0:00:02 > 0:00:05Across the country, lots of us are working out what to cook tonight
0:00:05 > 0:00:07from the ingredients in our cupboards.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10To inspire you, we're throwing away the cookbooks
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and going back to basics.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17We're pitting three resourceful and creative home cooks
0:00:17 > 0:00:20against one another to see what they can come up with.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Whoever does it best will be our cook of the day.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Ready to show they can think on their feet are today's three cooks.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44IT manager Laura doesn't want to have another kitchen nightmare.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Last night, I had crazy dreams about cookery
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and I can't remember them now, but they kept me awake a bit!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54When it comes to cooking, Mary Bea likes to stick to her roots.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56The only way I know how to cook
0:00:56 > 0:00:59is Southern American cooking.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03That's how I'm going to interpret whatever's in that box.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08And arts graduate Alexander likes to cook with a gung ho attitude.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12To be honest, I never really look at recipes.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14I just do it off the top of my head.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Usually, it will be quite good.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Their first test will be to cook from a box of ingredients
0:01:19 > 0:01:22put together by today's guest -
0:01:22 > 0:01:25the spice man himself, top chef Tony Singh.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Tony, you're holding that like it's highly prized.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33- James, of course it is, it's my special food.- Good to see you.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Now, your family, they originally came to the UK just after the war?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Grandad came just after the war and great-grandad came after that as well.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- Settled in Scotland then? - Settled in Scotland, God's country, in Edinburgh.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Scotland, great larder of ingredients to pick from as well.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I still think it's got the best of what the British Isle has to offer.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- Now, shall we have a look... - Go on, then.- ..see what's inside?
0:01:51 > 0:01:53- Wow.- Different.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Wow, I mean, seriously different.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I mean, the first thing I looked to was the humble little langoustines.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Oh, lovely. Prawns, as we call them up the road.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03There's a bit of influence from you here.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04What are the spices in here?
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- OK, we've got green cardamom and we've got black cardamom there... - Right.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12..which is smoky. It's very perfumey, but it adds a deep earthiness.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15But there's a few dessert ones in there. What have we got? Some apples.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17We've got apple, Braeburns and we've got Cox's there.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20- Some puff pastries.- Yeah. - There could be a dessert there.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23You've put two of your own home-made pickles and jams in here.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Yeah, so we've got the kimchi and I've got my chilli jam.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28We've got three enthusiastic home cooks waiting in the wings.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31I'm pretty sure they've never seen a few of these ingredients before.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- Shall we find out what they're going to cook?- Yeah, definitely.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- I'll see you in a minute. - All right, cheers.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Now, this is a real mixed box of ingredients.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43These, to me, are the real prize ingredient, langoustines.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44They've got to use these.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Welcome to The Box.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52You are all smiling at this point,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54because you're all enthusiastic home cooks.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56You're all dressed for the part, anyway.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Now, you know the idea.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01That boxful of ingredients has been picked by our special guest.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And they've not made it easy for you today.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07THEY LAUGH
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Seriously, you've got to think about this one.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Open your box, you've got 50 minutes to create one dish.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Best of luck.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Does anybody at this point, one minute in, want to go home?
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Yep!
0:03:28 > 0:03:30HE LAUGHS
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I've got wonderful langoustines.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It's one of the iconic ingredients from Scotland.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Langoustines would have to be in there and it's one of my favourite things to cook with.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Savoy cabbage, some wild mushrooms, strozzapreti - I love it
0:03:43 > 0:03:46because it was one of the first pastas I was shown to make.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47You don't need a pasta machine.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Thyme, tarragon.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I have my home-made kimchi and chilli jam.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I love pickles. It's my passion.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Growing up in a Sikh household with Indian food,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00there was always pickles and chutneys there,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03but now I've been trying to perfect kimchi and I love it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Chilli, puff pastry,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08some apples, Cox's and Braeburn,
0:04:08 > 0:04:09candied ginger,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Jura Superstition whisky.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Mmm, I love whisky, and obviously
0:04:13 > 0:04:15if there's some left I'll be wanting a drink.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Our cooks don't have to use all of Tony's ingredients.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22They also have a store cupboard filled with the basics.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32The things that really scream out of this box, for me,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34are those Dublin Bay prawns, or langoustines.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37They'd go fantastically well with that little bit of pasta.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39You've also got the mushrooms in there and the tarragon
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and those are the four ingredients in this box that I would really concentrate on.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46The look on your face
0:04:46 > 0:04:48when you opened this box wasn't too impressed.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50To be fair, it wasn't the ingredients
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- I would've best hoped to have got!- Right.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54But I think I'm getting there.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Laura's going to have to get a shoogle on.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Kind of a mixture in there, you've got a little bit of Korea.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Do you know what that is?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03No, I've not had kim-i-chi.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Kim-i-chi, ha! Kimichiwa!
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- Kimchi?- No, chim-chit-su... no...(!) - Kimichi? Kimchi.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10- You've decided to go with a pasta, have you?- I have.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Using the langoustines, I'm going to do a pasta
0:05:13 > 0:05:15with a kind of seafood sauce, like a seafood pasta.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It's probably the right thing to do, as well.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18A bit of kick to it,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20so a bit of garlic, a bit of chilli.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21A BIT of kick?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I'm not going to necessarily use all of that!
0:05:23 > 0:05:24I just chopped it up so I'm ready.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Laura's got ginger, garlic, chilli, the holy trinity, I'd look at it,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30that brings great flavour to several dishes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Are you a part of a band as well?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Well, I used to do music when I was younger. I used to rap.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Used to rap?- Yes.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And my boyfriend still does it, so we've got
0:05:38 > 0:05:40a little studio at home and he produces some music
0:05:40 > 0:05:41and I help him out a bit.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43And do you know how to approach
0:05:43 > 0:05:44these little fellas over here,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- these langoustines? - Well, I was going to boil them.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47The key to this, really,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51is get a really hot, boiling, rolling boil on.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52In you go.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55And literally, they only want 30 seconds.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57The problem is if you overcook these,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59they go very powdery and you can never peel them.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Literally, in, 30 seconds, then out.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05In. All right? Happy with that?
0:06:05 > 0:06:07I'm great. Thank you.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Straight away, everybody's using the pasta,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and funnily enough, only one person so far
0:06:16 > 0:06:19is using the langoustines, which is a shame.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I think I might have to change that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28So what's the idea of this dish then?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30It's a veggie pasta dish.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32What have we got in here, in terms of the sauce?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- Are you going to use a tomato-based sauce?- I did.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I put some white wine in it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39She's added tinned tomatoes and white wine,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41but at the wrong stage.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Now, we've got a singer over there,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46but you're home of the singing capital of America, aren't you,
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Memphis, aren't you, you must be?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Yeah, blues.- Blues, proper music!
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Laura's a rapper and Mary Bea sounds like one. That's good.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56So what brought you to the UK then, from Memphis?
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- We pastor a church in Swansea. - Really?- Mm-hmm.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- So that's where you ended up then? - Mm-hmm.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- So we've been in Swansea for seven and a half years. - So there's 25 minutes gone.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- You're almost done, really.- Mm-hmm.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You don't want to use these, not tempted by these?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11If you show me how to do it, I'll put them in there.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Mary Bea, mmm! Didn't you see it over there?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15HE LAUGHS
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Will they go with the red sauce? - These will go with everything.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20If you just put these on an apple tarte tatin,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22I'm sure our guest would just love you all the same.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Tarte tatin, should've done that.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- All right, I'm going to try it.- OK.
0:07:27 > 0:07:2831 seconds.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Well, that's a bit more exact than I was hoping for. 30 seconds.
0:07:31 > 0:07:3230 seconds
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Cook, babies.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41With a bit of help from me,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43everybody is now using the langoustines.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Straight away, you're confident with the langoustine as well.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50I wasn't actually going to do them
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but considering you made everyone else in the room do it,
0:07:53 > 0:07:54I thought I'd better do it as well!
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Oh, he is using langoustines. Good lad.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58What's in this sauce?
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Garlic, onions, honey mustard, a bit of lemon, a bit of white wine.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04He's making a pasta sauce as well, but he's got honey in there,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06which I'm quite surprised by.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Are you going to put anything in this, other than just this?- Yes.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- Cream, or something like that? - Yeah, cream, obviously the mushrooms.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15So where does the love of food come from then, your family?
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Yeah, absolutely.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I mean, my parents really loved food
0:08:18 > 0:08:20and my aunt's a really good chef.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I cooked with her when I was really little.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24You know, I don't know how good we are.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25We like nice food, so...
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- So you didn't want to pursue that as a career?- Maybe, I might.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's good to see what the pressure's like with the food,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- because I haven't actually done it under pressure before.- OK.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Well, things are looking pretty good so far.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You could, if you wanted to, do the opposite to everybody else.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42You see, rather than make a stock, munch these down...
0:08:45 > 0:08:47..like that.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Put a little bit of this tarragon... If you can get me some garlic.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Grab some tomato puree as well.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The idea of this pasta dish, you see, I really like,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00but I think by adding a little bit of the oil
0:09:00 > 0:09:01that you get from the langoustines
0:09:01 > 0:09:03will just take it to a different level.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It's very good that, but he really needs a long and slow...
0:09:06 > 0:09:09like a stock, to get all the flavour leaching out of the shells.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11A bit of the tomato puree,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and you're going to take all that ingredients
0:09:13 > 0:09:15and just stick it in the oven
0:09:15 > 0:09:16and that will be the most amazing oil
0:09:16 > 0:09:18to drizzle over your pasta when it's done.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Great, OK, thank you.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Alexander's looking pretty confident.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31We've got a nice little creamy sort of sauce,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33using the mushrooms and onions,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36a little bit of lemon in there and some of that fresh thyme,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and the langoustine meat, going in at the last minute.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I've got to be honest, you won't find
0:09:40 > 0:09:42really fresh langoustines that available in supermarkets.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It's really a specialist produce, which is such a shame
0:09:45 > 0:09:47when you think that 90% of the langoustines
0:09:47 > 0:09:49get shipped abroad, but if you can get them,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and from a specialist supplier, buy them.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53You won't be disappointed.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55With cooking time running out,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Laura is at a critical stage.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Right.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02See these lovely little langoustines -
0:10:02 > 0:10:05the easiest way to get rid of these, you take them there, tails up.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10- If you just...pinch either side. - Yeah.- Listen, listen.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- CRACK - Wow. You hear a crack.- Yeah.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17And then all you do is you just carefully,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19carefully, carefully peel.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21And just squeeze the tail, it should pop right out.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23If you've not been shown, it's very difficult.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25You can tell you've done this before.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Well, yeah, exactly, because these are quite expensive.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30You've got to really treat them quite carefully,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32but this is the problem, you see,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35with us in this country.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36We have wonderful ingredients like this
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and we end up exporting them
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- to places like France and Spain. - Wow.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- And they taste so good. - Taste so good.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm looking forward to getting in and trying a langoustine.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Nobody's butchered the langoustines, which is good.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59It's going to be quite hard. They've all done similar kind of things.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00It's going to come down to the chef
0:11:00 > 0:11:03that's coaxed the most flavour out of everything.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That Korean kimchi and also those black cardamoms,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08I think it's the fact that they haven't cooked with them before,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11that's the reason why we are not seeing them actually used today.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Two minutes left!
0:11:26 > 0:11:28And that's it, stop cooking!
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Time is up.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Step away from the hobs.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Well, guys, I think you're relieved and intrigued
0:11:36 > 0:11:39to know who put this box of wonderful,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42but I actually think, quite difficult ingredients together,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44for you to be able to cook with.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46You'll probably want words with him afterwards.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48THEY LAUGH
0:11:48 > 0:11:50But I'm going to put you out of your misery,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52because he...
0:11:53 > 0:11:55..is a TV presenter,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57a restaurateur,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01and most importantly, a pretty good, top-class chef.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Uh-oh!
0:12:03 > 0:12:04It's Tony Singh.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Hi.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Welcome back.- Hi.- Hi.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Now, as a whole package,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19what do you think of how everybody did?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Very well. You went down the safe route,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but the best thing is you never murdered the langoustines.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27You've all treated them with a bit of respect, which is great.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29First of all, our first dish. What have we got?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31So, my dish is Italian-inspired
0:12:31 > 0:12:33with a chilli garlic
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and mushrooms and langoustine.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38The true test is what it tastes like, so...
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Smells good.- ..over to you, chef.- OK.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50That's very nice. Because you've used the shell
0:12:50 > 0:12:53you've got a lovely langoustine sweetness in there. Tastes fabulous.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Yeah, you've got a nice spice with a touch of chilli.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57The right amount of garlic, which is what you want
0:12:57 > 0:12:59if you want to go down the Italian route.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And I have to say, by using those langoustine,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03- you've certainly pleased him, anyway.- Yeah.- That's good.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- And you've drawn the flavour out of the shells brilliantly.- Wow! - Well done.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Fingers crossed. Well done. - Thank you.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Now, you like cooking with a bit of a challenge.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17You certainly got one today.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Absolutely, yeah, it was a challenge.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21What have you done?
0:13:21 > 0:13:26I've done a wild mushroom and langoustine pasta sauce.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- Shall we have a try of it, though?- Have a try, right.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32- Well, the langoustines look pretty well cooked.- Spot on, yeah.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40That is a great plate of food.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Really well seasoned.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44The onions work really well. You caramelised those for a long time.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- You've got the sweetness out of them. - I think the oil helps, over the top. - Thank you.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51One spoonful, I was watching you put another one in and I thought
0:13:51 > 0:13:54it'd be too rich, but you've got enough lemon juice in there. Very nice!
0:13:54 > 0:13:55- Thank you.- Well done.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03So what have we got here then, Mary Bea?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06It's a pasta dish with just vegetables
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and langoustine on the side.
0:14:08 > 0:14:09- Well, Tony, have a taste. - Have a taste.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10Tell me what you think.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21The pasta's cooked perfectly out of everybody's, so... Nice tomato sauce.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The mushrooms are lost in it because you put them in at the beginning.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Lovely delicate mushrooms, sauteed up with a bit of garlic on top,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29would have been really nice if you were keeping it vegetarian.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Will you try a langoustine or are you still chicken?
0:14:31 > 0:14:33If you're going to try one, try it here.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- I would like to try one.- Yeah.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The pasta, I think, wanted finishing off in the sauce.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I think you made the sauce a little bit too early and because of that
0:14:42 > 0:14:44it sat in there, and you're right,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46you lost the flavour of the mushrooms as well.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- Do you like the langoustines, though?- I do.- There you go.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Thank you.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I think you've all impressed him,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59but the decision is not mine to make. It's 100% your decision -
0:14:59 > 0:15:01which dish you would like to eat more of?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Laura's.- Wow!
0:15:18 > 0:15:19- Well done, Laura!- Thank you!
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Great dish.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23The way you've worked with the langoustines,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24using the shells to get that flavour out
0:15:24 > 0:15:27in that small amount of time, you've really done well.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29A wee bit of chilli and ginger in there, very, very nice.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30I'm glad you liked it.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Well, well done, everybody. You certainly impressed Tony.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Now you've got to impress me, using the ingredients
0:15:41 > 0:15:44that I've picked inside these three boxes.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48So we've got a leftover box,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50a pudding box
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and we've got a bird box.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55But what Tony's done
0:15:55 > 0:15:57is given you, Laura,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59the power to choose what you want to cook,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04but also, what you want the other two contestants to cook as well.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05Laura...
0:16:05 > 0:16:08what would you like Alexander to cook first?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11SHE LAUGHS
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Oh...
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I'm going to give him the leftovers box.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Thank you.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- You might not be saying... - You won't be thanking her.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31No, I'm sure I won't be.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32That leaves two boxes left.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36A pudding and a bird box.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Which box would you like Mary Bea to cook with?
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I'm going to give Mary Bea the pudding box.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- OK.- The pudding box.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- You seem happy with that. - I'm very happy with that!
0:16:53 > 0:16:54That was a big thank-you!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56THEY LAUGH
0:16:56 > 0:16:59That leaves you, Laura, with the bird box.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Hopefully that's a good decision.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Only time will tell
0:17:03 > 0:17:05because you've got 50 minutes to impress me
0:17:05 > 0:17:07with one dish from each of you.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Collect your boxes and good luck.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29That is definitely the easiest box to cook with,
0:17:29 > 0:17:30I think, out of the three.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31You think so? I don't know.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35In my bird box, I've put in duck breast,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37plums, turnips,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39carrots, cavolo nero,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42black olives, cherry tomatoes
0:17:42 > 0:17:43and Sichuan pepper.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- You made the right move there, didn't you?- Yes, I think so!
0:17:52 > 0:17:54So what are you going to do? You've got the bird box.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56You've got the duck. What are you going to do?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I'm just making a little kind of marinade
0:17:58 > 0:18:00to rub to put on the top of the duck
0:18:00 > 0:18:02so I've put some pepper,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04garlic and ginger and a little bit of soy sauce
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- and I'm just going to rub it into the top of the duck.- OK.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10- I wouldn't put the marinade on the skin.- No, on the other side.- Yeah.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Because otherwise it'll ruin the crispiness of the skin.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15But don't turn it over, cook it all the way through.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16- More or less on the skin side, OK?- OK.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- So you're feeling pretty confident, looking around at everybody else's...- I'm not sure.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I know that, you know, my contestants are all really good,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and this is a new thing to me, cooking duck,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29so I think it could be anyone's right now.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Well, Laura's doing the right thing by marinating that duck, first of all,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38pan-frying it on the skin side to get that skin
0:18:38 > 0:18:40nice and crisp and then it'll get roasted in the oven.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42And I like the idea that she's using the plums
0:18:42 > 0:18:44to create this wonderful little plum sauce.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47In essence, it's actually quite a simple dish.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Laura gave Alexander the leftovers box.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Inside, there's a cold roast chicken,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58roast potatoes,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01peas, carrots and green beans,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03along with some leftover shortcrust pastry,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05some bread and half an iceberg lettuce.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Well, I know if I was doing this against you,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12I would definitely give you the leftover box.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Well, this is a great challenge.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17There's leftovers and everybody's looking at food waste and everything like that
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- and on Monday, you've normally got a roast something left over. - Yeah.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23It's always good as a salad, or a curry, if you wanted to make it.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25I don't know why, or a soup, or something like that.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It'll be interesting to see what Alexander does with it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Alexander, I've just seen Laura over there,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35just quietly and sneakily look up and snigger!
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- I don't blame her on that one.- Yeah. This is a real tough one.- It is.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42So what are you going to do with the leftover box?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- I'm going to make it into a pasty. - OK.- A pasty?- Yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47You've got time, 50 minutes,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49- because I've given you some pastry, as well.- Yeah.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52What did you initially think when you lifted the lid?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54I thought this could be a shocker!
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Exactly. I bet you thought other things as well, but...
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I absolutely thought other things as well.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02The thing is, this shows what a good chef is.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Using something that's not top end,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06or not bought specifically for it,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08but you're going to make something really nice.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Alexander, a nice bit of cumin in the pasty would be lovely.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- Yeah, I was thinking that, actually. - Cool.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- Were you thinking that or are you just...- No, no, I was actually thinking that.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- We had this whole thing going on, it's going to be cumin.- Oh, really?
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Finally, it's Mary Bea's pudding box.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I've put in some rhubarb,
0:20:29 > 0:20:30ready-made puff pastry,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33rolled oats, sponge fingers,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35custard powder and some brandy.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I love rhubarb, but it's got to be cooked right.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I was brought up on it as a kid, either in savoury dishes or desserts
0:20:42 > 0:20:45and nothing really beats a rhubarb crumble and custard.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- What are we looking at?- Did you ever have a Dutch apple pie?- Yeah.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Well, this is going to be a Dutch rhubarb pie.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05What a great accent! "Did you ever have a Dutch apple pah?"
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- "A rhubarb apple pah!"- "Pah?" - "Pah? Home-made pah!"
0:21:09 > 0:21:15- Now, when you first got the pudding box, you were very happy.- Yes.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- What happens when you lift off the lid?- Well...
0:21:18 > 0:21:20- It's the rhubarb, yeah.- Really? What's wrong with rhubarb?
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- Not a rhubarb person?- No.- No?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25It's a love or hate kind of thing.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29I like to eat it. I just have never cooked with it, so...
0:21:29 > 0:21:31The key to rhubarb is getting the right amount of sugar,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- so you want a little bit of sharpness...- OK, yes...
0:21:34 > 0:21:36..and you compensate that with the sugar,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38so you don't want to put too much sugar in, but you need enough.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- Do you put lemon juice in it? - No.- no. Definitely not.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- It's quite sharp, anyway. - It's got its own tang.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- So you're feeling confident? - I feel much better now,
0:21:46 > 0:21:47after talking to you.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Mary Bea's doing a kind of Dutch pie,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56which is kind of like a mixture.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57You've got puff pastry as a base,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59then that stewed rhubarb on the top
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and then the crumble topping
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and the whole lot gets baked in the oven.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06My only concern is she's never cooked rhubarb before
0:22:06 > 0:22:07and never made custard.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21How's the duck?
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- What do we think? - I think it looks good!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- How long has it been in there for? - About 15.- Take it out.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38- Pasty.- Yeah.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- Are you a pasty man? - I could eat a pasty.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47It shows.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56As Mary Bea's never made custard before,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I want to make sure she's on the right track.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- There is quite a lot of lumps in there, isn't there?- I'm sorry.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06I'm sure I did something terribly wrong.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09If in doubt, get some more cream.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- Look, this goes in there.- OK.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12A little bit of that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- All right. - Then we'll pour this through.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It's not even going through the sieve!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Mary Bea, look at that, it's going through.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24I like it thick.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28See, that's all right, no lumps now.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Three minutes left.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I've just had a message.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47The office said you just ordered a taxi, half an hour ago.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- Yeah, that'll be for me.- All right.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59That's it, stop cooking!
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Step away from the food.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03That includes you, Laura.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04Phew!
0:24:06 > 0:24:07We're starting with Alexander's creation
0:24:07 > 0:24:09from the leftover box.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13What do we have?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17We've got a roast chicken and roasted vegetable leftover pasty.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- It looks spot on. - It looks pretty good to me.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I know you like your pasties. Go on, then, dive in.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Do you know what, this goes to prove
0:24:28 > 0:24:30that you can create stuff out of leftovers.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35- It can taste fantastic...- Yeah. - ..but above all else, you can cook.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Because the seasoning on that is... - Spot on.- ..spot on.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- Brilliant job, I would have said. - It's very good.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43The way he's got the pastry just right. Nailed it, very, very good.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- That's a fantastic dish. Well done. - It is.- Thank you very much.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Mary Bea had to come up with a dessert
0:24:53 > 0:24:55from my pudding box.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- So what have you done? - I made a Dutch rhubarb pie.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05So what's in the pie then? What makes this different?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I used the puff pastry underneath, then the topping,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12instead of a regular pie crust, is the crumble kind of topping.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Dive in. Tell us what you think.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You've got the sweetness just right
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and the cinnamon and everything. It's fantastic.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25The pastry's just a bit under,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27but for somebody that's not worked with rhubarb,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29you've got a tartness there that's really nice.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- It's working well with the creamy custard.- OK.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Do you know what? It's so difficult to get rhubarb right.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36You've actually nailed it with that topping.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38On the whole, when it's in the mouth,
0:25:38 > 0:25:39it actually tastes really nice.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- It tastes really good and the custard works really well with it.- Good.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- So well done.- Thank you.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Finally, Laura chose to cook from the bird box.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57What did you make?
0:25:57 > 0:25:58I did a pan-fried duck breast
0:25:58 > 0:26:01on stir-fried vegetables and a plum sauce.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04The duck still is pink, which is good and the skin looks crispy.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06And you've put the little turnips in.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I'm going to start off.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13The plum sauce, it's nice, it's sweet, it's jammy,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15lovely on the palate.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17The duck is perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19The skin's lovely.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I think you've got this one right. You've never done it before,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- but it's a great effort.- Great!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25You wouldn't know that was your first try.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26- It's fantastic.- Well done.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Thank you.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Brilliant dishes in the end of it, don't you think?- Fantastic.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37All really went out of their way to make something really nice.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41But it's up to me to choose the overall cook of the day,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43based on what I've tasted just now.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Now, it's quite tricky because, Laura, you held the power
0:26:51 > 0:26:53to decide what everybody else was cooking,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55so it could go against you. It could work with you.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Unfortunately, this time it went against you
0:27:08 > 0:27:11because the overall cook of the day...
0:27:12 > 0:27:14..is you, Alexander.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Great job.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I never thought I was going to get a pasty
0:27:17 > 0:27:19out of those ingredients.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20But what a pasty.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I never thought I'd say that with a bit of leftover chicken.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26It was a really, really good dish that. Well done!
0:27:26 > 0:27:27Thank you. Thank you.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31There is your trophy. Treasure it. Look after it.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32- Thank you.- Excellent.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34So how does it feel?
0:27:34 > 0:27:35When I opened that lid,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37I thought, "I'm definitely not going to win this."
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- I'm really, really happy about this. Thank you.- Brilliant job.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Well, come on over, guys.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Well done, Mary Bea.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45I love the apron, by the way. You've got to make me one of those.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- Thank you very much.- Thank you. - Thank you.- Cracking, cracking job.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Well done.- YOU, well done! - Congratulations.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- And thank you for joining us, Tony.- Thank you for having me on.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58And join us for more great cooking from three enthusiastic home cooks,
0:27:58 > 0:27:59some great celebrity guests
0:27:59 > 0:28:03and some more wonderful and unusual boxes of ingredients.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04I'll see you soon. Bye for now.