This week MasterChef Australia sees the arrival of guest chef, the feared Marco Pierre White.
Sunday May 29
It’s elimination Sunday in the MasterChef kitchen as our contestants arrive to find the judges standing in front of a giant black curtain. After much excitement and intrigue, Jock drops the curtain to reveal a green wall full to the brim of over 70 various leafy greens and herbs. In this two round challenge, the contestants must first take turns to identify the leafy greens and herbs, by touch, smell and taste. The first six contestants to name a leafy green or herb incorrectly will find themselves in round two. In round two, the six contestants have 75 minutes to create a dish, sweet or savoury , that celebrates the greens on the wall. The least impressive dish will send its maker home.
Monday May 30
Our top 14 contestants enter the MasterChef kitchen ready for a mystery box challenge, only to find a singular mystery box placed in the centre of the MasterChef kitchen. Andy lifts the lid to reveal a mini storm cloud as lightning flashes around the kitchen to the amazement of the contestants. The judges reveal that today’s mystery box challenge is about a rainy day dish, something comforting they would want to eat when it’s wet outside. The contestants have 75 minutes to create a dish for a rainy day, which can be sweet or savoury The four contestants with the least impressive dishes will find themselves in tomorrow’s pressure test, where someone will be eliminated, while the best dish of the day will see its maker fast tracked into this week’s immunity challenge.
Tuesday May 31
The contestants with the four least impressive dishes from yesterday’s rainy day mystery box, must cook off in today’s pressure test. The judges introduce guest chef Donato “Donny” Toce from Gelato Messina. Widely respected in the industry, Donny has set the benchmark for gelato in Australia. Donny presents his intricate three part dessert, Honey, to the contestants. On the top sits a honey tuille, followed by a honey gelato honeycomb, and the third part to the dish is an impressive blown sugar beehive. The contestants have just three and a half hours to replicate Donny’s dish. The contestant with the least impressive dish will be sent home.
Wednesday June 1
Contestants arrive at The LUME Melbourne, Australia’s first digital art gallery for today’s service challenge. Surrounded by stunning artwork projections by the Dutch impressionist master, Vincent Van Gogh, today’s challenge is to create a three course menu inspired by one specific artwork of a forest. The judges want the dishes to take them into the heart of the forest, they want a multi sensory, immersive experience when they taste the food. Today, contestants aren’t just cooks, they’re artists and the judges are expecting a masterpiece! Divided into two teams of six, the contestants have two and a half hours for entrée, three hours for main and three and a half hours for dessert. Each course must be inspired by the surroundings. Each team is serving 30 diners, and the winning team will join the winner of Monday’s mystery box challenge in the immunity challenge tomorrow.
Thursday June 2
The contestants enter the MasterChef kitchen to see an imposing silhouette at the top of the kitchen it’s iconic chef Marco Pierre White. Following an inspirational speech from Marco, it’s revealed that today’s immunity challenge is a pressure test to win immunity. Contestants will recreate one of the classic recipes from Marco’s best selling, iconic cookbook, White Heat. With 45 minutes on the clock, the contestants must recreate Marco’s
panache of sea scallops, calamari and ink sauce. The best dish will earn its maker immunity from Sunday’s elimination.
Masterclass: In the tastiest MasterClass yet, Andy teams up with a Favourite to make an indigenous dish, fried saltbush with bush tomato mayo. Jock welcomes winner of Celebrity MasterChef, Nick Riewoldt, back to the kitchen as they prepare fried eggplants with salsa verde and walnuts. Jock and Andy join forces in the kitchen to make their
favourite rainy day dishes. Jock makes a butter chicken and naan while Andy prepares a fish curry, coconut sambal and garlic naan for the hungry contestants. Melissa welcomes chef and co owner of celebrated Melbourne restaurant,
Anchovy, Thi Le to demonstrate tandoori chicken bahn mi.
Sunday June 5
The culinary king, Marco Pierre White returns to the MasterChef kitchen for today’s elimination challenge. Marco has brought his favourite pantry items, including ingredients he cooks with at home and in most restaurants over his vast career. For Marco, sauces and condiments out of the bottle or jar can contribute to delicious food if used in a clever way. The contestants have 75 minutes to create a dish using two or more ingredients from Marco’s array of pantry items that includes balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, tomato sauce, white vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to name but a few. With access to the garden and pantry, the least impressive dish will send its maker home.
Monday June 6
It’s the halfway point in the competition as our top 12 contestants enter the MasterChef kitchen for a smoking mystery box challenge. Sitting on their benches are 12 smouldering mystery boxes. The judges introduce guest chef Dave Pynt who is revered for cooking with fire. The contestants must create a dish that incorporates a burnt element or has the flavour of fire. The judges are looking for bitterness, chariness, smokiness and anything that screams ash and flame. Dave has stocked the pantry with a selection of wood chips and dried herbs to help elevate the dishes. With 75 minutes on the clock, the best dish will win a massive advantage in the next team challenge while the four least impressive dishes will find their makers in tomorrow’s pressure test.
Tuesday June 7
Pasta King Andreas Papadakis is back in the MasterChef kitchen for a pressure test with a difference. The contestants won’t see the dish, they won’t taste the dish, and they won’t be given a recipe. Instead, they will have to recreate a dish using a review written by judge Melissa Leong. After Melissa reads out her review of Andreas’ dish tipomisu , a twist on a classic tiramisu, the contestants have 75 minutes to decipher the recipe from Mel’s review, and they won’t see Andreas’ completed dish until they present their own finished dish to the judges. The contestants whose dish least resembles the original, will be going home.
Wednesday June 8
Our top 11 contestants arrive at Hotel Fitzroy in Melbourne to be met by the MasterChef judges. Jock reveals Hotel Fitzroy is the perfect location for a restaurant battle with an Italian restaurant upstairs and a Japanese restaurant downstairs. Split into two teams for today’s service challenge, each team must curate a three course menu designed for the restaurant they are cooking in. One team will consist of six cooks, cooking for 40 hungry diners and the judges while the other team will have five cooks to feed 34 diners and the judges. Each team have two and a half hours before the dishes must begin leaving the pass. The team that cooks the best menu will compete for immunity in tomorrow’s immunity challenge.
Thursday June 9
MasterChef hits the silver screen with an immunity challenge all about movie food. In the first round, everyone must take part in a popcorn taste test. One at a time, the contestants must taste and identify the flavour of the popcorn. If they guess correctly, they stay in the game. If they are incorrect, they are out of the game. The final three contestants left standing cook off in round two for a chance to win immunity. The three contestants cooking in the second round must create a newn flavour chop top. The contestants must use a waffle cone and completely cover their ice cream in chocolate dip. The winner will not only win immunity and the first spot in the top 10, they will also have their choc tops delivered to thousands of people around the country with Deliveroo.
7:30pm on 10.
Corrected.