MasterChef Season 12, Episode 8

Hello everybody!

Let’s talk about another older episode of MasterChef! More specifically, Season 12, Episode 8!

When the home cooks first entered the kitchen in this episode, the flags for a bunch of different countries were all over the place. Chef Ramsay then explained that for that week’s challenge, they were going to do some globetrotting, and cooking fusion dishes. 

To inspire the home cooks, the judges brought in a modern fusion cuisine pioneer, who is known for her fusion of international cuisine and Southern Comfort Food. This guest judge was revealed to be Chef Tiffany Derry. I know what you’re thinking: How can she be a guest judge? She’s already a judge on the show! Well, she wasn’t at this point in time, so she was a guest judge for this episode.

She explained that to her, fusion was just blending of two different types of cuisines, but doing it to where it’s harmonious.

Joe Bastianich then said that for the challenge, the contestants had to cook a Southern fusion dish. In order to to show the home cooks the level of elevation they were looking for, Chef Ramsay and Tiffany Derry gave them a cooking demo, fusing traditional old English fare with a Southern twist.

The dish that they were going to make was Jerk Spice Fish & Chips, which is absolutely a dish that I would be willing to try. 

To add a Southern twist to the dish, the Chips were made from Sweet Potatoes, and there was also a Maque Choux on the plate, which is a Corn dish with Bacon, Peppers, and Onions. Chef Ramsay then added some Cajun Spice to the Batter to add the Southern fusion to the Fish, and instead of making a traditional Tartar Sauce, they made a Southern Remoulade Sauce.

If you’re curious as to what the finished dish looked like, here’s a picture of it. I don’t know about you guys, but I would definitely eat that dish.

From there, the contestants were told that they had one hour to make their Southern fusion dishes, and in order to decide which country would inspire their dish, they had to take out a random flag from a globe that had a bunch of other flags in it, and whichever flag they pulled determined what type of cuisine they were going to fuse with Southern. 

They didn’t show every flag that every contestant ended up with, but here’s what they did show. Bri had to fuse Vietnam, Tommy had to fuse Mexico, Brandi had to fuse India, Bowen had to fuse Israel, Shayne had to fuse Ethiopia, Fred had to fuse Greece, Christian had to fuse Jamaica, Gabriel had to fuse Japan, Emily had to fuse Thailand, Shanika had to fuse Italy, Derrick had to fuse China, Dara had to fuse Peru, and Willie had to fuse Morocco. 

Yeah, so as you can see, some contestants had more of a challenge than others. And yes, that is foreshadowing for later in the episode. 

The contestant who made the best dish would be winning the Immunity Pin for the next episode, while obviously the contestant with the worst dish would be going home. 

As the home cooks started cooking their dishes, they also explained what they would be making. 

Shanika chose to make a Cajun Style Salmon with Shrimp, Herb Polenta, and Country Style Green Beans. This is absolutely a dish that I would be willing to try, but I’m going to be honest, I don’t see that much Italian fusion happening there. The most Italian influence I can see in the dish is maybe with the Herb Polenta, but other than that, it just seems like it’s a Southern dish with no fusion whatsoever. 

Fred chose to make a Greek Take on Shrimp & Grits, which consisted of Shrimp Saganaki, which is Baked Shrimp, and he fused that with the Holy Trinity from New Orleans, which is Onions, Bell Pepper, and Celery. This is another dish that I would absolutely be willing to try, and I can absolutely see the fusion happening here with Greek and Southern Cuisine.

When the judges checked in with Bowen to see what he was doing, Chef Ramsay called him out due to the fact that he had the Sauce for his dish ready, but the Lamb was still raw, when he should have put it on 20 minutes beforehand, as it also needed to rest. 

Dara then told the judges that she was taking inspiration from a Peruvian dish that she had made before called Lomo Soltado, and she was cooking Beef Filets that she was going to serve sliced on top of Rice and Jambalaya. After Chef Ramsay and Chef Derry told her that her dish sounded promising, Chef Ramsay told Bowen, who he was standing behind, that the Lamb needed to go in the oven.

Here’s something I have noticed from watching a lot of MasterChef over the years: Chef Ramsay has some very unique ways of saying certain words or phrases, and none of the other judges have ever called him out on it. What I mean is that he calls dishes “Lacklust” or asks the other judges if they are “All In Agreeance.” I am saying this because in this episode, we had an instance of him mispronouncing a word, and then pronouncing it correctly IN THE SAME SENTENCE. 

The dish that Willie was making Fried Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Puree with Clove and Cardamom, Spiced Swiss Chard, and Pistachio Caramel, which is another dish that I would consider trying. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like.

Derrick then told the judges that the dish he was making was General Tso’s Chicken with a Five-Spice Chinese Waffle. So basically, it was a Chinese take on Chicken & Waffles. This is yet another dish that I would consider trying. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like. 

Brandi then told the judges that she was making an Indian Spiced Roasted Rack Of Lamb with Tamarind Barbecue and a Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Onion Curry. This is another dish that I might consider trying. I’m not sure, I’m not the biggest fan of spicy food. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like. 

After the cook time was up, the judges took one final look at all the dishes to choose the top three and the bottom three. 

While the judges were walking around, we got a look at Tommy’s dish. Apparently, they were Croquettes, so I would be willing to give the dish a try. Here’s a picture of what it looked like. 

Fun fact, Joe Bastianich asked Tommy if those were the Croquettes, and Tommy responded by saying that he calls them Croquetas. Here’s some basic advice that I’m going to share: Don’t say anything at all that could in any way imply that the judges were wrong about something. 

From there, the judges came to a consensus on the home cooks in the top three and the bottom three. 

The first dish that landed in the top belonged to Shelly, who made a Mustard Fried Catfish with Escabeche Vegetables and Patatas Bravas, which is another dish that I would absolutely be willing to try. Here’s a picture of what it looked like, for those of you who are curious.

The judges said that the Catfish was cooked beautifully, glistening, moist, and crunchy, the Patatas Bravas had the right amount of heat, and she did a great job Pickling the Okra.

The next dish that landed in the top belonged to Emily, who made a Crispy Skin Chicken Thigh with Fish Sauce Caramel, Corn Succotash, Creamy Coconut Sauce, and Pickled Vegetables, which is yet another dish that I would be willing to try. If you’re curious as to what it looked like, here’s a picture of it. 

The judges thought that the dish looked great, they loved hearing the crunch of the Crispy Chicken Skin as they cut into it, they loved how it tasted, and they agreed that the Chicken was cooked perfectly. 

The last dish that landed in the top belonged to Christian, who made Jerk Fried Chicken with Ginger Honey Glaze, Black Rum Candied Yams, and Habanero Collard Greens topped with Bacon, which is a dish that I would definitely try with no hesitation. Here’s a picture of what it looked like.

The judges liked that the Chicken was cooked perfectly, tasted delicious, and they also liked the Jamaican influence in the dish, as well as the Yams with Black Rum. 

From there, the judges announced who had the best dish of the night and had won the Immunity Pin, and it was revealed to be Christian, which makes sense to me, as he was the person with the dish that I was most interested in trying. 

From there, the judges had to call out the bottom three. 

The first dish that landed in the bottom belonged to Bowen, who made a Rack Of Lamb with an Herb Sauce and a Pan Fried Grit Cake, which is a dish that I would be willing to try if it was made correctly. Here’s a picture of what the dish looked like.

The judges immediately called him out for the Lamb, as the way it was butchered was a disaster. Despite that, Chef Ramsay thought that it was actually cooked nice, but he told him that he didn’t understand why he started focusing on the garnish and ignored the Lamb, and Chef Aaron Sanchez liked the Herb Sauce with the Pomegranate, but he also acknowledged that he didn’t think Bowen fully understood the fusion component of the dish, and Chef Tiffany Derry also said that his three plates lacked consistency across the board. 

The next dish that landed in the bottom belonged to Shayne, who made a Coffee Marinated Chicken Fried Steak with Cabbage and Potatoes seasoned with Turmeric, Collard Greens, and Pan Gravy, which is another dish that I would consider possibly trying if it was made correctly. Here’s a picture of what the dish looked like.

Joe Bastianich immediately said that he doesn’t eat a lot of Chicken Fried Steak, but since it is a fried food, he was sure that you’re not supposed to cut it in half. The judges also agreed that Ethiopian influence would have been difficult for any one of the contestants there, but Chef Ramsay did not think it was plated well. While Aaron thought that the cook on the Steak was good, the dish had a lack of seasoning, and even though he loved the Coffee reference, none of it was showing up on his palate, and Tiffany said that rather than adding more Spice, there were so many other flavors he could have added to pick it up, and Joe was unnecessarily harsh towards him by saying that there was a bit of life experience missing in the conceptualization and execution of the dish. 

The last dish that landed in the bottom belonged to Bri, who made a Grilled Shrimp Summer Roll with Grilled Corn & Bell Pepper Filling, Carrot & Cabbage Slaw, and Peanut Butter Gravy, which is another dish that I might consider trying if it was made correctly. Here’s an image of what it looked like.

Chef Ramsay immediately said that the dish looked bizarre, and while the Slaw tasted nice, it did not go with Gravy, and there was also not a chef anywhere in the world that would put Peanut Gravy on top of a fresh Slaw, and honestly, most of the criticisms from the judges came from the fact that she included Gravy with her dish. 

From there, the judges decided who had the worst dish, and the home cook being eliminated was revealed to be Shayne, who Chef Ramsay said to his face was beaten by lack of experience, which I think is such a mean thing to say to a contestant on the show, especially when they have to cook with Ethiopian Cuisine.

Overall, I had a lot of fun writing about this episode. I hope you all enjoyed reading about it, and I’ll see you all soon, with another one!