Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

Please welcome my mum! (CHEERING)

..with dishes only a mother could love.

I'm getting PTSD thinking about this.

What? What is that?!

(LAUGHTER)

They took Andy's mum's makeshift meals...

Blow my tastebuds away, OK? Thank you.

..and made them amazing.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: It is delicious.

This is like a restaurant dish.

It's absolutely very well done.

I told myself I wouldn't come on this show and say, "It's yum,"

but, my God, it's yum!

But we had to say farewell to Jonathan.

I don't think my MasterChef experience is ever

really going to end.

You know, from the friends I've made here, to the knowledge about food,

it's all invaluable, and things I'm going to take with me for life.

Tonight, what will they do

when they face a mystery box

with a twist?

Big box energy. Hoo!

Here we go! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Come on in! Pick a box, pick a bench!

Uh-oh... Oh...

Mystery box challenge. Bring it on.

Give me some wacky ingredient and we will work something out!

(LAUGHS)

This is tall. Doesn't it look a bit tall?

That mystery box, it's a little taller than usual,

and I think a little bigger than usual as well.

So I'm thinking,

what are we working with today?

Hello, bonjour. Comment ca va?

Bonjour! Ca va bien!

Et toi? Merci!

Ca va bien!

Who'd like a mystery box challenge?

Put your hands up. Come on. Allez, allez!

I don't know!

Khristian, why do you like mystery box?

I love 'em because it just focuses me

and makes me think harder than I do in any other challenge.

That's exactly what I want to hear.

So, Lourdes, pourquoi?

Why did you not raise your hand up?

Um, I like to have control over my cooking,

and the mystery box takes that all away.

ANDY: Ah, she's in the wrong place! Ah! I love that.

I knew you'd hate it! She's in the wrong place!

Well, I'm sure you're keen to find out

what's under those rather tall lids.

Oh, dear.

These are not your average mystery boxes.

Ah!

And this is no ordinary week.

OK.

Over the next few days,

in every challenge, we want you to think outside of the box.

Let's get the week started. Go on, lift your lids now.

ALL: Oh!

Ho-ho-ho!

Ooh!

Interesting.

There's four boxes,

with the judges' name written on them.

Here we go, here we go.

What are they going to do to mess us up this time?

Surprise!

This mystery box comes with an itty-bitty twist -

along with the ingredients you CAN see,

you've got four mystery ingredients,

chosen by yours truly.

Andy's, Poh's, Jean-Christophe's, or mine.

Ooh! Oh! Oh, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

As for what's in front of you, you've got quail...

..spring onions, parsnips...

..'nduja...

Oh, my God! 'Nduja!

'Nduja's like an Italian salami spread.

It's very salty.

It's got a lot of flavour.

So, that's an ingredient that I'm super happy with today.

SOFIA: ..nectarines and thyme.

As for what you CAN'T see...

(CHUCKLES)

..well, you'll just have to be patient...

(ALL GROAN) No!

..because they're not being revealed until 30 minutes into your cook.

(ALL GROAN)

When we give you the go-ahead,

you must choose one of our mini mystery boxes.

Wait, what?

The ingredient that you reveal MUST be in your dish.

Oh, my God!

Gotcha!

You don't even know what your mystery ingredient is

for 30 minutes of the cook, and that freaks me out.

Righto. Listen up, 'cause you've got 75 minutes,

and you must use at least one of the six ingredients

that are visible in your dish,

and then, one of our surprise ingredients.

The pantry and garden, bup-bow, off limits.

The bottom four dishes

will be going straight into tomorrow's pressure test,

the very first one of the competition.

Is everyone ready? Yep.

OK! Time starts now!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Allez, allez!

Let's go like crazy people.

Oh, it's a balancing act.

Khristian's already slicing.

I think he's about to get stuck into the 'nduja.

I can work with that.

I'm looking at the names of all the judges on the box.

I'm thinking Poh would have some kind of sweet something-something,

Jean-Christophe is going to have some French something-something,

Sofia, some kind of spice.

I feel Andy's cheeky, and he would happily derail us -

in a loving way.

I see Andy as, like, the older brother that wants to push you

that little step further that you think you can't do,

but he can.

Well, this is exciting. Yeah, a little bit of fun.

Interesting-shaped boxes, guys.

Do you want to know what I chose? Yeah.

Nope. (ALL LAUGH)

Well, it's bound to be a bottle, because it's standing up, no?

Yeah, I'm gonna park my ingredient for now,

'cause you're never gonna know until we reveal it.

Alright.

It is very interesting, I think, this challenge,

because there's a bit of strategy going on.

Yeah. What would yours be?

I think I'd prep the quail,

and then when I reveal whoever's box that I chose,

I'd back myself to be able to weave that in, in a creative way,

whether it be a marinade over the quail,

or a dressing, or a glaze.

I would look for different, under-bench, staple-related bases.

So I'd go pastry, I'd go bread.

What else? Maybe pasta.

So, I would do, maybe, something basic,

like mayonnaise, or some kind of, uh,

or something like a creme anglaise, or maybe a vinaigrette.

So, you would go sauce, or condiment, first?

Yeah. POH: I would do pastry, I think.

I'm thinking along the lines of a tartare.

Right. Gotcha. That actually makes a lot of sense.

Isn't it funny that we've all got different strategies?

Yes. Huh?

So, I wonder what's going on out there,

'cause the bottom four dishes...

Oh, yeah. ..pressure test tomorrow.

So, I don't have a lot of room, do I?

I am terrified.

There's four boxes with the judges' name on them.

We have no idea what those ingredients are,

so I'm going to be smart and try and be flexible

with whatever's underneath those boxes.

Mimi? Yep.

How are you strategising with your 30 minutes?

Um...I'm making a ramen type of situation,

and so whatever I get thrown at,

I can add things in or take things out.

So, you're just committing to this thing....

Yeah. ..and then crossing your fingers

that you can just shoehorn that last item into the broth.

Yeah.

Are you steering towards any of these boxes.

Uh, Andy or Sofia,

'cause I feel like they're more likely to be savoury.

So, what's your most ideal thing?

I mean, hopefully this is, like, fish sauce,

soy sauce, do you know what I mean?

Beautiful, I love it. Good luck.

What if I open a box, and it's, like,

something sugary and desserty, like chocolate?

Urgh! Chocolate in a bowl of noodles? Get away from me.

A lot of quail going on today. Yes.

It's hard to resist a good-looking bird.

(LAUGHTER)

Bloody hell!

She's in all sorts!

I don't know if I love surprises. (LAUGHS)

Um, but I also am trying to embrace surprises,

'cause they're going to happen.

I am thinking, straightaway, I'm going to go for the quail,

treat it like a mini chicken.

Never cooked it before. Can't be hard.

Tell yourself that and it will be true. Classic.

ANDY: Come on, Lil. Hello!

There's a bit going on here. What's your strategy here?

Just do the dish?

My strategy is to just do a little bit of me.

Wow!

I'm doing an 'nduja, um, butter spatchcocked quail.

OK.

I'm doing a parsnip-and-spring-onion puree,

and a - depending on what happens -

I might add the addition of a nectarine.

So, what would you NOT want to happen?

I don't want something that's more suited to sweet.

Yeah. I think I'm going to avoid yours.

Nothing personal there, Jean-Christophe.

That's fine. I'm going to avoid yours, I think,

and I'm probably leaning more towards Andy or Sofia.

I'm feeling more comfortable with your vibe.

I wonder if this is a vinegar, or maybe booze.

Ooh!

You've gone all-in.

You've got a dish... You've got to back yourself.

..and now you have to shoehorn whatever you choose.

Yep.

That's either going to end in success or somewhere down the bottom.

Story of my life!

Well, good luck to you. Thank you. Thanks.

I'm just winging this. I'm going to have fun.

Oh, the bloody hob's turned off, hasn't it?

Why plan when you don't know what the hell is coming?

Because if you plan, you're going to then be thrown off,

and it's not going to go to plan.

It's like birth plans.

So, no strategy here, there never will be.

Hey, Sumeet! Hey!

Today, I'm gonna try something very different,

so I'm going to be making a pasta...

Wowee.

..with a, um, 'nduja sort of cream sauce.

But, then, you have no idea what's under here.

I have no clue. I'm leaning towards Sofia's.

Are you back on dessert? Back on dessert.

We'll see. Uh, nectarine upside-down cake.

So, four meat ingredients is fine with you, then?

(BOTH LAUGH) I'm going for JC, I think.

OK. Yeah.

Snez. Hello.

I'm gonna do a quail dumpling, 'nduja and quail sauce.

Who's catching your eye here? What do you think?

Um, definitely you, Andy, today. Really?

Yes. I'm thinking it could be some alcohol,

it could be some condiment that could go with savoury.

What are you trying to say, with alcohol? (LAUGHS)

What was that stuff called there?

'Nduja? 'Nduja.

'Nduja or don't ya? 'Nduja or don't ya?

Well, I do ya today.

Alright, so...

..how am I gonna do this?

So, my gut feeling is telling me to do dumplings.

I'm gonna actually stuff the dumplings with quail and nectarines,

which is pretty whack,

and, like, it's kind of crazy, but to me, it makes sense,

because nectarines are quite sweet and a little bit acidic.

So, I need to add a natural sweetness to these dumplings.

More burns, char for me.

I totally have a foolproof strategy, by starting in oil,

and just, like, whatever the ingredient is,

I'm just going to add that in.

Whoa! Too much.

Nat. Hi!

I'm loving your, like, ribbon vibes today.

Good vibes going on.

What's the strategy for the first half-hour?

I'm gonna make some dumpling wrappers, and 'nduja oil, as well.

And whose box are you steering towards?

Um, oh, I think either yours or Sofia's.

Yep. Girl power!

Yes! So, good luck.

Not only because of that, because I just...

..I'm really hoping it's, like, something acidic.

I love all this. Good luck. Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, one more hour to go!

ANDY: One hour! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Pasta!

I am! I know!

Which means 15 minutes till we open the box!

Oh, yeah!

I definitely think I'm a massive creative cook.

There's a lot of powerful creative forces in this group of people.

David being one of them,

who just comes up with the most amazing, crazy ideas.

I see that as more as inspiration than competition.

I'm going to make a nectarine, with three different sauces.

Khristian, you've got all the fancy equipment out.

Poh, I'm doing some weird stuff, man.

Some really weird stuff. I love it!

I don't know where this dish came from.

Yep. It's in my brain.

So, tell me what you're making.

Um, so I'm going to do an 'nudja, um, hibachi-roasted nectarines.

Yep. I've got a nectarine and 'nudja foam I'm gonna try and make,

um, with some crispy parsnip skins, and I'm gonna do a parsnip puree.

It sounds like there's a lot of push-pull -

so, like, sweet, savoury...

It's not sweet. I think it's gonna mess with your brain a little bit.

Is it gonna be a bit of a David job?

I think I'm gonna pull a David today.

You're gonna have to add one of these in there.

Any ideas which box you're steering towards?

Yeah, um...

I don't know.

If you nail the flavour and balance of this...

Mm. ..you won't be in the bottom four.

I think so.

I'm doing something crazy and wacky...

..but I have no idea which judge's box to choose.

Ugh!

Honestly, I'm so worried

what's under this box is going to completely destroy everything.

Josh, I saw you making some pastry or something? Did you?

Yeah. So, I'm doing...

What's your strategy for the first half-hour?

Uh, I'm doing a quail and 'nduja empanada.

JUAN: Yum! Oh!

Yeah. Yeah.

You're vibing off your neighbour. Yeah. (LAUGHS)

Yeah. Empanada vibes!

(LAUGHS) Yeah.

And then, obviously, there's gonna be a spanner in the works

with whatever ingredient I end up revealing.

Any box that you're sort of steering towards more?

I'm not too sure yet who I'm gonna commit to,

but at least, with the pastry, I can kind of work with that

as a good stepping stone for whatever may come next, but...

Great. I think you've got good energy today. Good luck.

Thank you.

My strategy is to make a shortcrust pastry and make empanadas.

Empanadas are something I've eaten plenty,

growing up in New York City.

They were a quick, cheap snack that you could grab anywhere,

and you can kind of have fun with whatever the filling is gonna be.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You know what?

The two of you... Yeah?

..North America, South America. Yes.

(CHUCKLES) America here, represent!

The fact that I'm cooking next to Juan,

who is of Latino descent

and has made empanadas already in this competition,

which they loved...

So, the bar has been set pretty high

and I'm hoping that, you know, I can pull off something

that, one, the judges are proud of,

and I can do a service to Juan as well.

Oh, I love the idea, mate. Well done.

Thank you. We'll see what happens. Let's see what happens.

Let's go, Gilly D. Let's do it.

Let's go, let's go.

Oh! This is cool!

Yeah, I think so.

You're just snacking on the 'nduja, aren't you?

Yeah. I'm starving.

Hey, Lachie. What's crackin'?

How are you? How you goin'?

Good. Good.

So, tell me what's going through your mind

for the first 30 minutes - which is nearly...done.

Um, OK, so, what I'm thinking of doing

is making some quail... little lollipops...

(GASPS) Oh, wow!

..giving them a quick poach, let them rest,

and then a parsnip-and-thyme puree.

Nice. Yeah.

But all of this... Yeah.

..one of these might change it, so I, uh...I don't know yet.

What's your psychic powers telling you?

To be honest, not yours. (LAUGHS)

Why? Two people have said that!

You think it's gonna be too wacky? Oh, maybe.

Just I'm thinking it might just not go with my flavours,

if I know your flavour profile.

How are you gonna incorporate the surprise ingredient?

Ah, that's what I just have absolutely no idea about yet.

Good luck. Thank you.

ANDY: Righto, everyone, tools down,

'cause it's time to choose your secret ingredient mystery box.

Let's do this.

Put your hand on the box that you wanna choose.

You can lift your lid now!

(ALL EXCLAIM)

OK. OK. Ooh!

Oh, no! (LAUGHS)

(GROANS)

OK.

OK, crew, I have vino cotto, so good luck with that.

GILLIAN: Yes! I love this!

Poh, what is yours? Lychees!

Jean-Christophe, what is yours?

Vanilla! Vanilla.

And, Sofia?

Fennel seeds! Let's go. 45 minutes to go!

You must use that ingredient in your final dish.

Whoo! I love this. Yes!

Alright! JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Good luck.

Oh, yeah, yeah!

That is 10 out of 10!

It's all coming to plan!

Bloody about time.

I picked Andy's, which was the vino cotto.

I'm feeling great.

Don't look so surprised.

Vino cotto is like a sweet vinegar.

It's sticky, it's got sweetness to it, which is what I want.

It's gonna go really well with the spicy quail,

the zingy sweetness from the parsnips as well.

I'm gonna do vino cotto nectarine on the side

with a bit of thyme, just for good measure.

Bish, bash, bosh. Stunning.

I'm winging it. I'm having a great time.

Sugar!

Fennel seeds.

I'm...I'm, um, a bit of a mess right now.

Holy... How am I gonna do this?

It's...it's a strong flavour, like licorice.

It doesn't really work with these quail and nectarine dumplings.

It's gonna be weird.

I chose Sofia's, uh, choice of ingredient,

and it is fennel seeds.

(LAUGHS)

I'm unsure how I feel about it.

At least I'm doing something savoury.

I'm gonna put it in the spring onion oil.

I need to make sure it's not overpowering.

Yeah, I feel a little bit giddy right now

'cause I'm just a little bit unsure.

I knew you were gonna be a wild card, Poh.

Really? Everyone says that! I just knew it.

I could feel it in my bones.

(CLEARS THROAT) Lychees?

Um...

I've chosen Poh's box...

..and it's lychees.

I've never actually cooked with them myself.

I'm doing quail and 'nduja empanada,

but I need to utilise these lychees.

(SIGHS)

And I'm kind of drawing a blank. I don't know what I'm going to do.

I've chosen Poh's box

and I need to utilise these lychees in my quail and 'nduja empanada,

but kind of drawing a blank, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Uh, all cylinders are just firing.

I'm just...I'm trying to come up with a creative idea

that will be cohesive at the end, and taste good.

Knowing I'm using the 'nduja paste in my sauce,

I know it's got heat, it's got kick,

and it needs to be balanced out with a sweet of some sort.

And so my mind goes to the lychees.

POH: Josh. Yes?

So, have you ever cooked with lychees before?

No, no. Just eaten them fresh?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Now the big question. Yep?

How are you using my lychees? In the sauce.

In the sauce? Yeah.

I'm gonna try and help sweeten up that sauce.

To help sweeten and balance that sauce.

I'm going to attempt to, yeah. Yeah. OK.

How's that sound?

Interesting. Good luck.

I've never cooked with lychees personally

so, hopefully, I'm able to pull this off.

Mimi, I feel like you're in your element.

Today's the day, baby. Today's the day, baby.

Got the vino cotto.

Like, interesting -

sweet, vinegar...vinegary, syrupy, savoury ramen interesting.

I still get to roll with ramen, which is, like, thank goodness.

What I'm gonna do is make a Cantonese scallion oil

that I'm also gonna put the vino cotto in.

Mmm!

Interesting.

So, we're gonna play a lot of the sour, sweet, savoury notes

in this ramen so, hopefully, it works.

Nice!

I went for Sofia's box today, just because I had a feeling

she was gonna do some kind of spice or seasoning,

so I'm really glad I picked what I picked.

Um, fennel seeds is awesome.

Um, I've already incorporated it into two items in my dish.

So, yeah, let's roll.

This dish is definitely crazy and wacky.

It's nice and foamy.

Nectarine with three different sauces.

My nectarine with 'nduja cream has a great punchy flavour.

My parsnip puree with fennel seed - silky, silky smooth.

Um, I've pretty much roasted the fennel seeds

and added it to both my peaches and my green sauce.

Um, I'm just thinking, "What would Khristian do?"

and I'm doing the complete opposite.

Um, 'cause Khristian likes to play it safe.

He likes to do things normal and nothing crazy.

But today I'm just completely throwing out the rule book,

channelling a little bit of David today,

a little bit of Heston, just trying to do some weird stuff.

Ooh, yeah. Nutty professor, baby.

Mesdames and messieurs!

Quinze minutes! 15 minutes left!

ANDY: 15 minutes! Come on!

(JUDGES CLAP)

I love it.

I went with Andy's box today.

I was hoping it was some sort of vinegar,

and...I was right - vino cotto.

Exactly, exactly what I needed for this.

So I'm...I'm stoked, yeah.

I'm making quail lollipops today with a parsnip-thyme puree,

and grilling the nectarines.

Just making sure these nectarines don't burn

as I put the, uh... the cotto over them.

My quail is right here.

That's been... that's been poached already,

so it's just, like, a quick flash, get that skin crispy,

a little bit of butter, little bit of the sauce,

glaze it up.

I'm doing good right now.

I just want to be able to get it all and everything finished

so I can get it on the plate and make it look nice.

SUMEET: I'm feeling good.

It's fennel, so I'll definitely incorporate it in my quail.

I'm pushing myself to make pasta today,

so, hopefully, the flavours work.

I went for Jean-Christophe's mystery box.

I was hoping for something desserty, being French influence,

and I was rewarded - I got a beautiful vanilla bean.

The dish I'm cooking is an upside-down nectarine cake,

so I'm gonna infuse it into the ice-cream.

SNEZANA: I was rapt 'cause I got Andy's box.

So, I used it in the dumpling filling.

It feels like, um, balsamic vinegar, and I love it.

It's just sweetness that I need to my dish. Whoo!

Oh! Silky bloody smooth!

Oh, my God. Looks amaze.

I'm...I'm actually running really well.

Everything's on track with my spatchcocked quail

and parsnip-and-spring-onion puree.

Oh!

And then the little subtle addition of a vino-cotto-and-thyme nectarine.

I need to now get onto this quail.

Lily. Hello.

Do you think you could put a little bit of the liquid

and put it in the oven?

That's my plan now.

Righto! You read my mind.

I'm off. Thank you for you.

I'm off. Well done. Thank you for being you.

I am so sorry.

I've made the decision to spatchcock it because I know it can stay juicy,

'cause it's got all the bones and all of that,

and I've done it with chicken.

But the irritating thing about spatchcocking

is that you cannot cut into it.

You cannot try it.

I'm just absolutely winging that like no tomorrow.

You've got 10 minutes!

GILLIAN: Oh, I'm freaking out, bro. Freaking out.

HARRY: You're all good, man.

DARRSH: Yeah, man, you wanna see my cake?

Nah, mate. You're gonna make me look really bad, so...

Nice ingredient today.

Had an inkling yours was gonna help with mine.

I'm always here to help.

No-one thinks that, but I am. (CHUCKLES)

Oh, you're so good.

You're very good. Look at that.

Are you pleased with that? NAT: I am, I am.

Well done to you. Thank you.

I think Jean-Christophe likes me.

My dumpling dough is looking so good

for my quail and nectarine dumplings.

Oh, stop shaking, Nat!

I've got a spring-onion-and-fennel oil.

I've just got it simmering away.

Why are you creeping up on me, Sofia?

'Cause I'm trying to figure out if you're in love with me

or if you wanna bash my face in.

Oh! Oh, because of that? Yeah!

Well, I put it in the oil and, um, fried it off with the scallions.

Do you wanna try it? Yeah, I'd love to.

It's, uh, over there. It's a great colour.

Thank you.

So this is going... what, like a drizzle?

What are you thinking?

Yeah, I'm just gonna drizzle it all over.

I'm unsure about that reaction now.

I'm gonna leave you to it.

I'm...I'm feeling pretty concerned

'cause Sofia comes over and she tries my oil -

I have no idea what she's thinking.

I don't know what to do.

I hope there's no ounce of mystery left by now

because you have four minutes left!

ANDY: Yeah! Come on! (JUDGES CLAP)

Do it the best you can, and what will be will be.

My beautiful plate is ready and garnished

for these empanadas to come out of the oven.

Juan, do you approve? JUAN: Oh, look at that!

Joshy! The South American approval?

Yeah, brother.

They look perfect.

I've got the beautiful golden brown colour

and I'm really happy with how it's looking.

There's a lot of complexity to the sauce

because the lychees added that sweetness.

I'm just hoping it's balanced and tastes delicious.

KHRISTIAN: David, I'm doing some weird stuff like you, brother!

I'm hoping that the judges

will taste my nectarine with three different sauces

and experience a melty, spicy nectarine.

Then the spring onion foam

is something that's just gonna be a fresh pop and a zing.

The 'nduja cream will make it very creamy.

And then the parsnip puree to just neutralise the rogue elements.

Moment of truth.

I definitely think this is something awesome

and it's gonna absolutely fly.

I'm pleased. You obviously like parsnip.

It's one of my favourites. I love parsnip.

I started smearing on some parsnip-spring-onion puree,

which I think's delicious,

and it's really silky, to go with the 'nduja quail.

I hope this is cooked.

I pop the little quail on top.

The nectarines are stunning.

It's absolutely 10 out of 10.

My spring onion oil is green and fluoro,

which is what we want.

I'm really pleased.

But then the anxiety kicks in, of...

..is the quail cooked?

We don't know.

NAT: Oh, my God.

I've realised the spring onion oil does not taste like fennel.

Hmm.

So I need more fennel seeds in my quail and nectarine dumplings.

The whole point of this challenge is to think outside the box.

So now I'm thinking fennel salt.

That's cool. I can put it on top of my crispy quail skin.

I'm an adaptable human.

It's a very generous amount.

I definitely do not want it to be overpowering.

It needs to be perfectly balanced.

And I just hope that the fennel seed sings out.

We're gonna see who's thinking out of the box in one minute!

SOFIA: One minute! (JUDGES CLAP)

OK. Here we go, here we go, here we go.

Let's bring this home.

Bro, look at those pops!

I'm feeling pretty confident on the cook on the quail lollipops.

I taste my parsnip thyme puree.

I taste my spicy, sweet, sticky sauce

and a bit of the nectarine all together,

and I think it is absolute harmony.

Dish looks good, and I'm just hoping that these flavours

are gonna work together for the judges.

I hope you're nearly done, because 10...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one!

Yes! (WHOOPING, EXCLAMATIONS)

Yeah! That's it.

Top stuff.

Good job, dude.

I'm looking at my ramen, and it looks beautiful.

It actually looks so beautiful, and I'm so pleased with myself.

You did well. It looks really good.

I didn't get the...

And then I realise, adjacent to my finished product

is the spring onion vino cotto sauce.

I've left Andy's mystery ingredient off the finished product.

Such a careless mistake.

First dish we'd like to taste belongs to...

..Nat.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous

because I need the fennel seeds to sing out,

but it needs to be not overpowering.

Nat, what's the dish?

Quail and nectarine dumplings

with 'nduja broth and crispy quail skin.

Whose secret ingredient mystery box did you lift?

Sofia.

Fennel seeds? Yes.

I made a fennel salt to, uh, salt the quail skin.

POH: Nat, that is...

..a pretty impeccable plate of food.

Thank you.

Your bows gave you superpowers today.

Yep. Superpower bows.

That is...

..unbelievably epic.

Unbelievably epic. (APPLAUSE)

You guys are too good at your poker faces!

That right there, I think, could possibly be

one of the best mystery boxes I've tasted in this kitchen.

Wow. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow.

It's stunning. The use of fennel in there is subtle, but it's there.

The broth is absolutely textbook,

really anchored by the hardcore roasting of the bones.

It doesn't feel like you were restrained by six ingredients.

Like, you are a champion. Thank you.

And this, I think, shows you at your full flight

and is why that you're one to watch.

Thank you so much.

You made the right call on the fennel seeds.

That sweet earthiness.

And you could still see the bright green little dots of the oil

in that bright orange sauce.

You're a balanced colour queen. Well done.

You're a wizard, Nat. Thank you so much.

Ooh! Sorry.

I'm just flying high.

Lachie, we'd love to taste your dish next.

I think my flavour profile is quite nice today,

so I've just gotta steady the ship, knowing that I've cooked this well.

What do you call this, Lachlan?

Uh, I call this Lachie-pops.

So, what's in Lachie-pops?

So, it's obviously the quail, the thigh wrapped around,

to make, like, that lollipop look. Yeah.

And then parsnip-and-thyme puree

and nectarines doused in vino cotto and then put onto the hibachi.

Ciao, my darling.

You can have a lollipop. Oh, thank you.

Oh, I'll take this one first. Thanks, darling.

Those flavours!

Oh, God, I'm so happy that you picked Andy's box.

Me too.

That you had your clairvoyant vino cotto moment.

Because that... You could not have picked a better ingredient.

It's just sweet on rich,

and, importantly, your quail is perfectly cooked.

So, yeah, more Lachie-pops, thank you.

Thank you.

Your nectarine is delicious.

It's fantastic. Thank you.

There's a lot of great technique here.

You do have soft nectarine, the puree of parsnip and thyme,

the quail sauce.

The balance throughout those is seamless.

And that nectarine with the vino cotto on it,

that's the thing that makes them all mesh and be cohesive.

Well done. I can't stop. Well done.

(APPLAUSE)

Next up to the tasting table, Khristian.

Here's me, about to serve to the judges

something that is completely crazy -

nectarine with textured sauces.

I'm hoping that this cook is gonna show them

that I'm not scared to take a risk.

OK. What...what is it?

Um, so... Sorry, it's not, "What is it?"

It's, "What the hell is this?"

ANNOUNCER: In the mood to cook?

Grab your aprons and try these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10 Play.

What...what is it?

Um, so... Sorry, it's not, "What is it?"

It's, "What the hell is this?"

(FRENCH ACCENT) "What the hell is this?"

Good accent! (LAUGHTER)

This is a, um, flame-grilled 'nduja nectarine

with triple textured sauces.

Parsnip-and-fennel-seed puree,

a spring-onion-and-olive-oil foam,

and a 'nduja nectarine cream.

What was your ingredient that you picked?

Um, it was fennel seed, which is in the puree,

but it's also on the actual nectarines themselves.

Um...

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

I don't love it. OK.

I'm sorry, I don't love it. That's alright.

For me, the nectarines, the acrid smoke is not working for me.

It dirties everything up. Yep.

Your sauce on sauce on sauce is really hard to distinguish

because of that.

Yep.

I think you've tried a bit hard with this one

and you've thought about the concept too much.

You just need to pull the reins back in a bit and simplify it...

OK.

..and then you would have had a good dish.

Khristian, when I came around and tasted your sauces separately,

there were a couple in there that I actually really liked.

What I think is really great is how excited you are.

So just don't overcomplicate it

because you are big and generous in your food,

and you can be really subtle and refined with those flavours.

Let's hope you continue on and can learn that lesson.

Of course. Thank you so much.

Thanks, Khristian. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you.

I've put myself on the map with a lot of the judges

for good and bad reasons.

I did something crazy and wacky. It was a risk I was willing to take.

Josh Clarke, we'd love to taste your dish.

Joshy! Whoo!

I'm really happy with my empanadas.

I'm just hoping that the lychees work well in my sauce.

POH: So, Josh, tell us what you've made.

I have made you a quail and 'nduja empanada

with a lychee and 'nduja sauce.

That pastry was...

..probably one of the best pastries we've seen in the competition.

It just melted in my mouth.

And in terms of colour, that is perfect.

And that sauce is beautifully balanced.

I wanted to just keep dipping.

JUAN: Yes, thank you, Sofia. I was just...

The South American. Just in case we need another opinion.

Yeah. (CHUCKLES)

Juan, what do you think?

Nice!

I'm with Juan.

Really? (APPLAUSE)

I can actually taste the lychee in that sauce,

but still get the heat through there.

It's got this lovely mouth feel.

I think it's delicious.

It's a beautiful plate of many different flavours and textures,

and I think this is a remarkably superb.

Thank you. Well done. Thank you, guys. Thank you.

Juan.

Go, Juan!

Quail 'nduja parcels with a nectarine-thyme-and-vanilla cream.

So, I ended up using Jean-Christophe, the vanilla.

Your mayo is topnotch.

The vanilla is there, flying.

"Take me, take me." It's brilliant. (LAUGHS)

But I think the feeling of the quail was a bit chunky.

Yes, Chef.

Gill!

Quail roulade with a nectarine glaze,

parsnip puree and confit shallots.

SOFIA: Textbook perfect puree.

Smooth as silk.

Love that you've done a roulade.

Darrsh!

Upside-down nectarine cake with a thyme-and-vanilla ice-cream.

You did such a good job of going harder on the vanilla

with the ice-cream, and then subtle with the thyme in the crumb.

They just work really, really well together.

Thanks, guys.

The next one is Mimi.

(CHEERING)

Oh, wow.

So, tell us, Mimi, what is your dish?

It's a quail noodle soup, ramen.

I also made a dipping sauce,

which unfortunately did not make it to the final dish...

With the...with the vino cotto in it?!

With the vino cotto in it. Oh!

The second the timer went off, I just was like... (GASPS)

Oh, no. It's right there in front of me.

Oh, no.

I didn't do that in my first dish in Back To Win.

(LAUGHS) Yeah. Yep.

Wow, these are big boys.

What?! (CHUCKLES)

You did all the hard work. Yeah.

Why I'm going like this is because so much of it is so good.

That broth, it's got...

..huge amounts of flavour.

It's got umami. It's got a little hint of sourness.

It's really well balanced and it just went to another level

with texture and flavour, but...

..vino cotto!

It's taken a dish that would be up the top...

Yeah.

..but now it's...it's putting it down the bottom, and I'm sorry.

Thank you.

I'm going to try my best to not let this pain

drag me down in tomorrow's pressure test.

I'm gonna stand tall with my head held high

and I'm...gonna survive it.

Literally, the sauce was right there.

Sumeet.

Quail pappardelle in cream sauce.

It's under. It's definitely under. Oh, dear.

The big glaring mistake is, of course, the quail.

You could have just cut one open and tasted it

and then put it back on.

Harry.

Quail parsnip puree,

and then a spring-onion-and-vanilla oil.

ANDY: Quail is cooked OK,

little bit inconsistent.

And I would say it's a little bit over.

Yep. Snez.

Quail dumpling in a quail and 'nduja sauce

and gigolette.

Your dumpling is great...

..but you've undercooked quail.

Oh. That's my... Argh!

Thanks, Snez.

Let's go, Lily!

I just need that quail to work.

Hello, lovely people. Hello.

Hope for the best.

What have we got here, Lil?

'Nduja butter spatchcocked quail.

I've done a parsnip-spring-onion puree

with vino cotto thyme nectarines.

People are finding it tricky to get the sweet spot

on that quail cook today. Yep.

So hoping a little bit pink in the middle.

I hope so.

Let's have a little breast moment.

ANDY: Let's have a little breast moment.

Lil...it is perfect.

Thank God! My heart's been in my mouth.

That there's the best breast meat we've seen, for sure.

(CONTESTANTS CLAP) For sure.

(EXHALES)

I think that might have been the best quail we've seen today.

Yeah. (APPLAUSE)

That is a beautiful plate of food.

I love the way you've butterflied that.

The puree is beautiful and sweet and perfectly seasoned,

and the vino cotto on the nectarines

are just, like, the perfect little pop of sweetness and acidity

to cut through that richness of the 'nduja that's on the quail.

It's just...it's just a beautiful plate of food.

There is literally not a single thing I would change on that plate.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Well done.

Your quail is sublime.

You've managed to keep that parsnip so tasty and so creamy.

It is a very beautiful dish.

Well done, Lily.

Thank you so much. (APPLAUSE)

That is stunning.

Talk about winging it.

I am thrilled. This is perfect.

There was a little extra mystery in the mystery box today.

You had to think on your feet to avoid tomorrow's pressure test.

Some of you smashed it.

Lachie-pops! Mate, they popped off the plate. Well done.

Empanadas! Josh, mate, they were dynamite.

Lily, we would not change a thing about that dish.

And, Nat, those dumplings, they were competition-winning food.

Well done, everyone.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news...

..but there are four spots in tomorrow's pressure test

that we need to fill.

If I call your name, please step forward.

Sumeet.

Snez.

Mimi.

And Khristian.

So, it is time to get ready for your first-ever pressure test.

Trust me, be ready

because it's gonna be a very, very big one.

Night, everyone.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia...

You are gonna be making my...

..jack in the box.

It's a dish so special,

it won our favourite Frenchman

a Michelin star.

This is on another planet.

Can they re-create it

without cracking... (SNAP!)

..under the pressure?

(SNAP!) Argh!

Captions by Red Bee Media