It's the MasterChef quarterfinal
and this week's four best cooks are back.
Now that I'm quarter finalist, me, Tigi, the home cook
that sits in his kitchen, dancing around with his kids,
it's like... Literally, it's pretty stunning.
It really is like no other experience I've ever had,
and it's terrifying and it's pushing me, so I just want to carry on
and see how far I can go.
The pressure is so intense, but that's part of the fun,
so it keeps you on your toes.
Initially, I thought, "Well, if I get an apron, I'll be thrilled.
"If I get the quarterfinals, OK, I'll be really pleased."
And now I'm here, I really want to get to the next stage now.
Tonight, their toughest challenge so far stands between them
and a place in the semifinals.
I'm loving this. I think it's a lot of fun.
I would just eat a whole tub of that, no problem.
What we want is food that makes you and I sit up and say,
"Yes, they're a contender for the Championship."
We are throwing them in the deep end and they either sink or swim.
Welcome to a MasterChef quarterfinal.
This is a big day, this is a big challenge.
In the dining room, we have three very special guests.
The finalists from last year,
Alex in a and Mike
and our champion, Tom.
You've got to do two courses in one hour and 15 minutes,
so this is a big challenge, logistically.
I have to tell you there are only two semifinal places,
which, of course, does mean we're going to be losing two of you.
One hour, 15 minutes to do what you do brilliantly well. Let's cook.
Ally loves the classics. He wants to do fine dining.
He knows what he's doing. Fault-free, please, Ally.
If it had been placed before me in a restaurant,
I wouldn't think that there was an amateur in the kitchen.
Grace's comments in the last round were...were amazing.
I was actually speechless, to be quite honest.
If I'm getting the word "restaurant standard"
thrown in amongst my plates of food,
then, you know, I'm obviously doing something right.
GREGG: What do you make of for us, Ally?
I'm doing pan—fried chicken breast with sweetcorn puree.
I'm making a crumb out of popcorn and chicken skin, some charred corn.
So all the flavours of chicken and sweetcorn soup but elevated
to my sort of classic style.
In the dining room today, you have our past champion — Tom.
One of his star dishes was... Chicken and sweetcorn.
How do you think he's going to take it?
Well, I think the inspiration has actually probably started with Tom.
I've done it in a slightly different way.
I'd love him to love it and hopefully he will.
And your second course, Ally? Pina Colada tarte tatin,
so pineapple tarte tatins with a coconut sorbet.
And then rum, where's the rum going?
That's going into the caramel.
I'm hoping that these plates show my classical style,
but a bit of playfulness and fun in there as well.
So, you know, we're here to have fun, ultimately,
so why not do it on the plate?
A bit of fun coming into Ally's food — that I did not expect.
Using popcorn to make a coating for the chicken breast,
that's delightful. I love the idea of that.
Dessert. I love a pina colada.
Put that with some pastry, rum inside that caramel —
oh, yes, please.
I want them to enjoy themselves when they try it.
I really want them to really see what I see in these dishes.
But, equally, I want them to say, "Wow, that tastes amazing."
GREGG: I love Holly's creativity, her inventiveness.
In a potato round, she gave us a dessert.
She gave us sweet potato profiteroles.
SHE GRUNTS
just like an absolute woman on a mission.
How big a challenge is a quarterfinal, Holly?
This is a massive challenge, isn't it?
I'm excited to show you a bit more of like my classical cooking side,
so there's not as much sort of theatricality in today.
So I'm making Tex—Mex oysters.
I spent quite a lot of time in Texas —
they love their oysters there.
So we're going to have chillies, jalapenos, with a little bit
of Parmesan cheese, I'm going to grill them.
Parmesan and chilli and oyster?
There's only a tiny bit of Parmesan — it's more of a seasoning.
And they're going to be served
with a frozen margarita, of course.
And then, for my main, I'm going to be doing fillet steak
with truffle pomme puree, heritage, carrots, ox cheek bonbon
and an 0x cheek and red wine sauce.
Whoa, hang on a minute. Have you timed this at home?
I have. I just about got it done in time.
You've got to push yourself at this point. No?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. One more.
Holly says that she's going to be less theatrical
with her production in this round. Really?
Because I think this is really going for it.
Ox cheek bonbon in an hour and 15 minutes?
There's nowhere to hide in this dish.
So, you know, as much as I can add all the theatricality in the world
and my creativity will get me through,
this dish is me going, "Yeah, that's great.
"But, actually, watch me cook because I'm good."
Sarah has had a great competition so far.
She loves to champion Scottish produce.
She also loves technique.
Throughout this competition,
I have tried to remain kind of true to myself.
I make things that I like to eat myself.
First course — beetroot served with elderflower syrup
and whipped goat's cheese.
Sounds like a salad, but actually there's quite a lot going on.
She's actually preparing the beetroot three ways.
One pickling, one roasting and one in a pot.
It is a lot to do, but I'm getting there, I think.
I'm getting there.
Main course?
The main course is chorizo cooked down in a nice ragu,
and then I'm doing pan—fried cod
and a tempura cod cheek and a tarragon sauce.
We know this competition means a lot to you because your children
are up in Scotland. They are. Right?
And they don't actually even know you're here.
How are you feeling about being detached from your family?
In the parenting stakes, not great, but I'm hoping that there'll be
something to tell them at the end of it.
Sarah is attempting a lot of work,
but can she match the flavour of a cream, white wine, tarragon sauce
with a smoky ragu underneath?
The cod can take it, but it's a careful balancing act.
Insurance broker and on-call firefighter Tigi made it this far
with bold flavours that highlight his West African roots.
Could be worse, I could be in an office right now,
shouting at someone about insurance, but instead I'm cooking
in the quarterfinals of MasterChef.
Tigi decided to veer away from West Africa today
and he's going to the West Indies.
We have got jerked spiced sea bass.
He's serving with a sweet potato and parsnip stack.
Sweet potatoes and parsnips cook at very different times.
I don't know. Maybe it'll work.
Maybe there's enough moisture in that sweet potato to allow
that parsnip to steam and cook all the way through.
And then your next course?
Will be a key lime pie with a coconut cream.
I'm keeping it relatively simple,
but things that I'm very good at, I think.
I'm already selling "I heart Tigi" badges.
It's a good thing to sell, you know? But Tigi...
Tigi is a copyrighted name that only I can use,
just thought I'd let you know that one.
Hopefully it sets and I can get on with all the other bits
and pieces I've got to do.
Just stay focused on your processes and it'll be fine.
My life kind of changed overnight since winning MasterChef.
I'm now doing everything that I kind of ever wanted to do.
I'm writing recipes, I'm going to food festivals,
I'm working on a cookbook,
so kind of all my dreams kind of seemed to come true overnight.
Even on the way here I was feeling a bit nervous.
And actually, you know, I don't have to...
I can just relax and eat some good food.
I know exactly how the contestants are going to be feeling, obviously.
Ahead of this, I'm sure there's a lot of nerves,
but I'm really excited to see what they have to offer.
This is one of my favourite challenges that we've had,
but, knowing what you've got to do
and how you've got to execute it with the time,
yeah, it was a real big challenge.
Your tummy's doing somersaults, so I hope they're all right.
Much better to be on this side of the table, though.
OK, so main course should be going in four minutes. Yep.
And have you get your tarte tatins in yet?
What are you going to do?
Go very quickly, john.
You've got to get those in and then get on that main course straight away, yeah? Yeah.
Ally is doing pan-fried chicken breast with a sweetcorn puree,
a chicken skin and popcorn crumb.
Sounds a little bit familiar to me as I did a dish quite similar,
but love all those flavours.
I'm interested to see how he cooks that chicken breast,
if he keeps it moist.
Chicken looks good. Done? Yeah? Yeah.
And I love the sort of char on the sweetcorn to add a bit
of extra dimension.
So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to trying it.
Just sauce to go in the jugs and a bit of coriander oil. John: OK.
Off yOLI 9°-
Ally's main course is chicken breast
coated in a chicken skin and popcorn crumb,
served with a sweetcorn puree,
charred corn and a chicken butter sauce.
I love the popcorn crumb, but I feel like the chicken probably
has been hit a little bit hard with the heat
and it's started to go just a little bit dry for me.
But the skin is lovely, the skin is really crisp.
I just want this to be pushed a little bit further.
I want the sweetcorn to be more charred,
the sauce to be thicker and coating the spoon.
I think those small things would take it from being a good dish
to a really, really excellent dish.
I really like the flavour of that popcorn and the chicken skin
mixed together, but there are issues.
The chicken breast is drying out
and that sweetcorn sauce is too bland.
How are we looking on the tartes?
Yeah, they're looking quite good. Are they? Looking good, yeah.
We've got four, four minutes to go.
I think they'll be cooked, fingers crossed.
Pina colada tarte tatin excites me.
I don't know about you guys,
but I was looking for something different here
and so interested to see his sort of take on it.
ALEXINA: You really that pastry to be perfect, not too soggy.
The caramel needs to be taken far enough,
so you've got a decent amount of bitterness in it
to balance out the sweetness.
Maybe not be as presentable as I'd hoped, but, you know, still happy.
Go, go, go. Well done, Ally. Cheers. Thank you.
So I've made for you a pina colada tarte tatin,
pineapple tarte tatin with coconut sorbet
that's topped with some toasted coconut flakes
and a little bit of micro coriander, my favourite herbs. Enjoy.
I think it's a really lovely, morish dish.
I think the flavours are great.
You've got that juicy pineapple, lovely, flaky puff pastry.
What I especially love is this coconut sorbet
because it's not too sweet, it's silky smooth.
I would just eat a whole tub of that, no problem.
The only thing I would say was, I'd want a little bit more caramel.
I'd like a little bit more rum.
Similarly to the first course,
I just want him to push it a little more.
It's not a grown-up pina colada flavour.
It doesn't have that warmth of rum on the back of your throat.
I'd like a lot more caramel with that pineapple.
But this coconut sorbet is fantastic.
That's one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Yes, there are some little bits I wasn't quite happy with,
but, all in all, I'm pretty proud of what I've done.
OK, you've got ten minutes, OK? Ten? Yeah, ten minutes. Wonderful.
I think I'm going to be on time.
It's not the first course I'm worried about —
it's those ox cheeks.
I love oysters, so I'm really excited about this one.
Tex-Mex, like fresh, spicy flavours. Should be great.
This is your Tex-Mex butter, right? This is my Tex-Mex butter.
Have you added the cheese yet? No. Right.
Do you know exactly how much? It's like a tiny weeny bit.
I don't want it cheesy.
I really hope she hasn't overpowered the oyster,
given the fact that they've got a really delicate, sweet flavour.
How are they looking, Holly? They're looking all right.
Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick.
I like that. That's got style, Holly.
All right. Well done, Holly. Thank you. Go, go, go.
Hello!
And I have made you Tex-Mex oysters with a frozen margarita.
Cheers.
I'm really impressed with how the oysters have managed
to keep their freshness through that really strong sauce
because it is strong, it is punchy.
When I tasted it, I thought, "Where's the acidity?"
But then of course you get that from the frozen margaritas.
I'm loving this. I think it's a lot of fun.
I think it's really tasty.
I think Holly's done a really good job here.
She's shucked them, she's loosened them,
she's turned them over as well.
Wow, she's done that pretty quick.
Just enough cheese to give it tang, but not enough to make it cheesy.
Well done, Holly.
There's a lovely bit of spice coming from the jalapeño —
I like that a lot —
and that margarita is purposely sour to go with those oysters.
Holly's dishes are fun.
Ten minutes, Holly. You OK? Yeah, I think so.
You sure? Yeah.
I'm not convinced, but you've got ten minutes. Thank you.
Do a lot with ten minutes.
Holly's main is one that I think you guys know will really sing to me.
The beef fillet, just full of flavour,
it's definitely one of my favourite cuts.
I'm a little bit worried about that ox cheek —
I hope she's had enough time to get it nice and soft.
Stick a fork in those for me. I'm desperate to know whether they're cooked or not.
Oh, God, I don't know. Me, too.
They're not amazing.
I'm going to try and make the bonbons.
All those other elements,
the pomme puree, the carrots, the kale and the sauce...
There's part of me that's just thinking,
"Have you taken on too much?" I'm not sure. I really hope it works.
JOHN: Two minutes left now, Holly.
So what do you got left to get on the plate?
I've just got to put the fillet on.
I'm going to go with the carrots.
You've got one minute, Holly.
Come on, let's go.
Hello again. Hi. Hello.
I have made fillet steak with a truffle mash, crispy kale,
heritage carries, and an 0x cheek and red wine sauce.
I'm actually quite impressed with the bonbon, given the time
that she had, that ox cheek is nice and soft on the inside.
And the beef fillet is cooked beautifully. Lovely, medium rare.
It's been allowed to rest as well, which is super important.
The mash is lovely. It's smooth.
Overall, Holly's done a really good job.
The meat for the bonbon isn't cooked down enough,
but, saying that, she's ambitious and she can cook.
I think it tastes good. I think it tastes really good.
That was absolutely crazy,
I can't believe I got everything done on time.
That was just amazing, to be able to say that I've done that —
bucket list, done, check. Amazing.
Sarah, you've got about six minutes to go, so you need to think
about plating your first course. OK.
I'm confident I'll get this out in time. That's OK.
I don't want to say, "Yeah, it's going fine,"
and then it's all a disaster.
Sarah is giving us absolute classic
flavour combinations with her starter —
the goat's cheese, beetroot.
I'd love it if we got a couple of different ways with the beetroot.
That goat's cheese has to be perfectly light.
Sometimes, when you get whipped goat's cheese, it's really heavy
and that's not what we want.
All done? Yeah.
Sarah's starter is beetroot three ways —
roasted, boiled and pickled —
served with whipped goat's cheese, pear-infused with elderflower,
hazelnuts and an elderflower vinaigrette.
This wonderful, sweet, earthy beetroot.
I love that touch of acidity from the pickle.
The goat's cheese is lovely and mild and smooth.
You've got sweetness coming from the pear.
I think the flavours were bang-on.
A lot of work has gone in to each piece and, when you have them
together, even better.
But there's just not enough of it for me for it to be a real dish.
Everything on that plate is absolutely delicious,
but I've had three mouthfuls and I've got nothing left.
You've got seven minutes, Sarah. OK. Tempura cheeks are on?
No, I'm just going to do them right now.
I'm just waiting to flip my fish and then I'll go and do them.
First thing that comes to mind is that cod's got to be perfectly
cooked, and she's got it two ways here, so she's given herself
an extra challenge.
The chorizo and tarragon sauce is the only thing that's
really giving me cause for concern —
I just wonder how those flavours are going to marry on the plate.
Fish cooked OK? I think 50—50.
I think there might be one that's a bit over.
That looks great. Come on, let's go.
I have made for you a pan—fried piece of cod
with a tempura cod cheek,
tarragon sauce and fricassee of peas, shallots, spring onions
and chorizo. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
She's cooked the fish brilliantly, it's flaking.
The cod cheek, that tempura batter is so light and crispy.
I'm really impressed with that.
Overall, the flavours are really well-balanced.
They sort of just sing in harmony, I think.
I was a little bit apprehensive about the chorizo,
but it actually works really well with the fish.
I think she's done a really great job with this.
Good-looking dish, fish cookery is great.
I like the fact that I've got a little,
faint bit of chicken stock flavour coming through those peas and
chorizo and then the richness of fish stock
coming through the sauce.
So it really tastes quite fishy, a taste of the sea.
I'm not sure how I feel, actually.
When I was doing it, I was really enjoying it.
I was really having a blast doing that.
But, yeah, I'm very glad it's finished now.
Tigi, 15 minutes on that first course. OK, mate.
You got fish to do? Fish to do. Stack in the oven?
Stack's in the oven. Wonderful.
Tigi, for his main course, is making us jerk sea bass
with sweet potato stacks.
Jerk's not something I'm awfully familiar with,
so I'm really excited to try this.
I hope he doesn't knock our heads off too much.
I'm ready for the heat, I think.
JOHN: Happy with that? Yeah, I think so. Smells good.
Are they cooked enough?
Probably give it another ten minutes, to be fair.
Don't have that, do we, mate? No, we don't.
Come on, Tigi. Go, go, go.
Hi. Hello.
I've done a jerk spiced sea bass
with broccoli and a sweet potato and parsnip stack in sage butter.
Thank you. Thank you. Thanks.
Well, the flavour on that fish is fantastic.
I love that jerk seasoning that's on there.
The sweet potato, for me, and the parsnip is a bit under,
so it's a little bit hard.
Seems to have snuck a bit of Parmesan in there as well,
which I'm not sure comes together with the rest of the dish.
We could have drained a little bit of that butter
off of that stack, to be honest.
I like the fish. Fish is cooked really nicely for me
and I love the jerk seasoning around it.
But the broccoli, unfortunately, is waterlogged and washes away
all the lovely flavour of the jerk, which is a shame.
And then the stack's not cooked enough.
OK, Tigi? Yeah. Dessert time? Yeah. Go on, mate.
They're looking all right...
...surprisingly.
ALEXINA: I'm really excited for this dessert. I love key lime pie,
it's one of my absolute favourites.
I think it can be really elegant, really pretty, but big, powerful
flavours in there as well.
It's with this whipped coconut milk, I hope that's nice and light.
GREGG: Yes! Oh!
Come on.
We ready? Let's go.
Tigi's dessert is a key lime pie, ginger biscuit base,
topped with lime-infused set condensed milk,
served with a coconut milk cream and coconut flakes.
Hope you like it. Lovely. Thank you. Cheers.
The main event, which is the key lime pie, is delicious.
Like, it's got a buttery biscuit, ginger base
and it's got a lovely cream on top, which is smooth.
It's got lots of lime, it's got sharpness.
I'm actually really glad he did put the cream on the side
because I think it just needed it just to take the edge off,
sometimes, with that constant hit of lime.
But I would have liked it to be lighter and more whipped,
and then I really would have liked to have seen that coconut toasted
because I think that would have added another dimension of flavour.
Sharpness of lime, mellow nuttiness of coconut and that heat of ginger
at the bottom, I really like this a lot.
But it's very, very sweet.
I like the coconut because the coconut gives me a bit of respite
from the actual sweetness of the dish itself.
That was like the most highly pressurised situation ever,
but, you know, I still remain relatively calm, which was good.
Yeah, it was fun. No, it was good, actually. I really enjoyed that.
A really tough cook-off.
And, actually, I've got to say, our four held their nerve.
We've got to make a decision
because we've only got two semifinal places to give.
Holly has got ambition and I like the design of her dishes.
John, she's got a point of difference.
I think Holly is great. I think she gets herself a semifinal place.
We agreed? I really like Holly, yeah.
Tigi is demonstrated once again
that he can conjure up really good flavour.
But we had broccoli, which was waterlogged,
and that stack, for me, was not cooked enough.
And the key lime pie was very sweet.
Sarah, first course — beetroot three ways — was absolutely delicious.
There just wasn't enough of it.
But her main course, that fish was beautiful.
Ally surprised me today with his choice of dishes.
However, that chicken was going a little dry
and his sweetcorn was a little bland.
But I particularly loved Ally's coconut sorbet,
and so did the dining room.
However, we could have done with some more rum
and some more caramel.
I'm on top of Everest just now. If I go any higher, then, you know,
I don't know what's going to come up in the stratosphere.
But, yeah, if I got through, it'd be massive for me.
Semifinal, wow, you know, that's...that's huge.
I'm not sure if I've done enough.
I didn't have any bells and whistles, particularly,
and those other guys are absolutely knockout.
If someone said to me, "What would be your great wish?"
Stay in this for as long as possible and win it.
But I'm a realist. Let's see what happens.
You have done the MasterChef Kitchen proud.
It has been an extraordinary round.
Our first semifinalist...
...is Holly.
Congratulations, Holly.
Thank you so much.
Crazy, well done, well done.
Our second semifinalist is...
...Sarah.
Well done.
Tigi, Ally, very, very well done indeed.
Of course it's disappointing to be going home,
but it's always going to be tough.
I watched it for 17 years and it's never looked easy to do.
It's just amazing to be in it.
ALLY: I'm happy with where I got to, so no complaints, no regrets at all.
Experience cooking in that kitchen,
it's nothing I've experienced before.
It'll live with me for a very, very long time.
Holly, Sarah, MasterChef semifinals, congratulations.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my goodness.
Totally, totally stunned.
I genuinely thought John had said the wrong name.
I kept expecting him to say, "Oh, no, wait a minute."
I'm so pleased, though. It's amazing.
HOLLY: Sorry, I cannot articulate this because it's...
I just cannot believe that I'm a semifinalist.
Oh, it's so exciting, I'm so happy.
Semifinals, here we come.
I'm ready, I'm ready.
Next time, nine new hopefuls audition for the right
to wear a coveted MasterChef apron...
The pressure is on. Come on, come on.
...and to secure their place...
I'm going to bring peasant food to MasterChef to show it's bus sin',
you know what I'm saying?
...in the competition.
It's lip-smacking, tongue—tingling, absolutely delicious.