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BBC Two’s ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ is back for its ninth series this week.
Judges Michelin-starred cook Marcus Wareing, chef Monica Galetti and presenter Gregg Wallace will team up once again to search for the country’s next culinary superstar.
In the opening heat, to be aired on BBC Two on Tuesday (November 8) at 8pm, six professional chefs from all over the country will arrive at the MasterChef kitchen and put their reputations on the line to stake their claim to the coveted title.
The chefs face two challenges: a test of their basic skills, followed by a chance to cook their own signature dish for the judges. At the end of the heat, three chefs will be sent home and the strongest three will go through to this week’s quarter-final.
The first three chefs face a skills test set by Marcus: in 15 minutes they must cook a steak diane. The remaining three chefs then face a skills test set by Monica: to demonstrate their pastry skills by making a pistachio, frangipane and raspberry tart coupled with a white chocolate creme anglaise, in 25 minutes.
Finally, the six chefs cook their own signature dish for Monica, Marcus and Gregg. In an hour and thirty minutes, it is their opportunity to showcase their creativity, palate and style. It is also their final chance to show off their culinary talent before three of them are sent home, and three become quarter-finalists, moving another step closer to being crowned ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ Champion 2016.
Six more will do the same on Wednesday (November 9), with the six best going through to the quarter-final on Thursday (November 10).
In episode two on Wednesday, the chefs begin with the skills test. The first three are set a test by Monica to to cook a T-bone of plaice with a sauce vierge in 15 mnutes.The next three chefs have 15 minutes to complete a task set by Marcus: cooking a wild garlic veloute with a garnish of baby veg and a parmesan tuile.
With the skills test behind them, the six chefs have a final chance to impress the judges by cooking their own signature dish in an hour and thirty minutes.
Once all six dishes have been tasted. Monica, Marcus and Gregg decide which three chefs will leave the competition, and which three will go on to the quarter-final and continue in their pursuit of the winner’s title.
In episode three on Thursday, six chefs battle it out in the first quarter final. Firstly, they tackle the brand new reinvention test: refining and reimagining a roast chicken dinner.
The four most talented chefs will go on to cook for three restaurant critics. For the first time, renowned critic Fay Maschler joins the table along with William Sitwell and Tracey MacLeod, to pass judgement on the dishes. With only an hour and a quarter, the chefs are pushed to their limits as they attempt to produce a two-course menu.
Only the three most talented chefs will go through to knockout week and continue in the race to become this year’s ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ star.
L-r: Marcus Wareing, Gregg Wallace and Monica Galetti
