The Dish Andre Rush Would Make For Gordon Ramsay On MasterChef

Chef Andre Rush is someone who's always ready to step up to a challenge. The retired Master Sergeant and former White House Chef recently chatted with Tasting Table in an exclusive interview, and he shared that if he ever had the opportunity to present a dish to Chef Gordon Ramsay on "MasterChef," Rush would choose to serve a beef Wellington — a culinary ordeal not for the faint of heart, especially for anyone familiar with Ramsay's work.

It's no secret that Ramsay is a fan of beef Wellington. The English dish features a tender cut of filet steak coated in prosciutto and a savory duxelle, all baked in a buttery puff pastry crust. It's notoriously difficult to master and is often considered among the most difficult dishes to prepare due to all the components and techniques required.

But Rush knows that's not all he would have to contend with — and that's by choice. He noted that he would purposely present a dish that Ramsay would be "very scrutinizing" of, which makes beef Wellington a perfect fit: It's one of the star dishes at Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen restaurants. Selecting a beef Wellington as a competition dish would be a risky move on Rush's part, but he told us that he would be ready for however Ramsay would react toward his version of the dish. "You know what? I love fire. I'm that guy," he said.

If he were to get the competition opportunity, Andre Rush explained that he would attempt to find a way to refresh the dish and elevate the traditional beef Wellington. "I would elevate the hell out of it and fail miserably or fail successfully," he told us. While he didn't elaborate on the exact changes he would make, given Rush's experience as a sommelier, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to imagine he could create a decadent red wine sauce to pair with the beef Wellington.

It's also not a stretch to imagine that his upgrade would likely be successful. Rush has experience with making a traditional beef Wellington, having already made the dish in a video with YouTuber Will Tennyson; Rush shows a masterful display of how to assemble all the elements and have the final product come out perfectly rare and plated elegantly. He has also served as a guest judge on "MasterChef" in the past, giving him an edge in knowing how the competition works and what judges would be looking for. But no matter how his attempt at the dish might go, Rush noted that he wouldn't mind either outcome. "I'm okay with that, either way it goes," he said.