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From across the UK...
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..32 up-and-coming chefs...
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..are putting their reputations
on the line
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in a battle to become
Professional MasterChef Champion.
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Tonight, four new hopefuls compete
to impress
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MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace,
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renowned chef Monica Galetti,
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and culinary legend
Marcus Wareing.
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Today is one of the most
important days of my life.
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I just want to prove
that I've got what it takes.
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I'm very, very competitive.
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Love the pressure,
love the tension.
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Very excited.
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I want to go as far as I can
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and enjoy the process,
definitely.
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I just want to show my love of food.
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If the people who I'm cooking
for enjoy it just as much as me,
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then, yeah, I'm happy.
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Who's got what it takes to set
this competition alight?
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It's time to uncover
a new culinary superstar.
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Right. We have got exciting talent
to meet. First of all,
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they are going to face
a Skills Test.
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Marcus, your Skills Test.
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What are you going to get
them to do?
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I would like
our chefs to cook for us
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a aubergine steak glazed
with miso and soy,
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and served with
a spicy peanut sauce.
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I think this is a great challenge!
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It's quite out there -
aubergine, miso.
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This has almost become a classic
dish to enjoy dining out.
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This sounds like another
great example of the versatility
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of plant-based cooking.
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20 minutes.
Go on, Marcus, show us how.
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Right. So first thing we need to do
is to get this aubergine cooking.
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Straight in half. You've got to keep
the skin on,
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because it just holds it
all together,
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otherwise it's just going to fall
to pieces.
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By scoring it,
that just allows all the flavours
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and the juices to get into the heart
of the aubergine.
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A little bit of oil.
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I'm just going to put that straight
down into the pan.
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Aubergine is a very watery vegetable
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and you need to cook it
the perfect way
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that you can still retain some
of that moisture
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and not completely dry it up.
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What I wanted to do
at this particular stage
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was just get that colour.
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So, now I can put into my pan
a little bit of stock.
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Miso.
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A bit of mirin, rice wine,
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and the soy sauce.
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The aubergine's going to steam
in all of the flavours
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and that's going to become the glaze
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that's going to finish the dish.
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It's the miso that gives it
real body
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and it gives it that sort of
meaty flavour.
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Just going to cover this,
a little cartouche,
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a little bit of greaseproof,
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and that's just going to
gently just cook away.
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What you'll notice is the aubergine
will start to just gently sink down,
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become a little bit flat.
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Once you get to that soft stage,
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then that's pretty much
when you're there.
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I'd like to think our chefs
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give the aubergine time to cook.
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I don't want rare aubergine.
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Well... Or it'll cook too much,
it'll just go to mush.
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We'll have an aubergine sauce.
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So, now I'm going to start
to make my spicy peanut sauce.
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So I've got a head of ginger,
which I've peeled and chopped up.
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A couple of cloves of garlic.
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Chilli.
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I'm going to make a paste.
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Ginger, garlic, chilli -
I mean, it's a base
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of some great flavoured sauces
and dishes, isn't it?
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So, curries... Mm!
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My pan is warming up and so into
that I'm going to put chilli, cumin,
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cinnamon, ground coriander...
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Lovely!
..and a little bit of turmeric.
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Spices into a dry pan and let
the oils come out of them, right?
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That's how you get the best
flavour out of them.
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There's no point in sprinkling
them in at the end.
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In there, peanut butter.
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Good spoon of that.
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So, the peanuts, the chefs can put
them in the satay sauce
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if they wish.
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But I've just used
the peanut butter,
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which I think is perfect
for that type of sauce.
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Your ginger garlic mix.
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Now you can start to smell it.
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Beautiful.
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Now in with some coconut milk.
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We've got a little bit
of sweet soy sauce as well.
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There's enough flavourings
and spices on that bench
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for the chefs to go
in many directions.
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Yeah. I'm excited by this.
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Yeah, very true. Very true.
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Aubergine, as you can see,
is nice and soft.
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Lift that out.
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So, just take this beautiful sauce,
I'm just going to reduce that down,
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just becomes a nice glaze.
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I think we're ready to dress.
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Absolutely yummy.
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Aubergine on.
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Look at that!
That is big and it's lovely!
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And I've just chopped up
a few little peanuts.
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I've got some little curry leaves
here,
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which I've just gently
deep-fried for a bit of garnish.
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I'm just going to finish the dish
off with just a little bit of glaze.
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There we have it.
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Soy and miso-glazed aubergine steak
with a spicy peanut sauce.
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This is the kind of dish
that just makes me so happy.
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Cooking of the aubergine,
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it's soft.
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Still a bit of firmness there.
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I loved how you reduced
the glaze down,
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because if it was too thick
in that pan,
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this could be very salty. Mm.
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The peanut sauce,
so many spices in there.
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Yeah, good luck to our chefs.
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Monica,
we've got to get the chefs in.
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You're going to watch from
the monitor with your expert eye.
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We'll see you back for the tasting.
See you in a bit.
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This is going to be great.
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Are you ready for them?
I am ready.
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Let's get them in.
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NARRATOR: First up is 33-year-old
chef patron Ritchie,
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who runs his own plant-based
restaurant
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in the heart of Nottingham.
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Food was, you know,
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a massive part of my childhood.
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I was always fed well and everything
was always cooked from the heart.
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Mum and Dad taught me what they knew
and then went on to start cooking
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for the family quite young.
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I always knew I was going
to be a chef,
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I just had to get there.
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I feel like what might set me apart
is my ability
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to do awesome stuff with plants.
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I feel like you really have to earn
your flavour with fruit and veg.
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I've been cooking
for around about 11 years now.
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I'm still learning every day.
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I want to better myself.
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I'm absolutely buzzing
and I can't wait to show the judges
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what I can do.
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Hello, Ritchie.
Welcome to MasterChef.
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This particular Skills Test
was set by none other
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than my mate Marcus Wareing.
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What I'd like you to cook for us
is an aubergine steak
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glazed with miso and soy,
served with a spicy peanut sauce.
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OK. You all right
with a bit of veg cookery?
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Absolutely. Yeah, it's...
It's what I do...
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Is it? ..day-to-day.
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So, I'm a fully plant-based chef.
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Ah, that's great! Good.
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I think this will be fine, then.
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20 minutes. Off you go.
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I don't understand why Ritchie
has just cut the edge
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of the aubergine off.
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You need the skin around it
to hold it together.
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Explain to me
what's going on.
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I'm going to get my aubergine on.
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Just get a nice bit of colour
on it.
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And I'm going to make
a nice spicy dressing.
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I just want to keep a bit
of texture,
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similar to pesto sort of vibe.
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I know you're a plant-based chef,
but is this your style, this?
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Absolutely. So a lot of the things
that I do
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is focused around Asian cookery,
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so a lot of Japanese,
Korean influences.
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A lot of spice he just threw
on there.
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It's just a bit careless.
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He's got to be quick, because that
aubergine will just soak up
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the flavours of the soy sauce.
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It will get more and more salty.
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So I'm just reducing down
for my glaze.
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I'm going to keep the aubergine
in the pan,
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because it's like a sponge.
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It's going to soak up as much
flavour as possible.
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Add some miso.
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I'm going to add a bit of ginger
into that.
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It's a bit rough, Ritchie,
the way he's working.
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It's just so rough.
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I mean, the ginger is so thick.
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It's rough.
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Slightly a little bit too salty.
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So I've just let that down
with a bit of water.
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Of course it's salty.
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He threw a whole lot of
soy sauce in there.
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Coming up to halfway.
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So you've got ten minutes left.
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Tell me what you've got
to go, please.
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OK, so I've roasted some
salted peanuts up
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and with a little bit of olive oil,
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and some fresh chilli
in there,
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I'm going to make
a nice spicy dressing.
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Have you been a chef since
you left school?
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I haven't, actually. So the first
thing that I did is I ventured
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into the realms of music.
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So I've been in a variety
of different bands.
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I've had a variety of different
haircuts.
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You look like a
19th-century composer.
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HE LAUGHS
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I'll take that.
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Or not very composed today,
pardon the pun. Wahey!
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Thank you very much.
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You've got five minutes.
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00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,360
I've kept some texture in there
from the crunchy peanuts.
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00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:08,000
I'm going to add a little bit
of chilli powder,
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00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,880
as we want it nice and spicy.
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00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,640
He keeps adding
the spices cold.
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00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,800
You need to bring some heat to it
to really open them up
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00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,240
and get the best flavour out of
those spices.
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How's that glaze?
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00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:27,200
It's great.
It's got a little bit of heat to it.
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00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,080
It's nice and umami coming
through with the miso in there.
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00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:31,520
You've got a minute,
all right, my friend?
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00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:33,640
Let's finish this off.
Thank you.
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00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,960
Oh, my goodness,
this poor aubergine.
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That's it. Time's up.
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Well done. Thank you.
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Ritchie.
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00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,000
Hi, Chef.
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00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,720
I actually thought the aubergine
would be overcooked.
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00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,000
It's actually not.
Very salty, though.
225
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,600
Your peanut sauce could
have been a little bit smoother.
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00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,200
There was some coconut milk there,
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and you were throwing in
quite a lot of the spices raw,
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and they do need heating up
in the pan
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to get the flavours out.
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So I think it could be better,
but overall it's not a bad start.
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00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:26,360
Thank you.
Well done, Ritchie.
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00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,280
The way you cut that aubergine,
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00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:30,800
you need to keep the skin
on to hold it together.
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00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,280
And the way you cooked it,
it was just so rough.
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Threw spices on it,
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slices of garlic onto it,
in went soy
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and just let it soak up all
the soy sauce.
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That's why it's so salty.
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I thought the appearance
wasn't particularly good.
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I thought you could have made a much
smarter, not so wet dish.
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Consider the comments.
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00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:51,480
There's another round coming up.
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00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,000
We'll see you then.
Thank you, Ritchie.
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00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,480
Thank you very much.
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Nerves got the better of me,
unfortunately.
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The judges certainly haven't seen
the best of what I can do,
247
00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,560
but the next round is my food
248
00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:07,840
and hopefully I can show
that, you know, I can cook.
249
00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:13,640
NARRATOR: Next to face Marcus's
Skills Test is 29-year-old Dan.
250
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,680
Working in kitchens
for the past 12 years,
251
00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:21,520
he is now a senior sous-chef
at a Lancashire pub.
252
00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,800
My food style is very modern,
253
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,760
but also keeps the core
of classical techniques.
254
00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,800
The dishes you'll see from me
are very elegant,
255
00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,480
trying to get as much flavour
as I can out of the ingredients,
256
00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,640
what I've been given.
257
00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:38,200
The best thing about being a chef
is you get to be very, very creative
258
00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,560
and everything what you put
on the plate
259
00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:43,280
is mirroring your personality.
260
00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,480
So if it's a messy plate, nine times
out of ten, you're a messy person.
261
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,960
I really want to test my skills
in front of the main stage
262
00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:55,080
and I'm not only doing it for me,
but I'm doing it for my family.
263
00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,480
I know how far I can go
and how far I can push myself,
264
00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:00,920
so this is really big.
265
00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:04,080
Welcome to MasterChef.
Thank you.
266
00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,680
This particular Skills Test
was set by Marcus. Hi, Dan.
267
00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:10,280
I'd like you to make for us
an aubergine steak,
268
00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,000
glazed with miso and soy,
269
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,280
served with a spicy
peanut sauce.
270
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:16,040
OK. 20 minutes, Dan.
271
00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:17,480
Over to you. Thank you.
272
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,080
I like the way that Dan
is preparing his aubergine,
273
00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:25,800
and it's nice and thick as well.
274
00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:30,040
Dan, tell us your plan.
275
00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:31,320
Where are you going with this?
276
00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,320
So I'm just rubbing some spices
over the top of the aubergine
277
00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:36,240
and then I'll fire that off
on the pan.
278
00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,640
I think it needs a bit of oil
in that pan, Dan.
279
00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:45,840
Oh, he's got some red onion.
280
00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:47,680
I guess this is for
his peanut sauce.
281
00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:50,040
So, why MasterChef?
282
00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:51,920
There was always
quite a few people
283
00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:53,560
who said I should give it a go
284
00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:55,280
and I never
really had the confidence
285
00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,640
within myself to do it.
286
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,520
And then, this year, my partner's
just given birth to a baby boy.
287
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,440
I feel like that probably gave me
a bit more motivation
288
00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:05,880
to give it a go.
289
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,120
What's his name? Ernest.
290
00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:11,160
Is there an Ernest in your family?
Yeah.
291
00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,400
So my partner named him
after my grandad.
292
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:15,480
What have you got in that pan?
293
00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,520
So this is just a little base
for a peanut sauce -
294
00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,080
red onions, garlic
and a little bit of chilli.
295
00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:26,160
You've had eight minutes, Chef.
296
00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:27,200
Yep.
297
00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,600
So, you put spices on the aubergine,
put it in the pan.
298
00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:33,720
Now what's gone in there?
299
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,120
So a little bit of soy,
a little bit of mirin,
300
00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,960
and just some vegetable stock.
301
00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,080
Then I'll just brush it
with a little bit of miso
302
00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:43,120
and get it in the oven to roast.
303
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:46,720
Fine to put it in the oven,
304
00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,080
but he should have just kept it
in the pan so that the heat
305
00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,160
was already there in the pan.
306
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:51,320
That's going to slow
the cooking down,
307
00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:53,160
putting it onto a cold tray.
308
00:13:58,560 --> 00:13:59,880
What are you thinking?
309
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:01,320
So, I'm just going to
give it a blend,
310
00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,560
mix some crunchy peanut
butter through it.
311
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:08,600
That's a lot of coconut milk.
312
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,160
It's looking more like a soup.
313
00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:14,840
How's that?
It tastes of peanuts,
314
00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:16,600
but not as much as I would
like it to.
315
00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,440
The consistency isn't what I want.
316
00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:24,280
You've got time,
you've got the pans,
317
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:26,120
you've got the cooker.
You've got plenty of time.
318
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,800
Fix it. Take it out.
Put it in a pan.
319
00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:31,400
Where's your chef's instinct, Dan?
320
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,320
You know, switch into it.
321
00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:34,960
What you've got to do is you've got
to think about, right,
322
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:36,360
how am I going to make this sauce?
323
00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,400
You've got five minutes.
Yeah. All right?
324
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:42,120
Dan's starting again.
325
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,800
He just needed to fix the sauce
he's put into the jug there.
326
00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,200
He could have added more peanut
through it, get the consistency up.
327
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,120
You've got a couple of minutes. Yep.
So be quick.
328
00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,320
All done? Yes.
Do you want to take a breath, Chef?
329
00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:11,520
Yes. You OK?
330
00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:11,520
DAN CHUCKLES
331
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:20,800
All right, Dan?
332
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:21,840
Yes.
333
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:29,520
Cutting of the aubergine was nice,
334
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:31,280
a nice big steak, which is what
we were looking for.
335
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,040
But putting on the dry spices
and then frying it
336
00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:36,360
isn't really the way to do that.
337
00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,400
You've put it in the oven
and it's dried out.
338
00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,760
The peanut sauce needed
big flavours, big energy.
339
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,560
It's bland.
340
00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,320
Dan, I thought you got off
to a good start.
341
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,920
I don't mind the spices like that,
but, you know, make sure
342
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,680
that it's in oil and you really
sort of push it through.
343
00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:53,960
It's a coconut sauce.
344
00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:55,560
Personally, I quite like coconut,
345
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,560
but that's not
what we were asking for.
346
00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:01,320
You just needed to fix that sauce
you had in the blender.
347
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,600
Got a nicely cooked aubergine
that's holding together.
348
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,480
It's soft, but firm enough
so it's not falling apart.
349
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:08,440
There's no miso flavour
coming through there,
350
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,600
because there's so much chilli.
351
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,680
And then we've got a really lovely
sauce that's slightly peanutty,
352
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,000
but mostly coconut.
353
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,080
I'm telling you, it tastes good,
354
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:20,960
but it ain't the dish we thought
you would do.
355
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:23,920
Dan, see you in the next round.
356
00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:25,240
Thank you very much.
357
00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,040
Oh, dear.
358
00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,040
HE LAUGHS
359
00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:36,160
I just had tunnel vision
and forgot how to cook.
360
00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:37,760
I want to forget about that round.
361
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,520
It's not a representation of me.
362
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,720
Monica, we have two more chefs
waiting to do their Skills Test.
363
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,080
This one is yours.
364
00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:50,880
What are you going to get
them to do, please?
365
00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,280
I'd like our chefs to come in
and give us a lemon meringue tart
366
00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:56,440
and a lemon zest garnish
to go with it.
367
00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,960
So we're giving them the tart case
already made, nice and golden.
368
00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:02,240
There's a lot here
you've got to get right.
369
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,720
You've got to get the lemon curd
made, set, cooled.
370
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,200
You've got the making of
an Italian meringue,
371
00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:08,240
which is always a test.
372
00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:09,920
And, of course, a lemon garnish
as well.
373
00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:11,760
This is brilliant. 20 minutes.
374
00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,240
Let's see how an expert
does it, please.
375
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,839
First thing I want to get
on is the lemon curd.
376
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,200
Juice two lemons,
377
00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,000
and I'm going to use two
of the egg yolks.
378
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:26,720
I want this to set quite quick,
379
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,200
so a little bit of cornflour
into there.
380
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,360
In goes the lemon juice, as well.
381
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,120
What texture are you looking
for there?
382
00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:39,240
It's going to be like
a very thick custard.
383
00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,360
Anything with eggs and heat,
if you're not careful,
384
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,640
of course, you can end up
with scrambled eggs in there.
385
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,760
I'm going to cool it slightly
in the ice bath.
386
00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:58,680
And then sort of around
room temperature,
387
00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,320
you whisk in the butter.
388
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,800
So, cold butter is going in
and I'm just whisking it through,
389
00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:05,840
and you're just going to see
it's even getting thicker.
390
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,160
What happens if you whisk
in the butter if it's too hot?
391
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,240
If the butter melts into it,
you're going to get this greasy
392
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:15,440
finish to the curd
and it won't thicken.
393
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,960
So they've got to get the
temperature just right.
394
00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,000
Wow! There's a lot to this.
395
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,640
I'm going to put my mix
into the tart case
396
00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,560
and get that into the fridge
to cool, as well.
397
00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,160
So, the lemon curd is done.
398
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,360
I'm going to make
the Italian meringue.
399
00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,960
I've got the sugar and the water
to make the syrup.
400
00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:42,720
I'm bringing that up to the boil.
401
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:44,600
I take it up to 110.
402
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,360
Once it gets to 110,
I turn the egg whites on... Uh-huh.
403
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:49,880
..and then it should go to 120.
404
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,200
Italian meringue,
you take the hot sugar
405
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,560
and you put that
into the egg whites, whisked,
406
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,000
and it cooks it in there.
407
00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:57,840
The most important thing
is you've got to get the egg whites
408
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,840
starting to raise up a little bit
before you add the cooked sugar.
409
00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,520
If you put the cooked sugar
onto just the eggs themselves,
410
00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:05,120
it'll literally cook them
straight away.
411
00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,000
You need to get a bit of air
into there.
412
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,920
This is classic pastry work,
413
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,320
so we'll see who's worked
in the pastry section very quickly.
414
00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:13,360
Yeah.
415
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,000
So I'm just letting that cool gently
before it's ready to be used.
416
00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:21,680
So, what are you thinking
for the garnish?
417
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:23,040
I'm just making the lemon zest
418
00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,480
and I'm candying it
in a bit of syrup.
419
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,720
So, all that I've had in this pan -
some sugar, some water -
420
00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:29,880
a simple syrup.
421
00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:30,920
In go the lemon zest,
422
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,720
and then I've squeezed in some
fresh lemon juice to it.
423
00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:43,560
That's what we want. Nice, glossy,
and we want a stiff peak, yeah?
424
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,080
Ta-da!
425
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:52,400
Mm! Lovely.
426
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:53,760
I've got my lemon tart,
427
00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:55,200
I've got the Italian meringue,
428
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,240
and now I'm just going to pipe
over the top.
429
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,600
Look at that.
That's absolutely beautiful.
430
00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,200
You're creating waves.
431
00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,480
So, I've got lemon zest
garnish there with the syrup.
432
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,440
Hey. Beautiful.
433
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,280
Absolutely beautiful.
434
00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:29,880
So, there we have it.
435
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,120
My lemon meringue tart
with lemon curd inside,
436
00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:34,480
an Italian meringue,
437
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,440
and a lemon zest garnish.
438
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:42,800
That's incredible!
439
00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:44,040
It's a great challenge.
440
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:45,360
It's full of skill.
441
00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,440
It's going to take a good cook
to get anywhere near this.
442
00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:50,880
Marcus, of course,
443
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:52,920
please watch with
a professional eye in the back room.
444
00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:54,520
Come back for the tasting.
I will.
445
00:20:57,360 --> 00:20:58,600
Are we ready?
446
00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:00,680
Almost. As we'll ever be.
447
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,880
NARRATOR: First to face Monica's
Skills Test is 23-year-old Alin.
448
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,320
He moved to the UK from Romania
ten years ago
449
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:13,480
and is now head chef
at a luxury hotel
450
00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,880
in the West Midlands countryside.
451
00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:18,480
Food was always a big thing.
452
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:22,760
I'm originally from Romania.
Gatherings are always massive fun.
453
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:24,120
I was always helping out,
454
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,680
just making the mayonnaise
or cutting the tomatoes,
455
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,920
and that showed me
that that's a good feeling,
456
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:30,760
like, making people happy with food.
457
00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:33,760
I would say I'm really passionate.
458
00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,720
My wife was mad at me for having
more pictures of food
459
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:38,040
on my phone than of her.
460
00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,600
I just consider myself a bit
of a nerd, I guess.
461
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,680
I'm most excited
about the skill test.
462
00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:44,280
I really hope it's going
to be pastry.
463
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:45,520
This is one of my strengths.
464
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:46,640
I honestly can't wait.
465
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,200
So, Alin, lemon meringue tart filled
with lemon curd
466
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:55,720
and an Italian meringue with
a lemon garnish of your choice.
467
00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,480
20 minutes. Good luck.
468
00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:58,520
Lovely. Thank you.
469
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:03,080
Putting sugar in his water
in his pan,
470
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,280
so he's obviously starting off
with the meringue.
471
00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:06,680
Egg whites.
472
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:14,040
What's your plan with the curd?
473
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:18,200
I'm just going to beat the egg yolks
with the sugar and the cornflour.
474
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,360
Then I'm going to reduce down
the lemon juice
475
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:22,240
just until it extracts more flavour,
476
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:23,800
then I'm going to mix the two.
477
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,160
And then slowly fold in the butter,
478
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:27,920
just so it gets nice and creamy.
479
00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:31,080
So, he's got the two jobs
working at the same time.
480
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,840
He's got his sugar cooking,
thermometer's going in.
481
00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,120
What temperature
are you looking for?
482
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:38,160
119-120 degrees.
483
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,480
He has a really good idea
of what to do.
484
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:44,360
That sugar's going into
the egg whites.
485
00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:46,960
He's pouring that pretty quickly.
486
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,760
It's not split,
so that's a good sign,
487
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,560
but we'll see how it goes
once it starts to cool down.
488
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:56,200
Coming up to halfway.
489
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,080
So I'm just checking for it
to be room temperature.
490
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:00,360
That's when you know it's done,
491
00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:01,680
it's ready to be piped.
492
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,320
Happy with your meringue?
493
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,600
Yes. Yeah, it looks great.
494
00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,440
Got the meringue done.
495
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,120
So, getting on with his curd.
What is he going to do?
496
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:14,520
Put it on a bain-marie?
497
00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,720
So, he's got his eggs,
his sugar and his cornflour
498
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:19,960
over a bain-marie to thicken it.
499
00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:24,160
How do you know when to put
the butter in?
500
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,040
Now I can see that the sugar
is melted
501
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,760
and it's starting
to slightly thicken.
502
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,040
Just a few cubes at a time
until it starts thickening
503
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:33,920
and gets a nice consistency.
504
00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:35,080
It's not going to thicken,
505
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,960
because he's...keep putting it back
on the heat.
506
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:38,200
He needs to take it off the heat.
507
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,560
You've got just over seven
minutes left.
508
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:42,720
Sweet. You doing all right?
509
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:43,760
Yep.
510
00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:47,400
So, you're just cooling it quickly?
511
00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,120
Yeah, just trying to
get it cooled down.
512
00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:51,680
OK. So hopefully it thickens
a little bit.
513
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,240
Hmm, that doesn't look
thick enough.
514
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:54,960
But he's got it done.
It might set.
515
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,520
Is this for your lemon garnish?
516
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,240
Yeah. I'm going to make a quick
syrup with a bit of sugar
517
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:04,480
and just a bit of water,
518
00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:06,240
and then going to
get crystallised.
519
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:08,920
You've got four minutes, Alin.
520
00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:09,960
Sweet.
521
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,200
GREGG SNIGGERS
522
00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:17,560
Yeah, not set.
523
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:18,960
And he knows it's not set.
524
00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,640
Oh! Did you break it?
525
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,640
A little bit, yeah.
526
00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,640
HE CHUCKLES
527
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,160
All that work and you just stick
your finger through the pastry case.
528
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:42,640
Are you done? I'm done.
529
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:50,080
Hey, Alin. How are you?
530
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,200
Good. It was going so well.
531
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,200
I think you got lost on
the lemon curd a little bit there.
532
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,640
And then just to top it off,
you stick your finger in it.
533
00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:57,680
What a shame.
534
00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:08,680
Alin, with the meringue,
535
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,400
you knew you had to take
the sugar up to 120.
536
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,000
If anything, just slow down
the sugar going into it.
537
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,000
It does sort of make it drop a bit,
but the meringue is fine.
538
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,960
My concern is the lemon curd.
539
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:20,840
It didn't get to that ribbon stage.
540
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,920
It's got to get so thick
before you add the butter.
541
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,600
Great garnish, the lemon peel.
Beautifully cooked.
542
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:28,680
Presentation, brilliant.
543
00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,720
But then you decided to put
your finger through the pastry case.
544
00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,320
Which was a shame, because it's all
about the little points of detail.
545
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:35,360
I'll tell you what, though,
546
00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:36,480
I bet if you had another go
at this,
547
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,040
you'd probably get it
absolutely spot-on.
548
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:40,320
Oh, you're so close!
549
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,080
Lovely, sharp lemon.
550
00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,440
Lovely, sugary Italian meringue.
551
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,520
Alin, not bad at all.
552
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:47,720
See you in the next round.
553
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:48,960
Thank you. Thank you very much.
554
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,880
I like to think that I did
quite well, but I broke the tart.
555
00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:58,840
Silly mistake, but it happens.
556
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,040
Last up is 37-year-old Paule.
557
00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,200
Originally from the Ivory Coast
in West Africa,
558
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,440
she moved to Paris
to train as a chef
559
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:17,000
and now works as a private
catering chef in London.
560
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:23,920
My dad was a chef and my mum
was a really good cook.
561
00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,760
She's the one who taught me to do
traditional African food
562
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,880
and my dad was doing European food.
563
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,840
I can describe my cooking style
as a fusion,
564
00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:36,080
because I've done French cookery
565
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,920
and I always grew up
with African spices,
566
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,760
food and techniques,
567
00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,120
and I want people to know
more about that wonderful cuisine.
568
00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,720
When I will walk through the doors
of MasterChef: The Professionals,
569
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,680
it will be a big excitement.
570
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:55,480
Give up is not an option,
571
00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:58,360
so it's a real saying
in Ivory Coast.
572
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:02,880
Paule, how are you?
573
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:04,160
I'm fine, thank you.
574
00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:06,200
Have you had some experience
in the pastry?
575
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,280
A little bit.
OK. 20 minutes. Good luck.
576
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:18,640
So, it looks like she's starting
with the lemon curd first,
577
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:19,760
which is a good start.
578
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:21,840
Lemon juice in, sugar in.
579
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,600
Would you mind telling me
the processes
580
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:26,480
that you're going to go through?
581
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,120
Yes,
so first I will do the lemon curd,
582
00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:33,800
so I mix the cold ingredients,
and then I will do the meringue.
583
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,320
I will just cool down the cream.
584
00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:41,360
Great.
585
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:43,600
My butter.
586
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:47,280
That was a bit heavy handed
with the butter,
587
00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:48,960
on a very hot liquid.
588
00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,240
The butter's not going to thicken it
when it's too hot.
589
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,320
It's just going to melt
and become a liquid.
590
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,040
She could have just cooled
the liquid down
591
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,880
and then slowly
introduced the cold butter
592
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,680
and it'll get rich and thick
and just delicious.
593
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,520
It's just too quick.
594
00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,080
You've had five minutes.
595
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,960
You've got 15 to go.
Oh, OK. Good.
596
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,120
What sort of kitchen
are you working in now?
597
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,480
I just opened my own restaurant
in France.
598
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:15,480
But here, I am a freelance chef,
599
00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:17,360
because I'm doing consultancy
600
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:19,160
and I'm also working in kitchens.
601
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:20,960
And who's looking after
your restaurant in France?
602
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:22,680
I have a partner,
a business partner.
603
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,920
Now that it's cooling down,
I will do my...Italian meringue?
604
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,480
Yes. Yes.
605
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,480
MONICA CHUCKLES
606
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:31,560
Sugar's in the pan,
607
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,920
water's in
for the Italian meringue.
608
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:37,680
She's got her eggs in. Turn it on.
609
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,040
She's getting on with it.
610
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:42,640
Paule, feeling quite chilled out?
611
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:43,840
I'm feeling well.
612
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,720
It's a beautiful day today, so...
GREGG CHUCKLES
613
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:48,800
What temperature do you want
614
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,880
your sugar before
you pour it into the mix?
615
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:53,000
121.
616
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,560
You seem very confident with that.
617
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,960
I know a bit of, like,
lemon tart, meringue, so...
618
00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:00,320
Allez, allez, allez.
619
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,120
So, Paule, you've had ten minutes.
620
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:04,680
Ten minutes?
You've got ten minutes to go. OK.
621
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:08,520
She's pouring that sugar
a little bit too fast.
622
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:10,400
Turn it up. Quick, quick, quick.
623
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:11,720
Get some air into it
624
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,240
or it's going to be too runny.
625
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,720
And what are you thinking
for your lemon garnish?
626
00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,800
I will do a caramel
with candied lemon.
627
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,120
You have five minutes left.
628
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:32,800
How's it looking, Paule?
629
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:34,120
It's looking good.
630
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:37,960
That's not whisked enough.
631
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,040
That's a pouring consistency.
632
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:41,880
Not how Italian meringue should be.
633
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:43,400
You should be able to
tip that bowl upside down
634
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,800
and that meringue
shouldn't move.
635
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,880
You've got a couple of minutes.
636
00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:49,680
That curd's far too runny.
637
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,320
Right, meringue time.
638
00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:58,640
It's holding better than I thought.
639
00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:01,120
Still not quite the consistency
it should be.
640
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:09,680
That's it. Time's up.
641
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:11,160
All done? Thank you.
642
00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,040
Hi, Paule. Hello.
643
00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,120
The making of the curd,
644
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,440
it looked thick enough,
but then you added all the butter
645
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:40,240
while it was still hot and it just
melted all the way through.
646
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:41,560
On the Italian meringue,
you got the syrup
647
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:43,320
up to the right temperature,
648
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,560
but then you put
all the syrup in.
649
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,920
Straight away,
when you took the whisk up,
650
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,040
that...it was still quite soft,
the meringue.
651
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,320
It needs to be a stiff peak.
652
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,240
I think what I noticed was
that you were under control,
653
00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:55,320
which was really good.
654
00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,600
You've just done things
just a little bit too fast.
655
00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,560
The lemon curd's delicious.
Yeah, it's a bit runny.
656
00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,120
The meringue's got the right
sweetness.
657
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:04,160
Could have been a bit thicker.
658
00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,000
Leave it on the machine,
just let it sit there.
659
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,160
Good flavours.
660
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:09,960
Not a bad start at all.
661
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,200
Thank you, Paule.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
662
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,920
I think I rushed a bit,
but they liked the taste.
663
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,560
I think that's the most important.
664
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,240
In the next round,
I have more to show -
665
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,400
who I am
and the cuisine I'm doing.
666
00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:33,240
Out of the two skills tests,
667
00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,680
I thought the pastry challenge
would be by far the toughest.
668
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:38,960
And, actually, the two chefs
that did that seemed
669
00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:40,080
the most confident.
670
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:41,280
Overall, yeah, good.
671
00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:43,200
And I'm really excited to see
what they're going to do next.
672
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,680
I think we're going to get some
very distinctive, unique styles.
673
00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:47,840
Absolutely.
674
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,120
That's what I want to see.
675
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,720
Chefs, welcome back to our kitchen.
676
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,040
Set aside any issues
you've had in the Skills Test.
677
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,240
This is your signature
two-course menu.
678
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,640
Show off what you're able to do
and cement your place
679
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:22,600
in this competition.
680
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:24,640
Take this opportunity.
681
00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,560
Show us what it is
you are all about.
682
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:29,960
At the end of this,
683
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:31,680
two of you will be leaving
the competition,
684
00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:35,400
but two of you will be going through
to a quarterfinal.
685
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,720
One main, one dessert
in an hour and a half.
686
00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:39,760
Off you go.
687
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,600
I'm really, really excited
to be cooking our dishes now.
688
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,200
Hopefully the judges will see
what I can do.
689
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,560
Today is a big day.
690
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,760
I need to showcase what my cuisine
is about.
691
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,560
Paule, what are you making
for us, please?
692
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,760
Guinea fowl roasted with a glaze
over palm wine.
693
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,720
African ratatouille
with cassava couscous.
694
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:12,120
What's palm wine?
695
00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:13,600
This is alcohol.
696
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,920
It's kind of the milk of
the palm tree.
697
00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:20,480
I notice over there you've got some
incredibly hot chillies.
698
00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,200
Yes.
Is that going in our ratatouille?
699
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,720
It is, but not to heat up too much.
700
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:28,840
For the dessert,
chocolate ganache
701
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,360
and hibiscus cream,
702
00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:36,400
with caramelised cashew nut
in a shell of filo pastry.
703
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:40,560
Does this reflect the story
of your culinary life, do you think?
704
00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,600
It does, because I'm coming
from Ivory Coast
705
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,920
and my signature dishes are made
out of all my memories.
706
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:53,960
I'm intrigued about Paule's food.
707
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,440
I love the point of difference
in bringing her culture into it.
708
00:33:57,440 --> 00:33:58,560
The guinea fowl,
709
00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,840
I will pan-fry it
and then finish it off in the oven.
710
00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:03,960
Guinea fowl dries up very,
very quickly.
711
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,440
There's not a lot of fat
underneath the skin.
712
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,440
Paule is making
an African ratatouille.
713
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,360
She's got aubergines
and Scotch bonnets in it.
714
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,560
Ooh, hopefully not too hot,
715
00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,560
but I do like a bit of spice
in food.
716
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:20,239
Paule's dessert is a filo tart
717
00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:23,199
and it's going to be filled
with a hibiscus mousse.
718
00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:25,320
It's very floral, can be very sweet,
719
00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,280
so she's got
to be very careful with it.
720
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:30,120
Paule is also using some
Penja peppercorns from Africa
721
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,679
and she's putting it with
caramelised cashew nuts.
722
00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:35,000
Clever touch. I like that.
723
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,400
Chocolate ganache
is chocolate and cream.
724
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:39,920
She's got to make sure
that it's smooth and textured,
725
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,320
and that she gets it in the fridge
to set on time.
726
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:47,880
I'm pushing myself with a lot
of elements in such a short time,
727
00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,040
but it should be OK.
728
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:57,200
RITCHIE: The dishes I've been
practising night and day.
729
00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,360
I really, really want to impress
Monica now.
730
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,480
I need to knock it out the park
in this next round.
731
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,240
Ritchie, tell us about
your two dishes.
732
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:07,600
I'm going to be cooking plant-based.
733
00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:09,800
My main course,
it's called The Pumpkin Family.
734
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,480
Butternut squash fondant,
a pumpkin seed puree,
735
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:13,920
braised baby gem lettuce,
736
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:15,600
quick-pickled cucumber hearts
737
00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:17,120
and plant-based croquette.
738
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:19,600
My dessert - a vanilla sponge
with a whipped,
739
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,640
plant-based mascarpone,
740
00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:22,960
pickled blackberries,
741
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,160
finished with a vanilla
and black sesame ice cream.
742
00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,120
Why the passion for plants?
743
00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:30,480
When I was a kid, I was asked to do
a project in school
744
00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:32,680
and I thought,
"Well, I'll do that on veganism."
745
00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,280
A week later I was like,
"Mum, I'm not eating meat any more,"
746
00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:37,400
and the whole house
was just in uproar.
747
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:39,840
We're a classic, you know,
meat and two veg family.
748
00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,920
I'm excited about
Ritchie's main course.
749
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:48,840
The squash is being cooked
as a fondant,
750
00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,080
so it's got to be lovely and soft.
751
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:55,040
He's using pumpkin seeds
for a puree.
752
00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:57,120
That's got to be smooth.
753
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,000
There's braised baby gem,
754
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,000
even a croquette made
from gram flour,
755
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:03,680
which is sort of chickpea.
756
00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:05,920
So it's going to be a lot
of different elements
757
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:07,560
coming into this dish.
758
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,480
How it all comes together
is what I'm trying to see here.
759
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,840
Ritchie's dessert, everything again
based around vegan ingredients.
760
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:16,080
It sounds interesting.
761
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,640
I think sugar is going to be the key
to this dish,
762
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,800
because there are certain
ingredients
763
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:22,240
that will lack in flavour
764
00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:23,680
that you need to bring out.
765
00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:28,680
So we've got our sponge
that's just come out of the oven
766
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:31,040
and I've made a pickled
blackberry mix
767
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,320
to soak the sponges
so they're nice and soft,
768
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:39,000
almost like a golden syrup
sort of sponge cake vibe going on.
769
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,680
The mascarpone cream has got
tonka bean and miso paste
770
00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:42,920
running through.
771
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,880
Tonka bean,
it's quite mild and bland.
772
00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,560
You've got to cook it
to bring out its lovely flavour.
773
00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:50,480
I'm battling with time a little bit
at the moment.
774
00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,400
It's a bit hectic,
I'm not going to lie,
775
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:54,760
but I'm enjoying myself
and that's part of it, surely.
776
00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:56,880
It's not all pain.
777
00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:56,880
HE LAUGHS
778
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,040
You've got one hour left, chefs.
779
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,520
60 minutes to go.
I know, rapid.
780
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,040
I'm really pushing myself
with this dish just because,
781
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,240
being young, I feel like it shows
that I've got good initiative.
782
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:14,000
I can do great things even though
I don't have that much experience
783
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,000
as maybe other chefs that are older.
784
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,840
For the main course,
I have duck breast,
785
00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:24,760
smoked carrot puree
and a duck leg cabbage roll.
786
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,320
It's one of the dishes
that I firstly cooked for my wife
787
00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:28,640
before we got married.
788
00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:29,840
Where did you meet your wife?
789
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:31,440
I met her at school.
790
00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:33,640
So we grew up together,
basically, yeah.
791
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,240
She's one of your biggest fans,
is she?
792
00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:36,800
Yes, definitely.
Biggest critic as well, so...
793
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:42,480
Alin's got a lot of work
going on here.
794
00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:44,240
He's taken the duck breasts
off the crown.
795
00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:47,000
I think it's fine as long as
he cooks them gently
796
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,240
and makes sure the fat's beautifully
rendered down.
797
00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,240
We've got duck leg mousseline
wrapped in cabbage,
798
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:55,400
and mousseline
is about blitzing up the meat
799
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,200
and making sure that it's not split.
800
00:37:57,200 --> 00:37:58,800
The cabbage has to be
perfectly cooked,
801
00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,680
otherwise it's just going
to be too chewy.
802
00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,200
This is one of the classic
Romanian things that you would have
803
00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:05,440
at Christmas or Easter.
804
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,960
Normally they're filled with pork
and rice and spices and stuff.
805
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,360
I've just made a duck one.
806
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,400
Alin's also serving carrots,
which he's smoking.
807
00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,440
Hopefully he's using a strong bark,
808
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,640
because sometimes the flavour
of the smoke just evaporates.
809
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,040
We have a pancetta
and apricot sauce.
810
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:26,280
Fruit works beautifully with duck,
so I'm happy with that.
811
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:27,880
Alin, what's your dessert?
812
00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:29,200
Hazelnut mousse,
813
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,280
hazelnut sponge
and a thyme ice cream.
814
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:34,520
Alin's dessert,
815
00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,320
the hazelnut mousse has got
to be smooth.
816
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:41,240
Also got a lovely nut liqueur
in the sponge.
817
00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:45,320
Hopefully, big in flavour,
but very, very light.
818
00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:47,040
I like the sound of
the thyme ice cream.
819
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,160
It's a point of difference
in Alin's dessert,
820
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:51,200
because it'll bring a sort of
savoury
821
00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:52,760
and sort of floral note to it.
822
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:55,480
I've got so much to do.
823
00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:58,240
I'm a bit behind, so hopefully
we'll get time enough
824
00:38:58,240 --> 00:38:59,560
to push everything out.
825
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:05,760
Dan's a classical cook.
826
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:07,560
He's cooking roast venison loin.
827
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:09,240
He's trimmed it really nicely.
828
00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:11,760
He's caramelised it lovely.
829
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,360
There's three different types
of cooking on the venison,
830
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:17,840
so if I overcook it in the oven
then it's game over.
831
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:19,640
Beautiful-looking beetroot.
832
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,480
He's made long, thin ribbons
and then rolled it back up
833
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:25,600
and he's going to soak
that beetroot using verjus,
834
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:29,280
which is like a really tart
grape juice.
835
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,040
Very important to make sure
the beetroot's not too acidic
836
00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:33,160
with the verjus.
837
00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:34,320
Beetroot ketchup,
838
00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,760
it's got to be beautiful and smooth,
bright and vibrant in its colour.
839
00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:42,600
Got some freshness on the plate
with the pear and with the garlic.
840
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:43,760
There's no fuss about it.
841
00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,480
It's minimalistic,
and with all good classical cookery,
842
00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:48,960
the ingredients
should just sing for themselves.
843
00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:53,160
Dan's dessert is about chocolate
and calamansi lime.
844
00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,360
He's making a salted chocolate
ganache.
845
00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:58,480
It's dense, it's bitter, it's rich.
846
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:01,080
We've also got a calamansi
lime syrup.
847
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:02,960
It's an interesting-sounding dish.
848
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:04,240
I think it's exciting.
849
00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:05,680
The bitterness of the chocolate,
850
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:07,360
the sharpness of
the calamansi lime -
851
00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,120
there's got to be the right balance.
852
00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,200
People who know me know I'm not
the most confident person.
853
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,160
I definitely think that this
competition is a massive step
854
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:17,840
out of my comfort zone.
855
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:19,920
Yeah.
856
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:19,920
HE LAUGHS
857
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:25,160
Are you a humble man?
858
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:26,840
Do you hide your light
under a bushel?
859
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:28,840
I don't have the masses
of confidence in myself,
860
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,680
but I try
and let my food speak for myself.
861
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,160
Since I left school,
I've just been in hospitality,
862
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:36,960
so no official college training.
863
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,080
You learnt on the job
from a very young age? Yeah.
864
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:41,080
No, a lot of great chefs
have done that.
865
00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:47,280
Chefs, you've got ten minutes.
866
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:48,600
There's a couple of you here
867
00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:50,320
look like you've got
quite a bit to do.
868
00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:53,200
At the moment,
869
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:56,400
I need to do my whisk
for the ganache.
870
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:57,800
Let's go, let's go.
871
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,200
You on time?
872
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:03,240
Good man.
873
00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,680
Wish it was a bit more rare,
but I'm happy.
874
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:14,720
You have just five minutes.
Five minutes.
875
00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:16,320
Paule? Yes, Chef.
876
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,400
Is that the last touch on the main?
Yes, Chef.
877
00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:20,440
You can do this, Paule.
You can do this.
878
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,800
That's it. Time's up.
879
00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:39,880
Everybody stop.
880
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:42,840
WHISPERS: That went quick!
881
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:49,000
Head chef Alin's signature
main course is roasted duck breast
882
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,400
with a cabbage-wrapped
duck leg mousseline,
883
00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,480
alongside a smoked carrot puree,
884
00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,040
baby carrots
dressed in duck fat,
885
00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:59,960
and a soy maple glaze,
886
00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:04,920
with an apricot, pancetta
and coriander duck sauce.
887
00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:13,640
The duck is nice and pink,
888
00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:16,040
but you can see that the fat needs
889
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:18,640
to be rendered down
much more than that.
890
00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:21,840
The baby carrot is nicely cooked.
891
00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,600
I love the crispy duck bits.
892
00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:27,920
They're really nice on here.
893
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:30,680
What you've got here is
a nicely cooked duck breast
894
00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:32,400
with sweet flavours that work.
895
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,360
You've got apricot in the sauce.
896
00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:38,080
I like that carrot puree
with the smokiness, but it's subtle.
897
00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:39,320
I think the puree's great,
898
00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,440
but I'm really struggling
with your mousseline.
899
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,720
You know,
it's just not cooked enough.
900
00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:45,440
I'm not enjoying your sauce.
901
00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:46,720
It's cooked too heavily.
902
00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:48,720
It's just been boiled
and boiled and boiled.
903
00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:50,240
It's almost gravy-esque in a way,
904
00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:52,480
rather than actually
a really refined sauce.
905
00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:56,080
For his dessert,
906
00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,760
Alin has made a hazelnut
and chocolate mousse
907
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:02,440
with chocolate praline
and thyme crumb,
908
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:05,800
a hazelnut liqueur-flavoured
sponge,
909
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:07,800
and a thyme ice cream.
910
00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:16,760
That nut mousse I really like.
911
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:17,800
Not too sweet.
912
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:19,960
Finishes with a proper
hazelnut finish.
913
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:22,960
Your chocolaty crumb is too sweet.
914
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:26,120
It's more like a crushed sugar cube
than it is chocolate crumb.
915
00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:31,520
The ice cream with the thyme
is my favourite thing on this plate,
916
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:33,640
but the mousse itself is not right.
917
00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,800
It's got the texture of a creme pat
before you whip the cream into it
918
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:38,440
to make it a lighter mousse.
919
00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:40,160
The texture of the ice cream
is fabulous.
920
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,840
It's smooth and silky,
tastes of thyme,
921
00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:46,640
but your sponge doesn't have
any flavour of anything,
922
00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:47,920
which is a shame.
923
00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:49,000
Great ice cream, though.
924
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:52,480
I'm a bit frustrated.
925
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:55,480
Not the best results
that I was hoping for.
926
00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:00,040
I'm definitely kicking myself
for the stupid mistakes.
927
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,240
HE SIGHS
928
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,240
It is what it is, I guess.
929
00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:05,960
Private catering chef Paule's menu
930
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,200
is inspired by the Ivory Coast.
931
00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,120
For her main course,
932
00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:13,840
she's made roasted guinea fowl,
933
00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:17,440
a ratatouille made from tomato,
onion, aubergine,
934
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:20,520
and Scotch bonnet chillies,
935
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:22,280
cassava couscous,
936
00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,440
and a palm wine glaze.
937
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:33,880
The guinea fowl, though beautiful
and golden and crispy on the skin,
938
00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,080
mine is slightly dry.
939
00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:37,720
It's over.
940
00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:40,080
The ratatouille is delicious,
941
00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:42,760
but I didn't get any chilli in mine.
942
00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:44,440
The guinea fowl's
beautifully coloured.
943
00:44:44,440 --> 00:44:46,000
I love the trimming of the bone.
944
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:48,720
Your couscous,
I love the neutral element of it.
945
00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:51,440
It's sticky, like steamed rice.
946
00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,240
And the ratatouille has got
great flavour to it too.
947
00:44:54,240 --> 00:44:56,880
What I get here from you
is the flavour of home.
948
00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:59,560
What's missing in this is just
that little bit of that chilli.
949
00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:04,320
You are giving me textures
and flavours I haven't had before
950
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:06,000
and I think they're great.
951
00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:09,560
That ratatouille with that slightly
bitter aubergine
952
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:13,440
and the sweetness of onions
I find divine.
953
00:45:13,440 --> 00:45:16,000
This sauce here is finished
with palm wine.
954
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,760
It's almost honey sweet
and then sharp at the end,
955
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:21,440
and it's really lovely.
956
00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:24,760
For her dessert,
957
00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:26,560
Paule has served a filo tart
958
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:28,760
filled with hibiscus mousse
959
00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:31,520
and topped with chocolate ganache,
960
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:33,120
caramelised cashew nut
961
00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:35,200
and Penja peppercorn brittle,
962
00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,120
accompanied by hibiscus
and mint syrup.
963
00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:41,960
This looks rushed,
which is no surprise.
964
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:43,760
With three minutes to go,
965
00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:45,600
you had nothing on the plate at all.
966
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:54,400
The hibiscus syrup,
967
00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:57,320
that's the nice, floral,
slightly sweet finish.
968
00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:59,000
The hibiscus mousse,
969
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:02,280
I find it too sweet,
and then your chocolate has split.
970
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:07,880
I do like the notes of the pepper
through the dessert.
971
00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:09,720
There is the bitter chocolate,
972
00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:14,120
but the hibiscus, for me,
is so sickly sweet.
973
00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:18,200
The syrup here is also sickly sweet.
974
00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:20,360
I like the shape of
your filo pastry.
975
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:22,760
The chocolate ganache is just
a little bit on the grainy side,
976
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,200
but it's still got a lovely,
delicious chocolate flavour,
977
00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:28,120
which is really beautifully
counterbalancing the floral essence
978
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:29,720
of the hibiscus flower.
979
00:46:29,720 --> 00:46:31,240
There's some lovely ideas here,
980
00:46:31,240 --> 00:46:33,920
but I think the magic here for me
is the floral essence
981
00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:36,200
of the hibiscus and the heat
of that pepper.
982
00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:37,760
Good work, well done.
983
00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:41,960
Paule, you've split the judges.
984
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,480
OK. Thank you very much indeed.
985
00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:50,160
I am feeling a bit disappointed
986
00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:51,640
of my performance,
987
00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:54,640
because I didn't make it taste
988
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,360
and look how I wanted to.
989
00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:59,800
I know that I could have
done better.
990
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:05,040
Chef patron Ritchie's
plant-based menu
991
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,120
starts with
a butternut squash fondant,
992
00:47:08,120 --> 00:47:11,040
topped with braised baby gem lettuce
993
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:14,920
on a roasted pumpkin seed
and truffle puree,
994
00:47:14,920 --> 00:47:17,760
alongside a chickpea, gram flour
995
00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:20,080
and yeast croquette,
996
00:47:20,080 --> 00:47:23,840
fresh cucumber ribbons,
diced cucumber,
997
00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:25,560
pickled mustard seeds,
998
00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:29,320
and crispy fennel and shiso leaves,
999
00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:32,160
finished with a cucumber
and tomato consomme,
1000
00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:34,080
split with mint oil.
1001
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,440
Good-looking dish here, Ritchie,
1002
00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:44,000
the way you've got the fennel
1003
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:45,720
and the herbs over the top of it.
1004
00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:47,760
The pumpkin is nicely cooked,
1005
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,680
and when the pumpkin seed
gets into that sauce,
1006
00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:52,040
it gives it a nice body.
1007
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:53,360
The flavours of the croquette,
1008
00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:56,400
I love it with the chickpeas
running through this.
1009
00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,120
That croquette made out of yeast
1010
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:01,680
is like a mild Cheddar cheese.
1011
00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:02,920
I really like that.
1012
00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:04,880
I like the crunchiness of the gem
1013
00:48:04,880 --> 00:48:06,720
and the puree that's across it
1014
00:48:06,720 --> 00:48:08,880
has got like a little hint
of truffle.
1015
00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:10,560
You've got some great flavours.
1016
00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:13,800
This consomme, the cucumber,
and, of course, the tomato,
1017
00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:15,640
I think it's great.
1018
00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:19,320
One of the hardest things to impress
people is plant-based cookery.
1019
00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:21,120
This is quality cookery,
this, Ritchie,
1020
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:23,320
because you've got
beautiful little elements
1021
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:24,960
singing all the way through this.
1022
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:26,080
This is balanced.
1023
00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:27,160
It's got harmony.
1024
00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:28,720
Very, very good indeed.
1025
00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:31,920
For his second course,
1026
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:33,880
Ritchie has served a vanilla sponge
1027
00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:36,480
on a blackberry coulis,
1028
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:39,520
topped with pickled
fresh blackberries,
1029
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:42,400
whipped tonka mascarpone,
1030
00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:47,120
and served with a black sesame
ice cream made from soy milk.
1031
00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:55,080
It's quite a firm vanilla sponge.
1032
00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:56,720
Lovely vanilla flavour.
1033
00:48:56,720 --> 00:48:59,160
The blackberries are sharp
and sweet.
1034
00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:00,760
It's a very sweet dish.
1035
00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:05,880
I'd love to see more of that
tonka mascarpone, please.
1036
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:10,400
I just think that would be
a contrast to all the sweetness.
1037
00:49:10,400 --> 00:49:12,640
It's a dinky little dessert,
1038
00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:14,880
but boy does it pack flavour.
1039
00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:17,120
MONICA CHUCKLES
1040
00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:17,120
The blackberries,
1041
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:19,640
I really like that you've put
some yuzu throughout this,
1042
00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:22,600
bit of vinegar through it,
and red wine as well.
1043
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:23,720
I enjoyed that.
1044
00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:26,760
The blackberry on the bottom
is delicious.
1045
00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:28,560
I love the sweet and sharpness
of it too.
1046
00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:30,440
I think the sponge is great as well.
1047
00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:32,400
I love the vanilla essence of it.
1048
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:34,760
But what I'm really enjoying
is the ice cream.
1049
00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:37,160
You know, the sesame flavour,
the dark colour of it.
1050
00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:39,440
It's unusual, it's different.
It's a point of contrast.
1051
00:49:39,440 --> 00:49:40,920
Very nice. It's really good.
1052
00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:42,240
Thank you so much.
1053
00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:44,720
That feels amazing.
1054
00:49:44,720 --> 00:49:46,080
I'm really proud of what I've done.
1055
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,000
RITCHIE LAUGHS
1056
00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,000
I'm not going to lie,
1057
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:50,880
I was just dreading,
like, going to Monica.
1058
00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:52,840
Seeing a smile on her face
was just, like,
1059
00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:54,160
it's made my year.
1060
00:49:56,440 --> 00:50:01,120
Senior sous-chef Dan has made
roasted venison loin
1061
00:50:01,120 --> 00:50:03,720
with a beetroot ribbon roll,
1062
00:50:03,720 --> 00:50:07,120
poached pear, wild garlic,
1063
00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:08,920
beetroot ketchup,
1064
00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:12,280
and a verjus venison sauce.
1065
00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:14,880
Wow, that is elegant and beautiful
1066
00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:17,240
and I'm just keeping
my fingers crossed
1067
00:50:17,240 --> 00:50:18,960
that tastes halfway near
as good as it looks.
1068
00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:27,120
Beautiful piece of cooked venison.
Lovely sauce.
1069
00:50:27,120 --> 00:50:29,920
Your ketchup, beetroot - delicious.
1070
00:50:29,920 --> 00:50:32,560
Not too sharp, not too sweet,
just right.
1071
00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:34,240
And complementing the dish wholly.
1072
00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:36,600
I'm really, really impressed
with you. Well done.
1073
00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:41,200
I love the little pear slivers
on the side.
1074
00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:42,920
Venison can take that sweetness,
1075
00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:46,040
and the hints of the wild garlic,
because you've blanched it,
1076
00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:49,840
it's not as harsh
and it's not as strong.
1077
00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:52,320
Venison - colour on the outside,
pink in the middle.
1078
00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:55,720
The venison sauce just enhances
the venison flavour
1079
00:50:55,720 --> 00:50:58,360
and makes it meatier.
1080
00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:00,480
Earthy beetroot, beautiful.
1081
00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:02,600
I love it, I absolutely love it.
1082
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:08,760
For his dessert, Dan has served
salted chocolate ganache,
1083
00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,840
topped with a chocolate meringue
mousse,
1084
00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:15,080
mascarpone, calamansi syrup,
1085
00:51:15,080 --> 00:51:17,160
sugared hazelnuts,
1086
00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:18,880
and a black sesame tuile.
1087
00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:29,480
I've got an absolutely stunning
chocolate ganache.
1088
00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:32,160
Cold, really quite bitter,
1089
00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:34,680
and as smooth as you like.
1090
00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:36,560
And then I've got that calamansi -
1091
00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:39,560
really sharp,
like a very sharp marmalade -
1092
00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:41,560
is stunning.
1093
00:51:41,560 --> 00:51:45,400
Dan, I like the presentation
of your dessert.
1094
00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:49,000
I like the mousse on the top
with the Italian meringue.
1095
00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:50,560
The mascarpone,
1096
00:51:50,560 --> 00:51:51,840
I like the freshness from it,
1097
00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:55,040
and your sesame tuiles
got a lovely little crunch on them.
1098
00:51:57,040 --> 00:51:58,760
Your Italian meringue on top
is sweet,
1099
00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:00,520
on top of a very delicious
chocolate ganache,
1100
00:52:00,520 --> 00:52:02,120
which has got
the bitter elements of it.
1101
00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:04,240
And, of course, the hazelnuts,
which have been candied as well.
1102
00:52:04,240 --> 00:52:06,920
And your tuile is a little
neutral flavour.
1103
00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:08,320
It's skills.
1104
00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:11,400
There's lots of them on show
here in many, many different ways,
1105
00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:13,320
so you've really done
a great job, Dan.
1106
00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:19,200
Both dishes for me has gone to show
that you are someone
1107
00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:21,520
to reckon with in this competition.
1108
00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:22,840
Welcome on board.
1109
00:52:22,840 --> 00:52:23,880
Thank you.
1110
00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:27,760
I'm really happy with the comments
I got.
1111
00:52:28,840 --> 00:52:32,280
Today, I feel like the emotions
have been all the way to the bottom,
1112
00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:34,600
and now they're real sky-high.
1113
00:52:37,800 --> 00:52:40,080
I'm really... Yeah, wow.
1114
00:52:46,080 --> 00:52:47,920
Some really interesting flavours
1115
00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:50,920
and I think definitely some talent
starting to peek out
1116
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:52,320
with our four chefs here.
1117
00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:55,760
Can I sing Dan's praises?
1118
00:52:55,760 --> 00:53:00,360
Cos he is a cookery force
to be reckoned with.
1119
00:53:00,360 --> 00:53:02,160
Beautifully cooked venison,
great sauce
1120
00:53:02,160 --> 00:53:03,640
and the beetroot that went with it.
1121
00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:06,360
To have the confidence
to put so little on the plate
1122
00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:09,160
with so much impact,
thoroughly enjoyable.
1123
00:53:09,160 --> 00:53:12,120
Dessert - rich, full of flavour,
sugar, acidity, everything you need.
1124
00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:13,360
I thought it was delicious.
1125
00:53:13,360 --> 00:53:16,640
Can you see any reason why Dan
shouldn't become a quarterfinalist?
1126
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:19,280
Dan, welcome to the club.
1127
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:21,400
You're a MasterChef quarterfinalist.
1128
00:53:23,160 --> 00:53:26,920
I thought Alin had some great ideas,
but not all of it worked out.
1129
00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:28,200
Alin's main course was the duck.
1130
00:53:28,200 --> 00:53:30,360
I loved the crunchy duck fat
1131
00:53:30,360 --> 00:53:32,800
that was over that baby carrot.
1132
00:53:32,800 --> 00:53:35,680
However, the duck cooking,
though the protein itself was fine,
1133
00:53:35,680 --> 00:53:38,560
the fat needed more rendering
and the skin more crispy.
1134
00:53:38,560 --> 00:53:43,280
The duck leg cooked in the cabbage
leaf I wasn't sure of at all,
1135
00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:45,360
but the carrot puree
I thought was great.
1136
00:53:45,360 --> 00:53:48,640
The dessert, there were bits
of it that were great.
1137
00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:51,480
Ice cream was delicious,
but the mousse didn't set.
1138
00:53:51,480 --> 00:53:53,440
The sponge, very sweet.
1139
00:53:53,440 --> 00:53:54,800
No other flavour to it.
1140
00:53:56,200 --> 00:53:58,720
Ritchie cooked
two plant-based dishes.
1141
00:53:58,720 --> 00:54:00,160
I liked his main course.
1142
00:54:00,160 --> 00:54:02,600
The pumpkin, I really liked
the way it was cooked.
1143
00:54:02,600 --> 00:54:05,360
I loved the mustard seeds on it.
1144
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:07,280
That dessert was too sweet for me.
1145
00:54:07,280 --> 00:54:09,240
Just a little bit more mascarpone
in that dessert
1146
00:54:09,240 --> 00:54:11,320
and I think we would have been
on a winner.
1147
00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:16,200
The flavours that Paule brought
to that guinea fowl dish
1148
00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:17,600
I thought were fantastic.
1149
00:54:17,600 --> 00:54:19,440
That sauce, I thought
that was delicious.
1150
00:54:19,440 --> 00:54:21,080
The guinea fowl,
it had just dried out
1151
00:54:21,080 --> 00:54:24,320
and the aubergine-style ratatouille,
I enjoyed it,
1152
00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:26,680
just didn't get
any of the chilli through that.
1153
00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:29,160
Dessert I thought was delicious.
1154
00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:32,280
Chocolate mousse was not quite
smooth enough, but crispy pastry,
1155
00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:34,000
beautiful hibiscus cream.
1156
00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:36,720
The pastry was nice and crispy,
1157
00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:39,920
but it was also sweet with hibiscus.
1158
00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:41,600
We've got good cooks.
1159
00:54:41,600 --> 00:54:44,160
We can't take them
all through to the next round.
1160
00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:45,720
We can only take two.
1161
00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:48,960
I love the idea of actually
getting through
1162
00:54:48,960 --> 00:54:50,520
and cooking for the judges again.
1163
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:51,640
This is not good enough,
1164
00:54:51,640 --> 00:54:54,760
so basically I just want to
show them that I've got way more.
1165
00:54:55,960 --> 00:54:59,800
All the adrenaline is on
and I'm in the starting blocks.
1166
00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:01,480
I hope I make it.
1167
00:55:01,480 --> 00:55:02,840
I hope.
1168
00:55:04,000 --> 00:55:06,800
I feel like I've done the best
that I could possibly do.
1169
00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:09,080
If there's somebody better,
then so be it,
1170
00:55:09,080 --> 00:55:11,160
but I gave it my all
so I can be proud of that.
1171
00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:25,400
Chefs, I want to start
by congratulating you.
1172
00:55:25,400 --> 00:55:27,960
Great personality
shone through today
1173
00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:30,400
and that's what we want to see.
1174
00:55:30,400 --> 00:55:31,760
We have made a decision.
1175
00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:34,560
Two of you are going through
to a quarterfinal.
1176
00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:37,360
Two of you, sadly,
are leaving the competition.
1177
00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:45,080
The first chef going through
to a quarterfinal is
1178
00:55:45,080 --> 00:55:46,440
Dan.
1179
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:50,360
Congratulations, Dan.
1180
00:55:50,360 --> 00:55:52,280
That was solid.
1181
00:55:54,760 --> 00:55:58,920
The second chef going through
to a quarterfinal is...
1182
00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:04,320
..Ritchie.
1183
00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:07,520
Congratulations, Ritchie.
1184
00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:08,840
Thank you so much.
1185
00:56:10,480 --> 00:56:13,520
Alin, Paule,
sorry to see you go.
1186
00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:15,200
Thank you so much for your efforts.
1187
00:56:15,200 --> 00:56:16,280
Thank you, both.
1188
00:56:21,880 --> 00:56:23,960
It's been great being
in the MasterChef kitchen.
1189
00:56:23,960 --> 00:56:27,800
It's hard leaving now, just cos
obviously I wanted to go further.
1190
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:30,320
I feel a bit sad.
1191
00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:34,120
The most difficult part of leaving
the competition now is that
1192
00:56:34,120 --> 00:56:38,920
I didn't have a chance to showcase
what I'm really capable of.
1193
00:56:44,200 --> 00:56:45,320
Well done, brother. Yes!
1194
00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:46,840
Congratulations.
1195
00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:48,560
You are quarterfinalists.
1196
00:56:49,880 --> 00:56:51,640
I'm massively proud
of what I've achieved.
1197
00:56:51,640 --> 00:56:52,920
I'm super happy.
1198
00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:55,200
I can't wait to tell my partner
the good news.
1199
00:56:56,480 --> 00:56:58,280
I'm absolutely buzzing.
1200
00:56:58,280 --> 00:56:59,800
MasterChef quarterfinalist.
1201
00:56:59,800 --> 00:57:01,920
Well, it's one of
the best days of my life.
1202
00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:03,560
I'm absolutely hungry for more.
1203
00:57:03,560 --> 00:57:05,000
It's going to be super, super tough,
1204
00:57:05,000 --> 00:57:06,160
but bring it on.
1205
00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:12,880
Next time, it's the quarterfinal...
CORK POPS
1206
00:57:12,880 --> 00:57:15,560
..and this heat's most talented
chefs
1207
00:57:15,560 --> 00:57:18,240
return to face two tough challenges.
1208
00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:20,360
Oops. Oh.
1209
00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:22,000
I'm not going to let it go
until I've eaten it all.
1210
00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:23,160
That's how good this is.
1211
00:57:23,160 --> 00:57:26,760
Only the best will earn their place
in knockout week.
1212
00:57:28,280 --> 00:57:31,400
This is one of those dishes
that can change minds.