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Master Chef Minus the Mayhem
A simplified chocolate tart that still steals the show
If you’re a foodie like me, you have probably watched an episode (or more) of MasterChef. The original television series, created in 1990, was a BBC production. Since then, the format has been exported around the world under the MasterChef logo and is produced in more than 50 countries.
My daughter and I have watched the BBC original, the Canadian and Mexican spin-offs, and the various iterations created in the U.S. by Gordon Ramsay. But our hands-down favorite is the version produced in Australia.
MasterChef Australia differs from other MasterChef series (especially the American version) by featuring a more positive environment. Participants are encouraged to be supportive of one another rather than create enemies. There is a real sense of genuine friendship and camaraderie.
The series also has a much longer format; each season is 60 or more episodes. The emphasis is on food and genuine skill over manufactured drama. On each episode, we actually see a step-by-step approach to cooking — it’s not just entertainment, it’s education.
In the finale of MC Australia, Season 1, one of the challenges was to recreate a chocolate tart … and much, much more. The tart itself was composed of chocolate pastry, a…
