On 2 February 2013, I joined 45 other bakers in the 5thAnnual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off.
As
an amateur baker, I had to prepare 100 bite sized portions of my
entry – a delicate orange chocolate biscotti which was included in
the category of 'Charming Vegan Cookies'. Preparing that many samples
was an interesting but comforting challenge for me. It took me the
better part of a day and much to my chagrin I had to prepare an
additional batch of candied orange peels late in the day.
The
event was sold-out and over 5000 samples were consumed within hours
of the doors opening. The Toronto Vegetarian Association did a
wonderful job coordinating and preparing the event. Information was
seamlessly passed to bakers and the event went off without a hitch.
The
two major problems I had with the event were the unprofessional
nature of the announcers (I don't care that your roommate entered, or
your boyfriend, or your brother – keep it to yourself!) and the odd
judging organization. Entries were only tasted by judges if they won
first place in their category. I believe that fair judging requires
the judges to sample every entry in each category as many individuals
brought with them a mired of friends and groupies with which to pad
the votes.
Regardless
of the odd judging hierarchy, when I returned home I immediately
began to dream about the possible entries for next year's bake-off. I
entered with a biscotti because I believe it tastes pretty darn good
but also because it was quick to bake and easy to transport. However,
I do not think it showed that well in an atmosphere were there were
no hot drinks into which to dip the biscotti. I think I will plunge a
little deeper into my baking repertoire for next year – perhaps
with a flood iced cookie which is 3-D in nature.
This
was my first cooking competition of any kind. Entering a food
competition has been on my to-do list for many years and I am glad
that I have finally accomplished it! I really approached this
competition with a 'fun run' mentality. It was something new,
something different that I am glad I accomplished. I also liked the
challenge of making 100 samples.
Advice
for newbies to the Bake-off?
- Plan ahead! I should not have had to make additional candied orange peels the day before the event as it would have been simply a matter of counting how many batches I would need to hit the 100 mark.
- Take the 'bite sized' seriously. My biscotti were gratuitously large!
- If making 100 treats AND a beautiful display worries you – go simple and classic for the display. This year's runner-up in the display simply placed two treats and a piece of fruit on a square white plate.
- Have fun! Remember it's a 'fun run'!
Unfortunately
my entry did not pull a win – but I plan on blaming that on the
lack of coffee – for what is a biscotti without a hot substance
into which to dip it?
Keep
an eye out for this awesome event next year! It's a too tasty to
miss!
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