Episode 85

Kate and Michael arrived at the MasterChef kitchen for the final time and were told the format of finale: it would be fought over three rounds, each scored, with a possible 100 points per finalist up for grabs.
The first round was a Mystery Box Challenge over 45 minutes, with the finalists having to select and prepare something from each box before moving onto the next. Michael chose to make a steak and oyster pie, while Kate made pan-fried Balmain bugs and crab and rémoulade salad. Michael raced through the boxes, but Kate struggled with getting her crabmeat ready, eating into valuable time. Michael scored an 8 from George and 9 from Gary, and Kate a 7 and an 8, giving Michael the early advantage.
The second round was an Invention Test, with the finalists having to produce something that represented how far they’d come in the competition. They had 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete their dishes. Michael made a butter-poached lobster with fennel, Kate a roasted breast of quail. Both finalists progressed well, although Michael’s decision to leave the tails on his leeks and add extra champagne to his sauce were ill advised. The scoring saw Kate racing back, with 9s across the board, but Michael could only manage two 8s and a 7.

The final Pressure Test round welcomed one of the world’s best chefs, René Redzepi, to the kitchen, who lifted a cloche to reveal the supremely technical ‘Snowman’ dessert the finalists would need to make. Featuring meringue, yoghurt and carrot sorbet amongst its many elements, this was undoubtedly one of the trickiest dishes ever seen on MasterChef Australia, yet both Michael and Kate proved their worthiness by plating up incredible dishes.

Once again scoring 9s, Kate took the Pressure Test win, and with it became MasterChef 2011 champion.

Episode 84

For the final Masterclass of the year both finalists enjoyed private tutorials with top chefs: Kate with Shaun Pressland and Michael with Martin Benn. Back in the Masterchef kitchen contestants from the Top 24 returned to watch the action as Gary cooked off against George, with their dishes judged by Michael and Kate. Matt Moran then paid a visit and cooked his version of rocky road against Michael and Billy.

Episode 83

The Pressure Test to decide who would join Michael in the finale had both Kate and Alana's hearts in their mouths, as the judges welcomed Patissier of Pain Adriano Zumbo back into the MasterChef kitchen. In his arms was a fully-edible gingerbread house, that he described to Gary as his most complex creation yet. Both contestants embraced the opportunity to play kids in a candy store, even though Kate got off to a rocky start by burning her gingerbread. Her second batch was a winner though, while Alana got so carried away with making jellies to adorn her house she left herself little time to focus on its actual assembly. Alana's creation had some issues holding together, while Kate had precious opportunity to create many jellies of her own. The judges commended both cooks, but said that Kate's house had the charm factor and that hers was the one they would have bought, winning her the Challenge and the final Top 2 spot.

Episode 82

The contestants arrived back at the house following the Pressure Test to find they were going straight into their next Challenge. Gary and Matt detailed the task: the hopefuls would each pick an envelope featuring a course to cook for a Three-Hatted restaurant. Alana chose entrée at Marque, Michael the main course at Est. and Kate dessert at Quay. Being guided through the task by the establishments’ heads chefs Mark Best, Peter Doyle and Peter Gilmore, the Top 3 discovered just how high a quality level was demanded. Michael’s stunning venison dish amazed the judges and food critics Terry Durack and Joanna Savill, winning him the Challenge and a place in the finale. Alana and Kate would cook-off in an Elimination Challenge to see who would take the final spot.

Episode 81

The Pressure Test was revealed to carry an autobiographical theme, with the contestants having three hours to prepare three dishes that represented the stages of their lives: childhood years, formative and now. Conceiving the recipes was a challenge in itself – the judges helping to steer some ill-conceived ideas in the right direction. Though the idea behind Dani’s dishes was good her time management and execution were clearly several steps behind her follow members of the Top 4 and the tasting revealed as much to the judges. Dani was subsequently eliminated, leaving Alana, Kate and Michael as MasterChef 2011’s final three.

Episode 80

The MasterChef kitchen welcomed Maggie Beer, who unveiled her terrine to the rest of the contestants, having shown Michael at the end of the previous Challenge. All the hopefuls were immediately aware of the complexity of the dish, and the pinpoint timing it would require. Having already done a dry run, Michael was the most assured performer, managing to get his terrine into the oven ahead of the others, who spent too much time on prep. Yet despite the extended cooking time Michael's dish was still judged to be undercooked, as were the other terrines, leaving the judges with no choice but to send all four competitors into the Pressure Test.

Episode 79

Finals week kicked off with a Cookbook Challenge mentored by guest Curtis Stone. The contestants had to conceive a recipe that would then be cooked and photographed, before being tested by some home cooks and finally judged. Dani discovered that simplicity is key, while the other hopefuls also learned that conceiving a successful recipe is far more difficult than it appears. Michael’s ‘Not Just Another Spring Chicken’ recipe won the day, giving him an invaluable advantage: a chance to see and get the recipe for the Maggie Beer terrine dish they would all be cooking in the following Challenge.