Tracey Tumbles out of Masterchef

Tracey Tumbles out of Masterchef

Last night’s Masterchef was a little bit different.

The final five arrived in the MasterChef Australia kitchen last night and quickly realised something was different when Gary asked what they would like to cook.

Jamie said he would like a foraging challenge, Emelia was keen to cook Greek food, Tracy wanted to cook something beautiful with seafood, and Laura wanted to cook with her favourite ingredient, artichoke. Brent had unfinished business with a dish he almost cooked in Heston Week, a seafood dish for his father called “Light at the end of the tunnel”.

The top five were told there were no rules. They could cook whatever they liked, with unrestricted access to the pantry and the garden, and were even allowed to decide their own cooking time as a group.

Realising she need to show the judges she could push herself, Tracy decided to make poached and pan-fried lobster tail with two sauces – a buerre blanc and a bisque reduction – plus roasted garlic and potato puree with a drizzle of chorizo oil. The judges questioned whether she needed both a rich and an acidic sauce. Tracy was confident about her dish, but added corn kernels for a pop of colour and crunch.

Tracy burnt her uerre blanc sauce and had to start again. With so many elements on the go, things started to unravel. Everything made it to the plate, but she was very disappointed with the look of the dish.

During the tasting, Jamie was praised for his vegetable salad with duck. Laura showed she could take her home-style Italian flavours to restaurant quality, while George said Emelia’s reinvented baklava parfait was better than his mum’s.

The judges admired Brent’s ambitious dish but felt it was a prototype that just missed the mark. Tracy’s presentation let her down and while her two sauces were clever, they weren’t perfect. While individualelements were delicious, the dish felt unfinished. The judges decided Brent had edged Tracy out in terms of creativity and Tracy was eliminated.

Since leaving the MasterChef Australia kitchen, Tracy has been doing work experience at Adelaide’s Orana restaurant and will be writing a regular food column for Barossa Living magazine. She is also planning to hold a stall at the Barossa Farmer’s Market with home baked goods and products.

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