Episode 12 MasterChef

It's the last of this year's MasterChef quarterfinals

and this week's best amateurs are back.

Being a quarterfinalist definitely sets you apart

from everyone else and the word "finalist" is in there

and that's the one I'm interested in.

You can feel the atmosphere changing

and you just want to do better and better.

The stress is unbelievable.

I can't even explain it.

Damn it! That's not what I'm supposed to do.

Tonight, they will face just one challenge -

to cook an exceptional dish

from a brief set by renowned restaurant critic Jay Rayner.

The last few places in knockout week

and these quarterfinalists are all fighting for it.

Bring it on!

Welcome back.

You've been set a brief and it's your choice...

..to cook either a main course with aubergine as the star...

..or a dessert that really showcases honey.

That brief was set by none other than Jay Rayner.

He will be in here to taste your dishes and help us judge.

You have one hour and thirty minutes

to cook us the most fantastic plate of food

you've ever cooked in your life.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

Aubergines can go in lots of different directions.

Obviously, you can make stews and curries.

They're a very good vehicle for other flavours

but they have an interesting texture.

I am open to them doing anything they like with aubergine.

These are people who think they can cook. Prove it to me.

Give me something that makes me think,

"Ooh, I must try that at home."

My sweet brief was to make a dessert with honey

and I don't just mean it's a substitute for sugar.

I want to taste the honey in it.

Being invited in to try a bunch of dishes using both those things,

what's not to like?

Shauna threw down the gauntlet in the opening round.

We had a chocolate marquise with some honeycomb

and then we saw two extraordinary courses.

We know the benchmark, she knows the benchmark -

can she continue the journey?

Shauna, you're making a fine mess again.

-Yes, that is my specialty.

-Why do you cook in a mess?

Because I have a wonderful other half that cleans up after me.

-What are you making, Shauna?

-Um, it is a curry roasted aubergine

with smoked cardamom and coconut milk.

I'm doing flatbreads with aubergine inside as well.

And I'm going to chuck in a basmati rice,

just in case you might say, "If only there was a bit of rice with this."

Lovely! Absolutely lovely. Something you've done before?

Nope, I just thought about it last night.

I can do flatbreads, but I thought,

"I've got some flesh from the aubergine to use,

"I'll pop it in the flatbread and see if it makes a difference."

-Shauna, get on with your curry.

-OK, thank you.

I'm pushing myself quite a bit.

I don't normally cook

Asian type food.

MasterChef quarterfinal probably isn't the day to test something new

but, you know, I'm up for a challenge and let's see how it goes.

Shauna is showing off the aubergine.

She's using the aubergine as a plate,

as a bowl, and also inside the recipe.

Aubergine inside a Thai coconut curry is fantastic.

Let's just hope that Shauna gets the flavours of Southeast Asia

with all that coconut milk.

You know I was very unsure of Brodie in that first round.

A kidney and lentil curry - no thanks!

However, he did redeem himself in the last round

and his food is really tasty.

It's the biggest day of the competition so far.

I think it will just come down to mistakes

and you don't wish anyone else to muck it up,

but you can only really sort of look after yourself.

What are you going to make, Brodie?

I'm making a Chinese aubergine in a spicy garlic sauce

with fried rice and a pork and aubergine dumpling.

Fabulous! Fabulous!

What is it that you love about Asian flavours?

I just think it's interesting

playing around with unusual flavours,

-different textures.

-Brodie, I'm excited by this.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Good old-fashioned Chinese food.

Is it showing off the aubergine or is it showing off the sauce

that sits around the aubergine?

Cos that sauce is going to be really strong.

20 minutes gone, all right?

Hour and ten left.

Lorna's food is big and bold and really tasty.

She can make pasta, she can make great game chips

and she can definitely roast a grouse, that's for sure.

I am quite a creative cook.

I don't mind experimenting with different flavours

and I just don't want to stick to the norm.

What are you going to make?

I'm making a pistachio and honey frangipane tart,

topped with chopped figs

with a salted pistachio ice cream and some honeycomb.

-Is there enough honey in this dessert?

-I think so, yeah.

There's honey in the frangipane,

I'm going to honey the figs that are on top,

there's honey in the ice cream.

-How do you feel about cooking for Jay Rayner?

-Quite terrifying.

It's someone who, obviously, knows a lot about food

and isn't afraid to tell you exactly what he thinks,

so it's a daunting task.

It sounds great, but it's complex.

The pastry's got to be right, the filling's got to be right,

the figs have got to be soft and it can't be too sickly sweet.

It's got to celebrate honey but not be too honeyfied.

Damn it! That's not what I'm supposed to do.

Get your game together, mate.

Fumbi has shown us some great food,

but he does get himself in a bit of a tizz.

That's not quite how I needed it but...

He can cook, that's for sure, but can he control his nerve?

-Fumbi, you chose the honey.

-Yes, I did.

I'm making a honey cheesecake with a raspberry jelly, honeycomb,

a raspberry compote and a lemon and honey sorbet.

Cheesecake in a quarterfinal - is that brave, is that foolhardy?

I wanted to be honest to myself.

I love cheesecake, so I'm not going to serve you guys

-something that I wouldn't eat myself.

-I love a cheesecake.

This is something which I've made up

and I've practised it

a few times and I think it will taste good.

I think his dessert sounds really intriguing

because I've never had a set cheesecake with sorbet.

Sorbet is very, very icy.

Icy and cream together with cheesecake -

I think that's a little bit dangerous.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are halfway.

Natalie is unconventional, but she's also exciting.

Natalie just does not do the ordinary.

She has some very unusual ideas, but they're working.

The competition has taken over my entire life.

I'm cooking all the time, it keeps me up at night.

It's all I can think about.

-Natalie, what are you making?

-I'm making aubergine three ways.

So, one is completely plain and roasted

-and the second has a garlic marinade and a spiced lamb topping.

-Ooh.

And the third is a stewed paprika aubergine.

So, are you comfortable? Are you confident?

Yeah, I think my only problem is

is I could possibly have made it too simple

but, other than that, I'm confident.

You, simple? That's hard to believe.

I don't know what you're trying to say(!)

NATALIE CHUCKLES

It's going to be about the presentation

and definition of flavour

in each one of those three individual aubergines.

Jim is inventive, which can be as exciting as it is scary.

A beetroot gel, followed by a blue cheese ice cream.

Personally, I like it.

I think I can push myself. I think the drive is there.

The competitiveness is definitely kicking in

and I'm really keen to get this right and get through.

What are you making then, Jim?

So, we're having a honey cake with a walnut and pistachio filling

and we're having a turmeric and slightly honey ice cream

and then honey-candied ginger.

Why have you chosen to cook with the honey?

I think there's so many flavours you can get out of honey.

Depending on what the bees have been pollinating,

in the hive, it changes the flavour of it so much.

So, I've tried to show that with the three types of honey that I'm using.

-Good luck, mate.

-Thank you.

It's a piece of cake with ice cream and ginger.

Can he make that cake into an opulent dessert?

That, for me, is the big question.

Guys, you have 20 minutes left.

Louise is our Yorkshire farmer, John, and she cooks like it.

She cooks food you would expect to find in a farmhouse kitchen -

British classics.

I was quite pleased with the brief for this one

because I really like honey. It's a lovely thing.

We have some lovely honey in Yorkshire,

so I wanted to bring that in.

Louise you've... You've chosen the honey.

-I just put my thumb in it.

-I have, yes.

Three different types of honey, three different flavours,

three different things on a plate. Should be interesting.

Tell me what it is you're making.

I'm making some little honey and pecan cheesecakes

and I'm making struffoli, which sounds good with a Yorkshire accent.

-What's struffoli?

-Little Italian honey balls.

-Fabulous!

-And what's the third thing?

-Honey and lemon ice cream.

-Louise, I love the sound of this.

-Thank you.

There's four different parts to Louise's dessert.

The ice cream with the little balls and the honey syrup

and the sugar candy, I think sounds wonderful.

The cheesecake with the honey balls

and the honeycomb also sounds fantastic.

But the ice cream and the cheesecake? That's my concern.

Guys, you have ten minutes, please. Just ten minutes.

This is not working.

-What are you going to do, Fumbi?

-I'm not sure.

I'm going to try and clean it up.

You have to find a way of trying to present at least some of it.

60 seconds. That's all you have. It's your last 60 seconds.

Stop. Time's up.

Right, judgment time.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Rayner.

-Jay.

-Gentlemen.

Lorna, we're ready for you.

First up is copywriter Lorna,

who's cooked an orange blossom, honey and pistachio frangipane tart,

topped with honeyed figs,

served with salted pistachio ice cream,

crystallised rose petals and honeycomb.

Wow! You've got a lot done here

and I have to say, I think that's rather pretty.

Are you free later to be able to come back

and cook this for me at home?

Um, it looks gorgeous, it IS gorgeous

and it's a brilliant piece of technical cookery as well.

And I can taste honey.

This is a honey dessert and it's delivered

on all the things that I was hoping for. I love it.

You made your own pastry, you made your own ice cream,

you've done your own frangipane, you've done your own honeycomb

and then you've put it all on a plate and taken real care.

I think that's just delicious, Lorna.

Absolutely delightful.

You go from the contrast of cold, warm, salty, back to sweet.

Very sophisticated.

Very, very sophisticated.

To get feedback like that from the three judges

was just out of this world, amazing.

Such an incredible feeling.

-That's phenomenal, well done.

-Thank you, thank you.

Store designer Brodie opted to make Chinese aubergine

in a spicy garlic sauce,

pork and aubergine dumplings,

served with egg fried rice and a Chinese dipping sauce.

As a way of representing aubergine, I congratulate you.

Actually, if I'm honest,

I would have not bothered with the dumplings at all

and just done a really big bowl of that aubergine curry

and fired it up a little bit more.

You know how in that first round I didn't like your food very much?

I love this! I really like the flavours inside that aubergine.

I'm with Jay. I think you could turn it up a notch,

give it a bit more chilli heat,

but the flavours, yeah, yeah, I like a lot, Brodie.

I would clean the whole of that up, mate. Well done, great flavours.

I feel quite shocked really.

It was, you know, really nice to get some positive feedback.

They all seemed to enjoy it. I wish I'd made it a bit spicier.

Manchester-based Natalie has made aubergine three ways -

on smoked bacon and puy lentil, oven-roasted plain aubergine,

garlic marinated aubergine, topped with spicy lamb,

and stewed paprika and tomato aubergine.

I'm afraid the plain roasted one, at the far end here,

-is just a bit dull.

-Mm-hmm.

It's the one you've roasted with the tomatoes and the puy lentils

where all the action is.

-But even that could have done with a heftier hand on the seasoning.

-OK.

I don't think the lamb has really communicated

anything to the aubergine or, if it was, the aubergine wasn't listening.

They're still a bit too separate. Sorry.

I really like the one with the paprika.

Rich, sweet and sharp

and smoky bit of aubergine is really, really lovely.

I'm not a fan of the plain roasted aubergine.

Your lentils are cooked very, very nicely,

but the lentils aren't supposed to be the star of the show.

It's the aubergines that are supposed to be the star of the show.

I think two of those aubergines -

the plain one and the lamb one - aren't great.

The one on the right tastes fantastic.

Sweet of tomato, little bit of heat of paprika - very, very good indeed.

I am feeling a bit disappointed.

It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.

It wasn't entirely bad, but I could have done better.

Web developer Jim has made honey cake

with a pistachio cream filling,

honey-candied ginger, a honey tuile,

served with turmeric ice cream and bee pollen.

It's not a bad bit of baking.

The main problem for me is I can barely taste the honey.

It's meant to reach my inner Winnie-the-Pooh

and he's still sleeping, I'm afraid.

-Is there not honey in the ice cream?

-Um, there is supposed to be,

but I failed to put it in before plating.

I've never had turmeric ice cream before.

If I'm going to have it again, I'll put honey in mine, I think.

Your cake needs to be soaked in some syrup

so it becomes more soft and more luscious,

-cos the cake itself is too dry.

-Yep.

I really like your cake and the honey creeps.

It's not evident at first bite.

And that's it then after that,

cos you've got a tuile that doesn't snap - it bends -

and your ice cream has no sweet in it at all.

It's actually bordering on unpleasant, I'm afraid, Jim.

I was really happy that Gregg liked the cake.

That, I think, might be my saving grace.

So, I don't know. We'll have to see.

London-based Shauna has made curried roasted aubergine

with smoked cardamom and coconut milk,

served with basmati rice, aubergine flatbreads...

..and Greek yoghurt.

I don't like it in that. It looks like it's in a slipper.

-It's an aubergine!

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I know, I used to sell them by the pallet-load.

I think that's delicious. It's powerful, it's in your face.

There's some real burn back there.

They might whinge, I don't know,

but I think that's a serious piece of aubergine cookery,

and you haven't tried to reach for something else to dress it up.

Thank you.

I can't say I don't like it, but I'm not excited by it.

I found I'm eating some curry and some rice and that's it.

I'm with Jay on this one.

I think it's delicious, absolutely delicious.

The flavours in there are wonderful, the textures as well.

And I love the way the sweetness then builds into saltiness

and finishes in spice. I think it's divine.

Oh, wow, that was a bit of a shocker. Yeah, really happy.

If Jay Rayner liked it, then I must have done something OK.

Aerospace engineer Fumbi attempted a honey cheesecake,

served with raspberry compote and jelly,

honeycomb and a honey and lemon sorbet.

It all went a bit wrong in the last ten minutes, didn't it, Fumbi?

Yeah, I got my gelatine measurement wrong.

I looked at my notes and I just got it wrong.

Argh, cos you've made some great desserts so far in this competition.

I'm happy to close my eyes,

not look at what it looks like and tell you that it's delicious.

I know I could clean a plate of this very, very easily.

The flavour of honey is really, really there.

It's not subtle, it's not delicate, but it's delicious.

One thing is evident and that is the majesty of honey.

It's running through every single part of this dish.

I'm so upset it didn't turn out.

I don't know who's more upset here, me or you.

We have got probably the most divine flavoured puddle

I've ever experienced.

I'm very frustrated because it all boiled down to a maths error

and I'm an engineer - I should be good at maths!

Last up is Yorkshire-based farmer Louise,

who's made a trio of desserts -

honey and pecan cheesecake,

struffoli - or Italian honey balls -

and a honey and lemon ice cream,

topped with spun sugar and honey and almond candy.

This delivers on the brief,

in the sense that I can taste honey at all points.

But the issue, I'm afraid,

-is that I think your cheesecake is overbaked.

-OK.

-And your honey balls are a bit tough.

-OK.

-The flavours are all there, but it's just toughness.

-OK.

The honey balls haven't taken up that honey syrup

and become sweet and soft and giving.

Your cheesecake looks so fantastically perfect,

but it's heavy. It tastes of honey, absolutely.

Yeah, I'm really sorry. I don't like it very much.

I think your flavours are fantastic,

I think the work is absolutely fantastic.

The ice cream is superb, with the lemon and finished by honey.

Those balls are a little heavy, the cheesecake is a little heavy.

There's no escaping it.

Annoyed. I felt like today was my best day in the kitchen.

That's why I'm so annoyed.

I don't know what went wrong, but I did my best.

I did the best I could today.

We now have to make a decision.

We're going to ask you to step outside

and we'll call you in, once we've made our decision.

For me, a star cook today, absolutely outstanding,

and that has to be Lorna.

That young lady is cementing her reputation

as a very, very strong contestant.

-She's got to go straight through, hasn't she?

-Absolutely.

We've disagreed over Brodie throughout this competition

but today, me, you and Jay just could not stop

digging into his Chinese aubergine dish. It was just superb, John.

For me, Brodie should go straight through to knockout week.

There was one person today who really tripped up and that was Jim.

He forgot to put the honey in the turmeric ice cream,

his tuile didn't work out properly,

-the cake was dry.

-Jim's got to go.

Natalie made a trio of aubergines

and all three of us only liked one of them.

Natalie was really disappointing and the dish didn't look right,

it didn't taste right and that's a real shame.

There's one person, for me,

that absolutely stood out and really surprised me,

but I don't think you felt the same as me and Jay and that was Shauna.

I was gobsmacked by the flavours that Shauna had reproduced

-inside that aubergine.

-For me, the flavour of the curry wasn't right.

John wasn't 100% happy with the dish

and, you know, he carries a lot of weight.

I would be truly gutted if I went home

but, obviously, whoever deserves it the best will stay.

Fumbi - the honeycomb with the sorbet

and the cheesecake was delicious.

However, his cheesecake didn't set.

We know Fumbi can do desserts. It's really frustrating

when something like this happens, it really is.

I only made one mistake in the whole thing

and it was the measurement of the gelatine.

Maybe, maybe they can give me a break for that.

We know Louise to be a great cook

but, for me, the honey balls were dry and tough,

the cheesecake was overcooked and really rubbery.

I didn't enjoy it at all.

I think Louise remains a very, very good cook

who's had a bit of an off day.

Can you afford an off day in a quarterfinal? I don't know.

You can't be good at everything and desserts are my weak point.

I put a lot of skill into that so, hopefully, they'll see that.

A fantastic quarterfinal and, I think, a great brief.

The first contestant going through to knockout week...

..is Lorna.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

The second contestant going through to knockout week...

..is Brodie.

Congratulations.

The third person going through to knockout week...

..Shauna. Very, very well done.

We've decided to take one more contestant

through to knockout week with us.

The fourth and final person going through to knockout week...

..is Fumbi.

I'm all right. The others were better,

so that's what it boils down to, at the end of the day.

I didn't put honey in my honey ice cream

so, yeah, I think that's good reason to not go through.

Disappointed but really pleased

to have cooked alongside some people who are phenomenal cooks.

Completely ecstatic, elated. It's just mad.

I've been given a chance. I made a little mistake. No more mistakes.

I've got to really bring my 'A' game next time round.

-SHAUNA:

-I really never thought I'd get to this stage.

I think maybe a glass of wine this evening is on the cards, for sure.

It's nuts to think that I'm still in the competition, it really is.

Happy days.

Next week, it's knockout week.

The best 14 from the heats will compete

to stay in the competition...

It's dreamy.

..and experience the pressure of their first professional kitchen.

Three more covers.

Well done. Looks lovely.