MasterChef Episode 7

After a fun episode two weeks ago with the first team challenge, it was time for the first Pressure Test of the season! For those of you who don’t know, a Pressure Test is a challenge that they typically have right after a team challenge, but they got rid of them in the past few seasons after they switched to a format of one challenge an episode, so this was the first Pressure Test they had in five seasons. 

The duos that competed in this challenge were the five duos that were on the losing Blue Team in the previous team challenge. At each of their stations was a Mystery Box, and when they lifted it up, underneath was a mallet. The judges then revealed that the mallets would be used for breaking the Mystery Boxes, which were made of chocolate, and the contestants would have to use that chocolate specifically in some way in the desserts that they would be making. Much like all the other episodes, I was able to tell which duos were going to be in trouble just based on the judges comments during the bake time.

The first duo to present their dessert was Kayla and Ryan Kate, who made a Cardamom-Spiced Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache, White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Coulis, and Candied Pistachio & Cookie Crumble, which is a dessert that I would absolutely be willing to try. One thing that I found funny was when Joe asked if he could be artsy with how he spread the Raspberry Coulis, and he did so in the messiest way possible, which resulted in Kayla and Ryan Kate saying that it looked like a murder scene, and Gordon then spread it in a much neater way, which prompted Kayla to say that it looked like something she would share to Instagram. The judges really liked their dessert, saying that it looked elegant, the cake was nice and moist, the coulis was delicious, the ganache was rich, and it could be a restaurant dish.

The next duo to present their dessert was Azu and Javier, who made a Chocolate Roulade with Dark Chocolate Ganache, Golden Chocolate Ganache, and Strawberry Mint Sorbet, which is a dessert that I would be willing to try. The judges thought that the roulade tasted good and the sorbet tasted good, but they did not go together, as it was like eating two separate desserts.

The next duo to present their dessert was Timothy and Athena, who made a Chocolate Lava Cake with Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Roses, and Matcha Dusting, which is a dessert that if done correctly, I would absolutely try. I knew before they presented their dessert that they were going to be in trouble, as they started making it way too early, and as a result, finished it way too early. The judges were not a fan of the chocolate mousse logs, with Gordon saying that it looked like it came from his bulldog, which is an insult that he uses a lot more than you would expect, but the biggest problem was that due to how early they put it in the oven, it was not a molten lava cake.

The next duo to present their dessert was Tonna and Cait, who made a Layered Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Whip, Raspberry Coulis, and Caramel Gochujang Sauce, which I would definitely try. The judges really liked it, calling it a showstopper, they would be happy to have it as a birthday cake, that it was the dessert of the day, and that they could put it on their menu and sell it for $15. 

The last duo to present their dessert was Darce and Courtney, who made Cannoli with Sweet Chocolate Cashew Ricotta Filling and Whiskey Raspberry Coulis, which I’m not sure I would want to try. Even when they were describing the dessert, the judges were skeptical about it, as it was a blend of vegan and non vegan elements. When they tasted it, they said it looked like an over-fried egg roll, there were so many competing flavors going on, the taste of the filling was rough, and the sauce was confusing to their palate. 

After that, it was time to announce the results of the challenge. The two duos that did the best were Kayla and Ryan Kate and Tonna and Cait, which did not surprise me, and they also said that Azu and Javier did well enough to move on, which also did not surprise me. This left Timothy and Athena and Darce and Courtney as the bottom two, and the duo that was eliminated was Darce and Courtney, which did not surprise me, as it sounded like the judges did not enjoy anything on their plate.

Overall, this was another good episode of Season 15 of MasterChef, and I’ll see you all next week when the duos have to play a game of Recipe Telephone!