‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Mimi drops the f-bomb after confusing her cheeses; ricotta spells her last cook in the kitchen

Three budding chefs cooked for their place in the upcoming quarter finals of “MasterChef Australia” Season 8. In episode 59 that aired on July 20, those who served the least impressive dishes during the previous service challenge found themselves on the chopping block, with only a few cooks away from this year’s grand finale.

At the end of the pressure test, it was Mimi Baines’s turn to say goodbye to the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen. Judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston felt that despite showing how much she progressed from her first cook, a crucial mistake led to her downfall. The 26-year-old product manager would be back for the next episode, however, along with eliminated Season 8 contestants. They all would witness the final MasterClass and an exciting set of challenges involving the judges and guest mentor Shannon Bennett.

Spoiler Alert! This article contains "MasterChef Australia" 2016 spoilers. Read only if you want to know more about it.

Network Ten posted a sneak peek of Thursday’s episode, focusing on a mystery box with a difference. The top four contestants are ecstatic to discover that for that particular challenge, the tables have turned and George, Gary and Shannon will be the ones cooking. It’s definitely payback time, and as an added treat, the past contestants will come back and watch.

In the invention test relay, it’s about to get real as the contestants go head to head with the judges. With the competition going down to the wire, “MasterChef Australia” followers are now speculating who among Matt Sinclair, Elena Duggan, Elise Franciskovic and Harry Foster win this year. The battle boils down to two males and two females, as well as two contenders who are experts on savoury dishes and two who are skillful with desserts. It’s going to be an interesting face-off among a coffee roaster, a teacher, a pharmacy technician and a cocktail bartender.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

When the three budding chefs walked in the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen, they got excited as the judges told them that the challenge was about celebrating how far they have come since their first cook. The judges unveiled the pantry of foods, featuring one box of ingredients for each contestant, which contained the ones they used during their audition. The judges wanted them to use the same ingredients to cook a completely new dish to prove their vast progress from day 1.

Speaking of progress, Harry’s improvement in the competition was questioned when Matt came over to his bench. When Harry told him that he’s going to serve raviolo, Matt commented that it seemed to be a dish fitting for week three of the competition, not finals week. Matt said they wanted to see more than what Harry planned to cook. Harry was completely stumped when he failed to convince the judge about his dish. Matt Sinclair told him to listen to what his heart tells him, and Harry decided to go with his gut instinct. He decided to chuck the raviolo idea and make some chicken dumplings instead from his dough.

Harry soon regained his confidence and proceeded with his preparations. However, when George and Gary approached his bench to taste his bisque, they commented that it needs more flavour. Harry tried to add more depth to his bisque by incorporating more ingredients, but he’s still unsure if it’s enough.

It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for Elise, either. She realised that she made a crucial mistake with her planning and time management. Having spent too much time making her ice cream, she worked against the clock to prep the hero of her dish, which is brownie. She wanted her brownie to be extravagant and sit high on her plate so she used a deep tin. Elise knew she was taking a big risk since that would require more time to cook, but she hoped for the best.

However, when she checked a few minutes later, she found out that her brownie wasn’t cooking as fast as she would have wanted. With only 30 minutes on the clock, she decided to turn the oven temperature up. She became worried she needs to cool it down before she could put the mousse on top. Running out of time, she took the brownie out and put it into the blast chiller to cool down. When Elise checked on her brownie, she found out that it’s not set at all. With only three minutes to go, she sliced through the brownie and it began to sink in the middle. Soon enough, her brownie and mousse completely collapsed, making her absolutely flustered and emotional.

Among the three, it seemed Mimi was the one who ran into the biggest trouble. Her whole dish concept was completely destroyed when she realised she had the wrong type of cheese. With only a few minutes remaining on the clock, Mimi found out that what’s available in her box is ricotta cheese and not goat’s cheese, which was a key element to her dish. Mimi’s heart sank – she just spent the majority of her time making a dish without a key ingredient available. She decided to smoke the ricotta cheese to see if she can bring out some flavour in it. Mimi also added one more element to her dish to balance the flavours and compensate for the missing goat’s cheese.

Time was up and the budding chefs brought their dishes to the judges. Harry came up first, and he hesitantly served his butter poached lobster with a coriander and chicken dumpling and a lobster bisque. The judges commented that it was a nice-looking dish. Upon tasting it, Gary said that the dumplings were beautiful, while George commended the silky smooth pasta, as well as its green and vibrant color. Matt also described the lobster tail as delicious. However, they all agreed that the bisque did not have the complexity and balance that they were used to getting from him.

It was Mimi’s turn, and she nervously put on the judges’ table her fig ice cream with smoked ricotta and prosciutto shards. Matt commended the glossy and shiny chocolate sauce, the lovely fig ice cream and the crispy prosciutto. While Mimi’s plate showed lots of technical skills, the ricotta just derailed the whole dish. Gary reckoned Mimi wasn’t safe at all.

The judges then called for Elise, who made a chocolate pistachio brownie with chocolate mousse, orange ice cream and crumb. It seemed Elise’s dish significantly tasted better than it looked. It put a smile on Gary’s face, who said it was delicious , particularly the chocolate mousse on top. “Yum” was how George described it, and Matt even came to Elise’s defense, saying undercooked brownie is not a disaster unlike undercooked chicken.

Despite Elise’s fears, the judges informed her that in “MasterChef,” flavours always win. While her brownie looked like a complete mess, she was deemed safe for the evening. The decision came down between Harry and Mimi. The techniques that Mimi showed in her dish expressed how much she learned from the competition, but the elements she put in her plate did not work together. The misplaced ricotta ultimately cost Mimi her place in the quarter finals, and she was sent home.

Find out what happens next on “MasterChef Australia,” and stay tuned for episode spoilers. “MasterChef Australia” Season 8 airs every Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Ten.