Kritikides, 29, was given a second shot at the title last week but squandered the opportunity in a macaroon massacre that left even favourites Marion Grasby and Alvin Quah shaking in their aprons.

The trio, along with Sydney band manager Aaron Harvie, were set the task of replicating a biscuit tower made by pastry supremo Adriano Zumbo, nicknamed "the patissier of pain".

Each was given three and a half hours to cook 120 raspberry, beetroot and black olive macaroons and assemble them on a cone reminiscent of Zumbo's 2009 croquembouche, which terrorised contestants in season one.

Quanh, who has been among the strongest performers in recent weeks, said when he realised the task ahead "a little part of me just died."

Zumbo himself described the dish, made from more than 240 separate pieces, including a handmade jam and cream filling, as "10 out of 10" for difficulty.

"It'll be the toughest thing you've ever done," judge Gary Mehigan warned the foursome, who found themselves in the elimination round after disappointing the panel with their home-cooking mystery box challenge in front of kitchen doyenne Margaret Fulton on Sunday.

He was right. All four failed to meet the three and a half hour deadline set by Zumbo and had to cut their towers in half in order to plate up for the panel.

The kalamata olive macroons proved the hardest to crack: Harvie's were raw; Quanh's were undersized; Grasby's were burnt and Kritikides' were just plain terrible.

In the end, the Greek cuisine specialist found himself bundled out for the second time in four weeks, after he was eliminated for overcooking oysters in a seafood terrine by just 30 seconds in a previous marathon pressure test.

"There's a sense of deja vu," Kritikides said over his exit.

"I was devastated the first time...I'm disappointed this time.

"[Being told you're eliminated] doesn't sound that bad a second time around.

"I've had a ripping couple of weeks. I can leave knowing I gave it everything. I've learned some amazing things about food and I've got a determination to succeed."

Fellow Melburnian and lawyer Claire Winton Burn will take centre stage later this week when she tries her hand at molecular gastronomy in a celebrity chef challenge.

Source: theage.com.au