In last night’s MasterChef Australia kitchen, five chefs fought for their culinary lives. Lily, Sumeet, Steph, Steve, and Josh Perry were thrown into a Jamie Oliver challenge, and the cook in last place was eliminated. They were tasked with cooking a chicken Wellington stuffed with mushroom duxelles, to be plated up along with seasonal vegetables and a celeriac potato mash. Each contestant had to cook with no recipe; they instead had to listen to Jamie’s instructions as he demonstrated how to cook this dish.
MasterChef Australia’s Steph was both excited and nervous about taking on this challenge. In an interview with The Latch, Steph said that this headspace led her astray.
“I was excited because, when you think about it, it is such a simple dish,” Steph said. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to how fast Jamie is going, and how much I can see in the moment. My headspace was in so many different places, so the challenge became quite terrifying.”
According to Steph, these conflicting feelings made her miss some of Jamie’s instructions, forcing her to play catch-up.
“Catching up with Jamie, it was quite difficult,” Steph said. “One moment he was going super fast and then the next moment I was like, ‘Okay, I can catch up here.’ But it’s keeping up with Jamie, not catching up with Jamie.”
Unfortunately, while Steph was playing catch up, she made some disastrous errors. Right as Jamie was saying not to, she tore a small tenderloin fillet from her chicken breast, which meant that she couldn’t stuff the chicken with mushroom duxelles.
“It did enter my mind, ‘I might as well throw in the towel here. I think I’m pretty screwed.’ But it’s not in my nature to give up,” Steph said.
When the judges tasted Steph’s chicken Wellington, it didn’t contain her mushroom duxelles, and thus, she was eliminated from MasterChef Australia.
“It was really such an experience,” Steph said, reflecting on her time on MasterChef Australia. “I learnt a lot from the moment that I was there, but I would have liked to have had more time.”
What’s Next for MasterChef Australia’s Steph?
While Steph may have been eliminated from the MasterChef Australia kitchen, her culinary adventures aren’t over. As of today, Steph has started a business called Culinary Black Books. Culinary Black Books will connect owners in the hospitality industry with the best workers currently in this business.
“For the last few days, I’ve teamed up with a little restaurant in South Yarra called Da Noi,” she said. “I’ve been making pasta there in the window, and they’re my first consulting client.”
“I would have started this business anyway. But to have a few extra sets of eyes on me that are also passionate about the food industry, that means so much.”
If you want to follow MasterChef Australia’s Steph on Instagram, click the link here.
MasterChef Australia 2024 airs Mondays though Thursday at 7.30pm, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss an episode? Catch up on 10 Play.
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