Episode 18 MasterChef

It's the MasterChef semifinals.

After five weeks of intense competition,

-only the best eight cooks remain.

-My heart is beating faster already.

I am properly excited about these eight.

-It's superb.

-Thanks, Gregg.

-It's a delicious, lovely, lovely thing.

-That's you at your best.

That's good.

We've got a ton of ambition in here, John,

and no small amount of skill.

I could not prepare for how hard it's been in the last few rounds.

It's a lot harder than it looks.

It's so exciting to be in this competition, I can't tell you.

I'm having a ball. I'm having such a great time

and I really want to stay.

I'm really emotionally attached to this now and I want to do well.

The expectations are ever increasing.

It's getting tougher and tougher.

So, yeah, I just think, bring it on!

Let's do it.

Over the next week,

our semifinalists will face some of their most daunting challenges.

-Fire, fire, fire!

-Aargh!

I hope that a drill, not one of our ovens!

I thought that was smashing. Proper restaurant-quality food.

These are serious cooks and, at this stage,

we should get some great food.

Every single one of these eight can win the competition.

I tell you what, there's going to be fireworks.

Welcome to the MasterChef semifinals.

This is an incredible achievement and you eight,

you should be very, very proud of yourselves.

This now is a MasterChef relay invention test.

Without knowing it, you've already put yourself into teams -

a red team and a blue team.

Could I ask you to get into your teams, please?

The rules are simple -

each team member will cook for 20 minutes

then it'll be a changeover.

There'll be no talking during that changeover,

you will only be able to leave visual clues.

We want you to choose a team leader.

That team leader will need to start the dish.

The blues have obviously decided. Reds?

-I'm not great at invention.

-OK. Me.

Got a team leader?

Liz and Jane. Team leaders, please stay where you are.

-The remaining six of you, that way, please.

-Good luck, Liz.

-Good luck.

Please reveal your ingredients.

We want from you a main course showcasing a saddle of lamb,

we want a dessert showcasing pears

and using any of the ingredients you like from these benches behind us.

-There you go. You happy, ladies?

-Mm-hm.

SHE GIGGLES

Your 20 minutes starts now.

Each contestant will have 20 minutes'

cooking time before handing over to their next team-mate.

This is going to be fun!

We all cook in a sort of like fairly similar way,

so I think we should be OK.

We all seem, yeah, classic, so if she sticks to classics,

we'll be OK cos we all do quite a lot of that sort of style.

Yeah.

It's exciting, it's good.

Interesting way to do things, really, isn't it?

I'm good at butchery normally

but I've never dealt with a complete rack of lamb,

so a complete piece of lamb, so I'm just doing my best to break it down.

So how do we get through that big bone?

I think Jane will do a cracking job.

She's, like, really focused, she's really good at prep work

and putting dishes together,

so I think she's a really good person to start the challenge off.

-What do you think about a relay?

-Er... Interesting.

Hopefully, I can set something up

so that people can then develop a real strong dish from.

That's it, that's it. Tell me what dish you're starting.

I'd like them to just simply roast this with some garlic

and some herbs and do some beautiful veg with it,

-and I'm going to do a nice strong lamb stock.

-And dessert?

Pear frangipane tart.

I tell you what, if they continue what you started, I'll be happy!

OK, so will I!

Jane's got some stock going

and she's cut out two pieces of lamb but, at the moment,

there's no indication of where that lamb dish is supposed to be going.

Jane is making her own pastry right now, so there's an obvious clue.

She's going to leave the pear, almonds and the pastry out,

hoping that they guess that's a pear frangipane tart. They could do.

-They could do.

-Something's happening. I can't get this on.

You've had ten minutes, guys,

which means you're halfway through your shift.

I suppose my main job is trying to get a dish clearly defined so that

they can come in and pick up and not have too much to think about.

She's a really competent, really solid cook.

I don't think she's likely to do something really strange, as well.

-Let's hope...

-It's what we need.

-..that we can carry it on.

-Have you decided what you're going to do, Liz?

-Yes.

Going to do some roasted lamb with Pommes Anna

and some roasted root veg

and a nice Madeira sauce.

And then I'm trying to pull together a pear tarte Tatin with

a little bit of star anise and cinnamon.

I'm sticking to fairly traditional kind of flavours and combinations,

so hopefully, they'll pick up on that by seeing the ingredients.

-Great. Frightening, isn't it?

-Yeah!

This lamb dish - it can't be a home-cooked lamb dish.

It's got to be beautiful.

I love a pear tarte Tatin,

but this has to be a MasterChef semifinal pear Tatin.

I think going in the middle is going to be quite tough

because a lot of the work's going to have to get done in that time,

so I'm really going to have to concentrate on what Liz

has put out and try and work out what her plan is.

It's going to be an interesting experience.

You've got a minute until you change over.

So the first thing I'm going to do is check the oven,

check the fridge, taste the sauces.

Is this the fridge?

I'm quite happy cooking second, because if I go wrong,

then it's up to Annie and Billy to sort it out!

No pressure, guys(!) Sorry!

You've got ten seconds until you swap over.

Putting some more veg in there.

Good luck. You'll be all right. Go on. You're all right. Do it! Go on!

Good luck! Good luck!

Your 20 minutes is up. Swap.

Oh, gosh!

Done the pieces of lamb, got the Pommes Anna on,

I've left some vegetables out, but she's really,

really good at desserts, so I'd like her to make a pear tarte Tatin

cos that's one of her strengths.

I think she'll naturally want to pick that up.

That's what I'm hoping.

Jen, do you think you've worked out something?

So I think she's left me a tarte Tatin to do.

She left me puff pastry, sugar,

she wants a custard with it as well, looking at the cream and eggs.

Got a little dauphinoise and some roasted vegetables going on

in the oven, so yeah, I think she has left me in a good situation.

So you're going to concentrate on dessert?

I think that's what she's left me,

knowing that that's what I like doing.

If Jane can get that pear Tatin in the oven,

I tell you what, it's a good start.

There's a lot to do...

..if I'm going to try and get the custard started as well.

Yeah, pressed for time a little bit.

I did the best I could.

I butchered the meat and they've got that to use.

I set them up with the stock and I did the pastry, so hopefully,

I've got three great elements that they can now build a dish from.

I left a bit of pastry so she'll know that the pastry is in.

I'm hoping she'll know that the pastry...

I've made pastry and it's in the fridge!

Juanita, what do you see?

So, obviously, pear tart going on, frangipane tart, potentially,

beautiful lamb, she's got a beautiful stock going here.

So what do you think you're going to make now?

So I just want to get the tart blind-baked so that's ready

and then I think I'll leave Annie to do the frangipane

cos I know she's the dessert queen

and then I'm going to start working on the meat to get that in the oven.

But I think we need to have something else.

I can't see any potatoes or anything,

-so I'll probably grab some potatoes and get something going.

-OK.

-So Annie can basically go anywhere she wants with the lamb?

-Yes.

And let's hope that she knows she's supposed to make frangipane.

I'm sure she will. I know she was

making it this weekend, so I'm sure she'll smash it.

-So that's handy, isn't it?

-It's very handy.

Juanita has cleverly picked up that that's a pear and frangipane tart.

She's now blind-baking the pastry.

The main course, the lamb, is still anybody's guess, but she is

getting some potatoes cooked, she is going to get some veg underway.

The dangers here are obvious.

Is there a clear indication where that

dish is going for the next person to follow on?

-How are you feeling, Jen?

-Not bad.

I'm getting the custard on now, the tarte's in the oven,

so hopefully, we're going to have something good to give you.

Mm. I hope so.

How long would you think a piece of lamb like that would take to cook?

Um... I would say 20 minutes in the oven, potentially.

You want it nice and pink in the middle.

There's two people to go

and Juanita has already started cooking the lamb.

She's now burnt the top of the lamb in the frying pan.

She's placed herbs and anchovies in the lamb

and then she's put that in the oven.

-You've got one minute until relay. One minute.

-That went so quickly.

I just hope Annie gets it and she's got enough time to do

the frangipane and get that in the oven, so hopefully OK.

-Oh, my God! This is so crazy!

-We'll be fine. We'll be fine.

It's fine.

Probably going to come in and find just like an octopus,

-just like, bobbling in a pan or something!

-Oh, God, don't say that!

Oh, my God! My worst nightmare.

You've got ten seconds till we swap.

Right, that's it. Swap.

-Did you do it? What did you do?

-Tarte Tatin's in the oven.

-Yes!

-The custard is made and on the hob.

-Yes! I knew it!

What did you do?

-Oh, my God. That went so quickly!

-I know, seriously.

-That sauce is amazing.

-Is it good?

-Yeah, yeah.

I'm so relieved it's over

and I spent most of my time just running around like

a headless chicken, looking shocked,

but hopefully, I've done OK.

I think she's got a lot to do, so hopefully,

she concentrates on the frangipane tart and checks the meat

and doesn't just leave the meat in there and overcook it.

What do you see, Annie?

I see carrots cooking, potatoes,

which I'm going to make a mash out of.

That's obviously going to be the sauce.

And something in the oven, which is lamb.

What do you see by way of pear?

Pear, almonds and a blind-baked bit of pastry,

so I'm going to make a quick frangipane.

And then, when the frangipane tart needs to go in, I'm going

to take the lamb out to cook.

I'm going to test it and see if it's ready.

-If that ambitious enough - lamb and mash?

-I don't know.

I can't really think about that now. I'm going to run out of time.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Hopefully.

Annie's contribution is focused on the continuation of the dessert

but I honestly wish somebody would step in there

and make this lamb a little more splendid.

I think I've left him in a good position, dessert-wise.

So now, Stuart's going to be needing to really make sure

the main's OK.

Stuart, from the array of things presently on your bench,

what can you deduce?

Think we've got a tarte Tatin in the oven,

I'm guessing with pears, we've got custard,

so that's fine, there's some potatoes in a little ring,

dauphinoise, garlic potatoes, something like that.

-So your job is now about this main course?

-Yes, exactly.

Cos really, for the main course, all you've got is potatoes?

Yeah, exactly, so we need some veg,

need some sauce, need to cook the meat.

-Good. OK, are you happy?

-Yeah, I'm quite pleased with that.

As far as Stuart is concerned, dessert's done,

so he's now going to make a sauce, which he's using the bones for,

and get the vegetables ready to go with the lamb.

The red team's jigsaw seems to be falling into place.

I think the tarte Tatin is just about to come out.

Yeah, I'm happy with where we're at.

You've got five minutes till we swap over, please.

Annie's taken the lamb out of the oven. She doesn't know how long it's been in there,

so she's prodding it to see what it's like inside.

That's good-looking.

Good luck, man.

Those are there. Lamb.

Right, OK. It's changeover time.

What on earth have we got going on here?

Oh, you guys are legends!

You guys are legends!

Bring it in, come on!

-Woo!

-That was perfect, perfect choice of ingredients.

That was amazing.

I think that went really well.

Yeah, I think he needs to finish the veg,

taste everything, season everything, finish the sauce off nicely

and we know he does good presentation.

It's looking really great, I just want to make sure

I bring it together.

Right, so what else have they left me?

I have a certain amount of sympathy for Billy

as the last member of the team.

Right, where's the salt?

I mean, everything seems to have gone everywhere.

The blue team have left that bench for Billy

in a shocking mess.

In such a mess, there's not even a clean knife or spoon to use.

Absolute abomination.

Right, I suppose I better start doing something.

I'm just trying to think what.

This is the most nuts thing ever.

Yep. You look a little confused, my friend.

Yeah, a little confusing.

I think I know what's going on.

Looks like we've got lamb, mash potato with a jus

and some carrots

and we've got a tart of some description.

It looks like frangipane on the top.

Plans right now?

Plan is to make sure everything is cooked and seasoned well

and then a few little finishing touches,

-which I'm trying now.

-Looks like it might be your finishing touch.

I know, mate. Might be the end of me.

There's also no knives or anything left. Um...

Right. That's over reduced.

Billy is running around in ever-decreasing,

more excitable circles.

He is really feeling the pressure and doesn't really know

how he's going to finish off the dishes.

-They've done a great job.

-You think they've done a great job?

-Yeah, happy, really happy.

-You can make this special, can you?

-I can make it look amazing, yeah.

-Can you make it taste amazing?

Well, let's hope they've done half that job for me already.

I'm happy with the lamb, that's looking really nice.

Butter.

Jack's very, very happy indeed.

He wants to make sure the seasoning's right,

he wants to make sure they look beautiful

and that's what he's up to.

I tell you what, I'm watching what's going on here

and I'm really, really impressed.

It's not great.

I'm not sure this sauce is rescuable, that's the problem.

It's way too greasy.

Right, let's go and get some green as well.

Billy doesn't like the sauce.

I think it's impossible for him to add to that lamb dish,

save the sauce and finish that pear tart.

He's got to be realistic about the time he's got left.

I feel a bit sorry for him, but what he's got

is what he's got, he's going to have to play with it.

Did you put the lamb in?

Just before you came in, that was the last thing I did was put it in.

-So, if it's pink, it's fine.

-OK, that's all right, then.

It was pink, it wasn't raw, it was pink.

-I cut the end off.

-Beautiful.

Has that even been cooked?

He's panicking and he is now in danger of not getting two dishes up.

You have five minutes to bring together

all the work put in by your previous team members.

So excited to see what Jack's done.

I've got a massive amount of faith in him.

Everything he's done looks absolutely stunning, so...

-He's going to make it look great on the plate, definitely.

-Yeah, yeah.

Right.

Take a breath, take a breath.

-Wasn't cooked enough, was it?

-No.

It was not cooked enough...

at all.

I'm sorry, you've got two minutes. You're going to have to start

-putting it on a plate, I'm afraid.

-All right, mate, I'm going.

Oh!

Time's up, stop.

Stop.

You all right?

Mate, there's literally no room here at all.

-How did you do?

-Bit of a disaster.

-Oh, no.

-No, Billy!

Oh, Billy, that's the disaster!

Did amazing, did amazingly.

Well done.

Come on, come here, man.

You guys left me nothing to do.

I just had to cut it up.

-Are you all right?

-I said you look like a Jackson Pollock.

-Just a shaking mess.

-Let's have a look.

-Darling.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, that looks beautiful.

The lamb's way under... Well, it is under.

I thought it was ready.

I'm so stupid, man.

Oh, Billy, you traumatised man.

-Traumatised, yeah.

-Oh, sausage, sorry!

-Sorry.

Sorry. I feel really guilty now.

Oh, guys, well done, seriously.

Mate, that looks absolutely stunning.

I've got to say, as a team, you guys have done very, very well.

I'm really, really pleased.

I'm really impressed with this.

For their main course, the red team have served lamb loin,

with roasted carrots, braised shallots,

buttered chard, Pommes Anna and a red wine gravy.

Ooh, someone likes a bit of garlic.

I find that highly enjoyable.

Big, big flavours in there, I love the garlic and the thyme

in the potatoes, the lamb's cooked very, very nicely.

Sauce could be a little thicker, but it is starting to develop

a sweetness, which is absolutely lovely.

That's not a bad dish at all.

Good flavours on the lamb, it's really well seasoned,

your potatoes are soft.

The chard underneath adds a lovely freshness to it,

your sauce is tasty.

I think, for an invention test, good.

The red team's dessert is a pear tarte Tatin with custard.

I'd much rather just see a slice of pie with a crust outside.

I love the pears on the pastry

and the caramel, going so far that it's gone

sweet and bitter. I think that's a beautiful, beautiful flavour.

The custard is a lovely texture to have with it,

but it lacks flavour because it's got no vanilla.

Your custard does lack vanilla,

but I love the rich creaminess of it.

I think it's really, really good,

and all the spice you've got in that tarte Tatin, it's lovely.

I would have liked a bit of texture.

You cut the crispy edge off the tarte and that's the best bit!

But, yeah, for a relay, I think you've done pretty well.

(I think, given the time we had...

(I think it's a good job.

(Well done, well done.)

The blue team has cooked loin of lamb

and sauteed lamb kidney with mashed potato, carrots,

crispy shallot rings and a lamb and Madeira jus.

I think this looks shocking.

Yeah.

What this shows is just that there was just no clear plan at all

-from the start.

-OK.

This fat is really quite disturbing.

Yeah.

We've got nice mashed potato, with a crispy shallot, and we've got

a jus that's beginning to take on flavour, but it is greasy.

What we have here, unfortunately, is raw lamb and raw kidney.

It's awful.

I know.

We've got big issues here.

The lamb's not cooked,

carrots aren't cooked all the way through,

kidney is raw.

There HAS to be a clear plan.

For dessert, the blue team's served a frangipane tart topped with

sliced pear, whipped cream and an almond brittle powder.

What I've got is a demonly good frangipane with cream

and cinnamon and, unfortunately, just a sliver of pear.

If it had pear in it, it would be delicious.

As it is, it's getting a little thick and sticky.

That should be a pear and frangipane tart rather than frangipane tart.

The pastry's not baked enough.

The only thing that's saving the flavour of the frangipane,

for me, is the ground-up almonds.

If you work in a mess,

your food's going to be a mess.

And the proof there is in the main course AND the pudding.

I know.

I'm sorry.

It was fine. No, no, no, don't.

We've all made mistakes, we've all made mistakes.

Don't be silly.

No-one goes home at this stage.

What we want from you is to have learnt from this.

Even if you want to go home, you can't go home!

Thank you very much, we'll see you for the next one really soon.

-Well done, team.

-Well done, everyone.

-Good start.

That could have gone a lot worse.

A lot, a lot worse.

-We couldn't have got much worse, could we?

-We could have done!

It could have gone much worse, it could have been uncooked.

It could have been a lot worse.

We're much better cooks than that, we can do a lot better.

I'm not at all concerned by the slip-ups here today.

You know why? Because we put this task up here so they'd learn from it

and I can guarantee they've learnt from it.

The red team, they did very, very well indeed.

I think the way the red team positioned themselves in the relay,

each playing to each other's strengths.

It was very, very well done indeed.

I think, considering we didn't get to speak to one another at all,

we did fantastically well.

I tell you what, I...

That was a shocking display from blue team.

Nobody had an overall view of how these two dishes were

going to come out

until poor Billy came in, already up to his neck in mess

and had to rescue two part-made dishes.

Shocking display.

Obviously very disappointed with what we produced

and put up for them.

I'm sure if we did that again, we'd produce something of a much

higher quality.

The guys from the blue team, I think are going to pick themselves up.

They're going to have to, because what comes up next is huge.

Tomorrow night the semifinals continue

and the team challenge escalates.

Up against it, to say the least.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa!

-Ah!

But it's sink or swim...

Woo!

Argh!

..as one more amateur will be leaving the competition.

Well done.

It makes the whole dish special.