All language subtitles for MasterChef Australia - S18E12

in the studio at 6 pm tomorrow.

ANNOUNCER: Previously on
MasterChef Australia...

Hey, babe.
What do you want for breakfast?

Oh, my God!

No. You're joking. Andy Cooks!

Family Favourites Week kicked
off with the breakfast bang

from TikTok's Food Creator
of the Year.

And that is three ways to cook
amazing eggs.

(CHEERING)

Then...

..the challenges of family-style
cooking came thick and fast.

This is no easy task.
You're doing a feast.

They produced dishes to delight

even the most discerning in-laws

and MasterChef judges.

Whoa!
Hooley dooley!

SOFIA: That is a delicious
family feast.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: It is
unbelievable!

POH: I will remember this

and crave it for the rest
of my life.

Face-stuffingly sensational!

However, we had to say farewell
to Belinda and Bella.

Poh made me promise
that this is only the beginning

and I'm going to find a way
to stick to that promise.

Tonight, we're about to enter

the whimsical world
of viral wonders.

Let's go, guys.

(CHEERING)

Good morning!

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Find a bench, guys,
pick your favourite colour.

I'm going to go
with, uh, yellow.

How cool!

I love a mystery box.

And these mystery boxes,
there's a glow factor.

We've got some lights.

We've got a kind of '80s style
to them.

This is going to be a fun day.
You can just tell.

Hey, everyone.
Hello!

How incredible do
our mystery boxes look?

Yeah.
So pretty.

We'll get to those in a minute.

Now...

..I'm sure many of you love
scrolling on social media.

I constantly find myself
watching reels

of delicious dishes.

It's how we discover
the new superstars of food.

Which is why I'm stoked
that this week

is a week of viral wonders.

Whoo-hoo!

(APPLAUSE)

Viral Wonders Week. Wow. I mean,
I am always on social media

and I love creating content,

so this seems like the week
for me.

I love a mad scroll!

I usually fall asleep like this.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDY: I can confirm that happens

because I get the weirdest reels
sent to me by Poh

at the most ungodly hour.
1:00AM?

I wake up and I'm like,
"What is going on here?"

Lucy, you make content.

LUCY: Yeah, I love sharing, you
know, recipes to inspire people.

And just connecting with other
foodies as well is awesome.

Has anything gone, like,
a little bit bonkers?

Uh, there was one video.

It was me just making, like,
a sourdough bread

that you make when camping

and it got like two million
views.

Oh, my goodness!
Oh!

As you can see, these are not
your standard mystery boxes

because the person who set them
isn't your standard guest.

(THEY GASP)

She is an expert pastry chef

and with over two million
followers on socials...

Whoa!

..her viral desserts have gone
gangbusters.

One of her videos alone has been
viewed

over 34 million times!

Wow!

At just 19 years old,
she won Zumbo's Just Desserts.

Now she has a dessert bar in LA.

Please give it up...

..for Catherine Zhang!

(CHEERING)

GRACE: It's so exciting having
Catherine Zhang here.

I've seen her videos online.

She does some crazy stuff.

And she's this amazing young
girl who has achieved so much.

Like, that is so inspiring.

Catherine, welcome to
the MasterChef kitchen.

Thank you.
I'm so excited to be here.

Catherine,
what do you think is key

for making something go viral?

There definitely needs to be,
like, a selling point.

Like, when you're scrolling,
you've got to, like, stop.

Right.
So, like, when it's food,

it's, like, texture
or, like, flavour combinations.

The old reveal tends to get
a few...

Yeah, the "oohs" is good,
you know?

ASMR.
Yes!

Well, I bet you want to know
what Catherine has

under those mystery boxes.

CONTESTANTS: Yes!

Catherine, would you like to do
the honours?

Yes, of course.

You can all lift your lids...

..now!

Oh.
Oh!

Is that a peach?

That's insane.

It's a cake.
Oh, you got mango too!

Oh-ho-ho. Lemon.

This is absolutely crazy.
I'm looking at it.

It's really elaborate desserts
that look amazing.

And everyone's got something
different.

Mango. Strawberry.

Do we have to make that?

CATHERINE: So these are my viral
fruit desserts.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow,
what a display.

Well, everyone, go for it.
Oh!

Really?

Do it.

Oh, my goodness.
Just straight in?

CATHERINE:
This is our Berry Cubed.

JACK: It's so beautiful
and flavoursome.

Textures are all different.

They're working together.
It is unbelievable.

Catherine Zhang is so talented.

The lemon is a yuzu cheesecake.

Inside, we've got a passionfruit
filling that oozes.

EMILY: Oh, my God.
We're not making this, are we?

It's so delicious.

And I'm like, "Oh, my God,

"do I have to make this?"

This one's our Just Peachy.

Oh, my God.
ANDY: I'm a sucker for a mango.

This one's the My Mango...

SOFIA: Cheesecake!

Oh, very good.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: This is
unbelievable.

This one is our Devil Fruit.

Then all of them have, like,
a really

crunchy white chocolate shell
on the outside.

Oh, that's a pistachio.
Yeah!

Like it's an insert.

It's like an insert into it.

How that hazelnut is in that,
oh, my God!

Ooh la-la-la-la-la-la!

How delicious was that?

Unbelievable!
(APPLAUSE)

I'm all excited. I'm going
to be on TikTok now.

(LAUGHTER)
Yeah.

Uh, got some good news, gang.

You do not need to replicate
these incredible desserts.

Breathe out, everybody.

Ohhhh!

But, like Catherine,

we want you to create a dessert
that celebrates fruit.

You have 75 minutes

and full access to the pantry
and the garden.

Thank God.

This is my jam.

Like, I love hero-ing fruit.

And I just had this beautiful
lemon.

So I feel like that's
what I'm gonna be doing today.

The more eye-catching,
the better,

because we're only going
to taste

the ten most appealing dishes.

And off the back of that,

the top dish will be safe
from tomorrow's elimination.

Catherine,
do you want to kick 'em off?

Of course.
Alright, your time starts now.

This brings back, like, trauma.
(LIGHT LAUGHTER)

Oop! Orange.

Yeah!
Ooh!

Apricots.

Cypriots love eating apricots,

so I've kind of grown up
with them.

We put it into everything.

Cream, butter, apricots,
flaked almonds.

We make apricot jams,
apricot cakes.

We pair it with haloumi
on toast,

which is actually amazing.

Cinnamon.

So it's a no-brainer that today
I've got to use apricots.

Alright.

SOFIA: Go, Petro!

PETRO: And I'm thinking,
well, it is Viral Week.

So I need to do something
really, really special.

I'm making a clafoutis, which
is a traditional French dessert.

I will say I'm a little scared
for Poh and Jean-Christophe

because they both know their
clafoutis

like the back of their hands.

Clafoutis is a French classic.

It kind of is in between,
like, a custard and a pancake.

You should get a really nice
puff,

and the apricots should
kind of turn

a little bit jammy and sweet.

But first thing I do is

I need to make a buffalo ricotta
and cinnamon ice-cream.

It's quite a smooth flavour
profile.

So I think that my ice-cream
is going to round out this dish.

I'm gonna make like
a crostoli dough cracker

and strawberry and tomato
ice-cream,

and then I'm gonna serve it as,

like, kind of like an ice-cream
sandwich type of vibe.

In theory,
I know how to make ice-cream,

but in practice,
it's a bit different, I think.

I'm going to do a chocolate
and orange tart,

whipped creme fraiche,

some strawberries on top
with some vino cotto

and then like a rosemary
orange salt on top.

Oh, I would love to not cook
in another elimination.

The one the other day,
I was pretty rattled.

So, yeah, it would mean heaps.

The fruit that I'm really going
with today is lemon.

I'm going to do
a lemon ice-cream

with a preserved lemon cruller.

A cruller is sort of like
a choux-based doughnut,

like a French doughnut with
a preserved lemon glaze.

I think that's going
to be quite punchy.

You know,
I have a big sweet tooth,

so I feel good about that.

Obviously, though, the standards
have been set really high.

So, you know,
we'll see how we go.

ANDY: Well, Catherine,
what are we hoping to see?

I mean, I want to see
something different.

Fruit, for me, is like the best
ingredient

because it's so versatile,
but so simple.

You can, like, do anything
with it.

And I'm just really excited
to see

what kind of combinations
they bring.

I'm gonna say right now,
I want something to go viral.

Seriously,
that's what we're here for.

Like, you've done it before.
This is Viral Wonders Week.

Like, let's go.
SOFIA: Surely one in 20!

Exactly.

Oh, my God. I've never sweat
so much in here before.

I know, it's so hot.
It's really full-on.

I am gonna make a lemon
and biscotti dessert.

So I'm really gonna try
and use the whole lemon.

Ow! So I'm gonna do a lemon
leaf ice-cream.

I'm gonna do a lemon
granita with the juice.

And then with the rind,

I'm going to make a fennel seed
and sesame biscotti.

I feel like I've got a bit of
a leg-up being Gen Z.

So, yeah, I'm super excited.

I really want to get my dish
tasted today,

so I'm just so keen to do
something that stands out.

And I feel like this challenge
is really in my wheelhouse.

In terms of, like, being across
what's viral,

I really think that lemon leaves
are so beautiful to cook with.

It's not a super common taste,
but I love it.

The lemon leaf is quite a
perfumed,

creamy-almost flavour.

It sort of tastes the way
a lemon smells.

Just wait, wait, wait, wait.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,
thank you.

So I just hope
that the judges can see

where I'm coming from
with the lemon leaf ice-cream.

I am panicking. Because I'm
not really a dessert person.

And then I had a...

You know, like in Chinese
families,

the oven,
that's a dishwashing rack.

You know, like, we, we don't...

That's a storage area.

Uh... One egg down.

What ya makin' there?

I'm trying to make a shortcrust.

But I really want to be safe
from tomorrow's elimination.

So I'm just like,
"OK, you know what? YOLO!"

Hi, guys.
How are we?

So I am trying to do kind of
like a dome-shaped shortcrust.

OK.
And temper a bit of chocolate

to make the outside look
like a coconut.

And then I am making
a coconut...

Whoa!

..Chantilly and then a mango
puree to put on top.

Ooh. Are you going
for a trompe l'oeil, like,

which is trying
to make it look realistic?

Yeah, like a kid version.

So Kindy version.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So you're gonna attempt
to temper chocolate.

'Attempt'. I like that word.

Can I just say this
sounds like quite

an ambitious cook for someone
who doesn't make dessert?

So you need a plan B
just in case.

OK?
OK. Yeah.

Chocolate's quite an
overpowering flavour as well.

Be careful to keep the balance
right.

I will listen to the boss.
Boss ladies.

Really good advice.
Good luck.

Alright. Thank you so much.

I forgot my rolling pin.

I don't have a plan B.

# What you got to do?... #

My stubborn self is saying
I've got to commit to this.

I need to get the shortcrust on
as quickly as possible. Ugh!

I want the coconut shortcrust

to look like a coconut shell
cut in half.

So I need to get this right
or it's gonna look really ugly.

Let's try to get tasted today.

Make it peachy!
You've only got one hour to go.

So hot!

PAT: One of my favourite things
to eat

is like a nice big bowl of
ice-cream and jelly.

So I'm trying to make
that kind of humble dessert.

But I want to elevate it to
MasterChef level

and create a viral dish
that the judges go,

"I need to taste that."

Hi, Pat.
G'day. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Which fruit of Catherine's
did you get today?

I got the blackberry
and blackcurrant.

OK. Devil's Fruit.

Devil's Fruit. It's amazing.
I see some purple berries here.

Yes, it definitely inspired me
today.

And utilising the blackberries
as well as a lot of other fruit.

A lot of other fruit?
Yeah.

Like what?

So I'm doing a blackberry,
lemongrass and ginger jelly,

a apricot passionfruit
and mango jam

and a fish sauce honey
caramel...

Fish sauce?!
Whoa!

And a crumble
and a pandan ice-cream.

Pat. That's a lot going on.
It is a lot.

So I'm a little bit worried

you've got so much going on

that some flavours are murkying
others.

Yeah.

Like, the one thing
that I noticed

when I bit into Catherine's
little entremets

that I really love is
that it's quite uncomplicated

and the delineation of flavour
is quite clear.

Yes.

So, taste as you go and make
sure it really does work.

Alright. Thank you.
Bye.

It's a lot of flavours.
Yeah.

Berries, apricot, lemongrass,
pandan.

It's a bit all over the place.
Yeah. I'm stressed.

OK.

OK. Butter.

Poh's concerns
are definitely warranted.

Like, there's a lot going on
with my dish,

a lot of different flavours
and everything,

but I'll taste as I go.

And if I think something's
not really working,

I'll take it off
before I plate it.

I have done these types
of dishes before.

Maybe not with all these
elements

and I enjoy the flavour
combination.

So I've got a pandan ice-cream,
a blackberry,

lemongrass and ginger jelly,

fish sauce and honey caramel,

a macadamia and coconut
feuilletine crumble,

and then also a apricot,
mango and passionfruit jam.

So I want to get everything on
the plate today,

but I definitely take
the feedback on board.

If it doesn't balance together
with all these huge flavours,

it could be a bit of a mess
on a plate.

Nothing's gone wrong yet,
but caramel is always tricky.

So, yeah, I just need
to go grab one more ingredient

and then we'll be on the roll.

So, today, I'm making a choux
bun filled with strawberry

and then some matcha cream
in there as well.

So for my dessert today,

I'm taking some inspiration from
the Japanese fruit sandos,

basically just like a Japanese
fruit and cream sandwich.

Kind of simple, but they really
champion the fruit.

Oh, my God,
my hands are so shaky!

And the big appeal of the fruit
sando is the cross-section.

So I'm going to go for
my main fruit as strawberry.

Putting a whole piece
of fruit inside

is not typically

what you would use choux pastry
for...

..but I think it'll have
a wow factor.

I won the first solo immunity
of the season,

so hopefully I can keep
that streak going.

30, 25.

My maths isn't mathing.

I've decided to run
with the cherry today

because they have a special
place in my heart,

so hopefully I can show
the judges what I'm all about.

Hi, Dot!
Hey, Dot!

Hi.
What's cookin', good-lookin'?

Well, cherries are in my blood.

My papa was big in the cherry
industry in New Zealand,

and, um, I actually was
the New Zealand National Champ

for the cherry spitting
competition.

Sorry. The what?

The National Women's Champion

in cherry spitting competition.

What? Is that distance?

Yes, it's distance.

So I spat at 8.2m.

You do it between your lips
or your teeth like that?

So you have to eat it.
And then you have to, like...

So we've got the
Cherry Pit Spitting Champion.

So what else are you going to
serve with it?

So I'm doing a cake with
almonds, cherries.

And then I'm gonna do like
a cherry

kind of compote-y situation.

Really make sure I'm getting
that fruit.

And then I'm going to cover
the whole thing

in a marshmallow
and then torch it.

OK.

But sounds good.
OK.

So, remember, make those
cherries shine.

Yes. They're going to go
the distance.

Oh!

That was very good.

If I could give bonus points,
I would.

Good luck.

So, yeah. Cherry spitting.

It's very serious.

Um, there's measuring tapes
involved.

It's kind of like shot put.

And I'm actually
a national champion.

I think it was the proudest
moment of my life, I won't lie.

It was great.

I'm trying to be clean today.

So, yeah, at the moment,

my almond and cherry cake
is in the oven.

And I'm feeling good
about the cherry compote.

Cherries haven't done me
wrong before,

so, hopefully, today,
they pull me through.

Stay very focused.

You have 45 minutes to go.

SOFIA: Come on, team.

It is so hot.
I'm dying, man.

I'll get the ice bath.
You don't need an ice bath.

It's so hot.

I'm doing a honey
and thyme panna cotta

with a blood orange
and Campari granita

with some makrut lime leaf oil
and some Sunrise limes.

So just like some native fruit
that I'm gonna candy.

So it's good for a hot day.

Hopefully it's enough to be
tasted.

I feel like fruit desserts
are my wheelhouse.

Alright.

I'm doing a blood orange
and Campari granita.

I think it's gonna add
a lot of depth.

It's going to be punchy.

So I am feeling
pretty confident

with my flavour combinations.

Oh, it's so hot now.
But it's a really hot day.

So I'm concerned about
the honey and thyme panna cotta

setting in time

because a lot of people are
using the blast chillers today.

How are you going, Jack?

Yeah, I'm kind of like waiting
for the panna cottas to set.

I'm a bit worried, though,

because people keep opening
the blast chiller.

Obviously they need to.
Yeah.

But I reckon they might not
get done in time. We'll see.

So I'm praying to the gods
that it's perfect,

and it should have
a beautiful wobble

when it comes out of the mould.

GRACE: Behind you.

Grace.
Hi.

What are you racing around for?
You're running.

I'm racing around
for some ice-cream scoops.

Because I was inspired
by your beautiful lemon.

Thank you.
So I'm gonna serve

the lemon leaf ice-cream...
Ooh!

..and then a lemon granita.

And in the biscotti,
I've got lemon zest.

I love the idea of lemon leaf.
I'm obsessed with it.

I keep cooking with it and I'm
like, "Why don't we use them?

"They're so fragrant."

When you walk up to
a lemon tree, it smells

like this beautiful...
Divine!

I love this celebration
of lemon.

Yeah.

I like how you've got all
the different elements,

the zest, the leaf, everything.
I think it's a great idea.

Yeah, don't
over complicate things.

Thanks, girls.
Thank you.

I'm excited by that.

Catherine and Poh are really
excited about my ice-cream.

That's a huge boost
of confidence.

And I'm actually
starting to think

maybe I will get chosen.

So I'm really
just tunnel visioning.

Come on.

Oh, we're pushing it.
I'm a little bit worried.

So I have got my ice-cream
in the churner.

I've got just over 30 minutes
to go.

I'm getting on
to my clafoutis batter...

..and I need to get
that in the oven ASAP.

I am rushing.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You seem
a bit stressed, mate.

I am a little bit stressed
to serve you my dish

because you're going to be
the expert on this one.

I made a clafoutis.
My favourite!

Is it?
Yeah, my mum's favourite too.

Oh, my God. So I made
an apricot clafoutis

and I'm serving it

with a cinnamon
and buffalo ricotta ice-cream.

It's going to be tasty, yeah?
Yeah.

Make sure your eyes, your eyes.

Like a lighthouse.
Like a hawk.

Alright, like a hawk.

Thank you.
I like that.

You know, I knew that
Jean Christophe

would know his clafoutis,

but I didn't think it would
be his favourite.

So now I'm feeling
a lot of pressure

to pull this one off.

How much longer have we got?

OK, guys.

30 minutes to go!

SOFIA: Half an hour left!
Come on, guys!

Oh!

I'm making a spiced maple
pudding with a poached pear,

bay leaf cream
and a pear caramel.

So I'm really hoping that
the judges want to taste it.

Alita, so, what are you doing?

I'm doing a yuzu
curd meringue tart

with a strawberry whisky
and toasted rice gel.

I do want to be
one of those tasters.

You can see on the table
look the determination.

Oh, my gosh.
You've been going for it.

You need to chuck
that guy in.

You've got it cold enough
so you're good.

Kanika!
So I'm making a mishti doi.

OK. What's that?
It's an Indian dessert.

It's like mango, yoghurt, curd,
condensed milk.

Right.
Crazy viral right now.

Oh!
If you look through internet,

you'll see 17 million views,
18 million views...

We're going viral here!
Yes, yes.

She said it! She's going viral,
brother.

Maybe you shouldn't
have taught her

how to use that ice-cream
machine after all.

CASPER: Half an hour left.

My choux buns are in the oven.

They look like they're
puffing up nicely.

And now I'm making
my matcha cream

to really lean into
that strawberry matcha flavour.

Hello, Casper!
Hey, how are you guys going?

So tell us what you're making.

I'm doing a bit of a play on,
you know, like, fruit sandos?

Japanese fruit sandos.
Oh, yeah.

I'm gonna do them in a choux.

So should cut it open,

have basically a strawberry
encapsulated in the choux.

OK. I mean, it's very simple

compared to some things
that we've seen so far.

So I'm kind of intrigued to see

that you really
bring it together.

We're only going to taste
our top ten favourite dishes.

So show us that
you're elevating everything

that you're doing.
Good luck.

Poh and Catherine
are really worried

that my dish is too simple.

So I'm thinking,
how can I pivot quickly

to really make it stand out.

Are you using your oven?

Um, no.
OK. Can I use it?

Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.

And I've got a little bit
of choux pastry left,

so I'm thinking maybe
I can even add

tiny little choux buns on top
filled with blackberry.

And I'm going to
still keep thinking

what else might make it
a bit more interesting,

because I really want
to get tasted today.

Well, I am turned all fruity.

Turned fruity!
Fruity!

ATTEMPTS AUSSIE ACCENT:
Australia! Fruity!

REGULAR ACCENT: I'm learning,
I'm learning.

(ALL LAUGH)

ANDY: What are we loving?

I am so excited by Grace's
dessert.

She's doing a lemon fest.
(LAUGHS)

A lemon fest?
Yeah.

She's doing lemon granita
with lemon leaf ice-cream.

Oh, yum!
Yum!

CATHERINE: I love that idea.
Also because there was

like an Italian lemon sorbet
that's like viral on TikTok.

And it gives me that vibe.

I want to talk about worries.

Pat is using fish sauce, honey,

apricots, berries,
lemongrass...

Pineapple or something.
BOTH: Pandan.

Mango.

My eyebrows went from there
and then they just kept going,

like down with every...
SOFIA: With fish.

Catherine, can you, like,
express yourself?

I'm not really sure
what's going...

Like, he told me
so many ingredients,

I forgot what he was making.

I'm getting everything done.
I'm hitting my targets.

I'm gonna get
all the elements ready,

and then I'm gonna have a taste

and see how the flavours
are all combining.

But at this point in time,
I'm really happy.

Yeah, there's definitely
some big flavours

and interesting different takes
with the elements I'm doing.

Like, fish sauce in
the dessert,

I know it sounds crazy.

It's like hit-or-miss.

You push it too far, it tastes
literally like a fishy dessert.

But if you put
just the right amount in,

unless someone told you
it was fish sauce,

you would just think
it's this nice saltiness.

Tastes good to me.

The fish-sauce caramel's
really good.

I like it quite salty
and funky,

so I went pretty hard on it.

Hopefully it just
doesn't overpower

all the delicious fruits.

I want to give myself
a good five minutes

to plate up
and make it look pretty,

but as well, make sure it's
bangin'.

Are you OK?
Uh, yeah.

I'm just waiting
on my panna cottas.

There's been a lot
of opening and closing

at the blast chillers, so I
think that might affect it,

but I'm hoping
that it'll be enough.

I've also got a granita
freezing,

so it's a matter
of just waiting

and bringing them together

kind of last five minutes

'cause I want it to be perfect
for you guys.

OK, well done.
Yeah.

I checked my panna cottas
and they're just not set.

Sorry, Jack, I'm just getting
in after you.

I'm really, really worried.

My whole dessert rides on this.

If they don't set in time,
I don't have a dish.

I don't know, I think it's
gonna be touch-and-go, yeah.

Is there a technique?

You've got to, like,
kind of shot-put it.

(SPITS)

OK, it went... Oh, there it is.
Oh, yeah, OK, OK.

OK, see if you can go further.

You have to do it with your
body?

Yeah, like, throw your body.
(SPITS)

Oh, my God!

Oh, no. Oh, that's...

I don't think they grow
cherries in France.

Stick to cooking, mate.

Trying, trying to temper
chocolate.

Don't know whether it will.

I've decided to stick
with my gut instinct.

So I still don't have a plan B
for this tempered chocolate.

I just need to get it perfect.

Ooh.

I am happy
with my mango puree,

the coconut Chantilly
and the shortcrust dome.

They look really cute
and coconutty.

Uh.

But they're just so delicate
and thin,

so I need to be really careful.

I really need to make sure that

the mango puree
will be the star.

And chocolate is really
strong in flavour.

So as I'm painting
the tempered chocolate

onto the outside of my shell,

I want it really, really,
really thin.

And it keeps its shine,
keeps its shape,

and it has that snap effect
when you're cutting it.

Time to hustle, everybody.
15 minutes to go.

It's not a good one.

Yup, coming together.

How you going, Petro?
Not good. It's taking forever.

Yeah, look, uh, nothing seems
to be happening in the oven.

Yeah, should be starting
to cook,

and with 15 minutes to go,

I'm not liking the look of it.

I'm starting to panic.

This clafoutis is not right
at all.

Nothing has happened.

I should have seen
a nice puff by now,

and I haven't seen any browning
on the top either,

so I'm not sure what's going on.

This is not cooking.

I'm really confused.

PETRO: This is not cooking.

It's taking forever.

Oh, what?

The oven wasn't on.

I've just realised

that I haven't set
the oven correctly.

And this clafoutis has been
sitting in a lukewarm oven.

I think I can still get this
cooked in time,

but I've got to make sure
this temp is set high.

POH: Petro.
CATHERINE: What's happening?

You look a bit stressed.

Yeah, well,
I've had to crank it.

I'm just praying
that I can get something up,

but it's looking
like a slim chance now.

I think you should think
faster.

I don't know what else
I can do, to be honest.

I'm praying
that a miracle happens today.

I am praying that a miracle
clafoutis will appear.

We're all feeling pretty
fruity. Ten minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Look at the colour on this.
Oh! That's sick.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Colour equals?
Flavour.

You know it!
(LAUGHS)

I've got the lemon zest
in the biscotti,

and it's got this really
crispy, crunchy,

like hard-to-bite-into texture.

Oh, it's done.

I've got my lemon juice
granita.

It's a really nice, like,
slushy texture, which I like.

Oh, my God.

My lemon leaf ice-cream's done.

And it does taste
like lemon leaf,

which is awesome.

I'm actually gonna serve
my dessert in the lemon.

I'm hoping it looks like
something that would sort of

be quite eye-catching
on social media.

I feel like I got a bit
of a leg-up being Gen Z

and being, like, spending a lot
of my time on Instagram,

so I'm desperate
to get tasted today.

Ooh.

I'm feeling good.
I'm working on my marshmallow.

The dish is coming together

and the judges seem
excited about it,

which makes me
excited about it.

I've got my layer of almond
and cherry cake

and my lemon, brown sugar curd.

And then finishing that off
with my cherry compote.

That looks gorgeous.

Now it's time to cover it
in marshmallow.

I feel like I need

an adult supervisor
for this one.

ALL: Oh.
Oh, God.

It's a little stiff.

So sticky.

This isn't quite the
consistency I was hoping for.

Oh, my God, it's everywhere.

This is sticking to the knife.

It's sticking to me.

It's literally everywhere.

I am a marshmallow.

But it's tasty.
So let's torch it up.

That's so funny.
We don't want any sour grapes.

Five minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Whose are these bad boys?

Whoa!
Big boys.

They're huge.
They're like hamburger buns.

They've definitely puffed up
a little bit more

than I thought they would.

I've got my strawberry
matcha Chantilly.

I reckon I can actually put
an entire mandarin

or kiwi fruit into each

of the giant choux buns
just to elevate it.

And then also a blackberry
in the tiny little choux buns.

I won't know how it'll look

until the dish
is getting cut in half,

and you get the cross-section,

that's when it's really gonna
have its viral moment.

So I'm just crossing my fingers
that I get called up the front.

Let's try to get this off.

So, my tempered chocolate,
I think it looks bloody good.

So actually it looks like
a coconut shell right now.

I think the coconut Chantilly
has a sweetness to it

that will cut the chocolate
and balance it.

And then a mango puree on top

and on the bottom to make sure
it doesn't rock around.

I've made pandan sand.

I think I have a chance

to get my little coconut
do tasted.

Excuse me, guys.
Cool, cool, cool.

Oh, man, they look good!
Yeah, thanks, man.

I'm really happy
with how everything's going.

I really enjoy that funky
saltiness

in the fish sauce
and honey caramel,

as well as the crunch

from the macadamia
and feuilletine crumble.

And then the apricot
and mango passionfruit jam

is super bright and tangy.

And then I've got the
blackberry,

lemongrass and ginger jelly.

And I really like the pandan
ice-cream,

which I find quite grassy.

And I get, like, popcorny notes
from it as well.

So it'll be interesting to see
if I get tasted.

Two minutes to go, everybody.

Two...

Balls, it is!

Oh, wow. Pungent!

I've got my makrut lime leaf
oil,

and I'm really happy with this
granita.

Alright.

You can taste the blood orange
that I want to shine through.

So it all comes down

to this last honey and thyme
panna cotta.

I'm really stressed...

So...

Oh!

It's got the wobble and I hope
it's enough to get tasted.

It's almost crunch time.
One minute to go.

ANDY: Come on, everybody!

Moving. I'm moving, I'm moving.

I take this clafoutis out.

And I'm surprised that
it's actually browned on top.

So am I gonna be able
to serve it?

And even though it's not
perfect,

I think I might get away
with it here.

All done in ten...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven, six

five, four, three, two, one!

That's it, everybody.

You made doughnuts! Yay!

Wow!

I think it's a pretty
bold flavour combination,

so they might be interested
to try it.

And if I get through,
you never know your luck.

I'd love a day off
up on the gantry.

But, hey, I just wanted to kind
of push the boat out

and give it a crack.

We have Catherine Zhang
in the MasterChef kitchen,

and we asked you to bring us
your best fruity dessert.

We're looking for one top dish,

but we're tasting the ten
most intriguing ones.

First dish we'd like to taste
is...

..Emily.

Oh, really?

(CHEERING)

I'm gobsmacked. Me?

My coconut's gonna get tasted.

He's my little dude.

SOFIA: Hey, little dude.

I'm really happy
with the look of my dish,

but Catherine Zhang
is like this dessert queen.

So I'm absolutely stressed.

POH: Emily...

..that is very adorable.

Thank you.
It's my Little Coconut Dude.

So I did a cocoa shortcrust

and then chocolate
on the outside

to make it look like
a coconut shell.

And then a coconut Chantilly,

a mango and passionfruit puree.

And on the bottom,
a pandan sand.

Let's cut into it.

(CRUNCHES)
Nice!

Ah!

Oh.

SOFIA: She oozy.

They're oozy.
Whoo-hoo!

Presentation-wise,
definitely very stunning.

Flavour-wise, I think, you know,

it's really light
and refreshing.

The cocoa, I didn't think
it was overpowering

like, you know, I mentioned
earlier.

So I'm happy with it.
It's good.

Thank you very much.

Emily. I think it's very,
very inviting

and very adorable.

You did a brilliant job
of the pastry.

It's so nice and thin and short.

I think you've done
a really good job.

I adore that gentleness of
that Chantilly,

taking all the tropical fruits.

It's brilliant.
It's very well perfumed.

Thank you very much.
Good luck to you.

Emily, for your little coconut
dude or dudette, uh...

Yeah.
..the viral factor was ticked,

and especially
when we did the cross-section

and everything just started
to spill out.

That's what really got me.

I think it also celebrated mango
and passionfruit,

which was the brief.
Well done, Emily.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Yeah. Brilliant.
Just unexpected for me.

Well done!

Dessert Master over here.

Please bring us your fruity
dessert...

..Casper!

(APPLAUSE)

Go, Casper!

Whoo-hoo!

SOFIA: Woo!
Oh, my...!

Oh, my God!
Whoa!

ANDY: Hooley dooley.
Wow!

SOFIA: My goodness!
They look like olives.

Casper, what have you made?

I've made fruit sando choux
buns.

We've got a whole strawberry
in one.

I've got a whole mandarin
in the other.

And a whole kiwi fruit
in another one.

And then strawberry matcha
cream.

Freeze-dried strawberry powder
on top.

Wow.

I think the other thing with
the sandos

that have inspired your dessert

is it's all about
that cross-section.

So I'm interested to see
if these cut as well as they do.

Yeah. Me too. (LAUGHS)

OK, I think this is
the mandarin.

Oh.

SOFIA: Oh, there's a little
berry in the top!

CATHERINE: Oh, cute. Very cute.

OK.

Yes!
Kiwi.

Ooph!

Oh! That worked.
That's cute.

They're holding together
really well.

Strawberry.
She's in there.

Yeah.
Cute.

Happy with that?
Yeah, very happy.

Casper...

..I think you nailed this.

I much prefer this
to a fruit sando.

Those choux buns are so amazing.

The matcha cream in there
is really light, fluffy.

And then the whole fruit
in there

absolutely makes fruit
the superstar.

Well done.
Thank you.

I like it.
Presentation - amazing.

It's a beautiful dish.

I think you've done
a wonderful job

on that choux pastry.

It's baked perfectly.
I love the flavours,

the matcha, the bitterness,
and it goes well with the fruit.

It's a great combination.
Thank you.

Casper - fantastic.

Definitely viral-worthy.
Loved all the fruit.

It was really attractive.

And to contrast against
the green of the matcha

was visually very pleasing.

Well done.
Thank you.

Grace, you're next.

Ooh. Ooh, an edible lemon.

Grace, what have you made us?

I've made my Whole Lemon
with biscotti.

I have made a lemon granita
with the juice of the lemon.

A lemon leaf ice-cream

that's sitting in the shell
of the lemon.

And I added the zest

into my biscotti mixture

with fennel seeds
and sesame seeds.

Let's taste.

Grace...

..I flippin' love this dish
so much.

It just has such a clear
direction.

And the lemon leaf in that
ice-cream

has just got this gorgeous,
subtle

kind of grassiness about it,
but with the lemon flavour.

And then you eat it with
the biscotti

and it is such a genius
combination.

This dish has really put you
on the map for me.

Thank you.

That ice-cream is incredible.
Thank you.

That is delicious.
It's perfectly balanced.

It's so refreshing.
Like, I took a bite of it,

all of it all together,
and I was, like, transported.

It was like fresh breeze.

I loved it. Amazing dish.
Thank you.

It was so refreshing and creamy
and zesty

and bright from the granita.

But that lemon leaf ice-cream,

because it's so creamy
and smooth

and has that verdant green taste
going through it,

everything pairs together
so beautifully.

Grace.
One word. Fantastique!

Fantas-TikTok.
Oh.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Hey. Oh, I love that.
That was very smart, by the way.

This is so creative.

It looks fun. But then you eat
it and you're like,

"Ho, this person's
the real deal."

This is like

competition-winning-worthy
stuff.

Like, you cook like this,
you go deep, my friend.

Well done.
Thank you.

Good job.

Bloody hell, that was so crazy.

OK. Next dish.

Olaolu!

OLAOLU: I've got a lemon
ice-cream

with a preserved lemon-glazed
cruller.

Not a bad effort, mate.
I really enjoyed it

and it feels like something
that needs a little bit more.

Yeah.
Hey, Lucy. You're next.

Oh, yeah.

LUCY: I've made a spiced pudding
with a poached pear,

pear caramel and a bay leaf
cream.

I found the cake really nice
and moist

and I like the spices in it.

What I'm kind of just thinking

is the caramel is very, very
sweet.

Vinnie!

So I've made a kind
of DIY ice-cream sandwich.

Fior di latte ice-cream

rippled with strawberry
and tomato syrup

and crostoli with
a basil sugar.

Great concept. Love the concept.
The crostoli are great.

The ice-cream - there's a nice
flavour going on there,

but I think for me it's really
icy. Really icy.

Right. Next one.

(HONKS NASALLY)

Fruity clafoutis - Petro!

My dish gets called up
and I'm in a bit of shock.

There's a chance I might still
get over the line with this.

Here we go. (LAUGHS)

Ooh!

Tell us, Petro,
what have you made?

I have made an apricot
clafoutis

with a buffalo ricotta
and cinnamon ice-cream.

You look stressed.
Everything was going to plan.

I put it in the oven with half
an hour to go,

but I just realised
that it wasn't cooking.

So, um, a bit of user error
on my behalf.

OK, we're gonna try it.

Petro, I love
that you used apricots.

And the ice-cream tastes lovely.

Your clafoutis just wasn't
cooked on the bottom.

Petro...

..when you make a clafoutis,

you should get
that lovely caramelisation

and get under something nice

and coloured and lovely.

Yeah.
But you were unfortunate.

Otherwise, your ice-cream is
lovely.

Thank you.

Petro, I think you know
where you went wrong.

Yeah.

All of this is just about that
mixture not getting enough heat

and getting no puff.

But I really love
that you used apricots.

I think people don't cook enough
with apricots.

I feel like they're better
for cooking than eating,

to be honest.

And for 75 minutes, well done.

Thanks, mate.
Thanks. Thank you, guys.

Thank you.

Shame, huh?
Yeah.

That's alright.

You live...
You live and you learn.

OK. Next one is...

..Dot.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CONTESTANT: Go, Dot!

Did you see that?

Let's see what Dot
has to give us.

Oh, cute.
Wow.

It's so shiny.

DOT: I have done
my cherry-almond cake.

A little bit of lemon curd
in there...

..a cherry compote, and covered

in marshmallow to really
bring the sweetness.

Well, I am very much intrigued.

Oh, it's very bouncy.
Ooh!

It's bouncing back, look.
(CHUCKLES)

It's resisting.
Yeah.

ANDY: Very sticky.

Might need a knife.

Um, Dot...

..the cake himself is lovely...

..having cherry,

lemon,

sour, acidity,

the sweetness
from your marshmallow.

Well done.

But it's not whipped enough.

It is too solid.

I would have gone for something

probably more like
an Italian meringue

so you could cut it more easily.

But otherwise, a really
good effort still.

DOT: Thank you.

Dot, look, I just think you had
a marshmallow malfunction today.

Yeah.

(LAUGHS)
Oh, Andy!

Catch.
(LAUGHTER)

It won't do it!

It won't come off!

Look, if you need to hang
a painting, you're fine. Yeah.

It's just too sticky.

I'm going viral
for all the wrong reasons.

Yes, exactly.

Thank you, everyone.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Well done,
Dot...

..for trying.

Next fruity dessert we want
to taste belongs to...

..Jack.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

That was smooth!

What?

Jack, what have you made?

JACK: I've done a honey
and thyme panna cotta

with a blood orange
and Campari granita

with a makrut lime leaf oil

and some blood and
Sunrise limes there, as well.

Wow-wee! OK.

Inspo for this?

Definitely Callum.

I went to Sprout,
the cooking school,

so hopefully I do him proud.
Yeah.

I reckon we finish it up.

Callum wouldn't have done that.

(JUDGES LAUGH)

Enjoy, guys.
Thank you.

CATHERINE: Thank you.

Jack...

..it's bloody delicious.

The granita is special.

Blood orange, and then using
the Campari

to give some
beautiful bitterness.

I have no other words
because that's so well executed.

Beautiful.

This is my kind of dessert.

I like strong flavours

that really hero an ingredient,

and the fruit was just
really hero-ed in this.

It just tied well
with the bitterness

from the lime leaf,
the thyme came through,

very floral in the background.

Very well balanced.
Thank you. That's awesome.

Jack, your panna cotta
is so well set

that even if you just touch
the table, it quivers.

(CHUCKLES)

I loved all the elements,

and it had a very
clear direction.

Beautiful.

Jack, it's just perfect.

Wow. Thank you.

Bravo. Honestly, bravo.

Well done, Jack. Well done.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

So parfum.

Yes!
Oh, God.

Callum would be proud.
Oh, yeah!

Oh, my heart's going
a million miles an hour.

Jeez.

SOFIA: The last dish we'd like
to taste belongs to...

..Pat.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

PAT: Super happy getting tasted.

Yeah,
I've pushed the boat out today,

but I am super confident
with my dessert.

I love to eat it.

So, yeah, I'm excited
to see what the judges think

of my crazy
flavour combinations.

Righto, Pat, what have you made?

I've made my take
on ice-cream and jelly.

The base of the bowl

has some fish sauce
and honey caramel.

Then, there's a feuilletine,
macadamia and coconut crumble...

..a blackberry, ginger,
lemongrass jelly...

..an apricot, passionfruit
and mango jam,

and a pandan ice-cream.

I can't wait.

Pat...

..when you bought your dish
on the table,

I thought it was weird.

And in fact, I don't mind.

I admire your bottle

because you tried to combine
something and been creative.

And you should never stop
trying to be creative in cooking

or anything you do in life.

So, by digging in...

..your fish sauce worked.

I have learned a lesson today.

I'm going to try
to do fish sauce caramel.

Thank you, Pat, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

Pat...

..there is some balance there.

The pandan really
provides an anchor.

The ice-cream is made so well,
mate.

But then, there's just too much.
Yeah.

You know? So, you're a lot
closer than I thought you'd be,

but you're still
a little bit away.

No worries.

This is a very texturally
balanced dish.

We've got creamy, crunchy,
bouncy, fruity.

It's something
that I like to do a lot.

I think that, flavour-wise,

it was just a little bit
of a miss.

I was enjoying the mango,
and, suddenly,

like, I was hit with, like,
lemongrass and then fish sauce.

So, um, texturally, I love it,
but flavour-wise, not for me.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Respect to you.

Thank you.

Good stuff.
Hey, you got to have a go.

You always have to try
to go for that sixer.

There were some incredible
dishes today.

There were a lot
of unexpected flavours...

..some a little more crazy
than others.

Um, but, yeah, you guys
did amazing.

Don't look at me.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's say a big thank you
to Catherine Zhang.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Right. There were some dishes
that made us go bananas.

If I call your name,
please step forward.

Jack.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Grace.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

It was close,

but the dish of the day
goes to...

..Grace!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JACK: Well done.
So well deserved.

So crazy! So crazy.

Thank you.
So good.

Just real MasterChef
bucket-list moment.

Grace, you made lemon
the star of the show

and totally squeezed out
the competition.

(CHUCKLES)
Well done.

Well done to you. That was good.
That was a good one.

You'll be safe up on the gantry
tomorrow, while the others

cook for their spot
in the competition.

To everyone else,
take tonight to recharge

because tomorrow
the pressure is on.

Good night.

Everybody!

Time to rest.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

Put your hands together
for Victoria Minell!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

She's an Instagram superstar.

ALITA: Her food
is absolutely awesome.

You can see why
she's the Queen of Viral Week.

My first ingredient is...

Can they turn
her trending ingredients

into a viral-worthy dish...

This is crazy.
That is so hashtag viral, Dot.

..to save them from elimination?

PETRO: I'm taking a huge risk

on black-apron day.

Could be great.

Could be a disaster.

Captions by Red Bee Media