Episode 7 Junior MasterChef

The competition to find the best young cook in the country is back.

From over 1,000 applications, only 32 cooks have made it to the heats.

Now, top chef John Torode and food blogger and TV cook Donal Skehan...

have to decide which cook is good enough

to win the title of Junior MasterChef.

Junior MasterChef, four great cooks

and I hear they're all passionate about cooking.

I'm incredibly excited to see these guys cook, it's going to be amazing.

Our four cooks are going to face two challenges today.

First, a masterclass from me on how to make profiteroles

and a beautiful chocolate sauce.

Afterwards, they're going to be cooking

two of their most favourite dishes for us to taste.

Competing today are Jack, Karine, Sam and Tom.

I want to be a restaurant owner and have a Michelin star, hopefully.

The kind of cook I am is very creative, inventive and passionate.

I think I'm dedicated to cooking.

When I come to the kitchen, I'm really good and show who I am.

I'm very competitive, I don't like losing, I'm honest about that.

Today is going to be tough. We can only take one cook through

to the quarter-final.

Good morning, and welcome to Junior MasterChef.

Today's masterclass - profiteroles and chocolate sauce.

Delicious!

Has anyone ever tried making profiteroles before?

-I've tried it once.

-How did it go for you?

-I forgot a bit of the recipe

so they went a bit wrong!

First, we're going to make the choux pastry.

Into a saucepan, you're going to put 150ml of water...

..butter,

a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and melt the whole lot.

As soon as your butter has melted in the water,

you add the flour. Be careful at this stage cos the liquid's hot.

Beat the flour into it and it becomes completely smooth.

That's the base of your paste.

The egg now needs to be added to this quite slowly.

I don't know how to explain this without saying it looks a bit snotty!

-Are you all following so far?

-ALL: Yes.

Piping bag. You use it the same way as if you were writing with a pen.

A little swirl and then pull it really quickly.

About how long are they in the oven?

-They're going to be in there for 15 minutes.

-Thank you.

We're now going to make the filling. Add your double cream, whip it...

..then add confectioner's custard,

or creme patissiere.

And then put your mixture inside the piping bag.

When the choux is nice and cool, make a tiny hole in the bottom.

Put the two together and you've got to feel the filling going in

with your left hand.

Now for the chocolate sauce. So, water, sugar, cream

and finally, the chocolate.

Put it over a low heat. Make a little design out of them.

And there you have it. Profiteroles and chocolate sauce.

That really looks delicious, doesn't it?

-Very nice, yes.

-Dig in!

-What do you think?

-Best I've ever had!

Now I've shown you what to do, I'd like you to go back to your benches,

wash your hands, and cook.

12-year-old Jack is from Dorset.

He likes to cook dishes from all over the world

and makes dinner for his family at least twice a week.

When I cook, it's just amazing.

It makes me calm, makes me happy.

The smells and that just sends me off into another world.

How old were you when you first started cooking, Jack?

Three or four. I was with my nan and we baked crispy cakes.

I loved it, it was a lot of fun.

Who in your family is your big inspiration in the kitchen?

It would be my mum and my nan but definitely my neighbour, Liz.

She's always helped me, she does a nice roulade.

-Jack, any ambition for when you grow up?

-I'm going to travel the world

and find hidden recipes and secrets behind all the food we eat.

-Fantastic. Great ambition, Jack.

-Thank you.

12-year-old Karine is from Hertfordshire.

Karine cooks three times a week for her sister

when her mum is at work, and she loves to cook Caribbean food.

I try to stick to my roots, where I'm from,

cos I love cooking curried goat.

Whenever I do it, I never go wrong.

Karine, Junior MasterChef, you're here cooking, how does that feel?

Amazing because I get to meet you and have a chance to win this.

In your family, who is your biggest inspiration?

My mum. She taught me how to cook and she grew up in Jamaica

and she's given me this opportunity to do all of this!

-And so's my dad, but yeah...

-What do you want to be when you grow up?

A teacher. I love cooking but I can always cook as my passion.

-Or you could be a cookery teacher.

-There you go.

We've worked out your life plan, Karine!

You have had 20 minutes, you are halfway there!

11-year-old Sam is from Somerset.

On a recent holiday to Thailand, he was invited to the chef's kitchen

to make a spicy Thai soup.

Cooking after school is relaxing because it gets me away

from the stress of homework and stuff like that.

-Sam, why do you love cooking?

-I think it brings people together

and I can show my passion in my food.

-How old were you when you first started cooking?

-About four or five.

So we've got six years of skill under our belt.

How many people have you cooked for at one time?

-About 30 to 40.

-30 or 40?!

We went to my friend's Burns' Night party

and I made some haggis bhajis.

You won't feel the pressure at all today,

-you've cooked for 30 or 40 people in one go!

-Yep.

-We're expecting great things, Sam. Good luck with it.

-Thank you.

12-year-old Tom is from Nottinghamshire.

Tom loves to play cricket and his speciality dish is fried octopus.

I love cooking because when people try my food and they like it,

it makes me feel really good inside. It gives me the knowledge

that I've done well.

-Tell me why you love to cook, Tom.

-I love to cook cos I'm able

to express my passion for what I do, and able to experiment.

Do you have somebody you feed your experiments to?

Mainly my dad and my brother.

There's a bit of pressure in the kitchen today.

-Are you feeling competitive?

-Very. I don't like losing

but for me it's an advantage so I can push myself.

Good luck with your profiteroles.

30 seconds to finish your plate, please.

That's it, time is up. Please step away from your plates.

It's now judgment time.

Are the choux buns well-formed and golden-brown?

Is the cream filling light and airy?

And will the chocolate sauce be velvety and smooth?

Jack, shall we start with yours?

I like this pile of little, tiny profiteroles.

It almost looks like a Christmas tree. It looks celebratory.

Those little tiny discs of choux pastry, although they're a bit soft,

are full of that wonderful cream.

Chocolate sauce, I think, is a great consistency. I just want more!

The creme patissiere is lovely, creamy.

You've got the nice texture from the choux buns.

They're small but definitely there. And it looks good!

-That's the great thing here.

-Thank you.

I haven't cooked profiteroles before, it was the first time.

It was all right but I only put a little bit of chocolate sauce on it.

John loves his chocolate sauce so I made him a bit sad.

Karine, these are amazing! They're the right shape, the right colour,

-the presentation's absolutely perfect.

-Thank you.

You've got this spot-on visually so let's try them and taste them.

Always a great sign when somebody takes a second mouthful

and Donal's done that. And there's a reason for it.

They're absolutely perfect. Your chocolate sauce isn't grainy

with sugar, it's all been dissolved well.

Your little puff buns are perfectly formed. It's great, Karine.

-Thank you.

-Really, really good.

I'm loving the fact that the cream inside is wonderfully spongy

and still quite light and moist.

And then that dark chocolate sauce, beautiful on top. So delicious,

-well done, this is spot-on, well done.

-Thank you.

John said to me that if someone takes a second bite,

that means it's really good, and Donal had a second bite.

Let's try yours, Sam. I like the fact you've given us a choice,

-with the chocolate sauce on the side.

-Let's go.

There's a touch of graininess to the sauce

but it's not the end of the world.

Your profiteroles need to be cooked a bit more.

They're still a bit soggy.

But first time ever made it, you know, and following a recipe,

really, really well done. Really well done.

I think I did pretty good. I think there were some things

that I needed to do a bit better on.

I needed to bake my profiteroles for a bit longer.

Tom. Your even colour around your little choux buns is brilliant.

You've left them in the oven just the right amount of time.

-Do you want to put some chocolate sauce on?

-Absolutely.

-Ah, yes!

-Good sauce.

-Nice.

You have a wonderful chocolate sauce, which is really silky smooth.

Going with those little shells of choux pastry,

which are made perfectly, it's a great dish.

You've got the chocolate sauce on the side

and it gets the person who's eating it involved in the dish.

All of a sudden, your taste buds start getting excited.

Your cream in the middle, really nice and light and airy.

It's a really nicely composed dish.

Lots of pressure to do well, you're cooking for John Torode,

he is a very good chef so he knows what he's doing.

So to get it right in front of him is a big gamble paid off.

To all of you, profiteroles, chocolate sauce, well done.

Now the pressure really is on.

You're going to be cooking two of your favourite dishes for us.

Quarter-final place up for grabs. You've got just one hour.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

These cooks have us to help them in the MasterChef kitchen,

but if they were doing it at home, they really would need a responsible adult with them.

Jack, what are your two dishes?

For starter, I'm doing smoked mackerel pate.

For my main, I'm doing Moroccan-spiced rack of lamb,

with chunky-style couscous.

What's chunky-style couscous?

Chunky bits of carrots, onion, mixed up with different herbs and spices.

It sounds like you're using some interesting spices

for your main course. Do you like those sort of strong flavours?

Yes, I do, it packs a punch.

-And a quarter-final place would mean what, Jack?

-The world.

Just to get further and it means I'm a better chef than, no offence...

-than these people.

-Very good, Jack.

-Thank you.

Lamb is one of my favourite meats

but you've got to get the spicing right.

Too much spice, you'll overpower that wonderful sweet flavour

of the lamb and we don't want to go there!

Karine, you have a great array of ingredients on your bench.

I've no idea what you're going to cook, what is it?

I'm making ackee and saltfish with festivals.

Ackee is a fruit that usually comes in tins.

Saltfish being salted cod. Tell me what festivals has got in it.

-They're dumplings with a sweetened flavour.

-What's your other dish?

It's a drink, it's called Sunday Surprise.

It's basically carrot, passion fruit, lime and a bit of sugar.

Why is it so important to you to get through to the next round?

So I can show that I can cook.

-It's one of my best qualities.

-Good luck with it all.

-Enjoy it.

-Good luck!

Karine is going to give us a taste of the sunshine.

I've never had ackee before so she's challenging my taste buds!

You are halfway, 30 minutes left.

Tom, what are you cooking for us today?

I'm doing chicken goujons with Parmesan

and mayonnaise and sweet chilli dip.

For main, I'm doing smoked haddock and prawn fish pie

with saffron-infused cream, and spinach.

-What's the inspiration, Tom?

-I wanted to do something original,

-but with my own little twist.

-Sounds good.

-With the fish pie, I decided

to add saffron to give it that extra kick.

It's quite a sophisticated flavour, very strong and very rich.

I've tasted it before, I like the flavour

-so I thought it would be nice to do.

-Good luck.

My my, fish pie. But fish pie enriched with saffron.

If Tom gets it right, it's the food that's addictive,

the food you want to keep on eating.

Sam, what are you cooking today?

Caramelised apple, black pudding, scallop,

with a mustard and cream sauce.

-Wow.

-My main is a beef fillet, rolled in black pepper

and sesame seeds, celeriac and potato mash with vine tomatoes.

What is it about these dishes that you think are going to bring you

-through to the next round?

-They're really tasty

and it takes quite a bit of skill to make them.

What about being a quarter-finalist?

That would be as good as winning it!

-We wish you the best of luck.

-Thank you.

He's got to get scallops right, black pudding, apple.

If he executes it perfectly, we're in for a proper treat.

If it all goes wrong, it's not going to be good.

30 seconds, guys. Really make sure you're plating up at this stage.

That's it, time's up. Step away from your benches, please.

Jack's starter is a smoked mackerel pate,

made using creme fraiche, horseradish and seasoning,

served with a side of toast.

Mackerel pate is one of those things that is either a bit, eurgh...

Too much or too heavy and too harsh.

But yours is nice and creamy and a wonderful texture.

A real good freshness of grated lemon rind.

Add to that a little bit of spice.

Then you've got the crispy toasted bread on the side, it's good.

Jack, it's smoky, it's earthy, it's deep, it's well-seasoned.

I agree with John, you've balanced the flavours beautifully.

Jack's main course is Moroccan-spiced rack of lamb,

served with a chunky couscous.

You get the flavour of the chilli, the flavour of the sugar

that goes in the back of it. Your lamb, it's a bit overcooked,

if I'm honest with you. I think a bit less time in the oven.

Your couscous, really nice. However, I would love

if you hadn't had so much liquid in there.

The nice ingredients in here are the carrots, the pop of sweetness,

and the caramelised red onions in there.

I'm feeling quite anxious about, well...

they said the lamb, they wanted more pink, so...

There's little things I need to pick up on

but hopefully that's enough for me to get through.

Karine's main course is ackee, a fleshy Jamaican fruit,

and saltfish, served with festivals, a Jamaican flat dumpling.

This wonderful salty fish, with that sweet, almost custard-textured fruit

of the ackee. Then we've got peppers in the background,

sweet but a little bit smoky.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, there's this spice that builds up

in the background. It's a tickle of spice and I like that.

Beyond the spiciness, the addition of taking a bite of those festivals,

it mellows things out a little bit.

Karine, you have given me a proper introduction to Caribbean cooking.

And I would properly polish off this dish.

To accompany her main, Karine has made a Jamaican punch

of passion fruit, ginger, sweet carrot and lime.

Karine, I told John that every morning I wake up

with an apple, carrot and ginger juice.

But this is a new one to me.

The addition of passion fruit in there really makes the difference.

I feel like your juice could be a little bit more punchy.

I'd like a bit more warmth from the ginger,

a bit more sourness from that lime to refresh my palate

so I could just enjoy the rest of the juice.

The judges' comments made me feel pretty good

because I was doubting myself and they reassured me,

saying that I actually did do it right.

Tom's starter is chicken Parmesan goujons,

served with homemade mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and a barbecue sauce.

Tom, the crust on that chicken is spot-on.

You got the Parmesan in there

and it's made it really crispy and crunchy.

You've made your mayo from scratch, hats off for that.

Your barbecue sauce, there's sweet, earthy, smoky, spicy flavours

in there - really, really tasty.

The Dijon mustard on the side? I'm not sure it needed it.

I'm going to disagree with you. I like the mayonnaise and the mustard.

The crust on your chicken is brilliant.

It's delicious and it's got great texture.

Tom's main course is a pot fish pie, infused with saffron and fennel.

There's so many elements to it - that wonderful sweetness

from the prawns, the creaminess in there, that iron-rich spinach.

This is a really good fish pie.

Although you promised a saffron cream, there's just a tiny hint

of the flavour of the saffron.

The predominant flavours in there, the smokiness of your haddock,

and the woodiness of mushrooms running through the sauce.

A rich, creamy sauce which isn't overpowering the fish at all.

I think it's great and again, shows me you've got some great skills.

Overall, I'm pleased, especially when they compliment it.

It makes you feel proud of yourself.

Sam's starter is pan-fried scallops on a slice of black pudding

and an apple ring, served with a mustard and cream sauce.

Peppery spice from black pudding is something to behold.

Mix that with a scallop, that wonderful thing from the sea,

and it's a lovely combination. But you've got an issue.

Your apple is a little bit burnt on the bottom, which is a real shame.

Sam, properly beautiful presentation here.

I just wish you'd got that apple just perfect. But otherwise,

this is a dish you should be incredibly proud of.

For his main course, Sam has made a fillet of beef,

rolled in black peppercorns and sesame seeds,

served on a bed of celeriac and potato mash,

with roasted vine tomatoes.

Sam, a bit of a monster of a dish here.

You've got that wonderful big, manly steak

sitting on top of that celeriac mash.

I'd love your tomatoes to be in a bit longer in the oven.

They should reduce down and become lovely and caramelised,

almost sun-dried-esque.

I've never thought about the combination of nutty sesame seeds

and woody thyme, and a piece of beef. It works.

One thing just for future - when you cut a piece of meat,

and you put it on top of mashed potato or celeriac,

it acts like a sponge and sucks all the juice out of your meat.

As tasty as it is, it's going a little bit dry and stringy.

I think it went fairly good and I just hope that it's good enough

to get me through.

A bit nervous that they're only able to pick one.

Fingers crossed. I think all of us have to have our fingers crossed.

Today, I've had combinations I don't think I've ever had before.

It was a very adventurous room of cooks.

We had dishes from all over the world.

It's going to be difficult to narrow it down to just one.

-Let's talk about Jack.

-Mackerel pate and toast,

he got the flavours right, seasoning was there, lovely citrus freshness.

The lamb, bejewelled with the couscous, carrots and onions,

really good idea, strong with harissa -

that wonderful chilli sauce that goes in the back of Moroccan food.

The lamb, unfortunately, overcooked. That couscous, a bit wet and soggy.

Definitely proud about myself and definitely excited.

And a little bit nervous.

Karine introduced us to the Caribbean.

Girl full of sunshine.

I liked the flavours of the ackee, the texture, the slurpy sweetness.

After that, we had a juice.

For me, it needed to be more of a palate cleanser,

to take away the saltiness of that rich fish taste

and let me just taste the actual fruit and vegetables in the drink.

I know if I carry on in this competition,

I will learn things I never knew how to do.

Tom made us a great little chicken starter - crispy goujons,

his own twist with that salty Parmesan crust on the outside.

-Wonderful and crunchy.

-For his main course,

he had that really nice and rich smoky fish pie.

This dish was really good.

Tom understands what crowd-pleasers are

and he can cook the basics very well.

I think I've cooked well today

but I can't be sure whether I've done enough.

Sam blew me away with the presentation of his starter.

It was fantastic, on that black slate,

with the scallop on the top.

But that apple underneath was charred

and it took away from the absolute beauty of the dish.

For the main course, the steak was drying out

because the celeriac sucked all the moisture out of it.

I think he made a couple of little mistakes

because he put himself under a huge amount of pressure.

I think I've done enough

but it's down to the judges, not me, to decide.

There's promise in all four of our cooks today.

But we've only got one quarter-final place.

It's going to be a tough one but we really have to remember

what was the memorable dish.

You've done incredibly well today,

you've produced some wonderfully delicious food.

Four good cooks, one quarter-final place.

We had to make a very tough decision.

Our quarter-finalist is...

..Tom.

-Congratulations.

-Well done, Tom.

I've achieved lots of stuff. Definitely.

To get John Torode to taste my food and he actually liked it

so it's really good.

I've had loads of fun here today but it would have been even better

if I got through.

The new skills I've learnt from today is cooking profiteroles

and, er, always taste your food.

I'm feeling ecstatic, I'm so grateful to get through.

I'm really glad they've given me a chance

to express more of my passion for cooking.

Tom will be back for the quarter-final

when he'll compete with three other heat-winners

for the title of Junior MasterChef.

If you'd like to make John's masterclass dish,

visit CBBC's Junior MasterChef page for the recipe.

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