- 9 hours ago
2026.Season 18 Episode 47 - Pressure Test: Sam Aisbett
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00:14Here we go!
00:24I definitely feel pretty jittery going into the pressure test today. I haven't done one yet.
00:29It's a straining bag, and I'm definitely daunted by the fact that there is a one in four chance that
00:34I could be going home today.
00:36I'm also going up against, you know, Luke who's done multiple pressure tests, so he definitely has an edge going
00:41in today.
00:42Also, Casper and Alyona are both incredible cooks. They are so strong, so I don't love my odds.
00:49Today's pressure test will test your skills on every level.
00:53Your organisation, your timing, dexterity, flavour balancing and plating.
01:00You need to have extreme focus, quick thinking and resilience if you hope to be standing here at the end
01:10of the day.
01:14The pressure test you'll face today has been set by an Aussie chef who's had huge success on the global
01:22stage.
01:24He trained under Peter Gilmore at Sydney's iconic Key restaurant.
01:31He later returned to become head chef then.
01:36From there, his career turned international, leading two restaurants to earn Michelin stars in their very first year.
01:49Please welcome, all the way from Okuda restaurant in Vietnam, Sam Aisbet!
02:06Walking through the door, Sam's got aura.
02:09Judging from his credentials, this guy's a serious weapon in the kitchen.
02:13Oh dear!
02:17Today is definitely not going to be easy.
02:19If we're putting up Michelin star food in a pressure test, you know it's going to be hard.
02:24Wow!
02:25Good, how are you?
02:29Welcome.
02:30Exciting.
02:31Oh, it is.
02:32Very lucky.
02:33Very lucky today.
02:36Sam, it is so good having you in this kitchen.
02:40We've been doing such good things in both Singapore and now Vietnam.
02:44Tell us about Akuna in Saigon.
02:46My second restaurant.
02:48We're lucky enough to have Michelin star as well in the first year.
02:50Woo!
02:51So we're working hard, working hard, but we got it.
02:53And it's just fascinating.
02:54It's probably the restaurant where I could express myself.
02:57I'm cooking my own food now, I think.
03:01It's hard because you get trained by these legendary chefs.
03:04And you're cooking their food with your sort of a little touch on it.
03:07I'm a little bit older now, but the more you do it, you get the freedom to, you know, I
03:12can cook.
03:13I can play around with different ingredients and I know, you know, I know it tastes good.
03:16And then you start creating your own food.
03:17Yeah.
03:18And that's what I am now.
03:19He just seems so happy and fulfilled now that he started cooking from his heart and the dishes that he
03:26loves.
03:28Chef Sam, it's time for your cooks to come face to face with your creation.
03:36Oh, wow, scary.
03:39This is all me in here.
03:41This is my travels, my experience working with these, like, legends.
03:48All right, guys.
03:49Today you will be making my...
03:52Oh!
03:56Good luck.
03:57Mud crab salad.
04:11It doesn't look like a crab.
04:12It doesn't look like a crab.
04:15Oh!
04:16Oh, my God.
04:17Oh, no.
04:20What the hell?
04:23I'm not sure if Sam has mixed up his words or something, but that does not look like a mud
04:28crab salad.
04:29All I've seen in the middle is the jiggly jelly of whatever that is.
04:33It is not like any other salad I've seen before.
04:36Come have a close look.
04:37So, mud crab salad.
04:39Starting at the very bottom, we have a fennel jam mixed with creme fraiche.
04:45So you've got some sweet, you've got some sour in there.
04:47Next, we have mud crab.
04:49It has a dressing.
04:50It's a bit umami.
04:51It's got caramel sort of flavours in there.
04:54Then next, we have little pearls of a apple dashi, which kind of looks like caviar.
05:00Then on top, we have some pickled palm heart, which gives you a nice sort of crunchy texture.
05:05We've got macadamia nuts that are shaved on a mandolin, but super fine.
05:09You want to get sort of long slices and they curl up.
05:13If it's too thick, you've got these big chunky bits which ruins the dish.
05:17We have Buddha's hand citrus, which we get in Vietnam.
05:20So we turn that into a jam.
05:21So that's bitterness in the dish.
05:23And then obviously in the middle, we've got the jelly.
05:27That is so good.
05:29At the bottom, we have almost like a fennel panna cotta, like a fennel cream that we've set.
05:34And then on top, we have a seaweed vinegar jelly.
05:37That's like see-through.
05:40Wow.
05:42Take note of kind of where you put things, because that is important too.
05:46It's all sort of portioned.
05:47You've got sweet, you've got salty, you have sour, you've got umami.
05:51And if it's all balanced, it's perfect.
05:53If one of them's out, we will know you'll be able to taste it.
05:57This dish, like it looks really unassuming.
05:59It is just like some jelly, some crab, a lot of beautiful plated little bits and bobs around in a
06:05circle.
06:05But then you get a scoop of everything and it is like the most balanced, subtle flavour.
06:13Together, everything just works so perfectly.
06:16The best salad I've ever had.
06:17There we go.
06:18By a country mile.
06:18Thank you so much.
06:20So key things for the dish, obviously crab is the star.
06:23Shell is a big no-no, so make sure you pick the crab.
06:25But also keeping sort of pieces of crab.
06:27You don't want it to be picked too fine, otherwise there's no texture.
06:29There's some different parts of crab as well.
06:30Yeah, exactly right. I use claw and I also use body meat.
06:34Just trying to lock in all the flavours and the textures and the proportions is the big thing I'm noticing.
06:39Everything is down to the minute detail.
06:41Like the crab is like just cooked and the jelly on top is very strong to balance with the fennel
06:47on the bottom.
06:48And then the proportions, like it's got the right number of flowers and any more or less of anything would
06:53just throw the whole dish off.
06:54Yeah.
06:54This dish is really speaking to me.
06:56Like it's this really crazy mix of like Japanese, Vietnamese and like French technique.
07:01I would never do this dish at home.
07:04So being given the opportunity to do it in the kitchen is, yeah, it's a privilege.
07:09You have three hours to recreate Sam's mud crab salad.
07:15The recipe and all the ingredients you need are at your benches.
07:18The person who creates the dish that least resembles Sam's in looks and tastes will sadly be going home.
07:27Sam, any final words of advice?
07:30Read and follow the recipes because that is the key.
07:33And you're cooking my dish so do me proud.
07:36Yeah, come on.
07:37Good luck.
07:38Alright guys, your time starts now.
07:40Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
07:46Where's the recipe?
07:48Oh, here.
07:50The strategy I've learned from doing a few pressure tests is that you really just need to focus
07:54and make sure that you read the recipe really carefully.
07:57And you just need to work like an absolute madman.
07:59You can't afford any time to play around.
08:02You really just need to push as hard as possible.
08:04The first thing I need to do is to get my pot of boiling water salted and on and ready
08:09to go.
08:10Good job, Lukey. Put that salt in.
08:13I've learned from other pressure tests that you don't even have time to read the recipe to us.
08:16So as soon as I get to my bench, I read my recipe once and I'm just off and running.
08:23Sailing solution. That's bar.
08:26It's my first pressure test, so I'm not really used to working under these conditions, but I think they're suited
08:31to me.
08:32I think pressure tests are kind of on my alley with like, you know, reading instructions, sticking to them and
08:36being precise.
08:37So I just need to make sure that I'm like, taking in everything I've got in front of me and,
08:41yeah, like, executing exactly as is written in front.
08:45Are you ticking off your steps?
08:48That is a good shout, Vinny. I will.
08:52OK. Annabelle.
08:54Woo! Bring it back to the boil, prepare a nice bath.
08:58This recipe is chunky. There's like so many pages, but I don't have time to count how many there are.
09:02I just need to get cracking. The first element we need to get onto is cooking the crab.
09:06Five.
09:091.5 cook time per 100.
09:12Need to cook it for a minute 30 per 100 grams, so I have to crunch some numbers and do
09:17some quick maths and work out how long.
09:2017 minutes. That seems ages for a crab. OK.
09:23These crabs are hefty. I'm weighing in. It's like over a kilo.
09:27So no wonder it's going to take so long in the water.
09:31The crab is going into a pot with about 800 grams of salt.
09:34That is so salty, that water.
09:36But I guess that's a way to season the meat.
09:39My strategy for today is head down, bum up.
09:43Don't spend too much time reading the recipe and just crack on and try and not make any errors.
09:51I'm so happy they get to cook this.
09:52Oh, it's cool.
09:53It's such a cool dish.
09:54And like...
09:55I mean, this is scary. I would be...
09:57I mean, you've done it. I'll be bloody...
09:59I never got to do any...
10:01Oh, did you?
10:01No.
10:02I just did different calendars.
10:03So every time I see one, I get really jelly.
10:07Yes.
10:08Good, good.
10:10800 grams.
10:12First step, I'm just measuring the salt and it's 800 grams.
10:20My strategy today is to read the recipe carefully.
10:24If I don't understand something, I'm going to reread it and make sure I do it correctly.
10:29800 grams, that's a lot.
10:32Just remember to trust the recipe.
10:35A lot of water.
10:36Like seawater.
10:38I need to park my intuition for a bit and just read the recipe.
10:43I'm good at reading recipes, but I think it's the pressure test.
10:47So I'm just like a little bit questioning myself.
10:52So the next step says 1.5 minute cook time per 100 grams of cooking.
10:59I don't understand.
11:01It says 100 grams is required, but do I take the whole crab to cook?
11:06I feel like I'm reading the recipe, but I'm not fully reading the recipe.
11:12I'm just going to have to cook the whole crab and get the meat out.
11:15It's a huge crab.
11:17And I just go with this 1.5 minutes.
11:21And I think from all of that, I probably just need 100 grams.
11:25Green flour with a plate of vinegar.
11:27While the crab is cooking, I'm going to start on my seaweed vinegar jelly.
11:32Oh, my gosh.
11:35Dark side, dark side.
11:37Tasting the dish, the fennel bottom of the jelly is very subtle.
11:42And the final jelly, the seaweed vinegar on top, is very punchy.
11:46It is super strong.
11:48It's delicious, but if you had that element just by itself, it's quite polarizing.
11:53So I'll have to try and recreate that.
12:01I'm trying to measure all the right ingredients.
12:04And then I hear the timer.
12:09One and a half minute is up.
12:11I take the crab out, put it in the ice bath.
12:17Let's move on.
12:19She should just put it in there.
12:24What is going on?
12:26That's got to be wrong.
12:28I think Alyona might have misread or misunderstood the recipe.
12:32You can see Casper, Annabelle and Lou's crab still boiling away in the pots.
12:38It's definitely not enough time.
12:40Make sure you're reading that recipe, guys.
12:42Yeah.
12:58Come on, Alyona.
13:00Read and do.
13:02Oh, my gosh.
13:04Okay.
13:07I am looking at this giant crab.
13:11And my intuition kind of goes, hey.
13:16It's not right.
13:17There's no way this crab would be cooked in one and a half minute.
13:22Oh, my gosh.
13:23I don't understand what's happening.
13:25I'm trying to read the recipe.
13:29I keep rereading it.
13:31And then I'm realizing, oh, my gosh, I'm rereading it for the third time.
13:36Oh, my gosh.
13:37Finally.
13:37I get it.
13:39In order to calculate how much time we need to put it in the water for, we needed to measure
13:43the crab and 100 grams was 1.5 minutes.
13:45So I calculated it.
13:46So, okay.
13:47Thank God I have a second crab.
13:49We got there in the end.
13:51What is it?
13:5125 minutes in?
13:53Let's go, Alyona.
13:54Come on.
13:54Come on.
13:55Let's move.
13:55Come on.
13:56And I go back to measuring my seaweed vinegar jelly.
14:02Good going, Kaz.
14:05No worries.
14:070.3.
14:08Come on, mate.
14:09Go to 0.3.
14:14I've got my crab in.
14:15I've got my seaweed vinegar jelly going.
14:17I'm now just doing my fennel bulbs.
14:19I'm trying to get them done as quickly as possible.
14:21I've learned from the other pressure tests, while I'm doing one element, I'm working on
14:24another.
14:25And I'm only reading the recipe once and then just moving straight on to the next element.
14:33The fennel bottom of the jelly is very subtle.
14:36It's just a light kind of charred fennel flavor.
14:38And with the seaweed vinegar jelly on top, it's just such a gorgeous combination.
14:42Good stuff, mate.
14:44Watch some fingies.
14:45I feel like I'm kind of semi ahead of schedule as to other people, from what I can see.
14:51Motor, motor.
14:52Vroom, vroom.
14:54Go on, Kaz.
14:55I'm going to keep pushing.
14:56There's no real room to just take a foot off the gas at any point during this cook.
15:02Hey, that's warm.
15:04Hey, Caspar.
15:05Hey, how you guys going?
15:06Where are you at?
15:08Hey, crab is like...
15:09Crab's in, I can see.
15:09It's got like a minute and a half left.
15:12Yep, okay.
15:12Done the seaweed vinegar jelly stock.
15:15And you've got your fennel charring for the milk jelly?
15:18Yes.
15:19Yep.
15:19You are the expert.
15:20You've given us all the instructions to nail this dish.
15:22Yeah.
15:22So just follow this recipe for the team.
15:23Honestly, yeah.
15:24I think take your time.
15:25Recipe is important.
15:26Yep.
15:27Taste everything.
15:27Yep.
15:28Of course.
15:29All right.
15:30Good luck.
15:33I've got my crab cooling down.
15:36Now I'm moving on to make the fennel milk jelly.
15:39Fennel milk jelly has a really nice charred, smoky flavour from the fennel bulbs, so I need
15:44to make sure that I'm getting a really good char on the fennel without going too far.
15:49The fennel milk jelly is probably the most important part of this dish in my opinion,
15:52like it's the centrepiece.
15:54So it's really got like the theatrics with the wobbles, so if you like mess that up, I
15:58don't think you've got a good chance of replicating Sam's dish.
16:02Eliona.
16:03Hi.
16:04Hello.
16:04I just want to introduce you to Sam.
16:05How are you?
16:06How are you?
16:07How are you?
16:07Nice to meet you.
16:08How are you going?
16:10I think I'm a little bit behind because I got confused with the calculation on the crab.
16:14So what are you doing now?
16:15You're doing the seaweed jelly.
16:16Is that what you're doing?
16:17Yes.
16:17I'm just about to measure.
16:20Oh.
16:21Gosh, now I got confused.
16:25What did I put in here?
16:27Just breathe.
16:28You've just got to read the recipe.
16:29Very easy.
16:29OK.
16:30I would be ticking things off all the time.
16:32Yes.
16:32Don't just be sighting.
16:33Also, you need to keep your bench tidy.
16:36Yes.
16:36Because you'll get more and more confused as the cook goes on.
16:38Yes.
16:39It's important to get this seaweed jelly made because it has to set.
16:43Remember, you've got to set the jelly.
16:44Yeah.
16:44We feel like we need to leave you alone.
16:46Good luck.
16:46Good luck.
16:48I'm realising that I need to make it again.
16:54So I'm starting with the instructions and I need to make it perfect this time.
16:59You've got this.
17:01Come on.
17:03One hour down.
17:04Two hours to go.
17:06Come on.
17:08Keep going.
17:09Come on.
17:11Big clothes.
17:16Come on.
17:16Let's pick it up, Alyona.
17:17Come on.
17:18Come on.
17:18Pick it up.
17:19Come on.
17:19Oh my God.
17:20I'm sorry.
17:22Don't take out the judges.
17:23All right.
17:24Cut.
17:25Cut.
17:27Once those fennel are sufficiently charred, they've got this really nice dark exterior,
17:31but they're not burnt to within an inch of their life.
17:33I get them out and I get them in a vacuum seal bag with the milk.
17:36I vacuum seal that and get it into a water bath for an hour.
17:40I feel pretty good so far.
17:42I think it's still early on in the cook so I don't want to get ahead of myself and be
17:45like, oh yes, you've got this.
17:47This is fine.
17:50Sorry.
17:51Sorry.
17:53But I think I'm going at a good pace.
17:55I'm working really clean.
17:56I'm being really efficient and I'm also taking my time to season and taste and maintain attention
18:01to detail.
18:02I just got my fennel milk jelly into the sous vide machine.
18:08I'm just going to get onto my apple dashi now.
18:09The next element that it says to work on is the apple dashi, which is for those beautiful agar pearls.
18:14Those agar pearls look like caviar.
18:16They're like beautifully scattered all around.
18:18It's got like this beautiful green appley flavour and then all of the complexities of a dashi broth.
18:23It's just like kind of exciting.
18:24You get it in your mouth and you like pop it and you're like, oh, okay, cool.
18:26That was fun.
18:27Apples chopped into quarters.
18:28One, two, three.
18:32Let's go Ali on up.
18:34My seaweed vinegar is done.
18:36I have the second crab cooking.
18:39I'm roasting my fennel for the fennel milk jelly.
18:44Fennel with milk.
18:46Oh my God.
18:48She's not going to get anything done.
18:49Am I like really behind?
18:51Try to work the fastest you can.
18:53Just read and move.
18:55I just need to keep going.
18:57I need to catch up.
18:59Oh, why is it not on?
19:04What are you juicing, Caspar?
19:06The apples.
19:07Is that you or the machine making the noise?
19:10Not yet.
19:11Maybe later.
19:11But I'm crying.
19:13For my apple dashi, I'm juicing apples.
19:16I'm taking off the foam, straining it, adding miso, dashi, all these different bits and bobs.
19:21And then I'm putting it in a sous-vide bag.
19:23You're doing good, Lukey.
19:24Doing very, very well.
19:25Keep it up, yeah?
19:26And I get it in the sous-vide for 30 minutes.
19:29Just finished my apple dashi.
19:30So that's in there, cooking away.
19:32I'm now going to work on my mud crab.
19:39Just go primal, brother.
19:41Just go primal.
19:43Yes, Luke.
19:44Nice.
19:45Think of how you get to the meat.
19:47Oh, yeah.
19:52God, that thing's scary.
19:54It's time to start picking my crab meat.
19:57It's a big boy.
19:59Big boy.
20:00Which is something that I've never done before.
20:02And I'm like, ugh, why didn't you practice this at home?
20:06Remove the bonnet.
20:07Yep.
20:09Take your time.
20:11How do you even remove his bonnet?
20:13I need to pop open the bonnet.
20:16Oh, yeah.
20:17Yeah, there we go.
20:18Let her rip.
20:19Let her rip.
20:21And then get all the beautiful head meat out whilst discarding the gills.
20:24I'm going to need a lesson.
20:25Are these gills?
20:28What are these gills?
20:29Are these gills?
20:30They look like gills.
20:31It's taking me a while.
20:32I think it deserves a lot of time and attention because it is literally the centerpiece of
20:36the dish.
20:39Oh.
20:42Ah.
20:43This is the first time I've done this.
20:45I don't know if you guys can tell.
20:49I have my fennel milk jelly in the box sealer.
20:52I cooked my crab and just, yeah, trying to not get pressure get to me.
20:57I know that most likely I'm behind, but I am not giving up.
21:01I'm not giving up.
21:02There is this internal battle of, oh my gosh, I'm behind.
21:07I'm not going to make it.
21:08And then this calm voice of reason saying, you can do this.
21:15Okay.
21:16Three.
21:16A brownish miss apple.
21:18People fall behind in the beginning.
21:21Some people fall behind in the middle of the cook.
21:24I can still catch up.
21:25I just need to keep going and stop doubting myself.
21:33Do you just have to get a certain amount of weight of crab cast?
21:35It doesn't actually say.
21:37So I'm just going to pick the whole thing and we'll go with extra.
21:40My strategy going into this was being methodical.
21:44And when you get to breaking down a crab, the method just seems to go out the window.
21:48And I just want to get it done quickly so that I've got plenty of time to get the dish
21:51plated up.
21:53Gently.
21:54Gently.
21:55Gently.
21:58This is the tough part.
22:00Automated the hardest.
22:02Yeah, it is.
22:03It's the most fiddling thing.
22:05In terms of getting contamination with bits of shell.
22:14If you're rushing, it's hard to be down.
22:17Oh my goodness.
22:22I cannot watch, brother.
22:38You're halfway there!
22:39Ninety minutes to go!
22:41Ninety minutes, come on!
22:46You've got to work fast.
22:47Come on, Alina.
22:52Come on, Luke.
22:53Yes, boy.
22:54I've got absolutely no idea what I'm doing, Chef, but...
22:56Good going, yeah?
22:58I know there's no shell.
22:59That's in one rule.
23:04That's it, Annabelle.
23:07God, that took ages.
23:09Nice.
23:11Crab's done, so the next thing I need to get started on is my fennel jam.
23:15Cheering the end of the fennel, remove the Adelaide, half fennel, and finally dice.
23:21Sam's fennel jam is mixed through that creme fraiche and is on the bottom of the plate.
23:26It was just the right sweetness and tartness.
23:29It was, like, beautiful and jammy and sticky and a little bit chewy.
23:34Stirring the end of the fennel, catch the bottom.
23:37So I'm remembering those flavours when I'm making this jam to try and draw on that.
23:42Annabelle.
23:42Hello, Chef.
23:43How are you?
23:44Good.
23:44You look like you're doing well.
23:45You can see you can deal with stress and emergency.
23:49Well, I wouldn't be able to go back to work if I couldn't get through this.
23:52I think they'd be like, you're not allowed around patience if you can't cook this dish on MasterChef.
23:56You're doing really well, Annabelle.
23:59You're doing so well, Annabelle.
24:01Good stuff, Annabelle.
24:04How much meat did I need?
24:08Let's go, Luke.
24:10Keep pushing, buddy.
24:12Halfway there, and I think the pressure is starting to show.
24:15Oh, yeah, definitely.
24:16But there is some good stuff.
24:18What do you think of how Annabelle's performing?
24:21She's super clean and super organised as a chef at this sort of level.
24:25I notice these little details.
24:26Yeah.
24:27And I think she's reading the recipe.
24:28She thinks it's quite calm.
24:29Yeah, yeah.
24:29So, I don't know, for me, it looks pretty good.
24:33Good job, Luke.
24:36Good pace.
24:37Luke?
24:38All young whippersnappers coming through with the goods.
24:40Oh, nice.
24:41Is he moving as fast as I promised you would?
24:43He's working really fast.
24:44He knows the speed.
24:46Yeah.
24:46Speed to work, obviously, because he's done it before.
24:47Yeah.
24:48Caspar is working like an absolute legend.
24:51He's, like, ahead of the game as well.
24:53He's organised, I think.
24:53He's really organised.
24:55I just hope that the attention and detail is there.
24:58Speed is one thing, but if you're not being precise,
25:00especially with this recipe, you can get yourself in a lot of trouble.
25:05Speaking of trouble...
25:06Oh, Aliana.
25:08Oh.
25:09Oh, my gosh.
25:12It's taking me so much time with this self-doubt.
25:19It's just this, like, loop in my mind that, oh, God, I'm not doing great.
25:24I'm behind.
25:26And I keep telling this to myself.
25:29Let's go, Aliana.
25:30You can do this, all right?
25:34OK.
25:34Somehow we got there in the end.
25:36I've made my apple dashie.
25:38Time to approach the crab.
25:40Where's the crab?
25:43Aliana.
25:44Yes.
25:45How are you feeling?
25:47I'm feeling quite a lot of under pressure, to be honest.
25:50We're here to help.
25:52OK.
25:52What's wrong?
25:54I think, from the beginning, I just, like, kind of, like, started guessing myself.
25:58Am I reading the recipe correctly or not?
26:00Are you about to pick this?
26:02Yes.
26:03Looking at it, because you only need, what, 65 grams?
26:07I don't know, I haven't read yet.
26:1365 grams?
26:14Yep.
26:14Where do you think the most meat is?
26:16In the core, of course.
26:17Yeah?
26:18Perfect.
26:18OK.
26:18So, if I were you, I know this sounds really hard.
26:20I would just take a step back, couple of breaths, while you're cleaning down.
26:24Clear mind.
26:25Clear bench.
26:26And then start it ripping again.
26:28No, it shouldn't.
26:30Uh, OK.
26:31OK.
26:31Aliana.
26:32Yeah.
26:33Couple of deep breaths.
26:35Couple of deep breaths.
26:37Yes.
26:37OK.
26:38You got it, you got it.
26:39OK.
26:40My bench is, like, a bomb size.
26:43I don't even know if I don't need anything anymore.
26:46I'm realizing how behind I am.
26:50OK.
26:51It's like a lie bulb moment.
26:53OK.
26:54I have my deep breaths.
26:56I clean few little balls out.
27:00That's it, Aliana.
27:01And I'm thinking, OK, that's gonna be my little reset.
27:04I just need to focus.
27:06I need to get clear on what I'm doing here, why I want to stay, and make sure I just,
27:12like,
27:12go move forwards, like, really quickly.
27:14You can do it.
27:16Just don't second-guess yourself when you're reading.
27:18I've got this.
27:19Whoop!
27:20Stay sharp!
27:2145 minutes to go!
27:2445!
27:2525!
27:25Come on!
27:29Mmm.
27:31Oh, that's yum.
27:33Getting good, Luke.
27:34Keep murdering, brother.
27:36Come on.
27:37I think it tastes pretty nice.
27:38It's the right jammy consistency.
27:39So I'm pretty happy with this guy, and I think I'm gonna move on to another element.
27:42It's time to go back to my seaweed vinegar jelly.
27:45I'm reminded of doing it during the Kirsten Tibbles challenge when you add gelatin to these things,
27:49you bloom it in cold water, strain it, then you whisk it in.
27:53I'm working really, really hard, and I'm just pushing through as many elements at a time,
27:58which so far seems to be paying off.
28:00Feels like the point in the cook where I really have an advantage.
28:0425 grams of seaweed vinegar jelly.
28:06I've got a good head space, and I'm doing these techniques that I've done before, and I've done from a
28:11recipe.
28:13You guys, like, you're wiping the floor with them. Come on, man.
28:15Wiping that.
28:17It's now time to move on to my Buddha's Hand jam.
28:21It smells really good.
28:22A Buddha's Hand, it's this weird grain thing.
28:25It's got, kind of, things coming out of it,
28:27and I think it's the citrus by the sounds of it.
28:31Nice, Lukey.
28:32I'm really struggling with this one because I actually can't remember what the jam is like,
28:35but I'm just following off what the recipe says.
28:37The best choice of action for me is to move as fast as I possibly can,
28:42and I'm hoping that by the time I get to the end of the cook,
28:45the dish on the plate is delicious.
28:48Looking good, Luke.
28:50That's going to have to do.
28:54Wine.
28:56Yeah, it's fine.
28:58I've just finished my Buddhist stand.
29:00I'm going to launch into these, I think it's pickled palm heart.
29:04I have no idea what that is.
29:05No idea what it's meant to taste like.
29:10I am enjoying the flow that I've gotten into and just, like, getting the steps done,
29:15and it's really satisfying being, like, done, tick, done, tick, done, tick.
29:19I've done the Buddha's Hand Jam, and it's now time to get onto my pickled palm hearts.
29:23OK, fresh palm heart.
29:25The pickled palm heart will be peeled back and discard the other layer.
29:27Right, yeah?
29:31Remove the soft core that you see you have a crescent shape.
29:35You're doing good, Annabel. Keep going.
29:36Finley slice the crescent so that you have five discs, one to two millimetres in thickness.
29:43These are so cool.
29:47Ooh.
29:49Everyone seems to have been ripping off this thick outer layer.
29:54And with Luke, he seems to only have gone through real quickly with a vegetable peeler.
29:59Oh, my gosh.
30:01Different layers of the heart of palm give different textures.
30:05And as Chef Sam mentioned before, this dish is all about texture.
30:09With Luke using this particular part of the heart of palm, it could give the wrong texture.
30:16Oh, yeah?
30:17OK.
30:18It could really put him in trouble.
30:21Ah, she got bucket.
30:31Ooh.
30:36Make sure you're reading that recipe, guys.
30:39You're reading the recipe, Luke?
30:40Yeah, right on.
30:43From here on in, it is all about Sinesh!
30:46She's got 30 minutes to go!
30:48Oh, my God!
30:49Come on!
30:50Push, push, push, push!
30:51Let's go!
30:56My seaweed vinegar jelly is in the fridge.
31:00I'm doing the fennel jam.
31:02So I just need to cook this for another five minutes.
31:05And then I'm starting on my pickled palm part.
31:08Let's go, Aliana.
31:10You're well behind.
31:11Come on.
31:12Good stuff, Casper.
31:14What are you working on?
31:16Ah, I just have to do the fennel milk jelly.
31:18I've ticked off at the last few steps, and now I really feel like I'm in the zone.
31:23We're just gonna keep motoring on and just, like, work with the same speed till the end.
31:28Finishing off the fennel milk jelly is really similar to the seaweed vinegar jelly.
31:31Just mixing it with bloom gelatin again and topping those moulds up.
31:35How much you got left, Casper?
31:37We've got, like, three pages left of actual, like, cook time, and then the rest is plating.
31:42Awesome, Casper.
31:43I'm just getting my fennel milk jelly done.
31:45I just added a little bit of salt and a little bit of sugar after I tasted it.
31:49I just felt like his was a little bit more, like, fennel-y.
31:51And I think that was a way that I could get a bit more fennel flavour,
31:54is just play on, like, the natural sweetness and saltiness of the fennel.
31:57I need to get that second layer of jelly into the blast chiller for another 12 minutes,
32:01and then into the fridge until time to plate.
32:04Where are you going?
32:04To the blast chiller.
32:05Oh, thank you so much, Chef.
32:07It was all right. Let's be close.
32:08Yeah.
32:10Nice, Annabelle.
32:10You're doing very good.
32:11Just keep pushing.
32:13Annabelle, how are we travelling?
32:14Crab dressing?
32:15Crab dressing.
32:16Nice.
32:17I think you're fine.
32:18Oh, okay, cool.
32:19Yeah.
32:19But that doesn't mean you, like, have a cup of tea.
32:22Yeah, yeah, no.
32:22I'm not going to take my foot off the pedal.
32:23Yeah.
32:24I kind of like working like this, too.
32:26Like, clean and tidy and focused.
32:28And a bit, like, low-key psycho locked in.
32:30Cas psycho locked in.
32:31You've still got to do the dashi caviar.
32:33And then the macadamia shaving as well.
32:34And the macadamia shaving.
32:36You've got to plate the thing up.
32:37Yeah.
32:38Which Sam reckon is ten minutes at least.
32:39Don't take your foot off the pedal.
32:41Great.
32:41Bye.
32:42Bye.
32:42See ya.
32:47Go, guys!
32:48Come on!
32:49Come on!
32:49Come on!
32:51You've got to work fast.
32:52Come on, Alina.
32:53Let's go!
32:57Come on, Alina.
32:57Smells gorgeous.
32:59Yeah, it's this fish sauce.
33:01Ah!
33:02It's so full on.
33:05All right.
33:05Here we go.
33:06There's nothing.
33:07I've finished my crab dressing, and I move on to my apple dashi pearls.
33:13I've made caviar pearls a few times before, and every time they've completely failed.
33:18Good stuff, Lukey.
33:19Go.
33:19Heavy square.
33:21And somehow, in a pressure test, my spot in the competition is on the line.
33:25That's it, Lukey.
33:26Nice.
33:27I've delivered on these pearls.
33:29Come on!
33:30Yeah!
33:32Come on!
33:33Give it to you all!
33:34Fifteen minutes to go!
33:36Come on, guys!
33:37Come on!
33:38Fifteen minutes!
33:39Come on!
33:40Oh, my gosh.
33:45How's it looking, Caspar?
33:46So good again.
33:47Looking good.
33:48Nice.
33:49Hey, everyone.
33:50If you want this dashi caviar made, you need to start it now.
33:54It's a bit of a process to it, and you're running out of time.
33:57So, things that can be on the stove that you're stirring, I'll leave it, and I'll get that dashi caviar
34:01on the go.
34:02Come on.
34:04Keep going, guys.
34:05Push!
34:06Pickling my palm hearts, and I hear the voice from the gentry.
34:10Aliona, did you hear Andy about the caviar?
34:13Ah.
34:14No.
34:15No?
34:15No.
34:16He said, get that going.
34:17Get that going.
34:18Oh, my gosh.
34:19But I haven't even reached the caviar page yet.
34:23I still have crab dressing to make.
34:26Okay.
34:27Where is agar agar?
34:29But I'll just leave it, and I'll come back to it once the caviar is done.
34:33Okay.
34:34I need to move, like, super fast.
34:36Yeah.
34:36I'm thinking the caviar will show more technique.
34:41And if I have time, I'll do the crab dressing.
34:45Ah, CW on up.
34:47Come on, crab.
34:48Keep going, buddy.
34:49Got long left.
34:50Yeah.
34:51Pretty much all my elements are done, and I am pretty happy with how they're tasting.
34:55So, I really need to get started plating up this dish.
34:59Sam's dish up the front looked perfect.
35:01His garnishes were on point.
35:02If I want to replicate it, I need to do the exact same thing.
35:07Margaret Jackson.
35:09Daisy!
35:10You're doing that.
35:11Look at me.
35:12This is a garnish I've never seen done before.
35:15Like, macadamias that are so fine that they curl up is crazy.
35:19But I think I've actually, like, cracked the technique on my first go.
35:23So, I'm feeling really good.
35:25Okay, guys.
35:26You should be plating up.
35:28Ten minutes to go!
35:30Push it!
35:31Come on!
35:32Come on!
35:33Come on!
35:38Ten minutes to go.
35:40I need to get some ring moulds onto the plate.
35:42I'm plating that beautiful creme fraiche on the bottom.
35:45I'm placing all of the beautiful bits of crab perfectly.
35:49Good stuff, Hannabelle.
35:51The dashi pearls.
35:53I'm piping the Buddhist hand jam in five perfect dots.
35:58Go, Hannabelle.
35:59I'm plating up that big, wiggly tower in the middle.
36:04Nice, Hannabelle.
36:06Keep going, Hannabelle.
36:08Just push, push, push.
36:10I'm trying so hard to remember how Sam's dish looked.
36:13I'm like, I just remember there was five of everything.
36:16Five flowers, five sea spray, five dots.
36:20Push, guys.
36:21Let's go.
36:22Let's go!
36:24Because it's so hard to plate this up,
36:26I'm trying to really be meticulous and take my time.
36:29Making sure that everything's in the exact right spot.
36:32I drop the jelly onto the plate and just like Sam's jelly,
36:36it bubbles around.
36:37Go looky!
36:39Today, I've had my first taste of what it would be like
36:42cooking in a Michelin-star restaurant.
36:44It's kind of addictive.
36:47Here we go!
36:47Three minutes left!
36:48Come on, three minutes!
36:50Keep pushing, come on!
36:53Let's go, Alyona.
36:54Let's go, Alyona.
36:54I'm thinking about how did Sam's dish taste it and looks like.
36:59I don't have time to make the crab dressing,
37:02so I'm just seasoning it with salt.
37:06Kind of like to overcompensate that I didn't have that dressing.
37:12Come on, Alyona, you got a motor.
37:13Let's go, Alyona.
37:14Come on.
37:15Come on, Alyona, come on.
37:15Let's speed it up.
37:18It's all coming together.
37:20And I cannot believe that I'm finally here
37:23and I'm in the good zone.
37:25Come on, Alyona.
37:27Only one minute to go!
37:29Last minute, come on!
37:30Last minute, final stage, come on!
37:33Come on, Kasper.
37:34Putting the final finishing touches on my dish
37:37and I'm just trying to have that image in my mind
37:39of what Sam's dish looks like.
37:41Nice day, Kasper.
37:42And I'm really happy with what I've got in front of me.
37:45I think it looks almost identical.
37:47Your time is up in ten!
37:50Five!
37:51Eight!
37:52Seven!
37:54Two!
37:55Five!
37:56Four!
37:57Three!
37:58Two!
37:59One!
38:00That's it, everybody!
38:03Well done, guys!
38:05Well done, guys!
38:07Well done, guys!
38:14Good job, guys.
38:15Good job, guys!
38:16Good job, guys!
38:16Good job, guys!
38:20Good job!
38:23Good job, guys!
38:25That was a wild ride!
38:28I think that dish Sam pushed them to their absolute limits!
38:32I mean, honestly, I think they did a pretty good job.
38:35This is on the menu at the restaurant, but we don't make every single component every
38:40day in three hours, and I'm interested to see what they taste like.
38:50I feel like mixed emotions walking my dish into the judges.
38:55I'm looking down at it and I'm like, damn, this looks good.
38:58It looks pretty similar to Sam's, and he is a Michelin star chef.
39:03But there's just like part of me that's just like, you just never know.
39:07There was no opportunity for me to taste all those ingredients and all of those components
39:12together.
39:13I just don't know how this is going to eat as a whole.
39:17Thanks, Annabelle.
39:17Well done.
39:22It looks stunning.
39:23Wow.
39:25And like, the fact that that jelly is so clear.
39:30Like the joint of the layers is legit and everything else just looks really well proportioned.
39:35So, oh man, I'm hoping this tastes as good as it looks.
39:48Oh man, I'm hoping this tastes as good as it looks.
40:17I'm trying to find something that's not.
40:20I'm trying to find something that's not.
40:21Close to yours, Sam.
40:22What do you reckon?
40:24I think she's nailed the balance of everything.
40:28Water sand citrus was the perfect amount.
40:30Yeah.
40:30I really liked the seaweed vinegar jelly.
40:33Yeah.
40:33I think she's nailed the flavour.
40:35Yeah.
40:35Her actual jelly, I mean, I don't want to say it, but it probably looks a bit better than
40:40mine.
40:43First impression.
40:44Very good.
40:46I would hire her.
40:47Would you serve that one in your restaurant?
40:50100%.
40:51I think she nailed it.
40:53This is top class.
40:55Milk fennel jelly was delicious.
40:58I absolutely enjoyed macram.
41:02You can see it's flaky.
41:04It's so pleasant.
41:05The combination with the crème fraîche in the bottom, very well whipped.
41:09The dashi apple pearls, incredible.
41:13She's got everything to become a fantastic chef.
41:17I cannot wait to tell her how good she's done to that.
41:26Taking my dish up to the judges and looking down at it, it honestly sums up my journey in
41:32the MasterChef kitchen.
41:34It's not perfect, but it's been such a learning journey.
41:39And I've had so much fun.
41:42I'm really proud of this dish because I think it represents me.
41:46It's wobbling.
41:48Yeah, it's got wobble.
41:50Yeah.
41:52Your plate looks so beautiful.
41:55You should be incredibly proud of yourself.
41:58So, hopefully, you might stay and do more.
42:02Until then, we're going to try your food.
42:06Good luck.
42:06Cheers.
42:07Good luck.
42:13You can tell he has a knife, a detail.
42:16Yeah.
42:16And he's had a good crack.
42:17I think he's done okay.
42:18Jelly looks like a good texture for me.
42:20Yeah.
42:22Yeah.
42:22But then you've got to taste it.
42:47I think his jelly is very good.
42:49It's got a nice texture.
42:50Crab was dressed very well.
42:52Seasoned.
42:53Little pearls, which I like the texture.
42:55I didn't get shell.
42:56Big plus for me.
42:58No shell.
42:58But I'm going to be a bit technical and brutal as a chef.
43:02Some things are out of balance.
43:04Mine was very Buddha's hand, citrus jam heavy.
43:09My palm heart was very fibrous.
43:13He has used the very outside.
43:16The wrong part.
43:17It's very different in texture.
43:20Apart from those two things, I still felt it ate pretty well.
43:24Love the huge, sweet, tender, succulent segments of crab.
43:29Both jellies, I thought, were really delicious and the texture was perfect.
43:34The texture is beautiful.
43:35The colours are there.
43:36The flavours are there.
43:38And the other thing that I adore in Luke's dish are those segments of crab.
43:44He nailed that.
43:45Exactly.
43:46There's only two glaring mistakes here.
43:49But on a day when everyone's cooking like at the top of their game,
43:52you never know what can send someone home.
43:59My dish looks beautiful.
44:02I got all the elements other than the crab dressing.
44:10I'm really hoping that this dish is going to save me today.
44:18The fact that you pulled yourself out of whatever funk you were in,
44:22turned it around and plated up nearly a full replica of Sam's dish
44:29is really impressive.
44:31Thanks, Sophia.
44:32And it looks amazing.
44:33And it looks pretty good.
44:34Yeah, it looks pretty good.
44:35And it's jiggling along.
44:36Yeah.
44:38We're going to taste your dish.
44:40Thank you, Eliana.
44:41Thanks, Eliana.
44:41Good luck.
44:42Thanks.
44:42Well done.
44:44Thanks.
44:51Based on how that looks, you would never guess the struggle that Eliana just went through.
44:57I actually don't know how she's done it.
45:21I actually don't know how she's done it.
45:26And the jelly, I thought she did a really good job on that.
45:31But I think for me, the biggest clanger is definitely the dressing.
45:34I really, really miss that.
45:35I mean, I can tell there's no dressing.
45:37Yeah.
45:38And for me, I think she's over-seasoned the crab a little bit.
45:41Yeah.
45:43I get salt.
45:44I agree.
45:44Yeah.
45:45Like, I think she's tried to make up for not having the dressing.
45:48She's overcompensated.
45:49But I did like her seaweed vinegar jelly.
45:53I thought they had quite good flavour.
45:54Yeah.
45:54Like, season-wise, very umami.
45:56And I really liked her abudashi pearls.
45:59Mm-hmm.
45:59She nailed them, and she was doing it so quick.
46:02If I look at my plate, they are even.
46:05But not having the crab dressing, for me, it's a crab salad.
46:08That's the whole part of the dish.
46:10With the crabs over-seasoned, that's kind of it.
46:14There was some beautiful flavours on there.
46:16Now, the seaweed vinegar jelly was spot on, both for texture and flavour.
46:20I feel like the crab has cooked well, but the macadamia,
46:24she was like shaving macadamia over the top.
46:27Like parmesan cheese.
46:28Yeah, like parmesan cheese.
46:29Up until the time expired.
46:32And in her haste to do that, I kind of bit down on like a solid chunk.
46:38Like a nub.
46:39Of macadamia.
46:41And it's the thing that I remember the most on the dish.
46:45I'm a bit worried about this.
46:52Putting up this dish today, it looked like identical.
46:56And it was like tasting identical.
46:58I'm just like, holy, holy shit.
47:00Like, I can do this.
47:03Hey, Casper.
47:04Hello.
47:05I can push myself this hard.
47:08And that's probably what I need to do to win this thing.
47:14So, it seemed like you kind of cruised through that cook.
47:17I don't know like if I was like comfortable, comfortable,
47:20but I found like a good pace to work at,
47:22at a speed that I was comfortable with.
47:26I was like happy with how I've gone,
47:28but obviously still it's like, there's a lot on the line.
47:31Um, and it's, yeah, it's kind of anyone's game.
47:35I mean, I think you've done visually pretty good.
47:39Awesome.
47:41Casper, we're going to taste your dish now.
47:43Thanks, guys.
47:44Thanks, mate.
47:44Thanks, Casper.
47:49Everything's spaced quite...
47:52Evenly.
47:52Perfect evenly.
47:53It looks very delicate, like a real deft touch with the plating.
47:56Yeah.
47:56I think out of all the contestants with his macadamias,
48:00he's actually got some curls.
48:01Oh, he does.
48:01Not curls of the day.
48:02Yeah.
48:03Easily.
48:03Curls of the day.
48:08Oh, look at that whopper.
48:10That's a claw.
48:11He got the whole claw.
48:23Uh-oh.
48:24I don't know.
48:25That's what you do not want.
48:27It's happened.
48:27It's happened.
48:28Mm-hmm.
48:30Oh, that's a shame.
48:34You too.
48:48I think, for me, it's the best plating.
48:52Yeah.
48:53It eats really beautifully.
48:55So there's some nice textual differences of the crab.
48:59There's some from the body, some from the claw.
49:02The dressing on the crab is beautiful.
49:05And the Buddha's hand jam is lovely.
49:09But there is a shell.
49:12I'm very sorry if you got a shell because I didn't.
49:15I'm for you.
49:15You know what?
49:16My dish was absolutely up no shit.
49:19Amazing.
49:20In fact, it's way the closest to use.
49:22For me, it's faultless.
49:25I love the seasoning.
49:27The crème fraîche is actually, it's like a mayo.
49:31It's just simple of that, the way it's whipped down.
49:33Every element was perfectly done.
49:36Yeah.
49:36And perfectly put together.
49:39Here's what's the most impressive.
49:41I mean, it's got detail.
49:42Everything was spaced out.
49:43I mean, you can see layers.
49:45The crème fraîche at the bottom with the fennel jam, the crab.
49:49I really like the simi vinegar jelly.
49:52I thought he's put his hand.
49:53Citrus was very good.
49:55I didn't get shell, you two got shell.
49:58But that, for me, in a restaurant setting, it's a big thing.
50:04Yes, in a restaurant setting, this is such a sin.
50:09But there are people who have left out entire elements, right?
50:16We've got a big question to answer.
50:18You know, what is worse?
50:26No matter the result, take a moment to appreciate what you've achieved today.
50:31You've recreated a Michelin star dish.
50:35Thank you for bringing your masterpiece into the MasterChef kitchen.
50:38Sam Asbitt, everyone.
50:46There was one mud crab salad we couldn't fold.
50:51Sam thought it was almost exactly like his.
50:57Congratulations.
50:58You have cemented your spot in the top seven.
51:05Annabelle!
51:15Well done, Annabelle. You are safe.
51:20It came down to two dishes.
51:25Aliona.
51:26Your presentation was beautiful.
51:29And the way you hustled to catch up was seriously impressive.
51:34But...
51:35Your crab salad had no dressing.
51:38Was over-seasoned.
51:39And large chunks of macadamia impacted the dish.
51:43Making it very different to Sam's.
51:47Casper.
51:49Everything from the presentation, to the flavour, to the texture of your mud crab salad.
51:56Was exactly like Sam's.
51:59But...
52:01There were pieces of crab shell in your dish.
52:07This was an incredibly hard decision for us to make.
52:13It came down to the dish that was the most different to Sam's.
52:18I'm sorry to say, you're going home.
52:25Aliona.
52:30Not my best to stay in the kitchen today, clearly.
52:33But I still plated the dish.
52:37I'm going to go home and try to refine it.
52:41Serve it to my guests.
52:42I'm going to say that that's just in one of the Michelin star restaurants.
52:47Just so grateful for all this experience.
52:49I honestly overjoyed that I've came so far.
52:52And so happy I met all of you guys.
52:57I honestly, I'm going to miss you so much.
53:01Aliona, we are totally going to miss you.
53:04I think it's your creativity that will be missed the most.
53:09We've loved having you in the MasterChef kitchen, but it's time to say goodbye.
53:14Bring it in.
53:17This was one of the best experiences of my life, honestly.
53:23I've made, made so many incredible friendships here.
53:31I think these are for life because everyone is so genuine.
53:36Okay, you're doing well.
53:38You're not for the girls, yeah?
53:39Yeah.
53:40Okay.
53:40And I'll see you in Sydney.
53:42Leaving all these guys feels like I'm leaving half of my family.
53:47We're going to MasterChef.
53:48Yeah.
53:50I think this is just the beginning.
53:52I feel MasterChef really opened a lot of little parts of me, food-wise, personality-wise.
53:59Give it up for Aliona, everybody!
54:07And I'm really excited to see what's going to happen next.
54:17Next week on MasterChef Australia...
54:20Is HeatWay!
54:22Every challenge is a red-hot battle for immunity.
54:27I have to push myself to stand out from the pack.
54:30You've got to go big.
54:31Whoa!
54:32That is banging.
54:33Are we bringing it?
54:34I feel you!
54:36And...
54:36It's Marion Grasby!
54:40With a few hot tips...
54:42It's now time for the fun bit.
54:46HeatWay!
54:47Yeah, baby!
54:48Will be a scorcher.
54:50It's a spicy discotheque in my dish.
54:54God, that's a fun dish.
54:56It's so much fun.
54:57It is fire.
54:58Absolutely stunning.
55:00I couldn't love this more.
55:02I love it.
55:03In fact, I was going to try something new.
55:06Uh-oh.
55:07Whoa!
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