Master Chef Reality TV

So this morning I spent 2 hours waiting in line with 300+ friends waiting for my five minute chance for stardom.  Gordon Ramsey and Fox are casting a new reality TV show, Master Chef, a show made up of amateur chefs.  So I thought, "Hey, I can do this!" and I did.  I arrived at the casting site at 7:30 a. m. for a 9:00 a.m. call.  Encouraged to see only about 20 other people in front of me I confidently marched to the back of the line. I knew that more people would show up by the start time, but I wasn't concerned.  By the 9:00 a.m. start time we numbered well over 300...and there hadn't been much advertising either!

We had to present a prepared dish. It had to be something that could be served at room temperature or else you had to find someway to keep the dish hot or cold...no opportunity to nuke it once you got in the door.  I prepared Sweet Corn and Bacon Empandas; roasted problano peppers and white cheddar were also in the filling.  I made a wonderful butter rich pastry dough, no store bought stuff for me! I added a small bowl of guacamole to help off set the heat of the peppers.  I knew everything would travel and present well and it did, but when I saw the woman next to me plate up a rack of lamb I knew that I didn't think big enough. While I am happy with the taste and presentation of my dish, I don't think I'll be getting a call back.  That's okay...it was a fun experience and I got to share food stories and some good laughs with my fellow line standers...and all before it started to rain!