Stuffed Cabbage Roll with Lamb and Pancetta, Braised Sauerkrat and Tomato Sauce

Daniela, interviewed during cooking :"I'm half Serbian, so I'm doing a smoky stuffed cabbage roll, which is a Serbian dish that I ate growing up, and it's called Sarma. And because it's a long braising process, I broke up the components. I'm using lamb and smoked pancetta." 

Joe Bastianich: "How are you going to cook that? You're going to poach them?" 

Daniela: "I'm going to poach the cabbage in the broth so that it gets more flavor."

Aaron Sanchez: "Daniela, do you feel that little cabbage roll would have benefited from being cooked in the sauce?" 

Daniela: "I think that's a great suggestion."

Judges, talking behind the scenes

"Daniela's taken the classic dish from her grandma. Growing up, it was this tough cabbage with big chunks of lamb and rice, and it's braised for hours. But she's trying to fast track this thing with a ground lamb pancetta, and then she's just blanching the cabbage. I think she's going to be up against it, getting this thing done in time. That thing takes hours to cook properly."

Braised Lamb Shanks with Creamy Mashed Potao, Roasted Carrots and Trumpet Mushrooms

Fried Chicken with Haitian Red Bean Sauce, White Rice, Pickled Fresnos and Red Onions

Judges (talking behind the scenes)

"Kamay's doing this very interesting Haitian twist on fried chicken, and it has a sauce of red beans, so it's going to be loaded and packed with flavor."

"You blended these beans?" 

Kamay: "I blended them, and then I strained them, and then I let it simmer with some aromatics and habanero."

Chicken Mango Curry with Green Tea Cilantro Rice, Jalapeno Salsa & Crispy Chicken Skin

Gordon Ramsay: "Murt, how do you explain the idea with the green tea and the rice?" 

Murt: "Us Gen-Zers, we use TikTok a lot, so I saw something where they used green tea in Japan with rice."

Fried Peach Pie with Spiced Vanilla Goat Cheese Whipped Cream, Lemon Basil Curd, Candied Basil and Basil Oil

Our recipe for this dish is here.

Adam (interviewed during cooking): "So I'm doing a fried caramelized peach pie. It's like a hand pie. And then with that, I'm doing a spiced vanilla goat cheese, whipped cream, and then candied basil." 

Gordon Ramsay: "Wait, are you doing a dessert or a savory dish?"

Adam: "It's a dessert, but the goat cheese will bring some tang to it."

Joe Bastianich: "That's a pretty kind of Gen Z idea. Your dessert is not necessarily a dessert or a savory dish."

Judges, talking behind the scenes

"Adam's making a hand-held pie. It's stuffed with this beautiful filling of peaches, and then he has a lemon curd that's flavored with basil." 

"Love that. I'm really happy that one of the youngest is doing a dessert." 

"Yeah, and it sounds very elevated."

Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup with Lobster, Scallion Purée, Yuzu & Coconut Milk Broth and Rice

Si: "I am doing a Vietnamese soup. It's traditionally made with catfish or shrimp, but today I'm going to elevate it a little bit, bring the millennial side to it, and just get some lobster in there. You know, cook it lightly, and let the lobster be sweet and have the proper texture."

Judge: "Does this dish come from a memory?" 

Si: "Absolutely. I was eating a delicious soup that my dad made in San Jose, California, after we immigrated here. I'm going to bring all those childhood memories into this dish and hopefully bring it home for the millennials."

Judges, talking behind the scenes

"Si's going ahead and making this Vietnamese soup. It has lobster. The broth has a lot of potential. The rest of the dish maybe seems a little ambitious, and I hope he's not overcooking that lobster."

Blackberry Hoisin Meatloaf with Bok Choy in Sesame Oil and Gochugaru Potato Spear (recipe is here)

Rebecka, interviewed during cooking: "I'm doing a re envisioned meatloaf. Meatloaf was my mom's weekly meal. So I am doing a BlackBerry hoisin meatloaf with a gochijaru potato spear to go with it. And I'm going to do my bok choy, bringing it into the era of all those young people."

Judges, during cooking

"This challenge was really difficult, Rebecca, but I'm feeling like you pulled off an elevated meatloaf, and it just reminds me of my childhood. It seems like you got a lot done. Are you happy with the presentation?" 

Rebecka: "Yes."