- 15 minutes ago
MasterChef Season 22 Episode 11
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00:00Each week, 12 extraordinary amateur talents
00:04I think I'm struggling.
00:06battle for a place in the quarter-final.
00:08There's something quite Dracula about this dish.
00:12But only the best can earn their passport
00:15to the ultimate cookery showdown.
00:19The hundred guests are here.
00:22Keep going faster.
00:23If this has been cooked by an amateur,
00:25we all need to watch out.
00:27Who's got the vision, the perseverance,
00:30and the creativity to rise to the top?
00:33Let's find some future stars.
00:41It's the last of the heats,
00:43and these passionate home cooks
00:45all think they've got what it takes
00:46to become the next MasterChef champion.
00:49But at the end of today,
00:50only three will make it through
00:52to this week's quarter-final.
00:54I feel a bizarre mixture of really excited
00:58and absolutely terrified.
01:01As long as I remember all the dishes
01:03that I'm making today
01:04and I've got it in my head,
01:05then things should go to plan.
01:07It might look like I'm calm at the moment,
01:10but actually, under the surface,
01:12I am absolutely terrified.
01:19Welcome, contestants.
01:22This is our final heat.
01:25Let's hope you've all saved the best till last.
01:29We would like you to prepare your signature dish.
01:33This dish should tell us all about you.
01:36At the end of this, the two best dishes
01:40will win those cooks a MasterChef apron.
01:44The rest of you will cook again.
01:48You've an hour and 30 minutes.
01:50Start cooking.
01:55What an upgrade to my kitchen.
01:57There's more than one saucepan.
02:00I'm feeling all right.
02:01Excited?
02:02My chefs wear a lot of those aprons.
02:04Oh, really?
02:05I had to buy this one,
02:06alternatively, last minute,
02:07because all the ones at home I have
02:08have rude words on.
02:1031-year-old Londoner Jack studied art at university
02:14and credits his food influences to both his Scottish mother
02:17and Sri Lankan grandfather.
02:19When he's not managing his local pub,
02:21he loves cooking for friends and family.
02:24I'm really excited to meet, like, Anna and Grace.
02:27I honestly would be the chairman of the Great Step Fan Club.
02:31I'm going to blame my red cheeks on, like,
02:33the heat of the stove.
02:36I'm making mussels, escobache,
02:38German potatoes in, like, butter,
02:40lardons, onions, and then a minute puree puree,
02:44something fresh.
02:45Mussel escobache.
02:46So you've cooked the mussels,
02:47you've created a kind of light type of vinegar or pickle,
02:50and then you're going to let them soak.
02:51Yeah, so they get as much flavour in them as possible.
02:54Sounds good.
02:55And what is the inspiration behind this dish?
02:57Spending a lot of time in Spain, like, growing up.
03:00So, like, lover of tin fish.
03:01And then I have a best friend who's German,
03:04and we just always eat these potatoes.
03:05They're, like, kind of like a comfort snack thing.
03:07Trying to bring those two things together.
03:11Jack is doing a mussel escobache.
03:14An escobache is a fragrant type of pickle.
03:18If it is too tart, it will dominate
03:20the elegant sweetness of a mussel.
03:23The pickled mussel with this rich potato,
03:26I think there should be a good contrast going on there.
03:29I don't want them to be, like, crisps,
03:31so I want them to still, like, you know,
03:32have, like, a nice potato, you know?
03:36Come on.
03:38Cheshire-based Frankie cooks dishes from all over the world
03:41after travelling extensively.
03:43She recently moved into the civil service
03:45after years spent as a maths and chemistry teacher.
03:49When I cook, I like to be really experimental,
03:51which is just like you are in the lab a little bit.
03:53And just like in the lab, it can go really, really well,
03:56or it can go really, really wrong.
04:00So I'm making a Japanese platter of katsu prawn nigiri,
04:04salmon and asparagus maki,
04:06and then a spicy togarashi gunkan.
04:08Maki!
04:09That sounds amazing!
04:11Maki, nigiri, gunkan.
04:13Explain these terms.
04:15So maki is very similar to a normal sushi roll.
04:17Nigiri is essentially some sort of protein
04:20on top of a little bit of rice.
04:21And then gunkan, sort of like a little seaweed parcel
04:24with the rice inside and the filling on top.
04:27Frankie, you could have just come in here and made us a pie.
04:30Don't make life easy for yourself, do you?
04:32No, I figured, go hard or go home.
04:33Love it.
04:34Good luck. Thank you.
04:38The key element of really good sushi is your rice.
04:42It is all about perfect timing, perfect seasoning,
04:46perfect temperature.
04:49It's not as sticky as I'd like.
04:52Overcooked rice will not win her an apron.
04:54Katsu prawn nigiri.
04:56I want a plump, breaded, well-cooked prawn
05:00on a bed of sticky rice.
05:03Togorashi spiced crab wrapped in seaweed
05:06should have great flavours of sesame seed, ginger,
05:09a little bit of orange peel in there and a good kick of heat.
05:12Oh, my goodness.
05:13She's also going to make a maki.
05:15The rice will be on the outside
05:17and the salmon filling will be in the centre.
05:19Good.
05:20If Frankie can manage this,
05:21I am really impressed with the risicle.
05:25That's 25 minutes gone already.
05:3170-year-old John has been cooking for over 50 years
05:35after first learning from his mother,
05:36who was a cook at the local school.
05:38He retired as a head teacher 12 years ago
05:41and spends time in the kitchen as a hobby at home in Liverpool.
05:44I had quite a serious illness last year
05:47and those kinds of things make you take stock of things
05:51and go, you know, what challenges could I go for still?
05:55So I thought, this is one, go for it.
05:59Who's your biggest fan?
06:00Who loves your food?
06:01My missus, Yvonne, my wife.
06:03How long have you been married for?
06:0430, eight years.
06:06I wooed her with my cooking, you know.
06:08Stuffed lamb's hearts, I cook for her.
06:10Does this mean we're going to fall in love with you
06:12once we eat your...?
06:13Don't look at him, honestly.
06:14It's powerful.
06:16What's cooking?
06:17Pork and sage tart.
06:19Heritage beetroot.
06:21Some caramelised apples.
06:22Though I just thought, yeah, it fits together nicely.
06:27It feels like a sausage roll with aspirations of grandeur.
06:32We're looking for a nice, thin pastry crust.
06:36He's then going to cook all of his mince with onions and garlic.
06:39It needs to be really melting them out, tender.
06:46How cool is this?
06:4850-year-old Stuart is from Birmingham
06:51and works for the NHS, where he met his wife.
06:54After rediscovering his passion for cooking five years ago,
06:57he loves to combine his Jamaican heritage with classical techniques.
07:01I want to get the judges to understand my style of cooking,
07:06what my tastes are and what my inspirations are,
07:09but also see the potential.
07:14So, my signature dish is Jamaican brown stew chicken,
07:18served with sweet potato puree and steamy.
07:21One of the recipes that my granny used to make.
07:24My memory is that any time I'm cooking,
07:26it's always of her and the things she used to do.
07:28I've just tried to make it a bit more modern.
07:33Stuart's dish is inspired by a traditional Jamaican chicken brown stew,
07:37which is like onions, garlic, allspice, peppers, tomato,
07:41but he's going to serve it as a chicken breast and a sauce.
07:47Chicken breast, it can dry out so quickly.
07:50That is a worry.
07:52Stuart's going to make a really fiery hot pepper sauce.
07:55He's going to add lots of red chilli and scotch bonnets to it,
07:58some vinegar, reduce that down and then puree it.
08:02I am expecting fireworks here.
08:10Okay, guys, you're halfway through.
08:13It's fine, don't worry.
08:17Healthcare professional Jade grew up in Singapore,
08:20where her father owned a Hawker Market stall.
08:22She dreams of opening her own supper club or restaurant
08:25delivering the food she grew up with.
08:28In Singapore, when you meet someone,
08:31you don't say, how are you?
08:33You say, have you eaten?
08:35And that's what food is to me, love, concern.
08:41Okay, today I'm making for you
08:43raised pork belly with mushroom,
08:46wrapped up in a homemade fluffy bun.
08:48Ooh, sounds lovely.
08:50This is my mother's recipe.
08:52She's been cooking this for me, for us, since we were little.
08:55What was food like growing up in Singapore?
08:57Oh, simple rice noodles, spicy chicken
09:01or a nice beef rendang.
09:04Do you have all these in your repertoire?
09:06Yeah, so you need to keep me in.
09:08Interesting.
09:09Interesting.
09:12Balbuns are like little white fluffy plads,
09:16packed full of all this gorgeous scented meat.
09:19She's braising that pork in a pressure cooker.
09:22She's got five spices and shouts and vinegar and soy.
09:25I'm hoping that that pork belly is beautifully cooked,
09:28soft and gelatinous.
09:30This is going to be something special, I hope.
09:37Languages teacher Sutia grew up in Buckinghamshire.
09:40She now lives in London with her partner Ben.
09:42With both Gujarati and Cambodian heritage,
09:45she's been surrounded by the flavours of Asia her whole life.
09:48My sister gave me advice to cook something that I'd want to cook
09:52for my friends and family.
09:54So I thought, you know, Anna and Grace,
09:56they can be my new friends.
09:59So today I'm making a char-grilled paneer and cauliflower,
10:04cumin rice with dal makhani, pineapple chutney
10:07and a tomato salad.
10:10Sutia, I can tell a serious cook when they have trust issues
10:13about the spices that we're going to give you
10:15and they come armed with their own spices.
10:18No pressure there.
10:20Sutia is going to marinate her paneer and her cauliflower
10:25in yoghurt and lots of spices.
10:27She's then going to char-grill them.
10:29It's not sticking yet.
10:31She needs to make sure she's got the texture of a grilled cheese,
10:35but with the softness of the paneer inside
10:37and burned cauliflower will dominate that entire dish.
10:42Sutia is also making a dal makhani, lentils stewed
10:48in lots of cream and tomato and spices
10:51and then cumin rice and a tomato and cucumber salad.
10:56A dish like this would take somebody an entire day to make
11:00and she's got to do it all in an hour and a half.
11:03OK, guys, you've got five minutes left.
11:05I want to see you plating.
11:09Not overly confident with it.
11:11Maybe just slightly undercooked.
11:16It should be OK.
11:17It tastes all right.
11:18So that's the main thing, isn't it?
11:2160 seconds left.
11:23Final touches.
11:27Oh, God, come on.
11:31OK, that's it.
11:36Time's up.
11:39Jack, come on up.
11:41Pub manager Jack's signature dish is mussels in an escabash pickle
11:46served with German-style potatoes with bacon and onions
11:49and a pea puree.
11:54Jack, I love your mussels with the escabash.
11:57They are plump and they've got a great acidity to them.
11:59Your potatoes are crispy, very nicely cooked.
12:02Your lardons were a very clever addition.
12:06Pea puree.
12:07Looks the part.
12:08Great consistency.
12:09Overall, good round.
12:11Jack, you can return.
12:12Thank you so much.
12:14Cooking in the MasterChef kitchen for the first time is...
12:17It's a lot, isn't it?
12:19That's all.
12:21I am happy overall.
12:22You're just apprehensive because I, you know...
12:25Yeah, who knows?
12:27Civil servant Frankie has made a Japanese tasting plate.
12:31Tempura prawn on sushi rice,
12:34prawn, salmon and asparagus maki roll,
12:37spicy togarashi crab gunkan,
12:39a seaweed and rice parcel
12:40and a soy dipping sauce.
12:47Your gunkan, there's a lovely sweetness off the crab
12:50and the wasabi is also in there as well.
12:52Your prawn is very crispy,
12:54but your rice is loose.
12:57So, as a result, I couldn't pick it up.
13:00It's clear to me that your rice hasn't behaved as it's meant to,
13:02but your salmon sushi roll, I mean, that is a delight.
13:06Just beautifully, pungently fishy.
13:08A little flavour bomb.
13:10Good effort.
13:15I feel very frustrated that my rice didn't work out
13:18because this is something I make, like, once a fortnight,
13:21absolute minimum,
13:22and it always works at home.
13:26John, come on up.
13:28Retired headteacher John has made a pork mince and sage tart
13:32served with heritage beetroot, sugared apples
13:35and a toasted hazelnut crumb.
13:43The tart itself, I think a pastry's great,
13:46but I think in the book I needed much more of the sage
13:49and other seasonings just to make it sing.
13:52And then we have the beetroot
13:53and then a pile of very sweet apple segments.
13:57I'm not sure they have a place on this plate.
14:00You've been very generous with the portions you've given us,
14:03really tried to work on your presentation,
14:05but I think if you took those apples and that beetroot
14:09and you chopped them up and you put them through that pie,
14:12it would be a game-changer.
14:14OK.
14:14Because you have classic ingredients that just elevate pork.
14:20A few little tweaks and you've got a good disher.
14:25Feeling a bit disappointed
14:27because it wasn't quite the response that I was hoping for,
14:30but it was back on it, so it was, yeah,
14:32it was a good learning experience.
14:36IT manager Stuart's signature dish
14:39is a deconstructed Jamaican brown stew.
14:42Chicken breast with an all-spice and Scotch bonnet brown stew sauce,
14:47sweet potato puree, poached yam
14:51and a Scotch bonnet chilli sauce.
14:58You struggled with the cooking of your chicken breast.
15:00As a result, the outside is overcooked and the inside is a little undercooked.
15:04But I quite like the sauce.
15:06There is, like, onions and garlic and all-spice and tomato in there.
15:09It's got a nice kind of balance of what you want,
15:12a meaty stew to taste of.
15:14Love your sweet potato.
15:15It's creamy and delightful.
15:18I think your Scotch bonnet is fantastic,
15:20but your yam has had so long that it's become mashed.
15:26You definitely had issues, but there are some good bits on this plate.
15:29Thank you very much.
15:31Well done, that's true.
15:33The cooking of the chicken will impact on the chance of me going forward,
15:38but I'm still feeling mildly positive.
15:42Satya?
15:45Languages teacher Satya has made char-grilled paneer and cauliflower
15:49marinated in yoghurt, cumin, turmeric and garam masala,
15:53dal makhani, cumin rice, pineapple chutney and a tomato salad.
16:03My favourite part of it, beyond doubt, is your pineapple chutney.
16:07I like the black stickiness.
16:08It's really dramatic.
16:10But with the cauliflower and the paneer, a lot of it is burned.
16:14Yes.
16:15I think your dal has got great complexity and the curry leaves are such a beautiful flavour.
16:22But I think if you took a few elements off there, you would have been able to represent your cooking
16:27better.
16:31It had to be a signature dish and my signature is probably overfeeding people.
16:36So, so tough.
16:38Oh my God.
16:40Jade, come on up.
16:42Hello.
16:42Health care professional Jade has made bao buns filled with Chinese five spice braised pork belly and mushrooms.
16:51Cucumber and carrot pickle, an aromatic sauce made from the braising liquid, served with a fresh salad garnish.
17:04Jade, I'm really enjoying this.
17:07Your pork is beautiful.
17:08It's taken on the five spices in the rice wine.
17:11And that sauce is really outstanding.
17:15It's vinegary and sharp and it builds as you're eating it.
17:19You're going to make me cry Jade.
17:21You can't do that Jade.
17:27Food is so important in our lives.
17:29Your mother taught you how to cook.
17:31And I have no doubt that your mother would be very proud.
17:35Well done Jade.
17:37The recipe comes from my mum.
17:39And to be able to cook this dish and has it been praised by Anna and Grace, it's marvellous.
17:47So it's, it's happy emotion.
17:49Yeah.
17:52Guys, thank you so much.
17:55We ate very well.
17:57As you knew from the start, there were two aprons on offer and we've made our decision.
18:04Our first MasterChef apron goes to Jade.
18:11We love the pork.
18:13It's a great sauce.
18:13And our second MasterChef apron goes to...
18:22Jack.
18:26Jack, Jade, come and get your aprons.
18:35Well done guys.
18:39You too.
18:41Oh.
18:43I'm so happy I've got the apron and also I don't have to cook the end today.
18:46Did you give me a hug?
18:47Yeah.
18:49I'm so happy.
18:51I'm so, so happy.
18:52I'm so relieved.
18:53It's been a good start.
18:54I can't ask for more.
18:55We both look good.
18:56You look great.
18:59Okay, dust yourselves off.
19:02The good news is you have a chance to cook again.
19:06So this is the classic recipe test.
19:09We would like you to prepare gnocchi and Tuscan style sauce with sun blush tomatoes and spinach.
19:16In front of you, you have basic recipes.
19:20It doesn't have measurements and it doesn't have methods.
19:23So this is going to show us those who have cook's intuition.
19:30At the end of this, the two of you will be going home.
19:35In 45 minutes, start cooking.
19:40I've cooked gnocchi before.
19:42So happy with that.
19:45Gnocchi, pasta like dumplings made with flour, egg yolk and potato.
19:51I have made gnocchi using squash before.
19:53I'm hoping that I can keep a straight head and get it done.
19:57So the first job is mash that potato, but it needs to be very smooth.
20:02No lumps in these gnocchi.
20:03Harder than it looks, isn't it?
20:06You've got the potato in there.
20:08Have you added flour yet?
20:09Not yet, just about to do that.
20:11What does it feel like to come back in and cook again after your feedback?
20:14It's good that you've limited me to the number of ingredients this time.
20:17So I can't overfeed you.
20:20As they add the egg yolk and the flour, it'll start to kind of form a dough.
20:25I feel like anyone Italian is going to hate me for adding water to this dough.
20:28Too much flour will make them kind of dry and tough.
20:31Too little flour will make them soft so they won't actually hold the beautiful shape of gnocchi.
20:37Add my herbs.
20:38It's just slightly damp, but it should be okay once I've got some semolina.
20:43Once they have the right dough consistency, they need to roll them out.
20:47That's going to work, I think.
20:49And then cut them into identical sizes before they're going to use the gnocchi paddles,
20:53which leaves these lines inside the gnocchi, which is brilliant for catching the sauce.
20:58That's a big one.
21:00When they go to cook them, it needs to be just a simmering pot of water.
21:04The gnocchi fall to the bottom and then as they float to the top, that means that they're cooked.
21:09I think I should have put a bit more flour in.
21:12It feels...
21:14There we go.
21:15Well, making gnocchi is a novel experience for me, so...
21:18What is good gnocchi, do you think?
21:20Tasty, a bit fluffy, well-seasoned.
21:23Ah, so you were listening in the first round.
21:25I was listening, I was listening.
21:27You worked as a music teacher for a long time. Do you still play?
21:30I play bass in a soul band.
21:32Okay, so you've got to get everybody up on the dance floor.
21:34What are we playing?
21:35Young Hearts.
21:36Young Hearts Run Free by Candy Stanton.
21:38Correct, Candy Stanton, yeah. Would you be up for that?
21:40Absolutely.
21:41A nice one.
21:42John has made gnocchi before, but we've seen that John knows how to make pastry dough.
21:48And part of the instincts of a cook understands when you need to make something have a certain type of
21:54texture.
21:56That's 25 minutes remaining.
21:59Crikey, okay.
22:00I can see gnocchi, but no sauces so far.
22:07A Tuscan sauce is essentially cream, sun-dried tomato and spinach, but there's more to it than that.
22:13Don't give me cry.
22:15I've cooked off the shallots with some garlic, added some dried herbs, deglazed with a bit of white wine.
22:21I mean, that alcohol needs to be cooked off before they add in their stock, and their stock needs to
22:28be reduced down to increase the depth of flavour.
22:32It's simmering down nicely. It's tasting good to me.
22:36Hopefully it tastes nice.
22:38Now I'm ready to add some cream and the spinach as well.
22:43Tuscan sauce, what does that mean to you?
22:45I've not been to Tuscany, but to me that means kind of like that tomato-y flavour. I love tomatoes.
22:50My socks have got tomatoes on today, so I'm hoping that that gives me good luck with the Tuscans.
22:55I haven't made a pan cratato before, but I think it makes sense to me. I can sort of picture
22:59it.
22:59To oil a lot, to oil.
23:01Pan cratato essentially is posh breadcrumbs. They need to be golden brown. We don't want any burnt bits here.
23:09Crunchy. Yeah, nice and crunchy.
23:11We want the good bits.
23:14Then add freshly chopped parsley and lemon zest, and this gives a real invigorating freshness.
23:21What's the flower?
23:22Pan cratato, something you make all the time?
23:24I've probably eaten it, but I haven't made it.
23:27We're in Birmingham. I believe you're a local lad.
23:30One of my first jobs was down the road from here. I've ended up in the NHS.
23:34Is that where you met your wife?
23:36It is, actually. My eldest daughter, she's a care group manager, and the youngest daughter is just going to uni
23:42to do medicine.
23:43It's a family affair.
23:44Well, this is it. There's a lot of job roles in the NHS, and we seem to have occupied all
23:49of them.
23:51I'm a bit concerned about stewed sauce. It doesn't have a lot of liquid in the pan, and it's reducing.
23:56By the time he goes to actually plate his gnocchi, I don't think he's going to have much thought.
24:01They then need to take the gnocchi out of the water and into a nice hot pan. We want to
24:05see good caramelisation.
24:07Three minutes left.
24:09I'm cutting it fine, but it's going to get done.
24:11The gnocchi, I'm happy with...
24:16I've added everything.
24:17Thirty seconds left.
24:19Finishing touches.
24:21Come on.
24:27Good ones on top.
24:32Okay, that's it. Time's up. Step away from your benches.
24:38I don't know what I can do.
24:40Oh, my goodness me.
24:42Contestants, bring up your dishes.
24:49John, you're up first.
24:58John, I quite like your gnocchi.
25:00They've got nice crisp edges, but your pan grittato is so lemony, in fact, that you've put pieces of lemon
25:06rind on the side, which would be lovely if we were all having a gin and tonic.
25:09But it's lended too much zest to the breadcrumbs.
25:13Your sauce is delicious.
25:14A great acidity that you need in a really good cream sauce.
25:19But we need to work on presentation.
25:22The presentation didn't really think that one through.
25:25But there was a lot of good work in there, so I hope they give me the chance to show
25:28a bit more.
25:30Satya, you're up next.
25:36I think your gnocchi look very, very pretty, seasoned nicely as well.
25:40But I think you're a little bit heavy-handed with the garnish inside your sauce.
25:45There is a lot of sun-blushed tomato and quite a lot of salt.
25:49And as for your pan grittato, the very moistness of the dish has made it all sink in.
25:56Yes, it maybe is a bit salty, but I like the boldness of it.
26:01I love eating gnocchi, but I don't have too much experience with making it,
26:04so that was definitely a challenge, especially in that time pressure.
26:10Frankie, let's taste yours.
26:19Your gnocchi is very nice, and you can see the kind of ridges and the lines on it.
26:24I like the flavour of the crunchy, caramelised pan grittato, with little small notes of lemon zest through there.
26:31I think your sauce is great.
26:34If that was in the fridge, I would eat that for breakfast in the morning.
26:37It's that kind of thing.
26:38Good.
26:39Yeah.
26:39It wouldn't be pretty to watch, but I would do it.
26:43Really happy, really pleased, quite over-emotional, because it's an intense time in there,
26:48but I've done the best that I absolutely can.
26:50Stuart, let's taste yours.
27:01There's some good flavours from your sauce. I'm getting the white wine, I'm getting the shallots, but quite big chunks
27:06of garlic in it.
27:08Are there vampires coming that we don't know about?
27:11No.
27:12The gnocchi themselves, though, I think they're really well-seasoned.
27:15I know that you've made them before, and I can imagine that your family are delighted by them.
27:21They're a bit disappointed. I've been cutting garlic, really, a week, so I'll take the positives away from it.
27:33The classic recipe test is difficult, but we got four pretty decent plates of food, but we are going to
27:40have to send two of them home.
27:42Anna, we have one cook right now who stood out in that round. That's Frankie.
27:48Yeah, I think Frankie did a very good job.
27:50I think she's got a lot more in the tank, and I'd be pleased to give her an open.
27:54This leaves us with a discussion about Jon Stewart and Suthier.
27:57Stewart, I liked his gnocchi, but he struggled with the other two main elements.
28:02I love garlic. I can eat it by the bucket load, but it really did overpower this dish.
28:08Suthier, I thought her gnocchi were quite nice, they had a good golden colour.
28:12Her sauce, for me, there must have been a full jar of sumblish tomatoes, and it was on the salty
28:17side.
28:18I quite like Jon's gnocchi dish.
28:20OK, we know the presentation wasn't great, but he made a creamy, silky, delicious sauce.
28:27I found Jon's pan grittato lemony.
28:30However, I liked his gnocchi, they had a beautiful colour on them.
28:34We have three cooks who all desperately want that apron, and we only have one to give.
28:39I would love the opportunity to keep getting this feedback, keep learning, so I hope that I can keep going.
28:46I've had such a good time today, and I would love to carry on and go a bit further in
28:50the competition.
28:52If I won an apron, it would validate my thoughts about my cooking, and also my friends and family who
28:58said I should enter MasterChef.
29:08Guys, thank you so much. You did a really fantastic job.
29:12I thought the two of you will be going home.
29:15Our first apron goes to...
29:20Frankie.
29:21Oh, my God.
29:24That's brilliant.
29:25Well done.
29:26The final apron goes to...
29:32Jon.
29:33Well done.
29:34Well done.
29:36Amazing.
29:37Stuart.
29:38Sit here.
29:40Thank you very much.
29:41Thanks so much. Good luck, guys.
29:43Rooting for you.
29:48Got into me going home.
29:50Just being in the MasterChef kitchen is a huge achievement for me, and it's something I can feel very proud
29:56of.
29:57It's been such a fun day.
30:00As a teacher, you're giving loads of feedback every day, so it's a good task to receive feedback, too.
30:06I've learnt a huge amount.
30:10Jon.
30:11Frankie.
30:12Come and get your aprons.
30:14Wow.
30:18You both deserve it.
30:19Come on.
30:21Well done.
30:23Such a relief.
30:24My wife will be absolutely delighted.
30:26She's got rid of me for another round, though, so I've got a bit of peace.
30:30Oh, it just feels incredible.
30:32I feel like I'm just getting started, and I absolutely can't wait to carry on.
30:47Guys, welcome back.
30:49You've worked so hard to win those aprons.
30:52It feels kind of cruel that we're going to turn up the heat and make you fight again to keep
30:57them.
30:58At the end of this, three of you will go through to the quarterfinal, and one of you, well, you'll
31:06be going home.
31:06For that reason, we've invited three very important guests.
31:10Previous finalists, Dean Edwards, and not one, but two MasterChef champions, Shalina Permaloo and Bryn Parathapan.
31:21You have an hour and 15 minutes.
31:24Show us why you deserve to stay in this competition.
31:27Start cooking.
31:32The dishes are well-practiced, but, you know, at home it's different, isn't it?
31:37I don't realise I'm chopping or giving myself.
31:40To have just, like, professional opinions on your food is amazing.
31:44It's validating in a way that, like, your mum can't really give you, so...
31:50For the starter, I'm making a longustine hoodie with samphire and egg noodle crisps.
31:57What exactly is a hoodie?
31:58A hoodie is, like, basically the curry. It's, like, the sauce.
32:01Normally, you would do it with, like, a hopper or rice, but because I'm doing it as a starter,
32:05I'm just trying to keep it quite, like, simple and light.
32:12The onions are making me cry.
32:13I love a Sri Lankan curry.
32:17Garlic, onion, ginger, two-and-rate chilli, the heads of the longustines, cinnamon.
32:22The langustines are a very delicate shellfish.
32:25When they're overcooked, they are tough and rubbery.
32:31Jack's second course is roasted scallops with a black pudding crumb,
32:36a miso mash and a cider bourbon.
32:38We do not want overcooked, rubbery scallops.
32:44Miso mash is delectable, but miso is a cruel mistress.
32:48It needs the lightest of touches.
32:56Getting the apron has lit up the fire in me.
32:59I want to show Anna and Grace my capability of Western cooking technique with Singapore Fairy Burbs.
33:09I'm making homemade pasta with laksa sauce and grilled king prawns.
33:14And for the second course, I'm making lemongrass-infused coconut panna cotta and a little bit of garnish to juice
33:23it up.
33:23Who was the first person you called to tell them that you got your MasterChef apron?
33:27My husband.
33:27I wouldn't have been able to practice if my husband hadn't been there to eat and to clear up.
33:34So he's the kitchen porter in the house?
33:35Yes, he does the washing up.
33:37And if it's too slow, I just say, I need that now.
33:42Laksa has this wonderful marriage of galangal, ginger, lemongrass, lime zest.
33:48And then Jade is choosing to make hand-rolled pasta instead of the traditional rice noodle that would go with
33:53it.
33:54That pasta needs to be beautifully rolled out.
33:57And it needs to complement that beautiful, delicate laksa sauce.
34:00I really hope that Jade has enough time to get that lemongrass flavour into a panna cotta.
34:06Jade needs to be very careful. Too much gelatine, it will be rock solid.
34:10But if it's too little, you might end up with soup.
34:15This experience is just an amazing opportunity for me.
34:20Who thought that at 70 years of age I would be entering competitions and challenging myself like this?
34:25And I'm just lapping it over.
34:28So John, what's on the menu today?
34:30So I'm poaching some fish to make a seafood gratin.
34:34And your second course?
34:35Sirloin steak with a red wine jus, potatoes and peas in ouzo, and then a roast onion.
34:42John, your presentation.
34:44Are we going to elevate it this time?
34:46Elegant, I think, was the word that you used.
34:48And I'm looking for elegance today.
34:51John is approaching his seafood gratin in quite a traditional way.
34:56He's going to poach all of his fish in milk and use that liquid as the base for his sauce.
35:03All of these different fish need different amounts of care and love.
35:07John's main course is going to do a roasted sirloin.
35:10We're expecting a nicely caramelised exterior and a lovely pink juicy centre.
35:16Now I've drank many shots of ouzo, often with a flaming coffee bean in it, but I've never had it
35:22with potatoes.
35:23I'm going to give it a bit more.
35:25Ouzo has those kind of aniseed flavours, so I'm looking forward to trying it.
35:28My wife, Yvonne, she said it was the best thing she'd ever tasted.
35:32I'm not sure whether that was true, but we'll see.
35:37Using a fish slice for dough.
35:40Eight plates of food in an hour and 15 minutes is bonkers.
35:43It's go hard or go home, isn't it?
35:45I am nervous about that.
35:47But if I can keep my head and keep to my plan, then everything might be okay.
35:53So I'm making a ribeye steak on some smoky asparagus with a chimichurri sauce and some sweet potato chipotle fries.
36:01And then for pudding, you've got an almond and rosemary tart filled with a sherry fig compote and manchego.
36:07The dessert is actually inspired by a tapas dish I had in Cornwall, so I just went home and tried
36:11to see how I could put it together as a food.
36:13Have you told people that you've got through to this round?
36:15I've told my husband and I've told my parents.
36:18What about your kids?
36:19No, they're too loose-lipped. They can't keep secrets.
36:22My son would just go into school and be like, guess what?
36:24And that'd be it.
36:26Frankie's a ribeye that has great marbling and fat through it.
36:29It's really important that it's fully cooked because you really want to eat that fat.
36:34The carrot top chimichurri.
36:37Carrot tops actually taste a bit like parsley.
36:39It's just a nice way to boil a bit of waste.
36:43It's got to be a perfect balance of sweet and acidic and has to elevate everything that it touches on
36:48a plate.
36:50For Frankie's second course, she's going to give us flavours of a cheese board and she's putting it in a
36:54tartlet.
36:55This is the manchego filling.
36:57The one question I have is, is it a cheese course or is it a dessert course?
37:02I've never had anything like this before. I love people who are inventive in this kitchen.
37:07Okay guys, ten minutes until the first course is served. Jack, how are you looking?
37:14Well, you're up first.
37:22MasterChef has changed my life completely. I used to be a vet two years ago. Now I just feel so
37:28at home in this new world of food.
37:31I do love experimentation, but not at the expense of it being a disaster. This round, it's just cook the
37:38food well and season it well.
37:41MasterChef, it can open up so many doors. I'm not saying I would do it again. It turned me grey
37:46almost overnight, but it can change your life and it will change someone's life.
37:50Cheers guys. Cheers. Cheers.
37:54Jack is making a langoustine hoodie with samphara and noodle crisp.
37:58Hoodie, which is quite a delicate coconutty curry sauce.
38:02It's the balancing of the spice with the sweetness of the langoustine.
38:07Jack, how are you looking? Almost there. It's tight.
38:11It's a real skill, cooking expensive ingredients like this.
38:15I hope the langoustines are cooked nicely.
38:18You mess it up, you've not only ruined the dish, you've cost yourself a lot of money as well. And
38:22I'm tight.
38:24Deep breath, you ready? Yeah.
38:26Go to the dining room. Go on Jack.
38:33Hello. Hello.
38:36Today, for your starter, you're having langoustine hoodie with samphara and a noodle crisp.
38:41I hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Thank you so much.
38:48Within the hoodie, you've got all the flavours you're looking for. Coconut, a bit of chilli.
38:53My langoustines are just slightly chalky, but that really is me nitpicking. I've really enjoyed that.
38:59The noodle crisp, it does actually add an extra element and dimension. Jack has definitely got potential.
39:08We've ended up with langoustine, which have had too long, but wow, he has really delivered on that sauce.
39:16One of the best things I've tasted in the entire competition.
39:20What? Jack, you have 15 minutes. What's left to be done?
39:2415 minutes, brown scallops, doing the crumb. I need to do a beurre blanc.
39:28Jack's mane is actually a little bit confusing for me.
39:31It's got a British influence with the scallops and the black pudding, an Asian influence with the miso mash.
39:36The potatoes were struggle, my mash was slightly lumpy.
39:39And then we've also got the French influence with the beurre blanc.
39:41It's not the colour that I would like it to be, but it tastes nice, I think.
39:44How is this all going to fit together in a way that it makes a delicious plate of food?
39:49Scollops, where are those little babies?
39:52Oh.
39:53Almost there.
39:55It's fancy.
39:56OK, done.
39:57Let's go.
40:00Hello again.
40:01Hello again.
40:05For your mane, you have a scallop with a miso mash, black pudding crumb and a chive beurre blanc.
40:12Thank you very much. Thank you.
40:14Cheers, Jack. Thank you.
40:16I'm massively relieved it's over.
40:18There's definitely things that I wish were better, but the time is not a lot and you really feel it.
40:24It feels like there are two Jacks.
40:26The Jack that made that starter was delicate, beautiful, layered, flavoured.
40:32And this mane is really confusing.
40:35The mash, there's lots of raw lumps of potato in there.
40:38It's almost a bit watery in flavour.
40:41It's missing quite a lot there.
40:43The scallops are OK.
40:44My favourite thing on this plate is probably the black pudding crumb.
40:47It does add a bit of crunch and a bit of texture.
40:54On the spoon, that sauce is very acidic, but actually in the dish it kind of brings it together.
40:59This isn't a disaster. There's room for improvement.
41:05Nice.
41:06Everything seems really in order. I think you just need to hurry up a bit.
41:09I know, I know.
41:10I am worried. It takes a long time to put together a lax of sauce with a real depth to
41:15it.
41:15Ooh, that smells good.
41:18There are a lot of elements here that need decent technique, and one of them is the cooking of king
41:23prawn.
41:24Prawns.
41:25For me, my prawns need to be lovely and juicy, but packed full of flavour.
41:31We can do this. Come on.
41:33OK, all right.
41:35Off you go.
41:37Thank you very much.
41:40Hello.
41:40Hello.
41:41That's a lovely happy face.
41:43I know.
41:44I smile a lot when I'm under stress.
41:49Today I'd make for you, laksa pasta with king prawns.
41:54Thank you so much.
41:55Enjoy.
41:56Can't wait.
42:02That homemade pasta is cooked perfectly.
42:05The flavour in that laksa, the lemongrass, the chilli, the kefir lime leaves are absolutely sublime.
42:12The prawns were cooked perfectly as well.
42:14It's a really, really great dish.
42:19This is everything I want from a laksa.
42:23It is zinging with ginger and lemongrass.
42:26There's an incredible punch of flavour going on here.
42:31Beautiful.
42:32Right.
42:33You've got 15 minutes.
42:34What's left to be done, Jade?
42:35I just need to unmould my panna cotta.
42:38Is it set?
42:38Yes, it will be set.
42:40I like your confidence.
42:41OK.
42:42A beautiful, wobbly panna cotta that is set perfectly is a difficult thing to do.
42:48Yes.
42:4930 seconds.
42:50Just lying there.
42:52I need mint.
42:53Right.
42:54Let's go.
42:54OK.
42:56Go on, Jade.
42:57Come on.
42:57Good luck.
42:58It's got a good wobble.
43:01Hello.
43:02Hello again.
43:03Ladies' vests.
43:05For dessert, I've made for you lemongrass-infused coconut panna cotta
43:11on a bit of mango puree with mango cubes.
43:15Hope you enjoy.
43:15Thank you very much.
43:20I know the pressure got to me.
43:22But I think when pressure gets to you, you just perform better.
43:26So I'm glad that I've finished what I set up to do.
43:33It's taking everything within my willpower not to knock back that entire bowl.
43:38The panna cotta is cooked perfectly.
43:40It's got that lovely wobble.
43:42It's silky smooth.
43:42That puree and the lime zest just adds that balance that we need.
43:47Every element is there for a reason.
43:48There's a confidence there that I admire so much.
43:52The mango puree is beautiful.
43:54Soft chunks of mango.
43:56I love the lime zest over the top.
43:58I would like to have had more lemongrass, but the truth is I'm not disappointed with all the other flavours
44:02in the dish.
44:04Right, John, you've got ten minutes to your first course.
44:07We'll see what I can do.
44:08That's the pillar.
44:09Smoked haddock, cod, salmon and prawn seafood gratin.
44:14All of these seafoods cook at different times.
44:18It's going to be a bit more.
44:19We could end up with some undercooked fish and some overcooked shellfish.
44:24The fish is just right, not overdone.
44:26I hope he gives me a little bit of texture.
44:28It should have a lovely crust that I crack through.
44:32How's the gratin?
44:33Could do with a little bit more under the grill, but I think it's silky.
44:36Right, let's go.
44:37OK.
44:40Hello. Hello.
44:41Hello, John.
44:41Hello, gentlemen and ladies.
44:43Thank you very much.
44:45I've cooked for you today a seafood gratin with prawns, cod, smoked haddock and salmon.
44:52Enjoy.
44:54Thank you very much.
44:54Thank you so much.
45:01Our major worry was we're going to have overcooked fish and undercooked fish all together.
45:05And actually, my prawns are still quite juicy.
45:09The cod is flaky.
45:11The salmon does sort of nut away a little bit.
45:13The sauce person is a little bit wishy-washy.
45:16That was under-seasoned for me.
45:18John is clearly a humble home cook, but I don't know whether or not this has been elevated enough for
45:23the MasterChef kitchen.
45:27The fish is nicely cooked.
45:30I'd like a little bit more of the fish flavour into the sauce.
45:34He's tried with the presentation, so he listened to us.
45:37I think this is a nice seafood gratin.
45:41How does that feel, John?
45:46Looking good.
45:47John's main.
45:48We are going to want to see the perfect caramelisation on the edge of the steak.
45:54It's just a little bit on the rare side.
45:56And then what it's served with is quite interesting.
45:59Potatoes and peas in ouzo.
46:01Ouzo has such a strong hand-seed flavour.
46:04It has a real danger for overpowering the whole dish.
46:07Yeah, that's okay.
46:09Look, your time's off.
46:10How are you feeling?
46:11Come on, John.
46:12Confident.
46:13Good man.
46:16Next course.
46:18I've got for you a sirloin steak with a red wine choux, potatoes and peas in ouzo, an onion that's
46:27been roasted.
46:29Enjoy.
46:32It feels like I've just done a marathon.
46:35If I'd have been cooking those dishes at home, I'd have probably taken twice as long.
46:43The steak is perfectly cooked, perfectly rested.
46:46That on its own, absolutely delicious.
46:49However, what I'm really struggling with are the potato and peas.
46:53The ouzo is far too strong for me.
46:55The red wine choux, you're almost drinking a glass of wine with your steak, but not in a good way.
47:01There were certain flavours that were never going to work, and I'm just not sure that this is a cohesive
47:06plate of food.
47:10I love the steak, but the onion is not as soft and meltingly wonderful as I would expect.
47:19OK, you've got five minutes left, Frankie, yeah.
47:23I'm actually quite excited by Frankie's main steak and chips, but with an Argentinian oomph.
47:29They feel good, but until I cut them open, I won't know.
47:32I love sweet potato chips when they're crispy.
47:35Why do things happen in here that never happen anywhere else?
47:38But my chips are never in a million years stuck together.
47:40I'm a little bit unsure how the asparagus is going to work on a dish.
47:44Frankie, I'm worried about your asparagus, it's burning.
47:46I know, I know.
47:47Is it the classic case of, oh, it needs a little bit of green, so I'll stick it on?
47:52Plate this and then go and...
47:53Is that me?
47:55Sorry!
47:56A fire alarm.
47:57I think that might have been your asparagus.
47:59We'll give you extra points if the fibre gave turn up.
48:03OK, right, Frankie, you really need to pick up the pace.
48:06Have you ever carved a steak so quickly?
48:08No, not at all.
48:08Right, no more time. Let's go.
48:13That was exhausting to watch.
48:16Hello.
48:19So, I have made for you ribeye steak, some smoky asparagus,
48:23a carrot-top chimichurri, some sweet potato fries with chipotle
48:27and some cayenne crispy shallots.
48:29Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
48:39The steak is cooked perfectly.
48:42I think the chimichurri is a revelation.
48:44I love the carrot tops, it brings a beautiful earthiness.
48:47Those sweet potato fries are perfect, absolutely cracking.
48:51Super crispy.
48:52In terms of the asparagus, mine was cooked perfectly.
48:55However, I can see yours tells a different story.
48:58It looks pretty charred from here.
49:02She made a cracking steak, she made an amazing chimichurri,
49:06she got her sweet potatoes so crisp, but in trying to do too much,
49:10she's made mistakes.
49:15All right, what have you got left to do?
49:16I just need to get those tarts in because they weren't cooking time.
49:20It's a waiting game now.
49:21Should have gotten in the way earlier.
49:23The combination of manchego, rosemary, almonds,
49:26are all lovely ingredients.
49:29But not in a dessert.
49:31I feel like I'm on a different cooking programme
49:33where the contestants sit in front of their ovens.
49:37How are we looking?
49:38Yeah, I'm happy.
49:40Come on, let me come.
49:42OK, Frankie, time's up now, you need to finish.
49:44OK.
49:50Sorry, did I take your eyebrows off?
49:51It's OK, don't worry.
49:52You've always got to be careful.
49:53Not a lot of me is real, so...
49:57Hello.
49:57Hi.
49:59Thank you very much.
50:01So I've made for you an almond and rosemary tart
50:05filled with a sherry fig compote and manchego
50:08and then some sherry cream and flicked almonds on the side.
50:10Well done.
50:13Oh, my goodness, sir.
50:15Ah, that was probably the worst hour and 15 minutes of my life.
50:22Maybe with labour being the exception.
50:29That short-crust pastry is bang on.
50:32It's cooked all the way through.
50:33It has a right texture.
50:35A wonderful jammy fig compote.
50:38But then there's manchego and that has thrown it off for me.
50:41I love the way her mind works.
50:43However, it is a little bit too confused for me.
50:48I love the manchego custard.
50:51I love the fig jam.
50:53I think together with the rosemary in the pastry has made it really delightful.
50:58I love that.
50:58I think it's really brave.
51:00I think it's really interesting.
51:05Honestly, a really tough round.
51:07You could feel the nerves.
51:09However, nobody lost the plot completely.
51:12Us and the dining room were unanimous in thinking that Jade's food was delightful.
51:19A great laxer burst in with flavour and finished it off with a rather wonderful panna cotta.
51:25She absolutely deserves a place in the quarter-final.
51:28So that leaves us with Jack, John and Frankie.
51:31I really enjoyed Jack's hoodie.
51:33I felt with that sauce it was very accomplished and it was confident.
51:36When it came to his second course, the mash for me was a little bit of a letdown.
51:41I definitely enjoyed elements of what John did today.
51:44I thought the fish was really quite nice.
51:47John's main course showed us that he absolutely knows how to cook a steak.
51:51However, those who serve potatoes, I don't think they worked.
51:56Frankie cooked a beautiful steak today and a carrot-top chimichurri.
52:00But I think she's putting so much pressure on herself to do too many elements on the plate.
52:05I feel that Frankie really pulled things back today with that manchego and fig tart.
52:10The dining room were confused, but I loved it.
52:13Great creativity.
52:14This is the hard part of the competition because one of them must go home.
52:19I feel like I'm part of the furniture now, so it would be a delight to be able to stay
52:24here.
52:26I don't want this to end now. I want to go to the quarter-final. I want to keep going.
52:30And I feel like I'm just getting going, but I've done what I've done.
52:33It's in their hands now. I'll just see what happens.
52:46Contestants, thank you so much. You should be incredibly proud.
52:52However, we always knew the end of this one of you would be going home.
53:00So the person leaving us today is...
53:05John.
53:07We've really enjoyed getting to know you. Thank you so much.
53:11Thanks, guys. Good luck.
53:16I'm obviously gutted to be having to go home, but I'll be going home to my wife Yvonne.
53:22She'll be glad that I'll be back there cooking for her, so...
53:25No more take-aways for a while.
53:27Feels good? Yeah. Thank you.
53:32I thought Final Fantasy is amazing. I can't wait to call my mum and tell her.
53:36I feel like she's going to think I'm making it up, so...
53:40I'm very, very surprised to be standing where I am right now.
53:43At least we know the fire alarm works now, you know, I'm just testing it for me.
53:46It's cliche to say that I have found my own identity,
53:50but it is a case of I have found my own identity.
53:54I'm quite a good cook.
53:58Next time, it's the last quarter-final,
54:01and Frankie, Jack and Jade will be joining Andy, Kirstie and Sean...
54:10...to face two demanding challenges.
54:12My head is just really...
54:14Don't look at them. Just eat them.
54:16I won't look at them.
54:17I really need some more space.
54:20...as they battle for a place in Knockout Week.
54:23Give me a whole bowl of it.
54:24I actually love it.
54:28All right.
54:30I've got to do something.
54:39Come here.
54:40Do All Right.
54:43Go to attention 5Ч
54:48All right.
54:48We may be okay.
54:48One Piece.
54:49All right.
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