{"id":61161,"date":"2014-09-05T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T22:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=61161"},"modified":"2014-09-05T10:03:50","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T08:03:50","slug":"masterchef-sa-season-3-episode-3-proudly-south-african-masterpiece-roxi-wardmans-tart-jets-her-off-to-dublin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/masterchef-sa-season-3-episode-3-proudly-south-african-masterpiece-roxi-wardmans-tart-jets-her-off-to-dublin\/","title":{"rendered":"MasterChef SA Season 3 episode 3: Proudly South African Masterpiece, Roxi Wardman’s tart jets her off to Dublin!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MasterChef<\/a>It was the first episode in the MasterChef SA kitchen at Nederburg in episode 3 last night, and it was much easier to follow the action of the twelve finalists, who had to deal with a Proudly South African Mystery Box. \u00a0Roxi Wardman was the creator of the winning dish, and jetted off to Ireland, while Phila Vilakazi, Ndumiso Mncwabe, and Melissa Sutherland were in the bottom three, their dishes putting them into the Pressure Test next week in episode 4.<\/p>\n

The brief to the twelve finalists was to use any of the ingredients in the Mystery Box, which were only revealed after the first commercial break, keeping the tension high. \u00a0The Mystery Box included South African favourites such as \"Masterchef<\/a>\u00a0Ouma rusks, Pecks Anchovette paste, Oros, spinach, butternut, Colman’s mustard, Lucky Star pilchards, ostrich, Cremora, Illovo golden syrup, Black Cat peanut butter, flour, chocolate, Maltabella, Mrs Balls chutney, Melrose cheese, and more, collectively described as creating ‘nostalgic foods and memories’<\/em>. The use of Nederburg Winemakers Reserve Pinotage was mandatory. \u00a0Chef Pete Goffe-Wood told the finalists that Pinotage is a cultivar unique to South Africa. The time limit to create a ‘South African Masterpiece’ <\/em>was set at 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

As each finalist spoke to the camera, to share what dish would be prepared, we got to know a little more about each contestant. With only one meat type, it was inevitable that most of the dishes were ostrich-based.<\/p>\n

Penny Fitchet<\/strong> told us that she is a teacher in Durban, but has lived in the UK, and must have been used to enjoying South African foods there, being so far away. \u00a0Her father is Mauritian, and this stimulated her love for Asian food. \u00a0Her dream is to open a restaurant. She created a curry dish with pilchards, \u00a0made butternut and spinach fritters, wors, and used the Anchovette paste too. Chef Pete liked the balance of her dish, and that one could taste each of the elements. \u00a0Judge Reuben Robertsons Riffel praised her tempura sardines, saying they could be even better than those prepared by his mother, huge praise indeed!<\/p>\n

\"MasterChef<\/a>Roxi Wardman<\/strong> made a butternut and peanut butter tart with a chocolate Pinotage syrup, \u00a0using her left-hand to stir the ingredients, demonstrating that we can expect great creativity from her. \u00a0Other ingredients that went into her dish were syrup, eggs, chocolate, and peanut butter, as well as Ouma rusks for the crust, a dish she had never made before, she said. \u00a0She works as an assistant train driver, not looking half as glamorous in her job as on the MasterChef SA set, and said that she dreams of having her own bakery one day, dreaming about food while she is at work. \u00a0The way Chef Pete evaluated her dish, with an ad break in-between, made it sound as if it was the absolute pits, saying that there was ‘no chance in hell’<\/em> that it could work with so many ingredients, until he said that it is …’magnificent<\/em>‘ and ‘superb’<\/em>! \u00a0Riffel added that to make a tart work with so many flavours and textures is a ‘skill which does not sit with everyone<\/em>‘.<\/p>\n

Francois Zietsman<\/strong>\u00a0made ostrich fillet covered with a crust made from Ouma rusk crumbs. \u00a0Chef Pete described it as a tasty dish, but found the ostrich to be overcooked.<\/p>\n

Ndumiso Mncwabe<\/strong> said that rusks remind him of his grandmother’s house. He prepared an ostrich stew, served with butternut and mealies. \u00a0He told the camera that he was wondering ‘what I am doing here’<\/em>, telling viewers that he is an entrepreneur, running his own mobile bar service. \u00a0He assured us that he can cook, and that he is very competitive. \u00a0In preparing his dish, he admitted that his timing was off, and felt that he ‘was not inventive enough<\/em>‘. \u00a0Ndumiso had marinated his ostrich with the Pinotage. Chef Benny Masekwameng said it is risky to make a stew with ostrich, as it can dry out, as it makes you ‘chew and chew and chew<\/em>‘! Riffel added that ‘anyone can cook like this<\/em>‘, his dish not being of MasterChef quality nor inventive enough.<\/p>\n

Melissa Sutherland<\/strong> seems doomed to not win MasterChef SA Season 3, not drinking wine, given that one of the prizes is likely to be a Sommelier course and a unique winetasting with Nederburg winemaker Razvan Macici, who temperamentally smashes wine glasses onto the floor when the wine he tastes in the cellar does not meet his standard of excellence, reflecting how passionate he is in making the wines, in the new Nederburg TV commercial<\/strong><\/span><\/a>! \u00a0Mel planned to make a butternut gnocchi with wors. \u00a0Chef Pete tried her sauce, and pulled such a face that one knew that it was dreadful. \u00a0He said it was too sweet, which Mel rectified with anchovy paste (gross!) and stock! \u00a0Her gnocchi was judged to be tough and floury by Riffel, lacking flavour and texture. Chef Benny added that there were too many crumbs (as soil) on the plate.<\/p>\n

Phila Vilakazi<\/strong> wanted to make ostrich fillet basted with mustard. \u00a0His sauce was a red wine and Oros reduction (no matter how dreadful it sounds)! \u00a0He rested his fillet for a short while, making sure to cook it rare. \u00a0Riffel criticised the dish for being overcooked, and that there was no acidity in the sauce.<\/p>\n

Claire Allen<\/strong> also used Ouma rusk crumbs for her ostrich steak, with a spinach B\u00e9chamel sauce, and sweetcorn fritters. \u00a0 Chef Benny liked her sauce and ostrich, but the fritter was too ‘heavy and doughy<\/em>‘. \u00a0She was disappointed with the feedback, saying that she would be ‘embarrassed if I had to go into the Pressure Test’, <\/em>luckily for her being spared it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sipho<\/strong>\u00a0Mdlankomo<\/strong> was described as being proof that she is ‘bigger<\/em> (she is tiny) than just a home cook<\/em>‘ . She made sweetcorn parcels using the corn husks, wrapping them in aluminium foil. \u00a0Her dish was the first to be evaluated by the judges, and she had to admit that she had never eaten ostrich before, not even tasting her dish before presenting it to the judges, which could have counted against her. \u00a0She was asked how she could judge if her dish was good enough, and she said that ‘I trust my instinct<\/em>‘. \u00a0Chef Pete praised the dish, saying it was properly cooked, and that he liked the tomato and corn combination.<\/p>\n

Ian Young<\/strong> also combined sweetcorn and ostrich. \u00a0He was worried about his seasoning when he presented his dish to the judges, having run out of time for this. \u00a0In evaluating his dish, Riffel said that it was too sweet, the ostrich was tough, and the dish too lightly seasoned.<\/p>\n

Abigail Mbalo<\/strong> made pap, but made with butternut and Maltabella, and wors, served with an onion and red wine reduction. Chef Benny praised the dish as being a clever idea, and a ‘true South African taste<\/em>‘.<\/p>\n

Philippa<\/strong>\u00a0Robinson<\/strong> was introduced as liking to ‘cook with people and not for people’<\/em>, and that she wants to improve the lives of others. \u00a0 She\"MasterChef<\/a> made a boerewors pie, using the Pinotage, butter, nutmeg, onions, and cinnamon. \u00a0Chef Benny praised her pastry, being light and crunchy, but the filling was too dry, he said.<\/p>\n

\"MasterChef<\/a>Refilwe<\/strong>\u00a0Tselanyane<\/strong> made her dish of wors and pumpkin as a ‘memory to her mum<\/em>‘, but adding her own creativity. \u00a0She made a B\u00e9chamel sauce, and added flatbreads to her dish. She plated the ingredients inside the butternut half. \u00a0Her sauce was too thick by adding butternut to it too, Chef Benny saying that it had not been necessary.<\/p>\n

The judges were whispering amongst themselves, and again it’s difficult to understand them when they talk so softly. \u00a0They discussed Roxi’s tart as being ambitious in the restricted time available; and that Phila was in trouble time-wise because he had not even opened his bottle of wine. \u00a0After tasting all the dishes, Chef Pete said that it was the best first day in the MasterChef SA kitchen of the three seasons evaluated. \u00a0Roxi, Penny, and Sipho were\"MasterChef<\/a> singled out for their excellent dishes, but it was clear from the praise heaped upon Roxi’s tart that she would win the best dish and would be sent to Dublin immediately from the MasterChef SA kitchen. \u00a0Next week we will see Roxi eat at Michelin star Chef Kevin Thornton’s Thornton restaurant in the Fitzwilliam hotel in Dublin, regarded as Ireland’s best restaurant! \u00a0Roxi had never left the country before, saying that she had never even been to Cape Town before!<\/p>\n

The worst three dishes were those by Ndumiso, Phila, and Mel, and they will be going into the Pressure Test in episode 4. \u00a0There was great excitement when a ‘MasterChef’<\/em> was introduced to the three finalists, in the preview we were shown, meaning that they will have to replicate this chef’s dish! \u00a0Perhaps this could be Deena Naidoo, winner of MasterChef Season 1, or Kamini Pather, winner of Season 2!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Riffel looked very uncomfortable in his blue shirt, baby blue jacket, grey trousers, and grey shoes (cringe). \u00a0Chef Pete looks debonair with his hat and black outfit, while Chef Benny always seems happy in his grey jacket.<\/p>\n

For an overview of MasterChef Season 3\u00a0read here<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0read here too<\/strong>.<\/a>\u00a0For a summary of episode 1 of Season 3 at Bootcamp 1\u00a0read here<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>and of episode 2\u00a0read here.<\/a>\u00a0 For the Twitter handles of the Top 12 finalists, click here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

PLEASE NOTE:<\/strong>\u00a0The weekly\u00a0WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0usually posted on Fridays, will be posted on Saturdays until late December, to allow the write-ups of each of the 18 episodes of MasterChef SA Season 3 to be posted the day after the episode.<\/p>\n

MasterChef SA Season 3<\/strong>, M-Net. \u00a0www.masterchefsa.dstv.co.za<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Twitter: @MasterChef_SA \u00a0Thursdays at 19h30.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:\u00a0www.whalecottage.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Twitter:@WhaleCottage \u00a0Facebook: \u00a0<\/strong>click here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was the first episode in the MasterChef SA kitchen at Nederburg in episode 3 last night, and it was much easier to follow the action of the twelve finalists, who had to deal with a Proudly South African Mystery Box. \u00a0Roxi Wardman was the creator of the winning dish, and jetted off to Ireland, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,587,266,14539,20,21,19],"tags":[27242,15291,32366,27239,14381,27508,15190,3905,27512,27240,27243,6338,19367,27510,27507,32404,27456,25042,651,14380,15468,27379,399,27506,27504,27505,27232,1458,27245,27246,15467,27503,8652,27249,23738,27378,20478,27380,1483,27509,27511,1587,32373],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t