Episode 19 MasterChef: The Professionals

It's the final week of Professional MasterChef.

Of the 48 chefs that started the competition,

only the four most exceptional remain.

I can't believe I made it to finals week.

I did wake up this morning and I thought maybe I dreamt it all.

I'm glad I'm still standing and maybe I'll win it.

There's four chefs left and it's going to get harder,

but, you know, I'm here for a reason. It's all hard work,

but hard work pays off.

Over the next three nights...

..the finalists will face the scrutiny

of some of the world's best chefs...

It's got zing, it's got clarity.

It's one of the best dishes we've ever had on MasterChef.

..and experience working

in one of the most groundbreaking restaurants in the world...

We will go to the forest, we will go to the field,

we will go to the sea,

and we can really feast on the natural bounty of our surroundings.

..before one of them is crowned

Professional MasterChef champion, 2016.

The fire in my belly

wants to get to the last three.

I've got to be better than them.

And hopefully, you'll see me lifting that trophy.

It's probably the first time, hand on heart,

that I've thought I have actually got a chance of winning MasterChef.

It's going to be a lot of pressure and it's who can handle that.

The MasterChef Professionals chefs' table

is one of the most prestigious events

in the British culinary calendar.

For the finalists, it's a unique opportunity

to showcase their talent to their professional heroes.

'There's no hiding place.'

These guys know their food better than anyone else in the country.

Getting by isn't enough today. It has to be exceptional.

I woke up at five this morning, sweating, in a bit of a panic.

I've just got to hope that the cooking shines through

and they like it cos, if not, I'm down the barrel of a gun.

The 28 guests are the heavyweights of modern gastronomy in Britain...

..and have held an incredible 34 Michelin stars between them.

Five hours from now, this dining room will be full

and service for the chefs' table will begin.

Biggest challenge so far in my career.

They're going to eat your food

and they're going to be talking about you

and what you've done today. I am quite nervous.

I feel a bit sick, but I need to think beyond that.

If I let the judges down, it's going to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

There's going to be a lot of pressure

but I'm not going to let it get to me.

I hope.

Service will begin at six o'clock.

This is the first time they've cooked beyond five plates of food

and tonight, they're going to be cooking 30, so it's a big challenge.

We're nervous. Let's get some work done.

Gary will be up first with the starter.

This is it. Yeah, we're on it.

I'm happy now, so let's hope that continues.

-Gary, here we are, cooking for chefs' table.

-Yeah.

-How are you doing?

-Yeah, brilliant. Really happy to be here.

-What is the dish?

-So, we're doing salt-baked beetroot

we're going to beetroot chutney.

We're doing some pickled candy striped beetroot.

With the goat's cheese,

we're going to wrap in toasted hazelnuts and a gingerbread crumb.

-OK.

-It's also coming with some good Scottish oatcakes.

Beetroot and goat's cheese - pretty basic ingredients.

They are, they are.

You're really going to have to make this special, Gary,

-for it to stand out.

-I think the combinations work.

I think it's how they work and getting that balance right

and offering little surprises on the plate as well,

-and, hopefully, worthy of such a meal tonight.

-Good luck, Gary.

-You've got a lot of work to do.

-Thank you.

Gary's really going to have to work incredibly hard

to make this dish stand out.

Something that we know Gary does

is to bring a lot of different techniques and skills

into his cooking and this plate is no different.

Gary is making a beetroot chutney, he's making a gel,

he's going to have some pickled beetroot as well.

In total, he has about 12 different recipes.

A lot of different flavours, spices he's using.

I hope they all work out for him.

Gary's first job is to prepare over 80 beetroot.

There'll be no denying, when we go into the room,

who done the beetroot.

To make the chutney, the beetroot must be perfectly diced

before it can be cooked down with apples,

coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks.

Every time you put a knife through something,

you're thinking, "Who's getting it?"

If one of them's the wrong shape, they will spot it.

So, that doesn't pass.

It's really important that I really focus

on making sure it's the best it can be.

I'm looking forward to it.

I've picked a dish that is one of my favourites.

Elly is in charge of the fish course.

She will have to prepare two whole brill,

40 scallops and over five kilos of mussels and clams.

I'm going to do what I need to do today

and serve some beautiful food,

so I've just got to crack on and try and get as much done

in a certain period of time and then I'll be laughing.

-What's the dish, Elly?

-So, today, I'm doing ravioli of brill,

but I'm using scallop mousse to just gently bind that together.

I'm going to do half a roasted scallop as well

on top of the ravioli.

I've got caramelised fennel puree, I've got clams and mussels.

I'm making a beurre blanc with the mussel and the clam juice.

I've got pickled cucumber at the top and that's about it. Sea vegetables.

-Wow!

-Sea vegetables as well?

-Yeah.

-That's a lot of work you've got there.

-Yes.

-Are you going to be all right within the timeframe?

-Hopefully.

I like that you're pushing yourself.

I think at certain points, will you be asking Marcus for a hand?

THEY LAUGH

No, I hope not, but... Yeah, I'll be fine.

I've got confidence, so I'm just going to, hopefully, you know,

work fast and clean and try and get the job done.

How are you feeling with the guest list that we have of the chefs?

To be honest, I haven't thought about the chefs all together,

because that would make me more nervous.

I thought as I'm doing my food and it's for customers,

no matter if it's Michelin-starred chefs or your mum and dad.

So, I'm just going to do my best and serve the food that I love to eat

and, hopefully, they enjoy it as much as I have.

It's really interesting. This is the most relaxed I've seen you.

I don't feel relaxed, Marcus.

Well, you look smiley and happy and ready to go,

cos you're just focussing on 30 customers

-and I think that's a very clever thing to do.

-Yeah.

Elly is a little machine,

going at 100mph at the moment, in the kitchen.

The pasta making is very essential.

The thickness needs to be beautiful and thin.

I'm also hoping Elly is going to make a few extras

in case some of these raviolis explode,

so she can choose the best one that's going to go on this dish.

The brill and scallop filling that goes inside the ravioli

has got to be made way in advance so it can become nice and firm.

I really like the fact that she's kept the brill in texture

to fold through her mousse.

Ravioli. Wow, what a skill to be able to A, get made right,

and B, get served on time.

I've done the thickness to what I normally do.

I don't want it to be too fine,

otherwise it will break once I make the raviolis and I build them.

-You're running out of table.

-Yeah.

-Looks good.

-I think that's thin enough for me, I think.

-Yeah.

Having not done a restaurant service, apart from Gravetye Manor,

in about four years, makes me the weaker link in the chain.

I'm going to have to be on my A game, pushing, pushing through.

So, it's going to be hard.

Matt is creating a beef main course.

If there was ever a dish a chef would choose off a menu,

this would be it.

Beef cheeks, pomme puree, girolle mushrooms,

deep red wine sauce, bourguignon style.

This dish is a chefs' dish made in heaven.

Matt has got to get the cooking of these beef cheeks just right.

It's such a tough piece of meat.

He needs to get them braising gently at a very even temperature.

The beef cheek has just got to fall apart.

You don't want to be cutting through the sinew of this meat.

Even something as simple as a mashed potato

could ruin this dish for Matt.

It's all about great preparation and fabulous execution.

How are you feeling, Matt?

I'm extremely nervous today, very nervous.

Do you feel that you can get rid of those nerves

and stay focussed and get concentrating?

-Yeah.

-Just think of it as 30 people.

Absolutely. It's 30 people, it's 30 VIP chefs.

I have to say, I'm absolutely 100% sure

your beard's gone grey overnight.

It's got a lot greyer than when I first met you.

I tell you what, Chef, it has. My wife said that.

-It's almost the same colour as Marcus's.

-It's distinguished.

-You'll be like me when you've finished.

-Yeah!

I'm trying to enjoy myself but every time I sort of settle down,

I think, "Oh, my God, who are you cooking for?"

So, I know that I need to...just chill a little bit.

-I just can't chill.

-Just try. Hum. Hum a tune.

-I'm not kidding. Hum something in your head.

-Really?

Yeah, just hum something in your head.

My hands won't stop shaking. I don't know what's wrong with me.

I know exactly what's wrong with me.

Here we are, back to doing what I like.

Bit of dessert, yeah. Exciting.

Arnaud has designed a dessert

inspired by breakfast in the South of France.

Tell us about your dish.

So, the dish is a take on vanilla creme brulee.

I'm going to be cooking some apricots in syrup.

I'm making a sugar tuile with coffee and pumpkin.

I'm going to make a sauce from the trimmings of the apricot with basil.

And I'm going to be cooking some of the croissants in brown butter

and then I'm going to put that mix into my custard, liquidise it,

which is going to give me a puree in a canister with some gas,

and put some air into it.

What I'm trying to get to is a mousse to go on the plate,

-just before it goes.

-What's happening with these then?

So, I'm going to be baking the cremes brulees,

-so it's free-standing.

-Right.

-I'm going to blowtorch them.

-OK, nice.

If I don't get it perfect, it's just going to be a puddle on the plate.

It's going to be embarrassing.

-I don't want to be up there looking like an idiot.

-That's pressure. Wow!

I really hope you can get this done right, the way you want it,

because it sounds fantastic.

Yeah, I hope it will be.

I think the making of a creme brulee

that's not served in the dish that it's cooked in

is a very brave and skilful thing to do and get right.

And I really admire that about Arnaud.

The issue here, he's got to make sure

these rings have all been lined properly,

sealed before that mix goes in.

And it's got to be cooked enough

that it's not going to melt and run on the plate.

Love the idea of putting the croissants back into butter

and foaming them,

infusing that flavour into his custard for his foam.

And there's a hint of coffee going in this dish as well.

A coffee tuile is going to give this dish

a beautiful texture and also a fabulous flavour.

Some fantastic combinations here. I hope they all work together.

The creme brulee is not cooked in time, then it's a disaster.

I might as well go home.

No need to panic just yet,

but the panic will come shortly if that doesn't work.

The cremes brulees are baked at a low heat,

then cooled in the chiller.

It'll take over one and a half hours

before Arnaud will know if they have set.

HE SIGHS

Two hours of cooking time has gone.

Gary's beetroot chutney is cooking down...

..and the salt-baked beetroot are in the oven.

Now he can focus on making the gingerbread for the crumb.

Once it's baked, I then have to dry it out

as a really sort of dry ginger breadcrumb,

which will then be mixed with mostly hazelnuts

and then wrapped round the cheese.

Next, he makes a start on the technical oatcake tuile.

We're trying to get it really as thin as we can get it,

with it still being structurally sound.

He must carefully place the oatcake mixture around the moulds

before baking them, so they can form into free-standing rings.

-These are looking good.

-Thank you.

How are you serving it on the plate?

Is it flat? Is it going to be like this?

It's going to be sitting up with elements of the cheese within it.

GARY LAUGHS

OK...

Um, are you not worried about them breaking?

I am worried,

but I'm going to make loads in case we have to swap out a plate.

Oh, my goodness, Gary, that's very brave.

-I can't wait to see how they turn out.

-Thank you.

-Ooh.

So the tester's broke.

With his first tuile unsuccessful...

..Gary checks his second attempt.

It's, er, it's broke again.

Um...I think I've been a wee bit hasty moving it

until it's properly cooled.

Twice now his tester has broken.

If he gets it right, it will look quite stunning.

If not, it's just not going to work.

Chefs, listen up. You have just two and a half hours remaining

-before your first course goes, Gary.

-Yes, Chef.

-Are we going to be ready?

-Yes, we are.

On the fish course,

Elly is making the scallop mousse and brill filling for her ravioli.

Elly needs to check the seasoning.

I'll be really looking to make sure that she does a little tester,

get that seasoning spot-on, because when the ravioli's made,

you can't change it. It is what it is.

-It needs more salt.

-Yeah.

-Loads more.

-Loads more.

I'm actually really happy

with the consistency of the brill and the scallops. It's really nice.

With her filling seasoned correctly,

Elly can now start to carefully assemble over 30 identical ravioli.

This is the biggest job.

I need to make sure that I seal them properly,

making sure that there's no air holes so none of them spill out.

But I've got 38, so if a couple do break,

then I've got some just in case.

Matt's beef cheeks have been braising for over two hours.

The beef's looking good. They've started to take on

all that colour and flavour now, so I'm happy about that.

He can now make a start on preparing the baked bone marrow accompaniment.

Matt's taking out the bone marrow.

He's going to mix it with shallots and herbs

and he's going to put it back into the bone.

Really, really like this.

To ensure the presentation is faultless,

Matt must clean 30 bones

before the marrow mix can be placed back inside.

I'm finding it quite hard, to be honest, but once it's done,

it's worth all this pain.

-How are you doing?

-Yeah, good. I'm still a bit nervous

but beef's nearly there, potatoes are cooked.

I've got to get them out and through the tammy,

get them seasoned up into bags for service.

I want to get these bone marrows in as soon as possible,

get them set up, cos once they're set up in the fridge,

then it's a big tick off my list

-cos a lot of the mise en place goes into that.

-OK.

On dessert, Arnaud's all-important vanilla cremes brulees are baked.

The cremes brulees are all cooked. They're in the fridge cooling now.

-Set?

-Set-TING. Set-TING.

-"Ting", not set.

It all remains to see, within the next half hour, how well they set

and how easily they're going to come out of those rings.

Should be fine. Only when they're cooled, but they're looking good.

Next, Arnaud moves onto the two apricot elements for his dessert -

a puree made from basil and apricots...

I don't want it to taste of basil,

I just want a sort of really fresh flavour.

..and apricots that have been roasted

in molasses sugar then pan-fried.

I've got to caramelise all them now, so that's quite a lot of work.

Yeah, happy cos they are looking sexy.

There's less than one hour until Gary's starter goes out.

The rings aren't... They're OK. They've got one split.

As long as they don't break twice, we're fine.

The gingerbread cake for the crumb

around the goat's cheese is cooked...

Lovely. Yeah, exactly to plan...for once.

..and is now blended with hazelnuts and finished off with chives.

I'm OK.

I've got a wee sauce to make - well, just to finish a sauce -

and then we're going to start plating.

Back on fish, Elly is in the process of cooking her ravioli.

They will first be blanched for one minute

before being steamed just before service.

If she hasn't sealed them airtight, they could split.

They've come out very, very nice. More than what I expected.

They look really nice, actually. Phew!

I've still got a lot to do and just got to keep, keep going.

-Elly, are you all right?

-I feel happy.

My raviolis have come out absolutely gorgeous

-and that's what I wanted.

-You're doing a lot of running around.

Yeah, it's just a mixture.

The last half an hour, clean bench and start again, ready for service.

Other than that, I feel like I am onto a winner.

Matt's potato puree is well under way.

The mashed potato - the texture has got to be so smooth, not grainy.

If he overworks it with the butter or cream or milk, it will split.

-Is this the second time you've passed it?

-No.

-The first?

-Yeah.

-It's gone really gelatinous, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Is it all like that?

-Yeah.

-You can see the starch starting to pull.

That shouldn't happen, so add the liquid in gently,

make sure it absorbs. If you add it too quick, it's going to split.

-Yeah.

-Especially with the butter.

-OK.

-OK.

-Thank you.

I'm up against it a little bit. I've got to get my garnish done still.

I've just got to push on.

For Arnaud, it's time to check

on whether his vanilla cremes brulees have set.

Et voila! Whoo-hoo!

I thought it would work, but such is life.

If it didn't work, then it would be disaster but, you know,

it's a good day, yeah.

Outside, tonight's prestigious guests are arriving.

These greats are at the top of their profession,

achieving the accolades and recognition

that the finalists dream to one day emulate.

I'd be nervous if I was cooking for these people.

It is a real opportunity for those guys.

I bet they're feeling it but, hopefully, they do well.

We expect a very high standard.

We want to see their flair, imagination and skill tonight,

because these are finalists, so we should be seeing them at their best.

We're going to be a tough crowd. They're going to be critical

but they're going to be critiques you need to listen to

cos they're very experienced chefs we have here.

What you're looking for are the people that have got the passion,

the determination, the drive. The chefs coming out of this

are going to be the big names of tomorrow.

Also attending are previous Professional MasterChef winners

and finalists, who have gone on to achieve great success.

Still don't feel like I'm amazing enough to be here

but, you know, if I was back there now,

it's still probably the worst dining experience of my life!

They will be terrified and nervous

but incredibly excited that they're about to meet,

you know, a bunch of their heroes.

There's a lot of people I've respected for a long, long time

and I know how stressful it is to be cooking for them,

so much happier to be on this side of the fence.

Your chefs have started to arrive.

You have 40 minutes until your first course needs to be served.

-Are we going to be OK for the first course?

-Yes, Chef.

With all eyes on Gary's beetroot and goat's cheese starter...

..his last job is to create two different beetroot gels.

One is to form beetroot balls,

using a process called reverse spherification...

..and the second, to create an intricate pattern

by injecting beetroot gel through a caviar box

normally used for making caviar pearls.

You have to get it to the exact correct consistency

or else it doesn't work and we don't have time for it not to work,

shall we say, so pressure's definitely on.

-It's still too thin.

-You need a steady hand.

-Yeah.

It's still running a wee bit, isn't it?

You've got about 30 minutes. We've got to get this right.

This, hopefully, should be the last test.

I think, by the time you go on it, it should be all right.

Service is now under way...

..and Gary has ten minutes to plate all 30 starters.

He begins with the intricate 96 dots of beetroot gel.

Yes! Yes!

Hooray!

-Wow!

-Looks amazing!

Gary, do you know how stressful you're making me?

How stressful I'm making myself!

Gary, do you think you need some help from some of the others?

Yeah, if I could. Guys, is anybody free for two minutes?

-MATT:

-Yeah, I got you, got you.

Gary, Gary, Gary!

Hazelnut and ginger crumble, goat's cheese

and then it's oak-baked pickled beetroot with chutney and oatcakes,

so that's quite a mouthful, so let's hope they can execute it

with balance and flair and, of course, great flavours.

Sounds good, good combinations.

It looks good on the menu, but let's see the execution.

I'm looking forward to it very much.

-Service, please.

-No pressure.

That's it. Last one, Gary. All done.

MONICA LAUGHS

You only do this once, don't you?

-I don't think you would ever do it twice.

-Wow!

-You nutter!

-You are a mad Scotsman!

-Yeah, yeah, that's evident now.

Terrifying and exciting and enjoyable at the same time,

but I'm happy to have got it out and I hope the guests enjoy it.

Gary has served a starter of goat's cheese,

wrapped in a gingerbread and hazelnut crumb

with beetroot five ways -

salt-baked,

a chutney,

pickled candy striped beetroot,

beetroot spherification

and dotted beetroot gels,

served with an oatcake tuile.

It's cool! A lot of dots!

And this tuile is very interesting,

so I'm excited to try it.

Beautiful dish. It's the precision in the...

You see the dots

and it looks really, really beautiful.

I'm missing the beetroot,

I'm missing the salad, I'm missing the acidity,

and it's quite a big portion of cheese.

So, it looks good but, at the end of the day, bit disappointing.

The goat's cheese is rather too large.

The biscuit - there is a bit of texture going on there

with the biscuit which, obviously, is a plus,

but the whole dish is underseasoned, to be honest.

It was nice but I would have liked to have seen more beetroot

and I think that kind of let the dish down a bit.

I think the oatcake was a very clever twist on it,

giving some height to the dish. I wasn't expecting that.

Some nice techniques on there.

The oatcake gave nice texture to the dish.

A bit more beetroot on the plate,

I think you've got that good product that's ready to go.

They're all great ingredients,

but it didn't really blend together as a complete dish.

And that's so important. You've got to be able to taste everything.

If you're putting on a menu you're salt-baking stuff,

you've got to taste that it's been salt-baked.

Not the type of presentation I was expecting from Gary.

30 plates he made and they all looked great. He's done well.

What's here is tasty. There's just the slight balance is off.

There's more cheese to actual garnish, which is a shame,

because what is on the plate is very good.

I like the idea, though, and I love his ambition.

APPLAUSE

The dish looked absolutely perfect,

really, like, a picture on a plate.

But, for me, I felt it needed more garnish,

-less goat's cheese and it needed some acidity.

-Yeah.

-But, apart from that, it was lovely.

-Thank you.

Congratulations, Gary, for getting this far.

Ten out of ten for presentation.

I think, from working with you,

I've seen that this is something you've really tried to improve upon.

-Yeah.

-A lovely dish. Lots of empty plates, so well done.

It's just amazing to be here. I'm a lecturer at college,

so you guys are totally inspirational

to thousands of kids that I see every year,

so it's just such a pleasure to be here, it really is.

Some of my heroes are here, Mr Mosimann,

so amazing, absolutely amazing.

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

I did get some negative feedback but, all in all,

I thought it was a successful plate.

Absolutely incredible to see these people looking at what you've done.

I don't know if I'll recover, actually.

Mad, absolutely mad.

All attention is now on Elly.

Her last job is to finish steaming her brill and scallop ravioli.

But she's unsure exactly how long they will take to cook through.

Oh, it needs longer.

It's raw.

It needs...six minutes.

-So, when you're ready, hon.

-Yes, Chef.

-Are we going to start going?

Yes, Chef. Matt, how are you looking, my friend?

I put myself right in it if I come over. Do you desperately need me?

-No, don't worry.

-I'm here. Right, what do you need?

-Right, Arnaud.

-Yeah.

Can you, in between these four pans,

-distribute these mussels and that?

-Sure.

So, the ravioli of brill. Sounds exciting and tasty.

There's a lot of interesting components

that could potentially go incredibly well

or maybe a little wrong.

It sounds really elegant. Fennel and cucumber.

I love all those combinations, so quite classic.

-We've got four minutes on raviolis, yeah.

-Four minutes?

-Yeah.

-OK.

So, Gary, back up there. I want you...

-Can you put them under the salamander for me?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

TIMER BEEPS

A lot can go wrong, making a traditional ravioli,

making the pasta cooked, the filling nice and succulent inside,

so let's wait and see.

Come on, Elly, we really need to get moving.

-Do you want to get the caviar for me, Arnaud?

-Caviar, yeah.

-Are you good?

-Yes, Chef.

-Do you want to push them forward, darling?

-Yes, please.

Service, please!

-So, raviolis out, Gary.

-OK.

-Elly?

-Yes, Chef.

-They look fantastic.

-Thank you.

-Keep it going.

-Yeah.

I'll finish them if you start the next lot, please.

-Going well, Elly. How do you feel?

-Well, I'm very hot.

-Yeah, but it's a good hot.

-Yes.

Lovely job.

-Last table.

-Yes, Chef.

-Can you see the finish line now?

-Yeah. Whoo-hoo!

These look so good, Elly. Well done.

Thank you. Last table.

-Wow.

-Thanks, mate.

-Beautiful, beautiful. Matt.

-Nice one, darling.

-Well done, you.

-Good job.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Do I get that drink now?

-No.

-You've got two more courses to go yet.

-Yes, Chef.

That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life

but I think everything was spot-on, it was how I wanted it to be,

so it was a lot of pressure, but I've done it.

Elly has made a scallop mousse and brill-filled ravioli,

served with mussels, clams,

pan-fried scallop,

roasted fennel puree,

pickled cucumber, caviar,

sea vegetables and a mussel beurre blanc.

Perfectly formed ravioli, nicely roasted scallops.

It looks like a flower, as far as I'm concerned,

so that's a good sign.

I actually liked it. I never thought I would when I looked at it.

To cook your piece of fish like this, in the middle of the pasta,

without having the control, is good timing and I thought it was nice.

To do that many raviolis in one massive hit is super hard

and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish and hats off to the chef.

I wouldn't mind to have a little more sauce and little bit thicker,

because it was so delicious, when you're breaking the ravioli,

you want to dip, but I think it was very well done.

I really enjoyed that. I thought the fish inside was lovely and soft.

I really liked the fennel puree. Fennel and mussels, I thought,

was a brilliant combination and it tasted great.

Nice acidity, well cooked fish.

It was quite classical, but there's nothing wrong with that.

It was absolutely fantastic.

I thought it was a delicious dish, considered plate of food.

Not showy, but all the better for it. It was a delight to eat.

The cucumber is immaculate.

It's got a bit of bite, it's got zing, it's got clarity, it's got...

It's one of the best dishes we've ever had at MasterChef, I think.

It's clean, it's beautiful and it's...it's a pleasure to eat.

This dish not only looks wonderful, it tastes amazing.

It's so easy, I think, to overcomplicate a dish.

I think Elly has been true to herself,

gave us great cooking and amazing flavours.

I didn't even see one ravioli split at all.

Her technique, her skill, her organisation was a credit to her.

I thought she nailed that today.

APPLAUSE

Hi, Elly. For me, all the flavours went well together,

some real good display of technical skill.

I wouldn't want to cook for 30 people of this standard

but you did it very, very well.

It was a really good display of confident cooking.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

I felt there was a lot of love in this dish.

I could feel like you cooked with your own identity here

and I could taste your feeling through this dish

and I think that's very rare

and for that, you should be very proud of you,

so very, very, very well done.

Thank you very much. I appreciate all your comments.

You know, it was a lot of pressure but I did it

and I was running around a little bit

but, at the end, I delivered a dish, for me,

that's all about my personality and I put that on the plate.

-Thank you.

-APPLAUSE

Walking in there and facing all those Michelin-starred chefs,

it's scary. But, do you know what?

I'm amazed with what I've done today.

It was really nice for them to smile at me

and put their thumbs up to say that they loved it.

I think I've done Monica and Marcus proud.

Next is Matt's beef main course.

Right, what have we got left to do?

Finish these girolles off, plate everything up, good to go.

You've got about 15 minutes left and you're still prepping girolles?

-Yes, Chef.

-You're cutting it fine, Chef.

-I am.

Before Matt can begin plating,

he must juggle a multitude of pans to finish off all his garnishes.

I'm not sure I'm feeling superconfident.

They've got big expectations. I believe in the dish.

I just... I hope I can execute it.

Matt needs to fry off his baby shallots with pancetta and girolles,

saute and honey-glaze his heritage carrots and grill the bone marrow.

-Are we going to be all right?

-Four minutes.

-Four minutes?

-Yeah.

-Matt, we really need to start seeing some food on plates.

-Plating now.

Cheeks is a beautiful cut of meat.

It needs to be cooked properly because, if not,

it's a piece of rubber. Bourguignon, nice sauce.

Hopefully, a good garnish with it.

There is nothing dangerous with that dish,

but every element are very important to be done properly.

-Are you happy with the beef cheek?

-I am happy with the beef cheek, Chef.

Bone marrow, it's a big favourite with all the chefs.

We love that stuff and we love to suck the bone marrow, shall we say.

If they get the cooking right, it could be a good one.

-Looking good. Are you happy?

-I am happy, Chef.

I'll be happier when my fingers stop burning.

-Can I go, Matt?

-Yes, please. Go, go, go.

-Very, very nice, Matt. Looks good.

-Thank you, Chef.

-Keep it going.

-Come on, guys, you can go a bit faster, yeah?

-ELLY:

-Yes, Chef.

-Give the plates a tickle for me, Elly, please.

-Yeah, we know.

-Are you going to send?

-Yes.

-Service.

-Well done.

-Pressure.

-Good, isn't it?

-Do you know what? It is.

Nothing like that. That's what I miss,

that's what I miss - being right up against it right to the last minute.

-Do it again?

-Maybe I will.

That was, um, hard but exhilarating. I got a proper buzz back for it.

Hands are raw, blistered, cut, but worth it. Totally worth it.

I was really happy with it. We'll see. Hopefully, it's all worked.

Matt's dish is beef cheek bourguignon

with pan-fried bone marrow,

shallots and cornichons,

topped with panko breadcrumbs,

served with pomme puree,

lardons, heritage carrots

and girolle mushrooms, topped with grated horseradish.

I think, visually, beautiful looking dish.

It smells great. It looks delicious. Can't wait to get stuck in.

Really warming, homely dish, lovely flavours, everything cooked well.

A really superb plate of food.

I thought the beef was cooked absolutely to perfection.

Cooking beef cheeks in that much time

is a bit of a daunting job.

I think he's done a very good job that way.

Loved it.

I like the little touches, like the grated horseradish over the top,

the cornichons in the bone marrow. Delicious flavours.

Simplicity isn't simple to do and that was...

I thought that was brilliant. Ox cheek braised nicely.

It still had texture. Well-made sauce. Mashed potato was brilliant.

That was right up my street. That was a banging dish.

This chef has demonstrated a really good understanding

with the element of the sauce here. Beautifully done.

I've spent time in Burgundy

and this is a really fantastic tribute to that.

Who doesn't love braised meat and mashed potato?

I could live on that until I die. It was absolutely stunning!

-From an eating point of view, this dish makes chefs happy.

-Yeah.

Let's be honest. That's what this person's done, cleverly.

-What DOES make chefs happy?

-I tell you what makes chefs happy -

great food, great company, so you'd better go!

GREGG LAUGHS

Here's a chef that really was nervous,

but the drive was quite extraordinary

and look at the dish. It looks fantastic!

This is a winter, autumn sort of dish.

You want to eat this and you feel warm. He's done a great job.

He should be very pleased with what he's accomplished here today.

I think this is the best dish that Matt's cooked in this competition

and what a time to do it, in front of our chefs.

Well done, Matt.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Matt, I think you showcased there that simplicity isn't simple

-and I thought that dish was absolutely brilliant.

-Wow.

-It was awesome!

-Thank you very much.

The bone marrow, for me, was the highlight of the show.

I think it was very unctuous.

A really accomplished dish, so a massive well done to you.

The reality is you absolutely nailed it. It was beautifully cooked.

But the single most important thing

was that it gave bundles of pleasure to eat

and, surely, that's what it's all about.

I haven't actually done a service, apart from with George,

for about four years, so I've got holiday hands.

I'm all burnt up and blistered. But it was such a good buzz.

I'd just like to thank you all for eating my food

and making this experience really pleasurable for me,

so thank you, thank you all very, very much.

APPLAUSE

Oh!

That was incredible! Like, I was on the verge of getting emotional.

That was just so good. I didn't think it would be.

I don't think anything can top that.

It's time for the final course.

And Arnaud has the delicate job

of removing all 30 free-standing cremes brulees from their moulds.

ARNAUD GASPS

How come some of them are soft?

Just feel a bit sick right now, to be honest.

-ELLY:

-Have you got any spare?

-No, I just had 31 rings.

-Can you put them in the chiller?

-Yeah.

So, where the brulees have been cooking in the oven,

pretty much all of them are set but three of them are softer.

So, I'm going to be leaving them in there until we send them.

I'm not taking any chances.

Oh.

-Arnaud, it's all on you now on dessert.

-Yes.

The dessert - really good combinations.

Out of all of the dishes, it sounds really interesting,

a bit more adventurous.

The creme brulee, I presume, will probably be free-standing.

So, that needs to be cooked perfectly and chilled in time.

-I'll put this on?

-Yeah, go for it.

The croissant emulsion sounds particularly interesting.

Not sure what that's going to come out like,

but it will be interesting to see.

-Get the tuiles in there.

-Tuiles?

-Where are the tuiles?

-The other side.

Service, please!

Arnaud, let's keep this flowing.

Argh!

-MATT:

-Is that everything, Arnaud?

-Yeah, that's it.

-Thank you, guys. Oh!

-All right?

-Oh!

-That was hard.

-GARY:

-Well done, my friend.

Thank you. Thank you, guys.

That was tough.

I gave it everything today but it's not good enough though.

Those cremes brulees, you know...

Not terribly happy.

Arnaud has served vanilla creme brulee,

with caramelised apricots,

apricot and basil puree,

a croissant emulsion

and a coffee and pumpkin tuile.

It's all in the taste, I suppose. My brulee's a bit soft. It's run a bit.

Um, but, yeah, we'll see what it's like.

They've done a free-standing creme brulee,

which can be very difficult to do.

They've made it free-standing, but there's so much vanilla.

It's just too much of a good thing.

I found the creme brulee itself, it was quite heavy.

I think if it was set a bit more, it would have been cleaner.

The tuile, I found, was a bit sticky.

It kind of stuck in my teeth,

which is not really what you want with a sugar tuile.

I loved the croissant emulsion. I thought that was unusual.

Everything together, I'm not sure.

I love the taste of vanilla. It's absolutely wonderful

and I can get a buttery croissant from it as well.

It's the apricot that's bothering me. It's very, very sharp indeed.

Doesn't quite work.

The apricot itself has been burnt with a blowtorch.

You don't get that fresh element of apricot.

On the whole, it's refreshing.

It's a nice way to finish a very splendid meal.

Creme brulee, taken out of the ring, was always going to be an issue

and, unfortunately, some have set, some haven't and it's a shame.

He took a risk. It's what we want.

It almost paid off, it was just a little bit of attention to detail.

There are areas within this dish...

And he knows, he's going to be a bit disappointed.

He knows his dish is not perfect.

But I love his ideas, I love the thinking behind this dessert.

Ah, I just... I feel for Arnaud.

APPLAUSE

I think some of your cremes brulees didn't quite hold their shape

as they were coming out of the kitchen.

However, that didn't detract from the flavour

-and it was a very enjoyable dish, so thank you.

-Thank you very much.

For me, it's about temperature and texture with desserts

and I found the croissant emulsion

was very similar to the creme brulee texture.

Yes, I agree. Um, some of the brulees got a bit soft.

They could have been better, I'm sure,

but I'm not as talented as you all are,

but I gave it my best shot, so thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

Oh...

I feel a bit deflated after the feedbacks

because you want great feedbacks.

You can always be better, but if I was better,

I'd be sitting with them. I'm not quite there yet.

APPLAUSE

The heat was on, the pressure was on,

but I think our four chefs did themselves proud.

They've worked their socks off. Good job all round.

Thank you for cooking for us tonight.

I can imagine the stress you put yourselves through.

It's a hard challenge to cook for these guys in this room.

You've cooked from the heart, we've seen some amazing dishes

and I wish you well for the future in the competition.

APPLAUSE

It's quite surreal to believe that I've cooked for all that talent.

And the feedback that I got,

it's something I'll take to the grave with me. It was incredible.

It's given me my passion for cooking back. I'm so happy. It's brilliant.

I think today was one of my best rounds.

This competition has been a crazy rollercoaster

and I'm going to push and push and push to get into this final three.

Such a privilege to cook for some of my heroes.

To see these people looking at what you've done.

Just unreal, really was unreal.

It's been a really, really hard day.

I guess in the next round, you know,

I'm going to have to cook really good.

It's going to have to be spot-on, cos I want to make it to the final.

It's the chance now to be in the final three

and I can't wait to see them back in the MasterChef kitchen.

These chefs have done an amazing job.

It is going to be really heart-breaking

to separate these four chefs

because we are going to have to lose one of them in the next round.

Tomorrow night, Matt, Elly, Gary and Arnaud

will fight for the chance to cook

in one of the world's most innovative restaurants.

The three Michelin stars we got for something we've done.

I don't care about what we've done.

It's what we do today - that's what matters.

-That's lovely!

-The flavour is something else.

It's...amazing!

Only three can make it through.