Episode 3 Celebrity MasterChef

16 celebrities are battling it out to win the coveted MasterChef Crown.

It's serious pressure.

It's 100 miles an hour.

These celebrities have already reached the top of their profession.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

I don't like the feeling.

I just don't want to be the first one to go.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

All this week these four celebrities have been tested

to find the next MasterChef champion...

..but at the end of today, one of them will be going home.

We are halfway through the week with these four celebs

and the competition is starting to really hot up.

I'm really gutted that one of us has got to go home.

It's just a fantastic learning experience

and I know the further I get the better cook I'll become.

I found MasterChef really tough.

It's been fun doing, erm...

I don't really want it to end.

I hope I don't leave today.

That would be a disaster. I'm now immersed in it completely.

I think MasterChef has started to mean more and more.

As you progress you want to stay in the competition as long as possible.

To decide who stays, the celebrities will face two challenges

to show just how far they've come.

We've tested the basics, put them through that mass catering challenge,

we've seen how they work as a team.

Today is all about finesse, about taking the food to the next level.

You don't want to be the one with the dish of shame.

This is their chance now to secure their place in the next round.

At the end of today, one of them is going to go home.

This is a classic recipe round.

This is your dishes, your food that I've eaten at your restaurant.

Wonderful food, but, John, it's a real step up.

So, the classic dish today is a saddle of rabbit wrapped in pancetta

with a soft polenta and black cabbage.

The first thing your going to do is to stuff and then wrap

that saddle of rabbit.

We're going to place a couple of kidneys cut in half down the centre.

I've loved rabbit since my mum first made me rabbit stew

when I was five years old.

You've got to concentrate on how it's going to look at the end.

I'm going to cook it in tinfoil...

so we have crispy bacon around the outside, but the inside is still lovely and moist.

So roll, roll, roll, roll, roll.

And then we make a bonbon.

Does it come out at some stage cos that bacon won't crisp up?

Yes. The oil and the heat inside there somehow or other conducts

enough heat within that foil to make the bacon crispy.

So in total, really, it's about three minutes on the stove

and then into your oven for 15 minutes.

We're going to serve the rabbit on soft polenta.

Corn porridge, basically.

But it's flavoured with garlic and Parmesan cheese

and lots of salt and pepper.

I start off with about 200 ml of water...

and 300 ml of milk.

And to that I'm only going to put in

100 grams of polenta, that's how much it swells up.

Just going to let the polenta cook away for a good 20 minutes.

I never liked polenta until you made it for me

when we first started filming MasterChef.

But you've got to flavour it because it's so bland.

Whilst my polenta continues to tick over,

the rabbit is now in the oven, it's time for the black cabbage.

Take the cabbage and we remove the stalks.

We've gone from that to that. We've stripped it right down.

That's the difference between my hair cut and your hair cut.

It needs to cook for a good four to five minutes.

The rabbits now been cooking for 15 minutes.

I'm now going to let it rest for a further five

and let the residual heat continue to cook it.

To finish of the polenta, it is Parmesan cheese, mascarpone,

butter and cream.

Really properly beaten up.

A bit of garlic!

So now, the assembly.

There you are.

Rabbit, polenta and black cabbage.

Lovely dish, but there's a lot of work for our celebs.

If they mess it up, I'm going to cry, John.

Welcome back.

Today we have a classic recipe test for you.

Recipes that have helped define John's career, recipes that I've eaten many, many times.

At the end of today, one of you four is going to go home

so you simply have to perform.

One hour, one dish.

Let's cook.

Linda Lusardi's ex-model, actress and a mum.

John, she's got a good touch.

Great mayonnaise, well seasoned, lovely, crispy scampi. You must be pleased with yourself?

Yeah, I am quite.

She can cook! But some of her creations are a little flamboyant.

-Really heavy salty bacon with smoked salmon is ghastly.

-Really?!

Absolutely ghastly. Yeah.

I perhaps try and be a bit clever and add too many flavours on one plate.

I just think I've got to be a bit more focused

and not waffle between, shall I do that, or do that dish?

And then end up doing a mixture of the two which doesn't work.

I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous, Linda.

I don't know what's the matter with me today. I feel like crying.

I want to get it right and I don't want to go home.

I'm used to working with nerves on stage and different things

so it won't affect what's happening here,

it'll just affect my heart rate.

I've never cooked rabbit before.

And I've got a bunny at home.

Thumper.

And I know my kids are going to hate me for cooking this today.

Nick, instantly recognised actor from Hollyoaks.

John, he is a very good cook. I think he understands good food.

I can understand why it's selling.

It's nicely seasoned, tang of a bit of cheese, sweetness of tomato.

It's pretty good.

But basic errors let him down.

You're trying to hide stuff, aren't you? Hey? It doesn't work.

How far has MasterChef begun to encroach on your life?

I sat and cooked the other night for about four hours,

just trying to make little bits for my pals and that.

And I can't stop thinking about it all the time.

At night, sitting there dreaming, does that go with that? Yeah, so quite a lot!

Are you feeling confident about today?

I'm trying to be calm. I'm hoping it's all under control. I've never cooked with rabbit

or this cabbage or polenta so it's a first on all fronts for me.

-Nick, good luck.

-Thank you.

If I had to go, I would genuinely be gutted.

So I think I'll just keep it nervous instead of being too cocky.

35 minutes left.

Michelle, a driven business woman and an entrepreneur.

She is truly driven, but right now in this competition,

she is inconsistent.

I'm so sorry.

I don't think this is good enough.

But there have been some signs of talent.

I think it's seasoned, sweetened, very well.

There you go. Thank you, enjoy.

Competition got under your skin yet?

-I can't believe it's taken over my life, to be honest.

-Has it?

I can't do my own job at the moment. It's driving me insane. I just...

I want to improve so much. The pressure is unbelievable.

I thought that being a business person was pressure, but, oh no...

You leave your brain outside the door.

Hopefully it's come in with me today. Cheers.

I didn't enjoy it at the start but now I'm starting to relax,

I'm starting to love it.

I didn't realise I would enjoy it so much.

Darren, Olympiad and a gold medal winner. Let's remember that.

He's a fighter, he's a competitor.

Your scampi, the batter is a really nice coating. All round, not bad.

He has boundless enthusiasm, John, and energy,

but will that be enough to push him into the next round?

-What was the idea of putting the spaghetti in it?

-Thicken it up.

What is the basis of the soup? What is it?

Water.

Is this your sort of food?

Rabbit? Come on!

They're little things that just prance around fields,

I don't eat rabbit.

I have no idea how it's supposed to taste...

..but I'm going to have to try it.

I just want to try and embrace new stuff.

I am the type of person that goes to a restaurant

because I've been there before

and I'll order the same thing that I always order.

Do you know what, Darren? I really admire your honesty.

I think, if you're learning all the time, that's a great way to go.

Thank you.

I've tried to take on board everything that I've been told.

Pressure I can handle, that's the easy part.

It's the cooking that I'm struggling with.

Just eight minutes left.

HE GASPS

Mother Fletcher.

Cold water.

Straight into cold water.

Never take pan from oven unless using cloth.

HE LAUGHS

That'll be all right.

Your last 60 seconds. Please, come on.

Done. Finished. Stop.

Stop.

Today we asked you to cook rabbit wrapped in pancetta

with soft polenta and cabbage.

What I was looking for is the bacon all lovely and crispy, evenly coloured.

The inside of the rabbit still moist.

Creamy, soft polenta, full of flavour with a little bit of garlic,

salty Parmesan cheese, and well-seasoned, soft cabbage.

Nick, we're going to start with yours.

I think your slices of rabbit are too unwieldy, too big

and you've cut them on an angle

which means we've got flappy pancetta.

It tastes great, it tastes really really good.

Your polenta is fantastic.

Fantastic. Seasoned, soft,

really creamy and just a hint of that Parmesan cheese.

It deserves to look better.

Right.

I think the coooking of the polenta and the cabbage is great.

Well seasoned, lovely texture.

Your rabbit is cooked really well,

it's still lovely and juicy and moist.

It's a dainty dish, it deserves a little bit of time and effort

just preparing the meat, but, Nick, you've got a good palate.

I saw somebody cutting something on an angle the other day

and I thought, "Ooh, I'll do that.

Trying to be a bit too cocky, but, erm, yeah, on the whole

I'm pleased cos they said, at the end of the day,

it was all very tasty, which is always good!

Michelle.

It looks like a dish that should come out of a restaurant,

the way it's been presented.

The recipe said, "In the oven for 15 minutes,"

I know what time you brought it out and it was 25 minutes...

but is has to be said, Michelle,

that everything on that plate is really well seasoned.

I know there's a few mistakes here, but do you know what?

I think you should be really proud of what you've done today.

Meat is getting a little bit dry, it's not written off,

it's getting a little bit dry.

The texture of your polenta is lovely.

A great looking dish.

My presentation I thought was ace.

I've never actually wanted to please two people as much in all my life!

Darren.

You can taste when things started to go wrong when you burnt yourself.

Your rabbit is beautifully cooked, really well seasoned.

Nice and tight, lovely little rounds of it.

Your cabbage is full of water and the polenta,

it needed a bit more cream, a bit more parmesan,

but I got to say,

considering where you were at 15 minutes in to this

-and you did really hurt yourself, I think it's a good job.

-Thank you.

Good meat, decent polenta, bad cabbage.

It did seem like the judges were quite, er,

proud or happy that I pushed on, but I don't know any different.

I don't really quit, so...

Yeah.

Linda, your turn.

I don't know why you decided to grate more parmesan cheese

over the top of your polenta.

I don't know why you've decided to put sprigs of raw cabbage

on top of your rabbit,

but I do like the way you've kept thise lovely little rounds.

Your cabbage is buttery, lovely and soft, really well seasoned.

Erm, you rabbit, it's starting to go a little bit dry, a bit chewy,

but not bad. Not bad at all.

Don't mess around with it, don't keep chucking stuff at it.

It won't get any better.

I like your meat, BUT your polenta needs to be softer

and it needs to have some parmesan added to it,

-not just sprinkled on the top.

-OK.

Overall you've done a very decent job,

-you can be pleased with yourself.

-Thank you.

I wasn't really sure how it was supposed to look or taste, or...

Erm, I'm not a rabbit eater, I'm a rabbit lover!

The next time we see you...

One of you will be going home. Thanks very much.

Not bad!

-I felt as if I was going to cry...

-I did!

-..over rabbit!

-Didn't you hear me say.

-I was like, ah!

First of all, I was so upset cos my kids all said,

"Oh, I hope you don't have to cook rabbit, Mum!"

Good task, good task.

It did test them, it did push them and they came out of it very well.

Nick, he's really growing as a cook.

It wasn't the best looking plate of food, but it tasted great.

All well seasoned, a very, very good dish.

Linda, she really didn't know anything about the rabbit.

She keeps them, as pets!

She's got one in the garden, she's just now cooked its cousin!

I think Linda's got a good touch, considering her nerves

she did very, very well.

Michelle has finally fallen in love with food and this competition.

She's not thinking about the boardroom but about the food,

and it's beginning to show.

It matters to her, and I think that shows on her plate,

I think probably the best looking plate, but there were mistakes on there.

It's impressive how fast Darren is learning.

I think he probably had the best cooked rabbit today.

Darren burned himself, but at least he soldiered on and he put up a plate of food.

So far this week,

the celebrities have been tested on their basic skill...

..teamwork...

..and refined cooking.

They now have one last chance to prove

they've got what it takes to stay in the competition,

because one of them will be going home.

We get a chance to see them cook their own food.

The pressure is really on.

This is my own recipe, my starter, my main course.

Hopefully I'll be able to gain some brownie points.

There's no excuses if we get this one wrong,

I can't blame it on the fact I haven't cooked a rabbit before

or I've never seen the ingredients.

If I get it wrong, I've really got only myself to blame.

In theory it should be easy, going in and cooking this,

but I don't know, in there when the pressure's on...

Hopefully it'll go all right, fingers crossed.

This is my opportunity to express myself and be the best that I can be.

Your two courses, one hour - let's cook.

What is your dish, Darren, your winning dish?

It's a spicy chicken dish with basmati rice,

with a starter of garlic mushroom with Stilton cheese.

How are you serving the mushrooms? Are they on anything?

No. They're on their own.

-Just a bowl of mushrooms?

-Just a bowl of mushrooms.

I don't know West Indian starters,

so I asked somebody for advice on a starter and they said that.

My wife's been my guinea pig, that's it.

I don't eat mushrooms.

-You don't eat mushrooms?!

-No.

Are you seriously saying you're cooking us something you don't eat

so you can't taste it?

I can taste the sauce, because I like cheese,

but I don't like the texture, I don't like mushrooms.

-Darren?

-Yes, my friend?

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

I love the idea of that West Indian chicken with the plantain and the spicy sauce,

but why is he cooking mushrooms if he doesn't eat them?

Just blue cheese and mushrooms on a plate?

It sounds weird.

Today gives me the opportunity to cook what I know,

instead of rabbit and crab and all kinds of crazy stuff.

West Indian cooking's about cooking from the soul,

so I'll go out there and try and cook the best dish I can cook today.

This is the first time I've planned my dishes,

and that makes me feel so comfortable.

I always say to my team at work in the business,

"Fail to plan, plan to fail."

Michelle, what are you cooking for us today?

My dishes are very Scottish.

Stornoway black pudding with scallops with a balsamic dressing,

and then my main course will be venison.

Will they be good enough to stay in the competition?

I think they're good enough. My confidence is growing.

I didn't have the best start to this competition,

I've not been as good as I thought I would be,

so I've been cooking, I was in the kitchen till 1 o'clock this morning.

Hopefully I can show you that my two dishes will be fantastic.

Michelle, scallops and black pudding, bacon...

..balsamic vinegar? Really?

That's big flavours. What will survive?

25 minutes gone.

I've been practising my dishes quite a lot recently.

About 35 times I've cooked it.

They have gone wrong on occasion,

so I'd say it's about 70-30 chances of it all going right.

Nick, what are you going to cook for us today?

I'm doing pan-fried cod with chorizo and garlic

on a bed of broccoli florets,

and for dessert I'm doing a moist chocolate cake

with vanilla whip cream and a raspberry coulis.

I'm hoping you like it, I did the chocolate for Greg

cos I know he likes the old puddings, so hopefully it'll go down well.

All right, Nick.

Timing is very important.

Is there anything else you're worried about with these dishes?

No, I've practised it a few times at home, and anyone

who's been round my house, I've been cooking for them recently,

so I'm just hoping with the timings I get it right...

ALARM BEEPING

And my cake doesn't go wrong.

Talk about timings, mate.

John, how many contestants trip up with a chocolate cake or a chocolate fondant?

I think I need to demonstrate to John and Greg

that I don't over fuss everything,

because at the moment I've always at the last minute

added or done something to my dish which has been criticised.

Linda, what are your two courses?

I'm doing a mint pea soup followed by medallions of beef with a pepper sauce.

It doesn't sound like you're going to chuck in unnecessary ingredients.

No, I'm trying to let it stand for itself

and not put any Lusardi-isms on it.

And how much would you like to go through today?

It'd be wonderful to go through today.

It's important to be thought of as a good cook,

because you do it every day as a mother, and it is like someone

saying you're a bad mother to say you can't cook.

-Interesting, so this is really personal to you?

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Linda, the smile is back, good luck.

-Thank you.

Pea soup? Mmm, I don't know.

Is it going to be thick enough, beautiful and bright green?

Not quite sure.

She's doing a piece of beef, which is classic cooking.

My question is, is she going to mess it up adding loads of things that aren't needed?

That's what she's done so far.

You've got only seven minutes.

This isn't cooked enough.

Damn.

Oh, it's terrible.

Last two minutes.

Time's up. Stop.

Michelle has made a starter of pan-fried scallops

with black pudding, rocket, pancetta, tomato salsa and a balsamic dressing.

I tell you, you were racing at the end,

no wonder - look what you've attempted.

You didn't play safe, you've really gone for it.

You've cooked really well, I can discern all of those flavours,

but I don't want that many flavours with my scallop.

That is too muddled.

OK.

It's a really impressive looking dish,

but, by putting so many ingredients together, they're battling with each other,

And it's a real shame, because you've cooked really well, Michelle.

Michelle's main course is roast loin of venison with creamy potatoes,

carrots and spring onions, and a port, cranberry and juniper jus.

The meat is cooked really well, I really like that sauce

that's deep and fruity and wine, and the cranberries,

they give a lovely fruitiness, an even deeper wine flavour.

Spring onion is a little harsh, a little out of place.

Everything else, I think, is delightful.

That sauce, rich with those juniper berries, is like having a gin.

It's like having a martini with a cranberry and port stuck in it.

I think that sauce is really good,

but for me, the cream in those potatoes is misplaced.

Don't try to be too ambitious.

I'm exhausted!

Seven pans going, an oven and two frying pans and...

Your work ethic is unchallenged.

It's whether you've got the dishes right.

Darren has made a starter of garlic mushrooms in melted blue cheese.

It's strong, really strong with that blue cheese

and the almost neutral flavour of a mushroom.

That's not a dish.

-It's the filling for something or it's the sauce for something.

-OK.

That's not a dish.

Mushrooms and blue cheese and a sauce

I think would be a really lovely thing just on a piece of toast.

It just needs something else to bring it together as a dish.

Darren's main course is West Indian spicy chicken

served with plantain, rice and peppers.

Now, this is a completely different story.

Look at the colour!

-You've brought a bit of sunshine into our studio.

-Thank you.

Some very good flavours on there.

Soft chicken, well-seasoned, sweetness of plantain,

sweetness of the peppers and a little bit of spice.

I like that dish. It looks good, it tastes very nice.

That chicken is lovely and soft and still juicy,

your rice is absolutely perfect.

I love the plantain with the chicken and the spiciness of the chicken.

-I think the dish is fantastic.

-(Thank you.)

Look at the difference,

the difference in colour and in the effort.

No, it's not that there was lack of effort,

it's just that, like you said, there's lack of knowledge.

If I'm lucky enough to progress, you're right, I have to get more adventurous.

Nick has pan-fried his fish and served it with chorizo and broccoli.

Your fish is absolutely perfectly cooked.

Crispy skin, translucent flesh but yet falling apart in shards.

That wonderful flavour of that paprika-rich spicy sausage,

little bit of chilli - brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

You have beautiful fish there, really beautiful.

Still bouncy, it's meaty, but it's falling apart.

-I think you cook really, really well.

-Thanks.

For dessert, he's made moist chocolate cake

with vanilla whipped cream and raspberry coulis.

I saw the cake come out of the oven the first time

and as you cut in it, it literally oozed out liquid,

-it wasn't cooked all the way through.

-Yeah.

But at least we've got something on a plate.

Flavour combination absolutely perfect.

Rich vanilla cream, sour but sweet raspberry coulis,

and a very rich, dense chocolate cake,

but...it is still like eating raw cake mix. Erm... Bother.

Obviously cakes need to be firm enough so you can at least stick a candle on them!

You've gone for classic flavour combinations,

they are absolutely right.

That tastes great, but the technical side of it is letting you down.

The pressure got to me a little bit. I'm not happy.

Linda has made a starter of minted pea soup.

I was worried your soup would be thin and it is,

but there's lots and lots of heady mint in there.

There's a bit of sweet pea in the background. It's very well-seasoned.

It's almost there, Linda, it's almost there.

I like the combination of mint and pea, I think it's beautiful

and I'm getting the mint beautifully and the sweet pea,

but it's all a little too thin.

Her main course is steak medallions with a peppercorn sauce

served with new potatoes and cherry tomatoes.

The new potatoes, the steak - really well cooked.

-That sauce is delicious.

-Thank God for that.

It's almost caramel sweet, but with a good whack of pepper in it,

loads of brandy.

Almost truffle richness going beautifully with that piece of beef.

You have cooked a really nice steak and you have made a really,

really good sauce, but those little cherry tomatoes are too powerful,

too strong and I don't believe they should be on that plate.

I'm pleased about the sauce

because that's, kind of, a lot of me in that sauce, but...

You've put a lot of effort in, your heart and soul.

I've never cooked under such stressful, you know, situation.

It's got to me today.

Tough day today, we know that and now, for us, the toughest bit.

We need to make a decision

because at the end of this one of you is leaving us.

Thanks very much, off you go.

I've looked at people on this show and thought,

-"What are they crying for?"

-I know.

-Now I know!

-Now you know.

The pressure takes you totally out of your comfort zone,

so that you don't think clearly.

Four celebrities all keen to show us what they're made of.

-Who stays and who goes?

-Difficult judging job, John, difficult.

Because you can see the progress, you can see where they want to go.

You can see the ambition.

Now, Nick.

I thought Nick's fish dish was really good.

The fish was beautifully cooked.

The combination of that spicy sausage and that beautiful fish,

I thought was a really good idea

and chocolate cake and raspberries, vanilla cream - absolute perfect combination.

His chocolate cake didn't cook.

Disaster.

Almost write-off there for Nick.

I was obviously gutted that it didn't turn out perfect

because, like I said, I'd practised it a good few times.

I'm more annoyed that I sucked up to Greg a bit

by doing a pudding in the first place

because it wasn't a very good one!

BUT I know Nick is a good cook

because I've seen him throughout this competition.

I really do agree. I think about the crab cakes and how good they were.

I think about him doing the mass catering lasagne

and how it sold so well.

I think Nick has got a place in the competition.

And the other person I think cooks a fair bit is Linda Lusadi.

I LOVE minted pea soup, I think it's great. Hers was too watery.

The beef dish I thought was a really lovely concept.

For me, that sauce was just fantastic.

I've always thought she's got a decent touch.

-I still feel the same about her.

-There have been strange inventions

with crab on toast and mashed potato,

but every little individual part of what she cooks is cooked really well.

I think the more tasks you do, the more hungry for it you become

and the better you want to be.

Linda and Nick stay.

-Now the discussion is between Michelle and Darren.

-Mm.

Michelle today was the one who pushed herself the most,

but the issue she had was she was slightly over ambitious.

I think her starter, she'd cooked everything brilliantly well.

I don't agree that a scallop needs that many plate companions.

The main course, she made an amazingly good sauce,

really good sauce, and she cooked the venison really well.

But underneath that was this creamy potato.

She put a lot of work into those dishes, John, a lot of work,

but they weren't completely successful.

I pushed myself to the limit and beyond.

You can't do any more than that.

At the start of the competition it was a disaster.

I think of the fish, the filleting and stabbing herself.

The scampi disaster

when we only got a plate of soggy chips,

no mayonnaise and no scampi.

It does worry me a little bit.

I think Darren showed a real lack of ambition with that starter.

To put mushrooms into a pot and melt cheese over them, almost a cop-out.

He hasn't got a great deal of experience and it showed today.

But that West Indian dish was fantastic.

If Darren stays in this competition and focuses only on West Indian food,

I will be a happy man.

When he tried to invent stuff in his mind,

he doesn't have the experience yet.

If you think about the high points so far with Darren,

the jerk chicken-style dish, which was really full of flavour.

The chicken today with rice and spices - really good,

BUT crab and spaghetti soup, that was a weird one.

I think the question is, will he be able to keep up?

I have no idea what my chances are of going through.

I'm loving this experience and that's the important thing.

and you want to stay in, you want to see how far you can get.

OK, who's it going to be?

It's been tough.

Three days we've been with you and we've really pushed you,

but of course there's the moment of reckoning.

The celebrity leaving the competition is...

..Darren. Sorry, Darren.

I would've loved to have gone further and learnt a lot more,

but you know, for me it's the end of the journey.

There's no more I could've done.

I'm shocked! Like, really shocked.

I would never have thought I would get through the first round of MasterChef.

I mean, what an achievement!

I'm over the moon, yeah.

It means a lot to just get through that initial phase

and hopefully go through in the next round as well.

I'm absolutely thrilled to still be here. I can't believe it!

I really can't.

Yeah, I'm going to grab it by both horns now.

Tomorrow, the battle continues

as these three celebrities go to the next stage of the competition.

Two rib-eye, medium rare. Now, please.

The heat is on.

I really need three scallops right now.

I can't make these cook quicker

and they're shouting for it and it's not ready.

Ah!

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