Masterchef UK Professionals
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Pan-fried Roe Deer with Chasseur Sauce and Tarragon Gremolata
Mario, a 38-year-old head chef originally from Seville, Spain, who now runs an outdoor woodland fire-cooking restaurant in London, tackled this skills test despite not knowing what chasseur sauce was. He worked instinctively, deducing the sauce from the ingredients provided. His butchery was unconventional — removing the sinew before the loins, which caused too much meat to be lost with the sinew. He left excess meat on the bone, particularly on the first side. Mario sliced his mushrooms thin rather than keeping them chunky, and adapted by putting the pancetta in first. His sauce was cooked on too high heat and lacked the proper jus consistency, ending up more like a garnish. The gremolata contained excessive garlic and was missing lemon zest entirely. However, his venison was perfectly cooked — lovely, tender, and pink — and the chasseur sauce had good flavor from proper caramelization. Despite gaps in classical technique, Mario's confident, instinctive approach earned a positive reception.
Monica Galetti: 'The venison is lovely and tender. It is pink. The chasseur sauce does have lovely flavor to it because you caramelized it really well. But it is missing the jus.' Marcus Wareing: 'The butchery, there is a bit of waste there. Gremolata is just tarragon and garlic. Yet other things there. Just, you know, take a few seconds and look at what else you've got in front of you.' Gary Maclean: 'Mario, I've been in your shoes and I know exactly how you're feeling right now. And to be fair, I know you didn't know what the sauce was, but under pressure, I think you've done really well.' Greg Wallace: 'Mario. Confident. Good start.'
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