In Tuesday nights episode of Masterchef Australia, viewers witnessed an unprecedented Pressure Test that pushed contestants to their limits. Grace Jupp, an enthusiastic contestant, was unable to meet the demanding standards set by the challenge and was eliminated.
The challenge, set by the renowned Vietnamese-Australian chef Luke Nguyen, required the contestants to recreate a dish close to his heart, beef pho, without a recipe. Instead of being guided by a step-by-step recipe, contestants had to rely on their senses, replicating Nguyen’s dish by sight and taste alone.
Among the ingredients, contestants identified beef short rib, ox tail, rice noodles, and garnishes. However, a peculiar ingredient stumped all: an ancient delicacy known as bull’s penis, which Nguyen explained added a gelatinous texture to the broth while adhering to the philosophy of utilising the entire animal, reducing waste.
Nguyen emphasised that the broth should be clean, clear, and well-balanced in flavour. This was a point that proved to be Grace’s undoing.
Contestant Adi was eager to tackle the challenge. An avid Asian cuisine cook, she was the first to get her broth into the pressure cooker after blanching her bones to clear them of impurities. Despite issues with her rice noodles, Adi managed to produce a successful batch with just 15 minutes to spare.
Theo, another contestant, was initially bewildered by the lack of a recipe to guide him. He had never cooked Vietnamese food before. However, with advice from Luke and Jock to simplify the dish to a basic soup, he managed to produce a broth and noodles he was satisfied with.
Grace, however, struggled from the outset. Choosing a different approach, she caramelised her bones before placing them in the pressure cooker. After a few attempts, she managed to produce satisfactory noodles, but her broth appeared cloudy and fatty when it emerged from the pressure cooker. Despite advice to skim off some of the fat, Grace was left in a rush to balance the flavour of her broth.
As the judges tasted the dishes, it was clear that Theo had excelled, with Andy describing his dish as “close to perfect”. Adi’s pho was praised for its clarity and well-cooked protein, though her seasoning was deemed lacking. Grace’s dish, while seasoned well and with commendable noodles, was marred by a heavy, cloudy, and overly fatty broth, which left the judges with unpleasantly greasy palates.
The fallout from the Pressure Test saw Grace Jupp bid a tearful farewell as the eighth contestant to leave the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
So sad you went home before making top ten
You were our fave Grace, all the best with your future
What episode was that as I’m trying to find in online