It's the penultimate episode in Final Week. The three talented amateur cooks are now going on a culinary odyssey to Barcelona, in Catalonia, where they face a series of challenges before cooking a meal they will remember for the rest of their lives, for the world's greatest living chef. But first, the cooks must familiarise themselves with Spanish cuisine.
Spanish cuisine is steeped in tradition and this is where the three contestants start their journey - cooking tapas. They have the run of the Boqueria, Barcelona's most famous market. Cooking on trestle tables in the middle of the bustling centre, they must design and cook three tapas dishes for the locals around the market to taste. Overcoming the language barrier, the stress of being fully on display and cooking out of their comfort zone, this is just a taste of the pressure to come.
After this, the three are sent to meet legendary pastry chef Christian Escribà, who used to cook at El Bulli. Escribà's cakes, sweets and desserts are technically extreme, spectacular and, above all, fun. He makes exploding cakes, flying desserts, cakes in high heels and he made the huge dog shaped cake to celebrate the last service at El Bulli. Escribà challenges the finalists to make him and his wife Patricia Schmidt (also a pastry chef) a dessert that will surprise them. Can they rise to the challenge and create something that will delight him?
From Escribà's fairytale patisserie, the finalists go to meet Carles Abellan. Michelin-starred Abellan also cooked at El Bulli and now has several highly regarded restaurants of his own. The finalists have the masterclass of a lifetime when he teaches them three dishes that demonstrate the culinary revolution initiated by El Bulli - dishes that as he says 'are part of my DNA': Gaudi's Red Mullet, Deconstructed Potato Omelette, and Scented Mediterranean Whiting. The amateurs are asked to cook one of these dishes each, learning some iconic techniques along the way and attempting to impress Carles Abellan with their mastery of recipes that would challenge any professional.
After gleaning as much as they can, the contestants are then given free rein in the kitchen and asked to create their own dish. As they start to cook, it is revealed to them who they are cooking for: their jaws drop!
Exposed to techniques that they have never used before, the final three are in a world of precision like no other, where their every ounce of passion, understanding and character must be used. In a competition where only the food matters, these amateurs will need to be exceptional to survive - tomorrow one of them will be crowned MasterChef Champion 2014. Show less