[Submitted via press release]
After returning from Zanzibar, the Top 7 contestants tackled another South African favourite in the Invention Test: boerewors. But instead of slapping it onto a braai to cook, they needed to put a five star spin on it.
They had two hours to create their own sausage from scratch and to make it a restaurant-quality dish, following on the current worldwide trend in which sausages have become rather fashionable in culinary circles.
At the end of the Invention Test, Manisha and Sarel were awarded the two best dishes of the day. When Andrew tasted Manisha’s dish, he happily proclaimed: “A dish like that blows our taste buds away!” The three people that went into the Pressure Test: Sue-Ann, Khaya and Ilse.
Pete revealed: “Today’s Pressure Test will test perseverance to its absolute limit.” The dish they had to prepare was slow-roasted shoulder of lamb, terrine made from lamb shanks, vegetables, maxim potato and a red wine jus. Benny said it would take 12 hours to complete.
Khaya started to laugh, somewhat hysterically, and Sue-Ann thought it was a ‘sick joke’ at first. When Ilse realised it was really what they would have to do, she said: “So we are really doing this! Oh my word, this is so insane! We have to do this through the night!”
Sue-Ann and Isle had difficulty in de-boning a lamb shoulder, but Khaya seemed to know her way around it. They quickly realised that 12 hours may not be enough time. Halfway through, the ladies took a break and Khaya decided to take short nap. They all managed to plate their dishes in the nick of time, though.
After tasting everything, Benny told them: “I would proudly put those dishes on the menu in my restaurant. The quality and standard were set very high.”
But someone still had to leave the kitchen, and this time it was Ilse. With tears in her eyes, she said goodbye to fellow contestants and Judges. “This experience just opened up a whole new world for me. I am actually looking at food in a different way than what I used to. I am going to tell my grandkids about this experience one day! I’ve always dreamed of having my own cooking show and I don’t think the journey ends here. It’s actually starting!”