MasterChef Australia (2009–…): Season 14, Episode 25 - MasterClass 2 - full transcript

ANNOUNCER: Previously on
MasterChef Australia...

..the week started off
with incredible highs.

(APPLAUSE)

JOCK: That is how you feature coffee.

But then, in a pressure test
from Alla Wolf-Tasker...

HARRY: We needed to follow something
from our memory, perfectly.

..Minoli gave it 110%.

I'm going down with a bang.
I'm giving it everything.

But she had to say goodbye.

I've got the conviction and the guts
to go out and now take on the world.

And in a two-round elimination...



Banging out a dish
that's gonna have maximum flavour
in a short amount of time.

..their clocks were ticking.

Do I go with the time
or do I go with the flavour?

But Jenn's redemption dish
was the end of her MasterChef dream.

Tonight...

MICHAEL: I feel like something big
is going to happen in the kitchen.

..the competition
is changing for good.

# '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.

ALVIN: It's a bad sign.
The magpies are out.

MICHAEL: Four Fans have gone
and four Favourites have gone.

I've got a strange feeling

this might be a big moment
in the competition.

Alright, here we go. Sare, now,
don't freak out. You'll be fine.

SARAH: What is it gonna be, Michael?

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

Morning. Come on down the front.

Oh, there's a box at the front.

Oh, gosh, there's something
under there. What is going on?

Hello, everyone.
G'day.
Hello.

You see this cloche up here?
Yes.

Whatever is under it

is going to drastically change
the competition for good.

Oh...

You started this journey
as Fans versus Favourites.

Two teams of strangers
and old friends.

You put your hearts and your souls
into making some incredible food

alongside each other.

But...
Here we go.

..as of this moment,

it's every cook for themselves.

(ALL CHEER)

Whoo-hoo!

DANIEL: The teams
are finally combining.

I'm giddy as.

I'm like a duck on a hotplate
right now. I'm excited.

That's sick!

Having the opportunity to cook
with, like, Julie Goodwin.

Like, Mum's gonna be
so proud of that.

And it's gonna be awesome.

Thank you.
These are sick.

I like it! Oh, my God!

This is so good.

Oh, and it's so cute.
Look at all the bling in it.

Look, at that, mate.
Yeah. Expensive taste.

Do we get to mix up?
Yeah, mix it up a bit. Come on!

(ALL CHEER
AND TALK AND LAUGH)

I've never seen
a happier group of people.

Aldo, this is a real milestone
in the competition this year.

Are you pleased
to have made it this far?

Well, I'm actually
impressed with myself.

You know, when you come
into this competition,

you know that anything can happen.

And it just takes little, small
things to send you out of the door.

Yeah.

What about you, Ali?

Has the starstruck factor
kind of worn off now,

or are you still a little bit like,
"It's Julie! It's Mindy!"?

Oh, no, there's
none of that anymore.
No?

(ALL LAUGH)

Ooh!

That went ages ago!

Just so you know!

This is a monumental step.

Up until now, you've been able
to rely on your teammates

to support you.

But now that safety net is gone.

Your success in the competition
rests solely on your shoulders alone

from here on in.

OK, this cook - it's a big one.

Mel, Jock, do you want to
do the honours?

I'd love to.
Totally.

DANIEL: What are they gonna do?

What could it be?

Oh, God.

Oh!
Very cool.

Ahh...

Since we've combined the teams,

now we want you guys to make
some combinations of your own.

Oh, OK.

On this table, there's 18 cuisines.

We want you to select two

and combine them into one dish.

Are you going to combine
Chinese and Italian

or Australian and Spanish?

It's completely up to you guys.

If ever there was a challenge
that you guys want to win,

it is totally this one.

(LAUGHTER)

Because the winner today will win

the biggest prize
that we've ever given away

at this point in the competition.

It's a whopping $10,000.

ALDO: Yes!
Whoa! Aldo's excited!

(LAUGHTER)
Money, honey!

KEYMA: 10K.

Maybe it can just pay the tickets
to the Caribbean

and start my research
for my restaurant.

"Research"?

You know, wink, wink.

ANDY: Yep, that's right.

$10,000 of cold, hard cash money.

(LAUGHTER)

And if you didn't think that
that was good enough, there's more.

I've also got, to give away...

..this shiny immunity pin.

(APPLAUSE)

Daniel, what would 10 grand
mean for you, mate?

Oh, man. It'd mean the world.

Like, maybe get myself
a little food van

and go on a little travel
around Australia and...

I love it!
10 grand would be perfect for that.

That's what I'm talking about.
Yeah.

Alright. Is everybody happy?

ALL: Yeah!
(LAUGHS) Great.

You have 75 minutes to bring us a
dish using your two chosen cuisines.

Great.

The pantry and the garden,
of course, are open.

And with the biggest prize ever
up for grabs,

we cannot wait to see
what you create for us.

Good luck.

Your time starts now. Go.

Aah!
(LAUGHTER)

ALDO: Today it's all about fusion.

Like, it's mixing heart and soul
of two people in just one,

which sometimes happen in a marriage.

I picked Italian and Japanese,

'cause Italian is who I am,

Japanese food, it's what I love.

So, I can rely on the simplicity
of both cuisines.

So, I am going to do a play around
doing a risotto

with shiitake mushrooms.

And I hope that I'm going to deliver.

What do you need, mate?

I'm gonna pinch some saltbush
off you, mate.

Go for it, yeah.
Sharing's caring.

I've got a few fresh ones here,
if you want 'em.

We've finally merged.

Yeah, I'm really excited
about it, hey.

Finally get a chance to sort of work
with the Favourites a little more.

Hello. This is fun.
Hi!

We've got so much
to learn from them.

There you go, mate.
Oh, thank you, mate.
You're a legend.

That's probably the most exciting
part about the whole experience.

Beautiful.

The dish that I'm cooking today

is combining Thai
and Australian flavours.

So, I'm going with, like,
a tom yum-based soup.

And I'll be using
paperbark barramundi

for the piece of meat on top.

I've just gotta grab some...

..stuff.

Today's cuisines
are Vietnamese and Mexican.

I'm making a banh xeo,
so banh xeo in the form of a taco.

And I'm going to try to add
very Mexican elements to it.

ALVIN: I'm combining Malaysian
and French today.

It's a dessert that I'm making

based on a breakfast meal
called kaya, on toast.

I'm excited that it's no
longer Fans versus Favourites.

It's like adopting eight new kids,
really. That's how old I feel.

But I do not have a favourite.

Ali.

Um...

Oh, and Harry.

They're all my favourites!

(LAUGHS)

Are you gonna use the deep-fryer?
MICHAEL: Yeah.

I'm making prawn toast, boy.

I've got to have it for prawn toast.

So, I've picked Mexican and Chinese.

I'm gonna have a bit of fun
with this.

Two of my favourite snacky things
are prawn toast and tostadas,

so I'm going to make prawn tostadas.

The base will be the prawn toast

and then, on top of that,
lots of briny,

pickly, bright Mexican flavours.

So, it'll be a fusion of
two great, great dishes, I think.

It'll be... It'll be a bit of fun.

Oh.

Poo tube.

I've never made this dish before,

but, um, that's never stopped me
in this kitchen.

I think, for me,
that's when I do my best cooking.

Probably my weirdest cooking, too.

That's why I love
MasterChef so much.

Chilli!

Because it makes me think
outside the square.

And, um, yeah, today, we're
definitely outside the square.

We're well...well and truly away
from the square with this recipe.

I'm really pushing
the boundaries today,

but I need to make sure I don't
go so far that I miss the brief.

So, I'm going to make sure
this is the best Mexican prawn toast

the judges ever tried.

SARAH: So, I chose French and Indian.

And I am making
a butter-poached lobster

with a spiced bouillabaisse, with
curry-leaf, mustard-seed aioli.

I'm actually really excited
about this challenge

because it is kind of
two of my loves.

To have an opportunity to bring
that together is really exciting.

Outside of this competition,

combining French and Indian is the
direction I want to be heading in.

But I've been so nervous
to cook something

that is really my personal style.

It feels like I'm being
quite vulnerable

and showing a side to me
that is my own creativity.

I just so badly
want to nail this dish.

It's something I feel
so passionate about.

And if the judges hated it,
I would be devastated.

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

(STEAM HISSES)
Ooh! She's hot.

ALVIN: If I win the 10K and the pin,

well, first of all, I'll get
a whole new set of glasses

and the pin will make me safe
for at least another round.

So, I'm very excited.

KEYMA: I'm making
Caribbean-inspired bao buns.

Combining Chinese
and Caribbean cuisines.

I'm using the bao bun technique
and the concept of it,

and I'm using, uh,
Caribbean flavours.

Jerk spice, so sweet and spicy,

will go well with the bao flavours.

It looks like a bao,

but inside, I want that kick

of Caribbean to come through

with the pork and jerk sauce.

I have so much to do,
but there's not much time.

I think I'm being a bit ambitious

to be able to make bao
in such a short time.

But today, I really hope
I can produce a dish

that is actually good enough
to win the pin and the 10,000K.

JULIE: This is great!
I love being merged! It's exciting!

My former competition is still
my competition, my darling.

Yes, today we are.

(BOTH LAUGH)

But that's OK.
But I still love you, Julie!

That's why we're here, right?
That's why we're here.

Today, I chose to merge
Indian and Lebanese cuisine.

I'm making an eggplant biryani
with all Indian spices.

I'll be doing it
with a Lebanese hummus

and some beautiful
Lebanese rice accompaniments.

I've never seen
an Indian-Lebanese restaurant.

I've never seen
an Indian-Lebanese dish.

But there's a first time
for everything.

So, for biryani,
it's a beautiful Indian rice dish.

It's going to take
the longest to cook.

So, I rush out to the garden and get
some beautiful fresh eggplants

and tomatoes and chillies.

Oh, a big spider there.

Sorry, dude.

I know the flavours
are going to be beautiful.

But I'd like to prove
to the judges today

that I'm not just stuck on classic
dishes that I've seen before.

I'd like to be able to demonstrate

that I can take a challenge
like this and I can meet the brief.

Oh, gonna need another bowl!

I've chosen to do American
and Chinese,

and I'm just going for, like,
a kid's, like, best dream ever.

So, I'm going to be doing fried milk,

which is traditionally
a Cantonese dessert.

And then I'm making it into
an American, like, hot-fudge sundae

with apple pie filling.

If you're going to do dessert,
you do dessert properly.

And I think this is one of
those kind of dishes.

Whipped cream, chocolate sauce.

And then I'm also incorporating

a lot of the Chinese flavours
into it as well.

10 grand and the pin today.

It's wild. It's a wild time.

Living in share houses,
living on minimum wage,

that 10 grand could do
so much for me right now.

I'm not a big dessert person,

but today's the day to experiment
and push myself

and, hopefully,
I can impress the judges.

I've picked French and Indian.

I'm doing a white chocolate mousse,

but it's spiced with cardamom,
cloves, black pepper and vanilla.

I'm doing a mango coriander sorbet
as well.

It felt very nice to have the pin

for the short time
that I did have it,

but I'd love to win it again.

It would be very handy,
given that we've all merged today

and everyone's fighting
for themselves.

STEPH: I am making
a miso and Vegemite dessert,

so I'm combining Australian
and Japanese.

It's going to be a Vegemite custard
at the bottom.

There will be
a honey and macadamia tuile

and a miso gelato on the top.

MINDY: So, I've got Australian
and Japanese.

So, I'm going to be using
native indigenous ingredients

fused with Japanese
kind of flavours and techniques.

I'm doing a beautiful
steamed barramundi.

It's going to be done
in a kombu dashi stock.

I'm going to be doing it
with native succulents.

It's going to have really subtle
but beautiful flavours

of...of the bush, of country,

and also Japanese elements
with the dashi kombu stock.

Matt.
Hello, Jock. How are you?

American-Chinese.
American-Chinese.

What we doing?
I'm gonna do cheeseburger won tons.

Stop it.

Yeah.

You know the thing I hate
about, uh, dumplings?

What?
There's never enough.

(LAUGHS)

So, if you bring...
Noted.

If you only bring three of these up,

I'm going to be
the angriest judge on the panel.

Alright.
Alright? Burn, mate. Bring 'em.

Let's go.
Good luck.

Sarah Todd.
Hi.

French-Indian.
Yes.

The, uh...the only question
in my mind

was what else was there
going to be, apart from Indian.

So, it's French.
I know.

I should change things up, but...

Oh, look, you're playing
to your strengths.

And there's a very nice,
shiny pin...

There is one of these.
..and $10,000 on the line.

Stop. You're teasing me.
So, why wouldn't you?

But what are you
actually making today

with this particular configuration?

So, I'm making
a butter-poached lobster

with a sort of, like,
bouillabaisse-type-based stock.

French!
Spices.

And then a curry leaf aioli.
OK.

So, French dish.

Yeah.
Indian feeling.

Yeah, exactly.
ANDY: I dig it.

I like it. I really like it.
Yeah, I reckon...

It scares me when you dig it
'cause it's, like...

Yeah, there's an expectation there,
and it's high.

Well, I-I love
that you are getting the bravery

to really step outside of the pack.
Yep.

And this dish could see you do it.
Let's hope so.

ANDY: That's what you want.

Mel and Andy like my dish.

But I'm already putting
a lot of pressure on myself

to do well today.

And this has taken it
to another level.

I need to make sure I deliver a dish
that will meet that expectation.

ALDO: Yes, Mindy! You good?

Yeah, yeah.

I'm cooking a beautiful risotto
with shiitake mushrooms

and lots of Japanese flavours.

Today, it's all about
hitting the brief,

bringing Japanese flavour
into an Italian classic.

This challenge,
it is very important to me.

I really want to be top dish.

You good?
Good, brother?

Beautiful.

Going well, brother?
Yep.

Mate, I want to go home.

I need those 10 grands.
(LAUGHS)

$10,000, it is a ticket
back home to Italy.

I have been missing home
from the past three years.

I've just got the need
of having a big hug from my mum,

a big hug from my nonna.

So, this dish needs to be
a perfect combination

of Japanese and Italian.

I'm making a classic dashi broth,

which is where
all the Japanese flavour,

they're going to come in play.

I got too big fingers
to open up the lid!

I'm comfortable cooking risotto.

So, for me,
it's the balancing of this broth

with the classic sauces that are
going into a beautiful broth,

which is soy, mirin
and rice-wine vinegar,

and making sure that
that's going to be bang-on.

Min, you gotta smell.

I still need to balance it off.

It's delicious.

If I'm achieving that,
then, in my mind,

it's going to be
a winning combination.

Perfect.

ANDY: Big day! Big prize!

45 minutes to go.

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

JULIE: To choose Indian and Lebanese,

I kind of went a little bit outside

what's comfortable
and what's obvious.

And I think the challenge
of combining two cuisines is...

Well, obviously, if you choose things

that don't marry nicely together
on a plate,

it...it can be bad.

Hey, Jules.
Hello.

Of all the combinations,
I think Lebanese and Indian

is probably
the...the least, you know...

Obvious.
(BOTH LAUGH)

The hummus is Lebanese,
the biryani's the Indian.

And I'm going to bring to
that Indian dish

all the sort of pickly
fresh pops that you get

in a Middle Eastern dish.
Yeah.

ANDY: I think great concept.

Now you've just really
got to drive this thing home.

You've just got to
concentrate on bringing us

the best fusion
of these two cuisines.

I think that making
a biryani and hummus dish,

I feel like it's going to work.

But because palates are all
so individual and all so subjective,

when I present it to the judges,
they might just think it's weird

and that it doesn't work.

MICHAEL: Let's go, lads.

What's that?

Just trying out some, um...
Mushroom?

No, chipotle, so I can make
a little chipotle powder,

to bring a bit of bitterness
to my life.

Which is... You know
how bitter I am already.

I do.
Just accentuating my bitterness,
my man.

Michael.
Hello, Josh.

What have we got? Mexican-Chinese!
Mexican-Chinese.

What are you doing?
We're gonna go a prawn tostada.

So, prawn toast - tostada.

No way!
Yeah.

Mel loves prawn toast.
Does she?

Oh, well, I better get it right.

So, I'm thinking like
a nice, big, round prawn toast

to look like a tostada.
Yeah.

Roll the bread a little bit flat,
so it's not, like, super puffy.

So, it'll look like a prawn toast...
A tostada.

It'll look like a...
Well...

Yeah, it'll look like both.
It'll look like both, right?

I guess.
Yeah.
So, is there stuff on top?

Exactly. Yeah, I'm making
a coriander mayonnaise.

So, a really bright green
mayonnaise. Some pickles.

I'm excited for this one.
Bit of fun, eh?

Good luck.
Just gotta get it done.

Yeah.
Alright.

Eggs.

Salt.

For my coriander mayo I want to make
it look almost like guacamole.

So, I'm going to use
bright green coriander oil

and then emulsify that
into an egg yolk,

just like you would mayo,

and then get a really beautiful
green-coloured oil

that should look really nice
on top of our tostada.

And then cover that in loads of
different Mexican ingredients -

some pickles, some avocados,

with some herbs to make it
really fresh and bright.

For me, there's no doubt
that I've picked

the right dish to hit the brief.

But looking around the kitchen,
there are some really amazing cooks.

Whether or not Mexican prawn toast
is going to be enough to win it,

I'm not sure.

But I'm having fun.

I think I always tell myself that
if I'm having fun in this kitchen,

my food's going to be really tasty.

I love this challenge.

Yeah.
Right?

Because we've got cooks
that have very clear ideas

of what a dish is
from a certain country,

and they're combining, the ones
that I've seen, beautifully.

I'll give you a great example.
Please.

Michael is doing
a prawn toast tostada.

Ooh!
I know how you love
a bit of prawn toast.

Love a prawn toast!
So, how does that one work?

That one's gonna work -

it's gonna look like a tostada
and a prawn toast at the same time.

Right.
'Cause it's a combo of both.

It's just that it's fried
on the top.

Something on top?
Yeah, yeah.

We got a couple of purlers
up the front, too.

Yes.
Sarah Todd.
Yeah.

She's going to do
a butter-poached lobster

and then she's going to make,
basically,

like, an Indian
bouillabaisse-style thing

with a curry-leaf aioli
over the top.

Brilliant.

I think that the incentive
of winning today

has made sure

that almost everyone has really hit
that brief, very, very strong

in terms of representing
both cuisines

that they want to sort of
showcase today.

It's Sunday.
We're giving away 10 grand in cash.

We're giving away an immunity pin,
I feel all out of sorts.

What's in there?

So, that's got, like,
your tom yum ingredients.

So, galangal, lemongrass,
kaffir lime...

Yeah.
..shallot chilli, garlic.

I'm just going to spend some time
balancing my broth.

So, I'm really going heavy
on the Thai here.

And then everything else is gonna
be the Australian element.

So, it's going to be
the paperbark fish,

and I've got a lemon myrtle oil
and an aniseed myrtle oil.

I'm really excited
the way it's coming together.

Um, it's a hazelnut dacquoise.

Yeah.
That's the toast.

And then I've got two types
of coconut.

So, there's coconut custard
and then caramelised coconut milk

and a tempered chocolate on top.

Flying the nyonya flag.
Yes! Always.

With French technique. I love it.
Always.

TOMMY: Today's cuisines
are Vietnamese and Mexican.

I'm making a banh xeo taco.

Mexican flavours in this salsa rosa
that I'm making right now -

you know, just blended-up tomatoes,
garlic, onion, some chillies

roasted up with some fish sauce,

just to give it
that Vietnamese flavour still.

I was gonna use that one.

ANDY: No, you weren't.

KEYMA: My dough is resting
for my Caribbean-inspired bao.

And I start searing the pork.

I have to hurry up. I know.

At this point,
I had it in my mind

that the pork
will be already going

and I had all this time to work
with all the elements.

But I'm just falling behind.

I still have so much to do.

I still need to finish the paste,

close that pressure cooker,

bring it to pressure,

shred the pork,

make the salad of the pickles.

I have a lot to do.

I need to move quickly
if I want to get top dish today.

Keyma, regroup.

It doesn't matter where in the world
you've chosen to go -

you've only got 30 minutes to go.

ANDY: Come on, guys!

SARAH: I am making a butter-poached
lobster with flavours of India.

I've got my bouillabaisse cooking.

A bouillabaisse
is this beautiful soup.

It's loaded with spices, seafood,
tomato-based,

to really bring flavour
to this stock.

While it's reducing, I want to
reinforce those Indian flavours.

So, I want to make a mustard-seed
and curry-leaf emulsion.

This emulsion is really important
to tie this whole dish together.

I'm mixing my curry leaves and my
mustard seeds into my emulsion.

It's just split.

And it's split.

SARAH: Um...

There's so much on the line today.

And then, on top of that,
combining French and Indian cuisines

is the direction
I want to be heading in.

So, the dish without the emulsion
just won't work.

I'm mixing in my curry leaves and
my mustard seeds into my emulsion.

It's just split.

Um...

And it's split.

If I serve the dish without
the emulsion, it just won't work.

So, I have to start again.

Eggs. Egg. Eggs.

Eggs!

I'm not going to let this
throw me off my game.

I need to focus and get this right.

I'm making an apple-pie
fried milk sundae.

So, the centre for my fried milk
is done and in the freezer.

The next thing I need to move
on to is my chocolate sauce.

So, I'm infusing some Sichuan
into my chocolate

to reinforce kind of
the Chinese flavours throughout.

My focus has to be,

"Is this enough American and is this
enough Chinese to meet my brief?"

It feels really funny
to be cooking a dessert today.

OK. I need a peeler.

It's something that I used to do
a lot when I was younger

and I've kind of steered away from
as I've gotten older.

I want this dish to be really fun
and really playful.

You good?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

What are you frying?
Milk.

Something that's just yummy,
childlike, joyful food.

So, I'm trying to think of ways

to add a little bit of theatrics
to this dish.

So, what I'm going to do is have
my whipped cream in the canister

and do it in front of the judges.

Fried milk? Is this a tester?

Yeah.

It's malted milk powder.

ANDY: Oh, did you get a tester?
Did you get a tester?

I ate it whole.
(LAUGHS)

What's new?

Now that we're all together
and it's every cook for themself,

I'm pushing myself because today
is the perfect time to show

that I can do more
and that I can cook amazing food.

MEL: You're entering the last,
crucial stage of this cook.

15 minutes!

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

Prawn tostadas.

This is gonna be a good tasting, eh?

You're gonna have fun, yeah.
It's gonna be a very good tasting.

Yeah, I reckon.

It's time to start frying off
my first prawn tostada.

I've made a little coating.

So, traditionally, you'd have
breadcrumbs and sesame seeds,

but I've added cumin seeds to really
hammer home that Mexican flavour

and add that nice pop of vibrancy
that cumin brings.

Prawn mixture into here.

Do a little prawn dance.

And then straight into oil,
prawn side down,

and let it fry
till it's golden all over.

Whenever food's fun and playful
and deep-fried,

it's always very enjoyable, right?

I've never done
a prawn toast tostada before, but...

No.
..I like it.

I don't imagine...

Anyone has?
..that's happened much
around the world.

Yeah.
But, yeah. Sure.

It's nice to be a world first.

Hopefully, it's going to be a trend

and we'll see prawn tostadas take
over Tik Tok or Instagram some day.

MINDY: I've got Australian
and Japanese.

I've got my barramundi
steaming in paperbark.

I've got my native kombu on.

So, what I've got in there
is kombu, I've got dashi,

I've got a little bit of white soy
and a little bit of mirin -

really a match of all those
beautiful ingredients

and, hopefully,
they all come through.

I'm really happy
with the miso gelato.

I have a miso caramel that I just
want to amp up the miso flavour.

I've done my Vegemite custard.

Um...actually, I think
I have all my components done

and I just need
to pull it all together.

MATT: I am just finishing off
my cheeseburger dumplings.

Then I need to make
my burger sauce as well.

Do you know, out of all of them,

Jock was looking forward to this
the most?

I know he is. Yeah.

BILLIE: I'm making
a white chocolate mousse

with a sorbet
and a white chocolate crumb,

infusing flavours of
an Indian spice blend, garam masala,

and putting those spices
all through the dessert.

So, to make
the white chocolate mousse,

I infuse cream and white chocolate

with some cardamom, clove,
black pepper and vanilla.

I want the mousse to set in the bowl

so that it's scoopable,
not too heavy

and has a nice, light texture.

Hi, Mel.

Hey. How is it all coming together?

I basically did,
like, a French-style...

Yeah. Yeah.
..white chocolate mousse.

And then the flavours and spices
in garam masala.

Yeah, you're kind of exploding out
the flavours in the garam masala

and then kind of adding them
in a different way.
Yeah.

I like it. I think you're
leaning into your strengths

with really strong French technique.
Yeah.

You're really showing how

you can interpret the flavours
of Indian cuisine

in a way that still feels like you.
Yeah. Yeah.

I think it's a really smart way
to go with it.

Mel seems pretty happy with my idea
for the dish.

I'd love the judges to taste the
flavours of India in a French dish,

and hopefully, I have a chance
at winning that immunity pin.

I think a pin used
is a pin used wisely,

so I just want another one
so I can use it again.

ALDO: I got my risotto cooking away
with the beautiful stock that I made.

And now for me,
there is not much more to do.

Oh, no, actually, the mushroom.
I need to cook the mushroom.

Corro! Corro! Corro! Corro! Corro!
You got me on the run!

JOCK: Alright, Aldo.

I'm good. I'm very good, actually.

Japanese/Italian.
Risotto, obviously.

Are you gonna be perfect?

'Course you are.

Has to be perfect,
otherwise I wouldn't serve it.

Tell me the exact texture
you want it to be.

Has to be nice and creamy.
Yep.

It has to be very glossy.
Beautiful. I'm all about it.

(SIGHS AND CHUCKLES)
Good luck, mate.

Jock is not gonna have a dry risotto.

He's not gonna have a slop
on the plate.

When you bite into the rice,

you're just gonna have the memory
of drinking out of a ramen bowl.

JULIE: I think of all the cuisines
in all the world,

I don't know if anyone
would ever have put

Indian biriyani with Lebanese hummus.

So, I'm standing, looking at this
plate like it's a blank canvas...

..and just waiting for inspiration
to hit...

..of how to make this dish
look pretty.

I don't want it to feel
like I'd served two dishes

but just jammed them together.

But over all the years
that I've been cooking,

finesse is not something
I have developed.

I never know how to make food
look nice. (CHUCKLES)

Let's face it, my family normally
eats it out of the pan

before I even get
to make it look nice.

So, I'm not well-practised at it.
(LAUGHS)

Oh, the hell with it,

I'll just make it look like
a beautiful shared plate of food.

Our trip around the world
starts in 10 minutes!

C'mon!
ANDY: C'mon, guys!

(JUDGES APPLAUSE)
10 minutes!

10 minutes to go, the pressure cooker
is with the pork still going

and the baos are not cooked.

I have to put the baos
straight into the steamer.

They take 10 to 12 minutes.

(INHALES) I'm crossing my fingers
I finish this on time.

And I haven't released
the pressure of that pressure cooker,

so...I'm gonna do that now
and see how's that cooked.

I don't... I have no idea.

I really wanted
to pull out this cook.

I really... I want it so bad.

(EXHALES)

But time is just...
slipping away from my hands.

I don't know where the time went.

MICHAEL: My prawn toastadas
are exactly how I wanted them
to come out.

Which is pretty good seeing
I've never cooked them before.

It's now up to the judges

and hopefully,
they like them as much as I do.

At stake, we have 10 grand but more
importantly for me, an immunity pin.

That's something that
I would like to have again.

It's a fun dish, I think.
Which is what I was going for.

So, yeah, pretty happy.

SARAH: I am feeling so relieved.

My second mustard seed
and curry leaf emulsion has worked

and now I need to get this dish
done.

I'm tasting and my bouillabaisse
has got so much flavour in there.

I'm also finishing it with butter

so it has a really luxurious
silky finish.

I have finished cooking my lobster.

I'm also serving it
with Indian pickle cucumber.

What have you done to the cucumber?!

I just need to put it on the plate.

How are you going?

Everyone's gonna bring their A-game
today, that's for sure.

I want this to be plated
really carefully.

It has to look delicate
and beautiful.

I'm happy with my dish but I'm
so nervous because this is my style.

This is what I love cooking but I've
never built up the courage to do it

until today.

So...it would mean a lot to me
if the judges like it.

I don't mean to freak you all out

but whatever's going on your bench
could be worth $10,000!

Five minutes to go!
(MEL WHOOPS)

(JUDGES APPLAUD)

HARRY: Let's bring this dish
together.

I'm putting my apples
at the bottom of my plate.

I've got my fried milk balls

that have been rolled
in the sugar and spices.

There's a little bit of theatrics
to this dish as well.

I just wanna make it fun
and, you know...

..what can you imagine better as a
kid than getting a bowl of fried food

and then somebody with
a huge whipped cream cannister,

just, like, piling it on,
drowning it in chocolate sauce.

Like, what a dream.

BILLIE: I'm really happy
with the flavours of this dish

and I feel like it is balanced.

To finish off my dessert, I'm frying
off some more curry leaves.

I'm making those
into a bit of a crumble.

And they'll just be a little garnish

to reinforce the Indian part
of this French dish.

10 grand at the end of this
challenge would be amazing,

but that immunity pin is the ticket

to the next step
in this competition.

I want the pin.

ALDO: I'm feeling happy
with what I produced today.

Bewdy.

I think that I give justice
to the Japanese flavour

and if I don't,
please forgive me, people.

There is my heart in this dish
as well

so I feel like that I got a chance
to win this today.

I would really like that cheque
of 10 grand to go back home

so I hope that I've done enough.

You should be
getting your dishes on the plate,

you've only got one minute to go.

C'mon!
ANDY: Let's go! C'mon!

KEYMA: 60 seconds to go.

No resting baos.

I'm so sorry. (CHUCKLES)
Just take them out.

This is so hot.

Oh, my God, this is so bad!

I start tasting the pork.

And it tastes great.

I'm so happy with all the flavours.

But...I'm worried about the bao.

Here we go! 10!

ALL: 9, 8, 7,

6, 5, 4,

3, 2, 1!

That's it!
You're done!

Well done, everyone.

Great job.

I think it's a really,
really yummy dish.

Why not? You know?
Why couldn't I win with this?

I feel like a lot of people
have done some really incredible
savoury dishes,

which is really intimidating
'cause I always do savoury,

but a banging, fun, yummy dessert
could do it.

I've never thought of combining...
(CHUCKLES)

..Indian and Lebanese food before
but it's amazing to me

how many of the flavours
are common to the two cuisines.

There's cumin and coriander,
there's fresh mint.

There's obviously onion, um,
and garlic and lemon,

so hopefully, they've made
a really cohesive dish.

At the start of the day,
we combined the teams

and then we asked you guys
to combine two cuisines

to create a dish that is gonna win
you 10 grand plus an immunity pin.

That's worth playing for

and I got a feeling we're in
for a pretty good tasting.

The first dish we'd like to taste
belongs to...

..Aldo.
(APPLAUSE)

ALDO: I had a great day and
I combined two beautiful cuisines.

So I really hope that the judges
are gonna love it.

(HUMS FANFARE)

Righto, Aldo, couple of questions.

Your two cuisines were?
Italian and Japanese.

Nice one. And you made...?

Shiitake mushroom risotto.

I wanna just give justice to
the Italian side with the risotto

and to the Japanese as well.
Cool.

You've really been able to produce
flavours that fit the brief.

You're torn between both cuisines,
which is nice.

And I think it's the buttery richness

vs the umami and the dashi in there
as well.

So, you're gonna be in the mix
for sure

and I'm really happy for you today

'cause I know it would have been
a challenge.

I can't fault you, mate,
it's a classic,

well-cooked style of risotto
with a nice bite in the rice.

The texture's beautiful.

Mate, it's delicious. Well done.

Thank you.

Shiitake, shiso miso, oh, my.

You really met the brief in terms of
blending these two countries

in a way that you can see
and you can taste in the difference.

You've used what you know,
you've taken what inspires you

and you've created
a successful dish.

ALL: Thanks, Aldo.
(APPLAUSE)

Let's...taste Julie's dish.
(APPLAUSE)

JULIE: I kind of went a little bit
outside what's comfortable
and what's obvious

to choose Indian and Lebanese today.

And I think it works together...

..but that doesn't mean
the judges will.

Indian and Lebanese.

Righto. And what did you do
to fuse those together?

It's an eggplant biryani
with hummus and crispy onions...

..and things.

When we came around your bench,
you said you'd never even thought

about putting
these two things together before.

No.
Was it just 'cause you had to?

Pretty much, yeah.
Yeah?

Healthy portion. (LAUGHS)

It's a family dinner. (CHUCKLES)

JOCK: Julie.

Uh, biryani...

Brilliant.

Great depth of flavour.
Rice is cooked beautifully.

It's so more-ish.

Hummus is beautiful.

A generous amount
of crispy fried onions on top.

And the pickles and the yoghurt,
obviously, on the side

are fantastic.

Tomatoes and fresh parsley

adding that sort of Lebanese...
that freshness.

It is wholesomely delicious.

Great dish. Well done.
Thank you.

I think it was a really smart choice
to pick these two cuisines,

because they do coalesce
beautifully.

What I love about both Indian
and Middle Eastern cuisines

is such a heart-warming sense
of generosity, love,

and just a depth of feeling.

And you really feel that
throughout the dish,

and that's what makes it
such a success.

Well done.

Well done, Julie.
No worries. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I am so stoked with the feedback
from the judges.

I feel like I've pulled it off

and I may be in with a chance.

The next dish we want to taste
is Mindy's.

MINDY: Alright!

Australian...
Yep.

..and Japanese.

I did a paperbark-smoked barramundi

with a kombu dashi broth
and native succulents.

The broth - you can tell that
you've done that so many times,

'cause it is the perfect perfume,

like, right at the death
of that broth.

It's really, really well done.

Please enjoy.

Tommy.
Vietnamese and Mexican.

And I made banh xeo tacos.

Concept - bang on. Like, bang on.

This salsa roja,
it is reeking of Mexico.

I know you've got
fish sauce in there,

but it's like this play on it
and it works really well.

Next up, it's Daniel.

DANIEL: Well, I made what
I want to call the Mindil Sunset -

tom yum inspired broth,

a paperbark barramundi,

aniseed myrtle chilli oil.

What you have shown us is fantastic.

The broth is delicious.

Billie! Let's go.

ALDO: Go, Billie!

Billie, what two cuisines
did you have?

I had France and India.

And what did you make?

I did a French-style dessert
with flavours of garam masala -

so, a white chocolate mousse

with cardamom, clove, spice,
cumin, cinnamon,

and then a mango
and coriander sorbet.

It is a spice riot,
in such a good way.

Beautiful cardamom flavour.
I mean, white chocolate.

It is fantastic.

I love it. I love all the flavours
that are going on.

What about the curry leaves?

The sugar-coated game changers,
as we call them?

To really think about garam masala
in a reverse-engineered kind of way

and then infuse it
into all of the elements,

it comes together so beautifully
and so harmonically.

This is exciting cooking.

You can see
just by the body language

that we're sort of fighting
over the last bites of it.

Thanks, Mel.
It's a great dish.

Well done, Billie.
Thank you.

I'm going to keep eating it,
'cause its good.

I was gonna do the same!

Harry!

Come on!

HARRY: Today, I've done a dessert,
which I wouldn't usually do,

but I think it's great,

and I feel like it could
win me a pin and the money.

But competition is so fierce -

the dishes that have come up so far
are really impressive.

Hello.
Hello.

Please sauce and foam.

Sauce and foam.

Shake it!

More! Harder!

(JUDGES LAUGH)
Whoa! Oh, no!

Oh! It was all going so well!

(LAUGHTER)

Brilliant.

This has just, like, gone
from being, like...

..could've looked kind of decadent

to now just being like...

..a mess!

My dish is American and Chinese,

and I made an apple pie
fried milk sundae.

What's in the chocolate sauce?

Sichuan.
Oh, right.

There's a lot going on.

Am I clean?

Yeah, you're good.

Harry, the main event,
which is the fried milk,

I like the texture - it's more of a
gooey one than a super firm one.

Very playful.

It kind of ties in
with the weird whippy cream.

And, you know, I get the
American apple tart thing as well.

I think you've hit the brief.

It has that decadent 'let's
throw it together' kind of vibe,

and I really like it,
because it is overindulgent.

It is...it's crunchy,
it's fatty, it's rich.

It's got a lot of spice.

It was delicious. It was fun.
It was a little bit silly.

And it shows your personality
through and through.

Thank you.
Well done, Harry.

(LAUGHS)

I'm stoked with that feedback

and I really hope
that I'm in with a chance.

Next up, we'd like to taste
a dish from Keyma.

KEYMA: Today, all the dishes
look amazing.

I'm confident with the flavour
in this dish.

But the bao worries me.

Could you be Australia's
next MasterChef?

Applications for next season
are now open.

Go on! Get on it!

Righto, Keyma, you launched
yourself at the Caribbean tag.

And what'd you put it with?
Chinese.

Chinese? Lovely.

And what did you make?

Some Caribbean-inspired bao.

So, inside the bao, you have some
pork shoulder with jerk seasoning.

You were under the pump,
weren't you, this cook?

Yeah, yeah.

I embarked myself
in a huge task today,

believing that I could make pulled
pork and baos at the same time...

All in 75 minutes. (LAUGHS)
..in 75 minutes.

I was really ambitious
to do that today.

Keyma, I love that you keep
pushing the boat out

and you're really
challenging yourself

to take on more skills
and show what you can do.

The pieces of pork that I had
were a lovely flavour.

And what I love about this sauce is
it's so rich with allspice and clove

and all of those beautiful flavours
that celebrate the Caribbean.

Love the pickles, love the flavour.

Your let-down is the...is the bao.

The bao themselves
are very, very tight.

They're not light and fluffy.

That part of it's
a flat-out fail, unfortunately.

Keep smiling, because I think

there's a lot to smile about
in the dish.

It's one element that hasn't
gone to plan out of...

..a lot.

You just bit off so much today
in 75 minutes.

And you should have, because you...

..you want to win this,
and you want to win the 10 grand.

So if there's any time
to push the boat out, it's today.

Unfortunately, one of
your elements hasn't worked,

but I would still call this cook
a success for you.

You're moving forward,
which is good to see.

Thank you, guys.

I really thought they were
going to stitch me for the baos,

but I feel they're seeing the
progression, and me taking risk.

Now it's everyone by themself

and I definitely want to go far
in this competition.

So it just gives me an extra boost
to continue with my cooking.

From all the way down the back,
it's Matt!

MATT: I have fused
American and Chinese,

and I've made cheeseburger wontons.

I'm a big fan of the flavours
that are going on,

both in the special sauce
and inside the wontons themselves.

But nothing about that pastry
says 'wonton' to me,

particularly texture.

Alvin!
Alvin.

ALVIN: Malaysia and France.

and it's a kaya on toast.

Alvin, I dig the flavours.

It's just lacking a little bit
of finesse with the textures.

I think if those textures were fixed

it would have been a pretty top
chance of being up the top.

Next up, it's Steph!
(APPLAUSE)

STEPH: Australian and Japanese.

I've made miso and Vegemite -
so, misomite.

I feel like you needed to be
25% to 30% less on the Vegemite.

But it's super interesting.

That's the kind of dish
that you develop in a restaurant.

But this version -
just not quite there.

OK.
Thanks, Steph.

No worries.

We would like to see your dish,
Michael.

ALDO: Go, Michael!

MICHAEL: Now that there's
no Fans and no Favourites,

it's everyone for themselves,
the competition's going to gear up.

So, my prawn toastadas
are bit of a risk.

Whether it's fancy enough...

I just have to
cross my fingers and hope.

He's got beers and everything!

Beers and everything.

Wow.

Michael, your two countries were?

Chinese and Mexican.
Chinese and Mexican.

And what have you made us?
I've made you prawn toastadas.

Prawn toastadas!
So, prawn toast tostadas.

Mate, you look
pretty happy with it.

I had a lot of fun, you know?

I don't often cook snacky
beer food for you guys,

and I quite like eating it
and cooking it,

so I thought
I'd do something different.

I remember giving Hayden
heaps of grief on my season

for taking up beers
with one of his dishes,

so I'm eating my words now,

but it's kind of
the beer food that I like.

Looks good, huh?

ANDY: Michael...that's bloody tasty.

I think it's a great concept, too.

I think you've executed it,
in my opinion, really well,

so I dig it hard.

What I love about a great piece
of prawn toast is that crunch.

And not only have you done that
just with the beautiful fry on it,

but with the extra consideration
of the crispiness on top.

All of the pairings bring
that Mexican kind of vibe,

but you've managed to balance
both cuisines really well

in a dish
that also feels inherently like you.

So I really liked it.
Oh, thank you. Thanks.

Michael,
soon as people see this on TV,

they're going to go,
"I'm having a crack at that."

Easy to do. It's quick,
it's delicious, it's big flavours.

This is a great example of
a good decision on a day like today.

Well done, mate.
Thank you very much.
Good stuff, Michael.

Thank you, Julie. (CHUCKLES)

The next dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Sarah.

Go, Sarah!

SARAH: The standard of cooking
in this competition is really high.

And today, there's just
a lot more pressure

because combining French and Indian

is the direction
I wanna be heading in.

Shall I pour it?
Yeah.

OK, Indian and...?

French.
French, OK.

And the dish?

Butter-poached lobster
with flavours of India.

Ooh.
(CHUCKLES)

Your two loves being Indian
and French,

is this dish something
you've been waiting to bring out?

Coming in to this competition
this time round,

this is the direction
that I would like to head in.

I'm a bit nervous to, you know,
serve these kind of dishes.

Why are you nervous to serve
these kinds of dishes?
Yeah.

Um, just because it's putting my spin
and it's a little bit more...

..nerve-racking because
it's like art, it's subjective.

Whereas if I do something
classic Indian, I'm like,

"Well, it's kind of hard to
not like it because I know it works."

Do you feel more vulnerable
because you've found your thing

and, therefore,
you're revealing yourself?

Mm-hm.

Um, as far as the taste of the dish
goes and did you meet the brief,

does it cover off
the two cuisines that you chose,

French and Indian?

SARAH: Thank you.

But...does it taste good?

That has all the refinement
of a three-Michelin star dish.

It has got all the beauty
and elegance of a Michelin star dish.

Don't know why I'm getting
emotional again. Why?

It feels like there's a lot more
on the line for you with this dish

than a pin and...
Mmm.

..and 10 grand.
Yeah, there is.

It's just, um...

Yeah, I'd like to go down this path,
for sure, but it is scary.

What is in that bowl
is an exhibition of someone

who is very good at their craft.

The butter-poached lobster
is cooked absolutely perfectly,

you couldn't have done it any better.

And then the flavours of India.

Like, the flavours are extraordinary.

You intuitively know
how to get that balance

but you've fused it so very well with
French because that is your passion.

MEL: That plate of food
not only looks

like magazine cover-worthy food

but the depth of flavour

and also the retention of soul
in it is just as impressive.

I know that this is scary for you

but fear drives invention

and it pushes us forward
into a place that we need to be

in order to be our very best selves.

Thank you so much.

This stuff is the stuff where
we really kind of step back and go,

"She's here to play."

There is a special talent there,

both on the technique but also, the
flavour combinations that just sing.

Like, my palate is still singing.

This is, like, such a breakout
dish for you, like, in so many ways,

and I know how much it means to you
but you've just gotta remember

that it doesn't happen without
getting out of your comfort zone

and really being vulnerable.

Well done.
Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Very good dish.

Good on you.

Scary.

Well, this day will certainly
go down in MasterChef history.

So let's find out who will be
walking away with $10,000

AND an immunity pin.

Overall, we were very impressed
with your cuisine combinations.

There were some great flavours out
there and some very promising dishes.

But...

..there was one dish...

..that was head and shoulders
above the rest today.

Not only nailed the brief...

..but it was a success
on every single level.

I think...you all know who it is.

Congratulations, Sarah.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

So happy.

I really was scared of this day.

Where I finally cooked the food
that I wanna be cooking

and to hear
that I am on the right path,

this really is my food dream

and to be able to go in
this direction means everything.

Sarah, over the last couple of weeks,

you've been threatening to bring us
a dish as good as that

and now you finally have.

And because of that,

you not only have won yourself
that shiny immunity pin,

but you're taking home $10,000!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Sarah, it feels like a bit
of a weight off your shoulders

and now you've shaken off the curse,
winning dish of the day.

How does that feel?
Oh, gosh, I can't even explain it.

I...I just feel like
through the competition,

I haven't quite been getting there

and I just wanted a day
that I shined and it finally came.

So I just feel so overwhelmed
and relieved.

Well, what an incredible way
to kick off

the next phase of the competition.

So go home, make yourselves
a cup of tea, put your feet up,

be kind to each other and
we'll see you back here tomorrow.

Bye.

(ALL CHAT EXCITEDLY)
I didn't think it was gonna be me!

Oh, my God.

That is crazy. (CHUCKLES)

ANNOUNCER: Still to come
this season...

JOCK: Welcome to Tasmania!

ALDO: So beautiful.

BILLIE: Look at this place.

..jaw-dropping challenges...

(ALL GASP)

ALL: Ohhhh!

TOMMY: No way.
BILLIE: What the hell.

..and the biggest celebrity chefs...

(APPLAUSE)
ANDY: Josh Niland.

MEL: Dave Finch!
Kirsten Tibballs!

Maggie Beer!

It's Peter Gilmore!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Rick Stein!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

..will inspire our cooks

to create dishes
that are out of this world.

JOCK: Please welcome...
Marco Pierre White!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Allow your palate
and your imagination to be ignited.

11 out of 10.

MEL: So funky, in
the best possible way.

ANDY: It's gutsy
and it's delicious.

That's a belter right
there. Well done.

Will previous
experience

be the secret
ingredient

or will an
exceptional home cook

be the one to
lift the trophy?

Captions by Red Bee Media

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