Episode 9 Junior MasterChef

It's the penultimate Junior MasterChef,

and at the end of today, four cooks will become three.

Phoebe, Mya, Amelie

and Barney are four of the best young cooks in the country.

And they're about to battle it out to see who will make it

through to tomorrow's final.

Inside I feel very nervous, cos it's elimination day,

but I think I can get through.

If I got a place in the final it would be really cool.

I just need to try my hardest.

I'm really excited about today, but a little bit nervous as well.

I don't think there's any room for error today.

I think I can get to the final three

of Junior MasterChef,

because my dish today is a really good one.

Junior MasterChef 2014, this is where it gets exciting.

I'm absolutely loving this competition.

First, they'll be given a masterclass

in the art of chocolate making.

I'm going to stay here forever.

Before returning to the Junior MasterChef kitchen and cooking

their best dessert for three of the harshest food critics in Britain.

You know, we're judging this and just telling it like it is.

At the end, one of them will be going home.

It's early morning in London's Soho, and the four semifinalists are about

to get the world's tastiest masterclass.

Ladies.

-Hi, guys.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-Hi.

-Good.

-Good.

My name's Paul A. Young, I'm a master chocolatier,

and today I'm going to show you how to make chocolates.

-Feeling creative? ALL:

-Yes.

Follow me down to the chocolate kitchen and we'll get going.

Ah, I'm dribbling.

Today, the contestants will have to design their own chocolate bars,

but first, master chocolatier Paul will show them how it's done.

Ooh.

Take a palette knife, we're going to spread it out across the bench

like you're icing a cake, so it's spread, backwards and forwards.

Paul starts by controlling the temperature of the chocolate,

by cooling it and mixing at the same time.

This is called tempering,

and will give the chocolate a glossy sheen and perfect texture.

-Are you ready to go?

-Yeah.

-Are you ready to get messy?

-Yeah!

Weeee!

First, they have to temper their own chocolate.

You scrape in.

It's so cool.

Who's the cleanest and who's the messiest?

Then they need to select the ingredients to flavour

the chocolate with.

-Mmm.

-So this one's crystallised mint.

-Ah.

This one's freeze-dried raspberry.

I'm looking forward to these.

I'm doing coffee and cocoa.

Dried raspberry and some white chocolate.

I'm going to be doing red peppercorn with popcorn.

Oh, that's so nice. It smells really peppery.

Wow, that's going to be nice and spicy.

A cumin topping. Put some coffee beans inside.

Next, they layer the flavours into their moulds.

And cover them in the chocolate.

That's what I mean, that looks really good.

I love milk chocolate, can't live without it.

We've got some future master chocolatiers here, I think.

-My mum really wants me to be a chocolatier.

-Does she?

-Yeah.

-Right.

We can sort that out.

The secret is to bang the mould, to take the air bubbles out

and to mix the ingredients in.

Looking good, guys.

Finally, it's the yummy toppings.

I'm loving this, I'm going to stay here forever.

Mmm, that's good.

After 15 minutes cooling in the fridge, it's the moment of truth.

Ta-dah!

Tasting time.

I just love that beautiful crunch.

-I do, I agree.

-In the seeds.

I like the kind of corniness from the popcorn,

and you get a hint of mint.

-I got quite a big bit of chilli then.

-Sorry.

It's amazing, I really,

really like how you mix the white chocolate with the milk chocolate.

-It smells really nice.

-Mmm.

-Mmm, have you enjoyed it? ALL:

-Yeah!

Enjoy your bars, and I hope to see you again soon,

making fantastic chocolates.

Thank you very much.

-You're very welcome. Take care, bye.

-Thank you.

-Take care.

-Bye.

That's the first time I've ever made my chocolate bars,

and I was really happy with how they looked.

I learned how to make chocolate with weird ingredients in it,

and you think it's disgusting, but it's actually really good.

I've never eaten so much chocolate in my life.

I'm really keen to stay till the end of the competition now,

because I've done so well to get this far.

Our four are on their way back from their chocolate masterclass,

and now it gets really tough

because they're going to have to make their ultimate dessert.

Not just for you and I, but for restaurant critics.

Who is going to make the final three?

Who is going to fall at the last hurdle?

This is going to be their toughest challenge yet.

Welcome back, guys.

Things now are going to get very tough,

because you are cooking for a place in the final.

Today, you are cooking not just for Donal and I,

you are cooking for restaurant critics.

Tracey MacLeod, Charles Campion and Will Sitwell.

Chefs shake and quiver when they walk into their restaurants.

Don't let 'em scare you.

One hour, your greatest dessert ever.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

Remember, if you try this at home,

make sure you have a responsible adult with you.

I have seen the critics before on TV, and they judge you really hard,

so I need to make sure that everything I do is perfect.

It will be a bit scary,

but it's good to get feedback from really high up people.

Phoebe, the toughest challenge yet,

cooking for that place in the all-important final.

How do you feel?

I'm feeling quite excited, but a bit nervous.

What are you going to cook for the critics?

Mini ginger sponge layers with a stem ginger cream,

with spiced, poached pears.

Ooh.

Phoebe, you come at every challenge with a great big, smile on your face.

Do you think you can win this competition?

I've got as good a chance as anyone else does.

The last time you cooked a dessert for us,

-it didn't really work, did it?

-This time it will.

It'll be fine.

Stay focused. Good on you.

This is here. There's nowhere to hide with Phoebe's dessert.

The sponge has to be perfect, the cream's got to be perfect,

the pears have got to be perfect.

If those pears aren't poached all the way through, we've got a hard pear

and a soft bit of sponge, it's hard to get right.

If she can bring all those beautiful layers together of this

wonderful dish, I think we are in for a treat with Phoebe's dessert.

Wow.

I'm best at desserts, cos I grew up in baking.

Desserts is definitely my expertise.

-G'day, Mya.

-Hi.

-How you doing?

-Good.

Tell us what you're going to make.

I'm making raspberry and rose petal shortcakes.

Raspberry and rose petal shortcakes. Very simple flavours, done right.

Well, my main thing is, keep it simple but make it delicious.

It should be enough to impress the critics and get me through

to the final three.

Mya talks about simplicity with clean, crisp flavours,

and that's exactly what she's got to deliver

because there are not a lot of ingredients on Mya's bench.

She's stripped it right back and it could be a bit of a risk

because she has left herself wide open.

She needs to make sure that every aspect of this dessert is

absolute perfection.

It's quite nerve-racking, cooking for restaurant critics,

but it's also really exciting, cos if it passes the test,

then it means that I'm a really good cook.

Amelie, how are you feeling?

I'm feeling really confident because

this dish is going to go really well.

And tell us what this dish is.

I'm making a rhubarb and custard brulee,

because it highlights my Anglo-French roots.

Amelie, creme brulee is one of the toughest things to perfect

because it's such a classic, but what can go wrong?

The only thing that can go wrong is the custard

because, if you add the egg too quickly or you have the

hob on too high, then it turns into scrambled eggs.

We don't want any scrambled eggs.

No scrambled eggs, thank you very much.

Amelie, how important would it be to make the final three?

It would be really important

and it would be like, "Yay, I'm a good cook!"

Will you do exactly that when you celebrate?

Yay, I'm a good cook!

Well, you've a lot to do in a short amount of time,

so you have to stay focused, and the best of luck.

Thank you.

Amelie is promising us rhubarb and custard brulee,

but getting a creme brulee right is difficult,

cos that custard can curdle very, very easily.

I've got to admit, I am really excited about Amelie's dessert,

rhubarb and custard, and it's a brilliant riff,

using creme brulee to bring it together.

If she can bring this dessert to the table,

and have it perfectly executed, I think we are

going to have a really good competition on our hands.

My game plan today is to impress the judges,

impress the restaurant critics, and hopefully get through to the

three finalists of Junior MasterChef.

Barney. What sort of brave thing are you making today, Barney?

I'm making a raspberry and almond souffle.

-You look surprised.

-I am.

With a raspberry and almond fruit salad, with a raspberry

and almond smoothie and a vanilla Chantilly cream.

-Are your souffles in the oven already?

-Yes.

-And how long will they take to cook?

-25 minutes.

-Will they not fall before you serve them?

-Hopefully not.

How many times have you made this before, Barney?

Five times, never failed.

Wow. That is serious confidence right there.

Barney, good luck, mate

A souffle is a lightly baked pudding, made with egg whites.

It's a tricky dessert to perfect, and can collapse very easily.

Wow, there's a lot going on that plate.

I think it could all work together,

but it really relies upon one thing working, and that is that souffle.

I think the dessert Barney has chosen to make for us

today is really a big risk.

I don't know that he needs all those extra elements.

I think if he perfects the souffle, that's all he needs,

but maybe I'll be surprised, maybe those extra elements will bring

something special that will wow both me, and the critics.

The critics are coming.

The very people who tell restaurant chefs

if their food is any good or not.

It's a great challenge, MasterChef.

Being able to take it on at such a young age is really,

really difficult.

Well, as restaurant critics,

I suppose we're always looking for fresh talent.

It doesn't get any fresher than the contestants on Junior MasterChef.

It's an amazing achievement to be here.

You know, we're judging this as we judge all food - honestly,

thoughtfully, and just telling it like it is.

Nice.

So Phoebe's doing layered ginger sponge and spiced, poached

pears with ginger cream, which is actually quite sophisticated.

I like the way that she's done something a bit adventurous.

There's a bit of baking in there, poaching of the pears,

there's a little bit of technique in there,

so it'll be good to see how well she does with this.

What else has to go on the plate?

Just this quenelle of cream

and then I'm going to put a little bit of stem ginger.

Come on then, let's go.

Time to face the critics.

Thanks, Phoebe.

Today, I've made for you ginger sponge layered with a ginger stem,

cream and spiced, poached pears.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

It's a lovely golden colour, it looks, to me, well baked,

and I like the way she's layered it up.

I really like this. You've got the texture of the sponge,

the texture of the pear, and the pear isn't overcooked,

there's a bit of crunch in it.

Then you've got that wonderful softness of the cream.

It's a sweet little piece of heaven. I love it.

Phoebe has managed to integrate the elements of the dish really nicely.

Love the glace ginger, I think it's very nice indeed.

I shall have some more.

It's not walloping us with that ginger flavour.

It's very subtle and it works terribly well with the pears.

I think she's done really well.

Mmm, wow. That is a really good dish.

Mmm hmm. It looks good, it tastes good.

They're the boxes you need to tick.

Oh... It was quite scary walking in the room and seeing the three

critics because I was just like, "Oh, don't drop the plate."

I'm feeling really happy and excited cos I think it went really well.

Do you know how to use a glove puppet? Look, 'Hello.'

-Oh.

-OK.

OK, never done this but...

Tastes OK.

Mya is doing a raspberry and rose petal shortcake.

Which could be very nice, if it's not too dry.

Three minutes.

Looking good, smells great.

Mmm-mmm. Beautiful.

It's like you've done this before, Mya.

Ah, this is where the roses go.

-Are you happy to go?

-Yeah.

To the critics you go.

-Good luck, Mya.

-Good luck.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You've got raspberry and rose petal shortcakes.

So have you flavoured your shortcakes with rose petal?

I've flavoured the cream with rose petals.

The shortcakes are flavoured with vanilla.

Looks lovely, thank you.

Well, I think that looks very nice.

Two shortbread biscuits, held apart by a few raspberries.

I look forward to it.

I hope that she hasn't overdone it on the rose water,

cos what she's shown us here looks quite simple.

Well, it's a very nice shortbread biscuit, not too sweet,

good texture, vanilla after tones,

I would be very proud to have made a biscuit like that.

There is a problem in that the cream does taste too much of rose water,

which is a shame.

And I actually like the taste of rose water, so this cream is not

too floral for me, but it is a bit of a love it or hate it ingredient.

Punchy little number, this one, isn't it?

There is a whacking amount of rose water.

I'm really impressed with this, and I love the presentation,

but for me, there is too much rose water in that cream.

I'm feeling really excited, a little bit nervous

but really happy that it's done.

Amelie, you've got ten minutes

I'm on schedule then.

At least, I think I am.

Amelie is cooking for us rhubarb and custard brulee with ginger biscuits.

I must confess there is a magic word there, custard.

I really like the sound of this.

It's a challenging dish to cook.

If she does it, I'll be very impressed.

BEEPING

Finishing touches, Amelie.

You ready to face the critics?

Yep, and I've finished them as well.

Good luck. Off you go.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Today I've made a rhubarb and custard brulee with ginger biscuits.

I made this dish because of my Anglo-French roots.

I thought creme brulee and rhubarb, rhubarb from Yorkshire

and creme brulee from France.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

The creme brulee looks spot on, good bit of blowtorching there.

It's nice to see a proper crisp top.

It's a really good creme brulee.

Creamy, nice texture, nice bit of sharpness from the rhubarb.

It's a really good thing.

That custard is absolutely gorgeous.

That is as delicious

and as perfect a creme brulee as you might wish to have.

I think that worked really, really well.

She should be very proud of herself.

Amelie's ideas here are absolutely right.

Rich, sweet custard, that crunchy top of sugar which was

perfectly done, with rhubarb sitting underneath.

But the issue here was the rhubarb could be cooked a little bit more.

As a creme brulee goes, this isn't half bad.

You've got that wonderful crunchy topping.

I'm really impressed with that,

because not many people get it right.

All in all, a pretty strong attempt at a creme brulee.

Ah, it's really nerve-racking cooking for three MasterChef critics

because they know a lot about food,

and you've got to make sure that your dishes are perfect.

I'm really happy because that was the best creme brulee I've

ever made.

Barney, you've got nine minutes left.

Feel OK?

Well, Barney's given us raspberry and almond pudding,

with toasted almond and raspberry salad,

vanilla Chantilly cream, and an almond and raspberry smoothie.

Do you need to whisk it harder?

If Barney manages to get through his long work list, I think

it could be very good indeed.

Barney, you have one minute left. Final touches now, please.

-You done?

-Yep.

Good man. Put a smile on your face.

Thank you.

I've cooked you today a raspberry and almond souffle pudding, a fruit

salad with a raspberry smoothie and a vanilla Chantilly cream.

You've got a thing about raspberries and almonds, I guess.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

The souffle looks a little bit raggedy,

but frankly, it's all on the flavour.

-The smoothie, a thing of beauty, even matches my loom band.

-Cheers.

The souffle is a kind of souffled sponge.

It hasn't done ten out of ten, but it's done eight out of ten.

This is better than some of the things we've been

given in the grown-up versions of MasterChef.

Apart from its appearance, it's really tasty.

I think, you know, even though we thought raspberry and almond,

raspberry and almond, could be a bit repetitive,

he's found different ways of bringing those flavours together,

and it's a lovely, original, delicious plateful.

I don't think the souffle's as good as it could be,

but Barney's put in a huge amount of work.

You're right, serious effort has gone in here, and I think

he really wanted to show us the skill that he has in the kitchen.

I'm feeling very disappointed.

The souffles didn't come out very well.

I think this is the toughest challenge that I've had

so far in Junior MasterChef.

Great day, four brilliant cooks.

I've got to say, really brilliant cooks.

I'm really impressed with how they performed.

I thought Phoebe's dessert was almost faultless.

All together, really, really impressive dessert from Phoebe.

I'd eat the whole lot.

I'm very proud of what I've done today,

cos I tried my hardest, so that's all I can do.

Mya presented us with a very pretty dish.

Presentation wise, Mya is absolutely flawless.

However, what was quite overpowering for me

was the rose water in the cream.

I liked the dessert.

Saying that, that cream was over-whipped by a touch,

and the rose water was very, very powerful.

I think it's really important that I impress with that dish, but

obviously I've got really, really far, but hopefully it goes well.

Serious creativity from Amelie at her bench today.

Rhubarb and custard is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

I admire Amelie's adventure.

I like that she's taking a classic and playing with it.

I think I've done enough to get

myself into the Junior MasterChef finals, but we'll just have to see.

Barney today flew the flag of bravery.

The star of the show, that souffle, I think he brought it

out of the oven too early, but the rest of it, I really liked.

You look at what Barney achieved in that small amount of time,

and it is really impressive.

If I went home today, I would feel proud but a little bit disappointed.

This is going to be a very hard decision to make.

Guys, incredible work today.

I think both myself and John are really,

really proud of what you've done,

and you've showed us some incredible skills, some impressive enthusiasm

and passion for cooking, and that's exactly what we're looking for.

Our critics were blown away with what you did today.

However, we've made a decision.

The person who is leaving us today is...

Mya.

I think you did really well.

-Well done. Thank you so much.

-Very much indeed.

-Well done

APPLAUSE

I've had a lot of fun and I don't think it could have been better.

I'm really, really, really proud of myself,

and I'm not going to stop cooking.

Our final three.

Well done. You cook again.

Just think, one of you three is going to be our champion.

We'll see you guys in the final.

I'm feeling really happy right now.

I'm going to do a lot of celebrating tonight.

It's fantastic,

and now I'm one of the final three of Junior MasterChef.

Usain.

I'm still the last boy, hopefully all the boys out there

will say, "Go on, boy, keep going."

It feels really cool to be in the finals.

I really didn't expect it, so I'm really happy with myself.

I'm not really too sure how I'll celebrate.

I'll just go home and watch TV!

I think he's crying with happiness

I want a group hug.

Next, it's the final day of the competition.

It's delicious.

Our Junior MasterChef champion 2014 is...