NARRATOR: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
..it was a garden-variety mystery box.
JOCK: You'll be utilising the beautiful MasterChef garden.
BRENT: Let's go!
Their efforts now... Whoo!
..will rake in the rewards later.
BRENT: It's time to unleash the secret weapon.
Ooh, yeah!
ANDY: So delicious!
The cook on the fish is outrageously good.
That would be one of the best things you cooked in the kitchen. Epic!
And... Well done, buddy.
..Brent won dish of the day.
You win a spot straight into Thursday's Immunity Challenge.
Tonight...
THEO: This is incredible.
..they're off on an adventure
to claim the first spot in Finals Week.
(SERENE MUSIC) (WATER FLOWS)
THEO: Beautiful.
So many grapes.
CATH: This is such a beautiful area of Victoria.
We're on a road trip!
There's something about a winery and all of its vineyards, isn't it?
Yep, the wine. (LAUGHS) Yeah! (CHUCKLES)
Our first stop is in the beautiful Murray region.
THEO: Far out. This is incredible.
I can't believe we're here, top 5.
We are at All Saints winery.
I'm surrounded by vineyards. I'm surrounded by greenery.
It's just an epic, epic place to be.
BRENT: Oh, look at this joint.
Wouldn't you love to get married there, Deccy?
That's gotta be the marriage spot. Mm.
Oh, this would be. How... Imagine getting married here.
(CONTESTANTS CHORTLE) Good morning!
Hello! Hey!
(JUDGES CLAP)
THEO: This is unbelievable.
JOCK: How are you, gang? Good!
Hey! Very good.
How beautiful is this!
Incredible. Unreal.
Welcome to the Murray region. Whoo!
This week, you're gonna find out why it's known as Victoria's food bowl,
kicking off our adventure here at All Saints Estate...
..in the historic wine region of Rutherglen.
This award-winning winery, home to recently opened KIN,
is just three hours north of Melbourne.
This beautiful place
sits near the banks of the mighty Murray River herself.
MELISSA: OK. Shall we get into today's challenge?
CONTESTANTS: Yep.
The Murray region is home to some of the best produce in the country.
And this table right here is filled with some prime examples of it.
We have Murray River cod,
some succulent pork
and some incredible fresh produce as well.
There is a surprise, of course.
Of course there is. Oh!
If you want to cook with any of these particular ingredients,
you're going to need to buy them,
'cause today you're cooking in the classic MasterChef Time Auction,
Murray River style.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER) That's awesome.
Oh, my God. This is another tick off my MasterChef bucket list.
Wanna know how it works? CONTESTANTS: OK.
Each of you will start with 120 minutes.
You will use those minutes to bid on items in three different categories -
protein, fruit and veg, and pantry extras.
At the end of the auction, you'll have bought one from each category.
OK.
Or you'll just end up with it because no-one else bid on it.
So whatever you buy, that'll be your pantry.
And however many minutes you have left,
that'll be all the time that you have to cook with.
CONTESTANTS: Ooh!
The ingredients that I want, I'm gonna get.
I'm hungry to get a spot in that immunity,
so why not bid a bit high for it?
As well as this beautiful produce,
we're giving you access to all of the classic
MasterChef under-bench staples, but not the vinegar.
Of course, whoever cooks the best dish
will join the big man himself, Brent,
in the Immunity Challenge on Thursday,
where, of course, one of the cooks in that challenge
will be the first contestant through to Finals Week.
(CONTESTANTS COO)
Shall we get this auction underway? CONTESTANTS: Yeah!
Let's do it.
THEO: I'm looking over this produce
and, you know, there's amazing proteins here.
We got the Berkshire pork.
We got the Murray cod.
We got yabbies and we got rabbit.
My eye goes straight to that Berkshire pork. I want that bad.
Alright, the first item up for grabs is this beautiful Berkshire pork.
Whoo-hoo!
This looks epic.
So my strategy from the top is to act like I don't want the yabbies.
I'm gonna act cool, calm and collected.
I love some pork on my fork.
I'll just bid on the pork
and look like that's what I want but it's not really.
I want the yabbies.
Premium item. Yep.
Who wants to start me off at 10 minutes?
Feeling a bit competitive today.
My strategy is I'm gonna be bidding up against the others,
trying to bring 'em up to use as much time as they possibly can.
Yep.
Declan, nice.
But really, I want that Murray cod fish.
Anyone else? I'll go five.
Argh! 15 minutes. Yeah.
20. 20 minutes.
Ooh! Cath, 25? 25.
Everyone's bid on it so far.
Looking at the proteins, the pork, tick.
Murray cod, not so much.
Yabbies, that's one I'm looking at,
but I really don't want the rabbit.
Cath's bid 25 minutes. Declan.
What's going on? I want this pork.
You guys stay out of it.
Any advance on 25 minutes?
I'm out. What?!
He was driving up the price for sure.
Yeah! Cath?
No. Time's my strategy.
I think it's important for me, uh, to have time.
Might as well go 30 if I'm here. I might as well.
30 minutes? You're here. You might as well.
Rhiannon, 35?
35. ANDY: Oh!
Give it to me. Beautiful.
Theo? Any advance?
40 minutes, mate? It's yours.
Yeah, let's go 40. ANDY: Ooh, yeah!
(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM) 40 minutes. Beautiful.
Any advance on 40 minutes?
Rhiannon? I'm out.
You're out. Declan? I'm out.
Alright, Theo, it's yours, mate. Sold.
ANDY: Whoo-hoo-hoo! CATH: Nice one.
Yes. I got my pork.
Yes. There you go.
RHIANNON: Lovely.
80 minutes still left on the clock. I think I'm good.
Next up on the auction table is the Murray cod.
Whoo-whee!
Drive up that price for Deccy.
(LAUGHS)
Australia's biggest, best freshwater fish is sitting right there.
The Murray cod.
Have a look at this guy. Look at all that fat in the belly as well.
I want my hands on it.
I'm gonna start off here at 20 minutes.
Yeah. Let's...let's just go straight to 40.
40 minutes. RHIANNON: Why would you do that?
You just outbid yourself.
I... (CHUCKLES)
Oh, Deccy.
(CHORTLES)
Declan is in for 40 minutes.
Rhiannon, would you like to bid on this?
No, I'm fine, thanks.
Cath? No, thanks.
Could have had it at 20. (LAUGHS)
Maybe I've high-balled myself a bit here.
Mate!
But I've got that fish.
Declan. Yay! Yeah, bring it over here.
40 minutes. Sold. (OTHERS LAUGH)
Good work, Deccy.
Amazing.
Mate! Beautiful.
Please don't send him to a house auction.
(LAUGHS)
The next item is the yabbies. They look epic.
I'm thinking, "I need to get these yabbies.
"Don't let me get stuck with this rabbit."
Who's gonna start me off? 20 minutes?
20 minute. Rhiannon? 20 minutes.
Cath? 25.
Rhi is so competitive.
She's not gonna let me have the yabbies easily.
30. 30.
35. 40.
Rhiannon, 40.
She's scary competitive.
So... (LAUGHS)
Don't do it, Cath.
45.
50.
Ooh!
Cath? Nup.
I can't afford to spend more than 50 minutes on the yabbies.
Rabbit takes a lot longer to cook.
Cath. Last chance?
No, I'm gonna challenge myself and go the rabbit.
Going once. (CATH LAUGHS)
Going twice.
No? No.
Sold. 50 minutes. Yay!
Look at those. Oh, look at those beauties.
Congratulations. Thank you.
So, Cath, you've ended up with the rabbit
and you've spent zero minutes.
Well done, Cath. Not bad, not bad.
DECLAN AND RHIANNON: Well done, Cath.
What you shaking your head for? I don't know.
No, I just want to... Yeah. I don't know. We'll see, hey?
We will. Yeah.
I got the rabbit for free.
What am I gonna do with a bloody rabbit?
Have you cooked rabbit before?
Oh, I just remember it years ago,
Mum having it in the sink and it was disgusting.
(OTHERS GUFFAW) So, you know.
The yabbies look good right now, don't they?
Yeah. Oh, my God.
I'll shout the wine tonight. Thanks, love.
What have I done?
Next up, we're going to auction off some fresh produce.
RHIANNON: We have got the alliums
and we've got garlic and we've got onions and leeks in there.
We've got the greens...and then we've got the beautiful fruits.
And then we've got the root vegetables.
For the yabbies, I'm looking for the garlic and the onions.
That's me, the alliums. Give me that basket.
I think first we should auction off the...
..root veg.
Oop. Oh! (LAUGHS) There's a bit in there.
Oh, that was good acting. No, it's heavy.
You would not be able to lift... (OTHERS LAUGH)
You would not be able to do that.
OK, so what do we have in here?
We have some carrots, we have celeriac.
Beets, potatoes, radishes.
Some parsnips as well.
I'm looking at the root vegetables,
'cause I'm thinking the earthiness will go well with the rabbit.
Let's start with five minutes.
I'll go 10. 10?
Yep. (CONTESTANTS CHORTLE)
Double it again.
(LAUGHS)
I wouldn't wanna go against Declan at a house auction.
I would want him to be auctioning for my house,
'cause I reckon I'd get about 200,000 above the asking price, easy.
Can I see an improvement on 10?
15, Cath? 15.
OK, wonderful. I'll go 20.
20? Yeah.
Really? Root vegetables with your Murray cod?
(CHUCKLES)
Would anybody like to improve? 25, Cath?
Yeah, I'll go 25.
25. OK. 25 from Cath. Declan?
Yep. 30.
OK, 30 from Declan. Yeah.
You know, I'm actually a little grumpy with him,
'cause I know exactly what he's doing.
Ohh!
Cath, 35?
You have a luxury of time right now, but you don't have ingredients.
Do I see 35?
Yes, 35.
Currently with Cath at 35.
All done, all finished? Yeah.
Sold to Cath. 35 minutes.
Good job, Cath. Congratulations.
ANDY: Come on, muscles. BRENT: Here we go.
(GROANS EXAGGERATEDLY) (ANDY LAUGHS)
Here you go, Cath.
Thank you. Nice one.
Next up to the auction, it's the alliums.
Let's open the bidding at five.
I love garlic, I love onion.
I feel like I can make a really nice dish with these yabbies.
Yep. I'll go in.
(OTHERS EXCLAIM) Oh!
Can I see an advance on 10? 15 from you, Rhiannon.
15. Wonderful. 15.
I'll go 20. You'll go 20? (CHUCKLES)
Yeah. I'm enjoying this.
I'm getting a bit competitive and I want them to spend their minutes.
All kinds of complex flavours in this basket right here.
25.
The alliums, they would be good with this pork.
Give us the next one up. Yep?
Yep. 30 is with Declan. Theo?
35.
Declan's swooping in again, trying to drive prices up.
I don't wanna get in a bidding war
with someone that doesn't understand auctions,
so he can have 'em.
OK, Declan, going once.
Going twice. I'm not paying that for them.
(LAUGHS)
Sold to Declan for 30 minutes. Yeah, bring it over here.
Well done. Here you go, mate.
Thank you.
Next item up for auction is leafy greens.
I don't know what I'm gonna do here.
I don't really want greens, but I don't want fruit.
I'll go five. Five, Rhiannon, wonderful.
Yeah, I'll go 10. No? 10. 10 from Theo.
I'll go 15. Yeah.
15. Alright.
Going once. Going twice.
Sold to Rhiannon.
Yeah, good job. Nice one.
So I've got the yabbies, I've got the basket of greens
and I've got 55 minutes to cook with.
That means, Theo, you have ended up with the orchard fruit for free.
Lemons, apples, grapes. Beautiful.
Oh, lemons. I didn't see them. Right.
So I've still got 80 minutes on the clock.
Happy with that.
And I get my little orchard fruits.
I've got that beautiful Berkshire pork.
I have some lemon,
so that citrus that I need,
and I think, yeah...
I think a dish is coming together in my head.
ANDY: Righto.
Last but definitely not least, the pantry items.
So it's time for the pantry extras.
Ooh, this is a tough one.
Flavour.
So I can see there, there's lots of condiments.
And then you got the dried spices.
The fresh herbs or the wine and vinegars.
I'm down to 85 minutes.
I really wanted more time,
especially now just trying to frantically think about
what I'm gonna cook with the rabbit.
So where are we gonna kick things off?
I reckon a bit of herbage.
Some fresh herbs.
There is literally everything.
Tarragon, basil. There's some lemon verbena down there.
It is all happening. Yeah, five.
Yeah, five. Nice work.
I think fresh herbs could work well with my pork
and my orchard fruits.
Can I get 10 from anyone?
Theo's going with five. Yeah, I'll give you 10.
You got 10? I got 10 with Declan. Yeah.
Look, I don't want these fresh herbs,
but I'll chuck in a cheeky bet anyway.
15. I'm looking for 15.
Come on, Theo. 15? Yeah, 15. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So the only dish I can think of is Mum's fricassee rabbit dish
and I need those fresh herbs to make a white sauce.
I have to go for it. I'll go 20.
20! (OTHERS CHEER)
Cath is in the game.
Tarragon and rabbit.
Stop it. You can build a whole dish round that.
Can someone give me 25 minutes? It's currently with Cath.
Going once with Cath. Going twice with Cath.
Third and final... 25.
(OTHERS CHEER) (LAUGHS) Oh! Yes!
I've got a new career.
Theo jumps back with 25 minutes.
My time is dwindling.
And I need time to cook the bloody rabbit.
Do I go 30?
(SIGHS) What do I do?
can someone give me 25 minutes?
It's currently with Cath. 25.
(OTHERS CHEER) (LAUGHS) Oh! Yes!
So the only dish I can think of is Mum's fricassee rabbit.
And I need those fresh herbs to make a white sauce.
(SIGHS) What do I do?
Cath, you got a halfer in ya?
You don't want these, Cath, do ya?
Alright. Half an hour with Cath.
I have to have these fresh herbs.
It is a priority. Why do that to me?
All out? Yeah, I think I'm all out.
Final call? No more bets. No more bets.
That's all I'm going at. I can't lose any more time.
Sold to Cath!
Well done, Cath! Yeah, Cath!
Good job, Cath. Nice.
Half an hour. Oh, you still got plenty of time left.
I'm down to 55 minutes for my cook.
You know, I don't have as much time as what I wanted.
But I'm just gonna go with it today.
It's gonna be an interesting cook.
Righto. Next up with the pantry items.
Let's go the vinegar and wines.
Ooh! DECLAN: Oh!
I know the condiments are gonna be sought after.
They're gonna be expensive
and I actually don't have that time to spend.
Nice bit of acid, nice bit of flavour.
Sweetness, sourness.
So I've gotta go for these wines and vinegars.
Five minutes. Someone's gotta give me five.
Rhiannon's got five. Five minutes for the wine and vinegar.
Now I'm sitting on 55 and I really don't wanna go below 30.
I'm prepared to bid a bit.
Declan? Give me 10? Don't do it, Dec.
I don't want to. Mate, you'd need that for fish.
Surely. I know, I'd love it.
I've got my Murray cod. I've got my alliums.
All I'm missing is some acidity.
You need acid, I'm telling you that now.
Yeah, I know. Give us 10. Yeah. 10. I got 10.
Rhiannon? I'm giving you 15.
Yes, you're giving me 15. Come on. Oh. Oh.
20, Declan?
Oh, alright, I'll give you 20!
Yes! Yes. (LAUGHS)
Rhiannon, 25?
Wait, what does that put me down to?
That would put you down to 30 minutes.
Oh, shivers.
Bugger it. Give 'em to me.
Yes! 25. MELISSA: Whoo!
30 minutes with yabbies and greens.
They take no time to cook.
Now we're talking. Come on, Deccers. What have you got?
No, I can't do it in 30... No!
20 minutes, mate. 20-minute dish. Don't be crazy.
Righto, Rhiannon, 25 on the wines and vinegars,
they're all yours.
Yay! Yeah, good job. Bloody hell.
So this is the final item up for auction
because the last one's obviously for free.
We're gonna go the preserves and jams and goodies.
Oh, this would be good for both of you.
There's only two people left in the auction - Theo and Declan.
Can I get five minis?
I'll start it off. Righto, five minutes with Declan.
You got 10? Yeah, 10.
10? 15? Yeah.
I really want these condiments.
There's flavour built in, so I'm going hard on these.
20? Yep.
25? Yep.
30? Yep.
35? (CONTESTANTS LAUGH)
If you went 35, you'd have 15 minutes to cook.
Yeah, I'll go 35.
Oh, yeah! (LAUGHS)
Surely you gotta give him 40. THEO: Oh, Theo, you've got time.
Peer pressure, hey?
35! What's he doing to me, this kid?
(SIGHS) Can I do 40?
Can I lose that amount of time in this cook?
35 minutes with Declan, mate. Going once.
40 minutes. Come on. Let's go.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
40 minutes with Theo.
Righto. You're out? Officially out?
Yeah, I'm out with 50 minutes. Going once, going twice.
Going three times. Sold!
RHIANNON: Yeah, well done, Theo. JOCK: Well done, Theo.
Alright, that leaves me 40 to cook,
but I've got so much flavour in these jars.
I think I'm golden here.
Declan. Yep. Bring it over.
You got your little basket of spices for free.
Beautiful.
RHIANNON: Well done, buddy. Thanks, guys.
I score the dried spices for free.
But I'm gonna be lacking acidity.
Alright, Cath, you've got the most amount of time. 55 minutes.
Yeah. Good luck.
Thank you. Your time starts now.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER) I'll give you a hand, Cath.
What do you need?
THEO: Go, Cath!
CATH: There's only two spots left in this Immunity Challenge.
I want one of those spots.
Thanks, Andy. I'm coming.
That is just gonna take me closer to my next goal,
which is that final week.
But to win that spot, I need to just make a really tasty dish.
Alright, Cath. Alright, thanks, Andy.
You're on. Thank you.
So the rabbit. Yes.
Are you happy?
Oh, I'm scared.
But you know what? I'm gonna challenge myself.
I just have a really distant memory of fricassee rabbit.
OK.
I think it was like a creamy sort of sauce
that my mum used to make.
And the root veg, I'm gonna do a puree.
And the herbs, I'm gonna use some, like, to make a stock
and then some in the finish sauce.
Right. Yeah.
I would probably break down your rabbit first.
'Cause then you kind of get it...
You kind of get an idea of how you're gonna tackle that.
It's such a distant memory.
It would be, honestly, probably 45 years ago.
So I'm gonna just try and think back to that
and try and re-create something from that memory.
It's gonna be a challenge.
Cath, you got 52 minutes left. OK. Thanks, buddy.
Vinegar.
Red wine vinegar.
I do have the least cook time
and it definitely adds pressure
because I am gonna have no time to fluff around today.
DECLAN: Crazy how you went from 120 to 30 just to end up with that.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah, I know. No, like, in all honesty...
But I have got more time to think
about what I'm going to cook.
I've just gotta come up with a dish now. (CHUCKLES)
I've got the Murray cod, I've got the alliums
and I've got the dried herbs.
I've got 50 minutes left on the clock.
My plan of attack is to hero this beautiful Murray cod.
We are here on the edge of the beautiful Murray River.
I feel very special.
50 minutes you got. 50 minutes.
Not long. Yeah?
Yeah. Alright. Come on, mate. Chop chop.
You need all the time you can get to find that acidity.
Yep. (CHORTLES)
I just need to execute every element perfectly
so I win this challenge today.
What are you thinking, mate?
Um, so I'm thinking poached Murray cod in a master stock.
Yeah. Beautiful.
And then also do, like, an onion jam. Ooh.
Some charred leek on the hibachi.
Yep. Get that bitterness.
And then, um, try and draw some acidity out there.
From the leeks?
Ah, from the green part of the leeks and the scallions.
You reckon they're gonna be acidic?
Hmm. I would, uh...
I would...I would be looking for acidity somewhere else.
OK, yep.
You're definitely gonna need some kind of acidity for sure.
Yeah. Yep.
We're looking for the top dish. Alright.
You gotta bring us something that stands out from the crowd.
Yeah, OK. Thank you. Yep. Alright. Good luck.
I really wanna take my time with this Murray cod,
and definitely inspired by Josh Niland.
Beautiful big belly.
I don't just want to sort of use a top loin
or a normal cut of this fish.
I'm gonna be going for a cutlet, leaving that backbone in it.
I've really gotta pull out the big guns and pull this one off today.
I like this.
But I know my biggest struggle with this cook
is gonna be trying to find that acidic element.
I don't have a lemon, I don't have a lime.
Nothing obvious is standing out here.
Come on, come on, Cath.
It's gonna be difficult re-creating Mum's dish,
because, number one, I really can't remember it.
(WHISPERS) Just relax, Cath.
And number two, I'm not familiar with breaking down a rabbit.
OK, how do I get that bone off there?
So I really have to rely on my intuition today.
I take the legs off and then I break down the carcass.
That's amazing.
It reminds me of a chicken,
so I'm gonna use some of it to start my stock.
Now gonna get onto trying to do, like, a creamy sauce.
I need to get the bones on
and some carrot and some whatever I can
to try and get flavour into a sauce.
(WHISPERS) Come on, sweetie. You're alright. You can do that.
ANDY: Hey, Brent, you saw that whole thing play out.
Which group of ingredients? Who would you go for?
Oh, I'd be screaming for the condiments.
The, um...the relishes and jams.
I reckon they're already pre-made flavour.
Like, there's 30 minutes.
You'd go 40 minutes and what Theo's got in front of him.
Yeah, pretty much. I wouldn't have liked the fruits.
I would've... Bad choice there, but that's his fault.
I'm coming for you, Brenty boy.
(LAUGHS)
Alright.
Let's do this. Let's do it.
Alright.
What are you going to do with your basket of condiments,
your orchard fruits and this beautiful piece of pork?
Well, I am thinking... And 40 minutes?
Yeah, and 40 minutes. That's the key, isn't it?
So I'm gonna be portioning this into chops,
brine it in some of the olive juice.
Yep.
Um, then I'm gonna make a sauce out of these condiments.
I'm gonna baste it when I'm cooking it on the hibachi.
Gorgeous. Uh...
I think it's yours to lose today.
Alright? Ooh. OK, yep.
I'm on it. Yep. Yep?
So my pork is brining.
And now I'm opening every single jar of condiment I have and I'm tasting.
Honey.
The one thing that I overbid for, uh, is the condiments.
And I need to be smart about the way I use them.
I want to win this challenge, so I'm gonna push hard for it today.
A lot of good things here. Too many.
Theo's just started cooking. Look, pork, beautiful.
He's also got fruit. ANDY: Yeah.
And then he's also got all those spreads, relishes and jams.
All the flavour, really.
DECLAN: You alright? Yeah, good, mate.
MELISSA: Let's talk about Declan, the Murray cod.
You know, he's chosen something that he really, really wanted.
I'm very happy for him. Where's the lid?
Lid, lid, lid.
However... And what goes with that?
Acid. (LAUGHS)
And do we have any? None at all.
Nothing. We don't have the freshness here.
So that's really the mountain that he needs to climb right now.
I couldn't find a lid.
Cath, she's cooking rabbit, which she is wholly unfamiliar with.
She's drawing from a distant memory
of fricassee rabbit that her mum used to make.
I think it's a memory, but it's not like a firm love for rabbit.
Then we talk about Rhiannon. She hasn't even started yet.
Nup. 30 minutes is not a lot of time.
RHIANNON: I think 60 minutes in the MasterChef kitchen isn't enough,
let alone 30,
and I've gotta make sure this dish is restaurant quality
to be able to get a spot in that immunity.
30-minute mark, and I'm running in and I'm like,
"Come on, Rhiannon, you can do this!"
Rhiannon has arrived, which means you all have 30 minutes to go!
Let's go! Go get it! Come on, Rhiannon!
I've had time to think about what I'm going to cook,
and I've got really quite a clear idea of what I'm doing.
Hello. Hey.
What are you gonna do with these babies?
I'm gonna, like, just blanch them for one minute.
Yep. I'm gonna take the coral out.
I'm gonna use that in a mayo. OK.
And then I'm gonna do, um, hibachi the rest of the tail for a minute.
Righto.
And then I'm going to make a cavolo nero crisp.
It doesn't sound very like you. No, it's not.
Your food. How would you like to eat that?
I'd like to eat that grilled.
Grilled? Yeah.
What with? And don't say, "Crispy cavolo nero chip."
Certainly not. (LAUGHS)
Are you picking up what I'm putting down?
Cook food that you want to eat.
But I will say, you need to do it quickly...
Yep.
..because you've only got 27 minutes to go.
Yes. Gotcha. OK.
Cook something that you really wanna eat.
OK. Gotcha, Andy.
Oh, my God. I don't have time for this.
Mm.
I don't even know what I'm thinking at this point.
My brain's going a million miles an hour.
BRENT: Go, Rhi-Rhi.
So I need to pivot and I've only got bloody 30 minutes.
How am I gonna create a whole new dish?
This is madness!
25 minutes to go. I've got my charred leeks on the hibachi.
My onion jam's sauteing. I want it to be nice and sweet.
I've got the alliums and the mixed herbs in a master stock
and I've gotta get started on poaching this fish.
And I get my fish in, off heat, to cook for about 10 minutes.
The biggest challenge today will be finding the acidity for the dish.
Obviously I don't have a juicy lemon to squeeze over the top.
Hey, can I borrow a lemon?
Sorry, bro. Can't help ya.
Ha ha! Nice try, though.
So I'm going through this basket of dried herbs.
I'm trying and smelling everything and I taste the sumac.
Oh, it is sour, isn't it?
I turn the packet over and it says it's got a lemony flavour to it.
This has to be what I need to use to get that acidic element.
I had... (MUTTERS INDISTINCTLY)
I can do some butter and sumac on the saucepan
and then give this fish sort of an extra two minutes in that
and give it that sort of sour crust on it.
Alright, that's coming up to temp.
Declan has finally twigged that sumac is sour.
Yay!
Therefore it can be used in the braising liquor.
Finally. Come on, mate.
Push hard, man. Push hard. Yep.
Uh, the classic MasterChef Time Auction.
You bought it. All you gotta do is make it work.
You got 20 minutes to go.
20 minutes! Come on, gang.
Let's go, Deccy.
Come on, Theo. Rhi-Rhi.
Let's go.
Go, Theo. Keep going.
20 minutes.
CATH: Where's the salted butter?
Fricassee rabbit is a bit of a stew.
So it's braised. It has a creamy sauce.
But I'm not making a stew.
I'm making a separate sauce and cooking the rabbit separately.
I've got my stock on.
Whoo! I am...trying to think.
From what I remember, Mum makes like a roux,
so I've just put some butter and some flour.
Cooking that and I use some of the stock then to start the sauce.
Mum had mash potato with this dish.
So I'm making a celeriac puree.
My idea is to have, you know, the puree on the bottom,
some of the cooked rabbit on top with a creamy sauce.
I'm trying to be simple. Three elements, Cath.
Three. Just try and get three elements on the plate.
Go, Cath.
How's it tasting?
Yeah, it's OK. Yeah?
Yep. Nice.
Time is massive today.
Maybe there was a bit of overspending.
I have made such a mess here.
Yeah, they all seem to have, like, you know, 50 minutes, 45.
It's not even what we cook with every day.
Yeah, might have been some splurging out there
and it might be hurting in here.
RHIANNON: I have changed my mind.
And I'm definitely gonna try doing what I generally will cook myself.
I'm just doing hibachi-grilled yabbies.
And I'm going to, um, do a beautiful dressing
and then a vinaigrette on some rocket.
15 minutes in, I've started on a butter sauce.
It's a full pivot on my original dish.
I don't know if I'm gonna get this done.
All I'm thinking is, "I've gotta get something on the plate."
Yeah, so I've cut some yabbies in half
and I take some of the roe out of the head
and I'm creating this butter sauce,
with some vinegar, salt, pepper, the roe - I've got that.
I put some shells of the yabby in, just for a bit of extra flavour.
We're feeling very under the pump.
I've still got to make the dressing for the rocket salad.
Now I need to cook the yabbies on the hibachi.
Just make sure I just keep going
as fast as I can.
THEO: So my dish today is simple.
A glazed pork chop with a chilli jam.
The pork has to be cooked perfectly,
but that glaze on that pork is paramount to winning this.
I am using the condiments.
I'm thinking about the chilli jam.
I'm adding some of that pineapple jam.
I'm adding some juice from some of the...the grapes.
I'm also adding some of the preserved lemon.
So I've got my pork on the hibachi
and I'm basting it away.
The glaze is starting to caramelise as well.
That is flavour.
Come on, Theo, mate.
Thanks, Brenty. That's lovely of you.
I'm really enjoying myself in this cook.
You know, my pork looks amazing.
My crackling is coming up in the oven, it looks great.
I'm having the time of my life here.
Righto, mate. I saw you tending to your pork chop.
I was tending to my pork chop, yeah.
So do you know what the dish is?
It's just a pork chop with a bit of a tomato chilli jam.
Pork chop with tomato chilli jam? Yeah.
That's it?
Yeah.
Just a pork chop and chilli jam on the side. That's it?
Yeah.
This looks amazing but it's not a dish.
(EXHALES)
Yeah.
This looks amazing, but it's not a dish.
My mind starts to snowball.
"Oh, no! It's just a pork chop.'
10 minutes to go.
I need to think about what to do to complete this dish.
I'm looking around at the fresh produce.
A combination with pork is often apple.
And I'm thinking, you know, it does need some freshness.
I think I can bring that with a really nice side salad
with some of the figs and some of the apples.
Then I think now it's starting to come together in my head.
How long to go?
You've only got eight minutes to go.
BRENT: Come on, eight minutes. Let's go!
(JUDGES CLAP) (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(WHISPERS) OK, come on.
(LOUDLY) Come on.
My sauce, it's been cooking down.
And I need to just make sure that I get it balanced.
It's very, very different to Mum's fricassee,
or from what I remember what a fricassee is.
And now it's time to cook the rabbit.
Calm down.
So I've got the loin and the liver, pepper and salt,
oil in the pan and I get that on.
I'm frantically trying to puree the celeriac
and I'm cooking my rabbit at the same time.
It is all happening.
We want a dish with a bit of bang for our buck.
Five minutes to go!
JOCK: Let's go, guys! ANDY: Come on!
Five minutes!
CATH: Ooh!
There's still resistance.
Where's the lemon zester?
OK.
Time is flying
and I haven't even started cooking these yabbies.
I've cooked heaps of crustaceans before.
Usually I cook bugs or lobster.
But I'm using the similar cooking concept that I would do with them.
Yabbies are cooking away. I've made a dressing for the rocket salad.
The butter sauce is going and I'm kind of like,
"Alright, I'm getting close to getting ready to plate now."
But I just need the yabbies to cook.
DECLAN: I'm happy with the cook on the Murray cod.
I get that in the saucepan with that sumac butter.
Alright, butter, flip.
I've got that beautiful sweetness from the jam.
I've got the salty, crispy shallots.
I've got the bitterness on that charred leek.
How'd you go with your acidity? Yeah, really good.
You found your sumac. Finally. Yeah.
Glad that I found that sour element. I'm really happy.
Everything's coming together.
OK.
Time flies in a MasterChef auction. You've only got two minutes to go!
ANDY: Oh, here we go! BRENT: Two minutes!
THEO: Under two minutes to go
and my pork's perfect, my salad's come together.
It's got that freshness from the apple, it's got that bitterness.
The acidity and sweet from those figs as well.
And I look at my crackling and it's perfect.
I'm just hoping it's a complete dish.
60 seconds! MELISSA: Whoo!
CATH: The cook on the rabbit looks good.
The celeriac puree is, um, a nice consistency.
It's a delicate dish with just a few pieces of the rabbit and the liver.
I'm quite happy with what I've got on the plate.
But it's just the fricassee sauce.
Oh, come on!
It's, um, not perfect...
..but I'm running out of time.
OK.
RHIANNON: Oh, my God. I'm just trying to get a dish on the plate.
(TIMER BEEPS)
I'm not feeling great about this dish at all.
Like, I'm literally serving the judges a dog's breakfast,
I'm telling ya.
JOCK: Sorry to do this to you.
JUDGES AND BRENT: 10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
That's it!
(JUDGES CLAP)
Good job, mate. There we go.
Yeah, mate. That was quick.
The classic MasterChef Time Auction strikes again.
You get caught up in the fun and games.
But then you realise you have not enough time
and all of these ingredients
and you need to consolidate them into a decent dish.
Looking forward to seeing what they do.
Shall we get the first dish in?
What a ride. 40 minutes never went so quick.
Hello, Theo.
He's got that trademark cheeky grin on.
My plate looks so good, though. I'm really happy with my plating up.
Hopefully the judges think it's a complete dish.
these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes on 10 play.
Theo, what did you cook us, mate?
I cooked you a glazed pork chop with a fig and apple salad.
OK, so you had the pork. Yes.
You had orchard fruits.
You had a beautiful basket of assorted condiments.
Yep. And 40 minutes.
Do you think this could be a winning dish?
Yeah, for sure.
I love pork and I love it cooked this way.
And I think the freshness of the salad
will complete the dish like I want it to
and, um, I think...
(CHUCKLES) I think I would really love to eat this, so yeah.
Thank you very much. Thanks so much. (LAUGHS)
Thanks, guys. Thanks, Theo.
Alright. Good to go?
Good to go.
ANDY: Thank you. Thank you.
I think the pork is definitely the star of the show.
It has that beautiful smoky quality about it.
It's such great-quality pork,
so really letting it do its thing was gorgeous.
And the caramelisation
of that alchemic concoction of condiments basted over the top,
really, he chose the right ones
because they don't override the flavour of the pork,
which I think is really important.
The salad, you know, it's vibrant, it was nicely presented.
I think he did really well today.
He's treated the pork really, really well.
Brining it, then creating a glaze
out of some of the tomato and chilli jam.
And not only that but taking the skin off
and roasting it in the oven is topnotch.
He paid so much time for that pork chop
but it was well worth it in the end.
To me, it's a standout. Mm.
Cath. Cath!
Hello.
Cath, what have you made for us today?
Today, I've made a fricassee rabbit.
How do you think you went?
Oh, I had to spend my time
on getting the root vegetables and the herbs,
so I didn't have as much time as what I first thought,
so it was...it was quite tricky actually.
OK, well, we better hop to it. OK.
Alright, thanks, guys. Thanks.
What do you think of the cook on the...
Yeah, the cook in the rabbit looks nice.
First of all, I think it was a really good concept.
JOCK: Mm.
Fricassee is like somewhere in between a stew and a sauce.
It's rustic. It's kind of like peasant food, I suppose.
So I think she definitely got the idea right,
especially with the connection
of her mum cooking it when she was younger.
The rabbit loin was cooked really beautifully.
I really enjoyed that.
The loin and the liver combo was so smart to do.
It's just a shame that she overcooked the liver.
The parsnip puree was OK.
And then the sauce.
She just hasn't got the balance right, unfortunately.
It could have been so good. So good.
Had she had a little more time,
I think she might have been able
to produce a really delicious plate of food.
The loin, beautifully cooked.
I thought the parsnip had nice flavour.
And then you have the sauce.
Not her finest work.
I love to see that she's actually thought through this challenge
and come up with an idea that could have been absolutely delicious.
Here she comes.
Rhiannon. (CHUCKLES)
Hey, guys.
How you going?
Very well. How are you going? (SIGHS)
I've had better days.
What a sigh. Oh, OK.
Rhiannon, before you tell us what the dish is,
what did you start with?
I started with yabbies,
a basket of greens
and a basket of vinegars and wines and all that sort of stuff.
And you turned that into...
Yabbies with butter sauce and a vinaigrette with some rocket.
I got a feeling you're not overly stoked.
No. I'm, like, really not happy at all.
It's pretty hard, the old Time Auction, isn't it?
Mate, I was like, "30 minutes, yabbies, I'm sweet as."
And then it was like, "Oh, no, I'm not." (LAUGHS)
(LAUGHS)
It was like, "You are not sweet at all."
We'll taste. We'll let you know. OK, thanks, guys.
ANDY AND MELISSA: Thank you. See ya.
They don't look cooked to me
but, um, let's stick one on our plate and have a little look.
Yeah, that's...
Yeah.
This is just a case of the Time Auction getting the better of her.
30 minutes to cook her dish in...
And a limited pantry.
No options. Yeah.
It's, um... It definitely wasn't gonna be easy for Rhiannon.
I'm devastated for her, because unfortunately this is raw.
Rhiannon can cook yabbies on a hibachi, do you know what I mean?
But this Time Auction,
this classic MasterChef challenge, has got the better of her today.
Declan. Declan.
DECLAN: Hello.
Today, I've taken a bit of a risk using the sumac.
I think that adds much-needed acidity into the dish.
I hope the judges love it.
Declan, what have you made us, mate?
So I've done poached Murray cod cutlet
with an onion jam, some charred leeks,
crispy shallots,
and a broth to go over the top.
I knew the acidity was gonna lack.
I knew I was missing out on that
and didn't get the best basket with those onions and leeks and whatnot.
But I tried making use of what I had, so...
Mate, I like the way you're thinking.
You're thinking about it like a chef.
And the further you go in this competition,
the more I see that.
Thank you.
Alright, mate. We're gonna taste it. Yeah. Enjoy. Thank you, guys.
Thanks, Declan. Thank you.
How's the cook?
Look at that. Wow.
That looks so nice. Gorgeous.
Looks beautiful.
Glossy.
Gorgeous. Beautiful.
That is a beautiful-looking piece of fish.
Mental.
It is absolutely perfect.
It is glossy, glistening, just cooked, perfection.
It is so delicious.
I mean, honestly, how good is he at cooking fish?
That's amazing.
But the crispy onions, the bit that I had was burnt.
Um, so it just tastes like sort of acrid-y burnt onion.
It's not a great flavour.
But I gotta say, the fish, unbelievable.
Yeah.
Every single time he has cooked fish in the last little while,
it has been at the height of perfection.
I don't think you could get it any better than that.
The leek, you know, it's so lovely when you get that charred edge on it
and then the actual white part of the leek is soft and sweet
and it really brings a whole other dimension to the dish.
There's cooking fish nice and then there's cooking fish like that.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like... Epic.
In any restaurant, anywhere in the world,
that's what you want to send fish off the pass looking like.
It was unbelievable.
Gold standard. Yeah, stoked for him with the fish.
I just wish the fish had friends.
(MELISSA AND JOCK LAUGH) Better friends.
On the line today is a chance to join Brent on Thursday
in the final Immunity Challenge.
That means getting your shot at being the first contestant
through to the all-important Finals Week.
Only the best dish today will get that chance.
There were two dishes in the running for dish of the day.
Declan, Theo.
Both of your proteins were carefully cooked.
Theo, pork treated beautifully on the hibachi.
Declan...that was restaurant-perfect fish.
And cooked on the bone too.
Thank you.
But...
..Declan, unfortunately,
the burnt onions undid all that hard work on the fish.
Argh, dammit.
Which means, Theo, congratulations. You're the winner.
CATH: Yeah!
BRENT: Whoo!
Well done, buddy. Yes!
Go over there. RHIANNON: Well done!
Theo, congratulations.
Come Thursday, you'll be cooking for your spot in Finals Week.
Yeah!
Declan, Cath, Rhiannon,
there's only one spot left in Thursday's Immunity Challenge.
We can't wait to see you all
at a super-surprise Murray region location tomorrow.
Lovely. So we'll see you there.
(CHUCKLES) 'Bye.
(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM) JOCK: Well done.
Well done, buddy.
How good's that feel, hey? THEO: Yeah, that feels good.
NARRATOR: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia...
THEO: What the hell?
..our travelling cooks are at the pointy end of the competition...
Rarr!
..in every possible way.
Surprise! CONTESTANTS: Ohh!
It's not just the cacti...
Flies! Get outta here!
..keeping them on their toes.
BRENT: Hopefully all those needles
aren't in the dish.
Oh, no! Sugar.
I'll be a wounded little soldier
if I don't get the win today.
Captions by Red Bee Media