Image: Charlie Sperring
by Jan-Hendrik Botha
The humble ostrich egg marked the start of one frantic day in the MasterChef SA kitchen.
The contestants entered the kitchen, welcomed with tools, clamps and vices. Chef Greg dressed in a lumberjack flannel shirt had some Twitter users feeling sassy.
But when Greg started surgically cracking an ostrich egg, it resembled something out of a horror movie according to Twitter.
It was a tough one to crack as the ostrich egg, which is equivalent to 24 regular chicken eggs, seemed quite metaphorical for this two-hour pressure test.
The theme of the day was an unforgettable five-star bushveld-lodge breakfast experience with one hand wonder canapés on the menu. And for the brief, each contestant had to produce four types of canapés; of which three had to hero ostrich eggs and meat. Each one of the four dishes had to consist of six portions, and therefore 24 portions in total – a challenge as intimidating as an ostrich egg from which 24 delicate masterpieces had to be copiously churned out.
And a big reward was at stake! That's right! Whoever wins would walk away with immunity and head straight to the final week!
From the get-go, our contestants were walking on eggshells. Particularly Tembisa, who decided to take her time with planning as she tried to avoid going into the pantry frantically. She “wasn’t about that life” whereas, at Shawn’s station, things seemed to be quite the opposite.
They say the early bird catches the worm, and that seemed to be the case at Shawn’s station as he was hustling to get his ducks in a row right from the outset – quiet, focused and zoned into what seemed like a scientific experiment at his station. And what he had on his menu sounded absolutely mouthwatering – especially his compressed watermelon with olive oil, pink peppercorn, smoky salt, and yoghurt candy. “Is it gonna work? I don’t know, but I’m gonna give it a go.”
Though she didn’t finish her dish, Tembisa’s koesister inspired sponge with naartjie syrup blew Justine’s socks away. But Tembisa did realise: “You must complete things if you want to go to the final.”
Our boy S’li definitely dressed for the occasion, zebra print and all, and though he decided to approach this challenge patiently, he quickly found himself losing track of time.
After Justine announced that they have thirty minutes left, he realized that he didn’t have enough time to make his bacon jam or his flapjacks. He also rushed to get his quale eggs poached and, adding insult to injury, burnt his marmalade.
At Tarryn’s station, the wheel came off when she realized her ostrich boerewors, pistachio and apricot roll-ups were overcooked. She then made a new batch, but the second batch also seemed a bit dry. Unfortunately, she ran out of time and also didn’t complete her dish.
We absolutely loved the boozy breakfast Andriette was cooking up at her station, incorporating the bushveld in her meal with a South African favourite: Amarula. And though Charmaine’s portions were quite big, the flavour of her ostrich meat impressed the judges.
Though Sims “felt sus” about his dish, he would rather cook instead of winning immunity and be sent to the gantry: according to him, being able to cook each week is the only reason why he is still in the competition. But unfortunately, his Tuks of Niks breakfast in the bush was too chunky and lacked flavour.
Shaun and dr Harri were in the running for immunity: Dr Harri’s canapés, according to our judges, showed creativity, had great flavour and was beautifully presented.
But Shawn’s concepts were clear and concise and, according to Zola, five-star bushveld lodge worthy and breakfast appropriate.
Therefore he walked away with immunity and a guaranteed spot in the final cook-off.
Unfortunately, three contestants were left with eggs on their faces presenting incomplete dishes to the judges.
According to Justine, no matter how beautiful or flavourful or well-executed their dishes were, they didn’t complete the brief – a basic requirement.
Sadly, S’li was sent home, due to his dish not only being incomplete but, according to the judges, a sundowner canapé rather than a breakfast canapé...
...leaving Twitter in tears.
What did this gentle giant have to say after leaving the kitchen? Find out below:
Who would you like to see in the final cook off? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using #MasterChefSA. Remember to watch MasterChef SA every Monday to Thursday at 18:00 on M-Net channel 101. In case you missed the latest episode, catch up with DStv using your connected device.