All language subtitles for MasterChef.The.Professionals.S16E09.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

It's the professional MasterChef
quarterfinal.

These four skilful chefs
triumphed in their heats.

Tonight, they'll be judged on two
tough challenges designed to push

them even further.

It's getting harder.
Competition's getting bigger.

I need to step it up a little bit.

I wasn't expecting it to be quite
so much pressure and quite so fast.

I've just got to go with the flow
and move as fast as I can.

I want to be focused on myself,
and I'm really happy to be here.

I think it's going to be a nice
quarterfinal.

It feels pretty crazy to be
a quarter finalist, to be honest.

I have found the competition pretty
time-consuming and a little bit

stressful, but hopefully
in a good way.

First, they will have to devise
and cook a standout tart.

It's pushing boundaries.

That's exactly what we wanted.
Well done.

Then go on to cook for three
of the country's most

discerning food critics.

I love this because

it's why I bother to get out of bed
in the morning.

Only the very best will earn
a place in knockout week.

Quarterfinals means the kitchen
gets that little bit hotter.

Our expectations get
just a little bit higher.

Chefs, welcome back.
Good to see you.

Welcome to your quarterfinal.

Today's an invention test.
It's about you as chefs digging

into your repertoire,
your experience, to come

up with something delicious,
something that's going to wow us.

In front of you is a box
with a great hint

of what this test is.

Chefs, please remove the box.

We would like you to create a tart.

Not any old tart.

The most beautiful tart
you've yet created.

It can be savoury. It can be sweet.

It is completely up to you.

Not only that, we want a side
dish to go with it.

The perfect accompaniment
for your tart.

Show us some flair and creativity.

Chefs, you have ten minutes
to come up with an idea...

...and select your ingredients.

A tart is about a pastry case
that's got some delicious

ingredients inside it.

You can do anything you want.
Your imagination,

you can just let it run wild.

I'm thinking something with goat's
cheese and ricotta and cauliflower.

I'm definitely freestyling
this one a little bit.

Go for gold, I hope.

To create their tart, the chefs have
a selection of ingredients,

including lobster, salmon,

mushrooms, vegetables,

soft and citrus fruits,

chillies and spices.

In addition, there is ready-made
puff and filo pastry available.

There's only 70 minutes
for this challenge.

It's not enough time to make either
filo or puff, and that is why

we're giving it to them.

I nearly went lobster,
but I'm going to champion beetroot.

I might change my mind yet.
I don't know.

We want textures with the tart.
Beautiful, crispy pastry.

And then the filling to really
Wow us.

And also a side to match.

It can be anything from
an ice cream, a chutney.

It is up to them.

I like making tarts.

Everybody in France know
how is a good tart.

Feeling good about this one.

I just love super-classic
lemon tart.

Chefs, your ten minutes are now up.

You've got 70 minutes.
Make it count, make it special.

Chefs...

...off you go.

Originally from Australia,
29-year-old Kasae spent a year

working in Sweden, and is now a
head chef of a Japanese restaurant

in Bath.

So far, she's impressed the judges

with some exciting
flavour combinations.

I hope that I can take some
influences from my travels and kind

of use that to set myself
apart a little bit.

I love experimenting with new things
and new ingredients and seeing

how I can play that into
the kind of food that I do.

Kasae...tarts. Do you like them?

Love them. So, what is your tart?

I'm doing a cauliflower,
goat's cheese and ricotta tart.

I'm doing some apricot
and vermouth cream on top.

It's going to have some
pickled apples and some walnut

praline on it. You're making
this up on the spot. Yeah.

Yeah. Now's the time to try it.
What type of pastry are you using?

I'm using filo.

I want it to really have that crunch
and be more about the filling.

What about your side dish? Is
the side dish allowed to be a drink?

The side dish can be whatever
you want it to be. OK.

If it's going to be a drink, I'm
quite partial to a pink champagne.

Kasae, she's still trying to work
all of this out.

The main elements she's got
organised,

which I like the sound of.
Goat's cheese, ricotta, cauliflower.

I think the most important thing
is the acidity of the goat's cheese

and the ricotta comes through.
Apricot vermouth cream,

a little bit different. I think
the elephant in the room for me

is the apricot. Where does it fit?
How does it work?

I've just discovered that Kasae
is making a different style

of side dish.

She's making gazpacho of tomato.

She's adding strawberry,
apple, chilli and fennel tops.

But does it work with a tart?

Is it going to have a place
with the flavours

that she's already got?

31-year-old sous-chef Kyle struggled
with his nerves and lack

of experience in the pastry section
in his Skills Test,

but bounced back with two standout
signature dishes.

It feels amazing to be
a quarter finalist.

Wasn't something I was expecting.

I just thought, "Get through
the day."

I know what got us here, so when I'm
in there, I just need to do that.

I believe in myself.

Kyle, I saw you pick up a load
of beetroot at the bench.

Where's it gone? |'ve changed my
ingredients. Right.

Tell me what your tart is and what
side order

you're going to serve with it.
So I'm doing chocolate tart

with raspberries. And then for my
little side order,

I'm just going to have a bit of fun
with it

and do some chocolate soil,
maybe some, like, candied nuts.

I get the feeling you're a little
bit nervous.

I am a little bit nervous cos
I don't know how

it's going to pan out. But I think
at this stage in the competition,

you've got to take risks.

Kyle has given us one great dessert
already, and he just needs

to control those nerves
and clear his mind.

Ganache has got to be rich
and smooth and beautifully set.

We've got raspberries, which he's
going to freeze them,

and he's going to put some fresh
on the chocolate tart as well.

He's using filo pastry.

I think the most important thing
for Kyle is to make sure he gets

the pastry case perfectly lined.

Filo is a very delicate pastry.

The most important thing with filo
is you can't just use one sheet.

You need to have layers of them.

It holds the ganache, but it's also
a flavour.

You want to taste pastry. You want
that lovely filo to crunch

in your mouth.

Chefs, 35 minutes have gone.

You are halfway.

Paris-born private chef Philippe
has impressed with his original

and creative dishes, inspired by his
West African French heritage.

I think the good feedback is
confidence and it pushes you more.

It pushes you to do better
and to evolve.

I really want to show more of my
cuisine and I want to impress them.

Normally at this time we ask you
what you're cooking, but I think

the question is - what have
you cooked?

We're halfway and you're
almost complete. Yeah.

So it's a salmon tartare quiche
with almonds.

And your side dish is what?
It's a fresh salad.

I think what we... Our expectations
are something a little edgy,

something a little bit different.
Sure.

Is there any improvements
that you can make?

"What can I do to elevate it?"

Does that make sense? Sure.

Lucky for you, Philippe, you've
still got another 35 minutes... Yeah.

...and you can maybe add something
else to your salad there.

I hope he's going to look at
the dish that he's plated,

realise there's a bit more work that
he can still bring to this.

I'll try to do a tuile.

So it's a mix of olive oil,
flour, salt and water.

I'm concerned that Philippe is
working just a little bit too fast.

I'm not sure that Philippe's quiche
is actually cooked properly.

We've got puff pastry. It takes
quite a while

to get puff pastry cooked.

He's had 35 minutes, so he's cooked
the pastry blind.

Then he's taken out the beans,
he's poured the egg mix in and put

it back into the oven. In 35
minutes, you can't do that.

I've changed my side dishes.

It's a kind of salad revisited,
I think, more creative.

We've got courgettes.

We've got apricots, pistachio
and some herbs.

With her own private catering
company,

32-year-old Verity stood
out, showcasing ingredients

from the Scottish Highlands.

I am an inventive chef.

I'm used to getting baskets
of vegetables and things in

and having to think on my feet.

I'm looking forward to this test.

Also quite nerve-racking.

Verity, what do you think
of the invention test?

I think it's a great one. Tarts,
yeah, can be anything.

My brain immediately went
to citrus tart.

For me, it's just an absolute
classic and my favourite dessert.

I love a citrus tart as well.

So you're making your own pastry?
I am. Yep.

So I'm making a pastry that's
really heavy in egg yolks,

so it should be super rich.

What are you going to do
to elevate this,

to make it the most amazing
lemon tart?

So I'm going to do some
ginger honeycomb.

I've got a lovely rich, hopefully
finished, thyme-infused

creme fraiche ice cream, which is
heavy on the yolks.

All about the egg. All about
the egg, yeah.

Eggy pastry and an eggy ice cream.

Yeah, yeah.

The lemon curd tart sounds
delicious.

Lemon curd has to be rich in butter,
sugar, eggs, and, of course,

lots of citrus flavour.
Lots of lemon in there.

Lemon juice and grated lemon, too.

Great to see Verity make some pastry
from scratch.

I'm curious to see
how that comes out.

I love the sound of thyme-infused
creme fraiche ice cream,

but she says she"s loading it with
a lot of egg yolks,

which concerns me, because for me
a creme fraiche ice cream

can be lost if there's too many
egqg yolks.

I'm making a ginger honeycomb.

I've never used the syrup
from stem ginger before.

Honeycomb is about having
the correct recipe,

because when you add the
bicarbonated soda, it has to work.

It needs to really bubble up.

Pour it onto a tray and set,
so it's nice and light and crunchy.

You mustn't burn it, because if
you do it'll become too bitter.

Chefs, you have five minutes left.

Let's start seeing this food
getting finished.

So I've done a silly move and I've
gone and put the curd

into the tart case whilst the tart
case is still in.

Blast chill it now to set it.

One, two, three, go!

A couple of minutes left.
Where's your tart?

My tart is currently in the
blast chiller.

We've got just under two minutes,
so you're going to have to be quick.

Right, that's it, chefs. Time's up.

Step back. Stop what you're doing.

Head chef Kasae has made a filo
tart filled with cauliflower,

goat's cheese and ricotta, topped
with an apricot and vermouth cream,

herbs and a dusting of
toasted cumin,

garnished with a walnut praline
and some fresh and marinated apple.

Her side is a strawberry
and tomato gazpacho with chilli.

Very, very good. Appetising.

Just want to get stuck into it now.

Your tart case is very crispy
because you've used the filo

on there, and it's held very well.

You've got textures of apple
and cauliflower,

which bring the sweetness, and then
you get some goat's cheese as well.

But you've made so many
other things.

I wish I could taste,
like, the walnut praline.

You did something with apricot
as well, but it's so small

and so fine, it's sort of lost in
there. Because they're there

and I'm excited about them,
just make them a bit more evident.

You have good ideas.

Your tart tastes delicious.

The cauliflower with the two
cheeses, love the fresh apple,

the ricotta. You've got the walnut
praline.

A little bit more of that would
have been great.

Love the little gazpacho
on the side. It really works.

Why not throw in some
strawberries? Why not?

It's pushing boundaries.

You've come in and you've invented
something a little bit different

with your twist. And that's exactly
what we wanted.

Well done. Keep that going.

Show our critics
what you're all about. Thank you.

What a whirlwind.

That was a massive roller-coaster.

I was convinced that they weren't
going to like it.

So I'm buzzing. I'm buzzing.

THEY WHISPER: Sorry, my hands are
very sweaty. Good?

I think that was good. I'm going to
get roasted.

Nah, man, you're going to be good.

Sous-chef Kyle has cooked
a caramelised filo chocolate tart

with chocolate soil and toasted
almonds,

a raspberry compote,

and raspberries dressed in their
own juice, with a side

of white chocolate and thyme espuma.

I don't think I've ever had a tart
in an earthenware dish before.

It's great.

For a chef that really didn't know
what he was doing

for an invention test,

that's very, very impressive.

I can't work you out.

You don't know what you're doing.

You're not sure where you're going,
and then you produce

a piece of magic. I love the compote
at the bottom of the dish.

The chocolate soil's bitterness just
sitting on top there.

Love the filo pastry.

Chocolate ganache is like silk,
and bitter and sweet and delicious,

topped with more fresh raspberries
and a lovely little raspberry jus

just to finish the dish.
It's great fun. I love it.

Flavours of raspberry singing
everywhere. That chocolate soil,

yet with more raspberry compote
underneath it,

it's got the texture. And then
the white chocolate

espuma, or mousse, on top.

I'm impressed with what you've done.

Keep this going.

Judges, I think they loved it.

All round, happy...I think.

WHISPERING: You weren't
expecting that.

Private chef Philippe has cooked a
salmon quiche

in a puff pastry case,

dressed with a herb mousse,
salmon tartare,

grated lemon and shallots.

His side is a salad with courgette
and apricots,

served with a tuile.

So it looks like you have been back
to the bench and you've rethought

some of the processes and some
of your ideas, which is always

good to see. Good.
Thank you.

Great presentation. Very, very nice.

But your tart is not cooked.

I know sometimes in France
that they do tend to slightly

possibly under cook the tart case,
but not to this extent.

What you do have, though, are
some really good flavours.

The quiche has got great flavour.

The salmon, the herb mousse
on the side.

The seasoning, the colour,
the finishing. Great.

I like the way you've dressed
this side salad.

I like the fact you've got a bit
of apricot in there, too.

Philippe, the texture of the quiche
filling itself,

the egg mix with the cream,
is beautifully cooked.

I really like the flavours
of the herb mousse

that you have sitting on top.
The salmon tartare has

got citrus flavours running through
it. I'd like more of that tartare.

There's only a hint of it.

You have skills, you have talent.

Just don't rush through it.
Thank you.

So I can do better, I think.

I had bad feedback about my puff
pastry.

And I think I don't understand
properly

the time for the competition.
It was my mistake.

I think I have 17 minutes instead
of 70,

so I rush everything in 17 minutes
and the pastry was not cooked.

Chef patron Verity has made her own
shortcrust pastry for a lemon

and lime tart, topped with
a pistachio tuile, and served

with a side of creme fraiche
and thyme ice cream,

garnished with ginger honeycomb.

It is, it's rough,
it's rustic and delicious.

We've got a beautiful lemon curd.

It's sharp, it's tangy.

The pastry is beautiful.
Light, crumbly. Delicious.

It's fantastic.

The pastry is just crumbling away.

Your filling, the lemon curd,
it's just set.

The ice cream, for me, is too heavy
in the eggs.

I'm wanting some freshness
of that creme fraiche

to cut through the citrus flavours.
The ginger honeycomb on top,

it's very light in the ginger.

So I want to taste more of that
ginger through that as well.

But it's a good lemon tart.

Good job. Good job, good job.

Happy? Could have been better.

It's a lot to get done.

Pastry and ice cream in
the time limit.

I'm glad that's done,
and the feedback,

I'll take that on board.

Quarterfinal - no-one said it was
going to be easy.

Chefs, next up, you're cooking
for our critics.

Now, you think we're tough judges,

it doesn't get much harder
than them.

Grab it with both hands and give
it everything you've got.

Go and take a break and we'll see
you back in here.

Off you go.

That was good. I enjoyed that.

They were inventive and creative.

I'm looking forward
to the critics' round.

They need to really hold
it together, our four here.

I'm anxious and excited.

It's going to be good.

If there's a round I'm most looking
forward to throughout

this whole journey, this is it.

I think it's a good test,
and it's nice to have other critics.

So that's good.

There's some really big names coming
in and we've got to make sure

that we have our A-game on.

Chefs, welcome back.

This is all about your food.

You are cooking for three
of the leading restaurant critics

in the country.

Grace Dent,

Tom Parker Bowles

and Jimi Famurewa.

Not only are you cooking for
the critics today, you are also

fighting for a place in our
final 12.

You have 1 hour and 15 minutes,
chefs.

Two courses.

At the end of this, one of you will
be going home.

We wish you the best of luck.
Off you go.

It's a massive day, I have
the chance to prove

I am a good cook.

I'm feeling really relieved that
the invention test is over.

Knowing that if I get through today

that I'm in the final 12,
it really puts

it into massive, massive
perspective.

Kasae, what are you cooking?

So today I'm doing an asparagus
royale

with some sorrel mixed through it,

some pickled asparagus, and some
dentelle crisps around the outside.

What do you call it? A dentelle?
Dentelle.

That's what we call it in Australia.
I think you guys call it

a lace tuile? That's going to go

with a truffle and almond
foam on top.

I've not had a royale
for a long time.

It's a set flavoured cream with egg,
and rich and absolutely delicious.

How are you cooking the
asparagus royale?

I'm going to blend it,

put the eggs in while it's still
pretty warm to let the eggs temper.

And then I'll cook it in
a bain-Marie in the oven at 100.

Royale cooked in a water
bath has to be gentle.

You don't want those eggs
to scramble. I like the sound

of her sauce that's going with it.
It's like a foam.

She's using an espuma gun or a cream
whipper,

so that will have a bit more body

as opposed to foaming sauce by hand.

For the main course I'm doing

char-grilled rainbow trout.

It's something that we grew up
eating a lot in Australia.

We have a lot of fresh lakes
and stuff like that there.

And then I'll have a cabbage that's
stuffed with Jerusalem artichoke

and pumpkin seed risotto, and then
that will be smoked at the table.

I like the idea, she's curing
the trout and she's going

to be finishing that under
the salamander.

Love hispi cabbage. It's very, very
delicate. Light in flavour.

That's going to be stuffed
with risotto.

Kasae is using Jerusalem artichoke
in place of the rice,

and of course with the pumpkin
seeds, so it will have texture.

It will be cooked in the style
of a risotto, but not with rice.

Kasae, you've impressed with
the flavours that you bring

to your food.

Are you bringing more of
that to the critics today?

Yeah, I think these two dishes
very much are my inspiration

from my travels, from my journeys
and stuff.

So like even the royale has a little
bit of kombu dashi in it.

They do a lot of smoking in Sweden,
so I'm hoping that it's sort of

as much of me as I can combine
together on a plate.

You've got a lot to do.
I do!

I've only practised this once.

I think I can just get it done
on time.

So, yeah, I'm definitely
pushing myself today.

Judges have asked who I am
as a chef, and I think my food

is so tied down into kind of
Scottish produce

and the landscape and the area
around there.

I'm bringing a lot of
Scotland today.

What are you cooking for
the critics?

So my starter is langoustine.

So I'm going to do the tails
two ways.

One's poached, the other
is a tartare.

And that will be dressed
with the brains

from inside the langoustine.

And then that's going with carrots,
a puree and ribbons,

a burnt garlic oil, and a butter
bisque sauce.

Why langoustines?

It's inspired by a friend
that I lost a couple of years ago

who passed away.

He would... Every time the sun
shined, he'd take us out in the boat

and we'd go and find a secret
beach and barbecue them up.

And we'd always have a kind
of slaw and stuff with it,

so that's where the carrots come in.

Very nice. Lovely food memory.

Langoustines tails
two different ways.

You want to poach them gently. Too
much heat can cause it to curl up,

toughen, also give a sort of floury
texture.

The tartare, she's just quickly
dropped into the hot boiling water.

She's taking them out, refreshing
them, and that'll just loosen

the shell away from the flesh.

She's taking the brains, the
equivalent of the brown crab meat

from a crab. That'll make it more
fishy, which is,

I think, a great idea.

My main course is loin of venison,

and that's with some king oyster
mushrooms, a shit take mushroom

sauce, charred shallots,
a garlic puree.

Anyone tried these dishes?

Yeah. My wife gave me some
excellent feedback.

Is your wife someone who tells you
what she thinks?

Or is she someone that tells
you what you want to hear?

My wife absolutely tells me
what she thinks, yeah.

To get the colourisation of venison,

you've got to have a medium-heat
pan. Venison gently sealed,

add in your butter, your hard
herbs, then just baste it.

Let the colour come
from the basting.

Don't hit venison with hard heat
because it will dry out

very, very quickly.

Garlic puree, for me, is always best
when the garlic has been roasted,

and then you squeeze the little
garlic out and blend it

with some cream.

Bonjour, Philippe. Bonjour.
How are you?

Tres bien. Et vous? Well, not too
bad, thank you.

Depends if I get some nice food.

What is your menu?

So, my starter is a scallops
tartare.

Banana and avocado
guacamole, and plantain crisp.

Banana and avocado guacamole?

Get out of here! No way.

No. Really? Yeah.

Why? I like banana.
I like avocado.

That's it. Stupid question,
I suppose.

I don't know where this dish
is going to take me,

but I have to say, Philippe,
it's intriguing.

It's a guacamole, so he's going to
be crushing the avocado

and the banana together.

Adding banana into it, which is
effectively a sweetener,

and I'm not too sure how a sweetener
would work with avocado.

We've got plantain crisps.

I hope there's enough of them that
you can dip it into that avocado

and some of that tartare.

I think it's very interesting
to find a new combination.

It can be dangerous, but if we don't
try, we don't know.

What about your main course?

So the main course, it's
a corn-fed chicken chachenga

with soft yam, hollandaise
sauce and okra.

Can you explain the dish, please?

So chachenga, it's a kind of spices.

It's groundnuts with ginger powder,
cloves powder, chilli powder

and salt. We use it to rub the meat
and do barbecue in west of Africa.

And I've got a coffee jus. A coffee
jus? Really? Yeah.

I drink coffee, but I wouldn't
put it with my chicken.

Good luck. Thank you, chefs.

We've got sous vide chicken breast,
and then we've got chachenga,

which is a seasoning that
he's putting over the chicken.

Philippe is using chicken bones to
make a stock,

and then he's adding five shots of
espresso into there

and reducing it down to make
his coffee jus.

As long as he doesn't put
too much of that on there,

it might be all right.

I've just seen him cut
some thick rounds of yam.

He's going to cook that off,
and then he's going to spoon some

hollandaise over the top of the yam.

I'm really excited about
Philippe's food.

This course is a combination
of African flavour

and French technique.

To get good feedback
for these dishes,

it will be very personal.

It's my culture, it's my journey
as a chef.

I think everybody's in danger.

I feel I've got a strong position,
given the feedback that I've had.

So I'm just going to do what I do.

I'm here to take risks.

Cracking dish in your last round.

Can you do it again?

Yeah, I can.

What are you making, Kyle? So I'm
doing raw scallop

brushed with some yuzu kosho.
Yuzu and what?

Yuzu kosho is a fermented green
chilli and yuzu lemon paste.

Some dill oil.

I'm going to pickle some celery,

some white strawberries, some apple.

And then to finish the dish,
I'm just going to pour over some

apple verjus, just to
clear the palate.

Doing the scallop raw is quite
a unique way of eating it.

A bit of Japanese roots in there.
It's flavours that I like to eat

and that I like to play with.

I'm not sure if it's going
to be incredibly hot

or whether it's going to be sort
of fruity or acidic with the yuzu.

Scallops can hold big flavours,
but you do want to be able

to taste the scallop.
So...curious.

We have pickled apple, celery
and white strawberries.

White strawberries are sharp,

they're not sweet, and should
work well.

My main course is a sous vide -
then roasted - Iberico presa,

peppered pineapple.

I'm going to do a roast apple puree.

I've got a celeriac puree
and glazed maitake.

Iberico presa, it's a cut,
isn't it? Yeah.

It's from the shoulder of black pig.

I hope you deliver it all because it
sounds fantastic.

Iberico presa is the Wagyu
of pork.

It's absolutely delicious.
It has got a fabulous marbling.

So it's a delicacy and it needs
to be treated with delicate hands.

He's going to water bath it,
and then sear it in a hot pan,

and rest it before he cuts into it.

We've got the maitake mushrooms,

similar to the hen-of-the-woods,
the little mushroom.

He's cooking those whole, he's going
to grill them so you're going to get

a lovely charring on those.
And a pork jus gras,

which is a split meat sauce.

That pork has to be cooked
to perfection and melt-in-the-mouth.

I'm not frightened to cook
for the critics.

It's a customer that gives you true,
honest feedback

on where your food is.

I'm excited to cook for them.

What pleases me is someone
that can deliver

what they've actually promised.

Anyone can put a highfalutin list
of ingredients on a menu,

but it has to sing as an
actual dish.

And that is harder than you think.

Give me a rather more simple
dish that tastes astounding

than something with 42 ingredients,

the flavour of the week, that will
just disappear from the memory

like a puff of smoke.

So today what I'm looking for
is the sort of thing that's

going to make us all stop
in our tracks,

stop being kind of cynical
and miserable,

and smile and want to follow
the chef who's

cooked it wherever they go.

Cheers. Cheers.

Kasae, you've got seven minutes
before your first course is due

to be served.

Is everything ready? Yes, Chef.

Kasae's starter is asparagus
and sorrel royale,

with pickled asparagus, almond
and truffle cream,

and toasted almonds.

It sounds fresh, it sounds bright.

Kasae. Yes? You need to start
dressing.

Yes, Chef.

I have one worry
about this truffle cream.

My heart sinks. If all this
beautiful, delicate spring-like

beauty is all put together,

and then that great, galumphing
truffle oil comes along and sort of

plods all over it, that's what
I'm worried about.

Right, your time is up now.
Let's go.

The foam wasn't quite as firm as she
wanted it to, but she's got

the flavours on the plate.
That's the most important thing.

Hi.

So today for your starter,
you have an asparagus

and sorrel royale, some pickled
asparagus,

almond and truffle foam,

and then a little tuile for some
texture on top.

Enjoy. Fantastic. Thank you.
Thank you.

It looks really gorgeous.

I'm really impressed. And it smells
fantastic.

Beautiful, delicate, perfectly
set mousse

with a delightfully tasty

cream over the top.

There's real biting pickle
on that asparagus.

The tuile and the almonds gave
that bit of crunch and contrast.

The truffle is the tiniest nudge.

That's one of the nicest things
I've eaten for a long time.

The royale's smooth, it's creamy.
Tastes of asparagus.

It is delicious.

This is a lovely way to start
the menu.

It is light and delicate.

Kasae, listen, you've got 15 minutes
before your next course.

Are you going to be all right?
Uh, yep,

if I move my butt. Move your butt?
Yep. OK.

I quite like the sound of
Kasae's main, grilled trout.

It's a lovely fish.

Just got to judge it perfectly.
Get it on the button.

I love Jerusalem artichoke.

I don't know why this needs
pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin seeds are always
a little bit Kumbaya to me.

I eat pumpkin seeds on my day off.

What are you smoking that with?

I'm smoking that with some
almond wood chips.

Thank you so much. OK.
Off you go.

Definitely smoking.

I'm smoking.

Ooh.

KASAE LAUGHS

For today, for your main course,
I have cooked rainbow trout.

Next to it, you've got a hispi
cabbage with some

Jerusalem artichoke risotto,
a little bit of chicken stock,

and some pumpkin seeds.

And then in the jar, you have a sake
and cream sauce

with three different types of
fish roe.

Thank you. Fantastic. Thanks, Kasae.

I love the theatre of this.

That was an adrenaline rush.

I think that was one of the most
stressful and toughest

things that I've ever done.

The smokiness wasn't just
in the theatre of the cloche,

it was in the fish.

And it worked really nicely
for me. That char had sort of

done its magic.

So we begin with this beautifully
cooked trout.

The sauce, which is creamy
and chivey,

and it's so delicious
and playful.

And then you get to the stuffed
cabbage, which I also absolutely

love, but pumpkin seeds,
you really shouldn't eat three

or four tablespoons of them
at the same time.

I can't stop eating it. Yeah.

I've never seen anything
like this before in my life.

But there's no doubt she gets
the flavour right. Yeah.

The rainbow trout,
I do like the crispy skin.

The hispi, I like that filling.

Slightly too much pumpkin seeds
for me

because there's a lot of crunch
in there.

What else have you got left
to do for your starter?

Just got to season my langoustine
tartare.

So you're pretty much OK to go? Mm.

Verity's starter is poached
langoustine tails, langoustine

tartare with brain dressing,

bisque butter, carrot puree,
carrot ribbons

and burnt garlic oil.

I mean, you got me at langoustine.

They have to be just undercooked.

A little bit sort of bouncy.

Put brain dressing on a menu in
MasterChef: The Professionals

just really tells us the sort of
personality

behind it, and I kind of love that
she's really going for that.

What's that? So this is the burnt
garlic oil.

So, Verity, when you're ready.
Yep. The critics are waiting.

Here you have a taste of my home.

So it's langoustine.

A langoustine butter bisque,
a langoustine tail tartare,

some carrot puree, carrot ribbons,

wild garlic flowers,

and a burnt garlic oil.

Please enjoy. Thank you so much.
Thank you.

The tartare is a little bit
under seasoned,

I'm not tasting the brain at all,
sadly, which is something I love.

It's not there and I miss it.

We've got overcooked langoustine,
not particularly delicious tartare.

Not a great deal to love about this.

I've got to say, though,
the carrot puree,

it's really lovely. I kind of
like that it's quite unusual.

And matching that sweetness with
the sweetness of the shellfish

is a really, really good idea.

It adds something to it.

The carrot puree is lovely
and smooth. The poached

langoustine tail, for me, just needs
a little bit of seasoning.

It tastes watery.

Verity's bisque butter sauce is
very light, and there's not a lot

of it because she has just taken
the foam off the top.

I'm disappointed because this dish
could be so much better.

Good to see you've got a spring back
in your step.

Yeah. You've worked so hard to be
here. Make it count.

Verity's main is venison loin,
king oyster mushrooms,

garlic puree, charred shallots,
and a mushroom sauce.

Venison loin, we know that it's got
to be blushing pink

and, you know, not seeping
onto the plate.

King oyster mushrooms,

I'm hoping that they've got some
nice colour on them, that will add

an earthiness and depth.

A very difficult thing to get
right with finesse.

Couple of minutes left.

The venison looks good.

You ready to go? Yep.

So here you have loin of venison,

with king oyster mushrooms,
a cep tuile,

some foraged ingredients
from my village,

so some rosemary flowers and some
spruce tip,

and that's with a garlic puree,

and a veal and venison shiitake jus.

OK. Please enjoy. Thank you.
Thanks, Verity.

So we have a very, very pared back
roast dinner of sorts.

I think the meat has got
a lovely colour to it.

She's cooked the venison
in a professional manner.

But then after that, we have
mushrooms which are kind of raw.

The shallots are quite nice.

The jus is OK, although it feels a
little thin to me.

To put garlic puree of that
strength,

I do feel that I could take on
the army of the undead

with no problem whatsoever now.

It's just meat and over-strong
garlic and mushrooms.

The venison is lovely and pink.

The shallot is charred,

and I do like the little crisp
on there.

The sauce, a bit bland. Doesn't
really have much flavour

to it at all. There's no earthy
venison flavour in that sauce.

That was... Yeah, so much more
challenging

than I was expecting it to be.

I didn't quite hit where I wanted
to with those dishes.

Philippe, it's looking very,
very modern,

your tartare dish here. Are
you happy?

I'm happy.

Philippe's starter is scallop
tartare,

avocado and banana guacamole,

plantain crisps, and an orange,
lime and chilli dressing.

Good luck taking a plantain from its
natural form to a crisp

with so much pressure on you.

If this is a ripe banana

from the supermarket just mashed
in, because, "Hey, the critics

"are going to say this is wacky,"
well, you know, count me out.

Taste good, Chef?

That's it. Your time is up.

Go and serve your dishes
to the critics. Sure.

Thank you.

Looks great. I'd say that's the
best-looking dish we've seen so far.

So I make a scallops tartare,

with banana and avocado guacamole,

plantain crisp, orange gel,

and an orange and lime dressing.

Thank you. Thank you, Philippe.
You're welcome.

I love this competition,
when people bring in dishes

which is just artwork.

The fact that he's not just given us
two or three lonely crisps

of plantain, it just looks fun.

I'm desperate to tuck in.

I love this because it sums up why

I bother to get out of bed
in the morning.

I love the plantain chips.

I'm scooping them through
the scallop, through the guacamole.

He's a clever chef. Wow.

Philippe has no problems in giving
us big flavour.

The citrus and chilli dressing,

it's got a lot of citrus,
it's got a lot of chilli.

I don't know why the banana's
in there. It doesn't kill it.

This dish is too good.

The scallop tartare really works.

That citrus gel is incredible.

It's like all caps, exclamation mark
cooking, isn't it?

It's kind of just like,
"What a cook!"

Wow.

Who would have ever thought
that avocado and banana

would go together?

But in the hands of Philippe,
they do.

Marcus, I honestly don't
want to stop eating that.

Hats off to Philippe.
I think this is a triumph.

Right, Philippe. 15 minutes now.

Are you going to be OK?
Yes, Chef.

Philippe's main course is chicken
dusted with chachenga, yam and okra,

hollandaise and a coffee jus.

Chachenga, a West African spice rub

that's kind of given the sweetness
of nuts.

You want it to have that barrelling
heat. The yam,

you don't want it to be overcooked
or too fibrous.

Coffee jus. Now, people have flirted
with adding coffee.

They don't generally make a gravy
and just put it on the side

of the dish. And for that reason,
I'm excited.

What's next? The okra?
Okra. Raw okra.

Yeah. I've not had this before.

Can you hurry up? Because I want to
try this! Yeah.

I think he's very different
to what I've seen

in this kitchen before.

The dish is corn-fed chicken
with chachenga,

so it's a mix of spice

we use to rub on the meat.

With stuffed yam, with hollandaise
sauce, coffee jus, okra.

Bon appetit. Merci beaucoup.

Thank you so much, Philippe.

It's quite hard to maintain a kind
of professional poker face

when you're presented with a plate
of food like this.

It's just an absolute riot.

I've done the best I can,

so I don't know if it's enough
or not.

Let's see the critics
and the judges.

Wow.

I mean, the hollandaise
is about as rich and yolky

an hollandaise-y as you can get.

The okra is one of the nicest pieces
of okra I've ever tasted.

It's clean and crisp.

The yam is just comfort.

This is a joyous plate of food.

It's incredible.

The chachenga is hot,
but not too hot.

There's sweetness and lovely
kind of like spiced fragrance

coming through it.

And also the chicken,
it's amazing chicken.

There's blistered, crisp skin.
And he's kept it nice and tender.

I love the clove and the nuttiness.

And then there's this kind of thick
gravy,

which is unmistakably coffee.

I love it when dishes make
you question why we haven't

been doing that before anyway.

I genuinely think this might be one
of the best things I've ever eaten

in my history of doing this show.

What a massive flavour sensation.

The coffee sauce is molasses-like.

It's almost liquorice.

Chachenga spice -
I want the recipe.

It's fantastic.

He challenges you to think
the way that he thinks.

And I like that challenge.
I accept it.

Kyle, how are we doing?

Got a few little things to do.

Just trying to push, so I can
get it on time. Come on.

You've got this.

So, Kyle's starter is raw scallop
brushed with yuzu kosho,

pickled apple, celery and white
strawberry,

with clarified raw apple juice

and dill oil.

It sounds very technical.

It sounds high level,
Japanese-influenced.

I'm expecting real elegance.

I want to see pickled apple,
and I want to see what he's done

with the white strawberries.

The raw scallop has to be absolutely
beautifully presented.

Kyle, you're almost... In fact, you
are out of time for your starter,

so let's get a move on.
Right, going now.

Kyle's starter is raw scallops
brushed with yuzu kosho,

with pickled apple, white strawberry
and celery,

served with an apple verjus,
split with dill oil.

The smell of it is really,
really enticing.

The raw scallops in the yuzu kosho,

they're quite meaty.

I think the heat in the yuzu
kosho really works, actually.

You really appreciate it,
particularly

against that delicate shellfish.

You get every flavour profile
there is.

You don't just get the sweet,
the salty, the hot and the sour.

You get a bit of umami.

When you think it's going
too vinegary, it suddenly

gets sweet again.

This is a man who understands
flavour.

That's got a kick.

That looks delicate and light,
but my goodness.

Well, you've got 15 minutes for
the next course.

Are you going to be OK for that?

I'm pretty much done. I'm just
letting that rest now, so...

Kyle's main is Iberico presa,
with maitake mushrooms,

celeriac and miso puree,

a roast apple puree,
peppered pineapple,

and a pork jus gras.

Basically, he's made pork with apple
sauce with a pineapple ring.

Iberico presa, a beautiful
premium piece of pork.

We'll be hoping that Kyle
really looks after that.

MONICA: Get out there, sell it
and good luck.

So I've made lberico presa.
We've got the caramelised celeriac

and miso puree, peppered sous vide
pineapple, roast maitake,

hazelnut condiment,

and then a nice tart apple puree.
And we have some

pickled shimejis on top. To finish
the dish, I've done a pork

jus gras. Cheers, Kyle.
Thank you, Kyle.

I really like the look of this.

I think that jus, which smells
fantastic, by the way,

it's just going to bring
it all together.

So let's start with the pork.

Sadly, it's just kind of had
a little bit too much cooking time.

That deeply caramelised, almost
toffeed apple puree is gorgeous.

I love the peppery, sweet, very
retro taste of the pineapple.

I love the sear and the softness
that he has on the mushroom.

I think the jus is very rich.

It's got real, proper, punchy depth.

The miso paste has a sort of
smooth umami-ness.

Putting the slightly
overcooked pork aside,

there's a cohesiveness with
the whole dish,

and it all comes together.

Like the pineapple.
I love the apple puree.

I love the celeriac puree with the
miso going through that.

If Kyle had got the pork right,
we'd be onto a winning dish here.

Just a bit gutted with the cooking
of that

because it could have been banging.

Another quarterfinal done. Phew!

And what a day. Some of our
chefs really flourished.

One or two,

they definitely felt
the pressure. For me,

Philippe is the chef of the day.

His menu! Banana guacamole with
the scallop tartare -

I finished the whole plate.

He blew my mind.

Then we had the chicken
with the beautiful spice.

And, of course, this fabulous,
fabulous coffee sauce.

The critics loved him. We loved him.
Absolutely.

Philippe has earned his place
in our final 12.

And the rest of that chachenga
is coming home with me.

The next three chefs, well, there's
a lot to discuss.

But we've only got two places left.

Verity came back into this kitchen
with a menu that she sounded

very confident about.

The tartare was great.

The poached langoustine
just lacked a bit

of texture and seasoning.

I just felt the dish could
have been bigger and maybe

just a little bit more sauce
on the plate.

Verity's main course, the loin
of venison,

it was wonderful the way
she cooked it.

The sauce didn't pack a lot
of flavour in there.

It was watery, didn't have enough
body to it,

and I just felt that the dish
was quite flat.

Kasae's starter was a little flavour
of the past,

an asparagus royale.

I quite liked the foam on top
that had a little hint of truffle

running through it. And of course,
it was beautifully cooked.

Kasae's main course was the rainbow
trout, which she had put

under the grill and sort of crisped
up the skin. It was lovely.

I really liked the flavours
of the Jerusalem artichoke

that was wrapped in the hispi
with the pumpkin seed.

But there was too many pumpkin
seeds for me.

The sauce was beautifully made.

It was rich, it was delicate,
it was velvety, and it did bring

something to the plate.

Kyle's menu - we ask our chefs to
push themselves

and take the cookery to another
level. Kyle did that.

The scallop was almost ceviche-like,
in a sense.

The pickling of the celery and the
white strawberries, it was fresh,

it was delicious.

Kyle's main course - |berico presa.

Unfortunately, that pork
was overcooked.

However, around this dish we had
a beautiful baked apple puree.

There was even the pineapple
with peppers in it.

There's a lot about this chef
I do like.

Three very different chefs
here, Marcus. This is a tough one.

We can only take two through.

Genuinely, if I went home now, I'd
be devastated. To go home

at this point, when I'm so close
to being in the final 12,

would be... Yeah, gutted.

Hoping I've done enough to stay,
and I'd love to.

But that was hard, and I don't know

if I've quite done enough.

I've got a lot more to give.

I've got a lot more dishes planned.

I've kind of got a road map now
to the final if I get

through this stage.

Great job, chefs.

You were cooking for a place
to become part of our final 12.

There is one chef today that not
only impressed me and Marcus

in here, but you also wowed
the critics.

The chef that is straight
through to our final 12 is...

...Philippe.

Congratulations.

What a menu. Thank you.

Kasae, Kyle and Verity,

we can only take two of you
through.

The chef that is leaving us is...

.Verity.

Verity, thank you so much.

I'm definitely proud of myself.

It's been an amazing journey.

All the feedback I've had throughout
the competition, it's been great.

And I'll be taking all of it back
with me.

Chefs, congratulations.

You have just become part
of our final 12.

Well done.

I'm very happy. I'm very happy to be
part of the final 12.

I'm looking forward to telling my
mum. She will be very happy.

I don't think whirlwind even
describes what this is.

This is like the most intense
roller-coaster in the world.

I'm buzzing. It's a tough,
tough competition, man.

I made some silly little errors
today that I never make

and it nearly cost us today,
but happy to be in the final 12.

Just want to get to work.

Next time, four new hopefuls...

I get distracted and chat too much.

...fight for their place
in the quarterfinal.

So I don't know whether this
is the right thing to do.

That doesn't make sense.

This is absolutely delicious.

It's so delicious.

You are going to be bad
for my waistline.