Episode 4 MasterChef

MasterChef is back.

Hundreds auditioned and now the best 60 amateur cooks are through.

I'm not that mad. Wait till you hear what's in me dish!

-It's burnt.

-No, we call that enthusiastically crisp.

Each week, 12 new contestants battle

for just four places in Friday's quarterfinal.

It's so raw.

Only the strongest will make it to the final challenges.

Not as lovely as your pair.

-I love it.

-Ha-ha!

They want to survive this competition...

they're going to have to be good.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

These six amateurs all think they've got what it takes to become

MasterChef.

But, at the end of today's heat,

only two will become quarterfinalists.

This first dish is your Calling Card.

It's a dish that tells us something about you as a cook.

Do something for me and my mate, Johnny, could you?

Be as creative as you'd like. Could you please make it edible?

Ladies and gentlemen... one hour. Let's cook!

I've got two boys... they absolutely love my cooking.

Having a takeaway is a punishment for my kids.

I really want to be on prime,

as long as I don't embarrass myself, I should be fine.

Celiyah, my eye is drawn to tomato sauce, fish, and cheese.

I'm going to make pan-fried sea bream,

sweet potato cake with a scotch bonnet sauce.

Where does this come from, this spiciness.

From Jamaica where my family is from.

-You sound to me like you are from Yorkshire.

-I am from Yorkshire.

Any hints of Yorkshire in your food?

Potato is about as Yorkshire as it gets. So, no.

I'm very excited by Celiyah's food.

She sounds adventurous, she sounds exciting,

and I hope she chucks lots of spice in it.

Being a French man, I really enjoy food.

And, also, you know, through my job I think

that nutrition and food is so important

to get you where you want to go.

-Hello, Thomas.

-Hello, how are you?

-Me, I'm good. Where are you from?

-I'm from Paris, originally.

-Ahh, do they do much cooking over there?

-A tiny bit.

-A little bit?

-Yeah, a little bit, yeah.

What are you cooking for us today?

Duck a l'orange, because I'm French and it's a traditional French dish.

I'm smoking the duck with Earl Grey tea, which is very British.

So, uh... And I'm also making a spinach foam.

-Between you and me, right, just you and I...

-Tell me.

Do you think you could win this competition?

Otherwise I would not be here if I didn't think that.

Thomas is attempting foam, smoking duck,

and all sorts of things at Calling Card.

He showing us as much as he possibly can.

You've had over 15 minutes, 17 minutes gone.

I've always wanted to be better than other people.

When people came around for dinner, I wanted them to leave thinking,

"he's good."

Mark, I'm impressed by how few ingredients you've got on your desk.

It's a relatively simple dish. It's a sort of deconstructed carbonara.

So, there's three bits of ravioli...

two of which contain pancetta and red onion,

and one in which has an egg yolk and ricotta in it.

In my 10 years of experience,

every single good cook thinks their food is simple.

At this moment I don't know

if I'm ever going to be doing tea infused foams.

I think this is how food works.

Time for a hug.

HE LAUGHS

Well said.

You take a dish like carbonara, and you deconstruct it,

it had better be very, very good indeed.

I find cooking sort of my form of therapy, in a way.

After a long day of toiling on the cliff edge of fashion,

it's a good way to unwind and relax.

Sofia, why are you here on MasterChef?

Cos I love cooking.

I grew up in Sweden,

in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere.

So, my mom always got me involved in cooking from a young age.

-What's your dish going to be?

-Chanterelle ravioli.

This time of year I have really fond memories of picking

chanterelles with my mom and dad.

Fantastic.

We've got an issue in the fact that those mushrooms that she's got,

those chantarelles...she washed. They soak up water.

But, I love the fact that Sofia is showing us

something from her childhood.

You are halfway. You've got 30 minutes left.

I really hope that John and Gregg do actually like the food that I cook,

and they aren't too harsh on me, cos I might cry.

When I looked down at pasta, squid ink, prawns, and squid,

I get really excited.

I'm doing squid ink tagliatelle with prawns and squid,

and caper and anchovy dressing.

Very Italian, does that mean anything?

Well, I travel for a living,

so I tend to try lots of different things.

What do you do if you don't mind me asking?

I'm an international sales manager.

Travelling for a living is quite lonely and is hard work.

I'm at a stage in my life now where I'm potentially ready for a change.

I hope Susie cooks everything with a deft touch.

A little bit of squid, a little bit of prawns,

make sure everything is crispy and not rubbery.

And that's all about timing.

A huge amount of my lifestyle revolves around food.

E-mails start between my girlfriend and I from probably about 10am,

of what should cook for dinner this evening.

Food is an obsession for me, I think.

Michael, how are you feeling?

Nervous I think would be fair to say.

Tell me what it is you're cooking.

Pork chop with some Swiss chard,

might put some turnip tops in there

with some anchovies, capers, roasted garlic and some vinegar.

So, it should be fatty and sharp and...

-delicious.

-What do you do at the moment, Mike?

I work for a digital marketing consultancy.

So, a world away from cooking.

Straight over my head. I don't even know what that means.

Anchovies and capers.

Vegetables all sweet and sharp and bitter at the same time.

With a piece of pork it should be absolutely beautiful.

You've got just 10 minutes left.

Just 10 minutes.

Last 60 seconds. It's either on the plate or it's not on there at all.

Right, that's it. Times up.

Fini.

51-year-old Mark's Calling Card dish is carbonara ravioli.

Two are filled with pancetta and red onion,

and one is filled with ricotta cheese and an egg yolk.

There you are.

Very, very well done.

For me, as an opening round on MasterChef,

first time I've ever seen you, very, very good work.

Pasta is cooked really well. I love the egg yolk running over there.

Cheesy, tangy, salty bits from bacon.

Nice and soft and a rich egg yolk, well done.

Your white sauce is a bit thick and a bit claggy.

But, you made your pasta really well.

You demonstrate a really good amount of skill.

Thanks, guys.

I feel probably more positive than I did ten minutes ago, yes.

I don't think that's a leading performance, but I would hope that

that's puts me in the pack rather than trailing at the back.

Fashion stylist, Sofia, has made ravioli filled with

chanterelle mushrooms, thyme, parsley, and garlic.

Topped with saffron butter, Parmesan cheese

and crushed amaretti biscuits.

Look at that. That is beautiful!

Thank you very much.

You have put together some

absolutely outstanding flavours there,

unfortunately, you've got a little

bit of water going into your ravioli.

You took those mushrooms and you poured water over them.

They are like a sponge.

You just need to brush the dirt off of them, that's it,

and then chop them up. I think it has such great promise.

Woody, earthy saffron, and then the sort of sweetness of the mushrooms,

and the saltiness of the cheese across the top.

The flavours, Sofia, are pretty good.

I'm a little bit disappointed.

I did make a mistake, which I knew I was making at the time.

So, it was just a bit stupid of me.

Personal trainer, Thomas, has served duck a l'orange.

Duck breast smoked with Earl Grey tea, mashed potato,

spinach foam, and an orange sauce.

There we go. Oh, nice looking sauce.

What we've got is a taste of smoke, and smoke only.

I feel that that duck should have been kissed by the smoke

rather than being bashed over the head with it.

-And the bit right there on the bottom here is still a bit raw.

-Mm-hmm.

It's not unpleasant to eat, but it's smoke and orange.

I feel like I've watched someone who's technically efficient

and quite daring, however, I don't find the combination

of the sweet and slightly sharp orange with the smoke that pleasant.

OK.

Mixed feelings.

I think I have a point to prove now,

just to show that I can balance flavour more.

Celiyah's Calling Card is pan-fried red bream, sweet potato cake,

and wilted spinach, with a scotch bonnet sauce.

Love the colours! Oh, yeah. Vibrant, wonderful.

I love your fish.

Your spinach is cooked really well.

Your sweet potato cake is a bit big, and a bit watery...

..but I like the flavour of it.

The fish is cooked really well sweet from the chilli sauce,

and that sweetness of chilli sauce then turns into quite prickly heat.

I like your skill, I like your flavour combinations,

I think you've done a good job.

I'm feeling quite positive. I had some good comments.

My sweet potato cake was a little big,

but if that's the only negative, then I'm more than happy.

Sales manager Susie's dish is squid ink tagliatelle with prawns

and squid and a salsa verde.

As well as it's all cooked, and as well as it's all flavoured,

I feel like I've got two dishes being put together on one plate.

I love the prawns and the squid. I think that's beautiful.

I love the pasta with the tomato and the salsa verde,

and the little hint of chilli in the background.

It's just for me,

it's like I've got seafood dropped on top of my pasta dish.

-It's not easy to peel a prawn in a bowl of pasta.

-No...

However, it tastes handsome.

Your pasta is soft and light

and that salsa verde you made is full of flavour and tang.

The positive is, that I've been able to get flavour into the dish.

Hopefully they thought I was all right.

Training director, Michael,

has cooked a pork chop with crackling, turnips, Swiss chard,

and a dressing of roasted garlic, anchovies, and capers.

For a pork chop, turnips, and chard...

it's a beautiful looking thing, Michael.

Thank you.

That is superb.

Salty, crispy crackling. Who doesn't love crackling?

Moist pork cooked brilliantly.

Mate, you've got peppery turnips, you got a nice green bit of chard.

-That's a stunning dish.

-Thank you.

Rich, sweet, moist pork. Sharp flavours from capers.

Saltiness from the anchovies.

Crispy crackling, and that lovely iron richness that comes from chard.

I think it's beautiful. I really, really, really like it.

Blown away! Absolutely blown away.

I'm just really pleased you enjoyed it.

A little bit, uh, shell shocked, I think.

They enjoyed the dish, so I'm really pleased that it came off.

I'm racking my brain to see

if I can remember a better start to MasterChef than this.

My heart's a-thumping, Mr Wallace.

What great food!

All six of these cooks have got something about them.

We'd really need another round separate them.

We need a few of them to mess up.

HE MOUTHS

This is the sweet and savoury invention test.

Two sets of ingredients...

Blue box, sweet ingredients... green box, savoury ingredients.

Your choice.

-Savoury.

-Savoury? All right. Get rid of your blue box.

John, have a look at your ingredients.

John will now have an hour to create a dish from mackerel,

chicken livers, horseradish, beetroot, basmati rice,

Gorgonzola, an orange, and a selection of herbs.

He also has a basic larder.

I do know straight off that I'm not going to use the mackerel.

Instead, I'm going to opt for the livers.

I'm going to make a very light potato cake, almost like a potato pancake.

I'm going to serve it with crumbed chicken livers

and a hollandaise flavoured with horseradish.

How nice is it to look in a box and see ingredients you love?

Is it a relief?

Yeah, it's just a matter of getting your brain not to move too fast.

Well, that's all right for you... That's not going to happen, is it?

So, where are we with the potato cake?

Lovely.

Now what are you doing?

I'll just put a little bit of watercress through the breadcrumbs,

see a nice bit of fleck of colour.

There you are.

From the savoury box,

John has made crumbed chicken livers with a potato and onion pancake,

watercress, and a horseradish hollandaise.

-Good?

-Oh, mate, that is delicious, John.

Right, OK, you're done. I'll keep this for safekeeping.

You get them in.

In the blue box there are sweet ingredients.

In the green box, there are savoury ingredients.

We're going to give you 10 minutes to decide on your dish.

Everybody now choose.

Three contestants have gone for the same box as John.

There's a lot of different ways to go.

The other three have chosen the sweet box,

which contains mango, pears, limes, pudding rice, eggs,

ground almonds, calvados, and green cardamom.

I got my favourite spice of all which is cardamom.

Yeah, I've got a plan. It's coming together, it's coming together.

10 minutes are up.

One hour to cook a fabulous dish.

At the end of this, two of you will be leaving us.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Let's cook.

Thomas, the smell from this bench of calvados,

and vanilla and sugar all put together with pear...

it fills me with joy.

I know a few techniques, but now I want to show you guys that

I can actually put flavours together.

Tell me how many times you've cooked mackerel.

About once, twice maybe.

One hour... make a panna cotta and set it.

-Is that not a little bit risky?

-Well, you got to live on the edge.

I think.

I'm going to do a pear and mango crumble.

Combination you've used before?

If it's the only fruit that left in the bowl

and you fancy a crumble then I'll put it together.

You've got just 25 minutes left.

I'll take it you're beginning to fall in love

-with the competition, are you?

-Yeah, it's great. It's good fun.

-You've got a lot to live up to.

-I do.

What's the inspiration for the dish, Mark?

Inspiration... Probably not a lot of inspiration.

The box I found quite difficult, I confess.

I was probably hoping for a piece of meat of some sort.

-Who knows what can happen.

-Yeah, Who knows?

It's the last three minutes. You've only got three minutes.

Times up!

Stop. Stop.

Mark chose the savoury box,

and has made fillet of mackerel on wholegrain mustard mash

with candied beetroot and a red wine sauce.

The lump in the mashed potatoes is sizable.

Right...I like the way you cooked the mackerel, it's a decent texture.

And, I love that with the sweet beetroot.

The grainy mustard mash I don't particularly enjoy

because it's really sharp

and I can't get a sauce at all.

It's all a bit clumpy and lumpy and not very sophisticated,

and it's stripping the beauty of the fish.

Disappointed, I think is fair to say. Yeah, not a good second round.

Definitely let myself down.

Susie also chose the mackerel

and has served it with a fondant potato, watercress

with a mustard, lemon, and balsamic dressing, and a beetroot puree.

The mackerel with the potato on the watercress is a lovely thing.

But, I'm slightly disturbed by the beetroot sludge.

It's sort of like something I put my foot into in a farmyard.

Its texture is just...not very nice.

There are touches of a very good cook.

OK.

Your fondant potato is delicious. That puree isn't very good at all.

The beetroot is powerful, it's earthy and sweet.

You seemed to have washed all that flavour out some how.

I'm really disappointed that they didn't like the puree, so...

OK, it was all right.

Michael is serving the third mackerel dish of the day with

roasted beetroot, beetroot stems, horseradish cream,

and a vinaigrette.

Very nice looking plate.

I love the fact that you used the beetroot stems and the leaves.

Let's see if it tastes all right.

Mackerel...bold, strong. Around the outside, an elegant sweet beetroot.

Ferocious horseradish with the subtlety of cream,

and the dressing running through the whole thing joined it together

with the leaves in the stems.

I really, really like it, Michael.

I like it, not as much as my friend.

My issue is... I want that horseradish hotter.

-Hot enough for you?

-Yeah.

Yeah, well, see I've got a more distinguished palate...

coming from a colder country...um, hot enough for John...

Uh, three words for you, Michael...

You can cook.

I had no idea if they're going to say was fantastic or otherwise.

So, yeah, I'm really relieved.

Sofia chose the sweet box and has made honey-flavoured panna cotta,

cardamom-flavoured pear puree, and a ginger caramel sauce.

Why has the panna cotta not been turned out?

Because it hasn't set properly.

Ooh.

You've got really lovely flavours of the cardamom through your pear puree.

Your caramel is sweet but not bitter.

Your panna cotta itself is beautifully sweet

and beautifully flavoured.

We have an issue because you couldn't turn it out,

but I think it's delicious.

Thank you.

It's so close! It's a bit like your ravioli here.

You're coming damn close...damn close...frustratingly close.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Sofia.

-Thanks.

I did know that I was taking a risk making a panna cotta, but,

all in all I'm not feeling too shabby actually.

Celiyah used the pear and mango to make a crumble flavoured with

caramelized ginger and served with lime cream.

It's not the most elegant and prettiest dessert,

but I've never seen a crumble that is.

I love the flavour of your crumble top, but it needs to crisp up more.

And, I would prefer either pear or mango,

cos I think the pear juice is washing the mango away.

OK.

I've got this wonderful,

zingy fresh lime coming from my cream with the mango.

And then I've got this lovely warm comfy bit of ginger and pear crumble.

-That as an invention, I think you've done a pretty good job.

-Thank you.

Mixed emotions to be fair.

I'm a little disappointed in how the actual crumble turned out,

but I'm really glad about the fact that John liked the favours.

Thomas has made vanilla and cardamom creme brulee,

pears poached in calvados, almond and sea salt crumble,

and a pear syrup.

Whoa!

The brulee hasn't set and it tastes a little bit eggy.

The poached pear with the sort of crumble underneath is

a lovely idea. I have no idea where you put salt in there.

A salted pear for me is just wrong.

OK.

I agree with Gregg, the salt is a real problem.

It's taking away the flavour of the pear.

-Thanks, Thomas.

-Thanks.

That may have thrown other people a lifeline.

They didn't like it how I thought they would,

so, yeah, a bit disappointed.

What a brilliant day!

Their Calling Card round for all of them was pretty good.

And the invention test, I thought it was fascinating.

There are two or three here that could go a very long way

in this competition.

-I've got to tell you I have a favourite cook in the room.

-Michael.

Michael can cook really, really well.

He takes the everyday ingredient

and makes it something really, really special.

I'll tell you what, that guy is a talent.

I think we got cook in here who's made some stupid mistakes

-and who's a very good cook.

-Are you going to say Sofia?

-Yes, Sofia.

I see a calm cook whose creative, who's got really good touch.

I would gamble on Sofia... despite the mistakes, I would.

Can we have a conversation about Thomas?

Who puts salt on pears like that?! Who puts salt on pairs?

Thomas is using every technique he can possibly find,

but he doesn't have the skill to actually pull off the dish.

Today wasn't my best day, so... I need a miracle I guess.

Celiyah, ooh, I don't know about Celiyah, now. I really don't.

First round with her fish, I thought fantastic.

Fruit crumble...is always going to be difficult to impress people with.

It was delicious, that dessert was delicious.

If I get through to the next round,

I think that I'll just have to make sure my execution is just on point.

Hopefully I've done enough to get to the next stage.

Susie is just one of those cooks who just cooks with love,

really enjoys the food she cooks.

I thought the bowl of pasta was stunning.

Then, we get this wonderfully cooked piece of mackerel

on a splodge of flavourless beetroot.

I do think she's throwing one too many things at a plate.

I really hope that I get the opportunity to learn from what

they've said and stay in the process for a little bit longer.

Mark came in here with his Calling Card, taking a classic dish,

the carbonara, deconstructing it,

and I've got to say he demonstrated real skill.

However, in this invention test, he was just winging it.

It was all getting a little bit desperate for him.

I had a decent morning.

You've got to hope they've seen enough in that,

but, no, I think I'm very much at risk from that.

Decision time.

It's been an amazing start of the competition.

But, unfortunately, we have to lose two of you.

The first person leaving us...

is Thomas.

Good luck guys.

A bit disappointed.

There is good days and bad days, and today was a bad day.

So, I think it's just fair. I'm not really surprised.

The second person leaving us...

..is Mark. Thanks so much.

It's been a really interesting and enjoyable experience.

Just a pity it's over so quickly.

Well, congratulations.

Your job today is to please the palates

of not just John and I...

..but, champions and finalists of MasterChef.

Hannah Miles.

Christopher Gates.

and Dhruv Baker.

At the end of this, two of you will be going home.

Your main course order's in one hour.

And then 15 minutes to do your dessert.

Ladies and gentlemen...Let's cook!

I'm going to work harder today than I ever worked in my life.

I really want to go far in this competition.

I have a real fire in my belly,

and to stay on this roller coaster would be...

oh, brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

What are you going to wow us with today, Susie?

My main course is a fillet of sea bass with cooked cucumber,

samphire with a vermouth sauce.

My dessert is fig and kataifi nests.

It's used in a lot of Middle Eastern dishes with rose water custard.

-They're quite dainty dishes.

-Yes.

I want to become a more refined cook in terms of

really balancing flavours.

Not just putting stuff on the plate that I like to eat.

I like the sound of Susie's dishes, with a word of caution

because she's got big flavourings going with her food.

Cooking for past champions today is nerve-racking, but quite exciting.

If they like my food, I'll be over the moon.

I'll be so happy, so, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Sofia, right, fascinating ingredients.

I cannot for the life of me work out what your dessert is.

Well, you will be, um, possibly scared to hear

that I'm making panna cotta again.

Mm-mm-mm...

I really want to prove that I can make a damn good panna cotta.

The main course is going to be a venison steak which I'm going

to rub with cinnamon, serve it with celeriac mash,

and lingonberry red wine jus.

You must be keen to stay in this competition...

I'm really keen, yeah.

Kind of driven by the annoyance from yesterday

from making such stupid mistakes.

I really want to prove that I can do a better job.

I don't know whether Sofia attempting a panna cotta

on MasterChef for the second time is brave,

sensible, or just plain foolhardy.

You've had 15 minutes.

Timing is definitely a worry because it was difficult getting out

one dish in an hour so far, plus the dessert.

It's definitely a worry.

-Celiyah, you look really happy.

-Yeah, I'm happy.

I'm always happy when I'm cooking.

And by the looks of some of your ingredients here we're going

straight back to the Caribbean.

We're going to go with Jamaica's national dish, ackee and saltfish.

Dessert, we're going to have profiteroles with, like,

a passion fruit cream.

And then I'm going to drizzle it with white chocolate.

-You're not concerned about the pressure today, Celiyah?

-No.

The only pressure in the cooker is going to be coming from the pans.

I'm going to keep my cool and just focus on what I've got to do.

The ackee and saltfish, that's a lovely tasting dish, John.

But, it comes in a frying pan.

You're right, it comes in a frying pan.

If she can make it pretty, then wow.

I'm feeling pretty good after the first two tests.

The feedback was really strong.

What I'd like to show them today is that

I can do food that's a bit more fun, but still is really delicious.

-Michael, you don't look as calm.

-I've got a huge amount to do today.

I'm making a chilli with beef brisket, with a macaroni cheese.

-Chilli con carne with mac & cheese?

-Yes.

-For a quarterfinal place?

Everybody loves it.

And then for dessert?

For dessert we have chocolate brownie,

caramelized banana pure, and we have a hazelnut crumble.

There's a quarterfinal place at stake,

so, I think it's important to show you

something different to yesterday.

I am very, very much looking forward to your dessert.

-I'm looking forward to serving it to you, Gregg.

-Mac & cheese...

Chilli con carne and mac & cheese...really?

I'm not concerned about the combination at all,

but it's got to be special.

You've had 20 minutes, 20 minutes gone.

MUSIC: "The Jean Genie" by David Bowie

Dhruv Baker was crowned MasterChef champion in 2010.

After I won, the phone didn't stop ringing, and it was just this

complete whirlwind, at least for the first 6 to 12 months.

Over the last few years, he has built a catering company,

become a food journalist, and is currently working on his first book.

I often wonder what would have happened had

I not sent that application off,

and it doesn't bear thinking about because I would not change

anything about my life right now, and it was all

entirely down to being on MasterChef and winning MasterChef.

MUSIC: "Country House" by Blur

Chris Gates walked away from his job as a civil servant after

becoming a finalist in 2009.

Getting into the final was great, it was a really fantastic feeling.

It was actually being on MasterChef that I really liked the idea

of working behind the scenes, so I started working as a home economist.

He now works as a food stylist for magazines and television.

And this year, he's made a new leap

and launched his own street food company.

Life has totally changed since MasterChef.

I think mainly for me, as well as giving me a kick

in the right direction in terms of food,

it was a massive confidence boost.

But, it's not a free pass you have to work at it.

2006 finalist, Hannah Miles, has become MasterChef's

most successful and prolific writer.

I'm averaging about four books a year,

which is crazy because I still work as a lawyer.

Now, I've got a book shelf with 17 books on it that are mine.

Pretty amazing achievement. I'm really proud of myself.

At the moment I'm working on an Alice in Wonderland tea

developing recipes for that.

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite books,

so coming up with lots of novel recipes has been real enjoyment.

Ah, yum! Do you think there's enough cake, Rosie?

Ah, Josh, you've got to have a little bit of this.

If you'd have told me six years ago I'd be sitting here today

writing my 17th cookbook, I would not have believed you.

So, for me, it has 100 percent been worth it.

It was amazing experience

and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

-Hey, you all right?

-Hey, how you doing?

-You've got just 20 minutes, Susie.

-Yep.

So, Susie is cooking sea bass with vermouth and cucumber and samphire.

It sounds simple, but I quite like that.

The key is to get that sea bass cooked perfectly.

The vermouth can't overpower it.

And the samphire, it's such a salty ingredient

so she's got to be really careful with her seasoning.

A couple of minutes, Susie. Will we be out of here in two minutes?

Possibly one minute late.

I like your calmness. I wish I shared it.

-All right.

-I'd like it to be a bit thicker.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Hello.

You've got a fillet of sea bass with cooked cucumber

and samphire in a vermouth sauce.

Thank you.

The fish is cooked perfectly, nice bit of crispness on the skin.

I was a bit dubious about cooked cucumber,

but I think it's delicious. Works really, really well.

The only thing that slightly lets it down for me is the sauce.

There needs to be more of it and it needs more flavour.

I can't really taste the vermouth in it.

Absolutely love the flesh of the fish.

The sauce hasn't worked at all, it's not thick enough,

-therefore you don't pick up any flavour.

-I'm sad there's no sauce.

But, in a way, I quite like the way it's just set out.

It's a bold statement.

-I'm not very happy with the sauce.

-You were four minutes over, right?

-You've now got 15 minutes for the dessert, yeah?

-All right.

All right, I'm feeling the pressure now.

So for dessert she's doing fig and kataifi nests,

and I think that's a really sort of fine pastry

with rose water custard and rose petal syrup.

The dessert doesn't fill me with joy.

I really don't like rose water.

So, maybe she can convert me today into liking it.

-Is that your second load of custard, Susie?

-Yep.

What happened, did you curdle it?

No, the rose water was far too strong.

You have 60 seconds to go.

-The pressure is immense.

-Welcome to MasterChef.

-Well done.

-Good, Susie.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Petals are blowing everywhere. It really is...

Sorry.

We've got baked fig in a kataifi nest with rose water custard,

and a rose syrup.

-Thank you.

-Cheers.

I think it looks really, really unusual.

I've not seen a dessert like this in a long while.

Um, if I'm honest, I'm really not a fan of the fig at all.

It's dry, there's almost like a bitterness coming from it.

I think the thing I dislike the most is the rose petals

they don't have any flavour and it's a really horrible texture.

It's a real shame because the first course was so delicious.

That's just an over sweetened mush to me.

Too much sugar in the custard, and syrup on it as well.

It's too sweet, even for me.

It's a shame, it's disappointing as a dish in flavour and texture.

Oh, man! Wish I could rewind and go, "hang on, let me start again."

SHE LAUGHS

It is what it is.

Sofia's main reads well. It's cinnamon crusted venison fillet

with truffle celeriac mash, black carrots,

pea shoots and pinot noir and lingon jus.

There's some pretty punchy flavours going on with this,

so it's going to be a real balancing act.

-You've got just over two minutes, Sofia.

-Yep.

How do say, "hurry up" in Swedish?

THEY SAY "HURRY UP" IN SWEDISH

Kind of.

-What's the matter?

-I'm not happy with my sauce at all.

-Not thick enough?

-No.

Right, you've got to go now, Sofia, please.

Hello.

I've made you a cinnamon crusted venison fillet

with truffle celeriac mash and purple carrots, and a red wine jus.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

Well, I think the venison is delicious.

The cinnamon I quite like on it,

but I'm not convinced by the celeriac mash. It's quite stodgy.

The sauce is a bit sort of wishy-washy,

but other than that I think it's a really decent bit of cooking

and I would happily polish that plate off.

I love the look of this dish,

but I have to say we've got another fault, and that is that sauce.

Gregg...chill.

Come on, that's a beautiful looking thing, mate.

I think it's lovely.

For an amateur, mate, I think it's a really, really tasty,

interesting dish.

-OK...dessert. 15 minutes, yeah.

-15 minutes for that panna cotta.

Sofia's dessert... the Swedish whey butter panna cotta,

rosemary caramel and blackberry compote.

I've never had whey butter panna cotta

and I'm really excited to try that.

And rosemary caramel, that could be incredible.

That looks good, very good.

-You can make panna cottas!

-Yay.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

I've made a whey butter panna cotta, cloudberry coulis on top,

and blackberry balsamic compote, and a rosemary caramel, also.

ALL: Thank you.

-It's got a really nice little wobble to it.

-It smells delicious.

It really does.

I think this is awesome. Really good.

It's the best dish I've eaten so far today.

And spice has got through the blackberries, I can't work out

whether it's cinnamon or allspice, or something, but that's delicious.

I think it's a really, really good dessert. Like, really good.

This is just perfect.

I don't think I've had a panna cotta like that

for as long as I can remember.

It is stunning! If I made this I'd be so proud.

Sofia had a point to prove, that she could make a panna cotta...

oh, she can do that.

And she has got some very interesting flavours

this time that work.

Wow, that was the...

Possibly the most stressful thing I've ever done in my entire life.

I just, I was just shaking. It was kind of, yeah...

It was very stressful.

-Nice, Celiyah. You on time?

-Yeah. Hopefully.

Saltfish and ackee with fried dumplings and plantain chips.

Pretty classic, West Indian fare there.

Interesting to see how she presents it.

Looks really interesting. Well done.

-You ready to go?

-Yeah.

-Good job.

Thank you.

Jamaica's national dish of ackee and saltfish.

We've got fried dumplings and plantain with plantain puree inside.

Thank you.

-It's got a bit of a kick!

-Oh, a bit of a kick!

-Was that from there?

-I think it's from the fish.

-That's really quite hot.

Yeah, it is, it's nice.

It's really punchy, full of chilli, and you've got nice sweetness,

it's salty.

I don't know about you guys,

but I've never had anything quite like this before.

-I think it's really good.

-Just delicious.

-Really delivers on flavour on every level.

-I love it.

Whoa, whoa!

Really very, very good. I like it a lot.

I'm really pleased with Celiyah

because that is actually knocking on the door of delicious.

Keep it together... 15 minutes, dessert.

So, the dessert, mango and passion fruit profiteroles with milk

and white chocolate...

I love profiteroles, I like fruit,

and who doesn't like chocolate, so this one could be a real winner.

It's a real skill getting choux pastry right,

getting it not soggy in the middle.

-Is there passion fruit and mango in that mixture?

-Just passion fruit.

I didn't get a chance to do my mango.

-It looks really pretty.

-Well done.

Passion fruit profiteroles with white chocolate

and grated milk chocolate.

-Thank you.

-Hope you enjoy.

What she's done really well is cook the choux pastry.

It's light, it's crisp, but for me that's where it stops.

The creme pat in the middle is too sweet and sickly,

and then you've got the white chocolate on top.

And, what it really needed was some fresh fruit with it.

It's all just a bit flat and a bit sweet and a little bit cloying.

-It's a bit boring to be honest.

-It's not something I want to eat.

Not quite the dessert I was expecting.

Far too rich, too sweet, and too sticky.

Ackee and saltfish from Celiyah was such a success.

It seems like she's used all her energy

and forgotten about her dessert.

I feel drained, but really happy with how it went today.

I didn't do exactly what I wanted to do with the dessert,

but it looked pretty on the plate...

just hope it tastes as good.

-You on time, Michael?

-Ish...

Michael's dish I'm really looking forward to.

Brisket chilli with mac and cheese...

I can't think of many more comforting things.

Cooking a brisket in an hour is going to be pretty tricky,

so we'll see how he does that.

Push, push. Go, go.

Now, go. Mac & cheese.

Hi, how you doing?

Here we have a Texan style chilli with macaroni and cheese. Thank you.

-JUDGES: Thank you.

-Thanks, guys, enjoy.

I really love the simplicity of it, it's great.

I do, trying to make a chilli look dainty...and he has.

The brisket...

it was always going to be a concern trying to cook that in an hour.

I think it's dry, and I think it's a bit tough.

Struggling to cut it with a knife, really.

And the mac & cheese...you know, it's so over salty.

It's just not something I want to eat.

There's errors that are fairly fundamental.

A bit sad.

The brisket has actually gone dry.

He does, however, have a good flavour in there,

but, I'll tell you what, the way I've seen him cook

compared to what he's done here today...

I'm a bit disappointed in him.

-Right, brownies...15 minutes, please, Michael.

-Right, OK.

Michael's dessert...

We've got hazelnut crumble, chocolate brownie,

banana and creme fraiche...

that sounds pretty much like a match made in heaven for me.

What's not to like?

I'm really excited about getting amongst that, and you're

probably going to have to roll me out of here after I've eaten it.

-Two minutes please, mate.

-No problem.

Last bit. Good, lad.

Go, go, go. Well done, you.

Here you go.

Here we have a chocolate brownie, caramelized banana puree,

and a hazelnut crumble.

Thank you. Enjoy.

I really, really like this. The brownie is really good.

It's got like a lovely little crispy crust,

it's quite gooey in the middle.

I think the puree's a little bit too salty, but otherwise,

-I'm quite a big fan of it.

-I think it's quite an accomplished dish.

He's kind of redeemed himself more with this dish.

-Bleh!

-You're joking.

-Gah, that banana, what's he got in there?!

-Are you serious?

-There's a load of salt in it.

Eat the whole lot together with the brownie!

-Honestly...

-I want something sweeter.

Desserts used to be called sweets for the simple reason

that they used to be sweet.

That is lovely.

Altogether, as one big mouthful, actually quite delicious.

I'm really relieved, I think is the overwhelming emotion at the moment.

I'm pleased with what I put out

and I think people enjoy eating it, I hope.

Today I ate some really, really good food and that's made me full of joy.

We've got four really strong cooks in here, we know that.

I don't know what Michael was playing at today.

Watching the man previously show so much skill, I don't understand why

I got the "sticking it in a pot and stir it" style of cooking.

The reason I think that you're disappointed

is you are so stunned by his Calling Card and so impressed

by his invention test, and I think that set him up almost for a fall.

But, one thing is not deniable about Michael,

and that is he's got no shortage of skill, nor ideas.

Sofia gave us one absolutely outstanding dessert.

I liked her venison, but again, we've got a big mistake.

-And that was her sauce.

-OK, sauce is wrong.

As for the rest of it though, it was amazing.

Sofia is just an elegant cook.

She doesn't have the experience just yet, but she's got promise.

Susie, for all her failed sauce of vermouth which he promised us,

the fish was beautifully cooked.

The dessert from Susie...wasn't convinced.

-The whole thing was just to sweet.

-Conceptually, Susie is a great cook.

It's just about implementation, and that's got to do with technique.

Celiyah's main course I loved.

The flavour that was coming from the salt cod, the ackee,

and the chillies was beautiful.

Although, we saw Celiyah's inexperience with her dessert.

I totally agree with you. The profiteroles showed skill...

the flavours, all wrong.

We now are getting an idea of the standard of the competition.

So, who is good enough?

That was an exceptional round. You four cooking so, so well.

Thank you. What a joy.

Well, two of you are going through to become quarterfinalists.

Two of you are leaving us.

Our first quarterfinalist...

is Sofia.

Congratulations.

Thank you. Well done, you. Well done. Good job.

Our second quarterfinalist is...

..Michael.

Well done. Well done, sir. Very well done.

Susie, Celiyah...sorry.

I'm not surprised.

It's just such a shame cos I really didn't want to go home.

It's got to be one of the best experiences I've had.

It has been so much fun. Oh, I'm going to keep cooking.

I mean, the kids won't allow me not to.

That feels pretty damn amazing, if I may say so.

I'm just completely over the moon. I'm really, really happy.

Absolutely blown away. It will take a while for it to sink in, I think.

Looking forward to finding out what comes next.

It's a real step into the unknown now.

Tomorrow night, six new hopefuls will battle

for a place in Friday's quarterfinals.

That is proper, proper, up there, lovely.