When the judges revealed that the pressure test had been set by not one but two chefs and included not one but two dishes, Steven Peh admitted to being twice as nervous. Scott Pickett and Joe Grbac from Saint Crispin in Melbourne unveiled a venison main and a rice pudding dessert. The contestants were given the choice of which dish to cook.
Finding himself in his second consecutive pressure test, Steven was left wondering whether pulling out of last night’s challenge due to illness was the right choice. Steven donned the black apron and stared down the possible elimination flanked by his good friend Byron, plus Sarah and Ben.
Steven tasted the rice pudding dessert and said it was “absolutely insane”. Having survived Christy Tania’s Mango Alfonso pressure test, Steven’s confidence in cooking desserts was high. He decided that the dessert was his safest bet. George counted 11 separate components in the dish including parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke. Known in the kitchen as the recipe king, Steven was up for the challenge.
Steven’s start was slower than he hoped for and he hit a snag when his panna cotta was lumpy. His cook station was a mess, with pots and pans everywhere. Steven floundered, overwhelmed by the number of elements in the dish.
With his black rice pudding not working and his ice cream not set, Saint Crispin’s Joe Grbac questioned whether perhaps Steven should have gone with the venison.
During the tasting, the sombre mood lifted momentarily when Steven’s foam sprayed all over the judges by accident.
In making their decision, the judges said that all four contestants made mistakes. Ben and Sarah were deemed safe, so it was down to Steven and Byron. They both struggled, but as Byron had cooked the best venison of the day, he was safe. Steven described his experience as “majestic” and thanked the judges for inspiring and driving the contestants.
Since leaving the MasterChef Australia kitchen, Steven has been working hard on his cooking at home and has high hopes of working in Perth’s high-end restaurants.
