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MasterChefThe Professionals Season 18 Episode 20
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00:00It's the penultimate master chef, the professionals.
00:05After six weeks of grueling competition,
00:10Mark, Gareth, and Luke are the last chefs standing.
00:18Tonight, in a remote town in northeast Italy,
00:24their culinary minds will be blown,
00:27cooking for one of the world's most ground-breaking chefs.
00:31We've given them challenges beyond their expectations,
00:35but this is as big as it gets.
00:47Northern Italy, famed for its dramatic Dolomite peaks
00:53and alpine meadows.
00:57In its northeastern reaches lies Brunico,
01:00a small, picturesque town in the province of South Tyrol.
01:10And proud home to a 16th-century Manor House restaurant
01:14transforming the future of gastronomy.
01:19Atelier Mousman.
01:23At the helm is groundbreaking chef Norbert Niederkopfler.
01:29The philosophy of the restaurant is cook the mountain,
01:34which sounds very romantic, but it's very complex,
01:37because you have to think in a completely different way.
01:45Norbert was born in Letargo,
01:48a small Italian village nestled in the Dolomite mountains.
01:52It was great for us as kids to grow up there,
01:55because, you know, you could play out in the fields,
01:57you could play out in the forest,
01:58and so there was absolutely no danger.
02:01We had a little shop where my mother was selling everything
02:05what you needed in a small village.
02:07So, I grew up in this ambience,
02:09and I loved it all the time.
02:12Later, I wanted to explore,
02:14so I was doing a lot of mountain climbing
02:15to see how high you can go,
02:17and especially to see really what ingredients is there.
02:21There's lots of ingredients up on the mountain.
02:24This is one of the main reasons why I became a chef.
02:30At just 17, Norbert went to train
02:33at a culinary college in Germany,
02:36and after graduating, went on to travel the world.
02:40I went to Switzerland, and from Switzerland,
02:42I went to US, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua,
02:45Belize, and Honduras, and so I was working in UK.
02:49Kitchen helped me really to live my life.
02:53But I always had a lot of love for the mountains,
02:56and the mountains, they had a great effect for me.
03:01Missing home,
03:03Norbert decided to return to Italy
03:05to run a kitchen in a hotel in the Dolomites.
03:10There, he would spend the next 29 years
03:13transforming the restaurant from a pizzeria
03:18to a three Michelin star fine dining establishment.
03:22I brought techniques from Tokyo,
03:25I brought techniques from US, I brought techniques from London.
03:28I brought everything that I learned around the world.
03:31Norbert had successfully brought global cuisine to Italy,
03:35but then his focus started to shift.
03:39They really started to talk to the guests.
03:41They said, hey listen, why are you coming here?
03:43And the answer was always the same.
03:44We are coming here for the nature,
03:45and we are coming here for the food.
03:48Norbert realized he had everything he needed on his doorstep.
03:54And by substituting imported ingredients with what could be found on the mountain,
03:58he could contribute to the sustainability of the planet.
04:03We have to rethink gastronomy in a completely different way,
04:06because otherwise we are running out of products.
04:08We have to take care about nature.
04:11In 2008, I wrote Cook the Mountain,
04:13and Cook the Mountain is still today the same philosophy.
04:17We built up in four pillars.
04:19One pillar is we are not using any olive oil.
04:21Everybody said, hey, you are crazy.
04:23You can do a restaurant without olive oil in Italy.
04:25Are you nuts?
04:26I said, no, you know.
04:27I look out of the window and 1,700 meters over the ceiling,
04:30there's no olive trees, so why should I use olive oil?
04:33We have to find a substitute for this.
04:35The second thing, which is very important, no citrus.
04:39Was the same thing, you cannot do a Mediterranean cuisine without any citrus.
04:42I said, yes, we can.
04:44And the third pillar was we are not using any greenhouses.
04:48It's very complex because you have to think one year ahead.
04:51So two-thirds of the products, we preserve them.
04:54We work today with something between 400 to 500 different types of wild herbs,
04:59different types of mushrooms, different types of roots, different types of vegetables.
05:05And the fourth pillar was really, and it's still one of the most important one,
05:10which is the no waste.
05:13After more than 30 years as a highly decorated chef,
05:18Norbert embarked on a new adventure, opening Atelier Musma that encompasses his cook,
05:25the mountain philosophy, which after just four months broke a world record,
05:30becoming the fastest restaurant ever to achieve three Michelin stars.
05:34It's also ranked in the world's best 50,
05:38and holds a green star for outstanding commitment to ethical environmental practices.
05:44It's about food security.
05:46I want to be part of really thinking a different way, and so this is the future.
05:56Not for one minute I thought I would be in Italy in the mountains,
05:59cooking in one of the best restaurants in the world.
06:02I can't imagine what possibilities are around the corner in a place like this.
06:08There's definitely going to be a lot of ingredients and styles of cooking that I'm not used to,
06:12but I like to be challenged, and that's exactly what's going to be, a challenge.
06:17There's so much about their philosophy of reducing waste,
06:20and I think that there's like a huge opportunity to bring so much of that into my own cooking.
06:25I'm really, really excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
06:40Gentlemen, I explain a little bit the philosophy of Cook the Mountain.
06:45To help the finalists understand Norbert's philosophy,
06:49they'll be given a masterclass in how it works.
06:53Starting with a dish that epitomizes his four pillars,
06:57a zero-waste tartare using local freshwater fish.
07:02We are not stopping until we use every part of the fish.
07:05So from the scales, to the skin, to the meat, to the bones, to the head, everything.
07:10And the dish, what Mauro shows you now, this is what came out.
07:14We have the fish tartare.
07:16The difference using the fishes from the lakes and the rivers is like huge.
07:21Of course, the taste, but also the flesh from the fish is really delicate.
07:25We just start with a little bit of grapeseed oil, which is really important for us.
07:31We're in Italy and we're not using olive oil, so it's quite shocking.
07:36And the third pillar is no citrus.
07:39And you know how much citrus you need in the kitchen to balance the dishes.
07:43So we had to find substitute for the citrus.
07:46Local apples.
07:48Green apple has a lot of acidity.
07:50It has to balance everything, what usually you would do with a lemon.
07:54We mix everything up, lay them down with a ring.
07:57With a spoon, just press it gently.
08:00The tartare is topped with a variety of foraged mountain herbs.
08:07And then on top, we have the scales of the skin.
08:10The scales, we wash them and then we deep fry them so they're really crunchy.
08:16And also the bones in the head, we make a sauce out of it.
08:19It's like a bourbon.
08:21So you really use everything.
08:26Absolutely stunning.
08:27So this is our white fish tartare. You want to try?
08:29Yes, please.
08:33Normally, in most restaurants, would probably be very tempted to put a bit of citrus with that.
08:39Yeah.
08:40But you're still getting the macidity notes.
08:42The sweet sharpness from the apple, really delicious.
08:48Norbert's second masterclass dish celebrates vegetables that flourish in the Dolomites.
08:55Beetroot gnocchi is one of our signature dishes. It was done, I think, 2013.
09:02We wanted to recreate a beetroot garden. It's an iconic dish. We tried to take it off the menu very
09:09often,
09:10but we didn't succeed because people are still asking. So we use products which is under the soil.
09:16So it's potatoes, it's daikon, it's horseradish, and it's beetroot.
09:22The centerpiece of the dish is potato gnocchi, flavored with beetroot juice.
09:27We get the right thickness, which is, I think, one of the most difficult part of this dish.
09:33Inside the gnocchi is a horseradish-infused set cream.
09:38It's really intense. So the feeling that we're going to put inside is popping up in the mouth.
09:43The stuffed potato gnocchi is then crafted to resemble a baby beetroot.
09:48Whoa! Yeah. You need to close it properly.
09:51Otherwise, when you cook it, you put it in the water, it will open up.
09:54It's not a problem. You cook them, and then you finish with a beetroot glaze.
09:59It looks incredible, the glaze and the shine. They do look like perfectly turned beetroots.
10:06Then we created the soil. We have very traditional bread from this area.
10:10Tenen seeds, cumin inside. Oh, wow.
10:12You cannot use them in any way because they're too hard. So that's why we created the soil with this
10:17crumb.
10:18We dust it up, so we have this sand consistency.
10:22Finely ground-burned vegetables are then incorporated to replicate the color of soil.
10:28So just mix it.
10:30When you add the beer, it's like when you take a wet soil and you smell it.
10:35This is the effect of the beer.
10:37We have this glaze. Now we're going to kind of like paint the dish.
10:42We're going to put the soil on top of it.
10:45Those are the gnocchi, nice and glazed, and we put them on top of the soil.
10:52It's incredible how much they look like perfectly cooked baby beetroot.
10:56Then we finish with the daikon cream. We do two small canals.
11:02It looks like it should be hanging in a gathering.
11:07The texture of the dough on the outside, it's soft, but it still has the bite and the chew
11:12and the sweet earthiness of the beetroot.
11:14Of course, it's amazing. It's so beautiful.
11:17The thing is such a detailed dish. It's got such few ingredients. It's excellent.
11:23With an abundance of fresh water lakes and streams in the mountains,
11:29Norbert's final dish makes use of a common fish often overlooked in Western Europe.
11:39We call it catfish and kefir.
11:44Catfish usually is not a very prestigious fish because it lives in mat.
11:48And you know also the meat has always this maddy taste.
11:51But there's some local guys. They started to farm this fish with very clean water.
11:56So now the fish changes completely.
11:58The flesh of this fish is really beautiful. It's really firm.
12:01We take the fillers off. Then we have to make a soya sauce glaze.
12:05So obviously we're not using soya sauce coming from Japan.
12:09So I learned how to make a soya sauce out of mountain lentils.
12:13Also the glaze has local plump that we marinate a little bit with a mountain honey.
12:18And local whiskey. And then we let it like grow and ferment a little bit.
12:22Smells amazing.
12:23We try always to learn to bring ideas back to bring it here, but then using local products.
12:28So this is a Japanese technique of cooking fish, glazing up.
12:33The glaze catfish is delicately cooked on an open fire grill.
12:39We are working on open fire because people from this area have always cooked on open fire.
12:44Especially when you were up in the mountains, there was no electricity.
12:46So there was just the open fire.
12:48Then smoked using pine tree stems from the Dolomites.
12:53And using the pine to smoke gives you a flavor of the pie.
12:57Yes, it's incredible.
13:01Now we are going to dress up the plate.
13:05To accompany the soy glazed and pie smoked catfish is a kefir-based yogurt, which substitutes citrus.
13:13We add the acidity of the kefir to cut off the fattiness of the fish.
13:18That is like really intense.
13:20And an oil made from grape seed, which lends itself to any flavor.
13:26In grape seed oil, there's no color and there's no taste.
13:30So we take the green parts of the leek, which usually we don't use, and we make an oil out
13:35of it.
13:36The final element is a dry-aged beef heart soaked in red wine and mountain herbs.
13:42You can smell the wine in there as well.
13:46That is finely grated over the catfish.
13:49So it's kind of like surf and turf using part of the ovus from another animal, adding a flavor to
13:56the catfish.
14:00The fish is so delicate.
14:01Catfish normally expect a very sort of heavy, muddy flavor, but like I'm saying, it's so clean.
14:06I love the soy sauce.
14:08Definitely get the smells from it, but slightly different, not just a classic soy sauce.
14:12It's very creative and clever.
14:16What do you think about Cook the Mountain?
14:18Fascinating.
14:18Absolutely incredible.
14:19It's such an interesting concept.
14:22I love it.
14:22Now, we are looking forward to eat some of your dishes, which are inspired by our philosophies.
14:29Mauro is going to show you where we are doing foraging, asking questions.
14:33All the best.
14:34Have good luck.
14:35Let's go on the forest.
14:36Yes, chef.
14:37Thank you so much.
14:38Okay.
14:48The finalists will now experience the majesty of what the Dolomites have to offer.
14:53Wow.
14:54Look at that.
14:55Whoa.
14:56Oh, my God.
14:58And discover the abundance of produce in Norbert's larder.
15:07So, as you can see, while the raspberries doesn't mean it has to go on pastry.
15:11It can be fermented, it can be preserved.
15:12We use it a lot on the sauces.
15:17Over here, we have oxalis.
15:18The leaves are really gentle, acid.
15:21So, this is something that we can use to replace, you know, no lemon, no citrus.
15:26This is a lifesaver sometimes.
15:29Like green apple.
15:30It's a skin off a green apple.
15:31Exactly.
15:32Up here in the mountains, the volume's turned up on all the flavors.
15:35I'm already thinking about where I could go with it.
15:38That's amazing.
15:40As you can see, guys, over here, we have white watercress.
15:43Have you tried this?
15:44No.
15:44Can we try now?
15:45Yes, this is what we have to.
15:48Oh, wow.
15:49This is, like, super powerful, spicy.
15:53We cannot find, like, chili on the mountain, right?
15:55So, this is what we use, like, as a spiciness.
15:58Yeah.
15:58That's amazing.
16:00Absolutely incredible out here.
16:01There's so much that you would walk over without noticing it, and to see it all through the chef's eyes,
16:08it's fantastic.
16:10Once you know what you're looking for, you can really see that there is stuff wherever you look.
16:15Every footstep, you find something different.
16:20The finalists now have just one hour to produce a dish that shows they understand the cook the mountain philosophy,
16:29combining their foraged produce with a larder of locally sourced ingredients.
16:35Wow.
16:38Wow, it's incredible.
16:39Things I've never seen before, you know?
16:42For this now, you need instinct, you need taste, and you need creativity.
16:47It's a bit daunting.
16:48You think you know how to cook, and that thing is, throw the curb on out.
16:52But it's a challenge.
16:54You have no classic ingredients.
16:56It's new.
16:57You don't know the taste.
16:59You don't know how things react when you cook them.
17:01My brain's fried right now.
17:04I think they have a lot of nerves, yes.
17:08This is a big task.
17:10You can go first.
17:13Mark is basing his dish around a prized cold-water fish found in the lakes and rivers of the Dolomites,
17:20Arctic char.
17:21It's something I haven't really cooked with before, so I wanted to try and push myself a little bit to
17:26try something new and different.
17:29I'm going to cure it with some salt and a little bit of sugar and the mountain moss.
17:34It's just a very, like, evergreen, mossy kind of flavour.
17:39Alongside the moss-cured char, Mark plans to serve vegetables grown in the mountain's rich soil.
17:46I've cooked kohlrabi like this a couple of times before.
17:49It's, like, steamed from the inside.
17:51And then I've just toasted some pumpkin seeds over the coals.
17:54Now I'm just breaking them down with the watercress that we picked.
17:57This watercress is really strong, so I'm hoping to make, like, quite a punchy little dressing.
18:01Mark plans to highlight his understanding of Norbert's philosophy with his beurre blanc sauce,
18:06traditionally made with lemon juice.
18:10So this is the sorrel stems that we picked earlier.
18:14Really citrusy, really fresh, really vibrant.
18:16So this will hopefully add some acidity to the dish.
18:20Definitely feeling nervous, but I want to make sure that I'm bringing something
18:23quite delicious and quite fun to the plate.
18:28Luke is hoping to replicate an ingredient substitute he saw in the masterclass,
18:34in a dish centred around mountain mushrooms.
18:37To be honest, I've never seen anyone make their own soy before.
18:41That's a first for me.
18:42Chef Norbert used it in the catfish dish, so hopefully I'll have, like, a sticky glaze.
18:46So I haven't got the exact recipe.
18:48Sort of going for a similar flavour profile.
18:50For Luke's take on the soy glaze, he's experimenting by adding preserved baby pine cones.
18:59They've got quite an earthy taste.
19:02They do taste quite familiar, but I've never used them.
19:05To bring citrus acidity to his creamy white wine sauce, Luke's using another of Norbert's ideas.
19:14I've just added a little bit of the kefir to it for citrus.
19:19I hope I'm impressed, Chef Norbert, but this definitely isn't my clipping.
19:22I'm sort of going on a whim a little bit.
19:26Gareth is attempting to reversion Norbert's fish tartare using meat.
19:31I've got a nice piece of aged lamb here, so I'm going to do a lamb tartare.
19:35The loin I've taken off and I've just diced it up.
19:38The leeks are on the barbecue. I want to get those nice and charred.
19:41Do a similar burnt leek oil that we're shown today to find tartare with.
19:46He also intends to season the lamb tartare with finely chopped, preserved leeks.
19:52The taste is like a pickled onion monster munch. It's amazing.
19:56And fermented baby daikon.
19:58It gives you both texture and acidity.
20:02As Norbert used every part of the white fish in his tartare, Gareth plans to do the same with the
20:08lamb.
20:10I want to make a llama and wild watercress sauce.
20:15I've roasted the bones on the barbecue to get that smoky flavor to bring it to a stock.
20:20Just trying to have zero waste.
20:23I think that they really got the idea of what Cook de Monta is.
20:27They've been inspired, like, a lot of what they've seen.
20:29And they are, like, also trying to change it a little bit with their style.
20:33They're not playing safe somehow, so I like that.
20:46Mark will be first to serve with his optic char creation.
20:50Very nervous. Very, very nervous about serving this up.
20:53I'm just hoping it's taking on a lot of the flavors of the moss that I put through it.
20:56He intends to bring the dish together by channeling his professional experience of cooking over flame.
21:02So, basically, I get coals, and then I blow through them to, like, basically inject heat onto the skin.
21:09It's quite a delicate way of just cooking the skin and not really affecting the flesh itself.
21:16I'm very happy with my kohlrabi.
21:19I've just dressed the smoked kohlrabi with a little of the strawberry-preserving liquid.
21:23So, this is a watercress dressing.
21:28It's very challenging to come up with a dish like this in one hour and to have it all come
21:32together in the way that you want it to.
21:33But I think trying to take a lot of what he's shown us today in the kitchen and try and
21:37do my best with it.
21:44So, Mark, how do you feel?
21:46I feel like I've tried to engage with everything you've been teaching us today and bring you a lovely dish.
21:52Mark served arctic char in a mountain moss cure on a foraged watercress and roasted pumpkin seed dressing
22:00with kohlrabi cooked under coals and a beurre blanc flavored with sorrel stems.
22:06Wow. Great idea.
22:13Fish, I love it in this way. It's really nice. It's really clear.
22:17But I would have given more smoked crunchiness to the skin because this is a little bit chewy.
22:24The combination with the beurre blanc and with sorrel is really good.
22:26The acidity, a little bit of fatness of the beurre blanc is great.
22:30And the watercress gives a lot of freshness. It's a great dish.
22:33Thank you very much.
22:37I can't thank you enough for bringing us into your kitchen, for sharing your knowledge.
22:41It's wonderful to see the work and the dedication and rigor that goes into that process here.
22:46Thank you very much, chef.
22:47Thanks a lot. Thank you.
22:49I'm very relieved. Obviously, huge pressure.
22:51Cooking with such unfamiliar ingredients in front of one of the most highly decorated three Michelin star chefs in the
22:56world was just fantastic. Absolutely amazing.
23:03Luke is next to serve.
23:05I'm using a glaze, a similar glaze to what was used on the catfish dish. Obviously, mine's nowhere near as
23:09good.
23:10Have you been used to cook with a fire, chef?
23:12I've not cooked with fire very much, no. I mean, this is my second time doing it.
23:17Obviously, you know, with the open fire, you have to know how it works with the temperature, with the timing.
23:23So it's very difficult.
23:24I think the glaze is quite nice. It's sort of burning onto it a little bit on the barbecue, but
23:29that's sort of what I was looking for. Keep layering the glaze.
23:33I'm sort of using the very dry end piece of the spec of the pancetta, but it's way, way firmer.
23:38I'm trying to use it in a similar way to chef did with the heart, so I'm going to grate
23:42it.
23:42I feel quite nervous, to be honest, and I don't normally, but it's because it's so different to what I'm
23:47used to.
23:47I don't know if I'm onto something or whether I'm doing something completely wrong here that's not going to work
23:53at all.
23:55I'm hoping he sees the philosophy. I'm using ingredients I've never used.
23:59I'm taking inspiration from the sauce, from what I've literally just watched,
24:03the glaze, what I literally just watched, the herbs that we've literally just gone and picked.
24:07So, yeah, that's what I'm hoping he sort of sees that.
24:14Look. Welcome. Wow.
24:16I wanted it to look like it was sort of mushrooms still growing on the forest floor.
24:20Looks great. Thank you.
24:23Luke's dish is a trio of mushrooms in a lentil soy, honey and preserved pinecone glaze,
24:31topped with speck shavings and a creamy white wine and leek sauce,
24:35flavoured with speck and kefir, split with watercress and sorrel oil.
24:45I love really that you used all the mushrooms, that you play around a little bit what we are doing,
24:51glaze with the soy sauce, a little bit too liquid, so making the glaze a little bit thicker. But otherwise,
24:57I like the sauce a lot. It's a great idea. Yeah, with the speck, it's fantastic. For one hour time,
25:02it's a great dish. So how do you feel using those products? Yeah, I'm definitely starting to feel
25:10like I want to get into foraging a little bit. I quite enjoy that. It's a nice feeling.
25:14Cool. All the best for you. Thank you for your feedback. Thanks a lot. Thank you.
25:22It was a good experience. I feel like I was on to quite a good idea. To be honest, I'd
25:28like a second
25:28shot on it. I'd like to take some of the feedback he gave me and do it again, I think.
25:35Last to serve is Gareth. I need to start plating.
25:38Who's ready to add his mountain flavourings to his tartare. So that's some of the burnt leek oil
25:45that's going in. And then I've got preserved leeks and preserved baby daikon and a few of the flowering
25:52buds of the horseradish plant. But I just want to go easy with all the things I'm adding in. It
25:57has to
25:57be balanced. I don't want anything to overpower. Some wild flowers. A lot more
26:08difficult doing this when you are shaking. How have you made the sauce? I roasted the bones on
26:14the barbecue, made it stock. A lot of I would be happy. I hope so. Putting a plate of food
26:19up to a
26:20three Michelin star chef is no mean feat. Definitely nervous, but I'm going with my head high and
26:25confident and serving my dish. Hello, chef. Hello, Gareth. How's it going? Yes, I think I'll be better after
26:32this has been tasted. Gareth's dish is lamb tartare,
26:37flavoured with burnt leek oil. Preserved leeks, daikon and horseradish buds,
26:43topped with fennel pollen and wildflowers, served with a lamb bone leek potato and watercress sauce.
26:51I think the plate looks really good.
26:57The meat side is good that you don't cut it too small. You have to bite a little bit of
27:01lamb and then
27:02you taste the lamb. So it's great. The flavours in the sauce is quite interesting because it's a little
27:07bit of sweetness in there, but then in the end you have the freshness. You have a little bit like
27:11the
27:12horseradish coming through from the watercress. And so it's a great balance. It's a very nice dish.
27:16Congratulations. Thank you, chef.
27:20I see that you really have cooked the mountain in your soul. Thank you very much, chef. Cheers.
27:26Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
27:30I feel great. It was positive feedback. He seemed to enjoy the dish. He seemed to
27:34understand where I was going with it and that I followed his philosophy of cooking the mountain.
27:41I couldn't have been happier really. I think the challenge went really well. They really understand
27:52the philosophy of cooking the mountain. They were very interested. You could see it. I'm really looking
27:58forward to tomorrow. Today has been one of the most incredible days of my career so far. Some
28:05techniques and wisdom and information here I'll take with me for the rest of my career. Absolutely.
28:11It's been a huge learning experience to get to spend some close quality time with such a high level
28:19chef. When you think about it and you list everything that has happened in one day, it's amazing. It's,
28:28you know, more than some chefs do in a lifetime.
28:42It's day two in Brunico and the three finalists are about to join Norbert's elite brigade of chefs
28:52for a once in a lifetime service.
28:58The prospect of going to cook a full service in the three Michelin star restaurant is weighing over me
29:04quite heavily. I've been waking up through the night thinking about it. It's one of the biggest things
29:11any chef can aspire to do. It's definitely a long way from being in my pub kitchen in Winchester. Based
29:20on
29:20what I've seen of the team so far, I think they're going to be very, very organized. I definitely
29:24don't want to be falling behind.
29:29Perfection is kind of table stakes. At this stage, you know, what you need is a whole other level
29:33of accuracy, artistic integrity and rigor brought to the dishes that I just hope I can get close to
29:39achieving. Today, you will be in charge of two dishes. Luke will be responsible for the fish tartare
29:52from Norbert's masterclass, but will also have the challenge of making the restaurant's version of an
29:58Italian staple, which celebrates one of the Dolomites most prominent species.
30:04Following up our philosophy of cook the mountain is a risotto. We made with a buttermilk infused with
30:11some pine trees full of trees all around here, all pines. To further enhance the flavor, a pine needle
30:19butter is incorporated. You add slowly the butter, so you get the green color in. It's really powerful,
30:25so it has to be balanced really, really well. Risotto must be al dente. When you bite it,
30:32you can still feel the crunchiness. That's almost the finished consistency there. Exactly.
30:38Then you have to add some cheese, so to make it creamy. The grey cheese cream is made from the
30:45milk
30:45of mountain grazing cows, once a wasted resource due to their remote location. One of the lowest fed cheeses
30:53in the world. The final garnish is a smoked fish roe. Not that much, not too strong, otherwise it will
30:59cover up all the delicate taste from the risotto. And a pine oil. Definitely fits in with all the style
31:09that we've shown yesterday. Look, are you fine with your dishes, with the risotto and with the tartare?
31:16I hope so. So. You look pretty confident. You give your best and you will do fine.
31:24It's going to be a challenge because it takes 20 minutes to cook. If I cook it incorrectly and it's
31:30time to come up, there's going to be a big problem. I wouldn't cook it to order from raw in
31:35my restaurant.
31:36Luke's first job is to tackle the risotto's unique flavouring. This is the pine I'm preparing for the
31:45oil in the risotto. We need 200 grams of just the needles. I've only really ever used pine in smoking,
31:54not in eating. I think the pine around is a lot better than it is at home. Mark is busy
31:59prepping
32:00beetroot for chef's garden inspired starter. I'm just going to get these peeled and broken down to
32:08start making my beetroot reduction. My horseradish cream is simmering for the filling and then my
32:14potatoes are cooking for the actual gnocchi dough. He also needs to perfect a main dish that centers
32:21around Norbert's no waste philosophy using a lesser known cut of beef, the diaphragm. We are not buying
32:29the parts. We are buying the whole animal. I'm thinking what I'm going to do with the rest.
32:33So we had to learn to work all the interiors. We had to learn all the not so expensive parts.
32:39The beef diaphragm, you need to burn leek oil before you're cooking it. So the nice flavour,
32:44the caramelisation will just help. Temperature, if you cook it too hard, then it's getting really
32:49tough. Then it's like a soul of the chute. It's really delicate, doesn't need much cook. Flip it over
32:55many, many, many, many times. Before it finishes cooking, the beef must be seasoned in a beer and
33:01smoked hay rum. We want, you know, the nice smoky flavour from it, but not like to be over powerful.
33:08Then she will give the last time on the fire. Only thing that you need really to consider is the
33:13timing over here. And then after we carve it straight away. Not too thick, not too thin.
33:17The plating starts with a smoked leek and shallot pesto. Just a spoon in the middle.
33:24And a yoghurt and fermented barley sauce for citrus. We don't want it like too hot,
33:29not too cold. The bitterness is really important when you make the cream.
33:36This is the beef diaphragm. It was absolutely beautiful. Incredible to see fire used with such a
33:42delicate touch with that little diaphragm to get that like perfume of smoke through. It's absolutely
33:46fascinating. Mr. Open Fire, you got the right dish for you, right? Absolutely. Are you ready?
33:54As ready as I'll ever be. Have a great service. Thank you very much. Cheers. Thank you.
33:59Mark now has a lot to juggle. Yeah, a lot of prep to do. The beetroot gnocchi for the first
34:05course
34:05needs to be made. Nearly forgot the beetroot, so wouldn't have gotten far without that. On top of this,
34:10he also needs to tackle a horseradish filling. We've got to make sure it's all exact in each of the
34:16little molds. And make a smoked leek and shallot pesto for the beef dish. All new techniques and
34:22everything, so full on. Not a lot of time to do it. Gareth, for the first time, is tackling the
34:29catfish.
34:30I don't even know where to begin with this. To create Norbert's third masterclass dish.
34:36It's a different shaped fish, you know, and the skin's very thick, but just trying to follow the
34:40bones. Trying not to waste any meat. But he'll be finishing off the meal with a unique take on the
34:46famous Italian dessert. Affogato. Well, affogato, you know, is one of the classic things in Italy.
34:54Normally, you do it with vanilla ice cream and with an espresso on the top. But this is made out
35:00of
35:00lupini. It's a grain from this area. It's one of the only products you can get coffee out of it.
35:06Lupini was a substitute for the coffee in the old days. It was too expensive for the people here,
35:10because people were poor, so that's why they used lupini. Very simple ingredient,
35:15but it's a lot of different techniques. During service, Gareth's trickiest challenge will be to
35:21plate four lupini elements, beginning with a crumble. It's about reusing the grain, not creating any waste.
35:29This is the mindset. You use things up to 100%. To follow is lupini powder,
35:35which Gareth will need to grind down to a fine consistency. It's coming through.
35:40Yeah, it smells like toasted coffee beans. Toasted coffee beans, right.
35:45Another part we create an ice cream from. You see the consistency.
35:49You just mix it to make it creamy a little bit. In the center, you press down a little bit.
35:58It made the Rocher look very easy. We do a lupini infusion. We reduce it until it gets a glaze.
36:06I've never seen anything like it. The dish is finished with a burnt Italian meringue sauce.
36:12You burn the meringue, and then it gets used to make the sauce. Yeah, so you give this nice creamy
36:17and nutty taste.
36:19Amazing.
36:25It tastes just like an affogato. You get the bitterness and the sweetness and the creaminess.
36:30All the elements are there. It's a huge challenge and a big responsibility.
36:35I don't want to be the one who lets the team down. I'm going to make them proud.
36:41There's 30 minutes until service, and Luke is filleting the fish for his tartar dish.
36:48Most delicate fish I've ever worked with.
36:52The flesh on it, you just touch it, and it will just turn to mush in your fingers.
36:56Made quite a mess of that one.
36:59For a freshwater fish, try to touch the flesh as you can the flesh.
37:08Silly job, isn't it? It's like about 500 bones in this one fillet, I think.
37:13They're like, they're so small, I can't even feel them through the gloves.
37:16I tell you what, I won't be putting fresh water fish on my menu anytime soon.
37:20Too many bones.
37:22Mark now faces the daunting challenge of creating 45 gnocchi that must all perfectly resemble a baby beetroot.
37:31Putting the little horseradish cream inside the dough, you have to move very quickly or else the filling starts to
37:36melt.
37:37Bit of a challenge, but just going through each one, one by one, to make sure they're exactly what they
37:42need to be.
37:43I think you're doing really well. Just, like, be a little bit faster, because otherwise it's going to be soggy
37:48all the dough.
37:49And when you're going to put them inside the boiling water, you will see the gnocchi disappear inside the water.
37:53Wait.
37:56Gareth's also got his hands full.
37:59Of all of the jobs that I had on the list, this wasn't the one that I thought was going
38:03to take the most amount of time, but, like, solid.
38:07As well as having to grate enough beef heart for the catfish garnish,
38:12he's also got four lupini elements to manage.
38:16It's infused in the ice cream.
38:21So this is going to be used for the gel that sits on top of the ice cream at the
38:25end.
38:26This is an infusion that's very precise. The water has been 93 degrees.
38:32Really clever the way they're using the lupini beans in all these different ways.
38:37Adding to his workload is the dishes' burnt meringue sauce.
38:42As fast as you can, otherwise the temperature will drop down.
38:45The meringue goes in the thermo with the sunflower seeds and milk.
38:52The thought that goes behind every single element is amazing.
39:05What an incredible location for our three finalists to come and learn from a three Michelin star chef.
39:12This is an opportunity of a lifetime.
39:15This is no time now to drop the baton. This is serious.
39:18Our chefs have got to take on Chef Norbert's philosophy.
39:21The importance of the mountains, the way he tells that story through his food.
39:25There's no doubt about it. I think they are feeling pretty nervous.
39:28But they're going to have to put that behind them and focus on the dishes and really deliver.
39:33While the guests settle, Luke is preparing himself for the fish tartare dish.
39:39I'm just frying off the fish scales that I dehydrated ready for service.
39:45So they've got a real nice texture and crunch.
39:49But he's struggling with the freshwater fish's delicate consistency.
39:54If I push the back of my spoon against it, it would just turn to like, you know, mush.
39:58So you want to obviously keep the bite and the texture in there for when the guests are eating it.
40:04Are you happy with that? Are you happy with it?
40:07I'm asking you. I think so. I think that's how it's supposed to be, yes.
40:11So now it's time to plate.
40:13I think plating is going to be a long dish to plate with all the fine elements.
40:17We think it's just got to be so precise.
40:19Make sure that you go all around the edges, press it down properly,
40:23but not too much.
40:25Everything's got to be perfectly flat and round up to the edge.
40:29This one you can see straight away.
40:31There is like much more tartare on this side that we need to do again.
40:35Not all the other ones. It's just this one I'm struggling with.
40:38Now we have to hurry up a little bit because people are already waiting.
40:42Yes, chef.
40:43Time against him.
40:44Luke still has the challenge of carefully dressing the tartare with five mountain garnishes.
40:50Go maximum eight pieces each.
40:53I'm getting the hang of it. I just think with these sort of dishes,
40:56they take a lot of practice, a lot of time.
40:58How much time do you need?
40:59I just need to throw the scales on now, chef.
41:01Push, push.
41:03Time is getting closer. Service is getting closer.
41:05Go, go. Full, full.
41:07Go, go, go, full.
41:10All good? Are you happy with it?
41:11I'm happy with it, chef.
41:12OK, service.
41:16Hope chef's happy with the dishes they've put out so far.
41:20It's very intricate. It takes a long time to plate up,
41:23and they've got a very specific way they want it to look.
41:28Always a scary bit, just before service.
41:31Mark is getting ready.
41:34You're just looking for the right amount of beer to the powder to kind of clump it together
41:37to make it look like earth.
41:39For the beetroot gnocchi dish.
41:42Very excited. Get them all blanched and glazed.
41:44You can put them all in one basket.
41:48Move them gently, like this, or they're not going to get stuck.
41:56They look incredible. There's such an interesting preparation.
41:58I've never seen anything like this before. It's fascinating.
42:01But at every stage, Mark's timing will be crucial.
42:05You've got to keep the pan moving, because they start to stick very easily.
42:08In seconds, they start to catch as the sauce reduces.
42:12Now, we dress the plate, and there we go.
42:14Yes, chef.
42:15He needs to quickly master the plating before the beetroot gnocchi cool down
42:19and lose their liquid horseradish centre.
42:22You are like a painter, huh?
42:25Like a painter, not a painter.
42:29Just be careful. If it goes all around with a brush, just put them inside and on a line.
42:35You must have to dry one to see if it's nice, hot, and liquid.
42:40Hot.
42:41Beautiful.
42:42They look great.
42:44Thank you, chef.
42:52For the next table, we need to do the same, but just faster.
42:54Yes.
42:55OK, service.
42:59Yes, first table down.
43:01Very real.
43:03Starting to feel it.
43:04Gareth now needs to master the Japanese technique of cooking the lentil soy glazed catfish
43:09over the intense charcoal grill.
43:12There's so much work that's gone into it, you know?
43:14You want to look after it and take care with it.
43:17Be careful when you cook it. The glaze doesn't have to caramelize that much.
43:20We don't want the bitter taste.
43:22They've come out to rest. They've been glazed again.
43:25Then we're going to put them back on the heat, but with pine smoke.
43:34Well, they look good to me.
43:42I think that you might need more than that.
43:44A little bit more? Yes, chef.
43:48Put the skewer in, you can feel the temper too was like not enough cooked,
43:51and also it's like still a little bit chewy inside, so it means that it's raw.
43:55Now running late.
43:57It's nothing like the barbecue at home.
43:59It's crucial Gareth makes no more errors.
44:01How long for the next dish?
44:03One minute for the three top, and then a five top will be two minutes after that.
44:09Take out the skewers.
44:09A little bit of garlic oil, salt, and then the heart on top.
44:13It needs to be really fast, otherwise the temper will drop down.
44:17Now come to the pass with the tray.
44:24You have to go faster, because otherwise the fish is cold, so...
44:27Yes, chef.
44:32Service.
44:33Get ready with the other catfish, please.
44:35Yes, chef.
44:37First fish, there was one part was done, the other part was not done, and you have one fish cold,
44:42the other fish is warm.
44:43The difficult part, you know, because you have to have everything just in time.
44:46I need to find the rhythm.
44:49Now we have to push, okay, because otherwise the service gets too long.
44:53On the fish starter, Luke's still trying to balance speed with the meticulous plating.
45:03Just be careful on this. See, the scales are out.
45:06Yes, chef.
45:06It's not out.
45:09One of the scales was, like, around the edge a little bit there.
45:12One of them jobs you can't try and do it fast, but, you know, that does take time, this plating.
45:17It's not so easy.
45:19Ready, chef?
45:20This looks good.
45:21Thank you, chef.
45:22Good job, good job.
45:25Started off a little bit slow, but I definitely started to speed up.
45:28First service in this kitchen, you know.
45:30I'm feeling good.
45:32I imagine Luke was stressed in trying to plate this dish, like, because it's so delicate.
45:42All of the fish is being used.
45:44Tartar's a lovely herbal note that just sings in the background, beautifully seasoned.
45:48We've got the little pickled elderflower berries, the little garlic flowers, so delicate.
45:53There's citrus notes from apple, fantastic.
45:56The sauce, I think, is wonderful, and those little crispy scales.
46:00I mean, how have they stayed crisp under that sauce?
46:02Nothing about this dish is missing any citrus or olive oil and all those flavours that you
46:09just associate with the tartar.
46:11I think it's very, very clever.
46:14Back in the kitchen, Mark is overrun with beetroot orders.
46:19Keep, like, glazing them, and you keep moving them.
46:23Andy's struggling with the pace.
46:26We do the plating together.
46:28Yes.
46:28Shall we do this?
46:29Yes, Chef.
46:32There's a lot of things to do.
46:33You know, do this and understand this in two days, three days.
46:37It's not so easy.
46:39Back, back, back.
46:39Hot, hot, hot, hot.
46:40Beetroot.
46:44We did this for 400 people, so it was fun.
46:48Yeah, I'm sure.
46:51Last one, come on.
46:55Service.
46:57Thank you very much.
46:59Thank you, Chef.
47:00Back to work.
47:02He did a good job, you know, but this needs a lot of hands to plate, because you have a
47:07lot of thingy things and everything has to be done just on time.
47:11So he was a little bit nervous, but no, he went out well.
47:43It's a piece of art.
47:44I'm so impressed for Mark.
47:49Gareth.
47:50I'm getting there.
47:51He's still trying to get to grips with the cooking of the catfish on the charcoal grill.
47:57Make sure that the glaze goes all over the fish, please.
47:59Yes, Chef.
48:00Cooking is okay?
48:02Yeah, it's a nice way to put caramelization and then let them rest and then bring the smoke and the
48:07flavor and to service.
48:28It took me a little while to sort of get into the flow of it and understand cooking on the
48:36fire, but yeah, I was happy I got the plates out.
48:40I think it wouldn't be going out the kitchen if it wasn't good enough, so yeah, I'm happy.
48:51Oh, wow.
48:53That is really good.
48:54The catfish is quite meaty.
48:56I love the lentil soy glaze over it and of course finished with smoky flavors of a leek oil.
49:03Delicious.
49:04I've never eaten catfish before and I have to say this is incredible.
49:07It's earthy in a sense as it's big in flavor and then just put in the grating of the heart,
49:12it's on top.
49:12It's almost sort of like the best truffle you'd ever eat.
49:15I love the acidity from that yogurt and the kefir.
49:19This is my favorite dish so far.
49:20I think this is wonderful and I think Gareth has done a brilliant job.
49:26It's halfway through service and Luke is working multiple orders of his pine tree risotto.
49:32They're all on different timings, trying to check the bite on the rice and the seasoning and the temperatures are
49:39up and down.
49:40Quite a lot to keep your eye on.
49:43How long do we have for the risotto?
49:44Six minutes.
49:45Today it still needs a little longer.
49:47Okay.
49:48Meanwhile, Mark has moved across to the charcoal grill.
49:52So we go with a four diaphragm then we followed by a four.
49:54In an effort to master the cooking of the beef diaphragm.
49:59Keeping it moving constantly so you never get like too much heat from any one direction.
50:03You have to be very careful.
50:05When you overcook it then it's completed up.
50:07Gareth is now faced with the pressure of plating the lupini dessert.
50:12So, let me see your shaking hand.
50:16Hopefully at the end of this you will be shaking my hand, chef.
50:23Straight on the top.
50:27Dimple.
50:29Here we go.
50:30Yes.
50:32Just like those.
50:34Almost.
50:35That was my practice soon.
50:37Yeah.
50:38To be honest, it's always something that I've struggled with doing a rocher.
50:41It's like a real skill.
50:43Luke is also feeling the pressure.
50:46In a race to serve, his timings are off on the risotto.
50:50It tastes good but it's a bit too loose.
50:52Just like cream it out a little bit.
50:54Yeah.
50:54Take out a bit of liquid.
50:56Mix it, mix it.
50:58Keep pushing, keep pushing.
50:59If you don't push now, you're going to fall down.
51:02Tasting it now.
51:05More salt, yeah.
51:06I don't know.
51:07We have to say, you have to say.
51:09But what kind of goes on?
51:10The cheese goes on?
51:11The cheese.
51:12What else?
51:12The oil and the smite.
51:14Try it all together.
51:15Then you can say, okay, this is good or this is not good.
51:21Let's go, if you're happy, let's go.
51:24A little bit more here.
51:25Yes, chef.
51:27Go with the cheese.
51:28Cream.
51:32Are you enjoying yourself or are you sweating yourself?
51:35I'm enjoying it.
51:37It's a different sort of service to what I'm used to.
51:39But that's the whole point of the experience, right?
51:42Service, please.
51:45You've done a great job.
51:47Thank you very much for letting us in and teaching us some new styles and new dishes.
51:51And yeah, just handing over your restaurant and your kitchen to us.
51:54It's been an honor.
51:55So you want to join the brigade?
51:57Yes, chef.
51:59I don't know if my wife would be happy.
52:00Okay.
52:04It's almost unrecognizable to the sort of cooking that I'm used to doing.
52:08I think I did okay.
52:10Hopefully it was up to Chef Norbert's standards and the guests as well.
52:19This is a risotto with a serious point of difference with quite unusual ingredients.
52:23And the rice has got bites, but the buttermilk, it's sharp and it's lighter.
52:26It's not as rich.
52:27It's not as heavy.
52:28Of course, the pine flavor running through as well.
52:30We have the green from the pine oil.
52:33We have sort of creaminess that you would expect of the risotto, but with buttermilk.
52:37This is like no risotto I've ever eaten.
52:39There's flavors of risotto that are always kind of in associations.
52:43You know, good stock, a bit of acidity.
52:45We've got those flavors, but in different forms.
52:47We've got the buttermilk for acidity.
52:49We've got that cheese as well.
52:51It's all very interesting.
52:54After struggling earlier with the pace of service, Mark is more at home with a beef dish.
53:03The beef looks good.
53:04He got like a few different pieces, so he was like able also to cook them in the right way.
53:0830 seconds.
53:10This one in the middle of the plate.
53:13Use two scones.
53:14It's going to be easier for you.
53:17Adding the cream on top and then the beef.
53:21You don't have to shake.
53:22Come on.
53:22It's all good.
53:23I like to shake.
53:23It helps my nerves.
53:24You like to shake.
53:25It helps my nerves.
53:25So shake it.
53:32Service.
53:37I've had such a great time.
53:38I've just learned so, so much.
53:39I can't thank you and your team enough.
53:41Thank you very much.
53:42It's been amazing.
53:43Thank you, chef.
53:43Thanks a lot.
53:46I've taken more from this experience than I ever thought I would.
53:49Hugely, hugely inspirational.
53:51It's not often I get to serve alongside the three Michelin star chefs in the 20th best restaurant in the
53:55world.
53:59This is really clever, because in another form you could imagine a big hanger steak,
54:04which has been barbecued, got a bit of a rub on it, but this is super refined.
54:08Beef has got real big strength, so it's beautifully cooked.
54:11It's soft, it's juicy and flavoursome.
54:13Mark's passion is to cook on a barbecue, but at this level it's just added another notch
54:18to Mark's belt.
54:21For Gareth...
54:22Whenever you're ready, four persons.
54:24Four tops, sweet.
54:25It's the last chance to prove he's nailed the plating.
54:29Warm it up a little bit.
54:35It's way better.
54:39No much?
54:40Oh, okay, okay.
54:40Better and better.
54:41Yeah, I get it.
54:44You put a little bit extra love in this one.
54:47I couldn't possibly fit any more love into it, chef, but I put love into everything.
54:52Service, please.
54:55What do you think about the idea of Cook the Mountain?
54:57I love it.
54:58I really appreciate all the values and the thought and the love and passion that you have for everything.
55:03I think it's great.
55:04Thanks a lot.
55:05Thank you so much.
55:05It's been a pleasure.
55:08I don't want to go home.
55:10I mean, I'm pretty sure there's something I have to do in the next couple of days.
55:22But these lupin beans taste of coffee.
55:26So clever.
55:27And the meringue that's been burnt and then put through the sauce,
55:31that's got a slight bitterness to it.
55:33Affogato, one of my favorite desserts.
55:36It's so intense.
55:38That coffee flavor without being coffee.
55:40So this has blown me away.
55:41It's quite extraordinary.
55:42This is Cookery, but this is Cookery with a point of difference.
55:44I can only imagine how excited Gareth would have been learning this.
55:47What an experience.
55:52Thank you, guys.
55:53It was, like, really amazing to have you here.
55:54I really hope that you are taking with you something of the experience that you had here.
55:59All the best for the finals.
56:01Maybe you had some new ways of thinking from Cook the Mountain in your dishes.
56:05Best luck to you.
56:06Cheers.
56:07Cheers.
56:09Cheers.
56:09Thank you for being here.
56:11Thank you so much.
56:12I can honestly say that was one of the best things I've ever done.
56:17It's been one of the most eye-opening, inspiring experiences.
56:21I've loved it from beginning to end.
56:25Norbert is a culinary genius and it shows him what he's doing.
56:28And it's given me a lot to think about and hopefully try and put a little bit of what I've
56:33learned into some of my own cooking.
56:36What a journey.
56:37Giving our three chefs the opportunity to do something very different, quite unique and work with somebody very, very special.
56:43If they can bring back just one ounce, one smidgen of the knowledge that these guys have shown them, then
56:51I think we're in for a real treat in this final.
56:54I think all three of us are just really excited to get in there and to show our last final
56:58dishes and to end this life-changing experience on a high.
57:07Next time, it's the final of MasterChef The Professionals.
57:18Yeah, you can feel it in the air. It's going to be a big cook for all of us.
57:21This is very intense. It's going to be a struggle to get everything done.
57:26Whatever you do, don't panic.
57:29Give him the trophy now.
57:33You are doing something quite special.
57:37Wow. I'm struggling to find fault here.
58:05So...
58:14You are doing something quite special.
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