Tilen and Tanja shine in the first mystery box challenge of the season
It was time for the first mystery box of this season in MasterChef – and the contestants had a very special surprise waiting for them under the mysterious boxes. This time they didn't get unknown or challenging ingredients, but the ones they would most like to cook with.
"Yay, this is a MasterChef classic. I couldn't wait to see if I could do well in the kitchen unprepared. I've been practicing mystery box lately. I call friends over for dinner and tell them to bring me some ingredients and I'll cook something for them." And the practice clearly paid off. Using his dream ingredients, he created a steak with truffles, Jerusalem artichoke and chickpea puree, and beef stock sauce - a dish that hit the spot with the judges.
"So intense, so beautifully balanced. Textures, meat, truffle, spiciness, flavors – top," Luka assessed. Karim added: "Dream ingredients for a dream dish, bravo," while Mojmir gave Tiln a short but clear compliment: "Full credit."
Tanja also received ingredients in the mystery box that were right up her alley. "I love making desserts the most, and these are the ingredients that go well with desserts," she said. She made sweet cottage cheese štrukelj, which she topped with pear in a cream sauce with lime, chocolate chips, and a sauce with caramelized shallots, wine, and lime.
The judges did not hide their enthusiasm for her dish either. "Such light štruklji that it makes your head burn. The cottage cheese is juicy, the dough is light, the chocolate chips add that whiteness, and then the red wine, which makes the dish," said Mojmir. Karim was particularly convinced by the use of shallots in the dessert: "I think it's brilliant that you bring shallots with wine into the dessert in this way." Luka, however, gave Tanja another big compliment: "If we're opening a Slovenian bistro in New York, this dessert belongs there."
Tanja did not expect such good responses. "I did not dare to expect such responses, but I was confident in my plate," she admitted. After the tasting, the judges' decision followed. The best plates of the first mystery box challenge of the season were prepared by Tilen and Tanja, who thus secured a place on the balcony.
Tilen was thrilled with his new ranking among the best: "Yes! Another individual test and I'm flying to the balcony again. I was the first to win the balcony and got such crazy comments. This is such a nice breath of fresh air to my soul that I couldn't be happier." The victory was especially important for Tanja, as it was her first time winning the balcony after several cooking sessions. "Oh my God, I'm running to this balcony so that no one thinks I need to go back down. A big victory and confirmation. After so many cooking sessions, I'm finally on the balcony," she added.
