MasterChef Australia (2009–…): Season 14, Episode 26 - Episode #14.26 - full transcript
It's time to switch things up, and everyone is now cooking for themselves to stay in the competition. The maker of the best dish will win a cash prize of $10,000 and a game-changing immunity pin.
ANNOUNCER: Previously
on MasterChef Australia,
It's every cook for themselves.
(ALL CHEER)
And with a massive prize
on the line...
$10,000 and an immunity pin?
That would be huge.
..they produced
some of their best dishes yet.
Michael, This is the kind of recipe
that gets downloaded by the million.
Thanks.
And Sarah blew away the judges...
Hi.
It has all the beauty and elegance
of a three Michelin star dish.
..claiming the cash and the pin.
Tonight, one
of our favourite guests...
HARRY: I've loved her my whole life.
I've got all of her cookbooks.
..is back in the MasterChef kitchen.
# '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. #
Excited!
Hello, everybody.
This is so nice.
What's going on?
Hey, mate. How are we? Eh?
Come on, guys.
Yesterday we finally joined teams,
and now we're one big group.
Good morning.
ALDO: Everybody is over the moon
excited
that we're going to be cooking
all together.
We are one big family.
Oh. Mystery boxes.
We've got a mystery box.
Good morning, everyone.
Come on down the front.
It's so great to see you
in your fresh new aprons.
(LAUGHTER)
It's a new day, a new mystery box,
and a new stage in the competition.
Daniel, you're looking across
at this very talented group of people
and thinking,
"I have to beat them all."
Yeah. Pretty much.
(LAUGHTER)
No, I'm kind of excited.
Like, now it's an opportunity
to learn
from more than just the Fans,
and it's probably
a good breath of fresh air
from the Fans, they're probably
sick of me. (CHUCKLES)
You right, Andy?
Yeah, there was a few nods.
I was like...
(LAUGHTER)
Brush it off.
Well, today is a mystery box day.
And today's mystery box
contains ingredients
chosen by a legendary cook
and a national treasure.
Ooh.
Mmm.
She's been part of our lives
for the past 40 years,
and her cooking has graced
our television screens, our homes
and our hearts.
Her love of food
radiates through her,
and it's hard not to smile
when she's in the room.
Maggie Beer.
Please give a very warm welcome
to Maggie Beer!
(ALL CHEER)
Oh, this is amazing!
We all love Maggie
from watching her on TV.
She's part of the fabric
of the Australian food scene.
JOCK: How are you?
What a joy.
What a rock star reception.
Maggie, how does it feel to be back
in this beautiful place,
the MasterChef kitchen?
I'm thrilled to be here again.
And who wouldn't love that welcome?
Exactly right.
I think that is the biggest welcome
we've had yet.
(LAUGHTER)
Melanie, you were...
you were blushing.
You were excited.
You had a huge smile on your face.
How does it feel to have
the legend Maggie Beer in the room?
This is unreal. I just, like...
Some people fangirl over
Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.
For me, it's Maggie Beer.
One of the meals
that Maggie made on the show,
like, years ago when I was 14 or 15,
was one of the first family meals
I made at home.
What was it?
It was a lamb roast with, like,
a crumb...like, a herb crumb crust.
And it was so good.
So good.
Just can't believe you're here.
(LAUGHTER)
No pressure about all this.
Oh, gosh. Can I go now?
(LAUGHTER)
Well, Maggie,
you've put this box together
with all of the ingredients that you
love to have in your regular pantry.
Mm-hm.
Should you show us what they are?
I'd love to.
Are you ready to see
what's inside my mystery box?
ALL: Yes.
We are.
Here we go.
ALL: Ohh!
That's, like,
a classic Maggie mystery box.
Like, there's a beautiful bunch
of fresh herbs, chickpeas
and the game bird.
I don't even know what it is.
Well, there had to be game.
So, we have guinea fowl,
beautiful bird to eat,
chickpeas -
South Australian, of course -
as well as beautiful, tiny capers.
Prunes - now, people
either hate or love prunes.
I love prunes.
Eggplant, paprika,
pistachios
and all these fresh herbs,
things that I can't cook without.
How many people have cooked
with guinea fowl before?
Two.
Oh.
Wow.
OK.
May I ask a question?
Yeah. Come on.
Hit us, Julie, what have you got?
Well, just, you know, with chicken,
it's got to be cooked
all the way through.
Duck, you want it
to be pink in the middle.
What's a guinea fowl?
Well, you can't overcook it.
Game must be
just pink near the bone only.
Overcooking is sort of like
the worst thing in the world,
but don't have it raw either.
OK.
Just be perfect.
Alright.
MEL: Easy. Just like that.
Simple.
You guys have all got 75 minutes
to cook whatever you like,
but you must use
at least one ingredient
from Maggie's mystery box.
The pantry and the garden,
of course, today are closed.
But because Maggie is here,
she's been very kind
and gave you a couple of extra
for your underbench pantry,
which is, Maggie?
Oh, well, verjuice,
would you believe?
(LAUGHTER)
Of course.
But also some vino cotto as well.
But don't forget the verjuice.
For sure there must be verjus.
Maggie Beer verjus.
And also vino cotto is so good.
Today, the four
least impressive dishes
will send their makers
into a pressure test tomorrow
where someone will go home.
Maggie, would you like
to kick us off?
I'd love to.
Good luck, everyone.
And your time starts now.
Sorry.
Sorry, Dan.
Look, I'm super stoked to see
Maggie again one more time.
She's a gem.
I've got such a great memory
of Maggie Beer.
I met her on MasterChef Season 10.
It is just so perfect.
Oh...
Yes!
Oh...
I was in elimination, cooking
a beautiful perfect chicken breast.
And she raved about it.
That silkiness, it's perfection.
It's shimmering.
Today, I just want to give
another great dish to Maggie.
OK. Come on, let's go.
How are we, mate?
Aldo.
Hello. How are we?
I'm good. How are you?
Very well.
What are you cooking?
I'm basically going to do
melanzane a scarpone.
It's basically half eggplant,
then it's going to be
the filling of the eggplant,
with capers,
prunes and beautiful pistachio.
And then normally
we add the mozzarella
or whipped ricotta cream
on the base.
Ricotta?
Yes.
There was no ricotta in the pantry.
And we've got to make it.
Hey, it has to come from somewhere.
Fabulous. I love these
classic Italian flavours.
A confident Aldo is a good Aldo.
Well, you know,
I'm cooking something that I love.
Plus, Maggie, she's here.
She has been my lucky star so far.
Good luck, Aldo.
Thank you.
Good luck.
I remember the advice
that she gave me on my season.
She said, "Just showcase
the bold Italian that you are."
I want to keep that memory
and channelling for today,
and I can be safe
from the bottom four.
HARRY: I couldn't be more happy.
While other kids watched, like, The
Simpsons and Play School and stuff,
I only ever watched, like, The Cook
and the Chef when I came home.
So, it's pretty special
to have her here today
and, like, some seriously beautiful
ingredients as well.
So, when Maggie introduced
the mystery box,
there were some
incredible-looking eggplants.
The judges
seem to be really responsive
to when I cook my, like,
really vegie-based dishes.
So I think that maybe I should
just stay in that box today.
So, today I'm going to make
oven-roasted eggplant
with some agrodolce,
which is something
that we learned from Jock
in our MasterClass the other day,
and also a herb salad.
Agrodolce is a sauce
that is sweet and sour,
really interesting, really complex.
But given the ingredients
that we got in the mystery box,
I'm a little bit worried
about how I'm going
to balance the agrodolce.
Hopefully, I'll be able
to manage that in other ways.
The agrodolce is my hero of the dish.
As long as I give myself enough
time all day today to taste
and continually work on it,
I think I should be alright.
He's like a little chook that's been
on the run for a while, isn't he?
Yes. Yes. And they do.
They run around a lot.
STEPH: # Vino cotto. #
I'm looking at the guinea fowl.
You know, I was kind of tempted,
but I'm just going to play
to my strength.
Today I am going to make a pistachio
frangipane tart with a prune jam.
When I saw Maggie Beer, I was like,
"Oh, we're going to get vegies."
Which was great,
so I've cracked open the vegies.
I love to put it in fruit.
So, I'm doing my prune jam
and the vegies today as well.
The prune jam is cooking.
The next thing I need to do
is work on my tart base.
With frangipane tart,
I kind of want different textures.
I don't want it all to be the same.
So I want a crispy shell,
a really good layer of jam
in the centre,
and on top of that
just a really smooth and buttery
pistachio frangipane.
There is a lot to do.
No-one wants to go into a pressure
test, and I would love to avoid it.
I'm just going to have to see
what happens and try to cook my best.
Someone knows how to cook.
I'm making a dessert samosa,
prune syrup
and the pistachio ice-cream.
I kind of want to have that play
on what a traditional samosa
would look like,
but the sweet version.
MATT: Here we go.
Today I'm going to do a guinea fowl
breast roasted on the crown,
a prune sauce to go with that.
(CHUCKLES)
Where's the...?
I'm making a steamed sort of custard
with eggplant and chickpeas harissa
with caramelised vino cotto
and verjuice.
Work in progress.
(TIMER BEEPS)
Oh, shut...up.
MONTANA: Sticking to my strengths
today is definitely important.
There's a lot on the line.
The competition
is getting a lot tougher.
So, I'm cooking a rosemary ice-cream
with a prune cake
and a pistachio praline
sort of crumb.
I want to smash out something
that can keep me safe
from tomorrow's pressure test.
JOCK: Maggie, thanks for coming.
And thanks for bringing
a few interesting ingredients
from your pantry.
We know that your style of cooking,
it all revolves around produce.
That's never changed.
But what's exciting to you right now?
What's exciting me right now
is all these beautiful herbs,
the chickpeas
and these beautiful capers.
But game is my thing.
You know, I have cooked
more pheasant and guinea fowl
and partridge
than I think
most people in Australia.
I think you're right.
And I think guinea fowl
is underrated.
Honestly, I hate to say this,
but I think it's sent them
into a bit of a spin.
Anyone who's cooking guinea fowl
just does not really know
how it's meant to be perfectly.
Oh, just stay there for a minute.
Have I made it too hard?
Oh, Maggie.
They're in a bit of a tailspin
because you're here,
and they don't
want to disappoint you.
Man, I don't know what to do
with this bird.
I'm a huge fan of Maggie Beer.
I would like to do something
that would impress Maggie,
but I feel flustered
just thinking about it.
Hi, Melanie.
Hi, Jock.
Mi, Maggie!
Hello, Melanie.
Oh, I'm so glad
you're doing guinea fowl.
That makes one of us.
(LAUGHTER)
What are you making?
What's the dish?
So, I'm going to put a compound
butter under the skin
of the marylands of the guinea fowl
and roast them off.
I'm thinking about roasting
the eggplants as well.
Going to make maybe a puree
with the chickpeas.
What are you doing with the crown?
The crown?
I'm not sure. It scares me.
OK.
No, you just cut there
and then splay that down.
Spread it down like a spatchcock.
I feel really flustered
talking to Maggie.
I'm starstruck.
Put your butter
under the skin there, too.
They cook at different levels.
I'm listening
and I'm nodding along...
..but I just feel like
nothing is going in.
This is an important cook for you
because you grew up
being inspired by Maggie, right?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Have courage.
Yeah.
Cook with instinct.
OK. Alright.
Good luck.
My mind's just kind of blank.
They said cook instinctively.
I don't know if they meant
for me to take it off.
Only problem is, I still don't
know how to treat a guinea fowl.
Don't know how to cook it.
Oh, God, I don't know. I don't know.
Oh, God, I'm shaking.
I feet really flustered
talking to Maggie.
The one thing that's
kind of sticking in my mind
is that she said,
"Cook instinctively."
So I'm just going to try and do that.
I've separated the skin
from the meat of the guinea fowl,
and I'm just forcing as much butter
in there as I can fit.
All good, Mel?
Uh, I don't know. (CHUCKLES)
I'm sure you're fine.
I've got a probe in one of the
marylands, and I put it in the oven.
(SIGHS)
If I fail this, I'm probably going
into a pressure test.
Pray to the guinea fowl gods.
Lower temp... Stop!
Maggie Beer's in the house.
Don't disappoint her.
45 minutes to go!
Let's go, guys!
MINDY: Right. Wowee. Here we go.
I'm actually feeling quite confident
about today's cook.
Wow.
Maggie's mystery box
has made me realise
that mystery boxes are really about
embracing the home cook,
you know, focusing on that produce,
just like Maggie does.
Mindy!
Hello.
How are ya?
Hi, Mindy.
Hey, Maggie! Welcome.
Thank you.
Yeah.
It's good to be here.
What are you doing?
I'm doing eggplant
that's going to be stuffed
with all these amazing ingredients
that you've given us.
So I've got the pistachios, I've got
the capers, I've got crispy capers,
I'm making a prune
and paprika dressing.
But this is so much fun.
Just having you here has just
brought a smile to my face, so...
Oh, well, I'm thrilled.
Even though you haven't tackled
the guinea fowl,
you've tackled everything else.
It's my kind of food.
Bitterness, acidity, balance.
Yeah.
Always about balance, and also
layers of texture as well.
Totally.
Sounds like you're
onto a winner, Mindy.
Yes.
Thanks, guys.
Good luck.
Oh, my God. I just love her.
Seriously.
SARAH: She's amazing.
She's so good.
When I cook at home, I love it.
I cook from joy.
And I love cooking for people,
and I love cooking for family.
And Maggie Beer
is like MasterChef family.
So if I can layer the flavours,
bring a dish that I would be...
happily serve her at my house,
that's all I want to do today.
What are you doing
with your chickpeas?
Roasting some off with some spice,
seeing what happens.
So, I'm going to roast
the guinea fowl with a stuffing
of pistachio, the chickpeas,
the capers and prunes.
I'm just sort of going to
treat it a bit like chicken
and hope for the best.
For my stuffing, I'm going to use
prunes for the sweetness,
capers, acidity,
pistachios, some butter and stuff
just to keep it moist
and the chickpeas
to be essentially the body.
But I've never cooked raw chickpeas,
so I'm a bit unsure.
I'm just going to
stuff the guinea fowl with it
and let it cook in the oven.
Cook, my pretty. Cook!
I've got a bit of a bad track record
of undercooking things
at the moment,
so let's hope that
I don't overcook it now.
SARAH: Got my dough
for my dessert samosa
and now I'm just moving on
to the pistachio ice-cream.
(SIGHS)
I'm just worried about
the balance in the flavours.
Hopefully, it all comes together
nicely and the judges like it.
I'm just glad no-one
has to go home today.
(LAUGHS) That's true.
I hate that.
BILLIE: I'm on the fly here,
holding my swear words away.
I definitely feel
a little bit off today.
The fact that
we have to really fight
for our own place now
in the competition -
the stakes have risen.
It's thrown me a little bit.
I'm not feeling as confident.
Never used guinea fowl before.
I'm doing the legs in the
pressure cooker, just quickly...
..and some nice sides.
So, using the chickpeas,
using the herbs -
just attempting
to make something half-decent.
Oh, I bloody hope
it all sort of comes together.
I don't want to be in a
pressure test, so...here's hoping.
ANDY: Maggie brought us
some top ingredients.
Don't bring us a bottom-four dish.
You've got 30 minutes to go.
ALDO: Have you got a tongs?
Have you got one?
MINDY: Uh, I've got one.
I'll come back for that.
There you are.
Thank you.
Today, definitely,
the pressure is on.
(SIGHS) It's Maggie Beer,
and I need to live to the
expectation that she's got,
especially on myself.
Thanks, my love.
But for my stuffed eggplant,
I'm happy with the way
that everything looks so far.
Beautiful.
The eggplant on the bottom
in the oven.
For my beautiful filling,
the mixture is looking great.
It's a classic Sicilian style.
I've got my ricotta going,
capers, prunes and pistachios.
But now I need
to finish the dressing
that goes on top of the eggplant.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
I'm going to use
her favourite verjus,
just to get the acidity
which this dish needs.
Try this.
Will I add a bit more verjus?
Mm...
All my attention
has to be just focused on
to deliver this great food
today for Maggie.
So, the pastry for my tart,
the pistachio frangipane,
and the prune jam is done,
and I'm quite happy
with how that's taken.
But all the elements I've made took
a little bit longer than I wanted.
TOMMY: Good luck, tart lady!
(LAUGHS)
So I'm rushing
to get the tart into the oven.
It's going to take
at least 25 minutes to bake.
This may be trouble.
Ooh.
Hi.
Come on, show me what's going on.
I'm actually feeling nervous.
About it setting?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
I'm, like...I'm upset.
Don't...
Because, if that doesn't set,
you will automatically be
in the bottom four.
Good luck.
Thank you.
I am anxious, waiting by the oven.
God.
I wish that,
the longer I stare at it,
it would just somehow
come together really quickly.
It's making me sick.
Feeling great. Feeling great.
What's that?
HARRY: Agrodolce.
Yeah, nice.
I'm actually in a pretty good
position today. Don't jinx it.
(KNOCKS ON BENCH)
Touch all the wood.
Harry.
Hello!
How are you?
Hello!
Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you.
What's the dish?
I've got some roast eggplant
and I'm going to be serving that
with my take on Jock's agrodolce...
Awesome.
..and a parsley salad.
I'm just trying to balance
this agrodolce at the moment
to add bitterness.
It's really hard to get it,
like, right on the edge.
Prunes and capers?
Prunes, capers, pistachios...
The whole lot?
..verjuice, vino cotto...
OK. The vino cotto is wonderful,
and prunes are wonderful,
but it can be sweet-sweet.
Yeah.
So, yes, your bitterness -
you're on the right path...
Yep.
..but really push it.
OK. Will do.
Good luck.
Thank you so much.
Without that level of bitterness,
it's going to be too sweet
and won't hit every little point
that you want it to.
I have multiple roasted eggplants
and I don't need all of them.
Let's burn this.
So I'm going to stick
two of them back in the oven
and completely burn the skins.
And then I'll put that
into the agrodolce
to try and add some bitterness.
Burn, goddamn you! Burn!
And hopefully, that will
balance out my agrodolce.
You've only got 10 minutes to go!
Come on!
ANDY: Come on, guys!
MELANIE: I don't know, Dan.
Is she cooked? (LAUGHS)
The guinea fowl is out of the oven
and I don't know
if it's cooked right.
But I really want to try
and trust my instincts.
Mel.
Hey, Andy.
How you travelling?
OK, I think.
(INHALES SHARPLY)
What are we at here?
Um, it's currently at 62.
Hoping to rest it up
a couple more degrees.
Get it there. You just don't want
to be in that bottom four.
I'm very anxious about
overcooking this guinea fowl,
so I'm very wary
of applying more heat to it.
See what it rests up to.
I want it to finish
around 64 degrees,
but it got to 62 degrees
and it stopped there.
I don't know if I'd say
it's going to plan.
MINDY: Come on. Boil, water! Boil!
I've managed to jam-pack in
so much flavour
into my roast eggplant
and chickpea salad.
I've got my chickpea cream.
I've got those beautiful
caramelised eggplants.
I'm doing my little
chickpea and herb salad on the side.
I've got my capers in there.
And then that herb oil,
which is going to tie
all the ingredients together.
Mindy.
Hey, girlfriend!
Uh... Hey!
I've got all my beautiful
bits and pieces ready to go.
Looking very good.
And are you confident
this is sure-fire...
I'm just having fun,
you know what I mean?
..safe, delicious...?
I had this moment where I realised,
"Cook like you cook at home."
Yeah. Absolutely.
You know what I mean?
Like, it was like this
light-bulb kind of moment.
And I just...when I cook like this
and I love what I do,
I just...I don't know, it works.
Here's hoping all of those
flavours come together.
Prep looks great.
Great. Thanks, Mel.
Now I just need to mix all of those
different elements together.
Fingers crossed,
Maggie's going to love it.
SARAH: That looks yum, Mindy.
Let's hope we get there, hey?
Just...I just...I am mesmerised.
BILLIE: Oh, I'm still
feeling a bit off.
I've had my guinea fowl
braising in the pressure cooker
and I'm not sure about the cook.
I'm hoping that it's OK.
I dunno.
On my bench, there's a lot of sort of
stuff that I'm not sure I'll use.
Hey, Billie.
Hey, Andy.
Where are we at?
Good... I've got the breast
of the guinea fowl,
the leg of the guinea fowl.
Yep.
I'm making a sauce.
Uh-huh.
What's...what...
what's this little guy?
Oh, that's...yeah, nothing.
Is it all coming together?
Yeah.
You look a little... I dunno.
Yeah it's just...
"That might go on, this may go on -
"I'm not really sure
where it's going to get to."
I do actually have a lot of that.
Well, I'm going to
leave you with it,
'cause you've got
a few decisions to make.
Good luck, Billie.
Thanks, Andy.
MEL: Five minutes to go!
Time's gone fast.
You good?
Um, I've just gotta finish
balancing my prune sauce now
and finish my chickpeas.
But the guinea fowl is looking good,
which is the main component.
How hard should chickpeas be?
They should be quite soft, eh?
Um, yeah.
I hope you're right at the very last
and you know
exactly what you're doing,
but you've only got three minutes
to make it happen.
Come on, guys! Three minutes!
Three minutes!
MONTANA: I'm really happy
with the flavours
in the prune cake
and rosemary ice-cream.
I've just got to make sure my
quantities on the plate are perfect.
DANIEL: Cook, my pretty! Cook!
I'm feeling good.
I've managed to make a prune sauce
and my guinea fowl is ready
to take out of the oven.
It's hard now I've
got this in the oven.
I'm just sort of
standing around, eh.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
I want to pull it out,
giving it enough time
to climb up in temperature
to about 63 to 65 degrees.
I'm going to serve the chickpea
stuffing next to the bird.
Just wanted to give it
a quick taste with everything else
to be sure that I'm
on the right track.
Are they supposed to be
this crunchy, you reckon?
Or no?
I'd say they're a bit under.
Yeah.
The chickpeas haven't
cooked through, and it's...
..quite gross.
I'm not happy with the stuffing,
but if I take that off the board,
I've only got
the roast bird and a sauce,
and I don't have any time
to make anything else.
I'm sitting there at a crossroads
and I have to make
that right decision.
The chickpeas for my stuffing
haven't cooked through.
But I'm trying to impress Maggie,
so I have to make
that right decision.
I can't bring myself to serve it.
I'm going to take them off.
It's painful, but it's better
than serving it to the judges.
It all comes down to
how well the bird is cooked.
I think I've done alright.
I'm quite happy with that.
I carve off the breast
of this guinea fowl.
The legs are there, too.
It's very moist.
I've got nothing else
on this platter,
so I may as well give them as much
of the guinea fowl as I can.
Hopefully, that's enough
to keep me from the bottom four.
JOCK: Get your dishes on the plate.
You've only got two minutes to go!
Come on!
That looks...
that looks cooked, right?
The guinea fowl is rested.
I don't know if it's cooked right.
But there's not a whole lot
I can do about it now.
Sorry, Dan, just watch your elbows.
I put some of the chickpea mash
on the plate.
My roasted eggplant.
I know this isn't my best dish,
but I don't know
how good or how bad it is.
HARRY: Oop!
Finally, the agrodolce
tastes balanced,
but I think I've cooked it too far.
The agrodolce is really tight
and almost jammy.
That's all I have to put on my dish,
so I'm just going to have to
go with it.
Here we go, gang!
You've got 60 seconds!
I am really nervous about this tart.
Hot!
I don't know if it's cooked through.
If this tart is not cooked properly,
this is definitely my ticket
into the bottom four.
Oh, my God, I hope she works.
That looks nice.
Yeah, I don't know
what I'm going to do here.
I'm still feeling
a bit weird about this dish,
but I just need to get it done.
30 seconds!
JOCK: There it is!
Alrighty, then! Ten!
JUDGES: Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!
Five! Four! Three! Two! One!
That's it!
MEL: Whoo!
ANDY: Well done, guys!
(JUDGES APPLAUD)
SARAH: We've got to be set, guys.
ALDO: Well done.
MINDY: We will be.
Epic. Epic.
Well done.
Well, with the legend Maggie Beer
in the house today,
it was all about turning what looked
like a very simple mystery box
into something extraordinary.
And the first dish
that we'd like to taste -
Mindy.
MINDY: I felt so great to be cooking
as if I was cooking at home,
cooking for someone
that I love and adore.
And I really hope that shows
in my cook today.
I've managed to use most
of those incredible ingredients
that you had in your
mystery box, Maggie,
and I made roast eggplant salad.
I hope it's full of flavour for you.
Thank you, Mindy.
Well, the chickpeas are beautiful,
that infused flavour
that you've given,
your balance of your bitterness
and acidity and creaminess.
It's a fabulous dish.
Whatever you did,
whatever inspiration that you had -
and I know we can't have Maggie
in here all the time -
but in terms of the ingredients,
just continue to go there.
Honestly, that's right up there
with one of the best things you've
cooked in the competition so far.
Thank you so much.
Nice one, Mindy.
Well done, Mindy.
It means a lot.
Next up, Steph.
OK, Steph, you've cooked a tart.
But what kind of tart is it?
Um, so, it's a pistachio
frangipane and prune tart,
pistachio cream
and pistachio praline.
Is it cooked?
'Cause that was, like, the big thing
when I came around to your bench.
I think it's cooked.
Cool.
Well, let's taste.
Um...
I really dig that prune jam,
that layer of prune jam.
I thought that that was
really nicely done,
especially when you only had
a couple of sweet things
to work with in the mystery box.
Um, the pistachio frangipane...
..is, like, JUST cooked.
Like, very fine line there, Steph.
Yep.
I love that the pistachio's
only just cooked,
because it's so moist.
You know, it can so often
go over and become dry.
The prune is fabulous.
Do you know, my only trouble with it
is the Chantilly cream - too much.
Yeah.
Jock doesn't feel the same way,
I can tell.
(LAUGHTER)
He's going to steal you cream.
So, the...the flavours...
..the flavours are fantas...
Oh, you did! (LAUGHS)
I did offer it to him a minute ago.
I really enjoyed it.
Thank you.
Thank you, Steph.
Thank you.
MINDY: Good job, Steph.
Thank you!
JOCK: Harry, you're next.
HARRY: Walking my dish
up to the judges,
I'm not feeling confident.
I want my agrodolce to be
like the one Jock made
in our MasterClass the other day,
but it's not exactly how
I thought it was going to look.
God, it's really, like, jammed up.
(LAUGHS)
and delicious exclusives, at:
HARRY: God, it's really, like,
jammed up.
(MAGGIE LAUGHS)
Harry, what have you cooked us?
I've cooked some oven roast eggplant
with a prune agrodolce
and just a little parsley salad.
The agrodolce - you managed to get
a good balance of flavours in there.
Like, it is sweet, is sour,
there is some bitterness in there.
But it's cooked down to the point
where it's solidified
and it kind of just sticks
to your teeth.
The main part of this, which is
the roast eggplant,
is really, really underseasoned.
Yep.
Can I disagree with you?
Of course you can.
Yeah.
Of the eggplant, I got the smallest
one that was more burnished.
And if you get a thinner one and
you get that caramelisation on it,
which you have on mine...
But the roasted eggplant has been
sort of overtaken by your Vegemite.
Yeah.
Have a better day next.
Thank you.
Thank you.
ANDY: Thanks, Harry.
(APPLAUSE)
Wow.
Nah, I knew. It's fine.
Told ya.
Next up, Montana.
So, it is a prune cake
with rosemary ice-cream,
a caramel and verjuice granita.
MEL: The flavours are really lovely.
And the combination of the
ice-cream, cake, the caramel
and then that granita, I think
it was a clever strategy.
I think you've done
a nice dish of food.
Thank you, guys. Thank you.
The next dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Alvin.
ALVIN: I made a savoury custard
with eggplant and parsley oil.
Alvin, I quite liked it.
Oh, my God.
I could see it
on a modern Asian menu.
Thank you.
The next dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Sarah.
SARAH: I've made a sweet samosa
with a pistachio ice-cream.
Sarah, that pistachio, that
roundness in the mouth is fantastic.
And that ice-cream I'd go miles for.
Thank you.
Next up, it's you, Matt.
I cooked you roast guinea fowl
with chickpea and prune.
That guinea fowl leg has got
so much going for it.
And I love the sauce, but
the sweetness is just over the edge.
Yep.
And the chickpeas are undercooked.
Sure.
JUDGES: Thanks, Matt.
Chickpeas, huh? (LAUGHS)
Next up, it's Melanie.
MELANIE: I'd love to impress
Maggie Beer,
but I don't know if the guinea fowl
is cooked right.
I don't know if it tastes good.
I'm very unsure about this,
and that's making me very nervous.
Melanie, what have you cooked us?
Uh, it's a roasted
guinea fowl maryland,
eggplants and...with
a chickpea mash and pistachios.
You happy with it?
You don't seem happy.
Is it Maggie that threw you off
your game today?
Yeah, a little bit.
I mean, you grew up...
You grew up watching her
on TV, right?
When you guys came to my bench
and you were talking to me,
I felt like I was taking it in.
And then you left,
and I was like, "Wait, what?
"What just happened?"
I didn't know what you'd said.
I've got to leave. I can tell.
Melanie, with this, I think you've
come across something unfamiliar
and you've come across this
amazing woman in the kitchen,
which has probably thrown you today.
The skin on the maryland
just needs to be caramelised more.
And with your bird herself,
it was undercooked.
Maybe a minute more,
90 seconds more.
It's just not a great dish, overall.
Yeah, I know.
But the guinea fowl
is still good eating,
even though it could have had
that...
..it should have had
that extra time.
Obviously, it's not been a good day,
but try it again at home
when there's no pressure.
OK. Thanks.
Thanks, Melanie.
Thanks, Mel.
I'm disappointed that I cooked
a bad dish for Maggie Beer.
It is what it is.
Does Maggie Beer watch MasterChef
in her free time?
I would love for her to see
that, you know,
I've cooked some good stuff,
and hopefully
she'd be pleasantly surprised.
Next up, Billie.
Billie, what did you make?
So, roasted guinea fowl breast with
a parsley butter under the skin,
a chickpea puree
and a chickpea parsley...
..salad?
Salad. That'll do.
I am gonna put it out there
that you were just not quite yourself
when you cooked today. Like...
No. I don't know.
I just didn't really feel like
I really got into the cook,
as I usually do.
I got the thick part of the guinea
fowl breast right at the top
and it was actually quite perfect.
But the flat leaf parsley -
the flavour of it
in this little salad....
..is just out of whack.
When you cook parsley,
you've got to be terribly careful
that you don't lose what you had
in the beginning.
Yeah.
And so that's what it is.
There's a few flaws here.
The guinea fowl is good.
Everything else probably needs
a little bit of a tinker.
OK, thanks.
She really wants to get
out of there.
Next up, Daniel.
Long way to come!
Righto, Daniel.
Ever cooked guinea fowl?
Never cooked guinea fowl.
What did you cook?
Roasted guinea fowl.
Cool.
I'm spewing. I had a stuffing.
I really wanted to sort of put
like a nice sort of mushy...
..not mushy, but a nice sort of
tender stuffing for the chickpeas
but I've never cooked
fresh ones before
and they didn't break down anywhere
near the amount that they needed
and they were quite raw.
So I had to bite the bullet
and take it off.
So I've only really got
some bird and a sauce
and I really hope that everything's
cooked well, but I don't know.
Guinea fowl for the first time.
You're a game man.
Um...
I think you've actually done
pretty well...
Oh, thank you.
..on the cooking of the guinea fowl.
It's up there with the best today,
in my opinion.
Oh, sweet.
Well, I think it's not only
up there with the best so far.
I think you've pinged both
the breast and the leg perfectly.
If only it hadn't have been
just a plate of meat.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
That's what I loved about it!
(LAUGHTER)
OK.
That's all. Thank you, Daniel.
Righto, Daniel.
Thanks, guys. Cheers.
(APPLAUSE)
Next up is Aldo.
I'm very happy with
what I produced, actually.
But if Maggie doesn't
enjoy this dish,
the consequence for me will be
that I'm going to be heartbroken.
Thank you.
I really don't want to ruin
and destroy the great memories
that she's got of myself as a cook.
Aldo, Sicilian flavours
today for you.
We call it melanzane barchetta,
or a scarpone in my dialect,
which means stuffed eggplant.
And the last dish that you cooked
for Maggie, she loved.
Do you think that she'll love
this one just as much?
Last dish that I cooked for Maggie
was just giving justice
to the classic Italian flavour,
and I hope that I did the same
this time around as well.
The creaminess between the really
beautifully cooked eggplant
and then your topping
is just a perfect balance there,
because the whole thing
is really creamy.
But...
..all I want is a bit
of a squeeze of lemon.
And I know you didn't have
lemon to use,
so I'm wanting a little bit
of acidity with it.
Allow me.
Allow you?
Try it again.
I'll try it again.
There's verjus in there.
Oh!
There - you've got it. (LAUGHS)
There's lovely creaminess.
You've got saltiness. You've got...
You've got this acidity.
Another lovely dish
you've cooked for me, Aldo.
Well done.
Thank you, Maggie.
Thank you.
I'm feeling stoked.
Like, it's mind-blowing.
Giving another great dish to Maggie,
it means the world for me.
Smashed it.
Maggie, it's been
an absolute pleasure
having you back
in the MasterChef kitchen again.
It's been way too long.
Please, everyone,
give it up for Maggie Beer!
Right. There were a handful
of dishes that dazzled today.
We had perfectly cooked
guinea fowl from Daniel.
Oh, thank you. (LAUGHS)
We had an eggplant chock-full
of flavour from you, Mindy.
And we had a fresh take
on an Italian classic from Aldo.
Well done, you three. Great dishes.
But for some of you,
Maggie's mystery box proved to be
quite the challenge.
If I call your name,
unfortunately, you're in
tomorrow's pressure test.
Matt.
Harry.
Melanie.
And the final person going into
tomorrow's pressure test
is Billie.
Matt, Harry, Melanie and Billie,
get your game faces on,
walk in here tomorrow
determined to do what it takes
to stay in this
very special competition.
Good luck, guys.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks, Maggie.
Going into the pressure test,
it feels crap.
Oh, yeah, I knew it was coming.
But I need to push it aside
and forget about it
and focus on what's...tomorrow.
ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night
on MasterChef Australia...
We have Josh Niland!
..a legendary fish expert
brings an epic pressure test.
Ohhh!
BILLIE:
This recipe is huge.
MELANIE: I feel very
out of my depth.
HARRY: I am
extremely determined
to fight tooth
and nail
to stay in this
competition.
But there's one
giant catch.
Aaaggh!
That's a worry.
Captions by Red Bee Media
on MasterChef Australia,
It's every cook for themselves.
(ALL CHEER)
And with a massive prize
on the line...
$10,000 and an immunity pin?
That would be huge.
..they produced
some of their best dishes yet.
Michael, This is the kind of recipe
that gets downloaded by the million.
Thanks.
And Sarah blew away the judges...
Hi.
It has all the beauty and elegance
of a three Michelin star dish.
..claiming the cash and the pin.
Tonight, one
of our favourite guests...
HARRY: I've loved her my whole life.
I've got all of her cookbooks.
..is back in the MasterChef kitchen.
# '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. #
Excited!
Hello, everybody.
This is so nice.
What's going on?
Hey, mate. How are we? Eh?
Come on, guys.
Yesterday we finally joined teams,
and now we're one big group.
Good morning.
ALDO: Everybody is over the moon
excited
that we're going to be cooking
all together.
We are one big family.
Oh. Mystery boxes.
We've got a mystery box.
Good morning, everyone.
Come on down the front.
It's so great to see you
in your fresh new aprons.
(LAUGHTER)
It's a new day, a new mystery box,
and a new stage in the competition.
Daniel, you're looking across
at this very talented group of people
and thinking,
"I have to beat them all."
Yeah. Pretty much.
(LAUGHTER)
No, I'm kind of excited.
Like, now it's an opportunity
to learn
from more than just the Fans,
and it's probably
a good breath of fresh air
from the Fans, they're probably
sick of me. (CHUCKLES)
You right, Andy?
Yeah, there was a few nods.
I was like...
(LAUGHTER)
Brush it off.
Well, today is a mystery box day.
And today's mystery box
contains ingredients
chosen by a legendary cook
and a national treasure.
Ooh.
Mmm.
She's been part of our lives
for the past 40 years,
and her cooking has graced
our television screens, our homes
and our hearts.
Her love of food
radiates through her,
and it's hard not to smile
when she's in the room.
Maggie Beer.
Please give a very warm welcome
to Maggie Beer!
(ALL CHEER)
Oh, this is amazing!
We all love Maggie
from watching her on TV.
She's part of the fabric
of the Australian food scene.
JOCK: How are you?
What a joy.
What a rock star reception.
Maggie, how does it feel to be back
in this beautiful place,
the MasterChef kitchen?
I'm thrilled to be here again.
And who wouldn't love that welcome?
Exactly right.
I think that is the biggest welcome
we've had yet.
(LAUGHTER)
Melanie, you were...
you were blushing.
You were excited.
You had a huge smile on your face.
How does it feel to have
the legend Maggie Beer in the room?
This is unreal. I just, like...
Some people fangirl over
Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.
For me, it's Maggie Beer.
One of the meals
that Maggie made on the show,
like, years ago when I was 14 or 15,
was one of the first family meals
I made at home.
What was it?
It was a lamb roast with, like,
a crumb...like, a herb crumb crust.
And it was so good.
So good.
Just can't believe you're here.
(LAUGHTER)
No pressure about all this.
Oh, gosh. Can I go now?
(LAUGHTER)
Well, Maggie,
you've put this box together
with all of the ingredients that you
love to have in your regular pantry.
Mm-hm.
Should you show us what they are?
I'd love to.
Are you ready to see
what's inside my mystery box?
ALL: Yes.
We are.
Here we go.
ALL: Ohh!
That's, like,
a classic Maggie mystery box.
Like, there's a beautiful bunch
of fresh herbs, chickpeas
and the game bird.
I don't even know what it is.
Well, there had to be game.
So, we have guinea fowl,
beautiful bird to eat,
chickpeas -
South Australian, of course -
as well as beautiful, tiny capers.
Prunes - now, people
either hate or love prunes.
I love prunes.
Eggplant, paprika,
pistachios
and all these fresh herbs,
things that I can't cook without.
How many people have cooked
with guinea fowl before?
Two.
Oh.
Wow.
OK.
May I ask a question?
Yeah. Come on.
Hit us, Julie, what have you got?
Well, just, you know, with chicken,
it's got to be cooked
all the way through.
Duck, you want it
to be pink in the middle.
What's a guinea fowl?
Well, you can't overcook it.
Game must be
just pink near the bone only.
Overcooking is sort of like
the worst thing in the world,
but don't have it raw either.
OK.
Just be perfect.
Alright.
MEL: Easy. Just like that.
Simple.
You guys have all got 75 minutes
to cook whatever you like,
but you must use
at least one ingredient
from Maggie's mystery box.
The pantry and the garden,
of course, today are closed.
But because Maggie is here,
she's been very kind
and gave you a couple of extra
for your underbench pantry,
which is, Maggie?
Oh, well, verjuice,
would you believe?
(LAUGHTER)
Of course.
But also some vino cotto as well.
But don't forget the verjuice.
For sure there must be verjus.
Maggie Beer verjus.
And also vino cotto is so good.
Today, the four
least impressive dishes
will send their makers
into a pressure test tomorrow
where someone will go home.
Maggie, would you like
to kick us off?
I'd love to.
Good luck, everyone.
And your time starts now.
Sorry.
Sorry, Dan.
Look, I'm super stoked to see
Maggie again one more time.
She's a gem.
I've got such a great memory
of Maggie Beer.
I met her on MasterChef Season 10.
It is just so perfect.
Oh...
Yes!
Oh...
I was in elimination, cooking
a beautiful perfect chicken breast.
And she raved about it.
That silkiness, it's perfection.
It's shimmering.
Today, I just want to give
another great dish to Maggie.
OK. Come on, let's go.
How are we, mate?
Aldo.
Hello. How are we?
I'm good. How are you?
Very well.
What are you cooking?
I'm basically going to do
melanzane a scarpone.
It's basically half eggplant,
then it's going to be
the filling of the eggplant,
with capers,
prunes and beautiful pistachio.
And then normally
we add the mozzarella
or whipped ricotta cream
on the base.
Ricotta?
Yes.
There was no ricotta in the pantry.
And we've got to make it.
Hey, it has to come from somewhere.
Fabulous. I love these
classic Italian flavours.
A confident Aldo is a good Aldo.
Well, you know,
I'm cooking something that I love.
Plus, Maggie, she's here.
She has been my lucky star so far.
Good luck, Aldo.
Thank you.
Good luck.
I remember the advice
that she gave me on my season.
She said, "Just showcase
the bold Italian that you are."
I want to keep that memory
and channelling for today,
and I can be safe
from the bottom four.
HARRY: I couldn't be more happy.
While other kids watched, like, The
Simpsons and Play School and stuff,
I only ever watched, like, The Cook
and the Chef when I came home.
So, it's pretty special
to have her here today
and, like, some seriously beautiful
ingredients as well.
So, when Maggie introduced
the mystery box,
there were some
incredible-looking eggplants.
The judges
seem to be really responsive
to when I cook my, like,
really vegie-based dishes.
So I think that maybe I should
just stay in that box today.
So, today I'm going to make
oven-roasted eggplant
with some agrodolce,
which is something
that we learned from Jock
in our MasterClass the other day,
and also a herb salad.
Agrodolce is a sauce
that is sweet and sour,
really interesting, really complex.
But given the ingredients
that we got in the mystery box,
I'm a little bit worried
about how I'm going
to balance the agrodolce.
Hopefully, I'll be able
to manage that in other ways.
The agrodolce is my hero of the dish.
As long as I give myself enough
time all day today to taste
and continually work on it,
I think I should be alright.
He's like a little chook that's been
on the run for a while, isn't he?
Yes. Yes. And they do.
They run around a lot.
STEPH: # Vino cotto. #
I'm looking at the guinea fowl.
You know, I was kind of tempted,
but I'm just going to play
to my strength.
Today I am going to make a pistachio
frangipane tart with a prune jam.
When I saw Maggie Beer, I was like,
"Oh, we're going to get vegies."
Which was great,
so I've cracked open the vegies.
I love to put it in fruit.
So, I'm doing my prune jam
and the vegies today as well.
The prune jam is cooking.
The next thing I need to do
is work on my tart base.
With frangipane tart,
I kind of want different textures.
I don't want it all to be the same.
So I want a crispy shell,
a really good layer of jam
in the centre,
and on top of that
just a really smooth and buttery
pistachio frangipane.
There is a lot to do.
No-one wants to go into a pressure
test, and I would love to avoid it.
I'm just going to have to see
what happens and try to cook my best.
Someone knows how to cook.
I'm making a dessert samosa,
prune syrup
and the pistachio ice-cream.
I kind of want to have that play
on what a traditional samosa
would look like,
but the sweet version.
MATT: Here we go.
Today I'm going to do a guinea fowl
breast roasted on the crown,
a prune sauce to go with that.
(CHUCKLES)
Where's the...?
I'm making a steamed sort of custard
with eggplant and chickpeas harissa
with caramelised vino cotto
and verjuice.
Work in progress.
(TIMER BEEPS)
Oh, shut...up.
MONTANA: Sticking to my strengths
today is definitely important.
There's a lot on the line.
The competition
is getting a lot tougher.
So, I'm cooking a rosemary ice-cream
with a prune cake
and a pistachio praline
sort of crumb.
I want to smash out something
that can keep me safe
from tomorrow's pressure test.
JOCK: Maggie, thanks for coming.
And thanks for bringing
a few interesting ingredients
from your pantry.
We know that your style of cooking,
it all revolves around produce.
That's never changed.
But what's exciting to you right now?
What's exciting me right now
is all these beautiful herbs,
the chickpeas
and these beautiful capers.
But game is my thing.
You know, I have cooked
more pheasant and guinea fowl
and partridge
than I think
most people in Australia.
I think you're right.
And I think guinea fowl
is underrated.
Honestly, I hate to say this,
but I think it's sent them
into a bit of a spin.
Anyone who's cooking guinea fowl
just does not really know
how it's meant to be perfectly.
Oh, just stay there for a minute.
Have I made it too hard?
Oh, Maggie.
They're in a bit of a tailspin
because you're here,
and they don't
want to disappoint you.
Man, I don't know what to do
with this bird.
I'm a huge fan of Maggie Beer.
I would like to do something
that would impress Maggie,
but I feel flustered
just thinking about it.
Hi, Melanie.
Hi, Jock.
Mi, Maggie!
Hello, Melanie.
Oh, I'm so glad
you're doing guinea fowl.
That makes one of us.
(LAUGHTER)
What are you making?
What's the dish?
So, I'm going to put a compound
butter under the skin
of the marylands of the guinea fowl
and roast them off.
I'm thinking about roasting
the eggplants as well.
Going to make maybe a puree
with the chickpeas.
What are you doing with the crown?
The crown?
I'm not sure. It scares me.
OK.
No, you just cut there
and then splay that down.
Spread it down like a spatchcock.
I feel really flustered
talking to Maggie.
I'm starstruck.
Put your butter
under the skin there, too.
They cook at different levels.
I'm listening
and I'm nodding along...
..but I just feel like
nothing is going in.
This is an important cook for you
because you grew up
being inspired by Maggie, right?
Yeah. Absolutely.
Have courage.
Yeah.
Cook with instinct.
OK. Alright.
Good luck.
My mind's just kind of blank.
They said cook instinctively.
I don't know if they meant
for me to take it off.
Only problem is, I still don't
know how to treat a guinea fowl.
Don't know how to cook it.
Oh, God, I don't know. I don't know.
Oh, God, I'm shaking.
I feet really flustered
talking to Maggie.
The one thing that's
kind of sticking in my mind
is that she said,
"Cook instinctively."
So I'm just going to try and do that.
I've separated the skin
from the meat of the guinea fowl,
and I'm just forcing as much butter
in there as I can fit.
All good, Mel?
Uh, I don't know. (CHUCKLES)
I'm sure you're fine.
I've got a probe in one of the
marylands, and I put it in the oven.
(SIGHS)
If I fail this, I'm probably going
into a pressure test.
Pray to the guinea fowl gods.
Lower temp... Stop!
Maggie Beer's in the house.
Don't disappoint her.
45 minutes to go!
Let's go, guys!
MINDY: Right. Wowee. Here we go.
I'm actually feeling quite confident
about today's cook.
Wow.
Maggie's mystery box
has made me realise
that mystery boxes are really about
embracing the home cook,
you know, focusing on that produce,
just like Maggie does.
Mindy!
Hello.
How are ya?
Hi, Mindy.
Hey, Maggie! Welcome.
Thank you.
Yeah.
It's good to be here.
What are you doing?
I'm doing eggplant
that's going to be stuffed
with all these amazing ingredients
that you've given us.
So I've got the pistachios, I've got
the capers, I've got crispy capers,
I'm making a prune
and paprika dressing.
But this is so much fun.
Just having you here has just
brought a smile to my face, so...
Oh, well, I'm thrilled.
Even though you haven't tackled
the guinea fowl,
you've tackled everything else.
It's my kind of food.
Bitterness, acidity, balance.
Yeah.
Always about balance, and also
layers of texture as well.
Totally.
Sounds like you're
onto a winner, Mindy.
Yes.
Thanks, guys.
Good luck.
Oh, my God. I just love her.
Seriously.
SARAH: She's amazing.
She's so good.
When I cook at home, I love it.
I cook from joy.
And I love cooking for people,
and I love cooking for family.
And Maggie Beer
is like MasterChef family.
So if I can layer the flavours,
bring a dish that I would be...
happily serve her at my house,
that's all I want to do today.
What are you doing
with your chickpeas?
Roasting some off with some spice,
seeing what happens.
So, I'm going to roast
the guinea fowl with a stuffing
of pistachio, the chickpeas,
the capers and prunes.
I'm just sort of going to
treat it a bit like chicken
and hope for the best.
For my stuffing, I'm going to use
prunes for the sweetness,
capers, acidity,
pistachios, some butter and stuff
just to keep it moist
and the chickpeas
to be essentially the body.
But I've never cooked raw chickpeas,
so I'm a bit unsure.
I'm just going to
stuff the guinea fowl with it
and let it cook in the oven.
Cook, my pretty. Cook!
I've got a bit of a bad track record
of undercooking things
at the moment,
so let's hope that
I don't overcook it now.
SARAH: Got my dough
for my dessert samosa
and now I'm just moving on
to the pistachio ice-cream.
(SIGHS)
I'm just worried about
the balance in the flavours.
Hopefully, it all comes together
nicely and the judges like it.
I'm just glad no-one
has to go home today.
(LAUGHS) That's true.
I hate that.
BILLIE: I'm on the fly here,
holding my swear words away.
I definitely feel
a little bit off today.
The fact that
we have to really fight
for our own place now
in the competition -
the stakes have risen.
It's thrown me a little bit.
I'm not feeling as confident.
Never used guinea fowl before.
I'm doing the legs in the
pressure cooker, just quickly...
..and some nice sides.
So, using the chickpeas,
using the herbs -
just attempting
to make something half-decent.
Oh, I bloody hope
it all sort of comes together.
I don't want to be in a
pressure test, so...here's hoping.
ANDY: Maggie brought us
some top ingredients.
Don't bring us a bottom-four dish.
You've got 30 minutes to go.
ALDO: Have you got a tongs?
Have you got one?
MINDY: Uh, I've got one.
I'll come back for that.
There you are.
Thank you.
Today, definitely,
the pressure is on.
(SIGHS) It's Maggie Beer,
and I need to live to the
expectation that she's got,
especially on myself.
Thanks, my love.
But for my stuffed eggplant,
I'm happy with the way
that everything looks so far.
Beautiful.
The eggplant on the bottom
in the oven.
For my beautiful filling,
the mixture is looking great.
It's a classic Sicilian style.
I've got my ricotta going,
capers, prunes and pistachios.
But now I need
to finish the dressing
that goes on top of the eggplant.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
I'm going to use
her favourite verjus,
just to get the acidity
which this dish needs.
Try this.
Will I add a bit more verjus?
Mm...
All my attention
has to be just focused on
to deliver this great food
today for Maggie.
So, the pastry for my tart,
the pistachio frangipane,
and the prune jam is done,
and I'm quite happy
with how that's taken.
But all the elements I've made took
a little bit longer than I wanted.
TOMMY: Good luck, tart lady!
(LAUGHS)
So I'm rushing
to get the tart into the oven.
It's going to take
at least 25 minutes to bake.
This may be trouble.
Ooh.
Hi.
Come on, show me what's going on.
I'm actually feeling nervous.
About it setting?
Yeah.
Oh, man.
I'm, like...I'm upset.
Don't...
Because, if that doesn't set,
you will automatically be
in the bottom four.
Good luck.
Thank you.
I am anxious, waiting by the oven.
God.
I wish that,
the longer I stare at it,
it would just somehow
come together really quickly.
It's making me sick.
Feeling great. Feeling great.
What's that?
HARRY: Agrodolce.
Yeah, nice.
I'm actually in a pretty good
position today. Don't jinx it.
(KNOCKS ON BENCH)
Touch all the wood.
Harry.
Hello!
How are you?
Hello!
Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you.
What's the dish?
I've got some roast eggplant
and I'm going to be serving that
with my take on Jock's agrodolce...
Awesome.
..and a parsley salad.
I'm just trying to balance
this agrodolce at the moment
to add bitterness.
It's really hard to get it,
like, right on the edge.
Prunes and capers?
Prunes, capers, pistachios...
The whole lot?
..verjuice, vino cotto...
OK. The vino cotto is wonderful,
and prunes are wonderful,
but it can be sweet-sweet.
Yeah.
So, yes, your bitterness -
you're on the right path...
Yep.
..but really push it.
OK. Will do.
Good luck.
Thank you so much.
Without that level of bitterness,
it's going to be too sweet
and won't hit every little point
that you want it to.
I have multiple roasted eggplants
and I don't need all of them.
Let's burn this.
So I'm going to stick
two of them back in the oven
and completely burn the skins.
And then I'll put that
into the agrodolce
to try and add some bitterness.
Burn, goddamn you! Burn!
And hopefully, that will
balance out my agrodolce.
You've only got 10 minutes to go!
Come on!
ANDY: Come on, guys!
MELANIE: I don't know, Dan.
Is she cooked? (LAUGHS)
The guinea fowl is out of the oven
and I don't know
if it's cooked right.
But I really want to try
and trust my instincts.
Mel.
Hey, Andy.
How you travelling?
OK, I think.
(INHALES SHARPLY)
What are we at here?
Um, it's currently at 62.
Hoping to rest it up
a couple more degrees.
Get it there. You just don't want
to be in that bottom four.
I'm very anxious about
overcooking this guinea fowl,
so I'm very wary
of applying more heat to it.
See what it rests up to.
I want it to finish
around 64 degrees,
but it got to 62 degrees
and it stopped there.
I don't know if I'd say
it's going to plan.
MINDY: Come on. Boil, water! Boil!
I've managed to jam-pack in
so much flavour
into my roast eggplant
and chickpea salad.
I've got my chickpea cream.
I've got those beautiful
caramelised eggplants.
I'm doing my little
chickpea and herb salad on the side.
I've got my capers in there.
And then that herb oil,
which is going to tie
all the ingredients together.
Mindy.
Hey, girlfriend!
Uh... Hey!
I've got all my beautiful
bits and pieces ready to go.
Looking very good.
And are you confident
this is sure-fire...
I'm just having fun,
you know what I mean?
..safe, delicious...?
I had this moment where I realised,
"Cook like you cook at home."
Yeah. Absolutely.
You know what I mean?
Like, it was like this
light-bulb kind of moment.
And I just...when I cook like this
and I love what I do,
I just...I don't know, it works.
Here's hoping all of those
flavours come together.
Prep looks great.
Great. Thanks, Mel.
Now I just need to mix all of those
different elements together.
Fingers crossed,
Maggie's going to love it.
SARAH: That looks yum, Mindy.
Let's hope we get there, hey?
Just...I just...I am mesmerised.
BILLIE: Oh, I'm still
feeling a bit off.
I've had my guinea fowl
braising in the pressure cooker
and I'm not sure about the cook.
I'm hoping that it's OK.
I dunno.
On my bench, there's a lot of sort of
stuff that I'm not sure I'll use.
Hey, Billie.
Hey, Andy.
Where are we at?
Good... I've got the breast
of the guinea fowl,
the leg of the guinea fowl.
Yep.
I'm making a sauce.
Uh-huh.
What's...what...
what's this little guy?
Oh, that's...yeah, nothing.
Is it all coming together?
Yeah.
You look a little... I dunno.
Yeah it's just...
"That might go on, this may go on -
"I'm not really sure
where it's going to get to."
I do actually have a lot of that.
Well, I'm going to
leave you with it,
'cause you've got
a few decisions to make.
Good luck, Billie.
Thanks, Andy.
MEL: Five minutes to go!
Time's gone fast.
You good?
Um, I've just gotta finish
balancing my prune sauce now
and finish my chickpeas.
But the guinea fowl is looking good,
which is the main component.
How hard should chickpeas be?
They should be quite soft, eh?
Um, yeah.
I hope you're right at the very last
and you know
exactly what you're doing,
but you've only got three minutes
to make it happen.
Come on, guys! Three minutes!
Three minutes!
MONTANA: I'm really happy
with the flavours
in the prune cake
and rosemary ice-cream.
I've just got to make sure my
quantities on the plate are perfect.
DANIEL: Cook, my pretty! Cook!
I'm feeling good.
I've managed to make a prune sauce
and my guinea fowl is ready
to take out of the oven.
It's hard now I've
got this in the oven.
I'm just sort of
standing around, eh.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
I want to pull it out,
giving it enough time
to climb up in temperature
to about 63 to 65 degrees.
I'm going to serve the chickpea
stuffing next to the bird.
Just wanted to give it
a quick taste with everything else
to be sure that I'm
on the right track.
Are they supposed to be
this crunchy, you reckon?
Or no?
I'd say they're a bit under.
Yeah.
The chickpeas haven't
cooked through, and it's...
..quite gross.
I'm not happy with the stuffing,
but if I take that off the board,
I've only got
the roast bird and a sauce,
and I don't have any time
to make anything else.
I'm sitting there at a crossroads
and I have to make
that right decision.
The chickpeas for my stuffing
haven't cooked through.
But I'm trying to impress Maggie,
so I have to make
that right decision.
I can't bring myself to serve it.
I'm going to take them off.
It's painful, but it's better
than serving it to the judges.
It all comes down to
how well the bird is cooked.
I think I've done alright.
I'm quite happy with that.
I carve off the breast
of this guinea fowl.
The legs are there, too.
It's very moist.
I've got nothing else
on this platter,
so I may as well give them as much
of the guinea fowl as I can.
Hopefully, that's enough
to keep me from the bottom four.
JOCK: Get your dishes on the plate.
You've only got two minutes to go!
Come on!
That looks...
that looks cooked, right?
The guinea fowl is rested.
I don't know if it's cooked right.
But there's not a whole lot
I can do about it now.
Sorry, Dan, just watch your elbows.
I put some of the chickpea mash
on the plate.
My roasted eggplant.
I know this isn't my best dish,
but I don't know
how good or how bad it is.
HARRY: Oop!
Finally, the agrodolce
tastes balanced,
but I think I've cooked it too far.
The agrodolce is really tight
and almost jammy.
That's all I have to put on my dish,
so I'm just going to have to
go with it.
Here we go, gang!
You've got 60 seconds!
I am really nervous about this tart.
Hot!
I don't know if it's cooked through.
If this tart is not cooked properly,
this is definitely my ticket
into the bottom four.
Oh, my God, I hope she works.
That looks nice.
Yeah, I don't know
what I'm going to do here.
I'm still feeling
a bit weird about this dish,
but I just need to get it done.
30 seconds!
JOCK: There it is!
Alrighty, then! Ten!
JUDGES: Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!
Five! Four! Three! Two! One!
That's it!
MEL: Whoo!
ANDY: Well done, guys!
(JUDGES APPLAUD)
SARAH: We've got to be set, guys.
ALDO: Well done.
MINDY: We will be.
Epic. Epic.
Well done.
Well, with the legend Maggie Beer
in the house today,
it was all about turning what looked
like a very simple mystery box
into something extraordinary.
And the first dish
that we'd like to taste -
Mindy.
MINDY: I felt so great to be cooking
as if I was cooking at home,
cooking for someone
that I love and adore.
And I really hope that shows
in my cook today.
I've managed to use most
of those incredible ingredients
that you had in your
mystery box, Maggie,
and I made roast eggplant salad.
I hope it's full of flavour for you.
Thank you, Mindy.
Well, the chickpeas are beautiful,
that infused flavour
that you've given,
your balance of your bitterness
and acidity and creaminess.
It's a fabulous dish.
Whatever you did,
whatever inspiration that you had -
and I know we can't have Maggie
in here all the time -
but in terms of the ingredients,
just continue to go there.
Honestly, that's right up there
with one of the best things you've
cooked in the competition so far.
Thank you so much.
Nice one, Mindy.
Well done, Mindy.
It means a lot.
Next up, Steph.
OK, Steph, you've cooked a tart.
But what kind of tart is it?
Um, so, it's a pistachio
frangipane and prune tart,
pistachio cream
and pistachio praline.
Is it cooked?
'Cause that was, like, the big thing
when I came around to your bench.
I think it's cooked.
Cool.
Well, let's taste.
Um...
I really dig that prune jam,
that layer of prune jam.
I thought that that was
really nicely done,
especially when you only had
a couple of sweet things
to work with in the mystery box.
Um, the pistachio frangipane...
..is, like, JUST cooked.
Like, very fine line there, Steph.
Yep.
I love that the pistachio's
only just cooked,
because it's so moist.
You know, it can so often
go over and become dry.
The prune is fabulous.
Do you know, my only trouble with it
is the Chantilly cream - too much.
Yeah.
Jock doesn't feel the same way,
I can tell.
(LAUGHTER)
He's going to steal you cream.
So, the...the flavours...
..the flavours are fantas...
Oh, you did! (LAUGHS)
I did offer it to him a minute ago.
I really enjoyed it.
Thank you.
Thank you, Steph.
Thank you.
MINDY: Good job, Steph.
Thank you!
JOCK: Harry, you're next.
HARRY: Walking my dish
up to the judges,
I'm not feeling confident.
I want my agrodolce to be
like the one Jock made
in our MasterClass the other day,
but it's not exactly how
I thought it was going to look.
God, it's really, like, jammed up.
(LAUGHS)
and delicious exclusives, at:
HARRY: God, it's really, like,
jammed up.
(MAGGIE LAUGHS)
Harry, what have you cooked us?
I've cooked some oven roast eggplant
with a prune agrodolce
and just a little parsley salad.
The agrodolce - you managed to get
a good balance of flavours in there.
Like, it is sweet, is sour,
there is some bitterness in there.
But it's cooked down to the point
where it's solidified
and it kind of just sticks
to your teeth.
The main part of this, which is
the roast eggplant,
is really, really underseasoned.
Yep.
Can I disagree with you?
Of course you can.
Yeah.
Of the eggplant, I got the smallest
one that was more burnished.
And if you get a thinner one and
you get that caramelisation on it,
which you have on mine...
But the roasted eggplant has been
sort of overtaken by your Vegemite.
Yeah.
Have a better day next.
Thank you.
Thank you.
ANDY: Thanks, Harry.
(APPLAUSE)
Wow.
Nah, I knew. It's fine.
Told ya.
Next up, Montana.
So, it is a prune cake
with rosemary ice-cream,
a caramel and verjuice granita.
MEL: The flavours are really lovely.
And the combination of the
ice-cream, cake, the caramel
and then that granita, I think
it was a clever strategy.
I think you've done
a nice dish of food.
Thank you, guys. Thank you.
The next dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Alvin.
ALVIN: I made a savoury custard
with eggplant and parsley oil.
Alvin, I quite liked it.
Oh, my God.
I could see it
on a modern Asian menu.
Thank you.
The next dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Sarah.
SARAH: I've made a sweet samosa
with a pistachio ice-cream.
Sarah, that pistachio, that
roundness in the mouth is fantastic.
And that ice-cream I'd go miles for.
Thank you.
Next up, it's you, Matt.
I cooked you roast guinea fowl
with chickpea and prune.
That guinea fowl leg has got
so much going for it.
And I love the sauce, but
the sweetness is just over the edge.
Yep.
And the chickpeas are undercooked.
Sure.
JUDGES: Thanks, Matt.
Chickpeas, huh? (LAUGHS)
Next up, it's Melanie.
MELANIE: I'd love to impress
Maggie Beer,
but I don't know if the guinea fowl
is cooked right.
I don't know if it tastes good.
I'm very unsure about this,
and that's making me very nervous.
Melanie, what have you cooked us?
Uh, it's a roasted
guinea fowl maryland,
eggplants and...with
a chickpea mash and pistachios.
You happy with it?
You don't seem happy.
Is it Maggie that threw you off
your game today?
Yeah, a little bit.
I mean, you grew up...
You grew up watching her
on TV, right?
When you guys came to my bench
and you were talking to me,
I felt like I was taking it in.
And then you left,
and I was like, "Wait, what?
"What just happened?"
I didn't know what you'd said.
I've got to leave. I can tell.
Melanie, with this, I think you've
come across something unfamiliar
and you've come across this
amazing woman in the kitchen,
which has probably thrown you today.
The skin on the maryland
just needs to be caramelised more.
And with your bird herself,
it was undercooked.
Maybe a minute more,
90 seconds more.
It's just not a great dish, overall.
Yeah, I know.
But the guinea fowl
is still good eating,
even though it could have had
that...
..it should have had
that extra time.
Obviously, it's not been a good day,
but try it again at home
when there's no pressure.
OK. Thanks.
Thanks, Melanie.
Thanks, Mel.
I'm disappointed that I cooked
a bad dish for Maggie Beer.
It is what it is.
Does Maggie Beer watch MasterChef
in her free time?
I would love for her to see
that, you know,
I've cooked some good stuff,
and hopefully
she'd be pleasantly surprised.
Next up, Billie.
Billie, what did you make?
So, roasted guinea fowl breast with
a parsley butter under the skin,
a chickpea puree
and a chickpea parsley...
..salad?
Salad. That'll do.
I am gonna put it out there
that you were just not quite yourself
when you cooked today. Like...
No. I don't know.
I just didn't really feel like
I really got into the cook,
as I usually do.
I got the thick part of the guinea
fowl breast right at the top
and it was actually quite perfect.
But the flat leaf parsley -
the flavour of it
in this little salad....
..is just out of whack.
When you cook parsley,
you've got to be terribly careful
that you don't lose what you had
in the beginning.
Yeah.
And so that's what it is.
There's a few flaws here.
The guinea fowl is good.
Everything else probably needs
a little bit of a tinker.
OK, thanks.
She really wants to get
out of there.
Next up, Daniel.
Long way to come!
Righto, Daniel.
Ever cooked guinea fowl?
Never cooked guinea fowl.
What did you cook?
Roasted guinea fowl.
Cool.
I'm spewing. I had a stuffing.
I really wanted to sort of put
like a nice sort of mushy...
..not mushy, but a nice sort of
tender stuffing for the chickpeas
but I've never cooked
fresh ones before
and they didn't break down anywhere
near the amount that they needed
and they were quite raw.
So I had to bite the bullet
and take it off.
So I've only really got
some bird and a sauce
and I really hope that everything's
cooked well, but I don't know.
Guinea fowl for the first time.
You're a game man.
Um...
I think you've actually done
pretty well...
Oh, thank you.
..on the cooking of the guinea fowl.
It's up there with the best today,
in my opinion.
Oh, sweet.
Well, I think it's not only
up there with the best so far.
I think you've pinged both
the breast and the leg perfectly.
If only it hadn't have been
just a plate of meat.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
That's what I loved about it!
(LAUGHTER)
OK.
That's all. Thank you, Daniel.
Righto, Daniel.
Thanks, guys. Cheers.
(APPLAUSE)
Next up is Aldo.
I'm very happy with
what I produced, actually.
But if Maggie doesn't
enjoy this dish,
the consequence for me will be
that I'm going to be heartbroken.
Thank you.
I really don't want to ruin
and destroy the great memories
that she's got of myself as a cook.
Aldo, Sicilian flavours
today for you.
We call it melanzane barchetta,
or a scarpone in my dialect,
which means stuffed eggplant.
And the last dish that you cooked
for Maggie, she loved.
Do you think that she'll love
this one just as much?
Last dish that I cooked for Maggie
was just giving justice
to the classic Italian flavour,
and I hope that I did the same
this time around as well.
The creaminess between the really
beautifully cooked eggplant
and then your topping
is just a perfect balance there,
because the whole thing
is really creamy.
But...
..all I want is a bit
of a squeeze of lemon.
And I know you didn't have
lemon to use,
so I'm wanting a little bit
of acidity with it.
Allow me.
Allow you?
Try it again.
I'll try it again.
There's verjus in there.
Oh!
There - you've got it. (LAUGHS)
There's lovely creaminess.
You've got saltiness. You've got...
You've got this acidity.
Another lovely dish
you've cooked for me, Aldo.
Well done.
Thank you, Maggie.
Thank you.
I'm feeling stoked.
Like, it's mind-blowing.
Giving another great dish to Maggie,
it means the world for me.
Smashed it.
Maggie, it's been
an absolute pleasure
having you back
in the MasterChef kitchen again.
It's been way too long.
Please, everyone,
give it up for Maggie Beer!
Right. There were a handful
of dishes that dazzled today.
We had perfectly cooked
guinea fowl from Daniel.
Oh, thank you. (LAUGHS)
We had an eggplant chock-full
of flavour from you, Mindy.
And we had a fresh take
on an Italian classic from Aldo.
Well done, you three. Great dishes.
But for some of you,
Maggie's mystery box proved to be
quite the challenge.
If I call your name,
unfortunately, you're in
tomorrow's pressure test.
Matt.
Harry.
Melanie.
And the final person going into
tomorrow's pressure test
is Billie.
Matt, Harry, Melanie and Billie,
get your game faces on,
walk in here tomorrow
determined to do what it takes
to stay in this
very special competition.
Good luck, guys.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks, Maggie.
Going into the pressure test,
it feels crap.
Oh, yeah, I knew it was coming.
But I need to push it aside
and forget about it
and focus on what's...tomorrow.
ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night
on MasterChef Australia...
We have Josh Niland!
..a legendary fish expert
brings an epic pressure test.
Ohhh!
BILLIE:
This recipe is huge.
MELANIE: I feel very
out of my depth.
HARRY: I am
extremely determined
to fight tooth
and nail
to stay in this
competition.
But there's one
giant catch.
Aaaggh!
That's a worry.
Captions by Red Bee Media