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An Alberta chocolatier brings a distinctly Canadian flavor to his baked goods. Harry Potter: Baking Wizards, According to her, the magical experience taught her to think more broadly.
Priya Winsor of St. Albert, Alta., a finalist on the show and owner of Compass Chocolates, said the show pushed her far beyond her comfort zone, especially when it came to creating large-scale edible displays.
“It really gave me the opportunity to stretch my muscles and try something new, something more than I thought I would,” Winsor said.
Newfoundland chocolate maker grew up reading Harry Potter books and watching movies, so filming the Food Network show on the original UK sets felt surreal.
Edible Artifacts
The series, hosted by the actors who played the Weasley twins, James and Oliver Phelps, saw pastry chefs, chocolatiers and cake makers from around the world compete to create hyper-realistic edible displays inspired by locations, characters, artifacts and magical creatures from Harry Potter Universe.
Many of the pieces Winsor created with her co-star were inspired by personal experiences that felt particularly Canadian.
In the Edible Artifacts competition, Winsor added Newfoundland sea salt to salted caramel combined with chai masala ganache for Bellatrix's dagger. She said that mixing the tastes of different cultures has special meaning for her.
'Magic place'
“I love Canada. I think it's a magical place in so many ways,” she said. “Most of my business focuses on flavors from home and around the world. It was great to bring that into the world of Harry Potter.”
In the semi-finals, Winsor's team were tasked with creating Cornish pixies – mischievous blue magical creatures. A lover of folklore, she said the chaotic pixies reminded her of her own children.
What it's like to knead dough when you don't have a tent.
To evoke flavors associated with childhood nostalgia, Winsor used toasted vanilla marshmallows, honey cake and smoked dark chocolate ganache, adding chili chocolate, cayenne pepper and chipotle for depth.
The pixies were made from fondant and modeling chocolate and hung 'in the air' from a movable candelabra, one of which had a picture of a Cornish-style cake on one of the bolts.
Winsor said the smoked marshmallow and graham cracker flavors were inspired by memories of bonfires on the rocky ocean beaches of Newfoundland.
She says growing up in Newfoundland, surrounded by a strong culture of hospitality and food sharing, played a key role in sparking her interest in cooking and baking.
Harry Potter: Baking Wizards. Chapter two. available for streaming on Crave.
