Posted by Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA on April 07, 2008 at 13:43:36:
Georgia's Pillsbury Bake-Off hopes rise
Even if 1 of 4 metro Atlanta finalists wins, it's not quite a victory for Southern cuisine.
By ELIZABETH LEE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/07/08
Six winless decades. Four determined cooks. One heck of a grand prize.
The big doughboy of cooking contests has spurned Georgia cooks since an Illinois woman claimed the first grand prize in 1949. Yet with bragging rights and big money at stake, Georgians have kept trying.
THE COMPETITION:
• The contest takes place every two years. Finalists prepare their dishes April 14 in Dallas. Winners are announced April 15.
• Learn about the contest plus find tasty recipes, coupons and promotions at www.pillsbury.com.
When the 2008 Pillsbury Bake-Off begins April 14 in Dallas, Texas, four metro Atlanta women will be among the 100 finalists competing for the $1 million grand prize. That's better odds than the city's cooks have seen in years, if ever.
Finalist Deborah Puette, already beating the odds as a bona fide native Atlantan, believes this could be the year a Georgia cook takes it all. She just doesn't like the implications for traditional Southern cooking.
Metro Atlanta finalists passed on peanut butter and peaches, instead gaining their coveted spots with recipes that look outside the region: mojito pie, Mediterranean pizza, Southwestern stuffed chicken and huevos rancheros pizza.
Maybe that's why Georgia finally has a shot at winning, muses Puette, now living in Lilburn and known for the Mexican food she prepares for her sons' friends.
"I hate to say a true Southerner wouldn't make it on their own merit," she says, "but I think it's the influence of all the cuisines coming in here."
DEBORAH PUETTE, 54, LILBURN
Finalist recipe: Southwestern cheese-stuffed chicken rollups
What's in it: Boneless breasts rolled around a stuffing of cream cheese, pickled jalapeño slices and corn, topped with crumbled taco shells and cheese.
Also-rans: None. Only entry was a finalist.
Inspiration: "I was looking for an edge to give me something unique. I thought, 'If I batter this with crushed taco shells, that's it.' It gives the crispy crust without having to fry it."
Biggest contest win so far: $5,000 from Royal Pudding for a banana cheeseball with gingersnaps
Favorite fall-back dinner: None. Tries something new every week.
Always in the pantry: Sour cream, cream cheese, jasmine rice
Loves to cook: Sauerbraten
Culinary pitfall: Grits
Million-dollar dreams: A trip to Alaska, the only state out of 50 she hasn't visited. More charity work.
PAM TAPIA, 40, SMYRNA
Finalist recipe: Huevos rancheros pizza
What's in it: Chorizo sausage, salsa, chilis and cheese topped with fried eggs and avocado slices.
Also-ran: None. She entered one recipe.
Inspiration: "Chorizo. It's something I've been eating all my life because I grew up with a Mexican father. But not everybody has heard of it. It's unusual, it's versatile but not spicy."
Favorite fall-back dinner: Pizza, made from a Publix sourdough crust and whatever's around the house.
Always in the pantry: Hummus, salami and sourdough bread
Loves to cook: Recreating restaurant meals at home, like a grilled pizza she sampled at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain in New York.
First cooking teacher: An Arkansas grandmother who made cakes, pies and potatoes, and a Mexican grandmother who prepared tamales, rice and beans
Practice, practice: Once a month for Sunday brunch
Million-dollar dreams: Trip to Paris, pay bills and take a cooking class
BARBARA WILLIAMS, 56, LAWRENCEVILLE
Finalist recipe: Mediterranean pizza with cheese-stuffed crust
What's in it: Pork sausage, feta and mozzarella cheese, cheese sticks, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and spinach.
Also-ran: Seven other recipes, including a Southwestern blackened catfish taco.
Inspiration: A longtime dinner favorite that got a few tweaks. A prepared pizza crust replaced a homemade one to meet contest rules.
Favorite fall-back dinner: Breakfast every Wednesday night, from scrambled eggs to waffles or pancakes.
Always in the pantry: Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and onions
Loves to cook: Pizza, pies, seafood and a chicken and dumplings recipe from her husband's great-grandmother.
First cooking teacher: Her mother and father, a Navy cook and biscuit expert
Practice, practice: Once a week.
Million-dollar dreams: Granddaughter's college fund, other family needs, charitable donations.
AYOFEMI WRIGHT, 29, ATLANTA
Finalist recipe: Creamy mojito pie
What's in it: Cream cheese, instant vanilla pudding and pie filling mix, limeade and rum and mint extracts
Also-ran: Strawberry pie recipe. Wright thought it had a better shot at winning.
Inspiration: Wright, a native of Columbia, S.C., started entering cooking contests after seeing a South Carolina woman take the Bake-Off grand prize in 2000 for Cream Cheese Brownie Pie. She likes mojitos, and thought the cocktail's lime, mint and rum flavors would work in a pie.
Favorite fall-back dinner: Pasta with Italian sausage
Always in the pantry: Flour, milk and pasta
Loves to cook: Red velvet cakes
First cooking teacher: "I started off watching my father, helping him do a few things around the kitchen, and it grew from there."
Practice, practice: At least twice a week.
Million-dollar dreams: Back to school, to study medicine or public health.
LAST YEAR'S CHAMPION:
• The 2006 winner: Anna Ginsberg of Austin won the million-dollar prize for Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing, which used frozen waffle dunking strips as an unexpected ingredient. She's still writing the dessert-a-day blog that endeared her to sweets lovers before her Pillsbury win. Cookie Madness: www.cookiemadness.net.