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Last
weekend, I packed up the Ac with what seemed like my entire kitchen and headed
to the Big Apple. After hearing encouragement from
a few friends and family, I decided to apply for the 4th
season of MasterChef. Two days after I submitted my application, I received an
e-mail from one of the producers requesting additional pictures. One would think they’d want pictures of my
food, but no…they wanted more pictures of me.
Needless to say, everything was set up to attend the casting call
in NYC on November 10.
I wanted to create something heavenly like duck breast with a pomegranate
sauce or roasted lamb over a parsnip puree but the rules were each participant
had to bring a pre-prepared meal. We couldn't use sternos, candles, electricity, etc.
to keep food warm. Long lines and the lack of outdoor heat in November created
a slight dilemma for this amateur cook. I wanted to create something gourmet but also something that would taste
great hot, cold, or somewhere in between. Therefore, I decided to pay homage to
city I grew up just outside of with my interpretation of one of her most popular sandwiches,
the roast pork sandwich.
Usually when
you think of sandwiches, you do not think of a culinary masterpiece. So, I had to
go over the top. Once my palate became
more sophisticated, I stopped ordering chicken and salmon out at restaurants
and you should too. The main reason is you
can make them at home and due to commercial farm they have horrible flavor,
unless your local sustainable restaurant is using grass-fed pasture raised or
wild caught protein. So I butterflied a
pork loin and soaked it in an apple cider brine overnight. While the loin was marinating, I prepared a
curry mint yogurt sauce and pickled broccoli, honey crisp apples, purple
cabbage, cayenne pepper and carrots.
The next
morning, I stuffed the loin with goat cheese and sautéed garlic and shitake
mushrooms and patted it with a dry rub blend of fresh ginger, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg,
cinnamon, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. I rolled the loin and then used some butcher’s
twine to keep it together. I threw a
little EVOO on the grill, seared the loin on all sides and transferred it to a
roasting pan and cooked it to perfection.
As an accompaniment, I made a tri-colored quinoa salad with sautéed veggies
(pumpkin, zucchini/yellow squash, turnip, parsnip, and eggplant) and chickpeas.
That
morning, I waited outside a hotel in Midtown with an insulated cooler and backpack
filled with delicious pork, pickled apple broccoli slaw, new plates and knives,
sauce, and a whole wheat mini-baguette.
When it was my time to shine, I entered a room with 25 other
participants. We were given 3 minutes to
plate our food, then a professional food taster/critic tasted our food and
interviewed us on technique, cooking style, food inspiration, etc. During this time, we also were assessed by
personality judge. Although nervous, I
passed this stage and was told to go into another room for the next round. The second round consisted of a group
interview with the show’s producers.
Each person had to tell the judges about themselves and the role food
plays in their lives. We also had to
answer questions that displayed our knowledge of gastronomy.
While I feel
like I did well, I did not make it to the third round. There is a slight chance that I may receive a
call in the next week. disclaimer: no disrespect to my family and friends who
lack trained palates because i appreciate your compliments as well. It was such
an awesome opportunity to have a professional food critic/taster evaluate my
food and love it. It was also
inspirational to be surrounded by people without formal training who share the
same passion for food. Many of the
people that I met have small catering companies or food stands at farmer’s
markets and other venues. Although you
will not see me on the 4th season of MasterChef, this is not the
last you have heard of my pursuits to bring my creations to your home in one form or another.
Final Menu
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The Score
I’m Beamin – Lupe Fiasco
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