All language subtitles for Masterchef.Au.S17E08.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-WH

VOICEOVER: Previously
on MasterChef Australia...

Please welcome the one, the only
Peter Gilmore!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
Kirsten Tibballs!

Shannon Bennett!

..Legends Week was packed
with star power...

Peter Gilmore is a god among chefs.

..and Kirsten Tibballs'
pressure test...

Chocolate and coffee caviar.

..was the end of the journey for Sam.

Sam, everybody!

Then Shannon Bennett whipped up
a stunning 20-minute meal...

CONTESTANTS: ..three, two, one!

..and challenged them to do the same.

This is so scrumptious.

So delicious.

It's something you could put
straight onto a restaurant menu.

Well done.

And it was Theo
who wowed the judges...

Absolutely banging.

..and won immunity.

Tonight,

tiny cubes

means one legendary elimination.

Here they are.

Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Oh, no! It's the cubes.

Cubes of death.

Oh, cubes, is it?

(LAUGHS) Bit of cubism.

Ooh! No, the taste cubes!

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

I've seen these little cubes before
and I'm like, "Oh, my god."

I remembered it
as such a fun challenge

but then, also, very terrifying,

'cause things go wrong like this.

Taste cubes!
Mmm, interesting.

Oh, my god. This gives me anxiety,
'cause we did this.

It's back!

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

There's no mistaking this one.

It's a challenge I'm sure
you're all familiar with.

This is the legendary
1-inch cube taste test.

God...damn.

Callum, the cogs are well and truly
turning, huh?

Honestly, I think this is one of
the most difficult challenges

I've ever done in MasterChef.

Ooh! You've done a few!

Mmm.
(CONTESTANTS SPEAK OVER EACH OTHER)

Now, this is the 1-inch cube
taste test.

But...

Oh, gosh.
Oh, no.

..not as you know it.

Ooh.

Not everyone will be tasting today.

You'll be split into teams.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

And you have a big decision to make.

Only one person from your team
will be tasting.

Wow-ee.
Pressure's on!

So much pressure.
That's right.

Your entire team will be relying
on just the one palate...

Wow!

..because the first person
to guess incorrectly

puts not only themselves...

..but their entire team into round 2.

That is brutal!

One slip-up and that's it -
game over.

No pressure, right?

There's always a little twist.

Nothing's ever straightforward!

Alright. Let's get you into teams.
Oh!

So, ones here, twos in the middle,
threes over there.

We're going in teams,
which I feel is...worse.

One.

Either way, because that's
a lot of pressure on one person

to carry the fate
of six other people.

So all we know is

I'll be putting my hand down
for that. (LAUGHS)

Can I just tell you,

I've gone into the third round
every time I've done a taste test,

so I'm probably not your girl,

'cause I freak out.

The decision to choose captain -
it's tough.

Obviously, you're working on
people's strength...

That's what I mean - I'm comfortable
across different cuisines, I guess.

But you would be too.

Like, I can do the tasting
but it's so much bloody pressure.

We've done it before.
Yeah.

So I think, maybe, someone
who's done it before.

I agree.
Who feels really confident?

I feel really confident
that Laura should do it.

Hey, really?
Uh, yeah.

TIM: We're really relying
on our team captain

to save us from elimination today.

I hope we've chosen
the right person.

OK. The time has come.
Team one, who have you chosen?

Our man.
Our man.

Jamie. Whoo!

Jamie, you've never played
this challenge before.

Yeah. Fresh eyes.

Do you rate your palate?
Yeah.

I mean, I do live in the world
of wine at the moment

and really, sort of,
train my palate every day.

It's very different but it's stil
flavour, it's still texture, so...

Team number two, who's got the title?

Audra.

Audra!
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

Why have you chosen Audra?

I think...
Because... Yeah, go on.

She's probably got
the most amount of experience,

like, tasting a lot
of different cuisines.

Right.

So we think she's the best
possible choice.

I'm also the oldest.

I think that's what she was
getting at.

Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)

And, team three, who did we go with?

Laura!
(APPLAUSE)

What was the thing
that got you over the line?

Uh, Callum absolutely
threw me into this one.

(LAUGHTER)
A lot of...

Um, so, Darrsh, Callum and I have
all done this before,

so it was just a consensus
of one of us would do it

and...happy to.

Here's how it's gonna work.

Jamie, Audra, Laura.

There are a total of 80 ingredients
up here.

You're going to take it in turns
tasting them.

If you guess right,

you keep playing.

If you guess wrong,

your team will be cooking
in round 2...

(WHISPERS) Oh, shit.

..where somebody will be going home.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: This one is tough.
Yeah.

Yeah!

So good luck.

OK! Let the 1-inch cube test begin.

First up...

Jamie, for team number one.

I think I've got a good palate

but food and drink is
a multisensory experience.

Taking sight out of the equation
is massive.

Your mind just wanders
and you can easily make mistakes.

So I'm dreading the fact
that I'm blindfolded,

I'm tasting

and I'm responsible for
all the people behind me.

So I pick up the cube

and it's tacky and rubbery.

You can take your time, mate.

Smell it - it's not giving off
a huge amount,

so I don't think
it's anything fresh.

Take a bite...

Is it liquorice?

You're correct.

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
It's liquorice.

Yeah, Jamie!
Well done, Jamie.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Well done!

ANDY: Audra, you're up.

Coming in hot.

AUDRA: All I can hear is my heart.

It's beating a million times louder
than it normally does.

Got it?
Eugh!

So, I get this cube.

It feels weird! It's almost,
kind of...it is moist.

It's a vegetable.

Is it?

And it's so familiar
but I just can't see it.

Oh, my god.
It's at the back of my mind.

Tomato.

To-mah-toh? To-may-toh?

To-may-toh, to-mah-toh -
you're correct.

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD, WHOOP)

Nice, Audra.

You know, it feels so good.
I just feel like a million bucks.

(LAUGHS) I feel like the saviour!

Laura.

Coming in.

(INGREDIENT CRACKS)
(LAUGHS) Sorry.

It's a funny little cube.
Mmm.

What are you tasting?

Definitely chocolate.

Is that your answer?

Mmm. Chocolate.

We'll accept chocolate. Well done.

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

I would happily take chocolate
as my first cube.

I feel like, though,
we're starting easy

and that's
the terrifying thing here.

Round two. Jamie, you're first.

(INGREDIENT CRUNCHES LIGHTLY)

It's apple.

Apple...

is correct.

Well done.
(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD)

Audra, you're next.

It's a fruit.

My favourite fruit
in the whole wide world - mango.

Mango is correct. Well done, Audra.

(APPLAUSE)

Laura, it's your turn.

Watermelon.

That was very quick.

Watermelon is correct.

Well done, Laura.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Alright. Jamie,
ready for round three?

Sure.

Oh.

Eugh!

(LAUGHS)

Um, this is actually my son's
favourite ingredient at the moment,

'cause I find bite marks
out of the fridge all the time.

It's butter.

Butter is correct.

(APPLAUSE)
We'll get you a towel.

Thank you. (LAUGHS)

(INGREDIENT CRUNCHES)

Oh! Beautiful.

Ginger.

That's correct. Ginger is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

Alright. Let's go, Laura.
You're up next.

Coming in slowly.

Thank you.

Ooh.

What does it feel like?

Um, that feels really odd.

Ooh.

As I start to smell it, there's
nothing coming off this cube.

Pressure is definitely on.

I'm starting to feel like

my heart's racing a little bit
faster, for sure.

That feels like...

fake.

That's...

Ah. (CHUCKLES) Mushrooms.

(LAUGHS)

Mushrooms is correct.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Freakin' love raw mushrooms.

They're so naughty and so delicious

and it's just...oh, a huge relief
to get this one.

So far, so good, everybody.

Now it's round four.

(INGREDIENT CRACKS LIGHTLY)

That's pineapple.

Pineapple is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

Got it. Pork.

Pork is correct.
Yes!

(APPLAUSE)

Yeah. Ooh. What's with the really
intense textures?

(SNIFFS) Oh, my god.

(LAUGHS)

Parmigiano.

(LAUGHS)

That's correct, Laura.
It's parmesan cheese.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Go, Laura!

ANDY: Pumpin' through it.
Ready for round five?

Yep.
Yep.

I think we've got three very strong
palates on our hands.

Pick it up and it's smooth
and I press it

and there's give.

Can smell some sweetness.

So immediately, I'm thinking,
"Right, fruit."

Mmm.

It's not a black fruit,

because it doesn't have
that same kind of flavour.

It's in the red fruit category.

Mmm.

What's the grunt mean?

JAMIE: Got into my own head
and all I can think about is,

my team's depending on me...

..my reputation is on the line...

..but I'm really unsure.

ANDY: Where's your mind going?

Stonefruit.

Is it plum?

Final answer?
Yeah.

Plum...

..is...

..incorrect.

(TEAM MEMBERS GROAN)

The answer is strawberry.

I'm so sorry, Jamie.

That means that you
and the whole of your team

are heading into round 2.

It's OK, Jamie.

(APPLAUSE)

I see how Jamie's devastated

and I can see he's, like,
feeling bad for us.

(APPLAUSE CONTINUES)

But - oh! - we're
going in the elimination.

I'm looking around my team

and everyone's good,
strong cooks, chefs.

It's gonna be really hard,

so I'm feeling very shaky.

ANDY: Alright, guys. In this round,
you can cook anything you like.

But your pantry is made up of
all the ingredients from round 1.

Nothing more, nothing less.

So you need to make the most
of what's on offer.

You've got a selection of proteins -
chicken, lobster, duck...

There's things like pumpkin, corn,
milk, fennel and peanuts.

But you'll notice there's also
ingredients missing.

There's no herbs, no sugar

and no condiments.

You have 75 mintes.

The dish that impresses us the least

will send its maker home.

We all ready?

Well, you'd better be,
because your time starts now!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER, CLAMOUR)

Oh, my goodness.
I'm sorry! Sorry, lovely!

Come on, guys.

Oh, my goodness.

I need a lot of fennel.
Lot of fennel.

It's like a Sunday at the shops.

Excuse me. Sorry.
Please, take it.

When I'm looking at the ingredients,
I'm just scanning.

The octopus,
the tuna's saying hello,

the bresaola's going, "Hello, hello!

"I'm over here!"

And then trying to pick up dishes
and recipes in my head...

..but there's a lot of core
ingredients that are missing -

vinegar's missing,
there's herbs missing,

so it's hard to complete
a conceptual dish.

Let me work through this -
duh, duh, duh, duh.

And then I end up going,
"Bring it back to base."

Carrots and corn.

Interesting.

ANDY: Like, we always try
and work out what you're doing

with every handful you take.

Let's go, Andre. Nice. Let's go.

Today I'm doing a dish that's
inspired by Twisties.

So it's little twists of pasta
called trofie -

in this case,
I'm gonna call them 'twisties' -

and we're doing a corn twistie
and a carrot twistie pasta

with a puree and a little peanut
verde and a buerre noisette.

So this is literally gonna look like
I've scattered Twisties on a plate.

You doing a juice cleanse, mate?
It's a juice bar.

Alright.

Carrot is the cheese and the chicken
Twistie is the corn of the Twisties.

It's a fun, vibrant dish.
It's unique.

But it takes a little bit of skill
and technique to do the pasta.

Uh, a little bit more flour.

Hopefully it's enough
to keep me in the competition.

The pantry's closed, garden's closed.

All they have are the 80 ingredients
that just a moment ago,

were tiny little cubes.

And that's the problem - they don't
have everything they want,

so there are some limitations.

POH: But it really will
make them think.

I always think these second cooks are
actually such a great opportunity.

I kind of looked forward to them,

because it was an opportunity
for me to do something

that I thought might make me
stand out from the pack.

ANDY: You're a madwoman. "I looked
forward to round 2's elimination."

(BOTH LAUGH)

Aced at standing out
on elimination as well.

ANDY: Only said Poh.

And that is why we love you.

Let's go, Snez!
Yeah, thanks, guys.

It's very early in this competition

and a lot of people already kind of
coming through as very strong cooks.

I really need to lift my game.

This time, you know what?
I'm gonna go all out.

I saw fresh yeast and fennel

and I'm thinking of going with this
gutsy dish from my home town.

Um, it's called koromac.

Koromac. This is
my mum's specialty.

It's usually made with just
the green part of the fennel,

with orange zest, potatoes
and smoked pancetta.

When you eat it with bread,
it's just phenomenal.

It's only done in certain villages.

It's either you love it or hate it,

so God help me.

My dish is 90% fennel.

It's very aniseed.
It's quite strong.

It's very fragrant.
Could be very overpowering.

Oh, that smells really good, Snez.

It's very risky to take a risk
in actual elimination.

If I do go home on this dish,
I know I've pushed myself.

I hope I don't, because my mum will
be like, "Never come back again!"

Andy.
Yo.

Any?

You'd go marshmallow over liquorice?

You can have both.
Mmm...both.

Oh, there you go.
You can have both.

Hey, Tim.
Hey, Andy.

How are you feeling, first of all?

It's all on the line today, mate.
There's no room for error.

What are you doing?
Pork and apple.

Pork and apple. Classic for a reason.
Classic combo.

So, I've got...
You've got the belly.

I've got roasted pork belly

on an apple and fennel trivet

that I want to turn into an awesome
apple sauce,

once those pork juices run down.

I'm doing a parsnip and apple puree

and I'm doing some pickled apple.

I've gotta ask some questions
about the pork, right?

Yeah.

We're getting crispy skin?
Yes.

And beautifully juicy meat.
Yes.

Got my pork belly in squares,

'cause obviously, a big piece
isn't gonna cook in time.

Right.

So obviously, pressure to get
that skin nice and crispy.

There's no excuse.
That's what I want to do today.

That is a promise.

That's my promise to you.

We're shaking on it.
You've gotta deliver. Good luck.

Thanks, Andy.

This is Back To Win - this isn't
my first rodeo in the kitchen.

I know this pork belly
needs to be perfect.

It's everyone for themselves now!
You've got 1 hour to go!

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD,
SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

Go, guys! Come on, Snez!

Go, Snez!

LAURA: Ooh, double hands, Andre.
Double handed.

You know, I've got two - may as well
do something with the other one.

Exactly.

ANDY: Interesting to see how much
pressure he puts on himself.

'Cause I feel like he might feel,
obviously, responsible.

Yeah.

I'm feeling embarrassment,
I'm feeling disappointment

and guilt,

because currently,
my entire world is in wine

and your responsibility

is to train your palate to
understand different fruits,

different flavours,
different aromas.

Let's go, mate!

Go, Jamie! Come on, mate.

I feel like making such a simple
mistake has affected my confidence

and I'm feeling the pressure.

I've picked up a load of ingredients

but now I'm doubting myself
and what I'm doing.

Calm down.

You good, Jamie?

It's really overwhelming,

because at the end of the day...

..whoever goes home today

rests on my shoulders.

I've let them all down.

Go, Jamie! Come on, mate!
Back on track!

Now I'm doubting myself
and what I'm doing.

Did you manage to sort it, yeah?

Don't worry. I made some mistakes
in the past, yeah?

It happens, you know?

Sometimes when it's simple,
it can be a bit of an issue.

Just move on. Nobody would...
You know? Do your best.

I feel terrible but
Jean-Christophe is right.

I need to remember why I'm here.

It was the exposure
to so much cuisine

when I was on here the first time

that led me down this path that
gave me something that I love.

Come on, Jamie!
Whoo!

I opened my restaurant, Alba, and it
was me in venue form, I would say.

It was unabashedly loud,

in-your-face

but there was a care and attention
that we put into everything.

Beautiful, Jamie.

We're getting there.

And the opportunity to come back
into this kitchen

and re-find that little bit
of inspiration

that I took out last time -

I don't want that to end now.

I need to shake off the mistake
from the first round

and prove that I do deserve
to be here.

What do you want?
Just celeriac. Thank you.

Come on, Jamie!

I see the duck and I see
a big bowl of oranges.

It just clicks - duck a l'orange.

If I can pound enough flavour into
this duck and orange sauce

and cook the duck beautifully,

I think that's enough
to get me through today.

STEPH: I'm feeling good, actually.

I'm picturing myself
in my kitchen at home,

cooking dinner for the fam

and if I do that,
I should stay on track.

Good job, Stephie.
You're killin' it.

I called myself the Frugal Foodie,

because I really love to create
family-friendly,

easy, delicious meals.

So that's what
I'm going to do today.

Let's go, Stephie.
Thanks, love.

First, I need to cook my pork belly.

Good to see the air-fryer, Stephie.
I know, right?

Gotta rip it out, right?
Yeah, yeah.

It is quite a big piece
of pork belly

but I think I should be able
to render down that fat

in the air-fryer

and it still should be tasty
and delicious.

Whoo! Sizzle!

Um...

Steph, is this...

I feel like this is your
favourite bench, up the back.

I love it.
Yeah. Tell me what you're making.

Sticking to what I know - pork belly
with an Asian-style caramel

and fennel, apple and celeriac slaw.

And you've got some belachan there?
I do, I do.

Ooh!

I'm going to use the belachan
in my caramel sauce,

'cause I would normally use
fish sauce.

Good idea but it's
a lot more powerful.

I mean, I want it to be funky
but you know,

there's funky and there's funky,
right?

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

I think the two things
I would be most worried about

is making sure that pork's
cooked perfectly

and that you balance that sauce
perfectly with the belachan,

'cause that is very,
very strong flavour.

It's yummy, though, right?
Thank you, Poh.

How's that tasting, Steph?

Just gonna add a little bit more.
Yeah? OK.

Good?

It's really punchy, which I love.

I like to push things to the limit
with these things,

so I just hope everybody else
likes that as well.

LAURA: Ciao, ciao. Matt. Matteo.

What are you making?

Pasta.

I thought I'd do something different
and make pasta.

Yes! He's back.

I think, definitely,
in an elimination,

if you don't play to your strengths,
if you try and be creative now,

it's a recipe for disaster.

I'm gonna make filled tortellini

with potato, kaiserfleisch

and then a little mushroom,
kind of cappuccino-y broth with it.

Pasta has been a comfort for me
in this competition previously

and even this time round.

POH: Everybody, you have
45 minutes to go!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Hurry! Good luck!
Come on!

Repeat after me - one chubby bubby.

"Chubby bubby"?
Mm-hm.

Don't chew it.

(MOUTH FULL) One chubby bubby.

Two chubby bubbies. (LAUGHS)

BOTH: Three chubby bubbies.

I chewed.

(MUFFLED) Four chubby bubbies.

Yay!
Whoo-hoo!

Someone's baking again.
Let's go, Snezzy.

Yes, girl.
Yeah, thanks, buddy.

Appreciate.
Snez.

ANDY: Snez, how are you?
Hi!

I'm good.
What are you doing?

It's called koromac.
What is it?

It is, like,
this very aniseed broth,

with a smoked pancetta inside.

OK.

Also, you want to have
some bread with it.

It's, like, something
completely different.

If my mum hears me now, she'll
probably be like, "Oh, my god!"

I guarantee she's watching.
This is her specialty.

She makes this the very old,
traditional way,

only using the green part of this.

Wow.
So it's very aniseed, very...

It's pretty much fennel,
90% of the dish.

But it's a big risk - that's very
much either you love it or hate it.

Alright.

Well, it's amazing you're bringing
it to the MasterChef kitchen

but you're really going
out on a limb here now.

I know.
ANDY: Absolutely. Come on, Snez.

Thank you very much, guys.
Appreciate.

Oh, my god. What am I doing?!

Andy and Sophia questioning my dish

and the more I think
about this dish,

the more I remember there are
people, actually,

that don't love this dish.

So I remember my sisters -

they would always leave the house
when Mum cooks it.

They could not stand it.

I don't know - how does my brain
work and why did I go for this?

And really a bit upset at myself.

But then again,
there's no coming back now.

I've started with this dish
and I'm gonna punch it through.

There's no time to change it now.

I just need to stick to it
and I need to nail it.

Very worried.

And just like that,
there's only 30 minutes left!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CONTESTANTS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

Alright. You're doing that.

You're doing that.

I'm making Twisties, or trofie.

A pasta with corn and carrot,

a little carrot puree,

a little peanut verde

and lime buerre noisette.

POH: Andre, what are you doing?

Trofie. Twisties.

So, I'll be hand-making them.

Nice. With the edge.

With the edge of my hand.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Fat Twisties. Trofie... (LAUGHS)

They take a long time.
They do.

Good luck.
Thank you.

Yeah.
(LAUGHS)

I need to start making
this pasta shape,

because that's gonna
evaporate that time.

Trying to get into a rhythm.
It's actually quite hard to do.

You've gotta get a feel
and then you get on a rhythm

and then you think you've got it

and then you stuff one up and then
you go back to scratch again.

Like, it's all about
rhythm and feel, yeah?

Love the pasta, caress the pasta.

Wow. It's very unusual to see that.

Fantastic.
It's very hard to do, sir.

Even my grandmother
was trying to do that.

I remember when I was a kid.

Ooh, that's a good one.
From the back of her hand.

Oh, my god. Flashed back to me.

Thank you for that, by the way.
Thank you.

POH: It's beautiful.

I started with a juice bar
and now it's a pasta bar.

Ooh! That's a good one too.

There's still time.
There's still time.

My pork's in the oven.

I've got my pickled apples
pickling away.

My puree's nearly ready to go.

How's the pork, Timmy?

It's cooked. It hasn't crackled.

My pork's done but the skin
is nowhere near crispy.

These are going back in.

Are they going back in?

The pork's cooked but I don't want
to over-risk cooking the pork

but it's, um...it's that skin.

Obviously, it'd be nice to have
longer in the oven

but I just don't want to risk

overcooking that beautiful pork
underneath.

It's that delicate balance of...
For sure. This was my worry.

Yep.
Can I ask?

Yep.

Is there a plan B?

Um...

'Cause you are risking
your whole competition.

Is there a plan B? It's all I'll ask.

ANDY: Is there a plan B?

'Cause you are risking
your whole competition.

Yeah.
Come on.

Yeah. Thank you.
Let's go, Tim.

Let's go, Tim!

I can't afford
to put it back in the oven,

because then the pork will overcook.

Keep going, mate.

And then - lightbulb moment.

I'm just going to put the skin
just in the hot oil,

just to deep-fry the skin.

Nice. Nice, mate.

I need to make this work.

I think I can still get it crispy.
I can still save it.

(OIL BUBBLES)
POH: Is it working?

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: We can feel
the tension!

15 minutes to go!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER,
SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

15 minutes!

Come on!

Come on, guys!

Very silky, Jamie.
Yeah.

Just finish it off,
a little bit of butter.

Nice work, mate.

Duck's now in the oven,
my sauce is still roasting,

puree's nearly done -

I think I'm good.

You...you...you make sure
that's not overcooked, yeah?

We're...
Are you sure?

Use your fingers.

It's over.
Use your fingers.

It's over.

What's wrong with it?
I think it's slightly over.

Oh! No, Jamie!
One job.

So far today, I couldn't
pick a strawberry,

I've put my team into elimination

and I've overcooked my duck.

Like, this day couldn't
get any worse.

Are you happy?

I'm not.
What?

Oh.
Yeah.

I don't think there's time
to break down another duck,

get it in a pan
and get it in the oven.

You gonna do it again, Jamie?
I'm gonna cook another one.

But can't change it.

Just gotta go.

Yeah. Yeah, good idea, Jamie.
Good one, mate.

I don't know whether
it's gonna be rested.

I don't know whether
it's gonna be perfect

but it's gonna be better
than overcooked.

So you've just gotta go to work.

Silly-billy!

How are the mushrooms going, Matty?

There's so much flavour.

It's pretty simple - it's got
a very strong mushroom flavour

but that's the flavour
that I'm looking for.

Let's go, Matt. That's it.

I need to start rolling out
those tortellini

and making them perfect.

Look very nice.
Thank you.

Air-fryer queen right there!
(LAUGHTER)

I know, right?

Steph's my name,
air-fryer's my game!

(LAUGHS)

I've tasted my caramel sauce
now that it's finished.

It is strong. Like, it's punchy.

But that's how I want it to be.

I'm looking at this piece
of pork belly I've got -

it's a lovely square shape

and I think it's gonna look
really nice

on this beautiful plate
that I've picked out.

Pretty plate, huh?
That's gonna look incredible.

Looking at this plate...

..I think it is a really
accurate representation

of the kind of food I love to cook.

It's quick, easy, simple
and delicious.

Your dishes need to be ready
in 5 minutes!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER,
SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

Go, Tim!

Oh, that's a good sound.
Nice sound, Timmy.

This...this is it. If this isn't
crispy, I'm going home.

I'm still worried about it. Yeah.

It was, like, just...
like, just starting.

POH: Keep pushing! 3 minutes to go!

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD,
SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

Pasta masterclass.

My pasta is plump, it's singing
Pavarotti to me out of the pan.

It's saying, "Come, take me out."

And ready to plate it up.

Puree, very sweet from the carrot.

It's unctuous, seasoned,

there's a little bit
of acidity in there.

We just plate that down first.

Bellissimo, Andre.

The peanut verde on top of the pasta
dish, buerre noisette.

Ping! It's ready. Smash of lime.

Pour it into a jug.

Stand back, ready to go.

I've done a dish which I think
is fun and happy

and that's what I want
to play in the competition -

just be happy and have fun.

Oh!

Nice, Snez.

Few minutes to go, I'm, like,
with my bare hands,

pulling the bread out of the oven,

putting it in this little basket.

I need a plate.

Starting with all these layers -
smoked pancetta on the bottom,

the stew on top,

I'm putting the roasted fennel
on the top of my dish...

..and I'm going to finish it off
with my broth.

I'm feeling the pressure
and I'm really questioning it.

Absolutely, I want to
do my mum proud

and I love this dish myself.

Nice.
Watch your time.

But then, what if
the judges are, like,

the 50% of people that hate it?

I need to have one to try, hey?

ANDY: 1 minute to go!

(CONTESTANTS APPLAUD,
SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

Nice work!

Where's your duck, Jamie?

JAMIE: I pull my duck out
and I'm waiting.

I'm looking at the clock.

Don't panic!
Get it on the plate!

Get it on the plate!

The rest of my plate is sorted.

My MasterChef life is riding

on this piece of duck being ready
in the last 35 seconds,

so...

I'm not in a good way at the moment.

Jamie, you're killing me, man.

You reckon YOU'RE stressed?

Time is up in 10...

(JUDGES COUNT DOWN)

I'm gonna shoot.

Jamie, get it on the plate!

Go, Jamie!

..3...

Go, Jamie!

..2, 1 - time's up!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Nice work, guys.

I'm exhausted.

Mate!

Good work, Tim.
Good job, pal.

We did it again!
How'd you go, legend?

Ah, thick and beautiful.
That looks great.

JAMIE: I think the duck's
perfectly pink.

I just think that it hasn't
rested long enough.

I think that's every chance
for me to go home.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Hi, Snez.

Snez, tell us - what did you cook?

So, I made koromac...

..which is this, like, very,
very old, traditional dish,

which almost no-one
ever makes again.

And the more I think about this...

..more I'm questioning myself -
what have I done?

What are you questioning?

I'm questioning because,
since I finished this cook,

I actually keep thinking of all
the people that hate this dish.

Can you please fininsh it?
Sauce it, please.

Thank you.

Thank you.
Thank you.

POH: Thank you, Snez.
Thank you.

ANDY: There's a lot riding on this

and when Snez is sitting there,
going, "I know people that love this

"but the majority of people
hate this,"

that's a bit scary.

(CHUCKLES)
Are you kidding?

Oh, I know.
(LAUGHS)

Well, sign me up to the very small
percentage of people

who absolutely love that dish!

Are you joking?

That is insanely good cooking.

All the vegetables are cooked
so well,

still holding their shape,

which is really important with being
able to really highlight the fennel.

It is smoky, sweet,
aniseed deliciousness.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: For me,

this is the type of dish
that brings people together.

ANDY: Yes. Yes, yes.
Yes. Absolutely.

The fennel stew is so delicious.

So perfectly balanced.

The sweetness of the fennel,
the smokiness of the bacon

and then the acidity.

I could just have
the hugest bowl of that.

I just want her to know
how good this is

and I want to see that confidence
be built

and carried through further
into this competition,

so we can eat more food like that!

See you on the flip!

I'm really happy with
everything on the plate.

I know there's a few risks
that I've taken -

I haven't cut into that pork,

so I don't know what it's like
in the middle.

Steph.
Hiya.

And that belachan sauce - I balanced
it out to how I would like it

but I guess it depends whether
those flavours

are too strong or not
for other people.

Well, first, tell us
what you've made.

I have made crispy pork belly...

..a caramel with belachan paste,

some lime
and some roasted cracked pepper

and then the slaw is celeriac,
fennel and green apple.

Thank you, Steph.
ANDY: Thanks, Steph.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you so much.

OK. Let's have a look.

Whoa.

Nice to slice it very easily.

That's good. Mmm.

It's a good texture in the sauce.

(PORK CRACKLE CRUNCHES)

Um, tough one, because
I loved her confidence

but I feel like this one's gone
a little bit pear-shaped.

I'll start with the sauce -
great intentions

and I can see where
her head was going.

Fish sauce has that beautiful
umami funk -

so does belachan
but it is so much more powerful.

And I feel like it is overloaded
in that caramel sauce.

I actually like the slaw.

The right proportion, it's fresh,
it's crunchy, it's sliced properly.

Now, on to the pork.

Whew!

When you're dealing with pork belly -

I mean, pork in general
but when it's pork belly,

you've gotta make sure that there's
no part where there's too much fat.

And this one, sadly,

had far more fat content than meat.

I feel like Steph might have
fallen into a trap

of seeing familiar things

that she knew how to execute
in a short amount of time

with an appliance
she knows how to use well

but I think she failed
to look at the ingredient.

Like, even if you're really familiar
with using pork belly,

you have to look at
that particular cut -

whether there's too much fat
for you to render in that way -

and I think she just went into auto.

Yeah. So I'm really worried.

Hi, Tim.
TIM: Hi, guys.

Hi, Tim.
G'day, guys.

Ooh - we've got a bit of
tableside theatre.

Tim. Round 2. What did you make?

This is my pork and apple.

You've got roasted pork belly.

Underneath is an apple
and fennel sauce.

In here is a parsnip
and apple puree

and then I've got some pickled
apple slices on there as well.

You guys know that was
a bit of a hectic cook.

Tough, yeah.

And so there's a lot of pressure
on that pork belly.

There's no sugar-coating it.

There's a lot of pressure
on that little plate.

VOICEOVER: In the mood to cook?

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delicious MasterChef-approved recipes

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ANDY: We'll taste your dish now.
Thank you.

Thank you, Tim.
TIM: Thanks, guys.

Bit of crunch going on there.

Yeah.

He has absolutely redeemed
that crackling.

Even though it hasn't
puffed up a lot,

it's still quite light and crunchy.

And then, with the rest
of the pork belly,

it's really juicy and tender.

The smart thing that he did
with this apple-fennel number

was have it in the oven
with the pork belly on top,

so it's just sucked up
all the beautiful fat

that's rendered out of the pork belly
in a very short amount of time.

Also, what I like -
the parsnip tastes lovely.

It's actually quite exciting.

And I really enjoyed the crackling.

This is what we call crackling

and this is superb.

So I really, really hope this is
enough for him to save his life.

Andre.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: How are you?

What'd you make?
I'm calling them Twisties.

There's carrot and corn trofie.

It sits in a carrot puree

and then I've made a peanut verde
with the tops of the fennel

and then a little lime buerre
noisette to finish it with.

Just wanted to do something fun
and a bit wacky and interesting,

so...

And hopefully you enjoy it as much
as I had fun making it, yeah.

Well, Andre - you want to
finish your dish?

Thank you, mate. Cheers.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you very much.

Phew! What do we think?

It looks stunning.

I'm hoping it tastes
as good as it looks,

'cause it looks like a picture.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Right.

I feel, um... How can I say that?

It's, um...

..it's like a flashback to me.

Reminds me of my grandmother
when I was a kid,

especially.

What I notice is the way
he rolled it on the side

and she was doing the same.

Except he's doing it in colours.

The textures are perfect, because
it's two different types of liquid,

with different starch

and he managed to do
something brilliant.

There's that lovely fineness
on the end of the pasta,

which is immaculate.

ANDY: I think there's some
beautiful textures in there,

definitely.

I really like that bresaola, peanut,
fennel-top verde sauce

that he's got going on.

POH: The buerre noisette
just lifts it

and gives it a little bit...
a bit of savouriness.

I think he's done really well.

In a really beautiful way, I kind of
feel like it's a dish of artistry

but for all palates -

like, I can see you
giving that to a kid,

because it's so playful
and colourful,

or serving it in a restaurant

and still having somebody
feel really satisfied.

Here he is.

I've made a potato and bacon
tortellini

with a mushroom cappuccino,
mushroom broth.

We'll try your dish now.
Thanks, Matt.

Yeah, thank you.
Cheers, Matt.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you so much.
Thank you.

The pasta work is well done.

There's structure there.

He's actually gone so thin -

the tortellini are so spot-on,

in terms of their formation.

The broth is a bit one-note for me.

It literally was just the mushrooms
and I think, at this point,

we would like to see more layers
and more complexity.

He could have used onions,

he could have surprised with maybe
a bit of celeriac in the broth...

God knows.
Yeah.

The other thing that
would have been good to see

is a little bit more texture, maybe
in the form of a crunchy garnish

or just something to sort of brighten
the entire presentation of the dish.

It just lacks vibrancy
and it's quite dull.

It could land him in trouble.

Hi, Jamie.
Hi, Jamie.

JAMIE: Hello.
ANDY: Hello, mate.

Do you want to just quickly
tell us what it is?

Uh, today I've cooked
duck a l'orange.

(EXHALES)

POH: Big sigh?

JAMIE: Um, obviously,

a stupid mistake

put us into this challenge

and then a stupid mistake
caused issues at the end.

When you come in here, you want to
show everything you can.

I mean, I've...

I've had a pretty tough time...

since last year,

so, for me, there was
this huge, like...

..maybe this is an opportunity to...

Not start fresh, because I'm really
proud of what I did.

But I felt like it was kind of fate.

ANDY: Well, let's hope
this dish is good enough

to keep you in the competition.

Yeah.
We'll taste.

I think Jamie's actually
pulled it off.

That sauce is so silky-smooth.

The sweetness of the fennel, with
those juicy bursts from the orange

and that little zing of ginger

all went together so well,

with this really nice,
round earthiness.

It was so delicious!

Yes, the duck was not rested enough,

'cause mine was a bit tough,

but it was still actually
quite well cooked,

if that makes sense.

I really enjoyed it.

What I love very much
is that sweetness,

that lovely, pure honey
into the orange juice.

The rendition was impeccable.

I know the duck was not
cooked perfectly

but I was so mesmerised by
everything else except the duck,

I think this, for me, is a safe trip.

SOPHIA: There were lots
of great dishes today

but unfortunately, there was one
that just didn't hit the mark.

That dish belonged to...

..I'm so sorry to say,

Steph.

Oh, Steph!
Steph!

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god!

Your slaw was refreshing and crisp

but sadly, the main event,
that pork -

the fat wasn't rendered.

And unfortunately, the amount of
belachan used in the caramel sauce

was overpowering.

Steph, you are an incredible cook

and you have such an energy
about you,

it has been such a joy
to have you back in this kitchen.

And we know you've got
lots of followers out there

but us four - we're
your biggest fans.

You've blown us away.
Thank you.

Have you enjoyed your time back?

Oh, look, I've had the best time.

These guys are wild.

(LAUGHTER)
So much fun.

And now, Steph,
it's time to say goodbye.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

POH: I'm so sorry.

So good to have you in the kitchen.

I'm just really happy
I've had the experience again.

My final thoughts on being here
in the kitchen are...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

..I came, I cooked, I conquered,
I went.

(APPLAUSE)

And I had a really good time
doing it.

VOICEOVER: This week,
on MasterChef Australia...

..who's there?

Please give it up for Curtis Stone!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

With tantalising tips and tricks...

It's like a masterclass for us!

..from Curtis
and our incredible judges...

(CONTESTANTS GASP, EXCLAIM)

Et voila!

..it'll be one hot week

in the MasterChef kitchen.

Captions by Red Bee Media Australia