MasterChef: The Professionals 2018 – The Final

Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace, Chef Monica Galetti and two-Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing have come together yet again to find the Uk’s finest culinary dining skills.

The final three professionals, face one last challenge: to cook the best three courses of their lives for the MasterChef judges. They return for the last time to the MasterChef kitchen and spend three hours creating a three-course menu of starter, main and dessert which showcases their exceptional culinary abilities. In this moment, everything is laid bare for the judges, as their plates will expose how far they have come and the magic of their unique cookery.

The reward is immeasurable as their career could change forever when one of them is crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2018.

Lets see how the chefs got on in episode 21..

Dean 

Starter: Rose veal tartare, with kombu and wasabi, a confit and sesame quail egg, pickled mustard seeds, tomato mayonnaise made with bonito flakes and ponzu juice, caper puree, Worcestershire mushroom, peppercorn crisps and a dashi stock.

Marcus found the textures and balance of flavours combined ‘exquisite’.

Monica found that there was ‘missing seasoning’ and needed more ‘sharpness‘ within the dish.

Gregg said the dish was ‘delicious and an absolutely perfect way to start a meal’.

Main: Spiced monkfish on a bed of toasted fregola pasta with tomato, white asparagus with an iberico ham crumb, watercress and pesto puree and creme fraiche.

Marcus was very happy with the flavours and cookery of the monkfish, ‘sensational’ and said the dish was a ‘triumph’.

Monica loved the ‘peppery and strong puree’, but wasn’t blown away with the fregola and simply said it was ‘nice’.

Gregg agreed with Monica and loved the ‘peppery puree’ which went very well with the ‘sweet tomato’ and called chefs dish ‘Bold’.

Dessert: Pistachio financier with a strawberry and lemon curd, strawberry tapioca, lemon verbena set cream and a strawberry crumb.

Marcus was surprised that topioca worked within the dish and said he ‘wasn’t a fan of the presentation but from a flavour point of view they are out of this world’.

Gregg said the dish was ‘absolutely delightful’.

Monica isn’t normally a fan of topioca but found the dish an ‘absolute delight‘, but wish there was ‘more of the strawberry and lemon curd’ as it was ‘so good’.

Oli 

Starter: Kelp cured langoustine with baby plum tomatoes, marinated in mugwort and rapeseed oil,  topped with crispy reindeer moss, mugwort and a langoustine bisque.

Monica found the explosion of flavours ‘magic‘, the langoustine cookery and overall dish was simply ‘delicious’.

Marcus loved the bisque and said ‘its a great combination of textures and flavours all working together in harmony‘.

Gregg said the dish was ‘fantastically original and more importantly its delicious’.

Main: Beer roasted salt aged duck, glazed duck hearts, a carrot and turnips press, carrot ketchup, pickled carrot discs, hogweed shoots and powder with a dried venison liver and fermented mushroom sauce.

Marcus knew there was clever skill running through chef’s dish and found the flavours of the duck ‘absolutely outstanding‘, but found his duck breast ‘overcooked’.

Gregg enjoyed the flavours from ingredients he had never had before and are ‘harmonious’.

Monica was simply ‘gobsmacked‘ with how chef had made the sauce and said it was ‘brilliant’.

Dessert: Yoghurt mousse dipped in flowering-currant jelly, with a bilberry jam mille feuille, raspberries topped with strawberry meringue chards and a bilberry and marjoram compote.

Marcus loved the ‘balance of flavours’ presented on the dish, and said dean was ‘ready to open his own restaurant and cannot wait to come and eat in it’.

Gregg said it was a ‘beautiful looking dessert, very very clever‘ but was slightly too sharp for Wallace. Overall it was a ‘triumph’.

Monica agreed with the judges and enjoyed the combination of sharp and sweet flavours and said to chef that ‘its almost like you were born in a forest’.

Laurence

Starter: Pan-seared scallop with heritage tomatoes marinated in dried woodruff and elderflower, wild strawberries, pickled green strawberries, coriander oil and a roast tomato dashi.

Monica was very happy with the cookery of the scallop and liked that the flavours from the dish.

Marcus was ‘fascinated‘ with the white strawberries on the dish, but said ‘unfortunately the tomatoes feel like they just haven’t had enough time to absorb the flavours from the marinade you were looking for, there almost raw element to them‘ for Wareing the dish was lacking a bit of ‘punch’.

Gregg loved the ‘tomatoes, strawberries and the dashi’ and said the dish was ‘really really good’.

Main: Pork loin and kimchi soy glazed pork belly with braised fermented cabbage, a soy and kimchi puree, a pear puree and pickled pear.

Marcus loved everything of the dish and said ‘every now and again we eat a dish that we will never forget and that is outstanding’.

Gregg thought it was a ‘flavour and texture delight‘ and was happy through the time he was eating the dish.

Monica loved the cookery of the pork, saying it was ‘absolutely divine‘ and finished by saying ‘its just one of those dishes that makes you so happy’.

Dessert: Aerated mint white chocolate topped with passionfruit gel, a lemongrass and coconut ice-cream with a passionfruit ripple on a caramelised white chocolate crumb.

Monica said she wasn’t a fan of white chocolate but couldn’t fault this dish and said ‘theres only 3 things on here, but its just wonderful’.

Gregg was very happy with the lemongrass ice-cream and passionfruit gel and said it was a ‘beautiful dessert’.

Marcus said ‘we’ve eating a lot of food in the competition so far and it’s great to finish on such delight desserts, its minimalistic perfection‘. Wareing said Laurence was ‘inventive, creative and you push yourself to the maximum and I as a chef couldn’t ask for anymore and I’m my opinion you’re the next generation’.

The judges all agreed that the Champion of Masterchef: The Professionals 2018 is: Laurence

Unfortunately saying bye and good luck for the future to Dean & Oli.