Episode 24 MasterChef

It's the MasterChef final.

Over the last ten years,

MasterChef has discovered some exceptional amateurs

who have gone on to pursue their dreams.

Tonight, either Jack, Ping or Luke will join them

and be crowned MasterChef champion 2014.

I never thought that

I'll make it anywhere near here, so to be able to sit here today...

..it's a miracle.

The competition has been tough.

Yeah, I'll give it absolutely everything. 100%.

So close to that trophy. We all want it so badly.

I'm feeling nervous. Got to give it my all today.

Who's got what it takes?

Who's going to be the one who breaks through

and takes the title?

I was actually born in Tunbridge Wells, in Kent.

I was a bit of a cheeky chappie growing up.

I think I was always getting into a bit of trouble.

He was always very strong-willed.

He always had a very clear idea of what he wanted out of life.

But apart from that, he's a delightful little boy, I suppose!

I learnt a lot from my mum. She taught me, you know,

the basics of cooking.

We were very fortunate to go on some great holidays

where I was fortunate to try some really nice food as well.

I think he turned a corner

when he had the lads round and he cooked for them.

I think then Jack realised that he could do it

and could make quite an impression.

And the boys loved it. They all had a lovely time.

And it was very successful!

I met Abi when I was 17.

It's been about five years that we've been together.

At university, he'd often come over to my house

and everyone would be coming in, looking at what Jack was cooking,

and all the girls would be very jealous.

So, it was definitely nice to have a boyfriend that can cook.

Having a bit of pork from the farm this morning.

So, have you thought about the presentation for this, Jack?

Have I thought about the presentation for it? Yeah.

Yeah, bit more rustic, this one.

Thank you very much. Lovely.

Mm.

Abi was the person that really encouraged me to apply to MasterChef.

I've got to give her some credit for that.

JOHN: Jack walked in the door and I was a little bit dubious.

Have you been practising in a pro kitchen, Jack?

Never.

But through this competition,

he's continued to surprise me and delight me.

I get excited when I see Jack start to cook.

Jack is an incredible talent.

Jack's style is nothing less than classical fine dining.

I want to applaud you on those sweetbreads. Those are super-good.

Thank you very much.

I can't remember seeing a contestant

that masters technique as quickly as Jack.

They look amazing. Well done. Thank you, Chef. Well done, Jack.

JOHN: Jack's ambition of youth is also married with his courage.

We saw him cook a pigeon for Marcus, which he'd never cooked before.

-You're brave.

-I thought I'd give it a go today.

I like that. That's courage, and I like that.

Yay!

Jack, I'm really impressed, buddy.

When you see Jack working with John Campbell

or Tom Kerridge, you see the guy really rise.

-Beautiful.

-Is that all right?

-Beautiful.

-It's looking good, Jack.

It's absolutely delicious.

Well done. Thank you, Chef.

You just know that's going to taste lush, don't you?

They're experiences that you just couldn't do

unless you're in a competition like this.

You've impressed me hugely. That was phenomenal.

They've been able to teach me things I could never have taught myself.

I'm in awe of the chefs I'm sitting with here today.

But you've been cooking for them, and you've absolutely nailed it.

Look, it has not been easy at all.

I expected it to be as hard as it's been, and it's actually been harder.

JOHN: It doesn't all belong together.

It's too much on one plate.

It doesn't set the mouth on fire.

It just doesn't, mate. I'm really sorry.

JACK: Going to Barcelona was a fantastic experience.

To be able to cook for the best chef in the world was incredible.

-TRANSLATION:

-It's the kind of level you might expect to get

-in a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

-Muchas gracias.

Quite where Jack's going to end up in the world of food,

I have no idea.

But I think it's been a real privilege to catch him

here, right now.

Very good.

JACK: In terms of other achievements in my life,

there's nothing else that compares to

the enormity and the scale of MasterChef.

And to win would just be unbelievable, and I...

It would just be an absolute dream.

I was born in Malaysia, in a very small town called Ipoh.

It's a culinary town.

Very famous for chicken rice and chicken noodles.

My earliest food memory is Grandma chasing us around, trying to feed us.

When I was growing up,

I wasn't allowed to touch anything in the kitchen.

My mum, she's very territorial, and still is very territorial!

But my mum shows her love through cooking,

so I would rather her do it.

Just one letter left now. Who's it for?

I met my husband Andrew in Ipoh when he was out in his gap year.

We got married in a registry office.

Both of us wanted a laugh.

We didn't want it to be the traditional wedding.

They asked us what song we want, and I remember walking down the aisle

on Eye Of The Tiger.

MUSIC: "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor

Ping never really got into cooking, um, till she came over here,

-went to university and had to cook for herself.

-Yum-yum-yum?

Mm!

-Her mum is a spectacular cook.

-'Hello!'

We're going to go to Malaysia next week.

And slowly but surely, over Skype and calls with her mum,

she got to learn more about how to cook Chinese food

and food from home.

I'm looking forward to cook your sambal prawns. I hope they like it.

'Her confidence has grown enormously since she started on MasterChef.

'Initially, she didn't think she would get through the first round,'

and to get this far, we are all really, really proud of her.

I think when I went into MasterChef,

I wanted to introduce people to Malaysian food.

-GREGG:

-She's giving me dishes that I've never eaten before!

She inspires me, she excites me.

And she cares so much!

JOHN: She cooked for Marcus,

a big move away from the food of Malaysia

and into French cuisine.

The ingredients that you brought together here, for me,

is a marriage made in heaven.

That is lush. That is really, really good.

Rarely have I seen someone

whose repertoire can span whole continents.

I'm seriously impressed.

It's joyful tears!

Ping, throughout this competition, has been pretty unflappable.

-Yay!

-Good to go.

Great team leader, great organiser.

JOHN: I've got to say, if you can cook

as well as you write prep sheets, I'm going to be really impressed.

For me, Ping is a cooks' cook.

She gets her head down, she works really, really hard

to make sure she reaches her goal.

-All these are ready.

-You're like my little superstar today!

-Thank you.

-Really, really beautiful.

AIR HISSES

-Sorry!

-Do you know, Ping, before this,

I had you earmarked for a place in the next round.

Well done.

This is perfection.

You're nervous, you're stressed, you are stretched out to your max.

That's how to ball an ice cream.

That's a work of art, Ping.

But definitely, it's worth struggling on.

Can't fault any elements of that dish whatsoever.

Wow.

I think my lowest point has to be the chicken day.

It's good.

It's not remarkable.

But there are a lot of highlights.

I think the one that I love most

-is my time in Barcelona.

-Hey, guys!

Oh!

-Hi. Hello.

-Hello!

Spain really does bring out something in me. The creativity.

-TRANSLATION:

-For me, the most important thing is that technically,

it's impeccable.

Throughout this competition, Ping has impressed you and I

with her knowledge and her ability to be able to deliver.

Ping has been pretty amazing.

Yes!

I've worked so hard to get here,

so I really don't want to fall flat on my face.

So, this would mean so much to me.

I was born in Manchester.

And then my parents wanted to move to the countryside.

We lived in a little village called Charlesworth.

There isn't much going on. It's quite a quiet life.

Food was a big part of family life at home.

We'd always eat at the table.

I was an incredibly fussy eater when I was a...when I was younger.

I didn't really have an idea of what I wanted to be.

I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up!

In the end, I got a decent degree in engineering.

My current job is sales engineer... consultant

in robotics and automation.

I am quite into technology.

I do have quite a lot of sort of kitchen gadgets.

He wasn't really into cooking.

He only kind of started cooking about five years ago.

Luke does use me a bit as a taste tester.

I've had some of his extreme experimentations.

It reminds me of a house of cards.

Oh, wow. Perfect!

His cooking has definitely improved.

I kind of entered the competition

on a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Cheers.

People had said, "Have a go at it!"

And one day I decided, "OK, let's do it."

But I decided I was going to keep it a secret.

I think Mum's going to be really shocked when you tell her,

but I think she's going to be immensely happy.

Yeah, well, I'm never actually going to say it.

-I'm just going to let them watch the programme.

-Really?

You're not going to tell them beforehand?

Luke is a perfectionist to the point of obsession.

Once he's set his mind to something,

there's really no stopping him.

As soon as I started, I knew how tough it was going to be,

and I didn't even really think about how far I'd get.

I just wanted to get past the first day.

JOHN: Anybody who walks in here and makes a samosa from scratch

has got to be a really good cook.

Luke, that is awesome.

The great thing about Luke is he is full of adventure.

Amazing inventive food mind, Luke.

I kind of like to make my own path

and create my own things, and sometimes it's been great.

Luke, like all people that experiment,

aren't going to get it right all the time.

I've hit some rocky patches.

-JOHN:

-The flavour combination

of that soy and coconut milk in that Thai curry

just does not work at all.

OK.

It's not a dessert for me.

There are glaring errors there.

'But with the mistakes I've made, I've learned loads.'

I suppose that's why I'm still here,

because I have demonstrated that I can bounce back.

Mate, you're back, you're back. Thank the Lord.

It has been incredibly exhausting.

JOHN: At the moment, you are in big trouble, OK?

You think we've got seconds extra?

JOHN: Got to do a job each, two jobs each.

Go, go, go. Quick. Just do it!

Just put it on, trust me! You're going to have to just go.

Fast as you possibly can.

LUKE: I've learned loads of new techniques, you know,

-from cooking with the professional chefs.

-How does it feel

-to have me as your commis?

-It's great!

HE LAUGHS

That's lovely, Luke. Go on!

An absolutely fantastic taste. I think it's heavenly.

I've enjoyed it the whole way through.

Even when it's gone badly.

-We're going to be late ten minutes.

-I'm feeling a little bit flustered.

-Lovely. Perfect.

-Service!

They were cooked just right, so you should be proud of yourself.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

-GREGG:

-I love Luke. He cooks differently, he thinks differently,

and that, for me, makes Luke such an exciting prospect.

The idea of this is to create that element of surprise.

Surprised?

I've worked harder than I've ever worked at anything, really.

I'm sleep-deprived, mentally and physically exhausted.

Yeah, I'll have to be at my very, very best

if I've got a chance against these two guys.

TENSE MUSIC PLAYS

That desire to win the competition has grown massively.

I'm just going to give it everything.

I've got nothing to lose now.

This is it.

It all boils down to this.

Really nervous.

But really pumped up now.

This is it! Your final.

An extraordinary day,

because at the end of this,

one of you will lift the title.

The tenth MasterChef title.

Ladies and gentlemen,

three hours...

three courses...

Let's cook.

-PING:

-I'm going to cook my heart out, I'm going to cook my soul out.

I'm going to give it everything I have.

I need to focus,

and I need to go out there and put on my best performance.

Ping, days just don't get any bigger than this, do they?

-No, they don't. So, I'm trying not to be nervous.

-By the looks of

the ingredients on your bench, it's all very, very complex.

This is my last chance to push the boat out, so why not?

-Tell us your three courses.

-My three courses are

my take on wonton soup, to start.

To follow, we have spicy coconut rice,

which is a Malaysian speciality.

Everyone knows it. It's almost like a national dish.

And coconut panna cotta

with a compressed mango, freeze-dried mango.

Also, charred pineapple with a pineapple air.

-And a coconut tuile.

-Your food sounds amazing.

But can you tell me why you've brought your hat box?

-SHE LAUGHS

-They're not my hat box.

They're something to actually serve the rice in,

which you will see later.

I'm really, really excited by this, Ping.

Really excited.

I want to showcase what I love to eat,

so it's a celebration of Malaysian flavours.

I'm really, really excited about Ping's three courses.

We've got a wonton soup, a classic Chinese broth,

flavoured with mushrooms.

It's got to be a clear, smoky, wonderful, addictive broth.

Served with a dumpling, with a filling of pork and crab together.

Then she's going to wrap that in noodles.

And cook that in the soup.

She's crisp-frying wonton skins to go on top of that.

It sounds absolutely delicious.

Her main course, this wonderful Malaysian rice dish, nasi lemak.

Classically a bowl of rice and sambal.

Sambal, classic condiment in Malaysia,

made with chillies and dried fish.

It's strong, it's hot, it's rich.

She's adding to that a twist. Sambal prawns.

Then we've got chicken coated in Spanish crisps.

She's going to take the chicken, cover it with turmeric,

and then use those crisps around the outside, instead of breadcrumbs,

then fry it.

So, you've got a lovely salty, crispy, potatoey outside.

I think that's really, really clever.

This is a dish I love eating.

Everybody in Malaysia does. Everyone knows the dish.

So, my worry is that they don't get it.

Ping's dessert, it's got me by the ears

and it's threatening to snog my face off.

She has got a coconut panna cotta.

And some condensed pineapple.

She's got mango in there as well.

With some pineapple air.

In the competition, I have picked up certain techniques and skills.

The pineapple air, which I picked up from Carlos

when I was in Barcelona.

Which is pineapple-flavoured, so when you take in the air,

you smell it, but there's nothing left in your mouth.

My time with Tom Kerridge, I really loved the tuiles.

I'm making a coconut version of it.

It sounds stylish and interesting and exciting,

and...avant-garde.

It's the flavour of the Tropics, but it's got technology.

It's got a little bit of cooking science on it as well.

The issue right now for Ping is timing.

Because she's got a lot of work to do.

I'm not worried about Ping and timing.

That woman can get through the work of a Trojan army.

Ping is going for it.

Your first hour has gone.

Two hours left.

Couldn't have got any better if you'd have sent me shopping.

Look at that. Lovely, lovely.

Good boy.

I'm feeling incredibly nervous about today.

We've come so far in the competition,

and to get to this stage... I want to go out there,

give it my best, perform as well as I can.

We all want to win.

I definitely do.

Jack, what are you going to cook for us?

So, my starter is some lovely razor clams with pata negra,

so a little bit of a Spanish influence.

We are going... For main course, I'm doing a fillet of Wagyu beef,

with a haggis and beef bolognese.

Truffled gnocchi, a sauce,

and a thyme air.

And then the dessert?

Dessert is pear tarte tatin,

with sort of like compressed pears and...

-Gorgonzola ice cream.

-Oh!

Listen. Cheese ice cream?

-Yes.

-That's a good idea, is it?

The Gorgonzola ice cream, I want it just to be a very subtle element

of Gorgonzola. I mean, personally, I love it.

I just hope that you guys do.

-Good luck.

-Good luck, son.

-Thanks, guys.

Jack's menu is peppered with the influences

from chefs he's worked with or restaurants he's eaten at.

The starter I had at Tom Kitchin's restaurant.

I will always remember it as one of the best things I've ever eaten.

I like the idea of Jack's starter.

Razor clams.

Sliced, served back in the clam shell,

with a mirepoix of diced-up vegetables.

And pata negra ham, one of my favourite hams in the world.

And squid.

As long as the texture of the clam and the squid are perfect, fine.

The main course is the most important plate of food.

I want to go quite extravagant and luxurious.

Jack's main course - so many expensive, beautiful ingredients.

Beautifully tender piece of Wagyu beef.

Then you've got haggis, which is offal.

Made into a bolognese, a ragu.

And then gnocchi with truffle.

And a sauce.

The beef should be the star of the dish.

To get that piece of beef cooked absolutely perfectly

is a really difficult thing.

It's going to have to be cooked rare. It can't be medium,

because then it's going to be dry and it's going to be ruined.

If Jack gets this dish wrong,

it is going to be one hideously expensive mistake.

For dessert, Jack is going with a classic.

That wonderful dish - pear tarte tatin.

He's serving it with compressed pear, and then little bits of pear puree.

Here's the big question mark - a Gorgonzola ice cream.

I think the main thing I'm really concerned about is the ice cream.

Obviously Gorgonzola can be very pungent.

It needs to be mild and just a hint of flavour in the background,

because if it's too strong, it'll just overpower everything.

What we should end up with is salty,

creamy ice cream, bitter caramel sauce,

honey-rich pear and buttery pastry.

That will work. But that's a really difficult layer to get right.

It's very, very risky.

Today is final day.

Ooh, is it the right time to take a risk?

It's make-or-break time for Jack, and he knows it.

He wants to win this competition.

But he knows that he's in a pretty tough competition.

What I really want to show John and Gregg is that I've learned

throughout the competition, learned from my mistakes,

so I just hope that I do that.

You are halfway.

It's the final cook-off today.

Really, really nervous, to be honest.

I wish I could bring some of my more successful dishes forward

and use those again, wipe people's memories!

Can't do that, it's all brand-new stuff,

and, yeah, I'm pretty nervous about it, to be honest.

Luke, I have no idea, can't work out what you're cooking.

-What are you going to make for us?

-OK, so my three courses are,

for starters, we've got arancini, so risotto fritters.

For main, I'm doing two types of tortellini.

We've got one with a... sort of a Thermidor filling,

and then I've got another which is scallops and pancetta.

The sauce for that is a bisque.

For dessert, I'm doing a rhubarb samosa.

So, it's basically rhubarb and custard, and there should be

-some surprise element in there, hopefully.

-We know, Luke,

that your dishes are nowhere to be found in the culinary world.

But you sound right now as if you've got three dishes

you've never cooked before, Luke.

I sound like that, because that's...that's true!

Apart from the arancini. I've made the arancini loads.

I changed my menu at the last minute,

because I cooked it and I didn't like it,

and I didn't want to serve something I didn't like,

so I thought, OK, it's the final,

three-course invention test, you know, it's what it's all about.

Luke, you're scaring me.

HE LAUGHS

Luke makes me smile

with the experimental way that he invents dishes,

and he's doing exactly the same thing here today in the final,

and why shouldn't he?

We've got arancini. It's a ball of rice.

They're going to be kind of made up on the fly.

I've got some ingredients, you know, I'll come up with something.

He's flavoured them with yellow peppers

and there's going to be a melting mozzarella in the middle.

Yummy!

He's going to serve that with a sauce.

But he's got to make sure that the sauce is not overpowering...

WHIRRING

..and the whole thing comes together as one.

The main course, I think, sounds fantastic.

Two different tortellini, one which has got squid black ink...

..filled with scallops and pancetta...

..the other one filled with langoustine with mustard sauce.

Those tortellini have to be full, that they burst in your mouth,

the pasta lovely and thin.

And he's serving the whole lot with a bisque

which has been flavoured with harissa, smoky paprika and chilli.

Fantastic.

There'll be some sort of vegetable accompaniment

and I'm yet to fully decide.

This has kind of been done on the fly

but, you know, I'll be all right.

I've done quite a lot of this now.

For my dessert, I'm kind of going full circle here,

because the first thing I ever cooked

in the MasterChef kitchen was a samosa,

and the last thing I'm going to cook

in the MasterChef kitchen is a samosa.

A samosa for a dessert?

A little crispy pastry with rhubarb in the middle.

And a frangipane and rhubarb stack.

Rhubarb is difficult, because you've got to get that balance

of sweet and sourness absolutely right.

But I do love frangipane, I do love rhubarb

and I most certainly love the samosa

that he cooked for us at the beginning of this competition.

I haven't practised this dish very much,

but I think it's certainly got potential

and I've just got to work it out in my mind

and just go with my instincts.

My big concern for Luke, as always, is about timing and organisation.

He is promising us a huge amount. There's lots of work to be done.

Ladies and gentlemen, I don't mean to scare you.

50 minutes left.

Give yourselves space and time to put your food on your plates.

Come on.

Are you on time?

-I can be.

-Who-o-o-o-op!

Your nose is growing, Pinocchio!

-(Mush, mush.)

-Yeah, yeah, yep.

Just need to make sure that everything's perfect,

that I haven't forgotten anything.

I think I'm all right. I just need to gather my thoughts.

Yeah, it's all going to plan so far, which is good.

Generally I'm think I'm in an OK place.

Yeah, I'll be all right. I will be all right.

Just basically got to plate.

You've got just 20 minutes left, guys.

Your cooking should be almost done

and you should be thinking about nothing but your plates.

There is so much good cooking going on here.

It is a banquet fit for royalty, and I love it!

Amazing-sounding food, lots of technique, lots of skill.

I think this is absolutely brilliant.

You have ten minutes. Last ten minutes.

Crikey! Come on, Luke.

Get your dessert plated up and everything else done.

Come on, come on. Let's go. Go, go.

Come on, boil.

Right, that's just five minutes now.

Time is up. Stop.

HE SIGHS

HE PUFFS

SHE SIGHS

Jack, please, up you come.

-I've got to say to you, Jack, your food looks fantastic.

-Thanks, John.

It looks like high-end, restaurant quality food.

-Yeah.

-Congratulations.

Thank you.

Jack's starter is razor clam with pata negra,

crispy squid, samphire and sea purslane,

served with a sauce made from the cooking liquor and cream.

Your razor clams are cooked absolutely beautifully,

cleaned really well.

I like the crispness of the squid,

I love the salty caramel richness of that sauce that's on the outside,

and the saltiness coming from the samphire, the sea purslane,

your little brunoise of vegetables are sweet

and, at the same time, you've got little flecks of salty ham.

I can't say anything else except for it's a great dish.

-There is no fault to be found.

-Thank you.

-Very, very good indeed.

Absolutely brilliantly balanced.

The flavours are of the sea

and then there is saltiness from that beautiful ham

and from the samphire,

and there is a little tang in your mayonnaise.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Thank you so much.

Jack's main is Wagyu beef, served with a haggis bolognese,

truffle gnocchi, roasted and pureed shallots, crispy kale,

a thyme air and a bone marrow jus.

That's a good-looking dish.

Beef, beautifully soft and tender. That just melts on your tongue.

And the red wine flavour in the sauce, beautiful as well.

Love the hint of truffle, love the hint of thyme.

Clever, clever, clever.

If there is a small problem, and I mean small,

it's there is too much seasoning in that ragu.

Right, OK.

It's a great-looking dish.

It smells wonderful and, for me, it tastes as wonderful.

I love the texture of that crispy gnocchi

and the sweetness of the potato with the hint of truffle.

I love the sweet shallot puree

with the woodiness of the kale which has been fried.

And, for me, that spiciness coming from the haggis inside the ragu

is just comforting.

It takes you up, it takes you down, takes you round the corner

and it kisses you on the lips.

-Good job, Jack. Good job.

-Thank you so much.

Jack's dessert is pear tarte tatin,

accompanied by poached pears and a pear puree,

candied walnuts and a Gorgonzola ice cream.

Waargh!

You are very fortunate there is a table between us now,

otherwise you might have got a kiss.

GREGG LAUGHS

That is lovely.

When I got that pear melting and I got the stickiness of caramel

and beautiful buttery pastry, that was it, I was sold.

I'm heaven-bound.

Then that ice cream comes in, and just the hint, the tiniest hint,

of salty Gorgonzola, it's so subtle, it's brilliant.

Thank you.

What you've got here is a really accomplished dessert,

and I love the honey sweetness of the pear

and the caramel richness of the tarte tatin.

I love the crunch of the nuts and the caramel.

I love the sweetness that comes with that pear puree.

I love the creaminess of the ice cream.

But I don't want to taste mould on the outside of my pears.

And that's what I get.

I love Gorgonzola. It's one of my favourite cheeses in the whole world.

I love ice cream.

But I don't want to eat Gorgonzola ice cream.

My opinion, though, Jack. Gregg loves it.

When you do something as daring as this, you will divide the crowd.

-Thanks, Jack.

-Thank you very much. Cheers.

-Cheers, mate.

There were negatives in there, which I think have let me down,

but I feel like I've come on so much in this competition.

I'm just pleased with the dishes, how they went today.

You know, I was happy with them.

Up you come, Luke.

Luke's starter is arancini balls

filled with roasted yellow peppers and mozzarella,

served with a basil, anchovy and yoghurt dressing

and slow-roasted tomatoes.

Hm.

What you have here

is the unmistakable flavours of southern Italy,

and damn good they are too.

And let me tell you, those arancini balls are perfect.

They are crispy on the outside

and they are light and moist in the middle.

And then you've got that tang of basil

that, to me, it almost feels metallic,

and then you've got the lovely, lovely creaminess of mozzarella.

What you haven't got here is elegance.

You have, however, made them delicious.

I'll take that.

You can taste the sunshine of the Mediterranean,

and that's what's wonderful about it.

You've got that pepperiness that comes from the yellow pepper,

saltiness of mozzarella.

Those tomatoes are delicious. Absolutely delicious.

Little concentrated pills of tomato and they explode with the basil,

and you feel like you're sitting in an Italian cafe.

-They are delicious.

-Thank you. I'm glad it tastes good.

For his main, Luke has made squid ink tortellini filled with scallops

and langoustine tortellini.

They're topped with asparagus tips

and served with a harissa, smoked paprika and chilli bisque.

They're good. They're very, very good.

Your pasta is very, very well made.

Your bisque is quality, made with shells.

And you've got the caramel sweetness of it.

I love that you've also got depth of flavour,

you've got good seasoning,

you've got natural sweetness of the seafood.

Very, very well done.

The smell of your bisque is intoxicating. It makes you dizzy.

It's gorgeous.

That bisque is velvety and smooth and rich and delicious.

You get a little bit of fennel underneath the background.

The fact you put harissa through it is a really clever idea.

Really, really clever indeed. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

I think those tortellini are delicious.

I would eat a whole massive plate of those tortellini with that bisque.

Your palate is exceptional. Your food tastes great.

Luke's dessert is rhubarb samosas served with a frangipane crumble,

topped with ginger-poached rhubarb and custard.

Right.

Love the frangipane, the taste of the nuts,

sweet and then the sharpness of the rhubarb.

Love that.

Love the rhubarb filling inside the samosas, and vanilla custard.

Vanilla custard, rhubarb - marriage made in heaven.

Samosas are a little doughy.

Yeah. I had trouble with them. Real trouble.

Not quite. Not quite.

For me, it needs to be sweeter and there needs to be more of it,

and definitely a lot more rhubarb.

It's rhubarb and custard, that's its title, that's what it should be.

Your anglaise is delicious, but it's too thin,

so it doesn't stick to everything.

Your samosas are a little bit doughy

and, for me, they should be rolled in lots and lots of sugar.

Yeah, it really was supposed to have that sugar on.

But you knew what I was like at the end. It was a...

I was running all over the place, wasn't I?

Right now, it's a bit lacking on sweetness

and a bit lacking on generosity.

Cheers, guys.

It was always going to be tough. I WAS worried about timing.

Today, I needed another hour.

Another half an hour would have been nice.

Extra 15 minutes would have been good.

You could have given me 24 hours today

and I still would have been rushing at the end.

Ping, would you join us, please?

Ohh!

I am amazed by the amount of work and the appearance of your dishes.

Thank you.

Ping's starter is her interpretation of a wonton soup,

a chicken and shiitake mushroom broth,

with pork and crab dumplings wrapped in egg noodles.

They're topped with crispy wonton skins

and served with braised Chinese leaves and straw mushrooms,

pickled shimeji mushrooms and pickled green chillies.

And that's all you've done, is it(?)

-Yes! That's all!

-Right.

Great-looking food.

You start off and you think it's just a little bowl of soup,

and then explosions happen, fireworks go off.

There's the rich saltiness of the filling of those dumplings with crab.

There's sharp sourness coming from the pickle of the mushrooms.

There's the sweetness that comes from all the herbs

and bits and pieces floating around.

There's crunch coming from wonton skins.

The textures are...crazily good.

It's truly, truly delicious.

I don't know how you made it.

I wouldn't be able to replicate it. It's absolutely stunning.

Thank you.

Good bowl of soup, Ping.

The complexity and elegance of its appearance is stunning.

The textures of soft, wet and crispy are wonderful.

But those flavours I haven't experienced before.

And they absolutely thrill me.

So clever. So, so clever.

Right.

Ping's main is nasi lemak, coconut and pandan rice,

with spicy sambal lemon grass prawns,

turmeric-fried chicken coated in Spanish potato crisps,

served with a sambal with deep-fried anchovies, crispy shallots,

cucumber, quail's eggs and edible flowers.

This dish, although a rice dish -

and the rice is beautiful, by the way -

is all about the flavours of the sea.

You've got wonderful sweet prawns, cooked beautifully with that crunch,

and a lovely chilli hot sambal around the outside of them.

The sambal that's underneath is really rich

and salty with those anchovies, which I love.

Give me the biggest bowl you possibly can

and I'll sit here and eat the whole lot, cos I love it.

It goes without saying, and I expected it,

that your prawns, your chicken, your rice, are perfectly cooked.

For me, though, it's very, very salty.

In that sambal with those dried anchovies, very, very salty.

For me, a little too much.

OK.

For dessert, Ping has made a coconut and vanilla panna cotta

with charred pineapple, compressed and freeze-dried mango,

coconut tuile and a pineapple and lime air.

This, Ping, in the words of a great bald man, is a thing of beauty.

GREGG CHUCKLES

-Yeah, it's beautiful.

-Thank you.

Yeah, it is, without doubt, a knockout dessert.

It's a brilliant dessert,

cos your panna cotta has got just enough bounce,

and then cubes of pineapple delivering juice,

mango delivering juice.

A tuile flavoured with coconut?!

I tell you what - that is just brilliant.

You've captured the flavour of the Tropics and delivered it with...

with French restaurant style.

Thank you. Thank you.

There are desserts, then there's desserts.

This, to me, is really very, very special indeed.

It tastes of the Tropics, it tastes of sunshine, it tastes of skill,

it tastes of a clever, clever cook,

and it tastes of somebody who really cares about their food.

Well done.

And you can have the hat.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

I feel like I've accomplished something that I set out to do.

I want surprises in there,

I want tastes that they've never encountered before.

So I feel really accomplished.

We are going to have a conversation, and when we call you back in,

we are going to crown one of you our champion.

Off you go.

-LUKE:

-Well done, Ping.

-JACK: Give me a high-five, come on.

Come on! Come on! High-five! Come on!

Well done. Well done.

Luke, Jack and Ping have been incredible throughout.

Wonderful day. Brilliant celebration of cookery talent.

If we look at Jack's style,

he always wanted high-end, restaurant-quality food,

and he succeeded today.

-He's got an amazing career in front of him.

-Oh, yeah.

-He really has.

He's cooking smart, modern restaurant dishes.

Quite incredible, I think, for a young fella that age.

-JACK:

-I feel just generally relieved, to be honest.

To come out the other side having cooked it at, you know,

near enough to how you really wanted it to be

and to get some really generally great comments,

it's a brilliant feeling.

What do you say about someone like Ping? What a talent.

Not only does she give herself so much to do, she accomplishes it.

And the style and presentation of a quality Ping dish

is like a work of art.

With Ping, she takes Malaysian street food

and takes you on this journey,

and then she sits you at a lovely restaurant table

with a white linen cloth and gives you a dessert which is immaculate.

I think Ping is a class act, an absolute class act.

-PING:

-Lots of things going through my head,

but I keep reminding myself that I've done the best I could,

and that's the most important thing.

We cannot ignore the adventure, the individuality,

the invention of Luke and what he's brought to this competition.

Very exciting cook with real original ideas

and a vision and a way of looking at dishes

completely differently to anybody else I ever met.

Yeah, I am proud.

To get to the final is still the biggest achievement of my life.

I just wish I did a little better today.

But, you know, overall, still happy.

Jack has a very clear ambition of what he wants his food to be,

and it is of the highest order.

-JACK:

-If my name was to be called, it would just be unbelievable.

I don't think I could express how I'd feel.

Ping, I think her food is original, it's so damn clever,

and it's delicious.

-PING:

-The pressure today has been humongous.

It's like fighting for your life.

If my name is called through as the champion, it would be incredible.

For all his ups and downs,

Luke has continued to surprise and delight.

He's pushed the boundaries in this competition.

-LUKE:

-I am mentally and physically completely exhausted.

I've got nothing left.

This competition has been put on fire by these three cooks.

Who's the champion, Gregg?

Is there one cook that stands out for you?

Absolutely. Without a doubt.

Without a doubt I have a clear winner.

And I think we probably agree.

# It gets cold

# In the night

# I'm on my way I'm on my way back home... #

A fabulous conclusion to an incredible competition.

We've made a decision.

# It gets cold

# In the night

# I'm on my way I'm on my way back home... #

Our MasterChef champion...

..is Ping.

MUSIC: "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan

Oh, my God!

-You really deserve it. You really do.

-You really do deserve it.

Thank you, cheers. Well done, Ping.

APPLAUSE

# I'm every woman

# It's all in me

# I can read your thoughts right now

# Every one, from A to Z

# Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... #

Well done. Come on.

-Really, really pleased for her.

-No, it's quality. Good on her.

I will definitely carry on cooking, I'll carry on creating,

and I'll carry on making a terrible mess of my kitchen.

I don't think I could have done anything differently

and I think, honestly,

just the better cook won, and I'm really pleased for Ping.

The last time I felt such emotion was when my daughter was born.

Something that I don't think you get to experience a lot.

Yay!

Pure joy and pure bliss that feels incredible, epic!

When I eat Ping's food, it makes me happy. It makes my heart thump.

# I can cast a spell

# With secrets you can't tell

# Makes a special brew

# Put fire inside of you

# Any time you feel danger or fear

# Instantly

# I will appear, cos... #

My mother will be really proud, I'm sure, but I say this a lot -

she still won't let me in her kitchen!

# I'm every woman

# It's all in me

# Anything you want done, baby... #

It is the nectar of gods. Especially sweet today.

# I'm every woman

# It's all in me

# I can read your thoughts right now

# Every one from A to Z

# Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

# Whoa, whoa, whoa

# I ain't braggin'

# Cos I'm the one

# You just ask me

# Ooh, and it shall be done

# And don't bother to compare... #