- 8 hours ago
2026.Season 18 Episode 53 - Elimination Challenge: French Sauces
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00:00.
00:16Luck, kill it.
00:18Alrighty.
00:21Oh!
00:22He's in his whites.
00:24Oh!
00:25I love it when he's in his chest whites.
00:27He does look good in them.
00:28He does look great.
00:29John Christoph.
00:30He's looking very dapper in his chef's whites, that's for sure.
00:34Morning.
00:36This week is all about preparing you for the finals.
00:40But the sad truth is, not all of you will be there.
00:46Today's elimination won't be easy.
00:48But if you get through it,
00:50you'll be top five of MasterChef 2026.
00:56Luke, you've come up clutch in the last few eliminations.
01:00Like, what happens if today's the day that you come up short?
01:05Just miss that top five.
01:08That'd be devastating.
01:11Yeah, these guys are class.
01:13But the one thing I can give is that I'm not going to give up.
01:17Aaron, what have you sacrificed to be here?
01:20Uh, time with my partner.
01:25Um, leaving my family business.
01:28That's a big call, a big decision to go out on your own,
01:31because this is sort of the first step for you, isn't it?
01:34Yeah.
01:35To make the decision to leave my family business was probably the hardest thing I've had to do to date.
01:41I remember that day just like it was yesterday, actually.
01:44I was in my office.
01:46I had the letter in my hand when my dad was like, what's this?
01:48I was like...
01:51It took me a minute to actually say,
01:54it was such a hard thing to do, but I needed to do it.
01:58You know, every step I make forward here is just more validation in my decision
02:03and makes me want to keep going because I learn so much more
02:07and I prove to myself that I am capable
02:10and that, you know, I have what it takes to go out there.
02:13What's the family saying when you call them or when they call you back home?
02:16They're saying that at this point, no matter what happens, happens,
02:20that I've made them so proud.
02:23Um...
02:29Yeah.
02:30It was good to make them proud.
02:32Yeah.
02:33To make it to top five,
02:36it just proved that I knew what I was doing,
02:39that I made the right choice
02:41and I'm going down a path that is right for me.
02:45You may have already guessed which judge has set today's challenge.
02:51So you won't be surprised when I tell you
02:54it's been set by a multi-Michelin-starred, classically-trained French chef.
03:00What you might not know is our resident Frenchie is also an expert saucier.
03:06Over to you, Jean-Christophe.
03:08Oh, yes.
03:10I've always loved something saucy.
03:13Oh!
03:13Oh!
03:14Oh!
03:18Sauces are one of the foundation of French cooking.
03:22And I'm going to show you two of my favourites.
03:25Are you ready?
03:27Come on.
03:28Allez, allez.
03:28Vinny, two.
03:31A John-Christophe sauce masterclass is, like, really, really valuable,
03:36especially at this point in the con.
03:38I mean, French basic techniques are like the foundations of a lot of cooking.
03:42And if you are able to nail those basics, like, you can do a lot.
03:46In French cooking, there are five mother sauces.
03:50I'm going to show you two of them.
03:53One is sauce espagnol, and one is sauce velouté.
04:00So sauce espagnol will go with anything like red meat,
04:04especially something which has been grilled, barbecue.
04:08Now, there is no great cooking without a good stock.
04:12The stock is the heart.
04:15This is beef, veal, mixed with a mirepoix.
04:18The stock takes time to be reduced.
04:21What we do now, we are going to make a sauce.
04:23So I've got a pan, which is hot,
04:26and we're going to introduce a little bit of butter.
04:29We're going to make a roux.
04:31And the roux, basically speaking, is just a thickening agent.
04:36So, we're going to make it aromatic by using a bouquet garlic.
04:40We're going to add to it some shallots, just for some flavours.
04:44A bit of garlic, even with the skin, it doesn't matter.
04:48And then, when the butter is colouring enough, we add the flour.
04:53So, always equal the fat, the content of butter and the flour.
05:00This is a good stage to add flavour to your sauce.
05:04I've had some rosemary and thyme.
05:06You can add your spices.
05:08You can use cinnamon stick, bay leaves, curry powder, smoked paprika.
05:13So, when you come to this colour, then we start adding tomato paste.
05:19And the reference of Espanyol, if you look back in the time, the red colour of the sauce, which is
05:27colour of the Spanish flag.
05:29Mmm, yum.
05:31Gradually, we just add the stock.
05:37It's really interesting watching John Christophe make these sauces.
05:39Now, one thing I haven't done yet is seasoning.
05:43The thing that I'm picking up from this is where you can put flavour in.
05:47And then we balance it with different things like honey.
05:51This is what I use.
05:53I think it's more subtle, but you can use sugar, you can use any type of sweetness here.
05:57But sweetness, acidity.
06:00So, it can be two choices.
06:02Lemon, vinegar.
06:03He's really breaking down the steps for how to layer flavours at different points in building this sauce really well.
06:09So, this is another stage where you can change your idea and add some flavours.
06:14For example, I could have a little bit of bitter chocolate.
06:20Mmm.
06:21So, you can have a bit of vanilla, you can use a bit of soy sauce, you can have anything.
06:26I'm understanding, like, the foundations of how to build these sauces.
06:29So, then you can take that and tailor it and put your own little spin on it, which is cool.
06:34One little trick that I do, which is bizarre.
06:37You will think in French cooking, adding ginger in your sauce.
06:40Yes.
06:41And I notice it works very well.
06:44So, this is my sauce, Espanol.
06:47We shall understand ourselves.
06:49Yeah.
06:52Now, I'm going to show you my sauce, the lute.
06:55And the sauce lute will go with anything like white meat, fish.
07:00So, you start the same way with the roux, except having the roux, which has been coloured to brown.
07:05You keep it nice and blonde.
07:07Why? Because the lute sauce will end up to become a white sauce.
07:12Getting a masterclass from Jean-Christophe is amazing.
07:14Learning directly from a Michelin-starred chef.
07:19Then we add the flour.
07:21So, do you remember the amount of flour and butter, which is?
07:25One to one.
07:25Exactly. Well done.
07:27This is definitely, like, inspiring me to put a spin on my sauces.
07:33Now, you can add some wine if you want.
07:36Some alcohol.
07:38This just adds to my wheelhouse.
07:40And hopefully I can use that to get past this elimination.
07:43If you don't want the flavour of alcohol, you can use grape juice, orange juice.
07:48You can use anything.
07:49It's absolutely fantastic.
07:50There is no limit.
07:51And then we add the stock.
07:53So, I will be using chicken stock.
07:56You can use seafood.
07:57You can use shellfish.
07:59Pass it through a sip several times if you can.
08:02Yum.
08:03I'm going to give you an idea of two different plates, yeah?
08:07Using both sauce.
08:08We got a lovely piece of beef.
08:11With a nice pomme muslin.
08:15Then we have poached chicken supreme.
08:19With a wilt-off on diet.
08:23Bon appetit.
08:35John Christophe's Espanol tastes amazing.
08:38It's really, really rich.
08:40Like, you can taste the depth in it.
08:42The velouté served with that poached chicken as well is, like, a perfect pairing.
08:47It doesn't overpower the chicken.
08:50It's delicious.
08:51I love that.
08:54But the energy in the room is pretty tense.
08:57It's elimination and everyone in here is really good cooks.
09:00Michelin star chef and saucier, Jean-Christophe Novelli.
09:07Jean-Christophe has showed you two beautiful and versatile sauces.
09:12Now, you need to choose one and pair it with the perfect dish.
09:18We're giving you 75 minutes and an open pantry and garden.
09:23There are so many ways you can add your signature touch to either sauce.
09:29What flavours you use and the direction that you take is totally up to you.
09:34The least impressive dish will send us to make our home.
09:38John Christophe, any last words?
09:41I can see you've been taking some notes, which is great.
09:44Your time, start now.
09:47Good luck.
09:47Sorry.
09:57Chives, chives, chives.
09:58Definitely feeling inspired.
09:59Those sauces are so versatile, like, we can add whatever we want, our own flair.
10:03Like, the world's our bloody oyster which direction you want to go.
10:07So, you made up your mind, yeah?
10:08Uh-huh.
10:09You know exactly what you want to do.
10:10Same for you, our own.
10:10Exactly what I want to do.
10:12I want to do a bloody good job.
10:14Not just because I want to stay in the con, but because I want to do it for Jean-Christophe
10:17as well.
10:20Oh, that's right.
10:23So, there we are.
10:24I'm thinking of the two sauces and I'm thinking which one's going to pack a bigger punch in my dish.
10:29You're making a velouté?
10:31Uh, no.
10:32I'm making a version of the Espanol.
10:34Ooh.
10:36Go, Petro!
10:37Go, Petro!
10:38You've got a duck in his end.
10:40A duck?
10:40Yep.
10:41So, my dish will be pan-seared duck breast with a dark sauce and fig-gastripe and some celeriac puree.
10:49I've chosen to cook this dish because I haven't cooked anything that's classical French yet.
10:55And I have never cooked duck in the kitchen either.
10:57So, I feel like this is a way to push myself and to showcase my skills.
11:02I think I'm going to be able to pack some big, hitting flavours in the dark sauce of the Espanol.
11:10Jean-Christophe has given us pre-prepared stock, which I'll also be using.
11:16But I'll be boosting that with adding duck bones.
11:19I'll be adding mirepoix, which is celery, carrot and shallots.
11:25I'll be adding cognac.
11:26I want to pack as much flavour as I can.
11:29There's a lot riding on this.
11:32It would mean so much to make top five.
11:36I love this competition.
11:37I've got more to offer.
11:38And I really don't want to be going home today.
11:42Go, Caspi!
11:45That's a big dog, mate.
11:50Come on, Attabelle.
11:51Come on, Attabelle.
11:53Come on, Attabelle.
12:12And it's just so great to see all of them just so wide-eyed watching you teach them these foundational
12:19skills.
12:20And I'm so excited for today's challenge.
12:22What do you want to see today?
12:24So I want them to put a bit of je ne sais quoi into one of those two sauces to
12:28make it something very different, something new, something that might even inspire me.
12:33Combine the sauce with the right ingredients, the right proteins, and try to make sure it balances well as a
12:39finishing product.
12:40You need to get both of those things really right, because the bottom dish is going home today.
12:45Yes.
12:48Four fish died in vain.
12:51Oh, it's got teeth.
12:52Come on, Attabelle.
12:53CPR, mate.
12:56I'm going to go with the blue icon today, and I'm going to do the velouté.
12:59I appreciate a good sauce, so I think my strategy is to just do something that's really going to hero
13:04the sauce.
13:05I'm thinking of the velouté, and I remember tasting it being like, I can literally add whatever flavour I want
13:10to this.
13:11And I'm thinking, you know what would kind of be fun is like a play on like a fish and
13:16chips.
13:17I feel like with a fish and chips, the really, really good thing about it is like that beautiful sauce
13:22that goes with it.
13:22I'm not going to like do a tartare, but I want to do a little bit of a play on
13:25it.
13:26I want to use the head and the wings and the tail to make a beautiful fish stock for the
13:32base for this velouté.
13:35And then I'm going to add the peppers, some lemon juice, some parsley, some dill, some chives, and Dijon mustard.
13:42Because it's a French sauce challenge, and it wouldn't be a French sauce without a bit of Dijon.
13:49It's lost a couple of garlics, that's okay. Far out.
13:57So I guess if you've got fish, you're going to be doing a velouté?
14:00Yep.
14:01Good chose.
14:02I'm going to make my own fish stock.
14:06I really want to make it more of a richer velouté, so not as light as John Christophe's today.
14:12It's going to pair really well with that more robust cooking style that I will have on my fish.
14:18Hey Caspar.
14:19Hello, how are you going?
14:20How are you?
14:20I'm good, yeah.
14:21So tell us what you're making today.
14:23So today I'm going to be doing some blue-eyed cod on the hibachi, and then I'm going to be
14:26pairing with that a velouté.
14:28So I'll do a fish stock with some sautéed fennel, and I'm also going to do the Japanese ingredients that
14:34I'm, I guess, familiar with.
14:35When you gave the demonstration on the front, you could see every single point where you can put that flavour
14:39in.
14:40Yes.
14:40So when you're putting in the wine and the velouté, I can put sake, and I can put like a
14:43little bit of white soy, and I can use mirin to sweeten it.
14:46Yeah.
14:46Just think about that.
14:49Because I think there is a chance that that charriness of the fish, if you really go for it, might
14:55overpower all those beautiful gentle flavours in the velouté.
15:10Your sauce and your dish must work very well together in harmony.
15:13Yeah, good luck.
15:14Good luck, Caspar.
15:14Well done.
15:17Knowing the concerns that the judges have, I'm really going to have to focus and make sure that the fish
15:21doesn't overpower the sauce.
15:22I'm just going to pump this a little bit.
15:24I had that same thought, like making my velouté a bit more robust, so that's why I've gone for a
15:29bit of a char on my veg.
15:30I'm going to go for like a bit more colour on my fish for my velouté, so it does have
15:34a bit more body.
15:36Okay, guys, I can smell something saucy. One hour to go.
15:47What's happening, Aaron? What are you making?
15:50I'm taking inspiration from the velouté and I'm going to try and impart some Asian flavours into it as well
15:54just to make it a bit fusion-y.
15:55I'm trying to make a sort of seafood sauce with a trio of seafood. So I've got mussels, pippies and
16:00scallops.
16:01Yum. Beautiful.
16:03Generally, it represents who I am and where I want to go. So, you know, I really want to have
16:08Asian-inspired dishes that have French techniques and like cooking techniques and all that as well.
16:13Just to bring my little flair to the things that I learned along the way.
16:17This dish is all about the sauce. So I'm slowly building it. Going into the stock, there's a lot of
16:23classical French flavours and aromats.
16:25But I'm imparting that Asian side by using the Shaoxing wine and white soy, some rice wine vinegar as well
16:32to add a bit of brightness.
16:34Aaron, you're doing velouté, yeah?
16:35Yeah.
16:36But I don't want it to be overpowering. In my mind, it's not meant to be either Asian-forward or
16:42European-forward. It's supposed to be a fusion.
16:52What are you making, Luke?
16:55I'm trying to get some breadcrumbs.
16:56I've been in the most eliminations out of anyone by, like, a country mile.
17:01But just giving that extra 10% or just adding this extra element or just pushing the last final 10
17:06seconds has managed to save me from elimination so many times.
17:09Today, I'm trying to channel that and put up a dish that is going to blow the judges away.
17:14So now I'm going to go with the Espanol. I'm going to try to pair it with this beautiful lamb
17:17rack and make it kind of bougie.
17:19A lamb rack on its own really isn't enough, so we're going to have to elevate it a little bit.
17:24I want to go with kind of a Middle Eastern vibe, spice the lamb rack with some hazelnuts, cumin, coriander,
17:29and then go orange into the sauce, chuck in a little bit of black garlic in there as well,
17:33and then I'm thinking just, like, some nice oven-roasted figs, some Brussels sprouts.
17:38I'm not quite sure about the other elements. I've got the lamb in the sauce, and I'm going to nail
17:42those,
17:42and everything else will just work with it.
17:45My plan is to make sure that I've got all my other elements done and then start on the sauce.
17:50The plan for this lamb is medium rare, so I'm just sealing the outside now.
17:53I'm then going to crust it, and then I'm going to put it in the oven.
17:57How are you doing, Lukey? Looks very nice. Nice French.
18:00Yeah, thanks, brother.
18:03Watching Luke put his crust on his lamb, there's a really thick piece of fat cap on that lamb rack
18:11that he hasn't really rendered down.
18:13I'm hoping that it renders well in the oven, because if not, that could be a really big issue for
18:18his final dish.
18:20But at the same time, having watched Luke, this man just turns it on during eliminations,
18:25and he pulls it out very, very well.
18:27Nice.
18:29I can move on to my figs.
18:31What you would have done?
18:33Baluté or Espanyol?
18:34Espanyol.
18:35Espanyol.
18:35My favourite.
18:37You don't have all day to Baluté.
18:3930 minutes to go!
18:49Nice.
18:51I'm just trying to make some fish and chips.
18:53But, like, obviously, my take on it.
18:55I'm going to use the Baluté as a sauce, so I, like, have a fish stock.
18:58And I'm going to flavour it with, like, similar flavourings, like, I guess, a play on a tartare.
19:04My sauce tastes awesome.
19:05I've really extracted enough fish flavours.
19:08And starting to form the base of this Baluté.
19:11I'm flavouring it with capers, some lemon juice, some parsley, some dill.
19:16I'm going to add a little bit of my own flair with some Dijon mustard.
19:19And I'm going to add my little secret weapon, some shiridashi, because that goes with seafood so well.
19:25Just leave it to develop those flavours.
19:27I need to crack on with my potatoes now.
19:30Are they just spuds, nothing else?
19:32Nothing else.
19:34These chips that I'm attempting have about 50 million steps.
19:38They're, like, potato that I am grating and that I am steaming in the microwave until just cooked.
19:45OK, going to make the butter.
19:48I'm just making my butter to put through my hash brown mixture to, like, bind it together.
19:53And then I'm going to get that into the blast chiller and compress it down.
19:56And then I need to freeze it, chop it up, fry it at 160 degrees, take it out, cool that,
20:02and then fry it again at 180.
20:04I would like my hash browns to be frying at 20 minutes to go.
20:07So I'm going to make sure that that happens.
20:08This is definitely something I'm attempting for the first time, which, on an elimination day, is maybe not the smartest
20:16idea.
20:16But I think it makes sense in my head.
20:23How are you doing, Lukey?
20:24Good, big dog.
20:25I've got my lamb in the oven and I've got my figs in the oven.
20:28The Brussels sprouts are prepped and ready to go.
20:32I get a second to think about the dish.
20:34I think this dish needs something that's going to cut through all this sweetness.
20:40I'm also going to do some radicula.
20:42I think I'm just going to quickly char in the pan in a bit of olive oil and just get
20:46a nice sear on it.
20:46I'm hoping that it'll bring just a bit of relief.
20:49There's quite a bit of sweetness going on.
20:51I've now got a lot of elements.
20:52I've got the lamb and the lamb crust.
20:55I've got the sauce.
20:56I've got my figs.
20:57And now I've got the radicula as well.
20:59I'm not sure about the Brussels sprouts.
21:00I'm just going to leave them.
21:01I'm going to finish off the dish, really.
21:08Luke is adding and removing elements of his dish, but he hasn't actually started his sauce espanol.
21:13Everyone else has been developing the flavours of their sauces the entire cook.
21:18This whole challenge is about the sauce.
21:20I don't know if he's left it too late.
21:24Jean-Christophe, how long do you think you need to make a good sauce espanol?
21:30Because Luke's only just started.
21:35But if he's just making a sauce with 20 minutes left and he's adding all these different ingredients,
21:41he's just not going to leave himself very much time to balance it.
21:44No, you're right.
21:56Where's your sauce?
21:58Sauce?
21:59I'm doing it just now.
22:00OK.
22:01Yeah, I need to leave it a little bit longer.
22:04I'm excited I've worked this dish out and these elements, they're making sense in my head,
22:08but this sauce, it hasn't even been started.
22:11I got the beautiful stock that was in the pantry.
22:15A good sauce needs technique, but even more importantly, it needs time.
22:19And with less than 20 minutes to go, it's probably not my wisest move.
22:24And then I'm going to throw in a little bit of black garlic just for some umami.
22:26To bolster this orange flavour in the sauce, I'm adding in a little bit of the grand maniere.
22:31It needs more seasoning.
22:33I haven't left myself really any time to balance the sauce.
22:36I need to pull some sort of miracle out of the bag.
22:39I am not ready to go home.
22:42Top five is on the line!
22:4414 minutes to go!
22:45Come on!
22:46Go guys, keep pushing!
22:55I am multitasking up the wahazu right now.
22:58I've got my fish cooking in the pan.
23:00I'm just working on my sauce as well.
23:02I'm just going to taste it.
23:04This sauce tastes awesome.
23:06Like, it's definitely reminding me of a tartare, but like, so rich.
23:12It's really interesting and I've never had anything like it before, which is cool.
23:15What are you going to do with this?
23:17Um, coat my hashed potatoes in it.
23:20And now it is potato cooking time.
23:24She knows what she's doing.
23:26This one is the most unexpected.
23:28Volute with fish and chips.
23:30Just a clip.
23:31I am chopping my potato up into batten size that would like replicate a chip.
23:36They look like polenta fingers.
23:38Yeah.
23:39And then I'm going to do the first fry at 160 and the second fry at 180 degrees.
23:49I'm cooking the seafood is going well.
23:52I'm cooking in three different ways.
23:54Prawns on the hibachi.
23:56Scallops in a pan and have it opaque in the middle.
24:00So I want it borderline sashimi-esque.
24:03Nice, Aaron.
24:04And with the mussels, I want it to just be steamed and just open, still juicy.
24:10Sauce just needs a touch of the creme fraiche, maybe a touch of cream as well.
24:14I might add some ginger in there just to bring a bit of brightness.
24:17I'm putting a lot of attention into the sauce.
24:19I'm slowly building it, seasoning, I'm tasting, I'm making sure I get the right texture.
24:24So with the fusion of like, yeah, Asian and French, I've played around with it.
24:29I've held back on the fish sauce especially because I didn't want that to push it over the edge.
24:33I've used a bit more subtle flavours like the shiokoji, the white soy and the rice vinegar.
24:38I think I've got the flavours there.
24:42Let's go, Petro!
24:44Definitely feeling the pressure.
24:47French food was probably my biggest weakness, especially sauces coming into the comp.
24:54So there's a lot riding on this.
24:57I've got my duck, I've got my jus, I've got my puree.
25:01I've got a lot going on and not a whole lot of time.
25:06I have cooked duck three times in my life.
25:11It's a very new protein for me, but I'm just going to treat it how I would any other protein.
25:17I'm going to cook it about 90% on the fat side and then put it in the oven to
25:22finish off.
25:22I still have to finish off my sauce.
25:27My stock's been cooking for such a long time.
25:30It's developed so much flavour and now I need to thicken my stock with my roux.
25:38I need something.
25:42Let's open this.
25:45I'm going to add a little bit of dark chocolate and a little bit of the orange juice.
25:51Spices go in and then, if it still needs a little more acidity, I can boost it with a little
25:56bit of vinegar.
25:57The espanol is looking great. The consistency is perfect. It's got a beautiful gloss. It's just lit up.
26:07All right, let's cut into one of these.
26:13I slice over my duck breast.
26:19Not bad.
26:20And it is perfect. Perfect.
26:25I couldn't ask for a more perfect pour.
26:28Oh, boy. All right.
26:31Top five on the line! Five minutes to go!
26:45I'm so happy with my veloute. You can definitely taste kombu vinegar in there. You can really taste the fish
26:52as well. It's a rich stock that I've built.
26:54Using, like, the non-traditional ingredients and maybe, like, using a bit more of a harshly cooked protein with a
27:01sauce that is normally a little bit lighter is sort of the rules that I'm, like, flaunting with today.
27:07I need to nail the balance of the sauce to the cook on the fish, because it's going to have
27:12a very strong flavour.
27:13I am, like, breaking a few rules here, like we said, pushing some boundaries, but I think at this stage
27:21in the competition as well, I kind of can't play it safe.
27:23And if I can pull this off, I know I'm going to have a good dish.
27:26It's coming together pretty well, yeah. Like, the skin is releasing, which is exactly what I want to see.
27:31I really want to nail this, and I'm definitely not ready to go home yet.
27:35Two minutes to go!
27:39Oh, God, get it on the plate!
27:44That sauce looks so good.
27:47My second fry is done on my chips.
27:52They look so good when they come out! I'm so happy!
27:57I'm tasting everything together, and I'm really happy.
28:00I feel like the vision has come to life on the plate, and that is, like, literally the best feeling
28:04ever.
28:0530 seconds!
28:08Come on, guys!
28:10Nice push!
28:15Let's go!
28:17OK.
28:20Get another plate!
28:26I finally start putting up this dish. I've got the figs and the radicchio, the lamb rack, and it actually
28:32starts to look OK.
28:34I'm just trying to throw everything in the sauce to make it work.
28:38But I'm running out of time here. This thing's just got to go.
28:42I'm just hoping that somehow, some way, this sauce is up to Jean-Christophe's standard, and it's enough to keep
28:48it here.
28:51Time's up in ten!
28:53Five, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
29:04That's it, everybody!
29:06Yay!
29:08Well done!
29:11Good job, everyone!
29:16I am feeling pretty confident.
29:18I didn't get a chance to try, like, with the actual fish itself, but I think it shouldn't be too
29:25much for the blue tape.
29:27When it's five people, there's always a risk.
29:30You could be going home.
29:44Hi, Fitcho!
29:45Hello, how's it going?
29:47I have taken a bit of a gamble today, because I haven't cooked anything that's classical French yet.
29:54And I have never cooked duck in the kitchen, either.
29:57So I am crossing my fingers.
30:01Hopefully my gamble has paid off.
30:05Petro!
30:06Tell us, what have you made?
30:09So today I've made Espanol duck.
30:11So I've got, um, pansier duck, I have celeriac puree, and then I have fresh, um, segments of fig.
30:20Thank you, Petro.
30:21Thank you, guys.
30:21Thanks for sharing.
30:22Thank you so much.
30:23Well done.
30:28So invited by the gloss, the colour.
30:31Let's see how it's turned out.
30:57Well, well, well.
31:01I'm flabbergasted.
31:04It is unbelievable.
31:06I absolutely love it.
31:08It's nailed the sauce.
31:10Having orange juice, different spice and different herbs is just phenomenal.
31:17The mash is super delicious, and the duck is unbelievable.
31:22That is a damn fine dish.
31:25It is so delicious, and I think the sauce is absolutely where it's at.
31:29The viscosity of it, the texture, how silky and glossy it is.
31:33He couldn't have done a better job, and John Christophe, that tastes like a sauce that I think someone like
31:38you would make.
31:40I love that he really made that sauce the hero of the dish, and then he built around it.
31:45Yeah.
31:45I think that was really smart.
31:47And even though it was really scary for him to cook duck today, which was new territory for him as
31:52well,
31:52he went there because he knew that it would just pair so well with the sauce, and I admire that
31:57so much.
31:59I feel Petro is the one to watch in the kitchen.
32:01He is a weapon.
32:02Yeah.
32:03For sure.
32:11Hi, Casper.
32:12Hello.
32:13I have in the back of my mind, it still could be a bit of a risk, the cook on
32:17the fish, on the hibachi.
32:20It could overpower the hibachi, but I really hope that they sort of get the concept I'm going for here,
32:25and that they can taste that I've balanced.
32:31Casper, what did you make?
32:33I've got my luag cod, which I did on the hibachi, panseared fennel,
32:38zucchini salad with a bit of vinaigrette and a hibachi.
32:43Thanks, Casper.
32:44Thank you all.
33:07One of the things that Jonkastoff and I were really concerned about was whether the velouté and the char on
33:13the fish were going to work together.
33:15And I do feel like the char does overtake the velouté.
33:20All I'm kind of getting is the char on the fish.
33:24But when I taste it on its own, it's got all those lovely umami flavours.
33:28There's kombu in there and all sorts of things going on.
33:33I adore that velouté in terms of that sauce by itself.
33:38I love the texture.
33:39I love the depth of flavour that he's got both into the stock and how he's seasoned it up with
33:44all those Japanese ingredients.
33:47But I just don't think it goes with the fish.
33:49Um, I think that the fish, I'm Captain Char everything, but in this case it doesn't work.
34:00Hello.
34:01Hello.
34:05Fish and chips.
34:07It's like a real familiar concept and like eating it will be flavours that they're familiar with.
34:12But my take on a fish and chips, it'll be like a whole experience that they've never had before.
34:17I'm just really hoping that the judges like this dish as much as me.
34:22Annabelle, what have you made?
34:23I have done my take on a fish and chips.
34:27So I've done a pan seared blue eye cod.
34:30And then I've made some hash brown chips.
34:33And then I used your velouté as a base for a sauce.
34:37Thank you Annabelle. Good luck.
34:39Thanks guys.
34:39Thank you all.
34:40Thank you so much.
34:48Thank you very much.
35:04It's just phenomenal.
35:06Mm, I agree.
35:07It's just crazy.
35:09She's nailed that dish like...
35:11Bang.
35:13The fish is cooked properly.
35:15We have a great sauce.
35:16She should call it my tartar velouté.
35:19Because she made the tartar style velouté.
35:22It's balance of acidity.
35:24It's velvet.
35:26The potato.
35:26The what?
35:27The potato.
35:28And I was just about to say...
35:30Well, he's gone.
35:32Oh no!
35:34Come on, Sophia.
35:36No, I don't care, but this is mine.
35:39And you're not going to have it.
35:41There's not a single thing that I would change on this plate.
35:43I mean, those hash brown fries, they're a signature move as far as I'm concerned.
35:48They're crisp on the outside.
35:50They shatter.
35:51It's better than a chip.
35:52And there are not many things that are better than a chip.
35:54The fish is perfect and flaky.
35:57It's got crispy skin.
35:59That velouté.
36:00I mean, she's got that little tang of mustard.
36:02And I think by incorporating the flavours of a tartare into it just so simply with a bit of dill
36:09and the capers,
36:10she's actually added to the seasoning and the body and the whole experience.
36:14I'll have some more I should eat.
36:19I am happy for you because I can see how excited you are and like to do it.
36:24Seriously though, to do the demo, which was so insightful for the contestants today,
36:28I was like hoping that we were going to get this.
36:31And now that we finally got it, I'm so happy that, you know, your demonstration resulted in this food.
36:37Because like, for me, the standout is that sauce.
36:45We started my sauce very last minute, but every time I walk into the kitchen, especially when we're wearing a
36:51black apron,
36:52I don't even let myself go into the mindset of, what if I go home?
36:56Luke.
36:57Hi, Luke.
36:57Hi, guys.
36:58Hi, Luke.
37:00I just think about how it's going to go well and I'm going to be here the next day and
37:04how I can do even better.
37:06And so far, it's been working and I'm hoping that it can work again today.
37:22Luke, tell us, what have you met?
37:25I've done a spiced lamb rack with roasted figs, radicchio and an orange espanol.
37:35Luke, it's nearly like deja vu, isn't it? You're sitting in that chair.
37:39How do you think that this plate of food is going to stack up?
37:43I do think it's a dish that I would enjoy eating and I've tried to be a little bit creative
37:47in some ways.
37:48What if it doesn't?
37:50What if this is the one that finally, you know, isn't good enough?
37:56Truth be told, it's never a thought that crosses my mind.
38:02Well, mate, for your sake, I hope this dish is good enough to give you another cook in this kitchen.
38:09Yeah.
38:10Cheers, mate. Thank you.
38:11Good luck, Luke.
38:14OK, first of all, the espanol is really glossy.
38:21But the other thing that's capturing my eye the most is the hunk of fat around the meat.
38:28There is a centimetre fat cap.
38:31It's a shame, too, with the fat, because apart from that, I really love the plating.
38:57There's some hits and some misses. I thought the lamb, the eye of the lamb was cooked really beautifully.
39:03You know, perfect medium rare.
39:05But the fat cap is a problem.
39:08It's just like a huge wedge on top.
39:12And the sauce.
39:14I don't know. I feel like the sauce doesn't really go with the lamb.
39:17For me, the thing that clashes is the spices and the crust.
39:22The orange zest and the grand manier in the sauce.
39:27There's just so many big hitters in there that are really trying to compete for the number one spot.
39:34The sauce itself is too sweet. It's got too much of that orange juice in it.
39:39Even though it looks lovely and glossy when it pours, it just wasn't cooked long enough for this to be
39:46a successful sauce.
39:47Luke is definitely in trouble.
39:56I definitely knew it was a risk trying to impart Asian flavors into a veluté.
40:01Hello.
40:03How are you?
40:03And to cook the seafood in three different ways.
40:07But I feel as though this is representative of what I want to do outside of this kitchen.
40:12To then not make top five off of something like that.
40:15I think it would definitely knock me down a few pegs.
40:22So tell us, Aaron, please, what have you made?
40:24I made an array of seafood with an Asian-inspired veluté.
40:28I've got some charred prawns, some pan-seared scallops,
40:32and I've got some mussels that were steamed in the stock that I made with the prawn heads, the fish
40:37stock and the chicken.
40:40Aaron, I couldn't help but notice you got a little bit emotional when talking about your family
40:45and, you know, how you felt a sense of betrayal leaving them to come and pursue your dreams.
40:51How does that sit at this stage of the competition?
40:55So there was quite a big role that I had in the family business
40:58and, you know, to step away from that was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever had to
41:03do.
41:03We had a massive argument about how it would impact the way that he'd be able to support the family
41:09now,
41:10moving forward and everything, and that weighed very heavily on me.
41:14We've reconciled now, me and my dad, but it sticks with me.
41:17Have you been carrying that weight, this whole competition, that conversation with your family?
41:23It must be brutal, mate.
41:25It's rough. It's pretty hard to try and silence a lot of that.
41:29Aaron, I want to tell you that even if you, let's just say you pop out of here and you
41:33go and work in restaurants
41:35and it turns out that it's not what you want to do and you go back to the family business,
41:39it is not a failure.
41:40To break away from family convention takes so much courage to have tried and have failed.
41:47You've actually spent that curiosity and that's so important.
41:50That's what life's about.
41:51Yep.
41:51So, no regrets?
41:53Yeah.
41:53Okay?
41:54We hope that this dish keeps you in the competition for another cook.
41:59But you just never know, mate.
42:00Thanks, Aaron. We'll taste now, mate.
42:02Thank you so much.
42:03Well done.
42:08I think it looks beautiful, but I'm still wrapping my head around how this is going to taste.
42:15Yeah.
42:16But it does look beautiful. You know, he always plates beautifully.
42:32Is that, is that under? A bit?
42:36Oh, no, yours is under.
42:37Don't go so close, are yours?
43:03Yours is about the same as mine.
43:12A bit of a mixed bag, I feel.
43:15My prawn was cooked so well. Love it.
43:20Mussels, the same thing can be said for those.
43:23My scallop is undercooked.
43:27The velouté itself, I really enjoy the amount of heat that's in there with the chilli.
43:31I probably wanted more of the kind of shoutsing wine and the Asian ingredients.
43:38Because once you get it with the seafood, it kind of does get lost out.
43:44This really doesn't taste that Asian to me. I agree with you, Andy.
43:48So what I'm left with, because it doesn't punch really hard in the direction of Asian flavours,
43:54is a velouté that is quite strong and over-seasoned as well.
44:00The other reason I think it comes across as being quite salty is because he's put plain proteins in a
44:08bowl with sauce.
44:09If you had just the scallops with like a beautiful puree or something to kind of, you know, take the
44:15edge off a bit,
44:16then the sauce would season the dish as a whole.
44:19But to me, it feels like there's just some seafood cooked inconsistently on a plate with a sauce that is
44:26almost overpowering.
44:27So I'm definitely worried for Aaron on this one.
44:40Two dishes really impressed us today.
44:45The first dish showed us a strong sense of style.
44:51It seemed simple, but it had a lot of perfect techniques.
44:57The voluté sauce was fantastic.
45:06Annabelle, well done.
45:11You completely smashed it.
45:17The second dish had a sauce Espanol that felt like it was made by an expert.
45:29Impressive work. Petro, well done.
45:40Congratulations, you two. You are not going anywhere by cooking like that.
45:49At this point in the competition, expectations are higher than ever.
45:55And sadly, two of you had faults in your dishes.
46:01Aaron, some of us had scallops that were under, and your voluté was salty.
46:10Luke, your sauce looked incredibly glossy, but was overly sweet.
46:18And while the lamb looked perfect, the unrendered fat cap spoilt the experience.
46:24I'm sorry to say...
46:30..that's why you're going home.
46:32Luke.
46:35It's alright.
46:43Luke, food is clearly what you're meant to be doing.
46:47So now, you get to go out into the world and chase your dream.
46:50Yeah, it's been a lot of fun to just think of food in a different way and to kind of
46:56make it everything.
46:57Something I've never done before.
46:58Um, yeah, I'm just really grateful for the opportunity and for the way you guys look after us.
47:04And, yeah, it's such an awesome experience.
47:07And I've made some friends for life, which is a real pleasure.
47:10Um, yeah, yeah.
47:13It's actually quite emotional for me, to be honest.
47:16Um, yeah, we've been roommates since the start.
47:21And he's just, yeah, been amazing.
47:24You know, I've never had a brother.
47:26I've been blessed with a sister, but he's honestly been like my younger brother.
47:30Um, and it's been an absolute blast.
47:32I know whatever he decides to do, he's going to kick some serious goals.
47:37You can see clearly how many people love you, Luke.
47:41Because you are unique.
47:43You know, what you've achieved in such a young age.
47:46That shows you're going to be going a very, very long, successful way.
47:53But sadly, for now, it's time to say goodbye.
47:59This competition, in terms of my cooking ability, it's shown me how much I don't know.
48:04But in terms of me, as a person, it's shown me how much I'm capable of.
48:10I came into the competition with not a great plan.
48:15My plan was really just to throw the kitchen sink at every challenge.
48:18And there was a few where it paid off, and there was a few, like today, where it didn't.
48:22Oh, I'm trying to listen to that.
48:25Yeah, I've been in a lot of eliminations, and they finally got the better of me, so fair play to
48:30them.
48:30Give it up for Luke, everybody!
48:38I've enjoyed it so much.
48:39Everyone is just taking me out of their wing, and they love saying it, treating me like their little brother.
48:44I wish it didn't end so soon, but I've got to be pretty grateful, because I didn't think it would
48:49go this long.
48:54Tomorrow night, they have reached this incredible milestone.
49:00Being top five, it really doesn't feel real.
49:02And now...
49:03It's time to keep up...
49:06with me.
49:07Come on, please, come on!
49:09There's a bit going on, hence why we've got to keep up.
49:12There are two hibachis, five odds going.
49:15This is the ultimate test of multi-tasking.
49:17It's one heck of a battle for immunity.
49:22I've got so many balls in the air at the moment, and I'm falling further and further behind.
49:27It's only going to get worse from here.
49:29Petra, your lamb's on fire.
49:30That's not what we want.
49:31Oh, come on, bro.
49:33All right.
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