Programme 5
The sweat is pouring over at Chez Dudley as the final gets ever closer and the number of contestants left in the race gets smaller and smaller. With the competition white hot the heat got too much for Eleanor. Having sent her home to Wales last week, the judges are showing no mercy this time as the prize of a lifetime gets ever closer with only a fortnight left in the competition!
Five contestants remain and the first challenge this week will entail creating an aioli, otherwise known as the 'golden butter' of Provence. The winner of this task will be safe for the rest of the programme, whilst the other four will split into pairs for the second challenge. The contestants will have to prove how good their palates are in this task. Things then take a cruel turn when the contestants have to put any sense of camaraderie aside and fight for their individual places in the competition. As a final sting in the tail, a mystery guest also arrives to judge who should leave Chez Dudley.
The Contestants
Sanary Market Challenge
The five were released from the kitchen this morning and off they went to the local market at Sanary. A wonderful market full of fresh vegetables, fruit and local crafts awaited them. The five however had to complete a task at the market and that was to collect produce from a list given to them by Dudley. The produce was to be a part of their challenge back at the school. Everyone succeeded and Anna even had a bargain pair of shoes as well!
The Tapenade & Aioli Challenge
The five had a 'demo' from Renè on how to make the traditional Tapenade and Aioli and they were ready for their challenge to make the tapenade...but not another twist, they were going to have to make aioli instead!
The five bashing and mixing and stinking of garlic and by the end of the task one of them shone - Nesta! Relief for Nesta but panic for Jan, Aldwyn, Anna and Nerys - they are a step closer to home!
The Pairs Challenge
A trip for the four competitors, to Chateau Pibarnon vineyard to meet Eric the owner. The four had a tour of the cellars and tasted the wonderful wines and after the tour - there was, of course, a challenge waiting for them. They had to name the wine and pair it with the fruit; name the cheese and pair it to the animal; and to finish, pair the cheese and wine!!
Nerys and Jan lost the challenge while Anna and Aldwyn won!
Nerys and Jan then had to choose Aldwyn or Anna to join them in the next task to decide which one of them would be going home - unfortunately for Aldwyn, they picked him. Anna was now 'safe'...for a while
The Food and Wine Challenge
3 bottles of wine, and a whole night of tasting to decide which dish to cook. Aldwyn chose the red wine and left the girls to fight it out for the other two bottles. Jan chose the white and Nerys the rosé. After a stressful night of deliberation the 3 had decided which dish they were going to cook with the wine. But once again Dudley had another trick up his sleave - a guest judge would be joining them to decide the fate of the contestants - Bryn Williams!
Bryn chose Aldwyn as the winner and unfortunately it was Nerys' turn to go home to Wales.
The one that went out...
Recipe: Aioli & Tapenade
Ingredients
200g of black olives - pitted50g of capers
50g of anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon of marc de provence/cognac
15cl of olive oil
Tapenade
Tapenade is a classic French combination of olives, capers and anchovies. Tapen is the name for capers in French. These three ingredients have been an integral part of Provencal food and it combines produce from the land and sea.
The main ingredient in Tapenade are olives. It is believed that olives are one of the first foods that date back to the 17th century b.c. Olives came originally from Asia Minor where they expanded across the world. It was believed that Greek gods were born under olive trees and that the goddess Athena gave two gifts to the ancient Greeks - wisdom and olives. The Greeks bought the first olive tree to France in 6000b.c.
Method
In a pestle and mortar, press the olives, capers and anchovy fillets to create a paste. Add the Marc de Provence. Gradually and carefully add the olive oil to the paste in order to create a thick puree. Serve with raw vegetables, bread or toast.
Ingredients
20 cloves of garlic2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of water
½ litre of olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
Aioli
Known as the golden butter of Provence and an example of food that's easy to make. Every native of Provence is sure to say that aioli is a Provencal creation. Usually shared around the table, it is a topic of deep conversation! You must make sure that there is plenty of aioli as the chat can go on for hours!
The recipe uses a pestle and mortar and a hand whisk and traditionally one bulb of garlic is used to 250 - 300ml olive oil. Most of the garlic is grown in Vaucluse where there is over 2,470 acres growing. The main variety grown is the white one because it keeps better and the harvest begins in June.
Method
Grind the garlic, salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar. Whisk the egg yolks and add to the garlic. Carefully and gradually pour the olive oil into the mixture, turning at all times. Add the lemon juice and water and mix well. Add the remainder of the oil, turning the mixture at all times. Leave in a cool place. Serve with raw vegetables and bread.