After a tough Pressure Test on MasterChef Australia, macaron queen Rue Mupedzi sadly hung up her apron and left the kitchen. She was faced with an epic challenge set by Blayne Bertoncello to create five perfect plates of his Sourdough and Strawberry with Elderflower and Balsamic dessert, and in the end, her biggest downfall was herself.
Although Rue’s strength lies in all things sweet, having a dessert Pressure Test upped the ante and caused her to crumble. “I really wanted to be confident because it was dessert, but I think I was just putting so much pressure on myself because a part of me was just thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t leave on a dessert’,” she explains.
“I [knew I had] to get everything perfect on a dish that I felt like I was supposed to shine on, like really well, because I’ve made most of those elements over 1000 times. I actually don’t think I was confident enough.”
The cook tells us she already “hated” Pressure Tests going into it, and it was “harder” knowing she should excel. “I was thinking, ‘I’m really known for desserts. I’ve made some really good desserts in the kitchen, and I really want to do well’,” she admits. “And that obviously became a bit of self-sabotage on myself because I was just putting unnecessary pressure on myself.”
In the end, while Rue’s sorbet was praised by the judges, her pastry cream was grainy and unpleasant to eat. Tim Bone was also on the chopping block, due to his thick tuilles and avant-garde emulsion, but Rue doesn’t believe she had any hope in staying after what she served up.
“I knew I was gonna go home. I didn’t think I deserved to stay more than [Tim], like, you know, he also worked really hard in that Pressure Test, and he did have a few flaws, but I feel like a bad pastry cream is like, you know you’re gonna go home,” she says. “I was very bummed, because I felt like I still had so much more to showcase, so much more to give. And unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. I felt like, ‘Oh, I’m saving all these good dishes so that I can make them another time’, and another time never came.”
@masterchefau Part 2 | It's all in the details ðŸ“🥖 #MasterChefAU ♬ original sound – MasterChef Australia
Would MasterChef Australia’s Rue return to the show?
Rue feels she needs a little more cooking experience before she jumps back into the MasterChef Australia kitchen to compete again, but if the show calls her in 2030, she might say yes.
“I just feel like I just need to get a little bit more experience under my belt… would [I] come back in two years? Most likely, no. But five years, definitely,” she promises.
Her food journey hasn’t finished with MasterChef Australia, and she has big plans for the future. “I am going to be going to Europe,” she spills excitedly. “The goal is to go to France for six months to a year and just work a little bit in pastry, because obviously I really love pastry.”
She’s going to take the skills she learns in France and bring them back to Perth, where her aim is to open a dessert bar or a patisserie. There’s no name picked out yet, but watch this space — success is headed Rue’s way.
MasterChef Australia airs on Sunday at 7pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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