Original subtitles

Previously on MasterChef Australia...

Welcome to beautiful Frankston.

Woo! Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

..a tavern takeover...

I love this.

There's such an energy about a commercial kitchen.

..put their teamwork to the test.

Turn it over.

Game is on. We want this immunity.

Service, please.

They took pub meals and gave them a facelift...

I reckon that's an absolute pub banger right there.

That is so more-ish.

I love this.

I think they've done such a good job.

This is superb.

..and the green team...

(CHEERING) ..won the day.

Tonight, the orange team faces an elimination

with a massive Aussie superstar.

The clouds just came out of nowhere.

As long as they're not black clouds.

They're not quite black.

The aprons are, though!

Oh, I hadn't noticed! (LAUGHS)

Oh, God.

We're in black aprons.

It's another elimination,

and I just know I don't want to be here.

One cook at a time.

But there is no time to be too stressed out

because I can smell top 10

and it smells pretty damn good!

So today, whatever this challenge is,

I really have to knuckle down and just focus.

Today, I am not going home.

Cook and learn. Cook and learn.

Walking into the kitchen,

I can see there is a set-up that was similar to

Jamie Oliver's cook-along challenge,

which I had FOMO about, standing in the gantry.

But now that I'm in the kitchen wearing a black apron,

it's pretty scary.

Hello, everyone. CONTESTANTS: Hi.

Good morning.

Firstly, the elephant in the room - Pezza's not here.

He won't be cooking today.

I hope you guys have recovered from yesterday's service challenge,

because you're going to need to be at the top of your game

for this elimination.

Today, your survival in this competition relies solely

on the chef that's about to walk through those doors.

(STIFLED GASPS)

Don't tell me Jamie Oliver is coming back!

(LAUGHTER)

His restaurants are home to Michelin star cuisine.

He's based in LA...

(QUIETLY) It's gotta be.

..but is an Aussie through and through.

Bring it on!

He's world-renowned,

a national icon...

..and a lifelong friend of this kitchen.

Please welcome...

..Curtis Stone!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

It's Curtis Stone and I'm thinking, "Yeah, bring it on."

Here he is. Curtis Stone.

How are you, guys?

Curtis is such an amazing icon of Australian cooking.

I've followed him since, you know, Surfing The Menu

and then now he's got two Michelin star restaurants.

It's pretty incredible.

Alex is kind of stoked!

I know! He's like the Thor of the kitchen!

(LAUGHTER)

Very, very cool to see you in the flesh today.

Uh...welcome.

(LAUGHTER)

You feel welcome yet?

That's my nervous energy!

Curtis, what have you been up to, mate?

Oh, mate, lots. We just opened a restaurant in Mexico.

Um, and I've been in and out of Mexico, so that's been great. Oh, sounds tough!

Um, yeah. It's nice to open a restaurant near a beach.

You are a busy man. How do you do it?

You know what? I love what I do.

I get up in the morning, I'm excited about the next challenge.

What about this place?

I mean, every single time, people are stoked to see you.

What do you love about the kitchen?

Well, some faces look a little more nervous than others!

(LAUGHTER)

But, um, it is wonderful to come in here.

This is like family to me.

It's a real joy.

Right, it's no secret that Curtis Stone

is one of the most successful chefs to come out of this country.

And today, your challenge - and it's a big one -

you have to keep up with Curtis Stone.

Yes!

No pressure!

Oh, my goodness.

Keeping up with Curtis, like...

His arms are so long. They span the whole kitchen bench!

And I've just got these tiny little fingers like... (LAUGHS)

Erm...

I'm excited, but I'm quite nervous.

I'm... You know what? I'm really, really nervous about this.

So Curtis is going to cook one of his dishes,

and you are going to have to copy his every move.

You've got to pay attention.

He's your only point of reference in this challenge.

You've got no recipe to read, no final dish to look at.

If you fall behind, it'll be almost impossible to catch up.

And trust me, the man can move.

And he waits for no one.

(ALL GROAN) Oh, come on, Curtis!

This keeping up challenge is scary.

We're not following a recipe.

You don't get to see it. You don't get to taste it.

You just have to follow him.

And Curtis Stone's...

He's a Michelin star chef.

That is so scary to me.

Right, Curtis, I think they're pretty keen to know what dish

stands between them and going home today.

What are you cooking?

Alright. Well, listen, I think when you go into a restaurant

and you look at a plate of food, it should look inviting.

There should be lots of different colours on the plate,

but it shouldn't look complicated.

But that doesn't mean it wasn't complicated to make.

So today, we're going to be cooking my spice-rubbed pork

with beetroot that's been smoked

and Hasselback potatoes.

Right? So there's going to be lots of flavour, lots of balance,

lots of texture.

And it's going to be a really sophisticated dish.

So, don't let looks deceive you.

All the ingredients and equipment you'll need will be at your benches.

You'll have 60 minutes.

As soon as Curtis finishes his dish,

you'll have 10 seconds to finish yours.

(CONTESTANTS WHISTLE)

Remember, we'll be on the lookout for the dish that looks and tastes

the least like Curtis's.

If you're the one that cooks it, you'll be going home.

Alright, Curtis, we'll leave you to it.

Everyone, to your benches.

Good luck, crew! Good luck, guys.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Right.

Are you ready?

Yes, Chef. I have never made spice-rubbed pork

with smoked beetroot and Hasselback potatoes before.

(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)

Go, Lochy! Go, Darrsh! Go, Crispy!

But I'm actually embracing the fact that it's a savoury today, not a dessert.

Because I'm here to learn and I'm here to grow.

And if I want to be at the top of MasterChef,

I can't be just sticking to dessert.

Oh, it just got real in here, didn't it?

Game on. The challenge is here.

I want to show Curtis that I can keep up with it.

Yes, Chef.

To keep up with this challenge, it's a matter of listening

really, really carefully,

and I'm generally very good at listening and multi-tasking

because multi-tasking is something all mums do, right?

Are you ready?

Yes, Chef. Bring it.

Yep.

Well, that's good because you got 60 minutes.

Starts...now. Good luck.

Let's go!

So the very first thing we're going to do is pull up some ingredients from below.

I never in my wildest dreams would have thought

I would be cooking a dish, essentially with Curtis Stone,

in one, you know, in a...in this kitchen.

Like, it's just...

I'm really totally lost for words.

And immediately you need to get your beetroot

for the smoked beetroot puree cooking.

So go ahead and remove your beetroot from the stem.

You're looking for about four of these beets.

But I know Curtis is so quick in how he operates.

It is crucial to pay the most attention I have ever paid.

And what we're going to do is we're going to pressure cook them

in a little orange juice, exactly three-quarters of a cup,

pop your beets in and start pressure cooking.

I'm hungry to stay in this competition.

So if I go into a mode of panic or stress,

I need to find a way to shake it off and just focus, focus, focus.

Because that's when the wheels kind of come off the bus for me.

OK.

Next...

Come on, Sue. Use those muscles!

(LAUGHS)

What we're going to do to our beets next is turn some into a pickle.

First, we're going to do a one, two, three pickle.

So you start off with half a cup sugar into a pan.

Then you add a quarter of a cup of sherry vinegar

and three-quarters of a cup of water.

What's the heat on that, Curtis?

You want to bring it up to the boil as quickly as you can.

Then grab yourself the bigger of the two cutters.

Take one of those beetroots

and just push that cutter onto the top,

and then you can sort of just shave down the side of the cutter.

GILLIAN: Was it half a cup of sherry?

Half a cup of sugar, quarter cup vinegar, three-quarters water.

Curtis is moving so quick.

So you're just going to slice away like that.

I'm already falling behind with these beetroot pickles

and this is just the beginning.

And then you're going to give me

some nice thin slices of that beetroot

on your Japanese mandolin.

He's so fast!

Wait, what? What's he doing?

Am I cutting around it?

I'm struggling because I'm an artist and visuals are everything...

What am I cutting around the cutter for?

Just to give it a nice shape.

..so the fact that I can't visualise the end goal in that plate,

that's a hard feat and I'm just confused.

How thin are we doing these beetroots?

And I'm asking questions as I go along.

I'm not going to repeat everything five times, you guys.

You gotta listen the first time.

He's so speedy.

But Curtis is giving me some tough love.

The beetroot should be sliced.

This is a bad start for me.

Season it.

Just give it a little stir to help dissolve that sugar.

SUE: Is it the smaller one or the bigger one?

ANDY: No, you all got it right.

Use the bigger out of the two cutters.

Next...

I feel like Curtis has got somewhere else to be

or an appointment, a date.

Your pickle should come up to a boil.

He's going well faster than I thought he would be.

Pour that straight over your beetroot

and allow that pickling to begin.

There's a lot going on.

Dammit!

I'm trying to listen, but at the same time catch up.

And I'm missing some information.

Did that beetroot go in the pan? ANDY: No, in a bowl.

You gotta watch. You gotta watch and do.

At this point, I'm feeling flustered.

I need to make sure that I catch up

because I don't want to go home.

Oh, far out.

WATCHING CONTESTANT: This is hectic. This is hectic.

I would be so terrified if I was down there.

Curtis Stone is not stopping

and that plate of food needs to be exactly like Curtis.

I'm just going to come and have a look at your pickled beetroot.

There you go.

He really is treating it like a pro kitchen.

Beets are beautifully cut, well done.

Beets are nicely done, well done.

Darrsh, Lochy and Alex seem to be keeping up.

But Sue and Gill are struggling.

Oh, God.

No. No?

It's got to be really, really thin.

NAT: I can definitely feel the pressure.

There's so much pressure on everyone today

'cause no one wants to go home.

Gotta move, guys. Come on. Gotta move faster, Sue.

So I've pickled my beetroot.

Now I'm going to move on to my creamed cabbage.

So grab yourself a saute pan.

LOCHY: Beetroots are in the pickle

and my other beetroots are in the pressure cooker

with the orange juice.

They're cooking away.

They're sitting pretty, looking good.

And we're about to start with creamed cabbage.

Go ahead and brunoise your shallots, right?

So you're going to cut nice thin strips of your shallots first.

I actually feel good at this point.

I feel like I'm keeping up with Curtis.

Yeah, Lochy.

You don't want big chunks of shallots in your creamed cabbage,

so it's got to be a nice fine dice or brunoise.

But I'm having to move quicker than I've ever moved before.

So take just a little knob of butter and add it to your pan,

and then sweat your shallots until softened.

ALEX: And the shallots go in with the butter?

The shallots get sweat in butter.

Oh...

Oh, Lochy.

Nurse.

NURSE: Just breathe. Trying.

Trying.

I've gone right through the top of my finger -

nail, big chunk out.

Squeeze that really tight for me. Yeah.

I can't.

I've got to keep up with a Michelin star chef right now.

This is the last thing that I need.

I've got to keep up with a Michelin star chef.

So now I'm going to move on to my creamed cabbage.

And I've cut right through the top of my finger.

Get your Savoy cabbage.

I'm falling behind.

(WHISPERS) I feel bad for Lochy.

And then cut them into ribbons about two centimetres in thickness.

I'm watching Curtis,

and I'm just trying to listen as much as possible.

Into your mortar and pestle.

We're going to grind those caraway seeds.

But he just keeps moving and moving and moving.

As soon as that goes in -

make sure there's no colour in those shallots -

we add our cabbage.

You'll hear that sizzle. (SIZZLING)

That will start to sweat down.

You need to get your cabbage out, Sue.

Half a cabbage, cut into slices.

GILLIAN: How was it cut?

We're going to slowly saute that cabbage.

He's very good.

We want to keep it pretty blonde in terms of the colour,

so as low a heat as you can find on your cooktop.

ALEX: We're onto the creamed cabbage.

It needs to be a gentle, slow cook because cabbage takes time

to be cooked properly.

Because if it's too hot, the outside is just going to burn,

the inside is going to be raw.

Into your cabbage, I want you

to take a little of the white wine

and deglaze your pan

with around a quarter of a cup.

How's everyone feeling so far?

ALEX: Good, chef.

I am feeling pretty OK.

I'm on par with Curtis.

It doesn't really matter what everybody else is doing.

This is my race to run, and I'm here to win it.

Take a third of a cup of cream and pour that in.

Do you put all the wine in?

Curtis is moving so quick.

I'm already behind because those beetroots took up all my time.

And now I'm kind of guessing with this cabbage.

Stir the cream through the cabbage.

But I'm a visual learner,

so I'm just going back and forth looking at Curtis's cabbage.

I know I have to follow his rules and his steps,

but I also need to trust myself.

Oh, come on, Gill. Use your instincts.

I'm already way behind.

I've cut my finger. I've had to get the nurse to tend to me.

I just feel like I'm in all sorts right now.

Push, push, push.

But I can't give up in this moment.

One,

two, three...

Everything's on the line for me.

..five.

I'm a single dad and I want to change my career.

I want to change my life.

And I want to change my life for my daughter as well.

Good job.

And every day that I come in here, I'm learning more.

And I'm starting to get this serious, serious drive

about that I can do this.

I cannot go down without swinging.

I just need to get in... (SIGHS)

..and just work even quicker.

You good, bro? Yeah. Keep pushing.

Way to push, Loch.

We've got 40 minutes to go.

We have our beetroot pressure cooking.

We've already pickled some beetroot.

I'm letting my cabbage saute.

I'm moving on to my Hasselback potatoes.

Which is what? That's right.

You need to be moving on to your Hasselback potatoes, too.

You're going to place three-quarters of that clarified butter

into your pan.

Everybody look at me.

You see these pegs on your station?

This is the guide that you're going to use to cut your hasselbacks.

So grab one of the Carisma potatoes.

Moving on to the Hasselback potatoes,

which I've never made before.

Stick it in between those two pegs.

Slowly cut just down the side, not too deep.

I'm feeling like I haven't got a chance to think about

how I'm feeling, to be honest, because,

I mean, I'm keeping up with Curtis, which is the main thing.

Very gently. The first couple of slices are very important.

I'm talking maybe 2 or 3mm in between these slices.

It's pretty cool.

When you cut through, it creates these ridges

that really crisp up, give you a potato chip-type texture.

But the bottom is beautifully left intact,

so you get this, like, mix of textures, where it's crunchy

and also a really rich, smooth potato at the bottom.

Guys, this is one of the biggest pressure points of this dish.

I'm learning as I go.

I'm just watching and listening what Curtis is doing

and following every single step.

Good job, Darrsh.

OK, we take our Hasselback potatoes cut-side down.

The side that you cut is what you're going to put in.

Curtis, how hot is... Is it bubbling, your butter?

It should bubble.

How's this end? Not great.

Sue's just struggling to, like, listen and do. Like...

SUE: Ah...

So Curtis has put his Hasselback potatoes into the clarified butter.

And I'm still trying to catch up

from trying to finish off this cabbage.

Damn.

I'm trying to juggle the cabbage and the Hasselback potatoes.

But I know the potatoes are really important to get right.

She doesn't even have her potatoes in yet.

It's not getting any better at this point.

I'm feeling as flustered as I was when it started.

Jesus.

And still trying to catch my breath.

Put the Hasselback potatoes cut-side down into his clarified butter.

In here?

I noticed that my butter, it's not boiling,

but I have to move on.

So I throw my potatoes into the pan.

And then I hear Andy call...

Don't forget your cabbage.

I'm so focused on the Hasselback potatoes...

..that I have forgotten about my cabbage

and I've left my pan on too high.

My shallots and cabbage are too brown.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

I'm in trouble.

Your potatoes should be ticking along.

Come on, guys, keep up.

I've screwed up my cabbage.

Oh, God!

The cabbage is meant to just sweat down very, very gently.

But I've left my pan on too high.

My shallots and cabbage are too brown.

There's no time to start again.

My Hasselbacks are coming out of the oil.

ANDY: Yum!

(LAUGHTER)

Sorry! (LAUGHTER)

Good job, Gill.

Yes, Darrsh!

I feel like swearing and cursing and pulling my hair out.

Come on, Sue. Push, push.

But there's no way I'm giving up, that's for sure.

I found myself here because my kids have grown up.

I've done lots of things for the family.

And I thought,

"Well, now maybe it's just time that I do something for me."

And I just love every minute in this kitchen.

So I just know that I've got to keep pushing on.

So I decided to take out the cabbage.

Leave the burnt bits out.

Clean out the pan, get all the dark caramelisation out.

Do it quick, Sue!

And I put it back in, add more cream

and start to get it by sauteing down again

and hope for the best.

Good one, Sue. Good one.

Come on, everybody, you've got to pick up the pace.

Once you've had your beetroot in for 40 minutes,

what we do is we relieve the steam.

20 minutes to go, and I can barely keep up with Curtis from the gantry.

Dude, he's working fast.

But, Alex and Darrsh, they seem to be going alright.

Come on. You should have released your pressure by now, everyone.

I'm quite stressed and worried for Sue.

I think that sense of being overwhelmed

is now starting to show.

She's taken her potatoes off the heat,

but they look a bit undercooked

and her cabbage is burnt now.

Go ahead and take out your beetroot

and then you can toss these straight into your blender.

And we turn it on high speed.

Gill is slower than Curtis Stone,

but she's not too far behind, though,

and I think she looks focused.

Try not to make a mess.

We don't want it to look like a hospital in here,

although looking at some of your fingers, it already does.

And I'm so proud of Lochy.

Yes, Loch!

He's put his head down and he's working really hard.

Lochy, you're doing really well. Just keep pushing.

Once you're happy with your consistency,

then what we're going to do is insert smoke.

Go ahead and light it.

As soon as that smoke starts pouring out like mine,

go ahead and stick that nozzle right on in

to your beetroot puree.

How much smoke, Curtis?

You want a lot of smoke. A lot of smoke.

Jesus!

Good, good, good.

We're about to push some smoke through the beetroot puree,

and I can't believe I'm actually starting to catch up.

Now, we're about to make the spice rub

that's going to go on your pork.

I want two teaspoons of fennel seeds.

We're going to toast them.

I know how to make a spice rub. I know when it's ready.

Then, we're going to take a teaspoon of coriander seeds.

This is kind of something that I'm actually really comfortable with in this cook.

So now I'm starting to feel back on track.

Pop them into your mortar and pestle.

Use your muscles.

You need to season your pork fillet.

So get it out of the fridge.

I'm feeling really happy.

I feel like I'm ticking all the boxes as I go along.

You know what I love about this pork?

Coles brand pork is free of artificial growth hormones.

It's free-range and it's RSPCA-approved.

So you know it's going to taste delicious,

but you also feel good about where it came from.

Honestly, just producing bucket list moments.

It is such an honour to cook alongside

and keep up with Curtis today.

And then pick up your grill pan.

Can everyone see my grill pan? Mm-hm.

Stick it on the heat.

How high is the cast-iron pan?

You want it on a medium to high heat.

Go ahead and season your pork fillet

with that beautiful spice mix that we made.

Season both sides, Curtis?

You roll it so you season all of it.

Once you can feel some heat in your grill pan,

go ahead and place your pork fillet

into the grill pan.

(SIZZLING)

Instantly, I hear that sear and sizzle,

which is exactly what you want to hear.

Go, Darrsh!

Going well, Gill.

This is the main component of the dish.

It needs to be cooked perfectly.

We're looking for medium rare to medium.

Somewhere around that. You want your pork to be juicy.

Still pink.

We do not cook pork well done.

It is not the 1970s anymore.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, to make sure that your pork is perfectly cooked,

you could use a probe thermometer.

But today, we're not going to.

We're just going to use our skills.

Oh, my God!

We're not going to be using a thermometer today.

And that's going to be a tricky step.

But I'm relying on the fact that I got my pork in

at the same time as Curtis,

because it means that,

if I've nailed the heat in my pan,

I just need to take this pork off

exactly when Curtis takes it off

and I'll have a perfectly cooked pork.

We're about five minutes off starting to plate this, you guys.

We're going to make a mustard dressing.

This is the final element.

Come on, everyone, don't fall behind now!

We're going to place a tablespoon of Dijon.

We're going to place a tablespoon of grainy mustard.

If you're not making your mustard dressing with me,

you need to catch up.

Some...

Five minutes to go.

This whole cook has been chaos,

but I'm trying to catch up as best I can.

I need a tablespoon of maple syrup.

A tablespoon of maple syrup.

A tablespoon of maple syrup.

There's a few elements that I'm worried about.

That cabbage.

I tried to give it a second life, so only time will tell.

And my Hasselback potatoes,

it's not looking crispy,

but there's no way on earth I'm not going to finish this dish.

Bring it home, Sue! So I'm working hard.

Yes, it's messy. Looks like a bomb's gone off.

But failure today is not an option.

You need a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Can I use your oil, buddy? Yeah, mate.

Thanks, mate.

Couple of tablespoons?

Two. Yep.

Dos! Deux. Dos.

Stir your mustard dressing.

Guys, in one minute, my dish is going to be completely finished.

Crazy! We ready?

What?!

(CHUCKLES) Silence! No comment.

Oh, God.

My heart's beating really fast.

But there's no way on earth

I'm not going to get all of these elements on the plate.

Go ahead and get your serving plate.

Plating. You guys watch.

OK. Creamed cabbage.

Take it from your pan.

Cabbage, cabbage.

Pop it into your circle cutter.

Don't push down on it too hard

because you'll push the cream out of it.

You've got to be plating, guys.

Remember, you've only got 10 seconds after Curtis finishes.

Nice, Gilly.

Remove your cutter.

Pick up your prettiest Hasselback potato.

Place it on your plate.

Go, Darrsh!

Yeah, Darrsh, this is you. Let's go.

I'm gonna take a little quenelle of my smoked beet.

Take a beautiful little dollop.

Let's go.

Final push. Final push.

Come over to your pork.

When you carve your pork, you're going to cut straight across the grain.

I don't want you to cut it on a bias.

Straight across like that.

Yours should be beautiful and pink in the centre.

Yum!

Yes.

Her pork? Yeah.

So I have got the Hasselback potatoes,

creamed cabbage and smoked beetroot puree

onto the plate, just like Curtis's.

And now it's time to slice through my pork.

Um...

But it just doesn't look right.

It's, it's, it's under.

Yeah, it's a bit under.

And I'm trying to slice up different bits

to see if it's better.

But I'm in so much trouble.

Pick those medallions of pork up.

Place them in a straight line off your creamed cabbage.

I don't know what to do right now.

If I put up undercooked pork, I'm going home.

As soon as I'm done, you get 10 seconds.

Go ahead and pick up a piece of this beautiful pickled beetroot.

You should be able to pick it up almost from the centre,

and it should fall almost like a rose petal.

Curtis is already moving on to the next step

and almost finished plating,

but it's got to get back on that pan

because if I put up undercooked pork, I'm going home.

Quick, quick, quick.

But all this time, I've been doing so well keeping up with Curtis.

And now I've just lost the wheels to this cart.

Pick up your mustard dressing. This is my final touch.

I'm about to start the 10-second countdown, guys.

Let's go, guys, come on! Alright, you're just going to put a few drops...

Get everything on the plate! ..of that mustard dressing.

In all sorts of worlds right now, I don't even know what I'm feeling.

I don't have time to know what I'm feeling.

Come on, Alex, come on, Alex. Let's go!

Alex, you don't have time!

At this stage, I don't even know if this is actually cooked.

I've just got to get this pork off,

slice it up and get it on the plate.

And that is my spice rubbed pork

with Hasselback potatoes and smoked beetroot.

You know what that means, everybody?

We got 10...

Pickled beetroot. ..nine, eight...

Where did the dressing go?

..seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

Done. Step back. Well done. Well done, guys! Well done!

Hooley dooley.

Oh, that's pretty.

Oh, I forgot the dressing.

Oh, yay!

Oh, did you? Yeah.

Look, I've got a finished plate that I'm really proud of.

Um, the cook was insanity.

The cabbage was a work in progress.

I was trying to workshop it along the way.

So I just hope that the Hasselback are enough.

The cabbage is enough.

I'm pretty certain that my pork is cooked good.

So, again, I just don't know until it gets served up.

Feeling relieved that that's done, and I actually got every element on the plate.

Curtis, mate, I think our contestants witnessed first hand

that you have still got it,

because at the start of that cook, mate, you went like the clappers.

It was very impressive to watch. Thanks, Andy.

You know, I think that these guys had a lot to wrap their head around in a short amount of time

,

and I think some did really well

and some struggled a little bit more.

But for the most part, they did a great job.

Should we get the first dish in? Yeah.

Go, Darrsh. You got this, D-money.

Heading towards the judges and feeling pretty good.

I couldn't have done any more in that cook.

I really just had my head down.

I was focused and I executed what Curtis had told us to.

Darrsh.

Guys. Hey, Darrsh.

Darrsh. How did you go?

Oh. That was intense.

I found a way to enjoy it as well. It was really good.

I want to know what you enjoyed about that cook.

Oh, I think what I enjoyed the most was, like,

all the different techniques that I learned.

I think we'll try it and see how you went.

Awesome. Thanks so much today, Curtis.

Thank you, Darrsh. Thanks, Darrsh.

Let's dive in.

I realise why he had that smile on his face.

He's confident for a reason.

I mean, what a triumph!

You know, I think each element of the dish,

he has done a really good job of.

I think the stars on there are the pork

and the potatoes were super crunchy.

Uh, he cooked those really, really well.

I love the dressing.

Really nice and acidic and sweet at the same time,

which was just perfect to mop up the pork with.

The smoked beetroot puree was divine.

It's seasoned properly, it's not bitter.

It is smooth, it's a delight.

It's like a... It's like a soft ice-cream.

It's just beautiful.

I'm really proud of him, how he worked today, you know.

I think he was clean.

Um, he was concise.

And it really does show with a lot of elements.

It's amazing when you do nail these sorts of cooks,

when you get shown how to make the perfect puree,

how to cook the perfect pork.

That light bulb moment goes off.

And I reckon Darrsh is sitting there and he's going,

"Now I know how to do these techniques, I'm going to use them for the rest of the competition."

Absolutely. Nice one.

Good luck, Alex.

Delivering this plate of food,

I'm feeling the biggest sense of embarrassment.

(SIGHS)

I've jeopardised myself.

I didn't plate an element that I had made.

So, if this pork is not cooked to perfection,

then I'm going home today.

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Hi. Hi, Alex.

How are you feeling, Alex? I'm going to cry.

She's gone. Are you alright?

Not my day today.

Not my day.

What happened?

Uh, the time got the better of me, I think.

Looks like you were in pretty good control.

I know, I know.

Um, I was on it.

Everything, I was on...

Um...

And then I actually just thought

when I took my pork off that it was really under.

So I whacked it back on.

And then from there,

I think I just got in my head a bit, frazzled out.

Yeah.

I'm looking at the plate

and the mustard dressing is missing there. Not there.

It was ready to plate.

I just didn't make it on.

Um, which is such a shame,

because, you know, I look around me,

everybody else has got theirs up.

Alright, Alex. Well, we'll taste it.

We'll cross everything for you.

Pickle.

Full pickle points.

I think that they were pretty pristine.

Really, really, like, gossamer-thin.

You could hold them up, see through them,

but they still added all of that brightness,

all of that acidity to the plate.

And I really, really, seriously enjoyed the potatoes

because the bottom was soft and the rest was like, crispy.

The cook on the pork is surprisingly accurate,

so I actually admire the fact that she tried to fix it

rather than just be like, "I didn't cook it enough."

There was no dressing on the plate

and the punch of spice from the mustard,

and that little bit of sweetness from the maple

really brings the dish together.

And without that, you're wondering

why this plate of food has been put in front of you.

Hey, Lochy. Lochy.

How are we? Good.

Lochy, show us your hands.

Is it throbbing?

Uh, once the adrenaline wore off, it started to throb.

The only reason why I bring it up

is that it's remarkable that

even though you spent so much time getting your finger fixed,

you still managed to produce this plate of food.

Well done.

I'm pretty happy with myself

that I just really pushed and knuckle down.

Thanks, Lochy. Awesome. Thank you.

Thank you. Thanks.

The star of the dish really was the pork, right?

And he's cooked that nicely.

And that, of course, is the main element on the plate.

Um, so I'm really appreciating the fact

that he got that just right.

He's a spice man.

And I think just the familiarity

with working with spices all the time

gave him just that extra confidence with that element.

And he's just got it the most thoroughly coated

and has it really seasoned well.

I'm amazed that he managed to get that plate of food up,

which shows a great deal of courage and conviction.

So I really applaud him for that.

So is Lochy going to be 'Lochy' enough today?

I think so.

The potatoes are very, very thinly cut,

well-coloured.

It's tasty, well seasoned.

And the pickle?

I love it.

Sliced properly.

With the right textures and still with the sweetness

of the beetroot coming out.

Hey, Gill. Hello.

Hi, Gill. Hi, Gill.

What was it like keeping up with Curtis?

Insanity.

Yeah, thanks for that.

No, I'm such a visual person,

as you guys know, I need that visual.

So to not have that was really tough today,

so I had to use a lot of gut instinct.

Thank you, Gill. We're going to taste your dish.

Well done. Thank you.

Wow!

I think Gill's done a good job.

I mean, as a complete dish,

all of these components are done pretty accurately.

The cabbage, I think she's done it really well.

It's all just sort of collapsed and wilted

while still having that little bit of edge to it.

And then that creaminess has really held it

all together wonderfully.

She used her instincts to give it that richness.

So, um, I think she's done a cracker of a job.

Go, Sue! Go, Sue! Thanks.

You got this.

I'm feeling worried.

I know I've got the elements on the plate,

but I don't know if they're all correct.

The whole MasterChef experience for me

is the most amazing thing I have done myself.

It's weighing on me that it could be me today,

but I'm praying that it's not.

Hey, Sue.

Hello. Hi, Sue.

How are you doing, Sue?

Again, I'm worried.

Um, I got off on the wrong foot,

and I think I just struggled from that point on, and, um...

Yeah, I just was all over the place today.

I feel like I got everything on the plate.

I'm not really sure if it's spot-on.

So, yes, nerve-racking.

What is it that keeps you fighting?

I've never wanted anything quite like doing well

in this competition.

Um, you get to that point, I think, when your kids are old enough,

you sort of think,

"Well, what am I going to be known for?

"What's my legacy?"

I want my kids to look at me and go after stuff...

I always say to them, "Go after whatever you want to do."

Now you're leading by example.

Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you, Sue.

We're going to give it a go. Thank you.

Thank you, Sue. Well done, thank you.

Sadly, with Sue's dish, there's quite a lot to talk about.

I mean, let me start with the Hasselback potato.

It's... It's quite undercooked.

And, um, not only is it not crisp,

it just hasn't gone all the way, you know?

So it's still a little crunchy.

You can literally hear it as you cut through,

and it's one of the only vegetables

that you just cannot leave crunchy.

It's, um...

It's a problem.

Cabbage, it's still got too much of a bite.

And some of it was a little bit burnt as well.

And in an effort to balance it, she's added cream too late.

You can kind of taste that raw cream flavour.

And the pickle is missing that element

of that vinegary or sharpness.

The pork, which is the main element, is a bit over.

So it translates as quite dry, the meat.

I'm really concerned for Sue

because I feel like there's very few redeeming things about this dish.

Look, I drank a lot of Melbourne's finest coffee this morning,

so I came in ready to put you to your tests,

and you guys responded.

You did really, really well.

So, well done, guys.

Let's start with the good news.

Curtis will be joining us again tomorrow.

(APPLAUSE)

Now for the not-so-good news.

Unfortunately, one of your dishes had fundamental flaws

that we could not look past.

The cook going home...

..sorry to say...

..Sue. (GASPS)

Sue...

..you dared to chase your dreams

and you're well on your way to making them come true.

What have you enjoyed most about being in here?

Um...

Everything about it. There's nothing...

Even the hard moments were relished by me.

So...

It really is a magical experience, isn't it?

Yeah. I totally understand.

I know you would understand that. Sue...

Sue, this is a really hard moment for us.

But it's time to say goodbye.

I am gutted.

But I had a lot of fun the whole way.

And, hopefully, there's other people like me

that maybe have aspirations.

Let's bring it in!

And they think they can't.

And they'll wait, "Maybe, one day."

"Go for it!" would be what I'd say to people.

Yes, Sue!

(CHEERING)

Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia,

Curtis is back,

with a life-changing immunity challenge.

The winner will have their sauce sold in Coles stores

across the country until sold out.

Having my sauce on the Coles shelves -

unbelievable dream come true.

Today's immunity is the biggest one so far.

It's a huge win, whoever's getting it.

And I bloody well hope that's me.

Yeah! Game on!

Captions by Red Bee Media