MasterChef ™
Baker:
Season:
Week:
Challenge Type:
Red Wine Risotto with Pears, Sage and Gorgonzola
Nico: "My name's Nico. I'm making red wine risotto. This dish will earn me an apron because this is like me on a plate. Northern Italian. Like, I'm very proud of northern Italy, and this is a classic risotto, so Joe shouldn't be complaining too much."
Nico: "Making a red wine risotto with caramelized pears and gorgonzola."
Nico: "So I'm from the north of Italy."
Nico: "Yeah, yeah, I'm fluent Italian. I speak Spanish and Romanian and obviously a little bit of English." Nico: "I grew up watching MasterChef with my family back in Italy. And to not make Italian food perfect for Joe would destroy the world for me."
Nico: "Trust me, I had a little bit too much stock when I wasn't paying attention. It's just frustrating that it's, like, not perfect, because I know I made it a million times, and it's always perfect."
Nico: "My name is Nico, I'm 21, and I'm from Millburn, New Jersey. The dish, the red wine risotto with caramelized pears, sage, and gorgonzola. This dish, it comes from waking up in the mountains of northern Italy and watching my granddad eat gorgonzola from the knife. Sadly, he passed, and we had to sell the house that he grew up in. And winning MasterChef would allow me to buy back that house and make it into the restaurant that I want it to be."
Nico: "If I can survive this audition, I can survive any challenge that MasterChef throws my way. And I'm only going to get better from here."
Gordon Ramsay: "Very ambitious. So here's what I'm feeling, though. That's a lot of liquid. There's the risk of popping the kernels. It's a tricky dish, Nico. Be careful. I would get some of that liquid out. You have nine minutes left. You think you're going to make it? Not if you don't make a change."
Joe Bastianich: "You gonna speak Italian to me now, too? You speak Italian?"
Joe Bastianich: "When you were cooking it out there, you were a little bit in jeopardy. I perceived it as being too liquid, but it really came together as it cooled down a little bit. And I don't know if you're lucky, smart, or good, but you just really were able to execute a thing that's very difficult. But the sage is bad news."
Joe Bastianich: "Give me your hand. We're going to fix this dish. All right, you hide that, put it in your pockets, pretend like it never happened. Now we have a perfect risotto. You got one big yes. Compliment. Italian men don't cry."
Tiffany Derry: "I love the pear and the gorgonzola together. The sweetness and the saltiness works really well for me. Yes."
Gordon Ramsay: "Flavor wise, rice is absolute max. But I'll be honest, it doesn't need the sage because the gorgonzola gives it that nice tartness and richness. You're young, and I'm more concerned about what happens after this in terms of what you're up against."
Final: "Every bite delicious. It went from looking like so much, it took the liquid out, came together, and it worked. One of the best risottos we've had. Bravo."
Result: Three yeses. Apron awarded.
Would you like us to create a recipe to match this dish?
We try to create several recipes every day, and we'd love to prioritize a recipe for you. Just fill out the form and watch your inbox - no cost, no catch.
Your request has been submitted
An error occurred. Try again later
