First three contestants make it through to MasterChef’s Knockout Week

The first three contestants have qualified for this year’s MasterChef Knockout Week.

Having triumphed in their heats earlier this week, Jhane, Jim, Maddie, Michael, Rosdip and Sabina all returned for the quarter-final.

Judges Anna Haugh and Grace Dent challenged them to invent a showstopping dish centred around pancakes in 70 minutes.

Invention Test – Quarter-Final 1

Jhane
Mexican taco pancake with oyster mushrooms, served with spicy homemade salsas and crispy cheese

Jim
Short eats pancake rolls with pork belly and prawn curry filling

Maddie
American pancakes with black forest gateau topping and brownie bites

Michael
Italian-inspired canelloni using crepes filled with bacon and ricotta, served with a Bechamel

Rosdip
American masala chai fluffy pancakes, served with crispy bacon, whipped avocado and pistachio custard

Sabina
Korean-style pancakes with shredded potato, vegetables and spices, served with Gochujang prawns, mango salsa and sesame and honey dipping sauce

Most of the efforts received an unimpressed reaction from the judges, with only Jhane’s Mexican-inspired taco pancake dish earning praise, described by Anna as “interesting and unforgettable”.

Sabina’s Korean pancake was compared to a fritter, while Grace said of Rosdip’s American pancakes: “This dish feels like a prototype and things have gone wrong.”

The six cooks were then presented with their deciding challenge – to cook for renowned food critic Jay Rayner. He gave them 90 minutes to prepare a unique salad, advising them to pay attention to structure and texture and deliver a “killer dressing”.

Salad Challenge – Quarter-Final 1

Jhane
Thai grilled pork salad with crispy pork skins, sugar snap peas, lettuce, mint, fennel, rice paper and a Thai salad dressing

Jim
Tuna loin, confit potato with anchovy crumb, chargrilled green beans, tomato tapenade, squid ink tuile and French vinaigrette

Maddie
Chipotle and lime picked crab, with crab bonbon, a pepper, tomato and onion salsa, a chipotle, lime and honey dressing, elote corn and tostada shard

Michael
Cod and oranges with Spanish tortilla, a beetroot rose, boiled eggs, olives, spinach, a manchego Mornay sauce and avocado-mustard dressing

Rosdip
Mustard leaves and buckwheat with hot mustard chicken Sadheko, tumeric and cumin lentil crisps, daikon, with a tamarind mustard dressing

Sabina
Spiced black beans with falafel, gem lettuce, pomegranate, puffed rice with crushed peanuts, beetroot quail eggs and chicken skin salt drizzled on top with confit garlic mustard dressing

Jim’s upgraded version of a tuna nicoise generally went down well, although Grace did note: “Your tuna does look like it was stolen off the kitchen surface by a cat and I’ve rescued it.”

Jhane once again impressed the judges, with Grace telling her that she was “really masterful with flavour and texture” and Jay adding: “This is exactly what I was hoping for when I set the salad challenge.”

Sabina’s dish, which she dubbed a “Harmony Salad”, also ticked Jay’s boxes, with him telling her: “This absolutely fits the mould, everything is going on here… it’s an amazing salad.”

Meanwhile Maddie was told that she had created a nice dish but it failed to fit the brief of being a salad, while Anna was not keen on Rosdip’s “undressed” vegetables.

The worst feedback was reserved for Michael, however, with Jay telling him: “I think more work went into the narrative than thinking how these things were going to balance up because I’m afraid on the plate these don’t work, sorry.”

Jhane and Sabina easily advanced to the next round, while Jim claimed the third and final place due to his demonstration of good skills in the competition so far.

“I would have loved to keep going. My disorganisation got the better of me,” said Maddie afterwards. “Whatever happens I want to move forward with food, this is definitely not the end of my story.”

Michael said: “I’ve got a huge amount from this competition. It’s enhanced my willingness to take what I like and make it better.”

Meanwhile, Rosdip said: “It’s definitely bittersweet but I hope I’ve done Nepal and my Nepalese community proud.”

The MasterChef heats continue next Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.