MasterChef Australia (2009–…): Season 14, Episode 10 - Episode #14.10 - full transcript

VOICEOVER: Previously
on MasterChef Australia...

..the week got off
to a flying start.

It's time to hustle.
Let's go. Come on!

Come on!

Zumbo's pressure test
put Alvin in a tailspin...

I'm out. I'm out.

..and sent Dulan home.

(CHEERING)

Then...
What is this?

..in a Beat the Chef challenge...

JOCK: Matt Stone, everybody!



..Billie and Michael
stunned the judges.

We loved it.

..and took out a pin each.

Tonight,
it's a surprise service challenge

with a massive guest chef.

MINOLI: Absolutely fangirling.

Can the Fans
defeat the Favourites once again?

SONG: # 'Cause you're hot
then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in
then you're out

# You're up then you're down

# You're wrong when it's right

# It's black and it's white

# We fight, we break up



# We kiss, we make up

# You're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in
then you're out

# You're up then you're down

# You're wrong when it's right

# It's black and it's white

# We fight, we break up

# We kiss, we make up

# You
# You don't really wanna stay, no

# You

# But you don't really wanna go-o

# You're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in
then you're out

# You're up then you're down. #

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

(SINGS) # Here we go again... #
What do you think it's going to be?

I don't want to try and predict it.
Oh, OK.

'Cause I think, like,
I'll psych myself out

when it's completely something else.

Wearing white aprons,
but it's Sunday.

I don't want to be
in another elimination right now.

I feel like I haven't had a win yet

and I haven't quite found my feet
in the MasterChef kitchen.

So, I want to really have a chance
to impress the judges,

but I have no idea
what they've got planned today.

What do you reckon, Jock?

(CHUCKLES)

What is it going to be?

Oh, my God.
Oh, God.

What is this?
Oh, no.

Oh, my God.
It's a service challenge.

What?!

Oh, it is!
Oh, my God.
You're joking.

ALVIN: There are tables and chairs
all set up.

Ooh, they're pretty.

It's a service challenge.

And the tables and chairs

suspiciously look like
some European bistro.

It's French.
The chairs are kind of French.

Oh...it is.

There's nothing European about here,
so I'm screwed.

Stand in front.
Challenge...

Morning, everybody.
ALL: Morning.

Welcome back.

Now, you've probably noticed
one of us isn't here.

Yeah.

Unfortunately, Jock is ill.

Oh...

He's resting up at home,
and we are going to soldier on.

It's me and you.

(LAUGHTER)

But in Jock's absence, we thought
we'd invite someone very special

to join us for a few days.

Uh-oh.

He's a friend of the show
and a legend of this very kitchen.

He's one of Australia's
best-known chefs.

He's the creative director
at Vue de Monde.

Please welcome Shannon Bennett.

(CHEERING)

MINOLI: I am a huge fan
of Shannon Bennett.

I've eaten at Vue de Monde,
and it's just next level.

I don't know how his brain works,
but he is a magician.

So, this epic.

Oh, my God.
That's insane.

Guys, how you going?

Hey.

How are you, mate?
Lovely to see you.
You too.

Love the suit.
Thanks for coming in.

Shannon, it's an absolute delight

to have you here
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Thanks, Mel.

Yeah. It's good to have
familiar faces here as well.

Sashi, I mean, Julie, Billie.

And I'm looking forward to meeting
some new faces as well, so....

Yeah.

Billie, Shannon was no stranger
to your season.

Yeah.

Shannon did
the immunity challenges,

and it was always nice
to have him here.

He was always generous
with his knowledge and advice

and quite calming.

Are you saying Jock's not calming?

(LAUGHTER)

Yeah. I'm liking this.
This is nice.

Max, you're a huge fan of this show.

You must have seen Shannon
in this kitchen many times before.

Yeah. I've watched the show
for many years

and loved episodes
that you've been on, Shannon.

And, luckily, eaten at Vue as well.

So, I've had that experience,

which was one of the top three
culinary experiences I've ever had.

So...
Do you care to share
where in the top three?

(LAUGHTER)

I don't have children,
but if I had three children,

they'd all rank equally
in the top three.

Good response. Yeah. I like it.

Alright. Well, let's get started.

It is Sunday and we know
you're expecting an elimination.

But today,
we're switching things up.

If you couldn't already tell,
this is a service challenge.

And because Shannon's here,

this is a service challenge
inspired by French cuisine.

Cool.

MONTANA: I'm really excited
for French.

It sort of forms the basis
of a lot of cooking.

You can use French techniques
in any cuisine.

You've got your super fine dining,

and then, on the other end,
you've got classic French dishes

that are really rich and heavy,

and you can go really any way
you want to in this challenge.

French cookery is about curating
ingredients with great technique,

so, today is going back to basics,

but at the same time
using your instincts,

whether it's going
to be bistro food,

whether it's going
to be fine-dining food.

And I suppose it's really about
how brave you're going to be.

I've got some rules.

Each team, they'll need to cook
a French entree, main and dessert

for 20 diners.

Those that cook the least impressive
entree, main and dessert,

regardless of what team you're on,

they'll have to cook
in tomorrow's mystery box

in order to save yourself
from elimination.

Simply, if you win your course,
you're safe.

You guys will have two hours
to prepare your elements

until your service starts.

Now, Tommy's ill today,
recovering at home.

So, that means
we've got uneven teams -

10 Fans and 11 Favourites.

So, one Favourite
will need to sit out this challenge.

You guys need to organise yourselves
into who's cooking what course,

and you guys need to
sit a person out.

Right. What do you want to do, guys?

OK. First, let's decide on
who want to sit out.

I've done a lot of cooking
in the past week,

so I'd be happy to sit out.

Then, entree.
Who's comfortable with entree?

Four on entree, three for mains.

Choosing our teams all happens
quite naturally, I think.

So. It's me, Sarah, Aldo.

We need one more.
We'll all do entree, then. Yeah?

All of us have just gone
into the spaces

that we feel a lot more confident.

I would do main.
Yeah.

I'd go dessert.
Dessert.
Yeah.

So, that's three?
Yeah.

What do we do? Do we...?
I've got no ideas.

I'll go with...I'll go Matty boy...
Yeah, on entree?

Fish stock.

I might go with you guys
on entree, then.

I'll go entree or not enough room?

I've got no idea.

I was leaning towards entree today,

but that decision was made for me.

Do a main. Do a main.

I just got sort of
shuffled in to mains.

Seafood bouillabaisse gourmet.

A what?
Bouillabaisse.

It's not my style of cooking at all,
so I'm terrified.

Where are we going?
You're main.

And you're main,
with us, aren't you?
Yeah.

Are you OK?
Yeah.
Are you confident?

OK, Favourites. Who is sitting out?

Jules.

(LAUGHTER)
ANDY: She's, like, hiding.

And, everybody else,
you have full access

to all of the ingredients
in the pantry and the garden.

Shannon will mentor you today
and run the kitchen.

Good luck, everyone.
Your time starts now.

Yeah!

Come on, guys.

We're planning.
We're planning. Let's do it.

Hand them down. Throw them down.

Shall we draw the...?

I'm thinking steak tartare.
Steak tartare.

Steak tartare?
Yep.

On the entree team is Ali, Max,
myself and Jenn.

Eye fillet.
Eye fillet.

Steak tartare
is finally diced raw beef

mixed through with
fresh herbs, egg yolk.

If they've got any truffles.
Crispy potatoes.

So, we want it actually to be a...
A crunchy rectangle of potato.
Yeah.

Potato.
With the steak tartare on top.

I've only ever had steak tartare
once in my life in a restaurant.

I have no idea how to make it.

Yeah, looks good.

Give it a little, like, a little...
Lines?

Annotate it. Annotate everything.

French is all about the technique.

Finesse.
Finesse.

So, with that in mind, fish...
kind of like classic flavours.

What are we thinking?
Classic, like salmon and...

..and a sauce.
Yeah. A beurre blanc.

On entrees, it is Christina,
Aldo, Michael and myself.

I mean, beurre blanc, like,
it's a classic French...
If it's done well...

..it's beautiful.
Yeah.

Talking about doing a beurre blanc,
wine-based sauce,

which is going to
coat that salmon beautifully.

Like, little portion of, like,
salmon that's just set.

So it's not, like, cooked through at
all. It's just set and like, flaky.

Quite a simple dish.

It's about stripping it back
and doing a few elements perfectly.

So, what do we do?

What are we thinking?

Something like fish?

Or meat?

Mains team today
is myself, Harry and Keyma.

We're up against
Sashi, Mindy and Minoli.

I don't think we need to
go with fine dining.

Homestyle kind of food.

As much as they like their finesse,

they still love their homestyle also.

On paper, it looks pretty bad,

and if I was a betting man, I think
they'd be paying pretty well.

What's that...fish in a...
fish in a wrap.

Fish in a...
Oh, yeah. Fish in a...

Fish in a... En papillote.

Yeah. That one.
So, fish in a parcel.

Are you happy to do that?
Yeah.

So, the plan is to do
a nice portion of fish.

And we can wrap it. That's French.

But I have no idea what we're
going to be serving it with.

And then we need a fresh...

I think, something green, like a...
Pantry's opening, gang. Go for it.

Oh, my God. So, what else?

Probably a zucchini or something.
I'm going to go get...

I'm going to go start on the fish.

The lack of cohesion in our team
today might show in our dish,

but we'll just figure it out
as we go.

I've seen this beautiful piece
of barramundi.

Go to the barra.

I hope I can do
this fish justice today.

It's French cooking, it's refined.
I don't want to hack this fish up.

I want to do
clean, consistent portions

and steer this fish parcel dish
in the right direction.

Mel?
Yeah.
Do you want vanilla paste or...?

Yes.
Yeah?

That should be enough.

Steph, Montana and I are essentially
the same desserts team

that were in
the first service challenge.

We won against Billie, Alvin
and John last time.

So, I'm a bit worried they're
going to step up their game.

So, today,
our dessert needs to be amazing.

I'll start separating eggs
for us, Steph.

Thank you.

We want something rich.
We want something sweet.

But we also want to show
lots of technique

with textural elements
as well as the flavour elements.

I'm just like, how do you...?

(BOTH LAUGH)

Today, we are going to go all out.

And I know I can do
a really good chocolate cremeux.

Yeah. We got it.

It's a classic French dessert.

It's a dark chocolate
kind of ganache,

but lighter, almost like eating
a really decadent chocolate mousse.

We want to show that we've got the
skills to go against the Favourites.

Montana.
Hello.
What's on the menu?

So, chocolate cremeux
is, like, the focus.

So, Steph's working on that
at the moment.
OK.

We've got a cherry sorbet,
a chocolate crumb,

um...

Pistachio praline.
..pistachio praline, and a tuile.

And fresh cherries on the plate.
OK, well, that's a lot there.

Why so many elements? So, what...?

Um...

We sort of want to hit
all the targets of the fruitiness
and the richness.

And we want also the playing
with the texture elements.

French cookery,
one of the great things about it

is the simplicity of one recipe
done perfectly.

Yeah.
Yeah.

You want the chocolate to speak,

so, that there,
you're going to a lot of work

to make that beautiful and smooth
and velvet like.

And then you're going to interrupt
that then with some crumb.

I don't know, because we're going to
sort of nest the sorbet in the crumb
was the plan.

I don't know.
The cremeux is the hero.

Just remember that.

I think you've got
too much on the plate.

Yeah.
OK.

Good luck.
Thank you.

Um...

So, what do we think?

I like a crunch in a dish.

We're in two minds at the moment.

We're sort of still convinced
we need that crunch element.

But at the end of the day,

Shannon is one of the best chefs
in Australia

and we need to produce
the best dish possible

to beat the Favourites today.

Um...

Happy with this?
Yep. That looks good.

Alright, Alvin and Billie,
you're on desserts.

Yeah, we are.
What's happening?

So, we're doing
a little tasting plate.

A tasting plate?
Yeah.

Yeah, it's like a petit four. Yeah.
OK.

Yeah. So, we've got lemon tart.

We've got a choux pastry
with creme pat and peach compote.

Profiteroles filled with,
like, a peach compote.
Yeah.

And the creme pat
crackling thing on top.

Yeah.
Crackling thing on top.

Like a... What?

Are you going to do sable?
Yeah.

Oh, OK.
Yeah.
Wow.

And we've got a macaron,
a Calvados apple macaron.

That's another recipe in itself.

So, that's like, wow.
So, we've got to hustle.

OK. Alright. Wow.

You are ambitious.

Any advice?

Don't do it?

Same with the Fans,

I told them French food
is about being restrained.

Ambitious, skilful.

And your passion, right?
Uh-huh.

But you are now opening
yourself up

to so many elements here of failure.

Yes.

And you've given the judges
more room to have a go at you.

You've got another 90 minutes
before the first entree is served.

Let's push it. Come on.

Thanks, chef.
Thanks, chef.

Go, guys!

OK.

On entrees, it is Aldo, Christina,
Michael and myself

making a beautiful salmon dish
with a beurre blanc sauce.

Let's see. How's the wine?
(CHUCKLES)

Aldo and I are making the stock
for the beurre blanc,

getting the bones
from Michael and Christina.

Do you mind just chopping
those up a little bit more?

We'll get more flavour.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It's all about the flavour.

It's getting that right hit
of the vinegar coming through.

For me, I think
it's all in the technique.

It's all in being precise.

I came ninth in season six.

I think people would remember me
for my passion for Indian cuisine.

Straight out of MasterChef,
I moved to India

to open my first restaurant.

It's crazy.

Since then, I've opened three,

still running everything from here
in Australia at the moment.

How's everything going?

Restaurants are doing well.

I love Indian cuisine,

but I also have such a huge passion
for French cooking.

How I first started off
cooking was French cuisine.

I went to Le Cordon Bleu

and I really tried to hone
my classical techniques.

What? Are you guys on the sauce
or something? Yes.

We're making a beurre blanc.

The salmon bones, we used.
OK, brilliant.

So, I think having that background
knowledge of French cuisine,

combined with all the experience
that I've had over the years,

has helped me to become
the chef that I am today.

OK. So, it's on.

So, I'm just hoping I can
really prove to the judges

that I am worthy of being here
in the MasterChef kitchen again.

Hey, Shannon. How are you?
Good to see you, mate.

OK. The Favourites.

Tell me what you're doing.

So, with the entree,
we're sous-vide-ing the salmon

with a herb beurre blanc.

We're going to sous vide it
to about 46,

so the salmon just sets,
so it'll flake apart.

You're on the right track there,
I think,

from a really classic French dish.

I would remove the skin first.

I can show you a technique
before you do it.
Yes.

To take away some skills
is why I'm back here

and to improve my cooking.

And if Shannon Bennett's
going to give you a bit of advice,
you take it.

OK. So, you can see a line here.
This is the blood line.

OK? This technique
will stay with you forever.

This is a way of skinning it
as well. OK?

And then stretch it out.

And then under the skin here.

Oh, Shannon, that's awesome.

And there you go. You've got
really nice, neat portions.

Right. Thank you very much.
Appreciate it.

I'll keep an eye on you guys.
Thanks so much.
Thanks, mate.

That's great. Love that.
It's such a good technique.
I know.

We're chopping a lot of things.
I've given myself a blister already.

We're doing alright, though.

So, I'm looking after entrees.

Max is working on our fresh produce
for the tartare

and separating eggs for the top.

And Ali and Jenn
are working on the potato.

I've got no idea
who we are up against today.

I haven't paid any attention
to them.

Just focusing on
getting this fillet prepped.

To have Shannon Bennett
in the kitchen today,

it is a bit of an honour because
I've eaten at the Vue de Monde,

which is one of Australia's
premier restaurants, and loved it.

So, I really want to put up
an amazing dish

to win against the Favourites
and impress Shannon and the judges.

Alright, Matt, Max,
what's happening?

We're going to do a steak tartare.

Crispy potato stack.
Crispy potato stack.

Some shaved truffles on top as well,

with a, like,
a sous vide egg yolk on top.

Basically confit-ing them slightly
so they've got a slight skin on them.

Oh, yeah. Go for that.
As long as you can execute them.

They've got to be perfect.

Yeah.
Yeah.

Have you done that before?
I've never done it. No.
Yeah. OK.

Never.

I think your presentation
is going to be crucial to this dish.

And one of the other things is that,
you know,

that you can execute
22 of those plates.
Yeah, yep.

So...
Yep, yep.

Focus. And good luck, guys.
Thank you so much.

I'll come and check in later.
Yep. Definitely. Thank you.
Thank you.

Steak tartare to me
is quintessential French cooking.

If we do simplicity,
but we nail it, it's a great dish.

It'll be a great dish,
which is what we're striving for.

We need to get that fish rolling.
Yeah.

So, I'm on the mains team
with Dan and Keyma.

We're still going to do
the fish in a parcel

and then the green beans
with potato.

We are still trying to work out
what we're doing

to be more traditional French.

We're going to have to stop
for a second

and just kind of work out how we're
going to pull it all together.

Hey.

So, what's on the menu? Tell me.

So, we're doing, um, en papillote.
En papillote. Yeah.

So, fish in a parcel.
Yeah. Nice.
Yeah.

Some green beans in there and some
nice, crispy goose-fat potatoes.

That's probably
what we're leaning toward.

Yeah.

So, you've got the entree
doing their beef tartare

with crispy potato.
Yeah.

And then you're doing crispy potato
for the main course.
Yes.

What about French mash?
Yeah.

You could do an amazing, like,
quenelle side dish

of pomme mousseline.

How do you feel about that, Harry?
Happy?

Yeah. We're doing mash.
Yeah.

So, fish in a parcel.

Have you tried
this technique before?

I've done it with paperbark
and banana leaf and stuff.

But not like this.

But I assume it's very, very similar.
It's very similar. Very similar.

Yeah. That's good.
Yeah. I can show you.

I actually use tinfoil.

I find tinfoil is easier.

This is a great learning experience,

getting mentored by one of
the best chefs in Australia.

So, I'm just trying to absorb it
like a sponge.

Another two sheets on top.
Two pieces.

And then fold it on each side.
Yeah, beauty.
Right?

And then you'll get
a much better pillow.

Thank you. Cheers.
Thank you.
OK. No problem. Good to meet you.

DANIEL: I'm in charge of the fish
and I'm fanging for a win.

We're on a roll here, so...

We've finally figured out
what we want to do.

I want to try and prove
that I can cook some good food

and I want a little bit of redemption
from the first service challenge.

You know, I'm going up against Sashi
again and he's the man.

So, hopefully, we're gonna
beat the Favourites today.

Everyone, you have one hour to go.
Come on, guys. Come on!

This is the potato workout.
I think we should patent this, Jenn.

Your tuile's really nice.
Yeah. You like it?
Mmm.

John, they look amazing.

They're still a bit sticky,
do you think?

It's OK, because I think when you
put filling in, you'll be fine.
Be fine?

You know what's the good news?
What?

The lamb is boneless.

(LAUGHS)

Oh, win!

We are doing a dish
called lamb navarin.

Hopefully I pronounce it correctly.
My French is...

Oh, it's not that great.

Yeah. So, it's a lamb...
More like a stew.

It's a celebration
of vegetables and meat.

Mindy and Minoli

are prepping all the vegetables
and herbs

to go in the pressure cooker
together with the meat.

And I am prepping the lamb.

I love cooking with lamb shoulders.
Yeah, yeah.

Like, all my biryanis and even
my curries in the restaurant.

Yeah.
We use lamb shoulders.

This dish is very rustic,

where everything goes into one pot,
slow-cooked.

Maximising the flavours
within the time given.

Put everything
in the pressure cooker.

How are you going? Nice to meet you.
Hello. Yeah. Good.

(LAUGHS)

Absolutely fangirling
over Shannon Bennett.

It's so embarrassing.

Hello. Lovely to meet you, too.
I'm a bit nervous.

I don't want to be distracting you.
You're on the main course.

What are you doing?
I am doing,

and I might butcher
the pronunciation,

Lamb 'navaron'.

'Naverine'?
Navarin. Yeah.

So, normally, in a navarin,
if you're cooking it at home,

it's a one-pot dish where you put
your carrots, your onions,

your garlic, your turnips.

It's basically a classic stew.

But in a restaurant,
it goes up one level.

OK.

So...right here.
(PRESSURE COOKER BEEPS)

Sashi. Get here.
Yes. Yes.

Hey, Sash. How you going, mate?
Good.

Lamb navarin.
Yes.

One-pot dish, normally.

How are you doing?
OK.

So, everything has gone
into the pressure cooker.

I don't know. I mean, what's the
difference between this dish at home

when I'm cooking it for a family

or you're cooking it
for your family...
Yeah.

..and a restaurant?

Everything we thought about doing
this dish has just been changed.

Pressure cookers are on, lamb's in,
turnips in, sauce is happening.

But we're going to have to change
this into a restaurant-quality,

fine-dining dish.

OK, guys, good luck.
Thanks.
Thank you.

Shannon Bennett,
he's the king of French food.

If we don't listen to him,
we're going down in a burning heap.

Where am I going?
Over here. Over here.

MINDY: We're doing the mains, rustic
style French stew, lamb navarin.

Originally, we were just
going to do a one-pot wonder.

But Shannon suggests to elevate
it to a French fine-dining dish.

They look gorgeous!

Lamb's in the pressure cooker
with the sauce,

but instead of braising
off the vegetables in with the lamb,

we're actually going to keep them
separate, letting the produce shine.

Alright.
So, we've got a bit of work to do.

The sugar snap peas
are going to be split.
Yes.

These are going to be shaved
on the mandolin.
Yeah.

We're going to keep at least
one bit of green on the carrots.

Got a fair bit of work to do to,
like, make it in time for service.

This is about technique
and refinement

and adding a little bit of finesse
on to the plate.

This is going to be
down to the wire.

Listen up, gang.

You've got 30 minutes
until the entrees leave the pass.

Come on.
Come on.

You can put more butter in
if you want.

French cuisine equals carbs and fat.

This one I don't think cooked at all.
Yeah. So we'll go a bit longer.

Potatoes are going to be good, Jenn.
I'm just going to do the truffles.

Have you got truffles?
Yeah.

Fan-cy!
I know!

Just make it rain.
Oh, I know.

Shannon, come on.

Dying to hear what they're cooking.
Fill us in.

Really good things happening.

Shall we start with the Fans?
What's their entree?

Uh, it's beef tartare.

And then on top of that, they're
going to go with a little egg yolk

and then some crispy potato.

Classic.
Love it.
Nowhere to hide, though.

It has to be perfect texture,
perfect seasoning.

Is it too safe or do you think...?

Well, the Favourites' entree
is, technique-wise,

a little bit more in there

because it's basically a piece of
salmon that is really slowly cooked.

Beurre blanc with some herbs.

Classic v Classic.
I do like it.

I like it.

Moving on to mains...

The Fans have got
this en papillote technique

with a piece of barramundi.

You don't know how well that fish
is cooked until you open the bag.

The technique then comes into it

because it's going to be
all in how that bag rises really.

What are the Faves doing?
Sashi is taking charge there.

They're doing a lamb navarin,
a classic old-school stew.

He's put it in the pressure cooker.

He's got the sauce,
making it at the same time.

It sounds pretty rustic.

To take it to a restaurant level,

it's all in the way you present it
with those vegetables.
Yeah.

And to finish,
what's going on with sweets?

Well, there's a lot of ambition
there.

I've told them, like, pare it back.

Being really confident
in one or two techniques,

I think that's going to be
very crucial.
Yep.

You know, the devil's in the detail

and how much they can nail the
technique to make the project sing.

I reckon that's who's going to
take this one out.

Mate, you have
some serious work to do.

Thanks, guys. Thanks for the chat.
Good luck.
Thank you.

Oh, nice.

So, we are doing
a chocolate and cherry dessert.

So, we've got the chocolate
cremeux as the focus.

Cherry sorbet to go with it.

Fresh cherries.
They're beautiful cherries.

And then we're tossing up
on a crunch element.

We've got a pistachio praline,

we've got a chocolate crumb,

we've got a tuile,
we've got creme fraiche.

I just think
we need to scrap something

'cause, like, he's literally
Shannon Bennett.

Mel, Steph and I, I think
we're all, sort of, of a mentality

that more is more
rather than less is more.

So, I think the challenge for us
is going to be deciding

what to take off
rather than to put on.

So, nix the tuile and the crumb?
Um...

I guess.

Montana has made a chocolate crumb.

I've finished
making the pistachio praline.

Melanie's done a beautiful tuile.

But we've decided to ditch it all.

I just am worried.
It's really simple.

How did I end up
making the sable again? Jesus!

I'm a bit worried
that this is too ambitious as a dish.

We're making a petit four,
so, these three little desserts.

But John is very knowledgeable.

So is Billie.

I'm sweet.

We've got the apple compote
sort of happening now.

The macarons are done.

The choux pastry profiterole,
just cooked one batch.

The tart shell is baking,
the creme pat is done.

I'm working on the sable.

The sable is a little disk
that sits on top of the choux pastry,

that melts away as you bake it and
gives it that crackly sort of effect.

We're forging ahead, Shannon.

You're doing all three.
Yeah.

OK, so, you've basically
thrown my advice in the bin.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I'm only joking.

They look really good, though,
those macarons.

Did the profiteroles turn out OK?
Yeah.

Yeah, they're great.
Alvin, they're awesome.

They're nice and crispy.

If the tart turns out well,
you're gonna nail them.

Thanks, Shannon. No pressure.

Have the people arrived yet?
No.

Are they late?
(LAUGHTER)

Fans, Favourites,
the time has come!

The diners have arrived.
ANDY: Yeah.

Diners are coming in. We know
it's getting close to service.

It's good.
Delicious. It's really good.

Our steak tartare mixture is done,
but the egg is missing at this point.

Max has got the stressful job
of dealing with the confit egg yolks.

Sorry. Quickly.
Do we want eggs to go to 63?

No.
OK. 57.

They just need a skin.
Have a look at 'em.

All we need is a little skin
on the outside.
Sure.

So that it's not a raw, raw egg.

Take them out now.
I'm taking them out.

Plating up, we're going to go
for a more classic tartare style,

which is in a ring mould.

And then you make the little nest.

We're gonna do a nest of potato,

put the egg yolk on
with the shaved truffle on top.

Let's just get cracking.

Max, I think you're good to go.

I've become the egg man.
I don't eat eggs. I don't like them.

I over-ate them as a kid.
And I don't eat them anymore.

Max, just quick.
We just need to get the yolks on.

Spoon into...
Yep.

Spoon into hands.
And then on.

Oh, that's going to be hard.
Oh, my God.

If the egg yolk breaks,

it takes away the whole experience
from the diner.

They're the ones
that should be breaking through

and mixing it through the mince.

OK.

Come on.

Ah, ya...
Oh, my God.

Did it break?
Yeah.

It's OK. I got it. I got. I got it.

Have another go.

I've got to get this right.

The egg yolk is actually
the binding agent of the dish.

You need to replate them.
You need to replate them.
Yeah.

We've just really
got to get this out.

That one's broken.
Do we have enough yolks?

Have we got enough?
We're running out.

Eeeh!

I swear to God.

So, this one's broken.

Do you want me to just scrap it
onto something else?

There's no chance I'm serving steak
tartare without an egg yolk on top.

Come on.

I need a bit of help.

We are going to have to redo
those whole dishes.

It's those eggs
that are going to do us in.

But I'm running out of egg yolks
at a very quick rate.

SHANNON: And they're still
not there.

You don't have enough egg yolk?

JENN: No, the yolks
are all breaking.

Do you want me to crack more yolks?
Definitely crack a few more.

Definitely.

We want to see food flying off
that pass in five minutes! Come on!

Remember, we're doing it
for Julie as well.

Excellent.

For Julie to stay out of
the mystery box cook tomorrow,

two teams have to win
from the Favourites.

Mama Jules.
Mama Jules.

I want to win today.
I don't want to be in the elim cook.

Go! Go, team!

Come on, guys!

Thanks, Jules.

ALDO: Uh... Should we go on?
Yeah.

This is crunch time
for our salmon dish.

It's time to start pulling together
the beurre blanc.

A little...?
Please!
Yeah?

I'm a queen after all.

SARAH: The key with this

is really beautiful herby flavours
coming through.

So, we want that last minute,
so they stay fresh, stay green.

It's looking good, actually.

It's looking so good, guys.
Yep. I'm gonna taste it.

You did an amazing job.

ALDO: Wow, what a team.

Aaahh! So...

It's not split.
No!

We recommend finger limes
just at the end for a pop of...

Yeah.

Rather than adding caviar, we've
changed it up to add finger lime.

I think it will elevate our dish

and modernise it
with that Australian touch,

which is really cool.

Good teamwork.

Let's win now.
Forza!

Aldo's also cooked fried capers

and we're just hoping that all
of the salmon is cooked perfectly.

Come on, you Cryovac machine,
sous-vide machine, go!

There's still two minutes to go.

Give it one more minute.
Yeah.

It's stressing me out so much.
I know.

The kitchen is smelling good!

We're hungry! One minute to go!

ANDY: Come on!
Give us some French food!

Just take it out.

It looks perfect. Yeah.

Take off the potatoes.
ALI: We just haven't got time, Max.

We've just really gotta get these
out. We're really under the pump.

MATT: We've got enough
to redo if we need...

MAX: Give me...give me one sec.

ALI: We're trying our best.

MATT: There we go. That one's good.

They're holding. I don't know
how they're holding.

MATT: They are completely holding.

The egg gods are looking down on me.

I think there was a little sigh
of relief there from Shannon, too.

Hey, well done. Well done.

Jenn, that one can get truffle.
OK. Yeah.

ALI: Quickly and get it out
before it pops.

Quickly. Super fast.
'Cause these babies are going.

MAX: But they're holding.
They are holding.

Finally, I've got the knack of it.

Come on, guys!

10, 9...

ALL: ..8, 7, 6, 5,

4, 3, 2, 1...

Service has started!

That's plenty.
Plenty.

Alright. Beautiful, guys.

Service!

Service, please.

MAX: We're on a roll now.
Let's keep going.

Well, what are we looking for today?

It is a French service challenge.
Yeah.

So, technique.
Beautiful balance of flavour.

I reckon restraint.

It's a celebration of produce
with technique.

But you need to be restrained
to make those two things

the hero of the dish.

You win your course,
you and your teammates,

they are safe from elimination.

So good.

Ooh.
Thank you.

Truffle.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.
Alright!

So, from the Fans, an entree,
a steak tartare with crispy potato

and, in case you couldn't guess,
truffle.

It's a healthy dose of truffle,
that's for sure.

Looks pretty classic.
Egg yolk on top.

Nice little nest
of crispy fried potato.

Yeah, and I must say, pretty skilful

to get that egg yolk
on a nest of crispy potatoes.

There's a few jagged edges in there.

Should we go in?

Alright.

Mmm.

I think, for me,
the tartare mix is nice.

Mm.
But because of the egg yolk,

it gets diluted so much.
Yeah.

I think what the yolk gives
in richness

it takes away in terms of seasoning.

We love a fried potato.

The flavour of fried potato
is quite pronounced.

It's a good tartare
without being an amazing tartare.

I'll tell you what I did like,
which I didn't think I was going to,

was the truffle.

I was wondering whether it was just
going to be truffle for fun

or truffle for flavour.

And it gave a really nice umami hit.

What was going to be paramount here
was the balance.

I really think that this is a case
of tasting individual elements

but not experiencing the dish
as a whole,

because had they have known
what the yolk would do,

they should have compensated

by more aggressively seasoning
the tartare mix.

ALDO: Beautiful.
Alright, that looks so good.

Sprinkle of the capers as well.

MICHAEL: Aldo and Sarah
have done an amazing job

on the beurre blanc sauce.

How's the next batch going?
SARAH: Good.

Now the pressure is on to match it

with that really beautiful,
flaky salmon.

Each portion
has to be cooked perfectly.

SARAH: Is it cooked?
CHRISTINA: I think so.

What do you mean, think?

MICHAEL: The problem with cooking
fish at such a low temperature

is it doesn't really change colour

like it would if you cooked it
in a hot pan.

It sets.

ALDO: Need more capers?
Yeah, yeah.

I think I've got the feel,
but there's a couple of pieces

that are making me
a little bit nervous.

Service!

SARAH: My only concern
is that the fish was under.

Alright, let's go.
Yeah.

Thank you.
ALDO: Come on. Well done, Blue.

MICHAEL: Just give me a little bit
more in here.

What do we got? What do we got?

Ooh.

Thank you very much.

Well, this is from the Favourites.

Salmon with fine-herb beurre blanc.

I reckon it looks the part.

It's simple.
Looks very, very nice.

What about the smell?
Yeah.

The perfume from those fried capers.

Yeah.
Should we dig in?

It looks French.
It looks French.

But...how is the fish cooked?

Ohh...

How is the fish cooked?

Ohh...

It's supposed to be just set.
Ooh, yeah, mine is just set.

How's yours?

I think...

..it's just set.

I'm enjoying this.
He's nodding.

If you can't tell.
(LAUGHS)

What about that sauce?

I think the beurre blanc is...

..absolutely gorgeous.

There's...such a lovely
lemony acidity about it.

Yeah.
It's silky smooth.

Completely together -
not a hint of a split in sight.

And then the punctuated pops
of crunchy fried capers.

Texture and flavour and seasoning.

Yeah.
Gorgeous.

I absolutely love that.

Like, that, for me,
is the definition of French cuisine.

There's technique
which they have nailed,

but also simplicity.

And who would have thought
two elements

could just have so many twists
and turns along the way?

And then the salmon -
it was cooked absolutely perfectly.

You don't even need the knife.
It just sort of cleaves off itself.

And you just have
these beautiful flakes

of just tender, just set,

beautiful, classic salmon.

And then you get to
that fully loaded beurre blanc.

Perfect texture, silky.

And then the pops, for me,
of the tarragon

versus the fried capers...
Yes.

..and the chives...
Mm.

Massive punch of lemon.

That's close to a perfect
French dish, in my opinion.

It's very much
an iron fist in a velvet glove

because it's so elegant, so simple.

And then when you dive into
the details,

the flavours are leaping
off the page.

Definitely leaping out of the bowl.

Yeah.
That beurre blanc is perfect.

The finger lime as well is so good.

I think you've done really well.
Thank you.

I mean, it's...
And you hit the brief, so...

..yeah, my fingers crossed for you.

Thank you.
OK?

You couldn't have done any more.

Well done!

Were you happy?
Did you like it?

We'll let you know.

You didn't lick the bowl, though.

SARAH: Whatever happens,

I feel really proud of
what we've put up

and we can just relax now.

I feel for the others.

There is a lot of pressure.

BILLIE: Is that cooked?

I think it's cooked.

I'm on the dessert tasting plate.

I'm in charge of the lemon tart.

I'm wanted the curd nicely set

and the pastry thin and crisp
and cooked all the way through.

Are they gonna be a bit blonde?

ALVIN: Yeah. They're cooked?

Yeah, I'm just...
The bottom's cooked?

Just punching it down a little bit.

Yeah.

It's always the way
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Towards the end of the challenge,
something always goes wrong.

I'm trusting you on this one.

The crem pat's actually
a little bit runny.

The lemon thyme cream pat
for the choux bun

hasn't quite set properly.

ALVIN: It's just not thick enough.

I think there's a part of us
that wants to prove

that we can do something big
and we are ambitious.

But now I'm starting to worry

that we're trying
to achieve too much.

STEPH: They've got little cakes.
MELANIE: They do.
Yep.

I think they've also got
a macaron, haven't they?

They've also got macarons.

JOHN: There's a few big ones.

I can see that the Favourites,

they've got
three technical desserts.

At the end of the day,
we need to trust our instincts.

STEPH: Our dessert has morphed into
something that was pretty complex

to something that's very simple.

We've only got the cremeux,
the cherries and the sorbet

on our plate.

Then the creme fraiche blob
in the centre

and then the cherries kind of
stick to it on the outside.

And that's how it holds in.

With a simple dish like ours,
everything has to be perfect.

Yep.

Here you go.
Yeah.

That's it.

I think we can all do them.

Yeah.
Happy?

Yeah.
Done.

(LAUGHS)

The main course, lamb navarin,

from a rustic dish,

we are going into
a very refined concept.

Look at that! Isn't that gorgeous?!

SASHI: For the vegetables,
Mindy and Minoli

are trying to make it
as elegant as possible,

cooked perfectly to the crunch.

The lamb from the pressure cooker
falling apart, cooked perfectly.

Now I'm going to strain the liquid
to be reduced

to get a nice, thick, glossy sauce.

Sweet?
Mmm. So sweet.

SASHI: From my understanding,
French cuisine

is all about heroing the produce.

And they put a lot of butter.

Have you got butter in there, Sashi?

Butter, butter, butter.

DANIEL: Butter, butter,
butter, butter.

KEYMA: Butter everywhere.

I'm doing the main dish
with Harry and Daniel -

fish papillote -

with green beans and pomme puree.

French mashed potato
is just so buttery.

Oh, my God!

A lot of butter
coming into play with this

to make it really silky and smooth.

When you taste it,
it's almost like eating butter.

Delicious, but still
really, really rich.

This is why the French
can eat so much butter.

Yeah.

Ohh!

SHANNON: But they...they eat
small amounts of it,

so...you think it's a lot,
but it's actually not

because you're not eating
a huge portion.

So, there's got to be
more butter in that, though.

More butter.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

More butter. A lot of butter.

Harry's doing
the dressing of the beans.

There's, um, anchovies and shallots.

Mm-hm. Capers.
Capers.

Nice?
Good.

Butter.
No butter.

No butter?
Uh, anchovy oil?

Like the oil from the tins?
Anchovy oil.

Tarragon, parsley.
OK. Very oily.

It's really nice.
Yeah.

Do you know how long
our tester's got?

One minute, 13.
Yeah.

Danny's taking quite a long time
with the fish,

but we need
that main part of the dish perfect.

SHANNON: Not too tight if you can.
Uh, how did the little tester go?

It's just about done.

I love my fish. I love cooking it.
I love catching it.

(BEEPING)

So, I think the pressure today is...
it's a bit more personal.

I really want to nail this fish.

We put it in for six,
let it rest for two.

SHANNON: Doesn't sound very long.

Um...

Barramundi's one of those fish

you've got to cook
all the way through.

Yeah, no, that's not done.

Oh, I'm shaking in my boots.

I've got to finish wrapping these
fish up and jam them in the oven

so that they're cooked for another...
probably double the amount of time.

We've got 20 diners
and we're running out of time here.

We're going need a lot of trays.

Yeah.

It's giving me anxiety.

Yep.

It's time to plate the lamb navarin.

So, now I'm nervous.

How do we take it from a home-style
dish to a restaurant-quality dish?

The peas and the carrots
are really quite simple.

You know, we haven't done
too much to each ingredient.

Every single pea and carrot
and turnip has to be perfect.

SASHI: I need a scoop.

This dish has become so refined.

But the sauce needs to bring
the whole dish together.

That sauce, it needs to thicken
a fair bit more.

It should not be like a soup.

It's a stew. It should be thick.

Adding a bit of flour to thicken it.

Then I'll strain it.

I know that the sauce
will take some time,

so getting it done before service is
going to be a big challenge for us.

Nah!
No?
No.

Hey, guys, start plating.

Let's go.
HARRY: OK.

Service is beginning,
and our two sides are ready to go.

The beans will be super crunchy

and we're going to dress them

in a really beautiful

anchovy and tarragon sauce.

This is just going to add some
really bright acidity to the dish.

That's nice.

So, the pomme puree is the most
insanely delectable potatoes

that you could ask for.

SHANNON: Awesome.
That mash looks so good.

Whoo-hoo!
DANIEL: This is sick.

Yep.

Yeah. It's go time.

But after the tester was undercooked,

the fish is really, really
down to the wire.

It's always really nerve-racking,

cooking something that
you can't see how it's cooked

until that final moment.

Happy?
DANIEL: Um...

That's cooked, bang-on.

That's perfect.

Is it?

We are so relieved.

Moist, eh?
It's really good.

Oh, it's in my timer.

Now I need to pull the fish
out of the parcel

and place it on the plate
next to the potato.

SHANNON: We need them
to be picked up quickly.

Get 'em out.

HARRY: We've got to smash it out
pretty fast.

SHANNON: And you've got to hurry.

All your beautiful work
is in that bag.

Yeah.
So, you've got to hurry.

Hurry, gotta hurry.

HARRY: The fish is still cooking
in that foil.

Service, please?

Here.

MATT: They've only done, like, four.
Maybe six.

They've got lots to do.

DANIEL: We should probably got these
off these hot trays, eh?

ALDO: Did they end up
doing lamb or beef?

Lamb.
Lamb.

Lamb navarin.

SASHI: The sauce is thick and glossy.

Mains away, mate. Let's go.

Yes. OK. Let's do it.

The original dish is...need to have

a pool of sauce together
with the meat.

But now,
since it's a bit more refined,

we are just coating it with the sauce

and placing it nicely around.

MINDY: Nice. It's even more delicate
than we started.

Far out.

It looks so beautiful.
It looks so elegant.

It looks very fancy.

Very unlikely of Sashi of doing this.

At this point, I just hope all these
flavours has come together properly.

MINDY: Alright, service. Thank you.

Thank you.

(WHISTLES)
Thank you very much.

So, this is from the Favourites

and we have a lamb navarin
with seasonal vegetables.

How do you pretty up

what is ostensibly a stew?

Yeah.
What do you reckon?
I think they've done a good job.

I think it's one thing
to pretty it up,

but is it going to have
the same effect

as that really rustic,
family-style dish?

Let's see how she tastes.
Let's go.

Ooh, that lamb's nice.

Finished that one.

Alright, let's get that sauce
on the heat, yeah?
Yep, yep.

The lamb is outstanding.

Like, fall-apart,
beautiful, gelatinous.

The peas?
Beautiful amount of crunch.

Same along with the carrots.

The contrast of the slightly
blanched vegetables

I think gave it
a really lovely crunch.

I think when you have
such stewed textures on the plate...

Yeah.
..you want to have that contrast.

I'm wondering whether or not
it's a little bit shy

on the seasoning itself.

For me, it could have done with
a touch of acidity

just to kind of lift everything up.

I think they've kind of got,
like, 80% there.

I think, all in all,
it's a very pleasant,

well-executed plate of food.

Elegant to look at,

nearly there in terms of the flavour
and the execution.

Definitely French, though.

Alright. Make it perfect, babe.

So, we've got...
Sorry.
Stressful.

There's a two amp-fuse
that's about to snap in my head,

and I'm trying to just stay calm.

Mate, you've got to get those out.
You've got to hurry. Got to push.

DANIEL: Got to be real careful
as we're pulling this fish out

not to ruin the quenelle

or pour juice all over it
and make a big, bloody mess.

Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go.

I'm worried that some of the fish
have been too long in the alfoil.

HARRY: Guys, we need that fish
to go. Make it happen.

DANIEL: If we serve up overcooked
fish to the judges,

we're gonna be in trouble.

ANNOUNCER: Enjoy another taste
of MasterChef

OK. Service, please.

MEL: Oh, wow.

Thank you.

From the Fans, a main -

a fish en papillote,
which is barramundi,

served with green beans, tarragon
and anchovy sauce

and a pomme puree.

I like the look of it.

Mm.
Yeah, I...

I think it's really simple.
The pomme puree - quite glossy.

And then the beans
look really nice as well.

I can't wait to see
what that fish is cooked like

'cause that is the thrill
of en papillote.

Thank you very much.

Any time.

Righto. I'm going in.

Wow!

Yeah.

The beans are amazing.
Yeah.

Puree's great.

Silky as.
Yeah.

The right ratio
of half butter, half potato.

It just looks like
freshly churned butter.

I'm gonna start with
the two sidekicks,

'cause they were, like,
unbelievable.

That mash was silky. It was smooth.
It was rich.

It was also light.

That may be the best puree
I have ever eaten

in the MasterChef kitchen.
I'd agree.

Yeah.

The texture, the richness,
the seasoning - perfect.

The beans, beautiful and al dente.

And then that anchovy dressing
with parsley and lemon

and...it just lifted everything.

And that's probably what you need
when you're dealing with

such a heavy mash like that as well.

And the cook on the fish...

..I could barely fault.

Spot-on.

I love that...the lemon on top.

Really sharp.

I think it's really well done.

All in all, a beautiful conception.

Yeah.
Very, very French.

Well done. That was hard.
That was really hard.

Well done.

That was the most stressful thing...
It was so stressful.

Today, it's been a lot of pressure
that I've put on myself,

going up against the Favourites.
SHANNON: Well done.
Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)
Whoo-whoo!

DANIEL: I'm cooked. Like... Oh.

I'm more cooked than the fish
right now.

I found that so stressful.

I just need to go and steam off
somewhere and go and relax.

ALVIN: Look at the teamwork.

BILLIE: Oh, look at
the cinnamon through it.

I mean, my eyes are watering.

Maybe I'm getting emotional
about the team.

Aww.
You're never emotional.

So, we've got all our dessert
elements miraculously done.

And then the Calvados in the middle.

Uh-huh. Perfecto.

We're currently doing the macaron

filled with apple compote.

It sort of feels like
you're eating an apple pie.

Wow.
They're great!
John, that's really good.

We've got a peaches and cream choux,

we've got a lemon tart.

And Billie's
actually making meringue

to top it up like a nice crown.

Snatch that crown.

Um, we should try this.

I've eaten a lot of food today.
Cheers.
Yep.

Mmm.

The Favourites have done a lot.

It's a bit intimidating.

Oh, that peach!

Yeah. Yeah.

Peaches and cream.
Happy with that.

We've literally nixed more elements

than we are planning
to put on the plate,

and we really want to rely on
the produce to speak for itself.

It's the cremeux, fresh cherries,

a little bit of creme fraiche
and a cherry sorbet.

We had such a clear picture
originally

that it was really hard
to pare that back.

And I don't blame us for that

because that does take knowledge
and restraint and experience

to figure that out.

MONTANA: They're so pretty, Steph.

But I'm really glad that, in the end,
we took Shannon's advice

to focus on the simplicity
of those ingredients.

SHANNON: Really,
all you've got to do now

is just focus on those quenelles.

Set yourself up, move along.

You'll be fine.

MELANIE: I'm really happy with
the way that we hit the brief.

The flavour is important,

but it's also a bit of a play
on temperature

because the cremeux
should be soft and room temperature.

STEPH: Is it soft enough?
Is it too hard?

It'll be OK by the time it goes out.

The cherries will have
a little bit of bite

and then the sorbet
is this really vibrant,

cutting, cold edge

that the whole dessert
is going to benefit from.

Yep. That's it.

The components that we thought
originally were necessary...

Oh!

..they're not necessary.

Even if we don't win,
I can take that home
and feel pretty awesome about it.

But I think we sort of pulled it off
and it's beautiful.

Service, please.

There's a lot of technique
in what you guys have done.

A lot of technique.
JOHN: Thanks, Shannon.

BILLIE: Thank you.
Pulled it off.

Service, please.

Nice.
It's nice, isn't it?

God, I hope we win.

Here we go.

Wow.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

From the Faves, their offering
of dessert petit fours.

Apple Calvados macaron,

lemon tart and choux pastry...each.

I think there are some
very generous petit fours.

They are. They're very generous.

But, technically,
they look pretty good.

Nice feet on the macaron.

Mmm.

Where do you...?
Where do you start?

Where do you start?
You take the lead.

I think I have to start
with the macaron.

Right?
Righto.

Mmm.

They're one from one.
One from one.

It was very good.
That is a very good macaron.

That is like an apple pie cloud.
Yeah. Yeah.

Where you going next?

I think you leave lemon
till last, right?

Righto. Lemon till last.
You're driving the bus.

Oh, there we go. There's your...
There's the peach.

Yeah. I want the...
I want the peach.

Ooh, she likes it.

She's got the giggles.
That means she likes it.

Very good.

Wow.

Let's start with the macaron.

And you go because...you've eaten
a million over your time.

I have eaten...easily a million
macaron in my life.

The flavour and the texture
was absolutely perfect.

You had that
gorgeous shell on the outside,

that lovely almond choux
on the inside,

and the filling beautifully balanced.

That chewiness
that I love with macarons,

it was...it was unbelievable.

That's a 10 out of 10.

OK, let's move on to the choux.

Perfect choux.
The crackling was gorgeous.

It was light, it was airy.

It had that beautiful,
hollow shell that you want.

And then the filling -
slightly off-balance.

I think I wanted more peach.

Lemon tart.
OK. Lemon tart.

Look at it. It's glossy.
The texture was amazing.

And then the meringue on top,
absolutely perfect.

Yep. It was light. It was airy.

It was sweet enough

without being too over the top
and heavy underneath that curd,

which is sharp.

It fights the battle of being,
you know, sweetness to acidity

absolutely spot-on.

But the base is just a touch blonde.

And we're talking like, you know,

if you were to score this
out of 100, it would be, like, a 98.

Yeah.

There's those two points which
may or may not make a difference.

The dessert from the Fans
is three elements.

Can they get all of them
absolutely perfect?

Service, please.

Alright. Thank you very much.

OK, from the Fans,
chocolate cremeux and cherries.

Very, very elegant.

Does it taste as good as it looks?

Hope so.

Absolutely perfect.

Yeah.

Cremeux is all about a beautifully
velvety, creamy, rich texture.

Turbocharged,
bitter chocolate flavour.

Gorgeous, tart cherries.

And then that beautiful
cherry sorbet,

which was silky,
it was smooth and it was sour.

Yeah.

Restraint is paramount...
Mm. Mm.

..when we talk about French cuisine.

I think I'm going to
just say it right now.

This is dish of the day.

I agree.

It was perfect, so...

Easy. Yum.

Service, please.

Yay!

(ALL LAUGH)

Well done, guys.

Those three girls
have learnt a lesson

that takes chefs years to learn.

You know, you're always
putting on way too many things,

and there was talk
of crumbs and tuiles

and I think there was a praline
at some point.

Wow.
But they've stripped it all back.

And they're just left with
simplicity and perfection.

You don't need to do anything else
when the produce is that good

and your technique is that good.

That's when French food
is at its best.

Oh, my God!

Thank you. Thank you so much.
Well done, guys.

Well done.

There's no denying we set the bar
very high today.

We threw you into the deep end
with Shannon Bennett

and a French service challenge.

Shannon?

How do you think they went today
with this challenge?

Brilliant. You stuck to the brief.

You listened,
which is really important,

And you used your experience.
So, I enjoyed it.

And, so, well done to you all.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Well done. Thank you.

Righto, righto,
let's get down to business.

If you won your course,
that means you're safe

from the next elimination.

So, we'll start with entrees.

Fans...

..your entree, it was tasty.

But once the egg was mixed
through the tartar...

..it actually threw out
the seasoning and the balance
of the dish.

Favourites...

..your salmon and beurre blanc...

..it was simple,

but it was perfect.

And that's why you guys
won the entree.

(EXCLAMATIONS AND CHEERING)

Yes! Ohh!

Oh, what a relief.

Moving on to the main course,
and this was a tough one.

Favourites...

..there were no great faults
with your lamb.

But even though
it was executed well...

..the flavours didn't exactly
jump off the page for us.

Fans...

..the main star of your dish,
the barramundi,

was cooked beautifully.

And the supporting acts,
the green beans and potato puree...

..were absolute winners.

And that's why...

..you won the main course.
Yes!

(ALL LAUGH)

(APPLAUSE)

Daniel, are you OK?

I've been fanging for a win and
that... I did not expect that, so...

It was tough, eh?
Like, it...it pushed me a bit.

Um, I was trying to stay calm,

but that's really out of
my comfort zone.

And that was...it's, like, harder
than nailing jelly to a tree.

It was...it was tricky.

But, I mean, I can't believe
we managed to win,

so I'm pretty...I'm chuffed.

Yeah. Thank you.

Well, well done, Daniel,
'cause it was, uh...

You're a great listener and I think
that's what got you through.

So...
Thanks. Thanks very much.

Well done, mate.
Cheers.

Righto. Dessert.

Fans...

You guys couldn't have played it
more simple.

Cremeux.

Sorbet.

Cherries.

That's it.

Favourites?

You guys bit off a lot!

You made macarons.

You made a lemon tart.

You made meringue and choux.

Honestly, we were so worried

that you'd be
totally overwhelmed by them.

But in the end, you nailed
almost every detail on that plate.

It was unbelievable work.

The Fans put up the most restrained
and delicious dish of the day.

And that's why, Fans...

..you guys won the dessert.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MELANIE: Oh, two for two!

(LAUGHS) So stoked!

I can't believe the same team
beat basically the same team again.

I'm feeling really, really happy.

I can't really believe it.

So, that means,
Michael, Aldo, Christina, Sarah,

Daniel, Harry, Keyma...

..and, of course,
Melanie, Steph and Montana,

you are all safe.

You can relax and spend the next
couple of days up on the gantry.

HARRY: Thank you!

(ALL LAUGH)

For everyone else...

..including, unfortunately, Julie...

..you'll be cooking
in tomorrow's mystery box

in order to save yourselves from
competing in the next elimination.

Good luck, go home, get some rest
and we'll see you tomorrow.

ANDY: Great stuff today, guys.
Really good cooking.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you.
Thank you.

MINDY: We are disappointed.

We thought we were in for
a red-hot chance today.

What a bummer.

We had fun and we gotta pick up
and soldier on.

ALVIN: Sorry, Julie.

JULIE: Oh, don't...don't be silly.

It's all good.

ANNOUNCER: This week
on MasterChef Australia...

All the way from LA,
it's Curtis Stone!

..more superstar chefs...

Please welcome Reynold Poernomo!

ANDY: Yeah!

..supersized challenges...

JOHN: I'm
putting
everything

that I have
on that plate.

..and supercharged
emotions.

Captions by Red Bee Media