It’s episode 28 of MasterChef Australia and legendary chef Curtis Stone is back in the kitchen to set a service challenge for the top 10 contestants.
During the episode, it was a Service Challenge where root vegetables (turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips and beetroot) were on the menu and the teams had to create a two-course menu: main and dessert, with the winning team heading into Thursday’s Immunity Challenge.
The Green team consisted of Ralph, Adi, Brent, Rhiannon and Rue, while on the Brown team, it was Declan, Cath, Antonio and Malissa. Theo was unwell and didn’t take part in the challenge, meaning he had no shot at winning Immunity this week.
Since the Brown team was one man down, they had three hours on the clock before the savoury course needed to leave the pass while the Green team had two and a half hours.
Let’s get cooking!
The Cook
For their main, the Brown team decided on an Eye Fillet Steak with an Oven Roasted Sweet Potato rubbed in a Morrocan spice mix.
For dessert, they chose to do a Sweet Potato Brownie; however, Curtis questioned whether they were playing it too “safe”.
Once their 30 minutes of waiting were up, the Green team decided on Beetroot for their main element. They chose Braised Octopus with Aromats, finished on the Hibachi grill.
Brent would be in charge of cooking the mollusc with Curtis questioning him whether he was “confident” enough to do it. He said he was.
For their dessert, the team chose a Goats Cheese Crémaux with a Beetroot Consommé; with Rhiannon putting up her hand to be team captain.
The Brown team then changed course to cook a Fillet Steak with Middle Eastern Spice Sweet Potato Purée and Tahini, while now cooking a dessert of Sweet Potato Custard with Cinnamon Ice-Cream. They also decided not to have a team captain since they all knew what they were working on.
Even though Cath had a major ice cream disaster during the May 31 Service Challenge, she was once again tasked with cooking the delicious component.
Meanwhile, Declan was in charge of the meat and Curtis told him to be more generous with his servings. However, when it came to cooking, his first four were sent back by the culinary expert for being undercooked.
The Judging — Main
Judges Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen and Melissa Leong were presented with the Brown Team’s Eye Fillet, Sweet Potato Purée and Tahini Dressing.
They noted the steaks were cooked inconsistently, Andy loved the spiced blend of the puée and the Tahini sauce. Jock enjoyed the flavours and Mel said they “were all having different experiences”.
Although the Green team struggled to get everything on the plate, they delivered their Charred Octopus with Beetroot to the judges.
They loved the presentation with Jock calling it “interesting”, adding he really “enjoyed it”. Mel agreed, saying the texture was great and called it “clever cooking”. Andy said the “upsetting thing” was the roasted beetroot, one of his was cooked “al denté”.
The Judging — Dessert
Disaster hit the Green team again as Cath forgot the Sweet Potato caramel for the ice cream.
The Green team were the first to send their dessert to the Judges. Their Goats Cheese Crémaux with Beetroot Consommé and Poached Pear was praised for flavour with the Consommé being the best part of the dessert.
Finally, the Brown team’s Sweet Potato Tart with Spiced Ice Cream and Sweet Potato Caramel was placed in front of Jock, Mel and Andy; however, Anotonio was concerned by the consistency of his custard tart.
Jock said the tart was “too soft”, but the tart case was “epic”. He absolutely loved the caramel and Andy loved the ice-cream. Mel felt conflicted because the custard wasn’t an enjoyable texture.
The Verdict
The Green Team of Ralph, Adi, Brent, Rhiannon and Rue were victorious and will now go head-to-head for an Immunity Pin in the June 15 episode.
MasterChef Australia airs Sunday – Thursday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play.
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