Hello world!
It's been a minute. For those of you who aren't aware, I had a wild summer.
The Friday before Father's Day, I was scouted through Instagram to go through the audition process for "Guy's Grocery Games" on the Food Network. They were planning and upcoming episode featuring home cook dads (as well as home cook teachers, but that episode was scrapped). It was random to say the least, and I was admittedly skeptical, but I did a quick search of the person who contacted me and confirmed legitimacy. I had nothing to lose, so I went through the process of making a self-tape through Zoom with a casting producer. Within a week, it was sent to Guy Fieri's team of producers and, after another two weeks, I was contacted to begin the extensive interview process. This last multiple weeks, and included conversations about my cooking style, my lifestyle, my job, my family, my use of social media... you name it. By end of July, I was asked to freeze some dates in August for potential filming. I had been selected as an alternate for the "dads" episode, in case one of the contestants they chose fell ill or had to drop. They never did, and I never made it to LA (which would have included travel and boarding).
TL;DR I was almost on Food Network.
I was certainly bummed, and it took a little while to get over the disappointment. I had told my extensive family about the opportunity and would constantly be asked for updates. But it made me realize the power of what I had been doing on Instagram. My blog had been dwindling, and my Instagram had become a smattering of un-recipe'd meals and occasional updates on my teacher life. If I was able to skew the algorithm into the feed of a casting director on the other side of the country, I knew I could have further reach and make this food hobby more than just a hobby.
One of the things I was encouraged during the interview/casting process was to practice making some of my signature dishes in 20-25 minutes. I diligently practiced five recipes, committing them to memory and practicing them to ensure that I could have them done in 25 minutes max. During this process, I also developed a new recipe, which I hadn't done in quite some time. The result is my guava cheese french toast. I crust it with Maria cookies and drizzle an espresso bacon maple syrup. It's like having your café y pastellito remixed into one
To add to my social media presence, I also did another thing... a thing I swore I would never do... I joined TikTok. It is here that I will be posting short recipe videos of recipes already on the blog as well as new recipes coming to the blog. Something they don't tell you: filming cooking TikToks is difficult and cumbersome. I love my kitchen, but it wasn't designed to be a cooking kitchen like the ones used by Tasty. Despite the challenge, I'm also thoroughly enjoying it. I can't wait to see how the next chapter of this food "influencer" thing pans out.
With a ring light and some syrup,
~c.j.
GUAVA CHEESE FRENCH TOAST
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL COOK TIME: 25 minutes
YIELD: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
6 slices thick cut smoked bacon, diced
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large eggs
a splash of vanilla
1/4 c. milk or heavy cream
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 c. guava jelly
1 sleeve vanilla Maria cookies
8 slices of thick, quality bread (such as challah or brioche)
4 tbsp butter
DIRECTIONS
Add bacon to a medium saucepan then set on the stover over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is fully cooked, approximately 10 minutes. Drain off the oil, leaving the bacon in the pot. Return to heat along with espresso powder, salt, and maple syrup. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to keep warm while making french toast.
While bacon is cooking, begin making french toast. In a medium bowl or shallow baking dish, whisk together eggs, vanilla, and milk/cream until silky and fully combined. Set aside.
Blitz Maria cookies in a food processor until resembling bread crumbs. (You can also put the cookies in a freezer bag and smash them with a rolling pin). Transfer cookie crumbs to a medium cookie sheet or square casserole dish and flatten to an even layer. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cream until smooth and homogenous.
Begin building sandwiches immediately. To one slice of bread, add a quarter of the cream cheese mixture. To other slice, spread about 1/4 c. guava jelly. Top with another slice of bread. Repeat until four sandwiches are made.
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium nonstick skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. Place 2 of the sandwiches in the egg mixture and allow to sit about 3-5 minutes. Flip, and allow to sit an additional 3-5 minutes. Transfer egg-soaked sandwiches to the tray of cookie crumbs, and gently toss to coat. Place coated sandwiches in the skillet and fry until warmed and crisped, keeping a close eye that they do not burn. This should take approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Once finished, remove from the skillet, melt remaining 2 tbsp butter in the skillet, and repeat the process with remaining sandwiches. and transfer to a cutting board.
Cut sandwiches in half on diagonal and plate with a heaping drizzle of the bacon espresso maple syrup. Enjoy!
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