Episode 10 Celebrity MasterChef

We've got 16 celebrities battling it out to win the MasterChef crown.

I've never experienced anything like this before.

I just want it to go on.

These celebrities have already made

a name for themselves in their professions.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

This might be my last day on MasterChef,

so I am going to savour every second.

Today, I am actually really worried.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

This week, these three celebrities

have been set the toughest culinary challenges they've ever faced.

After today, only the best will make it through.

Today, our celebs have to be able to deliver,

because at the end of this, one of them is leaving us.

Oh!

Welcome back. Big day today, but it is about your food.

Not just for John and I,

but three previous celebrity MasterChef contestants.

They've excelled at this round.

You need to impress them as well as us.

Today is your chance to prove that you have what it takes

to stay in this competition.

The pressure is on now, guys. Let's cook.

The contestants have just one hour and 15 minutes

to cook a two course meal of their own design.

Obviously, if there are some disasters on the plate,

it is going to be harshly criticised.

I remember when I did it,

it was just so nerve-racking. You didn't want to overcook anything.

Hopefully, they're not too nervous and they get it right.

I won't moan too much about anything.

I just hope that they have stuck to simple things

that they know how to cook.

These guest judges know what they're looking for,

they are going to be honest, John, brutally honest.

20 minutes have already gone. 20 minutes gone.

This competition is so tough, you just don't realise.

It's the pressure and the time limit,

but I have slowly sort of gained confidence.

Every test, I feel like I've done better.

It is really, really important that I get it right today.

Because if I don't, I'm going home.

What are you cooking today?

I'm doing John Dory in a spicy green paste

on a bed of roasted tomatoes,

and I'm doing butter chicken with spiced pilau rice.

Delish! What's at stake here today?

When I started, I thought, "Well, as long as I learn something,

"if I get booted out, I get booted out,"

but I actually really want to stay.

-You have given yourself a huge amount of work to do.

-I know.

I've got four sauces to make.

I don't know if I'm going to make it on time, honestly, I really don't.

I don't.

I like the sound of Laila's food.

I love the spices on her bench, but she looks

nervous of timing, and now I'm nervous.

She has got to hold her nerve

and she has got to deliver tasty food cooked perfectly.

I came into this competition

as an enthusiastic home cook.

So, I'm on a massive learning curve.

Since being on MasterChef, I haven't had one decent night's sleep.

I keep waking up at 3am worrying about biscuits.

I'm just riven with anxiety.

What are you cooking for us?

A duck breast on flageolet beans with a fragrant liquor

and then a rhubarb and lemongrass fool with shortbread biscuits

and a Clement shot. I've got something to tell you.

I've actually never cooked a duck breast before today.

SHE LAUGHS

But obviously you're a dab hand at making biscuits.

No, I've never made biscuits before, either.

Well, there's your cab fare home.

-Thanks.

-You're going to be needing that later.

I don't know what Emma is playing at, John.

She is cooking a duck breast

she's never cooked before. She's never made a biscuit before.

If she pulls it off, it's actually two lovely dishes.

But there's a massive if.

20 minutes for your first course, George.

I've learned so much about cooking.

And I'm getting addicted to it. That's why I don't want to go.

I am really enjoying myself.

I want to stay in, I want to go to the next round.

If I go, I won't mind. If I get through, I'll want...

I want to win it now. I really want to win it!

George, today, you have to produce something really special,

can you do it?

If this was the Grand National,

this is Becher's Brook. I'm doing an Arbroath Smokie souffle.

-What is your other course?

-Weiner Schnitzel vom Schwein.

I grew up with this. I watched my mother do it.

It's really a good, honest Austrian dish.

You know what, George?

I am really excited about your menu,

-but this souffle, it's risky as anything, isn't it?

-I know it is.

It is a baptism by fire.

But I've got to go for it.

George is going for it, all guns blazing.

But you've got to hope that souffle rises.

If not, you've just got a ramekin full of egg.

Nice menu!

We've got ten minutes. Are you going to get this out on time?

I'm going to try.

I love the sound of Laila's starter. I can't wait to try it.

If it is done well, it will be gorgeous.

I seem to remember messing up a John Dory when I did it,

so all the best to her.

-Just over five minutes, Laila.

-OK.

Laila, we got to start getting it on the plate, mate.

It smells wonderful. Come on.

-Laila, let's go with it, please.

-OK.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

It is a John Dory in green spicy paste with roasted tomatoes.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

It looks really great.

It is really sort of clean and the colours go really well.

There's just a bit of a tomato stalk.

It's a little bit of a struggle. If you don't want to eat it,

you have to kind of pull them off. But it tastes great.

It has got a kick to it, but it is not really strong.

-It is just lovely.

-The fish is cooked really well, as well.

-Top job, I think.

-Yeah.

It's really quite unusual

to balance a piece of fish on top of tomatoes on the vine.

It is John Dory on roller skates.

My concern is she has left the stalks on top of those tomatoes.

And if you didn't know, you might go and eat them.

That paste on the outside of the fish is chilli hot

and then you've got that wonderful acidity

of the tomato, washing the whole thing away.

That is yummy, yummy, yummy.

-Good job, first course done.

-Yep.

-15 minutes for your next course.

-Yep.

OK? And I will say one thing to you.

Rice.

What I love about butter chicken is that buttery, tomatoey,

sort of creamy taste.

I think it looks lovely.

Yeah, just hopefully she gets it all out nice on time.

There is no pink in there, is there?

Look. You need a little bit more cooking on that.

Right, let me put it in.

You've got five minutes now until the second course goes out.

You've got a minute to go.

When are you going to get the chicken out?

-As late as I possibly can.

-That's now.

I can't serve it raw, Gregg.

That's time. We need to go, Laila. Come on, get this chicken out.

2.5 minutes over, which we can live with if the chicken is cooked.

I think it is.

-Is there anything else to go on the plate?

-Just coriander, maybe.

-You've got to go now. You can do it, it's got to go.

-OK.

You are not going, you're messing around with it. You've got to go!

OK, I'm gone!

-Sorry for the delay.

-That's OK. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-I've got a tandoori chicken with spiced rice

and a butter chicken curry.

She has really thought about the presentation,

made it all pretty.

Mm.

The chicken's cooked perfectly, really tender, really nice.

The sauce is fantastic. I think it all goes together really lovely.

It's really, actually, quite fruity, as well, which is quite pleasant.

Laila has done a really good job. I think the spices were beautiful.

And it was really lovely.

I like the acidic, but sweet, tomato sauce.

The crust around the outside of the chicken I think is really clever.

I really, really like this dish.

I tell you what, her touch with spices is incredible.

It is horrible waiting for feedback.

In fact, I don't even want to hear the feedback right now.

So, I don't know. I'll just have to see. You know what?

There's nothing I can do about it now, it's done.

-Just under ten minutes for your first course.

-Yes, sir.

-You happy?

-Yes, chef.

I'm looking forward to it because she has done duck breast.

So, I don't know how she's going to present it

or if it's going to be, like, home country cooking.

Interested in the fragrant liquor.

I hope she can get the duck rested in time.

It's all about the timing with duck. It can go well or it can't.

Hurry. You are running out of time. Find yourself some way to plate.

You got to get that duck cut, your liquor's too thin...

-Happy with the duck?

-Well, it is relatively pink.

-Good.

-You have got just over a minute to go.

-Yes.

-That duck has got to go, Emma.

-I know, it is going now.

-All right.

-That's it.

-Don't smile.

She did it. She did it, she did it. She did it.

Emma has not rested that duck long enough

and the blood is seeping out into her liquor.

-Not good.

-That frightens me, that does, a little bit.

Hello.

-I'm afraid the blood has come out, sorry.

-Don't worry.

You will be eating duck breast on flageolet beans

with a fragrant liquor, with a bit of blood in it.

THEY LAUGH

-Just a little bit.

-Yours looks more bloody than mine.

I got a little swimming pool going on at the bottom, here.

Yeah, me too.

OK.

Dip it in the abattoir pool.

Slightly.

Do you know?

It looks actually quite tender, but it seems quite chewy, actually.

-Which is quite surprising, really.

-Oh, yeah, I see what you mean.

But it all goes together nicely.

The flavours together are really nice.

I think the beans and the bacon and the little herbs, it's lovely.

-I love this.

-Yeah, the beans, I think they're lovely. Really tasty.

But like I said, it's just the timing of the duck, really.

When you're in that pressured environment in there,

as we know, it can all go a little bit wrong.

And I just think it has gone a little bit wrong for her.

What a lovely concept. That is really wonderfully

well-seasoned, soft beans with smoky bacon.

And sitting atop of that is quite a dry, chewy piece of duck.

It is a shame, really.

She has never cooked a duck breast before ever in her life,

and that is obvious. That is what happens.

Right, well done. You got 15 minutes to get your dessert out.

Good?

Rhubarb and lemongrass fool sounds lovely.

As long as she's got it really nice and light and fluffy,

it should be delicious.

-I'm not a big rhubarb eater, if I'm honest.

-Aren't you?

-I bet you like the idea of the shot.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I'll have a go at the shot.

-Everything OK with your dessert?

-I don't know yet.

-You've got two minutes before you need to deliver those.

-OK.

-Is that jelly?

-No, that is the shot.

Whoa! That's not a shot, it's half a pint!

I'm loving the look of it, Emma.

Come on, Emma.

Here we go.

-Sorry.

-Here you go.

-Thank you.

So that is rhubarb

and lemongrass fool

with shortbread biscuits and a Clement shot.

-Go on.

-Shot first?

-Three cheers first. We'll have a little go.

I am not very good on shots. Don't laugh.

That is quite warm and fresh, nice.

-Yeah.

-It looks really pretty.

I love the biscuits and this looks gorgeous.

Oh!

-Should we get to the bottom of it?

-Let's.

That is really tasty. I think she has nailed that one, definitely.

It is delicious. The biscuit is so buttery, it melts in your mouth.

But the rhubarb and the cream and the... Oh, it's beautiful!

The chocolate on the top just gives it this really... It's really nice.

Mm.

Hooray!

It's very sweet, and I love it.

For me, that rhubarb fool is really sweet.

The only thing that offsets that sweetness

is that sharp lemon juice in the liqueur.

And then the whole thing comes together.

I don't care if you think it is too sweet, I really like it.

I think it is a lovely dessert.

Oh!

I do not know what is going to happen now because the duck,

it had issues. Because the blood came out.

It hadn't rested for long enough.

I think, if I'm going home today, it will be because of that.

-How long are they going to take to cook, George?

-12 minutes.

-12 minutes.

Better be quick, cos you got 11 minutes left.

-All right.

-We're running overtime.

-Thank you. Gosh, that's gone quickly.

-Yes, it has.

George is doing a souffle and I think that is a pretty brave thing

to do at this early on in the competition.

Good luck to him for doing a souffle. Hopefully for him,

it's going to work out all right.

But he must know what he's doing to do it.

-How long, George?

-How long have you got?

-I don't know, you tell us.

-How are they?

-They're rising.

So, they are going to be ready in three minutes?

Maybe.

I hope so.

You have got a minute to go, George.

I think it's two minutes to go, isn't it?

I would like another minute or two.

-You've got another couple of minutes.

-Lovely.

I'll start doing something else, then.

-All right, normal time is up.

-OK.

-You are stalling now, George.

-30 seconds.

-George, thank you very much, let's go. Are they ready?

-No.

George, how long?

-Two minutes.

-Good. Go into the dining room and tell them,

"I'm really sorry I'm running late, I'll be there in two minutes."

I do apologise. There are two men distracting me in there.

Your souffle will be here in precisely two minutes,

-is that OK?

-Yes!

-Thank you.

Hooray!

-No, it's not done.

-Oh!

-OK, we are now six minutes over.

-We can't be.

-I think I'm going to have to serve it up.

-I think you have to.

-Yeah.

-Hurry back for your main course.

-Yeah.

-Not there!

-He is going in the cupboard with it.

-Here.

I do apologise for being slightly late, but I would rather be late

and hopefully give you a perfect souffle.

They are very, very hot.

It is very simple, just Arbroath Smokie souffle. There you go.

-Enjoy.

-Well done. It's good thinking.

It kind of tastes exactly like you think it would by looking at it,

you know? That strong fish creaminess and the egg.

I'm not sure how it is meant to look,

but the taste of it is lovely.

-But it is almost like, kind of, a bit scrambled eggs.

-Yeah.

It is just like a really hardy fisherman's pie from Scotland.

A souffle is almost like a mousse - really, really light.

And that is not.

It is not really a souffle in texture,

but once again, the flavours are delicious.

Right, OK, you need to get your schnitzels out, OK?

-You've got ten minutes.

-That's fine, they don't take long.

Weiner Schnitzel should be really thin, beaten-down flat and evenly,

cooked with breadcrumbs, kind of nice and crisp and brown.

A lot of it is about presentation, if you make it look sexy.

Hopefully, he can do it a bit of justice.

You've got 2.5 minutes.

-If you push, you can get this out on time.

-I'm going to try my best.

-That will be a real feather in your cap.

-I am going to try my best.

Looking good, George.

-Are we going?

-Yeah.

-Well done, mate, I'm really impressed.

-Good, lad.

-I really am.

I quite like that.

I do apologise, I think I was a couple of minutes over,

but I hope you'll find the taste will be worth it.

-Thank you very much.

-Help me, thank you.

This is Weiner Schnitzel vom Schwein.

This was made by my mother, she was from Vienna.

A lovely, warm potato salad,

red cabbage and, in true Austrian tradition,

a shot of schnapps to chase it off afterwards.

You can drink it first if you want. Maybe you should. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy!

I love that he has put it on a board. I think it looks lovely.

He has really made an effort.

I love the cucumber and the potato salad, it's just delicious.

I think it all works really well together. I really like it.

My schnitzel, unfortunately, is just quite burnt around the edges,

so it's probably not the most pleasant.

The schnitzel, I think I've got the best one.

The crispiness is just right.

And the red cabbage is absolutely beautiful, melt in your mouth,

really tasty.

-Here's to Georgie, then. It was his request.

-To George.

Whoa, did it!

That bit is not cooked properly, all right? Which is an issue.

Look at this. Look, look, look!

Bad, bad, bad. Not happy.

I tell you what, that is so rare it is almost oinking.

The cabbage is cooked beautifully. The richness

of that potato salad with lots of mustard, as well,

is really, really good.

-There's actually a lot of work in that dish.

-Sure, but...

The pork is not cooked and the way he works just sometimes scares me.

HE SIGHS

I have got to get better.

I'm feeling...exhausted and exhilarated.

I'm glad I got it out. It could have been better.

With the schnitzels, I think two of them were overdone.

So, I hope I have done enough. I really do.

I put a lot of invention into it.

All three menus had great promise.

I really have fallen in love with Laila's flavours.

I just love it when that lady gets her fingers near a pot of spice.

The John Dory, for me, was cooked beautifully.

The chicken, lovely and soft, well-flavoured.

I think the best cook here today was Laila.

I totally agree with you. I think Laila is in.

I think we have got to make a call between Emma and George.

Well, Emma had some nice ideas.

I think I'd order her dishes.

The duck breast was cooked badly.

So all the blood leached out of it when she cut the whole thing open.

Her bloody liquor was not very nice at all.

The beans were beautifully seasoned, beautifully cooked.

She made a rhubarb fool, which I thought was lovely.

After Laila, it was my next favourite dish.

I know a made a big mistake with that duck today.

I'm just going to have to hope that

John and Gregg take everything else into consideration.

If they do, I might still be in with a chance of staying.

George did a souffle

that wasn't quite light enough, so it didn't rise.

It was more like scrambled eggs with smoked fish and cheese.

But the flavouring was great.

And then he cooked schnitzel, which was really undercooked, pink.

When you look at how he works, absolute chaos.

Oh, if I had to leave, I really would be so disappointed.

What will I do next week

when I know that somebody has taken my place?

I'd be so disappointed. I just want to stay on, I really do.

I just don't know which way to go, I really don't.

-I know who I want.

-Do you?

-Yeah, I do.

Big day today, lots of pressure,

but thank you for everything you have done throughout the week.

It has been a fantastic week.

Which has made this decision today very difficult.

The person leaving us is...

..George.

So sad.

They said no.

I didn't get through. It's a shame.

Life will have to get back to normal.

I think my favourite part was working in a professional kitchen.

I've never experienced anything like it in my life.

It is tremendous.

I'm going to go and pursue cooking and be a better cook.

I'll probably get some lessons now, you know, then apply again.

I genuinely cannot believe this. I am astonished. It is amazing.

To celebrate, I might go home and try and make a quiche.

This is a huge achievement for me. It's, um...

Yeah, it's super... Wow!

I can't wait for the next challenge.

I just want to get in there and do my best.

Next week, the pressure is on for four new celebrities.

I thought I was going to make a meat trifle.

To become MasterChef champion,

they'll have to prove they've got what it takes.

-It looks an absolute disaster.

-Ugh.

-Have you taken the breast from a chicken before?

-No.

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