All language subtitles for MasterChef Australia - S18E18 -Eng

(CHEERING)

Welcome, everybody!

SOFIA: Morning!

Oh, that's cool.

It's got, like, postcards.

DOT: Wow!

We've got a suitcase.
Going overseas! Nah.

How cool!

Morning.
Good morning.

Where are we going?

Good morning, all!
Welcome back.

CONTESTANTS: Morning!

You may have noticed
the hundreds of postcards

from all corners of the globe.

It's those destinations,
that will be your inspiration

for today's challenge,

because today
is an invention test.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

Mixed reviews on their faces.

Casper, have you been fishing?

(LAUGHTER)

Yeah, that's where we're going.
We're going on a fishing trip.

That's my around the world.

Let's get straight into it.

You can choose the cuisine
that you cook today.

However, you'll come up
and pick not one,

but two postcards,

because this
is a fusion challenge.

CONTESTANTS: Ooh!

You must combine two cuisines
into one cohesive,

creative and delicious dish

that sings of both countries.

Annabel,
how are you feeling today?

Good?

I love fusion dishes,
to eat them.

Creating them,

I'm like, uh,
kind of pulling blanks.

You should be super confident.
You had a great dish yesterday.

You fused yesterday.
Yeah.

Yeah, that's true.
Can I do that again?

(LAUGHTER)

Luke, you struggled
on your last invention test.

What is your strategy today?

I think my strategy today
is to definitely go

a lot more inventive
and to just do something that,

like, I can't even
begin to visualise.

Um, something that, like,

no-one's
ever really thought of

and, uh,
who knows how it'll turn out?

But we'll see.

Throw clarity to the wind.
Yeah.

Yeah, let's see how that goes.
I'm looking forward to this!

This is an invention test,
so it's your chance

to surprise us.

You have 75 minutes
and full access

to the pantry and garden.

Show us what
you're creatively capable of,

because
the bottom four dishes

will be going into
tomorrow's pressure test,

where somebody
will be going home.

And trust me,
you don't want to be there.

OK, guys, remember,
we want fusion,

but no confusions.

Get ready to pick up
your postcards

because your time start...

..now!

Ooh, you're going Greece.

Australia. OK.

Immediately, I think
fusion sounds really scary

because you're blending, like,

two countries together

and it needs to be balanced
and work.

The US have such good food.

Italia.
Italia!

Whoo!

That's a big fishy.
Big fish.

Oh, my God.

ALONYA: I love the theme
of this week.

I think it's my favourite theme
so far.

Around the world is amazing,

because I've travelled
to a lot of places

that were so inspiring.

I'm doing France
and Japan today.

So I recently went to Japan
with a friend and we had

this really delicious
matcha sweet,

and I just decided
I'm going to package it up

and put it in choux pastry

with a yuzu veil.

So all the flavours for my dish
is coming from Japan,

and then France is going
to bring technique

with the beautiful choux pastry.

I feel like it's gonna be great.

I just need to bring it
all together.

So, yeah,
I'm gonna have to push it now.

I love this challenge.

You could do absolutely anything
with this one,

and I'm really excited
to see what they do.

I think a clever way to do this
would be to take a dish

or a technique from one country
and flavours from another.

It gives it clarity,

and I think that, yeah, that's
what we're kind of looking for.

On the flip side of that,
if we get confusion,

we're looking
for the bottom four

to go into
tomorrow's pressure test.

And we don't want any deja vu.

Deja vu.
Eh?

Deja vu.
Oh, we don't want something
we've seen before.

Yeah, an obvious dish
that we saw before.

Oh!
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah!

(LAUGHS)

Well, you expect me
to speak English.

It'd be nice if you can
sometimes try to speak French.

Un petit peu.
Merci.

Yeah, je m'appelle Andy, yeah.
Je vis dans le...

That means, "my name is Andy."

Hoo! She's heavy.

Fusion! I love fusion.

I feel like I naturally
just cook fusion all the time,

but it can very quickly
turn into confusion cooking,

and that is something
I am prone to,

I won't lie,
so today I need to make sure

I keep it clear with my ideas.

Today, I'm going
with Turkish and Hungary.

Um, I'm doing
a Hungarian langos,

which is like
a Hungarian street food

that's a fried bread.

And then I'm going
to load that up

with all of the Turkish flavours
that I love.

Fried bread.
Who doesn't love fried bread?

It's greasy, it's crunchy,
that is just a dream to a tee.

Although I love a langos,
it is very simple...

..so I've decided to try
and stuff my langos

with a Turkish savoury mince,
with beautiful Turkish spices.

So I am bringing
the Turkiye flavours to Hungary.

I'm going to add cumin,
coriander,

a little bit of paprika
and currants for that sweetness,

because I feel like Turkish food

has that beautiful dance
between that flavoursome spice,

but then also that sweetness.

Oh, I love the smell.

It makes sense in my head.

So let's see if it makes sense
on the plate.

LUKE: I need strawberries.

Last invention test,

I didn't exactly
put my best foot forward.

Uh, Luke,

chicken would love
a little bit more punch.

I would love
a little bit more acidity.

I would love
a little bit more spice.

Is it inventive?

Probably not, in my opinion.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE:
It's missing the Luke

we had since the beginning
of the competition.

That was definitely
the lowest point

in my MasterChef career so far.

Yep, I'm taking them all.

So today's invention test,
I'm hoping

that I can absolutely smash
the brief with invention...

Corners!

..my dish nails on flavours
and it's the missing Luke.

I'm gonna cook like Luke.
It's gonna taste like Luke.

Uh, and it's gonna be good fun.

Today, I'm working
with Australia and Spain.

I was drawn to these ones
because I feel like

I'm not super good
around the world,

but I know kind of
how to blend a few flavours.

So I was thinking
kind of, um, Spanish-inspired.

I want to do like a gazpacho,

which is normally like
a tomato kind of cold soup.

I want to give it
a bit of a shake up,

so I'm fusing Australia
into my gazpacho

through, uh, using strawberries,

and I'm going to use,
kind of play with

that Australian seafood thing,

do a bit of sashimi
with the kingfish,

pair it with
a few Australian natives.

So I'm going
to use Geraldton wax,

which is where I'm from,
Geraldton.

I think this dish is savoury,

but it's definitely got

some sort of sweet tinges
to it,

especially
using the strawberry.

I'm also going to put
a couple of natives in there,

just very,
very light hints of it.

I'm not 100% sure
how it's gonna taste,

so I'm just hoping that,
if I can get the flavours right

and the kind of the idea
behind it,

the judges will really see
what's happening.

It's missing a bit of sweetness.

It's either
a match made in heaven

or it's gonna be
an absolute disaster.

ANNABEL: Oh, my God, it's
so nice working next to you.

Annabel and Alyona fusion.

Yeah, this
is an Alyona-Annabel special.

I'm feeling pretty good
about my concept -

to make beautiful
French choux pastry,

filled
with some Japanese flavour.

Where did I put...?

I don't know
if I want salted butter.

So the first thing I'm making,
the choux pastry,

I have to cook it
as soon as possible

because I'll need
to cool it before

I can fill it
with my matcha cream.

For the dough,
I'm heating up some milk,

some water, some butter
and some flour.

But, oh, my gosh,
making this choux pastry,

it's really hard.

Oh, my gosh.

I feel like I'm working out
all this time!

Oh!

Yeah, look at us go. (LAUGHS)

Because it's a new thing to me.

I haven't been making
these pastries for a long time,

so I really need
to make sure I'm very focused.

Alyona, how are you?

Hi. I'm good. How are you?

Tell me - Japan and...
France, yes.

So tell me,
what are you doing?

Uh, so I just recently went
to Japan with a friend,

and at one of the stops we had
this really delicious

matcha sweet treat.

OK.

And I thought it would
be really nice

to put similar flavours
into a choux,

and then
I'm gonna make yuzu gel

or like, a veil
on top of the choux as well.

So you are using
French techniques...
Yes.

..to make something,
to get some Japanese flavours?
Yes.

So you like baking
French pastries?

No, it's my new thing.
I wasn't really...
Your new thing?

Yeah, I really
just started recently.

OK.

And it's an invention test,
so I'm gonna push myself today.
OK.

Suddenly, I feel
a lot of pressure.

What are you doing?

Why don't you put
a bit of oil on there

to make sure
they stick on the table?

I need to make sure
the choux pastries

are cooked perfectly because
I'm gonna be serving them

to Jean-Christophe.

It can't be humid, yeah?
Sorry?

It can't be too humid.

So, more?
Yeah.

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

OK, guys, one hour to go!

Come on! Allez, allez!

Oh, my gosh.

VINNIE: Far out. Ah!

LUKE: Get it together.

This is fun!

Ha-ha! It's so fun!

LUCY: Invention tests
are all about creativity,

and especially today
where the brief is fusion,

so we're combining
two countries together.

I am blending
France and Vietnam,

and I'm making
a French cruller doughnut

with Vietnamese
iced coffee-inspired flavours.

Um, this is my choux pastry.

So I'm just about to pipe it

into little doughnut shapes.

And then I'm going
to fry the doughnuts

and fill it
with Vietnamese coffee cream,

condensed milk glaze
and a coffee crumb.

My mum's Vietnamese

and my dad's background
is Australian.

There's not much to it.

It's pretty... That's it.

So I love cooking
Asian fusion-style dishes.

I think that really relates
to who I am.

Pretty happy
with the cruller doughnut.

Um, nothing's gone wrong yet,
so that's a good sign.

So I'm just working
on my coffee crumb.

The coffee crumb
is really important to my dish

because it needs
to bring forward

that coffee element.

With Vietnamese iced coffee,

the coffee
is really, really strong

because it needs to cut through
that condensed milk.

I'm hoping that
my dish fits the brief,

so really getting
those French techniques

with that French doughnut

and then those Vietnamese
coffee flavours as well.

No fish on the menu?
No, not today.

Your fish on the menu?
You didn't get the memo
about our fishing trip?

Next time.

I love invention tests.
I think I'm quite creative.

Fusion really excites me,

so I'm really keen
to go do something crazy, wacky.

So I'm going
Greece and Japan today.

I'm gonna have a crack at doing

a tsukune dolmade, which is like

a Japanese
chicken meatball skewer,

but I'm going to do it
in the style of a dolmade,

so I'm going to wrap it up
in a shiso leaf

and give it a little torch

and serve it
with kind of like a ponzu.

I really want the dish
to be Japanese in flavour,

but almost like Greek
in presentation.

Starting
by butchering the chicken.

Traditionally,
the tsukune is more the offcut

because they give
a lot of flavour

and texture to the overall dish.

The rice, I'm going to sub out
for a sushi rice.

I'm going to cook in a dashi,

so it still has that kombu-y,
like, umami backbone to it.

Japanese-Greek
is not really done much,

so I think it's quite inventive
just by nature.

Greece and Japan couldn't be
further from each other.

They're literally on
the opposite ends of the world,

so I think if I can pull off

a fusion of these dishes,
it'll really impress the judges.

It feels nice
to be next to you, Emily.

EMILY: Am I giving you
a good vibe?

Yeah.
I will vibe...

I'll keep vibing you then.

It's like we're cooking at home.

Whoo!

I love fusion,
and I'm really familiar

with both Chinese
and Korean cooking.

So, thinking fusion,

I definitely want to play
to my strengths.

Uh, do I need another fillet?
I think I should be fine.

Bro, it's enormous.

So today I'm going to do a fish
that is filled

with like a dumpling filling,

in with flavours of South Korea

with like
a Chinese-flavoured broth.

So the elements of the dish
include, like,

a kind of tofu vegetable filling

and a steamed fish
marinated in doenjang,

which is a Korean soybean paste,
with a soy Shaoxing wine broth.

I'm hoping
that the dish looks beautiful,

and that you also still get
the two distinct flavours
as well.

Chinese and Korean -
these are two cuisines that

I'm really comfortable with,

and I'm hoping
the judges love it.

45 minutes to go! Come on, guys!

DOT: Oh, my God,
that already smells so good.

VINNIE: The lime leaves?
Yeah.

Oh, thanks.

So, today I've chosen
Italy and Thailand.

Um, I'm going to be making
a mango sticky rice arancini.

It's gonna look like
an arancini,

but it's gonna have
all the flavours
of that Thai mango sticky rice.

Filling them with Thai flavours,

but using Italian techniques
I think is pretty inventive.

I am gonna do India
and Italy today.

I'm gonna make
a rasam mussel soup.

So rasam is
a South Indian vegetarian soup,

but I'm gonna do it in the style
of an Italian mussel soup,

with a little pizzette
on the side.

I've actually never made it
with mussels or anything,

so we'll see.

I picked India and Mexico,

and the dish I'm making
is a rasam ceviche.

Rasam is a sour soup
from southern India,

typically tamarind.

I'm gonna use pineapple
and chipotle

to give it that sour base,

and then obviously ceviche
is very Mexican,

so using those two ideas
together today.

I'm doing America and Japan.

I went to America
a couple of years ago,

and I had this brownie
and ice-cream dish

and it, like, was awful,
it sucked.

And so I want to do it
really beautifully

and elevated
with, like, Japanese flavours

more than just
like a brownie and cream

you would just get
at like a daggy restaurant
somewhere in America.

How are you doing, Dot?
I'm inventing things. (LAUGHS)

Excellent.

I've got things started.

I've got my mince cooked,

and I've got my dough ready
to go for my stuffed langos.

Next, I'm putting in
my lamb mince.

I might have made langos before,

but I've never
stuffed a langos before,

so we're venturing into
new territories today.

The most important thing
is that this rises in the oil.

We want beautiful air pockets
with the dough.

Ooh, she's hot.

And it needs
to have that crunch.

I've got my breads cooked.

I'm just figuring out
the balance of flavour.

I feel like a langos
is missing that freshness,

the pop of flavour that
balances out all those spices.

OK, let's see what we can do.

So I'm going to make
my herb salad

with fresh mint and parsley,

caraway, cabbage
that goes on top of the langos.

Because
we don't have long today,

I'm going to braise it first

to speed up
the pri...pickling po... Uh!

Mm!

To speed up the prickli...
The prickling?

To speed up
the pickling process.

Say that three times!

Mm, yum.

Why does caraway
always just smell so good?

(SIGHS)

So my choux pastries are done...

Oh, thank God.

..and they look beautiful.

I'm really happy with them.

While my pastries
are cooling in the fridge,

I'm starting on my matcha cream.

Matcha is
a very strong green tea flavour,

and I don't want it
to be overpowering,

so I need to be really careful.

Have you tasted?
Yes.

Have you tasted it?
Tried the...?

Yeah.
Yeah.

Have you tasted?
Yeah.

And?
Yeah, it's good.

Happy?
Yeah. It's really tasty.
Very matcha-y.

My matcha cream,

it's actually working out
very well.

It's really bright and green.

The matcha flavour
is quite profound,

but I don't think
it's overpowering.

I also want to add
a yuzu element to balance it

and add a little bit of tartness
to the dish.

So, pushing myself today.

I hope it's gonna hit the brief

and I'm gonna avoid
the pressure test.

ANDY: Balance is
absolutely everything in fusion!

You've only got
30 minutes to go!

I've got the broth cooking,
and I am stuffing the fish

with the tofu filling

and just about
to steam that now.

The fish is marinated
and the filling in.

Put it on the steamer
and I get it cooking.

And in the meantime,
I'm working on the broth

and trying to balance out
that flavour.

The broth is
quite subtle Chinese flavours,

so to make the distinction
between the two cuisines,

I just hope that fish has a lot

of those punchy,
South Korean flavours.

I'm just gonna back myself,

I backed the flavours
that I know,

um, and, yeah, keep going.

Hey, Jackie, how are you going?
Hi.

Let's see
where you're taking us.
Yes.

China and...South Korea.

Yes.

I wanted to make sure
that I played to two flavours

that I know really well,
but I know

the subtle differences between
as well.

What I'm trying to do
is basically a fish

that is filled with,
like, a dumpling filling,
in a broth.

I'm trying to do a fish
that uses

the punchy, some of
the punchy flavours of Korea,

South Korea, like the doenjang
and a bit of chilli,

mixed with
really subtle Chinese cooking,

like in the soy
and the Shaoxing wine as well.

OK, so...

..I am
a little bit worried about

the two cultures
melding together.

My concern for you
is how you make sure

that those two cultures
are clearly delineated.

Yeah.

Just make sure
that you're delivering

those flavours and the idea...

Yeah.
..very clearly.
Yeah.

You want to hold on to that pin
as long as you possibly can.

Totally.

Yeah. Yeah, no,
I really appreciate that.

OK?
Yeah.
Alright. Good luck, Jackie.

Thank you.

I'm a little bit worried.

Oh, dude...

There are a lot of elements
in Chinese and Korean cooking

which are really similar.

..I think this is confusing.

I think I need
to just take a moment

and just reframe
and really think

about the decisions
that I'm making today.

I really need to stay
out of the confusion territory.

I think
I just really need to pivot.

JACKIE: I'm really worried,

after the visit
from Sofia and Poh,

that Chinese and Korean cooking
are quite similar.

So I decided to swap China
for Italy.

Um, I am going to listen
to the judges today

and make sure that
I have a bit more

of a distinct flavour
in my dish.

I'm cooking the same dish,
but instead of Chinese,

I'm going to have a more

Italian/European-flavoured
broth.

Um, so I'm going to do
like a...

..I guess I feel like
fennel goes really well
with fish,

and I'm going to do like
a fennel, tomatoey-type broth.

I know it's a risky move
doing a change,

especially
halfway through a cook,

but I just want to prove
to myself that I can.

I'm definitely hoping

this keeps me out
of elimination tomorrow.

I've got the pin,
and I just want to keep it

as long as possible.

LUKE: For today's
around the world invention test,

I'm making

a strawberry gazpacho
with Geraldton wax kingfish.

I just tasted my gazpacho
after straining it,

and it actually tastes
very delicious.

The acidity of the tomato
and capsicum

and kind of the tartness
of the strawberry

has just all come out in one.

So I'm very excited
for that one.

It's got kind of not too sweet,

not too tart,

but it's got
this beautiful depth of flavour

and it's something
a bit different.

It actually tastes banging,
Luce.

LUCY: Really?
Yeah.

I'm surprised.
I was too.

But gazpacho is just
one element on the plate.

Alrighty,
time to fillet a fish!

And I need to make sure
that all my flavours

and all my techniques
really nail

and fuse well together.

Often, when people do
like sashimi-style

or crudo style,

they'll use lemon zest
on the fish,

but I'm going to be using
Geraldton wax instead.

Now, it has
a very similar kind of flavour

and kind of smell profile
as lemon,

so I think
it'll just work perfectly.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE:
OK, guys, 15 minutes to go!

Oh, my God!

LYDIA: The chillies.

Please remind me not
to rub my eyes later on today.

So, I am cooking...

(GASPS)

..from Argentina and Thailand.

I'm cooking an empanada
filled with a pork larb filling.

I've got Malaysia and Italy.

I'm trying to make
a prawn sambal raviolo

with a prawn
and coconut cream sauce.

So that's my little spin on it.

And hopefully, yeah,
I can pull it off.

So today I'm using
French and South Korean cuisine.

So I'm doing steak frites
with Korean flavours.

I've got Nigeria and China today
I'm making a suya agege bao.

Suya is a spicy
kind of beef skewer,

usually done over coal,

and I'm making the bao
from scratch,

you know,
the Chinese steamed bun.

I'm going to modify it
with some Nigerian flavours
as well.

CASPER: I'm super excited
with how it's all going.

All the elements of my dish
are looking good.

I need to start pushing
to get my dolmades rolled.

I think what's really going
to invoke Japan in this dish

is swapping out
the traditional grapevine leaves

for shiso leaves,
for the wrappers,

for the dolmades.

So I'm grabbing as many of

the biggest green shiso leaves
as I can, so I can assemble.

My only concern is that
the leaves might be

a bit more fragile
than your vine leaves,
traditionally.

I'm just hoping

that they keep holding
their shape while they steam.

The leaves are sort
of changing...colour.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy
with how they're coming along.

Keep cooking!
Nine minutes to go!

Oh, dear Lord!

Allez!

Which one to serve?

I'm tasting my dish as I go.

I've probably eaten two langos

this cook time!

But I'm not mad about it.

The flavours from both Hungary
and Turkiye are coming together,

but I need to make sure
I've got the balance right,

enough of every little element,

so every mouthful,
you get the Turkish,

you get the Hungarian.

It's coming together.

I'm just going to keep tasting
and get the balance right.

I'm happy with the flavours.

I feel like
I've done both cuisines proud

and I think it works.

Oh, she's good.

ALYONA: Ah!

So my choux pastry is cool.

I'm piping creme pat
inside of the choux pastry.

OK!

Then I'm cutting out

little circles
of that yuzu gel,

and I'm putting them
on top of the pastry.

They look so great.

I'm just hoping that

the choux pastries
are cooked perfectly

because you never know.

Hopefully, they'll love it.

LUCY: So I've made
my coffee cream

and then I've got
a coffee crumb in the oven,

getting nice and golden.

And so now it's time
to fry my doughnuts.

I'm just focusing
on the frying right now.

I really want
some nice brown colour,

um, crispy on the outside,
soft in the middle.

I've never done this before,
but they're looking

pretty good.

The piping looks great,

they've held their shape,
so I'm really happy with them.

LUKE: Luce, how are you going?

Good.
Yeah?

And as I'm glazing my doughnuts,

I can just smell this,
like, burning smell,

and I'm thinking, like,

"Someone's definitely
burning something over here.

"Like, I would hate to be them."

And then it clicks!

Whoa!

Oh, that is really burnt.

My crumb is completely black.

It is so burnt.

That is bad.

There is no saving that.

LUCY: I've got five minutes left
on the clock and my crumb

is completely black.

It is so burnt.

Um, not the best feeling

that my crumb
is completely obliterated.

I'm definitely feeling worried.

My coffee cream doesn't have
the strongest coffee flavour

because I toned it down

for the coffee crumb.

Now I'm worried
that there is like,

no coffee flavour on this dish,

and that all they're gonna taste
is condensed milk.

What I'm gonna do
is just toast off

some hazelnuts,

um, and have that as a bit
of a crunch element on my dish.

I'm just hoping
that there's enough

coffee flavour there now,
um, without that crumb.

SOFIA: Two minutes!
Come on!

VINNIE:
Pretty happy with my dish.

I feel as though
it looks like an arancini.

And the flavours are tasting
really, really good.

Um, they're definitely
all Thai.

Mango sticky rice.

ANNABEL:
My brownie's coming together.

I'm just doing my yuzu curd
at the moment.

I've just got to pay
extra special attention to it!

I think I'm tracking OK.

Adjusting flavours
because I'm combining

essentially things

that normally
would never go together.

It's always you think you have
more time than you do,

and you're just rushing
to get everything done.

CASPER: I still haven't
plated up my dolmades,

but all I've got to do
is just brush them with a tare,

hit them with a blowtorch,

and then finish off my sauce,

which is just cracking
an egg yolk into a little bowl.

I'm really happy
with the outcome.

The dolmades look great.

They really remind me
of having an actual dolmade,

so I'm really happy with that.

OK, guys, one minute left to go!

Let's go! Come on!

Push!

JACKIE: I've got to get
the fish dumplings

out of the steamer,

but they are so delicate.

They are very, very crumbly.

She is very flaky.

It comes out, and now I need
to get that skin off

because I know the skin
is just going to be tough

if it stays on.

Shit...

But as I'm pulling the skin,

it's just not coming off
how I want it to.

It's starting to fall apart.

I know it's super delicate,

so I just need
to stop touching it.

We are arriving in Flavourtown
in ten...

JUDGES: Nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one!

That is it!

GRACE: Hey.
OLAOLU: How did it go, Grace?

Good, good, good. Yum!

Alright.
CASPER: You happy?

You pivoted a lot, eh?
Not exactly...

Yeah!
Aw...

Not exactly what I wanted,
but...

Good job.
..we'll see.

Looks so good!
Good job, guys.

The first dish we'd like
to taste was cooked by...

..Dot.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

We have Hungarian,
we have Turkish,

we have invention.

This is new.
I've never seen this before.

I'm happy with what I've made

and hopefully
the judges love it too.

Wow.

Hello, Dot.
Hi.

Which countries did you pick?

I picked Turkiye and Hungary.

So we have

a langos, which is
a fried Hungarian bread,

and I've stuffed it
with a Turkish lamb mince.

Um, and then I've done
like a herb salad on top

with mint parsley and pickled
caraway, red cabbage.

So, yeah, I think it does work.

Alright, we'll let you know...

Do!
..very shortly.

Dot, I was in Budapest
and I ate a langos,

and I found it quite plain.

And I love this version of it.

Yay!

I really love the ratios
that you've used.

You have treated this
so sensitively

and you have managed
to delineate both cultures.

Every little mouthful,

I can taste you've borrowed
from each culture

and it is quite distinct,
which is amazing.

I think you've done a great job.

Thank you.

And I had to really
put on my poker face

and just leave a few bites,
even though I just want to cram

the whole thing in my mouth.
Oh!

It's a dish
that is incredibly harmonious

with both of the flavours.

To be able to do that,

you have to be well-travelled
and have a great palate.

I think you've done
a really beautiful job of it.

Thank you.

I am picking up
what you're putting down here.

Yay!

Like, fluffy,

like, well-risen
caramelised, deep-fried bread -

uh, yes, please -

stuffed with, like,
slightly spiced mince.

Like, I think you've
just nailed this challenge,

in terms of making
those two countries,

like, literal best friends.

Um, mate, I think you have
mastered this challenge.

Great stuff.
Thanks, guys.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Well done!

Lydia, you're next.

I think you might have picked
the most exotic combination,

which was Argentina
and Thailand.

(LAUGHS)

LYDIA: Yes, I made an empanada.
Yeah.

And I've made
a larb-style filling for it,

and so I've called it
an empanlarba.

(LAUGHTER)

Fun idea and fun to eat.

It was just such

a surprising combination
and it's worked.

It's a really great idea.
Well done.

Pat.

PAT: I've done
South Korea and France today.

So I've done
South Korean steak frites.

Great concept.

The real star of this show
is your kimchi bearnaise.

Well done, mate.

Annabel.

I chose Japan and the USA.

I have done
a black sesame brownie.

I think you have
achieved everything

you wanted to achieve
with the flavours, OK?

The balance is fantastic.
I think it's bloody delicious.

I really like it.

Olaolu, you couldn't have picked

more different parts
of the world, yeah?

Nigerian and China.

OLAOLU: So I've made you
suya agege bao.

I love that you packed
so much flavour

and heat into that meat,

and I feel myself
developing a slight lisp

because
I'm still drooling from it

as I try to speak.

In terms of showcasing the meat,
you absolutely did that.

Hannah!

HANNAH: Yeah, Italy and Lebanon.

I made
an orange blossom panna cotta,

and then roasted figs
with some buttered pine nuts.

I think your choice of flavours
is great.

Your figs are fabulous.
So, well done.

Thank you.

Next up, it's Jackie!

JACKIE: I'm not feeling great
about the dish.

I'm concerned about the fish,
the cook on it, the broth,

so I'm nervous to hear
what they're gonna have to say.

Jackie.
Hi.

Which countries did you pick?

I picked South Korea and Italy.
And what did you make?

I've made a steamed fish
with a tomato broth.

Alright, Jackie,
we're going to taste it.

Maybe just peel that back.

POH: I think I have to

because it's taking
the fish apart too much.

Or should I just use this?
No, I think that's good.

Jackie, when you were
describing your dish

at your bench and up here,

I think we were all
a little bit confused by it.

I think you were confused by it
as well.

And I was really hoping
that when we separated it out,

cut it up, tasted it,
that it would make more sense.

But unfortunately,
it's making even less sense.

The broth is not heavily
Italian.

I think maybe
because you pivoted as well,

you sort of had to work
with less time

and a base
that wasn't quite there

to create something new.

There's also problems
technically with the dish.

So obviously it's falling apart
and the fish is very overcooked.

The skin on the fish
is really problematic as well.

It's very, very thick
and rubbery, yeah.

Sorry, Jackie.

I think if you go,

"Oh, I wonder
if the judges will understand,"

the answer probably is

it's the wrong dish
for the challenge,

and I feel like that

that's just led
to a plate of food

that is kind of
neither here or there.

Thanks, Jackie.
Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Sofia, you look like
you are a fortune teller.

Ah, yes!

Can you tell me in the future
who's next?

Can I have your palm?
Yeah.

Oh, my God!
Alyona!

ALYONA:
I'm feeling really nervous.

Like, as soon as
they called my name,

my heart is pumping,

and I wonder
what Jean-Christophe

was going to tell me.

But you just never know

how Jean-Christophe
is going to react.

(SIGHS)

I hope he's going to like it.

Alyona, what are your countries?

Uh, my countries
are France and Japan.

Wow.

So what have you made?

I made a choux pastry

filled with matcha,
white chocolate cream

and yuzu topping.

Well, if the choux fits...

I hope it does!

Let's have a test.

Wow!

I have to say, what you've done
is absolutely phenomenal.

The way you've combined

those flavours together
is just...

Thank you.
It is extraordinary.

I'm still enjoying the taste
and the flavours.

In fact, oh,
look over there.

Look, look, look!

That's for me.

Well, you could just finish
the one on your plate first.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.
This is absolutely perfect.

POH: Your choux buns
were beautiful and hollow,

crisp on the outside,

so you could fill it
with plenty of that creme pat,

which was so silky.

And also just the little,
um, yuzu veil -

very, very clever.

That was just masterful.

Thank you, Poh.

You are a flavour queen

and I'm really excited
to see that from you

in a dessert as well.

Oh, my God! Thank you.

It's becoming very clear
that it's not just

your savoury dishes
or your desserts,

it's you as a whole package,

and this dish is
the whole package as well.

Oh, my gosh! Thank you.

Thank you.
You alright?

Yeah, I just... Oh, my gosh.

I thought I was going
to have a heart attack

serving choux to
Jean-Christophe and for you,

and, um, yeah,
thank you so much.

I'm so overwhelmed.

Well done.
Well done.

Oh, my gosh.

I am, like,
having some sort of

out-of-body experience
with all this positive feedback.

It's almost like
I don't believe it.

But it's just
such an incredible thing.

I'm so happy!

We'd love to taste
your dish next, Vinnie.

You picked Thailand and Italy.

VINNIE: I have made you some
mango sticky rice arancini.

Vinnie,
I loved the idea of this,

but I think the rice

being more on the risotto side
is a bit mushy.

SOFIA: Without
the gelatinous nature

of that sticky rice,

it kind of takes it away
from being from Thailand.

Miin!

MIIN: I have combined
India and Mexico today,

and what you have in front
of you is a rasam ceviche.

Unfortunately, with this dish,

there is
next to no Indian in it.

The use of the chipotle,

it's just overpowered
all of those beautiful spices.

Aaron, you picked Malaysia
and Italy.

AARON: Yes. I've made
a prawn sambal raviolo.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE:
Your pasta work, very well done,

but the problem is the sambal,
or the mix, not cooked enough,

so it's a bit dry.

Petro.

PETRO: I went Greek and Japan.

I made a creamy skordalia

with a miso butter.

Holy mackerel that has
got some flavour going on,

and you get Greece
and you get Japan.

But the prawns
are inconsistently cooked.

I could only eat
the tail of mine

and, mate, you know me,

sometimes if it's
still swimming, I'll eat it,

and that, yeah...

Grace.

GRACE: Today,
I chose India and Italy.

I've done rasam mussel soup

with anchovy
and garlic pizzette.

SOFIA: Mussels are cooked
really well,

but, while I think you've made
two tasty dishes,

I don't think
you've been successful

in fusing them together
seamlessly.

You're up next, Casper.

Yeah, Casper!

I'm really happy with
what I've been able to do,

but seeing some of the other
people's fusion dishes

not working, I'm getting
a little bit worried.

Casper,
which countries did you pick?

I picked Greece and Japan.

And I've done tsukune dolmades.

I've been to both Greece
and Japan multiple times

and I have never come across
a Japanese dolmade.

Yeah!
(BOTH LAUGH)

I am looking forward
to tasting one.

Um, Casper,

I have a long list of things
that I love about this dish.

Um, firstly, the conception
is very clever, very clever.

Um, the fact that
you've gone Greece and Japan,

I would never, ever,
ever try and, like,

fuse those two together,
but it makes so much sense here.

The filling was so juicy.

Like, the chicken mince,

you must have pounded

some chicken skin
and chicken fat in there...

Yeah.

..because it is, like,
so, so juicy.

It's heaving with flavour,
which I think is great.

And I think you actually
got the balance spot-on.

Well played, well played.
Thank you.

That is a dolmade
through and through

until you
put it in your mouth,

and then it just takes you
straight to Japan.

There's absolutely no question
about it,

you actually exceeded
my expectations on this one.

Yay.
Well done.

Thank you.

Oh!

Next up, we'll go Luke.

I've got no idea what to expect
from this tasting.

The flavour combo
is pretty risky,

and if those flavours
don't work seamlessly together,

I'm in strife.

I'm pretty nervous.

Luke, this is what
we end up with

when you set out
to create a dish

that you can't even envisage.

Yeah.
OK. What have we got?

I had Spain and Australia.
Yep.

And I did a strawberry gazpacho,
so the Spanish-inspired there.

And then I paired it with,
like, Australian natives

and a basil oil
and then, like, raw kingfish.

Righto. Let's have a go.
I'm interested.

You have my attention.

Are you in love?
In love with my dish?

Uh...

Oh, not necessarily.

There is a lot of
little hearts shape over there.

Oh! Uh...
No, I wouldn't say yes.

No?
No, I'm very single.

I'm still working on eye contact
at the moment.

Luke...

..Luke...

..Luke.

The flavour...

..I thought was fantastic.

I don't know
if I'd change much about it.

I thought it was beautiful

in terms of the kind
of interplay

of the strawberry
and the tomato,

and then combining that with
the Geraldton wax

to give
this kind of kaffir lime,

lemongrass acidity to it -
bloody genius.

Like, bloody genius!

I'm so proud
of how far you're coming

with tasting your food,

and your palate, it's gone,
like, through the roof

in a very short space of time

since you've been
in this kitchen.

Yeah, it's a really lovely dish.

Really refreshing,
really modern.

A very accomplished dish
for someone

who was just kind of flying
by the seat of his pants.

(LAUGHTER)

Well done, Luke.

(APPLAUSE)

OK, Lucy, please.

Go, Lucy!

LUCY: I'm not feeling
too confident

about serving my dish
to the judges.

My coffee crumb
didn't get on the plate,

and that crumb was so crucial

in providing

that strong coffee hit.

I'm definitely concerned.

Lucy, please tell us,

what are the two countries
that you've chosen?

I chose France and Vietnam.

I made a Vietnamese
iced coffee cruller

with condensed milk glaze
and a coffee cream.

OK, we're gonna taste.

OK, Lucy...

First, presentation - wonderful.

Thank you for that.

Nice and neat.

But in your dish is a no-go.

Your condensed milk,
I don't think there is enough.

Your coffee cream is weak.

I haven't tasted the nuts yet.

The nuts are raw.

SOFIA: I kind of wish
that in, like,

some crazy last-minute rush

you just drizzled condensed milk
all over the top of it,

because I think it would have
helped with the balance,

and it would have injected
that Vietnamese element

into your dish
that's so desperately missing,

unfortunately.

I think today
there's some people

that have missed on the brief,

some people have missed
on technique.

I am so sorry to say,

but I think unfortunately
you've missed on both

with this dish.

Oh, man. Shocked, I am. Shocked.

Yeah, thank you, guys.

Thanks, Lucy.
Thanks.

I've completely
messed up my execution,

and it's really hard
because I really don't want

to go into
the elimination tomorrow,

but it's not looking good
for me.

Today's challenge was all about
getting

those creative juices flowing
with an invention test.

Some of you got it so, so right.

Casper.

Dot.

Alyona.

All three of you smashed it.
Nice work.

A few of you struggled today.

If I call your name,
please step forward.

Jackie.

Lucy.

Vinnie.

And Miin.

Unfortunately, you
guys will all be cooking

in tomorrow's pressure test.

Jackie, you are wearing
an immunity pin,

so you've got
a lot to think about tonight.

All four of you,
go away, recharge,

and be ready to fight
to keep your position

in the competition tomorrow.

Au revoir, bonsoir.

OK, everybody.

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night...

Please welcome Rosheen Kaul!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

..she's a force in fine dining.

VINNIE: It's pretty daunting.
Rosheen is very impressive.

Today, you'll be making my...

(ALL GASP)

..chou farci.

LUCY: Like, what even is this?

It doesn't look real.

But in a pressure test,

it's what's on the inside

that counts.

(ALL GASP)

Captions by Red Bee Media