0:00:02 > 0:00:07Three of Wales's elite chefs are waging war to cook at a show-stopping Olympic feast.
0:00:08 > 0:00:15In yesterday's main course, former champion Stephen Terry raised the stakes with an ambitious dish.
0:00:15 > 0:00:21- Time-wise, how are you looking? - I haven't got a clue.- I suggest maybe you do.- But he pulled it off.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- Are you on time?- I believe I am, Angela.- Winning him a stonking nine!
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Now he's a point ahead of his old rival James Sommerin
0:00:28 > 0:00:31with Richard Davies half a point behind James in third.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33- A point and a half in it.- Very close.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38Tonight, it's desserts and with Stephen sticking to classics...
0:00:38 > 0:00:44- Nearly everybody has had lemon meringue pie and trifle.- Not my lemon meringue pie and my trifle.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..can James or Richard destroy his fragile lead?
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- There's nothing safe about this. - Come on, Willy Wonka!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- Whoever fails today will be going home.- I'm just a bit nervous at the moment.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57With the scores so close, there's no room for error.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I want to get them perfect. I've done so much work for the competition.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05It would be a real kick in the teeth not to be here tomorrow.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19This year's chefs are aspiring to Olympian heights
0:01:19 > 0:01:24as they strive to cook ground-breaking dishes, worthy of our sporting heroes.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The key is to give it everything, the same in the kitchen.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Tonight, Angela Hartnett's scores will send just two of Wales's contenders through to the judges.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35There's very little points between all of them.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39One of them will go home if they don't really pull it out of the bag.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43With a hair's breadth between them, they need to fight to survive.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- Look at those scores. You couldn't have got it any closer.- No.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50It goes to show either we're all doing it right or we're not.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Tricky one today with the dessert. Lots of science involved, lot of things can go wrong.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01Yeah, and it always seems to be the course that can catch a chef out, but let's see how it goes.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04After a disappointing start to the week,
0:02:04 > 0:02:09former champion Stephen redeemed himself yesterday with an impressive nine for his main,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13but leading by a single point, he can take nothing for granted.
0:02:13 > 0:02:20Today will be a tense day. There's lots that could go wrong. We're neck and neck, so it's anyone's race.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- All the best.- Richard.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25- Good luck. May the best man win, I suppose.- Yeah.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35- Good morning.- Morning, Steve. How are you?- Very well.- What's the name of your dish?- Bronze, silver or gold?
0:02:35 > 0:02:40I've created three small desserts that will all be covered over with a little mini cloche.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45One of them will have gold leaf, one silver leaf and one copper leaf cos you can't get bronze leaf.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- Do you get bronze, silver or gold? It's just a bit of fun. - A bit of fun on the table.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55- So the desserts are a beautiful chocolate mousse, quite a simple strawberry trifle.- Right.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Obviously, lovely strawberries, jelly and the custard.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03- I want the custard to taste like custard does taste. - Old-fashioned custard.
0:03:03 > 0:03:10Then one of my favourite desserts - lemon meringue pie, a lemon tart mix in a little ring on some shortbread.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16- On top of that we've got some Italian meringue which we'll blow-torch. - What's unique about them?
0:03:16 > 0:03:20It's gold, silver, bronze. Isn't that what every athlete ultimately is aiming for?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- Good luck. Last day, Steve. - Thank you.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Once again, Stephen has gone for Olympic-inspired presentation,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but does his dish fall short of ground-breaking gastronomy?
0:03:30 > 0:03:34With Stephen's dessert, there's no innovation in the cooking side.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38We've all made those things. Our mums have made those dishes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Is he relying a bit on gimmick? Yeah, he is, so he has to make sure every element is spot-on.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48Next up is second-timer Richard who failed to reach the judging chamber last time around
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and despite his best efforts, he's in third place once again.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58I'm desperate to be here tomorrow. I'd love to cook for the judges and get to the final banquet.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I can only do that by getting a great score today.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08- So what's the name of your dessert? - It's a passion fruit cream and gel with a bitter chocolate sorbet.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Why will this dessert be unique and ground-breaking?
0:04:12 > 0:04:17- We've got some weird and wonderful... - What's that gum?- This is a guar gum from a guar bean.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23It's a thickening agent. We're using that together with carrageenan to set our gel,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27then we'll make a passion fruit cream with the creme fraiche, mascarpone...
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- And the chocolate sorbet? - We're using 70% chocolate
0:04:31 > 0:04:33with water and sugar
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- and some gold leaf as well.- Oh, yeah.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I'm going to wrap the balls of sorbet in the gold.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45- What are you nervous about? - Well, the gel is quite technical. It's a little bit complicated.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Also I want to completely cover the sorbet in gold
0:04:48 > 0:04:53and as soon as you even look at it, it starts to blow away, so yeah, it's quite difficult.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- Good luck. Looking forward to eating it.- Thank you.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Richard is using yet more technical tricks
0:04:59 > 0:05:01in his bid to break culinary boundaries,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05but he needs to show Angela he has the skill to pull it off.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08He's using lots of products and he's stretching himself as a chef.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13His difficulty is he's setting these chocolate sorbet balls and wrapping it in gold leaf.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17He has to make sure it wraps, it doesn't unfreeze or melt.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21It could look a total mess or it could look absolutely stunning.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Michelin-starred James dropped into second place yesterday
0:05:24 > 0:05:29with a disappointing main course, but it hasn't dulled his fighting spirit.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Today is my last chance and I really want to smash this one in.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38I don't know what the other two boys are doing, but it had better be good to compete with mine.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46- James, morning.- Good morning. - What is your dessert? - Raspberry and lemon cheesecake.
0:05:46 > 0:05:52Ah! But judging by the box, there are more complications than just a raspberry and lemon cheesecake.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55We've got raspberry sorbet, a cheesecake snow,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00then we've got raspberry gels, raspberry and lemon sherbet meringues.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- What are you doing with the pistachios?- I'm making a biscotti.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07But the whole dish is about all the senses -
0:06:07 > 0:06:10taste, temperature, texture and aroma.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16- So where's the aroma coming from? - I'm going to use different essences of lemon and raspberry.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- OK.- I've just got a little surprise. - No pressure, guys. Out to surprise us!
0:06:20 > 0:06:25- So anything you're feeling nervous about?- Making sure I get it up on time.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31There's a lot of elements to do, a lot to pull off, but if I can nail it, the nine will be mine today.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- He's very confident, this one, today.- It sounds very, very tricky.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40So James has some surprises in store with his deconstructed cheesecake.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43He's aiming high and has given himself a mountain to climb.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47He's got lots of technical things to get right. He's making this snow.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51He's got to set a jelly. He's using stuff to give you aromas.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57Lots of chemistry there, so he has to get every element right and it's a big risk at this stage.
0:07:02 > 0:07:08All three chefs know this course is make-or-break. With Stephen currently narrowly in front,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12his rivals are wasting no time questioning his simple dessert.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18So, Stephen, obviously, nearly everybody has had lemon meringue pie and strawberry trifle.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23- Not my lemon meringue pie and not my strawberry trifle. - Is that why it's a real Olympic dish?
0:07:23 > 0:07:28These people's lives, every day, it's a huge challenge - practice, practice, practice.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33For me, food doesn't have to be challenging. It can be comforting.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38It is a concern that my food's not quite as ground-breaking as the other boys,
0:07:38 > 0:07:44but that's how I interpreted the brief. I will not change what I do because that's what I believe in.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46In last place, Richard has the most to prove.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50He's making a passion fruit gel using hi-tech setting agents,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54but it's the chocolate part of his dish that has his rivals' attention.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- That looks a dirty job. Is it mud? - Chocolate soil, looks like mud.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- How did you do that? - It's just cocoa powder,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05sugar, flour and a bit of butter.
0:08:05 > 0:08:11- Just like a really dry cake mix? - Yeah, exactly.- Any little carrots sticking out through the top?
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It's very close between Richard and myself. He's bound to be gunning for me.
0:08:15 > 0:08:21But it's passion fruit and chocolate. It had better be special to try and beat my dessert.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26Richard wants perfect presentation, serving a passion fruit cream in delicate chocolate tubes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31- OK, Richard, what are you up to? - Here, I'm doing a bit of a messy job.
0:08:31 > 0:08:38- I'm piping my chocolate into the cylinders which is going to...- Hold the passion fruit.- Yeah, exactly.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- And you tempered this chocolate? - To a degree.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46- What do you mean, "to a degree"? - I'm doing like a quick temper
0:08:46 > 0:08:52which is basically two-thirds melted chocolate and one third of chopped chocolate added at the end,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56stir that in to hopefully give me the same effect.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02The reason you temper chocolate is to get the crunchiness when you bite into it. That's what he's after.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07If he doesn't temper it right, it could be too soft when he pipes in his passion fruit.
0:09:07 > 0:09:14Across the kitchen, Stephen is making his trifle base with cubes of Genoise sponge, fresh strawberries
0:09:14 > 0:09:20and strawberry juice set with gelatine, but his trifle topping has got Angela's attention.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- So, making your custard?- Yeah.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- Custard powder, no?- I like it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30For me, trifle has proper custard in it. You don't make trifle with cheffy custard.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I had to look on the packet how to make it.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38Steve's making custard. Well, he's opened a packet and he's pouring hot milk on it.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43In its day, yeah, custard ready-made powder was ground-breaking
0:09:43 > 0:09:48and I like the flavour and the taste, but he's hardly stretching himself with that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Stephen's long-time rival James has set himself a much tougher challenge.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59He's making pistachio biscotti, just one of eight elements in his complex dish,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03but rival Richard is already using the oven to bake his chocolate soil.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08- How long have you got left?- Get it in.- Yeah?- Just give us a tenner.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Give you a tenner?
0:10:10 > 0:10:16The biscuits will provide the crunch in James's ambitious deconstructed lemon and raspberry cheesecake,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20which includes a cheesecake snow and raspberry and lemon meringues.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24The idea of deconstruction is quite in the fashion, one could say.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27If he pulls it off, he'll have a stunning dessert
0:10:27 > 0:10:32because it will make your mind and your palate work, it wants your senses to work.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38James is still keeping everyone guessing when it comes to one aspect of his dish.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44- How are you looking, James? - Yeah, good.- Do they know what the surprise is yet?- No, they don't.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- Have you not tried to guess? - He won't give anything away.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Holding his cards close to his chest.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56To make sure his Olympian menu goes out with a bang,
0:10:56 > 0:11:01James has been exploring some radical presentation ideas at his restaurant near Monmouth.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Hello, Peter.- Pleased to meet you. - And yourself.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Peter Edwards, a professor of chemistry from Cardiff University,
0:11:08 > 0:11:13has come to show him some visually spectacular effects and he's starting big.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Gee whizz!- There we are.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Luckily, Peter has some more banquet-friendly ideas
0:11:21 > 0:11:24in his box of tricks, including some liquid nitrogen.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27This is about minus 200 degrees.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32Let me show you what that means. I've got a flower here, a nice chrysanthemum.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35And we'll cool that in the liquid nitrogen.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Cor, flipping heck!
0:11:39 > 0:11:43James has a vision of serving his dessert wreathed in fragrant smoke,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45so Peter has brought some dry ice.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49If we take some cold water into the beaker...
0:11:50 > 0:11:56- ..and very carefully add this to the water... and we have smoke.- Yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01But we can increase the amount of smoke by using hot water, rather than cold water.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05That's quite amazing. There's a massive difference on that.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11To get the fragrance he's after, James is experimenting with raspberry and lemon essences.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Oh! Oh, an amazing smell!
0:12:13 > 0:12:18- Fantastic.- I'm getting more lemon than...- A bit more lemon than raspberry.- Yeah.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20I don't know whether it needs...
0:12:20 > 0:12:26I very much doubt that any of the other competitors in my region will be doing this sort of thing.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28It's fantastic. I could play with it all day.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34Fired up by these new ideas, James is assembling his whole dish for the first time.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37They work really well together.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46- That works for me.- If this doesn't blow them away and knock them back in their seats, nothing will.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51To create a dish like this, get it on the banquet, it would be the pinnacle of my career so far.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Olympics to come to Britain.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00To be able to represent Wales and bring it home, it would just be ultimate for me.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03With the final scores fast approaching,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07James's rivals are desperate to hear what he has up his sleeve.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09So, James, what is this surprise then?
0:13:09 > 0:13:14I wanted to try and get my dish to have a real smell and a real effect,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- so we're going to do dry ice in a box.- OK.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19We flavour it with essences.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25- Has that got you worried, Richard? - I believe in my dish. You believe in yours. We're not judging it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31Yesterday, I got knocked down for not pushing myself enough. There's certainly nothing safe about this.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34James has used a bit of innovation on the dish,
0:13:34 > 0:13:40but you can't eat dry ice, so does it add anything to the dish apart from a visual impact? I don't know.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Determined to fight back from last place,
0:13:43 > 0:13:49Richard has begun the delicate operation of covering his chocolate sorbet in sheets of gold leaf.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54I suppose that's encapsulating the gold theme for the Olympics which I think is very good,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56but I wouldn't say it's mind-blowing.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01To ensure he serves two perfect examples, Richard is making several attempts.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03So what are you doing, Richard?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Just wrapping the chocolate sorbet in the gold leaf.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Trying to be... You know, as gently as we can.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18But as he puts his latest effort in the blast chiller, he realises he's made a serious mistake.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19It's blown off now.
0:14:19 > 0:14:26The air in the chiller is blowing the fragile gold leaf off and now he must try and rescue the situation.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I just want to get them perfect.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It makes sense to put it in the freezer because you don't have that blast chilling.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Yeah, there's no point going to this effort for it to get blown off.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Unlike his competitors, front-runner Stephen is sticking to time-honoured classics.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50His lemon meringue pie has a tricky Italian meringue topping
0:14:50 > 0:14:54which means carefully heating sugar and glucose.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- This is your meringue, yeah?- This is for the meringue.- Italian meringue.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- What do you take it up to? 121? - No, it's, uh...
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- 116...- OK, so slightly less. - It's nearly there.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Stephen, although his dish sounds very simple, he's got to get every element right.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The lemon curd mustn't be overset. He must cook the meringue properly.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Just because they sound simple doesn't mean that they haven't got their risks and complications.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Across the kitchen, James is making a chocolate cone to hold his cheesecake snow,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31but his use of liquid nitrogen to create his freeze-dried raspberry garnish is turning heads.
0:15:31 > 0:15:38- So what are you doing here, James? - If I freeze them really quick, there's no cell breakdown.- Right.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41When you freeze and start to defrost, the cells break down.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Ooh!- Minus 192 degrees.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Let's just stand here and watch. Come on, Willy Wonka, let's go!
0:15:48 > 0:15:53He's the Willy Wonka of the kitchen today. I'm half a point behind James, so I'm hoping for a slip-up.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57But Richard is under pressure now as he is first to the pass today.
0:15:57 > 0:16:03He decorates his platter with gold, adds piles of chocolate soil and cubes of passion fruit gel,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07then carefully unwraps his chocolate tubes filled with passion fruit cream.
0:16:07 > 0:16:14Finally, he adds his gold-covered sorbet and decorative passion fruit glass and Richard can do no more.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21- So, well done, four courses. How are you feeling, Richard?- Good. - Awe-inspiring?- I hope so.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24OK, let's go and try it.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29Richard has used cutting-edge techniques to create a refined, elegant dessert,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31but is it a trail-blazing dish?
0:16:31 > 0:16:35So are you happy with the texture and the flavour of the gel?
0:16:35 > 0:16:40It's not a jelly. It just kind of... bursts more than melts and...
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I think it's really exciting to eat.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- You can taste the passion fruit. - Why the fuss with the powders? You could do that with gelatine.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55- The quick tempering way, are you happy with how it turned out?- Yeah. It is a method I've used before.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01- The chocolate hasn't got that real crisp snap. - It's more of a vessel, isn't it?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04So the sorbet worked for you, consistency-wise?
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Yeah, I think it's really smooth. You can have quite a grainy chocolate sorbet.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14- What's this underneath the passion fruit?- Chocolate soil. - Chocolate SOIL?
0:17:14 > 0:17:18I'm not mad about that soil. It coats the inside of your mouth straight away.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23It's like licking cocoa powder. I'd say it has spoilt the dish, for me.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And the gold leaf, it was hard to set it round there?
0:17:26 > 0:17:31I certainly wouldn't take that element away. It is hard work, but it will be worth all the effort.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33The gold ties in with the Olympic theme.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38Far be it from me to say "Mr Safe", but it's not ground-breaking if that's what he wants to achieve.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42What makes it unique, what makes it Olympian?
0:17:42 > 0:17:47- The technique that's gone into the gel.- Yeah.- The cylinder.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53Richard is a very good chef and he's technically very good at his pastry work.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57He even says that himself and I was expecting a little bit more.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Everything was as I wanted and for me, I really love that dish.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10I've put everything into it. You know, I would give it, you know, top marks, but I'm not judging it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18Now it's Stephen who is feeling the heat. He carefully stacks his lemon custard on top of his shortbread,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23then adds a cocoa bean biscuit to the slate and tops it with chocolate mousse.
0:18:23 > 0:18:29His Italian meringue coloured with a blowtorch, it's time for the silver, bronze and gold leaf.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Finally, Stephen's trio of desserts are hidden under cloches.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37How will his quirky game go down with Angela?
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- What do you reckon? Where's the gold?- I reckon it's that end.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- This end?- Yeah. - Well, we'll start at this end.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Bronze.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51Too-doo!
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Hooray!
0:18:54 > 0:18:58The proof is in the pudding, as they say, so have fun. Guess the gold.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Stephen's Olympic-themed menu has finished with a flourish,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06but has he pushed his three classics to unprecedented heights?
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- It's fun, isn't it? It's playful. - That's the point of the dish. It's a bit of fun.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Tuck in.- Where shall we start? Trifle?- Yeah.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20I'm not really into this silver and gold leaf myself.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25You went with the powdered custard, old school. It's worked for you?
0:19:25 > 0:19:29For me, custard and trifle is that type of custard.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33- It's reminiscent of my gran's trifle in a way, using custard powder.- Yeah.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39- I wouldn't say it's brilliant. - No.- I was thinking it might have more acidity. It's quite sweet.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Maybe he should have put bronze on that.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46The biscuit base on the meringue pie, that's the right crunch and texture for you?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Absolutely. I really wanted that crunchy mouthful,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52so between the crunch, the zest and the sweetness, it's a great marriage.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57There's a lot of biscuit for the size of the dessert. It could have been thinner.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02- With the chocolate mousse, you've added no cream. You want that soft texture?- When you add cream,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04the fat content just takes things up.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08I wanted an aerated mousse. It's almost more chewy than it is fluffy.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's the best chocolate mousse I've ever tasted.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16- The base could have done with a little bit more cooking. - It's a bit sticky, a bit chewy.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Is this dish gastronomically ground-breaking?
0:20:19 > 0:20:26My brief, to me, is about providing something that totally encapsulates the whole Olympic spirit.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30I'm very happy with this. I think I'm in with a reasonably good chance.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32The desserts are quite simple
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and it has to be the best trifle, the best lemon meringue and the best chocolate mousse.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42It's not...the best I've had.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Well, I think that went quite well.
0:20:44 > 0:20:50I was a bit nervous this morning, seeing what the boys were doing, but I think I've got a good chance now.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58Last but not least is James who's got his work cut out creating his smoky special effect.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02All eyes are on him as he fills Chinese tea boxes with the dry ice.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I love being watched(!)
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I'm just a bit nervous at the moment, a bit flighty.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13He adds his chilled cheesecake mix and the raspberry gel, then arranges his meringues,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18fresh and freeze-dried raspberries and the crumbled pistachio biscotti.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23A scoop of raspberry sorbet, then his cheesecake snow goes into chocolate cones,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25then it's time for the finishing touch.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Whee!
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Look at that! And you smell the aroma.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35It looks fantastic, James.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40- For me, this is what the Olympics is about.- It looks like it's floating. - It does, doesn't it?
0:21:40 > 0:21:46- It's like the Thriller video. - Let's go and eat it, James. I'll get you to carry it.- Enjoy.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49James has gone for dramatic, theatrical presentation,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53but does deconstructed cheesecake hit the mark for gastronomy?
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- Did you get everything to the level you wanted?- Yes, I think so.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I've got to get the balance right to call it a cheesecake.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04This is a cheesecake, isn't it? Or...sort of.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07It's not amazingly cheesy for a cheesecake.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13- The dried elements have all worked for you?- Yeah, I think so. My biscuit worked really nice.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17The meringues were just a little, playful, sweety sort of theme.
0:22:17 > 0:22:24I don't see the relevance of a pistachio biscotti on a dish that celebrates raspberries and lemon.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29What about the balance of lemon to raspberry? Have you got too much raspberry, not enough lemon?
0:22:29 > 0:22:35No, because you've got lemon in the cheesecake and there's actually lemon on the fresh raspberries.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37The lemon's there. Um...
0:22:39 > 0:22:42What's that in there? It's like a snow.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- I think that's the cream cheese snow. - There we go.
0:22:46 > 0:22:52- It's quite tangy, isn't it?- Hmm. - It's got a little bit of savouriness.- Yeah.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55So, cheesecake snow, you've achieved what you wanted?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Yeah, definitely.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59It's an element of fun.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's certainly got a cheesecake flavour.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04And it's just different.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I just wanted to push my own boundaries.
0:23:07 > 0:23:13- I think the cone's a bit thick for me.- Yeah.- And I don't think it's a great chocolate.
0:23:13 > 0:23:19We've got the fun part of it. Gastronomically, will the flavours all work for an Olympic banquet?
0:23:19 > 0:23:24I think so. Gastronomically, there's lots of tastes and textures.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Everything about it is quite modern.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31What you must do is imagine eating this dish without the dry ice.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Take that "wow", that theatre away, what are you left with?
0:23:35 > 0:23:39If you take it away, then you're left with maybe a little bit disappointed.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Well, all done.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- Well done.- All right? I'm a bit nervous now.- I think we all are.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49There's one and a half points in it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53I think there'll only be one point in it at the end. I think it'll be close again.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58- Yeah, I think Wales has got a lot to be proud of.- Yeah, quite right.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01We've really given our all and that's all you can ask.
0:24:03 > 0:24:10- We've got to wait for the photo cos it's a photo finish. You can't split it at the moment.- No.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17It's time for the final showdown.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Don't look so nervous.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31So, Richard, yours was a passion fruit cream and gel, bitter chocolate sorbet.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I thought it was a very accomplished dish.
0:24:34 > 0:24:41I thought it was executed well, I thought the chocolate sorbet was perfect, lovely texture.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46The passion fruit gel was good. It wasn't too tart, which it could have been.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49You probably needed bigger gold leaves to wrap your sorbet.
0:24:49 > 0:24:55You were struggling with that. To really give it that polished finish, you needed it the whole way round.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00I mean, it was a good dish, but I don't think it was an exceptional dish.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Stephen, yours was the bronze, silver and gold.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It was fun presentation, lots of quirkiness in that respect.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15I thought your lemon meringue was delicious. The strawberry came through well on the trifle.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19And all the desserts stood quite independently of each other.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27I didn't particularly like the chocolate mousse. It could be firmer, I didn't like the texture.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30And you needed more of that gruau biscuit underneath.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34It wasn't gastronomically inventive. You know that, we know that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:42James, yours was the raspberry and lemon cheesecake. Lots of fun, lots of theatre without doubt,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47using all the latest techniques with dry ice, dehydrated raspberries, all the snow.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52I liked the raspberry aroma. I thought that really worked well at the end.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58Deconstructing something, you want to do blind-tasting to see if you get the full effect, and you did,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00but I felt I was eating a cheesecake.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Your chocolate cone needed to be much better tempered and less thick.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10I thought it was maybe superfluous to the dish and you needed more lemon through the dish.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18No-one is safe with Stephen on 21, James on 20 and Richard on 19½.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23Unfortunately, only two of you can go through to tomorrow to cook for the judges.
0:26:26 > 0:26:32So with a score of seven for their dessert putting them through to the judges is...
0:26:35 > 0:26:37..Stephen Terry.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So that leaves you, Richard, and you, James.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47So, James, for your raspberry and lemon cheesecake...
0:26:49 > 0:26:51..I'm giving you eight points.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Richard, for your passion fruit and chocolate dish,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I'm giving you...
0:27:00 > 0:27:02..eight points.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Which means, James, you go to cook tomorrow.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12- Well done, James. - Richard, huge commiserations. I think you did exceptionally well.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Well done, Stephen, well done, James, and good luck tomorrow.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Well done, James. - Good luck for tomorrow.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Good luck for tomorrow. Well done.- Cheers.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27So, with 28, James is getting a fresh stab at the final
0:27:27 > 0:27:32and goes through to the judges level-pegging with his old rival Stephen.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Sadly, Richard is runner-up once again.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38I can't believe I missed out by half a point. It was close all week.
0:27:38 > 0:27:45Hugely disappointing, but I wish the other two chefs the best of luck for the rest of the competition.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Hopefully, we'll see a Welsh dish at the banquet.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Ecstatic, absolutely fantastic. A great result.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I absolutely will be nervous because I really want this.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59For me, this time round, I've got to do it. I came so close before.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03This would be the icing on the cake for my career, I think.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07To do this for the Olympics, I would be absolutely over the moon.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Tomorrow, it's every man for himself...
0:28:10 > 0:28:13A bit of drama. What a pain in the backside!
0:28:13 > 0:28:16..as Stephen and James brave the judges...
0:28:16 > 0:28:20- This is delicious. - A bit of gold leaf. What's wrong with a bit of gastro bling?
0:28:20 > 0:28:25- ..to fight for that one place in the final.- I'm hugely competitive.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I'm really confident and I'll make sure he knows that.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33- You've got a lot going on. - Mate, this is my Achilles heel when it comes to timing.
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