In part two of our interview with fabulous MasterChef star Justine Schofield, we've moved on from the goss behind the scenes and we're getting to the good stuff—food! Justine gives us her easy tips for holiday entertaining, tells us what to make to impress a date and if you really want to dazzle your mates, you can hire the chef herself to come and do the cooking for you.

If someone wants to learn how to cook, can you recommend a book or a TV show they can watch to help them get started?

To be honest the new MasterChef cookbook is great. What’s so good about it is they actually show you things, like how to cook an onion, which when you’re learning, you want to know basic techniques. It’s got some really simple recipes from Hollandaise sauces and eggs to really difficult things like a croquembouche and the chocolate mousse cake.

What have you been working on recently?

I’m doing a lot of catering at the moment. In 2010 my goal is to have a website up and running and to get lots of catering jobs. I love teaching girls my age. A lot of girls are interested in cooking at home, doing dinner parties for their girlfriends and going to nightclubs afterwards and making an event of it. And you can do it on a budget. I’ve also been doing some corporate dinners, some MC-ing and lots of food demonstrations. 

Regarding holiday entertaining, do you have any quick easy appetizers to make at the last minute?

If you’ve got some puff pastry, chives, eggs, brie cheese and milk, you can make little tarts. Seafood, even just like salmon is quite easy to do, as well as prawns. For elegant Christmas drinks, serve oysters with a bit of caviar on top. It’s delicious and if you’re on a budget, you could do it with some shallots and vinegar and that will look spectacular on a plate. Go to a good butcher or delicatessen and get some nice pâté, figs, prosciutto. When you’re in a rush and on a budget and can’t make things from scratch, there are a lot of great delis out there. Everyone can do that and it's absolutely delicious.

What can a fabulous single girl cook to impress a date that’s quick and easy?

Guys love slow-cooked meat. If you actually read-up on it, it won’t take long. A roast or a slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with tzatiki and potatoes—absolutely delicious. I did a party for guys the other night and they like pasta—anything that’s quite hearty. Anything that’s delicate they don’t like. They really like things like saltimboccas. Get your veal, put a little bit of mozzarella or some bocconcini inside, some basil and roll it in prosciutto. Easiest thing ever because they absolutely love punchy flavours. 

If someone wanted to hire you to cater an event, how would they go about doing that?

They can email me at gourmande.catering@gmail.com.  I love being creative and doing my own things—like canapés and bite-sized things with champagne and cocktails. I love being in the kitchen and I love doing that.