MasterChef South Africa bid a sad, tearful farewell tonight to Sanet, who failed to impress the judges in her Elimination Challenge.
Chef Henry challenges:
Sanet, Jason and Tiron had to perfectly replicate a signature dish from one of South Africa’s top chefs: Chef Henry Vigar of La Mouette restaurant in Sea Point, Cape Town.
Chef Henry carefully explained the dish at hand with ingredients like
salt-and-pepper prawns, sweetcorn purée underneath, a fine dice of chorizo and a popcorn with smoked paprika, and some grilled baby corn.
‘I’m just in awe!’ exclaimed Tiron. ‘The colours and the seasonality that he’s put on that plate – it’s beautiful!’
Chef Henry pointed out the pressure points of the dish and that they were expected to prepare 4 identical portions of the dish.
Control and confidence:
Sanet sounded confident, reckoning that, ‘If I can do one, I suppose I can do four, it’s just focusing and getting my head around it.’
Chef Benny announced that they had one hour to complete the task to which Jason repsonded: ‘Maintain composure and I think it’s doable.’
A wrestling match erupts:
Sanet finally started cooking, battling with this complicated recipe. Halfway through the test Sanet was struggling to get her sweetcorn puréed, wrestling with what she called ‘the fancy machine’ – the blender.
‘Obviously I have to get the challenge with the fancy machine in it,’ she complained. By this time her friends up in the gallery were seriously worried about her.
A worried Herman pointed out that “Sanet doesn’t have her oil on. She doesn’t have the hot grill on, she took so long on her corn purée, and she still has to peel her prawns. Half an hour… I don’t think Sanet is going to finish this.’
Sobbing and stress take control:
The series of unfortunate events was in full swing when Sanet forgot about her tamarind dressing and it burned, not having enough ingredients for a second batch, she was close to tears.
With five minutes to go, the nervous Sanet accidentally touched her very hot deep fryer and dropped her bowl of popcorn on the floor. While sympathetic stressed friends looked on helplessly.
Sanet ended on her workbench, sobbing.
Meanwhile wide eyed with delight:
The winner of the Beef Invention Test, Karen, was missing all the drama and happily tucking into her naartjie-and-dark-chocolate homemade ice cream at The Creamery in Cape Town, where she learned from the owner herself, the delicate pixi fairy, Kate Schrire.
On the chopping block:
Back at the MasterChef kitchen it was time for the contestants to learn their fate. Pete reflected to Sanet: ‘but you persevered, you got four plates of fancy-schmancy food out,’ he told her encouragingly.
But one contestant had to go home today and Sanet was understandably emotional when Andrew announced her name.
‘It’s not the end of the journey. You haven’t seen the last of me,’ she sobbed.