16 May 2011

MASTERCHEF'S FINAL LAST NIGHT

Sundays can return to normal. We will get to see proper drama instead of bullying, shouting and tears. And congratulations to the dietitian Nadia, who overcame her profession’s propensity for bland food and cooked her heart out in a cool and calculated way. Such a pity she’s now left the job she was trained to do - that girl could make a difference. My heart goes out to Jax who bubbled over with enthusiasm and passion for food throughout the series. There were four truly memorable personalities in the series; Jax, cuddly judge Simon Gault, villainous Chef Volker, and the rough and ready adorable Cam, who struck a chord with viewers and contestants alike.

I have a few questions about the final; Where did Simon Wright disappear to? He was there, tried the food, but didn’t bother to hang about to give judgement on a two hour session. * What on earth were polystyrene plinths doing on a cooking show? * Who made the buttercream and was Jax’s sabotaged? (My engineer husband said the logic behind the explanation of construction failed miserably with him.) * Larousse Gastronomique tells me Bouillabaisse has parsley and bay leaf, and rock-fish and shellfish so why were the first two omitted and where do we think John Dory come from – the rocks? * How could a gal who’d never cooked pork before know to press the belly like that before crisping up the crackling?

And a big challenge for next season if there is to be one. How about making it a truly New Zealand series and using fresh produce from artisans, farmers markets and local farmers to showcase our country’s amazing wealth and depth of fabulous food? Oh, I know the answer to that one. The Aussie-owned supermarket chain came up with all the dollars.