Masterchef UK Professionals
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Langoustine Tortellini
Langoustine Tortellini with Bisque, Grilled Tail, and Chawanmushi in an Egg Shell
Polly, a former professional golfer and demi chef who has been cooking for four years, chose to highlight langoustine throughout every element of her dish. {name}: "I want to highlight the langoustine. My dish is a langoustine tortellini, langoustine bisque, and then on the side is chawanmushi. It's like a savoury custard which you steam, which I first had when I moved to London into Chinatown, literally right above the lanterns. Finish work and go explore all the restaurants. This is where I found this dish, something I'd never heard of. And actually I was like, oh, that's really good."
A judge noted: {Judge}: "I love the inspiration behind this, her time in London's Chinatown. She picked up all those influences and she's bringing them here today. It's great."
Another described the construction: {Judge}: "Polly's using the langoustine in every way possible, which I think is great. The shells, the heads, and of course the tails themselves. I personally love langoustine. Not the easiest ingredient to work with because they're very delicate. You've got to cook them just right."
On the bisque and chawanmushi: {Judge}: "Langoustine bisque should be rich in the flavours of the shells. Hopefully some kind of alcohol to cut through it as well. On the side, an eggshell that Polly has emptied out: she's doing a chawanmushi, a savoury custard. She's going to put some of that langoustine bisque into it and some little lemon pearls to cut through the custard."
Polly on her pasta: "Making the thinness of the tortellini is very important. I'm going to leave them under cling film so they don't dry out." The narrator described the finished dish:
Polly served langoustine tortellini, grilled langoustine tail and a langoustine bisque, alongside a chawanmushi in an egg shell, a savoury custard flavoured with langoustine bisque and topped with lemon pearls.
{Judge}: "It's incredibly ambitious and very creative. What I've got here is a beautiful use of langoustines. The langoustine tail and the way you've prepared it, just slightly torched, is delicious. Your little tortellini are beautifully made. Fill them up a bit more so we really get the langoustine flavour." {Judge}: "Your bisque is light, it's sweet, I really enjoy it. The little egg custard is a bit of fun, but I find there are too many lemon balls on there. It just overtakes the custard." {Judge}: "In terms of hitting the brief, I think you've absolutely nailed it, but I'm not really getting custard from this. It seemed a little bit watery. I was expecting it to be a bit more set. I'm not 100% on board with this. It hasn't quite hit the mark." Polly reflected: {name}: "I would literally pay you 20 grand to not cook again. I really don't want to."
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