There are three home cooks that made it into the finale for season eight of
MasterChef. Eboni, an addiction counselor from Chicago, Dino, a dancer from Brooklyn, and Jason, a music teacher from Massachusetts head into the finale with high hopes of winning the $250,000 and the
MasterChef trophy. Back for the season 8 finale is former
MasterChef judge
Joe Bastianich. Things heat up real quick, but only one is crowned the winner.
The Appetizer
The chefs are introduced, Joe is brought out and the rules are put in place. All of the season 8 contestants are there to cheer Eboni, Dino and Jason on. In addition, their families are there to see them cook the best dishes of their lives. They get 10 minutes to shop in the pantry for ingredients to make four plates of an appetizer, entree and dessert.
Sixty minutes are put on the clock, and the three get to work. There is some question about Jason's uni custard, as with just five minutes on the clock, it seems it hasn't solidified, but he manages to get everything ready in time.
After time is up, Jason presents his appetizer first. He prepared a uni custard with poached prawns, little neck clams and miso vinaigrette. Gordon says the dish is visually beautiful, however, after he puts his spoon in, he says the bottom of the custard is broken. Despite the separated custard, though, Gordon says the flavor is incredible. Christina agrees with Gordon, and says it is an elegant delicious start. Joe likes it as well, despite the flaws. But Aaron seems unimpressed.
Eboni is up next with her pan seared scallop with charred romanesco, rainbow chard and pea puree. Gordon likes the dish, but says the scallops are under-cooked. Christina thinks it's a lovely dish, but again, her scallops are under-cooked. Joe agrees with Gordon and Christina, but Aaron says the scallops on his plate are textbook, but he would have liked to have seen other things on the plate.
Dino is last, and his dish really impresses the judges. He prepares squid ink capellini pasta with calamari, calms and cherry tomatoes. Gordon says he wants to dive in some more because it's so delicious. Christina loves it too. Joe says the dish is exactly what he serves in his restaurants. And Aaron likes it too.
The Entree
As the chefs get ready to prepare their entrees, the judges discuss the appetizers. They all agree they got a mixed bag of dishes, and each one is impressive. Sixty minutes are then put on the clock, and the chefs start on their dishes. Dino has some issues with getting the right cook on his lamb bellies with the pressure cooker, but he overcomes. Then, with just two minutes left, Jason hasn't started plating his dishes, but he also overcomes and finishes in time.
Jason is up first again with his tofu-skin wrapped black cod with bay scallops, maitake mushrooms and cucumber-pea tendril sauce. Aaron thinks the dish is delicious and cooked just right. Joe says his wrap totally works. Christina thinks the big risk he took is successful. However, Gordon is confused by it. He doesn't like the green sauce or the wrap.
Dino is next to present his rack of lamb with lamb belly-sunchoke caponata and balsamic glaze. Everyone's lamb is cooked to a perfect medium rare, which impresses all of the judges. Aaron, Joe and Christina love the dish. However, Gordon says the lamb is perfect, but he is not a fan of all the garnish he pairs it with.
Lastly, Eboni presents her honey-glazed duck breast with sweet potato mash, collard greens and crispy heirloom carrots. Gordon says duck is the most difficult protein to cook. And unfortunately for Eboni, she proved that because three of her four dishes are undercooked. That said, though, all the judges agree that the rest of the dish is delicious and flavorful.
The Dessert
After the second course, all of the judges agree that the competition will come down to the desserts, as no one has perfected the first two courses. And, of course, they get 60 minutes for the third course. Eboni almost has some trouble with her cakes, but she manages to get everything onto her plates in the end.
For the final tasting, Dino presents his pistachio tiramisu with orange mascarpone cream, espresso caviar and pistachio tuile first. Aaron, Joe and Gordon all agree that while it's not exactly a tiramisu, it's delicious. Joe says it reminds him of carrot cake. Aaron says it tastes like a tres leches cake. But while Christina says it pairs well, she doesn't love the execution.
Eboni is up next with her chocolate orbit cake with macadamia crumble and passion fruit coulis. When Christina slices into the cake, the consistency is perfect inside. She loves the cake. Joe says he could never make a cake as delicious as hers. Aaron says it's delicious, but the glaze on top is too excessive. And Gordon loves it.
Finally, Jason gives the judges his black sesame japonaise with chocolate yuzu mousse and berry shiso coulis. Christina says it is a work of art. Gordon says he nailed it. And Aaron and Joe like it too.
The Winner
The judges take their time and analyze each dish the three chefs prepared. They have pros and cons about each one. Unfortunately, for Eboni and Jason, some of their dishes just weren't cooked enough. Some of the judges have an issue with Dino's dishes, in that they aren't actually what he says they are, such as his tiramisu, but Joe tells them that it doesn't matter what Dino calls his dishes, he's an excellent cook. He adds that Dino cooks like his Italian mother.
Finally, the judges announce Dino as the winner. And I have to say, I think Joe had a big part in that decision. I agree 100 percent with Dino being the winner. He always had a unique way of elevating some of the basic dishes. Both he and Jason took risks throughout the competition, but Dino's risks always really seemed to work. They might have confused the judges at times, but Gordon always said that Dino's dishes weirdly worked.
Do you think the judges crowned the right winner? Who's dishes did you think were the best? Do you think Eboni or Jason should have won? Let us know in the comments below.
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