All language subtitles for masterchef.australia.s15e44.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm

NARRATOR: Previously on
MasterChef Australia...

..Cath and Declan were in
a prickly situation.

JOCK: Bring us a dish that
is a fiesta, not a siesta.

They fought for the final spot
in tonight's immunity cook.

ANDY: Declan, that is where it's at.
You've done it really, really well.

Then the Three Amigos
cooked with cactus

to win a secret advantage.

Got bloody prickly pears in me.
Oh, no!

Hopefully all those needles
aren't in the dish.

Loved the presentation.

The little pops of
the strawberry cactus

was a really smart way to use it.

Brent, congratulations.
Good job.

Thank you.

Tonight...
THEO: Wow.

..a location like this...

DECLAN: Wow!

..can only mean an epic battle
for immunity.

(ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC)

BRENT: Wow!
THEO: God.

RHIANNON: I wonder how old it is.

CATH: Yeah.

Oh, it's been an incredible week,

you know, touring around
my beautiful state of Victoria.

We've been to All Saints Estate,

we've been to Cactus Country,
which was way out of left field,

and, yeah, I've really
enjoyed myself this week.

DECLAN: It's huge!

This is where they make Grain Waves.

What about Vita-Weats?

Yeah. (LAUGHS)

I could make Vita-Weats today.

Oh, you can make Vita-Weats today,
Theo.

(LAUGHS)
I wonder what's inside.

BRENT: Oh, wow!
Oh!

Holy dooley!

Oh, what?!

Wow!
THEO: Wow.

BRENT: It's out of control,
the size of this place.

It's monstrous. Kind of reminds me
of Bunnings Warehouse, you know?

Us three tradies are in there

every weekend and during the week,
you know,

so I feel at home.

It actually feels like
it's never-ending.

RHIANNON: Oh, I'm getting puffed.

ANDY: Nearly there. Come on.

(THEO CHUCKLES)

Wow.
Alright.

Whoo! Jeez.

Hey, how cool is this?
It's awesome.

Welcome to the Stick Shed
here in Murtoa.

This is the only remaining
emergency grain store

and it was built in World War II.

It's a heritage-listed cultural icon.

This incredible structure
used to store

all types of locally grown grains.

It's over 200 metres long.
Wow.

And it's almost 20 metres high.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)
Oh, man!

And today it's where we will decide
which of you three...

..will become the first contestant
into Finals Week.

Whoa! Yep!

Theo, end of a big road trip.
How are you feeling?

Yeah, I'm excited.
This is an epic setting.

Reminds me of my dad's shed on the
farm that he keeps all his stuff in,

just, like, half the size, I reckon.

Oh!
Half the size.

Yeah.
That's a big shed.

Wow, big Greek shed.
It's not that big. (LAUGHS)

(CONTESTANTS AND JUDGES CHUCKLE)

Declan, I'm getting you didn't think
that you'd be top 5.

(LAUGHS) Absolutely not.

Even hearing that's
giving me goosebumps,

um, but, yeah, just seeing sort of
how I've evolved over time

and how much I've learned

and the knowledge
that I've grown on,

it's amazing

and I'll be able to carry that
with me throughout my life.

Nice.

Brent, man, you are literally
this far away from Finals Week.

Yeah.
Have you thought about that?

Yeah, look,
I think about it a little bit,

but it's still, you know, for me,
it's just next cook, next cook,

so I try not to get wrapped up
in going right down there,

but, yeah, I'd love to get to,
you know, Finals Week.

Well, gotta cook one good dish -
that's all it could take.

Yep.

Well, looking at that beautiful
but massive dining table down there,

you might have guessed
today's a Service Challenge.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity

to cook and dine
in this amazing space.

This service, it'll consist of
an entree, a main and a dessert.

Each of you,
you'll cook one of those courses.

Nice.

And your course must feature
one of the ingredients

underneath the cloth behind us.

Should we find out what they are?

Yeah, let's do it.
Yeah?

No surprises here.

It's grains.

CONTESTANTS: Ooh!

These are some of the ingredients
that were once stored here.

We've got chickpeas,
wheat, green lentils,

fava beans and pearl barley.

Now, Brent, yesterday,
you won a massive advantage.

Do you wanna hear what it is?
Yeah. Tell me.

You'll get first pick of both
which grain you have to feature

and which course you feature it in.

(RHIANNON AND CATH LAUGH)
Entree, main or dessert.

CATH: Good one.
That's a nice advantage.

You'll be picking dessert,
won't you?

Sure. Can't wait.

Go on, let's pick a grain first,
mate.

OK.
Wanna come and have a look?

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna
go with green lentils.

Already?
Yeah.

ANDY: Hoo! Straight in.
OK. Which course?

Entree, main or dessert?

I'm gonna go with entree.

Alright, Brent, so you're cooking
an entree featuring green lentils.

Yep.
So, they're off the table, guys.

Yep.

Declan, Theo,
to make the next choice,

I think it's about time we played

the old-fashioned
rock, paper, scissors, don't you?

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

Look, love a bit of
rock, paper, scissors.

As long as I don't get dessert,
I should be alright today.

I'm gonna go three
and then you guys go, OK?

Yeah.
One, two, three.

(GRUNTS)
(LAUGHS)

You picked rock.
Yeah.

You picked paper. You win.

So, Theo, you can either choose
which course you'd like to cook

or which grain
you would like to use.

Theo, what are you picking?

I'm gonna pick a main for my course.

Declan, that means you have dessert.
Yep.

But it also means that
you get to choose one.

What's it going to be, mate?

Um...
Remember, you're cooking dessert.

Yep. Um...

I am absolutely stumped.

Without a doubt, dessert
is gonna be the hardest course

to feature your grain in.

Like, it is a bit of a disaster.

I'm pretty stressed out.

I'm gonna go the pearl barley.

I feel like if I can somehow turn
this pearl barley into dessert,

I may be in with a chance.

Theo, the last choice
is yours, mate.

For main course,
what are you choosing?

Um...

I'll take chickpeas.

Alright, mate.

For today's Grain Service Challenge,

we have Brent on entree
with green lentils,

Theo on mains with chickpeas

and, Declan, you're on dessert
with pearl barley.

Each cook will have three hours

before the dishes need
to start leaving the pass.

The start time of each course
will be staggered, of course,

to allow for service
to flow smoothly.

Each of you will be feeding 25 diners
as well as the three of us.

Of course, you have access
to a fully stocked pantry

and the best course will win
the final immunity of the season,

securing your spot in finals week
and the top 4.

Oh, what a prize.
You all want that.

Oh, man. Come on, guys.

It's time to separate
the wheat from the chaff.

Good luck, Brent.
Your three hours starts now.

(ALL CHEER)

BRENT: I'm pumped.

This whole road trip,

it's all been leading up to
this Service Challenge,

so this is massive.

I would love to take the win today

and be the first person
into Finales Week.

I'm not gonna let these wallys win.

I've got the advantage,
I got to pick what I wanted

and I'm just gonna, you know,
put up a really delicious dish.

So, today, I'm doing, like,
a Sri Lankan dhal

and then I'm gonna have, like,

this flaky, hot-smoked rainbow trout
on top

with some beautiful fresh herbs
and then a nice little temper oil.

I know for a fact that
time is gonna be my enemy today.

I've got 25 hungry diners that
want to get their entree on time.

OK, let's get... Good.

Alright. Got them.

So, I'm gonna do 10.

I believe I'll get
about four people per one.

I know how delicious
a hot-smoked rainbow trout is,

but I also know
there's a lot of work

from butterflying it,
curing it and then smoking it.

I'm gonna do a quick dry cure on it.

I'm curing the rainbow trout
with salt and sugar,

which just draws out the moisture.

And then after they're cooked,

I've got a mammoth task
of getting all these bones out

and there is hundreds
in a rainbow trout,

so it's a fine line
between, you know,

it's delicious,
but there's a lot of work involved.

They'll just sit and cure
while I get onto the dhal.

I saw your face drop
when there was no hibachis, so...

(LAUGHS) Same as you, buddy.

RHIANNON: Go, Brentles!
You're looking good, buddy.

CATH: Brentles with the lentils.

Wow! Look where we are.
We're in The Stick Shed.

What a beautiful moment
in the kitchen.

It's just mind-blowing.
20 metres high.

We had a bit of a competition about
how many poles were in here.

I said 320,
but there's about 500-odd,

so just a beautiful historical site.

Looking good, Brentles.
Keep it up, buddy.

Come on.

JOCK: Brent!
ANDY: Entree.

What's the dish?

So, the dish is sort of
a Sri Lankan dhal...

OK.

..and then on top of that
will be a flaky smoked trout

and then I'll make a temper oil

with curry leaf and ginger
and garlic,

and zesty, herby salad
full of, you know, vibrance

to just lift everything up.

Sounds good.

If you can nail this, that's
a cracker of an idea, for sure,

and I think, you know, you've got
a mission on you with the fish.

Yeah.
Trout's got a lot of bones.

You're gonna have to
be really careful

because 25 diners out there
plus us three...

Yeah.

..every plate needs to be the same,
not one bone in any plate.

You just have to
get the trout right.

Yeah.

I'm excited. Can't wait.
Yeah, same.

Awesome. Thanks, guys.

Better be good, mate,
'cause big Theo's coming in.

Oh, I'm coming for you.

What's he doing? Lamb?

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

Brent, you've had 45 minutes,

which means, Theo,
your three hours starts now.

ANDY: Go, Theo!

Today I have got laser vision.
I know what I'm gonna cook.

I ended up picking chickpea

and I am cooking
the main dish today -

chickpea stew with
a slow-roasted lamb shank,

and it's gonna have
Moroccan vibes in it.

I'm going for something kind of like

what you would maybe serve
to the workers that were here,

but in a more refined way.

The first thing I'm starting on
is getting my chickpeas on,

getting that stew ticking away.

For the base, I've got my onions
with my garlic, carrots and celery,

and before I do that,
I'm gonna add all the spices.

I have literally every single spice
known to man in here.

I'm gonna build that flavour
that I want.

I wanna get this prep
knocked out so fast

that I have plenty of time to balance
and, you know, refine the dish.

That's the most important
thing today.

DECLAN: As I'm waiting to cook, I've
still got no idea what I'm gonna do.

Like, dessert and pearl barley.

Um, my mind is blank right now,

so I really need to come up
with something.

I'm like, "Alright, we're going to
start from ground zero."

Yeah, but that's alright.
Yeah.

Yeah, you've got this.
Oh...

Yeah.
Hope so.

Probably the most important cook
in the competition so far.

Yeah, it is.
Yeah, it is.

This is gonna be tough.
This is gonna be very, very tough.

Come on, Theo! Looking good, mate!
Come on, Theo! Come on, buddy!

Get that stew on!

So, you're just gonna get that on
and then get your shanks in?

Yeah, correct.
Yep. Nice.

You on track? You're just frying
your onions and stuff and spices?

I think so.

I think I'm on track, yeah.
Yeah.

So, the way I'm picturing this
Moroccan-inspired chickpea stew

is I want it to be more of
a thicker consistency

and give it a really rich flavour -

something that's really hearty
and heavy.

Yeah, Theo! Come on, mate.

Everything just needs to
work in harmony

and I think if I present it in a way

that doesn't look like
it's just a bowl of stew,

then I think I can get the win.

JOCK: Theo.
Hey, guys.

How are you, mate?
Yeah, good.

What's on the menu, mate?

We have Moroccan-inspired
chickpea stew with lamb shanks.

On or off the bone?
Off the bone, I'm thinking.

Good.

Just little flaky pieces
to go with the stew

because I don't want to overpower it.

I think that's great.
Talk to me about the chickpea stew.

Saucy number?

It's gonna be, like,
a jammy sort of number.

Jammy?
What's jammy mean?

Uh...

Is it a chicken stock
or is a tomato base? What is it?

It's a chicken stock.
Chicken stock base.

I don't want it to be,
like, just like a soup.

How are you gonna get that?

Because if you've just
got chicken stock, onions

and chickpeas in there...
Mm.

..it's not really gonna go,
from what I can gather,

what you want it to be.

If I just leave it as it is and
let it tick away for the whole time,

it's still gonna be a soupy stew,
which is not what I want.

Now I'm starting to
second-guess myself.

I don't know if it's gonna work.

If you've just got chicken stock,
onions and chickpeas in there,

it's not really gonna go
what you want it to be.

OK.

Uh, I'll have a think about it, then.

Hurry up.
OK.

I'm looking at
this Moroccan-inspired chickpea stew

and, you know,
if I just leave it as it is

and let it tick away
for the whole time,

it's still gonna be
a little bit of a soupy stew,

which is not what I want.

So, in my head, I'm thinking,
"What can I use to thicken this up?"

I'm looking in the pantry
for ideas and it hits me.

Oi! Something just fell.

What better thing to use
than the chickpeas themselves?

I'm gonna remove
some of my chickpeas,

I'm gonna blitz a few of them down
so that I can thicken up the sauce.

I'm adding them back in
and then I'm mixing it up

and then it's like this moment

where I see it change consistency
and it puts a smile on my face.

This is exactly where
I want this stew to go.

Mm. Really good.

Stole all the spices.
What did you take?

I'll bring it back.
Yeah, but what is it?

Turmeric.
OK.

He thinks I'm gonna give it back,
but, nah, not today.

So, two hours left.
My rainbow trout are curing.

So, now, darl, I'm onto the dhal.

This is familiar territory now,
so I'm just ripping in,

cutting up all the aromatics.

Look, the judges
are always telling me,

"Brent's punchy flavours,"

and that's what they're expecting
every cook now,

so this dhal
is very much my own take -

very heavy in curry leaves.

There's onion, tomato,
fenugreek, turmeric,

little bit of cardamom,
cumin and coriander.

When those ingredients
get together and party,

yeah, it's gonna be singing
with flavour.

So, yeah, I'll get that fish in
in the next five minutes.

I've got to wash the brine off.

I've got a good idea. I'm glad
of that and I know where I'm going.

What's on the bench over there?

Is that a smoking thing
on the bench?

RHIANNON: Yeah.

DECLAN: Look at that. Looks amazing.

Declan, you've been waiting a while.

Yeah.

But your three hours, mate,
she starts now.

Come on!

Waiting for my turn,
it's been real stressful.

Let's see what I can do here.

I really want to have that pearl
barley shine through in the dessert.

Sugar, coconut milk and my aromat.

(MUTTERS INDISTINCTLY)

So, I've been trying to think

where grain has featured in a dessert
throughout my life.

Let's have a little look
at what I can do here.

I've had plenty of rice puddings
growing up as a kid

and I'm just sort of
going down that route.

(TIMER BEEPS)

Rice is a grain,
pearl barley is a grain,

so if I can somehow turn this
pearl barley into the rice pudding

that I remember eating growing up,

I may be able to create a dish
that's gonna wow the judges.

The trickiest part of this dish

is getting that consistency
of the pearl barley pudding.

You know, you don't want
to overcook it

and it be too gluggy and coagulated
in the pudding.

You don't want to undercook it and
get, like, a nutty crunchiness to it.

So, hopefully I can pull it off.

Boom.

JOCK: Declan.
Andy, Jock, how are you?

Good, mate.
What's cooking?

I've got a pearl barley pudding...
Yeah.

..with a fresh salsa on top.

Kind of like you would with
a sago pudding or a rice pudding.

Exactly, tapioca puddings, exactly.
OK.

The concept of the pudding
sounds great.

Yep.

How long are you gonna cook
the barley for?

What texture are you going for?

I still want there to be
a bit of bite in that barley.

I know you want a bit of bite,

but it still stays quite savoury
until it releases.

OK.

You definitely need to make sure
it releases.

What Andy's trying to say,
and I agree with,

is the consistency, it needs to be
the way a rice pudding is.

Yep.

Yeah.
Mate!

Yeah.

Who'd have thought, mate...
I know.

..that getting into Finals Week...
Yeah.

..could come down to you
making a dessert?

That's it.
Out of pearl barley.

Out of pearl barley.

This is a weird
but could-be-wonderful dessert

and the consistency
and the texture of the barley

is gonna be the most important part
of this dish,

so I need to pull off
the cook on that perfectly.

Hey, Deccy.
Yeah, what have you got for me, mate?

You just be careful
with your dessert,

you don't give 'em all
'barley' belly.

(LAUGHS)

JOCK: Things are heating up in here.

Brent, you've only got
one hour till service.

Let's go.

Look, I'm getting there.

My dhal's in the pot,
simmering away.

A fair bit to do.

I've still got to get
my temper ready

and then start
my little salsa on top.

Alright.

I check on the trout.

I can see the edges are starting
to sort of look opaque

and just a little bit set,

but in the middle, it's still raw.

It's gonna need another 10 minutes.

Yeah, look, the fish, I still
need to pull the bones out,

pull off the skin,
get it into portions,

so, yeah, I'm gonna be pushing it.

RHIANNON: Smells good.

It's got all those smells, hasn't it?

Yeah, all the smells.
Yeah, yeah.

The good part about being in
such a rustic environment

is that I'm inspired to cook
some rustic food,

and this is definitely my sort of
style of food, which I love.

So, I've got my chickpea stew
ticking away.

The flavours are absolutely peaking
and this is exactly what I want.

I'm just browning off my meat
for my lamb shanks

and I'm gonna get them
in the pressure cooker right now.

As I'm searing off my lamb,
I can smell the aromas.

I've also got some spices
toasting off in a pan.

Everything's going into
these pressure cookers

'cause I'm packing in that flavour
like the judges want.

OK. Cool.

(EXHALES)

(TIMER BEEPS)

Finally, the timer goes off.

I pull the trout out.
I'm a little bit nervous.

But it is perfect.

Concentration level right now
is through the roof.

I just can't have bones
through this trout

and the bones are sort of
not really...

Oh, there it is there.
Swapped sides.

Brent, fish cooked?
Oh, they look good, mate.

ANDY: Yeah, that looks epic.
What about the bones?

Yep, I have to
get all the bones out.

You're gonna have to
watch your time with this

'cause it's gonna suck the time.

You've got about 20...
Less than 20 minutes to go.

You've got to start looking at
finishing your dhal,

balancing your little temper.

Yep.

This is such a good dish.
Yep.

It's just down to the trout
and the time.

Yep. Thanks.

Oh, my God.

I know I've got so much to do,

but the worst thing is
a bone in a fish.

It'll wreck the experience.

RHIANNON: Go, Brentles!
CATH: Come on, Brent. Let's go.

So, yeah,
time is my enemy right now.

ANDY: Oh, this is gonna
blow things up.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS CALL OUT
OVER EACH OTHER)

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

DECLAN: So, I've had my pearl barley
bubbling away

with a bit of cinnamon
and some star anise.

Now I'm adding the coconut milk

to start building
that rice pudding consistency.

I'm thinking it should take
about 45 minutes until it's cooked.

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

And I'll be serving the pudding
with a salsa element.

Plummies, plummies, plums.

I think, for a fresh element,

the plums, it's got
that sour tartness to it

that could go well in this salsa

with maybe some of the peach.

That might work.

I'm thinking, "How else
can I elevate this dish?"

So, I'm gonna make a dashi syrup

with some dried shiitake mushrooms
and palm sugar...

Ooh! Dashi water!

..to give that depth of umami
to the salsa.

Alright.

There is a lot going on
in this tiny dish,

but I think it's all gonna
come together well.

THEO: How you going, Deccy?

Yeah, it's coming along, mate.

Who would have thought?
Barley in a dessert.

I'm surprised that you didn't do
a fish for dessert, to be honest.

(CHUCKLES)

I've got my Moroccan-inspired
chickpea stew ticking away,

my lamb shanks are in
the pressure cooker

and I'm making a flatbread as well.

What I'm gonna do, I've got
some really beautiful flour here

and I'm gonna be adding
some fenugreek seeds

and then some preserved lemon,

which is gonna add just an element
of freshness to the bread as well

which is gonna be really nice,

and then serve some lemon rind on it
to just elevate it a fair bit,

so it's gonna be nice.

I want it to be
the spice factory today.

In the back of my mind,
I'm thinking,

"Flavour, flavour, flavour,"

and I'm packing it
in every single element

so that there's never
a dull moment in this dish.

Can't afford to take my foot off
the accelerator, that is for sure,

but if I keep this pace up,
I'm good.

Look lively, fellas,
because your diners are arriving.

CATH: Come on, Brent! Come on, mate!
RHIANNON: Come on!

It looks stunning.
It looks so glossy and beautiful.

BRENT: So, it's almost time
for service.

I've finally finished
deboning these rainbow trout.

Just needs pepper.

Right now, I've got so much to do.

Uh, yeah, just mayhem
trying to get everything done.

I've still got to balance that,
get my temper ready.

OK, that needs salt.

My temper oil will help really
bring out the spice in the dhal.

The mushrooms,
chilli and the mustard,

they're gonna add
another layer of umami.

It's just gonna take
just a little bit longer,

but it'll be all worth it.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Service starts in 10...

ALL: 9, 8, 7, 6,

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Let's go, mate.

(PEOPLE CHEER AND CLAP)

DECLAN: Time for entree service

and I'm looking over at Brent
and he's running a bit behind

and he really looks a bit
under the pump over there.

Right now, I am going like

a one-armed bricklayer.

I am absolutely hammering.

I'm tasting, tasting, seasoning.

So, this, you know, really needs to
be in the face of the judges,

flavour galore.

The dhal with the temper,
it tastes good,

but it's almost just missing
that final thing

to just elevate it massively,

so I'm making
a last-minute vinaigrette

just to give
that final little kick of acidity.

Mmm. Mmm. Wow.

So, I've just let 'em wait
a little bit longer.

I really wanted to get that balance.

Those extra little things,
it's better off doing that

and being just a touch late.

Everything's done.
It is now plating time.

I'm laying a couple of spoonfuls
of that dhal

down in that bottom as that base,

the beautiful smoked rainbow trout
with those zesty herbs through it,

that goes on top,

and then that vinaigrette so every
spoonful is dhal, trout, vinaigrette.

Mwah! Delicious.

Aye-aye, service, please.

MELISSA: Thank you.
JOCK: Thank you.

Thank you.

Our entree from Brent -

Sri Lankan dhal
with hot-smoked rainbow trout

and tempered oil.

Smells nice.

Smokiness.
It does. It smells stunning.

As you can see by my empty bowl,
I rather enjoyed that.

The dhal,
let's talk about that first.

He's taken a lot of care
in both this level of spice

and also the blend of spices
that he's used.

There isn't any one that
particularly sticks its nose out

more than the other.

Consequently,
it is a beautiful foundation

for that hot-smoked trout
that he's done,

which is cooked
absolutely beautifully.

Stunning, delicate, fall-apart,
lightly smoked trout.

He's dressed it with this temper

which almost sort of uplifted
the smokiness in the fish

and tied beautifully in
along with the dhal.

This is an excellent dish.
It's a dish of elegant complexity.

The spices are playing
so beautifully together.

There's a really lovely harmony
about what's going on there.

And what I love is this was light,
it was refreshing,

and it was a really personal take

on some very familiar flavours
and textures

as only Brent can do.

I think this has shown Brent's
maturity in cooking.

He knows when to
just drive the flavour,

but then he knows when to pull back.

How he treated that fish
was exceptional.

The cook on it, the smoke on it,
the quick brine on it - unreal.

I think he did extraordinarily well.
Mm.

RHIANNON: Come on, Theo!
CATH: Yeah, come on, buddy!

It smells beautiful!

THEO: I can see Brent's dishes
are going out.

I am so close to serving my food.

He didn't give me the turmeric back.

I was worried in the beginning

about getting this Moroccan-inspired
chickpea stew to the right thickness,

but it is exactly
how I want it to be.

Tastes so good!

So, the moment of truth. I've got to
have a look at these lamb shanks.

(STEAM HISSES)

The smell - bang! - hits me.

The shanks are, like, perfect.

Oh. Yeah, that's punchy.

This is a hearty stew.

You've got another
hearty meat on top of that,

so now I'm gonna add some freshness
to really lift this dish,

so I'm mixing parsley, mint,
some preserved lemon.

That'll add some brightness to this
dish because that's what it needs.

ANDY: How's it looking?

Yeah, good.
Yeah?

And then I'm just gonna
load that on top.

OK. What have you got in here?
Mint, parsley and preserved lemon.

I just picked up a handful.
Yeah.

No preserved lemon.
Yeah, OK.

Rethink this so that in every bite,

you'll be able to taste
each component.

Yep.

I think this dish hangs on
the seasoning of that

and how this comes together.

Yep.

My herb salad's not working,
so I've got to try and fix it,

but I am running out of time.

This is not where I wanna be.

I just picked up a handful.
Yeah.

No preserved lemon.
Yeah.

Rethink this.
OK.

I think this dish hangs on
the seasoning of that

and how this comes together.

OK. Thanks, mate. Cheers.

I'm looking at the clock.
I am running out of time.

I need to dig deep and think
and think fast.

OK. Now...

This dish needs a fresh element,

so, you know, I've already got
this beautifully chopped salad

and I don't want to waste it,
so I decided to make it into

more of a salsa,
more of a chimichurri sort of vibe.

So, I'm now adding some oil,
adding loads of lemon,

so it's gonna be, you know,
really nice and punchy

when hits your palate,

instead of being kind of like
just, like, herbs going in, so...

It's like this...this slap of lemon,

the mint, the parsley,

and it's gonna be perfect
for this dish.

Mmm, yum.

Service, please.

Hoo!

The last plates have gone out
and it's a big relief.

Holy dooley.

That was massive.
Big push. Big tin shed.

Yeah, I'm so relieved.

I'd be lying if I said that,
you know,

I didn't come back
to this competition

to, you know, show that I'm strong
and I can make it all the way.

You know, that's the end goal,

so hopefully today,
you know, catapults me into it.

DECLAN: So, I'm ticking off
my elements.

My peach and plum salsa with
the dashi syrup is ready for service.

This is gonna go in the fridge.

Alright, toasted caramel.

And just to elevate my dish
as much as I can,

I'm incorporating toasted barley
into my caramel

so that pearl barley flavour
is front and centre.

Yeah, that's more than
enough caramel now.

I check on my pearl barley
for the pudding,

but it's still not soft.

I've really got to keep working on
this barley cook.

This is the make or break it
for the dish.

I thought max 45 minutes,
so, yeah, it's crazy.

Just add coconut milk.
I'm going to add one more cup.

This pearl barley has been cooking
for nearly two hours.

I'm starting to worry that
it may not cook in time.

You know, I just want
this coconut milk to reduce down

and soak into those barley pearls.

RHIANNON: Come on, guys!
CATH: Come on, let's go!

Looking good, guys!

THEO: Now it's time to plate up.

Mmm!

I'm putting a ladle of
my chickpea stew on the bottom,

my flaked lamb on top of that.

I hit it with a little bit of
that beautiful liquid reduction

that the lamb shanks
have been cooking in.

I then put that salsa verde on top,

dot some yoghurt all around.

I add my flatbread.

(CHUCKLES)

This is exactly the way
I wanted it to look.

Service, please.

Thanks. Thanks, guys.

JOCK: Thank you.

Well, well, well.

MELISSA: Well,
here's our main from Theo.

Chickpea and lamb stew,

spiced flatbread and yoghurt.

Wow.

Can I just say,
how good does this smell?

Yeah, unbelievable.
Doesn't it?

Yeah, I'm dying to get into this.
Looks epic.

This is it. He did it.

The chickpeas, again,
are the star of the show.

The spice of the cinnamon
and the cumin

and the smoked paprika
that he talked about

are just singing in the background.

The lamb. Like, can you
cook a shank better than that?

No.

Just pulling it and then elegantly,
you know, placing it over the top

of that beautiful chickpea stew.

Yeah.

And I'm so glad
he got to where he did

with the herb kind of preserved
lemon sauce, because, you know,

it gives it the freshness,
it gives it the zing that it needs.

And then flatbread. You know,
we knew that that was gonna be...

(LAUGHS)

Folding some fenugreek
through the dough

has really just linked it
to that chickpea stew.

Look, it's
an extraordinary plate of food

when the chickpeas are
the star of the show

and lamb, which is almost always
the crowning glory on a plate,

is second fiddle,

because the stew itself
is extraordinary.

He's evolved this into a dish

that really speaks to
the authenticity

of who Theo is becoming as a cook

and it's truly wonderful.

Amazing. This is a dish
fitting of this room.

If you think, the chickpeas,
they were cooking until...

Just then.
Just then.

(LAUGHS)

So, you know, his choice
to leave them just ticking over

until just the right moment,
that's the entire cook.

He didn't lose his bottle.
He just kept going.

And then he chose to actually get
the sauce from the lamb shanks

back in a pan
and reduce it even further.

He then used it to fold in together
all the shredded lamb.

For me, this was
the genius part about it.

That move there meant that
the lamb didn't disappear

into the chickpea stew.

And then, you know,

this sort of parsley,
preserved lemon sort of guy

that he's just put
a little bit of that in -

delicious.

What a day to do it.

How you going, Theo?
THEO: Good, mate.

Getting it out on time?
Yep.

Good stuff, brother.

Maybe another 15 minutes on this

so I get that texture of the barley
that I'm after.

I am up next
and this pearl barley pudding

is taking a lot longer
to soften up than I thought.

Far out.

It's still not ready.

The texture that I'm going to
finish with on the barley

is the most important part
of this dish.

I'm aiming for the consistency of
that rice pudding I had as a kid.

I'm not gonna know till the final
minutes if this has worked out,

so that is a bit stressful

because if it isn't right,
it's too late to fix the dish.

Stream full episodes of
MasterChef Australia now on 10 play.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

THEO: How many have I done?
I don't know. Service, please.

Thank you, guys. Thank you so much.

Oh! Man, that was, uh...
That was intense.

(STIRRING MUSIC)

Like, it just sort of hit me,
you know, top 5,

everything I've done,

all the love, all the blood, sweat
is in that dish today,

and I'm so proud of it.

DECLAN: Cream, caramel, whisk.

All my elements are pretty much done.

I've just been waiting for
my pearl barley to soften up.

Um, look, I think
it's been about two hours.

Stressing out big-time.

Finally, it's cooked.

It's all sort of moulded together
by the beautiful coconut milk.

I wanted this barley to still have
a bit of texture to it,

like, a little bit of chew.

It's soft, but it's definitely
got texture to it

and the coconut cream and barley
are as one,

so I just hope when I present it,
it's everything that I was hoping.

Now's the moment of truth.

First up for service, I get my pearl
barley pudding in a nice circle.

And then I'm adding a spoonful
of that fresh plum salsa...

..with some more dashi sugar syrup
around the outside.

A little bit of this.

And then I'm finishing it off,

sprinkling over some toasted barley
and coconut flakes with it.

So, um, we'll go up to the diner,
we'll place it down

and it's just a rich, thick caramel

and we'll just go back and forth.

Alright, thanks, guys.

As these plates are going out
off the pass,

I'm happy they're leaving...

..and that I featured that pearl
barley not only in the pudding,

but in that caramel sauce.

I do like the taste of it,

but, like, it's quite unusual,

so I hope that the judges
and all the diners will enjoy it.

Hello!

Thank you.

Our dessert from Declan -
pearl barley coconut pudding,

peach and plum salsa
and pearl barley caramel.

Look at the colour on it.

I have to say

that is a sensational dessert.

So good.
Wow.

The cook on the pearl barley
in the pudding is excellent.

He stirred that pot
every two minutes for three hours

and if he hadn't, it would have
burned in, what, two minutes?

Yep.

There's then the right amount
of that salsa been put on top of it

and some of the juices from the salsa
pooled around the outside.

I think what he's been very clever
to do, though,

is actually accentuate
more of the pearl barley

through this amazing caramel.

It is roasty, toasty,
nutty pearl barley

in comparison to the luxurious,
velvety, coconut-y version

that we see in the pudding.

May I say, this looks beautiful.
It looks unreal.

It looks pretty good.
Yeah.

I'm so happy for him.

This is a perfect symphony
of flavours going on.

There's this deep, savoury, rich,
decadent quality about this dessert,

but it's still refreshing
and therefore perfect.

You're tasting the mint,
you're tasting the lime,

the coconut, the plum.

It's all there.

There is just so much complexity
and it's all discernible,

but together it's just
a magical bite of food.

It's insanely good.

I feel like
Declan's whole competition

has kind of led him
to this dessert right here.

He's been the guy who's super
laidback, you know, loves a joke,

doesn't like to
take anything too serious,

never really lets on
how much he wants it,

but I really feel like
as soon as he got dessert today,

it was game on.

Yeah.
You know?

He knew it was gonna be a challenge.

He knew that he wanted to do,
you know, our surroundings justice.

Um, and I think he really just drew
a line in the sand and said,

"I wanna win this."

Alright, service, please. Last two.

How good is that? I'm done.

It was bloody exhausting.

I didn't really know what to do when
I got given dessert and barley,

but I knew I had to make it work

and I'm really proud of
what I put together.

This has given me
a great amount of confidence

if I were to make it
into that Finals Week.

Wow, wow, wow!
(LAUGHS)

What a meal!

Three amazing dishes
and what a fitting place as well

for them to produce the best food
that they've ever produced

in this competition.

Yeah, they really did
these grains justice.

They're battle-ready for
Finals Week, all three of them,

but we have to pick one.

(CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC)

Well, what better way
to round off our road trip -

with a once-in-a-lifetime meal
in a truly spectacular location.

This building that was built
to house grains

became the setting to celebrate them

and celebrate them you did.

All three of you
really stepped it up today.

Picking the winner today
was so challenging,

but it's the kind of challenge
that we love,

so we'll start with entree.

Brent, you got to choose
your grain and course

and you used that advantage
to great effect.

Your trout was expertly cooked,
as were the lentils,

and the spice mix
was masterfully balanced.

But your last-minute vinaigrette

was the star of the show.

It took the dish from good to great.

Thank you.

Well done.
BOTH: Well done.

Over to the mains, and, Theo...

..your chickpea stew was flawless

and it was the star of the show,

which was surprising
because the lamb was so tender,

beautifully cooked
and full of flavour.

It was your best dish
in the competition so far

by a Victorian country mile!

(BOTH CHEER)

Well done.

Thanks, guys. Thank you.

Declan, you were really handed
the short end of the stick

by drawing dessert.

And creating a dessert that makes
pearl barley shine is no easy feat,

but we can't overstate
how impressive you were today.

You dedicated yourself to the task
and you smashed it out of the shed.

Thank you so much.

The pearl barley pudding
was luxurious,

the salsa was stunning,

but that caramel, it was complex,
it was interesting

and it was an intelligent expression
of pearl barley

in the most exciting way.

Thank you.

And what you brought us
was a perfect 10,

which is why, Declan,
congratulations, you're the winner!

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
You're kidding me!

Oh!

You're kidding me!

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

What a dessert!

Declan, you are the first contestant
into Finals Week

of MasterChef 2023.

(MELISSA, CATH AND RHIANNON CHEER)

(UPLIFTING MUSIC CONTINUES)

That was one helluva cook.

And getting dessert and barley
at the beginning of the day,

I didn't know what the hell
I was gonna do,

so I really had to switch on,

and I'm going up against,
like, such wonderful cooks,

like, the best cooks
in Australia right now.

Um, it's emotional, but I really
put those emotions behind me today

coming into the cook,

and I think that helped me
execute every element.

I think today, for us,
it was not the first time,

but it was the most obvious
that we've seen you switch on.

Yeah.

Like, as soon as
the challenge was set,

as soon as the time started,

you were zoned in.

And, come Sunday, mate, you'll be
sitting pretty up on the gantry

while the rest of these guys
battle it out

for the last three spots
in Finals Week.

Well done.
Well done, boys.

Well done, mate.

NARRATOR: Sunday night
on MasterChef Australia...

RHIANNON: I'm gonna fight for this

and I'm gonna get into Finals Week
straight up.

..it's a black-apron battle
for survival.

THEO: I've got a lot more
in the tank.

I feel like
I can go all the way.

Will it be
their final cook

in the MasterChef
kitchen...

MELISSA:
It needs to be

crowning glory
kind of stuff.

..or a ticket
into Finals Week?

CATH:
I'm not going down

without a fight,
I tell you.

BRENT: There's one
more secret weapon

up my sleeve.

This is the thing
that could send you home.

Captions by Red Bee Media