Original subtitles

VOICEOVER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...

..our top five

tussled with emotions...

PEZZA: Nanna Marg.

Yeah, I guess I'm not as big and strong as I think I am.

..to create a dish that honours their food heroes.

MIMI: My grandma would be so proud to see what I've done.

NAT: This dish is an ode to my mum.

I want my mum to see this, and she's just gonna be like,

"Wow, I can't believe you made that."

They turned treasured memories into glorious meals.

ANDY: That's a special dish.

SOFIA: The crunch on that, it's unbelievable.

It was a joy to eat.

And Nat won the final immunity of the season.

Tonight,

it's an elimination,

and they won't believe their eyes.

SAVINDRI: Oh, my God!

ALL: Oh.

What?

HARRY: Where is everyone?

The judges are usually standing there, waiting for us.

And they're nowhere to be seen.

And I'm just looking at what's in front of me,

and I can't exactly figure it out.

SAVINDRI: Oh, my God.

Righto. Step away from the plinths.

(LAUGHTER)

Hello, hello.

Hi, all.

OTHERS: Hi, Poh. Good morning.

There's a little bit of extra magic

in the MasterChef kitchen this morning.

You can already tell, just by looking up here,

that this challenge is going to be five times as intense.

And I doubt that when you walked in here today,

you expected any less.

Nat, you've already taken a step towards making that dream come true.

But for one of you four,

that dream ends today.

This is the fork in the road.

Today decides whether you're heading to Finals Week

or heading home.

Alright, guys, brace yourselves.

Today, we're taking flavour to the max.

These ingredients are off-the-scale.

Up here are some of the sweetest,

the spiciest,

the most bitter, sour

and pungent ingredients

on the planet.

And, today, it's your job to pick at least one

and balance it in a jaw-dropping dish.

Righto. First up...

You can probably smell this one from over there.

I was like... (SNIFFS) "Is that...is that me?"

(LAUGHTER) No, that ain't me - that's this.

And this is one of the most pungent cheeses ever.

It's called Epoisses.

Uh...

Is it 'Epoisses'?

..Epoisses.

Epoisses.

That's pretty good. We'll roll with that. Epoiss-es.

I'm not doing that. (LAUGHS)

In France, it's actually banned on public transport.

(LAUGHTER) SOFIA: Oh!

And one whiff, you'll get the gist.

Time to smell the cheese.

(LAUGHTER)

Get in here.

And breathing in, in three, two, one.

Ugh! (LAUGHTER)

Smelling this cheese, it's awful!

It smells like my bin on a bad bin day.

I just cannot...

I can't cope with it.

If I had to cook with that today, I would die.

Phwugh!

Righto, next up.

And I'm just, like, easing away.

This is the spiciest ingredient.

This one is a Carolina Reaper chilli.

Phew! Oh.

It is the 2023 record-holder

for the World's Hottest Chilli Pepper.

I've never cooked with a Carolina Reaper chilli before.

I can't even handle a Thai red chilli,

so, uh-uh.

Carolina Reaper, here we come.

Whoa! Even in the eyes.

Anyone want to have a little nibble?

Come on, mate. Oh! (LAUGHS)

Just a wee little bit.

Just get a small bit.

You can always have more. You can't have less.

Oh, my God, Pezza!

I wouldn't have done that.

How are we travelling?

It's hot.

(LAUGHTER)

It's really sw... It's sweet, though.

Like, it's... Sweet and fruity, but has a kick.

(LAUGHTER)

I'll tell you what, it's starting to burn the mouth.

It's starting to really make me...

..me know that I've got it.

My lips are on fire at the moment.

Next, the sweetest.

This is monk fruit concentrate.

It's up to 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Ooh!

(LAUGHTER)

Whoa! Sweet?

Very sweet. (COUGHS)

Spicy! (LAUGHS)

Urgh!

This monk fruit concentrate is too much.

It's too overwhelming.

Give us a taste, Andy. Andy, I want a taste.

Yeah? Let's have a taster.

Yeah! Don't put too much, eh?

I would never.

Thanks.

Oh, my God!

Ugh!

Oh, I do not like that aftertaste.

That's too much for me.

Hoo!

What happened to you? (LAUGHS) Nothing.

And that's one drop. Oh!

(LAUGHTER)

Mimi, and you had, what? Five, six drops?

(MUMBLES) I don't like it.

(LAUGHTER)

For the most sour ingredient, we've got umeboshi plums.

That little demon is the highest concentration of citric acid

of any fruit.

It's three times more sour than a lemon.

Urgh! Oh-ho! (COUGHS)

Delicious, hey, Pezza? No, that's wrong.

That is wrong on so many levels.

Why? Oh, I'd rather the chilli than that.

I'll get you the...I'll get you the Carolina Reaper back if you want.

Oh! (LAUGHS)

Finally, not to be outdone,

the most bitter ingredient.

That is the bitter gourd.

Oh, my 'gourd'!

(LAUGHTER)

That was so bad!

Oh, God. My mum would try to, like, deep-fry these, turn it into, like,

a little sambo thing. No.

Make it into a curry. No.

Was it the bitterness or just the flavour?

Both. I...

..love that.

There's one left.

Chef! Chef! Here comes the aeroplane!

(LAUGHS) Oh, no, no. Neeeeooooowwwwwww!

OK.

Uh...

What? (LAUGHTER)

What the hell is that?

What are they supposed to do with this?

I'll tell you what,

good luck to you, all of you.

Hopefully, now you've had a taste,

you're feeling a little more confident.

We can't wait to see you tame these beasts.

You'll have 75 minutes.

We want a dish that incorporates at least one

of these extreme ingredients.

Balancing flavours is going to be more challenging

than ever before.

So, be diligent,

taste frequently,

and bring us something that tickles our tastebuds.

Sadly, the least impressive dish will mean the end of the road

for its maker.

This is your time to shine, guys.

You all deserve to be in Finals Week.

All you need to do now is prove it with today's plate.

Your time starts now.

Allez!

Um...

PEZZA: Hey, sorry.

Who's dropping onions?

Don't want to forget anything.

This is a huge challenge.

I mean, I think it's a bit of fun, but also a lot on the line.

We've given them some of the five most intense ingredients

on the planet, and it's about being able to tame these ingredients.

And don't forget about a delicious dish.

And I think 'taming' doesn't mean 'covering'.

'Taming' is harnessing what it is,

being able to use it skilfully so that you still celebrate it.

Yep. But it has to be done

so that it's palatable.

Big time. Yeah.

I like very much the fact that, today, they've got a chance

to have something with character.

Full of something which they are not used to do so.

This is their chance to show us everything they've learned so far

and really earn their spot in Finals Week.

NAT: Yeah, Harry.

Today's elimination, we've got to tame some pretty hectic ingredients,

and so it's not going to be easy,

but I think I've got an idea.

I'm gonna harness my Italian side.

Uh, so I'm making a gnocchi dish,

so I've chosen the Epoisses cheese.

I just love that cheese.

My mum's always got it in the fridge,

and, um, I love eating it.

Once you taste it, it's just like... (IMITATES EXPLOSION)

..like, this, like, salty, umami, just explosion.

And, yeah, I love it.

But it's always been one of those ingredients

that I wouldn't even dare to put it into, like, a dish.

(CHUCKLES) Like, just smells like a...

I don't know, like a dirty pair of socks.

So, I can imagine, like, you'd have to be careful.

I'm gonna do, like, a, um, green sort of basil and hazelnut pesto.

The cheese is going into the sauce, as well.

And then, I'm going to top that with some caramelised figs.

And then, I'm gonna work on doing, like, a pangritata

with the cheese, as well.

I know people think gnocchi is a basic dish,

but it's a really hard one to get right.

It's got to be pillowy and light and fluffy.

It can't be dense and, you know, soggy.

So, yeah, I just want to make sure that the gnocchi is perfect.

NAT: Go, Sav!

Go, Pezza. Go on, Pezza!

Go, Pez!

Um, so I've picked the bitter gourd.

Today, I'm going to be making a crab...soft shell crab burger

with a bitter gourd kimchi slaw.

I have never cooked with bitter gourd before,

but as soon as I bit into that bitter gourd,

you know, in Cantonese culture, we love bitter melon,

and that's what it reminds me of.

So, I just couldn't see myself away from this option.

Should I just go for it?

Yeah, I should.

I just have to be careful with this bitter gourd.

It is so bitter!

I'm a little nervous,

but I've got to focus.

I've got to get this done.

Today, I have chosen the chilli.

Surprise, surprise!

Me? Choose a chilli?

Who is she?

Even though the chilli is in my wheelhouse,

I've actually never worked with a Carolina Reaper,

or anything close to something that's that hot.

I don't think people truly realise it is blindingly aggressive.

You know, there's something to be said about being Sri Lankan.

We are moulded by the chillies,

so we don't do dumb things with them.

I know I'm going to put gloves on today

because I am not going to touch it with my bare hands.

I'm not stupid.

Because my mum never used to put soap in my mouth as a child -

she would put chillies in my mouth.

Today, I am making a Carolina Reaper prawn dish

with a prawn consomme.

And I'm going to use the Reaper in my consomme.

A consomme is basically a real fancy broth.

To make my consomme,

I start with making a prawn stock as a base,

and the kitten's whiskers amount of the Carolina Reaper.

Very nerve-racking.

The balance in this dish, for me, is going to be a challenge

because I'm always, "More is more is more."

Let's just start with that amount.

But with something as intense as the Reaper,

I think the smart thing to do is to not put it in everything,

because the judges won't have faces left -

it will just be melted off.

OK, time to see if we can taste those chillies, right?

Ooh, there it is.

(CHUCKLES) Oh, that's hot. But that's...

Oh, that's lovely, actually.

I'm not going to use the rest of that because...

Oh! That's got guts.

You have one hour left to tame the beast!

Come on, guys! Let's go!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Allez! Good luck! (APPLAUSE)

Yeah, I don't know, I haven't been...

To be honest with you, today, I haven't been...

I just don't know where I'm at.

Just a little bit flat after the last cook.

I thought that I was going to win.

I want to be the best. I always want to be the best.

And second's not good enough for me anymore,

and it never has been.

So, I'm just trying to get up and going, and put something

on the table that I'm going to be happy with.

Today, I've decided to take the Epoisses cheese.

The only thing that I've really worked with

that's like this, before, is blue cheese.

That's what's going through my mind.

And I've got a plan that I'm going to do,

it's something that I do at home with blue cheese.

It's like a toasted sandwich sort of thing.

Who doesn't love a steak sandwich?

Pezza. Chefs, how are you going?

Good, mate. Pezza.

Ooh!

I smelt it before I saw it. Isn't it beautiful?

Yeah. What's the name of the cheese?

Uh, no idea. What is it?

(LAUGHS)

Epoisses.

Epoisses. Voila! Tres bien.

Epoisses!

But you're gonna need to be able to say it if you can tame it.

What are you doing with it? 'Cause that's the thing about this thing.

How can you create a delicious dish out of that?

What I want to do is steak sandwich -

sort of like a nice, crunchy bit of bread,

and then have some really perfectly cooked eye fillet,

and have a nice smear of the cheese over top.

I'm going to have some caramelised onions.

I don't want this to be your last cook,

so I'm going to give you exactly how I'm feeling about this. Yep?

Yeah, it might be a delicious steak sandwich,

but when you're that close to top four...

..is it going to be enough?

PEZZA: Today is not my day.

I'm just all over the shop at the moment.

I'm not in the best mood as it is.

And then, Andy put that question into my head.

"Is a toasted cheese and steak sandwich enough

"to take you to the top four?"

And I don't know if it is.

I don't know, it's sort of put me in a funny place.

I just need to pull my head out and work where I'm going to go.

I'm thinking of doing it as a... Plated up, a little bit different,

like a deconstructed steak sandwich,

just to think a little bit more outside the box.

The flavours are still there.

We know the cheese and onion and steak works together.

I've just got to showcase the Epoisses,

but also mild it down so it's not over-the-top.

I'm thinking, why not make it into a cream or something

and tame it down by using some Philly cream cheese

and some chives?

Put some of that onion in it to give it a bit of umami.

And a little bit of the onions.

And balance it down so it's a nice cream sauce

that's really good to go with this dish.

Righto, let's bring this together from what I can do, eh?

MIMI: For my soft shell crab and bitter gourd kimchi sliders,

my soft shell crab batter is ready to go.

I've cleaned my crabs.

My bitter gourd is set aside and salted to draw out

all the moisture and pull out some of the bitterness,

and my brioche dough is going in for its second proof.

They're looking pretty good. They smell really good.

So, I'm just waiting for that second proof,

and then I'm going to let it go in the oven for 20 minutes.

I'm feeling pretty good.

If I can carry this dish to the finish line,

this is going to be a knock-out dish.

Mimi. Hi.

Bitter gourd. I can see it. Uh, what are you gonna do with it?

Soft shell crab slider with a bitter gourd kimchi slaw.

Wow.

So, kimchi -

salty, umami...

Spicy. ..spicy...

Crunchy, creamy. ..crunchy.

I like the sound of that. Yeah.

Yes. I mean. Whatever comes out from Mimi is always interesting.

So... Yeah.

Um, are you making your own bread rolls? Yeah? Buns? Yes.

Um, I absolutely love the dough.

Um, sweetness, plus the bitterness and crisp of the bitter gourd -

hopefully, it all syncs together. Ooh.

Yeah, it's also a balancing act to be able to, you know, tame

the bitter gourd, but don't make it invisible.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Noted. Well done, Mimi.

Thank you. Keep going, yeah.

Thank you. Looking forward to it.

Thank you.

I have full confidence that I can pull the bitterness back

from this bitter gourd slaw situation

with the sweet brioche dough.

Like, it should just be a knockout.

NAT: Mimi,

smells good.

HARRY: So, today, to tame the beast,

I'm using the Epoisses cheese in my potato gnocchi

with a basil and hazelnut pesto.

Uh, so I've toasted my nuts.

Uh, my gnocchi have been made. They're just chilling there.

I've made this basil pesto before with gnocchi and a blue cheese,

and I know that I need to focus on how I'm going

to tame this Epoisses cheese.

But if I'm doing the potato gnocchi, it's the gnocchi themselves -

it's got to be perfect as well.

I'm just gonna cook the gnocchi till it floats to the top,

then I'll take it out.

I'll cook them in some butter just to get them nice and golden

and, you know, nice crunch on them.

Everything's got to be perfect.

Gnocchi's done a lot for me in my life.

It's connected me to my nonna and, you know, our Italian heritage.

It's, you know, allowed me to find a wife, essentially.

So... (CHUCKLES) ..um,

the first time I ever made a gnocchi, I was trying

to impress my now wife, Lily.

I called Nonna at, like, 5:30 when I got home from work.

I was like, "Non, like, quick - how do I make gnocchi?

"I need some help."

Made the gnocchi.

I brought Lily this little, like, tub of gnocchi.

And I was like, "Oh, by the way, like, made these today.

"It's not a big deal."

And she's like, "Oh, my God, "that's incredible!"

LILY: Come on, Gnocchi!

We also ended up naming our dog Gnocchi.

Serve me up, baby.

Yeah, Lily is just such an incredible person.

She's made so many sacrifices for me to be here

and has really just allowed me to do this,

so I really want to do well with this dish today.

Gnocchi got me a wife.

(LAUGHS)

On a day like today, it's all about maximum flavour,

and you've got 45 minutes to go!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Allez! Allez, allez!

(APPLAUSE)

SAVINDRI: So, I'm doing the base of my prawn consomme,

which is a prawn stock.

Yeah, and then I can get my prawns cooked.

This cook is very challenging for me, if I'm being honest,

because the first time I made a consomme

was in the last pressure test that I did.

In Guillaume's pressure test, my consomme did not do well

because I ran out of time.

The hell was that?

So, today... Not today.

We aren't doing that today.

Righto, Sav. Hello, Sav.

Hello. Uh, what are you gonna do

with the Carolina Reaper?

Well, the Carolina Reaper is in my prawn "hopefully" consomme.

Consomme? Yeah.

Wow!

As much as I love this,

you did struggle with the consomme component

of Guillaume's Pea Royale. I know, yes.

I am...

If I don't push myself, what's the point in gunning for top four.

I am all about this, Sav. So...

Absolutely.

(COUGHS) Looks like it's still there.

Sorry, I need to drink some water. (CHUCKLES)

(LAUGHS) Ah.

How much chilli did you put in your stock?

Uh, literally, maybe about, like, that much.

You've only use that bit?

Yeah. Into this?

It's a smaller piece than this, as well, actually.

Yeah, that's how strong it is.

(COUGHS)

There's such a balancing act on this dish. Yep.

I think it has the possibility to be something that sends you home.

I am feeling, uh, definitely concerned after the bench visit.

It is a huge risk, working with a chilli like this,

because, um, I think balance is key, and I just have to make sure

that it's not going to blow someone's brains out.

OK, so...

I think I want to use agar to make a veil

that's, like, really aromatic,

just so that, you know, there's another level of acidity,

which tames that heat, as well.

So, a tomato veil is a disc of jelly, essentially,

that sits on top of your dish.

So, it needs to set in time,

it needs to be cut thin enough,

and it needs to just drape over the plate.

There is quite a lot of stuff that still needs to be done,

and things that need to be done with precision.

Um, what I'm doing now is I'm working on the raft

for my consomme.

So, a raft, essentially, pulls all the impurities

so it gives you a very nice, crystal-clear consomme.

She's...she's happening.

It's coming along.

In Guillaume's pressure test, my consomme was not the clearest

because my raft didn't work.

But believe you me, that's not going to happen,

not today.

NAT: Come on, Harry. Hustle, hustle.

Yeah, I just can't get this hot enough.

For my gnocchi dish, I've got to cook my gnocchi

and then caramelise some figs.

Then, I move on to my Epoisses cheese pesto.

I'm using hazelnuts in the green basil pesto sauce,

because I think pine nuts might mask the cheese.

But that hazelnut, it'll have that nutty-like earthiness,

but it's not too intense it'll take over that Epoisses.

Come on, Harry. Stay focused. Yep.

I've never cooked with Epoisses before,

but I know the smell, I know the taste.

And I've just got to get this Epoisses cheese in,

bit by bit...

..because if I put in too much,

then it's going to overpower the whole dish.

I've just got to get that balance right.

I'm putting the Epoisses in both the sauce and the crumb

because I want the cheese to be throughout the dish

and present everywhere.

If I can balance the cheese right with those hazelnuts

and that fresh basil and also those caramelised figs,

I think that'll just tame down the cheese,

but still let, you know, it shine through.

Smells good Harry. Smells good.

The cheese is punchy, it's pungent, but I really like it,

and I think the herbs and the hazelnuts will,

like, tame it all down and work really well together.

So, yeah, I still think I'm onto a good idea.

I've just got to make sure I execute it.

You have 30 minutes left to tame your beastly ingredients.

Come on, guys, 30 minutes! (APPLAUSE)

MIMI: 30 minutes to go,

I'm on track with my soft shell crabs

and bitter gourd sliders.

This bitter gourd kimchi is looking such a beautiful colour.

You can taste the bitter gourd, but it's really good.

My soft shell crabs are ready to go.

Come on, Mimi. Hustle!

But I take my buns out of the warm oven

from its second proofing...

What have you done?

They've begun to cook.

It's OK.

This is not good.

That oven is hot.

I just know that the yeast inside this brioche dough

is not alive.

How much time do I have left?

This bread is going to be rock hard, and it's not going to be tasty,

and I refuse to deliver inadequate brioche bread

on elimination day.

This is...

..not good.

Come on, Mimi.

Do you think I should cook rice in case?

Uh, definitely have a backup plan, that's for sure.

No, I'm gonna pivot.

I have a backup plan.

We're gonna make some sushi rolls with the soft shell crab

and the kimchi.

That's my backup plan.

I'm pivoting...

Uh...

..and that's a huge risk.

And obviously, balancing out the bitter gourd...

I'm feeling nervous as heck, but I've still got it in me.

If someone's gonna pull it off...

..that better be me.

PEZZA: 30 minutes to go.

I'm starting to get things underway

with my little open steak sandwich.

The steak looks good

and the beautiful onions are reduced.

And I'm just trying to tackle this Epoisses cheese...

..but it's just...it's not playing out like it should.

Oh, it just... It's so strong and pungent.

It's going to overpower this whole dish.

And I don't know what I'm going to do.

Oh, Jesus Christ.

I think I've lost that bit of belief in myself,

and that's not me.

Um, look, I've got to admit, I'm worried today.

There is a lot going on out there, isn't there?

All sorts of pressure starting to build.

Starting with Sav,

so she's got that kind of tomatoey, prawny broth,

which she's going to clarify.

And it's been spiked with the Carolina Reaper.

So, I think her big pressure point is taming that thing.

The pressure is definitely getting to Mimi.

She wanted to make these soft shell crab brioche burgers,

but she cooked them.

She's killed the yeast on that, so brioche is out of the question now,

which is a shame because it sounded like a great dish.

She's pivoting from that cooked dish

to sushi.

So, she's now making a soft shell crab sushi.

It is just so far from her original dish.

I'm not sure if she can pull it off.

So, I'm really feeling for Pezza.

I think he's had such a good run,

and, today, I think it was just the wrong choice of dish.

Yeah, and when you are using cheese like the Epoisses,

it's got to be a dominant thing.

So, we know straightaway there is an issue.

I think, when you went around and told him, "You need to upscale this somehow."

Yeah. It's just sent him into a tailspin,

and he's just really having trouble recalibrating.

So, I'm...I'm pretty stressed for him, to be honest.

Pezza, even if you...like, even if you take just 30 seconds,

just to make sure that your plan is solid

and not just a reaction. Yeah.

'Cause think about the choices that you're making right now -

it's going to determine whether you get into...

Yeah. OK?

I just don't know how it's going to go together.

Yeah. I've got a steak. I've got a bit

of a... You've still got, like...

Enough time? Yeah.

You've done enough pressure tests to know

you can pull something out of nowhere.

Out my bum, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

If you just recalibrate, OK? Think about it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you.

Just give yourself 30 seconds. Yep.

This is just not good.

The pungent cheese was the beast that I chose to tame, but...

..the biggest thing that I need to tame is myself at the moment.

PEZZA: Pressure's really high today.

It's elimination day, and I'm in that bad state.

I'm all over the shop.

I'm really, really worried that this could be my last cook

in this competition.

And it's not how I want to go out.

NAT: Come on, Pezza!

I just need to keep going.

The steak, I think, is cooked to perfection,

so I'm not worried about that.

But I need to tackle this Epoisses cheese,

tame this beast.

You've got this.

Got my head going that many ways at the moment.

It's so strong and pungent.

It's going to overpower this whole dish.

Got to get the saltiness, we've got to get the sweetness.

We've got to get the umami.

We've got to get all them flavours packed in.

I think there's still room for this dish

to have something else.

Maybe an onion puree or something to the side.

I'm thinking the onion -

we can blitz it up with a bit of brown sugar and the vinegar

and make it into a sweet puree or something like that,

just to try and get that sweetness into the dish.

Oh, yeah.

I really need to make sure that the sweetness is there

so I can balance that pungent cheese

and really bring this dish together.

Yeah, I think I can pull it back.

I'm gonna pull it back. Stick with me.

You're up against some of the most extreme ingredients in the world...

..and you have eight minutes to go!

Allez!

Literally never hustled so hard in my life.

HARRY: The last few minutes of the cook,

my gnocchi are being pan-fried.

I'm really happy with how they're looking.

They're golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

How do you like these nuts?

I've toasted off my Epoisses and hazelnut pangritata,

and that's ready to go as well.

I think the sauce is banging.

I think I have tamed the beast.

I think the cheese, it's still there.

Like, you get that funky, stinky hum,

but you've got things that just tame it down

and sort of help ease you into it.

NAT: Yes, Sav!

Looking good.

SAVINDRI: Prawns are cooked perfectly.

I'm just going to give them a little bit of acid.

Um, I'm now just ladling my consomme

through my cheesecloth.

This is make-or-break, in so many ways for me, so...

Couldn't get it clearer if I tried.

Praise Jesus.

It's clear, which is what I wanted.

All that cloudiness is gone.

My agar veil has come out of the freezer.

It's a little bit frosty, but it's fine.

It's still set, which is what I need.

But this challenge is all about taming the beast, so...

Yeah.

..I need to make sure that the beast is still there.

Oh, you still feel that Reaper in there.

It's still there.

Is it spicy, Sav?

Yeah, but I think it needs a little bit more.

I need to amp up the chilli in this.

You're putting more chilli?

(WHISPERS) Just a tiny bit.

Oh, my God.

This is so risky at this point in time.

If there's too much chilli,

it's just going to overtake the whole dish.

But, I mean, I'm Sri Lankan.

That's how much I'm putting.

I know how to use a chilli.

Oh, my goodness.

So, I drop it in.

(GASPS)

Far out.

Ooh!

It's got heat to it.

She is hot, but she is there.

But, look, I mean, I am a Sri Lankan saying it's not too hot,

so I just hope it's not too hot for the judges.

Can't be thrown off by this.

I refuse to give up.

My soft shell crab sliders did not make it.

I am now making soft shell crab sushi rolls.

I'm scared.

My rice is on the stove.

It is cooking away, but I am watching it like a hawk

because it needs to replace my brioche dough.

How many minutes do I have left?

You're four of the best home cooks in the country,

and you have five minutes left.

Let's go, everybody! Come on!

Big five minutes here.

(APPLAUSE)

Oh, shit, chef.

NAT: Go, go, go, go, go!

With five minutes left to go,

I know the rice is going to be piping hot,

and rolls might not happen.

What am I going to do? What am I going to do?

How am I going to save this now?

Uh-ha!

Come on, Mimi.

I'm not doing the roll.

Not doing a roll?

I've pivoted once more, and I've changed my idea again.

I'm putting it in a bowl instead

because the rice might not hold.

There's so many structural, scary things about sushi,

so it's going in a bowl.

I've pivoted my idea for the last time.

I just need to get this dish finished.

Go, go, go, go, go.

I have a bunch of things to work with.

I chop my cucumbers into little slices,

put my salmon roe into the bowl.

I slice up my soft shell crab so it looks nice.

I, essentially, on the fly, make some furikake,

and I season my rice.

And I'm just hoping that the sweet, salty, sour rice seasoning

plays off with the bitter gourd kimchi

and is my answer to today's brief -

tame the beast.

NAT: Come on, Mimi. Finesse that plating.

My only worry is that, "Is this a top-four-worthy dish

"with the amount of pivots I've made?"

I'm very scared to find out.

POH: This is for a spot in Finals Week!

You have one minute to go!

(APPLAUSE)

Yoo!

Come on, Harry.

Pesto smells good.

It's not pretty.

It's not my best dish, by far,

but the steak, I think, is cooked to perfection.

The Epoisses cheese, you're definitely going to taste it.

It's in that cream.

I just hope that they think the elements all work together

enough to keep me around

because I don't want this to be the last one.

I really don't want it to be the last cook.

Look at that, Pezza!

You're finessing.

Looking good.

Get it on the plate! 30 seconds to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Come on, Harry! Hustle.

Yeah, Pezza!

Come on.

OK.

Everything's coming together.

My garlic sprouts are nice and caramelised.

I've got my prawns on top.

Getting my tomato veil onto this plate.

OK, OK, I can do this. I can do this.

It's there, it's pink,

it's done.

OK.

Last chance for top four in 10...

JUDGES: Nine, eight,

seven,

six, five,

four, three,

two, one!

We're done here. (APPLAUSE)

Great effort, everybody.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Bravo!

What a bloody journey that was!

It looks hectic,

but hopefully that kimchi will do the whole thing justice.

I'm actually so proud of this, but balance really is my...

..main concern, and if the Reaper has been tamed well enough.

But it's done now.

What are you going to do? Take the chillies out?

Good luck, Haz. Thanks, guys.

PEZZA: Good luck, Hazza. Good luck, Harry.

I've never cooked with Epoisses before.

I want to show Andy and the other judges

how far I've come, in terms of being able

to balance complex flavours.

Gnocchi's done a lot for me in my life.

It's allowed me to find a wife, essentially.

Now, if gnocchi can be my ticket into the top four of MasterChef,

then I'm happy with that.

That's pretty cool. (CHUCKLES)

Harry. Hey, guys.

Harry. How are we?

Good.

Mmm.

Uh, so my dish is Gnocchi Epoisses.

I'm really happy with how it went.

That cheese, like, as soon as I smelt it,

it just gave me flashbacks to home.

So, the Epoisses is obviously close to my heart,

but gnocchi is, as well. Yeah.

Our dog's named Gnocchi, as well, so...

No way.

Oh, well, hopefully, you don't have a child and name them Epoisses,

regardless of how well you do today. (LAUGHTER)

Thanks, Harry.

Awesome, guys. Thanks so much.

Thanks. Good luck.

Thanks, Harry. Thank you.

(SNIFFS)

POH: It just hit me.

You can definitely smell that cheese, hey?

The Epoisses.

Interested to see how, uh...how he's tamed it.

Yeah.

Let's go.

Thank you.

I think Harry's done a really decent job of taming the Epoisses beast.

I thought it was a really smart move to pan-fry the gnocchi

because it gave them these lovely little crispy edges,

which infuse them with a different flavour, a bit of a toasty flavour.

I thought the pesto he popped on top

was really flavourful,

and you do get the Epoisses at the end.

I find it kind of slides in as sort of a fatty richness.

Um, and in terms of the crumb,

after you taste the hazelnuts and the breadcrumbs,

the Epoisses does creep in at the end.

Yeah.

And it's very subtle, but it's there.

So, on that front, I think he has tamed the beast.

What I like very much is that creaminess, that richness

into...into the sauce.

The basil is very significant.

And the cheese - the cheese is very aromatic.

I think he's balanced that very well.

Overall, Harry's done a pretty good job of nailing this brief

because he's taken the Epoisses,

he hasn't completely nullified it.

He is letting it sort of shine, and he's backing it up

in two elements in his dish.

He's got it in the pesto. He's got it in his crumb.

And there is no doubt that you can taste it and that it is enjoyable.

HARRY: Good luck, Mims.

Good luck, Mimi.

MIMI: I'm very nervous.

I changed my dish three times.

It is going to be such a shame

if this brioche dough sends me home.

Hi, guys. JUDGES: Hi, Mimi.

That looks lovely. It looks really good.

Wow.

Tell us what you've made.

I've made a Soft Shell Crab Don

with a Green Apple and Bitter Gourd Kimchi

and Yuzu Mayo.

It didn't start as a don, did it? (LAUGHS)

No, it didn't start as a don.

It obviously started out as sliders, and I thought...

I still think it'd be epic.

But I made some mistakes during the cook,

and the bread didn't make it onto the final plate.

I had half an hour to go, and I pivoted the best I can.

That's it, Mimi. I think we'll taste.

Thank you so much. Enjoy.

OTHERS: Thanks, Mimi. Thank you.

I'm pretty keen to taste, though,

because, like, this is volume number three.

Yeah. Is it going to marry?

And no sweet fluffy bread, necessarily, to balance it out.

It's well and good to pivot,

but it can't taste like a pivot. Mmm.

VOICEOVER: Get inspired by our fabulous home cooks.

Stream full episodes of MasterChef Australia now

on 10Play.

I really appreciate where Mimi has ended up with this dish.

I really love

her bitter-gourd-inspired kimchi.

But I think what it needs are the elements to balance that out

and to make it really palatable.

I found myself really craving that sweetness.

So, something like her original brioche would have been so good

because it is fattier, it is sweeter.

And then, that would have just been more of a subtle kick.

I feel like what she's done with the bitter gourd

is, in taming the beast,

she's kind of created another beast. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Yeah.

The kimchi is nice,

but it's so intense on its own.

And I'm devastated for Mimi because I think

if there was that brioche roll...

..now she's taming it.

We're coming to the point where it's quite serious now.

And I think it doesn't matter how innovative,

how fully in control you are.

I think it's going to be about the one

who's making the most mistakes who's going to be paying the price.

Good luck, Pez.

PEZZA: Is a deconstructed steak sanger enough

to take you to the top four?

That's the big question.

I'm not ready to go home.

I know I'm down today, and I've had a bad day,

but I just need to get through

so I can snap out of it

and come back bigger and better tomorrow.

Hey, mate. Hey, guys.

Hey, Pez. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: How are you?

What have you cooked us, Pezza?

Ah,

I've cooked an Eye Fillet with a crostini on the top,

um, some Caramelised Onion and Balsamic Puree

with an Epoisses, Chive Cream to the side.

I wouldn't say you're oozing confidence.

Yeah, tough cook today.

And you're worried this might be the end of the road?

Yeah. I don't want to go home on something I'm not happy with.

Josh, if you survive this, like,

make sure that you rely on your own conviction.

Thanks, Poh. Yeah.

Alright, mate, get out of here. Thanks, guys.

Thanks, mate. Good luck.

POH: Let's go.

Oh, thank you!

Pezza,

after this...this dish.

Do I like it?

Yes.

You've got that unbelievable introduction of this Epoisses

into a cream cheese sauce.

The core of the cheese is still there.

It is lovely and mellow.

It's not overpowering,

and it matches with the reduction of the onions.

They balance well, that's what I like.

And don't forget,

as a Frenchman, I know what Epoisses should be or not be.

You know, the...the real powerful Epoisses cheese is in your face,

in that cream cheese sauce.

Combined with, like, the sweetness of that onion jam...

..the balance across the dish,

I think he's got there.

But there's faults across it.

The onion jam, it is still quite undercooked and crunchy,

and... (CHUCKLES) ..it is hugely basic.

I'm so upset for Pezza, but it's pretty basic.

But at this stage in the competition,

I don't know if it's going to fly.

HARRY: Get 'em, girlfriend.

Thank you.

I am nervous heading into the tasting

because I am concerned about the amount of chilli

that's in the consomme.

If there's too much chilli,

it's just going to overtake the whole dish,

and I'm going to go home.

Hi, Sav. Sav.

Hello.

(WHISTLES)

Ooh, la, la!

What did you create?

I made a Prawn Consomme,

and the Carolina Reaper in my consomme.

Why are you smiling?

Satan is in the d...

Well, um... (CHUCKLES)

Yeah, that's why I'm smiling.

OK, Sav. Well, we cannot wait to taste your dish.

Can you please put your consomme into your dish?

Yeah.

Mamma-ma mia. Thank you, Sav.

OTHERS: Thanks, Sav. Well done. Well done.

Good luck to you.

It looks really beautiful.

Easily the most beautiful plate of food that Sav's brought us

in the competition so far. POH: Yeah.

As dainty as that dish looks,

got to remember there's Carolina Reaper chilli

in there, so it could be deadly.

It's very seductive.

(COUGHS)

Are you OK?

(COUGHS)

Are you alright, Jean-Christophe?

(COUGHS)

Some water? Please.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh.

(COUGHS)

Are you OK?

(SIGHS)

Well, Sav,

I have to say,

I feel, uh...

..not just overwhelmed...

..but also very blessed to have...

..the pleasure to enjoy

a dish like this.

You know what I like the most is the way how Sav used

those Carolina Reaper chilli.

It is su...

..blime!

It is fantastic!

She's nailed it.

(OTHERS LAUGH)

Zhu-zhu-zhu-zhu-zhu-zhu-zhu!

(OTHERS LAUGH)

Everything there has its purpose.

Even the veil has that... Just that hum and sourness

of the tomato and the green chilli in there versus those super sweet,

plump, perfectly cooked prawns.

Sav's consomme is just not only crystal clear in its appearance,

but the clarity and flavour there, it's so pure.

So, you...you get all of the umami

and the sweetness from the prawn heads

and everything she's used

to actually get the guts of that broth.

And that sort of starts off, and it teases you.

And then, that's when the Carolina Reaper comes in.

Oh!

The heat of that is also underscored by her very, very subtle use

of ginger and those little bits that she put in there

that are completely Sav.

She hasn't just tamed the beast,

she's shown them who's boss.

Oh, I like that.

Turning a beast of an ingredient into a beauty of a dish

was no easy task.

The pressure was on, and it definitely took a toll.

But one cook brought us a dish that looked gorgeous, tasted divine,

and was the best plate of food they've made for us

in the competition to date.

Whoa!

Congratulations...

..to Sav.

(APPLAUSE) Yeah, Sav!

Thank you.

Excellent.

Sav, you're safe. Well done.

(SIGHS)

Oh, this is rough.

Oh, yeah.

We're about to say goodbye to an amazingly talented cook.

Let's start with Harry.

You did balance the flavour of the Epoisses really, really well.

It was tasty.

So, you're not going home.

(APPLAUSE)

That leaves Mimi...

..and Pezza.

You each made pivots during the cook.

One JUST worked.

And one didn't.

The dish that's sending their maker home,

nothing ate well together because of the missing link...

..which was...

..the brioche.

Mimi,

I'm sorry, but you're going home.

Proud of you, Mims. Thanks, Savi.

You know what I love about you, Mimi?

You are one tough cookie.

I am now.

You straddle East and West cuisines like a boss.

We can definitely picture you opening up

U-Mimi's Noodle Restaurant some day soon.

I have pushed myself so hard to be standing here.

And what I said to you guys before,

I'm 100% going to deliver

and make sure that you will not forget my name out there.

So, I'll be seeing you guys for sure. Love that!

Yes! (LAUGHS) How can we?

We can't wait for that, Mimi.

Unfortunately, it's time to say goodbye.

Do I get my hugs? (LAUGHS)

You should be so proud of yourself. Thanks.

I'm not the same person as I was when I first walked

through those doors.

I'm going to continue to make sure that people across the globe

understand the magic of food and eating.

Surely!

Oh, top five!

I'm ready to venture out on my own.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!

SOFIA: Go, you little pocket rocket.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

This won't be the last of me.

VOICEOVER: This week on MasterChef Australia...

..it's Finals Week.

ANDY: Go for gold, gang.

This is your time to shine.

Only one mystery box... (GASPING, LAUGHTER)

..one pressure test...

Today, you'll be making my...

..Flounder Kandinsky.

..and one mega service challenge...

This is the last hurdle.

..stands between them

and the Grand Final.

One of them will claim the title of MasterChef 2024.

Captions by Red Bee Media