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00:04it's the battle for the ultimate culinary prize 48 of the country's best home cooks
00:12come on have their hearts set oh my god it's fine it's fine oh no i dropped it on the
00:22coveted
00:23masterchef trophy it is an explosion of flavor this is absolutely yummy fantastic each week 12
00:33extraordinary amateur talents i think i'm struggling battle for a place in the quarter
00:38final there's something quite dracula about this dish but only the best can earn their passport
00:46to the ultimate cookery showdown the hundred guests are here keep going faster if this has
00:55been cooked by an amateur we all need to watch out who's got the vision the perseverance and the
01:02creativity to rise to the top let's find some future stars
01:15these six passionate home cooks all think they've got what it takes to become masterchef
01:20champion but at the end of today's heat only three will make it through to this week's quarter final
01:28i'm here to do my best and put my best foot forward this is who i am this is what
01:32i love to do
01:34i feel slightly nervous about cooking for anna and grace but practice has been done we'll see
01:41feels like i'm about to do a huge bungee jump diving into the competition i'll have to see how it
01:46goes
01:55welcome to the master chef kitchen now you're here because you love to cook
02:01and that's good because we love to eat
02:06so the first challenge is for you to show us your signature dish
02:11we want to see your personality on a plate you have an hour and 30 minutes at the end of
02:19that grace
02:20and i will choose our two favorite dishes and those cooks will bag themselves one of those precious aprons
02:30the remaining four will have to cook again to win one of those aprons start cooking
02:46i think the signature dish is one of my favorite challenges this is where we really get to know
02:50who these cooks are it feels very surreal but i'm good i'm just like trying to remember not to cut
02:56my
02:56fingers off here it's their calling card it's their first impression this is them on a plate
03:08i'm excited a bit nervous i think once i get a couple of bits on i'll feel a lot more
03:13more steady and ready to go london-based 29 year old antosh works in banking as a corporate
03:19relationship manager and has been taught to cook by his polish grandma he now likes to elevate the
03:25traditional dishes of his heritage i'm really close to my grandma she's 91 now and still
03:32rides her bike around town she got hit by a bus a couple of years ago and the bus was
03:37left with
03:37more damage than her so we think she's immortal but she can't be surely
03:43my signature dish is a play on the polish classic kotlet zhabowe
03:47which is breaded pork cutlet kind of like a polish version of a schnitzel and i'm serving that with
03:52caraway matchstick fries a beetroot and blackcurrant ketchup also beetroot caraway and white wine jus
03:58my grandparents all came over from poland after the second world war and i kind of went to polish
04:03saturday school to maintain my heritage i actually did polish folk dancing i performed to a packed out
04:08royal albert hall to celebrate 100 years of polish independence can you show us a move i knew you're
04:11going to ask if i get to the final you could have the whole six minute extravaganza
04:20what's really tricky when you breadcrumb meat is that you actually can't really tell if it's cooked or
04:26not until you carve it this dish has a lot of caraway i love caraway it's a sweet herby seed
04:34that you
04:35toast it brings a rich depth all right gareth how's it going how you doing yeah good nice to meet
04:45you
04:45yeah you too exciting as a former athlete 42 year old canadian gareth traveled extensively
04:55i was competing in swimming and traveling around doing free rides snowboarding contests
05:00and experiencing new cultures and so really kind of i think brought like this international palette
05:08now working in aviation in london he's also lived in multiple countries including mexico lebanon and spain
05:18gareth what's cooking today i am making for you uh memories of a fish taco so it is uh seared
05:26sea bass
05:26on an avocado crema chart corn and chipotle bourbon with some homemade tortillas what's inspired this i was
05:35hoping to transport you to the beach and get all the flavors of my time in latin america and southern
05:41california so i have lived around the world and have a welsh dad and a mom from the south pacific
05:48so
05:49just lots of different influences of cuisines i have never heard of that background before and
05:54name that in the midlands in the uk he's making a seared sea bass taco he's deconstructing it to elevate
06:04it so instead of that original design classic he's taking it all to pieces he clearly wants to make
06:10it look pretty but now we have taco strips avocado crema and we have seared sea bass let's hope we
06:17can
06:17still get the tastes and sensations of being on a mexican beach if it's all the different parts of
06:22the plate it might just fall flat 38 year old utility operations manager muckle was born in delhi india
06:35and moved to edinburgh in 2019 where he lives with his wife and young daughter i cook almost every day
06:42for the family daughter doesn't enjoy my cooking so much she's only 19 months old but my wife has
06:48given me that confidence that i could come here and put the best of myself on my plate
06:56buckle how are you feeling nervous and excited tell us what's your signature dish paneer kofta so
07:02that's paneer is an indian cottage cheese i'll be stuffing them with some nuts and some dried cranberries
07:08it'll be served with a creamy tomato based sauce so my mum always cooked koftas for me i never liked
07:15them during my childhood because she'll put some locally grown vegetables in it i like it now whenever
07:20she cooks it so i just thought i'll take that recipe and just reinvent it really
07:26so muckle is going to make a type of kind of cheese dough with paneer cheddar cheese cream and corn
07:32flour
07:32he's then going to stuff the center of his koftas with cashew nuts and dried cranberries then deep
07:39fry them and then serve them on a curry sauce i think the real key element is going to be
07:46this
07:46wonderful curry sauce it's got lots going on in there like cinnamon ginger garlic chili and dried fenugreek
07:52so there's lots of flavors which will be very welcomed with his crispy cheese kofta
08:01so we're at halfway time passes in a flash in this kitchen
08:11nhs worker jayani grew up in the amazonian city of manaos and moved to the uk in 2004 to study
08:18english
08:19she dreams of one day opening her own cafe celebrating the food of the indigenous people of brazil
08:25i need to share my cooking with anne and grace tasting my food from the amazon forest you know it's
08:34like i dream
08:38johnny hi welcome to the masterchef kitchen hello thank you thank you very much it's amazing to see
08:44you guys tell us what's your signature dish rice on tucupi sauce the tucupi is a juice from the cassava
08:52plant i also have saute prawns with crisp plantain faroffa on the side which is made of silver flour
09:01the inspiration is to bring to england a taste of amazon forest i am from the amazon forest i've been
09:08swimming in the amazon river playing with crocodiles you're a genuine amazonian woman exactly i've got my
09:17my heart my chef hat love it this is what amazon people wear in the middle of the forest they
09:23put in
09:24the head like this
09:30gianni she's come armed with a bottle of tucupi sauce it's a bright orange cassava based slightly bitter but
09:38also sharp liquid really interested to see how all this is going to hang together the prawns the rice the
09:45sweet plantain gianni's also going to serve faroffa on the side of her rice and prawn dish this is made
09:52with cassava flour and she's going to toast it in a pan and hopefully ignite that kind of nutty crunch
09:58to
09:59the dish 30 year old ex-employment lawyer larissa now works as a career coach she loves to put a
10:08twist
10:09on the classic dishes of her ukrainian heritage using influences from her travels i was very lucky
10:16that i've grown up with various cultural influences in my life and it's meant that i've learned to mix
10:24in flavors not really follow the rules if you had to explain ukrainian food in a couple of words
10:32what is it i would say comfort and unfussy so what's cooking um i'm making with you today goat's
10:40cheese vareniki which is essentially a stuffed ukrainian dumpling but i'm doing it a very non-traditional
10:46way putting my own little twist on it by serving it in broth and topping it with some chorizo
10:52what inspired you to do this my grandmother she sort of communicated with food all about bringing people
10:58in and neighbors and this just has such fun memories for me what i want is beautifully puckered soft light
11:11moist goats cheese filled dumplings the broth with dried mushrooms yeast extract and miso these are three
11:21very very big flavors but too much yeast extract can really dominate and spoil the flavor of the broth
11:3537 year old builder finn splits his time between brighton and portugal where his fiancee maya lives
11:42he has three children and hopes to open a vegetarian food truck
11:48he always makes sure to have time to cook for the kids but they're still stuck in chicken nuggets
11:54and chips phase which breaks my heart
12:01what's your signature dish a chocolate orange tart with zatar pomegranate some orange caramel mascarpone
12:10whipped cream pomegranate gel and chocolate soil what's inspired it these
12:17other like quite classically middle eastern flavors they've all come from my fiancee's pantry
12:23she brought them all back with her from work every time she goes away she brings back like a trove
12:28of
12:28fun stuff to play with
12:33zatar is traditionally used in savory dishes it's a mixture of dried herbs like thyme oregano marjoram
12:41but that pastry is where the magic is it needs to be thin and crisp the chocolate ganache needs depth
12:49it has to have set
12:55this one's got a certain split down but i can cover it up
13:02three minutes left this is all about getting everything on the plate making it look pretty
13:10godness
13:11i don't know where i'm gonna put this raw for now
13:17i need to just put the um garnish on and it's quite a delicate balance
13:27this should be just final touches
13:37okay that's it time is up step away from your benches
13:46and tosh come on
13:50inspired by his heritage banking relationship manager antosh has made his take on a polish classic
13:57called kotlet sabowe thyme and marjoram spiced breaded pork cutlet served with caraway fries beetroot and black
14:05currant ketchup peashut and asparagus salad and a beetroot caraway and white wine jew
14:17for me the pork feels over it's a bit tough
14:21but your caraway fries they've got real punch
14:25i love your beetroot and black currant ketchup
14:27it's fruity but earthy so not a disaster the bread crumb on top of your pork cutlet is very nice
14:35but there's very little flavor from your sauce it's the color of beetroot but i'm not getting a huge
14:40flavor of that i really wish i could have delivered this dish in the way it deserves to be cooked
14:47and
14:47how i've cooked it at home but hey onwards and upwards
14:52aviation executive gareth's signature dish is his deconstructed take on a mexican fish taco
15:00seared sea bass with avocado and coriander crema charred corn salsa made with tomato and caramelized
15:06pineapple served with tortilla strips and a chipotle beurre blanc sauce
15:18gareth your sea bass is nicely cooked the chipotle beurre blanc has got an excellent acidity to it
15:27your charred corn salsa it's just a perfect balance of acidity smokiness and flavor it's really really good
15:37you wanted to take me to mexico to the beach and and this is this is what it is beautiful
15:45plate food
15:47i think it went well i was really happy with their comments they really
15:51seemed to get the concept and overall i'm pretty happy with it
15:57for his signature dish utility operations manager muckle
16:02is serving paneer cranberry and cashew nut stuffed koftas with a tomato ginger and fenugreek cream sauce
16:09and vegetable pilau rice
16:18i love the koftas i i love the paneer and the cranberry the nuts crispy fluffy and light that's wonderful
16:29your curry sauce is beautiful the flavor profile that is going on in this dish
16:35really shows that you have some interesting creative ideas to show us
16:42overall they were happy with the taste of the dish so i'm quite happy
16:51hello gp receptionist giani's amazonian inspired signature dish is roasted prawns served with basmati rice
17:00onto cuppy fermented cassava sauce fried plantain and faroffa made from toasted cassava flour powder
17:17i like your prawn nicely cooked this is my first time eating tukupi i like the herby sweetness of it
17:25i love what it adds to the rice the cassava flour powder brings a crunch very much like it
17:32the plantain crisps are really elegant this is my first experience of amazonian food and i'm excited to see
17:41more thank you i'm feeling very happy to show them that amazonian food i i'm feeling very emotional for that
17:56career coach larissa has made her take on a classic ukrainian dish called vareniki goat's cheese
18:04potato and thyme dumplings served with a chicken mushroom and yeast extract broth
18:15your vareniki dough is beautifully thin very nicely made just cooked and has encapsulated your
18:23goat's cheese and your potato mix and the flavors are wonderful in making the broth so yeasty it is
18:30overpowering the goat's cheese i would have liked a slightly more subtle broth
18:39i added the teaspoon of yeast right at the end and then didn't try the broth so feeling a little
18:48bit
18:48disappointed builder finn has made a chocolate orange tart with zatar and pomegranate served with chocolate
18:57soil mascarpone cream with pomegranate molasses pomegranate gel and an orange caramel sauce
19:12i do like the chocolate tart that there is a real thwack of orange when you go to eat it
19:19i think there's
19:20maybe a bit too much zatar which is kind of overpowering the other elements there your orange sauce is too
19:26tart but your soil is beautiful and crunchy you've made a wonderful pastry so some really good stuff there
19:36it's not a total disaster i think all of the elements on there on the right day
19:42find find find some harmony um but today wasn't the right day for that
19:50cooks well done you delighted us there were some absolutely wonderful things on offer
19:58but there were two dishes in particular that we thought deserved a master chef apron
20:09gareth incredible flavors well done and the second master chef apron goes to
20:24gianni well done fantastic food come on up and get your aprons
20:41so congratulations
20:46oh my god you did it oh my god oh i am feeling like
20:53in another world in another dimension zoo it is amazing
21:01what a feeling i thought putting on an apron would feel so good yay
21:08right now there's two more aprons to fight for dust yourself off and come back stronger
21:16this is a classic recipe test in front of you you have all of the ingredients to make an egg
21:23yolk and
21:23ricotta filled ravioli with a sage and mushroom burnt butter the pasta dough has been made for you you
21:32have a basic recipe but it does not have the measurements or the timings you'll have to rely
21:38on your pure cook's instinct you have 45 minutes start cooking
21:51i'm just gonna make sure that i read everything once read everything twice
21:57the classic recipe test really puts them on the spot because they have to show us their skills their
22:02technique what they can do with the classic raviolo you've lovely thin pasta
22:09then you have a ricotta mixed seasoned maybe with some black pepper some parmesan and some lemon zest
22:16oozing egg yolk a rich brown butter sauce this is elevated comfort food
22:26i think i know the theory of it but i'll be honest i think i've probably
22:29rolled out pasta twice in my life and i've never made ravioli
22:36so important that they roll out that pasta really really thin i don't want thick chunky pasta
22:46fantastic have you done this before technically yes it doesn't feel like it though when have you
22:52done this on a pasta making course in naples a couple of years ago you took a pasta making
22:57course in italy for an afternoon you're pretty much a professional then well i'm on the wrong show
23:03and tosh has used a pasta machine before so it looks like it's nice and thin i hope he continues
23:13with
23:13that momentum
23:18so i would expect him to continue on that vein with his ricotta cream it is crucial that that
23:27ricotta cream is bursting with good seasoning
23:32i'm happy with the filling
23:35mokul you're unlucky to be here you cooked a very good dish how do you feel i'm getting to cook
23:40again so
23:40really excited about that i've never cooked raviolo before so that's a new experience so it makes me
23:46even more excited
23:52contestants you are halfway
23:56this pasta needs to be loaded with an egg yolk how does this feel it takes such a delicate hand
24:01and when you've got the shakes in this setting that's going to be a real kind of challenge do
24:07you think the worst process is that your nerves 100 percent yeah
24:14larissa has been quite clever she's used the cutter to help her keep a consistent size for the
24:19ricotta and for the egg yolk to be able to drop in the center
24:31finn you're the calmest person we've had in the kitchen i think in every single heat so far
24:35what's your secret well i'm not sure if that's going to be a strength yet might be overly calm
24:40how are you feeling about getting the egg yolk intact and runny into the raviolo i think i'll get it
24:46in there runny okay it's just whether it comes back out of the pot the same way
24:54finn's raviolo look a little bit small to have an egg yolk and ricotta mix with the right ratio and
25:02balance the ricotta mix gives kind of structure and security to the egg yolk and also it brings an
25:10awful lot of flavor to the pasta they need to create a well of ricotta then they're going to
25:18nozzle in their egg yolk in the center of that it's really about a delicate touch
25:24you're going to gently placing it in the ricotta well
25:36it needs to be fully sealed if there's any air bubbles when they go to cook that
25:41that's what makes your raviolo explode
25:47burnt brown butter is one of the most gorgeous decadent tastes you can get
25:54the addition of the garlic and the sage will perfume that butter to give it a real personality
26:00but it can't be too burnt my first burnt butter sauce went a bit far so i'm just keeping my
26:10eye on
26:10this one it's very important when our cooks are cooking their pasta that they have a nice rolling
26:19simmer if it's aggressively boiling the top of the ravioli might overcook the egg
26:27five minutes to go your pasta should be in the pan
26:32my pasta is in the water to be cooking hopefully i'm doing okay
26:43pretty happy with that okay three minutes left i'm very much looking forward to runny yolks
26:58time's up move away from your benches
27:10we asked you to make us a ricotta and egg yolk stuffed raviolo with mushroom and sage burnt butter
27:20back
27:21muckle you're up first
27:27your egg yolk isn't running
27:37your ricotta is delicious got great flavor in it
27:40Your pasta is nice and thin.
27:43I'm really enjoying the burnt butter with your mushrooms.
27:46You have a very good palate for seasoning.
27:50I think if your egg had had just slightly less in the pan,
27:54I think that would have been a very good raviolo.
27:59I give my best, so I think I'm quite happy.
28:03Larissa, you're up next.
28:07A beautiful runny yolk.
28:16Your pasta could just be slightly thinner.
28:19The ricotta definitely needed a bit more seasoning.
28:22Those mushrooms, they're a bit rubbery.
28:24Probably at 30 seconds, a minute too long.
28:28That was a really tough challenge.
28:30Breathe out now.
28:33Antosh, you're next.
28:39It looks pretty good.
28:47Really lovely pasta, but your ricotta is under-seasoned.
28:51You've done a good job on your mushroom burnt butter.
28:53Your sage is crispy.
28:55All in all, I think you should be very proud.
29:00I've never felt so tense about an egg yolk,
29:03which I'm quite looking forward never to having that level of tension again for that.
29:07But no, I'm really happy with how I performed in there.
29:12Finn, let's taste this.
29:17I'm delighted that you've got a lovely soft egg yolk.
29:29Your burnt butter is quite nice.
29:31I think your ratio of ricotta to egg yolk is not as generous as I would have liked it.
29:37The ricotta's getting a little bit lost.
29:39I think your pasta definitely has a chew to it.
29:43It's quite thick in places.
29:45But the rest of the dish, it's buttery, it's sagey, and I really do like it.
29:53Could have gone better, but it was lovely to hear that Grace liked it.
30:00That was a really tough challenge.
30:04I think we have four good cooks here.
30:06Which two have the most potential?
30:10Muckle's raviolo and mushrooms was the tastiest of all of the raviolos today.
30:16I loved the mushrooms.
30:18His egg yolk didn't run, but I'm impressed by him.
30:22Larissa's raviolo had a lovely runny egg yolk,
30:25but their mushrooms were a bit burnt.
30:29There were thick pieces of pasta and the mushrooms they had had too long.
30:34I really liked Antosh's raviolo.
30:36It had a lovely runny yolk.
30:38It was a good ratio of ricotta to egg.
30:41It just needed a pinch more seasoning.
30:44Finn's raviolo really divided us.
30:46His egg yolk was runny.
30:48His pasta was quite thick in places.
30:50His ratio of ricotta to egg yolk, for me, fell short.
30:55It is honestly life-changing, this competition,
30:57and I just really hope that it gets to continue.
31:01If I had to go home, I'd be truly gutted.
31:04But I showed myself well in that challenge,
31:05and I could leave here with my head held high.
31:08To get an apron at this stage would mean a lot.
31:11It would validate what's in my head to put on a plate.
31:16It is worth pursuing, but we'll see.
31:20What are we going to do, Grace?
31:22There's four of them and only two aprons.
31:25Who's got the most potential?
31:38Well done.
31:40You've made this decision brutally difficult to make.
31:46However, we have made our choice.
31:49So the first MasterChef apron goes to...
31:54Muckle.
31:55You have a fantastic palace, so well done.
31:59The last MasterChef apron goes to...
32:07Antosh.
32:09Finn, Larissa, thank you so much.
32:17It's all quite gutted to be going home.
32:21But I think it's been a really cool experience.
32:23Yeah, would recommend.
32:27I've had some amazing, positive comments today,
32:30and I think, honestly, that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
32:36Antosh, Muckle, congratulations.
32:40Come take your aprons.
32:42Thanks.
32:46I'm feeling great.
32:47Like, this was my ultimate goal,
32:50to get a MasterChef apron on top of the world right now.
32:54I'm feeling beyond overjoyed.
32:55I'm going to give my all in the next challenge.
32:57From now on, I'm going to be a dangerous competitor.
33:11You've fought really hard to get those aprons,
33:14but now we are turning up the heat.
33:18Only three of you will go through to the quarterfinal.
33:21This will be a huge decision to make.
33:26And that's why we've invited three very important guests
33:29to taste your food and help us make that decision.
33:34Previous finalist, Pookie Treadle.
33:37And not one, but two previous winners,
33:41Dhruv Baker and Natalie Coleman.
33:46You have to prepare two courses in an hour and 15 minutes.
33:52Start cooking.
34:00It's quite tough because you have not much time, isn't it?
34:07So who's this little guy on your bench?
34:09What's he doing?
34:10Is he bringing you good luck?
34:11Yeah, it's my daughter, Troy.
34:13This is how Grace looks at me when she doesn't agree with me.
34:19What's cooking today?
34:21I'm going to bring you something from the Amazon forest,
34:24but it's going to be a fusion with French cuisine.
34:27I'm going to do a prawn tartar with raw plantain
34:31and tucoupi volute.
34:32What's your second course?
34:34The Brazilian favourite is picanha.
34:36The picanha, top rump.
34:38Which I am trying to smoke it
34:41because I couldn't have the barbecue.
34:43So I get the wooden taste
34:44and then I'm going to grill it with rice and broccoli,
34:48some vinaigrette and roasted cassava flour.
34:52This is a Brazilian Sunday roast you're giving us.
34:54Yes, Sundays, we love the barbecue.
35:01I have had a prawn tartare before.
35:03I've had volute before.
35:05I haven't had one on top of the other
35:08and certainly not with the addition of tucoupi.
35:12Gianni is celebrating Brazil,
35:14but it's also got quite a classic French feel to it.
35:19I don't know if French and Amazonian food marry together,
35:22but I had a dream about it.
35:26So I woke up and I said,
35:28oh, I am going to do that.
35:31I actually love the sound of experiencing
35:34what is a Brazilian Sunday roast.
35:37She's taking the time to smoke the beef rum.
35:39I want to taste it.
35:46So for my starters,
35:48stuffed mushrooms,
35:49stuffed with some onions, peppers, spices, cheddar cheese.
35:52I'll be serving with walnut
35:53and dried pomegranate chutney.
35:55My main course,
35:57I'm cooking a very staple Punjabi maize flour flatbread.
36:00But at the same time,
36:01I want to keep my in-laws happy.
36:03So I'm making something from Kerala.
36:05It's called pepper fried chicken.
36:06I'm going to serve it as a bite-sized tacos
36:08with mildly spiced yogurt slaw.
36:11You're clearly a very inventive cook.
36:13How many times have you made this?
36:15So I'll be very, very honest.
36:16I've tried my main course.
36:18I've not tried my starter.
36:26Muckel's first course is mushrooms and breadcrumbs.
36:29Stuffed with a really spicy mix
36:32full of lots of herbs, vegetables.
36:35I'm hoping that he's going to have
36:37a really good crispy mushroom.
36:40Muckel's second course,
36:41Kerala-style chicken.
36:45I want to see lots and lots of black pepper
36:48inside that chicken.
36:50I want juicy, spicy chicken.
36:52I want a soft, fluffy maize taco.
37:00So the inspiration for tacos
37:01obviously comes from Mexican tacos.
37:03So I can really call this desha
37:05as from Punjab to Kerala via Mexico.
37:14With this challenge,
37:15you have to be the third best at the very least.
37:17But I really want to be the best there.
37:21I'm making a Polish steak tartare.
37:24Polish steak tartare is generally a bit more coarse cut.
37:27I think it's tastier that way as well.
37:29With a soy cured egg yolk
37:31served with dill pickle flavoured crisps.
37:34And then for main course,
37:35I'm serving pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls
37:37with a teriyaki glaze,
37:39miso mash
37:40and sake and red onion gravy.
37:43What inspired you to introduce
37:45Japanese flavours to Polish food?
37:47I think cabbage and Japanese flavours
37:50really marry well together.
37:51Please tell me you have made this dish
37:53and eaten it all together.
37:54Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, loads.
37:55I'm so sick of cabbage rolls.
38:00A really good beef tartare
38:02has got a great balance of your onion,
38:04your pickles,
38:06your spice
38:07and the creaminess of your egg yolk.
38:10For Antosh's second cause,
38:11he's making teriyaki glazed
38:13pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls.
38:15I don't want dry, chewy pork.
38:19There's a lot of flavour going on.
38:21Sweet tanginess of the teriyaki
38:23as well as miso going inside the mash.
38:26Big, bold flavours.
38:28He's got to be careful
38:29that he creates balance with them.
38:36To get the apron,
38:37one part was just relief
38:40and one part was really excited.
38:42It kind of gave me the confidence boost
38:43that I have a reason to be here.
38:47My starter is a roasted cauliflower
38:51and preserved lemon soup
38:53with charred florets
38:54and za'atar oil.
38:55Where did you get the idea?
38:56Working in the Middle East.
38:58Fell in love with the culture
38:59and the flavours.
39:01Tell us about your main course.
39:02A Ras Al Hanout seared duck
39:04on celery act puree,
39:07chicory, pickled raisins
39:08with a pomegranate juice.
39:10That's a lot of work.
39:12A lot of pieces,
39:12but hopefully they all
39:13go together really well.
39:19Preserved lemon in this soup
39:20can be very overpowering,
39:23so he needs a light touch
39:24when it comes to that.
39:25It doesn't want to be too sharp.
39:27It needs a tiny bit of sugar
39:29just to make it sing.
39:31For Garrett's main course,
39:33I want that duck skin
39:35rendered down
39:35to a crisply, beautiful texture
39:38and I want that duck
39:39blushing pink in the centre.
39:46Gianni, you have 20 minutes left.
39:49We're going to get it done.
39:58It's always an absolute pleasure
39:59and a joy to come back
40:00to MasterChef.
40:01Never eat breakfast before this
40:03because the food gets better
40:04every year,
40:05the standard gets higher,
40:06so I'm hoping to have
40:07delicious stuff today.
40:09I would like to see
40:10something new
40:11that sort of flavour
40:13from around the world
40:14to try on this table
40:16would be amazing.
40:18Yeah, I'm really excited
40:20for these guys
40:20because, you know,
40:22it did change my life.
40:26OK, Gianni,
40:27your first course
40:27in 10 minutes?
40:2910 minutes?
40:29Yeah.
40:30OK, everything's good?
40:31Yeah, everything's fine.
40:36Corn and plantain tartare,
40:38I never try.
40:39Want to see the texture
40:41when it come together.
40:45Takupi velouté.
40:46I've never had takupi
40:48but I believe that's a
40:49fermented cassava juice.
40:52Good velouté,
40:53you want it to be thick,
40:55sort of creamy on the palate.
40:57Happy?
40:58Yes.
40:59Go feed our guests.
41:07I've made, like,
41:08a bronze
41:10and plantain tartare
41:12and takupi velouté.
41:14And I hope you guys like.
41:16Smells good.
41:23I quite like it.
41:25It's different.
41:26The takupi,
41:27it's reminding me
41:28a bit of, like,
41:29off-potato
41:30mixed with a bit of corn.
41:32The texture
41:33is perfect.
41:34The level of heat
41:35and the chilli
41:36through the prawn
41:37is spot on.
41:38It's there
41:38but it's not overpowering.
41:40The plantain,
41:40I never thought
41:41that I would go
41:42with the prawn
41:43but I don't mind it.
41:45The prawns are sweet,
41:47the plantain is sweet
41:48but it's a different
41:48type of sweetness.
41:50Oh, that's pretty good.
41:54OK, 15 minutes to go.
41:57Yeah.
41:59Next is medium-rapped pecan
42:01hat, vinaigretta salsa,
42:04broccoli rice
42:05and toasted cassava flour.
42:08So with the steak,
42:10I'm looking for the perfect searing.
42:12I mean, they look the part right now.
42:14Outside is the way I want it to be.
42:19Broccoli rice
42:20and then the toasted cassava flour.
42:22So that's something
42:23that I've never had before
42:24so really looking forward to that.
42:30How are you feeling?
42:32Oh, nervous.
42:33Go bring it to our guests.
42:38Gianni's main is her take
42:40on a Brazilian barbecue Sunday roast.
42:43Wood-smoked picanha
42:44or top rump of steak
42:46served with vinaigretta salsa,
42:48fried rice and broccoli
42:49and a side of roasted cassava flour
42:52with bacon and egg.
42:56The pressure was on
42:57so, yeah, I'm exhausted.
43:05For me, the beef is delicious.
43:08It's well cooked on the outside.
43:09The fact that she's lightly smoked it,
43:11I think adds an element of flavour.
43:13The vinaigretta salsa,
43:15I think it's fantastic.
43:16You've got that crunch.
43:17It's delicious.
43:18I'm struggling a little bit
43:20with the cassava flour
43:22because I find the texture too hard
43:24but the actual flavour is incredible.
43:27It tastes a very good dish.
43:29I think it's really rather nice.
43:32I think the vinaigrette
43:33adds a really welcome amount
43:35of acidity to it.
43:36The toasted cassava flour,
43:38for me, is too hard.
43:40It's not bringing anything to the dish.
43:44Muckle, just ten minutes left.
43:47Yeah.
43:51Breaded mushroom stuffed
43:52with spicy, cheesy vegetables.
43:56Texturally, you want that crispy exterior
43:58from the mushrooms.
43:59You want the mushrooms
43:59to be cooked properly.
44:01That's your mint and walnut chutney on.
44:05I definitely need the chutney
44:07to lift the whole dish up.
44:10Time to get your mushrooms on.
44:16Deep breath.
44:18Yes.
44:19Go.
44:23Today, for my starters,
44:25I have made braided mushrooms
44:26filled with some onion peppers
44:28and some Indian spices
44:29with mint and coriander,
44:32walnuts and pomegranate seeds chutney.
44:40The flavour of the mushroom
44:41and the stuffing inside,
44:43that's incredible.
44:45I love that mint, coriander,
44:46walnuts, pomegranate seed,
44:48chutney, there's quite a bit of heat.
44:50It was a very, very tasty starter.
44:54I really quite like the flavour
44:55of the mushroom
44:57and the chutney together.
44:58This is a joy.
45:03OK, Muckle,
45:04you've got 15 minutes
45:05for your next course.
45:06Sure.
45:08Muckle's Mane,
45:09this is a kind of
45:10India meets Mexico
45:11by way of taco
45:12with chicken in the stores.
45:14The taco,
45:15he can't cook them too long
45:17because otherwise
45:17he can end up burning them
45:19and they'll be a bit bitter.
45:21I've got three minutes, Muckle's.
45:22I think those Indian tacos
45:23are looking wonderful.
45:27Kerala-style chicken,
45:29so curry leaf and black pepper.
45:31You'd expect that to deliver
45:32quite a punchy flavour profile.
45:34Looking to have
45:36the nice texture
45:37of the slaw,
45:39crunchy,
45:40full of flavour.
45:42Feeling good?
45:44Feeling all right now.
45:45OK, let's go.
45:47Good luck.
45:52For the main course today,
45:53I've made Kerala-style pepper chicken
45:55served on maize flour bread
45:58and have topped it
45:59with pickled cabbage
46:01and onions.
46:02Smells amazing.
46:07That was one of the most
46:09stressful things
46:09I've done ever
46:10in my life till date.
46:11But I'm pleased.
46:18That pepper chicken,
46:20oh, it's just outstanding.
46:21That heat element
46:23comes from pepper.
46:24It's got the curry leaf.
46:26It is genuinely exceptional.
46:28The little flatbread
46:29that he's made
46:30is really delicious.
46:31It's not greasy.
46:32It's just perfect.
46:34The red cabbage slaw,
46:37it just adds on
46:39the flavour
46:40to this already
46:42fantastic dish.
46:45His chicken tastes
46:47of black pepper,
46:48curry leaves,
46:49really, really vibrant.
46:51It is street food.
46:53It's absolute best.
46:56Five minutes left.
46:58You need to start plating.
47:03Antos, your starter.
47:04I love a beef tartare.
47:05You want that rich, beefy flavour
47:07and then spike that
47:08with a bit of heat,
47:10tiny bit of acidity.
47:14The soy cured egg yolk.
47:16This is where
47:17the nervy part happens.
47:18No, you only did four.
47:20It won't be that cured
47:22because obviously
47:23he's only got so much time
47:24so it will still
47:25be quite runny.
47:32Just...
47:33Even I can't look
47:34at this one.
47:35It's quite impressive
47:36that he's making
47:37his own dill pickle crisps
47:39so you'll have
47:40the pickle element
47:41to scoop it up with.
47:44We have one minute.
47:46To go.
47:48I'm ready to go.
47:50Hold your head of pie.
47:51This is a big moment.
47:52I'm really delighted with it.
47:58So what I've made for you today
47:59is a Polish steak tartare
48:01with a soy cured egg yolk
48:04and dill pickle flavoured crisps.
48:07I'll see you back in 15 minutes.
48:16The beef tartare.
48:18I love the flavor.
48:19I love the acidity and the saltiness.
48:21It balances perfectly.
48:23I love the soy marinade egg yolk.
48:25This is absolutely yummy.
48:27The dill pickle crisps.
48:29The dill pickle crisps.
48:29I really love dill
48:30and it packs a punch.
48:33He's done a really good job here.
48:34The steak tartare is really tender.
48:37It's nice.
48:38The star of the show here
48:40is the dill pickle crisps.
48:41Just lovely.
48:44The egg yolk survived.
48:47OK, now the fear starts.
48:4915 minutes.
48:49I think I can do this.
48:53Teriyaki glazed pork
48:55and buckwheat cabbage rolls.
48:57Cooking pork can be a tough one
48:59because it can dry out
49:01or you can undercook it
49:03and give us all food poisoning.
49:05The miso mash.
49:07A little bit more miso
49:08in the mashed potato
49:10that can ruin it
49:11because it will be extremely salty.
49:16There is a lot to balance.
49:17You've got the teriyaki,
49:18miso mash,
49:19onion and sake gravy.
49:21Big flavour, big flavour, big flavour.
49:23You have about 35 seconds.
49:26Go and wow our guest.
49:28Here we go.
49:30Thank you very much.
49:35What I've served for you today
49:37is teriyaki glazed
49:39pork and buckwheat
49:40cabbage rolls
49:41with a miso mash,
49:43a sake and red onion gravy
49:44and hope you enjoy.
49:46Thanks very much.
49:47Thank you very much.
49:51That went really well.
49:52I really kind of locked in.
49:54Yeah, I couldn't have done
49:56much better in there.
50:02Cabbage roll, the pork,
50:04it's moist,
50:05it's delicious,
50:06everything's been balanced perfectly.
50:08It's worked really well.
50:09The miso mash,
50:11the miso mash,
50:11oh my God,
50:12that's so sexy.
50:14Amazing.
50:15I love this dish,
50:16this is perfect.
50:18The colour of his gravy
50:19isn't to get it done
50:21in that time.
50:21Boy's got proper skill.
50:23Yeah.
50:24The cabbage leaves
50:25are beautifully wilted
50:27and soft.
50:27The pork's wonderfully seasoned.
50:29It's Japan and Poland
50:30high-fiving.
50:32OK.
50:40Gareth's doing
50:40roasted cauliflower
50:42and preserved lemon soup.
50:43I'm a bit worried
50:44about preserved lemon
50:45because it's quite
50:46a dominant flavour.
50:48There's sweetness,
50:50there's acidity,
50:51plus the za'atar.
50:53So it's how does he choose
50:54to do that
50:54with that flavour
50:55of that roasted cauliflower
50:56come through as a soup.
50:57With a few seconds to go,
50:59you just need to get
50:59that oil on.
51:01OK.
51:03Awesome.
51:09For your first course,
51:10I've made a roasted cauliflower
51:12and preserved lemon soup
51:14with charred florets,
51:16hibiscus pickled cauliflower,
51:18and za'atar oil.
51:20Great, enjoy.
51:22See ya.
51:26I think this dish
51:28is beautiful.
51:29Just the taste,
51:30unfortunately,
51:31doesn't match the look.
51:33The lemon,
51:34preserved lemon,
51:35is just too strong in this.
51:37The pickled cauliflower
51:38is all right,
51:39but still,
51:40mixed in with the soup,
51:41it's overpowered
51:42by the lemon flavour.
51:44It's a well-made soup,
51:45there's no lumps.
51:46I just think
51:47dialing down
51:48that preserved lemon
51:49element would let
51:50those other flavours
51:51come through.
51:53The preserved lemon,
51:55it is far,
51:56far, far too strong.
51:57I can't taste
51:58vata oil
51:59or hibiscus,
52:01which are two
52:01big flavours.
52:04OK, 15 minutes.
52:06You got it,
52:06thank you.
52:09Rassauhanou duck,
52:11the duck need
52:11to be cooked perfectly.
52:14How does your duck look?
52:15It's a nice pink
52:17and hopefully
52:18crispy enough skin.
52:20The celeriac puree,
52:22when it's been
52:22nice and creamy,
52:24it still has that
52:24earthiness.
52:26OK,
52:26about one minute now.
52:28One minute,
52:28OK.
52:29We really have to move.
52:30Moving, moving, moving.
52:35There's a pomegranate jus,
52:36there's raisins,
52:37which will be sweet.
52:38So for me,
52:39the key here
52:39is to balance
52:40all of those sweet elements
52:41without them
52:42overpowering the duck.
52:43Ready to rock.
52:45OK.
52:47This way.
52:51For your main course,
52:52I've made a
52:53Rassauhanou seared
52:54duck breast,
52:55braised chicory
52:57with a cumin-celeriac puree
52:59and pickled raisins
53:01and pomegranate seeds
53:02and a pomegranate jus.
53:05Hope you all enjoy.
53:06Thank you very much.
53:15I like the kind of
53:16smoky spice crust
53:18on the duck breast.
53:19I wish it had
53:20had longer skin side down
53:21just to render out that fat,
53:22but it's been cooked
53:23beautifully otherwise.
53:24I quite like the puree
53:26and I like the bitter
53:28chicory as well,
53:29but the pickled raisins
53:31for me
53:32just are not working.
53:33I think they're
53:34over-pickled.
53:35The sauce,
53:36the sauce itself,
53:37it needs to be
53:38a lot thicker.
53:41The duck is the best part
53:43of this dish.
53:44It's nicely cooked.
53:45The sauce is quite tart.
53:47The pickled raisins
53:48are very heavy
53:49on vinegar.
53:50In general,
53:51I think there's
53:51an overkill of acid
53:52on this plate.
53:57That was something else.
53:59The time just sneaks up
54:01on you
54:01and suddenly
54:02you're just scrambling.
54:06Four very different cooks.
54:09We were impressed
54:10and the dining room
54:11were delighted
54:12by some of those dishes.
54:14The dining room
54:15had a cook of the day
54:15and that was Antos.
54:17His Polish steak tartare
54:19was delicious.
54:20Those dill pickle crisps
54:22I thought were
54:22a stroke of genius.
54:23Those beautiful
54:25Japanese-influenced
54:27Polish cabbage rolls.
54:29It was really,
54:30really marvellous.
54:31I loved what he did.
54:32Antos goes through
54:33to the quarterfinal.
54:36I think Muckle
54:37has an incredible palette.
54:39The mushrooms
54:40were well cooked
54:40and I really did enjoy
54:42the vegetable spice mix
54:43that was in it.
54:44I loved Muckle's
54:46Carola chicken
54:47on the Indian tacos.
54:48It was moist,
54:49it was full of spice.
54:50Muckle bags himself
54:52a quarterfinal place.
54:53So that leaves us
54:54with Gianni and Gareth.
54:57Gareth's soup
54:58fell down
54:59in the tasting
55:00by putting too much
55:01preserved lemon.
55:02It dominated.
55:04Main course,
55:05his duck was nicely cooked
55:07but the pomegranate sauce
55:08and the pickled raisins
55:11for me,
55:11they were a problem.
55:13Gianni,
55:14her prawn tartare
55:15with te cupi veloute
55:17was really gorgeous.
55:20When it came
55:20to her Brazilian Sunday roast,
55:22her beef was tender
55:24but the toasted cassava flour
55:26for me was inedible.
55:29To stay in the competition
55:30for me will mean the world.
55:32It keeps all the fingers crossed.
55:35I would love to have
55:37the chance to continue on
55:39because it's been
55:39a great experience
55:40and I would be sad
55:41if it ended here.
55:51Thank you so much.
55:53You have cooked
55:54your socks off.
55:57But as you know,
55:58only three of you
55:59can go through
56:00to the quarterfinal.
56:03One of you
56:04will be going home.
56:07We have made our decision.
56:11The cook leaving the competition
56:13is...
56:19Gareth.
56:22Gareth,
56:23thank you for your enthusiasm
56:24and your passion.
56:25You have been an absolute joy
56:27to have in the kitchen.
56:28Thanks for the opportunity.
56:33It's a hard break.
56:34It is tough.
56:36It's a real shame
56:37but I can still go home
56:39with an apron.
56:39Yeah, a dirty one.
56:46Congratulations.
56:48It's so lucky.
56:48The three of you
56:49are now quarterfinalists.
56:54I can't believe I'm a master chef
56:56called the fire.
56:58No, I can't believe that.
57:00Woo!
57:02I'm very proud of myself.
57:04I just feel so happy.
57:06I have no words to express.
57:08It's fire in my belly already
57:09but I think this is
57:10turbocharged that
57:11and I really think
57:12I can do really well.
57:18Next time,
57:19it's the quarterfinal
57:21and Joyce,
57:23Daniel
57:24and Jamie
57:26join Mukul,
57:28Antosh
57:28and Gianni
57:30I think I'm going to go nuts.
57:32To face two demanding challenges
57:34Whoa!
57:36As they battle for a place
57:38in knockout week.
57:39That is an absolute winner.
57:42Gorgeous.
57:43Gorgeous.
57:59Good game.
58:13The more safe
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