Episode 23 MasterChef

It's the MasterChef finals.

And only the best four cooks remain.

Tonight, Giovanna, Saliha,

Steve and Alison embark on their

greatest culinary adventure yet.

We've brought them to beautiful South Africa...

..the melting pot of European ideas and African flavours.

I think, at this stage,

you can't take your eye off the ball for two seconds.

I think we are all really seriously thinking about the final now.

The aim of the game is to keep producing amazing food.

My brain has become like a food thesaurus.

I think you have to throw yourself into it, don't you?

It's just about trying to learn and get stuck in there, yeah.

This is the big one, isn't it?

This is what you want to come here to do.

I'm so excited to see what comes.

South Africa fascinates me.

Our guys are about to learn a huge amount.

-Elephant!

-Amazing.

Oh, look, and there's a zebra coming down from the top,

-can you see it?

-So gorgeous.

-They're just beautiful creatures.

-Oh, there's baby ones as well.

Look at the rhino!

Welcome to South Africa and the absolutely stunning

Aquila Game Reserve.

There is a whole army of people here dedicated to the welfare of

these beautiful, beautiful beasts.

And today, you have the honour of making lunch for those people.

At the heart of this amazing country's cuisine is the braai -

cooking great food over flame, South African style.

We are going to split you into two teams.

Steve and Saliha, you are one team.

Alison and Giovanna, you are the other team.

Today, you guys have got a huge amount of work to do.

Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest you get on with it.

Helping the finalists get to grip with the braai is

celebrated South African chef Reuben Riffel.

Renowned for his fusion of traditional African food

with modern techniques...

Service!

..Reuben has a special love and affinity for the braai.

I'm quite excited, you know.

I always see myself as a bit of an ambassador for braai.

For South Africans, a braai is almost like a religion,

so you have the different cultures in South Africa,

but it's the one thing that we all do.

A proper braai is always done over coals, you know,

so you've got to use the right wood.

The one thing that is challenging is temperature control.

It's not something that you can put on and walk away. You've got

to really be on it and concentrate on what's happening in front of you.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how they rise to the challenge.

So, today I chose a few traditional South African dishes

that you guys are going to be braaing.

We do take it very seriously, so stick to the recipes, please.

OK, go to your stations.

The finalists are making lunch for 40 of the game park's workers.

Each team has to braai

two main courses and a pudding

using traditional South African ingredients and recipes.

-Chakalaka.

-Chakalaka.

Stick bread, vanilla and cinnamon cake.

It's definitely not the kind of stuff we cook back in England.

That looks pretty exciting, to be honest. Yeah.

Along with unfamiliar recipes, the finalists must also master

-controlling the temperature of the braai.

-It's a bit daunting,

with this huge barbecue.

Braai. With a huge braai.

Normally, we braai towards the end of the day,

when it's a bit cooler.

It's very seldom that we braai in this temperature.

So I think that is going to be a massive challenge.

I think that is going to be very tough.

I'm almost feeling sorry for them.

This is, like, a man's job, and I'm, like, a dainty 5ft girl.

-HE LAUGHS

-Right!

-Anyway...

With only three hours before lunch,

Alison gets started on their dessert...

A little salt.

..a light apricot sponge known as a malva pudding,

which must slowly bake in the braai's embers.

I think the trick is not to burn stuff.

And also, I've never barbecued a pudding before,

so that should be fun.

-Listen...

-Yeah.

We did discuss this temperature for the malva, OK?

So if you want to bring it down, just sprinkle water over the coals.

-It should be OK.

-OK.

-So just watch it.

-I'm going to move some of this.

-The coals are fine,

-just for you to control it.

-Yeah. OK.

Giovanna has taken control of the chakalaka -

a traditional African relish which is a mix of onions, peppers,

tomatoes, chillies and curry powder.

I have never made a chakalaka sauce.

I've made ratatouille.

And it is sort of a bit... Sort of curried, ratatouille-ish.

Oh, it smells nice. It's looking OK.

I burnt it a little bit on the bottom,

but it's to the expected when you're cooking on fire.

It's just gone 9am,

and the temperature is already in the mid-30s.

If you see me pass out, you know what it is.

"Steve died making mayonnaise."

HE LAUGHS

One of Steve and Saliha's biggest challenges is to cook the

traditional spiced lamb ribs,

which are steam-roasted for an hour over the hot coals.

Right, slightly smaller ones, this side. Bigger ones, that side, OK?

I'm going to warn you guys now, you are going to get flare-ups.

-There's fat in there.

-But it drips.

Someone is going to have to stand here, get some water going,

sprinkle it onto the coals, just to calm it down.

OK? You don't want to see flames. So control that temperature.

All right.

I love the taste of barbecue, yeah.

I do miss my husband right now.

Alison and Giovanna's meat dishes are boerewors,

a traditional South African farmer's sausage...

..and springbok, South Africa's most popular game meat.

The farm springbok is spiced with black pepper,

sea salt and coriander, then seared on the braai.

Reuben was very adamant that it was a quick seal.

So I'm really trying not to overdo it.

Aquila Safari is a 10,000 hectare conservation park

dedicated to creating a safe habitat for the Big Five - elephants,

lions, leopards, buffalo and rhino.

Conservation and protecting animals

is actually a very big part of our organisation.

God forbid, about two to three rhinos

being killed every single day.

I mean, let's say in five years from now, there will be

no more rhinos left if we don't actually start doing something.

The gamekeepers are on patrol day and night,

keeping an a watchful eye out for poachers.

Guys, an hour and a half is gone, so you are just about halfway.

We need to get the dessert going.

Yeah, well, give me ten seconds.

I'm going to do this and I'm going to get on the dessert now.

It's now over 40 degrees in the sun.

And Saliha is struggling to control the temperature of the braai.

It's really difficult to get right.

Every time you throw ice water at it, it just gets hotter and hotter.

It's like a beast.

It is a beast. I don't like it.

I think Saliha is struggling

a little bit with controlling the temperature.

It's a bit too high, not only for the lamb, but I think also for her.

She is struggling with that heat coming off the braai.

-Saliha, I've got something for you. Come here.

-Oh, thank you.

Come here.

A safari hat, wonderful.

Do you know what? I do feel much better now.

-OK?

-Thank you.

Steve is getting their cinnamon cake pudding on the go,

but he still hasn't begun making their second meat dish.

I think my biggest concern now is the skilpadjies, guys.

You need to speed up. You're going to run out of time.

Skilpadjies are lamb's liver mixed with herbs and spices,

wrapped in bacon.

This heat is just so draining.

It's so difficult, you know.

It's really taking a lot out of us, I'll be honest with you.

Guys, you're running out of time.

I saw a cake that still needs to be cooked.

Let's see that malva, guys.

Baked nicely in there, but, you see,

you didn't control the temperature on the side.

I would do another one if I were you.

Despite the fact Alison and Giovanna burnt their pudding,

they are back at it again.

They believe they've got enough time,

but they're going to have to push really hard.

The problem with Saliha and Steve is Saliha

has been stuck on those lamb ribs.

They have needed virtually minute-by-minute cooking,

which means Steve has had to pick up the rest of the work.

They've still got marinades to finish off, sauces to do,

stick bread to make.

Guys, the gamekeepers are arriving. All right?

That cloud of dust is the trucks. They're here.

Stampede!

Whoa! I mean, you've got about ten minutes to go, are you done?

This is the last bit now.

We've broken the stereotype that girls can't grill.

-Who said girls can't grill?

-Many people say that, Gregg.

Rubbish! I don't believe that for a moment.

It is difficult to conceive how this will ever be bread.

Do you know what, next time I go camping,

I am making bread on a stick.

Douse the fl... Douse it. A bit of water. A bit of water.

Get the lid off.

-Oh...!

-Don't worry, Steve, just be strong. Be strong, man.

HE LAUGHS

We can't wait any more, we've got to put that food onto those trays.

We need the ribs to be cut up.

High-five. Let's high-five.

Well done.

It looks delicious.

Steve and Saliha have braaid spiced lamb ribs with stick bread and

skilpadjies with potato salad.

The skilpadjies, absolutely amazing.

I couldn't even say something while I was eating it.

Very good.

This has got a nice, juicy texture to it.

You can actually taste the juices and the bacon actually around it.

It's brilliant.

Most of us are connoisseurs on skilpadjies. The best.

Yeah. Yeah. The lamb's succulent, and that's all you want, really.

It's right up there. Really good.

No two ways about it - Saliha's lamb was worth the effort.

-That is fantastic.

-Everything is made, really, really well.

I love the fact the bacon is crispy around the outside of

those little bits of liver.

Alison and Giovanna have braaid boerewor sausages

with a side of chakalaka

and bacon-wrapped springbok loin

with a fig sauce and braised corn on the cob.

Chakalaka was wow. It was amazing.

Just the right heat. Not too hot, just right.

So, in Afrikaans, we have a saying that if something was nice, it...

HE SPEAKS AFRIKAANS

So it tastes very nice.

More!

THEY CHUCKLE

That's wonderful. Look how brilliantly well cooked that is.

-Perfectly pink.

-HE SLURPS

I've got to say, I think they've done a sterling job.

With the main served, it's the moment of truth for Alison

and Giovanna's second malva pudding.

-Well, it's not done, is it?

-It's definitely not done.

They're forced to make do with their first attempt.

Cut off the burnt bits, onto your platter,

maybe into little, smaller pieces.

Great! Hey, look at that!

And it smells so good.

-SALIHA:

-Three, two, one.

THUD!

-I heard something.

-Yeah.

That little bit of burnt on there is actually quite nice.

-Cut it open.

-Cool.

Steve and Saliha have made a vanilla and cinnamon cake with

berries and a plum sauce.

That's lovely and delicious.

I did enjoy. The whole time, I am eating, so, yeah!

I would really like to have another piece.

Yeah, if there is more.

HE SIGHS HAPPILY

Alison and Giovanna have made malva pudding with apricot syrup.

I'm amazed.

For first timers, it's something else.

Unfortunately, there's not any more, because if there were,

I would probably go for seconds.

It tastes really good.

I give them 12 out of 10.

-LAUGHTER

-12 out of 10.

-Hi.

-Hi, well done.

-You too.

You did so well.

I'm just so happy that the guys pulled it off.

I'm really so chuffed. The food was just fantastic.

They really rose to the occasion in a big way.

Oh, that was unbelievable.

If there's one way to learn how to cook South African food,

that's the way to do it.

They definitely take their barbecue seriously.

You know, I'm not sure my little courtyard in Woolwich would get one

of those in there, but might have a go on a little disposable one.

Might not be quite the same, though.

I was in front of hot coals for well over two hours.

Back in England, I could be a barbecue champion.

I'm exhausted,

but it was so rewarding and I'm so glad that we've done it.

But, yeah, I'm ready for a shower now.

They've never worked so hard.

Under the hot sun, with that sort of heat on that braai,

and food like this? They should be very, very proud of themselves.

It's day two and the contestants have travelled to Cape Town,

South Africa's second biggest city.

Today, they'll be cooking at a restaurant regarded as the

best in the country...

Service, please. Going, table one.

..and ranked in the world's top 25.

Await two billing here.

The Test Kitchen is the brainchild of British-born Luke Dale Roberts

and is famed for its daring and adventurous menu.

I like to complicate methods.

I'm a complicated person, so I like to keep it complicated.

To bring in little surprise elements on a dish.

Innovation, creativity and originality,

that's what I really concentrate on.

I'm still like a little boy in a candy store

when I'm in the kitchen.

I like the camaraderie,

I like jumping in and helping people plate.

Service time is a great time for me.

As long as everything is organised, I'm a happy person.

Each of the finalists has three hours to learn,

prep and cook one of Luke's signature dishes.

One of the best restaurants in the world.

It's hard to get your head around.

I think it is going to put a lot of pressure on all of us.

Saliha is in charge of Luke's playful starter

of smoked lamb sweetbreads with pine nut salsa,

lime gel and a liver and liquorice jus.

So, first of all, we're going to take the sweetbread.

We are going to cook that for about three to four minutes

until it's nice and golden and crispy on the outside.

To give the sweetbreads a distinctive flavour,

they're individually smoked over coal and liquorice roots.

I wanted to do a sweetbread dish that was quite light and fresh.

I had this period where I was into Middle Eastern flavours.

A nice pine nut and preserved lemon salsa, and then bring the smoke and

the liquorice, and it's kind of an exotic dish.

And then the jus is made by frying off livers and then adding

liquorice powder, demi-glace, and cooking that down.

And that's it.

It's so pretty to look at. It's like a piece of art, basically.

It speaks to me, this dish. I think it was made for me.

Luke has put Steve in charge of his exotic smoked duck with

a cherry roux jus and barbecue meringue.

So what we're going to do first of all is get the duck livers.

We're going to sear these off, kind of medium rare.

For about 30 seconds?

-I would say a minute on each side.

-Right.

At the same time as cooking the liver,

Steve must perfectly sear the duck.

-Slowly render that as if you were cooking a piece of fish.

-Yes.

And fondant potatoes.

They can overcook the liver for the stuffing,

they could burn the duck, they could over-reduce the sauce.

There's a lot of critical points there where they could actually

screw it up if they put their mind to it.

And then, last but not least, this is the salted smoked meringue.

-Wow.

-There you go.

Yeah. Incredible. I like that kind of cooking.

I've tried to do little bits and bobs.

Nothing to that kind of level, but it's really exciting.

I can't wait to have a go at doing this.

Alison will be cooking Luke's signature springbok and cabbage

with an almond bechamel sauce and pine needle oil.

I'm going to season up my springbok. So, into the pan.

It's going to be about a minute and a half on each side.

Springbok is probably the most tender meat

that I've ever cooked with. It's extremely tender.

Whilst that's cooking down,

I'm going to get the liver stuffing ready.

This is where you want to get caramelisation.

OK. Feel that.

-It's firmed up but it's soft in the middle.

-Yeah.

Alison will also have to master the imaginative plating.

I like to bring in little surprise elements on a dish.

The sauce is rich. The bechamel gives it a luxurious finish.

And then the pine needle oil gives it a nice savoury edge.

-That looks unbelievable.

-SHE LAUGHS

You actually made that look so easy. Oh, God. It's beautiful. Gorgeous.

I'm so excited. Yeah, yeah.

Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better dish.

This is totally up my alley. Yeah, I love it.

Giovanna is making Luke's rhubarb and elderflower dessert,

which has seven different elements...

..including a rose and amasi, or fermented milk, ice cream,

coconut meringue, burnt butter puree and Sauvignon blanc snow.

OK, so, first up, you've got to make the snow.

So liquid nitrogen into the bowl. It's all about the drama.

Especially on pastry.

They're all prima donnas and they love the drama.

Dessert is all about summer, really.

I like the deserts to have a zinging, fresh finish.

So it's going to be a lot of prep.

I want her to make everything

and I want to push to have the jelly set on time.

I want to liquid nitrogen the ice cream

so we can get that ready on time as well.

-Nice quenelle.

-Oh, no.

Some little shards of coconut meringue.

That is beautiful. There's quite a lot going on. I love pastry.

I've done quite a lot of pastry through the competition

so I'm excited to learn all these new things.

The restaurant's capacity is 40 covers.

In the two-and-a-half hours before service begins, each of the

contestants will have to fully prep every element of their dish.

Crucial to Saliha's starter is the liquorice and liver jus.

I've just sprinkled liquorice powder on top of the livers.

Who would have thought that, right?

It's stuff that you wouldn't necessarily put together in

your own head but actually it works incredibly well.

Across the kitchen,

Steve's concentrating on making the meringue,

which is then smoked over barbecue coals until smoky and crisp.

Definitely very unusual. It's something I've never had before.

It's smoked savoury meringue. Pretty clever, really.

Alison's focus is on the liver and sherry sauce

for her Springbok main.

All of it in. Shake the pan.

Here we go.

I probably shouldn't have put so much hairspray on this morning,

-but I think I'm OK!

-SHE LAUGHS

Her eclectic dish involves cooking cabbage three ways.

Smoking and then steaming with pine needles,

making a Japanese-influenced cabbage broth,

and deep frying thinly-sliced tempura cabbage.

It's a very delicate operation.

You know when the tweezers are out it's serious.

I'm just conscious that everything's taking me ages

so just doing it and then doing it quickly.

Perfect.

SHE GIGGLES

Just making some snow. This is so fun.

You always think liquid nitrogen's

the most complicated thing you'd ever use

but actually it just freezes it really fast.

Giovanna's complex dessert has six further elements to it including

rhubarb and elderflower jelly and a rose and amasi ice cream.

I'm just quite worried about having all the elements done in time.

There's loads to do. It all has to set.

It all has to be churned and all that sort of stuff

so I'm trying to get it done as quickly as possible.

-You must get these sweetbreads on cooking as quick as we can.

-OK.

You've got an hour and 15 minutes.

They need to be cooked, cooled, peeled, portions.

-You know, you need to move a little bit there.

-All right.

Because there's about seven elements to the dish it means

that there's lots of things to think about all at once.

Two hours in and we're still making the sauce.

It is most definitely a labour of love.

And then the other thing which I've got to do

is chop each pine nut into three. I've got all of those to do.

So, as ever, we're cutting it fine.

On the duck course, Steve's also getting to grips with

the level of detail required to work in one of the world's top kitchens.

It's very precise and quite delicate, actually.

I was cutting potatoes to the exact same size.

So, yeah, there's a lot of precision here

and a lot of refinement as well.

Can you get a wiggle on now, cos you're running a bit tight

-for the old time, yeah?

-OK. No problem.

Next, Steve must precisely crisp the skin of the duck

in boiling hot oil...

Right, guys, here we go.

..without cooking the breast.

You're going to tilt to your left, tilt more to the left, more.

Over to the right.

Obviously, this is extremely, extremely hot and, I'm going to be

quite honest with you, quite nerve-racking, actually.

The consequences of an accident here is pretty...

-bad.

-HE LAUGHS

And out.

Across the kitchen, Giovanna is also up against it.

Her coconut meringue is ready

but she still has to finish

her rose and fermented milk amasi ice cream.

See, this is a "hurry up, hurry up" thing, now.

Get that one properly amalgamated and then we're going to liquid

nitrogen it and let's get it turned into ice cream straightaway.

OK.

There's now just moments until service begins.

There's definitely things here that I've never tasted before.

I mean, liquorice flavoured sweetbread. That fascinates me.

I think we're in for a good lunch.

Saliha's last job is to finish deep frying her aubergine crisps.

Trepidation and excitement for me right now.

Service is obviously fast-paced. Everything is go, go, go.

They're done. They look really good.

Away, eight sweetbreads.

-OK, Saliha, this is you now, it's your time to shine.

-Yes, Chef.

Before plating, the sweetbreads need to be skewered and lightly smoked.

-Make a little bonfire.

-Yeah.

-OK. Some of the smoking chips.

Lid on.

OK, Saliha, that looks good.

Then we're going to go with the leaves,

-the sweetbreads and the sauce, OK?

-Yes, Chef.

Two aubergines per plate.

Lots of nice dots all around.

Best to sauce from a little bit higher.

-When you want to do dots, sauce from up here.

-Yeah.

-Better, Chef?

-Yes, that's fine. Give that a little wipe.

Make sure there's nothing on the side.

Behind. Service, please. Going, table one.

-Good job. You did well.

-Thank you.

SHE LAUGHS

Saliha's dish is smoked lamb sweetbreads with pine nut

salsa, aubergine crisps, lime gel and a liquorice jus.

Mm.

-What's the bitterness? Is that lime?

-Yeah.

That sweetbread is soft as anything, isn't it?

And there's a lovely, bitter sharpness to the whole thing.

This has tasted Saliha and technically she's come through it.

Because that is not easy. That's delicious.

-OK, away eight duck.

-Chef!

Steve's dish requires him to fry his duck breasts

and livers on the grill just before plating.

-They need more colour, eh?

-Little bit more colour?

Little bit more colour on that, yeah.

Make sure you keep your piping bottle a little bit higher

so you're piping down.

-Let's keep everything nice and tight, eh?

-Yes.

Pretty intense but it's just concentrating,

making sure you get everything on the plate right. It's tricky.

It's just very precise, you know?

Steve, is your sauce ready to go?

Is it warm? I think so.

Not too thick, not too thin, eh?

2 minutes. 30 seconds, even.

-Ready?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Almost there, eh?

-Yeah, nearly there.

The end is in sight.

-There you go. Service, please. Well done, mate.

-Thank you.

-Good job.

-Amazing, thank you.

-You get to relax now.

-Yeah!

-Steve's duck.

-Yes.

Steve has cooked smoked duck with pan-seared duck liver,

fondant potatoes, cherry rose jus and barbecued meringue.

Oh, mate!

That is a thing of absolute beauty.

Cherries and smoked meringue, it's fantastic!

This is a lot of work for Steve, a lot of work.

That is a genius in design but it also takes

a very good cook to follow it through.

Take a bow, Steve.

Six springbok now, then we're going on another six springbok after that.

Yes, Chef.

Springbok out, where is it?

Next lot of springbok, I want them cooked a little bit more, please.

Yes, Chef.

While Alison gets her next springbok cooking...

..Giovanna begins meticulously pre-plating the dessert.

There's loads to go on the plate so that's why we're setting now, to

get it all, like, prepped before we can put the perishable stuff on it.

It just takes a long time.

Obviously, these guys are really used to it. They're really fast.

But if I rushed it, I'd make a mess.

-How's that? You see, that's much better.

-Yeah?

You've got it slightly more cooked on the outside,

-that's how I like my springbok.

-Thank you.

-Let's move.

-When it's hot food, we need to move quickly.

-Yes, Chef.

Sauce, bechamel, oil.

To recreate Luke's dish, the jus and bechamel

must be dressed artistically on the plate.

Ah!

-So, we're going to re-plate.

-Yeah.

Very good.

OK, let's go.

Beautiful. Looks like a proper Jackson Pollock there.

-You've got a good touch.

-That was great.

-Yeah.

No major disasters, thank God.

Alison has cooked pan-seared springbok served with

springbok liver stuffing, braised and deep-fried cabbage...

..almond bechamel sauce, red cabbage jus,

and a pine needle oil.

That springbok's cooked beautifully. Lovely and soft.

Love all the different ways of the red cabbage. Lots of work in this.

Alison has nailed this, this is beautifully presented.

She'd have learnt some new tricks today as well.

Desserts, desserts, desserts.

To finish plating, Giovanna must perfectly quenelle the rose

and amasi ice cream for each dish.

I'm really bad at this.

OK, get it smoothed off, get your spoon hot.

No!

-I think this one needs re-plating, eh?

-Yeah.

-Try and make it a little bit plumper.

-Yeah.

The last element is the Sauvignon blanc snow.

-Yeah, let's put a little bit more in each.

-Yeah, OK.

Service!

-You've done an absolutely great job, Giovanna.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you so much for having us. Thank you.

-Cheers.

HE LAUGHS

It's Willy Wonka!

Giovanna has made rhubarb and elderflower jelly,

served with strawberry, rose and amasi ice cream,

coconut meringue, rhubarb and burnt butter puree,

and Sauvignon blanc snow.

Ha!

Giovanna has had to manufacture about nine different elements.

And it's a flavour sensation.

Technically, really, really challenging.

The ice cream was smooth as you like.

The jelly is soft but dissolves in your mouth.

Snow's freeze-drying fruit, it's fantastic!

After five intense hours, service is over.

-Good work.

-I'm a bit sweaty.

-That's all right.

-LUKE:

-I think they did very well, to be honest with you.

They all threw themselves into the challenge.

Every plate went out nice and clean,

and I can walk away feeling happy with what we've served.

It's just amazing, the amount of stuff that you learn is incredible.

It was, like, exactness to the T.

Yeah, I feel completely inspired.

I can't even believe he let us in here. He must be mad.

But it was unbelievable.

To plate food so intricate and so precise as that,

it was an amazing experience.

Yeah, I got to do so many cool things.

This has, like, surpassed all my expectations.

We want our four to learn,

and they have learnt a huge amount here, that's for sure!

That was a brilliant lunch.

I'm hoping they're really inspired because they've got one more

challenge to go in South Africa, and it's massive.

It's the contestants' last chance to impress in South Africa,

and they're travelling into the foothills of the city.

Oh, we're going high. High up. It's really beautiful.

Welcome to the absolutely beautiful Constantia Valley.

This is the oldest wine growing region in the southern hemisphere.

Tonight, here at this beautiful place, is a very special dinner

for leading lights of culture, sport and food.

Guests include the mayor of Cape Town,

and two very talented chefs you've already met.

Tonight, you're cooking for 12 people

and you're cooking your own food.

It's got to reflect not only what you've learnt

through the competition but also needs to incorporate the ingredients

and flavours of Africa.

Do us proud. Do yourselves proud.

Off you go.

Each contestant has created a dish for tonight's four-course dinner.

And they have just three hours to prep.

Giovanna will be responsible for making

a locally-inspired springbok tartare starter.

I really wanted to use it. It's a really lovely meat.

We cooked it on the braai, Alison cooked it in their professional

kitchen, and I'm cooking it today, so we've had it every time.

The loin is really lean,

and it will lend itself really well to tartare, I think.

Traditionally, tartare is served topped with a raw egg yolk.

The egg element of my tartare, I'm trying to do

a little quail's egg yolk put into some miso for a few hours.

They're very small, and very delicate. So they're quite tricky.

The egg yolk and miso mix are water bathed to set and become a gel.

-Mate, you kick off the whole party.

-Yeah!

What I've tried to do with this is take African ingredients, and what

I've seen on a lot of menus here is a lot of influences from Asia.

So, I'm doing a tartare, but I'm doing it with, like,

a wasabi mayonnaise, and I'm doing it with some rice vinegar

pickled onions, some miso in the egg yolk.

I've got all these flavours coming together,

-so it hopefully should be nice.

-So, how are you right now?

-Are you nervous, are you scared? Where are you?

-I'm nervous about

the people I'm cooking for. You really, really want to put up

some really excellent food today.

Saliha's course is centred around a much-loved local ingredient.

I'm making a fish called kingklip,

which is native to the South African shores.

And they've got this big culture of having pickled fish.

So, I'm kind of using that idea and combining it with the fact

that they also grow a lot of corn and love corn here.

She'll be serving the fish with sweetcorn three ways...

# Sweetcorn! #

..a puree, a chutney,

and a charred sweetcorn salsa.

Saliha, what on your dish is going to cause you the most trouble?

Just getting everything done on time,

and making sure the fish is crispy but not overcooked inside

because it's going to be deep-fried, that's going to be the key thing.

Are there Saliha flavour influences in there?

Actually, the South Africans have a very, very strong tradition

of strong curries, and there's a massive Indian influence.

So that plays to my strengths, I think. So I'm looking forward to it.

Steve has devised a main of sous vide lamb rump

served with flavours of chakalaka.

So, what I decided to do was to try and take all the elements of

the chakalaka but try and refine them a little bit,

so instead of stewing everything in the pan,

I've roasted the peppers in the charcoal oven.

A lot of the time, it has a bean element as well,

so instead of running the beans whole through that, I'm going to

do a puree and smoke them with some of the charcoal.

How does South African cuisine, at its heart, differ?

It's food from all over the world.

There's lots of different cultures, but the one consistent thing

I've tasted throughout this whole experience is smoke.

So, what I'm trying to do today is to try and give that

a little bit of South African smoke.

For the first time in the competition, Alison is on pastry.

She's using South African oranges, or "naartjie",

to make a fruit sponge and syrup,

which she's serving with honey ice cream and macadamia rusks.

It's stuff that everyone likes, you know?

It's cake and ice cream, and crumbly biscuits.

You know, it's all the stuff that I like to eat, anyway.

Alison's got a great idea for a cake,

flavoured with oranges and lots and lots of syrup.

A macadamia rusk? Who knows!

I haven't had a rusk since my baby brother was born

and I used to nick his snacks.

I don't know, really, in presentation terms,

how you bring a rusk, a sponge cake, and an ice cream together.

But if anyone can do it, it's Alison.

-45 minutes, guys.

-No problem.

-Right, Giovanna, if you've got 45 minutes...

-Yeah.

-..you need at least 15 minutes to plate, don't you?

-Yes.

-OK?

So you've got half an hour of prep work left.

The pressure is on Giovanna to stay on time with the starter.

But she's having trouble with her miso egg gel.

I'm trying to make, like, a gel, and it won't go solid.

No, because miso's salt, so that salt will break down your egg yolk.

-OK, so...

-But maybe what you ought to do is do your tartare and put

a spoonful in the middle of it as a mixture.

OK, look...

-Thank you.

-There you are.

Instead of flour and breadcrumbs,

Saliha is coating her kingklip in maize before deep frying.

So these have to be done very close to going out, actually.

They should be OK but I just need to power on right now.

On pastry, Alison's also in a race against the clock to get her

honey and amasi ice cream set on time.

Do you need all of that...

for 12 plates? Well, take some out.

If you don't need it all,

it'll set so much faster if there's half of it in there.

Yeah, I'm worried about timing on that one

but there's nothing more I can do at this point.

Tonight's dinner guests are 12 of South Africa's leading

cultural and culinary figures...

Hello.

-Welcome, do help yourself to some, as you see.

-Thank you.

..including the Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, South African

cricket legend Graeme Smith, and three of the country's best chefs.

-How are you, my boy? You all right?

-How you doing?

I think there's a huge amount of pressure today.

A huge amount of pressure on our four.

A dinner of this calibre, the expectations are sky-high.

I'm nervous about tonight.

I'd like to say I'm excited, but I'm not.

Quite right now, I'm on the edge of scared.

Er, the guests have arrived.

They're drinking upstairs, enjoying themselves,

and looking forward to a very exciting night.

What's left to do for your starter, Giovanna?

Pretty much everything is ready. It just needs all assembling.

Let's go, go, go, go, go.

I really like springbok tartare. Also I've never had miso quail egg.

I'm really chuffed that they're using local ingredients, though.

The balance between the wasabi and the springbok,

that the wasabi's not going to overpower it.

It can work, if it's done properly.

What else needs to go on there?

I need to put the kale on, which is easy,

and just a little coriander oil and some coriander flowers.

Beautiful plate, beautiful plate.

Very stylish, very modern, very pretty.

Service!

I'm really happy with it.

I had a bit of a wobble in the middle when I had egg problems,

but you know what? It looked great with the spoon on,

I'm really pleased with it.

Thank you.

Giovanna's cooked springbok tartare with pickled onions,

miso-infused egg yolk, wasabi mayonnaise and crispy kale.

Yeah, it looks pretty.

I would like the tartare to be diced a little bit more uniformly.

I would have liked a little more interesting,

smaller bits just to break down the amount of meat.

I didn't really mind the rough chop of the tartare, I quite liked that.

But if all those other elements were a bit more pronounced,

I think it would have worked even better.

I enjoyed it, it was light.

I feel like I can eat more after this,

and it's good for my diet,

like, you know, I can keep fit with it.

I love that miso with the egg yolk, I think that's great,

and she's seasoned the meat very, very nicely.

But it's an Asian version of a tartare with a springbok.

I'll tell you what, that is brilliantly clever.

Saliha's fish course is next.

Kingklip is absolutely fantastic. Firm, very mild fish.

I think it's going to work very well, especially if they

deep fry it so it'll be crispy and light and fluffy.

Textures of sweetcorn is a nice, open-ended kind of statement,

so I think they've been quite clever cos they're under-promising

and hopefully over-delivering.

Get you, you smart, trendy cook, look at you!

It's a beautiful dish, Saliha.

Hope it tastes nice.

Service!

It was pretty intense, actually, getting it all out,

but I'm really pleased with what I sent.

It's a bit of an eclectic dish but I really hope they like it.

Saliha has cooked maize-coated kingklip

on sweetcorn salsa,

served with sweetcorn puree,

and topped with an apricot and sweetcorn chutney.

It looks very delicious, erm, I would really like to taste it now.

Kingklip is the king of fish - and I can't remember eating

a better piece of kingklip.

I thought that dish was delicious.

It showed personality, it was quite unique,

so I thought it was tremendous.

All in all, I thought it was really, really enjoyable.

Saliha has taken the influence of that sweetcorn on the braai

and incorporated it into this dish.

She's got a really nice crust on that fish,

and she's brought her own Saliha flavourings to it.

That is great!

You happy with the way that's cooked, Steve?

Yeah, it's perfect and pink.

The lamb rump and flavours of Chakalaka. Oh, my gosh!

Never had the combination of it before, but I love meat.

Be interesting to see how the Chakalaka goes with it,

you know, and how they use maybe a different sauce to bring all

those flavours together.

-Looking good, buddy.

-Smokin'!

Happy?

-Checked your plates?

-Yep, service!

Steve has made sous vide lamb rump with smoked bean puree and

flavours of Chakalaka.

I thought the presentation was lovely, I loved the little flowers.

I certainly would like to have the recipe for the smoked bean puree,

I love it!

I love the Chakalaka too, but the meat...

I normally have my meat well done.

This was just a bit too soft for me.

I love pink lamb. I think this might be on the too-pink side.

I think one of the things that needs to happen is that

the fat needs to melt.

But the Chakalaka is fabulous.

Lamb's a bit chewy.

The smoke I think he's got absolutely right,

I love that smokiness.

It's the cooking of that lamb that's my problem.

Finally, it's Alison.

Really large pieces.

Naartjie sponge with a honey ice cream and macadamia rusk,

so it's interesting textures together.

I'm looking forward to how she's going to put it all together.

I don't really understand the addition of the macadamia rusks.

There's like sponge and rusks, two pastries on one dish.

-Ice cream? You happy, Alison?

-Yep.

You've got to get this out quick now before the ice cream melts.

-Three minutes.

-Yep, these are ready. Four to go.

Good job, Alison.

-There we go.

-Lovely.

-Woo!

-Wahey!

GIOVANNA CHEERS AND CLAPS

-Impressed with you guys, you've done really well.

-Amazingly well.

-Good work, team!

-Well done.

-Definitely sweaty hug time!

-Well done.

It was a little bit nerve-racking for me doing a dessert,

but I think it should work.

It's going to be sticky and it's going to be sweet.

Nothing wrong with that, so hopefully it works.

Alison's dessert is naartjie sponge served with honey and amasi

ice cream and macadamia rusks.

The taste of it was delicious,

I loved the crispy topping of the sponge cake,

and I really loved the ice cream because it wasn't very sweet.

The sponge had a really lovely citrus flavour,

I loved that about it.

I don't get the rusk. I just don't get it. I don't get why it's there.

I enjoyed the sponge. My favourite part of that dish was the ice cream.

Love the cake, love the orange,

the ice cream is smooth as you like, but I think it needs more honey.

I don't get the cake and the rusk together,

I would have thought one or the other.

However, the flavours on there are just lovely.

Flavours of childhood almost.

I thought the standard of the food was very good.

You all rose to the challenge and you showed your best, so well done.

It was interesting to see your take on local South African ingredients.

I think you can be really proud of yourselves.

The next time you come back to Cape Town,

I would really like you to come for a holiday now!

Same!

What a day! Fantastic!

They've done MasterChef proud, they've done themselves proud,

and what a way for them to enhance their culinary knowledge.

It's a very special trip, yeah.

I mean, we've had great opportunities to do stuff

that I don't think many people ever get to do.

I think my highlight, interestingly enough,

was probably the three hours of braai...braaing? Braying?

Yeah, that was pretty intense.

I've had the best time. Every single challenge I've absolutely loved.

I'd love to stay! It's cold at home! And it rains!

Having experienced this and having gotten this far

in the competition, I'm, like, super proud of myself,

and there's only a couple more hurdles,

and it would be amazing to be in that final three.

They have proved themselves over and over again.

They're going back from this much better cooks than when they arrived,

and just in time.

Tomorrow night, it's the Chefs' Table.

They won't forget today, will they?

Under the guidance of one of Britain's greatest culinary talents,

Sat Bains.

It tastes fantastic.

And the four finalists battle for a place in the last three.

No-o-o!

That's stunning.