Starters

“Le grande fromage”

Last night it was down to the six contestants who didn’t pass the Mystery Box test on Tuesday night to make good and impress the judges. The Mahikeng sisters, Leandri and Seline, as well as purple-haired Sanet, Amanda, Mary and Tumi were ready to fight it out to stay in the competition. 

The judges warned ominously that the contestants had to use the most important weapon a chef has in their arsenal – their senses. To this end, the judges devised an identification test, calling on the six contestants to use sight, taste and smell to correctly identify different types of cheese. The first three contestants to give an incorrect answer would go into the elimination challenge.

First taste test was a breeze, with all correct answers for the cottage cheese. The second one was a humdinger, however, and Leandri was sufficiently revolted. She declared, “It smells like hell; stinks beyond belief,” and quipped that there wasn’t a “poop option” in the box for her answer, eliciting guffaws from the judges. It was Italian gorgonzola, which only Sanet got right, much to her delight. Amanda and Mary were the next two in the safe zone, so the three fighting to hold on to their aprons were Tumi, Leandri and Seline.

Main course

“From boerewors to bouillabaisse”

The Mahikeng sisters and Tumi had to prove themselves by replicating a classic French dish, bouillabaisse. Leandri couldn’t even pronounce the name and her sister also struggled with the mouthful that is French for seafood stew.

This is a favourite dish of Judge Benny, who warned that the taste was very important. The contestants were not given a recipe, just flavours, and 60 minutes to recreate the dish. And just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, they only had five minutes to get their ingredients from the pantry before judge Andrew closed it off.

The worst tasting bouillabaisse would result in elimination, the knowledge of which kept the contestants sweating over their kitchen stations. They all battled with the stock, especially the colour of it. “Trust your instincts,” urged the judges. A very tense elimination round indeed!

On a much happier note, Herman swanned off to his Masterclass with chef Chantel Dartnell at Restaurant Mosaic, his prize for creating the best marrow dish on Tuesday night’s show. He was clearly in awe and said unabashedly, “It’s the first time I’ve tasted fine dining food!” Like Kamini, the Masterclass provided real inspiration for Herman, and importantly, some tricks of the trade to stand him in good stead for the remainder of the competition.

But back to the battle of the bouillabaisse: with minutes to spare, the contestants just about managed to plate their efforts and it was time for the taste test.

Dessert

“And then there were fourteen”

Tumi was emotional ahead of the test, but first up was Leandri, who believed she nailed the core flavours, even though she’d never cooked seafood before. She received a nod from the judges for taste and depth. Pete Goffe-Wood praised Tumi for the way in which he approached the elimination challenge “like a man possessed” and the judges were impressed with his creation beyond his expectation. Seline believed she had the taste factor down 50/50 and the judges declared that, while her broth was not rich looking, it was certainly rich tasting.

It was a tough decision for the judges, but in the end it was Tumi, the shy and humble financial analyst, who endeared viewers from the start, who got the chop, leaving the sisters hugging each other with relief and tears.

Next week dishes up the first team challenge. We can’t wait!

After-dinner cheese

“Bring on the stinky feet,” remarked Leandri when she heard the identification challenge was about cheese.

By Priscilla Urquhart

Tune in next Wednesday morning for a run-down of Tuesday's episode, and check out our MasterChef SA page, sponsored by Nederburg, for weekly updates.