Last night Masterchef brought its toughest week to a close with an elimination no one saw coming.
Matt, Elena, Mimi and Chloe faced off in a time auction elimination challenge.
Each started with 120 minutes and bid on three categories of food with five-minute increments of time. The more time they bid, the less time they then had with which to cook. Whatever they chose, they had to use at least one ingredient from each category in their dish.
After the bidding, Chloe was left with the most cooking time (100 minutes) and had eggs, citrus fruits and spreads. Elena had 80 minutes and red mullet, nightshades and herbs. Both with 75 minutes were Mimi with beef, root vegetables and spices, and Matt with duck, alliums and sauces.
Chloe kicked off her cook with a honey mousse, which she attempted without a setting agent. Despite Gary’s concerns, she believed there was enough time for it to set in the fridge. With 15 minutes to go, her mousse had not set so she transferred it into the blast freezer to assist it in setting, hoping the texture would not be affected.
Elena took some time to fillet her mullet, which she then pan-fried. She roasted the fish bones and combined them with charred nightshades to make a rich sauce. The judges called it “rock star cooking” and said it was the kind of cooking that could win the competition.
In her 75 minutes, Mimi made eye fillet with roast beetroot, charred beet leaves and mustard pickle radish, with a ri
a rich jus. The judges thought she nailed it, with great intensity of flavour. Matt cooked duck two ways, with a crispy skin duck breast and braised duck leg, and was successful in overcoming Matt Preston’s concern about the integrity of his sauce.
Chloe’s curd was too runny to pipe and her mousse had developed a hard, ice cream-like consistency. When the judges tasted her honey mousse, they immediately noted the poor consistency. While her wafer was good, her curd was loose, undercooked and eggy. It was clear that Chloe’s dish didn’t match the competition and she departed the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
Chloe is launching Bowles Family Sauces, starting with her favourite, butterscotch. She also has plans to open her own bistro in the future
