When the very first season of MasterChef Australia aired in 2009 there was one challenge that captivated my putty-like brain — Adriano Zumbo‘s croquembouche. It was tall, elegant, and ultimately, incredibly tricky for the first generation of amateur chefs to recreate. Now, 15 years on, the beloved cooking show brought back the intimidating croquembouche challenge but this time around, fans of the show aren’t entirely impressed by the final dishes created by the contestants.
The challenge was part of sweet week and saw Dessert Masters judge Zumbo return as a guest judge to invite the contestants to put a spin on his classic favourite dessert — and presumably watch people get flummoxed over his most famous dish. While Zumbo looked pretty impressed with (some) of the creations, some fans online thought they were kinda shit.
“This croquembouche challenge might be the saddest one MasterChef AU has ever done,” X user Petra Starte wrote.
“Tiny little piles, barely a tower among them. One looks like a Royal Show kids arts and crafts entry. This is the top 10?!”
She wasn’t the only one who wasn’t impressed by the challenge, either.
Look, I think the discourse is very, very valid. However, I’d like to raise a few points to counter their argument.
After 15 years of the show being on air, we’ve seen a tremendous improvement in the culinary literacy of not only the contestants on the show but Australia at large. Viewers watching the show are more than familiar with the sugar-laced, creme patisserie-filled croquembouche popularised by the show in Season One.
So much so, that many of the contestants on this season had even practised making their own towering creations before auditioning for the show. It would’ve been too easy.
Hell, I even made my own croquembouche on my 15th birthday. It took longer than expected and got stuck inside the mould but it was a good effort!!!!
By encouraging the contestants to push the boundaries in shape, style and flavour, we get to see the extent of their skills and their finesse in balancing flavours. They may not have all been winners, but you’ve got to love the initiative, no?
Mixing in savoury flavours like fish and raspberry? Or miso and pumpkin? FUN! CREATIVE! IMPRESSIVE!
PART2: Fish and raspberry croquembouche? There's always a first for everything 🐟🙌#MasterChefAU 7.30 tonight on @channel10au and 10 Play! pic.twitter.com/D0EbJeHLaz
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) June 11, 2024
At the end of the day, not all challenges can be winners. Call me a MasterChef apologist and a croquem-douche, but I loved this welcome twist on a classic.
Long live the croquembouche!!!
The post MasterChef Fans Are Fuming Over The Croquembouche Challenge Now It’s Been ‘Updated’ For 2024 appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
