Episode 19 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the final week of Professional MasterChef.

Of the 48 chefs that started the competition,

just the five strongest remain.

This week, they'll be pushed to the edge, as they cook for a unique

gathering of some of the world's greatest chefs.

I'm actually very hungry and looking forward to eating the whole thing.

I couldn't find any faults with it.

Absolutely fantastic. This is what MasterChef is all about.

Then, they will have to prove they can hold their own

in one of the world's most exciting restaurants.

That's fantastic.

At the end of the week, this year's standout chef will be crowned

Professional MasterChef Champion 2015.

This is the start of a massive culinary adventure.

First step is Chef's Table.

However, you have to earn the right to be there.

Throughout the competition,

you have been cooking with the best ingredients.

Today, we have turned that on its head.

An invention test from scraps.

Chefs, you need to deliver something pretty amazing, because at the

end of this challenge, one of you is leaving the competition.

One hour and 15 minutes to win you a place at Chef's Table. Off you go.

Scott.

Here's one cook that slowly has worked his way through the pack

and he is, without a doubt, a front runner.

This chef is exciting.

I've been dreading this.

I'm used to cooking with prime ingredients,

so, yes, it's a tough one.

Scott, what are you going to make?

A roast chicken broth with confit chicken wings

and a few textures of onions.

How many textures can you get out of an onion, Chef?

I'm looking at three, for now.

Charred onion, pickled shallot and crispy shallot.

-And you've got a few tricks up your sleeve.

-Yeah.

You don't want to declare it yet, because they might not work.

-Exactly, yes.

-All right, Scott, good luck, mate.

-Cheers.

Mark S, wow!

From the very first plates,

we knew we had a very serious chef on our hands.

The way he dresses is like an artist at work.

I think there is a lot of pressure on.

I've kept quite consistent up until now.

If one mistake gets made, I think they will go hard on it

and I'll probably go home.

-Congratulations for making it here, Mark.

-Thank you very much.

-How does it feel?

-Well, it's an amazing feeling to be here.

What are you making? So, I'm making a pork broth with some pork belly

glazed cod's cheek with a bit of coriander and I've made

spiced cod's cheek tortellini.

It's trying to get the stuff done in time is the biggest,

biggest challenge here today.

37 minutes left. Halfway.

Nick is an all-rounder, solid chef,

someone you'd love to have in any brigade.

Great consistency in his cookery, fabulous attention to detail

and a beautiful eye for presentation.

I feel a bit like Steptoe And Son, but I'm going to find something.

I've got to get it right today.

I want to cook for the Chef's Table so badly.

This is a real way of earning it.

-Finals week, Nick.

-Yeah.

-Did you expect to be here?

I don't know if I expected to be here,

-but I'm definitely thrilled to be here.

-What are you making, Nick?

Scallop and cod ravioli.

I'm going to do a nice broth with roasted chicken bones through it.

Cod cheek, as well, roasted on the side.

Right, you've got two heads here, couple of claws

-and half a big scallop. That's what you're going to use?

-Yes.

-Nick, I like it.

-Thank you.

-I like your style.

-Thank you very much.

Danilo. This is a chef that is growing through the competition.

He's brave enough to put a twist on his cooking and this makes him

an exciting contender.

This competition is affecting my whole world. We're all good chefs.

To kick someone out, they need to find something. Everything counts.

All the details count.

-Danilo, you made it.

-I made it.

-Final five.

-Yeah, it's amazing.

-What are you going to make?

-Pork tortellini.

Where have you got the pork from?

We got the ribs, we got small piece of belly.

-With pork cheeks and fish broth.

-Pork and fish.

-Have you had pork and fish before?

-Not that often, but I did.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

I'm a little bit worried how long it's going to take me

to finish everything, so I have to run.

You have 15 minutes left.

Mark has had a very interesting journey through the competition.

He delivers big, bold flavours.

I've really enjoyed eating Mark's food.

To get this far, I can't thank Monica and Marcus enough.

I've got everything to prove today. I'm going to fight.

I'm nervous, but excited.

What are you making?

I'm going to make rich chicken broth with pan-seared offal,

crispy skin crackling.

I'm going to attempt to do the confit neck

and wing into a croquette.

-If you can make the croquette.

-If I can get it done in time.

-Ah! I like it, if you can do it.

-Thank you, Chef, cheers.

-Five minutes left.

-It is almost coming together.

I just need to run to get everything on time.

Five chefs are making five separate broths.

We've got ourselves a broth-off!

One minute, and that's all you've got.

That's it. Stop.

Scott, come and join us, please, Chef.

From the scraps, Scott has confited the chicken wings

and glazed them in a light onion caramel.

He's made a chicken liver parfait on sourdough toast.

He's also served chicken hearts, charred onions, pickles

and crispy shallots and a broth made from the chicken carcass.

Scott, the presentation of this dish looks absolutely fabulous.

That chicken liver parfait, what a lovely idea.

This very deep, rich broth that you've reduced.

It's great, it's got a really big, bold flavour.

I can only marvel at the invention and the skill that takes

a box of scraps and presents such a beautiful dish.

-I'm really, really impressed.

-Thanks.

I love that you've used the offal in this dish and the heart,

as well, still lovely and pink and not overcooked.

I really enjoyed this broth, Scott. Yes, you should smile.

-I think you've done a great job.

-Thank you very much.

I'm feeling good. Just a bit surprised, I think.

That paid off.

Yeah, I weren't expecting that, really, but they liked it,

so that's the main thing.

Mark has confited the chicken neck and wing

and made it into a croquette.

He's pan-fried the chicken offal and sauteed the broccoli stem

and carrot trimmings in garlic and olive oil.

His garnish is crispy chicken skin with pickled chilli

and shallots, confit garlic and a spicy roast chicken broth.

I like the taste of the broth.

In saying that, the chilli is still on my palate.

I can take it, I quite like spicy food.

Other people will find this quite overpowering.

I think you've created a good broth there.

I like the look of your dish, however, I don't like the garlic in

the skin, and I find your croquette a little chewy, I'm afraid, Chef.

The livers are cooked well, the broccoli, for me,

is slightly undercooked.

The broth has a fantastic flavour,

but I just don't feel that you've brought the best

out of the flavours of the other ingredients on the plate.

Yeah, not too great, to be honest.

They weren't too keen on a few things.

The garlic was literally the last thing that I put on the plate.

I just wish I hadn't done that.

Mark has served the pork belly off-cut topped with cod cheeks

fried in soy sauce and crispy pork crackling.

On the side, a tortellini with cod cheek filling.

His Thai broth is flavoured with pork ribs

and trimmings of coriander, spring onion and chilli.

That is a really clever dish and it took me by surprise,

because I looked down at tortellini, pork belly and I thought, Italy.

And, actually, what you've got in here are loads of flavours of Asia.

You've got really nice soft meat, really nice soft pasta.

-I think it's delicious. Very, very clever. Well done.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much.

The glazed cod cheek with a bit of soy through that,

for me, is stunning. Absolutely stunning.

-I like it. It's very good.

-Thank you.

It was really tough.

You have a few minutes to, kind of, plan the dish

and I pulled out something that I'm pretty proud of.

Yeah, all in all, it's a good day.

Nick has used the trimmings of the salmon, scallop

and cod to make a mousse filling for his ravioli and tortellini.

He's served it with roasted cod cheek, crispy chicken skin,

candied broccoli stems, fennel pesto and a chicken veloute.

The pasta is really well made.

I love how much filling you managed to get into that ravioli.

The veloute, for me, is delicious.

You cook food I enjoy eating and I've definitely enjoyed eating this.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

From the scraps on your table, to then create a beautiful looking,

but even better tasting plate of food is a triumph. Well done.

Thank you, Chef.

Mate, that is quality and those flavours are immense.

Thank you very much.

I didn't expect that. I'm blown away by what they said.

-Smashed it.

-Thanks, mate.

It's ridiculous to get that praise from a box of rubbish. Really happy.

Finally, it's Danilo.

He has used the pork rib and belly trimmings to fill his tortellini.

He's served it with pan-fried cod cheeks,

crab meat picked from the legs,

a brunoise of vegetables using broccoli stems, carrots

and peppers and a broth flavoured with fish stock and mushrooms.

I think the tortellinis are very well made.

The pasta is perfectly cooked and they're very well formed.

I think the cod cheek is nicely cooked

-but I find the whole dish quite bland.

-Thank you.

I like absolutely everything that is in that bowl, apart from the broth.

All the food you've cooked in the competition looked amazing.

This is not your finest hour. This does look like dirty dishwater.

I do like your tortellinis, though.

I'm feeling really disappointed in myself.

I feel like I let myself down.

What a great round. I'm amazed at the quality of some of the food.

When you think what they had to work with, that was quite incredible.

Mark, Nick and Scott have cooked outstanding food today.

In fact, they should definitely be cooking at the Chef's Table.

Unfortunately, the two who are lagging behind are Mark and Danilo.

Undoubtedly, quality chefs, no doubt about that.

However, you can't take both of them through to Chef's Table.

One of them has got to leave the competition.

It will be so disappointing going out now.

The Chef's Table is just there.

It's a big chance, so of course I want to get there.

I don't reckon I've done enough today, to be honest.

I can only get so many chances,

so I can imagine this is probably my last chance.

We can only take four of you through to cook at Chef's Table.

We have made a decision.

The chef leaving the competition is...

..Mark.

-Thank you.

-Well done, Chef.

-Thank you.

-Great competition.

Cheers, thanks very much.

-Thank you, Mark. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Yeah, gutted, obviously, but I knew I hadn't done enough to

stay in the competition, so I was kind of expecting it.

It's been an incredible experience being on MasterChef.

One that I'll never, ever forget.

It's just been priceless.

I couldn't have done any more.

I literally tried my hardest.

I was just outclassed by better chefs today.

You know where you're cooking next?

Chef's Table.

Over the last eight years, the Chef's Table has become

one of the most prestigious events in the culinary calendar.

For the contestants, it's a rare opportunity to showcase

their own food to some of their idols.

The 22 guests attending tonight's dinner

are the heavyweights of modern gastronomy in Britain,

and hold an incredible 29 stars between them.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our chefs.

This is something they are going to remember for the rest of their careers.

This is a massive day for our chefs,

and it's a day they cannot make mistakes.

This is the biggest challenge I think I've ever faced as a chef.

When you know that you're cooking for these guys,

you've got to go in there and just knock it out of the park.

I am so grateful for this opportunity,

but I'm so terrified by it.

Today isn't a day where you want to mess it up.

You're cooking for some of Britain's greatest chefs.

It's an amazing opportunity to be able to make a name for yourself.

These guys are my heroes.

I eat in their restaurants, I read their cookbooks.

They're the reason why I'm the chef I am today,

so of course I want to impress them.

Five hours from now, this dining room will be full,

and service for the Chef's Table will begin.

HE PUFFS

Right...

Nick has come up with the starter.

Off and running.

Yeah, it's exciting.

I just wanted to get in there all morning.

And he will need to make 23 identical plates of it for tonight's service.

He has designed the dish around salmon, beetroot,

buttermilk and wasabi.

Nick.

Here we are. Yes, Chef. How does it feel to be here?

It's amazing. I'm so happy to be through from the scraps challenge.

What are you going to make?

So, I'm doing a little pave of salmon with smoked salmon mousse

and a tartare of salmon, buttermilk, lime and wasabi puree

set in a beetroot gel with a tapioca beetroot tuile,

pickled beetroot, a carpaccio of golden beetroots.

Salmon and beetroot and horseradish, I've had it all my life, but this is a little play on that.

Are you taking a risk?

Yeah, I've got concerns on the buttermilk, cos I've got to freeze the puree,

dip it into a hot gel, and it needs to be encased in that gel.

-It sounds like a lot of work.

-It's a lot of work.

-You only get this chance once.

-You deserve to be here.

-Thank you, Chef.

I think this is a really ambitious dish,

and I think this is the right time to be overambitious.

Nick's first job is to prepare the salmon pave,

as it needs to cure for as long as possible.

This is the key to getting this salmon in and curing -

getting it prepped perfectly portioned.

It's got to be done as quickly and as well as it can.

What our chefs upstairs are going to be looking for is

"Where's the wow factor?"

"What is the excitement of this dish?"

What's going to really push Nick's dish here is his addition of the

wasabi emulsion and the bubble.

This is the buttermilk bubble. I'm just going to freeze it,

cos when they're frozen, they're dipped in a hot gel.

When you put it in the fridge the buttermilk SHOULD

stay inside the gel, and then till it's cut on the plate.

-That's my aim.

-HE LAUGHS

The buttermilk bubble - what an interesting idea.

Get it right, it could be amazing.

Get it wrong, and it'll be a disaster.

Danilo's fish course will be based around rice,

oysters and Sicilian red prawns.

-Danilo. Welcome to Chef's Table.

-Thank you, Chef.

-How are you feeling?

-I'm...I am a bit nervous.

I'd be nervous cooking for these chefs, trust me.

So, what are you going to be cooking for us today?

I'm cooking a seafood risotto. It's something really personal to me.

-Yep.

-My hometown is on a seaside.

I'm using the Franciacorta wine, Italian champagne,

and then instead of butter and Parmesan,

I'm going to cream the risotto with oysters.

I'm going to blend the oysters and put them in the risotto.

-What are you doing with the prawn, are you frying them or...?

-Tartare.

I like them raw, I love them raw.

And then I'm going to dress them with a little bit of asparagus, raw as well.

Vinaigrette or anything?

No, not really, because the actual salt for the prawns tartare

will be a touch of smoked caviar.

Can't wait to try it.

Thanks, Chef, thank you very much.

Danilo is making us a seafood risotto.

The method is intriguing,

it's something I've never come across before.

He's going to use oysters in place of any butter or mascarpone.

And that's going to bring the fattiness to this dish,

and a lot of seafood flavour.

Danilo is under pressure to shell the 100 prawns quickly,

as the heads will create the base for one of his garnishes -

an intense seafood bisque.

I need to get the bisque on,

because then I need to reduce it a lot to get a very powerful bisque.

Yeah, I need to run.

Mark has designed the main course.

What are you cooking for your main course?

Suckling pork rack, and then I'm doing belly, confit belly,

and then also got a spiced pig's head fritter,

with a sweet potato puree, some Earl Grey-soaked prunes,

some pickled apples and some granola.

There's quite a few elements to the dish.

You know you've only got a few hours,

and you're cooking on your own for 22 chefs up there?

I think this dish is just a chef-y chef dish.

I think every chef in the land loves a nice hot,

crispy bit of spicy pork head.

Are you going to need a bit of help from your comrades in the kitchen?

I think I definitely will.

There's probably about 16 different movements for the plates, so it's a lot.

-Good luck, Mark.

-Thank you.

-And please, I really want you to enjoy this.

-Thank you.

I love the sound of this dish.

Mark is really pushing himself.

I've just got to get the pig's head on.

They take about three hours in the pressure cooker,

and then I need the suckling pork belly to go in the oven next,

so there's just two massive jobs.

Once that's on, then I can slow down a bit and get everything else done.

I hope that it's realistic,

when it comes to the plating, that he gets everything on there,

and these flavours really do complement each other.

22 plates of food with 16 elements going on.

Wow, he's going to have to move quick.

Within ten minutes,

Mark has got his pork belly in the duck fat ready to be confited.

It'll take a few hours at 90 degrees to cook.

His next big job is to start his spiced pig's head fritters.

He needs to braise them in mace and juniper berries.

The pig's head is a long process,

but because I've got the pressure cookers, it pretty much halves it.

Scott is underway with the preparation for his dessert.

The main component of his dish will be a rich malt ice cream.

Right, I need to get the ice cream on, first job,

and then I've got another couple of bits to get on straight away.

Hopefully that's a bit of luck there, yeah? Double-yolker.

Eh?

Milk and cream are added to the malt custard base.

It will now have to cool before he can add a stabilising agent.

So, he turns the attention to making the first of his six garnishes.

Scott, what are you doing?

Er, I'm frothing milk to a foam, and I'm going to dry it out

-so it's going to be a milk foam crisp.

-Wow, that's amazing.

It's one I learned at Northcote, actually.

-Lisa was doing it on one of the desserts.

-And you've nicked it?

-Well...

-She's going to be here tonight.

-I know, I hope I do it justice.

What are you going to be cooking for them?

So, I've got...malt ice cream. I love Horlicks.

I used to drink it as a little boy.

I'm going to make my own pretzels, turn it into a crumb.

I went to a three-star restaurant in New York, and they used pretzels

on a dessert and also as peanut butter powder and a cocoa nib tuile.

-So, you're going to be quenelling malt ice cream?

-Yep.

Please tell me not to order.

I'm not going do it to order, I'm going to try and get it done before.

If the ice cream melts on you, this is going to be a disaster.

-I need to make sure it's the right temperature.

-I'm still trying to get my head around what it'll look like,

-but you've never let me down so far.

-OK, I'll try my best.

-Listen, get on with it.

-Thank you.

This dish sounds extraordinary.

The flavours sound amazing.

The ice cream is the main focus.

The temperature is so important.

We don't want this ice cream frozen solid.

It should just be melting as the spoon goes into it.

Hopefully these recipes, I've tried them out,

so they should work, fingers crossed.

Erm...yeah, I'm looking forward to serving it to them.

-You have just a little over two hours left, Chefs.

-Oui, Chef!

Are we going to make it? Yes, Chef.

Nick is about to start the most delicate part of his dish -

coating the buttermilk bubbles.

The gel is made by juicing beetroots.

Then adding a natural gelling agent, which is extracted from red seaweed.

This is the wow factor on my dish, really. It's at a vital stage.

It's a vital part of my dish,

just got to get the temperatures right.

The challenge will be to perfectly encase the frozen bubbles

without them melting.

It's slightly too hot at the moment.

If you can see buttermilk, it's going to go all over the plate,

and it'll be ruined, so temperatures are key.

It can't be boiling hot, cos it just falls off.

-Nick, how's it going?

-Er, yeah, so far, so good.

-How many of these have you got to do? I've made about 45 shells.

-45...

THEY LAUGH

There's 22 chefs. You're doubling up for any mistakes, basically.

-I've got a lot of spares. I'm not getting caught out.

-I see. Good idea.

-And, also, you've picked the best.

-Yeah.

Danilo has only just got his bisque underway.

I will chop the tomato in, put the head on,

a bit of water and the bisque will be cooked.

It will need the rest of the prep time to cook

if it's to have the intensity he's hoping for.

Now he can start opening the 50 oysters that he will use

to monte and flavour his risotto.

It's going to go in the risotto at the last minute.

It's really time-consuming, and usually, in the kitchen,

you get a commis to do that.

Across the kitchen, Mark is steadily ploughing through his prep.

The five-spice flavoured pork sauce is reducing,

and he now has the laborious task of preparing

the sweet potato element of his main course.

So, I've got 100 balls, four a portion, this is all right, John.

You get good forearms.

HE LAUGHS

I've got some smaller ones of apple to do, and they're about...

ten a portion.

I wouldn't do this job if I didn't love it.

It's all about the pressure, I suppose.

This is a colossal effort from Mark.

There is so much risk in this dish, it's unbelievable.

This is the type of dish that you want a team of eight to ten chefs

standing behind you to help you deliver it and dress it.

Mark's going to be doing it alone.

This is, without a doubt, a mountain for Mark to climb.

With all the balls ready to go, Mark's next challenge is to

meticulously French trim the racks of pork.

It's probably close to 40, 50 bones to scrape and make sure it's nice.

Cooking's not just about the amazing flavours,

it's also about the theatre.

That's why I love the industry we work in.

There is now just over an hour of prep left.

The ice cream's in the blast freezer,

and my condensed milk puree's on the stove.

My foam crisps are in the dehydrator.

Making the cremeux.

Once I've done that, I've got a few little garnishes to get ready, so...busy boy.

-Scott always smashes every dish. He's a...

-SCOTT LAUGHS

He'll be on top of this.

You've only got one shot at this, so you need to give it your all.

His next job is to make the salted pretzels.

Rub them with a bit of oil and I'm going to finish them

with a bit of Malden sea salt. And then I'm going to poach them.

I'm no master baker, so they don't look brilliant,

but they're going to taste good.

The pretzels are traditionally poached in water

and bicarbonate of soda and then baked in the oven.

Chefs, you have just under an hour

before the first course is due.

I've got most of the big jobs done. Manic start.

I just want to enjoy plating it up.

How long are you putting these in the water bath for?

Between six and seven minutes.

Even though they're all stuck together like that?

Yeah, I'm probably going to re-vac-pack it.

-It just squashed them all in the machine.

-I would if I was you.

-Oui, Chef.

-Cos that doesn't look good.

-No, Chef.

-There you go.

-They're going to lose their shape.

-Yes, Chef.

You're less than an hour from serving some of the top chefs in the country.

I just stupidly put them in quickly and vac-packed them.

I haven't done that before since I was a commis.

A pave is essentially a square cut pavement slab kind of thing.

So it has to keep that shape.

Nick is, without a doubt, under pressure now.

The salmon pave, when you throw it all into a bag

and it crushes it, it's like putting lettuce leaves in there.

-Nick? Yes, Chef. Much better.

-Oui.

Yeah, I'm nervous.

I'll never get this opportunity again

and I do not want to throw it away cos of nerves.

-Danilo is also feeling the pressure.

-Hm.

He's finally opened the 50 oysters and blended them,

ready for the risotto.

But he still has to clean and dice the 100 Sicilian red prawns

for his tartare.

Another happy job.

Danilo has always had a worry about the time allowance to his cooking.

Time is everything today.

If I'm late, then we reflect on Mark

and then from Mark we reflect on Scott.

I really don't want to be late. Why are we talking about me being late?

-You OK? Yes, Chef. Yeah?

-It's nerve-racking.

-It is nerve-racking,

but you're never going to get this opportunity again. Yes, Chef.

Chives, olive oil and raw asparagus are mixed with the prawns.

But now he has to quenelle 66 portions of it,

enough for three per plate.

I think this is the best way to serve these prawns, as a tartare.

Such lovely delicate flavours, yet so, so tasty.

With Danilo's dish beginning to come together, Mark's also ready to

take out the spiced pigs' heads that have been cooking for hours.

Oh, my God! That smells amazing!

Gloves on and start picking, I think.

Yeah, it's just trying to get it off the bone and then the sauce

goes back through, set, pressed, cut, paneed and deep-fried.

Tell you what, if you've got any left over,

I'd like a takeaway box of this, please.

This is a painstakingly tricky job.

But essential for the fritters.

He has put himself under a huge amount of pressure.

He looks very relaxed, he looks in control.

-Just looks so calm and cool in here, doesn't it?

-Sounds like he's a man who is on a mission.

We're on the big dipper at the minute.

We're just getting ready for takeoff.

Come on, lads. Almost there.

Just chopping up the pretzels, so they cool down a little bit.

They don't look very good, but they taste good,

so that's the main thing.

Scott's keeping himself busy.

He is running round the place at the moment.

But the one thing he needs to watch very carefully is

the temperatures of those freezers.

So his ice cream can set beautifully well without melting,

or without going too hard.

I'm just trying to get it set a little bit quicker.

It's taking a little bit longer than expected.

I'm hoping to pre-quenelle within the next hour.

Outside, the great gathering of the Michelin star chefs has begun.

They include Clare Smyth...

..Michael Caines...

..the legendary Anton Mosimann...

..Andrew Fairlie...

..and Jocelyn Herland.

It's going to be exciting. As always, very, very interesting.

And I'm looking forward to have some very good food.

The Chefs' Table event for me is always a special time of year

and it's great because, for me, it's always

a kind of showcase of what these young, talented chefs can do.

If I was in there, cooking for this group of people,

I'd be incredibly nervous. It's a big day for them.

Quite frankly, it's a very big ask to be cooking for this many people.

I know how they're going to be feeling.

It's going to be a lot of nerves going on in there.

They'll enjoy it. It'll be something they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

Listen up, guys, our chefs are starting to arrive upstairs.

-Oui.

-Nick, are we going to be on time?

-Chef.

With five hours of prep coming to a head,

the tension is rising in the kitchen.

I am a little bit nervous. We have all the right to be nervous.

If not today, when?

Yeah, crunch time.

But all eyes are on the salmon for the starter.

Are you happy with the cooking?

Slightly over-rested and starting to stick together.

I'm not happy.

It's just not...perfect.

-Cos they're not all the same, are they?

-No. They're rubbish.

I'm going to do a small, little piece.

I'm not going to do a big chunk cos my portion control was

wrong at the start. I shouldn't have done them that big.

Looks an outstanding menu and really well balanced.

What I'm looking for is a blend of excitement, innovation,

novelty, but fundamentally that it's going to taste great.

This has got, like, all my favourites on it.

It's just how they execute it.

I'm actually very hungry and looking forward to eating the whole thing.

15 minutes left, Nick.

First course, we've got pave and tartare of salmon.

Smoked salmon mousse. Beetroot, buttermilk, English wasabi.

Sounds delicious. There are lots that can go wrong.

-Can I ask you a question, Nick? Have you dressed this dish before?

-No.

-No?

-I know exactly how I want it to look.

This person doesn't know how to play safe.

He really goes for it, goes for the kill, so good luck to him.

We don't want a dull opening.

A lot of pressure on the chef that starts the ball rolling.

Ah!

Gentle, gentle.

I'm hoping Nick has made enough extras

so he can only pick out the best ones.

-Tough, huh?

-Very tough.

I think that will be the hardest thing I'll do for a while, Chef.

A few elements that didn't go quite right at the end.

Just had a couple of bubbles burst.

It's possibly the scariest feeling ever.

My food sat in front of a lot of stars!

Nick has served cured pave of salmon on pickled beetroot,

topped with a tapioca and beetroot tuile.

A tian of smoked salmon mousse, salmon tartare,

golden beetroot, and salmon roe.

Buttermilk and wasabi encased in a beetroot gel,

with wasabi emulsion and a lemon vinaigrette.

It looks a picture on the plate and lots of colour, which is fantastic.

The mousse seems a little firm.

I like the pave of salmon and the earthiness of the beetroot.

The dish is quite complicated. There's lots going on.

I'm not sure it all pulls together.

The tartare of salmon had a bit too much of caper in it.

The salmon confit was excellent.

I think the buttermilk, the idea was quite interesting,

but it didn't really complement the dish.

The kind of confit salmon, the pave, was cooked beautifully.

Just needed a lot more of it.

This is undoubtedly a very talented chef and I think what he's done

is slightly overstretched himself in trying to impress the audience.

Sadly, not a great dish. It could have been much, much better.

Keep it simple next time.

I don't think this is Nick's best dish by any

stretch of the imagination and I think when Nick

reflects on what he's done today, I think he'll probably kick himself.

Hi, my name is Andrew Fairlie.

There's bits of your dish I thought were absolutely fantastic,

but there's lots of it that confused me, I have to say.

You're undoubtedly a very talented, very good chef,

but I think you just took everything that you have in your tool box

and put on to one plate.

But I congratulate on getting that complexity of dish

out for this number of people.

My advice to you would be, tone it down

-and keep it a little bit simpler.

-Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

The attention is now on Danilo's risotto.

This dish is all about timing.

When you start cooking that rice through,

there's no coming back, there's no stopping this dish halfway through.

I want a nice, creamy, rich risotto, but still al dente.

You can't have it undercooked and you certainly can't have it overcooked.

Do you think you're going to need help to plate?

-Are you going to need help?

-Yeah, probably am going to need some help.

That's all right. Just make sure you holler out to somebody.

Seafood risotto, I think

the simplicity in the wording on it is quite intriguing.

I'm expecting one or two little twists in there

and I'm quite excited about that.

-You've got exactly five minutes.

-Yes, Chef.

The rice obviously needs to be cooked perfectly

and it needs bags of flavour to impress.

If he's got talent enough to pull it off,

then it's a very good thing to do.

Two or three portions of risotto is easy.

To deliver it to this amount of people with the talent

that's in this room, that's a massive challenge.

Danilo, Mark's come over to help you.

Come on, Danilo. Give it your all. This is it.

Looks great.

Possibly, one of the most complex risottos I've ever seen.

-How many dots do you want?

-Er... Just do three.

Service, please!

-Smells amazing.

-Yeah.

You want to think about starting the next lot of plates.

Come on, come on, come on, let's go! Come on!

-This looks fantastic!

-Thanks a lot, Chef.

-Really.

Service, please!

-I hope that tastes as good as it looks.

-Me too, Chef.

-That looks stunning.

-Thanks, Chef. Thank you very much.

-Thank you, guys.

-Last one out looked lovely, big boy.

The best chefs in the country are going to taste my risotto right now.

It's terrifying, actually.

This was for sure my toughest day in my whole career.

I mean, I've enjoyed it.

If you asked me to do it one more time, I'll answer no.

Danilo's seafood risotto is flavoured with oysters and Franciacorta wine.

It's topped with Sicilian red prawn and asparagus tartare,

with a garnish of prawn bisque, rocket salad pesto,

smoked caviar and lemon basil.

When a dish simply says "seafood risotto", I think

it kind of sets high expectations, and when the dish arrived,

it looked absolutely gorgeous. It's a sexy dish.

Unfortunately, it hasn't followed through on technique and flavour.

To finish off the risotto with the oysters is a really complex

thing and perhaps hasn't just worked out this time,

but the concept's good, just hasn't really clicked.

The rice is very, not even al dente, it's actually raw.

And then, with the raw prawn, it doesn't really work together.

The little tartare was very nice, very well seasoned,

lots of good flavours going on there, but, for me,

could have done it so much more simple.

They didn't have to put themselves through so much pain.

This is meant to be a seafood risotto.

I was expecting scallop, clams, cuttlefish, squid.

I was expecting a bowl full of joy.

The best thing about this is the raw fish, but it doesn't sit very well

on top of the rice, which is raw, undercooked,

and, actually, not very pleasant.

Hi, I'm Theo Randall. Thank you so much for cooking for us tonight.

It must be pretty difficult to cook for this audience.

I thought your risotto, I think

you spent too much time worrying about the rice being overcooked.

But, actually, I thought it was undercooked.

It's very difficult to cook for this amount of people for risotto,

so it was a good effort.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much. Thanks.

It's hard, yeah, it's hard receiving this comment.

But at least they get that I was trying to do it different.

It's been a tough start to the meal.

Now the spotlight is on Mark, who has to bring 16 elements together.

How are we looking? Are we going to be on time?

It's just the pork. It's taking a little bit longer than I anticipated.

How long? Because you've only got a few minutes.

I'm going to send it when it's perfect.

It's your call. The question is,

are you going to keep 22 top, top-end chefs waiting?

Cutlet and belly of suckling pig.

Spiced fritter, sweet potato.

Earl Grey-soaked prunes.

I don't think I have had an Earl Grey-soaked prune before.

Come on, Mark, you need to start. I mean, if everything else is ready,

by the time you start cutting that pork

-it would have rested quite a bit.

-Yes, Chef.

Fire up your backside, son, I think it's time to move.

It's a risky main course. The fritter needs to arrive crisp.

The crackling needs to be spot-on.

The cutlet has to be perfectly moist.

It's got its risks but, in the hands of an accomplished cook,

they should be able to pull it off.

How's the rack look?

Yeah, it's looking perfectly cooked.

Mark, you know, it's fantastic. There's a lot of elements going on there.

You really have put yourself under it but, wow, does it look good!

Service, please!

Service, please!

Well done. Thank you, Chef.

Really well done.

Well done, mate.

-Thanks for that.

-God, I know, I was panicking.

A crazy dish to try and pull off

but I think we had to go big or go home today.

Everything went to plan, everything cooked in time.

I'm very happy.

Mark's main course is pork three ways.

Roast cutlet and confit belly of suckling pig

a spiced pig's head fritter,

crackling,

balls of sweet potato and pickled apple,

prunes soaked in Earl Grey tea,

spiced granola,

choi sum,

and a spiced pork sauce.

If our chefs upstairs don't love that plate of food then, you know what?

I think it's time to take my jacket off and give it up,

because that is very, very good.

Belly's delicious, the belly's so good.

I'd say it was a great dish,

probably the best, so far, of the evening.

The texture were good, the cooking of the meat was perfect,

the little deep-fried fritter I thought was delicious.

The spices were very nice. And the little bit of crackling,

I could have eaten a barrel of 'em with about 40 pints of beer, so yeah, it's good.

I was blown away, in terms of the flavours, the textures,

and the presentation.

For me, full marks. I absolutely loved it.

Absolutely brilliant. I mean, you can tell by the plates.

It's obviously clean, a real, real chef's dish.

And very nicely seasoned. Everything was lovely, it was a joy to eat.

Yeah, that was cracking. Lovely, soft pork.

I mean, the sauce with a real sense of purpose,

and lovely, sweet notes of the prunes.

I thought that was absolutely delicious.

There's nothing overpowering anything.

The pork was actually the main element on the plate.

For me, this is the dish of the evening.

This has been a great dish from Mark.

He's cooked his heart out, he's pushed himself.

I think he's done himself so proud today.

Good evening, Mark. I'm Daniel Clifford.

What I really liked was, you got a lot of technical skill into it.

Every bit was absolutely perfectly seasoned.

The prunes did bring something to the party.

The pork was cooked perfectly. The combinations were perfect.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Tonight, we needed something special and you delivered that.

-It was a great dish. For me, so far, the highlight.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I'm just overwhelmed.

It's an amazing feeling to get great feedback from them.

My heart was pounding, but they all had happy, smiley faces and,

yeah, really, really chuffed.

Scott, ten minute warning. How are we looking?

Dessert's ready to go, yeah.

Brilliant, well, let's get a move on.

Tonight's dessert is malt ice cream, chocolate cremeux,

banana and caramelised milk, pretzel and peanut.

Sounds exciting.

Seems like it's a lot of ingredients.

The malt ice cream should be delicious.

The chocolate cremeux is a classic.

There's nothing on that menu that you think, "car crash".

It's just whether or not they've got the skills to eloquently

finish the dish.

And get it out as they want it to be.

-It is starting to look beautiful, but I have one question.

-Yeah?

How's the ice cream?

-The ice cream is looking OK.

-"OK"?

Maybe I guess I should have left it a little bit longer,

but it's quenelles.

Make sure you go out with a bang.

-Scott, this is it. Moment of truth.

-Yes, Chef, yeah!

Don't let that slip off the end there.

They look great.

This is really interesting, and it looks amazing.

Enjoy this moment.

I am, Chef. I'm loving it.

-That's the first table gone.

-Yes, Chef.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Absolutely fantastic.

-Thank you.

-That looked great.

-Thank you.

Yeah, I enjoyed that.

Me old ringer was going a bit. With the ice cream,

getting it set and served in five hours was tough going.

But it's done now and they all look nice, so I'm well happy.

Scott's dessert is a malt ice cream

with chocolate cremeux,

banana and caramelised milk puree

crushed pretzels and peanuts,

peanut butter powder,

a cocoa-nibbed tuile

and a milk foam crisp.

The ice cream's great, isn't it? It's almost like a Snickers.

The ice cream was just perfect, you know, just perfect.

All the flavours the same size, the same shape, and it was just perfect.

The milk foam that he actually dried out

had a great kind of texture. Just melted on the tongue.

The saltiness of the pretzels, I thought, added to the dish,

as did the crunchiness. Very accomplished. I really enjoyed it.

The peanuts were the standout thing for me.

They just tasted so strong

I can still taste them now. They had a really good flavour.

I thought it was a brilliant dessert, brilliant.

I couldn't find any fault with it.

It had many elements, it had texture, had flavour,

and had aroma, and they all worked very well.

That is a stunning looking dessert.

I absolutely loved that.

I think that today maybe the chef knew how to do a proper dessert.

Might be one or two elements on here that I think I recognise

which is great for me because it shows that I've inspired someone,

hopefully, and I think he's done a stunning job,

and he should be very proud.

It's absolutely fantastic. This is what MasterChef's all about.

Beautifully presented, great balance,

huge technical ability and understanding.

This is a great way to finish. Congratulations. Brilliant.

It's clever, and it's so, so skilful to be able

to pull off all these different elements of this dish.

I'm really proud of Scott and what he's achieved here today.

APPLAUSE

Hi, Scott, I'm Jocky Petrie. Pleased to meet you.

-And you, sir.

-I thought it was really good.

It was well executed.

The malt ice cream, you pulled it off.

All in all, it was a great end to a fantastic meal.

-Thank you very much.

-Did you enjoy yourself?

No, I hated it! I don't want to do it again!

No, it's been an amazing day.

Obviously, you're all my heroes.

It's been an absolute pleasure and an honour cooking for you all

and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Yeah, I'm really happy and absolutely exhausted after that.

That was a lot of pressure

put on your shoulders, but I did really enjoy it.

What an amazing journey that our four chefs have had.

Some ups and downs. However, overall, I think

our chefs have to be very proud of what they have achieved today.

APPLAUSE

It's a tall order to cook for this crowd,

and I think you guys have performed really, really well.

It's great to see your passion coming through

in the food that you're preparing,

so thank you very much and the very best of luck.

I wanted to be edgy and I wanted to take risks.

I'm always going to try to hard for this event

because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so...

I'm happy. I'm really happy.

It's going to be hard.

I have to pick myself up and still fight for it.

Oh, it's an incredible, incredible day.

Just a bit overwhelming, I suppose.

You put your heart and soul into 22, 23 plates of food,

and hopefully, it paid off today.

I think I've done well today,

but you never know what's going to happen in the next round.

It's all about getting it right on the day

and if I make a mistake now, I'm going home.

Every step of the way, this journey gets harder and harder

and, in the next round, we're going to lose another chef.

Our four become three.

Tomorrow night,

Scott, Nick, Mark and Danilo...

..will fight for the chance

to cook in one of the world's most unique restaurants.

Wow.

What a sensation.

Yes, fantastic!

Only three can make it through.