A unique ‘taste test’ where the top 9 contestants were blindfolded and given a piece of fruit to smell, taste and then select.
Ozzy was the winner here and he got the priviledge of choosing the main ingredient for the next invention test.
Invention test
His choices were figs, peaches and coconut. He went with coconut and the invention test began!
Mostly desserts
Some of the Top 9 decided to stick with desserts. ‘I’m in the mood to bake today’ Seline announced happily. ‘So I’m going to be making coconut sponge cake Lamingtons with lemongrass flavours.’ It wasn’t something she’d ever tried before, ‘but it sounds like a good idea!’ she laughed.
Her sister Leandri tried her hand at a coconut tart with a Thai-style ice cream, but she worried about her ice cream setting in time. ‘I’m so confused and rushed and frazzled,’ she admitted. ‘I’m really frazzled.’
But in the end her plan worked out perfectly. ‘Wow, those flavours come together beautifully!’ Judge Andrew Atkinson exclaimed when he tasted Leandri’s dish. ‘The combination of the lemongrass … that chili … the creaminess of that coconut milk and that coconut tart is just … it made my tastebuds light up!’ Benny was equally impressed. ‘The one thing that for me is a winner today is your ice cream,’ he raved. ‘Smooth … creamy … then you get the kick at the end … Very well done!’
Tiron wins them over
The judges were also blown away by Tiron’s ‘Coconut Rocky Road’ – a chocolate ganache and coconut tart with a coconut-and-lime crème anglaise. ‘This, on the surface, looks like quite a heavy dessert,’ judge Pete Goffe-Wood commented, ‘but the pastry is beautifully light and crisp, the chocolate filling is gorgeous – it’s like a light mousse, and it’s complimented by a beautiful custard,’ he praised. ‘It’s a magnificent dessert.’
He won the opportunity to cook off against a professional chef for a shot at the coveted Immunity Pin, which he can use to avoid any future Elimination Challenge!
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think my energy levels are going to shoot through the roof,” Tiron grinned. “I’m ready. I’m ready now!