Who failed to recreate an epic dessert set by UK Chef of the Year Clare Smyth during Legends Week?
Jess, Derek and Leah were tasked with making Clare’s Pear and Lemon Verbena Vacherin after failing in yesterday’s fish and potatoes Pressure Test set by the legend of the seafood scene, Rick Stein.
The dish required dexterity, finesse and time, with layers of swiss merengue, crème diplomat, pear puree, compressed pear pearls and lemon verbena and elderflower pearls.
Jess was daunted by the prospect of heading home and hoped her mantra of calm, confident and capable would be enough to pull her through. However, her fate was sealed early in the cook when she applied the merengue domes too thinly into their moulds.
When it came time to plate, her moulds cracked every time she attempted to pop them out, but thankfully her fifth and final dome came out in one piece which received rapturous applause from the gantry above her.
Despite her merengue dome fiasco, Jess successfully completed her other elements, and was thrilled to see her jelly had a beautiful consistency.
While plating up in front of the judges when it came time for tastings, Jess told them it had been an incredible experience cooking for Clare. But as the dish came together the room was devastated to see the dessert crack and break apart, fracturing under the weight.
She carefully finished plating up, and while the flavours were lovely, the writing was on the wall and there were no surprises when Jess was announced as the sixth contestant eliminated from the MasterChef kitchen.
Since leaving the MasterChef kitchen, Jess has worked at Firedoor with Lennox Hastie. She is excited to launch her cultured compound butter range, The Well Fed Co, which will be available at markets soon.
