Posted by San Diego Union-Tribune, CA on May 06, 2008 at 07:58:04:
Recipes from the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off
By Caroline Dipping
Copley News Service
For her inspired use of refrigerated cookie dough, a Maryland woman took the $1 million grand prize during the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas on April 15.
The winner was Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, Md., who sufficiently impressed the judges with her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. She also won the competition's Jif Peanut Butter Award for incorporating at least 1/4 of a cup of the product in her recipe.
A San Diego gemologist isn't going home empty-handed, either.
Phyllis Weeks-Daniel won the Bake-Off's "GE Imagination at Work Award" for her innovative Blue Cheese and Red Onion Jam Crescent Thumbprints. She will receive a GE Profile double convection oven and two self-cleaning ovens, plus the choice of $3,000 in additional GE Profile kitchen appliances.
Weeks-Daniel was one of three San Diegans who traveled to Texas for the culinary competition held at the Fairmont Hotel. Sherry Roper and Lana McDonogh were also among the 100 finalists.
"It's been quite a whirlwind and an amazing experience," said Weeks-Daniel by phone from Dallas an hour after learning of winning the GE prize for her savory thumbprint nibble. "If by default or by nature, all the contestants have been incredibly friendly and helpful.
"There was no sense of competition, lots of 'good luck to you,' everyone rooting for each other," Weeks-Daniel said of the bake-off. "It was nothing like a snarky reality show.
"The closest we got to a reality show was at our orientation where we were told to have our bags packed and be prepared to leave right after the ceremony if we weren't the big winner."
Each contestant was given three opportunities to make her or his recipe, presenting their best effort to the judges sequestered in a room 70 yards away from the bake-off ballroom. Weeks-Daniel said the din of the media descending on the ballroom was so loud she couldn't hear her timer go off.
"Pillsbury always reminded us that we have beaten out tens of thousands of the best cooks in America to reach this point," Weeks-Daniel said. "Just the sheer numbers game of it was quite an honor to be here, and even more so to win a prize."
A booklet containing the 100 finalists' recipes is on sale at supermarkets now. Finalists' recipes, including the grand prize-winning recipe, are also available online at bakeoff.com.
Once they were named finalists, the three San Diegans used their time to perfect the way they prepare their dishes, timing themselves, working under distracting conditions and even cooking in unfamiliar kitchens.
Hunkered down at their Bake-Off kitchen work stations, McDonogh, Roper, Weeks-Daniel and the other finalists each had a pitcher of water, some utensils and enough ingredients to prepare their recipes three times: once for photography, once for judges and a third time just in case. Dishes were then whisked off to a panel of food experts (including "Desperation Dinners" columnist Beverly Mills), who meet in a guarded room to judge them on appearance, creativity, taste and consumer appeal.
This year, the categories were Breakfast and Brunches, Pizza Creations, Entertaining Appetizers, Old El Paso Mexican Favorites, and Sweet Treats. Among the new products this year that cooks could incorporate into their dishes were Jif Peanut Butter, Smucker's jams and jellies, C&H Sugar and Fisher Nuts. As always, Pillsbury products (including crescent rolls, refrigerated pie crust, biscuits and cookie dough) are well represented.
ENTERTAINING APPETIZERS
Weeks-Daniel, a certified gemologist and appraiser for a San Diego jeweler for more than 20 years, has been entering the competition with mostly dessert recipes since before the advent of the Internet.
This go-'round, she has tapped into her savory side by transforming her favorite salad flavors into an upmarket nibble that combines the tang of sauteed red onions and apricot preserves with the pungency of blue cheese. The decision paid off with a spot in the Bake-Off ballroom.
"I think they really get so many dessert entries, it's a harder category to be noticed in," Weeks-Daniel said. "The thumbprint idea in savory has not been done before. That was probably the key factor in singling this one out for me this time."
Finalist Lana McDonogh found her inspiration on TV.
After watching a segment on "Oprah" about the winning chicken and waffles recipe in the 2006 Bake-Off, McDonogh was off and cooking.
"As I was watching, I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I think I can do this.'"
McDonogh has always cooked for fun, taking classes locally as well as in the south of France. She embraced the Bake-Off wholeheartedly, entering recipes in each category. Her Gorgonzola, Fig and Walnut Tartlets made the cut.
"I think these came out pretty good," said the 53-year-old cook. "It originated from a salad with blue cheese and raisins and balsamic dressing."
Her guinea pigs were her two daughters and her son in-law; she kept him in the dark about the figs in the tartlets until after he had tasted them.
OLD EL PASO MEXICAN FAVORITES
Sherry Roper's first Bake-Off attempt - a tequila lime chicken casserole incorporating Corn Chex, spinach and Key Lime Pie Yoplait yogurt - never went farther than her husband's dinner plate. In her eagerness to enter the contest after watching the Food Network's special on the 42nd Bake-Off, she downloaded contest rules with an outdated list of eligible ingredients.
"I came up with a bunch of recipes and waited a year for the next competition, only to find out there was a new ingredients list," the freelance bookkeeper said. "I had to start all over."
For this competition, she entered several recipes, including a dessert she calls Razzaritos, raspberry- and cream-cheese-filled baked burritos. But the Pillsbury folks zeroed in on her Picadillo Chimichangas, a Mexican twist on a Cuban meat dish.
Roper's rendition calls for baking, not deep-frying, the chimichangas, and using cinnamon applesauce in the filling as a time-saving substitute for peeling, chopping and spicing apples. She has perfected her recipe so it takes one hour to prepare from start to finish.
Here are their recipes, along with the grand-prize winning Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies.
BLUE CHEESE AND RED ONION JAM CRESCENT THUMBPRINTS
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1/3 cup Fisher Chef's Naturals chopped pecans
1 teaspoon Crisco extra-virgin or pure olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Smucker's apricot preserves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Yields 32 appetizer servings
Heat oven to 375 F. In small bowl, mix cream cheese and gorgonzola cheese with a fork until blended.
Unroll dough; separate into 2 rectangles, each about 11 inches long. Place 1 rectangle on cutting board; press perforations together to seal. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over dough to within 1/2 inch of long sides; sprinkle 1/2 of the pecans evenly over cheese. Starting at one long side, roll up; press seam to seal. Cut roll into 16 (about 3/4-inch) slices with serrated knife; place cut sides down on ungreased large cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cheese and pecans. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, in 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly brown. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar, preserves (breaking up large pieces) and thyme; set aside.
After removing rolls from oven, immediately press back of a teaspoon into center of each roll to make small indentation. Spoon slightly less than 1/2 teaspoon onion jam into each indentation. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 60 calories, 4 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 0 g dietary fiber.
- Phyllis Weeks-Daniel of San Diego
GORGONZOLA, FIG AND WALNUT TARTLETS
1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust (from 15-ounce box), softened as directed on box
6 dried figs or pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon packed Domino or C&H dark brown sugar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Fisher Chef's Naturals chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon honey
Yields 24 appetizer servings.
Heat oven to 425 F. Unroll pie crust on flat surface. Using 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from pie crust, rerolling crust scraps if necessary. Gently press 1 round in bottom and up sides of each of 24 ungreased mini muffin cups.
In small bowl, mix figs, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Spoon slightly less than 1 teaspoon fig mixture into each cup. Break up any larger pieces of cheese. Top each tartlet with slightly less than 1 teaspoon cheese.
Bake 7 to 11 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove tartlets from pan to serving plate. Drizzle tartlets with honey. Serve warm.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 60 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g protein.
- Lana McDonogh, San Marcos, Calif.
PICADILLO CHIMICHANGAS
1/4 cup Crisco canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef
1 large tomato, chopped
1 (4.5-ounce) can Old El Paso chopped green chiles
1 (1.25-ounce) package Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce or plain applesauce
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup Fisher Chef's Naturals sliced almonds
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
1 (11.5-ounce) package Old El Paso flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas)
1 cup sour cream
4 medium green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Yields 8 servings.
Heat oven to 475 F. Brush large cookie sheet with 1 tablespoon of oil. In 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Stir in beef; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in tomato, chiles, taco seasoning mix, applesauce and raisins. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in almonds and olives. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
For each chimichanga, spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture down center of a tortilla. Fold sides toward center; fold ends up. Place seam sides down on cookie sheet. Brush tops and sides of chimichangas with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir sour cream, green onions and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. To serve, top each chimichanga with 2 tablespoons sour cream mixture and remaining cilantro.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 430 calories, 26 g fat (8 g saturated), 55 mg cholesterol, 970 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber.
- Sherry Roper of San Diego
DOUBLE-DELIGHT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
1/4 cup Fisher Dry Roasted Peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup Domino or C&H Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup JIF Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Domino or C&H Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury Create 'n Bake refrigerated peanut butter cookies, well chilled
Yields 2 dozen cookies.
Heat oven to 375 F. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls.
Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in 1/2 crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.
Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with cooking spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/2-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough.
Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 150 calories 150, 7 g total fat (1 1/2 g saturated fat, 1/2 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 17 g total carbohydrate (0 g dietary fiber, 11 g sugars), 3 g protein.
- Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, Md.
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Caroline Dipping is a food writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune.