Category: MasterChef

MasterChef – May 12 – name the ingredient challenge

TV blurb says: The contestants from the losing pub lunch challenge team must correctly name an ingredient to avoid the elimination cook-off challenge, as the contestant with the least impressive dish will go home.

We know from the preview it’s an alphabet challenge and there were some tricky ones shown. I wonder if they get to taste them to help? What will X be?
I like these name-the-ingredient contests, except when someone bombs out early and we don’t get to see what all the other ingredients are. Wonder if they have to cook a dish with all the correctly named ingredients?

I’m watching on TenPlay the morning after (so annoying not being able to skip the ads!), so just a few thoughts.

Matt's wearing his light blue/grey picnic tablecloth suit again, with a pink floral cravat for a pop of colour.
Matt’s wearing his light blue/grey picnic tablecloth suit again, with a pink floral cravat for a pop of colour.

Matt goes on and on about how the challenge will work, just to ensure the contestants are absolutely packing death over which letter to choose.
Ranger Miles is first and he’s lucky to get an easy one: Basil. Then it’s Anastasia’s turn – wait – who?
I have totally been here the whole time - I swear.
I have totally been here the whole time – I swear.
D is for Dijon mustard. Intense Matt gets a liquid which he confidentally announces is mirin, while Con – who produced that great panna cotta and sago dessert for the pub challenge – picks C for celeriac. Are they choosing based on their name initials?
Adam picks R and it is the red, spiky fruit rambutan, but he does not know it. “Its always a tricky one,” says Gaz, not hiding the glee in his voice.
Sadly, lychee does not start with R, Adam.
Sadly, lychee does not start with R, Adam.
Poor Adam is the first person sent to stand in the area for condemned prisoners.
Zoe of course chooses Z, playing strategically, and it pays off because it is indeed zucchini. Cecilia is L for lamb; Harry T for “toona”; and Trent the blond electrician G for green tea.
Olivia picks F and it’s a brown rice-type grain that thinks it is farro but is not sure, so George freaks her out by asking if she has heard of freekeh. But it is indeed farro. (Wikipedia says: Farro is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species, sold dried and prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy (many recommend first soaking overnight). It may be eaten plain, though it is often used as an ingredient in dishes such as salads and soups.)
Everyone’s now had a go so it’s back to Miles again: H is for horseradish. Anastasia: Nutmeg. Matt: Sage. Con: Kecap manis. Zoe: Quail. We’re getting lots of voiceovers from Cecilia about how scary it is, so of course she’s going to bomb. She picks J and it’s some weird bulbous vegetable that she has actually cooked with but doesn’t know the name.
J is for jicama. That was tough.
J is for jicama. That was tough.
Apparently jicama is also known as Mexican turnip. So Cecilia is off to join Adam in the dock.
Harry: Artichoke. Nicolette: Emu. Trent: Yoghurt. Zoe: XO sauce. Miles: Oats.
Good on you, Anastasia, for knowing these are Inca berries.
Good on you, mysterious Anastasia, for knowing these are Inca berries.
Poor Intense Matt gets the only cloche left: U.
Matt is in Freak Out City.
Matt is in Freak Out City.

What the heck are these?
What the heck are these?
Matt goes out on umeboshi – a Japanese plum. No shame in that, Matt.
So that makes three. Matt should be safe – he has proven to be inventive and a good balancer of flavours.
Oh – but that is not the end. I missed the bit where they said four people would go through to elimination. They bring out a second batch of cloches and Harry is up first. C is for … I am thinking crocodile, which MC has used in a previous season, but Harry looks spooked. He says “cod” but it was in fact croc.

Elimination round two
They have 60 minutes to cook and they can used the 23 ingredients correctly named, plus the usual staples.
staples
Matt is doing quail with celeriac and chargilled zukes. His “food dream” – take a drink, everyone – is to start a food truck. That is definitely achievable.
Adam is doing a type of mixed grill with zukes – hmmm – and Harry a Japanese-inspired smoked tuna with celeriac -yum. He is showing technique by using the green tea in a smoking gun.
Back in black, Cecilia is again having trouble coming up with a dish but at least she is doing vegetable prep rather than freezing like last time.
Gaz and George saunter over to make Adam nervous and tell him his idea for a dish is rubbish.

George is not happy about the lamb dish - and the fact his shirt is buttoned to the top without a tie because they are trying to make him look hip.
George is not happy about the lamb dish – and the fact his shirt is buttoned to the top without a tie because they are trying to make him look hip.

At least George gives him lots of ideas as to what he could be doing with the same ingredients. Adam seems to be making the same thing but calling it a different name.
Intense Matt confides he has only ever deboned and cooked quail once – no doubt in preparation for the comp, which was smart.
Finally Cecilia kicks into gear and decides to make brined, smoked tuna with salad – sounds familiar.
There are “aarghs” from the gallery as Harry stuffs up his mayo in a food processor. Get the stick blender out, Harry. But, no, he does it old school with a whisk.
Continuing their trend of putting the wind up contestants, George and Gaz tell Matt the judges are hungry and need a second quail.
Adam is the only contestant using one of the unusual ingredients from the alphabet challenge; he is rehydrating the inca berries to use in his salad, which should impress the judges. But then he loses his mind under the pressure and tips cream into a pan full of lamb fat – nooo! Who was the guy who fried his ravioli? Adam knows he has stuffed it up.
Prompted by Con, Cecilia checks on her tuna and it is brown and icky. She has left it way too long. With just a few minutes to go, Marco comes over to chew the scenery and more of her thinking time. At least she then sears some tuna in the pan, so she will have a dish that would be made in 10 minutes instead of an hour. However, she has not tasted her mayo, so that will be an issue.

The judging
Poor Matt gets the teary quivers in front of the judges but you can tell just by looking at the plate he is safe. The judges love it.

Q is for Quail, Z is for Zucchini, B is for Basil. S is for Safe.
Q is for Quail, Z is for Zucchini, B is for Basil. S is for Safe.
Next is Adam with his grilled lamb and zucchini.
G is for Goodbye.
G is for Goodbye.
Gaz is not excited by the dish but Matt says the elements are cooked well and he likes the Inca berries and basil and globs of fat. But “not a disaster” does not keep you safe on MC.
Harry’s tuna dish looks tasty and he deftly defends his decision to serve the end piece of tuna to MPW with “that’s my favourite part”.
harrytuna
The judges like the dish and Matt backs up Harry’s decision to use the end piece. So, Harry is safe.
Which brings us to Cecilia of the lovely desserts and the stuffed turnip. MPW takes his glasses off for a serious chat about how awesome she is. Matt is puzzled by the yellow mayo but says the salad looks pretty. Gaz likes everything but the mayo, which is too eggy. We all know Cecilia isn’t going home yet – she’s had far too much airtime and is yet to have a chance to create a showstopper dessert by herself.
It’s bye-bye, Adam. Go home and enjoy cooking with Vegeta again.
Best of luck, Adam.
Best of luck, Adam.
Here’s the link to Adam’s profile on LinkedIn – he looks quite different to when he’s in his chef clobber and has done some interesting stuff in his life which he didn’t hear boo about on the show Adam LinkedIn
Harry and Matt are looking like stayers but that’s the last challenge in which we’ll see MPW. It’s time for MasterClass and then it’s back to Blighty, presumably.

Masterclass
I’ll fast forward through this later – I can’t stand watching George with his tweezers faffing about. Oh, George isn’t there. Phew. MPW is showing them how to make the perfect risotto. Didn’t George do this when they went to Italy? Gaz will do pho, Matt is making a baked cheesecake (but will it be better than Mrs Duck Nutter from MKR’s?).

So, are we glad MPW is gone?



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MasterChef – May 11 – Marco’s pub challenge

It’s Wed night and it’s still Marco week on MasterChef. Yippee!
TV blurb says: This challenge is all about the pub lunch. The contestants are split into two teams and must cook three courses for 70 people with Marco Pierre White running the pass.

So, expect lots of “Yes, Marco!”, undercooked fish and tears.

Here we are at the first service challenge of the season: a pub challenge. Luckily Brett’s food dream is to run a gastro pub in the country. Thank god they reminded us he’s an airline captain, otherwise I would have thought he was a member of the crew who’d accidentally wandered into camera view.


Pony tail brunette Nicolette – not to be confused with swishy pony tail brunette Zoe volunteers to captain the blue, while Brett is keen to lead red.

Nicolette finally gets camera time.
Nicolette finally gets camera time.
The captains have to lucky dip for the type of dish. For entree Nicolette gets something crumbed; Brett something skewered. Main for Nicolette is surf, so Brett gets, you guessed it, turf. And dessert is cold and hot.
They have to serve 70 people, so 210 plates, which is a lot.
They cram into the pub kitchen and Brett’s team is quick to pick dishes, guided by Captain captain, while the blues are just a mess, yelling out ideas. On red, Elise and a mystery girl have to peel 240 jumbo prawns, so they got the short straw there. Red’s main will be sirloin steak with jus, so MPW drifts by with the astonishing advice to put a wet dishcloth under a chopping board to stop it slipping. Give that man another Michelin star!
Finally blues decide to do a panko prawn – which Cecilia had suggested yonks ago but her voice was lost in the din – but blue has nabbed all the prawns. You snooze, you lose, reds. Instead they’re doing crumbed scallop with corn puree. Main will be crispy king fish with roast spuds and a beurre blanc and dessert is another bloody panna cotta.

MPW is not happy with blue Nicolette’s idea to serve only three scallops: “Generosity is the greatest garnish in the world.” Quick – print that on a T-shirt.
Brett tells red underlings Jimmy the Brother and Nidhi to remove all the fat from the sirloin – this is going to lead to trouble.
On blue, they’re prepping the kingfish and MPW is not impressed with Intense Matt’s pinboning efforts. He fishes out a bone: “That’s big enough to choke a donkey.”
Reds seem to have it together, being efficient while having fun in the kitchen. Olivia (well, I think it’s Olivia – MasterChef really needs to make them wear aprons with emboidered names), Carmen and Charlie are on dessert, making a warm brownie.
On red, Heather – nice to meet you – is in charge of the jus for the steak but MPW says, while it taste great, she needs heaps more. Heather is dying inside but trying not to show her fear in front of MPW. She has enough for one tablespoon per person. That’s not much jus for a steak.

Service starts
After a quick pep talk from Marco, the yelling begins as he mans the pass. Did anyone else here him say: “Be the wolf pack – work as a team.” What is this – a Hangover movie?
The red team’s massive prawns on skewers look amazing but poor Jimmy is freaking out at the grill as MPW barks orders at him. Blue’s scallops could do with a scatter of micro herbs.
The judges: They like the charry look of the prawns and Gaz gives the thumbs up as the happy music plays: “They’ve done a smashing job.” Matt loves the remoulade and that the dishes look consistent.
The blue team’s scallop cookers are having trouble keeping up with Dementor shrieking orders at them and Ranger Miles concedes some could be a bit under or overcooked.
The judges: George thinks four scallops is still not enough for a pub meal and they are overcooked. Matt says reds won the entree round.

Main courses
Captain my captain Brett is in charge of grilling the steaks, while on the other team Harry is doing the kingfish and he’s flustered because people seem to think it takes 10 seconds to cook crispy-skinned fish. MPW is barking away like a mad dog at the pass.
Blue Con – keen to redeem himself – has pretty much taken charge of the dessert. He thinks it’s a bit sweet so is whipping up a lime gel to add acidity.

The judges: Immediately comment on the paucity of jus with the sirloin and George is devastated they’ve removed all the fat. (Jimmy was right but he followed captain’s orders.)
Meanwhile, there’s a crisis in the blue team, with not enough fish to fulfil the orders. Surely they counted the portions earlier? What was that challenge last year where a team came up short of dishes in the dessert round because someone put a tray of something on top of a fridge, then no one realised it was there – except the chortling camera operator. Perhaps this is one of those moments where MPW plucks a number out of the air to put the wind up them for not doing extras.
He tears into the kitchen screaming poor Harry’s name, and Harry’s defence that he allowed for extra portions is brushed aside as MPW interrogates each member of the team in case they’ve stuffed a fillet down their pants as a lark.
“They just swam off, did they?” MPW asks. Luckily Ranger Miles dives into the pantry and finds a stray fish which Harry can then fillet, resisting the temptation to slap MPW in the face with it instead.
The judges: Love the fish and declare it the winner of the round.

Dessert time
The brownie leader (I think Marco called her Chloe) is confident in her baking – even as she quakes before MPW’s steely gaze – while Con is also happy with his panna cotta.

The judges: It’s a choc brownie with a walnut caramel sauce and Gaz is in heaven. It’s moist and fudgy. Gaz thinks it would be a best seller if it was a regular on the menu. Well done, Chloe.

Con’s panna cottas with pineapple, sago and ginger crumbs are nice and wobbly and it’s a more modern-looking dessert than the brownie.

George thinks it’s elegant and Matt loves the contrasting textures.
So, the judges think dessert will decide the winner, but both are good. I’m wondering if the brownie will get the edge, as it’s more pub like?

Time for feedback
MPW tells them how wonderfully they did, they performed better than some professionals, yadda yadda. As we already know, prawns get the thumbs up, scallops sucked; steak is a no, kingfish yes.
Reds get high praise for the brownie while Matt drools over the panna cotta, saying it’s his dish of the day. Just as they get their hopes up Gaz butts in to say the prawns were his and Georgie’s dish of the day, so reds win.
Perhaps next year there should be a judges’ save (like the Tim Gunn save on Project Runway), where each judge gets to save a contestant who’s on the losing team but has done really well, such as Con with his panna cotta tonight.
Apologies to those contestants whose names I mixed up – I was watching live and couldn’t pause anything to cross check. If some of you could shave your heads or wear weird earrings like the boys do, I would appreciate it.

Tomorrow night: It’s the pick a letter, name the ingredient challenge. This should be fun to play along with at home. Will Z be anything other than zucchini?



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MasterChef – May 10 – Marco week pasta challenge

TV blurb says: The top three contestants from the invention test must make a filled pasta with a matching sauce. The winner will then enter a cook off for immunity against guest chef, Jake Kellie.

Filled pasta? More bloody ravioli! I hope someone at least does tortellini. An no more slow-cooked egg yolks. I’m going for Olivia, just because she didn’t exist until Sunday night.

No internet or recording for me tonight (new floorboards for us tomorrow so all the furniture, including the mysterious bits that run the Internet, are packed away) so I’m watching live and tune in late, just as Nidhi is stuffing up pasta dough, Olivia is shocking MPW and the lovely Shannon Bennett by making soda bread and Zoe is trying to cook huge chunks of pumpkin in too little time.
The gantry gawkers are freaking out that Olivia has not even put a pot of water on to boil, and after many shouts she finally tunes in to what they’re yelling.
No one looks to be on top of things.
So of course Matt Preston wanders over to watch Olivia’s pot to ensure it doesn’t boil.
Zoe makes her pumpkin and goat’s cheese puree for her filling but it’s too cheesy, so she adds honey. Nidhi’s pasta has barely rested and her shapes look haphazard.
While she’s waiting for the water to boil Olivia blitzes up her soda bread to make crumbs for her dish. With only a few minutes to go she chucks her pasta in anyway and hopes for the best.
Nidhi knows her pasta looks a bit dodgy but she hopes her big fan Marco loves the flavour. Olivia’s pasta looks delicious but she’s made the fatal mistake of not enough brown butter soz.


Judging time
Olivia is first and the judges look sad at the bowl of crunchy goodness as there’s no little jug of soz in which to smother it.
MPW says it like looks pretty. Shannon says the ravioli is nice but there is a slight greasiness. He likes that she made soda bread. MPW is very complimentary, apart from the soz issue.
Matt says Nidhi’s pasta is too thick and MPW says it’s not her best dish.
Zoe must have this in the bag, surely. It’s a similar dish to Olivia’s, with walnuts instead of breadcrumbs. “I love it,” says Matt. She has enough butter sauce. “Delicious,” says MPW.
Zoe wins and will cook for a chance at the immunity pin.

Immunity challenge
Who is the guest chef? Jake Kellie, who’s the current Young Australian Chef of the Year. He’s only 24 but has worked for several top chefs, including Heston at The Fat Duck.

Zoe's going to need some ink if she wants to be a chef.
Zoe’s going to need some ink if she wants to be a chef.
Zoe gets 75 minutes and gets to pick the pantry while Jake gets 60 minutes. The pantries are French or Italian.


I’m thinking she’ll do the latter given it’s more similar to the Greek cuisine she’s used to. And, yes, she wants those figs so picks Italian. She is doing a creme brûlée with mascarpone ice cream and Shannon is there to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.
Jake doesn’t even get to watch her start – he’s shoved off to the side behind some fruit and veg.

Finally he gets to cook and is doing veal carpaccio with a twist – he’s hiding beans and other veg under a thin layer of veal that’s just been torched, with a burnt butter emulsion. Sounds odd but he has a very tight, controlled and organised look about him, in addition to obligatory chef skinny jeans and sleeve tatts.

Rather than baking her brulee in the oven, Zoe is setting it with gelatine and popping it in the blast chiller. Shannon is happy with her ice cream flavour, so that’s a good sign.

He microwaves olives for three minutes to dry them out and chop them into crumbs – I love it when chefs use a microwave. He’s good at explaining to the onlookers his cooking process and has time to pop over to Zoe’s bench to check on her.
Then he plates up with those long tweezers that must be made for chefs and it’s a gorgeous little pile of beans, olives and mayo. And then he drapes it all in a glossy square of raw veal brushed with tomato oil. Looks weird but oh-so-interesting.


Zoe is happy that her creme brulee is just set but then she has to torch the sugar and she’s worried the heat has melted the gelatine.

Time to judge
The veal is dished up and the judges aren’t sure what to think, but they’ve got to know straight away who made it. “It’s two surprise in one,” says MPW, but he thinks he would have shown off the beauty of the vegies. “I like the shock value of it.”
Gaz thinks it’s too mayonnaisey. George and Matt want more acidity.
As Zoe’s brulee is served with her figs and divine-looking ice cream on top, it starts to ooze. it hasn’t set. It’s not a good look. The judges decide it’s custard with figs – but still very tasty. MPW reckons it was a confusing tasting. It didn’t help Jake that the judges didn’t cut into it, as intended, to reveal a peek of the vegies underneath, but just disassembled it.

Zoe’s scores
MPW 6/10
Gaz 6
George 6
Matt 6
24/40
Generous considering the key component of her dish failed.

Jake’s scores
MPW 6
Matt 6
Gaz 6
George – this will be more up his alley – and it is. 7

Tomorrow night it’s a pub food challenge in a real restaurant and the ad shows Marco having a go at tall blond Harry over a fish problem. Hopefully it’s a beat up and Harry saves the day, as he seems to be a good cook. Plus he just tweeted this:



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MasterChef – May 9 – MPW day 2

It’s day two of MPW week and we get to see Cecilia, Nathaniel and Con watch as Marco prepares a dish and follow along.
Tonight it’s John Dory so let’s hope they’re up with their filleting skills.
Last year the contestants had to butcher a lamb to make MPW’s noisettes.

From 2015.
From 2015.

Who’s your tip to go?

No recap from me tonight – watching Louis Theroux instead.



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MasterChef – May 8 – Marco’s here

It’s the start of Marco Pierre White week, so I know some of you will be glued to the screen while others will nick off to another channel.
The TV blurb says: The contestants have 75 minutes to create a dish from Marco’s mystery box of ingredients with rewards and hazards for the top and bottom three.
I so hope that when he does his “Yes, Marco! Yes, Marco!” call someone responds with “Polo!”.

MPW enters and shakes hands with the contestants, who immediately go weak at the knees. Contestants will have 75 minutes to create something out of his mystery box of chicken, cinnamon, bacon, potatoes, lemon, parsley, olive oil and honey.


Judges are only tasting five dishes today. Winner gets an advantage in the invention test.
Intense looking dude Matt – he of the disc earrings – is doing a gnocchi and jus with crispy chicken skin. Marco tastes his jus as it’s cooking and gets the usual flick of the eyes over the bifocals.
Charlie – pro golfer with the nice hair who was in the bottom three last time but pulled through with his choc ginger whatsit – is making honey semifreddo. MPW asks if it will set, so it will either work spectacularly or be slop. Mimi, who’s been a strong contender thus far, is also making honey semifreddo. Uh oh. C’mon, surely someone is doing ravioli? No?
Cecilia – she of the brain injury – is freaking out and faffing around while everyone else is cooking frantically. She’s missing her kids and feels a bit lost. Fifteen minutes in, Gary comes over to prod her into action and he’s wearing his cranky pants. Finally she gets going to make a burnt butter ice cream because it’s something her daughter would like. She’s pushing it to get that set, even with a blast chiller.
MPW scares Con by staring at him until he redoes his ricotta.
Chatty Nidhi from SA is doing pepper lemon cream chicken with paratha and lurves MPW. She tells confessional: “He’s like a coconut – he’s hard from the outside but inside he’s really soft and a beautiful person.”
With 15 minutes to go we’ve only checked in with a few people so we knows already who’s being tasted. We haven’t even touched base with ranger Miles or the siblings.
MPW gives Intense Matt advice on turning gnocchi and uses his fingers, so Matt has to follow suit to show he’s cool, too. “Can I just say this is probably the greatest day of my life,” he fan boys to MPW as his fingertips melt off.
Cecilia is getting her act together, whipping up meringue and spun sugar to add flair to her dish but, sadly, the delay has cost her and her ice cream hasn’t set.
Time to judge
First up is Nidhi, who is delighted. Her dish looks rather beige so she is not a fancy pants plater like some, but it’s the dish she makes when she needs cheering up – given how happy she seems she can’t make it often. “And it’s full of fat – so I like it.” The producers must be so happy they cast her. “I 35 years I’ve been in this industry I’ve never sen a dish look like that taste so good – it’s delicious.”
Next up is Intense Matt with his pan-fried gnocchi with lots of crunchy elements. Gaz is in heaven: “Savoury, chickeny, bacony cereal.”
MPW loves the soz: “I don’t think that you realise how clever you are … genius in your hands.” Matt says it’s better than even his recent wedding day. Oh no he didn’t!
Mimi is praised for her cake and ice cream’s flavours but not her fussy plating. Cecilia is picked – well they have to, because they need someone to cry because her ice cream melted. Her plate looks full of complicated dessert techniques. “It’s like the lightest lemon meringue pie in the world,” MPW says. The melted ice cream still tastes good.
The last dish tasted is Charlie because there was no one else cooking, apparently. charliedesert
It looks so cute and simple, but inviting. Cue the dramatic music. Charlie is quietly cacking his dacks.
“This without question is the greatest dessert I’ve ever eaten in the MasterChef kitchen,” MPW intones, saying it’s Michelin starworthy. The violins are soaring; Charlie, consider yourself redeemed!
He’s the winner so gets to pick the advantage for the comp’s first invention test, so off they trot to the pantry and …

Invention test
… it’s meat galore and the dessert enthusiast comes plummeting back to earth. Oh, Charlie. Don’t you know ..
Cause you’re hot then you’re cold
You’re yes then you’re no
You’re in then you’re out
You’re up then you’re down
It’s a meat and three veg challenge. I like it. Charlie gets to choose beef, pork or lamb and three of about 10 veg.
MPW advises him to pick bones – that’s the beef, I guess – because they will scare most people and give you great flavour. Charlie looks freaked out, but having “bones, bones, bones” intoned at you by MPW in a voice from beyond the grave will do that to anyone.
Charlie ends up picking lamb, carrot, onion (spring onions, brown, white or red) and parsnip – bloody hell – everyone’s going to do the ever-present parsnip mash.
Intense Matt wants to do koftas but can’t find lamb mince. Dude, you’re in MasterChef – make your own! A fellow competitor kindly sets him straight.
Con is doing lamb two ways ( which just means double the chance to stuff things up) with parsnip chips and an onion custard – yes really.
Cecilia is making a parsnip surprise, which will be parsnip stuffed with the other elements because she thinks it’s something her son would like. The judges try to steer her elsewhere but she’s set on it.
Zoe – who had the multiple Greek grannies in her audition is doing a Middle Eastern lamb and smoked parsnip puree.
Nidhi is excited to but an Indian spin on classic Aussie ingredients with a lamb shank curry, but her idea to do a carrot dessert on the same plate is a worry.
Poor Intense Matt is having trouble with the fancy mincer. Maybe like me he just has one of the old school crank handle types. Can’t Gaz come and snarl at him how to use it properly?
Instead he uses some of the minced fat and some hand-diced lamb – good on you, Matt.
Charlie is in fact using bones to make a jus, as per MPW’s advice, to go with parsnip puree lamb backstrap. Boring but he just needs to not be the bottom.
Ooh, who’s this blonde girl making quinoa flatbread? Olivia the restaurant manager – how nice to finally meet you.

This is Olivia. She's been in the comp all along. Yes, really.
This is Olivia. She’s been in the comp all along. Yes, really.
And here’s another red shirt getting camera time – it’s Nathaniel with a twist on shepherd’s pie.
Nidhi’s curry is looking good but she’s not watching her carrot and milk in the saucepan. Who’d have thought a camera shot lingering on boiling milk creeping up to the top of a pot could have us on tenterhooks?
Damn it – it’s burnt but she hopes just putting everything in a clean pan will do the trick.
MPW has a little bonding with Nidhi as he tastes her onion mixture: “Your use of spice is genius.”
Cecilia is happy with her mega stuffed parsnip but it’s screaming bottom three. And then she pipes “for Nathan” in tomato sauce on the plate.
Plating up time and there are a few cases of undercooked lamb.

Time to judge
Just spotted a brunette pony tail girl up the back (not Greek Zoe) who I’ve never seen before. The red shirts just keep coming.
Nidhi is first. You know MPW is serious because he takes his glasses off to speak to her: “I wish you had a restaurant where I live. I’d be there every week.” Matt loves the carrot pud: “It’s better than anything I’ve ever had in India.” Nidhi, I really hope you have a market stall/food truck/takeaway shop lined up here in Adelaide so I can judge for myself.
Con tries to keep a stiff upper lip as he serves up his raw lamb rack. Apart from that, it’s all too sweet. Poor Con.
Newly discovered Olivia serves up a “forest floor”. Everyone loves the quinoa crackers and the dish in general. “Never change your style,” says MPW.
Mimi’s dish looks fine but nothing spesh; Harry (tall blond who “harvests his own seafood”) dishes up a take on pot au feu (French beef stew) but George says the flavours aren’t right; Anasatasia – who? – has undercooked her lamb; Brett (who?) gets in trouble for serving carrot granita with roast meat.


Nathaniel knows his shepherds pie sucks as it’s not finished and the judges agree.
Intense Matt serves up a platter full of koftas, flatbread and various side dishes. He’s done a lot of work. Gaz says he’s nailed it.That’s two hits in a row – go Matt!
Charlie’s plating looks gorgeous but will his soz get the nod? “It doesn’t do it for me,” says MPW, saying his sauce is too robust. Charlie is crushed.
Here comes Cecilia’s weirdo parsnip but no doubt her son is stoked to have his name on TV again. “It certainly doesn’t look very appetising,” says Gaz. The judges speak very kindly to her about missing her kids and George tells her to put her “head down and bum up”.
Greek Zoe serves up her Middle Eastern spiced dish and George goes for seconds on the lamb – her dish is his pick of the day. She’s nailed the smokey flavour. Marco agrees.

So, who’s sitting pretty for the immunity challenge and who’s in trouble?
Top: Nidhi, Zoe, Olivia. Bit sad Matt isn’t up there as they seemed to adore his dish.
Bottom: Con, Cecilia, Nathaniel. No surprises.
MPW gives them a pep talk about pushing on.

Tomorrow night: It’s the keeping up with Marco challenge. Hopefully this will suit Cecilia better than following a written recipe as she’s mentioned that is more challenging for her, and I’d like to see what she can do dessert wise when she’s given time.



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MasterChef – May 5 – first elimination


The TV blurb says: In the first elimination challenge, three contestants choose a cloche containing a single ingredient to be used in a dish for the judges.
So, let’s hope the bottom 3 can shake off the TV jitters and put up some great dishes. Who do you reckon is going home: Charlie, Theresa (sister of Jimmy) or Ashley (the beardie one)?

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS AS I WATCH (SA TIME) …
Ok, I’m going for Theresa just because no grown woman should have to sleep in a bunk bed. These aren’t Top Model teens, MasterChef. No doubt she hurt her hand trying to clamber down to find the loo in the night.
Love a good cloche challenge – I hope they show what was under each one. Wouldn’t it be good if one just had a cup of water in it to mess with their minds?
Charlie picks the cloche with fresh ginger. Beardie Ashley get mushrooms. Theresa – after praying it’s not shellfish – gets prawns but is worried a second pick will turn up something weird, so she sticks with them.
The other cloches had oranges, seaweed, pineapple, venison, mint, cardamom, coffee, broccoli and licorice. What, no offal? That must be later in the season.
Theresa uncertainly says she’s doing doing prawns with tarragon butter and prawn oil mayo with avocado.
Beardie Ash is making another bloody ravioli, trying to redeem himself from a similar dish in last night’s Mystery Box challenge.
Charlie is doing a ginger chocolate cremeaux. The worry is chocolate will be the hero, rather than ginger.
Theresa is still frazzled and the judges are trying to talk her out of having so many oily elements on her dish. Focus, woman – the just want you to chuck some salad or something fresh and acidic on.
Ash is doing the oh-so-trendy 63-degree slow egg with his mushroom ravioli. But he’s stuffed up his pasta dough. Again. he starts over.
Theresa is doing some weird thing freezing a layer of avocado in the blast chiller.
Luckily for them, Charlie’s cremeaux has split. Quick, Charlie – do a ginger custard or one of those soda siphon microwave sponges. But, no, he decides to make it all over again. Aargh, Charlie, it’s not going to set in time! He candies some ginger as well. However, he’s happy with his second cremeaux so the dessert gods may be smiling on him.
Ash is feeling confident, so of course he’s jinxed himself and stupidly chucks his ravioli in a frypan with hot oil. He says it’s too late to do anything, but could he not have just fished them out?
Time to judge
Cravat update: Matt is wearing a white cravat with a blue coral-type design.
The judges try Ash’s ravioli first: The flavours are classic but the egg is a bit overcooked and the ravioli skin is tough from frying. Good in concept, poor in execution.


It’s Theresa’s turn and she’s still freaking out. Her prawn oil crisp thingie looks yummy, but it’s the most complicated part of what’s basically a prawn salad. The judges think she’s “heroed” the prawns (that’s another word to add to our MC drinking game: “hero”) and they love the prawn bickie.
Pro golfer Charlie plates up delicately and tears up when describing how his passion for cooking was stronger than his passion for his golf career.

Flowers are not food.
Flowers are not food.

But the judges are obviously worried whether the ginger will be “heroed”. They taste and, yep, it’s a delish dessert but doesn’t meet the criteria. I’d feel sorry for Charlie if he got sent home on a dish that was delicious, given it’s the first elimination.
Theresa wins and brother Jimmy starts bawling – awww – I’m still Team Jimmy.


And, phew, Charlie is safe. It would have been sad to send home someone who obviously knows so many dessert-making techniques – plus he has nice hair.
Ash drops the word “journey” in his farewell comments, thus meeting his contractual obligation. Unfortunately for the producers he does not cry into his beard.

Marco week begins 7.30pm Sunday, which I know will please many of you (although not as much as a Shannon Bennett week would). So, a drink every time he yells “Yes, Marco!”?



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MasterChef – Mystery Box – May 4


Here’s one for you Shannon fans – note the tweet is from South Australian Jessie Spiby from last year’s MasterChef.

Tonight’s Mystery Box was chosen by last year’s winner, Billie McKay. An interview with her here Billie Tenplay
I won’t be recapping tonight – contributions welcome. Chat away.



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MasterChef – day 3 – Shannon Bennett pressure test

The last apron is up for grabs and the contenders have to recreate a dessert from our fave MC chef, Shannon Bennett. I believe it’s a take on a Snickers bar.

Shannon has his hair tied back – yay!
He lifts the cloche on Bistro Vue’s Snickers-inspired chocolate bar. Peanut caramel fudge, peanut crumb, choc parfait, honey nougat, tempered choc, brown sugar crumble, caramel peanut icecream.
Headscarf lady got a brief confessional! I don’t know her name or occupation but I’m thinking pottery teacher or reiki healer.
Ranger Miles has never made parfait, nougat or tempered chocolate. No surprise. At least two of those feature heavily in each season. This is going to be a balls up. Some MKR-like casting here with character triumphing over skill. Does he just want publicity for a future business venture?
Love the theatre of Shannon pouring his soz over the tempered choc to enrobe the dessert.
Ooh, headscarf lady is named Melissa and she’s a barista. Dangerously, she says she’s quietly confident because she can follow a recipe. Yep, and she over whips her cream.
Not once, but twice. This is Jordan all over again with last night’s dodgy ravioli dough.
At least Gaz liked the taste of the butter she made.
Ranger Miles is actually the first one to finish his parfait, although that does not require specialist skill, and his cara el is nice and dark
Sarah (she of the stewed apple beef) looks a bit crazy eyes in her determination to succeed but she seems to be falling behind.
Blonde Lauren has a moment of madness and touches boiling caramel with her bare hand – ouch! That’s really going to make it hard to grip anything.
Intense Sarah “doesn’t have time” to check if her nougat is whipped to stiff peaks. Umm, you just look with your eyes and keep the mixer running! It’s way too runny, which is obvious to everyone but her.
Miles has been doing really well until this point but his peanut caramel seizes and he has to start it again.
Again there are invisible contestants – we haven’t heard from Ginny who liked Gary’s eyes, or the other blonde lady who made salmon tartare – or are they the same person?
Miles tries to temper chocolate for the first time, dropping the thermometer in in the process.
Jordan’s run out of time so Shannon tells her just to chuck melted chocolate on the acetate. Melissa does the same.

Time for judging and hopefully we will see the invisible contestants here. Everyone has five minutes to plate up their components.
Jordan is first and her nougat is rubbish and she has two shards of non-tempered chocolate. Can I just fast forward through the bits where each person is asked: how badly do you want the apron? They love the peanut caramel and ice cream but the presentation is a letdown.
Melissa seems like a lovely lady and did well to come back from her cream disasters but her chocolate is not tempered. Gaz loves the flavours. Shannon admires the ice cream.
Burned hand Lauren gets praise for her nougat. Invisible Molly is praised for her soz but the parfait is a dud. Flirty Ginny is missing the tempered choc and peanut caramel but is thrilled just to be in the presence of the judges.
Intense Sarah is having trouble getting her choc off the acetate and her nougat is super runny. George asks her: “Have you done enough?” Urgh. Shannon starts kindly, praising her for tempering chocolate (her first time, apparently). George likes the ice cream and Gaz said the parfait is the best of the lot, but the caramel and nougat are too soft.
Miles’s chocolate looks brilliant but his peanut caramel is very pale because he rushed the second go. His nougat looks soft, given his peaks looked stiff. He tears up as Matt pushes his emotional buttons. Shannon says the chocolate is the best thus far and he showed determination. The soz cascades beautifully. Matt is licking his lips. He loves the parfait and ice cream – both the best of the day. But the peanut caramel sucks.
Miles – I apologise. I fell for the editing trap and thought you would suck, and you did not.

Top three are Melissa, Miles and Sarah. And it’s Miles.
Sarah is trying to stay cool but she’s gutted.
So, that’s the top 24. There are quite a few faces in the crowd I’ve never seen before.
Tomorrow it’s an invention test set by the lovely Billie, last year’s winner – she of the cool, calm demeanour who was always drama free.



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MasterChef premiere chat – Sun, May 1

Hi gice. Let’s boom, boom, shake, shake the room …

I hope to have a premiere recap up later (allowing for SA time difference), but chat away in the meantime. And for those of you drinking tonight, feel free to have a big slug when the phrase “food dream” or the word “journey” are uttered.
HERE WE GO …
So we start with a fast-paced montage of the highlights of the season and it does look jampacked and super glossy. MC’s budget (and ad revenue) must be sooo much bigger than MKR’s – no dodgy home restaurants where people’s carports have been decorated with velvet curtains to hide the Colorbond. Good to see some past contestants return to set challenges down the track, including this little number from our old fave from last year, Reynold the dessert king.

Reynold's dessert creation - looks like spheres and soda siphon microwave sponge are still trendy.
Reynold’s dessert creation – looks like spheres and soda siphon microwave sponge are still trendy.
And then there’s this blue orb thing, which looks super cool.
No idea what this is but I can't wait to see them make it.
No idea what this is but I can’t wait to see them make it.
Wannabe contestants are ushered into the warehouse, along with their loved ones, and the judges are treated like rock stars when they walk in. Matt is wearing a stunning purple tartan suit and a black cravat with a shimmer to it.
First cravat of the season.
First cravat of the season.
Usual spiel about the winner getting $250,000 but, unlike last year, Matt says they don’t have a set number of aprons to give out.
First up to cook is teacher Celia, who got through in 2014 with her audition macarons but had to pull out due to lasting effects of a brain injury she’d sustained in a snowboarding accident. Okay, yes, it’s the usual “I’m doing it for my kids” “you can achieve anything” yadda yadda, but how cute is little Nathan (even if he does have a rat’s tail) encouraging his mum whip up a spectacular plate, and the footage of Celia cooking with her kids at home. We know she’s going through anyway, but that dessert looks awesome.
Yum!
Yum!
“It’s a level up from what you brought us before,” says Gary. Surely it’s time to bring in the kid for a teary hug?
Aww. First one through.
Aww. First one through.
It’s schmaltzy and the “uplifting” music is corny, but I’d rather watch someone with a brain injury cook a killer dessert than fame-hungry people who barely know one end of a spoon from another on MKR.

Next up is the coffee roaster dude with one of those button earrings. We know he gets in because we’ve seen footage of him in the preview, freaking out in a team challenge. Good on him for giving the death dish, risotto, a go – and for wearing a glove when handling the raw meat. Hope he’s not one of those “I don’t do desserts” guys.

Matt the coffee roaster has an intense look about him.
Matt the coffee roaster has an intense look about him. George likes him because they have the same hairdo.
The risotto is a winner but George’s “Will you make us proud?” goes down like a lead balloon. And then he pulls out the signature “big boy”. Can we hurry up and get to the cooking competition?
Next, Anastasia serves up water buffalo from her friend’s farm and it has that “garden on a plate” look George favours.
Remember when we used to want our plates full of food?

Remember when we used to want our plates full of food?
It’s the first time they’ve used water buffalo on the show. Way to guarantee air time – but not coming to a Coles near you soon. The judges love it.
They whip through the next few people.
Charlie the golfer has done a poached pear and it looks simple, but it’s amazing how many times people have served up hard pears on MC. What’s with golfers and cooking shows – first Tarq on MKR and now this dude.
And here we have Michaela, 23, from the promo, who plans to do a croquembouche in an hour. Even if she fails they’ll bring her back next year for a redemption arc. Her profiteroles look pale and her filling is runny. She spends her time in front of the judges spinning sugar, which is always entertaining when you know it’s not you cleaning up after.
Michaela's in a spin.
Michaela’s in a spin.
Gary doesn’t look impressed at her decision to do croquembouche in the one-hour timeframe. Gary likes the spun sugar but that’s about it. “There’s a fine line between bravery and experience,” says Matt, kindly.
More montage and I hope we get to see who made this.
Yum!
Yum!

Aw, the poor lady who spilt cinnamon everywhere.
Aw, the poor lady who spilt cinnamon everywhere.
Some decent-looking macarons which could have won people a finals spot five years ago aren’t enough to win an apron.
Carmen the qualified surveyor from Perth has the familiar story of Asian Aussie going to uni to please parents. She’s been working as a waitress to get her foot in the door of the hospitality industry.
Look at the gloss on that caramel!
Look at the gloss on that caramel!
As she plates up her choc pave with salted caramel and peanut and popcorn ice cream, George makes little monkey noises of excitement and then leans in to sadistically ask: “Are you nervous?”
Gary goes to his happy place.
Gary goes to his happy place.
Of course, she gets through – this ain’t no season one cupcake challenge standard cooking. She almost comes a cropper afterwards when her excited family tries to Clothesline her to the ground with jumping cuddles.
Zoe, 31, is making a Greek yoghurt panna cotta and she’s brought half of Greece with her to cheer her on. What’s the bet Yaya gets a cuddle from George later on?
Yaya rocks a comfy cardy.
Yaya rocks a comfy cardy.
Oops – they’re multiplying!
Can Channel 10 give the yayas their own show?
Can Channel 10 give the yayas their own show?
Zoe’s other Yaya is there, too, and soon it’s not a cooking competition – it’s a competition to boast about what they each taught Zoe and to shower her with compliments. “They look beautiful Zoe – so like you,” says Zoe.
In the judging chamber the panna cottaa has the necessary wobble. Matt thinks it’s one of the best they’ve had. George heads out to fetch the family and Yaya No.1 pounces on him like a long-lost son.
What a good Greek boy that Georgie is.
What a good Greek boy that Georgie is.
Even Gary and Matt get a cuddle. Hope she didn’t break a hip doing the zorba after.
Heather gets through with kingfish sashimi. That’s all we know. Tall Ash gets the nod for his barra and scampi and a couple of other people, including an airline captain.
Miles the ranger from Central Queensland is doing a spicy Laotion pork belly dish – that’s going to be tough in the time. Looks like he’s passed on his passion for cooking to his son, who’s now an apprentice chef. He wants to start a cafe in the former Shell servo in which he lives. “I like bold flavours. I don’t have too many subtle recipes in my entourage (sic),” he tells the judges. Matt notes the pork needed more time, but the flavours were good. He tells them he’s been practising hard and they give him the nod to cook again for the second chance round.
Ranger Miles, I don't think you'll last long, but what a lovely family you have.
Ranger Miles, I don’t think you’ll last long, but what a lovely family you have.
Harry, who made the salmon dish, also gets a second chance, as does Lauren who made a super sweet peanut butter and jelly dessert, and nameless rapping Turkish delight girl. Souffle girl gets another go because Matt likes her balls, but not her souffle.
Nicolette, 19, is doing a lemon dish using fruit from her dead grandad’s tree. Poor grandma has come along to the audition and she looks like she should be home having a rest and a nice cup of tea.
Pretty
Pretty
She’s Greek, so of course they send George over to make her cry. She’s through, and at 19 she’s one of the youngest to ever appear on the show. SA’s Laura (who lost to Brett) was also 19.
Then it’s the siblings and we’ve been led to believe only one will make it through. Why can’t they both make it, if they’re good enough? Would be good to see them go head to head in challenges, although they would have the edge on other contestants in terms of emotional support in the MC house. Little sis is up first with a dessert and she embarrasses her teenage kids by mentioning her pants are falling down as she cooks.
Theresa's pistachio fallen ice cream looks cool.
Theresa’s pistachio fallen ice cream looks cool.
You know she’s in when she gets the spoon percussion on the stainless steel bench from Matt.
But they make us wait to see if big bro got in – first there is pork belly guy and another panna cotta girl, the fish ‘n’ chip girl.
An Adelaide lady is up next.
Hopefully we'll learn your name one day, Indian lady from SA.
Hopefully we’ll learn your name one day, Indian lady from SA.
She’s from an Indian family and she likes to talk as much as she does cooking, especially since her father told her being a chef was a man’s job.
And now we get big bro Jimmy cooking tuna with granita and, George style, he pulls out chopsticks to plate, much like George and his tweezers. He seems a cheery soul and his warmth makes for good TV. They are totally going to make his sister give him an apron.
“That is one of the best dishes I’ve tasted in top 50 ever,” says George.
Stoked.
Stoked.
I’m Team Jimmy – any of you who are Team Theresa are dead to me.
They’ve given out 19 aprons in this episode and Matt says there are five to give away tomorrow to the second chancers – what happened to no limit on the aprons? There are 11 people left, but then the announcer says only four will make it through. Does someone leave? Guess we have to stay tuned.



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