Original subtitles

SARAH: Excited to cook today? JAMIE: Very.

Yeah. It's good to be back. Pumped.

Definitely feel a little bit of pressure

walking into the kitchen today.

The competition is fierce at the moment.

Everyone is cooking at their best...

..because we know that the finish line is just around the corner.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

LAURA: Cloches. Oh, my God.

Good morning, everybody.

What do we have here?

POH: Morning, everyone. CONTESTANTS: Good morning.

This is your last shot at immunity for the week.

You're all fighting to join Callum in the top five.

Now, you all came back to win.

In saying that, we've organised

a little something to spur you on

from your biggest fans.

You can lift your cloches now.

Oh. So cute.

So pretty.

Each of you has been given a letter from home.

WOMAN: Aw!

BEN: Almost welling up just looking at the letter.

I know it's from my partner, Sandy.

You know, I wouldn't be here without her. It's as simple as that.

So, this is emotional. It's full-on.

Laura, would you like to do the honours?

LAURA: So, Max has written my letter from home today,

and I'm so excited to read it.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

"Dear Loz, what a journey."

Far out.

"I've had the opportunity to watch you navigate this challenge,

"not only as a contestant, but as a first-time mum,

"and the impossible task that you have made

"has almost seemed effortless.

"To say I'm proud of you would be an understatement.

"Our entire family is in awe of the person you are

"and the person you continue to be.

"I know that, although Florence is only just starting

"to understand her surroundings, she watches and admires you.

"Thinking back on all the food the experiences we have shared,

"I'm reminded of the warmth and the love you bring to every dish.

"So I leave you with this - cook with the values that you hold dear.

"Be bold. Leave nothing on the table.

"We love you with all our hearts. Max, Floss and Alf."

So sweet.

It's...it's really beautiful.

I think, sometimes, like,

you get caught up in life,

and you don't really have the opportunities

to tell someone you love so much how much they mean to you.

So to have that, I think it's really special.

Um...

..just all makes it so worth it.

Knowing how much everyone has sacrificed for me to be here,

it's the motivation I need at the right time.

Great.

This is most likely Jamie cries on the bingo card.

(LAUGHTER)

Clare wrote me the letter. She's my beautiful partner.

She knows how to get the best out of me,

and I'm very lucky to have her in my life.

"Hey, my darling.

"I've been thinking about what to say,

"but you really don't need a pep talk or advice.

"You just need to hear this - you've already done it...

"..the hard part, you've shown up.

"I think you're the most courageous person I know.

"There aren't many people brave enough

"to put themselves out there day after day,

"but you have, and I'm so bloody proud of you.

"You're a walking example of how to use this life

"we've been gifted to our kids.

"You're showing Amelie, Estelle and Arch

"that turning up matters, that working hard matters.

"Take a minute to enjoy this experience.

"We're all here cheering you on. We love you so much.

"Love you always, Clare."

Whew.

Just having it reiterated that showing up is the main point

and working hard is what it's all about,

and results will come.

I did need this one.

Knowing that their support at home is the only thing

that can keep you going

through this part of the competition.

Oh, my God, so cute.

SOFIA: Oh, it's very colourful.

I know.

I've got two handprints from each of my daughters

and these love heart stickers.

There's a little bit of mess. There's a little bit of colour.

This is home for me.

"Depinder, how far you have come.

"The cat is out of the bag. Apparently, you can cook."

(LAUGHS)

"You can no longer keep that secret.

"But I'm so glad you can do what you've always wanted -

"bring people together over a meal."

"Belonging to the generation

"that has one foot in both cultures, Indian and Australian...

"..you make me hopeful for our girls and the next generation who see this

"and feel empowered to pursue their dreams,

"just like you have.

"So whatever happens, you're our role model,

"and we stand with you.

"PS - You're lucky I could stop them with one hand print."

These are my daughters.

This is Meher's handprint, and this is Piri's.

Meher's got really nice, long hands.

Piri's got little stubby hands like her dad.

Cooking is an expression of love for me.

And the fam's just written this beautiful letter.

It's recalibrated why I'm here, what I'm here to do.

And it's just ignited more

of that fire in me that I need to get through this.

"Hi, Ben. Reading my handwriting is going to be your toughest

"challenge so far in the competition."

(LAUGHTER)

In one sentence, you can tell why you're meant to be together.

Yeah, yeah. (LAUGHTER)

"Um, anyway. Wow, what a ride.

"You're back in your element and absolutely owning it.

"You said you were going to put 110% into every cook,

"and that's exactly what you've done.

"You've made a big sacrifice to be away from home,

"and Layla and Lexi miss you immensely.

"But to be honest, mostly they're just thrilled

"and so proud of their dad.

"When I asked if they want Daddy to come home soon,

"the answer was, 'Not yet. We want him to win or to try and win.'

"I can't wait to have you home.

"The lawns are rather long..."

(LAUGHTER)

"..dinners are a bit dull, and the cats are glaring at me.

"But hang in there. Don't come home too soon.

"I love you. Sandy." Oh.

Ah.

"Dear Mum, here you are again, 'Back To Win'.

"You work so hard and put so much dedication

"into everything you do, so keep doing what you do best -

"keeping your head cool,

"your hair slicked back and your eyes on the prize.

"Never forget how much you mean to me.

"Love, Phoenix."

It's really special.

My gosh.

When we see you guys tearing around like daredevils,

it's really easy to forget that you're husbands, wives,

partners, mothers,

and it takes so much sacrifice.

We are so grateful, and we don't take it for granted.

Thank you all so much for sharing with us.

Without a doubt, family is one of the strongest motivators.

And today, yours needs to be the inspiration

for an immunity-winning dish.

We are looking for a connection to your family, through your food,

because the best kind of food is the food that's made from in here.

You'll have 75 minutes.

JAMIE: Wow.

Pantry and garden,

they are open today.

Whoever brings us the best dish will win immunity.

Are we ready?

Your 75 minutes starts now.

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

CALLUM: Go, Jamie, good pace. Go, Sar.

LAURA: That's called cutting someone off, Jamie.

JAMIE: It's called being faster than them.

I'm so overwhelmed with all the love,

the gratitude that I'm feeling for my family.

They're the ones that motivate me to cook better, to do better.

Um...

So, I'm thinking of all the dishes that I've done in the past,

something that they've all appreciated,

but there's a lot to choose from.

LAURA: You forget how heavy these things get.

SARAH: I know.

BEN: Knowing that support from home, Sandy and the kids,

it's just amazing.

So I'm thinking about how I can tell a story through a dish.

And growing up in New Zealand, it's very outdoors.

Lots of time by the sea with my dad, my mum.

We would often go fishing, and we'd often collect shellfish.

And so, immediately, I think I've got to cook those things.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

CALLUM: Go, Sar.

They're all here to win, and I hope that letter

was the thing that they needed to just give them that jolt

to the finish line. ANDY: Yeah. Perfect timing, right?

One of them's getting immunity.

One of them's going in the top five, and the other four,

they're going to have to do it the hard way in the elimination,

where they're up against some stiff competition.

So I think everyone is going to bring their A-game today.

Poh, if I was meeting you for the first time...

Yeah?

..what would you cook me that represents you and your family?

I think I would cook this taro dumpling.

It's filled with a yam bean and dried shrimp.

Why? Why that dish? In a broth.

Because it's one of my first memories of being able

to help in the kitchen.

And I just have this vision of Mum's side of the family,

all the women in a wet kitchen, outside,

squatting and making the dumplings together.

Cool. Yeah.

CALLUM: Lovely basket of produce there, Cheffy.

Thank you, Chef. And...

..I've got a car.

(LAUGHS)

Oh, mate. That's wicked. Thanks, Arch.

Love it. All the inspo you need.

Yeah, mate. (CHUCKLES)

My idea is spawning from family meal, backyard,

but elevated.

I'm in hospo, so my weekend is Monday, Tuesday.

So the kids come home from school on a Monday,

fire up the hibachi, cook a beautiful piece of steak.

And the one thing that I always get asked for is miso eggplant.

It's, like, everyone in the house's favourite thing to have.

It's something that I absolutely love.

My idea today is going to be transporting the judges

onto my back deck with a cheeky beer,

a beautifully cooked piece of meat and some perfect accompaniments.

I'm going to cook a beautiful piece of Wagyu.

I'm just going to make a really rich jus.

So, for me, today is about pared-back,

beautiful cooking done well.

It all starts with this - make delicious food.

Put it on the plate, tell a story.

Can I say something? LAURA: Yes.

Is that...? So that's your husband's handwriting?

Yeah. It's incredible. It's incre...

It's better than mine. He's very neat.

He's so neat. Wow. I'm impressed.

He's very neat with everything but housekeeping.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Max and I's love story can be summed up with one word,

and that is honestly 'food'.

We met when I was 19,

working at Orana for Jock,

surrounded by native Australian food.

And I think, for me, like, trying new dishes,

cooking together, going fishing, foraging for our own food,

like, that's where we have our most fun.

And I want to put that into a dish that would make him so proud.

I'm going to make a dish called Native Australian Summer.

Um, and for me, this is, um, a dish

that, um, is inspired by a trip that Max and I took with Florence

to the Northern Territory.

I just remember landing upon this native apple tree,

and the green ant nests almost exploding onto you.

It's so special being in such a sacred place.

So I'm going to make a dish that's all about that today,

and really capturing that moment that was so special,

and presenting it to the judges.

All the feels. (LAUGHS)

So on the bottom of this dessert,

I want to have a wattleseed puff pastry.

Then sitting on top of that,

I'm going to have a cinnamon myrtle creme patissiere.

And then on top of that,

I'm going to have a smoked-paperbark ice-cream

and cover that with green ants,

just to really transport the judges to that particular memory.

The first thing I crack onto is burning and smoking my paperbark.

CALLUM: Paperbark, Loz?

Yeah. Nice.

Smoked paperbark ice-cream.

I'm then going to infuse it into some milk

to really bring out a nice smoky flavour across the ice-cream.

I'm just making an absolute mess, but that's OK.

I'm just pulling little bits of everything I've learnt

along the way and putting that into this dish.

That's done.

Oh, it would be absolutely incredible to get top five today,

especially, um, you know, on a dish that does mean so much to me.

I came here to make it to the end. I came here to win.

And now that I'm this close...

..I feel like everything is riding on this dessert being perfect...

Come on, come on, come on.

..to be able to really show Max and Floss,

every single sacrifice you made is so worth it.

ANDY: 15 minutes down. You got one hour to go.

One hour to go!

Oh, thank you, Chef.

(LAUGHS) Sorry about that.

The fam's just written this beautiful letter.

And I think it's just re-centered everything for me.

So I think I'm gonna hone into my traditional cooking,

and I'm going to create a dish

that means a lot to both my husband and myself...

..which hopefully wows the judges today.

My husband and I both travelled a lot together after we got married,

and the one place that we went to and we fell in love with was Kerala.

They do this sadya, which is a beautiful feast

on a banana leaf, and it's, like, the most beautiful thing -

brings people together.

A sadya has got, like, 15, 20 dishes.

Obviously, I've got 75 minutes.

I can't do 15, 20 dishes,

but I'm going to try and nail at least six or seven of those.

We loved it so much

that the following year, for our anniversary,

we actually had the entire fam come over,

and we cooked 'em a sadya.

So, yeah,

it's a very-close-to-my-heart kind of a meal.

So, the elements of my sadya

are going to be Malabar fish curry,

beetroot curd rice,

sampuri,

pineapple curry,

uttapam, as well as an allam chutney.

Got no time to waste today.

Time is definitely going to be an issue,

so just working as fast as I can here.

Cooking is an expression of love for me.

And I'm going to use this love and support from the fam

as a superpower.

I'm going to try my hardest to win immunity today.

Winning immunity today will put me straight into the top five.

It's further than I've ever been in this competition.

I'm going to be channelling every bit of emotion and feeling

and, hopefully, it'll get me safe.

SOFIA: Holy moly! Lucky day.

I've just been fishing. (LAUGHS)

I wish. Yes, please.

Yeah.

So, thinking of family life, growing up in New Zealand,

my earliest memories are about doing things like fishing

and collecting shellfish with family.

It's something that's passed on.

I'm doing the same thing with my children.

I've just started teaching Lexi and Layla how to fish.

They've held the rod, they've even caught their own fish,

and they're into it.

You have a really good day fishing, you might catch a kingfish.

And also, the other, um, ingredients are all things

that we'd find in our garden at home.

So, it's a very humble dish.

CALLUM: Nice fish work, Benny.

Cheers, mate.

But it's going to be elevated to MasterChef standards

with my feelings for my family all mixed in with it.

Today, I'm going to make a pan-roasted kingfish with clams,

herb gnocchi, and a vermouth cream sauce.

Good dishes aren't good enough. They've got to be great dishes.

So, I'm just going to try to put my feelings

and emotions into this dish and make it really sing

of family and love.

Honestly, I feel like it was just this switch

in my brain to have this beautiful letter from my son.

In the competition,

I think it's a lot about where your head's at,

and that's definitely helped to get me back into the zone.

I have decided to cook a dish that brings together two

of my son's loves -

sausages on bread and yakitori.

We absolutely love the flavours of yakitori,

so I'm going to make my own kind of tare

that I'm going to glaze on my sausages,

so my boudin blanc,

and milk buns which I'm going to serve them with.

Yeah, just have a bit of fun with it.

It sounds like a really simple dish,

but this is not your typical sausage in bread.

This is highly technical.

My milk buns, they're a tricky type of bun to make in general,

so I really need to get them perfect.

And, um, there's a lot of kind of elements going on there with the sausage.

Boudin blanc is basically a sausage, but it has no encasing.

So, it's a really tricky technique to get right.

Honestly, um, I know that my son would devour this dish

if I pull it off.

I'm throwing everything at this one because, first of all,

I want to impress the judges.

But secondly, I want my son to be really proud of this dish.

She's working. Come on.

LAURA: I love basing dishes off memories

that I've made with my family.

So this dessert is all about landing upon this native

apple tree during this holiday

that Max and I had with Florence in the Northern Territory.

Whew!

So far, my smoked paperbark ice-cream

is in the churner, and I'm making my pastries.

CALLUM: Pastry, Loz? It's a wattleseed rough puff.

Nice.

Just obviously pressed for time with that.

And I now need to laminate this pastry

by folding it into a book, rolling it out,

until I've got four beautiful folds.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

I want those layers to replicate

the layers that a paperbark tree would have,

that they're so thin you could almost peel them back.

Yeah, we'll see.

I know I can get it done in this amount of time.

It's going to be an absolute push to the end,

but everything is on the line today,

and I think if today you're not pushing yourself,

you're not going to win immunity.

We want a dish from the heart. 40 minutes to go! Come on, everybody!

JAMIE: Alright, let's go.

DEPINDER: Getting salt, salt, salt, salt, salt, salt, salt!

Take this, I like this.

I've got so much to do for my sadya.

So I have to be cooking more than one element at any given time.

Oh, shit.

And I think that's the only way

to get through this cook and get everything done.

So far, my beetroot curd rice is done. It's chilling.

It's amazing.

My fish curry base is done, but I am feeling stressed

because there is still so much to do.

Where did the time go?

Depinder. Hey, guys.

What are you cooking?

So, my husband and I, about five years ago,

travelled to Kerala

and the one thing we had and we loved was the sadya,

which is kind of like a feast served on a banana leaf.

Tell us what... What are the dishes?

So on the sadya, I'm doing a Malabar fish curry.

I'm doing an allam chutney, which is a ginger-based chutney.

It's got a lot of flavour in it.

I'm doing beetroot curd rice, and I'm also going to do uttapam,

which is like a version of dosa.

So I'm going to do all of that.

And I'm also going to do, like, a pineapple curry on the side.

There's a lot there. My head's spinning.

There's a lot there. I know, I'm sorry.

This has to be your best curry, right? I hope so.

Your best group of curries! Yeah, I hope so.

And that's what it's going to take

because we've had some unbelievable curries.

Yeah.

So it's just got to be next level,

and you have to push yourself to the absolute limit. Yeah.

Like, everything needs to be perfect to get you that immunity spot.

Bring us something your biggest fans would love!

30 minutes to go! ANDY: Let's go!

(APPLAUSE)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow. Are you OK, Depinder?

Uh, yeah, I'm OK. I don't know.

I definitely feel the pressure because I've got 30 minutes to go,

and I'm making, like, six elements,

and I need to make sure every element

is executed to perfection.

I get really stressed when these guys say

that it has to be the best curry they've ever had,

because that just adds more pressure.

My curry's done. I just need to cook the fish really quickly

and move on to the uttapam.

Made them a couple of times before, and they're like

these really delicious savoury pancakes

with, um, like a little chutney topping,

which is like a dry chutney on top.

I still need to make pineapple curry,

my allam chutney.

But, yeah, hopefully it'll all come together.

Hopefully.

I've actually overcommitted in terms of

how many dishes I want to do for the judges today.

My family has made so many sacrifices,

so I'm committed to do every single one of them.

I've got to get on to this one now.

SARAH: OK, let's do this.

I'm really drawing on that beautiful message

from my son for this sausages in bread dish.

So far, my milk buns are looking great.

Move faster.

It's time to get these into the oven.

I've also blitzed together all of my chicken mixture.

So it's now time

to roll my chicken into the sausage shape.

CALLUM: Look at that. (WHISTLES)

Ha!

It looks great, Sarah. Thank you.

Like a Christmas bonbon!

(LAUGHS)

If there's any air bubbles, that's where steam will enter,

and there's going to be liquid that gets inside,

so it's really important that this stays tight and dry.

It's looking pretty good at the moment,

so potentially enough time, potentially.

JAMIE: Hey! So, what is it?

You have to drizzle salt like Japanese rain.

(LAUGHS)

Even though this is essentially steak and three veg,

I'm feeling really confident with my dish.

I've got my jus cooking away. The eggplants are roasting away.

Now I need to start concentrating on this piece of beef.

The steak smells incredible, Jamie...

It's looking good. ..on its own.

Looks delicious. I'll lower that.

I like pared-back food,

but I have to make sure that every single thing is perfect...

That's it.

..so that when it hits the judges' table, it is stunning.

It's going to be tasty, and I'm having fun cooking this.

I feel very comfortable. It's like I'm at home.

Are your potatoes nearly done, Benny? Almost, mate.

I don't need this one, I decided.

I'm cooking a really simple, honest seafood dish here,

but I've got a lot of things on the go -

mussels, clams and kingfish -

and they're all challenging to cook.

I've had a few missteps with seafood,

and so I'm just going to take care with it.

No beards in the mussels,

and make sure that the fish is perfectly cooked in the middle.

But I also need to make the gnocchi.

Go, Benny.

What I'm trying to get across with this dish is

all of the things can be taken from the sea

or harvested from your own garden.

So I'm going to put some tarragon,

some parsley and some chives in the gnocchi itself.

Good.

Cooking is really important in family life for me.

I love cooking with the kids.

KID: I love you!

It's something we do together.

And any of those feelings I can channel into my dish,

it's going to be really helpful.

It's looking pretty good.

You're not just back to win!

You're back to make your family proud!

15 minutes to go!

SOFIA: It's coming together.

I just look at all of these bowls, and it makes me really nervous.

Yeah, it makes me nervous, too. No bench space.

LAURA: There's just under 15 minutes to go

and my rough puff is in the oven.

Ice-cream is in the churner.

The next thing I need to crack onto

is making my cinnamon myrtle creme patissiere.

That was definitely good.

So I start by whisking together my eggs, sugar

and cornflour in one bowl,

while the milk is coming up to temperature

with lots of cinnamon myrtle,

just to really accentuate that cinnamon flavour.

With me, I am cooking at my best

when emotions and memories come into it,

so I'm really leaning in on that.

While that's bubbling away,

I'm looking at the ice-cream in the churner

and it's not really doing much.

It's not moving at a fast enough speed for my liking.

Oh, my God.

At the same time, I take a peek at my rough puff pastry...

Oh, sweet Jesus.

It's very blonde.

..and it is completely raw.

Loz, what's going on with your puff?

Um, it's very blonde, Poh. Very blonde, OK. Yeah.

Have you thought about

what you can do if it doesn't work out?

I... I... No!

I can't make another pastry in 14 minutes, Poh.

I've got raw pastry and unchurned ice-cream,

so I don't know how I'm going to present a dish

to the judges at this point.

And if I fail at today's challenge,

I almost feel like I'm failing Max and Florence.

Say a prayer to the gods, Callum.

This dessert, the Native Australian Summer,

is all about the full experience, from visuals to flavours,

so if one element is missing from this dish,

the whole dish does not make sense.

Far out. Alright, I think I'm gonna go churn.

My plan is almost like cross my fingers and toes that this sets.

(EXHALES)

But for this rough puff,

I need to pivot and think fast.

Not right now. (EXHALES)

This is the bark component of the dish...

..and if there's no bark, there's no dish.

MAN: Come on, everybody!

And my plan of action is to cut out some discs of pastry

and cook it in the pan with lots of butter

until it's super, super golden.

(SINGS) Why do I do this to myself?

Poh loves when her pastry is taken right to the edge,

and that's what I need to do today.

I need to make sure it's super caramelised

and cooked the whole way through.

I am praying to the pastry gods right now.

SARAH: I'm thinking to finish my boudin blanc on the hibachi,

because I want to give that sort of caramelisation,

that whole sausage vibe,

but time is just going so quickly.

Please push on. OK.

Come on, let's go. Yep.

BEN: 10 minutes to go, I'm trying to get this gnocchi perfect.

At the same time, I'm thinking

I've got the kingfish in the oven, it needs to come out.

I've got to plate up this whole thing,

this memory of my childhood and my kids' childhood

and make it look like it would just fly out at a restaurant...

..at a really good restaurant at that.

CALLUM: Come on, Jamie. Let's go, mate.

Looking good.

(WHISTLES)

Yeah, the beef looks beautiful, mate.

JAMIE: Moment of truth.

I slice through my beef,

and it's stunning.

Nice.

It's glistening.

It's exactly the texture and exactly the temperature that I want it.

I'm looking over

at the letter that was written by Clare,

I'm looking at my little car from Archie,

and all I'm thinking is that

I feel really comfortable in the kitchen today...

..because I've brought a little bit of home with me.

SOFIA: This is your path to top five,

and you have five minutes to go!

ANDY: Come on! (APPLAUSE)

Come on, Jamie!

SARAH: That's much better. Look at that bread.

Are you set, Lozzie?

DEPINDER: Where should I put this? JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Do you want a plate or something?

Yeah. What would you like? I'll get it for you.

Yeah, please, a plate. Just stay where you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The struggle is real over here because

I've got, like, six curries to plate up, plus breads and rice.

Everything is coming together. I don't know how.

I have put in so much love and care

and attention to detail in each of these elements,

I do not want to be missing out on any of them.

Hey! Now she's got colour.

Far out.

We're in the final moments of this cook.

I've just finished whipping my creme patissiere,

and my rough puff disc is perfectly caramelised...

It's everything I wanted. That is so good.

..and my ice-cream is churning up so beautifully.

Oh, that's better. CALLUM: Nice. Well done, mate.

So now, to finish the dish,

a really generous amount of green ants.

I think Max and Floss are definitely watching over me,

because I feel like I've honestly pulled off

one of the biggest miracles in this kitchen.

SOFIA: Keep pushing!

Time's up in 10...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one!

Well done, everybody!

BEN: Well done. Happy with that?

How about you? Not bad, not bad.

Oh, my God, Benny! Yum!

SARAH: Oh, good job. How did you go?

(LAUGHS) We did it. Yeah, we did it.

We made it. We made it.

ANDY: We asked you to make us feel connected to you

and your family through your food.

Let's see who's done that successfully

and secured immunity.

The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to Sarah.

(APPLAUSE)

SARAH: Definitely feeling the nerves

because there is so much that rides on today's cook,

but this dish represents who I am as a chef now and

a little piece of nostalgia, bringing my son into this dish,

and I hope that this is enough to get me across the line.

Sarah, tell us, what have you made?

So I've made sausages n' bread.

It is a shichimi togarashi-spiced boudin blanc,

with a tare glaze and a milk bun.

Sarah, what is the connection of this dish with your family?

So basically, I'm from a country town

and we grew up eating a lot of sausages on bread,

and obviously my son is obsessed with it.

He's a 14-year-old boy.

He loves eating that as well,

but he's got a bit more of a sophisticated palate,

and his favourite is to eat yakitori skewers.

So I wanted to kind of bring those two together.

Let's taste. Wow, look at that.

SOFIA: Cheers. Cheers. Heh!

Cheers, everyone. Cheers.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

(SNIFFS) Wow, the smell.

Sarah, it is a fantastic boudin blanc,

so well done on this one. SARAH: Thank you.

Because I tell you something, Sarah, even me, after all those years,

I still have a bit of recipe next to me

and trying to make sure I mix properly.

Managed to poach it properly, which is not easy.

Then take it out, make sure you glaze it.

That's a lot of work,

and this is perfection.

Wow. Well done.

I think you completely achieved what you set out to do today.

You're thinking of Phoenix,

and you're thinking of his voracious appetite,

but also his refined palate, particularly for a 14-year-old,

and that's what I'm feeling.

This has technique, this is delicious,

and I want more of them.

Check this out - mop marks!

I think that's a good sign. Well done.

Thank you. Well done.

Lovely work. Yeah, thanks.

Thanks.

LAURA: Well done.

Next dish we'd like to taste,

Depinder.

Thank you. Can you please help me?

Aww. With a little help from my friend.

The other way. You're on this side.

Thanks, Benny.

Thanks, Ben.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Look at this. POH: Wow.

Far out. Those colours look insane!

SOFIA: This is fluorescent.

What have you made, Depinder?

I've made you guys a sadya, which is a feast,

and it's served fresh on a banana leaf.

Your husband and your children, they believe in you so much.

Must make you feel pretty proud.

They definitely are my backbone.

(TEARFULLY) Like, my husband,

he's been the biggest backbone, like, for me.

I didn't think I would cry,

but, like, both the times that I came onto MasterChef,

I feel like he believed in me more than I believed in myself.

And during the 75 minutes,

there were a couple of times where I was like,

"I don't think I'm going to get everything done."

And then I just thought of those handprints.

I thought how he wrote, "We are PROUD of you,"

and the 'proud' was in, like, bold letters.

And I was like, "No, I'm going to keep going.

"If they're making such a big sacrifice,

"I'm just going to make every single element

"that I've decided to do and I'm going to execute it."

Wow.

Wow. Wow, it's...

Do you want to plate it up for us? Yeah.

Keen to see this.

Depinder, for you to take out immunity,

everything that's on this banana leaf has to be perfect.

Yeah.

Alright, I reckon squish up. Jean-Christophe, get in here. Alright.

Ah, Depinder,

the way that you've pushed yourself

to make us feel that connection with your family,

that's why this dish is perfect.

The dish itself,

the colours, like, it is unbelievably ridiculous.

The textures are beautiful.

The sweet-and-sour of the pineapple

versus kind of that tamarind-esque tomato fish curry,

and then this bread.

That's the best sponge ever!

Like, you just dunk that in there and there it goes,

does its thing and then away you go.

Wowie.

Depinder, look in my eyes.

Look in my eyes. I'm in tears. Aww.

It's unbelievable.

For me, it doesn't matter

how many dishes I've cooked in my life,

I've never experienced this, this multitude of flavours,

textures, colours.

It's looking perfect.

You can get the peanuts, the chilli, the tamarind.

You are fantastic.

You really demonstrate what cooking does,

and I really admire you and respect you,

and, once again, thank you for this experience.

Thank you.

This is the best possible outcome that I could have asked for.

I'm such a sook. Well done.

Oh, I'm feeling so good

that I could actually present a sadya to the judges.

Oh, babe. I know.

Alright, take us down memory lane, Jamie.

JAMIE: There's four things on this plate, plus the jus.

There's nowhere to hide.

But that's the kind of food that I love,

it's the kind of food I want to cook,

and it's what I want to show the judges.

Jamie, what have you cooked?

So I've done beef Wagyu, roasted turnips,

miso and eggplant puree and a very, very rich jus.

(LAUGHTER)

So how does this dish connect us to your family?

Lighting the hibachi when the kids get home from school,

like, a sauce like that and just have it cooking away

while I'm helping them with homework.

That's sort of part of it.

And I want to showcase great produce in a really simple way

and just pack it full of delicious flavour.

Jamie, like, definitely feel the love

that you've got for Clare and your family.

For me, I love the cook on the Wagyu.

It's kind of rare, medium-rare, which is where I like it.

Beautiful caramelisation on that hibachi.

The miso eggplant was beautiful. Texture, spot-on.

For me, the jus was really well made.

I just thought, for this dish,

I just wanted a bit of a lighter sauce.

But, mate, we're like, we're splitting hairs here.

Yeah. Great plate of food. Great, thank you.

I really love the cook on the Wagyu.

It was so beautiful and buttery.

Love the miso eggplant.

I love that there was, like, still that hint of spiciness

from the eggplant.

I agree with Andy.

I think the sauce, I think if it was lighter,

there would have just been a bit more separation,

but still, like, such a beautiful dish.

Thank you. Thanks, mate.

Thanks, guys.

Well done, mate. Thank you.

Yeah!

Next up, Ben!

BEN: This dish, I want the judges to experience a little piece

of New Zealand, a little piece of the sea and a little piece of me.

I really hope they love it.

Ben, what is the dish?

Yeah, well, this dish is all about the activities you do as a family.

So, you know, gathering shellfish, going fishing,

and those things that I learned from my parents

that I'm now passing on to my kids.

Pan-roasted kingfish with mussels, clams,

herb gnocchi and vermouth cream sauce.

Let's taste.

Ben, the plating was absolutely beautiful. It was such a picture.

And I really get the sense of that connection that you have

with the sea and how your family plays into that.

Loved the cook on the mussels and the pipis.

Really lovely and just cooked through,

which is very, very well done.

Unfortunately, the fish is a little bit over.

Um, you could kind of see it as soon as we cut into it.

But having said that, it had beautiful crispy skin.

Still a brilliant job.

Mm-hm.

Ben, the shellfish, impeccable.

I think your dish is very well seasoned,

and I think there is a lovely contrast

with the green oil and this fish sauce.

Now your sauce, impeccable.

In fact, it is probably the best that you've done on MasterChef.

It is just perfect.

But the only thing that let me down

is the fish - it's a little bit over.

So I'm so sorry.

Thank you. Good sauce.

(GROANS)

Next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Laura.

I'm gonna go slow. SOFIA: You're walking very slowly.

Stay.

Wow!

What's the dish, Laura?

So this is my Native Australian Summer.

This is wattleseed puff pastry,

a cinnamon myrtle creme patissiere.

The muntries have been cooked down

in an apple caramel with some bee pollen,

smoked paperbark ice-cream,

and then green ants on top.

Let's eat.

This dish, I think, represents my whole journey.

It's the start of my cooking career...

..walking through the doors of Orana,

learning how to work with native Australian ingredients,

then meeting Max and both sharing this love

of native Australian culture and cuisine.

Being able to go to the Northern Territory together

and see where all these beautiful ingredients

are grown and come from.

It's like this dish is my life story...

..so I feel like everything is riding

on this dish being perfect.

Laura, that dessert is just...

..impeccable.

The ice-cream, I could literally eat buckets of that.

It's... I want to do bad things to it!

Yeah, it's so amazing.

Just, the texture is perfect,

but just the amount of smokiness you have dared to infuse into that,

it's just beautiful work there.

The puff pastry, you pulled through.

It's caramelised all the way through, thank God.

Yeah, it's just a very accomplished plate of food.

I love it. Thank you.

SOFIA: Laura, those beautiful, nutty caramel flavours

of the wattleseed in buttery pastry,

it's almost a throwback to like, Australian scones and apple pies,

but presented in such a refined, modern, clever way.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

The most impressive thing for me, and why it is so beautiful

is, like, every element has a native in it...

Yeah.

..and yet it just eats so easily.

And that is the true sign

that you are just an expert in this style of cooking.

I got...hairs are standing up for multiple reasons.

It goes from familiar to something that is luxury.

Beautiful work, Laura.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

I actually can't even find the right words right now.

(TEARFULLY) Um, and I just feel

so proud to be able to put up a dish like this in this kitchen,

and be inspired by the two biggest loves of my life.

SARAH: Good job. Thank you. Thanks.

So good.

We gave you those letters to inspire you today,

and it's clear they did just that.

With the pressure of elimination looming,

every single one of you is after that top spot,

and I'm so happy to say there were a few contenders.

Laura.

Depinder.

And Sarah.

All three of you really took us for a walk down memory lane.

But the winning dish wasn't just deeply personal,

it was unbelievable.

Welcome to the top five...

..Laura!

Ben, Jamie, Sarah, Depinder,

come Sunday, we are going to have to say goodbye to one of you.

This is going to be one fierce showdown.

Bye-bye. Well done, guys. Thank you.

(CONTESTANTS THANK EACH OTHER)

What a special day. So good.

VOICEOVER: Sunday night on MasterChef Australia...

Please welcome Julie Goodwin

and Nat Thaipun!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) POH: Welcome back!

Thank you. Thank you. Wow.

VOICEOVER: They know exactly what it takes

to go all the way in this competition.

You need to pick Nat's pantry or Julie's pantry.

If you cook one of the two bottom dishes,

you will fall into round two.

ANDY: Let's go!

VOICEOVER: The risks are high.

JAMIE: It's only a 50-50 shot

if I go into the next round.

But the rewards are higher.

BEN: I've never been

in the top five in MasterChef.

I'm going to give it

everything today to get through.

JAMIE: I'm starting to panic.

ANDY: Shrimp paste in your ice-cream?

(COUGHS)

Whoa-ho-ho!

Anything can happen.

Whoo! Let the games begin.

Captions by Red Bee Media