Masterchef UK Professionals
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Cheesy Potato Foam with Seared Scallop
Potato and Comte Cheese Foam with Seared Scallop, Beurre Noisette Panko, and Pickled Samphire
{Polly}: "For starters, it's a take on my grandma's famous cheese and potato flan. So I'm making the inside of it as she would make it. But then I'm just going to put it in the espuma just to aerate a little bit, give it a nice texture with some pickled samphire and a beautiful seared scallop on top."
{Marcus}: "So the centrepiece of the dish is this scallop with a potato and cheese flan flavoured sauce."
{Marcus}: "Polly's first course, a flavour memory that she used to have with her gran. You've got this lovely combination of cooked potatoes in milk with Comte cheese cooked down, mixed up into the blender. She's going to be serving it aerated, but the base of this dish is the scallop. Beautiful scallops which she's pan frying."
{Polly}: "These are like XL scallops. These are monsters. So it'll be good, be nice."
{Marcus}: "It's all about getting the correct pan temperature, putting them in at the right time, and making sure that they're turned and seasoned at the right time, too. Samphire in vinegar. I like the sound of that. Basically, it's a salty green vegetable. It's delicious and I think it'll be a lovely compliment to that rich sauce as well."
{Polly}: "So today I've cooked a potato and Comte cheese foam, a seared scallop with beurre noisette panko, and underneath is pickled samphire. Hope you enjoy."
{Leyla Kazim}: "It's very accomplished. The samphire in particular is really brightening the dish. I love that charring on the scallop. Very comforting."
{Jay Rayner}: "I love this. That foam is actually a really thick whirl of potato Comte sauce. And then you get this little bright pinprick of acidity from the samphire. I think it's delicious."
{Xanthi Clay}: "My favourite thing on this plate is the crumb because it's salty, it's lemony, and it's adding texture."
{Marcus}: "The sauce is rich and thick. Scallop is sweet and delicious. I love the way she's caramelised them."
{Monica}: "On the outside and I love the pickled samphire underneath. I love this. This is Polly's personality on a plate."
OVERALL JUDGES VERDICT: Universally loved. The potato and Comte foam was rich, thick, and comforting. The scallop was beautifully seared and caramelised. The pickled samphire provided a perfect bright, acidic counterpoint. The beurre noisette panko crumb added excellent texture. A personal dish that translated perfectly to the plate.
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