Bye.
..Jamie Oliver may have left the building...
Don't be mad at Jamie!
..but he also left some big surprises behind.
WOMAN: From the pantry to the kitchen, everything is madness.
So I have to use a flavour bomb. That's crazy.
They all rose to the challenge...
ANDY: It was good. Very, very good.
..but Malissa...
JOCK: That is a perfect dish.
You've nailed it.
Oh! Yay!
..and Cath...
Congratulations. Well done. That's a belter.
..brought the wow factor.
Wow. Wow. Wow!
We're putting you both through!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Tonight, they'll join Antonio and Jessica
in the very first immunity cook...
I'm feeling actually quite confident.
..but there's a delicious twist.
JOCK: You will need to beat the chef.
MELISSA: Don't let his baby face fool you.
(PEACEFUL MUSIC)
(EPIC MUSIC)
CATH: First immunity. Righto, let's do it!
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
Morning!
Seems to be a fridge there.
Oh, God!
Oh, no. Whose fridge is that?
I've no idea.
Welcome to the first Immunity Challenge of the competition.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
First off, Cath, are you still shocked to be standing here today
or are you easing into being a successful winner?
Um, I'm shocked but also easing in.
And actually, I've lost my voice -
I think 'cause I was screaming too much with Jamie Oliver.
(ALL LAUGH)
Righto, gang, before we get started, I've got something you need to know.
Ugh.
This year, immunity, it is bigger and better than ever before.
For the first time ever...
..the best dish in round 1,
they win immunity from Sunday's elimination.
(CHEERING AND GASPING)
Wow! Round 1 you get immunity?
But not only that.
They'll progress to round 2...
..where they'll have a shot at winning one of these!
(ALL MOAN)
Wow!
Uh-huh? Now we got 'em.
That's what we want. That's what we want.
The shiny little immunity pin.
This little guy can be played during an elimination cook
to save your skin.
But it ain't gonna come easy to win this guy,
because to win it, in round 2,
you're going to need to beat a professional chef.
Oh! Ooh!
I can't believe that not only
do you get immunity from Sunday's elimination,
but there's also the immunity pin up for grabs today.
I want that.
OK, let's turn our attention to the fridge.
The chef that it belongs to is a true Aussie legend.
He's one of the most respected chefs in the world
and has won every award under the sun.
But most of all, he's generous with his knowledge
and he's here to share it with you.
I think you know who I mean.
Please welcome Shannon Bennett.
(CHEERING)
He's not coming out of the fridge.
(CHEERING AND WHISTLING)
Oh, my God!
How bloody exciting. An Australian icon.
I mean, what an honour.
CATH: THE Shannon Bennett.
Pretty surreal, actually. Can't believe it.
How are you? (LAUGHS) Good.
This is just week one. How cool! I know!
You honestly looked like you thought he was going to
climb out of that fridge.
Shannon, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
It feels like you never left. Thanks, Jock.
Yeah, it's great to be here. And...fresh faces. Awesome.
Wow. I'm starstruck.
You've mentored a lot of MasterChef contestants
throughout the years here in the kitchen.
Um, what do you love about that role?
I think it's the apprentice attitude
where you get someone who's raw, full of aspiration,
and then you see that grow all the way then to your own restaurant.
So I'm hoping that all of you
will be part of that success story for this season.
Alright, guys, in round 1,
we want you to cook us a delicious dish
with whatever's in this fridge
plus the pantry staples
in 45 minutes.
Wow, 45 minutes. Oh, that's not long.
The best dish will win immunity from the first elimination
and have the chance to beat the chef in round 2.
Are you ready for this?
Oh, no. No. (LAUGHS)
Alright, that's it. Come on, let's go.
See ya.
Are you ready for this?! CONTESTANTS: Yes!
Good, 'cause your time starts now.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CATH: Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.
So there's a lot of nerves today.
Sorry!
As one of, you know, the oldies, I really want to do a great dish
and show these young ones.
We're all gathering around, we're all trying to have a look. It's chaos.
Eggs. Um...
Looking up, looking down - bit manic, actually,
because there's just so much.
No, no, no.
Don't get the figs.
The first thing I do see are some figs. Few ideas in my mind.
Sorry! Someone else takes the figs.
Oh, no!
Gone.
We need more figs.
Ahh! Oh, my goodness.
I'm starting to panic then.
What am I gonna do?
Uh... Oh!
WOMAN: Go, Mal.
I love fresh figs.
My nonna has a tree in her backyard.
So when I opened that fridge, I just dived in and grab those figs.
And then I see some beautiful dates
and I thought, "You know what?
"Dates are sweet, the figs are sweet.
"I'm gonna make a cake."
It's pretty ambitious in 45 minutes
to, you know, make your batter, get it cooked in the oven,
but I want this so bad.
I want that chance to win an immunity pin.
Parsley. Potato. Ahh!
WOMAN: Go, Antonio.
Come on, Antonio, get in there!
Ooh, some more butter, yeah?
That butter's good. It's good butter.
I really love butter - I think just, you know,
butter just makes everything taste better.
So today I'm going to be using Shannon's really nice French butter.
So I'm cooking a tart with some flavoured maple syrup custard
and fresh berries on top.
It's my grandma's recipe for the pastry
and I think the butter will shine through.
I really want to bring my grandma's recipe to the judges
and, you know, it's a little bit of me in the MasterChef kitchen.
That's it, mate. Yes, well done.
When I do my pastry shells,
I normally would put my tart shell pastry a little bit in the fridge,
but I'm skipping that step today 'cause I don't have a lot of time
and I just really wanna do something real quick.
It's a bit of a risky move, but look, 45 minutes is not a long time
so I'm just gonna put them in the oven.
WOMAN: That looks good, Antonio.
Nup. Coriander.
No. Ahh!
Looks like a chef's fridge. There's a bit of everything in there.
What would you be cooking?
I think reheating those beef cheeks.
I've already smoked them.
And I was thinking, like, a quesadilla.
So good. What about you, Jock?
There's so many flavour bombs in there.
I would go straight to a hot-and-sour broth
with pre-smoked meats.
Nice! Yeah.
I love the idea of the smoky beef cheeks
and I'm thinking pan-fried bao,
bit of pickle action on the side.
Nice. What about you?
The smoked fish is kind of drawing me in there.
So I think I'd go towards that
and do, like, just a really simple salad.
Smart. Sounds healthy. Yeah.
CATH: What's in there? What's in there?
I mean, what an opportunity, to raid the fridge of
one of the best chefs in the country - nay, the world -
but also get a bit of insight into who you are.
Yeah, and the opportunity, let's face it,
is also in round 2, because you want to be there.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
CATH: Oh, no, I can't do a curry. Oh, my God.
What am I gonna do?
MELISSA: Cath? What's going on in there?
You have 45 minutes, babe. Not anymore.
Yeah, I know. I know.
I can't see what else is here.
I'm just feeling blank about what to do,
where to go, what to pick up.
Shannon Bennett is not the average person,
so this is not the average person's fridge.
Is there any garlic?
I think I need to try and go with something that I know.
Um...OK.
So then I can see there's beef cheek.
That's already cooked.
There's potatoes there and there's some sugo there.
So I'm thinking smoky beef cheek with a sugo on mashed potatoes.
Go, Cath! We love you! Go, Cath! Come on, Cath!
Let's go!
I've already wasted too much time in this cook.
I have to just settle myself.
I've just gotta get something on the plate.
One of you's gonna be immune from Sunday's elimination in 30 minutes.
(CHEERING) Let's go, come on!
Come on, Cath!
Let's go, guys.
WOMAN: Go, Antonio!
MAN: Come on, Mal, you've gotta get moving.
OK.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Jessica! Hi!
Hey, Jessica. Are we starstruck or are we focused?
I'm...bit from column A, bit from column B.
OK, wonderful. What are you cooking?
I'm making fettuccine with a bunch of spring vegetables.
I've taken some onion, some asparagus, zucchini.
It's ambitious, actually. Like, in terms of...
Time? Yeah, time.
Totally.
But you know, I have a five-year-old and a three-year-old,
so I'm used to making pasta in 45 minutes.
I've made the dough. Pasta dough resting.
Yes.
So channelling quick meals at home with the kids.
Yes. So I gotta bring it.
I really need to get onto my dough
so that it has time to dry.
WOMAN: Come on, Jess.
And really, that's crucial for pasta-making.
And being the main element of my dish,
it would really not be good for me
if I didn't make perfect pasta.
Wow! She's a machine with pasta.
Nice work, Jess. Nice work.
Whoo! Beautiful.
MAN: Come on, Cath. Come on.
I've got the potatoes on.
The beef cheeks are in the pan with some of the tomato sugo.
Yeah...don't know about that.
I taste the sauce and it just doesn't marry.
It's really smoky.
Ahh! What else is here?
I can see things that I didn't even notice before.
Come on, Cath! Sauce!
I'm not doing that. I'm not happy, I'm not happy.
OK. Alright.
Oh.
White bloody miso. I'm gonna change.
And I think, "Right, OK, crazy as it seems,
"I have to change it."
MAN: Let's go, Cath. No, I'm not happy with that.
Go, Cath!
Come on, Cath. You can do this.
So I'm actually gonna just pivot.
I didn't realise. I just saw the white miso in there.
I'm just going to do roasted mushrooms with a white miso butter.
Come on, Cath. 20 minutes, Cath.
And I'm just now...
..um, yeah, really stressed.
I don't know whether I'm gonna get it finished in the time.
Oh, no, the bag's on fire. You're on fire, Cath.
What's that? Bag's on fire.
You're on fire.
The bag! Oh.
Put it in the sink. Sink, sink, sink!
Oh!
Oh, no. Oh, my gosh!
Oh, my God. Honestly.
WOMAN: Come on, Cath.
Yeah, I am in an absolute mess. I'm in a panic.
The bag's on fire.
I've put it in the potatoes.
That's it - no chance of using those potatoes now.
I'm feeling really, really frazzled.
Come on, Cath. You can do this, Cath. Come on.
But I am not gonna give up. I'm just gonna keep going.
It's OK. This is gonna be really yummy.
You've raided the fridge and now we wanna see your dish in 20 minutes.
Let's go! 20 minutes!
Let's go, come on! Keep working.
Let's go, Cath. Come on.
Go, Antonio!
(TENSE MUSIC)
Come on!
So now I've got my fig-and-date cake in the oven.
Go, Malissa! You've got this! You've got it.
It's cooking and I don't know if it's gonna be ready.
So, yeah, fingers crossed.
OK...
But I can't just serve a little cake and that's it.
I need other elements.
I'm gonna try making a ginger caramel.
MAN: That's it. Nice.
I'm gonna whip up some cream as well
just to cut through the sweetness a little bit.
WOMAN: Yeah, good, Mal.
I really wanna, you know, take it to that next level
and make it amazing for the judges
so they'll love it
and give me that chance to go head-to-head with the chef
to win an immunity pin.
Whew! Come on.
Antonio!
Hello, guys. Hi!
Obviously we're going sweet today.
I see some tart shells already in the oven.
Yes. What's the dish?
So I'm doing my grandma's recipe for the pastry
and I'm making a maple syrup custard tart with fresh strawberries.
Nice.
I like that you're being influenced by the produce at hand today
but you're also sort of cooking from what you know as well.
Exactly.
Any quick questions for Shannon while he's here to impart knowledge?
How do I win this? (LAUGHS)
Well, you just hope that the maple syrup works.
Oh, don't say that!
Antonio, good luck. Keep it smooth.
Thank you. Keep smiling.
MAN: That's it, Antonio. Keep going, mate.
That's some good whisking.
I'm really hoping that the sweetness and the complexity
from the maple syrup work well in this case.
I've made my pasta. I'm just leaving it to dry.
It's gonna be real touch-and-go for me.
But, you know, this is the way I cook at home.
My kids go from being not hungry to hangry
within a matter of 30 seconds.
So I'm used to making dishes quickly
but I'm not used to making dishes quickly for Shannon Bennett.
MAN: Yeah!
MAN: It's smelling good, Jess.
For my sauce, I've fried the asparagus and the zucchini
with garlic and chilli
and I'm actually really happy with the flavours.
Let's put the pasta in.
WOMAN: Go, Antonio!
MAN: How they looking?
Yeah, I've done better. (LAUGHS)
After taking my tart shells out of the oven,
I can see they're a bit blonde on the top
but then cooked on the edge
and there's a little bit of shrinkage.
And I think maybe skipping that step
of actually not cooling the dough
wasn't probably the best idea.
I've brought you the ingredients. You bring me the dish.
Five minutes to go.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)
MAN: Go, Antonio! Come on, mate.
MAN: Let's go, Cath!
(SIGHS)
I'm not patient enough for this.
I'm just standing back at the moment, waiting for my caramel
and I know my cake needs another, you know, four minutes
to get beautiful and golden on the top.
(SIGHS) OK.
So I'm kind of just, like, what do I do?
How do I speed this up?
The clock is ticking. I don't have time. This is really stressful.
Keep an eye. Keep an eye. Just watch that.
It's gonna turn. You don't wanna burn it.
There's lots of dates and figs throughout my cake,
so I really want my caramel to have that little bit of bitterness
to kind of break through all of those other flavours.
MAN: There we go.
You have two minutes to go!
MAN: Let's go, guys. You got this.
Let's go, Antonio.
Oh, come on!
Smashing it, Jess.
Tasting good?
Yeah.
I'm feeling pretty good about this.
The fettuccine dried out enough,
so my pasta has
that nice al-dente bite.
I'm really confident with the flavours of my sauce.
Jess! Try and look fresh.
Beautiful.
I think I'm in with a shot for immunity today.
Perfect.
MAN: Let's go, Cath. Come on, let's go.
Oh, no. That's just not good.
I've got this sauce here, but it's really smoky
and I'm worried that it's gonna be overpowering.
What am I gonna do with it?
What am I gonna do to balance the sauce to go with my mushrooms?
Oh, she's coming back for more!
I need something sweet.
I'm looking for anything that's sweet to go into the sauce.
Anything.
MAN: Come on, Cath. let's go.
Yeah, I've got it. Yep.
And the thing I see is jam.
MAN: What's Cath making?
Cath, what's that?
Jam. Oh, whoa. Hello!
Guaranteed immunity in 60 seconds!
Come on! Let's go, Malissa!
I've got one minute to go and I take my cake out of the oven.
Looks beautiful.
It's looking really beautiful and golden
but the real test is when I cut into the cake.
MAN: Cooked? It's cooked.
Yeah! Beautiful.
Now I need to plate this up.
Let's go. Come on. Quick, quick.
(SHOUTS) Yeah, gantry! 10!
ALL: 9, 8, 7,
6, 5, 4,
3, 2, 1.
(CHEERING) JOCK: That's it.
MAN: Good job, team.
Give me a hug.
MAN: Well done, Cath.
I'm glad I got something on the plate,
but I'm pretty disappointed.
I've tasted the different elements separately
but I haven't tasted it all together.
So, yeah, I'm a bit worried that it's a bit of a train wreck.
The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to Jessica.
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)
Go, Jess. Go, Jessie!
Jessica, what have you made us?
I've named this dish after my daughter,
so it's called Maya's springtime vegetable fettuccine.
Cool. I like it.
Jessica, can't fault you on the pasta work. It's great.
Really, really good. I expect that from you.
The sauce is very tasty.
There's good foundations here.
I think you did a really good job.
The pasta is amazing. It has that lovely density to it.
Well done. Yeah, great pasta-making.
The pasta's fantastic, the cooking of the pasta's very good.
And it's really tasty.
I thought was a good dish. Thank you.
Well done, Jess. Thank you very much.
WOMAN: Good job, Jess!
Whoo!
(LAUGHS) Good job!
Next up, Cath.
WOMAN: Yay, Cath!
I'm feeling disappointed and a bit embarrassed
to serve something that I'm not happy with.
Cath, what a journey. Oh, man.
That was...yeah, a very long journey today.
What have we got here now? We have a mess.
OK.
We have miso-roasted mushrooms with some greens.
I'm actually really embarrassed. It is... It's dreadful.
I've presented a dish - a really crappy dish - to Shannon Bennett.
I'll never forget it. (LAUGHS)
So there you go. And I'm just gonna accept that.
What's in that sauce?
If you can believe it...jam.
I can believe it.
Jam?
Jam.
I know. I know.
Well, and...why?
Because it was really smoky
and I thought it needed some sweetness.
Yeah, please, just give it to me.
(LAUGHS)
I'll give it to you, Cath.
I'll be honest with you - the only fault with this dish is the jam.
Oh! Wow.
Like, even if you'd put honey in there
it would have been a real good idea.
Yeah.
No, Cath, I thought the mushrooms were actually cooked really nicely.
Thank you.
Good attitude in the fact that at least you kept trying.
Mmm. Thanks. Thanks, Shannon.
Cath, you made some good decisions here.
The mushrooms - not only are they cooked perfectly,
they're seasoned so well.
You just need to take a step back, because honestly,
this could have been spectacular.
Thanks, Cath. Thanks. Thanks, guys. Thank you.
Not so bad!
It was a mess today, but I learnt a lot
and hey, I've cooked for Shannon Bennett.
The next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Antonio.
(CHEERING)
What have you made us?
It is my grandmother's tart
with maple syrup flavoured custard and strawberries.
Antonio. Yep.
The custard is a really lovely texture.
It sort of has this kind of bouncy density to it, which is interesting.
I do appreciate the strawberries balancing out the sweetness.
The flavour of the pastry is quite nice,
but I'm finding the texture a little problematic.
For me, it's not as fun to eat.
The biscuit itself - I think you rushed it, that's all.
You've got all the bones there of a good dish.
I just think that you need to just learn from these experiences
and you're just gonna get better and better.
Thank you.
JOCK: Custard's very nice.
You've got just the right amount of maple.
You know, construction-wise, great work.
Thank you. MAN: Good job, Antonio!
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)
Next up to the tasting table, Malissa.
(CHEERING)
Come on!
Hello!
Malissa, what have you got?
A fig-and-date cake with a ginger caramel.
You ran up to Shannon's fridge. Yep.
And you zoned in on those figs, didn't you?
Yeah, I love figs, so as soon as
I saw the figs, I was like, "Yes!"
And the ginger was there, so I thought,
"OK, I can kind of incorporate that."
And then I saw the dates as well and I love dates.
Malissa. Yes.
I...I love it.
Oh! Do you? (LAUGHS)
To make a really tasty cake with a great texture in 45 minutes,
that's pretty good going.
How many of you lot can do that? Pretty good, right?
Go, Malissa! (LAUGHS)
Really like the caramel.
It's just on that bitter side,
which gives the dish balance, all the things that I love.
Thank you.
I like the contrast with the cream.
Yeah. And the caramel.
Thank you.
Yeah. Like, great flavour combinations.
Great that you can identify that really quickly
and produce something that you know is going to work.
That will set you up well in the future.
Nice work. Thank you, guys!
Oh, my God! Mwah! (LAUGHS)
One of you is about to win not only immunity
but the winner will take on a chef in round 2
to win an immunity pin.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
Come on, guys!
And that cook is...
..Malissa.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
Aside from seeing Jamie Oliver,
this moment is, like, the best moment ever.
Oh, gosh!
I'm here for another week.
What a relief, what a weight off my shoulder. I'm so happy.
Malissa, the only thing that stands between you and that immunity pin
is whoever walks through those doors.
But make no mistake, he's an absolute beast.
At the tender age of 24, he became head chef at Vue de monde...
..and has just secured three hats for that very same restaurant.
Oh, gosh!
I'm just thinking, "What have I got myself into?" (LAUGHS)
Please welcome...
I am freaking out.
Malissa,
the only thing that stands between you and that immunity pin
is whoever walks through those doors.
But make no mistake, he's an absolute beast.
Don't let his baby face fool you.
He is a true veteran
and Shannon knows exactly what he's capable of.
At the tender age of 24,
he became head chef at Vue de monde...
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
..and has just secured three hats for that very same restaurant.
Oh, gosh! Please welcome Hugh Allen!
(ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD)
A three-hatted chef is out of this world.
What have I got in my back pocket that I can pull out
that's gonna, you know, level up to this guy?
Hi! How are you?
Hugh, mate, welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen.
Thanks for having me back.
First of all, the biggest congratulations.
Three hats. No easy feat. How do you feel?
Still recovering, but, no, I feel excellent, to be honest.
Like, it's sort of one of the top accolades,
so we definitely...
We feel, you know, great to get it.
Alright, here's how this is going to work.
Malissa, you'll choose between two pantries.
Whichever one you don't choose, Hugh, that's the one you're given.
Malissa, you have 75 minutes
but, Hugh, you'll have 60.
Jock, Mel and myself will be tasting and scoring the dishes blind.
The dish that scores the highest will win.
Malissa, if you beat the chef,
you'll get one of these.
(CLAPS)
Yay! (LAUGHS)
So, Malissa, time to pick your pantry,
which means, Hugh, you're going.
Head to the locker room, mate.
(ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD)
JOCK: Alright, Malissa,
today for your pantry,
you'll have a choice of either
..pleasant...
Ooh!
..or potent.
Ooh!
You've got a very interesting decision to make,
but, for now, we're going to leave you in Shannon's very capable hands.
Good luck. Thanks, mate.
Good luck. ANDY: Good luck.
'Bye! Thank you!
Come on forward, Malissa, and take a look.
When I see the two pantries, the pleasant and the potent,
I'm thinking, "OK, the pleasant.
"I know those ingredients,
"I've worked with those before."
Anything stick out here that you...
Well, I love mangoes. Yeah, yeah.
I'm thinking I could do a curry.
I could do a mango dessert.
I can see some really nice herbs like thyme and mint,
tomatoes, lots of citrus
and fresh raspberries.
It's all about strategy as well as coming up with a great dish.
I look at the potent and I'm like,
"Hugh has probably worked with all of those ingredients,"
and he probably wants that pantry a lot,
but then there's a lot of ingredients that I never even tried.
Osietra caviar,
different pickled vegetables,
some cured meats,
anchovies - always great for flavour -
dried mushroom.
Oh!
I don't know what to do,
but then I realised Shannon's going to be there,
he's gonna guide me.
Why not try to challenge myself,
which is essentially what I am here to do in this competition.
Which one are you going to choose?
I'm going to go with potent. OK.
75 minutes starts now.
Go. Come on. (CONTESTANTS CHEER)
Time will go quick.
There's an immunity pin at stake here,
so, instantly, I think pasta because that's what I know
and I build from there.
I'm gonna take these. They look good.
So, I've got some beautiful prawns,
I've got some beautiful mushrooms
and some other flavours that I've never used before,
and I'm just going to go for it.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
Today, I'm going to make a prawn and mushroom linguine
with beautiful kelp and seaweed flavours.
Is that caviar? Yes.
Fancy!
First up, I need to make my pasta.
Go, Malissa. Come on.
I need to allow that to rest
so I can then roll it out and dry my pasta.
MAN: You got this. Let's go, Malissa.
Alright. Now for my stock,
Have you used bonito before? No.
Do you know how much you're going to add?
Probably a good handful.
I've never use bonito. This is all new to me.
Try and gel the flavours together. OK.
But I'm competing against a three-hat chef,
so I'm using these beautiful ingredients
that are very flavoursome to make a stock,
which I'm going to reduce down to make a beautiful sauce
to really infuse that flavour throughout my pasta
MAN: It smells good, Mal. It smells good.
OK, your advantage is nearly up.
I'm going to get Hugh now, OK? OK.
WOMAN: Go, Mal!
So much pressure.
MAN: It's OK. It's OK. You're doing great.
Ready to go? Let's do it.
(LAUGHS)
Coming to any kitchen and not being able to pick my pantry that I want
and cooking in one hour, it's an uncomfortable thing to do.
Nervous? A little bit.
(LAUGHS)
And I'm fully aware chefs have lost before.
Hugh,
here are the two pantries that Malissa had to choose from -
pleasant and potent
and Malissa went with potent...
Oh, she...
..leaving you with pleasant.
Yeah, I've been given the pleasant pantry.
I would have preferred the other one.
Have a look.
I love, you know, seaweeds, misos, ferments.
I find them more interesting and delicious,
but it's part of the challenge.
It's all good.
Hugh, your hour starts now.
Go. MAN: Let's go!
I'm at the pantry and I can see raspberries,
lavender, roses, strawberry gum,
so, you know, these things lend more to a sweet.
What are you making? What have you got?
It's for you. Aww, thank you!
(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM AND APPLAUD) (GIGGLES)
Alright.
He's so chill. I'd be running around already. He's...
I know. He's so just not frantic at all.
I'm think I'm going to make a parfait,
just to get something going while I think about the rest.
So, just real simple,
and then, basically, I can add any flavour to that.
So, then I want to have a taste of these herbs,
and then I'll work out what flavour it's going to go with.
Is that mint and thyme? Thyme, lavender, vanilla beans.
Now I've decided I'm going to do a parfait with native flavours
and raspberries and roses.
Parfait's one that, you know, it'll still be a stretch,
but I could do in 60 minutes,
Malissa, Hugh, 45 minutes to go.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
Uniformity for everything you do. OK.
And consistency. Yep. OK.
MAN: Keep pushing. Let's go!
I'm looking at Hugh. To be honest, I can't read him.
If anything, he seems blase.
Would you prefer strawberry gum or river mint?
CONTESTANTS: Oh!
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) RALPH: Strawberry.
Strawberry? Strawberry.
Let's go with strawberry, then.
Hugh? Yeah?
Do you need a hand from me or...?
You can come here and push if you want.
What's that? We used to be on a team!
(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)
What is it? Strawberry gum parfait.
You do know there's 37 minutes. 37 minutes.
Not one hour and 37 minutes. That's alright.
OK. We'll be right.
We've been in worse situations, haven't we?
Yeah, yeah. Yep, we have. (CHUCKLES)
I've never done a parfait in 37 minutes, though.
RUE: Hugh has not put his parfait in the freezer.
I'm thinking he's taking this blase energy to the next level.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. Come on. Let's go.
You've seen me much more behind. Never this behind.
You know that if you do fail,
my reputation goes down the gurgler too.
Do you know that, yeah? Yeah. (LAUGHS)
Just wanted to let you know that.
HUGH: I'm a little worried.
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(TENSE MUSIC)
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. Come on. Let's go.
HUGH: I'm really rushing to get this parfait in.
I don't know how long it's going to take to freeze.
You know that if you do fail,
my reputation goes down the gurgler too.
Do you know that, yeah?
If the parfait doesn't set in time, I wouldn't really have a dish,
so I'm acting cool, calm and collected,
but I am a little stressed that it's not gonna set.
Hugh? Yeah?
There's 30 minutes to go.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER) Come on.
OK. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
There is a lot that still needs to be done.
I need to roll out my pasta.
My stock,
it's got a lot of flavour that it still needs to develop.
You've got to get these mushrooms done.
Yep.
You've got to get the prawns poached.
Yep. You've got to get this stock right.
Yep. Time is just going.
You've got to motor. Oh, goodness me!
My pasta is looking good,
but I wish I could have rested it for a little bit longer.
Little bit wet. Yeah, it's a bit wet.
It is a little bit too sticky,
but I've just got to get it out.
I got to get it drying.
MAN: Nice, Malissa. Yep.
Pasta looks good, Mal.
Alright, I'll let that dry.
The parfait's in the freezer. I start working on my garnish.
I get the raspberries, a little rosewater,
and a few pieces of lavender and I blend that together.
WOMAN: What are you doing?
I'm just putting this in a piping bag
so I can fill the fruits,
just to make the raspberries even more raspberry.
Beautiful. Lovely.
Vue de monde's about celebrating really amazing produce.
As a chef, you want to be a curator of ingredients.
The raspberries are incredible as themselves,
and so it's just adding more to the raspberry
and it also adds a bit more of a surprise.
Malissa, come on! Let's start getting this together.
15 minutes to go!
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Let's go!
Run, Hugh! Come on!
Actually, there's no point running, Hugh.
(LAUGHS) Your parfait's not ready yet, so...
Malissa, gotta motor. Come on. Let's go!
This is about beating a three-hat chef.
OK. OK?
And you've got a great opportunity.
He doesn't even have a parfait, so come on.
Alright, alright, alright! We've got this. Come on!
It's alright. (CONTESTANTS CHEER)
This is a lot harder than what I thought.
WOMAN: Go, Mal!
I still haven't cooked my prawns. I need to get them poaching.
OK. MAN: Nice, Malissa.
My mushrooms are beautifully caramelised
and I've got a pan and I'm reducing that stock for my sauce.
See how it's got that beautiful shine now?
Yes. Yep. Yeah, that's what you want.
That's going to glisten with your pasta.
75 minutes has flown by.
Five minutes, guys! Five minutes! Hustle! Come on!
Five minutes!
Come on, guys, let's go! Let's go! Mal, you got this.
Push, push, push.
Haven't seen the parfait yet.
Go, Hugh. Come on. Go, Hugh.
MAN: Oh! Parfait's out! WOMAN: Oh!
Five minutes to go. I go look at the parfait.
PHIL: The all-important cut.
No pressure, Hugh.
(TENSE MUSIC)
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
Shannon, this is a 30-minute parfait for you, mate.
(LAUGHS) I'm a little bit more relieved. Not gonna lie.
That was a getting stressful.
WOMAN: Yummy!
Do you wanna chuck a disc up here?
(GASPS) No way!
Aah! Got it!
RUE: I really want a taste. It's really good!
When I'm thinking about presentation,
I'm focusing on the eating experience.
Yeah, I added a little powder on top
of dried roses and rosella,
which just has beautiful fruitiness, but also some herbaceousness.
And then the raspberries that I've prepped, already filled,
all around the top.
When you eat it, you get the sharpness of the raspberries.
Oh, look at that. Very nice.
And then finished with the lavender and the thyme and the rose petals
just to add on that herbaceous and that floralness.
And then to finish the dish,
I just drizzled the rose oil into the centre.
Come on, Malissa. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. Come on.
Let's go.
MALISSA: I'm really happy that I challenged myself today
and picked that potent pantry
because this dish is coming together
and it's smelling really, really yummy.
One minute! Come on!
Go, Malissa!
This needs to look like it came from a three-hat chef,
so I'm doing this twisty motion
so my pasta stands up on the plate really nicely.
WOMAN: Yeah, it looks awesome! Come on, Malissa! Keep pushing!
And now it's time to get all of those other elements on my dish -
you know, the mushroom, the prawn, the asparagus.
Come on. 30 seconds. Come on, come on.
And then a drizzle of that beautiful sauce that I've reduced down.
Then around. Then around. Then around, OK?
Yep, yep. Over a bit.
It is just so surreal!
Me cooking against a three-hat chef.
(LAUGHS) Last week, I was just a home cook.
Let's go! Come on! Come on, Mal.
MAN: Get it on. Get it on. OK, 10 seconds.
OK. 10...
ALL: Nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
That's it! Step away. (LAUGHS)
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Thank you so much! Well done.
Thank you.
Oh, that was... That was hard work!
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
We're on.
Wow.
WAITER: Strawberry gum parfait with raspberries and roses.
MELISSA: Thank you very much. Thank you.
This looks like a beautiful dish. Yeah.
Like, thoughtfully plated, presented.
Absolutely stunning.
It's pretty obvious that this is from the pleasant pantry.
Thank you.
My first bite, I was curious about the parfait,
strawberry gum parfait.
I'm like, "Yeah, let's go."
So, had a scoop of that and I was like, "Oh, it's OK,"
but there's a reason that there was raspberries,
you know, dotted all over the surface of the parfait,
because that is where it's at.
The parfait and that little syrup were quite floral,
but then you mash that with the acidity of that raspberry
and your palate is on fire.
I really enjoyed this. I agree.
I think there's been a lot of consideration
devoted to the way that this plate comes together
and how those flavours symphonically sit with each other.
I think it's a terrific dessert -
maybe a touch too much on the sugar,
but it is just ever so slightly lifted by the rose.
I think it's brilliant.
Shall we score?
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
MALISSA: I'm feeling really proud of myself, to be honest.
Every element on the dish is really flavoursome
and I definitely think I've got a chance
at getting that immunity pin.
Here he is.
Ooh! Wow!
Look at that! Little bit fancy.
Here he is.
MELISSA: Hey, hey!
Ooh!
Wow! Look at that!
WAITER: Prawn and mushroom linguine.
Quite a hairstyle there with the caviar.
ANDY: Yeah. Fancy!
I wouldn't mind having a mouthful, if that's OK.
Sure. Thank you.
Wow.
Thank you very much.
Prawns - beautifully cooked. Yeah.
Glistening, just set.
The bisque-y sauce that's in there is very, very good.
The pasta, I don't think it was dried enough,
so it's just not al dente, but good effort.
I thought it was very generous
in terms of showing us these ingredients
that are very generous in flavour
and also luxury items as well.
The little flecks of caviar on top, you know, add a little tszuj...
A little bit of tszuj. ..you know, to the pasta.
The prawns are cooked magnificently.
Mushrooms were great.
Asparagus, same applies.
I think there's a lot to like in here.
Should we score? Let's do it.
(INTRIGUING MUSIC)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Well, what a day, hey?
Hugh Allen in the house,
immunity pin on the line
and Shannon Bennett leading the charge.
Malissa, it must have been pretty good having Shannon on your side.
Yeah, such a good experience. Loved every minute.
You can relate to that, Hugh, can't you?
Many years of it, yeah. Mm. (ALL LAUGH)
Well, at the end of the day, the proof is on the plate
and it comes down to the scores.
First, we want to know who cooked what.
I was the strawberry gum parfait.
So, that leaves the pasta for you, Malissa.
Yes. Surprise! Pasta! (ALL LAUGH)
Malissa, we'll start with your scores.
OK.
I thought those prawns were cooked absolutely beautifully,
so I gave your dish 7 out of 10.
Ooh!
Malissa,
I also scored you 7 out of 10.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
There was some great technique on that dish.
I scored you 8 out of 10.
Aww, thank you! (GIGGLES)
Malissa, that gives you a total score of 22.
Well done!
MAN: Nice one, Malissa!
Over to Hugh.
And cut. It's been great.
(ALL LAUGH)
'Bye! (LAUGHS)
Hugh,
the dish as a whole was beautifully balanced
and I gave it
9 out of 10.
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)
Hugh, mate, dish was a riot of flavours.
9 out of 10.
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)
You started with pleasant
and you served us near perfection.
I gave you a 9.
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)
I'm sorry, Malissa, but Hugh has it.
Well done, Hugh. Nice one, mate.
Well done, mate.
Whoo! (LAUGHS)
Well, mate, thank you very much for taking some time
out of your no doubt very busy three-hat schedule.
I always love coming here, so...
Malissa, unfortunately no pin for you today,
but you were bold, you were brave
and you put up one hell of a fight
and you are still, of course,
immune from Sunday night's elimination.
Everyone else, come Sunday, someone will be going home.
Make sure it's not you.
Go home, make yourselves a cup of tea,
put your feet up, be kind to each other
and I'll see you on Sunday.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
VOICEOVER: Sunday night on MasterChef Australia,
get ready for the first massive elimination
for 2023.
And still to come this season,
we elevate the excitement...
ANDY: The biggest mystery box in MasterChef history.
Oh, what?!
(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)
..on a gastronomic adventure
full of secrets...
(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)
..and surprises...
(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)
..with inspiring locations...
..and culinary superstars.
Curtis Stone!
(CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD)
MELISSA: Poh Ling Yeow!
Clare Smyth!
Peter Gilmore!
Gabriel Gate!
It's Khanh Nguyen!
Rick Stein!
The challenges will be sensational.
WOMAN: That's a tall cloche.
PHIL: The biggest cloche ever!
MAN: Oh, my God!
Strap yourselves in, guys.
But with home cooks of this calibre...
JOCK: That's delicious. I love everything about it.
MELISSA: It is sublime. It's gorgeous.
ANDY: Perfection. Like, seriously.
..they'll serve up surprises of their own.
DECLAN: This is next-level.
This is MasterChef.
LARISSA: This is everything to me.
I absolutely have to bring it.
But in the end,
there can be only one winner.
Captions by Red Bee Media