Previous Episode: MasterChef Australia Season Four – Top 50
Kevin is our first top 24 contestant of 2012, and tonight, the top 12 from last night will get the chance to be a part of it as well! Who will prevail and who will fail to plate up success?
The contestants are still in the Exhibition Centre. Last night, twelve were chosen to compete in today’s challenge. They return for today’s challenge brief.
Challenge Brief: Six Top 24 Aprons are up for grabs today. Today, they have to cook a dish they like and love. They will be sourcing ingredients from Mornington Peninsula. They have to find the best produce they can, bring it back and cook them a wonderful dish. This entire task must be complete in six hours- that’s time for finding, bringing back and cooking ingredients.
Conditions: They will have a dry goods pantry. They must work in pairs. The pairs are Audra & Dalvinder, Lucy & Jules, Andrew & Carolyn, Yukio & TK, Sam & Wade and Amina & Filippo.
Progress: They all head off with a map to their disposal. Lucy wants to catch a fish to use. They go off to their respective areas of produce harvesting, and it takes them some time by the look of the clock. Wade & Sam also decide to fish, and head to the sea to do so. Wade also asks for assistance to prepare the fish, which Sam doesn’t think is a sound strategy.
Amina is also planning a fish dish, and hopelessly look for places to catch fish. They keep going to wrong beaches. Meanwhile, Andrew & Carolyn go get some mussels before heading off for more stuff. Dalvinder and Audra grab some raspberries for Audra’s tart. Sam & Wade grab some eggs while Lucy & Jules grab some cheese. They then head off for some abalone. Audra needs some eggs, but she assumes they will be in the dry pantry. She and Dalvinder are first back to the kitchen with their stuff. They have one hour and fifty minutes to cook. Audra goes to find the eggs- but there are none. They also find no onions, garlic or ginger- also pivotal for their meals.
TK and Yukio are next back with just over 90 minutes left. Amina & Filippo are still finding ingredients with no luck. They head back to the beach they thought was the wrong one- and find out it is the correct beach! They grab their stuff and go. Meanwhile, Lucy & Jules are next back in the kitchen with just over an hour. Lucy gets on with her fish filleting. Meanwhile, Audra changes her flavour of tart to suit the eggless situation. Dalvinder changes her dish to a dessert which consists of ingredients from the dry pantry- however the judges tell her she must use ingredients from the MP.
Sam & Wade return to the kitchen with an hour to go and they are stressed about the time. The judges discuss the current state of play. Amina and Filippo are heading back to the kitchen with NO time. Will they get back in time? Meanwhile, Dalvinder has devised a curry that she can use her produce in. Audra is working on her Ganache tart which is looking great! She tensely takes her melted chocolate tart to the deep freeze with Matt offering words of encouragement. Meanwhile, Amina and Filippo get back with 44 minutes to cook. They hope for the best. Soon though, all time is up and not much stress is to be had in the kitchen. So, how did they go?
Tasting & Results
Andrew
Cooking: Mussels With Salsa Verde
Comments: George finds a mussel with a beard! Not good. The other judges then devour the rest of the dish.
Amina
Cooking: Alexandrian Style Snapper
Comments: They think it looks great and that it is beautifully cooked. They love it. George calls her the most exciting cook of the competition at this time.
Lucy
Cooking: Pan-fried trout with abalone and artichoke.
Comments: Gary loves the abalone and artichoke, but says the trout is undercooked.
Wade
Cooking: Seared Snapper with Broad Beans
Comments: Gary says he would be impressed if it was a 25 minute challenge.
Carolyn
Cooking: Tasting plate of trout.
Comments: It doesn’t grab Gary.
Sam
Cooking: Savoury Mussel Custard with local vegetables
Comments: Matt calls it beautifully cooked but too much going on.
Audra
Cooking: Chocolate Ganache Tart with Cherry Port Jelly
Comments: Matt calls it a magazine cover-worthy dish. They love it, and say so through their facial expressions. It is one of the best desserts they have ever had in the competition. Matt shares pieces of the tart with people standing on the mezzanine. They begin to scream ‘apron’ in their direction. Gary just walks over and gives her one- that’s how ‘in the bag’ she has it! There was no reason to delay that moment. Audra is through to the top 24.
Filippo
Cooking: Summer berry marshmallow with Chantilly cream.
Comments: George tells him his meringue is not good, and calls it a ‘weird omelette’.
Yukio
Cooking: Grilled Pork Chop with cherry mustard.
Comments: George wants it to be looser.
TK
Cooking: Crispy Pork Belly
Comments: Matt says it is everything you want pork to be.
Jules
Cooking: Pork belly with goat’s cheese.
Comments: Loads of flavour and Matt calls it beautiful.
Dalvinder
Cooking: Cashew nut lamb curry.
Comments: It’s the best curry George has ever eaten in his entire life. Matt calls it a magnificent curry, but is a bit disappointed about the lack of Mornington Peninsula ingredients.
Results: The winners of the MasterChef aprons go to (Audra, see above) Amina, Andrew, Jules, TK and Dalvinder.
Six spaces gone, 18 are left- who will triumph tomorrow?
MasterChef Australia next airs May 9 at 7PM on TEN.
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