Best Mary Berg Dishes! | MasterChef Canada | MasterChef World

This is so delicious and perfectly seasoned and I knew you did not taste it, right? I can't. No. Because you don't eat meat. No. You're missing something. You know Mary, I think you found your niche. Taking the old school and bringing it to the new school. It's such a beautifully composed plate in terms of the combination of flavors, presentation, the sea asparagus with the arugula and a pesto. That's the first time I've ever had those two together and they work brilliantly. It's pretty outstanding. It really is. Thank you. Did anybody see white asparagus? Excuse me. Woo! Bean down, bean down. I am making a New York strip loin, acorn squash puree, as well as a play on a teriyaki sauce. My advantage is I know what world-class food is. I spent a lot of time in Japan a couple months ago. I went on a food trip and I want to bring out those same flavors that I experienced there. Veronica knows so much about food, but Veronica's a busy lawyer. I have a lot more experience in the kitchen. I'm making a seared New York strip loin. I'm gonna do a potato and leek puree and I think it's gonna be good. You know, every chef has a unique style of plating. Looks like Jeremy's dreamed us like a replication challenge. He's doing exactly what you did. Well, I tell ya, I don't want to see a direct copy. 30 seconds! You have 30 seconds left! I'm waiting for the very last second to slice that duck breast. If I don't let my duck rest long enough, it's gonna bleed out all over my beautiful puree. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, hands up! Oh my god! Mary! What? It is a steak and potatoes dinner, but I've elevated it. I did a seared New York strip loin, a potato and leek puree with a shallot red wine reduction and some of the quinoa beef stock. The meat? It's pretty rare. When I did eat meat, I liked it very pink. It astonishes me that you're able to season meat this well and not taste it. So the puree is horseradish and potato. And a bit of leek as well. Piece of advice, don't put the potatoes in a blender, ever. It becomes gummy and starchy. But overall, it's a very solid dish. My brain floated away and I put potatoes in a blender. Let's do it. That advantage would be amazing. Oh my gosh, best thing ever. I was the last one to get an apron and now I'm gonna prove to them that I should be here. So this is their first mystery box challenge. And what a mystery box challenge it is. We've got some great inspirational Canadian ingredients. Canada now has emerged as one of the top culinary destinations in the world. What would your approach be in this challenge? I may want to do the wild boar, just pan-fry and some simple roasted vegetables. You got carrots, sprouts, beautiful products. Make it simple. You know what? I would pick the Arctic char. I would sear it on one side. Half the fish should be crispy and cooked. The other half would be almost sashimi-like. Love it. I've always kind of done the right and responsible things, but this is my dream and this is my time. So Mary, walk me through this dish. I'm doing a pan-seared Arctic char with a blueberry red wine reduction and a carrot puree. I've actually never had Arctic char with blueberries. You sure about this? I'm nervous, but I think it'll be good. Good luck. Thank you. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. This is a pan-seared Arctic char with a blueberry wine reduction and a carrot puree. Blueberries and Arctic char. I've never had that before. It's fantastic. I love the balance that you've achieved here. The Arctic char is perfect to medium-rare and the berries cut right through that. Thank you. Mary, if this is a taste of what's to come, I'm very excited. Really sincerely. Thank you so much. Presentation, I think, is outstanding. Just wonderful. This is a really well-balanced red wine sauce. You intensified those aromatic notes of the cassis, the vanilla, that work incredibly well with these wonderful East Coast blueberries from Nova Scotia. You're cooking with the mind of a chef. Thank you. I guess I kind of fell into being an insurance broker, but food is my passion. It's all I think about all day. I'm here for me, and I'm here for my mom. I was raised by a single mother. I can't express to anybody how awesome she is. I've always tried to help her, and really I took over the kitchen. Mary's been cooking for me and the whole family since she was about eight years old. I've always kind of done the right and responsible things. You're a terrible high-fiver, but I love you so much. But this is my dream, and this is my time. Now it's time to see if Mary can earn three S's and a coveted white apron from the judges. Hi there. Hi. What's your name? My name is Mary. And what are you cooking for us today? Lemon meringue pie. Sounds lovely. You've got a little less than five minutes to get it done. Okay, perfect. Mary, when did you start cooking? I started cooking when I was about four years old. Why did you start so late? So late? Actually, I was in a, my family was in a car accident when I was four. My mom and brother were both seriously injured. I wasn't. My dad passed away in the accident. Sorry to hear that. Thank you. I'm an A-type personality, so I always want to be there for people, and it's just kind of how I show them how I care. What do you do for a living? I'm an insurance broker, which helped me when I wrecked my first pie tart back out there. So I had insurance, and I made a second one. What's your culinary dream? I would love to run a catering business. I love sharing my food with people that I care about, and I want people to understand that you can make really good food at home and have a great time while you're making it. I say the same. Yeah! There's my dish. Well, right off the top, you put together a dish that looks, I think, absolutely wonderful. Let's have a taste. It's outstanding. Thank you very much. Rich, creamy meringue, the zingy, fresh flavors with the berries, that crunchy texture of the spun sugar, and the crispiness of that pastry. Just a wonderful, wonderful dessert. Thank you. For me, a lemon meringue, the hardest part is to make sure that the fill is not lumpy. Let me give it a try. Wow. Smooth as silk. A bit of meringue here. Got the right consistency. Maybe a little bit more color, burnt, you know, to take a little bit away from the sugar, but this is amazing. Thank you so much. This is beautiful. Thank you very much. This meringue is delicious, but it's very rich. In order for this to work, the tart needs to be tart. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, Mary, I think we're gonna keep this short and sweet. For me, it's a hands-down yes. Okay. Yes. Oh my god. Okay. I'm no fool. When I see talent, I know it, and you have that talent. So it's a yes. Oh my god. Come up here and grab your apron. I bet you got so many people running at you. Thank you. Oh my god. We're excited to see what you do next. You have really earned this. So... Welcome to MasterChef Canada. I feel like I'm dreaming. I feel like I'm gonna wake up and I'm gonna be like, oh, this never happened. But it is happening and I am so excited. Next up, the Bloody Mary. Who's gonna get that one? Making tomatoes and hot peppers the star of a dessert is gonna be the toughest challenge here today. So I'm gonna give this one to someone who I see as one of my biggest competitions. So I'm giving the Bloody Mary to Mary. That was a good fake out. I'm not as excited as I look right now. I'm trying to get in Matthew's head because I need to show Matthew that I can handle this. See? My three ingredients are tomatoes, chili peppers, and vodka. I'm gonna do a pasta puttanesca with some pancetta and some vodka in there just to bring out the yummy flavors in the tomato. I love taking a ton of ingredients and making them into one delicious plate. And that's what puttanesca is. Should be easy-peasy, but making a Bloody Mary sweet is really tricky. Claudia, what would you do with Bloody Mary? You know, let's not forget that tomatoes are actually fruits, right? I would do a beautiful tomato tart. I would caramelize it. For me, I actually do a dish where I pickle the tomato in pachan vinegar, which is very, very sweet Chinese dark vinegar, and I eat it with ginger parfait. Beautiful dish. The home cook who hasn't had the world experience the chefs like you have had, I would think they would be scratching their head saying, what can I make? It's the chili pepper that's freaking me out. How do you make a chili pepper taste like dessert? Oh, God. Stop making a mess. This is gonna be the hardest dessert Mary is ever gonna have to make. For my sweet dish, I'm going to make a tomato and plum crumble with a spicy whipped cream. I need to put on a brave face. Matthew is gunning for me. I take it as a compliment. Matthew's an amazing, amazing home cook, and he's my competition, so why won't I be his? I gotta tell you, in terms of strategy, Matthew has hit two bullseyes. He has put Veronica into extreme pressure, and I've never seen Mary this stressed out. Where's that nutmeg? She is definitely struggling right now. Sorry, medic. I seldom see her injure herself. The stakes are insanely high. I've never had this much pressure, but the voice in my head is just saying, make sure that these flavors are perfect. Two minutes. It may be your last two minutes in the MasterChef Canada kitchen. Oh, Lord, no, not me. I just have the same two plates. I'm going to be part of the top four because I'm going to try and show the judges that I can plate and make something delicious. I was really disappointed with the dish that I put out earlier, and I want to show them that I can do better than that, so I'm going to redeem myself with this savory dish. I'm not going down today. I'm a fighter, so I'm going to keep fighting until I win. I'm going to show the judges some delicious flavors. I'm going to make them want tomato plum tart every stinking day of their lives. I know my tart is good, but I'm definitely doubting my savory dish. That looks stupid. I know the flavor's there. I'm just trying to elevate it with the classic Bloody Mary garnishes. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hands up. Incredible. Nicely done, everyone. Incredible. That was amazing. Oh, I like pina coladas. The Bloody Mary is delicious, and it's calming my nerves. Matthew is really mean, giving Mary the Bloody Mary. I know. It's a tricky drink to work with. Hot peppers and tomatoes don't really make sense in dessert, so. Wow, wow, wow. The tomato, you got the taste just right, and a bit of that spiciness. The plum, a bit of sweetness to counteract that. The crumble, crispy, dark, sweet, perfect. And, of course, a little heat on the custard. This has got to be one of the most innovative and delicious desserts I've tasted for quite a while. Thank you. Matthew expected me to fail, and I did not fail. This is a tough challenge. 24 cupcakes, three different flavors. They've got to have pizzazz. Given the time limit here, they really need to get the batter going. Just got to focus. I'm making a candy bacon chocolate cupcake, a peach spiced cupcake, and a banana foster cupcake. I'm going to do a s'more cupcake, a chocolate mocha cupcake as well, and I'm going to be doing a lemon coconut. As an insurance broker, you kind of need to be a stickler, and baking is kind of the same. You need to have exact measurements, and you can't make mistakes. The stakes are super high. I don't want to go home. Oh, this isn't my station. Oh, I put flour in there instead of sugar. I start losing focus. I have to start from scratch, and time's ticking. Mary, do you have any white sugar there? Yep. Are you almost out? Yep. Thank you. You're welcome. I'm a giver in the kitchen. Who's got baking powder handy? I do. If somebody needs something, I'll give it to them. Thank you. Just give it back, man. I will. I don't want to win that way. Five minutes. Better start decorating. Vince could be the first one out of the gate with his decorating. Colors look fun. The piping requires a fine hand, a little finesse, in order for it to look absolutely beautiful, and then you can just put the finishing jewels to it to make it really stand out and look special. Damn, it's sticky hands. My hands, they're so sweaty, I can't grip the piping bag properly. I'm very worried about chocolate. 30 seconds left. Come on, let's get them out. Oh my god. I'm gonna drizzle a little chocolate on these. Look at the meringue on Mary's cupcake. Absolutely beautiful. Keep going to the buzzer, right to the end. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, time's up. Mary, please bring up your cupcakes. It's really important for me to do well. I don't want to let the judges down. Walk me through it. The s'more cupcake with a chocolate sponge flavored with a bit of vanilla and a Swiss meringue on top. Over here, mocha and Swiss buttercream, and then a coconut cupcake with a little bit of lime zest. That's the one I'm gonna try. Look at that. It is absolutely delicious. Beautiful, big, crispy coconut flakes. The lemon gives it a little bit of freshness. I think the appearance is monochromatic. They need a little bit of color. I love marshmallow, so that's the one I'm gonna try. Earthy, dark chocolate. Perfect. Thank you so much. I'm feeling happy and I'm feeling confident. In front of you are a selection of foods that were available to Colonel Hatfield during his missions in space. Dried fruit and nuts, freeze-dried vegetables, candied salmon, and freeze-dried beef. I've never cooked with space food, but I'm pretty sure that most of the other home cooks haven't either. This is gonna be a little more difficult to elevate. I'm looking forward to seeing what we're all going to pull off. I am so excited today. I want to win because I want Colonel Hatfield to think I'm good enough to win, and I'm so excited, and I need to win. These strawberries are just like little dust powders. So the first thing you have to do to reactivate some of these ingredients is to add some moisture to it. Okay, chicken, work your magic. Whether that is water, whether that is a little chicken stock, whether that's some white wine. Hi there, Mary. Hello, Mary. How are you? How are you, Colonel? Very nice to meet you. So nice to meet you as well. I'm making a little tart. I'm gonna make it kind of like a creme brulee for you. Was there much dessert up in the space station? You know, actually, when we're up there, we run through a lot of calories, so we had a lot of chocolate, which is a real treat to look forward at the end of the day. How do you tell it's the end of the day? We chose London, England. Perfect. When the queen gets up, we get up. I love it. Sounds great. Good luck. Thank you. This is probably the most intimidated and scared I've been in this kitchen so far. Five minutes. T minus five minutes, home cooks. Veronica looks like she's gonna pull off that congee in 45 minutes. That's astonishing. Dr. Sean, he's got his pancake stack there. He's doing a little piping of whipped cream. Pretty, pretty happy. It's out of this world today. I'm amazed. The boring, repetitive way we just reheated those foodstuffs on orbit compared to what they have done. Pull-up tarte deep fried ravioli. It's really impressive. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Hands up. Or as we say, lift off. Mission accomplished. Mary. Oh my. I'm so excited. Careful on the stairs. Okay. This is a strawberry raspberry creme brulee, but in a pie shell, so you can eat the whole thing. Even with dehydrated ingredients, you've been able to make the dish look spectacular. Thank you. Absolutely wonderful. The creme brulee portion is very, very light and creamy, but you're able to get the beautiful flavor of those strawberries in there. Thank you. Hi. That is unbelievably delicious. No one would be able to connect that box of what looked like throwaway food into this very rich and delicious dessert you just made. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. It was a super pleasure. Thank you. Oh my God. Pumpkin. Wowzers. I did not see that coming. I've never cooked pumpkin in my life, so I'm definitely nervous. I have a lot running through my head right now. I have no idea what I'm going to do with a fresh pumpkin. I am excited. I always have canned pumpkin at home. It's quick. It's rich. I'm pumped. Pumpkin. Mario, what would you do? I would do an incredible soup with lots of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, maybe a little bit of coconut milk. I would do some pasta, maybe a pumpkin gnocchi flavored with a little bit of Sichuan pepper. Sounds wonderful. Wow. There's a lot of activity happening here, Mary. What are you making? I'm making pumpkin gnocchi with a blue bechamel. I'm not putting potato in there because I want to keep the pumpkin flavor up front. Sounds actually quite ambitious. We'll see. You think Veronica gave you a gift? I do think she gave me a gift. Okay. Gnocchi is in my blood. It's just what I do. Thank God that I paired this with the potato because the pumpkin is a little mushy and the potato is keeping it together. I'm confident in my abilities. I'm going to be able to make this work. Mary and Jennifer are both making gnocchi, but it seems like Jennifer is making it with potato, and I don't know if that's a good idea. One minute. You have one minute left. Oh, my gosh. My salt. Where's my salt? 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And time. Mary, please bring up your dish. There's two gnocchis. If mine's not better than Jennifer's, I could be going home today. This is a pumpkin gnocchi with a blue cheese bechamel and crispy sage. All right, so let me try it. You have delivered. You know, you have the sweetness from the pumpkin in the gnocchi. You have the saltiness coming from the crispy pancetta. And the blue cheese, just that oomph. Nothing's overpowering each other. You know, I love these little orange gnocchis, because when I see them, it reminds me of pumpkin. I'm going to say, you have delivered what we wanted. Thank you, Chef. Definitely what I wanted. Thank you. Blueberries. Lots of meatball. They have to do 16 individual plates, and every single one has to look exactly the same. Knowing that you have to cook for 13 talented chefs who you admire and respect, maybe even at their restaurants, that is an incredibly tough feat. Hey, hey, don't forget the three MasterChef Canada judges. And we're pretty good too, you know. I'm pretty terrified and intimidated. Ouch. I'm making my take on fish and chips. I'm going to use pickerel, because it reminds me of my dad and going fishing with him when I was a kid. I'm channeling my dad today. The first time I cooked with these ingredients in the first mystery box, I made a really homey plate, but I didn't win. Today, I want to take a humble idea and elevate it to MasterChef Canada quality. Mary has gone with a pickerel. The amount of work it takes to clean filet and make sure you get every single bone out, that is going to chew up a ton of the cooking time for Mary. Oh, yes. I'm definitely taking a risk. Let's talk. Eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Hi there, Mary. Hi, Chef. So, a trip down memory lane with these 13 ingredients? It is, definitely. So, how do you plan to cook the pickerel? So, I'm doing a take on fish and chips. Fish and chips do not sound elevated and sophisticated, given the audience that you're cooking for today. I'm going to do a little light batter with some of the pinot grigio. I'm also doing a blueberry zucchini tomato ketchup. Wow. And instead of capers in my tartar sauce, I'm doing a pickled lentil. When you look at the plate, it won't seem like fish and chips. So, I'll let you carry on and look forward to trying your reinvented fish and chips. Perfect. Thank you so much, Chef. Thank you, Mary. Good luck. Okay. So, Mary is stewing a dish. It is a take on fish and chips. Did I just hear you say fish and chips? That's exactly what I said. But she promises me this is going to be a fish and chips that has a twist like you've never seen before. Ouch. This is literally the tightest for time I've ever been in this competition. Mary is starting to feel the pressure, the stress. I need to get my fish on ASAP. Things are piling up for her. I just can't fry them all at the same time. They're all stuck. It's just stuck. The amount of work I have left to do seems literally impossible. I am literally falling apart and I hate it. I really just want to sit down and give up. One of my biggest flaws is wanting everything to go perfectly. I just need to keep telling myself nothing's going to go perfectly. And I just need to get these plates done. Next up is Mary. Mary, please describe your dish. I did my take on fish and chips. Underneath, I did a tartar sauce and I did a tomato blueberry ketchup for you. Thank you very much, Mary. Thanks so much. Enjoy. You're excited for this one. Beautiful looking plate. The aroma coming off this is absolutely spectacular. I've got to be honest, I was worried about the idea she's doing fish and chips, but she's elevated it. Yeah. Really unique dish. Connie DeSouza, how did you feel about Mary's dish? I loved Mary's dish. I loved her creativity with the pickled lentils and the tartar sauce. And honestly, I thought I would hate the blueberry ketchup, but it was so savory and really smoky and delicious. Really well done. I'd hire her for sure. Awesome. Robert Reynolds, what are your impressions of Mary's fish and chips? I love the presentation. Being from England myself, I grew up on fish and chips. The fish is perfectly cooked in the middle. My only thing is that the batter's a little too thick for the amount of fish that's there. The fish was perfectly done and the tartar sauce with the lentil, that was fantastic. You know, I love the concept of Mary's elevated borscht. Borscht is typically a hearty red beet soup, but I'm making golden beet borscht. Mary's a master at taking classic traditional food ideas and elevating them and giving them a little bit of a twist. I'm also making beet-cured trout. Typically, when you're curing fish, you need 24 hours to really get the flavors in there. I don't have that, so I need to juice the beets and really bump up the flavor in the marinade. The raw beet juice could be a bit harsh, a bit too earthy, so I hope she gets that right balance. Mary! Hi there, Mary. Hi, Chef Michael. How are you? So you've chosen to do borscht? I have. And this is not any ordinary borscht, though. It's going to be served cold, but also raw. Exactly. Any concern in slicing that piece of trout nice and thin and evenly? I'm actually doing it in little triangle medallions. It's going to be bright, fun. It's going to look like me on a plate. Look forward to trying it. Thanks, Mary. Thank you so much, Chef. Mary is just starting to take her marinated trout out of her beet mixture there, and that is a messy job. Curing takes sometimes days. The only protein on this plate is that fish, and if it's not cured properly, the dish won't work. Now, her idea was to cure that trout in the beet juice, but I don't think there was enough time to achieve that cure. She's squeezing some lemon juice onto it now. That'll speed up a little bit more of a cure there. That's a smart move. This is the opening to my menu. Everything needs to be perfect on it. Oh, look at that pretty color. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hands up! I feel really good. It's exactly how I wanted it to look. The fish is nice and pink, and it tastes beady. I'm really, really happy. Mary, please bring your dish forward. This tasting is so different than any I've done before. First off, there's a table. The judges are sitting in front of me. This is super terrifying and legit. I did a take on borscht. There's little pillows of a horseradish goat cheese, beet-cured trout, and caraway breadcrumb. I suggest we all dig in. Mary, this trout is a little flat in flavor. The cure didn't fully sort of take place, but what I really love about this, that acidic hit that you get, absolutely wonderful. Works really well with the earthiness of those beets. Love the bright color. It is borscht in a very modern kind of way. This is sort of new, energetic, vibrant thinking. Overall, a great dish. Well, Mary, it's colorful. It's fresh. The taste to me was just right. The trout, the cream, and that crunchy crumb all adds complexity and balance to this dish. Thank you very much. When you eat everything together, the goat cheese, the soup, the herbs, the trout, all the textures, all the flavors, they just sing. It's really delicious. Thank you. I'm still impressed with those little birds. All that work and look at just that little bit of meat. What inspires me and my cooking are our memories, and people, and feeling. I always cook from my heart. Oh, yeah, bacon. Oh, I forgot about the bacon. This is so our family. Mary! Hi! Go through the whole dish with me. I'm really excited to listen. I am making my take on chicken and waffles. I'm going to do quail and sweet potato cornmeal waffle. It reminds me of my family vacations when I was young. Tell me, how long have you been with your boyfriend? Six, seven years. You know what they say, way to a man's heart. Through his stomach. That's right. Ah, it smells so good. Baby birds! Quail is a delicious gamey poultry. Very similar to chicken, but it's very, very delicate and very easy to overcook. I'm making a corn butter to go with my waffle. Having my family here, I am rejuvenated, and I want to show off. Homemade butter. You got this, Mary. This is looking pretty darn good. Come on. I only make butter for the people that I love. This is so intense. Oh, they look good. Five minutes. You have five minutes left. Five minutes. Oh, Veronica is opening up her pressure cooker, so I hope her beef is cooked. My brisket is cooked, but it is tough. One minute. You have one minute left. Feeling really good right now. It's just all a matter of getting it on the plate. 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hands up. Mary, can you please bring up your dish? Walking past my family with my dish. I feel more pressure than in any other cook so far. I made cornmeal sweet potato waffles with seared quail breast, and underneath is just a bed of creamed spinach. It's reminiscent of chicken and waffle, but a little fancier. You know, I'm surprised, Mary. This is so delicious and perfectly seasoned, and I knew you did not taste it, right? You can't. No. Because you don't eat meat. No. You're missing something. I'm really excited to try this waffle with creamed spinach, right? Wow! All the flavors. Texture comes together. Beautiful. Thank you. Perfect. Delicious family meal, except the butter. You know why? Why? Because it's so delicious, and there's so little of it. You're a lucky bunch up there. It would feel so amazing to win this challenge, because my family's here to share it with me. Right now, I'm working on my financier, getting the dry ingredients all ready. It's like a pound cake. It's a little bit lighter. There's egg whites that are folded into it. She's pairing that with blueberries and a corn ice cream. I think this sounds actually very intelligent. Corn and blueberries just kind of make sense to me. They both grow at similar times, so Mother Nature wants them to be eaten together. Mary. Hello. How you doing? Are you feeling confident? I am feeling confident. I'm confident with my flavors. It's going to be tasty and different. How do you feel about what Jeremy's doing? His dessert sounds incredible. It does sound incredible, and it's a lot of flavors I've never worked with before. It has a beautiful, beautiful palette. I'm going to have to run to the blast chiller. I'm sorry. Don't drop it. I'm worried about this. She's got to get here fast. That's going to burn. Are you concerned about this at all? No, this is actually doing exactly what I want it to do. Okay, good. You had me worried for a second. This is just cream with a bit of sugar and salt, and I'm cooking the heck out of it. It's a brown butter crumb to go under my ice cream. It's really tasty, trust me. How close do you think this competition is right now? Super close. Super close? Super close. And I am feeling it. I'm going to let you focus on your dessert. Thank you. Running to get the ice cream. The galleries are looking in amazement right now. They must be really jealous because we get to eat this and they don't. One minute. You have one minute left. Come on. One more minute. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I am so happy with my final dish. This dessert is beautiful and it's exactly how I wanted it to look. Mary, please bring your dessert up. I made a blueberry financier with some brown butter crumb, some kettle corn for the plate, a blueberry sauce for the bottom, and a buttermilk corn ice cream. All right, let's taste. You know, Mary, the sophistication, you know, really appeals to the professional side of me. But that popcorn, you know, I want to dive in like a kid. All the flavors, they all come together. I can taste the corn. I can taste the maple syrup. The crunchiness, the different textures. So everything in this plate works. Thank you so much, Chef. Mary, this is truly a lovely little dessert. The actual cake itself has a sort of a humble quality to it, but with your presentation, you've been able to elevate it. The financier cake has a little bit of a lemony touch to it. It has a little bit of that cornmeal, which adds a nice little texture crunch to it. Beautiful blueberries in there. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Thank you. Everything works so well together. The corn ice cream is incredibly intense. I like the way you reinforced the theme of the corn ice cream with popcorn. It feels like a road trip, going up to your cottage, stopping off, picking up some blueberries, grabbing some corn. Amazing. In fact, I'd love to have it on my menu at my restaurant. I think it's playful. It's intelligent. It's all those things you want in a dessert. Thank you so much. I don't eat meat, so I serve and turf. It's definitely a risk, but I came here to take risks and win MasterChef Canada. Mary has been so good with meat, I sometimes forget she's a vegetarian. When I'm cooking meat, I need to go by eye and smell and feel. This pressure is insane. As I'm shucking the oysters, I am so full of adrenaline right now that holding the oyster knife is nearly impossible. Mary is struggling with those oysters big time. In the pandemonium, I realized that I didn't take my beef out of the oven. That meat has continued to cook. Mary's looking frazzled at those steaks. I don't think she's happy. I'm really nervous that I've accidentally overcooked my meat. I am panicking. That doesn't look like medium rare to me. You don't know it until we cut into it. It's gonna be the moment of truth. I have so many things on the go. Have you ever seen Mary's station in such a state of disarray? Look at it. I need to put the best thing I can on that plate. Time is not at all my friend in this cook. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Heads up! Mary, please bring yours up. So this is my take on surf and turf. It's a seared beef tenderloin with fried oysters and an arugula and sea asparagus pesto. It's a beautifully composed plate on every level, but I know right now you're absolutely agonizing, wondering what is happening inside this piece of meat here. I am just cringing, waiting to see the center. Perfect medium. All right, let's dig in. Mary, the ingredients that you chose to put on this dish, I think were well thought out, they work together, and it's a fun play on surf and turf. The oyster, briny, salty, added that wonderful savory pop. A lovely, thoughtful, excellently executed dish. Thank you. Mary, each individual component was perfect. The leek onion ring, I mean, that is genius. The pesto, sea asparagus, something very unique and something I would be proud to serve in my restaurant. Thanks very much. You know, Mary, I think you found your niche. Taking the old school and bringing it to the new school. It's such a beautifully composed plate in terms of the combination of flavors, presentation, the sea asparagus with the arugula and a pesto. That's the first time I've ever had those two together and they work brilliantly. It's pretty outstanding, it really is. Thank you.