VOICEOVER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
Come on, blue, let's bring it home!
Let's go, Fans. Whoo-hoo!
WOMAN: Only one jaffle will rule them all.
..the judges were hard-pressed to choose the best jaffle.
To get that much flavour inside a jaffle is epic.
But Minoli managed to win for Team Favourites.
It's like the spirit of a curry puff but in jaffle form.
Whoo-hoo!
I've saved my team.
That left the Fans to fight for survival.
HARRY: If the judges don't like it,
I might be walking out of these doors with this immunity pin.
And it was Chris who had to say the first farewell.
Tonight, it's the first mystery box of 2022.
ALVIN: First mystery box is really, um...it's like a rite of passage.
And this time, there's more than meets the eye.
SONG: # 'Cause you're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down
# You're wrong when it's right
# It's black and it's white
# We fight, we break up
# We kiss, we make up
# You're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down
# You're wrong when it's right
# It's black and it's white
# We fight, we break up
# We kiss, we make up
# You # You don't really wanna stay, no
# You
# But you don't really wanna go-o
# You're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down. #
Are you excited for today? Think I am, yeah.
Me too. (LAUGHTER)
Bit of trepidation. (LAUGHS)
Ready to rumble.
(LAUGHS)
I just want to cook, you know. Just want to get in.
I hope they go easy on us.
Here we go!
Oh, mystery boxes!
(LAUGHTER) Mystery box!
Hey! There they are!
Mystery box! And so many!
Come on in! Straight to your benches, guys.
Let's run.
JOCK: Pick a box, any box! MAN: Come on, come on!
Oh, it's a long clap. It's a long clap, isn't it?
Many contestants. A long clap.
Morning, everybody! CONTESTANTS: Morning!
Can you believe it? Today is the first mystery box of this season.
MAN: Yes! (CHEERING)
Whoo-ooh!
Matt. It's your first ever mystery box.
Are you excited to see what's inside?
Uh, it's...it's a bit nerve-racking but very exciting.
Hoping for something, uh, familiar.
What if it's all unfamiliar?
Um...then I'll taste and I'll cook and hopefully something...
Have you been practising with the under-bench pantry staples?
MATT: I'm confident with the under-bench
and, uh, hopefully, we can fit something in.
John.
How are you? I'm good.
Mystery boxes in your season.
Did you enjoy them? Yeah, I did.
Well, it's actually... this is my pantry, basically.
So I'll just walk in at home, open it up and that's my mystery box.
JOCK: So you're good at thinking of dishes on the fly?
Yeah. Should be a good day for you. Yeah.
I think it's about time that we find out what's under it.
Are you ready?
Yes. Yes.
Alright - lift your lids...
..now.
CONTESTANTS: Ooh!
Ooh! Ah!
I can cook something with that.
MELISSA: Let's talk ingredients.
So under the lid today,
we have pork chop, Granny Smith apples,
dark chocolate, tomatoes,
flat-leaf parsley, ciabatta bread, lemon and cabbage.
Now, this isn't your run-of-the-mill mystery box.
These ingredients have significance.
They've all been in a mystery box together before.
I know. MELISSA: She knows!
Well, I mean, I was about to say, "Does anybody know?"
And Julie's, like, "Yes!" (LAUGHS)
Julie.
This...this is the first ever mystery box.
CONTESTANTS: Oh!
WOMAN: That's so nice!
Oh!
And we all had one little butane burner and a pan,
and we had this in our mystery box.
I just...I've just gone, "Whoa."
MELISSA: So Julie is correct.
This is the first ever mystery box from way back in season one.
I love that Jules is just in front of me
and this is the first mystery box that she would have ever done.
I think a lot of people will be able to make something
with the stuff in this box.
Righto, gang, here's the rules.
You've got 75 minutes to cook a dish
using one or more ingredients from that mystery box.
Pantry and garden today, they're closed,
but, of course, you've got the under-bench pantry staples.
Let's start with the good news.
The best dish from the Fans AND the best dish from the Favourites,
they'll win a fast-tracked place into this week's immunity challenge.
WOMAN: Wow!
ANDY: Now for the bad news.
The bottom two dishes from each team,
you'll be cooking in tomorrow's pressure test,
where, unfortunately, one of you goes home.
Your job today,
don't let the first ever mystery box
be your last.
MELANIE: Usually on MasterChef, the seasons that I've watched,
mystery boxes are a chance to really just, like, have a little bit of fun,
and there's not usually negative consequences.
So the fact that today,
the bottom two dishes from each team,
they're gonna go into a pressure test,
that's kind of a hard pill to swallow.
ANDY: Good luck.
Your time starts now.
Gosh. OK.
Let's do it!
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it!
Oh, sorry, sorry.
SASHI: Anybody doesn't want the apples?
Sashi.
Doing the first mystery box is really amazing.
I've dreamt about it so much.
I'm thinking sweet. I'm doing a mille-feuille.
Apples, caramel cream pie.
JENN: I'm gonna make some wontons.
Usually, there's a lot of garlic in them.
No garlic today, so I'm gonna be working with what I've got,
and hopefully it'll turn out alright.
To make sure I'm safe today,
I just have to beat two people from my own team.
It's a bit bizarre.
Like, I've watched it a lot on TV,
and I always think, "I'll make this and make that."
It's a little bit different when you get up here.
You're, like, "Wham! What DO I make?"
I saw the lemons and I'm, like,
"Lemon meringue pie will be what I make today."
Oh, first mystery box with the first ever ingredients inside.
How do you think people are gonna go being quite creative
and getting the best out of the ingredient?
MELISSA: I think some people will be thrown for a loop.
And I think some people will really rise to the occasion.
WOMAN: What's on there, Steph?
Apple caramel. WOMAN: Oh, it looks good.
JOCK: Because it's such a normal mystery box,
my expectation is that around me, everybody would be doing
pork and cabbage in some kind of normal way.
I'd be trying to do something different.
For me, this is all about the under-bench staples.
Because at the end of the day, if you can pull out a whole bunch of dishes
from just the under-bench...
ANDY: Yeah. ..it shouldn't really matter...
Yeah. ..what's in that mystery box.
How do you get the best out of those ordinary ingredients?
What's the best thing you can do to cabbage,
what's the best thing you can do to tomatoes...
JOCK: Ooh, yeah.
..to make 'em fully next-level and get a shot
at being in...in the immunity cook?
JOCK: Julie! ANDY: Oh, Julie, here we are.
Hello. He scared me too.
(ALL LAUGH) (LAUGHS) Sorry.
What's happening?
ANDY: Pasta! Ah. I'm doing pasta, yeah.
What was your first dish, the very first mystery box?
Well, I saw pork chops and apples,
so I made pork chops and apple sauce.
Nice. What's your dish today?
Well, it's gonna be a...
..a pasta with tomatoes...
JOCK: Yep.
..and then a pangrattato with lemon and...
JOCK: Pangrattato? ..and parsley, yeah.
ANDY: Beautiful. So do everything I can to get flavour into the tomatoes.
What are we doing pasta-wise?
Fettuccine/tagliatelle.
I'm gonna hand-cut it, I think. ANDY: Oh, cool. JOCK: Nice.
Al dente pasta? Yes.
Just make sure you give it enough time to dry a little bit...
Mmm. Yep. ..before, do you know what I mean?
If you're... Yeah.
..if you're rolling it out and you dump it straight in the water in the dying minutes...
Yeah. ..you're never gonna get al dente.
Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yep.
No worries. I can't wait to try it.
Same. Good luck, Jules. (LAUGHS) Thank you.
JULIE: Keeping it very simple today.
For me, simple food made well is a joy,
and it's my preference to cook that way,
and it's my preference to eat that way.
So knowing that the bottom two from each team end up in a pressure test,
I feel so determined that that's not gonna be me.
I'll cross my fingers, I'll pray to the pasta gods and...see how we go.
First ever mystery box, YOUR first ever mystery box,
and you got 60 minutes to go.
(JUDGES CLAP)
Ooh, she's smoky. Yes. Very smoky.
Heaven of lemon today. It's got lemon everything.
Really good. Creamy, buttery apple sauce.
(RATTLING) Ooh!
It's been a while that we've had a mystery box.
I'm...I'm feeling a little bit shaky, actually.
Um...haven't really got the momentum up yet, I don't think,
in this kitchen, um, but...
..yeah, I love a mystery box, so... so pretty pleased.
BILLIE: In season seven, I loved mystery boxes.
They never came with, you know, a bottom four or any consequences.
I used those challenges to take a few risks.
This is burnt sugar with ants in it.
An ant coffee tuile.
What did you make? I did a weird dessert.
It's a curry leaf and lime parfait with roast cucumber.
GEORGE CALOMBARIS: To think of that
by just lifting the lid on a mystery box and not being scared
is a credit to you, Billie.
Well done. MATT PRESTON: Yeah, yeah.
I'm going sweet, so I'm gonna do
chocolate and lemon ice-cream sandwiches
with an apple and pork caramel in the middle.
BILLIE: I think the judges are expecting a lot from the Favourites,
having done mystery boxes before,
but I'm...finding my feet still.
Just because I won my first season,
it doesn't mean I'm coming in as one of the best cooks.
There's a lot of strong cooks in my team,
so it's gonna be a challenge to get top dish,
but I do want to show them that I can cook and I belong here.
I'd love to have that chance at immunity, 'cause I want to be here.
It's...it's...it's so much fun and such a good feeling.
Pork schnitzel. Just going German.
I'm happy with the texture.
If it doesn't taste like lemon, I'm gonna be in trouble, right?
MELANIE: Having this mystery box is nerve-racking.
It's one thing to see it on TV,
a complete 'nother thing to lift it up and see it yourself.
MELANIE: I definitely worry about my restrictions
when I'm doing a mystery box,
because I have coeliac disease, so that limits my options.
Also, people do assume that gluten-free food is pretty bland,
stodgy, all of the above, just...
..you know, not very nice.
Today, I'm gonna make lemon meringue choux pastry.
Yeah, the plan is for them to not know that it's gluten-free pastry.
That's a bit of a tall order.
Obviously, they eat choux in here quite often.
Like, I make this all the time at home
and I'm just really hoping that it comes together
like it does when I cook it at home.
MELANIE: Making gluten-free choux pastry,
it's not just a matter of adjusting ratios,
and it's not just a matter of subbing in any other ingredient.
I couldn't find anyone that had a recipe that really worked for me,
so I did a bit of research about what makes them work, what doesn't,
and then just experimented lots.
So I'm just really hoping that these rise, they come up perfect
and that the judges like them.
Heads up, everybody! 45 minutes to go!
MAN: Come on!
ALVIN: Mystery boxes were always my favourite challenge in my season,
but now there's a negative consequence.
I can do this. I can do this.
ALVIN: It's amazing what that does to one's headspace.
Uh...uh...
ALVIN: My mind is racing.
Uh...
ALVIN: It's just a jumble. And I'm not sure what I'm cooking.
I think clarity is so important,
because if you don't have an idea from the beginning,
then you could be in trouble.
Alvin. Hi.
What are you making, mate? What's the dish?
Um...I'm not sure yet. It's a work in progress.
Um, so I'm thinking it's gonna be a noodle dish
with some, uh...
..pickled v...uh, pickled vegetables.
40 minutes to go, mate. Have you got enough time?
I don't know.
JOCK: Good luck, mate. Thanks.
The prospect of going into a pressure test, that makes me nervous.
Being in the Favourites group,
it just takes the littlest sort of mistake
to sort of push you down to the bottom two, and I don't want that.
(LAUGHS)
Can you feel the flour?
Yeah? More caramel.
MAN: Tommy, how much pork have you got?
TOMMY: Got to give the people what they want.
MAN: Got a whole pig, mate.
Apple and caramel is a pretty good combination.
Oh!
(HUMS)
MINOLI: In season 13, mystery box challenges,
I tried to do things that weren't part of my repertoire,
and that really kind of got me in a little bit of trouble.
I got eliminated twice.
Both times, I was trying to do things that I hadn't really done before.
I just kind of went a little bit rogue.
You know, I made...
..I don't know, just weird stuff. (LAUGHS)
A caramelised miso ice-cream, roasted strawberries,
chocolate and almonds.
Trying to put four seasons on a plate is so hard!
Next time, just pull the reins back a touch
and you'll find yourself in a better place.
Just give me the name of the dish. Barra Bites.
Barra Bites? Crispy barramundi.
Pickled cherries.
I'm actually going to do green mango as the noodles.
ANDY: It's not bad.
It's not amazing.
And I don't know where that's gonna put you today.
MINOLI: New Minoli is in this kitchen.
I want to do a lot better this season in mystery boxes.
I'm making pasta today with, uh, pork and tomato and a bit of lemon,
so I'm using a few ingredients from the box,
but I'm going to keep it simple.
I'm going for that immunity spot. I want to be in the immunity cook.
So this dish has to be delicious.
It WILL be delicious. This dish is going to be delicious.
Yeah. I've got a couple of elements on the go.
So I'm trying to multi-task. Ooh!
Minoli!
Hello. Hello. ANDY: Hey, Minoli. What's happening?
You're working up a little sweat there. You're going hard. MINOLI: Oh! I know.
I really want to do well in this mystery box. Mmm.
What are you doing? I'm making pasta.
But... What kind of pasta?
Um...pork. Yep.
Nice and fatty. JOCK: Shape?
Um...a bit yolky.
Spaghetti. JOCK: Spaghetti?
Going, like, classic. Yeah, yeah, yep.
OK. Just having, like, mince.
It's one of my favourite pastas. So, what's the dish?
I'm gonna say pork and tomato pasta, but really it's...
..I just realised it's like a spaghetti bolognese.
And...you were there for the pasta masterclass?
No.
Oh, you missed it. MINOLI: I missed everything.
Literally, like... You didn't miss everything.
..I got...I got eliminated the week before How to Survive MasterChef.
Ooh. Like, I missed everything.
Did you do a pressure test or did you miss that as well?
Look, I basically wasn't on MasterChef, was I?
(ALL LAUGH) Really. Let's be honest.
I'm Andy. Nice to meet you. Yeah. Good.
I think I'm gonna go a little bit more down.
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Aldo! Big Aldo! How are you, guys?
ANDY: Good, mate. You? JOCK: Very well. How are you? Not too bad.
Cotoletto?
ALDO: Cotoletta. JOCK: Cotoletta.
Cotoletta! Why is it not cotoletto?
Because it's female, sir - cotoletta.
It might be a male pig.
No, but it doesn't matter. It's gender-defined.
It's cotoletta. La cotoletta. Righto. Righto. Break it up.
Break it up. Um, for the players at home, let's run through the dish.
So it's gonna be similar to a classic cotoletta alla Milanese,
but I normally use veal, but this time, I'm gonna use pork.
JOCK: Pork? ANDY: Yeah. So it's classic.
ALDO: You got lemon zest and parsley in the crumb on the outside.
Yep. Simple, classico.
That's all. ANDY: Yeah. That's me.
I love it. I'm a lover of pink pork.
Are you cooked-through pork or are you slightly pink or are you...
OK. What are you?
Like...the way that we do it in Italy, I eat it cooked through.
JOCK: Yeah. OK. So my pork, it's cooked through. ANDY: Yeah.
You cook it the way you want to cook it
and we'll judge it the way it's supposed to be.
Thank you, guys. Alright? Good stuff.
Grazie! (LAUGHS)
I'm stressing out right now because, actually,
I don't know what way should I cook the pork,
the Italian way or the at-the-moment way?
What am I doing?
I don't know what to do. It's very hard.
Everything is going on the pork. Let's put some pork on your fork.
Just two element on a plate. It is a very bold move.
They got to be both spot-on
or otherwise you're in a hell of trouble.
But, you know, I got to cook my way.
It's my way or the way out, or the freeway -
my way or the freeway, right?
I hope it's perfect. I'm gonna put some love in this pastry.
Hopefully, the flavour is...is good enough.
I'm doing pork and cabbage jam
and a jus with apple.
Pretty classic flavours,
but it obviously just has to be cooked really well.
JENN: I would absolutely love to put up a top dish today.
Having that fast track into immunity is such a big win
and I could really use it.
Tastes good.
You flying?
I'm making agnolotti with a lemon ricotta
with a tomato and cream sauce and a pangrattato.
MAX: Pasta is something I've fallen in love with over the last year,
so it's something I want to show the judges that I have in my toolkit.
I'm envisioning this dish to be
beautiful little plump ricotta-filled agnolottis
with a really nice deep orange sauce.
Pasta should be my way to make sure
that I don't end up in elimination tomorrow.
It's my comfort zone.
Hazza, any spare spoons? Nup. Sorry.
OK. OK, I got time. I got time. Can I steal that after you finish?
Thank you.
DULAN: This mystery box doesn't play into my strengths.
This is very European cooking.
I tend to put spices on everything,
but I don't have that today,
so I've got to work with what I have.
I'm gonna cook the pork chop and then I'm gonna have a pickled cabbage,
a apple parsley sauce to go with it and a pork crackle finishing salt.
DULAN: So, I'm gonna cook the pork on the hibachi,
because I want to get that smoky flavour into my dish.
I always cook pork on my charcoal grill at home.
So I'm thinking the hibachi can't be much different.
I've got to cook the pork perfect pink in the middle.
If I undercook or overcook that pork, you know, there...there is no dish.
If all the elements balance out as... in my head,
and I've done this before, yeah, it'll be a really top dish.
God! Like, I've got so many things I'm watching.
ALVIN: Time is running out.
So I decide to go with a dry noodle dish.
My dish that I'm calling This Little Piggy Went to Market
is going to have caramelised pork, uh, pickled cabbage,
some apples and tomatoes and some noodles.
So I've got my noodle dough resting.
I've got the pickled cabbage happening.
I've got the, uh, croutons all there. I made a vinegar caramel.
And then I'm going to mix all this up,
and, hopefully, it'll be, like, just wonderful.
ALVIN: I know what I'm cooking, so I'm happy with that,
but now I'm rushing to sort of get everything done.
Trust me when I tell you
you do not want to be in tomorrow's pressure test.
You've got 28 minutes to go.
ANDY: 28 minutes exactly. MELISSA: 28! Yes.
ANDY: No more, no less. (JUDGES CLAP)
28? 28.
28!
What was that? 30?
WOMEN: 28.
I've got my semifreddos in the blast chiller.
Biscuits are baking in the oven.
The next thing I move on to is the caramel for the centre.
ANDY: Billie. Hi. ANDY: Oh!
I reckon this box kind of suits you.
Yeah. What are you gonna do?
I'm doing chocolate and lemon ice-cream sandwiches
with a apple pork caramel centre.
Ooh! (LAUGHS)
That sounds great.
The apple caramel is just apple juice...
Apple juice cooked down with sugar. ..pork fat, little bit of sugar?
Yeah. Thanks. Good luck with that.
I hope it all turns out really well. So do I. Yeah.
BILLIE: I think using the pork fat in the caramel
gives it a really nice mouthfeel.
Any sort of fat will do that, but pork fat's quite rich,
so I think it'll give it a nice edge.
Did you see that? She's got caramel going.
MELISSA: I feel like we haven't really seen her yet.
Yeah. Like, really seen her.
So today I'm cooking a lemon meringue choux au craquelin.
My choux pastries are in the oven.
My lemon curd, my Swiss meringue and whipped cream are all done.
And I'm happy with them.
Looks alright. Looks alright.
MELANIE: I start to watch the oven, because if this batch doesn't rise,
it's a failure - there is no backup - so that's a risk.
(SIGHS)
It's really important that this batch of choux rise beautifully
and end up hollow.
If I can pull it off, this could be huge. It could be a winning dish.
I think they're looking pretty good.
JULIE: Well, you know how they say "Go hard or go home"?
I may be doing both. (LAUGHS)
I'm making fettuccine with tomato sauce.
When I did this mystery box in my season, you know, like,
it was really quite simple.
Since then, I've learnt to give a lot of flavour,
and so today, my dish is simple, but I just want to make something
that's really tasty and flavourful and shows a little bit of technique.
I'm spending quite a lot of time on the tomato sauce,
because if I can't really make it rich,
then I might get in trouble for trying to make something without
all the appropriate ingredients.
I'm just gonna add a tiny little bit more sweetness to it,
but I'm...I'm pretty close to that being a...
..a good punchy tomato sauce.
JULIE: Time in this kitchen flies.
I really need to move on to the pasta.
You know, I've won immunity already.
I really want it again.
I'm cooking against the Favourites team.
So I don't want to be in tomorrow's pressure test.
Pressure test tomorrow is where you don't want to be,
so you got 14 minutes to bring it home.
JOCK: 14 minutes! Come on. (JUDGES CLAP)
MATT: Filling's in it. We're good, I think.
Golden city, mate.
Ooh, yum. That looks good.
DULAN: I've got my sweet-and-sour cabbage done,
and I've got the pork sauce done as well,
but I really need to get my pork cooked.
I need my pork to be cooked nice and pink inside.
If I don't cook the pork perfectly, I could be on the bottom.
Dulan. Hey, Jock. Hey, Andy.
ANDY: Have you cooked pork like this before?
DULAN: Uh...yeah, not on the hibachi.
ANDY: Not on the hibachi? Yeah.
OK. Just...with the flames, be careful.
Yep. Because that flame, it's not good.
I think I've taken a huge risk using a hibachi today.
I'm worried now, because the last couple of minutes,
it's all...it's...it's all flames.
Um...have you cooked pork like this before?
Not on the hibachi. ANDY: Not on the hibachi?
Yeah. ANDY: OK.
Be careful.
The flavour of burnt fat, nasty. DULAN: OK. Like, it's not very nice.
DULAN: While I'm cooking my pork on the hibachi,
for the last couple of minutes, it's all flames.
I'm worried now.
If I don't get this right, everything else falls apart.
Clock is ticking and I got to start to cook the pork.
First things to do is just shallow-fry it
and then serve the nice crust and golden colour on the outside,
and then it's gonna be finished in the oven.
To prevent that the pork is gonna dry out,
I'm gonna keep monitoring the oven.
It's all about the wait.
Perfection require time. Rome hasn't been built in a day.
ALDO: As the cook is going on,
I start to feel more confident with myself
and with what I'm cooking as well.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
At the beginning of the cook, I thought, "OK,
"let's try to get ourself out of the bottom two, Aldo."
But now, I really want the stars.
Let's see. Reaching for the stars.
Ai-yi-yi!
Oh, there's my apple.
MAX: I'm working on my first pasta sheet,
and I'm putting in my agnolotti filling, and it looks great.
The ricotta is sitting perfectly in there.
And I'm just about to start folding over
and cutting these agnolottis out,
and I'm trying to use a little bit of water
just to seal the edge of the agnolottis.
Oh, God.
MAX: And my hand hits the edge.
I just dumped all this water on these beautifully done agnolottis.
Why? Oh, man.
It's the first great sabotage.
Shaky hands, man.
MAX: This is a huge setback.
Without the agnolotti, I don't have a dish.
I literally dumped all of my water on my pasta dough.
MAX: I've got to go through the whole process again.
Time has just slipped through my fingers.
Whoo!
I am stressed. This is not good.
And the clock's running low.
I've got to get a sauce to go with these agnolotti,
otherwise it'll just be pretty bland.
Stop carrying on like a pork chop. Hey!
How do you like them apples?
(LAUGHS) How many more can I think of?
I don't know. But you've only got five minutes to go!
ANDY: Five minutes! MELISSA: Oh!
(JUDGES CLAP)
Oh, gosh! Got this one!
Jock Zonfrillo, that's one of the best ones ever.
Oh, my God, five minutes. I'm a bit nervous now. (LAUGHS)
I'm making spaghetti with a pork and tomato sauce.
Like, my pasta's good.
I just...oh, and it's drying out. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I just want it to have a bit of bite.
'Cause it literally takes, like,
no time to cook.
MINOLI: I'm tasting my pasta sauce,
and it's just missing a bit of sweetness,
and I look around, and I'm, like... (SIGHS)
..I've only got apples.
"You're going in."
But then I see the chocolate.
Actually gonna put two of these dark chocolate drops into the bolognese,
like...like a...a mole.
Um, it gives it a bit more depth.
(LAUGHS) It's like that meat trifle in the Friends episode.
Do you remember?
When Rachel accidentally cooks this trifle,
pages stuck together, and Joey loves it.
Ooh.
Mmm.
MINOLI: This is it!
Pork, apple, chocolate...
..tomato, lemon.
There are so many things going through my head right now.
Oh, God, I'm sweating like it's a marathon.
(LAUGHS) God, I know. I know. It's horrible.
JULIE: I've taken so much time on the sauce.
I just know that I need to focus and to nail the pasta.
It's important not to rush this step, but time is flying by.
The pasta, it's immensely important. It's a crucial part of this dish.
So I'm really worried I'm not gonna have enough time to finish
if I don't pick up the pace.
ALDO: Down to the wire.
(GASPS)
Man. That's gone fast.
Everything's coming together.
Now I've just got to get it all on the plate and ready to go.
BILLIE: So my semifreddo ice-cream sandwiches
have set in the blast chiller,
so I take them out and scoop out the centre
so I can put the pork caramel inside.
I remove the mould from the semifreddo
and I'm really happy with it.
It's all set.
Oh, Jesus. They're massive.
I don't think I'll ever feel confident.
I hope I have enough.
BILLIE: Certainly would love being in the immunity,
but I'm just trying to avoid the bottom four
and going into the pressure test.
Two minutes to go!
ALVIN: My cabbage, my tomatoes, the pork and apple are done.
Now I'm getting on to my noodles.
I want to make sure they're even and they have the right sort of texture.
Put them in boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute.
I want them to be just cooked. So I don't want them to be overcooked.
'Cause otherwise, it'll just be too doughy.
JOCK: How we looking, big man?
Looking good.
JOCK: Interesting dish.
ALVIN: What does 'interesting' mean, Jock?
What is it? Interesting, good? Interesting, bad?
Give me something more!
MELANIE: What do you reckon, Steph?
STEPH: Oh, they're looking good.
The choux is looking so good.
They have risen. They all look really nice and even.
They are definitely looking better than last time.
STEPH: You got this, Mel.
MELANIE: So I'm spooning in the lemon curd first.
I want that to sit on the bottom. And then I'm putting the cream in.
And then I'm gonna put the meringue on top.
Because that's the traditional structure of a lemon meringue pie.
It looks legit. It doesn't look gluten-free. So that's a bonus.
At this point, I'm feeling reasonably confident.
STEPH: Oh, that's cute.
Righto, Fans, righto, Favourites!
You've got 10!
JUDGES: Nine! Eight! Seven!
Six! Five! Four!
Three! Two! One!
JOCK: That's it! ANDY: Legends!
How'd you go, mate? Oh! (LAUGHS)
Well done, guys.
Oh! Oh!
That looks amazing! They're ice-cream sandwiches.
ALDO: Feeling great.
I cook what I like to cook.
And I cook amazing Italian food.
So the cook on the pork there, like, an Italian way
of cooking the pork all the way through,
so that's what I did today.
It is simple, but we saw with Julie as well
that simplicity just pays off.
I'm really happy with the cook because I got everything on the plate.
It's such an important cook, and...
..I reckon this spag bol will get me immunity, if...
..the judges like spag bol.
Oh, my gosh!
Do you know, I didn't even think about what anyone else is cooking.
They were such good ingredients,
so I bet there's gonna be a lot of good food today,
which makes me a little bit nervous.
We gave you guys the first ever MasterChef mystery box,
and there were some pretty simple ingredients inside.
We hope you've transformed them to some belting dishes,
and the first one that we'd like to taste,
ice-cream sandwiches, from Billie.
(APPLAUSE)
BILLIE: I am proud of this dish.
It's probably the first dish in the competition so far
that I feel like is really me.
I feel like I've found my feet.
OK. Alright, then.
Billie. Run us through these little bad boys.
BILLIE: Chocolate and lemon ice-cream sandwiches
with a pork fat and apple caramel centre.
Ooh, yeah. OK. Hm.
ANDY: I'm gonna pick it up like an ice-cream sandwich.
(LAUGHTER)
Assume the position, Andy Allen.
(LAUGHTER)
Billie.
That is a full-on ice-cream sandwich.
It was delicious.
Great. Great. JOCK: Very, very rich.
Your chocolate semifreddo is, like, luxury.
It's like a chocolate slap around the face.
And then the caramel comes in, you know,
and you get a mouthful of that and it's a great texture.
It's a great flavour.
ANDY: The technique there is so spot-on, it's not funny, but...
..both your parfaits are silky - luxurious but silky.
And the caramel, it's got that little cowlick at the top
when you pull it out, which is pretty sensational. (LAUGHS)
It's not often that I say that an ice-cream sandwich is easy to eat,
because quite often, the biscuit's too thick,
everything kind of slides, and it doesn't quite come together.
Technique and construction, wonderful.
Mmm.
I'm happy with that. (LAUGHS)
JOCK: Well done, Billie. Thanks. Great.
(APPLAUSE) WOMAN: Well done, Billie!
Girlfriend, I want to eat it. It was so good.
(LAUGHS) So good.
Yay!
Minoli? Let's go.
(APPLAUSE)
MINOLI: At the start of the cook, I was really aiming
to be the top dish out of the Favourites,
but this dish has evolved during this cook.
I just kind of went a little bit rogue.
And now I don't really know where I'm sitting.
I'm just hoping it's not in the bottom.
MELISSA: Alright.
Minoli, what have you made us?
MINOLI: I've made spaghetti bolognese...
..with a parsley zesty number on the side.
So, what did you use from the mystery box?
I...I was counting, and I used seven of the eight ingredients.
You didn't use chocolate? Or did you? I didn't...I used the chocolate.
JOCK: Is there chocolate in there? ANDY: You did? Yes.
Where? JOCK: There IS chocolate in there? MINOLI: There is.
So... What?! ..my...
Yeah - the...the brain
that was working today was re... I was almost, like, not in control.
It was flavour. I was, like, "Flavour in pork. Flavour in tomato.
"Sweetness in apple."
Minoli...
..the pasta itself is beautiful.
It's al dente. The texture is fantastic.
It was cooked perfectly. So, well done.
Definitely not a bolognese. I don't know what it is.
But I'm interested in that, though.
I'm...this is the thing about...
..when you're...you're forced...
..when you're boxed in in a mystery box.
It's, like, "What are you gonna do?" You gotta work it out.
And I love that you've sort of done something unusual,
unconventional and different.
It's really interesting. Well done.
ANDY: Minoli.
Um... (LAUGHS) ..it's so much better than what I thought it was gonna be.
It's great that you went down that way,
because probably without the chocolate and the apple,
it just would have been quite flat.
Pasta work was awesome.
You know, you said that you've been loving making pasta. It shows.
It's really good. The sauce does need a bit of a lift.
But, like, I would eat that for dinner and be happy with it.
You know? Thank you.
Ooh! Thanks. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yay!
Oh, my God!
All the way down the back, it's Keyma!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
KEYMA: It's an apple and caramel mille-feuille.
MELISSA: I thought your puff was fantastic.
So many lovely layers. Lovely texture as well.
Apple compote, fantastic. I think that you should be really happy.
Christina. (APPLAUSE)
CHRISTINA: Crumbed pork chop with braised cabbage.
JOCK: The pork's nice and thick, beautifully cooked. Gorgeous.
Extra flavour on your crumbs. It's great.
John. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOHN: I've made for you apple tart.
ANDY: I reckon that's your best plate of food yet, for sure.
Thanks, Andy. Matt!
(APPLAUSE)
MATT: Lemon meringue tart. MELISSA: Very, very good tart work.
But the flavour was sublime.
I really liked it. Thanks so much.
MELISSA: Max. MAN: Maxie!
MAX: I've made agnolotti with a zesty ricotta filling
and a oven-roasted tomato dressing.
Bit disappointing for me, mate. MAX: Yep.
With little ingredients, you really have to just push the boat out
on the things that you do have there.
Yep. That sauce has, like, little to no seasoning in it, it tastes like.
Flaws, man.
It looks nice.
It ate very muted and...and dull.
MAX: Sure.
Thank you very much. ANDY: Thanks, Max. Cheers.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's go, Aldo.
Come on, Aldo. Let's do it.
I'm keen to see how this pork is. Yeah.
ANDY: Very keen.
(LAUGHS)
ANDY: Aldo. What's the dish?
It's, um, a classic - cotoletta alla Milanese.
But it normally would be, uh, done with veal. Today, it's pork.
'Cause it was all about pork.
Aldo, let's not beat around the bush, mate.
How do you want the pork cooked?
ALDO: I want the pork cooked my way,
which is all cooked through, Italian-style.
ANDY: Yep. Because you're eating Italian, right?
So...I have done that in my way.
ALDO: It is simple dish, but I hope that simple is enough
to keep myself out of the bottom two.
(EXHALES)
or savour past seasons, at:
Aldo. Do you think you played it safe today?
ALDO: I actually took your advice, guys.
You told me to step back and do classics.
I got a great example behind me, Julie.
With the classics, she gone so far. So...it pays off. Why not?
It's classic.
And it's done so, so well, mate.
You wanted the pork cooked through.
It was cooked through, but it was still nice and juicy.
The salad, it was bright, it was zingy, super-textural.
Loved the little julienne of apple in there,
just gave it some nice sourness and tartness to it.
It's classic, but it's done perfectly.
And for that, we can't complain.
Thank you.
Oh, it's terrible. Take it away from me.
I'm so jealous.
MELISSA: Perfetto.
(LAUGHS) MELISSA: Honestly.
On the plate, that is food that I would be so happy to receive
in any restaurant.
Just the simplicity and the confidence to just put up
a perfect cotoletta, a perfect little salad,
and to know that it is enough,
absolutely amazing.
JOCK: It was delicious. Crumb was fantastic.
I loved your zingy dressing.
You know, it's a 10 out of 10 all day long, mate.
Well done. MAN: Whoo-ee!
Thank you. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(BLOWS KISS)
ANDY: There it is. MELISSA: There it is.
What he said he was gonna do... There it is.
..when he walked in here.
Classics done well. Yeah. That was spankingly good.
And with a bit of passion too.
Next up, Dulan!
(APPLAUSE)
DULAN: I don't think my pork is cooked perfectly.
I don't know if that's gonna...
I'm trying to stay positive, but it's hard. It's really hard.
Hello. Hello.
(SIGHS)
Dulan. What have you made, mate?
So, um, made
char-grilled pork with lightly pickled cabbage underneath,
and it's a apple sauce,
and the cracking crackling crumb.
Look, the pork is just chewy. It's just overcooked.
Oh. JOCK: You know?
I just... I'm gutted for you, because...
..I actually thought towards the end of the cook,
it's, like, hibachi, pork, cabbage.
There was some good stuff going on there.
But what's ended up on the plate is overcooked and too sweet.
OK.
I'm sad for you because...
..the pork is...
..so far from where it needs to be.
Um...
..you need to work if you want to stay.
Yep.
Oh, God. JOCK AND ANDY: Thanks, Dulan.
Thank you. (APPLAUSE)
(SIGHS) The feedback is not good.
(APPLAUSE) Unlucky, brother.
Ta, mate.
All I can think about is that pressure test.
(APPLAUSE) That's alright. All good.
DULAN: But it's not looking good.
Just a bad day. That's alright, mate.
All good. You know.
Ali! (APPLAUSE)
ALI: I have done a pork chop with a burnt cabbage puree
and a cabbage and apple slaw.
Every element displays excellent technique.
I loved it. Thank you.
Mindy! MAN: Go, sister!
MINDY: I've brought you lemon sponge.
I've got a little lemon curd there. I've got lemon segments.
I've got candied lemon peel.
Everything lemon.
It's refreshing, but also, like, kind of luxury dessert,
using just one ingredient from the mystery box - the lemon.
Well done. Thanks, Andy.
Next up, Sarah. (APPLAUSE)
SARAH: Pan-seared pork.
And then I've taken the bones, made a jus and a jammy cabbage.
I really admire you for how much flavour you were able to extract.
I think that jammy cabbage number is really interesting.
Righto, Jenn. What did you cook?
I've made, uh, wontons in tomato oil and broth.
ANDY: You know, dumplings, I... I knew that you'd nail that.
It's a decent plate of food without excelling.
Yes. Next up, Julie!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) MAN: Go, Julie!
JULIE: There's been a lot of positive feedback,
but it takes only one simple mistake to end up in a pressure test.
I don't want that to be me.
Julie. What did you make us?
JULIE: Pasta with tomato sauce.
JOCK: And you had a bit of an advantage,
'cause you're the only person that's come up and done
this mystery box before, technically.
(LAUGHS) Long time ago, but... It WAS a long time ago.
13 years ago. I didn't use any of the same ingredients, so...
Alright. Let's get into it. Shall we?
Julie.
I think your hard work in the tomatoes paid off.
You got a lot of...a lot of good depth of flavour in the sauce.
It's acidic, it's rich and it's sweet all at the same time, which is great.
My problem is the pasta work.
I think you've rolled it a little bit too thin for that dish.
And it's overcooked.
Um...
..that's a worry for me for today - it might see you down the bottom.
Sadly, I agree on the pasta.
It's so fine that it almost just evaporates,
which I don't know that was intentional,
because you really want something
that has a little bit more bite and toothsomeness to it
to take up and balance the tomatoey richness.
Love the tomato sauce.
And I also love the pangrattatos, with the lemon zest in it,
just lifts everything and freshens everything up.
JUDGES: Thanks, Julie. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
JULIE: I'm really happy that they liked the tomato sauce. (LAUGHS)
I put a lot of effort into it.
But I guess without the pasta being right,
it's a fail.
(SIGHS)
I'd like to taste a dish by Alvin, please.
ALVIN: Bringing the dish to the judges, there's a bit of trepidation.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
My concern is that it's a dry noodle dish.
And, you know, with noodles, you usually want some sauce
to whomp it up.
It's a risky dish. I'm not sure how they'll like it.
Alvin. What's your dish, please?
Well, I call this dish This Little Piggy Went to Market.
It's really an ode to, um, sweet sticky pork.
There's pickled cabbage, there's some homemade noodles,
and I added some apples and tomatoes there
to sort of cut through the sweetness
and give it a bit of freshness as well.
So they're things that I...like, that shouldn't really go together,
but it works for me.
JOCK: Is it just me or are these under?
Hm?
These are... have you got raw noodles?
I definitely do.
They're a little bit doughy.
Alvin, the noodles are...
..doughy.
Like, the texture feels under to me.
And I'm...I just wouldn't have expected that from you, because...
..it's you and it's noodles.
I love where you were going with it, but, yeah,
I don't think this has come together the way that
you or I had hoped today.
I'm sorry.
JOCK: Alvin.
A dish that's sort of unbalanced
and...and now doughy noodles, it's gonna see you down the bottom.
Yep. JOCK: Thanks, mate.
ALVIN: Thank you. ANDY: Thanks, Alvin.
(APPLAUSE)
(LAUGHS) I'm in trouble.
Mel calling Mel! (APPLAUSE)
(LAUGHS)
Look at the smile on your face. (LAUGHS)
Melanie. What's the dish, please?
These are gluten-free lemon meringue choux au craquelin.
MELISSA: You have to be happy with that.
I'm pretty happy, yes. (LAUGHS)
I think we should crack into it. Yes, please.
'Cause they look too gorgeous to stand on ceremony.
ANDY: I want to see what's going on on the inside.
Oh! Yeah. There's a fair bit going on in there.
Melanie. MELANIE: Yep.
I have pretty high expectations on a choux, uh, attempt.
I must say, I've never been more disappointed.
Not to have more than one.
Oh, God.
Like... (LAUGHS) ..one?!
What are you doing?! Why you do me like this?
Like...if you're gonna...if you're gonna make something that good...
Nice one. ..bring us more of them.
Like, one isn't enough!
Everything about that was delicious.
The sugary crust on the top was crunchy and beautiful.
The meringue on the top is brilliant.
The curds are sharp and delicious.
The choux itself is light in the pastry.
And you know what? It is a gluten-free version as well.
You have excelled.
This, undoubtedly, will be in the top of the pack today.
Well done. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Thanks, Jock.
That...
..is a 10 out of 10.
Like, that is a 10 out of 10. You cannot get any better than that.
Good stuff, Melanie. I'm so happy for you.
JOCK: Well done, Melanie.
(APPLAUSE) Thanks, guys.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Oh, we should have had a scorecard.
(ANDY LAUGHS) "10!"
Do it, girlfriend! CONTESTANTS: Yeah!
Whoo-hoo!
MELANIE: I'm overwhelmed by the feedback from the judges.
Like, I wanted them to enjoy it,
but I didn't realise that they would love it
as much as they apparently do, so I'm over the moon.
(LAUGHS AND SIGHS)
(SNIFFS)
This morning, we all jumped in a time machine,
took you back to season one and the very first ever mystery box.
We asked you to turn those nostalgic ingredients
into a delicious dish today.
The best two, one from each team,
are about to win an express pass to Thursday's immunity challenge.
There were a couple of contenders for the prize today as well.
But the best dish from the Favourites...
..belonged to...
..Aldo.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Whoo!
How does it feel, mate?
It's feeling great. (LAUGHTER)
I don't know if there are any other words.
I've never been up for immunity in my season, so...
..feeling overwhelming.
The best dish of the Fans...
..belonged to...
..Melanie.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE AND LAUGHTER)
Look at you!
Melanie! Straight into Thursday's immunity challenge.
That must feel pretty good.
Yeah. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHTER)
Yeah, it feels really good.
Good chat. (LAUGHTER)
JOCK: That is it.
Now for the not-so-good news.
The cooks of the bottom two dishes from each team,
they're heading into tomorrow's pressure test,
and they are...
..for the Fans...
..Dulan...
..and...
..Max.
And for the Favourites...
..it's Alvin...
(CONTESTANT SIGHS)
..and Julie.
What the...?
Mmm.
You got this.
Dulan, Max,
Alvin and Julie,
don't be disheartened.
Put today's cook behind you.
You need to be ready for whatever pressure test
walks through those doors tomorrow.
We'll see you all then.
VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia...
If Adriano Zumbo walks through there,
I'm gonna flip a table and leave, OK?
It's Julie and Alvin's worst nightmare.
Adriano Zumbo!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) No!
ALVIN: Adriano Zumbo sent me home 12 years ago,
and I will be damned if he sends me home again.
Who will survive his toughest pressure test yet?
And who will be sent packing?
Captions by Red Bee Media