It’s official: Masterchef 2016 brings with it a hoard of new, aspiring chefs, ready to show the country what they’ve got to offer in the kitchen. And trust us, the talent this season is as hot as an Aussie summer.
The standards of cooking, presentation and creativity are undoubtedly higher this time around, with contestants presenting dishes that, in our opinion, are worthy of a fine-dining restaurant menu. Someone who knows about fine-dining standards better than anyone else is Marco Pierre White – renowned international Michelin-star chef and Masterchef regular.
This week, he tested the ability of the contestants by challenging them to work under serious pressure – and after Matt Preston introduced him as “the Devil in the kitchen”, we were always in for a nail-biting week of entertainment. But aside from the sound of contestants chanting, ‘Yes, Marco’ echoing in our ears, there are a few other memorable moments worth mentioning…
The highs
In this week’s Team Challenge, the Red Team shone through, with their tropical-inspired panna cotta setting the judges’ tastebuds into salivation mode (Matt Preston, in all his cravat-donning glory, especially loved this panna cotta’s “saucy little jiggle”, naming it the Dish of the Day).
Trembling treats aside, we’ve got our eye on professional golfer Charlie Sartori as a top contender to win the competition. His zesty honey semifreddo dessert, served with a lemon crumb, candied lemon and honey lemon caramel, brought the party to every judge’s palate. Marco dubbed it the “the greatest dessert [he’s] ever eaten in Masterchef” – a big call from a big-time chef. He even went as far as saying it could easily make an appearance on a Michelin-star restaurant.
Try making your own honey nougat and espresso semifreddo at home.
Then there was that (questionably random) time Marco confessed his love for contestant Nidhi Mahajan, the Indian-cuisine queen (who, err, also affectionately uttered back, “I love you”). Nidhi has consistently been a front-runner in the competition so far, proving that Indian food isn’t just messy curries and microwavable pappadums. She’s brought a much-welcome multicultural twist to the predominately modern-Australian round up of recipes, plating up dishes like South Indian-style lamb curry, onion-stuffed fried bread and sweet carrot pudding. One word: delicious.
And wrapping up the week with the first Masterclass of the season, Marco showed us how to make the best risotto – a classic Italian dish worth mastering. And, even better, how to create aranicini balls with any left-overs you might have. It’s fair to say we were very impressed with this one.
The lows
Unlike Charlie’s winning week, Masterchef mum Cecilia had more of a tumultuous trot, with her attempt to create a fun and playful dish being binned by the judges. Dedicating the recipe to her young son, Cecilia plated up her ‘Parsnip Surprise’ (which, as a whole cooked parsnip stuffed with tender lamb, came to the judges as more of a shock than a surprise), and left George, Gary and Matt visibly speechless.
It was slightly burnt and slopped on the plate with “For Nathan xox” written in tomato sauce. The thought was there, sure, but this just didn’t cut it among the fine level of cooking by the other contestants.
Then, in the team cooking challenge, the Blue Team’s over-cooked scallops saw all three judges turning up their noses, mainly at the small size of the entrees. “It’s a lack of generosity that strikes you first,” says Gary. “It’s [a] country pub trying to show off – don’t do it,” Matt agrees. Based on this fiery feedback, there was only one place for the Blue Team: the elimination round.
Think you can do it better? Try these inventive sesame and ginger scallops with chinese sausage salad.
The first elimination of the week saw Nathanial shown the door by his personal cooking inspiration, Marco, after he plated up over-cooked fish, and fennel that hadn’t been properly prepared during the elimination challenge. You could cut the anxiety with a knife – emotions, galore.
Adam, Cecilia, Harry and Matt were also sent straight to elimination are failing to name some of some of the herbs and spices hiding under the infamous Masterchef serving platers in the Guess The Ingredient Challenge. The elimination cook-off saw TV favourite Adam sent home after failing to deliver on his ‘mixed grill’, which the judges deemed far too simple for Masterchef.
Wrapping up the week, the first Immunity Challenge saw Zoe lose against Australia’s Young Chef Of The Year, Jake Kelly (which makes sense because, well, he’s Australia’s Young Chef Of The Year). Still, a remarkable result for so early on in the competition. We can only imagine what is yet to come…
If you liked this article, try recreating some of these Masterchef-inspired dishes at home:
