Heather, Danny, Victoria and I cooked up five lots of our dishes- one for each judge and one for the photographer- during the finals on Thursday, and I think we all did brilliantly. Ultimately, Heather was victorious with her intricate and amazing 'Conference of Chocolate' (it included poached conference pears, awesome pun setup!) All three were a lovely bunch to bake with, and the people of Godiva and Luxx PR were incredible.
There were a few frustrating times where us contestants were battling against the very swish but slightly puzzling equipment of the kitchen showroom we were working in. At one point I set my first batch of caramel on legitimate fire because my hob would only operate at too hot or too cold before switching itself off (resulting in me hovering my pan just over the hob for a good half hour to get a good caramel!) Heather's sorbet almost didn't freeze at all because the freezer was playing up, and one of the tempering machines Victoria was using didn't actually temper the chocolate.
Despite these little setbacks, all of us produced some pretty kick-ass desserts. I think best of all, I got some very invaluable feedback on ingredient balance and technique. My aim is always to improve, and getting a few tips from Godiva's head chocolatier was just brilliant.
I hope Godiva Chocolates repeats their Chocolate Challenge next year: I look forward to entering something new and original. At least next time around I'll be aware of the competition and have more than a few hours to come up with a recipe, make it and enter!
For my recipe that made it to the final, check out my blog Tashcakes! to see how my Praline Mousse Coeur is done.
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