He Who Must Not Be Named

Masterchef Recap 4 August 2011

The final elimination.  Alana vs Kate.

We wonder who will fall at the final hurdle?  Matt tells us – “lose and that’s it.  The title will slip like soup through your fingers.”  We knew there was a good reason why someone invented the soup spoon.

Gary reminds us “it’s now or never.”

Then George raises the hyperbole to another level – “You have no idea what is about to hit you.  It is terrifying.”

It will be a Pressure Test.  Who is the guest chef?  We get some clues. The Resident Bad Guy.  The Sweet Assassin. 

Then he appears.  He Who Must Not Be Named.  Lord Voldemort?  No its Adriano Zumbo carrying a big gingerbread house with a smoking chimney.  A House of Horrors.  A Nightmare On Zumbo Street!  The toughest pressure test ever!

Alana wonders whether she should just curl into a fetal position and suck her thumb.  We already know Kate has her doubts.  She doesn’t know if she can beat Alana.

How tough is this challenge the judges ask Adriano.  He confirms it’s tougher than the crockenbouche, the macaroon tower and the V8 cake.  We wonder about this. After all it’s just a gingerbread house.  Mums make these every day.  My mum makes one every year for the grandkids (although I’m not sure she’s done too may isomalt windows) .

Who will have the fairytale ending?  We will know in four and a half hours time.

In a twist on a traditional Pressure Test the contestants can be creative and add their own elements.

Kate burns her gingerbread.  How did her oven get turned up to 250 degrees?  Fortunately she has time to make another batch.  She’s struggling today.  Her tangerine rock is not looking good.

Alana is working on her own jube.  A green apple jelly.  Could this give her the edge?

Kate is falling behind in the jube stakes.  She hasn’t got enough time to make Adriano’s roof tiles.  She hopes her chocolate freckles will get her some browny points.

Assembly is proving tricky.  Walls are crumbling and being fixed with tempered chocolate.  We suggest you don’t try this at home.

Another chestnut from Genius George – “it might just be a gingerbread house but will you walk through the front door into the grand finale?”

Time is almost up.  Kate sprinkles snow sugar on the roof of her house hoping to hide some cracks.

Against the odds we have two gingerbread houses to go to the judges.  Admittedly they are both somewhat derelict.  Perhaps a (cross programme promotion) challenge for The Renovators could follow?

Kate is not happy.  It’s not her finest hour.  We get some tears.   She thinks she didn’t cook very well.  It was not her day in the kitchen.  She thinks she’s done.

Kate is first up for judging.  It lacks the full variety of candy.  George gives his gingerbread a big sniff.  Gary pronounces the jubes delicious.   They agree the freckles were good.  Matt enjoys a beautiful bit of gingerbread.

Alana thinks she’s done enough to get to get to the finale.  She has lots of jellies but her roof is overcooked.  Her candies are brilliant but George thinks her creative green apple jelly is a bit dense (pots..kettles?).  Gary laments that the gingerbread can’t be eaten.

The judges sum up.  Kate’s house looked charming.  Her gingerbread was tasty but she had hardly any time to make lollies.  Alana had lots of jubes but a burnt gingerbread house.  How should the judges decide on this?

Kate wins.  It’s a big shock.  The judges decided hers was the house they would buy.  Lucky for Kate the grandkids weren’t judging.  The lollies would win every day of the week.

We end with another house of horrors as Alana returns home to a home full of Matt Preston impersonators.

Two more sleeps until the Finale.  We can hardly wait.