Episode 6 Celebrity MasterChef

It's Celebrity MasterChef.

We've got 16 celebs all hoping to show off their cooking talent.

The competition's a joyride.

They've proved themselves in their own profession, now let's see

if they can cut it in the kitchen.

I'm finding the competition a lot more nerve-wracking

than I thought it was going to be.

I'm determined that I don't go out yet.

Cooking doesn't get tougher than this.

Throughout this week, these three celebrities have been through

some of the toughest gastronomic challenges they've ever faced.

But after today, one of them will be going home.

Quarterfinal day, all to play for.

They've got to prove themselves worthy of staying in the competition.

Today, you're not just cooking for John and I.

We have three previous MasterChef finalists, including two winners.

It's your food. Do it well, you stay in the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's cook.

The contestants have just one hour and 15 minutes

to cook a two-course meal.

They will have to impress three outstanding former finalists

and show that they're worthy of progressing in the competition.

Today, I think it's all about potential.

I want to see a serious plate of food.

-Emma, hello.

-Hi.

This is a nerve-wracking round. I can remember it so well.

But I'm hungry and I don't like eating rubbish food.

I'm hoping to see some nice food.

I want to see a little bit of their character

and that they've cared about what they've cooked.

I was talking to the missus last night and wondering whether this was

enjoyable or not, cos half of it is enjoyable

and half of it is so nerve-wracking.

It's an odd swirl of emotion.

The culinary term is "Boom!".

Absolutely on the money.

Cooking my own food today,

I've set myself quite challenging things to make.

There's no spare time at all.

It's a big worry.

You look like you're very focussed once again today.

-What are you going to cook?

-For a starter, I'm doing a kind

of version of moules marinieres,

with smoky bacon and cream.

And for the second course, it's a salt crust baked sea bass,

with a confit of potatoes, tomatoes and basil,

and fennel and lemon mayonnaise.

So you're baking the sea bass in salt,

so that it steams, realistically, inside this parcel.

Yes, that's the real conundrum here, cos it can take a long time.

Sometimes it's taken me five minutes to break through the crust.

You wowed us yesterday. Are you going to continue to wow us?

Well, I'm going to do as well as I can.

That's all you can do, isn't it, really?

I'm really impressed with Ade, John. Love the sound of his dishes.

The sea bass, I think, is a beautiful idea.

He's got to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

The sea bass has got to get in. It's got to get in quick.

I'm really enjoying the competition.

The fear and the stress, I could do without,

but that's the price you pay for the most extravagantly exciting journey.

Denise, I'm looking down at your ingredients,

-and you're not doing a dessert.

-I'm not doing a dessert.

-Aw!

-I'm doing a starter and a main.

But you've reached the quarterfinal on the quality of your desserts.

Well, I'll do you another one if you let me through this round.

-What are you going to cook for us?

-Haka chicken.

-Haka chicken?

Is that chicken from New Zealand, for somebody doing the Haka before rugby?

No, it isn't. It's basically ginger, chilli, garlic...

It feels a bit Chinese-y because it's got soy on it.

-But it also feels a bit Indian.

-And your other dishes?

Squid with Szechuan pepper, five spice...

Where is your confidence now, since the last round?

It is amazing how, when somebody praises you,

your confidence soars, but I've got to get very real here.

We're all up against it. Things go wrong on the day.

We all know the secret of squid.

It's got to be cooked really fast and really hot,

and then it's lovely and tender.

If it stays in there too long, it goes tough like shoe leather.

Denise's main course is a haka chicken.

I love the spices and flavouring. Chicken's not difficult to cook.

It's the flavouring and the presentation of that dish.

To make it to the MasterChef quarterfinals...

Man, it's amazing that I can actually say that.

It's been a steep learning curve.

I have learnt a lot in a short period of time.

The dishes I'm making today are quite simple,

so I have to make sure the dishes are cooked to perfection,

and I don't mess anything up.

Phillips, you've made amazing progress in this competition.

What we want to know is, can you continue to progress?

I really hope so.

I'm confident with the dish I'm making today,

-so I hope you guys like it.

-What two dishes are you cooking for us?

I've got minted lamb chops and spring onion mash,

and creamy garlic mushroom starter.

Tell me what the mushrooms are. I don't quite understand.

Creamy garlic mushrooms.

Served...what? Stuffed? In a bowl?

-Or...?

-No, in a bowl and topped with some grated parmesan.

Phillips now needs to deliver a very good lamb dish,

because his starter is completely uninspiring.

I do hope and pray that we get nicely cooked lamb,

and that there are no lumps in the mashed potato.

Ade's menu instantly leaps out.

It says to me, "Here's a man who has ambition

"and he wants to really produce really tasty, tasty food."

OK, you've got about seven minutes left now on your first course, Ade.

Ade's starter - mussels and smokey bacon and cream...

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Absolutely, that is something I'd go for in a restaurant. Love it.

It smells great, Ade.

I like a lot, mate. I like, I like, I like.

-Love it.

-Good lad.

Sorted.

Thanks very much. Off you go. And hurry back! You've got work to do.

-Well, hello!

-Hello!

-How are you all doing?

-Very well, thank you.

-We're hungry!

-Are you?

It's my version of moules marinieres,

-but it's made with smokey bacon, and cream and white wine.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much.

It looks beautiful and it smells wonderful,

and, also, it's small attention to detail here.

The way that has been toasted beautifully on the griddle.

Absolutely perfect.

The combination of mussels and garlic is, to me, complete heaven.

I just adore it.

He's got the balance, I think, beautiful.

Not too much cream, but enough.

You can taste the mussels, because, for me,

the mussel has to shine through.

Fantastic. I'd happily pay for that in a restaurant.

This is delicious. I could....

Under normal circumstances, I would lap all that up.

Because we've got more to come, I won't,

but I will just have another spoonful.

Ah! Mmm.

I think this is a really lovely bowl of mussels.

I like the smokiness of the bacon, the sweetness of that tarragon

running through that rich stock, with a little touch of cream.

It's not the most challenging dish, but it's faultless.

You've got 15 minutes, all right? The main course up.

What have you got left to do?

I've got to get the sauce into a kind of consistency that works,

and I've got to get the fish out of the salt.

Why isn't it working? It's not going thick.

Urgh. Disaster. I don't know what's happened there.

-That's just rubbish.

-It's just gone thin.

The only way you can do that is to start it from scratch,

but it won't take you long.

The main... I think the sea bass, the fennel sauce, potato...

It ticks a lot of boxes. But the pressure, as we all know,

in that kitchen...

Can he bring all those combinations together?

-Happy? Yeah, that's what we want, isn't it?

-Nice.

-There you go.

Thank you very much. Right, how do I get this fish out?

You've got five minutes, Ade. You've got to portion both those fish.

Yeah, I might be late.

The sea bass baked in the salt crust... Tick, tick, tick. Yes!

I'm a fish person. I'm really looking forward to that.

I have great hopes, Ade, don't let me down!

-Come on, little fish.

-Very good indeed.

Oh, that's a pretty thing, Ade.

That's just taken you seven minutes to do the first two plates.

Last one, last plate.

It looks amazing. Sauce and potatoes.

Right, we're about five minutes over now. Really need to push you, mate.

Got to get you out.

-Happy?

-Yep.

Chef does apologise for the slight tardiness.

Thank you.

What we have here is a sea bass that I've cooked in a salt crust.

I've made a confit of potatoes, tomatoes and basil,

and a fennel and lemon sauce.

-Sounds yummy.

-It does.

-Yes, well, I hope it is.

It's not quite what I was expecting.

I was slightly expecting the sea bass to arrive with its skin on,

and a little bit of salt crust, but if it tastes good,

then this dish could be absolutely wonderful.

The sea bass is cooked beautifully.

The lemon and fennel sauce is, I think,

-incredible and absolutely beautiful.

-The flavours are delicious.

The flavour around the potatoes is delicious.

My potatoes are al dente to the extreme.

My sea bass is beautiful.

It's moist, it's tender, it tastes lovely with the sauce,

with the lemon coming through.

I really, really like it.

I love that fish. That fish is so soft.

But those potatoes aren't cooked.

But the flavours on that plate are stunning.

The whole thing works absolutely perfectly. I think it's delicious.

ADE SIGHS

It went OK. I was a bit late.

It's just, um...

overreaching.

I'm like a Shakespearian tragic figure. I've overreached myself.

You've got four minutes, Denise.

I think I have the fat hotter... so I'm not as thrilled with it.

I left it longer, which, of course, is the risk of chewy.

CHRISTINE: I'm not a great fan of squid, to be honest.

It's something I would never choose because I've had bad squid

and it kind of put me off.

Maybe this is the moment when I learn to love squid.

-You're done. No drama.

-Well done, you.

-OK.

-Ready to go?

-Wish me luck.

-Go get' em, girl. Good luck.

Here we go.

-Hi!

-Hello.

-How nice to meet you.

-Hello!

-Exciting.

-Hello!

-Christine.

Jolly exciting for us. Wow, thank you.

So, what you have, ladies and gentlemen, is salt

and pepper squid, with raita, with a little bit of tamarind in it.

-I hope you enjoy.

-Thank you.

Presentation-wise, it looks very sterile,

not much colour going on, but, hey, it might taste fantastic.

Here it goes.

Oh...

This is everything that confirms

why there's no point in eating squid.

It's like chewing a rubber tyre, there's no flavour.

I mean, what's the point? Oh, golly.

Although the yoghurt and the tamarind sauce is perfectly

lovely on its own, I'm not convinced that the squid

and it are ideal bedfellows.

She hasn't set out to fail, but, unfortunately, for me, she has.

I really like the flavours of that five spice

around the outside of the squid.

BUT the squid's too chewy, all the batter's fallen off or it's soggy.

That's not great. I tell you what, here's the six squid I owe you.

JOHN CHUCKLES

So, what have you got left to do for your main course, Denise?

OK, I'm almost on time.

I've got my bindis on the go, I've got my haka chicken on the go.

-Here's my rice.

-"Almost on time" I know as "late".

Let's find out.

Denise's main... I've got no idea what haka chicken is.

I don't, I'm afraid... I confess, I don't know what bindi is either.

Isn't a bindi an okra? Lady's fingers?

Basically, it sounds kind of Indian... I just don't know haka.

That could be really exciting.

Three minutes left. I love the smells.

Hang on, hang on. You need a bit more chicken on here.

Right, we've got to go now, Denise.

Wipe your plates quickly and get them out of here.

-That's it.

-Done?

-Done.

-Good, let's go.

-Good luck, you.

-Thank you.

-The main.

-The main?! Ooh! We didn't know what to expect.

What you have on your plate is something called haka chicken.

-Enjoy!

-Thank you! It smells gorgeous.

The aromas coming off the plate are incredible,

and I really want to eat it.

There's a hell of a kick of chilli in there.

It's made me reach for the water, rather than the wine,

-and that says something.

-I like the tastes on the plate.

The saffron rice is perfectly nice, the bindi is a little bit hard.

That could have been cooked a bit softer for my liking.

I really like the dish.

I love the chilli, I love the taste coming from the chicken.

-The saffron rice, I think, is gorgeous.

-It's good. Lovely.

-It delivers.

-It packs a punch, doesn't it? Massive.

The flavours just...wow, hit you.

-Mmm.

-It may look a fright, but it actually tastes really good.

Ginger, spring onions, chilli, sesame oil,

all together with lovely sweet, moist chicken.

It's cooked very well, it's got some beautiful Asian flavourings,

but it looks untidy.

Oh!

I served chewy squid. It's the heinous crime.

I'm not going to get any further

if I don't work on the more refined skills.

We've got four minutes until we go out with the starters.

-Are you on time?

-Yeah, the starters will be fine.

-You've garlicked them, have you?

-Yeah.

-And creamed them?

And creamed them.

I have no problem with creamy garlic

and I have no problem with mushrooms.

I just hope it tastes great, because, for me,

that's something I would do with the kids on a Saturday morning.

You've got one minute. What's left to do on these plates?

Um, grate some parmesan cheese.

To be fair, you've been very clever with your presentation.

It looks really elegant, actually.

Thank you.

-Um, am I taking these out now?

-Yes, please.

-Good luck. Well done, you.

-Thank you very much.

-Hello, everybody!

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Well, hungry!

We have some creamy garlic mushrooms

topped with a little bit of parmesan.

Thank you, Phillips.

First impressions of Phillips's starter is...I think what

we feared when we looked at the menu.

All looks very simple. I'm disappointed.

The only technical ability in this plate is that he's peeled some

mushrooms and grated some parmesan.

I think you're being unfair.

The flavour is good. I like it.

There is a bit of creamy sauce there.

You get the cream of the sauce, the parmesan, but the rich

variety of mushrooms that he could have chosen is just enormous.

I just think it's half the dish it could have been.

No. It tastes of mushrooms, it tastes of cream,

it tastes of parmesan cheese, it tastes of parsley.

You can taste every ingredient.

Really?! Button mushrooms?

There's very little to commend it.

It's virtually impossible to overcook a button mushroom

and it's impossible to incorrectly grate cheese.

I hope that lamb's delicious.

OK, so your lamb, potatoes and carrots to go, yeah? Sauce made?

-I haven't made a sauce yet.

-Come on then, let's go.

-Don't forget your lamb. Have you got the grill on?

-Yeah.

-Be careful.

CHRISTINE: If he produces delicious minted lamb steaks, with all the bits

and bobs, good for him. I'm looking forward to that.

I can taste the lamb already. I love it.

Is your lamb really all right in the oven?

Whoa!

Time's up, so you've got to get those rings off and we've got to go.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Oh, no...

-Hello.

-Thank you.

-This is minted lamb?

-It is.

You have minted lamb chops, with spring onion mash,

mint and rosemary sauce, and a side of carrots.

Thank you.

Oh!

-It's mint and rosemary. That's what Phillips said.

-Oh, dear.

I was a little bit alarmed to see all the matter coming out with it.

That could have gone through a sieve.

But it smells good and, despite what it looks like,

I am actually looking forward to tasting it.

Is it pink?

No.

Oh, dear.

Well, it is quite chewy.

At least we've got serrated knives so we can get through it.

I'm really disappointed. The lamb is overcooked and tough.

I've got big lumps of spring onion in my mash, which do nothing.

And then the sauce,

which kind of hits your mouth like an acid sweet... This has failed.

The carrots are jolly nice.

They're not overcooked, they're not undercooked, they're perfect.

But I'm disappointed. Oh, dear.

-What the heck is that?

-I've just made an oil spill.

-What is that?!

Crikey!

CHUCKLING: Whoa.

That mint sauce is one of the worst mint sauces I've ever tasted.

Our mashed potato's got lumps in it and big hunks of raw spring onion.

The lamb is overcooked, so it's going a bit tough and chewy.

What I was fearful of was mashed potato with lumps.

What I wasn't prepared for was lumps with mashed potato in it.

This cooking today highlights Phillips's inexperience.

My head was all over the place.

As an athlete,

when I'm competing, it's run down a runway, jump, there's a sandpit...

It's one task.

Where today is...

I was just all around that unit, and I just lost control.

It was too much for my head to take.

Wow, what a day.

I had high expectations and, I've got to say, in part,

I'm a little bit disappointed, Gregg.

I've seen nothing much wrong with Ade's cooking.

His only problem was he had slightly undercooked potatoes.

I love the fact that we've got somebody in the room who doesn't just

pick up a piece of fish and pan-fry it, but thinks about a whole

piece of fish, beautifully cooked, on a bone, crusted in salt.

That shows me somebody who's actually done a lot of cooking.

Ade more than deserves to go through.

Gregg, I'm sorry to say this,

but there's a question mark over both Phillips and Denise, in my opinion.

Denise has an up and down day,

because her starter of squid just didn't work.

It was cooked too long, it went a bit rubbery,

and the dip was a little bit uninspiring.

The main course tasted very good.

Didn't quite happen for her today,

but I did love the flavour of the chicken.

I could have done better.

I might go out. It's real.

Are you allowed to come back again, another time,

-when you're a better cook?

-SHE LAUGHS

We have Phillips. Creamy mushrooms with parmesan cheese over the top?

Look, uninspiring. Phillips's main course is lamb. Dry and overcooked.

And the muck which was supposed to be the mint and rosemary sauce,

which was awful...

I know he hasn't had the greatest day,

we know he's inexperienced, he is picking things up quickly...

It's whether he has enough knowledge now to go any further.

I'm going to remain positive and hope that over the past week

I've done enough to stay in, and I hope I've shown enough potential.

-GREGG:

-Well, I think both people there, actually,

let themselves down today.

I agree with you, but I do think that one's worth another chance.

Thank you for your hard work today. Days like today are stressful.

One of you, we've decided, is leaving the competition.

The contestant leaving us is...

..Phillips.

-Sorry, my friend.

-Thank you. Thanks for the experience.

Good luck, guys.

-Enjoy.

-Thanks, Phillips.

Not nice, losing. I am extremely happy that I got this far.

I can't wait to get back in the sandpit, to be honest.

The kitchen is stressful.

I'm a lot more confident with my ability to hop,

step and jump in a pit than I am with my cooking.

Congratulations. Well done.

-That's nice, isn't it?

-Wow.

I didn't think I'd get through. I genuinely didn't.

And they must see some kind of potential.

I think I might have a little skip and a dance down their corridors.

I did enjoy today. It feels like I've climbed a mountain.

I'm feeling rather splendid.

ALL: Cheers!

Next week...

..four more celebrities will try to prove their culinary skills.

Let's cook.

PLATE SMASHES

That's going to be a disaster.

Cook, guys! Cook something!

Weeee!

Oh! Whoa, whoa!

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