South Africa’s first MasterChef Deena Naidoo opened his restaurant Araya at MonteCasino last week.

It was a sparkling affair at the newly renamed Aarya restaurant (formerly Mondo Vino) at MonteCasino in Johannesburg.

An array of guests were on hand to witness Deena’s MasterChef journey continue into the unknown territory of managing a restaurant, not that he will be running it entirely on his own. He opted for a partnership agreement and has taken on responsibility for the branding and the menu which is not heavily focused on any specific meal genre.

I wanted to design a menu that would be representative of our country and its diversity,

It includes his trademark Butter Chicken Recipe and a delightful Crème Brulee with a dash of strawberry jam at the base, while it confused some this writer thought it was pretty neat and went back for seconds.

Deena Naidoo chats with Bonang Matheba, MC for the evening

Deena with his daughter Aarya after whom the restaurant is named, Kathy Naidoo and Tsogo Sun Hotels MD Graham Wood

The restaurant is named after his daughter, Aarya and means to “treat a woman with dignity, love and respect” which is something we came to understand about Deena all through his time on the TV show,

The name captures how I treat and present my passion for food. It is my philosophy

The restaurant itself has not gone through any refurbishment, it is mainly the branding and the menu that has changed.

Chef Benny was around as was Andrew Atkinson but no sign of Pete Goffe-Wood

Deena still has his job down in Durban so will not be present full time, this is only a two year partnership so it would be difficult to uproot ones entire family for a two year sojourn with a Johannesburg restaurant with no guarantee as to what will happen afterwards.

Rather unexpectedly none of Deena’s fellow MasterChef contestants were around to celebrate his restaurant opening with him?

What do you think of the MasterChef prize, or is Sue-Ann Allen the real winner?

Deena Naidoo opens Aarya, his MasterChef SA Grand Prize first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

This Prawn Curry Recipe is one of those that saw Deena Naidoo sweep through the early rounds of MasterChef SA.

Deena Naidoo very quickly built his reputation on MasterChef around his curry recipes. This was to be expected though as the man is Indian and most importantly hails from Durban.

You may want to increase some of the spice quantities slightly if you like your curry hot. We have tempered the quantities a bit.You can always add a little more curry powder or garam masala near the end of the process when you add the potatoes.

Deena recommends serving this Prawn Curry Recipe with Jeera Rice which is a common way of eating rice in India. It is rice flavoured with cumin seeds and onions, Jeera is the Hindi word for “cumin seeds”.

Deena Naidoo’s Prawn Curry Recipe with Jeera Rice first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

The Good Food and Wine Show kicks off in Durban on the Thursday 23rd August through to Sunday 26th

Everything you need to rule the kitchen… in Durban!

From 23 to 26 August 2012 at the Durban Exhibition Centre, it is time for foodies to indulge in the city’s most scintillating food show. With international celebrity chefs on the line up, hands-on workshops, artisan craftsman in action, cooking fun for the kids and the best of Durban’s food and drinks scene to enjoy, the Durban Good Food & Wine Show is not to be missed.

Showcasing their culinary mettle will be stars from MasterChef both locally abroad. We welcome MasterChef Australia Judge George Calombaris; and, excitingly, visitors get a chance to meet the judges and Deena Naidoo,  winner of first-ever MasterChef SA.

Guests will also be able to mingle with and master the skills of the legendary Italian celebrity chef and cookbook author Antonio Carluccio and the Indian super chef Cyrus Todiwala, who was awarded an OBE from the Queen of England for his contribution to Indian cuisine in Great Britain.

“We are thrilled to have such a diverse and dynamic group of chefs at this year’s Good Food & Wine Show in Durban. Visitors can watch their favourite chefs create signature dishes at the Chefs in Action Theatre and I encourage everyone to book early to get a chance to get interactive cooking experience with the chefs at the Get fresh with DStv,” says Christine Cashmore, director and founder of the Good Food & Wine Show.

Celebrating all things Durban, visitors can sample classic dishes with a twist like crayfish bunny chow and chez inyama at the Flavours of Durban section and indulge in delectable dishes from Durban’s top restaurants at Flavours of the City.

For delicious cured meat, pungent goat’s cheese or the finest raw chocolate, the Artisan Food Market is the place for fine SA gourmet products. Not just your average market, the artisans are in action creating perfectly chewy sour dough bread or subtly spicy sausage.

MasterChef SA Winner Deena Naidoo will be showing of his talents at the Durban leg of the Good Food and Wine Show

Brand new to this year’s event is Spekko Foods From Around the World, an interactive area of global cuisine led by celebrity chef, restaurateur and loved television personality Reza Mahammad. Chefs will prepare a themed menu and a leading interior decorator will show guests how to set the table to complement the theme.

“Whether you want to create a special wedding anniversary meal, or host a Thai-inspired dinner party, the Dining in with Spekko Rice area of the show is the perfect place to learn not only what menu to prepare, but how to style your table to perfection too,” says Reza Mahammad.

After the popularity of the Lindt ChocolateTheatre last year, the theatre has now doubled in size! A firm favourite for its delectable demonstrations and generous giveaways, cooking with Lindt chocolate is on the menu too.

And let’s not forget the drinks! There are fabulous tipples to try and cocktails to master. Visitors can taste the world’s finest brandies paired with canapés at Fine Brandies by Design, and enjoy fine wine, beers and whiskies for sampling and purchase too.

If cocktails are the drink of choice, then visitors are invited to make a stop at the Interactive Cocktail Area to mix cocktails alongside leading bartenders or take part in the fabulous Amarula Cocktail Experience, where guests can discover the mixability of South Africa’s favourite marula taste at the eco-friendly luxury Amarula Cocktail Lounge.

The Good Food & Wine Show is SA’s most family-orientated show and in Durban this is no exception. The Cooking  for Kidz  provides entertainment and fun cooking classes for children in a safe environment. With a guest appearance from famous children’s TV presenter Sid Sloane, children will have a lot of fun (while learning too) as their parents relax and enjoy the show.

We all know that good eating is linked to good health, and as such, the Good for You Theatre has been created for visitors to learn more about preventing lifestyle diseases. Small diet changes can  make all the difference; this is a great chance to learn more from the experts.

The perfect gift for a foodie friend or a great way to remember the show by, visitors can purchase exquisite cookbooks at the Good Food & Wine Show Book Stand. Located adjacent to the Chefs in Action Theatre, look out for hot-off-the-press recipe books that are newly launched at the show, and make sure to get books signed by celebrity authors before leaving.

An interactive event with something for everyone!

Note: The Good Food & Wine Show takes place at the Durban Exhibition Centre in Durban from May 23-26. Tickets are available through Computicket. For more information go to www.goodfoodandwineshow.co.za

Reproduced – Good Food and Wine Show Release

Deena Naidoo on the bill at the Durban Good Food & Wine Show first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo plated up in the first episode of Master Chef SA with a Butter Chicken in a Cashew and Almond Sauce with a Garlic and Herb Naan Recipe

Okay I am not going to beat about the curry bush with this one. Butter Chicken is one of the finest dishes around and there is not a man among us who would disagree. When it comes to nourishing comfort food that is quick and easy to make the Butter Chicken stands head and shoulders above most other meals. Murray might contest that with a Lancashire Hotpot but he has English heritage so I’ll give him that.

The art of a good Butter Chicken recipe is in it’s simplicity and the temperate use of spices. This comes naturally to Deena as this is a dish that forms part of his culinary heritage.

We’d definitely recommend you give this a go, if you have the misfortune of never tasting a Butter Chicken recipe before, this is your opportunity.

Butter Chicken Recipe from MasterChef SA’s Deena Naidoo first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

In a closely contested final Deena Naidoo walks away with the title of MasterChef SA.

It has been a long and arduous journey for Deena Naidoo but he has persevered and triumphed to become the first MasterChef SA winner and walk away not only with the big prize but a place in South African culinary folklore too.

Scroll down for video

Deena Naidoo dropped to his knees when he heard the news that he was South Africa’s first MasterChef

After three fiercly fought rounds that involved a Mystery Box, an Invention Test and a Pressure Test in which they had to re-create a magnificent de constructed Milk Tart, Deena Naidoo came out on top after winning two of the three rounds.

The man from Durban has had many highs, lows and narrow escapes on the show but has never failed to entertain.

He was the nations favourite, coming out top in the GGS MasterChef SA Poll and it would appear that when it comes to culinary matters South Africans know what they are talking about.

Deena Naidoo’s MasterChef SA Journey

Deena was a very emotional and humble man saying “There are moments in life that are undescribable, moments that you don’t have words for but feel it in your heart”.

“This is one of those moments.”

“I am South Africa’s first MasterChef!”.

He had some kind words for Sue-Ann Allen too, “You are an amazing person, I could not have picked a better person to find myself in the finals with out of the 9 000 contestants”.

“If you had won today I would have celebrated it as much as much as I celebrate my win because I know how much you wanted it, maybe more than I did”.

Deena Naidoo thanks Pete Goffe-Wood for all his honesty during the course of MasterChef SA

As the MasterChef SA Winner, Deena Naidoo walks away with a prize worth in excess of R8 million, the biggest reality prize in South African television history.

The prizes include:

R250 000 in cash from MasterChef South Africa’s headline sponsor, Robertsons.

A Hyundai Elantra 1.6 GLS, valued at over R190 000.

An all-expenses paid 7 day culinary experience in Italy courtesy of official food sponsor, Woolworths, including flights, accommodation and an Italian cookery course.

From the official wine sponsor, Nederburg: A customised sommelier course developed for the winner by the South African Sommelier Association, using Nederburg wines to demonstrate wine and food pairing; one-on-one masterclasses presented by Nederburg’s award-winning cellarmaster, Razvan Macici; and a year’s supply of Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Wines.

And in a coup for the series, (although it is yet to be seen if the Deena will want it) the MondoVino restaurant at Southern Sun’s Montecasino!

Next up is the much anticipated Ultimate Braai Master which if MasterChef SA is anything to go by will be a massive success.

Gourmet Guys will be there every step of the way.

Deena Naidoo makes history as South Africa’s first MasterChef SA Winner! first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo offered up a Coriander crusted lamb loin with onion and spinach bhaji and roasted potatoes in the Invention Test

Deena Naidoo’ lamb was cooked perfectly according to Andrew Atkinson, Pete Goff=Wood and Benny Masekwameng.

Each has their concerns, Benny would have liked crispier potatoes and Andrew could not handle the citrus glaze.

Watch Deena talk about his recipe.

Despite the citrus glaze, Deena’s lamb is a winner first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

In the mystery box challenge Deena Naidoo prepared a mixed bag of veg.

Idle hands make for silly decisions, or something like that and Deena with too much time on his hands spoils an other wise perfect dish with radish.

He did not really have a plan and made it all up as he went along.

His main objective was to use as many of the Mystery Box ingredients as he could.

Watch Deena chat about his recipe

Deena Naidoo’s MasterChef Mystery Box Oven Roasted Vegetables with Parsnip Purée Recipe first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo is leading the poll to take the title of South Africa’s first MasterChef.

The man from Durban just keeps on getting stronger and stronger in the competition and is quickly becoming the viewers choice to walk away with the title.

Deena has had some close encounters with elimination along the way but seems to perform to his best ability when his back is against the wall and his confidence drops.

He has won the last two episodes, with his Fondant in episode seventeen and Chicken Ballotine in episode sixteen in which Michel Roux Jr liked the combination of pistachio, truffle and artichoke.

But Deena does have an achilles heel, he is terrible at Taste Tests, having bombed out on two occasions, embarrassing himself on the first one where the contestants were identifying ingredients in a Beef Rendang and Deena was adamant that curry’s are prepared with ghee only to discover to his horror that the Rendang is prepared with peanut oil.

As long as there are no taste tests in the run in to the final he should be fine.

Watch the Deena Naidoo | MasterChef SA | Video Profile / Manisha Naidu | MasterChef SA | Video Profile / Sue-Ann Allen | MasterChef SA | Video Profile

Deena Naidoo favourite to win MasterChef SA first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo hits the sweet spot with a Chocolate fondant with with Amarula crème anglaise and caramelised pears.

Deena showed his street smart savvy with this dessert challenge as he set about preparing a dish that he knew would walk away with the episode.

Everybody loves chocolate and despite not having any chocolate solids to help him create his dish he did have the bell, which he had won in the previous round.

This enabled him to call upon a judge for assistance and Andre Atkinson helped him out with a way to use the chocolate powder and power his way to victory.

Deena Naidoo wins another episode of MasterChef SA and powers on. first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Sarel Loots bids farewell to the MasterChef SA kitchen.

It has been a good run for the man from Sabie as he said his final farewell to the MasterChef SA kitchen in episode seventeen of the cooking competition.

He has no doubt achieved more than he ever dreamed possible and his consistency in the kitchen allowed him to reach the Top 4 in the series.

In this weeks instalment the contestants finally got the chance to show off their talents with a Mystery Box and had to come up with a dessert that would impress not the judges but their wives, husband and mother.

It was a nice twist to the series which ensured much emotion from the final four as they saw their loved ones for the first time since beginning their adventure.

Sarel prepared an Amarula spunge cupcake.which went down well with his wife, Lieze and Manisha’s husband Thoneshan, who said it had a delicate balance between the soft sponge, the crunchy bits and spun sugar. Sue-Ann Allens mother, Gail thought it was good, because it wasn’t “sickly sweet”.

It was not good enough though to avoid a pressure test as Deena Naidoo stormed to the top of the class again with a chocolate fondant with crème anglaise and grilled pear that got the thumbs up from three of the family judges.

It was up to Pete Goffe-Wood, Andrew Atkinson and Benny Masekwameng to decide who the bottom two were that would be facing an elimination challenge and it was Sarel and Sue-Ann, pear tart with Chantilly cream and Amarula reduction, who lost that decision with Manisha Naidu making it through to the final three with her poached pear with Amarula custard and puff pastry biscuit.

For the elimination challenge the pair had to reproduce a Peter Templehoff creation, a  Roast duck with hazelnut milk gel, confit duck pastilla and honey roasted figs.

Peter Templehoff is the executive chef at The Greenhouse in Cape Town, rated the top restaurant in South Africa for 2011.

It was a very technical challenge with lots of fiddly bits, in particular the duck spring roll wrapped in potato strings and the hazelnut gel.

It proved to be a challenge too far for Sarel as his omitted a key ingredient, the hazelnut milk gel  and that pretty much was his downfall.

Sarel Loots prepares his final dish on MasterChef SA first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo is the only one to present a proper Ballotine on the day.

Deena Naidoo once again displayed immense character when under incredible pressure, than walked away with the prize, an advice bell that he can use to call upon the judges to help him out in the next round of MasterChef SA.

Deena was in complete and utter awe of Michel Roux Jr, whose presence brought all of the contestants to tears, shocked to hear that they would be learning from and cooking for the famous and well respected chef.

He applied himself diligently to the task at hand and prepared a dish that was roundly applauded by all of the judges.

Michel Roux Jr liked the combination of pistachio, truffle and artichoke.

For the full recipe go to MasterChef SA Recipes | Deena: Chicken Ballotine Stuffed with Pork Mince and Pistachio Nuts

Deena Naidoo chats about his winning Ballotine. first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Episode Sixteen saw the contestants prepare a Chicken Ballotine to accompany a Michel Roux Jr classic.

While Deena Naidoo was the only one to be praised by Michel Roux Jr for preparing a proper Ballotine recipe, it was Lungile who fell short and Manisha survived to fight another day.

Manisha offered up this Ballotine wrapped in parma ham stuffed with shallots, mushrooms and herbs recipe

Manisha Naidu does not win but makes it through the Michel Roux Jr challenge first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo successfully avoided a MasterChef SA elimintaion challenge with his Boerewors on polenta with chakalaka and onion marmalade recipe.

After a harrowing episode thriteen in Zanzibar where he faced off against Thys Hattingh in an elimination challenge he was a very happy ma at not having to endure another pressure test back in the MasterChef SA kitchen.

For the full recipe go to MasterChef SA Recipes Deena: Boerewors on Polenta with Chakalaka and Onion Marmalade

Deena Naidoo chats about his MasterChef SA Borerwors Recipe first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

A pregnant Khaya Silingile crushes the MasterChef SA opposition with her cranking skills

The MasterChef SA contestants got to test their culinary talents on the spice island of Zanzibar in episode thirteen of the competition.

The challenge was to prepare 50 servings of Zanzibari cuisine and set up their stall at the famous Forodhani Gardens night market, where they would be selling their creations to the locals and tourists alike.

Whichever team sold the most food would win, it was as simple as that, “The Apprentice” meets “MasterChef”.

As the contestants drew coloured nails to form the teams it was looking like it would be the men against the women except that their is one extra woman in the competition and it was Sue-Ann Allen who ended up with the guys.

The teams then headed off into the market to begin planning and their menus and to buy the ingredients.

Red Team: Khaya Silingile, Manisha Naidu. Lungile Nhlanhla, Ilse Fourie

Blue Team: Sarel Loots, Deena Naidoo, Thys Hattingh, Sue-Ann Allen

A pregnant Khaya Silingile gets to work on the sugar cane juice machine during episode thirteen of MasterChef SA

They all looked very conspicuous as they wondered around the busy market in their red and blue aprons with camera’s following them everywhere.

When they entered the fish market Khaya looked as though she was taking a turn for he worse as the smell of all the fish began to make her tummy turn.

It had good reason to as Khaya proudly announced that she was pregnant. That must have given the producers a little scare and yes, for those of you have been searching for the answer on Google, Khaya is married.

Having a bun in the oven was not going to slow Khaya down though as the teams managed their tables in the night market with the ladies Red Team getting one over on the men’s (plus Sue-Ann) Blue Team by offering their customers sugar cane juice on the menu.

Khaya got to work on the juice pressing machine, which looked as though it was a relic from the industrial revolution, and cranked that baby up with such vigour leaving the blue team red faced for not having any juice on their menu.

Deena got to work to try and rectify the problem but it was too little too late as the ladies crushed the Blue Team by  218 000 Shillings to 75 000.

Bun in the oven for Khaya Silingile as she cranks it up on MasterChef SA first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

The Swahili welcome “Jambo” greeted us… because MasterChef moved to the spice island of Zanzibar this week.

Located in the Indian Ocean, this island has an opulent food heritage. It seemed natural for us to explore it, no? The contestants were divided into the Red Team (Ilse, Lungi, Manisha and Khaya) and the Blue Team (Sarel, Deena, Thys and Sue-Ann).

Their challenge?

They had to prepare 50 servings of Zanzibari cuisine to impress the locals and tourists. They also had to source the ingredients, prepare it and serve it to visitors at the famous Forodhani Gardens night market.

Whichever team sold the most food would win! Two people would go into a Pressure Test. To get a little taste of what they would be doing, contestants met Fisherman George. He sells about 150 meals at the market every night! Contestants were awed with the choice of seafood, vegetables, fruit and bread he had on offer. Armed with a map of Stone Town and 300 000 Tanzanian Shillings, contestant hit the fresh produce market. While shopping in the fish market, Khaya felt queasy and revealed she is pregnant! “The secret is out! I knew at some point it was going to happen. I was going to be queasy over something!” Congratulations!

The Red Team returned to the Old Fort first and started cooking. The Blue Team decided to make tuna, beef and chicken skewers, chicken tikka schwarmas, an assortment of tropical fruit and corn fritters while the Red Team opted for chicken, fish and squid – which they served on skewers, in wraps or schwarmas, with coleslaw and flat breads. They also had to cook their food at the Forodhani Gardens night market and sell as much as they could before it closed at 10pm. Khaya showed off her superwoman powers on the sugar cane presser, extracting juice, which proved to be really popular. The next day, the Judges revealed the Red Team won with a profit of 218 000 shillings, while the Blue Team made 74 850 shillings.

Members of the Blue Team went into a Spice Identification Test – the first two who identified a spice incorrectly had to go into the Pressure Test. The trick is that the spices were not roasted or ground, but in their raw form! Deena and Thys both incorrectly identified cloves – they picked cardamom instead.

Into the Pressure Test they went. Deena and Thys were introduced to the head chef of Essque Zalu, Jussi Husa. His dish was covered with a glass dome filled with smoke. When he lifted the dome he revealed a cured and lightly smoked swordfish belly with a fresh palm heart and green papaya salad, served with squid ink aoli and crispy seaweed. Thys and Deena had 70 minutes to recreate it.

On Thys’ dish, the Judges said the aoli was just right and the seaweed was crispy. The swordfish was beautifully cured but was completely overcooked. Pete was not at all impressed with the cutting of the salad and said: “It looks like it was done by Edward Scissorhands!”

After tasting Deena’s dish, the Judges were pleased with his perfectly cut salad and the lovely opaque colour of the cold-smoked swordfish belly, but the smoke overpowered the flavours. Pete said: “To me, it tasted just like a mouth full of smoke.” This time, the Judges decided Thys had to leave the MasterChef competition.

M-Net MasterChef SA Release

MasterChef SA Episode Thirteen Wrap first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo proved to the world once again that he is not very good at tests, particularly when it comes to spices.

When the losing team from the market challenge the night before were told that they were identifying spices, Deena Naidoo must have let out a little ‘whoop whoop’ to himself as he went on to share with us the fact that he was going to cruise through this challenge, saying “I am so confident because I know my spices”.

We have however come to expect Deena to crash and burn when his confidence is high and then rip the competition a new one when his confidence is low.

True to form Deena crashed and then later burned when he opened up his spice box only to discover that the spices were not ground, the way that Deena knew them but as they are in nature before the mills get hold of them.

The first spice was vanilla which Deena successfully navigated along with the second, turmeric.

They were not too difficult though, ginger is yellow and turmeric is orange (its just the spelling of the word that gets most people confused)

Then came cloves and Deena was all at sea, he had never seen them in their natural form and both he and Thys took a long time to make their choices.

MasterChef SA Judge Pete Goffe-Wood had to hurry them along into making a decision, one that they both got wrong.

Sarel Loots and Sue-Ann Allen both got it right and Deena and Thys were heading into an elimination pressure test.

Someone was going home.

Deena Naidoo not looking too confident as the elimination pressure test dish is revealed on MasterChef SA

The pressure challenge was to recreate a Lightly Smoked Swordfish Belly with Palm Heart and Papaya Salad, Crispy Seaweed and Squid Ink Aioli.

They each had 70 minutes in which to recreate and the loser would not be going back to the MasterChef SA kitchen.

As we are learning every week with Deena he is constantly having to face challenges with techniques and processes that he is discovering for the first time and as a result his confidence levels drop and he has to be extra diligent if he is to make it through the tests.

He said, “Basically my main obstacle was curing and smoking the fish, two exercises that I have very little experience with”.

He did “realise that that was going to be my greatest challenge that would deserve my greatest attention”.

But Deena was not diligent enough and he lost track of time, over-smoking his fish which left him perilously close to going out of the competition. This despite Chef Jussi Husa, the creator of the dish,  being very specific about not smoking the fish for too long.

Pete Goffe-Wood was very critical saying that all he got was “a mouthful of smoke”.

Andrew Atkinson saw it differently saying that the sword fish was smoked as it was supposed to and that  the salad was cut perfectly.

Benny Masekwameng said that he did “a great job”.

It was Thys who did not do enough though and found himself saying goodbye to the MasterChef kitchen while Deena can look forward to another opportunity to embarrass himself on television next week.

[widgets_on_pages id="MasterChef"]

MasterChef SA’s Deena Naidoo crashes and then burns on the Spice Test first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Sue-Allen on the wrong end of a crushing defeat in the Forodhani Food Market Challenge. but avoids elimination test.

After being crushed by the Red Team in the Forodhani Food Market Challenge Sue-Ann Allen faced up against her fellow team members in a spice identification challenge.

We all knew that Deena Naidoo would be one of those to face the elimination challenge, he is useless at those tests.

Sue-Ann stayed in the contest long enough to see Thys Hattingh join Deena though and survived to cook another day.

Here she talks about her Tandoori beef skewers.that she prepared for the team challenge.

Sue-Ann Allen on the losing team but avoids elimination challenge first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

A confident Thys Hattingh only ends looking like a bit of an idiot on MasterChef SA

If anyone was going to win the Passion Hazelnut Gateau challenge it had to be Thys Hattingh and he knew it too. Desserts are his game and there was no doubt in his mind that the competition, Jade de Waal and Deena Naidoo were no match for his mercurial dessert talents.

He had a swagger about him telling everybody who would care to listen how well he was going to do.

“This is what I love doing, so I’m very happy right now”

“I’m very comfortable when it comes to sweet stuff and  baking so its not out of my comfort zone”.

Thys Hattingh in his comfort zone with a chocolate mousse… well sort of.

The judges kept doing their rounds, checking up on the three contestants cooking for survival in the MasterChef kitchen.

When they came to Thys he said, ‘I have done the biscuit base, I’ve done the little panna cotta and the chocolate glacé, now I’ll do the meringue and then I’ll be starting with the mousse”.

And that is where it all began to go wrong as Thys stepped into the “mousse trap” and beat his mousse with a blender whacking all the air out of it.

The confidence turned to panic as he set about making a new batch of mousse only to make the same mistake again and beat it in the blender rather than folding it together.

Judge Pete Goffe-Wood put it best when he said, “The definition of madness is making the same mistake twice and expecting a different outcome”.

[widgets_on_pages id="MasterChef"]

Thys Hattingh gets caught in the mousse trap on MasterChef SA first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Deena Naidoo felt that that the world had turned against him in episode twelve of MasterChef SA

Deena Naidoo had found himself facing an elimination challenge thanks to his lack of wine knowledge in episode eleven of the competition. This time he was facing another task about which he knew very little, baking.

The task was to reproduce a Passion Hazelnut Gateau prepared by the Cape Grace’s Lorraine Meaney.

He spoke simply of the task saying, “Baking is my biggest fear”

An extremely nervous Deena Naidoo waiting to hear the news.

He struggled all the way through the challenge with none of the judges believing that he was going to make it and neither did Deena who kept saying to himself, “”I’m not going to be able to do this”.

Pete Goffe-Wood said on a couple of occasions that he was falling behind the others.

To make matters worse for Deena the others he was up against, Thys Hattingh and Jade de Waal were in his opinion the two best bakers in the competition.

But it was those same two  “best bakers” who would blow it and allow Deena back into the race, Thys with no mousse and Jade with a flop and undercooked meringue.

All credit must go to Deena who persevered despite appearing at times to  lose faith in his own ability to succeed in this challenge.

He eventually produced a gateau that would have taken on anything that Jade or Thys could have presented with Benny Masekwameng saying “for a guy that was terrified of baking and making cakes, today you pulled off an amazing gateau and you’re safe,”

What began as a kitchen nightmare turned into a cake walk.

Deena Naidoo’s winning Passion Hazelnut Gateau. The term gateau is French for cake and is most commonly used for rather lavish highly decorated cakes

[widgets_on_pages id="MasterChef"]

MasterChef SA is a cake walk for Deena Naidoo first appeared first on Gourmet Guys

Jade de Waal said goodbye to MasterChef SA after she finally succumbed during her third elimination pressure test in a row.

Things were looking relatively peachy for Jade de Waal for a while as she got to work on her Chocolate Gateau recipe.

Jade must have fancied her chances up against Deena Naidoo who acted as though he had never baked a cake in his life before. While Thys Hattingh would be the one who represented the toughest challenge  with desserts being his strong point

Chef Lorraine Meaney’s Passion and Hazelnut Gateau. Gateau is French for “cake” and the term is commonly used for lavishly designed cakes with lots of trimmings

Pouring over the glaze

Things would take a few twists and turns, as they do on MasterChef with nothing going according to plan for anyone.

Jade got off to a good start and must have been happy to see Thys struggling uncharacteristically with his mousse.

Over her left shoulder however it was Deena who was applying the pressure late in the game as he suddenly streaked ahead of everyone else getting each one of his components spot on along with much soul searching

Jade began to struggle halfway through and as she was transferring her cake to the fridge to set it began to wobble, wobble, wobble and give way.

To compound matters even more her meringue was too thick and as a result it was not cooked properly.

It was looking like a tough decision for the judges and the past few weeks poor performances from Jade must have counted against her as the judges pondered their decision.

Jade de Waal hears the bad news and says goodbye to the MasterChef SA kitchen

She never stopped smiling though and can have no regrets about her MasterChef SA experience.

She said, “What an amazing adventure”.

“I treasured every single moment and this is just the start of this roller-coaster, so many more adventures to come”.

She tweeted shortly after the show, “So blessed to have all the support! #MCSA thank you everyone!! Xx”

Thys Hattingh had fitting words when he said, “the world would be a happier place if everyone was like Jade”.

But the question must be asked, would he have had such nice things to say if he was the one leaving the MasterChef kitchen?

[widgets_on_pages id="MasterChef"]

Calamity Jade flops for good and waves goodbye to the MasterChef SA kitchen first appeared first on Gourmet Guys