All language subtitles for MasterChef.The.Professionals.S17E01.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

From across the UK...

...32 up-and-coming chefs...

...are putting their reputations
on the line

in the battle to become
professional MasterChef champion.

Tonight, the first four
hopefuls compete

to impress MasterChefjudge
Gregg Wallace,

renowned chef Monica Galetti

and culinary legend Marcus Wareing.

This is probably the bravest thing
that I've clone in my career so far.

I'm extremely competitive,
but how good am I actually?

It's time to test myself.

I really want to do well
in this competition.

It's just about handling
the stress, handling the pressure.

I'm going to fight for it.

This is actually happening now.
This isn't just a pipe dream.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.

So I don't want to leave
anything at the door.

The competition is on.

Time to uncover a new
culinary superstar.

Welcome back. Start of
a brand-new competition.

Great to see you both.
I've got a little fact for you.

This is my tenth year. No way.

Ancl look at what we've discovered
over the years.

Some incredible talent,
some great chefs, and I'm really,

really excited about what this year
is going to bring.

We have four brand-new chefs eager
to show us what they've got.

First, the Skills Test. Two of them
are going to do your Skills Test,

Marcus. Monica, you're kicking off.

What are you going to get
them to do?

I would like our chefs to make us
a carrot schnitzel served with

a white bean hummus and zhoug.

Zhoug is a her by green sauce
from the Middle East.

Compare it to a pesto, possibly
a chimichurri sort of texture.

Sounds like a plant-based recipe.
Very much so.

20 minutes.

Monica, please show us how.

First thing I'm going to start with
is the carrot.

I don't want to see it raw

when you're going to batter it.
It will never cook in time.

So I'm going to pre-cook it in stock

and some herbs until it's nice
and tender.

So a schnitzel, of course,
is bashed-out

chicken, veal, and then breadcrumbed
and fried in a pan.

But instead of protein,
we've got carrot.

This is going to be very interesting
to see whether or not they blanch

the carrot, or are they just
going to panne it from raw?

Cover it with a bit of greaseproof,
just to keep the heat in there.

So for the zhoug, got flat
parsley and coriander.

If they haven't heard of zhoug,
then they can draw on whatever

ingredients are in front of them.

I'm going to grate just a little bit
of the garlic into it, some green

chilli into there as well.

Ground cumin and some ground
coriander.

Parsley is quite fibrous,
so you're just smashing

that down to break it up.
Absolutely.

See, it's a bit like a pesto
without any nuts.

Carrots are cooling down, and now
I can make the white bean hummus.

So you make it exactly the same
way as you would hummus?

Just swap the chickpeas
with the butter beans?

Absolutely.

So we have some tahini,
some con fit garlic.

They can use raw garlic. Some fresh
thyme in there as well.

Mm! Lovely.

Lemon juice.

This is great.

Ancl now I'm going to breadcrumb
our carrot.

You've got no egg on the table.

I've got the aquafaba there,
which is the juice from the beans.

So the aquafaba replacing the egg.

To keep it veggie? Yes.

Ancl I'm just whisking it up
so it gives a bit more body.

You've clone that twice,
so you've double panned.

I've double panned
for extra texture.

Just cook the breadcrumbs so it
starts to be golden and crispy.

So lots of hummus on the bottom.

Love the vibrant green.

Ancl then just finishing it with some
little coriander over the top.

Hey. That's beautiful.

Ancl there we have it.

Carrot schnitzel with
a white bean hummus and zhoug.

That is really clever.

And I love those colours.

I love the textures and the flavour.

The crunch of delicate
light breadcrumbs,

the soft, sweet carrot.

That hummus has got a slight
nuttiness to it.

And then the zing of that zhoug.

I think that is
absolutely delicious.

When it comes to creativity
and flavour, I think

that could really test the chefs.

It's a great dish
and it's a great challenge.

Marcus, you're going to watch
proceedings on the monitor

from the back room.
Come back for the tasting.

I think this is brilliant.

We have more and more chefs coming
in here who are really good

with plant-based cookery.

Let's get the chefs in.
Let's see what they make of this.

Let's do it.

Fingers crossed.

NARRATOR: First up is 40-year-old
Toby from the historic town

of Bishop Auckland. Sous-chef
at a Spanish tapas bar,

he sources his ingredients
from the nearby palace garden.

Anything can be picked and foraged.
Gives you that freedom

to have fresh as possible.

My food style is small plates,
using fresh local produce.

I don't want to overcomplicate
a dish.

What I enjoy doing is just taking
singular produce and trying to make

that product sing.

When I'm cooking
and I'm in the moment, there's

no better feeling.

I've never entered any competitions,
and I want to prove to my daughter

that if you set your heart
to something and you go for it,

you can actually achieve it.

Toby, welcome to MasterChef.

Hello. This is the Skills Test,
of course.

Toby, I would like you to make us
a carrot schnitzel served

with a white bean hummus and zhoug.
For the carrot schnitzel,

there's no eggs available,
but you've got the aquafaba

there from the beans.

OK. Haven't got a clue what
a zhoug is.

Zhoug is a bit like a pesto.

Yep. 20 minutes. Good luck to you.
OK. Thank you.

New heat, new chefs.
Looking forward to this.

I've got a little bit
of a plan sorted.

I'm going to slice it thin,
blanch it first so it will

actually cook quickly.

That sounds like a good plan.
That sounds like what Monica did.

So I'm now going to make the hummus.

Going to blend my beans, my tahini
with a little bit of the con fit

garlic, and then a splash
of lemon at the end.

Mm-hm. Righto.

He's very comfortable. He knows what
he's doing, which is really good.

What got you into cooking, Toby?

I accidentally fell into
cooking at 27.

I'd, er, recently become a father,
so I needed a full-time job

to essentially pay the way.

What were you doing before that?
I was, er...

...a part-time fireman
and I was a landscape gardener.

But I've been cooking professionally
now for about 13 years.

He's found his craft, which is nice.

You're almost halfway, Chef.

OK? Thank you.
Where are you right now?

Now I'm making my zhoug.

There is a lot of garlic
going in that zhoug.

A lot.

I'll add some ground coriander,
chilli, ginger, parsley and get

that going to make a nice
little paste.

Needs to work that garlic,
break it down.

Just looks a little bit thick.

It just looks like chopped herbs.

You've still got to crumb
this carrot.

Yeah. I'll get that done next.

He needs to get a move on.

You've got four minutes left, Chef.

Thank you.

He's chopped the ends off.

So he's thinking about his
presentation, which is always good.

All right. So, flour, aquafaba.

Breadcrumbs.

You're better off using a tray.

Otherwise, if he's not careful,
he's going to snap that carrot.

Toby, we've got bigger bowls.

He should have clone that flour
and aquafaba a couple of times.

I hope the breadcrumbs stay on,
for his sake.

Otherwise, that's just going
to be a deep-fried carrot.

How's it looking? It's looking like
a schnitzel.

That's always good.

Not too bad. Not as breaded
as Monica's.

Just the plating now.

You've got 60 seconds left.

No, that's not a good sauce.
That's not wet enough.

It's not broken down enough.

Are you done, Toby? I'm done.
Thank you.

All right, let's go and say hello
to Toby.

Hey, Toby. Hey. How you doing?

I'm very well, thank you.

Carrot, beautifully cooked.
I love the way you poached them.

I think the breading could have been
maybe one more time through.

Your sauce, it needs less garlic.

It needs pounding down. You need
to break the fibres of the parsley.

But you've shown good skills
and your confidence is there.

That's great. The hummus,

I love that you used
the con fit garlic,

seasoned it with some lemon juice.

Overall, that's a good start.

Listen, a carrot schnitzel?

Who's ever done one of those?

Well done. Thank you.

Looking forward to seeing
you in the next round.

Thank you.

I like him.

He hit this with a certain
amount of professionalism.

It's just the finer points
of detail that he just needs

to just brush up on.

Ancl I'm sure we'll see
that in the next round.

It's definitely one of the most
nerve-racking things I've done.

May not be perfect, but I got
it up, and that's something

to take away.

Next up is 26-year-old Chloe,
a classically trained junior

sous-chef of a cafe restaurant
in London.

I always wanted to be a chef.

Growing up, we had chicken nuggets
and chips and spag bolfrom a jar,

so I just took an interest in food,
learning the process of starting

something from the beginning to end.
That you've put so much effort

into it and so much passion,
and then for someone else to eat it

and enjoy it is really nice.

Lots of love goes into everything
that I do, but I don't want

to waste a lot. So if I can use
an animal from nose to tail, I will.

I cannot wait to start
the competition

and be given a Skills Test.

I've got quite a competitive streak.

How are you, Chloe? Yeah,
I'm well, thank you.

How are you? I'm really good.

I would like you, Chloe, to make
for us a carrot schnitzel,

white bean hummus and zhoug.

OK. Yeah?
Yeah, it sounds familiar.

Yeah, I've definitely made
a hummus before.

And a zhoug,

it's like a green dressing of sorts.

I think she knows exactly
what the dish is.

You've got 20 minutes. Good luck.

I want to get my carrot cooking
first because it's hard.

Panne and deep-fry it.

Definitely knows what
a schnitzel is.

I'm shaking.

What she needs to do now is calm
the nerves and get under way.

I think I want a bit more flavour
in there.

Some garlic and some thyme.

She's got a bay leaf in the stock,
which is always a good thing.

Put a cartouche over to help
it steam and make it cook faster.

Yeah. That's good.

You're a chef, Chloe. Yeah.

CHLOE LAUGHS

So I'm just going to do some
garlic oil from the con fit garlic

for my hummus. Lemon juice as well.

What sort of style of food
do you like, Chloe?

Um, you know, I like the classics.

Then I'm really into, like,
Asian food, Indian food, sort of

anything, really, that's like
up-and-coming and what's trending.

She's just thinking about flavour.

Look at that.
A bit of cumin in there as well.

Cumin and coriander? Yeah.

OK. Brilliant.

You've had seven minutes, Chloe.

She wants to get the beans in
as well, I hope.

I love the way she's standing
on her toes.

All I want to see her do now
is taste.

Bang on cue.

Check my carrot.

You're halfway. Really?
You've got ten minutes.

And I'm going to make my zhoug.

So there's some coriander,
some parsley.

I'll put some garlic.

There's green chilli,
so I'll use that.

I don't think I've seen a chef
pay so much attention to flavour

and using all the ingredients
on the table. It's brilliant.

Is there any chef that inspires you?

Obviously, er, Monica and Marcus.

You guys clearly
know what you're on about.

We try.

It's nice and fine.

Good knife skills.

She doesn't have to put it in a pestle
and mortar if she doesn't want to.

As long as everything's
chopped up really fine.

You now have five minutes left.

You've got to cook these carrots.

Get a move on.

I love your focus.

I need to be.

Breadcrumbs, flour.

Really good attention to detail.

Where I work now, we do a few
lunch specials.

We had a chicken schnitzel on.

So you're right at home, then?
Yeah.

CHLOE LAUGHS

Two minutes, Chef.

I'm really looking forward
to try this hummus.

Carrots look crispy.

Beautiful.

Let's find a nice bit of
micro coriander.

Happy?

Yeah. Yeah.

What an excellent Skills Test.

Hey, Chloe. Hi, Chef.

That was an absolute pleasure
watching that back there.

Thank you. Real professional
at work.

Well clone.

Your carrot, nicely cooked.

It's great to see you add extra
flavouring into the poaching liquid

that you had there.
Garlic, thyme. The zhoug dressing,

you've chopped yours up,
but you've clone it so finely.

Ancl you can taste the coriander
and the parsley and the lemon juice

in that, and even the garlic
because you've grated it in.

Impressive.

The passion and love you have for
food is right there on that plate.

Beautiful hummus, beautifully cooked
carrots, nice and crunchy

on the outside. It's an exceptional
piece of cookery.

In fact, that's probably one
of the best Skills Tests I've seen

in ten years.

Wow.

Chloe, from each of us,
very, very well done.

Can't WAIT to see you in
the next round.

Off you go. Congratulations.

Thank you.

I do feel pretty great.

Pretty emotional.

Sorry. I didn't think I'd feel
like this.

To get that feedback
is just incredible.

This is where I'm meant to be.
This is what I'm meant to be doing.

Two more chefs to see.

Marcus, this is your Skills Test.

What are you going to get
them to do, please?

Something sweet, right? It is.

I would like them to make
a choux pastry beignet,

and serve that with lavender sugar
and a whipped orange cream.

Mm! Beignet.

Like a lighter, fluffier doughnut.

But you're making
yours with choux pastry.

That's right. Choux pastry...

Generally we bake it and made
for profiteroles, eclairs.

But by deep-frying it, it just makes
it a little bit quicker.

20 minutes.

Please, show us how it's done,
Marcus. OK.

So I'm starting off with
the choux pastry.

Wet ingredients into our pan.

Water and our milk. Caster sugar.

We can then add in our butter.
Choux pastry...

I think this is something
that any chef should be able to do.

The ingredients for the pastry
are weighed out.

It's the process that I think
is really important.

The key is to get the butter
softened.

Then we can add in our flour.
Cook it out, three to four minutes.

It's like a roux.

That is very different to any
other pastry.

You're giving that
some vigorous stir, Marcus.

Tell me what it is
you're looking for, please.

You have to bring out the gluten
in the flour.

It's the strength that holds
the eggs.

If the flour is not cooked out
at this particular stage,

it's just too runny.

Ancl I'm going to put it
on the machine to cool it down.

Ancl then I'll start to incorporate
the eggs.

The key is now is just cracking
these in one by one.

Like a mayonnaise,
like a hollandaise.

You just can't throw all five eggs
in there because it will

just split away.

It should look like
a really thick batter.

So that when you pipe it out,
it doesn't flop.

It's not too wet.

I'm just going to get on now
with my orange cream.

I love the smell of
the orange zest there.

You've got quite a bit going on.

Yeah, I've just peeled
the orange down.

Squeeze that into my pan.

Ancl I've got that lovely
orange liqueur.

Going to bring that down to a syrup
for the orange cream.

I just think by making the syrup,
just really elevate the orange

flavour, which is really
important for me.

It'd be nice to see them
have a bit of fun and creativity

with the orange cream.

I'm now going to make
my lavender sugar.

Is that, to you, the smell of
Provence?

It is, isn't it? Absolutely.
So is. It's so versatile.

You can use it in marinades.
It's great in desserts as well.

So when the choux is cooked,
you can go straight into there.

That's ready to go.

Look at that mix. Beautiful.

I'm just going to pipe batter
into the fryer.

If that choux pastry isn't ripe,
either just disintegrate once

it hits that fryer or turn
into a solid ball.

You want the choux to just gently
puff up, colour, but also to cook

in the centre as well.

What's those Spanish things?
Choc-rows?

Churros'? Churros.

It's like that? Yeah.

I can start to just whip
up a little bit of cream,

and I can then add my orange syrup.

I'm just going to fold that through.

Look at that! They are puffing
up quite a lot. Look at that!

Absolutely lovely, look.

Just roll them in your sugar.

Oh, mate, I want to get in there.

You will in a minute.

So there we have it. Choux beignets,
lavender sugar ancl an orange cream.

Fantastic!

Mm!

Mm! Light, fluffy beignets with
a crunchy coating of sugar,

scented heavily with lavender.

And the cream -
citrus running through it.

It makes it feel fresh.

They are dangerously lovely.

Pure class.

Key skills are making of the choux
pastry and, of course,

the orange cream.

Monica, you're going to watch
proceedings in the back room

on the monitor. We'll see you back
here for the tastings.

Amazing. Thank you. See ya. Oh, no!

Let's get him in. Let's hope
for the best.

NARRATOR: First to attempt Marcus's
Skills Test is 29-year-old private

chef Gaston, who moved from France
to the UK nine years ago.

So I grew up between Paris
and Burgundy.

As a child, school was
very difficult for me.

The kitchen was my comfort
zone, where I felt safe,

where I could express myself.

So I trained in France,
in a culinary school, when I was 14.

My food is very creative.

I just love to source my ingredients
wherever I go to make unique

experience for the customer.

In the competition, I would love
to showcase traditional influences

from France and the very theatrical
and opulent French cuisine.

Always focused on quality
ingredient and flavour.

I would like you to make for us
a choux pastry beignet...

Yes. ..served with
a lavender sugar...

Yes. ..and an orange whipped cream.

The ingredients on the chopping
board are for your choux pastry.

That's all weighed out for you.

20 minutes. Off you go.

Thank you.

So I'm making the choux pastry
like I've learned at school.

Melting the butter,
the milk and the water.

Then I will add the flour
and then make sure the temperature

goes down a bit
before adding my egg.

Gaston knows what he's doing.

Brilliant. I think he should be OK.

Adding my flour and then try
to dehydrate my dough a little bit.

How many times have you made
a choux pastry?

Quite a lot of time.

Choux pastry is a very versatile
dough.

We use it for pommes Dauphine.

We use it for dessert. We use it
for gougeres, as an appetiser.

So...

He needs to cook that flour
on the heat.

What was food like when
you were growing up?

I grew up with my grandparents,
so food was very much involved

with like picking our own vegetables
from the farm, going to the markets.

Why the UK?

I love the open-mindedness.
I love the people.

I love the diversity.

Home is London. That's it.

The temperature is a bit more down.

I'll be able to add my egg.

But I'm going to add them
one by one.

Oh, I like that.

That's exactly how you're meant
to bring the temperature

of the pastry down.

Eight minutes gone, Chef.

So I'm putting a bit of
sugar and lavender.

Try to heat it. So you're making
a caramel?

No, no, no. I just want to develop
the flavour of the lavender

in the sugar.

The mix is a bit wet.

The recipe takes all of the eggs.

OK. They need one more, for sure.
Two, I don't know.

Flour wasn't cooked enough
so it's not taking in the eggs

as well as it should.

You're on to the whipped cream.

So, double cream. I want to put
my orange zest inside.

Anything else?

No, I don't want to add
too much sugar.

I don't... I'm not a big fan
of, like, very sweet desserts.

It's just there's a lot more on
the table he could go for.

I'm just going to use a little bit
of juice.

That's it.

It's a shame Gaston has not reached
for the orange liqueur.

Could do with a bit more orange,
to be fair.

You've got six minutes left.

Sure, Chef.

That's a clever way to do it with
the paper, so that it just slides

into the fryer.

Ancl it also can keep it
in a straight line.

Are you happy with the consistency
of the mix?

I am, to be fair, because I don't
want it to be too liquid, too runny.

I don't want them to explode.

I don't want them to be too ugly,

but I want them to be cooked,
obviously.

This one is slightly break,
but it's fine.

If you just leave them be.

Can I have the time, please?
Gaston, you've got four minutes.

Sure, Chef. Thank you.

They're not ready.
Leave them in there.

They could do with
another 30 seconds.

That pastry's not cooked enough.

We need to be getting a move on.
We've got 90 seconds, Gaston.

Are you going to get any more in,
or are you happy with those?

I'm fine.

What's happened here is that flour
wasn't cooked out enough

from the beginning, so it hasn't
been able to then absorb all the egg.

Just sort of collapsed
in on themselves.

You clone? Yes, I think so.

Thank you.

Shame.

Hello, Gaston. Hello, Monica.

What a shame. Yes.

Floppy-floppy.

Quite clear to see that you knew
how to make choux pastry.

But when we lay out the recipe
in front of you, that is the recipe

that we need you to cook.
You've left an egg on your bench.

The reason why you couldn't add
that egg, and your consistency

of choux was so loose,
is because you didn't cook out

the flour, and the flour is there
as the binding, thickening agent.

Your mix was runny, and it's not
cooked enough because it's raw.

I really like the idea of opening
up the lavender and releasing

that into the sugar.
The orange cream,

I like that you used some
of the juice into it and of course

the zest. But, you know,
there's so much more that you could

have used on the table here.

You seemed really confident.

But that's the thing with pastry.

It's either 100% right
or it's wrong.

Don't be too disheartened, OK?

I think this was a tough challenge.

Look forward to seeing you
in the next round, my friend.

Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you so much for your feedback.

He's disappointed, but I've still
got decent expectations

for this chef.

I did choux pastry before,
I had the technique, but obviously

the stress and then handling
the time limit.

I hope they don't make their opinion
only based on the results,

because I'm not a floppy chef.

NARRATOR: Last in is 25-year-old
Zimbabwe-born Nkosi.

With experience in Michelin-starred
restaurants, he's now a sous-chef in

a three-rosette kitchen of
a five-star London hotel.

Being a chef, I always play
it down like it's not hard,

even though in reality it is hard.

You're working 16-hour days.
But it's the love for what you do

that gets you through it.

I do love it when the pressure
is on, because that literally

separates the men from the boys.

I'm like the Superman
in the kitchen.

I'm flying. I'm everywhere.

Like, I'm just putting out fires.

The best thing about my job
is the creativity.

I just love the fact that I can make
art on a plate.

You see a lot of theatrics
with my food.

I do like contrasting flavours.

And I'm chasing the Michelin star
like that's the endgame

for my career.

I'm extremely
excited for MasterChef.

I think it's a great test for me.

Am I just good for where I am
here, or am I nationally good?

That's like a big question I do want
to hear the answers to.

This is a Skills Test.

This Skills Test was set by Marcus.

20 minutes. Over to you.

Good. Cool.

How's your choux pastry cookery?

Uh, been a while.

Hopefully it will slowly
come back to mind.

It's so difficult with pastry,

because either you've clone it
or you haven't.

You're starting off with your butter
and your flour like a roux?

Yeah. OK.

I think if he cooks that flour out,
it will make some kind of pastry.

It took a while, but you got there,
Chef. Yeah.

00f!

How long have you been a chef?
Uh, seven years professionally.

I moved down to London at 18,

started in a Michelin-starred
kitchen. Learnt a lot.

How's that base looking?
Are you all right? Yeah.

Just going to finish it off.

I've never seen choux pastry
sort of made this way before.

Has he used the water?
He hasn't used the water.

I'm not sure if that flour
is cooked enough.

Right, orange cream. Yes, Chef.
What's the plan with that?

So, sugar, cream -
whip them both together.

I'm going to add some
orange liqueur.

Some fresh orange into that.

Orange liqueur. Orange zest.
That's good to see.

What is it that made you become
a chef?

I used to cook with my sisters.
I've got three other sisters.

So, like, used to be like a fun
little activity thing we used

to do together.

So then, you know,
the concept of making dishes

just really excites me, in fairness.

Consistency is perfect.

Oh! Good?

Damn. That's actually really good.

Slow down on the eggs.
Slow down on the eggs.

How long time do I have, actually?
You are halfway.

You've got ten minutes left.

Slow down on the eggs!

Oh, my...
MONICA SIGHS

It's not looking good.

It's not looking good at all.

Hmm.

I really want this to kind of
thicken up a bit more.

He's put it on ice to try
and set his mix down

because it's very runny.

I think I should ideally get this
a little bit thicker.

Right, now you're on to your
lavender sugar, yeah? Yeah.

This lavender sugar
has kind of thrown me.

He should worry more about
the choux pastry.

Can't just be as basic
as mix lavender and sugar together.

Believe it or not, yes, it is.

NKOSI LAUGHS

Right. You've got seven minutes.
Seven minutes?

It's too liquid to put it
in a piping bag.

Just spoon it in.

I feel like I'm doing this part
extremely wrong.

I'm nervous for him.

He's making me nervous.

They're puffing up. Thank goodness.

Just a touch more caramelisation.

Just making sure it cooks
evenly throughout.

I mean, he's made a batter.

It's puffing up,
but that's not choux pastry.

You've got two minutes left.
Are you happy? Are they cooked?

Ten more seconds.

There we go.

How was that? Hard.

Yeah.
NKOSI LAUGHS

You know what? Good on him for not
giving up, because clearly,

he doesn't know how to make
choux pastry.

Nkosi, I think that's possibly
one of the most stressful

watches of a choux pastry
being put together.

I actually am quite amazed
you've got this up there.

Actually, it's more like a deep-fried
batter than a choux pastry.

But it's so eggy-

You put all your eggs in one go.

Yeah. It was incredibly runny.

Your cream - it's got a little bit
of booze in there.

You've got some zest, which is nice.

Ancl your lavender sugar,

you've put the addition
of orange into that.

That's fine.

What I admire is the fact
you didn't give up.

Your basics are important,
so revisit them.

They become a part of your armoury
in this kitchen from the get-go.

Nkosi, you could have had many
Skills Tests in here.

You've got one that you didn't know.

That's unfortunate for you.

I'm very much looking forward
to seeing your style, your own food.

Thank you very much.
See you in the next round, Chef.

I'm going to have to increase
the levels.

I'm going to have to be more
focused and just more confident.

I think that's the main thing that
kind of killed me off in this round.

The choux pastry challenge proved
exactly that - a real challenge.

However, the schnitzel challenge,
we actually did quite well.

We may have uncovered a superstar.

I think you've got four chefs
with various degrees of skill

and talent on show today.

And, of course, the signature
round brings out a completely

different type of cook. I'm excited
for the next round.

And as we know,
everything can change.

Welcome back.

You are now cooking your signature
two-course menu to showcase

what you're all about, and even
more importantly, to fight to stay

in this competition.

Enjoy your cooking, because when
you enjoy it is when you cook

at your best.

You have an hour and a half
to present to us a knockout

main course and dessert.

At the end of this, two of you
will be going through

to a MasterChef quarterfinal.

Two of you will be leaving
the competition.

Show us your talent.

Off yOLI 9°-

I got a lot of preparation to do,
but it's an hour and a half,

so I'll just smash it.

I don't have the choice.

I have something to prove,
so I just need to make sure

that I make everything to perfection
for this test.

That's my only goal.

Gaston, how are you feeling
now you're cooking your own food?

I feel better. This is my chance to
showcase you what I'm capable of.

So looking forward to...
for you to try.

To try what? What are you doing?

So I'm making, as a main course,

a crepe cake with chicken
liver parfait and stuffing

and a port winejus.

Crab cake? Crepe.

Crepe cake is something very old
school in France with layers

of crepe, chicken liver parfait,
stuffing.

And then carry on.
What sort of stuffing?

Stuffing like my grandfather used
to do for Christmas.

So it's mostly sausage, chestnuts,
mushroom and caramelised onion.

Then it's going to be under
the salamander with a bit of Comte

to bring some, like, deepness
with the cheesiness of it.

Wonderful!

This is a dish
that really intrigues me.

He's got a lot of processes.

We've got the crepes,
which he's making.

Ancl he's making about four or five
layers.

Parfait is a soft, smooth pate.

That's the thing that is going
to make this dish glue together.

Have to make sure it sets.

Otherwise, I won't be able
to serve it.

This will be a travesty.

You cut a slice out of it.

You want to see the perfect layers.

That's what I'm going to be
looking for.

The dessert is jellified grapefruit
with a white chocolate

ice cream and caviar.

Where did that idea come from?

I like to use caviar as we will use
sea salt on top of chocolate.

I think it counterbalance
the sweetness and the bitterness

of the grapefruit.

Gaston's dessert makes your eyes go,
"Oh, this is interesting!"

Ancl this particular caviar
is supposed to work because it's not

too fishy in taste.

If you were in a restaurant,
you'd be very excited

about this dessert.

It's a type of dessert
that you choose

just out of curiosity.

Chefs, you've had 15 minutes. OK?

I'm not really entirely
happy with my Skills Test.

Kind of let myself down a bit,
which is quite heartbreaking.

But the next round,
they're going to see

a true indication of why I'm here.

You'll be like, "Oh, damn,
is this the same chef from before?"

Like, it's going to be like
two different people.

Nkosi has got a mountain
of beautiful ingredients

for his main course.

Seared cod loin.
He's curing it on the bench,

which is a good thing to do
with cod.

Ancl what's really interesting -
tomato consomme,

clam and lemon verbena foam.

There's a combination,
if there ever was one.

I want to taste the clams,

the tomato there for freshness.

You've also got cauliflower blitzed
down with some almonds as well.

So that's going to bring a lovely,
nutty, toasty flavour to that part

of the dish.

There's a lot of work
going on in that plate.

Dessert, I'm doing a dark
muscovado sponge, a tonka bean

Chantilly with a cinnamon lace
twirl and crusted hazelnuts.

You are most certainly pushing
yourself.

This is impressive.
Have you timed this?

No, I haven't timed it.

Ironically enough. I've obviously
practised, so obviously I'm familiar

with how long stuff does
take individually.

So if I can execute everything
perfectly,

you should be in for a treat.

Great flavours, lovely ideas.

Love tonka bean.

It's the essence of vanilla.

Sponge cookery has got to be
just right.

Too dry, overcooked - doesn't work.

Got my mouth watering at the sound
of this, but...

...these two dishes have not been
tested together.

When chefs take that risk
in this kitchen, under this stress,

that it can go completely wayside.

That's not what we want.

I think I'll be on time.

You've got an hour left.

I think the judges have got, like,
a good sense of my personality,

that I am just really passionate
about being a chef.

I've got my running shoes on.

I'm going to be push, push, push
right until the time goes.

I had a really good Skills Test,
and it'd be a shame just to, like,

make it seems like a bit of
a fluke.

I know I'm good.

You seem incredibly focused.

Thank you. And you seem a real
bundle of energy.

Is that how you normally are?
Yeah, definitely. Always.

Like, all systems go.

What's the menu?

A lamb cannon with a pea puree,
tomato fondue with lamb-fat-roasted

potatoes, asparagus and lamb jus.

Sounds delicious.

The lamb cannon is lean.

There's no fat on this piece
of meat at all.

So the cooking is going
to be very, very quick.

Ancl of course, it needs
to be resting.

Tomato fondue is almost
a sweet and sour flavour.

There is a point of freshness
that can cut through the richness

of the potatoes and the lamb.

And, of course, I want the lamb
sauce to taste of lamb.

Maybe a little bit of mint
or some rosemary in there, too.

We've got the usual familiar
ingredients, but when they're clone

well, they're always a winner.

Ancl for pudding?

We've got a cardamom panna cotta,
pistachio crumb with roasted white

chocolate sticks and raspberries.

Is this food you cook
where you work, or where

have they come from?

So I've created these two
dishes for the competition.

Just because where I'm at
the moment, it's like

a brunch-style cafe stuff.

Sol don't know how it would go
down if I served

you a full...full English.

It'd probably go down very well.
Yeah. If I'm really honest with you.

Chloe's dessert's a panna cotta,
which, of course,

we've had many of. We all know
about the wobble it should have.

But not just that - cardamom
is a spice that too much

of it and it can become
like perfume.

But I think it's in good hands
with Chloe.

I'm expecting a bit of magic.

She's put white chocolate
in the oven, and then she's going

to pipe it into ice water.

As soon as it sets, she's going
to lift it out, and you're going

to have these little curly shapes
of chocolate that's going to sit

on top of this beautiful
panna cotta.

I've never seen chocolate
piped into water before.

It's looking good.
It's nicely coloured.

It's not gone grainy,
which is what I wanted.

Now I need to make sure
I pipe...pipe it nicely.

Listen up, chefs.

35 minutes, please.

Toby, how are you feeling?

Yeah, better now I'm cooking,

getting back into a comfort zone
where I'm happy.

Good. What are you cooking?

So I'm doing pan-fried chicken,
roasted carrot, pickled carrots,

fennel, chicken butter sauce
and wild garlic emulsion with some

wild garlic oil. What do you want to
show us here?

It shows home cooking.

I like going picking wild garlic.

It's a nice little walk
in the countryside.

And my missus loves a carrot.

Are you a family man, Toby? Yes.

I've got a partner, stepson
and my daughter.

They're my world.

Toby's not cooking the chicken
breasts on the crown.

He's taking the breasts off.
He's left the skin on.

So we're going to have a lovely,
crispy skin to finish.

But when you're not cooking
on the bone, it can tend

to be a little bit dry.

We've got beautiful big
purple carrots.

Ancl I saw him just sprinkling
some honey over the top.

So he's really bringing out
the natural flavour of the carrots.

And, of course, pickled carrots
work well.

There's not a lot on the plate.
I hope it's good.

For dessert, I'm doing a classic
from the Lakes,

where I'm from originally.
Sticky toffee pudding.

Oh! Toffee sauce and evaporated
milk ice cream.

Nice.

Who doesn't love a sticky
toffee pudding? Sounds classical.

How do you take home cooking
and make it wow?

Showing that simple ingredients
can be elevated

to restaurant standard.

Sounds fantastic.
Best of luck, Toby.

The sponge pudding, you want to be
molasses-like,

soaking in that beautiful
caramel sauce.

Warm and sticky on the outside.

That's what it's all about.

Evaporated milk ice cream -
got to be perfectly churned.

You don't want that to be split.

You want it to be lovely
and silky smooth.

I'm not trying to reinvent
the wheel,

but I'm at a stage where I'm...

...|'m confident and I'm happy
with who I am as a chef.

I want to give it my all.

Ten minutes, please, everybody.

Ten minutes.

Carrots done.
Chicken's just resting.

I'm getting more nervous
as it comes closer to the finish.

I need to calm down a bit.

It's holding. It look nice.
How I want.

Two minutes, everybody. Oui.

They are looking good.

Finishing touches now. OK?

Oh, yeah. Now we're talking.

That's it. Your time is up.

Stop.

NARRATOR: First up
is private chef Gaston.

His signature main course is a crepe
cake - crepe pancakes layered

with chicken liver parfait
and a sausage, mushroom, chestnut

and hazelnut stuffing, topped
with Comte cheese and a herb salad,

and served with a red wine
portjus.

It's divine.

It's French cookery
at its very best.

I think the flavour of the parfait
is great.

I love the little hazelnut
toasted on the inside as well.

Ancl then to finish it off with
the Comte cheese on top.

It's brave. It's bold.

If I was given that in a restaurant,
I'd be asking for another portion.

Oh, my God. It's that good.

The stuffing of chestnuts
running through it.

The sausage meat layered in between

thin crepes. Delicious.

Ancl I love the way
that you've interpreted it

in your own method,
honouring your grandfather.

It's a real delight.

Means a lot. Thank you so much.

That is absolutely banging.

GASTON EXHALES

Rich and buttery
with those chicken livers.

An absolutely lovely
sweet sticky sauce.

That is a delicious piece of work.

NARRATOR: Gaston's dessert is a pink
grape fruit jelly topped with white

chocolate ice cream and caviar.

The jelly in the bottom
is really delicious.

It's fresh, and the sweetness
of the ice cream works beautifully

with the grapefruit and the jelly.

It's really clever.

It's exactly how I was expecting
it to be.

Really good.

The caviar really, really works.

They are little bouncy balls
of saltiness.

And creamy white chocolate
ice cream.

I think it's delicious.
Thank you so much.

I'm going to pass out.

The freshness of the grapefruit
is just delightful, especially

after such a rich main course.

Genius. It's fun and delicious.

So thank you, Gaston.

Thank you.

I am so, so, so happy.

The judges understood my universe,

and their feedback is priceless.

Sous-chef Toby is serving pan-fried
chicken breast with a honey-roasted

purple carrot, topped with pickled
yellow carrots and roasted fennel

seeds, with a wild garlic
emulsion and a chicken

and thyme butter sauce.

The garlic puree is good,
but the carrots, I saw you put

in a little bit of honey
over the top.

I'm not really getting
that sweetness.

Ancl I think the chicken breast,
if you're going to serve a breast,

is cook it on the crown.

You get a lot more moisture.

The chicken, if you're going to
serve it with the skin on, then put

the skin side up so that it doesn't
go soggy and soft underneath.

We want it crispy.

Your chicken sauce is buttery
and it's got an almost yeasty,

bitter finish. Light pickling
on the yellow carrot.

I'm really enjoying it.

Thank you.

For his dessert, Toby has made a
sticky toffee pudding topped with

a toffee sauce,
garnished with walnuts,

served with an evaporated
milk ice cream

and a walnut tuile.

Sticky toffee pudding is about
the sponge and the sticky

toffee coming together.

The sticky toffee sauce is absorbed
into the sponge, and that's one

of the most delicious things
about it.

Your sponge is not light,
it's not fluffy.

It's never going to absorb
the sauce.

It's not hitting the mark for me.

Thank you. Your evaporated milk
ice cream,

the texture is not right.
Sort of gummy-like.

You see, like, it shouldn't
stretch like it does.

In saying that, I really
like the flavour of it with a bit

of salt going through it.

You've got your sticky toffee sauce
here, which is also tasty,

but I just don't think the execution
of everything here has worked out.

Sponge is a little dry.

However, I would be more than happy
with that if I just had some vanilla

ice cream on the side.

You win some, you lose some,
unfortunately.

The ice cream wasn't right.

I had issues with that today.
I know that.

Junior sous-chef Chloe's main course
is roasted cannon of lamb

on a tomato fondue,

served with lamb fat, garlic
and rosemary potatoes,

pea puree, pan-roasted asparagus,

pickled asparagus and a lambjus.

GREGG: Perfect lamb. Soft, pink
in the middle, coloured

on the outside.

Haunting flavours of rosemary.

I like the two types of asparagus.
One buttery, the other

one lightly pickled.

It's like you've got a hold of every
ingredient and just squeezed every

little ounce of flavour out of it.

The pea puree, it's vibrant,
it's green, it's smooth.

Tastes of peas.

Ancl then the lovely lamb sauce.

It's got a shine to it.
The texture is fabulous.

It just brings the dish together.

You are a very competent young chef.

Keep it going.

Thank you, Chef.

Really love the tomato fondue
sitting underneath the lamb.

It's rustic in a sense,
because you've left the tomato skins

in there, but you've cooked it well
enough for us to enjoy the skin.

That's where the flavour is. And, of
course, your little roast potatoes.

They're not tourne,
they're not perfect.

They're rough, they're rustic.

They're covered in lamb fat,
which is great.

Brilliant skills and great flavours.

Chloe's dessert is a cardamom
panna cotta with fresh raspberries,

a raspberry puree, a pistachio crumb
and roasted white chocolate sticks.

GREGG: That's a good-looking
dessert.

Cardamom in your panna cotta,
very subtle.

It's not too subtle. It's there.

You haven't overpowered it.
Well done, you.

Thank you.

The panna cotta is not overly sweet,
which I like, but I love

the texture of pistachio.

Ancl then you get a bit of sharpness
from the raspberry here.

Fantastic.

The panna cotta is beautifully set,
but I think what the magical

little moment for me is
when you pick up what you think

is a tuile. And it's not.

It's cooked white chocolate.
I love the bite of it.

I love the sweetness it brings
to the dish, and it's really quite

nice to see something new,
something different.

Two fabulous dishes from you, Chloe.

Great cookery and great flavour.

Thank you, Chef. Well clone.

I got some pretty cool feedback.

Doesn't feel real.

The whole day has completely
surpassed my expectations.

It's just incredible.

Sous-chef Nkosi has served a main
course of seared cod loin

on cauliflower and smoked almond
couscous with poached clams,

cauliflower florets,
purple sprouting broccoli,

compressed cucumber in dill oil
and sea vegetables

finished with a clam, tomato
and lemon verbena foam sauce.

Tastes absolutely delicious.

Fish beautifully cooked.

The sauce is rich. It's got body
with the clam stock.

I'm really enjoying the little
couscous underneath.

It's fantastic with the almonds
running through there.

Cauliflower, browned butter.

There's a lot of work in this dish.

It's a very, very good start.
Well clone.

Thank you.

Love the cookery of your cod.

It's coming away in nice big flakes.

I love those little discs
of cucumber as well.

It's really refreshing. Well done.

Thank you.

Clams are lovely.

If anything, give me more clams.

Your sauce, you made a tomato
water to add to the clam stock.

It's so flavoursome.

Ancl of course, the little
sea vegetables around it.

This, Nkosi, is a great, great
main course.

Well clone.

WOO!

NARRATOR: Nkosi's signature dessert
is a dark muscovado sugar sponge

with roasted hazelnuts,
tonka bean and creme fraiche

Chantilly cream, and
a cinnamon lace twirl.

The muscovado sponge is fantastic.

It's moist, it's delicious.

It's really, really flavoursome.

Ancl having seen you do a pastry
this morning, that's a very,

very good comeback, I would say.

I am loving that tonka with
the muscovado sponge.

Tonka to me is like vanilla
that's been in the gym.

It's just big and strong
and powerful.

I am really into this.

I love the crunch, the crispiness
on the outside from the hazelnut.

Ancl even your little tuiles on
there really just set it off.

I'm really impressed with you,
and I'm so glad you've come back

and really showed off
your worth here.

I can't believe after all that work,
all that running around that I got

such great positive feedback.

What an amazing start
to the competition!

If this is the standard this year,
we are in for a treat.

We've found some good talent.

We've got a lot to discuss.

There's only one of these chefs,
actually, that had an issue.

That was Toby.

I personally really liked his
chicken and his chicken sauce.

I thought it was great.

However, the mistakes
on his sticky toffee

were impossible not to notice.

The pudding itself was dry.

It didn't have the moisture
you expect when you've got

the sauce going with it.

Ancl the ice cream,
the texture was very wrong.

In a room of serious talent,
problems like that,

I think, are costly.

Toby is at the end of
his competition.

All right. We have a dilemma.

How do you pick just two from
those three quality chefs here?

Gaston really showcased
what a quality cook he is.

The main course with the layers,
the parfait, the crepes,

the port sauce.

Ancl of course, the dessert of
grape fruit jelly and ice cream

with caviar on top.
It worked beautifully.

Chloe is a bit of a cookery force
to be reckoned with.

Her cooking is so confident,
you can see how much passion

and drive she has.

She achieved a fabulous Skills Test.

Quite rare you find a cook
tick the boxes

of all three dishes perfectly well.

I love it when the chefs are
given a second chance.

They come in and they
absolutely blow it apart.

Ancl that's exactly what
Nkosi had to do.

That cod, beautifully cooked, the
sauce with the mix of the tomato

and the clam juices.
It was wonderful.

Ancl then of course,
we had the dessert, the cake.

It was so moist in the middle.

A lot of work. Well clone, him.

I can't lie, I would be extremely
grateful and excited to go through.

I've still got a lot more to show.

There is nothing I wouldn't do
for the competition.

It's such a gift.

Today I gave 100% without a doubt.

Who, out of three very
talented chefs, leaves us?

Chefs, thank you for today.

Your cooking showed so much
passion and dedication

and that's what we want to see.

We did say that two of you
would be leaving us.

The first chef leaving
the competition...

...is Toby.

Thank you so much.
We hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Tough day, but I can go away
with my head held high,

saying, "I did my best."

My family will be proud.

That's the most important
thing for me.

Chloe, Nkosi, Gaston,
you've got real quality,

real flair, creativity.

To send one of you home now
is nothing short of heartbreaking.

We have made a decision.

All three of you are going
through to the next round.

You are far too good to lose
any one of you at this stage.

Congratulations.

You all deserve to fight
for another clay.

You're very talented and you brought
a lot into this kitchen.

Well deserved. Well clone.
Thank you. Well clone.

NKOSI: I'm excited to still be here
to continue the journey.

This is kind of like adding
more fuel to the fire.

Like, I just want to keep going,
keep pushing,

keep kind of testing myself.

CHLOE: Today has given me so much
confidence in myself,

I feel unstoppable.

This is a strong competition for
sure, and it's just the beginning.

Now it's the quarterfinals, so we
have to push it to the maximum.

Next time, four new hopefuls...

They'll be a bit greasy still,
Chef, before you try them.

...fight for their place...

Gonna get it clone?
Yes. Yes, Chef.

...in the quarterfinal.

Quick, quick, quick, quick,
quick, quick, quick.

60 seconds, that's all you've got.

They've got to be cooked.
Yes, Chef.

You are taking this
to the absolute wire.

Well done. You've caught
my attention.