‘MasterChef Canada’ dishes out the ultimate vegan challenge

There’s a contingent of meat-eaters out there who might have you believe that vegan food and comfort food aren’t compatible. Luckily MasterChef Canada (Sundays, 9 pET on CTV) was here to prove otherwise with the latest vegan-inspired Mystery Box challenge. In fact, if you tuned into “Plant-Based Paradise” you’re probably still craving a vegan version of your favourite comfort food. 

No meat? No problem.

That was essentially the task at hand on Sunday night when the remaining competitors were told to create their version of comfort on a plate—but make it vegan. It sounds like a tall order, but then again these cooks hail from a variety of backgrounds and culinary experiences.

Cooking up vegan dishes actually wasn’t that daunting to them, especially since they were allowed to concoct anything sweet or savoury that spoke to them.

They also had an array of vegan-friendly beans, tofu, and dairy-free Becel bricks at their disposal to make it happen. With such a wide berth, a variety of plates emerged, from Mai’s carrot cake-inspired dumplings to Thea’s homemade pasta, to Christopher’s five-component dessert. Salivating yet?

It was no surprise that the contestants came up with so many different plates—after all, this isn’t a season where glorified poutine or a gussied up version of stew would cut it for judges Claudio Aprile, Michael Bonacini, and Alvin Leung. 

At the same time “comfort food” can mean so many different things to different people. As a result, the real trick to the challenge was actually reigning it in and making sure the dishes were refined enough, yet still familiar to be classified as “comfort.” Sometimes smaller parameters in a challenge are easier, you know?

Getting to that next level

Once the competitors figured out their cooks, it was an all-out frenzy. Barrie decided to make a version of “meat” pie with his mother’s signature cut-out on top of the pastry.

Marissa—who has never hidden her love of anything and everything meat—went Mediterranean with a beet kefta. Jeremy did a version of lumpia, AKA a traditional Filipino pork spring roll, with TVP that he creatively wrapped in rice noodles.

So which plates won over the judges’ hearts? Christopher’s dessert was definitely a top dish, which was a relief since it looked as though he wouldn’t have enough time to set it. And Thea’s pasta was perfectly executed, as one would expect given her recipe development experience. 

But it was Andrew’s surprising peaches and cream concoction—complete with a brittle and beautiful plating—that won the night and gave him an advantage in next week’s episode. The judges even said it was something they’d expect to see at a Michelin-star restaurant, so it’s safe to say that Andrew will have an extra bit of confidence heading into next week’s installment. 

Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for all of the cooks.

Mai was criticized for her beige plating, and encouraged to think outside of the box (like colouring the dumpling dough with pureed carrots). And Marissa also came under fire for her dry kefta, which were a result of not cooking the beets before combining them into the “meaty” rolls. 

Saying farewell, again

However, it was Barrie and his dry pie, which he served with a side of ramekins holding all the things, that left the judges feeling like the concept just wasn’t fully there and that he had missed the mark. 

As a result, the cook was eliminated from the show for a third time, which has to be all kinds of emotional. So no one was really surprised when the guy broke down. 

“Each time that you’ve come back here you’ve reminded us why you belong, with talent and grit,” Michael said upon Barrie’s elimination.  

For his part, Barrie took it all in stride, naming Jeremy as the one to beat going forward. “This week it’s my time to go, and I’m okay with that,” he added. “To be told I’m one of the 12 best to have been in this kitchen… it’s a privilege and an honour just to be invited. Cooking is who I am, not what I do.”

With that, the competitor walked out for a third time, and it’s safe to say there probably won’t be another unexpected twist where he comes back for a FOURTH time. In the meantime, the remaining contestants still have quite a few culinary hurdles to handle in the coming weeks, including next week’s battle of cooking wits. Brush up on your trivia because it’s bound to be a close one.

Watch new episodes of MasterChef Canada Sundays at 9 pET on CTV and catch up here.

BEFORE YOU GO: Why Falcon and The Winter Soldier are the best buddy duo yet

[video_embed id='2164426']BEFORE YOU GO: Why Falcon and The Winter Soldier are the best buddy duo yet [/video_embed]