The girls aren’t doing so well on Masterchef this season.
After coming in last in the team relay challenge, Monica was tasked with recreating Nigella’s infamous Roast Chicken alongside two sides and a gravy. She battled her teammates Abbey, Mandy, Larissa and Leah, opting to make Dutch carrots with a honey and miso glaze and potatoes.
It was a tense battle in the kitchen as Larissa struggled early in the piece to separate the skin from the breast on her roast chicken. But she rallied, as did Mandy, who added more stock to her gravy in a mad panic, watering it right down.
However, it was Monica who struggled overall. Choosing to make a traditional gravy with chicken bones, stock, shallots, garlic, thyme and butter, the judges were concerned early that her bones were too blonde, and Monica knew her oven wasn’t high enough. She added celery, onion and carrot to boost the flavour, and then added more stock, concerning both the gantry of contestants and Nigella.
When it came time to taste, the judges said her chicken was good and the carrots were great, but sadly the potatoes weren’t crispy or crunchy, and there was a bitterness to the sauce that didn’t work. Matt said he simply didn’t go ‘wow’ about either the gravy or the sides.
As a result, Monica was named the fourth contestant to be eliminated from MasterChef Australia.
Since leaving the MasterChef kitchen, Monica has completed work experience at Coombe, Fondata 1872 and the Natural Tucker Bakery. She is working on a cook book featuring family recipes called MIGNONE
