I guess it’s as good as we could have hoped for. From the press release:
Proud South Australian mums Bree and Jessica are 2014’s My Kitchen Rules Champions after defeating Western Australia’s Chloe and Kelly in a closely contested and emotionally charged grand final.
An elated Bree and Jessica claimed $250,000 in prize money after scoring 54 out of 60 for their five-course menu, with only two points separating them from Chloe and Kelly on 52 out of 60.
As they stood to hear their scores, near perfect nines from each judge, the reality of Bree and Jessica’s win hit home with their children running to the stage to congratulate them.
“We won! Our families are going to be so proud,” cried Bree. “I can’t believe that we did it. Little engines that could, baby!” Bree said in a nod to team-mate Jessica.
“We can’t believe it. We can’t believe it. This has been the most amazing thing to ever happen to us in our whole lives,” said Jessica, who was quick to add: “Sorry, I mean apart from having kids and getting married and all that!”
Reflecting on what the win means to them, Bree said: “Our whole world has opened up for us now and we’re so happy to start a new stage of our lives. Bring it on!”
Gracious in defeat, runners up Chloe and Kelly congratulated the girls on their win. “We were happy that we were against the best in the grand final and you proved that tonight,” said Chloe to Bree and Jessica. “Definitely,” added Kelly.
Each team battled the clock to serve up a total of 100 plates for blind tasting by judges Pete Evans, Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge, Guy Grossi, Karen Martini and Liz Egan. Former contestants and the teams’ family and friends also sampled the grand final dishes.
Globe-trotting foodies Chloe and Kelly’s Nouveau restaurant menu featured their fondness for unusual fine dining ingredients. Bree and Jessica opted for a modern twist on classic flavours for their Sage restaurant Menu.
Colin said Bree and Jessica’s carpaccio dish was well cured with “text book flavour combination.” Manu and Karen agreed, but said they would have liked more horseradish flavour through the dish.
Chloe and Kelly won points with the judges for making their own mozzarella cheese for their caprese salad, with Pete commenting “it was a wonderful display of confident cooking” for their first course.
Bree and Jessica’s second course of scallop lasagne was a favourite at the table with Karen loving the “silky” pasta sheets which soaked up the burnt butter sauce. “This is a very fragile, perfect dish,” she said. Liz also praised the “delicate” dish, saying the scallops were “beautifully caramelised” and cooked perfectly.
The crispy skin of Chloe and Kelly’s confit ocean trout was a hit with judges with Colin dubbing it “the pork crackling of the sea.” But the dish fell short with Guy and Pete when they discovered several bones in their fish.
Both teams were up against the clock plating up their third course. Chloe and Kelly stayed true to form featuring offal as a fine dining ingredient. The judges agreed their veal sweetbreads were cooked to perfection and their morel mushroom sauce was “full flavoured” and “extraordinary.”
“I know what I am going to say next is big, but after five seasons, I think this is the best sauce I have ever had on My Kitchen Rules!” said Manu.
Bree and Jessica’s squab also drew favour from the judges. “That breast is perfectly cooked. It feels like you are sitting in a restaurant, a very, very good one at that,” said Guy of the spiced squab. Karen agreed saying the flavours of the dish worked “exceptionally well together.”
Chloe and Kelly’s fourth course of pig’s trotter crepinette hit the spot with Colin. “This is my style of cookery. Nose to tail, using the whole animal. It’s a stand-out dish again.” Manu agreed saying it was full of “flavour, technique and texture.” Liz said she was “in awe” of what they had produced.
The only criticism of the dish came from Karen who questioned the girls’ menu choices. “Following on from the previous course, we are seeing a slight repetition of flavours,” she noted.
While Colin commended Bree and Jessica for using a secondary meat (lamb shanks) and taking it to the next level in their fourth course, the judges agreed the consommé was the true star of the pair’s lamb dish. “The flavour that has been packed in there is unbelievable. This is amazing cooking,” said Manu.
For their fifth and final course, Chloe and Kelly divided the judges with the inclusion of sugared rose glass with their dessert. Guy and Pete said it was hard to eat and detracted from the dish, while Liz disagreed, saying it added to the presentation of the dish.
Karen said Bree and Jessica had done a “brilliant job” and demonstrated “clever cooking” with their deconstructed chocolate and rhubarb dessert. Guy agreed saying the flavours were “sensational.” “It just took me to a little English garden. I just loved the flavour of the rhubarb. That chocolate pastry is sensational, and again, all the flavours are working well together on the plate,” he said.
2014 Grand Final Scores (Pete Evans, Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge, Guy Grossi, Liz Egan, Karen Martini)
Bree and Jessica – 9,9,9,9,9 = 54/60
Chloe and Kelly – 9,9,8,9,8,9 = 52/602014 Grand Final Menu
Bree & Jessica
Beetroot carpaccio with cured salmon
Open scallop lasagna with fennel puree
Spiced squab with heirloom carrots and pomegranate jus
Ouzo and tomato with braised lamb with wild greens, potatoes and consommé
Deconstructed chocolate and rhubarb tartChloe & Kelly
Caprese salad
Confit ocean trout with broad bean pesto
Veal sweetbreads with morel mushrooms and pea foam
Pigs trotter crepinette with crispy pig’s ears
Rose chocolate with spiced figs and pistachio ice cream