By Joseph MosselsonIt was an episode of two halves on MasterChef South Africa, as Khaya took on a celebrity chef and Thys, Deena and Jade battled it out to stay in the competition.
First up, Khaya had celebrity chef Reuben Riffel in her sights, as she attempted to win an immunity pin that would give her a massive advantage in the competition. She and Reuben were both challenged to cook the same dish, which would then be presented to the judges anonymously and receive a score out of 10 from each judge.
The dish chosen for the challenge was Reuben’s seafood fricassee with gnocci and vegetables. Khaya was given a 15-minute head start and she made the time count, receiving ample advice and guidance from Reuben.
After a 15 minute wait that Reuben described as the longest of his life, it was time for him to enter the race. “Like watching a maestro in action” was how Deena described it, but Khaya somehow managed to keep up, aided by plenty of advice from the gallery.
Eventually both dishes were plated and presented to the judges. Benny was impressed with the “perfectly done” fish in plate one, while Andrew was equally enthusiastic about the scallop. Pete thought the sauce could do with more seasoning, but described the gnocci as “beautiful”.
The judges were immediately impressed with plate two. Although Pete preferred the gnocci in Plate One, Benny’s only complaint was that he didn’t have enough.
When it came time to reveal the scores, plate one received seven from Andrew, eight from Benny and eight from Pete, while plate two received eight, nine and nine. It was then revealed that plate one belongs to Khaya and plate two belonged to Reuben, giving the celebrity chef a narrow victory over the amateur.
ext up was an epic elimination challenge. Deena, Jade and Thys were challenged to recreate a passion hazelnut gateaux prepared by master pastry chef Lorraine Meany. Deena was immediately feeling the pressure, having very little knowledge or experience of baking. Jade was her usual high-energy self, while Thys was fairly sure that the cake was in his “department”.
Unfortunately for Thys, went about well as the last time he thought he’d ace a challenge. His mousse failed to set in time, leaving his finished dish a gooey mess on the plate. Jade fared little better; she looked to be on track until her too-hot ganache caused her mousse to melt just before she could apply the finishing touches.
Deena, meanwhile, came close to giving up, but rallied to produce the best gateaux of the day. Thys was saved his skillful execution of the cake’s other elements. This left Jade to become the latest contestant to be eliminated from MasterChef South Africa.
Then, in a shocking twist, Thys was told to pack his bags, along with all the other remaining contestants, who will be heading to Zanzibar for an extra-special episode next week. Don’t miss it!
