The Pressure Test that five Red Team MasterChef SA Finalists, who lost the cook out in the Company’s Gardens in Cape Town yesterday, had to go through seemed less stressful and more fun than some of the others the Finalists have been through, in that they could let their creativity shine through.  The winning Blue Team loved their visit to Charly’s Bakery in Cape Town.

The visiting Chef and ‘Bread and Butter’ column food writer for The Times was Andrea Burgener of The Leopard (no website for her restaurant, it appears) in Melville in Johannesburg,  Chef Pete Goffe-Wood calling her the ‘Queen of Creative Cuisine’, well known for her creative cooking, eclectic and playful dishes created by experimentation, and tasty food.  She presented three of her dishes, to give the Finalists an idea of what her restaurant serves, each dish having a twist on something well known, being ‘far removed from their origins’, she said.  So, for example the steak tartare was presented on a Moroccan theme, and there was a ‘Korean spagbol‘,  and a Gazpacho made with raw ginger.  Textures are important, it was said, and Chef Andrea’s flavours ‘jump out‘.    Chef Andrew Atkinson provided the brief for the Pressure Test:  the Finalists had to create a dish of their own creation within 60 minutes, thinking out of the box, to be good enough to feature on Chef Andrea’s menu at The Leopard. ‘Quirky thinking is required’, they were told.  They were given a ‘blank canvas‘ on which to create an artwork.   In walking the floor, visiting the five cooking stations, she commented to the judges that some ‘odd things had been put together’.  Chef Pete reminded the Finalists about the plating, given Chef Andrea’s love of colour.

Khumo Twala made Middle Eastern and Asian inspired savoury flapjacks, with an ostrich cumin filling, and Asian mussels, each with its own dipping sauce.   The judges observed that she had not tasted her cooking, and that she did not make enough.  Her aubergine was raw, and Chef Pete was concerned about it not being cooked. In tasting her dish, Chef Pete was outspoken, saying that she had used raw onion in both her pancakes, and they had not cooked enough, therefore dominating the taste.  Khumo had enjoyed making the dish, saying that it felt like cooking at home. She acknowledged that she had to push herself more, but that she still doubts herself. Chef Andrew’s feedback was harsh, saying that her flavours did not work, and that her dish was ‘uninspired‘.   Chef Benny said that the dip for her Asian pancake was too salty. Khumo said that she could have done better.

Joani Mitchell went through her first Pressure Test, and said she did not have a clue what to make. She decided on a Curried chicken strudel, the curry influence coming from her KwaZulu-Natal home province.  She served sambals with it.  She was worried about timing, but finished just in time, her puff pastry for the strudel puffing out in the last minute. Presenting her dish, she was asked what she wanted to achieve in being on MasterChef SA, and she burst into tears, saying that she would like to live her dream of opening a cooking school, and wants to inspire others. Chef Andrea said that the strudel roll worked well with the sambals. Chef Benny said that she understands flavours.  She was told that she had got the gist of what had been required.

Tiron Eloff appeared confident in what he was preparing, a coriander and feta tortellini served with an Asian style broth, a vegetarian dish reflecting that some of his family members are vegetarians. He had seen some ingredients in the Pantry, which had helped him decide what to make. Chef Andrea was worried about the marriage between the goat’s milk cheese in the tortellini and the broth while he was preparing the dish, but she loved the end result, saying it was good enough to add to her menu.  The judges sang Tiron’s praises, Chef Pete saying it was his best dish in the competition to date, Chef Andrew described it as ‘phenomenal‘,  and recognised that Tiron had put his heart and soul into the dish.  Chef Benny said it is ‘brilliant‘ and that he could see Tiron’s confidence.

Karen Els was overwhelmed by the challenge, she said, uncertain initially about what to prepare, but settled on a ‘Surf and Turf’ and ‘Yin/Yang‘ type of dish, with mussels and smoked mackerel gratin, spice cream, and anchovy and sage fritters.  Chef Andrea worried about the dish having too many components.  She knew that she was taking a risk, but wanted to showcase her abilities, she explained.  Chef Andrew described her dish as a ‘Buffet table‘, as it had so many elements.  Chef Pete said that each component felt like an individual dish, without a common thread.  The feedback she received from the judges would be taken to heart, she said, and she would not make the same mistakes again.  She was told that ‘her imagination had run wild’.

Amanda Beck decided to make an assortment of samoosas, with sweet instead of savoury fillings, being naartjie and dark chocolate, mango and fennel, and coconut and condensed milk, for which she had prepared three dipping sauces.  Chef Benny Masekwameng said the sweet interpretation was a ‘great idea‘.     Chef Andrea said she liked each component of her dish, but it was too complicated, and it was not clear which component was married to which dipping sauce.  Chef Pete found the basil in one of the components ‘odd’, saying that her ‘fusion could lead to confusion’!   Her samoosas did not all have enough filling.  Chef Benny liked her ‘lovely sauces and bright colours’.  She was told in summary that ‘she had stepped out of her shadow‘, and had ‘put her personality on the plate‘.

Jacqui Biess and her daughters Alex and Dani welcomed the Blue Team Finalists Kamini Pather, Jason Steel, Seline and Leandri van der Wat, and Ozzy Osman to Charly’s Bakery, which had been established 23 years ago by her late husband, who had been a confectioner, preparing classical cakes.  When Jacqui and her daughters took over the bakery, they decided to make fun and creative cakes and cupcakes.  The Finalists were shown different styles of decorating the cupcakes and appeared to have a good time, letting their creative sides come to the fore. Each Finalist was told to write on a sheet of paper that they will win MasterChef SA!  The cupcakes that they had decorated at Charly’s Bakery were dropped off by the Finalists at the New Orleans School in Paarl, and the learners could not believe their luck in receiving such fun and colourful treats.

Chef Andrea said that she was amazed at how some Finalists had stretched themselves, better than not taking risks, she said.   Tiron was delighted when she said that she would add his dish to the menu.  Khumo was sent home, saying that she had cooked from the heart while on MasterChef SA, and that she was excited about the next chapter of her journey. Chef Pete said that they haven’t seen the best of her yet.   Next week the Invention Test will see the Finalists cooking against a professional chef.

Yesterday Chef Benny was the MC at the Cape Diners Club Winelist Awards, and it was lovely to see him again, and to catch up with him at the Vineyard Hotel, where the ceremony was held.  He is hopeful that a third season of MasterChef SA will be made, and that a Celebrity series will be produced too, as has been done in other countries.  Chef Benny has a wonderful warm smile, and one can sense his own growth since Season 1 last year.

For an overview of what is lying ahead for the rest of Season 2 read here. For behind the scenes information on the filming of Season 2 in January read here.  For an overview of episode 1 of Season 2 read here. For an overview of episode 2 of Season 2 read here, for episode 3 read here, for episode 4 here, episode 5 here,  episode 6 here,  episode 7,  episode 8, episode 9, and episode 10,  episode 11,  episode 12,  episode 13,  episode 14, and episode 15 read here.  Enter our competitions, to predict the Finalist who will be eliminated in the next Pressure Test, and which Finalist will win MasterChef SA Season 2.

MasterChef SA Season 2. Tuesdays and Wednesdays 19h30 – 20h30.  www.masterchefsa.dstv.co  Twitter: @MasterChef_SA.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage