Tasia and Gracia take out My Kitchen Rules grand finale

IT WAS neck-and-neck for the final challenge, but Tasia and Gracia Seger have taken out the My Kitchen Rules finale, beating Carmine and Lauren.

TASIA and Gracia Seger have taken out the My Kitchen Rules grand finale, beating Adelaide couple Carmine and Lauren by six points.

Along with kitchen glory, the Melbourne sisters, who were early favourites to win the competition, also take home $250,000 in prize money.

While both teams put up a strong fight during the five course challenge, it was Tasia and Gracia’s skill and developed flavours that pushed them over the line and earnt them the grand total score of 57 out of 60. Carmine and Lauren ended the night on 51 points.

“Guys you don’t need $250,000, you open a sauce factory and you’ll be loaded because I tell you, I’d buy it,” judge Colin Fassnidge told the sisters.

It was neck-and-neck for most of the night’s challenge, with both teams receiving high praise for all of their dishes.

“The scallops are cooked to perfection, seared beautifully on the outside, I thought it was delicious,” guest judge Karen Martini said of Tasia and Gracia’s seared scallop betel leaves.

Guest judge Liz Egan dubbed Carmine and Lauren’s beef carpaccio with porcini cream a “gorgeous classic”.

And the praise continued to come.

Tasting Carmine and Lauren’s second dish of milk-braised pork belly with scallop and apple, Egan was impressed with their flavour combinations.

“They’ve thought about the balance here and its very clever what they’ve done, with that lovely fresh apple and fennel salad,” she said. “A little bit of acidity in there with the richness of the pork. I think is just gorgeous.”

Carmine and Lauren’s second course.

Tasia and Gracia’s chicken ribs.

But Tasia and Gracia kept up, also nailing the balance in their dish of chicken ribs with chilli and sweet soy.

“They’ve cooked the chicken really well and they’ve doused it that sauce ... this is spot on,” Martini said. “A great balance of sweetness, acidity and heat. It’s such clever cooking,” Egan added.

The sauce in the sisters’ next dish of grilled king prawns with balado and quail egg won the judges over, while Carmine and Lauren’s saffron linguine with butter poached bug tail was called a “wow dish”.

Nearing the end of the night with their mains, it was still too close to call.

Serving up their beef sirloin with madeira jus and mushrooms, the judges thought Carmine and Lauren’s dish was restaurant quality. Tasia and Gracia’s skill also came through in their crispy skin duck with green chilli sambal.

“What an amazing dish,” Martini said. “That duck skin, perfectly seasoned. There is no fat. It’s just crispy skin, rendered perfectly. To see that rice there, it was a welcome sort of calm in a spice storm.”

Tasia and Gracia impress with their crispy duck.

Carmine and Lauren’s main was “restaurant quality”.

With no major faults, mistakes, or criticisms, it all came down to dessert. Carmine and Lauren’s chocolate, cherry and coconut was described as “decadent” by the judges, while Tasia and Gracia’s pandan pudding with coconut and kaffir lime ice cream was called “sublime”.

Despite a close race, it was the sisters’ skill and technique that pushed them ahead of Carmine and Lauren and they were crowned champions.

“I think it’s the greatest achievement that we’ve ever accomplished and we did it together. Which makes it more special than anything else. Like, it’s huge,” Gracia said.

“We definitely want to do street Indonesian food in Australia. Maybe a sauce business.”

Carmine and Lauren miss out on the title by six points.