Episode 13 Celebrity MasterChef

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

I have just to keep focused. Hopefully, that'll see me through.

These celebrities have already made

a name for themselves in their professions.

But can they cut it in the kitchen?

What's really shocked me is how draining it's been.

I'm ready. I'm ready to go for this. Fired up.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

All this week, these four celebrities have been battling

to stay in the MasterChef competition.

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

It could easily be me

if I mess up, so I want to make sure that I don't.

I know the other three

are really competitive.

I know that I'm competitive. It is going to be

a good deciding day today, I think.

I have got away in this competition by the skin of my teeth.

John seems to think that I have hidden depths

as a cook. He's wrong.

I certainly want to keep going and keep learning.

I'd hate to leave this process.

Welcome back. Good to see you.

We have two tests today.

This, your first test, is a classic recipe test.

We are going to ask you to make for us fritto misto with rue -

beautifully crisp, little seafood morsels

served with a rich saffron and garlic sauce.

Ladies and gentlemen, you have just 50 minutes.

Let's cook.

Fritto misto is an Italian classic -

a platter of different fried foods.

This one includes prawns, scallops,

squid, onion rings and sole

that need to be individually battered and perfectly fried.

I know that I have to follow the recipe

because my experimental efforts have failed.

I always think, "Oh, I could just do that."

And I can't.

Jenny, you look right up for this.

I find it terribly exciting.

I've never done a deep fat fry in my life.

OK. And what about the processes?

-I haven't used one of those.

-A food processor? No, I do mean that.

We're not talking about the food processer.

I mean the processes of going through the recipe. I love you.

I am trying to obey. I think the trick is to obey.

And that could be a bit tricky.

-Jenny.

-Yeah?

-Good luck. We actually think you are good cook.

Get out of it! Good one.

She is loving this.

And all she has got to do is make sure she gets the timings right.

She just always looks like she's in a bit of a tizz,

even when she's not.

Generally, I have to follow a recipe line by line.

I don't have any confidence.

But that is beginning to change.

When we announced the task, you had a big grin on your face.

-Where has it gone?

-I don't understand this menu.

I've never cooked fish before. I don't eat fish.

-You've never really eaten fish?

-No. Oh, I have.

I mean, I grew up with Irish Catholic fish on Fridays.

It wasn't an enjoyable experience.

I'm not with everything on the menu yet.

If I can relax and try and understand some of it.

-Step-by-step.

-Yes.

-Bit by bit.

-Yes.

Diarmuid, I really have no idea. He doesn't eat fish.

It couldn't get worse for Diarmuid unless the kitchen set on fire.

You are halfway. 25 minutes left. Come on!

I am so relying on a recipe book.

Even if I think I know how to do something,

I will always double check.

You stayed poker-faced throughout the announcement,

I don't know what that means.

-Is that confidence? Is that fear?

-Sheer terror.

When I keep getting these dishes thrown at me

that I have no idea what they are,

then that throws me big time.

-Do you follow a recipe at home?

-Yeah.

If I cook, it is about following a recipe,

or else I wouldn't know what I'm doing.

We know you're a grafter. We know you push yourself really, really hard.

Are we going to see a smile on your face at the end of this?

If it is done well and I produce a nice plate

of food for you, then I'll be smiling.

Rebecca is doing really, really well.

She is following the recipe,

she is being methodical. She likes to be disciplined.

But will her nerves actually cripple her?

I quite enjoy following a recipe because you get these little hints

and you go, "Oh, I never thought of doing that flavour with that."

Michael, you seem like you are a lot more comfortable

with the competition now.

Um, I have had my ups and downs, as you both know,

but I am starting to sort of find my feet a little bit with it.

I am starting to understand the importance of detail.

If I can get that into my brain,

I think that'll improve my cooking.

You are talking like a MasterChef winner.

Bff...

If I can get through this task, Gregg, I'll be happy from now on in.

You are very comfortable following a recipe?

I quite like following a recipe, yeah.

-I think I've got it in control.

-Good lad.

-Thanks, guys.

Michael seems like he likes the dish, which is a really good thing.

So, we expect great things from Michael.

You have only got five minutes, you better get a move on.

That's it! Stop, stop!

So, our classic recipe today was fritto misto with a rue -

little morsels of seafood encased in a wonderful, crispy batter

and the rue should be held together quite thick, rich with chilli

and saffron and bound together with potato and olive oil.

OK, Diarmuid, let's look at yours.

The obvious issue before I even tuck in is that the rue

is the consistency of orange juice and it should be thick.

That's not right.

Oh, no.

Damn it, that's just weird.

This rue is quite unusual.

It's strong with chilli and I can taste saffron,

but it is only thick on the bottom and it is all liquidy on the top.

The bits of seafood that you've actually battered rather than

just coating in flour are actually... It's good.

It's lovely and crispy and well coated.

But those prawns, they haven't made it to the plate.

They weren't good enough for you.

Well, it seems like you thought that was.

I didn't understand what I was doing,

but I got on with it.

So, I will take a confidence of attacking

a project into the next round.

Right. Michael, your turn.

What's your rue like?

All right! Get in there, Michael.

Does it for me, son. I'm happy. Really happy.

Crispy on the outside, nice, sweet prawn.

You've got a rue there that you can get a hint of saffron,

sharp with lemon juice, plenty of garlic, bit of chilli.

Voila...as they say in Peckham.

Wow.

Michael, I applaud you.

Every single piece on there, the same colour.

All laid out in individual.

Able to identify every single one

and it has just been done very well.

Thanks.

As far as the taste is concerned...

crispy on the outside, every single thing,

and well seasoned, well cooked, beautifully done.

For John to say it was near perfect was just incredibly to hear.

I was just like, "What? That's awesome!"

So, I'm going in the right direction, I hope.

Rebecca, let's give yours a try.

On your plate, we are missing the fish

and we are missing some properly coated squid.

But the things that are on there are really, really good.

I like the flavour in your rue, I don't like the consistency.

It's not too greasy, but it has got a lovely,

fiery background to it that goes well with the perfectly cooked scallop

and the wonderful prawn, with its crispy batter on the outside.

Mm.

The scallop is really nicely cooked,

but there are issues here that you can't ignore.

There is no batter around the squid and your rue has split.

Being able to identify what that recipe was difficult

in the first instance, so I didn't really get off on the right foot.

Your rue is great because it's spicy from the chilli,

it's earthy from the saffron.

It's really well seasoned, really well made.

But it won't help the stuff that's cooked badly.

The prawns are not battered. Onion rings,

just don't know what has happened to them.

I mean, that is quite an extraordinary feat.

Just a slight disaster.

Who did you think you were feeding?

A small army, I don't know.

The squid's nice, the batter's crispy, the rue is lovely.

So many good things

and then a couple of silly, little errors that make it not perfect.

What is really frustrating is that I'm still making exactly

the same mistakes that I was making 40 years ago at school -

not concentrating, not listening, just being a bit of an idiot.

Well done, guys. Thanks. We'll see you back here soon. Off you go.

I didn't batter my prawns, I didn't batter them. I forgot to.

Classic recipe and we always get four very different results.

And today, there were lots of surprises.

Michael showed his quality. That was a great dish. Very good dish.

Very few errors on there.

It is a shame that Rebecca's rue actually split

because it was the best flavoured rue on the table, I thought.

The bits that she cooked really well were really, really good indeed.

I think Rebecca has got a bit of potential.

Diarmuid did well to get anything on a plate because,

you know, he started out very slowly.

A couple of things were overcooked some of the stuff was undercooked,

but at least we got something.

Jenny's plate was crowded, it looked an absolute fright.

She had some things which were cooked absolutely perfectly.

But on the other side of the spectrum, we had onion rings

which were somehow or another turned into French onion soup.

Let's get them back in. I really want to see their own food.

Your MasterChef is future now depends on the quality

of your own one, single dish in one hour.

It is down to you, guys.

And at the end of this, one of you is going home.

Let's cook.

I have practiced this dish, I know what I want from this dish.

But in MasterChef, I've learnt anything can happen.

Diarmuid, what are you cooking for us today?

I'm cooking a lamb tajine with herb speckled couscous.

It is not a tajine I'd usually do

because I start that the night before

and I let all the spices... Really I massage them into the meat

and I let them do their work overnight.

So, this is a faster version with a much more tender cut of lamb.

How good a dish do you think you have to cook to stay?

I want to show you I understand tastes and I really want

to understand more tastes.

-So, if I can do that, maybe I'd have a chance.

-Diarmuid, good luck.

Thank you, I'll need it.

A tajine is a beautiful thing.

Cooked really slowly so it stays lovely and moist.

Instead we are doing a quick version in a frying pan.

My question right now is will that lamb dry out?

Today, the toughest challenge that I'm going to face

is making sure that I can actually produce this dish on time.

Rebecca, is it calmer cooking your own food?

I know exactly what I'm going to be doing

and I just want to enjoy it, actually.

-What are you going to cook for us?

-Today, I am cooking goats' cheese,

sundried tomato, rocket risotto with asparagus.

I know that I can do this and I know that I can cook it right.

Is this your last task?

I hate losing. I don't want to be the first out the door.

I really hope it's not my last task.

Risotto she knows well, she's confident with.

And for the first time she is starting to move

around the kitchen like a cook.

To be fair, John, we have all had risottos.

It's going to have to be quite a thrilling one to impress.

I don't mean to scare you, but you are halfway.

-Michael, are we going to see the food that you love?

-Absolutely.

I'll give you a taste of Italy today.

Brilliant. What are you making?

I'm doing a spinach and ricotta ravioli with a sage butter sauce.

-Not easy.

-No.

No, it's not easy, but I think that's why I chose it,

because I wanted to show you guys I've got a little bit of skill.

-It's pressure today, isn't it?

-Of course, yeah.

It's massive pressure. It feels like it's all built

to this single moment, this is what it's about.

And mess this up, that's it.

It has to be absolutely perfect. Firm pasta, well seasoned filling

and then wrapped around it a beautiful, rich butter with sage.

Difficult, challenging, but beautiful if he gets it right.

Yes, pasta could be the biggest problem,

but flavouring, seasoning is key to this.

Jenny, I'm really excited about tasting your own food,

but I'm slightly concerned as to what you're going to do.

I'm making a creamy tarragon chicken dish with broccoli,

rice and a salad, which will have pear and radish in.

Chicken tarragon and rice sounds really nice.

Well, I hope so, but I do think that, you know,

I think your jaded palates might find it a little bit...uh.

Jaded palates?

You've had all this. This is sort of Delia Book 1.

-Is this what you would cook at home?

-Well, I've cooked it twice.

And who did you cook it for?

Once for my mother, who rejected it.

And I cooked it once for my family, who ate it.

Tarragon, pear, rocket, vinegar, chicken

and rice. It's a strange combination.

But if it works, good.

The worst thing about chicken, it goes dry.

It's hard to keep it juicy.

It might taste like boiled witch.

You've got just three minutes.

You got to start plating up now.

That's it, time's up, stop. Stop, everybody, stop.

Eh! Tsk!

Diarmuid has cooked a spicy lamb tajine

with orange and apricots

and served it with a herb couscous.

Nice colours. Listen, we don't need this.

We don't need a whole branch cos you can't eat the whole branch.

I'm a gardener.

There is a real nice depth and tang about your meat

and the sauce in your meat, as well, but with all this couscous,

it's a very dry dish.

It doesn't work unless you are going to make this dish a lot wetter.

The flavours of that are really good, they flow.

Cinnamon and ginger and the sourness of apricots

and the sweetness going with the sauce. But the texture

is just dry.

And it becomes difficult to eat.

I want to love it, but I can't.

That's a pity.

I didn't disgrace myself out there, I wasn't absolutely terrible.

Jenny has cooked tarragon chicken, served with broccoli,

rice and a goats' cheese, pear and rocket salad.

I have never seen a cool, crisp salad

added to the side of a hot, wet dish.

That's not just contrasting textures,

they are clashing textures.

Your broccoli is watery,

your rice is overcooked

and your chicken tastes of vinegar.

-I had an accident.

-Did you?

Well, you know how the vinegar and the sherry bottles

are a bit similar?

-Oh, no.

-A little bit.

-It's pretty bad.

-Yeah. Yeah. What a shame!

I like the tarragon running through it.

The chicken is cooked beautifully. I love the shallots running through it.

But the rice is overcooked and it is really strong with vinegar.

I could smell the vinegar and I thought,

"Oh, that smells a bit strong."

The fumes, honestly, could have removed paint.

Rebecca has made a goat's cheese and sun-dried tomato risotto

with asparagus.

Rebecca, I really like the flavours in your risotto.

I really like the sort of saltiness of the goats' cheese,

the sharpness of the sun-dried tomato,

even the pepperiness of the rocket and the strength of that asparagus,

but for me, that rice

is just going a little bit too far

and becoming more like rice pudding and claggy rather than being

free-flowing and soft.

It's good.

By a country mile, the best thing you have cooked

since you have been in the competition.

The essence of that is the stock you made,

all the vegetables cooking down, and used that to cook the rice with.

I love the idea - goats' cheese and sun-dried tomato,

it gives it saltiness, tanginess and a little bit of sweetness.

I think it is a really good dish.

-Great, thanks.

-Really good dish.

I think I did OK, but whether that's enough

compared to the others and how I have been going so far

in the competition, I just don't know.

Michael has cooked spinach and ricotta ravioli

with a sage and butter sauce.

I love its majestic simplicity.

Love it. It better taste as good as it looks.

I hope so.

For me, your butter sauce is a crack of pepper

away from perfection.

The rest of it, I have not got any complaints about at all.

Your pasta is beautifully cooked,

there is a lovely crunch on the outside, but soft and thin.

The filling - rich with spinach and nutmeg and salty ricotta.

It's a really, really good dish.

-He likes that, doesn't he, mate?

-Yeah, he seems to. Yeah.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. The sage stays throughout.

Mate, very, very, very impressive. Very, very impressive.

Thanks, guys.

I'm over the moon. Absolutely amazing. I am so happy right now.

We have got a big judging job to do now. Thank you very much.

Off you go.

I've never had a disaster with rice before in my life.

It was like pudding rice.

It was just a complete sauce rice.

It has been a fascinating day.

A great day from a judging point of view.

Michael's ravioli was by far the best thing in the room today.

By a country mile.

Beautiful sage running all the way through it,

the butter flavoured well, the pasta cooked perfectly.

It was like music in my mouth.

Rebecca, as far as I'm concerned, isn't that experienced.

But she is learning, John. And she is getting better.

I like the fact that Rebecca made her own stock

and made a really good, tasty risotto.

It's completely 50-50 whether I'm going to be sent home or get

to stay on to the next round.

Jenny really messed up with her own dish, which really should be

the showcase of what you are all about as a MasterChef contestant.

It was bad! Bad! Vinegar chicken. The rice was overcooked.

The salad was a complete mistake.

I've got no idea what she was thinking of.

I've blown it. I've absolutely blown it.

They need a decider and I have decided it for them.

Diarmuid didn't have a great, classic recipe,

but he had a very decent round when he cooked his own food.

But the whole dish was dry.

The flavours were good, but you couldn't have

more than two mouthfuls without a huge glass of water.

I'd much rather stay in, but I'd dread what I have to do if I did so.

For me, one person is a shoe in,

two hanging by their fingernails and one person is saying goodbye.

I know who it should be.

Today, the expectation was high. You had to deliver something special.

We have made our decision.

The contestant leaving us...

..is Jenny.

That's absolutely fair enough.

Genuinely, it really is.

Thank you very much. I've had a ball.

But, honestly, I peaked. And there's nowhere I could go.

I'm surprised you are still here.

No, genuinely, thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It is a very fair decision.

I can't believe it took them that long.

It has never been any secret. I don't cook, I can't cook.

I'm not sure I ever will cook again.

It is just I'm not cut out for it.

I am amazed, I really am. To not be the first one out, is a relief.

I was pleased with my meal today,

but I have to up my game an enormous amount.

I feel brilliant.

It is absolutely amazing to get through.

In the back of my mind, I've got that little voice going,

"What have they got next?

"What have they got lined up next for us?"

Tomorrow night, the battle continues...

Oh, this is just the worst possible option.

-..as the celebrities are thrown into the deep end...

-Ah!

..of a busy restaurant service.

-Service, please! Table 37, two medium rare duck.

-Yes, Chef!

Guys, we need to keep ahead now, please!

-Guys, can you answer me, please?

-Yes, Chef.

-Thank you.

I cannot even stop and talk to you. I have not even got ten seconds.

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