Episode 3 MasterChef: The Professionals

Only an elite group of chefs holds two Michelin stars.

Michel Roux Junior is one of them.

-Now!

-Ready!

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.

10 professional chefs have faced their first challenge

to prove to Monica Galetti that they can cook at the highest level.

Now they've been split into two groups.

Today five of them will face the final test to decide who is good enough to cook

for Michel Roux Junior.

At the end of it, one of them will be going home.

The competition for me is very personal.

It's the biggest test of my career.

I want that opportunity to cook for Michel Roux,

one of the greatest chefs that ever was, really.

I'll do my best.

That's all you can ask.

This is the skills test. Obviously a crab. What have they to do?

I would like them to make us a crab salad using the brown and white meat just from the body.

I don't want to see them using the legs at all. That's too easy.

First we need to remove all the legs. Mind your shirt.

That should just push that out.

Whoa!

And we're going to take the brown meat out of the body.

Removing the dead man's fingers, which you should never serve.

They're poisonous, really bitter.

Now we're going to pass this brown meat. This is going to remove any bits of grit that we don't want.

-There's some rubbery old bits there.

-I don't want that.

-And there we have the brown meat.

-Lovely.

Thin it out a bit with a touch of olive oil. It's very important not to over-season this.

It can be quite salty, so taste before you add any more.

That's the brown meat prepared. Now I'll prepare the rest of the body.

Inside these crevices, we're going to find the white meat. It has to be picked out and not wasted at all.

Then we need to pick through and remove any bits of shell that are left in it.

Nothing worse than breaking your tooth on crab shell.

Now we'll make our salad. They can use anything they want.

When they're flavouring the salad, they must be tasting throughout.

There we have it, Gregg. A salad using the brown and white meat from the body of the crab.

Right. Now we know how it's done, let's get them in.

First up is Perry, who became a head chef at just 21.

In the first invention test, he impressed with his confit leek tart.

'In the kitchen, my strengths are all sections.'

There's not one section I don't know how to run.

What we want you to do is make a salad using the brown and white meat

from the body of that crab only. 15 minutes, Perry. Off you go.

Halfway, Perry. Seven and a half minutes left.

Just three minutes left.

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

Perry, watching you work was quite frustrating.

The whole method of cracking the crab. It was the wrong side.

You took out the dead man's fingers and put them with the white meat.

Thank God you took them out.

Also, you've left the brown meat in the bowl. It's all there.

I wanted this on the plate as well.

I'm not blown over by the presentation. It's not a plate Michel would want at this level.

The crab meat is completely free of any cartilage or shell. Well done.

You've been a little heavy-handed with lime and chilli.

The sweetness of that crab needs a little bit of a lighter touch.

Perry, before you beat yourself up, this, we know, is the most nerve-racking test.

So don't be too down on yourself. OK?

'Messed up big time, really.'

There's no positive side to that.

It went terrible, to be fair.

Joanne spent eight years working in mass catering

before making the move into fine dining.

In the last round, her duck dish was a success, except for her sour blackberry vinaigrette.

'It's important that I stay in this competition, for me personally'

because I just want to prove to myself that I can do it, at this level.

15 minutes. Crab salad. Let's go.

God, it's a long time since I've done something like this.

You've had eight minutes. Seven minutes left.

Three minutes left, Joanne.

-Are you done?

-Yes.

-When was the last time we prepared a whole crab?

-Quite a few years ago, back at college.

-It shows.

You know yourself you struggled to open the crab up from the body

and then you left all that brown meat on the top here.

You struggled to get the meat out of this part of the body.

Hence why you don't have very much here on your salad. It's not a plate I'd like my boss to see.

-Oh, crikey.

-Shells are not pleasant, especially that amount of shells.

One is forgivable. Four is too many.

I haven't found anything hard in there and I like the flavour.

I like the seasoning, the lime. I like the bite of the spring onion.

I just wish you could have known how to get the rest of the meat out.

Joanne, thank you very much.

'Eugh! That was unbelievably tense in there.'

Nothing gets past Monica. She is all over it.

Oh, that was horrendous.

Could have done so much better.

Mike is a head chef on a North Sea oil rig

and has 25 years' experience in the kitchen.

Despite their colour, his blackberry-infused leeks were a hit in the first round.

'I'm here because'

I know I'm good enough to win this. I'm just as good as the younger guys. Life begins at 40.

Crab salad, 15 minutes. Off you go.

Halfway, Mike. Seven and a half minutes left.

Last 60 seconds, chef.

-Done?

-Done, chef.

Right, let's start with the crab. If you cut through this, there is a lot of white meat in there.

-OK.

-Preparing the brown meat, I've never seen anyone pick through it with their hands like that.

It's quite horrible to see. And then, as you worked,

you started panicking and the faster you chopped. You need to control yourself. Really.

But seeing your plate... it's not bad!

I like the look of it. It's pretty. I love your vinaigrette, but there's far too much avocado.

Mike, thank you.

'The pressure got to me.'

I was like a Tasmanian Devil!

I should have slowed down.

Average. Average.

Head chef Kev has been working in kitchens for 12 years,

but, last time, his inventive cinnamon leeks were overshadowed by burnt garlic and a lack of sauce.

'I think it's going to be difficult to progress,'

but I believe in my own ability.

I think I can go far.

15 minutes. Off you go.

You're halfway.

That's it. Your time's up.

Kev, there's so much white meat inside these crevices of the body.

That's why I've set this test.

You've given us just some of the brown meat.

It's much too strong in lime. It's very overpowering, very stodgy.

I think it would have been better if you'd had the chilli and spring onion bound through your mix.

And just a bit of salad, maybe half the amount.

It just... There's no balance in this dish.

I think you've picked the right combination to mix with it, but you've overdone the salt and dill.

Kev, thank you.

A bit gutted, but I don't know how everyone else has done.

Could have done a lot better, though.

A lot better.

Last up is Chris, who left graphic design to pursue a career in the kitchen.

Except for his presentation, Chris's duck and leek dish was one of the day's highlights.

'I'm here to prove something to myself. I'm a competitive person.'

You want to be the best you can be.

15 minutes, chef. Starts now.

Halfway.

Five minutes, chef.

-All done?

-I think so!

Chris, you made a salad using both the brown and the white meat. It's what we wanted.

When it comes to preparing the crab meat, you did exceptionally well.

That is what I like to see.

The plate looks nice and neat. However, it needs to be more refined.

Shells. It's not pleasant and I'm sure there will be more in there.

You need to pick that crab meat.

Love the salad. Love the zing in it. I like the style of it, I like the colours of it,

but you've over-seasoned your crab. Chris, thank you.

Overall, I think it went OK. They said the flavours worked well.

So, overall, not too bad, I think.

Our five today found this task very, very difficult

and I expected more. Honestly, I did.

Chris was the only chef who managed to find both brown and white meat.

Chris, compared to the others, delivered the best plate. He definitely deserves to go through.

I expected quite a bit from Perry. His invention test was so good.

He didn't make a hash of it, but he didn't find the brown meat.

He deserves to go through, but he needs to focus on the final presentation of his dishes.

Joanne extracted the least amount of meat from the crab. A tiny amount. But it tasted really good.

She seasoned that crab meat very well, and it matched with the spring onion and cress.

But she could have done so much more and it looked too simple. However,

-I'll take a risk on Joanne and put her through to Michel.

-I'm really pleased. I like her.

-Now it's between Mike and Kev.

-Kev only found the brown meat. It was a real shame.

He took the crab, cut it in half, looked at it, then put it down! No! Have a pick!

It was all downhill after that. All that time we had given him,

he spent decorating that plate. The more he was adding to it, the worse the plate was getting.

I was praying for the time to end so Kev would stop.

If I went home today, I'd be gutted at such a simple task, but it's out of my hands now.

Mike, his plate only had the brown meat in there and there was so much avocado,

it was more an avocado salad scented with crab.

-I don't know what to make with Mike.

-He'd do a lot better if he took a breath and calmed down.

I'm better than what I did today. Hopefully, Monica and Gregg see the potential

that's there if I get another chance.

We can give one of these two guys the opportunity to cook for Michel.

-Which one?

-I know who deserves to go through out of these two.

That was undoubtedly a tough test today and you five looked really nervous.

The chef leaving us today is...

Kev.

'Gutted. Disappointed in myself.'

I could have done a lot better. Too much nerves, I think. I let them get the better of me.

I have to learn from my mistakes.

You are through to cook for Michel.

Do not let me down.

There are classics that should be part of every chef's repertoire

and Michel Roux Junior is looking for chefs who aspire to cook them at his two-Michelin-star level.

The classic recipe I am cooking is selle de lapin farcie aux pruneaux.

Rabbit saddle stuffed with prunes.

This is a French classic regional dish from Aquitaine, where prunes are grown and they make brandy.

This complex classic consists of ballotine of rabbit stuffed with prunes,

served with a potato gratin savoyard and braised gem lettuce.

It will allow Michel to scrutinise their butchery skills and ability to balance delicate flavours.

The first step is to bone out the saddle of rabbit. And here we have the liver and the kidneys,

which I want the chefs to use.

Then we go underneath the bones.

This is a very delicate...job.

The precision of a surgeon.

That is what I expect.

Pepper. And lovely prunes that have been soaked in brandy.

We're now going to roll it up. What we call a ballotine.

This we need to wrap in clingfilm and gently poach for 7-8 minutes.

If we don't tighten this ballotine, it will fall apart when cooked.

That's a pretty little parcel. In to poach.

The potato dish that I want them to prepare is a gratin savoyard. I want this gratin to be elegant.

I want to be able to see the layers exactly round.

That's the kind of colour I want. Now we build the potato stack up.

A little bit of reduced cream. Some grated Gruyere cheese.

The little gratin goes in the oven.

Now we're going to unwrap this rabbit and roast it in some foaming butter and oil.

I want the rabbit to have a nice golden colour on the outside.

That's the colour we're looking for.

Now for the sauce. The brandy will give it that lovely fragrant, fruity taste

and also a touch of sweetness. Stock will give it a lot of body.

Now we can fire it up and let it reduce quickly.

Pan sear the little kidneys and the liver.

It only takes a matter of seconds to cook them. Lovely. Look at that.

I want the lettuce hearts a little bit crunchy, but with a lovely golden colour.

Now everything's ready. Time to plate up.

So now to cut the rabbit.

That is perfect. Beautiful.

Selle de lapin farcie aux pruneaux. French cuisine at its best.

I just hope that our chefs will be able to recreate this dish properly.

Cooking for Michel Roux Junior. This guy is a legend.

An experience of a lifetime.

This is now time for me to really do what I've said I'm capable of. One more chance to prove myself.

Every chef's dream is to cook at the top level. Everything's got to be perfect.

To get past Monica is an achievement in itself, but Michel's going to be twice as tough on us.

Now we expect you to really raise your game.

For your first test, I want you to cook selle de lapin farcie aux pruneaux.

I not only want perfection on the plate, but I'll be watching your method of work

and how you approach this classic.

This is the first of two classic recipe tests

and, at the end of today, one of you is going home.

You've got one hour. Good luck.

After the skills test today, I really was very, very nervous.

I've got to bottle that energy and put it into my cooking. Do that and I have every chance to go further.

-Have you cooked with rabbit before?

-Not in a long time.

-What worries you about it?

-If you follow the recipe, it should be OK.

-And hopefully to a standard that Michel's happy with.

-Is this food you normally cook?

-No, chef.

I used to do modern British and French in the early 2000s

when I gained my rosettes. Then I went offshore to work on oil rigs

and I miss this cooking and I want to get back to it.

Hopefully, I've not left it too late and I've still got what it takes with the younger guys.

Mike has left only a fingerful of meat. I'm worried that is going to be very dry.

If he can pull it off, he's a genius.

Guys, you've had 15 minutes already. 15 minutes gone.

I think I've got a good classical foundation. I got taught by an old school chef.

So I think I'm in good stead for that.

-How are you feeling right now?

-A lot of nerves, the pressure gets to you.

It's got to be pretty much spot on. The rabbit can't be overcooked.

There's a lot to it.

-What do you think I'm expecting from this recipe?

-I think we need to follow the recipe

and maybe have our own take on presentation, so something that looks good, I think.

-Crack on. You've got a lot to do.

-Cheers.

Chris is a bit nervous. He wasn't too sure about how to approach the saddle of rabbit or boning it out

and he's only just now put it in to cook. I am a bit worried it may be undercooked.

I don't want to scare you, but you are halfway.

I haven't got any classical training. A lot of it has been taught on the job.

But I did go back to college last year to brush up on a few classical techniques, so the basis is there.

Hi, Joanne. Have you cooked this recipe before?

No, I've never done this before.

-You look a little bit worried.

-I'll just work through it the best I can.

-What do you think I'm looking for in this recipe?

-For a lot of skill, for the timings to be right

because a lot of elements need to be cooked just right. It's got to all work well together on the plate.

Have you got an idea how it's going to be presented?

A little bit, but that might change before it goes on the plate.

Joanne took so long preparing the rabbit, I'm worried that she won't actually get through the recipe.

I'm just hoping she can pull it all together.

Michel's a renowned chef. To cook for someone of this stature, someone so big in the culinary art world

is another massive pressure, but I've just got to rise above it and keep going.

-Perry, do you understand the recipe?

-I've never prepared this dish before,

but I'm confident I can prepare it, hopefully up to your standards.

-Are you classically trained?

-No.

I've come from a background where I worked always with modern food.

The classics are important because most of your base methods come from your classics.

-I've tried to pick them up by myself.

-Have you got an idea how you'll present it?

-Not really.

No, not yet.

-You seemed a bit down after the last round. Happier now?

-Yeah, I'm in my comfort zone again.

I'm working with meat. That's what I enjoy.

Perry is the only one who has understood the recipe and has boned out the rabbit correctly.

Let's hope he can deliver something special.

Guys, ten minutes.

So much has to be done in the last ten minutes of this recipe.

The rabbit has to be glazed in butter, the little gems braised.

The sauce has to be finished. It is about timing. It is critical!

You've got 60 seconds. Get it on those plates.

That's it. Stop.

Stop!

I asked you to cook for my classic recipe a selle de lapin farcie aux pruneaux.

The rabbit saddle should be kept whole

with the prunes going down the middle,

garnished with the livers and the kidneys

and a gratin savoyard.

The dish as a whole should be presented with flair and elegance.

Chris, we're going to start with you.

Chris, it looks terribly bulky. The proportions are not right.

It's more of a lettuce dish than a rabbit dish.

The rabbit is well cooked. It is moist.

However, it's not seasoned enough.

The little gem lettuce, you should have removed the outer leaves to just have the heart.

The sauce is far too thin. It has no depth to it.

The meat is so moist, so, so moist and offset against the spicy prunes, it's lovely.

The richness of the liver with the cheesy potatoes, it tastes lovely.

Mate, I wish I had a sauce to bring it all together.

I got some good and bad comments.

I feel I should have done better.

Joanne, your turn.

Joanne, it looks very flat. When you dress food on a plate, it's nice to see a bit of the white in between.

You've sucked the life out of it with the presentation.

You had problems approaching this saddle of rabbit and didn't know how to do it.

The rabbit is slightly under-seasoned. You poached it without seasoning the water.

And slightly overdone, a little bit dry.

The potato - quite garlicky, not quite enough cream either.

The sauce is well reduced and you've left the shallots in there

which I like. It adds another dimension to it and sweetness.

Highs and lows here. A big low on the presentation. The sauce is good. I'll give you that.

The rabbit is a little dry, but I'd happily eat it.

Joanne, you've shown again you've got a decent touch, but where was your eye for presentation today?

I was disappointed with what I did in there.

My knowledge let me down there. My skills let me down as well.

Perry, your turn.

Visually, I think this almost works.

The ballotine of rabbit looks really good.

You've boned it out properly, the prunes go straight down the middle.

That's exactly how it should be.

The little gems are slightly too big and again you've left the outer leaves which are slightly bitter.

Hmm.

Your potatoes are lovely. They've got the right amount of garlic, thyme, butter, cream and cheese.

Delicious.

Obviously, a burnt pan has meant you've got speckles in the sauce

and that's not on at this level.

You've shown off a lot of skills here,

but trust your instincts

and if something's not right, don't put it on the plate.

Your presentation is great, your potatoes are fantastic.

Unfortunately, you have slightly overcooked both the rabbit and the liver.

I like to search for perfection. It wasn't perfection.

I'm still not happy. It wasn't good enough. I still need to aim so much higher.

Mike, your turn.

Absolutely lovely presentation. Best-looking dish on the bench.

However, this kidney I wouldn't eat.

I love the gem, I love the sauce. However, the main bit, your rabbit, is going dry.

Yes.

Mike, I like it. It looks dainty, it looks elegant and it looks really appetising.

Have you followed the recipe? I don't think so.

You've used just the loin of meat and it's falling apart, it's collapsing.

The obvious... potato too long in the oven

and has burnt, severely burnt.

Not right, don't put it on the plate.

Your sauce, I think, is really good. It's got a nice shine to it. It's sticky. It's got a real depth to it.

I can see a chef at work here,

just let down by the loin of rabbit and the burnt potato.

Chef.

A bit of mixed emotions. You can always do better when you're in front of Michel Roux Junior.

He expects perfection and mine wasn't perfection, so I'm not happy.

That was your first test over. Now one more test before we decide who's going home.

You are now going to cook your own classic recipe,

a recipe that is tried and tested that you have cooked before.

One hour.

Off you go.

Going forward in the competition, I've got to pay more attention to detail.

There's a lot of elements that can go wrong with this dish. Everything's got to be perfect.

-Chris, tell us about your recipe.

-I'm doing Dover sole Veronique with peeled grapes and a white wine sauce.

-I'll serve that with saffron turned potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus.

-Hmm! What's it going to show us?

Filleting fish, making a stock. Got to get the seasoning right this time.

-When was the last time you prepared it?

-Once about three weeks ago. Bit of practice!

Sole Veronique is a much abused recipe over the years, especially in the '60s.

I've seen some pretty hideous attempts at cooking sole Veronique.

-No pressure then, Chris!

-No, not at all.

Chris looks under control, but he messed up his sauce in the last round.

The secret to a great sole Veronique is the sauce should be rich, but not heavy.

I hope you realise 20 minutes have gone.

I've been cooking this dish on and off for the last 25 years.

It's a classic, it's French.

It's everything that Michel Roux Junior looks for in classical cooking.

-Mike, what are you cooking for us?

-Sole florentine.

It's poached sole in a Mornay sauce and buttered spinach.

-Why this dish?

-It was one of the first dishes I learnt at my technical college.

I love cooking fish, so much delicate flavours. Everything is in the taste of this dish.

What will it show us as judges?

It will show both of you that I can produce quality food and to a good standard and presentation.

-You sound confident, Mike?

-It's the toughest thing I've ever done. This is just unbelievable pressure.

-Well, Mike, good luck.

-Thank you.

Mike is cooking the very first dish he learnt at college. I like the idea of that.

But this dish is simplicity itself. It's maybe too simple.

We know he's got good presentation skills, but will he show the light touch missing from his rabbit?

There's a hell of a lot that can go wrong on this dish.

I could run out of time. I've got an hour. If I waste five minutes, I'm in trouble.

You've got 25 minutes left.

-Perry, how long is that going to cook for?

-24 minutes.

Go on, son.

Perry, what classic dish have you got for us?

I'm doing a beef Wellington with Jerusalem artichokes and a truffle and Madeira jus.

An hour to cook a beef Wellington properly and some braised vegetables there is really pushing it.

-Have you done this before?

-Not in an hour.

-So why take the risk?

-I'm trying to do something that is virtually impossible in this amount of time,

making sure the flavours are right and perfect and hopefully up to the standards that are needed.

I called 25 minutes to go. You put your beef Wellington in and told me it will take 24 minutes.

-How can you present it properly?

-It's hard to say cos I'm in trouble.

-Good luck, Perry.

-Thank you.

I think Perry is really pushing himself with a beef Wellington

and a sauce and Jerusalem artichokes, all in an hour!

That is a big ask.

He's pushing himself to the max.

I think I am taking a gamble with my classic dish because so many things can go wrong.

It needs a lot of precise weighings, timings. Everything has to be executed perfectly.

-Joanne, what are you cooking?

-Smoked salmon and lemon balm souffle.

A souffle, attempting a souffle? That's a little bit risky.

It's very risky, but that's what we're here for - a challenge.

And it's a great classic. Have you practised the dish before?

Yes, this dish I've done lots of times. Hopefully, today, it comes out how it has done before.

-Tell me why it won't be you going home today.

-I really want to prove I've got what it takes to stay.

It means a lot.

Joanne is doing a smoked salmon souffle. Very risky.

Souffles are not easy to master. This is make or break for her.

You've got just ten minutes left.

You've got 60 seconds left. That's all you've got. Plate up, please.

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

First up is Joanne.

Her classic dish is a smoked salmon and lemon balm souffle.

Your souffle is well risen. It's proud and it's got a nice golden colour.

I think it looks really nice, so well done.

The souffle itself is a little bit dense, just a little bit heavy.

Possibly not enough egg white in it.

I also find it lacking in seasoning. It needs a bit more oomph.

Possibly more smoked salmon.

It's a smoked salmon souffle, so the first taste that we should have is smoked salmon.

It's light enough for me, this souffle.

There is smoked salmon flavour in there. It doesn't set your taste buds on fire.

But it's a very brave thing to do and I applaud you for doing it. That's a decent souffle.

Thank you.

I just did the best I could and I don't think that was good enough.

It could have been a lot more flavoursome.

It didn't wow 'em, you know?

Chris has cooked sole Veronique, a classic French dish

of rolled Dover sole fillets with a grape and white wine sauce,

served with turned saffron potatoes, asparagus and baby carrots.

First off, beautiful presentation.

Great colours. Very eye-catching and appealing.

And I defy any customer not to be enthralled by this.

I've had some pretty bad sole Veronique served up to me

and this, I must say, is probably one of the best ones.

The sole is perfectly cooked.

It's still moist, but cooked all the way through.

The sauce is ever so slightly too sharp,

but when you've got the very sweet grape, it's the perfect balance.

You've achieved a very, very high level of cooking here.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Cheers.

You've just grown a foot, mate.

It's a really pretty, elegant, smart, colourful, enticing plate.

Hmm, hmm!

It's light, it's refreshing, it's full of flavour. I adore those saffron potatoes.

To have Michel Roux Junior say that's the best sole Veronique he's ever had

is probably the best comment I've had in my career.

So yeah... Great.

For his classic,

Mike is serving sole a la florentine, using lemon sole

with Mornay sauce and buttered spinach.

It is a classic dish, Mike. There are only three component parts, but it's a very attractive dish.

Thank you.

Very soft fish, very mild sauce.

Very nice indeed.

One "no" is you've got a bit of the water coming out of the spinach into what is already a mild sauce.

And that water will wash flavour away.

Very well cooked fish because lemon sole, if it's overcooked, can be terrible. It's like cotton wool.

That's really good. Your sauce could have done with a hint more seasoning

and maybe a little bit more cheese on top to give it a bit of a kick.

Mike, I think this is safe.

It is classical, but maybe it's just that little bit too classical and not pushing yourself.

A little bit disheartened, I think,

that they were looking for something more.

A wee bit disappointed,

but you know, happy with both the comments on the actual dish that was there, so...

Perry's classic dish is beef Wellington with braised Jerusalem artichokes

and a Madeira and truffle jus.

Absolutely lovely. I don't think I've had Jerusalem artichoke with truffle before. It is heavenly.

That earthiness, then that truffle, almost more of an essence than a flavour, is delightful.

It's not perfect. There are little mistakes.

The Jerusalem artichokes could be cooked a little longer and I want more sauce,

but what you've given me tastes divine.

You seem to have cooked the beef all right in the time given.

It's rare, very rare, but I'd eat it.

The beef is lovely and rare, moist.

The pastry is nice and crisp and the mushrooms in there have got bags of flavour.

The sauce is slightly too reduced, a bit too sticky and heavy.

You have demonstrated that you have a good palate.

You've also shown that you know how to work under duress

to get a beef Wellington out in under an hour.

It takes some doing.

I pushed myself. Obviously, the dish should have taken so much longer.

I tried to show Michel that I'm good under pressure.

This competition is all about pressure, so why not jump into it feet first at the start?

Our four chefs have done really well.

The food they've produced and cooked for us was a very high level.

-I really want to bring up Chris.

-I've had some pretty dreadful sole Veronique over the years.

But the one Chris cooked today was very good. It looked beautiful.

The sole was perfectly poached as well.

The sauce was ever so slightly too sharp,

but with those lovely, soft, sweet grapes,

it worked perfectly.

And actually he cooked the best rabbit.

He didn't know how to prepare the rabbit properly, but he certainly knows how to cook it.

-Can we put him through?

-His sole Veronique,

just that dish, for me, was strong enough to merit him going through to the next round.

I pretty much nailed everything. Hopefully, I've done enough in this round to go through.

Perry looks the consummate professional. Very difficult to get a smile on his face. He is driven.

He's already demonstrated to us that he has a very fine palate.

And that is vital for a chef.

Perry was the only one who delivered a beautiful, round disc complete

of the rabbit with the prune through the middle. Lovely presentation.

And the potato, his gratin savoyard, was perfect.

But he did burn his sauce.

His beef Wellington was really good.

I loved the Jerusalem artichoke with the truffle. I thought, "What a fantastic combination!"

I think Perry should definitely go through.

I feel like I've done enough. I haven't pushed this hard to go home.

That now leaves us Mike and Joanne.

Joanne's attempt at cooking rabbit saddle stuffed with prunes was strewn with technical errors.

She didn't know how to bone out the rabbit properly. It was dry and overcooked.

The best part of that dish was the seasoning of the sauce and the shallots gave it a lovely sweetness.

She made a good souffle, a decent souffle, and that was a risky, risky thing to do.

It was cooked all the way through, but it lacked seasoning, it lacked character.

I would be devastated to go home today because it would be awesome to carry on and cook for Michel

and prove I've got a bit more in me, I've got that bit extra to give.

Mike today had by far the best presentation with that rabbit.

I thought Mike's dish looked a picture.

Although there were errors on that dish. The potato was black, it was burnt.

The rabbit saddle was not prepared how it should have been and it was overcooked.

Mike's sole florentine was a sole florentine, nothing more, nothing less.

He cooked the fish very well with a decent, creamy, cheesy sauce.

But, and here's the "but", you can't criticise the dish,

can you criticise the chef for a little lack of ambition?

I don't want to go home.

I want this more than you will ever imagine.

It's everything. What more can I say? It's everything to me.

This is a straight choice

between Mike or Joanne.

Which one deserves it more?

Three of you are going through to the next round. One, unfortunately, is leaving us.

And the chef leaving us today is...

..Joanne.

Gutted. Really, really gutted. That's it, the end of the journey for me.

But this whole experience has just been awesome, so I'm just glad to have been a part of it, yeah.

-Well done. You are quarter-finalists.

-Yeah!

I'm absolutely delighted.

It's my whole life at the moment. That's all I can say. It's my whole life.

I'm over the moon to get through to the next stage. It's brilliant.

I'm ecstatic that I'm here. I've made it to the quarter-finals. This was my aim. Now why not the finals?

Tomorrow, Mike, Perry and Chris will join the three other chefs in the quarter-final.

First, they'll battle to impress Michel and Gregg with a dish of their own invention.

It's MasterChef - The Professionals. A true chef should shine at this stage. I want perfection.

If they don't measure up, they go.

Only the best will go on to cook their food for some of the UK's toughest food critics...

That is either a work of genius or a complete disaster.

..in a bid to win a coveted place in the semi-finals.

That, I believe, Michel, we say in the trade is lovely.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011

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