‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Anastasia’s first pressure test becomes her last; beet wellington proves to be her downfall

As the culinary contest goes down to the wire, more surprising eliminations take place on “MasterChef Australia” Season 8. In episode 37 that aired on June 20, four female home cooks battled head to head for a daunting pressure test that centred on beetroot wellington. In the end, Anastasia Zolotarev just could not take the heat in the kitchen and was sent home.

The 26-year-old marketing co-ordinator was overwhelmed with the challenge posed by celebrity teen chef Flynn McGarry. Her take on Flynn’s highly technical dish failed to impress the guest chef, as well as judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. After Anastasia’s exit, another set of four contestants face each other, this time to win the much-coveted immunity pin.

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 Tuesday’s episode, focusing on the immunity challenge that would test the contestants’ speed and skill. Matt Sinclair, Elena Duggan, Trent Harvey and Karmen Lu are all vying to get the immunity pin and secure their place in the top 10. They’d have to crack, scoop and spin to race to the finish line, before trying to trump the top chef standing on the way.

The trailer hints that the battle between one home cook and the professional chef would be tight. “We have a big problem,” George tells the other judges. It’s now Matt’s chance to make “MasterChef” history by winning a second immunity pin.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

At the beginning of the cook, the remaining “MasterChef Australia” hopefuls welcomed the celebrity chef, considered to be the Justin Bieber of food. Anastasia along with Chloe Bowles, Heather Day and Theresa Visintin were informed that that they have to recreate an innovative dish by the 17-year-old celebrity chef.

When Flynn uncovered the cloche, they saw what looked like a beef wellington. However, they were informed it’s actually a vegetarian version, using beet as the hero ingredient. The technical dish, which needed 62 steps to prepare, featured beets cooked in smoked beet juice, covered in a mushroom duxelle and wrapped in puff pastry. A perfect slice is plated with creamed beet greens, a roulade of smoked dates and shiitake mushrooms tossed in a miso and beet bordelaise sauce.

Despite the daunting task, Theresa took a deep breath and tackled the challenge head-on. She was clearly in her element, and went from one step to another smoothly. She encountered a small hitch when she doubted the texture of her pastry, but didn’t let this break her mojo. As a result, her plate was deemed the closest to Flynn’s dish especially in terms of the presentation.

The judges also called Heather to safety, with the elements of her dish receiving rave reviews. Throughout the preparation, she was the most calm and collected among the contestants. Her grace under pressure paid off – she nailed the sauce and the dates were perfectly smoky. The beet greens also were spot-on with just the right creaminess.

The decision then boiled down to Chloe and Anastasia, who both became overwhelmed with Flynn’s dish. Chloe’s smoked beetroot water spilled all over her bench. As a result, she did not have enough liquid for her sauce. She tried to make up for it, but her sauce still ended up a little bit watery. When she served her beetroot wellington to the judges, they also observed that she missed some crucial details. Apart from her thin sauce, her beet balls were not creamy enough.

However, it was Anastasia who was the most frazzled of all. Since this was her first time in a pressure test, she didn’t know how to handle the stress in the kitchen. From the beginning of the challenge, she lagged behind the other female home cooks as she tried to follow the recipe to the letter. With 30 minutes remaining on the cook, Anastasia felt that she lost control over her dish and broke down. George went over to her bench to calm her down. He told her to use her intuition and cook freestyle – she simply didn’t have time to follow the recipe. With the help of George’s encouragement, Anastasia got back on track and was able to complete the dish.

Her dish, however, reflected her struggle with the clock. She knew she was in trouble when she looked at her plate. When the judges tasted her dish, they said it was far from a disaster. Her pastry was considerably good and her beet wellington was deemed delicious. However, Flynn said her greens were too salty and the dates were not smoked enough. Her little errors proved to be too crucial for the dish, which was why she’s chosen to be eliminated from the competition.

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