Suvechha Sarkar
With the competition nearing its boiling point, season 15 of Fox’s ‘MasterChef: Dynamic Duos’ returns for episode 11, appropriately titled ‘Macaron Mayhem.’ The kitchen buzzes as the top seven duos brace themselves for another high-pressure challenge. Once again, the familiar faces of the MasterChef judging panel — Gordon Ramsay, Tiffany Derry, and Joe Bastianich — are back to evaluate their every move. This time, the contestants dive into the delicate world of the French macarons. From achieving the ideal texture to nailing the flavor balance, the challenge tests their technical finesse and the strength of their collaboration.
Top Seven Duos Face a Difficult Macaron Tower Challenge
Once the contestants enter the kitchen, they are welcomed by the judges and macaron towers. Wasting no time, Joe informs everyone that they are going to face another dessert challenge involving one of the most difficult sweet treats to execute and make: French macarons. Tiffany chimes in that, although highly technical, it can be the tastiest dessert when done right. Gordon elaborates that, unlike the towers before them, the seven duos have to make one small tower with 80 macarons, maintaining uniformity, precision, consistency, level of filling, contrast, flavor, and a nice, firm shell on the outside with creamy texture inside. The judges want to see at least two flavors in the tower with identical shape and color. Tiffany informs them that they have everything they need at their station.
Furthermore, the contestants have a limited pantry with more components to give their dessert an edge. The duo that makes the best tower is going to receive the final advantage of this season, while the one that makes the worst will be eliminated. The competitors hurry to collect their ingredients as the 90 minutes on the clock begin ticking. As Azu and Javier discuss the flavors they are going to bring to their dessert, the former notes that achieving flavor balance is the key. She adds that the chocolate flavor they aim for is in her blood since she is from Mexico and always eats it. Hence, she feels they can do well today. Meanwhile, the judges discuss that it is a challenge where the aesthetic precision and overall look of the tower are significant. Joe then turns to Gordon to understand how the meringue for the macaron shells is made.
Gordon explains that at first, one needs momentum in the egg white and adds sugar slowly as it gains width. One then blends it with powdered sugar and almond flour to get a thick and smooth texture. However, it should be light, fluffy, and seamless with no grain, which is then put in the bag, meticulously beginning the piping process. The contestants need at least 160 circles, then bang their tray to remove the air bubbles and leave them to dry. The focus shifts to Adam and Joel, who have picked one of Joel’s favorite candy flavors and another of Adam’s daughter’s. On the other hand, Jesse and Jessica have taken inspiration from the giant macaron ice cream sandwiches they ate during their trip to Spain years prior for their flavor.
The Macaron Challenge Proves to be a True Test of Precision and Teamwork
Athena observes that the pressure of the Masterchef kitchen truly brought her and Timothy closer. They are going for one of the flavors of a dessert that he first taught to Athena. Although it is technical, Timothy adds that it is going to turn out well if they do every step correctly. Gordon then approaches Tina and Aivan to understand which flavors they are preparing, only to notice that one of their meringues is grainy. The judges quickly advise them that if they want to start over, now is the time. It turns out that desserts are not the duo’s strongest suits. So now Aivan fears there may not be enough time to start over, making them less confident. With 60 minutes left, Aivan observes that they don’t have enough time to start a second batch, so they hope the flavors compensate for the same.
Shortly after, Tiffany arrives at Zach and Michelle’s station, where they reveal that they have practiced making macarons at home since they know it is a part of the challenges in the competition. Meanwhile, Joe approaches Jesse and Jessica’s station and, upon tasting their pistachio cream, he points out that it is very intense. He suggests that they taste everything beforehand to ensure they get the required consistency. Right after, Tiffany reminds Julio and Rachel that the judges are looking for a smooth and nice filling texture and wishes them all the best. In the meantime, Gordon learns that Azu and Javier have finished only one batch without even starting the second one. So, he urges them to hurry up because they are behind schedule. It concerns the duo because now they have to hurry up for the second macaron flavor.
With just 45 minutes remaining on the clock, Gordon reminds everyone that by this time, their macarons should be in the oven. He then expresses his concern for Azu and Javier before the judges, and Tiffany quickly notes that they are the only duo not to have the dessert in the oven. As time ticks away and Timothy takes their macarons out, he is disappointed to find some sticking. While Azu and Javier are in panic because they still do not have their batches inside, Aivan horrifically discovers that some of their macarons are overcooked. Gordon then arrives at Adam and Joel’s station and reminds them not to underestimate the time it takes to assemble the dessert. Tiffany, on the other hand, discovers that some of Athena and Timothy’s macarons vary in size. Furthermore, when she learns that they are going to put bananas individually on each of them, the judge advises them to make a wise decision because they will not have enough time.
Despite the Pressure and Last-minute Rush, Some Duos Shine With Bold Flavors
To her dismay, in the last 15 minutes, Aivan states that she and Tina didn’t have enough time to make another batch, so some of the macarons overcooked and cracked. However, they cannot do anything about it because they must now assemble the tower. Similarly, Timothy now regrets bringing the macarons out of the oven a minute earlier since they are all a little undercooked. Amid the pressure, Aivan and Tina receive another blow when their raspberry filling turns out to be runny, and they must ditch it. In the final five minutes, everyone shifts their focus to stacking the dessert on the tower. However, concern grows for Julio and Rachel since they have still not finished their macaron fillings, let alone the tower. In the nerve-wracking last few seconds, each duo gives it their best to finish stacking the macaron tower.
Once the challenge is complete, each of the duos honestly states that this has been one of the toughest challenges. Right after, Gordon reveals that the judges are going to taste each of the duo’s desserts. First up are Joel and Adam, who have opted to make strawberry cheesecake macarons and chocolate peanut butter macarons. At a glance, Gordon remarks that their desserts are visually appealing. To their delight, all three judges praise them for their well-executed flavor combination, consistency, and the right level of thickness. Following them are Jessica and Jesse, who have opted to prepare macarons with flavors: pistachio and white chocolate, and strawberry cheesecake. They are worried because they feel their desserts lack the finesse they strive for, which can get them into trouble.
While Joe and Gordon observe the pointy tops on their macarons, all the judges agree that their flavors are excellent. However, Gordon also adds that the only thing he can point out is that it lacks finesse. The next duo is Rachel and Julio, who do not feel very confident about their chocolate and blood orange brigadeiro macarons and passion fruit and white chocolate macarons. Both Gordon and Tiffany remark that the flavors inside the dessert are great, but their different sizes have affected the right amount of crunch and chewiness. Next up are Tina and Aivan, who know that their dish has a lot of technical flaws, but the latter hopes their flavors pull through. This duo has opted for the flavors of matcha buttercream and yuzu and white chocolate for their macarons.
The Judges Call Out Some Duos For Their Underwhelming Execution
Upon seeing Aivan and Tina’s preparation, Gordon remarks that their two flavors don’t look much different. He further observes that the ones with the lighter shade seem overcooked. When he cuts into it to see its consistency, he promptly states that it is “rock hard.” While Tiffany mentions that she never expected this from the duo, Gordon adds that the macarons are like a crunchy biscuit. The next duo to come up is Zach and Michelle, who are surprised by how good their desserts look. They have chosen the macaron flavors of lemon lavender and chocolate bourbon. While Gordon compliments their identical size and flavors, Tiffany points out that she likes the lemon flavor better. Although Joe mentions that he wishes there were more depth in the flavor profiles, he still praises the overall good taste.
It is now Timothy and Athena’s turn, and they admit that they have prepared some overcooked and some undercooked macarons. They opted for the peach cobbler and banana pudding flavors for the dessert. Gordon immediately remarks that they are not at all consistent in size, and while the medium-sized ones are delicious, the small ones are crunchy. Joe adds that their execution is quite poor and inconsistent, referring to it as a “mess.” Last but not least are Azu and Javier, presenting their chocolate amaretto macarons and strawberry and raspberry macarons. Its taste impresses Tiffany, although she says some of them have inconsistent filling. Gordon also points out the same thing, but compliments how beautifully they are prepared.
While Adam and Joel Secure the Night’s Win, Timothy and Athena Bid Goodbye
It is now time for the judges to decide who has prepared the best and worst ones. After much deliberation, Gordon announces that for the night, the three duos who stood out among others are: (i) Michelle and Zach, (ii) Azu and Javier, and (iii) Adam and Joel. To their absolute delight, the winner of the night’s challenge turns out to be Adam and Joel, who will receive the last advantage of the season. Gordon then proceeds to announce further that, besides these competitors, there are two more duos who did enough to save themselves from elimination: (i) Jesse and Jessica, and (ii) Rachel and Julio. This leaves Aivan and Tina and Timothy and Athena in the bottom two. Unfortunately, it turns out that the inconsistency in their macaron sizes has led to the elimination of Timothy and Athena.
Gordon praises that, as newlyweds, Timothy and Athena put themselves through so much pressure, which is nothing short of impressive. Joe further adds that the duo has taught them the beauty of a true partnership. Seeing something so beautiful like their mutual respect is genuinely refreshing. In their exit interview, Athena expresses that the fact that the judges loved their food and they did this while coming here as newlyweds is more than anything they hoped for. On the other hand, Timothy emotionally states that this is the best wedding gift they could ever receive, and he wouldn’t do this with anyone else. As the episode comes to an end, the focus turns to the next episode, where the teams are going to face the season’s last team challenge.
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