Episode 24 MasterChef

It's finals week on MasterChef...

..and the battle for the title is almost over.

-Do you want to stop? Do you want...?

-I don't want to let anyone down.

It's really intense.

You're so close now

to actually holding up that trophy.

It's certainly not been an easy ride,

I've had a few ups and downs.

I haven't come this far to go at this stage.

I'm coming up to 50, and to be able

to celebrate that and be the winner of MasterChef,

can you imagine a better birthday present?

I'm the most nervous I've been in this competition.

It feels like it's a real crunch time today.

Tonight is their most daunting challenge.

Chefs' Table -

cooking for five of the country's greatest culinary talents,

guided by one of the world's top five chefs, Daniel Humm.

It hits you in the mouth like a punch from Mike Tyson would be like.

This is it.

The most complex, the toughest, the biggest challenge on MasterChef.

Coming up next, I believe,

is one of the toughest challenges MasterChef can give any contestant.

The Chefs' Table.

Only three of you are going to go through.

One of you will be leaving us today.

We've asked you to cook for us a classic,

but that classic has to have your stamp on it.

Ladies and gentlemen, do yourselves proud.

Cook us something absolutely amazing.

90 minutes, let's cook.

Today, these four have got to stand up and show how good they can be.

You've got to get to that absolute pinnacle

of doing daring that's delicious.

Wild boy Billy - you never know where he's going to go,

but I promise you one thing about him, it'll never be dull.

He pushes himself, he works really, really hard.

And that dessert in Mexico, everybody absolutely loved it.

-What are you making?

-I'm making a shepherd's pie, Gregg.

-Splendid.

-As such.

-Yeah, I guessed "as such".

The oven is not being used at all, so...

The base is a pea puree.

On top of that is a ragout made of the lamb shanks,

which are cooking in the pressure cooker.

Then there are little dots of the mint jellies in there.

Then on top of that, there's going to be riced potato.

In the middle of that is a confit egg yolk

and there's crunchy, brown butter breadcrumbs on the top.

You haven't compromised throughout this competition.

You started wild, you remain wild.

I like to cook like this at home,

I'm not going to change that for here or anywhere.

I love this dish, I think it's the best dish I've created

in the whole competition, but then...

We shall see, won't we? See you what you guys think.

Love the sound of the dish. I wish you the best of luck, mate.

Thanks, Gregg, cheers.

We've got bold flavours in there.

Pickled carrots, mint and vinegar, loads of Worcestershire sauce

and acidic red wine.

This is Billy all over -

pushing it as hard as he possibly can.

I've never seen this done like this before,

so I'm just hoping it's not a bit of a stab too much in the dark.

I'm confident in it, I think you have to be.

If you're not confident in your dish,

no-one else is going to be.

20 minutes have gone. 20 minutes gone.

Juanita's modern style and ideas, I think, are really stunning.

Think about strawberries,

little meringue kisses and cream, delicious.

Tomatoes, olive oil and bread. Simply stunning.

It's a place in the final, so it has to go well today.

I think it's so close,

I think it's whoever makes a mistake will go,

so you've got to get it right.

So today, I'm going to cook you something based on a creme brulee.

So it's almost a creme brulee, but not quite a creme brulee.

I love creme brulee, it's my favourite dessert.

It's my mum's favourite dessert, it's my grandma's favourite dessert.

And how is it different?

I've got three different flavours of set cream.

So we've got an anise-flavoured cream,

we've got a chocolate ganache and a vanilla custard.

That's going to sit on a blueberry syrup,

adding a very light chiffon sponge, flavoured with fennel seeds.

I think it all works very nicely together.

There's a term I've heard, and it goes like this -

"going for it."

Very much so.

To experience the whole journey from start to finish

would just be wonderful.

Her dish sounds extraordinary. Three different flavoured creams.

A chiffon sponge.

She's then going to melt the caramel top across the whole lot.

It's going to be one of her architecturally designed dishes,

and when she does it,

the flavours usually match the way it looks,

and that is exquisite.

You've got one hour left.

One hour left.

Jack, in this competition, has always taken an idea

and just simply turned it upon its head.

Savoury stuff, brilliant.

Desserts, he's a little bit wild, John.

Throughout this competition,

I've done quite a lot of classics, actually.

I've done ham, egg and chips. I've done roast beef.

So for me, it's almost going back to basics

in the way that I think about food,

but utilising everything I've learned to make

something that's really special.

I'm doing everybody's school dinner favourite, rice pudding, today.

So I'm doing a clotted cream rice pudding,

and I'm doing it with different ways with cherry.

A cherry jam, I'm doing a malt milk ice cream

with a cherry vinegar ripple through it as well.

There's something really wonderful

about rice pudding in its simplicity,

but actually, you can get real depth of flavour.

For me, it's what a dessert should be.

It's exactly what you want at the end of a meal.

-You realise what's at stake today.

-I've given so much to this,

and I just want to be able to say that I did it till the bitter end.

I want to, kind of, see this whole thing through.

I want Jack's dish today to sit firmly in my mind

for the right reasons.

A rice pudding, lovely and creamy.

The vinegar, just the right amount to give a bit of sharpness.

And all those bits of cherries, adding something to the dish.

Jane, when she does the classics, they are absolutely fantastic.

There came a point where she just decided

she was going to do modern, she was going to do smart,

and oh, my word.

I think, today, you've just got to be exceptional.

I've done everything I can -

I've read, I've learned, I've practised.

I know the dish tastes really good.

I'm hoping it's good enough to put me through.

Jane, you were brought up with classics.

-You came in here doing classics.

-I did, yeah.

-What are you going to make?

-I'm making rabbit with seasonal veg.

I grew up eating rabbit stew and rabbits

and I wanted to elevate it.

How have you put your stamp on it?

I've made a rabbit Wellington

stuffed with the liver and black pudding.

And then I'm making some little rabbit chops

and a little bit of rabbit stew.

I've got some lovely Brussels tops from my dad's garden.

I've also got... I wanted to use wild garlic,

but it's not in season, so I'm doing a spinach and garlic puree.

Fantastic.

-This is a real pivotal moment, isn't it?

-Totally, totally.

Really, really important. I can't stress how much this means.

-Oh, you care about it.

-I really do.

-Yeah, I know that.

-Keep it up, please.

-Thank you. I appreciate it, Gregg. Cheers.

There's a huge amount of technical know-how and skill

involved in this dish - making sure the rabbit Wellington

is cooked through the middle and not dry,

that the rabbit stew is lovely and tender,

the sauce is really, really rich...

It's a really, really big ask.

Guys, you have 20 minutes left, please.

20 minutes left.

Oh, no, the egg's burst.

Two minutes.

Please, you've got just two minutes to produce a masterpiece.

Right, your time is very much up.

Finished, stop.

Oh, dear me. Who knows? Honestly, who knows?

Billy, we want to see your take on the shepherd's pie.

Up you come, son.

GREGG LAUGHS

Billy's shepherd's pie

is a tower of riced potato

topped with breadcrumbs and Parmesan

covering a confit egg yolk, a lamb ragout,

pea and mint puree, pickled carrots

and served with a red wine reduction.

GREGG CHUCKLES

I don't know whether to eat it or attempt to ski down it.

You are the Salvador Dali of MasterChef.

What are you up to?

-There's the yolk. And you mix that to make the mashed potato?

-Yeah.

OK.

It's got crunch from the topping, because of the breadcrumbs.

It's got soft mashed potato.

The lamb in the middle is really sweet and strong with your sauce.

I think it's a really delicious thing,

and I'd scoff the whole lot.

My problem is, right now, and this is where it's blowing my mind,

is the presentation aspect of it.

For many people, they'll look at it and go, "Really? Really?"

The flavours and textures are great.

I love it when you get some sweet mint,

because lamb and mint, for me, is like a marriage made in heaven.

I like your sharp bit of pickled carrots.

It's just the presentation of the whole thing, mate.

It's just too bold for me to be able to stick a star on it, I'm afraid.

I think this is probably my boldest and brashest dish,

and to do it now is risky, but I was never going to play it safe.

Yeah, I'd be annoyed to go home on that.

Jack, it's rice pudding time. Up you come, please.

To earn his place at Chefs' Table,

Jack has cooked a clotted cream rice pudding with cherry jam,

milk ice cream with a cherry vinegar ripple,

freeze-dried cherries, poached cherries,

puffed rice in sour cherry powder,

a cherry sauce and a cherry spiced cream.

A little bit nervous, cos some of your desserts

have been absolutely amazing.

One or two have been slightly scary.

The idea here is to take something that's comforting and a classic

and then embellish it so that you make it better.

And you've most certainly succeeded in that, Jack.

That is an incredible dessert.

It's got all the things I love.

A very cream, rich rice pudding. Cherry ripple ice cream.

But then it's the extra stuff that you do to it.

So the dried cherries on top of the ripple,

giving it extra flavour, and a crunch as well,

is a beautiful thing to do.

That is a beautiful, beautiful dessert.

In the middle is this sticky, concentrated cherry jam

with bitter notes, sour notes, and that popped bit of rice on top.

That is delicious.

I actually nearly cried there. I nearly burst into tears.

It's bonkers, I don't cry.

Yeah, best feeling ever.

Juanita has called her dessert Not Quite A Creme Brulee.

A fennel seed chiffon cake, blueberries in syrup,

three creams - tonka bean, anise and mascarpone -

and a vanilla custard,

all topped with a caramel disc.

Stand back.

Finished with a fennel pollen and white chocolate powder.

You can smell that fennel pollen with the white chocolate.

It's a really, really clever little thing.

Some delicious ideas, some beautiful work,

some real theatre.

However, in my opinion,

there's a little bit too much going on there.

More than your palate can deal with.

Chocolate, blueberry and vanilla and tonka and fennel -

that's a little too much.

For me, it is like

a blueberry pancake, caramel-textured thing,

when I'm expecting the creme brulee gooeyness

that I get from a crunchy creme brulee.

I've got to admire all the work, that's for sure.

I love the way it smells, I love the theatre that goes with it.

Hmm.

Maybe I challenged them a little bit too much

with my flavour combinations.

It's disappointing because it's your food

and it's quite personal and, you know,

putting your heart on your sleeve.

Jane has cooked rabbit three ways.

Rabbit Wellington stuffed with liver and black pudding,

loin chops and a rabbit stew,

served with a hasselback potato, spinach and garlic puree,

sprouts, carrots and peas and a rabbit gravy.

It's very, very attractive.

I think it's really lovely. It's really well seasoned.

It's demonstrating a huge amount of skill. It's got detail to it.

The rabbit is cooked really well, it's lovely and rich,

crispy pastry on the outside.

Like the poshest sausage roll you got in your life

with black pudding inside - that's a great thing.

For me, the thing that holds it together

is that spinach and garlic puree - that's where the bounce comes.

Your rabbit, which isn't an easy meat to cook,

is done to perfection.

Your sauce is rich. There's sweetness in your vegetables.

There's also bitterness in there

from a little bit of Brussels sprout - it's beautiful.

It's absolutely, stunningly delicious.

-SHE MOUTHS:

-Thanks.

I am really so happy with those comments,

because it was a big risk.

I knew it was an old-fashioned dish.

It's just what you wanted to hear

at this stage of the competition, really.

SHE EXHALES

I think what you've accomplished today, the four of you,

is quite extraordinary.

This is going to be the most difficult decision

of this whole competition.

Off you go.

-What a day.

-Mate, they're brilliant.

They're absolutely brilliant cooks.

We asked them to show us what they've learnt

throughout the competition.

They definitely did it, that's for sure,

and it'll be sad to see one of them go.

Jane's rabbit was delicious.

What held it together was that lovely stripe

of spinach and garlic puree.

It was a great, great dish.

Tasty, addictive and delicious.

She has had one hell of a competition,

and she sails, I think - you think as well -

into the final three.

Jack - Jack with the rice pudding

and malt ice cream with a cherry vinegar ripple. Yum.

Outstanding work.

To take things that are comforting, like a rice pudding,

and a fruit-rippled ice cream,

and elevate it into something special

is the work of a genius cook.

I agree. Jane and Jack go through.

And now we need to decide, between Billy and Juanita,

who goes home.

Billy presented us a dish

which we both looked at and thought, "Wow."

I mean, that was really daring.

It tasted great,

but both you and I are a little bit unsure about the presentation.

I admire his bravery, but I think that was foolhardy. I really do.

To present a mound...a mountain of mashed potato,

I think, is foolhardy.

Juanita, very clever, a little bit of theatre at the table.

I do think we probably had two or three flavours too many.

What we had there was sponge,

three different types of cream and blueberries.

It was just a little bit confusing as to what it was supposed to be.

However, I do know one thing.

Juanita has great skill, and she works really, really hard.

A properly serious decision.

This is the first time I've gone in

feeling really, really nervous about it

and I think at this stage,

even if you just make a small, little mistake, you're gone.

I'll be gutted to go home on that,

but the other three guys are really good cooks, so you just never know.

The toughest decision for us in the competition so far.

It's quite sad to lose one of you right now.

The person leaving us...

..is Juanita.

Juanita, thank you.

Aw.

Good luck, guys, you're amazing.

-Thank you so much.

-Come here.

Thank you.

-Well done. Well done.

-Thank you, John.

Good luck.

I'm just really proud to have got this far.

I never thought I would, so...

Yeah, it is sad to go out now, but at the same time,

it's further than I ever thought I'd get.

When people say it's life-changing,

they're not just saying that, it really is,

so absolutely wouldn't change a thing.

And good luck to the three left.

You are the final three of this year's MasterChef.

Yeah, just sort of trying to take it in now is...

Yeah, it's pretty overwhelming.

Very proud of where I've got to.

Final three of MasterChef, not many people can say that.

It's just the icing on the cake, really, isn't it?

To actually have achieved it is just marvellous.

I'm so excited about what's to come.

I'm seeing this through to the end

and you can't ask for any more than that.

Right - you are going to be cooking at Chefs' Table,

working with one of America's most innovative chefs.

That is one hell of a test.

This year's Chefs' Table will be mentored

by one of the world's most influential culinary talents -

Daniel Humm.

Born in Switzerland,

he was classically trained in some of its finest hotel restaurants.

I started cooking when I was 14.

I got my first chef job, I was 24,

and it only took six months until I was named Discovery Of The Year

and I got my first Michelin star.

One year later, he went to find fame in the United States.

Here I came to America and there was this excitement

about fine dining because everything was kind of new,

it was just starting.

It allowed me to be more free.

I knew French food, but I was able to break some of the rules.

It was a beautiful time for me to go there.

In just the few years, his New York restaurant,

Eleven Madison Park,

gained three Michelin stars

and was acclaimed the best in America,

and the fifth-best in the world.

Being amongst the best restaurants in the world, it drives you,

it gives you confidence,

which allows you to push the boundaries more.

The dish needs to be delicious.

It's delicious or it's not.

It's instant.

It has to look beautiful, it needs to look almost effortless.

Then it needs to be creative -

some flavour combination that is unexpected.

And then it needs to have a story.

It needs to have a reason for being.

This is the first time Daniel has cooked in the UK.

This is as much his reputation on the line as it is our finalists'.

For me, I want them to succeed

because these dishes are very close to my heart.

Yeah, I am really excited.

How are you guys? Nice to meet you.

Congratulations for making it this far.

We have an important day today.

We are cooking for some of the greatest chefs in the world.

We have a lot to do.

Each of you is responsible for one of the signature dishes of ours.

We've got to go into the kitchen, so let's go.

I am unbelievably excited.

I...oh...

This is a dream come true.

Jack is responsible for the starter.

He will be making Daniel's version of the New York classic,

eggs Benedict.

The challenges with this dish,

-it's definitely early...

-OK.

..to get all these layers right.

Eggs Benedict is a dish that was invented in New York.

There was a very important restaurant, Delmonico's,

and that restaurant was really big.

They created eggs Benedict.

They were really ahead of its time.

So our version of eggs Benedict is served in a tin

and on the bottom, country ham, a pickled quail egg yolk

and then a mousse of white asparagus

and then on top, green asparagus and caviar.

Eggs Benedict is usually a breakfast dish.

-Yes, it is, yes.

-But in this version and with the caviar,

it's really great for lunch or dinner.

And then we just finish it with hollandaise

and we can actually do that when it goes at the table,

like, really last-minute.

OK, sure.

It looks stunning. I just... I want to do it justice.

What an incredible dish.

At the end of the day, no matter how beautiful it looks,

it has to taste just as good or even better.

Yes, Chef.

There's an awful lot of prep to do

right at the beginning with this dish.

So for me, it's all about really pushing myself at the moment.

Got to get cracking, got to get on because it needs time to set

and if you don't have time to set, be late for service.

Billy is making Daniel's version of a classic oxtail stew.

Braised oxtail and brown butter mash

topped with a garnish of black truffle, potato and chestnuts

and served with a rich black truffle jus.

This dish is really important to me.

When we created this dish, like, two years ago, when we did it,

we were like, "Oh, wow, this is finally the food I want to cook."

I have always been drawn to, kind of, minimalism,

but as a young chef, I would add more to the plate.

I would say, "Oh, it's missing something."

And so two years ago, I created this dish and when I did it,

I was, like, super-happy.

Simple never means it's simple to do.

There is many steps to this dish.

The three-and-a-half hour timing is going to be tight.

So we want to cover everything so you don't even see the meat,

so when you eat it, it's like a surprise.

Beautiful.

And then we just have the sauce.

It looks like something I'd definitely love to eat.

Each element, we just got to make sure it's perfect.

You can see the texture of the potato puree is crucial,

so it really holds that shape.

-If one thing is off...

-It's obvious.

-..it'll ruin the dish.

-Yes.

Last round I did a shepherd's pie, which is pretty much braised meat and mashed potato,

but this is plated in a completely different style

and much more refined.

That's the bit I'm most worried about,

is actually putting it on a plate and getting it sent out.

The majority of the time is making sure

this meat is tender as anything because if it's tough,

then it's the main element of the dish, so...yeah,

I've got to get this in the oven quite quickly,

then work on making sure everything else is perfect.

Jane will be responsible for Daniel's signature dessert,

milk and honey.

Milk and bee pollen ice cream with a liquid honey centre...

..a set honey custard and shards of dehydrated milk foam.

It's a dish that's really close to my heart,

-something my mom used to make me when I was growing up.

-Yes.

My mom is this amazing woman

and there's this one thing that she did for me

and it was like a ritual.

She would make warm milk

and she would, like, drizzle the honey

and then when I drank it,

she would always, like, try to guide me

through whatever was troubling me.

When you eat it, you crack the middle.

The honey kind of oozes out

and you have this beautiful ice cream

with these beautiful textures.

It's been a flavour combination that I've played with for a long time.

-Wow.

-And...

-That's beautiful.

-That's it, you know?

-That's really lovely.

One of the things I want to do is to cook humble food and elevate it

so this is just perfect for me.

-Speaks to your heart.

-Yeah, it's just... Absolutely.

Awesome. I'm excited to see what you do with it.

Jane's first job is to weigh out the ingredients

to make the milk ice cream.

Milk powder.

62.

You've got to be really precise about it.

Obviously, the recipe for it is quite complicated and to the gram

so it's going to be a real challenge, that's for sure.

The finalists now have three hours to prepare these complicated dishes

before service begins.

With such a huge task ahead of them,

Daniel has brought his sous-chef Connie Chung to assist.

She is sort of my right hand.

She's in charge of the research and development

and she is with me wherever I go.

Jack's eggs Benedict starter has three separate layers,

all of which must have time to set.

So, I think Jack's dish, there's a lot of different elements

and they need to set.

This time it's crucial.

For the first layer, he must pickle individual quail egg yolks,

make a ham jelly,

before assembling with diced ham and asparagus.

-Shall I take the green off?

-No. Leave it on. It's actually pretty.

Make sure you get on both sides the green.

-Let's make sure they're perfect, huh?

-Yes, Chef.

Being first up, I've got an awful lot of stuff to prep.

That's why I'm just trying to get on with it at the moment.

-A little less.

-Little less.

-A little less.

-Yeah.

OK. Egg? And it just goes in the middle.

Right in the middle, yeah.

-Here, be really careful.

-Yeah.

Ham stock.

Just go on the outside because we really don't want to break the egg.

OK.

That's enough. Yep.

Where's the fridge?

-Do you want to show him?

-Yeah.

-OK. Good.

-So now you make your bavarois.

Bavarois. On it.

On the other side of the kitchen,

Billy's oxtail is braising in the oven...

..and his focus is now on the brown butter mash.

Oh. Idiot. Start again.

Wrong butter.

The mash must be seasoned perfectly with the brown butter,

then whipped into a rich and smooth puree.

You can add more brown butter.

-You can add the rest of this cream, as well.

-OK.

-And then you're going to put it in a piping bag.

-Yeah.

It's got to stay warm.

To keep it at the right temperature for service,

it's left in warm water.

There's no hiding places.

You have to make sure everything's seasoned really well,

everything's cooked precisely.

But Connie has spotted a problem.

I don't like the way it's, like, boiling on there.

-It must be very hot when you put it in.

-No.

I think you should take it out,

-re-whip it back together and then put it back in the bag.

-OK.

This doesn't look good, huh? What happened here?

I put it in a bag to keep warm and it's just split.

-We have to redo it.

-Yeah, yeah. Cool. No worries.

So don't make the same mistake.

Yeah, don't worry, Chef. Don't worry.

-All right, I need to get peeling.

-Yes.

Basically, the butter split out of the potato.

There's a lot of pressure on our shoulders, for sure,

because we're doing his food, we need to do that justice.

Yeah, there's no room for any errors.

Put the gloves on, put the goggles on.

On dessert, Jane's next task

is to make her milk ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

Don't be afraid.

Ooh.

At -196 degrees Celsius,

it freezes the milk mixture solid in a matter of seconds.

Oh, like Harry Potter.

Never, ever used anything like this before.

You've seen me in the MasterChef kitchen,

I don't even use the sous-vide machine

so, for me, this is a bit of a departure from the norm.

She must then gently reheat and re-whip the ice cream

to attain the perfect creamy consistency.

You want to reach that perfect temperature so it's smooth.

Just like what an ice cream machine does,

just a little bit faster.

That's good.

In just one hour,

the three finalists will be serving five of the UK's best chefs.

This is huge pressure on our three.

Michelin-starred food

for some of the greatest chefs in Britain right now.

You want to cook for your guest and when they walk into the door,

you want to be focused on creating

one of the best nights they ever had.

A little bit nervous but I think it's a good thing to be nervous,

because it means that you care.

With service fast approaching,

Jack's making the elements for the next layer of his eggs Benedict.

A white asparagus bavarois...

..and the asparagus jelly.

-Jack, you got starter.

-Yes, Gregg.

-So how many things have got to set?

-Three things.

-Three things have got to set.

-And one thing's already in there,

so that got about another eight minutes to set.

Because they're really thin layers, they won't take too long.

-Have you done a dish as complex as this before?

-No! Never in my life!

-Have you seen the chefs turning up for dinner?

-Yes.

-How do you feel?

-It's massively frightening.

Your smile's there, you're a quality cook, keep going.

Cheers, Gregg. Thank you.

With his bavarois made,

Jack checks to see whether his first layer has set.

They're still really liquidy.

But I'm not sure how cool these fridges...

Can I put it in the blast chiller, Chef?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Right now, we're a little bit under the gun, for sure.

And there's really three more steps

and then we need to add the caviar

so timing is super-tight.

I'm really, really, really up against it.

Not enjoying this one bit.

It's going to get done.

Having fallen behind remaking his mash...

..Billy checks on his braised oxtail.

Yeah, it's looking good. It's...looking good.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

He now needs to separate out all the meat,

then add it to a rich, thick gravy.

-Is that going to be enough for six?

-Yeah, for sure.

It's probably a little bit too glaze-y.

Let's strain some of that out.

It's going to seep out the bottom otherwise, isn't it?

Next, he moves on to the extravagant garnish

made out of fragments of black truffle.

-About half of that?

-Yeah, and then...

You don't want it to look like a triangle.

-You want it to look, like, random.

-OK.

I would say that's a good size.

-Harder than it looks.

-Yeah. Right?

I love truffles. It's something I do cook with a bit at home

but, given the expense, it's not something that I use

on a day-to-day basis.

The black truffle is added to diced potato

before glazing in butter and stock.

Little bit too much liquid in here.

Just take a little bit liquid out.

-Don't forget to season...

-Yep.

-..to taste, huh?

The garnish is then finished with chestnuts pan-roasted in butter.

-See how the glaze is really coming together?

-Yeah.

Good. You feeling good? Huh?

Yeah. For an easy dish, I've made it quite difficult.

On pastry, Jane's finishing her ice cream

by adding frozen bee pollen to the mix.

-Yeah, so half, yeah?

-Yeah, let's start with half

and see where that gets us.

Now her focus turns to the most technical part of the dish.

I've got to make the honey centre and freeze it in liquid nitrogen

so it's hard, and then dip it in melted chocolate to make the balls.

So fingers crossed.

Right, flip it back over.

-Bang it.

-Bang it.

Like an ice cube tray.

The frozen honey centres are now coated in cocoa butter

to form an edible shell.

I'm happy at the moment. I think I'm on track.

But obviously, plating up is going to be a big thing,

because it needs to be plated so precisely.

Thank you.

I've known Daniel a few years, but I've never actually eaten his food,

so I'm really excited about this.

Been lucky to eat there three times over the years, yeah.

And each time, it's been incredible,

but completely different each time, also.

We're his first guests here in London.

-We are the first guests.

-That's true. Amazing, yeah.

It's kind of an unsettling feeling right now, because these dishes,

they're in the hands of people I have not worked with.

There's now just 20 minutes until service.

Jack's first layer has finally set,

and it's a race to get the rest of his dish assembled.

Jack, timing is tight.

I know you know it, but just keep your head together.

Put the white asparagus mousse,

then the green asparagus jelly,

-and then the caviar.

-OK. Yes, Chef.

OK.

-Be careful.

-Yeah.

Try to cover it everywhere.

Put a little bit more here.

We've just got to keep focused and get it done.

-Let's go in the freezer again.

-Yeah.

Right now, for Jack, it's a little tight.

Now he really has to perform.

The simplicity on the menu just doesn't reflect

the dishes themselves.

I think for these contestants, it's incredibly challenging.

They're amateurs. I'm sure it's not going to be easy.

-Don't waste it, because you don't have too much.

-Yes, Chef. Sorry.

-You are late, but let's get it perfect.

-Absolutely, Chef.

The starter of eggs Benedict - this is, I think,

a very famous dish of his.

You know the essence of the dish is going to be eggs Benedict,

but you don't know how it's going to be actually delivered,

which is very exciting.

Now the dice.

And you want to almost press them in just a little bit.

-Yeah, so we go in...

-Yeah, perfect.

-Yeah.

OK, about that much?

Yeah. Just relax. Just get it perfect.

I'm loving the look of that. Absolutely loving it.

Come on, mate.

OK, we can go, guys.

Come on! Brilliant.

-Hey, Jack, you did it! Well done.

-Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

You can't even imagine how intense that is.

Attention to detail which I've never seen.

It was astounding.

Yeah, it was amazing.

Jack has made Daniel's take on eggs Benedict...

..served with miniature English muffins.

It looks incredible. It wasn't anything like I was expecting.

It's one of them dishes that you need to just dive in.

Very excited about getting in there to taste it.

First thing for me was the beautiful little runny egg yolk underneath,

the smokiness of the ham, and then freshness of the jelly.

And then you've also got these little English muffins.

Perfect addition to a dish like this.

Well, you've got the beautiful hollandaise,

some acidity in there.

The caviar and the smokiness from the jelly.

The texture is fantastic.

And I think, as a rounder dish,

you get the kind of nuttiness, almost, from the asparagus.

But what you get is this amazing burst of flavour

from something so small.

I could eat probably about three or four more of them.

That was incredible.

I keep closing my eyes and thinking of Eggs Benedict.

It ticks the box. It's still there, you know? It is quite stunning.

For an amateur cook to do something so petite and refined as that -

I mean, it's a lot of skill.

It was absolutely superb.

Oh, there's a little egg yolk inside, look at that. Look.

-GASPING:

-Wow.

A creamy, salty, many-layered,

many-textured tin of absolute delight.

You can't deny Jack was a bit late.

But I have to say, it was worth waiting for.

We thought the dish was amazing.

A lot of precision in there, a lot of technique.

Just...you could eat it again. It was amazing.

Layer upon layer upon layer of flavour.

You should be very, very proud.

-Well done.

-Thank you so much.

Walking into that room and seeing those faces is unbelievable.

And to get that feedback,

worth every second of pain, right there.

So, Billy, you have ten minutes.

You should think about every single step that you need to get there.

You need hot plates, you need the ring,

-you need spoons up there.

-Yeah.

Next up is Billy, who must now plate to Daniel's exacting standards.

Try to keep it straight rather than on an angle.

"Oxtail, braised with potato and black truffle."

LAUGHTER

Sounds very simple.

It could come in many ways.

It's very hard to guess what this dish actually is.

I bet you there are some proper techniques in here

that won't be what we're imagining.

That's perfect.

Don't put too much. Make sure...

-You have three more plates, and that's all you have.

-Yeah.

OK, Billy, lift off the ring.

You're going to follow with the sauce.

-You know what to do.

-Yeah.

Yeah - perfect. Good job.

-GREGG:

-Lovely.

Ooh!

You're going to fix it. It's OK.

OK, we have five plates ready to go.

OK, good job.

-JOHN:

-Wow.

I tasted everything. It tasted really good, so well done.

-You should feel really good.

-Thank you very much. Cheers.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure.

The fact that we've been able to serve the likes

of the people in that dining room is just staggering.

Yeah. I just hope they like it.

Billy has cooked braised ox cheek

encased in brown butter mash,

topped with a black truffle, potato and chestnut garnish,

served with a rich black truffle jus.

The first thing that hits you is the smell.

I mean, it's absolutely delicious. It smells beautiful.

Looks so simple, but you just know

it's going to be packed full of flavour.

It just fills your mouth full of these flavours

that are so incredible.

Tender and unctuous oxtail.

Beautiful pomme puree.

And then you've got this intense truffle sauce

that just elevates it.

Amazing little bits of potato and chestnut,

and chunks of truffle rather than fine pieces.

It's cooking with simplicity and control

whilst the execution is just perfect.

Hits you in the mouth like I can only imagine

a punch from Mike Tyson would be like.

It's big, it's bold, it's massive in flavour,

but yet so delicate in so many ways.

Absolutely brilliant.

Everything was perfect.

I mean, again, I just can't fault the dish at all.

It's so simple in its delivery,

yet so complex and exquisite on the tongue.

It's a beautiful thing.

Billy has coped with the pressure. Good job.

Not much left. I hope that's a good sign.

Great dish. I can't fault it at all. I don't think any of us can.

So much depth of flavour going on in that.

-It was absolutely delicious, and thank you.

-My pleasure.

Serving umpteen Michelin stars in the dining room

is just something that is difficult to take in,

the fact that I've just achieved it and done it.

It's a real boost for the confidence,

but I don't think it'll sink in for a few days yet.

Last to serve is Jane.

Milk and honey - I mean, it just doesn't give anything away at all.

Who knows with that one? That's an exciting one.

To be able to have a smooth transition

and keep the guests excited all the way through,

and then finish really high up on a dessert...it's a huge challenge.

You look very calm and organised, Jane.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I hope.

I'll tell you what - I think this is the most complicated one

out of the lot, this is.

Just make sure and press it down

so when it goes to the dining room, it still looks like that.

All ready, yeah?

OK.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Wonderful.

-Thank you.

-OK, Jane.

-Yeah?

-Well done.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Thank you very much.

-You feeling good?

-I am, yes, yes.

-You did a really good job.

-Thank you.

-It was really awesome.

If you'd told me at the beginning of this experience

that I would've put something up like that,

I don't think I would've believed you.

I thought I would've been a mess on the floor.

Jane has served Milk And Honey -

a milk and bee pollen ice cream with a liquid honey centre

on a honey custard base,

topped with shards of dehydrated milk foam.

-Wow.

-Awesome.

HE LAUGHS

Sometimes all you've got left is laughter.

That's what you can do, is just laugh at it.

Beautiful honey, it's really aromatic.

Lots going on in that and then there's the salt as well

which just gives it another element,

it's all these little explosions of flavour in your mouth.

Yeah, delicious.

It's a hard dish to pull off, to get all the temperatures right,

to get all the layers right, to get the fragrances right and to keep,

you know, keep you excited all the way to the end, till the last bite.

So she did very well, I think.

It's a dessert that once you break into it,

it just kind of keeps on giving more and more as you go along.

Incredible.

And what a finale of three brilliant dishes.

Oh, that is divine.

Yeah. It's really, really very, very good, isn't it?

And then that sort of sharpness,

a little bit of salt around the outside as well.

I mean, a huge amount of work for Jane.

-That's actually my favourite dish.

-Is it?

That's a surprise.

Hi.

Jane, well done. What a great dish.

Technically brilliant.

Not something I'm sure you do every day.

-What do you do every day, Jane?

-I'm a mum.

I've got four children so, yeah,

I've come straight out of cooking at home.

-So today's been a doddle(!)

-Yeah!

-LAUGHTER

-A mum of...a mum of four children.

Easy day, easy day!

An incredible amount of technique gone into it

for something that seems so, so simple.

We thought it was delicious and that was fantastic.

-Well done.

-A real pleasure. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Very emotional to walk in the room and get that feedback at the end.

I thought I was going to cry, which would be mortifying

in front of those chefs, wouldn't it?

That was a real dream, to be able to do that.

Amazing.

I don't believe that our three ever dreamt that they would be able

to do something like this.

That has got to be the hardest table to please

and our three did brilliantly.

Yeah, it's right up there, as experiences go.

Culinary-wise, I don't think it could be topped,

cooking with one of the best chefs in the world's

three Michelin star foods.

It was very intense but that was quite fun

with the old liquid nitrogen and stuff.

Just an amazing experience.

There are professional chefs

who would probably give their right leg

just to be in the same room as Daniel

so it's a day that I'll remember forever, I think.

Towards the end,

it was definitely a little bit more stressful than I thought

but I think they really showed their skill

and I think, overall, they did a really, really good job.

I'm going to sleep really well tonight.

That was brilliant.

And next, we're going to crown one of these our champion.

Bring on the final.

Tomorrow night,

the MasterChef journey comes to an end.

One of these three exceptional cooks will walk away the champion.

This is about attempting the extraordinary.

That's what they need to do.

Ooh-er. Mmm...

CLATTERING

JOHN GROANS

It's startling.

That is a work of genius.

Our MasterChef champion...