Justine sets test
MASTERCHEF veteran Justine Schofield thinks it’s all about girl power on the reality cooking show this season.
Schofield was a popular topfour contestant on the Channel 10 show in its debut series and will return to set this season’s contenders an elimination challenge this week.
“I can’t wait just to watch who is going to win this year,” Schofield said.
“There are so many girls that are shining, it’s girl power this year – really intense girl power.” Schofield said 29-yearold Jessica from Perth was a standout and is drawing on her skills as an award-winning bar tender both in Australia and overseas.
“She is really exciting to watch because she can put flavours together and balance quite well because she has got the cocktails behind her,” Schofield said.
Since leaving MasterChef, Schofield has fronted five seasons of daily weekday cooking show Everyday Gourmet on Channel 10 and is writing her first cookbook, due out in the middle of next year. She said the recipes would be simple and reflect the fact she is a cook, not a chef.
“It’s totally different to Everyday Gourmet – I’m going to show off quite a lot more of my French heritage in there.”
Schofield also plans to include some recipes influenced by the food prepared by her Portuguese, Greek and Italian neighbours in Sydney’s inner west. “I spent a lot of my time over at their house watching my neighbours cook,” she said.
“We would put it away – we’d have our pasta at four o’clock when we’d get back to my best friend’s Nonna’s house then I’d get home and Mum would cook a beef bourguignon and I’d eat that.”
Schofield still lives in Sydney but spends four months of the year in Melbourne filming Everyday Gourmet.
She plans to visit her partner Matt Doran when he relocates to Los Angeles to host TV show Crime Watch Daily.
“I have never been to America so I am just excited to go and try their delicious hamburgers,” Schofield said.
MasterChef returns to Ten tonight at 7.30pm