Episode 27 Celebrity MasterChef

'16 celebrities have been battling to win the MasterChef crown.

'Now we're down to the final three..'

It's important I don't cook to my best. I cook to beyond my best.

These celebrities have already reached the top of their profession.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

I think the competition's still pretty close.

To win this show could, potentially, be life-changing.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this!

'It's finals week on Celebrity MasterChef.

'Kirsty, Nick and Phil have made it to the last three,

'and over the next few days

'will battle it out to become MasterChef Champion.'

PHIL: I want to win MasterChef.

I've got to be able to cook to the best. I've got to be focused.

The competition thing's coming into it more.

The pressure is getting quite tense.

You make a mistake and it's over.

Winning will be enough. Making it to the final is just a step on the way.

It's keeping the fear under control and letting the passion take over.

'Today, they will each cook a lunchtime service

'in a top London restaurant,

'that will enhance their skills and iron out their weaknesses...'

Season! Season!

'..before returning to the MasterChef kitchen

'and cooking one sublime dish to illustrate how much they've learnt.'

-That's a pro dish. It's pro cooking.

-Delicious.

Let's see how good they can be,

see if they can really capture that wow factor in brilliant food.

'Today, Nick will be cooking at Pont de la Tour on the Thames,

'a restaurant famed for its classic French cuisine.'

I know that kitchen well. I worked there myself.

It's fast. It's bustling. It's refined.

Will he cope with the pressure of a busy service like Le Pont?

-You must be Nick.

-I am.

-How are you feeling about today?

-Very nervous.

-Don't be.

-Obviously, it'll be a difficult day.

We're preparing a very busy lunch service. Le Pont de la Tour is extremely busy every day.

-We cannot afford any mistakes.

-Right.

-Let's crack on.

-Fantastic.

'Nick will be making pan-fried free range duck breast

'with celeriac cooked three ways, a smoked bacon and potato galette

'and a madeira jus.'

First, we're going to get the duck on to cook.

When you've got the practice, you'll get a little bit faster.

That stops the duck from toughening up.

It's all about attention to detail, making the duck the best it can be.

Then you just fan it like that.

Duck's been rested.

It's ready to go to the customer.

It tastes correct. It's fully hot.

-That is what they deserve to eat.

-Yeah.

-And now you've got to do it.

A bit scared now.

It's all just come together how much I've got to do.

I don't know how these boys do it.

'Phil is being sent to Bibendum, in London's South Kensington,

'one of the area's iconic restaurants for over 20 years.'

We want him to keep his gutsy, rustic style,

but at the same time have a lightness of touch.

That's what Bibendum's should give him.

'Phil will be making the roast fillet of hake

'sprinkled with gremolata on a saffron mash.'

You're going to take the head off.

Take the fillets off and then pin-bone it.

-Don't mess it up.

-Thank you very much.

Never cooked hake. Never filleted a hake.

So, yeah, hopefully won't embarrass myself too much.

Get the fish cooked just right.

You don't want to over-cook it, and it to be dry, or under-cook it so that it's raw.

-Pale golden?

-Yeah.

-That'll develop in the oven.

I'm nervous now. Very nervous. It's lots of little things to remember.

Don't want to let anyone down. Just don't want to let anyone down.

'Kirsty will be cooking at the Salt Yard,

'an innovator of modern Spanish tapas, in London's West End.'

Kirsty, the Salt Yard will teach her speed and consistency.

Everything is exactly the same on every plate.

-Morning.

-Hi, Kirsty.

Welcome to Salt Yard kitchen.

We've got a nice busy lunch.

It's going to be quite hectic. We've got quite a small space to work in.

'Kirsty will be in charge of the grilled Iberico pork loin

'with saffron and clam rice and piquillo peppers.'

Beautiful Iberico pork loin here.

This is quite a special product.

We can cook it medium rare, like a steak. It's really delicious.

I'm going to get this straight on the grill.

'During service, Kirsty must make sure

'that each pork loin is perfectly char-grilled.'

A nice criss-cross.

-Looks brilliant.

-Sure all yours will be exactly like that.

-Yeah.

'And when cooking her risotto,

'the texture and seasoning must be consistent.'

-Want a taste of that? Still the tiniest amount of bite to it.

-Yeah.

So beautiful!

On a good lunch, we sell 20 portions of the special. Iberico pork...

-This is the special?

-This is the special. The waiters love it, so they'll be pushing it.

-Thanks(!)

I hate this. You know it's coming. Can't smell it. Can't hear it.

But you know it's coming. It's the waiting.

-OK, guys. Ready for service?

-Yes, chef.

Listen up, everybody.

We've got one fois gras, one salmon, one pork, one duck.

Yes, chef.

Nick, you're forgetting the basics. Season! Season!

-You can't be afraid of the heat.

-It's not the heat. It's the burning.

We've got two artichoke, follow two ducks, Nick.

-You need to answer me, Nick.

-Yes, chef.

These cheques are called. We have to be ready. We have to go.

So another two garnish getting ready, OK?

Don't lose focus on the duck. Do not over-cook the duck.

Put your puree on first so you know where to position everything else.

That's not good enough. Get a new plate.

I'll do the puree. You do the rest.

Right. You get the rest on.

Look at my puree, how it needs to be the next time you do it.

It simply wasn't good enough.

Customers have a high expectation. It's my reputation on the line.

Did the puree for him, just to make him understand.

If it's not good enough, re-do it.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, chef.

-Call table seven.

-Table seven service, please.

-Little bit louder though.

Right, let's go. Two duck, Nick.

He's still working quite nervously.

We've got to get that out of him. So he's doing OK.

We're gonna get him better before the end of service.

'At Bibendum, a nervous Phil is still waiting for his first order.'

OK, so one oyster, two asparagus, one risotto.

One hake, one fish and chips, two tuna.

'To cook the hake to chef's exacting standards,

'Phil has to get his timing perfect.'

-You think it's cooked?

-Yeah.

-Let me just check.

Yeah. That's perfect.

That's perfect colouring, yeah? Exactly what you want every time.

Check the plate's clean.

Great first dish, Phil. Well done.

We're going on table eight's main course.

Great. Well done.

Nice hake, Phil. Well done.

Really pleased. Really good.

REALLY good.

Just got to try to stay focused.

Listen up, guys.

On order, gnocchi, chorizo, chicken and pork special.

ALL: Yes, chef!

'At Salt Yard, Kirsty's first job

'is to get the saffron and clam rice ready while the pork cooks.'

It's looking quite wet, that, so what I would do,

-just let that liquid evaporate.

-Yeah.

Main away 55, please.

Getting quite a few customers in, guys, so let's focus, yeah?

-Kirsty.

-Yes.

-How long for this first pork?

-Five minutes.

-Five?

-Three.

-Pardon?

-Three.

-Three or five?

-Three.

-That's ready but this is still wet.

-Get a bigger pan. Rush this rice.

That looks too wet to me. It's like soup.

-It's like rice soup.

-Right. I'll cook it more.

Presentation on that is perfect.

-Thank you, chef.

-Speed the rice up on the next one.

'It's 1pm, and Nick continues to be swamped with orders for his duck.'

That's a risotto, crab, salmon, to follow, two more duck, Nick.

Yes, chef!

Oh, we're on fire there.

Remember what I told you. Focus on your ducks as well. Are they OK?

-How far are we from being cooked?

-One minute.

-I'll trust you on that.

If it's over-cooked, I'll be very upset.

-Argh!

-Skin side up. That's it.

-Oh!

Watch that, Nick. That's too much now, OK?

-Too high a heat. We've burnt that. We can't use that.

-Sorry, chef.

Makes me unhappy cos that's money in the bin.

We're gonna take over these two for you.

-You focus on the next three. OK?

-Next three. All right.

'Having already burnt one duck,

'Nick must make sure his next order is perfect.'

-Five minutes for the duck, boys.

-ALL CHEER

So, one spoon on the side.

Use the flat of your spoon. One swoop, confidently.

Perfect. Now you're getting the hang of it.

This one needs to be identical.

That's it! Now you're getting the hang of it.

-We've got to go. Can't let this food go cold.

-Two seconds, chef.

-Oui.

Does it look all right? Yes, it does.

-Now maintain that consistency. Let's call service.

-Service, please.

Table six!

Nick, we're now away on table 51. The last duck of the day.

This one's got to be absolutely spot-on. You've had enough practice.

How do you feel about that, Nick?

-I'm happy with that.

-It's spot-on!

Service, please!

WOMAN: The meat was really tender.

Lovely sauce that went with it.

I'm not a fan of celeriac, but that really changed my mind.

It was delicious.

I came to Port de la Tour a few times.

The food I had today was of the same level that you usually get here.

That was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

They're all professionals but I take my hat off to all of them.

It was unbelievable.

'At Bibendum, Phil's hake dish is proving popular.

'So far, he's been coping well.

I've not had a disaster yet, but I don't like... You know.

-You can put two hake on.

-Put them on?

-Table six. Yeah.

Phil, keep an eye on your hake. Don't want it to get too dark.

Right. OK. That's burnt. Do another two.

In the bin.

Two more. Hold the quail.

We've got two burnt hake.

Hold back on table six for a minute!

'Having burnt his last two hake, Phil is holding up service.'

Yeah. That's fine. We're going to do table six again now.

That hake's lovely, Phil. Well done.

Er... Got the skin too brown.

By the time it cooks in the oven, it looks like it's burnt on top.

My bad.

I'm disappointed.

I had the hake with the saffron mash and it was absolutely delicious.

The fish was cooked beautifully. It was very moist.

The skin was beautifully crisp. Absolutely delicious.

'At Salt Yard, service is drawing to a close,

'but there's no let-up for Kirsty.'

OK, one loin special.

You've got two away and one on order, yeah?

-Correct.

-Thank you.

Give me the first loin on 101.

Presentation very, very good.

Another one, straight up. Let's go.

Hectic, crazy.

I want to make sure I don't burn anything.

It's scallops, cuttlefish...

I am SO hot!

Main away, 16!

Kirsty, come on. Porks need to go.

-Chef?

-Yeah.

-I think this is over-cooked now.

-Yeah.

-You can get one out of that.

-Yeah.

-For two?

-Yeah. One more left anyway.

-We lost one, didn't we?

-We lost one.

-How long till the next one?

-I can do it in three minutes.

This is the last pork for today, so make sure it's perfection.

-I'm happy with that.

-Thank you, chef.

The smokiness of the pork, and very, very tender,

with the risotto was a good combination. It was lovely.

The pork, for me, was perfectly cooked, very moist.

Yeah, a pretty good dish, overall. Yeah. Very nice.

It was SUCH a challenge.

I've got through lunch service, fast and furious,

and still standing, with only one minor burn.

'Two hours of furious service is over,

'but the celebrities face one more daunting task.

'These three chefs have built up restaurants

'that discerning diners return to, year after year.

'The three celebrities must now take the skills they've learnt in service

'and recreate each chef's signature dish.

'Head Chef Lee Bennett's signature dish

'is quail served two ways,

'with mushrooms a la grecque, green salad and celeriac remoulade.'

The key factor that Nick has to get right is cooking the quail correct.

If he over-cooks it it could be dry, and doesn't get that fine line,

it could be under-cooked.

Either way, it ruins the dish cos that's the principal ingredient.

Getting the quail right is going to be the hardest part.

That's the main bulk of the dish.

So... Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!

Oh, do me a favour, mate! Stay still, will you?

There you go.

The other thing is understanding every component has to be perfect,

or it isn't good enough to represent a restaurant of this standard.

It all comes down as to whether I've cooked the quail properly.

Who knows? We shall see.

'Nick has made quail served two ways,

'with mushrooms a la grecque, green salad and celeriac remoulade.'

I can see without tasting, the skin's not quite crispy enough.

The presentation, it looks wonderful.

But I need to taste it.

That's what it's all about so I'm going to delve in.

Apart from the skin, I have to say, it's very good.

All the flavours combine the way I would want them to do.

I think that any customer at Le Pont de la Tour eating that

would be very happy, as I am right now.

-You should be happy, too.

-Thank you, chef.

-No problem.

-Enjoy your lunch.

-Will do.

Overall, I've been quite impressed with Nick today.

A very shaky start, but he corrected himself.

He really listened and by the end of the day,

he's finished off executing a dish

that is good enough to serve for a restaurant with this reputation.

I think I did all right.

I would have liked to have got that bit perfect but he said it was good. That'll do me on my first go.

All in all, I've had a fantastic day.

It was really, really hot but I picked up a good few things today.

Really looking forward to the next challenge.

'Phil must recreate chef Matthew Harris's signature dish

'of lobster with broad bean puree and a lemon and caper vinaigrette.'

Cooking the lobster just right is paramount.

The broad bean puree, you want to get super-smooth,

so it's really rich and velvety.

Getting those things absolutely right is very important.

You're cooking the chef's dish.

He knows exactly how it should taste. Got nowhere to hide.

The hardest thing is there's a lot of combinations,

all to come together, ultimately, to champion the lobster.

Fingers crossed.

-I hope it'll be OK.

-Well done.

'Phil has made lobster with broad bean puree

'and a lemon and caper vinaigrette.'

Presentation looks good.

I can notice, initially, that the puree's a bit split.

That's probably a bit too much olive oil.

The lobster's perfectly cooked. It's juicy.

Everything's well-seasoned. The vinaigrette's spot-on.

-The puree is perfectly seasoned.

-Just too much olive oil.

A little bit too much olive oil.

But all in all, it's a very good job. Well done.

Thank you very much.

Sorry to have taken up so much of your time today!

'I think he did very well.'

All in all, an admirable effort.

He absorbs everything he's told

and produces the results.

I really hope he goes on to win the title.

Really, really pleased.

It's been a great day, and one which I can look back on

and say, "Goodness me! What a fantastic opportunity!"

Life doesn't get much better than that, for wanting to learn to be a cook.

'Kirsty must perfect two of Ben Tish's signature tapas dishes -

'jamon croquettes with manchego sauce,

'and courgette flowers stuffed with goat's cheese and a honey drizzle.'

The ham croquettes is a good exercise in seasoning.

See if she's got a really good palate. Nice golden brown on those.

Not too hot in the middle. Certainly not cold in the middle.

I think it's extraordinary to get the opportunity

to visit one of my favourite restaurants in London

and get to make two of the signature dishes of the restaurant.

What a privilege that is.

The courgette flowers, firstly, they've been sealed properly.

I don't want cheese leaking out.

The batter's light golden brown - not too dark and not too pale.

A nice crunch, but not heavy at all.

Lots of things can go wrong.

Oh, God! Can't believe I've cooked these! I adore these!

Chef.

Well, I would say, presentation,

courgette flowers look wonderful.

The jamon croquettes, are probably a third too big.

And they will probably be cold in the middle.

That was perfect. Cheese is nicely melted.

Right amount of honey.

Excellent. Perfect.

Good.

So I'm going to try the croquettes.

Nice crisp exterior.

Colour's perfect. There's a right amount of crisp.

A little bit cool in the middle, but the seasoning is perfect.

Very happy. The right amount of ham.

The manchego sauce is well-balanced. A really good effort.

-Thanks very much indeed.

-Pleasure.

Overall, very, very impressed. Lunch was quite hectic.

I think she coped pretty well.

Signature dishes, I'm really happy. Courgette flowers are perfect.

Really, really good effort.

I wish her well. Very good.

It has been absolutely inspirational being at Salt Yard.

I made some mistakes. I learnt a lot.

I take some things away for the next challenge,

if not the final challenge.

Welcome back from what should have been a fantastic experience.

Of course, now, we want to see what you learnt.

What I want to see is if you can recreate

a little bit of that restaurant here for us in the MasterChef kitchen.

One dish. One hour.

Let us taste the magic! Guys, let's cook.

'The finalists have each been given a dish from the restaurant menu

'to cook for John and Gregg.'

Le Pont de la Tour.

-The speed of service. We know you get flustered.

-Yeah.

-How did you cope with that pressure?

-Um... I... I think I did all right.

I burnt one duck, which he'll deduct from my wages.

-But no, I was sweating a lot!

-Your dish today. What is it?

Dover sole, brown shrimps, buttered spinach and mash.

Dover sole - very, very expensive. Everything has to be perfect.

-How are you going to do that?

-I'm just going to do my best.

Hopefully, I'll do a nice dish.

No pressure.

That fish has to be cooked perfectly all the way through. Not too chewy.

-Not falling apart.

-Will Nick be able to control himself enough

to deliver a plate of food with true majesty?

You've had 20 minutes. You've got 40 minutes left.

-Kirsty, what did you get out of the Salt Yard?

-What I got was organisation.

Watching that done properly,

as opposed to my cack-handed way, was a huge learning process.

So you are going to prove to us that you are able to complete one task

-and then move on to the next?

-That's the plan!

-What are you cooking for us?

-Sliced chicken thighs, de-boned,

on a bed of truffle macaroni with kale and mushrooms.

How do you take that to the level the restaurant is achieving?

It's intensification of flavours - this is 500ml of chicken stock

and 250ml of cream, reduced.

-I've never reduced anything this much ever. It's fantastic.

-Right.

Transport me to a cafe in Spain.

I will, if I can.

Kirsty has really got her work cut out.

It's all presented on what looks like a plate the size of a matchbox.

I'll be really impressed if she can pull this off.

You're halfway. Half an hour left.

-How did it go?

-I loved every minute of it.

I hope I can remember some of the things which Matthew taught me.

-I'm looking forward to today.

-Your dish, what is it?

Pan-seared roasted pigeon

with lettuce and pancetta, and a little bit of jus.

It's not what I call fancy food. It's straightforward.

But if you don't get it right,

it goes very average, there's nowhere to hide.

Got to keep impressing you guys. It's getting to the business end.

I've got to make sure I do my best.

Phil's got a dish which celebrates the greatness of the pigeon.

It has to be perfectly cooked.

Don't want it bloody. Don't want it dry. It's got to be beautiful.

Five minutes. That's it. Last five.

That's it. Stop! We're finished.

'Nick's cooked Dover sole

'with brown shrimps, capers and shallots in a butter sauce

'served on a bed of wilted spinach with a side of mash.'

-I think it looks great. I want you to calm down.

-I know.

I want you to give yourself the chance to breathe.

Don't rush into things.

Mm-mm! Look at you!

Oh, yum!

The combination of that beautifully cooked fish

with that wonderful mashed potato,

perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned and still glistening.

-I think it's absolutely delicious.

-Thank you.

Mm. Mmm. That fish has got exactly the right amount of give.

Then the saltiness of those little shrimps and sharp notes of capers.

It is a perfect sole with a butter sauce. Lovely.

'Phil's dish is braised pigeon breast with pancetta,

'cooked baby gem lettuce, peas and mint.'

That looks great. That looks GREAT!

I really love it. I really, really like that.

A lot. All the way through from beginning to end.

Slight stickiness coming off that sauce.

That lettuce gives out more flavour of stock.

Then the iron gamey-ness of that pigeon is soft, beautifully soft.

-You don't like pigeon.

-I don't.

Because everybody under-cooks it.

But THAT is absolutely fine by me - bit of pink, really soft.

That's a pro dish and it's pro cooking.

Five ingredients cooked perfectly,

seasoned beautifully, come together to make one stunning dish.

It's still gutsy. It's robust but it's elegant and beautifully cooked.

-Well done.

-You two feeling all right?

Mate, you can't argue with something perfect.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

'Kirsty has cooked chicken thighs on a bed of truffle macaroni

'with kale, mushrooms and veloute sauce.'

Huge amount of work's gone into this dish.

Lovely crisp-skinned chicken, sweet, well-seasoned.

Beautifully cooked macaroni, still with that little bite.

Richness of your kale and intensity of truffle

running through the creamy veloute.

Absolutely delicious.

Yeah. That is super-yummy. The first thing is truffle.

And the body of it is the macaroni that keeps all the flavour in.

Crispy skin, meltingly soft chicken. That's a lovely thing.

-Great.

-THAT's the standard. Can you keep it up?

There's a long way to go and there are some difficult tasks ahead.

No-one takes anything for granted.

I'm really pleased that all of you, obviously, learned valuable lessons. Well done.

Get some rest. You're going to need it. See you soon.

I need a big glass of water!

KIRSTY: Great, guys. Well done!

What a day!

Really impressive. We asked our three to learn from a restaurant experience and they have done that.

I really enjoyed it. It was like eating in a restaurant.

Nick presented a very nice Dover sole today.

The flesh of the fish itself, and the buttery sauce, was lovely.

I see him as a very good cook.

Nick needs to calm down a little and give himself a chance to breathe.

I was happy with the comments. I feel I've come far.

After going to the restaurant, I stepped up another little notch.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next challenge.

Phil's food looked like it was being served at Bibendum. That was great!

The lesson in Bibendum was about taking his style

of rustic, gutsy food

and presenting it with elegance, and that's what it was.

Every process executed perfectly, seasoned well, truly delicious.

Seeing people smile and enjoying what you've cooked

is just the best feeling in the world, it makes it all worthwhile.

The pressure's on now.

I can't go backwards.

Kirsty had the time of her life. Her dish was lovely.

It wasn't just about the completed dish today.

The way she was cooking, I was impressed with.

There was a method in everything she did.

And the result, stunning.

I'm delighted to have cooked a good dish.

I learned a lot. They were brilliant teachers.

But I have got to do better than that next time.

I hope they realise this is the standard they will need

throughout the rest of the final.

Our issue from here on in is going to be spotting the person

who lifts that title.

'Tomorrow, the battle to become MasterChef champion continues...

'..when Kirsty, Phil and Nick travel to Ireland.'

In goes the potato.

-You did get behind, then.

-Yeah. Way behind.

-Got way behind.

Aargh!

Your guests have just arrived. 30 minutes to lunch.

Oh, Nicholas. Come on, mate!

I think these are just a joy to even look at, not to mind eat.

That was nearly a catastrophe.

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