Four outstanding young cooks compete to see who will earn the last spot in the grand finale. Some slender peppers and some scrumptious rolls are part of the puzzle in the appetizer round. The junior chefs must figure out a way to make a guilty pleasure snack work in their venison entrees, then some serious mistakes in the dessert round leave the judges with much to consider.
Another group of grillers get a chance to compete in California's beautiful Napa Valley! The grill masters pound away in the first round in an attempt to tenderize the basket's seafood protein. In second round, the chefs get the gift of beef, but will they focus so much on the beautiful rib eye that they neglect the other mandatory ingredients? Then, the final two chefs get some sweet surprises in the basket -- a chocolate trifle and poached pears.
Re-gifting is the theme of the week, as the four remaining bakers must make a candy apple dessert inspired by a candy apple gift, then figure out how turn the contents of a traditional gift basket into a delicious dessert
Host Michael McKean is ready to fill our bellies with delicious dishes from the deli. He's checking out how the bagel met cream cheese and lox, why black and white cookies keep the gray away and when pastrami on rye first piled things high.
Andrew Zimmern explores New Hampshire's seacoast, which is a 13-mile stretch packed with geographic and culinary diversity. He finds that the bounty of the local waters is well represented in the local cuisine, with dishes like shrimp, scallops and haddock stuffed in a baked lobster and loaded into a hearty chowder. Fat, briny Great Bay oysters served both raw and fried are another local favorite, and farther inland, poutine is a favorite bar snack at local eateries and regional apple cider gets added to doughnuts for a unique taste of New Hampshire's number one crop.
Nadia and her misfit crew are in Reno, Nev., to shkoff hard! First stop is Peg's Glorified Ham n Eggs -- Reno's number one breakfast joint 11 years running -- for their epic Chile Relleno & Eggs Benedict. Then across town at Brasserie St-James, G digs into some Brasserie Braised Oxtail and Short Ribs. Finally, Nadia heads over to Campo for a taste of their Rigatoni with Merguez Wild Boar Sausage and Broccoli Rabe.
Five bakers are left, and for the Skills Challenge, they tackle the deceptively simple creme brulee. For the Master Challenge, the task is to bake up their take on the complex and beautiful opera cake, a six-layer masterpiece said to evoke the tiers of the Paris Opera House, which must feature the flavor of hazelnut. One baker is given his or her marching orders by judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid and host Adam Rapoport.