CHRISTINE EXITS THE MASTERCHEF HOUSE

Unbelievably I stood next to Christine in the MasterChef audition queue so we chatted a lot together and had very similar personalities. I had a chat with Christine as she left the MasterChef house. Here is what she had to say!


Rob: How did it feel to be eliminated first?

CJ: Actually, just secretly, I was hugely relieved. The tension in that kitchen for that challenge was huge and I couldn't see myself coping well with that amount of stress in later challenges. Also I felt really bad for Karyn and the way she was spoken to for drinking the beer and I would have hated to see her go instead of me.

Rob: If you had another shot would you do things differently? What would it be?

CJ: Hind sight is so wonderful - I always wish I'd had it beforehand... I wouldn't do the experimental thing again. I should have done something simple and elegant like a laksa or a cardamom cream chicken dish - I knew them so well too!

Rob: Would you like to turn food into a career or business?

CJ: I have every intention of persuading my husband (hope he's not reading this...) to join me in a country or beach-side general store where the food, the coffee, the people and the lifestyle are the focus. (Oh, and for Stew's benefit - the profit is important too). I can see it now... in fact I might follow Kerry Spackman's advice and get the photograph of us standing in front of it up on the wall... tonight!

Rob: I know you love desserts! Can you share with us really simple tasty recipe a busy parent could whip up at a dinner party?

CJ: Desserts and me are an item! I always think a stack of meringues is a really spectacular way to go - as long as it's not a diabetics dinner party. I love Jo Seager's recipe for espresso meringues which you can find here. Dress up a plain stack of white meringues with berries amongst them and a pot of syllabub to dip them in (simply whip 300ml cream to soft stage, then add up to 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tbsp white wine and beat to a thicker consistency). Or use my really quick method for poached kiwifruit: make a sugar syrup with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Heat slowly while stirring then boil until all the sugar is dissolved. In place of the water you can use any or all of the following: orange or lemon juice, white wine or limoncello. Add mint or basil leaves and orange zest, then add peeled and quartered kiwi fruit and stir till they're covered and hot through. Add some orange slices if you like. This can be made in about 10 minutes, no fussy ingredients, and serve with the same syllabub as above.

But wait ... home made brandy snaps! And baklava is really quick and easy. So is feijoa sponge... perhaps you'd better visit my blog and see what I'm cooking there.. http://www.foodnz.blogspot.com/

Check out Christines Blog!

Thanks Christine

All the best

Rob