MasterChef – May 12 – name the ingredient challenge

TV blurb says: The contestants from the losing pub lunch challenge team must correctly name an ingredient to avoid the elimination cook-off challenge, as the contestant with the least impressive dish will go home.

We know from the preview it’s an alphabet challenge and there were some tricky ones shown. I wonder if they get to taste them to help? What will X be?
I like these name-the-ingredient contests, except when someone bombs out early and we don’t get to see what all the other ingredients are. Wonder if they have to cook a dish with all the correctly named ingredients?

I’m watching on TenPlay the morning after (so annoying not being able to skip the ads!), so just a few thoughts.

Matt's wearing his light blue/grey picnic tablecloth suit again, with a pink floral cravat for a pop of colour.

Matt’s wearing his light blue/grey picnic tablecloth suit again, with a pink floral cravat for a pop of colour.


Matt goes on and on about how the challenge will work, just to ensure the contestants are absolutely packing death over which letter to choose.
Ranger Miles is first and he’s lucky to get an easy one: Basil. Then it’s Anastasia’s turn – wait – who?
I have totally been here the whole time - I swear.

I have totally been here the whole time – I swear.

D is for Dijon mustard. Intense Matt gets a liquid which he confidentally announces is mirin, while Con – who produced that great panna cotta and sago dessert for the pub challenge – picks C for celeriac. Are they choosing based on their name initials?
Adam picks R and it is the red, spiky fruit rambutan, but he does not know it. “Its always a tricky one,” says Gaz, not hiding the glee in his voice.
Sadly, lychee does not start with R, Adam.

Sadly, lychee does not start with R, Adam.

Poor Adam is the first person sent to stand in the area for condemned prisoners.
Zoe of course chooses Z, playing strategically, and it pays off because it is indeed zucchini. Cecilia is L for lamb; Harry T for “toona”; and Trent the blond electrician G for green tea.
Olivia picks F and it’s a brown rice-type grain that thinks it is farro but is not sure, so George freaks her out by asking if she has heard of freekeh. But it is indeed farro. (Wikipedia says: Farro is a food composed of the grains of certain wheat species, sold dried and prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy (many recommend first soaking overnight). It may be eaten plain, though it is often used as an ingredient in dishes such as salads and soups.)
Everyone’s now had a go so it’s back to Miles again: H is for horseradish. Anastasia: Nutmeg. Matt: Sage. Con: Kecap manis. Zoe: Quail. We’re getting lots of voiceovers from Cecilia about how scary it is, so of course she’s going to bomb. She picks J and it’s some weird bulbous vegetable that she has actually cooked with but doesn’t know the name.
J is for jicama. That was tough.

J is for jicama. That was tough.

Apparently jicama is also known as Mexican turnip. So Cecilia is off to join Adam in the dock.
Harry: Artichoke. Nicolette: Emu. Trent: Yoghurt. Zoe: XO sauce. Miles: Oats.
Good on you, Anastasia, for knowing these are Inca berries.

Good on you, mysterious Anastasia, for knowing these are Inca berries.

Poor Intense Matt gets the only cloche left: U.
Matt is in Freak Out City.

Matt is in Freak Out City.


What the heck are these?

What the heck are these?

Matt goes out on umeboshi – a Japanese plum. No shame in that, Matt.
So that makes three. Matt should be safe – he has proven to be inventive and a good balancer of flavours.
Oh – but that is not the end. I missed the bit where they said four people would go through to elimination. They bring out a second batch of cloches and Harry is up first. C is for … I am thinking crocodile, which MC has used in a previous season, but Harry looks spooked. He says “cod” but it was in fact croc.

Elimination round two
They have 60 minutes to cook and they can used the 23 ingredients correctly named, plus the usual staples.
staples
Matt is doing quail with celeriac and chargilled zukes. His “food dream” – take a drink, everyone – is to start a food truck. That is definitely achievable.
Adam is doing a type of mixed grill with zukes – hmmm – and Harry a Japanese-inspired smoked tuna with celeriac -yum. He is showing technique by using the green tea in a smoking gun.
Back in black, Cecilia is again having trouble coming up with a dish but at least she is doing vegetable prep rather than freezing like last time.
Gaz and George saunter over to make Adam nervous and tell him his idea for a dish is rubbish.

George is not happy about the lamb dish - and the fact his  shirt is buttoned to the top without a tie because they are trying to make him look hip.

George is not happy about the lamb dish – and the fact his shirt is buttoned to the top without a tie because they are trying to make him look hip.


At least George gives him lots of ideas as to what he could be doing with the same ingredients. Adam seems to be making the same thing but calling it a different name.
Intense Matt confides he has only ever deboned and cooked quail once – no doubt in preparation for the comp, which was smart.
Finally Cecilia kicks into gear and decides to make brined, smoked tuna with salad – sounds familiar.
There are “aarghs” from the gallery as Harry stuffs up his mayo in a food processor. Get the stick blender out, Harry. But, no, he does it old school with a whisk.
Continuing their trend of putting the wind up contestants, George and Gaz tell Matt the judges are hungry and need a second quail.
Adam is the only contestant using one of the unusual ingredients from the alphabet challenge; he is rehydrating the inca berries to use in his salad, which should impress the judges. But then he loses his mind under the pressure and tips cream into a pan full of lamb fat – nooo! Who was the guy who fried his ravioli? Adam knows he has stuffed it up.
Prompted by Con, Cecilia checks on her tuna and it is brown and icky. She has left it way too long. With just a few minutes to go, Marco comes over to chew the scenery and more of her thinking time. At least she then sears some tuna in the pan, so she will have a dish that would be made in 10 minutes instead of an hour. However, she has not tasted her mayo, so that will be an issue.

The judging
Poor Matt gets the teary quivers in front of the judges but you can tell just by looking at the plate he is safe. The judges love it.

Q is for Quail, Z is for Zucchini, B is for Basil. S is for Safe.

Q is for Quail, Z is for Zucchini, B is for Basil. S is for Safe.

Next is Adam with his grilled lamb and zucchini.
G is for Goodbye.

G is for Goodbye.

Gaz is not excited by the dish but Matt says the elements are cooked well and he likes the Inca berries and basil and globs of fat. But “not a disaster” does not keep you safe on MC.
Harry’s tuna dish looks tasty and he deftly defends his decision to serve the end piece of tuna to MPW with “that’s my favourite part”.
harrytuna
The judges like the dish and Matt backs up Harry’s decision to use the end piece. So, Harry is safe.
Which brings us to Cecilia of the lovely desserts and the stuffed turnip. MPW takes his glasses off for a serious chat about how awesome she is. Matt is puzzled by the yellow mayo but says the salad looks pretty. Gaz likes everything but the mayo, which is too eggy. We all know Cecilia isn’t going home yet – she’s had far too much airtime and is yet to have a chance to create a showstopper dessert by herself.
It’s bye-bye, Adam. Go home and enjoy cooking with Vegeta again.
Best of luck, Adam.

Best of luck, Adam.

Here’s the link to Adam’s profile on LinkedIn – he looks quite different to when he’s in his chef clobber and has done some interesting stuff in his life which he didn’t hear boo about on the show Adam LinkedIn
Harry and Matt are looking like stayers but that’s the last challenge in which we’ll see MPW. It’s time for MasterClass and then it’s back to Blighty, presumably.

Masterclass
I’ll fast forward through this later – I can’t stand watching George with his tweezers faffing about. Oh, George isn’t there. Phew. MPW is showing them how to make the perfect risotto. Didn’t George do this when they went to Italy? Gaz will do pho, Matt is making a baked cheesecake (but will it be better than Mrs Duck Nutter from MKR’s?).

So, are we glad MPW is gone?



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71 Comments

    • Looks like it, Liberty. This was on Facebook. Not mentioned in TV guide or promos that I saw. Wish it was back on Friday nights. Who has two hours to devote to MC!

  1. I think we only get Masterclass when celebrity chefs are on. Like tonight, Nigella week and Heston week

  2. Remember that tiny bowl of “simple” pasta MPW served for his Tightar$eclass last year?

    Two hours plus? There’s going to be a heartache tonight. We’ve got a soup for zat, too.

  3. D is for Dijon Mustard picked Anastasia
    M is Mirim
    C is Celriac
    R is Rambutan not that Adam guesses correctly
    Z is for Zuchunni
    L is for Lamb
    T is for Tuna
    G is for Green Tea
    F is for Farro
    H is for Horseradish
    N Nutmeg
    J Jicama (Cecilia is in the elimination)
    A is Artichoke
    E is for Emu
    X XO sauce
    O is for oats
    I is for Inca Berries
    U is for Umeboshi (Matt in elimination round)

    Interesting who is getting the airtime.

  4. Second round:

    C is for crocodile (Harry in the elimination)

    Not that they reveal the rest of the ingredients under the cloches.

  5. Harry “I’ve cooked tuna a million times…” Certain death wish saying that.

    Then Matt tells us his food dream…another one with a death wish 😨

  6. Judges don’t like Adam’s idea I predict he’ll be safe

    And then George more or less tells him what to make…he’s safe for sure.

    But wait Cecilia’s told what to make by Garry, so she’s safe too. 😬

    • These judges are pigs. They are supposed to just cook one dish. Now they want one dish to feed the 4 judges.

    • Well. You need a clean spoon. You need to slowly scoop up some for tasting. You then need to swish it around your mouth, blink your eyes a couple of time and then swallow. Then you need to think whether the taste is right.

      Its a process. Will take as long to cook a dish!!

    • We yelled the same thing at the telly. I even did a mime demo for Woolif to show him you can taste mayo in one second. So fake.

  7. Zoe, the black Pony tail gal yelling from the gantry, push ,
    Others yelling, Cecilia, you are amazing.

    Puleease

    • Employing Survivor strategy. Come pointy end of the competition, Cecelia will be a weaker competitor.

  8. Well I was totally wrong I think I’ll give up predicting anything in future. 😛

    Over to Survivor I’ll watch masterclass tomorrow. 😄

  9. Adam (who is he?) got eliminated. He couldn’t compete against Cecilia’s back story.
    Cecilia’s dish was the worst in my opinion.

    • Agree. Marco just influenced the judges by saying Cecilia did amazingly in the last 5 minutes.

      They need to milk Cecilia back story for a few more episodes

    • I may be forced to stab myself in the eye with a fork if Masterchef requires me to watch another Ceceliad.

      Act 1: A cooking contest? I’ll just stare into space for a while and mention my kids. ‘Sob!’

      Act 2: A cooking contest? I’ll just stare into space for a while and mention my kids. ‘Sob!’

      Act 3: A cooking contest? I’ll just stare into space for a while and mention my kids. ‘Sob!’

      Act 4: A cooking contest? I’ll just stare into space for a while and mention my kids. ‘Sob!’

      Act 5: A cooking contest? I’ll just stare into space for a while and mention my kids. ‘Sob!’ ‘Ummm….’ ‘9 seconds to go I better cook something.’

  10. For goodness sake give those people some hats before they all get melanomas. Do they have to spend the entire masterclass in the midday sun?

    • It”s the greatest evah wank on Earth.

      Extraordinary wankers. Ordinary food dreams.

      Marco Pierre Wank.

      H is for “hero” J is for “jowl”

  11. LOL . Contestants taking notes on Matt cheesecake. Like they never make cheesecake before!!!

  12. Tuned back into Masterclass. Did I miss the story on why Matt Preston was wearing a leather apron from Masterchef house of bondage and/or horse slaughterers?
    It was a really odd garment. And this is saying something when it’s the man who can pull off pony skin boots with a purple smoking jacket.

  13. Woolif and I have finally sat down to watch, but OMG the melodrama and bulldust is ruining it.
    “Tell me why you want this”. How about, “Why effing not?”.
    Do you think they could say, “That’s a bloody stupid question”, and still be in the running.
    And if Cecelia is a good cook, she should have been able to figure out for herself to sear some mo re tuna. “Oh what she delivered in 2 or 3 minutes is amazing”. Really she blew off 40 minutes (however long) but cooked something “AMAZING” in 2 or 3 minutes.
    As for “tingling” nope. The only time I tingle when I cook, is if the fat is spitting from the pan.

    I just read back to Sara and Dave’s comments. Yep, “Wank. Wank. Wank”.

    • Cecelia should have gone home in my opinion, the favouritism towards her is obvious.
      I felt sorry for the other guy who had to go home, they seem to be sending all the men home so far.
      Cecilea panics every time and the judges rescue her.

      • Sending the men home when it’s a male’s turn to “win” Ma$terchef this year might cause problems but I have total confidence in the producers to even out the numbers before pointy end time.

        I thought the bloke they sent home last night might have had a shot at winning. Oh, well. He didn’t cry or proclaim wildly that this was the greatest day of his life, no ponytail to swish. Hasta la vista, baby.

        “What did you dream? ~ It’s alright, we told you what to dream”~ Pink Floyd.

  14. I wish Cecilia had been eliminated tonight. The judges are carrying her through every time she panics, goes blank, and stands there motionless, looking helpless. That is unfair to the others. At least they didn’t show her answer to Marco’s question of why was she in MC. We all know the answer, which would have been punctuated by floods of tears. I wasn’t impressed by her last minute, albeit prompted by Marco, tuna dish.

    Must the judges ask every person at presentation of every dish their reasons for being there? I don’t care what their reasons are. Show your cooking skills, or lack of, and never mind the bs.

    I enjoy Masterclass, but Marco let me down doing risotto, which I hate. Even Gary is sometimes bearable in Masterclass. He did use two phrases tonight, though, that drive me crazy – “chai tea” and “reduce it down”. Grrr.

    • Gary used “raviolis” as well. That got under my crispy skin.

      Is it wrong to laugh at the juvenile haircuts Gary sports?

      C’mon Dami! You can do it ! Grand Final of Eurovi$ion.

  15. Still don’t like the alphabet identify the food challenge. As with past seasons think that contestants should be given a piece of paper and pencil and write down what they think each ingredient is within a limited amount of time. The ones who get the fewest correct go to elimination round.

    Cecelia…..can’t come up with a dish and then basically copies Harry’s dish. Was she watching him or did she actually come up with smoking the tuna on her own. Then forgets about the tuna, overcooks it and needs Marco to guide her. I had a feeling Adam was going to leave although I thought it should have been Ceclia.

    I saw nothing amazing or unique about any of the dishes but good for Matt for his quick quail deboning when the judges didn’t think there was enough to stuff into their mouths. This continues to be the worst MC evah.

  16. Cecilia could have served the tuna as sashimi and Marco will say it was quick thinking and amazing.

    Didn’t the judges sent someone to pressure test for not doing enough in the time giving last week? Favouritism again.

  17. Blergh. They really should put her out of her misery. Sweet girl, but this is painful. i don’t know why she doesn’t just find a way to make maccarons in every challenge. Lamb maccarons, tuna maccarons…

  18. This is encored on Ten at 1.00 in the afternoons , Juz. Tenplay fails as often as the amatas for me. Even watching Ma$terchef more or less twice, there are still contestants who are total strangers.

    Andy, Brett and Emma were the worst seasons, imo Smythe but this season is a real contender, too, agreed. How does one measure or attempt to fathom such mediocrity?

    What the fennel is happening, producers? This is appalling entertainment.

    • Just had to use TenPlay then and it was so glitchy – I watched Survivor YouTube videos while I was waiting for it to restart itself. Recap is up.

      • Thanks for the recap, Juz.

        Judge Judy will be starting ten minutes late because of the Ma$terclass encore~ for those who record it. The parties have been sworn in.

        • I was so cross – even setting the recorder for extra time it still cut out before the final verdict.

    • BDD, how quickly I have forgotten. With the seasons you mentioned I liked them in the beginning but this season I can’t say that at all. Nothing and no one that I would consider “amazeballs 🙂 Still don’t know the names of most of the contestants. Of the 3 seasons you listed the Emma Dean one was the worst for me.

    • Did you guys watch the celebrity family feud when they did MasterChef? Emma Dean was on the former contestant’s team & I didn’t even recognise her. No more fringe & her hair was a different colour.

  19. Jowl$y asked an amata ~ “What cloche do you want?”

    Shouldn’t the bloated buffoon be employing “which”? He’s a fake silvertail. He wants it real bad, yeh?

  20. Didn’t watch Emma or Andy’s season, but I agree Brett winning Masterchef was pure travesty. That season was chock a block full of cliches and over blown drama and emotions with plenty of sick, dying and cooking grandmothers!

    This season so far I don’t really care about any of the contestants and think their all pretty bland and producer driven with the appropriate emotions, apart from Needi. Like her the best and think she is the most genuine out of a bad bunch.

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