MasterChef Hopeful

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be chosen to audition for MasterChef Canada in Vancouver, BC and I had such a fun time. My dish held up well over the terrifically long day and tasted great, I wasn't as nervous as I had been last year, and I met a lot of lovely people.

Last year my food turned out great too, I made a Pimm's Cup Upside-Down Peach Cake, but I knew I didn't win a seat on the show. I stood in front of the judges full of nervous laughter, shaking knees, and every single thought in my head poured out my ears as I walked through the doors. This year, anything is possible and I might be one of the lucky ones.

Want to know what I made? It's a combination of a lot of great dishes I've made before. I called my dish Chocolate and Orange Profiteroles. It was pretty yummy.

Chocolate and Orange Profiteroles - makes 25-30 profiteroles and serves 4-8

1 recipe of profiteroles and pastry cream (up to the end of step 10 of my croquembouche)
1 recipe chocolate mousse (first two steps of my Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits)
2 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 plum, peeled and puréed 

2 tablespoons orange zest, divided 

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup chocolate chips, divided
Fresh strawberries

1. Make your choux pastry and bake it first.

2. Next, make your pastry cream, stirring one tablespoon of orange zest in it for some extra flavour. Don't fill your profiteroles until about an hour or so before you are ready to eat, otherwise they might go a little soggy.

3. Make your chocolate mousse. Keep cool in the fridge.

4. Make your plum and orange curd. Combine egg yolks with sugar in a small saucepan. Add orange and plum juices and remaining orange zest and stir to combine. Place the saucepan on medium heat and stir until the mixture thickens slightly and will coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Stir butter into the curd and let cool in the fridge.

5. Melt 1/2 cups of chocolate and smear over a sheet of parchment paper in an even layer. Carefully roll parchment into a roll and let cool in the fridge. When cool and solid, unroll and break chocolate into curls.

6. Fill profiteroles with orange pastry cream and melt remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Flick a forkful of chocolate over the profiteroles.

7. Smear curd and mousse on a long plate. Dot plate with profiteroles, strawberries, and chocolate curls. Dig in with friends.

Here's hoping I get chosen to appear on the next season of MasterChef Canada!