GETTING TASTY
HIBERNATION: P14-15
IT’S heading to the pointy end of the MasterChef season with the Top 10 announced last night. There’s been some epic moments and spectacular dishes from the moment legendary UK chef Gordon Ramsay introduced the new judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen and the 24 former contestants who were back to win. “I’ve got hairs standing up thinking about that day,” Allen tells Hibernation. The winner of the fourth season says while at times he’d love to be back in the ring cooking with the best of them, mostly he’s really happy where he is – eating the unbelievable creations. He hints some of the best food is still to come.
REYNOLD POER
FUN FACTS Has had a winning Mystery Box dish three times
Has competed for immunity three times, winning once. BEST DISHES SO FAR
White Noise.
Mel: Boy did he cook a finaleworthy dish, impressive on every level.
Bali Sunrise – his take on Cendol.
Jock: “He just does things beautifully and properly.”
Down the rabbit hole dessert
Andy: “Not just because it was amazing looking, but I think he’s a flat-out legend for doing that in 75 minutes.” MAGIC MOMENT
His incredible Down the Rabbit Hole dish. STICKING POINT
Jock: “Sometimes he focuses more on the concept and visual elements and just sometimes you are left saying I wish this had more flavour. The visuals and concepts are super important, but nothing trumps taste.’’
EMELIA JACKSON
FUN FACTS Competed for immunity twice, won once (ep 32 Kirsten Tibballs Pressure Test) with a
near-perfect performance
Has won 4 of 6 team challenges . BEST DISHES SO FAR
Pistachio & strawberry eclair. Mel: “That’s the front cover of a magazine right there.” MAGIC MOMENT
Ramsay dubbing her pistachio and strawberry eclair breathtaking and mind-blowing. STICKING POINT
Jock: “It’s all in her head. When’s she’s in her element, making desserts, she’s not thinking twice about it. Don’t let expectations get in the way of you making something extraordinary. It doesn’t matter if it’s something in your toolbox that you do all the time.”
LAURA SHARRAD
FUN FACTS Has had Mystery Box winning dishes twice. Cooked for immunity twice but not won. Still hasn’t been on a winning team for a team challenge to this point. BEST DISHES
Hand-rolled pinci, cacio e pepe
Andy: “It’s just perfect, no better word. Seasoned perfectly, every bit about was perfect.”
Whole King George Whiting on hibachi, spring onions and fish head sauce.
Jock: “It’s as close to perfection as you’re going to get.” MAGIC MOMENT
Making Jock emotional in the very first episode with her Orana-style native winter dessert. PITFALLS
Jock: “Sometimes overconfident, almost sails through at times thinking it’s easy and then time can get away from you.”
KHANH ONG
FUN FACTS
Has had two top Mystery Box dishes; has cooked for immunity five times, but not won it. BEST DISHES
Coral Trout Rasam.
Jock: “Mate. All of the delicious packed into that bowl. The depth of flavour in that broth is something else. It was perfectly balanced.”
Mel: “It was fireworks in a bowl.” The entire mushroom. Pine mushrooms different ways, sweet potato puree and roast beetroot
Mel: “This is a sexy, full bodied, curvy, earthy lady of a dish.” Canh Chua Ca – Southern Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup – Andy: “That was unbelievable.” MAGIC MOMENT
Katy Perry throwing shade at him when he laughed as she called herself a basic b---- and she said “well thank god you’re not cooking”. STICKING POINT
Jock: “Can get a bit manic – same way as Poh – billion ideas which are all really, really good and wants to try and do all of them but needs to cut it back. He makes beautiful food but I fear sometimes his brain is going too fast.”
BRENDAN PANG
FUN FACTS
Competed for immunity twice, but has not won. Three team wins, three team losses (including one as captain). BEST DISHES SO FAR
Andy: “You name any of the dumplings he’s made and I’ll put them down.”
Dan Dan Noodles with Broth –
Andy: “It’s a plate of food that’s not really like you. You’re kind of softly spoken, very polite and then you bring us this food that’s just like, angry and powerful and mentally charged with flavour.”
MAGIC MOMENT
Funny moment in the of Dan Dan noodles tasting when Mel has to eat basically the world’s longest noodle.
REECE HIGNELL FUN FACTS
Winning Mystery Box dishes twice Has competed for Immunity twice, but not won,
BEST DISHES
Carrot cake, sweet soy ice cream & a beetroot caramel. Chef Shannon Martinez saying that he should come and teach her chefs how to make it – Top 4 winning dish Mandarin and Tarragon Ice Cream, Caramelised White Chocolate and Miso Parfait with Verjuice Granita.
Andy: “None of those flavours are meant to go together.”
MAGIC MOMENT
His total fangirl moments over
Katy Perry who called his dish “the t..s!”
STICKING POINT
Jock: “Suffers a little bit in his own mind, in his feelings of am I good enough or is this dish good enough that throws him off. Often I say to him ‘you’re such a good cook – park that thought for a moment.”
CALLUM HANN FUN FACTS
Competed for immunity three times; won immunity twice, first in against Gordon and then in last week, which saw him as the first cook through to the Top 10.
BEST DISHES SO FAR
Carrot and ginger okonomiyaki.
Mel: “this goes to Japan and back.” Kingfish zucchini & pistachio baba ganoush w/oregano vinaigrette.
Andy: “That’s the way that I love to eat. I could see that on one of our menus. That’s up there for me for one of the best dishes you’ve bought us.”
Mandarin master stock with duck toasted sesame, mandarin sauce noodles and chilli mandarin oil.
Andy: “Just stupidly good.
It’s all round belter of a dish”
MAGIC MOMENT
Keeping up with Gordon Ramsay to produce Potato Crusted Murray Cod with Minestrone – recreated within 5 per cent of three-star chef’s dish to win immunity.
STICKING POINT
Jock: “His brain racing at 100 miles an hour. Sometimes puts too much on a plate, too many big flavours going on, then you can’t taste everything clearly.”
SARAH TIONG FUN FACTS
Has had three Mystery Box top dishes.
Has cooked for immunity three times and won once.
BEST DISH SO FAR
Pork Jowl
Andy: “I just can’t wait to eat that dish again, someday soon hopefully.”
Lemongrass & ginger: Thai-style prawns w/a lemongrass & ginger caramel
Jock: “You were confident about that dish and you had every right to be because we loved it.”
MAGIC MOMENT
Katy Perry delivering personal time calls to her.
STICKING POINT
JOCK: “Easily flustered under pressure, not saying that’s a bad thing – we’ve seen the best chefs in Australia get flustered and lose in the MasterChef kitchen. But she’ll get rattled and some times find it hard to recover from that.”
TESSA BOERSMA FUN FACT
Hasn’t competed for immunity in the Back To Win season.
BEST DISHES SO FAR
Moreton Bay Bug Mornay with Thyme Brioche Doughnuts.
Andy: “Technique is out of control for the first cook.” Tamarind Ice Cream with Anise Myrtle and Beetroot Ice cream with fresh blackberry sauce and fresh blackberry Fresh Basil.
Andy: “I knew you were going to smash that. As a whole mouthful, it goes together perfectly.”
MAGIC MOMENT
Gordon Ramsay saying he wanted to pinch her savoury doughnut idea.
STICKING POINT
Andy: “I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her yet, I think she’s really overwhelmed with her fellow competitors, with the likes of who she is cooking against. I just wish she’d put that aside and go in with a lot of confidence.”
POH LING YEOW FUN FACTS
Three Mystery Box top dishes. Competed for immunity four times across four consecutive weeks; hasn’t yet won immunity.
BEST DISHES SO FAR
Meat & three Stout Braised beef pie with blue cheese crust.
Andy: It was faultless, flat-out comfort food. That’s Poh for you.” Scampi carpaccio, pickle turnip, mango emulsion
Mel: “A dish of soul and substance and Zen and I absolutely love i.”
MAGIC MOMENT
Lychee Strawberry Chiffon Cake – gambling all 90 mins of the Gordon’s Gift challenge.
STICKING POINT
Harnessing her Poh-lercoaster ways has been a serious challenge. Jock: “All too often we see her with seconds to go peering into the oven hoping that it’s going to be ready. Watching her cook makes me physically anxious.”