From across the UK...
...32 up-and-coming chefs...
...are putting their reputations on the line
in a battle to become
Professional MasterChef Champion.
Tonight, four new hopefuls compete to impress MasterChef
judge Gregg Wallace,
renowned chef Monica Galetti
and Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing.
Compared to my career so far, this is something utterly different
and I'm just trying to enjoy the ride.
For me personally, like, it's me versus me.
I'm just here to cook the best plate of food I can do.
I'm a bit nervous.
But finally the day is here, so I'm really excited to get
in the kitchen and get cooking.
I'm definitely here to go all the way.
winning is obviously the goal.
I want fireworks in this kitchen.
I want a battle. And I can't wait to see what talent is waiting
outside this kitchen door.
Marcus, Monica, we have four new chefs to meet.
First of all, the Skills Test. Two of them, Monica,
are going to be doing your Skills Test.
Marcus, two of them yours.
What are you going to get them to do?
I would like our chefs to prepare and cook this lamb neck, served
with baba ghanoush, a pomegranate vinaigrette and some toast.
We're off to the Middle East. Fabulous.
Not sure how many of our chefs have cooked lamb neck,
but if they cook it with care, should be fine.
Years gone by, this was seen as a second-class joint, wasn't it?
For stews and for braising.
It's got a little bit more sinew, a bit more fat running through it
and if you like that on your lamb, then it's a great alternative.
Off you go. 20 minutes, Marcus. All right, first job, the lamb.
We're going to cook this medium, medium rare.
Lamb neck because, as you can see, there is a muscle joint
in the back of it,
if you're going to cook it pink or medium, it does need time to rest.
Lamb neck's in the pan. Just oil, some hard herbs.
So just keep turning the lamb neck.
Some butter in there.
When you're "nappe” that butter over, is it cooking
the outside of the meat?
It is, but also, the butter,
when you do that, what it does, it aerates the butter,
so it doesn't burn.
Hey!
Right. So now onto this toast.
I'm just going to flatten them out.
What I love about doing it this way is it goes in the oven with olive
oil, salt and a bit of pepper.
They just puff up and absorb.
It's almost like a crunchy fried bread.
Now onto the baba ghanoush.
I've got a cooked aubergine here. Scrape out the aubergine,
out of the skin.
Baba ghanoush is lovely.
It's cooked aubergine with a lot of garlic and a bit of tahini
paste as well.
And, you know, you just dip your bread in it.
Beautiful thing.
My tahini.
Cumin. Nice glug of oil.
Mix that up.
What I love about aubergine, especially cooked this way,
they do take big flavours. They really do.
Chopped parsley.
So, take out the lamb.
It's nicely cooked. So it's nice and charred,
so it's like it's been over a fire.
Beautiful. I love the colour on that piece of lamb. Look.
That's what I want. I want that colour.
I don't want them to be afraid and all delicate.
I want them to really get some energy into it.
So we're going to make a pomegranate vinaigrette.
So, some Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar.
And sweetness from the pomegranate molasses.
So this is going to go on the side. The vinaigrette,
you've got some lovely ingredients, like the pomegranate reduction
there, to add to it.
They've got some herbs they could fold through it as well.
And it has to have a nice emulsion to it.
So the pomegranate.
Wow. Want a few of the seeds out, not too many.
I think we're ready to go.
A bit of crunchy fried bread.
How's that, Chef? Look at that.
Oh!
I never doubted you for a second.
Yeah. Look at that, look. Fabulous.
There you have it. Prepared and cooked lamb neck, baba ghanoush,
pomegranate vinaigrette and toast. Yes!
I think our chefs can do this.
The cooking of the lamb, need to keep calm,
cook it beautifully. Baba ghanoush -
we're giving them the aubergines already cooked.
Vinaigrette to cut through the richness
of that baba ghanoush.
And they have to make some nice toast to go with it,
because we're dipping into this baba ghanoush.
Monica, you're going to leave us now,
but I know you're going to be watching intently.
See you in a bit. Right.
Good test, this. Let's see what they make of this lamb neck.
Are you ready? I am ready. I'm looking forward to this.
Let's call them in.
Who have we got first?
NARRATOR: 33-year-old Gabrielle...
Hello. MARCUS: Hello.
...is a chef working for a private household in London.
So either it's quite quiet and chilled with just the family,
or it can be like a house full of guests and be quite full-on.
So I first began cooking seriously when I went out to do a ski season
in the Alps, and from then, I worked on boats, whether it's sort
of spending the winters in the Caribbean or sailing
across the Pacific.
You're in these remote places,
you have to go to the local market and work with the ingredients
that are there,
and I think it's definitely informed my cooking and the dishes
that I serve today.
My style of cooking is fairly casual and approachable,
but with an air of refinement to it.
Having Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti
judging your food is always going to be a bit intimidating,
but I've worked with some pretty high-powered, pretty intimidating
people, and so I think I should be OK.
Welcome to Professional MasterChef.
This is a Skills Test.
And this test was set by none other than Mr Wareing himself.
I'd like you to prepare and cook the lamb neck.
Serve it with baba ghanoush, pomegranate vinaigrette
and some toast.
OK. 20 minutes.
Over to you. Great.
Just going to remove some of this sinew.
Cooked a lamb neck before? Prepped it and cooked it before? I have not.
So she's trimming some of the sinew off.
She doesn't have to take all of it off, but it's fine
to remove some so it's not too tough.
What's your background, Gabrielle?
So I work as a private chef, and before that, I worked
on super yachts for many years.
Super yachts?! So how long did you do that?
A decade. Wow.
All over the world? Yeah.
A lot of time in the Caribbean and Europe.
And then I also went across the Pacific.
What was your favourite place?
French Polynesia was pretty special.
Just an incredible location.
Amazing seafood.
And the most difficult place to get decent fresh produce?
Also. Same answer.
SHE LAUGHS
Right. So have you got a plan?
I'm just going to sear it a little bit, and then I'm going to pop
it into the oven.
And then I want to leave it to rest for at least a few minutes
at the end as well.
I'm going to put this in the oven now.
No, it looks good.
I'm just going to fry off the bread.
It sounds like you've had a fantastic career. Why MasterChef?
So I've been back working in London as a private chef for a few years
now, and I was kind of ready for the next challenge, I guess.
Gabrielle, you are halfway.
So you've got ten minutes left. OK.
We've got the lamb in the oven. The toast you're pan-frying.
You've started your baba ghanoush. Yep.
So I'm just grinding up some garlic and some spices.
Yeah. Looks good. I love the flavours she's using.
She's doing pretty good.
Yeah? Hmm. Good. Yeah.
So what have we got left to do?
Just the vinaigrette and take the lamb out, which I'm going
to do now.
I don't want him to overcook while we wait.
Where did you learn your art?
So I spent a lot of time learning on the job.
I'm not classically trained and I've never worked full-time
in a professional restaurant. I've done sort of little stints.
Tell me about the vinaigrette. What have you got in there?
So it's got a little bit of Dijon mustard, some white wine vinegar,
pomegranate molasses, just to sweeten it up a bit.
And actually, it could do with a little more...
...because it's still a bit tart.
Good to see her tasting everything.
I think she's ready to plate up.
Right, Gabrielle, you've got two minutes left.
Right. Should we have a look at this? Moment of truth.
SHE EXHALES
I'm pretty happy with that.
No, looks good. Looks really good.
Done? Done. In time.
Well done. You all right?
And breathe.
Gabrielle. Hello. You seemed to work your way through that.
The lamb, perfectly cooked.
Fantastic. The vinaigrette,
you've got the pomegranate flavour running through it.
It's sweet, it's sour. You were tasting absolutely everything.
The baba ghanoush is delicious.
I think this is an excellent start to your competition.
Gabrielle, I like that you trimmed down the extra sinew on the lamb
neck, cooking of it, searing it, you know, letting it rest.
Understanding that takes knowledge.
Yeah. A joy to eat.
I'm excited to see what your signature round is about.
Good start. Keep it up. Thank you so much.
Your baba ghanoush is packed full of garlic.
That with the sharp, sweet vinaigrette of pomegranate,
absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much.
That's a first-rate Skills Test.
And look at it. They're still eating.
Great start. See you in the next round. Go on.
Thank you. Thank you.
I can't remember this happening where we just stand here
and demolish the dish on a Skills Test.
It's slightly embarrassing, isn't it?
Oh, my God. That's not real.
Unbelievable.
It went so much better than I could have dreamed of it going.
Yeah. Good. Phew!
It's over.
Next in is 33-year-old Giovann.
Nice hair.
Originally from Malta, he's now an executive head chef
at a Sicilian-inspired restaurant in the heart of London.
I always wanted to be a chef since a very young age.
I grew up on a farm.
We always had sheep, chickens, rabbits.
We always made our own cheese, honey.
So I grew up with the direct contact with the produce.
That's why I love working where I am, using loads of spices,
fresh ingredients, fresh fish.
It just gives me that feeling of being at home.
I've entered MasterChef because I like to challenge myself.
I've been waiting for this moment for a really long time,
so I'm definitely going to give it my all.
Service, please!
Welcome to MasterChef. This is a Skills Test, Giovann.
Yeah. And this Skills Test was set by the chef over here,
Marcus. I'd like you to prepare and cook the lamb neck.
Serve it with baba ghanoush, a pomegranate vinaigrette
and toast. OK.
That sound OK? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think so, Chef.
20 minutes. Off you go.
OK.
Let's start by cleaning this.
Breathe, Giovann. Are you all right? Yeah, yeah.
OK.
Breathe, Giovann. You've got this.
He's trimmed his lamb. He's cut it in two.
That's all right. It will cook faster.
I hope he doesn't forget to cook his meat.
Where did your love of food begin?
I think in my grandma's kitchen, really.
As a young boy, she used to cook away and I just watch her, really,
and I think I just pick that love from there.
It's good. That's good.
But I'd really like you to get your lamb on now.
A bit of tahini in there.
WHISPERS: Giovann, put the lamb on.
Put the lamb on.
You've had five minutes. Yes, Chef.
Uh! Finally.
So a bit of olive oil.
Remember, you've also got to make a pomegranate vinaigrette
and some toast.
Wow. Yeah. You've done that before.
A few times, Chef.
Either that or you play the drums.
OK. I like his pace.
Giovann, you are just over halfway,
so you've got about nine minutes left. Yeah.
Lamb's got a lovely colour on it.
What position are you in the kitchen you work in?
I'm exec head chef. Exec? Yeah.
I know it's a bit of a big title. That is a big title.
I am very much a head chef, though, in terms of hands on the job.
Executives tend to sit in offices, don't they?
I don't know. I don't want to say that. Normally.
I don't want to get a lot of backlash after today.
Go on, pour it on. Pour that butter on.
Yeah!
You're doing OK. You bread's in. Yeah, lamb is cooking.
You've got enough time. There's never enough time, Gregg.
He's right.
You've got three minutes left.
So you've got three minutes to dress your dish,
so plenty of time. OK.
That's the bits.
Nice-looking toast.
That lamb, it's a bit under.
Hmm.
I like that. I think that's a good idea.
You all finished? Yes, Chef.
You had a minute left to go. Well done.
You all right, Giovann? Hi. Good, thanks, Chef.
That's a good start.
Your lamb is a little bit on the undercooked side.
I think you should have got it on a bit sooner.
The vinaigrette, it's just a little bit too much pomegranate molasses.
It's just a little bit on the sweet side.
But I like the way you worked.
You're very well organised. The presentation,
I like the fact you've got your toast into shapes.
I like the idea of the baba ghanoush on the toast and the lamb
on the side. So, overall, really good start, very well organised.
Just focus on the detail of flavour, more tasting.
I like your thought process, from the cooking of your toast
to the way that you plated it.
I like the texture of your baba ghanoush.
I think it's a good start.
Lovely presentation.
I like the sweetness of your dressing, cos I've got
a very, very sweet tooth.
But your lamb is a little under for me.
Giovann, not bad.
See you soon. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
On the whole, it went pretty good.
I got very constructive feedback that I will take forward
in the competition and in life.
We've seen two already.
Monica, I'm sure you've got a fantastic challenge for them.
What is your Skills Test?
I'm going to get our chefs to make us a apple tarte tatin,
served with a Calvados anglaise.
We've got a boozy custard and an apple tart.
Marvellous stuff.
I think the caramel, the cooking of the apple, the pastry, the sauce,
it's a fantastic skill, but it's a skill that I think
will scare our chefs.
20 minutes. Off you go, Chef.
Right, let's do this.
First thing I want to do is to get this tarte tatin in the oven.
So I've got butter, a thick bit of butter.
And what you do is you sort of press it into the base of your pan.
You really have got a buttery base. You're a buttery base.
Ooh!
And then sugar on top of it.
Grab our apple.
Where did you first learn to make a tarte tatin? At the Gavroche.
And it was also the best thing to have for breakfast.
You'd have the leftover tarte tatins from the night before and you used
to fight over it in the kitchen.
I'm scoring the apple, so that's going to make it cook much quicker.
Cut a circle of the pastry.
And I'm just pressing it around.
I've seen many being made, and you make caramel, you slice
the apples down, and then you put the pastry over it.
And then in the oven, turn it out when it's done.
I've never seen this before. This classic way of making it
is the simplest but the best way,
because I love how the caramel catches the pastry.
Everyone's got a different type of technique. The most important thing,
it's a hot dessert with pastry and the lovely caramelised apple.
Nice and hot.
You also need to pierce the top of the tatin,
so that the steam can escape.
If you don't, then that moisture and that steam will stay
inside and it will dilute the caramel.
So the tart is in the oven.
I'm going to make my anglaise to go with it.
Vanilla pod into the milk
and the cream.
Creme anglaise and a custard, the difference is...?
One's thickened with starch,
so you can have it hot and you can boil it.
You can't boil a sauce anglaise.
So you'll never, ever get a hot sauce
anglaise in a restaurant anywhere. Hey.
And then we're going to add the milk
warm to it, am I right? That's right.
And then a splash of Calvados at the end. Mm!
Apple brandy.
Lovely.
Hey.
Unbelievable. I love that.
And I'm just going to put that pan back on the heat,
cos it's got the caramel in there.
Mm.
Yeah. Go on, kid. Get amongst it.
More of that, just through it.
Wonderful.
Just on the side. Lovely custard.
And there we have it. Tarte tatin with a Calvados anglaise.
Yeah.
Beautiful and really clever.
That's a nice technique to get a tarte tatin done quickly.
Whether our chefs do that, well, we'll see.
Marcus, you're going to be on pud watch.
We'll see you back here for another tasting.
Get them in. This is going to be great. You ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
NARRATOR: First to face Monica's Skills Test is 29-year-old Kasae.
Originally from Australia,
she's now a head chef at a contemporary Japanese
restaurant in Bath.
We take a lot of Japanese produce, also a lot of British produce,
and then put a quite intense Japanese influence into it.
I was born in Australia in a town called Mildura.
A small farming town,
lots of grapes and oranges and stuff like that,
so we were always brought up around really fresh produce.
I started waitressing at about 20, and then I covered for someone
in the kitchen who was on holiday, and I was just hooked
as soon as I went in.
So I did a three-year apprenticeship and then two
more years in Australia.
And then I moved to New Zealand for a year, Sweden for a year,
and now here.
Travels have heavily, heavily influenced my cooking style.
Going into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time I think
will be a little bit intimidating, but hopefully I can keep my
nerves under control!
Service, please.
Kasae, welcome to Professional MasterChef.
This is a Skills Test.
This one was set by my good friend Monica.
Perfect.
I would like you to make us an apple tarte tatin. Mm-mm.
Served with a Calvados anglaise.
OK. 20 minutes.
Off you go. Thank you.
Goodness. My hands are shaky.
So what's your plan for your tarte tatin?
Get my caramel going.
Put a little bit of vanilla in there. Mm-hm.
Put the apples in.
I think the most important thing is to get the tarte tatin in the oven,
and then I can focus on the anglaise and hopefully get
that done pretty quickly.
Good. That's a great plan.
Have you made a tarte tatin before?
Only once, actually, yeah.
My partner's French, so he showed me how to make it.
Is your partner a chef?
He is, yeah.
We met in Australia. We ended up working in the same restaurant.
So did you both come to the UK together?
Yeah, we did. Now we've been here for a couple of years.
Generally a tarte tatin is either half or a quarter of an apple,
but she's slicing the apples.
It's more like a little apple tart rather than a tarte tatin.
Right. So you've got a caramel with sliced apples
and now the pastry on the top. Yep.
Just tuck that in, so when I flip it back over,
hopefully it keeps all the juices in.
She hasn't put any holes on top of the pastry.
So, a little, little error there.
You've got ten minutes left. OK.
I'm sure that's going to fly by.
Creme anglaise and Calvados sauce.
We've got eggs, sugar in one bowl.
Milk, cream and vanilla in the milk.
So she's making a beautiful, rich anglaise.
I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to add the Calvados.
I don't know if I should boil it a little bit and add it at the end.
OK, she's reduced a bit of Calvados and she's just poured it into
the custard. I just don't think there's enough Calvados
in there, to be fair.
You've got five minutes left.
Hopefully my tarte tatin will be cooked on time.
My partner will be disgraced in how I pronounced that,
I'm sure. He might not be able to say didgeridoo properly.
OK. Now the moment of truth.
Da-da-da-da!
You all done, Chef? I think so.
You made that look very easy.
Not on the inside. Well done.
Kasae, I like how calm you managed to stay. You made the tarte tatin
with the caramel. You burnt off the alcohol of the Calvados.
It's just made it really sweet,
but I love the texture of the anglaise.
I think you could have maybe put a few more apples into the pastry.
It's more like a tart fine... Mm-hm. ..than a tarte tatin.
The caramel is delicious. You've got vanilla in there as well.
The apples beautifully cooked. Great attitude to the kitchen.
Thank you. You sliced the apples really thin, so they're cooked.
There's caramel in there. You've got vanilla in the tart.
You've got vanilla in the custard. I'm really happy with this.
Thank you.
Kasae, we're smiling. You're smiling. Great start.
OK. See you in the next round. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
Oh, my God. What a whirlwind.
That was incredibly tense.
That was amazing, though. Really good fun.
Last up is 31-year-old Kyle, who is a sous-chef working
in a country house hotel on the Durham coast.
As a kid, like, I always knew I wanted to be a chef.
I remember, like, running home from school.
I'd watch, like, Ready Steady Cook.
I used to love all that, and then try and re-enact little bits
and bobs in the kitchen.
When I cook, it's an escape.
I like to just get lost in it, get immersed in it
and my whole life's always been about food.
I've always had a plan to do this competition.
I've won regional competitions, like North East Chef of the Year.
I want to see how I react to a national level with some
of the best emerging chefs in the country.
I think I belong in that category.
I don't think you get bigger than this.
Hi, Kyle. Hi. How are you?
It's pastry, isn't it?
It is pastry. Is that OK with you?
It's going to have to be, isn't it? You have 20 minutes.
Good luck. Cool. Thank you.
He looks nervous. He's like, "Oh, no."
So although you haven't made a tarte tatin before,
what's your plan? Very quickly caramelise these off
in a bit of the Calvados, in the pan with some butter.
And then I'm going to cut this out, cover it over, pop it in the oven,
and then try to remember how to make a creme anglaise.
Go on, then. Get under way. Let's go. Yeah.
WHISPERS: He's got no sugar.
One of the most important ingredients he's forgotten - the sugar.
So he's thinking like he's caramelising a piece of meat,
so he's got butter in a pan and he's cooking it.
This is a pudding. So you can't get a caramel without sugar.
Quite rustic.
You're halfway, so you've still got ten minutes. Yeah.
It'll disappear fast, though.
So your tarte tatin is in the oven,
and now you're making your anglaise, yeah? Yeah.
Been a while since I've made one.
So what sort of food do you do, Kyle? So it's a bit of a mix.
I love, like, Asian-style food, Italian, Spanish, a bit of a mix.
I haven't really got a style that I try and stick to, just flavours
I like to cook.
But he's whisking it up, which is aerating it - good.
He's got his milk and cream on
with his vanilla stick in. It's coming up to the boil.
He says he's not made an anglaise for a long time, but he's done OK.
I hope he doesn't forget the Calvados.
So the creme anglaise is made.
We're just waiting for the tarte tatin to cook now, right?
Yeah. And just pour a little bit of Calvados in.
How long have I got left, time-wise? You've got three minutes.
I should have caramelised the apple first in a bit of sugar and butter.
Yeah. So you've got a tarte tatin with no sugar in it.
Aye. It appears that way, doesn't it?
I'm going to make a caramel very, very fast.
Bingo!
Do you know what? I like your ingenuity.
I think we're going to call you Unconventional Kyle.
That looks a nice-looking caramel, but some butter
in there would make it better.
You're going to have to think about plating up soon. Yeah.
Oh. Ah!
I feel like I've cheated a little bit there. You've got a minute.
Are you done? Just custard, and that's it.
There you go. Ha!
Oh, dear.
Wow!
I've seen a lot of tarte tatins made in my time in kitchens,
but I've never, ever seen one made quite like that.
Neither have I.
Cor, that's sweet!
The tarte tatin making, you completely forgot about the sugar.
You've also made a caramel separate.
Only thing is, the caramel was a dry caramel, which has then set quite
hard, like toffee.
I actually think you've probably not done much pastry at all.
In fact, I think, probably the last time you did any pastry was probably
in catering college. Am I right? You're right, aye.
Yeah. And that's exactly what I could see here.
You had no clue what you were doing, but you did get yourself through it.
Not bad, nonetheless. We've had worse.
We have. Oh, yeah. A lot worse.
You did make big mistakes, but what is a positive is you kind
of knew halfway through. And also, you tried to rescue it.
I like that.
We'll see you in the next round.
I don't think I left a very good impression.
I think if anything, I look quite weak.
Definitely something I need to rectify, um, and quick.
I think we've got four very interesting chefs here.
We had good Skills Tests, apart from Kyle, who had a bit of a wobble.
But I actually like the fact that he tried to rescue it.
I think that's a real positive.
I think we're going to have a great second round. Yeah.
Yeah. Good bunch.
This is your signature two-course menu.
The food you're about to cook is going to give us an insight
as to the food that excites you, the food that you enjoy.
Come on. Do your best. Give us a difficult judging.
1 hour and 30 minutes to deliver a fabulous main and a dessert.
At the end of this, two of you will be leaving us.
Show us what you've got.
I'm feeling good.
Have given a bit of work to do, but I want to prove
that I can do this, I've got what it takes, really.
I am excited to put my food up in front of the judges.
It's a little bit nerve-racking, as always.
You want to put out the best you can do.
So let's hope I can follow through.
Being a chef is a massive part of my identity.
Whether it's a holiday, it's always based on food, or if it's at home,
it's about trying different things.
So, yeah, it's a huge part of who I am.
So, tell us, what's your menu?
So to start with, I'm doing a lamb saddle.
It's going to go with a Goddess dressing, so that will be with
anchovies, tarragon, wild garlic, lemon juice and a little bit
of creme fraiche to finish it.
And then that's going to go with some seaweed-glazed carrots.
A Goddess sauce. I've never heard of it.
My old head chef said that it used to be pretty popular back
in the '80s, and I love the idea of it pairing with lamb,
with the anchovies. And for dessert? Yeah, my dessert is a coconut
bavarois. So a set coconut mousse, a little bit of champagne jelly
on top, yuzu, elderflower-glazed strawberries
and some coconut biscuit. You're Australian, your partner's French.
Can I ask you, after all your travels, why here?
The food scene, it's something that we're always told about in Australia.
If you're a chef, you've got to go to England.
Me and my partner would like to open up our own restaurant, hopefully
in the not-too-distant future.
Kasae has got a great-sounding menu.
She's taking the lamb saddle,
she's putting it in a vac pack and cooking it in a water bath.
It should come out, get sealed off in a pan, and then rested
before she cuts into it. Shallots chutney.
So you're going to get a little bit of sweet and sourness.
We've got the Goddess dressing.
That's where the anchovy comes into this dish.
It's a strong-flavoured fish, but it just seems to complement
lamb very well.
I'm pretty confident. I just have to get a wiggle on, put
the foot on the gas and hope for the best.
which has been heated up.
Her dessert is a coconut bavarois, a coconut puree
The gelatine has been added to it, and she's added some lightly whipped
cream into it, once it's cooled down.
Almonds, coconut, rosemary biscuit - nice,
crunchy biscuit for texture. A champagne jelly,
I want to taste the alcohol, the sweetness.
The jelly can not be set too hard.
25 minutes gone, everybody.
25 minutes gone.
Definitely a man on a mission. I want to put some graft in now.
Managed to practise these a couple of times,
so it's a dish I'm hopefully comfortable with.
What are you making, Kyle? Lamb rack with ewes' curd
and black-truffle-stuffed morel.
White and green asparagus, jus gras,
and I've got a herb puree and anchovy emulsion.
And then for dessert, I'm doing a creme fraiche parfait, meringue,
caramelised sourdough with caramelised miso caramel.
Something that I know how to do,
which I've mucked up first time round. Kyle, really?! Really.
You did a Skills Test and you've got caramel on here.
I'm going to nail it this time, though. Do you have family at home?
Yes. I've got a wife and my little girl, Grace, as well.
She's only seven. My biggest critic. So, yeah, very excited.
She keeps asking when it's on and stuff like that.
All right. Smash it, Kyle. Good luck. Oui, Chef.
Kyle's first course is rack of lamb.
The success for this dish is really good lamb cookery,
a very good sauce, and just making all the elements
around the outside perfect.
Lovely herb puree, fresh asparagus.
Jus gras is a split gravy. A bit of fat running through it.
I like the sound of morels being stuffed with black truffle
and ewes' curd.
Hopefully, the ewes' curd mix isn't going to split and become grainy
in there.
Kyle's pudding, we've got a creme fraiche parfait.
Nice and cold, nice and rich. I want it to be really creamy.
Topped with Italian meringue. You need to be very careful of the
quantity of meringue that you pipe on top.
You do not want this dessert to be too sweet, especially
when it's sitting next to caramelised sourdough
and a miso caramel.
This is one of the biggest things I've ever done.
This is my time to shine and to show who am I and what my food is.
Let's see.
What are your two courses?
Herb-crusted lamb rack with black olive and smoked anchovy tapenade,
sun-dried red pepper jam, caramelised Tropea onion
and a cumin jus. And for the pudding,
I'm doing a strawberry and almond tart, with rose water and strawberry
jelly, cinnamon and ricotta ice cream, and macerated strawberries.
Your main course, you've got the flavours of Malta here.
Mediterranean... Yes, Chef.
...but with influences from North Africa.
Yeah, I think there's loads of influences.
We use a lot of spices and herbs, like coriander, cumin.
I love cumin with lamb. I just love it. Right.
Listen, we'd better let you get on. Yes, Chef.
Don't forget, you've got your lamb to cook soon. Yes, Chef.
Giovann is cooking a rack of lamb.
He's got mint and parsley crust going on there.
We're halfway through the cook at the moment. He certainly needs
to get that lamb on.
The most important thing with lamb cookery is you can't rush it.
Rack of lamb - you've got to render the fat.
It needs to be rested.
Caramelised onions. That'll bring a lovely flavour to this dish.
And, of course, pepper jam. I like the sound of that.
The sun-dried peppers - very strong in flavour.
So it's going to be sweet and sour. I don't want it too sweet, though.
Black olive and beech-smoked anchovy tapenade.
Oh, a tapenade will work wonders with lamb.
My dessert is a nod to my nan, because she passed away
back in January.
She used to make a strawberry jelly and ice cream, and we used
to love it.
So there's a salute to her.
His dessert is a strawberry and almond frangipane.
I love the idea of adding cinnamon with the sheep's ricotta ice cream.
That will be a lovely edge that I think will complement
the vanilla and the almond flavour of the frangipane.
Right, Chefs, you've got 20 minutes left.
20 minutes.
I've practised my signature dish about three times, with my boyfriend
there timing me and distracting me with questions and writing notes.
So it's been quite extensive.
Right. What are you cooking?
Turbot poached in a lemon and champagne beurre blanc,
with a pea and asparagus puree and a crab croquette.
What about pudding? Honey and lavender panna cotta
with Sauternes-poached apricots and a pistachio tuille.
We know the career you've had, but your passion for cookery,
where did that start?
Growing up, food was always a time where the whole
family came together.
It would always be around some sort of party and a table surrounded
by all the people you love. Who is the cook in the house?
My mum is a very good cook.
Is Mum proud now of what you've achieved? I hope so.
Although, I was expecting a good luck call or text,
and none was received. What's Mum's name?
Sarah. Sarah! Here!
Your little girl's on the telly! Send her a message!
I've sorted it for you, Gabs. Now I'm in trouble.
That's bang out of order, that is.
Gabrielle's menu sounds fascinating.
The turbot needs to gently poach. It cannot afford to be boiled.
Otherwise, it will dry out.
She's serving it with potato scales? Sounds interesting.
Just got to make sure they're evenly cooked and they don't burn
on the edges.
Spiced crab croquette.
Her bechamel needs to be thick enough so the croquettes
are going to hold.
We've got pea and asparagus puree, so that's going to have a vibrant
green colour and, of course, lovely and smooth.
We've got a honey and lavender panna cotta.
The most important thing is that the panna cotta
has to be set just right.
You want to have the honey - that's going to bring sweetness -
and, of course, the lavender, the flavour of an English garden.
Pistachio tuille. So that's going to bring some texture.
Gabrielle is poaching her apricot in a Sauternes,
which is a sweet wine.
She's also got honey, so she's got to make sure she has the balance
of the sweetness there.
Otherwise, it will completely take over.
Chefs, you have just eight minutes left.
You need to start thinking about getting some food dressed.
A little bit behind plan, but getting there.
Dessert is looking good. Lamb just needs to render
down a little bit more, but I'm happy with it.
Yeah, no worries. Got everything on that I need to have on.
Asparagus, carve lamb, morels, plate up.
See if I can get it over the line.
You've got a couple of minutes, guys. Are we plating?
Yes, Chef.
Chefs, it is final, final touches!
Right, time's up! Stop. Please stop.
You both, you all right? Oh, my God.
Well done, guys. It's done. It's finished. Thank God!
NARRATOR: For sous-chef Kyle's main,
he has cooked a rack of lamb,
morels stuffed with black truffle ewes' curd, white and green
asparagus, lovage and parsley puree,
anchovy puree and a lamb and caper jus gras.
The lamb is fabulous. It's beautifully cooked.
I love the sharpness of the vinegar in the sauce, and the truffle
running through your little morel there is great.
Good dish, that, Kyle. Cheers. Well done.
Your herb puree is really strong with lovage.
Rarely do you get anything with lovage and it's quite bitter.
I'm really enjoying taking the crunch of the asparagus, putting
it with your sauce, with the anchovy, with your herb puree
very, very much.
Nice pockets of surprises in there from the mint and the capers
and your sauce, the sharpness of the sauce. The anchovy puree,
you've only got a small amount there, and you don't want
any more because it's very strong. Well done, Chef.
NARRATOR: For his dessert, Kyle has made a creme fraiche parfait
topped with meringue,
with caramelised sourdough and a miso caramel.
Kyle, I really like the presentation.
It's simplistic yet full of things that I'm looking
at and I want to try.
Your parfait is beautifully chilled.
It's incredibly creamy.
The correct amount of Italian meringue on top, beautifully burnt.
And I love the bitter notes of your sourdough on top.
You've delivered an absolute stunning dessert here.
You did my Skills Test, and you made a caramel
that was rock hard, but you've
nailed it in your miso caramel sauce here.
Kyle, that's fantastic. It's really sophisticated.
I'm loving that.
Your parfait here is creme fraiche.
It is sour, like a yoghurt.
You've got sweet Italian meringue.
Then you've got bitterness from those cocoa nibs.
Why on earth you couldn't do a simple dessert in the Skills Test,
I've no idea, when you can put this together.
Yeah, good feedback.
I'm very proud of how it went.
GABRIELLE: Well done, buddy.
And I think I proved a point that I belong in this competition.
NARRATOR: Private chef Gabrielle's main course is poached turbot
with sliced potato scales,
spiced crab croquette, blanched green beans and asparagus,
pea and asparagus puree...
...and a champagne and lemon beurre blanc.
That sauce has gone a little bit greasy, and it's too heavy
with acidity.
The rest of your dish, I think, is absolutely delicious.
Your turbot, it tastes like a fish that's just had a bath in butter.
It's absolutely lovely.
It's melting. I like the potato scales you've put on it.
The little crunch of that, they're good.
The vegetables are perfectly cooked. The asparagus puree, that's great.
Tastes good.
But the croquettes, it's a little bit on the heavy side.
Little croquettes should just be light and fluffy inside.
The fish is beautifully poached.
Your vegetables - lovely, vibrant green.
But the beurre blanc has split,
which is a shame, because it needs that sauce
to bring everything together.
NARRATOR: For her dessert,
Gabrielle has made honey and lavender panna cotta,
Sauternes-poached apricots and a pistachio tuile.
There's two things for me missing in your panna cotta.
Sugar - there's not enough.
And I can't taste the lavender.
And I want my apricots just to be sweetened up a little bit,
because they're just a little bit, uAh ! (] ]
A bit tangy.
An absolutely lovely, crispy, thin tuille.
Nutty pistachios.
Just absolutely lovely.
But the panna cotta has got too much setting agent in it.
I'd eat it, but I would prefer it not as bouncy.
I'm loving the apricots with the Sauternes through it.
But I find my panna cotta just a touch too firm.
Are you OK? Sorry.
That's all that emotion and the stress
from the day coming out. It happens a lot.
The MasterChef kitchen is so much tougher than any other kitchen
I've been in.
To have them looking at you and questioning
you about your dish is just a kind of pressure that I cannot describe.
NARRATOR: Executive head chef Giovann has made rack of lamb
with a mint and parsley crust, sun-dried pepper jam,
caramelised onion, black olive,
anchovy and pine nut tapenade,
and a cumin lamb sauce.
I like your presentation, but this lamb,
albeit mine's nice and pink,
could have certainly done with being sliced.
It's really difficult to eat when you have to cut
through the bones.
And the sauce -
I love the flavour of cumin, that North African flavour.
This dish can deal with that.
I think the chutney's delicious, the tapenade is great,
the sauce is great. Very good.
I really like the sweet peppers in your chutney.
The onion is sweetness again, natural sweetness,
with a bit of bite.
So I'm happy.
It's a great plate of food. Tapenade with the anchovies and capers
works so well, but you put a twist with the pine nuts in there.
I've enjoyed that.
But if you're going to say mint crumb on there, make sure it
sings through.
NARRATOR: For Giovann's dessert,
he has made a strawberry and almond tart with macerated strawberries,
strawberry and rose water jelly,
strawberry jam and a sheep's ricotta
and cinnamon ice cream.
You've got a little hint of rose water there. You've got a nice
flavour of the strawberries on top,
but your tart is dense and it's heavy.
If I just take the tart and eat that with a cup of tea,
perfect. But as a dessert,
it doesn't work.
I saw you put the jelly on straight away, and it was literally melting
under your very eyes.
Ice cream is grainy.
The ricotta is there, but I'm not getting that energy of cinnamon.
So you're missing key things here.
It's a shame your jelly is not the right texture, but it's a lovely
flavour of sweet, sharp strawberry and almost haunting rose water.
The cake, it's like a take on a Bakewell tart.
Frangipane in the middle with some fruity jam.
The flavours I'm really enjoying.
The tart with the strawberry works so well.
And with your sheep's ricotta ice cream, it should all come together.
But because the ice cream is over-churned, it's become grainy.
It's not worked.
So gutted.
I can't believe I failed so badly.
WHISPERS: I hate pastry. Don't worry.
The amount of hours put in, it's ridiculous.
So it will be very hard if I go home today.
NARRATOR: For head chef Kasae's main course,
she's made a sous vide lamb saddle,
dull-seaweed-glazed carrots,
oyster leaves, wild garlic,
shallot chutney and tarragon with a wild garlic
and creme fraiche Goddess sauce.
MARCUS WAREING: Kasae, you can't put all this food in that little circle.
It doesn't fit.
The lamb's nice and pink, and carrots are wonderfully cooked.
And I love the way that you've prepared them.
There's so much care.
Your Goddess sauce, it's citrusy, it's salty from anchovy.
It's got the strong tarragon flavour, which I like.
A lot of garlic. I like that. I think that's a good idea.
Love the seaweed on there.
There's a lovely little saltiness there, but the sweetness
is definitely coming through into the carrots. They've got a lovely
bite to them. Beautifully prepared.
The chutney on the side is sweet and sour.
I like your ideas and I like your execution,
but you've just got to think of what it looks like.
Not just what it looks like, but how you eat it.
And it's just the wrong plate.
NARRATOR: For Kasae's dessert,
she has made a coconut bavarois topped with champagne jelly,
fresh strawberries, an almond coconut and rosemary biscuit,
and an elderflower, strawberry coulis.
Kasae, I think your dessert presentation is so much better.
I love the colours of it with the strawberries on top.
The champagne jelly is delightful. It's popping.
You haven't burnt the champagne off, you know,
so you're enjoying the flavours of champagne on there.
And the strawberries with elderflower is delightful.
You don't see bavarois much.
It's really nice to see, effectively, a classic.
Love the yuzu in the strawberries. The strawberries are delicious.
The sauce around the outside is delicious.
The coconut biscuit literally melts in your mouth.
It's like ice cream.
It's an indulgence of strawberries and cream on another level.
Absolutely loving these flavours.
That jelly on the top I'm finding divine.
It's like a gulp of champagne you've just swallowed.
It's just left a little bit of sharpness on there.
It's really lovely, really refreshing.
It's also helped along by the elderflower.
Great flavours, great invention.
Coconut, strawberry, champagne.
You must have had some wonderful picnics.
I'm kicking myself about my choice of plate.
I hesitated between two different types of plates, and I went
for that one in the end, and it just wasn't the right one,
which ultimately kind of let the dish down a little bit.
WHISPERS: Can I collapse now?
But I'm happy that they enjoyed the dessert.
Yeah, I'm buzzing about that.
We've got four very good chefs here.
What I liked about them was the diversity in the ideas,
their thinking, their cookery.
There was mistakes here and there, but I'd rather have that problem
than basic food.
The most remarkable story of the day is Kyle.
He had, without doubt, the worst Skills Test. Came in here
with a point to prove and set about his task incredibly well.
A lot of skill on show there today.
Really nice surprises as you were eating the dish.
That dessert from Kyle today wasn't just my favourite dessert
in the kitchen, it was my favourite plate in the kitchen.
I just thought it was incredible.
He deserves to go through, don't you think? I do.
I agree. Right, Gabrielle, Kasae, Giovann.
One of them is going through to the next round.
Two of them are going home.
Kasae's lamb was nice and pink. Presentation...
It's just a shame to take all that and cram it into the smallest
plate she could find. Goddess sauce was interesting.
A little bit of saltiness from the seaweed.
I really enjoyed Kasae's bavarois.
Strawberries with the yuzu. That was a good idea.
Champagne jelly, I thought, was absolutely delicious.
Gabrielle's menu sounded great.
Fish was nicely cooked.
I thought the vegetables were nicely cooked.
It was a disappointment about the sauce, because it needed
the richness of a proper butter sauce to bring this dish together.
The pudding lacked sugar in areas, it lacked lavender in the panna cotta.
I loved the apricots that she had put through the Sauternes,
but the panna cotta for me was just a bit too set.
Giovann did very, very well with his main course of lamb.
It was pink. He gave us a nice sauce that he'd flavoured with cumin,
and a lovely olive tapenade.
Giovann's dessert...
The strawberries on top of the dish were excellent, delicious,
but it was too heavy, too big.
I didn't like it.
Chefs, dig deep.
What are we going to do?
I would be buzzing if I got through to the next round.
I would appreciate another chance to show them what I can do.
I think I've worked very hard to get this far, and it would be a shame
if I had to leave at this stage.
There were elements that went well, but I don't know whether it's enough
to get me through the day.
It hasn't gone unnoticed
how much this means to each and every one of you.
The first chef going through...
...is Kyle.
Congratulations. Kyle, well done.
The chef joining Kyle in the next round is...
...Kasae.
Well done. Thank you.
Gabrielle, Giovann, thank you.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Great to have met you.
It was very tight.
It's not completely unexpected.
It's super frustrating to go home on the first day, but I feel
like the competition was so, so tight.
I think I gave it a good shot
and I'm leaving with a lot of pride.
I'm just going to go see my girlfriend, have a nice drink
and chill and take a break, really.
Well done. Congratulations.
Well done. You are on your way.
Congratulations.
Oh! I can't believe I just made it through to the next round.
That is amazing.
| think I'll keep taking whatever pressure they throw at me and hope
I can turn it into some good cooking.
Yeah, I'm buzzing. Can't wait to do the next round.
Obviously, I've got a lot more planned for the future rounds,
if I succeed.
NARRATOR: Next time, it's the quarterfinal
and this week's most talented chefs return to face
two tough challenges.
One, two, three, go!
MARCUS WAREING: That's very, very impressive.
NARRATOR: Only the best will earn a place in knockout week.
This might be one of the best things I've ever eaten in my history
of doing this show.
Wow!