MasterChef Season 16, Episode 10

After a great return last week, it was time for the Wheel Of Fusion on MasterChef! At least for everyone except for us living in New York. Yeah, we were so gratefully blessed with a New York Liberty game instead of MasterChef. So, the first time ever, as far as I can tell, I was unable to watch a new episode of MasterChef on the night it premiered. So here I am, watching it a day later for the first time, and writing about it in the best way I can. 

Yeah, so like I said, we are now at the Wheel Of Fusion episode. How it was going to work is that one person from each territory would spin the wheel, and whatever country it landed on, each home cook from that territory would have to fuse their culture with that country. 

Basia VERY enthusiastically chose to spin the wheel for Europe, and it landed on Japanese Cuisine, meaning that both she and Aghata would have to fuse their cultures with Japanese Cuisine. 

Aishu chose to spin the wheel for Asia-Pacific, and it landed on French Cuisine.

Jake chose to spin the wheel for The Americas, and it landed on Nigerian Cuisine.

Lastly, Rita chose to spin the wheel for Africa, and it landed on Greek Cuisine.

However, things were not going to be that simple, because of course they weren’t, why would anything ever be this straightforward on this show? 

Since Julia had won the challenge in the previous episode, she now got to reassign any territory with the cuisine of a different country that had not yet been chosen. Julia was in the mood to choose violence that day, because she chose to target Africa, and assign them with Australian Cuisine Fusion. Yeah, easily the hardest cuisine on the wheel, because I really don’t think Australian food is popular in America, and I am only familiar with three Australian foods: Pavlova, Vegemite, and Kangaroo. Yes, people actually eat Kangaroo.

From there, the cook time officially started. 

Tkaiya chose to make Jollof Rice with Suya Spiced Lamb, Mango Chutney, and Plantains, which is a dish that I would be willing to try.

Jaime then said that she was making a Laksa Moules Frites, which is a Malaysian Seafood Broth with Coconut Milk, and it was paired with Mussels and Fries, which is another dish that I might consider trying.

Heidi then said that she was making Kangaroo Carpaccio, which is not something that should ever be eaten by human beings.

Dave then said that he was making a Moroccan take on an Australian Meat Pie, with a Moroccan Mince inside, and an Australian Short Crust, which is another dish that I might consider trying. 

Shortly after that, Heidi told Dave not to forget about his Pastry in the blast chiller, to which he ran over in a panic, and upon taking it out, realized that it was way too hard, and as a result of the state of the Dough, he could no longer get his Pie in at the 45 minute mark. 

Jake then said that he was making Black Eyed Pea Curry with Cassava, Stuffed Fufu, and Chicken Roulade stuffed with Collard Greens and Chorizo, and if you feel confused by how all over the place this dish seems, I would like to let you all know that I had to rewind this one part several times just to make sure that I had gotten everything correct and not missed anything. That being said, this is another dish that I would consider trying.

Foo then said that he was making a Marinated Duck Breast in Oyster Sauce with French Roast Buttered Potatoes, which is another dish that I would consider trying.

After 60 minutes had passed, it was time for the judges to walk around and take one final look at everybody’s dishes. 

Here’s an image of what Jake’s dish looked like.

Joe also made a weird face as Jake was explaining one part of his dish, which tells me that he could have ended up in the bottom, or that I am looking way too deeply into something that was absolutely nothing. 

Chef Ramsay then told Dave that his Meat Pie was undercooked, and surprisingly this DIDN’T result in him landing in the bottom.

Chef Ramsay then asked Foo what something was, to which he explained that it was a Sauce that he made, to which Joe asked him if it was supposed to look like that, to which Foo said that it wasn’t supposed to, and surprisingly, this ALSO didn’t result in him landing in the bottom.

From there, the judges called out the Top 4 dishes of the challenge.

The best dish from Asia belonged to Aishu, who made an Indian Spiced Coq Au Vin with Saffron Pomme Puree and Cilantro Oil, which is a dish that I would be willing to try. Here’s an image of what it looked like.

Joe Bastianich said that it had the plating of a super home dish, but in all the right ways, and it was making his mouth water. 

Chef Ramsay then said that it was a refreshing take on a Coq Au Vin, and that it was delicious. 

Chef Tiffany Derry then said that it had so much flavor, she loved the level of spice, and it was ultimately a delicious plate of food.

Joe then said that Aishu managed to capture the spirit of a proper French Coq Au Vin.

The best dish from Europe belonged to Aghata, who made Spanish Black Rice with Squid Ink, Tuna Tataki, and Ginger Aioli, and I am not too sure that I would want to try this dish. Here’s an image of what it looked like.

Chef Ramsay said that visually, the dish looked lovely, but it’s dangerous when you throw Saffron on the plate the way she did, because you don’t want to eat the strands like that.
Chef Derry then told Aghata that she did so many things well with the Tuna, and she felt that having the Valencia fusion with the Japanese flavors was coming through, and it was lovely.

Chef Ramsay then told Aghata that he loved what she did with the Squid Ink and the Rice, and that he thought it was very smart, and the flavor of the Tuna and the Roasted Sesame Seeds was delicious. 

Joe then said that it was a restaurant level fusion dish.

The best dish from Africa belonged to Peter, who made a Wattleseed & Beer Battered Cod with Plantains, Ata Dindin Sauce, and Yaji Spiced Tartar Sauce, which is a dish that I would be willing to try. Here’s an image of what it looked like.

Chef Derry said that she loved how Peter stuck to his roots of Nigeria, but still embraced the Fish & Chips with the Australian influence, and it just looked beautiful and very inviting.

Chef Ramsay then said that the Fish was cooked beautifully, the Plantain could have been crispier, which was not a big deal, but the Pepper Sauce was spot on. 

Chef Derry then said that she loves the different textures that you get from the Plantains after it seeps up all of the Peppers.

Joe then made one of the most unique comments ever on the show, as he told Peter that he was shocked that he made the dish, as it was kind of incredible. As my dad who was in the room at the time said, way to kick a man while he’s up. 

The best dish from The Americas belonged to Maria, who made a Suya Spiced Lamb Shank with Yucca Mash, which is another dish that I would be willing to try. Here’s an image of what it looked like.

Chef Ramsay said that the dish was beautiful, and you could just see that it was caramelized beautifully. He also said that the Lamb was cooked beautifully, it was sticky, rich, and tender.

Chef Derry then said that she loved the Suya in the dish, it popped, it had some spices in there with the Chilis, and she was not trying to mask the flavor of the Lamb, she was adding to the flavor of the Lamb, and this was a dish that felt like Maria, but was still embracing the challenge. 

Joe then said that the dish came out perfect, as in the case of the Reduction, the stickiness of the Sauce, and the flavor of the Lamb, and she also took one of the biggest risks of the night, and nailed it.

From there, the judges had to choose who made the best dish, and the winner of the challenge was revealed to be Maria, which really does not surprise me at all. 

This meant that Maria now has The Immunity Pin for the next episode, and the other two cooks representing The Americas, Tkaiya and Jake, were safe from elimination for the night. 

From there, the judges had to call out the three worst dishes of the challenge. 

The worst dish from Asia-Pacific belonged to Shompa, who made a Frog Leg Tomato Bhuna with Bhorta Puree and Salad with Chili and Shallot Vinaigrette, and I’m just going to say this right now: If you offer me Frog Legs, I will probably never talk to you again. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like. 

Chef Derry said that she didn’t love the presentation, which is easily the nicest thing you can say about this dish. She also said that the components felt very separated, and the Frog Legs were definitely broken down, and the Sauce didn’t look as rich as she would have expected. 

Chef Ramsay then said that the dish was underwhelming, as there was no spice in the Bhuna at all, and Chef Derry said that the Potatoes had a little bit of richness, but they were still underwhelming.

Joe just decided to cut to the chase and told Shompa that the dish went wrong with the decision of choosing Frog Legs, which she had never cooked before, and from that point on it was just a cascade downward, and she couldn’t save it. Isn’t Joe just the nicest guy in the world?

The worst dish from Europe obviously belonged to Basia, as only she and Aghata were participating in this challenge, and Aghata didn’t win the challenge. Unlike earlier in the season, where Peter ended up in the bottom by default even though he had a great dish, Basia absolutely deserved to be in the bottom.

The dish she made was a Miso Glazed Cod with Parsnip & Beet Puree, Yuzu Beurre Blanc, and Chive Oil, which not a dish that I would be willing to try, even if it was made correctly. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like.

Chef Ramsay said that it was a shame that the plate was full of all that liquid, as Water was coming from the Parsnips and the Beetroots, and it looked a mess. He also said that it was clear that there was no editing going on, as she had the Puree, the Yuzu Beurre Blanc, and the Oil on top of the Beurre Blanc, and it didn’t work, the Puree was bland, but the Cod was cooked nicely, which was the only saving grace.

Chef Derry said that the dish just wasn’t working, as it felt like she pulled ingredients from Japanese and Polish Cultures that didn’t make sense, which resulted in confusion on their palates. 

Joe then said that when you have a dish in your mind, you have to know that you can get from your mind to the plate, and she didn’t follow the rules of cuisine to get there, and it showed. 

The worst dish from Africa belonged to Rita, and I’m just going to say this right now: Dave got really lucky this time, considering he had raw Pastry.

The dish that Rita made was an Herb Crusted Lamb with Vegemite Jollof Rice and Fried Plantains, which is a dish that I might be willing to try if it was made correctly. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like. 

Joe immediately recalled that Rita’s audition dish was Jollof Rice in a Risotto version, so he knew she was familiar with fusion, but he felt that visually, it didn’t capture the essence of a Nigerian and Australian Fusion. 

Chef Ramsay then addressed the elephant in the room, which was that the Lamb was undercooked, Rita sliced it, and then threw it back in the pan. He then cut into the Lamb, and saw that it was overcooked, and it was also very dry, and he told Rita that she panicked by not letting it rest, as it does continue cooking.

Chef Derry then said that the best thing on the plate was the Plantains, while everything else needed to be technically right, and while the Rice had some spice, it did not have a lot of other flavor.

Joe then said that they not only expected her to interpret a challenge and do what they asked her, but also be able to cook properly.

From there, the judges had a conversation about who deserved to go home, and during that conversation, Joe said that he didn’t know how you could pick just one to go home. 

From there, Joe’s comments proved to be correct, as Shompa and Rita were then eliminated.

Overall, this was another great episode of Season 16 of MasterChef! I hope you all enjoyed reading what I had to say, and I’ll see you all next week, when the home cooks have to cook for the wedding of last season’s winners Jessica and Jesse, Gordon Ramsay unenthusiastically tells someone that their pan has just caught fire, and then throws it out into the snow, and he also literally kicks Jaime out of the kitchen and sends her to the same place the pan is thrown!