Carrie Q&A
Fast facts
1. Favourite chef: Rick Stein.
2. Favourite restaurant: Buon Ricordo.
3. Favourite cuisine: French and
Italian.
4. Favourite place to travel: To the States
to visit my family and friends.
5. Favourite dish to cook: My lasagne and
Crème brûlée.
6. Favourite vegetable: Onions.
7. Sweet or savoury: Savoury.
8. How do you like your eggs: Scrambled.
Q&A
Favourite ingredient and why?
Butter. Whether you're cooking sweet or savoury, butter makes
everything better.
What's your favourite meal of the day - breakfast, lunch
or dinner?
It depends but generally speaking I would say dinner. I love
sitting down with my family and friends at the end of the day to
eat, share stories and unwind. Dinner is also my favourite meal to
cook.
What dish would be the way to your heart?
Freshly made pasta with a light cream sauce, parmesan and truffle
oil.
What are your favourite tunes to cook to?
When I cook, I usually put cooking DVDs on in the background; I
find these give me extra inspiration and motivation. However, I
can't go past the classic 80s tunes.
What do you think you'll learn from being on
MasterChef?
This experience will help me learn whether or not I have what it
takes to be a chef. I believe I do have what it takes and will
embrace each and every opportunity to challenge myself, learn
something new and become a better cook.
Which judge makes you the most nervous?
Matt Preston. He can be hard to read and never gives much away!
Tell us about how you got into cooking and how old were
you?
My mum and grandmother are both fantastic cooks and
growing up I was fortunate to always have wonderful food on the
table. I used to (and still do) love visiting my grandmother as she
would always spoil me with my favourite desserts - boiled custard
and butterscotch pie. When I moved to Sydney my passion and love
for food grew even more. We are so lucky to be surrounded by
amazing produce and different types of cuisine.
What's the first meal you remember cooking and was it a
success or a disaster?
I can't recall the first meal I ever cooked, though I
vividly remember one of my biggest disasters. Shortly after meeting
my husband, I cooked him a meal one night which to this day he
refers to as a 'chicken surprise'. My intention was there and I
attempted to recreate a dish I had eaten many times but the dish I
produced turned out nothing like it was supposed to. My husband
still smiles about it and reminds me just how far I've
come.
What three ingredients would you take with you to a desert
island and what would you cook with them?
Tinned tomatoes - to flavour and sweeten. Salt - you can preserve
anything in salt. Lemons - they go with just about everything and
taste wonderful with fish.
If you were having any three people, alive or dead, over
for dinner, who would they be and what would you cook for
them?
My mum, dad and brother. They all live in the States and
I don't get a chance to see them often and would love to have them
sitting around my table, cooking and sharing beautiful food. The
menu would include a pasta of some sort, seafood and a lemon
dessert, probably a lemon tart.
What inspired you to go on MasterChef?
My dream is to become a chef and work in the kitchen in one of
Australia's leading restaurants. MasterChef can help make this a
reality and I see this experience as one that will challenge me and
help me reach my full potential. The MasterChef experience is
life-changing and can help turn dreams into realities. Being
surrounded by experts in the industry and the other contestants is
an invaluable part of this journey and something I will never take
for granted.
