Original subtitles

It's the professional MasterChef quarterfinal.

These five chefs triumphed in their heats

and, tonight, they face two tough challenges

designed to test them even further.

It's quarterfinal. The pressure is back on and now we have to slay

the competition for sure.

Being here is massive to me.

It sort of all just feels like

a weird dream that I'm having,

but I'm enjoying it.

The competition levels are extremely spicy.

Like, the bigger dog

will win the thing, so hopefully that's me.

First, they will need to create a standout dish

using a mystery ingredient.

I am liking the look of those. Mm-mm.

Those who impress will go on to cook

for three of the country's top food critics.

Looks gorgeous.

I want to marry it.

Only the very best will earn a place in knockout week.

Good isn't good enough any more.

We need our chefs to push themselves to the absolute limit.

It's time to turn up the heat, Marcus.

Chefs, welcome back. Welcome to your quarterfinal.

This is an invention test.

Under that box, there's a key ingredient

that we want you to focus on - to be at the centre of your dish.

Chefs, reveal your ingredient.

Stout.

That's not for drinking, by the way.

Behind Monica and I, you can see a table full of fabulous ingredients

for you to choose from.

But we want the stout to be at the heart of your dish.

You will notice there are five of you cooking in our kitchen today,

but we only have room for four to go through and cook

for our critics round.

You're going to have to fight to stay in this competition,

but we know you have it in you.

You've got ten minutes to come up and choose your ingredients.

As well as stout,

to create their dishes, the chefs have a selection of meat,

fruit, vegetables,

nuts, herbs and spices.

We want to taste the profile of stout through their dish.

It's such a big, dynamic flavour.

It's got that malt extract, that yeasty flavour

that's going to push our chefs and stretch their imagination.

Drinking-wise, I prefer ciders. It's quite unfortunate,

because I've never actually tasted stout properly like that, but

I'm quite excited, actually.

So I'm not a stout drinker, but I'm going to give it a taste,

see how it is and go from there.

Stout is great. You can use it as a marinade.

You can use it through the sauces.

You put it through ice cream, so you can mix it through cake.

There's lots of ways that you can have fun with this ingredient.

But we want to be able to taste it in the dish.

This is not the drink I like to drink, but I think

it's a very interesting flavour, on the bitter side.

So I think it's going to be fun. It's going to be cool.

Right, chefs, your ten minutes is up.

You have 70 minutes to cook one dish

to celebrate stout.

Let's get started. Good luck.

30-year-old Welsh-born Gareth is a head chef of a fine dining

restaurant in Cardiff.

In the heats, he came back from a disappointing skills test

with two knockout dishes

showcasing classic flavours with a modern twist.

I'm actually really excited for the invention test.

I really enjoy creating new dishes

and working within crazy restrictions

that pull out the best and most creative parts of your cooking.

Gareth, that was a big smile on your face when you saw that it was

a stout challenge. Stout is a meal in a glass and, for me,

it's a very good meal. So what are you thinking, then?

So I'm going to do a dessert for you today, Chef.

There's some beautiful caramel notes in stout.

I think it pairs really well with chocolate.

So I'm going to make you a chocolate cremeux with stout,

a stout caramel, a buckwheat cake,

and then a stout ice cream.

Great-sounding dessert. Tried and tested recipes?

Not tried and tested, but I'm pretty confident with it.

Chocolate cremeux - beautiful and smooth set cream.

I've never had stout in a chocolate cremeux before.

The danger of adding a stout or any alcohol when making a cremeux

is it can actually split it, so he's got to be careful -

the amount that he puts into the cremeux.

At the same time, we want to be able to taste it.

Buckwheat cake in his dessert works really well because the buckwheat

has a bit of maltiness, which is echoed in the stout flavour.

Stout ice cream. Who doesn't love a good, malty flavoured ice cream?

Delicious.

French-born Gaston trained in Paris and has worked all around the world

as a private chef.

He blew the judges away in his heat with brave and bold takes on classic

French cookery, including pairing ice cream and caviar.

I think I'm a creative chef.

I think I have more to offer, I have more to show.

But I hope that the challenge will be in my universe

so that we can carry on this journey to the finale.

Quite happy. Very happy. Not quite happy - I'm very happy.

I'm stressed, but I smile. So...

..prettier with smile than stressy face.

Gaston, what do you think of stout?

Er, I don't drink beer, but I love in the food, so I guess it's better

for me that way than drinking it. So I'm quite happy.

So my dish is pigeon. So the start is a bit everywhere.

I have a reduction with my jus.

I also have celeriac puree made with stout. Hm.

I have a ketchup made of caramelised mushroom and starch reduction.

And I also have a filo pastry with pigeon, layered to bring some

crunch and also some beer with it. Nice.

I'm going to stay around this flavour of sweet,

a bit spicy and meaty and yeasty. Hm.

Man with a plan. Well, not...

Life doesn't go always as planned, but this is a competition,

so I'm trying to make the most of it.

Gaston is taking the pigeon breast off the crown.

He's cooking them just in the pan.

He wants to marinate the pigeon in the stout and he wants to

make sure that the flavour is all the way round.

Gaston is using the stout pretty much everywhere.

Everywhere.

So there's no hiding the fact that stout is the star of this dish.

But I hope he's thought of the balance

that everywhere you're going, it might all just taste the same.

25-year-old Nkosi has worked in fine dining throughout his career

and is currently a sous-chef at a landmark London hotel.

After a disastrous skills test, he won the judges over with

two technically ambitious, great-tasting signature dishes.

Honestly, after I finished the last challenge, I was just so eager

to come back and do it all again,

even though I was so tired.

But every time you enter the MasterChef kitchen,

you need to give 110%.

Like one mistake or one little mishap and then you're gone,

just like that. So I just know

I need to bring my A-game consistently.

Nkosi, how are you feeling about an invention test?

I don't really use stout, which is a bit shocking to me, but,

er, I've got quite a few ideas,

flavour combinations I've never tried.

But, obviously, freestyling it out. I'm excited.

And you're going vegetarian? Yes.

So I'm basically going to do like a celeriac roasted steak.

I'm going to vac-pack it with the stout, finish off in the oven

with pickled carrots. But also in the pickled liquid

for the carrots, I've got also some stout

and deep-fried parsnip crisps

with a kind of mustard, stout, mushroom sauce.

I can see you've got the stout,

I can see celeriac, carrots and a parsnip, but that's it.

Yeah, this is my style of cookery.

Like, three ingredients done well and see how far I go.

OK.

Nkosi is cooking celeriac steak.

I did like the way he was colouring the celeriac.

And then he was going to put it into a sous vide bag

to vacuum pack some stout into it with some herbs.

Sous-viding would just squeeze the liquid into the celeriac.

We've got some pickled carrots.

I just question whether or not you'll get the flavour of the stout

in the pickling liquid.

There's not a lot going on with Nkosi's dish here,

so I hope he manages to impart a lot of flavour

as well as texture into his plant-based dish.

Chefs, you are halfway through your cooking time

and I can smell all the stuff in the air.

It is exciting in here.

Currently junior sous-chef in a cafe restaurant,

26-year-old Chloe spent several seasons working in ski chalets

and Channel Island hotels.

She impressed from day one with an exceptional skills test

and two confidently executed and accomplished signature dishes.

I've had quite a bit of experience having to think on my feet.

Working in the Channel Islands,

we would only get fresh food from the boat once a week.

On a Sunday or Monday, you're trying to figure out what you can

put on a specials board. You've got to just think really fast

and be really effective.

Chloe is making dessert.

We've got a choux pastry ring.

There's a chocolate stout creme patisserie, which she's going to

put on the inside. We've got blackberries in stout,

which is cooking down.

I like the use of the blackberries to offset the bitterness.

We've also got a chocolate sauce that she's also added stout into.

Chocolate tends to be bitter.

Stout is bitter as well, so bringing the two together,

that could be a really nice combination.

She's certainly using stout in every single aspect,

apart from the choux pastry itself.

I'm not familiar with stout at all.

I don't drink it. But I think I've figured out how to use it.

Tried it? Yeah. I don't like it.

It's quite a unique flavour, isn't it? It is very, very unique.

But I used to be a pastry chef for around three years,

so I really want to showcase some of that skill to you.

Sous-chef Rohit grew up in New Delhi and originally came to the UK

to study computer engineering,

before falling in love with cooking.

After a shaky start, he won his place in the quarterfinal

with dishes that showcased the flavours of his childhood.

To me, this competition means everything, to be honest.

Coming to quarterfinals seems like a step closer to the victory,

so I'm going to give all the best I've got and we'll see from there.

Rohit, do you drink stout?

Yes, Chef. You do?

All I said is, "Do you drink?" and a big smile. Yeah!

Definitely drink stout. I can tell.

So I noticed you've got pigeon here. Yeah.

How is stout working its way into your dish?

So, basically, I'm going to use a stout with the spices,

which I'm going to glaze the breast with.

I'm going to make a sauce with the stout in it.

And then I'm going to confit some legs,

which will be folded with the pancetta.

And I'm doing parsnip puree and a roast parsnip.

What spices are you using in the dish, then?

The fennel, the coriander and the Chinese five-spice

to give it that sweetness. OK.

Oh, and there's a pigeon dish right behind you, as well.

Oh, yes. This is pigeon day, today. It's a pigeon-off.

Yes, Chef.

Rohit is also doing pigeon.

I like that he's making a glaze using the stout.

It's got herbs inside of it.

He's searing it off, making it nice and golden

and lots of butter all over it.

We've also got a little bit of spice in this dish, as well,

which I was hoping was going to get some spice, because I think spice

would work really well with stout.

Stout sauce - he's reducing it down, of course. He understands

that the bitterness is there.

As long as there's enough of it and we can taste it, that's what counts.

Right, chefs, ten minutes.

Let's go. Let's get some food on those plates.

I am liking the look of those, Chloe. Me, too.

Mm-mm.

Er, I'm just a bit worried about my ice cream not being set.

Why did I do dessert?

Parsnip. We've got carrots. Where's your celeriac?

It's in the oven, roasting - just to get a bit more

intense flavour through it.

So far, so good.

Right, chefs, you've got five minutes left.

HE SIGHS

Yeah, you need to get a move on - you've got less than 60 seconds, OK?

Yes, Chef.

Right, chefs. That's it. Stop cooking.

My brother. Nice on, man.

I don't like stout. Me neither. Neither do I.

I had to dig. I had to dig deep.

CHLOE LAUGHS

First up is private chef Gaston,

who has used the stout in a pigeon dish.

Pigeon breast cooked in bittersweet stout and raisin sauce

with stout, mushroom and sourdough ketchup,

caramelised celeriac and stout puree,

pigeon offal and stout filo-pastry tuiles

and a pigeon and stout jus.

The pigeon is pink. I wouldn't want it any more cooked than that.

It's lovely. The sauce - you've got the stout in there

and I like the sweetness of the raisins

that cuts through that bitterness.

It works very well.

I like the idea of the filo -

brushing that with the liver and some fat.

You have great ideas, Gaston.

I like the flavours of stout that you put

through your pigeon dish. Thank you, Monica.

I think you've really embraced stout in your dish.

You've done it on the glaze that goes on the pigeon.

Obviously, it's in your celeriac

and is, without doubt, sitting in the back of the sauce.

Ketchup's really, really good.

It's actually got a little bit of texture to it.

So I'm very happy with this.

Thank you so much.

I decided to push the stout to the maximum level I could.

Why, every time I'm in front of them,

I feel like I'm going to pass out? Hmm.

I feel like I'm a lad, I'm going to go to the pub

and drink some stout, now.

Sous-chef Nkosi is serving a stout-infused roasted celeriac steak

topped with a panko orange-zest and pine-nut crumb,

carrots pickled in a stout liqueur

and parsnip crisps,

with the mash made from the crumb and celeriac trimmings,

and a mustard, mushroom and stout cream sauce.

Everything's beautifully cooked. Your crisps are really good.

Celeriac is well cooked.

The sauce, out of all of the places that you put the stout,

is where it really does work well.

There's a little touch of bitterness on the background there,

but not too much.

I think there's room here for more stout.

I just feel it's not strong enough in the flavour

that we were really looking for,

especially with the celeriac.

Your celeriac at the bottom -

I just think maybe you could have made it thicker.

You're calling it a steak.

That's like thinner than a schnitzel.

I can taste some of the stout, but I agree with Marcus -

it could take so much more.

Really pleased you used the trimmings

to make this mash on the side with some of the crumb in it,

and I like the pickling.

I just think there's so much more that was on those tables

that you could have brought

and really punch it with more stout flavour.

I see the critiques in where I could have had more flavours of the stout,

and I kind of wish I did, maybe added a bit more of the liquid,

or maybe just implemented like another technique of the stout

being introduced. But, overall, I'm actually happy.

Sous-chef Rohit is serving pigeon breast

with a stout, fennel-seed, coriander and Chinese five-spice glaze,

roasted parsnip topped with bacon,

confit pigeon leg and stout crumble,

parsnip puree,

and a pigeon and stout jus.

Rohit, the pigeon is perfectly cooked.

Lovely. But if you didn't know there's stout in there,

you wouldn't think there was anything on there.

The sauce is really nicely made.

It's got a lovely shine to it,

but there's only a slight hint of stout - that little bitterness.

I love, love, love, love the little crumb with the confited legs

and some of the bacon running through it. But just more -

give me more of the stout.

Love the pigeon cookery. I like the way you cooked it on the bone.

Lovely touch of spice in there, as well.

Parsnip puree is delicious.

The little garnish on top of the parsnip is delicious.

The sauce is delicious.

I think there's a little bit more room for the stout, especially

on the glaze of the pigeon.

But, having said that, it's a lovely dish.

Thank you, Chef.

As a plate of food-wise, it was really nice.

But as a stout-wise, it was missing a bit.

So from my side, I've done my best.

It just depends.

Junior sous-chef Chloe has used the stout in a dessert.

A choux pastry ring with a craquelin chocolate-dough topping

filled with stout and chocolate creme patissiere,

stout Chantilly cream,

with a stout and blackberry compote

and stout-macerated blackberries,

finished with a stout and dark chocolate sauce.

Chloe, really like the choux pastry cooking.

You've got stout in the compote in the bottom,

in your chocolate creme pat,

it's in your sauce, but it's all quite subtle

and I think it needs to be like that when it's in a dessert.

I really like it.

Your cookery of the choux is excellent. The little crunchy

chocolate topping on top, and, of course, a lovely chocolate

sauce with that little hint of stout flavour in the background.

And I love the little berry in there, too.

It sort of needs that fruitiness to break down the powerful flavours

of the chocolate and the stout working together.

It's a very well-made, accomplished dessert

and you've certainly ticked the box of stout.

Thank you, Chef. Well done. Thank you.

Pastry work is definitely risky in any round,

especially in an invention test.

Smashed it. Well done.

But I think it really paid off.

Finally, it's head chef Gareth, who has also made a dessert.

Stout caramel under a milk chocolate and stout cremeux set cream

topped with crumbled buckwheat cake,

salted peanut brittle

and a stout ice cream.

Is it supposed to look like this?

No, Chef. No.

Things didn't set in time the way I would like them to set,

but I'm happy with how they all taste together.

OK. Well, let's see.

If the cremeux had been set,

you'd have hit the nail right on the head with this.

The flavour of the of the stout,

without a doubt, is working in this dish.

The ice cream tastes of it, the caramel tastes of it,

the cremeux's got it in there

and, of course, the buckwheat as well. Good effort.

Your ice cream with the stout is delightful.

And I like that that's not overly sweet.

The caramel is sweet, but when you get the bitterness

of the stout, it cuts through it.

Shame about your presentation,

but I love that you can taste all the stout throughout.

The judges' feedback was exactly what I thought it would be.

I'm happy with how everything tasted -

it's just a case of not having enough time to set everything.

Some great results during this invention test.

I love the flavours that we got from the stouts.

I thought, overall, great standard from our chefs.

Who's your favourite chef? I thought Chloe did so well.

Choux pastry.

And then, of course, the stout in that creme pat

and the chocolate sauce - just brilliant.

Chloe, for me, deserves to go through. Hm.

I'm going to throw a name out there. Gaston.

I absolutely loved his pigeon dish. Um, it was beautiful, clever.

Loved the little glaze he put on top.

Sauce was very, very good and, of course, that lovely celery puree.

I agree. He should be through.

Gareth. His cremeux just wasn't quite set enough.

But when it comes to stout, it certainly had that in abundance.

The bitter chocolate with the stout

and then, in the ice cream, delightful.

The stout singing through this dessert. Hm.

Nkosi - plant-based dish.

Very nice. Sauce was delicious.

There just wasn't enough stout for me.

Nkosi didn't hit the brief.

We wanted stout, but it was just shy of that.

Rohit. Beautiful skill on display.

Beautifully cooked pigeon.

But I just thought he could have been braver because everything

on the plate was wonderful -

just screaming out, "More stout."

Who do we want to cook for our critics?

If I was to go home today, I would be a little bit disappointed

that I didn't showcase the brief.

So there's little things where I could have elevated it.

I don't know if I've done enough to go through today, but

I'm happy with what I've done

and if I do go through, that would be amazing.

If I move for the next step, then I have to show them that

I'm not going to hold back and I'm just going to go all in.

Chefs, welcome back.

It was a fantastic cook-off. You put everything into the kitchen.

It was great. Well done.

But, as you know, we can only take four chefs through

to cook for the critics

and, sadly, we are going to have to lose one of you.

The chef leaving the competition is...

..Nkosi.

Nkosi, thank you very much.

It was very, very tight margins, but thank you.

Yeah, I'm feeling a bit mixed emotions.

But, I mean, overall, I think I did the best I could.

Never tasted stout, don't drink it,

I don't really like it like that.

You win some you lose some.

That's how the game goes, you know what I mean?

It is what it is.

Congratulations, you four. You now get to cook for our critics.

You've got to be ready. They won't miss a trick.

Well done, guys. OTHERS: Oh! ROHIT: Well done, chefs.

Chefs, welcome to your critics round.

It is, without doubt, one of the toughest rounds

of this competition, so you've got to make it count.

Today, you are cooking for some of the best critics in the country -

Leyla Kazim, Jay Rayner

and William Sitwell.

You'll be fine. Just cook at your best.

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

to knockout week, which means one of you will be leaving us.

One hour and 15 minutes -

two courses for our critics.

Off you go.

It's a pretty big day. I've got a lot of work to do,

early doors. I need everything on sort of five minutes ago.

I think the fact that I've done fairly well in the competition,

so far, is just feeding my passion for being a chef.

It's just really driving home the fact that, like,

this is what I'm meant to be doing. Like, I'm meant to be here.

Chloe, looking very busy already.

I'm making some pan-seared scallops with a corn, mezcal

and tomatillo salsa.

We have home-made tortilla chips and avocado puree.

Mezcal? Mezcal is like a smoky tequila.

Sort of like a tequila on steroids.

Strong? Strong.

I had two very close friends on the Channel Islands

and, yeah, they're really, really good cooks,

they love Mexican food.

So this dish is in honour of them and what they taught me.

And then I'm doing a pork loin with a soy and celeriac puree,

apple and miso ketchup and a pork jus.

Wow. Your two dishes, Chloe, have you practised them?

My mum's kitchen was a mess.

I had pans outside in the garden

cos I ran out of space

and I had to fight the dog off.

Chloe's dishes are a little bit different.

We're seeing a different side to her cookery.

Scallops with salsa, tortilla chips. I love the sound of that.

Salsa-based dishes,

heat and chillies -

scallop is a perfect accompaniment.

Chloe's using tomatillos in her salsa.

These are green tomatoes.

These are going to bring a real sharpness to it.

As well as tequila.

She had me at tequila.

No, no, she had me at the scallops.

Chloe's main course is pork.

She's trimmed it up beautifully,

and she's rolled it up to make sure it holds its form.

She's got a beautiful layer of fat that she's kept on there.

Pork loin tends to be actually quite lean,

and you have to be very careful

that it doesn't dry out when you cook it.

Apple and miso ketchup - really interesting.

Good umami. We know fruit goes with pork,

but just beefing that ketchup up

with a little bit of miso paste is a fabulous idea.

I'm really excited to cook for the critics.

This is the time where I can show

what I've got and how far I've come in my journey.

Rohit. Yes, Chef. How are you feeling?

I just need to calm the nerves a bit down.

I've never cooked for any food critic before. OK.

What are you cooking, Rohit?

For the starters, I'm doing textures of asparagus with a microwave

sponge with lemon juice in it.

What? Did you just say microwave sponge?

Yeah.

Rohit's starters is textures of asparagus,

so charred asparagus, where you getting that almost

barbecue-esque style flavour.

Asparagus cream is about retaining the beautiful essence of asparagus.

And we've also got his asparagus salsa.

That's where the lemon juice and the hazelnuts

will come into the equation.

And the REAL interesting point about this asparagus dish

is the microwave lemon sponge.

We're talking about a lemon cake with asparagus on a starter.

There's certainly going to be a point of difference.

The main course is going to be confit monkfish

rolled in a celeriac ash.

Then I've got a monkfish mousse and a pickled celeriac millefeuille.

Rohit has got beautiful monkfish here.

He's going to confit it

and he's making an ash from the trimmings of celeriac.

You cook them until they go completely black.

So it has this bitterness.

He's then going to roll the fish in it.

That's going to look quite dramatic.

Rohit is then making a monkfish mousse.

He's got celeriac, which he's pickling and he's using it as layers

like a millefeuille, piping the mousse in between it.

And then he said he's going to steam it.

I love the sound of that.

When you say the word mousse,

you're looking for a soft, delicate flavour.

It's got to be light and smooth and delicious.

I actually quite like the way your dishes are sounding.

It's just very different to what we've seen from you, so far.

When I came here after finishing my engineering, I...

The first kitchen I entered was an Italian kitchen.

So, like, a lot of lemons and asparagus and hazelnuts -

they use a lot in Italy.

It's very close to my heart. So if I'm not cooking Indian,

I'll definitely be cooking Italian, for sure.

Do you know what they say about Italian cuisine?

Keep it simple. Yes, Chef.

That doesn't sound like your two dishes to me.

I am burning calories for my summer body.

Cooking for the critics, oh, my God, it triggers so much

insecurity and fear of rejection. But this is the competition,

I'm a chef, we are here for feedback,

so this is what's important.

Today, I have an exciting dish for them, so I'm looking forward

to know what they think.

Gaston, how are you? I am feeling OK.

A bit more stressed than usual.

I went for risky, so I'm making a pie'scargot -

a shepherd's pie made with snails.

Nice! Oh. It's very camp. It's very me.

It's... It's the union of France and United Kingdom.

Oh, that's a great idea. Sounds great.

I know snails is not the favourite protein for everybody, but I think

we underestimate how much snails is a good substitute for protein,

because it's having the lowest impact on the footprint

with the CO2. Snails for everyone.

First course - pie escargot.

It's a take on the great British shepherd's pie,

which I think sounds fabulous.

Snails is actually having a lack of flavour, so we have to make sure

that we flavour the sauce, we bring flavour to the snails.

It's quite chewy. That's why, to not provoke the critics, I will chop

the snails so it's not too intense for them when they eat that.

I just... I just hope it's going to work.

Not everyone is going to be a fan of snails.

For me, they need to be sauteed off.

It needs a bit of crispiness in it.

I don't like it when they're just too soft.

They can have a slimy texture if they're not cooked through.

OK.

I'm confident so far, so let's keep this smooth.

Gaston's main course - hake fillet.

Hake is a very underrated fish,

but if you overcook it, it will flake apart.

He's got to make sure it holds together.

Gaston has also got stuffed cabbage. Inside the cabbage,

we've got the belly of the hake,

we've got more cabbage, some white wine,

and it's just all cooked together and then formed into a ball,

which will be wonderful.

And just to finish the dish, we've got a beurre blanc finished

with a little bit of caviar roe and a touch of dill oil.

Sounds exquisite.

So I've just got my lamb cooking now, because that's

going to take time and, to be honest with you,

it'd be pretty embarrassing going back to Wales

if I mess up some lamb.

I think this round's now a fresh start for me.

I want to go forward, push on and show them

that I really can cook.

Even though there's three other great chefs here,

I really want to stand out from the crowd and I really want to...

I really want to nail this.

Today, Chef, I'm serving you a raw, hand-dived scallop

dressed with elderflower vinegar,

served with an ajo blanco

and seasoned with the scallop roe itself.

And I've also got some compressed apple going through there, too.

OK. It screams of summertime and the seaside.

Followed by? Well, I wouldn't be a Welshman without serving you lamb

at some point, Chef. So I'm serving you a cannon of lamb,

a carrot-top salsa verde

with a lamb-fat braised carrot.

And then on the side you're going to get my take on a shepherd's pie.

Oh! Two takes on shepherd's pie.

This is using produce that's amazing in my local area

and I'd really like to showcase that.

How are you feeling knowing you've got those three critics

waiting to try your food?

Jay Rayner daunts me, but he put out a review of Cardiff

a couple of years ago, saying the best place to eat in Cardiff

was the fast-food joint on the train to Bristol.

I'm here to show him he's wrong. Wow. Can I say something?

Don't mention that when you go in there. Yeah. No, no.

I might not.

Gareth is starting off with a lovely scallop dish.

It's almost like a ceviche.

He's going to cure it in a bit of elderflower vinegar,

a bit of oil. He's got apple running through this dish.

He's dicing it up and folding it through the raw scallop.

Apple works great with scallop.

And, of course, on the other side, you've got the ajo blanco.

Beautiful, cold Spanish soup -

white soup - that's got garlic, almond and bread running through.

It will be a combination that will definitely work, as long

as Gareth hits all the right notes of seasoning and preparation.

His main course - he wants to show off more of Wales, he says,

so he's doing Welsh lamb.

Lamb's got to be beautifully seared,

the fat rendered down

and, of course, rested.

Lamb-fat carrot. What is there not to love about that?

He's going to be finishing that with a little bit

of black garlic and we've also got a little bit of goat curd.

Fantastic.

This is a once-in-a-career opportunity

and now I'm not letting myself down.

The name of this competition is MasterChef: The Professionals,

and that's what I'm looking for - professionalism.

These contestants have done stuff in kitchens for a long time

and now they need to serve up something

that will knock my proverbial socks off.

I want to see something new.

As ever, I don't want to be experimented on unsuccessfully.

You know the scene from that excellent film Ratatouille,

when the critic is served a plate of food

that allows him to time travel

to a different moment in his life

because he's so overwhelmed with emotion?

That is what I want today.

Cheers. Cheers.

Chloe, ten minutes before your first course. How's it looking?

Sauce is done. Puree's done. Tortillas?

Got to deep fry. OK.

And then cook scallops and I'm done.

Don't lose track of time, OK? Yes, Chef.

So Chloe is starting with a distinct Mexican vibe.

To me, the most important thing are those scallops.

You want them seared on all sides, a little bit translucent inside.

Chloe, you've got three minutes to go. How are we looking?

OK. Scallops are having a nice little rest.

I wish I could.

The tomatillo salsa with mezcal -

that will be a nice bit of vibrancy.

I want some heat from that salsa.

Are you pleased? Yeah. It's really good, really zingy.

We are good to go.

Deep breath. Look 'em in the eye. Show no fear.

Yes, Chef. Thank you.

Hi. Hey! Afternoon.

Afternoon.

Today, I've cooked for you some pan-seared scallops

with a corn, tomatillo and mezcal salsa,

home-made tortilla chips and avocado puree.

Please enjoy. CRITICS: Thank you. See you soon.

Thanks.

So the key thing with the scallop dish is -

has the cook done justice to the scallops?

And she absolutely has. They're just a little translucent inside,

they're crisp and crusty on the outside.

The tortilla chips she has made herself

and there's a good flavour to them.

I really like this.

There isn't enough power in the salsa.

I'm getting a little bit of lime, a little bit of coriander.

I just don't think it's singing.

The thing I do like is that avocado puree.

There's a real nice acidity to it.

But if I'm reading a menu that is screaming Mexican,

I want real bright zing,

probably a little bit of heat. But she kind of didn't get

to that final destination.

But, otherwise, it's a really good effort.

MONICA: My scallop, perfectly cooked with the spices around it.

The salsa has got a sharpness.

It's just missing a little bit more heat

of that wonderful alcohol that she's used.

I like that. Fresh avocado with zing.

Of course, that little tortilla chip.

I think it's a lovely little starter.

Chloe, 15 minutes for your main course.

Don't leave it too long before you get that meat in the pan, though.

Yes, Chef. All right, good luck.

JAY: My main issue with this is pork loin

is a dull cut, which may explain

why there are three big-fisted sauces sitting on this plate.

Celeriac puree, there's an apple and miso ketchup

and there's a pork jus.

How are we looking? We're OK. Yeah?

Just want to make sure everything's tasty.

I don't think I've ever had miso with apple before.

So this I'm excited for.

What this dish needs is something to bring it together, to unify.

You've got two minutes left.

A lot is resting on that pork jus, for me.

Breathe. Breathe.

Happy?

Yeah. I'd best move before I change my mind.

OK, go. Cool.

Hello, again.

Thank you.

So, for your main course, I've cooked for you a pork loin

with a celeriac and soy puree,

apple and miso ketchup,

some crispy shallots and grilled spring onions with a pork jus.

Please enjoy. CRITICS: Thank you. Thank you. Cheers.

The pork is tough,

but she's got some nice things on here.

I really like the celeriac puree.

The flavour of celeriac is really coming through.

Chloe could market that apple and miso ketchup.

Delicious.

Crispy onions are always a delight.

Look, there's nothing intrinsically wrong about anything on this dish.

My pork is actually nice. There's a nice bit of fat on it.

A really lovely, rich, wet pork jus.

But if you're going to come into MasterChef,

you've got to throw your biggest, boldest ideas at the plate.

You've got to be a bit more ambitious.

I think the cooking of the pork is nice.

The purees are lovely and smooth.

What I'm finding is the things I wanted to taste -

the miso, the soy running through that -

they're just a bit shy on the plate.

It's a lovely dish, it's beautifully cooked.

Chloe's just shy of hitting the mark of, like, yummy-yummy factor.

Emotionally, I feel a bit drained.

I feel like I need a nap, a shower,

and, yeah, I kind of feel like I need a drink.

Rohit. Yes, Chef. You've got 15 minutes before your first course

needs to be served. Are you going to be on time?

Just on time, Chef. Just on time.

You've got to admire someone who says,

"I'm going to do asparagus three ways and serve it with a pudding."

I'm not sure I've had a lemon sponge in a savoury dish before.

Sorry, I cut myself.

Can I get a plaster, please?

Is it bad? It's not stopping?

I think the stress took over, so I just, I think,

took that little bit tip off.

Just hold it tight.

Is he OK? Bless him.

We have to stop the clock, but this could knock his confidence.

That looks like a pretty nasty cut.

Are you going to be able to carry on?

I think yes, Chef, I'll be able to carry on. OK.

You've still got seven minutes left to go, OK? Yes, Chef.

Failed. What's wrong? Didn't work.

The sponge - it just didn't rise.

OK, well, if that's not working, put it to one side.

Let's crack on, let's do something, let's get some food out.

LEYLA: I like that Rohit is taking a seasonal ingredient -

asparagus - and showcasing it.

I mean, it sounds good to me.

And this is your salsa? Yes, Chef.

The asparagus.

Almost there? Yes, Chef.

That's it, Chef. All right. Good luck. Thank you.

Hi. Good afternoon. Hi.

Hey.

Rohit's starter is textures of asparagus -

asparagus cream, pan-roasted asparagus spears,

and asparagus-stem salsa with toasted hazelnuts,

with tardivo radicchio

and a hazelnut gastrique sweet-and-sour sauce.

I didn't serve the lemon sponge because I wasn't happy,

so I didn't put it on the plate. I hope you enjoy your dish.

CRITICS: Thank you. Thank you.

Well, Rohit didn't get the lemon sponge on the plate

and it's one of those situations where I'm going to say jolly good,

because this looks like a very attractive little salad.

This has actually delivered exactly what I had hoped.

Crunchy with these little hints of acidity

and the sprightliness of that beautiful seasonal asparagus.

It's joyful and I'm probably going to finish it.

And then there's this sweetness of the hazelnut -

it's actually really delicious.

In fact, I'm really glad it's not what he promised.

This is a much simpler offering, really.

The char on the asparagus is great.

The puree underneath is great.

It's a really, really interesting summer salad.

I don't think this dish would be any better

with a sponge on it, if I'm honest.

It's got savoury notes, it's got bitter notes,

it's got the sweet notes.

It's a fabulous, colourful, flavoursome salad.

Main course.

Are you going to be on time for this?

Maybe five minutes more.

WILLIAM: It's quite hard to know really, what's going on here,

except the fact there's a bit of fish, there's a bit of celeriac

and there's some sauce.

The key thing is the confit monkfish rolled in celeriac ash.

When you're burning your vegetables and rolling your fish in it,

all that's on trend.

I'm not entirely sure how a fish and celeriac millefeuille

is going to turn out, but I'm kind of getting a little bit excited,

which is a good sign.

He just has to deliver this plate and then we're going to find out

what the hell we're in for.

Rohit? Yes, Chef? Time's up.

What's going on? Another three, four minutes

and I've got everything ready, ca marche.

What have you got left to do?

I just need to put the sauce in the jug, Chef.

Go, go. Yes, Chef.

Hi. Sorry for the delay.

For today, I've cooked for you guys

confit monkfish with celeriac ash on top,

with the celeriac and monkfish millefeuille

and crispy celeriac,

and a monkfish butter sauce with salsa verde components in there.

Thank you.

Rohit seems like a lovely man and he's literally bled for us,

but the monkfish I've got is raw in the middle.

And then there's this sauce which...

Oh! Tang of the docks. Oh, dear.

It's a shame, because his starter was fantastic.

The fish is inedible.

It's as if it's been sort of stamped on by someone who's got tarmac

on the underside of their foot.

The millefeuille has a kind of tired, fishy mousse

in the middle of some rather rubbery celeriac.

Interestingly, my favourite thing was the sauce.

It's got a real tang to it,

but this dish totally hasn't delivered.

Hmm. Ah.

Fish is not cooked. I really don't like the ash on the outside -

actually tastes like coal. I'm not enjoying this dish at all.

I'm disappointed for Rohit because that nip on the finger has

really put him out and it shows.

I'm not even proud at all with the dishes I served.

It could have been better, for sure.

Things didn't go the way they were supposed to.

Gaston, you've got 15 minutes before your first course.

Are you going to be ready on time? Yes, Chef. Super.

So Gaston's starter - a "pie'scargot".

I am a huge fan of snails.

They're a brilliant vehicle for other flavours.

I hope it works.

I strongly worry that it won't.

There's potato in here, but Gaston is delivering it as a foam.

I don't know, when I read potato, I just want potato.

We'll see how that goes.

Oh, my God, I stress so much now.

You're fine. Looks good, smells great.

Thank you so much.

Ready. Ready?

Is it here, right? Yes.

MONICA LAUGHS

Hello.

Please enjoy the pie'scargot.

It's my version of the shepherd's pie

made with escargot - snails - with mushroom, parsley, garlic and mint.

This is the baby of France and United Kingdom together.

Hope you enjoy. CRITICS: Thank you.

I love the fact that there are loads of snails in it.

There's a butteriness to them and this lovely fluffy potato,

slightly torched on the top, is great.

It's a sublime piece of culinary engineering

and execution, and I love it.

The use of the mushrooms in the ragout is clever.

It means that you're not overwhelmed by snail, but you're still getting

a thick, profound ragout in there.

If you meet anyone who says they think they don't like snails,

serve them this

and I'm pretty sure you could change their minds.

I love how generous Gaston was with the amount

of snails under there.

His potato over the top is so light, so delicate.

It's a fabulous dish. It tastes superb.

Absolutely brilliant.

What have you got left to do?

I need to make sure my fish is cooked, finish my cabbage,

make sure my stuffing is cooked but not overcooked.

I need to finish my fume beurre blanc. In 15 minutes?

Yes. No choice.

I like the sound of Gaston's main. Hake is a lovely fish.

Poaching it is a good idea.

You've got to be delicate.

Dried-out, overcooked fish is not a pretty sight.

MONICA: You've got five minutes so you can put it on there gently.

Yes. Take your time.

All eyes on that roe beurre blanc, which I'm looking forward to -

like a salty, buttery, lovely sauce.

I like my sauce to be generous and not too rich.

And I'm ready to go. Let's go. Thank you so much.

Et voila. Merci. Merci, au revoir!

Voila.

For his main course, Gaston is serving poached hake,

cabbage stuffed with the hake belly, peas and breadcrumbs,

and a salmon roe beurre blanc split with dill oil.

I really put all my love and all my energy into these dishes.

Er, I put my creativity.

At least confident that this plate represents me.

JAY: Mm. Looks gorgeous.

I want to marry it. You've only just met.

Yeah, I know.

I just want to know what they say. I just want to know.

It is a masterclass in fish cookery.

The poaching of this piece of hake spectacular, beautifully seasoned.

And then that beurre blanc,

which is everything that a classical sauce should be.

This is why I put a nice shirt on

and get in the car and come to the MasterChef kitchen.

It's for this kind of dish.

I love that he's got cabbage here and he's stuffed it with the fish.

The flavour is incredible.

Excellent work, Gaston.

It's just a really phenomenal dish. It's...

It doesn't get better than this.

Oh, my God, are we unanimous?

The fish so perfectly cooked.

Just translucent. The cabbage -

what a star.

These two courses from Gaston have been absolutely sublime.

Gareth, you've got a few minutes left.

How's your scallop dish looking?

Yeah, I'm really happy with it. Under control, it looks like?

So far, Chef. Nice.

LEYLA: We've got another scallops on the menu.

What's interesting here is there are a couple of quite sweet things.

We've got apple and grapes,

and scallops themselves have an inherent sweetness,

so I'm slightly worried that that will be lost.

The ajo blanco, though -

pokey, garlicky, nutty sauce.

That could go very well with all these other things.

And what's that?

This is the dried scallop roe to season it all.

Ready to go, Chef. OK, off you go.

Thank you very much.

So, today, I'm serving you a raw hand-dived scallop

dressed with elderflower vinegar, some compressed apple,

some fresh grapes, ajo blanco and some rock samphire.

Enjoy. Thank you.

I really like this. It's really interesting.

You've got this wonderful milky sauce kind of

caressing the raw scallop,

and then tiny bit of acidity from the apple,

slight sweetness in the grape.

In a world full of noise and chaos,

I think there's something rather fabulous about it.

As a whole, I'm not sure the dish is quite working for me.

It's all just a bit one note and I needed something else to lift it.

On balance, I think it's very brave to come into a cooking competition

and do something so subtle.

I think this is a clever idea, well executed.

Such a delicate way to use this beautiful scallop,

and then just enhanced with the grapes, the apple.

The ajo blanco is fabulous.

You've got garlic, you've got bread, you've got almonds

running through this. I could eat a whole bowlful.

A shame we have to share, sometimes.

JAY: Gareth's main with the cannon of lamb -

I hope there is still a little fat on it

and it's allowed to be crisp and the meat itself is medium rare.

How's it looking? I'm not going to lie to you, Chef,

my lamb's a touch over for my liking, but it should be OK.

So what have you put across the carrot there?

So there you've got my black garlic gel and also my goat's curd, Chef.

Salsa verde using carrot tops.

So nice to see someone using carrot tops, not just giving them

to the compost heap.

What I love is that he's just very casually added a shepherd's pie

at the end of the whole description.

So I feel like we're maybe going to get like a double hit

of great things.

Pies are ready. Lamb on, sauce on, and I can go.

Right, Gareth, looking good, off you go.

Well done, Gareth. Thank you very much, Chef.

Gareth's main course is cannon of lamb

with carrot-top salsa verde,

lamb-fat carrot with black garlic gel and goat's curd,

lamb jus,

and a shepherd's pie topped with potato puffs.

You know, the lamb, it's delicious.

It's perfectly done. It's pink.

And the salsa verde made with the carrot tops,

it's joyful. You've got the gravy, which is a really deep,

delicious jus.

One of my favourite things on it is the carrot.

And because it's been cooked in the lamb fat,

with the tang from that curd

and then a little bit of sweetness from the black garlic,

I could have a whole bag of carrots cooked like that.

And then this - this little darling.

Shepherd's pie with a frothy top

and a ragout which is deep and unctuous and rich.

Everything here has been done brilliantly.

Lamb is beautifully cooked.

Black garlic and goat's curd on the carrots is fabulous.

The lamb sauce brings it together.

Great cooking from Gareth.

HE EXHALES SHARPLY

The pressure always brings out the best in me,

and I think it brought out the best in me today.

I definitely think I did well. I was proud today, though.

What a day in the kitchen - full of drama.

Ups and downs here and there,

but overall we had some really good dishes.

Well, well, well.

Ah.

Gaston had a great day in the kitchen.

I didn't think I'd say that a shepherd's pie made from snails

would be as good as the real thing,

but it was absolutely fabulous.

Followed up by the hake dish.

Delicious. Loved it.

Gaston - my favourite chef of the day.

Gareth. Two great dishes, beautiful lamb cookery.

Really enjoyed that. Gareth's scallop dish -

great confidence showing throughout. Faultless.

So we're agreed, Marcus - Gaston and Gareth both

go through to knockout week. Absolutely.

Chloe's starter, I thought, was really good.

The scallops were beautifully cooked. But I think we both

would have enjoyed maybe a little bit more heat,

a little bit more chilli in that salsa.

Chloe's main course - our pork was OK.

I just felt that she could have done a bit more with the miso

and a bit more of the soy.

Rohit. The starter - different textures of asparagus.

It was delicious.

Main course, monkfish - wasn't cooked enough.

The millefeuille, the texture wasn't nice,

the flavour wasn't good.

I feel for Rohit because I think once he cut his finger,

he never really recovered.

If I'm being honest, I don't think I'm going to stay.

But if I stay, it's going to be a bonus, for sure.

I think I did what I could have done.

CHLOE: God, it would mean so much if I made it to the final 12.

It's like, yeah, that would be so cool.

Chefs, cooking for the critics -

one of the toughest days in the MasterChef kitchen.

It wasn't without fault, but, I have to say, that was some

cracking cooking on show today.

But, as you know, we can only take three chefs

through to knockout week.

The chef leaving the competition is...

..Rohit.

We know you had a bit of a rough day today,

but it's been great having you in the MasterChef kitchen.

It's the end of the road. Thank you, Chef. Thank you.

All the best, Rohit. Good luck, guys. Thank you. Take care.

I'm definitely proud of making it to quarterfinals

and cooking for food critics.

Been a proper, like, milestone in my life,

so definitely I've got more to achieve in my life

and go more upward and onwards.

Chefs, congratulations. You're our first three chefs

through to knockout week. Well done, guys. Well done.

We made it!

Ooh!

I could only dream to get this far. I can't... I can't believe it.

This is... Being in the final 12 is massive.

Today was tough. It was gruelling,

but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I'm just so happy to be here.

What a day. What a day, for sure.

I'm so grateful, and this is just setting up the bar

for the next challenge. It's going to be hard, for sure,

but we're going to be here and fight for it.

Next time, four new hopefuls...

Hi, guys.

Chef, you're impressive.

..fight for their place...

Oh.

Is that burnt? You can smell that from here.

..in the quarterfinal.

Unfortunately, that's not going to be edible.

This is a bowl of delight.