MasterChef Episode 11

After a unique challenge last week in the form of an ingredient auction, it was time for a challenge where all the duos had make Macarons! This is not a new thing for MasterChef, as there have been a few challenges in the past where contestants had to make Macarons, but this one was different, as this time, they would have to make a tower of Macarons of at least two different flavors, and it would also result in them making a total of 80 Macarons in 90 minutes. I am just going to get this out of the way right now, I am confident that I would want to try all the Macarons that were made in this episode. Even the ones that landed in the bottom, I’m sure they would be good if made correctly.

The first duo to present their Macarons were Adam and Joel, who made Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Macarons. The judges really liked their Macarons, saying that they were stunning, the sheen on them was beautiful and consistent, the shell and the crunch were consistent, and the flavors were great. 

The next duo to present their Macarons were Jessica and Jesse, who made Pistachio & White Chocolate Macarons and Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons. The judges liked the contrast, and they felt the combination was beautiful, and they liked that it tasted like fresh strawberries.

The next duo to present their Macarons were Rachel and Julio, who made Chocolate & Blood Orange Brigadeiro Macarons and Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Macarons. The judges thought the flavors were great, but the texture was slightly grainy, it was a little overcooked, and it didn’t have the right crunch.

The next duo to present their Macarons were Tina and Aivan, who made Matcha Buttercream Macarons and Yuzu & White Chocolate Macarons. The judges did not like them, as they were rock hard.

The next duo to present their Macarons were Zach and Michelle, who made Lemon Lavender Macarons and Chocolate Bourbon Macarons. The judges liked the cook on them, the consistency, and the flavor, but they did acknowledge that the chocolate was a little crunchy and that the fillings needed to have more power. 


The next duo to present their Macarons were Timothy and Athena, who made Peach Cobbler Macarons and Banana Pudding Macarons. The judges said that while some of them tasted good, they were all over the place, as they were all different sizes, with the medium sized ones being delicious and the small ones being overcooked, and the peach tasting like whipped butter. 

The last duo to present their Macarons were Azu and Javier, who made Chocolate Amaretto Macarons and Strawberry & Raspberry Macarons. During the bake time, Azu and Javier forgot to get started on their second batch, which told me that what was going to happen was that either they were going to land in the bottom or nail the challenge, and sure enough, they ended up nailing the challenge. The judges loved the flavors, the consistency, and the size, but they did acknowledge that they were not filled as evenly as they would have liked. 

After that, the judges called out the top three duos in the challenge, which were Adam and Joel, Zach and Michelle, and Azu and Javier. The judges then announced that the best Macarons of the night belonged to Adam and Joel, which did not surprise me, as the judges did not have any nitpicks for what they made, and it also meant that they would get the last major advantage of the season in the next challenge.

The judges then announced that the duos in the bottom two were Tina and Aivan and Timothy and Athena. The judges then announced that Timothy and Athena would be eliminated, which did not surprise me, as they were probably putting past challenges into consideration, and Timothy and Athena had not done well in several other challenges already. 


Overall, this was another good episode of MasterChef, and I’ll see you all next week when the duos have a Backyard Barbecue challenge!