Episode 13 MasterChef: The Professionals

Only an elite group of chefs holds two Michelin stars.

Michel Roux Jr is one of them.

Tomas, two Saint Jacques au passe, now.

Now he and MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace

are on the hunt for Britain's next culinary superstar.

A professional with the talent to cut it in the world's top kitchens.

Perfect.

This week's chefs all believe they've got the skill to cook at the highest level.

I'm as passionate as they come. I live and breathe the job. I love it.

Scallops away!

It's in the blood. It was my destiny to be a chef.

Service, please!

To get to where I want to get, I'll do whatever it takes.

I'm really going to go for it.

But first, they have to impress Michel's sous-chef, Monica Galetti,

who has set them two tests to prove they're good enough to cook for Michel.

This is professional MasterChef. Everybody knows how high the standard is.

These chefs need to be able to keep their cool, even under pressure.

Bring it on. Let's see 'em.

Welcome. This is it.

This is your first test on professional MasterChef.

In front of you, you have six ingredients.

What we want from you is one good dish, sweet or savoury. Up to you.

Please uncover your ingredients.

You have tofu,

wild mushrooms,

strawberries,

basil,

aubergine and white chocolate,

as well as a limited larder.

Ten minutes' prep time starts now.

This is the perfect opportunity for you to show me how good you are.

And that you deserve to go through and cook for my boss.

Your 50 minutes' cooking time starts now.

They need to dig into their chef's repertoire

and create something amazing from these ingredients.

They could make pasta if they wanted.

Flat bread as well. Some savoury tuiles.

Or a sweet options. Tarts, strawberry souffle

and choux pastry.

I was classically trained so I like to do classic dishes with a modern twist.

-Mark, what are you making?

-Strawberry tart with chocolate and a basil cream.

-Basil cream?

-It goes well with the chocolate.

-It complements it.

-Why are you on MasterChef?

Because it's my time in life to do something I want to do.

-Mark, good luck.

-Thanks very much.

Ten minutes gone already.

What are you making, Ben?

I'm thinking strawberries, balsamic and black pepper

-and also a white chocolate mousse.

-Why are you a chef, Ben?

-My family are in the trade.

-Who was the chef in your family?

-My dad.

He was head chef at The Ritz in London, so I have a lot to live up to!

-I'm hoping to get one up on him today!

-Good luck, mate!

-Thank you.

If I can keep a clear head and do what I do every day of my life, then I should be OK.

He needs the right amount of white chocolate and cream

to hold this mousse because he doesn't have any gelatine at all.

It'll be a lovely delicate mousse if he makes it right.

I've been a chef for seven years now.

I think I do have talent. I may be seen as a diamond in the rough that needs dusting up a bit.

I think I have potential.

Josh, what are you making?

It's strawberry mille-feuille with shortbread biscuit.

-I love pastry. I've got a sweet tooth.

-Me and you both.

Do you know where you'd like to be? Any ambition?

I've worked in Michelin-starred kitchens, so I'd like to stay in fine dining.

I'd like to wow people with some cooking.

I think my strengths as a chef are that I'm young,

I'm enthusiastic and I'm willing to learn as well.

Tom, what do you dream of doing?

Opening up my own place in Wales.

We've got a lot of local produce there.

I've never met a Welshman who's not passionate about food.

-What are you going to make?

-A basil shortbread with white chocolate mousse

-and a peppered strawberry coulis.

-Looking forward to what you can do.

This is great technique as a chef to make a perfect shortbread.

I hope he makes it well and that it's a great dish.

I've been a professional chef for 22 years.

I have more confidence now, being older.

Now it's time to step up to the plate.

Ursula, what are you making?

A caramelised onion tartlet with spicy aubergine, tomato and basil.

-Sounds really nice.

-Thanks a lot. Thank you.

Cooking's about on the day.

You can have a really good day or a really bad day.

If I produce good food, there's no reason why I can't be the best.

What sort of chef are you, do you think, Byron?

I'm more a pull it out of thin air rather than planning my way through.

-What are you making?

-A stuffed aubergine with poached egg on top

and some aubergine crisps.

Sounds very simple to me.

It looks massive!

Chefs, you're halfway.

You've got 25 minutes left.

I think I've got what it takes to become a good chef.

I think I'm relatively OK at the moment

but I'm always striving to get better.

-Why MasterChef?

-Personal challenge, mainly.

-New experience, new inspirations.

-What are you making for us today?

I'm making a strawberry tart fine with white chocolate anglaise.

A bit of coulis and hopefully some spun sugar.

-Whoa!

-We'll see.

So you're a bit of a chef, are you?

I am, but I'm not a pastry chef.

So this could be interesting!

I've been a chef for 17 years. It's something I've always done.

I've never done anything else or thought about doing anything else.

Chris, what are you making?

A black pepper marinaded tempura tofu

with pickled mushrooms smoked in caviar, crisp basil

and a sweet and sour dressing.

-That's different. Did you try and be different?

-No, that's just what came into my head.

If he gets the balance of everything right,

this dish could be an absolute knockout.

-Alison, you're making pasta. I'm impressed.

-I am.

-What's the dish?

-Mushroom ravioli with a tomato and basil sauce.

-Very nice. Where are you from, Alison?

-From Malta.

-So lots of Italian influences in your cooking?

-Absolutely.

-Are you going to pull it off?

-I hope so.

-Very brave.

Monica's my kind of person. I love her honesty

and bluntness, just maybe when it's not directed at you!

She's got onions burning on her stove

while she's rolling that pasta.

She's going to be very pushed for time.

You've got just over ten minutes.

I can perform under pressure.

No game plan, no strategy, just do my best.

Ben. MasterChef. What do you want from it?

To work with some top chefs, find out new methods

-and just learn.

-What are you making?

A strawberry, white chocolate and basil souffle.

Souffle? Very brave in an oven you've never used. I admire your courage. Good luck.

Thank you.

Sounds delicious, but unfortunately he's made that base very heavy.

I doubt the souffle would rise much out of that ramekin at all.

You've got five minutes, guys.

30 seconds.

That's it. Time's up. Stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

First up is 24-year-old Dan,

who's used the strawberries, white chocolate and basil

to make a souffle

and served it with a balsamic and strawberry syrup.

I've seen some pretty bad souffles,

but yours takes the cake for me.

There's no way I'd dream of giving that to Michel.

I'm quite annoyed to see it in front of me, to be honest.

Dan, your souffle's still raw. All I'm getting is something very unpleasant.

I do like the sauce you've made, the strawberry and balsamic.

However, it's a complete failure because the souffle hasn't worked.

This is a write-off. I'm really sorry, Dan.

I've let myself down. Next time, I've got to show what I can do

which is a lot more than that.

Ben has also used the white chocolate,

but he's made a mousse served with cooked peppered strawberries in cream

and a strawberry balsamic reduction.

Ben, I like your white chocolate mousse.

But it needs something with it. A biscuit or a tuile to give some different texture.

The caramel alone, the spiral, is not enough.

It just adds more sweetness.

That white chocolate mousse is mellow.

It's mild. It's a perfect accompaniment to the stronger sweet-flavoured strawberry.

The strawberries look like they've been run over, but they taste fantastic.

-Thank you, Ben.

-Thank you.

I was pleased they enjoyed the flavour. The mousse came out as I wanted, smooth.

But I haven't done myself justice.

Tom has also made a white chocolate mousse.

But he's layered it between basil shortbread

and served it with a strawberry coulis.

Lovely, lovely shortbread biscuit.

I quite like the basil coming through that.

Your mousse has a very delicate white chocolate flavour in it.

Together with the peppered coulis that you have,

it works. Everything matches very well.

Unfortunately, the way the mousse has melted on this plate has let you down.

I like that! I like your design, the style, the flavours.

It's a real shame your mousse didn't work.

I was a bit disappointed with everything.

I know I can do a lot better than that.

Head chef Chris has gone for a savoury option.

He's used the tofu to make a black pepper tempura

and served it with aubergine caviar,

pickled mushrooms and a sweet and sour tomato sauce.

Chris, you're the only one who used the tofu. Well done. Well done for thinking differently.

Some really good interesting different flavours on there, Chris.

-I applaud you for that.

-OK.

The crispy tempura gives a great dimension to everything else which is soft and smooth.

Everything goes well together, but you need to watch your seasoning.

-OK.

-Thank you, Chris.

-Thank you very much.

The criticisms that I got I thought were fair.

So I have no complaints. I'm quite happy with today.

Freelance chef Ash is serving a strawberry tart fine,

white chocolate anglaise and a strawberry topped with spun sugar.

Ash, lovely dessert.

The flavours are what they should be.

The chocolate comes through in the sauce.

The strawberries are wonderful with that cream

and the added crunchiness from the sugar decoration is perfect.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

I know Monica is tough, but that's a serious pat on the back.

Lovely flavour of strawberry, sugar gives it extra sweetness and crunch as well.

-Nice tasting dish. Well done.

-Thank you.

The first hurdle's past. I'm feeling happy about the feedback.

They seemed to like it.

Byron has stuffed the aubergine with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil pesto

before baking it.

He's topped it with a poached egg and aubergine crisps.

I love the flavours. The poached egg on the top adds a bit more of a sauce through that.

I just wish you'd taken a few minutes more

and thought about how you were going to present this dish

to have given it that wow factor.

The aubergine's soft and there's a deeper flavour with the pesto.

But I find it dull. I was expecting more.

It wasn't great. I played it a bit safe, to be honest.

I'm disappointed.

Josh had made a mille-feuille

by layering his shortbread with strawberries softened in balsamic and a sweet cream.

Josh, it's a very clean plate.

But, however, I do not like it.

The reason being your strawberries have got the green still on it.

It's even all the way through the dish.

My boss, it's something he absolutely hates is that.

The flavours you have here work 100 per cent.

The balsamic reduction, the pepper on the strawberries on top,

everything works wonderfully.

But you've let it down with silly schoolboy errors.

It's delightful, Josh. You've conjured up an English summer's day. Beautiful.

I'll forgive you, Josh. I'm not a tough chef, I'm a punter. It's delicious.

Don't do it again! Thanks.

I have to take on board what's been said to me.

No more schoolboy errors. The time for that's gone.

Alison has used the larder ingredients

to make her own ravioli pasta

filled with mushrooms and served with a tomato and basil cream sauce.

Tangy tomato, tangy basil, really nice soft pasta, mushroom flavour inside. It's lovely. Lovely.

I reckon it would have looked beautiful if you hadn't run out of time.

The pasta is lovely, OK? It's not too thick.

It's nicely cooked.

But because it's been rushed, you've still got the tomatoes with the skins on.

I'd like to see you perform the next task

-without fault.

-Yes.

-Alison. Thank you.

-Thank you.

I am happy the judges saw that I had some skills.

The flavours were there. But I wouldn't serve that dish in my restaurant.

Mark has made a white chocolate tart.

He's serving it with strawberries and he's used the basil to flavour the cream.

There's so many elements in this dish that are wrong.

And there's no sugar in there.

It's not cooked enough. The basil cream, there's no sweetness in it.

It's just cream with basil. Yuk!

OK? It doesn't work.

The pastry has that slight taste of cheese, so it's not cooked through.

And it's not crispy.

I think, personally, your ideas are great. You just need to sharpen up a bit here.

Thank you. Just get it right next time.

In hindsight, I knew the dish wasn't that great.

What happened today is just not acceptable.

Finally, it's Ursula, who's made a caramelised onion tart,

aubergine, tomato and basil salsa

with a balsamic syrup.

It's very rare that I smile when I see a plate.

But that is a very nice plate.

Loads of flavour. The sweetness of the onion

is wonderful. It goes well with the balsamic

and your salsa is fantastic.

A bit more colour on your pastry and I would happily serve it to Michel.

Thank you.

Lovely!

Absolutely lovely!

That tang and sweetness of the balsamic underneath it,

nicely seasoned vegetable, juicy across the top. Yeah.

Really, really good. Ursula, you obviously are a pro.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

I'm feeling relieved,

getting good criticism.

I've not done too bad this stage.

The mistakes from today,

there is no more room for them in the next round.

They cannot happen again.

Thank you. Off you go.

We had great food, we had disasters, and we had everything in-between!

A very, very mixed bunch.

For me, the two stand-out chefs of the day

were Ash and Ursula.

Their dishes were almost perfect enough to go in front of Michel.

Both dishes looked beautiful,

tasted great, both elegant, stylish,

smart. That's the level we're looking for.

If I can just keep it up for the next stage

and keep calm, keep focused, hopefully I'll get good critique.

However, there was also a lack of skills in some areas.

I feel really sorry for Dan. That souffle was a disaster.

It was a real disappointment to see him falter at this stage.

I chose that dish because I thought it was brave and bold.

But it didn't pay off.

Byron's dish, I was expecting a lot more. A stuffed aubergine?

Come on! That's not good enough.

But his flavours were fine.

Next time I've got to take a big step outside my comfort zone

and show off a few more skills.

There were dishes we loved, and then ones that had issues.

Then we've got this lump of guys in the middle who were kind of OK.

I need to see these guys perform the next task without error

before I decide who's going to cook for Michel.

The first test is over.

Now the ten chefs will be split into two groups.

Tomorrow night, the first five are back to face their final test...

I was scared you were going to lose your knuckles there!

..before Monica decides who will cook for Michel.

We are now going to kick it up a gear.

You really are that far away from what I was looking for.

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