0:00:03 > 0:00:04Four of the best chefs in Britain
0:00:04 > 0:00:06are on the hunt for their perfect partner.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10For the first time ever, amateur home cooks will be paired
0:00:10 > 0:00:13with the best in the business
0:00:13 > 0:00:15for the cooking experience of a lifetime.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I'm making a mess!
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Each day, a different Michelin-starred chef
0:00:19 > 0:00:21will choose their perfect partner...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Gordon must be really impressed.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25She's thinking like me. That's amazing.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27..from four talented home cooks.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29There's three cooks there that can take it to the next level.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Then, in the Friday final,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36all four pairs will go head-to-head to cook for culinary royalty
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Pierre Koffmann.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42What I look for, for a perfect dish, is to keep it simple and tasty.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46For the professional chefs, their reputations are on the line.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47We've got to go now.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51But will the amateur home cooks live up to their expectations?
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Anyone know what this is, guys?
0:00:53 > 0:00:54What are you doing?
0:00:54 > 0:00:56And who will win? This is Yes Chef.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Hello and welcome to Yes Chef.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Let's meet today's home cooks.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09First up, it's Hesper Juhnke,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13an expressive arts therapist from Chicago currently working in Dundee.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17My cooking style is simple, but delicious.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21It would be my greatest British adventure to win this show.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Next is Simon Howatson, a company director from Sunderland.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28My cooking style is rustic, quick and flavoursome.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I've got this nightmare that I'm going to be asked to
0:01:30 > 0:01:33debone a fish or something and it's going to be terrible.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Charlotte Hughes is a business development manager
0:01:35 > 0:01:37from Northampton.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38I'm a really relaxed cook.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Presentation probably isn't my strong point,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45but it always goes down well with family and friends, taste-wise.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50And finally, Martin Mitchell is a podiatry student from County Clare.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51So, my cooking style is kind of
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Irish with a little bit of French influence.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I've been watching Michelin-star chefs on TV shows for years so
0:01:56 > 0:01:58it's a dream to actually get to cook with one.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Well, our cooks are standing by so it's now time to meet our chef.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07He was awarded his first Michelin star back in 2010.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It's Ryan Simpson.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Ryan Simpson was just 26 when he earned his first Michelin star.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14OK, check on, guys.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17At his restaurant in the heart of rural Oxfordshire,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20he's committed to using sustainable and seasonal ingredients
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and his passion for food began at a very early age.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25As a young child, I cooked with my gran quite a lot
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and I'm a bit of a greedy lad.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Side order of chips, yeah?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And I loved all that food and I just loved tasting things.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The passion that drives me is because it creates happy memories
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and everybody comes together
0:02:36 > 0:02:39with food and if you love to cook and you produce happy food,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40you're going to get happy results.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Having trained with some of the most prestigious French restaurateurs,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47including Guy Savoy and the legendary Troisgros family,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Ryan combines classic and modern techniques
0:02:49 > 0:02:51to produce inventive dishes.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53OK, check on, guys. Cuttlefish and ox tail.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Quite photogenic, that.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59His standards are extremely high and he knows exactly what he wants from
0:02:59 > 0:03:02his home cook. I am really looking for somebody who can be methodical.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I'm looking for somebody who's very tidy as well.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Because a tidy chef, a clean chef, is a tidy dish.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08Fantastic.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11I'm very competitive. I have a very competitive streak.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14However, it is all about the home cooks.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15We are in it to win it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Welcome, Ryan. It's brilliant to have you here today.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21It's a pleasure to be here.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24So, our four home cooks are going to be doing all they can to impress you
0:03:24 > 0:03:27today in the hope you'll pick one of them to be your partner in
0:03:27 > 0:03:29the Friday final. What will you be looking for?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31I'm looking for a lot of enthusiasm, guys,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and excitement about food and just keep it calm.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Brilliant! Well, let's get on with it.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39This is round one, Dish Of The Day.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Now, home cooks, you are going to be preparing a dish that you believe
0:03:41 > 0:03:43will set you apart from the rest.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Now, you need to make it count because, after this round,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48one of you will be going home.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53You've got 45 minutes so use your time wisely.
0:03:53 > 0:03:54So, Chef, it's over to you.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Just remember, don't panic, and cook with fun, OK?
0:03:57 > 0:03:58ALL: Yes, Chef!
0:04:01 > 0:04:03So, our cooks are off and, with one of them destined to leave
0:04:03 > 0:04:06the competition at the end of this round,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09they are going all-out to impress Ryan with their Dish Of The Day.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Our cooks know that Ryan won't accept anything but the best
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and is looking for someone who's methodical and tidy in the kitchen.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I'm going to get my hands dirty here!
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Hi, Hesper!
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Hi! How are we?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Good. How are you doing? All good?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Yeah. It's going.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Good. What are you making today?
0:04:42 > 0:04:43I'm making pad Thai.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Oh, lovely!
0:04:45 > 0:04:48One of my favourite dishes. Big, powerful flavours going on, yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Exactly, with a nice combo of different things.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Salt and sweet and sour all together. I love it.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56So, are you using little tiger prawns over there?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Mm-hmm. OK, and how are you going to incorporate them,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01last second sort of thing into the sauce?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Yeah, so just until they're just pink enough.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Most of the flavour's coming from the sauce
0:05:06 > 0:05:08so I'll get those in there sort of last minute. Well, good luck.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Enjoy! Thanks! See you soon.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Hi, Simon! Hiya! What are you doing? What are you making?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23So, we're making a cote de boeuf steak with a Cafe de Paris butter.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Oh, lovely. And just sauteed potatoes and a nice green salad.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28How many ingredients have you got in your Cafe de Paris? 11.
0:05:28 > 0:05:3011? Very interesting. Including salt and pepper.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Can you show us it? Yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Is that garlic there?
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Oh, wow. So, 11 ingredients in there.
0:05:37 > 0:05:3911, yeah. That's amazing. Good luck.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I like the sound of this one. Good luck.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51Hi, Charlotte. Hi.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Hi, Charlotte. Are you OK? Yes.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54What are you making?
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I am doing a fillet of beef on a fondant potato with
0:05:58 > 0:06:01a cream and garlic spinach and a balsamic and red wine reduction.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Oh. Lovely. Nice French influence there, yeah?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Yeah. And how are you for time?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The fondant potato, really, is the thing that needs the longest time.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Yeah. Yeah. So, habitually, no opening the oven.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And the beef? How are you cooking the beef?
0:06:13 > 0:06:16So, just simple fillet steak. Just roast it in the pan?
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, rare, hopefully - nice and rare.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Sounds lovely. Yes. We are in for a treat.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Good luck, Charlotte. Thank you. Thank you.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Hi, Martin. Hi, guys. How are you doing, Martin?
0:06:30 > 0:06:31You OK? Not too bad, thanks.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34So, what are you making for us, Martin?
0:06:34 > 0:06:37I'm making a rhubarb pork with brown bread and walnut crust,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and that's going to go with a rhubarb and port sauce,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44whisky fondant potatoes and black pudding croquette.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Oh. Interesting. I'm interested in the whisky.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48How are you doing the whisky? Oh, whisky fondant potato.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51So, I'm going to reduce the stock and the butter down at the end.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Yeah? And add a load of whisky and just flambe it in the pan, there.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Fantastic. Lovely. Brilliant. Good luck.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Thank you very much. I'll let you carry on.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Cheers, guys. Enjoy. Thanks.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08So, let's talk about Hesper first.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Yeah. She seems very confident.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13She is, yeah. She knew exactly what she was going to do with the dish.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Lots of flavours going on. The only worry for me
0:07:15 > 0:07:17is it is a little bit simple, maybe.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Simon, he impressed me with his menu, and also his butter,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23which I was... 11 ingredients.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Yeah, I know, it's a big flavour. It should be, you know, like
0:07:26 > 0:07:28a garlic butter, what you get on steak - it's the same principle.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Yeah. I mean, it's a classic, isn't it?
0:07:30 > 0:07:33You know. Steak and chips, essentially.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35OK. Now, Charlotte.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37The only worry for me is fondant potatoes, obviously,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40because they can take a good while.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42She's got it in the oven. She's got a bit of butter in there.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45As long as the butter don't burn, she should be absolutely fine.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It'll be interesting to see how she cooks the beef as well.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Yeah. She says she's going to cook it quite rare.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52OK. So I'd expect her to be seasoning it up quite early.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54I didn't see any seasoning on there. Did you? I didn't, no.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55And finally on to Martin.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Yeah. Who is giving himself so much to do.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This guy, this guy excites me the most.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Right. In the fact that, we've got, like, an easy dish -
0:08:03 > 0:08:05almost, sort of, oriental kind of stuff cooking.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08But I'm a bit worried about his whisky. Are you?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10I like to drink the whisky but I don't know if I...
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I don't know if I like it in a... in a fondant potato.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Right. OK.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Oh. Maybe with a bit of haggis.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Well, Ryan might be concerned about the whisky,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22but Martin's got bigger worries of his own.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I don't have enough time to do what I want to do.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I think I've bitten myself off more than I can chew.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30It's over halfway through the challenge and the pressure
0:08:30 > 0:08:33is starting to get to our home cooks.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34The panic is setting in.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Anyone know what this is, guys?
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And it's not just Martin who has problems with his ingredients.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Is...is there a bigger pan somewhere?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I know, it's overflowing on me.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47But I can take some out.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Just two minutes to go, guys.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Two minutes.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02As our cooks start thinking about plating up,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Charlotte has concerns about her presentation.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07The only thing is, I was going to sit my steak on top,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11but the steak's bigger than the potato, so it's not going to sit.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Mmm.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And some of those. Yeah.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Look at those shrimps cooking...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Ryan is looking for someone who is methodical and can keep calm under
0:09:34 > 0:09:38pressure, so these last few minutes are vital to our home cooks.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It's crucial they avoid any culinary calamities.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52But disaster has struck for Martin.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I completely forgot about the whisky. Can I get a blowtorch?
0:09:55 > 0:09:56Blowtorch? No?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Martin isn't the only one struggling under the pressure.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02I'm making a mess.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Five, four, three...
0:10:07 > 0:10:09'It's kitchen catastrophe for Charlotte.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11'Her fears have come true.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15'But, with seconds to spare, she manages to rebuild her dish.'
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Stop cooking!
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Step away from your plates.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Time is up.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Well, that's it. End of round one, Dish Of The Day.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25It's time to taste.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Yeah. I can't wait.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30First to be judged is Hesper, with her Dish Of The Day -
0:10:30 > 0:10:33shrimp pad Thai served on a bed of rice noodles,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35bean sprouts and shredded cabbage.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Hi. There you go. That looks lovely, doesn't it? Yes.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43How did you find the challenge? Oh, well, it was fun.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I feel like I had to steady myself and just, kind of, go at a pace,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and then at the end, I said, "Oh, I'm running out of time.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51"I'd better do this quick." So...
0:10:51 > 0:10:52OK, well, let's try.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Yes. Certainly. I'll try one of these prawns here.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It's nice. Lots of texture in there. This is quite interesting, isn't it?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The prawns are very juicy, aren't they? Mm-hmm. Mmm.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I do like them. Love the texture of the noodles.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Mmm. Very nice. And all these little sprouts
0:11:14 > 0:11:16all come together quite well. Yeah.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Yeah, lots of texture. I would have put a little bit more, sort of,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21soy sauce, that sort of thing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Mmm. You know, just to get that little bit more saltiness
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and then maybe a little more lime, so you get that, sort of,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30balance with the salt and the acidity.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Yeah. But, other than that, it's a nice, fresh plate of food, yeah.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Well done. All right. Well done.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Impressed? Yeah. The only thing that I just thought,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42a bit too simple. Yeah.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Beautiful. Yeah.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I think maybe throw a bit more of acidity in there.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Get a bit more salt going on. Yeah.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50And get them tastes in your mouth.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I think my fear is that I wasn't ambitious enough. We'll see.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Next to take the taste test is Simon, with his Dish Of The Day,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01cote de boeuf with Cafe de Paris butter,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03served with sauteed potatoes and a fresh green salad.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Hi, Ryan.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10There you go, Chef. That looks lovely, doesn't it? Yes.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11How did you find the challenge?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's tough getting it all done in time.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I thought I was all organised and everything but obviously not as much
0:12:16 > 0:12:20as I'd like to be. Shall we try? Yes. Go on, then. Let's go.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Yeah, the beef's cooked very nice.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Mmm. I like the spice in the butter.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It's quite nice. I'd have liked a little bit more acidity, maybe,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35in the butter. Maybe, like, lemon.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Lemon juice. Lemon peel maybe.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Mm-hmm. Like zest, that sort of thing.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I'll try these potatoes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Mmm. Good?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Yeah, good. I like this because what you've done here,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48you've put heavy, heavy, loads of butter, loads of flavour,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and then you've just got this little bit of fresh salad.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Yeah. Just to almost...
0:12:53 > 0:12:55almost cleanse the palate. Freshness.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Mmm. Excellent. Brilliant. Well done. Thank you.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01What is this? They're potatoes - sauteed potatoes.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03It was cooked nice, and the fundamentals of the dish,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06it really worked. Yeah. It was nice. So he can understand flavour.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Yeah. That's what you're looking for. Yeah, definitely.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I think I could have made stuff a bit prettier and done a bit more,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12but I got everything out in the end,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14so I'm pleased I got it on the plate.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Time for Charlotte to be judged by Ryan.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Her Dish Of The Day is fillet of beef with a fondant potato,
0:13:21 > 0:13:22served with creamed spinach
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and a balsamic red wine and shallot reduction.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27Here you go.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Fab. How was the challenge?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Good. Yes. Yeah, I think it went really well.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35We'll find out when you cut the steak.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Yeah. Right, I'm going to pull this off, here.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40OK. Just cos I don't want it to go flying off the plate.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43OK. I'm just going to look into your fondant.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Make sure we're all cooked, there, which it is, which is good.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Nicely cooked.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Could have done with a little bit more salt on that, for me.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The balsamic's just coming through, the acidity, which is good.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Now we'll have a look at the beef. So, you aimed to cook it rare?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Yes. Which is cooked perfect. That's how I like it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Nice caramelisation on that.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I like that crustiness. Very good.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Do you use much salt in cooking?
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I do, yes. Yeah. I would put a little bit more on this.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16OK. But, apart from that, it's bang on.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Lovely. Lovely. Thank you very much. Yeah. Happy?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Mmm. Well done, Charlotte. Well done. Thank you.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23Oh, yeah. I'm not waiting about.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Yeah, it's cooked lovely. It was on the big side.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Could have maybe trimmed it down.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30A little bit more salt for me. Yeah. A bit more seasoning.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Oh, that's sweet. That piece of meat is amazing.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36A little bit of criticism would have been, obviously,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38to make the spinach not so wet... Yeah. ..so it didn't leak
0:14:38 > 0:14:40into the sauce, but that's only a presentational thing.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44I was happy with the way the beef was cooked.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46It could have been presented a little bit better but, all in all,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I'm very happy with the end result.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52And, finally, it's Martin, with his Dish Of The Day -
0:14:52 > 0:14:56black pudding croquette, brown bread and walnut crusted pork loin,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59whisky fondant potato and a port and rhubarb sauce.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Brilliant. How did you find the challenge?
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Mmm, it was tough enough. My sauce at the bottom,
0:15:07 > 0:15:08I don't think I got it right.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I was looking for streaks,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12so I didn't have it cooled down well enough,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14but other than that, I think it's OK.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15I'm going to attack the black pudding first.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18OK. I'm a big fan of black pudding.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Very nice. Mm-hmm.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25And then we're going into the pork. OK.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It looks how I would cook it. Yeah.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I think your fondant's just... maybe a little bit under.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34A bit under, yeah.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37But it's edible but it's just a little bit under.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39You don't want that when you go through.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I can't really pick up the whisky much.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Were you trying to flambe it at the end?
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I didn't have enough time to flambe it at the end.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Right. So I just dripped a little bit of whisky on top and I was
0:15:48 > 0:15:50going to blowtorch it. Right, OK.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But, again, didn't have enough time for that, so... OK.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I mean, it's a very adventurous plate of food.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56It works but I think just
0:15:56 > 0:15:58a little bit more thought on the dish, I think, with...
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Some nice, positive comments, there.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Yeah, not too bad. Thank you. Brilliant.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Are you happy with it? Reasonably.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08So, I was going to flambe my fondant potato with whisky.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Instead, I had to drizzle it over the fondant potato,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and that's what I was looking for the blowtorch for -
0:16:13 > 0:16:15just to, kind of, get off the alcohol, basically.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Yeah, the apple's gorgeous in that. That's gorgeous. That's good, yeah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20It'd have made a perfect starter
0:16:20 > 0:16:22with a bit of mustard. Yeah. Yeah, delicious.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25And then maybe less like a little quenelle of that sauce
0:16:25 > 0:16:27with a bit of greens, a bit of gravy... Yeah.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Attention to detail. He's got something. He has got something.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Interesting. Yeah. I left it very, very difficult for myself for time
0:16:34 > 0:16:35but I think I got there in the end.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Ryan is looking for someone who's enthusiastic
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and can work methodically and cleanly under pressure.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44For one of our home cooks, it's time to leave the competition.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I don't know whether I've done enough to get through.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I'm getting more competitive as the day goes on.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Yeah, I'd really like to win.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55There's some amazing food here and some amazing cooks, so we'll see.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I'd love to go through to the next round, but,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02after tasting the other guys' dishes, you know, who knows?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Fingers crossed.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Well, I'm here now, so I might as well give it all I've got.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10The lads are amazing cooks as well, so we'll see.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13So, do you think you've seen enough to make your decision?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15There's three cooks there that,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17obviously, can take it to the next level.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20OK. There is one cook, yeah, just lacking a little bit of seasoning,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22lacking a bit of flavour.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Well, let's go and break the news. Let's go.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Firstly, I'd like to say well done to all of you.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32However, only three of you can go through to the next round,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34and Ryan has made his mind up.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36So, Chef, it's over to you.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Yeah, somebody does need to go at this stage,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and I'm losing this person just because the dish really needed to
0:17:42 > 0:17:44demonstrate that little bit more
0:17:44 > 0:17:47just to go through to the next round, so, unfortunately...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52..we're going to have to lose Hesper.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54OK. OK? Mm-hmm.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56OK? Oh, oh, well done, anyway.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02I'm a little disappointed but I kind of knew it was coming.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04So, that leaves three home cooks.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06They are company director Simon,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08business development manager Charlotte,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10and podiatry student Martin.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Round two - it's the Chef's Challenge. In this round,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Ryan will be testing to see who's got the skills he's looking for,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21so, Ryan, what's today's challenge?
0:18:21 > 0:18:22A sauce vierge.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Basically, all it is is like a tomato salsa, so very, very simple,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27but what I'm going to be looking for, I'm going to be looking for
0:18:27 > 0:18:30the way that you actually dice the tomato - the precision.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32The precision on dicing the shallot.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Also the level of acidity and salt.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36So, taste, taste, taste, all the time.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38So you're going to take the tomato,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40just going to pierce the top and then just going to take the eye
0:18:40 > 0:18:42out with the knife like so.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44And, as that's boiling there,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47we're going to pop the tomato in for 30 seconds. OK?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50We don't want to cook it cos we'll end up with mushy tomato.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52See, guys, how it's just peeling back like so?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Yeah. Should that come off just dead easy?
0:18:54 > 0:18:55Yeah, that will come off very easy.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59As soon as we put it into the ice water, it'll peel.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00We'll leave them there for a minute or so
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and we're just going to take the shallot
0:19:03 > 0:19:05and we're going to cut fine julienne.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Julienne is just a nice, fine strip
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and it gives uniformity when you're cooking,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10so that's what I'm looking for.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13This should demonstrate your knife skills, guys. It is very, very fine.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15So, that's all in there like so.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17OK? Now, we're going to look at these tomatoes.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20So, as you can see, pull that back.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That peels back nice.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And you should give that a little... almost like a little wash off.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27So that becomes nice and smooth.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29See?
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Just cut it like so.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Take out the centre, removing all seeds,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and then we're going to get the coriander seeds
0:19:35 > 0:19:36and all we're going to do is
0:19:36 > 0:19:38just crush them with the back of your knife, OK?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40So, the next point, we're going to get the tomatoes,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43we're going to lose the outer pieces,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45so we're squaring it up, as such.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48OK? So you want to get the balance right as well, guys.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49You think with two tomatoes
0:19:49 > 0:19:52that half a shallot is absolutely perfect.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53Right, so the tomatoes are in.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59OK, so the next point is your herbs, so your herbs, chervil.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01You're just pushing them together.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02It's kind of like chiffonade -
0:20:02 > 0:20:04that's the name we would use in the trade.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08OK, so, again, we want almost equal quantities of the herbs,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12cos you don't want one herb drowning the other one out.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14So I'm looking for them big strands of parsley.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And then finally we're going to put a little bit of tarragon in.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Not too much. OK?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23And the last thing to go in, a clove of garlic,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and then we're going to put a little bit of sea salt on there.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28So, grind it together, like so.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30And there is your garlic paste that you want.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32So, all your big flavours are in,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34and now we've just got to finish off the sauce.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Just give that a little mix together.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37A nice little mix. You see that?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40OK. And now we're going to add the olive oil.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43And when it's starting to run free like that,
0:20:43 > 0:20:44that's what you're looking for. See?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47And then we're going to add the lemon.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Put half the lemon in there.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Give it another mix. And now this is the important part.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53This is where I'm going to see if you can season.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Sea salt, crushing it in between your fingers,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and then I'm just going to...
0:20:59 > 0:21:01But you're still leaving it quite coarse, OK?
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I'm just going to have a little taste.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07What you want, you've got all that texture coming through
0:21:07 > 0:21:08but then you've got this big hit of salt.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12That's what you want. And then the acidity just cancels it all out.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13So, is this about balancing it out, basically?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16This is getting the balance now.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18You're just going to present it in this little bowl here.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Mmm. And there we go - sauce vierge.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Perfect. Lovely.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Would you like to taste, guys? So you can... Absolutely, yeah.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I'll move this along here. Thank you very much.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I'll take that.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Mmm. Mmm. That's delish.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38It's nice, isn't it? Delicious.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39It's quite salty, actually.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41So, you get that saltiness bang,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43and then the acidity cleans it all through after.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Yeah. Great challenge, Ryan.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Excellent. Any last words for our cooks?
0:21:49 > 0:21:51OK, guys, you all know what you've got to do? Yes, Chef.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53So, our cooks have just 15 minutes
0:21:53 > 0:21:57to complete Ryan's skills challenge and perfect their sauce vierge.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Whilst Ryan is looking for a partner with a passion for food,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09he also needs to know that they can follow instructions
0:22:09 > 0:22:11and is watching closely for any mistakes.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Our cooks know if they want to progress to the Friday final,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20they need to show precision with their cutting and dicing.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Hi, Simon. Hiya.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29All good? Yeah, hope so.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Yeah, the tomatoes look good.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35I'm pretty impressed at your chopping skills.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36You are awesome.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Well, we'll see at the end, won't we?
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Yeah, but... I suppose. Give me a run for my money, eh?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43I know. I'm impressed. I'm not so sure about that.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Hi, Charlotte. Are you OK?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Yeah, good.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54It's all very tense, isn't it?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It is, yeah. Are you OK? Feeling confident? Yeah.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Yeah. Good.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Hi, Martin. Hi, guys. How are you doing?
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Not too bad.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06All going OK?
0:23:06 > 0:23:07The tomatoes look good. Yeah.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09All going to plan, I think.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Slowly but surely.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Is it making you nervous?
0:23:13 > 0:23:14A little bit. The pressure?
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Steady hands with that knife, eh? I know.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20It probably doesn't help that we are staring down at you either, does it? No, definitely not.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Sorry.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Sorry, Martin.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25OK. Well, we'll let you get on.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Yeah, we'll let you crack on. Cheers.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35They all seem to be getting on OK.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Yeah. They'll be interesting.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39I think you're going to get three very different bowls, to be honest.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Yeah. And that'll show their personality as well and their taste buds,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47because one guy actually said he felt it was quite salty, my one,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49which is good, because you want the saltiness to come through.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Yeah. So it'll be interesting to see if they overcompensate
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and put too much salt. Yeah.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Everyone seems confident that they've mastered the tomatoes,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01but can they achieve the perfect balance between salt and acidity
0:24:01 > 0:24:04in their sauce vierge?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06The final stages of this challenge are crucial
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and any slight over-seasoning
0:24:09 > 0:24:12could cost our home cooks a place in the Friday final.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Two minutes left, guys.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Just two minutes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:2630 seconds.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Five, four, three, two, one.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44That's it. Time's up.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45Step away from your bowls.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Based on these three little bowls of sauce, one of you, sadly,
0:24:54 > 0:24:55is going to be going home.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Right, OK. I'll have a little taste.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20OK, so, the winner has to be...
0:25:23 > 0:25:25..this one. Hey.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Congratulations.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Thank you very much. Well done.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It hit every spot that I'm looking for.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32The balance of flavour, perfect. Well done.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Thank you. Well done, Martin.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37OK, the next one that I'm going to choose to go through
0:25:37 > 0:25:40would have to be this one.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Um, the reason I've not chosen this one, unfortunately,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48I think you may have forgotten the lemon juice.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50There's not enough lemon juice in there, and so it's just salty.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53So, all I can taste is the salt, so the balance, for me,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56is not there at all. Oh, Charlotte.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Have you enjoyed it? Yeah, I've really enjoyed myself, yeah.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It didn't go as well as I had hoped.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I did feel like I was running out of time a little bit, so, at the end,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06it was a case of just throwing everything together
0:26:06 > 0:26:07and crossing my fingers.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09So, just two home cooks remain -
0:26:09 > 0:26:13company director Simon and podiatry student Martin.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But only one can compete for the title of Yes Chef champions
0:26:16 > 0:26:18alongside Ryan on Friday.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Now, time for the third and final round, the Chef's Special.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25In this round, our cooks will be given a set of ingredients
0:26:25 > 0:26:28to one of Ryan's signature dishes.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Cooks, the aim of this round is to see what you can make with the same
0:26:32 > 0:26:35ingredients. You'll get to see what Ryan makes a little bit later on.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38But, for you at home, here's today's ingredients.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Ryan has chosen turbot, pancetta,
0:26:41 > 0:26:46sultanas, butter, fennel, samphire,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50verjus, an acidic grape juice, vermouth, radishes,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53a leek and purple potatoes.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Easy enough for a Michelin-star chef,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57but what on earth will our home cooks make?
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Right, cooks, you've got one hour to create a delicious dish.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Reveal your ingredients because your time starts now.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10It's turbot, isn't it?
0:27:16 > 0:27:17Cheers, mate.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20This is the first time our home cooks have seen these ingredients
0:27:20 > 0:27:22and the clock is ticking,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24so will they know where to start?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I don't know where to start with it. Literally not a clue.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I don't know what I'm going to do yet.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44I've got to work out how to get the...fillet out of it.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47It's slightly stumped me, but I know the backbone's here,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50so I'm going to try and just come down the backbone first.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55For Simon, his worst nightmare has come true,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57as he is faced with filleting a fish.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00And things are no easier for Martin,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03who has very little experience of working with fish either.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Simon has finally filleted his fish.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Now he's just got to work out what he's doing
0:28:23 > 0:28:25with the rest of the ingredients.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Meanwhile, Martin's fish isn't going quite as well,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30but he's determined not to give up.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34I don't even know what that one is.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39I'm trying to figure out what to do, so I think I know what I'm doing,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41but...
0:28:41 > 0:28:44I think I know what I'm doing, but we'll see.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46I'm trying to pair up the ingredients that I think
0:28:46 > 0:28:48will go best with each other and will work well.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Hi, Simon. Hiya.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53How are you doing? Are you all right?
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Yeah. I'm OK, thanks. What's your plans?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58What are you going to do? I'm going to pan-fry it in, maybe,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01butter and either thyme or rosemary. I haven't decided which yet.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04And I am probably going to try and slice a piece of pancetta really thinly
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and bake it in the oven and try and get that into, like, a...
0:29:07 > 0:29:08something crisp to place on top.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Well done. Fingers crossed.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11We'll see. Well done.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12OK. All right.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Hiya, Martin. Hi, guys.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16How are you doing? All good? Not too bad.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Confident? Um, no.
0:29:18 > 0:29:19No? No. OK.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23Oh, no. I rarely cook with fish, and I'm just, kind of, winging it.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25OK. So, what's your plan?
0:29:25 > 0:29:28What are you going to make? I'm going to use fennel, leek,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33and the head from the fish, a bit of vegetable stock, garlic,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37salt and pepper, samphire, and I'm going to, kind of, reduce that down.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Make a nice sauce out of it.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42I'm going to pan-fry the fish.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Yeah. I haven't got it all figured out yet.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46All right, we'll let you get on.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Thank you very much. Enjoy. All right, thanks.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52So, both our cooks are finally on their way.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Simon has a plan and is sticking to it,
0:30:03 > 0:30:08but after failing to fillet his fish neatly, Martin's got other ideas.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Hiya, Martin. Hi, guys. So I've slightly adapted what I'm going to do.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16I'm just going to poach the fish at the end in the cooking liquor that I've made.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18It's going to be kind of a stew,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22with leeks and the purple potatoes and a stock that I made and some
0:30:22 > 0:30:24samphire and some vermouth.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Brilliant. That's where we're going. OK, cool. Excellent.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Simon filleted his fish, and it looks beautiful,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35although he hasn't identified all the ingredients.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38No, I think it's a bit daunting when you see it like that,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41you're thinking, "Wow, what am I going to do?"
0:30:41 > 0:30:44You start off with a plan and it all starts to come together.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Martin seems to kind of just be going along with the flow.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52I like the way he has used the fish in two ways, so he's filleted it,
0:30:52 > 0:30:54all right, he's not made a brilliant job of filleting it,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58but he's made a sauce with the head, which is fantastic.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Yes. That's what I'm looking for.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02All right, so that's impressive.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04You'd better get back and see how they're getting on.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Let's go. Let's have some fun.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11This is the last chance for our home cooks to prove to Ryan that they are
0:31:11 > 0:31:13his perfect partner for the Friday final.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Cooks, there's just two minutes left, two minutes to go.
0:31:22 > 0:31:23With time quickly running out,
0:31:23 > 0:31:25our cooks need to start plating up their dishes.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33That's come out better than I expected!
0:31:35 > 0:31:36It looks OK.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40That's it, time is up, you've done all you can,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42step away from your dishes.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44It's time to taste.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47First to be judged is company director Simon.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50He has made pan-fried turbot, served with pancetta crisps,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53purple potatoes and fondant leeks.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56There you go. What did you think of the challenge?
0:31:56 > 0:31:59When the fish came out, I was a bit overwhelmed at first,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and then I figured out what to do with it.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Just tried to keep it simple from there.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Fingers crossed. Right, let's try it.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09It's a shame about the colour of the potatoes,
0:32:09 > 0:32:10because it's nice to see them vibrant,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13so maybe if they were open a little bit, it would look quite...
0:32:13 > 0:32:14OK.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23So the fish is cooked absolutely perfect.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26Not overcooked at all.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31That's nice, very nice.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And then a little burst of acidity, works quite well.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Little burst of sweetness.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Thank you. Fantastic.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39All well-balanced, really good.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40Well done. Thank you.
0:32:42 > 0:32:43There we go. Simon, this looks beautiful.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46It was my worst nightmare. Pulled back the tea towels and there was a
0:32:46 > 0:32:50big...not just a little fish, a big monster fish, and I was like,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52"Oh, my... What am I going to do here?"
0:32:52 > 0:32:53What did you think, Ryan?
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Yeah, lovely.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59You're going to get the same kind of flavours with my dish.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01We are? Yeah. Wow!
0:33:01 > 0:33:02So that's exactly what I'm looking for.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05You've got that saltiness at the back of your mouth there,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08you've got the acidity, the sweetness, yeah...
0:33:08 > 0:33:11You must be impressed if that's the kind of thing you're doing?
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Yes, he's thinking like me. I think that's a first, actually,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17that we've had someone who nearly got it to how the chef has made it -
0:33:17 > 0:33:18your dish.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Next to be judged is podiatry student Martin.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26He's chosen to make a poached turbot broth with purple potatoes and leeks,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28garnished with radishes and fennel.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31There you go.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33How was the challenge for you, Martin?
0:33:33 > 0:33:36I've never seen a turbot before, nor had I filleted a fish,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40so it was a challenge, but it went OK.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Because I didn't fillet it correctly, and as cleanly as I wanted to,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I knew I had to go with something like this.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Yes, because at first you had a different plan, didn't you?
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Yeah. So I wanted to go with something like a broth,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53get lots of flavour in there from the turbot as well.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55Yeah, so, hopefully it tastes nice.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Brilliant, OK. So let's tuck in.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Nice level of sweetness there, isn't there?
0:34:02 > 0:34:03It's very moreish.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09And the fish cooked lovely as well.
0:34:09 > 0:34:10Big, punchy flavours.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The leeks, lovely. I like the way you have done the leek, not al dente...
0:34:14 > 0:34:16Just with a little bit of bite.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Nice little punch there at the end because the sauce is acidic,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26a little bit of sweetness to it, the fish is lovely and sweet,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28and then a little kick of salt.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Lovely. That's a really good plate of food.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Thank you. Well done, Martin.
0:34:32 > 0:34:33Thank you.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Considering I'd never filleted a turbot before,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40I think I made a pretty good dish out of it,
0:34:40 > 0:34:41and Chef seemed to enjoy it.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43So I'm happy.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44Yeah, really good. To be honest with you,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46if you look at the balance of flavour, he thought,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49"Right, OK, backtrack, let's fix this now." I like that.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Yeah, because he'd never filleted a fish before. Yeah.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54And he did it to the best of his ability,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58but realised it didn't look that great, so he changed his plan.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00And, wow... Yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02..what he changed it to.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I honestly don't envy you, Ryan.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07So with the final challenge complete,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Ryan has to decide which of our two home cooks will return as his partner
0:35:11 > 0:35:14and compete against his peers on Friday.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15I was pleased I managed to put up a nice dish.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Chef said he liked it, so hopefully he did and he wasn't lying to me!
0:35:19 > 0:35:21I think overall I'm pretty happy.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23I did as good as I could do.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27Now, have you got an idea of who you might be taking through with you?
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I did have before he brought that bowl of food in!
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Before Ryan announces the winner,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37let's see what he makes with all those ingredients.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41So, Chef, it's over to you.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44So what we're going to do, we're going to do turbot pan-fried,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46we're going to make a little stock out of the bones
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and then we're going to make a verjus reduction,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51sweet and sour sauce with the sultanas,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54serve it with samphire, a little bit of Alsace bacon,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56purple potatoes that we're just going to fry off,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58a bit of raw radish and some leek.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Right, OK, so I'm going to start by prepping the turbot.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02Find that backbone,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and then you can see that purpose-made line,
0:36:05 > 0:36:06so we know exactly where to run the knife.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Straight on the back.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14So I'm taking the head away.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17So we're just going to put this in, you can see as the oil hits,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20it's really, really hot, it's exactly what we're looking for.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25Hear that? Just let that tick over nicely, just roasting away.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27So we'll pick out the best piece of fish that I'm going to
0:36:27 > 0:36:28impress you guys with.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30So just straight down here, like this.
0:36:31 > 0:36:32He makes it look easy!
0:36:33 > 0:36:36And then take off that skirt.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I'm just going to take a nice portion off...
0:36:41 > 0:36:45..and we're going to go for this lovely piece of fish here.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46That's what we're going to be serving, OK?
0:36:46 > 0:36:50OK. OK, so we're just going to have a little look at these bones.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53It's nice and roasted. OK.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55So, leave that to roast,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58and we're going to pop in a little bit of leek into that stock.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01We're going to pop a little bit of fennel,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03a bit of flat leaf parsley, OK?
0:37:06 > 0:37:07That already smells nice.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09OK, so I'm happy with that.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13I'm just going to add a little bit of vermouth.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17You can see it just cleaning the bottom of that pan.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20All I'm going to do now is just add the water...
0:37:21 > 0:37:23..over that. OK, so, that's it.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Now we're going to get the verjus reducing down.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28And that will reduce down by half.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Love that. Before we put the fish in,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37we're going to start by building the flavour of this dish, OK?
0:37:37 > 0:37:39I'm going to start by putting the bacon in.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Put about five pieces on the fish.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45When did you start cooking, Ryan?
0:37:45 > 0:37:46When I was a kid.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Yeah, just from an early age.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52OK, but when did you decide that you wanted to do it as a career?
0:37:52 > 0:37:56I think I've always wanted... I always knew from about 14 or 15.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Wow, OK. Yeah, I just said I want to do cooking,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02I want to travel the world. Went to my auntie's in France,
0:38:02 > 0:38:03spent a few weeks over there, and that was it.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06And you stayed in France for five years, was it?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Yeah, just shy of five years.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Wow. Working with some of the best chefs in the world.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13So as you can see, all the flavour of this bacon is coming out.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17A little bit of caramelisation on these leeks, not too much.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19We've got all the flavour from the bacon going into the leeks.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24OK? So, to finish, we are going to serve it with a verjus sauce,
0:38:24 > 0:38:25and to finish the verjus sauce,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27we're going to finish it with spring onion and sultanas,
0:38:27 > 0:38:32which is going to give us a kind of sweet and sour savoury sort of flavour
0:38:32 > 0:38:36going on. So it's a lot of flavours bouncing around in the mouth.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41OK. So the next step, we'll prepare the radishes, again for presentation.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44These are so beautiful, these breakfast radishes.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46So I think we're ready now to add the fish.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48We're going to get the fish into that pan now, OK?
0:38:50 > 0:38:53So I'm just going to get a little cloth here to drain this off onto.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59I want a nice caramelisation on that fish, it's getting there.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01So we're going to drop the potatoes.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06OK, so the fish is cooking nicely, looking lovely.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09I've decided to put the samphire in there.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11That's how I'll finish the samphire,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13so the samphire is going to be ready to come out now.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15So that was in there for, what, 30 seconds?
0:39:15 > 0:39:18These potatoes, we're just going to pull out like so,
0:39:18 > 0:39:19let them cool down for a second.
0:39:23 > 0:39:24So that's all I wanted that stock for.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27I've got my little radishes there, I'll bring them back in a second.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30So that's going to reduce, we've got the fish on the go over here.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33Just pull off these radishes.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37We're going to start plating this up now.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Finish off the sauce, we're going to Monte au Beurre,
0:39:40 > 0:39:42so that means thicken with butter.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44OK? So that's my French influence coming out.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So, potatoes, as simple as this, guys.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Push them and crush them.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Look at these beautiful colours.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57You know, we don't want too much carbs on there.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Can I have a trusty assistant?
0:40:01 > 0:40:02There we go, just keep moving around like that.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06The verjus.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12So last-second, spring onions, sultanas, got that perfect.
0:40:12 > 0:40:13Wow.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Very nice.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19Amazing. Bon appetit.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23What do we think, guys? It's absolutely gorgeous.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25It's beautiful. The sauce is unreal.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Absolutely amazing, Ryan.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29Thank you so much.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Thank you. Now, it is time to reveal who you're going to be taking to the
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Friday final with you, but before you do,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37let's have a quick recap of what they made earlier.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42In the first round, Simon impressed Ryan with his cote de boeuf
0:40:42 > 0:40:44and Cafe de Paris butter.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Yes, the beef's cooked very nice. I like the spice in the butter.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50He scraped through the skills challenge with his sauce vierge.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53And in the final round, he was faced with his worst nightmare but
0:40:53 > 0:40:55successfully managed to fillet a fish
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and really impressed Ryan with his pan-fried turbot,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01served with pancetta crisps, purple potatoes and fondant leeks.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03You'll get the same kind of flavours with my dish.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Wow! So, yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
0:41:06 > 0:41:07I started off just not wanting to go out first,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09and I've got more competitive during the day,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and now I really want to win.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Meanwhile, Martin impressed Ryan in round one,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16despite a mishap with his recipe.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17I can't pick up the whisky much.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Were you trying to flambe it? I didn't have enough time to flambe it.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23He stole the show in round two by creating the perfect balance of flavour
0:41:23 > 0:41:25in his sauce vierge.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Hit every spot that I am looking for.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Well done. And in the final round, he struggled to fillet the turbot,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35but his quick thinking enabled him to change his plan and produce a
0:41:35 > 0:41:36poached turbot broth.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38That's a really good plate of food. Thank you.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Simon's dish was also beautiful, very different kind of dish,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43but it's up to Chef, so we'll see.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Firstly, I would like to say well done to you both.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51You've impressed me, and I know you've impressed Ryan.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56But, unfortunately, only one of you can go through to the Friday final with Ryan,
0:41:56 > 0:41:58and he has made his decision.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00So it is over to you, Chef.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I made my decision and the reason I've chosen this person is because
0:42:03 > 0:42:09I feel as though this person could represent my dishes in a kind of
0:42:09 > 0:42:12methodical way, and does it exactly how I want to do it.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14So the person that's coming through...
0:42:16 > 0:42:18..is Simon.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Thank you very much. Congratulations. Well done.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Well done, mate. Cheers. Well done.
0:42:22 > 0:42:28Thank you. Sorry about that, but you know, it was really, really close.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Martin put up a fantastic plate of food, but I'm over the moon.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I can't wait for the Friday final now.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35With the acidity and the sweetness, great.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Thank you very much. Well done.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40When you come on Friday, make sure you keep focused and most of all,
0:42:40 > 0:42:41enjoy it. Yes, Chef.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42Well done.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Tomorrow on Yes Chef,
0:42:46 > 0:42:51four more home cooks go all out to impress super-chef Maryanne Gilchrist.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53It was by the skin of your teeth between you two.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56It's a chance for them to work alongside the best in the business.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Oh, dear. Not getting the point of it.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02But only one can become her partner for the Friday final.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04It's a health and safety issue. I apologise.