Episode 6 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the Professional MasterChef quarterfinal.

These six talented chefs stood out in their heats.

Tonight, they will face two more challenges to test them even further.

I've found the competition so far

one of the toughest experiences of my life.

It's a lot harder than you actually think.

To be a quarterfinalist is a pretty epic feeling.

I didn't think it would mean as much as it does,

but being here, it's just spurring me on to go even further.

First, they will have to face an invention test.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Those that get through will then face the country's most discerning

food critics.

This dish is utter perfection.

Only the best will earn a place in Knockout Week.

Six chefs, and boy, have we got a great test in store for them.

I want to see these chefs push themselves to the limit.

Chefs, welcome back. This is an invention test.

Four of you are going to be going through

and two of you are going to be going home.

You're going to have to think on your feet,

work hard, you're going to have to focus.

Please uncover your ingredients.

In front of you, you have some whole almonds, Calvados, star anise,

you have cinnamon, a vanilla pod, chocolate, apples,

some strawberries, mascarpone and a bunch of basil.

OK, chefs, ten minutes to plan.

Off you go.

This is quite difficult when you don't have recipes in front of you.

It's quite a science, so it is going to be a bit sticking to what

I know and getting it right.

All our six chefs here made savoury signature dishes.

This is why we have put together a pastry invention test.

Pastry section is a third of a menu.

Why miss out one third of your training?

We have told them - if you have a weakness, we will find it.

I wouldn't say that I'm a good pastry chef by trade -

otherwise I'd be a pastry chef not a private chef -

but I am comfortable enough.

I'm very happy with what I've got in front of me,

but my mind is a bit a buzz of what to do.

Chefs, your ten minutes is up.

You now have one hour and 30 minutes to make your desserts. Good luck.

Josh, our 26-year-old head chef from Shropshire.

What a signature dish.

Wow! A bit of controversy with that dish.

Just take the honeycomb out of the equation, absolutely sensational.

He's got a great attitude. He came in there fighting.

I hope he is ready to fight for today.

As a chef, I would say I'm quite creative.

I like to push boundaries, I like to almost trick the customer

into what they are having.

I like to play with their minds and their taste buds,

and hopefully they like it, really.

Josh. How does it feel to be in here?

Oh, it feels amazing, you know? After the previous performance,

I want to push on and show you that I am worthy of being here.

-It doesn't scare you to do a pastry challenge?

-It doesn't scare me.

I've worked on pastry sections before.

It's easier said than done, you know?

So, I'm doing a cheesecake with strawberries, basil,

cracked black pepper,

toasted almonds as well, cos I think it's a good combination.

Hopefully, a few bits and bobs that will hopefully surprise you.

I just want to keep being me and believing in what I do.

Any honeycomb in your dessert?

No honeycomb, cos you told me to refrain today.

-I would have liked...

-We want a honeycomb.

Actually, today is the day I'd like a honeycomb.

Maybe a surprise of a honeycomb later, who knows?

-I was looking forward to that.

-OK, thank you.

-Crack on.

Josh is so gung ho at the moment.

I love it that he really wants to push himself.

Josh is making a vanilla cheesecake.

Very interesting to see what crust he puts underneath.

There are no biscuits, he's going to have to make some form of a crumb.

The one thing I do know is that

if Josh can deliver a dish that comes close to his signature dish,

we are going to be in for a cracking dessert.

Angela, our 32-year-old private chef in London.

She split us up a little bit in the judging for the signature dish,

but overall, I thought she cooked very well.

She definitely showed promise and I think she deserves to be here.

I wouldn't say that I am a massively competitive person,

but I think some other people might disagree with me.

Everyone likes to win, don't they? It's a nice feeling.

No-one likes to lose.

-How do you feel about pastry today?

-I'm really pleased, actually.

I think of the things that could have happened today,

it's not the worst.

What I'm going to do is a little pate sucree base

with some apple panna cotta,

apple and vanilla puree, a burnt apple

and cinnamon puree and some Italian meringue.

-Is this something you have done before?

-All...

-The things separately I've done before but not the tart itself.

-OK.

-Well, we wish you luck.

-Thank you so much.

Angela is making us a biscuit from sweet pastry, panna cotta,

a mousse, hopefully some meringue, some apples.

It sounds like a lot of other desserts all coming together

as one dessert, and that just rings a few little alarm bells with me.

Chefs, you've had 30 minutes already.

You have just one hour left.

Danilo, our 29-year-old chef from the Italian Embassy.

I like his calmness, I like his control.

I hope Danilo can deliver something as lovely and as delicate

and as skilful as he did in his signature dish.

I can't say that I am the most creative and inventive.

I think it's good to stick to your guns, do what you know.

There is time to try new things

and there is time which you don't want to do that.

-Danilo.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-Not bad. Can't complain.

I'm doing a torta caprese, which is

an Italian cake without any flour at all.

Some vanilla panna cotta and a strawberry puree with basil.

It sounds divine. Sounds wonderful.

I hope it tastes as good as it sounds.

-A panna cotta from an Italian chef, it's got to be right.

-Yes...

-Ohh. You don't sound so sure.

-No, I mean, you start to scare me.

No, don't!

-Ignore me.

-He scares everybody. It's natural.

Don't worry about it, you're not the first.

-We'll let you get on.

-Thanks a lot.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Danilo, torta caprese.

That's a new one on me, I don't normally speak Italian.

I love the sound of this, though.

It's got chocolate in it, strawberries,

basil and a vanilla panna cotta.

I hope that the Calvados is in there somewhere.

Jason is a 34-year-old freelance chef here in London.

Signature dish, wow.

All three of us agreed that he really did put Caribbean

food on the map.

Me, I'm the kind of chef that just does things on a whim.

I break the rules, I mix ingredients, even if

they don't go, until I get them to fuse together perfectly.

And I think that that is a true chef,

someone that can mix the impossible.

-Jason.

-Yes, Chef?

-What has happened to all the Calvados?

Yeah, I like to cook with spirits,

and this is one of my favourite alcohols I like to cook with also.

So, what I've done is reduced it with the strawberries.

That is going to be in a gel.

I'm going to set my chocolate mousse on top of that.

I think I'll get something out quite good.

Are you getting a bit confident now with what you are making?

Creativity test is something that I love to do.

I just think it is up to me to put the flavours on the plate,

and it should all come together. So I think that I've got a good chance.

Good man.

Calvados, strawberries, I'm curious how that will go with

the balance of the chocolate in his dessert.

I'm wondering if it is going to be overpowering for the amount

of strawberries he's got.

If it works, it will be wonderful.

Chefs, you've had 45 minutes. You are now halfway.

Darren is our 34-year-old development chef from Scotland,

and I'm sure you remember that langoustine dish that he made with

the stunning bisque.

It was delightful. All three of us raved about it.

As a development chef, I have to be very creative.

I've got to keep constantly coming up with things that people

haven't seen before, otherwise there is no point in me being there.

Darren, have I missed something here?

Cos there doesn't seem to be anything on your bench.

-Have you served up and cleaned up?

-No, most of my prep

is in the fridge, semi-done.

I'm just waiting and hoping

and praying, fingers crossed that everything works.

What is the title of the dish?

Apple semifreddo with caramel chocolate mousse,

roasted apples and an apple puree.

What's the inspiration?

Just the beautiful flavours that were in front of us today.

We had some really nice apples. That caramel chocolate was screaming

out to be made into nice mousse - touch of cinnamon, star anise.

-It's just flavours that I love, really.

-OK.

I believe dessert is one of my strengths,

but I also believe that dessert is a science,

and I find it really difficult not to have a recipe in front of me.

So, we will see what happens.

Darren says he is not comfortable working without a recipe,

but he looks confident.

Interesting combinations.

I think the key to the semifreddo is the freezing of it.

You don't want it rock hard,

you want it to be at the right consistency.

Liam is a 26-year-old sous chef at a Michelin-starred

-restaurant in London.

-His skills test was fantastic.

His signature dish, he showed some great skills

and I think he deserves to be here.

If I had to say I had a weakness, it would be pastry.

But it wouldn't be a weakness that I'd shy away from.

You know, give me a challenge and I'll take it on.

Liam, pastry stressing you out, relaxing you?

-How are you feeling?

-I wouldn't say it is relaxing me.

-It's not my strength.

-Right.

-I'm giving it my best, really.

-OK.

What are you going to make for us?

I'm making a roast apple with a Calvados cream, a toffee sauce

and roasted macadamia nuts with a bit of lemon zest in there.

Are you using any strawberries, any basil, any lemon?

Are you making any pastry at all?

I'm not making actually any pastry.

I've left the strawberries and basil out because, obviously,

when I looked at the dish, there were two ways it was going to go.

It was going to go sort of apple or...

-So the focus is all on the apple?

-Yeah, exactly.

Liam, is this a dessert you have done before?

Like I said, I haven't done much pastry, so...

It is an invention test, so I'm kind of inventing it right now.

Liam is going to be serving the apples with toffee

and chocolate sauce and also serving it with a Calvados cream.

And that is pretty much it.

There's no strawberries in there, there is no pastry making, there is

no panna cotta, so many things he could be making for this dessert.

This seriously is a case of winging it.

At the moment, I'm a bit worried for Liam.

Chefs, you've got 15 minutes left.

This is when our chefs should be checking that

things that are set really are set, sauces are done.

Everything has got to be ready to be plated.

Chefs, you have only eight minutes left.

Chefs, time is up. Stop cooking.

-Looks good, Chef. Well done.

-Thanks.

HE EXHALES

-Want an apple?

-Yeah, thank you so much.

First up is 34-year-old development chef Darren.

He's made an apple semifreddo

with a caramel chocolate mascarpone,

roasted apples, apple puree and a vanilla crumb,

with a Calvados syrup on the side.

The dish looks really appealing. It really does.

If I have to critique, I would just say the chocolate cream looks

very thick and it is splitting on the side.

But on presentation, I think you have done a great job here, Darren.

Thank you.

Presentation looks good, Darren. Very good.

Nice and crisp, nice and clean, and the syrup

just delivers the dish beautifully well.

I think the texture of the semifreddo is just right.

It's not too frozen and it is very creamy. It's how it should be.

The chocolate caramel cream is delightful against that apple

and with the syrup, again, it comes together.

What I like about this dish, Darren, is you've got

so many little things going on and lots of different skills.

And I think what I can see here is that you've really pushed

yourself and delivered a very, very good dish.

-Thank you very much.

-Very good. Very, very good.

Thank you both. Thank you.

That was amazing. I'm so pleased. So pleased.

HE SIGHS

I'm over the moon with the judges' reactions to my dessert.

Marcus said, "Make sure you are not a one-dish wonder,"

so hopefully I have proved today that I am not.

Italian Embassy chef Danilo's dessert is a torta caprese -

a chocolate cake made without flour -

with a vanilla panna cotta,

a strawberry mousse

and strawberries and basil.

-It looks fantastic.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

-Beautiful.

-Absolutely beautiful.

-Thank you, Chef.

You know, it's not too fussy but there is enough in there to

really make you want to dive in and try this dessert.

Thank you very much.

The cake tastes delicious. It's crunchy on the outside, it's moist.

Monica is still eating it so must be good. It's good.

I love the little nutty flavour going through it as well.

It's a delicious cake.

The panna cotta has got great texture, the strawberries on the

plate and the strawberry cream and the basil - this dish works.

It's been in good hands. You've done yourself proud.

Thank you very much, Chef.

Danilo, the cake is really good. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

I'm not going to any more cos I'm going to finish my cake.

Do you know what the best thing about this dessert is?

There is no Gregg. He's not here. We don't have to share it with him.

-LAUGHS:

-No, we don't have to.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Delicious. Mm!

-Good job.

-Thanks.

Top job.

I'm feeling really, really great now. Yeah, good. Relieved.

Yeah, I'm feeling good.

34-year-old freelance chef Jason has made strawberry

and Calvados jam with a light chocolate mousse,

mascarpone vanilla cream,

almond brittle and fresh strawberries.

The first thing I want to ask you, Jason, is, what has happened?

What has happened is that it totally went pear-shaped.

The mousse did not set as I predicted it would set.

-The presentation, I think we can all see, is not good.

-Yes, Chef.

One thing is very clear about this dessert, Jason.

Pastry is not your thing.

The strawberry gel underneath has just got far, far,

far too much gelatine into it.

I mean, it's almost rubber-ball like underneath.

And the mousse itself isn't a mousse.

It's not soft, it's not light.

It's actually quite heavy and stodgy to be honest with you.

And the caramel is not good either.

Overall, it's not a great dessert

and it certainly has not been your best day in the kitchen.

Yes, Chef.

Jason, this is just bad. Bad execution.

Pastry is very precise for the reason that if it isn't,

this is what will happen.

What happened is I just looked away for a couple of seconds,

and this is pastry.

It went wrong. It went poof! I was like...

I'm not a pastry chef, so I went down in flames.

Sous chef Liam has made roasted and poached apple

with a coffee and chocolate puree,

and a mascarpone Calvados cream.

It's not a great looking dessert here, Liam.

It looks very simple, possibly too simple from a chef like you.

-Lack of experience in pastry is very evident here. Very, very clear.

-Hmm.

Liam, the best bit about this dish

is the toffee on the base of the plate.

It's got a really nice flavour,

it's got a nice smoothness to it, a texture.

It is a very simple dessert.

It's fresh, it's got texture, it's got the nuts,

it's got the cream. But we are looking for the skill factor here.

Roast me an apple.

Don't put an apple in a water bath, blowtorch it and tell me

it's roasted.

Cos it's not.

OK.

Mm, Liam, I don't think this lives up to the expectations you

set for us, and I'm disappointed.

Gutted now. They said it was just too simple.

I could have pushed myself more, I had a lot of time.

I'm very disappointed in myself right now, really am.

Private chef Angela has made torched lime meringue

on sweet short pastry,

filled with roast apple, a cinnamon gel,

an apple and vanilla gel,

and Calvados and apple mascarpone.

It looks fantastic.

I love the way you've piped it. And what's really nice is to see

the beautiful green speckles of the lime coming through.

If that was sitting in a cake shop, I would think,

-"I'd want to buy that."

-Thank you very much.

I think it's a really good attempt, Angela, because to make

a pastry with no recipe is never easy, and you have cooked it well.

What is missing here is a bigger, bolder flavour of the apple

and a little bit of acid in there. It's all very, very sweet.

But having said that, the meringue is incredibly light.

You have coloured it, and the lime zest has worked,

and it has a nice texture to it.

The pastry is lovely and crumbly.

I think you are a couple of minutes away from getting the base perfect.

I do like the tart, but I'm just finding it very sweet

and there's bits of apples in there,

but it is not as intense as I thought it would be.

OK.

In hindsight, I wish that I had made things a little bit more cohesive,

what was in the tart.

You know, it's so hard to say whether one has done enough or not.

Finally, it is Josh.

He's made a deconstructed vanilla cheesecake

with a basil-infused, dehydrated olive oil cake,

a raw strawberry salad with basil and black pepper,

and meringue.

The presentation has got very nice colours to it

and it's very prettily put together.

You have broken it down and you have dissected it up.

I think the presentation is really nice.

That meringue is lovely.

Just how it looks and how it is made, you have got it spot on.

I love the strawberries with the olive oil

and bits of pepper through that.

The cheesecake, for me, is so delicate and very light.

Very creamy.

I think the way that you have made this dish, it is unexpected

but pleasantly so.

You know what? I admire your bravery. The dish does work.

It is intriguing and it's different. Good job. Well done. I like it.

HE EXHALES

I'm over the moon. I got great remarks from the judges.

It's me putting my heart and soul on stuff,

it's not just a case of being a bit...trying to be different.

I am different.

(I didn't expect that.)

Chefs, you have certainly given Monica and I

something to talk about.

Marcus and I have got to decide which two of you have to

leave us today.

Off you go, guys.

Well, what an interesting invention test.

One of the chefs that stood out for me today was Danilo.

I loved his panna cotta. And that cake... I thought it was a delight.

A delightful dish.

The strawberries, the strawberry cream, the basil,

it all came together.

It was superb.

Josh is another chef I'm starting to take a great shine to.

He challenges my way of thinking about food, and I love that.

Very clever chef. Very, very good dessert.

Darren is another chef that stood out today,

and I really enjoyed his dessert. We both enjoyed that dessert.

The caramel chocolate mascarpone cream was divine.

It's a dish I think I'll remember.

Danilo, Darren and Josh.

I think we both agree these three chefs have got to go through.

I think, Monica,

the chef that really crumbled today without a doubt was Jason.

I think that really showed today in his dish.

Yeah, it was an absolute disaster for Jason.

Well, Marcus, that then leaves us with Angela and Liam.

Liam, I felt, hadn't really challenged himself.

A toffee sauce on the plate, some roasted apples that weren't roasted.

There's a lot of skill in this chef, but today, Monica,

maybe we just uncovered his weakness, and that is pastry.

Angela's dessert,

the dish just needed the acid of the apple

to sort of lift the sweetness.

Marcus, we've got two chefs and they both showed a lot of potential here.

But we have got to decide which one are we going to take through.

I'd be pretty gutted if I went home today.

I mean, I am pleased that I got through to the quarterfinals,

but gutted that I didn't make it through to the second half.

I've got so much I want to show. And I want to be able to,

given that chance, to just come back

and absolutely attack it like I know I can.

We tried some amazing desserts today.

Delicious, in fact.

But, we can only take four of you through to the critics' round.

And the first chef leaving the competition is...

..Jason. Thank you.

Our second chef leaving the competition is...

..Liam.

I am majorly frustrated.

I came here to go all the way, but it wasn't to be.

I messed up today on my dessert and that's why I'm going home now.

I feel a bit gutted, but, you know,

there was four marvellous dishes in there, that I saw.

It was my time to leave, so I'm leaving now,

and I think I have achieved a lot.

Congratulations, you are through to the critics. Well done.

This is all about you now. This is your food.

Cooking for the critics, not easy at all.

It's an hour for your first four plates

and then another 15 minutes for your dessert.

Today is all about control, timing, attention to detail.

You're going to be under a huge amount of pressure.

But, guys, you've got to get your heads down and deliver the goods.

You have got to make this something special

because at the end of it, one of you is leaving the competition.

Off you go.

One hour 15 minutes is tough for any chef to deliver two dishes,

four of each dish.

Huge pressure, the critics and the time constraints.

This is really going to test our chefs.

I'm feeling good cooking for critics.

Treat them as I would anyone else

that comes into the restaurant where I work.

It's not just being safe, I'm a bit out there today,

playing on flavours.

Just making it a bit more fun with the elements that I've got

going on and hopefully it will be enough for me today to go through.

Hey, Josh, what are you going to be cooking today?

A halibut dish with a warm tartare, clams, charred cucumber

and heritage radish.

It's a modern take on what I think is sort of being by the sea,

getting your fresh catch in.

I love fish, tartare sauce, salt and vinegar. I'm going to play on

those flavours and hopefully it'll get me there and get me through.

-And for dessert?

-I've got a lemon meringue pie souffle.

-Ah, souffle. Risky.

-Yeah, I think it's got to be risky, you know?

I'm not just here just to be a number, I'm here to go on and win.

The fire in my belly keeps burning,

so hopefully I am doing something right.

Is that fire in your belly going to get you through to

-Knockout Week, you think?

-Yeah.

I want to be there. I want to be there.

I like the sound of halibut roasted. Fantastic.

Salt and vinegar, he is making a gel from that which I think

is a really interesting idea.

Josh's dessert, I like souffles

but only if it's got a bit of texture that comes to it.

Bring into this pine custard, something I've not had

and I can't wait to try.

Chefs, you've had 20 minutes.

I just love being a chef, I love the feeling of being a chef.

It's just great.

You know, it's probably the closest job in the world to

being a rock star without actually being a rock star.

It's just a cool job.

-Hey, Darren, how are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

What's it feel like to finally be cooking for our critics?

It's an equal mix of nerves and excitement.

I think once I get to going, I think I'll be fine, but I'm a bit

fingers and thumbs at the minute.

What are you cooking for the critics today?

I'm doing a stuffed rabbit.

I'll water-bath it, and I'm going to serve that

with some braised lentils, a nice carrot puree and hopefully

-a really powerful jus.

-And your dessert?

Baked chocolate mousse with a hazelnut praline

and to hazelnut ice cream.

Darren, you don't do service in your place of work,

and today, this is the closest you're going to get to a service.

-How do you feel about that?

-I'm really excited about it, Marcus.

I don't... Like you say, I don't get an opportunity very often

and I miss the buzz every day.

So, it is a chance for me to get back to what I used to do,

what I love and what I miss.

-Good man. We'll let you crack on, Darren.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I really like the sound of Darren's menu.

I love the fact he is using a wild rabbit.

This is very, very difficult to get right.

It is the cooking in the water-bath

and hopefully bringing out that fantastic, rich, gamey favour.

Darren is making us a baked chocolate mousse.

And then he is going to cool it down, and then he's got to bring it

back up to room temperature, so it is lovely and soft.

I can't wait to try it.

Cooking for the critics, for me, I think

it's kind of a milestone in the competition.

It's, you know, people that go into restaurants

and make or break restaurants, essentially.

And make or break people's careers, which is terrifying!

Angela, here we are. What are you cooking?

Black sea bass on a bit of braised fennel with some fresh fennel

and lightly, lightly pickled fennel, dill creme fraiche

and a langoustine bisque.

-A lot to do.

-A lot to do.

-OK, and what about for dessert?

Lemon meringue millefeuille, lemon verbena Chantilly cream,

lemon verbena sorbet, Italian meringue, some raspberries

and some little mini lemon-flavoured meringues.

Wow.

-You have really got your work cut out for you here.

-I do.

Quite a lot, yeah.

-Off you go. Crack on.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

Angela's main course is black sea bass.

The key to the success of this dish is making sure the fish is

beautifully cooked. The langoustine bisque, looking for big flavours.

She's got a lot of other things going on the plate.

She's got cucumber, she's got fennel three ways...

Angela's dessert is a lemon meringue millefeuille.

I'll tell you something, Monica -

if she can pull this off, all these different flavours and all

these techniques, we are going to be in for a really good treat today.

I feel really excited to cook for the critics today.

It's really simple.

If I get this menu right, I have a chance to go to Knockout Week.

If I don't, it is bye-bye.

Danilo, how are you?

A bit stressed out by the timing, but now I want it.

-Yeah, you got a taste of it.

-Yes.

What are you making for us today?

Risotto with braised onion, quail and summer truffle.

-I'm going for a rich taste.

-Oooh.

I do love risotto with onion puree.

It just makes it more creamy and rich.

And the summer truffle goes perfect with quail.

You don't want any other truffle with meat like quail.

What about dessert?

Chocolate ganache with saffron ice cream and salted caramel.

-So, is this food you cook for the ambassador?

-Yes.

This dessert I've been making for a couple of years now

and he is really happy with it. Guests are really happy.

OK, lovely. You crack on.

Danilo is making onion risotto.

We want that rice just with a little bite at the back.

If he can keep the cooking of that quail still pink,

this will be great.

I've never had saffron before with chocolate.

Really intrigued by this combination of flavours.

The key with saffron is the quantity -

too much saffron can overpower the dish itself.

Overall, Monica, you can feel it in the kitchen.

There's a huge amount of tension. The pressure is on.

There is a massive challenge of cooking for the critics

and impressing them.

But not only them, you and I, too.

The chefs who enter this competition, it is their life.

And if they deliver great plates of food, then their lives can change.

Chefs can go wrong by trying to follow fashion.

We are always saying, "Give us something simple."

I want to see strong flavours, clear ideas and great cooking.

We are looking for people who can combine

originality with good technique.

We'll just have to see.

Josh, you've got 15 minutes before your main course is up.

What is left to do, hon?

Cook my fish, char my cucumber, sort out my last bits

-so I'm going to get it ready.

-OK.

-I'm not keeping them waiting.

-WILLIAM:

-Josh is cooking Fisherman's Catch.

I can almost hear the seagulls,

I can see the ship coming into shore with his halibut, salt and vinegar,

charred cucumber, warm tartare, clams and peas.

That sounds reasonable.

I'm not sure about charred cucumber, slightly worries me.

Josh, you've got just under five minutes.

Going to be there, Chef.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-Off you go.

-Good. He was pushing himself.

-Yeah.

Hi, there.

Thanks.

So, you've got what I called Fisherman's Catch.

You've got halibut, clams, charred cucumber, heritage radish,

warm tartare sauce and peas with salt and vinegar.

-Thank you, hope you enjoy.

-Thanks.

The overall look of the dish is relatively pleasant.

I can sort of see what Josh is going for with this dish.

The overall impression is the flavour of fish and chips,

and you are just disappointed that there isn't some lovely crisp

beer batter and fantastic chips with it,

because all of these other trimmings are really adding nothing.

The halibut - overcooked, tired.

There's a reason people don't char cucumbers.

It's because it is completely pointless.

It's just an effect that you don't need.

I'm afraid, for me, Josh's dish doesn't work at all.

As good as this looks, this dish is crying out for more sauce

and seasoning.

It's not come together.

I hope there's going to be some salt

and pepper on the table out there for the critics.

All right, Josh, you've now got 15 minutes

before your desserts are due.

Josh's dessert is a lemon meringue souffle with pine.

That could be quite nice if it works, if it rises.

And then, he is adding pine on it, which could add a wonderful

kind of alpine hue or it could completely destroy it.

-How long will the souffles take?

-Nine minutes from now, Chef.

-Nine minutes?

-Yeah.

-Josh, this is looking lovely, OK?

-Thank you.

-Can you manage two?

-Yes.

Sorry to keep you waiting just over a minute-and-a-half.

-Thank you.

-Sorry.

Thank you.

Sorry.

My dessert today is lemon meringue pie souffle with Douglas fir.

-Thank you.

-And is there pine in the dish other than in branch form?

Within the anglaise that I have made, there is

a Douglas fir flavour through it.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy it.

I love the souffle. It's light, airy, lemony.

I really like this sweet custard that goes onto it

and I love the lemon curd with the raspberries.

I didn't get any lemon from the souffle at all.

I got egg, quite rich, but incredibly bland.

And then we've got lemon curd with some raspberries, which is

absolutely splendid.

I'm not getting anything particularly pine-ish

from the custard, but it's a decent little custard.

There is definitely some good stuff here,

but it's like he really hasn't made his mind up what the main

part of the pudding is, so he has given us a bit of everything.

A kind of deconstructed lemon meringue pie.

If he can find himself a decent plate,

I'd be very happy to have it again.

The souffle is just egg white with very light lemon coming through.

The best bit about this dessert, Monica, is this.

The meringue, the raspberries and the lemon curd.

That is absolutely delicious.

Oh, it's unbelievable how hard that was.

Slightly over on my times, which I'm annoyed at

because it is practice, practice, practice.

Yeah, it was very hard.

Darren, three minutes for your first course.

I might be a couple of minutes late just so I know I am right.

So, Darren's main - stuffed rabbit with carrot and lentils

and rabbit jus.

Sounds all right, this one.

If you can cook it so it is still tender, juicy,

with a nice bit of jus.

I love lentils.

This could be fantastic.

-How is the rabbit?

-It is a little under, Chef.

-What do you do now?

-I'm going to have to pan-fry it, Chef.

How do you feel now?

I feel a bit disappointed in myself, but I feel OK.

Off you go.

Hi, I'm really sorry to keep you waiting. I apologise.

Thanks, Darren.

So, for you today, I have made a stuffed rabbit with braised

lentils, carrots and a rabbit jus.

What have you stuffed your rabbit with?

The rabbit is stuffed with the leg meat,

a little bit of pancetta and the offal from the rabbit.

Great, thank you.

I think the rabbit looks absolutely fantastic.

Unfortunately, the rabbit is overcooked.

It's quite hard and quite tough.

The carrots are basically raw

and the lentils aren't just al dente, they are massively

undercooked and they are supposed to be soft and melting.

It is such a shame because I really...

I wanted to love this from the moment I read it to then

when I saw it.

But it misses the mark.

I think this is very nice indeed.

-I like the carrots cos I like my carrots crunchy.

-Undercooked.

-They are not cooked.

-They are...

They are just charred on the outside.

-I mean, they are raw.

-They really nice, though.

Are your lentils cooked?

My lentils are fairly gritty,

but that is the kind of nature of lentils.

I think, as usual, I'm the warm water between fire and ice

because I kind of sit between the two of you.

I don't think the lentils are undercooked.

I don't think the carrots are undercooked.

I think they are as they are meant to be,

but there are a few off notes for me as well.

Carrot puree, slightly watery.

But I think there is enough here to make me

feel confident about Darren's cooking.

The lentils, for me,

could do with another couple of minutes more cooking.

The jus is almost a consomme consistency.

I really hope Darren can turn it around with his dessert course,

cos he is going to need to.

Darren, you've now got 15 minutes for your dessert.

Yes, Chef. Thank you.

Darren moves on to a baked chocolate mousse with hazelnuts.

Difficult to get right

because you want it to have that particular texture.

But very, very good when it is good.

You almost look like you're finished.

Three minutes left to go.

This looks a very different story to your main course.

It's worked out in the end for the dessert.

I just need to quenelle my ice cream.

I'm going to shred some roasted hazelnuts over the top

and I've got a hazelnut caramel syrup.

-Happy?

-Yes, Chef. Much happier.

-Off you go.

Thank you.

So, I have made for you a baked chocolate mousse with hazelnuts,

a hazelnut ice cream and a hazelnut praline with a caramel syrup.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

This is a very competent looking pudding. Looks professional.

The hazelnut ice cream, I love.

I love the way there's a bit of salt to that tuille.

And the mousse may not be very moussey,

but it is a really, really good blast of chocolate.

It's a good pudding.

It delivers an intense belt of chocolate when you need it.

It would be far too rich and powerful were it not for the fact

that it is tempered by this soft and delicious hazelnut ice cream.

He has got a great palate and when he cooks well, he does it perfectly.

This is phenomenal.

Mm.

Once the sauce was poured on this, the dish came up to another level.

The tuille, lovely and thin and brittle.

The ice cream was velvety, smooth. It tastes of hazelnuts. Ah!

Fantastic ice cream.

To be honest with you, most things went to plan.

It was just the timing was tight.

If the rabbit hadn't been undercooked,

I would have maybe been seven minutes over.

But with the time it took to get the rabbit back,

it was like 15 minutes. It was just a nightmare.

Angela, you've got four minutes left before your main courses are due.

-Are we going to get there on time?

-No.

-How over do think you're going to be?

-Ten minutes.

-I think I need about 15 more minutes.

-15 more minutes?

You'll have to really push this one, Angela.

-Now you've got to step up the pace.

-Yeah.

So, Angela's main - black bass,

pickled, braised and fresh fennel,

cucumber, dill and langoustine bisque.

There's a lot going on within the time available.

This is one of those dishes where the chef is either going to

be completely frazzled with pain, agony and stress or

she will be very accomplished, it will come in and it'll work.

-How are you doing, Angela? You're out of time now.

-OK.

-Are you happy with how it is looking?

-I'm happy with the colour.

I'm happy with how it feels, the doneness. I am happy with it.

-Angela, we really need to get going.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Pushing it, pushing it.

All I have to do now is get the bisque into the glass things.

-You need to really start moving now.

-Yeah, this is it.

-Really, really start moving.

-100%, this is it.

Or the restaurant is closed.

Ooh! OK, I'm good to go.

You are 20 minutes late.

-OK.

-Put on one of those big smiles of yours

-when you walk through the door.

-Will do.

Wow. That was tough.

Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-Such a pleasure.

I've made black sea bass on some braised fennel with some

fresh fennel, pickled fennel, some dill pickle cucumber

and dill creme fraiche.

And then you have a langoustine bisque.

-Thank you.

-That's OK.

It's light.

Ooh. Are you kidding me?

20 minutes over and my fish is raw?

If the critics got the same piece that we've got,

undercooked like that, they are going to tear it to pieces.

I think it is a very well-cooked piece of fish.

Tastes nice, got a bit of seasoning to it.

Please, can I have a big bowl of the langoustine bisque?

It's really nice.

Could be a little bit more powerful, deeper and richer and stronger.

But, I suppose it is probably the right measure for this quite

sensitive plate.

I'm not entirely convinced by that dill cream.

It doesn't fit, for me, with the rest of the dish,

but it's a really, really nice dish.

-You've got 15 minutes left.

-OK.

-You have to serve your dessert on time.

-My dessert could be on time.

-Or you will be in big trouble.

-OK.

Angela is doing a lemon meringue millefeuille with lemon

verbena sorbet and Chantilly.

There's a lot of technical stuff that has to be done, though.

She's got to make the sorbet, she is making the Chantilly cream,

she is making lemon meringue, she is making millefeuille.

I think this dish is too complicated for its own good.

-Angela, you've got five minutes left.

-Thank you very much.

Are we good? Are we on time?

My Italian meringue has just solidified.

The sugar has just solidified in the bowl. It's not going to happen.

So, what are you going to do?

I'm just going to apologise for the lack of meringue

on my lemon meringue millefeuille.

One minute, Angela.

Off you go. Let's go.

-Thank you.

-There you go, not a problem.

For your dessert, I have made lemon meringue millefeuille with lemon

verbena sorbet and a lemon verbena Chantilly cream and raspberries.

-Please enjoy.

-Thank you.

A millefeuille is many-layered and this isn't many-layered.

It is three-layered. Let's try a spoon on it.

The sorbet has got a sort of syrupy taste,

almost like a sort of melted scented candle, isn't it?

It's too fragrant and that is unbalancing everything

else on the dish.

The raspberries work quite well with the lemon...

..glop at the bottom. It's a nice pudding.

-That's as far as it goes.

-This hasn't worked.

The pastry at the bottom is way too tough.

The sort of almost panna cotta base is a bit too gelatinous.

It just leaves you disappointed.

The tuille, yes, they are nice,

but a millefeuille should be absolutely perfect on presentation.

Everything cut to the right size.

It is all about presentation on this.

This is not a great dessert and I'm... Ugh.

You know, I probably actually just got so befuddled with the...

..worrying about the timing that your brain almost goes into slow-mo.

Like you are in mud or something. I don't know.

Danilo, you've got four minutes left. Are you on time?

-Yeah, I'm going to be on time.

-How is the risotto?

-Are you happy with it?

-It can be better, but...

-Don't say that.

I'm always hard with myself, so...

Danilo's main course - risotto with braised onion,

quails and summer truffle.

Every grain of rice has got to be absolutely perfect.

It sounds great.

If I saw this on a menu in a restaurant,

I would order it without delay.

-So, what is left to go on the plate now?

-The quail.

Quail. And some sauce?

-Yes. I was planning to serve the sauce on the side.

-Perfect. OK.

Quail is on and we are good to go.

-Timing is great. We have one chef.

-One.

-One.

-Out of four.

I'll take that.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Thank you. Thanks.

So, this is a braised onion risotto with quail and asparagus

and summer truffle.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much. Enjoy.

Well, it is rather pretty.

I love the quail. The jus is sensational.

But the risotto, it is just the wrong side of al dente.

It's al crunchy.

I love the risotto.

I love the fact there is still a little bit of crunch there.

But it has absorbed the flavour of those braised onions magnificently.

The asparagus, al dente, charred - absolutely delicious.

So much flavour.

And the quail, tender. Oh!

This dish is utter perfection.

My heart goes out to the jus.

Very good gravy.

And the idea that you can have gravy with your risotto,

I think he might have invented something new and wonderful.

The risotto is delicious.

The quail is beautifully cooked.

The summer truffle works really well. This dish is excellent.

Danilo has done himself proud.

We now have very high expectations for Danilo's dessert.

-15 minutes for your dessert. Are we going to be OK?

-I hope so, yes.

-Yeah?

-Thank you very much.

-Good. Off you go.

Danilo's dessert - chocolate ganache,

saffron ice cream

and salted caramel.

Crowd-pleaser with a little added nuance of saffron in the ice cream

just to show us that he can bring in sort of more exotic ingredients.

Pretty good stuff.

Take your time. You don't have to rush it.

-You've got a couple of minutes.

-Thank you.

That's it. Let's go.

-Good job.

-Good lad.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

So, this is a chocolate ganache with salted caramel

and saffron ice cream.

And there is a little biscuit or something here?

Yeah, it is a cocoa crumble. Thank you very much.

Well, the main event looks great. Very chocolaty, deep, rich.

Looking forward to eating that.

I do find the saffron ice cream a bit incongruous.

It is very overpowering. The smell is huge.

The colour is terrifying.

I'm not sure how it will match.

Big tick for the chocolate ganache. Also for those candied walnuts.

Lovely.

And I really like the way he has introduced salt

into the cocoa crumb,

which just brings alive all the sweetness of the chocolate.

Then you have got the saffron ice cream.

We worried about the fact that the saffron was going to

overpower the ice cream, and it does.

I don't like it even on its own.

But that aside, this is great.

Sometimes less is more, and that is really rich.

And just a bit of clotted cream would do me very well.

Would I have preferred a different type of ice cream?

-Personally, I would.

-This is not to everyone's taste.

You know, a lot of people will question this

because of that saffron ice cream.

Do I like it? Yes.

You know, I feel like I shouldn't, but, yes, I like it.

That was really, really, really hard.

Not everything will work out perfectly.

I can tell you that I'm like 65% happy.

So, all in all, good enough.

That was a tough day for our chefs.

Pressure, frustration, things going wrong.

Phew, it was all in their today.

Shall we start with the one chef who we both know did well?

And that is Danilo.

He was the one that stood out today for me,

not just in the way he worked. His timing was impeccable.

And, of course, those dishes were great.

The risotto was divine.

His dessert was always going to divide people.

Saffron ice cream -

you're either going to like it or you really won't.

If that is all we've got to worry about,

then I don't think we've got anything to worry about.

I think he is, for me, the hot chef in the kitchen today.

-I absolutely agree with you on this. Danilo has to go through.

-Yep.

That leaves us with our remaining three chefs. We have Josh.

The time caught up with him

and he was just missing a few things on his fish dish.

It was lacking seasoning and, without a doubt, more sauce.

His dessert today, there was the pine custard

and then there was that little side dish of the raspberries,

the meringue and the lemon curd, it was absolutely delicious.

Josh really wanted to push himself today, and he did that.

Darren looks like a chef that is just not quite used to the service.

When it came to the main course, he was incredibly flustered

and frustrated with himself and that showed on the plate.

He then came back with his dessert and it was like a whole new chef.

The star of this plate, without a doubt, was the ice cream.

It was divine.

Angela was also very late.

The main course, I liked the presentation.

It was a beautiful, elegant looking dish.

What really upsets me is a chef that is 20 minutes late,

yet the fish is raw.

That millefeuille should have been a stunning dessert.

I just think there were too many things going on with her

that she couldn't cope with it.

We have a really, really tough judging here.

We just have to make sure we choose the right ones to go through.

I hope I've done enough to stay in the competition.

I'd be absolutely gutted to go home now.

Hopefully, they can see that I am a risky person,

I'm willing to push myself to the limit.

That will keep me in.

I'm not feeling phenomenal, I can tell you that.

I'd hugely love to stay and I just think I deserve it at this point.

-So I don't know.

-SHE SIGHS

Not easy cooking for the critics, as I'm sure you all now realise.

Marcus and I have made a decision.

And the chef that is leaving us is...

-..Angela.

-Thank you very much.

I'm feeling pretty emotional, but, you know, it is the right choice.

I really hope that I can say with confidence that you did not

see the best of my cooking today.

I mean, I know you should be able to hold your nerves

so that it does not affect what you do, but sometimes it does.

And I think today it definitely did.

Congratulations. You are through to Knockout Week.

Massive relief. A place in Knockout Week is amazing.

I've just got to prove that I'm one of the better ones to keep

and keep going and hopefully push on for the semis.

I think I've had a bit of a reality check today.

I probably thought I could come in and cruise it, and it didn't

quite work out like that, so I need to refocus for Knockout Week.

Yeah, today was crazy. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling great now.

And relieved.

Next week,

another six professionals fight for a place in the quarterfinals.

-Stop, the lid. Stick the lid in.

-Oh, that one.

-Oof.

We've got issues here.

I wasn't a expecting a big, kick-ass dish like that from you.