MasterChef 2019 – Knockout Week Three

MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode have come together yet again to find the Uk’s finest culinary dining skills.

The ten remaining cooks are spilt into two teams of five. Each team has only one challenge: too cook a three course meal – but in relay. With no communication permitted, each team member will have just 20 minutes to plan, creates and cook a starter featuring scallops, a main course with chicken and a dessert celebrating brown sugar. The stakes are high because the winning team will automatically become semi-finalists. The losing team will have to fight it out to see if they can earn a semi-final place.

Lets see how the red aprons got on…

Geoff is prepping all the ingredients for the other cooks.

Jilly is starting to cook the chicken while making a potato boulangere.

Jim has made a cream sauce and black pudding bonbons.

Alex starts making the dessert and prepping vegetables.

Irini cooks the scallops, makes vegetables with a sauce and finishes all 3 courses.

Starter: Scallops wrapped in parma ham, served in a pea and mint puree and black pudding.

Gregg was amazed their were three plates that made in onto the pass. He enjoyed the ‘perfect combination of ingredients‘, unfortunately the scallops were not cooked.

Main Course: Roasted chicken breast with crispy sage on butternut squash with potato boulangere and black pudding bonbons.

John enjoyed the cooking of the chicken with crispy skin, but didn’t need black pudding as it was also on the starter.

Gregg suggested a sauce with the main course, that Jim had made but unfortunately wasn’t on the plate.

Dessert: Apples with a brown sugar and butter sauce on a pastry base served with Chantilly cream.

John enjoyed the flaky pastry, but the whole thing is sweet and sour and it should be ‘celebrating sugar‘.

Gregg thought the dessert should be more complex than what it was and was upset that the dessert had to be a ‘rescue‘ as no one had touched it until the penultimate cook.

Lets see how the blue aprons got on…

Tim is cooking classic flavours with classic ingredients to help his next team member.

Thomas starts to make a filling for the dessert and a stuffing for parcels.

Annabel is making a sauce for the chicken, while pickling vegetables and starting to make the dessert.

Panisha starts the cooking of the dessert and finishes making the wonton parcels.

Delia cooks the scallops, finishes the dessert and the main course.

Starter: Pan-fried scallops served with parma ham, black pudding and a brown butter sauce.

Gregg enjoyed the cooking and seasoning of the scallops.

Main Course: Pan-fried chicken leg served with chicken breast, chilli and lemongrass wontons, pickled vegetables and an asian broth.

John liked the fragrant flavour of the wontons, the sharpness of the pickled vegetables and suggested Tim to ‘congratulate his team on getting something on the plate with the ingredients he laid out‘.

Dessert: Apple and brown sugar tart with a brandy cream.

Gregg was happy with the pastry even though the presentation was ‘ripped‘, and praised the team on their ideas.

John enjoyed the ‘cream with the booze in‘ the most as it was ‘really tasty‘.

 

Gregg, and John both agreed that the 5 chefs going through to the next stage would be; Annabel, Panisha, Delia, Tim & Thomas.
Leaving Geoff, Jim, Alex, Jilly & Irini to battle it out for a place in the semi-finals.

 

Now, the other five remaining cooks must go head-to-head to fight for there place in the semi-finals. The contestants are set a brief by renowned chef Alexis Gautheir, whose London restaurant now offers a completely plant-based menu. The cooks must prep and cook one outstanding plant-based dish in just 90 minutes.

Lets see how the chefs got on…

Irini has introduced ingredients from Greek that the Masterchef judges haven’t seen before. A real innovator in style as well as flavour.

Signature Dish: Stifado stew is made with sun dried tomatoes, shallots and chestnuts, served with Santorini father pea and truffle puree, charred spring onions, pickled onions, Brussel sprouts, balsamic reduction and truffle shavings.

Chef Alexis enjoyed the beautiful presentation with the combination of colours. Overall chef liked the ‘surprising mild flavours‘.

John thought it the ‘texture was good, the flavours were good, it was original, a dish you could sell at a restaurant‘ and praised the cook on her ‘very good round‘.

Gregg really loved the ‘brussel sprout crunch‘ and sweetness coming from the balsamic vinegar.

Geoff‘s culinary love is the food of Italy. Simple in its appearance and massive in its flavour.

Signature Dish: Antipasto board consists of farinata and chickpea pancakes, porcini arancini and walnut pesto both flavoured with umeboshi plum paste instead of parmesan, fennel seed taralli crisp breads and a salad made with peppers, onions and olives.

Gregg loved the farinata and the sweet salad, saying he would ‘happily nibble his way up and down his board and not miss a but of meat at all‘.

Chef Alexis was very happy with Geoff’s pesto flavoured with umeboshi, saying it was a ‘miracle and its like he has added parmesan‘.

John praised the cook on his ‘flavours, ideas and standing by his guns‘.

Alex has proved herself to be a pretty good all round cook. Stunning savoury dishes and stunning sweet dishes.

Signature Dish: Used tofu to make her coconut panna cotta and cashews to make her passionfruit mousse, served with a mango gel, coconut crumb, mango and passionfruit sorbet and caramelised pineapple soaked in rum.

Chef Alexis praised chef on the ‘visually appealing dish‘, and her ‘perfect‘ dessert, saying he was ‘very proud‘ of her.

John praised the chef on every element within the dish and felt like he was in the ‘tropic‘.

Gregg was very very surprised how the cook had made the dish without using dairy and thought it was also ‘perfect‘.

Jim shows a great use of spice and a love of vegetables.

Signature Dish: Coconut and chickpea tarka daal topped with chilli infused oil, crispy shallots, sweet potato crisps with sweet potato, parsnips and carrot pakoras and two tomato based chutneys. One with sweetcorn and one with coriander.

Chef Alexis was unsure were to start. The ‘lentils and pakora were slightly under salted‘, apologising that the dish ‘wasn’t for him‘.

John enjoyed the crispy shallots and chilli oil, but was disappointed in the tomato chutneys.

Gregg liked it a bit more than the other chefs did, but the pakora’s were a ‘little more dense than he is used too‘.

Jilly is a versatile cook who produces a very refined and elegant menu.

Signature Dish: Cinnamon spiced poached pear served with chocolate soil, chocolate sorbet, chocolate tuille, almond brittle and a pear gel.

Chef Alexi was concerned that the star of the dish was the poached pear, but unfortunately it was undercooked.

Gregg loved the ‘rich, bitter cocoa sorbet‘ and the ‘boozy pear gel‘.

John was sad about the pear, as he suggested a ‘honey juice running out to go with the soil, otherwise the whole dish goes dry‘.

 

Gregg, and John both agreed that the 4 chefs going through to the next stage would be; Irini, Geoff, Jilly and Alex.
Unfortunately saying bye and good luck for the future to Jim.