Episode 16 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the Professional MasterChef semifinals.

Last week, the knockouts reduced 12 chefs

down to the best eight.

Now, they'll be split up

and sent to cook for some of the most inspirational chefs in the country.

-So, this is where it really hits. You need to knuckle down, yeah?

-OK.

Good start, good solid start, I'm impressed.

Then, they will cook off against each other for a place in the finals.

Outstanding, absolutely brilliant.

First up, it's 34-year-old sous-chef Mark from London

and 25-year-old junior sous-chef Dean from Wiltshire.

Obviously, I just want to keep pushing, keep going.

Hopefully, I'll get all the way to the final.

I need to stay focused and get my head down and just crack on.

It's getting really, really difficult now.

The competition's taken over my life.

I've gone through every emotion you could possibly imagine.

I don't know how my fiancee's coping with me at the moment.

I'm just a bag of nerves all the time.

It's really, really tough.

I'm not going to lie about it but it's an incredible competition.

Marcus, it is now our semifinal week

and it is getting very exciting.

It's 8am and Dean and Mark are on their way

to the village of Sparkwell, in Devon.

I've had a couple of thoughts about where we're going

and I really hope it is the place I'm thinking.

Got a few nerves in there but I know when I get there,

I'll be really excited, really up for it.

Yeah, I'm feeling all right.

Bit anxious to know where we're going.

It's a bit nerve-racking.

Today, they'll be working alongside a chef

who's achieved the accolade they're both fighting for.

In 2012, along with fellow contestant Keri Moss,

Anton Piotrowski was crowned Professional MasterChef champion.

The guy is brilliant.

Everything he touches and puts on the plate not only looks great,

but it tastes great and it's also challenging.

It's pushing the barriers.

A year before he won the champion's title,

Anton and his wife opened up a restaurant in the village

where he grew up.

We built this kind of derelict pub into something that we wanted.

We ended up no money left at all. I think we had 55 quid.

Last year, it was awarded its first Michelin star

and has just been voted Country Dining Pub Of The Year.

Every chef dreams of getting a Michelin star and, you know,

you push really hard for it.

This year it came along, I just bawled out in tears,

like, properly broke down in tears.

Not those tears that you can't catch your breath,

like, proper emotional tears.

My food follows the garden...

..and the earth.

What's growing at the time is what you put on the plate.

The style of food is British boozer with a weird little touch to it.

-A dory and a duck, guys.

-STAFF:

-Yes, Chef.

MasterChef played a massive role in my life.

It changed me as a person.

You become more confident in yourself.

I could tell you probably every day of MasterChef that I was on it,

an amazing experience.

I think the journey these guys are going to have

is something that they'll cherish for the rest of their life.

Hi, guys, how you doing? Welcome to Devon.

Welcome to Treby Arms.

You got some dishes on the menu today

that you're going to be cooking that are very close to my heart.

You may come from different styles of kitchens but mine

is about being chilled out and enjoying the food

and making sure that when you cook something

you love what you do and that's all I ask for.

You've got a bit of a day ahead of you.

Hope you'll enjoy it. I know exactly how you're feeling.

We're going to get some Ts on, then we can crack on with service.

I feel great that we're cooking, yeah.

Anton's given like a lot of chefs a lot of inspiration.

Every dream is possible.

He's been in our shoes so he knows what we're going through.

But I'm not sure if he'll cut us any slack,

I think he's still got to hit his standards.

A Michelin star gastro-pub

is something that I've wanted for a while.

Anton is an inspiration, really.

To have gone from winning the competition

to now having his own Michelin star is something to be inspired by

and, you know, I just hope I can do the same.

During service, Dean will make Anton's starter

of scallops topped with burnt apple and lemon balm purees.

Pickled onion gel and lobster powder.

The scallops are on brown shrimps, cockles and clams,

mixed with compressed cucumber, pickled samphire

and a citrus dressing.

It's finished with edible flowers.

So, we're going to start by just giving this

20 seconds in the kamado.

And it is just 20 seconds.

Then we're going to cover it in a little bit of oil.

We get some lovely hand-dived scallops from the Isle of Skye

and it's a very personal friend that dives them for us as well.

So they're perfectly selected.

Dry ice put into the bottom.

We've got the seaweed to sit on top

and this will really give a perfume when you smell it.

Here, you've got some brown shrimps and a little bit of cucumber

and we've got a citrus dressing.

It's just a little hint.

Just going to pour these into the middle.

Next, you're going to put some pickled samphire.

Once it's pickled, you've got about an hour and a half

before it kind of starts to die.

And respect it, someone's gone out and foraged it.

Everything on here is just as important as the scallop.

We're not just talking about the scallop,

we're talking about the whole bed of the sea.

Then we're just going to blowtorch the scallop.

Get a nice colour all the way round.

When you got ten on and you're plating this

without anyone helping you,

yeah, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.

But that's what we do as chefs, don't we?

Right, you've got a little dot of burnt apple puree.

You've got the pickled onion.

'You can't really muck around too much with the scallop.

'We've got some pickled onion gel.'

If you get too much on the scallop and it's over-smoked,

then we'll have to start again.

Yeah, it is difficult.

These are all picked in the morning from our allotment.

So about four or five of those on top.

When you use your fingers, try not to bruise the flowers or anything.

We've got some lobster powder.

It's really sweet so it really balances out

with all the other bits that are on there.

In this pan, we're going to bring up some kelp water.

It's made with like seven different seaweeds.

Then you get the theatre at the table.

Obviously, that will go out and when you get it

and everyone's sat at the table, you'll obviously get that smell.

-It is really like the smell of the sweet sea on an ocean bed.

-Yeah.

You're probably going to do about 40 of these today.

And it's going to be fast and quick, you know.

Service is probably about 45 minutes.

But we'll get through it. It'll be fine.

-Just be happy, mate, and enjoy it.

-Will do.

Do think you're OK doing that?

Yeah, I think so, I think it's a little bit fiddly

but I think hopefully I should be able to manage it.

Good luck, dude. Let's crack on and get service going.

It's absolutely incredible.

It brings back childhood memories of, like, cockles on the beach

and the smell, the aroma and everything just works so well.

Amazing. Just speechless.

Mark will be in charge of the main.

A Cajun spiced goat loin served with a goat samosa,

and chilli and coriander black-eyed beans.

It's garnished with an aubergine puree,

glazed apricots and charred lettuce.

The sauce is a goat reduction.

We've got some locally bred goat.

It's using a product and showing people a product

that is not really used that much in this country

but we have an abundance of it.

And that's what we're all about.

Supporting stuff that's really kind of sustainable.

It's a kid loin, it's a little bit tougher than lamb

so don't keep it too pink, just go a little bit over.

It's a lot to do with feel and touch.

You can get the thermometer out and check it when you get to that.

-It's perfectly fine.

-Yeah.

But old school's the new school for me, as well.

Touch and feel and understanding the product

is the most important thing, dude.

We're going to start by coating the loin in a Cajun seasoning.

It's a very '80s kind of style of seasoning

but it's the seasoning that I really like for, you know, lamb and goat.

Get it in.

So you want some rosemary. Garden thyme.

And we've got some lemon thyme as well.

-See, that's got a crust on it now.

-Yeah.

That's about as far as you want to take it before it burns.

-If it does burn...

-We'll have to start again.

-..we'll get another loin on.

-Yeah.

-Keep moving it all the time.

Don't be shy to move it. You can shake it if you want.

You rock it how you want to rock it, mate.

-How you feel comfortable cooking, you cook it.

-OK.

I'm going to give it three minutes in the oven at 180.

While that's in the oven, you've got some chilli and some coriander.

You've got the black-eyed beans.

If they split, we've got to start again.

The goat sauce.

That gets passed and that gets brought up onto the pass.

We've got some blended demerara sugar,

apricots go really well with this spice as well.

They give a real nice richness to it.

So, we've got the samosas here.

If you just drop that in the fryer just to get crisped up for a minute.

Just going to get the goat out.

It will feel a little bit tense to the touch

but that is a tense meat, even when it's raw as well.

While that's resting,

now we're going to start thinking about building.

You want to char the stem.

And just going to soften the bit that's really hard.

So we've got some of the black-eyed beans here.

Getting that dish completely right is all about seasoning.

Making sure it's fresh.

But it's all shouting about that goat.

Gently place one bit going that way, one bit going this way.

So you'll cover the dish completely, like a little blanket.

It's kind of like the goat, you know,

the goat will be hid underneath a blanket of hay

and we've kind of hid it in that way that it's a big surprise.

My mum will know if this is right cos she, you know,

-she loves this dish.

-OK.

-Give me some skin.

-ANTON LAUGHS

-Good?

-It's sensational.

Yeah, outrageously good. The goat is so tender.

So you're going to get about 40 of those

and it'll probably be quite rapid.

It'll be quite a fast pace for the tables.

It'll be like ten, six, four, ten, six, four, two, two.

We're going to rock it out.

Thank you. I'm really, really excited.

Yeah. It's a beautiful dish.

I love the idea of the little covering as a surprise

so you can just open it up and see some amazing food.

It's not going to be easy but this is why we're here.

I'm really looking forward to it to test myself.

The restaurant is fully booked

and many of the customers are regulars with high expectations.

These dishes that are on the taster menu

are very close to my family.

And my mum worked here for the first two years.

And my wife, she was a Michelin inspector,

the worst Michelin inspector you could ever get

turn up to your restaurant.

Yeah, she is harsh.

Being a Michelin-starred establishment,

you know, we've got high expectations.

Are you all ready, guys? We're going to get hit in a minute.

It's going to be fast and quick.

They've got to crack on and we've got a busy lunch.

They've got a lot to do and a lot of things to get right.

I said I wasn't going to be nervous. I'm beep-beeping myself.

Yeah, no, it's good. It's awesome.

It's nerve-racking because you don't know who's outside

but obviously my mum's out there and she'll tell me if it was bad or not.

-ALL:

-Cheers.

-Taster for four, guys.

-STAFF:

-Chef.

Four scallop, four goat, four crab, four strawberry and a carrot.

-STAFF:

-Yes, Chef.

-Plus a taster for six.

-STAFF:

-Yes, Chef.

Yes, Chef.

The pressure's now on for Dean to get all the starters out.

So we've got a six and a four, Dean.

-We'll do this together so do it as a ten.

-OK.

So, if you get ten scallops out.

It's rocking.

Just 20 seconds in there, dude.

Backs, backs, backs, backs, backs.

Little bit more on here.

It really needs a little bit of colour

-to get the heat into the inside.

-OK, no worries.

You can keep them moving on the tray

cos the tray kind of keeps it warm for you.

It's like a little hot plate, really.

So you don't have to worry about it dropping in temperature or anything.

-Chef, do you want to just taste that?

-Let's have a little look.

Yeah, nice.

Chef, on the pass.

So, guys, we're going to go on four scallops.

Well done, Dean. They look awesome, mate.

Bang on. Seasoned perfectly, you know, it's cooked perfectly.

I wouldn't send it if I didn't think it was perfect.

So, you know, he's doing really well.

CHATTER

I've just sent the first table of four

and I've got a table of six

and a table of two on order as well.

In a minute we'll come up on ten,

-we're ten goat together, all right, Dean?

-Yes, Chef.

Once they give us a warning on them,

-we'll start plating them out.

-Yes, Chef.

I just want to get the first check on,

just want to get the first go cooked and rested

and then everything will be fine from there.

So, this is going for my mum's table, guys.

-STAFF:

-Yes, Chef.

Keep it up. You're a natural, Dean.

Manic. It's different, different to what I'm used to.

You all right? Everything's good? You all happy?

-Doing really well, mate. Enjoying it?

-Yeah, it's good.

-It's good?

-It's just getting used to it.

Yeah, it's getting used to it.

It's a new dish, as well, and it's always a little bit...

CHATTER

Anton must have really trained them well this morning

because I couldn't have told the difference,

it was really, really good. Delicious.

The scallops were beautiful. Yes. That's what we say in Devon.

Happy food, happy chefs, happy customers.

-We're going to go on that ten goat, as well, all right, dude?

-Yes, Chef.

The focus is now on Mark,

who suddenly has orders in for two tables at once -

one for six and the other for four.

-No pressure.

-Just remember about the pan as well.

Moving them round all the time.

-If we get everything else lined up.

-Yes, Chef.

Get samosas done.

-You all good?

-Yes, Chef.

-That's all we need to hear.

Mark must make sure that each element matches the style and taste

of Anton's multi award-winning food.

-Looking good, mate.

-Yes, Chef.

-Right, we're going to crack on with the puree.

-Yeah.

-Sauce there.

In the plate, you can look at me

if you want to be cool or you can just do it how you feel.

-ANTON LAUGHS

-That's it, mate. Well done.

-Yeah, looking good, dude.

-Yes, Chef.

-Nice and fast.

Don't forget, at the end we can wipe round the edges,

-clean up where we've made mess and stuff like that.

-Yes, Chef.

Perfect, bang on, mate. Let's go and put it up. Yes, nice.

-Need to push it now, need to start going, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

-It's looking really nice, Mark.

-Thanks, Chef.

Looks like you've been in the kitchen with us for years.

That's lovely. Nice work, Mark, nice work.

-This is a spiced Cajun goat.

-Smells lovely.

I think the dish was very well presented and very well cooked.

The actual goat was very tender, very nice indeed.

I would order that dish again, yes.

I'm very happy, mate.

That's a lot of people here, yeah?

It never happens like that so you've done really well, dude.

Plating that many at once is always going to be quite intense

but when you've got his reputation on hold

then, you know, you need to make sure

that everything is absolutely perfect.

I was a little shaky, to be honest, cos it's the first one

but I have a good understanding of how he wants it to look

so I just need to make sure I remember that every time I go up.

I know how these guys are feeling, you know. They're thinking,

"I've got to get this dish done but I've got to talk to you

"and I've got to kind of do everything as well."

So, it's a hard...it's a hard situation.

With service in full swing,

the orders for both chefs are showing no signs of slowing down.

-Check on, three scallops, three goat, three crab.

-Yes, Chef.

-Let's push it out now, dude. We need to start going.

-Yes, Chef.

-Do you need some more seaweed?

-Yes, Chef.

Can I have some more seaweed, please?

How's our seasoning, dude?

A little bit more lemon, dude.

Looking good. Really, really good.

Guys, we've got a two and three scallops, OK?

-I'm going on the two, Chef.

-Table four, 101.

And table 13.

Good work, mate, it's awesome.

CHATTER

Super, thank you very much indeed.

It's amazing. I absolutely love it.

It's really refreshing, it's just got so many flavours.

It's really nice.

Even though service is coming to a close,

there's no let up for Mark who gets another big order.

I've got six more to go in the frying pan now,

Get six more garnish on and then...eight, yeah?

So I've got eight now.

-Exactly the same as we've done last time, mate.

-Yes, Chef.

Try and pick them out so they're all very similar in shape and size.

-Yes, Chef.

-Yeah? How many have you got there?

-Six.

-Six, I reckon you'll get them all in, dude.

-Yeah?

Yeah, go for it.

Remember about moving them around, dude, as well

-so they take all the flavour from the pan, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

Probably say three minutes on those.

Awesome. You know, he's cooking everything perfectly.

Speed's a little bit of a thing, but he's doing big tables.

We're doing eights, and that doesn't happen here at all -

normally it's twos and fours.

Apricots on. Samosas down?

-Yeah, they're coming now, Chef.

-Lovely. You're all good.

-Are you all good there, Mark?

-Yes, Chef.

That's it, mate. Bada-bing, bada-boom.

Let's cover up the goat and send it.

Looking really nice, Mark.

Wow.

The final seal of approval must come from the all-important diners.

I've just had the Cajun goat and it was absolutely delicious.

Yeah, I haven't heard anything from the family

so that it's a good thing, you know?

I think Mum or the wife would've been up in the pass saying,

"You're missing this, you haven't done that."

That's the last two checks on, guys.

Let's make sure everything's perfect.

We're doing really well, guys. I'm really happy.

Finally, it's Dean's last push.

Just finishing off service now.

Obviously just want to make sure

the last table goes as good as the first.

Let's push it out and let's...leave with happy thoughts.

Yes, Chef.

-Well done, dude.

-Thanks, Chef.

Really appreciate it, mate. You've done really well.

Your last check, dude, so let's rock it, mate.

I'm nearly through it...

..but you're only as good as your last dish.

Service, please!

-Well done, mate. That was awesome. Very well done.

-Thank you.

-Really enjoyed it.

-You enjoyed it?

-Yeah. Amazing.

-Yeah, that's cool.

-Really, really enjoyed it.

-Yeah.

It's always a good feeling when you finish a service

and you're all buzzed up and you've served amazing food.

You know, there's no better feeling, really. Yeah, feel great.

It's great. I love being in the kitchen

and obviously the competition is all about individuals,

but, like, there's nothing that makes me more happy

than being part of a team.

Mark and Dean now have one more chance to impress Anton.

They will have to cook one of his signature dishes

which was a triumph on Professional MasterChef...

..pigeon Wellington.

His version has the pigeon breast, pigeon liver duxelle and spinach

wrapped in Parma ham and filo pastry.

It's served with girolle mushrooms,

a bubble and squeak croquette, a sous-vide cooked pigeon leg,

caramelised cauliflower puree and a pigeon jus.

My signature dish is very, very close to me.

It's just something that shouts out about the pigeon.

How the pigeon was shot, the ash resembles the shot,

the puree resembles the mud falling out

and the pigeon is the heart and soul.

It's respecting the ingredients.

So they've got the pigeon Wellington, obviously, to make...

..and then they've got to do the bubble and squeak.

They have to get that really nice and crispy.

We serve the claws.

It's all edible as well. It's not just for decoration.

The sauce is really important

because it gets finished with a local apple juice.

So if they don't use it, there won't be the acidity -

it'll just be very clammy on the back of the tongue.

I really like my artistic kind of style,

but it'll be nice to see how they interpret my dish.

I'll be able to see them as a chef.

It's not often you get to go into a Michelin-star kitchen

and replicate someone's dish.

It's a great honour to be able to do it.

Well, it looks amazing.

The cuisson on the pigeon is absolutely bang on,

and the seasoning in the bubble and squeak is really nice.

And the little liver gives a nice little note to it as well,

and the leg's nice and soft.

The sauce is bang on.

Watch out for acidity because that brings the dish all together.

-Just the feeling it needs to be a little bit more crispy.

-Yeah.

It's not as though it's ruined the dish at all,

-it's just...would've added a little bit more crunch to it.

-Yeah.

-Really happy.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Really happy, mate.

Thanks very much. Thank you.

I just want to say it's been a real inspiration coming here today.

I think your food's amazing,

and what you've done since the show, well, yeah, has just been incredible

and I really hope I can do something much similar to you.

Oh, thank you. It makes me very humble.

Yeah, thanks very much.

Anton seemed to enjoy the dish.

I mean, it's incredible.

It's just great to hear a Michelin-star chef

comment on the way your food tastes, the way that it's cooked.

I feel overwhelmed, to be honest.

It's something I've never done before

so hopefully I can do it a little bit of justice.

It's nerve-racking, especially as it's his dish.

As long as he's happy and it delivers on flavour,

then I'll be happy.

-Are you happy with it?

-Yeah, I am. I'm fairly happy with that.

You should be, mate. It looks awesome.

Really nice. Lovely presentation.

The proof's in the pudding.

I didn't think at first the pigeon crust was going to be

as crispy as I thought.

It looks a little bit under, the pastry,

but when you actually get into it, it's really nice and crispy.

Now, the mushrooms are really nicely seasoned, the leg's awesome.

You've got the sauce bang on as well. It's nice and sticky.

I love the way you've glazed the liver as well.

-A really lovely plate of food.

-Thank you.

-I'd be happy to serve that in here.

-Thank you.

It's not easy at all, you know,

and you've walked into someone else's kitchen for not very long

and, you know, I'd happily employ you, mate.

-You're a solid chef.

-I might take you up on that.

-Cheers. Thank you.

-Enjoy it and good luck.

-Take care, mate.

-Cheers.

Anton said he loved the dish,

he said that he'd more than happily serve it.

I'm extremely chuffed. Unreal.

Like, just coming here for a day, who thought I could learn so much?

It's been an incredible experience

and it's one I'll remember and cherish forever.

Yeah, I can remember ending my service at The Hand And Flowers

and just feeling...utterly exhausted.

Emotions and pressure. The nerves.

The boys have done really well. Really, really proud of them.

Today has been an amazing experience, it's been unreal.

It's something I think I'll cherish probably for the rest of my days.

It's hard not to feel confident if you go into a Michelin kitchen

and you, you know, you have a really exciting day.

I just need to take what I've learnt today into the next round.

100% have those two guys back in the kitchen.

If they want to stay in tonight and do service...I'll go out.

Anton is living proof of what you can achieve

when you go on to win MasterChef.

I want to see them bring some of that excitement

back into this kitchen

and cook their hearts out.

Now they have to go head-to-head for a place in finals week.

You can only come back in this kitchen and be inspired

of what could be if you get to the final.

Your own kitchen, and maybe, your own star one day.

But before that, you've got to get through this challenge.

You've both cooked your hearts out so far in the competition.

You deserve to be here today.

You've got a great future ahead of you.

You've had a taste of what that future could be,

and I wish you the best of luck.

This is it. Two dishes between you and a place in finals week.

One hour 45 minutes. Off you go.

FAST TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS

It's going to have to be good.

This is where it gets very, very tough.

And the heat in this kitchen is going to be immense.

Cooking against Mark is probably going to be

the most nerve-racking stage of this competition.

I know my dishes are good.

Hopefully they'll triumph over his.

but I know that it's not going to be an easy day.

Fingers crossed that I can pull it out the bag.

-How are you, Dean?

-Yeah, I'm good.

I know it's a big day today,

so I'm just trying to make sure I stay focused,

get everything done today.

-How was it away with Anton?

-It was a great inspiration

just to see how happy he was all the time and stuff like that.

It was really inspiring.

Anton's always been happy from what I can remember.

He just said to make sure that we stay true to ourselves

and he's like, "You can't be someone else."

He said you have to be the chef who you are and believe in

and that's what will drive you forward.

-So you feel inspired?

-I do. I feel really inspired.

That's really good to hear. Really good.

So, what are you going to be cooking?

Charred duck breast and charred carrots

with navets, mandarin and a duck and sesame sauce.

For dessert, I'm doing a pine nut panna cotta.

-Pine nut?

-Pine nut.

With pine nut and orange cake, orange curd, orange granita,

orange jelly, a bit of fresh orange as well.

OK. Wow. Where does the inspiration for these two dishes come from?

These two dishes are both, like, great flavours -

especially the duck,

duck and mandarin are great flavours,

they work absolutely wonderful together.

Then having the charred-ness and stuff works really well.

I think the charred carrots, charred duck is just unreal.

The sesame sauce just to lift it up.

A pine nut panna cotta - it works so well,

the oiliness of the nut and everything just comes through

and it's truly wonderful.

You're actually talking with a sense of real passion here.

This is quite a new Dean I'm looking at right now.

I think I've lacked a little bit of confidence.

I can cook and I've just been more worried and panicky

and I've always been... Hate what people think of me

and, like, if somebody doesn't like a dish,

I've always been a bit panicky and I've always hated criticism.

-MARCUS LAUGHS

-Hold on, whoa, you hate criticism?

Well, as long as it's constructive...

You've come to the wrong place if you don't like criticism.

-You've come here?

-As long as it's constructive criticism.

I suppose the key question is - are these two dishes good enough

to get you into finals week?

If I nail these dishes on the head, I think they are.

How do you feel, Dean, going up head-to-head against Mark?

It's me versus him today and I'd hate to call the shot,

I'd hate to be in your guys' shoes today.

He's confident, he's happy, he believes in himself,

he believes in the food that he's cooking today.

He's cooking for us a main course of duck.

He's rendering the fat down gently.

He's then going to cook it in a water bath.

He's taken some of the fat that he's rendered down

and he's putting it into the bag

so it's going to confit gently while it's cooking it.

It should be lovely and pink.

He's serving it with carrot puree...

..baby turnips.

There's also going to be a mandarin gel as well.

I also saw him chopping up the duck bones

and a little bit of the leg meat as well to make the sauce.

It's going to have a flavour of sesame

but also the orange going through it as well.

This is a dish that's got a lot of things going on

from a flavour point of view.

But the key question is going to be -

do they come together and do they work?

On the whole, I love the sound of this main course...

..but today, there is nowhere to hide,

and it's great to see the confidence in Dean

because a confident chef should be cooking at his best.

I do like the sound of pine nut panna cotta.

He's going to slightly roast the pine nuts

and infuse it into the panna cotta milk.

Sounds fabulous.

We want that wobble factor.

The wobble has got to be there.

He's serving it with a cake. It's gluten-free.

It's made from almond powder, pine nuts and polenta,

so it will be a very dense cake -

that's fine as long as it remains moist.

He's serving it with granite of orange...

..orange curd...

I really do like the sound of this dish.

Duck followed by an orange dessert - that, for me, works very well.

For my dessert, there's a lot of skill,

there's a lot of elements in the dish and there's a lot of timing.

There's a lot of things that could go wrong.

Hopefully, today, nothing's going to go wrong

and I'll nail everything on the head.

Chefs, you've got one hour left.

Dean is a very good chef. Absolutely no question of that.

I'm just going to try and block him out completely.

If I show any sign of weakness today or make one slip-up,

then the chances are he won't do that.

I'm confident with my dishes.

If I execute them properly today, then I'll be laughing.

-Welcome back.

-Thank you.

-How are you doing?

Yeah, really good, really good.

How was your time away with Anton?

You know that feeling when you've finished service

and you've worked as a team and you've done some amazing food?

You can't beat that feeling.

But he's also been here and done this.

Well, this is the great thing about being in his kitchen -

he knew everything about what we were going through.

I was stood at one stage, like, rocking in the kitchen

and he just said, "Yeah, I did that as well."

You know, there was lots of stuff that he kind of related to in us.

What have you to stolen from his kitchen?

I've stolen two components, actually, for my main course,

but don't tell him.

You're two plates away from the MasterChef finals.

How much does that really mean to you now?

Well, now you've made me nervous, so...

But, yeah, it means the world, it means the world.

Really, really, really want it.

MasterChef finals!

I know, it sounds...

To even have heard those words when I first started would've just...

I wouldn't have even understood it, but...

You're almost there.

Tell us a bit about the food that you're cooking today.

OK. So I'm doing a pan-seared cod

with scallop and squid ink tortellini.

I'm doing some sea vegetables, pickled samphire.

What about your pudding?

I'm going with an elderflower and buttermilk panna cotta

with poached strawberries, Sichuan pepper shortbread

and basil sorbet.

Ooh, that sounds lovely.

You do know that Dean across the way there

-is also making a panna cotta...

-I do, yeah.

-..but Dean has a twist on his.

-Yeah.

I'm curious which one is going to be better.

So am I.

-Only one of them is going to go through.

-I know, I know.

Hopefully it's mine.

Let the battle of the panna cottas begin.

Mark has been away and has come back equally as inspired

by working with Anton, which is great to see.

Mark's menu sounds fabulous - two great-sounding dishes again.

Mark's main course is cod fillet.

It's a lovely piece of fish, it's very meaty, it's quite thick,

it can take big, bold flavours.

He's also made a squid ink pasta.

It's come out to a nice black squid ink colour.

It looks fabulous.

And he's going to be filling that with a scallop mousse.

The thickness of the pasta is very, very important.

He's got to get the balance right.

He also has crispy squid.

He's making a vermouth flute

and he's going to add some diced squid through that as well.

It's a lovely-sounding dish.

I just hope Mark will be able to control himself

and he doesn't rush through and ruin this.

Speak of the devil.

Absolutely love this dish,

but it just needs to be executed properly.

There's so many things that could potentially not work.

This is a real show-stopper dish,

I really feel like this is going to wow the judges.

I love it, so, you know,

I just need to hope that Marcus and Monica love it.

Mark, curiously, is making a panna cotta as well.

Panna cotta made with buttermilk is a fabulous combination.

The buttermilk has a lovely, rich acidity to it

that I think is fabulous and will work great with this dish.

There's also a basil sorbet...

..as well as a Sichuan pepper shortbread...

..and a strawberry jelly going with the panna cotta.

I really want to try this dessert.

It'll be really interesting to see

which of the two does the better one,

because at the end of this,

only one of these panna cottas is good enough to go through.

I feel as though, like, I'm pushing myself with the whole menu.

I just feel really energised.

I feel like I'm going to smash it today.

Mark, Dean, you have just 15 minutes left.

Yes, Chef.

Everything's actually gone really well, to plan...I think.

I'll find out in a minute.

I've, obviously, the last few minutes

just to plate up, finish everything off.

Let's just hope I get it all on the plate.

It's just basically getting the garnish together now.

I've got a lot to do,

so I'm just trying to get focused on what it is I need to do

and the right stages I need to do it at.

There should be time set aside

so they can really enjoy the plating of the food -

that's when the art comes into this.

They want to do themselves proud.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is frantic...

..it's professional.

These guys are here to fight.

Two very evenly matched chefs.

It's all going to be down to the detail.

Five minutes for that place in the finals week.

One minute left.

Come on, let's go. You've got to finish up now.

Your time's now up, Mark.

-And that's it?

-That's it.

Well done, mate.

MARK EXHALES DEEPLY

Dean is pinning his hopes on

a main course of charred duck breast served with charred baby carrots...

..pickled carrots,

carrot puree,

and blanched baby navet, or turnips.

It's finished with a mandarin gel and a duck and sesame oil sauce.

That's got to be one of the brightest duck dishes

I've ever laid eyes on.

The duck is beautifully cooked.

I like the duck, it's lovely and tender.

You've rendered the fat down beautifully well.

I love the carrot puree. It's nice and smooth and velvety.

Really like the texture of the sauce.

Really enjoyed the flavours of that as well.

And the bite of the sesame -

I really liked that, that's quite unusual.

I've not had it like that before and I think it works very, very well.

It's a very well-balanced dish,

but the bite of the vegetables on the plate...

are slightly unexpected.

There's just the crunch on the white turnip.

There's a bitterness in that

that sort of sits on the palate a little bit.

A little bit too much for me.

The sesame oil can be quite overpowering,

but there's a little bit coming through,

and I love it with the sweetness and the sharpness

of the carrot puree and the mandarin.

But I have to agree with Marcus on this point

that, you know, we find issues on your plate,

though it's a great plate,

just the navet, a couple of minutes or a minute more of cooking.

I would eat it all nonetheless.

-DEAN LAUGHS

-Thank you.

Dean's dessert is a pine nut panna cotta

with polenta and orange cake,

orange curd, orange jelly and lemon sorrel cress.

It's garnished with crystallised pine nuts...

..and orange granita.

Dean, the dessert presentation, it looks absolutely lovely.

A really stunning-looking dessert here.

The panna cotta is so delicate,

and I love the pine nut on the top,

the toasted pine nuts I think really does bring the flavour out more.

If it weren't there, I think it would be very bland.

I love the curd.

When you get bits of the curd in there and it's so sharp,

and then the freshness of the granita.

The cake is very moist,

there's only hints of orange coming through that.

It's a really tasty dessert.

I'm always a bit dubious when

there's a cream dessert with a sorbet.

Like a cream and an ice together,

it sometimes, for me, and that's just a personal thing, doesn't work.

But I think this works very, very well together,

but the panna cotta feels like a set cream

rather than a set milk and cream.

It is very rich.

It has a texture of creme brulee

rather than the gelatine-ness of a panna cotta.

I just wanted it to be maybe a little bit lighter.

Mm-hm.

We are going to find the detail, we are splitting the hairs here.

That's what our job is and that's what we have to do.

I feel intense.

It feels like almost a relief off my shoulders.

It's been a tough day.

I'm fairly happy with some of the comments

but I'm going to be kicking myself about the negatives.

It's the hardest thing I've ever done,

but it's been the most funnest thing I've ever done

and I've enjoyed every moment,

but hopefully, hopefully it won't be the end of the road.

Mark has made pan-fried cod with scallop mousse tortellini...

..crispy squid, dehydrated scallop roe and pickled samphire

finished with a vermouth fish sauce.

I think, from a presentation point of view,

I'm surprised you actually got it on the plate.

I don't mind a chef driving himself right to the end

but, phew, you did take that to the wire today.

Having said that, they still look like two very nice plates of food

and two very detailed plates of food as well.

Thank you, Chef.

-You drove yourself to the edge.

-THEY LAUGH

-And over.

-Just don't go over it.

Mark, the first thing I tried was your sauce

and boy, did it smack you in the chops

with some great flavours and taste.

And then the sharpness that's coming through,

and also, it's not a heavy cream sauce, it's quite light,

and this has been a really nice surprise on it.

Love that sauce.

I love the garnish of the sea vegetables with the crispy squid

and it's the sauce that brings it all together.

And I love the colour that you achieved on the tortellinis.

The idea of the dish, for me, is fantastic.

Thank you.

Mark, everything about your choice of ingredients

and the marriage of the flavours together without a doubt work.

I think the cooking of the fish is really well done,

I love the colour on the top.

I think the crispy squid has kept itself crispy

and looks fabulous and tastes just as good.

I think the sauce is delicious, absolutely divine.

You used lots of fishbones.

It tastes of a fish sauce.

The vermouth sitting in the background

I always believe is probably one of the best accompaniments

for a white sauce with a fish.

It's a brave attempt, Mark,

and, you know, I admire that pushing right to the end there.

-You know, good job.

-Cheers, Chef.

Mark's dessert is an elderflower and buttermilk panna cotta

with sous-vide poached strawberries

and a strawberry jelly

garnished with Sichuan pepper crumble,

a balsamic reduction and pistachios

served with a basil sorbet.

Colourful presentation, Mark. Very colourful.

I like your choice of plate.

But it really makes the dessert stand out even more.

Mark...

an absolute spectacular dessert.

Outstanding. Absolutely brilliant.

The texture of the panna cotta and the buttermilk is just divine.

There's one thing that worries me when someone says

they're going to poach a beautiful English strawberry.

It concerns me because the first thing it does is loses its colour.

Anything but. I mean, look at that - absolutely amazing colour.

And you've cooked it, you've got the texture,

you've actually enhanced its own flavour,

which is not an easy thing to do with a strawberry.

The basil sorbet is fantastic.

It works so well together.

The jelly on the top, the basil herb.

The panna cotta and the sorbet are just a match made in heaven.

I like it a lot.

That is just yummy.

I love this basil sorbet - on its own it's delicious -

and then with this creamy panna cotta,

the buttermilk, strawberries, the crumb -

really yummy, really delicious.

Yummy is my technical word for today.

I love that you really did push yourself.

But what goes to show in this plate of food is pure talent,

to get that amazing flavour on the plate.

You've given us a tough job.

Well done, mate.

Yeah, I'm relieved, to be honest.

I mean, the comments were amazing.

-I think they've got a tough decision.

-Yeah.

It was never going to be easy to go head-to-head with a friend.

Thank you.

We'll see you back here in a minute.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Good job.

-Mm.

Anything that they've learnt from Anton was to be themselves,

enjoy their cooking and to be true to what they are.

I think our chefs did just that. They both stepped it up.

Some great cooking...

..and we have a serious judging on our hands.

Dean throughout the competition has always been quite reserved.

Today he wouldn't stop talking

and his eyes lit up when he talked about his food.

He was very well organised.

The duck tasted good, the sauce was lovely, beautiful depth of flavour.

One of my negative points is the baby turnip.

-The fact that it was slightly undercooked.

-That's true.

But I loved the way he cooked the duck.

He had rendered it down,

it was still crispy, wonderfully seasoned.

The puree with the sauce together, I thought was delicious.

The problem I have with Dean's dessert,

the panna cotta had more of a cooked creme brulee texture

than a wobble of a panna cotta.

But nonetheless, it still tasted good.

I thought he executed a great dessert here.

It was very creamy, but I forgive that -

I would've eaten all of it.

The question I'm going to ask myself is - did Dean push himself

and give us enough excitement on the plate?

It's probably the most scariest point in my life right now,

just that moment of waiting just to find out,

and I'd love to be a fly on the wall,

just to know just a little bit.

But I'm sure the moment of truth will come soon enough.

Wow, where do we begin with Mark?

Here is a chef who really has come into the kitchen fighting

and driving himself.

Timing went slightly over,

but Mark did push himself and delivered us two plates of food.

Mark's cod main course had a lot of elements that I really enjoyed,

number one being that sauce - I thought that was stunning.

It was actually quite light and the vermouth sitting on the palate.

I thought that was a great way to start a tasting.

There were two panna cottas today,

but I think the one that pipped it for me today was Mark's -

great flavour, great textures, beautifully executed.

Mark's panna cotta is the one that I remember

and the one that I prefer of the two.

I never expected to get this far,

and to be here now and so close, yeah, it makes you want it.

Obviously, I'd be devastated if I got knocked out.

I don't know - we'll just have to wait and see.

I don't know what's going to happen. It could be anyone's game.

There's only one place up for grabs today in finals week.

We have two different chefs.

What are we going to do?

Today our chefs really did come in and put up a great fight.

I am going back and forth in my head.

I'm going from one to the other and back to the other one.

I'm sending this one home and then I'm sending that one home.

This is really difficult.

-OK. I've got a question for you.

-Yes?

Tomorrow you wake up and you want to go out for dinner -

whose menu would you want to eat again?

Of these two chefs, whose menu would I...?

Well, I definitely have an answer to that.

This was quite a tough judging for us.

We've had to really pick you apart

and look at your strengths, your weaknesses.

Everything has had to come into this judging for us.

We can only take one of you through.

And the chef that's going through to finals week is...

..Mark.

-Sorry, Dean.

-Dean, thank you.

-You did good, mate.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

It's been a pleasure.

Erm, distraught.

Just wish I'd maybe pushed a little bit more and tried a little harder,

but obviously I can't do anything about it right now.

Obviously gutting that I go home, but it's been amazing.

I've loved every moment of it.

Mark, congratulations. Well done.

Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

-Through to finals week.

-Really appreciate it.

Oh, I can't believe it. I'm still shaking like a leaf.

I didn't expect it, to be honest.

Again, Dean's a really great competitor,

he deserved to go through just as much as I did.

Literally trying my hardest in this competition.

I've never taken my foot off the gas and I'm just ecstatic.

I can't even begin to tell you how much, how good I feel.

It's just incredible, incredible. Really, really happy.

Tomorrow night, the semis continue...

..and three more chefs take on

one of the country's most inspiring kitchens.

Remember, we live and die by the clock.

-Communicate, OK?

-ALL:

-Yes, Chef!

Another on the way now. Just carrying on.

Backs! Walking with lamb.

-Come on, Darren!

-It's coming right now, Chef.

Mind you back. Coming out.

They will then have to showcase their own talent

if they want to stay in the competition.

Another interesting and intriguing dish.