Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

ANDY: Give it up for Anna Polyviou.

(CHEERING)

..this beguiling breakfast...

Sunny Side Up.

(CHEERING)

..was dessert in disguise.

POH: That is no ordinary eggs on toast.

They tried their best to "eggsecute" the dish...

ANDY: The layers are there and the flavours are there.

SOFIA: This feels like a victory to me.

POH: Oooh!

That's a good yolk! That's a good yolk.

..but it was the end of the journey for Snez.

SNEZANA: 100% I'm going to follow what I started

and tell my kids, "You know what? Never too late."

Tonight...

..our trending week continues

with a retro sensation.

(TIMER DINGS)

Thanks, guys.

Hello! Morning!

Morn. Morn. Top of the morn.

Ooh!

It's a new day in the MasterChef kitchen,

and I see the judges up the front,

and they're all standing in front of a microwave.

Hello. Hello.

What's going on here?

Microwaves have saved me many a time.

My mum, when I got home from school, she would always call me and say,

"Can you take the chicken out of the freezer

"and get it defrosting in the sink?"

So I'm like, "Sh... I've forgotten the chicken."

And get it, put it into the microwave

and put it on the defrost function.

Microwaves have saved my life,

so I'm excited.

This week we've been looking at what's trending.

And this appliance has been making waves since the '50s.

It is, of course, the humble microwave.

Get ready, because we're going to show you

some of our all-time favourite microwave hacks.

Oh, OK.

Put your hand up if you own a microwave.

Don't have a microwave.

David's a no.

David, surely a bit of food science, like, you'd have a microwave at home?

No, I just invested in other sorts of equipment

and never got to the microwave. Right.

One of those wok sous vide bars.

(ALL LAUGH)

Possibly, yeah.

Josh Clarke. Yeah.

What?

The Americans invented this piece of machinery.

Mate, that's exactly why I don't trust them.

(ALL LAUGH|)

OK, crew.

So I think with a hack, with anything,

but especially in the microwave, it has to bring down time,

but still make sure the product is as good as the real thing.

So I am going to do crispy chicken skin in the microwave.

So this is something that normally takes half an hour in the oven

in between two trays.

So we're going to bring that time down to three minutes.

Hello.

So the layering is,

we go paper towel,

greaseproof paper,

then our chicken skin.

So make sure it's nice and clean and you can nearly see through it.

So that's what we're looking at here.

Looks delicious.

Then we're gonna go skin-side-up.

And then just flatten it out.

Touch of salt.

And now we layer again.

So we go greaseproof paper,

paper towel... Oh, a multi layer.

..and then we flatten it down with another plate.

I don't think I've ever done it like that.

So we're going to go a minute on high in the microwave.

Then we're going to take it out.

We're going to flip the skin over.

Back in for another minute.

And then we're going to go 30-second intervals

until it gets golden brown and crispy.

Trust me, it happens.

Jean-Christophe, what do you got for us?

I have today the most amazing crispy sweet potatoes.

Oh! In my restaurant,

this has saved me a lot of time

and also economically is an advantage.

So what you need is two plates,

a piece of paper as a cushion

to absorb the excess of the humidity.

And then more cloths.

Then second plate...in.

Nice and pressed.

In a microwave.

How long's it going in there for?

About two minutes.

Two minutes.

Two minutes. OK.

I...I'm going to show you how to make

caramelised white chocolate crumb in the microwave.

Total of maybe five to seven minutes,

depending on the power.

But I mean this is a great one for me personally

because when it caramelises, it just gets that slight bitterness.

And then you add a sprinkle of salt at the end.

And this is the kind of stuff that,

if you've got a Tupperware container of this,

you're just going to go back in again and again.

Make sure it's in one layer.

Then you put it in on 500W for a couple of minutes straight,

pull it out, see what it's looking like,

chuck it back in for a minute-and-a-half.

Pull it out again.

What you really want to see is a little bit of that browning.

So again for one minute after that.

And then in and out for 30 seconds

till it starts to just have

that creeping colour at the bottom.

So excuse me, I'm busy with my...my friends.

(LAUGHS) (LAUGHS)

OK, we're getting there.

Nice and flat. And back again.

So a lot of chefs pooh-pooh the use of a microwave

but I love it.

Mike is my bestie.

I'm going to show you how to make a marshmallow meringue.

Marshmallow? Meringue.

Super fast. This will take like under three minutes.

What?

Four eggwhites.

Pinch of salt.

I'm not even gonna weigh it tablespoon by tablespoon.

That's 80g of caster sugar.

Whisk two medium peaks.

ANDY@ Just gonna come back here for a sec

because obviously this is still hot.

So when it dries, it's going to crisp up nicely.

But we've got crispy as chicken skin in the microwave in three minutes.

Wow. (APPLAUSE)

JOSH: I'm blown away and amazed that something like that

can actually be pulled off in the microwave.

I would have just been reheating something.

I never would have dreamed of actually cooking anything in there.

You can see... Look.

This is my crispy, crunchy sweet potato slices.

(CHEERING)

Bon appetit, everybody.

ALEX: I think when you think of Michelin star chefs

and people like Andy

who have and own and run restaurants,

a microwave in a kitchen,

I think it's a big no-no.

But this has definitely blown my mind a little bit.

So we're at caramelisation stage here.

And as it's cooling on the plate, you can already see

it's becoming a little bit more crumblike.

Doesn't have the residual heat of that bowl.

Once it's all cooled and crumbed,

a little bit or a lot of salt.

And there you have it, my caramelised white chocolate crumb

in the microwave. Very quick.

(CHEERING)

Magic. Microwave magic.

Alright.

So that's good.

So that took like two minutes.

Time is of the essence.

'Cause there's very little sugar in it,

the meringue actually collapses really fast.

I'm just going to drape some clingfilm over the top.

Drape don't cover.

Oh, yours is full whack, eh?

I would never, ever think to put meringues in the microwave.

20 seconds. 20 seconds?!

Make sure you watch.

So they're gonna puff up.

No way. Yeah!

JEAN CHRISTOPHE: 20 seconds only?

Yeah.

Smells like meringue.

That's it done.

So that is my very quick and easy marshmallow meringue.

(CHEERING)

MIMI: I can't believe Poh got those microwave meringues done

in 20 seconds. In this kitchen,

any second saved, it all counts.

So today's challenge is going to be an interesting one.

So how it's going to work.

We want you to choose either mine, Jean-Christophe's,

Sofia's or Poh's hack

and incorporate it into an immunity-worthy dish.

How you apply our hacks, it's totally up to you,

so feel free to get as creative as you want.

We're going to give you 75 minutes to create a cracker,

and at the end of the day,

the best dish will win its maker immunity

from Sunday's elimination.

That 75 minutes starts now.

(CHEERING) Come on!

Chicken, chicken, chicken. That's going straight in my basket.

Right...

Want some vanilla essence. Where's that?

Here it is.

Vanilla essence?

Thanks, cobber.

I'm so excited about this challenge.

Time is always of essence in this kitchen

and it seems to disappear like this.

So to have a few microwave hacks is actually really, really clever.

I use a microwave a little bit.

It's absolutely not my go-to thing,

but when I'm in desperate need of a quick snack,

it certainly helps.

Today I've chosen Sofia's white chocolate nuggets,

and I want to make something that's a bit different.

Today, I'm making a fig leaf ice-cream

with a salted macadamia white chocolate crumb

and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Sofia's hack ingredient is kind of going to be the bed

to my ice-cream.

I'm actually hoping to take the white chocolate

a little further, so it's a bit, um, on the darker side.

We're playing to the Star Wars trend today.

We've got Darrsh Vader in front of me,

Princess Leia over here, so I thought,

"Why not? Let's give it a crack."

Desserts are not my thing

and such a bare and simple dish.

So I have not walked down the safe aisle today,

but I hope that at least if this concept is too simple,

that I'm showing the judges

that I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone

and pushing myself.

I really want immunity.

I'm sick of being, you know, in the middle or below.

I don't like the feeling, so I'm just hoping.

Here's hoping.

JULIA: Super fun immunity challenge today. I mean...

Really fun. ..microwaves.

There are so many ways you can use them, and I think people

are just used to heating up food,

but we've all shown them a hack.

I want to see these guys get really creative

and take it to the next level. Yeah, yeah.

For my particular hack, I do not want to see a pav.

Yeah, 'cause you've taken the hard work

out of the meringue already.

Like, what'd that take? Two minutes 20?

Two minutes 20. Yours is similar, Andy,

because chicken took, what, three minutes?

Three minutes. And just umami, salty, delicious.

Yeah.

Ready so quickly and so versatile.

The thing I've got better than you have

is I can turn mine as a vegetarian.

This isn't a competition, mate. It's... The competition is over.

It is a competition until the end.

At the end of the day, you guys have two contestants

picking your hacks and we both have five.

Two, five, five. There we are.

Excuse me. "We're not in competition."

(LAUGHS)

It's quality, not quantity. Absolutely.

Absolutely. Only a little finger.

Thank you.

Is that a... (OVERLAPPING SPEECH)

..competition. Look at those two bragging about.

Sav, I'm coming for you.

Yes. I'm doing a caramelised white chocolate and apple cake.

So I have a little side hustle in doing wedding cakes.

Wedding cakes? Yes.

You must be pretty good. OK, don't say that.

Thanks for the pressure.

Crossing my fingers for you that it works.

Crossing my fingers for me too. And our toes.

So I'm making a Thai-inspired dessert.

It's a ginger sponge cake with a ginger beer granita

with a sweet potato ice-cream.

And I'm using Jean-Christophe's sweet potato crisp on top.

I think I can get the flavours right as long as I can pull a cake off.

And that's the bit I'm terrified about.

But immunity, old immunity, like, I want it.

Like, give it to me.

Hey, Pezza. How are you going, Sophie?

So what are you doing with my caramelised white chocolate crumb?

I'm going to make a tapioca pearl dessert

with a rhubarb and raspberry sorbet.

And, um, I'm going to use your chocolate treat

as like peanuts in it, if you know what I mean.

Who are you?

I don't know, we've got to test ourselves.

Where's the butcher from Tassie?!

We need to test ourselves.

Let's just see if I can pull it off. Best of luck, buddy.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Josh, how are you?

I'm good, Chef, how are you?

Look in my eyes.

I love you. (LAUGHS)

No, because for choosing my lovely crispy sweet potatoes.

That's alright, Chef. What are you up to?

I am making a Jamaican curried shrimp.

Ah, now we're talking.

How you gonna be using my lovely crispy sweet potatoes?

Um, I'm gonna use it as a garnish.

Maybe some crispy, round sweet potato chips.

I'm also going to add sweet potatoes into the curry itself.

You know, Jamaican dishes are not always dishes

that we eat or see enough.

Yes. That's right. You know?

So thank you.

This dish, it's something near and dear to home and my heart

and I'm excited to cook it today.

My dad is from Jamaica,

and I've never had the chance to actually go there with the family

or with him personally.

Growing up in New York with two immigrant parents,

you know, normal American Thanksgiving

or Christmas dinner just wasn't really a thing.

Instead, my dad would make authentic Jamaican dishes.

It was his way of showcasing our heritage

and his heritage with us.

And so for me to be able to do this in the MasterChef kitchen

and share with the judges,

I think is going to give them a much clearer picture

about who I am and where I've come from.

Whenever there's a special occasion, you know,

it's like curried Jamaican something that he's making up.

Um... And it's been...

(EXHALES)

(SNIFFLES)

Love you, Josh.

Um...

I'm emotional because I've been once.

I've been home once in the last six years,

with Covid and everything,

and my dad has yet to meet his grandchildren.

So, um...

He'd just be happy that I cooked something

that's based off him.

Um...

And I hope when he sees it, he's proud.

Uh, Darrsh, how do I set this to ice-cream?

Um... Is it set?

It's set.

It was pre-cool. Is that just chill...

Yeah. ..will be making ice-cream?

Yeah. Oh, you're a legend.

Thank you so much.

Uh, I've chosen to do Andy's hack with the microwave.

So the chicken skin.

At this point in the competition, I can't keep coasting along

and if I'm going to do something crazy,

it's on a day like today

where you can potentially get immunity.

So, yeah, go a bit left of field and step out of my comfort zone.

Darrsh! Andy.

Sweet, sweet. Ice-cream machine.

White chocolate.

Chicken skin.

Chicken skin in a dessert.

In a dessert? Yes.

Love it.

How?

Uh...

Alright, so I'm gonna go to take like chicken and mushroom.

OK. Classic savoury flavours.

So I'm gonna do a rosemary ice-cream.

Uh, chicken skin crumb, just how you did it.

Yeah. I've got chicken wings in here.

I'm going to try and make a salted caramel,

and then, um, I'm playing around with, like,

the mushroom and white chocolate ganache

on the side. Yeah.

OK. Love that you're pushing the boat.

Like, you are... This is...

This is enough to win you immunity if it's nailed.

Yeah. But there's two things -

time and balance. Yeah.

That's what you're looking at right here.

It's all good stuff, but if they don't go together...

Yep. ..there's no immunity.

Loving that you're going there,

but you've got to execute it.

Sure thing. Good luck.

Cheers.

In this competition,

desserts are my safe space,

but I can't cook just classic

the way that I know it.

I want to push into testing the boundaries of where you can go

with savoury and sweet,

but it's a massive risk

'cause it's a lot to do, and if I don't pull it off,

it could taste really bad.

We want to see how you've used our microwave hacks in one hour.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Allez!

I am to be using Sofia's hack

and I'm going to be making a carrot halwa,

which is an Indian dessert.

The dish is Hainan chicken or Hainanese chicken,

and I'm going to add the crispy chicken skin as the salt.

It's my Christmas drinks. Got tequila shots.

I've got balsamic meringue,

coconut rum, cream.

I've got Riesling meringue.

Oh, yeah.

That's nice.

Come on, baby, do your thing.

Yes, it's a microwave challenge.

I think I've got this because I've been using a microwave

since they first came to Australia, basically.

Hey, Sue.

Oh, sorry, Andy. It's OK.

I did not see you there. Happens all the time.

I have something on my glasses again.

What are you gonna do with the chicken skin?

I'm going to do a chicken roulade, which I'm going to poach

and then pan fry

with an onion soubise sauce underneath.

Right.

And a black garlic gastrique. OK.

The chicken skin in the microwave.

Yeah. Talk to me about that.

I'm going to try and get them to stand up on the plate.

Right.

Use them as a little vessel to put my soubise sauce in

and then the roulade shots inside it.

Yeah. Sounds epic.

I like the idea. Good luck. Thanks. I appreciate it.

Do I really have to run all the way around?

Today I've chosen Sofia's white chocolate caramelised crumb

to create a dish inspired by one of my favourite things.

Keep up pace.

Really hustling today. Really hustling.

Tell me what you're making, Mimi, with the white choccy.

I wanted to make my spin on the fortune cookie.

Oh, amazing.

It's an invention. What can I expect?

I mean, I know what white chocolate is.

I know what my hack was.

I love a fortune cookie.

Flavours of yum cha.

I'm thinking salted egg yolk.

Yes! I love salted egg yolk.

I'm super excited.

It's going to be a wafer-thin cookie with a salted egg jam,

a banana cream and then caramelised chocolate crumb on top.

Hopefully it's something new, something interesting,

something that'll make you go,

"Yeah, I feel... I feel understood by this cookie right now."

I'm super excited for this one.

You're on the right track. Thanks, Sofia.

Using new fish sauce today.

Oh! Out with the old, in with the new.

Are your ancestors happy though?

Well, she's levelling up her Asian-style food,

so she's levelling up her fish sauce.

Asian represent!

Yeah, yeah.

Poh's come with this really awesome hack

to get a soft meringue done really quickly.

I want to elevate that into my dish.

In my line of work of clinical trials,

we are always testing something new.

So, like in the MasterChef kitchen,

I'm always carrying out a new experiment.

David. Hello.

Thanks for being one of my only two loyal subjects.

(BOTH LAUGH) Absolutely.

What have you got in mind?

Pumpkin banoffee tart with chocolate,

but spike it with, like, coffee and banana

with a meringue on top.

Ah, I like it.

It's a pretty wild and complicated idea.

If you do it right, it can be a top dish.

Awesome. Alright.

Thank you very much, Poh, I appreciate you.

Good luck, David.

This is an unusual flavour combination.

So I need to make sure I balance it perfectly.

Winning immunity for me would be a big milestone,

so I'm just hoping that I can pull it off.

That smells nice, whatever it is, in that bloody oven.

In the oven? Yeah.

Oh, it's a coffee tart.

It's so good.

Cheers, cuz.

Microwave magic in 45 minutes.

Oh! Sugar!

Chocolate. Chocolate.

That smells yummy.

That's the carrot I'm cooking I think you can smell.

Another 30 seconds.

Oh.

Crispy skin!

Whoop! There goes the chicken wing.

I'm really pushing myself

with this chicken and mushroom dessert.

I've got multiple elements on the go

because time isn't on my side today.

OK.

While my rosemary ice-cream creme anglaise is thickening,

I've got my chanterelle mushrooms steeping.

I'm signing on for the chicken salted caramel.

I'm making my caramel now.

I'm rendering the fat from the chicken

to go into the caramel.

My mushroom ganache needs to chill in the fridge.

My ice-cream isn't even in the churner yet,

and I haven't even started on the crispy chicken skin,

which is the main component of this whole hack,

so I feel like I'm starting to fall behind.

What are you doing, Darrsh?

Keep an eye on that. Yeah, yeah.

(GROANS)

I've just come back from getting a few saucepans

and my creme anglaise has split.

It's gone. I can't save it.

Now this is going to set me behind even more.

What are you doing, Darrsh.

Keep an eye on that. Yep, yep.

(GROANS)

I'm trying to pull off this chicken and mushroom dessert

and my creme anglaise for my rosemary ice-cream,

it's split and I can't use it.

This dish is all about balance of flavours,

so I need to get a new batch on ASAP

to get enough flavour into that ice-cream.

Alright.

With less than 45 minutes to go, I'm running out of time.

Holy smokes!

I hope to showcase a few techniques today

with my little crispy chicken skin baskets.

I've done the chicken and I've got my soubise sauce.

I'm going to have to assemble that pretty soon.

A soubise sauce,

apart from the fact that it is my name - Sue B -

is a French sauce that's made with onions

and it's gorgeous.

I'm going to shape the chicken skin on these little moulds,

pipe the soubise in there

and then put my cut roulade discs on the top.

I'm really happy with the way the sauce is coming together.

It's delicious.

I think it's going to be the perfect foil

for the little roulade pieces I'm going to place with it.

I'm currently making my white chocolate banana cream

for the cookie. I've got my salted egg yolk jam going.

Chocolate crumb is in the microwave.

Um, cookies are still cooking.

Everything's happening all at once right now.

This is my take on a fortune cookie.

I'm definitely going to try and push that creativity

and have some fun with it.

So I'm actually thinking about serving it

like it's a dim sum dish in a bamboo steamer.

These flavours are so familiar to me,

and I want the judges to sense that playfulness

and fun and simple joy.

I really hope that I have a shot at immunity.

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.

Like, I freaking love the flavours in this cookie so much.

So...

..fingers crossed.

Microwave magic with mega flavour in 30 minutes.

Thank you.

(CHEERING)

Sugar. OK.

Smells good.

I'm actually really happy with the sponge

on this Thai dessert. Finally put the ginger beer granita

in the blast chiller. The ice-cream.

That is, like, so crucial right now. And then straight after that,

I'm gonna go straight to the sweet potato chips.

Yeah, there's a lot to do.

I'm going alright.

Sorbet's been done.

Tapioca, as you can see, has just come together beautifully.

The caramel's done. I'm just on Sofia's chocolate little treats.

And also, I'm going to do a dark chocolate disc.

So then when I pour the caramel, the warm caramel over,

it'll melt a hole into the...

..in the chocolate and go into the dish.

So give them a little bit of theatre, eh?

Hot.

Chef!

OK, so let's try this.

I've got my cakes in the oven. I'm slowly caramelising

the white chocolate in the microwave.

The biggest concern is making sure everything's pretty.

But, you know,

Mama didn't raise no quitter, so...

So I'm doing a Jamaican curried shrimp.

I've got this, uh, prawn stock going.

I'm gonna get it the in the curry to add some flavour.

Got a prawn head oil going,

and then, uh, start my crispy sweet potato element

from Jean-Christophe.

My plan for the dish is that the judges will be able

to use the crisps as some sort of, like, dipping vessel

to dip into the curry and eat it that way.

As well as having it as the garnish,

I am going to have it in the curry as well.

So, you know, the sweet potato aspect

is definitely going to be on the forefront.

Sweet potato is not something my dad would normally use,

but today is all about the judges' hacks,

and it's something I know that can pair well with the curry

to counteract the spice.

Just trying to get back to my roots,

showcase, you know, to the judges where I've come from

and what I've grown up eating.

It's delicious and, you know, a real homey type meal

and hopefully, you know, it does enough to win me immunity.

OK. Return the bowl to microwave for one minute.

The ice cream's in the churner.

So it's all up to the ice-cream gods now. (LAUGHS)

And I've got my chocolate in the microwave,

so I'm starting on that process now.

Sofia's white chocolate hack

in my fig leaf ice-cream dish

is really important

because it'll add delicious crunch.

It is really risky doing such a simple dish.

So everything that I put on that plate,

which is only two things,

need to be perfect.

I don't know if it's melting

or if it's meant to be doing what it's doing. (LAUGHS)

Desserts are not my thing.

I'm absolutely a savoury baby.

So... (LAUGHS)

I'm a little bit of fish out of water.

OK, we'll do it again.

Continue to check and stir.

SAV: How are you going, Alex?

I think I'm going alright.

Sofia's white chocolate crumb is perfect

and it tastes really bloody good. I'm super stoked.

So now I've got to really work on the roasted macadamias

to marry up against this white chocolate crumb.

Chef Mike is in the house.

You have 15 minutes to go.

Chef Mike. 15 minutes!

That's so good.

Ooh! It's looking good.

Hello, gorgeous.

How good is that?

Ah, voila. (LAUGHS)

Do you mind? Go for it.

I've got enough for the whole village.

It looks like that.

I've only got about 15 minutes left

and it's time to layer the spiced pumpkin banoffee tart

and also do the meringue hack.

I'm adding the spiced pumpkin puree into the coffee tart base

with the banana chocolate cremo on top.

Just hoping everything sets in time.

And now I'm working on the meringue,

which it Poh's hack.

For my meringue,

I am going to add milk powder, which Poh didn't use,

but I'm hoping to change the texture

to be more creamier rather than fluffier.

It is very important to nail this

because it will take away the egginess of the meringue.

So I am doing a Poh. I'm squatting in front of the microwave.

But...

..after putting the meringue in for 20 seconds in the microwave,

I don't see it rising and that's a big issue.

Um...

Damn!

I am doing a Poh. I'm squatting in front of the microwave.

I don't see it rising, and that's a big issue.

And I'm thinking maybe because

I added milk powder to the meringue.

And I decided to leave it on for another 10 seconds.

And I start to see it expanding.

Ooh!

And there's a bit of a sigh of relief.

It's cooked through and I'm happy.

The meringue, looking like it's come out great.

I took a risk with this flavour combination

of banana and pumpkin,

and I'm just hoping that the judges like it.

Ouch!

You alright? The plates get bloody hot!

Ooh! Ouch!

DARRSH: For my chicken and mushroom dessert,

I had to remake my creme anglaise

for my rosemary ice-cream,

and it's in the blast freezer.

Now I move on to my chicken salted caramel,

but I have to rush it.

I know I'm taking that kind of like daredevil attitude

by pushing the envelope

on what flavours can go into a dessert,

but there's barely any time,

and I haven't even started on the crispy chicken skin,

which is the main component of this whole hack.

I need to get that done right now.

POH: Six minutes to go, everyone.

My dad's Jamaican curry tastes amazing.

I've got the prawn head oil there

and then I'm also finishing off my sweet potato crisps.

I just need a push.

And I'm excited for the judges to experience a curry

that's from a different part of the world.

And doing one that's based off of the ones I've had with my dad

and those kinds of memories

is very special.

The dish comes from the heart and soul.

Hopefully they can taste the TLC and that's enough to elevate it.

Pretty good.

I'm pretty happy.

I've got my white chocolate crumb and I'm super stoked.

It's really nutty.

They taste a little bit earthy almost,

which is exactly what I'm going for.

I hope when the judges try my dish

that they get that white chocolate crumb,

they get a bit of the saltiness from the macadamia,

a bit of crunch from that, and then a nice taste of,

you know, rounded fig leaf.

Yes, it's simple, but I know the flavours are there

and I just hope it's enough to win me immunity today.

Two minutes to go.

Allez! Allez!

She's looking good.

Make it as pretty as I possibly can.

I can't believe it.

I was under so much time pressure for the whole cook

and there's been a few bumps in the road,

but I got every single element for my chicken and mushroom dessert

on a plate.

I'm hoping that the judges, when they taste a spoonful,

it's going to do this weird thing in their head where they're going,

"Hang on,

"is this a roast chicken dinner or is this a dessert?"

SOFIA: You have one minute left!

Yes.

Oh, my God.

These cookies look so cute.

That's salted egg jam is so salty.

The white chocolate banana cream is going to add

such a nice sweetness to the dish.

I'm very excited about my dish.

I've got my crispy chicken skin baskets,

I've got my chicken roulade,

and I'm really happy with my soubise sauce.

It's gorgeous.

It's silky and smooth.

Perfect consistency.

And it will just bring everything together.

Time's up in ten...

JUDGES: ..nine, eight,

seven, six,

five, four,

three, two,

one

Ding!

(LAUGHS)

(GASPS) Oh, no.

Oh, my God.

Oh, God.

No, no, no.

I can't believe it.

It's a case of mistaken identity.

So, unfortunately, Mimi and I

have both got very similar looking piping bags.

So instead of having an onion soubise under my chicken...

What is this? White chocolate banana?

Chocolate banana mousse and chicken. (LAUGHS)

Oh my gosh.

I now have a sweet and savoury chicken skin dish.

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!

The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to Josh Clarke.

I'm really happy to be able to share with the judges,

you know, a fond memory I have.

And an authentic curry dish like this, you know,

just makes me really proud.

And I hope it makes Dad proud.

Righto, mate. What'd you cook?

I cooked my dad's Jamaican curry shrimp.

SOFIA: This dish means a lot to you? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, 'cause, um...

I haven't seen my dad in about six years.

Oh, wow. Yeah.

So, um, I've cooked from the heart today, and, um,

yeah, it's close to home.

Well, we can't wait to taste the flavours of your home.

Well, I tell you what.

I'm going to give you...

..a little recognition

of my full enjoyment,

because I've got to say...

..this is...

..fantastic.

Thank you, Chef.

The way you've mixed the spice is sublime.

You made a superb curry with the right thickness.

The prawns are delicious.

They are cooked perfectly.

Your crispy sweet potatoes are done very well.

It's brilliant.

I feel like you're just starting to open up to everyone.

It's so good to see.

And when your food's coming out like that

when there are these memories,

mate, keep going there.

Um, because that is...

That is just good, home-style, honest, tasty cooking.

Really well done.

I would have gone ha... I would like... This is...

I would have just done that, 'cause your prawn oil,

honestly, it sends it way, way, way next level.

That sweet potato badge, mate,

that's going to bed with you for sure.

Wear it with pride, mate. Well done.

I think Jason will be very pleased of you.

Well done.

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

Yes.

This is my little stewed green apple

and caramelised white chocolate teacake.

I love, love, love the apple jammy, compote-y number.

I thought it was ripper. Well done, Sav.

Thank you. Thank you.

Let's taste your dish, Nat.

NAT: I made sweet ginger ninja.

It's a take on a Thai dessert.

The freshness and zinginess and the raw ginger on there was like,

I thought, like, "What is she doing grating raw ginger onto the plate?"

But, like, it was so good.

SOFIA: I'd have a second slice of that.

Absolutely no trouble.

Well done. Thank you.

Sumeet, we'd love to try your dish now.

I've made the carrot halwa with a kulfi ice-cream,

a peanut and white chocolate caramel crumb.

One thing that you've done that is very clever

is to cut the sweetness of that chocolate with the peanuts.

I think it's great. Thanks, Sumeet.

Thank you.

We want to try your dish, Alex.

Yes.

It's beautiful.

Princess Leia.

I'm looking down at my dish, and I think it is stunning.

But it's a very, very simple plate of food

and I just don't know

if it's enough to win me immunity today.

In the mood to cook?

Grab your aprons and try

these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10play.

So what did you make?

I have made you guys a fig leaf ice-cream

with a macadamia and caramelised white chocolate crumb

and just a pour over

of some Australian extra virgin olive oil.

The ice-cream little thing reminds me of one of your buns.

(LAUGHS)

Andy loves ice-cream, just so you know.

Yeah, ice-cream fiend.

I think you've infused the perfect amount of fig leaf

in that ice-cream. Cool.

It's one of those things that can be way too subtle

or way too green.

And whatever you've done there is bang-on.

The figs, the macadamia is roasted properly,

the chocolate is fantastic,

there is enough saltiness,

and this little wonderful package is a beautiful explosion

still now in my mouth.

That olive oil provided the fat

and that coated your palate

for what's underneath.

With the caramelised white chocolate,

fatty, slippery, toasted macadamias

and like for two elements,

like, three with an olive oil on it,

like, that is skill.

It was really, really, really well done.

Thank you.

Yes, Team White Chocolate!

(LAUGHS)

David, you're next.

Thank you.

Interesting.

SOFIA: David, tell us what you made.

A spiced pumpkin banoffee tart.

So pumpkin and banana are quite an unusual pairing.

Where did you get that idea from?

Well, pumpkin goes with cinnamon and cloves

and cinnamon and cloves have a shared compound with banana,

which is why you put it in banana bread.

You say a shared compound? Yeah.

Like, you know, like an aromatic compound.

One of the things is like... Science brain!

Just a small bird flying around my head.

(ALL LAUGH)

Oh! You were going so well.

Poh!

David.

Pumpkin and banana...

Yeah.

..uh, it's such a good combination.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

That custard.

The texture of it is beautiful.

It's so glossy and silken.

The banana, chocolate, pumpkin, beautifully balanced.

And I think you've used that meringue really well.

You've torched it beautifully.

So it's got that lovely burnished flavour coming through.

I really, really like it.

Thank you very much, Poh.

That tart shell right there is one of the best I've had in here.

It is short, it is super thin.

And you just get that little bit of bitterness at the end,

which you need,

because that kind of pumpkin spiced,

banana spiced choc YoGo thing of a filling...

Oh, my gosh, it is! It is YoGo.

It is YoGo!

It's YoGo.

..is like, it needs it

'cause it is, like, on the sweet end.

That is flawless, mate.

You bring through the saltiness, the sweetness,

the softness, the crunchiness.

It's aromatic. It's well-balanced.

(POH GASPS)

I'm in, Dave.

You know why? I'll tell you what,

you're like a petit professeur culinary.

Because what you have on the spot is not enough.

You see beyond that. I love that.

This is what I like to see - people go for it.

And you've nailed it.

Well done.

Awesome job! Nice one, David.

That bloke is a genius.

Good job, mate.

Good job.

Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Sue.

Oh, gosh, I'm thinking this is absolutely embarrassing,

but it is sort of funny.

Pretty sure I'm not going to be winning immunity today,

so I just have to take it on the chin.

Sue, what was your dish meant to be?

Crispy skin chicken baskets with a stuffed chicken roulade.

And what's this?

Crispy skin chicken baskets with banana cream.

(POH LAUGHS)

Sorry. You have to laugh.

You have to laugh. If you don't laugh, you'll cry.

It might be good.

Could be dish of the day. You never know.

You shot for the stars.

I do have a reputation for eating curiously.

So you're going for it?

I think, try everything once.

No.

Do you know what?

There is something about sweet and salty, so...

Don't get any ideas, guys.

You learn a big lesson? I did.

Be a bit more organised? Yeah.

Um, but thanks, Sue, for being a good sport.

Thank you. Thank you.

Let's go, Mimi.

I've made my take on fortune cookies.

And then a salted egg jam

with a banana and white chocolate cremo.

Aha! We've already tried that.

The white chocolate had enough sweetness

to counteract that savouriness of the salted egg yolk.

I could have eaten three of those for sure.

Pezza, come on down.

SOFIA: Oh, it's cracking through!

PEZ: I've made a coconut, tapioca, pearl base,

rhubarb and raspberry sorbet

with some roasted peanuts.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: What I like very much about you

is you try to demonstrate

that you've got a lot more to offer than just doing some good meat.

But the tapioca is mushy.

Tapioca is not made for that.

So you need to study a bit more.

Next dish we'd like to taste is Steve's.

STEVE: So that's my Christmas drinks.

It feels a little bit like you made this

after you had the drinks.

Yeah. It does. Yeah.

I really love how you use the meringue to infuse this pav

with all these different festive drinks.

But all the different alcohols

don't quite work together.

No worries.

Next up, Darrsh.

I'm proud that I pushed myself with this dish today,

but I'm feeling really nervous.

Oh... O-K.

I mean, chicken and mushroom in a dessert.

I'm worried that maybe, like,

the judges won't even want to taste it.

I'm starting to wonder whether or not

I should have done this.

Darrsh, you madman! What have you made?

I brought you guys my chicken and mushroom dessert.

Of course you have. Huh?

So the whole point of it is kind of like

it's a roast chicken dinner.

So rosemary and chicken, classic combo.

And then I've got a white chocolate ganache

which has chanterelles through it.

Ah.

Said no-one ever.

Yeah.

I'm doing it, mate.

I'm doing it, mate.

Darrsh, chicken skin in desserts, like,

that is so, so well done.

That whipped chanterelle mushroom ganache

is, like, so good.

So good, mate.

Like, you've taken all of the heaviness and sweetness

out of white chocolate

and replaced it with a touch of savouriness

and a little bit of umami, and it's like,

that component is ready to go on a dish in a restaurant.

Period.

Same with the rosemary ice-cream.

The hint of rosemary is there,

and those two things are just playing with each other

back and forth.

The texture is spot-on.

Then your chicken skin, it was so well used,

but the chicken fat caramel,

the texture is so close

it's just started to go a little bit chewy.

But, mate, I've got to hand it to you.

You've got some courage.

A lot of courage.

Did you mean to say bolas?

I did.

I found it so hard to keep a straight face

with that spoon. In fact, I think I failed.

I smelled it, and I went... (GIGGLES)

..because it smells like chicken and gravy.

It's insane.

And then when you actually eat it,

it's so clearly a dessert.

And it still tastes like chicken and gravy to me.

It's got all these things firing.

And then you've got the chicken skin,

which is actually so crispy that it's brittle.

Well done. Thanks, guys.

Thank you.

MAN: Love you, Darrsh.

Righto, gang.

Epic job today.

And there are a few of you in the mix,

so if I call your name, please step forward.

Alex.

MAN: Go on, Alex. OK.

David.

And Darrsh.

(CHEERING)

SOFIA: Yes, gang! POH: Well done, guys.

This was a really, really tough decision to make.

In the end, it came down to both the dish

that we'd all eat again

and the cook who demonstrated the most technique.

And that was...

..David.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

David, how do you feel?

Um... I feel really, really relieved.

Yeah. Just another cook to be very grateful for

in this experience.

And that that combination actually worked.

(ALL LAUGH)

David, congratulations.

You'll be up on the gantry on Sunday,

safe as houses.

The rest of you, unfortunately, are on the chopping block.

When you come back, be ready to put up a fight.

Goodnight.

(OVERLAPPING CHATTERING)

DAVID: Thank you.

You couldn't let Dar and me have it, huh?

You couldn't let Dar and me have it.

ANNOUNCER: Sunday night on MasterChef Australia...

Who says you can't have fun on elimination day?

..O-M-G..

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

..a TikTok sensation is here

I-R-L.

Holy crap.

ANDY: Here we go.

So they need Insta-worthy food to stay in the competition.

Oh! Yes.

Captions by Red Bee Media