Amy Finley Premiers The Gourmet Next Door
Amy Finley premiered her new show, The Gourmet Next Door, this past Sunday afternoon, and this show, along with Amy Finley, looks like it may be a hit.
Amy did great on camera and she explained things well, even adding great anecdotal stories. The first episode focused on Bistro food. She was smart in combining a recipe that may seem a little intimidating to some (the Gougeres and the Profiteroles) with a simple Flank Steak and potato meal. My only question was why didn’t she use standing mixer to beat-up the dough? I am not sure why the producers made that decision. The pastry can be made very simple when you have a machine doing all the labor.
The dough she used, Pate A Choux, which can do double duty as an appetizer to the meal and a dessert (pictured above):
Pate a choux derives from the old French meaning “to cherish” or cabbage paste because of its shape, this pastry has been in use since the sixteenth century. It is a cooked mixture of water, butter and flour which rises due to steam expansion. The paste crusts on the outside, trapping steam inside, creating a puffed shape with a hollow interior. The crisp shells are filled with a variety of creams and finished with a glaze.
Amy did a wonderful job not only using her French terms, but explaining them in a fun and simple way. The food looked really good and the format was great. I will continue to tune-in to The Gourmet Next Door. Do you think that the Food Network gods will shine their approval on our intelligent, well-spoken, French-loving damsel?
Some of you have already commented and agreed that she did great. Did you get a chance to watch the show? What did you think?
If you missed the show, stay tuned Sunday afternoons at 1:00pm (EST) on the Food Network.
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POSTED IN: Amy Finley, The Food Network, The Next Food Network Star
4 opinions for Amy Finley Premiers The Gourmet Next Door
Renee, Your Culinary Therapist
Oct 16, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I enjoyed the show myself, and it kept my husbands attention, even though he later said he didn’t find her personality to be one that would make him tune in next Sunday. I felt she was a bit uncomfortable on camera in the first few minutes, but warmed up. I will watch again. I was even inspired to cook my potatoes as she did, whacking the heck out of them with a rolling pin first. Won’t do that again, but I will watch the show. :)
Jennifer
Oct 16, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I didn’t watch because I do the bulk of my writing on the weekends but she’s sort of into red meat I felt from the food network star show so I don’t know that I’d like the show? Maybe she’s not too bad and was my second choice. Maybe she didn’t use the mixer because not everyone has one? I don’t. I do make bread and other baked items a lot but never have used a mixer.
Debbie gilmour
Nov 4, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I watched the gournet next door, I really like Amy Finlay and want to know more about her and her family? She’s talented and enjoyable to watch.
Tracey Thompson
Nov 9, 2007 at 10:10 am
I like her too. The only news really is that she is from San Diego…and has two kids and yes, still is with her husband. I think we will learn more as time goes…I think she has a future as Food Network, she fits the profile of where they are going with the network
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