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MasterChef: The Professionals - Season 18 - Episode 06
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00:01It's the professional MasterChef quarter-final.
00:05These four skillful chefs triumphed in their heaps.
00:11Tonight they'll be judged on two tough challenges designed to test them even further.
00:19The plan going forward is to really rely on the fundamentals that I feel very strong in,
00:24but also pushing myself to produce the best food I possibly can from MasterChef.
00:28It is not a day for mistakes.
00:30When you make mistakes here, the mistaking can be the end of your competition.
00:34It feels incredible to be a quarter-finalist.
00:36I don't want to be playing it safe, and it's just about doing as well as I can in each
00:39round.
00:41To be a part of Knockout Week, you have to deliver.
00:43You have to be capable enough, so I look forward to making sure that I deliver.
00:48First, they will have to invent their own standout take of a store cupboard favourite.
00:54What can a professional chef do with this age-old dessert?
00:57Before going on to cook for three of the country's most renowned restaurant critics.
01:03It's rather lovely.
01:05Only the very best will make it through to Knockout Week.
01:08We've got some fabulous chefs in the competition. It's certainly heating up.
01:12Ramping up the pressure is all about seeing who can survive in this kitchen.
01:40Chefs, good to see you. Welcome to your quarter-final.
01:42We have got some very exciting tests for you.
01:48This is an invention test.
01:50It's where we push you to create and think on your feet.
01:55Underneath the box in front of you is a clue to the dish we'd like you to make.
02:01Chefs, lift up the box.
02:11Rice pudding.
02:14Some of you will be familiar with it.
02:17This is eaten and served in many different ways throughout countries across the world.
02:24We would like you to make a dish all about rice pudding.
02:29We don't want just straightforward rice pudding.
02:32We want something spectacular, something different, something daring.
02:35We want to see some of your personality in this dish.
02:39Behind us is a larder full of fabulous ingredients.
02:48Chefs, you've got ten minutes to come up and choose your ingredients,
02:51seventy minutes to cook and serve.
02:54To create their version of this classic dessert,
02:58the chefs have a variety of rice types to choose from.
03:01From staples like long grain,
03:04to fragrant jasmine and creamy pudding rice.
03:08Plus, there's an array of sweeteners, as well as fruits, nuts, herbs and spices.
03:15What can a professional chef do with this age-old dessert?
03:18We don't want jam and rice pudding.
03:20We want something a little bit different.
03:22What type of rice they choose, how they cook it.
03:24What are they going to do that's going to be a little point of difference?
03:27It's weird for me to make something with rice.
03:30It's a dessert.
03:31So I'm just going to try my best to make something delicious.
03:35I'm not confident in pastry, but I've memorised a few recipes.
03:39I've got some raspberries, white chocolate, chilli.
03:42With some of these flavours, in a various form, are going to be on the plate.
03:46Rice can be very bland.
03:48It's what they have to enhance it that's going to make a difference.
03:52I hope our chefs are brave enough to just take that risk
03:55and show us something different.
03:58I've got some rhubarb, I've got some mango, cardamom.
04:02Trying to figure out a nice balance.
04:04I'm thinking of something strawberries.
04:07Trying to keep it chilled, light, really refreshing.
04:10Lots of nice flavours.
04:13Chefs, you have 17 minutes. Good luck.
04:19Originally from Delhi in India, 28-year-old Dananjay now lives in Manchester with his wife,
04:25where he works as a senior sous chef.
04:30He had a rocky start during the skills test.
04:35Stressful to watch.
04:36Yeah.
04:37But excelled with his signature dish using flavours from his homeland.
04:41Love this dish.
04:42I could eat all of it.
04:43And some more.
04:45Thank you, chef.
04:46Thank you very much.
04:47Being a part of the quarter-finals, it's exciting, nerve-wracking.
04:51But I'd be honest, I've not done a huge amount of pastry, especially the Western confectionery and pastry section.
04:58I wouldn't say that's my strong part.
05:03Dananjay, what do you think?
05:04It's sort of a take between my short holidays in Thailand and what my mum used to make for me
05:09at home.
05:10Traditionally in India, we make this dessert.
05:12Usually it's rice cooked with milk, some flavours of cardamom and soft herbs.
05:17So it's very fragrant, very comforting.
05:20And what I used to love back home was some chopped up fruits in it.
05:24So that heaviness gets balanced with the freshness of the fruit.
05:26And I just loved it.
05:27The rhubarb and mango will form the freshness part of it, but they'll be marinated with the sake and some
05:32gochugaru.
05:33What's the ingredients in Thailand that you're using?
05:35So I'm flavouring the rice pudding with some lemongrass at the base.
05:38Definitely sounds better than just a tin of rice pudding.
05:41I'm looking forward to it.
05:42Thank you, chef.
05:46Dananjay is making a jasmine rice pudding flavoured with cardamom, star anise and lemongrass.
05:51Yeah, nice.
05:53With the coconut milk running through it.
05:56He's also taking some mango and rhubarb.
06:00The mango, he's putting some chilli flakes over it.
06:03I've got some gochugaru.
06:04That was the closest reference I could find to the flaked red chilli that we use in India.
06:08Hot summer day, mango, some chilli, some lemon.
06:10Oh, that's the vibe I'm going for.
06:15The rhubarb, he's going to marinate in some sake.
06:18I'm liking the flavours, so let's see how the world cuisine works on this one.
06:23We've got some really big, massive flavours here.
06:26I want a creamy, beautifully cooked rice pudding, but what's going to make this really different?
06:31Is it going to be the chilli? Is it going to be the sake? Is it the mango? Or is
06:34it everything working together?
06:36Can I get the time, please?
06:38Chefs, you've already had 20 minutes.
06:39Yes, Chefs.
06:40Yes, Chefs.
06:42Born in Dublin, 34-year-old Mark now lives in Margate, where he runs his own barbecue pop-up, The
06:48Chef Patron.
06:52In his heat, Mark impressed the judges with his versatility in both the first round...
06:58Smashed the skills test. I love it!
07:01..and with his own food.
07:03There's a lot of memory in there for me, and I think it's absolutely great.
07:08I'm feeling ready to go.
07:10The approach for the dish is going to be to break down what the ingredient is going to be,
07:14and try and infuse that, bring that ingredient into as many layers of the dish as possible.
07:19How do you feel about being in the quarter-final, Mark?
07:21Yeah, feeling OK. A little bit of pressure.
07:23Just want to make sure that I'm, like, putting my best foot forward here,
07:26so trying to rely a lot on, like, basic techniques, really, really sound flavours that I think will work.
07:31Are you a fan of rice pudding?
07:32Oh, yeah, I love rice pudding.
07:33What are you doing?
07:34So I'm going to do a rice pudding with a little bit of sugar and some bay leaves in there,
07:38and then fold it through with shank chili cream so it's nice and balanced.
07:41It's got that little bit of savoury from the bay and then sweet from the chantilly.
07:44And some Earl Grey-infused strawberries, along with some fresh strawberries
07:50and macerated strawberries as well.
07:52And then I'm going to do a toasted rice ice cream.
07:55Toasted rice ice cream. Oof.
07:57That sounds wonderful. You have enough time to get that done?
08:00Let's hope so.
08:00I hope you got the ice cream machine churning.
08:03Yes.
08:04That's a no.
08:08Mark is using alborio rice flavoured with bay leaf.
08:12That savoury note and that creamy, sweet, sugary rice pudding.
08:16I hope it pushes it to the front.
08:18Don't put bay leaf into your rice pudding if you're not going to taste it.
08:22Just making my chantilly that I'm going to fold through the rice pudding.
08:26Now's the point where it splits into butter.
08:28His rice pudding is serving cold.
08:30Once it's cooled down, he's folding some chantilly.
08:34So really light and creamy rice pudding is the one we're getting from Mark.
08:39Mark is using rice in a couple of different ways.
08:42The only chef in the kitchen is making an ice cream,
08:44and then of course the rice pudding itself.
08:46You take the rice and you roast them off in the oven
08:49and then drop that into his ice cream base to really infuse the milk.
08:53So nice and chilled, pass it off, then get it into the ice cream machine.
08:57The dangers here, of course, are not getting the ice cream done.
09:00Ice cream's tasting really nice.
09:02Not sure if it'll be set in time, but we'll see.
09:04I can forgive the ice cream as long as the main rice pudding part is perfect.
09:08You are now halfway through.
09:10Oui.
09:11Oui.
09:16We love a rice pudding.
09:21Originally from Naples, 37-year-old chef patron Gemma
09:25runs her own plant-based street food truck.
09:29In her heat, her skills test didn't go to plan.
09:33Dumpling wrappers are quite thick.
09:35They are almost chewy and quite hard to eat.
09:39But she pulled it back in the signature round
09:41with her rustic Italian dish.
09:44For the invention test, I'm not going to make extremely simple food
09:48because that is not what I usually do.
09:50I like to make it special, but I'm not going to try ingredients
09:54that I've never seen or never touched in my life just today.
09:58I don't think it's wise.
10:01OK.
10:02Gemma, rice pudding.
10:05What do you think?
10:06It's not a flavour for me.
10:07Let's say that.
10:08I get the feeling that you're still working this out.
10:10I have an idea.
10:11OK.
10:11I don't know if it's going to work because I want to make a rice pudding tart
10:14and on top I'm going to put some frangipan,
10:16biscotto.
10:17Wow.
10:18Lemon gel, lemon zest and caramelised almond flakes
10:21to make it a bit Mediterranean.
10:23Where's the rice?
10:24The rice pudding is in the middle.
10:25How are you flavouring the rice pudding?
10:26With the vanilla and lemon zest.
10:29It's great.
10:30I like the sound of the tart idea.
10:31But there's one thing we all love is lots of rice pudding.
10:35This is about the rice pudding.
10:37I will make sure that that happens.
10:40Good.
10:40Good.
10:41A rice pudding, plant-based, really makes it a little bit harder.
10:45So basically, no dairy.
10:48Gemma's using oat milk and coconut milk for the liquid in her rice pudding,
10:51which is great.
10:52And then just to cut through the richness of that,
10:54she's also got a lovely little bit of lemon running through.
10:56Mmm.
10:58She's also making a frangipan, which is sort of an almond paste
11:00that is delicious and soft and just full of flavour.
11:03Helpful is good.
11:04We'll see.
11:06Gemma has set herself a lot to do.
11:08That pastry's got to be well-made,
11:10that tartlet have got to be evenly formed.
11:13It breaks a bit.
11:14I hope when she goes to get these tartlets out of the oven,
11:16they don't break.
11:20But once it's baked, she'll be fine.
11:22Hopefully.
11:24What you're going to get is this beautiful tart case.
11:26She's going to put the rice pudding inside there
11:29and then she's going to put the frangipan on top.
11:30All right, all right, all right, all right, all right.
11:32My biggest question mark,
11:34is this going to have enough rice pudding
11:36for us to feel like we're eating rice pudding?
11:39You have 25 minutes left.
11:41Oui.
11:42Oui.
11:45Before becoming a chef,
11:4738-year-old Chris had a career as a chemist.
11:50He changed paths eight years ago
11:52and is now a chef de partie,
11:54working at a one Michelin-star restaurant in Norfolk.
12:01In his heat,
12:03Chris impressed with his cod-collar skills test.
12:06Overall, you've absolutely nailed it.
12:09But when it came to the signature dish,
12:11his sauce let him down.
12:13This red wine and maple syrup,
12:15unfortunately, it's not here on the plate.
12:20I think this round's going to be a bit about
12:21just cowboying stuff, to be honest.
12:23Like, making stuff happen in a short amount of time.
12:28Chris, invention test all about the rice pudding.
12:30What do you think about that?
12:31Yeah, it's something that I've eaten,
12:33but straight out of a can, cold.
12:36So I've never actually had to use it or do anything with it,
12:38and I've never made it.
12:39So what are you doing?
12:40There is going to be an actual rice pudding,
12:42and on top, where I'd normally have the jam,
12:44I'm making a raspberry mole.
12:46It's got raspberries sweating down, a bit of vinegar.
12:48I've got some burnt white chocolate and chilli.
12:51I'm also going to make deep-fried true pastry
12:54in the middle, creme pat that's got matcha in it.
12:56And then I'm going to puree some of my rice pudding
12:59and get it into the creme pat.
13:00Right. I don't know if that works.
13:01I heard you say when you were in our store there
13:03that you've not really studied desserts at all.
13:06Not until three weeks ago, Chef, no.
13:07The place I'm at now, I've watched the pâtissier there,
13:09when he's doing his prep, what he does,
13:11and sort of the little techniques that there is.
13:12You know, pastry is very much a lot of chemistry,
13:15which is your field.
13:17That's, yeah, that's a great summary.
13:23Chris has got a lot going on.
13:25He's making his choux pastry.
13:26He wants it nice and fluffy and crispy on the outside.
13:31Creme pat with matcha is all about cooking down the flour.
13:34Oh, God.
13:35Too much matcha can be really bitter.
13:37Ugh.
13:38Not enough matcha.
13:39You will just have a pale green creme pat.
13:43Be good.
13:44Chris is making a mole, a Mexican-style sauce.
13:46He's cooking down some raspberries,
13:48and he's cooked off some white chocolate,
13:49which is going to melt into those lovely raspberries.
13:52And just to finish it, he's got chili.
13:54Wow.
13:54What interesting combinations.
13:56There we go, baby.
13:58But I want all the little touches around the outside
14:00of Chris's rice pudding to be as good as the rice pudding itself.
14:02Yeah, so this is the rice pudding that's taking a very long time to cook.
14:05It's a hard balance to get between risk and playing it safe.
14:08The more risk you take, the more payoff.
14:11Come on, come on, come on.
14:12Oh, my goodness.
14:13But also, the more risk you take, the harder the fall, maybe.
14:21Chefs, you've got 15 minutes left.
14:23Wait.
14:24And I have to say, there's some very exciting things going on in this kitchen.
14:30I've got a slice of rhubarb, a slice of mango.
14:32It's like a mix of Indian-British flavors just getting balanced there.
14:41Come on, come on, come on.
14:43Gemma, you've got to get these tarts filled.
14:46Yes.
14:46Oh, dear.
14:48I don't have much time left, do I?
14:49Whew.
14:54They're the best I've ever made.
14:55Also the worst.
14:58Mark, we OK?
15:00I'm still waiting for the ice cream to set.
15:01And how far is your ice cream off?
15:03Maybe five minutes.
15:04You've only got five minutes, by the way.
15:06Lucky day.
15:06The look of the Irish continues.
15:09Five minutes. Gemma, are you going to be OK?
15:12Uh, yes.
15:15Quick, quick, quick.
15:16My rice pudding is a bit al dente, like risotto.
15:22I feel like the taste and flavors fall well.
15:24And I'm looking forward to see what the judge is telling me about it.
15:28Right, how's it looking?
15:30That's ready.
15:31Yeah, it's looking OK.
15:39Could I get the time, please?
15:40You've got 30 seconds left.
15:41Oui.
15:42Finishing touches on your plates, please, guys.
15:54That's it. Stop cooking. Step back. Gemma, we're done.
16:00Yeah.
16:02Mark, please come up and join us.
16:06Chef patron Mark has made a bay leaf and chantilly-infused arborio rice pudding, topped with earl grey and orange
16:14liqueur strawberries, hazelnuts and fresh basil, served alongside a toasted rice ice cream.
16:27Mark, I really like the rice pudding with the strawberries and hazelnuts.
16:32It's reminiscent of having a jam in the middle, but the amount of chantilly cream, the rice pudding.
16:37I almost need to keep spooning it in so I can find a few grains of rice.
16:42I like the take off your rice ice cream, but it is very rich, very creamy, and the rice is
16:49a little bit lost in it.
16:52The bay leaf in the rice pudding seems to have slightly disappeared, and I think the cream is just sort
16:57of taking over.
16:58I have to say, when you eat it as a whole, it becomes a strawberry dish that's got cream with
17:04it, that's got speckles of rice running through it.
17:06I actually find it quite underwhelming.
17:12I think I did as much as I could in the time.
17:16I was very happy with all the techniques I tried to bring to the table.
17:20But, unfortunately, it didn't go my way, which is very disappointing.
17:25Senior sous chef Dananjay...
17:28Hello, chefs.
17:29..has made a coconut milk rice pudding, using jasmine rice cooked in star anise and cardamom.
17:36Flavoured with lemongrass, served with rhubarb marinated in sake, a Japanese rice wine, mango, shaved coconut, and a coconut and
17:46sesame brown sugar crumb.
17:48The way it's served, it's so pretty, brilliant, colourful presentation.
17:58Your rice pudding underneath, the texture is just right.
18:02It's creamy, there is a hint of cardamom, very light in there.
18:06However, I think it could have been a bit braver.
18:08The rhubarb there, you think you'd put a sake through it, so it's mellowed out, the sharpness.
18:13I'm enjoying it. I really like it.
18:16Thank you, chef.
18:18The rice pudding is nicely cooked.
18:20I like the texture, it's creamy, it's got a right amount of sugar.
18:23I would love to see more of the rice pudding, if I'm honest with you.
18:25And because there's a lot of coconut, it sort of dries the palate out a little bit.
18:29But it does bring texture.
18:31There's a lot of fruit on top of it, the sharpness of the mango.
18:34I'm enjoying that little bit of chilli that you've got on top, and the rhubarb.
18:38I like what you're doing, I like your thinking.
18:40I just think this could have been more rice pudding, with the same garnish on top of it, and just
18:45a little hint of spice extra.
18:56I'm happy with the feedback that I've got on my invention test.
18:58I want to try this one.
19:00I'm going to start making four dishes.
19:03But definitely going into the next round, the pressure increases, and right now we're inside a cooker.
19:09The whistle is just going whoosh.
19:12Chef de parter Chris has made a rice pudding, served with a raspberry burnt white chocolate and chilli mole, topped
19:21with fresh raspberries.
19:23Served alongside is a deep-fried choux pastry filled with matcha creme patissiere and a rice pudding puree.
19:37The choux pastry is fantastic, beautifully deep-fried.
19:40The matcha tea flavour is great, the creme patissier is great, but it's not a rice pudding dish.
19:45So I'm almost sort of going to put that to one side.
19:48The rice pudding is stodgy, it's not soft enough, it's not runny enough, it's not crispy.
19:52It's not creamy enough, your raspberries are raspberries, they're just fresh on the side.
19:56When it comes to bringing this dish together, you've got it completely wrong.
20:02The mole with the raspberry white chocolate and a bit of chilli, it's very sharp.
20:07It's a lot with the amount of the rice pudding that I have here.
20:11Chris, just try and remember to rein it back a bit.
20:15If we're going to do so much, make sure we can deliver every part of it.
20:22Really constructive feedback, so a lot more for me to take away and process and come back better next time.
20:29Chef Patron Germain has made a plant-based rice pudding tart, served in short-crust pastry,
20:36layered with candied lemon zest, a frangipane biscotto and caramelised almond flakes, served with a lemon gel.
20:44I love how this looks. I've never had a rice pudding served like this.
20:50I hope it's as good as it looks.
20:54Me too.
20:59You've got a beautiful pastry case. Light, melt-in-the-mouth, fabulous.
21:05Rice is just there. You've just, just, just, just got it.
21:09The almond biscotti-style frangipane on top. Love that idea.
21:13I love the fact it's a frangipane but you've sort of cooked it like a dry biscuit.
21:16And then a little candied peel that's sitting on top and the lemon gel that just cuts through the richness
21:21of the dish.
21:22It's really good. It's fun. It's exciting. It's full of your personality.
21:28Well done. Invention is about inventing something. You've done just that.
21:34Your rice pudding is beautifully formed and then you've got this super sharp candied lemon peel on the top.
21:41And it's almost like, I mean, that would put hair on your chest.
21:44But it just cuts through all the sweetness that's in this tart.
21:48We ask you to be inventive. We ask you to push the boundaries.
21:51Don't just give us a bowl of rice pudding.
21:54Do something that we haven't tried before yet. At the heart of it was the rice pudding.
21:59I am enjoying it. You've invented something new. I want to shake your hand.
22:05Thank you, ma'am.
22:14Unbelievable.
22:16Well done.
22:17Well done. Congratulations.
22:21I'm feeling amazing.
22:23I didn't expect that feedback.
22:25Obviously, I did not even expect to find rice pudding inside a box.
22:29I was like, what is it?
22:31But I am feeling over the moon.
22:43Wow. What a day. Invention test of rice pudding.
22:46Bearing degrees of success.
22:48Some tasty ones and then some with issues.
22:54Boy, that was one tough one, yeah?
22:57I really didn't expect there to be a can of rice pudding.
23:00We've got some fabulous chefs.
23:02Very different personalities.
23:03Very different styles.
23:05We'll make for a very interesting next round.
23:26This is the Critics' Round.
23:28You chefs are cooking for three critics that will not miss a trick on your plates of food today.
23:34Jay Rayner.
23:35Jimmy Fimaroa.
23:37And William Sitwell.
23:39It's an opportunity to be recognised, to be noticed, to be remembered.
23:43Make this count.
23:45Three of you will be going through to knockout week.
23:48One of you is going to be leaving the competition.
23:51One hour and 15 minutes.
23:53Two courses.
23:55Off you go.
24:04I am really excited to put forward my version of food to the critics.
24:11It's not just about eating or seeing a plate.
24:16It's about an experience that you're providing to the person in front of you.
24:20How do you feel about cooking for critics?
24:22Nervous.
24:22It's just going to be a new experience, a new interaction.
24:26So I don't know what to expect.
24:27Tell us, what are you cooking?
24:29For the starters, lemon and chilli butter poached prawns that go with macerated peaches and pears.
24:35Along with a green goddess dressing that has got sake in it.
24:39The prawn dish definitely takes inspiration from my treks in the southern Himalayas.
24:43I was 14 and loved going there.
24:45I did a lot of solo trips.
24:47So it's taking inspiration from there and the fruits of that belt of Himalayas.
24:51That's peaches and pears.
24:52At the age of 14, you were trekking on your own?
24:54Yes, chef.
24:55That's one adventurous spirit you've got there.
25:01Dallinjay starter is different.
25:02There's fruit running through it.
25:03We've got prawns that are going to be cooked through in a butter.
25:06Don't overcook them.
25:08Don't cook them too quickly.
25:09Come on.
25:11We have poached peach and pears, a bit of sharpness and a bit of sweetness to go with it, as
25:15well as a hint of spice from the use of star anise and pink peppercorns.
25:18It's going to be a dish of balance.
25:20There's a lot of fruity notes, there's a lot of big notes.
25:22This sake herb dressing.
25:25The sake is quite a harsh flavour.
25:29I hope the prawns shines through.
25:31The main course is going to be a balloting of chicken leg that's stuffed with apricots, pistachio and mint.
25:36And that's going to be wrapped with ribbons of chives, along with a creamy makhani tomato gravy topped with olive
25:42and caper stepenard.
25:43You've got a lot of different components with your two dishes.
25:46Are you going to get all this done?
25:48We sure.
25:50This dish is taking inspiration from a restaurant that me and my family loved all through childhood.
25:55And it's that memory that I'm trying to recreate for the judges.
25:58There's chicken thigh.
25:59He's bowing them out and he's going to be stuffing them.
26:01Apricots, pistachio.
26:03We've also got crispy olives and caper tapenard.
26:06Dan and Jay's chicken dish has been finished with a makhani sauce, which is like the mother-based sauce to
26:10butter chicken.
26:11It's got spices, tomatoes and cream.
26:15My question is the necessity for so much.
26:20I have cooked for critics before.
26:22I was in a competition.
26:23In the first round, the comments were all positive.
26:26And then I had to cook again and that didn't go so well.
26:29To get the chance to cook for critics again is just amazing.
26:36Gemma, you live in Edinburgh.
26:37Where are we going in the world for your dish?
26:39With my dish, we're going mostly Scotland and some inspiration from Spain.
26:43Why have you gone to Spain?
26:45When I moved to Edinburgh, I had many friends that they were Spanish.
26:47And they present me with salmorejo, which is a typical Spanish dish.
26:51It's a cold soup made with tomatoes.
26:54So today I'm making it a bit different.
26:55I decided to bring a vegetable that thrives in Scotland, which is carrot.
27:02Gemma is cooking a salmorejo soup, but this time with carrots.
27:07I hope the carrots are blended so it's wonderful and smooth.
27:10The soup is being served with a parsnip fondant.
27:13It should be like butter.
27:15It should cut through very easily.
27:17It will be warm and the soup will be cold.
27:19Ooh.
27:21So you've got the difference of temperatures here.
27:24Ooh.
27:25There's also coriander, pumpkin seed pesto.
27:28No, no, no.
27:29Crispy carrot skin and a cumin seed oil.
27:33We've got sweet ingredients here because when you're bringing carrots and parsnips to the forefront,
27:38they bring out a natural flavour.
27:39OK.
27:41This is all going to be about the level of sweetness.
27:45For my main course, I keep it Scottish.
27:48We have haggis, nips and tatties.
27:50So I'm making a plant-based haggis.
27:53I've been working on my recipe on the haggis for a couple of years now.
27:56And I think I write just the right points where I feel that it's right.
28:00Have you tried haggis before?
28:01I have tried haggis before.
28:03OK.
28:03And this is very, very different.
28:05I hope that you have tried haggis before and you can tell me what you think about my little haggis
28:11cake.
28:14Haggis, nips and tatties, a dish in Scotland that feels like it's been there forever.
28:19Gemma is turning that into a plant-based dish.
28:21Haggis itself, portobello mushroom is going to be the base.
28:24It needs to be seasoned well for it to be big and bold.
28:27I always think of haggis as being full of flavour.
28:30Instead of crispy potatoes, we have potato cakes.
28:35So the potato cake is what you call a tattiescone.
28:38We've got pickled sweets.
28:41And we've also got a whisky sauce.
28:43So she's really ticking all the notes of Scotland.
28:45Ooh, spicy.
28:47I'm excited by this.
28:49I've never had a plant-based haggis and it sounds delicious.
28:52Ooh.
28:53Ooh.
28:59I'm feeling really pumped for this.
29:02And I need to be, because I've got my work cut out.
29:05So I'm approaching today solely focused on the 75 minutes I've got in front of me.
29:10There's not a minute after that that I'm thinking about.
29:14Chris, how are you feeling?
29:15This is the cook of my life.
29:17So I've pushed this as far as I can.
29:19Timings, flavours.
29:20If it's not good enough, then I'm going home.
29:22What are you doing?
29:23So first dish, scallop cooked classically with an XO butter-roasted cabbage
29:27and an oyster beurre blanc.
29:31Scallop needs to be beautifully cleaned, taken off the skirt.
29:34But you need to be very careful that when it comes to the cooking,
29:37they're perfectly done.
29:39Got a butter-roasted cabbage.
29:42I like the sound of the XO sauce.
29:44So an XO sauce comes from Asia.
29:47It's got shallots, ginger, chillies, dried shrimps.
29:50So it's going to have those strong, salty flavours.
29:53However, through strong, we'll take over this delicate scallop.
29:57Oyster beurre blanc.
30:00Just be very careful that it doesn't split it.
30:05For my main course, I've got a fillet of beef with a burger sauce
30:08with shallots and gherkins, smoked grilled lettuce
30:11and black garlic emulsion with pommes allumettes.
30:14Why these two dishes?
30:16The first dish is based off one which was one of the first
30:18that I ever served that I could call my own.
30:20So it's very special to me.
30:22These two dishes are ones that I love.
30:24It means a lot to you.
30:26Yeah.
30:27You can see that.
30:27So I hope you manage to deliver.
30:30I've got five of the best palettes in the country about to taste my food.
30:32Good luck.
30:33Thank you, chefs.
30:36Chris's main course is to take on steak and chips.
30:39Beef cooking, beautifully seared on the outside
30:41and rested well before he cuts into it.
30:44Serving it with con melomid,
30:46really fine, crispy, match-sized, fancy chips.
30:50We've got a lovely cooked lettuce
30:51and he's also got some butter which he's put into some smoked hay
30:55to get that lovely smoky flavour running through the butter.
30:57Getting this going for my smoked butter.
31:00For my wood.
31:01And a burger sauce.
31:02We've got garlic.
31:04We've got tomatoes running through.
31:05Oh, come on, be my friend.
31:06Two relatively straightforward dishes here.
31:09I hope it's enough to wow our critics.
31:13I definitely think it's going to be extremely high intensity day.
31:17The time limit is going to be really restrictive.
31:20But you didn't come to MasterChef for an easy time in the kitchen.
31:25Giving myself a lot to do today.
31:26For our main, we're serving up a John Dory chop with some lemon Jersey Royals,
31:30pickled mussels with sauce charcuterie, traditional French bacon and pork stock sauce.
31:35And to kind of hit those surf and turf notes.
31:37I like the sound of that.
31:39A John Dory chop.
31:40What is that?
31:40It's a way of butchering the John Dory and leaving the sternum bone intact.
31:43So while you're eating fish, your mind is thinking more steakhouse.
31:47What's your second course?
31:48Rosemary and rhubarb baked Alaska.
31:50There's a massive influence in your menu today that's American based.
31:52I love American barbecue.
31:54I love American steakhouses serving up like big cuts of meat in really, really exciting ways.
31:58And something I want to show off today, a little bit of a steakhouse lunch.
32:02Mark's first course is take on a surf and turf.
32:06Generally, what you see with the John Dory is the whole fish.
32:09Resaken segments of it is about good butchery.
32:13The charcuterie sauce, we've got capers, bacon and gherkins.
32:17Want that to wrap around this piece of fish.
32:20Surf and turf.
32:21The sauce that he's put in with the dish.
32:23You're going to have to pack a punch of meat flavour.
32:27Baked Alaska, it's set ice cream but in this case a white chocolate parfait.
32:31This parfait has to be set frozen before he starts piping the meringue on.
32:36The Italian meringue is just going to put a blowtorch over the top just to give you the effect that
32:40it's been in the oven.
32:42Frozen rhubarb in the centre.
32:45And rhubarb cooked down on top.
32:48So you've got two textures.
32:50It's a very, very sweet dessert.
32:52My question mark would be the balance of sugar.
32:58When I come to MasterChef The Professionals, what I'm hoping is to meet the stars of tomorrow.
33:03It's very simple.
33:04You've got chefs who want to be great chefs who have to tread a very careful line between being experimental
33:10and brave.
33:11But don't try and dazzle us with your prowess and your technique because sometimes that actually overshadows the dish that
33:17you actually present.
33:19Year on year, the level gets higher and higher.
33:24The chefs need to just stay calm and give us something that simply we can't stop eating.
33:33Dan and Jay's first dish is chilli lime butter prawns, poached pear and peach, tamarind chutney, sake herb dressing split
33:42with a chilli lime and butter emulsion.
33:46You're due up now.
33:47Oui, Chef.
33:49You're just peeling your prawns.
33:51I don't see any plates being dressed.
33:53Well, you're going to have to get a move on.
33:54Yes, Chef.
33:55You know, because one thing the critics don't like is waiting.
33:58Reading.
33:58Oui, Chef.
33:59It promises to deliver on flavour, but the prawn can't be rubbery and overcooked.
34:06I'd get a move on about you.
34:07Yes, Chef.
34:08Poached peach and pear.
34:10You've got your sweetness and then the sake popping up as another sweet element.
34:14You are now five minutes over.
34:17Oui, Chef.
34:17I worry that the hero of the dish, fruity, bulbous prawns, is going to get a little bit lost.
34:23But then it may be that he's done this a thousand times, this is just a dish we've never heard
34:27of, and it's a slam dunk success.
34:29You're already six minutes over.
34:31Yes.
34:33Yeah, deep breath.
34:34Move.
34:35Go, go, go.
34:39Let's hope it's food worth waiting for.
34:43Hello.
34:44Hello.
34:44Wow, thank you very much.
34:47So my dish is lemon chilli Argentinian prawns, served along with macerated peaches and pears in pink peppercorn and star
34:54anise, with a little tangy spicy tamarind chutney, and you can split lemon chilli butter with the green goddess dressing
35:01that has a hit of sake in it.
35:06This is a very refined, fine dining plate of food. It's a very beautiful thing to look at.
35:15Those prawns, they're beautifully cooked, beautifully seasoned, and I would have really killed for just a huge bowl of those.
35:22I quite liked his fruit, but the problem comes from the sake sauce, which is so harsh, so acidic. I
35:28mean, it literally gets you at the back of the throat.
35:31Without the sake sauce, the rest of it is very nice. You know, he cooks well, he's got a refined
35:35touch.
35:35It's fresh, it's very distinctive. There's some good technique here.
35:41The prawns, they're not chewy, they're just soft and delicious and sweet.
35:45The tamarind chutney, the pear, the peach, I thought it would be too much fruit, but there's enough flavour coming
35:50from the butter and the herbs.
35:51It's a lovely balanced dish.
35:53There's a lot of strong seasonings on here from the lime chilli that's wrapped around those prawns, but the sweetness
35:59of the fruit is balancing the sharpness.
36:01It's a very clever dish.
36:05Come on.
36:06Dan and Jay's main is apricot, pistachio and mint stuffed chicken thighs.
36:11I'll be curious where he's left the skin on.
36:13After that, it's making sure they're properly boned out and cooked in a way that makes them sort of toothsome.
36:19Dan and Jay, you've still got two minutes to go, which is great, and you've started plating.
36:23Yes, Chef.
36:24Are you happy with the cooking of the chicken? About to find out.
36:27Yes, Chef.
36:29Chef, could I please know the time?
36:30You've got about a minute.
36:31Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui.
36:33You don't want to be late on your second dish as well.
36:35Yes, Chef.
36:36Crispy olive and caper tapenade and then the makhani sauce.
36:42Let's go.
36:43I do hope the makhani sauce has a butteriness and a creaminess and a heft.
36:47You're three minutes over.
36:48Come on, come on, come on.
36:50Right. Off you go. Good luck.
36:56Today we have chicken thigh ballatine stuffed with apricots, pistachios and mint, or salsa verde,
37:02with a makhani gravy, which is a creamy tomato-based gravy, along with a tapenade of olives and capers.
37:10Please enjoy. Thank you.
37:11Thank you. My pleasure.
37:16There's parts of this dish that I really enjoy. The salsa verde has real punch and chilli in it. The
37:21tapenade is kind of there.
37:23There's power in the makhani sauce. There's heat in that. He's able to produce a very vibrant, colourful plate of
37:29food.
37:30He's very clearly a really, really good cook.
37:33There are lots of really lovely flavours in here, particularly the apricots, the sweet nuttiness coming through.
37:38But a central thing, which is that piece of chicken, just looked a bit pale and unattractive.
37:45Could do with just a little more searing, because some of the skin is chewy and fatty in parts.
37:49I hope theirs is better cooked than ours.
37:51I love the heat of that sauce. It's absolutely fabulous.
37:54I like the capers that he deep-fried on top and the olives. But again, he was running out of
37:58time.
37:58You know, the two fabulous dishes, but both of them were late.
38:03So I am pretty famished at this moment. That was excruciatingly difficult to pull off.
38:09Definitely like the same kind of intensity of a Saturday night service.
38:14Oy, oy, oy.
38:17For her starter, Gemma is giving us a roasted carrot salmerejo, parsnip fondant, coriander and pumpkin seed pesto,
38:24crispy carrot skins, cumin seed oil.
38:26I always respect chefs that cook something plant-based.
38:31One of the key things with cold soups is the seasoning has got to be really robust.
38:36That's almost where the heat comes from.
38:39Gemma, we've got two minutes left to go.
38:41It's going fine.
38:43Yeah.
38:46You should hear my heartbeat.
38:48Pounding.
38:49Yes, like...
38:50Now I'm putting my little fondant.
38:54I love a roasted parsnip.
38:56Never seen it presented as a fondant.
38:59How you do that without stewing it for hours.
39:02But we remain to be proved wrong and have our eyes widened.
39:06That's it.
39:07You ready?
39:09I'm ready.
39:09Look them in the eye.
39:11Yes, always.
39:15This is roasted carrot salmerejo with coriander and pumpkin seed pesto, parsnip fondant,
39:21crispy carrot skin and cumin oil.
39:24Enjoy your food.
39:25Buon appetito.
39:27Well, I think this just looks absolutely gorgeous.
39:30I love the deep caramelisation she's got on those crisp carrots.
39:35And I'm glad she's put it all together in a plate that looks really enticing.
39:40The salmerejo, which is meant to be a roasted carrot soup, is more of a puree.
39:45But there's lots of grace notes here.
39:46You've got cumin seed and the pesto.
39:48You've got pumpkin oil around the side, which just emphasises the colour.
39:52The skill of this kind of plant-based cooking is to make every single element taste as much of itself
39:56as it possibly can.
39:57And I think she's done it.
39:58I like this very, very much.
40:00There's so much flavour there, so much cleverness.
40:04The crispness of those carrot strips.
40:06Yes, parsnip fondant is probably not what I would use as a descriptor for those nice little cubes of roasted
40:13parsnip,
40:13but they're delicious.
40:15I think it's a really subtle, beautifully detailed plate.
40:19I never came across salmerejo before, which I realise is an error, because I think this is a beautiful thing.
40:26I mean, really, it's a puree of carrot, which is how she's able to put all these things on top.
40:30But the autumnal colours completely deliver on that flavour.
40:34This is a new kind of soup, and that makes me very happy.
40:38I like the sweetness, I like the touch of sourness, I like the cumin, I like the herbs and the
40:43pesto.
40:43I love the parsnips. It's great, I have to say.
40:46I'm enjoying it.
40:50Gemma's main is haggis, neeps and tatties.
40:53Everything okay for the main course?
40:54The haggis right there.
40:56All right, you look like you're in control, keep it going.
40:58Yes. Well done.
40:59Thank you, chef.
41:01Your neeps.
41:02Yes.
41:04Now I have had very good vegetarian haggis. As long as it's seasoned, as long as it has the texture
41:09that you get from a conventional haggis.
41:12The haggis is very strong in spices.
41:14And then a whisky sauce. That's going to take a delicate hand. I'm not here to get drunk.
41:20Then I put the onions. Should look like a flower.
41:24A haggis flower.
41:26Happy?
41:27I'm happy.
41:28Off you go, Gemma.
41:29Could this be a new, glorious way of celebrating Burns Night? Who knows?
41:36Here you have portobello haggis nip puree with mashed potato, pickle nips, sweet and sour onion, and tatties scone with
41:45oat and whisky sauce.
41:46Wow.
41:47Thank you. Enjoy.
41:48Thank you, Gemma.
41:55I was a bit suspicious of the portobello mushroom haggis to kick off with, but no, it does taste as
42:00I remember haggis to taste.
42:02She's very good at a puree. We know that about Gemma. A puree, smooth and silky.
42:06The mashed potato is lovely. I love the tatties scones. It's not a light dish, but it's rather lovely.
42:11The texture of the haggis itself doesn't quite have that rubberiness that you get from haggis. It's more like a
42:17stuffing.
42:18But what she has absolutely nailed is the seasoning. It has that peppery spice that haggis has.
42:24And then the nips and tatties are clever, you know, with the pickling, and I love her little tatty cakes
42:28scones.
42:29It's not as good as the real thing, but it's pretty close.
42:32The whisky sauce, I'm kind of knocked over by this. I really, really enjoy it.
42:37It's bold, it's unexpected, and it's really, really impressive.
42:42The plant-based haggis here with the mushrooms and the oats running through it is absolutely beautiful.
42:46I'm very impressed. The whisky sauce, it works. And the fun tatty scones.
42:51I can finish this whole plate. It's really tasty. It's delicious.
42:56I think that from outside, I look more calm than what I am inside.
43:01Because inside I was rushing.
43:05And, you know, my heart beat so fast.
43:11Just under ten minutes, all right? Yes, Chef.
43:14Chris's starter is scallop, butter-roasted cabbage, XO sauce, and an oyster beurre blanc.
43:20This sounds simple, but a scallop, we want to be buttery and perfectly cooked.
43:26And then the XO really wakes up the taste buds.
43:32And the XO's on the bottom? Yes, Chef.
43:36What's left to be done?
43:37The scallops are roasting off. Once they've developed a nice colour, flip them.
43:42Are you almost there? Yes, Chef. Thirty seconds, Chef.
43:44So just beurre blanc with the oyster.
43:46Sauce and that's it.
43:48A beurre blanc with a scallop and some butter-roasted cabbage.
43:51Very straightforward combination.
43:53Because it's so straightforward, there's not really anywhere for him to hide.
43:58Right, Chris, your time's up.
44:03What I have for you today is butter-roasted scallop with an XO sauce, cabbage, and an oyster beurre blanc.
44:09Thank you. Thank you very much.
44:11Thank you, Chris. Thank you.
44:16He's cooked the scallop really well.
44:18I'm not getting powerful heat from the XO, but I think that's fine,
44:21because there's a sort of subtlety to it.
44:22It respects the key ingredient, which is that scallop.
44:25Well, I hesitate to disagree with you, William.
44:27When I read it on the menu, I thought, scallop, that's doing the heavy lifting for you.
44:30I don't think it's very well seasoned, and mine is a little overcooked.
44:33I'm looking at this beurre blanc and thinking, is that split?
44:37It needs to be just that little bit thicker, that little bit sharper,
44:40and if you call it an oyster beurre blanc, it better have a flavour of oyster, and it doesn't quite.
44:44The cabbage, we see it so often, a big wedge that's been grilled,
44:48and what Chris did really brilliantly was to break it down
44:52and get those almost petalled leaves and singe them,
44:55and they were full of flavour.
44:58The scallop just cooked.
45:00Love the cooking of the cabbage, but the XO sauce needs a bit more seasoning.
45:04It's not giving me the big punch I was hoping for.
45:06It's not over-complicated it.
45:08However, there's things that work together.
45:13How was that?
45:14Great, yeah.
45:15Well, one down, one more to go.
45:17Chris is doing steak and chips.
45:19Beef fillet, pomme allumette, romaine lettuce, black garlic puree, burger sauce.
45:25Conventional, normal, not crazy.
45:28Beef fillet is expensive, but it certainly should be rare.
45:33It needs to not be overcooked, and it needs to be rested.
45:37You've got five minutes left, okay?
45:39Come on.
45:41Pomme allumette, matchstick potato.
45:43Come on.
45:45I want those to be crisp.
45:50You happy with those, Chris?
45:52Maybe needed a touch more resting time.
45:58I'm really interested in the burger sauce.
46:01Some gherkins through it.
46:02I'm interested to see if he really goes through it with that.
46:05Off you go.
46:06Thank you, Chef.
46:13For your main, I've cooked you a fillet of beef with a burger sauce
46:16that has tomato ponzu with shallots and gherkins running through.
46:21On the side, romaine lettuce charred with an anchovy butter,
46:24pomme allumettes, and a black garlic emulsion.
46:27Thanks, Chris. Thank you.
46:30It was the thing I feared.
46:32Either it was going to be steak and chips, in which case, why bother?
46:35And it kind of is.
46:36Or it was going to be an innovative take on steak and chips.
46:39The innovative take is there aren't going to be any chips.
46:45Beef's beautifully cooked.
46:46Nicely seasoned.
46:47Bit of smoky salt on the top there.
46:48The lettuce.
46:49Nice idea of the parmesan over the top.
46:51It's a well-cooked plate of food.
46:52It just misses the wow factor for me.
46:54It's a dish that shows a chef that can deliver.
46:58However, is it enough to impress our critics?
47:02It was everything I was expecting and quite a lot less.
47:05He's seared some beef, but he's not made very good chips.
47:08Pom Alamed, because they're matchstick thin,
47:10are meant to be in heaps.
47:12They should be unending.
47:13I don't understand why he's decided to do this
47:16for this stage of this competition.
47:17I don't know why he'd promise us burger sauce
47:20and give us a kind of creamy gherkin and shallot.
47:23Nothing, really.
47:24The black garlic puree, it has that punch.
47:27I can see what he's doing with that grilled romaine lettuce.
47:30It's meant to be a little nod to a Caesar.
47:32It's kind of in this weird halfway steakhouse
47:35where he's tried to do bits of traditional simple cooking,
47:39but then he's got these really strange, unusual flourishes.
47:43I like the anchovy butter.
47:45He's rested the beef well.
47:47Didn't have a problem with the pomme allumette.
47:49He quite clearly can cook,
47:51but there's no theatrics or wit on this dish.
47:53No, none at all.
48:01I was horrible afterwards because you think,
48:03oh, did I do that right? Did I do that right?
48:04What do they think?
48:06There's not much I would do differently.
48:10And if it's not good enough today,
48:11then back to the restaurant and keep working.
48:17Mark's first dish is John Dory chop,
48:19Jersey Royals, pickled mussels,
48:21grilled asparagus, pomme allumette,
48:24and charcuterie sauce.
48:27He's got to cook that fish well.
48:29I'm just taking these off to rest.
48:31I'm going to test their temperature.
48:32If they need a minute or two in the oven,
48:33then they can have a minute or two in the oven.
48:35How are you feeling?
48:36Getting there, chef.
48:39I love the way you're working.
48:41He's also got to be a master at cooking a very classic French sauce.
48:45Shaky hands.
48:46It's the pressure, chef.
48:48You done?
48:48Yes.
48:50All right.
48:50All right.
48:54So today I've cooked for you a John Dory chop
48:57with lemon rosette, Jersey Royals, asparagus, pickled mussels,
49:01pomme allumette, and then a sauce charcuterie.
49:03Hope you enjoy.
49:04Brilliant. Thank you.
49:07Not the prettiest or the fanciest, but very inviting.
49:13There's some really unusual technique
49:16how Mark has prepped that John Dory chop
49:19and scraped the bone back, and it's really distinctive.
49:22I think this is magnificent.
49:23The only issue I have is that the pickled mussels
49:26are a little cold inside, but I like them.
49:28Could I put a little bit more salt on the potatoes? Maybe.
49:31But otherwise, the fish cookery is really, really good.
49:35If somebody said,
49:36where can I go for some really good fish cookery?
49:38I'd say, go to Mark's place.
49:39I think it's marvellous. I really do.
49:41All of the accompanying vegetables are just so beautifully cooked.
49:44Still a bit of al dente bite to the asparagus.
49:47Jersey Royals, absolutely on point.
49:49The sauce itself, this charcuterie,
49:52is bringing the whole thing together.
49:54And actually, as someone who may not automatically choose the fish course,
49:57this is a fish dish that literally drags the meat-eater to it.
50:02The fish on the bone, the way he's done it, like a cutlet, beautifully cooked.
50:06I like pickled mussels. The potatoes are nice,
50:09but this is where he needs to be refining the portion control.
50:13Surf and turf. The surf is the mussels, the fish.
50:16When it comes down to turf, the meaty element of it
50:19is supposed to be in the sauce.
50:20But I'm not getting that big, meaty flavour
50:21that I was expecting in a surf and turf.
50:23So for me, it's more surf than turf.
50:28Have you got a lot left to do for your pudding?
50:30No, just bringing things together now, I think.
50:32All right. We'll let you get on with it.
50:33Yes, chef.
50:34Very into Mark's pudding, the idea of a baked Alaska.
50:39White chocolate parfait has to be dense and creamy.
50:43Ginger has to come through the poached rhubarb.
50:46Trust Mark to bring flames in somewhere in his cooking, all right?
50:51All right, Mark, we've got two minutes.
50:54Yes.
50:55What's left to do?
50:56Just need to pipe my Italian meringue.
50:59Italian meringue? Well, you've got to get it nice and fluffy.
51:05Looking good. Happy with that?
51:07Yeah.
51:08Mark deserves top Marks for doing a dessert.
51:10These are professional chefs, and they run away from pastry in any way.
51:13This actually takes a lot of pastry work, a lot of knowledge.
51:16But when you say, I'm going to do a baked Alaska,
51:19this is one of the kind of grand puddings.
51:22It needs to be proud and rude and needs to kind of tickle our sweet fancies.
51:30Thank you very much.
51:32So here we've got a rosemary and rhubarb baked Alaska, white chocolate parfait,
51:36poached rhubarb, a rosemary sable and torched Italian meringue.
51:39So it's sort of a stacked baked Alaska.
51:42A little bit of a stacked baked Alaska, yeah.
51:48I think it looks quite pretty.
51:53Mark's second dish, I practically want to pick up and just pour directly into my mouth.
51:59It is an absolute triumph.
52:02Like the meringue is gorgeous, toasty nuttiness, there's a kind of scent that draws you in.
52:07And that cold rhubarb at the bottom, really sour, lovely contrast.
52:11What a brilliant pudding.
52:13This is lovely, and it would be even lovelier if we'd had another two hours.
52:16The parfait was meant to be frozen because he called it baked Alaska.
52:19It hasn't been, but the biscuits are terrific and the meringue is fantastic.
52:24It's dessert as dessert should be.
52:27I'm not getting any semblance of rosemary with the sable,
52:30and it would have been nice to have that kind of herby, spicy element.
52:33But it's a very nice way to end on a big, thumping winner of a pud.
52:41I've got frozen rhubarb in the middle.
52:43Parfaits is like a frozen ice cream.
52:45Works very well for a dessert like this.
52:48There's a lot of meringue, which is very sweet, especially of the white chocolate parfait.
52:52However, the parfait itself, rhubarb, ginger, white chocolate, there's some great things here.
53:01I went out, I did the best I could.
53:03I put everything that I aimed to put on the plates.
53:06Time was really, really tight, so definitely didn't get a chance to check as many things as I would have
53:11liked.
53:13I just don't know if it's going to be enough.
53:17Tough day. Our chefs do feel the pressure from our critics.
53:20It wasn't perfect, but it was still good cookery on show today.
53:25Aisha!
53:26It's such an intense thing to go through.
53:28Dieting as hell.
53:29Everything is boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
53:31Mamma mia.
53:33We only have three places in Knockout Week.
53:35That means one of them is leaving.
53:40I find Gemma's food and the flavours she's getting in her plant-based cooking really exciting.
53:44Her take on the haggis was absolutely brilliant.
53:47Reinventing something that Scotland is so well-known for.
53:49I thought she did a great job.
53:50We loved her food.
53:51The critics loved Gemma's food.
53:53I think she deserves to go through to Knockout Week.
53:56Dan and Jay looked very stressed today.
53:58You could really feel the weight of the critics on his shoulders.
54:02I thought he delivered great-tasting food.
54:04The cooking of the prawns was very lightly done.
54:05Dan and Jay's main course was fabulous.
54:08I felt he could have just rendered some of that chicken skin down,
54:10but the sauce, the spicy flavour of it was unbelievably delicious.
54:15Dan and Jay was without doubt over time on both of his dishes,
54:19but can we forgive him for that?
54:21Chris's starter was small, it was petite.
54:24The scallop, lovely charred cabbage around it, but strong flavours.
54:30Oyster sauce, exo sauce, where is it?
54:33The critics were underwhelmed by Chris's cooking today.
54:36Chris's main course, beef with some chips on the side.
54:39Beef was cooked nicely.
54:41The lettuce with the parmesan, that was also equally delicious.
54:44And then, of course, you've got the black garlic, a little puree.
54:46And then the chips, I just felt, from Chris's two courses,
54:50nothing really shone out from either plate.
54:54Mark's main course, when I heard surf and turf,
54:56I get the fish element, but where's the meat?
54:58That, for me, just didn't carry through in the sauce as much as I thought it should.
55:02But I felt Mark's fish was absolutely incredible.
55:05Mark's dessert was a take on a baked Alaska.
55:07Did enjoy the flavours of white chocolate, rhubarb, ginger,
55:10things that work so well together.
55:12But there were a couple of issues here on that dessert.
55:17We've got three great chefs here.
55:18We've got skills, we've got flair.
55:20But which ones have got what it takes to go forward in this competition?
55:26The bar is quite high. You've got to be perfect.
55:29I'm just hoping that I've delivered and the dish speaks for itself.
55:34The whole thing just really inspired me.
55:36I'm really enjoying this journey and everything that I'm learning, I hope it continues.
55:40To get into Knockout Week and all the chefs who are in the final 12 would be huge.
55:44A real dream come true.
55:54It's never easy cooking for some of the biggest food critics in the country.
55:58You're under huge amounts of pressure and you all performed.
56:03But, as you know, we can only take our strongest chefs through to Knockout Week.
56:09One of you is going to be leaving us.
56:14The chef leaving the competition is...
56:20Chris.
56:22Keep on going. Don't stop. Don't give up the dream.
56:25Thank you, chefs. Thank you, Chris.
56:27Well done, mate.
56:27Congrats. Well done.
56:29I've got everything I had hoped to get out of this competition.
56:32It's disappointing that it ends so soon, but I can say wholeheartedly that I gave it everything that I had.
56:37I've enjoyed this so much. This reminded me of why I cook.
56:42Congratulations. You are through to Knockout Week.
56:45Well done.
56:46Incredibly proud of what I've done today.
56:48Definitely not going to waste this opportunity.
56:51It's a dream.
56:53For me, the goal was to arrive here and to cook for the food critics.
56:56Yeah.
56:57It happened and I passed.
56:58So to be in the last 12 is like, what?
57:02Boy.
57:03Right now, my emotions, they're processing.
57:05Oh, my God.
57:06Enjoy the moment.
57:07Obviously, the goal is always to win, but yeah, one step at a time, I think.
57:13Next time, four new hopefuls fight for their place in the quarterfinal.
57:21Come on.
57:22Try to ignore us.
57:25Having a little snack, are we?
57:27Come on, steady hands, steady hands, come on.
57:30I really, really like that.
57:32Yeah, that's spot on.
57:33I think it's delicious.
57:34In every way.
57:51You are right.
58:05How begin?
58:06How Brexit.
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