- The Cadiz aspirant, the youngest winner in the history of ‘MasterChef Junior’, triumphs with her family inspired menu, consisting of: a white prawn tartar with beetroot and ginger air, low temperature sea bass with red prawn sauce and multispherical olive sauce, and a mango ice cream, passion fruit veil and yoghurt foam
- In addition to the trophy that accredits her as the winner of the MasterChef Junior, she received the 12,000 euros prize for her training and a course at the Basque Culinary Center
- Nicolás was left on the verge of victory with a great menu that pays homage to Seville: cold cream of corn with crayfish and tobiko eggs, pumpkin and goat cheese ravioli with orange and basil spherical jam, and an almond ice cream with coconut foam and caramel dome
- The final was followed by 1,887,000 spectators (16% share)
January 20, 2020 – Throughout the edition, he stood out for his maturity, his security, his concentration and his personality. And all of this was reflected in his menu for the final duel. Aurora surprised the jury and the chefs Mateu Casañas and Oriol Castro with her gift for cooking and her menu inspired by her family. 1,887,000 spectators (quota) followed the grand final of ‘MasterChef Junior 8’, where Aurora, Nicolás, Henar and Javier demonstrated their high level of culinary skills and companionship. The work of the four was highlighted by Pepe Rodríguez, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera and Jordi Cruz, but in the end it was Aurora who beat Nicolás in the final duel to be crowned champion of the eighth edition of ‘MasterChef Junior’, the cooking talent produced by RTVE in collaboration with Shine Iberia (Banijay Iberia). Along with the winner’s trophy, Aurora took home 12,000 euros in cash and a four-day course at the Basque Culinary Center.
“My face hurts from smiling so much. This is a dream come true, a challenge fulfilled. I’m going to put this prize in the centre of my table so that it has all the attention,” he said with a smile after hearing his name in the mouth of Pepe Rodríguez as the winner, after weeks of sacrifice and dedication. “Once again, the work and effort has been rewarded”, said the jury.
For the grand finale, Aurora whetted the appetites of the judges and guests Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, chefs at the two-star Michelin-starred ‘Enjoyment’ restaurant, with a starter to match the occasion: a white shrimp tartar with a beet and ginger flavour. “It’s a perfect snack”, said Samantha Vallejo-Nágera emphatically. For his part, Pepe Rodríguez highlighted the balance of this preparation: “It is wonderful. It is a bite that reveals the subtlety of the shrimp, beet and ginger”. The duelist, nervous but satisfied, looked at the railing looking for the complicit smile of her family.
Aurora continued the presentation of her menu with a dish that, according to her, demonstrated her “love, positive attitude and confidence in herself”. This low-temperature sea bass with red shrimp sauce and multispherical olive sauce won over Jordi Cruz, because of its taste and aesthetics: “It’s a perfect Mediterranean combination. And aesthetically it is unquestionable”. But Jordi was not the only one to applaud Aurora’s main course. Mateu Casañas stressed that it was a dish “with a lot of life” and did not hesitate to rate it with an unbeatable score: “It’s 10”, he said.
To put the final seal on her work, the little chef from Cadiz made a mango ice cream, passion fruit veil and yoghurt foam, with a special dedication to her grandmother, from whom she learned so much. For Pepe Rodríguez this dessert went a step further: “The flavour is very good, but the gelatine technique is perfect. It’s a technically impeccable sweet”, Pepe pointed out. From that moment on, the smile on Aurora’s face did not disappear, showing how proud she was of her three preparations.
