- 13 hours ago
MasterChef S22E08
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00:04it's the battle for the ultimate culinary prize 48 of the country's best
00:12home cooks come on have their hearts set oh my god it's fine it's fine oh no I've
00:21dropped it on the coveted MasterChef trophy it is an explosion of flavor this
00:28is absolutely yummy fantastic each week 12 extraordinary amateur talents I think
00:35I'm struggling battle for a place in the quarterfinal there's something quite
00:40Dracula about this dish but only the best can earn their passport to the
00:47ultimate cookery showdown the hundred guests are here keep going faster if
00:55this has been cooked by an amateur we all need to watch out who's got the vision
01:00the perseverance and the creativity 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
01:19MasterChef champion but at the end of today's heat only three will make it
01:25through to this week's quarterfinal I'm here to do my best and put my best foot
01:31forward this is who I am this is what I love to do I feel slightly nervous about
01:35cricket for Anna and grace but practice has been done feels like I'm about to do a
01:43huge bungee jump diving into the competition I'll have to see how it goes
01:55welcome to the MasterChef kitchen now you're here because you love to cook and that's good because
02:04we love to eat so the first challenge is for you to show us your signature dish we want to
02:13see your
02:14personality on a plate you've an hour and 30 minutes at the end of that grace and I will
02:21choose our two favorite dishes and those cooks will bag themselves one of those precious aprons
02:30the remaining four we'll 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 good I'm just like trying to remember not to cut my fingers
02:57off
02:57you it's their calling card it's their first impression this is them on a plate I'm excited
03:09bit now but I think once I get a couple of bits on I'll feel a lot more more steady
03:14and ready to go
03:15London-based 29 year old Antosh works in banking as a corporate relationship manager and has been
03:21taught to cook by his Polish grandma he now likes to elevate the traditional dishes of his
03:27heritage I'm really close to my grandma she's 91 now and still rides her bike around town she got
03:35hit by a bus a couple of years ago and the bus was left with more damage than her so
03:38we think she's
03:40immortal but she can't be surely my signature dish is a play on the Polish classic kockets
03:47which is breaded pork cutlet kind of like a Polish version of a schnitzel and I'm serving
03:52that with caraway matchstick fries a beetroot and blackcurrant ketchup also beetroot caraway and white
03:58wine juice my grandparents all came over from Poland after the Second World War and I kind of went to
04:03Polish Saturday school to maintain my heritage I should do Polish folk dancing I performed to a
04:08packed-out Royal Albert Hall to celebrate a hundred years of Polish independence can you show us a move I
04:11knew you're gonna 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
04:26or not until you carve it this dish there's a lot of caraway I love caraway it's a sweet herby
04:34seed
04:34that you toast it brings a rich steps all right Gareth how you doing yeah that's nice to meet you
04:45yeah you too exciting as a former athlete 42 year old Canadian Gareth traveled extensively I was
04:55competing in swimming and traveling around doing free rides snowboarding contests and experiencing new
05:02cultures and so really kind of I think brought like this international palette now working in aviation
05:09in London he's also lived in multiple countries including Mexico Lebanon and Spain Gareth what's cooking
05:19today I am making for you memories of a fish taco so it is seared sea bass on an avocado
05:27crema chart corn
05:29and chipotle bourbon with some homemade tortillas what's inspired this I was hoping to transport you
05:36to the beach and get all the flavors of my time in Latin America and Southern California so I have
05:43lived
05:44around the world and have Welsh dad and a mom from the South Pacific so just lots of different influences
05:50of
05:50cuisines I have never heard of that background before and they met in the Midlands in the UK
05:59he's making a seared sea bass taco he's deconstructing it to elevate it so instead of that original design
06:07classic he's taking it all to pieces he clearly wants to make it look pretty but now we have taco
06:12strips
06:13avocado crema and we have seared sea bass let's hope we can still get the tastes and sensations of
06:19being on a Mexican beach it's all the different parts of the plate it might just fall flat
06:3038 year old utility operations manager Mokul was born in Delhi India and moved to Edinburgh in 2019
06:37where he lives with his wife and young daughter I cook almost every day for the family daughter doesn't
06:44enjoy my cooking so much she's only 19 months old but my wife has given me that confidence that I
06:50could
06:50come here and put the best of myself on my plate Mokul how are you feeling nervous and excited tell
07:00us
07:00what's your signature dish paneer kofta so that's paneer is an Indian cottage cheese I'll be stuffing
07:05them with some nuts and some dried cranberries it'll be served with a creamy tomato based sauce so my mom
07:12always cooked koftas for me I never liked them during my childhood because she'll put some locally grown
07:18vegetables in it I like it now whenever she cooks it so I just thought I'll take that recipe and
07:22just
07:23reinvent it really so Mokul is going to make a type of kind of cheese dough with paneer cheddar cheese
07:31cream and corn flour he's then going to stuff the center of his koftas with cashew nuts and dried
07:38cranberries then deep fry them and then serve them on a curry sauce I think the real key element is
07:45going
07:45to be this wonderful curry sauce it's got lots going on in there like cinnamon ginger garlic chili and dried
07:52fenugreek so 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 Manaus and moved to the UK in 2004 to study
08:18English
08:18she dreams of one day opening her own cafe celebrating the food of the indigenous people
08:24of Brazil I need to share my cooking with Anna and Grace tasting my food from the Amazon forest you
08:33know it's like I dream
08:38Janie hi welcome to the master chef kitchen thank you thank you very much amazing to see you guys tell
08:45us what's your signature dish rice on tucupi sauce the tucupi is is a juice from the cassava plant I
08:54also
08:54have saute prawns with crisp plantain far offer on the side which is made of silver flour the inspiration
09:02is to bring to England a taste of Amazon forest I am from the Amazon forest oh I've been swimming
09:08in
09:08the Amazon river playing with crocodiles you're a genuine Amazonian woman exactly I've got my my heart
09:18my chef hat love it this is what the Amazon people wear in the middle of the forest they put
09:24in the head
09:29like this
09:30Gianni she's come armed with a bottle of tucupi sauce it's a bright orange cassava base slightly bitter
09:38but also sharp liquid really interested to see how all this is going to hang together the prawns the rice
09:45the sweet plantain Gianni is also going to serve for offer on the side of her rice and prawn dish
09:52this is made with cassava flour and she's going to toast it in a pan and hopefully ignite that kind
09:57of nutty crunch to the dish 30 year old ex-employment lawyer Larissa now works as a career coach she
10:08loves
10:08to put a twist on the classic dishes of her Ukrainian heritage using influences from her travels I was very
10:16lucky that I've grown up with various cultural influences in my life and it's meant that I've
10:23learned to mix in flavors not really follow the rules if you had to explain Ukrainian food in a couple
10:32of words what is it I would say comfort and unfussy so what's cooking um I'm making for you today
10:39goat's
10:40cheese bereniki which is essentially a stuffed Ukrainian dumpling but I'm doing it 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 fond memories for me
11:07what I want is beautifully puckered soft light moist goat's cheese filled dumplings
11:15the broth with dried mushrooms yeast extract and miso these are three very big flavors
11:23but too much yeast extract can really dominate and spoil the flavor of the broth
11:35of Tim 삼 시청 of 13-year-old builder
11:37where his fiance Maya lives he has three children and hopes to open a vegetarian food truck
11:48it always make sure to have time to cook for the kids but they're still stuck in chicken nuggets and
11:54chips phase which breaks my heart
12:01What's your signature dish?
12:03A chocolate orange tart with za'atar, pomegranate,
12:08some orange caramel mascarpone whipped cream,
12:12pomegranate gel and chocolate soil.
12:15What's inspired it?
12:16These have, like, quite classically Middle Eastern flavours.
12:19They've all come from my fiancé's pantry.
12:23She brought them all back with her from work.
12:25Every time she goes away, she brings back, like,
12:27a trove of fun stuff to play with.
12:33Za'atar is traditionally used in savoury dishes.
12:37It's a mixture of dried herbs like thyme, oregano, marjoram.
12:41But that pastry is where the magic is.
12:45It needs to be thin and crisp.
12:47The chocolate ganache needs depth. It has to have set.
12:55This one's got to start to split down the middle.
12:58But I can cover it up.
13:02Three minutes left.
13:04This is all about getting everything on the plate.
13:06Making it look pretty.
13:10Goodness.
13:13I don't know where I'm going to put this raw for now.
13:17I need to just put the, um, garnish on.
13:22And it's quite a delicate balance.
13:27This should be just final touches.
13:37Okay, that's it.
13:39Time is up.
13:40Step away from your benches.
13:47Antosh, come on up.
13:51Inspired by his heritage,
13:53banking relationship manager Antosh
13:55has made his take on a Polish classic called Kotlet Sabowe.
13:59Thyme and marjoram spiced breaded pork cutlet
14:02served with caraway fries,
14:04beetroot and blackcurrant ketchup,
14:07pea shoot and asparagus salad,
14:08and a beetroot caraway and white wine jus.
14:17For me, the pork feels over.
14:20It's a bit tough.
14:21But your caraway fries, they've got real punch.
14:24I love your beetroot and blackcurrant ketchup.
14:28It's fruity but earthy, so not a disaster.
14:32The breadcrumb on top of your pork cutlet is very nice,
14:35but there's very little flavour from your sauce.
14:38It's the colour of beetroot,
14:39but I'm not getting a huge flavour of that.
14:43I really wish I could have delivered this dish
14:45in the way it deserves to be cooked
14:47and how I've cooked it at home.
14:48But hey, onwards and upwards.
14:53Aviation executive Gareth's signature dish
14:55is his deconstructed take on a Mexican fish taco.
14:59seared sea bass with avocado and coriander crema,
15:03charred corn salsa made with tomato and caramelised pineapple,
15:08served with tortilla strips,
15:10and a chipotle beurre blanc sauce.
15:19Gareth, your sea bass is nicely cooked.
15:22The chipotle beurre blanc has got an excellent acidity to it.
15:27Your charred corn salsa, it's just a perfect balance
15:32of acidity, smokiness and flavour.
15:35It's really, really good.
15:37You wanted to take me to Mexico, to the beach,
15:42and this is what it is.
15:45Beautiful plate food.
15:47I think it went well.
15:48I was really happy with their comments.
15:50They really seemed to get the concept.
15:53And overall, I'm pretty happy with it.
15:57For his signature dish, utility operations manager Mukul
16:02is serving paneer, cranberry and cashew nut stuffed koftas
16:06with a tomato, ginger and fenugreek cream sauce
16:09and vegetable pilau rice.
16:18I love the koftas.
16:20I love the paneer and the cranberry,
16:23the nuts, crispy, fluffy and light.
16:26That's wonderful.
16:29Your curry sauce is beautiful.
16:32The flavour profile that is going on in this dish
16:35really shows that you have some interesting,
16:38creative ideas to show us.
16:42Overall, they were happy with the taste of the dish.
16:45So I am quite happy.
16:51Hello.
16:52GP receptionist Gianni's Amazonian inspired signature dish
16:57is roasted prawns, served with basmati rice,
17:01onto cuppy, fermented cassava sauce, fried plantain
17:05and faroffa, made from toasted cassava flour powder.
17:10Yeah.
17:17I like your prawn.
17:19Nicely cooked.
17:20This is my first time eating tuccupi.
17:22I like the herby sweetness of it.
17:25I love what it adds to the rice.
17:27The cassava flour powder brings a crunch.
17:30Very much like it.
17:32The plantain crisps are really elegant.
17:36This is my first experience of Amazonian food
17:39and I'm excited to see more.
17:44I'm feeling very happy to show them the Amazonian food.
17:50I am feeling very emotional for that.
17:56Career coach Larissa has made her take on a classic Ukrainian dish
18:01called vareniki.
18:03Goats, cheese, potato and thyme dumplings,
18:06served with a chicken, mushroom and yeast extract broth.
18:15Your vareniki dough is beautifully thin,
18:18very nicely made, just cooked
18:20and has encapsulated your goat's cheese and your potato mix
18:25and the flavours are wonderful.
18:27In making the broth so yeasty,
18:30it is overpowering the goat's cheese.
18:33I would have liked a slightly more subtle broth.
18:39I added the teaspoon of yeast right at the end
18:43and then didn't try the broth.
18:46So, feeling a little bit disappointed.
18:51Builder Finn has made a chocolate orange tart
18:54with za'atar and pomegranate, served with chocolate soil,
18:59mascarpone cream with pomegranate molasses,
19:02pomegranate gel and an orange caramel sauce.
19:12I do like the chocolate tart,
19:14that there is a real thwack of orange when you go to eat it.
19:19I think there's maybe a bit too much za'atar,
19:21which is kind of overpowering the other elements there.
19:25Your orange sauce is too tart.
19:27But your soil is beautiful and crunchy.
19:30You've made a wonderful pastry.
19:32So, some really good stuff there.
19:36It's not a total disaster.
19:38I think all of the elements on there, on the right day,
19:42find some harmony.
19:44But today wasn't the right day for that.
19:50Cooks, well done.
19:52You delighted us.
19:53There were some absolutely wonderful things on offer.
19:57But there were two dishes in particular
20:01that we thought deserved a MasterChef apron.
20:08Gareth.
20:10Incredible flavours.
20:11Well done.
20:14And the second MasterChef apron goes to...
20:23Gianni.
20:25Well done.
20:25Fantastic food.
20:27Come on up and get your aprons.
20:37Congratulations.
20:46You did it.
20:48Oh my God.
20:50I am feeling like in another world,
20:54in another dimension.
20:57It is amazing.
21:01What a feeling.
21:03I thought putting on an apron would feel so good.
21:05Yay!
21:08Right now, there's two more aprons to fight for.
21:11Dust yourself off and come back stronger.
21:16This is a classic recipe test.
21:18In front of you, you have all of the ingredients to make an egg yolk and ricotta filled raviolo.
21:26With a sage and mushroom burnt butter.
21:30The pasta dough has been made for you.
21:32The pasta dough has been made for you.
21:32You have a basic recipe, but it does not have the measurements or the timings.
21:37You'll have to rely on your pure cook's instinct.
21:43You have 45 minutes.
21:45You have 45 minutes.
21:46Start cooking.
21:51I'm just going to 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 technique,
22:03what they can do.
22:05With the classic raviolo, you have lovely thin pasta, then you have a ricotta mixed, seasoned maybe with some black
22:13pepper, some parmesan and some lemon zest.
22:16Oozing egg yolk, a rich brown butter sauce.
22:20This is elevated comfort food.
22:26I think I know the theory of it, but I'll be honest, I think I've probably rolled out pasta twice
22:31in my life, and I've never made ravioli.
22:36It's so important that they roll out that pasta really, really thin.
22:41I don't want thick, chunky pasta.
22:46Fantastic, have you done this before?
22:49Technically, yes. It doesn't feel like it, though.
22:52When have you done this?
22:52I was on a pasta-making course in Naples a couple of years ago.
22:56You took a pasta-making course in Italy?
22:59For an afternoon.
23:00You're pretty much a professional, then.
23:02Well, I'm on the wrong show, then, aren't I?
23:08And Tosh, has he used a pasta machine before?
23:10So it looks like it's nice and thin. I hope he continues with that momentum.
23:18Mokul has shown us that he has a good palate and he understands seasoning, so I would expect him to
23:23continue on that vein with his ricotta cream.
23:25It is crucial that that ricotta cream is bursting with good seasoning.
23:33I'm happy with the filling.
23:35Mokul, you're unlucky to be here. You cooked a very good dish. How do you feel?
23:39I'm getting to cook again, so I'm really excited about that. I've never cooked raviolo before, so it's a new
23:45experience, so it makes me even more excited.
23:52Contestants, you are halfway.
23:56This pasta needs to be loaded with an egg yolk. How does this feel?
24:00It takes such a delicate hand, and when you've got the shakes in this setting, that's going to be a
24:06real kind of challenge.
24:07Do you think the worst part is your nerves?
24:09100%, yeah.
24:14Larissa has been quite clever.
24:16She's used the cutter to help her keep a consistent size for the ricotta and for the egg yolk to
24:20be able to drop in the centre.
24:31Finn, you're the calmest person we've had in the kitchen, I think, in every single heat so far. What's your
24:35secret?
24:36Well, I'm not sure if that's going to be a strength yet.
24:39It might be overly calm.
24:40How are you feeling about getting the egg yolk intact and runny into the raviolo?
24:45I think I'll get it in there runny okay. It's just whether it comes back out of the pot the
24:50same way.
24:54Finn's raviolo looks a little bit small. They have an egg yolk and ricotta mix with the right ratio and
25:01balance.
25:03The ricotta mix gives kind of structure and security to the egg yolk and also it brings an awful lot
25:10of flavour to the pasta.
25:13They need to create a well of ricotta. Then they're going to nuzzle in their egg yolk in the centre
25:20of that.
25:22It's really about a delicate touch. I'm gently placing it in the ricotta well.
25:37It needs to be fully sealed. If there's any air bubbles, when they go to cook that, that's what makes
25:42your raviolo explode.
25:47Burnt brown butter is one of the most gorgeous, decadent tastes you can get.
25:53The 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.
26:03My first burnt butter sauce went a bit far.
26:07So I'm just keeping my eye on this one.
26:13It's very important when our cooks are cooking their pasta that they have a nice rolling simmer.
26:19If 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.
26:45Okay, three minutes left. I'm very much looking forward to runny yolks.
26:58Time's up.
26:59Move away from your benches.
27:10We asked you to make us a ricotta and egg yolk stuffed raviolo with mushroom and sage burnt butter.
27:21Muckle, you're up first.
27:27Your egg yolk isn't runny.
27:37Your ricotta is delicious. Got great flavour in it.
27:40Your pasta is nice and thin.
27:43I'm really enjoying the burnt butter, which are mushrooms.
27:46You have a very good palate for seasoning.
27:50I think if your egg had had just slightly less in the pan, I think that would have been a
27:55very 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.
28:28It was a really tough challenge.
28:30Breathe out now.
28:34Antosh, you're next.
28:39Looks 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, which I'm quite looking forward never to having.
29:05That 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 is getting a little bit lost.
29:39Your pasta definitely has a chew to it.
29:42It'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.
30:17His egg yolk didn't run, but I'm impressed by him.
30:22Larissa's raviolo had a lovely runny egg yolk, but 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. It had a lovely runny yolk.
30:38It was a good ratio of ricotta to egg. It just needed a pinch more seasoning.
30:44Finn's raviolo really divided us.
30:46His egg yolk was runny. His pasta was quite thick in places.
30:51His ratio of ricotta to egg yolk, for me, fell short.
30:55It is honestly life-changing, this competition, and 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 and 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? There's four of them and only two aprons.
31:25Who's got the most potential?
31:38Well done. You'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.
31:56You have a fantastic palace, so well done.
31:59The last Masterchef apron goes to...
32:06..and Tosh.
32:09Finn, Larissa, thank you so much.
32:12Cheers.
32:17I feel quite gutted to be going home.
32:21But I think it's been a really cool experience.
32:24Yeah.
32:25Would recommend.
32:28I've had some amazing positive comments today and I think honestly that will stay with me for the rest of
32:33my life.
32:36Antosh, Muckle, congratulations.
32:40Come take your aprons.
32:42Thanks.
32:46I'm feeling great.
32:47This was my ultimate goal.
32:50To get a Masterchef apron.
32:51Top of the world right now.
32:53I'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.
33:01Is it happy?
33:03I'm really happy.
33:11You 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 quarter-final.
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.
33:41Drew 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, much time, isn't it?
34:08So who's this little guy on your bench?
34:09What's he doing? Is he bringing you good luck?
34:11Yeah, it's my daughter's toy.
34:13She called Emma.
34:14This 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 fresh cuisine.
34:27I'm going to do a prawn tartar with raw plantain and tucoupi voluté.
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 because I couldn't have the barbecue.
34:43So I get the wooden taste and 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 tartar before.
35:03I've had voluté before.
35:05I haven't had one on top of the other and 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 what is a Brazilian Sunday roast.
35:37She's taking the time to smoke the beef rum.
35:40I want to taste it.
35:46So for my starters, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed with some onions, peppers, spices, cheddar cheese.
35:52I'll be serving with walnut and dried pomegranate chutney.
35:55My main course, I'm cooking a very staple Punjabi maize flour flatbread.
36:00But at the same time, I 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 with 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. I have not tried my starter.
36:26Muckle's first course is mushrooms and breadcrumbs stuffed with a really spicy mix full of lots of herbs, vegetables.
36:35I'm hoping that he's going to have a really good crispy mushroom.
36:40Muckle's second course, Kerala style chicken.
36:46I want to see lots and lots of black pepper inside that chicken.
36:50And I want juicy, spicy chicken.
36:52I want a soft, fluffy maize taco.
37:00So the inspiration for tacos obviously comes from Mexican tacos.
37:03So I can really call this dish as from Punjab to Kerala via Mexico.
37:14With this challenge, you have to be the third best at the very least.
37:17But I really want to be the best here.
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 served with dill pickle flavoured crisps.
37:34And then for main course, I'm serving pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls with a teriyaki glaze, miso mash and sake
37:42and red onion gravy.
37:43What inspired you to introduce Japanese flavours to Polish food?
37:47I think cabbage and Japanese flavours really marry well together.
37:51Please tell me you have made this dish and eaten it all together.
37:54Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, loads. I'm so sick of cabbage rolls.
38:00A really good beef tartare has got a great balance of your onion, your pickles, your spice and the creaminess
38:08of your egg yolk.
38:09For Antosh's second course, he is making teriyaki glazed pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls.
38:16I don't want dry, chewy pork.
38:19There's a lot of flavour going on.
38:21Sweet tanginess of the teriyaki, as well as miso going inside the mash.
38:26Big, bold flavours.
38:28He's got to be careful that he creates balance with them.
38:36To get the apron, one part was just relief.
38:40And one part was really excited.
38:42It kind of gave me the confidence boost that I have a reason to be here.
38:47My starter is a roasted cauliflower and preserved lemon soup with charred florets and za'atar oil.
38:55Where did you get the idea?
38:56Working in the Middle East.
38:58Fell in love with the culture and the flavours.
39:01Tell us about your main course.
39:02I have a rasal hanout seared duck on celery-yak puree, chicory, pickled raisins with a pomegranate juice.
39:10That's a lot of work.
39:12A lot of pieces, but hopefully they all go together really well.
39:19Preserved lemon in this soup can be very overpowering, so he needs a light touch when it comes to that.
39:26It doesn't want to be too sharp. It needs a tiny bit of sugar just to make it sing.
39:31For Garrett's main course, I want that duck skin rendered down to a crisply, beautiful texture.
39:38And I want that duck blushing pink in the centre.
39:46Gianni, you have 20 minutes left.
39:49We're going to get it done.
39:58Always an absolute pleasure and a joy to come back to MasterChef.
40:02Never eat breakfast before this because the food gets better every year, the standard gets higher,
40:06so I'm hoping to have delicious stuff today.
40:09I would like to see something new that saw the flavour from around the world to try on this table
40:16would be amazing.
40:18Yeah, I'm really excited for these guys because, you know, it did change my life.
40:26OK, Gianni, your first course in 10 minutes?
40:2910 minutes?
40:29Yeah.
40:30OK, everything's good?
40:31Yeah, everything's fine.
40:36Prawn and plantain tartar, I never try.
40:39Want to see the texture when it comes together.
40:45Tukupi veluté.
40:47Tukupi veluté.
40:47I've never had tukupi, but I believe that's a fermented cassava juice.
40:52Good veluté, you want it to be thick, sort of creamy on the palate.
40:57Happy?
40:58Yes.
40:59Go feed our guests.
41:07I made, like, a bronze and plantain tartar and tukupi veluté.
41:14And I hope you guys like.
41:16That was good.
41:23I quite like it.
41:25It's different.
41:26The tukupi, it's reminding me a bit of, like, off-potato mixed with a bit of corn.
41:32The texture is perfect.
41:34The level of heat and the chilli through the prawn is spot on.
41:38It's there, but it's not overpowering.
41:40The plantain, I never thought that I would go with the prawn, but I don't mind it.
41:46The prawns are sweet.
41:47The plantain is sweet, but it's a different type of sweetness.
41:50Oh, that's pretty good.
41:54OK, 15 minutes to go.
41:57Yeah.
41:59Next is medium-wrapped pecan ham, vinaigretta salsa, broccoli rice, and toasted cassava flour.
42:08So, with the steak, I'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 and then the toasted cassava flour.
42:22So, that's something that I've never had before.
42:24So, really looking forward to that.
42:31How are you feeling?
42:32Nervous.
42:33Go bring it to our guests.
42:34Let's see.
42:38Gianni's main is her take on a Brazilian barbecue Sunday roast.
42:43Wood-smoked picanha, or top rump of steak, served with vinaigretta salsa, fried rice and broccoli, and a side of
42:51roasted cassava flour with bacon and egg.
42:56The pressure was on.
42:58So, yeah, I'm exhausted.
43:05For me, the beef is delicious. It's well cooked on the outside.
43:09The fact that she's lightly smoked it, I think adds an element of flavour.
43:13The vinaigrette salsa, I think, is fantastic. Look at that crunch. It's delicious.
43:18I'm struggling a little bit with the cassava flour because I find the texture too hard, but the actual flavour
43:26is incredible.
43:27It tastes a very good dish.
43:29I think it's really rather nice. I think the vinaigrette adds a really welcome amount of acidity to it.
43:37The toasted cassava flour, for me, is too hard. It's not bringing anything to the dish.
43:43Mokko, just ten minutes left.
43:47Yeah.
43:50Breaded mushroom stuffed with spicy, cheesy vegetables.
43:55Texturally, you want that crispy exterior from the mushrooms. You want the mushrooms to be cooked properly.
44:01That's your mint and walnut chutney on.
44:05I definitely need the chutney to lift the whole dish up.
44:10Time to get your mushrooms on.
44:16Deep breath.
44:18Yes.
44:19Go.
44:23Today, for my starters, I have made breaded mushrooms, filled with some onion peppers and some Indian spices.
44:29With mint and coriander, walnuts and pomegranate seeds chutney.
44:40The flavour of the mushroom and the stuffing inside got incredible.
44:45I love that mint, coriander, walnuts, pomegranate seed, chutney. There's quite a bit of heat.
44:50It was a very, very tasty starter.
44:54I really quite like the flavour of the mushroom and the chutney together.
44:58This is a joy.
45:03OK, Muckle, you've got 15 minutes for your next course.
45:06Sure.
45:08Muckle's main.
45:09This is a kind of India meets Mexico by way of taco with chicken in the stores.
45:14The taco, he can't cook them too long because otherwise he can end up burning them and they go a
45:20bit bitter.
45:21I've got three minutes, Muckle. I think those Indian tacos are looking wonderful.
45:27Kerala-style chicken, so curry leaf and black pepper.
45:31You'd expect that to deliver quite a punchy flavour profile.
45:34Looking to have the nice texture of the slaw, crunchy, full of flavour.
45:43Feeling good?
45:44Feeling all right now.
45:45OK, let's go.
45:48Good luck.
45:48Good luck.
45:52For the main course today, I've made Kerala-style pepper chicken, served on maize flour bread and have topped it
45:59with pickled cabbage and onion.
46:02Smells amazing.
46:07That was one of the most stressful things I've done ever in my life till date.
46:12But I'm pleased.
46:18That pepper chicken is just outstanding.
46:22That heat element comes from pepper.
46:24It's got the curry leaf.
46:26It is genuinely exceptional.
46:28The little flatbread that he's made is really delicious.
46:31It's not greasy.
46:32It's just perfect.
46:34The red cabbage slaw, it just adds on the flavour to this already fantastic dish.
46:45His chicken tastes of black pepper, curry leaves, really, 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.
47:06You want that rich, beefy flavour and then spike that with a bit of heat, a tiny bit of acidity.
47:14The soy cured egg yolk.
47:16This is where the nervy part happens.
47:18No, you only did four.
47:20It won't be that cured because obviously he's only got so much time so it will still be quite runny.
47:32Just...
47:33Even I can't look at this one.
47:35It's quite impressive that he's making his own dill pickle crisps.
47:39So you'll have the pickle element to scoop it up with.
47:44We have one minute.
47:46To go.
47:48I'm ready to go.
47:50Hold your head up high. This is a big moment.
47:52I'm really delighted with it.
47:58So what I've made for you today is a Polish steak tartare with a soy cured egg yolk.
48:04And dill pickle flavoured crisps.
48:07I'll see you back in 15 minutes.
48:16The beef tartare. I love the flavour.
48:19You've got 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.
48:29I really love dill and it packs a punch.
48:32He's done a really good job here.
48:35The steak tartare is really tender. It's nice.
48:39The star of the show here is the dill pickle crisps.
48:41Just lovely.
48:44The egg yolk survived.
48:47OK, now the fear starts.
48:4915 minutes. I think I can do this.
48:53The egg yolk.
48:54Teriyaki glazed pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls.
48:57Cooking pork can be a tough one because it can dry out or you can undercook it and give us
49:03all food poisoning.
49:05The miso mash.
49:07A little bit more miso in the mashed potato.
49:10That can ruin it.
49:12Because it will be extremely salty.
49:16There is a lot to balance.
49:17You've got the teriyaki, miso mash, onion and sake gravy.
49:21Big flavour, big flavour, big flavour.
49:23You have about 35 seconds.
49:26Go and wow our guests.
49:28Here we go.
49:30Thank you very much.
49:35What I've served for you today is teriyaki glazed pork and buckwheat cabbage rolls with a miso mash, a sake
49:43and red onion gravy and hope you enjoy.
49:46Thanks very much.
49:47Yeah, thank you.
49:47Thank you very much.
49:51That went really well.
49:52I really kind of locked in.
49:54Yeah, I couldn't have done much better in there.
50:02The cabbage roll, the pork, it's moist.
50:05It's delicious.
50:06Everything's been balanced perfectly.
50:08It's worked really well.
50:09The miso mash.
50:11Oh my God, that's so sexy.
50:14Amazing.
50:15I love this dish.
50:16This is perfect.
50:18The colour of these gravies and to get it done in that time.
50:21Boy's got proper skill.
50:23Yeah.
50:25The cabbage leaves are beautifully wilted and soft.
50:27I think the pork's wonderfully seasoned.
50:29It's Japan and Poland high-fiving.
50:32OK.
50:40Gareth's doing roasted cauliflower and preserved lemon soup.
50:43I'm a bit worried about preserved lemon because it's quite a dominant flavour.
50:48There's sweetness, there's acidity, plus the za'atar.
50:53So it's how does he choose to do that with that flavour of that roasted cauliflower come through as a
50:57soup.
50:57Great.
50:57If you have a few seconds to go, you just need to get that oil on.
51:01OK.
51:03Awesome.
51:09For your first course, I've made a roasted cauliflower and preserved lemon soup with charred florets, hibiscus pickled cauliflower and
51:18za'atar oil.
51:20Great. Enjoy. Thank you.
51:22See you.
51:26I think this dish is beautiful.
51:29Just the taste unfortunately doesn't match the look.
51:33The lemon, preserved lemon, is just too strong in this.
51:37The pickled cauliflower is alright, but still mixed in with the soup, it's overpowered by the lemon flavour.
51:44It's a well-made soup, there's no lumps.
51:46I just think dialling down that preserved lemon element would let those other flavours come through.
51:53The preserved lemon, it is far, far, far too strong.
51:57I can't taste vata oil or hibiscus, which are two big flavours.
52:04OK, 15 minutes.
52:06You got it. Thank you.
52:09The duck needs to be cooked perfectly.
52:13How does your duck look?
52:15It's a nice pink and hopefully crispy enough skin.
52:20The saluriac puree, when it's been nice and creamy, they still have that earthiness.
52:26OK, about one minute now.
52:28One minute, OK.
52:29We really have to move.
52:30Moving, moving, moving.
52:35There's a pomegranate jus, there's raisins, which will be sweet.
52:38So for me the key here is to balance all of those sweet elements without them overpowering the duck.
52:44I'm ready to rock.
52:45OK.
52:47This way.
52:47This way.
52:51For your main course, I've made a rasal hanout seared duck breast, braised chicory with a cumin-celeriac puree,
52:59and pickled raisins and pomegranate seeds, and a pomegranate jus.
53:05Hope you all enjoy.
53:06Thank you very much.
53:15I like the kind of smoky spice crust on the duck breast.
53:19I wish it had had longer skin side down just to render out that fat, but it's been cooked beautifully
53:24otherwise.
53:24I quite like the puree, and I like the bitter chicory as well, but the pickled raisins for me just
53:32are not working.
53:33I think they're over-pickled.
53:35The sauce itself, it needs to be a lot thicker.
53:42The duck is the best part of this dish.
53:44It's nicely cooked.
53:45The sauce is quite tart.
53:47The pickled raisins are very heavy on vinegar.
53:50In general, I think there's an overkill of acid on this plate.
53:57That was something else.
53:59The tom just sneaks up on you, and suddenly you're just scrambling.
54:06Four very different cooks.
54:09We were impressed, and the dining room were delighted by some of those dishes.
54:14The dining room had a cook of the day, and that was Antos.
54:18His Polish steak tartare was delicious.
54:20Those dill pickle crisps I thought were a stroke of genius.
54:24Those beautiful Japanese-influenced Polish cabbage rolls.
54:29It was really, really marvellous. I loved what he did.
54:32Antos goes through to the quarter-final.
54:36I think Muckle has an incredible palate.
54:39The mushrooms were well cooked, and I really did enjoy the vegetable spice mix that was in it.
54:44I loved Muckle's Kerala chicken on the Indian tacos.
54:48It was moist, it was full of spice.
54:51Muckle bags himself a quarter-final place.
54:54So that leaves us with Gianni and Gareth.
54:57Gareth's soup fell down in the tasting.
55:01By putting too much preserved lemon, it dominated.
55:04Main course, his duck was nicely cooked.
55:07But the pomegranate sauce and the pickled raisins for me, they were a problem.
55:13Gianni, her prawn tartare with te cupi veluté was really gorgeous.
55:20When it came to her Brazilian Sunday roast, her beef was tender, but the toasted cassava flour, for me, was
55:28inedible.
55:29To stay in a competition for me will mean the world.
55:32It keeps all the fingers crossed.
55:35I would love to have the chance to continue on, because it's been a great experience, and I would be
55:41sad if it ended here.
55:51Thank you so much. You have cooked your socks off.
55:57But as you know, only three of you can go through to the quarter-final.
56:03One of you will be going home.
56:07We have made our decision.
56:11The cook leaving the competition is...
56:19Gareth.
56:22Gareth, thank you for your enthusiasm and your passion.
56:25You have been an absolute joy to have in the kitchen.
56:28Thanks for the opportunity.
56:33It's a hard break. It is tough.
56:36It's a real shame.
56:37But I can still go home with an apron.
56:39Yeah. A dirty one.
56:47Congratulations.
56:48The three of you are now quarter-finalists.
56:54I can't believe I'm a master chef called the final. I can't believe that.
57:00Whoo!
57:02I'm very proud of myself. I just feel so happy. I have no words to express.
57:08It's fire in my belly already, but I think this is turbocharged that, and I really think I can do
57:14really well.
57:18I think I'm going to go nuts.
57:19Next time, it's the quarter-final.
57:21And Joyce, Daniel, and Jamie join Mukul, Antosh, and Gianni.
57:30I think I'm going to go nuts.
57:32To face two demanding challenges.
57:35Whoa.
57:36As they battle for a place in knockout week.
57:40That is an absolute winner.
57:42Gorgeous.
58:09To shoot.
58:10To be continued.
58:13To be continued.
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