The ninth episode of MasterChef 12 sanctioned the elimination of two competitors: here are the videos of the highlights of what we saw on February 9th.
The ninth episode Of MasterChef Italy 12 saw the elimination of two competitors that we will reveal later to avoid spoilers. The path towards the MasterChef Italia final continues with new twists and turns, and yesterday evening the Top 10 amateur chefs still in the competition experienced intense emotions and increasingly technical tests prepared by the judges Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Giorgio Locatelli
The Mystery Box it was emptied of its contents, and the multi-starred Chef Giancarlo Perbellini, a symbol of excellent cuisine in the world, arrived on stage surprisingly; the prover Invention Test, organized by the 2-star Michelin Chef, was dedicated to two of his seafood specialities, after which the outdoor test at the NH Collection CityLife in Milan was dedicated to the melting pot between Italian tradition and international flavours; finally, a Pressure Test with a real, very tense, fight against time. Two surprise eliminations during the evening: they had to remove the apron Laura and Leonard.
The evening opened with two surprises: the Mystery Box was empty and chef Giancarlo Perbellini arrived among the judges, alongside Barbieri and Cannavacciuolo. He presented the contestants with ten ingredients (wagyu sirloin, king crab, plankton powder, gray partridge, monkfish cheeks, wasabi root, oyster leaf, Vert Jus sauce, white pâtisson courgette and Morlacco Venetian cheese) with which they had to prove that they had become real chefs. Full promotion for Hue with Non ci ho pensio (sautéed monkfish cheeks, mint and coriander oil, roasted zucchini and turmeric wafer), Francesco with Wagyu al Cucchiaio (seared wagyu on zucchini, spiced broth and Morlacco fondue) and Lavinia with My next trip (marinated wagyu gyoza and sage zucchini cream with cinnamon Vert Jus sauce), but the winner was Mattia with Oltre (soup with monkfish cheeks, zucchini and pancton and wasabi crackers). For him, an important advantage in the Invention Test being able to assign to his companions the dishes presented by chef Perbellini, to be faithfully replicated in the test: thus the Fish Soup “Chef Européen du poisson” was cooked by Mattia, Hue, Lavinia, Sara and Francesco, while the Lobster Thermidor Revisited was prepared by Laura, Bubu, Roberto, Edoardo and Leonardo. Hue was the best of the test, thus becoming brigade captain in the Outdoor Test, while Bubu was sent directly to the Pressure Test and Laura was eliminated.
The nine amateur chefs then moved to the NH Collection CityLife in Milan for an international challenge. At the diners’ table, ten chefs from all over the world and working in Italy, each with an iconic ingredient from their own tradition: Vinod Sookar from Mauritius and vanilla; Mauricio Zillo from Brazil and tropical meat; Nabil Hadj Hassen from Tunisia and Harissa sauce; Xin Ge Liu from China and taro root; Roy Caceres and the lulo then Juan Camilo Quintero and the banana leaves from Colombia; Entiana Osmenzeza from Albania and Mishavin cheese; Vasiliki Pierrakea from Greece and mullet roe covered with beeswax; Diana Beltran from Mexico and the chillies; finally Fumiko Sakai from Japan and tuna belly. Hue, winner of the Invention Test, chose the blue menu and Sara, Edoardo and Mattia for her team: they had to prepare appetizers and desserts; so she indicated Francesco as captain of the red team, made up of Lavinia, Leonardo and Roberto: for them, at the stove, everything they need first and dessert. The objective for everyone was to mix Italian ingredients with technique and creativity with the ten foreign products brought by the guests: the blue appetizer was therefore a dish made up of taro, mishavin and mullet roe; the first red dish was fried with paccheri, zucchini cream, Mishavin fondue and tuna belly; the second blue was a tuna marinated in raspberry, lime, lulo and basil, with three different types of chilli; finally, the red dessert consisted of vanilla and chilli custard, flavored shortbread, lulo jam and caramelized cherry. By a handful of votes, it was the Blue brigade that won and consequently Lavinia, Roberto, Leonardo and Francesco joined Bubu at the Pressure Test, which this week consisted of a real challenge against time: with a threatening timer just a few pass from the posts
In just 30 minutes the contestants had to cook two dishes with all ten ingredients available (cherries, fillet of meat, roquefort cheese, potatoes, tomato pulp, caviar, sweetbreads, borage, quail eggs and clams). Once the first course was closed with some of the 10 ingredients of their choice, the contestants could stop time to bring it to the judges for tasting: in case of promotion they earned the balcony, otherwise they had to cook the second course too in the remaining time and with all the ingredients left on the counter. Roberto and Bubu immediately earned salvation on the balcony, while between Lavinia, Francesco and Leonardo it was the latter who created the worst dish, which led him to leave the kitchen of MasterChef Italia.
