Episode 3 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the Professional MasterChef quarterfinal.

These six talented chefs stood out in their heats.

Tonight, they'll face two more challenges

to test them even further.

I think when I get in there and get in the zone,

I can knuckle down and get on with the job.

The intensity of the environment has really

caught me out and rocked me a little bit.

I'm quite young, so everyone always expects the least.

So, yeah, I'm just trying to wow everyone.

First, they'll have to invent a dish from scratch.

I think it's an absolute triumph.

Those who deliver will cook

for the country's most discerning food critics.

I think that you two are the reason that no-one likes us.

Only the best will earn a place in Knockout Week.

These are our chosen six.

These are the chefs that we believe in.

We've seen them cook some wonderful dishes already.

I think we're in for a great battle.

Chefs, welcome to your quarterfinal.

Today is an invention test -

an invention test using spices.

What we have here is an array of wonderful ingredients -

some fruit and vegetables, fish and poultry.

Most importantly, we want to see at the heart of this dish spices.

There is turmeric, fennel seeds, you have some cardamom, some ginger,

cinnamon, star anise, cloves, chillies.

So much to choose from, but use them wisely.

You're going to need to cook some exceptional food

if you're going to get the chance to cook for our critics.

You can have ten minutes to choose your ingredients.

Off you go.

Spices are some of the most complicated ingredients

that a chef can cook with -

the right combination, the right amount of each spice,

but it's got to be there for a reason.

Yeah, I'm feeling confident.

I've used these spices quite regularly at work.

It's all about balance of the dish.

I've got a dish in mind.

So, that's come together quite quickly.

Just need to use these spices in a clever way

that brings flavour, doesn't overpower.

It's a huge amount of understanding needed here,

and also a lot of control.

You need to know what you're doing with them,

and they need to complement each other,

otherwise you could ruin the dish.

Guys, your ten minutes is up.

70 minutes to give us that perfect spice dish.

Off you go.

I would say I'm pretty creative as a chef.

This is what I do at work most days -

just get given the load of random ingredients and just put dishes

together out of thin air.

Will, how do you feel about our spice challenge?

Er, yeah, pretty confident about it.

I like using spices all the time.

So, I'm going to roast the quail on the crown, take the breasts off.

I'm going to do it with couscous spiced with fenugreek,

coriander seeds,

fennel seeds, turmeric, paprika and ginger.

Are you scared of spice? Are you worried?

No, it's just hard to judge the amount, isn't it?

Without scales and weighing them out and everything.

So... So, how are you going to judge what you have?

-Just by taste.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

-All right.

-Hopefully, it'll surprise you.

Really love the idea of couscous -

that will definitely take all the different types of spices

Will has got on his bench.

But quail is a very delicate bird,

it doesn't have a great deal of flavour.

So, the spices have got to bring out the best of that quail.

I learnt a lot so far from the competition,

and I've learnt that less is more.

And hopefully, I can show the judges

today that I've took the comments on board and I'm going to do better.

So, we're doing a spiced apple crumble.

And we're going to do that with some hazelnuts through that.

And we're going to do a white chocolate custard to go with that.

I'm going to do some honeycomb as well,

just for a bit of texture in there.

I think spiced crumble or spice in a crumble is a great idea.

This is not going to be a crumble in a bowl with custard, though, is it?

I'm going to try and modernise it a little bit.

We all know a good crumble.

Mums make crumble, we make crumble,

and everyone has their perfect crumble in mind.

Cinnamon and apple, perfect combination.

Like the sound of that.

Chris has also got pink peppercorns, star anise,

to accompany the cinnamon.

This sounds like a marriage made in heaven.

Can Chris make this a stunning, modern-looking crumble?

If he can, we're onto a winner.

You've had 15 minutes, you've got 55 minutes left.

The dish that I'd done

for my signature dish went down really well.

But the standard is very high.

I think I'm just going to have to go in there with a clear head,

and just work clean and efficient as possible.

-What are you cooking?

-I'm doing guinea fowl,

which I've taken the breast off the carcass

and I've rolled into a little bit of turmeric

and a small amount of curry powder,

with curried aubergine puree, a chicken sauce,

some sweetcorn that's been cooked in pink peppercorns, thyme.

I'm going to serve that just with some carrots,

then a little bit of cardamom.

Wow. You've got a lot going on.

Yeah. Some spices I haven't used a lot of, to be honest with you, but,

yeah, I'll adapt quickly.

Guinea fowl is a delicate flavour and it needs a delicate touch,

especially when it comes to the spices.

But what it can do is sit with the fabulous garnishes with other spices

that can bring new flavours to the dish,

which I'm really excited about.

I would definitely have to say I would prefer to plan something.

But nobody has recipes,

or no-one has anything in their head that they're going to produce today.

It's literally just getting there, see what you have,

and then you've got to make the best of it.

Jamie, spices.

-How do you feel about them?

-Mixed, really.

I enjoy spiced food, but personally using them -

not very much experience.

What is your dish, Jamie?

So, I have some sole,

I'm just going to roast up quite simply.

I've got a little curried aubergine puree.

I've got the clams, I'm going to give them a little tempura -

nice and crispy.

And then just season those with a little bit of curry salt

-when they come out.

-So, your core flavour, really,

is just curry powder?

The levels of different spice and aromats come from the sauce.

-The sauce is really what's going to bring everything together.

-Right.

In there, you have the chilli, the ginger, the lemon grass,

-the coriander.

-You're looking a little bit nervous, apprehensive.

Apprehensive, yes.

Confidence, Jamie.

Yeah, I'll have it.

You'll see it on the plate at the end, not from me.

Sole is a very delicate flavoured fish,

and he's got to be very careful that the broth does not overpower it.

Can it work? Yes, it can.

Is it in the right hands? Well, at the moment,

it's in very nervous hands, but it could work.

Chefs, you got 20 minutes left.

20 minutes for your best spice dish.

I expected to come back feeling more comfortable than I did on the heats,

and it certainly isn't the case.

But you really have to stay focused, you have to try your hardest.

I will give it my everything.

Ryan is giving us a curried broth.

He's going to use the cooking juices of the clam -

curry powder, fennel and cardamom.

Sea bass is his choice of fish for today.

He's going to pan-fry it just to serve with this dish.

He is the most experienced chef in the kitchen.

He should have no problem with this dish.

Ryan. Happy with the challenge?

It's not my area, I don't even really eat spicy food.

So, I'm a little bit on edge.

I'm just trying to do justice to the ingredients and deliver something

-that's balanced.

-It's a shame to see you being thrown by the test,

isn't it? Cos that's not what we want.

I just don't have any experience, I don't eat it.

It's really out of my comfort zone.

I hope you like it. I'm excited about what I'm going to give you.

I hope I've got the balance right.

-But...

-Have you got a spice rack at home in your kitchen?

-No!

-Oh, God. I thought everyone had a spice rack at home.

No.

I feel like I've performed a bit hit and miss.

I need to be thinking about the basics.

You know, get those done right and then just build upon that.

-Gareth?

-Yes.

-Quarterfinalist, how do you feel?

Feel quite confident at the moment.

Everything's going how I want it to go.

We've got gurnard, which I'm going to pan-fry.

I've made a curry oil, which I'm going to cook it in

and just season it with lemon juice.

So, I've made like almost a bit of a broth sauce.

Used the stock from the clams.

In through there as well we've got chilli, ginger and lemon grass.

A bit of meatiness you get from the gurnard should be able to take it

a bit better than, say, plaice.

I agree. I think gurnard can take some strong flavours.

I've got to make sure I nail it, then, don't I?

Great ingredients, great choice of spices.

But the key to a good gurnard is making sure that it's beautifully

pan-fried, it's got great caramelisation,

and there are no pin bones in there.

Gurnard has lots of hidden bones inside,

and I hope they've all been removed.

We have three broths in the room, all matching with seafood.

We have a sole, which is very fragile.

We have a gurnard, which can take big flavours.

And then we also have sea bass,

which is also another fish that can be overpowered quite easily.

These chefs have really got to get the balance of their broths right.

Chefs, you've got two minutes left!

60 seconds to finish your plate.

-Stewart, you're going to have to get a move on.

-Yes, Chef.

That's it, stop cooking.

Step back from your bench.

First up is Ryan.

His roasted sea bass has been served in a broth spiced with fennel seeds,

lemon grass, chilli, cardamom, star anise and lime,

and is accompanied by wilted spinach, clams, green beans,

tomatoes and coriander leaf.

What you've got here, Ryan,

is you've got a very safe, clean, fresh...

.."must try harder" dish.

It's not a bad dish, and it has been cooked well,

the fish especially and the spinach.

The broth just needs a little bit more energy, a bit more oomph.

It's a nice, simple broth.

It's not one that's screaming out

that Ryan has really been brave enough

to dive in and use the spices, which is what this challenge is all about.

I have let myself down by not pushing myself, which is...

It defeats the object.

So, hopefully you've seen I've got potential there.

I've got a lot more.

Stewart's guinea fowl was cooked in a turmeric and curry oil.

He served it with tomatoes, baby aubergine, courgette,

cardamom carrots and sweetcorn

cooked with pink peppercorns and thyme.

Alongside, curried aubergine puree and a chicken peppercorn sauce.

You've cooked the guinea fowl very well,

but I almost feel like I've got to go searching for the spice

in this dish because there's so much going on.

And the spices are only really coming through

in your aubergine puree.

And that's just right at the very end.

The best way to get flavour out of spices is to warm them through and

bring out that moisture.

So, the oil that I was so looking forward to around the guinea fowl

is not coming out as strong as I thought it would.

There are some good things on this plate of food,

but the heart of this dish should be the underlying flavours of spice

and I'm not finding it in this dish.

Totally understandable.

I don't think I've hit the brief on the spice.

I can see where they're coming from.

For his spice dish,

Gareth has pan-roasted gurnard in a curry oil and served it with

cauliflower beignet coated in curried batter

with torched baby gem, clams, confit potatoes,

toasted almonds and spring onions...

..in a broth made with chilli, ginger, lemon grass,

coriander and coconut milk.

The star of this is your broth.

It's a good broth, it's got a bit of body through it.

It's got flavour. And I like that you added coconut cream,

which I wasn't expecting - the richness that this broth has.

I like the crispy cauliflower beignet. I do taste the curry.

And also the fresh gem counteracts the sharpness that you have in this

broth, but I think you've been a bit cautious on the spice side.

The broth is excellent, without a doubt.

But pour all the broth into the dish, so that every mouthful

you're going to get your broth with the ingredients.

Once the broth is gone,

this becomes a very boring dish for me.

It was good feedback, you know. It's all you can ask for, isn't it?

It wasn't... I don't feel like I got slated.

Jamie's dish is roast lemon sole,

topped with a curry sauteed clam beignet,

served with roasted baby aubergine,

a curried aubergine puree and a broth infused with chilli, ginger,

lemon grass and coriander.

I think it's an absolute triumph.

Sauce, broth, call it whatever you like,

it's got a lovely warmth sitting in the back of my throat.

And it works very well with this dish.

The fish is beautifully cooked, but even the beignet works.

All the neutral things work very well with the spices.

And the puree underneath is absolutely delicious.

And I've got the lovely flavour just sitting on my palate right now,

which makes me so happy.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

The seasoning is spot on, on that fish.

Now, this sauce, the flavour that I have left on my palate is chilli,

lemon grass and the coriander, which is just divine.

I think I'm still a little bit in a state of shock, to be honest.

I'm just trying to digest it.

Yeah, Marcus actually smiled.

Will has served roasted quail breast with an aubergine and almond

couscous, spiced with fenugreek,

coriander, fennel seeds and turmeric,

along with caramelised pineapple,

charred baby gem and a parsley and carrot top salsa verde.

Carrot top salsa verde?

-Yep.

-Where does that come from?

It's just a bit different in there, it's not just parsley.

I did half and half so it's still real fresh and light.

Quail with spices always going to be very risky because it's such

a delicate flavour. And I think what you've done here,

I think it's actually really quite clever.

I think the couscous is absolutely delicious.

I really do like the level of spice that you've got through there.

The salsa verde - carrot tops and parsley?

It works! It's really clever!

It's a light dish, there's no heavy sauce,

and I quite like the way you've done that.

I have enjoyed the way that the pineapple brings

that sweetness to this whole dish. It's quite clever.

I think with spices, you know,

it's important to have something that counteracts it,

and you brought that with the sweetness of this pineapple.

Thanks.

It went better than I thought.

I really wasn't very happy with my dish,

but then had some good comments.

So, yeah, happy with it in the end.

Finally, it's Chris, who is the only contestant to have made a dessert.

His spiced apple crumble includes cinnamon crumb,

pickled raw apple, a cinnamon apple compote, hazelnuts, honeycomb,

and a white chocolate custard spiced with star anise.

I'm missing a lot of the crumble.

This is not a real crumble -

this texture I've got with the flour and the sugar and the butter.

I understand the idea of where you're going with it.

I can taste the start anise in the custard,

but I find it so sickly sweet because of the addition of the white

chocolate. I like the ideas,

I just don't think you've executed them to your best.

The apple's got a little of tart to it, a little bit of zing to it.

Not a great deal because even the puree's on the sweet side.

And the honeycomb is an addition that was nice,

it's just added more sweetness.

Unfortunately, the sugar and sweetness of this dish

overtakes spice.

They're the guys you want to really impress,

and hearing things like that does knock you a bit.

But on the other hand, they are, like, constructive

and I can learn from what the judges have said to me so far.

Great ideas here today, some interesting spice combinations.

We're looking for the four chefs who have cooked the best dishes that we

can put through to a very, very difficult next round - our critics.

Go and take a break, and we'll call you back in when we've made our

decision. Thank you, guys.

Wow, what a great day in the kitchen.

I love the spice challenge, and I really think it did test our chefs.

One or two of our chefs had a rabbit-in-the-headlights moment,

but I think, overall, our chefs did well today.

I think our standout chef was Jamie.

He's the one chef that pushed the boundary of spices.

Wow, did he deliver the power on the plate?!

Will - I really liked the presentation of his dish.

Great choice of plate, and I thought the colours worked beautifully well.

The couscous had its warmth and the heat from the spices that he put

through. Some nice ideas here.

Jamie and Will, for me,

are two chefs that should go through to cook for our critics.

Great job today. As for the other four,

we've got two to keep and two to send home.

Ryan admitted that he does not cook with a lot of spices

and just put together a dish that he knew would be sort of safe.

I thought Stew was just trying a little bit too hard today.

He grabbed tons of ingredients, lots of spices,

but yet they didn't really work together.

Gareth used a gurnard, he made that wonderful broth.

And I wanted him to just to pour all of that broth into the dish so that

every mouthful got some of the broth.

That's where the real flavour of spice was.

Chris was the only one brave enough to give us a dessert.

I like the ideas, I just don't think he executed it well enough.

The sweetness just overtook everything on that plate.

I don't know, I feel like mine

was the worst one today from the comments.

But, you know, it's whatever they say.

Yeah, I would be gutted if I went home cos it's still early days

and I've still got a lot to offer. So...

I think I might have done enough

to show them that, you know, I can cook.

And, you know, but...

Let's just wait and see.

I'd love to cook my food for the critics.

I don't want to get my hopes up

because then I'll just be more disappointed if I don't get through.

Some great cooking in the kitchen today.

And interesting spice combinations, as well.

Only four of you can go through.

The first chef leaving us today is...

..Chris.

Our second chef leaving us is...

..Stewart.

-Thanks for everything.

-Thank you, Stewart.

It's not the result I was looking for, obviously.

But I'm happy to be a quarterfinalist.

It's another thing to put on the CV, to say that I've got this far.

It's not a good feeling. I wanted to go as far as I can.

I wish them all really the best of luck.

Hopefully, they'll do themselves justice.

-MARCUS:

-Well done, Chefs. Don't get too complacent.

You got the critics in the next round.

And they know their food.

You are now cooking some of your own food, not just for Marcus and I,

but for some of the most renowned critics in the country.

Do you have what it takes?

Well, I sure hope so because we've chosen you to be in this kitchen.

You need to give us two of your best courses.

After this, one of you is going to be leaving the competition

and three of you will be going through to Knockout Week.

This is a chance for you to shine.

Give it your best shot.

You've got one hour and 15 minutes, off you go.

Gareth, what are your dishes?

So, we've got halibut, which I'm going to cook in a sous-vide.

We've got some asparagus.

I've got braised baby gem.

Going to do, like, a fried crispy cabbage on top.

And then we've also got verjus beurre blanc.

-And, pudding?

-I'm doing a pistachio souffle with dark chocolate creme

anglaise. And I've got raspberries with prosecco.

A souffle at this time in the competition, that's ballsy,

-I've got to give you that.

-Especially cos I know your critics

and yourselves have had thousands of souffles in your lives.

Do you think with the time restraint you're going to be fine?

Er, yeah. I practised it before.

I've always been just in time, but obviously I understand

the pressures are very, very different today.

So...

I think as long as I keep my head down,

make no silly mistakes, then, yeah,

I should be on time.

I like the sounds of the whole menu that Gareth has put together.

He seems quite confident with it.

These are dishes tried and tested.

I hope Gareth can keep it cool,

composed and give us some wonderful cooking.

The only way you're going to stand out is if you take a few risks.

The souffle is the risk I'm taking today.

I think I need to prove to the judges and the critics

that I want it more than everyone else.

Ryan's main course is going to be roe deer.

And he's serving this with asparagus and a smoked potato puree

with girolles and summer truffle.

Normally, venison is served with earthy vegetables.

But Ryan's kept it nice and light and incredibly seasonal.

So, I'm looking forward to it, and I think it will work.

For a dessert, Ryan is making a mousse flavoured with elderflower.

He's braising his mousse, so I guess it is a parfait.

He's also making a meringue, which he's sprinkling with bee pollen.

And he's picked some sweet cicely,

which has an aniseedy flavour,

which will go very well with everything on this dessert.

Sometimes that elderflower cordial can be incredibly sweet.

So, the balance of sweet here has got to be right.

To get it all out in an hour and 15 is going to be hard work,

but I'm in the mood for hard work.

I really want to push, I want to prove myself after the last round.

Just hope I don't mess up.

Because that would be a disaster.

How do you feel about cooking

for some of the best critics in the country?

Nervous, but I get nervous cooking for everybody just about,

cos everyone's your critic, aren't they?

So... The whole competition, you can't hide anything,

they'll see through everything.

The same as you guys. I don't know what was wrong with me

on my spice challenge. It wasn't me, I wasn't myself.

But hopefully I can get by head down, get sorted and get this out.

And you'll be happy.

I'm big-time up for it today, actually.

I've been running through the dishes in my head,

like, over and over again.

Like each element, each component, how I'm going to work through it.

Quite a geeky way.

Hi, Jamie.

-What are your dishes?

-So, I'm doing a roast rump of lamb.

Just pretty old-school in the pot, loads of rosemary, thyme, garlic -

nice aromats in there. That's going to be served with Jersey Royals.

And then I have like a chimichurri sort of dressing

that's almost like a spicy salsa verde.

For dessert, I'm doing blackberry and apple crumble.

Our critics... our critics love their crumbles.

So do we.

How are you making your crumble?

So, basically taking each element of the crumble,

and what makes a crumble so satisfying,

and just rebuilding in sort of a more modern, refined way.

If Jamie can wow us and those critics

with this deconstructed crumble,

this chef is on his way for sure.

Rump of lamb is always a winner,

but what's really caught my attention is this chimichurri sauce.

Parsley with garlic, shallots.

And he's binding it together with oil and an avocado.

That has to complement that dish.

Really love the sound of his menu.

-Hiya, Will.

-Hello.

-What are your dishes?

So for the main, I'm doing just pan-fried hake and scallops

with pickled Jersey Royals.

Half of them I'm pickling in beetroot pickling liquor,

the other half in saffron and turmeric.

So those bright colours.

And then for dessert, a white chocolate and oregano tart,

with Italian meringue, oregano curd and some roasted white chocolate.

Will, you're now our youngest chef in the kitchen.

-This menu has got to be absolutely perfect for the critics.

-Yeah.

I've practised quite a few times so I'm feeling pretty confident on

my menu, so it's just getting everything done now.

There's quite a lot of elements going on.

Will's dish sounds absolutely bonkers.

We have pickled potatoes with saffron and turmeric,

and some with beetroot juice.

It's completely new on me.

Will's dessert, the question I'm going to ask myself is,

does the chocolate work with the oregano?

It's daring, it's risky,

it's a young chef trying incredibly hard to impress.

It's just unusual, different ways of doing stuff

which not many people do. I just want to get that across.

I can do the old-school techniques and bring some modern style into it,

mix it up, show what I can do.

Our chefs need to keep it together.

Those critics, they're like hawks - they will zoom in on any mistakes.

What's really interesting is when

you see real real-live talent come together

in this room, bringing together Mother Nature's best,

and doing it with a little bit of subtle magic.

Nothing gives food critics more excitement

than feeling we have bragging

rights, that we met those future stars and that we spotted them.

What has become clear over the years

is that it's this round, when us

so-called critics enter the room,

when, if they're going to fall apart, they do.

Oh, well, cheers, guys.

Cheers.

Ryan. Only 12 minutes before your first course is due.

-How are we doing?

-I'm a little bit behind.

What are we looking at - ten, five, three minutes over?

-Two?

-A couple of minutes, I think.

-Go for it, Ryan, yeah?

-Thank you very much.

I'm worried that there's a little bit too much sweetness in here,

and one too many ingredients.

Can he do them all to perfection?

Can he actually cook a loin of roe deer?

Will the asparagus be just slightly al dente?

Will we taste the girolles?

Will it be smothered by the smokiness of the potato?

Ryan is definitely under pressure right now.

He's got less than five minutes.

His meat is still sitting in the water bath -

and it doesn't look cooked at all.

He's got a lot of work to do.

How are you finding it?

-Very, very stressful.

-What have we got left to do?

Erm, sear the meat, rest it, cook the girolles, plate up.

Ryan, your time is up.

OK, I'm plating now.

-How's that meat looking, Ryan?

-Erm...

-Raw?

-No. No, it's not raw - it's not raw.

-I don't think it's raw.

-What would Marcus Wareing know anyway?

No...

-Is that it?

-That's it, yeah.

Off you go.

I apologise for being late.

-Good afternoon, everybody.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Ryan's main course is loin of roe deer, served with smoked potato,

asparagus, girolles, summer truffle and a chicken Madeira sauce.

I'm not squeamish,

but there is something utterly revolting about seeing

that blood trickling through the white of the mashed potato,

and I find it really off-putting.

It's so rare that it's bleeding out across the plate.

There is no depth to this jus.

It's a lot of acidity with no kind of meaty savouriness.

Nothing else is jumping for joy.

The girolles - undercooked.

These baby onions - I mean, they haven't - have they touched heat?

In its favour, I loved the smoked potato.

It's delicious.

But it was all just a little bit Reservoir Dogs.

The venison is just...

..just on the border here.

Yeah, I think we got the more cooked piece.

I love the flavours of the smoky mashed potato.

The girolles, slightly under. And nothing's been seasoned,

but we know why - it's because he's in a panic,

he's flustered and he's taken his eye off the ball.

I'm not sure I've actually seen an iced mousse.

It may just be another word for a parfait.

I've always got a bottle of elderflower cordial in my fridge.

It's one of my favourite tastes, so a mousse - fantastic.

-How are we looking, Ryan?

-Yeah, I'm OK.

-What's that?

-Just a sweet cicely puree.

So what else is there?

Elderflower curd and the meringue, and just a few elderflowers.

-You all done?

-Yeah.

I think he found that incredibly difficult.

Yes, very, very tough time for Ryan.

Ryan's dessert is an iced elderflower mousse,

served with elderflower curd, golden and red raspberries,

sweet cicely syrup, and bee pollen meringue.

After the disappointment of the first course,

I think that he has pulled things back slightly.

I think there is an elderflower punch.

I think that it's simple, but it also shows that he...

..he cares about ingredients,

and he cares about trying to challenge people.

Challenge people? There's nothing challenging about this.

It's a...you know, affable creamy thing on a plate.

I'm interested to have tasted the sweet cicely - it's quite nice,

it's quite exotic, it's quite herby.

But as a dish - looks pretty but doesn't really deliver flavour.

I think that you two are the reason that no-one likes us.

I quite like that creamy texture.

If anything, I would say the elderflower needs to be a little bit

stronger. The sweet cicely and the little curds running through

-this dish is fabulous.

-This, for me, I think,

it just needs something with a bit of texture, a bit of crunch,

to finish the dessert off.

I shouldn't have been late on that first course.

I've tried to push myself today, and I've probably pushed myself too far.

There were silly mistakes caused by rushing.

Nothing I can do now.

Jamie, this is probably the cleanest bench

I've ever seen on critics' day,

-with ten minutes still left to go.

-Thanks, Marcus.

Roast lamb rump, Jersey Royals, chimichurri watercress -

phenomenally beautiful combinations.

The thing that I'm most excited about is to see what he's done

with Jersey Royals.

It reads simple.

I'd suspect it will be a little more complicated than that.

I hope the chimichurri really does have a bit of a bite and a kick.

I hope he's cooked the lamb rump perfectly.

-You're getting there.

-Yeah. Finishing the dishes now.

-Sauce is good to go?

-The sauce is ready to rock and roll.

Right, time's up now, Jamie.

-Final touches, OK?

-Yes, Chef.

-What is that?

-So this is the mint liquorice tea,

like quite a mild mint liquorice flavour.

-Are you done?

-Good to go, Chef.

Very nice.

Jamie's main course is roast rump of lamb, served with Jersey Royals,

garlic sour cream, chimichurri and avocado sauce,

and a sprinkling of mint liquorice tea.

The lamb just done beautifully.

You know those Jersey Royals...

..beautifully done, and then crushed, and then oily and crunchy.

The chimichurri with the avocado is absolutely fascinating,

because you get that sort of minty garlicky hit,

and it's softened by the avocado, and just the right measure.

It really works, but it doesn't overwhelm the lamb,

which is still there and being itself.

This is proper cooking.

You're going to remember it and avoid kissing anybody for a while,

but it's really good stuff.

-Oh, that's a shame.

-Oh, darling.

This dish is an absolute triumph,

and those fabulously crushed potatoes underneath -

I am really impressed with what he's done.

Well, this can go one of two ways.

He can either make us a perfect apple and blackberry crumble,

or he can destroy all our hopes and dreams by trying to be clever.

I don't want to see a deconstructed crumble that - you know,

that makes me cross.

It's not that deconstructed.

No, you see, it's a crumble with some ice cream in there.

So this is like the blackberry custard.

-Are you done?

-Yes, Chef.

All right, off you go.

Never had purple custard before!

Jamie's dessert is an apple and blackberry crumble,

with blackberry sorbet, blackberry foam,

and freeze-dried blackberry powder.

Even if you want to be sceptical, once you get in there,

all the things that a crumble has are there.

Lots of blackberry flavours, big lumps of crunchy crumble,

soft apple spice - oh, it's delightful.

The blackberry foam...

..is absolutely fascinating - amazing lightness of the texture.

Cos it does look a bit heavy,

and you get into it and it sort of floats.

To me, this isn't a crumble -

it's an entirely different space creature.

But you're pleased to have met it?

-LAUGHS:

-Yes!

The crumble is really good, great crunchiness to it.

It's a delicious dessert, and Jamie's done well today.

I'm happy with the dishes.

It's super tough, but this is, I think, what chefs love.

We like to be in a little bit of trouble,

we like to be sinking a little bit - it sort of turns us on,

makes us work a little bit harder.

How's it going, Gareth?

Yeah, good. Just need to plate up, and blowtorch my fish,

and the sauce is finished.

Garnish is all ready?

Yeah.

Can Gareth cook a piece of fish perfectly,

just in time for us critics to eat it?

I damn well hope so because it has a lot of promise, that dish.

Two minutes left.

It's going to come down to the beurre blanc.

Does he know how to make one?

If it's done right, it is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

-You look about done.

-Yeah, done.

Gareth's main course is halibut, served with asparagus,

braised baby gem,

hispi cabbage, pork lardo,

with a tomato concasse,

caper and almond dressing,

and a verjus beurre blanc.

My fish is perfectly cooked.

I love that hispi cabbage.

I love the fact it's slightly charred -

it seems to work really beautifully.

The asparagus is perfectly al dente,

and there's a little hint of butter with it as well.

There is so much going on here.

The beurre blanc is just a little bit over emulsified.

It's just that little bit too thick.

And yet I kind of like it.

There's flavours in here that are really, really pleasant.

It's a big, meaty, butch plateful.

Just when you think you've seen everything, you find a caper,

and I rather like it. You know, I think this person's got flair.

I think they've got finesse.

He's cooked the fish well. He's made a nice sauce.

It's a little bit on the sweet and sour side,

and it really brings this dish together.

15 minutes for your souffle.

-Yes.

-Are you going to be OK?

Yeah.

I love a souffle.

I think that anyone that brings a souffle to MasterChef

has clearly got a bit of swagger.

This could be absolutely magnificent.

I can't wait.

The raspberries tingling with a little bit of Italian fizz.

Be quick.

-OK, ready to run?

-Yes.

Don't drop.

For your dessert, we've got a pistachio souffle,

dark chocolate creme anglaise,

raspberries in prosecco,

and you've got salted pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries.

And that's exactly what it should do.

-Oh, my word.

-Mm!

The souffle is precision,

but what's so clever is the flavour of the pistachio doesn't

overwhelm you, it's still quite soft.

The chocolate sauce, which is cold,

you pour into the souffle and the souffle warms it up.

-It's just magic.

-It has a beautiful drinking chocolate taste,

which is so comforting, it just kind of takes you back to being a child

and being given a little cup of chocolate before bed.

I love the raspberries, they are boozy, there's a kick to them.

It's all lovely.

These were very well made,

it's got a lovely texture and it all works together.

But I think if I was blind tasting,

I'd think I was eating a chocolate souffle,

because the chocolate sauce

overtakes the flavour of the pistachio.

Still a good souffle, though.

Overall, I'm quite happy with what I've done.

You know, I didn't embarrass myself, not knowingly, anyway yet, so...

Will, you've got four minutes.

How are you doing? Are you going to be all right?

I'm a little bit behind, but should...

Maybe a minute late, I reckon.

What have you got left to do, Will?

I've just got to cook my scallops and then plate up.

Keep it together, Will. You're almost there.

There are so many bear traps in this.

Acidity, for a start.

Both pickled Jersey Royals and the sun-blushed tomatoes.

He's got to fry the scallops at the very last minute,

when he's at his most harassed.

Come on, Will.

-You're getting it together now.

-Yes.

Might want to stand back just in case.

-What's left?

-Just to put the scallops on.

-OK.

-A bit too ambitious.

Too much stuff going on.

Good lad. Right, take it through.

That's youth under pressure.

-I felt for him.

-Been a long time since we've been there!

So, today I've done for you pan-fried hake,

pickled Jersey Royals,

a lemon braised leek, bacon and roe foam.

And roasted tomatoes.

He's presented us with a foam,

and the foam has done exactly the thing that we all fear,

where it's kind of turned into a gloop.

My foam has held its own.

-I like all these colours.

-Good for you.

Aw. You're just happy to be out of the house, aren't you?

HE CHUCKLES

Well, this is everything I thought it was going to be and less.

The scallops, overcooked.

The main piece of fish is falling all over the place.

The bacon foam isn't really in, it's collapsed.

I think I've found the only way that I don't like potatoes.

-Have you?

-It's taken me four decades.

But you're there. There's a metallic taste to this pickle, as well.

Yes. I mean, it's just... it's a vinegary potato.

And even though it looks like quite a sort of pretty dainty, slightly

wacky, slightly modernist creation,

it doesn't deliver lovely, warm,

beautiful hug-me flavour.

Now that I've tried pickled potatoes,

I'd happily go back to a plain potato.

I quite like the foam underneath.

You can taste the bacon coming through, and that does work.

He would have had the makings of a really good dish here,

but he's just trying, I think, too hard.

Will, you've got 15 minutes.

What's left to do for the dessert?

So, I need to bake my tart filling.

And make an Italian meringue.

-What?

-In 15 minutes?

Yes, I don't like to do things easily.

Is he joking with the oregano?

Oregano has no place in a pudding.

He'll surprise the entire food world if he can prove that oregano goes

with white chocolate.

-It's a bit of a waiting game now, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, just disappointed.

-Come on, you'll get there.

Will, your time is now up.

Yeah.

-How's it looking?

-Rubbish.

I was going to try and settle them down.

Another minute, and then I'm just going to pipe the meringue on top,

and it can be served warm...

..which isn't what I wanted.

-You're going to have to go with it.

-Yeah.

-Let's get these going.

-Yeah.

It's sort of split. I didn't let it cool down enough.

Let's finish it off, Will. Come on, get your curd on.

So, this is a white chocolate custard tart

with Italian meringue, roasted white chocolate and oregano curd.

And is the oregano in the tart?

Yes, and in the curd as well.

OK. Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

This is one of the most extraordinary things

I've ever put in my mouth.

It's such a strange pudding,

because the roasted white chocolate tastes like cheese,

and he's put oregano in it as well.

So, therefore, what you've ended up with is kind of

a mix between lemon meringue pie and one of those tiny little party

pizzas. I've never seen its like.

And, William, you'll never see its like again, it's all gone!

I feel very, very peculiar, because I really didn't like it.

THEY LAUGH

Yet there was some inextricable pull on me,

making me eat more and more and more of it, and liking it.

Will you tell no-one about this?

I don't want anyone to know that I've eaten this.

I just find the whole plate so sickly sweet.

So sweet.

The meringue hasn't worked.

The dish doesn't look great at all.

The oregano, I just didn't think would work.

It's really quite weird, because the warmth of the custard is actually

really quite nice.

Terrible - it couldn't have gone any worse for me.

I just tried to be too ambitious, and time just flew by.

Not happy.

This is one of the toughest rounds in the competition.

I thought they did a really good job.

Jamie seems to be surprising me every step of the way.

I think his development is fabulous to see.

The critics also loved Jamie's cooking today,

so I think he's a very clear favourite to go through

-to Knockout Week.

-I agree.

The critics really enjoyed Gareth's main course,

and that is because he's a chef who makes food that you want eat.

Here's a chef that put a souffle on as a dessert for critics' day.

That takes some courage, and he did it, and he did it very well.

So we've got Jamie and Gareth through,

that leaves us Will and Ryan.

Ryan's main course, the amount of blood

that had just seeped everywhere,

-that was not appealing.

-But my memory of this dish

was the smoked pomme puree. I really did enjoy that.

And I feel that the dessert had interesting value to it.

For me, I thought it missed a bit of texture, a biscuit,

or more of that meringue.

I thought Will was incredibly ambitious today.

He really came into this kitchen and wanted to impress.

There were things on the plate that I liked,

and there were other things I absolutely didn't want to look at.

We had to make sure Will got through the last bit,

it was hard to watch him struggle to finish his tart.

The flavour of the oregano and the white chocolate did work for me.

The rest didn't come together.

The question we've got to ask ourselves is which of the two chefs,

Ryan or Will, can flourish under the pressure that's coming next.

If I got through, I'd be delighted,

and I would probably go and say prayers at a church

to say thank you,

cos there must be some divine intervention.

To get through with those dishes would be...

Like, I don't understand how that would happen,

but if I did, it would be incredible,

but not holding my breath.

Some great cooking today.

It was never going to be easy.

None of you gave up.

You all managed to give us two courses today,

and I thank you for that.

Unfortunately, one of you is leaving the competition.

The chef leaving us is...

-..Will.

-Thank you very much, cheers.

Thank you, Will.

I'm pretty disappointed,

but just gave myself too much of a big task and,

yeah, failed.

Congratulations, you're through to Knockout Week.

Well done, Chefs, well done.

I'm so happy that I've got through to Knockout Week.

As each round goes on, I'm gaining experience,

and I think I'll be stronger.

I think I can afford a little smile.

Everything went as well as it could have done for me today,

so I feel good.

I'm absolutely delighted to go through, cos it gives me

a chance to fight another day, and to prove myself.

I've got a lot to prove.

-Good luck.

-Cheers.

Next week, another six chefs compete

for a place in the quarterfinals.

Get a hold of your nerves, you're a pro chef.

Now it's all about your signature dish.

You really need to give it your best shot.

Given to me in a restaurant, plate goes back to the kitchen empty,

I can't say more than that.