44th Pillsbury Bake-Off Meet the Winners!

...that would be MY choice of winners! Attending the Pillsbury Bake-Off and watching the competitors was a lot of fun, though I'm sorry I didn't get to try more of their dishes. But just talking to them made me want each and every one to win. All 100 finalists made it past thousands of others so their accomplishment is really something special.

Here are four contestants that didn't make it to the final four, so I'm going ahead and awarding them in categories of my own design:

Most Resembles their Dish

Bridget Uhrich of Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Jumbo Burger Cups
Only two weeks away from giving birth, ready to pop Bridget bears more than a slight resemblance to her hamburger stuffed biscuit dough buns. Her inspiration was the hamburger pie recipe in a children's cookbook that she used to make for her brothers. She made it once for dinner and submitted the recipe the next day. Prohibited by her doctor from flying, she drove all the way from Pennsylvania to compete.

Most Sophisticated use of Ingredients
Nadine Clark of Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Fig & Blue Cheese Appetizer Tarts
Nadine says she is inspired at the supermarket by what is fresh. She loves Maytag blue cheese and when she saw a display with fresh figs she knew she had a hit. She used Crescent rolls as a base and when the first version with a honey drizzle was too sweet, she used orange marmalade and balsamic vinegar instead. I though the pastry base was a bit too soft but I loved her flavor combination.

Most Exotic Ingredients used
Patrick Monahan of Washington, DC
Persian Date-Filled Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Patrick lives in Washington, DC near lots of Middle Eastern and Persian restaurants. The Persian flavors inspired him to make a cinnamon roll muffin with dates, honey, cardamom, walnuts, and lemon. He told me he spent just about every Saturday last Winter working on the recipe. Some batches were served to his neighbors "guinea pigs" but he admitted some batches of muffins never made it out of the kitchen.

Most Likely to Be Invited back to a Party

Catherine Heers of Simpsonville, South Carolina
Mediterranean Three-Tomato Tart Catherine told me that health and nutrition inspired her, especially the power of lycopene. When I asked her why she included three tomatoes she said, if one tomato is good, three are better! An easy recipe using premade pie crust, she combines sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes and grape tomatoes. She wanted to avoid using tomato sauce, and said that this is a great recipe when tomatoes are in season, but even when they're not, because they are baked it tastes fabulous. A classic combination of tomatoes, fresh basil, thyme and oregano, kalamata olives, feta and slices of soppressata, it was elegant and beautiful. This is the recipe I am mostly like to try myself.

Today the official winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off will be announced on the Oprah show. I tried all four of the finalist dishes and none of them really knocked my socks off. Here are my thoughts:


The Zesty Lime-Fish Tacos had so much lime and chipotle that I couldn't taste the bland and mushy fish, which is just as well since I can't stand Tilapia! Also biscuit mix and cornmeal does not a taco make.


The Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets were ok, considering they were made with canned salmon, but not worth the calories in my opinion. I don't think they have much consumer appeal. They look like something out of Good Housekeeping circa 1954.


The Tomato-Basil Eggs Alfredo in Bread Baskets were too salty for my taste. They were a bit cold by the time I got to try them.


The hand's down winner as far as I'm concerned was the Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups. It tasted great and was awfully cute.

I had a ball with all the bloggers at the Bake-Off! See what they thought and their opinions on the contest and finalists:

No Recipes (blog)

NYCityMama

Chef Druck

Food Mayhem

Kitchen Scoop

Carrots and Cake

Steamy Kitchen

Official Pillsbury Bake Off blog

Food Gal (one of the judges)

New Haven Register

Pierogies

Growing up in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania means that you get to eat lots of yummy food that has its roots in Eastern Europe. Pierogies were always one of my absolute favorite things to eat. These pockets of dough are stuffed with a cheesy mashed potato-like mixture then sauteed with some sliced onions and butter...deliciousness!

Ingredients
Filling:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 shallots, minced and sauteed
1/4 cup cabbage, chopped and sauteed
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Dough:
3-4 cups flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup water
1 egg yolk
2 eggs

Instructions
Filling:
Bring large pot of water to boil and cook potatoes for about 15 minutes, until soft and able to be pricked by a fork. Remove potatoes from water and mash. Add heavy cream and sour cream. Mix. Stir in the cheeses, chives, shallots, cabbage, garlic, salt and pepper.

Dough:
Whisk together flour, salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and add wet ingredients. Stir and work the dough until it is no longer sticky. Refrigerate in plastic wrap for about an hour. Roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut into individual circles about 3 inches in diameter. Place filling in middle and pinch closed. Once they are all made, boil the pierogis in water for a couple of minutes before pan frying them.

Pan fry the pierogies over medium-high heat with a sliced onion and butter.

Ataulfo Mango Salsa Recipe

I'm participating in something of a mango taste test. First I indulged in Kent mangoes, which are plump, sweet and buttery with lovely tropical notes. This week it's all about the ataulfo. You have probably seen these smallish mangoes with their s-curve and pale orange skin. They have the smallest thinnest pit and virtually no fibrous threads. While their small size makes them perfect for snacking--no half a mango to store in the fridge--the flavor is a bit citrusy I'd say and has a nice bit of acid that makes me think of savory rather than strictly sweet possibilities.

Pairing mango with citrus is one of the tricks I learned from my travels in Mexico where street vendors sell chunks of jicama and mango dipped in lime and and showered in chili powder. To recreate that taste sensation I made a salsa with ataulfo mangoes, a splash of lime juice and pasilla chile powder as well as a crunchy bit of jalapeno and cilantro. The flavor brings me right back to Chapultepec Park in Mexico City!

This super easy salsa is good with chips, but I used it on duck tacos. I marinated a duck breast in balsamic vinegar then scored the skin and seared it in a hot pan and finished if off in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Initially slices of duck were used in a salad, but I had some leftover and thought mango salsa would take the duck in a completely different direction. And it did.

Mango Salsa


Ingredients

2 Ataulfo mangoes
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
Juice of one lime
1 Tablespoon pasilla chile powder
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Slice the mangoes and dice, (how to cut a mango). Combine the mango, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, pasilla chile powder and salt in a small bowl and stir gently to combine. Allow salsa to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Blood Orange Pound Cake with Orange Ginger Sauce

After recently spotting blood oranges at a local farmer's market, I immediately made sure to pick up a few. I was so excited - blood oranges are such a beautiful fruit! Most of the time, their rinds are a typical orange color, but inside, they are a bold and vibrant fire-red. I decided to use some of these beauties in this tangy cake and serve with an orangey, slightly spicy sauce.

Ingredients
Blood Orange Pound Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup sugar
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Orange Ginger Sauce:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder or chop up some pieces of crystallized ginger
 whipped cream, for serving

Instructions
for blood orange pound cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and cardamom. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, yogurt, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, vanilla, and eggs. Gently mix the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. In loaf pan, bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

for orange ginger sauce:
Over low heat, bring marmalade, water, cardamom, and ginger powder to a boil. Drizzle over slices of pound cake. Top slices of cake with whipped cream.

Gastronomica turns 10

Gastronomica is where food meets culture and the arts. It is not a cooking magazine and it might not even make you hungry, but it will certainly feed your brain and your senses. It's deep and provocative, not something mindless to skim through in a waiting room. It's an expensive journal at $13 an issue, but the production values are high and each edition is something you'll most likely keep.


Last week there was a program celebrating the 10th anniversary of Gastronomica, featuring introductory remarks from founder and editor-in-chief Darra Goldstein and a conversation between Harold McGee, celebrated author and contributing editor at Gastronomica and University of California Press' Senior Sponsoring Editor, Blake Edgar. Here are some highlights:

• In the past people who worked in food science weren't necessarily food lovers. That seems to be changing. As a result, food science today is looking more at taste as opposed to just issues of safety.

• He shared details of the International Workshops on Molecular and Physical Gastronomy that took place in in Italy in the 1990's. He was disappointed more chefs, especially non-French chefs were not invited to attend and participate.

• As someone revered by the molecular gastronomy community, it was interesting to hear him say that he "experienced some of the worst dishes of my life in those (molecular gastronomy) restaurants."

• The reason why he doesn't take a public stand on political issues like GMO's is that he doesn't feel comfortable in that role and that the issues are very complicated or as he put it, "there's a lot more to the story."

• He also shared details about visiting Nathan Myrhvold's world class lab/kitchen and his role as a reviewer in an upcoming series of books that Myrhvold is working on.

• His next book comes out in October, The Keys to Good Cooking, and it will help answer the questions home cooks have about the practical side of kitchen science.


Everyone who attended the event got a copy of the Winter 2010 edition of Gastronomica. It has a fascinating piece on how cherries were marketed using teen idols and music videos in Taiwan, a discussion on food porn, a look at the phenomenon of "no great women chefs" an investigation of chocolate and terroir, historical essays on food in art and art in food, a moving personal memoir about the food proclivities of one man's mother, a poem, photographs of Portuguese pastries, and so much more. In fact it even comes bundled with a little booklet of photography artfully arranged.


If you are more of a book sort of person, then you should really check out The Gastronomica Reader a compendium of over 40 essays, poems, art, memoirs and everything that makes the journal so compelling. It's the only resource on food that I can think of that is at times sexy, shocking, smart, disturbing and beautiful. It's a handsome coffee table book and timeless in a way that food magazines rarely ever are. Buy it and savor it for years to come.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe

I've been cooking more vegetarian and even vegan recipes lately. One reason is the Meatless Monday effort sponsored by the John Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Health. The idea is to help reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve both the health of individuals and the health of the planet. But it also has a lot to do with challenging myself to try new things.

When it comes to cooking, I love a good challenge. Cooking with less meat or none at all inspires me. I do better with fewer ingredients than more ingredients. In a way, it forces you to be creative and think outside the box. Or in this case, the refrigerator. You know the saying, necessity is the mother of invention? It always reminds me of my experiences as a babysitter back when I was a teenager. At some point while babysitting either I, or the kids I was watching would get hungry. It was sometimes a challenge for me to come up with something tasty to eat based on whatever I could find in an unfamiliar kitchen.

Stuffed peppers are an acquired taste. I like them, but my dad doesn't. I know this because when I was growing up we only ate them when he was out of town. If you like the earthy flavor of roasted peppers and quinoa, you will like this dish. It combines a number of vegetables with quinoa and nuts to give you lots of flavors and textures in each bite. The filling is basically a quinoa pilaf, so feel free to swap out the chard for another leafy green or change up the nuts. I used Roland red quinoa but I didn't think that it tasted much different from white quinoa. Originally I thought I would top it with cheese but upon tasting it, I didn't feel like it needed it. I also think you could make this without the sauce if you prefer. You know the drill, make this recipe yours.


Quinoa Stuffed Poblano PeppersMakes 4 servings as a side dish, or 2 entree serving

Ingredients

2 poblano peppers, cut in half, seeds removed
1 cup water
1/2 cup white or red quinoa
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 cups swiss chard leaves, shredded
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed and liquid

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine water and quinoa in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic, stirring frequently for 8 minutes or onion is tender. Stir in chard and let it wilt. Add cooked quinoa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into peppers. Add the tomatoes and liquid to a baking pan large enough to hold the peppers. Tuck the peppers into the sauce and bake for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Avocado Salad

Some taste combinations are just magical - like that of avocado and lime. These refreshing flavors shine in this simple salad.

Ingredients
3 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
Mix chopped avocado, tomato, and parsley together. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper. Pour vinegar and lime juice mixture over the vegetables and toss.