Masterchef

I like food. I enjoy making it, and I enjoy eating it. But after recently watching a few episodes of MasterChef, and then taking a cooking class because of it, I have come to realise that my knowledge of cooking is rather limited. Even my lovely companion has expressed interest in expanding her knowledge, and so far I have yet to find anyone that can rival her culinary abilities. At the cooking class that we attended, we were to prepare a romantic 3-course meal. We started off with a salad that consisted of baby spinach leaves, some nuts (no idea what kind), oven baked beetroot slices, oven baked pear slices, danish feta and then a rather complicated dressing. Now, my idea of a salad has always been something like a greek salad; lettuce, tomatoes, olives and feta. The idea of replacing the lettuce with baby spinach and then adding beetroot and pears would never have occurred to me! For our main course we made a succulent piece of beef fillet and mash. Now this I can do! Or so I thought. It had to get a peppercorn and chilli crust, with a garlic and Gorgonzola cream sauce. The end result was extremely tasty, but I still would never have thought of doing that. Give me a piece of steak with a BBQ or a standard cheese sauce any day, and I am happy! I just don't understand this more advanced cooking. Most of the time while watching MasterChef I look very similar to this....

To me it looks like Fear Factor with food. The ingredients just make absolutely no sense! Most of the time it consists of things I would never think of adding together, or things I've never even heard of! Where would they even get these ingredients?! Are they shopping at a local store or the Sci-Fi Channel?! I swear they sometimes make up ingredients, just to mess with the contestants. It wouldn't surprise me if, on one episode, the judges gave them the following challenge:

Judge: "Okay chefs, tonight I want you to make a 3 course meal. For the starter you must make grilled scorpion with a cranberry and Tabasco reduction. Your main course must be diced lion with a side of buffalo testes, lightly seasoned with ground up glass. Your side dish will be grass with a lemon and grape vinaigrette. For dessert, chocolate mouse with jelly tots and honey-dipped ants. You have one hour. Don't lose your ants!"

That would make about as much sense as most of the challenges anyway! I have come to realise that I do not have a complicated palate. I can very easily eat a meal consisting of baked beans and bacon. But my lovely companion enjoys fusion cooking, and I very much enjoy the end result, so I think for now I will shut up and stay out of her kitchen......