All language subtitles for Masterchef.Dessert.Masters.S02E10.720p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-WH

ANNOUNCER: This season
on Dessert Masters...

CHRISTY: This is
my Raspberry Mushroom Vacherin.

JOHN: This is my Alter Ego.

..a new batch of pastry superstars...

AMAURY GUICHON: Wow, wow, wow!

..vying for the title.

It's so good.

MELISSA LEONG: It's just
masterful work.

I love it.

Inspiring challenges...

(EXCLAIMING)

REECE: Oh, my God. What is going on?

I just got goose bumps.

KATHERINE: Oh, my golly gosh!

CONTESTANTS: Whoa!

Yay!

AMAURY: Bring us a story.

MELISSA: You've seen the master
at work.

CHRISTY: That's amazing.
Now it's your turn.

Go.

(SCREAMING, EXCLAIMING)

..skill...

Oh, my God!

..talent...
EMELIA: Wow-wee!

Nice.
That looks amazing.

..passion...

REECE: So, this is the things
that I grew up loving to eat.

So, yeah, it means a lot to me.

(CHEERING)

..led to spectacular dishes.

AMAURY: This is what I came
to Australia for,

to see this type of thing.

Yes!
(CHEERING)

That is simply smashing!

I love it. It is so playful.
It is so fun.

Cheers.

I have never seen anything
like this, ever before.

Now, just three remain.

John...

(LAUGHTER)
Hi, everyone.

..the globe-trotting pastry chef...

..with Michelin-star skills.

I love this dessert.

Flawless.

Christy...

Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God.

..a legend of the Australian
pastry scene...

..with a flair for the spectacular.

MELISSA: This is amazing!

I just don't know what to say.
I'm speechless.

Thank you.

And Emelia...

Damn!
Damn, girl.

..a MasterChef champion...

..here to make history
by winning a second title.

Bro...

Mmm, it's so fantastic.
(LAUGHS)

Who will be crowned Australia's
next Dessert Master?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(EXHALES HEAVILY)

Now, that the gang's all here,

let me officially welcome you
to the Grand Finale

of Dessert Masters 2024!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

You three walked
into this competition

as pastry elites,

and we could not be prouder
of what you have achieved.

Day after day,
you served absolute bangers.

(LAUGHTER)

I did good?
(CHEERING)

Thank you, thank you.

I had to rehearse
for three hours before, yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

This is it, you three.

One of you is about to win it all.

¤100,000,

that trophy...

..and the title of Australia's
Dessert Master!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

We believe each of you
has what it takes to win.

Best of luck, everyone.

Thanks.

Throughout this competition,
there have been some pretty

big challenges,

but trust me, this is the biggest.

You will be serving five people.

Not just any five people.

Tonight,

joining Amaury and I are three
renowned pastry chefs.

We, along with our guests, will
be expecting two themed courses.

This is Dessert Masters Australia,

so what better inspiration
than a classic Australian combo?

Course one is green.

Ah!

We want a lush, vibrant,
verdant plate, full of life.

And course two is gold.

Think luxury, indulgence...

..and a touch of sparkle.

Hey, Dan?
Always.

(LAUGHS)

Here are the rules.

You will have four hours
to serve up your green course.

One hour after that, you will need
to serve the gold one.

Mel and I will score both
of your dishes out of 10

for a possible total score of 40.

I can only imagine the amount
of stress you guys are under...

..but regardless of this,
try to focus on having fun

and cook with your hearts.

Your time starts...

..now!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Go, go, go!

ALISHA: Go, Melsy!

Go, John! Go, Christy!

Go, guys!

You can do it! Woo!

Um... (SIGHS)

It's OK. Keep it together.

Pistachios.

Four hours to come up with two
beautiful dishes

and present five plates of each,

perfectly, identically
is a huge push.

But this is my second Grand Finale
in this kitchen, so I think

I'm well versed
with the pressure of it.

I know what the expectations
are for Grand Finale,

so I want to take two desserts
that I've done before

and reinvent into a beautiful,
plated, cohesive dessert.

75 isomalt, 60 glucose, 180 apple.

I've chosen a couple of dishes
that are quite familiar to me

from my time in this kitchen.

So, the inspiration
from the green dish

comes from my time in series six.

I was cooking for Heston,
and I was doing this dish

all around my grandma's apple tree.

I want to do version two,
that's, you know, elevated,

stripped back,

using apple, lemon verbena
and mascarpone.

And my head for gold instantly
goes to my Paris-Brest.

Paris-Brest I made
in my Back To Win series.

It's a classic French choux pastry.

I'm really here to show who I am.
(VOICE QUAVERS)

I don't want to be anyone
who I'm not here.

I was that last time,
and I don't want to repeat that.

And it was a real kind of moment
of clarity, where I thought,

"I don't need to pretend
to be something I'm not.

"I can...I can just make what I love
and do it really well."

I've kind of been keeping
my Paris-Brest up my sleeve,

just in case I got to this moment.

OK, you can do it.

In my mind, I am picturing three
beautiful choux buns

with some chocolate discs,

floral tuiles and a beautiful
chocolate gelato.

Gold dish, I'm going to start
after my green dish.

I'm going to do them
kind of chronologically.

So, I'm working on my apple dish now
because I'm making an entremet.

So, I've got to get that on,
get it set, and then, uh...

..just stay on track.

Kiwi.

(HUMS QUIETLY)

Uff!

Go, Christy Tania!

Thank you, Reece-y.
I love you.

I love you, too.

It's surreal to be here.

I'm really, really...

I'm pinching myself.

And it's just a really
great feeling, to be honest.

Christy!
Hello.

I am so excited for this.

What are you making?
Um, so the first,

for the green dish,
it's a kiwi mojito.

Ooh!
Kiwi mojito?

Yes. Kiwi, definitely.
Alright!

So, it's very fresh.

It's as if you have a cocktail
made of fruit salad.

Have children? This will be it.

Cool.
(LAUGHS)

Right now, I'm piping the meringue
that is going to cover

the whole entire dish.

And it's going to have
a mojito mousse

and a lot of white rum.

And my second dish is inspired
by absolute Australian gold,

which is macadamia nuts.

When I first came to Australia,
I realised this country

is just full of richness,

so I just want to hero and champion
the Australian produce.

Yep.
So Australian macadamia.

Australian Mandarin.

Even using Australian
milk chocolate.

So, combined together,
it looks like a macadamia.

And we're going to dip it in gold.

Ah-ha!

Um, I love it, but you often
put a lot on your shoulders

in this kitchen.
Yes.

What's the plan for tonight?

The plan is to try
to step back a little bit

and focus on the flavour

and spend time to just...
Perfection.

..put a grand final dessert.

OK.

Good luck to you, Christy. Bye-bye.
Thank you so much, guys. Thank you.

Spiky, spiky!

For my green dish, I have so many
components that need to set.

Thank you very much. You are done.

And now...you.

So, I need to get all
these elements done now.

I'll deal with you soon.

Do you want to hear a neat trick?
Yeah.

Yeah?

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

CONTESTANTS: Oi, oi, oi!

(LAUGHTER)

Pretty cool, huh?
What is this?

I don't even know.

Even John joined in.

See? It works.

He's got the fig leaf.
Go, John!

Super stoked to be
in the Grand Finale.

I still can't really believe it.

So, I'm going to go all in today.

(LAUGHS)

I'm a little bit scared.

I'm a bit stressed.

Knowing there's going to be three
other pastry chefs to cook for,

10 total plates instead of one.

Usually, I'm hiding away
in the shadows.

But being here, I've made some
really wonderful dishes.

This is amazing chocolate work,
John.

Every texture inside was perfection.

This is just a mastered plate.

This is Dessert Master-winning
worthy stuff.

Absolutely.

And that's made me so confident.

And now, I believe that I've got
the skills to win the Grand Finale.

Yeah, man!

Woo!

To be in the running
to win tonight...

..I'm going to need to bring big,
delicious flavours.

But also, more than that,
it's going to need to be magical,

whimsical, impressive.

I can see Emelia is using Apple
and Christy is using kiwi fruit

for the first dish.

Both are really refreshing
and visually green,

but when I think
about the colour green,

I think about running
around Mum's backyard,

and right in the centre
is this giant fig tree.

So, I want fig leaf to be the hero
of my dish tonight.

I want it to look natural.

I want there to be movement.

I don't want it
to be straight lines.

I want it to be alive.

Hey, John. What are you making?

Green and gold.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.

Oi, oi, oi.
Alright.

Starting with the green -
what's your vision?

Starting with the green.

I'm going to use a couple
of Australian natives in there.

I'm going to use fig leaf
as the main flavour of the dish.

So, that's the dominant?
That's the leading flavour?
That's the dominant flavour, yeah.

Wow! That's a bold choice.

In my childhood home,
massive fig tree in the backyard,

so I want to bring a bit of that.

It's a...it's a challenging one
sometimes.

It can either be very herbaceous,

or it can become a little unwieldy.

A bit too tannic.
Yeah.

Yes, it can definitely
be a bit too tannic.

I think a dish like this could
really go south quickly.

If I don't get every element right
and they don't work in harmony,

I'll be in big trouble.

Let's move on to the gold course.

Tell us about what's...
what the dish is.

Sticking with the Aussie theme here,

I want to do a big nod
to the Victorian gold rush era.

A leading flavour is going

to be probably brown butter
and whisky.

OK.
OK.

That's also a bold choice.

Having leading flavour
as fat and alcohol,

uh, it can go south very quickly.
Yeah, sure.

Too boozy, and it takes
the overall palate.

Those are not easy flavours
to work with.

You know, actually never done it
before,

so I hope I don't
shoot myself in the foot.

Alright. Good luck.
Thank you, John. Good luck.

Bye.

Very tannin. Very, very tannic.

Just by the smell, huh?

Emelia, John, Christy,

this is your last cook
in this kitchen.

Make it count. Three hours to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Three hours!

Go, guys!

Go, guys.

CHRISTY: Sweating, eh? So serious.

OK. Duh-duh-duh...

I'm taking a big risk here,

using such bold flavours
for both dishes,

but one of my biggest strengths

is working with big,
punchy flavours.

REECE: Go, John!

Thanks, Reece.

Basically, I just need
to make sure I nail my flavours

or I won't be winning today.

Fig leaf can be a really
delicate flavour

or it can be a super
aggressive flavour.

It's got so many tannins,
so I need to take my time

and make sure that the balance
is just perfect.

OK.

And the colour will
be beautiful, as well.

ALISHA: Yeah.

We love it. Actually,
you're in the perfect spot.

Reece!

CHRISTY: So far, everything
is going good

for my mojito-inspired dish.

Very boozy, very yummy.

So, I'm moving on
to the second course.

I'm piping my mandarin cremeux,
which is going to have a little bit

of a praline in the centre,

and it's going to be encased
with a chocolate macadamia mousse.

Gold dish is called Australian Gold.

Excuse me.

I want to show the judges
that I can push myself

and try to put a lot of flavour
in this dish.

So, I'm using chocolate, mandarin
and macadamia,

which are really rich.

And I want to create this perfect
shiny, gold macadamia bowl.

Such a sucker for punishment.

At the beginning
of this competition...

..I came in with a lot
of self-doubt.

But I have pushed myself
to the absolute limit.

How about that? It's awesome.

It's here!
Yay!

Oh!

Showing different layers of myself.

I've never seen anything
like that before in this kitchen.

With this new-found confidence,
I really want to push through.

I really want to give it my all

because I really want to win.

Nice. Done.

Chefs, you have an hour
and a half left to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOHN: Oh, my goodness.

Let's go!

EMELIA: Oh, God.

OK, I'm just going to have
a little calm down.

I thought I would have had a bit
more done at this point.

You've got this.

So, I've got my apple entremets
in the blast chiller

for my green dessert.

And now, I'm skipping ahead
to my gold dish.

My original plan was not
to cook both dishes at once.

I was planning to cook them
chronologically.

(SIGHS)

But I'm definitely going
to have to multi-task now.

I need to start my praline paste
and my choux pastry

for my gold dish.

Next, choux.

I can feel this pressure
bubbling inside of me.

I can feel my mind starting
to get a little bit hectic.

Is that breakfast?

JOHN: Three-minute...
three-minute eggs.

Three-minute eggs?
I'll make an emulsion.

Using big words, John.

Yes, Chef.
(LAUGHS)

Emulsion.

Oh, OK, John.

Whatever.
(LAUGHS)

Time is flying.

I'm working on my second dish now,
predominantly.

Dish two is going to be called
Eureka.

And with this dish, I've chosen
ingredients that are tied to gold.

I've got brown butter.

I've got whisky, chocolate, caramel.

And then, I've got malted barley.

I want it to be the finishing move.

I want it to be luxury,
rich and delicious.

I'm going to do a little nod
to the Victorian goldmines,

the gold rush era.

So, I'm picturing, like,
a chocolate cake

that's hollowed out and filled
with a brown-butter emulsion.

On top of that, will be, like,
a caramelised chocolate parfait.

And then, build almost like a cave
out of pastry.

And my dessert will be sitting
on the inside.

I know that if I want to be
a contender to win the Grand Finale,

I need to bring more
than just flavour.

That's why I'm going
with the goldmine concept.

I've got an idea to shape pastry
over the silicone mould,

and that's going to give
the real goldmine effect

that I'm going for.

I've layered my pastry
with clarified butter and sugar.

Then, I'm just cooking it
in a really low heat,

spraying it with a whisky syrup.

Slowly, slowly, slowly,

and it's just caramelising,
layer, layer, layer.

Just backing up all
that whisky flavour.

I know Chef is worried
that I'm using such bold flavours,

but doing this pastry is way harder.

I've never done anything
like this before.

It could just be a complete
disaster, and you won't know

until the end, when you take
the pastry out of the oven.

So, it's critical that I nail this

because I won't have time
to do it again.

Whose idea was this?

Chefs, your first dishes
leave the pass in 30 minutes!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Come on!

Uh, I didn't realise
it's 30 minutes.

Holy shit.

Um...

Ah!

(EMELIA GROANS)

I'm working away,
across both dishes,

and I don't love doing that.

I've got my hazelnut praline
on the go.

I'm working on my choux pastry,

and I'm just working on the crisp

that is going to sit on top
of my apple dessert.

REECE: Good job, Melsy.

Proud of you.

Oh!

It's definitely greener
than I was anticipating.

(GROANS)

It's just so dark.

It is so fake-looking.

Now, I have to remake
my apple crisp

because I absolutely
cannot use this.

Now I feel like something
is burning. Sorry.

Something's burning.

It smells like toast.

DARREN: Something is burning.

Mels. Mels, are your nuts out?

Oh!

And now, I've burnt my hazelnuts.

The Paris-Brest is all
about the praline paste,

so I feel like my chances
of winning Dessert Masters

are totally slipping away.

(SIGHS)

She's looking stressed.

DONATO: Mels is not in a good place.

Keep going. Keep going.

15 minutes to go! Come on, guys!

ALISHA: Come on, let's go!

Go, go, go, go!

EMELIA: Um...

Hi, Amelia.
Hi, Mel.

How's everything going?
Not good.

I left my praline paste
a bit too long and let it burn.

Oh.

So, um, I'm just struggling
a bit with the pressure.

Release that little bit of emotion,

and just get back
to that bad-ass place

where you know exactly who you are.

You're making your food.
Yep.

You got this.

Thanks, Mel.

REECE: You've got it, Melsy.

It's OK. Get it together.

I'm definitely not a quitter.

I have never given up
in this kitchen,

and I know that feeling of winning
and holding up the trophy.

So, it's time for me to bounce back,

do it again.

Just going to keep melting it
all together and see.

OK.

I am going to leave
my hazelnut praline on the side,

because I need to finish
this green dish.

For the first course,

I need to finish off
my apple sorbet

and remake my apple crisp.

Go, Melsy!

And get my little entremets
out of their moulds.

They need to defrost
so that they are a beautiful

eating temperature.

REECE: Go, Melsy!

Hey, finalists,

are you ready to see
who our very special guests are?

Please welcome Adriano Zumbo,

Kirsten Tibballs,

and our Dessert Master
Gareth Whitton!

Oh!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

REECE: I'm seeing these three
walk in,

I'm obviously a little bit
starstruck.

I love all three of them.

Kirsten Tibballs,
queen of chocolate.

Oh! Zumbo, just a god in the game.

And last year's winner Gareth.

Really excited that they're here,

and I'm sure it's going
to be really nerve-racking

cooking for these three.

Well, it's amazing having you
in our space again,

under slightly more glamorous
circumstances for you.

Less stress.

How does it feel?
GARETH: Awesome.

It's good to be on this side,
actually.

Yeah!

Well, as you may have picked up
on the way in,

the theme is a two-course challenge
of green and gold.

It's an interesting one,
and I really hope

they all just smash it.

Now, Gareth, what does it take
to be a winner in this kitchen?

Uff!

You're gonna have to do
better than that, Gareth.

(LAUGHTER)
Yeah.

"Uff!"
You have to reveal

some of your secrets.

I think your attitude
and how you approach

a situation like tonight,
I think is going to be reflected

in your dishes, so...
Yeah, the mental is very important.

Yeah, I don't know.

Hopefully, these guys can, you know,
put me to shame.

So, I have pretty much done
everything for the first course.

And I really want to put up
the best plate possible.

So, I want to add a mojito foam
to the first course.

I really would like to emphasise
the white rum flavour

to just bring out the freshness
of the dish.

So, the mojito foam is going
to add a very light, airy version

of a mojito drink.

Chefs it's time to serve
your first course!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JOHN: I need to start bringing
my first dish together.

So, you flavoured the chocolate
with figs?

Yeah, I made a fig...fig-leaf oil.

I want the judges, when they taste
my first dish, to get a little bit

of sweetness and smooth elements
coming from the white chocolate.

Super green colour, it's nice.

Oh, that's what gives the colour?
No colourant, just fig.

Whoa.
Yeah, yeah.

And then, refreshing
from the fig-leaf ice-cream.

Oh, my goodness.

Why is this so hard?

Do you like it?
As long as you like it.

Oh, gosh.

Oh, my goodness.

I'm going to press
my fig-leaf ice-cream down

and make a fun shape
to bring a modern edge to my dish.

I'm using the creaminess
of the ice-cream

paired up with the white chocolate
cremeux as the base of this dessert.

What I'm trying to do
with all these other ingredients

is to bring another layer
of flavour and sweetness.

DONATO: Good on you, Johnny.
Nice, John.

Super.

And lastly...

..my fig leaf oil.

Beautiful.

Service, please. Yeah.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

It's risky cooking with fig leaf,

so I'm hoping that all
the components work harmoniously.

Hello, everyone.
Hey, John.

JUDGES: Hello.

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, wow.
Wow.

What's the name of your dish?

Can You Fig It?

Oh, nice! (LAUGHS)
Can You Fig It?

Now, the key flavours
are white chocolate and fig leaf.

Thank you very much.

Oh!

It is so stunning.
ADRIANO: Yeah.

Oh, my God.

Big question for us is, has he tamed
the flavour of the fig leaf?

Let's try.

Far out.

That was a herbaceous
lactonic dream.

I absolutely loved it.

I can't stop smiling, it's so good.

Fig leaf is one of those flavours
where, if you can nail it

to that perfect level
of coconutty greenery,

you get just this tropical joy.

And that's what you get here.

The ice-cream is gorgeous.

It's silky, it's soft,
it's the perfect texture.

But the white chocolate plays such
a key part in adding richness

and sweetness to this dish.

The mousse itself is really,
really light.

Some heavy-hitting flavours
and textures going on,

but every single one of them
just works in seamless harmony.

It's a very adult dessert to me.

It's not something easy
to comprehend.

It's very subtle.

There is many nuances that all
take you on a specific journey.

Even flavouring the chocolate
around to make sure

you have a different
experience than just plain old

boring white chocolate,

using only natural colourants
from the oil he made

from the fig leaf.

It is definitely
Grand Finale worthy.

He's taken a lot of risk
with those flavours,

and...and the way
he's finessed them, it blew me away.

Not only the flavour combination,

but the texture combination for me.

Outstanding.

John asked, "Can We Fig It?"

I think we can.

Yes, we can.
(JUDGES LAUGH)

CHRISTY: My mojito foam is done.

It's very boozy, very yummy.

Ah, still stressed,
still under the palm.

Alright, I just need to run.

I've got my kiwi-pear
fruit salad compote,

mojito mousse,

kiwi, pear and lime sorbet.

To top it off,
I pipe some mojito foam

and close it
with the lime-leaf meringue.

KATHERINE: Look at that.
Look at that!

Service.

What I hope is that, when the judges
close their eyes and take a bite,

it tastes just like mojito.

Christy, what do we have here?

This is my Kiwi Mojito.

Thank you so much, Christy.
We'll taste.

Thank you.

I think it's quite fun.

The colours are so fresh.

You... I'm anticipating
a very fresh dessert.

I think it was a very beautiful
visual dessert.

Refreshing and good in flavour,

and it really hits the mojito mark.

But for me, I think
it's a little bit too mojito.

It did deliver on the promise
of the flavour.

I love the fruit salad around.

I thought it was so refreshing,

and the texture
of the sorbet is fantastic.

However, I will have to agree
with Adriano.

When there is alcohol,
there is always a risk

to be too boozy.

I think, because of the form,
the white rum takes over everything

in my palate.

I would have loved something
that sort of just melted away

and gave you the sensation of rum.

So, that was definitely
a little bit distracting.

But I think the creamy textures
and the fresh, acidic flavours

really worked together
to complement one another nicely.

OK, next.

I've had a couple of wobbles
so far in this cook,

but I am pushing on...

..and it's time to serve
my green dish.

Still frozen.

Oh, man.

My entremets are still frozen
in the centre.

Stay calm.

No, lost it.

I'm, like, gonna cry for her.

I just want her to be able
to plate up, yeah.

REECE: You can do it, Melsy.

I'm feeling, now, like dish one
is a total flop.

(SNIFFS)

You good, Melsy?

Don't stress.

(CRIES)

I'm about to send out my first dish,

and I think my entremets
might be frozen inside.

(SNIFFS)

Don't stress. Don't stress.

You're amazing.

And my hands are completely tied...

..because I have to start
plating up my dish.

Ooh. (SIGHS)

All I can do is present it
beautifully and hope for the best.

I've got my verbena
mascarpone mousse,

apple and pistachio entremet
on the plate

with a quenelle
of apple-sorrel sorbet.

And then, finish it off
with that beautiful apple crisp.

Yes. So good!

Service, please.

God, I love that colour
of the green.

That shade is so pretty.

Wow.
ADRIANO: Wow.

Thank you.
Wow. Terrific.

This looks gorgeous.

AMAURY: Sexy green.

Emelia, what do we have?

We have Apples And Verbena.

Are you happy?

Uh, I'm not...

I think it looks beautiful,
but I just am not overly happy

with the temperature.

OK.
Yeah.

Thank you. We'll taste.
Thank you.

Thanks.

(CRISP CRUNCHES AND CRACKLES)

I don't think there
is a temperature problem at all.

It eats very well.
It is very refreshing.

All the flavours she announced
really come through

from the apple confit in the centre.

The mousse is light, quite soft.

The sponge has a lot of bite
and strong flavour of pistachio,

and the tuile not only plays
a great visual, but is also

just crispy enough and brings a lot
of crunch to the dessert.

I'm in my pistachio era, right now,

and so that was, like...
That was a real winner.

And you could actually smell
that pistachio, that nuttiness.

Mmm.

I think every texture here
is being eaten at the height

of where it's meant to be.

That mousse is so airy, so velvety -

it just envelops everything
in the most luscious way.

The sorrel and apple sorbet,
not icy at all.

Again, really refreshing,
really cleanses the palate.

And then, that apple crisp.

It was a fun texture,
really great to crack into.

Mmm. That was beautiful.

It added a bit of theatre, as well.

I think this was a light,
bright dish.

And I think that it fit
the theme perfectly.

Well, we're one course down.

But there's still one more course
to go.

Shall we go change tables?

Sounds good.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JANA: Keep going, keep going!

JOHN: OK.

CHRISTY: Stressy, stressy, guys.

Miaow! Miaow, miaow!

REECE: Go, Christy.

CHRISTY: I still have quite a bit
of things to do.

So, I've got my mandarin
and milk chocolate ice-cream,

my tuile and my
mandarin-milk chocolate mousse.

This is looking good.
It's sort of semi-set.

I'm just hollowing out the centre,
and I'm working on the crumble.

Sort of, like, crumbly,
cakey kind of texture.

This one's done. Done.

Hopefully, I can bring this home.

JOHN: High stress, man.
EMELIA: High stress, hey?

Yeah, a lot harder than I expected.
(LAUGHS)

Yeah.
For some reason.

Are you good for your first dish?

Yeah, it's not bad.

I'm behind on the second.

Yeah.

First round of desserts,

I think I've done a good job,
but I can't stop.

Run, John! Run!

Oh, my goodness.

(LAUGHS)

I've definitely bitten off
a lot of jobs for the second,

but nothing is finished.

My pastry shells are still drying
in the oven.

I've got my cocoa-nib crunch disc.

I've got my chocolate cake baked
and sat in the whisky syrup.

And I've made
my caramel-chocolate parfait.

DAN: I love it. So elegant.

It's so good.

I still actually need to make
a couple of elements,

but they're going to be served warm,
so that's fine.

A hot chocolate
and a malted barley sauce

and a brown butter emulsion.

These are the hero flavours
in my dish,

so it is quite important.

When executed properly,
this brown butter emulsion

is going to bring super rich
velvet mouthfeel to this dessert.

It is integral I get this right.

ALISHA: Go, John!

(SIGHS)

My green dish is done.

It has been presented
to the judges,

and I am so nervous
about the green dish.

I have no idea if it was
at the right temperature.

It's OK. Get it together.

You've beat them all.

It's OK.

Beaten John before.
You've beaten Christy before.

You can do it again.

But this second course is my jam.

This is what I do.

This is what I feel
the most confident in.

And I know I can pull off
a great Paris-Brest.

I have to get back on
to my hazelnut praline

that I had burnt.

I've got to think on my feet,
I've got to assess the situation,

and I've just got
to keep moving forward.

I think it's kind of good.

I think there's a little bit
of burn, but I think it's good.

It is really dark, but it's good
because if it's not dark,

it's going to be really sweet.

So, I'm just sort of finishing off

the lumps that kind of
stuck together,

remelting those down,
getting them separate.

Then I'll blend it.

KATHERINE: Go, Melsy!

I check on my choux in the oven...

..and it looks beautiful.

My angels.

Good, Melsy?

Yum, yum?
Yummy, yummy.

It's, like, I can still win.

Um, I just have to keep
moving forward.

Go, Melsy!

Put a pep in your step, Melsy.
Pep in your step.

CHRISTY: I can see the light
at the end of the tunnel.

My Australian Gold dish comprises

of a milk chocolate
and a macadamia mousse ball.

DAN: Oh, look at that.
JANA: Beautiful, Christy.

Oh, that's so beautiful, Christy.

They are looking really pretty.

They are looking really shiny.

I've got my macadamia
and milk chocolate mousse.

I have my mandarin, milk chocolate
and macadamia ice-cream.

That's beautiful, Christy! Beautiful!

And I am happy.

I'm pushing richness
of the macadamia with the chocolate,

with the mandarin citrus
and my crunchy, fruity crumble.

Service.

Service!

(CHEERING)

It's a lot of sweet,
but Christy loves sweet.

I'm so proud of myself.

I decided to just back myself up,

push through so many elements
and get everything done.

Hey, Christy.

Hi.

But this is the Grand Finale,

so I hope the judges love them
as much as I do.

ANNOUNCER: Don't miss a delicious
moment of Dessert Masters.

Watch full episodes on 10Play now.

Hey, Christy.
Hi.

MELISSA: Wow.
KIRSTEN: Wow.

What do we have here?

So, it is my Australian Gold.

You have a milk chocolate-macadamia
mousse, a mandarin cremeux,

a macadamia praline.

You have
a milk chocolate-mandarin ice-cream.

Thank you so much.
Thank you.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

I think gold leaf, used in that way,

where it completely coats
the product is really...

Yes.
It is the best way.

It is the best way.
(ALL LAUGH)

Let's do it.

I think this was the best way
for Christy to finish the finale.

This is indulgence on every level.

The flavours are easy to understand.

Rich in variety of textures,

from the very light mousse

with the macadamia praline
in the centre,

the mandarin cremeux.

A celebration of an iconic
Australian ingredient,

the macadamia nut.

And I think that Christy
did really well.

I think that she loves
this ingredient,

and you can absolutely tell,

the way that she's woven it
through this dish.

There's some wonderful textures
on this plate that I really enjoyed,

but I think, for me, this dish
reads, in its entirety,

on the sweeter side.

Yeah. Um, you can even feel
the sugar crystal

as you bite into it.

I think, overall,
this is the...the beginning

of an amazing dish.

It might need a tiny bit
of refinement.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS)

JOHN: It's so mental.

EMELIA: It's time to serve
my final dish,

my Paris-Brest, to the judges.

And I feel like my gold dish
is my only hope.

Whew!

Mmm.

KATHERINE: Good, Melsy.

Yeah.
Happy?

There was definitely a fear
that I had burnt my hazelnuts.

But I feel over the moon with this.

It is velvety.

It is flavourful.

It's exactly what I was looking for.

My chocolate gelato
is creamy, refreshing.

It's going to bring some bitterness.

And my flower tuiles are beautiful

and golden brown and crunchy...

..and I'm so excited
to bring it together

and present something
that is so totally me.

Beautiful. Service, please.

I'm getting very
familiar flashbacks

to the Back To Win finale, and...

Wow!

..I just feel confident and happy
and at peace with this dish.

I have made you my Paris-Brest.

Thank you. We'll taste it now.
Thank you.

Good luck.
Thank you.

These little tuiles look like little
coronets on the top

of the Paris-Brest.
It looks stunning.

I think it definitely
meets the gold brief.

Definitely, yeah.

I feel like it's very fitting
for this room, and very fitting

for this challenge.

Alright, let's try this.

I kind of want to go with my finger.
Is that bad?

No.
I'm already with you.

Go for it.

Well, that was amazing!

I'm back in France.
Back to the classic.

I love Paris-Brest.

It's really one of the signatures

of the French patisserie
that's made - it's world renowned.

I think it was very well executed.

Pate a choux is fresh,
a little bit crunchy.

The mousse is just perfect.

I mean it... You cannot go wrong
making a perfect classic.

I love the choux.
It's crisp, it's fresh

and crackling - it's just so crispy.

Really makes your mouth
just light up,

you know, when you eat it.

Mousseline is on point.
It's so smooth.

I love the praline.
Take me right to the edge.

You know, it gives that beautiful,
bittersweet taste, which, you know,

helps balance out the dish
even more.

The first time
Emelia made Paris-Brest

was a watershed moment for her.

It was the first time
she'd just accepted who she was

and what she could do,
and it was glorious.

I think, as it stands, some...

just some exceptional work
from Emelia.

I loved the dish.

High five!

Go, Johnny!

Ah! Jesus.

I don't think I've ever felt
this type of pressure before.

Crazy!

Everything about this competition
has come down to this moment.

Look at John go.

This brown butter emulsion is going
to bring super rich velvet mouthfeel

to this dessert.

And it is beautiful and golden.

I've got my whisky chocolate cake.

On top of that
is my cocoa nib tuiles.

Pour the chocolate sauce...

And then I put
my caramel-chocolate parfait.

Oh, John, that looks so pretty.
DAN: Oh, it's so beautiful.

Chef Amaury is worried
about this flavour combination.

You know, their point of concern
is that it's high fat,

high alcohol - it can really
go pear-shaped.

But, uh...yeah. (CHUCKLES)

Hopefully, I've done OK.

But this pastry goldmine effect

is integral to the whole
vision of this dish.

It's super important.

OK.

This is the moment of truth.

Pastry's been in the oven

for at least two and a half,
three hours.

Unreal.

Whoo-hoo! Go, John!
(APPLAUSE)

I'm really happy with these.

The pastry has kept its shape.

It looks like a goldmine,

and it smells delicious.

The whisky's there.

It's not overpowering.

I'm really happy.

I'm just going to spray that

so it's got that beautiful
gold shimmer.

Yeah, feeling good? Fingers crossed.

Service.

I guess this whole competition,

I've just been trying
to get to this point.

Uh, I've been focusing on that.

And now that I'm here,
I think I've done enough.

I'm hoping the flavours
are balanced, flavours are rich,

and flavours are luxurious.

AMAURY: What is the name
of your dish?

Eureka!

So, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.
Oi, oi, oi.

Now we're celebrating
the Victorian goldmines,

the gold rush.

So, my main flavours
are brown butter and whisky.

Thank you so much, John.
Thank you. Thanks.

Wow.
ADRIANO: Right on.

It's such an intriguing
plate of food.

Yeah, I was about to say intriguing.
Very interesting.

I can see the textures
before even biting in.

I love that you can see what
textures you're going to experience.

Let's try this.

Oh, I feel it.
We're digging down the goldmine.

Mmm.
Mmm.

(CHUCKLES) Oh, man.
Yeah.

This is...
KIRSTEN: Wow.

Stop it!

Oh!

This is wild.

We were looking for gold
this evening, and... Wow!

That was phenomenal.

That was an all singing,
all dancing, multi-dimensional,

mind-bending feast of chocolate,
whisky and friends.

From the bitterness and the saltiness
of the chocolate sauce,

the tenderness and the thinness
of the cake,

the mousse being just light enough
and just rich enough

to kind of match
but contrast beautifully,

the crunch of the pastry,

that nuttiness that it brings,
the flavour of malt.

There are so many flavours
going on, on top of the whisky.

I haven't even mentioned the whisky,
but these are all hard-hitting,

heavy contributors to a dish.

But I think it's just enough
in the best possible way.

Yeah. As a lover of brown butter,
I think the brown butter

in this dish played
an integral role.

So complete. It was so intelligent.

It was so considered.

The inspiration
from...from the gold rush,

and being able to reflect that
through storytelling, I think,

is...is also an amazing...

I mean, doesn't this look
like the mountainside?

It does. Yeah.

I think that's very cool.
Yeah, you're right.

Every flavour,
except for the chocolate,

has a golden element.
Mm-hm.

Whisky, malt...
Yeah.

They're all golden.

I think he was able to tame the bold
flavour of whisky and brown butter

very harmoniously in the dessert.

I think it pairs very well
with the rich chocolate he used.

It's so beautiful.

I mean, we were all, like, wowed
by what we experienced.

This is someone working intuitively

to bring meaning and feeling to food.

And that's what we seek in food.

That's what gives us the smile
on your face, Kirst.

Like, it's more than
what's on the plate -

it's how it came into being.

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

As far as grand finales go,

this one could not
have been any closer.

It was green and gold
for all the glory.

And each of you fought
tooth and nail to secure it.

What a stellar performance
across the board.

You definitely impressed, not only us
but our esteemed alumni, as well.

Christy, John, Emelia...

..Mel and I have scored both
of your dishes out of 10...

..for a possible total score
of 40 points each.

The person with the highest
score will win.

Deep breaths, guys.

Are you ready?

Let's start with you, Christy.

In your green Dessert,

the texture of your sorbet
was fantastic.

I scored you...

..eight out of 10.

(APPLAUSE)

Your gold course
was pure indulgence...

..but it was a little too sweet.

I gave you...

..seven out of 10.

Christy, your green course.

I gave you...

..eight out of 10.

Your gold dessert,

I scored you...

..seven out of 10.

This gives you a total score
of 30 out of 40.

Well done.
Thank you.

OTHERS: Well done!

Emelia.

Your green course was clean, chic
and texturally on point.

I scored you...

..nine out of 10.

Your gold Dessert ate like a dream.

That's why you're the choux queen.

I gave it...

..nine out of 10.

Thanks.

Your green dessert.

I gave you...

..nine out of 10.

In your gold course,

I gave you...

..nine out of 10.

That gives you, Emelia,
a total of 36 out of 40.

(WHOOPING)

That puts you ahead of Christy.

You're in the lead.

Now, John,

to win, you need to score
37 or higher.

Let's see if you've done enough.

Your green course
was sophisticated perfection.

I scored it...

..10 out of 10.

Wow! That's amazing.

That's amazing!

Your gold dessert
had bold flavours.

And you balanced them beautifully.

I wanted to eat every last bite.

I scored you...

..nine out of 10.

John,

your green dessert was divine.

I scored you...

..a nine out of 10.

Which means your gold dessert,

you needed to score a nine
or higher from me to win.

And you did!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Congratulations, John,

you are our Dessert Master!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

How did I beat a 36?

With a 38.

38.
Exactly.

How does it feel, John?

Oh, I can't believe it.

(LAUGHTER)

Shaking like when I walked in -
it feels amazing.

Are you proud, John?
Can you believe this?

I'm super proud. Yeah. Oh, no. Jeez.

It's going to take me
a couple of days

for this to feel real, I'm sure.

But I... To be honest,
when I was looking at their dishes,

I didn't think I was going
to come out on top.

So, like, I think that says so much.

Um, it's actually been like that
the whole competition.

It's like, you know, I've had
my own confidence,

but then it's like...just
being in this environment

as...and...
It's been a real challenge.

And, you know, I'm so grateful
for it, and thank you.

I was just about to say, are you
enjoying the attention right now?

(LAUGHS) No.

(LAUGHTER)

It's getting worse and worse.

Still not loving the attention
are you?

No. I'm getting better.

Emelia,

you started your pastry career,
right here, in this kitchen.

And look at you now,

standing tall amongst Titans.

Mels, I already know
how bloody talented you are,

and I am so glad that Amaury
got to see that, as well.

Yeah, thank you both.
It's been very special.

For me, too.

Christy...

..you've often said that you want
to get back into pastry,

but, really,
I don't think you ever left.

You have more than proved
you're exactly

where you're meant to be.

I think I've won myself back.

Yeah.

And that is more than any prize
or any trophy could ever put.

(SIGHS) John,

you've just won ¤100,000

and the title of Australia's
Dessert Master for 2024!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

You know what time it is -

come and lift your trophy!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Aaaaargh!

Yeah!

(LAUGHTER, CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Captions by Red Bee Media