NARRATOR: Previously on MKR.
The competition is on.
(CHEERING) In Kitchen HQ...
Survival depends on this dish.
..five teams battled it out...
Looking good.
..for the remaining two semi-final spots.
After a tough fight... Oh.
Come on.
We are backing ourselves in.
..two teams rose above the competition.
(CHEERING)
We're through to the semi-final.
Tonight, it's the semi-final...
Two teams progress to the grand final.
..with Tommy and Rach.
We wanna make it all the way to the grand final.
We have the strength to do it.
We have the focus to do it.
..and Nick and Christian...
We are now the team that has cooked the most
in this competition.
We have earned our spot in this semi-final.
..against round one and two winners,
Radha and Prabha...
We've been watching MKR since we were 13 years old.
It's a dream come true.
We've gotta have everything on the plate tonight.
..and Sonia and Marcus.
We've been focused on the grand final since day one.
The only thing standing in between us
and $100,000 is three teams.
Joining the judges again,
international superstar and queen of home cooking,
Nigella Lawson.
I'm astonished, in a very good way.
As the teams fight...
I don't need any distractions right now.
Oh. Hey.
Stay focused.
..to stay in the race...
If this isn't perfect, then we're going home.
..to be crowned this year's MKR champions.
The first team through to the grand final is...
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
I think we've been focused on the grand final since day one.
We're ready, we're prepared
and the only thing standing in between us
and $100,000 is three teams.
MANU: How are we? Good.
Hello, hello.
We're cooking for two of the best chefs
in the country
and Nigella Lawson.
First time cooking at Kitchen HQ.
We're strapping ourselves in for a very big ride tonight.
As the final four, the stakes were higher.
The judges meant business.
It was game on.
Teams, welcome to Kitchen headquarters
and the MKR semi-final.
Well done to you all.
You are now just one step from the grand final.
How's everyone feeling tonight?
Fantastic. Did you sleep well?
Sure did. Yes.
Full of energy? MALE: Yes.
I really, I cannot wait to eat your food today,
very exciting.
Radha, Prabha, Sonia and Marcus.
You were victorious in your instant restaurants
and that's what got you here today.
And the thing is, you know, however you got here,
all four teams really deserve your place.
And now you've just got to show you deserve to go further.
Being so close to the grand final,
tonight we're testing it
with something exciting and familiar.
The familiar is something you've been doing for years,
creating an amazing three course meal.
A main and a dessert of course
but for exciting,
instead of a traditional entree,
we are asking
for a one bite canape or amuse-bouche.
Wow.
We're Indians, we're not French.
What is an amuse-bouche?
As Manu will corroborate,
so many of our cooking terms are French
and amuse-bouche, amuse,
you can work it out bouche, mouth.
What we're looking for is one single bite of joy.
Wow.
I don't know many people that would've cooked a amuse-bouche
for their friends and family out at home.
That's a step up.
What you cook is your choice
and it better be bloody amazing
because for one team,
just one bite...
..will send you home.
(GASPS) Oh.
The team with the weakest canape or amuse-bouche...
..will be eliminated...
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
..all over in one bite.
Wow.
Oui, oui, my friends. Oui, oui.
Not amused now, are you?
(CHUCKLES)
The competition has gone right up.
So, you've gotta get everything you want on that one bite.
It's gotta be manageable,
you've got to be able to deliver it in that size.
The remaining three teams
will then create their mains and desserts.
At the end of the night,
the two teams with the best three course meal
will be going through to the grand final.
And the third team...
..will be eliminated.
Bring it on. Yes.
We've gotten through the most amount of eliminations
out of the competition so far,
so what's a couple more?
I like it.
I'm keen to meet you in the grand final.
(LAUGHTER)
RACH: Oh, wow.
Teams, your kitchens are waiting for you
to create your one bite wonder.
And the storeroom is packed with everything
you possibly need.
Good luck to you all.
Head to your benches,
put your aprons on
and your time starts now.
MALE: Let's go to the back. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
FEMALE: Oh. (BEEPING)
This is for you, Mum.
Amuse-bouche, do you reckon we'll amuse-bouche the judges?
Amuse my bouche.
Ooh-la-la.
Right. So amuse-bouche, one bite.
Someone's going home after the canape.
Yep. We're backing ourselves in.
We're acting like that's gonna be perfect.
It's gotta be like a nice, like refreshing hit.
Yep.
Honey, I shrunk the kids
but honey, I shrunk the seekh kebab.
OK.
Salmon tartare. With taramasalata?
Done. Yeah.
Alright, Mum, I'm gonna go get the stuff.
Alright. CHRISTIAN: Go, yeah, go, go.
Basket.
RADHA: For the amuse-bouche,
we are making seekh kebab with mint yoghurt and roti.
Pomegranate.
This idea came from our dad,
he used to like these type of, you know, meaty entrees.
Hi-ya.
So, we wanted to showcase what our dad liked to eat...
Woo-hoo.
..but they're smaller.
I'm just getting the spices ready... Yep.
..for the seekh kabab mince.
We were hoping for a flavour explosion
with the spices and the heat.
Alright, I'm putting this much in,
remember we're putting fresh green chillies,
so it's gonna get more spicy. Yeah.
We're trying to do something very different,
an Indian amuse-bouche.
We're just hoping that our little hands
can actually do the little job.
RACH: Radha and Prabha, how you going?
As much as I love talking to the other team members,
not now.
I don't need any distractions right now.
Oh, under pressure, are you? Hey.
We're not. Whoop-whoop.
There was no small talk.
This was pure semi-final, round one, game time
and things are getting hot in the kitchen already.
I need a slightly bigger knife, I think.
Woo. Beautiful, alright.
Yeah so, I'm cutting up the pancetta.
We're gonna use some of it in the mushroom.
The amuse-bouche, we are doing a stuffed mushroom
that's crispy with a little lemon butter.
So, the mushrooms are gonna be cooked in one batch.
I'm gonna mix up the... Yep.
..the paste. Yep.
We'll taste that together and then chuck them into the oven.
Yep.
This is a dish that we cook for our friends.
It's the thing that you pick up, you put it in your mouth
and you're like, "It's simple but it's yum."
I really don't wanna go home on this damn amuse-bouche.
No.
Tommy and Rach are starting with a stuffed mushroom.
You know there's an old saying,
life is too short to stuff a mushroom.
Really, it is.
We're going to the grand final. I know.
There's not even a question about it.
How's your amuse booty going over there?
Bloody beautiful. Yeah?
How's your booty going over there?
Pretty good. Shaking.
Woo.
We're competing against Tommy and Rach today.
The Juliet to your Romeo.
This salmon looks absolutely brilliant.
So, what I'm thinking for this,
I'm just gonna take the top part here.
Yep. I'm gonna skin it.
It's the fattiest bit, it's got the nicest flavour to it
and I'm just gonna dice it up, dress it in white soy.
Yep. And a little bit of lemon.
Love it.
For our amuse-bouche today,
we are gonna be serving a salmon tartare with tarama.
So this salmon, we want it to be that beautiful,
delicate sort of tartare.
It has to be the perfect bite.
We need trumpets blaring, angels singing,
clouds partying, rivers moving,
that is what this amuse-bouche needs to be.
We know how much of a hit that kangaroo tartare was.
Yeah.
Let's do it with some amazing Tasmanian salmon.
I'm feeling pretty good, Nicko.
Nick and Christian are doing a salmon tartare with tarama.
See, I worry a bit there about texture.
Yeah, salmon is a fatty, soft kind of fish
when it's cut in tartare.
Yeah, I know, there is something a teeny bit
1970s cocktail party
about that combination.
MALE: So we're good then.
NICK: So, I'm just gonna go 200, 200?
CHRISTIAN: Yep.
Was it 200 or 300, Nick, or 400?
200. Or 500?
200, 200.
(BEEPING)
We have our plan, we know what we need to do.
It's, yeah, the chips for the entree need to be thick
and not too big like this,
these are too big.
We want it to be able to fit in one bite,
so I'm gonna be very smart about how I chop these potatoes up.
For our canape today,
we're doing scallops on potato crisps with pea puree.
It's about that. Yeah, that's good.
Yeah? That looks good to me.
The thing is you want them to be crispy.
Try get them into the salted water
as soon as you can, Marcus,
'cause they're going to start to go dark.
Reason we chose this recipe, you're serving something luscious,
like a scallop
on something really humble and hearty like a chip.
It's a fun bite.
I think these are the right size, they're all just about a mouthful.
The difference between our first attempt
with the cooking
and our second attempt, was the teamwork.
And they'll shrivel up a little bit when they cook.
They'll shrivel up when they fry, so they won't be too big,
which is what I'm confident about.
The key here was that it's one bite.
The teamwork is what helped us really shine in round two,
if we can pull that through today, no one can beat us.
This is gonna amuse my bouche more than anything.
Well you're an amuse douche.
Alright, Mum, potatoes are officially dry.
I love the fact that Sonia and Marcus
are still here in the competition.
When they cook for us the first time,
Marcus was very confident
and then the communication start to break down in the kitchen
and now they're showing that they've matured.
Yeah. They know what to do
and it's nice to see the change in their team.
COLIN: They've taken on all the criticisms
and they've moved on.
Just keep hustling, Prabha, we've got about 36 minutes left.
PRABHA: Right, yeah.
And I'm gonna make the roti like Mum taught us, OK?
We need to get those mini, mini rotis out
straight away.
Here, I'm softening the dough now.
Just think of the competition and just smash that dough.
So, Radha and Prabha are doing a seekh kebab
with minted yoghurt and a little roti.
Sounds like it packs a punch already.
Yeah, but I can't imagine this as a small thing...
No, I know. ..like a small roti.
Make little, teeny, teeny, like, you know, doll's house size.
Are you trying to beat out your nerves
of being back in the kitchen over there?
I'm imagining you, Christian.
That dough and your head, similar resemblance right now.
All of these sentimental dishes we're putting up
are part of our family that we're putting up right now.
OK, can I touch the dough?
Perfect.
It's soft, it's what Mum would like
'cause she's taught me exactly how to make roti.
We need to get those taste testers done.
We've always made seekh kebab in normal plate size,
never amuse-bouche size.
So, the challenge here is to really shrink that
into just one bite
and to be able to do that, the balance of flavours does change.
I haven't actually prepared any sort of garnish
at this stage yet.
That's OK
because that's what I'm going to do, OK?
Hello, there. I'm sorry.
I don't mean to interrupt you. Hi.
Hello, Nigella. We're just doing a taste tester.
Yes. I'd expect no less at this stage.
Prabha, can you just get me a plate or something?
I'm just gonna take these out so they can rest.
Do you want to actually taste it and see if the seasoning is right?
You seem very determined.
Quiet, quietly determined...
Yeah. ..you two.
We have enough time to get some taste tester going.
Right, are you happy with it?
I personally am very happy with that.
Prabha, are you happy with that?
Nigella grabs one and tastes it.
Oh, my goodness.
It's not like eating food normally
when you need flavours to build over time
because it's this one bite.
Is that like a nod for approval
or is that like, "Oh, that's not good enough."
We don't know.
I'm gonna not get into your way anymore.
That's, OK, thank you so much for visiting, Nigella, we love you.
Thank you for visiting,
it's an absolute honour and privilege.
See you. I ate a chilli while she was here.
Oh, snap.
Prabha. How did you maintain your cool
while... It's Nigella Lawson.
(BEEPING)
I just got my onion water here, Christian...
CHRISTIAN: Yep. ..for the taramasalata.
That's gonna go on top of the salmon.
Taramasalata, it's one of my favourite dips
growing up. It's so good.
It's a Greek dip made out of... BOTH: cod roe.
I'm gonna use a whole can. Sweet as.
We've got fish three different ways for the amuse-bouche.
And I'm gonna balance this out.
I trust you.
The balancing of each fish component to this dish
is the key to balancing the flavours.
I wanna do the Greeks proud with this one.
Christian, have a taste.
Needs a bit more lemon... Yep.
..to help even out that onion.
I'm liking where we're at, at this moment.
We've got a lot of elements done.
So, I'm just gonna do a small pita bread for today.
Yep.
The biggest concern for our amuse-bouche today
is making sure that the pita doesn't lose its integrity.
I mean, it is the basis for the entire dish.
Alright, this pita bread's feeling good,
it's all come together.
If this isn't perfect, then we're going home.
I'll cut out both sizes and we can make a decision.
Cool. That sounds like a plan.
Yeah.
Nick and Christian are working very well.
I think they're very focused, very on point
and they really want to win this whole competition.
How are you going, Christian?
Yeah, I'm all good, mate.
Just getting rid of the last little bit of this,
of the bloodline through the salmon.
Yeah. That I sort of missed
in my haste to get it ready.
RACH: Amazing, you're doing great, babe.
Keep pushing. TOMMY: Thank you.
Feeling the pressure. Pressure's on, you know.
Pressure's on, like. That's plenty, I reckon, babe.
Do you think that's enough? Yeah, garlic's so strong.
Let's not overpower it
and it's such a tiny little bite.
Head chefy for the amuse-bouche, is definitely Tommy boy.
I've just cooked off this lemon thyme
and this garlic.
The filling of the mushroom is truffle, garlic and...
BOTH: Cheddar.
The goat's cheese
and it should be an explosion of all those flavours.
Oh, it's looking very creamy,
and a little bit more truffle paste.
I think the truffle's fine, babe.
Then they just need to be done
because otherwise we're just never gonna have time.
(BEEPING)
Tommy and Rachel, how are we?
Good, getting there. Stuffed mushrooms.
So, what's going on? What's in this.
So, in this we have bacon, pancetta
and we have goat's cheese and garlic.
And then what, you crumb it and you fry it?
Yeah, we crumb it and then we bake it.
And then deep...
You bake it? Yes.
Oh, so you put the crumbs on top. Yes.
Baking them in the oven, the mushroom will shrivel up.
Yeah, we make, we make this for our mates and we love it.
Perhaps we could deep fry it to make the mushroom crunchy.
But Tom and I have made this recipe so many times before
that we felt confident
that it was gonna turn out how we planned.
That's what we're doing.
I've got my family and my friends in my heart.
Yeah, well, you might be seeing your family and your friends
a lot quicker.
Do you know what I mean? Colin, that's OK.
Do you know what I mean? That's OK, that's OK.
You might be having a red wine
with your family and friends tonight,
that's what I'm saying. No, don't get in our head.
Don't I get in our head.
Oh, you're not really listening to me, are you?
Rach is not listening. She's blocked Colin out.
Alright, see you later. Bye.
Don't get me wrong.
We don't think that we're any class above Colin.
We are just trying to do the best that we can
with the time and the skills that we have.
Right, here's the alarm bells, the mushroom,
if they're baking them in the oven,
the mushroom will shrivel up underneath.
And all the breadcrumbs will just go to bottom.
And they're gonna lose all that moisture.
So, they're not deep frying? No, they're baking them.
RACH: I'm nervous.
I don't wanna disappoint you judges
but you just gotta stay true to yourself.
15 minutes to go! Come on, hustle.
TOMMY: Alright, so I'm dipping these mushies
in a panko crumb here
and hopefully this panko crumb goes nice and crispy on the top.
OK, so, Mum, I'm gonna get going on the pea puree for the canape.
You get going on the chips.
Sonia and Marcus have got a scallop on a potato crisp and pea puree.
A fish and chips with mushy peas.
Yes, it is. A little posh take on it.
SONIA: I'm just going to do a few at a time, not too many.
You need it to be crunchy, Mum.
So our fate of the competition comes down to one bite.
I know that this recipe is good if we can execute it in time.
One bite sends you home, one bite.
Not one dish, one bite.
(BEEPING)
OK, Mum, we have 12 minutes.
I'm gonna add the peas now
and just cook them down a little bit,
so they're gonna cook through.
Remember you have to hold some back,
don't puree them all. Yep.
PRABHA: I've got four ready to go.
OK, I'm making about ten to 12.
We've got the main elements ready.
We've got the mint yoghurt sauce done.
Prabha's about to finish working that dough.
We've done a bit of the taste tester
of the seekh kebab
but that still needs to get on the pan, cooking.
Do not want us to be eliminated because of this one bite.
We want to give them everything that we've been taught
and we wanna do it well.
RACH: How are your mushies doing? TOMMY: Good.
They're looking alright.
Gotta make sure that the stuffed mushrooms
are in the oven for the right amount of time
in order to get the panko crumbs crisp on top.
I reckon they're about good, Rach, what are your thoughts?
(GASPS)
Everything is riding on this amuse-bouche.
They look gorge. Alright.
Try the shittest one. That's shit, isn't it?
Yeah, that is shit.
Thoughts and feelings?
Would I go back for more? Absolutely.
Start doing your final tasting
'cause you've only got seven minutes.
Those need to be crispier.
They're not crispy enough.
I'm feeling like we've messed up some of these potatoes.
That's too brown.
Too dark? Too dark.
OK.
I started to panic a little bit.
I'm trying to keep a straight face so that I can stay focused.
Mm, it needs more seasoning. Yep.
But I couldn't help
but focus from the chips to the peas,
to the pancetta that wasn't cooked,
to the scallops that hadn't been cooked either.
Did you add lemon to this in the end, Mum?
No, no. I've, we cut it but it's not added.
We've cut it very fine.
There is literally like next to no time left
on the clock.
Once that pancetta's done, it's pretty much go time.
Yep. So, which pan is hot enough?
'Cause I need butter, then I need tongs, we'll sear them.
NIGELLA: Well, go and get them. Your mother's doing something.
Listen to the lady.
You just got time to do now.
This is not good.
Take it off, put it there and get out of here, please.
It's getting too hot.
Coming up, a small plate...
Are we going to be blown away?
..with big stakes...
Oh. (CLEARS THROAT)
..will send one team home.
Has all of our work just been undone by one bite?
Then later...
The first team to make it through
to the grand final is...
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(BEEPING)
We've got four teams,
this is the one bite, amuse-bouche challenge,
after this challenge,
one team is going home.
MARCUS: We just need to do the scallops now, Mum.
SONIA: Yes.
We haven't cooked our scallops and there's like, six minutes to go.
Yeah, that's barely enough time to plate these things properly.
We wanna make sure that the scallops got a good sear on it, Mum.
NIGELLA: Right, you need them all done now.
The scallops take about two minutes to cook
but that leaves us with literally next to no time
to assemble a dainty, pretty chip.
Marcus has got butter in the scallop pan.
Yeah. MANU: Ooh.
That's a big portion for one mouthful.
Marcus, if they're too big for a crisp,
rethink how you serve them.
Mum, I think there's a slight chance we might need to cut them in half.
Just keep pushing. SONIA: OK.
So, I'm cooking up the scallops and they are simply just too big.
The judges had said it needs to fit in someone's mouth.
MANU: Teams, you don't have long left,
you've got five minutes.
Start from the right. Alright,
I'm gonna dress the salmon first.
This is everything that they ask for,
it's playful, it's fun. Yeah.
Our amuse-bouche is a rich, luscious bite.
NIGELLA: Now, everyone, it'll take longer to plate up
than you think, with a canape.
(BEEPING)
Alright, let's go now. Alright, let's go.
PRABHA: Consistency is key, alright? RADHA: Yeah, I'll take it off now.
Alright, you're happy with that? Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect.
Alright, let's do this. I've had a good 90% idea
of visually of how we were going to present this dish.
Alright, I'm putting a dollop
of that nice, yummy, mint yoghurt sauce.
And then we're gonna have that seekh kebab on top of it.
And then we've got garnish to think about.
If we don't piece it together, the onion will actually move off.
If this is our last cook
and if we're ending up going home tonight
on the seekh kebab,
then we're leaving with no regrets today.
Have you tasted everything altogether over there?
Yes. You look happy, that's good.
MANU: Chop-chop.
I think there's a slight chance, Mum,
that the scallops might be a bit big for one bite,
so we can cut them in half...
SONIA: Yep. ..serve them as halves.
OK.
If you serve something that's more than one bite,
you're gone instantly.
It doesn't even matter if it tastes good.
Right, now, so there's the scallop.
TOMMY: What's the time at, Rach?
Three minutes and 30 seconds.
Do you need a hand?
You know it's a humble mushroom
but it seriously delivers
and we wanna make it all the way to the grand final.
This one looks good, this one looks good.
Grab the crispiest ones. SONIA: Yep.
I'll do some lemon at the end.
Two minutes, guys and then someone is going home.
So, come on.
We're gonna mint yoghurt sauces like a production line.
OK. I'm gonna feed a family of mice.
Nick and Christian, have you tasted one?
CHRISTIAN: We've tasted two. Happy?
Very. Good.
This is crazy that we're cooking a dish
for Nigella.
Chervil.
Alright, that's it. You've got 60 seconds left.
One minute.
Oh, I love a push. I love it.
No, no, that's OK. Prabha, Prabha,
you need to calm down, OK?
After this Christian,
it is a one in three chance
of being MKR champions.
MARCUS: Go, go, go, go, go, go. COLIN: Here we go.
30 seconds left on the clock!
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. PRABHA: Alright, got it.
Oh, I'm so happy, Tom. They're cooked perfectly.
They're absolutely morish.
COLIN: Come on.
(BEEPING)
SONIA: No, no peas.
MANU, COLIN AND NIGELLA: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one.
Your hands up. MANU: That's it.
Move away from your benches.
COLIN: Move away.
(LAUGHS) RACH: We did it.
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
MARCUS: That was so stressful. Holy god.
We did it. (LAUGHTER)
RACH: Proud of you.
Well done, teams.
Thank you for your efforts.
And now we'll taste your dishes.
Thanks, guys.
I am so looking forward to trying all four canapes
but I am absolutely dreading
having to send one team home.
Sonia and Marcus, please bring them your canapes.
OK, Mum, let's do it.
I was rattled by that last little bit of cooking.
Thank you.
And I'm not sure if we're going home or not.
It was down to the wire, wasn't it?
I'm a little bit disappointed with the plating
but hopefully the flavour balance is enough.
We shall see.
Remember, one bite.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES)
Sonia and Marcus,
is this enough to get you through to the next round?
I think we've just scraped through.
Thank you.
The first impression that we've given Nigella of our food
was that chip could have been crisper.
MARCUS: I hope that, that doesn't send us home.
Nick and Christian,
can you please bring your salmon tartare?
NICK: The thing that I love about this amuse-bouche,
it's combining two of our strengths,
our tartare and our pita bread.
Are you guys happy?
Yes, chef. Yeah, yes.
Happy with all the textures?
Yep. Yep.
Very confident, boys.
Yeah. Yep.
Well, let's hope you've taken on all our advice.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Something's wrong.
I don't like how long it's taken Manu
to pick up our amuse-bouche.
(SLOW PACED INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
I was happy but now I'm starting to worry.
Thank you.
Has all of our work in this competition
just been undone by one bite?
OK, Tommy and Rach, you're up.
Let's go.
There's a lot riding on this one little bite.
Thank you.
Oh, my gosh, I was petrified.
Teamwork, how did it work today? Was it strong?
It was strong. Very proud of us.
We're here for the long run.
Let's hope your stuffed mushroom is enough
to keep you in the competition.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
I was sort of worried that we haven't done
enough technical elements
to keep us on par with everyone else's.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
My concern is that the simplicity of the single mushroom
may not have been enough.
Thanks, guys. You can head back to your bench.
Thank you. Thank you.
Radha and Prabha,
can you please bring your amuse-bouche, thank you.
RADHA: We were very happy with how everything was tasting.
For me, it was definitely spicy.
Thank you.
But would they think that that's too spicy for one bite?
Are we going to be blown away?
Are our socks gonna be knocked off?
If you're wearing them,
we're hoping that they'll be knocked off.
Let's see.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CONTINUES)
My heart is beating very loudly.
PRABHA: I see Manu, the chili's hit him.
(CLEARS THROAT)
We don't want our chilli to be so spicy
that it just ruins their palate.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Do you reckon everything's balanced on this dish?
When we tried it,
we believed everything was in harmony and balance.
Which is why we're mildly confident
to serve that to you today.
Mildly.
You think this is mild?
No. On heat, heat wise, no.
Thank you.
This dish could send us home right now.
Yeah.
Have to survive the canape
'cause the grand final is where we wanna go.
This one bite of food will determine our fate
in this competition.
We want this. We wanna win.
Nice to put on that crown. Yeah.
Teams, what we saw in your kitchens
was exactly what we wanted to see.
You each gave us a different sort of canape,
done as well as it can be.
Sadly for one team, that won't be enough.
Because that one bite that you served us
is about to send you home.
Radha and Prabha,
you gave us seekh kebab
with mint yoghurt and roti.
I think you understood the challenge,
you packed a lot into a very little mouthful.
The chilli was a little bit of a surprise.
I think it was a mouthful of explosions of flavours.
Flavour, joy and memories and that's what your canape gave me.
Well done.
I was really happy.
It has definitely sparked a hope in both of us
that we potentially could take out the title of MKR.
Yeah.
Sonia and Marcus,
scallop on potato crisp with pea puree.
The combination of flavours, yum.
The crisp of the potato?
Not so crispy.
I'm glad you actually cut the scallop in half
because I was wondering
how we were gonna fit that rather large scallop
into our mouths.
Thank you. Thank you.
The flavours were right,
yes, the chips could have been a bit more crispy
but we knew that.
Right, Nick and Christian,
you gave us your little pitas
with salmon tartare and taramasalata.
Boys, the texture was very tacky,
you couldn't really tell where the salmon ended
and the tarama began
because it becomes one.
You've got to think about texture more.
The flavours are on point
but we're dropping the ball on the texture
and this is the wrong day to be missing the texture.
(EXHALES DEEPLY) It does not feel good.
There's a high possibility that we are not making it
through this first elimination.
Tommy and Rach, your stuffed mushroom,
very nostalgic,
brought me back to the '70s.
The goat's cheese and mushroom work well,
you had the crumb
but I would've liked the mushroom totally crumbed and deep fried
for that crunch.
You chose something which sounds terribly simple
but it's actually very, very hard to get right
because when you bake a mushroom,
you can't get it crunchy.
Thank you. Thank you.
We've made this dish time and time again
and it's flawless.
So, there was a part of me that was definitely...
..a little bit taken back
to hear that feedback.
It's been lovely getting to know you all
but unfortunately, we have got a verdict to deliver.
Right now, it's either Tommy and Rach or us.
One of us is going home.
After some considerations,
the team that we all believe fell just behind the others...
..was...
It's the first elimination of the semi-final
and one team is about to be sent home.
Going head to head with Nick and Christian,
I could feel my heart beating in my throat.
We would love to see them succeed
but we wanna stay in the competition too.
I'm sick in the gut
waiting to hear which team is going home
'cause it's either us or Tommy and Rach.
And I would hate to see them go.
But you know what, I'd prefer for us to stay.
It's been lovely getting to know you all
but unfortunately,
we have got a verdict to deliver.
The team that we all believe fell just behind the others was...
..Tommy and Rach.
(SLOW PACED MUSIC)
I was really disappointed.
But ultimately,
I just felt an overwhelming sense of pride
that we had made it this far.
How are you guys feeling?
Disappointed but grateful.
Very grateful.
It's been a joy to have you both in the MKR kitchen.
You've been a breath of fresh air
but unfortunately,
your time in this competition has come.
Au revoir and good luck.
(APPLAUSE) Thank you.
The competition has been amazing.
We had highs, we had lows, we've had everything in between.
Well done.
NICK: I'm missing Rach already.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Teams, look at yourselves,
top three, well done.
Top three, Mum.
We're on a podium, no matter what now.
Bronze medal, silver medal, gold medal.
Right, so there are two courses left to be cooked
and two spots in the grand finale up for grabs.
We get to showcase our main and our dessert.
We get to cook more for Nigella.
Teams, you've one hour to serve your mains
and your time starts now.
(BEEP)
Firstly, OK. We made it.
We survived.
It's time for the cotoletta with tonnato,
I don't wanna cut this thin.
Main, main, OK. We're doing...
The chilli masala crab.
With the rice and a cucumber and onion salad.
Ox tongue, tuna gribiche. Yeah.
What we know now, we need texture.
For main course,
we are serving ox tongue
with tuna gribiche.
My favourite thing about using something like ox tongue,
it's gonna show off what we know about food.
Alright, so if you get started on the spuds,
I'm gonna get started straight away on getting the ox tongue ready.
Yep.
So, usually with ox tongue,
you'd be looking at braising it for a couple of hours.
I don't have a couple of hours.
I've got a matter of minutes.
So, this step for the tongue
is the pressure cook,
couldn't be more fitting for today.
So, I'm putting these ox tongues for the main course
into a pressure cooker and get them braising.
We're gonna go high pressure
because that's gonna cut down our cooking time.
Yep.
This is a really chefy dish.
Cooking and serving something to the judges,
that they eat and cook a lot of themselves...
(EXHALES DEEPLY)
..it's nerve wracking.
Everybody's gonna be under pressure soon.
I don't know how that tongue is gonna get cooked in time.
Under pressure.
I know. Even that, even so.
Have you ever cooked a tongue in a pressure cooker,
will it explode? No, I don't know.
I like to see what's going on in the pot.
I know, I know. I don't like being left out.
(BEEPING)
This is for the rice. Go put it on there.
For the main course,
we're making a chilli masala crab with rice and cucumber
and onion salad.
I'm just gonna start working on getting the spices ready,
OK? PRABHA: Go for it.
This is a very important dish
because this is a dish Mum has entrusted
with a beautiful recipe.
I really need this to work.
If we don't do this dish well we're letting Mum's flavours down,
we're letting her stories down,
we're letting Dad down,
you know, there's so much things riding on this chilli masala crab
that there is no other option but to do it well.
OK, rice is going in on the 46th minute.
OK? OK.
That chilli masala crab sauce is so rich and spicy.
It's very important to balance the flavours
of this right now,
for... (COUGHS)
..for the main, because essentially,
it will either make or break the dish.
(COUGHS)
Oh, the chillies are starting to get to me now.
Yep.
So, Radha and Prabha have got a chilli masala crab.
Can you just smell the curry leaves that are getting fried?
Yes. Mm.
Yes. Stunning.
RADHA: Alright, I need this to cook.
I think they are very strategic cooks
because if they get that sauce for the curry, right now,
they don't have to do anything else to it.
The rest is just, yeah.
And then all they're doing is letting the crab cook
in the, you know, gently in the heat of the sauce.
They are the secret assassins of flavour.
(BEEPING)
OK, so, Mum, my batter for the pork is done.
I'm about to coat them.
I'm just bashing them a little thinner
so they cook a little bit more evenly and consistently.
For the main, we are cooking, pork cotoletta tonnato
with fennel salad.
Now, Mum, what do you think
of the fact that we're serving a schnitzel
in a semi-final?
Well, it's a cotoletta actually
and... Very similar.
Very, very similar
but I think it seems humble but it is...
Full of flavour and it's very us, Mum.
A pork cotoletta is just a schnitzel,
jazzed up Italian style, that's it.
Schnitzel was one of my favourite dishes to eat.
Like, I love it.
So we've been able to soup this recipe up
and make it full of flavour.
I think it's,
particularly with that sauce, gonna be very well received.
Pork is prepped, crumbed, ready to fry.
So Mum, I'm gonna crack up the egg
and make the mayonnaise for the tonnato, Mum.
A tonnato sauce,
which is a rich, smooth, creamy tuna sauce.
We sometimes just use it as a dip.
I'm about to blend up all the ingredients
for the tonnato sauce.
I think it might a bit more tuna.
How do you feel, Mum?
We just need to stay focused.
Well, we learned in the last cook
that time management is massively important.
And I'll start frying soon,
but I was hoping we'd have more of this salad done.
We just gotta work a little bit faster, I think.
Alright, I'm just gonna stir this.
I need to taste this. Yep.
Taste everything.
Mm, can you taste that?
That's good, isn't it?
Bit of jaggery for that curry.
Yeah, we'll have some jaggery in here,
but I need the crab.
The crab. (RADHA COUGHS)
And I can now feel the heat in my throat.
The masala was definitely spicy.
It kicks you right straight in the throat.
OK, now put it in.
Put it in. Put it in.
Alright, let's pop it in now.
Radha and Prabha, they're using blue swimmer crab,
which is an absolutely amazing, amazing seafood in Australia.
I'm looking forward to that.
But... COLIN: It's gonna get messy.
It's gonna get messy. Sorry.
(LAUGHS)
It cooks very quickly.
So, if you leave it in the curry for too long,
it could just disintegrate. Yeah, yeah.
Last minute. Yeah.
Go get the coconut cream, put the lid on that.
I've got your jaggery happening.
I'm not sure how much jaggery you need,
so I'm giving you as much as I can, OK?
That's enough.
Jaggery is basically cane sugar,
and it just adds that level of sweetness
like sugar can't.
OK, great.
The thing that Mum told us about the crab
is that it needs to rest, OK?
And that's literally the last element
to cooking this crab.
But I need to keep the lid on it.
The chilli masala crab...
..is all dependent on the spices and the balance of it,
and then being infused into the crab during the resting time.
And so it literally can make or break this dish at this point.
At this stage,
I am literally holding my breath right now.
Teams, that's it, you've got 30 minutes left.
And right now, all I can hear in the back of my head,
is Mum telling us to hurry the hell up.
(PRABHA LAUGHS) CHRISTIAN: Halfway through.
We're looking pretty good right now, Nico.
NICK: Yes, we are.
MARCUS: Let's do it, Mum.
I gotta work fast, gotta work fast.
So half the time it's gone.
Do we put all our effort into this course now,
or worry about later on?
NIGELLA: See there's dessert and the main course.
There so much work
that you've gotta be clever how you organise yourself.
Alright, we're gonna start on dessert right now
and we've gotta put that in the fridge
and let that set, OK?
Which cream did you use?
It was this one.
For dessert, we are serving
our rosewater and cardamom panna cotta
with a pistachio crumb.
Two cups, yes?
Yes, yes, two cups of heavy cream.
It's a dessert that I have concocted myself,
and it's a fusion dessert.
It's a western panna cotta, but with some Indian flavours.
I've got this much cardamom.
All of bit? Yeah, all of it.
We might potentially be needing a little bit more.
The dessert is us.
We somehow have to incorporate me and Prabha on a plate.
And then we... What we're gonna do is,
then we're gonna put some rose water in there as well.
It's just a couple of drops of rose water,
otherwise, it will overpower with the perfume taste.
I'm pouring it in now, OK?
I'll hold it for you. Just inside.
Yep, you've got it.
I'm kind of nervous about our dessert
because we stuffed it up in our instant restaurant.
Panna cotta needs to be enough time
for it to set beautifully and have that nice wobble.
Set it in now. I'm just horrified right now.
If that dessert is not set in that fridge,
we're gonna have a sloppy panna cotta,
then our dessert is in jeopardy,
and we're going home. Yeah.
After the curry, a panna cotta.
It's exactly the right finish to that menu.
OK, I'm gonna start on the meringue now.
For dessert, we are making a hazelnut dacquoise
with a chocolate, hazelnut mousse.
You are toasting the hazelnuts? Yeah.
Now, I'm gonna add a little bit of vanilla
from these gorgeous plump pods.
A dacquoise is a cross between a macaron and a sponge cake.
It's a little bit like a meringue,
and it's generally got toasted nuts through it.
It needs at least 45 minutes in the oven,
and then they can't be warm when you put the mousse filling
because otherwise, you will have melted mousse.
So, if I don't get this done now,
we don't really have a base for our dessert.
So, I've finished the meringue.
I'm about to pipe it.
Sonia and Marcus has got their meringues.
Looks the most confident I've seen now.
Here we go, she's in her element now.
Absolutely.
I'm happy with the meringue the way it is.
If I can get these into the oven,
that's one less thing to worry about.
I was hoping to make the mousse for my dessert,
but there'll be no time.
We have to get moving with this main course,
and get it on the plate.
Yeah, I'm gonna get these ox tongues out.
For main course, we are serving ox tongue with tuna gribiche.
This is a weird dish.
It's offal, it's tuna, and it's delicious.
But the major worry right now,
has that ox tongue had enough time to cook?
Opening up the pressure cookers.
NICK: It's cooked. It is cooked.
Thank God the tongue is cooked.
It feels exactly like I want it to.
It's got that corn beef consistency.
Now, the skin's coming off this really well.
So Nick and Christian
have got ox tongue with tuna gribiche.
The key of cooking the tongue is braising it well.
If it's not braised, then it's gonna be chewy.
I know.
COLIN: And then you take that outer casing of...
NIGELLA: That membrane really needs to come off.
The outside has to come off 'cause you don't eat it.
And then you've got that succulent meats.
I love tongue.
Yeah, love it, love it.
I'm just slicing it into mouth-sized bite.
And I'm gonna chuck this in the oven to keep it warm.
I'm gonna turn down the temperature of the oven,
and leave the tongue in there just to rest.
Nice and soft? NICK: Yeah.
Because if this isn't perfect, moist, gelatinous goodness,
it's over.
Nick and Christian, just put the tongue in the oven.
COLIN: Yes.
Not covered with the liquid, and so it will get dry.
Maybe their ambition outstrips their abilities.
I think so. I have a terrible feeling.
I hope not.
The pork for the main, Mum, I need to start cooking now.
If I don't do schnitzel,
it's gonna be the same story... SONIA: Yep, great, start.
I'm gonna fry two minutes on each side, Mum,
to just do a tester. Yep.
MARCUS: Obviously, the schnitzel is a bit thick.
If something goes wrong,
we should have the backup plan for the oven ready.
Yep.
I'm slightly worried that pork is too thick,
and I don't see how they can cook it without burning the crumbs.
It's a lot of pork.
25.
I don't think this pork is cooked yet.
Mum, I've checked the temp.
It's almost golden brown now, but it's way undercooked.
So I'll get 'em golden brown,
and then I'll chuck 'em in the oven to finish.
That way it's not burning on the outside, OK?
Hello, there.
Tell me, what are you do...
Are you gonna steep those in anything?
The Nigella's in my kitchen.
Someone that I've watched from afar,
who I've read all her books.
And are you serving them like that
or are you going to cut them in any way, or?
I reckon we might serve them whole.
I get it, she's your idol,
but we are in crunch time now.
Yes... Keep moving, Mum, please.
Can you just clear the bench? Yep.
We'll unclutter our heads.
Yep. (SONIA SIGHS)
It'll work actually a lot faster. Sure.
He's bossy, isn't he?
I could have actually killed you in that moment.
It's just, it's such a hard balance
'cause you never want to be the rude son who tells his mum off.
Marcus, it's very good that you are confident,
but you must remember
that your mum has been cooking for a lot longer than you have.
Did you hear that?
And she does know what she's talking about.
You're right, you're right.
But sometimes, if there's no leader, then we go nowhere.
No, that's true, but with respect.
Yeah, of course.
Thank you, Nigella.
We are in a cooking competition right now,
and there's things to do.
OK, guys. Ten minutes left on the clock!
Come on!
Ten, and you need to leave yourself time to plate.
SONIA: Come on, you're letting...
Chuck it in, chuck it in, chuck it in.
I worry that the pork won't cook properly.
OK, so that's two.
We need these pork done in time, otherwise, we're going home.
Let me just check the temp.
I'm feeling flustered.
This is gonna be a tight one again.
Teams, you got five minutes left.
Try everything before you serve it to us.
The cabbage for the choucroute is cooked.
Potato is done.
Cabbage and the potatoes, they need to be crunchy.
You happy with that ox tongue? CHRISTIAN: Yeah.
Wait, don't do that just yet, OK?
We've got to put some rice.
How you gonna wanna put the rice on?
Mum, these are pretty much cooked, almost.
So can you get the plates on the table, Mum?
Otherwise, we're not gonna be able
to present as well as we want. Yes, Marcus.
Doof, doof, doof.
Fryer, oven, plate, fryer, oven plate.
And I'm just going up and down, up...
I don't know why it had to be so complicated.
You've got to leave yourself time to plate.
So, I'm feeling pretty good.
We've got those differences in texture and flavour.
We've got everything that's gonna play with each other.
We don't have time to think about how we want to present this.
We just need to get everything on the plate.
Let's start plating the crab now.
OK, Mum, that's the one that's gone back in the oven.
Other than that, the rest are cooked.
Two minutes, guys!
Let's go, push!
I do apologise for using my hands,
but at this stage,
my hands are the only things
the can grab these finicky little pieces.
I think Mum would be very proud.
Alright, teams, you've got one minute left!
COLIN: Come on, guys, one minute!
You've got it. Move over, move over.
CHRISTIAN: Alright, Nicko, this is looking really nice on a plate.
There's colour differences, there's textural differences.
Mum, I know we've got stress, but I'm very proud of you.
Alright, can you just look, last look.
Just bring it a bit closer.
GROUP: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
That's it, time.
Move away from your benches.
(NICK SIGHS)
Are you OK? My God.
(RAHBA EXHALES)
Just breathe now. Just give me a hug.
Oh, my god. Well done.
MARCUS: That was the quickest... SONIA: I'm too old for this.
That was the quickest hour I think I've ever gone through.
I'm proud that we got that dish out,
and we just have to sit and wait now,
and see what the judges actually think.
Let's try the first dish, shall we?
We're gonna start with Sonia and Marcus.
We're happy that the mains are out.
We just don't like the way we're feeling.
MARCUS: I don't feel confident.
Serving undercooked pork is my biggest fear.
Bon appetit. Thank you.
That is cooked to perfection though.
This is what I think Sonia cooks for her family.
And, I mean, if I went to Sonia's house,
I'd be very happy.
I mean, it is lovely and juicy.
It's still crisp on the outside,
it's pink in the middle.
That's everything you want from a pork cutlet.
But this tonnato, this is not quite how it should be.
A tonnato, normally,
is satiny and smooth.
Now, I think there's a teeny bit of graininess.
OK.
But I have to say,
I think the fennel and apple work very well.
Really, I think it's a good dish.
It's a happy plate of food.
Yes.
Alright, oh, let's try the next dish.
So, we've got Nick and Christian.
CHRISTIAN: This is such an outside-of-the-box dish.
That's what I'm hoping...
..will put us above the other dishes that have been served.
NIGELLA: Thank you.
We are taking a gamble.
Course we are, it's a competition.
Let's have a look at this tongue.
That tongue is cooked beautifully.
The texture's good.
So, I was worried about the tongue, when they'd sliced it,
and they'd put it back in the oven, and it wasn't covered.
I was worried, yeah.
Because if it dries out it's not a very nice piece of meat.
But this is moist, succulent.
It could've been nice pan-fried to bring a bit of caramelisation.
Or a bit of chargrill in there.
Yes, but I have to say,
I do think they listened...
The texture. ..when we're talking about texture
because these little bits of potato chips,
which are not going soggy,
they're having that crunch at the end.
The cabbage has still got a bit of texture, bit of acidity,
that's what you want.
I think it delivers.
OK, so I think we should try Radha and Prabha's dish.
PRABHA: It can all come down to, it's too spicy for them.
Thank you. Wow.
Or just being imbalanced.
That could send us home.
Thank you so much.
Would you like me to do the honours?
I'm a bit worried about that soup.
It's very kind of you.
It's nice to be looked after.
It's a sign of love.
Wow.
It's pretty hands-on.
Crab's cooked beautifully.
There's the intense heat just travelling in my mouth.
COLIN: There's a lot of little elements going on.
There's the acidity from the tamarind,
but it's missing a bit of sweetness, I find.
Three different plates of food.
Yes. Yeah.
All three dishes achieve what they wanted,
but there is a difference in the kind of level being achieved.
Yep.
But dessert is to come,
and it's all still to play for.
Teams, come on in!
Come on, let's go. Let's go.
Welcome back.
We're only one dish away from the grand final.
We just need to really pull our heads in for dessert.
Teams,
it's time for the ultimate finish.
Right now, it's too close to call a winner.
We really need to pull our socks up,
and knock out this dessert.
This is for the grand final. Yeah.
Your dessert course must be planted
in 45 minutes.
And your time starts now.
OK, so, Mum, goals.
So, I'll melt the chocolate now because it needs to set.
MARCUS: For dessert, we are making a hazelnut, chocolate dacquoise.
Just removing these dacquoise from the ring.
During the main, I had prepared the dacquoise.
The dacquoise itself is the disc of meringue cake,
which is the top and the base for our dessert.
It's a cross between a macaron and a sponge cake.
Hazelnut chocolate dacquoise is something that I make regularly.
It's light,
flavoursome because it's got roasted nuts in it.
And then you could be really creative with the filling.
I've chosen a chocolate hazelnut mousse.
Let me do that, that's more of a monotonous task.
No, no. You focus on the mousse.
I'm doing these
'cause they're very, very delicate, Marcus.
Well, the less idle I am, the better, right now.
Right now... I'm gonna tell you one last time.
OK, all good. So sorry. We already agreed on this, OK?
Yeah, I promise. I did what you asked me to...
Understood. ..for the other course,
so that's what you're gonna do now.
100%.
OK. I'm with you.
Mum, the reigns are handed over to you.
You are the dessert queen.
The captain sinks with the ship though,
just remember that.
Marcus, you can watch the chocolate, that's still gotta melt.
The dessert is very personal, and if it doesn't go well,
I'll be blaming myself for us leaving the competition.
And this is only 45 minutes for a dessert
and we've only got one element done.
So we've got another two still to do.
So, I'm a little bit concerned about the time.
Should have done that mousse when I did the dacquoise.
I'm not going home on a failed dessert.
Alright, they're ready to go.
So when we're ready to plate, these are ready to go.
So we've already sent one team home out of four.
We've got three teams left.
Three desserts.
Two's gonna be great, and one perhaps not really enough.
Well, I don't know.
At this stage, really, it's hard to say.
It could be that
they all make wonderful desserts.
Yeah. At this level,
it is quite hard to be...
Have to be sending someone home.
NICK: I'm gonna get started on the crumb.
CHRISTIAN: For dessert,
we're serving poached apple with whiskey caramel.
This crumb needs to be nice and golden.
This is an adult version of apple crumble.
Alright, this dessert, we need to get every kind of right.
Yeah. It's outside the box.
And it's balanced in flavour.
But tonight, we need a focus on it being balanced in texture.
We came here to get to the grand final
and to win, bro. Yep.
So we gotta leave everything on the plate here, man.
I know.
Desserts have been our Achilles heel throughout the entire competition.
We are not dessert people.
We've got the crumb that's gonna be...
That's gonna have the texture. Yep.
If we're gonna listen to the judges' feedback,
we need this texture.
That crumb needs to be crunchy.
You just need to really pull through today.
OK, pistachio crumble.
For dessert, we are serving
a rosewater and cardamom panna cotta with a pistachio crumb.
We prepped a little bit of this dish in our main.
It survived the test. OK, OK.
Alright, let's put it back in when we're ready for plating.
So we definitely have made this dessert
a lot of times at home.
Is it soft? Yep. And just put it on a tea towel.
Yeah.
And then give it a good rub.
The skin's will come off nicely.
Pistachios are one of our favourite nuts to work with,
and we've incorporated that into a beautiful panna cotta dessert
to become nice, crispy, crunchy crumb.
I'm just crumbling it right now.
Radha and Prabha.
Indian desserts are usually not really loved by the public
as much as other dessert or the cuisines.
They're doing a panna cotta tonight,
which has got Indian flavours in it.
That's very clever. Wow.
I love the idea of that.
'Cause they did have a disaster the first time around.
Their entree and main were stand out,
and the dessert let them down.
RADHA: I'm a little nervous at this stage.
Prabha, it could be us going home.
30 minutes to go!
Come on, guys!
MARCUS: How long does the moose take to set, Mum?
I don't know, maybe ten, 15 minutes,
depending on how quickly...
We might need to put it in the freezer for a bit.
I'm worried that's too runny to pipe.
It should have been set and in the fridge.
Mousse needs quite a bit of time to set in the fridge.
Gelatine, gelatine, gelatine.
But I'm gonna add some gelatine,
so that I can get it to set really, really quickly.
Alright, so Marcus,
I've made the gelatine mixture for the mousse.
Yep.
I don't if it's going to work.
It's taking a really big risk,
but I can't figure out any other way to get it to set in that short time.
Gelatine's in, chocolate's nice and smooth.
So now, Sonia has been called the dessert queen.
She got a ten out of ten for her Bombe Alaska.
If we can just get the cream in on time now,
we'll be able to do this. Done.
OK? OK.
It's two spots for the grand final.
They seem to all really want to go through,
but we need... They need more than just wanting.
We've just worked too hard to go home now,
and over dessert.
Can you imagine the irony of going home over dessert?
Yeah, I agree.
I don't want it to be the one that lets us down...
..for what could be our final cook.
A string, get me some string. I need to tie it up.
String? OK. Something.
OK, go, quick.
We need to get it in the freezer now.
If the mousse doesn't set in time, we have no dessert.
I'll hold it, you tie it.
Go. OK, good.
Ah, no. Shit.
OK, straight in the freezer.
Keep that twisted.
We can't really serve a dacquoise with no filling.
CHRISTIAN: Putting the apples into the poaching liquid now.
That way, you can focus on that caramel
'cause that's gonna take most of the time.
NICK: Who doesn't like a warm caramel
on top of their apple crumble?
Exactly.
Nice and thick as well, Christian.
Adding a bunch of salt and the whiskey to this caramel.
It's gonna really help balance it out,
so it's not too sweet.
I know that this caramel can take quite a bit of whiskey,
but I'm gonna start with a quarter of a cup,
and then I'm gonna continue to add as I taste.
We need to get a lot of whiskey into that caramel
because if it doesn't taste like whiskey...
If anyone's gonna let us know, it's Colin.
Taste.
The whiskey
can't be too overpowering though,
still needs to taste like a caramel.
How much whiskey is in there?
Six tablespoons.
I reckon we could go one more tablespoon in there.
Yeah.
OK, guys, ten minutes left on the clock!
Come on!
Here we go, ready?
I de-mould the panna cotta.
RADHA: We need to plate in less than a minute.
PRABHA: I know, I know, I'm going to test it.
Eating the dessert as a whole,
I was so worried.
Is it overpowering with the rosewater?
Is it overpowering with the cardamom?
Mm, yeah, OK.
OK.
It's perfect for our liking.
But we don't know the palette of the judges.
One at a time. You'll also one at a time.
I know it's a big risk to show a non-Indian dessert
but a fusion dessert.
But if we wanna get into the grand final,
we have to up our game.
Oh, god. It's not coming out, Prabha.
Ah, let me do it. OK.
You're panicking, let me do it. Swap.
Guys, you've got five minutes.
If you haven't start plating something's going wrong.
It's gonna be right down to the wire.
We are minutes away
from the final elimination of the competition.
Can't afford to wait any longer for the mousse.
Shit.
I've gone to start piping it...
Oh, my god.
..and it won't come out of the nozzle.
She's got an air bubble in her thing now.
Shit, shit, shit.
MANU: Teams, you don't have long left.
Someone's going home after this!
Let's go, push!
Shit. What's wrong? What's wrong?
I've gone to start piping the mousse...
Oh, my god. Shit.
..it's not budging.
Shit, shit.
Won't come out of the nozzle.
She's got an air bubble in her thing now.
Scissors. Scissors.
What I think has happened is it's set too much.
OK, OK. Come on, Marcus. Quick.
Go, go, go. MARCUS: Yep, go, go, go, go.
There's just no more time.
So I need to start putting blobs of mousse onto the dacquoise.
Listen, you've got three minutes.
Three minutes.
So a little fan of apples. Yep.
Plating up this dish,
every single emotion is going through us.
Caramel over that. Caramel over that.
Coat the apples in it.
It could be our last dish in the competition.
The consistency is what I wanted.
Put it to the side.
Wait, mother. Wow, OK.
Here, I've done that one.
SONIA: It's not gonna be prettily piped...
MARCUS: You know what, Mum, this is still beautiful,
and I don't care.
It's not the prettiest thing.
NICK: Christian? Yep.
Tastes bloody good.
Teams, this is your last two minutes.
RADHA: We're gonna just do what we can do.
I'm happy with the wobble.
Some fresh raspberries on there.
Alright, just push it down.
Alright, little dusting of cocoa powder.
One minute left!
Only two teams will move forward from here.
Let's go! This is it.
It's do-or-die right now.
NIGELLA: The moment of truth is upon us.
PRABHA: Go, go.
COLIN: Go, guys! This is it! Come on!
CHRISTIAN: Got everything on the plate.
A little bit more cream.
Oh, no, I better not. I'm gonna leave it now.
PRABHA: Come on, come on. Let's go, let's go.
We're almost there.
GROUP: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
That's it. Move away from your benches.
COLIN: That's it. It's all over.
NICK: Yeah, I know. Oh.
I'm bloody proud.
(LAUGHING AND CRYING)
I love you, bro.
Get in here, Prabha.
Seriously.
PRABHA: What a partnership. What a partnership.
We did it.
(MARCUS EXHALES) Mum,
I'm very, very, very, very proud. Love you.
Teams, you've done all you can do.
And take a break while we taste your final course.
Thanks, guys.
OK, let's try Radha and Prabha's dessert.
RADHA: I wanted to infuse a western dessert,
panna cotta with some Indian flavours.
I am happy to serve this to the judges.
Thank you so much.
But we don't know.
Do they like a lot of sweet in their panna cotta?
Just check the wobble there.
Oof. That's good.
That's on point.
MANU: Alright.
I am glad that the cardamon is not overpowering.
There's those beautiful Indian notes in there.
Yes. It's not too sweet,
which I really enjoy too.
It's a good dessert.
I think, compared to what we've had from Radha and Prabha,
this is definitely a level-up.
It's just needs a little bit of texture.
Little biscuit to go on the side with that.
Should we try the next dessert?
Yeah, definitely.
NICK: It's the last dish.
CHRISTIAN: Of the semi-final.
We've given everything that we could into this cook.
Thank you so much.
I'm 100% happy with this dessert.
And if this is the dish that we go out on,
there is nothing but pride.
Well, it's not great plating, but let's see if it's good.
COLIN: Whiskey, caramel, well, that's a bonus.
Oh!
Wow, wow, wow.
I hope we don't get breathalysed on the way home after this.
(CHUCKLES)
I don't know if it says something about me,
but I don't find it too much.
I feel it's giving it a slight punchiness,
which otherwise, it would lack.
I'm astonished, I have to say.
In a very good way.
We've talked about texture,
definitely listen to us on texture. Yeah.
Soft apple, crunchy crumble. Mm-hmm.
The caramel sauce,
a little bit too much on the whiskey for me.
But if you eat it with that little bit of cream,
it mellows it out.
For me, it taste better than it looks, to be honest.
It does.
Next one, please.
Sonia and Marcus.
MARCUS: I've wanted the grand final since the competition started.
I've wanted it so badly today, we've worked very, very hard for it.
Thank you so much.
But it's been down to the wire
for all three courses now.
The mousse was not exactly what we would've plated it up,
but it's a good dessert.
Oh, I'm just praying
that it's enough.
It's rather charming looking.
OK, then I'm going in.
Go in.
Sonia's, put up some great desserts
in this competition.
Is this enough to get 'em through to the Grand Final?
This dessert is the most important dessert we've ever made.
It'll be the difference
between going through the Grand Final
or hanging up our aprons.
We are down to the final three team.
We're in the top three,
and no-one can take that away from us.
I'd love to take top spot
and let the judges say,
"Right, you're straight through the Grand Final."
Radha and Prabha, Nick and Christian,
Sonia and Marcus,
you all deserve to stand with pride.
You worked so hard to get here and you did not let yourself down
with all the efforts that you put in today.
It's now time to reveal our thoughts
and find out which two teams will go through
to the MKR Grand Final.
Radha and Prabha, we're gonna start with you.
I know.
Chilli masala crab with rice and cucumber and onion salad...
Yum.
When we cracked into that crab, beautiful succulent.
It just cooked in the residual heat of that curry,
and I would happily eat that dish again.
I just felt that your curry sauce
could have had a little bit more balance.
I felt there was a lot of heat, a lot of tamarind,
missing a little bit of sweetness.
It was hugely enjoyable
and it was only the great sadness to me,
that because I was wearing a white suit,
I had to eat a bit more delicately than I wanted to.
Dessert.
Rosewater panna cotta with pistachio crumb.
I think the most important part of panna cotta is the wobble
and we got the wobble.
It was just holding on the plate.
I was so glad that the cardamom wasn't too over pronounced.
And the rosewater was a little bit paired back, which I'm happy about.
Pistachio crumb, yeah, whatever.
I wanted texture, right?
Something else.
Like a panna cotta.
As good as it is to eat, there's elements we can lift,
so, you know, if you go on,
you need to think about how am I gonna lift that dish?
Thank you.
With the feedback that the judges have provided,
it has definitely sparked a hope in both of us
that we potentially could end up going through to the Grand Final.
Nick and Christian,
for main course you gave us ox tongue with tuna gribiche.
The tongue, it wasn't too soft, it had a little bit of texture.
And I love the gelatinous part the tongue offers.
What you showed us was that you could learn
and you can take criticism.
You got a lot of texture into your main course.
Those little potatoes worked incredibly well.
Thank you.
That dish was like restaurant quality,
but presentation voice and it was like a flag,
purple, white and brown.
I don't know what country that is, but it looked like a flag.
Really need to knuckle down on the plating.
Yeah. Yep.
Now dessert, poached apple with whiskey caramel.
That caramel mate, you know I like whiskey,
but that was a smack in the mouth.
But after the second bite and you eat the cream,
you eat the apple, it was actually really enjoyable.
The only thing that let you down on that was the presentation.
I, I don't know if we've done enough.
Sonia and Marcus,
main course, pork cotoletta with tonnato and fennel salad.
The cotoletta was cooked perfectly.
The tonnato, if you tried to get it smoother or chunkier,
but it was in between
and the texture for me was a little wrong.
If you worked for me and it gave me that pork,
I'd be very happy, Marcus.
The pork was blushing pink had the crunch on the outside.
You can cook your food has such wonderful flavour,
but time management is what let you down in the dessert.
Your hazelnut chocolate dacquoise,
you did need to make the mousse before.
You didn't need to put yourself in that panic at the end.
The chocolate mousse elements of that dish
could have been made so far in advance.
Sat in the fridge,
it wouldn't have needed the gelatine.
Dacquoise is one of my favourite cake base, it's delicious.
I love it.
And the chocolate mousse in the middle,
I really enjoy the flavour,
but I'm so sorry to say the texture of the mousse, not so good.
We struggled as a team tonight,
but the food was still good.
We've still got a chance.
I want that hard work to pay off.
I want to be in that grand final.
It was a thrill to watch you all cook,
but a decision had to be made.
The first team to make it through to the Grand Final is...
It's gonna be a close one. I know.
Radha and Prabha.
Oh my god, we're going to the Grand Final.
(APPLAUSE AND LAUGHTER)
BOTH: We're in the Grand Final of MKR!
But we're not going to sleep
until that grand final comes.
Congratulations.
You're that close to perhaps winning this.
Oh, I think I've got goosebumps right now
and we are going to give it our all in that grand final.
We're just so grateful.
Thank you so much.
We are going to be living one of our biggest dreams
that we've dreamt together.
So, now it's down to two.
We've watched you come so far from day one,
we've eaten in your house twice.
You both put your distinctive styles on the plate.
You put your love, your family, your heritage, it was quality.
For both teams there are details that could have been improved.
And for one team,
it was those details that made the difference.
CHRISTIAN: My knees are shaking.
This has gotta be the most nerve-wracking moment
of my entire life.
The second team in the grand final is...
..Nick and Christian.
Well done.
(APPLAUSE)
Congratulations boys.
Well done. Well done. Oh.
(SNIFFLES)
Oh, my god. We're through.
Christian.
You thought you were going home, didn't you?
I did. Yeah.
We're not gonna let this opportunity go to waste.
We've got a chance at a 100K and being MKR champions.
Sonia, like you should be so proud of yourself and your son.
I am.
It's been a joy to have you both in the competition.
Thank you for everything.
Au revoir and bonne chance.
Thank you. (APPLAUSE)
Oh, I'm coming down here.
Thank you darling, it was so gorgeous.
I got three hugs from Nigella.
I've got my prize.
I've got it. I've won. I've won.
Thank you.
I'm gonna cry now.
Aww.
(APPLAUSE)
It's been an absolutely amazing experience
and I don't say that lightly.
I'm so, so grateful for how far we have come,
how strong you've been.
Look, our teamwork wasn't great today,
but our teamwork has come a long way.
I'm proud of you, Mum. Well done.
Radha and Prabha, Nick and Christian,
our grand finalists, MKR 2023. Wooh!
Congratulations.
Nick and Christian, you better bring your game on.
(APPLAUSE) Well done, boys.
Well done.
It's gonna test every single part of our culinary brains,
but we are here to win this competition.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv