Last night was the last episode of this exciting season of MasterChef USA. We watched from auditions to the finale; following our favorite competitors along the way. The final two ended up being Josh Marks and Christine Ha. Becky Reams was eliminated last week.
The Challenge
Each chef had to prepare a three course meal for the judges. They had total control of the ingredients, flavors, and style. All that was required was an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Christine went with her roots and did a Southeast Asian meal. She dedicated it to her mother. Josh did a disjointed meal with Southern USA and French combined. All the previously eliminated contestants came back to cheer the two on.
Josh made a lobster grits appetizer, a lamb rack entree, and a bacon pecan pie dessert. Christine did a crab vegetable salad for appetizer, a braised pork belly entree, and a coconut lime sorbet dessert. Each cooked brilliantly without any hitches. Christine used techniques that wouldn’t require a lot of sight- instead of braising in a pot, she chose to use the pressure cooker. This allowed her to minimize her handicap. Josh did a bit of a hiccup when he pureed the lobster shells along with the stock. Apparently when you grind the shells it can come out with the taste of iodine.
The Judging
The judges thought Josh’s lobster appetizer was alright- except that it was raw. They said the flavors were great but he should have known how to cook lobster. It wasn’t the time to try something new. Christine’s dish got rave reviews except that it was lacking crab. She wanted it as a side taste while the judges thought it should have been the star.
The judges really loved Josh’s main course. Joe said it was a masterpiece. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the seasoning was spot on. The judges also loved Christine’s entree of the braised pork belly. While it didn’t look good, the flavors were amazing.
For the dessert course, they were both even. The pecan pie was good but a bit greasy and it lacked bacon flavor. The sorbet was refreshing but smelt more flavorful than it was. The judging came down to what the raw lobster was worth.
The Decision
It turned out that messing up a main protein was unforgivable in the final. If the lobster was cooked properly, this decision might have been different. Christine was named the victor! Josh gave a heart breaking teary-eyed “you deserved it” speech to Christine. While she won, it can be certain that Josh will have an amazing career anyway.
What did you think of the decision?
