in the studio
in the studio at
in the studio at 6
in the studio at 6 pm
in the studio at 6 pm tomorrow.
ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
Hey, babe. What do you want for breakfast?
Oh, my God!
No. You're joking. Andy Cooks!
Family Favourites Week kicked off with the breakfast bang
from TikTok's Food Creator of the Year.
And that is three ways to cook amazing eggs.
(CHEERING)
Then...
..the challenges of family-style cooking came thick and fast.
This is no easy task. You're doing a feast.
They produced dishes to delight
even the most discerning in-laws
and MasterChef judges.
Whoa! Hooley dooley!
SOFIA: That is a delicious family feast.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: It is unbelievable!
POH: I will remember this
and crave it for the rest of my life.
Face-stuffingly sensational!
However, we had to say farewell to Belinda and Bella.
Poh made me promise that this is only the beginning
and I'm going to find a way to stick to that promise.
Tonight, we're about to enter
the whimsical world of viral wonders.
Let's go, guys.
(CHEERING)
Good morning!
(ALL EXCLAIM)
Find a bench, guys, pick your favourite colour.
I'm going to go with, uh, yellow.
How cool!
I love a mystery box.
And these mystery boxes, there's a glow factor.
We've got some lights.
We've got a kind of '80s style to them.
This is going to be a fun day. You can just tell.
Hey, everyone. Hello!
How incredible do our mystery boxes look?
Yeah. So pretty.
We'll get to those in a minute.
Now...
..I'm sure many of you love scrolling on social media.
I constantly find myself watching reels
of delicious dishes.
It's how we discover the new superstars of food.
Which is why I'm stoked that this week
is a week of viral wonders.
Whoo-hoo!
(APPLAUSE)
Viral Wonders Week. Wow. I mean, I am always on social media
and I love creating content,
so this seems like the week for me.
I love a mad scroll!
I usually fall asleep like this.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDY: I can confirm that happens
because I get the weirdest reels sent to me by Poh
at the most ungodly hour. 1:00AM?
I wake up and I'm like, "What is going on here?"
Lucy, you make content.
LUCY: Yeah, I love sharing, you know, recipes to inspire people.
And just connecting with other foodies as well is awesome.
Has anything gone, like, a little bit bonkers?
Uh, there was one video.
It was me just making, like, a sourdough bread
that you make when camping
and it got like two million views.
Oh, my goodness! Oh!
As you can see, these are not your standard mystery boxes
because the person who set them isn't your standard guest.
(THEY GASP)
She is an expert pastry chef
and with over two million followers on socials...
Whoa!
..her viral desserts have gone gangbusters.
One of her videos alone has been viewed
over 34 million times!
Wow!
At just 19 years old, she won Zumbo's Just Desserts.
Now she has a dessert bar in LA.
Please give it up...
..for Catherine Zhang!
(CHEERING)
GRACE: It's so exciting having Catherine Zhang here.
I've seen her videos online.
She does some crazy stuff.
And she's this amazing young girl who has achieved so much.
Like, that is so inspiring.
Catherine, welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
Catherine, what do you think is key
for making something go viral?
There definitely needs to be, like, a selling point.
Like, when you're scrolling, you've got to, like, stop.
Right. So, like, when it's food,
it's, like, texture or, like, flavour combinations.
The old reveal tends to get a few...
Yeah, the "oohs" is good, you know?
ASMR. Yes!
Well, I bet you want to know what Catherine has
under those mystery boxes.
CONTESTANTS: Yes!
Catherine, would you like to do the honours?
Yes, of course.
You can all lift your lids...
..now!
Oh. Oh!
Is that a peach?
That's insane.
It's a cake. Oh, you got mango too!
Oh-ho-ho. Lemon.
This is absolutely crazy. I'm looking at it.
It's really elaborate desserts that look amazing.
And everyone's got something different.
Mango. Strawberry.
Do we have to make that?
CATHERINE: So these are my viral fruit desserts.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow, what a display.
Well, everyone, go for it. Oh!
Really?
Do it.
Oh, my goodness. Just straight in?
CATHERINE: This is our Berry Cubed.
JACK: It's so beautiful and flavoursome.
Textures are all different.
They're working together. It is unbelievable.
Catherine Zhang is so talented.
The lemon is a yuzu cheesecake.
Inside, we've got a passionfruit filling that oozes.
EMILY: Oh, my God. We're not making this, are we?
It's so delicious.
And I'm like, "Oh, my God,
"do I have to make this?"
This one's our Just Peachy.
Oh, my God. ANDY: I'm a sucker for a mango.
This one's the My Mango...
SOFIA: Cheesecake!
Oh, very good.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: This is unbelievable.
This one is our Devil Fruit.
Then all of them have, like, a really
crunchy white chocolate shell on the outside.
Oh, that's a pistachio. Yeah!
Like it's an insert.
It's like an insert into it.
How that hazelnut is in that, oh, my God!
Ooh la-la-la-la-la-la!
How delicious was that?
Unbelievable! (APPLAUSE)
I'm all excited. I'm going to be on TikTok now.
(LAUGHTER) Yeah.
Uh, got some good news, gang.
You do not need to replicate these incredible desserts.
Breathe out, everybody.
Ohhhh!
But, like Catherine,
we want you to create a dessert that celebrates fruit.
You have 75 minutes
and full access to the pantry and the garden.
Thank God.
This is my jam.
Like, I love hero-ing fruit.
And I just had this beautiful lemon.
So I feel like that's what I'm gonna be doing today.
The more eye-catching, the better,
because we're only going to taste
the ten most appealing dishes.
And off the back of that,
the top dish will be safe from tomorrow's elimination.
Catherine, do you want to kick 'em off?
Of course. Alright, your time starts now.
This brings back, like, trauma. (LIGHT LAUGHTER)
Oop! Orange.
Yeah! Ooh!
Apricots.
Cypriots love eating apricots,
so I've kind of grown up with them.
We put it into everything.
Cream, butter, apricots, flaked almonds.
We make apricot jams, apricot cakes.
We pair it with haloumi on toast,
which is actually amazing.
Cinnamon.
So it's a no-brainer that today I've got to use apricots.
Alright.
SOFIA: Go, Petro!
PETRO: And I'm thinking, well, it is Viral Week.
So I need to do something really, really special.
I'm making a clafoutis, which is a traditional French dessert.
I will say I'm a little scared for Poh and Jean-Christophe
because they both know their clafoutis
like the back of their hands.
Clafoutis is a French classic.
It kind of is in between, like, a custard and a pancake.
You should get a really nice puff,
and the apricots should kind of turn
a little bit jammy and sweet.
But first thing I do is
I need to make a buffalo ricotta and cinnamon ice-cream.
It's quite a smooth flavour profile.
So I think that my ice-cream is going to round out this dish.
I'm gonna make like a crostoli dough cracker
and strawberry and tomato ice-cream,
and then I'm gonna serve it as,
like, kind of like an ice-cream sandwich type of vibe.
In theory, I know how to make ice-cream,
but in practice, it's a bit different, I think.
I'm going to do a chocolate and orange tart,
whipped creme fraiche,
some strawberries on top with some vino cotto
and then like a rosemary orange salt on top.
Oh, I would love to not cook in another elimination.
The one the other day, I was pretty rattled.
So, yeah, it would mean heaps.
The fruit that I'm really going with today is lemon.
I'm going to do a lemon ice-cream
with a preserved lemon cruller.
A cruller is sort of like a choux-based doughnut,
like a French doughnut with a preserved lemon glaze.
I think that's going to be quite punchy.
You know, I have a big sweet tooth,
so I feel good about that.
Obviously, though, the standards have been set really high.
So, you know, we'll see how we go.
ANDY: Well, Catherine, what are we hoping to see?
I mean, I want to see something different.
Fruit, for me, is like the best ingredient
because it's so versatile, but so simple.
You can, like, do anything with it.
And I'm just really excited to see
what kind of combinations they bring.
I'm gonna say right now, I want something to go viral.
Seriously, that's what we're here for.
Like, you've done it before. This is Viral Wonders Week.
Like, let's go. SOFIA: Surely one in 20!
Exactly.
Oh, my God. I've never sweat so much in here before.
I know, it's so hot. It's really full-on.
I am gonna make a lemon and biscotti dessert.
So I'm really gonna try and use the whole lemon.
Ow! So I'm gonna do a lemon leaf ice-cream.
I'm gonna do a lemon granita with the juice.
And then with the rind,
I'm going to make a fennel seed and sesame biscotti.
I feel like I've got a bit of a leg-up being Gen Z.
So, yeah, I'm super excited.
I really want to get my dish tasted today,
so I'm just so keen to do something that stands out.
And I feel like this challenge is really in my wheelhouse.
In terms of, like, being across what's viral,
I really think that lemon leaves are so beautiful to cook with.
It's not a super common taste, but I love it.
The lemon leaf is quite a perfumed,
creamy-almost flavour.
It sort of tastes the way a lemon smells.
Just wait, wait, wait, wait.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
So I just hope that the judges can see
where I'm coming from with the lemon leaf ice-cream.
I am panicking. Because I'm not really a dessert person.
And then I had a...
You know, like in Chinese families,
the oven, that's a dishwashing rack.
You know, like, we, we don't...
That's a storage area.
Uh... One egg down.
What ya makin' there?
I'm trying to make a shortcrust.
But I really want to be safe from tomorrow's elimination.
So I'm just like, "OK, you know what? YOLO!"
Hi, guys. How are we?
So I am trying to do kind of like a dome-shaped shortcrust.
OK. And temper a bit of chocolate
to make the outside look like a coconut.
And then I am making a coconut...
Whoa!
..Chantilly and then a mango puree to put on top.
Ooh. Are you going for a trompe l'oeil, like,
which is trying to make it look realistic?
Yeah, like a kid version.
So Kindy version. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you're gonna attempt to temper chocolate.
'Attempt'. I like that word.
Can I just say this sounds like quite
an ambitious cook for someone who doesn't make dessert?
So you need a plan B just in case.
OK? OK. Yeah.
Chocolate's quite an overpowering flavour as well.
Be careful to keep the balance right.
I will listen to the boss. Boss ladies.
Really good advice. Good luck.
Alright. Thank you so much.
I forgot my rolling pin.
I don't have a plan B.
# What you got to do?... #
My stubborn self is saying I've got to commit to this.
I need to get the shortcrust on as quickly as possible. Ugh!
I want the coconut shortcrust
to look like a coconut shell cut in half.
So I need to get this right or it's gonna look really ugly.
Let's try to get tasted today.
Make it peachy! You've only got one hour to go.
So hot!
PAT: One of my favourite things to eat
is like a nice big bowl of ice-cream and jelly.
So I'm trying to make that kind of humble dessert.
But I want to elevate it to MasterChef level
and create a viral dish that the judges go,
"I need to taste that."
Hi, Pat. G'day. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Which fruit of Catherine's did you get today?
I got the blackberry and blackcurrant.
OK. Devil's Fruit.
Devil's Fruit. It's amazing. I see some purple berries here.
Yes, it definitely inspired me today.
And utilising the blackberries as well as a lot of other fruit.
A lot of other fruit? Yeah.
Like what?
So I'm doing a blackberry, lemongrass and ginger jelly,
a apricot passionfruit and mango jam
and a fish sauce honey caramel...
Fish sauce?! Whoa!
And a crumble and a pandan ice-cream.
Pat. That's a lot going on. It is a lot.
So I'm a little bit worried
you've got so much going on
that some flavours are murkying others.
Yeah.
Like, the one thing that I noticed
when I bit into Catherine's little entremets
that I really love is that it's quite uncomplicated
and the delineation of flavour is quite clear.
Yes.
So, taste as you go and make sure it really does work.
Alright. Thank you. Bye.
It's a lot of flavours. Yeah.
Berries, apricot, lemongrass, pandan.
It's a bit all over the place. Yeah. I'm stressed.
OK.
OK. Butter.
Poh's concerns are definitely warranted.
Like, there's a lot going on with my dish,
a lot of different flavours and everything,
but I'll taste as I go.
And if I think something's not really working,
I'll take it off before I plate it.
I have done these types of dishes before.
Maybe not with all these elements
and I enjoy the flavour combination.
So I've got a pandan ice-cream, a blackberry,
lemongrass and ginger jelly,
fish sauce and honey caramel,
a macadamia and coconut feuilletine crumble,
and then also a apricot, mango and passionfruit jam.
So I want to get everything on the plate today,
but I definitely take the feedback on board.
If it doesn't balance together with all these huge flavours,
it could be a bit of a mess on a plate.
Nothing's gone wrong yet, but caramel is always tricky.
So, yeah, I just need to go grab one more ingredient
and then we'll be on the roll.
So, today, I'm making a choux bun filled with strawberry
and then some matcha cream in there as well.
So for my dessert today,
I'm taking some inspiration from the Japanese fruit sandos,
basically just like a Japanese fruit and cream sandwich.
Kind of simple, but they really champion the fruit.
Oh, my God, my hands are so shaky!
And the big appeal of the fruit sando is the cross-section.
So I'm going to go for my main fruit as strawberry.
Putting a whole piece of fruit inside
is not typically
what you would use choux pastry for...
..but I think it'll have a wow factor.
I won the first solo immunity of the season,
so hopefully I can keep that streak going.
30, 25.
My maths isn't mathing.
I've decided to run with the cherry today
because they have a special place in my heart,
so hopefully I can show the judges what I'm all about.
Hi, Dot! Hey, Dot!
Hi. What's cookin', good-lookin'?
Well, cherries are in my blood.
My papa was big in the cherry industry in New Zealand,
and, um, I actually was the New Zealand National Champ
for the cherry spitting competition.
Sorry. The what?
The National Women's Champion
in cherry spitting competition.
What? Is that distance?
Yes, it's distance.
So I spat at 8.2m.
You do it between your lips or your teeth like that?
So you have to eat it. And then you have to, like...
So we've got the Cherry Pit Spitting Champion.
So what else are you going to serve with it?
So I'm doing a cake with almonds, cherries.
And then I'm gonna do like a cherry
kind of compote-y situation.
Really make sure I'm getting that fruit.
And then I'm going to cover the whole thing
in a marshmallow and then torch it.
OK.
But sounds good. OK.
So, remember, make those cherries shine.
Yes. They're going to go the distance.
Oh!
That was very good.
If I could give bonus points, I would.
Good luck.
So, yeah. Cherry spitting.
It's very serious.
Um, there's measuring tapes involved.
It's kind of like shot put.
And I'm actually a national champion.
I think it was the proudest moment of my life, I won't lie.
It was great.
I'm trying to be clean today.
So, yeah, at the moment,
my almond and cherry cake is in the oven.
And I'm feeling good about the cherry compote.
Cherries haven't done me wrong before,
so, hopefully, today, they pull me through.
Stay very focused.
You have 45 minutes to go.
SOFIA: Come on, team.
It is so hot. I'm dying, man.
I'll get the ice bath. You don't need an ice bath.
It's so hot.
I'm doing a honey and thyme panna cotta
with a blood orange and Campari granita
with some makrut lime leaf oil and some Sunrise limes.
So just like some native fruit that I'm gonna candy.
So it's good for a hot day.
Hopefully it's enough to be tasted.
I feel like fruit desserts are my wheelhouse.
Alright.
I'm doing a blood orange and Campari granita.
I think it's gonna add a lot of depth.
It's going to be punchy.
So I am feeling pretty confident
with my flavour combinations.
Oh, it's so hot now. But it's a really hot day.
So I'm concerned about the honey and thyme panna cotta
setting in time
because a lot of people are using the blast chillers today.
How are you going, Jack?
Yeah, I'm kind of like waiting for the panna cottas to set.
I'm a bit worried, though,
because people keep opening the blast chiller.
Obviously they need to. Yeah.
But I reckon they might not get done in time. We'll see.
So I'm praying to the gods that it's perfect,
and it should have a beautiful wobble
when it comes out of the mould.
GRACE: Behind you.
Grace. Hi.
What are you racing around for? You're running.
I'm racing around for some ice-cream scoops.
Because I was inspired by your beautiful lemon.
Thank you. So I'm gonna serve
the lemon leaf ice-cream... Ooh!
..and then a lemon granita.
And in the biscotti, I've got lemon zest.
I love the idea of lemon leaf. I'm obsessed with it.
I keep cooking with it and I'm like, "Why don't we use them?
"They're so fragrant."
When you walk up to a lemon tree, it smells
like this beautiful... Divine!
I love this celebration of lemon.
Yeah.
I like how you've got all the different elements,
the zest, the leaf, everything. I think it's a great idea.
Yeah, don't over complicate things.
Thanks, girls. Thank you.
I'm excited by that.
Catherine and Poh are really excited about my ice-cream.
That's a huge boost of confidence.
And I'm actually starting to think
maybe I will get chosen.
So I'm really just tunnel visioning.
Come on.
Oh, we're pushing it. I'm a little bit worried.
So I have got my ice-cream in the churner.
I've got just over 30 minutes to go.
I'm getting on to my clafoutis batter...
..and I need to get that in the oven ASAP.
I am rushing.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You seem a bit stressed, mate.
I am a little bit stressed to serve you my dish
because you're going to be the expert on this one.
I made a clafoutis. My favourite!
Is it? Yeah, my mum's favourite too.
Oh, my God. So I made an apricot clafoutis
and I'm serving it
with a cinnamon and buffalo ricotta ice-cream.
It's going to be tasty, yeah? Yeah.
Make sure your eyes, your eyes.
Like a lighthouse. Like a hawk.
Alright, like a hawk.
Thank you. I like that.
You know, I knew that Jean Christophe
would know his clafoutis,
but I didn't think it would be his favourite.
So now I'm feeling a lot of pressure
to pull this one off.
How much longer have we got?
OK, guys.
30 minutes to go!
SOFIA: Half an hour left! Come on, guys!
Oh!
I'm making a spiced maple pudding with a poached pear,
bay leaf cream and a pear caramel.
So I'm really hoping that the judges want to taste it.
Alita, so, what are you doing?
I'm doing a yuzu curd meringue tart
with a strawberry whisky and toasted rice gel.
I do want to be one of those tasters.
You can see on the table look the determination.
Oh, my gosh. You've been going for it.
You need to chuck that guy in.
You've got it cold enough so you're good.
Kanika! So I'm making a mishti doi.
OK. What's that? It's an Indian dessert.
It's like mango, yoghurt, curd, condensed milk.
Right. Crazy viral right now.
Oh! If you look through internet,
you'll see 17 million views, 18 million views...
We're going viral here! Yes, yes.
She said it! She's going viral, brother.
Maybe you shouldn't have taught her
how to use that ice-cream machine after all.
CASPER: Half an hour left.
My choux buns are in the oven.
They look like they're puffing up nicely.
And now I'm making my matcha cream
to really lean into that strawberry matcha flavour.
Hello, Casper! Hey, how are you guys going?
So tell us what you're making.
I'm doing a bit of a play on, you know, like, fruit sandos?
Japanese fruit sandos. Oh, yeah.
I'm gonna do them in a choux.
So should cut it open,
have basically a strawberry encapsulated in the choux.
OK. I mean, it's very simple
compared to some things that we've seen so far.
So I'm kind of intrigued to see
that you really bring it together.
We're only going to taste our top ten favourite dishes.
So show us that you're elevating everything
that you're doing. Good luck.
Poh and Catherine are really worried
that my dish is too simple.
So I'm thinking, how can I pivot quickly
to really make it stand out.
Are you using your oven?
Um, no. OK. Can I use it?
Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
And I've got a little bit of choux pastry left,
so I'm thinking maybe I can even add
tiny little choux buns on top filled with blackberry.
And I'm going to still keep thinking
what else might make it a bit more interesting,
because I really want to get tasted today.
Well, I am turned all fruity.
Turned fruity! Fruity!
ATTEMPTS AUSSIE ACCENT: Australia! Fruity!
REGULAR ACCENT: I'm learning, I'm learning.
(ALL LAUGH)
ANDY: What are we loving?
I am so excited by Grace's dessert.
She's doing a lemon fest. (LAUGHS)
A lemon fest? Yeah.
She's doing lemon granita with lemon leaf ice-cream.
Oh, yum! Yum!
CATHERINE: I love that idea. Also because there was
like an Italian lemon sorbet that's like viral on TikTok.
And it gives me that vibe.
I want to talk about worries.
Pat is using fish sauce, honey,
apricots, berries, lemongrass...
Pineapple or something. BOTH: Pandan.
Mango.
My eyebrows went from there and then they just kept going,
like down with every... SOFIA: With fish.
Catherine, can you, like, express yourself?
I'm not really sure what's going...
Like, he told me so many ingredients,
I forgot what he was making.
I'm getting everything done. I'm hitting my targets.
I'm gonna get all the elements ready,
and then I'm gonna have a taste
and see how the flavours are all combining.
But at this point in time, I'm really happy.
Yeah, there's definitely some big flavours
and interesting different takes with the elements I'm doing.
Like, fish sauce in the dessert,
I know it sounds crazy.
It's like hit-or-miss.
You push it too far, it tastes literally like a fishy dessert.
But if you put just the right amount in,
unless someone told you it was fish sauce,
you would just think it's this nice saltiness.
Tastes good to me.
The fish-sauce caramel's really good.
I like it quite salty and funky,
so I went pretty hard on it.
Hopefully it just doesn't overpower
all the delicious fruits.
I want to give myself a good five minutes
to plate up and make it look pretty,
but as well, make sure it's bangin'.
Are you OK? Uh, yeah.
I'm just waiting on my panna cottas.
There's been a lot of opening and closing
at the blast chillers, so I think that might affect it,
but I'm hoping that it'll be enough.
I've also got a granita freezing,
so it's a matter of just waiting
and bringing them together
kind of last five minutes
'cause I want it to be perfect for you guys.
OK, well done. Yeah.
I checked my panna cottas and they're just not set.
Sorry, Jack, I'm just getting in after you.
I'm really, really worried.
My whole dessert rides on this.
If they don't set in time, I don't have a dish.
I don't know, I think it's gonna be touch-and-go, yeah.
Is there a technique?
You've got to, like, kind of shot-put it.
(SPITS)
OK, it went... Oh, there it is. Oh, yeah, OK, OK.
OK, see if you can go further.
You have to do it with your body?
Yeah, like, throw your body. (SPITS)
Oh, my God!
Oh, no. Oh, that's...
I don't think they grow cherries in France.
Stick to cooking, mate.
Trying, trying to temper chocolate.
Don't know whether it will.
I've decided to stick with my gut instinct.
So I still don't have a plan B for this tempered chocolate.
I just need to get it perfect.
Ooh.
I am happy with my mango puree,
the coconut Chantilly and the shortcrust dome.
They look really cute and coconutty.
Uh.
But they're just so delicate and thin,
so I need to be really careful.
I really need to make sure that
the mango puree will be the star.
And chocolate is really strong in flavour.
So as I'm painting the tempered chocolate
onto the outside of my shell,
I want it really, really, really thin.
And it keeps its shine, keeps its shape,
and it has that snap effect when you're cutting it.
Time to hustle, everybody. 15 minutes to go.
It's not a good one.
Yup, coming together.
How you going, Petro? Not good. It's taking forever.
Yeah, look, uh, nothing seems to be happening in the oven.
Yeah, should be starting to cook,
and with 15 minutes to go,
I'm not liking the look of it.
I'm starting to panic.
This clafoutis is not right at all.
Nothing has happened.
I should have seen a nice puff by now,
and I haven't seen any browning on the top either,
so I'm not sure what's going on.
This is not cooking.
I'm really confused.
PETRO: This is not cooking.
It's taking forever.
Oh, what?
The oven wasn't on.
I've just realised
that I haven't set the oven correctly.
And this clafoutis has been sitting in a lukewarm oven.
I think I can still get this cooked in time,
but I've got to make sure this temp is set high.
POH: Petro. CATHERINE: What's happening?
You look a bit stressed.
Yeah, well, I've had to crank it.
I'm just praying that I can get something up,
but it's looking like a slim chance now.
I think you should think faster.
I don't know what else I can do, to be honest.
I'm praying that a miracle happens today.
I am praying that a miracle clafoutis will appear.
We're all feeling pretty fruity. Ten minutes to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Look at the colour on this. Oh! That's sick.
Yeah, that's perfect.
Colour equals? Flavour.
You know it! (LAUGHS)
I've got the lemon zest in the biscotti,
and it's got this really crispy, crunchy,
like hard-to-bite-into texture.
Oh, it's done.
I've got my lemon juice granita.
It's a really nice, like, slushy texture, which I like.
Oh, my God.
My lemon leaf ice-cream's done.
And it does taste like lemon leaf,
which is awesome.
I'm actually gonna serve my dessert in the lemon.
I'm hoping it looks like something that would sort of
be quite eye-catching on social media.
I feel like I got a bit of a leg-up being Gen Z
and being, like, spending a lot of my time on Instagram,
so I'm desperate to get tasted today.
Ooh.
I'm feeling good. I'm working on my marshmallow.
The dish is coming together
and the judges seem excited about it,
which makes me excited about it.
I've got my layer of almond and cherry cake
and my lemon, brown sugar curd.
And then finishing that off with my cherry compote.
That looks gorgeous.
Now it's time to cover it in marshmallow.
I feel like I need
an adult supervisor for this one.
ALL: Oh. Oh, God.
It's a little stiff.
So sticky.
This isn't quite the consistency I was hoping for.
Oh, my God, it's everywhere.
This is sticking to the knife.
It's sticking to me.
It's literally everywhere.
I am a marshmallow.
But it's tasty. So let's torch it up.
That's so funny. We don't want any sour grapes.
Five minutes to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Whose are these bad boys?
Whoa! Big boys.
They're huge. They're like hamburger buns.
They've definitely puffed up a little bit more
than I thought they would.
I've got my strawberry matcha Chantilly.
I reckon I can actually put an entire mandarin
or kiwi fruit into each
of the giant choux buns just to elevate it.
And then also a blackberry in the tiny little choux buns.
I won't know how it'll look
until the dish is getting cut in half,
and you get the cross-section,
that's when it's really gonna have its viral moment.
So I'm just crossing my fingers that I get called up the front.
Let's try to get this off.
So, my tempered chocolate, I think it looks bloody good.
So actually it looks like a coconut shell right now.
I think the coconut Chantilly has a sweetness to it
that will cut the chocolate and balance it.
And then a mango puree on top
and on the bottom to make sure it doesn't rock around.
I've made pandan sand.
I think I have a chance
to get my little coconut do tasted.
Excuse me, guys. Cool, cool, cool.
Oh, man, they look good! Yeah, thanks, man.
I'm really happy with how everything's going.
I really enjoy that funky saltiness
in the fish sauce and honey caramel,
as well as the crunch
from the macadamia and feuilletine crumble.
And then the apricot and mango passionfruit jam
is super bright and tangy.
And then I've got the blackberry,
lemongrass and ginger jelly.
And I really like the pandan ice-cream,
which I find quite grassy.
And I get, like, popcorny notes from it as well.
So it'll be interesting to see if I get tasted.
Two minutes to go, everybody.
Two...
Balls, it is!
Oh, wow. Pungent!
I've got my makrut lime leaf oil,
and I'm really happy with this granita.
Alright.
You can taste the blood orange that I want to shine through.
So it all comes down
to this last honey and thyme panna cotta.
I'm really stressed...
So...
Oh!
It's got the wobble and I hope it's enough to get tasted.
It's almost crunch time. One minute to go.
ANDY: Come on, everybody!
Moving. I'm moving, I'm moving.
I take this clafoutis out.
And I'm surprised that it's actually browned on top.
So am I gonna be able to serve it?
And even though it's not perfect,
I think I might get away with it here.
All done in ten...
JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven, six
five, four, three, two, one!
That's it, everybody.
You made doughnuts! Yay!
Wow!
I think it's a pretty bold flavour combination,
so they might be interested to try it.
And if I get through, you never know your luck.
I'd love a day off up on the gantry.
But, hey, I just wanted to kind of push the boat out
and give it a crack.
We have Catherine Zhang in the MasterChef kitchen,
and we asked you to bring us your best fruity dessert.
We're looking for one top dish,
but we're tasting the ten most intriguing ones.
First dish we'd like to taste is...
..Emily.
Oh, really?
(CHEERING)
I'm gobsmacked. Me?
My coconut's gonna get tasted.
He's my little dude.
SOFIA: Hey, little dude.
I'm really happy with the look of my dish,
but Catherine Zhang is like this dessert queen.
So I'm absolutely stressed.
POH: Emily...
..that is very adorable.
Thank you. It's my Little Coconut Dude.
So I did a cocoa shortcrust
and then chocolate on the outside
to make it look like a coconut shell.
And then a coconut Chantilly,
a mango and passionfruit puree.
And on the bottom, a pandan sand.
Let's cut into it.
(CRUNCHES) Nice!
Ah!
Oh.
SOFIA: She oozy.
They're oozy. Whoo-hoo!
Presentation-wise, definitely very stunning.
Flavour-wise, I think, you know,
it's really light and refreshing.
The cocoa, I didn't think it was overpowering
like, you know, I mentioned earlier.
So I'm happy with it. It's good.
Thank you very much.
Emily. I think it's very, very inviting
and very adorable.
You did a brilliant job of the pastry.
It's so nice and thin and short.
I think you've done a really good job.
I adore that gentleness of that Chantilly,
taking all the tropical fruits.
It's brilliant. It's very well perfumed.
Thank you very much. Good luck to you.
Emily, for your little coconut dude or dudette, uh...
Yeah. ..the viral factor was ticked,
and especially when we did the cross-section
and everything just started to spill out.
That's what really got me.
I think it also celebrated mango and passionfruit,
which was the brief. Well done, Emily.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Yeah. Brilliant. Just unexpected for me.
Well done!
Dessert Master over here.
Please bring us your fruity dessert...
..Casper!
(APPLAUSE)
Go, Casper!
Whoo-hoo!
SOFIA: Woo! Oh, my...!
Oh, my God! Whoa!
ANDY: Hooley dooley. Wow!
SOFIA: My goodness! They look like olives.
Casper, what have you made?
I've made fruit sando choux buns.
We've got a whole strawberry in one.
I've got a whole mandarin in the other.
And a whole kiwi fruit in another one.
And then strawberry matcha cream.
Freeze-dried strawberry powder on top.
Wow.
I think the other thing with the sandos
that have inspired your dessert
is it's all about that cross-section.
So I'm interested to see if these cut as well as they do.
Yeah. Me too. (LAUGHS)
OK, I think this is the mandarin.
Oh.
SOFIA: Oh, there's a little berry in the top!
CATHERINE: Oh, cute. Very cute.
OK.
Yes! Kiwi.
Ooph!
Oh! That worked. That's cute.
They're holding together really well.
Strawberry. She's in there.
Yeah. Cute.
Happy with that? Yeah, very happy.
Casper...
..I think you nailed this.
I much prefer this to a fruit sando.
Those choux buns are so amazing.
The matcha cream in there is really light, fluffy.
And then the whole fruit in there
absolutely makes fruit the superstar.
Well done. Thank you.
I like it. Presentation - amazing.
It's a beautiful dish.
I think you've done a wonderful job
on that choux pastry.
It's baked perfectly. I love the flavours,
the matcha, the bitterness, and it goes well with the fruit.
It's a great combination. Thank you.
Casper - fantastic.
Definitely viral-worthy. Loved all the fruit.
It was really attractive.
And to contrast against the green of the matcha
was visually very pleasing.
Well done. Thank you.
Grace, you're next.
Ooh. Ooh, an edible lemon.
Grace, what have you made us?
I've made my Whole Lemon with biscotti.
I have made a lemon granita with the juice of the lemon.
A lemon leaf ice-cream
that's sitting in the shell of the lemon.
And I added the zest
into my biscotti mixture
with fennel seeds and sesame seeds.
Let's taste.
Grace...
..I flippin' love this dish so much.
It just has such a clear direction.
And the lemon leaf in that ice-cream
has just got this gorgeous, subtle
kind of grassiness about it, but with the lemon flavour.
And then you eat it with the biscotti
and it is such a genius combination.
This dish has really put you on the map for me.
Thank you.
That ice-cream is incredible. Thank you.
That is delicious. It's perfectly balanced.
It's so refreshing. Like, I took a bite of it,
all of it all together, and I was, like, transported.
It was like fresh breeze.
I loved it. Amazing dish. Thank you.
It was so refreshing and creamy and zesty
and bright from the granita.
But that lemon leaf ice-cream,
because it's so creamy and smooth
and has that verdant green taste going through it,
everything pairs together so beautifully.
Grace. One word. Fantastique!
Fantas-TikTok. Oh.
(ALL EXCLAIM)
Hey. Oh, I love that. That was very smart, by the way.
This is so creative.
It looks fun. But then you eat it and you're like,
"Ho, this person's the real deal."
This is like
competition-winning-worthy stuff.
Like, you cook like this, you go deep, my friend.
Well done. Thank you.
Good job.
Bloody hell, that was so crazy.
OK. Next dish.
Olaolu!
OLAOLU: I've got a lemon ice-cream
with a preserved lemon-glazed cruller.
Not a bad effort, mate. I really enjoyed it
and it feels like something that needs a little bit more.
Yeah. Hey, Lucy. You're next.
Oh, yeah.
LUCY: I've made a spiced pudding with a poached pear,
pear caramel and a bay leaf cream.
I found the cake really nice and moist
and I like the spices in it.
What I'm kind of just thinking
is the caramel is very, very sweet.
Vinnie!
So I've made a kind of DIY ice-cream sandwich.
Fior di latte ice-cream
rippled with strawberry and tomato syrup
and crostoli with a basil sugar.
Great concept. Love the concept. The crostoli are great.
The ice-cream - there's a nice flavour going on there,
but I think for me it's really icy. Really icy.
Right. Next one.
(HONKS NASALLY)
Fruity clafoutis - Petro!
My dish gets called up and I'm in a bit of shock.
There's a chance I might still get over the line with this.
Here we go. (LAUGHS)
Ooh!
Tell us, Petro, what have you made?
I have made an apricot clafoutis
with a buffalo ricotta and cinnamon ice-cream.
You look stressed. Everything was going to plan.
I put it in the oven with half an hour to go,
but I just realised that it wasn't cooking.
So, um, a bit of user error on my behalf.
OK, we're gonna try it.
Petro, I love that you used apricots.
And the ice-cream tastes lovely.
Your clafoutis just wasn't cooked on the bottom.
Petro...
..when you make a clafoutis,
you should get that lovely caramelisation
and get under something nice
and coloured and lovely.
Yeah. But you were unfortunate.
Otherwise, your ice-cream is lovely.
Thank you.
Petro, I think you know where you went wrong.
Yeah.
All of this is just about that mixture not getting enough heat
and getting no puff.
But I really love that you used apricots.
I think people don't cook enough with apricots.
I feel like they're better for cooking than eating,
to be honest.
And for 75 minutes, well done.
Thanks, mate. Thanks. Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
Shame, huh? Yeah.
That's alright.
You live... You live and you learn.
OK. Next one is...
..Dot.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) CONTESTANT: Go, Dot!
Did you see that?
Let's see what Dot has to give us.
Oh, cute. Wow.
It's so shiny.
DOT: I have done my cherry-almond cake.
A little bit of lemon curd in there...
..a cherry compote, and covered
in marshmallow to really bring the sweetness.
Well, I am very much intrigued.
Oh, it's very bouncy. Ooh!
It's bouncing back, look. (CHUCKLES)
It's resisting. Yeah.
ANDY: Very sticky.
Might need a knife.
Um, Dot...
..the cake himself is lovely...
..having cherry,
lemon,
sour, acidity,
the sweetness from your marshmallow.
Well done.
But it's not whipped enough.
It is too solid.
I would have gone for something
probably more like an Italian meringue
so you could cut it more easily.
But otherwise, a really good effort still.
DOT: Thank you.
Dot, look, I just think you had a marshmallow malfunction today.
Yeah.
(LAUGHS) Oh, Andy!
Catch. (LAUGHTER)
It won't do it!
It won't come off!
Look, if you need to hang a painting, you're fine. Yeah.
It's just too sticky.
I'm going viral for all the wrong reasons.
Yes, exactly.
Thank you, everyone.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Well done, Dot...
..for trying.
Next fruity dessert we want to taste belongs to...
..Jack.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
That was smooth!
What?
Jack, what have you made?
JACK: I've done a honey and thyme panna cotta
with a blood orange and Campari granita
with a makrut lime leaf oil
and some blood and Sunrise limes there, as well.
Wow-wee! OK.
Inspo for this?
Definitely Callum.
I went to Sprout, the cooking school,
so hopefully I do him proud. Yeah.
I reckon we finish it up.
Callum wouldn't have done that.
(JUDGES LAUGH)
Enjoy, guys. Thank you.
CATHERINE: Thank you.
Jack...
..it's bloody delicious.
The granita is special.
Blood orange, and then using the Campari
to give some beautiful bitterness.
I have no other words because that's so well executed.
Beautiful.
This is my kind of dessert.
I like strong flavours
that really hero an ingredient,
and the fruit was just really hero-ed in this.
It just tied well with the bitterness
from the lime leaf, the thyme came through,
very floral in the background.
Very well balanced. Thank you. That's awesome.
Jack, your panna cotta is so well set
that even if you just touch the table, it quivers.
(CHUCKLES)
I loved all the elements,
and it had a very clear direction.
Beautiful.
Jack, it's just perfect.
Wow. Thank you.
Bravo. Honestly, bravo.
Well done, Jack. Well done. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
So parfum.
Yes! Oh, God.
Callum would be proud. Oh, yeah!
Oh, my heart's going a million miles an hour.
Jeez.
SOFIA: The last dish we'd like to taste belongs to...
..Pat.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PAT: Super happy getting tasted.
Yeah, I've pushed the boat out today,
but I am super confident with my dessert.
I love to eat it.
So, yeah, I'm excited to see what the judges think
of my crazy flavour combinations.
Righto, Pat, what have you made?
I've made my take on ice-cream and jelly.
The base of the bowl
has some fish sauce and honey caramel.
Then, there's a feuilletine, macadamia and coconut crumble...
..a blackberry, ginger, lemongrass jelly...
..an apricot, passionfruit and mango jam,
and a pandan ice-cream.
I can't wait.
Pat...
..when you bought your dish on the table,
I thought it was weird.
And in fact, I don't mind.
I admire your bottle
because you tried to combine something and been creative.
And you should never stop trying to be creative in cooking
or anything you do in life.
So, by digging in...
..your fish sauce worked.
I have learned a lesson today.
I'm going to try to do fish sauce caramel.
Thank you, Pat, by the way.
(LAUGHTER)
Pat...
..there is some balance there.
The pandan really provides an anchor.
The ice-cream is made so well, mate.
But then, there's just too much. Yeah.
You know? So, you're a lot closer than I thought you'd be,
but you're still a little bit away.
No worries.
This is a very texturally balanced dish.
We've got creamy, crunchy, bouncy, fruity.
It's something that I like to do a lot.
I think that, flavour-wise,
it was just a little bit of a miss.
I was enjoying the mango, and, suddenly,
like, I was hit with, like, lemongrass and then fish sauce.
So, um, texturally, I love it, but flavour-wise, not for me.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Respect to you.
Thank you.
Good stuff. Hey, you got to have a go.
You always have to try to go for that sixer.
There were some incredible dishes today.
There were a lot of unexpected flavours...
..some a little more crazy than others.
Um, but, yeah, you guys did amazing.
Don't look at me.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's say a big thank you to Catherine Zhang.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Right. There were some dishes that made us go bananas.
If I call your name, please step forward.
Jack.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Grace.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
It was close,
but the dish of the day goes to...
..Grace!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JACK: Well done. So well deserved.
So crazy! So crazy.
Thank you. So good.
Just real MasterChef bucket-list moment.
Grace, you made lemon the star of the show
and totally squeezed out the competition.
(CHUCKLES) Well done.
Well done to you. That was good. That was a good one.
You'll be safe up on the gantry tomorrow, while the others
cook for their spot in the competition.
To everyone else, take tonight to recharge
because tomorrow the pressure is on.
Good night.
Everybody!
Time to rest.
ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...
Put your hands together for Victoria Minell!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
She's an Instagram superstar.
ALITA: Her food is absolutely awesome.
You can see why she's the Queen of Viral Week.
My first ingredient is...
Can they turn her trending ingredients
into a viral-worthy dish...
This is crazy. That is so hashtag viral, Dot.
..to save them from elimination?
PETRO: I'm taking a huge risk
on black-apron day.
Could be great.
Could be a disaster.
Captions by Red Bee Media