MasterChef Canada Back to Victory - Finals Recap: Three's a Crowd (2023)

TheMasterChef Canada Back to victoryThe finale is finally here, and after tonight's episode, one of three talented MCC sophomores will win a $100,000 Chef's Culinary Package award and come in seventhMasterChef CanadaChampion in the history of the famous cooking competition.

For the first time, three chefs in white jackets enter the MCC kitchen to compete in the finals. As if this pressure wasn't enough, they not only have to cook for their lives in front of the three honorable judges, but also perform under the charming gazes of their former contestants.

After reaching the finals of their respective original seasons, this is a chance for Andy and Thea to complete their redemption arc and take the one step that eluded them in their previous runs.

Christopher has long since surpassed his first sixth place finish, but tonight the award-winning pastry chef looks to add another accolade to his impressive resume, proving his culinary skills transcend the underworld.

Before the evening begins, each of the finalists will receive a welcome boost of support and encouragement from loved ones back home, and after taking some time to recover from the emotional impact, we rise to the challenge.

The final challenge of the season lasts three hours in total. At the end of each hour, the chefs present one of three dishes to the jury. The appetizers and mains will be judged privately, while the dessert dishes will be judged in front of the finalists and their audience on the balcony.

appetizer course

Since the chefs knew the parameters of today's challenge in advance, it is very likely that they already have ready-made menus in mind. After quickly retrieving their ingredients from the pantry, the finalists take their places at their circular cooking station.

Christopher says his menu will bring a creative twist to traditional Asian flavors, Andy says his menu will represent East Coast hospitality and Thea's menu will combine the flavors of Mexico and her native Vancouver Island.

Thea says she grew up fishing and eating fish tacos with her father. As a tribute to that experience, their first course will be a crispy snapper crudo with squeezed cucumbers, cucumber whey foam and a masa tuile topper.

Christopher begins his menu with a shrimp ceviche marinated in calamansi and chili. He'll serve it on a tom yum gai ice cream base, which he says will provide the judges with an interactive dining experience while keeping the ceviche itself cold. Before the pandemic, he and his wife were planning a wedding in Thailand, but since they couldn't go, this dish will bring Thailand to Canada.

Andy's appetizer will be a seafood platter with seared scallops, cornmeal fried oysters, pickled clams, caviar and a green apple vinaigrette. While it sounds like a delicious selection of seafood appetizers based solely on the description we know, I have to wonder if it will be enough to beat the competition's ideas.

Already 30 minutes into the first hour, Christopher notices a potentially fatal flaw in the ice cream mix that may call my last point into question. Too much starch has been added and the consistency seems too thick. To avoid the crisis, he mixes up a clever combination of chicken broth, heavy cream, fish sauce, and lime juice that seems to save the dish.

Thea says she is 100 percent about the balance of flavors. To add dynamism to her pressed cucumber ingredient, she uses a vacuum sealer to infuse a combination of lime and cucumber juice into the cucumbers themselves.

As the clock ticks closer to the hour, Thea appears to be on her way. However, Andy tries to put the final pieces of the seafood plate puzzle together and Christopher, now worried his ice cream won't set, begins pouring liquid nitrogen into his ice cream maker to speed up the process.

Claudio points out that the decision will decide the record - literally. If he adds too much, the ice maker may jam and stop working. The situation may be tense, but it balances the Toronto bakerMasterChef Canadarun so far.

Despite the last-minute panic, the finalists finish their dishes on time, and the judges return to their private dining room to sample each entree.

The judges all seem impressed with Christopher's presentation and, after intensive study, are equally satisfied with both the texture and the taste. Claudio says Christopher showed great control and added just the right amount of acidity, but he could have used more calamansi to balance it all out.

Thea's crude presentation also met with an overwhelmingly positive response from the jury. Alvin and Claudio also praise her innovative technique, but Michael suggests she's been a little too subtle with her spices.

Next we take a first look at Andy's finished "seafood platter" and I don't think his original description does justice to the final product. Like the competition's entrees, the presentation looks impeccable. Alvin praises the cooking, the balance between richness and acidity, and Claudio claims the dish is one of Andy's crowning achievements.

It looks like the judges have a lot of work to do tonight.

main course

While the jury continues to try and think about the first course, the participants are already preparing their meals.

For Thea's main course, she prepares a sous vide venison with roast beets, rapida verde and a mole poblano. To ensure her sous vide runs smoothly, she decided to use the vacuum sealer a second time.

Andy explains that he wants to make an East Coast lobster roll using pressed choux pastry instead of the usual bread, salt and vinegar potato chips, and a sabayon from their own Nova Scotiatidal bayWine. Similar to Thea's new favorite technique, he uses a vacuum sealer to add tarragon, white wine, salt, and butter to the lobster tails.

Given Thea and Andy's many appearances and repeated mentions by the judges, I'm beginning to wonder if they had any sort of sponsorship by the end of the season.

Christopher makes a duck breast with a smoked tea infuser in a taro nest, served with duck jus and celery puree. As he has throughout the season, he seems to have measured every minute of the hour with precision, so it must be a relief to know there will be no surprise challenges tonight.

Just as the competitors are gathering momentum, Alvin announces that there are only 20 minutes left and Andy decides to get to work with the choux pastry. His first attempt proves unsuccessful, but he keeps his cool and beats the second attempt in time.

Thea also seems to have time on her side as she continues to develop her flavors, testing each ingredient and adjusting accordingly. Christopher isn't so lucky and announces on the balcony that he's falling behind. He's prepared the base of his dish and is starting to smoke his eggs, but he still has to prepare the celery puree and carefully fry each of his nests.

Five minutes before the end, Thea is the first to start recognizing. We only catch a glimpse of her deer and it seems a little rare, but since she's had time to rest I think she'll be fine. Christopher has also reduced his protein intake and despite his initial concerns, his duck cook is working perfectly. Andy's lobster looks perfectly cooked too, so it looks like we're about to get our hands on another nail.

Waiters drop by to pick up the judges' meals, and the chefs walk seamlessly through their dessert dishes.

Before delving into Andy's lobster rolls, Alvin explains that he's managed to deconstruct the East Coast comfort food classic in an upscale and enticing way. Michael and Claudio both praise the tenderness of the lobster and the light and tender nature of the sabayon, but both feel a little let down by the choux pastry.

Michael then moves on to Thea's main course and confirms that the venison is slightly undercooked, but Claudio says he is blown away by Thea's dish and admires her modern take on traditional Mexican cuisine. Though a bit disappointed with the roast, Michael says the venison is full of flavor and the mole is big and fatty and pairs well with the Rapida Verde.

All three judges seem extremely enthusiastic about what Christopher has created for his main course, but say the dish's success will be judged by the chef with his smoked egg. Lucky for Christopher, after a thin cut down the middle, the judges decided the dish was cooked to perfection. They find that the concept was very ambitious, but every element was executed perfectly.

Dessertkurs

When we get back to the chefs, 15 minutes have passed and they now have 45 minutes to finish the dessert course. The competitors all seem relatively used, but withMasterChef CanadaCrown on the line, every event on the way to the finish line.

Christopher bakes a cheesecake that he thinks goes well with a traditional Chinese dessert called Mango Pomelo Sago. Michael asks him what the wow factor will be and Christopher explains that he will be making a cheesecake mousse filled with a mango, pomelo and sago mixture with brown butter crumble, lemon sponge cake, passion fruit meringue and coconut snow.

Thea tells Claudio that she is doing a project on a chili hibiscus margarita inspired by a previous trip to Mexico with her husband. For dessert there is a cilantro sponge with hibiscus panna cotta, habanero ice cream and tequila lime melon balls.

Andy does what he affectionately calls "Andy's End of the Night at the Cottage." Staying true to its East Coast theme, it brings an elevated take on the popular Nova Scotian Blueberry Burr. She says the traditional dessert is usually enjoyed around the campfire, so she pairs the blueberry lemon with a smoked blueberry compote, toasted meringue, and a tray of lemon ice cream.

If you've watched any of the previous episodes, it's probably no surprise that each of the steps Christopher takes himself is extremely technical. After creating his cheesecake mousse, he begins turning it into "candidate sugar" by cooking it with isomalt sugar. To the visible surprise of his former competitors, he also blew out liquid nitrogen for the second time tonight to help make his coconut snow.

Not to be outdone, Thea and Andy also use some advanced techniques of their own. Thea combined cream, milk and sugar with hibiscus leaves and gelatin to create a stunning purple panna cotta, while Andy began burning a cookie cutter, which he then used to cut out individual ice cream slices.

As the final 10-minute countdown begins, the balcony crowd cheers for the chefs like never before, but Jen suddenly points out that Thea is nowhere to be found. She returns to the equipment room and faces the same problem Mai faced in the episode that ended her MCC run. She's trying desperately to shape her bunnies, but the ice won't cooperate.

While Mai eventually chose to pop her bunnies and use a piping bag instead, the ever resilient Theadecides gradually shapes her ice cream over time, taking it in and out of the freezer over and over again.

The clock strikes zero and it looks like all three finalists finished their sweets on time.

As Christopher describes his dessert to the jury, both the jury and the balcony audience seem amazed at the ambitious technical creativity of his concept. Claudio is the first to write a review and his review is strikingly similar to the one he wrote for Christopher's Gateau St. Honoré. He says he doesn't like it... he likes it. I don't think he fooled anyone this time.

In addition to a great flavor profile, each ingredient is well crafted, thought through and complements each other. She tells him the dish is a show, to which Michael agrees, but explains that he would like more mangoes.

Andy has already lost a final to an impressive dessert and you can tell he clearly gave his best performance this time. The creation of the dessert shows an impressive level of finesse and Michael claims it is the most beautiful raspberry crunch he has ever seen. Alvin tells him that he managed to upgrade the humble dessert, but his sponge cake is a little heavier than he thought.

Thea's Chili Dessert Inspired by Hibiscus Margarita is the last to be judged. Alvin notes that he's smitten with the simple geometry on display, while Claudio says she's created "one of those desserts that just stops conversations." Not only does she have the delicious hibiscus flavor, she was by enchanted by the deliciously unique and filling texture of panna cotta.

She goes on to say that she's amazed at her imagination, and Michael exclaims that she made a feast in a bowl but wanted to use the leftover juice from her vacuum pack.

judge table

As the judges begin to break down each of the chefs' three dishes, Alvin says Thea's presentation and concept were very compelling, Andy's tastes very comforting, and Christopher's innovation and creativity out of this world.

He states that previous finals have usually been about which dessert is the best, but this season's dessert plate made his final decision more difficult. Christopher agrees, saying he didn't expect Thea and Andy to make such amazing desserts. I can just agree with it. I assumed Christopher would win the dessert round by a wide margin, but it really couldn't have been closer.

Claudio tells the chefs that any of their last menus in previous seasons would have been enough to secure them the title, but after a long and difficult discussion, they came to a unanimous decision.

The finalists then line up to accept the judges' award and to their surprise are told that each of the three will receive a 'Chef's Cooking Pack' containing a range of gases for their strong performance. and range hood, as well as a stainless steel refrigerator and dishwasher valued at over $18,000.

After celebrating what appears to be a nice consolation prize, the chefs wish each other luck and prepare for the jury's final decision. Although it was very close, one chef left a more lasting impression than the others. With a narrow majority, Christopher is crowned the winner and Canada's new MasterChef.

kitchen scraps

Given the tremendous volatility that each competitor has had to endure throughout the season, I think I'd be delighted if one of the three finalists emerged victorious in tonight's finals, but I see Christopher's face light up after learning that she managed to become the new queenMasterChef CanadaMaster felt particularly uplifted.

I think all three chefs have shown great talent and growth, but Christopher's approach to his cooking is really on another level. Considering he's already doing amazing things with his burgeoning Toronto-based bakery empire, it will be very interesting to see just how much the MCC crown accelerates his culinary development.

I've said it quite a bit lately, but I feel compelled to say it again: Andy and Thea may not have reached their ultimate goal, but the two-time runners-up certainly deserve to be proud of what they have reached here season.

Aside from possibly Andrew, Thea was the consistently strongest performer this season, and although she ended the series in the same position as Season 4, her gains in confidence and technique were huge. Nor will I soon forget the inspiring determination he always displayed in the face of fear and anxiety.

Andy's tenacity was also really remarkable. Participating in almost every elimination competition this season, he proved that he can compete with his top chefsMasterChef CanadaStory. Christopher and Thea may have the edge when it comes to fine dining, but given the choice I'd probably choose to indulge in some East Coast home cooking with Andy at the cottage at the end of the evening.

Anyhow, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for each of this season's talented participants.