Lately I seem to be saturated by cooking shows, this is entirely my fault as I am currently on a healthy eating plan (not allowed to say the word ‘diet’) and the only way I can enjoy food that it generally bad for me in the quantities in which I wish to consume is to vicariously devour the creations of others through my eyes.
Firstly, my favourite competition (that isn’t Strictly Come Dancing) Masterchef (BBC One) is back to my delight. Now, either the auditions were conducted off screen or due to a scheduling malfunction I missed them but a shortlist of contestants have been drawn up. In each of three episodes 8 amateur cooks compete for one of the 12 much desired Masterchef aprons. Like a golden ticket to a chocolate factory with more work and toil and presumably less entertaining gentlemen in purple top hats, the apron is the key to a world of challenges and professional kitchens to be the best cook and join the ranks of other culinary success stories. To be frank, I wouldn’t last an hour in a professional kitchen without either having a breakdown or yelling back at someone if they were constantly on my back about my performance – that is why I am not a chef...well, that and my lack of ability to cook.
I have so much admiration for the Masterchef hopefuls, some of whom have given up their day job to chase their dream of becoming an expert chef. I do so admire passion and these people are brimming with fervour which I find immensely infectious. Greg Wallace and John Torode are back in their rightful places, their patience often stretched but I think what I like most of all is their critique of food is never overly harsh; when someone is eliminated from the contest they do show genuine sadness at the loss of some people.
This year’s episodes so far showed some remarkable culinary ability, some weird and wonderful concoctions, some emotional contestants and a roaring John Torode! Perhaps I can allow myself a chocolate each time Gregg Wallace says ‘Cooking doesn’t get tougher than this!!!’.
On another channel is the ever resourceful Heston Blumenthal in How to Cook Like Heston (Channel Four). What can I say, the man is a gastronomic genius! I spent this Wednesday evening almost perpetually drooling over the lashings of delicious chocolate. I found myself desperately wishing he lived next door to me so I could sample his cuisine (I was going to write ‘wares’ but that just seemed inappropriate on several levels). His innovative use of ingredients never fails to astonish me. His ‘chocolate soil’ to go on his plant pot tiramisu looked so easy to make but I can almost guarantee that if I were to try it that it would be burnt or all over the kitchen. I think some of the show just washed over me as I watched the dripping, undulating chocolate mixture that he used to make an ‘Exploding Chocolate Gateux’ that he coats with a velvety finish using a paint gun from a DIY store filled with chocolate. The exploding aspect of the cake is that he has added popping candy to the biscuity base. It looks heavenly!!! I will be continuing to watch How to Cook Like Heston although I fear that I will never manage to do as the title suggests.
I also thoroughly enjoyed The Great Sport Relief Bake Off (BBC Two) recently for the same reasons as Masterchef but I have more of a chance with baking as I can bake reasonably well. After the minor controversy regarding a certain naughty squirrel last year there seemed fewer shots of the furry friends and more of the scenery around the baking tent during busy moments. A series of celebrities took part culminating in a final to become The Great Sport Relief Bake Off champion 2012. Brave souls were they who went under the critical eye of the well respected cookery experts Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. Each show has the typical signature bake where the celebrities were instructed to make varying items with a particular theme. Sadly Sarah Hadland’s cake mixture ended up mainly all over her “what I call an apron” (a reference to the show she stars in with the comedy pal Miranda Hart) but she managed to pull it back and at least get some of the mixture into the bake. Some amazing baked goods were created in this round on every show and despite the celebrities not being professional bakers, their efforts were actually very good. The second round in each show is the technical bake where the celebrities were called upon to create things such as cheese scones, coffee and walnut cake – some of which were well executed and some were almost disastrous – using a recipe from one of the judges with parts of the recipe missing so to allow the celebrities to work it out themselves. Finally, each show had the showstopper challenge where the judges were to be wowed by the celebrities by creating tiered cakes etc. Arlene Phillips always seemed to be on the brink of failure before pulling it back and seeming surprised when told that her pastry was lovely and Angela Griffin’s confusion with what to do with the cheese in her scones provided moments of light relief in the competition as well as watching Paul Hollywood’s ice blue eyes crinkle with pleasure when munching on particularly fine baked goods. This is a show I just want to see run and run.
The last programme I wanted to mention was The Fabulous Baker Brothers (Channel Four) which had me transfixed on Wednesday. In the episode I watched Tom and Henry make what I can only describe as the most wonderful breakfast in bed, not just because it was Eggs Benedict but the fact that the muffins and hollandaise sauce were handmade. I can imagine how thoroughly impressed I would be should I be presented with some a lavish breakfast made with such thought and care – it beats soggy cereal into a cocked hat really and would definitely earn some brownie points. My husband is a fantastic cook but I think making his own muffins would definitely impress me further. As if the beautifully made breakfast wasn’t enough, we were treated to the creation of melt in the middle chocolate puddings that looked so wonderful that I considered breaking my diet for just a taste. Their sweet pie competition at the end was adorable as they battled against each other to create the perfect sweet pies for a group of hairdressers. Definite contenders for people I want living next door to me. The smell of baking and cooking would be delightful.
I’m looking forward to more cookery shows as the year continues, maybe one day I might actually rustle up some delicious food without making a mess of it...maybe...
No comments:
Post a Comment