Episode 11

It's the last heat of the series, and four new professional contestants arrive for a shot at this year’s title. The judges are ready to put them through their paces with two challenges designed to see who can cope with some serious competition in the MasterChef kitchen. Only the best can make it into this week’s quarter-final.

2018 finalist Matthew Ryle is in the house once again to set two more skills tests. Matthew made it to the final four of the competition with classic cooking that was off the scale, and he’s now the founder and executive chef of both Café François and Maison François in central London. As expected, his standards are extremely high, which puts a lot of pressure on the contestants.

The first two take on Matthew’s raviolo stuffed with pea and ricotta, alongside a cacio e pepe (cheesy pepper) sauce. Matthew also wants the chefs to top the pasta filling with an egg yolk that oozes out when the parcel is cut. Timing the cooking will prove crucial, and the contenders will be hoping none of the parcels burst in the process. Matthew joins the judges to taste and provide invaluable feedback on the chefs’ attempts.

Now, it’s time to see what the other two chefs are made of. Their skills test is poached pear mille-feuille with a hazelnut praline cream. They have puff pastry on hand to create the delicate layers of this classic French dessert, along with everything else they need to succeed, but being an exact science, pastry requires the utmost attention to detail.

After individually showing the judges what they are like under pressure, the heat closes with another serving of the signature dish round. This is the four chefs’ chance to throw their hat into the ring and deliver a dish that impresses the judges so much that it leaves them no option other than to hand them a place in the quarter-finals.

The strongest professionals will leave with smiles on their faces, but the rest will be waving goodbye to their MasterChef dream. Nobody said this would be easy. This is MasterChef: The Professionals.