Tasmanian favourite invited into Ben’s kitchen after raw deal on MasterChef
SEAFOOD king Rick Stein has sunk the chances of MasterChef challenger Amy Luttrell, but it won’t be the last you see of the Tassie favourite on Channel 10.
The former hairdresser has already made the most of her reality TV profile by teaming up with another graduate of the cooking show, Ben Milbourne, and recorded appearances on his Creative Media series, Ben’s Menu.
Luttrell was eliminated after undercooking her squid in a dish of coconut and lemongrass curry, in what emerged as a battle to impress the UK foodie hero and seafood specialist.
In a dramatic episode, Ashleigh Bareham used her immunity pin to save herself from the pressure cook, after revealing she was worried about her sick mother and unable to focus.
With each contestant charged with cooking a different species of fish and matched to a different world cuisine, Luttrell was tasked with using squid in a Malaysian- style meal.
Title frontrunner Billie McKay excelled in the tasting, wowing Stein with her dish of pan- seared red emperor with chorizo, sherry, orange and saffron broth, which he described as “an absolute knock out”.
Matthew Hopcraft’s serving of John Dory coconut curry with caramelised eggplant, rice and flatbread also drew compliments; as did Georgia Barnes’ snow crab bisque with fennel, tarragon and tomato.
Joining Luttrell in the bottom two was Jessie Spiby, who struggled with her poached Murray cod, served with peas, bacon and brussels sprouts and a thyme and rosemary sauce.
Spiby’s fish was also undercooked, but Luttrell’s curry sauce was deemed too thick and she was sent home.
Luttrell told News Corp Australia she was “overtaken” by the outstanding cooks still left in the series, who continued to raise the bar.
“I was so focused on not overcooking my seafood, I ended up undercooking it,” she said.