‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Airline captain’s dream comes crashing down; Brett leaves California on a bitter note

On their final day in California, the dark cloud of elimination has rolled in on “MasterChef Australia” Season 8. In episode 55 that aired on July 14, three budding chefs’ dreams were on the line and they had to put them in a plate. In the end, Brett Carter’s dish left a little more to be desired, and it was his “MasterChef” dream that ultimately ended that night.

Judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston were disappointed to see the 43-year-old airline captain leave right before finals week. Six contestants are set to face massive challenges ahead, as they are one step closer to win all the way to become this year’s “MasterChef.”

Spoiler Alert! This article contains "MasterChef Australia" Season 8 spoilers. Read only if you want to know more about it.

Network Ten posted a sneak peek of Sunday’s episode, as the finals week begins. With the competition going down to the wire, the six remaining contestants are feeling the pressure more than ever. Their eyes are definitely on the prize as they fight fiercely to keep their spot in the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen. At this stage, the tiniest mistake could land them in the bottom three, wherein one would be sent home.

Three female home cooks and three male budding chefs face off at the start of the finals week. Elena Duggan, Elise Franciskovic, Mimi Baines, Harry Foster, Matt Sinclair and Trent Harvey have all proven themselves as a threat this season, and based on what they’ve shown this far, it could be anybody’s game.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

It was a gloomy day for Brett, Mimi Baines and Harry Foster. They got a bit excited, though, when the judges informed them that they’d be cooking at Australian chef Curtis Stone’s restaurant. Considered as one of the hottest restaurants in Beverly Hills California, Maude is named after Curtis’ grandmother.

The three contestants on the firing line headed off to Maude as they mulled over the challenge ahead. They were tasked to cook a dish that symbolises what they to do when this competition is all over. They had 90 minutes to put their dreams on a plate. Harry’s dream is to specialise on seafood to showcase the Great Barrier Reef, while Brett wants to open a gastro-pub featuring seasonal produce. Mimi’s dream, on the other hand, is to cook in a pastry kitchen specialising in desserts.

At Maude, Curtis Stone briefly talked to the contestants and signalled them to start. When Curtis checked on Mimi, she described to him what she plans to do for her dish. Curtis warned her that she may have too many difficult components and only 90 minutes might not be enough to do them all. While Mimi acknowledges that it may be too ambitious, she’s determined to pull off what could be her last cook in “MasterChef Australia.”

Mimi used a syphon gun to make sure there’d be lots of air into her mousse. However, when she tried to pipe it on a tray but it’s not working out as she expected – it turned out she put too much chocolate. She wanted to make it perfect so she prepared another batch. Fortunately, she got it right the second time, and she put it into the freezer to set. The other elements of her dish, including the ice cream, whisky jelly, honeycomb and caramel sauce were all coming together.

Just when she thought she could breathe a little, Mimi ran into a serious trouble. She wanted to plate all the elements of her dish but discovered that the freezer drawer containing all the components of her dish was not cold at all. She transferred them to blast freezer and hoped there’s still time for them to set. The usual cool and calm Mimi was reduced in tears, panicking over her dish.

Brett, on the other hand, was breezing in through the challenge initially without a hitch. He felt like he was on the right track as he worked at Curtis’ kitchen. With 30 minutes remaining, Brett started to make a pork jus that would tie the whole dish together. Since he’s using lean pork, there’s not a lot of fat so he wanted to incorporate some flavours from bones to compensate. However, when he went to the pantry, he discovered he’s got a major problem – he couldn’t find any bones or anything that would boost his sauce. Running out of time, he grabbed chicken stock and added that to his sauce and hoped it would give the flavour that it needed.

His nightmares weren’t over – when he checked his pork in the sous vide machine, he found out the meat was underdone. To salvage his dish, he seared his pork in the pan. What’s more, when Gary saw the jus, he recommended putting some pork belly to add more flavour. However, Brett reckoned he didn’t have time to cook that off and add it any more. He had to choose which to prioritise – pork or sauce – and he chose to spend the last minutes of the cook to fix his protein.

Over on Harry’s bench, he thought his concept was solid. But as he was preparing burnt lemon puree to go with his lobster, Gary cautioned him to be careful as the flavour can be too strong. Harry stuck to his guns and pushed forward to make the puree. He said he would taste it later and determine if he’d add it to his dish. When he spied on Mimi and noticed that she had lots of components to her dish, he realised he needed to take his dish up a notch. Harry made additional elements like citrus cream, prepped fresh mushrooms and pomegranate. However, he got too caught up with the extra ingredients when he remembered he had to finish preparing his lobster. He knew he was supposed to blanch it but he had no more time. Harry chopped it up and put it into his marinade.

It looked like everything else was coming along for Harry, but when he began plating, he let stress overwhelm him. When the time was up, he realised that he forgot to taste his burnt lemon puree. He’s not sure whether it would be too intense and overpower the dish. Harry had a valid reason to worry. When the judges tasted his lobster crudo with burnt lemon puree and a smoked cucumber broth, Curtis said Harry did a good job and the broth stood out. Gary loved Harry’s creativity and the broth as well, but wasn’t too crazy about the puree. Matt didn’t like it either, commenting that the lemon puree dominated the plate. Despite the dish’s flaws, the judges appreciated Harry’s success in translating his dream into his plate.

When it was Brett’s turn, he walked to the judges with his meat and three veg. Curtis praised the vegetables’ bright colours and fresh flavours, and said they made him smile. Gary raved about the beautifully cooked pork and brilliant carrot puree. However, Matt said he would have loved this dish if the sauce was a classic sauce. Curtis said there’s a residual bitterness in the sauce and needed something else.

It looked like the judges saved the best for last, which was Mimi’s chocolate aero with honey ice cream, whisky jelly, lemon curd and honeycomb. Just looking at it, the judges became excited with her dish. Upon taking a bite, they loved the taste more. Gary described Mimi’s dish was the best dessert they’ve had all competition. Matt seconded his opinion and claimed that hands down, it is the dessert of the competition. George said Mimi rightfully belonged to finals week. Curtis said she’d hire her straightaway.

Clearly, the elimination boiled down between Brett and Harry. While both of their dishes essentially captured their dreams, Brett’s plate was ruined by his sauce. Curtis and the judges unanimously agreed that it was Brett’s time to leave the competition.

Find out what happens next on “MasterChef Australia,” and stay tuned for episode spoilers. “MasterChef Australia” Season 8 airs every Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Ten.