Episode 29 Celebrity MasterChef

Danny,

Michael and Emma

have spent the last six weeks battling it out for the coveted MasterChef crown.

It's their penultimate challenge. It's their last big test before the final cook-off.

What an extraordinary day for our three finalists! This is what they have been working towards.

Every single challenge, the bar is just set a little bit higher.

Things are definitely getting more serious as we're heading towards the final challenge.

I want to do the best I possibly can. You give it everything or just simply don't bother.

Today, at the one Michelin-starred restaurant Gauthier Soho,

the three finalists will face their most demanding culinary challenge yet.

In just over three hours, they will be serving lunch

to four of Britain's most respected chefs.

And the chef whose food they will have to execute to perfection is Alexis Gauthier.

It's a very high standard here.

I've got my name above the door. If it's not good enough, I just won't serve it.

Alexis began his career in his native Provence

before heading to Monaco to train under the legendary Alain Ducasse

and won his first Michelin star aged just 27.

At this level, concentration is key.

You need to think about what you are doing all the time. You need to be at your best.

In 2010, he opened Gauthier Soho to critical acclaim

and within months was awarded a Michelin star.

A classical French restaurant, it's a fine dining place,

so everything is very refined.

My expectations are going to be very, very, very high.

Today is about as big as it gets. If they want this title, they've got to get it right.

The pressure is now so,

so pumped up that, you know, any of us could burst at a moment's notice.

Cooking for chefs is probably the hardest challenge of all.

You are trying to create food for the best of the best.

It has to be perfect.

If it's not perfect, they'll tear it apart.

Good morning.

-Good morning.

-I'm Alexis.

-I'm Emma.

-I'm Danny.

-Hi, Danny.

-Michael.

-Hi, Michael.

Welcome into my beautiful kitchen. You will cook my dishes today for some top Michelin-starred chefs.

-They are very, very demanding. I don't want you to let me down. Ready for it?

-Certainly.

-Yes, Chef.

-Let's start to work.

-Thank you.

Danny, you'll do the starter which is a medley of seafood,

miso curd and Parmesan crisps.

This is a little smoker, one of the tools we use.

We smoke it a little bit.

We put it in front of the guest, we open and all the smoke will go away,

served with smoked bonito broth.

You have to think about how you will enjoy this dish.

If you go to a restaurant, you will expect the broth to taste beautiful like the sea,

and because it's a Japanese influenced dish, you want to feel the light Japanese touch,

so not too strong, very refined.

-Good luck.

-Thank you. I'll need it.

This is definitely taking skill and technique to another level.

There's a lot going into this - three hours. It's tough. I'll have to push it.

Michael, you are going to prepare the main course.

Roasted pigeon with olives,

served with Swiss chard,

stuffed with heart and liver from the pigeon, obviously, some little legs slowly cooked,

and this covered in beautiful pigeon jus.

This is a very precise dish, OK?

It can go wrong in many areas.

You can overcook your pigeon and then that's it. There's no way back.

-Have you cooked pigeon before?

-No.

-Good.

-I want you to cook it the way I do.

-Brilliant.

-Good luck.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Off you go.

-Thank you.

I have never, ever cooked anything even close to this.

I've never cooked pigeon. I've never even eaten heart. Pigeon heart? I've never had that.

I want to do a good job. I want to be proud by the end of today. Today is going to be an incredible day.

OK, Emma, you are preparing the pudding

which is fruits rotis a la vanille.

Roasted fruits with vanilla, shortbread, some pineapple crisps,

served with yogurt sorbet in a caramel tube

and a lovely fruit sauce.

-OK?

-Yeah. It looks amazing.

It's delicious and this particular dish shows the skill of someone who cooks with sugar.

It's a very technical dish.

-Yes.

-OK.

-Looks it.

-Cook it like it was for yourself, for the people you love.

-Yes.

-Off you go.

-Thank you, Chef.

-No problem.

You look at something like that and you think, "There's no possible way that I can make that."

The pressure of knowing that top-flight chefs are upstairs waiting to eat my food,

it's quite intense, it's quite intense, yeah.

Danny's seafood medley starter requires him to prepare and perfectly cook

five different types of shellfish.

There's a lot to go into it - langoustines, lobster, crab, all sorts.

A lot of techniques, a lot of skill, a lot of pressure.

A key element of his dish is the intense, smoked bonito broth.

To get all the flavour in the broth, you've got to smash everything up,

get all the meat out, all the juices out, then cook it right down.

He then starts to make his curd,

a Japanese influenced dish made with eggs,

and flavoured with miso, sake and yuzu, an East Asian citrus fruit.

You've got to make sure they're all even, then this goes into the steamer to be cooked.

-You don't want to overcook it because of the eggs inside.

-OK.

-You don't want it to become an omelette. You want it to stay like a creme brulee, nice and smooth.

-OK.

Have you tried this?

-Not yet, no.

-You need to try it.

-OK.

You need to understand how it's actually concentrating.

Some of the taste is sticking on the side. We use this to clean the side of the pan. This is all the taste.

You can imagine, it evaporates and it sticks against the side.

Remember, every five or ten minutes, you need to try it.

-You need to understand how the concentration of the taste is happening.

-OK.

For the main course, Michael has the difficult task of carefully butchering five whole pigeons.

Leaving the breasts intact, he has to delicately remove the legs, heart and liver.

This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do - prep five entire pigeons from scratch.

I've taken out all their bits, their head, their neck. I'm now cutting up their heart and their liver.

It's just incredibly full-on.

-You haven't finished the pigeons?

-Still prepping.

-You need to hurry up or you'll be late.

-Yes, Chef.

-It's a step above anything you've cooked before, isn't it?

-Massively a step above.

I'm just trying to stay focused, Gregg, and get this done.

-There's not a lot of time left.

-What's the most difficult bit?

At the moment, just prepping the bird, but then it'll be cooking it.

Pigeon has to be cooked perfectly.

You've got no room for manoeuvre, especially not when you're cooking for Michelin-star chefs.

Next, Michael begins to make the base for his jus

by frying the pigeon carcasses.

Michael, come here, please.

The recipe says it has to be roasted to a golden colour.

-This jus is too pale. This is a nothing jus. This is not appetising.

-Right.

-We'll have to do something about it.

-OK.

-Let's carry on, let's carry on.

It's a classic Michael mistake. I didn't caramelise the carcass of the pigeons enough.

There's a way out of it, we think, but it's just an annoying mistake to make so early on.

Voila!

With her yogurt sorbet in the freezer, Emma starts on the most complex component of her dish -

the vanilla sugar tuile.

She begins by heating the sugar mixture to exactly 170 degrees.

While it cools, Emma starts on her shortbread biscuits.

It's a very, very technical dish.

The vanilla tube is already giving me the fear.

I'm just very interested to see if I can pull this off.

So, Emma, how are you doing?

OK. I've just, um...blitzed the stuff for the vanilla thing.

OK, what does your instinct tell you on this one?

Given that I've never made it before, I'm not entirely sure.

-I can tell you it's pretty good.

-OK, great.

-You've started your quince compote?

-Yes.

-It's not too sweet?

-No.

-How do you know? Have you tried it?

-Not yet.

-How do you know if it's too sweet then?

-I don't think it's too sweet. I think it's bang on.

-Because you just tried it.

-It's bang on.

-Exactly.

Upstairs, the guests have arrived.

OK, guys, we've got one hour, so let's move, let's move.

The chefs have arrived. This kitchen is just about to get a little bit hotter.

They're doing very well. The dishes are not easy. It's the first time they see it.

If they understand what we are trying to do, I think they are going to do it, it's going to be good.

Danny begins cutting the fragile Parmesan crisps

that will top his seafood medley and miso curd.

You need to think about it.

It has to be dry. If it's wet, it's going to be soft.

-I think you should put it back in the oven for another minute.

-OK.

Danny is struggling on the crisp because he has never done it. He needs to understand the texture.

Playing with the temperature of the oven, understanding the exact moment

where the Parmesan is perfectly melted, but not too dry, not too wet. It's difficult.

I need five.

Fingers crossed, we might just get five out of this.

-All sorts of things going on. There's a lot to balance.

-There is.

-Hopefully, it will all come together.

-Don't say "hopefully" in front of Alexis too often.

-We all live in hope.

-Well, maybe.

Michael is busy braising the pigeon legs and has begun his Swiss chard millefeuille,

but with service fast approaching, he hasn't even started cooking the breasts.

I'm really, really scared that they are not going to be on time.

-You need to hurry up. Start the pigeons now.

-Right.

Remember, we need the pigeon to be cooked to carry on the jus because this is too pale.

Do the pigeon, do the pigeon.

-Just trust your instinct.

-OK.

-Yeah, exactly.

-It's a bit hot, your pan.

-Right.

Put them in the oven.

Michael's got a very difficult dish. I think he spent too much time butchering the pigeon.

He needs to hurry up because otherwise, he's going to be at least 15 minutes late.

-We check them in five minutes, OK?

-OK.

-Let's go.

Emma is ready to start the delicate task of rolling her sugar tuiles.

I've done it. Look at that!

-Emma, how are you doing?

-Look, I've made those two.

-Yes, they are very good. Wow, that's amazing!

Yes, it's very thin. Perfect. It looks like it's made by a chef.

Made by the chef. Beautiful. Well done.

She's got to keep on working hard. She's got lots more to do.

She's got to make a biscuit, a sauce, cook fruits and dry the pineapple.

She's going to have to get her head down and motor through it.

Looking at the menu, I don't think there's an easy dish in there. Each dish is complicated.

Chefs of a high calibre would have trouble getting them right.

Big pressure for them, so it'll be interesting to see if they can deliver something tasty on the plate.

Yeah, I wouldn't enjoy cooking for us, so God knows what they're thinking!

20 minutes to go, Danny. What needs to be done?

I'm waiting for my sauce to reduce down. The misos are in the oven.

-I've cooked the scallops and the langoustines, and then plate up.

-That 20 minutes will fly.

-It will do.

It's going to fly!

Just add a little bit. It has to be moist.

Pepper? Have you put in pepper? OK.

Lemon juice.

I think Danny is doing very well.

He has understood the concept of the dish. He's now concentrating on the final taste, which is what I wanted.

"A seafood medley with a smoked bonito broth, miso curd and Parmesan crust."

The danger is losing the delicate flavours of the seafood.

There's a lot of big flavours that can completely mask all them, so it's about balance.

We are going to set the pass, OK? Allez, let's go! Take this. Put one on each.

How are the curds? Are they good?

The consistency of the curd is perfect.

One spoon, nicely.

Yeah, perfect.

Allez, go, go, go! You need to be faster, otherwise it will be cold.

You put the caviar on the top of it. Very good.

Go for it. Just don't be scared, OK? Yeah.

Switch it on.

OK, gentle, gentle.

Yeah, good. Good, good, good, good.

Allez, service, please!

Let's go, let's go.

-Congratulations.

-It's a pleasure... I think.

-I think it's good.

-I'm very proud of the way you did it.

-Thank you.

For me, it tasted good. It went out looking as it was supposed to look.

So at the moment, I'm quite pleased.

Wow, what an entrance! What a visual, stunning start to a meal! Absolutely brilliant.

Danny's starter is a seafood medley with caviar and a Parmesan crisp,

miso curd and a smoked bonito broth.

The seafood is cooked right. The lobster is nicely cooked.

There's bits of crab in there. It's well balanced. In a lot of chefs' hands, it would end up in disaster.

It's easy to do a Parmesan tuile if it's thick. To get it thin like that is a delicate thing.

The cooking of the miso curd, for me, is fantastic and the seasoning is excellent.

Good cooking, great flavour into the bisque. Very impressed.

Smokiness and then a completely mild creaminess and then sweet shellfish.

-Absolutely lovely.

-It's very, very delicious.

Now I'm hoping Danny can see that if you put technical ability with loads and loads of flavour,

that's the thing you're searching for.

-Michael, you've got 15 minutes before we send this dish.

-Yes, Chef.

You need to have this ready as soon as possible.

-It's not cooked.

-What?

-Touch it again, touch it again.

It's two more minutes at least. Put it back in the oven, please.

Pigeon and Swiss chard, they're the things I love to eat and cook with.

There's nothing worse than al dente Swiss chard. It's got to be cooked properly, hasn't it?

-Nicely parallel to each other.

-Yeah.

It is a challenge. It's not a dish that even I would probably consider putting on a menu.

OK, they are ready for us upstairs. Let's go.

-Get your pigeon from the oven.

-Yeah.

-Allez, let's go.

-Yeah, cooked. Finish your Swiss chard.

-Yeah.

The leg... No. Be careful, the jus and the legs are spitting.

-Agh! It's dead.

-No, don't say that.

-Give me some water.

Just a touch. Vas-y, vas-y!

Better.

OK... OK, it's all right. Let's leave it here.

You need to be faster. You need to be faster, faster, faster, faster.

Michael's main is not going to be on time. Those starters have been cleared. That main should have gone.

We're a little late.

You need to be faster. Just go for it.

-They are hungry upstairs. They want to eat.

-Yes, Chef.

The legs in the middle, two per plate. Just go for it.

You put two breasts on each plate. They are beautifully cooked.

-This delicious sauce, don't be tight with it.

-Yes, Chef.

Allez, like this one. Go, go, go!

Don't shake. Yeah, very good, very good. Allez, allez, allez!

Beautiful.

Perfect. Let's go.

Service, please!

-Good.

-Nice one.

-Well done.

-Thank you so much.

-Amazing.

For someone who has cooked pigeon for the first time, it was perfect. I'm very proud of you. Well done.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Yeah, that was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Ever.

I guess I've done everything that I can at this stage.

I've put everything I've got into it and I hope the guys upstairs love it.

Michael's dish is roasted pigeon breast and braised legs,

Swiss chard millefeuille layered with pigeon heart and liver,

and an olive and thyme jus.

Beautiful presentation. Probably gives you an indication of why it was a bit late. Quite intricate.

Wow, what a dish! I think it's stunning.

The pigeon is cooked absolutely perfect for me. I think it's wonderful.

The black olives and the offal work so well together.

The Swiss chard works well. I like the iron flavour coming through from the offal.

That's really nice. The olive is a bit different.

I like my pigeon cooked just a little bit more than that.

Good combination, good balance of flavour. You can taste everything which is good.

To think that this was an amateur that cooked this, amazing, fantastic.

It's something I would be very happy to serve. Stunning dish.

Michael has to be really pleased with that.

Beautifully cooked, wonderfully tender. A really lovely dish.

I can't leave this alone. I'm going to have to have one of these legs.

Hmm!

-Emma, how are you doing?

-I'm doing OK, I think. This is about to go in the machine.

Those are moments away from being ready.

Oh! But it needs to be roasted.

It needs to have a little bit more colour.

-Yeah.

-That's not going to happen if you cover the fruits.

-I see.

-Take the cover off?

-Yeah, we need to concentrate the taste. We don't want the fruit staying in the same jus.

I'm really interested in the dessert,

how they'll balance all this fruit - pineapple, apple, plum, pear, quince, and pineapple crisps.

It's a challenging dish for an amateur, one you would have put them through their paces downstairs.

-All right, Emma, we've got the go-ahead, so let's finish this dish.

-Yes, Chef.

-Allez, let's go.

Put a little bit of the pineapple here on the right-hand side.

Allez, neatly, neatly. You need to be faster.

Yeah, very nice. Just a touch, OK?

Your shortbread on top of it. Parallel, parallel.

Put your vanilla with the fruits. Gently, just on the top of it.

Toss it a bit. Stop. OK, come back here.

Yeah.

Apple, pineapple and plum, OK?

Hmm!

OK, and then the vanilla pod.

Now, you're going to have to fill up those...

-Ohhh!

-You need to be gentle.

Allez, well done. Beautiful.

Bring it to the pass, bring it to the pass.

Go, go, go!

-Yay!

-Well done, Emma.

-Service, please!

-Emma, well done. You did very well.

-I really enjoyed myself.

It was very technical, this dish, especially the little roll with the sorbet and...

To be fair, it's as good as one we would have served here.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much, Chef.

-I'll give you a kiss.

-Yes, please.

-Well done.

-Thanks.

She blushed.

I did blush a bit.

I have just made some Michelin-star food for Michelin-star chefs.

We'll wait and see if they liked it, but heebie-jeebies, that's pretty awesome!

Emma has made vanilla-roasted apple, pineapple, plum and pear

on a shortbread biscuit with pineapple crisps

and a vanilla sugar tuile filled with yogurt sorbet.

- It looks fantastic. - It does look very attractive.

And it will not have been easy, that's for sure.

I think that yogurt sorbet is amazing.

I think it was really tart, really sharp. Beautiful, beautiful.

The shortbread's a marvel. It's difficult to get it right.

That's got that short texture and it melts in the mouth.

This tuile, I mean... That's not easy for an amateur, is it?

The person who has done this dessert should be very proud. I really enjoyed it.

-Whoa!

-Lots of different textures, lots of different flavours.

A huge amount of skill and a lot of work gone into that. Good job, Emma.

She's absolutely nailed that. That is beautiful.

This is a restaurant with a fantastic reputation and, today, I think those three guys did this restaurant proud.

I think Alexis will be very pleased with what's been delivered today, all three courses.

It was very, very special.

Amateur cooks have produced stuff that you would happily pay for in a restaurant of this standard.

Massive congratulations. You nailed every single dish.

On behalf of myself and the chefs, you've done yourselves proud and you've done Alexis proud. Well done!

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Overall, they have excelled.

The three of them really showed that they are extremely gifted cooks.

Danny was very good and actually would be a wonderful chef to have in a kitchen, a real soldier.

I like that.

Today's been a good day. It shows how far we've come. Going into the "final" final, it's all very even.

Michael had a few problems due to a very tough recipe,

but he put it out, he delivered a wonderful dish, so really well done to Michael.

An incredible day. I've probably learnt more today than I have over the last couple of weeks.

Just spending time in that kitchen has been the best.

Emma did very well today.

She never got scared. She just went for it and that's very rare.

It was brilliant today. I loved every single minute of it.

It's really buoyed me up. I'm feeling really psyched up now for the final.

If our three can show anywhere near the form they reached today, we are in for an incredible final.

I cannot wait!

Tomorrow night, the journey ends.

Either Danny, Emma or Michael

will be crowned Celebrity MasterChef Champion.

Come on, guys, you've got to push it. Come on.

Today is the day for the MasterChef Champion to step forward.

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