MasterChef Australia (2009–…): Season 14, Episode 57 - Episode #14.57 - full transcript

ANNOUNCER: Previously
on MasterChef Australia,

Oh, my God. What a mess!

KEYMA: I have to bring my A-game.

JOCK: Oh! Wow!

It's a half-a-kilo truffle!

..in a high-stakes immunity cook.

This cabbage is, like,
worth more than my damn mortgage.

# Every day I'm trufflin'... #

They unearthed
some incredible dishes.

JOCK: Like, that's proper good.

ANDY: It is so on point
it's not funny.



But Keyma was the one
who stood out...

Brilliant cook on the pork.
I'm so proud of you.

Thank you.
Well done.

..and secured her spot
in the top four.

Tonight...

DANIEL: If I don't make the right
decision, I'm going home.

..get ready for a nail-biter
of an elimination.

# '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. #

SARAH: This is stunning.

BILLIE: Look at that!
Wow.

The scenery here
is absolutely breathtaking.

We've had such an amazing trip.

You know, this is what
the whole competition is about -

beautiful produce,

and getting to cook in such
an incredible place, like Tasmania.

"Lawrenny Distillery."

JULIE: This place is amazing.

Like, there's mountains
in the background.

There's this crystal-clear river
rushing by.

The air is crisp and icy

and it's just stunning.

Julie, how beautiful is this?

Isn't it gorgeous?

Tassie's been incredible so far.

I've always wanted to come
to somewhere like this.

I mean, we've done some cool things

that I don't think anyone
will ever get to do.

I also never, ever expected
to be in an elimination

against three other Favourites.

The three last remaining
Favourites of this season, and...

..me. (CHUCKLES)

It sounds like a bad joke, almost.

BILLIE: Hi.
ANDY: Afternoon, all.

How are we?
SARAH: Hi.

Good.

So, we're standing here on the banks
of the incredible River Derwent.

This is our last day
in beautiful Tasmania.

But, sadly, for one of you,

it's also your last day
in the competition.

By the end of today,
five of you will become four.

KEYMA: It's a pretty, you know,
kind of bittersweet feeling

because I'm really happy
to be immune,

but Julie, Billie, Sarah and Daniel,
one of them is going today,

and it is very, very heartbreaking.

Well, we are standing in this
beautiful place for a reason.

Tasmania has some of the purest
water sources in the world.

And that water - this water -

is used by Lawrenny Distillery
just over there

to make its award-winning
whisky and gin.

Interestingly, this year
Tasmanian distilling

celebrates 30 years
of fine whisky making.

And today you get to pick
which one you showcase

in a four-course service challenge.

What?
Oh, my God.

Oh, wow.
What?

A service challenge?
There's only four of us cooking.

We normally have four on one team.

This is definitely going to be
a tough challenge today.

Oh, Jules! (LAUGHS)

Everyone's looking around, going,
"There's not many of us."

Here's how it's going to work.

Each of you are going to pick
a token from this bag.

The number you pick
corresponds with a course.

What do you want?

Number one, that means
you're cooking a vegetarian course.

Number two, seafood.

Yes!

What?
Two - fish.

Fish.
Yes.

Nice one.

Number three, meat.

Number four is dessert.

Julie, get in there.

JULIE: I'd be happy with number one.
Number one?

You want a veg course?
Oh...

Goddammit!
(LAUGHS) Oh, she got dessert.

Dammit. (LAUGHS)

Billie, do you want it?
I'm guessing that's the one
Billie wanted.

Oh, gosh.

One.

One - veg.
Vegetarian.

Do I have to pick? (LAUGHS)
So, that means...

There you go.
Three.

You got three.
Meat. Meat.

Daniel.
Yes.

Fish. You looked pretty
happy about that, mate.

Yeah, I'm pretty stoked with that.

There's plenty you can do with fish
and plenty you can do with alcohol.

Excellent.

Julie, you didn't look very happy
about getting dessert, at all.

No, it's not my forte,

but, you know, I'm here now,
so...I'll bring it.

You must do a lot
of different desserts

at the cooking school,
though, no? Surely.

I tend to have other presenters
come in and teach those, 'cause...

(LAUGHTER)
Oh, you sneaky!

Alright.

You're going to have three hours

before your course
needs to leave the pass.

In it, you must showcase
either gin or whisky.

Each of you will need to feed
20 very special diners

and, of course, us three.

Whoever cooks the least impressive
course will be eliminated

and our top four will be decided.

Sarah, you're on
the vegetarian course,

so you're going to kick us off.

Your three hours will start
as soon as you enter the kitchen.

Good luck.
Thank you.

SARAH: I'm excited
to get into the challenge,

but I am a little bit nervous

because it's a vegetarian course
to start with.

To really highlight whisky,

I feel like Japanese cuisine
would be the best.

Japanese flavours are something
that I really love.

You know, whisky is, obviously,
huge in Japan as well.

I am making a whisky broth

with Tokyo turnips, mushrooms
and parsnip chips.

First thing I need to do
is get my broth on.

I am adding kombu, some shiitake
mushrooms, onions, some dashi,

just really trying
to build out this flavour.

This is my last cook in Tasmania.

I definitely want to make sure
it's one to remember.

ANDY: Daniel, mate, you're up.

DANIEL: I'm up. I'm ready to go.

I'm jumping in there,
running straight in,

ready to get started with it.

Hey, Sarah.
Oh. Go, Dan. Whoo-hoo!

What are you making?

Uh, I'm doing gin-cured salmon.

Gin and salmon - yum, Dan.
Sounds good.

I've got this beautiful gin here,
and I want to showcase that.

So it seems to be, like, a bit of a
no-brainer to do a gin-cured salmon.

And I could incorporate
the aromats that it has in it

with some of the other
fresh produce that we have.

I've got three hours
before my service kicks off,

and I want to try and get
everything done in a certain order.

Filleting salmon's a pain as it is.

There's just
so much prep work involved.

The bones are super fine,
especially on these smaller ones.

They're like little hairs,
and I've got to pin-bone them all.

And then I have to create my cure.

But it's just going to take so long.

Two down, Jules,

two to go.

It's kind of nice to have this time

to think about exactly
what I want to cook.

I'm on the meat course,

so I'm thinking
I want to cook with lamb.

Lamb has that really rich,
round flavour

that could pair
really well with whisky.

JULIE: I just wanna get in,
get on with it.

Get it over with.
I know. Got a bit of a wait
ahead of you, Jules.

I'm the last course,

so I've got to sit around for quite
a while before I can get started.

I have a recipe in my head.

I'm thinking about
the whisky toffee pudding

with a whisky butterscotch sauce,

ice-cream,
and a pecan peppered crumb.

Just wanna to get in there now.
Mm-hm.

How you travelling, Sarah?
Hello. Not bad.

I'm excited. What are you cooking?
(LAUGHS)

I'm making a whisky broth...

Indian, or...no spices?
No.

It's Japanese inspired.
Oh, Japanese.

Right.
Wow.

I thought you would have
gone Indian.

I feel like it's
kind of hard with Indian

to really make whisky the hero,

so I went down this path.

OK, I've got kombu, onions,
mushrooms and lots of whisky.

Whew!

It's all going to hang on the depth
of flavour you get into the broth.

I can't wait to try it. Good luck.
Thank you.

I need to make sure that
this broth really celebrates whisky.

It's the only element where I'm
going to be highlighting the whisky.

Dan.
Hey, Dan.

G'day, guys.

You pulled the fish token.
I did.

Did you choose gin
or did you choose whisky?

I've chosen gin.

So, it'll be a gin-cured salmon.

How long are you gonna cure it for?
I want at least an hour.

Yeah, that's my plan.

So, did you pin-bone all these?

I haven't pin-boned them yet.
That's what I'm doing now.

(SNORTS) It's going to take you
a while to get through them.

Yeah.

How are you portioning it?

It's going to be, like,
nice little thin slices.

Like, to cut thin slices
out of that, times 23 plates...

It's going to take forever.

You're wasting a lot of time.

And this is just one element
on the plate.

That takes time, and you've
only got two of these.

Good luck.

You right?
Yeah.

You can go different ways.

Just don't box yourself
into a corner

where you are
going to run out of time.

Yeah.
You know what I mean?

Come on, man. You don't want to be
the one going home today, alright?

Nah. No worries.

(CHUCKLES)

So...

Agh!

I'm just... Yeah. Like...

I've set out to do this task,
and the flavours will work,

the plating will be beautiful...

..but they're right -

this is...this is too much work.

What do I do now?

I've just got a lot
going through my mind right now.

I have to try and reconfigure
the dish massively.

So I'm just trying to figure out
how I can do that.

Knowing that the elimination
is at the end of this challenge,

I need to think
and make a right decision now.

And yeah, that sucks.

Shit.

DANIEL: So, I've
come into this challenge,

I had a really clear idea.

Agh!

Gin-cured salmon.

And it's gone horribly,

and it's now turned into a disaster.

Judges just sort of said that I
probably won't get it done in time.

So I have to try and
reconfigure the dish massively.

So I'm just trying to figure out
how I can do that.

Judges are just totally right.

I'm not going to have enough time
to create my cure

and then to develop its flavour
for this fish.

It's incredibly stressful

when you've got this idea
set in your head

and you plan
your whole cook around that.

I'm going to have to pivot

because if I don't make the right
decision, I'm going home.

Yeah, a bit of a freak-out.

I'm taking a step back.
I'm thinking about it.

I'm like, OK, let's just say

I keep all of the same elements
that I planned in my head.

Can I use this fish
that I've already filleted?

And how can I still get
that flavour through the fish?

Curing that salmon's
gonna take too long,

so I'm going to confit it instead.

I'm thinking I can
confit the fish in oil

and all the aromats
should still permeate the meat

like I originally intended.

Yep. OK, cool.

(SIGHS) Alright.
I'm all good. Let's go.

I don't have to make a rub.

I just have to get all the botanicals
in there with some nice oil

and sit it in at a low temperature
pretty well all the way through

till it's just cooked,
then that's done.

I can still spend all the other time
on every other element.

So I just need to hustle,
get this done

because I've lost
bloody 20 minutes...

..and get going.

BILLIE: I'm on the third course,
and I have to cook with meat,

so I've chosen lamb.

So, I'm doing a lamb loin

crusted in a crispy
pearl barley spice mix.

The whisky component is the sauce -

a lamb jus
pretty heavily spiked with whisky.

I'm also going to do
a carrot and orange spiced puree

and, yeah, some mushroom duxelles.

There's a lot of work to do
in this service challenge.

Three hours to create 23 dishes
on my own.

There's a lot of prep.

I'm going to have to take the loins
out of all of these lamb racks

and then cut the bones up
for the sauce.

So I need to be really organised
and move as fast as I can.

It's going to be a tough one,
for sure.

It's top five,
so it has to be hard, right?

JOCK: Alright, Julie,
your time starts now.

I'm starting. How are you going?
Oh, my gosh.

Go for it, Jules.
Are you good?

Yes.
Good luck, darling. Good-o.

How are you going, Billie?
Good, Jules.

Just...butcher station
at the moment.

Looks amazing, darling.
Looks amazing.

Thank you. Good luck, Jules.
Good luck.

Oh, finally, it's time for me
to go in and start cooking.

Thank heavens for that.

I drew dessert as my course,

so I'm doing a toffee pudding

with a whisky butterscotch sauce,

a chilli whisky ice cream

and a peppered smoked pecan crumble.

I knew when we came to a distillery

that we'd probably be cooking
with gin and whisky.

Part of getting well
with my mental health

was stopping drinking,
and I did that a while ago.

So I'm going to cook
all the alcohol out of the whisky

before I put it into
all the elements that I want it in,

to make sure
that the balance is right.

I'm making a simple sugar syrup
with whisky,

and I'm going to boil it
before I pop it into my ice cream.

But, of course, cooking
all the alcohol out of the whisky

before I put it into the ice-cream

removes that sort of heat from it.

So, to counterbalance that,

I'm going to put
a chilli syrup into the ice-cream

to bring some of that heat back.

OK, everyone's cooking now.

So that means, Julie, you've got
2 hours and 45 minutes.

Billie, 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Daniel, you've got
1 hour and 45 minutes.

That means, Sarah,
75 minutes until service.

Let's go, guys. Come on.
Come on. You can do it.

SARAH: Because my dish is a
Japanese-inspired vegetarian course,

my goal is to add in elements

where you get that kind of bite
or, you know, meatiness to the dish.

So, I've gone for a few different
types of mushrooms here,

and I just want that to kind of
really bulk out the dish,

be that real kind of meaty
texture for a vegetarian dish.

I'm also creating
a pickle for the mushrooms

and I'm creating a slightly sweeter
pickle for some blackberries.

(COUGHS)

(LAUGHS)

The flavours of mushrooms
and blackberries,

as weird as it sounds,
they go really well together

and it will bring different layers
of flavour to the dish.

As I'm working,
the whisky broth is developing.

I can see the colour is changing.

And as I'm tasting it,
I can definitely taste the whisky.

But I don't think the Japanese
flavour's coming through.

It doesn't taste like
I described to the judges.

I need this dish to wow the judges,

or I could be going home today.

SARAH: Today, a top-four dish
needs to be one that stands out.

Tasty and, of course, hit the brief.

Hmm.

So I just need to work on that
a little bit more.

Mm-hm. Oof! Ooh.

It's just the mind going,
"Is that enough Japanese flavours?"

"Is it too much whisky?"

Bottoms up. (LAUGHS)

It's finding that happy medium.

I'm just at the point where I'm just
not sure if this dish is enough

and trying to think of
if there's anything I can add

to make those Japanese flavours
come through.

So I decide to make togarashi.

Togarashi is a Japanese seven spice.

I am using some toasted noris.

Dried chilli, chilli flakes, poppy
seeds, sesame seeds, some ginger.

Salt.

All very Japanese ingredients.

I am going to add it to parsnip chips
to add that flavour.

It's gonna add a really nice crunch

but it's also gonna be
like a little bit spicy.

Hopefully, it all comes together
nicely and the judges like it.

How you going, Billie?

Yeah, just prepping lamb, Dan.
How are you going?

Uh, prepping salmon.

I'm just finishing
butchering this lamb.

I've got meat everywhere.

I have the fat from the lamb, I've
got the bones, I've got the loins.

It's always good to have a hand

when it comes to this sort of prep
but...

I get the bones into the oven

to roast until they're really nice
and caramelised.

I've also got a lot of lamb fat
so I get that into the oven,

just to render the fat down so I
can use the fat to finish the sauce

or in other elements of this dish.

MEL: Billie.
Yep.

You've been motoring since the second
you set foot into your kitchen.

Uh-huh.
How's it all going?

There's a lot to do.
Yep.

I've got my lamb prepped, I've got
the bones roasting in the oven.

Great.
Nice caramelisation going on there.

Yep. Wanna get them really dark.
Deep flavour, yep.

And then they'll go
into the two sauce pots.

Just over an hour, is that right?

You have 1.5 hours to go.
I've got 1.5 hours, yep.

OK. Thank you.

I've spent a huge chunk
of this three-hour challenge

butchering these racks.

So I'm really gonna have to motor
to get on top of things.

JULIE: So my ice-cream's churning and
I'm getting on now with the pudding.

This dessert is very similar
to my normal sticky date pudding.

It's probably one of my go-tos
when I do make dessert.

And it's always a crowd-pleaser.

Argh!

Ordinarily, I would blitz up dates
with boiling water

but instead, I boil the whisky
and blitz up the dates with that,

just to infuse them
of that whisky flavour

and that will go right
through the cake.

There's a lot going on in the kitchen
today and the oven is busy.

So it's just a bit of a juggling act,
to make sure that everything fits.

I'll just put it in the bottom.
I should be right.

I manage to get my cakes in,
there's a shelf just for me in there.

The bottom shelf.

And, uh, in they go.

This sticky date pudding,
it's gotta be fudgy.

You can't overcook it but
if you undercook it, it's sticky...

It's quite a tricky one.

(EXHALES)

Now that the salmon's in the oven,

I can get started
on the other elements.

I can finally breathe again.
'Cause I had to really hustle there.

So it's in, that's gonna cook.

It should take about an hour.

But that's good, now I can just
smash out the rest of the stuff,

make sure that's good and I'm good.
I feel good now.

Um, I need, uh, some sugar.

I'm really excited about getting
to start the other elements.

Oh, hey. (LAUGHS)
Hey, guys.

They will all work quite well
with each other

and reinforce the gin flavour.

What I love about gin is that
it's a base alcohol

that has been infused
with botanical flavours,

like Tasmania pepperberry,
juniper berries, orange,

some cypress and grapefruit.

So by picking the same notes
that's in the gin

is a perfect way of infusing
same flavours into my dish.

Got some beautiful rye.

Gonna chop it up finely,
put it in the oven,

get it super dry and crispy,
then blitz it right up

and then I can add
the aromats of the gin into that.

Oh, God! I've got so much shit
to do. (CHUCKLES)

I'm also going to do a compressed
cucumber with the gin

and a few other citrus.

And then a nice
sweet pickled radish.

And then I'm sort of thinking,
"Well...

"..it needs a bit of a bite,
a bit of creaminess to it."

There's some beautiful fresh wasabi
in the pantry

so I'm gonna try and make that
a wasabi cream.

So...splash of this.

Each element provides something

so the whole thing ties in together
balanced.

That's what I'm really trying
to focus on today.

Oh, yeah, that's alright.

Ladies and gentlemen,
your diners are arriving!

And that means, Sarah,
five minutes till service.

JOCK: C'mon, let's go!
(APPLAUSE)

MEL: Come on, guys!

BILLIE: So my lamb is all prepped,
the bones are in the oven,

the loins are resting.

But knowing that I spent
so much time on the lamb,

I have so many different things
that I need to do at the same time.

I'm really gonna have to motor.

Oof.

I've got everything on the go
at the moment,

so just have to move on
to the barley.

So I wanna use barley to make
a crust for the lamb

because it's one of the first things
they use to make whisky.

They actually grow it here
on this farm

so it's a little bit of a nod
to that,

but it's also a great ingredient
to work with.

I've boiled my barley
and I need to get that into the fryer

so that it crisps up and puffs up.

So I drop it into the oil, turn
around to grab something else and...

Oh, shit! Shit!

Oh, no, that's hot oil!

I'm like, crap, it's hot oil that's
going everywhere but I feel useless.

Um...

I'm just sort of watching it.

You alright?
Oh.

It's bubbled all over the bench,
all over the cooktops.

I've created such a nightmare.

Oh, yeah, feeling the pressure now.

I'm in trouble.

This has really set me back.

I felt like everything was going
really well and really calmly...

Oh, yeah, feeling the pressure now.

Are you alright? Oh.

..but all of a sudden...

Sorry.

..I have hot oil bubbling
all over the bench.

OK. Um...

I've put some cold oil in
to bring the temperature down

and to stop it from bubbling.

But looking around,
I've created such a nightmare.

There's hot oil everywhere.

All over the other
induction burners.

I can't afford any
dramatic situations right now.

I just need things to be
calm and organised,

and now there's oil everywhere.

I had a bit of an oil overflow
with my barley,

which has really sort of
set me back in time.

So I'm going to,
instead of frying it,

I'm just going to get it
into the oven

and if it crisps up,
then I'll use it.

But if not, I might just
have to ditch that element.

Our four-course menu
starts in three minutes!

Let's go!

I got my pudding in the oven,
so I'm quite excited about that.

My ice-cream's churning.

I've just got to work on
the butterscotch sauce,

and then I should be sweet.

A really good butterscotch sauce
should be rich...

..deeply caramel.

It should feel beautiful
as you eat it.

It should have a little touch
of salt in there

to elevate that caramel flavour.

And of course, for this challenge,
it's got a smack of whisky.

Sarah's about to start her service,
but I've got the second course.

I've pretty well got everything
under wraps now. I'm happy.

I'm just working on my little
wasabi cream at the moment.

So, I've put a bit of gin in there
as well that layers with the wasabi.

So it's quite nice,
it's quite botanical.

Because it's one of those elements
that just needs to be perfect.

Yep, that will be nice.

It's that time.

JUDGES: Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five, four,

three, two, one.

That's it! Service has now started.

Let's go, Sarah.

I AM pumped for service.

This is the funnest part
of the whole challenge,

finally getting to serve
real diners,

so I'm very excited.

I'm plating the dish
with my poached mushrooms

and turnips on the bottom,

sauteed mushrooms
with the black garlic on top,

then finishing with
my pickled mushrooms,

pickled blackberries...

..and a generous sprinkle
of spicy togarashi on top.

And the waiters will be serving
the broth around the outside.

OK, service.

Thank you.

I hope it's a top-four-worthy dish.

I think I've hit the brief,

it's just going to come
down to those flavours.

So I'm just hoping that when
you're sitting down at the table

and tasting all those flavours
together, it really works.

ALL: Thank you.
Cool.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Alright, so, course one
from the lovely Sarah.

It is mushroom and whisky broth,
poached Tokyo turnips,

togarashi and whisky-pickled
blackberries.

Looks very pretty. Smells amazing.

Good waft of whisky,
which is a good sign.

ALL: Yes.

There's a lot going on, isn't there?
Mm.

We've never seen
this kind of food from Sarah ever.

This is a first.

And I like it.

Like, I like
that she's going down that road.

The broth is beautiful.

Just umami-packed, it's beautifully
seasoned, it's nicely balanced.

I really like the pickled mushrooms.

Then we've got the sweetness of
those pickled blackberries as well.

I thought that was delicious.

What I'm not enjoying
is the togarashi.

I'm just not sure whether it goes

with the whisky elements
in the dish.

The togarashi itself is nicely made.

I can imagine it on a number
of different dishes,

but in your mouth you have the end
of the whisky on the palate.

It's competing with the chilli and
you're starting to really struggle

with which you can discern
the most of.

Yeah. That's definitely a flop.

I think chilli and whisky
is a real hard thing to balance.

At the end of the day, has she
showcased whisky? Absolutely.

I just think the togarashi
was the problem here.

And on a day when you've got a 25%
chance of going home, a bit risky.

Service. Thank you.

I finally had a chance
to sort of think,

"OK, yeah, cream's done,
pickle's done,

"cucumber's done, crumb's done.

"Sweet." OK, I'm at a stage
where I can start cleaning up

and thinking about plating.

And I'm happy, like, yep, OK, cool.

Like, I've worked my arse off,
I've got everything done.

What temperature
did you confit your fish at?

Um...I started it at...

I pretty much got it at 130.

And then I just realised
I forgot to turn my fish down.

Have you checked it?
Hey?

Have you checked it?
Yeah, I'm about to now.

No, no.
I forgot to turn my fish down.

He said 130.

Oh, crap.

As soon as I look inside, the oil,
it's just...the fish is white,

it's overcooked, and my heart
just sinks down into my stomach.

He doesn't look happy.

I've got 30 minutes and I've just
overcooked my fish massively.

I've just forgotten about it.

I feel like I've literally been
slapped across the face,

and it's just like I'm lost.

Oh, shit, I don't know what to do.

I can't...I can't think.

All I'm thinking about
is I'm going home.

My gut is just wrenching.

My time's up, I'm done for.

I've just shot myself in the foot.
I've let myself down here.

JUDGES: What are you gonna do?

I'm not going to put it on a plate.

Oh, no.

I'm supposed to actually
start service,

and I've got nothing to serve.

It's alright, buddy.
Come on, mate. (CLAPS)

I run to the pantry
and there's some big squid.

I have to use the squid.

JULIE: You alright, mate?
No, my fish...

Just breathe, honey. Just breathe.

Can I do it?

Oh, shit!

Applications for next season
are now open.

Go on, get on it!

This has gone terribly to shit.

I've got less than 30 minutes
to turn this dish around.

JULIE: Can I do something, Dan?
No, you're right, Jules, thank you.

You sure?
I just need to...

I'm good, yeah.
Take a deep breath in.

Thanks, Jules. Thank you.
OK. Give me a smile.

You got this, Dan.

All I need to do is cook fish.

I know how to clean a squid out.

I know how to cook it and I know
how to get it done in time.

Just quickly sear them off in a pan
and then get them on a plate

and hopefully everything else
makes up the dish.

I've got two pans on the rip
and I'm going for it

and I'm just getting everything done
so I can get my other elements out

and plate up and send them
all out as soon as I can.

The odds of me managing to survive
today are gonna be very bloody slim

but I'm just gonna do my job
and make sure I get it done right.

(SIGHS)

I'm calling it Gin Squid.

Seared squid with wasabi cream,

rye bread crumb, compressed cucumbers

and pickled radishes.

Right, service!

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

Here we go.
JOCK: Ooh.

MEL: Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Alright, so this menu obviously says
Botanical Salmon Confit

but we know that he had an issue with
that, so instead we have calamari.

So I think it's literally
the same dish.

Yeah.

Bar the sub out
for some seared calamari.

Yeah. OK.

It would have been nice
with the salmon.

It's better with the calamari.

The cook on the squid was perfect.

Um, loved the crumb.

Orange zest and juniper in the crumb

just highlights
that beautiful gin flavour.

The whole dish tastes like a gin
and tonic, doesn't it?
Mm.

It's very, very simple, don't get me
wrong, but how often do we say,

"Do each element
as best you possibly can"?

And I think that was beautiful.

Well played, Daniel.
Yeah.

Really, really well played.

I think what's so clever about it
is that

what he's done is exploded out
what ingredients make the gin

and put it back together into a dish.

Every element has it infused
in some way.

The blue cypress needles, the flavour
of the juniper in the crumb.

The echo of the citrus, again,
through it.

I like that the wasabi creme fraiche

gives the dish
a little bit of richness.

It does need that
to bring everything together.

Subtle perfumed layers

on top of a really perfectly cooked
piece of squid -

can't be mad at that.

I can't believe he's done that.
(LAUGHS)

Honestly.

It has made the dish better,
the squid.

Yeah.
The squid lifts everything up.

I'm flabbergasted.

I think he's in there thinking
he's gonna go home.
Yep.

But he's pulled a rabbit
out of a hat.

We've said time and time again
the way to win this competition

is making smart choices.
Yep.

He made the smart choice of looking
at that salmon and going,

"Come hell or high water,
I'm not putting that on a plate."

This tasting all of a sudden just
got a whole lot more interesting.

Oh, yeah.

Well done, mate. So proud of you.
Oh, thank you.

Lifting yourself up
when shit goes wrong

is the hardest thing you'll ever do.

And you just nailed it today
so...whatever happens. OK?

Daniel's plates have gone out
and the pressure is huge...

OK.

Let's get some sort of order
happening here.

I've got my sauce done,
the glaze done,

but I'm a bit worried about the cook
on the lamb.

..and it's a really awful feeling,

not knowing exactly
what it looks like inside

because there's no turning back
from here.

If it's overcooked,
I just have to send it out.

Bugger.

I cut into the lamb
and I'm looking at it and...

..oh, no.

I think it's a little bit over.

It's overcooked
and that could be it for me.

Um...

But... (CHUCKLES)

It's a bit of...

It's still nice and pink blushing.

As it's sitting there
after being cut,

the colour's coming back into it.

Actually, it's looking better
the longer I'm looking at it.

And it looks really pink and rosy
and it's cooked medium rare.

I'm so relieved.

This is gonna take me a while
to get the hang of this, I think.

So to plate up, I'm putting the
crispy barley on top of the lamb loin

with some of the whisky glaze.

I'm nervous that it might be
too crunchy

but the flavour of the lamb fat
with the barley and the spices

are really good
with the rest of the dish.

So I'm still gonna use it.

To finish the dish,
I put a spoonful of the puree,

a spoonful of the mushroom duxelles
and then the sauce on at the end.

OK, service, please.

Here we go.

Ooh-hoo.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

OK.

Course three from Billie -
lamb loin crusted in pearl barley,

orange carrot puree,
whisky lamb sauce.

How's that lamb looking?

Beautifully pink.
Yeah.

Some lovely cooking there
from Billie.

Start with the lamb.
Beautiful cook on the lamb.

Mine was kind of just heading
from medium rare to medium,

which I really enjoy.

The lamb was spectacular.

The orange and carrot puree,
it was lovely.

Beautiful texture.

I love the link from the orange
in the puree

and the rosemary in the duxelles

and the whisky in the duxelles.

Those three for me were dynamite
in terms of flavour combinations.

I love the flavour the pearl barley
gives the lamb

but the texture for me,
it's just a little bit too tight.

Some significant technique,
to be sure.

That sauce was whisky-prevalent

and I like the nutty flavour
of the pearl barley.

But...there are parts that are...
worrisome in terms of the texture.

The only flaw for me is the crumb.

If she had just blitzed it
a little bit just to break it down,

I think it would have made
a world of difference.

Is that gonna see her
in trouble today? Maybe.

I think we're gonna be judging
on the smallest of flaws today.

That's definitely a flaw.

Service, please. (CHUCKLES)

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

This is black apron day,
which is always hard.

Um...

(TEARFULLY) Yeah, definitely
didn't do what I hoped to so...

Oh, God.

I'm a bit nervous about going home,
I think.

(TIMER BEEPS)
Oh! That's my cake.

(GRUNTS)

Whoo! (CHUCKLES)

So I get my cakes out of the oven...

Oh, no, no, no, no.

..and they are quite dark
on the bottom.

I think I've burnt them.

There's no time to make this again.

This is actually something
that would send me home.

(GRUNTS)

..and they are quite dark

on the bottom.

Oh, shit.

Oh, God.

There's no time to make this again.

So I'm gonna try and take the parts
of that cake that are cooked properly

and serve it to the diners.

That's all I can do.

I've only got a few minutes to go
and I've just got to set up

so that I can have a beautiful
smooth surface.

My plate has whisky date pudding.

Gotta have a nice amount of sauce.
(LAUGHS)

It's got a beautiful big ladle full
of that lovely butterscotch sauce.

Nobody likes stingy sauce.

It's got a nice big spoonful
of pecan pepper crumble.

And on top of that is sitting
my whisky chilli ice-cream.

Alright, service, please.

I'm on the home stretch.

Last few to go.

If I'm the person
who is eliminated today,

obviously, I will be shattered.

But at the same time,
I'm very proud of what I've done.

I've overcome a few challenges here

and what I see in front of me

is something that looks beautiful...

Service, please.

..and I hope the judges like it.

There you go.

Oh.

I am stoked to have made it this far.

Can't even tell you how happy I am

that I got to come down here
to Tasmania.

Whatever happens from here on in,

I will always be thankful
that I said yes to this.

Thank you.
Thanks very much.

Course four - sweet by Julie.

Whisky toffee pudding,
whisky butterscotch,

whisky chilli ice-cream
and pecan crumble.

Does look pretty sexy, doesn't it?

Smells amazing.

(SPOON HITS BOWL)

What's going on there?

The bottom is hard. I don't know why.

Does she know she's burnt the cake?

Whoa.

Look at that.

Yeah, it's burnt at the bottom
but look at that.

We've all got a burnt bottom.

To the point where it's...it's,

you know, on the palate,
it is burnt.

(SIGHS)

The...the disappointing thing
about this

is that she's nailed the brief.
Mm.

Yeah.
She nailed it.

Yep.
You know what I mean?

You couldn't have done
a better dessert.

The whisky in the sauce
is just stunning.

It's delicious.
Mm. Mm.

The execution here is the problem.

And it's a shame.
I'm really disappointed for Julie.

What an incredible few days
it's been.

From shucking oysters
on the east coast

to digging up truffles
in the north-west,

to standing right here
in the Derwent Valley.

We've cooked in some of the most
beautiful locations

ever on MasterChef

and we have loved every minute of it.

Finals week in Tasmania has shown us
just how beautiful food can be

when it's cooked by people
as talented as each of you.

And the fact that one of you
is about to go home...

..breaks our hearts.

Daniel.

You had the fish course
and you chose gin.

After prepping salmon to cure it,

it then became a confit dish

and you eventually served us squid!

You know what?

We're so glad you did.

Because it was perfectly cooked...

..and just the right vehicle
to feature the flavours in that gin.

And, mate, it was dish of the day.

(JULIE LAUGHS)
Well done, you're safe, buddy.

Far out.

Billie.

Your lamb was perfectly cooked.

And the lingering flavour
when we finished your dish

was that whisky.

Well done. You're also safe.

(SPLUTTERS)

(WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY)

Good luck.
You too.

Sarah, Julie,
comes down to the two of you.

Julie.

Your dish was simple.

Sticky date pudding, ice-cream
and a whisky caramel to die for.

It looked a million bucks
on that plate

and more than that,
you absolutely smashed the brief.

Sarah.

Your broth was beautifully balanced
and it hummed with whisky.

Your turnips and mushrooms
were great too

but the togarashi,

it distracted from the beautiful
flavour of your broth.

But...Julie...

..the bottom of all of our cakes...

..were burnt.

Which left a bitter, burnt flavour
in our mouths.

Which is why, I'm sorry, Julie,
for the first time ever...

..you're going home.

You're amazing.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

It's all good. It's all good.

ANDY: Julie Goodwin,

you are the living, breathing
example of the power of MasterChef.

You're an inspiration
to so many people,

not just out there,

but to all of the people
standing here and to me.

Thanks, Andy.

We are all so glad
that you took that phone call

and decided to don
that old MasterChef apron again.

Because it has been an honour
to have you cook for us.

Thank you.

I've had the most incredible time

and, yeah, it was a big decision
to come back but...

..I'll never regret saying yes
to that.

We talk about the MasterChef family
and...

..you know, I was there in the first
generation of this family

and it feels kind of appropriate
to be handing over,

you know, to a new generation.

So I feel really proud
to be able to do that.

I'm not disappointed
by that whatsoever.

It feels right.

And I think just for myself...

..I can finally be at peace

with the idea that the first time
round wasn't a mistake.

Mm.
You know?

I made it to the top five this time
so it can't have been a mistake.

Mm.
And, uh...

..it has shaped my whole life.

It has shaped everything that I do.

It has shaped all of my family's
experiences growing up

and I...

..I couldn't be more grateful
to MasterChef. It's...it's...

It's a huge part of my life.

Thank you for coming back

'cause it has meant so much
to the three of us.
JOCK: Yep.

So much to these guys and so much to
the people who are watching as well.

Thank you.

But, unfortunately, Jules,
it's time to say goodbye.

(CHUCKLES)

It was coming one way or another,
wasn't it?!

Oh.
(LAUGHS)

Congratulations. You did so well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mel.

In all honesty,
I'm so proud of making it this far.

I am so thrilled that I got to
have the whole experience, you know?

Right up to the very end.

You're amazing.
Thank you.

Thanks for cooking for us.

It's been my honour.
It's been my honour.

Come up the scenic coast sometime,
I'll fire up the pizza oven.

Yes!
It's a date.

I came into this competition
not knowing if I had the skills or...

..the mental fortitude
to see it through.

And I'm proud of myself
for holding myself together

and managing to do this.

I...I didn't think I could.

But I did.

See you later, my friends.

JOCK: Give it up for Julie Goodwin,
everybody!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I love youse!

Love youse!

I'm going home!

I don't know what's on the other side
of this for me.

I honestly don't.

But I'm at peace
with whatever happens,

I'm excited for whatever happens.

The future looks good.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night
on MasterChef Australia,

it's a challenge

that takes them
back to basics...

(GROANS)

Oh, God, it hurts.

..as they fight
to be fast-tracked

to the semifinals.

SARAH: I've been in
five immunity cooks,

I've never won.

Surely today
has to be my day.

And they're all
playing to win.

Captions by Red Bee Media