Alejandra Ramos: Tonight on "The Great American Recipe"... You'll have to prepare an extraordinary dish that changed your life.

Tiffany: If there's any day to bet on yourself, today's the day.

Maria: It just changed my life.

It made me think so much differently about flavors and texture as well.

My friend Shannon changed the trajectory of my life.

Thinking about how proud my parents would be, 'cause they were my biggest fans.

It's time to announce the 3 home cooks who will be moving on to the big finale next week.

Alejandra: This is "The Great American Recipe," a celebration of foods from across the country to around the globe...

I am making bison short rib.

Bison is a traditional Native American food.

Alejandra: steeped in years of tradition... Abbe: Chicken soup is truly Jewish penicillin.

Will cure anything.

[Singers vocalizing] Alejandra: This season, our home cooks from regions all across the country get their chance to share their most treasured recipes.

Hmm!

It tastes like Mom's.

Graham: This shows us what we are all about, "Great American Recipe" highlighting all the diversity.

Leah: Who taught you those secrets?

My mom.

I love that.

Our food memories is how we keep it going.

How we're talking about the people we love is so important.

Maria: Thanks, guys.

Alejandra: After 8 weeks of challenges celebrating the heart of American home cooking... Whoo!

Whoo!

one home cook will be named... Wow!

the winner.

Welcome back to "The Great American Recipe."

♪ ♪ Brad: It's been a long journey.

Leanna: Seriously.

But it's been fun.

Yeah.

This is the last time that we are all going to cook together.

After this last week, 3 of us will be going on to the finale.

There's definitely a lot of pressure this week.

Alejandra: Hi, everyone!

Welcome back.

Welcome back, cooks, to "The Great American Recipe."

Once again, we're joined by our always helpful judges-- Tiffany Derry... Hey, y'all.

Leah Cohen...

Welcome back, everyone.

and last but not least, Graham Elliot.

Aloha, everybody.

Last week we tested your culinary flexibility by having you swap recipes with one of your fellow home cooks.

Then you all presented a time-honored dish that has been passed down within your families.

Today we will finally find out which 3 home cooks made the most successful recipes overall this season.

And those special individuals will go on to compete for the grand prize-- having one of their recipes featured on the cover of "The Great American Recipe" cookbook.

I feel like you guys have become kind of like a chosen family, and that's what this round is all about.

You'll have 60 minutes to make a dish that either comes from a close friend's recipe or is inspired by the flavors that a friend may have introduced you to.

This is a big round for you all, because this is one of your last chances to make a great impression with our judges.

Remember, each of your dishes will be judged based on taste, execution, presentation, and this week's theme.

Who's ready to cook?

We are!

Ready.

Great, 'cause your 60 minutes starts now.

Oh, that's heavy.

This is it, Lee.

Alejandra: We've given the home cooks 60 minutes to make us a dish that they have gotten from essentially one of their chosen family members.

Also, this is the second-to-last challenge before we announce who the 3 finalists will be, so what do you think is the most important thing that they need to do now to make it into that finale?

I think they have to find a way to stand out amongst everyone right now.

This is literally their last shot.

And they just really need a successful dish, 'cause it's so close.

Tiffany: Yeah.

Alejandra: That's a great point.

First things first, you got to take care of this onion.

Work fast, work clean.

Obviously I want to move forward, right?

I want to take this ride all the way to the end.

And we're gonna go.

So I know I'm gonna have to kick things up.

I'm gonna be making lamb kabobs with grilled veggies.

And so first step is to get my lamb seasoned, and that begins with garlic and a lot of pulsed onion.

So lamb kabobs and grilled vegetables is a recipe that I got from my friend Delbon.

Delbon was one of the very first people that I met when I came to college.

I didn't know how to make lamb kabobs.

So Delbon said, "Hey, just come over to the house, "watch my mom a few times.

"Like, I guarantee you if you watch her make it twice, you will have it nailed."

And so that's what I did.

Delbon, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.

I mean, we couldn't possibly be closer.

Leanna, voice-over: There's so many things that I have to get right about this dish to make it taste like I'm eating at Delbon's house.

I think one of the first things is the way that the onion is, like, almost infused into the meat.

It's like it's almost a part of the ground lamb.

Hi, Leanna.

Hi, Chef Graham.

What do you have cooking?

So right now I'm making some lamb kabobs.

And then I'm going to be serving it with an assortment of grilled vegetables.

Beautiful.

So what spices do we have going on here?

Sumac, which I had never used before, a little turmeric, a little salt, a little smoked paprika, and the onion.

There's really not too much to it.

OK.

But the flavors just kind of come out and speak for themselves.

We've loved seeing you and your flavors this whole journey.

It's literally anybody's ball game.

Everything of equal importance when you put the dish together, you know?

Yes, Chef.

I'll do my best.

Good luck.

Trying my best to make it work.

♪ Salmah has the mixer.

Whoo, I hope she's making us something tasty.

Tiffany: She's gonna play to her strengths.

Of course.

[Laughs] Salmah: Perfect.

Salmah, voice-over: I am making chicken chapli kebabs with an accoutrement of vegetables and mint sauce.

And I'm thinking back to my friend Maha that I met in college.

One evening Maha invited me to her home for iftar.

Iftar is the meal where we break our fast during Ramadan.

And that was the first time I ever had chicken chapli kebabs.

This is like a spice punch of a pack of a patty.

Um.

I start with ground chicken, and then I begin adding in my spices.

Normal suspects for me.

Garam masala, jeera, green chili, with the addition of pomegranate molasses.

My strategy to make it to the finale is staying true to who I am, cooking dishes that I would make for my family.

That, more than anything, has been my strength throughout this entire competition.

So far, that is.

[Sizzling] ♪ Ted: For this dish, I do salt the onions a lot because I want to pull the juice out and steam them up.

I'm making cheeseburger sliders with onion rings.

The person that inspired this is Mr.

Trace.

He was the owner of the local ice cream shop that I started working at when I was 13 years old.

He had a huge impact on my life, and this is a tribute to him.

We're gonna make a relish out of this.

The method I used for making these burgers was a little bit different than searing a burger on the grill.

First thing is putting a layer of onions down, and then putting the burgers on top of the onions.

Cooking the burgers over the grilled onions, I'm gonna get the steam of that onion, and all those juices, they give it a really good flavor.

Ooh, I just got a whiff of something delicious.

Oh, yeah, that was onion.

♪ Maria: It's ready for the quick little marinade.

I'm kind of unsure if I'm going to make it to the finale.

Last week, I was in the bottom two.

Maria, unfortunately, we did feel that there were some things that needed some more focus.

Everyone except me, I think, at this point has been in the top two.

So I know I need to win this round.

OK.

I'll be making carne asada tacos with a tomato salsa and a tomatillo salsa.

Carne asada is grilled steak.

First I get the marinade going.

I add orange juice, lime, and some garlic.

I was inspired to make this dish by my cousin's husband Ignacio.

He's Mexican, and I've learned a lot about Mexican cooking from him, so I really want to show the judges what he's taught me.

Hello, Maria.

Hey, there.

Ooh!

We're making carne asada tacos.

OK. How are you going to go, medium, medium well?

What are you thinking?

Probably medium.

Yeah.

Medium?

Great.

So when it comes off, you want to have a place to let it rest.

Yep.

Most important part of grilling meat is the resting time.

For sure.

'Cause right now, it's down to the wire.

It really is.

You need everything to be perfect.

Thank you.

I can't wait to taste it.

All right.

♪ Abbe: A little bit more.

I am making a deconstructed chicken casserole with a little cheesy sauce.

I was in the hospital in Chicago with surgery, and my dad had an emergency gall bladder attack.

So a good friend, Susie Small, brought us over a casserole.

The night that my father and I got home from the hospital, we cut into Susie's casserole, and it was like the best thing I'd ever tasted.

I get the chicken breast golden and set it aside, because I'll have to put them back into the sauce I'm creating.

I've made it for my mom when she's sick.

I've made it for my kids.

I've even made it for New Year's Eve.

It has a lot of memories.

Susie was the one who really helped my mom out by providing us dinner.

I mean, that was the year my dad almost died.

This dish means so much.

And I want Susie to know that we're keeping it living on.

She gave me many great recipes, and I'll always treasure them.

45 minutes left.

Brad: It's all good.

So I am making mini spinach b'jibn pies.

Spinach b'jibn, which is basically a Syrian spinach frittata or spinach pie.

And it's essentially just like spinach, a lot of cheese.

My best friend since kindergarten, Julie Cohen, growing up, she was my next door neighbor.

And what we would actually do is compare each other's mom's Shabbat dinners.

So one thing that was very unique about Julie's was this spinach b'jibn.

They're not traditionally in a pie crust, but I think everything with a little crust is always more delicious, so.

I struggle with pastries.

I struggle with anything baked, but I think if I do well today, I will be able to advance to the finale.

So I'm going for it.

So we shall see.

♪ I've been dinged a couple of times for my cuts, which, um, cuts me deeply.

So my dear friend Judith took me to an Indian cooking class in this woman's home, and her name was Jyoti.

And--I don't want to cry-- Jyoti has become one of my nearest and dearest friends, and this round, I'm going to make Jyoti's recipes.

So I am making two dishes, technically.

One is called corn chaat, and that's a traditional, like, Indian street food.

The second one is called curried watermelon.

I cut all the watermelon, and I'm taking my time to make sure that it's precise.

I got this.

Khela, voice-over: I have a small pan, and I put in the canola oil, and then I put the nigella seeds, which gives it a slightly smoky flavor.

Then for the corn chaat, I combine fresh corn, ginger, lemon, and Indian chili pepper.

Jyoti is near and dear to my heart, and I hope I make her proud.

Come on, baby.

Get some color.

♪ Relle: Don't crowd the pan.

I'm making some Hawaiian-style beef stew.

It's such a great dish when you have a get-together, which happens a lot in Hawaiian households.

Relle, voice-over: When I met my now husband, one of his best friends, Tanya, she's a chef.

Her grandma is also a chef.

So one of the things I remember them making was beef stew.

And I love a good beef stew, and I'm using boneless short ribs.

So I get two pans going to sear the meat first.

This will help to seal in flavor and speed the process along.

Hot, hot, hot.

If I want to be in this finale, I need to put something on the plate that I'm 100% sure of and proud of.

Try not to spill because you need all of that.

30 minutes gone, 30 minutes remaining.

So the stakes are high because over the past 6 weeks, you've been ranking and taking everyone's dishes into consideration.

OK. You think that someone that maybe wasn't at the top could really pull through today?

Tiffany: Absolutely.

What the cooks may not realize is how close it is.

If there's any day to really bet on yourself, today's the day.

♪ Salmah: I don't have enough cucumbers.

I am making a yogurt sauce that accompanies the chicken chapli kebab in the event that it might be a little too spicy for the judges.

Normally iftar is a shared meal.

So during that iftar with Maha, it was so nice to feel like I was part of a supportive community while I was at college.

So in a way, it made it a lot more celebratory.

I do have the mint sauce, but then there's also a few condiments here to kind of cleanse your palate in between each bite.

♪ Hey, Brad, do you know how you do the broil?

Um, you have to turn it off and on.

Abbe, voice-over: The hardest part about making my friend Susie's casserole is really not overcooking the chicken.

Last week, I was in the bottom two again.

Abbe, the proportions of icing to cake is where you could have done a little better.

I would love to make the finale, so I really need to impress the judges this week.

Gorgeous.

Maria: All right.

Maria, voice-over: For my tacos, I'm making two different salsas.

First salsa is a tomatillo salsa with tomatillos, charred onions, garlic, peppers.

The other salsa is a tomato salsa with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and garlic.

Tiffany: She's making two different types of salsa.

So tomatillo and a red tomato salsa.

She just needs to be careful with the spice.

You want to add it gradually.

Just like salt.

Just like salt.

10 more minutes, Cooks.

10 more minutes.

We're going to make it a little bit nicer here on these Hawaiian rolls, Relle.

Thanks for bringing these in for me.

You're welcome.

Ha ha ha!

Relle, voice-over: For the Hawaiian-style beef stew, I like to add carrots and potatoes.

Normally, you depressurize it, add the vegetables, and let it come to pressure one more time to cook it just for a few minutes.

And I'm a little nervous because the pressure cooker is taking forever.

I know time is of the essence, so I have to pivot and make it a different way.

So I cook it in the beef stock with some garlic and some salt and cook it in the oil that the beef had already cooked in.

Relle, hello, hello.

Aloha, Chef.

How's it going?

Um, we had to pivot a little bit a couple of times.

OK, what happened?

Tell me, tell me.

Pressure cooker took too long to come to pressure.

Normally, I would put the veggies in at the end for a little while more, but now I'm trying to boil it in the stock with some extra flavoring to mimic the two.

I love that.

Yeah.

So I'm hoping that this little pivot will be able to impart the flavor in the veggies that normally would get there, so.

I will say you seem way more confident this week than you have in the past weeks.

I love seeing this confident Relle.

It's great to see.

Thank you.

Mahalo.

♪ We are doing onion rings and, if I have time, make a little dipping sauce for the--for the onion rings.

I get an egg, get the Japanese breadcrumbs, get those in.

They're really nice.

They're going to be really crispy and crunchy.

Now I've got to start making this dipping sauce.

I add some mayo and smoked paprika.

I feel that if I can get near the top with this dish, it will push me to the final 3.

90 seconds, everyone.

90 seconds.

Leanna, voice-over: The lamb kabobs look great.

The vegetables have a really great char on them.

I have got to give it everything I've got if I want a chance to make it to the finale.

You need a carrot.

Alejandra: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Time's up, everyone.

Time's up.

Whew.

Ted: Oh, my gosh.

I love the colors.

Thank you.

Alejandra: Everyone, you had one hour to prepare a dish inspired by a recipe that came to you through a close friend in your life.

Brad, please come join us.

Today I made my little take on my friend Julie Cohen and her family's spinach b'jibn which is a Syrian spinach frittata.

Brad, this is a beautiful dish.

It's expertly executed.

I love that it's chock full of the spinach and the goodies.

You know, sometimes you get a lot of the dough with just a little bit of the filling.

Here, it's almost the opposite.

Yeah, I agree with Graham.

The crust is great.

It's nice and flaky.

Have you made your friend this version with the crust?

Oh, you should do it.

I think she'll like it.

Thank you.

Great job.

Abbe.

I made for you a deconstructed chicken casserole.

Our friend Susie Small brought us this dish, and I hope it inspires for you a homey feeling.

It's very hard to make a casserole look beautiful, and you were able to plate it very nicely.

I wish that you added more sauce because it is so good.

Tiffany: Abbe, I love this dish.

It feels right, you know.

Like, the chicken itself is cooked beautifully.

You really did a great job here with this dish.

Thank you.

Maria.

So today I made carne asada tacos with tomato salsa and the tomatillo salsa.

My cousin's husband taught me this recipe.

Maria, you gave us some beautiful tacos.

The green salsa is my favorite.

That one has lots of flavor.

This might be one of your best dishes thus far.

Thank you.

Graham: That sauce you should bottle, the tomatillo.

That's delicious.

The sear on the carne asada, the flavors.

Way to bring your A-game.

This is the tastiest dish I think you've made us.

Yet.

Khela.

I made my dear friend Jyoti's corn chaat and curried watermelon.

Khela, I think you nailed the texture of the corn.

It didn't taste raw, but it still had that crunch that you want from corn.

The texture of the watermelon is also really nice, and it was really tasty.

Flavor-wise, this has got it going on.

I love the spice.

I love the seasoning.

I don't think there's anything that you need to add or take away.

It's really, really solid.

So good job.

Khela: Thank you.

Salmah, tell us what you made.

Today I made chicken chapli kebabs.

This recipe was taught to me by my friend Maha's mother.

Tiffany: Salmah, this is delicious.

When you bite into the kebab, you get a very juicy kebab, and the texture is right.

Together, this is a beautiful combination.

I'd love to see instead of two tomatoes, maybe 5, because you want a bite of those vegetables with everything that you have here.

And as you can see, the kebabs are really big.

Yes.

Not complaining about that at all.

[Laughs] Thank you.

This is delicious.

I love this.

The sauté on the meat itself, I see some that are a little darker than others.

So obviously we want the same color all the way around both sides.

Thank you.

Ted.

I made cheeseburger sliders with onion rings.

And this is for Mr.

Trace.

He taught me business.

He taught me to be humble.

He was a huge impact in my life.

I think everything is perfectly seasoned from the sliders to the onion rings.

I love the texture and the crunch.

You get that onion flavor.

I thought this was great.

Tiffany: Ted, you made a really nice slider.

You have it seasoned right.

You have it cooked well.

I just want a little more color.

That color gives us a little crust and creates a little more flavor.

Thank you.

Relle.

So today I've made for you Hawaiian-style beef stew.

Graham: It's a very comforting dish.

There's a lot of flavor going on.

If anything, I would find a way to season the veggies more.

But I love the way it looks.

Relle, the sear is really nice and beautiful on the short rib.

It really does enhance the flavor, and it's really nice and tender.

Mahalo.

Leanna, tell us what your dish is.

So I made for you lamb kabobs with grilled vegetables.

This dish was brought into my life by my friend Delbon.

I love that you wanted to showcase your best friend by making this kabob.

And I think the flavors are beautiful.

The actual kabob itself is seasoned very highly.

It is delicious, but just be careful with the salt, because on its own, it can feel a bit much.

With the vegetables itself, it's beautiful, it's delicious.

This is a very good dish, and I can see why you enjoy it.

Thank you, Chef.

Alejandra: Thank you, Leanna.

♪ We asked you to plate a dish that came to you from a friendship you cherish in your life.

Judges, which home cooks were you most impressed with this round?

The first home cook that we want to recognize is... Salmah and your chicken chapli.

It was delicious.

It was creative.

It was beautiful.

There was a lot of technique involved.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Salmah, voice-over: I'm happy.

I'm actually really proud that I was able to introduce this new style of kebab.

I'm so glad for that.

Leah: Our other favorite dish was... Maria with your carne asada.

Whoo!

[Cheers and applause] Leah: This was by far your best dish.

The meat was cooked perfectly.

It was seasoned well.

You gave us two different types of salsa.

It was a great job.

It's my first win.

Leah: Yeah.

It feels great to be in the top.

I'm elated.

I'm so happy.

Who's ready to talk about your last round of cooking before the big finale?

Ted: I am.

Alejandra: Ted is.

[Laughter] In this round, you'll have 90 minutes to prepare an extraordinary dish that changed your life.

We're talking about those out of the ordinary culinary adventures that open our eyes to new flavors and ways of cooking.

At the end of tonight, we will finally reveal the 3 highest-ranked home cooks who will move on next week to compete in "The Great American Recipe" finale.

All right, home cooks, your 90 minutes starts now.

♪ Oh, God.

Salmah, voice-over: After the first challenge, I'm actually feeling pretty good.

I am making Lebanese meat pies and a cheese pie called s'feeha.

They're an open-faced pie.

So for the life-changing meal, I am thinking about my friend Norvat and how she introduced me to Lebanese cuisine.

She'd make this lavish Lebanese breakfast, and always in that feast were s'feeha.

I like to feel the dough with my hand, so I'm just going to get in there and do it with my hand.

For each of the s'feeha, it is the same dough.

It's flour, yeast proofed in milk with a little bit of sugar.

We are going to leave you here.

While that is resting, I work on the meat mixture.

So it's made of ground lamb with spices and pine nuts.

The meat pretty much fuses with the bread.

And then she would always have a cheese pie that was from mozzarella and halloumi cheese seasoned with zaatar, and there was sumac.

It was a whole new level of spice for me.

One will be lemon, one would be cheese.

So we'll have two types of pies.

OK. Leah: All right, ladies.

Graham is feeling under the weather, so I'm just going to scooch on over and be a little bit closer to you all.

Come on over.

Come on over.

Yeah.

We'll just have a little ladies night, day.

So the cooks have 90 minutes on the clock to make us essentially a dish that changed their life.

Who would you say are two of our top competitors that kind of go back and forth?

Leah: Yeah, I think Brad and Salmah are really at the top.

They are a force to be reckoned with.

But let's talk about Maria and her big win.

She's been in the middle pretty much the entire competition.

And she finally had her big win.

I mean, those tacos were really, really good.

Yeah.

Maria: It's looking good.

Maria, voice-over: I'm feeling confident.

The 180 is definitely a real thing, going from the bottom to the top.

It's anybody's game at this point, and I'm ready to bring it.

I'm going to be making a tagliatelle Bolognese.

Bolognese is an Italian-style meat sauce with tomato paste.

First, I start off just by browning the beef and get it down to a really fine texture.

So I studied abroad in Italy.

I was in Bologna and I was like, I have to try a proper Bolognese when I'm here.

It just changed my life.

It made me think so much differently about flavors and texture as well, because everything is going to be really, really fine.

But that is what sticks to the noodles.

So in a food processor, I add in the celery, carrots, and onions.

All right.

Alejandra: Maria is making a Bolognese.

I think it's great.

I mean, listen, she went out of her comfort zone making carne asada tacos.

And I think that's fantastic to see her grow as a cook and really listen to the advice we've been giving her.

It's coming together nicely.

That's why you check your shrimp.

One little tail snuck in on here.

I am making shrimp street tacos with Mexican corn.

Ted, voice-over: A new taco place opened up in our neighborhood and had their Mexican corn.

I really liked it, and I made it.

At the time, I was just starting to post on social media.

I put this post up, and I got positive feedback, and because of that, I kept going with it and growing with it, trying new foods that I wouldn't have tried.

And for me, that was life-changing.

That's good.

First thing, I start combining my shrimp with chili powder, cumin.

I put in some lime juice.

Let that sit for a little bit.

Let's try to roast some corn.

I don't have my grill, so I've got to improvise.

I grab a cooling rack, and I'm grilling inside.

Hi, Ted.

See how my indoor grilling is going.

I think you're doing pretty good.

I'm going to actually cut this off.

Oh, I like it.

And I'm going to mix it up in a bowl with sour cream, mayonnaise, cayenne in there.

OK. That's yummy.

Good.

Thank you.

All right.

How are you feeling going into this, knowing that this is your final round of cooking before the finale?

I mean, it's bittersweet because it's the end of this journey, but I feel confident about myself.

Thank you.

Thank you.

♪ Come on, girl.

This is your last chance.

Oop.

Leanna, voice-over: For this challenge, I decide to make my take on sancocho.

It's basically like a meaty soup.

There's beef and chicken and all kinds of root vegetables.

And for me, this was a life-changing meal.

All right.

Few years ago, I went to my friend's destination wedding in Punta Cana.

We danced and drank the night away, and we were so exhausted.

But then we all had sancocho the next morning, and it was like recovery in a bowl.

That beef is smelling good.

That's a good sign, Lee.

That's a good sign.

Leanna, are you making sancocho?

Yes, I am making sancocho.

OK. Tiffany: Is that a ham hock?

Yes, ma'am.

My mom always used it to flavor her soup.

I don't know that it's really the traditional sancocho way, but it's the way that I like it.

[Laughs] ♪ Sauce.

I'm making japchae.

It is a Korean noodle dish with sweet potato glass noodles, some vegetables, and I like to add beef tenderloin.

So the first thing I do for the japchae is prep the meat and the marinade and get it in the fridge.

Then I start prepping the vegetables to get them ready, because all of them have to be the same size and uniform.

Hello, Khela.

Hi.

How are you?

I'm good.

I'm making japchae.

And then I'm also making a mung bean salad.

So can you tell me why this is a life-changing dish for you?

What meaning does this have?

I'm going to cry.

My friend Shannon changed the trajectory of my life.

She started a food group in Kansas City and, um, opened my eyes to lots of different cuisines.

Because of her, I met some of my nearest and dearest friends.

And, um... she died in May.

Oh, no.

Yeah, she changed my life.

Because of her, I'm here.

I mean, that is such an amazing story and such a great tribute that you're cooking this dish for her.

Can I give you a hug?

I mean...

It's a very sweet story.

Thank you for sharing.

And I kept it together mostly.

Shannon was really fantastic, and I really want to win for her.

Thank you.

Thank you.

♪ Cheers.

A little l'chaim, that's it.

This is the last cook altogether.

And I think we're all savoring the moment.

45 minutes.

[Sizzling] Brad: There's nothing better than, like, searing, sizzle sound.

Oh!

So I'm making a cod in a saffron cream sauce paired with some sticky white rice.

First order of business is I want to create the sauce for the fish.

I take two shallots, green chili peppers, anchovies, and garlic, and I kind of cut it all really small to kind of form, like, a, like, anchovy paste.

I was traveling to Israel with my twin brother, and we heard about this restaurant that we must try called Uri Buri.

All the dishes were amazing, but one that really stood out, it was a cod in a cream sauce.

And I don't typically think to pair, like, cream with protein because, like, of keeping kosher, but you can actually, you know, cook fish in cream, You know, so in a way, it's, like, changed the way I cook.

Once that's browned and, like, building flavor, I then add white wine and then add the cream in, and then eventually add a little bit of saffron as well.

I hope they like it.

That's what matters.

♪ Ooh, these are hard to squeeze.

I am making Vietnamese soft-shell crab with a nuoc cham sauce, which is a fish sauce with lime juice, sugar, a little spice, a little heat.

So the first thing I do is make my dipping sauce.

I'm just trying to get the sugar to dissolve.

Then I quickly move on to the beer batter.

The first time I went into a Vietnamese restaurant, we ended up ordering soft-shell crab.

It was divine.

Abbe, voice-over: The love of Vietnamese food has changed my life in ways that I can't go a week without it.

It's so dang good.

And we all need something good in our life.

Let's cook all of it.

♪ A little more in.

Relle: We need a little bit smaller pieces.

Today I'm making gandule rice and pastele stew.

Relle, voice-over: Gandule rice in Hawaii is a pigeon pea rice dish, and pasteles are a Puerto Rican version of, like, a tamale.

And so this is basically like a deconstructed version.

It has stewed meat and achiote or annatto flavor in it.

This is a Puerto Rican dish, and Puerto Rican culture and cuisine makes up a huge part of Hawaii.

Pastele stew was a life-changing meal for me because it encouraged me to eat things that I don't normally eat.

This actually is my husband's recipe.

It's definitely outside of my normal cooking and outside of normal Hawaiian flavors.

So I think the judges will appreciate that.

I really want to make sure that the pork is tender, fall apart to the bite, and it packs a flavorful punch.

So I think I'm going to try to add more pork and bacon to make the gandule rice.

Into the party.

30 minutes, everyone.

♪ What are you making?

Bolognese.

All right.

Maria, voice-over: With about 30 minutes left, I'm feeling pretty good.

The pasta is in the water, but the sauce, it feels too salty and too fatty.

So I'm adding in some lemon to cut some of that fat and to brighten it up.

This is what Bolognese should look like.

Over the past 7 weeks, I've learned so much about how to balance flavors out.

I feel just really good about it.

You know, I know I got the top one in the last round, but I think this is even better.

Mm-hmm!

♪ Think I can fit one more on that tray.

Salmah, voice-over: I have two pans going of the meat pies in my oven, and I still haven't even started to cook my cheese pies.

I am making the cheese pies in, like, a boat shape as it's traditionally made.

Hey, Ted, are you using your oven?

Ted: No, I am not.

You need it?

Can you crank it up to 4...400 for me?

400?

Please.

Salmah, voice-over: It's nice that Ted is in front of me because we're in this competition together, but we want, above anything else, to be a great support system for each other.

Those look great.

Thank you.

[Sizzling] I'm actually going to make some dumplings.

Relle, voice-over: Traditionally, pasteles is made with plantains.

So for my pastele stew, I thought, you know what, I can make plantain, like, dumplings and add that in.

Scoopy scoop.

At the very end, we'll toss in the plantains, and we're good.

Now it's time for the rice.

I get rice in the pressure cooker.

Once I get that done, I add the pork to get a little bit more fat into it.

I think I want to cut these down.

And then I throw black olives in to add a little more salt.

Set it to rice.

I know I need a win to move on to the finale, so I want to make sure I really wow the judges with the flavor and the plating.

Make sure everything is mixed together.

15 minutes left.

I might need a bigger pot.

At the end of this week 7, there are 5 people who are going to walk away with their hearts broken, and I don't want to be one of the 5.

So I decide to fry a little bit of the chicken skin.

It's definitely a lot of moving parts to this dish.

Alejandra seems very excited about the sancocho, so I don't want to disappoint her.

♪ Making some cod, and then I'm going to steam it in the sauce.

I just want to get it sliced.

Brad, voice-over: My cream sauce has a really nice saffron flavor, but I'm having a hard time getting the sauce to, like, the appropriate level of spice.

It's still not spicy.

Like... As many peppers as I keep adding, it's just not getting spicy, at least to my palate.

Abbe, do you have the red pepper flakes?

Yes.

You can take some of them.

I can take a little bit?

Brad, voice-over: This cook is going to be key to, like, really solidify a place in the finale.

So I just want to make sure that everything gets done properly.

Hey, Brad.

How are you?

I got this, like, saffron cream.

Hello.

It matches my outfit, so you know I'm happy.

Thank you.

I couldn't get it spicy enough.

I'm getting that heat.

Oh, you are-- I'm getting-- I'm getting the heat.

OK, but?

Taste it.

I think it may be a touch salty.

OK.

I am getting the heat, though.

But I'm going to let you cook.

Yeah, thank you.

I'll let you finish up.

There's only a few more minutes.

I know, you're a little stressed.

♪ Oh, just the right amount.

Ted, voice-over: 7 weeks ago, there is no way that I would have executed this dish this well in 90 minutes.

And I'm thinking about how proud my parents would be, because they were my biggest fans, to make the finale, and win for them would be pretty special to me.

What are you cooking again?

Soft-shell crab.

Ooh, yum.

These are gorgeous.

Abbe, voice-over: Part of the secret to cooking soft-shell crab is to keep the cooking oil temperature up.

Abbe, is your oil hot enough?

I'm turning it up.

OK. And because soft-shell crabs are so rich, you serve them with fresh herbs.

You can add in some bean sprouts, some sliced cucumbers.

Brad: Those look so good, Abbe.

I think it's the kind of crab that should put anyone in the finale, but especially me.

I'm going to go out like Rocky.

One minute left.

One more minute.

♪ Leanna: Everybody's got beef, everybody's got chicken.

A lot has happened over the past 7 weeks, and we really have become like family.

But at the same time, this is my final chance to hopefully secure my spot in the finale.

Alejandra: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Hands up.

Time's up, everyone.

[Cheers and applause] Great job, everyone.

Maria: Whoo!

Well done.

♪ Home cooks, we have arrived at the moment where we will taste your last dishes before next week's finale.

Remember at the end of our tasting tonight, the home cooks with the highest overall rankings will earn their spots in next week's big finale.

Leanna, tell us how this was a life-changing dish for you.

So today I made for you my take on sancocho.

Even though I grew up in the Bronx, that has a very heavy Dominican and Puerto Rican population, it took me going all the way to Punta Cana to have sancocho for the first time.

Leanna, I think you created a very beautiful bowl.

You see, you know, all the different root vegetables that are in here.

The herbs give it a little bit of brightness.

The soup is delicious.

It has all the great flavors that you're looking for.

Leah: I agree with Tiffany.

I love the flavor.

I love the chicken skin.

I thought that was really great.

But you've also added the smoked ham hock to get as much flavor as you possibly could.

It was very smart.

Thank you, Chef.

Relle, come and join us.

So for today, I made for you gandule rice and pastele stew.

Actually, this is my husband's dish.

Leah: Relle, the flavors are beautiful.

The pork is tender.

And I love that you added the plantains, but I do think it needs a little bit of salt.

You think that that black olive will be salty enough to kind of balance everything out, but they're actually a kind of mild olive.

I agree with Leah, it needs a touch more salt.

I've had this dish with green olives, and the green olives gives it a really nice saltiness that you normally want.

But the rice is perfectly cooked and fluffy and nice, like rice should be.

You did a whole lot right.

It looks good.

It tastes good.

Just need a touch more salt.

Mahalo.

Ted.

I made shrimp street tacos and Mexican corn.

Tiffany: Ted, what a beautiful plate of tacos.

And it is so well-balanced.

Flavor is great, but the shrimp itself has a little bit too much lime, which changed the texture of the shrimp.

Leah: Yeah, I agree with Tiffany, but the corn is so good.

The fact that you charred the corn really concentrated that flavor.

I mean, I love it.

Thank you.

Alejandra: Salmah.

This is a Lebanese meat pie, and also a Lebanese cheese pie inspired by my friend Norvat.

Salmah, I love the flavor of this cheese bread.

I mean, like, I would want to eat this for breakfast all the time, and you got some really nice caramelization on the cheese.

Yeah, I thought it was really delicious.

Thank you.

The dough is great.

You know, it's soft.

You got a nice crunch all around.

It's golden brown.

Here, when it comes to the lamb one, the flavor of it is delicious, but the texture is just a little bit pasty.

Thank you, Salmah.

Thank you.

Khela, what did you make for us?

I made japchae and a bean sprout salad.

My friend Shannon had an annual party that she would do called the garlic party.

I won that party with this dish.

It gave me confidence.

Because of Shannon, I'm here today.

And, um... she died this year, so...

I wish she was here to see me make this.

Tiffany: Beautiful story.

We're happy that you met Shannon and that you were able to bring this dish here today and that it gave you that confidence that you needed.

I think the beef itself is nice and tender and everything individually has flavor.

And you really did a great job here.

The knife cuts are amazing.

Everything is uniform.

There's still a little bit of crunch to the carrot and texture to the red pepper.

So overall, I think it's a huge success.

Thank you.

Maria.

I made a tagliatelle Bolognese.

I was studying abroad in Italy and had a proper Bolognese in Bologna, and it totally changed the way I think about pasta, the way I think about sauces.

Very good bowl of Bolognese, period.

You made a delicious sauce.

That pancetta, you get a nice little chew, adding a little bit of saltiness that you get.

The pasta itself is very well-cooked.

The sauce itself is nicely coated on it.

Leah: I completely agree with Tiffany.

Everything on this plate just reminds me of what a bowl of Bolognese should look like and taste like.

I really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Abbe.

I made for you Vietnamese soft-shell crab with a nuoc cham sauce.

Vietnamese food is my favorite food forever.

Tiffany: I think this might be the best-looking plate you've ever made for us.

You have the crispy soft shell with that nice golden brown color.

You have the cucumbers and the bean sprouts and all the fresh herbs, so it looks even more inviting and delicious.

And your sauce is an explosion of flavor.

Job well done.

It takes a skill to fry something, but have it taste light.

There's nothing greasy or heavy about it.

And the fact that you serve it with all these herbs and this beautiful nuoc cham sauce.

This is probably my favorite dish that you have prepared.

I will take it.

[Laughter] Brad.

Today I made cod in a saffron cream sauce.

I was with my twin brother.

We traveled 4 hours to this restaurant, like, all the way in the north of Israel.

And I was just so in love with the way, like, the cream, like, worked with the fish.

It made me rethink that flavor combination.

I love the fact that you added the saffron.

I think that color is just beautiful, and that sauce is kind of the star.

The sauce itself is just luscious.

I also got the spice in there, and the fish is cooked very nicely, but I think you could have added one more element to make it pop, whether that had been herbs... Yeah.

or something more leafy.

It's almost there.

But I like it.

Thank you.

Brad, voice-over: I'm not sure who's going to make it to the finale.

Everyone is so talented, and at this point, I think it's anyone's game.

♪ I got to say, I'm glad I'm not the one making the decisions here.

These home cooks are all so talented.

How do you pick only 3 to move on into the finale?

I think we really need to break it down person by person.

Let's start with Khela.

Khela started off OK. You know, I remember the ribs and the cheesy corn and... and that was a good dish.

Then she just sort of picked it up, giving us really good food and listening... Yeah.

to the feedback.

The first dish that impressed us was... Khela and your fudgy brownies.

You never know what you're going to get from her.

I was not expecting her to make japchae, that Korean noodle dish.

You can see that she's, like, laser focused on trying to make it to the finale.

Let's talk about Salmah.

Her food is fantastic.

You know, when she first started, I didn't really know what to expect because week one was not great for her.

The execution is the thing that I have the biggest issue with.

My yolk is overcooked.

She turned it around real quick.

And I love the fact that she wants to share her culture.

When she talks, you feel connected to her, and she makes you want to go visit where she's from and sit in that living room and enjoy those moments.

Totally.

And eat the food.

And eat--I mean, I'm really there for the food.

Maria has also had a really interesting time here with us these past 7 weeks.

She was really focused on the type of food, telling her stories, and being very true to who she is.

I'm a member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, and that's an alder plank.

Back home, we usually cook our salmon over an alder fire.

I mean, she crushed it today.

She is finishing strong this week.

Those tacos were amazing.

And then she busts out this amazing Bolognese pasta.

And I was like, "What?

Where did that come from?"

This was her best week ever.

And it was really nice to see her go from somewhere in the middle to the top.

Let's talk about Abbe.

One of the things that I love about Abbe is that she really stayed true to her roots, right?

I made you matzo ball soup today.

The quintessential Jewish dish.

She can be so true to who she is, but also show you that she's versatile and she can cook other types of cuisine.

Abbe's soft-shell crab just crushed tonight.

She had nice mounds of fresh herbs, and the sauce was delicious.

And so it was great to see her put this dish out as her final dish before finale.

Yes.

Agreed.

Let's talk about Ted.

Tiffany: Ted is an incredible guy.

But on top of that, I love to see the growth of how his food got better.

Ted, I love dolmades, and this is how I like to have it.

I love it with a soup on the top.

I'm really, really enjoying this.

Ted: Thank you.

He wins the award for most improved.

Yeah.

Leah: Absolutely.

Because of the strong finish, he could possibly have a place in the finale.

I agree.

What are your thoughts on Relle's journey?

Tiffany: You know, after a couple of dishes, I was like, Relle's the baker.

Relle: I'm making Manju.

I actually really love baking, so this is nice.

The back half of this competition, Relle has shown us that I can do more than baking.

Relle, delicious dish.

I love the sweet and sour sauce and how it's really balanced.

Mahalo.

I definitely think that she is a contender.

I mean, she has two wins.

How could she not be?

Absolutely, yeah.

Let's talk about Brad.

Tiffany: Brad came out swinging.

We were like, wow.

It's a delicious dish.

It's beautiful.

Golden sauté.

Listen, we all know Brad can cook.

And I think the biggest obstacle in this journey for him is Brad, because he just gets in his own head.

The other thing that gets in his way is his cluttered station, right?

Tiffany: And every time that that station was a mess-- Yeah.

His food was not what it needed to be.

Exactly.

Let's talk about Leanna.

I knew from her first dish that she can cook.

Mm-hmm.

Then she made that crab cake.

Yes.

And I'm like, "Oh, well, hello there, Leanna.

Welcome to the party."

I love that you roasted the corn, and it really sums up love and caring for somebody.

Leanna is the 180 queen, right?

She's just up, she's down, up and down.

And she tried to do these really ambitious dishes, and she can cook.

Yeah.

These cinnamon rolls are-- I'm sorry for my English-- off the chain.

OK?

She has so much going for her.

And I think that truly she would do well in the finale.

Yeah, I agree.

This is a really tough decision.

I truly feel like everyone grew so much, and they're all winners in this journey.

Yeah.

Are you ready to let them know who's earned spots in the finale?

I think so.

Yes.

Let's bring them back in.

Leah: Yep.

♪ Welcome back, everyone.

I can feel the anticipation in the air.

From the start of this journey till now, all of your dishes have been carefully ranked.

We can now reveal the 3 home cooks who will compete in next week's finale for the chance to win the grand prize of having one of their recipes featured on the cover of "The Great American Recipe" cookbook.

Leanna, voice-over: My heart is racing.

Like, I'm trying to tell myself, whatever happens, it will be OK, but I really want to make it to the finale.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, it's time to announce the 3 home cooks who will be moving on to the big finale next week.

All right, the first home cook moving on to the finale is... Salmah.

Relle: I told you.

Oh, my God.

To know that I could be the winner of this, I'm just... [Exhales] I'm happy.

More than anything, I'm just proud that somebody else of American Guyanese descent can see somebody, you know, clapping roti or cooking mithai, or, you know, sieving barfi.

Oh, my God.

My grandmother would be so proud.

Leah: Salmah, we loved your food, the way you work with spices.

It is so balanced.

It's an art.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

The next home cook advancing to the finale is... Brad.

Yay!

Alejandra: Congratulations, Brad.

Like, I don't even have words to describe how I feel when I heard that I'm one of the finalists.

But winning "The Great American Recipe" would be such an honor to have that opportunity to share our food with America and put Libyan cuisine on the map.

You cook with joy, you cook with love, you cook for your family.

And we can't wait to see more and hear more.

The final home cook making it through to next week's finale is... Leanna.

What?

Congratulations, you're in.

Yah!

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

So they say it, but in my head I'm like, "Did I just hear what I wanted to hear, or did they actually say it?"

Now I'm thinking like, "Oh, God, girl, what are you going to make for the finale?"

Alejandra: Leanna, every single thing that you shared with us was reflected in your food.

I'm so thrilled that you'll be moving on to the finale.

I just knew I was going home, I swear.

[Laughter] Oh, wow.

OK. Whew!

Salmah, Brad, Leanna, congratulations.

I know it's a little bit bittersweet, but I have to say the stories and the recipes that every one of you shared have touched every corner of our hearts.

Ted, voice-over: This has been an amazing journey together, so I don't feel like I lost.

I couldn't have asked for better fellow home cooks to be shoulder and shoulder with in the kitchen.

Alejandra: We'll be back next week to crown the winner of "The Great American Recipe."

Come on, guys, we need a hug.

[Indistinct chatter] Alejandra: Next time on "The Great American Recipe"...

This is it.

Leah: This has been quite a journey.

We know it must be tough being away from your closest family and friends.

So we're bringing a little bit of home to you.

I got to represent now.

It's really an honor to be here.

The smell literally will transport you back, and not just from my home, but, like, any Guyanese person.

The winner of "The Great American Recipe" is...