MasterChef – Recap & Review – Top 16 Revealed

photo: fox

MasterChef
Top 16 Revealed

Original Air Date: Jun 20, 2011

JD – Sr. Staff Writer
jd@thetwocentscorp.com

The Mystery Box is back! I didn’t doubt that it would be, but I have to admit that I have a fondness for this challenge. Being a huge fan of shows like Chopped, though, I get excited when cooking competition shows go “here’s a box of randomness, sink or swim!” Yes, I know that’s really dorky, but I’m okay with that.

Besides, when I think of the Mystery Box Challenge now after the long break between seasons, what comes to mind first is Slim pulling a live crab apart last summer. Yuergh. I need new Mystery Box memories.

Mystery Box:

So the cooks only have a short time to look around their beautiful kitchen and pantry (as Angel said, “holy sh**”) and for Gordon to plug the brand of appliances they’re using, then they get to the box. The contestants all have one hour to make a “stunning” dish (I always chuckle to myself whenever they say that, thinking of the judges being literally stunned by a dish and falling flat on the floor, plank-like–yes, I am easily amused at times) using as many of the box ingredients as they can. The judges will pick three dishes to try, and the winner gets an advantage going into the next round, which is the elimination round.

So what do they have to work with? Salmon, strawberries, fennel, white asparagus, dill, ricotta, fingerling potatoes, balsamic vinegar, puff pastry, and pistachios.

The first thing I thought was “Salmon and strawberries? I bet that could be good!” And then the judges all started talking about how weird the combination could be. Oops. Good thing I wasn’t cooking. Christian was, though, and he starts off making a pistachio crusted salmon (yum!) with a balsamic-strawberry reduction. Maybe killing the sweet with the sour will make it work, but when Gordon asks Christian why the strawberries go with the salmon, his answer is “because you gave them to me.” It was clearly not the answer Gordon was looking for.

Angel got an equally ‘huh?’ reaction when she told Gordon she was making something with a ricotta and mustard sauce. Meanwhile, Suzy is over-achieving and doing salmon three ways, one of which is smoked salmon… but she has no wood chips, so she’s using bread. Huh? Oh, and Max still doesn’t like her and thinks she’s arrogant, and I’m starting to come around to that too after last night, but that doesn’t make it any less funny that they’re playing pot/kettle. And that the producers clearly saw the potential for comedy/disaster and put Max and Suzy at the same table.

Tony sets a steamer basket on fire while Gordon is talking to him, and Ben is debating whether or not to put the strawberries on the plate, since Gordon will “eat his soul” if he does. Um, I would vote for not doing it.

Luckily he didn’t… but he was still called out for having the worst looking dish as soon as time was up. “Embarrassing,” Gordon called it. Indeed.

Who had the best three dishes?

Suzy, who made smoked, pickled, and grilled salmon – Gordon said her contrasting flavors were nice, but the strawberries were too sweet. Joe said there was some smoke and mirrors on her technique (the “smoked” salmon not really being smoked), but it was good overall.

Christian, who made pistachio crusted salmon with a strawberry balsamic reduction – Joe said the salmon was cooked perfectly, and that he used the strawberries effectively. Graham pointed out that a lot of people crusted their salmon with the nuts, but Christian’s was evenly cooked and “really yummy”.

Jennie, who made a savory salmon tart – Joe praised her for going a different way than everyone else, and said it was the sort of dish you would think of when conceptualizing a menu. He said it was smart and impressive.

Who won the challenge? Christian, and he gets taken into the pantry to get the jump on the next challenge.

European Challenge:

Inside the pantry, Christian is presented with three choices of cuisine, Spanish, French and… British? Yes, British. Not exactly culinary excellence, but I guess I can get behind some fish and chips. Christian decides to pick French cuisine, though, and they head out to tell the other cooks. Oh, and Christian doesn’t have to make a dish. He’s safe. And everyone else isn’t happy about it.

They had to suck it up, though, because they only had an hour to cook something French. Tracy starts going on about not wanting to be up for elimination (because we’ve never heard that before!), and Max waxes poetic about all the fabulous, fancy French restaurants he’s been to and how it gives him an advantage. Erryn decides to make sweet potato fries and carpaccio, because he clearly heard “Italy and… the rest of the world” when the judges said France. Just because you call it “pommes frites” does not a French dish make.

Christine puts some wine in her dish and in a glass for herself, with ominous words that she’s not drunk “yet”. Jennie decides to make not one, but three soups. Angel starts a tart, but forgets to weigh it down and it bubbles, and with ten minutes to go, Mark decides his whipped potatoes are too runny, so he adds flour. Oh, dear. Everyone starts rushing, Angel is cursing, Suzy’s eggs break, Christine is pouring more wine, and Max is talking about how he feels he’s overdue to be singled out as the best in the competition.

Huh? He does realize this is the first real day of competition, right? But Gordon does say he raised the bar, and that while he could never afford to eat in fancy restaurants growing up and had to learn in the kitchen, Max obviously took sitting on the other side of that scenario seriously.

Moving on… Joe called Giuseppe’s profiteroles “petite success for a big Italian”, but he also said Jennie’s soups were more like baby food. Derrick’s gougere (a cheese puff with a poached egg–I’ve never heard of gougere, but if this is what it is, I want one!) was delicious, according to Gordon. And Christine? Well, I was really surprised that Christine wasn’t in the bottom three, especially given the string of curses Gordon let out just trying to cut into her pork chop.

Derrick and Max won the challenge, which gives them the advantage of being team leaders in the next challenge, but who was in the bottom three?

Mark, who made peppercorn crusted filet with whipped mashed potatoes – As soon as Joe tasted the potatoes, he was scowling, and called serving the raw flour in the potatoes a “severe technical error”. Gordon said it was one of the things a cook should never do.

Angel, who made… well, it was supposed to be a fruit tart, but it was basically just custard and fruit – Gordon said he was embarrassed for her.

Erryn, who made carpaccio – Gordon said the beef needed olive oil and Parmesan, not spinach and mushrooms.

Who went home? Angel. And Mark.

I was surprised by the double elimination, but I guess I shouldn’t be. They eliminated two people after the first big challenge last season. And on second watch, I notice they always say “at least one” person will be eliminated. Tricky wording.

So what did you guys think of this episode? Did Angel and Mark deserve to go home? Do you think eventually we’re going to see Christine get hammered in the kitchen? Who else wants to put Max and Suzy in a wrestling ring together and watch them fight it out? Give me your two cents!

If you’d like to follow JD’s TV stories from TTC and beyond, you can follow her on Twitter at @JDeckerTV.