Finally, finally, finally we got an episode which was perfect in every aspect. The challenges, the coverage of the cooking, the technical judgments & some positive comments from the judges. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode & felt that they lived upto the benchmark of the ‘black apron’ round & made it really interesting for us to watch.
This episode had 2 challenges where in the first one all the contestants had to made desserts, perk was an open pantry & the time limit was 30 minutes. All the contestants came up with brilliant dishes that too in such a short time span, which was great to see.
Adnan tried his hands on a fusion again & came up with ‘Fried Fruit Pakora’. Chef Khurram felt that the taste of desiccated coconut was pretty dominant. Chef Zakir taught him the actual way of working with semolina as he said just because Adnan didn’t opt for the right way of using it, the base that he provided for the dessert wasn’t cooked through completely.
Rayyan came up with the most technique prone dish which was ‘Caramalized Banana & Ricotta Crepe’. Chef Mehboob commended him for the idea but felt that just because the consistency of the crepe batter wasn’t thin, it made the crepes a lot more chewy, but he also felt that the filling was delicious. Chef Khurram liked the presentation but advised him on using a bigger plate to make the dish look better.
Saad made the desi dessert of ‘Qiwammi Sewiyan w/ Khoya Sauce’. Chef Mehboob said that even though these desi desserts may look easy but they’re actually difficult to make. He liked Saad’s dish a lot & felt that it reflected the taste of his mother’s cooking.
Azam made a ‘Bread Pudding w/ Raspberry Sauce & Lemon Curd’. Chef Mehboob felt that he should’ve opted for a different plate but other than that the taste was great.
Amna presented ‘Red Velvet Cheese Cake w/ Raspberry Cream’. She was appreciated by all the judges for her energy & even for coming up with such a complex dish in such a limited time that too under pressure. Chef Khurram felt that the colors she put up were brilliant & the flavors were balanced. Chef Mehboob also stated that people often end up making the cheese cake a lot more sweet but Amna didn’t do it, that’s why the taste was balanced. Chef Zakir praised her for using the oven & liked the way the cake made by her maintained it’s shape & just because the flavors were good, she won the challenge & as an advantage she was safe for the day.
In the next & the final challenge of the day, the contestants had to come up with their versions of Vegetarian Thaali, where they had to pay attention to different texture, color & the taste of the 3 main dishes complimented with the side dishes. The contestants had only 1 hour to prepare the food with an access to the pantry through out the challenge.
Azam was appreciated by Chef Mehboob for the effort, he felt that the curry was good & flavorsome plus the idea was great too. Chef Khurram felt that the texture was great but in some of the dishes, the taste was flat. Chef Zakir said for his effort he deserved an appreciation & he personally liked the curry & the beans better.
Rayyan got a good feedback by the judges as well. Chef Mehboob liked the platter but felt that Rayyan missed out the colors but the taste of okra was great, the lentil hat he cooked has that perfect balance of tamarind. Chef Khurram also said that despite missing out on the colors, he outdid himself in the taste. Chef Zakir appreciated a lot saying that he came up with the perfect Indian thaali that they were looking for.
Saad got an average feedback because the judges felt that his dishes were a bit salty but despite that Chef Khurram liked the spinach & liked it’s color & texture too.
Adnan once again tried to do fusion in one of the dishes & because of that Chef Mehboob didn’t like his dish much. He felt that the tastes didn’t go well together. Chef Zakir also felt that the fusion wasn’t working but commented on the lentil he cooked saying it was perfect. Chef Khurram said that he could feel a burnt taste in one of the dishes & so for coming up with the weakest dish in comparison to the others, Adnan was eliminated.
He was a good contender & took his elimination really well. He talked through his journey & confessed that he has learned so much & now will strive to do better. The judges parted with some good remarks & we wish him good luck too.
So, this was it from tonight’s episode. It was no doubt better in comparison to all the previous episodes & now we can say that the black apron rounds would be worth a wait. I felt that the judges didn’t appreciate the contestants if they took some extra seconds in the pantry planning their dishes & said that open pantry doesn’t mean that the contestants keep on going to the pantry again & again. I think the judges need to understand the literal meaning of an ‘open’ pantry because it does mean that the contestants have an access to it through out the challenge & it depends on them how much time they want to spend in there.
Also I felt that even though Chef Khurram told Amna that her dessert could’ve been better, she still won the challenge whereas Rayyan’s dish stood out the most in terms of presentation, taste & most importantly technique but still he wasn’t selected because of a minor crepe detail, which I feel wasn’t a fair decision but never mind, he along with other good contestants is safe, so that sums it up perfectly.
Next week of MasterChef Pakistan is going to be a lot more interesting because the contestants will be put through a big challenge where they’d have to run a stall on their own in a public place. I can’t wait to see what the contestants come up with. Share what you felt about the black apron episode.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.