Original subtitles

(BEN SIGHS)

How's Australia Week going for you? THEO: Not great.

Neither. I'm Greek.

Yeah, not too happy about being the elimination today.

Yesterday I had a bit of a problem with the mystery box challenge,

and I ended up in the bottom four.

It's not a great start, but I've got to get my head in the game

and be ready for whatever they're going to throw at us today.

SARAH: OK...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THEO: It is a black apron day and there's a chance of going home,

so there's anxiety, nerves.

There's a bench on my left...

..four benches on my right.

Oh, God.

What could it be?

I think you know what's coming.

It's a cookalong.

I can tell straightaway.

POH: Morning, everyone.

Today's challenge is a MasterChef classic.

You're going to have to keep up

with whoever's about to walk through those doors.

He's one of Australia's most celebrated chefs

and a lifelong friend of this kitchen.

And he's here to challenge you.

And what could be more challenging than keeping up with...

..Curtis Stone!

Curtis Stone!

Oh, my God. Curtis Stone. He's so talented.

CURTIS: How are you? Good to see you.

He's an Australian iconic chef.

Like, we got to meet him earlier in the season,

and I cannot believe he's back again.

Hello, mate. Welcome back. Good to see you.

Hi, Curtis. How are you?

He loves this.

Depinder, are you a bit giddy up there?

Oh, my God.

(LAUGHTER)

What's going on?

I'm a huge fan,

so I'm, like, fangirling over here quietly.

Hi, Depinder. Hello.

So, here's how it's gonna work.

Curtis is going to prepare a dish,

one that you'll need to copy beat for beat, at the same time.

You've got to stay on the ball.

There's no recipe to read.

But at the end of the day,

even though you're following Curtis's every move,

you still need to rely on your own instincts.

If you fall behind, you need to be able to get yourself back on track.

Righto, Curtis,

do you want to tell them a bit about what you're making today?

It's the kind of dish that if you do it on a Sunday,

you might spend three or four hours doing.

But today we're going to squeeze it into 60 minutes.

ALL: Ooh...

Alright. Once Curtis finishes his dish,

you'll have a further 10 seconds to finish yours.

And then it's game over.

10 seconds, Jesus. Wow.

Sarah, you look like a ninja.

I came prepared. Ready for action.

Theo, are you pleased to see Chef Curtis Stone again?

I am, actually.

I've never done a cookalong before,

so I'm really, really excited to get going.

Ben, mate, the eliminator.

You just give it all in every elimination.

You kept up with Gordon Ramsay and you won the pin.

Does that give you a bit of confidence for today's cook?

It would give me more confidence if I still had the pin, but...

(LAUGHTER)

In this season, I've already had four pressure tests

and two cookalongs.

Ben. Yes!

And in the keeping up with Gordon challenge,

I got to win the immunity pin.

Like, the cookalongs and pressure tests are actually fun.

Thankfully, I've performed pretty well.

It's a bit like what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Hopefully the more pressure there is, the better I'll do.

Are you ready, guys?

OTHERS: Let's go, guys!

Good luck, Sarah. Good luck, Jamie.

JAMIE: This is definitely one of the most nerve-racking challenges,

But my advantage today is the fact that I'm with my extra experience.

I'm used to this kind of high pressure environment

and I can get myself out of situations if I fall in them.

DEPINDER: Let's go, guys.

Alright, let's do it, guys.

Today you'll be making my homemade raviolo...

..with cooked lamb shank and gremolata.

It's a really simple recipe, but there's lots of steps.

We're going to be making fresh ricotta.

We're going to be making homemade pasta.

We're going to be pressure cooking lamb shanks.

So go ahead and get your cast iron pan on.

Get your pressure cooker on.

A keeping up challenge is very difficult

because we don't know what the dish looks like.

And I can feel an electric pressure in this room.

Right, the very first thing you need to do is season your lamb shanks.

Alright, the good news is this is Coles 100% grass-fed lamb

is available all year round.

Go ahead and season it nicely.

It is delicious and tender as long as you cook it the right way.

Straight into that cast iron pan, which should be nice and hot.

BEN: So far in the competition, I've put myself

in a few more eliminations than I want to be in.

My strategy with this cook is to go fast and go hard,

so I've got to get ahead.

Season it nicely. It's delicious and tender.

So without being told, I start peeling a carrot.

It's sitting there, obviously we're gonna use it,

so we're gonna have to peel it.

So, into your pressure cooker,

I want you to add a little bit of olive oil.

Grab yourself an onion.

Go ahead and peel it and then cut it.

Go ahead and peel your carrot.

Peeler.

Curtis is definitely setting a pretty raging pace.

Three or four cloves of garlic.

Depending on how big they are, you can throw them in whole.

Make sure you're keeping up.

Throw it in. Give it a stir.

Thyme and rosemary - just a sprig of each.

We are moving on to the ricotta.

DEPINDER: Theo, you've got to move on.

Hey? You've got to move on.

OK, you want 1.3L of milk.

You want 300ml of cream going into your pot?

JAMIE: Sorry. 1.3L of milk, 300ml of cream?

Correct.

The kitchen's loud. There's heaps of pressure.

Curtis is moving at lightning speed.

Grab a fork.

The devil is in the details here.

And listening to what Curtis has to say,

that's the most important thing.

LAURA: Nice work, Jame-o.

If you have a question, ask.

If you can't see something, go see it.

Ricotta is a huge part of this dish and needs to be perfect.

Oh, the pace is picking up now.

Into your cream and milk,

I want you to put about a tablespoon full of salt flakes.

Keep your eye on those lamb shanks.

OK, your shanks should be beautiful and golden brown.

I want a deep colour on those shanks.

Mm. Lovely lamb smell.

Then I want you to take half a cup of that red wine,

pour it into your pressure cooker.

We're going to reduce it down.

Rosemary... Rosemary and what else in the pressure cooker?

Run and check, Theo. Run and check.

You are welcome to have a look. Yep.

I'm the only one that's new to this.

And it's like a complete shock to the system.

DEPINDER: Let's go!

I'm trying my best to listen to exact amounts,

like how many garlic cloves,

how much rosemary, thyme...

OK, 1.3 milk, 300 cream.

..but Curtis has already moved on to his ricotta.

We're going to take our cream and milk to 88 Celsius.

CALLUM: Nice, Jamie.

Right, we are making a fresh cheese.

You would have to ask my fiance how good I am at multi-tasking.

How much?

I don't do it very well, I don't think.

Come on, Theo. I've got to catch up, mate.

Yep. Alright...

Oh, my God, is he just guesstimating that?

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: He's not listening, obviously.

In your pressure cooker so far, you should have an onion,

you should have a carrot,

you should have three or four cloves of garlic,

you should have half a cup of red wine.

It should be reducing down.

Goodness me. It smells delicious.

Your lamb shanks, once they're beautiful and golden like mine...

Everyone have a quick look. Right? Like that.

..they go into your pressure cooker.

Get that char, guys.

OK, once that wine's reduced down,

you're going to add your stock - 750ml.

It should almost cover the lamb, but not quite.

(SOFIA GASPS)

Take the lid of your pressure cooker,

turn it and you're putting it to the front.

OK, once your pressure cooker is working and coming up to the boil,

we're going to check the temperature of our cream and milk,

and we're going to start juicing some lemons,

because we're going to use the lemon juice

to create the ricotta.

Sarah's onto it. Yeah.

She always looks so graceful in the kitchen.

She never really rushes, but she's super efficient.

SARAH: Creating ricotta is a really delicate process.

But I have walked into the kitchen today very focused.

I can't hear anyone else in the room other than Curtis's voice.

Measure that 60ml out.

(BEEPING)

Chef. Oui.

Mine's come to 88.

Sarah's ahead of Curtis.

88. Yeah.

Once you're at 88, take it off the heat.

Not only keeping up with Curtis,

but I might be ahead of him, actually.

Once you achieve 88, go ahead and remove it from the heat,

and then you add your lemon juice.

So that lemon juice is going to curdle the cream,

which will create the ricotta.

Stir it and cover it.

OK. Next job.

DEPINDER: Let's go. Let's go, Theo.

It's time to get your type 00 flour.

We are moving on to pasta dough.

You keeping up?

Grab yourself a scale.

SNEZ: Nice, Sarah.

Alright, we're looking for 300g of type 00 flour.

Go ahead and weigh it out. How much, Chef?

300. 300.

You're looking for three egg yolks and two whole eggs.

How many grams of flour again, Chef? 300.

300. Keep up, Theo.

Make a little well in your flour.

Three yolks, two whole, Chef?

Three yolks, two whole.

Theo is just going in his bowl.

So, for the raviolo dough, I'm kind of running on intuition.

Mix your eggs with your flour.

Theo, look at how he's making it.

I'm pretty comfortable with making pastas.

I've been working at a pasta restaurant at night

the last few months.

So, I'm listening, but I'm also just using my instincts on this one.

Go, go, go.

It's important you work quickly with your pasta dough

because you need to give it time to rest.

Don't leave anything on your board. It's all got to be incorporated.

SOFIA: He's like in fast forward, isn't he?

Once you've finished it, you're going to wrap it

and then rest it in the fridge.

Alright. We are going to strain our ricotta.

Grab yourself a strainer and a large bowl

and prepare the muslin over the strainer.

And then spoon that ricotta directly into your cheesecloth.

SNEZ: It looks great, Benny.

DEPINDER: Oh, wow. Nice work, Sarah.

Do you think the ricotta is going to be alright? The Jamie one.

JAMIE: Curtis is now onto the ricotta,

and he seems to be grabbing these massive scoops

and pouring it in.

It should look like this, you guys.

That's what your ricotta should look like.

The slotted spoon is going straight through it.

It's like milk.

Oh, my God... What's happened?

These curds haven't set.

Jamie, it's not right.

Chef? Let me see it.

That had 10 minutes and it's still pretty loose.

Did you measure the lemon juice properly? I measured everything spot on.

Did it get to 88 degrees?

It did... Start again.

WOMAN: Shit, he has to start again. SOFIA: Is he going to do more?

CALLUM: Go on, Jamie. You can do this.

Go on, Jamie! Go again. Go, go, go!

JAMIE: It's not good.

What a shame.

This could be the competition.

Quickly!

CURTIS: That's what you ricotta should look like.

JAMIE: My curds haven't set.

WOMAN: Shit, he has to start again. SOFIA: Is he going to do more?

CALLUM: Go on, Jamie. You can do this. Go on, Jamie. Go again.

Go, go. Go. Quickly.

This is an issue. I need to fix it.

It's going to be hard for him to keep up if he's got to do that.

Jamie, when something goes wrong,

the most important thing is you stay calm.

Oui, Chef.

You've got to stay relaxed and you've got to stay focused.

Oui, Chef.

OK, guys, next step.

We're now going to cut these beautiful croutons.

This is going to go into our gremolata.

So the breadcrumbs are going to be toasted in olive oil.

I can hear that Curtis has moved on to the breadcrumbs.

The most important thing I need to do right now is

get this ricotta back on.

You need to keep an eye on them. You don't want them to get too dark.

So, as long as I'm listening

and I can memorise what he's saying about this...

Season your croutons...

..I can still get this done.

..with just a little salt.

But that's a massive amount of time that I'm going to have to make up.

You want to make sure they're nicely coated

with that extra virgin olive oil.

Come on, Jamie, you can do it, mate.

SNEZ: Come on, Jamie. DEPINDER: Let's go, Jame-o.

Nice work. Let's go, Jame-o. Go, go, go!

Jamie, did you add salt?

I did add salt, Chef. Great.

(LAUGHTER FROM THE GANTRY)

CALLUM: He just added a heap of salt to the...

LAURA: "Yes, Curtis." So good.

THEO: Jamie's decided to start the ricotta again

and I'm worried about my ricotta mixture as well.

It doesn't have the same amount of curds that it probably should.

Has it split?

If it hasn't split, you've got a decision to make.

I've never done a cookalong before...

Theo, what's happening?

..but what I do know about a keeping up challenge is

if you make a mistake, it's quite difficult to catch up.

So now I'm starting to freak out.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: And he's very long to make a decision too,

where Jamie just jumped in.

Oh, la, la. (LAUGHS)

Theo, if you're stressed, that's not right. Start again.

THEO: So now I feel very stressed.

DEPINDER: Just get any pot. Any pot, Theo.

Start weighing it out.

This is going to cost me.

I'm already behind and I'm going to be even further behind

starting the ricotta mixture again.

Run, Theo. Run.

He's spiralling. CALLUM: Yeah.

The temperature must be precise.

You get it wrong, it won't work. Can I get another pot the same?

ANDY: Just get any pot, mate.

It's a weird feeling. I've been here before.

Why is this so hard for me?

Two years ago, the squid sent me home.

I could not for the life of me peel the membrane off the squid.

(SIGHS)

DECLAN: You alright, Theo? Nah.

(SIGHS) Waste of time.

I was really hard on myself.

And I got in my own head, and it got me eliminated.

Something that I've had to work at really hard -

to...to be kinder to myself.

(SIGHS) AUDRA: Go, Theo!

I've grown a lot in the last couple of years.

300 cream? Yep.

And I think it's through the help of my fiancee.

I've learned that obstacles are just obstacles.

You can go around them. So I need to stay positive.

Otherwise, I won't be able to do it.

LAURA: Let's go, Theo.

Go ahead and take your fresh herbs.

You need enough to garnish two raviolos, just to be safe.

Seems like some people are starting to fall behind.

And then slice them nice and fine.

But I am dead-on.

I'm keeping up with Curtis.

In a small pan, we're going to toast pistachios.

This is going to go into our gremolata.

How's everyone feeling? Good, Chef.

JAMIE: Good, Chef. Sarah?

(VOICE DISTORTED AND ECHOING) Sarah?

(VOICE CLEAR) Sarah's totally zoned me out.

How you feeling, Sarah?

(VOICE DISTORTED AND ECHOING) Sarah?

Sarah, can you hear me? SARAH: Yeah.

How are you feeling?

Yeah. Good. Alright.

Into your gremolata goes that clove of finely chopped garlic...

So, now Curtis is moving on to his gremolata.

..all of those beautifully chopped herbs.

And I feel like I've recovered a little bit,

but I just need to make sure that second ricotta turns out well.

Theo, are you making ricotta again? Oui, Chef.

I know that I can get this done,

but how quickly I can get it done - that's another thing.

Zest of one lemon.

And then you're going to free pour your extra virgin olive oil.

This is really important, you guys, to create that gremolata.

DECLAN: Yeah, nice, Sarah. Good job, Jamie.

Now, we are going to cook these raviolis in about 20 minutes.

I know they're not made yet, but believe me,

we're going to be cooking them in about 20.

So get yourself a large pot full of water

and bring it to the boil.

Come on, guys, you can do this.

OK, let's have a little look at our ricotta.

(METAL CLANGS)

Oh, dropped the liquid. Whoopsie.

(JEAN-CHRISTOPHE LAUGHS)

Lucky I didn't drop the top.

Our ricotta is sitting over a hot liquid right now.

We're going to remove the whole strainer

and place it over a new container to help it cool down.

You can even drop it in the freezer for a minute

if you think that's going to help it get cooler faster.

The rest time - my ricotta is up, and it's time to check.

I scoop through with a slotted spoon...

DEPINDER: Oh, beautiful, Jamie. Well done, Jamie.

..and it looks exactly like Curtis's did.

Oh, beautiful.

This ricotta is the only thing I've fallen behind on this whole cook.

CALLUM: Nice one, Jamie.

I have everything else logged in my head

or already done to keep up with Curtis.

Now that my ricotta is set,

I can get it into the fridge, get it cool.

I think I'm back on track.

Jamie's done a really good job catching up.

He's still got to cool the ricotta so he can fill the ravioli.

I'm so worried about Theo.

He hasn't even strained his ricotta yet.

THEO: So, Jamie's second ricotta mixture has worked.

And now it's my turn.

I've added my lemon juice, I've let it sit,

and I've already put it in the fridge.

Now it's time to strain it off.

Everything comes down to this.

THEO: I've worked a lot of time on this ricotta.

And my heart sinks.

The curds again are not right.

You've got...? You've got no curds?

Nah.

I'm scraping away at the muslin cloth

and it's just not enough.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, my God. What did he just do?

My first batch didn't work out...

..my second batch now hasn't worked out.

I don't have time to do a third.

Both my ricottas are gone.

WOMAN: That's OK. Keep going.

No, no. It's gone, it's gone.

It's gone. Nah.

I'm thinking I'm done.

Keep going, Theo. Please, keep...

Where's your first lot?

SNEZ: Would there be enough?

Try. Try. Come on, mate, don't give up.

THEO: I know that all I need is enough

for one raviolo.

I don't care how many Curtis is making.

DEPINDER: That's it, Theo. That's all you need.

I feel like I'm getting enough.

Look at this. I've got enough here. I can make one.

SNEZ: Nice, Theo.

(CHEERING FROM GANTRY) Come on, Theo!

Come back to your pressure cooker.

Let some of that steam out.

You're letting the pressure out of your lamb shanks.

Turn it...

..and remove it.

(GIGGLING)

SARAH: I'm lucky because I use this pressure cooker all the time.

I love to use old-school methods

for cooking my different curries.

I'm a classic girl, actually.

Just like that.

You're gonna remove your shanks,

making sure that they are fork-tender.

They should pretty much be falling apart.

Oh, my God! Wow.

Beautiful.

Oh, my God, look at the colour on that.

Nice, Benny.

We're gonna pull that beautiful, tender lamb meat...

Oh, look at that!

..straight off the bone.

That's doing things to me. (LAUGHS)

Settle. Settle. Sorry!

Keep your knickers on! (LAUGHS)

SARAH: My shanks come out and they are absolutely perfect.

They are falling off the bone.

I have a little taster. They taste delicious.

I think they're great.

Drain your liquid through your chinois.

We're going to reduce that sauce down

and turn it into a wonderful little sauce.

Ooh, that's good!

Oh, OK.

Take your pasta dough, let's start rolling it.

Alright, guys, if you're not ready to roll your pasta dough out,

you're not keeping up with me.

ANDY: It's gonna come together really quick now.

You've got to be right behind Curtis. Come on.

AUDRA: Come on, guys.

OK, guys, here's what I want you to do.

We're gonna learn a brand-new technique, OK?

You go through...

OK?

You take the tail of the pasta,

push it back in,

push it on like this.

Then get your hand underneath it...

..and then start to wind.

Get that seam together.

Now you're not as reliant on moving the dial,

because you can actually thin the pasta dough out with your hand.

LAURA: Curtis Stone,

he's great to look at, he makes great food,

he's so fast, so clean, so meticulous.

It's a joy to watch.

See how I'm starting to slowly thin out my pasta dough?

(APPLAUSE FROM GANTRY) You've got to do the same.

Wow.

BEN: It's not how I roll pasta dough.

Um, but I'm gonna do it

because I don't want to get in trouble.

And maybe it makes a difference, I don't know.

I'm doing it how Curtis does it.

Even though it's really weird!

So good, Bennie!

Oh, Bennie, look at those wrists! (CHUCKLES)

He's doing a little, little shaky.

Shaking's good! (LAUGHTER FROM GANTRY)

Whole body wiggle, I like it. Do a little...

(LAUGHTER)

Alright, let's get back to our ravioli.

So, take your ricotta once it's cool,

pick up that ricotta,

stick it into a bag.

Make sure you taste it for seasoning.

DEPINDER: Nice work, guys.

Tie your bag off.

Come on, Jamie. Chop, chop.

JAMIE: Ricotta is a huge part of this dish.

Luckily, my re-ricotta worked.

But having to do something twice leaves less time

to really finesse all of the other things.

Have you tasted it? Have you tasted your ricotta?

The fact I have ricotta is the most important thing.

And I can season and adjust as we go.

You already seasoned it, right, With the cream and the milk?

SARAH: Yep, yep.

Once you've put your ricotta into a bag,

I want you to go ahead and pipe it into a circle.

I've got essentially, like,

a giant doughnut worth of ricotta on top of my pasta.

Take your gremolata,

cut the end of your bag off

and pipe that gremolata directly in.

This is when I actually get to taste.

The gremolata is a little bit salty,

the ricotta is probably a little bit underseasoned...

..but this whole dish is going to come together super quickly.

Start shaping your raviolos.

And it should balance out.

Try not to get any pockets of air in there.

There's a 10cm cutter. That's the one you're going to use.

Turn it around and cut yourself...

..one perfect raviolo.

Oh, yes!

Take your raviolis and stick them in the fridge.

Come on, guys. Let's go.

ANDY: Come on, Theo. You got this.

Your pasta water, which has been well seasoned -

if you haven't done it already - be generous with the salt.

WOMAN: Heaps of salt.

Your raviolos are going to be in the water for two minutes.

Nice, Theo. Go, go, go.

My raviolos are going in.

My raviolos are going in.

They're in for two minutes. I've shaped my pasta.

It didn't get time in the fridge like Curtis's, but that's alright.

He puts his in, I put mine in at exactly the same time.

That raviolo's huge. It's as huge as him!

Does everyone have their raviolo in the water?

BEN: Oui...

..Chef.

Three out of four.

ANDY: Theo, you've got to get your pasta in, mate.

THEO: Yep.

DEPINDER: His pasta is already in, Theo.

OK. Take your 7cm cutter.

Put it in the middle of your serving plate.

Where does it say centimetres?

Theo, you've got to get your pasta in, mate.

DEPINDER: His pasta is already in, Theo.

Curtis has already got his pasta boiling.

I'm starting to freak out now,

because I'm just waiting for Curtis to say, "I'm done, guys.

"And we've only got 10 seconds."

Theo, you've got to move.

Jesus, I am freaking out. Two minutes, Theo.

LAURA: Shit's about to get real.

BEN: The raviolo is sitting in that water, it's cooking away,

and I can see this dish is about to come together.

Taste your lamb.

Oh, so good, man.

Go ahead and start spooning those beautiful chunks of lamb

into the centre of your cutter that is on your serving plate.

Remove the cutter from your lamb shanks.

Yum!

The finished dish will have your raviolo above your lamb shanks.

Oh, Ben's looks great. Look at Ben's. Look how even it is.

The herbs are going to sit on top.

SARAH: When I remove that disc,

everything is holding there perfectly.

This raviolo looks absolutely beautiful.

This dish is about to all come together, you guys.

DEPINDER: Go, guys.

If you're not keeping up now, you're in trouble.

ANDY: Come on, Theo. Come on.

Take that excess lamb,

strain just a little of that jus out.

Because that's going to be our serving sauce on the side.

If you put it in a little side jug and serve it tableside,

the judges are going to absolutely love it.

When I finish, you guys will have 10 seconds.

And I'm real close.

LAURA: Come on, come on, come on, come on!

JAMIE: Where's another strainer?

WOMAN: Run, Jamie!

Go, go, go! Quickly!

Your sauce will be poured around the outside of your shank.

Season, garnish, season, garnish.

WOMAN: Get your herbs, Theo.

ANDY: Herbs, pistachios.

I take a couple of drops of extra virgin olive oil

around the outside of the plate as well.

And I am finished.

You have 10 seconds, you guys.

Righto, guys. Curtis is finished!

10!

ALL ON GANTRY: Nine, eight,

seven, six,

five, four,

three, two,

one.

(ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD)

Well done.

Wow.

Well done, Sarah.

SARAH: That was crazy. Yeah, that was intense.

The ricotta got me a good one. Um...

But I finished the dish, so I'm very happy.

I don't know how both these guys remade their ricotta,

but, uh, I gather they made it a second time properly.

And so it doesn't matter if they didn't make it the first time,

so we're all the same - it's one plate.

CURTIS: Rock'n'roll, Chefs.

Nice job. Well done.

Great job, brother.

Curtis, watching you make that raviolo with lamb shank

was so impressive.

But watching the contestants try to keep up was nail-biting.

I'm just so thrilled they all actually got something

on their plates.

It was like having a ride on a roller-coaster.

Yeah. Nonstop until the last minute.

MAN: Good luck, Benny.

BEN: It's been an amazing experience to cook along with Curtis today,

and I'm just hoping that what I've done

is close enough to Curtis' to keep me safe.

Hey, it is a lamb challenge.

I might know a thing or two about lamb.

Hello. Hi, Ben.

Ben, how did you go?

I think it went reasonably well.

This is actually my third cookalong I've done, second one this season.

I just knew that if I kept my head down and focused,

then I should be able to get through it.

I just want to prove to myself how far I can really go.

I felt disappointed when I went home in the last week last time,

and I believe I can get to the end.

OK, Ben. Thank you.

Thank you. ANDY: Cheers, mate. Thank you.

Well, I think Ben has very well

executed the raviolo dish, yeah.

The lamb is a lamb shank, and we got some lamb shank bits.

And this is what I love about lamb shanks.

You know, the enjoyment of getting through the gelatine and so on.

It was cooked perfectly.

It looked superb and it tastes lovely.

I think Ben has done a really wonderful job of his lamb.

He's reduced it, he's seasoned it well.

He's made it really kind of sticky

and just before it starts getting jammy.

So there's still quite a lot of flavour in there.

I think Ben's done a really good job.

I love the way he's worked with his pasta.

I think it's perfectly cooked.

Um, the ricotta is really nice and pillowy and light.

Um, and the lamb, of course, is the hero of this dish

and he's really honoured it.

I do feel like all the pressure tests that he's done

served him well today.

Like, he does the Ben thing where he just bashes it out.

When he comes in with focus

and he's ready to play ball, he crushes it.

He's done such a good job.

Luck, Jamie.

JAMIE: Walking up to the judges, I'm worried.

There's nothing missing from my plate.

I got everything on there within the time.

Could it have been finessed a little bit more? Sure.

Jamie.

Hello. SOFIA: Hello!

I guarantee there's not many mistakes

from any of these four dishes.

Oh!

So if there's one little mistake on this plate...

..one small thing can send you home.

ANNOUNCER: In the mood to cook?

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and try these delicious, MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10Play.

Jamie, how was that cook for you?

It was hectic.

It was great, though. I really enjoyed it.

Making the ricotta second time round

was absolutely the right call.

You know, and it worked. Happy.

Do it nice or do it twice. It's the same, right?

So I did it twice and kept listening and that's what it's about.

Well, we were impressed with your fight today in the kitchen.

We're going to taste your dish, Jamie. Thank you.

Cheers, mate. Beautiful. Thanks, Jamie.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you.

Jamie's created a wonderful dish here.

In the amount of time that he had,

knowing with the slip-up that he had,

the lamb is braised really nicely, and I do like the flavour.

Um, that said, there were some pieces and elements that he missed.

The ricotta, I feel, is a little under-seasoned,

and that really stands out because ricotta,

you have to get that seasoning right,

because as you saw when we made it,

there's just three or four ingredients that go into it.

And to me, it makes it just a little bit bland.

Yeah, I think there's definitely positives in this dish,

but I feel like we've got someone who's had to redo an element,

and then the small errors have crept in

to a few elements on the plate.

MAN: Good luck, Sarah. MAN 2: Good luck.

Hi, Sarah! Hi.

Hello. Hi.

Sarah, how did you find that cook?

I actually really enjoyed it, I had fun.

I think, um, there's something about the pace of cooking that way

and the energy.

I was having a bit of a giggle when you arrived this morning.

I said you looked a bit ninja

and I felt like you operated, like, full stealth today. (LAUGHS)

Like, very picture of calm.

Well, you were such a pleasure to watch today.

Would you like to finish your dish? Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

Sorry!

You've been hanging around Declan for too long.

Oh, oh, my gosh, don't say that!

Thank you, Sarah. Good job. Thank you. Thanks.

What do you reckon, guys?

Look, I'll tell you what, it looks pretty good to me.

I honestly feel like if you put mine right next to it,

you might struggle to tell the difference between them.

I think Sarah's done a fantastic job.

The pasta's beautifully rolled.

It's nice and thin.

The lamb is wonderfully braised,

it's rich and it's perfectly seasoned,

and I really think that's important.

The ricotta is really fluffy and delicious.

What was the most dominant feature for me was the lamb.

The lamb flavours, the richness, the way it was braised, the colour.

It's so appetising and so seducing.

The highlight for me was both the braise on the lamb

but also that sauce.

She got a good reduction on it

which coated those beautiful chunks of lamb.

Yeah, I think Sarah's done such an amazing job.

Like, she's just so capable, you know, and it really showed.

SARAH: Good luck, Theo. Thanks, guys.

Good luck, mate. Thank you.

I feel proud taking my dish up to the judges.

I'm proud that I finished,

I'm proud of my head space during that cook.

In previous years, I would have given up

or just been really angry in my own mind.

Theo. Hey, everyone.

POH: Hey, Theo.

But now I feel like my headspace is the crowning element in this dish.

That was a journey. (SNORTS)

Was there a point where you didn't think that there'd be a dish

sitting in front of us? Yeah, 100%.

Um, yeah, I don't know what to tell you.

I was freaking out for a bit there.

I never wanted to give up,

but it was all these voices in my head that last time happened

was like, "You're not good enough. You're this, you're that."

But this time it was words of encouragement.

Like, "You can do this."

I had my fiance's, you know, voice in my head as well saying,

like, "I've got your back."

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Um...

It must feel pretty good to have 100% support from your partner.

Such a big thing, especially going forward as well.

You know, I want to open a bakery,

and I think having that support from someone so special like her

is massive for me.

And maybe that's why I haven't done it in the past.

Like, it felt like I was all alone and, you know.

So now it's time to do it. So, yeah.

Theo, in our business, there's one guarantee -

things will always go wrong.

Yeah. You know.

And the fact that you were able to sort of still stay calm enough

to get that second ricotta going

and keep everything else moving along and get a finished plate,

it's really admirable, well done.

Yeah, thank you.

Mate, if you end up going to open this bakery,

you'll be a full-time problem solver and a part-time chef.

Yeah. Yeah. It's just how it works.

I reckon you can finish your dish and we'll taste.

Thank you. Thanks, Theo.

The dish maybe has its flaws,

but I'm hoping that it's enough.

My biggest worry is the ricotta.

Is it...is it good enough? Did I salvage enough?

Thanks, mate. We'll taste. Thanks, guys.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thanks, Theo. Thanks.

I really want to taste that ricotta.

Shall we? POH: Yeah.

The star of the dish for me, weirdly, is the ricotta.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

I think it's had this Goldilocks effect where it's, like,

not too soft, not too hard,

and then he's combined them in just the right amount.

The ricotta, it's actually fluffy and lovely.

It's quite bright and acidic, and that's exactly what you want,

'cause it's the counterbalance to that richness in the lamb.

There's a lot to like about Theo's dish.

You know, the fact that he got that on the plate

knowing all the complications that he had,

it is actually very impressive.

The only thing that I would say is the pasta is slightly undercooked.

That's the thing about fresh pasta.

You're an inch away from perfection and disaster, right.

There's not much in between.

And, sadly for Theo,

the outside of his raviolo is still quite hard,

and it just needed to be in that water a little bit longer.

The lamb was beautifully cooked.

Um, for me, it just didn't have

that...that early caramelisation on it.

Like, you took yours to the limit.

Um, and I feel like that's the way to get

the ultimate flavour out of something

when you're pressure cooking it.

But I feel like Theo has suffered

from just being one, two, three steps behind.

Everything is kind of there, but not perfect.

On a day like today, that can come back to bite you.

Look, considering the amount of stuff we achieved

in that hour or so, cookalong, I was super impressed.

There's clearly a lot of pressure,

you had no idea what was coming next.

And to get all the details pretty accurate -

you know, the seasoning, the textures, the consistencies -

you should be really, really proud of yourself.

Well done. Thank you.

All of your dishes looked beautiful

and two of them were pretty darn close to Curtis'.

Sarah, your ricotta was spot-on.

Everything was cooked perfectly and it looked pretty as a picture.

Thank you.

Ben, your lamb and your pasta were best on ground today.

Absolutely brilliant.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Good job, guys.

Theo, Jamie, it comes down to you.

Both of you struggled with your ricotta during that cook...

..which took time away from your other elements.

As a result, the cook going home

brought us a pasta that was undercooked.

That's why...

..I'm sorry to say...

..Theo, you're going home.

Theo, mate, we know this is disappointing.

But for me personally, I just want to say

I've watched your food get better and better, right.

But the real growth has been up here.

You're leaving here with a much stronger head on your shoulders.

And, mate, you are definitely ready to open that bakery.

You got to go and get it.

And we should be the first customers.

Merci, Chef.

We love you, man.

Theo, how are you feeling?

In that cook, in my head, it wasn't a bad place.

Um, so I'm really happy about that.

And going forward, like, the bakery,

like, it's definitely going to happen now.

Like, it's giving me goose bumps right now thinking about it.

So it's really great.

Mate, every time you talk about this future bakery,

you just light up.

It is written all over your face that that is what you have to do.

Yeah.

What are you going to miss about this crazy place?

There's a weird energy about this kitchen when you walk in.

It's like anxiety, like, hits you like a brick wall.

But it's also this amazing feeling

of rallying together with these people

and, like, talking about food all the time.

It's like, I guess, I haven't had a baby,

but it's kind of what I think it's going to be like to have a baby.

Like, this is my little baby MasterChef, you know.

It's hard...it's hard as hell.

It's really hard, but it's really rewarding at the same time.

Well, Theo, after what you said about your girlfriend,

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a baby on the way.

(LAUGHTER)

It was pretty sweet, brother. It was pretty sweet.

I do want to get home pretty quick-stick.

WOMAN: See ya!

Well, Theo, all jokes aside, mate,

it was so epic to have you in this kitchen for a second time.

We're gonna miss you, but for now, mate, it's time to say goodbye.

(WHOOPING)

THEO: I think the biggest takeaway from the competition this time round

is it's not the end of the world

if you make a mistake, it really isn't it.

They're just obstacles, you go around them

and you live to fight another day.

(WHOOPING AND CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

We want an ice-cream that cures our winter blues.

Ooh!

Whoever wins this challenge will have their ice-cream rolled out

starting tomorrow across the country.

(GASPING AND WHOOPING)

Let's go!

The competition is fierce...

Oh, look at this.

..for one of the biggest prizes

of the year.

I'm going to go all-in.

ALANA: This is the challenge

that I want to win.

And the icing on the cake...

Ooh!

..is being first in the top 10.

Oh!

That is like what dreams are made of.