With the memory of last week’s gruelling three round elimination challenge still fresh in his mind, Sean Baxter once again pulled on the dreaded black apron, to defend his place in the MasterChef kitchen.
Sean found himself going up against his fellow teammates from the Dessert Degustation Challenge, Amy, Kira, Tash, Georgia, Rachael, Colin, Brent and Sam.
Upon entering the kitchen, the judges revealed that a taste test awaited, but with a twist. Wearing blindfolds, contestants had to identify as many ingredients in the Louisiana Gumbo as possible.
Sean approached the test with gusto, diving in and eating with his hands. It was a successful approach and he identified 13 ingredients, the second highest amount. Only Amy identified more, identifying 15 ingredients.
In round two, contestants had to prepare a dish using only the ingredients they correctly identified. Sean decided to make a prawn and chilli sugo with an eggless pasta, but when his pasta wouldn’t come together he made the call to make flat bread instead. During the tasting the judges told Sean that his prawns were overcooked and his flatbread was like a cracker.
Rachael and Colin were applauded for their standout dishes of the day, but Sean was in the bottom three alongside Kira and Brent.
The judges decided that although Brent’s dish was too spicy, he cooked well. Kira’s dish had fewer elements than Sean, and in doing so she made less mistakes, so was safe from elimination.
Since leaving the MasterChef kitchen, in addition to continuing his role as Brand Manager for Reserve Brands, Sean has been working in the kitchen at award-winning cocktail bar Eau De Vie creating whisky and cocktail degustations. Sean plans to continue creating menus across Australia as an ambassador for whisky and food, marrying his love for food with his knowledge of liquor
Masterchef airs 7:30 Sunday – Thursday on Ten.