Masterchef 2016

Ten years - amazing to think! - since we first started this annual cook-fest.

Jennie turned up, this year, with a broken wrist, which ought to have caused problems, but in fact seemed to have very little impact at all. And we were down to only one oven, as the other one was waiting to have the element replaced, at the time.

We concluded that the ten years has seen us (a) become better cooks, (b) become less competitive (at least, with each other - we no longer particularly score points competitively and instead merely enjoy the communal largesse), and (c) experience a decline in the capacity of our appetites (these days, we no longer have breakfast, and largely skip lunch...and by the end of this particular Masterchef weekend, we were all distinctly struggling. How are  the mighty fallen!). The weather was lousy, so we stayed indoors the entire time and concentrated 100% on the kitchen.

Jennie's contribution was: risotto of mozzarella, with a mint-pesto dressing; braised beef cheek (the aroma of which filled the house and was completely  glorious, as the rain drummed down outside); and lemon posset with roast grapes and shortbread.
Technical Dept produced: Foie  gras, wrapped in blanched lettuce and poached; Marmite dieppoise; and a Chocolate Marquise with puff pastry, served with a coffee sauce.
And I turned out: asparagus souffle, baked inside a herb crepe, with tarragon sauce; Coulibiac Collette  (a recipe from Verfours); and an apple charlotte.

Some of them, I forgot to photograph - but those which I did, you can see below:

The pleasurable sight of serried ranks of genoise fingers...

And, the finished charlotte...it lasted us for days (and days)

Beef cheek, braising

Lemon possets, keeping their cool

Four-footed, sensibly keeping out of the way

Ecrevisses heads, being prepped for Coulibiac

Coulibiacs, waiting to be baked (layers of rice, salmon, and ecrevisses, in a
mornay sauce,
with a layer of brioche on top of each one)

Technical dept, generally faffing

Queuing for the oven - coulibiacs now glazed

Poached foie gras, inside its lettuce wrapping

Has nobody got time to throw a tennis ball around?

Posset, dressed with  Roast Grapes

Coulibiacs, coming out of the oven

Meat and two veg...

Chocolate Marquise, in a Puff Pastry Sandwich, with Coffee Sauce & Raspberries

Is it over? Is it safe to come out, now?