All language subtitles for MasterChef.S21E23.1080p.WEBRiP.x264-DARKFLiX

It's finals week on MasterChef...

..and the battle for the title
is almost over.

Tonight, the four finalists cook
off to secure a coveted place...

You've got to go fancy.

..in this year's MasterChef
final three...

Flaming brilliant!

This is adventurous. This is brave.
I think it's beautiful.

..and face their most
daunting challenge yet...

Get it out, get it out! Oui.

..cooking for culinary legend
Alain Ducasse at Chef's Table.

Everything is high level.
That's incredible.

I've thrown my whole heart
and soul into this.

It's just taken over every fibre
of my being.

I just really want it now.

Everything has to be spot on.

We're only a few cooks away
from lifting that trophy.

Just got to dig in
for that last stretch.

I would love to be able
to tell my children I made it

all the way through the journey.

It's a little bit like reading them
a bedtime story

and not reading them
the last chapter.

I'm determined.
I'm not scared of anything anymore.

You've just got to keep fighting
and believe in yourself.

I want that trophy.

I want to win!

Welcome back to the MasterChef
kitchen, you four.

What an extraordinary
adventure you have been on!

This is a massive round.

Only three of you will get
a chance to cook for the trophy

and, because this is
the most important cook

of the competition so far,

I simply cannot make
that decision on my own.

So, today, joining me is chef,
restaurateur

and MasterChef: The Professionals
judge...

..Anna Haugh.

Hi.

Hi.

John. Anna, lovely to see you.

It's very nice to be here.

The brief has been set
for you today.

You need to do a classic dish,

but what's so important is
that you put your twist on it.

My bread-and-butter
is taking classic Irish dishes

and putting my twist on it.

To get this far,

you must be four fabulous cooks.

So, my expectations today
are pretty high.

You know what you've got to do.
At the end of this,

one of you will be leaving
the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen - one hour,
45 minutes. Let's cook!

Nerves are still there a little bit,

she says, whilst trying to put
the lid back on.

Sophie - her love is all about
plant-based food.

There's been some extraordinary
dishes from her.

She's very, very clever.

She makes the diner believe there
might be meat in there,

but there's not.

I hope, in this round,
she absolutely goes for it.

Today, I want the judges to see
that you can take something

that is traditionally very meaty
and dairy-heavy,

and you can have that same level
of greasy goodness

with some good old-fashioned
plant-based ingredients.

I am going to do
a Chinese takeaway-inspired fry-up.

So, what inspired you to go with

an Asian version
of this classic dish?

My sister kind of inspired me
with this one.

We love a Chinese takeaway.
Can't beat it.

You know, you get Chinese takeaway,
wake up in the morning,

and then you're like, "Oh,
I really fancy a fry-up right now,

"but I've got loads of leftovers
in the fridge."

And it almost hits the spot

but, you know, what's
better than combining the two

and having a Chinese-style fry-up?

I think what she's doing is
quite incredible.

Right.

She is actually going to make
for us bacon, which is not bacon.

I'm going to make
a wheat-starch bacon.

You say that like that's
a normal thing.

"I'm just going to make
my own bacon."

She's using smoked water,
wheat starch,

tomato ketchup,
all together with mushroom powder

and steaming it, so she'll actually
have the thinness of bacon,

and then she's going to cut it
and she's going to fry it,

and she's going to cover it
with a char siu marinade,

for that lovely Chinese
barbecued pork flavour.

Scrambled eggs are tofu,

but they're going to be flavoured
with sesame oil.

But it needs to have
that lovely creamy texture to it.

Is that the size of prawn toast
or is that too big?

Sesame prawn toast, using tofu,

so she's got to get a flavour
of the sea into that,

and she's going to use nori with
more sesame seeds across the top.

Oh, oh!

I've got sweet-and-sour-style beans,

salt-and-pepper hash browns.
Very clever.

And then I'm doing
oyster sauce-glazed mushrooms.

Wow!

If she gets the presentation right,
and if she gets the balance right,

it could be amazing. Muchas gracias.

But, on paper,
it sounds a little terrifying.

How much have you practised this?
Well, not very much.

Oh, don't say that!

I'm just trying to do
what I usually do,

just do something fun and playful
and have a nice time doing it,

and hopefully that comes out
in my food.

55 minutes left. What?
Nearly halfway.

I have to give it my all because

I don't want to regret leaving
the kitchen, not trying my best.

Sam was born
and grew up in Thailand.

We've had incredible Thai dishes.

He pushes himself
but, along the way,

he's fallen in love with fusion.
He's happy to take a risk,

showing himself to be adaptable
and actually quite exciting.

This experience definitely
has been life-changing for me.

I'm determined.
I don't want to play safe.

I just want to push my boundaries

and I'm going to continue
to do that.

I'm doing a roast dinner
but, instead of gravy,

I'm using the classic Thai, which is
the massaman curry sauce.

The what?

My boyfriend said that I can't do
the roast dinner

because I managed to burn
the chicken.

So, I'm just being me, stubborn,
and saying,

"I can do roast dinner", so I'll
show him in MasterChef kitchen.

He's going to cook us roast beef.

He'll vac-pack his beef fillets
with onions and garlic,

and then he's going to cook them
in a water bath.

Have you ever used
a water bath before?

No, first time.

Sam! Got to give it my all.

Served with a massaman
curry sauce...

..coconut milk, red chilli
and lots and lots of dry spices.

It should be nice and hot.

Go for one more.

I don't want John
to say it's not spicy enough.

That will go with romanesco,

broccoli, baby carrot,
deep-fried potato in beef fat.

His beef-dripping potatoes,

I'm expecting them to be crunchy
and golden brown.

Thinly slice them and stack them up,
so they should have the layers.

You've got to go fancy.

Little baby carrots on the side.

He's blanching some shallots,

but I hope there's enough difference
to this,

and it's not just
a piece of beef fillet

with a Thai curry sauce
across the top.

A lot of pressure on today,

because this one's quite close
to my heart,

so I want to do it justice.

Harry, as a young man,
changed his career

from working in the City
to become a fishmonger.

He's proved himself to be
a great all-rounder.

His ability to be able to cook fish
well is incredible.

Great with meat,
amazing with desserts,

shows off skill, and his attention
to detail is great.

One cook between me
and the final three.

It's within touching distance now,
so you have to be perfect.

There's no other solution.

I've really got to bring my A-game,
at the end of the day.

So the classic dish
that I'm doing a twist on

is classic beef Wellington.

I grew up in Edinburgh and spent
the subsequent 17 years there,

so I wanted to put a Scottish twist
on it.

He's going to give us
venison and haggis Wellington.

The haggis is going to replace
the traditional duxelles

that you use in a Wellington,
so that's the Scottish twist.

I think that's very, very clever.

He's doing a single layer of pastry,
wrapping around the whole thing.

And then he's doing lattice
across the top.

Going to take at least 25,
if not 30 minutes to cook.

The Wellington went in a little bit
later than I would have hoped,

so it's just about
whether we have time to rest it.

We've got a turnip gratin, so layers
of turnip with nutmeg and cream.

OK.

White turnip, they do release
an awful lot of water.

Sometimes, they will cook
lickety-quick

and other times they take
forever to cook,

so hopefully he's gotten
that on early enough.

That's going to be served with
a carrot puree

and then a whisky
and blackberry sauce.

Wahey! Flaming brilliant, that is.

Three places left in the
competition. Do you want one?

I didn't expect to be here
but, now I am, yes,

I've never wanted something so much.

CLAIRE: Really, really matters
today. It feels enormous.

Claire's food influences
come from Denmark.

Her husband's Danish.

But she also lived in Canada
for a long time.

So, we've got this American-Danish
influence coming together.

Claire is truly creative.

By her own admission,

she never cooks the same dish twice.

Now, in this round, I hope
there has been a bit of practice.

Classic with a twist
is really difficult.

Classics are a classic for a reason,

and you don't mess with them
because they're called classics.

So, trying to find something
that you have to improve upon,

I found it quite a difficult brief.

So, Claire,
what's your classic dish?

Risalamande,

which is Danish rice pudding
with cherry sauce.

It's really just a very homely dish
served at Christmas.

It means a lot to my family.

What's so important
about your family and Christmas?

Everything - feasting, celebrating,
being together.

So, what's your twist?
What's your mark?

So, rather than just doing the
risalamande as a big bowl of rice,

I am taking meringue
and I'm going to incorporate

the rice pudding into a roulade,
another of my Christmas traditions.

Claire's taking two very,
very classic recipes

and bringing them together.

She's taking a Danish rice pudding
with cherry sauce.

I'm just going to fish out the bits
that have caught on the bottom.

Wonderful, as long as that rice is
cooked all the way through

and not too chalky.

She's making a meringue roulade.

Shiny, isn't it?

She's got to bake it, let it cool
enough that, when she rolls it up

with the rice pudding inside,
it doesn't crack.

Now, that, I think,
is going to be quite difficult.

If they don't chill to the right
temperature,

they won't stick to each other
and it will all fall apart,

so my concern is that I'll end up
with a festive puddle.

The cherry sauce -

you need to be able to get
the right balance of sugar.

Sour cherries -
they are really sour.

You have to add your sugar
in gradually.

You have to cook it through.

So, it is actually much harder
to do than people would imagine.

I'm going to serve that
with an almond ice cream.

Get up to 85, guys, come on.

Please cook properly
because, if you do,

you're a really good ice cream.

Have you made this rice pudding
before? Oh, lots of times, yes.

Have you made the meringue before?
Yes.

So, first time in the competition,

you've actually made
something you're cooking before?

I've never made
the ice cream before. Claire, no!

At least there's something.
There's something.

Fortune favours the brave.
Believe, believe, believe.

Just 15 minutes, everybody.
15 minutes.

Where does the time go?
I do not know.

It's like that.

Welly in? Yeah, it's still
not to temperature,

and it needs at least ten minutes
to rest, so it's going to be tight.

Really under pressure now.
Pan-fry my beef,

but that's going to take me
some time.

Oh, no, no, no!
It's not going to roll, is it?

Absolutely going to make it work.

Finishing touches, please.
Five minutes left.

Final push. Come on, Sophie.

It's just letting that Wellington
rest.

I'm going to cut that with about
15 seconds to go.

Happy with that, Sam? Yes, John.

Rolling.

Don't collapse. Aargh!

Looks like Wellington.

Let's hope it tastes like
Wellington.

Go, go, quick!

That's it. Time is up.

Come on up, Harry.

Harry has cooked a Scottish twist
on the classic beef Wellington -

a venison and haggis Wellington,

served with turnip gratin,
flavoured with nutmeg and thyme,

topped with a broccoli
and green bean salad

in a vinaigrette dressing,
with carrot puree,

blackberries
and a whisky and blackberry sauce.

I think it looks really,
really gorgeous.

Your Wellington -
you've baked your pastry really well

and managed to keep the temperature
of your venison in the centre.

I love the play with haggis.

I think it's a real homage
to beautiful Scottish cuisine.

I think that's great.

When you taste your sauce
on its own,

you get a big smack
in the face of Scotch whisky.

When I eat the venison
and the sauce together,

I think it's beautiful.

You showed an awful lot of skill
here,

so well done. Thank you.

Beautifully pressed gratin with
that turnip, inspired...

It is a radish after all,
so you get that pepperiness.

Crispy pastry, venison cooked
all the way through,

sweet carrot puree,

little sharp blackberries
on the side,

just kissed with a little bit
of heat so they're soft enough.

Harry, you've absolutely nailed
the brief.

Thank you.

I'm really happy that they saw
a firm connection

to Scottish cuisine in the dish.

It's a fine line with classics.

You don't want to mess
with them too much.

But, at the same time, I think I got
that balance right today.

Inspired by her love
of Chinese takeaways

and a traditional breakfast fry-up,

Sophie has cooked char siu bacon -

fried wheat starch flavoured with
soy, red bean curd and paprika -

salt-and-pepper hash browns,
flavoured with Chinese five-spice,

nori seaweed toast,
scrambled tofu with sesame seeds,

sweet-and-sour beans in a ketchup,
soy and black vinegar sauce,

oyster-glazed mushrooms,
and a chilli tomato ketchup.

I'm fascinated by all this.

I think it's amazing.
I can smell the Chinese takeaway.

I admire the fact that you have done
all this plant-based.

The bacon is the star
of the show to me -

tastes like bacon,
texture of bacon -

and that char siu sauce
across the top,

slightly sharp
and a little bit spiced.

Mushrooms -
great, nice and slippery.

Hash browns - fantastic.
The cinnamon and allspice,

it's like Chinese chips.

The only thing I'm not a fan of
is those beans.

I find them too sharp and tomato-ey.
I don't get sweet-and-sour.

The rest of the things, I think,
are really clever.

It makes me smile.

I think
the prawn toast is really lovely.

The seaweed element is very clever,
giving it that trickery of it,

feeling like there is prawns
in there, which is great.

You've done a very good job.
Thank you so much.

I'm feeling good.

I'm just happy that the dish
did what I set out for it to do,

which was just put
a smile on their faces.

Sam has cooked a Thai twist
on a traditional roast dinner -

roasted tenderloin of beef,
served with beef-fat-fried potatoes,

baby carrots, caramelised shallots,

romanesco broccoli
and a Thai massaman sauce.

I like what you've done with
the beef.

I think you've cooked it nicely.

I love the crispness
of the potatoes,

with the beef fat going through.
That's really good.

Onions cooked nicely,
got a little bit of bite to them.

I love the warmth of that sauce.

I love the creeping heat of
the sauce,

but feel the potatoes could do
with more seasoning.

I feel the romanesco could
have been rolled in butter

and seasoned really well.

You can be more generous here
with seasoning.

Your sauce is delicious.

The beautiful floral notes

that are coming from the galangal
and the kaffir lime zest,

they are really elegant
and they're really beautiful.

Your carrots, although they are
so tiny, teeny-tiny,

they're almost newborn baby carrots,

but they still have
a lovely al dente bite in them.

The potatoes
are definitely under-seasoned.

You must taste as you go,

but I think, all in all,
you have done a really good job.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

I think you're showing
to your boyfriend

what you're capable of doing here.

Nothing else I can do now. Oh!

Mixed feeling at the moment,
I'm happy with the cook of the beef.

I just wanted to kick myself
with the seasoning.

We'll see.

Claire has made a twist
on risalamande,

a Danish Christmas
rice-pudding dessert,

a meringue roulade that's
filled with the risalamande,

topped with cherries soaked in port
and edible gold leaf,

served with an almond ice cream,

roasted almonds, fresh mint
and a cherry and port sauce.

It could be a lot neater,
but good on you.

A lot of hard work in here.

Beautifully cooked rice pudding,
lovely and soft.

The meringue on the outside -

little bits of crispiness
as well as sweetness.

It's like a marshmallow-encased
rice pudding.

Your cherry sauce,
I could drink it.

It's so good - slightly sharp,
slightly sour. It's fan-tas-tic.

I think that's going to become
a Christmas classic from now on.

I think that's wonderful.

What's so nice is that almond
marzipan flavour of the ice cream,

which is really good.

Taking rice pudding and wrapping it
in meringue -

for me, this is adventurous,
this is brave.

It's taking a gamble,
and I think it's paid off.

I am feeling elated.

SAM: Well done.

Great job.

I've waited a long time
to get something really right.

I felt like I got it really right
today.

I think today we saw
some real passion, real personality,

some real skill.

We've got a decision to make.

There's only three places left
in the competition,

so that does mean
that someone's going home.

Harry - amazing job.
Venison Wellington,

haggis, whisky sauce.

It had great flavours
that came together.

It was a harmonious plate of food.
We've got to agree, don't we?

Yeah, honestly, I think
Harry nailed it today.

Harry's got himself a place
in the final three.

I think Claire nailed it
as well today.

Who in their right mind
would come on MasterChef and go,

"You know what I'm going to do?

"Stuff a meringue roulade
with rice pudding"?

And that's Claire. Balanced out by
that beautiful cherry sauce,

and the whole thing did actually
taste of Christmas.

So Claire's going through to
the final three. Yes, yeah.

One more place left.

We've got Sophie and Sam
to talk about.

Sam's take on a classic Thai
massaman sauce with a roast dinner.

Nicely cooked beef, great sauce,
little potatoes, wonderful.

But seasoning was a problem.

It didn't have the flavour
the dish deserved.

Sophie is almost unbelievable,

that she can mimic meat
with plant-based ingredients.

There was that sort of
flavour and aroma

of a leftover Chinese takeaway.
Yeah.

The beans I wasn't a fan of.

They were a bit acidic,
they were a bit sharp.

But the rest of it - magical.
I thought that was wonderful.

It's so close.
It would be so frustrating

if I went out at this point,

but I think I've done all I can.

I'm not too sure if I have
done enough for the final three.

I'm 50-50% at the moment,
but I really hope.

Guys, you cooked
your socks off today.

But sadly,

only three of you can
go through to the next round.

The first person going through
to the final three is...

Harry.

Good job.

The second person
going through is...

Claire.

Sam, Sophie...

Sadly, one of you is going to be
leaving the competition.

The third person going through
to the final three is...

..Sophie.

Well done, darling.

Sam, thank you very much
for all that you've shared,

for all your emotion,
your heart, your laughter,

the joy you brought
to the competition.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sometimes it's just not your day
in the kitchen.

And that was just my day today.

But honestly,
what an incredible journey.

So, so happy and so grateful

for everything
that MasterChef has given me.

This is just the start of Sam.

So wait and see!

HE LAUGHS

Congratulations.
You are our final three.

Yay!

THEY CHEER

Well done, guys! Well done.

You three now have earned the right
to cook at Chef's Table.

But it's not going to be without
a huge amount of pressure,

because you will be
cooking at three-Michelin-star

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

HE LAUGHS

There's going to be about
50 Michelin stars kicking about!

Yeah. Oh, my God!

Over the last four decades...

..legendary French chef
Alain Ducasse

has built a global empire of
acclaimed restaurants

and holds a staggering
21 Michelin stars to his name,

making him one of the most
celebrated chefs in the world.

In 2007, he opened
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester,

setting the standards
for modern French haute cuisine,

and within three years
was awarded three Michelin stars,

an accolade it's held for 15 years.

ALL SHOUT IN UNISON

Running today's Chef's Table

is Alain's protege
and executive chef,

Jean-Philippe Blondet.

Alain Ducasse, for more than
20 years, I'm working for him.

He's got a vision
not everybody can have.

In order to be at
the level of the three stars,

you need to have
a lot of creativity.

You have to go more
and more and more.

Table 2. Oui, Chef.

It's one of the best restaurants
in London.

So I think the pressure will be
very, very high for the contestants.

But we are going to make sure that
we'll be at the level on the day.

Good morning and
welcome to the restaurant

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

So my name is Jean-Philippe Blondet.

I'm the chef patron
of the restaurant here.

By my side,
you have the chef, Alain Ducasse.

Bonjour.
Bonjour. Bonjour, monsieur.

So the chefs are Clare Smyth,

Alex Dilling,

Claude Bosi

and Tom Kitchin.

Now, let me tell you that
the pressure is quite high,

but I'm sure we are
going to make it.

So now, if you are ready,
please follow me in the kitchen.

Right now, our three are up for
one of the toughest challenges

we've ever seen on MasterChef,

a challenge that would
put a chill down the spine

of many professional chefs.

Chef's Table in the hallowed halls
of Alain Ducasse,

where there's not even
a single crease in the tablecloth.

This is all about presentation,
aroma, texture, flavour -

every single one personified.

It is an incredible opportunity
for our three.

But right now,
I'm sure they're very, very nervous.

Absolutely no pressure(!) You know,
we're only at the Dorchester

cooking for Alain Ducasse
and his proteges. It's fine(!)

SHE INHALES SHARPLY

I can't feel anything
from the waist down,

because my stomach's just left me.

So hopefully my legs will still be
there to move me around a kitchen!

Don't want to let
Alain Ducasse down,

so, yeah, hopefully
I've got it in me.

Are you OK?
Yeah, I'm OK!

SHE LAUGHS

Sophie will be in charge of
a fish starter

that contains
just four key ingredients.

Watercress, hazelnuts,
potatoes and fish.

But every single one
of those elements

done in many different ways.

It looks a very simple dish,

but there is a lot of different
levels of intensity of taste.

The plating starts with a potato,
watercress and hazelnut puree.

What is very important here
is the texture.

Mm-hm. You know, if it's still
a bit of fibre inside... Yeah, OK.

You are going to put
three different condiments.

So you have one which is
based on the creme cru.

Creme cru. Creme cru.
Creme cru. Yeah.

So it is the cream which is
not pasteurised at all. Mmm.

To follow is a puree
made from toasted hazelnuts,

hazelnut vinegar and yeast powder.

This, you don't want
to put too much.

Three like that is enough.

You've just put some blobs
on a plate and it looks lovely!

SHE LAUGHS

A few watercress leaves.

I don't like things
when it's very symmetric.

And after you will have
watercress being dry,

mix it with the fresh one.

We want to feel the watercress,
the bitter acidity taste.

The final garnishes are
a caramelised creme cru crumb

..a la!

..and watercress powder.

Do you understand all single steps
so far? Yes, I think so.

During service, Sophie will have
the challenge of cooking

one of the most
expensive pieces of fish.

A Dover sole is a gift from nature.

Sophie has to make sure
it's absolutely perfect.

And how do you feel about
cooking the fish?

A little bit of pressure. Yeah?

I don't cook very much fish,
because I don't eat meat or fish.

OK.

There's also a potato
baked inside a salt crust.

There's potatoes in there? Yes.

SHE LAUGHS

OK!

You have to smash it.
Oh!

Smashed open so that it lets out
a huge amount of aroma.

And then it's served
with more watercress.

Three-Michelin-star restaurant...

How can we make a potato sexy?

The plating is finished with
a creamy fish sauce,

split with more watercress
in the form of an oil.

I can smell that. It smells amazing.

Voila! Stunning.

There's quite a lot of
small things to do.

You will have to work
with organisation.

I'm sure I can do it.

You're sure about that? Yeah.
HE LAUGHS

First impressions... Wow.

There's just so much thought
and detail that's gone into this.

I really think it is
like a work of art.

It's not going to be easy,

but I'm really excited
to give it my best shot.

I have no idea how to prep a fish.

Where's the instructions manual?

To prep the fish, the skin
could be the difficult part.

SHE STRAINS WITH EFFORT

Sometimes it's coming easy,
sometimes not.

Take a sole out of the sea,
you have to respect it.

It's not even about price.
It's about life.

Eurgh!

Oh, my God. I don't know
if I'm doing this right.

Don't ask me if it's so far,
so good yet, because I don't know.

Let me finish it
and then I'll tell you.

And then we've got to do it again!

Welcome to the kitchen.

Today you are going to do
the meat dish. OK.

Claire will be responsible for

a three-Michelin-star-level
surf and turf.

For me,
this course is very important,

because it was one of the first
courses I made Mr Ducasse,

and I want to see the same smile
that he used to have,

like, eight years back
when he tried my dish.

The dish is based around
rack and saddle of venison

with a venison and razor clam sauce.

It's not everywhere you are going to
eat venison mixed with other clams.

So what we want to do here is
to bring the sea in the dish

and to find the link
and connection in between.

So we have
this beautiful pumpkin roll.

Around, you will have nori.

So the shape is very important,

because it looks a bit like
a razor clam. OK.

It's because the chef Alain Ducasse

doesn't like much salt
on the dishes.

OK. So we love using
products from the sea.

The pumpkin and nori roll

is topped with pumpkin
and marigold leaf pesto...

..pumpkin seeds...

You have five plates to do.

You need to go quite fast,

but you need to look pretty
as well. Yeah.

..and fresh marigold leaves...

Marigold!

..flowers and
a marigold leaf powder.

Oh, it's beautiful!

It looks like you might
find it in nature.

That is incredible.

The garnish for me
is the most important part,

because you need to be right.

Claire will have to prep and cook
two different cuts of the venison,

the saddle and the rack.

So, the meat here... you have
two pieces of meat.

You see, the bones is totally clean.
Neatly cleaned.

Meat attached... OK, Chef!

This is very important later on.
Yeah. That's not easy.

The venison, we are looking
to have the cooking medium rare,

so if you don't make it rest,

it will be too tough.

After you bring
this beautiful cutlet...

..it's very important to have
enough sauce, eh? Yes.

Incredible.

The razor clam is extraordinary!

I would never think
"razor clam and venison".

It is exquisite.
But this makes me nervous.

We have no choice.
I've looked for every exit.

They won't let me out...

HE LAUGHS

..and so I may as well
just get on with it.

I have never butchered
a piece of meat

this big and this beautiful.

What a responsibility.

They don't have a full day
to prep everything,

so they need to be very efficient
about the butchery.

They are going to spend
the two hours to debone the venison.

Time out.

I must not waste any of this,
so I need to do a good job.

SHE GASPS

Harry is in the pastry section.

So for the desserts,
we'll have something a bit crazy

based on kombu, seaweed,
citrus and olive oil.

The inspiration - the south of
France and Brittany.

Brittany, you will find,
is very close to the sea,

a lot of seaweed.

South of France,
there is a lot of olive oil,

so it's hard to mix
the two regions together

and find the right balance
with the citrus.

I don't want to make you stress...
Yeah.

..but it's a favourite
of Alain Ducasse.

He loves citrus. OK? OK.

The dish has ten technically
challenging components.

There is a lot of steps going on
and a lot of cooking. OK.

The first of his
demanding components

are confit lemon,
orange and grapefruit,

kombu seaweed puree

and lemon paste.

You have a mayonnaise based on
olive oil and citrus. Yeah. OK.

Lovely shimmer to it.

To follow is a clementine jelly...

It's quite important
for the texture...

..citrus caviar...

..you're going just to put
like that on the top of it.

Voila.

..orange, grapefruit
and lemon segments

and black lemon and
kombu seaweed gavottes.

Gavotte is a kind of a small tuile.

Mmm! Delicious.

Easy to break. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you have to be very delicate.

Wow.

Desserts and pastry work -
an exact science.

He's got to make sure
that whatever he does has the time

to either set, to bake,
to cool, or to even freeze.

The dish is finished with
a delicate bergamot orange sorbet...

The shape of the sorbet
is not an easy one.

We want to have, like,
a nice whole and perfect.

Oh, wow. OK?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

..and a citrus and olive oil sauce.

You made that look easy.

The sauce is what
brings it all together.

I never thought to put
olive oil on dessert.

It's absolutely beautiful.

How do you feel about it
when you see it?

Yeah, it's scary.
Lots of components.

You know, in service,
when you've got to work quickly

but you're very delicate.

It's like the touch of
a surgeon you need.

You have a lot of prep to do.

Good luck.
Thank you. I'll need it!

So it begins!

Just making the lemon paste.

So the first thing I've got to do
is peel these lemons,

and then these need to be
blanched three times.

So the idea is that you remove
some of the acidity.

After that,
we need to boil the syrup

and then add the peel to it.
It's a lot to do.

I'm feeling terrified, yeah!

The finalists have
just three hours...

..to bring together
Alain and Jean-Philippe's

award-winning dishes.

Sophie's Dover sole prepped...

Whoa!

Huh? Hey?

EXCLAIMS IN FRENCH

..and fish stock for her creamy
Dover sole sauce on the go...

Season, taste that,
make sure that's all good.

..she now has the complex job
of encasing her potatoes

in a rock salt and hazelnut mix...

Never salt-crusted potato before,
but love the idea of it.

..so that it has enough time
to bake in the oven.

Making the crust all around now.
All around, yeah.

Yeah, needs to be totally
full of crust. Thank you.

Sophie won't know if that potato's
cooked all the way through

until she smashes it open.
That's a gamble.

No stress.

No stress.

Also with an extensive prep list
is Claire,

who's still butchering venison.

I will just show you
a bit the technique.

You go in the middle of the bone...
Right.

..it will be very easy to remove.
Put your finger here...

Yes...

That's incredible.

And you see,
the deboning is perfect.

That's genius!

You should be
a Michelin-starred chef.

Thank you very much.

HE LAUGHS

Claire is a bit more
running late with the timing.

You made this look so easy!

Let's go!

Mamma Mia!

But she never did venison,

the full carcase,
which was not an easy task.

So go up around...

It's good, it's good. Next.
OK.

Over on pastry,

Harry is juggling several
different types of citrus fruits.

Now I'm just peeling orange,
lemon and grapefruit,

and that's going in
to make our citrus paste.

Oh, I thought I was
done with oranges after Greece!

The surprise here will be
the complexity of the flavours.

Harry's got to get his head around
all these different citrus flavours

and citrus done
in so many different ways.

I've got a huge amount to do.

I think I was behind on time
about five minutes after I started,

to be perfectly honest.

But what I can do is
keep going, right?

So, guys, listen,

we have just one hour and a half
left before the first course.

Yes, Chef. Yes, Chef.

Yes, Chef.
I think you should go a bit faster.

Yeah, me too.

Sophie's only just started

the first of the four
watercress garnishes

to go with the Dover sole.

I'm working 100mph.

I'm using every inch of muscle
in my body to get this...

I've got loads to do.
There's so much on this recipe list.

So how are we? I feel good.
Do you think you are on time?

I hope so. I've got a lot of things
going at one time.

Let's go! Oooh!

SHE LAUGHS

Yes, Chef!

I've got a lot to do.

I don't know if you've seen
that recipe, but it's not short!

On the meat main, Claire's
finally finished her butchery.

She's managed to get the bones on

for her venison
and razor clam sauce,

which will take time to reduce,

but now has to get her butternut
squash garnish precisely prepped.

Claire is slightly behind because
the butchery has taken so long.

She just wants to make sure
everything is absolutely right.

The rolling of it,
I'm using a Japanese mandolin,

which I've never used before,

so I'm going to have to be
really delicate and careful.

Yay!

That's fantastic. Look at that!
SHE LAUGHS

Wow.

Claire now has the fiddly job
of cutting the squash sheets

into exactly
eight-centimetre-square sections.

It just shows you how precise
the vegetable has to be.

You need two pieces per order.
Two pieces? OK.

OK. Two pieces.

A roasted pumpkin, marigold leaf
and pumpkin seed pesto

must then be added...

As you can imagine,
they're extremely fragile.

..before being carefully rolled
into a razor clam shape.

This is not correct.
It's not enough tight.

It has to be super-tight. OK.

Because when you are going to
cook it, it will be all moving.

OK. So tight as much as you can.

They just have to go into
the oven long enough.

They've got to hold their shape,
and then I put the nori around it.

Then I have to dress them,

which I thankfully can do
ahead of service.

So in less than one hour,
all the prep done,

focus for the service.

Yes, Chef. OK?

Feel nervous now!

Over on dessert...
Delicious.

..Harry's racing to get his
bergamot orange sorbet in to freeze.

Hope it freezes in time.

His next technical challenge is
a type of classic French biscuit.

I had no idea what a gavotte was
until about an hour ago.

It looks like a very, very thin,
delicate tuile.

We've got seaweed and lemon gavotte,
making a paste like a pancake.

And it should be really crispy
and really, really crunchy.

So you spread the mixture out,
bake it,

and then I've got to form them
as well. So, very delicate work.

Feeling the pressure big time.

It's just so very precise,
this type of cooking.

I think there is a lot
of stamina, excitement,

but we need to push a bit faster
to make sure we can deliver on time.

Alain Ducasse is never late.
Not by a minute, not by a second.

They have to be on time.

With 45 minutes to go,
the guests are arriving.

Having each been mentored
by their host,

they all understand
the standards required to succeed

at the highest level.

As a young chef,
I worked with Monsieur Ducasse

in the iconic Louis XV
in Monte Carlo.

It blew my mind. It was gastronomy
at its absolute finest.

Today's massive. Even being
in his presence, I'm trembling.

I spent five years in New York with
Mr Ducasse. I think for any chef,

if they start their career
working for someone like Ducasse,

it really paves the way
for your success.

And being able to do
that consistently year after year,

with so many restaurants,
training so many chefs,

it's just...no-one does it like him.
Yeah.

Working with Monsieur Ducasse
opened my eyes

to what conviviality,
a restaurant is about.

I would not be where we are now
if we didn't go through

that journey with him. I would
not want to be them today.

Let's put it this way.

It's going to be a huge challenge
for them.

Very, very difficult to recreate
the chef's food.

I mean, we're talking about
one of the greatest chefs,

not only in the world,
but I think in history.

Contestants, just to let you know,

your guests, they are seated.

Oui, Chef! OK. 40 minutes left.

With service fast approaching,

Sophie is yet to finish making
her creamy Dover sole sauce.

It's kind of like making a mayo.

Sophie's going right to the wire.

She's got a couple of last minute
jobs to do. She has to be on time.

Sophie, the first course, you have
ten minutes to finish all your prep.

Yes, Chef. Good.

Obviously, I'm a little bit nervous.
It's a very high standard out there.

I just want to do a good job.
Just going to keep my head down

and try and smash this
the best I can.

The time is running.

Claire's also up against it.

The base for the venison sauce
reducing,

she must now tackle
the dish's seafood element.

I have never cooked razor clams
in my life before.

The razor clam is a really
difficult thing to get right.

They're going to take
literally seconds to cook.

Oh, oh!

It's like they parachute
out of their shells.

I have never been this nervous
in a professional kitchen,

not in everything we've ever done.

And I feel slightly sick
to my stomach.

A bit thinner, a bit thinner.
Thinner. Yeah. OK.

I've just got to keep going.

Harry's about to find out if his
lemon and kombu seaweed gavottes

have been successful.

It turned out quite well, actually.
I've not broken any yet,

but still plenty of time for that,
I suppose.

What do you all have to do? Finish
cutting up the fresh segments.

Let's go!

This might seem quite simple, but
I've been told that Alain Ducasse

will not be very happy
if there's even the smallest bit

of white pith on it.

So even something as simple as this
that, looks really straightforward,

needs a lot of care and attention.

Pressure is going up!

Harry has underestimated
how long it's going to take him

to get those segments done.

Harry's got to get a move on.

With service moments away...

We start to set up all the plates
in seven minutes.

..all three finalists are motoring
to finish their prep.

Are you ready? Yes, Chef.
Confident? Yeah.

Ah! Super, super confident.

Argh!

In the five minutes
you can cook the fish.

Absolutely not intimidating
whatsoever.

Let's go. Trembling.

Ah! Should I do all condiment,
then all seeds?

Compact them,
more closer to each other.

I've still got to cook that venison
in two different ways.

The pressure is unlike
anything else we've done.

I can't quite verbalise it.

Harry, are you OK? Definitely
not sleeping, that's for sure.

Citrus caviar.
Just removing the seeds.

So you've got
all the lovely juicy bits

without any of the nasty seed bits.

There's about 3,000 of them,
and I'm taking them out one by one.

God help me if I serve Alain Ducasse
a seed.

Yeah, up against it now.

Sophie is the first
to face the pressure

of a three Michelin-starred
service.

Sophie, you have four minutes.
Go a bit faster now.

I've got to set the standard high.

Oh, my God!

I've never cooked a Dover sole
before. I'm so nervous.

You can do this.

Dover sole, it's such a treat.
It's really going to be about

the cooking of that fish
to really show it off.

Don't overcook it. Yeah.

Dover sole cooked on the bone.

If it's too cooked, I cannot
send it. We need to restart again.

I think this is done.
Yeah, let's go.

Then, Sophie's going to have
to carve it off the bone.

This is a huge task for Sophie.

It's not perfect, but it's not bad.
Not bad, not perfect.

It's pretty good, right? Let's go.
The watercress.

Ooh!

Watercress is such
a beautiful flavour,

but it's got to be captured
in its freshness.

Concentration mode.

Let's go, the cream.

Give everything. Everything!
Let's go. Be generous.

You got strong flavour in between
the watercress,

the hazelnut, be able
to balance everything together,

to make sure the sole
still shine at the end

and still, the queen of the plate.

Serving the guests in one minute.
What do you think about that?

Eh, yes. Because I don't want
to get fired because of you.

I do not want you to get fired
because of me either.

Potatoes, now - you have
the potatoes? Potatoes. Let's go.

I'm not going to send it late.

Potatoes, we crush.

Last push, boss, come on.

Oooh! Looks amazing.

Go!

I'm intrigued. It sounds
so, so simple. But it won't be.

It has to be precise. And it has
to be gastronomy at its finest.

Allez, let's go, service, please.

Sophie, well done. Thank you!
You make it!

Yeah, very good to have you today.

I feel amazing.
You're feeling amazing?

Yeah, but we have to see
what they say!

Wow.

The dish looks so beautiful.
But most importantly,

I feel it looks really yummy
and you want to eat it.

If they say it's OK,
I can sleep tonight.

I mean, obviously brilliant,
outstanding, would be fantastic.

But, you know, you've got to take
what you can get.

The sole was perfectly cooked.
It was really well seasoned.

The watercress was delicious
with the sole, but the hazelnut,

the crumb on the plate
and the balance was excellent.

The acidity was the cream
and the watercress, it's delicious.

I mean, she can start with me next
week. I have no problem with that.

For me, the start of the show
was the potatoes.

They were warm,
they were just crushed.

And then they had
this incredible watercress

that was just melting into
the potatoes. It was perfection.

Yes, perfectly cooked.
Perfect seasoning. Beautiful.

I like it.

Considering Sophie's a vegetarian,

she's cooked
that fish absolutely beautifully.

There's lovely sharp notes
going through that sauce.

That potato roasted in salt.

Sophie has to be really pleased
with that.

Claire? Yes, Chef.
You're on the pass.

OK, Chef.
And you are doing your plate.

Let's go.

The main course,
the star of the show, venison,

butternut squash and razor clams.

Some of the finest ingredients that
we have here in the British Isles.

So nervous. I like
when you are nervous. Ah!

The cooking of the venison is huge.

It can't be overcooked.
It can't be too rare.

There's no other way to do it
than get your hand in.

It has to be pink.
It has to be perfect.

Aye, ah! Aye, ah!

Don't forget to put
the butter inside.

Oh! A bit of gourmandise,
you know. Caramelisation, you know.

Voila! Look at that.

I love it!

Don't forget to remove the string.
Yes.

Strings, don't ruin the...
OK? And in two minutes, we go.

Don't come off! Don't come off!

Breathe. Yeah. Breathe. You're fine.
Aah!

Look at this cooking, uh? Wow!
Look at that!

More or less you did better than me.

The marigold will give you
this citrusy...

It will go very well with venison.

You can dance with it.

Let's go, let's go.

Sauce with a razor clam is not
something you would expect to see.

Aye, aye, aye, ah, yah!

But I'm sure it can balance
themselves very well.

There's lots of things going on.
It's a delicate balance,

but ultimately,
beautiful ingredients.

Service.

Yeah, we did it, uh?!
Congratulations.

Well done. Thank you very much.
Very good.

I'm very happy for you.
Why am I always crying?!

Wow. It looks amazing. Wow.
Is that an amateur who's did this?

I will never forget that.
It was epic. I loved it.

I hope that they can see a huge
amount of effort and respect.

I'm just so honoured
to have cooked it.

This dish is absolutely delicious.

The venison is cooked exactly how
I like it.

To think that an amateur chef
has managed to get the bone

as clean as this... Yes!

And then to have the little nugget
at the end.

And when we cut
into the little cutlet,

it was perfectly pink.
That was exceptional.

The squash was interesting,
but what was the most interesting

was the seaweed on the outside
of it. When you bite towards it

with the venison,
it just gives you some freshness.

The sauce is just delicious.

The razor clams
are texturally beautiful.

It's such
a difficult skill to master,

particularly for an amateur chef.

The perfect cooking, the perfect
seasoning, the perfect harmony.

Everything is high level.
That's incredible.

Claire's learned some
extraordinary techniques here,

the flavour of the sea, the flavour
of the land, all coming together.

It's delicious.
Absolutely delicious.

Last to serve is Harry...

We are five minutes away to plate.
Yes, Chef.

..who has to bring
all ten components together.

Just breaking up the jelly.

You have all the mise en place
ready, so it should be no problem.

Oui, Chef.

So the dessert is fascinating.
There's so many different elements

that the chef has
to execute properly.

Don't put too much.
Be focused, concentrate.

If you press a bit more,
it will be more efficient. Bam!

The seaweed coming to add
a bit of saltiness.

Citrus and salt do go well together.

Put it a bit up. Higher, yeah?
To give some volume, you know, like.

Oui.

HE EXHALES

Caviar. Right.

So now is the sorbet time. Come on.

Yep. Citrus sorbet set. Perfect.

It's your time now.

So here is where you are
going to show your skill.

You need to be quite fast,
otherwise it's going to melt.

It's a beautiful modern dish.

Presentation is obviously
incredibly important.

Allez, not bad. There we go.

We need to go a bit faster.
The sauce ready?

You put the olive oil on it?
I love olive oil,

I like the way it coats the palate
and carries that flavour.

There's a lot of balance
to be achieved with that.

Bit more, bit more, a bit more.
Yeah, it can be tricky.

Let's go, let's go. Outside.

So how do you feel about this? Good!

I think it looked good.
I think you did well.

You did well, you did well.
Yeah, yeah.

Wow.

Another amateur I want to employ
in my kitchen.

I really, really enjoy this.
Citrus together,

they was balancing each other.
It was amazing.

I could have licked the plate.

Lots and lots of technique
and texture as well in the dish.

There's the little crunchy tuile
thing that's going on there.

The sauce, lovely.
And you've got that olive oil

that then just makes
everything else coat the tongue.

And it's beautiful.

The sorbet was fresh. The way
that they did that quenelle,

as a chef, even I don't think
I could do that, you know.

It was incredible.

I have to say, this is one of
the best desserts I've ever had.

I like it. I love it.

Whoa!

Oh, yeah!

There is this
extraordinary complexity

of different types of citrus.

Plus, all that lovely sauce
rich with olive oil.

The detail is extraordinary.

I've got to say, that's fantastic.

APPLAUSE

On behalf of all of us here
on the table, I just want to say

three dishes which were
absolutely outstanding.

You should be so proud.

What an exceptional menu.
So, congratulations, well done.

And I hope you're going to take this
with you for the rest of your lives.

Overall, it's a happy day.

Well done, guys. Well done.
What an amazing experience.

To see three amateur chefs,
who have never cooked

within a three Michelin-starred
restaurant.

They really wanted to make
it happen, so I wish them

very good luck for the final.

That experience
was absolutely phenomenal.

I will never forget that
for as long as I live.

It's been amazing.

If you told me this morning
that I'm going to be cooking

Dover sole
and it's going to go well,

I would have laughed at you.

I feel so inspired and never want
to roll another butternut squash

mandolin slice ever again,

but I've pulled
so much knowledge out of today.

It's blown me away. That was unreal.

It does feel like a milestone
in my cooking journey.

For the first time,
I feel like I can do this.

I feel like I've got
what it takes to win.

Yeah,
I've never wanted anything more.

Now everything they've learnt,
they now have to put together.

It's all to play for.

They're going to have to cook
like they've never cooked before.

Next time,
it's the MasterChef final.

Whoa! They're not frozen.

You've got 90 seconds, everybody.

Everything about this dish is chic
and gorgeous and delicious.

You should be very proud.

It looks absolutely fantastic.

Our MasterChef champion 2025 is...