Coffee Challenge

It's a coffee challenge: Stepping into the MasterChef kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee immediately hit my senses. The excitement was palpable - we were facing a coffee-themed challenge. YUM! This challenge was my forte, and I was ready to brew something extraordinary!

What Are We Making?

We were to create an entree with any coffee product available in the MasterChef pantry, whether fresh ground beans, instant coffee, or brewed. My mind immediately went to a delectable coffee-crusted venison loin, complemented by a coffee-infused demi-glace reduction and my renowned au gratin potatoes dusted with coffee powder. However, as I meticulously orchestrated my finest coffee-infused entree, there was a power punch I never expected headed my way.

Unsettling Decisions

At that moment, unsettling decisions haunted me when the victorious duo from the Tag Team Challenge unexpectedly kicked me right in the gut. Regrettably, my prior advantage in picking teams for the Tag-Team Challenge, specifically pairing Michael and Kimberly, has returned to haunt me.

The Twist: Michael and Kimberly’s Gambit

The Tag Team challenge winners, Michael and Kimberly, gained immunity in the last round. Their advantage today is the chance to change the coffee challenge rules completely. Instead of an entree, they were to pick three challengers tasked with creating a coffee-infused dessert. WHAT?

They choose me, Adam, and Becca. Their espresso-infused dessert advantage was a dagger aimed at my heart. The chosen three stood there, aprons cinched, eyes wide. MasterChef is like playing chess, where one false move can send a winner into a tailspin. We are the underdogs now! Is this checkmate?

Dreaded Coffee Dessert

At that moment, I could have crumbled. The pressure was immense; I could not back down from a challenge, so I took a deep breath, refocused, and drew upon every ounce of my culinary creativity.

Viral Crinkle Cake

Facing the daunting challenge of the last-minute disadvantage, I had an inspiration; I would make the viral TikTok recipe for a Crinkle Cake with a coffee custard filling. I felt confident in the decision, as I had made crinkle cakes dozens of times, so I thought I had them in the bag!

As my new plan unfolded, I brimmed confidently while removing my perfectly baked crinkle crusts from the oven. They were perfection itself. I was so happy, but then I wasn't.

Caffeinated Disaster

Alas, in my haste to complete the dessert in the time allotted, I should have lined my springform pans with parchment paper. The moment I poured in the coffee custard, it flowed like a caffeinated waterfall onto the counter, and panic threatened to consume me. I was teetering on the edge of a dessert disaster. In a moment, my confidence crumbled, and I grappled with chaos, hoping to salvage my culinary masterpiece.

I'm Going Home

My emotions boiled over. The custard debacle had me teetering on the edge of elimination, and the clock ticked mercilessly. As I sprinted to the pantry, I angrily yelled to the balcony, "Kimberly, you're sending me home today." It's just a game, but I was fuming mad. Kimberly and Michael knew I was a threat, so they took their shot, and I would do the same if in their position.

Armed with a new spring-form pan and parchment paper, ready to rewrite my destiny with the custard remnants, my singular chance to redeem myself. I assembled the new pan with hastes, lined with uneven parchment and butter, poured in the remaining custard, closed the oven doors, and prayed.

Chef Gordon To The Rescue… Again

Waiting for my custard to cook, I saw Gordon rushing over to ask me how I was doing. I explained the situation, and he advised me, "Crank that oven up; if it gets too browned, dust it with powdered sugar. You've got this!" I can’t tell you how much I appreciated his help. Thanks, Chef!

Seconds To Spare

With seconds to spare, I got my dessert on the plate. My one worn-torn, coffee-infused crinkle cake's ragged edges whispered the story of the day, and all I could hope was that the judges loved the flavor of crispy phyllo harmonized with the sweet coffee custard. I wanted to weep but held back my tears.

In The Top

Kamay, Warren, and Murt

Kamay kills it with a coffee-rubbed lamb chop, wins the challenge, and gets an advantage in the next challenge.

In The Bottom...Again!

I stood in the bottom three with Adam and Daniella.

The judges taste my dish. My custard stood firm, a testament to my determination and Gordon's suggestion to crank the oven temperature. Joe gave me a ton of grief about my undercooked phyllo crust, but Aaron said the coffee custard had excellent coffee flavor. I'm relieved to have a dessert on the plate for them to taste after today's debacle.

Adam's coffee pannacotta is not set, but the judges say the flavors are good. Gordon cuts into Daniella's coffee-infused chicken mole and sees pink! It’s undercooked; oh no!

Surviving Elimination

Sadly, my sweet friend Daniella's chicken mole dish sent her home, and my battle-tested coffee-infused dessert emerged from the fray-war torn but resolute—ready to face another day. When I learned I was safe from elimination, I was shocked right to the core, like a symbolic emoji whose head blows right off.

This is one of the only times I cried after a challenge in the MasterChef Kitchen. I hugged my fellow contestants and wept like a baby. I was not ready to go home, but the chance of being sent home hung like a lead balloon.

Beautiful Crinkle Cake

I should have used a regular pie plate or baking dish instead of a springform. Again, I only wish I had plated a beautiful coffee-infused crinkle cake for the MasterChef judges, but those hallowed MasterChef halls had other ideas with their harrowing disadvantages.

I'm happy to share what my crinkle cake is supposed to look like and what I hoped for in the MasterChef Kitchen.