All language subtitles for MasterChef.S21E03.1080p.WEBRiP.x264-DARKFLiX.1

It's the MasterChef quarterfinal,

and this week's six best cooks
are back.

I really am a quarterfinalist.

That is brilliant!

I'm so determined to stay
in this competition.

I feel like the world's my oyster
at the moment.

I'm at a calm level, ready to cook,
but I know that's going to change

as soon as I get into that kitchen
and start cooking.

If the standard so far is anything
to go by, this dish

has to be really good.

I think I need to really nail
it to stay.

Any sort of slip up or mistake
might see you home.

So I definitely need to show
that today I can deliver.

I am determined.

That's just Beth.
So, yeah, let's crack on.

Tonight they will face
just one challenge -

to cook an exceptional

dish from a brief set by renowned
restaurant critic William Sitwell.

We've got ourselves six
absolutely incredible cooks.

Let's see how creative
they truly are.

It's a quarterfinal, and I'm so
excited, I've lost my voice.

Congratulations, and welcome
to a MasterChef quarterfinal.

It's an exciting day.

I've had a cold.

I'm now not unwell, but I am
rather hoarse.

I'm going to stop talking now.

I want to make sure I can taste
properly.

It's a really big day,

and so we have invited
in a special guest.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
to the MasterChef kitchen

the formidable Mr William Sitwell.

You all right, guv'nor?

Today I'm setting a brief
that you may never

have come across before.

I'm really taking the whole culinary
world and turning it upside down.

You can either take a traditionally
sweet ingredient and cook

it in a savoury dish, or you can
take a savoury ingredient and cook

that in a sweet dish.

One and a half hours, 90 minutes.

At the end of this, three
of you are through to Knockout Week.

Three of you will be going home.

Time to show off. Let's cook.

I love being creative and thinking
of how I can make things maybe

sweet or savoury, and so hopefully
that'll shine through here

with the dish I'm making and William

will be able to see that and
appreciate it.

I've set quite a few briefs
over the years, but I do think,

actually, this is probably
the toughest, and I think

the contestants will really
have to dig deep

for creativity and originality.

I feel fine. It's just a slightly
bizarre situation.

Sweet or savoury -

there are ingredients
that you can use.

You know, chocolate in venison,
beetroot in cake.

But then, I don't want to see
those dishes, because those

have been done before. I want people
to delve deeper into their talents.

I think we could see some
really great successes, but I think

there is the potential for this to
go horribly wrong.

Beth's a great cook with a lot
of knowledge.

I've got good flavours here
and I can see real promise.

She's got great foundation.

She just needs to continue
to cook really good food.

BETH: My dish for the quarterfinals
I'm really excited about,

but it also causes me to be more
nervous because today's flavours

are not something you put
on a menu together normally.

Beth, how much pressure does
this gentleman put you under?

So I'm trying to compartmentalise
the pressure and, at the moment,

William is my next new dinner guest.

What are you cooking?
I am making for you

caper and redcurrant brownie
with a fennel and currant ice cream.

Is the caper there to do
a sort of job that salt

might in chocolate or...? Utterly.

I use caper as, you know,
a seasoning, mainly in fish cookery.

Yeah. I love capers.

If I don't have capers in the house,
then I get in a bit of a panic.

Do you consider this to be risky?

I want you to think,
"That tastes banging

"and let's see her
in Knockout Week."

A great brownie's rather
like scooping

the inside of a bowl of chocolate,

you know, for a chocolate cake.

It's like that naughty dish
that you shouldn't really have.

The interesting thing here
is she's using a caper to add a salt

element to the chocolate,
and then she's got ice cream

with fennel and berries.

So you've got these two fishy
friends - the capers and the fennel.

Danger zone is that we think
we're having a fish dish.

Claire is ambitious.

She's exciting. She's got great
ideas.

It's a joy to eat.

And she seems really comfortable
in the kitchen.

She's done a fantastic job.

The whole thing is
so beautifully balanced.

I think what the judges
will see next might be a little

confusing for them.

I'm going a little left field.

My food follows my life, my travels.

There's always a story there.

Claire, tell us what your dish is.

S'mores beef - chocolate steak
with marshmallow sweet potato fluff

and a Graham cracker crumb.

So, s'mores beef,
tell me about that.

I lived in North America, in Canada,
for 12 years. So, s'mores

are a very common campfire snack.

It's a type of cracker close
to a digestive,

and then you top that with some
chocolate and you roast

a marshmallow. Put that on there and
it melts the chocolate slightly,

and you eat that by a fire, and I'm
putting them into a steak dish.

Bonkers. Good luck.
Thank you. Thank you.

She is taking a sirloin steak,

she's dusting in cocoa,

and when she fries that,
that will go quite bitter and cause

a crust on the outside.

And she's making a sweet potato
marshmallow whip.

I'm so happy with the marshmallow.

It's come out glossy and sticky.

Not too sweet.

It is quite out there. It is like
nothing I've ever had before.

But this is the whole point.

This is what the brief was designed
to provoke -

something extraordinary.

30 minutes gone, everyone.

30 minutes gone. Just one hour left.

Jordan grew up in Glasgow in a fish
and chip shop. In his first

round, he cooked for us fish
and chips.

Absolutely fantastic.

That is a cracking plate
of fish and chips, Jordan.

Thank you.

He makes food which looks simple
but demands a huge

amount of technique.

Right now I want to see
a lot more of Jordan.

Jordan, tell us what your dish is
and what are the sweet and savoury

aspects of your dish?

Straight away I thought, Korean
fried chicken and waffles

with a side of Asian slaw. I can
actually remember when brunch

became a bit of a thing, you know,
probably, you know,

ten plus years ago.
The sweet elements are the waffles.

You know, those are sort of vanilla.

And then there's also quite a lot
of honey in the glaze to make

it really sweet and sticky.

You've obviously eaten chicken and
waffles before, William, have you?

I don't think so.
And I've never eaten brunch.

I mean, I get up in the morning,
I have breakfast, so therefore

I'm not hungry until lunchtime.
So why would I have brunch?

Try not to be angry with me,
William.

You're here to judge
the contestants, not me.

I'd like to ban brunch, along with
Morris dancing, but that's just me.

I mean, I just absolutely
love Korean fried chicken,

and, you know, every time
I'm anywhere in Asia, really, I try

and find the best place
for it and I think it's great.

So hopefully, hopefully
they like it.

The fried chicken needs
to be nice and crispy.

And for his slaw, he's making
mayonnaise, which is showing

off some skill, and a fried
egg across the top.

The deliberate challenge of Jordan's
dish is the juxtaposition

of the vanilla in the waffle
and the chicken - the sweetness,

the honey, with the spice.

Whilst this is a dish
that I'm excited to eat, I do

slightly worry
about the originality.

You have just 40 minutes left.

That means you're over halfway.

Shaun walked in here
and he's impressed right

from the start. I can't find fault
with your dish, Shaun.

It's delicious.

He's learnt it from the internet,
the same way as people learn

to cook from cookbooks.

The anaesthetic quality
of the Sichuan pepper

is just amazing.

I love that.

Mate, he knows what good food is.

This was the round that I was
the most scared of because not

everyone gets to cook for a food
critic, so it's one

of those that I'm just hoping
to hear good things from them.

Just wafting this bacon
over because I knew

you guys were coming. So, you know,
just to get that smell there.

Very successful.

What are you cooking?

So I'm making for you guys
a fried chicken and waffles.

So, the heart of the brief,
it's the sweetness of the waffle

with the chicken or have you got...?

So it's the maple -
candied maple bacon.

You've got a caramel,
a hot maple syrup as well.

Are you worried about the fact
that you're not

the only chicken waffle?

A little bit, but I'm hoping
that I'll get that extra

kick in there.

Shaun, it sounds fascinating.

I love a chicken waffle,
especially for brunch.

Thanks, guys.

I love a great waffle.

Crispy on the outside, but the
inside should be lovely and soft.

We need moist chicken.

We need crispy batter.

We need a really lovely spicy sauce.

I think this is interesting.

The problem is that it is very much
a tried and tested dish.

He's really got to create
the superlative version of chicken

and waffle, so the pressure
really is on him.

Finley's really interesting,
a young guy of 22 years old.

Invention test -
he got cauliflower, bacon

and pear and made a dish work.

I'm really impressed.

I think that's really quite special.

He cooks food that I want to eat.

I think that's a really good
steak, really good chips,

and I love the sauce that goes
with it.

Can he play around with
this sweet and savoury?

I've chosen to do a tiramisu
because it's my girlfriend

Molly's all-time favourite dessert.

She's a bit of a connoisseur,

so fingers crossed it goes
well or I'll know about it.

Hello, Finley.
Hi. Nice to meet you.

What are you cooking?

I'm doing a basil and matcha
tiramisu with a basil ice cream.

OK. All right.

It's such a traditional,
classic dessert,

so I just thought I'd get creative,

see if I can replace the coffee
with basil and a tea leaf,

being matcha, and fuse the two
together and see

what it tastes like.

On your plan of attack
on your bench, it says "Confidence."

What's that about? Yeah. It's
actually a tip from my girlfriend

when piping the cream
because you need to actually

be quite aggressive,
and it's quite a dainty activity.

William, would you order this dish
if was on a menu?

Yeah, definitely.
It's really intriguing.

Finley is making his take
on a tiramisu with savoury flavours.

Matcha tea, which is quite smoky,

and with that, he's also got basil,
which is aniseed sharp-cum-sweet.

I hope that cream is not
curdled in any way.

I hope the biscuits don't go
too soggy and I hope he can make

it look really, really smart.

It's highly original and, I would
say, highly dangerous.

Only one of those elements
has to fail and he'll be scampering

around wishing he'd come
up with some other, slightly

more conventional, idea.

You have just 23 minutes left.

23 minutes left.

Gon takes Thai flavours and puts
them to European classic dishes.

It's got a lot of flavours
of Thailand.

Flavours are great, textures
are great.

I think he's done really well.

He's used to playing with
people's minds.

I think he might love this.

I'm doing a creme brulee served
in a sweet potato with a dark

chocolate soil and strawberries
that's wrapped

in crystallised sugar.

Sorry. Hang on. You're putting creme
brulee in a potato?

Yes. This is inspired by my dad's
garden, so I'm serving

it in this plant pot here.

I really wanted to use potato.

He's an Irish man, and he loves
potato.

There's no denying with that.

And it's going to be served
with the soil as well,

so I want it to almost look
like a potato growing

that you would find in the garden.

Right. OK. I've never had anything
like this before in my life.

And, actually, I've got to say,
if I saw this on a menu, I think

I might order it.

Gon is doing something that none
of us have ever heard of.

It just doesn't exist.

There may be good reasons why.

I pretty much look at myself as an
accumulation of my mum and my dad,

all the lessons they've taught me,
all the flavours they've showed me.

I'm so grateful for everything
they've done,

and I wouldn't be here
without them two,

so it's very important for me.
Extremely.

A great creme brulee,

it's that smell of the sweet
vanilla and the cream,

it's the look of the burnt,
torched top.

Put it in a sweet potato,
I'm not so sure.

We've got chocolate soil
with strawberries,

which have been caramelised, almost
like a toffee apple sort of coating

around the outside.
This is fascinating.

Just ten minutes, everybody.

Just ten minutes.

Ten? Ten minutes left.

Think about your plates.

Are you sure?

SHE PANTS

I'm really happy, they're set.

If William eats them and goes,
"That's why

we don't have capers and chocolate,"
then, you know, that's OK.

Pretty good. Almost there.

Just now got to plate up in time.

Guys, you've got just four
minutes left. Four minutes.

You've got to get it on a plate.

Everything's gone well.

Just making sure that I put an extra
bit of bacon here and there.

CLAIRE: I'm excited.

Could this work? Could this work?

That would be wonderful,
wouldn't it?

Right. That's it. Time's up.
All done.

VOICEOVER: Inspired by her time
living in Canada, copywriter Claire

has served s'mores beef -
cocoa crusted sirloin

on a sweet cracker crumb served

with onions filled with sweet potato
marshmallow

alongside Brussels sprouts
and a whisky gravy.

It's what's commonly
known as a rushed plate, Claire.

That's a very well cooked
piece of steak.

Colour on the outside,
pink in the middle.

Your biscuit is both sweet
and savoury.

The little bits of meringue,
beautifully chewy meringue,

and your whipped sweet potato,

I really like with the onion.

You definitely put sweet
and savoury here.

And by the idea of putting
marshmallow with sweet potato,

I think that's a revelation

and I think it's very,
very cleverly done.

The steak with the chocolate
across the top of it

I'm finding very sweet, and I feel
as though it probably needs

something like coffee to give it
some bitterness

alongside that chocolate.

But there's plenty of technique
here. Good sauce.

I appreciate the work you went to
try and create something original.

Yeah. I like that marshmallow -
home-made marshmallow.

Absolutely fantastic.

But you've got sweet chocolate
with steak.

To me, it doesn't work.

It was always going to divide
people,

but I didn't want to play it safe.

Yeah, I'm OK.

VOICEOVER: Digital marketing manager
Sean has used sweet maple syrup

four ways in his savoury fried
chicken and waffles,

a chilli and maple butter,
maple bacon,

chilli and maple sauce,
and a maple caramel.

WILLIAM: I'm intrigued by it.
I think it's fun.

There's no question that this dish
should come with a very serious

health warning, that you should only
eat this about once in your life.

You've kind of poured syrup over us
and slapped us around the chops

with a chilli, and then given us
the fried chicken

that has the gutsy,
crisp coating

that, you know, you would want.

It really works.

Salty bacon across the top with
maple syrup, which is fantastic.

The waffles are made perfectly,
with caramel sauce nice and smooth -

good enough to be poured
over ice cream.

Oh, yeah. Honestly.
That's fantastic.

Thank you. Good on you.

That may be the most fattening thing
I've ever eaten, and I'm loving

every single mouthful of it, Shaun.

We'll go the whole hog.

I'll get a large portion
of cheesy fries as well.

That is gorgeous. Thank you.

Ecstatic. The feedback that I got
from William,

John, Gregg was better
than I thought.

FINLEY WHISPERS: Yes, mate.
That's so good. Well done.

Better than I expected.

It's amazing. Very, very happy.

VOICEOVER: Vocal coach Beth has
cooked a chocolate brownie flavoured

with redcurrant and capers,

topped with a tempura caper leaf,

served with a redcurrant,
blackcurrant and fennel ice cream.

It's a really well made brownie.

You've got that lovely crust
on the outside.

It's moist in the middle. I love the
little sharpness of the currants.

And then I just get dragged
into the savoury, almost sharp,

vinegary world of capers.

I'm tiptoeing from my dessert
into a salsa verde, and my palate

is a little bit uncomfortable.

Your ice cream is fantastic.

I love it. Sharp with those
currants,

and, actually, it's slightly vibrant
with those roasted fennel seeds.

I think that's really delicious.

Beth, it's clear to me that you are
a very good cook. To produce ice

cream to that standard here
on MasterChef is very difficult,

and it is beautiful.
It's perfect.

And you make an amazing brownie.

Then you've got this caper thing.

It's like a caper terror.

SHE LAUGHS

You know? It's like I'm going
to walk

down the street and you'll jump
out of a shop with capers.

I'll be sleeping and you'll jump out
of a cupboard.

Cook anything else in the world.

Don't put a caper near anything
unless it's supposed to be.

Please, nowhere near pudding ever.
Never again, please.

OK. You're going to remember me,
though, aren't you?

Apart from that, it's great.

SHE LAUGHS

Thanks!

I think I took that brief, screwed
it in a ball and just threw

it as hard as I could.

My thoughts on the caper comments,
especially "Never do that again"

I think is pretty unequivocal,
but I'm still proud of myself.

VOICEOVER: Accountant Jordan has
made vanilla waffles and a fried egg

topped with honey and soy glazed
chicken, fresh chilli,

pickled radish and sriracha
mayonnaise,

served with a cabbage slaw.

Perfectly cooked chicken.

Lovely and moist.

You have sugar and vanilla
in the waffle, just enough to give

it a hint of sweetness.

I'm getting sweet and savoury.

You've cooked the chicken well.

I love the quirk of the fried egg.

You've got a bit of sugar and a bit
of vanilla in the waffle.

It's not overpowering.

It's quite subtle.

The only thing I'd say is that
I think you're being a little bit

tentative in terms of taking
my brief with two hands

and really trying to throttle
some life out of it,

so I would temper my enthusiasm
for your slight lack of courage.

Your slaw is nicely made.

I just think the whole thing
needs a bit more punch.

More pickles, more crispness
on that chicken.

I like it, but I think you can
afford to be a bit bolder here.

When they said I played
it safe, it's probably fair.

I personally feel like the only way
I could go more to the brief

is if I did a different dish,
to be honest.

HE BLOWS RASPBERRY

Glad it's over,
but it was a fun experience.

VOICEOVER: Part-time
fashion model Finley

has made a matcha and
basil tiramisu.

Layers of home-made ladyfingers

soaked in matcha tea
and basil cream,

served with a basil ice cream.

There's the flavour of matcha tea,
which I like.

There's the wonderful aniseed
of basil in there, but it's also

really, really sweet,
so it's so sweet that I can almost

be confusing it with melted
white chocolate ganache.

I'm really sad for you because
I think it's a great idea.

I like your basil ice cream.

It is like a sweetened pesto.

I like the bitterness of the
matcha tea next to the sweetness

of the basil, but the cream has
split, making this whole thing now

a little swamp-like.

When someone says the word tiramisu,

you know, you've got in your mind
this idea of this voyage

of discovery as you dive down
in between these beautiful layers.

The reality here is your tiramisu
has the sort of texture of mashed

potato gone wrong.

It's also incredibly sweet.

Hasn't worked at all.

Deflated because I know
I could have done better.

That's the first time I've ever
split my cream,

so, you know, things happen
and it's just a shame that it came

at this point, but I'm still really
proud of myself.

VOICEOVER: Recruiter and Thai boxing
coach Gon

has paid homage to his dad's garden.

He's served sweet potato creme
brulee on a dark chocolate soil

with candied strawberries
and raspberries and fresh mint.

WILLIAM: Gon, your presentation has
something of the kind of

Alice in Wonderland about it.

It's certainly nothing
that I've ever seen before,

so congrats on the originality.

I think the combination of
the creme brulee mix and the sweet

potato really, really works.

It's a texture like sweetened mash.

Your sweetened cream on it as well,
it makes so much sense.

You've got a lovely crispy crunch
across the top of that sugar.

Your chocolate soil's made nicely.

Those raspberries and strawberries
are really beautifully made,

just a thin crust of the sugar
around the outside.

I think it's a really interesting
invention.

The miracle about this is that
creme brulee and sweet potato marry,

and this is a revelation.

Part of this brief was, surprise me
with concocting a dish that brings

together what seemed to be opposing
elements in food, and I think

you've done that,
so congratulations.

It was so unreal to me,

a little Gon came in and made
William Sitwell think something

is a revelation. It's something
I never, ever thought I'd achieve.

I'm really proud of myself
for the risk I've taken today.

We were surprised.

You'd think after all these years,
there are flavour combinations

that you know, you understand,

and I think we've proven today
that you can, on a competition

like this, see new things that you
didn't think would work, work.

I'm very glad it's your decision,
not mine.

But I'm glad to be part of it.

Thanks, William. Thanks, John.
Thanks very much indeed.

Thanks, Gregg.
Absolute pleasure.

See you, guys. Great brief.
Thanks a lot.

They're great cooks.

They're really talented.

We've seen some fantastic food,
but you and I now

have to make a decision.

There are only three places
in Knockout Week

and that does mean that three
of them are going home.

Shaun, with his chicken and waffles,

bacon and maple syrup,

I mean, we couldn't stop eating it.

It was big, bold, superb, delicious.

He nailed the brief. Sweet,
sharp, you know, a little bit

of chilli heat.
It worked perfectly.

Shaun's cook of the day.

If there was one cook in the room
that actually really surprised

William and delighted him,
it was Gon.

A creme brulee inside
a sweet potato and he made it work.

Chocolate soil, a good amount
of skill.

It seemed to be a bit of a crowd
pleaser.

Finley knows it just didn't go
to plan.

His invention of a tiramisu
with matcha and basil,

I admire the guy's tenacity.
But you can't have a dish made

out of cream with split cream.

That chocolate brownie from Beth
looked great.

We loved the ice cream.

We loved the making of the brownie.

None of us liked the capers.

Capers and brownie do not
belong together.

We now know that.

Shaun and Gon going through,
Finley and Beth going home,

which now leaves a conversation
about Jordan and Claire.

From Claire,
really nicely cooked steak.

I liked the sweetness
in the meringue.

I thought she nailed
the sweetness there.

Her dish suffered because she rushed
with presentation, and the cocoa

on the outside of the steak
was just a little bit

too sweet for me.

I enjoyed eating Jordan's chicken
and waffle, and the sweetness,

although subtle, I liked.

But compared to the others,
it was a little safe, John.

It was a bit everyday.

It didn't have the oomph.

The chicken wasn't crispy enough,
the waffle was all right.

There was nothing that grabbed hold
of me and went, "Come and eat me."

Last place in Knockout Week.

This brief was all about
being daring.

It was about trying something new.

Who has really hit the brief?

I don't think anyone could say that
I didn't push it to the nth degree.

My gut says I haven't got a place
in Knockout Week, but if I got

through, it would be fantastic.

I don't know if I've done
enough in the competition.

I mean, hopefully it's not the end,
but it's out of my hands.

GREGG: Some absolutely
amazing dishes.

Whatever happens, please remember
you've left quite a mark

on this competition.

The first two people going
through the Knockout Week are...

..Shaun,

Gon.

Congratulations.

Sadly, we can't take
you all with us.

Finley, Beth, thank you so very much
for all your hard work,

but it just didn't work
out on the day.

Best of luck, the pair of you.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

BETH: There's not many people
who can say

they've been a MasterChef
quarterfinalist,

and I will wear that badge.

I've had such a great time today,
so I'm going to take

those memories away.

I'll look back on the experience
I've had with such fond memories.

I've absolutely loved it,
loved every second,

but it is still sad to be going.

OK, we have one place left
in Knockout Week.

The last person to go
through the Knockout Week is...

..Claire.

SHE GASPS

JORDAN WHISPERS: Well done.

Jordan, sadly, you're leaving us.

Thanks so much indeed.
Best of luck.

My time on MasterChef has been a bit
of a blur, to be honest.

I think the competition has given me
just, you know, even more enjoyment

for food and for cooking and been
a great, amazing experience,

sort of once-in-a-lifetime.

GON WHISPERS: Well done.

Congratulations.

You're through to Knockout Week!

SHE SIGHS

I'm so, so happy.

And, yeah, it's one of those where
it's going to take time to settle

in and I can't wait.

But, yeah, just that next
stage, ready.

I really feel like the sky
is the limit.

I have so many things in my head
that just wants to jump out.

I've got my eyes on the final
and never letting John or Gregg

say, "Well, Gon's gone."

Like, my idea is not to be gone
even though I am Gon.

Yeah.

CLAIRE: Stunned and elated.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, my gosh. Knockout Week.

SHE EXHALES

No marshmallows.

VOICEOVER: Next time...

Feeling good.

..another group of contestants
compete for the right...

We got a pie.

..to wear a MasterChef apron...

I think that's really fantastic.

..before battling for a place
in the quarterfinal.

I love it.

I finished the whole thing.