MasterChef is the show for talented home cooks.
Imagine being in this gigantic L.A. warehouse where all the magic and drama take place!
If the first season was charged with drama (and dishes best reserved for Chef Ramsay’s
sarcastic wit) the second season tops that!
Peppercorn Crusted Filet
Mark’s Peppercorn Crusted Filet sounded good up front!
And why wouldn’t it?
Unfortunately, the peppercorn filet wasn’t the star of the show.
Paired with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, this dish was supposed to be a hit.
Which was a mistake.
But the critique didn’t end there.
Turns out that the mashed potatoes had more than just shallots, rosemary, and garlic!
Now, flour could well be Mark’s capital offense in this dish.
His intention was to thicken the dish.
But Chef Gordon Ramsay just had to put on his chef’s hat and say that.
Thickening mashed potatoes with flour is sure to get you at the bottom of any list.
Coffee-Filled Beignets with Coffee Chicory Filling
A beignet literally translates to a “bump”.
It’s the French version of an English fritter – a pastry made from deep-fried choux pastry.
Alvin’s version is one made of...
But Gordon Ramsay wasn’t exactly impressed.
Everyone loved Alvin.
In fact, Alvin had already started strong.
But the judges had to decide on the bottom three.
The first dish that wasn’t up to par was Jenny’s coffee-infused tart… the second
dish was...
Turns out, Alvin’s dish seemed to have come on too strong.
The third dish was poor in conceptualization and really rancid in its flavor.
Jenny was saved only because there were two dishes which was worse than hers…
Unfortunately, the absolute worst was Alvin’s!
Guess it pays to be conservative and humble, especially when faced with Michelin-star chef
judges!
Fried Catfish
A quarter of a million dollars and the chance to be known as a Masterchef can well be worth
the stress and tears!
By episode 9 of season 2, the judges have torn several home chefs to shreds and sent
them home.
Episode 9 had them doing something different.
Today they had to recreate a recipe from Whitney Miller’s own cookbook… the twist?
The mechanics involved having last episode’s winner choose three stunning dishes.
The first choice was...
The second was shrimp and grit.
The third dish – the most amazing in our opinion – is a crispy catfish served with
the fragrant purple slaw...
Everything had to be replicated – from the ingredients to the manner of cooking, down
to the plating.
One of the more notorious ones for this challenge was Adrian’s dish – it simply had the
wrong plating and the worst taste – if it had any!
He seriously pushed Restaurateur Joe Bastianich to the edge, that it certainly felt like Adrian
was a juvenile delinquent.
Christian’s Lobster
This episode had the contestants now down to 11.
The big-deal challenge involved the biggest Mystery Box known to Masterchef history.
Mystery boxes require that the chefs prepare, cook, and present one incredible dish using
some or all of the ingredients inside of the box.
Each contestant had the regular sized mystery box that contained vegetables.
The biggest box, which was to be shared among them hid a surprise.
What was in it?
There are so many things you can do with lobster… the first challenge was to go and get one!
The bigger they are, the tougher their meat gets.
A 4-lb lobster can get rubbery fairly quick.
So the contestants had to be creative.
Christian’s temper was starting to catch up with him…
Unfortunately, when you cook angry it tends to come out in the food.
Giuseppe’s Eggs Benedict
With the last episode seeing lobsters unleashing a contestant’s aggression, things could
only get more electrifying!
Episode 12 brought in every contestant’s worst critics…
THEIR MOTHERS!
The Blue team prepared a delicately plated pan-seared turbot, with caramelized fennel.
Unfortunately, BUT when asked whose entrée’s she liked the most…
Now for the pressure test.
The objective was to create eggs benedict.
Making eggs benedict needs precision.
You have to have crispy, warm bacon, eggs poached to perfection and a warm, creamy Hollandaise
sauce.
Unfortunately, Giuseppe’s eggs benedict was a disaster.
Giuseppe’s passion was extraordinary and was at the receiving end of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s
compliments.
Ground Pork Patty with Sauerkraut
The challenge for episode 13 was to create a pork dish with the choice pork cut assigned
to them.
Adrien got to select among nine cuts of pork.
For himself, he chose double cut pork chops.
Cheeks for Christian.
Pork Belly for Suzy.
Ground pork for Jennifer.
Pork Butt for Ben.
A boneless center cut pork loin for Alejandra, and St. Louis style ribs for Derrick.
With one hour on the clock, it was time under tremendous pressure.
One of the more notorious moments in this season is Jennifer’s Ground Pork Patty.
But, Jennifer already had tears welling up in her eyes when...
And as if that were not enough...
By this time, the judges have upped the ante and are now treating the contestants like
chefs who have trained for years!
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
With eight cooks remaining… the pressure is really on.
Jennifer got to choose from the three judges’ childhood favorite dishes: Joe’s was pizza.
Graham’s was mac and cheese.
Gordon’s was tomato soup with grilled cheese.
She chose what seemed to be like a simple dish to make.
Each of the contestants was given a chance to give their own spin to this classic in
just 45 minutes.
The best dish went to Suzy’s.
Chef Ramsay was impressed with how she updated her tomato soup with bourbon.
And her roasted tomato was absolutely brilliant!
As for Christine, she made hers into an Heirloom Tomato Soup with Goat and Provolone Grilled
Cheese.
But, the combination did not feel right for Gordon.
Chef Graham thought that the texture was better reserved for baby food, and her grilled cheese
was too oily.
For Joe Bastianich, goat cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich smelled vile.
The Salmon Test
The top six were taken to Patina’s restaurant in Los Angeles.
The order of the evening?
Run a dinner service!
Tracy had selected Adrien and Jennifer to form the Blue Team, while Christian and Ben
were with Suzy on the Red Team.
The Red Team won despite glitches in the kitchen.
Tracy, Adrien, and Jennifer had to face off with a salmon dish.
The challenge was to fillet and debone a whole salmon and cut it into at least 10 portions.
Chef Gordon Ramsay demonstrated filleting.
And he made it seem like child’s play!
So how to cook the perfect salmon?
Just think how stressful it must be to have the world’s best chef breathing down your
neck while filleting an expensive king salmon!
It certainly isn’t easy to watch!
At 7 minutes, they could only cook one piece of salmon.
Unfortunately, Tracy’s portion was too big and hers ended raw plus her salmon carcass
had a lot of meat left – a no-no for something this expensive.
Botched Venison
So now they’re down to 5 and everyone is certain that they can grab the Masterchef
title.
In the Mystery Box challenge, the contestants were given three kinds of ground meat as the
main ingredient.
For the elimination challenge, Ben was to cook a mystery guest’s signature dish.
This chef was none other than…
The three dishes were: Pan roasted fillet of halibut with crab; Roasted duck breast
with honey glazed baby onions and Roasted loin of venison.
Ben got to pick one of Gordon Ramsay’s signature recipe for everyone to make.
He also had the opportunity to ask Gordon three questions about the dish.
Unfortunately, the Mystery Box prize… cost Ben a shot at becoming the Masterchef!
How did the man with the huge advantage squander his chance?!
It was a lovely cut that has gone to waste!
Chef Ramsay thought it was so overcooked and the sauce overpowering.
The main ingredient had been destroyed.
Ben knew this colossal mistake admitted defeat.
A Thanksgiving meal served with a dash of animosity
The 18th episode saw the remaining four divided into two teams.
They were tasked to cook a dish for the judges who were joined by three other judges from
international versions of Masterchef!
Since Suzy was the last elimination challenge winner, she had the opportunity to choose
her teammate.
But this choice was her downfall.
As the judges were watching both teams, observations were made on their behaviors.
The Red Team settled on a Thanksgiving dinner dish with Raspberry Coulis and caramelized
fennel.
Christian looked like he was about to cry.
Joe was blunt enough to say that the animosity and the lack of harmony showed up in the dish!
As for the Red team, who made Prawns with Lobster, corn, and avocado, one judge found
it…
What a mess!
Those were some of the worst dishes on MasterChef season 2!
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