It's the professional MasterChef semifinals.
This week, the contestants have been split into two groups
and sent to cook for some of Britain's finest chefs.
On the pass now, please. Let's go, you're in the play now.
The first table should be out by now.
Last night, Matthew and Oli earned a position in finals week.
Now the last three chefs battle to secure their place
in the competition.
29-year-old Scottish private chef Dean,
25-year-old Laurence, from Nottingham,
and 29-year-old Sean, based in London.
You slip up on one thing, you could easily just go home.
The competition at this stage is fierce.
Good food isn't good enough, it's got to be absolutely exceptional.
My foot's on the pedal, and I just can't let go
and I just need to keep going until the end.
They are now within touching distance of the finals.
Which one of our chefs is going to put themselves
at the front of the pack?
It's early morning, and Laurence, Dean and Sean are in Cornwall.
How are we all feeling, then, boys?
Excited, a little bit nervous.
It will be interesting to see who it is.
For the next two days,
they'll be based in the seaside town of Padstow,
working under one of the country's leading chefs
at the one-Michelin-starred Paul Ainsworth at Number 6.
OK, I'm sending one pig's head, one bream, two haddock.
Oui.
I want to get my hands on the best ingredients in Cornwall,
and give you an experience that makes you feel
that you're in Cornwall.
I want to blow you away with three courses.
Paul grew up in Southampton,
where his parents ran a guest house,
which he helped out in from an early age.
My mum and dad did everything.
And my dad instilled a really great work ethos into me.
He said, "You know, chefs, they work unsociable hours,
"it's hard, hard work."
I was like, "Yep, yep, it's what I want to do."
And he was like, "Well, if that's what you want to do,
"go and work for the best, be the best you can at it."
Aged just 19, Paul moved to London,
at first working for the legendary Gary Rhodes,
before moving on to the kitchens of a young, ambitious Gordon Ramsay.
You knew what you were walking into, you knew that you were going
into a guy that was stopping at nothing
to be the best in the world.
It's the toughest experience,
it's the toughest thing I've ever done.
After working with Ramsay for seven years,
including two under his protege Marcus Wareing,
Paul moved to Cornwall to become head chef of Number 6.
When we first opened, you know,
I remember we had a week where we saw no-one for four nights in a row.
Like, no-one came in.
We went to the cinema three times!
Like, it was...
It got to eight o'clock and you're like,
"OK, I don't think anyone's coming in. Shall we call it a day, lads?"
It took Paul eight hard years working with his wife Emma
to build up the restaurant's reputation,
culminating in 2013 when he won a coveted Michelin star.
And I just remember Emma just bursting out into tears.
And, yeah, even talking about it now, it's an emotional thing
because you realise, all of a sudden,
it was a Michelin-starred kitchen.
It was a Michelin-starred restaurant.
That was a Michelin-starred dish.
The pressure's really on today.
I know Paul's background, he's got a fantastic history
in the industry, he's worked in some fantastic places.
The opportunity to work in the kitchen
and learn from the man himself will be amazing.
Being down here in Cornwall
is amazing, completely different to London.
I'm definitely going to soak up as much knowledge as I can.
I've not been in a restaurant kitchen for a long time, so...
It's like riding a bike, I'm not going to forget,
so I'm quite excited for it.
I look at what we do here as like the theatre,
and at 12 o'clock, the curtain goes back
and the show starts.
We are going to put these three chefs who've never ever done
it before into our show, and they have got to perform
at the highest level.
Hello, chefs. Welcome to Paul Ainsworth at Number 6.
Over the next two days, we're going to set you some tough challenges,
and we want to teach you new things, we want to show you new things,
and we want to welcome you into our team.
As long as you just give me your all,
the rest of it will come easy.
I don't want to see you fail, I want to see you smash it. All right?
Are we up for it? Yes. Yes. OK!
Let's get our aprons on and get cracking.
To help the chefs understand his food,
Paul is giving them a masterclass,
recreating one of his signature dishes -
barbecued Cornish duck with an Asian-flavoured duck consomme,
or Peking tea,
and a pick-your-own salad of seasoned vegetables.
This dish actually started out as a starter,
and the inspiration comes from a Chinese takeaway -
pancakes, spring onion, hoisin duck, and it was like,
how could you refine those flavours and elevate those flavours
into something that is reminiscent of that?
So, starting with the Cornish duck, it's poached in its own fat
with some thyme.
We're just going to brush that with a little bit more
duck fat, season it.
Straight onto the coals.
And what's happening is the duck fat is dripping down onto the coals,
then that's coming back up through the breast.
Flavour, flavour, flavour.
And now we rest that in our warming drawer.
The centre of the dish is a Chinese duck master stock, which needs
to be clarified using a blended mixture of vegetables,
offcuts and egg whites.
And now the magic will just happen from the heat.
The egg white is cooking
and it's pulling all the impurities to the top
and you just start to see there now,
the liquid is starting to become crystal clear.
Once your consomme is ready and clarified,
you end up with that.
Have a taste. And just look at it on your spoons. Stunning.
Look at the clarity.
So, already, you're going to blow someone away.
For me, the best presentation happens naturally.
Not playing around, just nice and simple,
straight into the middle like that.
That is how duck needs to be eaten.
Beautiful blushing pink.
We're just going to have four lovely pieces.
The barbecued duck is topped with crispy chicken skin,
duck ham, fennel pollen,
and accompanied by a pick-your-own salad.
And the idea is, the guest can basically pick as much
of the salad and the vegetable as they want.
Show off those lovely radishes.
You want to feel like it's literally growing out of that bowl.
We've got our consomme.
It's all about showcasing that amazing aged Cornish duck.
Get stuck in, lads.
I think that's incredible, it's so well balanced,
and it's like a real celebration of the duck, it's amazing.
I'm still licking my lips.
It keeps coming, the flavours just keep coming. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's amazing. I want to eat some more!
It's time for you to cook for me now.
I just want you to cook me your version of
all the ingredients that I've used.
Showcase your personalities.
The only stipulation that I have
is that you all give me a consomme.
Now the three chefs have just 30 minutes to impress Paul
with their version of his duck dish.
Obviously, time will be a factor
but I'm going to keep along the same lines.
I don't think we should go too far from what he did earlier.
I think I'm going to have a little play.
There's definitely things I would change in the dish,
so I'm going to go ahead and make it my own.
They've got wonderful duck, and they've got plenty of time
to clarify that beautiful duck stock that we've prepared for them.
I don't want to cook it too fast or too slow.
So it's about getting that right temperature.
If they over-boil that consomme,
they're not going to have a really beautiful clarity,
a beautiful consomme.
It looks clear to me.
I'm massively relieved.
Nottingham-based junior sous-chef Laurence...
Oh, it's incredible.
..has spent most of his five-year career
working in Michelin-starred restaurants.
It's cooked really well, in my opinion.
It was pretty tough, the time went really quickly but,
hopefully, Chef will like it. But...we'll see.
The first thing I want to see is the clarity of that consomme.
That is excellent. That is absolutely crystal clear, well done.
You've lost none of the goodness
and all that flavour that's in the stock,
that's as good as we do it here.
The duck is beautifully cooked, well done.
Thank you. To cook duck like that is not an easy thing.
You've rested that meat beautifully,
which means it's retained all of its moisture, all of its favour.
Brilliant, brilliant cooking. Thank you, Chef.
But those vegetables would have been amazing if you'd pickled them,
and you'd have got more acidity into the dish.
But, overall, you should be super proud.
Thank you, Chef.
I'm really relieved, it's an amazing feeling,
getting feedback like that, about the duck, the consomme.
I was a bit nervous about it
but, yeah, I'm over the moon, I'm buzzing.
29-year-old Sean started cooking professionally aged 16,
and is now a sous-chef in London.
I'm going to present it a little bit different,
but obviously I'm going to keep the main elements how they were.
I think it's ready to go.
I think the duck is a touch over, but let's see.
The aroma coming off it,
it just smells so savoury and so beautiful.
Sean, there's some great elements to this dish.
The flavours that are in there that are wonderful,
like the salad - it's nicely dressed.
You get that lovely, beautiful acidity
with that slight molasses-ness that's on the chicken skin,
which just eats beautifully.
But the breast - probably more getting towards
the medium, well done side of things.
The consomme, a little bit murky there, a little bit cloudy.
It tastes almost like when it's in stock stage.
It could be harmonised more as a dish.
Obviously, the consomme was a little bit cloudy.
Um, nerves.
Altogether?
Yeah, stressful.
Scottish private chef Dean has clients around the world,
but he hasn't worked in a restaurant kitchen for eight years.
I'm just trying to show myself a little bit in this dish,
and that's why I've changed it a bit.
I've got some pickled ginger that he didn't use. I love that element
with duck, so hopefully he does as well.
Definitely nervous. You know, he's a fantastic chef.
It's very good. Very good. A beautiful sheen.
Dean, this is excellent.
The duck is cooked brilliantly.
You could just add a little bit more seasoning to it.
But the clarity of the consomme - stunning.
Lovely use of the pickled ginger.
You've taken the essence of what you saw me do earlier,
and you've made it your own.
Well done. Thank you.
Yeah, I'm feeling really happy and relieved.
You know, I took the chance to change the dish.
I went for it, I did it, and great feedback,
so I'm happy.
The first challenge is over.
Tomorrow, the three semifinalists face their biggest test yet,
joining Paul and his Michelin-starred brigade
for service.
It's day two at Number 6.
Today, the semifinalists will each be cooking a dish
off the lunch menu.
Sean will be in charge of the starter -
Paul's unique take on a quiche Lorraine.
First job is this beautiful haddock. Now, look at that, OK?
Pearly, feel the texture. Yeah.
OK, so remember, it's been cured and it's been cold smoked, OK?
All we're going to do is bring it back to life
in that beautiful butter.
Eight minutes.
Next will be the caramelised onions.
In there smoked bacon, so keeping it true to quiche Lorraine.
And we add just a little bit of creme fraiche.
The creme fraiche is giving you a lovely creaminess,
a slight richness, but loads of acidity.
Next, our celeriac puree.
We'll add a touch of the lemon.
The cooking is all about refinement, OK?
Being in control. That's all you need.
The warmth is in that pan, OK?
With all the trimmings from the smoked haddock,
we make this wonderful veloute.
If your sauce goes above 85, it's ruined. You will not get
the body because the fat in the sauce has got too hot.
And now we plate up.
Onions.
Next, that lovely confit egg yolk, seasoned.
We'll extract all the flavour we can from each element.
Your haddock. Chives.
I just want almost a little crust on top.
Caviar. It's luxurious.
Next, I want you to just look in the pan, Sean.
It's just aerated, so it's not a foam, OK?
Remember that, you're just literally lightening the sauce.
Take off the top and just around the caviar.
This is an oil made with chives, OK? So it complements everything.
And that is what I want you to do today.
Every single one must leave like that.
That's a dish-and-a-half.
Thank you very much.
It looks pretty simple, but I know it's not going to be.
And, obviously, getting loads of checks on at the same time. Yes.
It's about keeping that timing, so I've just got to stay focused.
Dean has been tasked with Paul's chicken main,
a reinvention of the famous French classic beef tournedos.
So, today, you're going to be doing it with chicken, all right?
Our version of that amazing, iconic dish, OK?
In morning prep, Dean has rolled, stuffed and poached the chicken
with mushroom duxelles, ready to pan roast.
It's all about a delicate touch, OK?
I just want you to basically caramelise that chicken
all the way around.
Now look at that. That is what you're looking for.
You've got to be on your toes, you've got to be quick.
Now, I know you're a private chef.
When was the last time you did a service? Eight years ago.
So, you're going to find today tough, all right?
Everything - control, refinement, light on your feet, OK?
While the chicken rests, Dean must bring all the other
elements together.
Sliced Paris brown mushrooms.
All we're going to do, Dean, is just season them with seaweed.
And a summer vegetable ragout in a seaweed emulsion.
And we want it to keep that lovely texture.
On top of the chicken tournedos, they're going to have a piece
of beautiful toasted brioche.
Then you've got this lovely
chilled, beautiful goose liver parfait.
There's a lot going on, a lot to think about
and a lot to execute.
And if it's not right, it's not going in the dining room.
Chicken tournedos Rossini, summer ragout, roast chicken
and thyme sauce, and that is it.
Simple, refined, stunning, everything there for a reason.
Paul is a perfectionist, you can see this in the dish.
But if I just listen well and do exactly how he's taught me,
then I'm going to do very well.
Laurence is on pastry, in charge of a trio of desserts
that Paul has called A Fairground Tale.
The idea is for the guest to kind of feel,
"My day out at the fair with my dad."
So, the first dish is the bitter-cocoa nut souffle.
Made many souffles? No, no, I don't have much experience of souffles.
No time like the present! Chef.
Make sure it's sat nice and steady, shut the door, set the timer,
and you're going for four minutes.
To go with the souffle, we've got this beautiful
salted caramel macaroon with coconut.
When that oven goes off, turn the souffle.
The reason for that, it helps the souffle come up
as straight as we possibly can.
This is going to sit on top of the souffle.
In the oven for ten seconds, to just melt on top.
That's stage one.
All right? Come on!
You're going to be good.
Two minutes later, we send this, the carousel.
This right here is a crispy brown-butter choc ice.
So you've got that wonderful choc ice wrapper, Ainsworth & Son 1947,
that's when my dad was born, just onto your carousel, like that.
OK?
Accompanying the choc ice is a bar of aerated chocolate topped
with mandarin gel, and Cornish honeycomb and sea salt.
Every bite, they just get a little hit of salt, OK?
Happy? Awesome.
The final part of the trio is hot muscovado doughnuts,
topped with a light raspberry jam mousse.
It's all about timings.
They're coming to the end of the carousel,
then the hot doughnut arrives.
You're just having this wonderful, magical experience.
I'm putting so much pressure on you today because
I took this dish off the menu in 2016, and the last two years
have been working on a brand-new version.
You're the first chef ever, before my own chefs,
that's actually going to send it into the dining room.
Are you up for the challenge? Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Yeah? Yeah. You can tell how personal that dish is to me.
Yeah, I'm not going to let you down.
A lot of different elements to get right.
Everything's got to be absolute perfection.
And then, obviously, the timing,
you can't have the guests waiting for different courses.
It needs to have that effect -
just as they're finishing it, they receive the next one.
So, it's going to be a tough service, but I'm really excited.
It's midday, and with the restaurant fully booked for lunch,
Sean, Dean and Laurence are prepped and ready for service.
Lads, first check of the day, listen up, OK?
Two haddock, two rabbit, two turbot, two chicken, OK?
So, the first check's come in.
I've got the haddock down. I've just got to get everything ready
for when that haddock comes out of the bath.
While the haddock cooks, Sean's attention turns to the bacon
and caramelised onion tart filling.
Leave that under the lights, go and check your onions.
I want more celeriac, more creme fraiche, OK?
Oui, Chef. All right? It needs to be slightly creamier, OK?
Right, let's go. First table, I'll dress the first one with you.
Oui. OK?
50 seconds. Oui. OK?
Gentle, gentle. Calm those hands down, OK?
Haddock coming out, 30 seconds.
Now up and let it drain.
Let it drain. Gentle, gentle.
What's going to go next on that haddock?
Er, chives, Chef. Yeah. Then what?
Then the caviar on top of that. Caviar.
We need to start sending some food.
The first table should be out by now.
Sauce. Oui.
Pulse it, pulse it, pulse it.
Not on top of the caviar, just around, all right?
Service, please.
We need a little bit more body in that sauce on the next one, OK?
Oui, Chef. A little bit more body.
Nice and calm, nice and calm. OK?
Right. Go, service.
Go, please. Table 34.
First effort - not bad, all right? Oui.
We can get much better, and you'll have a lot of haddock on,
plenty of chance to practise.
It's the first check, the first service so...
A little bit nervous, but we'll get there.
Hm, that's really good.
Dean, you're up. Showtime, OK? Oui.
We're going to go two turbot, two chicken, OK? Oui.
That is you, right?
So, now you need to be thinking about your toast.
Your summer ragout.
Your chicken, your mushrooms and plating, OK? Oui. All right?
Slash - two covers, two haddock, two rabbit.
Main course - two chicken, two turbots. Oui. Oui.
It's relentless, boys, everybody's enjoying the haddock
and the chicken today.
Definitely a quick start.
Just like back in the olden days, back in the kitchen again.
It's been a while, but I've just got a couple of new chickens on order.
Kind of just rolling over, getting them in the hot cover.
With four mains on order, Dean must coordinate his dish
with the other chefs and can't afford to lose focus.
Mushrooms out, seasoned those with seaweed. Seaweed.
I didn't season them with salt. Start again.
Calm down and just relax into it, OK?
Mushroom's up, your chicken's up. Your puree's ready to go.
Need you to work faster, OK? Turbot's ready, all right?
Remember, it's not just your dishes.
Get your parfait straight onto your brioche.
That's it. Piled over. All right.
Let's go. Move faster. Turbot's waiting. Oui.
Now over to the pass.
Make sure your plates are immaculate. Oui.
Service, please.
Dean, got to be more connected to it, more fluid.
They're nice, but they need to be a lot better than that, OK?
So really focus, OK? Oui.
I need to just get a bit of a move on and work a bit better
with the other main courses being served.
So it's just getting that right with the timing.
Across the kitchen on pastry, Laurence also has his first orders
in for the fairground dessert.
The thing with this dish, when one goes into the dining room,
the whole dining room sees it, and they're just like,
"Right, I want that." OK? Oui.
So you're going to have a busy service. Oui, Chef.
Next ones, I want a little bit more of the cremeux, and I want
a gap between them, I just want the cremeux
a bit further out to the edge of the shell of the macaroon.
Yes, Chef. All right? Yeah.
I've got about a minute left on my souffle.
I'm going to turn it for the last three minutes.
There's a lot going on, there's a lot to remember.
Everything's got to be perfect.
So, the souffle's got to be cooked absolutely to perfection.
OK, one minute on souffle.
The souffle's looking stunning. Oui, thanks, Chef. OK?
Chocolate dish ready?
Now, it's all about timings, cos when this souffle goes,
two minutes, bang, into the carousel. Chef.
Two minutes, bang into the doughnut.
Oui. All right? Yes.
Service, please.
Service.
Table 45, please. Go.
Outstanding. Thanks, Chef. Outstanding. Oui.
Lovely.
So far, so good with the souffles.
I'm not going to jinx it just yet but, yeah,
I'm really happy so far.
All the diners have now arrived, and lunch service is in full swing.
How long - one haddock, one rabbit? One-and-a-half, two seconds.
OK, and then we're going to be going into one haddock,
one sea bream, one beef ragout.
Oui. OK?
Dean, look at that, that's all you now,
OK, big man? Let that be your motivation.
We do not keep the guests waiting, all right? Oui.
How long to your chicken, Dean? Er, four minutes, Chef.
A bit louder, let me hear you're happy to be here
in your voice, yeah? Four minutes, Chef.
That's it, good lad.
The chicken and the haddock are some of our most popular dishes.
These boys are up against it now.
We're in the mix.
Look out there. Oui. OK?
The dining room is full now, OK?
We are at full tilt, all right?
A full restaurant. It's scary!
Sean, when I did it, you didn't see the fish,
OK? Oui, oui. Which means your sauce is too thin.
Move it around. You've got to be fast. Oui. OK?
It has to reach the customer at its peak.
Oui. Going to table 45.
The first two plates were a little bit shaky,
you could see nerves. But do you know what?
Those nerves are starting to settle, and he's into the groove.
Don't dilly-dally, you're a bit of a dilly-dallier.
Go straight on, all right? Oui. OK?
Pick up the pace a bit, Dean, OK?
Service, please. Table 42.
It's just kind of getting into the flow of things. Speed it up again.
Just more natural flow, I think, the chef wants,
so just concentrate on that at the moment.
On pastry, orders are coming in thick and fast
for Laurence's dessert trio.
Service, please.
Pastry, listen up, two covers still for 23,
one fairground. Oui. Oui.
Last three covers. Table 31 - one fairground, one trifle. Oui.
That's two fairground in total, and one trifle, OK?
It's fantastic. It's really fun, a really playful dish.
It's quite a push during service.
But I'm sure everyone out there in the dining room's really,
really enjoying themselves, and I'm kind of feeding off
that energy at the moment.
That is unbelievable. Amazing. Enjoying yourself?
Yeah, I'm loving it. I'm loving every minute.
With Laurence in his element, service reaches its third hour,
and last orders are in for Sean's starter.
Four haddock now.
I've only done two so four's...
Trying to get everything timed at the same time's going
to be quite difficult, but... Yeah, hopefully it goes.
We go in three minutes, four haddock.
Keep working, OK? Keep going.
Oui. Good lad.
This is what's known as finishing on an absolute high.
Keep an eye on that sauce, though, OK? Oui. All right?
That sauce is everything.
Look at that. How beautiful does that look? Oui.
They are magnificent.
Absolutely magnificent. Go.
Well done, Sean. Well done.
You should be super proud of yourself, OK?
Thank you. All right? OK?
A lot to get to grips with at the beginning
and, obviously, the checks just came rolling in.
The last four dishes that I sent, I couldn't be happier with them.
Paul seemed very happy with them.
The pressure is now on Dean to also finish on a high
with his last table of orders.
Just really want to try and impress Paul for this last dish,
make it absolutely perfect for him.
He hasn't done service for a long, long time, and I think
it's been a big wake-up call for him, and he's responded well.
I'm expecting this to be how we would do it.
Dressing the chicken now.
We're almost over the line, Dean.
Now you should be thinking parfait.
Just turn round, parfait. That's it.
From where you were at the beginning of this lunch service
to where you are now, you should be so proud of yourself.
Service, please.
Table 23.
Well done. Thanks, Chef. That was no mean feat.
Well done. Thanks, Chef. OK?
I think a few more services and I would be on my A game.
The heat of the kitchen, the rush, the buzz, I love it.
I'm right back into it again, yeah.
With mains and starters cleared, all attention is on Laurence,
who is just managing to keep up the pace,
despite having so many elements to his dessert.
You've got a serious amount going on here, OK?
Stay focused. You've got a lot of oven work happening, OK?
Excellent.
Stay organised, keep moving, all right?
You're doing brilliantly well.
30 seconds on souffles.
Last souffle, Laurence. Yes, Chef. Oui. End on a high.
Stunning, Laurence. Stunning.
Those souffles were as we send them.
Cheers, Chef.
Absolutely brilliant.
Not only did you do me proud there, you've done my dad proud.
Well done.
That was a tough service,
but those three chefs did themselves proud.
Man of the Match - Laurence.
Just phenomenal.
His souffles were absolutely spot-on.
He so badly wanted to just absolutely smash it, and he did.
What an experience. You know,
the past couple of days have been incredible.
This has really reinforced
confidence in myself and my abilities,
and I believe that I can do it
and I've got what it takes to get into the final.
Sean has done me so proud today.
He started off a bit shaky, and by, literally, the last few tables,
he was just in the zone, like, you could just see
he was loving it.
This experience has definitely inspired me. Cooking at this level,
it's all about consistency, and I'm definitely going to bring
this into the competition.
Dean's main course, he struggled a bit. But do you know what?
As the service went on, he got better and better.
And I know that every single plate of food that went
into that dining room today was absolutely delicious.
It's been an absolutely great opportunity for me
to be in this kitchen with Paul Ainsworth.
To cook for the man and be taught by the man is the best thing ever.
But now it's back to competition, every man for himself,
so game on.
I hope Laurence, Dean and Sean have all come away from Paul's kitchen
inspired by his fabulous cuisine.
Our chefs have come such a long way.
Not a single one of them wants to go home today.
Now you need to prove that you are worthy of a place
in the MasterChef finals.
One hour and 45 minutes to cook THE most exquisite two courses.
At the end of this, one of you is leaving us.
Off you go.
If I want to stand out today, I just need to be true to myself.
I'm just taking my experience of travels and taking the street food
element of Asia and bringing it into this fine-dining experience.
And I think it's time to show the judges what I can do
with the Southeast Asian flavours.
How did you find your time with Paul?
Yeah, a really good experience. Just kind of like getting back
into having that excitement and buzz of, like, a working kitchen,
I've missed. What are you making?
For main course, we're doing a Korean glazed duck
with a pistachio Thai salad,
quail egg wrapped in prawn, and then puffed rice and fried.
What's Korean about the flavour of the duck?
So, it's the chilli paste I'm using.
It's a fermented chilli paste. What's dessert?
Black sesame cheesecake with passion fruit gel,
cashew nut crumb, a sweet mango salsa and then the green mango,
really thin slices of it,
dusted with the salty chilli sugar on top.
You don't want to lose out on that place in the finals week.
No, definitely not, I've had my goal set
on the first place since I started, and I can see the winning line,
you know. It's there, it's reachable at this point.
The cooking of the duck breast is always going to be
the most important part for me.
But there's a lot of big, strong, powerful flavours
going on with Dean's dish.
It's about balance.
For dessert, Dean is making a black sesame cheesecake.
You want it nice and creamy, you want to be able to taste
the flavouring that's in there.
It's about the right texture, but what's interesting
about this dessert is the cashew nut crumble
that's going to sit underneath.
There's another little twist,
a little Asian element going on there.
20 minutes gone!
I feel like each time I step in the MasterChef kitchen,
I get more confident.
I'm trying to keep the nerves under wraps today.
I want a place in the finals more than anything.
It's all I want right now, nothing else is more important.
Have you learned anything about your fellow chefs while you were away?
Did you get to know a little bit about their cuisine?
Yeah, definitely. We've all been comparing dishes and we've got
to know each other over the past few days a lot better.
But I still think I can beat them.
I like that!
What is your menu today? So, I think you're in for a treat today.
I'm really pushing the boat out. We've got some lovely Wagyu beef
from up in Scotland. Serving that with some pot-roast onions,
got an onion puree, little pommes Anna,
nasturtiums, nasturtium oil,
and I'm finishing that off with a bit of black truffle.
And then for dessert, I'm doing my take on a peanut butter
and jam sandwich, which is one of my personal favourites.
Quite a comforting food.
So I'm making a sourdough parfait, got a little peanut sable.
And then to go with that, you've got some macerated strawberries,
peanut butter ice cream, and then I'm doing freeze-dried
strawberries and a strawberry granita on the side.
Whenever I talk to you, usually, you're very nervous. Yeah.
Today, you told me I'm in for a treat,
you've got a big smile on your face - what's happened?
I think the experience down in Cornwall has been
a little confidence boost for me.
So I'm just really focusing on the food and I've got a lot to do,
so no time for nerves.
Laurence's beef is a Scottish Wagyu.
This is a piece of beef that's got an amazing marbling,
beautiful fat content running through it.
It basically just needs to be flashed through the pan
and served beautiful and pink.
If Laurence overcooks it, it's going to be ruined.
I grew up - peanut butter on jam sandwiches,
so I love these flavours.
It sounds playful, and I like that.
Laurence is making a sourdough parfait.
It's going to have to be big and bold
and it's going to have to shine through.
I want to taste the sourness of the bread. I want to taste
the bread in this dish.
Chefs, you're halfway!
You've been rushing around since you've got into the kitchen.
You've got a lot of work to do.
Yeah, a lot of elements in all of this
and a lot of elements to set.
So I'm going to have a confit cured salmon
that's going to be marinated in a little bit of whisky.
It's going to be paired with apple, nori so you get that sushi salmon,
it's going to be served with a whisky gel.
And then a slight twist on the dish,
I'm going to finish it with apple granita.
Tell me about the fish and apple.
You get the crispness of the apple.
The texture really works well with the flaky, soft fish.
And what about dessert?
So, dessert is going to be a white chocolate lime parfait.
It's going to be paired with a stem ginger ice cream,
salt caramel and a rosemary crumb.
Not content to put fruit with your fish,
you're now putting a herb with your dessert.
I just need to make sure my food stands out.
It can't be the norm, it can't be something you see every day,
so it's got to have that element that intrigues you. Absolutely.
The flavour combinations are slightly out there.
I don't think I've ever seen a chef serve a granita with a main course.
So that's definitely going to be a talking point.
But I'm here to look different to the other two,
and I'm just out to wow today.
He's taking a bit of a risk with his main course.
Salmon with apple, with the granita...
I'm curious how this is all going to come together.
I love the sound of Sean's dessert, but the lime in the parfait
has to be just right - you don't want it to be too overpowering.
He needs to be very careful that he gets his recipe just right.
I really like the sound of the ginger ice cream
with salted caramel, and then there's a rosemary crumble.
Beautiful flavours that should work very well for this dessert.
Chefs, you have just ten minutes, please.
Five minutes...
Looking good, on time with everything.
So far, so good. Just need to get it on the plate now.
Up against it, it's going to be a push at the end.
Focus, focus, you've got three minutes!
Duck, pistachio...
60 seconds.
Your time is up, stop!
Good luck, boys.
We'll see, we'll see. I'm hoping one of you's messed up!
For a place in finals week, Sean has cooked a main course
of whisky-cured confit salmon
with apple spheres coated in seaweed powder,
sliced apple, apple puree,
marinated fennel, a whisky gel
and sea herbs,
finished with an apple granita.
There you go.
Sean, the salmon - perfectly cooked.
It's how I would have it.
I really like the flavours in the salad on the side here -
you've got the sea herbs and the fennel.
The nori works very well with it, too. But I have to say,
there's too much apple on it, though.
Love the whisky flavour in the gel, however, I've never been convinced
on fruit and fish.
I like the apple with the fish, I do.
I find the granita a little challenging,
cos it just freezes your mouth up straightaway,
and that's not something I would have expected
or have ever experienced with fish.
The whisky gel is a lovely flavour.
I think the salmon is beautifully cooked. I really do.
I think you've got the marinade just right.
I actually quite like the granita on the dish,
it's refreshing and it sort of cleanses the palate.
But I feel like the dish is cleansing my palate too much,
and I want to enjoy more flavours with the dish.
Right, pud time.
For dessert, Sean has made a white chocolate and lime parfait,
encased in a white chocolate shell,
a rosemary crumb with salted caramel
and a stem ginger ice cream.
I absolutely love that white chocolate and lime parfait
with a little bit of salted caramel at the bottom there.
I think that's a wonderful, wonderful flavour combination.
But the crumb seems almost more pasty than crummy,
and I don't get any rosemary. OK.
The parfait, I love how creamy it is, but there's issues
with this crumb. Like Gregg,
I'm not getting the rosemary through it.
And the ice cream, I'm not getting the ginger.
So I'm a bit disappointed that the flavours
that I want to taste aren't really shining through.
I like the flavour of your parfait,
I like the crunchy coating.
The problem I have with your dessert is the depth in flavour
of your caramel. It's just too strong and overpowers
the lime and the white chocolate.
Today was definitely a risk - make or break.
I knew the salmon was going to be a risk, so...
There was no boring stuff on the plate,
everything was different.
And I think that's what you need at this stage of the competition.
Laurence's main is Scottish Wagyu beef sirloin
with a pommes Anna,
caramelised Roscoff onion,
onion puree, pickled onion shells,
shaved cep mushrooms dusted in cep mushroom powder,
garnished with nasturtium leaves and nasturtium oil,
finished with a beef sauce and grated black truffle.
I like how your plate of food looks here,
Laurence, and the aroma of that truffle is just floating
off the plate.
The Wagyu beef is delicious.
You've seasoned it nicely, and the cooking for me is spot-on.
I just wish there was a little bit more of it.
You've got variations of onion - work very well with the beef.
These are all things I've had before and,
you know, sometimes I don't want any bells and whistles.
I just want food that looks good and tastes delicious.
I'd eat it all without the help of these two.
It's a really nice, heady mixture of a really good sauce,
lovely, beautiful beef, packed with cep flavour,
absolutely packed.
And sweetness of onions, which is a contrast to all the other
bigger, meatier flavours. It's really good. Really good.
The dish is delicious, it's beautifully cooked,
beautiful in its presentation. I love the onion stock that
you've put into the sauce as well. It's very clever.
It gives the sauce a point of difference.
Great execution, fantastic flavours.
It's just great.
For dessert, Laurence has made a peanut butter and jam sandwich -
a sourdough parfait between peanut sable biscuits,
served with peanut butter ice cream on a sourdough crumb,
with macerated strawberries, freeze-dried strawberries
and a strawberry granita.
Wow, incredible piece of work.
I mean, I would feel particularly blessed if I'd have ordered this.
I would feel like I've got two-and-a-half desserts.
Personally, I feel like I'm missing something.
The parfait doesn't have the sourness that I was looking for
from the bread.
The best flavour of sourdough on this dish is the crumb
that you've got underneath your ice cream.
I just don't think this dish has been tested and eaten enough.
I'm really sorry, Marcus, I feel the complete opposite.
I think it's a work of genius.
I have got, as you promised,
a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich!
This peanut butter ice cream feels to me
like a sweet peanut butter on toast.
And that shouldn't work, but it really does.
I've got the crunch of the toast,
I've got the flavour of peanut butter,
but the whole thing is wrapped up in beautiful creamy sweetness.
I love the idea of this plate.
I'm someone who loves peanut butter and strawberry jam,
so it was something I was really looking forward to.
Really like the ice cream.
But the granita, it was so cold,
I couldn't get that hit of strawberry.
It's nice, it's not blown me away, as I thought it would.
Kind of split the judges - main course was great,
dessert maybe not so much.
Savage!
But hopefully I've done enough to stay in the competition.
Finally, it's Dean, whose main course
is Korean glazed duck
with pistachio Thai salad,
a rice fried prawn quail's egg,
garnished with avocado puree,
charred broccoli,
red daikon, an Asian radish,
peas and a jasmine tea crisp.
The duck is lovely,
however, I don't think there's enough of the glaze.
I'm losing that Korean flavour you've got over your duck.
Your rice fried egg is beautiful. That tastes to me like a lovely sort
of shrimp Thai fishcake.
But it's got a lovely egg in the middle of it,
like, giving a little bit of richness from the yolk.
The Thai salad - I love the light warmth coming through it.
But the garnish, there's so much to consider.
I like the broccoli with the charcoal,
with the avocado puree underneath it.
I don't think peas are necessary.
The jasmine rice crisp doesn't bring anything to this plate
of food for me.
Is it a tasty plate of food?
Absolutely, I'd enjoy eating every aspect
of it, it's interesting.
It's beautifully cooked, your flavours, your heat,
your seasoning.
But I just think you just sat and overthought this dish too much.
Sometimes you need to tone it back.
For dessert, Dean has made black sesame cheesecake,
topped with chilli salt and sugared raw green mango,
a sweet mango salsa,
cashew crumb and a passion fruit gel.
I've never had a grey cheesecake before.
But I love the mango, the raw mango on top with the chilli
through it - light warmth and sharpness and very lightly
sweetened as well.
It's creamy, but I thought it would have been much stronger
in sesame flavour.
Love the combination of mango, sesame, chilli, passion fruit.
However, I would like some more texture,
like a cheesecake base,
for all this beautiful flavoured gooeyness to sit on.
The one thing I love about cheesecakes is the texture
and the slight heaviness of them.
But what we've got is, we've got a cheesecake cream.
I like the crumb, but why don't we have the texture
that we long for in a cheesecake?
Again, like your main course, it's challenging. I don't know
whether you're trying too hard.
Definitely unsettling to get negative feedback at this stage
in the competition.
If I get through, you know, I need to bring it back a bit
and do what I do best.
That was a fascinating cook-off. There's a lot to discuss,
for many different reasons.
Thank you so much. Off you go. We'll get you back in when we can.
Thank you.
Tough day for our three chefs.
There wasn't one complete menu.
There was errors in main course and dessert.
I really, really loved Laurence's Scottish Wagyu beef dish.
I thought it was fantastic. In fact, we all did.
The beef was beautifully cooked, loved the onion stock that he used
in the base of his sauce as well. It had a great sheen to it.
The dessert, for me - loved the peanut butter ice cream
with the sourdough crumb.
It was good, but I wanted knockout, outstanding.
But I think Laurence was the most accomplished chef today.
He was the one chef that you could say,
"That's the one that goes through first." I agree.
And I think he deserves to go through.
OK, Laurence goes through to the finals week.
Sean - we all agreed the salmon was beautifully cooked.
The salmon was sublime. I mean, it was just delicious.
And the beautiful whisky gel on the plate was a treat.
But I just thought there was too much apple, way too much apple.
Dessert, I loved his parfait.
But the crumble, it was undercooked. I couldn't taste the rosemary,
couldn't taste enough of that stem ginger through it.
For me, the caramel sauce overshadowed the light,
delicate parfait.
Dean's main course was a tasty plate of food.
There was good cookery with the duck.
I loved the broccoli with the charcoal going through it.
The Korean glaze, it had a nice warmth
to it, but there just wasn't enough on it.
Dean's dessert was not the cheesecake I was expecting.
It was more like a light, creamy mousse rather than
an indulgent cheesecake.
I thought his flavours were great, but there was no texture.
There was just too much soft on soft on soft.
I want to be in the final massively. You know, I've put my heart and soul
into this competition. At the end of the day,
I don't think anyone wants to go home.
I'll be extremely upset if I go home today.
To go through to the next stage would be incredible,
and hopefully it works out!
You knew what was at stake today, you came back into this kitchen
and gave it your all.
This was not an easy decision to make, not in any way at all.
The chef leaving us is...
..Sean.
Thank you so much, Sean. Thank you.
Well done, boys. All the best.
Thank you very, very much indeed.
I'm definitely proud of myself. I didn't think I would get this far.
There's been some fun times, and it's definitely given me
the confidence to try new things.
Onwards and upwards!
Well done, you two, you are in finals week!
When I came back into that room, I was waiting for my name
to be called, you know? To get through and to be final four
is just... It's amazing.
I can't do a backflip, but in my head I'm doing backflips
around the kitchen right now!
I'm going to have to give it everything I've got, but I think
I've got what it takes to win it.
Very well done. Well done, finals week.
Well done. Congratulations. And good luck.
Next week...
It's the professional MasterChef finals.
It was knockout, ten out of ten, it was brilliant.
I tried to put all my character in my cuisine.
It's beautiful.
Oh! Just wow!
On Thursday night, one chef will be crowned
professional MasterChef champion 2018.
That is on another level!
Just one of those plates that makes you so happy.