Northern Ireland Dessert Great British Menu

This week on Great British Menu -

three of Northern Ireland's leading culinary talents.

Third time competitor Chris McGowan.

We are here to test ourselves, I want to try to get to the banquet.

Daniel Clifford's head chef, Mark Abbott.

If I'm not busy, I don't feel I've pushed myself hard enough.

And Eddie Attwell, for whom local produce is king.

I've felt the heat in here all week.

What can I do? Just going to keep at it.

In the year of the Queen's 90th birthday, the chefs are

celebrating the everyday great Britons

honoured throughout her reign

and competing for a chance to cook at an historic banquet,

at the Palace of Westminster.

Chris' main course stole the show yesterday,

earning him ten from veteran Michael.

I thought that was an exceptional plate of food.

Mark scored nine, just in front of Eddie, who was awarded eight.

No-one's dead in the water yet.

With just three points between Chris and Eddie,

both chefs have a chance to face the judges.

Dessert has always been the potential banana skin

-in this kitchen.

-To say I'm nervous is an understatement.

But one chef will be going home today.

No regrets, you can do this.

Listen, in it to win it.

-It's going to

-BLEEP

-split!

Guess what I've just done as well? Split my cream and all.

Judging their desserts for imaginative and outstanding cooking

is Michelin-starred Michael O'Hare.

A former banquet winner, he knows what it takes to get there.

It's got to be fun, it's got to be creative,

it's got to be innovative.

I'm looking for the show stopper and the banquet-winning dish

for desserts.

I've been here before, anything can happen, guys.

The heat in that kitchen isn't your friend.

Last chance saloon for me. This is our last one to get up

and try to get into the race.

I'm doing some sugar work this week.

Mark, Mark, Mark, you should have give me a ring, mate.

I did the same last year, then I got in that kitchen,

it all went pear-shaped.

First is Chris - having failed to impress with his starter,

he has fought back with his last two dishes.

He knows from previous experience

this can be the trickiest course.

Dessert has very little margin for error.

You've got to really nail it. Eddie could pull it out of the bag

and I could have a disaster one and I could be going home.

Chris, hello. How you feeling?

Yeah, great, still kind of on cloud nine

from the main course, I have to say.

Your last course, dessert, what's the title?

Sense Of Occasion. This is about a lady, called Dr Janet Gray.

Dr Janet Gray is blind,

-but she is a world water-skiing champion.

-Oh, right, OK.

She took up water-skiing after she lost her sight.

So it kind of gives you an indication of the kind of lady

-that she is.

-So a true great Briton, then.

When I went to her house, there was a lot of fresh flowers around,

and she said, "I don't see them, but I can smell them, Chris,

"and it makes me feel great."

So for me, it was trying to marry the dessert but also try

-and give a sensory experience.

-What are you actually cooking her?

Got some fresh lavender there, I'm going to infuse with cream

and make an ice cream. I'm going to do a white chocolate sphere,

I'm going to colour the white chocolate with the Union flag

and then fill that with the lavender ice cream.

Some lemon curd, some raspberries, some savoury granola.

-OK.

-That will go in a box with an infusion,

with lemon, lavender, and pour over the dry ice

with some floral notes.

I look forward to tasting it.

He is tempering white chocolate, which is difficult

at the best of times, but he is doing it in a notoriously hot kitchen.

If it doesn't work, it could be a disaster.

Next is Eddie - after a strong start to the week, Eddie slipped to

third place after the main course, three points behind Chris.

He needs to nail his dessert

to secure a place cooking for the judges.

I need a high score to keep myself in any sort

of race for tomorrow. Fortunately, so far,

nothing's went terribly wrong. But you don't know what's ahead of you

and what could go wrong. Let's just see what happens.

-Eddie.

-Hello, chef.

-How are you feeling?

-Fantastic.

The title of your dish?

So it's Jam Sandwich and Darjeeling Tea.

-And the inspiration?

-The inspiration,

it was a treat that was enjoyed in the past more, behind-the-scenes,

it was a crustless jam sandwich, so I want to make it something special

and fit for a banquet.

So what are you actually cooking?

Bottom base of the sandwich, a white bread parfait,

with white chocolate through it as well.

I'll be making a strawberry stock from the strawberries,

with couple of spices through it to make a jelly.

Setting some of the strawberries inside.

On the top layer, I want to make a traditional shortcake

and then some Darjeeling.

It's the kind of tea you have with it, it's floral and fragrant.

I want to try to transfer that flavour on and then a pot of tea

with it as well, so you get that hot and cold element.

It certainly sounds interesting, Eddie.

You know you're behind in the scores. Focus on this.

-You can still get through this.

-Absolutely.

Eddie's dish is quite simple in flavours, quite a lot of

technical elements in it. I really hope he can execute it well

and I hope that he can get a good dish out of it.

Finally, it's Mark.

Having topped the leaderboard all week with two perfect tens,

he dropped a point for the first time yesterday, scoring only nine.

On the main course, Michael marked me down a point because he

didn't feel the brief showed through.

For me, the dessert tells a story,

so it's up to me now to get it right and deliver the product

I want him to have.

-Mark.

-Hi, chef.

-What's the title of your dish?

-Time to Reflect.

-What's the inspiration behind it?

-I've had the privilege

to work in all four countries of the UK.

And through that, I've seen some amazing produce and techniques

and I want to wrap it all together in one fantastic dessert.

What are you actually cooking on that dessert?

I'm cooking a number of different berry elements,

I'm compressing some strawberries in some English sparkling wine.

With the English sparkling wine, I'm going to be making a jelly,

the raspberries, I'm putting them in liquid nitrogen

and then smash them up.

With the blueberries, I'm going to cook a little compote.

With the blackberries, I'm going to make a pickling liquor,

I'm going to make a buttery sponge,

and soak that in the blackberry pickle liquor.

OK. And I see chocolate.

I'm going to make a chocolate marquise and I'm going to put some

-blackberry notes through that as well.

-Right, OK.

And I'm going to make a sugar tuile for the dessert also.

So no added pressure, Mark, but if you can score an eight,

or higher, on this dish, you will be the highest ever regional competitor

in Great British Menu history, beating your boss, Daniel Clifford,

by one point.

See if it's worth your job!

-LAUGHTER

-Thank you for that, chef(!)

Mark, with his dessert, has so much going on, so many ingredients,

so many techniques, but with every other course, I have seen

a centrepiece to Mark's work.

With dessert, I'm really struggling to visualise that.

Cooking starts and the chefs are already discussing

possible pudding pitfalls.

Dessert has always been the potential banana skin

in this kitchen, you've got to be on it, you know?

I've felt the heat in here all week. So if you're going to feel it

in your chocolate, feel it in your sugar,

-that's where it's going to hit hard.

-Exactly.

Third-place Eddie has to produce the perfect dessert to stand

a chance of beating Chris to cook for the judges.

He's hoping his high-end take on tea and a jam sandwich

will do the trick.

Would you class your dessert quite simple, Eddie?

In name it's simple.

Hopefully the textures and layers will make it a wee bit different.

Eddie makes a strawberry stock for his gel by simmering strawberries

with port and wine.

And flavouring with vanilla and black pepper.

To make his white chocolate and white bread parfait,

he adds warmed milk and cream to whisked egg yolk and sugar.

Before adding white chocolate melted with gelatine,

and white breadcrumbs.

But already, the heat in the kitchen is taking its toll.

-It's going to

-BLEEP

-split!

She is split, sir.

Dump it in the bin. No point crying about it. It's the heat.

With time already against him, Eddie starts his parfait again.

-Eddie.

-Chef.

You're boiling over.

Shut off there, as well.

-How are you getting on?

-I've just split my mousse.

I'm a wee bit behind. Standing here talking to you now.

Should really be in that freezer.

I just need to get my head down here, chef.

You've got the time, you can do it?

-Absolutely. Thank you, chef.

-Good on you.

Eddie pipes the parfait into moulds and leaves to set.

Someone else feeling the heat is Mark.

Having had a strong competition so far, his complex dessert

is his biggest challenge yet.

Pastry doesn't wait on any man.

-Not at all.

-To say I'm nervous is an understatement.

Mark starts work on a sponge

which he will dip in blackberry pickling liquor

and partially dehydrate later.

For his chocolate and blackberry marquise, Mark pours boiling honey

onto whipped egg whites, to make an Italian meringue.

He dissolves gelatine in boiling pear juice and adds

to the meringue mixture, before pouring in molten dark chocolate.

Guess what I've just done, as well.

Split my cream and all.

Yeah.

I need to just calm down now, collect myself,

and just get it right.

Mark whips a second batch of cream,

which he folds into the marquise mixture

and flavours with blackberry.

So, Mark, problems with your cream over there?

-Yeah.

-Same thing.

Final course. Really simple things that can go wrong.

Don't say I told you so. But, I told you so.

LAUGHTER

Three points ahead of Eddie, Chris must execute a flawless dessert.

He's incorporating floral notes into his dish,

including lavender ice cream.

To egg yolk whisked with lavender sugar,

Chris adds a warmed cream and milk mixture,

flavoured with lavender essence. Before cooling and churning

in an ice cream machine.

He has also put extra pressure on himself by choosing to make spheres

of tempered white chocolate.

Would I be right in saying that out of the three chocolates,

that is the hardest to temper?

Yes, at the end of the day, we're here to test ourselves.

That's what I want to do, I want to try to get to the banquet.

When you think about great Britons,

you think about what people have done, they go above and beyond.

I'm quite prepared to do that today, you know?

Back in Northern Ireland, Chris met Dr Janet Gray,

the inspiration behind his dessert.

-Hi, Janet.

-Hello, Chris.

When she was 21, Janet lost her sight,

due to a rare form of glaucoma.

Not one to let her disability hold her back,

Janet took up water-skiing, going on to win

the world disabled water-skiing championship four times.

I had never tried water-skiing until after sight loss.

Being a natural swimmer, I really took to it.

And I won the World Championships for the first time in 1999.

Then again, 2001, 2003, and after a major trauma,

I was lucky enough to get back on my feet and regain all the titles

in Australia in 2007.

Amazing. It's a dangerous sport.

It can be. But I just love the whole speed and the rush.

-I want your honest feedback.

-OK!

In 2002, Janet was awarded an MBE for services to disabled sport.

She's now retired from water-skiing,

but recently became a local councillor.

Can you see yourself as an inspiration to other people?

It's nice if I can help others along the way or motivate and inspire.

It's the determination and the discipline of sport as well,

at top level, not giving up and seeing things through.

-Shall we go?

-Yes. Great.

As Janet inspired Chris's dessert, he wanted her to be one of the first

to taste his dish.

So this is a white chocolate sphere, but inside, some ice cream,

some raspberries, a little fruit cluster, around the outside,

with lemon verbena.

Yummy-yummy-yummy!

-There we go.

-Lovely! Oh, my goodness!

Mmm!

It's amazing how the flavours all come together, it really works.

Oh, that is delicious.

-So you think it's thumbs up?

-Most definitely.

-Definitely?

-Definitely a winner.

-Brilliant.

In the kitchen, Chris is painting moulds with white chocolate

he's already dyed red and blue.

-Hi, Chris.

-Hi, Michael.

-What are you doing now?

This is one side of the sphere. So, just coated the white chocolate,

just brushing it with the red and the blue now. And then, basically,

-just the tempered chocolate.

-And you're confident it's going to work?

The heat of the kitchen is obviously immense

but I'm happy with the tempering of the chocolate, I've checked it.

So I'm going to get them outside now.

-OK, I won't stand in your way.

-Thanks a lot, chef.

After the setback with his split parfait,

Eddie is now working on his shortcake,

which will form the top layer of his jam sandwich.

Got knocked back, losing the mousse.

But what can I do? Can't go mad, can't go frantic.

Just need to try and get something out. Don't want to be

standing there with absolutely nothing,

so just going to keep at it.

He starts by mixing flour, baking powder and vegetable shortening

with butter, before adding beaten egg and milk.

Next Eddie makes a Darjeeling stock for a foam and a gel.

Eddie, if you want to make me a cup of tea now, that would be perfect(!)

Current leader Mark is determined his dessert

will meet the high standards he has set all week.

He makes an English sparkling wine and honey jelly, and soaks cubes

of sponge in the blackberry pickling liquor

before partially dehydrating.

Next, he works on tuiles designed to resemble Union flags.

This looks interesting.

This is for my tuile, I have made a sugar mix,

of glucose and isomalt and I'm just colouring it.

-This is going to form the flag?

-This will form the flag.

You've given yourself a lot to do again.

If I'm not busy, I don't feel I'm pushing myself hard enough.

-I'm looking forward to seeing this.

-Thank you very much.

Let's go.

Chris is working on his savoury granola. Baking oats, almonds

and assorted seeds with butter, flour, salt and honey.

He's also making a lemon curd,

before checking on his tempered white chocolate spheres,

which are next door, where it's cooler.

Difficult task you set yourself.

Do you know what, it seemed like a great idea at home.

MICAHEL LAUGHS

You sit at home and you make it, and you think, "This is great."

No regrets, you can do this.

Listen, in it to win it. No pain, no gain.

Eddie's earlier disaster with the parfait lost him valuable time.

His second one is still not set and he is first to plate up

his take on tea and a jam sandwich.

-Eddie, can you be there on time?

-We'll see about it.

In a desperate attempt to get the dessert finished,

Eddie decides to work in the blast chiller,

adding strawberry gel and fresh strawberries to the parfait.

First onto the plate, strawberry gel, followed by fresh strawberries.

Next, the not-quite-set white chocolate and white bread parfait.

Now, Eddie has another panic.

His shortcake hasn't had enough time to cool and solidify.

How is the short bread, Eddie?

Yup, exactly the same as everything else.

Can either not be on time and standing here for another day,

or get something up onto the pass and let yous taste it.

Instead of fine slices mimicking bread,

Eddie chops up the still-warm shortcake and crumbles

onto the chilled parfait.

Eddie, can I do anything for you, boss?

-You want anything done, mate?

-Cheers, mate. It is what it is.

Next, a quenelle of semi-set parfaits.

Eddie, take a breath, relax, and make sure it comes to pass

-how you want it.

-It's impossible.

-Well, as best as it can.

-Chef.

Eddie finishes the dish with Darjeeling tea foam.

A hot Darjeeling tea infusion is presented in a vintage teapot.

Eddie, you look disappointed,

but is everything on the plate that you want?

-Everything's on, just not the way I wanted it.

-What went wrong?

Lost the cream. Knocked me half an hour back already.

So I'm ready, waiting on a parfait sitting in the freezer,

still dropping in front of us right now.

OK, we won't leave it any longer.

-Let's go and taste this.

-Thank you.

It's a tough kitchen to work in.

-It is, absolutely.

-You know, it's in the flavour,

-so we can still taste this.

-Absolutely, chef.

The flavours are beautiful.

They're rounded, sharpness of the fruit...

-This is the white bread...

-And white chocolate, yeah.

Is that the taste you were looking for?

Pretty much, chef.

It's a shame, because such beautiful flavours, the bread coming through,

it just hasn't happened on the day.

And we've got the shortcake on the top.

Yeah. So again, not exactly how I wanted it.

Just didn't have a chance to cut it out.

-And the flavour, content with that?

-I'm happy enough with the flavour.

Nice texture.

-It brings it all together, doesn't it?

-I would agree with that.

Is the jam set how you wanted?

It's probably the one thing sitting at the right consistency, chef.

The strawberry gel is really nice as well.

Ultimately, do you think the tea works with the dessert?

Yeah. I've come to enjoy the tea.

-I love tea.

-I love tea.

-What would you give that?

-I'd give him a seven, and the reason

I'd give him a seven, is because I think he's done

-a lot of work in it.

-I have to go for a six.

-What would you score it?

-Probably a four. Maybe even below.

Mark is next to serve his complex Time To Reflect dessert.

He finishes off his Union flag tuiles in the oven before cooling

on corrugated plastic to give the appearance of the flag fluttering.

-Hi, boss.

-All right, boys?

One of those, you warned me.

All the flavour was there, mate.

Absolutely, chef. How are you getting on there as well, anyway?

-You're up next.

-Busy, mate.

Mark freezes fresh raspberries in liquid nitrogen before smashing

into tiny fragments. He then turns out his jelly.

-What's that jelly, Mark?

-It's champagne and honey, mate.

Yeah, that's lovely, mate.

Mark will be presenting his dessert on a mirror to emphasise the title,

Time To Reflect.

I tell you, when you're dressing a plate

and you can actually see your own face, it's a scary look.

I wouldn't say you're that bad-looking, Mark.

Oh, thanks very much(!)

First onto the mirror, cubes of partially dehydrated sponge soaked

in blackberry pickling liquor.

Next, strawberries compressed in English sparkling wine.

Strawberry gel is followed by blueberry compote,

pyramids of English sparkling wine

and honey jelly and pickled blackberries.

You're due at the pass now, Mark.

Yes, chef. Less than a minute, please.

Chocolate and blackberry marquise is piped onto the mirror,

accompanied by slices of blueberry, a quenelle of yoghurt sorbet,

and lastly, shattered nitro raspberries.

The Union flag sugar tuile finishes the dish,

which is presented in a gift box.

-Is that done?

-It's done, chef.

-Can I open it?

-Yes, please.

It's nice, isn't it? That's a good touch.

-Right, shall we go and eat this?

-Yes, please.

So, let's get tasting. Enjoyed that.

-Wow. I love the little tuile on top.

-A nice wee crisp.

-That's nice.

So, are you happy with how it's turned out?

I am, chef.

Yeah? Do you think the presentation's right for it?

I do, because it's a banquet.

Let's break it, let's enjoy it. And if we get a little bit messy,

sorry, but who cares?

Each berry has its own pack, its own punch on there.

-Yeah.

-The blueberries... It's the blueberries I keep coming back to.

And the champagne and honey jelly.

-Do you feel those flavours come through?

-Yeah, it's...

You get champagne. You don't really get the honey so much,

because the honey, it rounds it off.

That jelly is almost like a summer cocktail.

You have got a lot of components on this dish. Do you think

they all deserve a place on the plate?

I do, because every spoon is different, and therefore,

it makes it exciting to eat.

No, it's probably just a wee bit too small, but I can't comment on it.

-It's fantastic.

-Yeah.

And anything you would change on it?

Well, yes, I would make sure my ice cream was firmer set.

Don't give him another ten, Eddie.

His head won't fit through that door, mate.

It's so hard to fault or be critical.

I'm going to give him a nine, only because I want more, and maybe

the sorbet was just a little bit...under.

Last to fight for his place in the judging chamber is Chris

with his multisensory dessert, A Sense Of Occasion,

a tribute to Dr Janet Gray, who lost her sight at just 21.

Chris prepares his infusion by grating lemon zest and adding

to a jug with fresh lavender and lemon verbena.

All right, lads.

How was that for you?

It was all right. I was a bit disappointed the ice cream melted really quickly.

But do you know what? I gave you a nine, and that was my only quibble.

First into a bowl, Chris' granola,

followed by lemon curd and raspberries.

Next, micro lemon verbena shoots, then raspberry coulis.

The bottom half of the white chocolate sphere

is next into the bowl, filled with more coulis,

fresh raspberry and lemon verbena.

Next, a scoop of lavender ice cream topped with raspberry coulis

and encased in the other half of the white chocolate sphere.

-Chris, you all right, boss? You need a hand?

-No, all good.

Chris presents his dessert on a bed of dry ice topped with moss

to be activated at the pass with his hot floral and herbal infusion.

-You all right, Chris?

-Yeah. Coming now.

-Chris, dessert done.

-Yes.

It's the hardest course of the week, I think.

We have a little message there.

"Great Britain is a brighter and more beautiful place

-"because of people like you." And then a thank you.

-That's lovely.

There's the lavender, there's the lemon balm,

there's the fragrance there.

-Chefs, what's your thoughts?

-It's very impressive-looking.

-Shall we go and eat one?

-I think so, yeah.

So when you first have the smell, the fragrance,

is that something you're happy with?

I like it, chef.

What do you think, Eddie?

Chris really went to town on this one, hasn't he?

Yeah, he really has. It certainly does tell a story.

-I know you put a lot of work into that chocolate.

-Yeah.

-I think it's your honour to crack it.

-Thank you, chef.

-It's not perfectly tempered, is it?

-Ultimately, no.

-No.

With the ice cream, are you happy with the lavender content in it?

I think, yeah. I think it can be overpowering sometimes.

I was conscious not to put too much in it.

-Whoa.

-So what's the ice cream?

Lavender.

-Right now, all I can taste is lavender.

-Yeah.

And then the granola. Are you happy with that crunch?

I am. Maybe I could have cut them, broken them a little bit smaller

so they're not quite as big clusters.

CRUNCHING

He's got great textures going on there with the granola.

I think the curd's just got lost at the bottom here, though.

Do you think the amount of white chocolate on there

-affects the dessert at all?

-I've probably put a little bit more

lemon curd on that. Just to kind of balance it out a little bit.

Down to the scores, Eddie. What would you give it?

I'd give him six, I think, with this.

Yeah, I agree with you. I would give him a six.

Obviously, you had a big score on your main course.

Do you think this lives up to it?

I would say there is room for improvement, definitely.

I'd be happy with a seven or eight.

-Hello, boys.

-How was it?

-It's the last dish, isn't it?

-There's no way back now.

-Were you happy?

-Not completely, no.

Today was proper stress. You warned us about that kitchen.

Yeah.

-Hello, chefs.

-Hello, chef.

So that's the final course, all done. You must be relieved.

Just a little!

Eddie, your dish, Jam Sandwich and Darjeeling Tea.

Eddie, I know you weren't happy at all with this dessert.

-The shortbread cake, in your own words, was a disaster.

-Yeah.

The parfait, it wasn't frozen.

And it wasn't smooth.

The flavour of the Darjeeling tea didn't come through for me

on the actual dessert. However...

I did like the taste of the jam, and I also agree with you completely

with the consistency of it. I also take my hat off to you for getting

the dish to the pass knowing it's not right, and knowing

you're not happy with it. I think that's courageous.

Thank you, chef.

Chris. For your Sense of Occasion,

it wasn't overpowering, that lavender, it was really pleasant.

It was strong straightaway. It filled the room.

The lavender ice cream was tasty, it wasn't overpowering.

And the granola tasted nice.

The lemon curd was delicious.

It was lost, there wasn't enough of it.

But the chocolate work, as pretty as it was,

it wasn't perfectly executed. I felt myself looking for another texture

within that sphere.

Mark.

On your Time To Reflect dessert.

I thought you really, really hit the brief with that.

I thought the reveal of the flag kind of blowing, almost,

I thought that was really clever. I loved the chocolate marquise,

I particularly liked that with the pickled blackberries

and the yoghurt sorbet. And the jelly with a little bit of honey

in it was refreshing, not overly sweet.

The partially dehydrated sponge was another inspired touch.

All the components came together really well.

However, I found it really difficult to eat off that mirror.

I think the only thing that you fell back on was maybe not

sitting down on that exact plate and eating it and seeing how that felt.

If that dish was to go any further,

if you could keep the mirrored element,

possibly drop something in it so you could control the temperature

for your ice creams and things like that.

So, onto the scores.

With a score of eight...

..giving them the highest score across the week...

..it's Mark.

So that means tomorrow you'll be cooking again.

It also means you'll be going to the judging chamber

with the highest score for regionals in Great British Menu.

So, congratulations on that.

Thank you very much.

-It's an incredible achievement.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done, mate.

-It's also a higher score than your boss.

So you might need to find another job!

Two chefs are left. Chris...

..I'm giving you...

a seven.

-Thank you.

-And Eddie, for your dessert...

..I'm giving you a four.

So Chris, it means you go through to the judges' chamber tomorrow.

Congratulations.

Well done. Fantastic.

-And Eddie, I think you should be proud of yourself.

-Yeah.

It's been an honour judging you guys.

And Chris, Mark, make sure one of you gets a dish to the banquet

-for Northern Ireland, eh?

-Absolutely.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you.

-Well done, mate.

-Chief.

Well done.

Did you enjoy the experience, Eddie?

It's been a massive learning curve here,

just to stand and watch yous. It's inspiring.

I'd love to come back again.

This week's been so enjoyable, but you know,

maybe if you could just not ring those guys next year,

that would be great!

-That was brutal.

-Told you.

Yeah, I pushed myself so hard this week.

I'm just going to dig even deeper now

and just try and get this over the winning line, you know.

I know tomorrow's another day.

Things can change.

The fact that I've actually got the highest score of all the regions

over the years - I'm blown away.

I can't let it go to my head. I need to keep focused,

and just come in tomorrow, and just cook.