All language subtitles for masterchef.australia.s15e48.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm

NARRATOR: Previously
on MasterChef Australia...

Peter Gilmore! (LAUGHS)

..the Terminator of
the Pressure Test returned.

You're not getting the recipe, so
you've go to remember it. (LAUGHS)

They needed total recall...

I reckon it's 30 grams.
30?

Don't think think it's 50.

..to reproduce his
latest masterpiece.

Far out, mate.

I am chaos in the brain.

DECLAN: You alright, Theo?
No.

I'm, like, losing my mind
on this thing.

Just take a breath, Theo.

..the results were worthy
of the top four.

ANDY: The squid,
the pipis, the scallops,

all cooked perfectly.

Overall, the flavours
are pretty damn good.

And Declan and Rhiannon

won their spots into the semifinal.

But it was Theo
who had to say goodbye.

I've got so much passion
and so much drive in me.

What I'm gonna do after this
is gonna be something epic.

Whoo!

Tonight, a MasterChef favourite

brings our top three a challenge
that's not for the faint-hearted.

BRENT: It is hectic.

RHIANNON: Oh, my God, this is chaos.

(EXPECTANT MUSIC)

(LAUGHS) Oh, how exciting!
I know.

Top three, guys.
That's it.

Congratulations.
This is so cool.

This is, like, ridiculous.

Blowing out.
Congratulations. Yeah.

It's a kind of epic feeling.
It is!

I'm coming in so excited today.

It's just like, "Yeah, bring it."

JOCK: Here they are!
CONTESTANTS: Oh!

DECLAN: This is such
a surreal feeling.

Then there were three!
Morning.

I am top three of MasterChef 2023.

I can't believe it.

This looks fun.
Ooh.

Little masterclass.

Ooh-hoo! Yeah!

There's a bit of a different set-up
going on,

and I'm starting to wonder,
"What are we gonna be in for today?"

I'm a bit nervous.

Look at you three.
(RHIANNON CHUCKLES)

You are our three semifinalists

for MasterChef Australia 2023.

Hooray!

I literally can't bloody believe it.

I'm not kidding. I'm like,
"What the hell's going on?"

I'm standing between
these awesome boys

and I'm like,"Holy crap!
Like, this is amazing!"

Have you rung Deano?
What does he think?

He's like, "When are you
coming home? Like, I'm starving."

(ALL LAUGH)

(LAUGHS)

Brent...

..surely this was a goal of yours.

Yeah, it was a goal.

Like, obviously,
I had a few along the way,

but the big one, obviously,

is to get to the semifinals
and grand finale.

Oh, it's been a long journey
to get to this point,

and now I'm here...

..it's a good feeling.

This is the gateway
to the semifinals,

and we had to make it
worth your while.

So today the winning dish
will see its maker

with a whopping 30-minute
time advantage in the semifinals.

Ooh.

DECLAN: Jeez. Crucial.

This whole season

you're either right on the buzzer

or you're just like, "I just
needed another 10 minutes."

So an extra 30 minutes,

massive advantage, seriously.

Everyone will be
gunning for that today.

And to get your hands on it,
you will need to pick up the pace,

because today you will need to
keep up with a world-renowned chef

as he cooks one of
his signature dishes.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Please welcome...

..Curtis Stone!

(HEROIC MUSIC)

RHIANNON: Oh, my God,
it's Curtis Stone!

(ALL CHEER)
We get to see him again!

How cool is that?

Here he is.

Although, I'm instantly like,
"This is not gonna be easy."

Welcome back, Curtis.
Thanks so much.

The gang's a tad smaller
since you were last here.

Just a little.
Yeah.

Just the three faces
I was expecting to see too.

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

Curtis is here to cook for us today.

And you guessed it - you guys
are gonna have to keep up with him.

So, today we're gonna make
Scotch fillet au poivre...

..beurre rouge...

..pomme puree...

..and roasted bone marrow.

Wow.

What did he just say?

DECLAN: Uh-oh.
(LAUGHS)

Don't even ask me to pronounce it.
I'm serious.

It's fancy. (LAUGHS)

Today we're doing Scotch fillet
au poivre,

beurre rouge,

pureed potatoes
and roasted bone marrow!

(LAUGHS)

I don't know
if that's pronounced right.

Today in gonna show you something
brand-new,

because today we're cooking with
carbon-neutral beef.

It's sustainable beef,
it's a first in Australia.

Wow.

As a man who loves his beef,
this is a very exciting day.

So what we've done

is Coles has partnered with
a select group of family-owned farms

that are committed to reducing
their carbon footprint

and to produce beef
that's carbon neutral.

Wow.

Alright, gang,

you can have however long it takes
Curtis to cook his dish

to cook yours as well.

You're gonna have to move fast,
though,

because after Curtis finishes,

you'll only have an extra 10 seconds
before your time is up as well.

If you want that all-important
30-minute time advantage

in the semifinal,

bring us the dish that looks
and tastes the most like Curtis's.

(EXCITING MUSIC)

We're gonna head to the gantry,
Curtis. The floor is yours.

You guys, get behind your benches.

Let's go.
ANDY: Good luck, mate.

Good luck, you three.
CONTESTANTS: Thank you.

Go hard.

I'm super excited
that I finally get to compete

in a keeping-up-with-the-chef
challenge,

and knowing that I could have
an extra half an hour

in my semifinal cook,

it's made me even hungrier
to win it.

But on top of keeping up with
a professional chef,

I also don't know what the final
product is meant to look like,

so it's gonna be a tough one today.

Alright, guys, you ready?

CONTESTANTS: Yeah.

Well, here's the thing.

It's one thing
to keep up with someone,

but it's another thing to keep up
with someone and do it correctly.

You're playing for a big prize.

So concentrate, relax.

Ready?
CONTESTANTS: Yeah.

Alright, well, the first thing
we're gonna do

is we're gonna prepare our steak,

so go to your fridge
and get your rib eye.

Alright.
JOCK: It's a beast.

Yeah.
It's a beast!

Look at that.

You should have a boning knife.
Make sure it's nice and sharp.

So, the rib eye,
or the Scotch fillet,

which is what we have right here,

has a line of bones
that run down the back

and maybe some chine bones
along the front.

You're gonna remove all of those,

so just with the boning knife

make sure that your blade
is firm up against the bone.

If you don't keep your knife
flat against that bone,

what'll happen is you're gonna
cut into

that really valuable
piece of steak, right?

So if you were to leave the bone in,
of course,

and cut through the section,
you would have a bone-in rib eye.

But we're gonna make
a beautiful boneless Scotch fillet.

BRENT: I am blown away by the speed
he's going at straightaway.

I sort of must have started
in about second gear,

and Curtis is in fifth.

So, like, I need to
just start going.

Time to turn it up to 11.

You'll have a little bit
of fat cover. That's good.

You don't want to get rid of
the fat cover,

but you do want to remove
some of the sinew,

so just gently and slowly

run along the length
of your Scotch fillet

and then remove
any of those sinewy parts,

because that gristle
can be a little chewy,

and, of course,
that's not what we're looking for.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

But you do want
a little bit of that fat

because that's delicious.

MELISSA:

He's just whipped too much off.

Looks thin too.

You're just gonna continue doing that
down both sides of your Scotch.

I'm gonna come and look at
what you've done.

Nice.
BRENT: Thanks, Chef.

Nice work, Rhiannon.

Is it OK?
MELISSA: Yeah.

Thank you.

Ooh, that's very lean.

So, you've taken off a little
too much of that fat cap, right?

If you see that and you see mine,

see how I've still got that
nice little piece of fat,

which is gonna make it
a little drier.

I've accidentally taken off
too much of this fat cap.

But I don't know how to tell you
to put it back on.

No, yeah, of course, alright.
(LAUGHS)

and I've probably screwed up
the main element of today's dish.

Whoops.

So this is not a good start.

Alright, you now have
a Scotch fillet.

And what you're ready to do
is cut yourself steaks.

So you're gonna go straight across
and cut them into steaks.

Put a couple of fingers over it,
like that.

Line it up.

Cut straight on through your rib eye.

Of course,
the butchering of your protein

is very, very important.

You want to make sure that
you treat it really beautifully

and you don't waste anything.

Have you guys
done much butchering before?

DECLAN AND RHIANNON: Nuh.
BRENT: Yeah.

I'm pretty familiar
with butchering meat.

My dad was in the beef industry
for about 40 years,

so if I haven't picked up
a thing or two,

then I'm probably a bad son.

Alright, once you have your steak,

get yourself a little rack,

'cause we're gonna temper that steak,

which is bringing it up to that
room temperature before we cook it.

The rest you can put back
in the fridge.

OK, so what we're gonna do next
is make our potato puree,

so first thing we need to do
is get a large pot.

Fill it with cold water.

And peel potatoes.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

RHIANNON: Curtis is moving
really fast.

And I did expect him to be quick.

Make sure these are beautifully fine.

I don't want to see
any skin whatsoever.

But not this quick.

Do you know where the peeler is?

In that bowl.

I'm struggling to keep up.

Is it in this one?
Yeah.

Mine's not.

The key to this is not to overcook
your potatoes,

so you want to actually make sure

that you've got nice, uniform sizes
before they go into that water.

Oh, yes, it is. Far out.
Bloody thing.

Far out, I'm already behind.

So it's like, "Hurry up and peel
these damn potatoes."

OK, so get those into the cold water.

Make sure you season your water
generously,

the way you would cook pasta, so you
want it to taste like the ocean.

Potatoes are on the boil

and I'm trying to
just take information in

but also keep one ear, like,
moving like this,

just in case he says something.

One eye looking up.

It's crazy.

Alright, next what we're gonna do,
guys,

is make the garnish
for our bone marrow.

So I want you to make a fluid gel.

So you need 250mL of buttermilk
and 150mL of cream.

Let's go, Rhiannon.
RHIANNON: Yep.

Come on.

So, I'm only halfway through
my potatoes.

Curtis has already peeled,
chopped his,

got them on boiling water
and moved on to the buttermilk.

And I'm going, "Wait, what?"

And then you want 4g of agar,

a vegetable gelatin
made from seaweed.

So, of course, the agar's important.

You don't want to over-measure
or under-measure it.

4g of agar.

4g.
JOCK: 4g.

Come on, Rhiannon.

So, I put the potatoes in
and they're quite big.

And I'm thinking,
"Wait, were Curtis's smaller?"

I don't know at this point.
I'm already frazzled.

CURTIS: Agar goes in.

And you blend it
for about 30 seconds.

If you hear mine,
I should hear yours.

Keep watching him, Rhiannon,
keep watching him.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Get your buttermilk and cream in.

And we're gonna hydrate that agar
by bringing it to the boil,

and then we're gonna simmer it
for about 60 seconds.

How much was the agar?

4g of agar.

JOCK: Come on, Rhiannon.
Catch up, let's go.

So, I've, like, got a pot,
and I'm putting milk in.

Go ahead and pour out
your buttermilk and cream

into a flat container

and stick it in your blast chiller.

Where... Oh, shit.

I can hear Curtis saying,
"Buttermilk."

And I realise,
"Ooh, I'm putting milk in."

Keep up, Rhiannon.

Oh, my God, this is chaos.

Come on, Rhiannon.

Catch up, let's go.

OK, is everyone keeping up with me?

RHIANNON: No.

Oh, my God, I'm putting milk in.

Oh, shit, yeah.

It's meant to be buttermilk.

JOCK: Come on, Rhiannon.
Catch up, let's go.

Just have to start again.

Keep up, Rhiannon.

Alright, next we're gonna make
some sweet-and-sour shallots.

Don't let the screws come off.
Keep going.

So, you want about 35g
of both brown and white sugar

and then about 180mL of sherry
vinegar and white wine vinegar.

Then we're gonna brunoise
our shallots

Now, when I say 'brunoise',

I want a really fine, fine dice.

I know that pace
that Curtis chops shallots.

(SPIRITED MUSIC)

This is gonna be tough.

Come on, push, push, push.

You've got to catch up.

Remember, you need to finish
10 seconds after Curtis does,

so you've got to match his pace,
come on.

How's everyone doing?
Great, thank you.

(RHIANNON CHUCKLES)
Having a great time up here.

Cut them perfect.

Alright, once you've got
that 180g of shallot cut,

get it into a saucepan,
because that's gonna be the basis

of our sweet-and-sour shallots.

In the vinegar.

OK, keep all of the trimmings
of your shallots,

because we're gonna make a reduction

which is the beginning
of our beurre rouge, red wine sauce.

So another element to add.

I'm gonna take all of that
trimmed shallot,

get it in 200mL of red wine

and 50mL of red wine vinegar.

Into the shallots?

That's into the trimmed shallots.

So 50mL red wine vinegar,
200mL wine.

the offcuts of our shallots

are going in with
this beurre rouge sauce.

I've never really made one before.

so I'm just gonna
keep up with Curtis.

We're gonna put some parsley stalks

into that 50mL of red wine vinegar
and 200mL of red wine.

Cook faster.

One dried bay leaf.

A nice sprig of fresh thyme.

It's starting to get mayhem now.

So, at this point your potatoes
should be coming up to the boil,

you should have your shallots
starting to confit,

or slowly cook.

Right now I've got four elements
on the go,

none are completed.

You should have your red wine
reduction working,

which is gonna make
our beurre rouge sauce.

And there's still more
getting thrown in.

It's like I'm juggling these balls

and someone else
has just thrown more at me.

There you go.
Put the pot on the scales.

Now you're on.

The judges up there
throwing down their two cents.

It is hectic.

You've portioned your rib eye steak.

You've got your bone marrow
standing by

with that rib eye steak.

Get the bone marrow out too, Rhi.

And then we can go back
and have a look

and see whether our gel
is starting to set.

JOCK: Come on, Rhiannon.

Come on, Deccers.

So once it's set...

Can you see how mine's set?

That's what it should look like.

Then what we're gonna do is dice it.

Take your diced gel,

add it to your food processor.

What we're gonna do
is turn it into a liquid.

MELISSA: Come on, Rhi.

Get the xanthan gum and weigh 1.3g.

OK, is everyone keeping up with me?

Yeah. We add that xanthan gum
to the blender?

Take your blender. Don't add it yet.
OK.

Unless you want me
to keep up with you, Declan.

Nuh, true.
(BOTH LAUGH)

I'm on a little bit of a high.

I'm feeling good
that I'm keeping up with Curtis.

Then once you've started
to blend this,

then you slowly add
your xanthan to it.

And the fact that today could
potentially give me that advantage

to earn my spot in the grand final,

I am hungry for that.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

RHIANNON: Finally!

I'm looking from side to side
of the boys

and I'm going, "Alright,
I'm not that far behind."

JOCK:
Go, go, go. Don't stop, Rhiannon.

You do not have time to stop.

I'm just like, "Whatever you do,
keep the hell up with Curtis."

So it should be perfectly smooth.

It should be silky, silky, silky.

MELISSA: Come on, Declan.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

JOCK: Scrape it down.
Come on, Rhiannon.

If you're worried about your
consistency, if it's too thick,

you can put just a couple of drops of
buttermilk in to thin it back out.

Full speed.

DECLAN: Alright.

I'm working on this buttermilk gel,

my potatoes are on,
I've got my beurre rouge sauce on

and I've got my vinegars
reducing down for my shallot jam.

Declan.
Yeah.

Why are your shallots on the bench?

Oh, far out.

Jesus.

I've just realised I'm making
my sweet-and-sour shallot jam

without the shallots in there.

The wheels have fallen off the bus.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

I'd be putting more vinegar
and sugar in there.

The outcome of this is,
if this liquid is reduced too much

and my shallots are only
going in now,

they're not gonna cook through
in time

and get to that jammy consistency.

Come on, Declan.

I'm so lucky I found out when I did.

JOCK: Come on, Brent.

I've never made
a buttermilk puree before.

Just keep looking at
the consistency.

So I'm literally just copying
exactly what Curtis does.

'Cause that's what you need
to mimic, yeah?

I don't have a recipe.

I don't know what it's supposed
to look like or taste like.

So, Curtis just added a little bit
of buttermilk into his

to get the consistency right, OK?

I think I've run up to Curtis's
bench about five times at least.

I think mine's smoother
than Curtis's.

Declan: Ooh.

ANDY: What's your consistency?
Is yours the same as his?

No.

Yeah, I think you're gonna have to
think on your feet here,

'cause I don't reckon
your agar activated.

Oh.

This buttermilk gel
isn't looking right.

OK.

And I race over to have a look
at Curtis's,

and they're looking
completely different.

Did you bring it to a boil?
Yeah, I did.

Then you simmered it for...
60 seconds.

..60 seconds?

My buttermilk gel,
it's way too runny.

I feel like I've done
something wrong.

Curtis, do you have a solution
for me?

Um, I would start again.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

Ooh.

ANDY: What's your consistency?
Is yours the same as his?

No.

This buttermilk gel
isn't looking right.

It's way too runny.

I would start again.

Yeah.

Not only do I need to do this again,

but I need to multitask
and still keep up with Curtis.

Declan...

..if you move your arse,
you might make it on time, right?

But it's real close.

You haven't got a second to waste
from here on out.

I think I'm in a bit
of trouble here.

Looking at the other two...
It's nearly there.

..it's gonna be a tough one to beat.

Close.

They're going forward,
I'm going backwards.

This is crazy, but I'm trying not to
let it get to me.

Alright, once that's silky smooth,
pour it into your squeezy bottle.

Come on, Brent, come on, Rhiannon.

Declan, let's go. Come on.

Push, push, push!

My fluid gel's in the fridge.
Yours should be too.

You should have the reduction done
for your beurre rouge sauce.

Your sweet-and-sour brunoise shallots
should be almost complete.

You're looking for
a quite jammy consistency.

Your potatoes should be almost done,
and as soon as they are,

we're gonna steam them dry.

Your beef is portioned.

Your bone marrow is ready to go.

As soon as your potato falls off
the knife like that, it's ready.

Rhi, just check on your potatoes.

These potatoes are still not cooked.

I'm thinking they're cut too big.

I just have to leave them in
for longer.

Oh, man!

So now I'm falling behind again.

OK, we take some butter,

and I throw the butter
straight into the moulin,

and then you force the potatoes
through the moulin.

JOCK: Come on, Rhiannon.
You don't need that much.

Quick. Chop chop, let's go.

Give it a shake,
get rid of that large pot.

Then go ahead
and get your drum sieve.

And what we're gonna do now
is work the potatoes

through the drum sieve.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

MELISSA: Come on, Declan.

I've got so many elements
going on right now

because I'm making up for
that lost time

with the buttermilk gel
and stuffing up my shallots.

But I have managed to get that
second batch of buttermilk gel

into the blast chiller.

OK, those buttery potatoes should
be going through your drum sieve.

But I'm still one step behind him

and I'm gonna have to catch up.

OK, guys, we are the business end
of this. Stop messing around.

JOCK AND BRENT: Yes, Chef.

If you're behind, catch up.

JOCK: Hurry up, guys.

Get your cast-iron skillet.
Stick it straight onto your stove.

Make sure it's nice and clean
before it goes on.

We're gonna preheat it
before we cook our steak.

RHIANNON: Far out.

That's it, Rhiannon.

Don't waste any more time. Let's go.

Taste everything.
Taste your shallots right now.

Curtis is not slowing down.

Season your potatoes
really carefully, guys.

Very, very important.

He's just gonna keep going.

And we've just got to keep up
no matter what.

Then you take your whisk
and you whisk.

(INTENSE MUSIC)

Do not let your potatoes catch.

Come on, Rhi,
you've nearly caught up.

Keep going, keep going,
keep going, push, push, push, push.

I'm adding the milk in stages

and you should be doing
the same thing.

BRENT: Curtis is going
like a cut snake

on these pommes puree.

It is whisking it, adding milk,
whisking it,

getting it on the heat,
taking it off the heat.

How's everyone feeling?

Feeling good.
Excited? Relaxed?

I wouldn't say relaxed.
(CHUCKLES)

I'd say pretty bloody chaotic.

He's looking for a consistency
that he knows.

Whisk it hard.

You want no lumps left
in your potatoes.

So I'm just pretty much copying
what he does.

And then taste it.

The adrenaline is absolutely
spiking through me.

I'm sweating, but I'm actually
keeping up with him.

OK, it's time to make the steak,
a pepper steak.

Into your mortar and pestle

you're gonna take some
black peppercorns

and you're gonna crunch them up.

You're just gonna get
a decent sprinkle,

pop over a tray like this.

I'm still trying to listen
to Curtis.

"OK, where's he up to?"

Take your Scotch fillet,
press it straight into that pepper.

Push it down firmly.

Pick it up.

Sit it back on your rack.

And I'm trying to look up
and I'm trying to watch

and I'm trying to do what I'm doing.

Bloody hell.

Continue to whisk those potatoes.

The more you whisk them,
the smoother they get.

Should be going between that,
back and forth, back and forth.

Once your pan is red hot,

pick up your Scotch fillet, drop it
right into the centre of the pan.

(PAN SIZZLES)

Everybody's steak should be
in the cast iron right now.

(PAN SIZZLES)

Rhiannon, steak in the pan,
let's go. Declan, steak in.

Come on.

Whisk those potatoes.

Shake your sauce.

Check your seasonings on everything.

It's the single
most important thing in cooking.

I've got so many elements
going on right now

and I still don't know what the
final product is meant to look like.

So I'm stressing out.

What do we do with our taties?

Sorry? Just keep whisking?

Stop giving them nicknames
and whisk 'em, son.

(JOCK LAUGHS)

But I've just got to
keep myself going

and keep that joy
in my cooking going.

(LAUGHS)
"Where'd I put my taties?"

Some people say 'potato',
some people say 'potata',

I say 'taties'.

(JOCK CACKLES)

Take your bone marrow,

have your oven set to grill
and stick it in.

You're gonna add those two cloves
of garlic that we crushed

with a couple of sprigs of thyme.

What you're gonna do
is take about 70g of butter

and add it to your pan.

And once it all melts, you baste.

Come on, everyone. Home stretch now!

Continually baste that butter
over your steak.

Rhiannon, butter.

We're coming towards the end,
and I'm thinking,

"We've only got 10 seconds
to finish our dish after Curtis,

"so now is not the time
for me to fall behind."

I've got to be basting this steak.

I've put the butter in the pan
and it is smoking.

But I'm like,

"I've got to be careful
I don't bloody overcook it."

But all I'm thinking about
is "Keep up wit Curtis."

Guys, I'm getting real close.

You have to be with me right now or
you'll miss out. It is that simple.

DECLAN: Yeah.

I've cooked a lot of steak
in my time.

That's right up my alley.

And so I'm feeling pretty confident
with this one.

Once it's had about 90 seconds,
you're gonna turn that steak

and give it another 90
on the other side.

MELISSA:
Brent, watch the heat on that pan.

Watch... The heat is raging.

I can see that my steak
is cooking very, very quick.

I'm flipping it over,
and it looks a bit overdone.

Oh, my God.

MELISSA: Brent,
watch the heat on that pan.

I can see that my steak
is cooking very, very quick.

Watch... The heat is raging.

I'm flipping it over, and...
Oh, my God.

..it looks a bit overdone.

There's only one thing
I can do right now,

and that's get it out of that pan.

That burnt flavour
will go straight through that steak.

Brent, don't lose your senses.

You know when a pan is too hot.

I hope that
that hot pan was enough

to get it cooked like Curtis's

even though I had to pull it off
earlier than his.

Because if not,
I could be in a lot of trouble.

Next, take some of your beautiful
30-hour-recipe sourdough bread.

You're gonna slice
about four slices of that sourdough

about a centimetre thick.

Take your sourdough,
put it under the grill.

I'm trying to do everything
right now,

and I think I'm finally bringing
everything together.

JOCK: Come on.

Now my second batch
of this buttermilk gel

has set perfectly,

and I've got it
to a good consistency.

But I'm not cooking at the same time
as Curtis right now,

and I'm gonna have to catch up
on it.

You guys should be pretty close here.

ANDY: His plates are out.

RHIANNON: I check my potatoes.

I get my toast out of the grill.

I look up,
Curtis has his plates out.

I'm like, "Bloody hell."

I've got to get the plates out.

I've got to get
this bone marrow finished.

It's like there's things everywhere.

Am I even close? I don't know.

Guys, I'm getting real close.

Take those beautiful little toasts.

Take your bone marrow,

put it on your plate,
on that beautiful long plate.

Rhiannon, bone marrow on the plate.
Declan, bone marrow on the plate.

Come on, keep up, keep up, keep up.

Whisk that mashed potato.

That mash should be perfectly smooth.

Take some of those sticky shallots.

Spoon them over that beautiful toast.

ANDY: Bone marrow's on the plate.

My marrow's on the plate.
My sauce is in the sauce boat.

Sauce in the jug, Rhiannon.

Sauce. Beurre rouge.
Your beurre rouge.

MELISSA: The beurre rouge!

I'm about to do my dots
and my garnish,

then I'll slice my steak and you'll
have 10 seconds, so move, move, move.

Oh, man, here we go.

I'm actually at the same stage as
Curtis, and I'm like,

"How did that happen?"

JOCK: Come on, Rhiannon.

So I'm kind of like,
"Alright, I'm gonna keep moving on."

Come on. Keep up, keep up, keep up.

Take your fluid gel.

Watch, guys. Watch Curtis.

Your tiny little dots.

(URGENT MUSIC)

So, this is where I really need to
crank up the speed,

because, you know, all that
hard work during this cook

would be for nothing
if I don't get it on the plate

in that 10 seconds.

MELISSA: Go, Brent. Come on.

DECLAN: Tiny little dots.

Then take some little herbs.

You should have some chive tips,
you should have some dill,

you might have some tarragon.

I like a mixture.
Herb it up.

Place that over the top
of your toast.

Put some chive-y.

Come on, now. Keep up.

OK, this is the most important
part of the day, guys.

Whew!
It all comes down to right now.

Make sure your plates are gorgeous.

Get three little quenelles
of that mashed potato.

Three quenelles. Jeez Louise.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

RHIANNON: I'm looking at the potato

and it doesn't look
anything like Curtis's.

Oh, man!

Mine doesn't kinda look as smooth
as his.

Bloody hell.

But I can't fix the texture.

I just have to get it on the plate.

Pick up that perfectly rested steak.

ANDY: He's coming towards the end.

You're gonna slice
straight through it,

about a centimetre in thickness.

BRENT: This is it.
Like, there's no turning back now.

I cut into the steak...

..and I just pray that it's cooked
just like Curtis's

and I didn't ruin it.

(URGENT MUSIC)

ANDY: Come on, Declan.
Come on, Rhiannon.

MELISSA:
That's it. Come on, slice the steak.

You're gonna pick up
these slices of beef,

gorgeous Scotch fillet,

spread it right out
around your plate.

A little finishing salt.

ANDY: Seven slices.
MELISSA: Fanned out.

JOCK: Come on, guys. Spread 'em.

That is it. I am done.

You've got 10 seconds. Good luck.

JOCK: 10...

JUDGES: 9, 8,

7, 6, 5,

4, 3, 2, 1.

Time. Step back.
(JUDGES CLAP)

DECLAN: Good job! Bloody hell.

DECLAN: Good work.
RHIANNON: Holy cow.

Oh, buddy.

BRENT: Good work.
CURTIS: Well done, mate.

Oh, thank you.

Oh!

We can breathe! Shit.

Oh, mate.

Whoo!
(JUDGES CLAP)

ANDY: Well done, you three.
That was tough.

DECLAN: That was a hectic cook.

I don't think I've stuffed up
so many elements in my life, ever.

Holy shit.

Screwed up the cut on the steak

by accidentally taking off
too much fat cap.

But I've done a new buttermilk gel.

I managed to save my onion jam.

I've plated up everything.

And I've left nothing in the tank.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Curtis, that was unbelievable.

You did not let up on those guys
for a second.

It was just wall-to-wall action.

They did a good job of...
of keeping up.

You can tell that you were really
giving it to the contestants,

and you produced an epic dish.

It's gonna be interesting to see how
they went with the final result,

but I reckon we crack into
this one first.

I think so.

Shall we?

Curtis, do you want to do
the honours on the marrow?

Mm-hm.

Alright.

Thank you.

Well, I've never sat down
and eaten my own food in this forum,

so I hope I'm not too critical
of myself.

(MELISSA LAUGHS)
I usually am.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

Curtis, beautiful dish.

I think one of
my favourite things here

is the balance of the overall dish.

Toast with the sweet-and-sour,
jammy shallots

is really brilliant.

But what adds to it
is the buttermilk gel

is like the glue that brings that
whole toast situation together,

which makes it
all the more delicious.

I mean, truly, they're all
very simple components,

but for me,
what I wanted this dish to be

was a really interesting play
of texture -

velvety, silky potatoes and sauce,

but then crunchy from the toast

and richness from the bone marrow.

So I hope that they were able
to balance

all of those different textures.

And the cook in the beef,
I think, is also important.

For this beef to stand up
and be celebrated,

it needs to be on the sort of
rare side of medium-rare, right?

Yep, absolutely.

OK, now we know
what we're looking for,

now we also need to remind ourselves
what they're playing for -

a huge advantage going into
the semifinals.

Shall we get the first dish in?
Let's do it.

DECLAN: Good luck, Rhi-Rhi.
BRENT: Good luck, Rhi-Rhi.

Thanks, guys.

Rhi.
G'day.

G'day.
Hello.

You stoked?
Yeah, I am stoked.

That was bloody hard, actually.
(LAUGHS)

Seriously, that was chaos.

We saw.
(ALL LAUGH)

I think that may have been
the most stressful gantry trip

for the three of us
in quite some time.

(LAUGHS)

But I am really glad

that you managed to put everything
on the board, so well done.

You know what? I'm gonna give this
to Deano when I get home.

I'm gonna fancy him up.
ANDY: Oh, yeah.

He's not having rissoles anymore.
(LAUGHS)

We'll have a bit of a taste now.
Yeah, get into it!

Thanks, guys.
Thanks, Rhiannon.

Oh, my God.

The magnitude of this
has literally just hit me.

The top dish today

wins the biggest advantage
at this point in the competition.

Good job.

Ooh!
Ooh. Thanks.

And I don't feel like
I've done enough.

Oh, that was chaos, mate.

I'm really feeling the nerves
right now.

NARRATOR: In the mood to cook?

and try these delicious
MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10 play.

(PENSIVE MUSIC)

JOCK: Alright, we're gonna taste it.

That's a very healthy-looking
marrow there.

It is, isn't it?

Look at that.

The onion jam was probably
a highlight.

I think it was really nicely done.

And then the steak, like,
great caramelisation on it.

Thought it was really good.

I thought that the toast
was really good.

It's weird

that just a very small amount
of the dill fronds and the chives

did bring that sweet-and-sour
shallot jam to life,

and I thought the buttermilk
had a nice flavour to it.

And then the richness from the bone
marrow, which I quite enjoyed.

Rhiannon's cooked that Scotch fillet
really quite nicely.

Sadly, the mashed potato
is a little grainy...

Yeah.
..for me.

And it's maybe
a little under-seasoned.

Yeah.
You know?

It feels to me like she probably
got a little stressed

with the pace.

I know.

She was so excited
to try and keep up with you.

I think the reality of it
just overwhelmed her.

And obviously the big let-down
here is the mash.

Yeah.

I mean, the potatoes your reprieve

from the richness that is the beef,
that is the toast,

that is the bone marrow, that is
the sauce, you know what I mean?

And if it's not right, it really
makes a difference to the dish.

BRENT: Good luck, Deccy.
Good luck, mate.

Looking at my plate, I just hope

that my steak is beautiful
and succulent

and I've managed to fix
those mistakes that I made.

JUDGES: Declan.
Hello.

ANDY: How are you?
Yeah, good.

I want to win that advantage so bad.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

What about that, mate?
Yeah, that was...that was crazy.

But, yeah, I'm really proud that
I managed to plate everything up,

'cause, yeah,
there was a few times there

where I didn't think
I'd be plating up a lot.

Well, it was entertaining watching
you trying to keep up with Curtis,

so, um...

It was very stressful.
We will taste now, Declan.

Thank you, mate.
Alright, thank you.

Thanks, Declan.
Thank you.

I'm glad he did
the buttermilk gel again.

He pushed on
to try and get that done,

so he's done really well there.

The problems that I've got,

the onion jam with the shallots,

he struggled with that.

They're still quite raw,
unfortunately.

And then the butchering the steak,
he took a lot of that fat cap off.

You really do just miss
that beautiful lick of fat

over the Scotch fillet.

But in saying that, you know,
the cook and the seasoning

and that crust on the outside
is delicious.

It's a good amount of pepper
that he's applied to it,

so you feel the heat
but it doesn't blow out your palate.

I also think the sauce
is really nice.

It's a nice texture to it,
it's quite velvety,

and it's bright and acidic.

All great points. Yeah, I agree.

Steak beautifully caramelised
and cooked.

I think great work on his...
on his sauce.

Great cook on his bone marrow
as well.

RHIANNON: Good luck, Brentles.
Thank you.

The heart's thumping right now.

I was going so good this whole cook
until the steak.

G'day.
ANDY: Here he is.

G'day, mate.
(JUDGES LAUGH)

It's the star of the show,

so I hope that I got it off
the pan quick enough

that it didn't stop me
from getting to this advantage.

How are you mate? Was that tough?
That was really tough.

High speed. No time
to sort of stuff up or stumble.

Anything you're worried about?

Oh, maybe a little bit
with the crust of the steak.

Did you have good fun, though?
Yeah.

It didn't look like it,
'cause I was just zoned in.

Didn't look like it at all.
No, but, like...that was good.

Alright, we're gonna taste it.
Yep, alright. Enjoy.

ANDY: Cheers, mate.
JOCK AND ANDY: Thanks, Brent.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

MELISSA: Thanks, sir.

ANDY: Thank you.

I think, all in all,
Brent's done a good job.

The cook on his steak
is really accurate.

You know, it's got a nice
caramelised crust on the outside.

It's beautiful rested. So you can see
it's pink all the way through.

Also, the texture on the potatoes
is great.

And also the sauce.

It's a really good, complex dish.

Couldn't agree more, Curtis.

For all intents and purposes,
he's done a great job.

The sauce is beautifully emulsified,
there's a good flavour in it.

The highlight, obviously,
is the steak

and it was cooked
absolutely beautifully.

I think the steak
is beautifully cooked.

Has a nice perfume of pepper
about it, which is really good.

Maybe a little bit of inconsistency
in terms of caramelisation

all the way around,
but nevertheless, pretty good.

The texture of the potato I thought
was really fantastic.

Closest to yours.
Mm.

Brent is like a heat-seeking
missile.

When he's focused, you can't
distract him with anything.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Today you had to keep up
with a legend.

Curtis, how do you think
these three went today?

Look, I really put the pressure on,

'cause, you know, you guys have made
it to pretty much the end of this,

so I really wanted to see
what you could do.

And you did a really,
really good job.

Should be proud of yourselves.
CONTESTANTS: Thank you.

Curtis sets a very high bar,

one that all of you strived
to reach today.

Brent, your dish

was the one that resembled Curtis's
the most in presentation,

but the resemblance
doesn't stop there.

Your potatoes were spot-on,

your steak was cooked really well,

and your sauce was full of flavour.

And it's for those reasons,
my friend,

Brent, you have won the advantage.

Whoo!
Well done, buddy.

ANDY: Well done, mate.

(LAUGHS) Oh, my God!

I... How good is that?

Well done!

To get the 30 minutes
is a massive advantage.

It's one of the, probably, better
days of this competition for me.

Congratulations, Brent.
Thank you.

You can bank an extra half an hour
time in the semifinal, eh?

Oh, that comes, open arms, yeah.
I really want that.

As is tradition in this competition,

the semifinal will be
the most important service yet.

So right now, all three of you,

you're gonna go home,
put your thinking caps on,

and come up with a three-course menu

worthy of a win.

(EXCITING MUSIC)

The two of you that cook
the best menus...

..they'll be our grand finalists.

The other,

unfortunately, they'll fall
at the final hurdle.

The pressure is well and truly on.

This is your time to shine.

So go home, have a rest,

and we'll see you back
for the semifinal.

Well done, you three. Good luck.
Yeah! Thank you.

(ALL TALK AT ONCE)

Well done.
Thank you, Curtis. Thank you.

NARRATOR: Tomorrow night
on MasterChef Australia...

MELISSA: Every challenge,
every dish,

has led you to this point.

..it all comes down to three,

and cooking their own
three-course menu.

Almost 70 plates of food

on your lonesome.

But with such a massive
Service Challenge

to deliver...

You need to push.
Come on.

Bloody hell.

..one will fall...

DECLAN: This is
an absolute disaster

right now.

..at the final hurdle.

BRENT: It's game over.

Captions by Red Bee Media