Tag: food

Posted in Celebrity Season 2, MasterChef Aus Recaps, TV Show Recaps

Celebrity MasterChef S02E02 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

We’re back for episode two, and I’m excited to see what’s brought to the table today.

The gang giggle in, Thorpey talking about how they all get along so well.

They walk to the front to find the judges, Mel, Andy and Jock, waiting at the front.

Andy asks them what they got out of yesterday’s cook, and Chrissie says it’s the first time she’s cooked for people who don’t have to be nice, so maybe she is good at cooking.

Mel starts to explain the challenge. “Today, we want you to bring your favourite comfort food dish.”

Then, Jock starts to set down the rules for this challenge. They have 75 minutes to bring their favourite comfort food dish. Only the best dish will be safe from Sunday elimination, and they won’t be the first celebrity going home.

Nick is frothing for the idea of not being the first going home.

Time starts, and everyone stands there for a moment going, “Oh, it starts now?” before deciding where they should go and what to do.

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Once out of the pantry and getting going, everyone starts to talk about what they’ll be cooking.

The judges sit on the couch and talk about how now they get to learn about the truest form of the celebrity, and how the competition will be fierce tonight.

First to be harassed is Tilly, who is cooking butter chicken. Yum! The judges are keen. Tilly says that as long as she doesn’t go home first, she won’t be in trouble with her dad.

On the subject, I got a Hot Tip from two people, of the same thing, and I know it’s a little old, but it’s still really funny. Gordon Ramsey, with James Corden, did a MasterChef parody, MasterChef Senior, and you can watch it here. I really enjoyed it, thank you Del and James for sending me that!

They annoy a few more celebrities.

Nick is feeling a bit confident in cooking his dish in 75 minutes. He pulls a judges, and harasses Chrissie with his spices.

One hour to go.

I’m really glad to see they’ve moved away from going, “I don’t know how to cook! I don’t know what each machine is!” They did too much of that last episode – today, they’re serious about cooking this dish and impressing.

Rebecca is starting to feel stressed.

Thorpe decides to add some truffle to his mac and cheese. Dilruk is doing mac and cheese. Ooh, a bit of a mac and cheese off, Chrissie is also doing a truffle mac and cheese. She’s getting nervous realising that she’s facing off against two others, and that she has to have the best mac and cheese to win.

“It’s a smack-and-cheese down,” Dilruk says. When he finds out the other two are being a bit extra, “Who puts truffle in there?”

Out here cooking fried chicken and fried rice, it’s Archie, cracking out his sob story while he’s at it. He wants to take cooking back into his family…

Dami stirs her Korean banquet noodles with her chopsticks.

There’s 30 minutes to go.

Rebecca’s doing cheese rolls. She talks about how she loves white bread, and goes on a bit of a tangent. Nick talks to us about scallops and being from Tassie.

Cooking the death dish, it’s Collette. Jock and Andy wish her luck in her endeavours, but she’s confident.

Returning to the couches, the judges gossip about how the contestants are going and which dishes they’re most excited for.

“We’re here, and we’re hungry,” Andy yells out. “Ten minutes to go.”

Nick and Chrissie talk about scallops, and she pretends to be interested in when scallops have to be cooked, and not stressing about the other two mac and cheeses.

The judges come around to her, and she talks about making a panwich? “My kids call it a toasted panwich.” I think she’s abandoned the mac and cheese? Surely not with six minutes to go.

Nick is freaking out and watches his scallops cook.

There’s three minutes to go, and Jock is yelling at them to start plating.

Nick is really stressed, and has started equating MasterChef to a game of AFL.

Ok, so, Chrissie hasn’t abandoned the mac and cheese, she’s just added elements, and she reckons there might be a bit too much.

Tilly is vibeing with her butter chicken, but she’s a bit like, “How do I plate??”

Counting down the final seconds, the contestants are relieved to finally have this over with.

A few friends come over to eat Collette’s risotto.

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The judges are set – they’re eating on the couch today. It reminds me of, I want to say season 12, where the contestants had to cook food that would be delivered to Mel and had to survive the travel, while also serving up to Jock and Andy at their table. But I digress.

First to taste is Tilly. She has made Butter Chicken with Saffron Rice and Roti Bread.

Tilly’s Butter Chicken with Saffron Rice and Roti Bread

Mel and Jock serve, while Andy grills Tilly on her home life. She reveals some shocking news: Gordon doesn’t really cook at home.
“He likes to make out that he does all the cooking, but it’s mostly mum.”
They are living for the tea.
Tilly talks about wanting to go to uni and study psychology.

Ok, food time.
Jock calls it delicious, homely, the sauce is comforting, and the rice is cooked perfectly. Andy calls it an awesome start to her MasterChef journey.

Next is Rebecca, and she’s made Southland Cheese Rolls.

Rebecca’s Southland Cheese Rolls

Andy calls it a cracking dish, with the filling absolutely delicious. Mel agrees, and so does Jock, who would gladly eat hundreds.

Next is Archie. He’s cooked Fried Chicken and Rice

Archie’s Fried Chicken and Rice

Ooh, it’s looking good. He’s reluctant to share how many herbs and spices, but the other contestants rattle through his bench and discover 11, ratting him out immediately, while he’s trying to negotiate for immunity.

Mel says the crunch is great, and the chicken is cooked well – exactly what you want from a good fried chicken. They all agree the big lump of chicken is perfect. We all agree that we would marry that chicken if we could. Andy compliments the fried rice, calling it delicious.

Up to face the judges, it’s Nick with Curried Scallop Pies, a family recipe/tradition.

Nick’s Curried Scallop Pies

Mel eats scallop pies like they’ll swim away, and she says these are the best she’s had. Andy calls them powerful.

Dami’s next, serving Korean Banquet Noodles with Seafood Kimchi Pancake.

Dami’s Korean Banquet Noodles with Seafood Kimchi Pancake

Jock says the pancake needed a couple extra minutes in the pan.

It’s time for Matt. He’s made Roast Tomato Fettuccine, and it looks so yummy!

Matt’s Roast Tomato Fettuccine

Jock says it tastes good, but there’s too much pasta for the amount of sauce. Andy says that it definitely is a comfort food, and I’m not entirely sure you can have too much pasta, but go off I guess, Jock.

Collette comes out with her Death Dish: Zucchini Risotto with Tomato Chilli Relish

Zucchini Risotto with Tomato Chilli Relish

Jock calls it a perfect risotto, and compliments all the different things she had done. Mel says it’s light, perfect amount of cheesy-ness, and the zucchini is perfect. And Andy loves it, he says it can’t get much better.

The first mac and cheese to be served is Thorpey’s.

Thorpey’s Truffle Mac & Cheese

Jock says the flavour is sensational, but a bit too tight – needs more goo.

Second is Dilruk, with his Mexican inspired mac and cheese, including jalapeños

Dilruk’s Mex & Cheese

They love the flavour, and how it’s a bit spicy, all round very good. But there’s still one more mac and cheese left in this mac off.

So, Jock yells out for Chrissie to bring her dish over. The judges are sitting on the couches, which is already a bit away from the benches, and usually they would stand at their table and call the next person over. It just reminds me of when kids yell for their mum from another room, like they’re in the lounge room and just yell, “Mum, I’m hungry!” And Chrissie just has mum vibes, especially when she brings over her dish, which is food she cooks for her kids at home.

She brings out a tray of Mac & Cheese Two ways with Toasted Panwich, which is a toasted sandwich cooked on a pan.

Chrissie’s Mac & Cheese Two Ways with Toasted Panwich

Jock calls it very comforting, but a bit overcooked. However, it’s unanimously agreed that the panwich is the best.

With that, tasting is over.

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It’s time for the results.

Mel reminds them of what just happened and what the stakes are.

There were four top dishes today, cooked by Collette, Nick, Tilly, and Rebecca.

But there can only be one winner, one safe from immunity on Sunday.

With a dish where all the elements fit together seamlessly, safe this week is Collette.

They’re told to leave the kitchen and not come back until Sunday.

Righto, I don’t know why I expected more episodes, I guess because usually there’s the four or five a week, but I guess this season there’s only two? Anyway, I’ll see you on Sunday!

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As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read season 12 recaps here, and catch up on this season here.

If want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message.

Enjoy my recaps? It may surprise you, seeing as I sprinkle in some ads, and I have my own URL, but I don’t get paid to do any of my writing and I’ve never made any money from writing at all.
If you’d like to support me, consider buying me a coffee and I’ll love you forever, and give you a shout out in my next recap, if you’d like.

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Posted in Celebrity Season 2, MasterChef Aus Recaps, TV Show Recaps

Celebrity MasterChef AUS S02E01 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Hello, hello! I’m writing this little bit right before the first episode of Celebrity MasterChef Aus season 2 airs.

I am keen as a bean!

If you’re a recurring reader, you’ll know that I missed MasterChef Australia season 13 because I had too much work to spend time and to focus on writing recaps, and in a wild twist of events, I’m currently in LockDown, with the expectation that end of next week we should be getting back to a bit more normal. In saying that, I don’t know what the plan is with my work.

At this stage, if I were to miss an episode, I will have significant time the next day to write it up. I’m also a little addicted to SAS Aus, so it’s almost handy that I’m not working a lot at the moment.

That’s enough about me; if I go on, I’m sure I’ll end up sounding bitter.

A Hot Tip came through from Jonson Leung – Emelia, winner of season 12, has had a baby!

Without further ado, here’s the recap.

The new season kicks off with Jock introducing the premise of the show, snippets of the season to come, and Andy lists off some of the careers our Celebrity contestants have.

Every single snippet, shows the contestants freaking out about cooking, and regretting their decision to join this season.

Mel walks about welcoming everyone to the MasterChef family.

The celebrities start rolling in.

In car #1 is Rebecca Gibney and Matt Le Nevez, commonly known from Offspring, and Rebecca Gibney, the mother from Packed to the Rafters.

They exit the car in a bit of rain, walking up the carpet, firework/sparklers going off either side, and walk into the kitchen, to see Jock, Andy, and Mel waiting at the front, all looking very daper.

They introduce themselves to each other.

“My heart is pounding!” Rebecca exclaims, taking a moment to try and catch her breath.

Next is car #2, Ian Thorpe (Thorpey), Olympic swimmer, and Collette Dinnigan, fashion designer.

Car #3 is Dilruk Jayasinha, a comedian, and Nick Riewoldt, AFL player.

“Couldn’t they have judged me on something else? Like my thick eyebrows?” Dilruk says in the car, telling us he only learnt to cook during the pandemic.

(“Hear that?” my partner says. “He couldn’t even cook last year! Hope for you yet!”)

#4 is Dami Im, singer and icon, and Archie Thompson, a footballer/soccer player.

Nick enthuses about the other celebrities here, and how excited he is to meet such incredible people.

Car #5 is my personal favourite, Tilly Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, and Chrissie Swan, television and radio personality.

“I’m a bit nervous, and I probably have a crush on her dad,” Chrissie says in her confessionals.

https://twitter.com/GordonRamsay/status/1446958654935080963?s=20

Everyone kind of freaks out a bit with Tilly there, given her culinary experience, realising this won’t be as easy as this could be.

Jock officially welcomes everyone to Celebrity MasterChef.

There’s the usual sort of banter that you can expect from judge and contestants before challenges, with the judges singling out a person and asking about their cooking experience and how keen they are.

It comes to light that Thorpey has his own published cookbook, and there’s a moment of uproar.

Andy gives us the stakes – $100,000 to the charity of their choice, and the title of MasterChef.

Their first challenge is to make the dish their famous for, with the winner receiving an immunity pin.

Andy says, “This pin can be played at any point in any challenge. It’s the only one up for grabs this entire competition.”

Jock tells them to take an apron, their name in gold, and told to leave and get changed.

They return in normal clothes and their fancy new aprons. A consolidation prize?

Jock says they have 90 minutes, full access to the panty, and all dishes will get tasted today.

Time starts, and they rush to the pantry for the first time.

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Chrissie is very vocal in the pantry, going, “What do I put my chicken on? Where’s the dairy?”

A handful of celebrities cry out as they realise they don’t recognise many of the appliances.

Tilly, Dami and Thorpey seem to be the only ones who aren’t very worried about cooking.

Dilruk is the most relatable, as someone who is cooking challenged (see season 12 when I almost burnt down my apartment cooking noodles), but he’s out here doing his best. He’s following recipes to the T – even measuring salt.

What an icon, he put a pot on the ground to pour stuff into.

Tilly graced us with a few TikToks of her and her dad, and they’re very funny, would recommend watching.

Mel tells Dilruk that her mum makes the same dish that he’s cooking tonight, and now he’s more concerned than he was before. He’s also worried about how good Thorpey is, and is right next to him, so decides to disarm him with cute smiles.

Thorpey is getting very competitive, not phased of Dilruk’s smiles.

Oop, we’ve got our first sob story.
It’s Nick, talking about how his sister passed a few years ago.

Ugh, then there’s an ad for Dog House Australia, and I will not be watching that, because I watched an episode last night about a dog who has just had a hard life, and has been up for adoption for a year, and didn’t end up getting adopted in the episode, and I sobbed. It was very ugly.

Twenty minutes to go.

Matt’s getting his 10,000 steps in, running back and forth from the pantry.

Rebecca and Chrissie are bonding, and I’m sure they’re soon to be best friends

With 10 minutes to go, Thorpey finishes and has his dish plated up. Everyone’s a little salty, realising how competitive he’s going to be and worrying about their food and getting it happening. He then walks around, offering everyone help with their dishes. Focused, no-one accepts his help.

Rebecca takes a moment to breathe, lying on the ground.

Everyone starts to get thinking about plating, and I’m honestly getting a bit bored.

With two minutes to go, Matt is freaking out.

One minute to go, and the scramble is real – everyone is frantically getting things plated and looking nice, and doing last minute touches.

Mel, Jock and Andy start the count down, and then time runs out.

The foods look amazing! A few of the contestants express a moment of worry that it’s going to work, but proud of themselves nonetheless for giving it a go and having fun.

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Andy says, “Well, good news gang, you’ve finished your first cook in the MasterChef kitchen.”

The first dish to be tasted is Chrissie. She’s cooked Roast Chicken Maryland with Mascarpone Potato Bake. She tells a little story about how at 5:30pm, the street smells of dinner from a neighbour family, and her mum didn’t really cook. Chrissie always wanted to cook and have her kids smell dinner.

Jock is just going in eating the chicken leg with his fingers.
Mel calls it a dish of love, perfectly cooked. She calls it, “a raging success.”
Andy says the food is cooked to perfection, and Jock agrees, saying everything was great together.

Next up is Matt. He picks up his food and turns to walk out of the kitchen. After being reassured he won’t be killed off, he brings his food to the front for the judges.

Matt has cooed Blackened Fish Tacos with Pineapple Cabbage Slaw and Homemade Tortillas.

They said it was delicious and he did a good job, which seemed to be a relief given how hard the cook had been for him.

Next is Dami with her Dolsot Bibimbap and Doenjang Soup
Andy describes it as phenomenal, and everything worked great together.

Collette brings her Roast Chicken and Corn, and Radicchio Salad, and Mel calls it perfection.

Thorpey brings out Veal Saltimbocca with Fennel and Mandarin Salad. Jock says it’s beautiful, and all the elements are fantastic, however there’s a slight imbalance.

Nick brings Crayfish Tagliatelle. The say his pasta is great, and for a first dish, a wonderful effort.

Archie’s next, with Beef Wellington. It is cooked perfectly, and everyone cheers for him. Archie even gets a hug from the judges.

Andy gives him lots of ticks, however he pastry is a bit under. Mel commends him for giving it a go, and says it’s a tricky dish.

“Well done, mate, that was really delicious,” Jock says.

Rebecca brings her dish up, Whitebait Fritters with Chips and Jam. She gives us a sob story of how whitebait was a treat growing up.

Jock starts the critique. “The whitebait, ten out of ten.”
Andy likes that the crust is cut off her bread. Jock says the fritter was delicious. No-one has a bad thing to say. Mel calls it, “pure, unadulterated joy.”

Time for my fave, Dilruk. He’s worried that Mel’s standard will be too high for his cooking.

He’s made Beef Rendang wth Kiribath and Luna Miris.

Mel says she was really excited that he was cooking this, and it was wonderful. Everyone really enjoys it, and likes the two cultures together. Andy calls it a perfect dish.

It’s Tilly Time. SHe’s made Salmon and Prawn Gyoza with brown butter soy sauce and sweet corn puree.

They look really cute, and I wish I had a plateful of them right now.
Jock kicks it off talking about her technique and how well her cooking is. Mel commends her for the filling, and how she has physically cooked the gyoza. Andy’s only thing was that the filling was a bit dry.

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It’s time for the decision.

“That was an incredible first day in the kitchen,” Jock says, before reminding them of the stakes. “Four stood out.”

The top four are:
– Dami
– Collette
– Dilruk
– Chrissie

But there can only be one winner, one immunity pin.

The winner of the first competition and the only immunity pin is Dilruk.

Aww well done Dilruk! How good!

Unfortunately, his win will encourage my family to make me do more cooking.

Andy tells them to bugger off, and they all give each other hugs, before walking out the door.

“Did anyone see that coming?! I won the immunity pin! Like, what?” Dilruk says. “I’m like Golem from Lord of the Rings!“

Tomorrow night, immunity is on the line, with elimination coming next Sunday.

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I’m so excited to be back to recaps. I’m honestly not 100% sure how I feel about this season, but we’ll see how it goes. I’ll be back tomorrow with episode two!

Time allowing, I’m also considering doing recaps for The Bachelorette this season, as she’s bisexual, and I’m always up for some LGBTQIA+ content. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in or not.

Next month, November, I am aiming to be doing NaNoWriMo. If you’d like updates on how it goes, etc, let me know. I’m considering doing like a Patreon with my bigger pieces of writing and drafts and the like.

Anyway, see you tomorrow!

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read season 12 recaps here, and catch up on this season here.

If want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message.

Enjoy my recaps? It may surprise you, seeing as I sprinkle in some ads, and I have my own URL, but I don’t get paid to do any of my writing and I’ve never made any money from writing at all.
If you’d like to support me, consider buying me a coffee and I’ll love you forever, and give you a shout out in my next recap, if you’d like.

Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 12, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S12E48 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Alrightyo. So, I had planned on getting all the recaps done before the finale, and that didn’t happen…

But, MasterChef is going to start airing in the UK next Monday, I think, (hi UK readers!) so I’m going to go back to doing one recap at a time, because I’m not in a time crunch, and I’ll go back and add a “previous ep” and “next ep” for each recap, if I can be bothered lmao.

Solemn judges wait at the front for the contestants, aware of the horrors they’re about to face.

The contestants walk in to see the judges standing in front of a table of one inch cubes.

Look at em all!
Here they come!

Mel tells us that round one is a taste test. There’s 60 cubes, ranging from easy to hard. They’ll be tasting one at a time, and blindfolded.

The first four to get it wrong will go into the next round.

Callum calls it Russian Roulette with food.

Jock walks around with a bag full of numbers, and each person picks out their order.

  1. Callum
  2. Brendan
  3. Poh
  4. Laura
  5. Reynold
  6. Tessa
  7. Emelia

The first cube is taken over to Callum. As the game progressed, a cube is brought to each contestant and they smell, touch, and taste the food before guessing.

Now, this is just the order in which we see them (you’re so lucky I’m such a stickler haha) but at 19, Mel calls it number 31, and I feel cheated that we didn’t see more to be honest, but it be like that I suppose. Feel free to skim the list, or skip altogether, I’ll say who’s in round two after the tasting anyway.

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  1. Carrot – guessed correctly by Callum
  2. Apple – guessed correctly by Brendan
  3. Banana – guessed correctly by Poh
  4. Beetroot – guessed correctly by Laura
  5. Orange – guessed correctly by Reynold
  6. Celery – guessed incorrectly by Tessa, who guessed Celeriac, making her the first into round two.
  7. Tomato – guessed correctly by Emelia
  8. Pineapple – guessed correctly by Callum
  9. Zucchini – guessed correctly by Brendan (although Jock jokingly said it wasn’t, causing panic)
  10. Pumpkin – guessed correctly by Poh
  11. Cauliflower – guessed correctly by Laura
  12. Lamb – guessed correctly by Reynold
  13. Beef – guessed correctly by Emelia
  14. Rock Melon – guessed correctly by Callum
  15. Cucumber – guessed correctly by Brendan
  16. Bacon – guessed correctly by Poh
  17. Avocado – guessed correctly by Laura
  18. Feta Cheese – guessed correctly by Reynold
  19. Radicchio – guessed correctly by Emelia
  20. Chicken – guessed correctly by Callum
  21. Salmon – guessed correctly by Brendan
  22. Blue Cheese – guessed correctly by Poh
  23. Cheddar Cheese – guessed correctly by Laura
  24. Ham – guessed incorrectly by Reynold, who guessed Turkey, making him second into round two
  25. Broccoli – correctly guessed by Emelia
  26. Lemon – guessed correctly by Callum
  27. Tuna – guessed correctly by Brendan
  28. Salami – guessed correctly by Poh
  29. Pear – guessed correctly by Laura
  30. Strawberry – guessed correctly by Emelia
  31. Radish – guessed correctly by Callum
  32. Lime – guessed incorrectly by Brendan, who guessed Pomelo, making him third into round two.
  33. Liquorice – guessed correctly by Poh
  34. Parmesan Cheese – guessed correctly by Laura (cube 41)
  35. Pawpaw – guessed correctly by Emelia
  36. Brussel Sprout – guessed correctly by Poh
  37. Kiwi Fruit – guessed correctly by Laura
  38. Pork Belly – guessed correctly by Emelia
  39. Grapefruit – guessed correctly by Callum
  40. Durian – guessed correctly by Poh
  41. Cream Cheese – guessed by Emelia
  42. Star Fruit – guessed correctly by Callum
  43. Persimmon – guessed correctly by Poh (cube 52)
  44. Fried Tofu – guessed correctly by Laura
  45. Parsnip – guessed correctly by Emelia
  46. Horseradish – guessed correctly by Callum
  47. Feijoa – guessed correctly by Poh
  48. Honey Dew – guessed correctly by Laura
  49. Kohlrabi – guessed incorrectly by Emelia, who guessed Daikon on cube 58, and is the fourth and final person into round two.

The final two cubes where Bitter Melon and Hekima.

Poh, Laura and Callum head upstairs with Reece.

In round two is Tessa, Reynold, Brendan and Emelia.

Behind the judges are five tables that represent basic taste. In order: bitter, salty, sweet, sour, umami.

They need to cook a balanced dish from each of the pantries. The key focus is balance.

Andy reminds them of what’s on the line – a position in the top seven.

They have 60 minutes, with the regular staples and the foods on the tables – no big pantry and no garden.

Time starts.

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Ok, look, I was really trying to watch the cooking, but I just didn’t care, so I watched TikToks instead (I’m @FelicityFeiner, but it’s mostly just LGBTQIA stuff).

First to taste is Tessa.

Scarlet Prawn Crudo with Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette and Beef Fat Belacan Oil

They really like it, and find that there is a balance with all the different types of tastes.

Mel calls it sunshine on a plate.

Next is Reynold.

Pan-Seared Duck with Beetroot Reduction, Date Puree and Barbecued Kale

Jock says although it’s not the most interesting dish, it is very well balanced. Andy agrees.

Mel says visually it is dramatic.

Third is Brendan.

Lobster Noodles in Seafood Broth

The judges say it wasn’t balanced enough, and was too umami, which would be fine any other day, however as the challenge is to balance, it’s just not there.

Mel and Jock talk about how having a umami bomb is great, and chefs search for how to get that, and Brendan has it absolutely, but it’s a hinderance in this particular challenge.

Brendan could be in trouble,

Finally, Emelia.

Chocolate and Vegemite Parfait with Yogurt and Rhubarb

She’s a bit worried about having done such a risky dish for the judges, but it’s in their hands now.

The judges first talk about the skill, howe the Vegemite brings just enough salt. Mel calls the texture a luxury to consume, and Andy compliments the balance.

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“There’s no doubt,” Andy says, “that the pressure has gone up a few levels.”

First, the best of the day – Tessa. Confident cooking, perfectly combining all the balanced elements.

However one dish missed the brief, although a lot of umami is normally wonderful, Brendan just missed it today.

Which means Brendan is eliminated. Mel enthuses about his dumplings and says it’s the best that this kitchen has ever seen.

The judges give him an elbow bump each, and the contestants clap as they also give him elbow bumps on his way out.

So, Plate of Origin (P.O.O.) is set to debut soon, with Matt and Gary at the helm, along with Manu from My Kitchen Rules.

Now that MasterChef has ended for the year, I’ve thought about doing POO recaps, or if I’m just not feeling the first episode, then a review, but I want to know if this is something you’d be interested in.

While I’ve got you here, I’d really appreciate a quick click from you for the poll below. Thank you!

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read last years recaps here, catch up on this season here, and watch this season over here, at shvideos.net.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message. Alternatively, tell a butterfly, but absolutely not a moth, and I’ll include it in the next recap.

Enjoy my recaps? It may surprise you, seeing as I sprinkle in some ads, and I have my own URL, but I don’t get paid to do any of my writing and I’ve never made any money from writing.
If you’d like to support me, consider buying me a coffee and I’ll love you forever, and give you a shout out in my next recap, if you’d like.

Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 12, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S12E45, 46, 47 – Recaps

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Ok, this. is when it started being three episodes a week – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. So I’ll do the blocks by weeks, so three episodes for this block.

Episode 45 – Sunday 14th June – Elimination

Safe from tonight is Reece who won Thursday’s immunity challenge.

The contestants arrive to the garden to see it set up with what appears to be street food stalls.

Four safe in round one, four into round two, where one will go home.
Round one is all about street food. There’s Indian, Chinese, Mexican and Lebanese, and they’ll be cooking in pairs.

Andy comes around with a bag for them to pick a token with a cuisine on it.

Orange/Indian: Laura, Emelia.
Brown/Lebanese: Poh, Callum
Red/Chinese: Khanh, Reynold
Yellow/Mexican: Brendon, Tessa

Joining the contestants today is chef Charlie Carrington from Atalas.

Two street food dishes using only the pantry available outside and of course the garden. They have 75 minutes, with the best four safe.

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Tasting time. Photos as usual.

First is Mexican, Tessa and Brendon, serving Blue-Eye Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa and Fried Black Beans, and Agave and Lime Glazed Quail with Charred Corn, Pineapple Hot Sauce and Jalapeno Salsa.
The judges really enjoyed it, and everything was delicious.

Next to taste is Indian, Emelia and Laura, who went to India together after their season. They’re serving Pani Puri with Scallop and Cucumber Ceviche, and Tandoori Prawns with Naan, Curry Sauce and Yoghurt.
The judges enjoyed the dish, but there were too many flavours and they overpowered the prawns. The Pani Puri texture was like a stale biscuit.

It’s Team China time, with Reynold and Khanh. They’re serving Fried Rice with Lap Cheong, Shrimp, and Chicken Scratchings, and Pork and Chinese Cabbage Dumpling with Plack Vinegar and Soy Dressing.
The rice needed something a bit fresher, it was nice but not great. The rice was quite greasy. The dumplings however were great.

Finally, Lebanon with Callum and Poh, serving Grilled Prawns with Fried Heads and Pistachio and Herb Hommus, and Lamb Shoulder with Baba Ganoush, Pomegranate Salad and Flatbread.
The prawn was cooked perfectly. It hit the mark in terms of simplicity. The lamb was a bad choice for 75 minutes, and it was dry.

Decision time.

Into round two is China and India, so Khanh, Reynold, Emelia and Reynold.
They change into black aprons, and head inside.

Inside is a big map of the world wit pins in certain places.

Round two is about cuisine from around the world, but making a modern fine dining spin on the cuisine.

They have sixty minutes to cook sweet or savoury. Time starts and they get going.

I skip the cooking because I’ve got to get ready for work in about ten minutes.

First to taste is Reynold, serving Confit Blue-Eye with Celeriac Puree, Peas, Chive Oil and Wine Sauce.
Visually very appealing. It’s technically perfect French. The fish was on the edge of not being perfect, but it was excellent. Reynold is clearly safe.

Next is Khanh with Gà Kho Gung.
Jock finds a bone. Uh oh. Not everything worked as it should have. It’s not looking good for Khanh.

It’s Laura next, serving Coq Au Vin.
It’s more rustic than fine dining, however the elements were excellent.

Finally, Emelia with her Paris-Brest Petit Fours.
It’s crispy, it’s great, it’s fancy, they call it textbook perfect.

Decision time.

Safe today is Reynold and Emelia, leaving it between Khanh and Laura.

Unfortunately, as Khanh is my favourite, he’s out. He ends by saying everything gets better and things will work out, aw he’s so wonderful.

Ok, next episode.

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MasterChef Australia Recap
Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 12, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S12E33 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Hello, hello! It’s MasterChef time!

So, Tuesday, there was no elim – we got an additional immunity for Sunday, and for wowing everyone, Emelia will be safe! Huzzuh!

It’s Mystery Box day, with the top fighting for immunity again tomorrow. Let’s get into it.

Oh, before we start, I’ve got a Hot Tip, once again from my beautiful girl. I swear, she knows more about MasterChef than I do sometimes, and she doesn’t even watch the episodes (does she read the recaps? Who’s to say?).
Anyway, Reynold recently apologised for homophobic rants online, where he said homosexuality is a mental illness and said all the gays should be put on an island. Here’s a link to the full article. Opens in new tab.

Do these revelations change the way you think about Reynold? Let me know your thoughts.

I’m also kinda watching Glee on the side, because I”m gay, but I won’t let it distract me, except for the cooking time, I don’t care for the cooking.

All the contestants walk in to find the benches set with a mystery box and the judges waiting for them at the front. Emelia walks up to stare at them from the roof, because she can’t get immunity again. The judges say she won’t have to cook for the rest of the week.

Jock tells them not to mess around, and to open the lid.

Inside is a picture of them as a kid – a photo sent in from a loved one. It’s super cute, people are getting a bit teary. Mel asks them to explain. It’s sweet. Khanh starts crying as he talks about his photo and his past. He was a little kid, and it was their first day coming to Aus from a refugee camp, where he was born. Aww I love him even more now.

And then on Glee, stuff happened and it was more interesting than hearing about the meaning behind pictures, but I looked back to see a lot of tears, and Mel crying from the photos.

Andy tells them to take inspiration from their photo and make a great dish. The garden and pantry are open today. The best four will go into immunity tomorrow. Their time, sixty minutes, start.

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Honest;y, I completely missed the entire cook, so let’s jump straight to the tasting, which is truely the most important thing..

First to taste is Callum.

Callum talks about how his father passed while he was a kid and he started cooking for the fam, which is where his love of food came from.

The judges love it, they think it’s delicious and sellable.

Next is Brendon.

Dan Dan Noodles.

Brendon says his grandma taught him to make noodles from scratch, and he plates up for the judges.

“It’s a plate of food that’s really not you,” Andy says, describing Brendon as a gentle person, but the dish as an angry, fiery one.

They adore it.

It’s Poh time.

Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles

Poh talks about her dad and how this dish was inspired by him.

The judges get their dishes and are all taking a bit to deal with their hot mouths.

Mel says the dish looks so gentle and subtle but it’s waves of spice etc which is great, and “triumphant”. “I feel great privilege in eating it.”

Next is Jess, who has cooked a Hazelnut Chocolate Crack with Dark Chocolate Tia Maria Mousse – a play on Ferrero Rocher.

Andy gets super excited when cracking his. “It’s like an egg!”

The judges have one each and crack them open, to reveal many layers inside. Andy gets Jess to go through each layer, before tasting.

Jock says it doesn’t taste anything like a Ferrero Rocher, but it’s one of the best desserts he’s eaten all year. He goes on to talk about all the positive things with the dish – everything – and how it’s amazing she did it in 60 minutes.

They absolutely enthuse on her skills.

Next is Khanh

Chao Ga with Dau Chao Quay

Andy says this dish is packed in with so many emotional flavour, and he feels like it’s a hug from Khanh.

They absolutely love it, and it’s lovely.

A few people come up and share their dishes and inspiration (Laura, Simon, Sarah, Tessa, ) and then we’re back to getting photos.

It’s Reece.

Nan’s Sponge Cake with Passionfruit Butter, Vanilla Orange Cream

Jock gets particularly emotional, as he connects to this dish a lot.

Andy again swears he doesn’t actually like cake, but he likes this.

Final dish, it’s Reynold with a dish called Bali Sunrise, the name of his parents restaurant.

The judges love that it looks like a coconut, and are surprised to see the green when they crack it open.
Jock asks Reynold to run through the elements. I cannot tell you what the green is, I’m sorry.

They’re shocked, like Jess’, that he got that made in 60 minutes. Jock says the dessert techniques are commendable.

It’s time for the results.

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Jock says they couldn’t pick just four, which is unprecedented, just like these unprecedented times. They decided to pick a top five.

Those going into immunity are: Jess, Poh, Brendon, Kahn, and Reynold.

And that’s the episode! How good.

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read last years recaps here, catch up on this season here, and watch this season over here, at shvideos.net.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message. Alternatively, tell the little man who turns on the fridge light. He’ll pass on your tip onto mine, and I’ll include it in the next recap.

Enjoy my recaps? It may surprise you, seeing as I sprinkle in some ads, and I have my own URL, but I don’t get paid to do any of my writing and I’ve never made any money from this.
If you’d like to support me, consider buying me a coffee and I’ll love you forever, and give you a shout out in my next recap, if you’d like.

MasterChef Australia Recap
Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 12, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S12E32 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Tonight is the “pressure test”, but the winner of today will get immunity, so no-one will be going home. Phew!

Mel is back, and the social distancing is continuing.

Jock asks the four competing, Khanh, Simon, Emelia and Brendon, what getting immunity this week would mean to them.

“I just want a week off from the crippling anxiety,” Emelia says.
Me too, boo, me too.

It’s time for the dish. In walks Kirstin Tibballs with a special looking plate. She lifts the lid to show the dish.

“Today, you’ll be cooking my…” she lifts the lid, “Mojito.”

They each get a dessert on their benches. It’s cut open showing all the layers. They get to eat their watermelon mojito, not having to worry about sharing, which is really the dream. I’m terrible at sharing, which always comes back to bite me, when I’ve eaten a whole bag of popcorn and my girl hasn’t had any.

Kirsten gives them the low down, giving them hints on the chocolate.

They’ll have three hours to cook and three minutes before serving to get it ready. All the things they need are at their benches.
Andy reminds them that the best dish gets immunity, so really if they can’t do it and it turns into a vodka mess, that’s fine because they won’t be out.

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Time starts, and everyone washes their hands first before getting into reading the recipe.

This is the worst bit about watching the episode as it airs – I can’t just skip the cooking. But it means my pide can get here before the judges taste, which is always handy.

Brendon is having a drama of a time, and it looks like Khanh is having a bit of a drama as well, but it’s ok because they won’t get evicted tonight. Eliminated. I think I’ve got Big Brother on my mind… Or I’m thinking about what would happen to me if I attempted to cook this dessert…

Part of the cooking is filling a balloon with goods, but Emelia is having dramas tying the balloon. Honestly though, for the most part, she’s doing amazing, she’ll knock this out of the park.

Everyone’s going really well, and then when Khanh goes to do what Emelia did with the balloon in the chocolate stuff, it just crumbles, along with his hopes of getting immunity.

Simon goes to pull his balloon from the chocolate dome and it just cracks the whole thing in half and I audible gasp.

Finally, time runs out and everyone steps away from their benches.

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First to present to the judges is Brendon, who fills the watermelon shell and gets everything ready, before presenting to the judges.

They’re all sitting at the long table, Jock and Andy at two seperate ends, and Mel and Kirsten sitting in the middle of the table, everyone apart.

They all love everything, I don’t recall any actual critiques, other than the stripes on the watermelon being different to how Kirsten does hers.

“He’s done exceptionally well,” Jock says.

Next is Khanh. (We get an ad break, so I wait for my boi’s watermelon, like I wait for my pide to be confirmed – riddled with fear and hunger)

They crack it open and find that the watermelon is quite thick at the bottom, but otherwise, it’s pretty good, which I’m glad to hear.
Jock calls the tempering perfect, but says the visuals just isn’t quite there.

It’s Simon’s turn, and he’s upset that he used a less than great sphere.
As Kirsten tries to cut it open, they comment that it’s quite a thick sphere.

And then we cut to ad break again?! And the restaurant I ordered from closed?! This is outragous.

“Well, he got all the elements at least, right?” Mel asks, and Kirsten confirms.
Thick as it may have been, the elements were all really good, which is nice to hear, I guess. I don’t care for Simon because of something he said to Anushka and Tati last season. What can I say? I hold a grudge lmao.

Finally, it’s Emelia, and Kirsten says it looks wonderful.

“I can’t fault any of it, she should be congratulated, “Kirsten says.

Well, I don’t think we need to hear any more.

No-one else agrees, and they all compliment her dish.

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It’s time for the results. No surprises here.

Jock says he’s not going to go through the critique, instead just celebrate the best dish, which also gives the maker immunity.

“Congratulations, Emelia,” Jock says, and everyone applauds her.

Mel tells everyone to bugger off, and that’s the episode!

Tomorrow night is the Mystery Box, and it looks like it’ll be about their family.

See you then!

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As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read last years recaps here, catch up on this season here, and watch this season over here, at shvideos.net.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message. Alternatively, whisper it to your alarm clock the next time it rings.

Enjoy my recaps? It may surprise you, seeing as I sprinkle in some ads, and I have my own URL, but I don’t get paid to do any of my writing and I’ve never made any money from this.
If you’d like to support me, consider buying me a coffee and I’ll love you forever, and give you a shout out in my next recap if you’d like.

Posted in Season 12

MasterChef Aus S12E07 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

Yesterday, the yellow team failed to portion their meat well again (thanks, Chris), so they’re in elimination today.

Laura, Reece, Khanh, Tessa, Chris, Courtney, Ben U (Bun), and Brandon are facing off.

The judges wait for the group to enter, with Jock ready to go in his chef whites. It’s a Jock challenge, which is all well and good, except that Laura used to work at his restaurant, and while he said there won’t be any favouritism…

The losers enter the kitchen.

Jocks like, let’s not poodlefake, it’s a pressure test, someone’s going home, and it’s my pressure test.

But for the first time ever, this is a two round pressure test.
Everyone does the pressure test of 90 minutes, then three go to round two, and one goes home from there.

First’s things first – Jock pulls out his dish for round one, three Orana Snacks.

Jock brings the eight over to talk about it all and get them to eat it. I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what this dish actually is? I don’t know what anything is, except the last thing is a crumpet with honey and butter, and the first is like scarlet prawns or something?

Time starts, and they’re off to their benches to read their recipes and get going.

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Reece tells us that this is the first pressure test he’s ever done! He never did one in his season, which is wild, but good on him.

As per usual, I’ll wait for something to actually happen.

Reece put the eggs in something warm and it cooked, so he had to start it again. What he had to start again, I cannot say.

Bun burns the bottom of his crumpets and they’re yuck. He’s ruined two batches of crumpet but decides to go with the first batch as the burnt flavour will go all the way through.

There’s one minute left, so let’s get to the tasting I suppose.

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First to taste is Chris.

Chris’ three snacks.

The yogurt thing, Jock calls textbook.
They crack the prawns and Jock lets out a demonic, “Yeeeeaaaah!” They’re perfectly cooked.
“Yes, your holes did depart you,” Jock says of the hole-less crumpet.
All three judges liked it, which kind of annoys me because he’s the reason they messed up the portions for two challenges, but go off I guess. I’m sure he’s a super lovely guy.

Next is Courtney.

The poop chutes are still in her prawn, which is not good. Personally, as a prawn aficionado, specifically on Christmas, I don’t care for the poo inside the prawn. Yuck, disgusting, I’m not eating it, that’s for the cats.

Jock goes to roast again, the yogurt thing is not seasoned well, but the crumpets was good.
Mel says she got everything, it’s just minor little things that aren’t good from the best.
I love Courtney, so this is a shame, and she knows this could send her to round two.

Up next is Tessa.

“Holes,” Jock says, holding up a crumpet and staring straight at Tessa. He turns to look at Mel and Andy. “We have holes.”

This episode is both the worst and the weirdest. What is going on?

Anyway, the judges really like the foods.

Next is Khanh, who only has two crumpets because of burning one in the last miute.

They taste Brendon’s next, but don’t show the overview, which I’m a bit bitter about. They said the prawns were gorgeous, and Andy said to keep this mind-frame going as he’s cooked really good food.

Laura next, and I’m really worried favouritism will play a factor in some way, shape or form.

He calls everything just about perfect, and Andy says it’s pretty well the same as Jock’s dish, which doesn’t surprise me at all because she literally worked at his restaurant. She just gives a nod and a smile like she’s not surprised, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s made this before to be honest. She really shouldn’t be in a Jock challenge, they should have done something else instead. But I digress…

It’s Bun’s (Ben U) turn now

The prawn is undercooked and the crumpets have no holes.

And Reece.

Pretty much every element is a banger, except they pretty much all pull out a poop chute. Ugh.

“Not great,” Jock says. “When you miss a step, it doesn’t matter how good your cooking is, you missed a step.”

He’s sent back to his bench.

And that’s the last of them. Weird they didn’t do Brendon’s but did everyone else’s, but I don’t work for, or have any affiliation to ten, so who am I to tell them what to do.

It’s decision time. Jock sends three people to step forward for round two.

Reece, Courtney, and Bun are fighting to stay in the challenge.

It’s crunch time.

The dish for round two is a pickled salad or something, and damper with lamb butter, which is pretty much hollandaise sauce made out of lambs fat and as hollandaise is my favourite sauce and lamb is in my top two meats, tied with pork, that sounds amazing.

It’s time again for them to try the foods. The damper is being cooked as they talk about the foods. If you’re interested in the salad and the cones, etc, then check out the episode, but otherwise, don’t bother.

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Okie dokie, it’s cooking time, and once again, I zone out, as Bun, who will be arrested and drop out of MasterChef this season, talks about how it would suck to be the second person to leave after getting second place in his season.

Courtney starts getting super stressed and the judges come over to try and calm her down. I hope this isn’t foreshadowing of her impending doom…

There’s only ten minutes to go and everyone starts running.

Time starts to tick, everyone’s in a mess, and the cooking ends. Thank goodness, I’m bored and ready for bed.

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First to taste is Reece.

Image one is Reece preparing the food, image two is his damper cooking, and image three is the food he presents

Overall, the judges love it, and it’s perfect, however the balance for the salad is not good. It was a great effort nonetheless.

Next up is Bun. As he’s trying to plate, the foam doesn’t work at all and nothing is coming out of the whipped cream thing, I don’t know, I’m not a chef.

Picture one is him working, picture two is the mess of a sitch he’s in, and picture three is his dish.

The judges commend him on getting everything up. The damper is good and airy and the ones are consistent. The butter was not perfect, but he took a red hot go.

Finally, Courtney. She rolls the cones and gets everything ready while her damper is cooking.

Her final dish.

There was criticism of how Jock counted for her, it seemed quite fast. It looks as though it is an accurate count down, however it does seem quite fast. Perhaps it’s just editing, who’s to say (MasterChef is but…)?

Here’s a video in real time as it aired of Jock counting while Courtney finished plating.

Jock counts down from ten in a 9 second clip. Also, I’m sorry for the quality of the audio.

They enjoy the elements she has, and the butter is closest to Jock’s, however they cannot overlook the lack of elements she presented.

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It’s time for the results, and I feel like they super got her hopes up high, as Jock talks about everything wonderful she did and that two of her elements were the best of the lot, “however one dish was incomplete,” he said, before telling her to get out of the kitchen.

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As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can read last years recaps here, catch up on this season here, and watch this season over here, at shvideos.net.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, let me know what’s good on Facebook, or head over to my contact page and send me a message. Alternatively, write it down on and burn it.

Enjoy my recaps? Consider buying me a coffee.

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Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 11, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S11E61 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

This is it! It’s the Grand Final, and tonight, either Simon, Tessa or Larissa will be crowned MasterChef Australia 2019.

Personally, I hope it’s not Simon.

The episodes starts with a montage of their dishes throughout this season and their high points.
Tessa has having the most immunity pins and being tasted the most.
Larissa has being the youngest person left.
Simon was given tweezers by George once.

The contestants walk in, and see the previous contestants waiting at the top to judge them in their final moments.

The trio of judges are waiting at them at the front to scare them into their final challenge.

Pretty standard outfits from the trio, Gaz, Little G, and Matt.

Hot Tip: Thanks to Juzza12 for sending me a link to this article, about how this is the last appearance of Gaz, Little G and Matt together as the trio of chefs. Next year, there will be a completely new set of judges for MasterChef Aus.
This has followed the controversy surrounding George Calombaris, after he was fined for underpaying his staff shy of nine million dollars. Over twenty million people signed a petition to have him removed from MasterChef Australia next year. However, the judges and Network Ten have said it’s come after months of negotiations, and failing to come to a compromise on a wage for the trio.

After getting a major grilling from Gaz, George “Little G” Calombaris brings their fams in.

The contestants are crying, there are some squeals, and Larissa gets hoisted onto her families shoulders.

Each family member is introduced and I honestly like don’t care. Anyway, they’re yeeted up the stairs, and it’s time to get cracking.

Matt tells them that their food and their recipes are the reason they’re in here, so they’ll be cooking nothing but their own food.

This is a service challenge, with a who’s who of the MasterChef family, like Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Julie Godwin, the mentors Poh, Billie, and Matt, and they’ve brought controversal chef, Shannon Bennett, to come and help them to serve.

Rules: The contestants have four and a half hours before service starts for prep of three courses. They’ll be cooking for twenty people each. After each course, their scores will be revealed, the highest score possible is 90.

Shannon takes over from the trio, and starts the time. The contestants run to their station and start prepping a menu.

Blah blah blah

Tessa has overcooked her marron and she’ll have to start the tails again.

With an hour until service, Larissa still hasn’t started prepping her entree.

More cooking happens, and then the trio of judges go outside to visit the guest diners.

People who made tonight possible for the contestants, or something

It’s thirty minutes until service, and they’re busy busy.

The family and friends, and abandoned contestants are still standing upstairs to watch as other people eat their loved ones food. It’s kinda weird, but go off.

As everyone is serving their entrees, Larissa is still shaping those bone marrows.

The first entree is Tessa.

Marron, Fennel, Bisque and Caviar

The judges enjoy it, and say the flavours are excellent.

Next is Simon.

He makes the wait staff spray a bit of vinegar stuff over the top, like one spritz, when serving.

Roasted Heirloom Beets with Beet Leaf Puree

The judges like his root to leaf approach, and say it’s pretty.

Matt says he really likes it, and it has a lot of flavour.
But Gaz says it needs something else.
George says it would be an amazing side dish.

Finally, Larissa is serving.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Onion Soubise

They really enjoy this dish and the onion puree.
Gaz likes that it’s different and unique, the little additions like mushroom and mustard seeds make the dish, “… come to life.”
Overall, it’s a delicious dish.

It’s time for the scores, and Tessa’s first.
George – 8. Gaz – 9. Matt – 10. Total: 27.

Next is Simon.
George – 7. Gaz – 7. Matt – 8. Total: 22.

Finally, Larissa.
George – 9. Gaz – 9. Matt – 9. Total: 27.

Tessa cuts open her beef and finds it’s too raw. It’s a fatty meat and needs to go back in – she can’t serve it like this.

It’s time for mains, and Simon’s first.

Lobster with Champagne Sauce

George likes it, tastes great, but Gaz says theres a certain luscious that’s missing. Matt says the carrot needs to just melt.

Next is Larissa.

Marron with Bisque

They call it generous, and she’s two for two.

Finally, Tessa.

Wagyu Beef, Celeriac Pure with Bordelaise Sauce

This is another delicious dish, and they super enjoy it.

It’s time for the scores.

Simon’s first.
George – 7. Gaz – 7. Matt – 7. Total: 21. Overall: 43.

Tessa second.
George – 9. Gaz 9. Matt – 9. Total: 27. Overall: 54.

Finally, Larissa.
George – 10. Gaz – 9. Matt – 9. Total 28. Overall: 55.

Time for desserts.

Larissa’s meringues seem to have fallen a bit, and she’s worried that it will be her demise.

First is Tim.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Cake with Roasted Pumpkin Ice-Cream

They say it’s delicious, but a safe dish.

Next is Tessa.

Lemon Meringue with Rosemary and Ginger

They call it a crowd pleaser, but also it’s another safe dish, especially with Larissa right behind her.

As Larissa goes to serve, she finds her sorbet rock solid, so she has to figure out something to do.

She figures something just in time, and serves it up.

Szechuan Pavlova with Beetroot and Blackberry

The judges love the combination, and say it’s very well done. It’s a clear winner, and I think it’s easy to tell who the MasterChef is this year…

It’s results time. Simon is pretty well out of the equation, so it’s between Larissa and Tessa.

Simon.
George – 7. Gaz – 8. Matt – 7. Total: 22. Overall: 65.

Even though he didn’t win, they give him a total of $20,000 to pursue his dreams.

Tessa.
George – 7. Gaz – 8. Matt – 8. Total: 23. Overall: 77.

Larissa.
George – 10. Gaz – 10. Matt – 10. Total: 30. Overall: 85.

That means, Larissa has won, and is MasterChef Australia for 2019.

They give Tessa a total of $30,000, for the same reason as Simon.

And that’s it! That’s MasterChef Australia done and dusted for another year, and my first season recap done! Wild. Further deets below.

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

Wow! This has been the first show I’ve recapped, and I had a lot of fun! I hope you enjoyed reading these sixty one recaps. I’m still working on The Super Switch (deets below), but I’d love to do another show soon. If you have any suggestions, let me know via my contact page, by leaving a comment, or through any medium I’m on, such as Twitter or Instagram.

I posted a MasterChef rant about Sandeep, and you can read it here. I also did a bigger rant about the rest of the season, and you can read that here.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, or head over to my contact page, and let me know what’s good.

To catch up on this episode, or other MasterChef eps you’ve missed, head over to southhemitv.com.
If you want to watch The Super Switch, southhemitv.com also has you covered, and I’ve got the recaps here.

Enjoy my recaps? Consider buying me a coffee.

Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 11, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef Aus S11E60 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

It’s the first day of Grand Final Week, and the semi-finalists, Tim, Simon, Tessa, and Larissa, are fighting to be in tomorrows grand final.

Hot Tip: The contestants have all moved out of their mansion to live alone for the next couple of days. Thanks to @JohnsonLeung for the tip!

Each contestant has a flashback of their time on MasterChef, before they enter the kitchen.

  • All the abandoned contestants look at their friends, the ones better than them. Except for Derek and Anushka and Tati.
  • I’m living for Matt’s purple/pink suit

George “Little G” Calombaris, the chef facing massive fines, and who has a petition for him to be fired from MasterChef for underpaying his staff by just under nine million dollars, tells the contestants that three of them will be in the Grand Final tomorrow.

Matt introduces the guest chef who will be pressure testing them. It’s Peter Gilmore, bringing in a secret dish.

He has cooked this dish hundreds of times to perfect it, and they’ll have two hours.

The white coral dessert is made of 5 components and there are forty steps.

  • Timed perfectly, when you tap it with a spoon…
  • … it explodes.

He explains that the coral needs to go in the blast chiller for an hour and a half. They’ll be making four of these. The coral is a white chocolate mousse, that needs to be super light and aerated.

Time starts, and the contestants run, needing to get the first ten steps done and in the blast chiller in 15-20 minutes so it has the hour and a half in the blast chiller.

ANUSHKA WATCH: Anushka, 49 year old optical distributor, and top six contestant, is back in the kitchen and lookin’ super cute as usual! So excited to see her. She’s wearing pink/beige/translucent frames, and her hair is down today.

One day I’ll get a flattering photo of Anushka. She’s standing with Huda and Steph

Tessa is behind on her coral, and it’s not in the blast chiller yet, even though everyone else has put theirs in, and it’s past the time it should be in by. Blarch those were worbs.
Anyway, she’s quick to get it in shortly afterwards.

As Tim was whipping something, he realised it’s split, and has to figure out something to do.
Simon almost over-whips and it’s starting to split. He has enough stuff to restart that bit.

Everyone gets their elements together, and time ends.

It’s hugs all round, and Peter comes over to tell them they should be very proud of themselves. What a blessing. Replace George with him, that’s what I say.

Tasting time, and Simon kicks it off.

He brings the elements int the tasting room to construct it.

George is wearing his blue tasting glasses.

Simon has 15 minutes to construct the dish.

The coral is looking good, and he has to put it in liquid nitrogen to get it to harden up, and then shapes it to look like coral, rather than a block of styrofoam.

Everything’s looking really nice for him, but then he notices the coral is getting sticky and needs a couple more seconds in the nitrogen again, which impresses the trio of judges and Peter.

  • Simon’s coral dessert
  • It breaks perfectly and so airy for Peter

They call it a cracking dish, and it’s pretty well perfect, nothing bad to say.

Next is Tim.

His coral isn’t great, and it’s quite dense looking.

  • Tim’s coral
  • It’s not a crack, it’s sticking the spoon in to make it crunch

Larissa says this dish has aged her, as she walks into the tasting room.

Her coral is going well, it’s light and airy, and the rest of her ingredients are excellent.

  • Larissa’s coral dessert
  • A nice shatter

Peter says it’s a little dense, but a good effort.

Little G says the ice-cream is really delicious, and Peter agrees.

Finally, Tessa.

She’s super worried that her coral hasn’t set, because she got it into the blast chiller quite late.

Then Tessa starts to cry. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. I didn’t see this coming,” she says, wiping tears. “It’s your face, Gary, it makes me cry.”

Everyone starts to laugh, before getting a bit serious, and telling her to give them their dessert.

She opens the container and finds it has set, and it looks good. Everything is going well for her, and she has time to make sure it all looks perfect, and gives the coral one more hit of nitrogen before plating.

  • Tessa’s dessert
  • It shatters beautifully

Peter says that everything was perfect and she nailed it. He says it’s good enough to serve.

Gaz says it’s the closest to his, so perfect.

I think the ranking is Tessa first, Simon second, Larissa third, and Tim last.
Hopefully we get Tim out so Tessa or Larissa can beat Simon in the Grand Final.

It’s time for the decision.

Gaz says they all did amazingly, but only three can make it to tomorrow, and one of them needs to leave.

The first person into the finale is Tessa.
Joining her is Simon.
The last one in is Larissa.
Which means Tim is out (for the second time).

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

I posted a MasterChef rant about Sandeep, and you can read it here. I also did a bigger rant about the rest of the season, and you can read that here.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, or head over to my contact page, and let me know what’s good.

To catch up on this episode, or other MasterChef eps you’ve missed, head over to southhemitv.com.
If you want to watch The Super Switch, southhemitv.com also has you covered, and I’ve got the recaps here.

Enjoy my recaps? Consider buying me a coffee.

Posted in MasterChef Aus Recaps, Season 11, TV Show Recaps

MasterChef S11E59 – Recap

Posted on by felicityfeiner

OMG this is it! It’s Grand Final Week!!

Larissa is the only one not wearing black today, and the rest of the gang are all anxious to cook.

After doing well in the challenge on Wednesday, Tessa and Tim have an advantage in tonight’s cook.

Gaz tells them what’s in store for today. The contestants will be dueling to stay in. They’ll be paired up, and the top two will join Larissa. The bottom two will fight to stay in the contest and the winner will be the last one in the semi-final tomorrow.

Matt tells them that they’ll be cooking from one of three pantries. Which ever they cook must be the hero sort of feel.

  • The three pantries to chose from
  • Asian pantry
  • Sweet and dessert pantry
  • Farmhouse pantry

Tessa goes first as she was second best on Wednesday, and chooses the Asian pantry. Tim choses the farm house one.

Nicole is cooking against Tessa, and Simon against Tim.

They’ll have 60 minutes using only the ingredients in their pantry.

Time starts, and they’re quick to get to their pantries.

It’s time to taste, and Tim’s up first.

Lots of parsnips in this dish.

Gaz cuts it open to see how it’s cooked. Tim is aiming for medium rare.

“Ah. A bit over,” Tim mutters.

George thinks it’s cooked, tastes good, and looks good.
Gaz says it’s a good, sound dish.
Overall, Matt likes it, but the meat isn’t evenly cooked.

Simon’s next.

Fried Cabbage with Jerusalem Artichoke and Leek Cream

George likes it, and says that you forget about meat totally when you eat it.
Matt likes the flavours.
Gaz calls the cooking really clever.

It’s Tessa time.

Blue Swimmer Crab and Chilli Sambai with Coconut Rice

Matt says this is a better crab dish than the one before. Everything goes together and everything looks very pretty.
George thinks it’s great, especially because last time he had “fire coming out of my ears”.

Nicole next.

Crispy Salmon with Noodles and Curry Sauce

Matt commends her for making hte noodles.
Gaz says she’s done a great job, but the salmon is over. Her lack of confidence has affected her cook.
Nicole starts to cry and says she sometimes feels like she has no confidence.
George tells her to stop putting so much pressure on herself, and gives her a pep talk, before telling her to go and take a breath.

She goes back to her bench, and Tessa comes over to comfort her.

Gaz tells Simon and Tessa they’re into the semi-final, leaving Tim and Nicole to fight for the last spot.

Will this be our chance to get rid of Tim once and for all?

They’ll be cooking with the sweet pantry and have 60 minutes. This is the last cook for one of them.

Time starts, and they’re off to get going.

With her parfait not setting and 12 minutes to go, Nicole is starting to freak out and has to figure out what she’ll be plating.

Time ends, and the two contestants are worried about what they’ve done.

First for tasting is Tim.

Earl Grey Poached Pears with Cardamom and Orange Ice-Cream

The pear is perfectly poached.

Overall the judges love it, and love the flavours.

Next is Nicole.

Figs, Feuilletine, Tuile
Passionfruit Sorbet and Chocolate Mousse

George says it’s an incredible effort.
Gaz likes the flavours, but the mousse is a bit “raw”, and the figs a late arrival.

It’s time for the decision, and it won’t be a shock.

The last one into the semi-finals is Tim, which means Nicole is going home.

The MasterClass/Reunion is on now, but I’m really not feelin’ it right now, so I’m going to bed. I’ll recap this bit, because it sounds super fun, within the next few day.

As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

I posted a MasterChef rant about Sandeep, and you can read it here. I also did a bigger rant about the rest of the season, and you can read that here.

If you have a Hot Tip or want to suggest a show for recaps, tweet me, leave a comment, or head over to my contact page, and let me know what’s good.

To catch up on this episode, or other MasterChef eps you’ve missed, head over to southhemitv.com.
If you want to watch The Super Switch, southhemitv.com also has you covered, and I’ve got the recaps here.

Enjoy my recaps? Consider buying me a coffee.