This riveting programme of nightmare scenarios continues apace. Poor Ben retired hurt (he'd cut the top off his finger. Almost) and weeping, the grim judges and grimmer restaurant critics (how dare they? Could they do any better?) judge, the contestants tremble and weep and mop their brows as they thrash about among the quails and oysters and celeraic (there's an awful lot of celeriac this year). And all to make tiny little meals of something sliced up very small in a jus* with a colourful smear of something round the edge of the plate and a garnish of pine needles (or whatever). Not pick-up-your-knife-and-fork-and-get-stuck-in food, but pretty food; food you want to frame and hang on the wall before you go out and get a proper meal.
Monica rolls her eyes, Michel nodds sagely, and Greg - well, Greg eats. They bend over the sweating contestants asking them whether there's a hope of getting the Beef Wellington spiced with beechnuts on a bed of tumbleweed done in time (of course there isn't), or what the competion means to them, and everyone - but everyone - is "pasionate about food".
Claire - only 22 years old, pretty, sweet-faced and a culinary genius - is brilliant, and I want her to win. But whatever happens, I just love it!
*What exactly is a jus? Or is it just a posh word for gravy/sauce? I'm sure there never used to be any such thing.
You've been to France - have you never had jus d'orange or jus de pommes to drink? :-) It is juice, nothing more and nothing less. Of course, in the fineries of nouvelle cuisine jus is never "just juice"...
ReplyDeleteI love it too Frances and yes, Claire must win. How professional chefs can get things so wrong though! That fish pie was disgusting. They don't give themselves enough time, or try to do too much. Not sure how much of the drama is in the editing. One look from Monica is enough to put anyone off. Came up with an idea for a story while flicking the duster around this morning which may have come from watching Masterchef. I'll let you know if it every sees the light of day.
ReplyDeleteLibrarian, I know jus means juice (literally) - but the kind they use in these recipes is something quite different. I think the're just being pretentious...
ReplyDeleteMaggie May, your'e right. Even my fish pie is better than that one was - it looked dreadful!
I love it all, Frances - especially Monica of the rolling eyes. Completely agree about Claire she was stunning last night and almost had the critics speechless. Go Claire! The young lad is good too if he can keep it together.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree, Rosemary!
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