Southlake’s very own Jessica Colvin is taking on pastry chefs from across the country on Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship.” During the cooking show, the local mom is competing against other passionate bakers for the title, $25,000 and a feature in “Food Network Magazine.” The Southlake home baker – the only home baker in the competition may we add – made it through the first week, and is back at it to take on week two.
Warning: There are spoilers included in this article. Please take that into consideration before reading on.
Jessica Colvin and “Spring Baking Championship” made their TV return last night during the second episode of the season. With the title “Spring at the County Fair,” the nine contestants were challenged to champion Southern favorites.
For the pre-heat challenge, host Clinton Kelly invited bakers to create a blue ribbon-worthy rhubarb pie adorned with a decorative crust in 90 minutes. Jessica decided to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a classic all-butter piecrust based on her great grandmother’s recipe.
“The rhubarb has a tart flavor, so you definitely want to pair it with something sweeter,” Jessica explains in the episode. “So I’m putting in strawberries and a bunch of sugar.”
Her pie also called for a little lemon and a little cinnamon sugar to help enhance her main flavors.
After presenting her final product to the judges – Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascal – Jessica was able to take in their feedback.
“It looks like spring,” Pascal says in the episode. “I love this filling. It has a real hint of cinnamon and just enough lemon to kind of make all the flavors come alive.”
Other comments concerned the amount of flour in the crust as well as the shrinkage in the pie itself from the cooking process, but she was able to take it in stride as she moved into the next challenge.
For the main heat, Kelly challenged the bakers to create an oversized dessert inspired by a few county fair food favorites. They had two hours to fight it out for their dessert of choice, conceptualize their dessert, bake their creation and decorate it to the nines.
Jessica was left with the Belgian waffle on a stick, so she decided to create just that: a Strawberry Belgian Waffle that she would put on a stick. After creating her waffle bases, she decided to dip each in dark chocolate and serve it alongside vanilla ice cream and compote.
“I am folding in fresh strawberries to give this waffle a springy touch,” Jessica says.
She also shaped her waffles into flowers to give the design a spring sense. And after topping them with a vanilla bourbon simple syrup, she baked them in the oven to give them a crispy finish.
If that wasn’t enough, Kelly came back as the bakers were the middle of their creations to let them know they had to use chocolate-covered bacon in their dishes. While it was hard for some to see a fit for this ingredient in their bakes (cheesecake on a stick and churros don’t normally call for meat in their recipes), Jessica was able to integrate the twist easily.
“Bacon goes great with waffles,” Jessica says. “I’m continuing with my literal theme, and I’m just going to make some chocolate-covered bacon. “
But when it came time to present, the judges saw fault with the unembellished concept. Other bakers transformed funnel cake into a Strawberry Croquembouche with Bacon and Coffee Bean Bark and churros into a Churro Basket Tower filled with chocolate goodies. But Jessica presented a verbatim take on her assignment.
“It looks like a pretty plate,” Pascal says. “But what concerns me is you had two hours…and we’ve kind of got waffles, compote and ice cream.”
Goldman acknowledged that her ice cream had a great texture and balance of vanilla and that her compote brought a sharp brightness to the dessert. But he did mention that her waffles were a little underdone.
Both Pascal and Fuller pushed Jessica to be more creative with assignments.
“I think you were far too literal,” Fuller says. “It is the ‘Spring Baking Championship,’ and it is $25,000. You need to put more effort into it.”
Jessica’s waffle landed her in the bottom two with Kevin Dillmon, a bakery owner from Rome, GA, who created the Strawberry Croquembouche.
During the recap of what brought her there, Kelly includes, “in a dessert that was supposed to be wild, wacky and larger than life, [Jessica] missed on several counts.”
While it wasn’t an easy decision for the judges, in the end, Jessica was sent home after the second episode.
“I’m disappointed to be the second baker going home, but as a home baker, I am proud of myself for coming here and going up against these bakers who are amazing,” Jessica says.
After giving out a round of hugs and saying her final thank yous, she exited the kitchen and the “Spring Baking Championship.”
But it seems Jessica is lighthearted after her experience. She even posted a picture of a do-over on Instagram earlier today mentioning she would “totes eat this at the #texasstatefair in the #spring.”
This is not the end of the road for Jessica’s baking career, and she is excited for what’s in store. But for those who want to keep watching the series, tune in next Monday, April 1 to see the remaining eight bakers on the third episode.
