ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia - a mighty challenge... It's stressful being a captain. ..gave Reynold the chance to showcase his pastry skills to Australia's best. Love it. Everyone is smiling. But the red team never fired... I need some of your cakes, Matt. Yeah, not my favourite. ..and they crashed into elimination. Tonight - they all want a slice of the finals action. It's about proving that you belong in that top 10. But to keep their place... Ughh! Disaster! ..first, they need to cook an old favourite. I absolutely cannot go home on a pie. Then... (SHRIEKING) ..the eliminated contestants are back. Who wants it more, you or them? I want it so badly. And they've got a point to prove... And maybe try and redeem myself. ..they have the dishes to shake up the competition. Absolutely delicious. Wowser. You've still got it. But there's a twist no-one saw coming. Oh, what?! Oh, my God. # Burning up # in my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. # In our souls, # we all know # our dreams make us who we are. # In my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. # Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2016 MATTHEW: There's a lot at stake today. Knowing that you're facing elimination is never easy. I know I've got to be focused today to keep my spot in the competition. I've got to cook well this morning. JESSIE: I think every day or every week that you're in the competition you learn and grow so much. I definitely feel like I've felt myself turn a corner. And the most rewarding thing about this whole experience is feeling yourself grow. I definitely don't want to go home. SARA: No, I don't want to go home today. I want to keep fighting and go in there and give it my all like I do every time. Every time I cook in that kitchen, I act like it's my last day here, so that's what I'll do again. (APPLAUSE) Go, guys. What a bunch of strong cooks. You know, I always look at you lot when you walk through the door on an elimination day and go, "I wonder what they're feeling. "You know, what's the mood like?" But what I'm actually thinking now is, "Gee, it's that point in the competition, isn't it?" At the end of this cook, one of you faces elimination. Matthew, Jessie, Sara, Rose, and, Billie,... ..big decision for you today. The question is will you use your immunity pin and save yourself, or do you fancy your chances against the people that are standing next to you? BILLIE: I'd love to keep the immunity pin now that we're down to the top 10, but I'm starting to feel a little bit scared at what today's challenge might be. You know, I feel like I've improved as a cook. And I feel like I'm in a good space when I have been cooking well, but we're all cooking really well, so if I didn't use it and went home, that would be haunting. So I'm going to use it. MATTHEW: That's probably a great decision. I'd rather be up there on the gantry. I think she's done the right thing. Up to the gantry. But for me, you know, now there's only four of us down here, that's just made it a little bit harder for me today. Today's about one thing - it's about proving that you belong in that top 10. And we thought long and hard about what challenge to set you. In seven years, we can count on one hand the number of great attempts that we've seen in this kitchen of this dish. It's tripped up many, many great contestants. I immediately think risotto. I know that's the MasterChef death dish. Today, to save yourself, you need to best that most innocent of looking foes - the pie. Oh! OK. MATTHEW: I'm kind of nervous and excited. I've made pies before and I think this might be a challenge that kind of plays to my strengths. SARA: The thing that I'm just freaking out right now about is pastry. When you're under pressure and you have to think on your feet and there's so many variables in the environment that you're in, pastry's not the thing you want to be making. When we talk about a pie, we talk about a filling totally enclosed in pastry. Pastry top, pastry bottom, pastry sides. We want a pie that we can cut a slice from. It can be filled with whatever you want. But it must bring us all those things we look for in a truly great pie - perfect pastry, not tough, perfectly cooked, not blonde, filling ` delicious. We want a pie that we want to go home and make ourselves. So, the rules. You have 90 minutes to make us a delicious pie. An open pantry. The top three pies keep their makers safe. It's as simple as that. Are you ready? ALL: Yes. Your time starts now! SARA: We have 90 minutes to cook a pie. And if mine is the worst today, I'm going home. MATTHEW: Can anyone see celery? You think, "Yeah, a pie. It's simple." But until you understand how pastry works and all the things that can go wrong, then you realise 90 minutes to make a pie is a massive ask. CONTESTANTS: Come on, Matt. (APPLAUSE) Go, Jessie. Today, the goal is all about avoiding elimination. You know, there's three other really strong cooks, looking down the bench. Is it going to be a tough day? But I don't want to go home just yet. Today I'm making a beef, red wine and pepperberry pie. I know that the critical thing about the pie is going to be getting the pastry right. And I want to make sure that I focus on that to start with. I'm reasonably confident with cooking pastry. But this is going to be really tight for time today. 90 minutes seems like a long time, but to make a pie, you've got to make that pastry shell, you've got to rest it, you've got to blind-bake it, you've got to bake it with the filling, make the filling. There's a couple of things that I'm sort of trying to aim for here. One is to make sure that the pastry is cooked through and, you know, yeah, just make sure that it's nice and crisp and golden. I need to make sure that I do everything that I can to stay here. My shortcrust pastry's looking good. I need to get it into the fridge to let it rest. ASHLEIGH: Come on, hon. ROSE: Today I'm making a beef and spices lentil pie. I really want to play on my Middle Eastern background a little bit. Lentils are a big part of Lebanese cooking. And the spices, the aromats, the chilli, it's a really beautiful combination. I've made the fillings before, I've just not made them in a pie context before. I really want to stay in this competition. I'm not ready to leave yet. Today I'm going to be making, like, a chicken sweet corn pie. So it's all the flavours that I love about Chinese food but in a pie. I think it's something different. So, today I'm going to do a shortcrust pastry for my pie. AMY: Make sure that pastry is absolutely perfect. Yeah. If it's wrong, it will fall apart - it's either too short or not short enough. It's raw, it's blonde. So many things could go wrong with this pastry. JESSICA: Just go by instinct, babe. You know what it should feel like. Yeah. Today I'm going to cook a beef and prosciutto pie with pea sauce. I have cooked pies, but pastry is definitely a weakness of mine. BILLIE: Is her pastry in the fridge? Has she done pastry yet? AMY: I don't think she's made it, has she? The first thing I'm going to do is to get my filling on, because it needs half an hour in the pressure cooker to cook. And I'm just worried that if I don't do that, then I won't have anything to put in my pie. In my mind, getting the filling on first is the best thing to do, because I think that I can do pastry within an hour. So if I can get my beef on first and just forget about it, then I can concentrate fully on my pastry. One hour to go. ASHLEIGH: Come on, guys. Let's go, Sara. Lots of positive words, guys. Pastry's looking good. Uh, I'm just going to roll it out, let it rest a little bit more. I grab some pie tins, roll out the pastry and put them in the tins. Oh, are you doing two different versions of the same pie? I'm just making two so that I've got one, kind of, test. Are you going to swoop down on this challenge and bring us something delicious? I'm certainly hoping so, Matt. And your pastry's looking good? Yes. You're gonna bring us a pie that's gonna make us go, "Wow"? I certainly hope so. All we want is a premiership pie. (LAUGHS) ROSE: I'm just resting my pastry. Yeah, I rolled it out already. OK. I've got my pastry in the fridge and I really need to get on to my filling now. I'm going to fry off some kaiserfleisch. This is a really beautiful piece of cured pork with some really basic vegetables and a whole bunch of spice and flavour in there. So it's going to be a really punchy dish. Yeah, it's nice and spicy. I'm putting lentils in there, so they need to cook. I really need to get these lentils cooked with a bit of the beef. So much is at stake today. I absolutely cannot go home on a pie. SARA: My pastry's rested for long enough, so now I'm going to roll it out. And immediately I know I'm in trouble. This pastry's a bit crumbly. I'm not actually sure why. I've made this pastry a number of times before and it's never looked like this. I don't know if it's the room temperature or what, so I'm just going to add a little bit of water and try and bind it a bit better. I put my pastry back into the blender and incorporate a tablespoon of water at a time until it comes back together. Once it rests you're sort of taking a step back, aren't you, if you're blitzing it again? You start to overwork it. (SIGHS) If there's no pastry, it's not a pie. So my pastry needs to work. I don't know if it's going to stay together. If I can't pull it off, it's going to be a really dire situation. 9 SARA: I take my pastry out of the fridge after it's rested and it's really crumbly. I've now put water in it, but... I don't know if it's going to stay together. Pastry is, like, 80% of this challenge. If there's no pastry, it's not a pie. It's not perfect, but I think it might just be workable enough. JESSICA: As long as you think it'll hold together. It's nice and malleable now. Alright. The task is simple - bring us a delicious pie. 45 minutes down, 45 minutes to go. Come on. CONTESTANTS: Come on, guys! Come on, Matt. MATTHEW: I grab my pie tins from the fridge. The pastry's been resting in there, but I need to blind-bake them now. That pastry needs to be cooked through before I put the filling in, otherwise it'll be soggy. With 40 minutes to go, and I'm just trying to get everything together. My beef is nearly cooked. My tart shells are blind-baking at the moment. Um, it's going to be... I'm really going to be pushing it for time here. If at first it doesn't go, force it till it breaks. That's the rule. Have you made the pastry already? No. I've just got my butter chilling. I've got my pie filling in the pressure cooker, so I really need to get on with my pastry. I've made pies a lot but not always with my own pastry. So, pastry's a new thing I've learnt, because it's not my forte. Is it just a tablespoon of water? A tablespoon. But you need to blitz your flour and butter first before you add your yolks in. I've put the yolks in first and I'm not meant to do that. I just had a complete brain fade. And I have to start it again. There's no time to waste in this challenge. But I've really got to get my pie right today. If I don't, then I'm at huge risk of going home. I am kicking myself a little bit for not doing my pastry first. I've really messed up my timings and I'm in trouble. I know you might be panicking, but we're salivating, 'cause we're looking forward to a nice slice of pie. 30 minutes to go. Come on. (CHEERING) CONTESTANTS: Come on, guys. Come on. Come on, guys. Good stuff. Let's go, Matt. You can do this. MATTHEW: With 30 minutes, I'm really pushing it for time. And I'm taking those pie shells out of the oven. They've cooked through beautifully and I'm putting the filling in there. REYNOLD: Come on, Matt. I need to give it an egg wash just to make sure that pastry comes up nice and golden and brown. Hey, that looks alright, doesn't it? I'm really pushing it to make sure that that top pastry is cooked all the way through and nice and golden brown - I just hope it's enough. Are you happy with it? Is it delish? I think it's delish. Yeah. I just need to get cracking. (LAUGHS) JESSIE: I've made another batch of shortcrust pastry, so I'm going to roll it out as quick as possible, get it into the pie casings and chuck them in the oven to blind-bake. Let's go, Jessie. The pastry's looking OK. It's going into the pie casings quite easily, so I think the pastry side's OK. I'm just worried about the time side of things. I know I'm really pushing it to get the whole pie baked with the puff pastry lids. I'm rapidly running out of time. Let's go, Sara. I'm making a chicken sweet corn filling. You need your pies filled in the next eight minutes, OK? Yeah. In the oven. I'm really, really worried about the pastry. I take my pies out of the oven... They're so flaky. Even the edges are just breaking off and they're all sitting at the bottom of the oven. I've, like, made shortbread. Ughh! Disaster! This is worse than any pastry I've ever made before. Could I be in more of a worse position? Probably not. Come on, Jess. Come on, Rose. The pies need to go in the oven. Matthew's sweet. They're in. Done. He's just looking at the door. You've got 17 minutes to go. They're not going to be cooked. You need to hurry, hurry. JESSICA: Sara, get 'em in. Sara, you need to...literally, you need to get them in the oven now. Don't faff around with them, 'cause the things that you do right now aren't even going to matter if they're not cooked, yeah? Shut that oven door, crank it and pray to God. Good work. Come on, Rose! Get it in the oven! You've got 17 minutes to go. How long does it take to cook pastry in the oven? Come on. JESSIE: I can't believe how quickly time's gone. I've got to get these pies filled and back in the oven. I'm moving as fast as I possibly can. I'm really worried that I won't have a pie to serve to the judges. This pie is do or die. 15 minutes to go. There's no chance it's going to cook in time. 9 JESSIE: I'm so far behind. Don't overwork that pastry. I really don't want to serve the judges raw pastry. Push them on. Get an egg wash. So I'm just really hoping that I can get enough colour on my pastry so at least it looks like a semi-decent pie. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Get them in the oven and hope for the best. Now I really need to focus on doing something with these peas and making it into a sauce. Guys, five minutes to go. Come on. AMY: Come on. Let's go. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Let's go, Sara. MATTHEW: I'm just working on some more sauce to serve as an accompaniment. I'm just making a little bit of a yoghurt, lemon and parsley, herby...yoghurt sort of sauce to go with it. I'm nervous. It's cranked, so... JESSICA: What temp's your oven on? Like, 200 and million. Yeah. I'm doing a crushed cucumber salad with it. MATT: Who would have thought an innocent little thing like a pie could cause so much heartache? Three minutes to go. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Come on, Jessie. Come on, Matty. Come on, Rose. SARA: I need time to get them out. Oh, my God. One minute to go! Get those pies out and on the plate. GEORGE: Come on, Jessie! MATT: Nice work, Sara. SARA: Demoulding the pies and it's just crumbling in my hand. I imagined a terrible pastry - not like this, though. JESSIE: I'm really nervous about getting this pie out. If I can't get my pie out and it's slop on a plate, no matter how good it tastes, I'll definitely be going home. 10 seconds. ALL: Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Time's up! Oh, my goodness! (APPLAUSE) Well done, Sara. MATTHEW: I'm so excited with what I've done today. The pastry's golden. It looks like it's cooked through. I'm feeling very relieved. SARA: The pastry's just way too short. I am going to be serving the judges a pie that they absolutely will not be able to pick up with their hands. I have a very, very real chance of going home today. I'm not kidding myself. JESSIE: I have a huge feeling that I'll be the one going home. There's no hiding the fact that the pastry's just a bit of a train wreck. The first pie we'd like to taste belongs to Matthew. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Thanks, guys. Oh, yeah. You're going to have to share that, though. Share what?! I'm not sharing anything. That looks... That looks absolutely amazing. Thank you. I am so excited about this pie. Are you? I'm speechless. Yeah, no, it's fantastic. You could put that on a cover of a magazine. Absolutely right. I don't know about putting it on the cover of a magazine. I'd put it in a big brown paper bag... And put it in your mouth. (ALL LAUGH) You could just see Gary sitting at the footy, watching his, uh... Oh, I'd be so happy. ..watching his team lose, obviously, and, um... (CHUCKLES) ..and eating one of them. Smashing. What is it? So, it's beef, red wine and pepperberry with bacon and mushrooms. Nice. It sounds good. ALL: Ooh! No, that's so good. How good's that?! Oh! Brilliant. (CHORTLES) (LAUGHS) Oh, mate! Mmm! That is a mighty fine pie. Yum! I'm going to eat all of this. (MATTHEW LAUGHS) You just...make yourselves comfy. This is absolutely delicious. And quite frankly, we should call you the Pied Piper, because you're the one everyone's got to follow. Often with pies, we love the filling, it's delicious. The great thing about this pie is the filling is delicious and the bacon is wonderful, the meat's beautifully cooked, but the pastry is the thing you really love. And to make a pie where the pastry is the hero, not the filling, that's truly great pie-making. It's the best pie I've ever eaten on this show in seven years. Well done. Thank you. (LAUGHS) Tell me he's not safe. Safe? Of course he's safe. Go upstairs. Go on. Off you go. Go on. Really? Yeah. It's amazing. Brilliant. Don't need lunch now. Next up, Rose. (APPLAUSE) It's a spiced beef and lentil pie with a yoghurt...little sauce to go with it. God, I'm so nervous. Ooh, it looks good. Pretty good. Yeah, it looks good. Look at that. It's delicious. It's tasty. There's lots of flavour and the pastry's soft and crumbly. Great flavour. And I love the fact that there's a bit of heat, so the yoghurt's there just to cool it down a bit. Lentils - they need to be cooked a little bit more. But that's a smart filling. Yeah. Look, I love the warmth of the spices. I think that's really delicious. And you delivered on bringing us a pie that respected your cultural heritage, which we love. Thank you. Well done, Rose. Good job. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Next up, Jessie. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) JESSIE: I feel really worried. If this pastry is raw, I think I'm pretty much guaranteed to be going home. It's a beef, bacon and red wine pie and a parsley and pea sauce. Oh, my God. 9 JESSIE: If this pastry is raw, I think I'm pretty much guaranteed to be going home. That's raw pastry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and so totally undercooked. It's a shame. You know the positives, though? It's saucy, you know, there's lots of sauce, there's lots of flavour. The beef is braised beautifully. So there are positives, Jessie. Thanks, Jessie. (APPLAUSE) I feel like I've just let myself down. Going home would be really disappointing. Chin up. GEORGE: Sara. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) SARA: I'm so nervous. There's so much riding on this pie. And I know my pastry is way too short. So, it's a Chinese chicken and sweet corn pie with smashed cucumber and Szechuan salad. Chilli? Oh, yeah. That's just going to go. Yeah. I mean, look at this. We're being so careful. That... That is so crumbly. I was hoping that that filling was enough to get over the fact that the pastry is really soft. But I can't ignore the fact that you can't hold it. So you're in trouble. And to be honest, that salad - and I know it was a rush - doesn't do anything for the pie. Wow. It is a shame, 'cause I actually like that sort of chicken and sweet corn flavour. But...you know. Yeah. In terms of being a pie we can slice and hold up to show the world... Yep. ..it falls apart slightly. Thanks, guys. Thank you, Sara. (APPLAUSE) Go, Sara. I'm devastated. But my pastry is at least cooked, so that's the one thing I'm holding on to today, that little ray of hope. So, it comes down to the three of you - Rose, Sara and Jessie. I think Sara and I pretty much know that it's going to be one of us. All three of you delivered great pie fillings. Jessie, your pastry was raw. And I'm sorry, that's why your dish is the worst of the day. Don't make me cry. That means, Rose, Sara, you're safe. Join the others. I love you. I love you too. I'm feeling really disappointed with myself. Ideally I would have liked to have walked out on a dish that I'm like, "I did the best I could do and I'm really proud of myself." But all in all, it's...you know, it's not a dish to be proud of. Jessie... ..on any other day, you'd be going home at this stage, saying your goodbyes and leaving the MasterChef kitchen. Oh, no! (LAUGHS) But MasterChef is all about giving people a second chance, a chance to follow their dreams, a chance to... (LAUGHS) Oh, my God! ..succeed where they first failed. So, today, Jessie... ..you're going to get a second chance. (CONTESTANTS WHOOP) Jessie, we're giving you an opportunity to prove to us that you belong in the top 10. But you're not the only one that gets a second chance. (ALL LAUGH) Oh, my goodness! The question is, who wants it more? You or them? (ALL SHRIEK, CHEER) I'm not crying 'cause you're back. Oh, my God. Jessie, step out the front. That's great. Right, you lot. Kristina, what have you been doing since you left the MasterChef kitchen? I'm cooking at the Westend Pumphouse in Hobart. Fantastic. And the chef there has had the pleasure of serving all of you before at Gow Gee's. Yeah, sure. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's great. I love that. That's great. James, how about you? Uh, I... When I got eliminated, I, you know, went back to my professional life, but I've also managed to tee up some experience at Gerard's Bistro with Ben Williamson, so... Brilliant. That's fantastic. Ava, how about you? I've been working with Justin North and Russ Deadman at the Hotel Centennial in Sydney. It's awesome. That's fantastic. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. Love it. So, this is crunch time and top 10. Nine contestants are guaranteed a place. That leaves one place for one of you. Right, you lot, up in the gantry, yeah? Good luck, everyone. We are only looking for one dish, the very best dish. Whoever cooks that dish gets a chance to cook head-to-head with Jessie over there. Oh, what?! (ALL EXCLAIM) STEPHEN: That's a really daunting task. I know how well she's cooking. I've seen how far she's come on in this competition. And she's a formidable opponent for anyone. Right, some rules for you. You're going to have 60 minutes. Open pantry. It's simple - the most delicious dish will get that chance to compete against Jessie for obviously one thing and one thing only - that top 10 spot. Are you ready? ALL: Yes. Ready to cook? ALL: Yes, George. Your time starts now! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) STEPHEN: Come on, there's room for everyone. We have 60 minutes to cook the best dish that we possibly can. Leeks, leeks, leeks, leeks. There's no cuisine. There's no tricks. We can cook anything we want. Where's the gelatine? To get through, it has to be the best out of all the 14. So it's no easy task today. CONTESTANTS: Go, Kristina. Come on, Kristina. Come on, Fiona. Come on, Jacqui. Oh, this looks promising, doesn't it, Kristina, eh? Doesn't it ever! It does. So what are you making? Pasta and...? Um, today, I'm going to do a poached snapper fillet with some butter-braised leeks and a prawn mousse ravioli with a prawn head sauce. Have you picked up any tips, you know, working? Oh, yeah, absolutely. For example? The thing that you were trying to drum into me the whole time I was here finally sank in when I left. Which was? Which was keep it simple. Think about the flavours, think about the provenance of the food and what goes. What are you doing right now? I'm doing the pasta for the raviolo. So it's one raviolo? Well, yeah. A beautiful mousse inside it? One, yeah, with a prawn mousse. Lovely. I like the sound of the dish. Go for it. I love it. I've got my dough resting and it's time to make my prawn head bisque. So I get some prawns and put them in a pot to start caramelising and roasting. I chose this dish because it's a really classic dish and it has so much technique. I'm absolutely desperate to get back in the competition. So, Kha, what are you making? I'm revisiting the two dishes that knocked me out. I love that. Excellent. That quail and that salad. In my elimination the first dish I made was a Vietnamese salad, which I screwed up completely. It's clumsy in terms of the cutting. And the second part was a quail. It's a little too cooked down one end and, you know, a little bit raw on the other. So today, I'm going to join them two together and make it the ultimate dish. How important is it for you just to banish that demon and...and deliver us a dish that we would have been proud of back then? Oh, so important. Like, I just want... Even if I don't get in, at least something I'm happy with. Good luck. Cool. Thanks, Matt. 15 minutes down. 45 minutes to go. Come on. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Come on, Fi! MATTHEW: Come on, Stephen! Stephen. Hello. Tell me, Stephen, what's it going to end up being? I'm just going to confit a fillet of salmon. I'm going to do that with fennel, roast fennel and confit fennel. Where's the wow? You know, look around you. Look at the quality of these other cooks. Yep. It really needs to be pretty special. And I'm not sure that this confit salmon and fennel and some lovely vegetables - delicious though it is - is going to be enough. OK. Thank you, Matt. Cheers. I'm really nervous after Matt's comments. This is my last shot to get back into this competition. If I don't cook well today, then I can kiss my chances goodbye. Time to rethink. Sorry, fish. 9 I'm not sure that this confit salmon and fennel and some lovely vegetables - delicious though it is - is going to be enough. OK. Thank you, Matt. Cheers. I've got to change my dish. The salmon's not impressive enough. I've got to prove to the judges that I deserve to be into the top 10. Time for a rethink. Sorry, fish. So I run to the pantry and I'm thinking Guillaume Brahimi, the dish that I went out on. There's no sauce in it. That's the problem. Let's show these boys that I can do this properly. CONTESTANTS: Come on, Stephen! I've got ingredients similar to the sea urchin pressure test that put me out. So, you know, this is a real risk. If I mess this up again, then there's no way I'm getting back in. But if I nail it, surely that's going to show them that I've learned and that might get me back in the competition. So, I'm going to do confit lobster with the fennel, some mussels and maybe try and redeem myself from the sea urchin dish. 'Cause it's kind of similar ingredients and I'd like to be able to show them that I can do it. So, as I'm chopping the lobster shell for my sauce, I'm just thinking, "Right, I've got to nail this sauce." My sauce is what put me out of this competition and I'm hoping it's going to get me back into it. WOMAN: Let's go, Stephen! Half an hour to go! (CONTESTANTS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) Come on, Jamie! Come on, Ava! Let's go, Stephen! Come on, Ava! Revisiting is very much the story. What I love is so many of these returning contestants are going back to dishes that maybe sent them home. Kha with his quail dish, you know. They want to prove to us and to themselves that that dish could be great. So that's exciting to see. Look, what I do like, though, is I like the fact that those that have been out there getting experience - like, for example, Marcus at the back - Marcus is bringing an eggplant puree that he learnt when he was doing work experience at Cutler & Co. And Ava. She's been working with Justin North at the Centennial. And she's doing a dish that obviously reflects her time working there - polenta, beef, a little salsa verde. And it sounds delicious. Yeah. And also Kristina. She's been doing work in Hobart. She's doing a snapper raviolo. And, you know, she's making a nice pasta, a nice mousse. And so, high hopes. I'm really determined to get through today. I know the chances aren't great, but I'm going to give myself the best chance. My pasta's looking good. My bisque is looking great. It smells really good. Got to get on to making my raviolo. Everything on my dish has to be perfect today. At stake is the chance to get a place back in the competition. And I'm really nervous about it. I want it so badly. If you want a chance to take Jessie on, you have 15 minutes to nail this dish. Come on! (CONTESTANTS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) Yum! STEPHEN: So, my sauce is ticking away and I need to get on to this lobster tail. I've not got long to go and I'm worried that I'm not going to get it cooked in time. I need to check on my mussels. I take the lid off and the whole thing's on fire. I haven't burned the pernod off. MATTHEW: Go, Steve! REYNOLD: Go, Stephen! I'm blowing, trying to get this flame out quickly, otherwise the mussels are going to burn. Pull out a mussel, they've only just started to open. I taste one, it tastes fine. I've got away with it, thank God. KRISTINA: I've still got absolutely stacks to do. I haven't even filleted my fish, so I do that really quickly and get a lovely clean fillet and get it on to poach. I also have to put the raviolo in the pot, and I don't have any water boiling. I've left the boiling water right till the end and now I have to boil it from cold. Go, Krissy. SARA: Can you halve your water so it boils quicker? If the water doesn't boil, I can't cook the raviolo and I'm done for. Five minutes to go. You remember that? Five minutes! KRISTINA: They say a watched pot never boils, and I'm unhappy to report that that seems to be true. It's taking forever for that water to come up to temperature. Finally it's boiling. I'm over the moon. I know that it's not going to take too long for that raviolo to cook, but I'm feeling really, really nervous. If there's no raviolo, that's an element missing. And it really needs that to take it a notch up. GARY: Now you remember what that pressure feels like back in the MasterChef kitchen. Three minutes to go. STEPHEN: Despite my disastrous start, I'm actually in quite a good place. Keep pushing, Stephen. You're almost there. Fennel looks delicious. I put the lobster tail on. I'm worried that this might be a little bit under. This is the key element of the dish and if the lobster tail's not right, it's just not going to be the dish that I want it to be. It looks amazing, Jacqui. GEORGE: 30 seconds! 30 seconds! If it's not on the plate, we don't taste it! MATT: Come on, Kha! Come on, Stephen! Come on, Ava! GARY: 10 seconds! Nine! ALL: Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Tools down. Well done. Welcome back. Welcome back. Yeah, welcome back. KRISTINA: I'm really happy with the dish. I think that the fish is well poached. I think that that raviolo is going to be delicious with that prawn mousse inside. I've got to believe that I'm a chance today. I came here to get back in the competition, so I don't want to sell myself short. STEPHEN: I'm really, really happy with it. I think it looks elegant, it tastes good. But I'm still worried that this lobster tail might be a little bit under. I really want to be in the top 10. I want to experience what all the guys up in the gantry are going to experience over the next few weeks and...you know, and be part of that finals week. So, getting knocked out has made me want this even more. Hopefully, that's enough to earn me a chance to fight against Jessie for a place in the competition. 9 First dish we'd like to taste... ..Melita. (APPLAUSE) Ooh, that looks pretty, doesn't it? We love the fact that you've still got it and it's burning brighter. Thank you. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Fiona. What have you cooked? I've cooked cranachan. Huh? Cranachan! (LAUGHTER) Cranachan, wee laddie! Cranachan! I really like it. Thank you for introducing me to something I've never eaten before. Thank you. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) John. Pork kilawin with seared scallop and a pomegranate jus. I like the flavour in that. It's salty, it's sweet. The scallop's cooked well. Next up, Jacqui. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Ooh. Look at that. Hello! Hello. My name's Gary. What's yours? (LAUGHTER) Not you. The chocolate pudding. (LAUGHTER) Wow. Yeah. Two things I really missed - your gigantically broad smile, and your ability to bring us things that are so amped up and so out of control that they have a kind of madness about them. And this is one of those things. Ava, your turn. Hello, gentlemen. It's eye fillet with salsa verde. You have got some fantastic teachers where you are. Yeah. And that salsa verde shows that you're learning already from some of the best. Yeah. Keep learning. Keep going. And, please, when you open your new place in four years' time, Hello. My name's Gary. What's yours? (LAUGHTER) Not you. The chocolate pudding. (LAUGHTER) Wow. Yeah. Two things I really missed - your gigantically broad smile, and your ability to bring us things that are so amped up and so out of control that they have a kind of madness about them. And this is one of those things. Ava, your turn. Hello, gentlemen. It's eye fillet with salsa verde. You have got some fantastic teachers where you are. Yeah. And that salsa verde shows that you're learning already from some of the best. Yeah. Keep learning. Keep going. And, please, when you open your new place in four years' time, please let us know, 'cause we'd love to come. Yes! Next up, Anna. (APPLAUSE) I cooked a bouillabaisse with boiled new potatoes and a rouille. I'm sorry. That might be a little bit under. It's delicious. I just wish you hadn't brought the potatoes up. Sorry. How about this? Ah, we've seen them. (LAUGHTER) And I know they're there. "Too late," he cried. Tried to hide the potatoes. Didn't work. (CHUCKLES) He was on to me. Mwah. I love you. I love you. Kha. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Quail with Vietnamese salad. Well done. Thank you. Well done. Well done for putting up a dish that is really tasty and delicious. Perfectly cooked quail. Love the texture of the vegetables. What you've done is you've brought us a dish that shows us how delicious Vietnamese food can be and how elegant it can be. And that's a really, really hard thing to do and I love it. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) KHA: I think I have redeemed myself and I'm really proud of myself that I cooked up a great dish. Next dish, Kristina's. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) KRISTINA: I'm really nervous because I want them to love my dish. I want to have kicked it out of the park. Kristina, tell us what the dish is. Today I've made a poached snapper fillet, butter-braised leeks, a prawn mousse raviolo and a prawn bisque. (MATT CHUCKLES) Kristina, you've been out working in a professional kitchen. I have. Has that paid off with this dish? I hope so. That's definitely a better dish than I was putting up before I left. Hmm. I've got to be confident. I've got to back myself, because I really want to get back in. Great. I love it. That is... ..absolutely delicious. That bisque has so much flavour. And balanced against that beautifully poached bit of snapper, the sweetness of those leeks and that raviolo on top, bang, that is an absolutely delicious dish of food and something that I'd be happy to sit down at a great restaurant. It's the sort of dish that could get you back into the competition. I love it. Yeah. I have to agree with Matt. Really yummy. It's made with care and skill and, delivered, you know, with confidence. You are in the mix. Oh, my God. I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Thank you so much. Next up, Stephen. STEPHEN: I'm probably the most nervous I've been since being in the competition. I want to prove to the judges that I'm the one that deserves this chance again. And I'm just hoping that, you know, this isn't the last time I get to do this. This lobster tail needs to be perfect. My gut's telling me that it's not right. There's nothing worse than undercooked fish. 9 STEPHEN: Whoever cooks the very top dish today will go through to the next round and cook off against Jessie. And they'll fight it off for their place back in the competition. Having left the kitchen, and not that long ago, do you really want to come back? 100%. If I got the second chance, I'd take more risks. I'd try more new things while I was in here and really push the envelope. What have you cooked? So, today, I've cooked a lobster tail with mussels, roast fennel, confit fennel and a lobster sauce. So, looking down at the plate, the panic starts to set in and I freeze, really. This lobster tail needs to be perfect. There's nothing worse than undercooked fish. My gut's telling me that it's not right and I can kiss my chances goodbye. I don't want to mush it up. I don't want to mush it up. And I've got my fingers crossed for you, mate. Thank you. Oh, Stephen. (CLEARS THROAT) There's a very real possibility... ..that you may indeed get back in the competition. (ONLOOKERS EXCLAIM) Because I'll tell you what - that is REALLY delicious. You've just extracted, you know, maximum flavour and smashed it into that sauce, and it looks beautiful. Thank you. Anyone would have thought you'd been out of the competition for a while and just been learning from a great chef in a great kitchen, 'cause that is really good cooking. I love the balance and the really...funkiness of that bisque. That, combined with those fennel that are so sweet from the roasting process, and then the...kind of, the cleanness of that lobster. It's a really elegant, sophisticated dish. Thank you, boys. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Some of you today brought the best cooking we'd seen from you in the whole competition. Three of you, however, stood out. Stephen. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Yay, Stephen! Kha. Kristina. Well done. Stephen, that was the prettiest dish you put up. It was so sophisticated. We loved that burnished fennel. And you smashed MAXIMUM flavour with that bisque. You showed us why you've got so far in this competition. Well done. Thanks. Kha, you brought us beautiful Vietnamese street flavours, but elevated to restaurant level. You showed us how beautiful and how elegant Vietnamese food can be. Oh, Kristina, that fish - so white, beautifully cooked. The bisque - so complex. And those leeks - sweet and buttery. You really demonstrated you have been hard at work since you left this kitchen. Thank you. The dish that has earned its maker the right to cook against Jessie for that last place in the top 10... ..is... ..Stephen's. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Sorry. Yes, Stephen! I'm delighted. I can't believe it. Uh, to get over that line is a massive relief. Well done, Stephen. You're one step away from rejoining the competition. Kristina, that was a narrow miss. I know you're a little emotional, but you know what? You're on the right path. So, we were absolutely impressed. Blown away, in fact. Thank you. Thanks very much. Fantastic food. STEPHEN: Now I've got to get my head back into the game because I'm cooking against Jessie and it's about to get very, very real. JESSIE: I think it's actually going to be really, really tough. Right. OK, the rules. You can cook anything you want, a delicious dish that shows us and the rest of the contestants why you belong in the top 10. You have 60 minutes to cook us that one delicious dish. Are you ready? BOTH: Yeah. Your time starts now! My heart is racing. I'm feeling the pressure of the enormity of this cook. I definitely want to put up a dish that proves to the judges why I should be into the top 10 and not leave today. Yes, Jessie. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) STEPHEN: This cook is all about pushing the envelope and taking risks. I decide to go with a dessert. I'm not great at desserts, never really done them that much outside of this competition, but I need to take a risk here. I need to push the envelope and I need to show them that I'm developing as a cook. So, today I'm going to cook a lemon verbena parfait with rhubarb carpaccio, rhubarb gel and rhubarb puree with a nut crumb and honey. Oh, he's making a dessert. Yeah, he never does desserts. It's going to be a long, hard struggle, but I've got to beat Jessie in order to get myself back into that top 10. I'm going to fight to the bitter end. 9 STEPHEN: This cook is all about pushing the envelope and taking risks. I decide to go with a dessert. I'm not great at desserts. I've never really done them that much outside of this competition. But I need to take a risk here. I need to push the envelope and I need to show them that I'm developing as a cook. Come on, Stevie. And I'm so close to getting in there I can taste it. I'm really happy with the parfait. It looks delicious. I've tasted it - it tastes delicious. So if this sets, then I'm happy. If it doesn't set, then I'm in big trouble. MATTHEW: Come on, Jessie. SARA: Let's go, Jess. I want to do a butter-poached lobster with a little bit of orange in there, cook the carrots down in the carrot juice and make a bit of a lobster sauce out of the carrot juice that's left over, sort of like a bit of a bisquey-flavoured...saucy thing. And then I'm going to do a dill mayo and pickled fennel. So it's going to be quite a light, sort of fresh seafood dish. I really want to show the judges why I deserve to be here. Hopefully I get it right. Stephen, you look more focused than I've seen you in this whole competition. How crucial is it to get back in? Yeah, it's very crucial, Matt. I mean, I've had a little bit of a taste of the outside world, and to be honest with you, I don't like it too much. (LAUGHS) I think it's just made me realise that, you know, going home and, you know, having to face not being in the competition, it's really hard to take. Sure. Sure. So now I'm back and I need to make the most of this opportunity. Um, love the idea you're taking the risk of making a dessert. In terms of plating, I mean, plating is such an issue. Have you got a clear vision of how this is going to plate? Yeah. I kind of want to...almost to look a bit like a foresty sort of floor 'cause I've got the verbena here. Yeah. I've got a little bit of fennel fronds for the anise that's coming through in the star-anise. There's` Poaching the rhubarb. Nice. I've got the little parfaits and then I've got a little bit of honeycomb just to sit on top of the parfaits. It sounds like this is a dish that's stepped up a level, like the dish you did earlier on today. MATTHEW: Good work, Stephen. Keep pushing it, mate. We want to see clever, creative, but most of all, delicious food. 30 minutes down, 30 to go. Hello, Matt. You're looking very calm and you're moving in a controlled manner. Is there enough energy? I think I'm internalising all my stress 'cause I feel like I'm going to explode. Right. Right. Yeah, I actually feel really, really nervous. Sure, sure, sure. I'm really aware of how much Stephen wants to be here. And I want to be here too, so, um, I'm not ready to go home. And when I got almost eliminated, it just kind of hit home a little bit how much I really want to stay. We know that you're both good cooks. The only issue really now is how you both deal with the pressure. Yeah, I know. Thanks, Matt. CONTESTANT: Come on, Jessie. I am definitely feeling the pressure. Looking over and seeing Stephen so focused is making me feel even more stressed, and I just... I just really don't want to blow it. I've just got to keep moving quick and then I should be able to get everything done. Guys, 20 minutes to go. Keep pushing. You can do it. Let's go. Go, Jessie. STEPHEN: So, there's only 20 minutes to go and I'm only just working on the jelly. I'm worrying that time's ticking down. I've still got a lot to do. I've got to get my rhubarb jelly in; I've got to get the rhubarb puree done. And I might not get these things on the plate if I don't hurry up. Go, Stephen. I'm pouring my jelly into moulds and I'm just thinking that it's not going to have enough time to set. I thought I'd be able to do this in the 60 minutes, but clearly I'm running out of time. I'm going to have to try and cheat the process by putting it in the blast freezer. You shouldn't really set them in the freezer, should you? That's always a risk, because the jellies can then freeze and not set properly. If it doesn't work, I don't have a backup for the gel. I need to get this right. If I don't get this right, then Jessie's through and I'm going home. And I don't want to go home today. I'm just weighing out the butter, getting ready to make my, like, butter emulsion to poach my lobster in. I really have to get on to the lobster. I've got to set up my butter emulsion and then just gently poach the tail. Good work, Jessie. I'm definitely feeling the pressure. And I'm getting nervous. I'm putting my lobster into the butter emulsion... JESSICA: Beautiful, Jessie. ..and I just want to keep an eye on the temperature to make sure that it's not too hot because I just want to gently poach it through. And I definitely don't want it to go too tough. I'm just keeping an eye on it and just making sure the temperature's not too hot on the lobster, 'cause that will be the worst thing that could happen to it. My whole future is hanging off this lobster tail. If I don't get this right, then I definitely won't be back in the competition, so I've got to make sure that it's absolutely perfect. I've just turned off the heat to make sure it doesn't get too hot. And I'll check it shortly. STEPHEN: So, the majority of my elements for this dessert are now in the freezers or the blast chillers to set. I take my nuts out of the oven. I'm happy with them. So now I need to move on to my rhubarb puree. Come on, Stephen. I'm blending the rhubarb and it's...it's not working. It's lumpy and grainy. I don't know if it's been poached enough. I don't know if I've cooked it for long enough, if I've cooked it for too long, if there's enough liquid in there for it to puree. I've never done a rhubarb puree before. The only thing I can think of is to try and pass it through a sieve. As I'm pushing it through the sieve, this isn't working either. Just releasing the juice, I'm basically just juicing a rhubarb. I need to go and check these jellies. They're not setting, they're freezing. So my puree's not working, my jellies aren't setting. I've taken a big risk doing a dessert and I'm thinking now maybe this was too much of a risk. And if this doesn't go on the plate and the jelly doesn't go on the plate, then I'm probably going to go home. 9 Crux time! Five minutes to go. Decide what you're gonna plate up and how you're gonna do it. Let's move it. (OTHER CONTESTANTS CHEER) WOMAN: Come on, guys! SARA: Jessie, get your main elements on the plate. JESSIE: There's five minutes to go. My lobster is still a little bit under. Just nervous about undercooking it, so... Put it back on heat. Come on. Five minutes, babe. I think it's just taking a little bit longer than normal. I'm definitely feeling the pressure. It's the hero of the dish. If it's not right, it'll be really obvious. Go, Stephen! Alright, Stephen! It's time to start plating this dessert up. The gels haven't set. They've frozen. They're not gonna go on the dish. I'm not happy with the puree. Now I'm gonna be without two elements on the plate that were really key elements. But I've got to get these other elements on to the dish. My parfaits are out the freezer and I'm absolutely delighted with them. Stephen, it looks amazing. Keep going. I get them out the mould and they look the part. I know they're gonna taste great and, yeah, couldn't be happier with them. You've got this, Stephen! You can do it! I start putting the crumb on the plate. Stephen, don't forget your ribbons of rhubarb. Forgot my rhubarb carpaccios. Forgot all about them. Sorry. So I need to start replating again, and I'm really running out of time. These final touches could be the difference between top 10 and going home! Two minutes to go! JESSIE: I've got my lobster out of the butter emulsion and I've got no time to really cook it again, so I'm just hoping that it's cooked through. There's so much riding on this lobster. Gonna slice it. I slice it and I'm so relieved. It's perfectly opaque and I think it's really well cooked, so it's a huge sigh of relief. AMY: Let's go, Stephen! JACQUI: Keep going, Stephen! 30 seconds! 10 seconds! ALL: Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Jessie, Stephen, time's up! Far out. I'm really happy with the dessert. I mean, it's obviously missing a couple of elements, but, you know, I can definitely say it's the best dessert that I've done in the MasterChef kitchen. It's probably the best dessert I've ever done in my life. I feel really mixed emotions. I'm feeling really happy with my dish, but I'm also feeling the pressure of what this dish means. I'm...I'm just worried that it's not enough and I just don't want to go home. I need a Stephen hug. So, it's a lemon verbena parfait with rhubarb carpaccio and honeycomb and fennel fronds with a nut crumb. Have you done it? Have you done enough? I really hope so. Um, but there's a couple of elements that I missed. I'm kicking myself a little bit for that. Win or lose today, you've put up two beautiful-looking dishes... GARY: Yeah. ..that we love to see. You're continuing to develop. So, thank you, Stephen. Thank you. Good luck and we'll taste now. Thanks, boys. Enjoy. Good job. (EXHALES) What do you think, boys? I just look at it and just go, "Gee, he's come a long way, this guy, hasn't he?" He has. Right. Let's taste. I love that combination of lemon verbena, which is so... ..almost floral in the parfait. The little hints of lemon go so well with the fennel and so well with that honey. And also, the toastiness of the crumb works really well with all those elements. And the problem is that the rhubarb hasn't got any acidity. So we've got lots of creamy, we've got lots of sweet, we've got lots of fragrant, but there's nothing tart there. There's nothing acidic and there's nothing to refresh the palate. You need something to give you an acidic counterpoint to... ..when you come back to the creamy and the sweet, it brings the dish alive. So, what's there is really, really good. What isn't there is what's really, really necessary. Yep. Well done on the parfait, but. Perfect amount of lemon verbena. I loved the addition of honey. Yeah. It's missing fruit, for me. That's what I need. I mean, I can see rhubarb - I want to taste rhubarb. JESSIE: I'm feeling really nervous walking up to the judges with my plate. It all comes down to which dish they want to go back and eat again and again, and if they prefer Stephen's over mine, then I am going home. 9 JESSIE: I'm feeling really nervous walking up to the judges with my plate. It all comes down to which dish they want to go back and eat again and again, and if they prefer Stephen's over mine, then I am going home, and that's a really scary idea. What is the dish? It's butter poached lobster with carrots in their own juices, pickled and fresh fennel and a dill mayo. You've worked hard today, haven't you? Yeah. That was probably the most pressure I've felt in this kitchen ever. Right at the end of the cooking, you just got all upset. Why was that? I think when I came into this competition, I knew I always wanted to work in food, but I think while being here and just being immersed in it, I've just realised how much... ..the other option isn't an option any more. I really enjoy every part - the hard parts and the good parts - of cooking and growing and learning, and, yeah, I just... ..I'm not entirely sure where I want to take it from here but I just know that that's the direction. You know what popped into my mind as I'm looking at this is, when you started and where you are now. Yeah. It's how much you've grown. I definitely felt myself change and grow but just feel more certain of who I am and just more sure of myself. Because I definitely was shaky at the start, because I was so nervous. I was just worried that I was the worst all the time, whereas now I'm kind of having more fun. When you click and you take another step forward or feel yourself change a little bit and how that feels, to feel like you've grown a little bit as well, it's just all been really positive. Time for us to taste. Alright. Thanks, Jessie. Thank you. Whatever happens, thank you for everything. Can't wait to taste, really. Yeah. Let's go. Delicious. Mmm. It's really beautiful. I mean, I really love how she's cooked the lobster. It's perfectly cooked. And I think that pickled fennel and the lobster go beautifully together. Yeah. There's... You know what it is? It's that intensity of flavour but without taking away from the essence of the lobster. Yeah, yeah. And there's these beautiful little flavours of dill, creaminess of dill mayonnaise, and then that treacle-like carrot reduction, which for me is so creative and yum. And just...the simple ideas of lobster, dill, lobster, fennel, lobster, carrot - brilliant. And all those elements - the carrots - couldn't be better cooked. I think that's an absolutely beautiful way of serving lobster. You two look very nervous, and understandably so - there's a lot at stake. But it's been a monumental day, an epic day, where 14 contestants have been vying for the opportunity to fight against Jessie for their place in the competition. Stephen, you beat all of them. You earned the right to go head-to-head against Jessie. And you know what? It was great to see you both go for it. We understand how important it is to you. Both of you came up with absolutely beautiful ideas. But only one of you executed your dish with a total absence of negatives. That person and the person joining the top 10... ..is... ..Jessie. I felt like I was gonna fall over. Oh, my God. I'm so relieved. I feel like I've been given a lifeline. Oh, man! Jessie, that was a beautifully composed dish, and every single element had a role and filled the whole picture. Thank you. Stephen, we just needed some acidity... ..that jelly would have brought to the dish. Jessie, relieved? I am. I honestly am shaking so much. (LAUGHS) I'm happy. How much do you want to get that black apron off? I would love to get the black apron off and... It's really dirty. Take it off now, then. Let's go. I can? Yeah, absolutely. Yay! Thank you so much. STEPHEN: I'm gutted that I'm going home, especially because when you're in the top 10, this is where it really cranks up a notch. But at the end of the day, I've cooked two of the best dishes that I possibly could today. We're really proud of you, Stephen. We think you're a great cook. We're proud of the lot of you. We're proud that you came back in here with open arms, open minds and go for it, because that's what cooking is all about, and you guys have done that. But now it's time to say goodbye to the MasterChef kitchen. Thanks, guys. See ya, lads. No regrets. I've had a great time. I've cooked some good food and met some great friends, so today has definitely been a highlight. The food dream is still alive and burning brightly and I've got the opportunity to grab it now. Enjoy! (CHEERING) Right, that's it, guys! Congratulations, because you are our MasterChef top 10 for 2015. JESSIE: I feel a little bit lost for words. I feel a thousand things at once, actually. I really wanted to make top 10 and that was one of my big goals and I feel really proud of myself that I have made it that far, so I really want to stay and see how far I can go. ANNOUNCER: Next time, it's a mystery box... Lift your lids now. ..that will stay a mystery... Oh. ..even when the lid comes off. (CLEARS THROAT) Our mystery mystery box. Our contestants will work with ingredients... Why did it do that? I don't know! ..they've never even seen before. Oh, wow. I'm not out of my comfort zone. I'm out of my comfort universe. Ha-cha-cha! This challenge will inspire... You're on to something. Genius. ..some of the most creative cooking of the season. Gorgeously good. If you're not top three, I will eat George's hat. Just don't try putting a name to it. I have no idea what I just cooked! redbeemedia.com.au