and I also like the parmesan on top.
BOTH: Thank you.
It's a really nice texture.
The flavor of the pesto is really pronounced.
It's a delicious bread.
Thank you so much.
JOEL: Brando and Nikki!
- Ooh. - Wow.
Beautiful.
NIKKI: We have a basil pesto wreath.
We saw the parchment paper on the floor,
which had the outline of the ring.
(Lenore inhaling through teeth)
How did I miss that?
Missed it completely.
Like, how we haven't seen it?
YOLANDA: How did you make the dough?
We made a sweet dough.
They're saying it's sweet.
YOLANDA: I think it tastes good,
and although you did put sugar in the dough,
it's not too much.
It's interesting when you lift that up
and have a little look at the base.
It's got a nice sort of crust to it.
But when you eat it, it can feel a little dry.
- Okay. - CURTIS: Well, listen.
Crime Scene Kitchen is usually giving us sweet challenges,
and the fact that it's a sweet dough but not too sweet
could be a really smart move.
You could be sailing straight on into safety, you guys.
That's what we're praying for.
JOEL: April and Samantha!
- So, there you go. - (Contestants murmuring)
APRIL: We made a sweet dough starburst
with a brown sugar filling for you guys today.
- (Gasping) - They did
a brown sugar filling?
Oh, they made sweet.
I was going more savory, and she was going more sweet.
- This time, she went with me. - Yeah.
- I convinced her. - Good news. You're her boss.
Oh, my gosh. If I'm wrong,
oh, I'll never hear the end of it.
Your bread doesn't appear to be risen at all.
APRIL AND SAMANTHA: Mm-hmm.
YOLANDA: It is really deflated.
It almost reads like a pastry.
So, that's the unsuccessful part of this bake.
Of course, that caramelization,
that little bit of sugar that's come out,
is absolutely delicious.
- Thank you so much. - YOLANDA: Thank you.
BOTH: Thank you, guys.
If the mystery dessert is sweet,
- we're safe. - Yeah.
There's still a chance. We could be.
Quit being so bum-y.
So, yeah. We're either really right,
or we're really wrong. (Laughing)
Welcome back to Crime Scene Kitchen.
The friends that win this safety bake
skip tonight's elimination bake,
earning a guaranteed spot in the next round.
Confectionator 3000,
do your smoking, rising, revealing thing!
I don't want to look!
SAMANTHA: We really, really, really--
Really, really, really, really badly.
--want to see something sweet come out of that Confectionator.
(Samantha laughing)
What's in there?
BOTH: Please be a wreath. Please be a wreath.
Please be a wreath!
Oh!
JANUSZ: Ooh, is it going?
It's going.
JOEL: The mystery bake is ...
a pesto parmesan star bread!
(Justin gasping, groaning)
It is a pesto parmesan star bread,
which is pretty close to what we did. (Laughing)
JOEL: Pesto and parmesan spread between two layers of dough
cut and twisted into a star pattern.
Curtis, can you explain
how our contestants were supposed to figure this out?
With pleasure.
The used flour, yeast, butter, and milk,
along with the mixing bowl with cling film and oil
in the proofing drawer
all pointed to an enriched bread dough.
The clipped fresh basil,
parmesan cheese in the fridge,
and a smear of pesto in the food processor
all indicated pesto was used and made.
The used parchment on the floor near the refrigerator--
Now, we know to look on the floors.
CURTIS: Along with the star-shaped origami
on the fridge both suggested the star shape of the bread.
The parchment clearly showed
that there was no hole in the center of the bread.
While there was evidence that the oats,
cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins, and almonds were used,
they were all ingredients
in the homemade granola in the container on the bar.
Following the clues correctly
should have led you to a savory pesto parmesan star bread.
There were two of our teams
who got much closer to the mystery bake,
getting the flavoring, dough type, and other details
almost exactly right.
They were...
Lenore and Jessica...
and Janusz and Keiron.
So, the winners of this safety bake are...
Janusz and Keiron!
(Janusz shouting indistinctly)
(Janusz laughing)
KEIRON: Well done, babe.
We wouldn't have made a star wreath
if it wasn't for you pushing that star,
so thank you.
I wouldn't do it without you.
Well, great team.
Lenore and Jessica, if you'd just got that shape right,
this would have been such a tough decision,
because your bread was excellent.
BOTH: Thank you.
At the end of the day,
second place ain't bad.
We only have to win the last one.
Let's be honest.
JOEL: Janusz and Keiron,
you've automatically advanced into the next round,
where complacency and overconfidence
will surely be your undoing. Alright, you guys.
- You can go over there. - Thank you. Thank you.
- Thank you so much. - Well done.
And now for the most exciting part
of the second half of the show,
the nefarious elimination bake.
The team that does the worst now will be eliminated.
The mystery dessert for the second bake
was chosen by Yolanda while she rubbed her hands together
and laughed maniacally.
(Laughing maniacally)
(Both laughing)
Bakers, the Crime Scene Kitchen is now open
to host your petty disagreements.
Lenore and Jessica,
start your search!
(Beeping)
Okay.
BRANDO: Alright. Let's go.
Let's go.
JESSICA: Oh, my goodness.
Oh, I got a red ribbon.
Red ribbon in the dustpan.
- Oh, we definitely got some-- - Butter.
--berry cream. Yes, butter.
I pick up this bowl, and I see
some kind of light pink cream inside.
I think we're making a mousse.
It could be a panna cotta.
It could be, you know, just a simple mousse,
or it could be a cake.
- Can you smell that? - Yep.
She hands me a sifter,
and I smell some sort of berry.
Cake flour, powdered sugar.
Okay. There's gelatin right here.
- There's a bowl. - APRIL: Okay.
Gelatin is, like, a stabilizer.
Something's in this bowl--
egg yolks, egg yolks.
SAMANTHA: I'm thinking that it might be a pastry cream
that has whipped cream folded into it.
You can do them for cakes, for donuts or, like, mousse filling.
There's strawberries.
So maybe they made strawberry mousse.
Okay. This is some sort of strawberry.
There's a batter in the sink. It's white.
NIKKI: Batter in the sink.
It smells kind of nasty, like cheese.
There's two bowls in here.
So, I pick up the bowl in the sink,
and it smells like feet,
so I'm thinking some type of cheese
or something really, really funky.
Okay. Mascarpone.
Yes, mascarpone.
NIKKI: Mascarpone cheese has a very similar consistency
and texture to cream cheese.
And it stinks.
Okay.
And that bowl had some funky cheese in it for sure.
It's in the recipe.
Cake flour, powdered sugar.
Smells like cream cheese. Piping.
So, I'm looking in the dish rack.
There's a star tip and a piping bag,
so I'm thinking something has to be piped.
Okay. There's pencil markings.
Looking at this parchment paper,
and there's two lines.
The measurement between the two lines?
Twelve centimeters exactly.
Good job, buddy.
Could be a Swiss roll, maybe?
But what is this measurement for?
I have two sheets of parchment paper.
- We have lines on them. - Oh.
Approximately four inches.
Lines, circle, ruler.
- These lines on the paper-- - Okay. What are we thinking?
- What are we thinking? - Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
- There's eggs here. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Separated eggs, egg whites, yolks, lines.
- This pan. - This ring.
I see separated eggs, a ruler,
a pencil, and two pieces of parchment paper with lines.
And I remember, in culinary school,
that is how we were taught to make ladyfingers.
- What is that? - (Gasping) A ring and a strip.
- Is that brown butter? - (Buzzer sounding)
- Ten seconds. - Ten seconds. Ten seconds.
(Beeping)
Mascarpone, cream cheese, strawberry.
Let's go.
- (Beeping) - Ah! Oh, my gosh.
JOEL: That is time!
God dang it.
Y'all going to have to clean that up.
I'm sorry.
JOEL: You will now have three hours
to craft a culinary masterpiece.
- Okay, buddy. - Let's do it.
This is our first elimination bake.
Yolanda bake? Cakes? Yecch.
Cream cheesy smell.
I didn't get a cream cheesy smell.
We're going to have to get real.
This is a lot of pressure, man.
You're telling me.
JOEL: You will now have three hours
to craft a culinary masterpiece.
It's actually plenty of time,
as long as you don't get distracted,
which is what I'll be doing... constantly.
- Okay, okay, okay. - I don't even know.
- Oh, oh, oh, oh. I do.
- SAMANTHA: Okay. - Is there anything
that would indicate a rolled cake?
I don't know.
- Oh, there's a piping bag. - There was a piping bag--
- Piping bag and a tip. - With a circle tip.
We're going to go ahead with the strawberry
as the flavor profile.
It's not tiramisu.
I really feel like it's a Charlotte Russe.
Okay.
Because we saw the whipped cream made in the bowl,
the parchment with the markings,
and the strawberry in the sieve,
we're making a Charlotte Russe,
a cake made with sponge cake,
Bavarian cream, mousse,
and ladyfingers that are surrounding it.
We were the furthest away on the safety bake,
and I just want to make sure
that, you know, we show up and show out
for this elimination bake.
We're not going home.
Let's both say it at the same time. Ready?
- Every time. Okay. - BOTH: One, two, three.
- LENORE: Mousse cake. - JESSICA: Charlotte Russe.
BOTH: Uh-oh!
I think we're making ladyfingers.
You think that it's ladyfingers?
I do, because I saw that parchment paper
where there was lines drawn into it--
- Sure. - And four--
- Did you measure? - Inches each,
- which is the height of the-- - Good for you, Jessie.
- Good for you. - And I saw a clipping
of red ribbon.
Let's make a Charlotte Russe, then.
Okay.
The red ribbon is traditionally used
to tie around a Charlotte Russe.
This is a major clue,
so we're deciding to do a strawberry Charlotte Russe
with layers of genoise cake,
strawberry jam, and strawberry mousse
surrounded by a ladyfinger band and a red ribbon.
- JOEL: Oh, hi, guys. - Oh, hi, Joel.
- Hi. How are you? - It's the host of your show.
- Oh, my gosh. - Let's talk
about the last bake that you almost were there.
Hi! Oh, my God. How fun was that?
Oh, that was crazy.
You were so close.
We got literally all of the elements right
except for the shape.
Jessica thought it was a star.
- Sure. - And you did not,
so you were wrong.
Is it wrong? Or is it just not quite right?
Isn't that the same thing?
- No. - Okay.
So, Jessica, are you married?
Yes. We're going on six years.
Did you guys go on a honeymoon?
No, we did not.
I got married in a barn.
On my wedding night,
when we're just wrapping things up,
the best man dares my husband
to leap off of the scaffolding that was up above.
(Lenore laughing)
And my husband dislocated his shoulder.
I spent our wedding night in my wedding dress
in the emergency room.
Did the best man also jump off?
No. Once he saw that it wasn't safe,
he's like, "Oh, okay. I'm going to go home."
That is a great best man.
JESSICA: Yeah.
(Jessica and Lenore laughing)
I'm nervous. Ah!
I just got to stay confident
that it's going to be the right thing.
- What's it called? - NIKKI: A Charlotte.
- Nikki and Brando! - NIKKI: Hello!
- JOEL: How you doing? - NIKKI: We're doing great.
- Pretty good. - JOEL: Alright.
What are you making?
We are making a strawberry mascarpone Charlotte.
A strawberry mascarpone Charlotte.
What the hell is that?
It's a dessert, a Charlotte.
Oh.
Because we saw the bowl in the sink with the mascarpone
and the strawberry in the sieve,
we are making a strawberry mascarpone Charlotte
with a mascarpone mousse base and strawberry mousse.
Who is this Charlotte? And when did she invent it?
NIKKI: Oh.
I don't know, but I hear she's lovely.
(Laughing)
Brando, how'd you get into baking?
I just started baking as a kid.
Yeah. I was home alone a lot,
taking care of my sister.
My mom went to work,
and I just had to cook.
My mom is so hardworking.
She's a single mother, raised me growing up,
and she's literally given me everything.
She's worked very hard for me to be where I'm at right now.
So, the main reason I came on this competition
is to make sure I'm able to take care of her
like she took care of me.
You're the best.
BRANDO: We are definitely good enough,
and we're definitely capable.
And we definitely have the talent.
So, we're coming to show it.
Alright. Elimination bake.
Yeah, yeah. Pressure's on.
Okay. So, Charlotte Russe
- with Bavarian cream. - Yeah.
So, what about the strawberry layer?
Yeah. I think, like, a compote.
We saw the strawberry and the cream components separately,
so we are assuming that these two need to be separate.
JESSE: Team logic.
JUSTIN: We're making a traditional Charlotte Russe
with two layers of sponge,
Bavarian cream, and strawberry coulis.
At this point, go with your gut.
JUSTIN: I have made sponge before
but never a ladyfinger sponge.
JESSE: This was 12 centimeters.
We're really winging this ladyfinger recipe.
Yo, what's the circumference of that baking thing?
How big do we need this to be?
JESSE: A circumference.
You're the teacher, man.
(Jesse laughing)
Is there a special timing that we have to make this
so we can pour it inside?
The sooner the better.
(Beeping)
JOEL: Thirty minutes remaining!
I'm going to go start a load of whites,
but I'll be back!
(Laughing)
Yolanda, you picked this challenge.
What's going on here?
All four kitchens are making Charlotte Russe
but in different ways.
CURTIS: Traditionally, a Charlotte Russe is made
with ladyfingers that go around the outside
and then mousse that's made and filled in the center.
Justin and Jesse and April and Samantha,
they've made a Bavarian cream.
Jessica and Lenore made a strawberry mousse,
and Brando and Nikki are incorporating mascarpone.
Do you think that Nikki has an advantage
because she has strawberries on her shirt?
(Laughing)
So, Lenore and Jessica.
They got their mousse into the fridge first.
My main concern would be the chill time.
If I was competing,
I would have tried to get the mousse
in the ring as fast as I could and into the freezer.
APRIL: Pop her in the freezer!
CURTIS: Brando and Nikki are incorporating mascarpone.
They also aren't putting a base on the bottom of theirs.
They're just going to pour that mousse
straight into the ring mold.
Get it in there, Nikki. Get it in there.
I don't think we have enough time for it to set.
If it's not set when they try and unmold that,
it will just collapse.
YOLANDA: Mm-hmm.
- (Beeping) - JOEL: Just under 10 minutes.
YOLANDA: Justin and Jesse,
their ladyfingers are quite tall.
At this point, you run the risk of breaking the ladyfingers.
- You have the bottom? - Yeah.
JESSE: Oh, oh. Yeah.
When you cut into that Charlotte,
what you really want to see
is this beautiful pink mousse on the inside.
YOLANDA: But theirs is white.
It looks like straight-up whipped cream.
We have similar guesses across the board.
Now, we have to judge them on how well they executed
and if they got the details correct.
NIKKI: I think we should take the ring mold off,
leave the acetate on for serving.
CURTIS: Look at this. Brando and Nikki,
the mousse is still liquid.
I think we'll need to bring a spoon to this tasting, Joel.
We might be eating soup.
I'll eat it any way.
(Laughing)
(Beeping)
Thirty seconds!
Okay. Holding base.
Just making sure it's actually staying on.
JUSTIN: We got a tall cake.
Tie our ribbon tighter.
Yeah!
LENORE: I think this cake looks really cute.
Pull it out.
They're just trying to take the mold off.
It is so risky.
BRANDO: We have no time left.
NIKKI: The stress is unreal at this point.
- (Beeping, buzzing) - Ten seconds.
- BRANDO: Ten seconds. - NIKKI: Oh, my God.
(Beeping, buzzing continuing)
CURTIS: Oh, my word.
(Beeping, buzzing continuing)
JOEL AND YOLANDA: Ten! Nine!
NIKKI: Oh, my God.
We immediately see mousse oozing out of the bottom.
Oh, God.
- JOEL AND YOLANDA: Five! - No, it's going to fall apart.
JOEL AND YOLANDA: Four! Three! Two! One!
That is time!
(Sighing)
Great job, Jess.
Yeah.
That's how we're serving it.
Uh-oh.
Oh, boy.
- It's okay. - CURTIS: They're going to have
to serve it in the mold.
BRANDO: This dish is definitely not representing
what I'm capable of, for sure.
♪
April and Samantha,
please bring us what you thought was made
in the Crime Scene Kitchen!
APRIL: We made a Charlotte Russe with strawberries.
- The same thing as us. - Mm-hmm.
We did use layers of sponge cake and Bavarian cream.
CURTIS: Are you happy with how equal your ladyfingers are?
They could be a little bit more equal.
YOLANDA: The ladyfingers feel more like sponge in your mouth.
I usually think of them having a little bit more of a crunch.
- Mm-hmm. - Okay.
I want more texture in a Charlotte Russe.
JOEL: Lenore and Jessica!
It's a Charlotte.
- Wow. - Yes! It looks beautiful!
That looks great.
YOLANDA: What do we have here?
JESSICA: A three-layered strawberry Charlotte Russe.
Underneath the sink in the dustpan,
I found a little piece of red ribbon.
Did y'all find the ribbon?
BOTH: No.
Damn.
It's delicious. There's no doubt.
You know, your mousse is really wonderful.
It's that perfect blend of softness and stability.
Thank you.
(Exhaling)
JOEL: Nikki and Brando!
CONTESTANTS: Okay.
JESSE: Strawberries. Looks like strawberries.
NIKKI: We are praying that the cake stays together.
BRANDO: If it falls into a big goop,
it'll be a catastrophe.
We brought a still-to-be-constructed
strawberry mascarpone Charlotte.
- They said they had mascarpone. - Mascarpone.
We saw the mascarpone in the fridge,
and the mixing bowl that was white smelled like mascarpone.
Time management has been an issue for you.
Clearly, it's not how you wanted it to look,
but let's have a taste.
Are you going to take the ring off?
- Here we go. - CURTIS: I will do my best.
Oh, I can't watch.
Is it going?
Good job.
(Contestants cheering, applauding)
(Nikki laughing)
Look. It's starting to ooze.
Clearly, it hasn't had enough time to set.
♪
I'm not feeling good about it.
♪
The ladyfingers are the best ones we've seen so far.
- YOLANDA: Mm-hmm. - Ah, thank you.
- Thank you. - The dessert tastes very good.
The strawberry mousse is delicious,
but it's disappointing that you had no choice
but to leave the mold on.
Well, this is the third Charlotte Russe that we've seen,
but you added mascarpone,
so if mascarpone was used in the Crime Scene Kitchen,
you're in a good place.
What if it was with mascarpone?
Yeah.
(April sighing)
JOEL: Jesse and Justin!
What did you guys bring us?
So, this is a Charlotte Russe
with a vanilla bavarois and then some strawberry coulis.
Oh! Did you hear that?
There is a sign of hope. Jesse and Justin,
they were missing the strawberry component.
What they made seemed like whipped cream and jelly.
I think when you make such a large cake,
so high with so much filling,
of course, that chill time, you need more of it.
Will you have the time required to actually set that mousse?
It's rather soft.
♪
I do feel overwhelmed with the amount of cream.
I'm finding it really hard to get past the fact
that this just feels like a giant cake of whipped cream,
and this is quite dense.
You hadn't made ladyfingers before,
and you were kind of winging it.
Sadly, it tastes a bit like that.
Ooh!
CURTIS: Look. How a cake looks isn't everything.
It's really going to come down to detail
and the way things were baked.
- (Chuckling) - That could have went better.
JESSE: The execution of our product
wasn't exactly what they were looking for.
JUSTIN: So, at this point,
confidence isn't as high as it could be.
Welcome back to Crime Scene Kitchen.
We've taken the subtle, timeless art of patisserie
and twisted it into a cutthroat battle for money.
Remember, elimination is on the line now.
Confectionator 3000,
reveal the mystery dessert!
(Samantha squealing)
- I'm so nervous. - LENORE: What's in it?
Come on, Confectionator.
Strawberry mascarpone Charlotte.
What do you see? What do you see?
JOEL: It's a strawberry Charlotte Russe!
Okay.
JOEL: A vanilla genoise base with a strawberry cream mousse
topped with a strawberry gelée.
- With the ribbon on it. - With the ribbon.
Yolanda, take us through the clues
that should have pointed the bakers in this direction.
YOLANDA: The cake flour on the counter
and piping bag and tip on the drying rack
indicated that cake batter was piped to make
the classic biscuit, the ladyfinger.
The mascarpone in the refrigerator was unopened,
which suggests it was not used in the bake.
NIKKI: The mascarpone got us good.
(Brando sighing)
YOLANDA: There were strawberries missing from the fridge,
and the bowl in the dishwasher
showed strawberry puree was combined with whipped cream.
This suggested
a stabilized strawberry mousse was made.
The red ribbon under the sink
is what's traditionally used around the Russe.
Look.
♪ Dah, dah, dah ♪
Reading these clues correctly should have led you
to the sumptuous French dessert
the strawberry Charlotte Russe.
So, which team of friends was furthest from the dessert?
It's unusual for every team
to get the mystery dessert right.
In these cases, we judge based on the details of the bake
and the quality of the execution.
The team leaving tonight is...
(Exhaling)
I'm going to be sick.
♪
...Brando and Nikki.
♪
I'm sorry.
Aw. You guys, y'all did great.
Guys, don't be hard on yourself.
You've served us some beautiful things.
I'm proud of us and what we did,
and this won't be the last, so--
- Thank you, guys. - Thank you for coming on.
- CURTIS: Good luck, you guys. - Good job, guys.
As friends, this definitely has brought us closer together.
Definitely grateful to have Nikki as my teammate.
Have you met a better partner than him?
Are you kidding me?
BRANDO: I can't be mad. I'm so grateful for the opportunity,
and I can't wait to see what we create
once we're back in Brooklyn.
Well, congratulations, you guys.
You're all one step closer to arguing
who deserves more of the $100,000 prize
and possibly becoming ex-friends.
- (Laughing) - That's it for tonight.
Join us next week when our talented teams of family members
will leave it all on the line
while I chirp from the sidelines with unhelpful suggestions.
- Goodnight. - CURTIS: Well done, guys.