01x03 - Searchin for urchin

[bunniefuu]

(dramatic music)

♪

MATT:
What'd you find?

Whoa, those aren't oysters.

JADE:
No, they're not oysters.

- KEVIN: That's a great find.
- MARIO: Thank you, thank you.

- This rain never lets up.
- You feeling okay?

It's just gettin' too real.

That's very,
very, very frustrating.

Now I'm just worried
it's gonna get way too hard.

JADE:
Oh, no.

Créme anglaise has curdled.

Overcooked the goose
a little bit.

You know, it's one that

I'm a little bit worried about,
to be honest.

But...
(laughs)

All right.
Can I be honest?

- Yeah.
- So am I.

KIRAN: Two world-class chefs,

dropped into the wilderness.

WOMAN: Every second counts

in this competition.
We get one shot.

KIRAN: Their mission:

to find enough
wild ingredients

to make a five-star meal.

SAMMY: Found one.

It's not your ordinary day
at the grocery store.

KIRAN: And here, on the
coast of British Columbia,

the chefs will use those
ingredients to battle it out

and see whose foraged feast
reigns supreme.

SAMMY: Wow, my menu changes

depending on what I find.

KIRAN: I'm Kiran Jethwa,

international chef
and restauranteur.

I've traveled the globe
to collect and cook

incredible wild foods,
and here, in this competition,

only chefs with skills in both
the wilderness and the kitchen

will prevail.

SAMMY: If I mess this up,

the whole dish will suffer.

KIRAN: This is "Chefs vs. Wild."

♪

(helicopter whirring)

Out there in the wilderness
of British Columbia

is culinary gold.

From shoreline
to lowland rain forests,

all the way up
to alpine forests,

these very ecosystems produce
incredible wild ingredients.

To win, the teams must
transform this bounty

into a three-course,
five-star meal.

For this head-to-head matchup,
the chefs will be given goose

to showcase in their entrée,

and as we get
closer to winter,

the days get shorter,
meaning less time to forage.

Whoever defies
these challenges

will be the ultimate winner.

♪

JADE:
My name is Jade Berg,

and I'm a private chef
from Vancouver Island.

This, for me, is my backyard.

Finding wild ingredients
is most definitely in my DNA.

Once I moved to this region,

I pushed as a chef
to really hone in

on what was local,
what was seasonal.

Living on
Vancouver Island year-round,

there's always
something to forage.

For me, the most exciting part

is taking people
out of their element

and providing
gourmet meals in a spot

where people don't even think
you can cook something.

I really want
to come out of this a winner.

I wanna be the chef
that I've been destined to be.

♪

KEVIN:
My name's Kevin O'Connor.

I'm a Sacramento, California-
based chef...

been through the ringer at
Michelin star restaurants,

was born and raised
in kitchens,

and I've kind of evolved

into an adrenaline
and stress junkie.

Now I run a nomadic,
over-the-fire restaurant,

rediscovering my love for
wild foods and for cooking.

I guess you could say I've
been preparing for this day

my entire life.

(dramatic music)

♪

KIRAN: Chef Jade is on his way

to meet his foraging partner,
Matt, near the saltwater bay.

They'll contend
with the volatile tides

and early winter chill

to find
the area's culinary treasures.

Hey!

- Hey.
- Hello, hello!

- I'm Jade.
- Jade, I'm Matt.

- Matt, nice to meet you, man.
- Nice to meet you as well.

So I wanna talk
about my menu a little bit.

I wanna try and tell a story
of sea meets land.

- Okay.
- Really wanna try and focus

on seafood
as much as we can here.

Get some mussels, and some
oysters, and maybe some clams?

Yeah, absolutely.

I think we're probably
getting close to low tide.

- Ready to rock and roll?
- Ready.

♪

KIRAN: Chef Kevin is landing

on the other side of the bay

to meet his partner, Mario.

The rains may have washed out

much of the once-abundant
mushrooms and fruit.

But persistence can reward
a skilled forager.

- MARIO: Hey!
- KEVIN: Yo, yo!

MARIO: What's goin' on?
Mario.

- Mario, I'm Kevin.
- Nice to meet you, Kevin.

So I'm hoping
we can find some good stuff

and get me to that kitchen
with a lot of good ingredients.

- Okay.
- Then we're gonna take those...

You let me know
what you need,

and I'll let you know
what I need.

Oh, yeah.

So what do you think
about the beach?

You think we can
pull some crabs?

MARIO: Crabs will be
good on the beach.

I feel like oysters
will definitely be a promise.

KEVIN: I think that goose will be

real nice if I can
find some mushrooms.

♪

JADE: I wanna use
Matt's fishing skills

to pull in some raw fish
for an appetizer option.

My skill set will work best

to scavenge for shellfish
along the beach.

♪

I definitely know oysters
are gonna be on my menu.

There are so many out here
stuck to these rocks.

♪

I ended up having
back surgery at the age of 29,

and that put me out
of my private chef gig.

I didn't think I'd ever
be back in the kitchen.

I've gone from cooking
for billionaires

to now driving the city bus
to keep the mortgage paid.

I cannot wait to show people
that I can still go out there,

find some wild ingredients,
and make a gourmet meal

and hopefully win
this competition.

♪

That's a jackpot.

♪

MATT: Aha, success.

Garnish clams.

I'm Matt.
I'm from Midland, Ontario,

and I'm a fishing guide.

The outdoors is my life.

I started foraging
about two years ago...

been heavily
invested in it since.

Mushrooms still scare me.

I think most of the ingredients
we're gonna collect

are gonna come from the sea.

♪

KEVIN: I think a really lovely

first course would be
something from the beach.

Mario is gonna be
dropping crab traps.

I'll be beachcombing
in those waders

and seeing if I can find
some oysters and mussels

or something like that

and see what kind of seaweed
we can find.

♪

This is a good sign.

The oyster shells weren't
just somebody having a picnic.

After I burned out from
my first executive chef job,

I was pretty broke and
had to forage out of necessity.

That kick-started my love
for cooking wild foods,

and I feel like I'm on a path
where I can start

making a living from it.

I know that I can do it.

But I know it'll be
really tough to succeed.

If there's more oyster,
I'd like to get 'em.

MARIO: All right, Chef.

KEVIN: Yep.

MARIO:
I'll be honest with you, man.

I haven't really eaten oysters
that much.

Well,
we gotta eat this one now.

- This is you.
- I've had fried oysters, Chef,

I haven't had much
of just raw oyster.

This is a pretty good one.
You ready?

Oh, look out for that one.

Ah!
I did it.

(both laugh)

I'm Mario Holland,
and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.

This climate
is definitely different.

We get rain,
but it's nothing like this.

I feel like
I'm out of my element,

but I have no choice
but to roll with it.

I'm kind of
like of a MacGyver.

You know, you get me
a rubber band and a paper clip,

and I'll make it all work out.

When it come down to foraging,

we'll see what
Mother Nature gives me.

♪

JADE: I need to find some urchins

before the tide comes back in.

Hopefully.

I've got a better chance

to spot urchin
under these big rocks

while that tide is out.

There's a lot of shells
that have been eaten through,

and a lot of the time,
that's a good sign

that there's urchin around.

♪

MARIO:
Chef, come check me out.

KEVIN: There's a whole rock
with a bunch of oysters on it,

but they're so small.

MARIO: What about this?
Is this a good size?

- KEVIN: That's ideal.
- MARIO: All right.

What about these?

KEVIN:
That looks like urchin.

That's urchin.
That's (bleep) urchin.

Dude...

I was really excited
to see that urchin...

kind of wrapping
my head around the flavors

and the combinations, and
really nailing in that menu.

Uh, we can garnish dishes
with it,

like, if we do like
a big poached oyster

garnished with fresh uni,
or, uh, we can break it down

and blend it
into a sauce or an aioli.

That's a great find, Mario.

MARIO: (laughs)
Thank you, thank you.

Now, if I filled this
with saltwater

and put the urchins in it,
will that work?

I was thinking, like,
your bait box would be good.

- Okay.
- And if we add a little bit

of line, we could
just cast it out, right?

- Okay.
- We run the risk

of, like, an otter coming along

and being smart,
but it's versus the risk

of just having it go bad
and dying.

♪

JADE:
Ha, nice.

Oh, yeah.
Look at that.

There we go.

That there is like
hitting a jackpot.

These are fantastic.

They're rare
and they're delicious,

and if I can incorporate
these into a dessert...

most people don't think of
seafood as dessert.

But that rich, buttery texture
I think would go really well

in a crème anglaise.

Like, I am so excited to be
able to use these.

- Buddy, I found some jewels.
- Nice.

- Any luck fishing?
- No fish,

but I got
about nine or ten clams.

We can purge them over night,
eat them in the morning.

I'd like to get these uni

into that mesh bag
as soon as possible.

- Yup.
- They need to be alive

when I use them.

Sea urchin,
they're very delicate.

Taking them out of water
and allowing 'em to dry up

would lead to them dying.

Found a log that looks like
it's been here for some time.

To keep them alive,

my best bet is to tie 'em
onto that log

so that the seawater
can flow through them

and just hope and pray that
we find those there tomorrow.

All right,
that's not going anywhere.

♪

KIRAN: As night falls,

both chefs have managed
to find shellfish,

including prized sea urchin.

And while those are in peak
season at this moment,

tonight's shivering cold
could compromise the quality

of what else
they may find tomorrow.

♪

All right.
Today, the soup du jour...

got a nice, little
survival slot.

We've got bladderwrack seaweed

and, uh,
there's some beach pee in here.

- Cheers.
- KEVIN: Cheers.

It's warm.
It's nutritious.

Oh, God!
Oh, f*ck.

(laughs)

What was the crunch?

(both laugh)

♪

KEVIN: The plan is we're gonna work

our way up this way.

Uh,
we're looking for mushrooms.

We're looking
for madrone trees.

Winter foraging for mushrooms,

it's important
to keep an eye up as well.

- MARIO: Okay.
- KEVIN: They can grow up tall

and hang from trees.

I'm also gonna be
keeping an eye out

for some madrone tree.

Right now, it's got these
clusters of berries.

They have nice texture.

They have
an interesting flavor.

I'd really like it to be
the focal point of my dessert.

Dude, your lip is gettin',
like, swollen-swollen.

- You feelin' okay?
- I can't whistle.

(whistles)

Hope it's not
a shellfish allergy.

(laughing) It might be
the bladderwrack you gave me.

KEVIN: Bladderwrack?

Man, my lips feel fine,
and I ate a lot more, so...

MARIO: It's the first time
I've ever had

an allergic
reaction to anything.

A bit concerned
about Mario's fat lip.

I hope I didn't poison him
with last night's meal.

♪

MATT: This is starting
to become pretty hard.

The weather's lookin'...

it's pretty defeating
being out here.

JADE:
It's hard on you out here.

Not eating,
not drinking properly,

and not sleeping really at all,

and then being cold
and miserable...

like, what a terrible way
to start the day.

MATT: I'm starting
to feel really woozy.

- I'm not feeling great.
- JADE: Oh, no.

- Sorry to hear that.
- Stumbling around

a little bit.

JADE: I'm looking at Matt now,

and he does not seem
like he's okay.

It worries me, because those
are the signs of hypothermia.

♪

It's just gettin' too real.
(chuckles)

JADE: What's terrifying is,

you know, him going out
of this competition,

A: for his health
and his safety.

But B: I have to focus
on finding the ingredients

that I need out here alone.

♪

(dramatic music)

JADE: I've gotta
leave Matt at camp now

so that he can warm up.

All I can do
is put my boots on

and do a little bit
more foraging.

If I'm able to go out there
and still find something,

something is way better
than nothing.

♪

It'd be really a defeating
feeling to have come out here

and spend this much time,
this much energy, you know,

freezing my butt off, only
to go home, you know, a loser.

So...

♪

KEVIN: Get in these woods.
See if we get some more

- protection in here.
- MARIO: Oh, yeah.

This rain never lets up.

KEVIN: The ground is quite soggy,

and that's my biggest concern,
is how wet everything is,

and once
the mushrooms get soggy,

the bugs can
just permeate them

and pretty much ruin them.

♪

Another soggy mess.

I'm finding these nice,
little fleshes

of winter chanterelles.

I'm planning on doing goose
with a lot of wild mushrooms.

I know that I'm gonna be
making a goose stock

and reducing that heavily,

and then finishing
the mushrooms off in that.

These look a lot
like hedgehog mushrooms to me

because the way the gills are.

They kind of sh**t down
like stalactites.

It's a decent flesh,
and they're relatively dry.

But I do feel pretty good
about these.

♪

Oyster mushrooms
up on that tree right there.

Unfortunately, they do look
a little past their prime.

Anything
is better than nothing.

I can cook them
and chop them finely

and incorporate them
into my pasta.

At least it's a start.

The pressure is on.

♪

I normally find, like, big
clusters of oyster mushrooms.

But that's what this
competition is all about,

is using
less-than-ideal ingredients

and making them amazing.

♪

KEVIN: Just help me kinda keep
an eye out for blackberries

as we walk up this main trail.

- There's not a ton, but...
- All right.

I'll keep my eyes open.

KEVIN:
Be nice to get a good handful.

Not very ripe or pretty,
but fruit nonetheless.

Can kinda taste, if you want.

MARIO: I-I believe you. Ha.

- Like how tart it is?
- MARIO: Uh-huh.

KEVIN: Might end up
salting 'em, pickling 'em,

using 'em for a vinaigrette.

Under-ripe blackberries
are best for pickling,

and pickles aren't great
with dessert.

So if I find that madrone tree
with madrone berries,

I'll feel more confident
about dessert.

Ideally, I can make a custard

and then some honey-infused
madrone berries

I think would give it
a really nice red pop.

I wanna go further
to where it levels out.

Feel like that's my hope
of madrone tree.

- MARIO: All right.
- KEVIN: If there's any.

♪

JADE:
Holy, that tide is high.

♪

I'm a little worried that
that is my log out there

that I tied the urchins to.

(whispering) Damn it.

That's terrible.

I didn't think
the tide came up this far.

That's very,
very, very frustrating.

I'm starting to look
in ground zero again. (exhales)

I don't know how I can win
without those urchins.

♪

(thunder rumbling)

KIRAN: With less than two days
left until the chefs face off

in the kitchen,
Kevin and Mario have managed

to defy these winter rains

and gather
some incredible mushrooms.

Meanwhile, the unforgiving
tides and extreme cold

have set Jade and Matt back.

Can they turn things around
and stay in this competition?

♪

I don't know
about that lip, man.

I'm a bit concerned.

You're, like...
you're not scratchy or itchy

- or anything like that?
- No, man.

I'm breathing fine.
I don't feel it.

- Okay.
- MARIO: I'm sort of worried

about my lip, but the only way
to failure is quitting.

So I'm not gonna quit,
for me and for Chef.

I can't wait
to get to the kitchen

and hopefully kick
this other team's butt.

I'm making it to the end,
big lip or not.

- KEVIN: All right, cool.
- (laughs)

JADE: Hey, right on, man.
How are you feeling?

- MATT: Better.
- Better?

Oh, yeah.

- I was a little scared...
- JADE: A little bit warm?

A little scary for a bit there.

Aw, Matt, I was worried
about you.

I'm glad you're feeling better.
It's good to have you back.

Thanks, man.
Appreciate it.

The thought that
me leaving Jade behind

was really weighing heavily
on how I was feeling.

I had to make sure
that I come back strong

and help him out foraging
and into the kitchen as well.

It hasn't been easy at all, um...

It hasn't been what I expected.

Like, I really had
full expectations, you know,

with being from here

that I'd come up
with quite a few more items.

We've still got
a leg in this race,

and I think
we still can k*ll it, man.

MATT: To go find
some ingredients.

- I think we should get going.
- JADE: Yeah, let's do it.

♪

KEVIN: I'm definitely switching

from hunter-gatherer mode
to chef mode.

I'm chompin' at the bit
to get into that kitchen.

Got a lot of good mushrooms.

I'm really excited
to use that urchin.

I'm still looking
for that madrone tree

that's gonna
complete my dessert.

I don't think
there's any out here

after scouring this earth.

Disappointed because
I was excited to taste

what those madrone berries
would be like soaked in honey.

I've gotta start thinking
of some different ideas.

♪

JADE: Lots of rose hips
still at the end here,

and we could get more of those.

What we're gonna do with these,
man...

we're gonna cook 'em down in,
like, a little bit of water.

MATT: Try to get whatever sugar
you can out of 'em?

JADE: Yeah, and then you can make

some sort of almost,
like, a rose hip butter.

Do you wanna continue on
down to the end of this bit

- and pick some plantain?
- MATT: Yeah.

'Cause then we can wilt
that into our pasta.

MATT: That sounds great.

What I would say is just
pick the small leaves.

JADE: Okay.

MATT: Don't worry about the big ones.
They're gonna be too coarse.

JADE: We need a lot, 'cause
it wilts down to nothing.

I am so happy
that Matt is back in the game.

I really need him
to help me find

some more wild ingredients.

He's an absolute vital part
of my team.

(heavy music)

♪

I see the log that I tied
my uni to has floated back in,

so I might be able to beachcomb
and find that bag.

But the chances are slim.

♪

I hope nothing got our goods
out of that bait box.

♪

MARIO:
Find my jackpot, baby.

♪

- KEVIN: Aha!
- (laughs) Baby!

Still here, lookin' good.

All right, I feel better.

KEVIN:
I don't have to k*ll an otter.

MARIO: (laughs)

JADE: Around all these
rocks here, there's...

- MATT: Yeah.
- JADE: Potential.

If all else fails, we'll have
oysters for every course.

That's a joke.
I really hope

I don't have oysters
for every course.

♪

Last time,
I found the urchin over here.

♪

KEVIN: I'm gonna grab
some of these beach peas

for my appetizer before
the sun goes down.

But I still need something

to add to the custard
for my dessert.

♪

(laughs)

Fruit tree.

(laughs)

You gotta be kidding me.

♪

Ah.

(kisses)

Oh, I have no idea
how that apple tree got there.

The apple tree was old,
just completely out of place.

It's...(laughs) It's really hard to resist

the urge to just bite
right into it.

(chuckles)

I'm not seeing a lot of fruit.

So, uh, thanks, angels.

I've never found
a greater intersection

of my love
for the outdoors,

for foraging,
for cooking over fire.

You could say this competition
is made for me to win.

JADE: Oh.

I'm gonna
get out on this rock here.

MATT: All right.

- JADE: (grunts)
- MATT: Be careful.

♪

JADE:
Oh, what is this down here?

Empty shells.

- MATT: Anything good?
- JADE: Oh, Matt!

- Buddy.
- MATT: What?

JADE:
Holy hell.

- MATT: What'd you find?
- JADE: (grunts)

MATT:
Oh, those aren't oysters.

JADE:
No, they're not oysters at all.

MATT: No...

JADE: (laughs)

Oh, man.

MATT:
There's your urchins.

- Ha! Right on, man.
- MATT: You got 'em, man.

JADE:
Finding new sea urchin

has brought me back
into this game.

Incorporating them into
my dessert

could just give me the edge

that I really think
I need to win.

- MATT: So good.
- I'm pumped.

Yeah.

JADE: I couldn't have asked
for a better finish to our day.

I came here to, you know,

tough it out
through some real adversity,

and then get into that kitchen

and show myself
that even though

I've been out
of the professional kitchen

for almost a year,
I still have it.

- Whoo!
- (both laugh)

♪

(dramatic music)

♪

JADE: I look over at Kevin,
and he's calm.

He's cool.
He's confident.

But I really want to win.

KEVIN: I met Jade
and just kind of kept

the same thought process
I kept the entire time,

which was don't worry
about the competition.

Worry about making
the best meal you can.

Whoa!

- (laughs)
- JADE: Whoa.

- KEVIN: Nice.
- MARIO: That's unreal!

KEVIN: We see this beautiful,
beautiful kitchen...

big, open hearths,
amazing utensils.

JADE:
It is a fantastic kitchen.

KIRAN:
Chefs, teams, you made it!

Welcome to my kitchen
with a view.

Please let me introduce
Valerie Segrest.

She's from the Muckleshoot tribe.

Hello.

KIRAN:
She's our wild edibles expert.

I'm really looking at
the change in the seasons

that's happening right now,

with those flavors of the land

and being able
to share that with us.

It's an honor.

Mario and Matt,
welcome to a new wilderness,

the wilderness
of the high pressure,

"professional" kitchen.

At the start
of this epic journey,

I revealed to you that your
gifted pantry item was goose...

a whole goose.

There they are.

You have four hours

to create a three-course
culinary masterpiece

that must consist
of an appetizer,

an entrée, and a dessert.

Those wild, foraged
ingredients must shine.

They must be the stars
of the show.

Take your beautiful geese
and get to it.

MATT:
All right, lead the way.

JADE: If you just wanna immediately

grab three onion bulbs...

We didn't get a lot of sleep.
We got wet last night.

But getting my ingredients
out, I'm getting jacked.

I'm excited.
This is what I came here for.

Okay, phase one: I'm gonna
break down this goose.

You're gonna work
on grill and bones.

It was difficult waking up

and having it be maybe
30, 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

But my heart is pumping
and I'm ready to rock.

JADE: For my entrée,
I really wanna use the juices

that these mushrooms
naturally release,

so that when I add that goose
that I've cooked low and slow,

I can make a beautiful ragu.

To me, it speaks of the forest.

Pappardelle noodles
are perfect for this,

because they kind of
absorb that flavor,

and that's really
what I'm going for.

MATT: You were saying
just scrape each line?

- JADE: Yup.
- MATT: Wow, that's tedious.

KEVIN: Uh, I'm working
on a goose stock right now,

which is gonna be
turned into the broth.

The broth
is gonna be introduced

to some smoked bladderwracks
that'll be getting

some of those
winter chanterelles,

and that'll be served
on the side of the goose.

The main feature of the entrée
is the goose breast crisped up

in its own fat and then served
alongside some wild mushrooms.

Hedgehogs,
winter chanterelles...

they're not as pretty
as I had hoped,

but we'll work
with what we can.

I am going
to start shucking some oysters.

So for my appetizer,
I'm kind of featuring, like,

a ocean meets the shoreline.

We're gonna have
an oyster ravioli,

and we're gonna make
an uni beurre blanc

and then top it with an
individual piece of uni

and a shore pea.

- Look how full he is.
- MATT: Wow.

That's a huge oyster.

KEVIN: Oh, I hope there's
no surgeons watching,

but this is right next
to brain surgery for me...

quite fragile indeed.

I've never seen this done.
This is so neat.

KEVIN: Our first course
is gonna be

some yarrow butter
poached oysters

in the bottom
of an urchin shell,

and then on top of that, it's
gonna be a lot of fresh urchin

and then a salad
of some beach pea.

JADE: Man, I am
really, really hoping

that these urchins
survived the journey.

So the key is gonna be if
their legs are still moving...

- yeah, and they are.
- MATT: They're still moving.

Ha ha!
We're golden, buddy.

So my dessert is something
that I like to do

that's, you know, maybe
a little but more rustic,

but I'd like to elevate it

and make what I call
"campfire stick bread"

with a uni crème anglaise and
a sweet, tart rose hip butter.

You know, I really thought
these rose hips

would soften up
a lot more while cooking 'em.

Kevin claims to be on track.
Let's see.

- Mm-hmm.
- I think time

is going to evaporate on him
and all of them.

Jade... they're looking
quite calm over there.

I'm gonna be
very interested to see

what he's doing
with that urchin,

'cause he is gonna put
the uni in his dessert.

- Mm.
- And I am skeptical.

Yeah, but it does have that,
like, buttery, umami,

delicious taste... may just fuse
right into a nice dessert.

MARIO: I mean,
it was the last apple there.

It gotta be the best.

- (apple crunches)
- Look it, you heard that crunch.

- Phenomenal apple.
- I mean, man.

- (laughs)
- Now you made us waste a piece

- of the apple.
- KEVIN: That apple moved

its way to the dessert,
topped with a crumble

that's made with
Douglas fir sugar.

I'm going to be making
a set custard

infused with
some of this licorice root

that Mario is cleaning,

then hit it with some agar-agar,

and let it set in these bowls.

KIRAN:
I'm intrigued.

The agar-agar is basically

because you don't have
the equipment, so it gives you

the jellification
without the cold.

So that's why you
went down that route.

I'm gonna be interested
to see how the agar-agar...

whether it works for you
or works against you

in terms of that texture.
We'll find out.

KEVIN: A little bit
goes a long way.

Started on your pasta?

Yeah, getting started
on my pasta dough.

Um, I'm gonna use some
hemlock needles in there.

I want it to be
a little bit speckled.

Okay.
You got pasta in two dishes.

Are they gonna be
different enough?

You know, it's one that

I'm a little bit worried about,
to be honest, but... ha ha.

- Can I be honest?
- Yeah.

So am I.

Chefs, teams,
you guys have two hours.

Two hours left.

KEVIN: Got it.

The problem right now
is that that custard

wasn't even starting to set.

Uh, so, I'm gonna add
a little bit more agar

and see where that gets me.

I definitely think
I need to change my plans.

MATT:
You're gonna change it?

I just don't want dough
on all three courses now.

MATT: What are you
thinking of changing?

Just let me
think for a minute.

MATT: Yup, totally.

JADE: I need to take a step back

and figure out something
that is gonna be

completely different
from my second two dishes.

But right now,
I'm having a hard time

figuring out
what I'm gonna do.

KEVIN: I can't help but hear

he is pivoting
and changing directions

and may be a bit stressed,

giving me
just a bit more confidence.

♪

JADE: I've got oysters,
I've got uni,

and I've got some
blanched plantain.

So what can I start making
with this?

And then it occurs to me.

I think we're gonna
do frittata.

MATT: Sure.

So that'll be
yummy oyster frittata.

MATT: Gotta dial it in though.
We gotta go with it.

JADE:
Yeah, no, absolutely.

♪

KEVIN:
All right, setting.

- We have a custard.
- MARIO: We have a custard.

Now I'm just worried
it's gonna get way too hard

'cause I added that extra agar.

Guys, you have
one hour remaining.

Three have gone.
One is left.

- BOTH: One hour.
- JADE: Heard, one hour.

KIRAN:
Start moving.

MATT: All right,
so rolling out the dough again.

Roll it into a, uh,

a long line.

And I wanna
get that cooking ASAP.

KEVIN: The goose,
when you overcook it,

it tastes a little bit livery.

It's not... not very enjoyable.

It's what we're trying
to avoid here.

♪

JADE:
Oh, no.

The crème anglaise has curdled.

♪

MATT:
Do it again real quick?

JADE: No.

Oh, you know,
that's not curdled.

That's just the uni in there.

(laughs)

My heart.

Five minutes left.

You should now
be finishing your plates.

♪

MATT:
Ooh, dude, that looks so good.

♪

- KIRAN: Chefs, one minute.
- JADE: Not on that plate.

- Not on that plate.
- KIRAN: That's it.

- MATT: Sorry. Which one?
- One minute. One minute.

♪

KEVIN: Salt, salt, salt.
Give me that.

MATT: Ooh!

- KEVIN: Tweezers?
- MARIO: Tweezers.

♪

KEVIN: (bleep).

(groans)

Five, four,

three, two, one.

That's it.
Well done. Well done.

(clapping)

- MARIO: Hey, man.
- KIRAN: Well done.

Good job.

I overcooked the goose
a little bit.

but should be all right.

There was a point
about an hour ago

where I was like, "I don't know
if we can do this."

(laughs)

But we got
three plates of food out.

(tense music)

Okay, guys,
let's get into this.

How you use
your culinary skills

to transform
these wild ingredients

into incredible food

is exactly what Valerie and I
are looking for.

Now we're gonna let the food
do the talking.

Your appetizers please, Jade.

Tell us about yours.

Yeah, I've made
a shoreline frittata...

pacific oysters, bladderwrack,

wilted plantain
garnished with uni

and shore peas.

♪

VALERIE:
That's really good.

I've never actually
had the chance

to have uni
and beach peas together.

It reminds me of, like,

just a normal home breakfast
from the northwest.

It's a great way
to just wake up

and get that, like,
fresh air from the shoreline.

KIRAN: The flavor combinations
do work.

You definitely taste that uni.

All of those shoreline
ingredients you want...

the taste of salt.

And it's a little bit
under seasoned.

All in all, it's a nice dish.

And you managed not to put
any pasta in there.

- (laughs)
- Well done, Jade, on that.

Kevin, tell us about your dish.

I have a salad
of fresh beach pea leaves

dressed in an underripe
blackberry vinaigrette.

At the very bottom,
oysters that've been poached

in a yarrow-infused butter.

Over the top of that,
a ton of fresh uni.

I intentionally covered
all the elements of the dish

so you guys can kind of
discover the uni like I did

when I was out at camp.

I feel like
if I had goggles on

and I was, like,
looking in the water,

this is what
I would be seeing.

For a forager like me, like,

I love to see
a plate like that.

KIRAN:
It's really tasty...

the sumptuous sweetness
from the oyster,

the beautiful umami
from the uni.

For your
blackberry vinaigrette,

you could've used a little bit
more just to help it along.

- Okay.
- The beach peas...

they're delicious.

But as you get
further down the stem,

- they get tough, chewy...
- Fibrous.

Yeah, it's too fibrous.

But it's delicious.
You guys have worked hard.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

All right,
moving on to your entrées.

Kevin, tell us about it.

So we've got goose breast

rendered and basted
in its own fat.

It's been seasoned
with the Douglas fir salt.

Topped with oyster mushrooms,
some hedgehog mushrooms.

In this bowl, I've got
some winter chanterelles

and this goose dashi broth.

♪

KIRAN: You've allowed us
the opportunity

to taste the different elements

of each mushroom,
which is nice.

That hedgehog mushroom,

which is the first time
I've ever eaten it...

I mean, it's just dancing
all over my mouth right now.

It's... it's beautiful.

Your broth is full of flavor.

It's perfectly balanced.

You overcooked your goose
a little bit.

You know, you could
get away with this dish

without the goose.

Good cooking. Well done.

Thank you, Chef.

Jade, your entrée.
Tell us about it.

JADE:
It's a braised goose ragu

with handmade
pappardelle noodles

with hemlock needles infused,

and it's garnished
with the shore peas.

I incorporated what little
mushroom that we found

into the ragu,
and I hope you guys enjoy.

For folks at home,
this is a hemlock tree,

- and not poison-hemlock...
- JADE: That's correct.

- VALERIE: Right?
- Yeah.

VALERIE: All the essential oils

in our evergreen trees elevate
at this time of year.

It's a great time to use it
for infusing into flavors.

I agree with you.
It's delicious.

It's real comfort food.

You didn't hide the mushroom.

You left them big.
You left them chunky.

You didn't let them
disappear into the sauce,

so that was clever, you know.

The hemlock...

you needed triple the amount

because the flavor
really works,

but there's just
not enough of it.

I'm having
to look for it too hard.

So all the ingredients
are there.

It just needs to be reworked

to really allow everything
to pop through and shine.

Okay, guys,
one more course to go.

Dessert.
Jade, what've you got for us?

JADE: Stick bread with
a sea salted caramel glaze,

then I made a rose hip butter

and I wanted to incorporate
uni into my dessert,

so the crème anglaise
does have uni in it.

♪

VALERIE: I was wondering
what uni would be like

in a dessert,

and I think it goes really well.

Pairs really nicely with that
very, like, gentle asset

in that rose hip flavor.

I could not agree more.
I was massively skeptical.

The sauce
that you've made there

with your uni
and those rose hips...

fantastic.

You've done well.

Kevin, tell us
about your dessert.

I present to you
very simply titled,

apple crumble,
a traditional crumble,

but with rye flour
and the Douglas fir sugar.

We've got a bit of a custard

made by steeping heavy cream

with a bit of licorice
fern root.

Over the top,
thinly-shaved apple.

KIRAN: The apple in there
is tart but sweet.

It provides a texture
that cuts through everything.

It works.

So you've done
the apple justice.

There are some beautiful things
going on here,

but I think the agar-agar
has not been your friend here.

We've agreed upon that.

Going back to it twice,
overdoing it

just has made this
a little bit, uh, too set.

Yeah.

But all in all,
it's a really nice dish.

- Thank you.
- KIRAN: Yeah.

You can all be extremely
proud of yourselves.

Really. Very well done.

We're gonna go away,
have a little chat.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

KEVIN: If I could've done
one thing better,

it would've been that custard,

but I got everything
on the plate that I wanted,

so I surprised myself, really.

I couldn't have done this
without Mario.

JADE: Life is all about
taking risks.

Going out into the wild
was taking a risk.

Coming up here
was taking a risk.

I took a huge risk

trying to incorporate
uni into my dessert.

♪

Kevin, Jade,

Mario, Matt,

we sent you out

into the great wild unknown,

but you've made it back
in one piece

and with resounding success.

- KEVIN: Thank you
- JADE: Thank you.

MATT: Thank you.

The team and the chef

that won

this competition is...

♪

Kevin, Mario, well done, guys.

- MARIO: (laughs)
- KEVIN: Yeah!

KIRAN: The clever construction
of your appetizer

and the perfect use of
those mushrooms in the entrée

really sealed the win here.

JADE: Even though I didn't
get crowned the winner,

today I feel like
I won my soul back.

Good job, man. You deserve it.

That part of me
that I had given up on,

you know,
the chef, the cooking...

I've gotten that back,
and that, for me,

is a huge win.

KEVIN:
Thank you guys so much.

KIRAN:
Good job.

This is definitely just
one of the greatest challenges

I've ever taken on.

It's just such
a satisfying feeling

knowing that all the work I did
was worth it,

proving that
I need to continue to follow

my love of both
the outdoors and cooking

and combining the two.

It's kinda crazy to say
with numb feet

and burnt hands and fingers,

but I would love
to do it again.

♪

(upbeat rock music)

♪