Tasia and Gracia are now hot favourite to take out the title after tonight’s semi-final. Their cooking was top class.
Gianni and Zana’s inconsistency in cooking finally took its toll. The burn in their beef goulash and the tasteless fig in their dessert cost them valuable points. Zana has since told the Herald Sun she would love to make a return to TV. (After the grand final was recorded last December, the couple moved to Brisbane - where Gianni was originally from - to continue their regular job as lawyers)
For once I am surprised by an outcome on MKR. I was certain a Zana v Lauren cook off would eventuate given the deliberate attempt to build a rivalry between them throughout the season. Unless they have a monumental stuff up in the GF Tasia and Gracia will win easily.
No Zana had too many close calls. Only so many times you can save someone, credibly.
Seven still has not revealed the guest scores from Gianni and Zana’s instant restaurant on Wednesday. The other teams gave a total of 28 points for the couple’s effort with an average score of 7 per team. Based on the comments made during the episode I think the possible individual scores are:
Anna and Jordan: 8
Mitch and Laura: 6
Tasia and Gracia: 7
Carmine and Lauren: 7
Just catching up with the week’s episodes. Interesting that they put up a tweet after the critique of G & Z’s mains on Wednesday that read:
"You can obviously tell their (sic) going to keep Mitch and Laura. #MKR #fixed"
The better team (Carmine and Lauren) won tonight’s semi-final but a viewer poll just before the last ad break in the eastern states indicated viewers wanted Anna and Jordan to win. Obviously there are people who didn’t like Lauren’s behaviour and comments during this season.
Anna and Jordan’s menu was ambitious (anyone wants to try oyster cream? Crab meat within the pasta?) but the execution was poor. When Seven showed judges’ critiques for both desserts before the last ad break (in the previous episodes it left the critiques for the second dessert until the final segment of the night) I knew the result was clear cut.
It promises to be an epic grand final tomorrow! I think Tasia and Garcia have a slight edge.
P.S. it’s not known yet which overseas channel will show the current season first. This time last year it was DIVA TV in Southeast Asia which aired the show the night after the grand final was shown in Australia.
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Carmine and Lauren earn their place in 2016 MKR grand final
Self-confessed ‘comeback kids’ Carmine and Lauren face off against sisters Tasia and Gracia in tomorrow night’s MY KITCHEN RULES grand final.
Carmine and Lauren proved they have what it takes to be serious MKR title contenders, defeating mother and son team Anna and Jordan by 10 points in tonight’s second semi-final.
From the moment they stepped into Kitchen HQ, Carmine and Lauren were focused on eliminating a fourth team from the competition and taking another step closer to the $250,000 in prize money.
“Just mind-blowing,” said an elated Lauren, describing how she felt when their score of 46 out of 60 confirmed their place in the grand final. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life, ever,” she continued.
Anna and Jordan scored 36 out of 60 and were eliminated off the back of a lack-lustre entrée and main. An emotional Jordan said leaving the competition was a “bittersweet” moment. Despite their run in the competition ending, he said it was incredible to be able to watch Lauren and Carmine continue to chase their dream.
“Our experience on My Kitchen Rules has been once in a lifetime,” he said through tears. “I loved doing the challenges, cooking in Colin’s restaurant; I mean this has been a dream.”
But it was mum Anna who had the last word: “I’m so proud we’ve done this together, it will be something I will always cherish.”
Keen to demonstrate different cooking techniques to judges Pete Evans, Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge, Guy Grossi, Karen Martini and Liz Egan, Carmine and Lauren strayed from their Italian roots featuring a menu of classics. In contrast, Anna and Jordan chose to push the boundaries with their menu choosing invention over convention.
Carmine and Lauren’s entrée of seared scallops with pea cream and speck was well received by the judges. “It’s old school, it’s classic, this is done well,” said Pete of the colourful dish. Liz agreed saying there was nothing wrong with classics and that the dish looked “gorgeous on the plate, vibrant and inviting.” Colin admitted the team’s entrée had good flavour and was well cooked, but thought it was too safe for this point in the competition.
Anna and Jordan presented an entrée of lightly poached oysters with fennel and apple. The judges agreed it was “interesting looking” but were not completely sold on Jordan’s vision of the plate resembling an ocean scape.
While Karen acknowledged the team’s effort, she thought they had missed the mark, saying: “I think their creativity is a little out of whack.” Liz agreed: “It just doesn’t come together for me, there’s too much juice and I find the oyster cream slightly unpleasant.” The dish then became a complete write-off for Liz when she discovered oyster shell in her mouth during the tasting.
Carmine and Lauren chose another classic with their main of sous vide chicken with smoked potato purée and brussels sprouts. Despite being a simple dish, Karen was impressed with the chicken, noting the team had been able to beautifully crisp the skin yet leave the protein “melt in the mouth” tender.
Colin agreed it was a good dish, but questioned the ratios on the plate saying he thought there was too much potato compared with the chicken. But for Manu, it was all about the sauce. “This is probably the best jus we have had in the competition so far. It’s glossy, it’s thick, it’s perfect.”
Anna and Jordan struggled with their main of chilli angel hair pasta with crab and pippies with their pasta clumping just moments before plating. The judges agreed it had a great flavour and the seafood had been cooked well, but the team’s presentation and consistency in plating had let them down.
Karen thought the team could have squashed the cherry tomatoes through the dish more adding a level of sweetness, but as Manu noted, some of the judge’s plates didn’t even have tomatoes on them. “It’s a beautiful dish, but it seems like they’ve rushed it at the end and kind of lost a bit of care,” he added.
Anna and Jordan’s dessert of cannoli with orange mascarpone ice cream was a hit with the judges. “It takes me back to my childhood,” said Guy. “It’s one of those desserts in the Italian kitchen that is just ever present. It’s a really refined cannoli.”
Karen agreed, saying they had nailed the dessert: “That cannoli pastry is textbook perfect. It’s so fragile and crisp. They’re so tiny and every single one of them is the same size.” Manu concurred: “I think it is the best dish they have done.”
Like their main, Carmine and Lauren were working up against the clock plating their dessert of grilled peach with yoghurt mousse and peach sorbet.
“It’s a sunshine dish, it’s a happy dish and I liked the texture of the nuts and the salt,” Colin said. “I love the yoghurt, the yoghurt actually cuts through everything, cuts through the sweetness, because I think the sorbet is a touch sweet.”
Karen said Carmine and Lauren had created “great things with simple ingredients” and applied great technique through all three courses.
Good on Carmine and Lauren. Glad they made the GF. You would think the sisters would take it out though, however these guys being there make it quite interesting as to which way it will go.
Gooo Tasia & Gracia!
They have been the best team all season and deserve to win.
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This is the matchup that’s ideal for Tasia & Gracia to win the competition. Carmine and Lauren are a ‘weaker’ team than Anna & Jordan but they were helped by the latter slipping up last night.
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I’m going for Lauren and… her bitch.
Just caught up and, well, I’m shocked. Not in a million years did I think Carmine & Lauren could win that. Anna and Jordan have been near flawless the whole way through but they messed up. Finally, finally, Jordan is out. Great result, but the final is a forgone conclusion now. Tasia & Gracia have it wrapped up.
I thought it was pretty cheap of Seven not to invite anyone to the semis. The kitchen seemed almost deserted with only the judges and remaining teams present.
The vo guy is really annoying. It’s like they couldn’t get someone with a deep voice to vo the episode, so they asked this guy to deepen his voice. Doesn’t work mate.
I thing the final will be a certainty for Gogglebox this week.
So after the final will everyone switch over to see who wins Reno Rumble? 
No, not me!
Perhaps I should re-phrase - Will anyone switch over?
Was the finale on tonight?
Who knew? 
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Sisters Tasia and Gracia win My Kitchen Rules 2016
Victorian sisters Tasia and Gracia are 2016’s My Kitchen Rules Champions after a six point win over South Australia’s Carmine and Lauren
Tasia and Gracia wanted to take the judges on a flavour tour of Asia in tonight’s grand final, and with three perfect 10s and an overall score of 57 out of 60, they delivered.
On their grand final win, Gracia, fighting back tears said: “I think it’s the greatest achievement that we have ever accomplished and we did it together which makes it more special than anything else.”
“We did it and we did it without killing each other,” laughed Gracia as she hugged her sister telling her how proud of her she was.
When asked what the future holds for the new MKR champions, Tasia answered: “We definitely want to do street Indonesian food in Australia.” Looking at the judges, Gracia added: “Maybe a sauce business?”, she asked, which was met with enthusiastic nods from all judges. “Now that we’ve won we can finally follow our dreams,” Gracia continued.
Following in the footsteps of 2011 champions Sammy and Bella, Tasia and Gracia are the second team of sisters to win MKR.
With a score of 51 out of 60, a personal best for them at Kitchen HQ, Carmine and Lauren were gracious in defeat and congratulated the sisters on their win saying: “There’s no other team we’d want to share this experience with…we love you guys,” said Lauren.
Battling for the title and prize money, each team had to plate up a five course menu for judging by Pete Evans, Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge, Karen Martini, Guy Grossi and Liz Egan.
It was an emotional moment for teams as they entered Kitchen HQ to see their respective instant restaurants brought to life. As they started work at their benches, friends, family and fellow contestants arrived ready to sample the five course menu.
While Tasia and Gracia still couldn’t believe they were actually competing in the grand final, Carmine and Lauren were determined the girls would be the fifth team they’ve sent home, keen to silence their critics once and for all with a grand final win.
Carmine and Lauren stuck to their heritage with an Italian inspired menu, plating up beef carpaccio with porcini cream for their first course. Liz said the dish was a gentle way to ease into a five course menu. “It’s beautifully light and delicate…I think this is a gorgeous classic,” she said, adding she was excited about the rest of the menu.
Tasia and Gracia made a pact to not hold back on the spice in their dishes. Their first course of seared scallop with betel leaves was a unanimous hit with the judges and contestants alike.
“This is one of those dishes that go ‘bang’ at the start of the night because we’ve got your palate engaged and we’re going to take it for a journey,” said Guy. “That was sweet, sour, salty,” said Colin, who declared his empty plate. “The first dish off the rank for these guys and they’ve nailed it.”
In a bid to demonstrate technique, Carmine and Lauren presented a second course of milk braised pork belly with scallop and apple.
After fearing their crackling wouldn’t be crisp enough, Guy highlighted it as one of the positives of the dish. “It’s crunch and texture, it has a delicious flavour on there. That and the apple, what a perfect match.” All judges agreed it was a well-balanced dish with the addition of the scallops providing sweetness. “They thought about the balance here and it’s been very clever what they’ve done,” said Liz. “That lovely fresh apple and fennel salad with that little bit acidity in there; you really need that with the richness of the pork.”
Tasia and Gracia chose chicken ribs with chilli and sweet soy for their second course. Both girls were satisfied with the flavour but did question if ribs were “special enough” for the grand final.
Liz commended the girls on the flavours in the dish. “It’s really clever use of spices and a great balance of sweetness, acidity and heat. It’s just such clever cooking.” Karen agreed saying the dish was “spot on.” But Colin disagreed, saying he didn’t think it was as strong as the girls’ first dish and he found the heat overpowering.
With their ‘spaghetti in a bag’ instant restaurant disaster still firmly in their minds, Carmine and Lauren sought to redeem themselves with their third course of saffron linguine with butter poached bug tail.
The judges all agreed it was a stunning dish. Guy said: “It’s a perfectly executed pasta dish…I think this is a winning dish. Simple, delicate, it just makes my palate want for more.” Karen agreed saying it was a “wow” dish.
Tasia and Gracia’s third course of grilled king prawns with balado and quail egg equally impressed the judges, allaying the team’s fears of the dish packing too much punch.
“This dish is just singing off the plate,” said Colin. The prawns are cooked perfectly, as is the quail egg, there’s a lot of flavour in this sauce. It’s got a real hit of chilli, it’s got the lime leaves…it’s all about the sauce for me.” Karen agreed, saying the girls had nailed the authentic flavour of the dish. “This is something I imagine coming straight from a hawker stall. It’s got the breath of the wok in it.”
It was a mad rush for sisters Tasia and Gracia to get their fourth course of crispy skin duck with green chilli sambal on the plate with the girls anxious the duck hadn’t had enough time to rest.
But they needn’t have worried as the judges had nothing but praise when the dish hit the table. “What an amazing dish…that duck skin was perfectly seasoned,” said Liz. Karen agreed saying the flavours were “amazing.” Guy echoed the sentiment, saying: “It’s one of the most perfect dishes we’ve seen so far…superb.”
Carmine and Lauren’s fourth course of beef sirloin with madeira jus and mushrooms was applauded by the judges. “What a stunning piece of beef,” said Karen, clearly impressed with the home cook’s sous-vide/searing cooking technique. For Manu, it was all about the sauce. “That jus is really strong, well reduced and full of flavour. This is restaurant quality.” Pete agreed, adding: “It’s faultless.”
For their fifth and final course, Tasia and Gracia presented a dessert of pandan pudding with coconut and kaffir lime ice cream. Colin admitted he didn’t know what to expect from the girls’ dessert given the bold and punchy flavours in their previous four courses. “I’m glad they’ve bought it back and it’s calmed the meal down now,” he said. “That coconut on the side gives it great texture, with fresh coconut as well and the sorbet, a great finish to this meal.” Karen agreed saying it was “sublime.”
For their last course at Kitchen HQ, Carmine and Lauren plated up their interpretation of a cherry ripe with their dessert of chocolate, cherry and coconut. The judges agreed it was a “decadent” dessert successfully demonstrating several techniques with the chocolate dome, sorbet, coconut crumb and cake. “They’ve really brought out the big guns to finish the menu tonight,” said Guy.
As the judges delivered their scores, it was clear Tasia and Gracia had edged ahead of their opponents, taking out the title with an overall score of 57 out of 60.